A Good Country Wife
Chapter 229 - 227: Can’t Be Careless_1

Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Can’t Be Careless_1

By the afternoon, Lin Yue could no longer stay calm; she had even put down her embroidery and was waiting for Zhao Erhu to return. However, as the sky gradually darkened, Zhao Erhu’s figure still hadn’t appeared. Lin Yue increasingly felt that Zhao Erhu, this old man, was too hateful, leaving her behind, alone and worried at home.

Zhao Erhu knew that his young wife must be worrying about him at home, so he hurried as much as he could. But for safety’s sake, he still had to be cautious. By evening, he finally emerged from a gloomy underground.

Once he adjusted to the brightness outside, what caught Zhao Erhu’s eyes was a lush green valley filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chatter of birds. However, the valley seemed to be enclosed, completely surrounded by a lake. The Secret River surfaced at this section, flowing out of the valley and back underground, its destination unknown.

Zhao Erhu felt that this place seemed familiar. Where had he seen this scene before? That’s right, when he was a mischievous child, he loved to explore caves and had stumbled upon this place by accident. He hadn’t returned since then. Unexpectedly, the outlet of the Secret River halfway along was here. This was a pleasant surprise; this place wasn’t far from the wasteland near their home, just behind it in a closed valley. With this, the irrigation problem of the wasteland wouldn’t need to worry them anymore. With such a distance, directing water there would not require much effort at all.

Zhao Erhu found the cave he had entered as a child by following his memory. Back then, he had been small in stature, which made it easy to get in, but now, with his larger physique, it was hard to squeeze out. Fortunately, Zhao Erhu had brought a small iron shovel with him and dug the cave entrance wider just enough to pass through.

After emerging, Zhao Erhu concealed the cave entrance again with climbing vines to prevent it from being discovered. Now he was covered in water and dirt, filthy all over. Without time to clean himself up, he hurriedly headed home, seeing that it was nearly dark. His young wife must be very anxious by this time.

When Lin Yue saw Zhao Erhu’s figure at the entrance of the yard, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. As he approached and she saw Zhao Erhu returning in such a sorry state, she realized that this trip must not have been easy. She had no intention of reproaching him; she just wanted him to take care of himself, have a warm meal, and rest well.

Zhao Erhu arrived home to find the oil lamp already lit inside the house, with his young wife and children all waiting for him at the doorway. The weariness of his body seemed to disappear at that moment, leaving only warmth in his heart. He, Zhao Erhu, was a man with a family; no matter how late he returned, his young wife and children were always there waiting for him.

"Why are you back so late? The children and I were very worried about you. Look how dirty you are; hurry back to the room, and I’ll fetch some water for you from the kitchen," Lin Yue said with evident concern in her voice. As she turned to the kitchen, Zhao Erhu called out to stop her.

"No need, delicate Niuniu, you’re naturally weak and get tired just carrying half a bucket of water. Let me handle the heavy work like fetching water; you go inside and prepare my change of clothes," Zhao Erhu said with a smile, taking off the tools he had carried on his back and placing them on the ground before heading to the kitchen.

"Alright then, the hot water is boiling in the pot; you pour it yourself," Lin Yue replied, acknowledging she wasn’t strong enough to argue with Zhao Erhu over this task. She went inside to prepare his change of clothes, as he had asked.

After they had dinner and got the kitchen tidied up, the couple returned to their room, where Zhao Erhu finally told Lin Yue about the day’s exploration of the Secret River. However, Zhao Erhu deliberately omitted the dangerous and challenging parts, making the whole affair sound quite light-hearted. Lin Yue could, of course, tell that Zhao Erhu was downplaying the events, and her previously suppressed worry now burst forth, leading to a serious lecture for Zhao Erhu.

Zhao Erhu wrapped his arms around Lin Yue, "Wife, you don’t need to say this, I know I have you and the kids to think about, so I’m careful not to be negligent. I’m always mindful of my safety, and if things get too risky, I’ll retrace my steps and come back. Nothing will go wrong, and besides, haven’t I safely returned with some particularly good news? In the future, we don’t have to worry about irrigating our land. Tomorrow, when you have some free time, I’ll take you to see that valley. It’s not far from here; we’ll get there quickly."

Hearing Zhao Erhu talk so positively, Lin Yue was eager to see it for herself, "Alright, let’s go early tomorrow to have a look. Then we can hurry up and buy all of this wasteland to set our minds at ease."

"Don’t worry, after I show you the place and we return, we’ll go buy it without delay," Zhao Erhu was not worried at all. The spot was well hidden and not easy to stumble upon. Besides, it was only because his clever wife had thought of it that they were considering it now, as no one had shown any interest in this wasteland for many years.

"Then you have to register the land in my name. I want to build a manor there someday. The silver for the land will come from me, from my own private savings. With that, the place will belong to me. If you dare to make me angry in the future, I’ll kick you out to live there," Lin Yue was still preoccupied with this thought. Although it had come to her in a moment of anger at Zhao Erhu, she hadn’t changed her mind. It was always good for her to have an escape plan. Who knew what the future held? If Zhao Erhu kept being kind to her, whose name the land was in wouldn’t really matter.

Zhao Erhu wasn’t upset with Lin Yue’s proposition at all. It was good that his little wife was thinking this way; it meant she was setting her heart on staying in the Zhao family village, in their home, and that she wanted to settle down here and build a manor. What did it matter if the land was in her name? As long as she stayed with him, he would have no loss. Plus, there was a saying: "You can’s take the temple if the bride runs away," and as long as the temple—our home—stays, the bride can’t truly run away.

"Fine, it will be in your name. Look at you, still holding grudges with that stingy look. You don’t need to provide the money; let it be my contribution. Later, when you bear a child for me, you’ll manage all of our family’s assets," Zhao Erhu truly felt this way, but his little wife was currently quite sensitive about a particular topic and would push back at any mention of it.

"Zhao Erhu, why do you always bring up that topic within a few sentences? I’m still young, and I don’t want to have kids yet, annoying!" Lin Yue said and then kicked Zhao Erhu with her foot. She found that hitting him with her hand wasn’t very effective since his skin was so thick, so she had resorted to kicking instead.

Zhao Erhu loved her feisty little ways, "Don’t be like that, darling. You’re going to have children with me sooner or later; I hope for a little girl. You could make her lovely little dresses and I could comb her hair."

"No way!"...

Both of them had the same issue in mind, so Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu got up early in the morning, told the kids they would be out for a while,