A Good Country Wife
Chapter 511 - 505_1

Chapter 511: 505_1

Separated by thousands of miles, Lin Yue was unaware of the harsh words Zhao Erhu had uttered, nor was she aware of Haishi’s thoughts. At that moment, she was receiving the New Year’s gifts from the Capital City. Judging by the timing, these gifts and those sent by her family were dispatched around the same period. However, what surprised her was that she received not only the New Year’s gifts from the Jiang Family and Lady Roujia but also a gift from Princess Yongle. It was known that Princess Yongle, still unmarried and living in the palace, relied on the Imperial Household Department for all her expenses and naturally did not need to prepare New Year’s gifts. Lin Yue’s decision to send a gift was due to Princess Yongle’s status and the goodwill between them.

However, Princess Yongle, being the most favored princess, sent the finest of the fine. This lady was generous and, by estimation, sent much more than both the Jiang Family and Lady Roujia. Lin Yue suspected that Princess Yongle might have chosen directly from the Imperial Household Department without spending her own money, and therefore did not feel the pinch.

Yet, Princess Yongle indeed possessed such an attitude; not to mention using the Imperial Household Department’s resources, she would not care even if it were her own possessions. After all, a princess who grew up with every luxury and affection showered upon her cared little for material wealth, unlike commoners like Lin Yue, who pondered daily on how to earn silver.

The New Year’s gift from Princess Yongle was the most abundant and precious of all. Among the items were even rare gems and jade artifacts from the palace. Although the gifts from Lady Roujia and the Jiang Family were not as lavish as those from Princess Yongle, they were undeniably generous and of the highest quality. Only the Chen Family’s New Year’s gift was miserably modest, comprised merely of some ordinary fabric and dried fruits—inferior even to Lin Yue’s household usage. She wondered if their total value even reached two hundred taels of silver, leaving Lin Yue quite taken aback.

Although the New Year’s gift Lin Yue had arranged for the Chen Mansion was not as personally selected and carefully prepared as those for the others in the Capital City, they were still quality goods. After all, Chen Dalang had become a Fourth-rank official, and the gifts could not be too humble, lest they seem disrespectful. Moreover, although Lin Yue was not keen on interacting with the Chen Family due to her relationship with Chen Dalang’s wife and daughter, she still recognized Chen Dalang’s kindness.

Speaking of which, Chen Dalang could be considered a righteous official, neither greedy for wealth nor corrupted by lust. His support was significant to her family during his tenure in Xin’an City. Even though Chen Dalang had his motives—to curry favor with the Jiang Family—the benefits were received, and Lin Yue was not one to shirk them. Therefore, the gift sent to the Chen Mansion was only half less than what was sent to the others, certainly ample. One should note that Chen Dalang’s status could not compare with the Jiang Family or Lady Roujia, let alone Princess Yongle.

"Madam, the Chen Family really lacks decency, offering so little in comparison to the gifts you sent. It’s as if they were trying to fob off beggars," Xu Momo argued. In her view, exchanging New Year’s gifts was a way to maintain relationships, and while some discrepancy was acceptable, it should not be excessive. Unless it was lower-ranking persons attempting to ingratiate themselves or seeking favors, in which case, they naturally needed to give more, with no need for reciprocation. But their household had made no such overtures to the Chen Family, much less sought their favor. Compared to Princess Yongle, Lady Roujia, and the Jiang Family, who outranked Chen Dalang by a hundredfold, courting other’s favor was far superior to courting his.

"The Chen Family has indeed been disrespectful. To act this way, they clearly have no intent of associating with us. Since that is the case, let us forgo including the Chen Family in future gift-giving; if they do not appreciate the likes of our country household, there’s no need for us to chase after them," Lin Yue commented, having sent the New Year’s gift to the Chen Mansion without bearing past grudges or holding the mother-daughter duo of the Chen Family accountable. Yet, the Chen Family still acted as they did, rendering any attempt on her part pointless.

"Yes, I’ve noted it. From now on, we won’t send anything to the Chen Family. Madam’s decision is truly wise. To be honest, it’s about time. I’ve always felt that the Chen Family was too petty. Madam has sent them many gifts before, and when have they ever reciprocated properly? They act as if it’s their due. Miss Chen has troubled Madam on several occasions. Our family owes them nothing. They truly regard themselves too highly," Xixi cheerily agreed, fully endorsing Lin Yue’s decision and voicing her long-held opinion.

Lin Yue laughed and shook her head. Xixi, though not the brightest, was loyal. To Lin Yue, the gifts were inconsequential, but they seemed to have distressed Xixi greatly. "Alright, see how pleased you are. Regardless, our family once benefited from the kindness of Chen Dalang. Now we’re even; no need for further dealings."

The New Year’s gifts for the Capital City were sent. In Xin’an City, despite Zhao Erhu’s instructions before his departure to forbid her from entering the city and to have servants make any necessary purchases, Lin Yue felt she ought to personally visit Zhang, the Scholar who tutored her Dalang and his brothers. Zhang had shown exceptional dedication to her sons, and occasionally Zhang’s wife would even prepare some delicacies to send to the academy for the boys, treating them like her own nephews. Moreover, with the school set to break for a couple of days soon, it was the perfect opportunity to bring her sons home.

Lin Yue carefully selected the New Year’s gift for Scholar Zhang as well. While preparing the gifts for the Capital City, she had set aside some items. The vegetables and fruits were freshly picked, and she chose a few rolls of fabric and a set of writing materials from the gifts that had arrived from the Capital City, along with a selection of western curios that Erhu had asked Zhao Xinglin to bring back from his journey overseas. She even included some exotic fruits contributed as tributes from various barbaric countries, which were part of Princess Yongle’s gift. Loading everything into two carts, she personally led her servants to deliver them to Scholar Zhang’s home.

When she arrived, Scholar Zhang happened to be at home and was reluctant to accept so much upon seeing the bounty Lin Yue brought. "Now, Dalang’s mother, if it was just a snack or some ordinary gift, I’d have gladly accepted it, considering the relationship between our two families. But the items you’ve brought this time are too valuable, and there are so many. I simply cannot accept them."

"Uncle Zhang, since you’ve said there needn’t be any awkwardness between our families, I’ll not beat around the bush. These items may look expensive, but we have plenty at home. They’re New Year’s gifts from the Capital City, piling up unused in our storehouse. The vegetables and fruits are from our greenhouse, so they didn’t cost anything. I brought them so you and your family could enjoy something fresh. As for these western trinkets, you must have heard that my husband traveled overseas a few months ago and brought these back. I’ve picked out a few to bring here, just some knick-knacks, not worth much. However, I did specially select this pocket watch for you, Uncle Zhang. I thought it would be handy for you, going back and forth between home and the academy, or whenever you need to keep time during lessons. The watch keeps very accurate time."

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