A Good Country Wife
Chapter 448 - 442 - _1

Chapter 448: 442 Chapter_1

Erhu truly felt helpless about his little wife. No matter what, he first laid out the whole matter and his own plan to Lin Yue, bearing his true heart and expressing his sincerity. Although he knew that his wife’s talk of leaving was said in anger and not meant sincerely, if his attitude were bad, the false could very well become truth. His wife was particularly stubborn in certain aspects, which absolutely couldn’t be provoked.

"Wife, look, I have told you everything. The story went just like this. I was only thinking that I, as a man, should have my own capabilities and cannot rely on you for everything, especially when you suffer under Miss Chen at the Chen Mansion. It hurts me to see, and I’m unable to help you fight back. It’s a terrible feeling, that I, a grown man, let my own wife be so wronged. At that moment, I swore that I must make something of myself, so you wouldn’t have to work so hard."

Erhu originally did not want to say these things; after all, he still harbored some male chauvinism and was reluctant for his wife to know his feelings of inferiority. But now he had no choice but to speak. Compared to those false pretenses, it was more important that his wife believed in him and wasn’t angry.

After hearing Erhu’s thoughts, Lin Yue felt somewhat uncomfortable, for after all, her hard work had also been for the sake of their home. But she wasn’t surprised at Erhu’s way of thinking. Erhu wasn’t the type of man who would lose his temper and live off a woman. He had his own pride and thoughts, and despite this, Erhu always took great care of her, treasured and pampered her without giving away a hint of his feelings. Perhaps, just as Erhu had said, what concerned him most was the grievances she had suffered.

"Erhu, if you had these thoughts, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Haven’t we agreed, as husband and wife, to be honest with each other?" Different matters required different approaches. Lin Yue’s previous stance was out of unwillingness to be deceived by Erhu, sure that he would not agree. But now, it’s clear that the focus of the problem is no longer the same.

The earlier talk of leaving and being able to live well without Erhu was simply said in anger. Not to mention, given the societal conditions of the time, it would be extremely difficult for a woman to live alone, not to mention the unavoidable gossip. Moreover, after having lived together for so long and Erhu being so genuinely good to her, how could she be without feelings? Erhu was a good husband, loving and cherishing his wife; such a man was hard to find in the present, let alone in an era of male superiority. Lin Yue was not foolish enough to give up on Erhu over such an issue. What she needed to do now was to turn Erhu’s thinking around, preventing it from straying too far.

"Wife, I really have no face to speak of it. You have done so much for our family, worked so hard, and yet I still harbor such thoughts, which is truly inappropriate. But I can’t help it," Erhu said with a sense of guilt.

"Brother Erhu, don’t say anymore. I understand your feelings. You are a man with aspirations, certainly not comparable to those who have no ambition and are willing to live off women. But the good days our family enjoys now are not my doing alone. It’s the result of our efforts together. You should not sell yourself short."

"Wife, I..." Erhu wanted to say something more but was interrupted by Lin Yue.

Lin Yue didn’t want to dwell on this topic and shifted the conversation. "Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. You mentioned wanting to cooperate with the Empress Dowager’s natal family, the Marquis of Zhenbei’s mansion, to go into business at sea?"

"Indeed, it’s the Empress Dowager’s maternal family, the Princely Heir of Chen Mansion, Feng Yinan," Zhao Erhu said quite confidently.

"But Erhu, not to sell myself short, what status does the Marquis of Zhenbei’s household have? How can they cooperate with people like us? And how did you get to know the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei? They don’t have ulterior motives, do they?" It’s not that Lin Yue was narrow-minded or always assumed the worst about people, but the difference in status between them and the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei was so great that Lin Yue couldn’t understand why someone like the Princely Heir would cooperate with a country farmer like Zhao Erhu. It was simply contrary to reason, leading her inevitably to suspect some hidden agenda.

"Wife, don’t worry, your husband isn’t so careless. Since I have decided to collaborate with the Princely Heir, naturally I’ve thoroughly looked into the Marquis of Zhenbei’s household and the Princely Heir himself. The Princely Heir’s character is still trustworthy. Furthermore, setting aside the fact that I unintentionally saved the Princely Heir once, for which he is grateful, the internal relations within the Marquis of Zhenbei’s household are very complicated."

Although Feng Yinan was the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei’s household, the current Marchioness of Zhenbei was a stepmother, the Princely Heir’s stepmother, who also had a ten-year-old son. She eyed the position of the Princely Heir covetously, constantly disparaging him in front of the Marquis to undermine his position. And that wasn’t enough; behind the scenes, she even hired people to harm the Princely Heir. This time, due to a moment of carelessness by the Princely Heir, he fell for the trap set by the Marchioness of Zhenbei and nearly lost his life. If I hadn’t happened to pass by and save him, he might have died," he added.

Zhao Erhu spoke lightly, but saving Feng Yinan was definitely dangerous, not just a small favor as Zhao Erhu had put it. Lin Yue understood as much; otherwise, why would a mere favor prompt the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei to want to forge a connection?

"Zhao Erhu, you promised me to take care of yourself in times of trouble, so why do such dangerous things?"

"Wife, don’t be mad. I acted impulsively at the moment without hesitation because the Princely Heir didn’t seem like a deceitful or cunning person, which is why I offered my help. Later, after learning his identity, I knew I hadn’t saved the wrong person. That stepmother of the Princely Heir is just too ruthless."

"Forget it, I can’t be bothered to lecture you, as long as you have your wits about you. But if you guys are going to venture into sea trade, why are you heading south? Is it to stock up on goods? And as for the son and daughter-in-law of Old Master Qian, why did you agree to help them? You’ve never been so meddlesome before, getting involved in the affairs of others." Since she was not angry with Zhao Erhu anymore, Lin Yue asked all the questions on her mind, one after another.

"Wife, you guessed right. I do plan to go south to procure goods. The silk and embroidery from Jiangnan are very well received by foreigners and will definitely fetch a high price overseas, along with some other southern specialties. As for Old Master Qian’s son and daughter-in-law, I asked people in the village about them yesterday. Old Master Qian’s son is skilled in business, and what is rare is that he is also a decent and loyal person. The villagers all speak well of him."

This region is all mountainous, with abundant furs and local specialties, and prices are fair. I think if I can find Old Master Qian’s son, I can have him help collect furs and local specialties here. Later on, the better items can even be shipped overseas to sell, especially the furs, which fetch high prices over there. And I possess the skill to cure furs, so this business is sure to be profitable."

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