The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 215 Divorce

Chapter 215: Chapter 215 Divorce

The door opened, and Jinhua, hearing the noise, looked toward the entrance and her eyes widened.

Lady Lin stood at the door in a fluster, and behind her was Jindou with a darkened face.

"What are you doing here? Didn’t you go back to your parents’ home to remarry? Why have you suddenly thought of us again?" Jindou lowered his voice, his eyes red with anger as he asked hatefully.

Lady Lin looked both embarrassed and uneasy but said nothing.

"Get out, you don’t want us anymore, do you? Do you look down on us as a burden? Why have you come back? Leave!" Seeing Lady Lin not speaking, Jindou grabbed her hand and began to drag her outside.

"Jindou? Who’s there? Has your mother come back?" Wang Yongfu’s voice came from inside the house.

Jindou was stunned for a moment before he fiercely let go of Lady Lin’s arm and stormed into the house.

Jinhua stood there foolishly, unsure of what to do—should she call out to her great-aunt or pretend she hadn’t seen anything?

After thinking for a moment, she remembered she was on the side of her old aunt and grandmother, and how much her grandmother despised the great-aunt. She needed to stand firm on the side of her grandmother and old aunt, so she decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything.

Not only that, but she also promptly slipped inside to report what had happened.

When Lady Lin heard Wang Yongfu’s voice, she was taken aback. Although the voice wasn’t as robust as it had been when things were fine, it didn’t sound like someone on the brink of death either.

In her mind, she had pictured the Wang Family’s home in chaos upon her return, with no money, no land, and illnesses everywhere—surely a complete mess.

She had intended to slip in while the chaos unfolded, presuming that Wang Yongfu would be lying in bed, close to death, and if the Wang Family refused to agree, she would just wait for a chance to press Wang Yongfu’s finger onto the already-written letter of divorce and be done with it.

Even if the Wang Family later refused to acknowledge it, she figured that Wang Yongfu would be gone by then, and with no one alive to dispute it, she could insist that it was Wang Yongfu who had personally pressed his finger on it—who would know?

Nowadays, with Wang Laoer having secretly bought land and run off to some unknown place to become an official, the Wang Family had lost its support and had become utterly destitute—what could they do to her?

But to her surprise, on her return to the Wang Family home, everything seemed peaceful as if nothing had happened at all.

This made her hesitant, yet Jindou discovered her.

As she entered the yard, the familiar scenery now felt strangely foreign. Standing in the yard, Lady Lin felt utterly uncomfortable.

She had come back, and yet not a single person had emerged from the house?

Just as she was pondering this, she saw Jindou carry Wang Yongfu out of the house, place him on a lounge chair, and then stand guard nearby, as if afraid that Lady Lin would harm Wang Yongfu.

It had been quite some time since Lady Lin had last seen the head of the household. Compared to the last time she saw him, his complexion wasn’t good, seeming even more haggard and frighteningly thin, his hair already half white.

Upon closer examination, Lady Lin felt a certainty in her heart, fearing that the rumors outside were true. The head of the household looked as though he didn’t have many days left.

Thinking this way, her heart began to sour somewhat. After all, they were a couple since their youth, and it wasn’t as if they were without affection. If such troubles hadn’t arisen in the family, who would wish to take this step?

As soon as Wang Yongfu appeared, his eyes were fixed intently upon Lady Lin. It had been some time since they last saw each other, and she had lessened her chores while at the Lin Family. Her complexion seemed slightly improved compared to their last meeting.

Particularly today, for Lady Lin’s homecoming, she had intentionally changed into a dress she seldom wore. This dress was made from fabric Wong Yongfu had gone out of his way to buy for her in town on her last birthday, an act for which Old Granny Zhang had scolded him for three or four days.

There was a hint of rouge on Lady Lin’s face and a flower pinned in her hair, a stark contrast to her usual appearance.

That dress reminded Wang Yongfu of last year when Old Granny Zhang had scolded him, and Lady Lin had cried in bed, holding him at night, indignant on his behalf. She had sworn that she would always remember the kindness he had shown her and that she would want to be his wife again in the next life.

With that thought, Wang Yongfu’s gaze softened somewhat, "You’re back, and it’s good that you’re back. The children and I have just been waiting for your return—"

Wang Yongfu thought, as long as Lady Lin could come back, he could pretend as if nothing had happened. For the children and the sake of the family, after all, he would soon be a spent force, owing Lady Lin in the days to come. If only she would turn back, he would not fuss over these matters.

But before he could finish speaking, Lady Lin panicked. She knew Wang Yongfu all too well; his meaning was that everything would be forgiven as long as she returned.

But she didn’t want to come back. For what purpose? To live as a widow while he still breathed?

"I’ve come back to divorce you! Brother Yongfu, I’ve been married to you for over a decade. Even if I’ve earned no merit, I’ve certainly toiled hard. Considering that I’ve borne you three children, can’t you just let me go? I’m still young, I don’t want to be tied down as a widow! If you truly remember our affection, please grant me this favor—" Lady Lin might not understand others, but how could she not understand Wang Yongfu, who was always softer to a gentle approach rather than a harsh one.

Why else would he be so easily coaxed by both her and her aunt if not because they knew how to speak kindly? Unlike his mother, who would scold and drive her son’s affections away with her harsh words.

Wang Yongfu was stunned, "You..."

"Brother Yongfu, I’m still young. Now that the Wang Family is in such a state, the land gone, and no able-bodied men left in the family aside from Laosi, how are we to get through these days? Do you really intend to make me stay in this miserable place? Please, just let me go! At my parents’ home, I’ve already found someone suitable, and I’m just waiting for you to sign the letter of divorce so I can remarry. While I’m still young and able to bear children, if I can just have a son, I’ll be able to secure a place for myself. As the saying goes, ’A couple for a day is a promise for a hundred.’ Brother Yongfu, please do this for me, give me a chance to live, won’t you?"

Lady Lin had made up her mind, since the Wang Family had no future, she definitely intended to remarry. The Wang Family was now just a quagmire, and she didn’t wish to be stuck in it. A clean break would be better and would spare her future burdens.

Before Wang Yongfu could respond, from inside the house, Jinhoo and Jinguan could no longer bear it and burst out.

"Get out! Just get out! You’re not our mother! We don’t have a mother who is so heartless and can’t endure hardship, who wants a divorce and to remarry as soon as she hears the Wang Family is falling apart! Go back to your Lin Family, go marry your fancy man!" Jinhoo charged to the well, scooped up a bucket of water that was drying nearby, and flung it towards Lady Lin.

Lady Lin screamed and leapt to the side, still getting her skirt half-soaked. Her face instantly changed colors, and she raised her hand as if to strike, but Jinhoo advanced instead of retreating.

Dropping the bucket, she stood before Lady Lin, "Go ahead, hit me! If you’ve got the nerve, beat me to death! You don’t want us anymore anyway. You’re off to bear bastards with some outsider. We sons are a nuisance to you, one less if you kill one!"

Lady Lin was rendered incapable of striking.

Then Jinguan, too, rushed over, grabbing Lady Lin’s skirt, "Mother, do you really not want us anymore? Are you going to find us a new father? To bear sons for him?"