The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 209: Elder Cousin Sister

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Elder Cousin Sister

Wang Yongzhu glanced at Wang Yongping, who was still in the dark. Even five Wang Yongpings would be no match for Song Chongjin’s martial prowess.

Last time the two fought, Song Chongjin must have held back.

"You’re overthinking it. If you have this time, better think about how we’re going to explain things to mom and dad when we get back!" With that one sentence, Wang Yongzhu made Wang Yongping’s face fall.

Indeed, although the younger sister had managed to bring back some silver, the fact remained that the second brother had secretly sold the family land. If dad found out about this, I’m afraid he might get so angry he could fall ill!

With one sentence, she deterred Wang Yongping from bothering her further, and Wang Yongzhu herself also struggled with the issue, wondering how to break the news upon returning so that Wang Laozhu, a father who had placed immense hope in Wang Yongan and longed for his son to achieve great things, could accept reality.

Distressed by the dilemma all the way, Wang Yongzhu still couldn’t make up her mind upon reaching Shiqiao Town.

By now, it was already dark. The three of them hadn’t rested on the road, snacking on dry food when hungry and sipping water when thirsty, and at last arrived just as night fell.

Wang Yongzhu’s mind was preoccupied with seeing Old Granny Zhang. Upon reaching the clinic, she rushed straight inside, completely forgetting about the people behind her.

In the ward, Old Granny Zhang was feeding Wang Laozhu his medicine.

Wang Laozhu lay on the bed, already showing signs of facial paralysis, his hands and feet periodically shaking.

Old Granny Zhang was incredibly patient as she fed a spoonful of medicine to Wang Laozhu, then used a cloth to wipe the spilled medicine from the corners of his mouth.

She murmured, "My girl and Laosi have been gone for two or three days now. I don’t know if they’ve found that beast, my second son. They’ve never ventured out this far before, I don’t know if they have enough food or a place to stay... Now, the family can only rely on them. We’ve had many children, but in old age, it’s only my daughter who is reliable, unlike your eldest daughter—"

Wang Laozhu made a rasping noise from his throat and feebly pounded on the edge of the bed, seemingly dissatisfied.

Old Granny Zhang rolled her eyes, her tone harsh but her movements gentle, "What’s wrong, can’t even talk about it? Yes, yes, yes, only your eldest daughter is good. She has no ill intentions, all her actions are kind! How could her kindness leave you in this state—"

Tears began to fall, "The house is in such a state, can’t I even speak my mind anymore? You cherish your eldest daughter so much, why isn’t she the one taking care of you? In the end, isn’t it I, the witch you married later, who has to serve you!"

Wang Laozhu let out two whimpers.

Old Granny Zhang turned her head away, about to wipe her tears, when she heard Wang Yongzhu’s voice from outside, "Mom, mom, I’m back! I brought you some white sugar cake!"

The voice was brimming with cheer.

Old Granny Zhang immediately stood up, no longer attending to Wang Laozhu.

Dropping the medicine bowl, she walked towards the outside.

At the doorway, Wang Yongzhu had already flung herself into her arms, "Mom, I missed you so much—"

Old Granny Zhang’s heart melted, as she hugged her daughter tightly, patting her on the shoulder, "Oh my dear, my darling, you’ve finally come back! Nothing happened, right? Let me have a look, you must have had a hard time, you’ve lost weight—" Old Granny Zhang’s eyes reddened.

Her own daughter, whom she had single-handedly raised, had never left her sight.

Having suddenly left home for several days, her heart was scratched by worry every day. She looked out the door more than ten times a day, concerned that her daughter might not endure the journey to the county town.

The journey spanned over a hundred miles. What would she eat and drink? Even carrying silver, she didn’t know if it would be enough.

Once in the county town, a place unfamiliar to her, if that beast Lao Er could do such a thing, it suggested he might have turned his back on the family. Would he mistreat her daughter?

Every night, Old Granny Zhang hardly slept well, dreaming that her daughter was suffering in the county town, crying out for her mother.

If the head of the household hadn’t been indispensable, she would have been desperate to follow her daughter to the town.

Only when her daughter returned did her heart finally settle.

The mother and daughter embraced and exchanged affection for a long while.

Only then did she remember there were others in the room. Turning around, Wang Yongzhu almost burst into laughter.

Upon hearing of Wang Yongzhu’s return, Old Granny Zhang’s eyes and heart were filled with her daughter, oblivious to anyone else. The medicine bowl was carelessly placed, and she even forgot to remove the spoon she had stuck in her husband’s mouth.

Wang Laozhu, with the spoon in his mouth, trembled as he tried to remove it, but despite his effort, his hand couldn’t reach his mouth, and he sweated profusely in distress.

Trying to speak, he found his wife and daughter acting as if they hadn’t seen each other for ten years, noticing only each other, while he futilely muttered without getting any attention.

Wang Laozhu was both angry and annoyed.

Turning around, Old Granny Zhang exclaimed, "Oh my—head of the household, what’s happened to you!" As she spoke, she approached and helped Wang Laozhu get the spoon out of his mouth, but couldn’t avoid chiding, "Really, at your age, clutching a spoon like a child, aren’t you embarrassed in front of our daughter?"

Finally free of the spoon in his mouth, Wang Laozhu was about to speak when he started coughing violently, "cough, cough, cough—" being choked by his saliva and unable to utter a single word.

While patting Wang Laozhu’s back to soothe him, Old Granny Zhang complained, "Honestly, your daughter has come back. What is so urgent that it cannot be discussed calmly—"

Wang Laozhu shoved Old Granny Zhang away, finally catching his breath, his hands, feet, and lips trembling. He tried to say something but could only emit moaning sounds.

Wang Yongzhu’s face changed instantly. "Mother, what’s going on? When I left, Father was fine. How could he have gotten worse?"

Following behind was Wang Yongping, and Jinhoo, who had just come in from fetching water.

Wang Yongping hurried to his father, shaking as he tried to speak but could not find the words, his tearful face showing his distress: "Father, what’s happened to you?"

Old Granny Zhang kept silent, while Jinhoo complained indignantly, "What else could it be? We kept the secret from granddad and dad, not leaking a single word. But who would have thought our eldest aunty, I don’t know where she heard the news from, ran to the clinic. Instead of inquiring about granddad and dad’s illness, she first asked granddad if our family’s land had all been sold. As soon as granddad heard it, he couldn’t stay seated and pressed me and grandma for answers. We tried to brush it off, claiming the eldest aunty was talking nonsense and that it was not true."

"But our dear eldest aunty really did us a favor. She accused us of trying to secretly sell the land while granddad wasn’t home, and she said some unpleasant things. She told grandma not to be so anxious, saying the family’s belongings would eventually belong to dad and the uncles, that she wouldn’t come back for it, and that there was no need to stealthily sell it like this. She even mentioned in detail who was buying our land."

"Seeing that we couldn’t keep the secret any longer, we had no choice but to tell the truth. Upon hearing it, granddad was so enraged that he coughed up blood, and when he awoke, his eyes and mouth were crooked. Doctor Ma said he had suffered a stroke, but thankfully we sought treatment promptly. With gradual care, except for not being able to do heavy work, he should function as usual. He just can’t get agitated or upset anymore!"

No matter how Wang Laozhu moaned, seeming to stop Jinhoo from talking, Jinhoo laid everything out very candidly.