A Good Country Wife

Erhu truly felt helpless about his little wife. No matter what, he first laid out the whole matter and his own plan to Lin Yue, bearing his true heart and expressing his sincerity. Although he knew that his wife’s talk of leaving was said in anger and not meant sincerely, if his attitude were bad, the false could very well become truth. His wife was particularly stubborn in certain aspects, which absolutely couldn’t be provoked.

"Wife, look, I have told you everything. The story went just like this. I was only thinking that I, as a man, should have my own capabilities and cannot rely on you for everything, especially when you suffer under Miss Chen at the Chen Mansion. It hurts me to see, and I’m unable to help you fight back. It’s a terrible feeling, that I, a grown man, let my own wife be so wronged. At that moment, I swore that I must make something of myself, so you wouldn’t have to work so hard."

Erhu originally did not want to say these things; after all, he still harbored some male chauvinism and was reluctant for his wife to know his feelings of inferiority. But now he had no choice but to speak. Compared to those false pretenses, it was more important that his wife believed in him and wasn’t angry.

After hearing Erhu’s thoughts, Lin Yue felt somewhat uncomfortable, for after all, her hard work had also been for the sake of their home. But she wasn’t surprised at Erhu’s way of thinking. Erhu wasn’t the type of man who would lose his temper and live off a woman. He had his own pride and thoughts, and despite this, Erhu always took great care of her, treasured and pampered her without giving away a hint of his feelings. Perhaps, just as Erhu had said, what concerned him most was the grievances she had suffered.

"Erhu, if you had these thoughts, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Haven’t we agreed, as husband and wife, to be honest with each other?" Different matters required different approaches. Lin Yue’s previous stance was out of unwillingness to be deceived by Erhu, sure that he would not agree. But now, it’s clear that the focus of the problem is no longer the same.

The earlier talk of leaving and being able to live well without Erhu was simply said in anger. Not to mention, given the societal conditions of the time, it would be extremely difficult for a woman to live alone, not to mention the unavoidable gossip. Moreover, after having lived together for so long and Erhu being so genuinely good to her, how could she be without feelings? Erhu was a good husband, loving and cherishing his wife; such a man was hard to find in the present, let alone in an era of male superiority. Lin Yue was not foolish enough to give up on Erhu over such an issue. What she needed to do now was to turn Erhu’s thinking around, preventing it from straying too far.

"Wife, I really have no face to speak of it. You have done so much for our family, worked so hard, and yet I still harbor such thoughts, which is truly inappropriate. But I can’t help it," Erhu said with a sense of guilt.

"Brother Erhu, don’t say anymore. I understand your feelings. You are a man with aspirations, certainly not comparable to those who have no ambition and are willing to live off women. But the good days our family enjoys now are not my doing alone. It’s the result of our efforts together. You should not sell yourself short."

"Wife, I..." Erhu wanted to say something more but was interrupted by Lin Yue.