A Good Country Wife
Chapter 450 - 444_1

Chapter 450: Chapter 444_1

Shopkeeper Liu had received a travel itinerary that was based on a letter sent from Jiang Ziqi when Lin Yue and the others had set out, calculated according to the time needed for the journey, without accounting for the two-day delay Lin Yue and her group would encounter due to the heavy rain. Dalang and his brothers had been anxiously waiting since hearing the news; they were counting the days for their parents’ return. Once they knew their parents were coming back, they asked for leave from their teacher and returned home to wait, but to their dismay, they waited in vain for two consecutive days, their hearts filled with anxiety.

"Erhu, didn’t they say our parents were supposed to arrive yesterday? Why haven’t they come back yet?"

"I don’t know. Maybe something delayed them. Let’s wait a bit longer. If they don’t come today, we’ll go to Jimin Hall and ask Shopkeeper Liu. He should have some news." Erhu, after all, was the most resourceful among the brothers and suggested the idea after some thought.

Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue didn’t reach home until late evening when the sky was nearly dark. It was too late to go into Jimin Hall because they were worried they wouldn’t make it back before the city gates closed, so they parted ways with Li Xun outside and headed directly home, while Li Xun went to Jimin Hall. On the way, Li Xun was also responsible for escorting some medicinal herbs to Jimin Hall, but Zhao Erhu had made plans to invite Li Xun over to his house after he was done with his duties, along with a few brothers who had returned with them on the road. Their interactions back and forth had developed friendships, and naturally, upon reaching Xin’an City, it was customary to host and entertain guests.

"Brother Li and all the brothers, please come together. It’s a rare visit to Xin’an City, and it wouldn’t be right not to sit at my house. I’ll have my wife prepare a good table of food for us to enjoy a hearty drink," Zhao Erhu warmly invited.

"Sure, after we’ve handed over matters to Shopkeeper Liu, we’ll come over. We are well aware of your sister-in-law’s culinary skills. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, we would have come to visit," said Li Xun as he slapped Zhao Erhu’s shoulder with such force that had it been Lin Yue, she would’ve been knocked askew by the blow. But Zhao Erhu didn’t budge an inch, only smiling in response to Li Xun.

"Good, then I’ll be waiting for Brother Li to arrive."

When Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue got home, they thought they’d find an empty house as they had arranged for the servants and long-term workers to stay elsewhere, and Dalang and his brothers were at school while the youngest was left in the care of Zhao Dahuo’s family. So naturally, they didn’t expect anyone to be home. But when they approached their house, they saw the lights were on. Both Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue were surprised, wondering if burglars had sneaked in.

After dinner, Dalang and his brothers had returned to their rooms – some to read, others to practice their writing. Their parents had instructed them to study hard during their absence, and being sensible boys, they needed no urging to be diligent. Moreover, the events that occurred in their household before had matured the brothers early, making them realize that they needed to work hard in order to protect their family.

"Listen, there seem to be sounds outside. Could it be that our parents are back?" Ziqi, still young, had put his books aside after reading for a while and was lost in thought. He was more alert to external noises and, upon hearing something, immediately got up excitedly, not waiting for his brothers, he ran outside to see and indeed found Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue returning, giving a joyful shout.

"Dad! Mom! You’re back; I missed you so much," Ziqi said as he rushed into Lin Yue’s arms, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Dad! Mom!" By this time, Dalang, Erhu, and the third brother had also come out of their rooms, their faces unable to hide their joy, and they all crowded around.

"Dalang, Erhu, Sanlang, Ziqi," Lin Yue called out each brother’s name in order, missing her ’sons’ after so long. She happily pulled them in for a closer look, "How have you been these days? Your father and I missed you very much."

Zhao Erhu, looking at the young ones, wasn’t as emotional as Lin Yue and thought differently, "Weren’t you all studying at the academy? Why are you all at home? Have you skipped classes without listening to your teacher?" he asked, his face turning stern and his eyebrows furrowing tightly, suspecting he had guessed correctly. Otherwise, why would the children be at home at this time?

Dalang quickly explained to clear up the misunderstanding, "No, dad, we have been studying hard. But we had heard from Shopkeeper Liu that you were coming home, so we came here to wait for you. We asked for a day off and these two days are rest days, so that’s why we are at home."

Upon hearing Dalang’s words, Zhao Erhu’s expression softened, "That’s good then. I’ve also asked your teacher at the academy about you. If I find out you haven’t been studying properly, I won’t let you off easily."

"Don’t worry, dad, you can ask the teacher. We’ve done nothing to anger him, and we’ve been studying diligently at the academy and haven’t caused any trouble," Sanlang quickly assured, mentioning how the teacher had often praised them, especially Erhu, whom the teacher now favored, always saying he was gifted and hardworking, and would surely succeed in the future.

Seeing her children, Lin Yue felt more heartache than anger and certainly did not want them rebuked by Zhao Erhu. Seeing Zhao Erhu still looking like he wanted to lecture them, she protested, "Enough, Zhao Erhu, what are you doing? After being away for so long, you come back and start scolding the children! They’re all sensible and obedient, they wouldn’t do such a thing as skipclass. You really don’t understand your own sons at all, honestly."

Dalang and his brothers secretly snickered upon seeing Lin Yue stand up to their dad for them; they all knew too well that their father adored their mother most, never daring to speak harshly to his wife. Now that their mother had scolded him, he, like them, had no choice but to accept the rebuke.

Zhao Erhu was really just missing his sons after a long time and felt it necessary to instruct them, believing that strict discipline was key to their success. Seeing the boys quietly laughing at him, he cursed them inwardly, resolving to deal with them later. But his little wife was really something – undermining him in front of the children, leaving him with no face. He definitely needed to have a proper talk with his wife later; otherwise, with no authority left in front of the kids, how could he discipline them in the future?

"Dad, Mom, you must be hungry from the journey. I’ll go make dinner for you right now," Erhu, seeing his dust-covered parents, considerately offered. They had thought it unlikely their parents would return that night, so they hadn’t kept any food ready; they would now need to cook afresh in the kitchen.

"We’ll help," said Dalang. The brothers were now adept at cooking their own meals, having done so for the past two days.

"Alright then, I’m looking forward to the dinner made by my sons," responded Lin Yue, indeed feeling tired. At this moment, she didn’t want to move, but smiled as she heard what her sons said – she wasn’t old yet, but had already begun to enjoy the blessings of having sons.