A Good Country Wife
Chapter 459 - 453_1

Chapter 459: Chapter 453_1

"Master, should we continue the chase?" The manservant, seeing Master Wei lost in thought and silent, recalled the fate of the previous servant who had tailed the target. He steeled himself to ask, lest any delay or failure be blamed on him.

Master Wei snapped back to reality, his face betraying impatience. Really, why weren’t any of his followers sharp enough? It was clear he had his sights set on Zhang Qiusheng and his daughter; was there even a need to ask? Should the chase continue? He scolded, "Is that even a question? Chase them, immediately go chase them! I don’t care about the others, but Zhang Qiusheng and that beautiful young mistress must be brought back to me. If there’s any mishap, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

"Yes, master, I’ll take men to chase them right now," the manservant, startled by Master Wei’s fierce tone, took the order and led people toward Zhao Family village. What they hadn’t anticipated was Zhang Qiusheng seeking refuge at Zhao Family village. Thus, when they passed by the village without stopping and continued chasing forward, the two groups naturally missed each other. Master Wei’s trusted followers chased for an entire day, even reaching the next county town, but they did not catch up to their targets.

"Zhang Qiusheng and his family left in a horse-drawn carriage; their pace should have been slower than ours. By logic, we should have caught up to them by now. Why haven’t we seen them yet?" Master Wei’s confidant sensed something was wrong and ordered everyone to stop.

"I also feel something’s amiss. According to the information we gathered earlier, Zhang Qiusheng and his family were headed toward Zhao Family village. We have followed the direction correctly; could it be that Zhang Qiusheng knew we were following and deliberately changed course?"

"Guessing is no use. How about this: We split up to gather information and see if anyone similar to Zhang Qiusheng has been seen around here. Maybe we’ll find some clues." Master Wei’s confidant, still somewhat rational, immediately devised a fairly reliable plan.

Soon, the information was gathered. Despite thorough questioning in the small county town, no one reported sightings of Zhang Qiusheng and his family.

"Boss, what should we do? Do we continue the chase? The master gave a strict order to bring them back. If we return empty-handed, the master is unlikely to spare us." The followers knew of Master Wei’s ruthless methods, so failing their task made them especially anxious.

"We have done our best already. Not intercepting them can’t be helped. Besides, it’s possible Zhang Qiusheng and his family are still on their way here and we’ve simply missed them. We still need to go back, but we should slow down and inquire carefully along the way for any trace of Zhang Qiusheng’s family. Maybe we’ll make some discoveries."

"That’s the only option we have."

While Master Wei’s people chased ahead, Zhang Qiusheng’s family arrived at the farmstead. Lin Yue quickly arranged for them to be taken to a freshly cleaned courtyard. The yard was newly built and much brighter and spacious than Zhang Qiusheng’s previous residence. All the furniture and household items were new, and even the bedding prepared for them was brand new.

Zhang Qiusheng had not expected Lin Yue to go to such lengths, feeling somewhat guilty for his previous apprehensiveness, as well as feeling undeservingly favored. After all, he had come seeking sanctuary, and Lin Yue was willing to provide it. He would’ve been willing to accept less. Now that she bestowed such kindness, he felt compelled to work hard in return to repay Lin Yue’s generosity.

"How do you find this place, Master Zhang? This courtyard was built just this year. No one has lived here before, and your family is the first to stay here. All the items inside are newly purchased. Please, feel free to make yourself at home, and if anything is missing or needed, speak up."

"More than satisfied, truly grateful. To have such a fine place to stay, arranged by Dongjia’s wife, I hardly know how to express my gratitude. I will certainly work hard to repay her kindness."

Seeing that Zhang Qiusheng was genuinely grateful, Lin Yue felt somewhat comforted. "As long as you’re satisfied. I’ve had people clean the inside and outside. The rest, you may handle yourselves."

Now that they were going to live in Lin Yue’s house, Zhang Qiusheng swiftly had his family meet her. Zhang Qiusheng’s wife, parents, and everyone showed immense gratitude toward Lin Yue. Only his daughter Xiao Yu acted coldly and indifferently, acknowledging Lin Yue with a brief greeting, without saying anything else. If Lin Yue was not mistaken, there was a hint of scorn and disdain on the girl’s face. Perhaps, growing up in the city had led her to look down on country folks like them. Even now, when she had no other recourse and was seeking their help.

Such arrogance and lack of perception were indeed distasteful. Lin Yue was not a soft-hearted person; with the situation being in her favor, she saw no reason to hold back. She openly scrutinized Xiao Yu, with a tone that seemed like praise, "Master Zhang’s daughter is certainly quite pretty, radiant as a flower. It’s no wonder Master Wei had such thoughts."

Zhang Qiusheng sighed upon hearing Dongjia’s wife praise his daughter, "To be honest with Dongjia’s wife, she is my only child, and naturally, treasured. Her beauty brought us joy initially, but now it seems being ordinary would have been far better to avoid troubles like these."

"Being beautiful is not Miss Lin’s fault. Just be more careful in the future, after all, being a young lady and so attractive; it’s inevitable to draw attention. Better not to wander about and to remain settled," Lin Yue commented, her tone laced with irony although Zhang Qiusheng didn’t seem to notice, taking her words sincerely for Xiao Yu’s benefit.

"Dongjia’s wife is right. Xiao Yu spoiled by us, lacks restraint. Her rash visit to Wei Residence, not considering her unmarried status and the need for propriety—she could have simply sent a message to inform me, preventing the current predicament."

Xiao Yu, who looked down on a farmwife like Lin Yue, having been pampered and spoiled since childhood in the city, maintained a high opinion of herself. Despite recent tribulations due to Master Wei’s pursuit, her disposition remained unchanged. Seeing her family behave so deferentially before a farmwife was intolerable to her. Lin Yue’s unabashed inspection and comments on her situation were the final straw, especially at the mention of Master Wei, which disgusted her.

"Mind your own business. It’s my life, and if my parents aren’t interfering, why must you meddle!"

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