A Good Country Wife

It was deep autumn, and the weather had become increasingly cold. There wasn’t much time left before the Empress Dowager’s birthday, and Jiang Ziqi had returned to the Capital City a few days ago. After all, there were still matters to arrange there. No matter how much he enjoyed staying in Xin’an City, he couldn’t; being the Family Head meant responsibility.

When Jiang Ziqi left, he was transporting various bean products and sweet potato noodles from Lin Yue’s home—several large carts of them, all as birthday gifts for the Capital City. Just that amount alone wouldn’t suffice for the Jiang Residence; Lin Yue was still hastily arranging for another shipment before the Laba Festival. As for the grand moneymaking scheme that Zhao Erhu and Jiang Ziqi had discussed, this year was too rushed—just preparing it would take quite some time, so it would have to wait until next year to implement.

As for the profits that Zhao Erhu and Jiang Ziqi had agreed upon, originally it was a twenty percent share. But because of the ideas and suggestions Lin Yue proposed, Jiang Ziqi added another ten percent, securing thirty percent of the shares in Lin Yue’s name.

You heard it right, it was under Lin Yue’s name. This was something Zhao Erhu agreed to during the negotiations with Jiang Ziqi. Zhao Erhu believed that since these products were developed by Lin Yue, they inherently belonged to her. Moreover, since they were husband and wife, it made no difference whose name they were under. Besides, the household finances were now managed by Lin Yue.

Jiang Ziqi had his reaons for this decision. Individuals from Aristocratic Families always consider issues more deeply. In Jiang Ziqi’s view, Zhao Erhu already had four sons, and they currently had a good relationship with Lin Yue, their stepmother. But who could guarantee the future? Disputes over wealth within large families were all too common. It was never wrong to take precautions early. If disputes ever arose over this in the future, having these assets registered in Lin Yue’s name meant they were her private property. This portion of the inheritance would belong to Lin Yue personally and could not be claimed by others.

Lately, Zhao Erhu had started to become busy again. The Jiang Residence didn’t compare to the small-scale operations in Xin’an City—it was a large household with many people, requiring a substantial supply. Moreover, Jiang Ziqi intended to use this opportunity before the New Year to promote and establish a reputation for their products, which meant even larger quantities were necessary. The family alone couldn’t handle it, so they had to start hiring more people.

After Li Chang’an stole the recipes, Zhao Erhu dismissed him on some pretext. Although Lin Yue’s preemptive measures meant there was no loss incurred, catching someone in their own trap instead, Zhao Erhu became even more cautious with recruitment this time. Anyone with a known bad character was turned away. While it was impossible to be completely free of risks—after all, one can never truly know what’s in another’s heart—he made sure to attract better candidates. However, there were some he couldn’t refuse, like unexpected relatives who suddenly showed up.

"Zhao Erhu, what are you going to do about your so-called cousin’s son? I’ve heard he’s just a lazy freeloader, coming to our house just to earn an easy wage, and we can’t even push him away," Lin Yue said with some annoyance. It was clear that Zhao Erhu had only a few relatives, but now so many distant relatives had suddenly emerged.

"Don’t worry, leave it to me—I have a plan," Zhao Erhu assured with full confidence, although Lin Yue was somewhat skeptical. If Zhao Erhu really had such capability, their household wouldn’t have been in such a state before. It was after her intervention that those troublemakers were dealt with. Nevertheless, due to their business dealings, Zhao Erhu had indeed become savvier, but whether he could handle this bunch of relatives remained to be seen.

Seeing his wife’s skeptical gaze, Zhao Erhu decided to address that irritating little thing that didn’t trust him. He pulled her close and give her a good rumpling before finally letting go, then shared his plans.