A Good Country Wife
Chapter 580 - 574_1

Chapter 580: Chapter 574_1

The two daughters-in-law from the Li Family had returned, and naturally they had to invite Lin Yue into the house to eat fruit and chat. As soon as they entered, they saw a huge pile of items on the table, and because there wasn’t enough space, some were even stacked on the ground. The Li family’s matriarch was busy cooking and hadn’t had the chance to tidy up, so she merely picked out a few ingredients for the kitchen, leaving the rest in the pile.

Upon seeing the stacked items, Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Chen understood that these must have been brought by Lin Yue. So many fine goods, especially the several bolts of cloth, those were high-quality fine cotton, and there was even silk, items beyond the means of their peasant households to afford or use. No wonder the villagers said that Lin Youfu’s second daughter had grown wealthy. Now it seemed that Lin Yue’s marital home was indeed better off than the villagers had described, otherwise how could she afford to bring so many items at once.

Glancing over the fine bolts of cloth, Lin Quan’s wife focused on the several boxes of fragrant soap, her gaze lingering somewhat helplessly, thinking about how to persuade her mother-in-law to give her a couple more boxes to use. This soap was a fine item; that day in the city, she had spent over sixty coins on a small piece, and it was the cheapest kind at that. Compared to the exquisitely packaged soaps on the table, even just by appearance, they seemed several times better than what she had bought—truly precious items. There was also another porcelain bottle, which looked lovely; she wondered what was inside and really wanted to take it and open it to have a look, but it just wasn’t proper to do so with guests around.

Being women, Mrs. Chen harbored similar thoughts as Mrs. Li. Each had set their sights on items they favored and intended to ask their mother-in-law for some later. Hence, facing Lin Yue who had brought these gifts, they became even more enthusiastic.

The children, too, watched the table with gleaming eyes, especially seeing their two brothers holding delicious pastries and candies—treats they had never enjoyed before; it would have been odd if they hadn’t been attracted.

Mrs. Li, working in the kitchen, heard the chatter from outside and knew her daughters-in-law had returned. She initially thought it was her second daughter-in-law, but the lively voices suggested it wasn’t just one person, and she faintly heard her eldest daughter-in-law’s voice. Had they come back together? It was about time for her second daughter-in-law to return; if she hadn’t visited her relatives, she naturally wouldn’t have stayed in the city for lunch, as they couldn’t afford city restaurants. It was time for her to be back, but why had her eldest daughter-in-law returned so soon as well? Hadn’t she said she would stay a few days longer at her parental home? Mrs. Li felt puzzled and hastily set aside her work to go outside.

Speaking of Mrs. Li’s daughters-in-law, although they had no major faults, they did have some minor issues. The eldest daughter-in-law was a bit mercenary, always judging others by their social status, while the second one enjoyed comparisons and was competitive. Mrs. Li was afraid her daughters-in-law might snub Lin Yue.

Coming into the living room, Mrs. Li saw that both daughters-in-law were chatting and laughing with Lin Yue, with several kinds of pastries on the coffee table, likely brought back from the city by her second daughter-in-law. Mrs. Li was surprised at this behavior; normally, her daughters-in-law were not of a particularly good nature, and if not for her consistent discipline, who knew how many issues would have arisen. Now, they seemed to be making an extra effort to be hospitable, but glancing at the pile of goods on the table, Mrs. Li understood. Her daughters-in-law were coveting the wealth of Lin Yue’s husband’s family and were being ingratiating with that in mind.

Although Mrs. Li was inwardly displeased with the behavior of her daughters-in-law, they were still her own. Even with their shortcomings, so long as they didn’t make any grave mistakes, she was willing to be tolerant. Now, seeing them treating Lin Yue so well, she felt quite reassured. She gave a few more instructions and then went back to the kitchen. Since she had almost finished preparing and it seemed the daughters-in-law did not want to leave the guests, she didn’t ask them to help in the kitchen.

Lin Yue, however, found her aunts’ enthusiasm a bit overwhelming. She also noticed their ingratiating attitudes. Out of respect for her aunt, as long as they weren’t too excessive, Lin Yue managed to cope, although her smile was becoming rather strained. The two little boys, having seen Lin Yue come in and not leave for a long time, had grown familiar with her and ran into the room, clamoring for Lin Yue to come out and play with them.

"Sister, sister, let’s go outside and play. You promised to play with us. Brother and sister are back too, and they want to go out with you,"

Lin Quan’s wife, seeing her two youngest sons pestering Lin Yue, feared that Lin Yue might find them ill-mannered and scolded with a stern face, "You two naughty boys, can’t you go play by yourselves? Why bother Second Miss Lin? If you keep making trouble, I’ll see if a spanking will take care of that itch!"

Without a second thought, Lin Yue agreed, "Second Aunt, don’t be angry with them. It was I who promised to play with them. Even a promise to children should not be broken. Besides, the sun is just perfect outside, so I’ll go play with them for a while." Compared with chatting with the two aunts, Lin Yue preferred playing with the children—it was less mentally exhausting.

Since Lin Yue was willing, the Li Family and Chen Family couldn’t well object. They just cautioned the children not to be too rowdy and told Lin Yue not to indulge them too much. In fact, they also wanted Lin Yue to step out so they could look over the items on the table. Otherwise, as much as they envied them, it wouldn’t be proper to lose their decorum in front of her.

Lin Yue, oblivious to her aunts’ little schemes, casually responded to them and was then pulled away by the children.

Once Lin Yue had left, Chen Family eagerly took the box containing the fragrant soap from the table, opened it, and exclaimed, "My, my! This fragrant soap is simply too exquisite. Not to mention how finely crafted the box is, even the soap’s color is incredibly beautiful, and it smells wonderful too. I wonder how much silver it would fetch. Even the finest shops in the city haven’t seen anything this nice."

Chen Family praised unabashedly. With the strict rules in Lin Yue’s home, especially after the arrival of Momo Xu, the regulations were even more rigorous. The servants dared not spread gossip; even less would anyone dare to speak thoughtlessly about business secrets. Everyone kept a tight lid on information. So, even though Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue didn’t make any particular effort to hide it, the villagers only knew the surface details and not what kind of assets and businesses the Zhao Family really had. The Li Family and Chen Family had no idea that the fragrant soap was made by Lin Yue’s own family.

The Li Family also took a box of the fragrant soap and opened it eagerly, delighted beyond measure, "You don’t know—I heard that Second Miss’s husband has expanded the business all the way to the Capital City. It’s possible this fragrant soap was bought there, something used by the nobles in the city. No wonder everyone in the village says Zhao Erhu of Zhao Family village has become wealthy; just look at this generosity."

"Indeed, just look at this fabric, it feels so comfortable to the touch. I’ve never worn silk in my life, and these fine cotton cloths, they really are the best. Not only are the colors beautiful, but they also feel so soft. I wonder if our mother-in-law would be willing to spare some for us to make a dress."

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