Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“Dad, what do you make of this? The Imperial Court says it’s going to reform the currency, but who knows how they’ll do it?” Mrs. Yang expressed her worries, no longer preoccupied with her son’s household affairs.

Old Man Han took a drag of his cigarette, equally troubled, unsure of how the Imperial Court would implement the changes and whether it would be advantageous or detrimental to their family.

“In that case, I’ll go out and sniff around, see what the situation actually is.” Old Man Han thought for a moment, then decisively stood up and walked outside. Mrs. Yang quickly followed suit, not forgetting to tuck a string of coins into her bosom.

“Old man, let me accompany you. Staying at home is just as restless, and it’s better to understand the situation firsthand.”

Upon reaching the Market, where the streets were typically bustling, they now faced a gloom that had settled over the crowd. Many people were wailing miserably. This year, there had been a Great Harvest, and selling the grain had earned them a hefty sum of silver, promising a prosperous year ahead. But in the blink of an eye, the coins they had exchanged for Food turned into useless scrap. A year’s hard work seemingly gone to waste, the most pressing concern was, what would sustain their home now?

When Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang returned home, the heavy expressions on their faces were evidence enough that the Currency Reform had significantly impacted them. Though the value of the silver coins they had stored depreciated, fortunately, they had sold only a small portion of their grain. They were grateful to the Fourth Daughter-in-law for this outcome. Thinking back, both Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang felt some relief, and Mrs. Yang’s resentful attitude towards Su Wenyue softened considerably; no matter how flawed the Fourth Daughter-in-law might be, she brought good fortune to their family.

Having lived through a previous life, Su Wenyue was well aware of the impending monetary reform, and though she couldn’t tell the Han family members outright, she dropped hints to keep the grain stores intact. The world was too chaotic these days; nothing was more important than Food. Fearing the Han family members wouldn’t heed her advice, she even insisted on buying grain from them. Because of this, the Han family didn’t sell off their stores, avoiding the same fate as those at the Market.

Su Wenyue wasn’t particularly fond of the Han family members, but as one of them, their interests were intertwined. If the Han family members truly fell on hard times, they would inevitably turn to Han Yu for help, and he couldn’t disregard them.

When Han Yu returned home that evening, Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang summoned both him and Su Wenyue. Old Man Han started by praising Su Wenyue, “Fourth Daughter-in-law, we owe you a great deal this time. If it weren’t for you, we would have sold our grain much earlier, and Our family’s losses would have been extensive.”

Han Yu, unaware of this development, raised an eyebrow in surprise. His Daughter-in-law had taken care of many household affairs without his knowledge. It must have been an omen from her dreams that prompted her, otherwise they could have easily purchased grain from the Town, which would have been cheaper and saved on travel expenses, completing the transaction in silver without further complications. Surely, they wouldn’t insist on buying from home without a reason.

“Yes, Fourth Daughter-in-law, we are truly indebted to you this time. You really are blessed,” Mrs. Yang said, her mind still replaying the desperate cries of those at the Market, feeling a profound sense of relief and uttering heartfelt words of thanks.

Su Wenyue felt somewhat speechless at Mrs. Yang’s behavior. Her Mother-in-law was difficult to read, treating her like an enemy a few days ago, and now as a benefactor, a bringer of good fortune. The flip in attitude happened too swiftly, too unsettled for Su Wenyue to hold on to past grievances. Sighing inwardly, she accepted that this was Han Yu’s Birth Mother, after all.

“Father, Mother, we are family, and such talk feels estranged. At the time, I didn’t anticipate the Imperial Court’s Currency Reform either; it was simply a stroke of luck. But, fortunately, the outcome is favorable.”

“That’s why I say you’re blessed. Others have one Child at a time, but when you got pregnant, you were expecting twins. Initially, Third Child’s family was unwilling to keep the grain. Now, they must realize the advantage,” Mrs. Yang commented, with a hint of pride in her voice.

Han Yu, seeing his Mother like this, felt equally bewildered, but preferred a cordial relationship between his Mother and Daughter-in-law to constant enmity. Being caught between them wasn’t easy.

“Fourth child, Fourth Daughter-in-law, we’ve called you here for another reason. Your Mother and I have decided to return to the Village early tomorrow morning. With such a profound change occurring, we don’t know the situation at home. The Third Daughter-in-law is about to give birth too. We must return to feel at ease,” Old Man Han shared his decision with his son and Daughter-in-law.

“Are you in such a hurry to return? Otherwise, stay a few more days and, after I am off duty, I’ll personally escort you home.”

“No need, you have matters to attend to at the military camp. Your Father and I can make the journey back ourselves; there is no need for your escort. You should focus on your duties. Your Father and I will leave first thing tomorrow morning; staying here only disrupts everyone’s peace, and it’s better for us to leave earlier,” Mrs. Yang tried to sound casual but her voice betrayed a hint of sadness—she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her son behind.

Upon hearing that her parents-in-law were returning home, Su Wenyue let out a sigh of relief, but carefully concealed her feelings. Mrs. Yang’s words prompted her to quickly respond, “Mother, please don’t say that. You’ve been of great help these past few days, worrying over the household. Even if there have been some unpleasant moments, we are still family, and it’s normal to have our ups and downs. Just as the tongue and teeth occasionally clash, if there’s anything I’ve done wrong, don’t take it to heart. Perhaps you could stay a few more days; household affairs aren’t that pressing right now.”

With Su Wenyue asking them to stay, Mrs. Yang’s initial displeasure subsided, yet she became even more eager to leave, “No, it’s impossible. Your Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law are not the reliable kind. Given the current situation, I’m worried they might cause trouble for the sons back home, so I need to return to keep an eye on them.”

And so it was settled that Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang would leave early the following morning. Of course, Su Wenyue couldn’t allow her parents-in-law to endure the slow and bumpy trip in an ox cart when they had a horse carriage at their disposal. She arranged for one of the caretakers to accompany them back to the Village.

Considering it was the first time the parents-in-law had visited, Su Wenyue couldn’t let them return empty-handed. She enlisted the help of the Servants to spend an afternoon in the Kitchen, preparing an array of Cakes and delicious treats. She also took out several pieces of material from the box, compiling an assortment of items large enough to fill half a horse carriage.

The Sweet Potatoes in the field were ripe, and plenty had been sent from the Zhuangzi. It was another stroke of good fortune for Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang, who arrived at just the right time. Su Wenyue packed several sacks full of Sweet Potatoes for them to take home.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, what are these? They look like lumps of earth, quite peculiar.” The Sweet Potato, being a product of the outer domain, hadn’t yet become widespread. Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang, seeing Su Wenyue pack several sacks of these ‘lumps of earth,’ studied them for a while but couldn’t figure out what they were. Curiosity got the better of them, and they asked.