The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 99: Preparing for a Rainy Day

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Preparing for a Rainy Day

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But she didn’t have the mind to care about these changes. Anyway, as long as they agreed, that was all that mattered. What she was most concerned about now were the Yellow Pine Mushrooms. They were the key to whether the Medical Assistance Feature could be activated or not.

She ran to the firewood room in a few quick steps.

The lighting in the firewood room wasn’t great, but it was good enough to see. On the cultivation bed, small raised mounds of earth were everywhere, indicating the mushrooms were about to break through the soil.

She gave the cultivation bed a light turn, and the pine needle soil and such was tightly wrapped by the mycelium.

Wang Yongzhu had a pretty good idea of the situation, and her heart began to settle down a bit.

She then diluted a drop of nutrient solution and watered all the Yellow Pine Mushrooms that hadn’t broken through the soil before she left.

She made sure to caution Jinhua and Jinpan to keep an eye on the firewood room and not let anyone in.

Breakfast was already on the table, and everyone ate in silence, no one daring to speak.

It was Old Granny Zhang who broke the silence to make arrangements. "Jindou, after breakfast, your aunt and I will head into town with your brothers to check on your father. As for Laosan’s house, you make sure everything’s in order, keep an eye on Jinhua and the others, and don’t let them run wild outside, you hear?"

Jindou and Jinhoo nodded. Both brothers had barely slept that night and looked quite ill.

Old Granny Zhang glanced at them, noting that Jindou had always been considered steady and was highly valued by the head of the family, being the eldest son and grandson, after all. The Wang Family’s future was supposed to be in his hands.

She hadn’t expected that at the first sign of trouble, he would be less reliable than her own daughter.

This early in the morning, they were moping around with glum faces — who were they trying to impress?

Already frustrated, Old Granny Zhang slammed the table, "Who are you showing those long faces to this early in the morning, eh? Your father is not dead yet! Moping around like this is bad luck, isn’t it? All because you learned from your misfortune-bringing mother. Your mother’s curse has left your father in a life or death limbo, and here you are, acting like he’s already dead. Are you wishing for his early demise?"

Jindou and Jinhoo, reprimanded, wore bewildered expressions, not sure how to respond.

They could only subconsciously say in defense, "Granny, we didn’t, we’re not—"

Old Granny Zhang grew even more furious, "Not what? Moping around first thing in the morning isn’t cursing your father, then it’s dissatisfaction with me, the old lady? What’s the matter? I provided for you, I raised you, and now before your father is even dead, you’re giving me the stink eye! Ungrateful brats! My poor Eldest Brother, my unfortunate Eldest Brother, please don’t leave us now. If you leave, this old lady won’t last long! How could your ungrateful sons tolerate me, Eldest Brother—"

She cursed and wailed, frightening Jindou and Jinhoo into standing up, flustered and unsure of how to explain. They hadn’t said anything, yet a huge, unexpected accusation had fallen straight onto their heads, leaving the brothers utterly confused.

In the past, when Old Granny Zhang would rage, Lady Lin would take the brunt of it, and although the sons would get scolded, it didn’t really bother them.

But now, facing Old Granny Zhang’s nonsensical tirades and tantrums directly.

They were completely at a loss.

Old Granny Zhang’s anger wasn’t without reason; she too hadn’t slept all night and had thought things through even more.

If the eldest son was fine, it’d be good, but if the situation was more likely to turn out badly, there would only be Laosi left as the sole able-bodied laborer in the Wang Family.

The head of the family was unwell, and she was getting on in years, not having worked the fields for many years and had grown unaccustomed to them.

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Moreover, she had given birth to four sons, and it’s commonly said that having sons is like having a retirement plan, so she surely couldn’t have only just started to enjoy their support. It would be unreasonable to become old and still have to work the fields to support herself, right?

Of the others, none from the third branch were of any use, and as for Laosan, no one knew where he might be dead. If it weren’t for his annual appearance at the New Year’s celebration, Old Granny Zhang would have thought that her son had died somewhere outside, since he was utterly unreliable.

As for the second son, well, needless to say.

Her own precious daughter, how could she bear to let her precious heart go work the fields?

As for Lady Lin, if Eldest Brother truly left, it would be because of her doing, and when that happened, Old Granny Zhang would certainly not spare Lady Lin. She wouldn’t let that harm-bringer stay in the Wang Family.

After counting over and over, only the two eldest grandsons from the first branch were left. They were already half-grown lads, whom other families would regard as strong laborers.

It was only because Eldest Brother and Lady Lin both had the strength and were too tender-hearted toward the children that they were not put to work unless it was the busiest time for farming.

If the worst-case scenario were to occur, and she had to deal with Lady Lin, all of the grandsons were born from her, and without Eldest Brother to keep them in check, the grandsons’ hearts would definitely lean toward Lady Lin.

Lady Lin, that cheap wench, had been eyeing the Butler’s authority, and with Eldest Brother gone, all the grandsons who could work the fields were hers.

In another two years, after they had taken in brides, her side’s advantage would be even greater, and who would have the final say in the household then was truly up in the air.

In preparation for a rainy day, Old Granny Zhang felt it was necessary to strike first and take charge while Lady Lin was still preoccupied, to properly groom the grandsons.

In any case, she had to ensure her position in the Wang Family was secure, otherwise how could she protect her dear daughter!

That’s why there had been such a fuss that morning.

When it came to educating her sons and grandsons to be obedient to her, Old Granny Zhang was exceedingly experienced.

After all, a good cry, making a scene, and pretending to hang oneself, followed by pressuring them with the heavy hat of filial piety, constantly nagging in their ears over time about obeying their parents and grandparents, and then keeping control of the silver, there was no way it wouldn’t work.

Sure enough, once Old Granny Zhang made her move, the Jindou Brothers were tricked. They stood there, hands tied, wanting to explain, but Old Granny Zhang wouldn’t give them the chance to speak.

On one hand, she was beating her chest and crying over Wang Yongfu, and on the other, she was shouting about not wanting to live. Saying it was meaningless to continue if she was just going to be worn down by daughters-in-law and grandchildren in the future. She’d rather join her eldest son now and keep him company in the afterlife than suffer that fate.

Jindou and Jinhu had no choice but to kneel down, pleading desperately, "Granny, Granny, we were wrong! We really were wrong!"

They were also forced to swear that they would be just like their father; in the future, they would listen to everything Grandfather and Granny said, never wear them and their aunt out, and make sure to take care of them. Otherwise, may they be struck by lightning, fail to find wives, and remain bachelors for life.

Only then did Old Granny Zhang wipe her nose and tears away, satisfied as she stood up, "As long as you have such filial intentions, I am reassured! Ah, don’t blame your granny. I am just worried about your father! Your father has always been the most filial to me and your grandfather. If you were not filial to us, your father would probably be the first to disapprove! You being so filial makes both me and your grandfather happy, and if your father heard this, he would be happy too! Now that he’s injured, whatever we do, we must make your father happy, right? It’s getting late; I’ll go back to my room and pack up, bring some silver... I don’t know if the silver from yesterday will be enough. We need to go early, so as not to delay the treatment for your father!"

Upon hearing this, Jindou and Jinhu, who still harbored some shame and resentment, suddenly brightened up, their eyes lighting up with gratitude as they looked at Old Granny Zhang.

As long as Granny was willing to spend silver for Dad’s treatment, what did being scolded matter? What did kneeling and swearing to Granny matter?

If Dad could be healed, they, the brothers, would definitely be good and filial to Grandfather and Granny and their aunt in the future!