Song Anxin was surrounded by a group of women who kept chattering and introducing her. She hadn't expected that simply not letting Zhang Mei fetch water would make these women think she was a good mother-in-law. Although she really was a good mother-in-law, she didn't want to be surrounded by these people trying to play matchmaker.
What to do? He didn't know how to choose a wife either. Lin Fengnian had chosen his own wives. Just as Song Anxin was at a loss, Lin Lizheng came over after hearing the noise.
"What are you two arguing about here? And you two, stop fighting!"
Lin Lizheng was referring to the two women who had just fought over their daughter and niece.
Sister-in-law Lin also came over to help Song Anxin out of the predicament:
“Oh dear, sister-in-law, just tell everyone what kind of daughter-in-law you’re looking for, so we can stop arguing.”
The women who were just making a fuss fell silent when they heard what Sister-in-law Lin said, and stared straight at Song Anxin.
Song Anxin felt as if she were surrounded by wolves; it seemed she wouldn't be able to leave until she gave a result today.
She thought for a moment and said, "As long as Fengshou likes me, that's fine with me."
Although in ancient times marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, she still hoped that her son could find someone he liked.
Everyone looked disappointed upon hearing this, and one of the women even advised Song Anxin that she shouldn't let the younger generation make the decision themselves; the parents should be the ones to make the choice.
Song Anxin insisted on her own ideas.
"Alright, alright, Mother Feng has spoken, so stop talking nonsense and hurry up and fetch water. Do we still need the rice in the fields?"
Lin Li waved his hand to disperse the crowd.
Upon hearing this, the women hurried off to fetch water to irrigate the rice. The rice was the most important thing, and marriage could be arranged at any time.
However, whenever they passed by Lin Fengshou, they would always inquire, intentionally or unintentionally, about what kind of people he liked.
Lin Fengshou was also speechless. Why did his mother push this onto him? He didn't even know what kind of person he liked!
Song Anxin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the village women had finally let her go. Sister-in-law Lin smiled and said:
"I never expected that your family would become so popular, sister-in-law. If it were me, your sister-in-law, I would have been shocked."
Song Anxin gave an awkward laugh. The original owner of this body used to be infamous, and no one wanted to marry into her family. Who would have thought that things would turn out like this today?
Lin Lizheng also looked at Song Anxin with surprise. He really didn't expect that the second daughter-in-law of the Lin family would become the mother-in-law that everyone in the village wanted.
Song Anxin smiled and nodded to Lin Lizheng to express her gratitude.
Sister-in-law Lin, who was standing to the side, seemed to remember something and sighed, "If only Da Xi's mother-in-law were like you now."
Song Anxin knew that Sister-in-law Lin had an older daughter who was nineteen years old this year. She had married into a village quite far away. Logically speaking, Sister-in-law Lin and her brother, who doted on their children so much, would not have married their daughter so far away.
But Lin Daxi's husband was a student who had passed the imperial examinations, or rather, a half-student. Lin's sister-in-law's family thought that if they married Daxi to him, and he later passed the imperial examinations, Lin Daxi could at least become an official's wife.
But in her memory, Lin Daxi always looked miserable whenever she returned to her parents' home. She had even heard Lin Daxi crying to her sister-in-law, so she guessed that Lin Daxi was having a hard time in her husband's family.
Sister-in-law Lin sighed but didn't say anything more and continued fetching water.
Aunt Tie Tou, who didn't get along with Song Anxin, naturally noticed what was happening and pouted, saying:
"That Song family woman is all talk and no action. Who knows what she's really upsetting Zhang Mei behind her back? Maybe Zhang Mei has been tortured beyond recognition, which is why the second sister-in-law of the Lin family doesn't want her to come out and be seen by everyone!"
The woman next to her heard this, rolled her eyes at her, and said, "I think you're blind. Didn't you see the fat on Zhang Mei's face?"
Aunt Tie Tou certainly saw it, but she would never admit that she snorted but didn't say anything.
After pouring a bucket of water into the field, Song Anxin was about to continue walking towards the river when she swung the carrying pole too hard, rubbing against her scraped shoulder. "Ouch!" she cried out.
Lin Fenghe, who was walking ahead, quickly turned around and asked, "Mother, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Song Anxin rubbed her shoulder and said, "It's okay, let's go."
"Mother, are your shoulders chafed? Don't pick them, let me do it," Lin Fenghe said.
Lin Fengnian and Lin Fengshou happened to be carrying two buckets of water when they heard this, and both of them looked distressed.
Lin Fengnian said, "Yes, Mother, when have you ever done such heavy work? You should go home and rest."
“Mother, the four of us can manage, you should go back quickly,” Lin Fengshou said.
Song Anxin shook her head: "I know you all care about your mother, but one more person means one more source of strength. The rice in the fields can't wait, so I won't go back. Let's hurry and fetch a few more buckets of water while there's still time."
At this moment, Aunt Tietou, who was also in the field, couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Oh, why is Fengnian's mother also coming down to the field to fetch water? Don't you have four sons? Why are you having to trouble Fengnian's mother?"
Song Anxin didn't even need to turn around to know it was Aunt Tietou. It's true what they say, enemies are destined to meet. Aunt Tietou's paddy field was right next to hers, and the two families shared a field embankment.
So what if you used to say I didn't have a son and that I had so many sons that I didn't have to work in the fields? Now I've caught you red-handed! So what if you have a lot of sons? You still have to work in the fields when you're supposed to.
Stop pretending to be a good mother-in-law. Aunt Tietou can finally let out the anger she's been holding in.
Song Anxin turned to Aunt Tietou and said, "Aunt Tietou, whether she has many or few sons, she still has to help with the housework."
This woman has already worked so hard her whole life giving birth, raising children, and managing the household. I think you shouldn't keep dwelling on this and making yourself unhappy. Gangzi came back to help you, didn't he?"
Yes, Lin Gangzi, who works in the county, has also taken leave to come back and fetch water to irrigate the fields these past few days.
Standing on the embankment, Song Anxin could still see Lin Gangzi carrying two buckets of water from the riverbank. However, he was not used to physical labor, and he walked unsteadily while carrying the buckets.
Song Anxin was afraid that he would fall onto the ridge of the field at any moment. This was the first time she had met Zhang Mei's ex-husband since she came here.
Lin Gangzi slowly approached, carrying water. Song Anxin could see him clearly. He was very thin, with bruises under his eyes and an unnatural white face, which made the bruises under his eyes appear even more pronounced. His steps were unsteady, clearly indicating that he frequented brothels.
Since the two families shared a field, he walked over and slammed down the bucket, splashing water all over the field.
Seeing Song Anxin and her group standing on the field embankment, she greeted them breathlessly, "Hello, Auntie."
He glanced again at Lin Fengnian standing next to him.
Song Anxin saw a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Song Anxin then noticed that he was wearing a long gown, unlike Lin Fengnian and the other men in the village who wore short jackets. His attire made him stand out in the village.
Water splashed up and landed on his long robe, along with some mud. He shook off the mud off his clothes with a look of disgust, but no matter how much he shook, the bottom of his robe was already covered with mud spots.
Song Anxin frowned as she looked at Lin Gangzi. This Lin Gangzi, relying on his previous education in the county, always acted like a scholar, looking down on his fellow villagers. Even now that he was working in the county, he hadn't shaken off this scholarly attitude.
Lin Fengnian and Fengshou were both a little reserved when they saw him, especially Lin Fengnian, but they still greeted him and Lin Gangzi nodded.
Song Anxin's expression was indifferent. He didn't have a good look for someone who had found another woman and abandoned his wife. Moreover, Lin Gangzi clearly looked down on the villagers.
“Mother, why are you standing there in the field? Father is asking why you haven’t gone over there yet. Father is really something, making a scholar like me do this kind of thing.”
Lin Gangzi complained to his mother.
Aunt Tietou finally came to her senses. She was stunned not because Lin's second sister-in-law hadn't retorted, but because this was the first time in so many years that someone had said she had worked hard to give birth to children. She almost couldn't hold back her tears, but thankfully they didn't fall, otherwise it would have been too embarrassing.
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