Chapter 181
Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Miscalculated_1 Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Miscalculated_1 The Wei Family had been pondering how to cope with Zhao Dahu but as soon as Zhao Jingen walked in and began scolding him, her face revealed a trace of triumph; Zhao Jingen was her biggest asset in dealing with Zhao Dahu.
However, the Wei Family’s calculations were off this time. Upon seeing Zhao Jingen, Zhao Dahu’s attitude did not change and he remained resolute, “Father, she’s not my birth mother. A birth mother couldn’t treat my wife and kids like this. I’ve had enough today. If this continues, I fear my wife and children will be tormented to death by this woman. I’ll say it now, either you start treating my wife and children fairly in the future—what the Wei descendants have, my wife and children must also not lack—or we’ll split the household. Otherwise, don’t expect me to hand over my wages to the Wei Family ever again.”
Having spoken, Zhao Dahu didn’t wait for Zhao Jingen to explode with anger but went out to check on the kids. Today, he had brought back so many treats, the kids must be overjoyed. It’s his own fault as a father that they’ve suffered so much. He would work hard to give them a better life in the future.
Because Sister Zhao Yunxiang and her husband were visiting, Zhao Dahu’s family would come over for dinner tonight too. It was the first time the three families of siblings would gather together like this. Unfortunately, Sister Zhao Yunxiang had not brought her children, which was quite a rarity, and Lin Yue of course wanted to prepare a table full of delicious food to welcome them. She had just returned home and started busying herself in the kitchen.
At this moment, Zhao Dahu was worrying about the sleeping arrangements for Sister Zhao Yunxiang and her husband. The house had three rooms in addition to the main house and the kitchen. However, the storeroom was packed with too many things to sort out. In the end, they decided to set up a bed with long benches and planks in their own room and lay out the bedding. At night, the kids would sleep with them in one room, and Sister Zhao Yunxiang and her husband would sleep in the kids’ room.
Lin Yue was very satisfied with Brother Erhu’s arrangement. She wasn’t used to having others sleep in her own bed, and their room contained so many valuables. Although Sister Zhao Yunxiang was Brother Erhu’s eldest sister, Lin Yue had become wary of Brother Erhu’s relatives due to a previous lesson learned. She would not easily let them into her own room, and even if they did enter, she needed to have someone accompany them. The fabrics Jiang Ziqi brought last time were all worth a fortune, with some being priceless treasures not available for purchase. If any were lost, she couldn’t afford to compensate.
Brother Erhu also approved of Lin Yue’s cautiousness. If anything in their room went missing, it could ruin their whole family; they couldn’t afford the slightest mistake. It was never too careful, and between his own family and Sister Zhao Yunxiang, Brother Erhu decisively chose his own family.
“Brother Erhu, why don’t you go to the mountains and check the traps to see if you’ve caught any game? If there’s any, bring it back quickly. We can add it to tonight’s meal and let everyone have a taste of wild game.” Upon hearing Lin Yue’s order, Brother Erhu immediately went to do as instructed. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to quietly remind Dalang and the others, making sure they watched over the things in the room.
Having been robbed too many times, Dalang and the others accepted Brother Erhu’s instruction without any objections, standing guard seriously at the door of the room. They took turns watching like sentries. In fact, Brother Erhu’s actions weren’t meant to guard against Sister Zhao Yunxiang and her husband specifically but merely out of caution.
Before long, Zhao Dahu and his wife arrived with the kids. Lin Yue was rather surprised they came so quickly and hurried everyone inside. She also brought out candy and pastries to entertain the children.
Seeing Zhao Dahu’s children dressed so shabbily, standing next to Dalang and the others, they looked utterly destitute. Lin Yue felt uncomfortable at the sight, and the children even secretly told her how pitiful their eldest uncle’s siblings were. Lin Yue thought to herself that once she had some free time, she would make a few sets of clothes for Zhao Dahu’s family. They did not need to be made from fine materials; coarse cotton would do, making it convenient to work in without arousing the envy or attention of the Wei mother and sons.
“Sister-in-law, we purposely came early to see if we could help you out. I’ll go to the kitchen and be your assistant,” Mrs. Liu was always a diligent person, and she dashed into the kitchen without even taking a break after arriving, starting to pick vegetables for Lin Yue. Zhao Dahu spontaneously began chopping firewood in the courtyard, and Lin Yue couldn’t stop him. Lin Genfa felt a bit embarrassed watching Zhao Dahu and his wife like this and wanted to help with something, but he gave up the idea after receiving a stern glance from Zhao Yunxiang.
“Sister-in-law, don’t trouble yourself. Have a cup of tea and some fruit in the main hall first. It’s not often you visit us, and it’s certainly not right to have you working,” Lin Yue said.
Seeing how Mrs. Liu was behaving, Lin Yue thought about how different people could be. Sister Zhao Yunxiang, Zhao Erhu’s elder sister, was just good with words; since she had arrived, she’d been leisurely enjoying tea and cakes outside, never once thinking of helping out in the kitchen, not even bothering to ask. Mrs. Liu might seem slow-witted and not very talkative, but she was meticulous in her work, not the type to shirk her duties, and she was sincere in dealing with others.
“Why stand on ceremony with me, sister-in-law? Haven’t you always said we’re one family? I remember that, so I had the nerve to come and mooch a meal. How can you manage to cook for so many people tonight by yourself? Let me give you a hand. I may not have any other skills, but I’m really strong. I’m definitely a good worker when it comes to manual labor.”
“All right then, I’ll gratefully accept your help,” Lin Yue said, seeing that Mrs. Liu was truly sincere. The two of them chatted and laughed while busily working together.
Mrs. Liu excitedly told Lin Yue about the events that unfolded after they had returned home, describing how Zhao Dahu had stood up for them against the Wei Family and Zhao Jingen, and how he managed to make the Wei Family compromise. There was an unusual glow on her face that never existed before because, in this matter, they finally saw a glimpse of a hopeful future.
“But by doing this, you’re still living under the Wei Family’s thumb; it doesn’t solve the ultimate problem. If you want to live well, the permanent solution is to separate and live on your own. Even if you get less from the division of assets, it doesn’t matter. Your elder brother is still young and strong; as long as you work hard, you don’t have to worry about not living a good life. Erhu and I will also support you,” Lin Yue advised, not to dampen their spirits but to address a realistic issue. She wouldn’t have made such a promise if Zhao Dahu and his wife weren’t both forthright people who knew how to be grateful.
Another reason was to counter Zhao Yunxiang. Lin Yue heard Zhao Yunxiang repeatedly hinting that Zhao Erhu should look after their family, yet showing no gratitude at all, acting as if it was something owed to her, and was even rude to her. Lin Yue did not want her own efforts to end up paving the way for Zhao Yunxiang, as that would frustrate her to no end.
So between Zhao Dahu and Zhao Yunxiang, for Lin Yue, there was no need to think twice; she would definitely choose Zhao Dahu’s family. With the contrast, Zhao Erhu could better see the unpleasantness and greed in Zhao Yunxiang.
Zhao Yunxiang was Zhao Erhu’s biological elder sister, and it was impossible for Lin Yue to make Zhao Erhu cut ties with her. So Lin Yue came up with this plan to win over Zhao Dahu’s family to deal with Zhao Yunxiang.