Rebirth of a Farming Wife

It was not advisable to move around during confinement, so Su Wenyue had to stay at the Su Family to recover. Since she didn’t have breast milk, the three children were all fed by the nannies. The childbirth had taken a toll on Su Wenyue’s health, leaving her with little energy to nurse the children herself. The nannies brought the children to her daily, and seeing the three little ones sleeping sweetly, Su Wenyue felt her heart brimming with contentment.

“Madam, the three children are very well-behaved—they don’t fuss or cry. It’s as if they understand what the adults say, and they are truly adorable,” the nanny said with a smile, intending to compliment Su Wenyue while genuinely feeling that way. Over these days, the children had grown quite a bit, no longer the red, wrinkly little figures they were at birth. Such tiny babies truly change by the day.

Hearing someone praising her children, Su Wenyue felt joyful: “Indeed, they’ve gotten much plumper just in these few days.”

“It’s our Lady Yue who is blessed. Despite appearing fragile, she managed to give birth to three children all by herself—who else has such ability as our Lady Yue?” said a hearty voice from outside. Su Wenyue looked over and saw a beautiful woman in her twenties helping her eldest aunt enter, followed by a delicate young girl about fourteen or fifteen years old.

Su Wenyue had already been informed by the An Family about the visit of her eldest uncle’s female relatives, so she wasn’t surprised. Her big brother’s injury was sustained because of the niece of her eldest aunt, and seeing the group coming in, she already guessed who they were.

“Eldest aunt, Cousin-in-law, and this must be the Second Cousin from eldest aunt’s family, right? She’s very pretty,” Su Wenyue said with a smile. Although she was not particularly happy about her cousin because of her big brother’s injury, she still had to maintain surface pleasantries to avoid making her eldest aunt feel uncomfortable.

“Yes, this is my niece from my mother’s family, Pei Yuhan, the daughter of the governor of Jiangzhou, Pei Hai,” Mrs. Pei, the eldest aunt, introduced, allowing them to get acquainted.

“That day when I came to see you, you were still unconscious. It’s good to finally see you awake now, looking much more spirited, and the children have grown so well too,” Mrs. Pei said with a smile. She genuinely took pleasure in Su Wenyue’s recovery—after all, Su Wenyue was the only daughter in this generation of the Su family, and since she only had two sons, she cherished Su Wenyue as her own daughter.

“Thank you, eldest aunt, for your concern. I have indeed recovered significantly. However, it is I who should come to greet you, and yet you’ve had to come to me instead,” Su Wenyue responded.

“Child, we are family; there’s no need for such formalities. You just focus on resting and raising the children well—that would be the best,” she replied. “Your grandfather will also be coming over in a few days. If he knew what you had been through, he would be so heartbroken.”

“Indeed, the men of our family dote on Lady Yue the most. Not just Grandfather, but Husband and Second Brother would be distressed to learn of her ordeal. Luckily, Lady Yue pulled through,” Mrs. Chu chimed in, supporting what Mrs. Pei had said. This, however, made Pei Yuhan, standing to the side, feel quite uncomfortable. The Su family cherished Su Wenyue the most, so where did that leave her? Besides, Su Wenyue’s father was just a Wealthy Merchant, and now she was married to a country Man, hardly an equal match in Status, nowhere near comparable to herself.

Pei Yuhan kept her thoughts to herself and did not express her discontent. Although her father was a prefecture governor, she had a stepmother who disliked her in every possible way, wishing she could be rid of her—hence her coming to the Su Mansion for refuge. Now dependent on her Aunt for a living in the Su Mansion, Pei Yuhan had to be careful with her words and behavior to avoid displeasing her Aunt, a far cry from Su Wenyue’s carefree life.

Seeing Pei Yuhan’s mournful expression, Mrs. Chu kept her face neutral but felt annoyed inside. The Pei family had not mistreated her, treating her with the same regard as the first lady of the Su family, yet this good cousin always seemed pitiful, as if wronged, which was irritating to others. Now acting like this in Lady Yue’s presence was nothing but seeking trouble.

At this point, Su Wenyue still didn’t fully understand the nature of her Miss Cousin. Seeing Mrs. Chu’s discomfort, she felt obliged to ask, “Cousin Yuhan, what’s wrong? Why are your eyes red? Is it that you’ve been poorly taken care of in our home, causing you unhappiness? You can speak up, and I will reprimand them.”

“No, no, no one has neglected me. It’s my own doing. I’ve heard that once a cousin is married, she shouldn’t boss around at her mother’s home. It would not be good if word of that got out,” Pei Yuhan replied, indirectly criticizing Su Wenyue despite her own discomfort.

Su Wenyue felt somewhat unable to accept Pei Yuhan’s words. What did they imply—that she was being reprimanded? But from what position was Pei Yuhan speaking? If it were someone from the Su family, that might be one thing, but to be a mere guest in the home and speak so was another.

Mrs. Pei was somewhat embarrassed by her niece’s words. This child really didn’t know how to speak. It was Lady Yue who had spoken up for her benefit, but now she was retorting with such statements. It was quite inappropriate. However, she didn’t want to be too harsh, considering the niece’s sensitive temperament due to issues at home.

Mrs. Chu simply thought Pei Yuhan was out of her mind, giving her a speechless look. She couldn’t fathom how the Pei family raised their daughter to turn out this disagreeable. During her time at the Marquis Mansion, Pei Yuhan’s behavior was already questionable, but now she was causing trouble outside, embarrassing whose family!

Su Wenyue wished to retort to Pei Yuhan’s comment, but out of respect for her eldest aunt, she hesitated, not knowing what to say. Exchanging glances with Mrs. Chu, they shared a sense of frustrated kinship.

Seeing that Su Wenyue didn’t respond, Pei Yuhan felt justified in her remarks, adopting a “I’m saying this for your good” attitude: “Cousin, I’m only looking out for you. There’s a saying, ‘A married daughter is like spilled water.’ Now that you are married, you shouldn’t interfere in the Su family’s affairs anymore. Otherwise, even if Master Su and Madam Su dote on you, your Sister-in-law might not be pleased.”

“Miss Pei is mistaken. Although Yue has gotten married, she will always be the daughter of the Su family. Not only do Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law cherish her, but I, as her Sister-in-law, do the same. Miss Pei’s words sound like they are trying to sow discord between us,” came a voice from the doorway.

Feng Ruolin had just reached the door when she heard someone bullying her little sister-in-law. Being straightforward and intolerant of dust, she cared little for complex relations. The Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law, as well as her Husband, all treasured the little sister-in-law like a precious jewel, and she too was fond of her. Bullying her little sister-in-law was unacceptable. She immediately spoke up.