A Good Country Wife
Chapter 272 - 266 Intentional Provocation_1

Chapter 272: Chapter 266 Intentional Provocation_1

"Brother, why are you here?" Lin Yue was somewhat surprised. She had thought that after Zhao Erhu made those comments last time, Lin Qing would know better and retreat, avoiding visiting her again. Now it seemed Lin Qing didn’t look like someone who was deterred by difficulty.

Lin Yue’s impression of Lin Qing was still not bad; it was rare to have a relative who cared about her so much. Although some of his ideas and methods were wrong, she still felt a touch of warmth in her heart. Last time, she had ignored Lin Qing for Zhao Erhu’s sake and had Zhao Erhu forcibly send him away. Seeing Lin Qing again, Lin Yue felt somewhat guilty.

"I came to see you, Xiaoyue. Here are some snacks I brought for you from the city. The pastries from that place are really good; try them and see how you like them. And these are grapes I picked for you from the mountain. You used to love these the most, so I picked them all for you," Lin Qing said as he handed the basket to Lin Yue, his face showing the indulgence of a brother and the joy of reunion, without any sign of estrangement from the last incident.

Actually, Lin Qing did mind what happened last time, but he couldn’t bear to blame his sister. Instead, he redirected all his dissatisfaction towards Zhao Erhu. After all, this whole situation was created because of Zhao Erhu.

Lin Yue took the basket, which was quite heavy. Indeed, it was filled with many grapes, with dew still on them—clearly picked early in the morning and brought straight to her. Lin Yue felt even more moved in her heart.

"Brother, please come in and have a seat." Lin Yue knew Zhao Erhu disliked Lin Qing, fearing that she would be taken away by Lin Qing. But at that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to send her brother away. Besides, having decided to be with Zhao Erhu, she wouldn’t change her mind for the rest of her life unless Zhao Erhu failed her. So Zhao Erhu’s worries were entirely unnecessary. She would explain to Zhao Erhu after Lin Qing left; the old man seemed tolerant and generous most of the time, but he could be incredibly petty about certain things.

"Xiaoyue, have you been well lately? I’ve been busy with the imperial examination, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I’ve been genuinely worried. That brute hasn’t mistreated you, has he?" Lin Qing finished speaking and stared intently at Lin Yue, fearing she wouldn’t tell the truth because she was afraid. He tried to discern something from her expression.

But Lin Qing was bound to be disappointed. Lin Yue now looked much healthier than when she was at home, had put on weight instead of being skinny like a matchstick, and had grown a lot taller. She used to only reach his shoulder, but now she was as tall as his chin, appearing more like a grown young lady with a graceful figure.

Seeing Lin Qing’s irritated expression when Zhao Erhu came up, Lin Yue felt a bit amused. Her brother’s prejudice against Zhao Erhu was really deep. She was about to say there was nothing wrong when Zhao Erhu, who had been out of sight, suddenly appeared, his face dark as if he took Lin Qing’s words very seriously and angrily.

"I take good care of my wife, of course. Only beasts would mistreat their own wives. She’s living much better now than she did back in Shanglin Village. You haven’t seen how well she’s grown. She’s not skinny and weak like before, looking all sickly—that looks more like someone who’s been abused. Who really abused her is still in question."

As he spoke, Zhao Erhu pulled Lin Yue into his embrace, possessively, clearly wanting to discourage Lin Qing from the foolish idea of taking his wife away. He could see that Xiaoyue still had some affection for her brother; otherwise, she wouldn’t have let him inside the house. Although Lin Qing was detestable in many ways, Zhao Erhu had to admit the annoying bookworm did care for his sister. Otherwise, he wouldn’t keep coming back. As long as Lin Qing gave up the idea of taking his wife away, Zhao Erhu wouldn’t mind getting along with Lin Qing, even acknowledging him as a brother-in-law.

Zhao Erhu’s attitude softened much towards Lin Qing as he thought this way, but unfortunately, Lin Qing was single-mindedly focused on scraping together money to redeem his sister and then to marry Jiang Wenshu. Living a pleasant life with her would certainly be better than staying in this ravine tied to a boorish husband with a reputation for being hard on his wife. How could such a person be worthy of his sister? Therefore, he still didn’t show a pleasant face to Zhao Erhu.

Seeing Zhao Erhu hugging Lin Yue in front of him made Lin Qing’s expression even more displeased, "Truly a vulgar brute, in broad daylight, before everyone, behaving so frivolously; this is a disgrace to scholars. Release my sister at once!"

Not just Lin Yue, but even Zhao Erhu himself found it somewhat amusing seeing Lin Qing like this. This was just an obstinate scholar, right? Once he’s latched onto an inflexible idea, he won’t let go. When Zhao Erhu heard Lin Qing’s scolding, he not only didn’t let go but tightened his hold on Lin Yue instead, "What’s disgraceful to scholars? Yueyue is my wife, what’s wrong with me hugging her? It’s only right and proper. When no one’s around, I could even do more intimate things with her."

"Zhao Erhu!" Lin Yue pinched Zhao Erhu’s waist as a warning for him to restrain himself. This old man was deliberately provoking her brother; such juvenile turf-battling behavior was truly childish.

Zhao Erhu was absolutely unyielding on this matter. Instead of heeding the warning, he glared at Lin Yue, signaling her to behave and go along with him, "Wife, don’t make a fuss. I’m having a good talk with your brother. You’d better stand there strangely and not interrupt."

Lin Qing was a scholarly and upright bookworm—what he heard most were Confucian classics and teachings of propriety, integrity, decency, loyalty, and faith. He had never encountered Zhao Erhu’s blunt, unabashed manner of speaking. This was outright provocation!

Lin Qing’s face turned bright red as he pointed at Zhao Erhu, "You! You! Zhao Erhu, you, you are simply, simply... a disgrace to scholars!" Lin Qing could only repeat those few words as he cursed. Against vulgar reality, he really couldn’t voice anything cruder.

Zhao Erhu thought it was about time, seeing Lin Qing get so agitated; he didn’t continue but instead put on a serious and earnest expression, wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk with Lin Qing. If they could resolve this peacefully, it would be best.

"Lin Qing, I call you brother-in-law not because I’m scared of you or feel guilty. My wife is legitimately married to me. If there’s something wrong, it was your parents’ mistake; they sold their own daughter. If it weren’t me who bought Lin Yue but some other man, where would she be now?

You’ve repeatedly urged my wife to leave me for another man. I’m not insensate. The fact that I’m still talking to you so calmly now is because I see that my wife still cares a lot about her brother. I don’t want to put my wife in a difficult position, but if you really care about her welfare, then don’t encourage my wife to do anything inappropriate. Otherwise, even if my wife isn’t happy, I won’t agree to your ongoing contact."