Chapter 461 - Fang Tao
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
" Fine say whatever you want" sneered Lin Chen not wanting the girl to have the last word so he pointed at her face and snapped " Look here, miss tell a tale, you got no basket and no chopping knife, or axe. If you were here to get firewood you wouldn't be so helpless here begging someone to come and save you. With an axe used to chop firewood, you would have taken care of this man on your own if what you said was the truth, hell even this young man wouldn't try to get close to you with an axe in your hand alright? I get why you are ashamed about telling me that this man and you are lovers but that doesn't still give you a right to make me feel like a shitty person alright? I was trying to help Yu her but instead of saying thank you, you started jumping on my back like this"
Lin Chen wiped the sweat off his forehead before continuing " and I will never look at you much less take responsibility for someone like you, alright? I have a beautiful wife who is much more beautiful than you can ever be so shut your trap"
Then he flicked his hair away from his eyes and turned around, damn his entire morning had been ruined. He should have known this will happen after all women were so troublesome, why can't they all be like Su Wan? Straightforward and admit that they did what they did why do they have to blame others for their mistakes? No conscience at all, just like he thought Wan Wan was the best among all women, they all were utterly, completely bitchy!
" Hey, wait ..wait" as he took three steps forward someone sticky caught his sleeves annoying the heck out of him, it took all his patience not to wring the wrist and snap it like a twig. He hated the touch of strangers' and his temper that was as explosive as a firecracker was ready to lit up any second, did this girl think that he was a soft persimmon just because he smiled a little? He could strangle her throat with the same smile, realizing that his temper was getting out of his control, Lin Chen pulled his hand away from the girl and sneered coldly " you sure like to throw yourself at men huh? Do you want it so much? Sorry, you have to try somewhere else"
His words were vulgar as hell but he really didn't do well with women like her or women in general. How should he do that when a woman nearly killed him off, a woman he loved and cared for. Lin Chen rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at the girl who looked affronted as heck " what do you want to speak soon, I don't have all the time to care about you got it? If you don't get it out until I finish counting to five I will leave and your time starts now - one"
The girl didn't speak. She must be waiting that he will coddle her why will he do that? And for what?
He didn't say anything instead he kept counting, it wasn't until he finished counting to four did the girl's expression turned panicky and she blurted out " I sprained my leg"
Lin Chen raised an imperious brow " and what does that have to do with me?" He was not going to touch any woman much less someone as obnoxious and ornery as this one.. his body, mind and soul will always belong to Wan Wan, to have it tainted with this piece of cockroach's shit, he won't do it.
Then he really turned around with the intention of leaving the girl to her fate but then " if you don't help me, I will tell the villagers that you tried to take advantage of me"
Lin Chen paused, let out a curse of strings that could make a sailor feel shy and then whirled around fury etched on every line of his face, he raised one finger as he gritted out " or I can bury you here what do you say, its a nice place to have a grave for yourself, right? Bamboo and everything, even your soul will appreciate the view after you die"
That made the girl shiver as she looked around seeing that he was serious, she licked her lips " you can't kill me, and neither can you kill him. He is the young grandson of the landlords from the next village, they will find trouble with you"
" Let me count how many f*ck I give" he mocked count and raised his chin smugly " oops zero, so let me just-" he took out the axe that was tied on his waist and raised it just as Xing Bengt lying dead next to him got to his feet and sped past like he was on adrenaline, not even a single strand of his hair could be seen, Lin Chen and the girl saw him leave and then they turned to look at each other before Lin Chen shook his head and plunged his axe down.
" He will tell, he will tell that you killed me"
" you just called him a hooligan, I don't think he will care what happens to you"
" but you beat him too, he will come to get revenge and killing me will be like handing your head on a golden plate," said the girl smugly ...a bit too smugly, this was the expression that his sister had too when he was beaten to the ground.
He can never trust a woman like this but just as he was going to slash that girl's neck. He stopped, her blood would only stain his hands, a flicker of annoyance swept inside his heart, this woman will be too much of a trouble for him in the future, he had a feeling but he couldn't kill her.
F*ck!
——-
" Ah, Chen you why are you here?" Fang Xiaolin who was sweeping the pigpen was surprised at Lin Chen's sudden surprise. Though the man was nice, he always kept a good distance from everyone other than his family and would never approach anyone without a reason, so she was shocked he came looking for her " do you want to buy eggs?"
Lin Chen shook his head " your sister, Fang Tao twisted her ankle in the bamboo forest go and look for her" with that said he turned around and left, not even bothering to bring Fang Xiaolin to the place where Fang Tao was. Fang Xiaolin was used to his stiff temper that could turn cold and hot in seconds, so she wasn't bothered and went to look for her sister.
And when the two sisters returned, Fang Tao's gaze fell to the Lin house where Lin Chen was massaging Su Wan's legs with a smile on his face.. she was so shocked that she stopped. The man who was so rude to her in the forest really had a wife whom he doted on? She stared at Su Wan who was eating an apple that was bright red and looked delicious then her gaze turned to Lin Chen -how nice.
If not for Fang Xiaolin who dragged her away, Fang Tao would have stayed there for a very long time watching the scene, again and again, seeing her sister like this Fang Xiaolin knew what was going on in her head " Don't do it, Tao Tao."
Fang Tao said nothing, no one knew whether or not she heard her sister.
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Chapter 462 - I. Love. You
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
The next few days went by in peace or as much as they could, Su Wan at first didn't notice at all, she thought that it was nothing much after all the little girl who went in and out of the Feng house was Fang Xiaolin's little sister called Fang Tao, she was average looking but had a cat-like appearance, which made her a bit cute. Especially, when she skulked and hopped around her house... Su Wan didn't want to think that there was anything wrong with her after all she was Fang Xiaolin's little sister but then she started to notice a pattern, the girl would often come and stand there outside the door of her house with eyes locked on Lin Chen whenever he was around, sometimes she would just stand afar and do nothing .. but then as the day went by, the distance between the two of them shortened, at first it started with a little far away but then it got shorter and shorter and even more shorter and now -
" Hello" greeted Fang Tao as she came to visit them with Fang Xiaolin who looked like she was going to die any second now. Su Wan wanted to ask what happened to their friendship but then she thought about how this girl had been stalking Lin Chen and thought that maybe Fang Xiaolin brought her to end this stupid crush that she had developed. So, Su Wan turned to look at Lin Chen who hissed just like little meow, the manul cat she was looking after as he stared at Fang Tao " what are you doing here? Did you really come here to look for trouble with me? I am telling you that you can forget about those thoughts that you have in mind! I already have a wife and will not look at you, you ugly duckling!"
Lin Chen didn't bother to mention Fang Tao to his family because he thought that the latter was the sister of Fang Xiaolin's and he should leave some face to the small girl but since she didn't want any face then, humph .. don't blame him for being nasty!
However, what he forgot that the second he admitted that he knew Fang Tao who had crazy ideas about him, he didn't irk Su Wan's wrath, she was still reasonably calm but the two gatekeepers behind her immediately had their expressions morphed into a devil-like one as horns and fangs popped out (imagination: courtesy Lin Chen).
" you brat, you dared to go around fooling with that girl when my Wan Wan is around you?" Shen Junxi lifted Lin Chen by the front of his collar while Shen Zizhen wrapped himself around Lin Chen's waist and growled menacingly " you bastard this is simply unforgivable! I will bite you to death, and let my cats take care of your body"
No one needed to say a thing with them around, the Lin brothers stayed silent though they knew that Lin Chen would never do anything wrong to Su Wan, the fact remained that he hid this from the family ...so a punishment couldn't be avoided. So they all stood silently on the side and watched silently as Lin Chen was lifted high up by Shen Junxi.
Lin Yu watched it silently and commented light heartedly " well, it's nice that I am not the one who was lifted up in the air. I get nosebleeds at high a...altitudes"
The others had no idea what to say to him, as they simply watched the show like passive onlookers.
Su Wan on the other hand stepped forward and looked at the little girl who was looking at her with a weird gaze, Fang Xiaolin was looking at her feet like she didn't dare to look at her at all, she glanced contemptuously at Fang Tao and sneered " listen to me little girl, I don't know what kind of ideas you have in that head of yours but I will ask you to dump them right now because he is mine-"
She was still going on when a tiny fluffy body rushed into her arms and hugged her tightly, Su Wan who wasn't ready for this attack had to spit out a mouthful of black locks of hair, and then as if this wasn't enough, the tiny girl shouted out loud " I love you, please be with me!"
Su Wan turned to stone completely petrified just as Fang Xiaolin covered her face with her hands as the entire courtyard fell in silence, even Shen Junxi and Shen Zizhen were too petrified to say something, they were going to teach this brat for attracting bees and butterflies outside but turns out their niece was the one who was attracting bees and butterflies, the two turned to look at the tiny girl who was rubbing herself against Su Wan like a little cat with an expression that looked like a cat who finally got its much-awaited fish - their lips twitched and they completely forgot about Lin Chen who was still in their hands and in Shen Zizhen's case in his mouth as he was biting Lin Chen's waist.
They both witnessed such a scene for the first time and didn't know how should they tackle it, not only them even Lin Jing, Lin Yu and Lin Yan were completely stunned. They have seen men trying to get in between a married couple and breaking them apart but since when unmarried girls start to do it? What kind of weirdo Lin Chen attracted in their house? Was this even logical? How can two women stay together ...no wait that wasn't important what was important was that their wife was confessed by a little girl!
Lin Yu looked at the girl carefully studying her, he couldn't even hit her. She looked younger than him by a year ... so there was no way he could teach her a lesson and not be taken as a bully.
Lin Jing and Lin Yan felt the same, especially Lin Yan who haven't even tasted his wife yet people were lining up to confess to her! What a sin! But the two didn't do anything rash and looked at Fang Xiaolin who flushed in shame and answered their confusing gazes " my ..my sister likes people who are rich and strong...no..no..matter what the.... gender is..." by the time she finished her voice has turned smaller than that of a mosquito.
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Chapter 463 - Woof, Woof , Woof
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
Everyone turned even more confused at the short and cute explanation of Fang Xiaolin, what did she mean by someone who was strong and rich? Wasn't Lin Chen more in line with this description? Fang Xiaolin knew what they were thinking so even though she didn't want to speak about such a shameless matter neither did she want to look at her sister who was the most embarrassing one here- but she couldn't let the Lin family misunderstand Fang Tao, so she could only grit her teeth and speak.
Turns out that Fang Tao was Fang Xiaolin's third sister and the seventh child in the Fang family because she was a girl, their parents hardly cared for her other than that after both her older sisters were married off, she was dumped with a lot of responsibilities. Not only does she have to look after the house but she also has to feed and look after her younger brothers who acted like little young masters and if that wasn't all the elder ones who were good for nothing ordered her around like she was their servant but instead of scolding her sons for being too much and finding trouble with their younger sister, Mother Fang blamed Fang Tao for not taking care of her elder brothers properly.
In the end, Fang Tao was pushed around so much that she developed a weird temper, she was bossy like a little princess but was timid in her heart and dreamed of getting someone who was powerful and rich and teach her family who bullied her so much a good lesson. Her obsession with getting a powerful backing got so fierce that her preference that was just limited to men slowly drifted off track and she started to like women and men all the same.
The last time when Lin Chen protected her, Fang Tao should have been attracted to him but he wasn't like the gentle prince she dreamed off and he looked fierce too, but then she passed by the Lin house and saw that Lin Chen, this fierce man was smilingly at Su Wan who looked gentle and refreshing like a rich madam with her calm yet strong aura. In Fang Tao's mind, since Su Wan could subdue Lin Chen, she was strong!
Then she dug around the Lin house and tried to find more about Su Wan, this rich miss who looked like a gentle and refreshing princess when Fang Xiaolin knew just what kind of person her sister was so she resolutely refused but this little troublemaker went to find her brothers in law!
At first Fang Tao asked them gently but the two brothers in law of hers were instructed by Fang Xiaolin not to tell Fang Tao a single thing about Su Wan but then Fang Tao threatened them with her life! She actually took out a butchering knife and said that if they don't tell her about Su Wan then she will die right and there!
Fang Xiaolin was hopping mad, she was going to be driven by her sister. She was so obsessed with getting a strong backer who will protect her that every time she saw that they had either had money or strength, she will endlessly pester them. Fang Tao looked like she was the ornery kind of person who was a serious troublemaker with a scheming mind but the truth was that she had a rash mouth, she was overly sensitive to how people looked at her and she was naive to the point of oblivion- she didn't care how she found a backer, in her mind as long as she said 'I love you ' and the other person accepts her she will immediately believe them, to her like was like - she tried to act like a little villain as she was obsessed with the idea of being a villain but she didn't have the brains for being one - if she was really as scheming as she thought she was, then how can she fall for people like Xing Bengt or whatnot.
In short, she was a total idiot! She always runs her mouth and gets entangled in trouble, she loved saying villainous lines and making herself look like a bad woman but she hadn't even hurt a fly!
Fang Xiaolin wanted to crack open her sister's head and see how her brain worked... why would one want to make herself look like a bad woman? Why will she act like a green tea bitch when she took all those gifts that the men gave her and exchange them for money so that she could buy some food for her younger sisters. She had asked similar questions to Fang Tao before but that stupid girl just said that she was a gentle villainous that's why .. Fang Xiaolin was finally driven mad until she almost died of anger.
Anyway, after Fang Tao threatened her brothers in law they of course couldn't let this sister in law who was a weirdo but a kind weirdo die, so they told her whatever they knew about Su Wan, they told her that Su Wan had rich and strong uncles to protect her who will bite anyone to death who tries to harm Su Wan .. that she owned three shops and that she once waved a knife at her in-laws who were trying to bully her.
Fang Tao didn't listen to half of the things, what she just heard was - Su Wan has three shops + she can wave a knife at others = she is strong and rich!
Worthy of being her backer!
So that led to this and now she was confessing to Su Wan who can even turn a fierce man like Lin Chen into her pet!
Nobody said anything, even Su Wan was too shocked to say anything. She didn't know whether she should get angry or not but being hugged by a young girl didn't make her angry at all .. so what should she do? But there was no need for her to get angry at all because her four husbands who were currently witnessing the ' steal their wife' operation by a little girl had already lost their patience even Lin Chen who was hanging half up in the air, he shook off Shen Junxi then ignoring the koala Shen Zizhen rushed at Su Wan and snatched his wife back, his expression fierce as he growled hugging Su Wan from behind " she is mine if you want a rich and strong backer then look somewhere else this one's mine. !"
" Yeah, ours" chimed Lin Yu who jumped on Su Wan's waist and glared at Fang Tao. Lin Jing and Lin Yan didn't jump on Su Wan but their stance was clear. Su Wan was theirs!
Fang Tao pouted and snatched Su Wan back " She is mine, I clearly like her more. I will even call her mommy" then she looked at Su Wan earnestly and said in all seriousness " I will be your dog, take me please mommy"
She was even calling her mommy! Lin Chen was so mad that he pulled Su Wan back and then " woof, woof, woof! She already has me as her dog!"
Dignity what was that? What was important was his wife! As he suspected this girl was a complete troublemaker!
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Chapter 464 - Regrets
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
Su Wan didn't know what she should be saying in this scenario, she was hugged all over and couldn't even move an inch and if that wasn't bad enough she heard her husband woof like a dog, she seriously wanted to know what should she be saying in this case - should she be happy that her husband was so jealous over a little girl that he let go of his dignity and actually barked or she should be getting embarrassed on in his place. There were so many questions in her head but she could only stand still as Fang Tao pulled her forward and then Lin Chen and the rest of her husbands would pull her backwards, it was like a tug of war .. the only difference was that she was well, the one in place of rope.
Su Wan wanted to snap but didn't know over whom she should be getting angry at, so she could only let the little kids play around for a while. The pull and tug carried on for a while until Lin Chen let out an annoyed snarl, crouched down and whipped Su Wan off her feet, he did it so fast that Fang Tao didn't get a chance to hang on to Su Wan and could only glare at Lin Chen as she hopped down.
" You! This is unfair! If you are a man fight with your wits, not your strength!" Fang Tao actually had no power against Lin Chen, she couldn't beat him in a fight, so she could only ask him to battle it out with wits but she didn't know that when Su Wan was concerned Lin Chen would never care about fair and unfair. He stared at Fang Tao and scowled " What you are doing is not fair! She is my wife! Mine! So why are you confessing to her!"
" Because she is stronger and richer than everyone I know!"
" Your love is this shallow?"
" who cares about that? Times have changed, you hear me it's all about money and looks now .. Don't be so naive!"
Lin Chen tried to hold a decent conversation with Fang Tao, this wannabe villainous but no matter how he tried to talk it out with her the two of them were just not on the same wavelengths!
Lin Chen: aba, aba, aba
Fang Tao: blah, blah, blah.
Communication failed!
Lin Chen was so mad that he was angry enough to hit someone, he hated ornery types of women the most. They were loud, noisy and never cared about anyone, Fang Tao was just like those women! But in the end, she was still young and she had not made any severe mistakes so he couldn't just try to find trouble with her, in the end, Lin Chen turned to Fang Xiaolin who was hiding her face behind her hands and gritted out " Sister in law, you better take your sister away before I lose my temper, I don't hit women but I will make an exception for her alone!"
Fang Xiaolin knew that Fang Tao was being a nuisance so she immediately pulled her anxious sister who was hopping like a rabbit " Tao Tao, you can't do this, I know that you want to get a rich backer but Sister Wan Wan is a woman!"
" I don't mind!"
The Lin brothers: We do min! Thank you very much!
Fang Xiaolin felt like her head was going to burst, so she pulled Fang Tao behind her and severely reprimanded her " what are you trying to do? Don't you know your own capabilities? I know you don't want to marry that idiot, our parents have found you but that doesn't mean that you can act like this, why will Sister Su take you in when you are of no use to her.. those men you hook up with are all after something and if you succeed in marrying them you can still give birth to their kids, so in that way you are somewhat of use to them but what use you are to sister Wan Wan? You can't even do the basic minimum for her!"
Fang Xiaolin didn't want to be hard-hearted with her sister either, she knew that Fang Tao wasn't a bad kid just a little off track but she didn't mean any harm, it was just that among all the Fang sisters her temper was the worse and she often got in a fight with their mother who would then beat Fang Tao and call her a collector of debt and good for nothing, the last time she visited her family home, Fang Tao was being beaten by Mother Fang as she scolded Fang Tao saying that if she wanted to fight with her then she needs to get a decent rich backer before showing that temper to her.
Fang Xiaolin was certain that her mother has said similar things to Fang Tao in the past which caused her sister's personality to become so warped but there was nothing she could do about it. Now it could be said that it was a good thing that Fang Tao knew that she needed to be capable enough to give something in exchange if she wanted a powerful backer because the world was cruel and since she can't give birth to Su Wan's child then there was no point in her coming here.
Fang Tao enviously looked at Lin Chen, she had often regretted not being born with a d*ck but today that regret turned ten times more! This guy could marry Sister Wan Wan just because he has a pee-pee! How annoying but she won't give up, she was a bad woman who does bad things, she will definitely be able to scheme something since she didn't have the ability to give birth to Sister Wan Wan's child, she will simply find something!
She, a villainous woman must have many talents that she could use in exchange for protection! With that in mind, Fang Tao nodded and raised her hand to point at Lin Chen " You beast you only got Sister Wan Wan's affection because of that third leg of yours that I lack but I certainly will defeat you one day! Just wait for me!" Then she turned to look at Su Wan who was peering down at her from Lin Chen's shoulder and gave her a shy smile " Sister Wan Wan, I am too ashamed that I can't give birth to your child but I will certainly work on myself and become a woman worthy enough for you"
Then she humped and ran away.
Lin Rui who just heard a little girl confessing to his wife as soon as he returned was shocked. What.... What happened when he wasn't here?
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Chapter 465 - Driven Mad
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
"Lin Rui, you are here!" Su Wan was of course shocked after getting a little fan for herself but as long as Fang Tao wasn't after Lin Chen, then she really didn't care why she was here, the girl was quite similar to her little meow. She tried to be fierce but only get herself entangled in all sorts of trouble. For example, little meow was actually trying to scratch Lin Yu a few days ago but her poor little meow didn't know that he was trying to bite more than he could chew forgot about biting Lin Yu, he miraculously ended up getting trapped on the roof of the kitchen, it wasn't at much height but he was still a kitten and could only meow helplessly.
To date, no one knew how and what Lin Yu did but little meow despite its fierceness wouldn't attack Lin Yu without Su Wan's backing.
Lin Rui smiled when he saw that Su Wan was smiling and waving at him, he nodded and strode towards her, what he wanted was to take Wan Wan in his arms but since he knew it wouldn't be appropriate with everyone present her so he simply rubbed her head with an endless amount of love in his eyes " En, the teacher let me come back. I and some other students were selected to go with the teacher to the prefectural city to attend a lecture of a famous scholar. It will take a few weeks for us to return, so Headmaster allowed us to stay at home until the date of departure"
Lin Rui wanted to return home more often but he took a lot of holidays because of Lin Yan's matter and couldn't do anything except stay at the academy and study to make up for all the classes he had missed. The academy was really strict if you miss one of the classes then you can't return home until you finish up learning everything that has been taught in the class. And because Lin Rui missed one class after another, he was left behind. In the end, he had to buck it up and finish everything until he caught up on what he has missed in the classes of course the headmaster has a lot of expectations from him so he couldn't just laze around.
In the end, the situation became like this where he couldn't return home at all on weekends but all that hard work that he put into his studies didn't go to waste either seeing him work so hard, his teacher and mentor chose him as one of the students to accompany him to the prefectural city. And what was more Lin Rui was the only junior who was selected, everyone else who were accompanying the teacher were his seniors!
Su Wan who listened to Lin Rui's accomplishments felt like all the money that she spent on his education didn't go in vain. Her husband didn't become a spoiled brat like others who would lose every sense of responsibility once they went to the town and starts receiving money from their family for doing absolutely nothing. They would goof around every day but her husband was different! He worked hard and didn't let anyone down, so she squirmed out of Lin Chen's hold and immediately hopped down on the ground and tugged Lin Rui's arm " Let's go, Ah Rui.. you seem to have gotten a bit thinner after working so hard. I will make some delicious food for you"
Because Su Wan hadn't seen Lin Rui for a very long time, her gaze was filled with him alone. She didn't even look at her husbands who had all turned sullen one after the another.
Very well one rival was kicked out and then the other one popped up.... And they couldn't even do anything to this one as he had just as much right on Su Wan as they did, nonetheless, though they felt jealous over Lin Rui getting all of Su Wan's attention, they also felt really proud of their little brother, among them only Lin Rui got the opportunity to study and he didn't let them down! They were so happy that they immediately grinned and Lin Chen immediately went out to boast to his friends- going to the prefectural city to attend a famous scholar's lecture.. how good was that!
If his brother keeps this up, then next year when he takes the prefectural county exam he will become a big official! Hehe!
The Lin brothers and Su Wan were happy even Shen Junxi and Shen Zizhen were impressed by Lin Rui. Though the two were successful businessmen, they knew a few crude words and only went to school for the first seven years before they dropped one after another, only their third brother studied medicine under the famous doctor of the town before moving to the capital.
Shen Zizhen and Shen Junxi were impressed but there was someone who wasn't, Zhang Xiaohui who heard the matter from the gossip grapevine of the village women was so angry that her entire complexion had turned red. Ever since her sister in law took charge of the house, she had to do a lot of work from washing the laundry to cleaning the house everything was dropped on her head, at first Zhang Xiaohui was a vain, selfish woman who didn't know the truth of the society but as she worked with her sister in law, she realized that it wasn't easy for two women to survive in the society, when they went to sell their grains the shopkeeper deliberately gave them a less price, if not her sister in law who was apt with the art of counterattacking and leaving the other party completely speechless then they wouldn't have been able to sell the grains at a decent price.
The more time Zhang Xiaohui spent with her sister in law, the more she realized how wrong she was to take her nephews for granted and just how useless her husband was but there were no pills of regret, she could only honestly work with her sister in law even if she didn't want to because a hungry stomach cannot be filled by sitting at home all day. At first, she had been in denial, then lost in her jealousy but now she has slowly accepted the reality, and because she has accepted her reality... Zhang Xiaohui was no longer the chubby, shrewish woman - no, her body has lost an entire circle after working so hard!
Zhang Xiaohui somehow learned to work hard but her husband and children- at the thought of her good for nothing husband and her lazy daughter and son, Zhang Xioahui had a headache. She tried to teach them how to be a good person but the children's personalities were set there was nothing she could do, so in the end, she could only try to be patient with them but now that she heard that Lin Rui was selected in the group of students who will be accompanying their teacher to the prefectural city to listen to the lecture of the top scholar, she felt like she gave birth to an idiot!
" What are you doing!" As soon as she entered the house, she saw her sister in law standing in front of her husband and children with a huge pot in her hands, her expression livid.
Zhang Xiaohui's eyes turned as she hurried over and took the pot from her sister in law, and just as the disappointment settled in, she turned to look at her lazy husband and children " you all finished the entire pot of rice in just one day? I just refilled it yesterday!"
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Chapter 466 - Idiots?
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
Zhang Xiaohui was going to die out of anger, why just why? As she stared at the empty pot of rice and the greasy mouths of her husband and children, she felt like cursing the eighteenth generation of the Lin family in one go. What was this? What sins has she committed? One child from the Lin family was bringing glory to his family and the other was busy wolfing down the last bit of rice that his mother and aunt worked so hard to buy, Lin Che and Lin Rui both of them were the offsprings of the Lin family yet the difference between them was like heaven and hell!
" You..you guys..are you all stupid? Do you even know how hard it was for us to buy this much of rice? How can you finish it in one go?" Zhang Xiaohui has been working since the morning, she even went to weed the fields with her sister in law this afternoon before going to wash the clothes of her family, she was hungry, sweaty and her entire body was aching .... She didn't even expect her family to cook for her but the least they could do was to be a bit frugal were they living the life of landlords? How can they use a pot of rice that was meant to feed the entire family for a month in just a day!
Lin Yunxi rolled her eyes and wiped her mouth with her sleeves " Mother, why are you overreacting? Didn't you and aunt sell the grains at a good price? What are you being anxious about? She sniffed haughtily " But we haven't eaten anything good from the past few months, I couldn't even sleep on an empty stomach so what if we ate a little rice?"
If this was before Zhang Xiaohui would have obviously felt bad for her daughter but now that her blind dog eyes were open she could see the shortcomings of her daughter that she couldn't before, her daughter was vain, superficial and lazy - when it was time to eat she would be the first to arrive at the table and finish off everything together with Lin Che, Lin Ze and Old Madam Lin. The four of them would eat like starving ghosts even when they didn't even move a muscle! Yet she and Lin Zhi would be left to eat the leftovers, just thinking about it made Zhang Xiaohui's chest heave.
She looked at the empty kitchen pot that was cleaned so nicely that even a single grain of rice couldn't be seen and then turned to look at her family of three who was either picking their teeth or rolling their eyes like she didn't even matter! This made Zhang Xiaohui aware of her status in the family, good very good! She curled her lips and looked at her daughter " and what about your aunt and I? Don't you think that we too would be hungry after working in the field for so long?"
Lin Yunxi could feel there was something wrong with her mother, generally when she expressed her dissatisfaction and discomfort her mother would always coax her and even forget the matter but now she was still harping on it? A flash of irritation flashed in Lin Yunxi's eyes, she naturally thought that her mother was making trouble out of nothing, anyway, they had money now - they can afford to splurge a little right? Thus, she pursed her lips and sullenly said " Mother, why are finding trouble for no reason? Just ask grandma to give you money and then you can buy some rice from the town.Why do have to disrupt the peace of the family?"
" That's right, Xiaohui. It's just a pot of rice, if I and the kids ate a little what's wrong with it?" Lin Ze who has finished picking up his teeth finally gave his two coins of wisdom " you are the woman of the house, acting like this don't you think it's shameful? Why are you learning from that Su girl who has no respect for others? What will people say if they find out that you are acting like a shrew?"
Making trouble out of nothing? A shrew? So this was what they thought about her huh?
" Brother Ze, you are being too much" Lin Zhi no longer had any qualms about Zhang Xiaohui, though the woman was far from good at least she was trying to make an effort, completely different from her brother who despite getting healed long ago was still faking his injury in front of their mother and refused to go with them in the fields. Her lips thinned in displeasure at the thought of her brother's laziness and her mother's non-justifiable biasness, Lin Ze was clearly a good for nothing and he wasn't even filial to old madam Lin, but her mother still thought that her brother was good, how was he good, if she had such a son she would have kicked him out of the family long ago!
" What do you mean too much?" Lin Ze didn't think that he was wrong, he was the darling son of his mother who often praised him for being her good son. Because Old madam Lin grew up in a patriarchal family she believed that a man was a thousand times better than a woman, so she instilled learning like ' your wife is your servant' and ' your sister is your caretaker' in his head from long ago thus, Lin Ze didn't fight anything wrong in eating the entire pot of rice and not leaving anything behind for his tired wife and sister. So what if he ate everything? Can't they just go to town and buy more? It's not that much work why were they complaining like this?
Have they even thought how hard it was for him to stay empty stomach while he was recovering from his injuries? He couldn't even eat a decent meal and had to rely on his tenacity to recover so why can't they be a bit sympathetic towards him too?
" isn't it too much? You ate the entire pot of rice that was meant for our family and yet you are saying that sister in law is the one being a shrew here?"
" I had it rough too alright? My leg has barely recovered if I don't eat properly how will I recover? Anyway, it's you two who aren't working hard, like your brother and husband got injured put some more effort into your work instead of complaining like this! I will recover sooner if you two feed me nice things" then he turned to Zhang Xiaohui whose entire face was overshadowed " oh yes, Xiaohui when you go to town remember to pick some good pork bones and lean meat for me, I think if I eat meat I will recover not much just for me is enough"
Lin Che who was patting his tummy and watching the drama immediately sat up straight " Hey father! You forget about me!"
" How can I forget about you? My darling son" pinching Lin Che's chubby cheeks Lin Ze laughed " If your mother will buy meat for me then she will certainly buy it for you too, won't you Xiaohui?"
Zhang Xiaohui didn't respond and simply clutched the pot tighter in her hands and then
-
BANG!
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Chapter 467 - Break Your Legs
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
Zhang Xiaohui's actions shocked everyone after all, even though she was a greedy and selfish woman she treated Lin Ze and her kids with all her heart, if she had anything nice she would share it with her family at once, no matter what it was- the Zhang family wasn't rich but it wasn't bad either, her brothers treated her nicely and often sent small gifts once in a while, all those good things... Zhang Xiaohui naturally shared it with her children and Lin Ze.
Forget about those fancy candies, she even let them eat the tender meat of the deer that her brothers hunted and didn't even take a single bite herself.. so many good things she actually fed to dogs! She did so much for this family but instead of repaying her care and affection with the attention they turned around to bite her in the ass, how can Zhang Xiaohui be not angry! The venison, those sweets she didn't even think about eating them alone and waited for her family to sit together and eat, she might have not a clear conscience regarding her nephews but towards her own family, she had the clearest conscience!
Yet they found it a hassle to leave just a bowl of rice behind? On what basis! On what basis she should be left hungry? She was the one who earned that money!
Now she understood why her nephews cut off all their relationship with them, if she could she would have wanted to do that too!
Old madam Lin who heard the loud bang coming from the outside was startled, she put down her bowl and went out to look at what was happening and what she saw made her blood boil! Her daughter in law who didn't dare to raise her voice in front of her son actually lifted a pot and threw it at her son? How dare she! Was she not afraid of this old lady anymore?
" You wretched woman! How dare you attack my Ze'er on my watch! Get down on your knees and apologize or I will break your legs!" Old madam Lin still believed that she still had the power and authority in the house, she was a firm believer of ' the younger generations all have to be filial', what she forgot that Zhang Xiaohui was a woman who wasn't scared of anything.. yes, she was a bit terrified of old madam Lin before but that was because the old woman was the one who was in charge of money but things were different now, she was the one earning the money now... if Old madam Lin wanted to break her legs she will have to think twice but that wasn't the case for Zhang Xiaohui.
If the old woman's legs were to break no one would say a thing! With the financial power in her hand, Zhang Xiaohui felt more powerful than ever thus she sneered coldly " you will break my legs huh, old hag?"
This time it was old madam Lin's turn to get stunned, she looked at her daughter in law who looked like a completely different woman and felt a bad feeling rise in her heart. Her bad feeling was on the spot because the next second, Zhang Xiaohui pivoted on her spot took out the broom that was kept behind the front door and then rushed at her! She.. her scaredy daughter in law actually rushed at her! That too with a broom!
Old madam Lin jumped in the air as she dodged here and there, Lin Ze couldn't watch his mother getting beaten and tried to interfere. He thought Zhang Xiaohui wouldn't beat him but she proved him wrong! He actually hit him and she hit him so hard that angry red welts appeared on his skin " Xiaohui! Have you gone mad?" shouted Lin Ze, he couldn't believe that the wife who once respected him so much was willing to chase him around the house like this! If anyone found out what face will he show to them? Being beaten by his wife? All his face will be gone!
" What am I doing? I am teaching you .. something that your mother didn't do! You stay at home all day and laze here and late there and instead of teaching your kids any good manners you taught them how to steal and eat behind their mother? Buy more rice? Meat? Who is the one earning the money here? You are so lazy you don't even go to the town to sell it saying that your legs were hurting and whatnot, you like a coward hid in the house and then sent your wife and sister to sell those grains! At that moment what happened to your manliness? Why didn't you show me how much of a man you are back then? You hide when it's time to work but yet you have the guts to say that you are the man of the house?"
Then she turned to look at Old madam Lin who was hiding behind Lin Ze and coldly snorted " you want to break my legs? On what basis? Who is going to work in the fields if you break my legs? You or this" poking Lin Ze's stomach with the end of the broom she sniggered " this good son of yours?"
Old madam Lin had never been insulted like this before even Su Wan hadn't chased her around with a broom-like this, as she thought how this daughter in law made her run around her house like a headless chicken, old madam Lin cursed her immediately " Zhang Xiaohui! You are not human! You have no shame! How can you chase your mother in law like this with a broom? How can I have such an unfilial daughter in law like you? What sins have I committed-"
" Shut up, don't cry like that ... you know it annoys the heck out of me. I want to ask the same thing too!" jeered Zhang Xiaohui and then turned to look at Lin Yunxi and Lin Che who shrank their necks in fright " you two are good too, you actually did such a thing behind your mother's back and still have the nerve to act like this!' She slammed the broom on the ground and snapped "Lin Che, tell me honestly when will you be returning to the town?"
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Chapter 468 - Stomped Under Her Foot
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
Lin Che shuffled uncomfortably, he was afraid that if he said the wrong thing he will be beaten by his mother next. His mother didn't even think about it before hitting his grandma and father, if he said anything that made his mother upset with him then most likely he will be beaten by a broom as well. Lin Che shivered and awkwardly rubbed his hands as he looked at his mother " I... I want to return too, mother but our family doesn't have much money and father is still hurt, and my body isn't feeling well too. The refugees were really cruel, mother you have no idea how brutal they were"
Zhang Xiaohui sneered, she had been hearing the same thing over and over again, she wasn't a fool anymore. This kind of excuse can work once, twice and even thrice but it can't work every day can it? Zhang Xiaohui wasn't a greedy and vain woman anymore but she still hoped that her son would make use of the opportunity that was given to him and not make any mistake by taking it for granted, how many children from the village can get the opportunity to study in an academy like Lin Che?
Her son was given such a good opportunity but instead of using it properly, he keeps making excuses like this what does this mean? His body was still hurting where was it hurting from the past month he has been eating and sleeping well enough, hasn't he? Even drinking fish soup that she caught once in a while, so how come he was still hurting?
At first, Zhang Xiaohui really believed his rainbow farts but now she knew that her son was just trying to make a fool out of her!
Though Zhang Xiaohui wasn't fooled that doesn't mean that no one else was fooled, Old madam Lin and Lin Ze's eyes immediately reddened as Old madam Lin growled at Zhang Xiaohui " look, look.. even my dear grandson knows that his father is hurt. What about you? You actually chased your husband around the house with a broom-like that little shrew, no shame at all! Have you eaten all your manners and morals? How dare you raise your hand on your husband and mother in law! Just you wait, I will definitely go to the Zhang house and ask how they taught you- Ahhhh! What are you doing!"
While old madam Lin was cursing at Zhang Xiaohui, she stopped paying attention to the broom in Zhang Xiaohui's hand thus, she didn't notice it coming towards her until it hit her right on the mouth with a bang! Old madam Lin was shocked! She covered her mouth which was smacked as she stomped her feet on the ground like a child, her eyes which were only red started brimming with tears at once, she really wished she could tear up Zhang Xiaohui in pieces!
This pigheaded actually hit her in the mouth! Ow! Ow! Ow! Her mouth was hurting so bad, it felt like she was stung by countless bees! The broom was so hard, it scratched her skin!
" Zhang Xiaohui!" Lin Ze who ducked when he saw that his wife has raised the broom in her hands. Although he was feeling a bit guilty but that guilt morphed into anger pretty easily as he stared at Zhang Xiaohui, he glared at her like he wanted to eat her alive but Zhang Xiaohui didn't even flinch much less look away from his glare.
She stared right into his eyes and yelled " Don't shout, I know what my name is! But you better shut your damn trap before I make you forget what's your name!"
Lin Ze was a thin and lanky man, and he was lazy to his bones. Forget about taking Zhang Xiaohui down he might end up being squashed by her! So, even though he was angry.. he could only shut his mouth and glared at his wife hatefully.
" And you!" Once she was done dealing with her husband and mother in law, Zhang Xiaohui whirled around to look at Lin Che who shrunk his head like a quail " you have been saying the same thing again and again, Ah Che. Do you think your mother is a fool? You keep making excuses and there Lin Rui is selected as one of the students to go to the prefectural city to attend the lecture of a famous scholar! The one who ranked no.1 in the officials' exams. You have been studying in the academy for so many years yet you couldn't even get a green flag from your teacher to give the county exam and yet Lin Rui only stayed in the academy for two or three months and he is already participating in such a great thing, such opportunity why didn't you get it?"
Zhang Xiaohui no longer expected her son to become an official but she hoped that he could at least study well and somehow stand on his own two feet. As long as he studies well, he will be accepted as a manager or an accountant in a good shop, the salary of an educated person wasn't low after all!
" What?"
" What?"
Zhang Xiaohui's sudden declaration caused many ripples to rise in the Lin family, Old grandma Lin and Lin Ze exchanged a glance and their expression turned black.
Especially, Old madam Zhang. She has always hated the first wife of old man Lin, it could be said that even after marrying her after the death of his first wife, Old man Lin often missed his first wife. Thus, Old madam Lin always hoped that the first branch of the Lin family will always be stomped on by her but instead of becoming her stepping block, those brats were getting better and better!
Lin Ze's expression wasn't good either, when he was a child his father would often pay attention to his eldest brother because he was a lot better at him in everything, which was why Lin Ze never once felt guilty of letting his brother drown, he thought that as long as his elder brother was gone no one would compare him to Father Lin, it's true that no one compares them anymore but now his son is the one who was being subjected to this unfair treatment!
Lin Ze's eyes darkened with a mysterious glint in them.
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Chapter 469 - Into His Arms
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
No one in the new Lin house cared what was going on in the old Lin house and even if they did know about it they wouldn't have cared because Lin Rui has returned after a very long time, even though the brothers never said anything, they, of course, missed Lin Rui just as much as Su Wan. The five of them grew up together, and in their entire life they haven't been away from each other for more than just a few days but Lin Rui's case was different he didn't return home for over a month!
How could they not miss him? Right now everyone was paying special attention to Lin Rui even Shen Zizhen who wasn't fond of the Lin brothers who stole his precious apple was looking at Lin Rui with a rather interested gaze, he wasn't educated and thus, respected educated scholars a lot and because he respected scholars he didn't attack Lin Rui, who told him to be smart enough to impress him?
" So you are Lin Rui?" asked Shen Zizhen as he examined Lin Rui from head to toe, decent appearance, good looks and most importantly this brat looks so young yet the scholarly aura around him was really good. Shen Zizhen nodded his head in approval as he patted Lin Rui's arm " good, good .. you are a good boy."
Shen Zizhen sudden change of his tune made everyone around him surprised, what happened to him? Why was he so enthusiastic about Lin Rui?
Seeing their confused gazes Shen Junxi smiled and whispered " you don't know when Zizhen was young he wanted to study too but his stature was small and he was often bullied, he was pushed around by the young masters of those rich families and in the end couldn't bear any more and ended up quitting that academy. Even though it was his dream to become a scholar one day and bring glory to our family, Zizhen couldn't bear that kind of psychological trauma and stopped studying ... his desires remained unfulfilled. That's why he respects scholars a lot"
Lin Chen "...." If I knew this I would have gone to the academy even if it killed him!
" Ah, why are you all standing there?" Su Wan who returned with the last dish that she has prepared for Lin Rui and placed it on the table looking at her husbands and uncles in confusion " come here, and eat. I have prepared a lot of good things today"
Su Wan has indeed gone all out, not only did she cook her signature dishes but also paid a good deal of money to a fisherman in the village to get her shark fins. That explained why a savoury and tantalizing scent was coming from the bowl of soup, everything smelled so good, so all of them stopped paying attention to unimportant things and sat down.
Su Wan filled a bowl with walnut porridge and handed it to Lin Rui who smilingly took it " Remember to eat more, it seems like you haven't been eating properly. Try to fill your sunken cheeks a little, you look like a malnourished patient"
Lin Rui chuckled and shook his head as he took a bite of the porridge before speaking " I haven't gotten thin, it all because you are seeing me after a long time, that's why I am looking thin to you"
Su Wan pouted her lips as she ladled some soup for him " whose fault is it?" She had been missing Lin Rui for quite some time but every time she asked him to return home, he would always write back saying that he still had a lot to do, there was one time that she wanted to fight it out with his teacher. The way Lin Rui's mentor sticks to him sometimes made her so angry that she almost asked him whether he was Lin Rui's wife or she was, every time she went to look for Lin Rui, his teacher would warn her not to disrupt his studies.
Sometimes he would guard Lin Rui like he was an immortal and she was a seductive vixen who came to disrupt his austerity.
Lin Rui chuckled and rubbed her head " I know, I am sorry I should have tried to come more"
Shen Junxi cleared his throat but didn't say anything not because he didn't want to but because his wife's foot was hovering right above his, if he said something wrong then he can forget to walk without any pain " ahem, Ah Rui, how is everything?"
" Everything is going well, my roommates are nice and teachers are really good too," said Lin Rui, his eyes that were always filled with doubts were no longer as gloomy as before, the headmaster of his academy was familiar with his condition so he would always call Lin Rui to his courtyard and teach him how he should try to have more confidence in himself, though it was not much but it showed that the headmaster had a good impression of him which was why he was paying attention to him.
Shen Junxi nodded his head and took a big bite of his rice " That's good, a good environment is the basic necessity of learning if not your studies will be affected"
" That's right boy" Shen Zizhen chimed from Shen Junxi's side " you need to focus all your attention on your studies if the dormitory atmosphere is not right, just say it outright and we will help you"
Lin Rui shook his head at once "' no need, my two roommates are really nice, I am not troubled at all."
" If that's the case then alright, boy," said Shen Zizhen as he took a sip of his shark fin soup " Then we will be waiting for you to bring glory home"
Lin Rui nodded his head, before leaving his house he would often question himself whether he would be able to live up to his family's expectations but now he knew that as long as he keep working hard one day, he will succeed though he has to put in some more efforts but he will succeed.
—
Su Wan cleaned the dining table and let Lin Yan wash them.. After that, she went to her room and picked a change of clothes before heading to the bathhouse but just as she entered - a pair of strong arms pulled her back.
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Chapter 470 - Happy Birthday In Advance
Name：Shrewd wife of Lin brothers Author：fairytail72
Su Wan stiffened but then a familiar cool scent of forest rain cocooned around her and she relaxed. She twirled around and grinned at Lin Rui who was standing behind her " Ah Rui! Why did you follow me here?"
"It's nothing, I brought something for you but I couldn't give it to you at dinner so" Lin Rui wanted to show the great haul he has brought for Su Wan but he was smart and observant, he noticed the claw marks on his brothers body when he arrived and knew it was somewhat related to Su Wan's second uncle, Shen Zizhen so he didn't dare to give it to Su Wan while they were eating, and he knew with those two uncles guarding Su Wan, he wouldn't be able to sneak in her room at night either so he could only follow her in here.
" You brought something for me?" Su Wan blinked her slightly limpid eyes and glanced at Lin Rui with a bit of confusion and excitement " What did you buy and why didn't you give it to me earlier? Didn't I come to visit you so many times before?"
Lin Rui chuckled at her childlike excitement and took out a delicate wooden box that was carefully wrapped in a soft velvety cloth and handed it to Su Wan " you indeed came to visit me a lot but I didn't get my hands on this little beauty till this morning that's why I couldn't give it to you before"
Su Wan took the box and carefully unfastened the string that was wrapped around it, the box wasn't big just the size of her palm but the design drawn on it was exceptionally beautiful. Golden strings like sea waves lined the seams and in the centre was a golden hook that was snapped at place, she looked at Lin Rui asking him silently what exactly he brought but the latter casually shrugged and motioned her to open it.
It was easier for Lin Rui to say something like that but Su Wan felt a sort of psychological pressure the box looked expensive surely the thing inside must be something really precious, thus she snapped the lock open very carefully. The second she lifted the lid of the box, a silver glow twinkled, surprised she opened the box. Inside lied a single pearl with such a lustrous shine that Su Wan had to blink before she realized that she wasn't imagining it, the pearl was indeed shining like a little moon in her hand " isn't this illuminating pearl? Where did you get it from?"
As far as she knew no commoners could afford this little pearl that shone like a torchlight in the dark, only the rich madams and ladies with a formal title could buy this and if the price alone wasn't a problem, it was extremely rare and was really hard to find in the small market in the town.
Lin Rui's eyes filled with satisfaction when he saw that Su Wan's eyes were glued to the pearl. He was really upset with himself because he couldn't find time for Su Wan in his busy schedule. He knew that his wife missed him even though she never said anything and only came to look for him once in a while and was fairly understanding of his situation. But the more understanding she was the more guilty and infuriated Lin Rui became with himself. But there was nothing he could do, this was the path he chose for himself - but that doesn't mean that he didn't miss Su Wan, he missed everything about her, sometimes he wanted to skip classes to meet her but then he would remember the trust Su Wan placed in him.
She wanted him to work hard and become an official, he couldn't let her down but he could at least show how much he missed her every time he came to see her right?
" My roommate's father is a merchant and usually go on long journeys. This time when his father returned he came with quite a novel things and Qian Hongxin asked me if I wanted to buy this pearl for you and the pearl was so beautiful that with just one glance I knew that it will really suit you, so I brought it at once" idling rubbing he head he gently added " I just wanted to make it up to you, I know that you will never complain about my absence in your life but-" he cupped her face and gave her slight peck " but I still want you to know that I love you and I will always love you even if we aren't together every day, alright?"
Su Wan flushed at his heartfelt words, she knew that her husbands loved her but it felt really weird when they such things out of the blue and then all the butterflies in her stomach would flutter and dance a happy dance, it felt weird but the good kind of weird. She snorted and then lightly slapped Lin Rui's arms with a blush decorating her face " you jester! I don't even know what to say to you, just a few months in the academy and you already learned how to flirt with me huh?"
Lin Rui's smile widened sensing that his wife was getting shy, it was rare to see her blush like this "What's the matter, I only flirt with you"
Su Wan felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she gave a delicate sniff " Its good that you think like that because I would hate scratching that pretty face of yours"
Lin Rui chuckled. " Alright, I will stop teasing you" he pinched her cheek and nipped at her bottom lip " but that's not the only reason why I brought this for you, I will have to stay in the prefectural city for quite some time and I know that your birthday is coming soon.... I wanted to wish you an illuminating future just like this lustrous pearl, It might be impossible for me to do that if I am miles away from you that's why I will wish you a happy birthday in advance, Wan Wan."