"Why did this child collapse at the village entrance? We clearly searched this place before!" The first tall and burly man was very puzzled.
"Hurry up and send the two children there. The autumn wind is so cold; they might catch a cold," a woman said with concern.
When it comes to getting sick from the cold, they think of the third daughter-in-law of the Lin family, who has been bedridden for half a month. Wasn't it because she wore thin clothes and washed clothes by the river day and night for many days that she caught a cold and got chilled?
However, we can't talk too much about the Lin family's affairs. If Old Madam Lin heard about it, she would definitely start cursing.
The two elders of the Lin family were dishonest, favoring the eldest and second wives while making the third wife work like a slave, serving the whole family. The third wife took care of all the big and small things in the house, and even the farm work was mostly done by the couple themselves.
The eldest son of the Lin family is doing well. He spent the family's money to send his son to study at a private school in the county town. The two of them studied together, but after so many years, they still couldn't pass the imperial examination and instead spent most of the family's money.
Even so, Mr. and Mrs. Lin were happy to support them.
The second branch of the Lin family didn't live as comfortably as the first branch, but the family still gritted their teeth and spent a sum of money to let him learn carpentry from the carpenter next door. He didn't have to do any housework. It is said that he has been learning for five or six years and is about to graduate.
The third son had nothing. He broke his leg while chopping firewood in the mountains a while ago, but the Lin family refused to pay for his medical treatment. He passed away a few days later.
The third son's wife was left alone at home, exhausted and pale, thin as a rake. She was even swaying while washing clothes a while ago, and sure enough, she caught a cold.
What a terrible thing!
The tall, burly man had barely approached when he noticed the wary look in the eyes of the five-year-old girl beside him.
Lin Zhu rarely went out, and in the girl's eyes, the adults always beat and scolded her.
So she was very wary of everyone except her sister and mother.
Wu Deyun scratched his head, thinking that he might be too fierce-looking and therefore not popular with young girls, so he forced a smile.
However, Lin Zhu hugged her sister even tighter, her hands already stiff from the cold, yet she still held her sister tightly.
Wu Deyun was a retired soldier who fought on the battlefield. He had a limp, a slash on his face, and even missing fingers, making him look exceptionally fierce and menacing.
However, upon seeing this scene, he tried his best to appear kind.
“Young lady, your sister has fainted here. We need to take her back to the Lin family, otherwise it will be very dangerous for her to stay here.”
Lin Zhu puffed out her cheeks and pointed to her aunt next to her.
"Thank you, but could that auntie help me lift my sister up?"
"My sister and I can pick wild vegetables for you from now on!"
She clenched her fists tightly.
Wu Deyun was both amused and exasperated. Of course, he intended to have his aunt pick up the little girl; how could he possibly do it himself?
I must say, this little guy is quite alert and extremely clever.
A group of people arrived at the Lin family home and found that the atmosphere there was very unpleasant. Old Master Lin and Old Madam Lin were sitting on stools with angry expressions, and opposite them was Lin Lao Er's wife.
“Cuiying, I’m not trying to be mean, but your third son’s wife has only been in the hospital for a few days, and you can’t even do the little things at home properly. The food you cook looks like pig swill.”
"This dish has no flavor at all. How can anyone eat it? It was one thing in the past, but the second son is about to graduate and will be going out to take on carpentry jobs to earn money for the family. You can't hold him back!"
The Lin family lived in the Great Liang Dynasty, where, apart from scholars, craftsmen were highly sought after. The saying "even in a three-year drought, a cook will not starve" illustrates this point.
With a carpenter in the family, villagers from all around would come to him for help. Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin were just looking forward to enjoying their retirement when their hardworking third son passed away, and his wife was also on the verge of death.
They had no choice but to turn their attention to their second son's wife, hoping she could be trained to do the housework for the family.
However, the training they received over the past few days has made them so angry they're about to jump up and down.
There's no other reason than that Wu Cuiying's cooking was absolutely terrible!
Ever since the third son's wife married into the family, they have been eating Lin An's mother's cooking for every meal.
Although Lin Anniang came from the north to escape famine, her father was a cook, and she had learned a lot from him. She could even make new dishes by stir-frying wild vegetable roots. The two of them had long been spoiled and could not stand Wu Cuiying's pig-slop-like food.
"Eat it or don't, it's all the same as what I make! I can't put too much in this or that, what kind of dishes can I possibly make? You might as well go fry your shoe insoles!" The second son's wife crossed her arms and snorted heavily.
"Once those two brats come back, they can continue cooking. Will they still need me?"
Speaking of this, Wu Cuiying thought of the work she had done in the past two days, and she could roll her eyes to the heavens.
In the past, when her third son and his wife were healthy, she didn't think much of it. Even when the old lady forced her to work in the fields, she could secretly slack off.
However, now that her third son's family has suffered deaths and illnesses, she finally understands just how exhausting these jobs are.
Why should she be given the position? The third wife has been doing it for so long, why should she suddenly be replaced? Besides, the third wife has two young maids!
So she wasn't very attentive when cooking, and accidentally spilled a whole capful of oil, which broke the old lady's heart.
The events that unfolded at the Lin family's home were witnessed by several people outside, who exchanged bewildered glances.
The Lin family doesn't seem to care much about the two girls. They didn't even ask where they were, and instead waited for them to come back to work.
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