A Good Country Wife
Chapter 315 - 309 Be Responsible for Oneself_1

Chapter 315: Chapter 309 Be Responsible for Oneself_1

"No, no, that won’t do, Erhu, this was my fault. It has nothing to do with Genfa—you can’t make him go to the government on my behalf. Our whole family relies on your brother-in-law to keep us going. Could you really bear to see your nephew and niece suffer through days without enough to eat, not knowing when they’ll get their next meal? Erhu, I truly realize my mistake. Please forgive me this one time, just once!" Zhao Yunxiang rushed forward, crying and begging Erhu, stopping just short of kneeling down before him.

Zhao Erhu was not unmoved by Zhao Yunxiang and Lin Genfa in this state. For a minor matter, he might have forgiven them, but this time they had nearly cost his wife her life. His wife had always been frail, and it had not been easy to nurture her to her current condition. That Zhao Yunxiang could do such a thing, he simply could not forgive. He couldn’t imagine how terrified he felt seeing his beloved wife motionless, lying there. If anything had happened to her, he didn’t know how he would carry on living.

"Sister, brother-in-law, it’s not that I don’t want to forgive you, but how can I forgive such a thing? You didn’t just make some minor mistake; you tried to take my wife’s life. My wife has been with me for less than a year, but in that time, she has endured so much hardship for my sake. I cannot tolerate anyone hurting her like this—not even you, my own sister. Brother-in-law is right, wrongdoings require atonement, only then will you truly remember this lesson,"

Having said this, Zhao Erhu no longer looked at Zhao Yunxiang. Instead, he turned to the village chief and said, "Chief, such a grave matter should be left to the government to handle. Please trouble yourself to turn them over. I will cooperate in whatever is needed."

As Zhao Erhu spoke these words, Zhao Yunxiang completely broke down. She collapsed on the ground without any concern for appearances, crying piteously. It was hard for Zhao Erhu too—after all, she was his flesh and blood sister, and it wasn’t possible for him to feel nothing. Still, he didn’t change his mind. The village chief and the senior family members, seeing that Zhao Erhu was resolute, did not try to dissuade him further. After all, harming someone’s life was not something easily forgiven.

"Zhao Erhu, you heartless thing, I am your own sister! How can you treat me this way? Have you forgotten how I treated you when we were young? Your conscience must have been eaten by a dog. You, with your callous and cruel heart, will not meet a good end. No wonder you’ve been detested since you were child. You deserve it!" Zhao Yunxiang, not expecting such serious consequences for her actions, nor that her own brother could be so merciless as to personally send her to the government, hurled accusations at Zhao Erhu.

"Take them away, send them to the government," the village chief ordered. People began to escort Zhao Yunxiang and Chunxi onto the horse carriage, which would take them to the government offices. Both Zhao Yunxiang and Chunxi struggled, full of fear.

"Wait a moment." Lin Yue, though she loathed Zhao Yunxiang, still found herself unable to help but intervene— not because she was kind-hearted or had any noble feelings, but for the sake of that man who had always been good to her, who had silently given so much for her.

Lin Yue knew that Zhao Erhu valued relationships. If Zhao Yunxiang had pushed him instead that day, he probably wouldn’t have been so resolute. Of course, that was an impossible scenario; as a hunter, Zhao Erhu was agile and quick, and it would not have been easy for Zhao Yunxiang to take him down.

Zhao Erhu going this far for her touched Lin Yue deeply. Even if at this moment Zhao Erhu’s heart ached for Zhao Yunxiang, feeling remorse and sorrow, the choice he had made was her, and that was enough for Lin Yue. She didn’t want her man to feel so troubled. She had vowed to treat Zhao Erhu well that day. Whatever happened to Zhao Yunxiang, the pain and suffering Lin Yue had experienced would not be lessened. It would only release the anger in her heart.

Considering it all, Zhao Erhu was the one who had suffered the most during this ordeal. At the time, she had been unconscious, feeling nothing, as if in a dream. When she awoke, her body had mostly recovered, and the only real pain she felt was the excruciating agony when Jiang Ziqi used the Soul-piercing Needle to revive her—a memory that still terrified her. Everything else had been borne by Zhao Erhu; he sought medical care for her, looked after her night after night, and was anxious and worried for her.

"Wife, I know you’re doing this for me, but you really don’t need to..." Erhu knew exactly why Lin Yue was acting this way,

"Shh!" Lin Yue covered Erhu’s mouth before he could continue speaking. "Erhu, you are my man. It’s not only you who cares and treats me well, I feel the same way. What Zhao Yunxiang did this time was unforgivable, and I won’t forgive her. Consider it as me repaying all her past kindness towards you on your behalf. From now on, you don’t have to live with any guilt—we owe her nothing."

As Lin Yue spoke, she looked at Zhao Yunxiang. "Zhao Yunxiang, you are Erhu’s elder sister and have taken care of him since he was young. For Erhu’s sake, I’ll let you off this once. However, since you’ve harbored such malicious intent towards me, from now on, I won’t consider you as my elder sister anymore. Our family doesn’t owe you anything either, let’s consider my life as repayment to you! You needn’t constantly bring up the past to impose on Erhu."

Upon hearing Lin Yue say this, Zhao Yunxiang stopped her crying and sobbing. Erhu always listened to his wife, so his stern treatment of her was solely because of his wife. Since Lin Yue had spoken this way, it seemed Erhu would not insist on taking her to the government anymore.

Although Lin Yue had said this, the village head still looked at Erhu. After all, it was Erhu, the man of the house, who had the final say. Without his word, nothing could be settled.

"Let’s just do as my wife says," Erhu finally spoke, and only then did Zhao Yunxiang truly breathe a sigh of relief, knowing this matter was now behind them. But her mind was still muddled. "Hmph, at least you have some conscience!" she snorted.

Lin Yue had just spoken, but seeing Zhao Yunxiang act as if it were her due made her uncomfortable and even more convinced of her husband’s worth. She couldn’t help but want to sting Zhao Yunxiang with her words. "Zhao Yunxiang, were you really that good to Erhu when you were kids? If you truly cared that much for him, how could he have been bullied all the time? It’s yourself you care about the most, isn’t it? Some things are well understood between us, and we don’t need to spell them out so clearly. Anyway, it’s all over now; however, you should mind your attitude."

Zhao Yunxiang, struck by Lin Yue’s words, fell silent, especially under the condemning gaze of Lin Genfa, which she found difficult to bear.

"Erhu, I... I’m sorry..." Lin Genfa, supporting a somewhat weak-kneed Zhao Yunxiang and hanging his head in shame, couldn’t bring himself to ask Erhu for forgiveness openly.

Erhu’s face showed no emotion, and he felt calm inside. "You all should leave. As my wife said, any past kindness has been repaid with her life. Our families have no relationship anymore, and there’s no need for further contact. Take care of yourselves."