A Good Country Wife-Chapter 608 - 602_1

Zhao Cheng knew exactly the kind of person his wife was. Hearing her talk like that, he immediately grinned and said, "Ah! Great! My wife, you have such a kind heart. It’s just that mother probably still has some food, and if we send it now, it will just draw people’s attention. It would be better to wait and see how things go before we act. My wife, you truly are the best."

"Enough with the flattery! I know you too well. You must have felt uncomfortable just now when you were brewing the wine, right? You’re my husband, and it hurts me to see you in pain. After all, she’s your mother. I couldn’t be that heartless! Just now, I was afraid you’d say something inappropriate in a moment of weakness and put your aunt in a difficult position. With Erhu gone, your sister-in-law is already managing so much on her own at home; it’s been tough enough. Let’s not make her job any harder, otherwise, wouldn’t we be too heartless!"

"Yes, my wife, you’re absolutely right. I’ll listen to you."

Li Xiaomei didn’t see anything wrong with that and simply nodded. "As long as you listen to me, you won’t go wrong. After all, everything I do is for you and this family."

"I know. In this world, there’s no one else who could treat me as well as my wife."

"Glad you understand! When a woman gets married, isn’t everything she does for her husband and son? Even for my own parents, I never served them like this. When I was a girl at my parents’ home, life was much easier." Li Xiaomei reminisced about her days as a maiden with some nostalgia. But she really had a decent man; ever since they got married, he’d been good to her.

Li Xiaomei knew she wasn’t the type to put up with nonsense; with a sharp tongue and a fiery temper, it was lucky that Zhao Cheng always tolerated her. Even in front of his mother, he consistently defended her. As tough as life could be, she was willing to endure it. Her main dissatisfaction used to be Zhao Cheng’s foolish filial piety, but that was no longer a concern. Even given the current situation, as long as they got through these trying times, Li Xiaomei still believed better days would come, and her heart was filled with hope.

Lin Yue was quite pleased with the behavior of Zhao Cheng and Li Xiaomei, feeling that her support for them had not been in vain and that they did remember her kindness. She could understand Zhao Cheng’s remaining affection for the Wei Family; after all, the bond between mother and son was natural. If Zhao Cheng had really been so heartless, she would have been more wary of him.

"Erhu’s wife is here, come in and have a seat. I have something important to discuss with you." The village head was deeply troubled at the moment, furrowing his brows with worry over how to resolve the issue with the refugees coming into the village. It had only been in the past few days that he’d felt a little relief, and he thought that perhaps he could get some advice from Erhu’s wife. After all, she was literate and quick-witted, or she wouldn’t have been able to support the family in Erhu’s absence.

"You’re on the same wavelength as me, village head. I was coming over to seek advice from you too! The number of refugees in the village is increasing, and if this continues unchecked, it’s definitely not good news. Sooner or later there will be chaos. We have to find a solution, especially since the gates of Xin’an City are locked tight, and people can’t even get inside. It seems the government won’t take care of the refugees."

"Ah! The Magistrate has truly left us common folk disheartened. Ignoring the people like this, he’s far worse than the previous Magistrate Chen."

"Exactly. But for now, we need to find our own solution; otherwise, the refugees might start causing trouble. If they start wreaking havoc in the village, we’ll all suffer. It’s at times like these that you see how important a good local official is to the people. Having a competent Magistrate is a blessing for the citizens, but if you get a bad one, there’s nothing to do but accept your fate."

Before Lin Yue’s arrival, several respected clan heads and elders had come to discuss the refugee situation, hoping the village head had a reliable solution. But like them, he was at his wit’s end and had no good solutions. Seeing Lin Yue, they held out some hope. Erhu’s wife was capable after all; with many servants and ample food supplies at her home, they hoped she could spare some to help the refugees, possibly preventing chaos in the village.

As for these people’s thoughts, although she was somewhat angry, she could understand them. However, she firmly believed this was a precedent that should never be set. If something happened later, they would expect her family to take responsibility while they reaped the benefits, seeing her family’s wealth but not considering their own contributions. Her family might be wealthy, but that didn’t mean they should be taken advantage of, while others treated them like fools to be exploited.

The village head heard people saying this but remained silent. Although feeling somewhat embarrassed, this seemed to be a possible solution, and he hoped Lin Yue would agree so he wouldn’t have to continue wearing such a pained expression.

"The elders are joking. Even if I were willing to be taken for a fool, with so many refugees, my household can’t afford to help them all. Moreover, once we start this, it won’t stop. If other refugees hear about it, they’ll come in droves, and the situation will only get worse. So we should not entertain such ideas. Do you think that pushing our family forward can ensure peace in the village? That’s naïve!"

Lin Yue’s words were pointed and unafraid of offending anyone. If it had been earlier, she might have considered the elders’ feelings. After all, in a village like Zhao Family Village, which was developed on the basis of familial relationships, elders held a higher status than in most villages. But now that her family held its current status, there was no need to heed those considerations anymore. She had been giving them face before, but if she didn’t, so what?

The clan elder who had suggested the idea had a red face, not sure whether it was from embarrassment or anger.

The village head, hearing Lin Yue speak this way, also knew this approach wouldn’t work. He had thought wrong before, and it was the headache of the refugee problem that had made him briefly think the elder’s idea might be acceptable. Going ahead with it wouldn’t solve anything and would only bring disaster. He quickly stepped in to mediate.

"Ahem, Erhu’s wife is right. Not to mention Erhu has no obligation to do this, but even with your kind heart and contributing food, it wouldn’t solve the problem. Besides, although Erhu is away, he entrusted me to look after his family before he left. We have all benefited from Erhu’s generosity, and we should look after his wife and children even more so. If anyone thinks to bully his wife and kids while he is gone, I, Zhao Youfu, will be the first to refuse!" The village head, feeling guilty for not having stood up for Lin Yue sooner, now firmly supported her and made his stance clear.

Lin Yue wasn’t angry with the village head. She knew what he was like, and his actions were fundamentally different from the elders’ intentions. He wasn’t acting out of self-interest but for the good of the entire village. He was willing to sacrifice their family’s benefit for the whole village. Most importantly, Lin Yue saw that the village head did indeed feel guilty and didn’t consider it his right, but rather a last resort.