A Good Country Wife
Chapter 246 - 236 Displeased Parting_2

Chapter 246: Chapter 236 Displeased Parting_2

The saying does indeed ring true, "You don’t get under someone’s roof if you’re not family." Zhao Lingxiang, though merely a concubine of Master Wei, had picked up his ways. She treated Zhao Erhu and his wife as if bestowing favors upon them, as if serving her food was some grand honor.

Lin Yue was quietly eating her meal when she heard this and was rendered speechless, nearly choking. She wondered if she somehow looked like a maid, as Zhao Lingxiang actually asked her to serve the food. It’s not like she didn’t have hands herself. But thinking about it, it was strange too—Zhao Lingxiang was Master Wei’s concubine, after all, yet she didn’t even have a single maid by her side, only a young lad in attendance with Master Wei. Wasn’t Master Wei supposed to be a wealthy merchant? This behavior didn’t resemble that of a rich man at all, even less than that of an ordinary landlord.

Lin Yue had only come here for a meal and didn’t want to get into a conflict, so she just continued her meal in silence, ignoring Zhao Lingxiang’s remarks.

"Sister-in-law, that braised pork looks delicious, why don’t you grab a piece for me?" Zhao Lingxiang said while pulling out a handkerchief to dab at the corners of her mouth, waiting for Lin Yue to serve her.

Lin Yue, head low, rolled her eyes in secret. Zhao Lingxiang must be out of her mind, not realizing she was being ignored. It seemed that if she didn’t say something, Zhao Lingxiang would take her silence for consent. "Little sister, you must be mistaken. I am your sister-in-law, not your maid. It’s your maid’s job to serve you food, isn’t it? But little sister, where has your maid gone off to? Why is she not here to serve you while you eat? That’s really quite improper."

"Yeah! Little sister, where is your maid? I haven’t seen her at all. You’re the wife of a man from Wei Residence, a family of such wealth, so how could it be possible for you not to have a single maid by your side? That must be a joke."

Li Xiaomei loved to stir up trouble. She had never got along with the Wei Family, and now with Wei’s daughter behaving this way, she had long grown tired of it. Suddenly finding something that could embarrass Zhao Lingxiang, she immediately started to make a fuss. Lin Yue, seeing Li Xiaomei react this way, secretly snickered, finding her quite entertaining for the first time.

Zhao Lingxiang’s complexion soured as she was rebuked by both Lin Yue and Li Xiaomei. She felt that the Lin Family was ungrateful, and as for Li Xiaomei, what was she ranting about?

Since Master Wei had lost money on a business venture in the Capital City, the days of Wei Residence were not as prosperous as before, and many of the servants had been laid off. As a consort of the Wei Residence, Zhao Lingxiang had also had a maid to serve her once, but the lady of the house had sold the girl off under the pretext of economizing on the household’s expenses. If Zhao Lingxiang had been a favored wife, she would not have dared to do so, but unluckily for her, she was not favored and had not borne Master Wei any children. She could only submit to the humiliation and being pushed around by the lady of the house. Thus, when she went to her hometown, she took the chance to order her sisters-in-law around to get a taste of command.

Finding herself in an awkward position, Zhao Lingxiang would not admit to not having a maid, for that would be losing face. She claimed, "How could that be possible? Sister-in-law surely does not know the extent of the Wei family’s wealth. Could we really not afford even a single maid? The two maids who usually serve me are back in the Wei Residence. I did not ask them to accompany me because this place is not so spacious. If too many servants follow, where would they all stand?"

Lin Yue confessed to herself that she was bad-hearted. She didn’t want to engage with Zhao Lingxiang at first, but now that Zhao Lingxiang had provoked her, she would not let her off easily. "Little sister’s words are true—the place is indeed a bit small. With such a large family business, this is also little sister’s parental home. It’s really quite humble, doesn’t look good to others. If someone didn’t know better, they might think little sister doesn’t care for her family at all and only lives a grand life of luxury. Why not ask your family’s Master Wei to find someone to fix up this house? Here in the countryside, repairs won’t cost much. Surely he won’t be so stingy as to say no?"

"Of course, my Master Wei is generous. He doesn’t lack for silver. I’ll talk to him about it later," Zhao Lingxiang said, though she knew inside how stingy Master Wei was, especially with the current downturn in the family’s business. It would be hard to squeeze any silver out of him. But Zhao Lingxiang thought that if she could manage to help her husband achieve some success, possibly getting the recipe for the food from the Lin Family, he might just happily agree.

Seeing Zhao Lingxiang’s forced expression, Lin Yue smiled secretly. Considering Master Wei’s ways, him being generous would be the real surprise. But outwardly, she cheerfully stated, "Little sister really did marry well. Master Wei is very good to you."

"Yes, my Master Wei is really good to me. He even built a small kitchen in the courtyard for me and brought in a cook to prepare meals especially for me. But maybe because I’m used to eating well, I’ve become fussy. The meals the cook prepares just don’t taste right. I can’t seem to get satisfied, no matter what. I heard you, sister-in-law, have some excellent recipes that make for very tasty dishes, even the Magistrate has praised them! We are family after all, so could you share those recipes with me? I’ll have the cook try them out, and perhaps we can host you at the Wei Residence for a banquet someday."

"I appreciate the thought, little sister, but there’s no need for a banquet at the Wei Residence. Besides, this recipe is a secret passed down through my family’s generations and should not be lightly shared. So, I’m sorry, but I must disappoint you, little sister. However, you needn’t worry. After all, your Master Wei adores you and is willing to spend for you; there are plenty of skilled cooks in Xin’an City. Just have your Master Wei hire one for you."

By now, Lin Yue had figured out exactly why the Wei Family insisted on inviting her and Zhao Erhu over—it turned out this was their ulterior motive. Neither Master Wei nor Zhao Lingxiang’s scheme had panned out, and the pleasant lunch ended on a discordant note.