The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 320: The Neighbor’s Law

Chapter 320: Chapter 320: The Neighbor’s Law

She wasn’t just speaking idly about dividing the family last time; after saying it, she even went out of her way to inquire about how a family in their situation should go about it.

But in reality, the facts were disheartening. Putting everything else aside, it was impossible for Old Granny Zhang and Wang Laozhu to divorce. Under the circumstances where the parents wouldn’t divorce, there was no reason for a daughter to take her own mother in to support her.

Moreover, as an unmarried daughter, she couldn’t establish a household on her own, which was quite the headache.

After much thought, it seemed that the only option was to marry a man into the family. A daughter who took a man into her home was regarded the same as a son and could thus set up her own branch of the family and support her parents.

Her worst-case scenario would be simply taking in Wang Laozhu and supporting him, which would only mean spending a bit more silver.

Therefore, what she said yesterday may have seemed like a joke, but in reality, she had seriously considered it.

Once Old Granny Zhang heard this, how could she not know what her daughter was plotting? She gently slapped Wang Yongzhu’s arm, "Are we being so carelessly outspoken now? Is that something a girl should say lightly? A woman’s lifelong commitment is a matter for an entire lifetime. You can’t just pick anyone to avoid caring for an old lady. Are you muddled with anger? Since when should you disrupt your own stance just because of Lady Lin and the rest? Are they worth your fuss?"

"I know you care about mother. Rest assured, am I someone who suffers losses easily? I never allowed Lady Lin to take advantage of me in the past, and now I have leverage over her. Even if she’s disciplined by family law, what of it? A divorced woman who remarries won’t be able to lift her head in front of her mother-in-law for the rest of her life!"

"Besides, if you want your business to thrive, currently we really can’t do without Eldest Brother and the others. If we were to split them off now, I’d be worried. After spending so much silver on them, and owing the Song Family’s young men favors, should we just let it go? They may talk a good game, saying that they’ll repay the money they earn after splitting off, but with what?"

"The land is in your father’s and my name. Without my consent, they can’t get a split of it. And if they do split off, they shouldn’t even dream of meddling with the business. What will they rely on to make money? When they say they don’t have any money, could you really force them to give it up? It’s better to keep them at home, wholeheartedly busy with the business, making money for my daughter."

"Not to mention anything else, with the old mother watching, they won’t dare to play tricks. You, my daughter, should study more about those dyes, make some extra private money. As long as the mountain goods business is in operation, I won’t let them touch anything that rightfully belongs to you!"

With that, Old Granny Zhang smiled, "Besides, I’ve been in a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battle with Lady Lin for over a decade, it’s become a habit. Recently, after she divorces and went home, I found it weird not having someone to argue with. It’s good she’s back; I have someone to chew out every day, to nitpick faults. She dares not retort now; whenever I think about how she’s fuming inside but has to swallow it, I get so happy I could eat an extra two bowls of rice."

With the conversation having reached this point, what else could Wang Yongzhu say? She could only urge Old Granny Zhang to take it easy.

Internally, she firmly made up her mind; her own marriage was not urgent, so she should quickly find a wife for Fourth Brother. Once Fourth Brother was married, they’d have greater flexibility in what they could do.

Worst comes to worst, in just a year or two, she wouldn’t have to be as passive as she was now.

So that settled Lady Lin’s matter. Every day, Lady Lin recuperated in the main room. Since she had to show her willingness to improve, she didn’t dare to lie in bed carelessly all day.

Even though she couldn’t do heavy work, she was very helpful, for example, picking vegetables, sweeping the yard, or assisting Lady Jiang in the kitchen.

Because she needed medicine to replenish her energy and blood, Doctor Liu mentioned that they had to prepare food like pig liver for Lady Lin. Old Granny Zhang resolutely decided in advance that the cost would be deducted from the main room’s future monthly stipend—it wouldn’t be given for free.

The main room was currently treading carefully, and no one opposed the decision.

Lady Lin was most aggrieved, cursing herself for not recovering more quickly, wasting so much money.

With great difficulty, Lady Lin had healed the wound on her head and was accompanied by Wang Yongfu to the Wang Family Ancestral Hall to receive family punishment.

The Wang Family Patriarch had already been notified by Wang Laozhu, so there were no surprises; however, when other villagers got wind of the news, they all flocked to the scene to watch the excitement.

There were those with loose lips who said that the Wang Family was too heartless. Lady Lin had almost lost her life for Wang Yongfu; how could they still have the heart to let her suffer family punishment?

Those who understood the customs spit back, "This is precisely the proper conduct of the Wang Family. Do you still remember the incident from thirty years ago in the neighboring village? A human life was lost because they didn’t have the approval of their parents and the clan, remember the outcome?"

"Exactly, she should receive family punishment. Who doesn’t know what Lady Lin did back then? Without a lesson, if other men’s wives learn to run away when their in-laws face trouble and then return as if nothing happened once the family recovers, wouldn’t that cause chaos?"

...

Saying so, the majority of the people felt it was justified.

Jindou and Jinhu, who were hiding in the crowd, felt their faces burning with shame and wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

Since a female family member was receiving punishment, it was the clan leader’s wife who executed the punishment, lashing Lady Lin’s back with a whip made of thorns twenty times before the punishment was considered complete.

After receiving her punishment, Lady Lin fainted, her back was so lacerated that her clothes were torn to shreds, stained with blood.

Wang Yongfu’s legs were still not strong enough to carry Lady Lin, but fortunately, Jindou and Jinhu were waiting outside. When they saw the clan leader’s wife emerge, they hurried in, wrapped Lady Lin in clothes, and carried her back home.

This round of family punishment, while looking severe, was all superficial wounds; it allowed Lady Lin to rest for a good half-month.

When Lady Lin first went out after her wounds had healed, she encountered the village gossips who made derisive comments about her receiving family punishment. Short of breath, Lady Lin defended herself briefly and returned home with a darkened face, staying sulky inside the house for most of the day.

After that, Lady Lin rarely went out, only leaving the house to work in the fields, often preferring to stay indoors.

Not just Lady Lin, Jinguan also stopped going out. Whenever he left the house, the village children would mock him for having a mother who disregarded her duty as a wife, mocked poverty and chased wealth, and was willing to accept family punishment in order to lead a better life.

By now, he understood things a bit more and knew these were not kind words. When he first heard them, he came back and asked Lady Lin, who, after a moment of stunned silence, hugged him and cried bitterly. She felt both regret and anger, but before Jinguan’s inquiring gaze, she found herself unable to utter a word in her defense.

After that, Jinguan became much quieter and grew distant from Lady Lin, spending most of his days following Wang Yongping around.

Now was the late summer season; the crops in the fields were not yet ripe, but some mountain products were ready to be harvested.

Wang Yongzhu thought it might be a good idea to start with small-scale harvesting to get some practice, rather than waiting until the fall when there would be too much to handle at once with the abundance of mountain produce.