The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 91: So Tired

Well, it’s just a matter of seeing through things without pointing them out. Let Lady Lin’s family dig if they want to dig—the rich water shouldn’t flow into a stranger’s field, after all!

It wasn’t just Wang Yongzhu who noticed at the dinner table; it’s likely Wang Laozhu and Old Granny Zhang had their suspicions as well.

It’s just that everyone has their selfish side; it’s better to have the family bring home the mountain yam than to let outsiders take advantage of it.

Old Granny Zhang kept silent, busy working out in her head if they could sell the dug-up yams at the market. She wondered if they might fetch enough to buy some fabric for her daughter and some nice needles and threads, among other things.

It would be useful for when her daughter learned embroidery in the future.

Wang Laozhu didn’t say anything, but he was stewing inside. Just yesterday, he had cautioned against it, and today, Jinhoo was egged on by his wife to go dig it up. Wasn’t this just slapping him, the father, right in the face?

Lady Jiang knew quite well what kind of person her sister-in-law, Lady Lin, was—a plucker of every passing goose. She guessed there must have been some mountain produce left unpicked yesterday, prompting her brother-in-law to head up the mountain; otherwise, Eldest Brother wouldn’t have missed lunch.

Jindou and Jinhu were also getting older, and the two young fellas had a vague sense of what was happening. But with a glance at their grandparents’ expressions, they dared not speak.

After wolfing down their meal in a few bites, the brothers exchanged a look, put down their chopsticks, and stealthily slid along the wall to the courtyard, then dashed outside at full speed.

Old Granny Zhang was still grumbling, "Always acting with such nervous haste, I don’t know what sins I committed in a past life to marry such a shallow-eyed daughter-in-law into the family. She came to the Wang Family, who has mistreated her? Her life is a hundred times better than it was at her parents’ house, yet she’s not content. Everyday she works her man like an ox or horse—"

"Enough, let’s eat!" Wang Laozhu, afraid Old Granny Zhang would blurt out something she shouldn’t, quickly cut her off. After all, it wasn’t right for Eldest Brother’s family to go stealing yams. If no one spoke of it and everyone feigned ignorance, the matter would just pass.

If it were to come out, even if Lady Jiang was a straightforward person, it would still inevitably plant a thorn in her heart. Over time, wouldn’t that ruin the brotherly bond?

That’s when Old Granny Zhang stopped talking, huffily shoveling all the tasty food on the table into Wang Yongzhu’s bowl.

Jinguan and Little Bean pursed their lips, looked at Old Granny Zhang’s stern face, and very obediently dared only to nibble on the steamed buns and pick at the vegetables in front of them, not daring to let out a peep.

Wang Yongzhu was speechless...

So tiring!

She complained about needing to diet.

Yet her actions were swift; she managed to pile her bowl high with a mountain of vegetables, first showing filial piety to her parents, then putting on an "I’m letting you have some" face, divided a little among the Little Beans. After looking at the remainder, she then gave a small portion to Lady Jiang and finally started to eat.

Wang Yongping had left after breakfast and only said not to wait for him for lunch if he couldn’t make it back in time. And indeed, come lunchtime, there was no sign of him.

Seeing Wang Yongzhu giving away all the good food, Old Granny Zhang couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, "Why let them enjoy all these good things for free? Isn’t that a waste—"

Wang Laozhu had a smile on his face, "My old girl is getting sensible!"

Lady Jiang and several Little Beans, under the dual pressure of Old Granny Zhang’s low spirits and Wang Laozhu’s gratification, struggled to finish their meal. They all quietly snuck away, not daring to invite trouble.

Old Granny Zhang couldn’t be bothered with them and, after eating, pulled Wang Yongzhu into the inner room, whispering words of comfort: "Your brothers are likely off digging yams. Daughter, don’t worry, those yams were discovered by you, so they are yours. Once they dig them up, I’ll step in and say something. We can’t let them take advantage of you! Those brothers and sisters-in-law, instead of offering a helping hand, actually think of taking advantage of my old girl, no way!"

She was comforting her old girl so she wouldn’t get upset.

At this moment, while Wang Yongzhu was slowly and subtly changing her persona, she really wanted to ask Old Granny Zhang: Apart from her own daughter, all these sons must have been picked up, right?

However, in recent days, Wang Yongzhu had fully understood how stubborn Old Granny Zhang was, heedless of whatever hints she gave.

On one hand, Wang Yongzhu didn’t dare to break character too abruptly or too harshly, fearing suspicion and potentially losing her life. On the other hand, she was somewhat indulgent in the unconditional and unlimited pampering. If it weren’t for her strong will, she might have already followed in the footsteps of the previous Wang Yongzhu.

So, not only could she not persuade Old Granny Zhang to be more understanding towards her Eldest Brother and sister-in-law, but any further advice would likely result in being brainwashed by Old Granny Zhang. Wang Yongzhu felt that if she was brainwashed by Old Granny Zhang a few more times, she might not be able to maintain her stance.

Thankfully, she had now found a tactic: as long as she stood from Old Granny Zhang’s perspective and voiced some dislike or disdain, she could easily achieve her desired outcome.

Therefore, Wang Yongzhu skillfully revealed a look of contempt on her face. While doing dexterous hand exercises, she casually consoled, "Let them be. We already dug up most of it yesterday, and what’s left probably won’t fill a basket. It’s not even worth the effort. We already have some at home; why would I need more? Even if we sell it, how much money can we make? I would rather focus on growing Yellow Pine Mushrooms. That could earn us large coins! Only my sister-in-law would care about such little gains."

Old Granny Zhang felt relieved seeing that her daughter wasn’t too concerned.

"My old girl’s got the right attitude, that’s good. She takes after me! But we can’t let them off the hook. Your father and I are still alive, we haven’t divided the family property yet, and they’re already thinking of turning the world upside down to stash away private savings? What wishful thinking! Your Eldest Brother is just too honest and too easily swayed, dominated by Eldest Brother’s wife, listening to everything she says! Hmph, thinking of digging up the yams my girl found, ordering my sons around, saving for her private stash to take back to the Lin Family? Dream on!" After praising Wang Yongzhu, Old Granny Zhang couldn’t help but rant on.

Wang Yongzhu pretended not to hear and brought out some of her needlework from the past few days to show Old Granny Zhang, even asking for tips on making shoes and weaving soles, which successfully diverted Old Granny Zhang’s attention.

In the past few days, Wang Yongzhu had realized that although Lady Jiang’s sewing and embroidery skills were significantly better than those of the women around her, her shoemaking skills were somewhat lacking.

The main issue was her lack of strength, which resulted in thin soles that were loosely woven. However, since the third branch of the family consisted only of women and children, without grown men to wear out the shoes, it barely mattered, although the soles didn’t last as long as others woven by women.

Old Granny Zhang also disliked Lady Jiang’s weaving of soles. Generally, she would weave the soles herself for the head of the family, her old girl, and Laosi, while leaving the uppers for Lady Jiang to sew.

Seeing her old girl asking for guidance filled Old Granny Zhang with joy. She didn’t hold back any secrets and meticulously taught her daughter everything she knew. Caught up in the moment, she even went back to her room and brought out the sole she was currently weaving for a live demonstration.

The mother and daughter, one learning and the other teaching, quietly occupied the courtyard.

Wang Yongzhu caught on quickly, and although her hand strength fell a bit short, she was quite proficient in her attempts.

Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce