A Good Country Wife
Chapter 573 - 567_1

Chapter 573: Chapter 567_1

Xixi went out and soon led an elderly woman with a head full of silver hair into the room. The old woman’s silver hair shone, and her clothes, though old, were clean and had been washed to the point of fading in some areas. She stood erect and seemed very spirited, giving the impression of a forthright and energetic elder.

The old woman’s eyes reddened with emotion upon entering the room and seeing Lin Yue. "Erya, how you’ve suffered—Auntie is at fault. I was over at Xiaoshui Village taking care of your cousin and didn’t look after you. Who would have known that your heartless parents would sell you like that? If your grandmother knew of this in her grave, I can’t imagine how heartbroken she’d be. It’s my fault that I didn’t take good care of you, allowing you to endure so much. Thankfully you have good fortune and now you’re living a good life. But Auntie blames herself for not protecting you earlier; it leaves a sour taste in my heart."

Lin Yue instantly felt an inexplicable familiarity with the elderly woman upon seeing her, unlike the strangeness and revulsion she felt when she first met her so-called parents. Especially the genuine emotion in the woman’s words; Lin Yue didn’t think she was lying. The old woman genuinely cared for her.

"Are you Auntie?" Lin Yue followed her instincts, prompted by the warmth she felt, and helped the old woman sit down beside her.

The old woman, seeing that Lin Yue did not recognize her, seemed a bit disbelieving, unsure of what had happened. "Erya, Auntie’s watched you grow up since you were little; how can you not recognize Auntie now?"

Lin Yue smiled apologetically. "Auntie, don’t be upset. I fell seriously ill when I married into the Zhao Family last year. When I awoke, I had forgotten many things and didn’t recognize anyone, not even my brother. It was only after some time that I slowly remembered. But the moment I saw you, I felt an intense familiarity; it must be because we knew each other well before."

Hearing Lin Yue’s explanation and thinking about her plight, the old woman considered what might have been if Lin Yue had not been strong enough to survive. "My Erya, how did you end up with such wicked parents? I owe you an apology for not knowing about the terrible thing that happened to you. It wasn’t until I returned last January that I found out your parents had sold you. I severely reprimanded your father. I wanted to find you at the Zhao Family village, but I was afraid it would cause you trouble, especially since your husband had agreed to cut ties with us. Later, when Lin Qing told me you were doing well, I felt relieved. This morning, when I heard you came to Shanglin Village, I came to see how you were doing."

Lin Yue reflected, "What will be, will be; trouble that can’t be avoided is not trouble but fate. I’m living comfortably now, and my husband treats me very well. Back when my parents sold me, I felt resentful, but now I think if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met such a good man as my husband. Looking at it that way, it seems like fate had its hand in it. Otherwise, who knows where my parents would have sold me to—I wouldn’t have been lucky enough to meet someone as good as Zhao Erhu."

At that, Lin Yue, though not the original owner of this body, was truly grateful to have been sold by Zhao Youfu and Mrs. Zhou to Zhao Erhu. If she had been sold to some disgraceful house of debauchery, her life would have been utterly ruined. Lin Yue had no doubt that Lin Youfu and Mrs. Zhou were heartless enough to do that for silver coins, having already sold their daughter, what was one step more? Even if by some luck the original owner had truly married Jiang Wenshu, that conceited hypocrite, she wouldn’t have had the comfortable life that Lin Yue enjoyed now.

"Erya, you’re right. That’s the truth. From now on, just live a good life with your husband. Since he has already made a contract with your heartless parents and severed the relationship between you and them, you don’t need to come back here anymore. It’s better to avoid trouble. Just live your own good life; Auntie won’t ask for your concern."

Lin Yue looked at her aunt and believed that she wasn’t there to take advantage of her, the genuine concern in her voice evident, "Aunt, my husband treats me very well, and he doesn’t restrict my interaction with my family. It’s just that I’m not someone who can ignore my own calculations. Considering the kind of parents I have, I simply can’t acknowledge them, or it would only bring trouble for myself. As for my elder brother... well, fortunately, no matter how terrible those two people are, they treat my brother extremely well, so I don’t need to worry about him. Aunt, you don’t need to worry about my husband being upset. He would be very happy to know I have such a caring relative. If you have time, please come and visit us at the Zhao Family village. You can even stay for a while, as we’ve now built a big house and there’s plenty of room."

"Ah, good, seeing you doing well makes your aunt happier than anything else."

As the two of them spoke, Lin Yue inquired about her aunt’s family. Her aunt’s maiden name is from the Li Family, and she was the blood sister of Lin Yue’s grandmother. The sisters shared a close bond and married into the Shanglin Village one after the other. They used to visit each other often. After Lin Yue’s grandmother fell gravely ill and passed away, she worried about her granddaughter being mistreated by her own son and daughter-in-law. She could only entrust the aunt with the task of looking after Lin Yue. The aunt took the responsibility without question, occasionally sneaking some treats to Lin Yue and treating her very kindly. However, since the aunt had her own family to care for, she couldn’t focus all her attention on Lin Yue. Later on, the aunt’s granddaughter became pregnant, and since there was nobody to tend to her, the aunt was invited to help for a while. It was during this time that Lin Yue was sold by her own parents.

Lin Yue heard her aunt mention a few things and vaguely remembered some of them, feeling a new kinship with her aunt.

"Er Ya, the reason your aunt came to see you today is because of your grandmother’s instruction," said the aunt as she took out a small cloth bundle from her bosom and handed it to Lin Yue.

"What’s this? Is it something my grandmother left for me?" Lin Yue asked curiously, looking to her aunt for confirmation.

"That’s right, it is indeed what your grandmother left behind. It’s the dowry she saved up for you. She knew her health was failing, and considering how your parents are, she secretly saved this dowry for you. You were too young at the time, and she feared if she left it with you, your dark-hearted parents would seize it. That’s why she entrusted it to me, instructing me to hand it to you personally when the right time came. Who could have expected that your parents would sell you so soon, and I didn’t have the chance to give it to you in time."

Every time Aunt Li mentioned Lin Yue’s unworthy parents, she did so with a face filled with anger and disgust, which made it quite apparent how much she disdained Lin Youfu and his wife. However, she was quite fond of Lin Qing, who was, after all, her sister’s flesh and blood grandson. But ever since she had a falling out with Lin Youfu and his wife over Lin Yue’s sale, she hadn’t interacted much with their family. Although she was worried when she heard about Lin Qing’s sickness, she had not gone to visit, waiting until she saw Lin Yue to inquire about his condition.

Lin Yue, on the other hand, opened the cloth bundle with some curiosity to see what her grandmother had left for her.