Chapter 225: Lecturing in a Systematic Way

Chapter 225: Always Ready with a Lecture

"I was wrong, alright? From now on, I’ll do whatever you say. I won’t speak out of turn again," Zhang Xiaohua quickly replied.

She was afraid that if she didn’t answer quickly enough, Fu Guoqing might actually take it seriously and withdraw from the durian business.

Wasn’t she fighting for that forty yuan just to spare her husband the hardship? If he quit the durian trade, what was the point of her arguing over it?

"Xiaohua, you’ve been married to me for so many years. How do you feel about my parents?" Fu Guoqing suddenly asked.

"Mom and Dad are amazing, of course. People even envy me for having such great in-laws," Zhang Xiaohua answered without hesitation, her words sincere.

Seeing her response, Fu Guoqing felt somewhat relieved.

At least his wife wasn’t completely blinded by money.

"My parents have always been understanding and fair. They’ve always treated you daughters-in-law with respect and understanding. Especially my mom—she treats all of you equally, never playing favorites. So when Dad proposed this idea, it was to teach me a lesson. Why didn’t you get that?" Fu Guoqing sighed.

"I—I was wrong. Should I go apologize to Dad tomorrow?" Zhang Xiaohua grabbed her husband’s arm, asking cautiously.

"Hmm, no need to make it so formal. Families disagree sometimes—it’s normal. Just tell him you didn’t grasp the key point yesterday but now agree with his decision."

Fu Guoqing figured his father wouldn’t want to hear an apology from his daughter-in-law—it would feel too distant.

"Okay, I’ll listen to you."

Zhang Xiaohua looked at him with admiration, the man she had married years ago. No matter how much she did for her own family, in her heart, her husband and son were the most important.

Over in the second household, the conversation wasn’t as lengthy as the first.

After all, He Fangfang was shy, quiet, and never one to speak up.

If not for the encouragement of her two sisters-in-law today, she would never have dared to speak up.

"From now on, just listen to Mom and Dad. Why follow the other two and cause trouble?" Fu Ziyao couldn’t help but say before heading out for his night watch in the mountains.

After some discussion, it was decided he would go first.

Why? Because Fu Ziyao was the strongest, most powerful, and fastest runner in the Fu family.

In short, he was a natural athlete.

So, just by looking at Fu Ziyao, you could tell not to cross him.

If anything dangerous happened, he could at least get away faster.

No wonder Wu Yanhua was so good at choosing daughters-in-law.

She found Fu Ziyao a quiet, petite, and introverted wife like He Fangfang—the perfect complement to his loud, tough personality.

What could He Fangfang say? Though Fu Ziyao had never once been harsh with her, she’d always been a bit scared of him.

She feared him, but she loved him even more.

Watching him change into long sleeves and pants before leaving, her heart ached.

"Should I go with you?" she couldn't help but say.

"Cut it out. If I take you along, I won't be able to keep my mind on guarding the land," Fu Ziyao lowered his head and smiled at his petite wife.

Hearing his words, He Fangfang immediately understood his meaning, and her face turned beet red.

"Well... just be safe," He Fangfang quickly said.

After speaking, she couldn't shake the reluctance.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Dad said safety comes first. If there are too many of them, I’ll just sneak back to report. But both Dad and I think they probably won’t dare come tonight."

"Why not?" He Fangfang asked, puzzled.

"If they come too often, they don’t want us catching on. They might come every other day or every two days. So tonight isn’t the most important—it’s tomorrow night and the night after."

He Fangfang nodded, only half-understanding but feeling somewhat reassured.

"You just stay home and focus on running the business with Su He, alright? Ignore the other two’s games. Just listen to your husband, got it?"

As the most outgoing son of Fu Tinghua’s generation, Fu Ziyao was a natural at sweet talk.

He Fangfang’s face turned even redder upon hearing this.

"I... I understand," she murmured, lowering her head.

When He Fangfang married Fu Ziyao, she had just turned eighteen—a dewy young girl with skin so soft you could pinch water from it, full of collagen.

At first, Fu Ziyao hadn’t been too pleased with his mother arranging a match for him, but the moment he saw He Fangfang, he turned scarlet.

A hulking six-footer suddenly became bashful and awkward.

Over the years, though He Fangfang’s reserved nature meant they didn’t talk much, they were on the same wavelength.

Fu Ziyao was already a chatty person, so marrying someone like Chen Sufen would’ve had them at each other’s throats.

While the second branch was lost in their lovey-dovey moment, the atmosphere in the third branch wasn’t as pleasant.

Fu Derong and Chen Sufen had been at it all evening over what happened that morning.

Fu Derong scolded her for mouthing off to Fu Dajun in front of everyone—you blew a small thing into a family feud.

Chen Sufen, of course, fumed. What had she done wrong? Wasn’t she allowed to voice her opinion?

Besides, she felt she’d been the only one to take the heat today, and now her in-laws would surely dislike her.

"I don’t want to argue anymore. If you keep being this selfish, our branch will pull out of the durian business," Fu Derong said coldly.

"Su He is the one sharing profits with me. Who said you could pull out?" Chen Sufen shot back.

"Oh, so you do know Su He is the one sharing with you? She treats you so well, yet you won’t even bear a forty-dollar loss. After all her faith in you."

At these words, Chen Sufen was momentarily struck dumb, unable to think of a retort.

"I—"

"You what?"

He wanted to see just how long this woman would dig in her heels. Playing games with me?

Fu Derong was the type who was all action, no talk.

Usually, he wasn’t one to meddle in household affairs, preferring to keep his head down and work hard. But once angered, he could become extremely stubborn.

Nobody in the family dared scold his wife—so naturally, that was his job.

"I never said I wouldn’t pay for the loss. I just wanted us to discuss it together. Why’s everyone getting so bent out of shape? Besides, it’s not like I’m the only one with objections."

Chen Sufen was clever. Sensing her husband’s displeasure over the matter, she played it smart, turning sweet and coy.