The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 520 - 518: Pushing Too Far

Chapter 520: Chapter 518: Pushing Too Far

"Your Sun Family can’t even come up with ten taels of silver?" Wang Laozhu couldn’t believe it. Not to mention anything else, when Wang Yongzhen got married and had moved in, he had checked it out himself. The Sun Family had been doing well back then, otherwise, he wouldn’t have married his daughter off to them.

Not to mention that he had provided a dowry and had been sending support every year. How could it be that they didn’t even have ten taels of silver?

Wang Yongzhen was overwhelmed with shame, "The family had to find wives for my husband’s younger brother, to marry off my younger sister-in-law, and to arrange a marriage for Shitou—where would all this money come from? Our income is low, and the harvests haven’t been good. We really have no money left now!"

She dared not say that the men in her family, including her husband and his younger brother, would sit if they could avoid standing, lie down if they could avoid sitting. They were young once and couldn’t get away with not working in the fields.

But since Shitou and Mutou grew older, and the younger brother’s children could also work in the fields, they started to say that they were getting on in years and the children had grown up, so it was time to enjoy life.

Shitou had the same attitude as the men in her family; even when he did go to the fields, he would just go through the motions.

It was all up to her, a woman, and Mutou, to work themselves to the bone, but even so, they couldn’t accomplish much.

If you cheat the field, the field cheats you. Each year the harvest was less than the last, leading to the current situation.

"Nonsense!" Wang Laozhu, with his temper, was so angry that he cursed.

"I’m going to talk to the in-laws. Even if they truly have no money, how come everyone else can still eat their fill? Why treat you like this? They’re just bullying you! I also have to ask Shitou and his wife how they can just stand by and watch their birth mother and mother-in-law starve? What kind of rule is that? And you, why didn’t you tell us when you came back before?" Wang Laozhu stamped his foot in frustration.

"Dad! Please don’t go! Right now, the family is thinking of finding another bride for Mutou. If this gets out, it would be unsightly, and it would harm Mutou’s prospects! Besides, Shitou is still young; he doesn’t pay attention to these things..." Wang Yongzhen quickly grabbed Wang Laozhu, terrified that he might make a scene if he went out.

Wang Laozhu, panting hard, asked, "So you just endure it?"

Wiping away a tear, Wang Yongzhen said, "What else can I do? Once Mutou marries, life will get better."

After struggling for a long time, she managed to summon the courage, despite the embarrassment, to speak up, "Dad, today I thickened my skin, and brought Shitou and his wife to our house, as well as mother-in-law and my husband’s younger brother. We have no face to show. But now in this world, only a dad loves his daughter. Life in the Sun Family is truly hard. My husband’s brother heard yesterday that our home is prosperous now, that we plan to build a big house, and we have hired quite a few people to help. Three meals a day, each with fish and meat, and bread made of second-rate flour and still full, plus fifteen large coins for each person per day."

At this point, Wang Yongzhen paused for a moment and then spoke with difficulty, "Mother-in-law was thinking, our house doesn’t need much work right now, so it’s better to come help out at our house where she could eat her fill and even earn some money to help with the household. I know it’s shameful to speak of this, for a relative to help out and still ask for money. But isn’t it because the family is in a bind? That’s why we’re thickening our skins and asking for help."

"And as for Shitou’s wife, it’s been several years since their marriage, and only now is she pregnant. Unfortunately, our house also lacks good food to nourish her. Secretly, I was thinking to bring her over, she could do some odd jobs, not requiring extra provisions from the family. Just let her share our meals so at least she can nourish the child in her belly..."

"Dad, I know I’ve been an unfilial daughter. After getting married, I haven’t been able to help out my family of birth, it’s just you who have been subsidizing me and making my life easier. Now I don’t ask for anything else, only that you show affection for your daughter one more time, to let me earn some money for Mutou to secure his marriage proposal. Once Shitou’s wife gives birth to the grandchild, I will be content! Dad, I’m begging you..."

With that, she knelt before Wang Laozhu, crying and kowtowing.

Wang Laozhu’s face turned the color of iron as he listened to Wang Yongzhen enumerate the hardships faced by all members of the Sun Family, except for herself.

Thinking back to how her mother-in-law, husband, and brother-in-law, as well as her son’s wife, had treated her on Wang Family’s land today, their days in the Sun Family must be even more unbearable.

He felt both heartache and frustration at his daughters; the elder daughter lacked resolve and could not stand up for herself,

and the younger daughter was too domineering, keeping her husband under control.

After all, she couldn’t bear to see her dearly cherished daughter beg her like this.

Wang Laozhu sighed deeply, and in that moment, he aged several years, waving his hand, "Go out, I’ll talk to your sister about the wages."

Wang Yongzhen, feeling ashamed, struggled to her feet, and was about to say something when she heard Old Granny Zhang’s disparaging words from outside, calling Old Lady Sun a stepmother, a cruel stepmother, who treated her predecessor’s daughter as if she wasn’t human...

Suddenly, darkness enveloped her vision, and she nearly fainted.

Here she was, crying and begging, and it was only with great difficulty that she had softened Wang Laozhu’s heart, convincing him to relent.

But with the grandmother causing such a scene outside, not to mention anything else, her younger brothers and sisters would never agree.

Indeed, before she could even step outside, she heard a disturbance in the courtyard; Wang Laozhu and Wang Yongzhen hurried out.

In the courtyard.

Wang Yongzhu could no longer care whether Sun Shitou’s wife, pregnant as she was, might fall or not.

Old Lady Sun, speaking in such a manner in front of outsiders, was piercing Old Granny Zhang to the core with every sentence; it was too much to bear.

Who didn’t want to be the first wife? Old Granny Zhang’s only weak spot in life was that she was a second wife.

Without thinking, she grabbed a wet cloth that was not wrung out from the basin beside her, and with a snap, flung it in Old Lady Sun’s face, dousing her and sending the remaining foul language right back with the cloth.

Old Lady Sun’s face stung from the impact, and the dirty rag, carrying water scented with an unknown odor, splashed into her mouth, causing waves of nausea.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—who’s the wretched spawn that did this?" Old Lady Sun pulled the cloth from her face, wiping the filthy water with her sleeve while cursing aloud.

Old Granny Zhang, already fuming, saw her daughter splatter Old Lady Sun’s face with the rag and was about to laugh when she heard Old Lady Sun curse her daughter?

The world had turned upside down!

She stepped forward and grabbed hold of Old Lady Sun’s clothes, "You wretched old hag, what indecent things are you spewing out of your mouth? Curse one more time, I dare you—see if I don’t tear your mouth!"

Old Lady Sun hadn’t recovered from her shock before she was seized by Old Granny Zhang, who refused to let her retaliate and reached to scratch Old Granny Zhang’s face.

Wang Yongzhu wouldn’t allow Old Lady Sun to get her way, stepping forward to twist Old Lady Sun’s hand behind her back, and sneered, "Mother-in-law, you might throw your weight around at the Sun Family’s place, but what power do you have here in the Wang Family? How dare you raise a hand against my mother? Believe it or not, if you so much as touch a finger on her, this arm of yours will be useless?"

With that, she applied force to her grip.

Suddenly, Old Lady Sun cried out in pain, "Aiyo—let go! Let go!"

The other women looked on, torn. In this situation, it seemed wrong not to intervene, yet intervention felt inappropriate as well. After what seemed like an eternity, someone finally spoke up unenthusiastically, "Yongzhu, you’re building a new house—it’s a great celebration. Why trouble yourself with these confused people? For better or worse, she’s your older sister’s mother-in-law. If she’s really injured, how could your sister face her in-laws?"