Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“Master, you’ve returned, you’ve safely returned, that’s truly wonderful. This servant will go and bring the joyful news to Madam at once!” the servant said, darting off so quickly that his speed resembled a gust of wind.

The news of Han Yu’s return was known to both Su Wenyue and Aunt Li, but since Zhai Li and his group’s identities required secrecy, they kept it quiet and didn’t make a fuss, so the others were unaware. When they saw Han Yu at the gate, the servants hurriedly ran in to bring the good news to Su Wenyue. But because they ran too fast, one stumbled and fell, leaving Han Yu in stitches.

The servant reached the entrance to the inner courtyard but was stopped by Aunt Li: “What’s the rush, bursting in like this? What if you bumped into someone? Have you forgotten all decorum?”

“Aunt Li, it’s, it’s the Master who has come back. Our Master has safely returned. I especially came to bring Madam the good news,” the servant gasped, having run so swiftly that he was breathless. He also felt aggrieved; on any normal day, he wouldn’t dare to act with such haste. Aunt Li was the strictest when it came to the rules, and had he been seen, he would definitely have been scolded. But this wasn’t an ordinary day—the Master had come back, and not everything could be the same as usual.

“The Master has returned?” Since Su Wenyue had given the instruction, Aunt Li was meticulous in carrying it out, so she pretended to be unaware of Han Yu’s safe return. The usual sternness was absent from her face, replaced by a hint of joy.

“Indeed, the Master is back. Out of joy, this servant was in a hurry to report to Madam. These past few days Madam has been anticipating news of the Master, that’s why I ran so fast. All the rules taught to me by Aunt Li, I remember them well, how could I dare to intentionally break them?” said the servant, his face alight with happiness.

“That is good, Madam has been looking forward to the Master’s return. But Madam hasn’t been sleeping well the last two days, and is asleep right now. You probably won’t be able to see her. Here’s what we’ll do: you go back first, and I will inform Madam of the news.”

“Alright then, I’ll entrust this to Aunt Li.” While the servant said so, he was a bit disappointed to hear he couldn’t report the news in person. He had hoped that Madam, in her joy, might even reward him. But even without a reward, just being seen by Madam would’ve been good enough—now, he had to leave that opportunity to Aunt Li.

Aunt Li had seen it all before, and she understood the servant’s little scheme, pulling out a small purse: “Here, this is reward money for you. You’ve been clever, rushing to deliver the news to Madam. I’ll be sure to mention you to her.”

“Thank you, Aunt Li. You’re truly kind,” said the servant with a beaming smile, then turned to leave. At that moment, Han Yu had already come inside, eager to see his daughter-in-law and thus, he walked briskly.

“What is Madam doing right now? Is she with the children?” Han Yu asked as soon as he saw Aunt Li, but his steps did not halt as he continued to walk further inside.

After paying her respects to Han Yu, Aunt Li hastened after him: “Madam didn’t sleep well last night and only fell into a deep slumber as dawn broke. She’s sleeping right now. The Young Master and Young Miss were clamoring for their mother, but thinking of Madam’s health and the need for her to rest properly, I decided not to disturb her. I only allowed the Nanny to keep the Young Master and Young Miss near Madam to play.”

Han Yu nodded on hearing this. The severity on his ordinarily stern face softened as he walked into the room. Indeed, he saw his daughter-in-law sleeping soundly, with their three bubble-blowing children beside her, happily playing by themselves, not bothering their mother and occasionally reaching out to touch her with their little hands.

This ordinary scene of warmth struck Han Yu with an inexplicable emotion. People often realize what truly matters to them after life-and-death experiences. Only then do they discover what is most important, like when fighting bandits in the stronghold with the resolve to risk his life, the safety, and well-being of his wife and children were Han Yu’s greatest worries.

If anything happened to him, what would become of his wife and children? Now that the Han Family had divided their household, and his mother showed favoritism, it was feared she wouldn’t be kind to his wife. Although his wife’s parents’ home was there, a married daughter was like water thrown out, and eventually, her parents would age and no longer be able to care for her for a lifetime. Her two brothers-in-law indeed doted on their sister, but after all, they had their own wives and children—how could they put their sister and her children before their own? His wife, being both delicate and stubborn, was another source of worry for Han Yu.

“Ee-ah, ah-ah,” Brother Xing, noticing Han Yu’s entry, gazed at him unblinkingly, seeming to understand, greeting with coos and babbles. The other two little ones didn’t react much, just moving their hands and feet, still blowing bubbles and playing.

“This is Brother Xing, isn’t it? Brother Xing, be good, Daddy will come to hold you in a moment. Be nice and don’t cry; don’t wake your mom up.”

Han Yu, his clothes dirty, hadn’t had the chance to change or wash up in his hurry to see his wife and child, so he dared not approach. He stood by the bedside and gently soothed Brother Xing, saying he could recognize Brother Xing because Su Wenyue hadn’t stopped talking about how Brother Xing was smarter and more sensible than his younger siblings—as if he could understand adults already. His heart filled with a warm tenderness; it seemed as though all the effort and hardship had been worth it.

“Master, last night Madam received the news of your safety and knew you would definitely return today, so she has prepared everything. On the stove, Chicken Mushroom Soup is being stewed,” Aunt Li reported in a low voice, taking advantage of the absence of others. She also described how worried Su Wenyue had been these past days—in short, she wanted Han Yu to realize the goodness of his wife. There were some small things that Madam might not speak of, and in those cases, those beside her had a duty to help. Even these ordinary minor concerns contributed to maintaining a good relationship between husband and wife, and as lifelong servants, they clearly understood these things.

On hearing this, Han Yu felt gratified but soon thought of Zhai Li and his group. Since Aunt Li brought it up, she must be informed about the matter, which was just what he wanted to know.

“How did Madam arrange for those people?”

“As to that, this old servant isn’t entirely clear. Those people came last night, and it was I who brought them to see Madam, and afterwards, Madam arranged to send them away. As for where they went and how they were arranged, Madam didn’t say, and I don’t really know,” Aunt Li responded.

Han Yu was even more pleased to hear no definitive answer from Aunt Li; his daughter-in-law was even more cautious than he had imagined.