A Good Country Wife

"Wasn’t my brother considerably better, why is he coughing so severely now, could he have caught a cold again?" Lin Qing was coughing harshly at the moment, unable to utter a word, so Lin Yue had no choice but to ask Zhou Shi, who was nearby. Her tone involuntarily carried a hint of reproach, seeming to blame Zhou Shi for not taking good care of Lin Qing.

Zhou Shi felt wronged in her heart. How could she not attend to this son of hers meticulously, whom she valued more than anything? Yet, because she was more concerned about her son’s condition, she didn’t argue with Lin Yue and just bore with it. She explained Lin Qing’s situation to Lin Yue, hoping Lin Yue would quickly come up with a solution or invite Doctor Zheng for another visit to examine Lin Qing.

"Erya, I see your brother’s cough has worsened. If this continues, it won’t do. Your brother is still so young, and it would be bad if he were to develop a chronic condition. I know you are compassionate and fond of your brother. Why not invite Doctor Zheng again to examine him? I really don’t know what’s going on. For the sake of your brother’s health, I dare not let him go outside and catch a chill. I have him rest well indoors, but his cough is getting worse and worse. My heart truly cannot rest at ease."

Lin Yue saw that Zhou Shi was genuinely anxious, even that stepfather of hers, who always hid in the background and refused to intervene, couldn’t help but show his face in front of her because of Lin Qing’s condition, his face full of worry. They truly resembled a pair of loving parents, indefatigable in their care for their son—of course, only for Lin Qing. As for her, their loss-making daughter, they were truly heartless, only thinking of extracting benefits from her.

Both Lin Qing and their aunt had hinted that she had an older sister, many years her senior, who was also casually married off by Lin Youfu and Zhou Shi because of the dowry. They didn’t even prepare a proper dowry for her. Resenting this, her sister had cut off contact with the family for many years. Lin Qing had tried to visit his sister several times, and partly because of the way their parents had treated her—and partly because of Lin Qing—she held disdain for this brother and was unwilling to maintain contact. Lin Qing eventually gave up. Just two years ago, he had run into his sister at the market. She didn’t seem to be living well.

Lin Yue had long seen through Lin Youfu and Zhou Shi. Regardless, these foster parents did have one merit: they genuinely cared for Lin Qing as their son, valuing him even more than their own lives. This was not something trivial. Since Lin Qing treated her well, that reason alone was enough for Lin Yue not to hold grudges against Lin Youfu and Zhou Shi.

Moreover, Lin Yue, moved by Zhao Yunxiang’s situation, had grown more tolerant of these foster parents. Thus, when Zhou Shi made the request, Lin Yue did not make it difficult and agreed, "Given my brother’s condition, it’s indeed time to invite Doctor Zheng to see him. Doctor Zheng has prescribed a remedy for my brother before, but now it doesn’t seem very effective. It would be good to ask if he should try a different prescription."

Though Lin Qing was coughing violently, he overheard every word of the conversation between his parents and sister. These past few days, his sickness had already cost his sister a considerable amount of silver coins, not to mention the support she provided for the household expenses. Although his mother used house rent as the excuse, Lin Qing clearly understood that his sister had offered the silver to help the family. Otherwise, given his sister’s current abilities, his mother would not really have any leverage over her.