Zhao Yunxiang’s eyes flashed with greed at the sight of so much silver, but then she felt insulted, especially by Zhao Erhu’s words, which were quite harsh. What did he mean by "the last time I help you without compensation"? Even blood siblings need to settle accounts clearly? It must be that Lin Family woman’s instigation; otherwise, her own brother couldn’t be so heartless. They were blood siblings after all, with bones connected by tendons, blood flowing in their veins was the same—how could they draw such a clear line?
"Zhao Erhu, what do you mean? I’m just asking you to find a job for your brother-in-law, what’s with bringing out the silver? Do you think I’m coveting your family’s silver? Keep it, I won’t take it." Zhao Yunxiang tried hard not to show her greedy demeanor, inwardly wishing she could stuff the silver into her bosom right away. She was far from truly noble; her previous pretensions were just a facade, as those things weren’t attractive or valuable enough. But now, seeing so much silver changed everything.
"Yes, Erhu, what are you doing? Put the silver away. If you haven’t found a job, that’s that; you’ve already done your best, and I’m very grateful. As for this silver, I absolutely cannot accept it." Lin Genfa’s character was still decent. Unlike Zhao Yunxiang’s duplicity, he genuinely didn’t have that greed. Even the idea of finding a job was something Zhao Yunxiang insisted on. Seeing Zhao Erhu take out the silver, he immediately refused.
"Sister, brother-in-law, don’t refuse anymore. Even if not for yourselves, think about the children. With this silver, you can buy some land, and your lives will improve. The kids won’t suffer any longer. Take it."
Zhao Erhu didn’t miss the fleeting look of greed on Zhao Yunxiang’s face and felt even more that his young wife had a point. Zhao Yunxiang wasn’t the sister who used to stand by him; her thoughts now focused more on her self-interest. He cared too much for the thin thread of kinship, which made him overlook Zhao Yunxiang’s flaws, letting his young wife be wronged. That wouldn’t happen again. Nobody can be closer than a wife with whom one will spend a lifetime. All he hoped for now was his young wife to grow up soon, as he was never at ease until he had it in his mouth, nor was he interested in dealing with Zhao Yunxiang. As Zhao Erhu mulled this over, his thoughts strayed.
"Erhu is right; we must think about the children. After all, that’s also your nephew. Since that’s the case, I’ll accept the silver." Zhao Yunxiang’s refusal lacked sincerity, and she just needed any excuse to descend gracefully, taking the silver as if afraid that Zhao Erhu might change his mind and reclaim it.
If Lin Yue were here, she’d have only one way to describe Zhao Yunxiang: playing the whore while wanting to establish a virtuous reputation—an attitude one could only scorn.
Seeing Zhao Yunxiang fall into greed, Lin Genfa felt nothing but helplessness. It was, after all, their impoverishment that had twisted her character like this.
"Wife, what are you doing? I said we can’t take this silver. Erhu also has a whole family to feed; it isn’t easy for him, either. We can work and make money with our own hands and feet, why should we take someone else’s silver?"
Once Zhao Yunxiang actually had the silver in hand, she let go of her inhibitions, thinking, "What’s wrong with taking silver from my own brother? Besides, I’m doing it for the children—and this is also Erhu’s nephew. What’s wrong with the nephew using just a little of his uncle’s money?" Her logic was so strong that it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, not understanding how she felt entitled to her own brother’s belongings.
Zhao Erhu was already used to Zhao Yunxiang’s behaviour; having witnessed all sorts of her antics these past few days, he felt nothing but tiredness and disgust. Luckily, Zhao Yunxiang still had the good sense to see that Zhao Erhu was losing patience with her. Wanting to return to the village in a hurry, to ask the village head if there was any good land available, she proposed to leave at once. Zhao Erhu agreed without a second thought, not even bothering with a pretense of making her stay.
"Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law and I are heading back now. You and Erhu live your lives well. I’ll come visit again when I have some time," Zhao Yunxiang, having received a favor, was unusually pleasant towards Lin Yue,
"Leaving so soon? Let Brother Erhu see you out," Lin Yue replied with a forced smile, politely exchanging a few words before taking out a bag of things from the kitchen she had prepared for Zhao Yunxiang to take back. Sёarᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Lin Yue wasn’t really stingy; it was just that Zhao Yunxiang’s behavior was too much. Lin Yue was no pushover and naturally had to fight back. When she bought candies yesterday, she had already accounted for Zhao Yunxiang’s children. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have divided the candies and pastries into three portions when she got back—one portion for the children, one for Zhao Dahuo and his wife, and one specially prepared for Zhao Yunxiang. However, Lin Yue didn’t know about the conversation between Zhao Yunxiang and Zhao Erhu last night. If she knew that Zhao Yunxiang had shamelessly set her sights on Lin Yue and had bad-mouthed her, she probably would’ve regretted being so generous.
"Here, these are all for our eldest sister to take back. You take them; their family isn’t having an easy time, and with these things, they’ll have enough to eat for quite a while, plus there are pastries and candies for the kids." The burlap bag, full of rice, flour, and various other foods, contained a lot that Lin Yue had packed, including the pastries and candies she had divided up the day before.
Lin Yue handed the things directly to Zhao Erhu without personally delivering them. She wasn’t keen on receiving gratitude from Zhao Yunxiang; it was enough that Zhao Erhu knew about it. She wanted him to see how magnanimous she was, not only foregoing any quarrel with Zhao Yunxiang but also giving so much food for them to take back.
"Look, I’m virtuous, aren’t I? You should feel lucky to have married a wife like me," Lin Yue wasn’t the type to quietly do good deeds and couldn’t help but boast in front of Zhao Erhu.
Zhao Erhu, now fully aware of his wife’s temperament—tough on the outside, soft on the inside, and truly kind-hearted, yet a proud lady who liked to be praised—couldn’t help but adore her. "Indeed, my little wife is the best. I, Zhao Erhu, am fortunate to have married such a wonderful wife. I should cherish her like a precious treasure from now on."
"Humph, all sweet talk, but you do have some conscience at least."
Time flew by, and these days Lin Yue, apart from being busy with embroidery, was researching pastries and foods made from beans, generally minding her own business. Her life was fulfilling and comfortable, pampered by Zhao Erhu with soups and meals, growing plump like a little pig. Her previously gaunt face now had a roundness to it, and she had grown taller, more and more looking the part of a young girl.
The young girl gradually growing up pleased and comforted Zhao Erhu greatly. Dr. Jiang was indeed right; goat milk really did nourish the body. In just over a month’s time, the little wife had changed so much, thanks to his persistence, patiently coaxing her, and ensuring she drank a bowl of goat milk morning and night. Now he could see the results.
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