Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Mrs. Liu could only sigh; envy was futile. It was fate that the Fourth Daughter-in-law was born into the affluent Su Family. Even the servant girls were dressed so decently. But after all, they had their own silver to live on and didn’t need to depend on the Han Family. If she chose to leave such wealth behind to endure hardship, it was her own foolish decision and beyond Mrs. Liu’s control.

Moreover, the Fourth Daughter-in-law had mentioned she would contribute her own private silver to help out with the household expenses, which was even better. Perhaps it would even improve the daily meals, so they didn’t always have to be so bland and tasteless. Mrs. Liu was not like Mrs. Yang; she actually enjoyed Su Wenyue’s cooking. As for the costs, she didn’t have to worry about it; she wasn’t in charge of household expenditures anyway.

Mrs. Wang didn’t share the same thoughts. Mrs. Liu might have been greedy, but Mrs. Wang was more malicious. After all, Su Wenyue had no previous quarrels with her, but she still went to such lengths to frame her, weaving one scheme after another. Although she strived for a higher status in front of the Mother-in-law, her actions were too insidious. Not to mention the things done to Su Wenyue in her previous life; even enemies might not go to such extremes.

“How else would Sister-in-law think? Mother’s favoritism isn’t anything new. It used to be directed at the eldest son, and now his wife as well. Ah, the girl married into the family as a delicate, pampered young rich lady. Now favored by the parents-in-law, it’s not much different from when she was at her own home. Even the servant girl who attended to her was brought along; surely they have it easier than us, who come from humbler origins.”

Mrs. Wang sneered a few words and, waving her handkerchief, headed toward the Kitchen. Even if she felt resentful, she still had to do what was required, or else the Mother-in-law would have more to nag about.

This time, Mrs. Liu wasn’t provoked by Mrs. Wang; she just pursed her lips. The Third Daughter-in-law was such a person, envious of anyone who had it better. Previously, she always targeted the Second Daughter-in-law, just because she was jealous that the Second Daughter-in-law had borne a son. It had been four or five years since the Third Daughter-in-law married into the Han Family, and she hadn’t been able to produce even an egg, let alone a son. Although Mrs. Liu had two daughters and they couldn’t compare to a son, she still favored them. In her eyes, they were all born from her own stomach; if she didn’t cherish them, who would?

Now with the Fourth Daughter-in-law in the family, the Third

Daughter-in-law was competing with her too. It was simply out of jealousy for the Fourth Daughter-in-law’s favorable mother’s family and how the Father-in-law and Mother-in-law valued her. Among the daughters-in-law, only the Third Daughter-in-law’s mother’s family had been somewhat better off, but she felt unbalanced when compared to the Fourth Daughter-in-law.

After all, they truly were not as fortunate as the Fourth Daughter-in-law’s family. Mrs. Liu also realized that the Fourth Daughter-in-law’s marriage into their family was nothing but advantageous. The Fourth Daughter-in-law’s mother’s family was wealthy, and her dowry consisted of several large boxes; even a casual leak between her fingers was greater than Mrs. Liu’s girth. Why antagonize someone and incite her husband’s displeasure for no benefit? She’d rather follow the Father-in-law and Mother-in-law’s lead in valuing the Fourth Daughter-in-law, who seemed generous. The day she arrived, her treatment of the Eldest and Second girls was quite magnanimous.

Xiao Xi followed Su Wenyue into the room and closed the door behind them. Master and servant exchanged smiles, “Miss, we can be together again. Don’t worry, I will work hard and not let the Han family members find fault with you. As for that Third Sister-in-law of yours, she’s clearly not a good person. Just now, I could almost see the sparks of jealousy flickering in her eyes. Such a person must have wicked thoughts. I’ll help you keep a watch on her in the future.’

“Alright, but let’s not talk about that for now. Let me first attend to your wound before it gets infected; that would be a real bother. What were you thinking, you silly girl, bowing your head so earnestly – just going through the motions would’ve sufficed. Look, you’ve even broken the skin on your scalp.”

Su Wenyue cared deeply for Xiao Xi, this foolish girl, who willingly left behind the comfortable life at the Su family to suffer hardships with her at the Han Family.

“I thought that bowing earnestly would convince the Master and his wife of my sincerity. Don’t worry, Miss, I know my limits. I’ve been tough since childhood; a few bumps won’t hurt me, ” Xiao Xi said cheerfully, dismissing the minor injury, but she felt sorry to have made her Miss worry.

“Miss, I’m a servant girl, I shouldn’t trouble you to tend to my wound. I can handle it myself.”

“Sit still when I tell you to sit, don’t move, it will be over soon,” Su Wenyue insisted as she cleaned Xiao Xi’s wound, then took out wound medicine from her box brought from her mother’s family and applied it to Xiao Xi, which was unnecessary for such a minor injury to bandage.

Xiao Xi, seeing that she was finished, wanted to help in the Kitchen, but Su Wenyue held her back, “I’m not stopping you from working. Given the situation in the Han Family, you won’t be able to avoid working anyway. But you’ve injured yourself, and there’s no hurry for just this moment. Instead, we need to worry about where you’ll sleep tonight; we’ll likely have to tidy up ourselves.”

“No problem, cleaning up the room is a small task, easily done. I can manage it by myself without troubling you, Miss. That really isn’t the sort of task for the Miss, who’s been so pampered bv the Master and his wife. I can’t bear to see you endure such hardships now, ” Xiao Xi insisted.

“Enough, no need to feel sorry for me; days like these won’t last long. Let’s just bear it for a while, and I’m sure we’ll have better Days ahead.”

Counting on Han Yu to achieve immediate success was not yet feasible, but if the Han Family divided their household, they would eat what they desired, do what they wanted, no longer stifling themselves. This was not mere wishful thinking from Su Wenyue; indeed, in her previous life, the Han Family did divide, although it was a year away. Time was long, but if she could find a way, it might be possible. Su Wenyue didn’t intend any harm to the Han Family; however, Han Lin and Mrs. Wang were not kind-hearted. They were troublemakers, likely to stir up problems; that might be an angle she could work from.

By this time, Han Yu had moved all the items brought from the Su Family into their room, along with the dowry Su Wenyue had previously brought with her. With so many belongings around, the rather empty Room now seemed somewhat crowded.

There was no rush to sort out all those belongings immediately. After thinking it over, Su Wenyue picked out a few items they would need to pack up, then she took another small package and a jar of wine. With some time left before dinner, it was a good opportunity to visit the Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law.

“The Fourth Daughter-in-law has arrived, you’re just in time. We’ve something to discuss with you concerning Xiao Xi. Your Dad and I thought of clearing out the storage room next to you and Fourth Child for Xiao Xi to stay. What do you think? The girl’s dress and manner make me believe she’s accustomed to better Days, but ours is the only accommodation we can offer, she’ll have to make do.

So we’ll have just that one extra Room..”