A Good Country Wife-Chapter 607 - 601_1

"Wait, I should come with you to pick him up! Otherwise, Uncle might not be willing to come with you. It’s all in the same village, and it’s close by. It won’t take much time," Lin Yue said.

After giving it some thought, Lin Yue decided to call for Liu Aniu, who was closer to Zhao Erhu. Now, the only elder left was Uncle, who was kind-hearted and easy to get along with. Lin Yue held him in high regard and decided that it would only be proper to go in person to show sincerity.

Having thought of this, Lin Yue also decided to bring along a few other families with whom they had good relations. After all, there was plenty of empty space in the house to accommodate them, and it would be beneficial for everyone to be together for mutual support. As for the others, they didn’t require Lin Yue’s personal attention—a few people sent to fetch them would suffice. Everyone knew these were extraordinary times and dispensed with formalities. Lin Yue’s messengers were sent out, and soon enough, everyone was packed and ready to come over.

When Lin Yue’s messengers came to fetch Zhao Cheng’s family, the Wei Family, mother, and sons, grew anxious and wanted to come along as well. They had already reached Lin Yue’s doorstep, trying to ingratiate themselves and pleading with Lin Yue to let them in. Naturally, Lin Yue could not agree. How could she allow those with ulterior motives to stay in her home at such a time? It would be inviting disaster. Lin Yue had not forgotten the deeds of the Wei Family in the past. If it weren’t for the conflict between Li Xiaomei and the Wei Family and her own vigilance, who knows if her household would still exist. Even enemies might not be as malicious.

Rejected by Lin Yue, the Wei Family mother and sons could only leave in displeasure. Their looks and expressions clearly showed resentment towards Lin Yue, but Lin Yue didn’t care. Such people had always harbored ill intentions towards her family. If they hadn’t achieved their goals this time, it would have been strange not to hold a grudge. Regardless, Lin Yue would continue to take necessary precautions.

Zhao Quan, seeing that Lin Yue did not give them the time of day, was still unwilling to give up and go back. Noticing Zhao Cheng standing to the side, he had an idea, "Younger brother, don’t be too heartless. This is your own mother we’re talking about. How can you only think of yourself and not care about your own mother? Do you even have a conscience?"

After all that had happened, Zhao Cheng had entirely lost hope in his own mother and brothers. However, the idea of completely disregarding his mother still pained him. But now he was seeking refuge with Lin Yue himself, and if Lin Yue did not agree, he couldn’t take matters into his own hands and bring them in.

This was when the Wei Family matriarch finally remembered that Zhao Cheng was her own son. In the two years since they had divided the family property, the actions of her eldest and third sons had chilled her heart. Only now did she recognize the virtues of her second son and regretted not realizing it sooner. But she still felt some guilt and goodwill towards him.

Knowing full well that Lin Yue would not take them in and seeing her eldest son trying to drag her second son down, she spoke up, fearing that this would prevent Zhao Cheng from being able to stay, "Eldest son, stop involving your brother. We no longer have any relationship with him; we already agreed on that. He doesn’t need to worry about this matter. He just needs to remember to send the agreed upon support money annually, that’s all. It’s their business if they want to provide shelter for his family. Let’s go, we still have houses back home. Even if there are refugees, we just need to be careful. Keeping our doors tightly shut will ensure no one can get in, and there will be no danger. Our family’s assets are not as significant as others’ to attract attention."

"Mother, I’m just upset on your behalf. This younger brother of mine is just too heartless!" Zhao Quan complained, still feeling somewhat resentful for not being able to confront Zhao Cheng.

"Okay! Let’s go back, whether Erhu has a conscience or not, I know very well!"

"If we’re going back, we’re going back. So much for good intentions," grumbled Zhao Quan, initially wanting to use the Wei Family’s name to trouble Zhao Cheng. He had long been unable to stand the sight of his brother, getting better by the day. Seeing Mother talking like that, he had no choice but to glare hatefully at Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng had known for a long time what kind of person his older brother was and didn’t take his words to heart. However, the fact that Wei Shi sided with him and didn’t let Zhao Quan give him a hard time softened his heart a little more. After all, she was his own mother.

Li Xiaomei could clearly see what was on her man’s mind. Seeing Zhao Cheng waver, she became anxious, afraid that he would say something regrettable, which would be too unfair to Lin Yue, who was looking out for them. She thought, if only she had known this day would come, she would have never forgotten how the Wei Family treated them back then. So, taking advantage of the distraction, she gave Zhao Cheng a pinch at his waist, to stop him from doing anything foolish in a moment of weakness.

Zhao Cheng, who had been wavering, felt a sharp pain in his waist from Li Xiaomei’s pinch, which snapped him back to reality. He remembered how Wei Shi had exploited his filial piety over the years, using every trick in the book. Perhaps this was yet another deliberate display of vulnerability, a ploy to stay and meddle with him.

This time, Wei Shi was genuinely remorseful, but having done such things too often in the past, the lesson of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" applied universally. Zhao Cheng was not easily persuaded to trust her. Firming up immediately with Li Xiaomei’s pinch, Wei Shi felt a pang in her heart, tasting the bad taste of when Zhao Cheng suffered from her biased treatment. She hated Li Xiaomei for meddling between mother and son and regretted how she had been blinded back then, failing to appreciate her dutiful son, while favoring her two heartless ones. Now she was reaping the bitter fruits of her actions.

But after everything, Zhao Cheng wouldn’t give Zhao Quan any concessions, and he said with an ironic smile, "If I were heartless, I wouldn’t have slaved away at home for so many years, gaining nothing when the household split, giving everything to you. And now you come back to say these things, isn’t it laughable?"

Even if Wei Shi was no longer satisfied with her oldest and youngest sons, she didn’t want to see her sons quarrel. "Erhu, I am sorry, I was wrong for not treating you well before. You have done more than enough to make me proud, and you should not concern yourself with me anymore; just live a good life. That would be comforting to my heart," she said.

After speaking, Wei Shi hurriedly left with Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing, as if fleeing. This made Xiaomei regard Wei Shi more highly. Perhaps her mother-in-law was truly repentant. Regardless, it was impossible for Zhao Cheng to return to being the filial son he used to be. At best, for Wei Shi’s apparent sense of regret and propriety, they would add another tenth to the annual stipend they provided. This would be Xiaomei’s way of fulfilling Zhao Cheng’s inclinations.

"That’s enough! Stop looking. If you really can’t settle your heart, just send some grain over later, there’s no need to put on that kind of act, pretending for my sake!" Li Xiaomei might have meant well, but her words were always sharp. Even kind words sounded twisted coming from her.