A Good Country Wife
Chapter 213 - 212: Searching for Water Sources_1

Chapter 213: Chapter 212: Searching for Water Sources_1

"Well now, you sly Sanlang, full of cunning ideas aren’t you? I was with you this morning, and I never saw you cook the egg. Doing this behind our backs, are you trying to show off in front of our mother on purpose? I never realized you were so scheming, and you didn’t even call your brothers to join in. That’s not very kind of you," Erlang said with a feigned yelp, his exaggeration hinting at an attempt to amuse Lin Yue.

Holding the not-so-clean egg, Lin Yue felt genuinely moved as she spoke. At that moment, she felt a wave of shame wash over her. Although she had always been kind to Dalang and the others, it was with a sense of pity and sympathy, and a hint of charity was mixed into the kindness she showed them. She hadn’t truly accepted them or held them in her heart.

But the children were different; they treated her with a pure heart free of any impurities. Their emotional investment was simply incomparable to hers. She could imagine how they felt, and how hurt they were when she had lashed out at Zhao Erhu in anger the day before, in front of them. Yet, despite this, the kids harbored no resentment toward her and were almost begging in a humble manner, hoping to win back her affection and maintain the precious mother-child bond that they so valued.

At this moment, Lin Yue felt a resolve strengthen within her. These children trusted her so completely, offering her their undying loyalty. Even if she could not fully treat them as her own flesh and blood, she decided she would make an effort to genuinely care for them.

Once her mindset shifted, Lin Yue found that some things didn’t bother her anymore. After all, Dalang and Erlang’s biological grandparents lived in Xiaoxi Village. It was natural for Dalang and Erlang to associate with them. Besides, kinship is different from love — if handled properly, it’s not exclusive and can coexist. She wasn’t initially opposed to Dalang and Erlang interacting with those relatives; it was their attitude that had concerned her. Now, she trusted her place in their hearts.

As for Zhao Erhu, Lin Yue was not ready to forgive him just yet. She was displeased with how he had behaved, both before and after the incident, and she decided to leave him to reflect for a while, to see if he could mature. And as for his simplistic and transparent thoughts, she didn’t have to think twice — he wouldn’t lay a finger on her. If he didn’t improve, he might as well become a monk in the future; she and the children would manage just fine on their own.

Perhaps it was Sanlang’s thoughtful gesture, or maybe the egg just tasted better cooked this way, but Lin Yue enjoyed it immensely. One egg, of course, was not enough to fill her. Lin Yue went on to make a few flatbreads in the kitchen and shared them with the children. After the meal, the kids still wanted to cling to her, reluctant to leave her side. Lin Yue sent them off to study; after all, they had a lot of catching up to do if they were to keep up in school next year. She set a schedule for them: an hour in the morning to study and half an hour at night to review before bed.

Dalang and the others always heeded Lin Yue’s words, and now they dared not disregard her instructions. Although they longed to stay with her, they knew she had other matters to attend to, so they reluctantly went inside to study.

Lin Yue herself was simply feeling restless, tired of staying indoors all day and yearning for a breath of fresh air. She didn’t want the little ones to follow her out into the hot sun, so she wandered toward the mountains. On such a day, the mountains were cooler, and she wasn’t planning on venturing too deep, just enough to perhaps find some wild fruit or something of the sort.

Lin Yue also reflected on the lands they owned back home. Hauling water from the village daily for irrigation was laborious and troublesome, an immense physical exertion and not a sustainable solution. No wonder Zhao Erhu initially cultivated the wasteland and then let it grow fallow. Farming such land required much more effort than elsewhere. She had to come up with a better approach.

After puzzling over it without success the previous evening, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her as she headed up the mountain, recalling a large river at the peak, which she and Zhao Erhu had stumbled upon during a foraging trip for wood ear mushrooms. The river wasn’t too far from their land, only diverted by a hill. It lay within a feasible distance, though she wasn’t sure where the river flowed to. If she could determine the river’s course, digging a channel from the mountain to divert water for irrigation would resolve their water issues.

Aside from their several acres, there were dozens more of uncultivated land, left barren because it was difficult to farm and lacking a water source. Despite the government’s encouragement to clear wasteland—offering tax exemption for fifteen years and charging only a tael of silver per acre—no one wanted to buy such land.

If she could solve the water supply problem, she planned to approach the village head to buy those barren acres, hire people to cultivate the land properly, and gradually build up a self-sufficient farmstead.

The more Lin Yue contemplated, the more feasible the plan seemed. A farmstead—such had only been a dream in her modern life, perhaps an endeavor in a virtual game. Now, there was a real opportunity before her. She decided to register the farm in her name and treat it as her private property, much like a dowry, unaccessible to anyone, even Zhao Erhu.

Relying on her memory to navigate, Lin Yue ventured further inward, the forest growing dense as she approached the heart of the mountain.

She hesitated, wondering whether to press on or come back another time. She had only meant to take a walk and had come unprepared. Even in daylight, the mountain may not be deep wilderness with fewer wild animals, but dangers could still lurk in its depths. She thought, had she known, she would have brought Zhao Erhu with her, his presence reassuring in matters of safety.

However, Lin Yue quickly dismissed that thought, remembering that she was still giving Zhao Erhu the cold shoulder. She wouldn’t bother with him for a while, let alone invite him along. Annoyed at the thought of how Zhao Erhu deliberately avoided her last night and didn’t come back for dinner, she felt peeved. The man could certainly hold a grudge, she mused; she had slapped him in a moment of anger, without considering the consequences of his own actions. Anyone would have been furious in her shoes.

The more Lin Yue dwelled on it, the angrier she became. She decided right then that she would make a point today. "So you don’t want to see me, Zhao Erhu? I won’t be coming back for lunch. Let’s see if you become anxious when you can’t find me!". But despite her annoyance, Lin Yue would not joke about her safety. As she walked toward the mountain, she was extra cautious, picking up a thick stick to arm herself. Whenever she heard anything suspicious, she would hide carefully, only emerging to continue on her way once she was sure there was no danger.

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