The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 167 Idea

Chapter 167: Chapter 167 Idea

"Even if you adore your daughter so much, doesn’t she have to get married and leave the house?"

"Could you really intend to squander the Wang Family’s entire fortune?"

"Even if you two agree, would the others consent?"

"Why is it that everyone else stays silent, yet you two are always complaining?"

"If you truly have grievances, why not just boldly propose to divide the family? Or do like the Scholar Master, make something of yourself, move to the county, and live there. Even though he hasn’t officially separated from the family, in practice, he’s living his own life."

"If you as a couple don’t have that ability, then be honest and straightforward. When the time comes, even if the mother-in-law favors her own daughter, isn’t there still the father-in-law?"

"Would the father-in-law treat his eldest son and grandson unfairly?"

"It’s pointless to be at odds with your own parents. If you’re unhappy inside, can it not show on your face?"

"If you show your displeasure, would others be fools and still treat you kindly? Would they think of you when it comes to good opportunities?"

"Look at this, your brother-in-law was harmed by someone. Regarding the matter of compensation, shouldn’t your sister be the one to step forward? If not her, shouldn’t at least the Lin Family be informed?"

"The Wang Family didn’t even bother to send a message, acting as if they don’t have such relatives."

"Were it not for the incident being so serious that the whole town and the villages around know about it, and coincidentally someone from their village went to the market town and brought the news back, they would still be in the dark."

Upon learning of the incident, the two brothers thought they should visit the Wang Family.

This is why the brothers were considering taking advantage of the situation: they had only heard that Wang Yongfu was seriously injured and likely wouldn’t survive. They figured that this was the time for them, as maternal uncles, to step in and snatch as much benefit as possible for the senior branch of the family, and then use this opportunity to split from the family.

After the division, they planned to swindle some money from their sister and brother-in-law to spend.

But upon arriving in the town and seeing the situation for themselves, they realized that it was not as they had imagined.

Indeed, their brother-in-law was critically injured. In their village, such injuries might be deemed hopeless—taken home to await death, maybe get some compensation silver for the wife and children, which would seem worth it.

But in the Wang Family’s case, a large amount of silver had been spent, unbelievably keeping the brother-in-law alive.

Although they managed to save his life, the man was now a invalid! Jindou said that more silver had to be poured in, the compensation silver was already used up, and they had even started dipping into the family’s savings.

On one hand, Eldest Uncle Lin cursed the Wang Family as fools. If they had let Wang Yongfu die, the family would have received a sum of compensation silver, enough to lead a comfortable life later, especially covering the costs for the three Jindou brothers to set up their own households—where else could they find such fortune?

Now, not only was the compensation silver gone, but they had also invested additional money. Who knows how much more would be needed in the future, considering both the internal and external losses?

"Doesn’t the whole family know how to do their sums?"

"Now that the Wang Family is impoverished, what will happen to the Lin Family?"

"Each year, apart from anything else, from Lady Lin, this foolish sister, and Wang Yongfu, this foolish brother-in-law, they could always manage to scrape together a hundred large coins to spend. On holidays, Lady Lin could also bring some secretly saved food or other things."

"This was possible because the Wang Family was well-off. Since the family didn’t feel the lack of these little things they gave away, their days weren’t harder, and therefore, no one made a fuss."

"If the Wang Family itself becomes poor, where will they find the means to help their own family?"

Eldest Uncle Lin, deeply troubled, sent Jindou and his brothers back home and called out his second brother. They discussed for a while.

They felt that the Wang Family was now a pit of fire, and it was best to avoid any association with it. They considered hurrying back home as if they knew nothing.

But the second brother wasn’t content. He had come to town hoping to make a profit, and now he was returning empty-handed. At home, his wife and children awaited food and clothes.

With a quick shift of her eyes, she came up with an idea: given Wang Yongfu’s current condition, it seemed Lady Lin’s fate was to serve for a lifetime. With the man of the house incapacitated, and a woman without a man’s support, there’s no confidence left.

They fear that Lady Lin might not be able to provide benefits to her natal family in the future. But to let go just like that, where could they find such in-laws again in a short time?

Instead, they thought, why not have Lady Lin and Wang Yongfu divorce? She could then return to her natal family, and they could find her another match. After all, Lady Lin wasn’t old yet. Find a man of advanced age who couldn’t get a wife, receive another betrothal gift, and have Lady Lin bear children for that family.

Considering how capable their little sister was at bearing children, popping out three sons in one go, those old bachelors with no offspring would probably be overjoyed to take a wife like her home.

So what if they had divorced? As long as she could still bear children, that’s all that mattered!

Upon hearing this, Eldest Uncle Lin’s eyes lit up.

This was indeed a good idea, if Wang Yongfu, his brother-in-law, was of no use anymore, why not just replace him with another?

But it wouldn’t be easy to convince Lady Lin; persuading her to leave her husband and children now and remarry would probably lead to her turning against them.

The two then called out Eldest Sister-in-law Lin and exchanged a few words, asking her to whisper these suggestions into Lady Lin’s ear.

Eldest Sister-in-law Lin also thought the younger sister-in-law foolish. With the husband a cripple and all the family wealth spent on him, what was the point in clinging to such a household? To starve alongside him? To continue filling the endless pit that was her husband?

Better to make use while she was still young and able to bear children, find another man, have a few more kids, and lead a prosperous life.

So she agreed without hesitation.

She secretly conspired with Second Sister-in-law Lin, and they were in agreement.

They aimed to coax Lady Lin into agreeing to divorce Wang Yongfu and then remarry back at her home.

With both sisters-in-law, one from the left and one from the right, claiming they were thinking for Lady Lin’s best interest, telling her she didn’t deserve this, Lady Lin started to waver a bit.

Yet when she thought of her three children, she couldn’t bear to leave them, ultimately not relenting.

Seeing Lady Lin’s obstinacy, Big Brother Lin had no choice but to invoke the one person Lady Lin detested most: her mother-in-law.

Between the lines, the implication was that the Wang Family was keeping secrets from Lady Lin, possibly embezzling quite a sum of compensation silver, possibly saving it for her younger sister-in-law’s dowry.

It was a pity for the brother-in-law, enduring an injury in vain and even becoming disabled because of it.

The Wang Family was doing great; they quietly amassed a fortune, dividing none of the silver and money.

At home, there were only Jindou and Jinhoo, two half-grown kids. What did they know?

With this division, fears arise that upon returning to the Wang Family, they might push to separate the household. Then the in-laws could hoard the silver, not at all worried about which son they lived with.

Only the main family was in a tough spot; the man of the house was disabled, and neither Jindou nor Jinhoo could yet support the family. For her, a woman, to take care of the man as well as work the fields to maintain the household, how difficult that would be!

If there had been a glimmer of hope, perhaps it could be different, but this was utterly hopeless! In the future, no matter how hard they toiled, at best they’d be able to afford Yongfu’s ongoing medical expenses. With Jindou and Jinhoo nearing marriageable age, the way things were, how could they entertain the thought of finding daughters-in-law?

Since the children were already grown, perhaps it’d be better to be cold-hearted, leave the kids with the Wang Family, and who would dare let the Wang Family starve them?

After all, wasn’t the Wang Family’s Third Child out there cavorting, with his wife and children being provided for by the Wang Family?

If they could support the third household, why couldn’t they support the main one?

When the time came, for marrying or setting up households, it should be the two elders of the Wang Family’s responsibility to handle everything. And if those two elders refused, there would naturally be those who’d point fingers at their spinelessness.