Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Mrs. Wang, upon hearing Jiang Chunlan recount yesterday’s events in the Main House and the reasons behind Yang Juxiang and her daughter’s departure, cursed Jiang Chunlan internally for being such a brainless woman. How could she have said those words at that time? However, she didn’t let her disapproval show, and instead tried her best to console Jiang Chunlan.

“Chunlan, you cannot go back like this. If you do, wouldn’t that play right into Su Wenyue’s hands? She’s probably laughing at you now, thinking how you skulked off like a defeated, fleeing soldier. It’s truly disgraceful.” Mrs. Wang held Jiang Chunlan’s hand as she spoke.

“But, but Aunt might not want to see me now. Staying here doesn’t make sense anymore.” Although Jiang Chunlan was not entirely foolish, Su Wenyue’s provocations had gotten to her lately. She regretted the words she had blurted out in a moment of satisfaction and noticed the change in Mrs. Yang’s attitude towards her.

“What silly talk! How can there be no sense in staying? Have you forgotten what you said? We absolutely cannot let Su Wenyue continue to be so smug. Besides, you only said something trivial yesterday. I suspect it’s not really a big deal. My mother-in-law has always favored you. Even if she’s angry now, she’ll cool down eventually. Seriously, you are her niece, a direct relative, not like us mere daughters-in-law.”

“Is that truly the case?” Jiang Chunlan was uncertain. Previously, she was sure her Aunt had liked her very much, even treating her like a daughter. But this visit felt different; her Aunt was biased towards that annoying woman, Su Wenyue, which was why she was so upset.

“Of course, it is,” Mrs. Wang assured her. “If you’re feeling uneasy, find a time to apologize to my mother-in-law. She will definitely forgive you.” Jiang Chunlan knew her mother-in-law’s temperament. Even if she had taken a dislike to her niece over this incident, for Yang Juxiang’s sake, a simple apology from Jiang Chunlan would suffice, and her mother-in-law wouldn’t hold a grudge—at least not outwardly, which would settle Jiang Chunlan’s mind.

“I’ll listen to you and go apologize to Aunt right away.” Jiang Chunlan now saw Mrs. Wang as a trusted older sister, taking her words to heart. She thought to herself that in the Han Family, only her Third Cousin’s wife treated her well. Unlike the Eldest Sister-in-law and Second cousin’s wife, who either mocked her coldly or ignored her altogether. And Su Wenyue, that vixen who stole both her engagement and her man, was even more detestable.

Mrs. Wang wore a hypocritical smile on her face, but her expression turned dark as soon as Jiang Chunlan left the room. Staring vacantly in the direction Jiang Chunlan had gone, a venomous look flashed across her face.

“My wife, Mother told me that the mother and daughter will leave tomorrow,” Han Yu said, embracing his wife as he entered and taking a deep breath of her scent. She smelled better than any other woman to him, not like the overpowering fragrance of perfume, but a full, natural, captivating scent since she didn’t wear any cosmetics.

“Really?” Su Wenyue was accustomed to Han Yu’s behavior when they were alone. She simply adjusted to find a comfortable position against him. Hearing Han Yu’s words, she looked surprised, as it seemed that the mother and daughter had planned to stay for a long time. But thinking about Jiang Chunlan’s foolish words at the Main House and her mother-in-law’s reaction, she had an inkling as to why they were leaving.

“Of course. They must be too ashamed to stay any longer. Plus, the food here hasn’t been as good as in the first few days. Aunt and cousin are probably fed up and ready to change their diet,” Han Yu remarked, noticing the ease in his wife’s smile, pleased to have brought this news to her.

“So it all worked out to your liking. With those two gone, you won’t have any reason to be jealous anymore; you nearly turned me into a pickle jar,” Han Yu joked, thinking of his wife’s threatening glares. Despite that, he found her jealousy rather flattering.

“Jealous? Me? As if I’d be jealous of Jiang Chunlan… with neither the face nor the figure, and such a wonderful wife before you. A man would have to be blind to prefer her over me; we aren’t even comparable!” Su Wenyue’s cheeks flushed crimson under Han Yu’s teasing gaze, but she quickly composed herself, arrogantly pretending to brush it off, which made Han Yu love her even more.

“Right, you’re not jealous. My wife is the most beautiful and sensible. With such an understanding and lovely wife like you, where else would I even look?” Han Yu responded, accommodating her. Although he often seemed quiet and reserved, he was different towards the people he cared about, and he always opened up with Su Wenyue.

People always like to be flattered, and women always enjoy being told they’re beautiful. Su Wenyue was no exception. Though she knew Han Yu was trying to cheer her up, being complimented by him still thrilled her. At least this man was willing to make an effort for her, and she had a lot of confidence in her own appearance; the person she once captivated had very high standards, and even he had fallen for her beauty.

“That’s right, you rogue, where are your hands going?” Su Wenyue felt triumphant until she noticed Han Yu’s hands beginning to wander again.

“This is my wife; I can touch her wherever I want, and no one can say anything about it.”

The two shared a joyful struggle but considering it was daytime and Han Yu still had to go hunting in the afternoon, things did not get too excessive. They each tidied themselves up before leaving the room, and then they heard the commotion coming from outside in the courtyard.

“What’s going on? It sounds like we have guests,” Su Wenyue said, surprised. It wasn’t the time of year for visitors; the commotion seemed too significant for just a neighborhood visit. With this in mind, she checked her reflection once more to make sure she was presentable and avoid any gossip from the village’s busybodies.

Han Yu, however, revealed a cold, sarcastic smile. Seeing that expression, Su Wenyue knew he was aware of the visitors: “Husband, do you know who has arrived outside?”

“Who else could it be? It must be the people from the Main House coming to apologize for yesterday’s incident.”

Su Wenyue glanced at Han Yu with a hint of doubt; he seemed so certain without even looking. Peering through the window slit, she saw that they indeed were from the Main House. Although she knew Han Yu was astute, she couldn’t help being impressed.

“You guessed right.”

“It wasn’t a guess; I figured it out. I know the character of the people in the Main House well. After what happened yesterday, Han Ping, to keep his steward position, would have persuaded the Main House’s people to apologize to you. And they couldn’t delay or it would look insincere.”