Rebirth of a Farming Wife

This just looks like a poor woman. I don’t understand why these servants are so enthusiastic. Mrs. Yang muttered to herself as she watched Su Wenyue calling the servant girl in to instruct something. Not wanting to eavesdrop so blatantly, she followed behind the servant girl, curious about what she was going to do.

“You are tidying up the room here, aren’t you?” Mrs. Yang walked in and asked, certain that the daughter-in-law had ordered this. She just didn’t know why the room was being tidied up. Her son had lectured her this morning. Although it seemed logical, Mrs. Yang still felt uncomfortable. His words clearly favored the daughter-in-law. It must be that Mrs. Su said something to her or her son yesterday, trying to drive a wedge between mother and son.

“Yes, Aunt Feng and her son will move in. Our lady asked me to clean out two rooms for Aunt Feng and her child,” Bi Cao said. Bi Cao was a maid bought by Han Yu when he first arrived. Although she came to the Han Family quite early, she wasn’t one of the people serving directly by Su Wenyue and neither did she come from the Su Family’s side, so she seemed less assertive. Mrs. Yang demanded an answer, and Bi Cao dared not refuse to respond.

“What?! You mean that poor woman I just saw will bring her son to live here? Why? Who are they that we should let them stay?” Mrs. Yang criticized. The maids and servant girls around Su Wenyue didn’t bother much with her. Although they seemed respectful, they were actually distant and indifferent. Even Xiao Xi, who had been very close to her before and served by Mrs. Su’s side, no longer showed that familiar attitude. Mrs. Yang couldn’t easily ask Xiao Xi, lest the daughter-in-law find out. Thus, she still didn’t know what background Feng Susu came from until now.

Scared by Mrs. Yang’s agitation, Bi Cao responded truthfully. The other servants around the mistress were not afraid of being sold off because they had the mistress’s support, but she was actually scared. As soon as Mrs. Yang asked, she answered truthfully.

“Aunt Feng and her son were saved by our lady a few months ago. Back then, Aunt Feng’s son was almost dying from a severe cold. It was our lady’s kindness that provided the silver to pay the doctor to cure Aunt Feng’s son. Aunt Feng was grateful and had brought gifts to our lady a few times. Our lady has also been very kind to Aunt Feng and her son.”

That was all Bi Cao knew and dared to share, but seeing Mrs. Yang’s displeased expression, she was frightened and unsure why Mrs. Yang was so angry.

“Oh, I see! Who could they be? Just some people she happened to save from the street? And they got to move into our home so grandly. I have never seen such a wasteful woman. My son has been working so hard in the military camp, earning his salary, and she just fritters it away, benefiting outsiders. It’s utterly lawless and ridiculous! Where does Mrs. Su put me, her mother-in-law, in her eyes!” Mrs. Yang stormed towards Su Wenyue’s place, fuming with rage, and was seen by Old Man Han.

“Old lady, where are you going in such a huff?” Old Man Han saw her in a temper and immediately stopped her, guessing it had something to do with his daughter-in-law. He thought the daughter-in-law was pretty good—knowledgeable, polite, and generous, with a powerful mother’s family that had helped his son a lot. It seemed like a stroke of luck for his son to have found such a daughter-in-law, but for some reason, the old lady, ever more perverse as she aged, and too easily swayed by what she heard, always seemed to pick

faults with his daughter-in-law. Usually, he couldn’t be bothered to intervene in women’s affairs, as long as things didn’t go too far. But his daughter-in-law was pregnant now, and under no circumstances could he allow something to go wrong with his granddaughter or

grandson.

Mrs. Yang, still enraged, related the issue to Old Man Han, progressively convinced that her daughter-in-law was at fault: “How could this be reasonable? We, as parents, haven’t taken anything from them yet, but look at her, spending silver to treat those two people, and even bringing outsiders into our home to live. Such a family-wasting daughter-in-law could end up ruining Brother Yu’s family fortune. No, I have to talk sense into her today!”

Upon hearing this, Old Man Han was not angry; instead, he felt that the Fourth Son’s wife was not acting recklessly and must have had her reasons.

“Helping that mother and son was out of the Fourth Daughter-in-law’s kindness. Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story stupa. She did nothing wrong. Speaking of supporting parents, we’ve divided the household, and at the time of division, it was agreed that we would live with the boss, and our share was also allocated to his side. Moreover, every month, the Fourth Child and his wife give us money to provide for us in our old age. Now, it’s a bit unreasonable for you to be saying such things.”

“Regardless, she shouldn’t have brought that mother and son into our home. We already have so many servants, and she seems to think we don’t spend enough!” Mrs. Yang felt Su Wenyue was absolutely in the wrong, and Old Man Han couldn’t stop her as she made her way toward Su Wenyue’s location.

When Su Wenyue saw her mother-in-law burst angrily into her room without even knocking, showing not the slightest respect, her face also fell. She was not one of those daughters-in-law who would yield under pressure, bearing everything silently out of respect for her husband’s face. She’d put up with it once or twice, but that was not to let Mrs. Yang get carried away.

“What is the meaning of this, Mother-in-law? By barging straight in without any warning, it doesn’t matter if you scare me, but what if you frighten the child in my stomach? I thought you were very fond of the child I am carrying.”

Su Wenyue had not intended to use the child in her stomach as leverage, but given Mrs. Yang’s behavior, it was difficult for her to scold her mother-in-law, because even if she was in the right, it wouldn’t look good if word got out, especially at this sensitive moment. With outsiders keeping an eye on their household, one misstep could become gossip fodder. So she had to touch on Mrs. Yang’s sensitive spot, remembering how Mrs. Wang used the child in her stomach to defuse Mrs. Yang’s temper, even after making mistakes and yet being forgiven.

Surely enough, as soon as Su Wenyue mentioned the child in her stomach, Mrs. Yang, however furious and somewhat provoked by Su Wenyue’s tone, still managed to suppress her temper and lower her voice.

“Daughter-in-law, what is this all about? Why are you letting two outsiders live in the Han family home? Are you unaware of how hard and challenging it is for your husband in the military camp? Yet here you are, ruining the family!” Mrs. Yang tried to contain her anger, her voice not too loud but quite sharp.

“Mother, I have my reasons for allowing Aunt Feng and her son to stay. You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll speak plainly—since the Han family has already divided its households, even you, as the mother-in-law, shouldn’t interfere with our affairs. Rest assured, Husband and I will not neglect the provisions for Father and Mother. As for the rest, if you don’t understand, it’s better not to meddle,” Su Wenyue stated bluntly, her patience worn thin by the old lady’s recent actions. It was time to make it clear who the mistress of the

house was and to remind her not to overstep.

Mrs. Yang was so upset by Su Wenyue’s words that she nearly choked in fury: “Mrs. Su, don’t be too arrogant. Even if the family has divided, I’m still the Fourth child’s birth mother. I won’t stand by and watch as you squander the fortune the Fourth son has worked so hard to earn!”