The eldest daughter-in-law returned unhappily, but Mother Lin was extremely happy.
She remembered her son’s instructions and deliberately walked towards the women who loved to gossip when she went out today. As she walked, she swung her left hand with the gold bracelet more frequently than her right hand.
Upon arrival, the women quickly noticed the bracelet on Mother Lin’s wrist and their eyes instantly widened.
“Sister Lin, is that a gold bracelet?”
“Oh my heavens, it’s so big! How much silver does it weigh?”
They surrounded Mother Lin, bombarding her with questions, each person asking something different. It was noisy and overwhelming, but she didn’t find it annoying at all. Instead, she proudly touched the gold bracelet on her wrist.
“Yes, it’s a gold bracelet. It was bought for me by my son, Shiheng.”
“Oh my! The scholar! How did he have the money to buy a gold bracelet? Didn’t you say your family didn’t have any money left to support the scholar’s studies?”
“Yes, shouldn’t he be taking medicine and resting well? Where did your family get the money from?”
Mother Lin stood in the midst of them, her heart pounding rapidly.Since her youth, she had always been a quiet person who didn’t like to talk. After marriage, she focused all her efforts on being filial to her parents-in-law and taking care of her husband and children. Because her husband was the only son, the burden on the family was heavier. Mother Lin didn’t have time to gossip with the women in the village.
Now that she was older and most of her peers had passed away, even unfamiliar villagers would call her ‘auntie’ when they saw her.
But that was just superficial politeness. Being treated with such admiration and respect by others made her feel extremely delighted.
She felt pleased in her heart, and she maintained a dignified appearance. Soon, she recounted the long string of words that Lin Shiheng had taught her.
Earning money by copying books, doing tasks for the government, and even becoming friends with a scribe in the government office. “That scribe even said he would come to visit our family. Oh my, we were so anxious when we heard this news, fearing that the nobleman would come and we wouldn’t have anything good to offer as hospitality...”
She claimed to be anxious, but everyone could hear the pride and satisfaction in her tone.
The women were extremely envious.
Those were people from the government, even Scholar Wang didn’t know anyone from the government!
Although the scholar had a title, he wouldn’t necessarily receive any special treatment. They didn’t have to kneel when meeting officials, he was exempt from taxes, and he received an annual allowance of rice. Those were privileges reserved for those who had passed the imperial examination. Didn’t they see how poor Scholar Wang’s family was?
It must be said that Lin Shiheng, as the village’s only scholar, gained recognition thanks to Scholar Wang’s bad example, which made families with unmarried daughters welcome him.
And now, listening to Mother Lin boasting about her own son, talking about how simply doing some accounting work could earn a large reward, how he could buy a gold bracelet and a pair of gold earrings, and how he had befriended officials in the government. In the future, if there were any difficulties at home, their family could directly seek help from the scribe. The series of good things made the women’s eyes sparkle.
Who in the village could have such abilities? They used to think that one million in wealth could only be achieved by scholars, but they didn’t expect that Lin’s third son had such impressive skills.
Someone looked at Mother Lin’s empty earlobes and asked, “Auntie, didn’t you say that Scholar Lin also bought gold earrings? Why don’t I see you wearing them?”
“Are you afraid that wearing them will attract attention and someone would snatch them?”
The group of women burst into laughter, filled with envy.
Mother Lin proudly raised her chin, “I gave those earrings to Lan Lan. She’s a young girl, she needs to dress up.”
Laughter immediately filled the surroundings.
“Did you really give them away? Those are made of gold, they’re worth a lot of money!”
“Oh, Auntie, having you as a mother-in-law is a blessing!”
This statement was filled with genuine feelings and had no trace of falsehood. The person who said it wished they could go back to their younger days and marry Lin Shiheng.
Being able to earn money, being good-looking, and having a kind mother-in-law — how come they didn’t have the fortune to have such a good family?
Looking at the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd, Mother Lin truly felt triumphant!
See that! My son is so capable! It's great to be the daughter-in-law of our family! You all used to avoid my son like the plague, thinking you were too good for him!
Mother Lin wasn’t a fool. When the Lin family split up before, as she walked through the village, those families with unmarried daughters who used to come and strike up conversations with her purposefully kept their distance. She knew exactly what they were thinking.
She didn’t have any intention of clinging to them. It’s just that in the beginning, they would approach her with smiles, engage in conversations, but the moment the family had problems, they would keep their distance. Whoever it was, it would hurt her feelings.
Mother Lin didn’t have any thoughts of seeking revenge or anything like that. They were all people from the same village, it wouldn’t come to that. But showcasing her son’s strengths and letting them admire her, she was quite content with that.
Indeed, the women around her weren’t only envious but also regretful.
If they had known that Lin Shiheng had such abilities and the third branch of the Lin family would still have a chance, why did they stop their own daughters from pursuing him back then?
If Lin Shiheng could earn enough money to buy two pieces of gold jewelry, in the future, he would be able to earn enough to buy three, four, or even five pieces.
Regret!!
Such an outstanding son-in-law, and we let him slip away right under our noses!
Although they regretted it, nobody in the village was thinking about pushing their own daughters to be in a lower position. They sighed for a moment, flattered Mother Lin, and then gradually went to their own fields to work.
With the praise making Mother Lin float in happiness, she thought about the envious and regretful expressions from earlier, which delighted her.
While feeling happy, she secretly made a decision in her heart. She had to treat Lan Lan even better in the future.
She had to let the people in the village see just how wrong their decision was when they refused to marry into her family back then, how incredibly wrong it was.
Li Lanlan, who was busy doing housework at home, had no idea that her mother-in-law had bragged about how well she treated her daughter-in-law outside. Even if she knew, she would probably just go along with it.
She was earnestly mending Lin Shiheng’s shoe soles, as he was about to embark on a journey. The soles needed to be thick and sturdy.
While she was focused on her task, a girl approached. Without entering or coming closer, she simply peeked inside. But the moment she saw the gold earrings on Li Lanlan’s ears, her eyes instantly flooded with envy and resentment.
That person was Zhou Daya. Today, she heard that the Lin family had bought gold jewelry, including gold earrings for Li Lanlan. Her initial reaction was disbelief.
How could that be possible? Although I liked Lin Shiheng, wasn't he just a scholar? How could he earn so much money?
But when she returned home, her mother, who had previously opposed her liking towards Lin Shiheng, was remorseful and kept muttering...
“I never expected that Lin Shiheng would have such ability. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have stopped you. I used to think that Lin Shiheng couldn’t do anything and that his elderly in-laws would make life difficult for you if you married into their family. But who would have thought that Lin Shiheng could earn money and be considerate? And Aunt Lin treats her daughter-in-law so well. Ahh, we just didn’t have such a blessing."
At that moment, Zhou Daya felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her head.
She didn’t believe it, so she came to see it for herself.
And then reality slapped her hard.
It was indeed real gold earrings.
Li Lanlan sat in the sun, the sunlight shining on the gold, reflecting a dazzling light that directly pierced Zhou Daya’s sensitive and fragile heart.
Coincidentally, Lin Shiheng came out to sunbathe after feeling tired from studying. Li Lanlan heard the movement, raised her head, and smiled at him, “Husband, would you like some water?"
“No, aren’t you tired too? How about we go out together for a walk and relax?”
Li Lanlan never refused her husband. Considering that it was still some time before mealtime, she put down what she was holding and stood up, saying, “Okay.”
Standing under the golden sunlight, one handsome and the other beautiful, they exchanged smiles that conveyed an indescribable sense of perfect compatibility.
As they were about to walk hand in hand, they coincidentally met Zhou Daya, whose eyes were red from crying.
When Zhou Daya saw Lin Shiheng looking her way, she looked at him with a heartbroken expression, lowered her head, and started whimpering.
She didn’t run away. She could tell that Lin Shiheng was someone who couldn’t run, what if he couldn’t catch up with her?
She stood there, waiting for Lin Shiheng to ask, and then she would pitifully lift her head.
She learned this trick from theatrical performances. Zhou Daya’s mother doted on her and usually took her to town, where she overheard some lines from the plays. According to the script, if a woman acted like that, the man would feel sorry for her and ask about her feelings.
Lin Shiheng remained silent.
It had to be said that seeing a woman dressed in colorful clothes whimpering like that was quite a shocking sight.
Zhou Daya was considered beautiful in the village, but when she tied a red ribbon in her hair and wore floral clothes, her appearance was a bit...
Li Lanlan, however, didn’t find Zhou Daya’s clothes unattractive. She became wary because she had heard before marrying into the family that many girls in the village liked Lin Shiheng. But at that time, she was filled with despair and didn’t think of anything else. Now, seeing Zhou Daya acting possessive of her husband, a hint of suspicion arose in her heart.
Could it be that Zhou Daya had some previous connection with Husband?
Her heart felt sour, but she didn’t dare ask. Having such a good husband was already a stroke of luck for her, not to mention that Zhou Daya’s family was indeed better off than hers.
The more Li Lanlan thought about it, the more downcast she felt. It had to be said that the villagers’ reluctance to propose to her because of her father, had made her somewhat self-conscious.
Just when she was feeling insecure, disappointed, and worried, Lin Shiheng spoke up.
With a gentle expression and a natural attitude, he asked, “Lan Lan, who is this? Is she your friend?”
Li Lanlan could almost sense the momentary silence in the air.
Even Zhou Daya, who had been whimpering before, stopped and looked at Lin Shiheng in disbelief.
“Don’t you know me?” Zhou Daya asked.
Lin Shiheng looked puzzled, “Should I know you?"
Zhou Daya: “...”
Even Li Lanlan was a bit confused.
After all, they were from the same village. Based on Zhou Daya’s previous behavior, she had actually thought there was something between them.
But upon closer thought, her husband loved studying inside the house and rarely went out. Even she, before marrying into the family, hadn’t met him in person despite being from the same village. It was normal for her husband not to recognize Zhou Daya.
Meanwhile, Zhou Daya looked at Lin Shiheng in a daze for several seconds. When she saw the genuine confusion and unfamiliarity in his eyes, she burst into tears and ran away with a loud cry.
This time she ran quite fast, not caring whether Lin Shiheng could catch up to her or not.
If she had known that Lin Shiheng didn’t recognize her at all, why did she put in so much effort towards Li Lanlan earlier?
Lin Shiheng didn’t even spare a glance at Zhou Daya running far away.
When rejecting someone, it was best to be decisive. If he looked at her for a moment longer, it would only invite trouble.
He decided to focus on his exams and aim to achieve success.