The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 609 - 607: Of Course One Must Go

Chapter 609: Chapter 607: Of Course One Must Go

Jinhoo was stunned for a moment before saying, "Thank you for your trouble, please come in and take a seat for a while. I’ll call my master out," she said as she invited the visitor into the yard and poured him a glass of water, staying by his side.

Meanwhile, she sent Jindou to inform their family.

Before long, the entire family had gathered in the main house’s courtyard.

Even though they had split their household, they were all still used to consulting Wang Yongzhu on everything.

Jinhoo, upon seeing Wang Yongzhu stand up first, said, "Auntie, this uncle says he comes from the county town, conveying a message from someone in Qi City. They say our Grandfather has fallen ill there, that he is bedridden and cannot get up, and that we should go to see him."

At these words, everyone was shocked. Though he did not like Wang Yongan, Wang Laozhu was very filial. He immediately asked with concern, "Is it so serious just from not acclimating to the local environment? Has he seen a doctor? Is it serious?"

The man replied with a simple smile, scratching his head, "I’m really sorry, I’m just the messenger; that’s the message they sent, and that’s all I know."

First, Wang Yongzhu thanked the messenger and then gave him twenty large coins before sending him on his way.

Back inside, everyone’s eyes were on Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Yongping couldn’t contain his anxiety, "Little sister, we must go and see Dad. He can’t even get out of bed; could it be that he might..." The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but everyone understood the implication.

Wang Yongfu nodded in agreement, "That’s right, if Dad is sick, we as his children must go see him. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be too unfilial?"

Wang Yonggui frowned, "Dad was quite robust when he was at home, wasn’t he? How is it that after just a few days in Qi City, he’s become bedridden?"

"Didn’t they say it’s due to not acclimating to the local conditions?" asked Wang Yongping.

"So they say, but Qi City is only a few hundred miles away. Could it really affect him to the point of being bedridden? And what about Wang Laoer, that scoundrel? Didn’t he claim to have influence in Qi City? Not even a doctor could be found?" Wang Yonggui was very skeptical about the accuracy of this news, given Wang Laoer’s past deeds.

Wang Yonggui’s words made everyone else start to doubt, and they looked at each other, uncertain.

Ultimately, they all turned to look at Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang.

Old Granny Zhang frowned; not being able to rest easy with that old man out of the house, if he were truly sick, that would be too useless.

If he weren’t sick, yet Wang Laoer could send back news of illness, then what use was the old man?

However, with her daughter’s wedding approaching, it was not good for the old man to be absent. If he was seriously ill, that would be troublesome indeed.

After some thought, Old Granny Zhang made a decision, "Regardless, we need to go and see for ourselves. What if your father is really sick? Right now, any guesses we make here are blind guesses; we must go to Qi City. Everyone should pack today, and we’ll leave for Qi City tomorrow!"

Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin exchanged a look, both having their suspicions.

"That’s settled then. Mother, I’ll accompany you," Wang Yongzhu nodded in agreement.

The Three Wang Brothers looked at each other, and Wang Yonggui also spoke up, "And me. Dad is now under the care of our branch of the family. If something happens, we naturally must go."

Wang Yongping wanted to go as well, but before Wang Yongfu could speak, Wang Yongzhu said, "Elder brother, you need not go. If we all leave, only the women and children would remain, which is not acceptable. It would be better for you to stay behind. Let Jinhoo come with us. She can stand in for you if needed."

This arrangement was quite sensible and reasonable. If all the men in the family left, leaving behind only a few women and children, they would be at a loss should anything happen.

Wang Yongfu was silent for a while before nodding, "Okay!" He knew this was his younger sister showing consideration for the discomfort he and Wang Laoer felt about going to Qi City, so she had given him a good excuse.

With the matter thus settled, everyone hurried back to their rooms to pack their bags.

Wang Yonggui, watching Lady Jiang pack his luggage, lounged on the kang bed with his legs crossed and casually reminded her, "After I leave, take good care of the kids at home."

Lady Jiang nodded obediently and after biting her lip for a good while, ventured cautiously, "Husband, Father won’t be in any trouble, will he?"

Wang Yonggui also had no confidence in his heart. After thinking it over, he got up and rummaged through the chest where the silver was kept, picked and chose two pieces of silver, then hesitated and put one back.

Talking to himself, he said, "After all, it was in Wang Laoer’s place that he fell ill, so why should I be the only one to pay out silver?" After speaking, he shut the chest and stuffed it back in its place.

Lady Jiang hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, "Husband, shouldn’t we bring more silver? Now that the family has been divided..."

Wang Laozhu had been allocated to their branch, but when it came time to pay out, their room would definitely have to shoulder the burden. If they brought too little silver, how awkward would it be to ask for money then?

Wang Yonggui weighed the silver in his hand, dismissively saying, "Although it was allocated to our family back then, they only gave us five taels of silver, and we still haven’t seen any other benefits. Besides, it was with that bastard Wang Laoer that he fell ill, shouldn’t he be the one to pay?"

Lady Jiang wanted to say more, but seeing Wang Yonggui’s impatience, she closed her mouth.

The fourth room.

Liu Xiaoqiao finished packing her luggage and, after thinking it over, added an ingot of silver to Wang Yongping’s bundle, advising, "This trip to Qi City will require money for meals and accommodations along the way, and now that we have separated from the family, we can’t expect the younger sister to cover all the costs. Take this silver with you and spend it sparingly."

Wang Yongping promptly agreed and also instructed, "Don’t worry, I have an idea. If there’s nothing for you to do at home, it would be good to help the third sister-in-law with her tasks, too."

Even he, with little cleverness, knew that Elder Sister-in-Law Lin was not easy to deal with; Lady Jiang, being of a softer nature, was easier to get along with.

"I know all that, just go and don’t worry. I’ll take care of home," Liu Xiaoqiao said. Although she felt reluctant to part, she dared not say more. After packing the luggage, she tugged at the corner of Wang Yongping’s clothes, her eyes red with emotion.

Wang Yongping, too, did not want to leave his wife. It was still their honeymoon, and domestic life had been cozy and fulfilling. The sudden need to leave his wife, indeed, felt unfamiliar.

Seeing his wife’s red eyes and reluctant expression, he said with tenderness, "Wife, don’t worry. I will come back as soon as I can, and I will bring you fancy hairpins and tasty treats from the city."

All the sadness and reluctance Liu Xiaoqiao felt dissipated in a moment, and she snorted at him, "I’m not a three-year-old child waiting for you to bring back sugar from the city!"

The couple’s playful banter dispersed the heaviness of their impending separation.

Old Granny Zhang, along with Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin, went back to the back courtyard. Old Granny Zhang went to pack her things, while Song Chongjin frowned, "No news has come from Qi City yet, and we don’t know the situation there."

Wang Yongzhu sneered, "The worst-case scenario is that they deceived us into going to Qi City! Wang Yongan has been scheming to get us there; how could we not fulfill his wishes? And my silly father, we don’t even know if he’s truly ill or feigning it; we must figure it out!"

Who will regret going to Qi City in the end is still uncertain! Later on, it might be easy to invite the spirit but hard to send it away!