Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43
Chapter 43
"Whatever you say... I would like to see your husband too. Can I come to your house tonight?" Yuan Dong asked when he saw Yueqian’s intention to protect her husband, feeling curious to know more about the man who was her husband.
"How can that be? There are children at my home, and it’s not very big. Besides, our village isn’t large enough to go unnoticed. What kind of woman would that make me, going to town and coming back shortly with a man who will stay overnight?" Yueqian rebuked him without saving his face.
"Why not? Just tell them I’m your older brother."
"But you aren’t." The young woman looked at the one still behaved like a child with a look that seemed to want to catch and spank his bottoms.
She remembered when she was a child; although he was older, he acted so childishly that she had to spank him several times. It couldn’t be helped... Who would expect her to think like an adult from such a young age?
No, she was really an adult, just in a child’s body again.
"Qian’er, you, how can you say such things? Aren’t you afraid I’ll be hurt?" he asked, putting on a deeply hurt expression.
Uncle Luan, who was sitting listening to their argument with amusement, chimed in.
"What have you to fear? Have you ever stayed angry with Qian’er for more than 2 shichen?" With an elder’s remark like that, Yuan Dong pouted willfully.
"You all are ganging up on me. Fine, I’m the bad one," he said, slightly annoyed, causing the two observers to burst into laughter.
The laughter filled the room and spilled outside, causing the two children waiting outside to feel uneasy. Their sister-in-law had been in a room with a handsome and seemingly wealthy man from the capital for quite a while, and their laughter made it look like they were very familiar with each other.
Despite not wanting to think ill of their sister-in-law, part of them felt afraid for their own brother.
Xiao Long was almost unable to sit still. Even when the older who was assigned for looking after them brought him some snacks, he refused to eat, instead pacing in circles while crossing his arms, staring intently at the room where his sister-in-law had vanished, determined to be the first to see her when she came out.
The older watched the young boy acting beyond his years with an amusing look but didn’t do anything, just continued eating his snacks, letting the two children do as they pleased.
Soon enough, Yueqian emerged, followed by Wu Yuandong and Luan Taichun. Their demeanor was as close as family, and Yuan Dong’s gaze was not ordinary—it was filled with sincerity and firmness like a man, as well as deep concern.
"Be careful after this, understand? We’ll stay here until those people arrive, but we can’t show ourselves too much. If nothing happens, we cannot reveal ourselves. However, if they dare to cross the line and harm you, I won’t hold back," Yuan Dong said with concern, even though their little girl was brimming with confidence. After all, she was just a woman.
If compared, how much strength do women really have? All he can hope for is that if she ever faces danger, the man she trusts so much that she agreed to marry will risk his life to protect her.
"I understand, then I’ll take my leave now. Oh, right, please take care of the matter with this tavern," Yueqian said as she stepped outside, her tone shifting when addressing her Brother Dong Dong.
Though he appeared young in her eyes, to the servants accompanying them, he was the master. How could she let them see his weaknesses and foolishness?
"Fine, I understand." Yuan Dong was also good at acting. They had been playing these roles since they were children.
Only a few elders and his father really knew what he was like when he was with Qian’er.
Well, the reason was because this woman had such cunning thoughts and keen observation. Whatever anyone did or thought, she could read through it all.
"So, I’ll be going now. Let’s go, children," Yueqian said as she bid farewell. She then called for the two children who were standing straight, waiting for her to come back.
The children clearly looked worried about her. Yueqian felt somewhat guilty, but there were things that adults had to manage by themselves. To keep the children from panicking, she had to conceal and protect these secrets.
After all, she had come as the wife of a poor farmer. If she were to reveal that she knew all the authorities’ secrets, wouldn’t that be disastrous?
At worst, she could be arrested for rebellion or criminal. Any information leaked could make her the scapegoat, so it was better they think of her as a capricious and harmless woman.
The beautiful woman left the tavern with the children, relieved that her Brother Dong Dong had already checked the location of the Young General’s men. They believed that she had nowhere to go and couldn’t do much. He then separated to contact the hired bandits in the area.
If not for this, Yuan Dong wouldn’t have people signaled for her to meet him like this.
"Sister-in-law, who were those people? I don’t like you being close to them. People might criticize you if they saw," Xiao Long said after they had walked a distance.
His serious demeanor made Yueqian gently pat his hair.
"I understand. I will see him less from now on," she said. In this era, it was frowned upon for men and women to be too close. Such behavior could frame a woman as someone who have no respect for herself, people could easily tarnish her dignity.
A woman labeled as one who cheats on her husband would be ostracized by society, even if she did not commit such thing, but once there was a rumor, she could not be at peace. As the saying goes, ’where there’s smoke, there’s fire.’
"That’s good," Xiao Long nodded. Nevertheless, when they returned, he planned to report everything in detail to his older brother, including every word, ensuring that he was cautious and possibly did something to keep their sister-in-law from thinking of leaving them.
He was too fond of his sister-in-law. Xiao Long did not want anyone as his sister-in-law other than Yueqian. He did not want to lose this sister-in-law, and he would not be pleased if his brother had another wife.
If Yueqian knew the little boy’s thoughts, she would surely laugh. The naive boy still harbored possessive thoughts about his sister-in-law.
After finishing her errands, Yueqian led the horse to the cart to load the items she had purchased onto the horse’s back, preparing for the journey home. The children, who had never ridden a horse before, sat next to Yueqian with excitement as she controlled the horse. They couldn’t help but admire her skills.
Having her own horse and cart allowed Yueqian and the children to travel back faster. As they entered the village, many people took notice, as not many in the village could afford to buy horses and carts. Moreover, a horse requires special care—it’s like raising another person, even though it only eats grass. However, after the winter, it’s quite hard to find grass for the horse to eat. Most people need to buy hay from the town.
Yueqian was aware of this and had purchased a stack of hay as well. It wasn’t a significant expense, and she planned to have her husband use the hay to mulch the soil to retain moisture, so it was something she should purchase anyway.
"A’Heng’s wife, have you bought your own cart now?"
"Congratulations. Congratulation. Now you can travel to town comfortably."
"That’s right, if I had enough money, I’d like to buy one too. Next time I fall ill, I might trouble you occasionally."
Greetings followed them along the way. Yueqian responded to maintain good relations, as the villagers had become friendlier to her over time, unlike when she first came from the capital. It was probably because of the rumors that she was a villainess; otherwise, she wouldn’t have received such a poor reception initially.
During the journey, she also encountered people from the Mu family who no longer harbored any malice towards her. They still respected her for her literacy and for being a teacher to their children.
As previously mentioned, in these times, filial piety was paramount. Respecting one’s parents and teachers as if they were one’s own parents was the norm. Therefore, as a teacher who taught their children to write, Yueqian received a bit more respect from these people.
Though there were occasional harsh words from Mu Tian, Grandfather Mu and Grandma Zhu reprimanded her, so no one wanted to create problems with her anymore.
After returning home, Yueqian quickly started cooking dinner in anticipation of her husband’s return from preparing the fields for cultivation. The children helped too; they went to wash their hands. Today’s menu was egg fried rice, a dish recommended by their sister-in-law. Although they had never eaten it, they trusted it would be delicious because of Sister-in-law cooking skills.
Yueqian took out her own oil and put it in the cart, along with ingredients. After the oil heated up, she fried some garlic until fragrant, then added pork to cook before the rice and eggs.
Her egg fried rice didn’t have many vegetables, just onions, tomatoes, and carrots to add color, so it wasn’t difficult to make. Soon, the golden fried rice was ready, and the children served it in a large bowl to await their older brother’s return.
Worried that it might be too dry, Yueqian also made some soup to take a sip during the meal.
However, she was unaware that this meal would end up uneaten.
"Yueqian, Yueqian, something has happened. Something has happened to your husband!" A shout came from the front of the house, causing Yueqian’s heart to drop in shock. Just hearing that something had happened to her husband filled her small heart with fear.
"Aunt Liao, what has happened?" Yueqian ran out with the children, asking in a frantic tone.
"Your husband, he’s gone mad. He fought with someone using a hoe." Hearing this, Yueqian choked up a little. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"Is... Is he hurt?"
"No, he’s not hurt, but the person your husband fought with is injured. Now, someone has gone to call the officials. They’re coming to arrest your husband," Aunt Liao said with fear.
Relieved that her husband was not injured, Yueqian quickly went inside to grab a cloak and essentials. The young woman firmly believed that her husband would not attack anyone without reason. If the other party was coming to make him take responsibility for it, it had to be justified!
