A Good Country Wife

By the afternoon, Lin Yue could no longer stay calm; she had even put down her embroidery and was waiting for Zhao Erhu to return. However, as the sky gradually darkened, Zhao Erhu’s figure still hadn’t appeared. Lin Yue increasingly felt that Zhao Erhu, this old man, was too hateful, leaving her behind, alone and worried at home.

Zhao Erhu knew that his young wife must be worrying about him at home, so he hurried as much as he could. But for safety’s sake, he still had to be cautious. By evening, he finally emerged from a gloomy underground.

Once he adjusted to the brightness outside, what caught Zhao Erhu’s eyes was a lush green valley filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chatter of birds. However, the valley seemed to be enclosed, completely surrounded by a lake. The Secret River surfaced at this section, flowing out of the valley and back underground, its destination unknown.

Zhao Erhu felt that this place seemed familiar. Where had he seen this scene before? That’s right, when he was a mischievous child, he loved to explore caves and had stumbled upon this place by accident. He hadn’t returned since then. Unexpectedly, the outlet of the Secret River halfway along was here. This was a pleasant surprise; this place wasn’t far from the wasteland near their home, just behind it in a closed valley. With this, the irrigation problem of the wasteland wouldn’t need to worry them anymore. With such a distance, directing water there would not require much effort at all.

Zhao Erhu found the cave he had entered as a child by following his memory. Back then, he had been small in stature, which made it easy to get in, but now, with his larger physique, it was hard to squeeze out. Fortunately, Zhao Erhu had brought a small iron shovel with him and dug the cave entrance wider just enough to pass through.

After emerging, Zhao Erhu concealed the cave entrance again with climbing vines to prevent it from being discovered. Now he was covered in water and dirt, filthy all over. Without time to clean himself up, he hurriedly headed home, seeing that it was nearly dark. His young wife must be very anxious by this time.

When Lin Yue saw Zhao Erhu’s figure at the entrance of the yard, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. As he approached and she saw Zhao Erhu returning in such a sorry state, she realized that this trip must not have been easy. She had no intention of reproaching him; she just wanted him to take care of himself, have a warm meal, and rest well.

Zhao Erhu arrived home to find the oil lamp already lit inside the house, with his young wife and children all waiting for him at the doorway. The weariness of his body seemed to disappear at that moment, leaving only warmth in his heart. He, Zhao Erhu, was a man with a family; no matter how late he returned, his young wife and children were always there waiting for him.

"Why are you back so late? The children and I were very worried about you. Look how dirty you are; hurry back to the room, and I’ll fetch some water for you from the kitchen," Lin Yue said with evident concern in her voice. As she turned to the kitchen, Zhao Erhu called out to stop her.

"No need, delicate Niuniu, you’re naturally weak and get tired just carrying half a bucket of water. Let me handle the heavy work like fetching water; you go inside and prepare my change of clothes," Zhao Erhu said with a smile, taking off the tools he had carried on his back and placing them on the ground before heading to the kitchen.