Chapter 163: Heart Trouble

Chapter 163: Heart Trouble

He Guixiang was still lost in thought when Lin Dashan’s resonant snores began to rumble from the pillow beside her.

She had long grown accustomed to his loud snoring and no longer found it bothersome; in fact, she sometimes felt uneasy when she couldn't hear it. But tonight, sleep eluded her. She lay there, mentally ticking off the items she needed to prepare, and the more she counted, the more wide awake she became.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a faint stir came from the courtyard. He Guixiang, sensing something, pricked up her ears. Sure enough, it was A Shu and A Ye again.

This time, however, the two didn’t linger in the yard. After a brief exchange, they each returned to their rooms.

She had only just learned from overhearing them that A Shu and A Ye had started bathing by the river every night, though she didn't know exactly when this new routine began.

She was, of course, aware that A Ye bathed in the river daily. By evening, the large water jar was usually nearly empty, so he would head to the river to wash up, where one could get cleaner. Unlike Lin Dashan, who was too lazy to walk that far and would simply rinse off first with the water the women had used, then with whatever remained in the jar.

But He Guixiang never expected A Shu to join him…

She frowned, a worried crease forming between her brows.

A young man and woman bathing alone by the river… Could it truly be that nothing would happen between them?

She began to wonder if a month was indeed too long to wait.

Lin Dashan, with this matter weighing on his mind, didn’t head straight to the fields after breakfast the next day. Instead, he went to the village chief’s house.

When he arrived, the chief’s eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang-shi, was also there.

Hearing that Lin Dashan had come to ask her father-in-law to select an auspicious wedding date, Zhang-shi was momentarily taken aback.

The marriage was, of course, for Zhou Ye and Lin Shu.

She just hadn’t expected Lin Dashan to be in such a hurry, wanting to marry his own daughter off so soon after her return.

“Why not keep her a bit longer?” Zhang-shi asked casually as she poured tea for her father-in-law and Lin Dashan.

Though she smiled politely, Lin Dashan harbored a lingering resentment over how her son had once pestered A Yao and preferred not to engage with her.

But since the village chief was present, he replied courteously, “Both children are not young anymore. In the village, girls A Shu’s age were married off two years ago—some already have children. If we wait any longer, she’ll be considered an old maid.”

“Have you asked the two young ones about this? Though parents arrange marriages, it’s important the children are happy for the marriage to be harmonious,” Zhang-shi said, feigning concern.

Lin Dashan, not reading too much into her words, felt his prejudice lessen slightly at her seemingly kind reminder. “Their mother asked. Both are willing.”

Zhang-shi didn’t press further, though inwardly she felt a pang of regret.

She had taken a liking to Lin Shu during their conversation on the ox cart ride. Not only was the girl pretty, but her temperament was also pleasing—gentle when needed, yet firm when necessary. Unlike Lin Yao, who struck her as stubborn and strong-willed. That was why she had refused when her son expressed interest in marrying Lin Yao.

It wasn’t just because the Lin family had a sickly youngest daughter who was a financial drain with her monthly medicine costs, but also because Lin Yao’s temperament didn’t sit well with her. The more her son liked Lin Yao, the more she disliked her. Hmph, her son had already argued with her over Lin Yao before marriage—if Lin Yao had actually married into the family, her son would surely have defied her for his wife.

Who would have thought Lin Yao would turn out to be the legitimate daughter of a Marquis’s estate?

A Marquis’s estate! In a bustling place like the capital, such lofty status was beyond the wildest dreams of a country woman like Zhang-shi. Did she regret it? Of course, she felt a twinge of regret. If she had agreed to her son marrying Lin Yao back then, he would now be the son-in-law of a Marquis’s family. He might even have gone to the capital with Lin Yao, and with the Marquis’s support, he would have had no trouble finding renowned scholars to mentor him.

But Zhang-shi wasn’t one to dwell on what-ifs. For missed opportunities, she tended to imagine the worst. The Marquis’s household was a powerful family they could never afford to offend. What if they looked down on their humble background and forced her son to divorce Lin Yao, or even schemed behind the scenes to remove an unwanted son-in-law? Just the thought made her shudder—such plots were not unheard of in stories.

Lin Shu, however, was different. She had been born into the Marquis’s household and raised as a noble daughter, only to later be exposed as a fake. Though false, she had still received the refined upbringing of the Marquis’s family. In the eyes of commoners like them, that made her superior to village girls or even town girls.

Zhang-shi had always wanted a daughter-in-law who could advance her son’s official career, but as her father-in-law had rightly said, such matches were hard to come by. They had to consider families of lower status as well. If the family background wasn’t ideal, they could at least choose a capable girl. While other families valued daughters-in-law for their skills in washing and cooking, her son was a scholar. An illiterate wife would be beneath him. He needed one who could grind ink, hand him paper, and even compose poetry with him.

That was why Zhang-shi had thought of Lin Shu. Their interaction on the ox cart had only reinforced her satisfaction.

Lin Shu was completely different from Lin Yao—docile and easy to manage, yet not timid in dealing with outsiders. The only problem was Lin Laoer’s family had Zhou Ye, and Lin Laoer was sure to betroth his daughter to him. There was nothing Zhang-shi could do but sigh in regret.

Unless Lin Laoer changed his mind and decided to marry Lin Shu off elsewhere, or if Lin Shu herself, with her high standards, looked down on a rough man like Zhou Ye, then Zhang-shi could consider her as a potential daughter-in-law. After all, no young man in the surrounding villages could match her son’s looks or prospects.

Unexpectedly, Lin Laoer was already preparing for the wedding. And from the sound of it, Lin Shu herself was willing.

Zhang-shi found it hard to believe. How could a girl with such delicate skin, accustomed to a refined life for over a decade, agree to marry a coarse man like Zhou Ye?

The village chief shot a glance at his eldest daughter-in-law. Understanding his hint, Zhang-shi served the tea and left.

His eldest daughter-in-law was capable in many ways, but she tended to overthink.

Did she really think he didn’t understand the meaning behind her questions? Lin Shu had grown up in the capital, where she must have met countless young masters from noble and scholarly families. How could she possibly be interested in his grandson, who hadn’t even attained the rank of xiucai? In contrast, a strong, rugged man like Zhou Ye might be more appealing to a sheltered girl like her.

“Dashan, give me a rough timeframe, and I’ll check the almanac for you,” the village chief said.

Lin Dashan grinned. “My wife said to pick a date at least a month from now. Could you check for auspicious days within the next one to three months?”

After noting Lin Dashan’s request, the village chief flipped through the almanac and selected several dates. “The 28th of next month is auspicious—that’s the earliest. The 6th and 8th of the following month are also good. Later options include the 12th, 20th, and 26th…”

Knowing Lin Dashan might struggle to remember, the slightly literate village chief wrote the dates on a piece of paper for him to take home.

Lin Dashan carefully folded the paper with the auspicious dates, tucked it into his pocket, and left the chief’s house in high spirits.

As he passed a certain courtyard gate, the Lin family's eldest sister-in-law stepped out. Lin Dashan’s face darkened, and he turned away without a glance.

He had passed the old Lin family residence, which was also located near the village entrance, not far from the chief’s house. The woman at the door was none other than the sharp-tongued eldest sister-in-law from the time of the family division.

The Zhang family was a prominent clan in Sweetwater Village, and this eldest sister-in-law was also a Zhang, distantly related to the village chief’s family. In the past, she would have turned away at the sight of Lin Dashan, but recently, her health had declined so much she lacked even the energy to quarrel.

Her complexion was sallow, while Lin Dashan looked radiant. Clutching her chest, she felt another pang of chest pain.

The doctor had said her condition was untreatable—a matter of heart trouble. She needed to stop dwelling on trivial matters and learn to let go.

But she couldn’t!

Ever since the day Lin Shu returned, when the Marquis’s steward offered Lin Dashan a hundred taels of silver only for him to refuse outright, she had been unable to move on.

A hundred taels of silver! Ten shiny silver ingots! How could Lin Dashan have refused it so easily?!

Rural households rarely saw such sums. With a hundred taels, not only could Lin Dashan’s family live comfortably for a lifetime, but the entire extended family could have benefited.

If only—if only they hadn’t divided the family—Lin Datian, as the eldest brother, could have accepted the money! Would Lin Dashan have had any say in refusing?

But why did they have to divide the family?

Now, whenever she thought of the hundred taels the Marquis’s steward took back, her heart ached. Over the past few days, she had grown noticeably thinner.

It felt uncanny. Even though they hadn’t taken the silver, since Lin Shu’s return, Lin Dashan’s family had been thriving. She heard they had dug a fish pond, raised many fish, and now enjoyed fatty fish daily. Even Lin Xiaopu, the sickly one, had recovered. A few days ago, they even hunted a wild duck—instead of selling it in town, they cooked and ate it themselves.

She hadn’t believed it at first, but the aroma of duck meat from Lin Dashan’s house had wafted far that day, and several households caught the scent, their faces full of envy when they spoke of it.

Everyone admired and praised Lin Xiaopu for her great skills and filial piety, and complimented Lin Dashan and He Guixiang for their good fortune.

The more Elder Sister-in-Law Zhang thought about it, the more her chest ached.

If they hadn't split the family, the plump fish, the wild duck, and even the wild boar that Zhou Ye had hunted earlier would all have been shared with her.

...

Two days later, Third Uncle Zhao's thatched cottage was completed. The weather had been favorable, with only a light rain during the construction, and the thatch dried in just one day, causing no delays. Except for the earthen slope blocking the front, the yard had been leveled and compacted, leaving only the bamboo fence to be erected.

On the final day, Lin Zhaodi splurged, asking Old Man Liao to help bring back three jin of pork belly. She prepared an exceptionally lavish breakfast, setting aside one jin of the pork for the evening meal for later and using the rest to make a stew with dried purslane, as suggested by Lin Shu.

The purslane had been blanched before drying and then sun-dried thoroughly, which reduced its sourness. After rehydrating the dried vegetable, it was stir-fried with cubed pork belly, then simmered with soy sauce and a bit of sugar until the sauce thickened.

Since A Shu had prepared a large amount of dried purslane, the stew yielded a huge pot when cooked with the pork, leaving the group of men thoroughly satisfied.

Lin Zhaodi hadn’t expected that drying the commonly found purslane and stewing it with meat would turn out so fragrant. Although two jin of pork wasn’t enough to satisfy all the men, the dried purslane absorbed the meat juices, creating a tangy flavor that cut through the richness, making it perfect with rice. Everyone cleaned their plates!

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Author's note: Babes, I need to take an unexpected long trip and will be back on the 6th. During this time, I’ll update as much as possible—maybe only a chapter or two, blame my lack of drafts! But when I return, I’ll slowly make up for the missed updates. Please don’t abandon me!!! [Please] [I beg you]