A Good Country Wife

"You, how dare you show up here. Are you looking for a beating?" Be it man or woman, everyone has moments of impetuosity, like when facing a love rival.

Lin Qing already harbored ill feelings towards the man who took his younger sister away, especially since Zhao Erhu was a widower with a reputation for losing wives and already had four children. Seeing Zhao Erhu’s crude demeanor, Lin Qing was even more resolved to take his sister back, all the more because Jiang Wenshu had assured him that he would not despise his sister and would welcome her into his family through marriage.

"You must be Zhao Erhu, right? I am Lin Yue’s brother. I wish to see her," Lin Qing said, looking down on Zhao Erhu with the pride of a scholar.

So it was his brother-in-law. He thought... Zhao Erhu found Lin Qing’s attitude somewhat displeasing, but no matter what, this was his wife’s brother. Although Zhao Erhu had originally signed a contract with Lin Yue’s family indicating that Lin Yue was to sever ties with the Lin Family and there would be no further contact between the two families, Zhao Erhu couldn’t just turn away her own brother when he showed up at the door. He had no choice but to welcome him in politely.

Moreover, Zhao Erhu rarely heard his little wife mention her family, and he didn’t know what her stance was towards them. Her parents had been heartless enough to sell her; she should harbor resentment, right? But after all, those were her parents. Even if she felt resentful, she probably couldn’t let go of that biological kinship. He hadn’t intended to let her into his heart when he did what he did, but once a person develops feelings, everything changes. What he cared about most now was how his little wife felt.

"Xiaoyue!" As soon as Lin Qing entered the courtyard, he saw Lin Yue hanging laundry and called out in surprise. Since childhood, he had shared the closest bond with this sister. He hadn’t expected that going away to study would mean returning to find his sister sold off without even a notice from their parents. He hadn’t been informed by his parents, but after great effort, he had found out where she was and came looking for her.

"Who are you?" Lin Yue was hanging the laundry, and when she looked up, she saw a scholar calling her by her nickname. It wasn’t the man who had followed her last time, and though this man seemed familiar, she didn’t remember where she had seen him. Could this be a residual memory from the body’s original owner?

"Yueyue, don’t you recognize me?" Lin Qing had imagined many scenarios for their reunion, but he had never expected that his sister wouldn’t recognize him. Shocked and heartbroken, he wondered what had happened to her that she couldn’t recognize him.

Thinking of this, Lin Qing felt an additional layer of resentment toward his own parents. If they hadn’t sold his sister while he was away studying, how could things have turned out like this? Besides, it wasn’t as if the household was struggling to get by that they had to sell his sister. It was just to gather enough money for his tuition to Songshan Academy. Hadn’t he said he would find a way himself? Moreover, even if he wished to study, there were other academies; it didn’t have to be Songshan Academy. Faced with his sister’s bewildered look, Lin Qing felt even more guilty and self-reproachful.

Seeing the incredulous look on Lin Qing’s face and his silence, Lin Yue apologized, "I’m sorry, I fell ill before, nearly lost my life, and when I woke up, I could no longer remember what happened in the past. You look like you knew me from before; could you tell me who you are?"