The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 78 - A Strong Will to Survive

78: Chapter 78: A Strong Will to Survive

78 -78: A Strong Will to Survive

Returning home, he felt like he had lifted the weight off his chest and had a good sleep.

When he got up in the morning and saw his little sister, he didn’t know why, but he started feeling guilty.

Wang Yongzhu had no idea about the events of the previous night involving Wang Yongping, so naturally, she couldn’t guess what was on his mind at the moment.

Seeing his guilty look, she assumed he was feeling ashamed about what had happened the day before and didn’t dare face her.

Therefore, she spoke up without reservation, “Fourth Brother, I think I’ve pretty much mastered sewing and mending clothes should definitely be no problem.

Yesterday, after you ran out, I saw two pairs of your pants were torn.

I had Jinhua wash them clean.

I’ll take them to my room later and mend them for you.”

In principle, the first piece of clothing one mends should be offered to one’s parents as a sign of respect, but she wasn’t too confident in her sewing skills yet, so she thought it best to practice on Fourth Brother’s clothes first.

If she had to take it apart a few times, she’d eventually get the hang of it.

Wang Yongping’s face turned bitter as he remembered how his sister had sewn fabric onto her own skirt.

Then the thought of that fabric being sewn onto his own pants, and the possibility of the fabric flapping behind his buttocks when a breeze blew—the very image made him shiver.

He managed to squeeze out a smile with difficulty, “Little sister, you’re too kind, but actually, my pants just have a few small tears.

There’s no need for mending; we wouldn’t want to waste thread and needles—”

“Fourth Brother, is this because you don’t trust my skills?

You were praising me just yesterday!”

“No, I absolutely trust you!

Go ahead and take them.

Are two pairs of pants enough?

If not, I have a few more tops here—” Wang Yongping was very eager to survive, quickly changing his stance and offering up all his clothes in a very obsequious manner.

Wang Yongzhu then nodded her head in satisfaction.

After breakfast, before Lady Jiang went to clean up the dishes, she carried Jinshao out from the house.

This child was especially sensible.

Lady Jiang didn’t have much time to look after him during the day, so when she placed him in the yard, he would silently entertain himself by playing with grass; and indoors, he wouldn’t cry or throw tantrums.

Occasionally, he would even go to the kitchen to help Lady Jiang by dragging a couple of firewood sticks.

Because he was so quiet and sensible, the family generally paid him little attention.

Little Jinshao was also very tactful.

Perhaps because he used to not be favored by Wang Yongzhu, even if on one occasion Wang Yongzhu had held him and tousled his hair, showing great affection, he had been taught by Lady Jiang not to provoke anyone in the household, especially the older cousin.

Although he was young, he knew that the older cousin was now kindly and nice to him.

However, children often don’t listen even if their mother is chanting prayers.

But Lady Jiang had persuaded him, saying that since the older cousin was good to him and now busy, a good child should naturally not disturb her.

Little Jinshao took that advice to heart, and with the Wang’s family being preoccupied with many things lately and not having time for him, he really feared bothering his older cousin and gradually began to forget about her.

He generally didn’t get close to Wang Yongzhu.

Seeing that the weather was decent, Wang Yongzhu moved a chair and her sewing basket out of the house and brought out the sun-dried trousers as well.

She just saw Little Jinshao catching a worm in the yard; holding it in his small hand, he toddled toward the chicken coop and threw the worm in.

Watching a flock of chickens fight over a single worm, feathers falling everywhere, the little guy stood to the side, clapping and laughing.

Only when the lead rooster, after capturing the worm, led the flock toward Little Jinshao, did the little one get scared—yet he didn’t cry but turned and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him.

With his short legs, he could never outrun the rooster, and it seemed his little bottom was about to get pecked.

A hand reached out from the side, scooped up Little Jinshao, while the other hand grabbed a bamboo pole that was lying around, and with a few swipes, chased away the flock of chickens.

Wang Yongzhu finished chasing the chickens and then lowered her head to look at Little Jinshao, who was clamped under her arm like a briefcase.

The little guy wasn’t scared at all, and his bright, black eyes looked up at her.

It took a while before she managed to squeeze out a smile.

She opened her arms and attempted to wrap them around Wang Yongzhu’s neck—

Uh-oh, his arms were too short, and her neck too thick.

He didn’t manage to get a grip and almost fell.

Wang Yongzhu hastily secured the little guy, unable to resist giving Little Jinshao a light pat on the bottom: “Stay still, be careful not to fall.”

Little Jinshao giggled and cuddled up affectionately, rubbing his cheek against Wang Yongzhu’s face and clearly calling out, “Auntie!”

Wang Yongzhu’s heart melted on the spot, and she couldn’t help but embrace the little one, planting a “MUA~~” kiss on his face before placing him on a chair and telling him to sit properly.

Jinshao obediently sat on the chair, kicking his little legs and looking at Wang Yongzhu with eager eyes.

Wang Yongzhu went back into the room and rummaged through the cabinet for a long time.

She found a piece of maltose that she hadn’t finished before, took it out, and handed it to Jinshao: “Eat it.”

“Thank you, Auntie!” Although Jinshao was young, he had been well taught by Lady Jiang to be grateful in such situations, expressing his thanks before taking the candy.

Instead of putting it in his own mouth first, he held it up to Wang Yongzhu’s lips: “Auntie, eat—”

Oh my, Wang Yongzhu’s heart was about to melt again.

She couldn’t help but ruffle the ponytail on Jinshao’s head: “Auntie needs to diet, I won’t eat it; Jinshao, you eat it.”

Jinshao then bounced off to the kitchen to find Lady Jiang and offer her the candy.

In recent times, because the Wang Family was well-off and Wang Yongzhu had imparted some advice to Old Granny Zhang, both overtly and covertly, not to let Lady Jiang actually starve, what would happen to her three children in the third branch of the family?

Old Granny Zhang, if urged by Wang Yongzhu to be nicer to her two daughters-in-law, would certainly not listen.

However, swayed by her eldest daughter’s analysis, Old Granny Zhang had been persuaded.

After all, Lady Jiang wasn’t one to eat for free.

She took care of all the household chores and kept things tidy.

If she really were to get so hungry she couldn’t move, Lady Lin wouldn’t be anywhere near as easy to direct as Lady Jiang.

Wouldn’t all the work then fall back on her own shoulders?

Since Lady Lin and Lady Jiang had married into the family, Old Granny Zhang had rarely done any work.

If she were to return to the hard life of getting up early and going to bed late, to be responsible for the family’s meals and drinks, she too was reluctant.

One must not lose the larger picture over something trivial.

Hence, adding an extra ladle of water to the pot to give Lady Jiang a bowl of porridge was, for the Wang Family now, a matter not to be neglected.

They couldn’t truly have a case of a daughter-in-law starving to death, especially with Laosi not yet married.

They couldn’t afford to ruin their reputation.

Therefore, these days, Lady Jiang had been able to eat her fill at every meal, which was already quite good.

Her complexion and spirits had improved a lot from the beginning.

Lady Jiang felt grateful in her heart and worked even harder.

This made Old Granny Zhang increasingly trust her eldest daughter, believing that once she had come into her own, she indeed outdid her.

Therefore, Lady Jiang instructed her youngest son to thank his little aunt, naturally not willing to eat the rare piece of candy from her son.

In the countryside, especially in a branch of the family that wasn’t highly regarded and where she had no money, she couldn’t afford to buy snacks for the children.

Candy was even more of a luxury in the countryside.

After all, Jinshao was still young, yet he managed to resist the urge to eat the candy, asking both his aunt and his mother first.

Seeing neither would eat it, he gleefully popped the candy into his mouth.

The sweet flavor made Jinshao’s happy little eyes squint with joy.