The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 497 - 495: The Bracelet

Chapter 497: Chapter 495: The Bracelet

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Two jars of good wine were carried in by the Jindou brothers, and Old Granny Zhang immediately cried out in distress, "You silly girl, you’re far too honest! Buying such a big jar of wine, it must be around ten pounds, right? Who needs that much? Three or four pounds would be more than enough! Eldest Brother’s family, Laosan’s house, quickly find two smaller jars and transfer some of this wine into them. We’ll return the rest tomorrow!"

Wang Yongzhu hurriedly said, "Mother, there’s no need to return it. When we build the new house, don’t we need wine for entertaining guests? And won’t we need wine for Fourth Brother’s wedding day? I’m afraid what’s left might not even be enough."

Upon hearing this, Old Granny Zhang realized it was true and let the matter rest.

After going through all this, Wang Yongzhu finally took out two silver bracelets wrapped in cloth, along with a pair of silver clove earrings given by Zhou Ji, and placed them on the table: "These were bought at Zhou Ji, the Old Phoenix Open-mouthed Auspicious Cloud Bracelet, weighed in front of me, each weighing a full tael. These earrings were a gift from Zhou Ji."

Old Granny Zhang unwrapped the package and saw the snow-white silver bracelets, carved with the pattern of dragons and phoenixes bringing auspiciousness, with Zhou Ji’s hallmark inside the band.

She casually took a pair and put them away, then pushed the rest towards Lady Jiang, "Take them! And don’t say again that we’ve been tight-fisted with your side of the family!"

Lady Jiang’s face turned beet red, unsure whether it would be proper to take them or leave them.

It was Wang Yonggui who was thicker-skinned, giggling as he reached for the bracelets, "Aren’t you going to thank Mother?"

As he spoke, he slipped the bracelets onto Lady Jiang’s wrist. Lady Jiang was frail, and whenever she moved her hand, the bracelets jingled merrily.

Lady Lin was so envious that her eyes turned red.

She hadn’t expected the matriarch to keep her word and give Laosan’s house such a pair of bracelets, two taels of silver! Looking at the purity and the design, they seemed much more attractive than the pair left in the Wang Family.

"Sister-in-law, let me have a look, these bracelets are really beautiful..." Lady Lin, grasping the bracelets on Lady Jiang’s wrist, wished she could take them off and try them on her own.

It was Wang Yongfu who couldn’t stand it anymore and yanked Lady Lin away, "You’ve got bracelets too, why are you embarrassing your sister-in-law by staring? You’re making a fool of yourself!"

Lady Lin muttered quietly to herself but didn’t dare say anything out loud, knowing that the bracelets were out of the question, she then eyed the silver clove earrings.

Now that her sister-in-law and the younger sister had bracelets, and being the eldest daughter-in-law, wouldn’t it be fair for her to have those additional silver clove earrings?

Old Granny Zhang saw through Lady Lin’s intentions in a glance. If she wanted less trouble at home, she would’ve just loosened her grip and given them away.

But Old Granny Zhang was not one to shy away from confrontation! Why should she cater to the irksome Lady Lin?

Since that incident months ago, in terms of household affairs, Laosi was off in Chongzi Gou, and the main force behind gathering mountain goods was the Eldest Brother and his sons.

Although Laosan remained at home to help, his lazy nature meant any opportunity to slack off was not wasted.

Now, the business of mountain goods was truly propelled by the efforts of the Eldest Brother and his sons.

Lady Lin, because of this, had started to show off a bit more, and Old Granny Zhang had been seeking an opportunity to teach Lady Lin a lesson for a while now.

So deliberately holding the silver clove earrings, she examined them and said, "My daughter knows how to shop, always bringing some extra back! Although they’re not worth much, they’re still made of silver. By the look of them, they are meant for young girls. Jinhua, come here—"

She beckoned Jinhua with a wave of her hand.

Jinhua, confused, came forward, not knowing why her grandmother was calling her, and stood in front of Old Granny Zhang.

With swift movements, Old Granny Zhang put the earrings on Jinhua, looking her over from left to right, "Indeed, they suit a young girl perfectly. They’re for you, Jinhua! After all, you’re our eldest granddaughter, and all the women in our family now have some jewelry. We can’t leave you out! You got lucky today!"

Jinhua only felt her grandmother fiddling with her ears for a moment, and they began to feel warm. Only after hearing Old Granny Zhang’s words did she realize the silver clove earrings had been given to her.

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Jinhua couldn’t believe it and reached out her hand to touch it, indeed feeling a hint of coolness.

Which girl in the world doesn’t want to look pretty? Now that the Wang Family was living better days, she was content with having a few new clothes to wear, but to have a piece of silver jewelry was something she had never even dreamed of.

She reflexively thanked Old Granny Zhang and walked back to Lady Jiang’s side as if in a trance.

Lady Lin almost jumped up in shock, that pair of silver lilac studs had actually been given to that little maid Jinhua? How old was she to deserve to wear silver earrings?

The old lady was really slapping the face of the first wife’s family!

In the whole house, inside and out, everyone had their share, why was the first wife’s family the only one without even a single straw?

"Mother, this is—" The rest of her words were cut off by Jinhoo, who quickly covered her mouth and whispered in her ear, "Mother, have you gone mad? Have you forgotten what was said that day? Do you want to be divorced by father?"

Lady Lin was taken aback and turned her head to see Wang Yongfu wearing a rare frown, looking seriously angry.

All at once, her strength seemed to drain out of her, and she nervously lowered her head.

It was Jinhoo who smoothed things over: "My mother is just happy."

Although everyone knew Lady Lin was anything but happy, she was nearly driven mad with anger.

But since her son claimed she was happy, they all took it that she was.

The children didn’t understand the overt and covert struggles among the adults.

Jinguan eyed the half-kang of food, especially the sweets, dried fruits, and brown sugar, staring intently for a while before turning to Jinpan and Jinshao, and approaching Wang Yongzhu.

"Auntie, Auntie, did you bring us any tasty treats?" Now that the Wangs were well off, Wang Yongzhu, on her trips to town, always brought back some snacks for the children as a sweet reward for their help with household chores.

Usually, as soon as she returned, Wang Yongzhu would distribute them, but today, after listening to the adults talk about things they didn’t understand, the children were growing impatient.

Seeing the eager looks in the children’s eyes, Wang Yongzhu pulled out a bag of Dragon Beard Crisp Candy shavings. Whenever the confectionery made Dragon Beard Crisp Candy, there would be scraps, odd-shaped, or unappealing pieces that they would crush separately. Customers buying sweets could pick up a bag cheaply for their children at home.

Wang Yongzhu had just happened to come across a large bag that day on her trip to buy sweets.

She handed it to Jinguan: "Take this and share it, don’t overeat, and make sure to rinse your mouth afterward, or if your teeth hurt, I won’t buy for you again! Understand?"

The children, eager for the candy, nodded vigorously, and surrounded by Jinguan, they headed to the courtyard to share their sweets.

Even Jinhua, for whom candy held a greater allure than the silver earrings at the moment, scurried after them to leave the room.

Inside, Old Granny Zhang addressed the serious matter: "Tomorrow, Eldest Brother, you’ll drive Aunt Wang to Chongzi Gou. Do you know the way?"

Wang Yongfu nodded nodded. "I know, mother, don’t worry!" he said.

"Alright then, tell Eldest Brother’s wife to dress you decently tomorrow; don’t disgrace our Wang Family. Everyone, back to your rooms," Old Granny Zhang finished her instructions and shooed everyone away with a wave of her hand.

Lady Lin was still dawdling when Wang Yongfu dragged her out.

Lady Jiang, who had been caressing her silver bracelet, was still in a delighted daze until Wang Yonggui half-pulled her back to the third room. She sat on the kang for a good while before she came to her senses. "Head of the family, am I dreaming? Did mother really give me a bracelet?" she asked.