A Good Country Wife

Lin Yue rolled her eyes inwardly, how capable Wei Family’s matriarch was at speaking! Since she had agreed to pay for the labor, she would not renege on her word. Yet, considering the latter’s urgency, Lin Yue had the urge to throw a barbed comment, but she refrained. She didn’t want to put Zhao Dahuo and his wife in a difficult position, after all, they were still living under the Wei matriarch’s control. Although Zhao Dahuo had toughened up quite a bit, with a formidable woman like the matriarch of the Wei Family, making life difficult for others behind the scenes was something that couldn’t be guarded against.

"Sister Chunhua is right; that’s exactly it. Eldest Sister-in-law, that settles the matter then. You, Big Brother, and the kids should all come over tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for you guys."

"Then, okay, I’ll come over with your Big Brother early tomorrow morning." Sister Chunhua initially wanted to decline a few times, but catching the warning look in the Wei matriarch’s eyes, she reluctantly agreed. If she really refused the money, the matriarch probably would not allow them to come over, and there would be a big fuss. It’s no big deal, tomorrow she and Dahu would just have to work a bit harder and do more work. They certainly couldn’t let Erhu and his wife suffer a loss.

Once Lin Yue had made arrangements with Sister Chunhua, she left the Zhao family’s old residence. She still had to make a trip to the back mountain; she hadn’t anticipated that the amount of bamboo leaves needed for the zongzi would be so great. Fearing that the leaves they had picked earlier wouldn’t be enough, she invited Chunxi and Zhang Chunhua to go with her to the back mountain and pick more leaves to bring back.

Zhao Erhu returned in the evening and took the opportunity to set up two stoves with Wu Qiang in the yard, so they could be used directly the next day. As for the steaming baskets, there were enough available. Not too long ago, because it was convenient for Lin Yue to make food, Erhu had made her two more, and now they came in handy.

With too many things on her mind, Lin Yue got up early in the morning before dawn the next day. She made a big pot of porridge and fried a few dishes. Although she didn’t specifically invite everyone over for breakfast, she knew very well the situation of each household. Except for Wu Qiang’s family, who were better off, Zhao Dahuo’s family and Chunxi and her mother-in-law certainly hadn’t had enough to eat in the morning. Thus, she simply made a big pot of porridge, complete with meat and eggs. It was steaming and fragrant, ready for when they arrived to eat.

Lin Yue hadn’t yet served the porridge when there was a knock on the door. Soon, everyone had arrived. It had not been long since it got light outside. Lin Yue had gotten up so early to prepare for making zongzi, not expecting that the others would get up just as early. The families that had come to help were all industrious and had been personally asked by Lin Yue, so of course, they put their heart into it, hurrying over early in the morning. If they hadn’t worried that Lin Yue might not be up yet, they probably would have come even earlier.

Particularly, Zhao Dahuo and his wife came with the intent to really work hard. It was their duty to help as Erhu’s elder brother and sister-in-law. But due to the Wei matriarch, they could only accept Erhu’s payment. If they didn’t do more work than that, they would be even worse than strangers.