CHAPTER 1041: CHAPTER 1040 RETURNING TO THE COUNTY TOWN

Lady Lin’s tantrums and sob-stories failed to sway Jindou, and his every word pierced Lady Lin’s heart.

"Mother, when you married Father, wasn’t it also Great-Grandma who arranged the marriage? Why is it not acceptable when it’s my turn?"

"Mother, if you treat the whole family’s girls well, they will surely be filial to you in the future. But if you continue like this, you’ll just end up here in the courtyard, but at least you’ll be well-provided for."

"Mother, how can you not hope for any good for your son? The girl from the whole family is someone I like. Can’t you happily accept her? Do you have to make such a fuss and put your son in a difficult position? Can’t you learn from Grandma? Even if she didn’t like you at first, she agreed to the marriage because Great-Grandma did."

These words left Lady Lin breathless for a long time.

They say the ones who hurt you most are those you hold dearest.

Lady Lin now knows that it’s utterly impossible with Wang Yongfu, and she’s even afraid to return to her maiden home, as going back would be like walking into death.

The only ones she can hope to rely on are her sons.

But she had driven away Jinhoo, and Jinguan was still young. Now, the only one she can truly depend on is her eldest, Jindou.

Of the three children, Jindou is the most honest and upright. She figured that since she is Jindou’s biological mother, no matter how upset he might be, if she sheds some tears and pleads gently, the child who came from her own womb couldn’t truly abandon his own mother.

She definitely wants to find a daughter-in-law for her eldest son who’s easy to manipulate, so her own life could be easier in the future.

Since the former mother-in-law and sister-in-law live in the county and seldom return, and since the family is divided, she plans to first control her daughter-in-law, then patiently win over Jindou and Jinguan. Who knows, maybe she could move back into the Wang Family’s large courtyard one day.

Yet who would have thought that the words she heard from the seemingly obedient Jindou were like knives stabbing at her heart.

Lady Lin was so upset and angry that after driving Jindou out, she lay on the kang and inexplicably recalled when she married Wang Yongfu.

Back then, she would pretend to casually express her fears about her mother-in-law to Wang Yongfu, wondering if she would be mistreated once married.

She would then watch with a secret sense of joy as Wang Yongfu quarreled with Old Granny Zhang over it.

Now, she seemed to empathize with the anger and sadness Old Granny Zhang probably felt back then.

Perhaps this is karma?

From then on, Lady Lin shut herself in, rarely stepping out, which surprisingly allowed Jindou to breathe a sigh of relief.

Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu naturally noticed all of this.

When Old Granny Zhang chanted sutras for Song Chongjin, she couldn’t help but thank Bodhisattva a bit, as it seemed the divine intervention had finally arrived, and all the tears and pains she endured have now come full circle onto Lady Lin.

With Lady Lin no longer causing a stir, the days became hopeful and manageable for the main house.

In the third branch, Jinpan didn’t stand out much, but Teacher had remarked that he had some talent in reading.

Wang Yonggui was quite pleased, dreaming every day as he lay on the kang, that perhaps he could even raise a Graduate son one day.

Studying costs money, and he also needed to marry off Jinhua. The youngest son Jinshao was still little, but if he also showed talent in studies in the future, the expenses would be even larger.

He put away all his bad habits and focused daily on how to make money.

Lady Jiang, being a gentle woman, had managed to hold the family together during Wang Yonggui’s long absences in the past.

Now, after hearing about her eldest son’s talent and seeing her husband turning over a new leaf, working wholeheartedly for the future of the children, she was even more dedicated in serving Wang Yonggui.

With three children, the couple now resembled the early days of their marriage.

As the family conditions improved, Jinhua, once tanned, caught the attention of Old Granny Zhang, who advised Lady Jiang to keep Jinhua at home and nurture her to a paler complexion, preparing for marriage after the mourning period.

Wang Yongping and Liu Xiaoqiao were now financially stable, especially Liu Xiaoqiao, for whom marrying into the Wang family meant hitting the jackpot, as her own mother put it.

Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were sensible and generous, and with their early separation from the larger family, she had autonomy.

Her sister-in-law even took the mother-in-law to the county, while her husband doted on her and deferred to her in everything. Which daughter could wish for a more content marriage?

The only regret was still being in mourning and having no children.

Liu Father advised Liu Xiaoqiao that with such a good in-law family and a competent, caring husband, she should treat her in-laws and husband well, and never act haughty or arrogant.

Liu Xiaoqiao understood that despite Wang Yongping’s usual compliance, if she ever was truly arrogant or disrespectful to her mother-in-law or sister-in-law, her husband wouldn’t stand for it.

Therefore, she constantly reminded herself to be respectful to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law for her own well-being.

In particular, regarding Jindou’s marriage, Liu Xiaoqiao knew her mother-in-law likely had certain thoughts about it, so she had been especially cautious lately.

With Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu planning to head to the county, Liu Xiaoqiao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Returning to Chongzi Gou, Mother Liu secretly told her that it was normal for Wang Yongping to be partial to his mother and sister now, but things would change once he had his own child.

Once the mourning period lifted, she must quickly conceive a child.

No matter what the Wang family thought, the very next morning, Wang Yongping hitched a cart to personally drive Old Granny Zhang to town.

Upon reaching Jing County, they first returned to their own courtyard.

Since Gu Zikai had vacated his residence, Yang Zongbao had hired people to connect the front and back courtyard.

Yang Zongbao had also moved to the front courtyard. Between the two sections, a moon gate had been installed. In the past months, the climbing roses flourished, and after a trim by Dong Laosan, the scene appeared as if the roses had formed a gate.

Old Granny Ding and Old Granny Wu were overjoyed to see Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang return.

While moving items in, they went to boil water and cook.

Wang Yongzhu, Old Granny Zhang, and Gu Yu were all exhausted from the journey, so after a quick meal, they went to rest.

Early the next day, Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu took their new mountain goods to Imperial Doctor Du’s house.

Imperial Doctor Du was initially surprised to see Wang Yongzhu, and then sternly dragged her into the study to test her knowledge.

Old Granny Zhang was invited to the rear courtyard by Lady Qi. Although Lady Qi joked about the large bundles they brought, her heart was warmed. Despite the gifts being just mountain goods, they emphasized how Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang regarded them as family.

Isn’t this how two families grow closer?

While Old Granny Zhang and Lady Qi chatted happily in the back courtyard, in the front study, Wang Yongzhu was grilled by Imperial Doctor Du to the point of doubting her life choices.

Thankfully, she hadn’t wasted her time at home, and managed book-related questions without errors.

However, she misidentified two medicinal herbs.

Fortunately, Imperial Doctor Du seemed to have forgotten about making her taste the herbs, which, despite sounding lovely, were actually animal droppings, as he once threatened.

Wang Yongzhu naturally didn’t bring up the issue, pretending it never occurred.

Once the test was over, fearing Imperial Doctor Du might recall it, she quickly changed the subject and recounted what she’d arranged with Ninth Master Lee.

Imperial Doctor Du didn’t comment much, simply waving her off to see Lady Qi.

Wang Yongzhu rushed to the inner courtyard where Lady Qi hugged her, expressing both tenderness and heartfelt concern.