A Good Country Wife

Lin Yue said sarcastically, "Why can’t I, what’s so different about the situation, it’s your heart that’s changed, isn’t it? Is it not because when you married into the Zhao Family, you genuinely wanted to welcome a wife into your home, while I am nothing but a woman the Wei Family pushed onto you for the sake of their reputation, a woman you could take or leave? That’s the difference, Zhao Erhu, answer me with your hand on your heart, can you deny that?"

Lin Yue couldn’t possibly be unclear about what Zhao Erhu’s ’different’ meant; however, when two people start arguing, there’s hardly any room for reason. Moreover, in the situation where her own husband was defending his former wife, Lin Yue, aiming to get one up on him, deliberately picked on the loopholes in Zhao Erhu’s words. She was set on making him feel as uncomfortable as possible.

In the end, Zhao Erhu was not as articulate as Lin Yue and was left without a response by her retorts. Yet he felt wronged and wanted to say more, but he feared upsetting his young wife even further. Since the logic he wanted to convey was not aligning, he simply took his belongings and went out to work, deciding not to argue with such a young woman any further.

It is common for a woman’s emotions to fluctuate significantly during that time of the month, and this was Lin Yue’s ’first time’ in the ancient era. It was also the first time Zhao Erhu had turned his back on her without her having done anything wrong, leaving her ’behind’ for another woman. Lin Yue felt increasingly aggrieved, with her eyes reddening as she watched Zhao Erhu’s retreating figure, but what overwhelmed her more was her anger.

"Damn that man, he’s just an old man with a string of kids in tow, as if I’m fond of him," Lin Yue resolved that if Zhao Erhu did not bow his head to her first and sincerely apologize, she would definitely not forgive him! "Zhao Erhu, just you wait, let’s see who can outlast the other," she thought.

In any case, because of this incident, the couple, who hadn’t had a serious fight in a long time, were now quite unhappy with each other. Uncharacteristically, Zhao Erhu did not coax Lin Yue but instead busied himself with his own things, partly with the intention of making Lin Yue reflect on her behavior and partly because he simply could not win an argument against her yet felt the need to stick to his principles, resulting in this strategy.

Although Lin Yue was outwardly stubborn, she was actually someone who could easily soften. Had Zhao Erhu admitted his error earlier and humbly apologized to her, said some sweet words to coax her, she would have let bygones be bygones.

Though Zhao Erhu’s words were unpleasant to hear, they did hold truth. No matter if it was the Zhao Family or their relatives, they existed before she came into the picture. Even if she minded, what could she do about it? After all, she had to live with Zhao Erhu, and some things shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

But Zhao Erhu’s behavior had been too disappointing. Simply because of the Zhao Family’s involvement, he had been so heartless towards her, the usual thoughtful gentleness and indulgence gone, leaving only coldness and estrangement. What about all those vows and promises he made on ordinary days? Surely, a man’s words were truly unreliable. Lin Yue suddenly felt a sense of disillusionment. Already feeling unwell, her lethargy and weakness only grew now, leaving her uninterested in doing anything. She simply went back to bed, not caring about anything, not even bothering to cook lunch.

Liu of the Han Family, noticing that the time was about right and Lin Yue had not yet come out of her room, hurriedly went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, although she knew her cooking couldn’t compare to her sister-in-law’s.