The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 190 Admitting Mistakes

Chapter 190: Chapter 190 Admitting Mistakes

"What?" Wang Yongzhu was dumbstruck.

Still, she helped Old Granny Zhang up to sit on the kang bed and then carefully asked, "Mother, could you have put it somewhere else? There have never been strangers coming and going in our home, it’s impossible for a thief to have gotten in—"

Before she could finish, the mother and daughter exchanged a glance, both harboring an unpleasant suspicion.

Wang Yongzhu recalled that night when she had suggested that Wang Yongan stay in Wang Yongping’s room, a suggestion that Wang Yongan had refused.

She also remembered how Wang Yongan kept pouring liquor for Wang Laozhu at the dinner table and, on the following morning, Wang Yongan’s panicked demeanor, with his clothes messily tucked into his belt.

The most telling sign was his parting remark, "Don’t regret it later!"

That was his taunt! After sweeping the Wang Family’s fortune clean, he didn’t forget to further disgust the Wang Family’s members.

This son of a bitch! Wang Yongzhu was furious enough to curse openly.

How can there be such a person in the world? First using a quack doctor to harm his own elder brother, and then, for the sake of his own promotion and fortune, sneaking off with the land deeds that the parents and brothers depended on for livelihood.

This move was indeed cruel and ruthless! To not act was to concede, but once he acted, he cut off all the Wang Family’s remaining escape routes!

Wang Yongan wasn’t just ruthless to outsiders, he showed absolutely no mercy to his own kin!

But how did he know where the land deeds and the silver were?

Wang Yongzhu’s face changed, recalling how naive the former Wang Yongzhu was, revealing everything to Wang Yongan whenever he showed her the slightest kindness.

It seemed that, in her memory, she had mentioned the place where Old Granny Zhang kept the silver.

Old Granny Zhang had never kept secrets from her, yet she, without any guard up, told everything to Wang Yongan.

Even more so, the former Wang Yongzhu, after being goaded by Wang Yongan, had taken out Old Granny Zhang’s keys and even showed them off to Wang Yongan!

What an idiot! So foolish it’s unbearable to watch!

Wang Yongzhu truly wanted to slap that former Wang Yongzhu to death!

The sins of the original body, now all fell upon her to repay!

Wang Yongzhu swallowed hard, not daring to look at Old Granny Zhang’s expression, and began to gather the things scattered on the ground back into the box.

Only then did she take Old Granny Zhang’s hand, "Mother—"

This call startled the dazed Old Granny Zhang back to the present.

Old Granny Zhang blinked her eyes, slowly coming to her senses, and then tears started flowing as she pounded her chest and cursed, "What sin did I commit? To give birth to such an unfilial son of a bitch! This animal, he’s trying to drive our entire family to death! How can he be so merciless? He’s pushing his own parents towards their graves! What kind of son is this? He’s a debt-collecting ghost, come specifically to collect debts!"

This great commotion alarmed Lady Jiang and Jindou.

The two hurriedly ran outside the house, not daring to enter, carefully asking, "Mother/Grandma, little sister/Old Auntie, what happened?"

Wang Yongzhu opened the door, signaling them to come inside.

Old Granny Zhang was still sitting on the kang bed, crying and cursing.

After listening for a while, Lady Jiang and Jindou finally understood the curse was directed at Wang Yongan.

Lady Jiang hesitated, then still tried to console, "Mother, please calm down, Second Brother—he—"

"Pah! What Second Brother of yours is he? He’s nothing but an animal! An animal that wants to see us all dead, an ungrateful cur! If I had known this would happen today, when he was born, I should have strangled him. That would be better than him bringing disaster upon our family today..."

Lady Jiang was spat upon and had no choice but to back away.

Jindou looked at Wang Yongzhu, "Auntie, what’s wrong?"

Could it be she found out about Second Uncle using a quack doctor to harm Dad, and that’s why she’s cursing? Jindou thought to himself, unable to restrain a surge of emotion. Mom still cares about Dad, doesn’t she? Now that she heard Second Uncle had hurt Dad, she’s this angry?

Wang Yongzhu sighed, "The last time he came back, during the time he spent accompanying Dad and staying in the upper room, he took all of the family’s land deeds and silver!"

"What?" Lady Jiang and Jindou exclaimed in unison.

It was simply unbelievable!

"Then...what do we do?" Lady Jiang and Jindou’s legs went weak.

Those land deeds! They were the foundation of the Wang Family!

If Second Uncle had taken them all, what were they to do?

Everyone’s mind went blank from the shock.

No one had ever contemplated what the Wang Family would do if they lost their land, how this entire household was going to survive?

Wang Yongzhu only felt that the last few days had brought more troubles than the last twenty years of her past life.

There were no more land deeds, no more silver; it all related to her former self, the sins she created! What could she do?

Taking a deep breath, "Sister-in-law, Jindou, you two go outside first, I’ll have a word with your mom!"

Lady Jiang and Jindou, like lost souls, walked out.

After Lady Jiang and Jindou left, Wang Yongzhu gritted her teeth and knelt in front of Old Granny Zhang.

"Mom, it’s all my fault! It was me, not understanding the gravity of things back then, I was deceived by Second Brother with just a few words and told him where you hid the land deeds. And it was me, provoked by him, who stole the keys from you and flaunted them in front of him! It’s all because of me, if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have succeeded so easily! It’s my fault! Mom, beat me and vent your anger—" Wang Yongzhu was choked up by the end.

She truly felt sorrowful and scared, fearing whether Old Granny Zhang would come to hate her after hearing this? Would she start to dislike her from now on? Would she...

She didn’t dare think further, only bowing her head with two tears falling before her.

The room fell into deathly silence, so quiet that one could hear their own heartbeat and Old Granny Zhang’s breathing...

After how long, who knew? Maybe a long time, maybe an instant, a pair of trembling hands touched Wang Yongzhu’s head.

"You silly girl, didn’t I tell you long ago not to blindly tell everything to that beast of a Second Brother? Why didn’t you listen? Ah, don’t cry, don’t cry! Mom doesn’t blame you! You are my darling, my heart! How could Mom bear to blame you! It’s all that damn beast, Second Brother’s fault! He took advantage of your honesty and naivety to purposely deceive you! From now on, be a bit more careful, okay? Alright, alright, stand up! The ground is so hard, what if you damage your legs? Do you want to make your mother worry to death—"

Old Granny Zhang pulled Wang Yongzhu up with one hand, patting her body with the other, not daring to use much strength, as if she were dusting off ash.

Wang Yongzhu cried out, "It’s all my fault! If it had not been for me, Second Brother wouldn’t have succeeded—"

"He’s not your Second Brother! He’s a heartless bastard! Stop crying now, my little ancestor—" Old Granny Zhang originally wanted to curse Wang Yongan a bit more, but seeing her daughter’s tears falling one by one, she was immediately heartbroken.

"Mom—" Wang Yongzhu was called ’little ancestor’ by Old Granny Zhang and felt her heart melt, so soft and light that she could hardly touch the ground.

After much effort, Old Granny Zhang calmed her daughter’s crying and whispered, "Don’t tell anyone about this except me, understand? Not even in front of your dad! Did you hear me clearly?"

"But—" Wang Yongzhu felt this wasn’t right.

"There is no ’but’! Listen to me! You carry this secret in your heart for life, tell no one! Otherwise, how will you live in this family in the future? I won’t harm you; listen to your mother! Keep it to yourself!" Old Granny Zhang, concerned for her own child, quickly regained her composure and earnestly advised.