Chapter 79: The Zhao Family

Chapter 79: The Zhao Family

If an honest person possessed cunning, could they still be called honest?

Lin Shu now felt that Zhou Ye was hardly an honest man. He merely spoke little, which gave him the appearance of honesty.

Zhou Ye deftly parried the curious villagers' questions with a few words, remaining silent otherwise, simply walking quietly behind the Lin sisters.

As the trio walked, they soon spotted the village's venerable locust tree.

Beneath the tree, several village women were chattering incessantly, their idle gossip unclear.

Lin Xiaopu's face immediately fell, and she grumbled, "Aren't these aunties going back to make breakfast? Even if they're not making it, it's nearly time to eat, isn't it?"

Lin Shu said, "There are fewer of them now—only three left. Hey? Xiao Pu, take a closer look for me—is that Aunt Lin sitting over there?"

Lin Xiaopu focused her gaze and confirmed it was indeed Aunt Lin.

Though Aunt Lin had married into the village from elsewhere, she also bore the Lin surname and had once stood up for her. For these two reasons alone, Lin Xiaopu held her in high regard. Moreover, Aunt Lin had given them cucumbers last time, which were crisp and delicious—she still savored the memory of them occasionally.

But A Ye had expanded the garden plot behind the house yesterday, planting both cucumber and sponge gourd seeds. It wouldn’t be long before they could enjoy their own cucumbers and sponge gourds. Heh.

"Sis, it truly is Aunt Lin. Aunt Lin lives just beyond this large locust tree, so it’s no surprise to see her here—she’s practically neighbors."

This large locust tree was a popular gathering spot in the village. Women from farther afield enjoyed coming here to work and chat, let alone Aunt Lin, who lived so close.

As they spoke, the group drew nearer to the large locust tree.

Lin Shu recalled that when Aunt Lin had brought the cucumbers last time, she had deliberately chosen midday to avoid crowds. She was debating whether to greet her when Lin Zhaodi called out first: "A Shu, my dear! Xiao Pu and A Ye are here too?"

That settled it for Lin Shu, who promptly returned the greeting.

"Aunt Lin, why didn’t I see you when I passed by this morning?"

Lin Zhaodi’s gaze swept over the buckets Zhou Ye was carrying but didn’t pry. She simply explained, "Even though I live nearby, I have many chores at home. I only came out after finishing them. A Shu, you’re heading back for breakfast, aren't you? I was just about to go back myself."

"Aunt Lin, shall we walk with you and chat for a bit?"

Lin Zhaodi readily agreed, "Certainly!"

Since someone had spotted her deliberately avoiding people when she brought the cucumbers last time, she decided there was no need to hide it anymore. She genuinely liked A Shu and intended to foster a closer relationship.

Seeing that Lin Zhaodi was about to leave without asking anything, the two remaining women under the tree couldn’t help themselves. One of them asked curiously, "Zhou Ye, what have you been up to with all these buckets?"

Before Zhou Ye could respond, Lin Shu answered brightly, "We went fishing in the river. A Ye is quite skilled—he caught several fish. If any of you aunties would like some fish, you can come to our house to buy or trade for them. We’ll offer you a good price."

The woman who asked pursed her lips in disapproval.

Common fish like carp and crucian carp sold at the market for about ten coppers per jin. Wouldn’t it be better to use that money to buy a few ounces of pork? Besides, the fish sold at the market were caught from large rivers. What kind of big fish could possibly come from their little Sweetwater Village stream? Even palm-sized fish were not worth selling—she wouldn’t take them even if they were free.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard the eldest daughter of the Lin family say to Lin Zhaodi, "Aunt Lin, I’ll give you one later. Take it home and make fish soup."

The woman’s smile vanished, her face darkening.

So the Lin family’s daughter played favorites—charging her but giving freely to Lin Zhaodi?!

Lin Zhaodi glanced at the two women—one with a sour face, the other all ears.

She replied with a smile, "Oh, wonderful! Then I won’t be shy. Thank you, A Shu!"

As they walked and talked, they gradually moved away from the two under the tree. Only then did Lin Zhaodi ask, "A Shu, when you passed by earlier, did you hear any gossip?"

Lin Shu shook her head. "Aunt Lin, I didn’t hear anything, but I can guess what they were saying about me. Let them talk—I don’t care."

"A Shu, every village has its share of gossipy women. Even if you do hear something, don’t take it to heart."

"Don’t worry, Aunt Lin. I pay no mind to what others say."

"That’s good, that’s good." Lin Zhaodi nodded. "But I won’t let these people spread rumors about you. If I’m not around, fine, but if I’m here and they dare say anything against you or Xiao Pu, I’ll air their dirty laundry too. When it comes to arguments, I rarely lose!"

As she spoke, Lin Zhaodi seemed to recall something, her eyes dimming briefly before quickly brightening again.

Lin Shu thanked her and walked her to the entrance of the Zhao family’s courtyard. "Aunt Lin, wait a moment."

She took off her carrying basket and was about to pick out a large fish for her when a woman emerged from the Zhao family’s courtyard. Not noticing the three outside, she started scolding Lin Zhaodi right away: "Sister-in-law, even though it’s not your turn to make breakfast today, there’s still plenty to do around the house. I have two children to look after—couldn’t you lend a hand? Even just adding firewood to the stove would help. But you—always sneaking off to laze around outside!"

Lin Zhaodi usually avoided arguing with her second sister-in-law. Every time they quarreled, even when she was in the right, her sister-in-law would run crying to their mother-in-law, who would end up scolding her instead.

But today, with A Shu and the others present, her sister-in-law had shown her no respect, which infuriated her.

So Lin Zhaodi didn’t hold back either, firing back, "Can’t you see I’m holding this hemp task? If your eyesight is that poor, why don’t you go cry to Mother and ask her for money to see a doctor in town!"

"Sister-in-law, how could you say such things? You wound me deeply! I’m only looking out for you. You’ve been married into the Zhao family for so many years without giving Third Brother a single child. He’s kind and doesn’t blame you, and Mother and Father are generous and don’t resent you, but shouldn’t we as daughters-in-law make up for it in other ways? If you keep lazing around like this, what will you do if Mother and Father get angry and have Third Brother divorce you? I’m only thinking of your well-being!"

"Ha! Second Sister-in-law, you make it sound so noble. You just want me to do more work so you can have it easier. My answer remains the same: I’ll do what’s mine to do, but don’t expect me to lift a finger for anything beyond that!"

Second Sister-in-law Zhao sighed. "If you’re so nitpicky, how can Elder Sister-in-law and I feel good about letting you and Third Brother adopt our children?"

Lin Zhaodi sneered. "Who said we want to adopt your children? That’s just Mother’s wishful thinking—I never agreed!"

"You may not have agreed, but Third Brother did. He’s just afraid you won’t accept it right away, so he hasn’t told you yet. But if you keep disrespecting your elders like this, even if he’s willing, Elder Sister-in-law and I won’t allow it."

Lin Zhaodi’s face turned pale, her hands clenched tightly. "Zhao San really agreed?"

Second Sister-in-law Zhao gave her a pitying look. "Yes, Third Sister-in-law. Why would I lie about something like that?"

Lin Zhaodi laughed bitterly. "Fine. When he returns from the fields, I’ll ask him directly. If it turns out you’re lying, I’ll rip your mouth open today! If it’s true, and Zhao San resents me for not bearing children, there’s no need for your pity—I’ll have him divorce me immediately!"

Second Sister-in-law Zhao’s eyes flickered, but she stuck her chin out defiantly. "Go ahead and ask! I don’t know what you have to be proud of, not being able to have children. If I were you, I’d have hanged myself from a crooked-neck tree long ago!"

"Ha! Second Sister-in-law, you’ve finally shown your true colors! Why don’t you say it louder so Mother inside can hear your nasty talk?!"

"Lin Zhaodi, how am I being vicious? You provoked me first!"

As their argument grew increasingly heated, Lin Shu suddenly interrupted. "Aunt Lin, I should head back. A Ye caught a lot of fish—here are two crucian carp for you to make soup."

Lin Shu held two four-inch-long crucian carp. She had originally planned to pick a bigger fish for Aunt Lin since the Zhao family had many mouths to feed, but after witnessing the argument, she changed her mind and selected the two smallest ones from her basket.

"Aunt Lin, these fish aren’t big—only enough for two. You can make soup and let others have a taste, but keep the fish for yourself and Uncle Zhao San."

Lin Zhaodi looked ashamed. "A Shu, I’m sorry you had to see that."

She hadn’t intended to argue much, but her sister-in-law had had no filter today, saying whatever she wanted and making her lose face in front of the younger generation.

Second Sister-in-law Zhao, standing inside the courtyard, hadn’t looked outside earlier and had only seen Lin Zhaodi at the front. Hearing Lin Shu’s voice, she looked out and was shocked to see three outsiders there!

The tall, sturdy man had to be Zhou Ye from the Lin family, and the fresh-faced pretty girl beside him was likely the eldest daughter the Lin family had welcomed home.

Second Sister-in-law Zhao's face instantly flushed to a liver-colored hue, stiffened. She wanted to explain something, but then recalled that Lin Zhaodi had once secretly picked three cucumbers and sent them to the Lin family—clearly, they were on good terms. She thought better of it, only shooting Lin Zhaodi a fierce glare.

Lin Zhaodi must have deliberately provoked her, making her reveal such unseemly behavior in front of outsiders. Zhou Ye was a man of few words and probably wouldn’t go around gossiping, but this Lin Shu was another story. If she went out spreading rumors about what she saw, wouldn’t her good reputation be ruined?

Yet Lin Shu paid her no mind, speaking only to Lin Zhaodi: "Aunt Lin, I didn’t hear a thing just now. Please keep these fish. Xiao Pu and I should be heading back."

"How can I possibly accept these? You must take them back!" Lin Zhaodi refused. Earlier, under the big locust tree, she had only agreed to play along with A Shu—she never expected A Shu to actually follow through and insist on giving her the fish!

Lin Shu pressed the fish into her hands, hoisted the basket onto her back, and walked off.

Lin Xiaopu followed behind, cheerfully adding, "Just take them, Aunt Lin! We caught plenty of fish!"

Zhou Ye didn’t say a word, merely nodding to her before following the others away.

Lin Zhaodi stood alone at the entrance to her family’s courtyard, holding two crucian carp, watching them leave. For a long time, she stood rooted to the spot.

"Lin Zhaodi, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?" Second Sister-in-law Zhao waited until the others were far away before angrily demanding, "They say family's dirty laundry shouldn’t be aired in public. Are you just eager for outsiders to know how disharmonious our sisters-in-law are, that we argue every day?"

Lin Zhaodi ignored her, carrying the fish into the courtyard and heading straight for the kitchen stove.

A Shu had said these fish were for making soup—for her and Zhao San to eat, with just a few sips of broth to spare for others. She thought that was a fine idea.

Second Sister-in-law Zhao, furious and flustered, shouted after her, "Lin Zhaodi, I’m talking to you! Lin Zhaodi!"

...

"Does Aunt Lin not get along with the Zhao family?" Lin Shu asked Lin Xiaopu on their way back.

Lin Xiaopu scratched his head. "Elder Sister, I’m not sure. But Aunt Lin has been married to Uncle Zhao San for many years without having children, and she’s stayed peacefully with the Zhao family all this time. Everyone says the Zhao family are decent folk and that Uncle Zhao San values relationships deeply."

But after overhearing what Second Sister-in-law Zhao said, it didn’t seem like the Zhao family treated Aunt Lin well at all—they were even considering adoption.

Lin Shu asked but didn’t press further. After all, it was someone else’s family matter. As an outsider, it wasn’t her place to interfere. Besides, she could tell Aunt Lin had her own ideas. If everyone in the Zhao family was as mean as this Second Sister-in-law Zhao, she definitely wouldn’t have stayed with them for so many years.

Zhou Ye, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "I can’t speak for the rest of the Zhao family, but Uncle Zhao San is a righteous man."

Lin Shu paused mid-step, turning to look at him. "A Ye, have you had dealings with Uncle Zhao San?"

Zhou Ye nodded. "A few times."

But Lin Shu pursed her lips. "Uncle Zhao San being righteous doesn’t prove anything. Some men treat their brothers like limbs and their wives like clothing. To his brothers, he might seem wonderful, but from a woman’s perspective, he could be quite awful."

Zhou Ye was left speechless.

Lin Shu pressed on, "A Ye, do you think Uncle Zhao San is the kind of man I described?"

Zhou Ye: "Uncle Zhao San probably isn’t like that. He values Aunt Lin deeply."

Lin Shu snorted lightly. "Didn’t you hear what Second Sister-in-law Zhao said? Uncle Zhao San already agreed to the adoption. Aunt Lin is several years younger than Mother, not even thirty yet—still young. She could still have her own children someday. If he agreed to adoption, it would be like stabbing Aunt Lin in the heart."

Zhou Ye said earnestly, "A Shu, hearing is not as reliable as seeing. You can’t fully trust what Second Sister-in-law Zhao says."

Lin Shu suddenly exclaimed, "Aiya!" She stared straight at Zhou Ye’s face. "Aiya, A Ye, be honest—have you studied formally? How else can you spout principles so fluently? Even saying 'hearing is not as reliable as seeing' comes so naturally to you."

Under her direct gaze, Zhou Ye’s cheeks flushed hot. He explained, "I haven’t studied formally. My master's wife taught me to read. But I don’t know many characters—just enough to barely understand contracts."

Lin Shu’s eyes swept over his reddening ears, then suddenly curved into a smile. "A Ye, would you like to learn a few more characters? How about I teach you from now on?"