The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 375 - 376 Cut Off the Leg

Chapter 375: Chapter 376 Cut Off the Leg

Today, when she went down to the field, she saw that Wang Laozhu, well into his fifties, and Old Granny Zhang, who was also close to fifty, were still busying themselves in the fields under the sun.

To tell the truth, watching this was quite disheartening, so when Old Granny Zhang disagreed, she patiently persuaded her.

Upon hearing that her daughter was feeling sorry for her, Old Granny Zhang’s dissatisfaction dissipated like smoke, and as she looked at her older daughter, she seemed to have lost even more weight these past few days, probably from exhaustion!

She thought about buying some meat to bring back and nourish her daughter’s health. With this in mind, Old Granny Zhang no longer objected.

"I knew my daughter was filial to me! All right, mother will accept my daughter’s filial piety! You go early tomorrow, don’t worry about breakfast. You’ve been worn out these days, have a good rest! Can you drive a horse carriage?"

This question hit the nail on the head.

Wang Yongzhu was startled, as she did not know how.

"Auntie, I will accompany Yongzhu to town early tomorrow morning," Song Chongjin quickly said.

Wang Yonggui glared at Song Chongjin and interjected: "Mom, I—I’ll take little sister to town!" Humph, why should an outsider get such a good deal?

Old Granny Zhang slapped him away: "Get lost, you! Why didn’t I see you this eager when it’s time to work in the fields? If you dare to go to town, I’ll break your legs first! You’re not going anywhere this year until all the crops are in. Go drop dead wherever you want!"

Wang Yonggui deflated.

"Fine, then. Tomorrow, Chongjin, you’ll go with Zhuzhu," decided Old Granny Zhang with finality.

She then instructed, "Eldest Brother’s family, Laosan’s family, you all will take care of breakfast tomorrow! Eat pancakes, make plenty. They won’t go bad if left out. If there’s no time for lunch, just snack on the pancakes to tide you over, and have a warm meal cooked by Zhuzhu in the evening."

No one had any objections.

The night passed without incident.

Wang Family’s home was bustling early in the morning amid Old Granny Zhang’s scolding.

Wang Yongzhu brought her carryall, which Old Granny Zhang had packed with several pancakes, and Song Chongjin, who had already arrived, expertly harnessed the mule to the carriage and drove out of the Wang Family’s courtyard.

In a short while, Wang Yongzhu left the house, jumped onto the cart, and amid the envious and longing stares of several children, trotted off to town.

Lady Sun was a bit distracted early in the morning, nibbling on a pancake without much appetite.

Seeing her like that, Old Granny Zhang got angry and scolded her, prompting Lady Sun to hurriedly finish the pancake and follow the crowd to the fields, meek and subservient.

On the way, when no one was paying attention, Lady Sun gently grabbed Wang Yonggui’s hand: "Sanlang, I don’t feel well today."

Wang Yonggui turned to look. Lady Sun had gotten tanned now and, without time to doll up, her face was marked with scabs from broom injuries, dark and unsightly lines hanging on her face, nowhere near as beautiful as she used to be.

Hearing Lady Sun say she wasn’t feeling well, Wang Yonggui snorted coldly. To feign illness, death, madness, or disability in front of his ancestors, who devised various schemes to avoid work, thinking she could pretend to be sick and escape labor?

No chance!

He had once gone to great lengths to avoid work, bathing in cold water, standing in the cold wind, and drinking unboiled water; in the end, he truly made himself sick. He thought he would be spared, but Old Granny Zhang ended up dragging him from the kang bed to the fields.

In Old Granny Zhang’s own words: As long as you’re not dead, crawl to the fields for me and finish the work before you die!

And yet that was his own mother, and he was her real son, but she was that ruthless.

These little tricks of Lady Sun’s, hmph...

Wang Yonggui was also seething inside. He knew Lady Sun was wary of him; otherwise, why wouldn’t she reveal all their assets?

With Lady Sun’s beauty now tarnished from toil, and given no money to spend for herself, she was even inferior to Xiao Lian. Wrapping her up with nowhere to turn, she could still manage to scrape together a few large coins from her.

Wang Yonggui was intent on making Lady Sun suffer, for it was only through hardship that a woman could realize, in this world, it was only men she could rely on.

Thus, he came with a particularly impatient retort, "Tolerate it even if you’re uncomfortable! It’s not like you’ve lost an arm or a leg, what are you fussing about? People from the Old Wang family are not that delicate."

Having said that, he turned and walked away.

Lady Sun lowered her head and silently got back to work.

Today, although they were only short one person, Song Chongjin, Old Granny Zhang felt that the progress was much slower and everyone seemed displeasing to her eye.

Especially towards Lady Sun. Seeing her shirking at the rear, she itched with irritation.

"What are you dawdling for? Move faster! At the rate you’re going, we won’t finish until tomorrow morning!" Old Granny Zhang bellowed.

Lady Sun hurriedly quickened her pace, but somehow, due to her excessive force, the sharp sickle sliced into her leg, and blood immediately stained the hem of her trousers red.

Frightened, Lady Sun threw the sickle aside and clutched her leg, crying out, "Sanlang– Sanlang, save me! I’ve cut my leg!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yonggui was startled; every year, there were people who injured themselves. If lucky, they would heal without much attention.

But for the less fortunate, they would lose their lives.

Turning back to look, he saw the blood had already soaked through the pant leg, and he panicked, "Father, mother, Ahfu has cut her leg! There’s so much blood!"

When Old Granny Zhang heard this, her heart skipped a beat, instantly feeling an ominous presence!

She stormed over, thinking Lady Sun had only a minor injury but discovering upon arrival that the cut was serious. If the bleeding wasn’t stopped soon, the day might claim Lady Sun’s life.

Although she despised Lady Sun, believing her to be a vixen spirit, and liked to torment her daily, she never intended to take Lady Sun’s life.

She quickly found some peasant’s usual hemostatic medicine on the field ridge and threw it to Wang Yonggui, "Chew it up quickly and plaster it on the wound."

At the same time, she ripped open Lady Sun’s trouser leg and spotted a deep wound, as long as a palm, still gushing blood.

She hastily tore a cloth strip from her clothing and tied it above the wound to slow the bleeding.

Wang Yonggui, too, endured the bitter taste in his mouth, chewed up the herbal medicine, spat it onto his palm, and smeared it over the wound.

The flow of blood slowed, but there wasn’t enough medicine.

The other people, hearing the commotion, also gathered. Familiar with the herb, they picked some along the way and handed it to Wang Yonggui.

Having chewed enough of the medicine, Wang Yonggui felt as if his cheeks and tongue were no longer his own. It took considerable effort to finally stanch the blood.

Old Granny Zhang relaxed and scolded with a stern face, "There, done! Honestly, good for nothing, except for seducing men, what else are you good for?"

Seeing the bleeding had stopped, everyone dispersed and resumed their work.

Old Granny Zhang saw Lady Sun’s face turn pale and snorted coldly, "Lucky for you, you’re still alive. Rest for a while and, in the afternoon, you’re going to pick grains for me! Don’t think just because you’re injured you can loaf around and eat for free!" She then turned and left.

Lady Sun looked at the ghastly mush of medicine on her wound and grabbed Wang Yonggui’s arm, "Sanlang, I’m scared! Please, beg of you, go find a doctor to look at this?"

Wang Yonggui rolled his eyes, "It’s just a cut, isn’t it? Who hasn’t been cut before? You’re making a mountain out of a molehill! Just lie down and rest, you’ll be fine! You’re so spoiled, needing a doctor for this? I bet by the time the doctor arrives, your wound would have healed!"