Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 81: Third child, you have to be strong!

After agreeing on the details in the teahouse, the four men each went their separate ways to prepare.

By the time Lu Chengxiao returned to the cloth shop, it was almost sunset, and there were hardly any customers left in the shop. His father and eldest brother were as usual, chatting casually. However, his second brother, Lu Chengzhang, seemed completely absent-minded.

Lu Chengxiao found it strange and asked, “Second Brother, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Chengzhang looked up at Lu Chengxiao. This younger brother, whom he had secretly envied for several years, had now erased any feelings of imbalance, jealousy, or resentment that he might have harbored before.

All that remained was sympathy.

He had always felt that their parents favored the youngest, ever since he left home at the age of fourteen. It was natural for parents to worry more about a son who wasn’t by their side. He had known and understood this all along.

Fate was something they couldn’t control. The youngest had a different destiny. Reflecting on it now, if he (Lu Chenzhang) had encountered Li Cunyi being besieged by river bandits back then, would he have saved him?

He probably wouldn’t have possessed the kindness and courage of his fourteen-year-old brother at that time, nor did he have his skills.

So when Lu Chengxiao went to study in Yuanzhou with servants and fine horses, when he could accompany the Li family to Suzhou and meet the Wang family and the sons of officials, none of these were within his (Chengzhang) grasp. Everything in life had its reasons.

He had simply watched his brothers, born of the same parents, live completely different lives from his own. Unconsciously, envy had turned into jealousy, but even that jealousy had disappeared now.

Their parents hadn’t favored the youngest in any way. Four hundred taels, exactly the same as his share. Not a tael more or less, and yet the youngest hadn’t even married yet but had already been allocated his share. First the inheritance, then once the youngest sister Lu Shuang’s marriage was settled, it would be divided just like his.

The eldest legitimate son was the most important. There was no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate in their family; they were all siblings from the same mother. Even though the eldest brother wasn’t particularly clever, it was because he was the eldest that he remained by their parents’ side, eventually inheriting this shop in the county.

Lu Chengzhang understood that his father was right. His eldest brother hadn’t gained much. According to tradition, the eldest brother was entitled to seventy percent. Dividing the family property into five shares, one for each parent, one for each of them three brothers, half a share for the youngest sister’s dowry, and half a share for the expenses of Chengxiao and his sister’s marriage.

His eldest brother had received almost the same as them. There was nothing extra. If there was anything more, it would only be after their parents’ passing, and even then, it would go to the eldest brother. Moreover, despite only getting a small portion of the county shop, the starting point was much higher for him to set up a shop in the town.

Lu Chengzhang spent the whole afternoon in a daze, and his conclusion was that his parents hadn’t favored anyone; they were completely fair.

But he, he was just split apart, just like the youngest.

Lu Chengzhang remained in a daze until this moment, until Lu Chengxiao asked him with concern, “Second Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

At this moment, all that jealousy and resentment disappeared. He only felt sympathy for the youngest. The youngest was full of confidence, thinking only of this trip to Zhejiang. He didn’t even know that the four hundred taels given to him by their parents were all he had for this trip. If he failed, he would lose everything.

At the latest, after dinner, their father would tell him. By then, would the youngest still be as daring, ready to take risks with those four hundred taels?

Comparing himself to Lu Chengxiao, he suddenly felt that it wasn’t as disappointing or unacceptable to find a town and open a cloth shop. With the advantage of the Lu family’s supply chain and the reputation of the Lu Feng cloth shop in the county, as long as he chose a decent location, he could surely run his business steadily. His life would be stable.

But what about the youngest?

Would he still dare? Would he still take the plunge?

Could he accept being separated at the age of eighteen?

From being a carefree young master of a merchant family, in the blink of an eye, he was going to rely on himself for everything.

Now, he truly felt no jealousy; he sympathized with the youngest.

Lu Chengxiao inexplicably saw a highly complex but predominantly sympathetic emotion in his second brother’s eyes.

Sympathy for him????

He was full of question marks. Did something big happen that he wasn’t aware of?

Feeling puzzled, he asked Lu Chengzhang, “Second Brother, why are you looking at me like this?”

Shaking his head, Lu Chengzhang sighed deeply and patted Lu Chengxiao on the shoulder. “Sanlang, you have to be strong. From now on, let’s work hard together, just the two of us.”

In the blink of an eye, he went from being the young master of the largest cloth shop in the county to becoming the owner of a small cloth shop in a town.

How swiftly things changed, so unpredictable.

Walking to the backyard with his hands behind his back, he needed to think about where to open his shop.

What he couldn’t accept in the afternoon was miraculously accepted peacefully in this moment.

Lu Chengxiao watched Lu Chengzhang’s back, inexplicably amused, then looked at Lu Chengzong. “Big Brother, what’s wrong with Second Brother? Why do I suddenly need to be strong?”

Lu Chengzong was even more baffled than him. He shook his head and said, “He was like a soulless husk all afternoon, how did he suddenly become so spirited?”

Unable to hold back, Lu Xun burst into laughter. He immediately turned away so that the two brothers couldn’t see the smile on his face.

Lu Xun was relieved; it seemed that the second brother had finally come to terms with it. His efforts hadn’t been in vain. It was a pity for the youngest, being pre-distributed at the age of eighteen before even getting married. Perhaps in the entire Ming Dynasty, there weren’t many cases like this.

But Lu Xun didn’t regret it. Judging from the second brother’s reaction just now, he had made the right move. Brothers should naturally be united, but everyone was different. Since they couldn’t all be the same as his family, he decided to let them become independent individuals first. Without the struggle for interests, they could see things more clearly, such as affection, brotherly love, and cohesion.

It’s fine; let the youngest bear a little grievance. He’s smart and broad-minded, he can handle it.

~

Lu Chengxiao soon understood why his second brother was acting so weird.

After dinner, Lu Xun summoned his brothers, including the youngest’s wife, Zhou Qiongying, to the flower hall and explained the decision he had made during the day.

Lu Chengzhang had recovered by then, but Lu Chengzong, Lu Chengxiao, and Zhou Qiongying were dumbfounded.

It was just too sudden!

Lu Chengzong looked bewildered. “Dad, why are you suddenly talking about splitting up and dividing the property? Third Brother hasn’t even married yet, and Shuang’er hasn’t married either. Isn’t it good for all of us to live together as one big family? Why split up?”

Lu Chengzong really didn’t understand. Although from his father’s plan earlier, it seemed that his father was most considerate of him, but why on earth would they split up when everything was fine?

Lu Xun didn’t answer but smiled and asked his youngest son, “What do you think, Chengxiao? Do you have any questions?”

Since his father mentioned splitting up the family, Chengxiao had been thinking all along. Indeed, it was too sudden, as if his father had come up with it on a whim.

Then he remembered to look at his second brother, Lu Chengzhang, who appeared very calm. Ah, no wonder he had looked at him with sympathy in the evening and patted his shoulder, telling him to be strong.

Looking at his sister-in-law, who was just as surprised as they were, if not more, her face even a bit pale.

She had only been married for six months, and this splitting up of the family was indeed sudden. Dividing the family assets into several shares didn’t seem that profitable. His second brother went from being the second young master of the cloth shop to going solo with four hundred taels. It was indeed hard for his sister-in-law to accept.

This indicated that his second brother hadn’t even had the chance to tell his wife.

And his eldest brother said that his second brother had been like a soulless husk all afternoon.

That meant that his father had told his second brother about this decision in the afternoon, and his second brother hadn’t had the heart to tell his wife yet.

Splitting up the family was something that, under normal circumstances, would be discussed when the children were grown up and living together became too crowded or there were conflicts. After careful consideration by the elders, the entire family would be summoned for discussion.

But his father skipped this step. His father had always respected his mother extremely. In this matter, his mother wasn’t even present, there had been no discussion, and his eldest sister-in-law wasn’t there either.

So indeed, it was a decision made on a whim by his father. His second brother was the one who triggered this idea, wasn’t he?

Lu Chengzhang and him were given four hundred taels of silver, a strangely precise number that happened to be the exact amount he needed for this trading journey. So, was the four hundred taels the trigger?

Considering Lu Chengzhang’s subtle attitudes over the past two days, Lu Chengxiao suddenly understood something.

A bitter smile played on his lips. Then, thinking of his second brother’s reaction in the evening, he suddenly understood his father’s intentions. Was his father afraid of creating a rift between them brothers?

Thinking about it, he realized that he had actually enjoyed far more than his two older brothers in recent years. Over time, it could indeed lead to discord among siblings.

Understanding this point, Lu Chengxiao smiled. “I understand what Dad means. There’s nothing to ask. We’ll follow what Dad says. Even if we split up, we’re still family, blood brothers. Family ties can’t be broken.”

Lu Chengzong, Lu Chengzhang, and Zhou Qiongying were all astonished, turning their heads to Lu Chengxiao in unison: Just like that? Just like that? No objections????

Lu Chengzhang was the most bewildered, feeling like he wanted to shake his third brother’s shoulder and say, “Wake up, Third Brother, you’re at the biggest loss!!”

How could he react like this? Just like this?

However, Lu Xun was extremely pleased. Blood ties and family affection couldn’t be separated. He knew that the third brother understood his intentions.

He stood up and patted Lu Chengxiao on the shoulder. “Good. Chengzong, Chengzhang, remember this. Even if we split up, you’re still brothers. United brothers are invincible! Even if we split up, you must remain as united as before, supporting each other to tread a wider path.”

Lu Xun’s words were filled with passion, infecting Lu Chengzong first, who nodded vigorously. “Dad, I’ll remember. Myself, Second Brother, and Third Brother will always be family.”

Lu Xun looked at Lu Chengzhang, and naturally, he nodded too. “I will too.”

Still feeling a bit dazed, Lu Chengzhang glanced at Lu Chengxiao’s expression. Seeing Lu Chengxiao smile at him, Lu Chengzhang couldn’t help but speak, “Chengxiao, are you sure you still want to go to Zhejiang to trade in cloth? You only have these four hundred taels. If you lose them, you’ll have nothing left. Why not do as I do, find a shopfront in a nearby town and open a branch of our Lu Feng Cloth Shop? It may not yield the hefty profits of trading, but it’s much safer. Once you’ve saved up enough capital, you can try trading.”

There was genuine concern in his words.

Lu Chengxiao’s eyes twinkled with even more sincere gratitude. Genuine concern was different. When it came to asking about cloth trading, his second brother was indeed different from last night and tonight.

So, this splitting up of the family was worth it.

He smiled and said, “Thanks, Second Brother. I’ve been preparing for the cloth trading for a long time. I also observed during my previous trip to Suzhou. So, I will still go on this trip. As for the risk, every business venture involves risks. As long as I can accept them, that’s what matters.”

“This afternoon, I discussed with Yan Ping, Huai Geng, and Liu Zhang. The biggest risk on this trip is the loss of both money and goods, followed by the possibility of being unable to sell this batch of cloth and having it accumulate in my hands.”

“If it’s the former, it should be due to unforeseeable circumstances. This isn’t something that only happens during business trips; disasters can strike even when you’re at home. Thirty percent is determined by fate, thirty percent by circumstances, and the remaining forty percent is what I can control. Fate and circumstances are beyond my control, and there’s no need to restrict myself too much because of that. What I can do is the remaining forty percent within my control. That’s what I can do.”

“If it’s the latter, and I still have cloth left, I’ll have to ask my eldest brother and second brother’s shops to help me sell some. I’ll also think of other ways myself. Business can be big or small; a single failure won’t leave me in despair forever.”

“However, Second Brother is right to seek stability. It’s just that due to my trip to Suzhou, I’m extremely interested in trading. I’ve seriously considered the worst-case scenarios and discussed countermeasures. I believe I can handle it, so I decided to go ahead.”

He paused here and continued, “But Second Brother’s reminder is valid. When I discussed these matters with Yan Ping and others this afternoon, I didn’t know that the family had already decided to split up. Now that I know, this is everything that can be given to me. If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter, but I do have plans to get married now. I can’t be too rash. I’ll try to control the risks as much as possible.”

“If I sell a bit less of this batch of goods, earn a bit less, at least it will leave a hundred taels for Liu Yu to open her own shop. I can’t let her come here and worry and suffer with me.”

Thinking this way, Lu Chengxiao felt that after his mother came tomorrow and everything was settled, he should still go and talk to Liu Yu, discuss with her, and listen to her thoughts. After all, this family’s share, this four hundred taels, aren’t solely his; they also belong to her. The matter of splitting up the family also needs to be discussed with her thoroughly.

Lu Chengzhang listened in astonishment. Yesterday, he was actually quite angry. He wasn’t just angry at his father’s favoritism; he was also angry that his younger brother didn’t understand the hardships of making money. The first time he tried his hand at business, he dared to take the family’s four hundred taels.

Now he realized that Lu Chengxiao was still going to invest everything he had in it, just with better risk management. It turned out he had also thought it over carefully.

Feeling a bit embarrassed for being somewhat petty, Lu Chengzhang quickly reassured, “Don’t worry, if the cloth doesn’t sell out, the best spot in my shop will be yours to sell your cloth.”

Lu Chengzong also nodded repeatedly, saying, “Same here. Our family is your backing. Even if you lose, Dad and I can still make money from our shops and help you make a fresh start. Besides, Big Brother has always thought that you, Third Brother, are the most capable among us three brothers. I’m sure you won’t lose.”

Subconsciously, Lu Chengzong still didn’t quite grasp the concept of splitting up the family. He still felt that the money in the county shop belonged to the family. He even said “help” instead of “loan.” He wanted to help his brother make a fresh start.

Having spent a few years at the Yuanzhou Academy, Lu Chengxiao had heard and seen some things about classmates. In comparison, such brotherly affection was precious. With a smile in his eyes, he reached out and embraced Lu Chengzong standing next to him. “Great, thanks, Big Brother, and thanks, Second Brother. With your words, I have much less worries on my mind. I’ll dare to go all out without any reservations.”

Sansukini: You really need strong family binds to be more successful.

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