Chapter 218: Chapter 217 Frustration and Embarrassment_1 Chapter 218: Chapter 217 Frustration and Embarrassment_1 “You fool, what do you know? All these are precious things that can be turned into silver, just wait and see,” Lin Yue, lying on Zhao Erhu’s back, knocked on his head and said proudly. She was an expert in this field – after all, she remembered the many yangmei dishes she used to make, yangmei pudding, yangmei water, yangmei jam, yangmei cake, yangmei wine, and so on. Peaches could be turned into many delicious dishes too.
“You’re saying that Yangmei Mountain is full of them? Why didn’t I see any when I’ve been to the mountain?” Lin Yue was more concerned about this and wanted to get the details from Zhao Erhu.
“You’ve never been to that place; it’s beyond another mountain peak, deep into the woods where there’s a yangmei grove. When I go hunting, I also see many other fruit trees. Now is the season for fruit, and there are peach trees that you can eat from. We won’t go today, but I will pick some peaches for you later. I know a place with a few big peach trees, the peaches there are large and delicious, much better than those sold in the market. Oh, and there are also plums to eat at this time of the year,” said Zhao Erhu, listing the items like treasured possessions. No one knew the mountains better than him, and as he patiently answered each of Lin Yue’s questions, one after another, his enthusiasm was evident.
“Great, great, when the time comes, take me with you. We’ll pick all the fruit from the mountains, sell them at the market for money, and turn them into food – we’ll make a good sum,” Lin Yue said, her interest piqued at anything that could earn money. They needed to buy a house in the city and build a manor on those several dozen acres of wasteland. Silver was needed everywhere; they had to work hard to earn more.
On their way back, Lin Yue imagined the ground covered with silver and her mind bubbled with silver and gold. The silver ones were silver coins, and the golden ones were gold.
It was already evening, and Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue had not yet returned home, causing Zhao Dahuo and his wife and children to worry. They intermittently stood at the entrance of the yard, looking in the direction of the mountain. Seeing Zhao Erhu carrying Lin Yue back to the entrance of the yard, the adults and children all gathered around.
“Erhu, sister-in-law, you’ve finally come back. If you didn’t return, I would have sent Dahu into the mountains to look for you. You’ve been gone so long and haven’t come back; we were really worried. Sister-in-law, you mustn’t be so impulsive in the future. Don’t run off without a word; look how scared Erhu was. He barely found out where you were before he rushed into the mountains, he didn’t even take the time to eat lunch,” Mrs. Liu was genuinely caring and honest, but she tended to ramble – something you’d only realize after getting to know her well, realizing she definitely had the potential to become a chatterbox.
“Sister-in-law, we’re fine, don’t worry.” Lin Yue was not feeling well already and, after being tossed around all day, she didn’t have much energy to deal with Mrs. Liu, so she responded dryly.
“Alright, enough with the fuss. It’s good they’re back! They haven’t eaten anything all day; go to the kitchen and prepare some food. It’s time for dinner anyway,” Zhao Dahuo saw that Lin Yue seemed a bit impatient with the answers, so he stopped Mrs. Liu from going on with her nagging. His wife really lacked the knack for reading people’s moods.
Though Zhao Dahuo did not approve of Lin Yue’s actions, he had respect, and even awe, for his sister-in-law in other ways. As the eldest uncle, it wasn’t his place to interfere with the business of their room. The couple’s issues were for them to resolve – outsiders couldn’t butt in. Besides, considering how affectionate Erhu was toward his wife, he might as well have wanted to cradle her in his palm. Nothing Zhao Dahuo said would have mattered; you should have seen how lost his brother seemed when he couldn’t find his wife; it was as if he had lost his soul. Only now could he feel relieved.
“Mom, you’re back! I knew you wouldn’t leave us,” Si Lang exclaimed upon seeing Lin Yue return home, his spirits instantly lifted as he joyfully looked at her.
“Mom, why are you bleeding? Are you injured somewhere?!” The normally calm Erhu suddenly exclaimed, causing Lin Yue to freeze. Once she realized what he was referring to, her face started to blush.
After the ‘bitter battle,’ Lin Yue’s body was already covered with bloodstains. She was wearing Zhao Erhu’s coat, which hid the dirt on her clothes, but Erhu’s sharp eyes immediately noticed the bloodstains on Lin Yue’s clothes underneath. The child, not understanding, simply thought Lin Yue was injured and that’s why she was bleeding.
Mrs. Liu understood what was going on, and Zhao Dahuo seemed to grasp something too, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Only the few children, with their dark eyes, were staring at the ‘bloodstains’ on Lin Yue’s body, filled with worry and sympathy.
This is so embarrassing! How could Erhu have such sharp eyes and spot it right away? He shouted it out in front of so many people. Lin Yue felt like she could die of shame, unable to face anyone anymore. She simply buried her head in Zhao Erhu’s shoulder and played the ostrich.
Zhao Erhu had long known about Erhu’s keen eyesight, such as this morning when he peeked outside the kitchen and was caught red-handed by the youngster. So when he heard Erhu’s alarmed cry, he couldn’t help the urge to laugh, thinking about his own frustration and embarrassment that his little wife was now getting a taste of.
However, to spare his little wife further embarrassment, Zhao Erhu still timely came to her rescue, “It’s not your mom’s blood. She’s not injured. It’s just that I got it on me when fighting with a wild beast and accidentally dirtied her clothes. There’s no need to make a fuss. I’ll take her back to the room to change.”
Zhao Erhu carried Lin Yue back to the room and saw that she was still buried in his shoulder, not coming down. He let out a low chuckle, which sounded incredibly pleasant, “Heh heh, there’s no one else here now. Don’t be embarrassed. Come on down. I’ll go get some water for you to wash up.”
Zhao Erhu put Lin Yue down and noticed that his back also had a patch of bloodstain. Lin Yue felt so embarrassed she wished she could bury her head again, her face burning red.
“Don’t. You’ve gotten your clothes dirty on the back too. You should change before going out,” Lin Yue said in an almost inaudible voice. Zhao Erhu couldn’t see it, but Lin Yue quickly pulled him back from leaving and urged him to change his clothes.
“Sister-in-law, open the door. I’ve brought you some hot water,” called Zhao Dahuo, just as Zhao Erhu had finished changing. Mrs. Liu was already at the door, bringing a bucket of hot water. Lin Yue didn’t know how to react, unwilling to go out herself, she directed Zhao Erhu to bring in the hot water and then had him bring in the bathing tub too. With her body so dirty, she needed to wash up properly to feel clean and comfortable.