A Good Country Wife

Chunxi and her mother-in-law, with the only man in their family gone and never returning, struggled every day to raise the children. Lin Yue pitied them greatly and always thought that if she was able, she would help them a bit, but considering Chunxi’s behavior regarding the matter of wages, it seemed that her character wasn’t very reliable. It would be wise to minimize contact with her in the future, or at least treat her only as an ordinary friend.

Lin Yue was occasionally kind, but not foolishly so. When Chunxi had taken the silver, she acted as if Lin Yue owed her help, which was simply expected. Perhaps it was because Lin Yue had been too good to Chunxi and her mother-in-law that Chunxi came to think this way. "Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile" really did make sense. It seemed Lin Yue still had much to learn about how to behave in society. As for Chunxi, Lin Yue had no plans to be taken advantage of any longer.

Mrs. Liu became quite agitated upon hearing Lin Yue’s words, "What are you talking about? As long as you two don’t suffer losses, I, as your sister-in-law, would be relieved. I’ve never seen anyone as benevolent and honest as you two, handing over five taels of silver with just the blink of an eye. Your brother and I are really worried about you!"

"However, you’re not really telling the truth about coming over to help out, are you? Are you and Erhu just saying that to support us? Our large family already spends quite a bit on food alone, we can’t afford to trouble you and Erhu. Now the Wei Family is somewhat considerate towards Dahu, and the situation for me and the kids has gotten a lot better, life isn’t so tough anymore, there’s no need for you to..."

Being called honest by such a sincere person as Mrs. Liu felt rather strange to Lin Yue, and she was a bit guilty because her actions weren’t out of benevolence but had an element of testing the waters, which included misunderstanding the honest couple, Zhao Dahuo and his wife.

"Sis, why would I lie to you? If I invite you and Big Brother over, I can’t expect you to just sit around. You’ll know whether there’s work to do or not," said Lin Yue. If it were before, she and Zhao Erhu could manage on their own with a little hustle, but this time, with the big success of their zongzi sales, they not only made a decent amount of money but also gained connections. Now, two families aware of Erhu’s dealings with the Government Office had also made arrangements with him. Lin Yue planned to cultivate all the wasteland at home and plant vegetables that could still grow this season. If there were any suitable farmland available in the village, she wanted to buy some as well. All these tasks required manpower, and Lin Yue truly needed help.

"If that’s really the case, how could we refuse? But the wages can’t be as high as these past few days. Otherwise, even if you invited someone else, I wouldn’t agree to it," Zhao Dahuo and Mrs. Liu both had their own principles. Helping each other out as brothers was a matter of loyalty, they couldn’t just accept this as a matter of course.

"Of course, Erhu and I aren’t fools. We really couldn’t afford to pay such high wages for help, and this is a long-term matter, not just a day or two. The wages we’ll offer you are based on the normal rates, so you and Big Brother don’t have to worry about us suffering losses."