A Good Country Wife-Chapter 17 - Love Makes a Small Temper_1
Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Love Makes a Small Temper_1
Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Love Makes a Small Temper_1
Zhao Erhu heaved a sigh of relief upon finally finding Lin Yue by the river, but he was also somewhat angry. He hurried over, “You’re such a grown person now, how could you leave without saying a word? You know how hard I searched for you!” This was also a lingering effect of what the Li Family had done, leaving him rather paranoid, especially since his newly married wife was exactly to his liking. He was even more vigilant, for fear of her running away.
Upon hearing Zhao Erhu’s voice, Lin Yue merely glanced up, then continued to focus on the task in her hands, clearly showing no interest in talking to him. Even someone as slow-witted as Zhao Erhu could tell his wife was cross with him, but he couldn’t figure out what he had done to upset her. His beloved Niuniu had become quite difficult to please and increasingly quick to take offense.
Shaking his head in resignation, Zhao Erhu’s gaze fell on Lin Yue’s hands, reddened from the cold water, and his brow quickly furrowed, “Who let you do this kind of work in such cold water? Don’t you know to take care of yourself?” It was half reproach and half compassion. As he said this, he reached out to help Lin Yue clean her hands and pull her up, but Lin Yue was not appreciative, pushing Zhao Erhu away, “Mind your own business. Even if I freeze to death, it’s not your concern.”
Zhao Erhu was not without temper; it was only his deep affection for his wife that made him restrain his anger. However, with Lin Yue being unreasonably temperamental and joking about her own health, his face darkened as he glared at her, “What’s all this fuss about! If you’re unhappy, can’t you talk about it reasonably? Why throw such a tantrum? If you keep being disobedient, you’ll see if I don’t deal with you properly. You must be itching for a spanking, aren’t you?”
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This was a phrase Sanlang and Silang knew all too well. In the past, whenever they caused trouble, this was how their father reprimanded them, followed by a good spanking. Now, seeing their father looking even angrier than usual, they were convinced their third mother was going to get a severe punishment from him. Fearing the trouble might spread to them, the two children unheroically ran back home in a flash, not forgetting to report to their older brothers along the way.
Lin Yue was doing it on purpose, facing the pressure of fully infuriating Zhao Erhu, she didn’t restrain herself but instead started to throw a tantrum, “Fine, Zhao Erhu, you heartless man! I knew you couldn’t stand me. Just a few days after I’ve come through the door and you’re already thinking about beating me. Go on, beat me! Beat me to death! After I’m gone, you can marry Widow Zhang and enjoy her attentions. Surely she’ll keep you comfortable and content. That’s what you want, isn’t it? Then you won’t have to deal with my pitiful presence here, this little dried-up bean sprout in your way. Why am I so unlucky? I might as well have been dead.”
It was only after Lin Yue’s outburst that Zhao Erhu realized what was wrong. What’s all this about a beauty and a bean sprout? How did these things even connect? This little wife of his still didn’t understand the ways of the world and was already jealous, crying and causing a scene like a shrew—both exasperating and amusing.
“Enough with your nonsense. Don’t listen to idle talk. I have nothing to do with that Widow Zhang, and I’m clean. Look at you now, such a grown person, and still sitting on the ground, crying like that. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at? Get up right now,” Zhao Erhu said as he tried to lift Lin Yue up, but she still refused to budge.
“I’m not talking nonsense, you two were flirting with each other on the ox cart, not caring about me, your legitimate wife, at all. If you dare to do this in front of everyone, who knows what you’d do behind closed doors. You men always want what’s in the bowl while eyeing what’s in the pot—none of you are good.” Lin Yue said these words, but it was somewhat against her conscience. On the ox cart, only Widow Zhang had been making eyes at Zhao Erhu, openly being solicitous. Zhao Erhu didn’t even give Widow Zhang a glance, as his heart and eyes were only for his little wife. Now, to be wronged like this.
Lin Yue was not usually such an unreasonable person. Her behavior had an intention behind it. Having spent the last couple of days with Zhao Erhu, she had come to understand him and was quite satisfied. Hardworking, honest, loving towards his wife, and skilled—it would be hard to find such a man even in modern times, and even rarer in the patriarchal ancient times. All she had ever wanted was to find a good man and have a home of her own. Now that it was within easy reach, she planned to settle down and follow this man sincerely, so she could not allow some scheming women to ruin it. However, instead of dealing with these women, it would be better to nip the problem in the bud. She was making a statement now to let Zhao Erhu know her stance so that in the future, if he truly cared for her, he would naturally stay away from such women.
Such words were really conscienceless. Zhao Erhu reminded himself that Lin Yue was young and ignorant and didn’t take it seriously, thinking that this sort of underhanded trick must have been learned from watching the ignorant women of the village throw fits. He resolved that in the future, he would keep his little wife away from such people, so she wouldn’t pick up bad habits.
“You really are a silly Niuniu, full of wild thoughts. If there were anything between Widow Zhang and me, I would have married her long ago. It wouldn’t be your turn to be jealous over nothing. Rest assured, I, Zhao Erhu, am a simple man without fancy tricks. All I want in this life is to take good care of my wife and children. Just be good and stop making a fuss, or I’ll really get angry,” Zhao Erhu said, unable to prevent a heartfelt declaration. As he spoke, he didn’t care whether Lin Yue was willing or not. He used some force to pull her up into a hug. This time, Lin Yue cleverly did not resist. Everything had a limit; if she went too far, it would backfire.
“Then, in the future, if there are those shameless women who throw themselves at you, you’d better stay clear of them,” Lin Yue reminded, not forgetting to give a final instruction. Zhao Erhu naturally agreed, yet he thought to himself that a widower like him, marked by the death of his wife, would only have women like Widow Zhang coming onto him. No one else would even look at him. However, he quite enjoyed his little wife’s tight leash on him. His gaze lingered on Lin Yue’s petite frame. His little wife was indeed too thin, no wonder she compared herself to a little sprout. Thinking this, his hand involuntarily reached towards a certain area on Lin Yue’s chest.
“Really a bit too small, skinny and hardly any flesh, Niuniu, you should eat well and stop being picky. A woman should be plump and full,” said Zhao Erhu, talking to himself. Perhaps too invested in his thoughts, his hand boldly squeezed a couple of times, seeking confirmation. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much flesh there, so it was quite uneventful. There was a hint of disdain in his tone that was quite disagreeable to hear.
Lin Yue did not anticipate Zhao Erhu’s sudden action, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, her face turning beet red. She looked around cautiously to see if anyone was there and only relaxed when she saw they were alone. She glared at Zhao Erhu unhappily.
Lin Yue was actually just using this as an opportunity to give Zhao Erhu a warning. She wasn’t truly angry in her heart. After the two of them had their squabble, they washed the pig offal and when they returned home, the water in the pot was boiling. Lin Yue took the last bit of rice from the rice bin and measured out another liter from the newly purchased rice, washed it, and put it into the pot. Since Zhao Erhu was at home doing the heavy work, she didn’t need to help. She just instructed him on what to do from the side.
