The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 250: Ghosts Cry and Wolves Howl

Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Ghosts Cry and Wolves Howl

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Wang Yongzhu awkwardly glanced at Wang Yongfu’s family, "That... Mother is taking up for Eldest Brother; don’t mind it—"

Wang Yongfu, who wouldn’t mind such things now, replied, "I know Mother cares about me!"

Wang Yongzhu really wanted to say, Eldest Brother, you’re overthinking it, Mother is purely looking to regain face! That day, when Lady Lin forced us to divorce and trampled the Wang Family’s dignity underfoot, Old Granny Zhang must have remembered it well. Now that she has the chance to turn the tables, how could she let it go?

However, she couldn’t actually say that.

Instead, it was Jinpan whose face revealed a complex expression.

Jinguan, upon hearing the adults mention his mother and knowing that his parents were divorced, still missed Lady Lin’s past affection, seeing as she had indeed cared for him deeply.

Seeing that his wet nurse was not home, he carefully asked, "Old Aunt, will my mother come back?"

Wang Yongzhu...

How was she supposed to answer that?

It was Jinhu who covered Jinguan’s mouth and said, "Old Aunt, Jinguan doesn’t understand things; he’s talking nonsense! Don’t worry, I will discipline him!"

Speaking thus, he dragged Jinguan outside.

In a short while, the sound of Jinguan’s wailing could be heard from outside the courtyard: "Second Brother, Second Brother, I was wrong! I won’t ask about Mother again! Really! Stop hitting me!"

Wang Laozhu couldn’t bear it and said, "Eldest Brother, quickly get Jinhu to stop hitting Jinguan; he’s still young, and it’s natural for him to miss Mother..."

Wang Yongfu couldn’t help looking towards Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Yongzhu felt baffled, why are you looking at me? You discipline the child; what can I say?

She touched her nose and sidestepped to go check on her dyes.

Wang Yongzhu expressed her desire not to interfere, and Wang Yongfu sighed, "Jinpan, tell Jinhu to stop; Jinguan is still young. We can teach him slowly..."

Jinpan came back into the courtyard and soon after, carried Jinguan in, with Jinhu following behind with a stern face.

Jinguan, holding his bottom, looked pitiful and was on the brink of tears, yet did not dare to cry out loud.

Wang Laozhu felt upset again and waved his hands, "Alright, go do whatever it is you were doing; why’s everyone standing around in the courtyard?"

Jinpan and Jinhu brought Wang Laozhu and Wang Yongfu into the house. They also pulled Jinguan by the ear into the main room, and while no one knows precisely what was said inside, after a short while, Jinhu came out with a stern face.

Jinzhi and Jinshao from the third branch were actually eager to come over to Wang Yongzhu, but Old Granny Zhang had instructed that the Old Aunt was busy with important matters and no one was to disturb her, so with reluctance, they went back to their room.

A couple of days earlier, Lady Jiang, at Wang Yongzhu’s request, had mentioned to Old Granny Zhang about dyeing some fabric for her clothes, then remembered she had previously bought fabric intending to make clothes for Old Granny Zhang and Wang Laozhu.

She had completely forgotten about it.

With so many things happening in the Wang Family these days and her sewing skills getting rusty, she dared not do any needlework.

So she simply entrusted the task to Lady Jiang, asking her to make some clothes for the elders whenever she had time.

Lady Jiang, who never used to decline such requests, certainly wouldn’t now. So there she was, heading back to her room to sew when she had the time, also making sure to keep the three children with her, forbidding them from going out to bother their little aunt.

When Jinhu came out, Wang Yongzhu was the only one left in the courtyard; he hesitated, started to step forward, then remembering Old Granny Zhang’s words, he stopped.

Wang Yongzhu saw he seemed to have something to say; these past days, she had observed Jinhu closely.

This child, though he was the second in line and not as valued as Jinpan, showed after the family upheaval that he had more composure than Jinpan.

What mattered the most was his fiery nature, an intolerance for injustice that seemed to blaze in his eyes.

The abandonment by Lady Lin had been a tremendous blow to him; back then, his reaction was the most extreme, the most resolute!

Today, hearing Jinguan still longing for Lady Lin must have filled him with both hate and anger.

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Jinguan is so disappointing, all cast aside, what else is there to think about?

And as for Jinhu, this child knows how to act, how to get along with people.

When Song Chongjin delivered the medicine, although the effectiveness was unknown, he still knew to kneel down and kowtow to thank Song Chongjin for his kindness.

From this, it could be seen that he was a child with clear likes and dislikes.

As he stroked his chin, Wang Yongzhu pondered that among the Wang Family’s next generation, as it stood, Jindou was too mediocre and Jinguan too slick.

Jinhua was too impulsive, Jinpan and Jinshao were still too young to really tell.

Only Jinhu seemed to somewhat stand out.

Eventually, the Wang Family would still have to be handed over to the next generation, and Jinhu was someone they could groom.

Therefore, he beckoned Jinhu over.

Jinhu walked quickly to Wang Yongzhu’s side, feeling flattered, and didn’t dare to look around carelessly, especially not at the vat.

Wang Yongzhu smiled, patted his shoulder, "It’s alright, take a look!"

Jinhu then carefully glanced at the blue dye at the bottom of the vat; nearly all the liquid had evaporated.

Wang Yongzhu said in a soft voice, "This dye is something Auntie Lin thought up. If it’s successful, we can sell the formula and make money to redeem our family’s land!"

"Really?" Jinhu’s eyes lit up, looking admiringly at Wang Yongzhu.

Auntie Lin was amazing, seemingly capable of anything. What would the family do without Auntie Lin?

"Shh—" Wang Yongzhu gestured with his finger to his lips, "Only you, your grandma, and I know about this within our family! Don’t let it get out—"

Jinhu nodded eagerly, "Auntie Lin, I wouldn’t tell even if it killed me!"

Getting closer, "Auntie Lin, is there anything I can help with? I have strength!"

Tsk, a mere lad, boasting of his strength in front of me.

Wang Yongzhu found it amusing but thought for a moment, "Can you wash the herbs I picked from the mountain yesterday, and then after drying them out in the sun, cut them into slices?"

"I can! Just watch me, Auntie Lin!" Jinhu felt a surge of pride. In this household, besides Grandma and Auntie Lin, he was the only one privy to this secret. It proved Auntie Lin’s trust in him, and he was even entrusted with such an important task!

He was determined to do well and not let Auntie Lin down!

With his whole body filled with enthusiasm, the young man carried the roots of the herbs to the riverside to clean them.

※※※

Meanwhile, Wang Yongping had picked up medicine from the clinic, and today, because they were hosting Doctor Ma, lunch was early and he was sent to town by horse carriage. Seeing the sun still high in the sky and thinking of home, he decided to take a shortcut and hastened his pace towards home.

His steps were lighter than ever before; today Doctor Ma had confirmed his eldest brother’s health was improving, and that in the future he might be able to stand up. The guilt weighing on his heart for so long could finally begin to dissipate a little.

Although his family had suffered a great change, life at home was gradually getting better. Once Third Brother returned, once he found a wife, and once a good son-in-law was found for his sister, the Wang Family would surely thrive and prosper.

When he thought about finding a wife, Wang Yongping couldn’t help but recall the scene when he encountered Li Jinzhi in the street the day before.

He had come out of Shopkeeper Wu’s sundry shop, aware that his younger sister always brought back treats for the family. With the money his sister had given him after buying things, he had a surplus of a dozen or so coins.

He thought he might as well bring something back for his family members.

He had heard that there was a shop in town that sold delicious hawthorn cakes, so he decided to bring some back for his family to try.

After figuring out the location, he turned a few streets, but instead of finding the hawthorn cake shop, he ran into Li Jinzhi head on.