The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 339 Thirsty to Death

Chapter 339: Chapter 339 Thirsty to Death

The information on the system panel in her mind immediately changed:

Current status of the host:

Clothing: Level 2, 0 points

Food: Level 2, 0 points

Lodging: Level 1, 0 points

Transport: Level 1, 0 points

Available points: 70 points (points can be freely allocated to the options above)

Wang Yongzhu hesitated for a moment, last time a hundred points could be doubled for a reward, and she had received a storage box.

This time she also planned to save up another 30 points before redeeming again, to see if there were any good items.

Hearing Old Granny Zhang’s words, she too felt a bit stifled.

Not for any other reason, but feeling sorrowful for the status of women in this time and space. Lady Jiang was like this, and probably, aside from her personality, it had more to do with being brainwashed, just like Eldest Sister Wang Yongzhen.

"Today’s affair, thanks to your decisiveness, Zhuzhu, otherwise, while we were battling on Lady Jiang’s behalf, she was the first to falter, doesn’t that make us look like the villains? It’s like getting no gratitude for good deeds. If I hadn’t seen some improvement in her these past days, and out of regard for Jinhua’s children, would I have been so forward?"

"Useless creature, even with her in-laws and sister-in-law backing her up, she can’t stand up for herself! Forget about her, it’s that matter Wang Laosan mentioned. What do you think about it?"

Hearing Old Granny Zhang ask, Wang Yongzhu spoke seriously, "I also wanted to discuss it with you, Mother. Now that we have purchased Lady Sun, as long as we keep an eye on her, there shouldn’t be any big problems. I don’t need to be at home to make up the dye recipes these days, I’ve committed all the recipes to memory, how could she steal them?"

"Third Brother said that this woman is from Jing County, and that she even owns an Auspicious Fabric Store in the county town. I’ll go to the town another day and ask Shopkeeper Wu to send someone to Jing County to inquire about Widow Sun’s background, to see what kind of person she really is. We still have her proof of identity document in our hands, and now she has signed a concubinage deed. That makes her a person bought by our family. If she tries any tricks, we can simply sell her off."

Old Granny Zhang hastily replied, "Don’t sell her yet, keep her so that I can deal with her properly! That wretch who stirred up trouble and made Wang Laosan, that ingrate, disown even his own parents, do you think I’ll let her get away with it? Isn’t she just relying on her bit of property, flaunting her fair skin to seduce men? Now that all her assets are in my hands, I can make her skin as coarse as Eldest Brother’s wife in half a month. Let’s see how she seduces and harms people then!"

Speaking of assets, Wang Yongzhu remembered, "Mother, in a while, give me the land deeds and all the valuables that were awarded to us by the Empress, everything valuable from the house. I’ll find a place to hide them. Although there’s always someone at home, it’s better to be safe than sorry, in case something gets stolen. Now that there’s a stranger in the house, we can’t be too careful!"

Old Granny Zhang nodded repeatedly and went to her room. In no time, she came back with a bundle tucked into her bosom and brought it into Wang Yongzhu’s room.

As soon as Old Granny Zhang turned around, it was stored away in her own storage box, and finally, she felt relieved.

When it came time to cook dinner, Lady Jiang finally emerged from her room with swollen red eyes. Upon seeing the empty spot where the food used to be stored, she was startled and hurried to the main house to find Old Granny Zhang.

Old Granny Zhang huffed, "Now that your man is back, and his hands have always been dirty, if I didn’t keep the food secure, he could steal it all in one day. From now on, come to my room to get the food daily as before."

Lady Jiang’s face flushed with embarrassment and shame. She nodded her head in acknowledgment without looking up.

Feeling indignation, Old Granny Zhang didn’t give out much, and Lady Jiang, feeling guilty and insecure, didn’t dare to ask for more. She took the food and went to busy herself.

In the yard, Wang Yonggui had been thirsty for quite some time, calling for Jinhua to fetch him a ladle of water to drink. Jinhua was preoccupied with turning over the mountain goods drying in the yard and pretended not to hear.

His throat was parched, but everyone was hiding in their rooms, pretending to be dead and not coming out.

Seeing Lady Jiang come out, Wang Yonggui quickly called out, "Xiao Lian, your man is dying of thirst, fetch your man a ladle of water to drink."

Lady Jiang paused but seemed to consider coming over.

Jinhua hurriedly said, "Mother, you go cook, I will give father water!" The words were spoken through clenched teeth.

Lady Jiang, though she feared Wang Yonggui, feared even more the prospect of Old Granny Zhang and her aunt driving her family out; previously, the aunt had said that all three households would have to get lost together.

Knowing that her mother-in-law was no longer fond of her or her husband, and hearing what her daughter said, she quickly returned to the kitchen, for fear that a late meal would bring scolding.

Jinhua waited until Lady Jiang went back into the kitchen and was out of sight of the courtyard before she ran to the well, scooped up half a ladle of water, and furiously poured it down Wang Yonggui’s throat. Wang Yonggui hardly drank a few sips; most of the water went up his nose, almost choking him to death.

※※※

Lady Sun slowly came to, feeling an itch all over her body, not knowing what was poking at her cheeks, neck, and hands—it was both itchy and painful.

When she opened her eyes, she was startled.

How did she end up lying in a dark and dingy little room, which was low and dirty, filled with some unwanted stuff, with herself lying in the middle?

Reaching out, the texture beneath her hand felt wrong, like straw?

Moving again, it seemed like her hair was caught on something, pulling at her scalp painfully. She instinctively touched her head and found her hair scattered, her two hairpins missing.

Lady Sun panicked; those two hairpins were specially chosen to impress the country bumpkins of the Wang Family and to raise her own status.

How could they be gone?

In her frenzy, she stood up, and a dusty piece of clothing slid off her.

Her plum-red new dress that she wore outside was gone.

Lady Sun now felt truly unsettled. She remembered being fainted by anger from that fierce wife of the Wang Family. How could she wake up alone with her clothes and hairpins gone, and no sign of Wang Yonggui?

Had she been robbed by the Wang Family and thrown out? Lady Sun couldn’t help shivering.

Struggling to get up, she pushed open the door, and outside the sun was about to set.

In the courtyard, everyone was busily gathering mountain goods, carefully sorting and storing them inside the house.

Nobody even noticed her.

The smell of food wafted from the kitchen, making Lady Sun’s stomach growl. She hadn’t had anything to eat since the morning, and she was starving.

She breathed a sigh of relief initially, relieved that she was still at the Wang Family’s house; however, she needed to find Wang Laosan first.

After all, it wasn’t proper to go out dressed only in an undergarment.

Lady Sun clung to the door frame, stealthily poked her head out, and finally spotted Wang Yonggui under the date tree, her eyes widening in shock.

What did she see? Wang Yonggui was actually tied to a tree? He leaned against the tree, listless, his lips so dry they had started to crack.

What had happened while she was unconscious?

Lady Sun didn’t know whether she should go out or hide back in the little room.

But Old Granny Zhang, with her sharp eyes, spotted her: "Now that you’re awake, why laze about? Why aren’t you coming out to help? Don’t you see we’re all busy?"

Wang Yonggui heard that and quickly looked towards the little hut where Lady Sun was, and seeing Lady Sun’s head poking out, he called out, "Ahfu, come quick, I need water to drink—"