Chapter 482
Chapter 482: 476 Chapter_1 Chapter 482: 476 Chapter_1 Zhao Erhu arrived early at Shanglin Village, knowing about Zhao Yunxiang’s illness. The nature of her strange sickness was unknown, and despite ongoing treatment, her condition deteriorated over time. Fearing the worst since Lin Genfa had sent for him, Erhu was uneasy, although he harbored resentment and disappointment towards Yunxiang for her past actions against Lin Yue, as she was still blood-kin.
“Erhu, you’re back,” Lin’s mother warmly greeted him upon his arrival, her face beaming with happiness, “Why have you come so early? Please, come inside.”
“I returned last night,” Erhu answered while handing over the items he had brought, “I heard from my wife that older sister wasn’t doing well, so I came to see her. How have you and father-in-law been these days?” he asked, then added, “These are special products from the south. I brought some specifically for you to try. Is Genfa out?”
“He’s home, preparing medicine for your older sister in the kitchen,” Lin’s mother replied, about to call for someone when Lin Genfa, having heard the commotion, emerged and exchanged pleasantries with Zhao Erhu. They soon discussed Zhao Yunxiang’s condition, for which Genfa expressed immense gratitude towards Lin Yue who, harboring no grudge, had sought Doctor Zheng’s aid to treat Yunxiang.
Upon hearing this, confusion crossed Erhu’s face; it seemed things were not as he had expected. His wife hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort to him. Remembering his reaction the night before and what had happened that morning, he felt remorseful—his wife had gone to such lengths, yet he had gravely misunderstood her.
“I had no idea about this,” Erhu remarked, though he understood that his wife’s anger was likely the reason she hadn’t informed him. However, he could not disclose such matters to outsiders and felt anxious in his heart.
“My sister-in-law has a generous and unassuming nature, preferring not to make a fuss about her good deeds. If it weren’t for her bringing Doctor Zheng here and providing two hundred taels of silver for your sister’s treatment, your sister might not have been alive to see you again. As it is, we can probably hold on for a few more months. Even everyday items like rice, flour, oil, and salt were provided by her. My heart feels ashamed; despite the hardships at home, we couldn’t decline her assistance. All we can do is work hard in the future to repay you both,” Genfa confessed with guilt.
“Brother-in-law, please don’t talk like that. She’s my older sister too; there’s no reason I would neglect her. Of course, my wife shares the same sentiments as me,” Erhu said reassuringly.
“Erhu, there’s something else I need to apologize for. I told your sister-in-law about your visit last year when your sister was sick, and about the silver you gave. Considering your sister-in-law’s virtuous nature, I felt bad for keeping it from her. But now I wonder if it was inappropriate to tell her, thinking you must have had your reasons for keeping it a secret,” Lin Genfa said, inadvertently increasing Erhu’s inner turmoil.
Erhu had initially thought a simple misunderstanding with Lin Yue could be smoothed over with some coaxing, letting her vent to clear the air. However, Lin Genfa’s revelation further complicated matters, leaving Erhu feeling incredibly distressed.
Indeed, one wouldn’t get into trouble if they didn’t seek it. He regretted his decision to keep the secret from his wife for fear of upsetting her. His wife valued honesty above all, and he had once passionately sworn to her honesty. Now the situation had backfired, leaving him wondering how to explain himself to his wife. His well-intending brother-in-law had been far too honest and was now causing undue stress, all while Erhu had to restrain his frustration in Genfa’s presence to avoid exacerbating the situation.
Noticing Erhu’s uneasy expression, Lin Genfa realized he might have acted rashly. Regretful but too late to take back what was said or unsaid, the damage was done.
“Erhu, I’m sorry, you know how I am. Seeing Sister-in-law working so hard for your eldest sister and me, I just couldn’t bear it… This whole affair started because of me. How about I go and apologize to Sister-in-law, so she won’t blame you?” Lin Genfa said with a distressed look on his face.
“Enough, brother-in-law, don’t worry about this. Even if my wife is angry, it’s not because of you; I shouldn’t have lied to her in the first place. Since the eldest sister seems to be doing alright, I’ll head back first. There’s still things I need to attend to at home.” Zhao Erhu had no mood to discuss further with Lin Genfa. His heart was tied to his little wife back home, fearing that she might be sulking alone and might do something rash. After quickly checking on Zhao Yunxiang, who was still asleep in the inner room, he hurriedly drove the cart away.
“Wife, you have to be good, even if you’re angry, you should wait for me to come back before you take it out on me.” Zhao Erhu silently prayed as he pushed the cart to its fastest speed.
“Wife, wife, where are you?” Zhao Erhu got home and couldn’t find Lin Yue, which made him panic. He was afraid his little wife had run away angry; he remembered she had a history of running away. He hurriedly searched everywhere, including the farm and workshop outside, but found no one.
Zhao Erhu was genuinely worried now, blaming himself and concerned for his wife. He was about to search a few households in the village familiar with Lin Yue, but as he was leaving, he ran into Xixi, whom Lin Yue had sent to Zhao Xinglin’s house. He quickly called her to stop.
“Xixi, where have you been, and where is Mistress Dongjia?” Zhao Erhu’s tone carried a touch of anxiety and severity when he didn’t see Lin Yue and Xixi together.
Xixi was taken aback, slightly confused. “Isn’t Mistress Dongjia at home? Mistress Dongjia sent me to help Sister Han this morning, and I’ve just come back. I haven’t been with Mistress Dongjia.”
“You girl, how could you not stick with Mistress Dongjia! Someone else’s business is never as important as Mistress Dongjia herself. Now that she’s gone missing, where do you expect me to find her?!” Zhao Erhu, flustered, shouted at Xixi, even though he knew it wasn’t her fault, he still rather unfairly vented his frustration on her.
When Xixi heard that Mistress Dongjia was missing, she too panicked. She also remembered that Mistress Dongjia and Dongjia had a quarrel this morning and hadn’t even eaten breakfast. She couldn’t help but worry if something serious had happened. Now, she became anxious as well.
“How can this be? Dongjia, did you make Mistress angry? Mistress didn’t even have breakfast this morning, and now she’s gone missing. Something serious mustn’t have happened, right?” Xixi, who was grateful to Lin Yue’s kindness, always regarded her as a benefactor and family member. Now hearing Lin Yue was missing, she sounded almost tearful with urgency.
Zhao Erhu was already overwhelmed with worry. Hearing Xixi’s words brought him even more distress, fueling his imagination with all sorts of scenarios. His eyes reddened with urgency, and he hastened to search for her in the village, running into Zhang Chunhua along the way.