A Good Country Wife
Chapter 214 - 213 Missing Person_1

Chapter 214: Chapter 213 Missing Person_1

Because she had been here once before, it wasn’t too difficult for Lin Yue to find her way. She walked and stopped along the way, taking about an hour and a half, before finally finding the river she saw last time. By now, Lin Yue was covered in sweat. She used the river water to wash her face and then scooped up a handful to drink. The water was clear, cool, and sweet—far better than the bottled water from modern times. If she could channel it back home and dig a pond, it would serve as drinking water. Besides, with the abundant supply, she could create a large pond to cultivate lotus roots and breed fish. It was just that whenever Lin Yue stumbled upon something good, she thought too much.

Lin Yue followed the river upstream to a large lake, where the water flowed down from. Walking downstream along the river, she realized it was flowing in the direction of their village. It would at least pass near their village, but they had another large river with a different source, and the rest were just small streams, which were not visible nearby. Lin Yue felt curious and wanted to find out where exactly this river led to.

Zhao Erhu was working in the fields, but his mind was on his little wife at home. He wondered whether she had woken up, had something to eat, and was taking care of herself. Unable to concentrate on his work, he decided to go home and check on her. When he heard laughter and cheerful voices from the kitchen, clearly including his wife’s, his heart settled a lot. He approached the kitchen quietly, afraid she might notice him, and peeked inside to see his wife preparing pancakes for the children.

"These little rascals, at least they’re clever enough to keep your mom happy. It means I didn’t teach you in vain," Zhao Erhu muttered under his breath, feeling relieved at first. Seeing how cozy and joyful his wife and the boys were together made him feel a bit sour. He was still getting the cold shoulder from her.

"These little brats, your mother makes food for you, and you don’t even think to bring any to your father, who is out in the scorching sun, working himself to death. No filial piety at all," Zhao Erhu thought, feeling more and more resentful. He grumbled to himself about his sons’ lack of concern.

"Mom, we’re having pancakes now, but what about the food and soup that Dad made for you? Are we really going to do as you said and pour it out for the pigs? But we don’t even raise pigs." Dalang spotted Zhao Erhu hiding outside and was about to call out but was stopped by a warning glare from his father. Instead, he mischievously decided to provoke his own father on purpose.

Unaware of the situation, the third son, wanting to please Lin Yue, harshly criticized his own father. "Second brother, why ask so many things? If mom says pour it out, we pour it out. Dad’s cooking isn’t tasty, not even the pigs would eat it, so it’s no loss to pour it away. No wonder Mom doesn’t like it. It’s the chicken eggs I cooked for mom that are tasty. Mom likes me the best, right, Mom?"

Lin Yue couldn’t help but chuckle. The third son was really amusing. At first, he seemed only somewhat clever, but now he was becoming more and more like a jester. "Right, you’re correct. It’s the eggs our Xiaosi cooked that taste the best," she agreed.

"You little scoundrel!" Zhao Erhu listened from outside, his face darkening, grinding his teeth in frustration. What kind of sons were these, not only failing to defend their father in front of their stepmother but also tripping him up? Each was worse than the last! Burning with anger, he thought: Just wait, you little devils; I’ll deal with you later!

Seeing his family getting along made Zhao Erhu feel at ease, so he left quietly to return to work, feeling much more focused than before. He thought about finishing his work early to go back home. Now that the kids had made his little wife happy, perhaps by the time he returned, her anger would have subsided. Then, he would apologize properly, and she might just forgive him.

Zhao Erhu’s hopes were high, but when he went home at noon, he couldn’t find his wife anywhere. He asked the children in their room, and Dalang said they didn’t know—following Lin Yue’s instructions, they had been studying. Hearing Zhao Erhu say that Lin Yue was missing, they also became anxious. They searched the room and courtyard but didn’t find Lin Yue anywhere.

"Brother, maybe mom doesn’t want us again," Silarong’s face fell instantly. If only he hadn’t listened to mom and stayed in the room to read, now she’s disappeared.

When Zhao Erhu heard Silarong’s words, his already unpleasant expression turned even uglier. His mind was a tangled mess, and his face paled. He was not like the younger ones, and there was the previous incident of the Li Family eloping with someone, which made him think of more possibilities. He feared that his young wife might have run off with the silver because she was mad at him! After all, his wife could now earn a good amount of silver from her embroidery, and she even had the money from the last time they sold rice dumplings. With silver in hand, there was nothing to fear, even if she ran off to the Capital City; all the more, because his wife was bold and capable of many things.

"No way, Silarong, you always speak nonsense. Didn’t mom say she had things to take care of? She must have gone to do that," Dalang said.

Zhao Erhu felt a bit calmer when he heard Dalang speak. He hurried back to his room in a few quick strides and saw that his wife’s clothes were neatly placed there, which eased his mind somewhat. As for the silver, Zhao Erhu never knew where his wife actually hid it. He then opened the large wooden chest where his wife kept her embroidery and saw all the embroidered cloth, including the piece his wife was working on, neatly placed inside. This finally put his heart at rest, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, his wife did not intend to run away. It truly scared him to death. But now, with the sun so blazing hot outside, where could she have gone?

Zhao Erhu wiped off his sweat and went to the houses in the village where his wife was acquainted. He searched everywhere but still couldn’t find any trace of her.

"Erhu, don’t panic. If your sister-in-law isn’t in the village, perhaps she went to the city. She’s such a clever person, and nothing can happen in broad daylight," Zhao Dahuo said, seeing Zhao Erhu frantically searching. He found it comforting to say that his sister-in-law was a bit thoughtless not to notify anyone before leaving the house, causing everyone to worry.

"Maybe she went back to her mother’s home?" Mrs. Liu guessed that Lin Yue might have gone back to her mother’s house after arguing with Zhao Erhu.

Zhao Erhu shook his head in denial. "She couldn’t have gone to the city; our ox cart is still here. And with her condition... it wouldn’t be convenient for her to go to the city. Moreover, she has forgotten her past and doesn’t even remember where her mother’s house is located."

"Since that’s the case, why don’t we ask around the village again? I noticed you weren’t very thorough earlier; you only asked a few familiar households. Maybe we missed something. Let’s be more careful and see if anyone has seen your sister-in-law or if we can find any clues."