The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 317 Waiting for the Verdict

Chapter 317: Chapter 317 Waiting for the Verdict

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With a poke of her finger, Old Granny Zhang pulled Wang Yongzhu into her embrace and began analyzing the situation for her, "What you said just now is right, Lady Lin saved Eldest Brother’s life. If we refuse to let her into the household, people will speak ill of the Wang Family. Besides, it’s not without benefits to have Lady Lin back. For Jindou and Jinhu, having their birth mother is always better than a stepmother. They are also getting older. If I were to stubbornly prevent Lady Lin from returning this time, I fear all the silver and effort spent before would be wasted, and they would probably bitterly resent me, their stepmother. I am not foolish, with your father taking the lead to play the good man, does he expect me to be the villain?"

"Now that Eldest Brother and Jindou and Jinhu’s affections are leaning towards Lady Lin, why should I stubbornly resist? What can Lady Lin do to me? She cannot put a green hat on my head, and any disgrace in the future will not fall on me. Why should I care about them? Moreover, with Lady Lin returning in such a manner, guilty and anxious, this leverage is readily in my grasp, and it’s better to deal with her than to bring in someone else entirely."

"When Lady Lin comes back, she will probably be cautious and try to please everyone in the family for a while, not daring to cause trouble, which just saves me the worry. Let’s set the rules for her first. If she makes a mistake, she herself said that when the time comes to drive her out, she won’t have any complaints. Thinking about it, a few years from now, your business should be thriving, and you should be able to find a suitable match. Then you can start your own life, and mother will go with you. A few years later, whatever Lady Lin does or however Eldest Brother suffers, that’s their problem."

At this point, Old Granny Zhang sneered, "Do you think that just because Eldest Brother is acting impulsively now, insisting on us bringing Lady Lin back, he won’t regret it later? His nature is such that, although he seems honest, he’s most stubborn about his own ideas. Initially, it was that damned old woman nagging at him, and he even went against his own mother."

"He’s currently moved that Lady Lin saved his life, willing to agree to almost anything. Give it a couple of years for him to calm down. When he and his wife start stumbling over each other again, do you think he’ll truly have forgotten how Lady Lin treated him? It’s all etched in his memory..."

"So you’ve agreed?" Wang Yongzhu, hearing Old Granny Zhang analyze the situation so clearly and rationally, knew that Old Granny Zhang wasn’t truly heartbroken.

"Why wouldn’t I agree? They are a family, bound by blood and affection. Why would I, having eaten my fill, stand in the middle and play the bad person? I’m telling you, I intentionally stretched things out to teach them a lesson. If I had agreed too quickly, wouldn’t Eldest Brother and Lady Lin get too arrogant? I had to discipline them, to make sure they remember to keep their tails between their legs in the future."

"Besides, in the past, for Eldest Brother’s sake, I stopped their marriage, and he knelt down to beg me. In this lifetime, the two sincere kneelings Eldest Brother has given me were all for Lady Lin. Just leaving them hanging for one night is letting them off cheap."

At this point, Old Granny Zhang still felt somewhat indignant.

Fortunately, she had already given up all hope in her sons. As for Eldest Brother’s so-called awakening and repentance after being abandoned by Lady Lin, she didn’t take it to heart at all. Otherwise, if she still had any expectations for Eldest Brother, the scene earlier would have probably driven her mad.

Wordlessly, Wang Yongzhu embraced Old Granny Zhang, passing her own comfort to her. She knew that even if Old Granny Zhang said she didn’t care, she would still feel hurt inside. All she could do was tell Old Granny Zhang that, no matter what, she was still there.

Old Granny Zhang felt her daughter’s consolation and patted her hand, "Mother is fine, don’t worry. Mother has a big gift for them tomorrow!"

Having said this, she revealed a cold smile, thinking how easy it would be for them to enter the Wang Family’s household and then act as if nothing had happened. Dream on! She, Zhang Chuntao, was never the kind to turn the other cheek.

That day, everyone in the Wang Family dared not even breathe loudly, minimizing their presence to the lowest.

In the main house, Lady Lin was assisted back onto the kang bed, and the family sat together, looking at each other, unsure what to say.

Right now, the whole family was waiting for an unknown judgement.

Lady Lin opened her mouth to say something, "Head of the household, I—"

Wang Yongfu had been keeping his head down all this while. Only when he heard Lady Lin addressing him did he finally lift his head, rubbed his face, and said, "You rest first, I’m going to change clothes—"

With that, he walked out without looking back.

Lady Lin stared at Wang Yongfu’s receding back, then looked at Jindou and Jinhoo, and Jinguan, "Jindou, let mother take a good look at you. I almost thought I wouldn’t see you again—"

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Jindou still felt scared when he thought of that scene, and upon hearing Lady Lin say so, he quickly pulled Jinguan over to her side.

Jinhoo, however, sat absent-mindedly to one side, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Wang Yongfu stepped out of the room and glanced at his younger sister’s room. The door was closed; his mother and sister were inside, but they seemed unwilling to come out. Did they disagree?

The image of Old Granny Zhang sighing deeply surfaced in his mind, as well as her words. Now that he thought about it, Wang Yongfu felt so guilty he could barely breathe.

Shaking his head, Wang Yongfu entered Wang Yongping’s room.

Wang Yongping lay on the kang bed, staring at the ceiling, also lost in his thoughts.

Seeing Wang Yongfu come in, he jumped down from the kang, "Eldest Brother, did you need something from me?"

After Wang Yongfu sat down, it took him a while to speak, "Laosi, do you think I’ve done something wrong? Today, after listening to our mother, I feel worse than an animal. But now, I can’t just ignore Xinghua—after all, she is the biological mother to three children. If I really leave her, she won’t be able to live—"

His voice was full of pain.

Wang Yongping, though simple-minded, realized that his elder brother had already made his choice; it had always been Lady Lin.

Wang Yongping wanted to say that his elder brother was unfilial, but Lady Lin had been kind to him and was the mother of three children—could he really abandon her?

The question was too complicated for Wang Yongping; he felt his brain was inadequate. But one thing he believed firmly: when looking for a wife in the future, he would find someone obedient to his parents, someone who would not conflict with them, so that he wouldn’t have to deal with such messes.

The next morning, after breakfast, Old Granny Zhang didn’t waste words and had the entire family gather in the courtyard.

The people of Eldest Brother’s family waited apprehensively for Old Granny Zhang to speak.

Old Granny Zhang was known for her straightforwardness and didn’t beat around the bush.

"Last night I thought about it all night. I can agree to Lin Xinghua coming back, but I have my conditions—" She hadn’t finished speaking before Wang Yongfu, Lady Lin, and the children of Eldest Brother’s family showed expressions of joy.

"Mother, just say it, we’ll agree to whatever conditions you have!" Wang Yongfu hastily said.

"That’s good. First off, I can agree to Lin Xinghua temporarily staying with our Wang Family, since you are injured. We’ll see how you behave first, and if it’s good, we’ll take back the divorce letter," said Old Granny Zhang, turning her gaze towards Lady Lin.

Lady Lin nodded vigorously like a pecking hen, "Mother, you’ll see how well I perform!"