Chapter 151 - 148: Business
"Coming, Sister Fang." Seeing Li Xiu with one arm outstretched and a frustrated look on his face, Zhou Lian suppressed a laugh and called back to Sister Fang in a slightly raised voice. Looking at Li Xiu, she chuckled. "Alright, let’s eat first. We can talk after dinner, okay?"
Looking at his wife’s radiant smile, Li Xiu nodded helplessly. He didn’t really have a choice. Even if Sister Fang wasn’t there, he was still holding a little third wheel in his arms. Besides, they were in the courtyard. No matter how much he wanted to be close to his wife, he couldn’t do it out in the freezing cold! ’I just wanted to hug my wife!’
After dinner, Sister Fang held Nuonuo and said, "You two rest up at home. I’ll take Nuonuo over to Dongfang’s place to see how they’re all doing." With that, she picked up the small bag full of Nuonuo’s things and walked out briskly. ’This is hilarious,’ she thought. ’Li Xiu hasn’t been able to tear his eyes away from Zhou Lian. If I don’t get out of here, he’s going to burst from frustration!’
Watching Sister Fang leave with Nuonuo, Li Xiu gave her a mental thumbs-up. ’Way to go. She really knows how to read a room.’ He reached out and pulled Zhou Lian into a tight embrace, whispering tenderly, "Bao’er, I’ve missed you like crazy."
Never mind Li Xiu and Zhou Lian being all lovey-dovey at home. Over at Wang Dongfang’s small courtyard, the arrival of Sister Fang and Nuonuo brought the place to life. The three grown men placed Nuonuo on the heated kang bed they had just finished building after the new year and started playing with her. After learning that they had all eaten, Sister Fang watched them with a smile, thinking they were like three big kids playing with a little one. After a while, she quietly went to the main room. Seeing the pile of dirty clothes on the floor, she just shook her head with a smile, gathered them all up, and took them to the well in the courtyard to start washing them.
She was almost finished when the three oblivious men in the house finally realized she was gone. They rushed out to find her, and the sight of her crouching by the well, washing their clothes, made all three of them tear up. In this freezing weather, the well water was so cold. She must have started washing their clothes the moment she arrived!
"Sis!"
Hearing the tearful note in Wang Dongfang’s voice, Sister Fang quickly turned around. Seeing the three men with reddened eyes, she understood and said with a sigh, "You’re all grown men. Crying over such a small thing, aren’t you ashamed? Alright, I’m done washing now. Two of you, come help me wring these out and hang them up to dry."
"Yes!" Wang Dongfang shoved Nuonuo into the arms of a still-dazed Liu Qiang and went with Wei Guo to help Sister Fang hang the clothes. Liu Qiang stomped his foot in frustration. That cunning brat, Wang Dongfang! He couldn’t even yell, not with the baby in his arms—he was afraid Nuonuo would learn the words and Li Xiu would come after him. All he could do was stand there seething, watching Sister Fang and the other two laugh and joke as they hung the laundry.
Back inside, holding a cup of hot water that Wei Guo had poured for her, Sister Fang ignored their sentimentality and got straight to the point. "Have you and Li Xiu discussed things? What’s the plan?"
Seeing Sister Fang’s no-nonsense attitude, the three men dropped the melodrama. To them, she was family now, like their own sister. Wang Dongfang smiled and told her, "Sis, we’ve talked it all out. Big Bro gets seventy percent of the profits, and the three of us split the remaining thirty percent. He put up all the capital. Honestly, he could have just paid us a salary, but Big Bro said he wants the three of us to work with him long-term. No salaries, just a profit share. And it’ll be the same going forward!"
Sister Fang nodded. "Li Xiu is a good man. He’s doing this to give you all a leg up, but it’s also because you’re good people that he’s willing to do it. Since you’re going to be working with him, make sure you do a good job."
At this, Sister Fang paused for a moment before continuing, "Since you all call me ’sister,’ and I have no family of my own, you are like my real younger brothers. So today, there are a few things I need to warn you about."
"Go on, Sis!"
Seeing the three of them speak in unison, Sister Fang smiled. "Li Xiu is the type of person who can’t tolerate any deceit. As long as you stay true to yourselves, he’ll treat you like his own flesh and blood. But if any of you go astray, he’s just as capable of sending you right back to where you started, understand? Li Xiu is both the most sentimental and the most ruthless of men. Don’t ever try to betray him. He’s a ’one strike and you’re out’ kind of person. You’re all good kids. Stay true to yourselves, and don’t let money blind you in the future!"
Sister Fang had weathered the storms of life and seen countless hardships. She understood the weaknesses of human nature, and she had a clear read on Li Xiu. She also knew these three—who were not her brothers by blood but were dearer than any—inside and out. They were good people, but she feared the fickle nature of the human heart. She didn’t want to see good brothers turn on each other over money, a situation where no one would come out on top.
"Sis, we’ll take your lesson to heart," Wei Guo said solemnly. "We won’t. Everyone likes money, but we’d never lose our conscience for it. Besides, money is just for getting by. We’re not foolish enough to trade our brotherhood for it. Money lost can be earned again, but some things, once lost, can never be found. We won’t put the cart before the horse. You can rest assured, Sis!"
Wang Dongfang and Liu Qiang nodded vigorously as they listened. While they couldn’t guarantee they would never change, they knew they would never lose their moral compass. Besides, they all knew how generous and righteous Li Xiu was. But they had also seen his ruthless side on their trip down south. The man seemed to possess a natural air of decisive, deadly authority. The three of them were smart, but compared to Li Xiu, they were happy to follow his lead. Since he wouldn’t mistreat his brothers, they had no intention of trying to pull the tiger’s tail. That was just asking for death.
"As long as you understand. We must never forget where we came from. Besides, from what I can see, Li Xiu isn’t a narrow-minded person. Work hard with him. I’ll be waiting to enjoy the fruits of your success!" Seeing they all understood, Sister Fang didn’t say more, just teased them with a smile.
"Yeah, we’ll definitely make sure you can live a comfortable life, Sis! By the way, is our sister-in-law easy to get along with? I only saw her once, and she seemed so gentle, but I don’t know what her personality is really like," Liu Qiang asked with some concern.
"Don’t worry. Nuonuo’s mother is a very easygoing person. She’s very direct with me—not the type to have hidden motives or beat around the bush. She’s also very respectful and never orders me around. She even tells me to take breaks sometimes. She’s very considerate," Sister Fang said with a smile. The life she had now was one she never dared to dream of before. Thinking back on her old life, she couldn’t even imagine how she had managed to endure it.
"That’s good, that’s good. Oh, right, Sis, why did you bring Nuonuo over here?" Wang Dongfang said, relieved, then grew curious why Sister Fang had come over with the baby right after dinner.
Sister Fang smiled. "You’re not married yet, so you don’t understand some things. Li Xiu has been gone for so many days. I brought the baby here to give him some time alone to talk with his wife!"
At this, Wang Dongfang and the others burst out laughing. Just how impatient was Li Xiu to force the ever-dignified Sister Fang to flee with the baby in her arms!