The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 428: Trying a Dead Horse as if it were a Live Horse Doctor

Chapter 428: Chapter 428: Trying a Dead Horse as if it were a Live Horse Doctor

Wang Yongzhu supported Old Granny Zhang as they walked into the house. Inside, she whispered, "Mother, I have my own reasons for doing this. You’ve said it yourself before, ever since Third Brother came to his senses, he hasn’t done one reliable thing. All he’s got is a tongue that could talk the dead back to life, and then he goes around scamming food and drinks. You also thought before that once a man gets married and has children, he would rein in his ways and start shouldering family responsibilities. But Third Brother is just like an untamed horse, even after Laosan has had three children with him, he’s still solely fixated on things outside the home."

"You say Third Brother is beyond saving, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. He still cares about this family in his heart, it’s just that he’s been outside for too long, and his nature has shifted, he’s lost touch with what to do. I saw how you praised Third Brother today, and he was so thrilled."

"I was thinking, since beating and scolding by you and father has never turned Third Brother around, maybe that method just doesn’t work. Today, Third Brother has solved a big problem for the family, and he was quite surprised himself. Add to that your compliments and saying that you’d cook him a dish of wild chicken, and I saw the look Laosan gave Third Brother was filled with admiration, Jinhua’s view of Third Brother has also changed, and even Third Brother’s complexion looks so much better than before."

"So it occurred to me, maybe this is a method we should try. Let’s praise Third Brother more, reward him, and who knows, he might actually change for the better. Not to mention, Third Brother has seen quite a bit of the world after all these years outside. Take for instance the trickery today, without Third Brother, where would we even begin? For conducting business, we need someone like Third Brother who knows a few underhanded strategies. As long as we’re clear in our hearts not to harm others, and just to prevent ourselves from being harmed, that’s also part of Third Brother’s contribution, isn’t it?"

"You always used to say that Third Brother was just freeloading, whatever he does ends in failure, and whatever he eats is never enough, that his heart went wild outside and couldn’t be reeled back in. But today’s events have proven that the things Third Brother learned over the years, which may have seemed useless before, now appear to be quite beneficial after all."

"Besides, our family is not tight on funds now. Dishing out an ounce or two of silver isn’t difficult, and if this can really turn Third Brother around, spending a bit more is worth it."

Her words left Old Granny Zhang both amused and exasperated, "Alright, alright, it’s just you who keeps thinking about straightening out Laosan. If this method really works, then the silver isn’t something we can’t afford. It wasn’t like I let him starve in those years when he was good-for-nothing. Fine, we will try it your way. If he really reforms, then it’s your merit. If he doesn’t, we’ll lose hope and won’t let him touch a single penny of our silver ever again."

Wang Yongzhu naturally agreed; it was the only option left, as Wang Yonggui’s nature definitely couldn’t be allowed to cause trouble outside.

Suppressing him with force always had its moments of oversight, and you can’t chain up a grown man, can you?

Therefore, allowing Wang Yonggui to change on his own, to feel a sense of belonging and responsibility towards this family, was the most reliable solution.

Wang Yonggui was different from Wang Yongan, who was completely blinded by greed, ready to abandon anything for the sake of promotion and wealth, with no bottom line.

While Wang Yonggui might be selfish, he was not rotten to the core.

These days, she had noticed that Wang Yonggui cared a lot about face. On the surface, he seemed indifferent, seemingly not caring about what others said about him. No matter how harsh the criticism, he would just laugh it off, often even joining in to make fun of himself.

But just now, when she asked the family to learn from Wang Yonggui, she noticed his eyes light up instantly, and his entire demeanor changed from before.

That was when she came up with this idea. Anyway, treating a dead horse as if it were alive might as well be the approach—if it could make Wang Yonggui a bit better, it would be good for both the Wang family and herself.

When Song Chongjin came home, he naturally noticed that something was off with the atmosphere at the Wang household right away.

However, he would naturally not pry by asking too many questions. He only brought the pastries he bought from town as a token of respect for Old Granny Zhang, and also brought back some tobacco leaves for Wang Laozhu.

Wang Laozhu happily went off to try the tobacco leaves.

Old Granny Zhang complained verbally a few times that Song Chongjin didn’t know how to manage a household, calling it too wasteful, but her eyes were smiling with joy, suggesting that her words were not to be taken seriously.

Actually, he was extremely satisfied.

Wang Yongzhu had noticed that although Song Chongjin appeared as usual, his brows were always unconsciously furrowed, suggesting that he might have encountered some annoying matters during his trip.

Therefore, she found an excuse to pull Song Chongjin aside to the backyard, "Did something go wrong in town?"

Song Chongjin hesitated for a moment, "Everything else is fine, but I received a message from the two teachers who used to instruct me. They sent someone to tell me to visit them in the next few days, saying they have something important to pass on. I find it quite odd. We’ve already made everything clear and cut ties, what more could they possibly need to tell me? I’m worried there might be some changes..."

Wang Yongzhu’s heart also skipped a beat, the implication in Song Chongjin’s words was worrisome—could it be that the Noble Patron felt deceived and was planning to do something about it?

However, she wasn’t too worried, "What’s there to fear? We’ll deal with problems as they come. The matter of the wrong child has nothing to do with you. It was all Song Chunhua’s doing. Besides, if he really had any so-called fatherly affection for the child born to Song Chunhua, he wouldn’t have treated you that way. I will be delivering goods to the town tomorrow; I’ll accompany you for a visit. I’d like to see what kind of issue it could be."

Song Chongjin’s eyes lit up, and her expression softened as she looked at Wang Yongzhu, feeling a wave of sweetness in her heart.

For so many years, no matter how hard or unbearable the times, she had to endure them all on her own.

Now, at last, there was someone who said they could be there for her.

Song Chongjin felt a lump in her throat.

She covered her mouth with a cough to hide it, and nodded in agreement.

Wang Yongzhu took the opportunity to also simply explain what happened at home today, mentioning only the reward given to Wang Yonggui. Song Chongjin immediately understood.

"Actually, I think your method might really work. Laosan has been outside for so many years, and among the brothers who started with him, some couldn’t make it, some got injured and fell into hard times, and some even lost their lives at a young age. Although Laosan never seems to make much money, you see, no matter how long or far he goes, he always comes back safe and sound, which is also a skill."

"With the mountain goods business attracting more attention, we will not be short of such situations in the future. Having someone like Laosan standing firm is a good thing."

Song Chongjin thought even further. Someone like Wang Yonggui, if used well and cleverly, could be of great importance.

Previously, he had no status or position to advise, but now that Wang Yongzhu had come to understand on her own, it couldn’t be better.

After discussing a few more details about the delivery, they went back to the courtyard.

Wang Yongfu and the others had already inspected all the mountain goods thoroughly and indeed found several items that didn’t look quite right. To be on the safe side, these were all picked out and placed separately to one side.