The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 214 Complaints

Chapter 214: Chapter 214 Complaints

Eldest Aunt Lin gave Eldest Uncle Lin a meaningful glance, urging her to speak up.

Eldest Aunt Lin was full of impatience. If it weren’t for the hope of getting some money from this niece’s remarriage, who would bother with her?

For the sake of money, Eldest Aunt Lin put up with it and asked, "Little sister, what kind of man are you looking for, exactly? I think the ones who have come to see you these past few days aren’t bad. Why don’t you take a fancy to any of them? Today’s visitor, Old Yang, although he has two sons and you will have to become a stepmother if you marry into his family, his household is quite well-off, owning several acres of land. Were it not for my efforts with the matchmaker, a family like that wouldn’t even consider you, would they? Why do you still look down on them?"

Although Lady Lin wished to remarry, having had Wang Yongfu as a benchmark before he was incapacitated, wasn’t Wang Yongfu also well-featured? Having been married in their youth for so many years, the Wang Family’s circumstances were genuinely good, and Wang Yongfu had nothing to complain about regarding her.

She also thought that, although it might be impossible to remarry someone better than the former Wang Yongfu, it should not be much worse, right?

But what kind of men had come to see her?

Those whose wives had died, those well advanced in years who had not yet taken a wife, those whose wives could not bear sons and hoped she might bear a son for them...

Let’s not even talk about these, at her age, it was impossible to hope to remarry an unmarried youth.

But weren’t the conditions of these suitors too poor?

Those advanced in years without a wife, their families poor as can be, how would she live if she married into one of them? Hungry and cold, she would be better off not marrying at all.

And those households with two sons, the sons were about to take wives too. If she married in, she’d have to be a stepmother. If she bore a son, that would be good, but if she couldn’t, could she really rely on someone else’s sons to care for her in her old age? Besides, with just those few acres of land, what would there be left once divided among several sons?

Her reasons for remarrying were twofold: she didn’t want to live like a widow, and she didn’t want to live a hard life. If the prospect was worse than staying with the Wang Family, was she out of her mind to suffer after getting married?

So, when Eldest Aunt Lin asked her that, she felt somewhat resentful, "Sister-in-law, who are these suitors you are finding for me? Their families are so poor you can hear the ringing of their poverty, marrying into one of them would be suffering. Look at the paltry gifts they bring, not even willing to spare two eggs. If this is what all families are like, I might as well return to the Wang Family."

Eldest Uncle Lin’s face changed at once; was this damn maid regretting her decision?

That simply wouldn’t do; the Lin Family had thoroughly offended the Wang Family. Lady Lin’s return mattered little; what was crucial was that the Lin Family would stand to gain nothing thereafter.

He was just about to open his mouth to persuade her.

From outside the house, thumping sounds of rapid footsteps approached as a man ran in—it was Second Uncle Lin.

Breathless, he announced, "Do you know? The Wang Family’s land has been sold—"

"What?" Both Eldest Uncle Lin and Lady Lin stood up in shock.

Second Uncle Lin hurriedly shared the news he had heard in town, which by now had spread everywhere; Wang Family’s Second Child, Wang Yongan, had sold all of the Wang Family’s land to a family in town surnamed Wu, taking the silver to become an official elsewhere.

The patriarch of the Wang Family was so enraged he suffered a stroke, and Wang Family’s Eldest Child was also victimized by the quack doctor brought back by the second child and had to be taken to the town’s medical hall again.

Both father and son were now unconscious; Wang Family’s Fourth Child and the youngest maid had rushed to the county seat in pursuit, while Wang Family’s Second Child had long since vanished.

Now, with no money left for treatment, the Wang Family had to hire a cart to take the stricken back home to await death.

After hearing this news, both Eldest Uncle Lin and Lady Lin found it hard to believe.

Stunned for a good while, Eldest Uncle Lin finally slapped his thigh, "That damned Wang Laoer, I always knew he was no good, he has practically stripped the Wang Family bare! Now the Wang Family, with over a dozen mouths to feed and no land, their lives will probably be worse off than even our Lin Family!"

Lady Lin was still in disbelief.

However, Eldest Aunt Lin quickly came to her senses, giving Lady Lin a shove, "Little sister, you must hurry back to the Wang Family and get them to give you a divorce paper!"

Eldest Uncle Lin’s mind also worked quickly, "Your sister-in-law is right, you need to get back quickly and have the Wang Family’s Eldest Child write you a divorce letter, no, now that the Wang Family’s Eldest Child is out of his senses, he can’t do it anymore, we’ll have someone else write it and then just take it to the Wang Family’s Eldest Child to get his thumbprint!"

Lady Lin hadn’t come to her senses yet, her face blank with confusion.

"Have you gone mad? If Wang Yongfu dies, you’ll be a widow! Carrying the stigma of having brought bad luck to your husband, you won’t be able to marry again! All those men you were picky about before will not want you now, do you understand? What are you still standing there for?" Eldest Uncle Lin scolded.

Lady Lin realized the severity of the situation and turned pale, her panic evident, "Then, then I’ll go back." With that, she made to leave.

"Wait a moment!" Eldest Uncle Lin frowned and muttered a few words to Second Uncle Lin.

Second Uncle Lin ran out, and in no time, came back holding a piece of paper with ink not yet dry and handed it to Lady Lin, "This is the divorce letter; remember to have Wang Yongfu put his thumbprint on it!"

Lady Lin, feeling completely lost, took the divorce letter and walked toward Qilidun in a daze.

Only halfway there did her mind gradually clear, and she cursed Wang Yongan for being worthless.

Worry soon set in, for without land, the Wang Family had no income; how would they live? What about her three children?

From Jindou’s behavior that day, she knew that remarrying with her three children was impossible; they were the Wang Family’s seed, how could she as their mother take them away?

Yet, to stay with the Wang Family was also out of the question, for now the family was in ruin; the days ahead might be even worse than those few enjoyable days they had seen before.

With this in mind, Lady Lin made up her mind to quickly get the divorce letter and have her sister-in-law and brother pick out a man for her to marry soon, so as not to drag herself down.

Having decided, Lady Lin quickened her pace.

By late afternoon, she finally arrived at Qilidun.

The news of Lady Lin’s intent to remarry was known by nobody other than the Wang and Lin families.

Walking through the village, those acquainted with her would stop her, "Yongfu’s wife, where have you been? You’ve been at your parents’ house for so long?"

"Exactly, and not to be rude, Sister-in-law Yongfu, but with your husband injured like that, how could you just leave him to go back to your parents’? If you were at home, maybe the land deed wouldn’t have been stolen by the Wang Family’s Second Child; now your whole family, with the old, the sick, and the young, how will you manage?"

...

Lady Lin had no desire to listen to these women, as if she couldn’t tell that, although they seemed to speak with sympathy for the Wang Family and for her, smiles were plastered across their faces, and their hearts were probably delighted.

She excused herself hastily and, shaking off the crowd, she walked down the familiar road to the very familiar Wang Family home that she had traveled so many times before.

Standing in front of the Wang Family’s gate, the door was slightly ajar; vague voices could be heard from the courtyard, not loud and hard to discern.

Glancing through the crack in the door, she could see two loungers under the courtyard’s date tree, with a high-footed stool placed between them holding two bowls of water.

She only saw Jinhua busying herself with something under the tree.

No one else was visible, but as it was hot, every room had its doors wide open.

Lady Lin’s hand was raised then lowered, raised then lowered again. For some reason, though she had determined to return and finalize the divorce, when she actually stood at the Wang Family’s gate, she felt a bit guilty and dared not enter.

"What are you here for?" Lady Lin was so nervous she hadn’t heard the footsteps behind her, and when suddenly someone asked her that question, she jumped forward, pushing the courtyard gate of the Wang Family open.