A Good Country Wife
Chapter 280 - 274 How Unwise_1

Chapter 280: Chapter 274 How Unwise_1

"Where’s your husband Zhao Erhu? Call him over, I have business matters to discuss with him." Zhao Lingxiang felt that such matters were beyond Lin Yue’s competence as a woman. Although Zhao Erhu appeared to treat his wife well, Zhao Lingxiang knew her stepbrother well enough: he was shrewd. Had it not been for her father’s influence, Erhu would have never let her mother gain the upper hand. Therefore, she did not believe Zhao Erhu would allow Lin Yue to meddle in business affairs. Her own master in the Wei Family was the same; he never allowed the women from the inner quarters to broach business matters. The last time she carelessly inquired, she’d been chastised fiercely and given the cold shoulder for several days.

Lin Yue looked at Zhao Lingxiang as if she were insane. "What does this woman think she is, putting on such airs? My husband has gone to work in the fields; he has no time for these trivial issues. If you have something to say, say it now to me. Otherwise, please leave. I’m busy myself and have no time for idle folks."

"I need Zhao Erhu for an important matter. It is not fit for discussion with a woman. You’d better call him right away. If this opportunity is missed, you’ll regret it when Zhao Erhu deals with you!" Zhao Lingxiang had never liked Lin Yue. From their first meeting, the Lin Family showed her no face, and their subsequent encounters were quite unpleasant. Zhao Lingxiang had long sought to regain her dignity and saw this as a chance to assert her superiority over Lin Yue, who she thought was far too pleased with herself.

Moreover, Zhao Lingxiang harbored a subtle resentment. Master Wei’s demeanor toward her could be as dismissive as toying with a kitten or a puppy when he was pleased, and even worse, when he was not, he treated her like a maid or something even more abject, to be summoned or dismissed at will. As a woman, Lin Yue lived such a comfortable life; Zhao Erhu treated her so well, doting on her to the skies, and any woman would feel envious, especially someone like Zhao Lingxiang, who was steeped in the bitterness of the inner quarters and naturally sought to outshine Lin Yue in other aspects.

"I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my husband treats me very well. He never chastises me, only spoils me." Lin Yue said, not missing the flash of jealousy on Zhao Lingxiang’s face, her words laced with a killing gentleness. Having said that, she moved to close the door but paused when she saw Li Xiaomei approaching.

"Xiaomei, do you want to come in? If not, I’m closing the door. I have things to attend to, and no time to waste chattering with others." At that moment, Lin Yue wasn’t actually busy. She had already completed Jiang Ziqi’s Longevity Picture a few days earlier, and all other household matters were being handled by Zhao Erhu. She hadn’t had such free time for a while and planned to relax for a few days. Her words were simply an excuse to avoid Zhao Lingxiang; she still had time to chat idly with Li Xiaomei.

"I’m coming, I’m coming, just wait for me!" Li Xiaomei, who had been watching the exchange between Lin Yue and Zhao Lingxiang with great interest, hurried over at Lin Yue’s words and cast a contemptuous glance at Zhao Lingxiang, who fumed with indignation.

Zhao Lingxiang pointed at Li Xiaomei and Lin Yue, seeing that Lin Yue was indeed about to shut them out, signaled her maid Xiaocui to hurry. Xiaocui rushed forward with such force that she managed to pry the door open just before Lin Yue could close it, and the mistress and maid barged in, disregarding Lin Yue completely.

"Hey, who do you think you are, bandits? Bursting in without the owner’s permission; do you believe I’d throw you out?" Lin Yue was just spouting off, having had a scuffle with her elder aunt Zhao Lan and Sister Zhao Yunxiang before. Zhao Erhu seemed to have noticed the violent streak within Lin Yue and had warned her more than once not to lay a hand on anyone, or else be ready for a beating. Lin Yue certainly didn’t want to be so sore that she couldn’t get out of bed for days. Not only was that painful, but it was also embarrassing, especially the way Liu’s ambiguous glances at her after she woke up late always made her—

Zhao Lingxiang knew that trying to intimidate Lin Yue was futile; Lin Yue would surely ignore her. Recalling Lin Yue’s mention that Zhao Erhu was working in the fields, she sent Xiaocui to call for him. It wasn’t Zhao Lingxiang’s first visit to Zhao Erhu’s home; she made herself at home in the main hall, waiting for Xiaocui to bring Zhao Erhu back. She was determined to have Zhao Erhu give Lin Yue a good lesson; even if Zhao Erhu doted on his wife, he would likely give her this face for the sake of silver.

"Really, you have no manners. When guests arrive, you don’t even know to pour a cup of tea. It makes a difference whether a bride was bought or traditionally carried in on a sedan chair." Zhao Lingxiang wanted to wait for Zhao Erhu to come back and discipline Lin Yue, but Lin Yue’s indifference and the way she treated her like air fueled Zhao Lingxiang’s anger, leading her to lash out verbally at Lin Yue. Everyone in Zhao Family Village knew that Lin Yue was bought by Zhao Erhu for fifteen taels of silver, a fact that often led to her disparagement.

Lin Yue raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Zhao Lingxiang without a hint of anger; instead, she revealed a hint of a smile, "Yes, it’s different, but at least I’m rightfully Zhao Erhu’s wife, unlike some, who are just concubines, not even qualified to stand by Master Wei’s side. A little sedan carried you through the side door into the mansion, where you must bow and follow the madam’s rules, and even avoid wearing proper red clothing. Everyone knows concubines can’t wear true red—it’s such a shame. Such beautiful, festive, and auspicious color, alas, those without fortune simply don’t have it."

In terms of infuriating others, Lin Yue was in no way inferior to Zhao Lingxiang—in fact, she could be even better. When Lin Yue was feeling petulant, even Zhao Erhu’s patience was tested by the words spouted from that little mouth, and he often wanted to straighten out that little thing—and that was when Lin Yue was still holding back. Against an adversary, Lin Yue held nothing back, utterly merciless with her words. Zhao Lingxiang’s tolerance was far from sufficient, especially with Li Xiaomei, famous in the village for her sharp tongue, sitting right there. It was truly unwise for Zhao Lingxiang to initiate a verbal confrontation.

Li Xiaomei’s tongue was made for scathing remarks; sitting still and listening to others verbally spar was tough for her. She didn’t hesitate to leap into the fray, "Sister-in-law is right; true red is such a nice color that a lowly concubine cannot wear. There’s a saying: ’Better be a poor man’s wife than a rich man’s concubine.’ Some people just insist on degrading themselves, climbing the pole to offer themselves. They might look glorious on the outside, but who knows how much they’re ground down by the lady of the house behind closed doors. I wonder if someone here has ever poured foot bath water for the madam? The water for washing a wealthy lady’s feet must smell fragrant, right? That’s why they say people are born to different stations."

Li Xiaomei’s words weren’t just baseless rumors; she had overheard Wei Family’s private conversations with Zhao Lingxiang and was now putting that eavesdropped information to good use.

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