Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“Of course, we are one family; there is nothing inappropriate. Speaking like that makes us seem like strangers. Mother, Sister-in-law, let’s not dwell on this any longer. I must hurry to get Xiao Xi’s accommodations arranged properly. We can’t really have her squeezed into a Room with Aunt and cousin. Xiao Xi is not delicate; it’s really Yang Juxiang and her daughter that seem to have a problem with her. Living together wouldn’t be suitable,” Su Wenyue said in a veiled manner, making it clear that it wasn’t Xiao Xi being delicate, but rather an issue with Yang Juxiang and her daughter.

“Alright, you go ahead. Xiao Xi is a good child; even if she’s willing to sleep on the floor, I wouldn’t want her to suffer. The ground is damp, and it’s not good for a maiden to be exposed to dampness,” Mrs. Yang said, while also thinking that over the years, her sister’s temperament had turned somewhat odd. No wonder the Eldest Daughter-in-law couldn’t help but come to her about it; they couldn’t even tolerate a little girl they had never met and were looking for trouble.

Though there was no need to rise before dawn thanks to the horse carriage, the Han family members still got up early the second day, had Breakfast, and made their way to the County Town. If they were late, Old lady of the Han Family and the Main House’s people would make a fuss, perhaps even branding them with an unfilial reputation.

As soon as the horse carriage left, the Han Family’s home seemed empty. Yang Juxiang and her daughter even followed along, leaving only Mrs. Wang at home. After all, with Mrs. Wang expecting, Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang still cared about their Grandson and didn’t want Mrs. Wang to take that risk.

Not having to accompany them, Mrs. Wang felt relieved; this was the only occasion she didn’t wish to vie for attention, preferring to avoid it altogether. The Old lady of the Han Family and those from the Main House were difficult to deal with and had worn her down. She was carrying a Child, and although she didn’t overly prioritize the child, her current standing with her parents-in-law in the Han Family wasn’t great. Her continued place in the Han Family was entirely thanks to the child in her stomach, so the child must not come to any harm.

“Is this the eldest uncle’s house?” Su Wenyue lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the decrepit Small Courtyard before her. It was located in a less desirable part of town, which was a bit of a letdown. She had expected, from what her Mother-in-law and Han Yu had said, that the Old lady of the Han Family and the people from the Main House, who looked down on their Second House, should be living in better conditions. But it seemed that the Main House’s people were not doing well In The City. The Courtyard may have been slightly rundown and poorly situated, but its sole redeeming quality was its spaciousness.

“The house on the left is your eldest uncle’s, and the one on the right is occupied by another family,” Mrs. Yang said with a twist of her mouth, her mood not seeming very good. “We’ll only be staying here for less than a day; just be careful, and that will suffice.”

So this dilapidated Courtyard was actually shared by two families. Getting along with neighbors isn’t always easy. If both families were easygoing and not nitpicky, that would be one thing, but given how the Main House’s people treated their own relatives, it was natural that they couldn’t get along well with neighbors either.

Su Wenyue was somewhat speechless. With these conditions, aside from living In The City, in what way were the Main House’s people better than those from their Second House? She wondered where they got the arrogance to think they were superior.

“Now that we’ve arrived, everyone should get off the horse carriage,” she said.

Han Yu helped his Father and Mother off the carriage, then nonchalantly lifted his own Wife down without a care for anyone else.

Jiang Chunlan extended her hand, thinking Han Yu would help her as well. She didn’t expect that he would ignore her completely, and the smile she had purposely shown in front of Han Yu stiffened on her face.

One by one, everyone else got out of the carriage, which was rather large, thankfully. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to fit so many passengers even if they squeezed in.

Watching from the side, Su Wenyue saw Jiang Chunlan’s little gesture and a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t forget to send Han Yu a cautioning glance. Her message was unmistakable: just try getting involved with someone else and see what happens!

Han Yu innocently touched his nose. Women sure liked to be jealous, he thought. There was clearly nothing going on, and he had been firm in his stance. It wasn’t his fault his brainless cousin insisted on throwing herself at him.

“Wife, that woman’s mind is broken. Clearly an unattractive girl, yet she fancies herself a beauty and has no shame. Your Husband’s taste isn’t that poor to fancy such a woman, especially when he has such a beautiful Wife like you by his side. Don’t wrong me,” he whispered in Su Wenyue’s ear. It felt somewhat wrong to belittle a woman like that, not something a true gentleman should do. But if it made his Wife happy, he was willing to toss aside his integrity.

Su Wenyue struggled to keep her composure and not to smile, given the situation, but she could not deny the satisfaction she felt inside. Han Yu’s words were far more effective than any sweet nothings, and she hadn’t expected such a skill in coaxing from him.

Seeing the unintended smile in Su Wenyue’s eyes, Han Yu knew his approach was working. He formed a slight grin, took Su Wenyue’s hand into his own, and tenderly caressed it, sending tingles down her spine.

“Behave yourself, we are here to celebrate the Old lady’s birthday, not to give anyone a handle against us,” Su Wenyue quickly withdrew her hand while no one was looking. Old Man Han was already knocking on the door and it was best to stay alert to avoid giving the Main House any ammo to criticize her. Given that both her Mother-in-law and Husband agreed that the Main House’s people were hard to deal with, she absolutely couldn’t afford to be careless.

“Coming, coming; what’s all the knocking for, trying to knock someone’s soul out?” The Courtyard door was yet to open when a powerful voice was heard from inside, one that could give Mrs. Liu a run for her money. Yet, this speaker’s direct and forthright manner was hardly admirable.

Soon the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman looking older than Mrs. Liu but younger than Mrs. Yang. While dressed in vivid colors, the effect was tainted with an aura of cheapness and vulgarity. Su Wenyue remembered someone described by Mrs. Liu previously—a woman who fit the description was none other than the stepmother of Han Family’s Eldest Son, Han Jinhu, known as Mrs. Han Wang.

“Oh, it’s Second Brother and his family, isn’t it? You’ve come quite early. Just perfect, we need help in the Kitchen. Go on and lend a hand quickly; today is Mother’s birthday, and your Second House is expected to contribute! And did you bring the birthday packages like you should?”

Old Man Han had never been fond of Mrs. Han Wang, a woman of coarse manners and flamboyant dress. He had to call her Sister-in-law simply due to formality. Hearing her speak like that, he had the Han Hu brothers move the birthday packages from the back of the carriage inside.

Mrs. Han Wang, not having a full Breakfast, was eyeing the Second House’s birthday packages, and before they could be taken to the Kitchen, she grabbed a few for herself.