A Good Country Wife

Upon hearing her mother-in-law say they were going to divorce her, Mrs. Qian was shocked and her face showed a frightened expression. "Mother, what are you talking about? Since I married my husband, I’m a person of the Zhao family in life, and I’ll be a ghost of the Zhao family in death. You can’t chase me away. You know about my background. Now, I can’t even return to my parental home. If I’m divorced from my husband, I really won’t be able to live on. Mother, for my sake, and for the son I bore for your family, you can’t be so heartless!"

Zhao Anyu’s mother actually had no real intention of divorcing Mrs. Qian. Just as Mrs. Qian said, she had, despite everything, borne the Zhao family a grandson. The threat of divorce was merely a show of force to make Mrs. Qian restrain herself. Seeing that Mrs. Qian was indeed frightened, Anyu’s mother softened her tone, "I didn’t say I was definitely going to divorce you. Since you’ve married Anyu, a woman’s duty is to follow her husband. If Anyu wants to move out, we must listen to him and have no objections. As his wife, you shouldn’t question your husband’s wishes. Do you understand?"

Mrs. Qian naturally dared not disagree with her mother-in-law’s words at this moment. "I understand. Whatever my husband says, I will listen. If we have to move out, so be it. After all, the servants in this house are too presumptuous, showing no respect for their superiors and behaving insolently in my presence."

Zhao Anyu’s mother saw that Mrs. Qian hadn’t said much before revealing her true nature again, expressing such absurd notions. Even if they were servants, they belonged to Zhao Erhu’s family, not theirs. As guests, or rather as boarders, they should be careful and mindful, not conceited like Mrs. Qian. But in the end, Mrs. Qian had yielded, and Zhao Anyu’s mother just shook her head without saying anything more. It was she who had chosen her daughter-in-law for her son, and if she had been mistaken, she had only herself to blame.

Seeing her mother-in-law’s complexion turn sour again, Mrs. Qian didn’t know what she had done wrong and sought to appease her. "Mother, don’t be angry. I will start packing our things to move out."

Zhao Anyu stopped Mrs. Qian, who was eager to leave. "There’s no need to rush in packing your belongings. The village school isn’t built yet. It will be some time before we move there. I’m just letting you know in advance so you’re aware."

Let me tell you about Jiang Ziqi. He had left for Xin’an City early. Today, he had finally arrived, and without even going to Jimin Hall, he went straight to Zhao Erhu’s house. "Don’t say anything else. I’ve been suffering on the road for the past few days, eating poorly and sleeping poorly. Quickly prepare some good food, so I can have a hearty meal and then rest properly."

Jiang Ziqi spoke bluntly to Lin Yue, not hesitating in the least to behave like a guest. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, but there was no estrangement between them. "Xiaoyue, didn’t you hear what I said? Hurry up and prepare a table full of tasty food. The meals at your home are good, and I’ve missed them terribly after such a long time."

"Alright, just wait a bit. I’ll go to the kitchen and instruct the servants to start preparing. Even if they start now, it won’t be ready immediately. Seeing that you have traveled a long distance and are covered in dust, why don’t you let the maids take you to the guest room first to freshen up? That will make you more comfortable, and by the time you’re done, the food will be ready."