A Good Country Wife
Chapter 486 - 480_1

Chapter 486: 480_1

After arriving at the academy, I urged the children several times to be honest and study at the academy, not to go out, and to wait for someone from their family to pick them up before returning home, The children, including Dalang, all responded well, but Lin Yue still felt uneasy. In the end, she also entrusted the children’s teachers, including Zhang the Scholar, asking him to take extra care of them. Zhang the Scholar happily agreed, reassuring Lin Yue to not worry at all.

"Teacher Zhang, I’ll have to rely on you, then. I’ve also heard that the city has been quite unrestful these days, and I really can’t rest easy about the children, especially when I have no one else to turn to. That’s why I’ve come to you. The children respect you, Teacher, and are more likely to take your words to heart," Lin Yue said.

"Madame Lin, rest assured, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have taken this responsibility. They are my students, and I, too, hope for their safety. In fact, a month ago, I already instructed the porter to rarely let them leave the academy’s gates. If there’s a need to go out, they must report to me first, or they should be picked up by their family members. Safety will definitely not be an issue," Zhang the Scholar assured her.

"Thank you so much, Scholar Zhang. Having such an excellent teacher like you is truly the children’s good fortune." With Scholar Zhang’s promise, Lin Yue finally felt a bit more at peace.

"Haha, no need to be so polite, Madame Zhao. Having a good mother like you is truly Dalang and the rest’s good fortune. Now, I must return to my teaching duties and won’t keep you any longer. Do come over to visit when you have the time. Your auntie has been missing you, saying"

"Definitely, definitely. I’ve just been busy these days, but I’ll certainly visit soon. Hopefully, she won’t find me too bothersome then," Lin Yue replied.

"How could she? Your auntie is as delighted to see you as if seeing her own daughter. Whenever you have time, just come over to visit," Zhang the Scholar said.

Leaving Scholar Zhang’s place, and since she was already at Songshan Academy, Lin Yue, who hadn’t seen Lin Qing for a long time, went to his residence. At that time, it was likely that Lin Qing was still in class. The door to his room was locked, but fortunately, Lin Yue had a key, so she let herself in with it. After waiting a while without seeing Lin Qing return, she left the things there and went back home. She had been there more than once or twice so Lin Qing would definitely know she had visited once he saw the stuff.

With one of her worries resolved, feeling reassured about the children’s safety, Lin Yue returned to the Zhao Family Village feeling much lighter. Of course, she didn’t just trouble Scholar Zhang for his help for nothing. Scholars find gold and silver to be vulgar, so Lin Yue sent some homemade food and Fragrant Soap from her family to Scholar Zhang’s family, and occasionally when Wang Dachuan made some fresh delicacy, she didn’t forget to send a portion to Scholar Zhang, too. This genuinely pleased him, and he became even more attentive to Dalang and his brothers.

As the relationship between the two families grew closer, Scholar Zhang learned that Lin Yue’s family had a fourth son, Erlang, who was not old enough to be admitted to Songshan Academy yet. The scholar invited Erlang over, examined his studies, found him teachable, and acted as a guarantor to help Erlang enroll in Songshan Academy. Thus, all four brothers of Dalang were studying under Scholar Zhang.

With the children’s matters no longer a concern, Lin Yue could finally relax, but Zhao Erhu became increasingly worried. In less than half a month, he would have to leave Zhao Family Village to follow the merchant ship out to sea. The round trip would take at least two months, and given the current state of affairs in Xin’an City, and relying on the gluttonous, pleasure-seeking, insatiable Magistrate Cheng, it was unlikely that the situation would not worsen. When he was away, the thought of leaving his young wife home alone was unbearable for him.

In Zhao Erhu’s heart, working so hard for a better future was to provide a better life for his wife. Compared to his wife’s security, there was no need to weigh which was more important. However, the sea voyage was a commitment already made to the Princely Heir of Marquis Zhenbei and couldn’t be changed. Zhao Erhu worried more and more and knew he had to find a reliable solution.

Lin Yue noticed Zhao Erhu seemed distracted these past few days, lost in thought, and even his usual enthusiasm for their intimate moments waned, with him sleeping placidly next to her without any other intentions—altogether too unusual.

"Erhu, what’s been on your mind these past days? Is something troubling you?" Lin Yue felt that she was a caring and capable wife, so noticing Zhao Erhu’s unusual behavior these past few days, she took his hand concerningly and asked.

Zhao Erhu was slightly taken aback by Lin Yue’s inquiry, "Wife, what’s wrong? Why do you ask that? You already know about my sister’s issue, and I haven’t kept anything else from you."

"You blockhead, that’s not what I meant. I’m not saying you’re keeping things from me, but I’ve noticed you’ve been preoccupied recently. Is there some difficulty with your business, or is there something wrong with your sister? Whatever it is, you can tell me, and maybe I can share the burden," Lin Yue said, encouraging Zhao Erhu further with her persistent care.

"You have my word, I won’t concern myself with my sister’s issue anymore. Besides, I’m not so petty. I was only angry before because you weren’t being honest with me. As long as you tell me everything, I’m not unreasonable. After all, she is your sister, your own blood, and I won’t stand in the way of you helping her," she continued.

Zhao Erhu hadn’t expected that his recent worries would be interpreted in such a way by his wife, but her understanding and care warmed his heart, making him feel very comfortable. He reached out his large, fan-like hand and tenderly touched his wife’s hair, as soft and smooth as ever.

"Wife, you are truly a treasure to me. I, Zhao Erhu, don’t know what good deeds I did in my past life to marry someone as wonderful as you! Don’t worry, everything with the business is going well, and there are no difficulties. As for my sister, Doctor Zheng has also said that she is doing very well now, and if it continues like this, she will certainly be fine after this year," he said.

Lin Yue had thought her guess was quite accurate, as she couldn’t think of any other reasons that might trouble Zhao Erhu these days. Seeing him deny her speculations, Lin Yue became puzzled. "If it’s not for these reasons, why have you been so burdened these days? I’ve tried talking to you several times, and you were lost in thought. If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine, but please don’t deceive me."

Zhao Erhu sighed deeply, pulling his wife close into his embrace. "Ah! I won’t deceive you. I’m worried about your safety. In less than half a month, I’ll have to leave, and it will be at least two months before I can return. With things in Xin’an City being so chaotic, and relying on our current inept Magistrate Cheng, I can only see things getting worse. I can’t be at ease, leaving you alone at home. Maybe I should send you to the Capital City for a couple of months. With Doctor Jiang looking after you, I would feel more ease."