The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 900 - 899: Riding a Tiger and Unable to Dismount

Tian Sihai repeated the instructions for Lady Fang to go to the Song Family to apologize tomorrow. Lady Fang, not daring to even breathe loudly, agreed. She had already heard the loud scolding from Shopkeeper Tian in the courtyard earlier. Her ears weren’t deaf, after all. Fearful that the maid might notice something, she had already sent the maid, Cuier, away.

Hearing Tian Sihai’s command now, her heart felt bitter, yet she didn’t dare disagree.

That night, Tian Sihai, after following Shopkeeper Tian outside all day, was exhausted. He collapsed onto the kang bed and soon the sound of snoring filled the room.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Lady Fang lay wide awake on her kang bed, without a hint of sleepiness.

How could she dare to sleep? The thought of having to face Wang Yongzhu the next morning to apologize made her legs go weak.

The fear from being overpowered by Wang Yongzhu that day still lingered, and she didn’t even dare recall the events of that day.

Let alone what happened afterward.

Lady Fang wasn’t a fool. She knew well that her husband and father-in-law both had grievances towards her, blaming her for everything.

If it weren’t for her supposed pregnancy, she suspected she would’ve been cast out of the Tian Family just like her elder brother-in-law and his wife were.

If she were truly pregnant, there would be nothing to worry about — after all, being pregnant was like having a gold medal of immunity. They wouldn’t dare do anything to her for the sake of the child.

The problem was, she wasn’t pregnant!

That day, because she felt nauseous and vomited, it was assumed she was pregnant. She also believed it to be true since her period was indeed delayed.

When she and her husband were sent to the estate in the countryside, they were both relieved that the child came at such an opportune time.

However, after being brought back from the estate, she realized something was wrong. Her belly began to hurt mildly, throwing her into a panic.

Lady Fang was both frightened and uncertain. She couldn’t decide if it was her period coming or if the pregnancy wasn’t stable.

At this point, the entire family was focused on her belly. It was precisely the belly that garnered her some respect. Regardless of what she speculated, she knew she couldn’t let anyone find out her situation!

So her first instinct was to hide it.

She found an excuse to go out to buy things and secretly went to a faraway clinic to have a doctor feel her pulse.

It was like a bolt from the blue! Sure enough, she wasn’t pregnant! It was merely some blood stasis causing the mild abdominal pain. A prescription was given; once the medicine was taken, her blood would flow smoothly, and her period would come.

Lady Fang was dumbfounded! What now? The whole family believed she was pregnant. On a normal day, such a blunder might be overlooked.

But at such a critical moment, if everyone, especially the in-laws, found out she wasn’t pregnant, Lady Fang shivered at the thought and dared not think further.

But now she couldn’t afford to back down either. She could only grit her teeth, pocket the medication, sneak back home, and mull over her decision without reaching a conclusion after circling the house for half a day.

Fortunately, everyone believed in her pregnancy, and with everything happening, Tian Sihai was busy running around outside every day, returning only in the evenings or late at night.

She bit the bullet and moved to the next room, citing the reason that newly pregnant couples shouldn’t share the same room. During the day, she used the excuse of not feeling well to stay inside and not venture out.

Tian Sihai and Shopkeeper Tian didn’t think much of it at the time, only believing Lady Fang was cherishing the child and left her be.

The Tian Family had been in chaos these days, with Shopkeeper Tian and Tian Sihai overwhelmed by outside matters, who really couldn’t pay it any mind.

And Zhang Qiuju wasn’t a meticulous and caring mother-in-law. She did hire a maid but spent most of her time busy with the family’s cooking and laundry. Only when she could spare the time did she look after the pregnant Lady Fang.

Thus, the entire family was kept in the dark by Lady Fang.

Lady Fang later thought if she could just get through this period, once the situation at home improved and the events blew over, she could think of a way to fake a miscarriage. Then, she could work on getting pregnant for real later.

But hearing Shopkeeper Tian’s words today made Lady Fang panic. Now she was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

She had to pretend to be pregnant continuously.

Not to mention, the Tian Family was in a mess, and they hadn’t yet called an official doctor to check her pulse. But in a few days, they’d surely want to call a doctor.

What to do then? Would she really be sent back to her parents’ home?

Lady Fang’s family was famous for "Jinggu Wine," a craft passed down through generations. For many years, they had sold only this one type of wine, known for its fragrant and crisp taste, renowned throughout Jing County.

Many scholars and teachers from the Academy loved Fang Family’s Jinggu Wine, and various restaurants in Jing County loved to stock and sell it.

Due to this craft, the Fang Family had accumulated significant wealth over the years in Jing County. They had a two-entry courtyard and, besides the winery, owned several shops and some farmland in the countryside.

In Jing County, that was quite decent.

But in Lady Fang’s generation, her brother was a lost cause, picking up all the vices like eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling from a young age and excelling at them, yet lacking any talent for brewing wine.

Rumor had it that once Lady Fang’s father passed, the secret of Jinggu Wine might be lost.

Lady Fang also knew that if she were truly divorced by the Tian Family, there’d be no place for her in her birth family. Her brother was unreliable, and her parents favored him, valuing him despite his inability to do anything but ruin the family.

Since she could walk, she’d helped out in the winery, sweet-mouthed and diligent, yet her parents never gave her a second glance.

Had she not been shrewd herself, setting her sights early on Tian Sihai, she wouldn’t have had the chance to build a rapport when he came to the shop for wine, allowing her to marry into the Tian Family.

Life in the Tian Family was better than in her own home, no matter how you looked at it, and she couldn’t allow herself to be divorced!

She had to think of a way!

Early the next morning, Tian Sihai left. Before going, he reminded Lady Fang a few more times before rushing off.

Lady Fang, after tidying herself up, went to the front courtyard to wait for Zhang Qiuju.

Zhang Qiuju had mulled over it all night, receiving constant reminders from Shopkeeper Tian all night, leaving her still dispirited by morning.

Seeing Lady Fang, she said nothing. After breakfast, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat silently, being helped onto the carriage by the maids and an older woman.

Thinking it over, Zhang Qiuju decided not to lose face. She gritted her teeth and brought along three maids and one older woman, filling the carriage to capacity as they headed to the Song Family Courtyard.

Unexpectedly, upon reaching the Song Family Courtyard, they found an Iron General hung on the wall; no one was home.

After knocking for a long time with no response, they attracted Madam Gu from across: "Who is it? Don’t you have eyes? Can’t see the lock on their door? Knocking so loudly this early, are you trying to stir souls?" freēwēbnovel.com

The coachman, having been scolded, had to respond politely: "Dear sister, could you tell us if the Scholar Song’s family is out or visiting friends, and when might they return?"

Madam Gu replied irritably, "I’m not from Scholar Song’s family, how would I know? I’m telling you, stop knocking. My home has old folks; you’re giving them a headache. If something happens, see how I’ll deal with you!"

Having said that, with a bang, she closed the door and returned to her yard.

Receiving such a cold reception, what could Zhang Qiuju do? She couldn’t keep waiting at the Song Family’s door, could she?

She angrily glared at Lady Fang and reluctantly ordered the coachman to turn back.

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