Chapter 79: Zhao Jia Ah Shu, hearing is not believing, seeing is believing...
If an honest person has ulterior motives, can he still be called an honest person?
Lin Shu now felt that Zhou Ye was not an honest man. He just spoke little and looked like an honest man.
Zhou Ye dealt with the curious villagers on the road with a few words, and remained silent at other times, just following Lin Shu and her sister, walking quietly.
As the three of them walked, they saw the big locust tree in the village.
Under the big locust tree, a village woman was chattering non-stop, not knowing what she was chatting about.
Lin Xiaopu's face immediately fell, and he muttered, "Aren't these aunts going back to make breakfast? Even if they don't make breakfast, it's almost time for breakfast, right?"
Lin Shu said, "There are fewer people. There are only three left now. Eh? Xiao Pu, can you help me see if the one sitting next to her is Aunt Lin?"
Lin Xiaopu looked closely and saw that it was indeed Aunt Lin.
Although Aunt Lin had married into the family from another village, she was also surnamed Lin, and had stood up for her before. These two points alone had given Lin Xiaopu a strong liking for her. Furthermore, Aunt Lin had given them cucumbers last time, and they were so crisp and delicious that she still relished them from time to time.
But Brother Aye expanded the vegetable patch behind the house yesterday and planted cucumber seeds and watermelon seeds. It won’t be long before our family can eat cucumbers and watermelons, hehe.
"Sister, it's indeed Aunt Lin. Aunt Lin lives right in front of this big locust tree, so it's not surprising to see her here."
The area under this big locust tree is a Feng Shui treasure land in the village. Village women from far away like to come here to work and chat, not to mention Aunt Lin who lives nearby.
As they were talking, they were getting closer and closer to the big locust tree.
Lin Shu thought about how Aunt Lin had always chosen the noontime slot to avoid the crowds when she delivered cucumbers. She was just debating whether to say hello when Lin Zhaodi called out, "Ah Shu! Are Xiao Pu and A Ye here too?"
Now Lin Shu didn't have to worry about it and called her immediately.
"Aunt Lin, why didn't I see you when I passed by here this morning?"
Lin Zhaodi glanced at Zhou Ye, who was carrying the buckets, and didn't ask any more questions. She just explained, "Although I live nearby, I have a lot of things to do at home, so I won't come out until I'm done. Ah Shu, are you going back to have breakfast? I'm on my way back too."
"Aunt Lin, then we'll go with you and chat for a while?"
Lin Zhaodi responded readily, "Okay!"
Anyway, she had deliberately avoided people when she delivered cucumbers last time, but people still saw her. So she would not avoid people anymore. She liked Ah Shu very much and wanted to see her more often in the future.
Seeing that Lin Zhaodi was about to follow without asking any questions, the two remaining women under the big locust tree couldn't help but ask curiously, "Zhou Ye, what are you doing with all those buckets?"
Before Zhou Ye could reply, Lin Shu smiled and said, "We went fishing in the river. Ah Ye is amazing and caught quite a few fish. If any of you want to eat fish, you can come to my house to buy it, or you can trade it with something and we'll give you a discount."
The woman who asked the question curled her lips when she heard this.
Crucian carp and grass carp, common foods for the common people, cost around ten cents per pound at the market. Wouldn't it be better to buy a few ounces of pork with that money? Besides, the fish sold at the market were all caught from the big rivers. What big fish could be caught from the small ditch in Tianshui Village? How could they even sell her a palm-sized fish? She wouldn't even take it if it was given to her.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard the eldest daughter of Lin Er's family say to Lin Zhaodi, "Aunt Lin, I'll give you a fish later. You can take it back and make fish soup."
When the woman who asked the question heard this, the smile on her face disappeared and her face became long.
This daughter of the Lin family is so discerning when it comes to people. If you give it to her, you're selling it for money, but if you give it to Lin Zhaodi, you're giving it away for free?!
Lin Zhaodi glanced at the two women, one with a sullen face and the other listening with her ears pricked up.
She immediately responded with a smile, "Oh, okay! Then I won't be polite. Thank you, Ah Shu!"
They walked and talked, and when they were far away from the two people under the big locust tree, Lin Zhaodi asked, "A Shu, when you passed by here earlier, did you hear any gossip?"
Lin Shu shook her head. "Aunt Lin, I didn't hear anything, but I guessed what they said about me. Let them say whatever they want. I don't care."
"Ah Shu, there are always a few gossipy women in every village. Even if you do hear something, don't take it to heart."
"Don't worry, Aunt Lin, I don't care what others say."
"That's good, that's good." Lin Zhaodi nodded, "But I won't let these people make up stories about you. It's okay when I'm not around, but when I'm around, if they dare to say anything bad about you and Xiao Pu, I'll tell them all their old stories. When it comes to arguments, I've never lost!"
As she spoke, Lin Zhaodi seemed to remember something and her eyes dimmed slightly, but soon returned to normal.
Lin Shu thanked her and sent her to the gate of the Zhao family's courtyard. "Aunt Lin, wait a minute."
She took off the backpack and was about to pick out a big fish for her when a woman came out from the Zhao family's courtyard. She didn't notice Lin Shu and the other two and started scolding Lin Zhaodi, "Sister-in-law, although it's not your job to make breakfast today, there are many things to do at home. I have two children to take care of. Can't you help out? Even if it's just to add some firewood to the stove, it will be fine. Look at you, you always go out and slack off all day!"
Lin Zhaodi usually didn't bother to argue with her second sister-in-law. Every time she argued, she was always right in the end. But her second sister-in-law would run to her mother-in-law and cry, and her mother-in-law would scold her.
But today, Ah Shu and the others were still here, but her second sister-in-law didn't even give her any face, which really made her angry.
Lin Zhaodi didn't give her a good face and immediately retorted, "Didn't Second Sister-in-law see the hemp I was holding? If Second Sister-in-law's eyesight is not good, why don't you go to your mother-in-law and cry, and ask her to give you some money to see a doctor in town!"
"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? You're so hurtful! I'm doing this for your own good. You've been married into the Zhao family for so many years and haven't given birth to a son or daughter for my third brother. My third brother is kind-hearted and doesn't blame you. My mother-in-law and father-in-law are also generous and don't blame you. But as his daughter-in-law, shouldn't we try our best in other areas if we can't give birth to a child? If you keep shirking your responsibilities like this, what will you do if your mother-in-law and father-in-law get angry and ask my third brother to divorce you? I'm thinking about you!"
"Tsk, Second Sister-in-law, you're really saying it nicely. You just want me to help you with more work so you can relax a little. I still say the same thing. I'll do everything I'm supposed to do, but don't even think about me doing anything I'm not supposed to do!"
Zhao Ersao sighed, "How can I and my eldest sister-in-law feel comfortable handing the child over to you and my third brother if you're so fussy?"
Lin Zhaodi sneered, "Who wants to adopt your child? This is just my mother-in-law's wishful thinking. I didn't agree to it!"
"You didn't agree, but my third brother did. He just kept it a secret from you because he was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it right away. But if you continue to disrespect my brother and sister-in-law like this, even if my third brother is willing, my eldest sister-in-law and I won't agree."
Lin Zhaodi's face turned pale instantly, and she clenched her hands tightly. "Did Zhao San really agree?"
Zhao Ersao looked at her with pity in her eyes, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law, why would Second Sister-in-law lie to you about this?"
Lin Zhaodi laughed in anger. "Alright, when he returns from the fields, I'll ask him face to face. If it's proven that you're talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart today! If not, Zhao San despises me for not being able to have children. You don't need to pity me, I'll make him divorce me immediately!"
Mrs. Zhao's eyes flickered, but she held her head high and said, "Just ask! You're so proud of not being able to have children. If I were you, I would have hanged myself on a crooked tree with a rope!"
"Ha, sister-in-law, you finally show your mean face! Do you dare to speak louder and let the mother-in-law in the room hear your sarcastic words?!"
"Lin Zhaodi, why am I mean? You were the one who angered me first!"
Seeing the two people arguing more and more fiercely, Lin Shu suddenly interrupted them, "Aunt Lin, I want to go home. Ah Ye caught a lot of fish, take these two crucian carp back and make soup."
Lin Shu was holding two four-inch crucian carps in her hands. She took the fish from the backpack. Originally, she thought that the Zhao family had many people, so she wanted to pick a big one to give to Aunt Lin, but when the two of them were arguing, she changed her mind and only chose the two smallest crucian carps from the backpack.
"Aunt Lin, the fish is not big, only enough for two people. You can make some soup and share it with the others. You and Uncle Zhao can keep the fish."
Lin Zhaodi's face showed a trace of shame, "Ah Shu, I made you laugh at me."
She had not wanted to argue too much, but her second sister-in-law was so outspoken today, saying everything, making her lose face in front of the younger generation.
Mrs. Zhao Er was standing inside the courtyard, and she didn't even look outside. She only saw Lin Zhaodi in the front. When she heard Lin Shu's voice, she stuck her head out and saw that there were three strangers outside!
The tall and burly man was the only one in the entire Tianshui Village, Zhou Ye, from Lin Laoer's family. The pretty and charming girl standing next to him was probably the eldest daughter that Lin Laoer's family had exchanged for.
Mrs. Zhao's face suddenly turned the color of liver, her expression stiff. She wanted to explain something, but then she remembered that Lin Zhaodi had stolen three cucumbers and sent them to Lin Laoer's house. She figured they were on good terms, so she gave up and just glared at Lin Zhaodi. Lin Zhaodi must have been deliberately provoking her, making her look so ugly in front of others. Zhou Ye was a quiet person and probably wouldn't go around saying anything, but Lin Shu didn't know that. If she went around and started gossiping, wouldn't her good reputation be ruined?
However, Lin Shu didn't even look at her. She just said to Lin Zhaodi, "Aunt Lin, I didn't hear anything just now. Please accept this fish. Xiao Pu and I should go back."
"How can this be? Take it back!" Lin Zhaodi refused. She had agreed to that under the big locust tree just to cooperate with Ashu, but she didn't expect Ashu to be serious and actually wanted to give her the fish!
Lin Shu stuffed the fish into her hand, put the basket on her back and left.
Lin Xiaopu followed behind and said cheerfully, "Aunt Lin, please accept it. We caught a lot of fish!"
Zhou Ye didn't say anything, just nodded at her and left.
Lin Zhaodi stood alone at the gate of her yard, holding two crucian carps in her hands, watching several people leave without moving for a long time.
"Lin Zhaodi, you did it on purpose, didn't you?" After Zhao Ersao and the others had left, she angrily demanded, "They say family disgrace shouldn't be aired in public. You're just dying for outsiders to know about the discord and bickering among our sisters-in-law, aren't you?"
Lin Zhaodi ignored her, carried the fish into the yard, and went straight to the stove at home.
Ah Shu said that the fish could be used to make soup, and the fish would be given to her and Zhao San to eat, and only a few sips of fish soup would be given to others. She thought this was a good idea.
Mrs. Zhao yelled in frustration, "Lin Zhaodi, I'm asking you a question! Lin Zhaodi!"
…
"Aunt Lin has a bad relationship with the Zhao family?" Lin Shu asked Lin Xiaopu on the way back.
Lin Xiaopu scratched his head. "Sister, I don't know either, but Aunt Lin has been married to Uncle Zhao for many years without any children, and she has stayed in the Zhao family peacefully. Everyone says that the Zhao family is kind and that Uncle Zhao is loyal."
But she had just heard what Mrs. Zhao said. It seemed that the Zhao family treated Aunt Lin badly and even thought of adopting her.
Lin Shu asked once and then stopped asking. After all, this was someone else's family affair, and it was not easy for her, an outsider, to interfere. Moreover, she thought Aunt Lin was a person with her own ideas. If everyone in the Zhao family was as mean as this second sister-in-law, she would definitely not have stayed in the Zhao family for so many years.
Zhou Ye, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "The rest of the Zhao family doesn't know, but Third Uncle Zhao is a righteous man."
Lin Shu paused, turned her head to look at him, and asked, "Aye, have you ever dealt with Uncle Zhao?"
Zhou Ye nodded, "We've dealt with each other a few times."
Lin Shu curled her lips, "Uncle Zhao's righteousness doesn't mean anything. Some men treat their brothers as siblings and their wives as clothes. From the brothers' point of view, he's of course the best, but from the women's point of view, he's terrible."
Zhou Ye choked.
Lin Shu asked again: "Aye, do you think Uncle Zhao is the kind of person I'm talking about?"
Zhou Ye: "Uncle Zhao is probably not the kind of person you say he is. He values Aunt Lin very much."
Lin Shu snorted softly, "Didn't you hear what Second Sister Zhao said just now? Third Uncle Zhao has already agreed to the adoption. Aunt Lin is several years younger than my mother, not even thirty yet, still young, and there's still a chance she can have her own children in the future. If he agrees to the adoption, he'll be stabbing Aunt Lin in the heart."
Zhou Ye said seriously, "Ah Shu, what you hear is not as good as what you see. You can't trust everything that Zhao Ersao says."
Lin Shu suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" and stared at Zhou Ye's face. "Oh my, Ye, tell me the truth, have you ever been educated? Otherwise, how can you talk so logically? You can even blurt out the saying 'hearing is not believing, seeing is believing.'"
Zhou Ye's cheeks suddenly flushed under her gaze. He explained, "I've never been to school. My master's wife taught me how to read. But I don't know much. I can barely understand the contract."
Lin Shu's eyes swept across his red ears, and her eyes suddenly curved, "Aye, do you want to learn a few more words? How about I teach you in the future?"
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