Chapter 570 - 564_1
It goes without saying for the villagers, but even the village chief’s two young lads worked at Lin Yue’s place for half a year last year. Lin Yue took special care of them in consideration of the village chief, Lin Dayou, and those boys were so eager to prove themselves, working so hard that they earned enough for their own weddings without needing Lin Dayou to worry about them. How comforted Lin Dayou was in his heart, how could he not be grateful to Lin Yue?
Once Lin Genfa understood the village chief’s intentions, he didn’t stand on ceremony. He thought about finishing the preparations quickly so he could deliver the goods to Lin Yue. Xixi had already taken the ingredients over, and Lin Genfa, carrying the chicken he had killed, went to Lin Youfu’s house with the village chief.
Nobody knew quite why, but ever since Lin Yue had come, Lin Youfu only came out when Doctor Zheng from Jimin Hall visited to treat Lin Qing. The rest of the time, he stayed in his room smoking his dry tobacco, leaving all other matters to Madam Zhou. He would only scold her from inside the room if she went too far or didn’t do things well. Upon learning the village chief had arrived, Lin Youfu quickly emerged from his room.
"Village chief, you’ve come. Is there something you need to discuss? Please come into the parlor and sit," said Lin Youfu while inviting the village chief towards the parlor. He then hurriedly instructed Madam Zhou to bring over some brewed tea. Lin Genfa didn’t follow them inside. After handing over the items to Xixi and greeting the village chief, he left. Since the family was not welcoming, there was no need to stay and be snubbed.
Village chief Lin Dayou originally looked down on someone like Lin Youfu, particularly with Madam Zhou’s temperament, which was somewhat unpleasant. Yet this couple was lucky. First, their son commendably earned the title of Scholar at a young age. Then there was their daughter, Lin Yue, whom they thought would be "overwhelmed" by Zhao Erhu. But instead, she was living very well, and her husband’s family had grown prosperous, becoming the wealthiest in ten miles. Who wouldn’t envy that?
But Lin Dayou also knew about the small affairs in Lin Youfu’s household. This couple did not appreciate their good fortune. The earlier rumor about Lin Yue refusing to acknowledge Lin Youfu and his wife had spread wildly through the village. Everyone knew that Lin Youfu had long severed ties with his wealthy second daughter. That’s why, later, when Lin Youfu went to borrow money, people were afraid he wouldn’t be able to repay, and they were reluctant to lend.
However, Lin Youfu didn’t see it that way. After all, she was his own flesh and blood. Even if he verbally declared a severance, it wasn’t so cleanly cut. Seeing Lin Yue staying at her parental home to care for her brother confirmed his belief. Hence, his attitude toward Lin Youfu and his wife was still quite cordial and amiable, but of course, that was as far as it went. Getting closer was out of the question.
"Older brother, you’re truly blessed. Your children are so ambitious. I heard Qing’er has recently come down with a cold. Is he feeling any better?" Lin Dayou asked with concern, and as he spoke of Lin Qing, he once again lamented in his heart that Lin Youfu and Madam Zhou were not the best of people, yet somehow they were blessed with good fortune. Not to mention Lin Yue, but Lin Qing himself was one of Shanglin Village’s most promising young men, with few his match. It’s hard to say about a person’s destiny.
"The second girl brought in Doctor Zheng from Jimin Hall to treat Qingqing. Doctor Zheng’s medical skills are excellent. After just one dose, there was significant improvement. Qingqing is much better now. Truly, he’s one of Xin’an City’s top doctors, though his fee is a bit expensive, not something every family can afford." Speaking of this, Lin Youfu couldn’t change his habit of showing off. Clearly, Doctor Zheng was there because Madam Zhou begged Lin Yue to have her son treated, yet Lin Youfu spoke of it with pride, causing Lin Dayou to feel disgusted, although he still maintained a smile on his face, merely grinning without mirth.