A Good Country Wife

Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing had already been so embarrassed by Lin Yue’s veiled mockery that their complexions were rather unsightly. Now, hearing what Lin Yue said, their faces turned even darker. If that were the case, why on earth did they go to such lengths to take this matter upon themselves, only to gain nothing and receive no gratitude? Some things could only be done in secret and not spoken of openly, so they couldn’t refute Lin Yue. They had to think of another plan, as they were absolutely not willing to engage in something that brought no benefits to them.

"Since that’s the case, everyone might as well hand over the silver to me," Zhao Quan resolved, planning to get the silver first before anything else. Once the money was in his hands, everything else seemed insignificant. Even if he didn’t do as the Lin Family suggested, he could just claim he was too busy with other matters when the time came—who could do anything to him then?

Hearing Zhao Quan say this, no one else saw any need to delay. The silver had to be handed over sooner or later, and since Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing had been chosen to manage the finances and procurement, the money could only be given to them. Procrastination would be futile. However, Lin Yue stopped everyone in their tracks, "Hold on, don’t rush to hand over the silver. We need a witness. Otherwise, when the time comes..."

Listening to Lin Yue, Zhao Quan knew this woman had set another trap for him. Losing his patience, he lashed out, "Lin Family, is this enough for you?! Hasn’t everything been made clear? What more do you want? If you keep this up, I’ll wash my hands of this matter. Let whoever cares take over!"

Lin Yue was unfazed by Zhao Quan’s anger. "Third brother, why get so angry? Initially, no one wanted you or fifth brother to handle this matter. You both insisted on taking charge. What does this mean now? If you don’t want to manage it, that’s fine. We can choose someone else, and you can just hand over the silver."

"Nonsense, I’ve stopped managing it, and you still want me to cough up silver? You think I’m a fool. Dream on!" Zhao Quan knew he couldn’t outreason Lin Yue and defiantly tried to push her into backing down. Zhao Xing took the same stance.

"Third brother, fifth brother, you don’t really believe you can just shirk your responsibilities with words, do you? Since you took your share of father’s estate when we split the family, you should contribute the silver. Otherwise, you can hand back the share you received. The village head and our Zhao Family elders were there to witness during the division. You should remember what father said," Lin Yue chided.

Although Lin Yue wasn’t present on the day of the division, she had heard the account from Liu’s and Li Xiaomei multiple times. Soft approaches were useless against people like Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing; they needed to be dealt with harshly. Her father had been muddled all his life, but in his last moments, he finally saw clearly and did a good thing for Zhao Dahuo and his wife. With the backup of Zhao Jingen’s words left with the village head and the elders, there was no fear that Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing would really drop their responsibilities unless they were willing to give up their inherited properties.

After Lin Yue finished, Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing looked even more sullen but said no more, evidently cornered by Lin Yue’s words. By now, the village head and several family elders had also arrived, agreeing to witness for the brothers, ensuring that Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing couldn’t deny their obligations later.