A Good Country Wife-Chapter 683 - 676_1

Lin Yue waved her hand, "No need to worry, things haven’t gotten that serious yet. The master is currently working on behalf of the Emperor, and serving the ruler is like accompanying a tiger. If the task is not completed well, the Emperor will surely place blame. We should not trouble him with such minor matters. The master is a family man and would rush back as soon as possible once his duties are fulfilled."

Although Madam Xu was worried, seeing Lin Yue’s determination, she didn’t press any further. However, she planned in her mind to discuss with the Manager of the outer courtyard to increase the number of guards on rotation to keep watch over the estate, to prevent any opportunity for evildoers.

Not only did Lin Yue notice, but the small village of Zhao Family, where everyone lived and grew up on the same land and knew each other well, had become vigilant with the frequent appearances of strangers, especially after the refugee incident when the villagers’ sense of alert was greatly heightened. It was later observed that these strangers were all targeting Zhao Erhu’s home, loitering outside and peering in with clearly ill intentions. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Speaking of the past, the villagers’ regard for Zhao Erhu’s family was mostly superficial, with little genuine gratitude. But that changed after the refugee incident. The type of gratitude that came from being saved from despair cannot be compared to small favors in ordinary times. Hence, most of the villagers were now worried about Lin Yue, fearing that Zhao Erhu’s family had attracted trouble. While they conveyed warnings to Lin Yue, they also did not forget to create some trouble for those strangers lurking outside Zhao Erhu’s residence.

So in this period, Lin Yue received many reminders and expressions of concern from her neighbors. Even the village chief came personally to ask if there was a need for everyone in the village to help drive those strangers away, an offer Lin Yue declined, appreciating everyone’s care for their own good.

"Erhu’s wife, you know the intentions of everyone in the village; if you do run into trouble, don’t try to shoulder it alone. We can all work together to find a solution – there is strength in numbers. Not to mention that before Erhu left, he asked me to look after you and the children. And during this refugee incident, if it weren’t for your brave actions providing a lifeline for everyone in the village, we all would have starved to death. You saved our lives, and the villagers are not afraid of getting into trouble; they are willing to risk their lives for you!"

"Uncle Youfu, I understand everyone’s intentions, but this matter isn’t so simple, nor can it be resolved with force. Even if we drove these people away, the trouble would still exist and may result in the villagers being resented. That wouldn’t be worth it."

"Is that really the case? Your words make some sense, Erhu’s wife. But never just shy away from asking for help because of fear of trouble."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Youfu; if the time comes when I need to ask, I will not hesitate to do so and will not exclude everyone. Please go back and tell them not to act rashly. I have a plan and a way to deal with this, and I’m grateful for everyone’s concern. It’s etched in my heart!"

"Alright then, since that’s the case, I’ll head back first. Everyone is waiting for my word. If there’s any difficulty or if you need everyone’s help, just let us know."

Lin Yue nodded gratefully, personally escorting the village chief to the door. She knew all too well who was pulling the strings behind this incident – it was none other than Ceng Lu, the notorious corrupt and incompetent official of Xin’an City. How could she let the villagers get involved in this?

If Lin Yue were to confront Ceng Lu’s men, even if Ceng Lu became furiously annoyed, he would be somewhat helpless, likely to strike from the shadows rather than openly. But it was different for the villagers; for Ceng Lu, dealing with them would be as easy as crushing ants. Naturally, Lin Yue could not let the villagers suffer persecution from Ceng Lu; she couldn’t involve them in this matter.

Besides, those strangers prowling outside couldn’t cause any real trouble to her family. Their courtyard walls were so high, having been raised and fortified after the refugee incident, complete with traps and formations. Anyone getting too close would be out of luck, let alone spying anything secret inside. Moreover, if Lin Yue wanted to deal with these people, her own household was more than capable. The only reason she hadn’t done so was to avoid provoking Ceng Lu too much, lest he become desperately reckless in his actions.

Lin Yue declined the villagers’ well-meaning offers, but they still wanted to do something for her. Even after hearing Lin Yue’s thoughts from the village chief, that didn’t stop them from giving those sneaky strangers loitering outside Zhao Erhu’s estate a hard time.

Those sent by Ceng Lu to probe were rather unlucky, experiencing an unending series of misfortunes ever since they took on this job in Zhao Family village. One day stepping in dog feces, another day into a pile of cow dung, perhaps the day after being pooped on by birds. Sometimes, venturing into the woods to relieve themselves, they would get bitten by insects and snakes. All kinds of unexpected mishaps occurred daily without fail, too numerous to list.

Fortunately, such acts were just at the borderline of provocation and did not warrant Ceng Lu’s attention, while still making life difficult for those men. They couldn’t always report such matters upwards. Occasionally, these reports entertained Ceng Lu, but over time, no one wanted to take on assignments near Zhao Family village. Whenever Ceng Lu sent someone there, they would try to dodge the task and shift it onto others.

Sister Chunhua and Zhao Dahuo’s wife, Liu Shi, who were closer to Lin Yue, did not need to go through the village chief for inquiries but came together, full of concern.

When Lin Yue heard that Sister Chunhua and Liu Shi had arrived, she personally came out to greet them, "Big Sister, Sister Chunhua, you’ve come! Please come inside and have a seat. I’m just sitting idly right now. We haven’t had a good chat for a long time; it’s a good opportunity to sit and talk."

"Yueyue, what’s going on? Why do I see so many unfamiliar faces pacing back and forth outside your family’s estate, acting all sneaky, trying to spy inside? Do you know who these people are and why they’re doing this?" Sister Chunhua, being direct and outspoken, couldn’t hold back her concerns and asked as soon as she entered.

Lin Yue knew they had come about this issue; she smiled, invited them to sit down, and had a maid bring in tea and pastries. While they enjoyed them, she basically repeated what she’d told the village chief. Of course, the real reason was something she couldn’t reveal. Although she trusted Sister Chunhua and Liu Shi, she feared they might accidentally let something slip if they weren’t careful.

If everyone found out that Ceng Lu coveted her beauty and that was the reason for these developments, regardless of her innocence and the rightness of her stance, gossip would spread in unsavory ways, and there was no telling what form it would take.