Chapter 484 - 478_1
Lin Yue had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to find all the spices she wanted, but to her surprise, the last store she visited had a complete selection. Deservedly, it was the largest and best spice shop in Xin’an City. After a lot of picking and choosing, Lin Yue ended up buying spices worth five hundred and thirty-six taels of silver. Because she bought in bulk, after some haggling, the shopkeeper rounded down, and she was charged an even five hundred taels of silver.
Zhao Erhu didn’t know where his wife had gone and had no choice but to search street by street. Finally, he found her in the north of the city, by a shop’s entrance where their family carriage was parked. Zhao Erhu’s heart leapt with joy, and he hurried over. Approaching the building, he realized it was a spice shop. Recalling that his wife had mentioned Fragrant Soap before, he understood she had come here to buy spices.
"Wife, there you are! I’ve been looking for you for ages. Why didn’t you say anything when you went out? I thought... I really got a fright. Please, don’t ever do this again." Zhao Erhu was a man who cared much about his public image, but at that moment, he was too worried to care about appearances and entered the shop, taking Lin Yue’s hand as he spoke.
Lin Yue, however, pulled her hand away, her expression cold and her lips curved in a mocking smile, "Thought what? That I had run away? We’ve been husband and wife for over a year now, and yet you trust me so little, always suspicious. I wonder what’s the point of living like this."
"Wife, I’m sorry, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have kept my sister’s condition from you. I absolutely trust you; everyone in the village knows how virtuous and kind you are. I was just afraid you would be upset. After all, what my sister did... I didn’t want to associate with her, but she is still my sister. Seeing her sick and bedridden, my heart couldn’t bear it," said Zhao Erhu apologetically.
As Zhao Erhu talked about Zhao Yunxiang, he became morose. His sister, with whom he grew up, was still so young, with what should have been many good years ahead of her, when fate had left her in her current state. He had visited Doctor Zheng, who had bluntly told him that even in the best case, his sister wouldn’t make it past next April or May. Lin Genfa had already been preparing for Zhao Yunxiang’s funeral, and that’s when he remembered his grandfather’s words about the unpredictability of life.
At this, Lin Yue became upset, "You know she is your blood-related sister, and you think I don’t? No matter how enraged I am, how can I blame her when she is so ill? But what did you do? You just tried every possible way to hide it from me, yet you say you trust me, trusting that I would do the same!"
"Wife, I... I was wrong. I was too afraid to face you, so I lied and kept it from you. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay? As long as you aren’t angry, I’ll do whatever it takes," Zhao Erhu replied, reaching for Lin Yue’s hand again. To him, his wife’s feelings were more important than saving face. Moreover, he had never been to this spice shop before and didn’t know the people there, so even if others saw him like this, he wouldn’t feel too embarrassed. Indeed, when men let go of their pride, they can become quite shameless.
The couple’s back-and-forth tugging and pulling drew the attention of the shopkeeper and the shop assistants, who couldn’t help but watch the quarreling pair with curiosity. Lin Yue realized everyone in the shop was looking at them. Not having as thick skin as Zhao Erhu, she no longer wanted to continue arguing with him in public, reasoning that it was pointless to cause a spectacle and give people something to laugh about.