Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Mrs. Yang got up early in the morning to stew chicken soup to nourish her daughter-in-law’s body, an act filled with good intentions. Yet, who would have expected the daughter-in-law to be so picky that she vomited everything she ingested, rendering Mrs. Yang’s efforts utterly futile.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, are you all right?” Mrs. Yang asked somewhat worriedly. Although she was slightly upset, she knew not to blame her daughter-in-law, since there was nothing to be done about morning sickness.

“I’m fine,” Su Wenyue waved her hand, but before she finished speaking, the rich scent hit her again, and she started vomiting anew.

Upon seeing this, Aunt Li hurriedly removed anything that might upset Su Wenyue, including the big bowl of chicken soup that Mrs. Yang had stewed. Seeing that Su Wenyue couldn’t keep it down, Mrs. Yang thought of her as someone who could not appreciate good fortune, unable to stomach such fine nourishment; she was reluctant to drink it herself, so she saved the chicken soup for Han Yu.

“Madam, are you feeling better? You haven’t eaten anything since morning. I’ve prepared some light food for you. You must eat a bit; you can’t let the child in your stomach go hungry.”

Grandma Chen brought over a food box with food just prepared from the kitchen. With a worried look on her face, she advised that Madam’s morning sickness had gotten better. Grandma Chen had been present when the Old lady of Han Family made the chicken soup and had even mentioned Su Wenyue’s preferences. However, the Old lady had not believed her, insisting on adding oil, claiming it was necessary for the child inside to be well-fed. Grandma Chen, being a servant, naturally couldn’t argue with the Old lady, especially since she was close to Madam. A single wrong word could lead to misinterpretation, potentially causing trouble and complicating the delicate mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.

Su Wenyue felt much better after a while and, feeling hollow with hunger, wanted to eat. The period of morning sickness had left her apprehensive, and now that it had recurred, she took small bites to test her tolerance. Finding she felt fine and her appetite returning, she finally relaxed.

Mrs. Yang initially thought that Su Wenyue couldn’t eat the food she made due to morning sickness, but seeing her consume a large amount without issue, she grew suspicious. Could the Fourth Daughter-in-law be doing this on purpose, or was she harboring anger over a previous incident?

The more Mrs. Yang thought about it, the more possible it seemed, and her expression darkened. She had let go of past grievances as a mother-in-law but now believed the Fourth Daughter-in-law was not behaving properly. If she had disliked something, she could have said so; instead, she put on an act. Mrs. Yang refused to believe that only the food she prepared could induce a reaction. Despite her internal displeasure, she didn’t show it, bearing it for the sake of her eldest grandson. In doing so, she inadvertently deepened the misunderstanding.

Han Yu came home in the evening and, hearing that Su Wenyue had vomited again, grew concerned. Seeing that she seemed alright, he felt somewhat relieved. “How come you’re sick again? I thought you were better. How do you feel now?”

In that period, Su Wenyue, due to sickness from the pregnancy, had become pitifully thin, especially as she was carrying twins—a lack of nutrition could be dangerous at any moment. Han Yu was truly worried, carrying that fear with him at all times.

“I’m feeling pretty good now. It was the bowl of chicken soup this morning that was too rich. I’d just gotten up and my stomach was empty; it couldn’t handle such greasy food. Unfortunately, it wasted Mother’s kind intentions. I’m not sure if she’s angry,” Su Wenyue said, sensing that Mrs. Yang must have been upset, although she hadn’t shown it overtly—women sometimes have a keen intuition.

When Han Yu entered, Mrs. Yang had called him over and had him drink the leftover chicken soup. That’s also when he learned about the morning sickness.

“No, she won’t be upset. This isn’t your fault, Mother will understand.”

“That’s good then.” Su Wenyue didn’t truly care whether Mrs. Yang was angry or not; she only wanted to state her position to see Han Yu’s reaction.

Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang had not mentioned when they would leave, and Su Wenyue didn’t feel it appropriate to ask. However, her mother-in-law’s tendency to meddle was annoying. Since that incidence of morning sickness, Mrs. Yang hadn’t made chicken soup for Su Wenyue again but had taken control of the kitchen, claiming the servants were wasteful and asserting her authority over the kitchen affairs. Consequently, the quality of the meals had declined over the past two days.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, no offense, but you’ve been too lenient with the servants. Look at the quality of the meals we’re having. If this continues, we’ll incur significant costs. Fourth child works hard day and night for his salary; you should learn to manage a household.” Mrs. Yang became somewhat agitated as she spoke, observing that the servants here ate much better than at home, not only having their fill of plain rice but also meat every day—quite the extravagance.

“Mother, the servants’ expenses are accounted for, and treating them too harshly isn’t right. How can they work diligently if they’re not well-fed?” Su Wenyue struggled to politely express her point without telling Mrs. Yang to back off directly.

“What nonsense,” retorted Mrs. Yang. “If they can’t work diligently, what use is there in keeping them? Besides, I think there are too many servants here. Even without their monthly payment, the cost of their upkeep alone is a substantial expense. It would be better to send the excess back to the Su Family. Practicality is key in daily life; what’s the use of maintaining appearances without spending money?”

Hearing Mrs. Yang’s lecturing tone, Su Wenyue felt irked but had to hold back her anger as the woman was her mother-in-law and respond calmly.

“Mother, the servants were specifically requested from my mother’s family by Husband himself; there is no reason to send them back.”

“Even so, we can’t just feed them for free. If it really comes to it, sell a few. We could get some silver for them, which would help our household. Besides, your parents love you; they wouldn’t mind how you handle this.” Mrs. Yang, essentially a farmer’s wife from the countryside, had limited perspective. She believed her intentions were correct—even if that meant taking control over her son and daughter-in-law, who to her, seemed clueless on how to run a household.

Mrs. Yang’s words did not escape the ears of others; the faces of Grandma Chen and the others darkened. They already disliked the meddlesome Old lady but had to bear with her as she was the Master’s birth mother, a master in their household. They couldn’t criticize their master, even if they were dissatisfied. They never expected her to suggest selling them!

“Mother, sell them? Husband is performing well in his official duties; we’re not in such a state that we need to sell people. If word got out, wouldn’t that be laughable? It would look as though our family couldn’t afford a few servants, affecting Husband’s

reputation among his colleagues. Being an official isn’t as simple as you think. Please don’t interfere with these matters!” Su Wenyue’s patience wore thin, her annoyance palpable. The Old lady was deliberately causing trouble. Couldn’t she just sit quietly and refrain from

meddling?