A Good Country Wife
Chapter 572 - 566_1

Chapter 572: Chapter 566_1

Mrs. Qian only paid attention to everyone’s reactions after she finished speaking. Seeing that everyone was silently going about their work and not paying much attention to her, she felt annoyed and quite embarrassed. She hadn’t said anything wrong; this place was indeed cramped, small, and had a strange smell. She had never seen such a rudimentary kitchen before.

Before marrying Zhao Anyu, Mrs. Qian had come from a good family herself, with a kitchen built even better than Lin Genfa’s main hall. Although there had been a period of hardship after Zhao Anyu’s family property was seized, she didn’t need to cook during that time. Upon arriving at Zhao Erhu’s home, she found that the living conditions were even better than her own family and Zhao Anyu’s family. Therefore, it felt natural for her to make such remarks upon seeing Lin Genfa’s house and kitchen.

Mrs. Liu, after all, was kind-hearted and soft-hearted. Moreover, since Zhao Dahuo had entrusted her to look after Zhao Anyu’s family on a daily basis, she saw Mrs. Qian standing there awkwardly and couldn’t help but smooth things over, "Anyu’s wife, why don’t you go take a rest outside? The kitchen is bustling with enough people, and it’s a bit cramped here; too many people would just get in the way. It’s the thought that counts."

"Well, you all carry on; I’ll go have a look outside." Mrs. Qian couldn’t stand the smell in the kitchen and was glad for Mrs. Liu’s suggestion. Without any objection, she nodded and left the kitchen.

Li Xiaomei found it hard to tolerate. "Just look at her attitude. If she doesn’t want to come, then don’t. Who is she putting on this act for? She’s lost her home and is staying with Erhu and his wife, yet she still acts like a spoiled young lady expecting to be waited on. I’ve never seen anything like it."

Lin Yue was well aware of Li Xiaomei’s temperament. "Enough, don’t say any more. Let’s just do our work and mind our own business. She won’t be staying with us much longer anyway. Once Zhao Anyu passes his examination, their family will be moving out. Just bear with it a little longer and don’t take offense over such a trivial matter."

"Alright, sister-in-law, I’ll listen to you." Li Xiaomei respected Lin Yue the most. Since Lin Yue said so, Li Xiaomei agreed without any more words and stopped targeting Mrs. Qian, knowing in her heart that her sister-in-law meant well.

Although there were many people to feed, there were also many helping with the cooking. In less than half an hour of bustling activity, the meal was ready. The men and women were seated at separate tables to eat. The food, supervised by Lin Yue, tasted naturally good, and everyone enjoyed it except for Mrs. Qian, who seemed unable to swallow her food.

Mrs. Qian truly couldn’t eat. Perhaps it was psychological, but having seen the narrow, cramped kitchen with its odd smell, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the food made there was unclean, making even the tastiest dish bland in her mouth.

Everyone disliked Mrs. Qian’s affectations and weren’t keen on interacting with her. Seeing her struggle to swallow her food, they felt she was being overly dramatic and fastidious. It was one thing for her not to put in any effort during cooking, but now, when they had prepared the food, she was being picky. The dishes were fine, yet she acted as if they were inedible. Not to mention, Mrs. Qian was living off others and had no means to support herself. Even the wealthy Lin Yue household ate their fill without complaint, yet Mrs. Qian alone was the delicate one.

Of course, these thoughts remained unspoken. Whether it was out of consideration for family relations or for other reasons, no one wanted to stir up conflict with Mrs. Qian over such pettiness, especially while they were guests in someone else’s home. It wouldn’t look good if something were to happen.

"Anyu, my dear, you look like you can’t eat. Are you feeling unwell, or is the food not to your liking?" Mrs. Liu asked Qian’s wife, concerned. Everyone else thought Mrs. Liu was being overly kind. With someone like Qian’s wife, no one would care if she didn’t eat—why bother with her!

"No, the food is quite delicious. It’s just that I ate too much this morning and don’t have much of an appetite now. You don’t have to worry about me, sister-in-law," Qian’s wife replied. Although she internally disdained the food for fearing it unclean, she wasn’t foolish enough to say it out loud. Instead, she made up a less than clever excuse, reckoning that no one would call her out on it.

Hearing Qian’s wife’s response, Mrs. Liu didn’t press further. She had done all she could and concentrated on her meal instead.

The third uncle and his party had only come to visit Zhao Yunxiang. After having lunch, they left, whereas Zhao Dahuo and his wife stayed behind. As Zhao Yunxiang and Zhao Dahuo were siblings, it was natural for them to stay and take care of Zhao Yunxiang. Moreover, knowing that Zhao Yunxiang’s days were numbered, the siblings cast aside past resentments and grievances, opening up their hearts to each other. Their conversation lasted a good half an hour—something Zhao Yunxiang wouldn’t have been able to endure before. Thankfully, the old ginseng Lin Yue provided had been effective, and Zhao Yunxiang’s spirits had been lifted. It seemed as though her condition had improved, but everyone knew it was just a fleeting resurgence.

On the other hand, when Lin Yue had sent someone to deliver the message with utmost urgency, Zhao Erhu was already on his way to the Zhao Family village from the Capital City, having been on the road for four to five days. Lin Yue, concerned they might miss each other, had specifically instructed the messenger to keep an eye out for travelers, and fortunately, they encountered Zhao Erhu en route.

The messenger relayed Zhao Yunxiang’s condition to Zhao Erhu, "Master, the situation with great auntie doesn’t look good. Doctor Zheng said that even with the best efforts, she won’t last much longer. The lady has been sustaining her with a hundred-year-old ginseng and sent me to deliver the news as fast as possible, so you could hurry back and hopefully see great auntie one last time."

Zhao Erhu, already aware of Zhao Yunxiang’s condition before he left for the Capital City, was not surprised by the message. Still, the news unavoidably pained him. His older sister was not old; he had never expected things to come to this.

"Haishi, my sister’s condition is critical. I need to hurry back. I entrust you with everything here. Manage it well," Zhao Erhu told Haishi. "Make sure to bring back the people and belongings safely to the Zhao Family village, especially those former palace masters. Take good care of them, provide them with the best, and I’ll reward you handsomely later." Having entrusted the matters to Haishi, Zhao Erhu packed a few personal items and hurriedly mounted his horse to depart, vanishing from everyone’s sight.

"My lady, there is an old woman outside looking for you. She claims to be your great-aunt. Would you like to see her?" Xixi inquired as she entered the room.

"Great-aunt?" Lin Yue looked at Xixi in surprise, bewildered as to how a great-aunt had suddenly appeared. Her grandmother had treated her well when she was alive, and since a great-aunt would be her grandmother’s sister, their relationship should be good. However, Lin Yue would need to meet the visitor to be sure of this "great-aunt’s" identity and understand her motives—hoping this wasn’t another relative who had shown up expecting favors due to her husband’s family’s wealth.