The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 149 Maternal Uncle

Chapter 149: Chapter 149 Maternal Uncle

Lady Lin let out a dissatisfied grunt, "What can be done about this? It’s just a child, Jinguan, saying a couple of wrong things. As his grandmother and his aunt, do we really have to press the issue to the bitter end, calling for punishment and execution? If not for the monks, for the Buddha’s sake, don’t dwell on this matter just because your father has suffered so greatly. To accuse your grandmother of favoritism, such a trivial matter, yet as long as it’s related to your aunt, she won’t even spare her own grandson—"

"Mother—" Jindou angrily interjected to stop Lady Lin’s complaints.

Was this simply a matter of misspeaking? They were the younger generation and could not speak out of turn, but were their parents unaware in their hearts? It was no longer about Jinguan; Jinguan was merely a catalyst. The crux was their parents’ attitude, particularly what their mother had said—that was key to the whole issue.

How would these words from mother be seen? They’d be regarded as utterly unfilial, defying the mother-in-law, and even for father, this was a handle of unfilial behavior!

In this day and age, word of unfilial conduct would spread, and the entire family would no longer be able to hold their heads up.

Lady Lin knew she was just stubbornly holding on, and she had been scared after Old Granny Zhang left.

If the crime of defying the mother-in-law was confirmed, even if Old Granny Zhang wanted to drive her out of the Wang Family, no one would utter a word of objection.

But she could not lower her face to admit her defiance, so she had to blame it on the children’s naivety. Repeating this excuse, she herself began to feel that perhaps the grandmother and aunt were indeed too petty.

Now, under the disapproving gaze of her eldest son, she reluctantly closed her mouth, yet her expression was still one of resentment.

Jindou and Jinhu were at a loss; what could they say to their own mother?

They had no choice but to drag Jinguan outside for a heart-to-heart brotherly exchange, only stopping after they had beaten him to tears, as he swore never to be nosy and gossip again.

As night had fallen, and with their father remaining silent and their mother still angry about how harshly the brothers had treated Jinguan, they had no consensus on how to face their grandparents when they returned. Jindou and Jinhu had no choice but to spend the night in a side room.

They planned to take Jinguan back home the next day to apologize first and then see what to do.

Early the next morning, the two brothers got up and asked Doctor Ma to check their father, Wang Yongfu, to ensure his injuries were healing before they could rest assured.

After giving Lady Lin a few instructions, they were just about to head home when they stepped outside and saw their two uncles and aunts from their mother’s side inquiring of an attendant where Wang Yongfu was recuperating.

Jindou and Jinhu had a fairly favorable impression of their uncles.

The Lin Family’s financial situation was indeed poor. Old Lady Lin, Lady Lin’s patrilineal aunt, didn’t have a thriving family—just her and one younger brother.

Not long after Old Lady Lin married into the Wang Family, her parents and younger brother fell severely ill and passed away.

In those times, once a woman married off and her natal family had no one left, they would be bullied. Old Lady Lin had no other relatives, so she treated her second uncle’s home, her grandfather’s on her father’s side, as her natal family.

Lady Lin’s grandfather had three or four sons, and since he had no daughters, and given that Old Lady Lin’s marriage was to a respectable family, the two families became even closer.

Later on, due to illness of Lady Lin’s grandfather and his sons fighting over the inheritance, the Lin Family, which was originally doing okay, became destitute in no time.

They would often come to ask Old Lady Lin for help.

Having so few relatives from her natal family, Old Lady Lin treated them generously. Later, she even arranged for Lady Lin to marry her own eldest grandson, which helped the Lin Family a great deal.

In Jindou and Jinhu’s memory, because Grandmother Old Granny Zhang did not like the Lin Family members, they hardly ever visited the Wang Family’s home.

As children, they had accompanied their parents on visits to the Lin Family as well.

All the uncles from the Lin Family, and everyone else, were very affectionate toward Jindou and Jinhu. Despite being truly poor, yet whenever the brothers visited, they would bring out the best things from their home for Jindou and Jinhu to eat.

Their cousins watched with drooling mouths but weren’t allowed to compete with Jindou and Jinhu for food.

The Aunties also greeted Jindou and Jinhu with smiles. For a while, Jindou and Jinhu loved visiting the Lin Family.

However, following an incident where their grandmother lashed out in anger at home, Lady Lin seldom took Jindou and Jinhu to the Lin Family anymore.

They only visited during holidays, and as such, their closeness faded away.

Seeing the two uncles and aunties now, Jindou knew they had made the long trip specifically to see their seriously ill father, and he felt a warmth in his heart.

He quickly went to greet them.

When Eldest Uncle Lin and Second Uncle Lin saw Jindou and Jinhu, they were also happy. They first inquired about Wang Yongfu’s injuries and then praised the two boys for growing up and being able to hold up the family name, truly worthy sons of their father.

Then the Aunties followed, lavishing them with praise for being dutiful and sensible. They also expressed sympathy for the two, still kids, who had to take on the burden of caring for the main house, surely having suffered hardships. They could hardly wait to pull their nephews into their arms for a loving embrace.

For a moment, the hearts of the brothers Jindou and Jinhu felt warm; indeed, the old saying held true: nothing compares to the affection of an uncle. At a time like this, only their uncles could feel the deepest concern for them.

Having seen their uncles, Jindou and Jinhu no longer wished to return but instead, warmly clung to their uncles’ hands and went back to the side room.

Caught by surprise, Lady Lin at first just stared when she saw her brothers and sisters-in-law.

But then Eldest Sister-in-law Lin quickly stepped forward, took Lady Lin’s hand, tears rimming her eyes: "Little sister, you’ve suffered—"

Her words tugged at Lady Lin’s sense of injustice, and without further thought, she embraced Eldest Sister-in-law Lin and burst into tears.

Both Eldest Sister-in-law Lin and Second Sister-in-law Lin hurried to encircle Lady Lin, drawing her aside to comfort her.

The two uncles from the Lin Family approached the bed to see Wang Yongfu, motionless, and frowned. They turned back with worried expressions to ask Jindou, "How serious, according to the doctor, is your father’s injury?"

It was only before his two uncles that Jindou’s fear and apprehension became apparent. He didn’t want to let Wang Yongfu see, to spare his already sick father further distress, so he managed a strained smile, "Eldest Uncle, let’s talk outside."

Leaving Jinhu to chat with Second Uncle Lin and Wang Yongfu.

Outside, Jindou finally revealed the devastating news that his father’s life, as they knew it, was over.

Eldest Uncle Lin was dumbstruck, speechless for a long while.

Eventually, he stammered, "What will your family do? With your father reduced to such a state, he’ll need constant care for eating, waste, and even spending money on medicine to preserve his life. Where will this silver come from?"

At the moment, Jindou himself had no idea, as everything in the house was managed and arranged by his grandparents. Currently, the silver for medical expenses was provided by his grandparents, and he dared not contemplate the future.

The question from Eldest Uncle Lin took him by surprise, leaving him speechless.

Eldest Uncle Lin frowned deeply: "Foolish boy, with your father in this condition, you, as the eldest in the house, need to rely on your own intelligence. If you remain clueless, how can this family stand firm? Alas, it’s tough on you, still a child, not understanding these matters. It seems I’ll have to help you make some decisions!"

With this remark, Jindou’s eyes brightened. He truly didn’t know what to do at the moment, his parents had offended his grandparents, and he had no idea how to smooth relations. It was precisely the time he was at a loss, so hearing that his Eldest Uncle could offer advice, he quickly said, "Eldest Uncle, please teach me. I’m really worried—"