A Good Country Wife
Chapter 484 - 478_1

Chapter 484: Chapter 478_1

Lin Yue had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to find all the spices she wanted, but to her surprise, the last store she visited had a complete selection. Deservedly, it was the largest and best spice shop in Xin’an City. After a lot of picking and choosing, Lin Yue ended up buying spices worth five hundred and thirty-six taels of silver. Because she bought in bulk, after some haggling, the shopkeeper rounded down, and she was charged an even five hundred taels of silver.

Zhao Erhu didn’t know where his wife had gone and had no choice but to search street by street. Finally, he found her in the north of the city, by a shop’s entrance where their family carriage was parked. Zhao Erhu’s heart leapt with joy, and he hurried over. Approaching the building, he realized it was a spice shop. Recalling that his wife had mentioned Fragrant Soap before, he understood she had come here to buy spices.

"Wife, there you are! I’ve been looking for you for ages. Why didn’t you say anything when you went out? I thought... I really got a fright. Please, don’t ever do this again." Zhao Erhu was a man who cared much about his public image, but at that moment, he was too worried to care about appearances and entered the shop, taking Lin Yue’s hand as he spoke.

Lin Yue, however, pulled her hand away, her expression cold and her lips curved in a mocking smile, "Thought what? That I had run away? We’ve been husband and wife for over a year now, and yet you trust me so little, always suspicious. I wonder what’s the point of living like this."

"Wife, I’m sorry, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have kept my sister’s condition from you. I absolutely trust you; everyone in the village knows how virtuous and kind you are. I was just afraid you would be upset. After all, what my sister did... I didn’t want to associate with her, but she is still my sister. Seeing her sick and bedridden, my heart couldn’t bear it," said Zhao Erhu apologetically.

As Zhao Erhu talked about Zhao Yunxiang, he became morose. His sister, with whom he grew up, was still so young, with what should have been many good years ahead of her, when fate had left her in her current state. He had visited Doctor Zheng, who had bluntly told him that even in the best case, his sister wouldn’t make it past next April or May. Lin Genfa had already been preparing for Zhao Yunxiang’s funeral, and that’s when he remembered his grandfather’s words about the unpredictability of life.

At this, Lin Yue became upset, "You know she is your blood-related sister, and you think I don’t? No matter how enraged I am, how can I blame her when she is so ill? But what did you do? You just tried every possible way to hide it from me, yet you say you trust me, trusting that I would do the same!"

"Wife, I... I was wrong. I was too afraid to face you, so I lied and kept it from you. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay? As long as you aren’t angry, I’ll do whatever it takes," Zhao Erhu replied, reaching for Lin Yue’s hand again. To him, his wife’s feelings were more important than saving face. Moreover, he had never been to this spice shop before and didn’t know the people there, so even if others saw him like this, he wouldn’t feel too embarrassed. Indeed, when men let go of their pride, they can become quite shameless.

The couple’s back-and-forth tugging and pulling drew the attention of the shopkeeper and the shop assistants, who couldn’t help but watch the quarreling pair with curiosity. Lin Yue realized everyone in the shop was looking at them. Not having as thick skin as Zhao Erhu, she no longer wanted to continue arguing with him in public, reasoning that it was pointless to cause a spectacle and give people something to laugh about.

"Enough, Zhao Erhu. We’re still outside. Stop it; you may not be embarrassed, but I am," Lin Yue said, taking charge of the situation. She went to the front, handed the silver note to the shopkeeper, settled the account, and instructed the assistants to load the items onto the carriage.

While the other items were being loaded onto the carriage, there was a bag containing some more expensive spices and essential oils, which should not be jumbled together carelessly. The essential oils were packed in porcelain bottles, which could be damaged if not handled properly, so Lin Yue took it upon herself to carry this bag separately to be placed carefully on the carriage later on.

"Wife, you’ve bought so many spices," Zhao Erhu said, trying to make conversation when he saw Lin Yue holding a bag herself and quickly reached to take it from her. "Wife, there’s no need for you to do this; let me, let me, hehe."

Lin Yue saw that Zhao Erhu, who usually cared a lot about his face in front of others, was thickening his skin to please her by apologizing and wheedling in a low voice in public. Even if she was still upset, her anger dissipated a lot, and she didn’t continue to be stubborn. With a compliant gesture, she let him take the bag. Worried that Zhao Erhu might not handle it properly, she instructed with a stern face, "Be gentle, these are all precious goods. Most of the silver coin was spent on them, so be careful not to bump and damage them."

Zhao Erhu saw that although his little wife had a cold face, her attitude had softened, and he felt a surge of joy, cheerfully assuring her, "Alright, rest assured, wife, I will be careful."

"Madam Zhao, all the goods have been moved to the carriage. Is there anything else you’d like to order?" the shop assistant said obsequiously. They seldom had such a big spender in their spice shop—a single transaction could amount to hundreds of taels of silver. Not just the assistants but even the shopkeeper had to be accommodating.

"There’s nothing else to order; thank you," Lin Yue said as she and Zhao Erhu got into the carriage, while the shopkeeper diligently followed them out.

"Madam Zhao, have a safe journey, and do come back soon. Our spice shop will receive a large batch of fine spices in a few days. Please drop by when you have time."

"I will, shopkeeper, until next time," she replied.

After leaving the spice shop, Zhao Erhu drove the carriage to Jimin Hall. The horse he rode into Xin’an City was still at Jimin Hall, and Lin Yue also needed to stop by Jimin Hall to buy some spices and herbs not available at the spice shop—she had been making fragrant soaps lately, with some varieties incorporating medicinal herbs that were prescribed by Jiang Ziqi.

Doctor Zheng and Shopkeeper Liu were aware of Zhao Erhu’s search for his wife, so when they saw Zhao Erhu enter first, they immediately asked, "Brother Erhu is here. Have you found your wife yet? If not, I can send some brothers to help you look for her. After all, Mistress Lin is a woman, and a pretty one at that. In these times in Xin’an City, it’s really not safe for a woman to be outside alone."

"Yes, Brother Erhu," Doctor Zheng continued, his voice laced with concern. "No matter what dispute you and your wife have had, it’s important to find her first. It’ll be too late for regrets if something really happens." Doctor Zheng was quite worried. The Magistrate Cheng was a negligent and corrupt official who only knew how to indulge in pleasures. Now, Xin’an City was in chaos, and anything awful could happen. Just the other day he heard that a young maiden from a family went missing without a trace. No one knew where she ended up, but most likely, she had been kidnapped. It’s a world of sin; he heard she was engaged and planned to get married next spring.

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