Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Jiang Chunlan had something on her mind these days and kept to herself, fearing that if the Han family members found out about her association with those men, or if those men, driven into a corner, came to entangle her, she would be in trouble. Every time she faced Han Yu’s cold, piercing gaze, she felt a chill run through her. At this moment, she didn’t even care how much she liked her cousin; she wanted to return home if it wasn’t for the fear of arousing suspicion.

“Third Cousin’s wife, what should I do? If Fourth Cousin and the people from Su Family find out that I was behind this, they will never spare me. Please think of a way to save me,” Jiang Chunlan couldn’t hold back any longer and went to find Mrs. Wang. Mrs. Wang had strongly supported the plot from the beginning, but now, in a state of panic and out of ideas, she could only seek Mrs. Wang’s advice.

Mrs. Wang had not hesitated to offer suggestions to Jiang Chunlan for stirring up trouble with Su Wenyue. Jiang Chunlan had grown accustomed to following her advice.

Mrs. Wang’s status in the Han family was precarious, even with a child in her womb. Though the Han family dared not mistreat her, she understood that without delivering a son, she would have to continue leading a low-profile existence. While Jiang Chunlan was afraid, Mrs. Wang was also worried about being implicated. When she saw Jiang Chunlan coming to her in a frantic state for advice, her face showed her displeasure, and she cursed her inwardly.

If not for the fear that Jiang Chunlan might rashly implicate her, Mrs. Wang would’ve liked to chase her out of the room. As it was, she had to pacify Jiang Chunlan, ensuring she wouldn’t think to drag her into the mess. It was a tiresome and exhausting task, leaving Mrs. Wang feeling like she had brought this upon herself.

“Chunlan, don’t panic. It’s not like you did it yourself. What do those young guys have to do with you? When Fourth Younger Brother asks, just deny it. After all, they have no proof. They can’t slander you just because some people talk nonsense. You’re her cousin, and even your mother-in-law wouldn’t let you suffer a wrongful accusation,” Mrs. Wang said, confident that unless Jiang Chunlan admitted it, the link couldn’t be traced back to her.

“Really? But Fourth Cousin looks at me like he wants to devour me; I’m really scared. Maybe I should still go back,” Jiang Chunlan considered but felt she didn’t have the courage. Fourth Cousin was frightening when he was angry, and she dared not confront him.

“If you go back now, wouldn’t that just prove you have a guilty conscience and raise suspicion? Besides, even if you went back, Fourth Younger Brother and the Su Family could still easily find you. Here, at least your mother-in-law is looking out for you. Even if Fourth Younger Brother wanted to make things difficult for you, he’d have to show some leniency for her sake. If you went back and he lost his restraint, that would be a real disaster.”

Stupid fool thought Mrs. Wang, frustrated, but she had to lay out the pros and cons for Jiang Chunlan, fearing she might do something foolish to drag her down, too. Luckily, though Jiang Chunlan was naive, she heeded Mrs. Wang’s words, and after some persuading, Mrs. Wang managed to calm her down, though she remained uneasy.

Han Yu and the Su family members were not ordinary in their abilities, and this matter having crossed the line, would be met with no mercy. In just two days, the younger guys who had caused trouble for Su Wenyue were caught, all but one named Zhang Qing whose whereabouts were unknown. Despite many searching, he had not been found.

Because of this incident, these days, Su Hengxuan often visited the Han family, partly out of concern for his younger sister’s health, always making sure she drank the nutritious soups that An Family had specifically asked him to bring, before discussing matters with Han Yu.”

Seeing Su Hengxuan and his younger sister chatting and laughing so affably, Han Yu felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy and unconsciously sought to keep Su Hengxuan at bay. Han Yu would never admit that it was because he was being petty. Any man would feel uncomfortable seeing his wife so friendly with other men, even if that man was his second brother-in-law.

Su Hengxuan looked down even more on his brother-in-law, put off by his pettiness. Yueyue was his younger sister whom he had cherished for over a decade, watching her grow up, and now she was married off to another man. He had said nothing, yet their sibling warmth seemed to irk some people.

Su Hengxuan was protective of his sister and had never taken to Han Yu. Each found the other distasteful, but both men were capable of controlling themselves and knew their priorities. The most pressing task was to capture those brazen bandits and avenge Su Wenyue. Despite their mutual disdain, it didn’t affect their cooperation.

“Ah! What are you doing? You scared me to death.” Jiang Chunlan was startled to be grabbed from behind and snapped at the person, but then her expression changed as she recognized the man as Zhang Qing, whom Han Yu and the Su family were searching for.

“Zhang Qing, what are you doing here? Didn’t you escape? How did you end up here? My Fourth Cousin and the Su Family are searching the world for you. You didn’t escape, but you dare to stay in the village? Aren’t you afraid of being caught?” Jiang Chunlan was extremely nervous, scanning the surroundings, fearing someone might see her with Zhang Qing.

“Damn woman, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess, being chased around like a stray dog. Meanwhile, you wander around at leisure, confident that Han Yu won’t touch you, huh? What a fool. I see Han Yu treasuring his daughter-in-law. He wouldn’t be so determined to wipe us out if not for that. If he finds out about your involvement and that it was you who begged us to do it, do you think he’d spare you?”

“What do you want? It was you guys who did it, not me. Who can prove that I orchestrated this? Even if you told my cousin, he might not believe you,” Jiang Chunlan used the same arguments Mrs. Wang had given her to deal with Zhang Qing, but this was clearly ineffective and only served to infuriate him.

Zhang Qing had nowhere to vent his anger, having hidden in the mountains the past few days without any hunting skills, getting by on wild fruits and suffering from hunger and cold. Unable to bear it any longer, he risked coming to find Jiang Chunlan. Now faced with her attitude, he felt she needed a lesson. Without saying a word, he dragged Jiang Chunlan into the bushes and roughly XXed her, venting his frustration before letting her go to talk business.

“I’ve been hiding in the mountains for the past few days. Han Yu and the people from the Su Family certainly wouldn’t expect me not to have fled, but to have hidden nearby. There’s no food up there, and my family is surely being watched. You need to prepare food for me and bring it every day.” This was, after all, the main reason Zhang Qing sought out Jiang Chunlan.