Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Chapter 608: Chapter 614

“Putting everything else aside, I must say I quite admire Madam Han for her straightforwardness and forthright nature. She voiced the thoughts that everyone else dared to think but not to express. Just for that, she has my respect. Everyone thinks I am arrogant and unrestrained, and they envy me for my good birth. But it’s all just superficial glory; none of it compares to Mrs. Su.”

Upon hearing Mrs. Shao’s words, the Nanny and Servant girl refrained from further comment, their expressions turning somewhat indignant—it was clear they understood the reasons behind her words.

“Young lady, try to take heart. Second Young Master is merely bewitched by that vixen for the moment. No matter what, you are the legal wife, and you have the Shao family’s backing. If Second Young Master goes too far, the Shao family will stand up for you.” The Nanny and Servant girl tried their best to comfort Mrs. Shao.

Mrs. Shao felt even more bitter upon hearing this. Everyone thought she was so high and mighty, with powerful support from both her mother’s family and her husband’s family, so arrogant that even the City Lord’s wife was not taken seriously. Little did they know her true agony. She was merely a pawn in her family’s interests. Had she been given a choice, she would never have chosen Liu Xuan, a man so sinister and venomous, as her husband. But her family had chosen him, and she had no choice but to submit.

It would have been one thing to merely marry Liu Xuan. On the surface, he treated her decently because of the power of her mother’s family. She lived freely, and it’s said that even a day’s marriage bonds a couple for a hundred days. Over the years, she had indeed come to accept reality and naturally began to regard this man as her husband. How could she truly have no affection for him? Moreover, Liu Xuan’s greatest skills were his sweet words and good looks. Yet he was a philanderer, and this time he had disregarded whether she would be blamed, forcing her to act this way at the banquet. Besides public affairs, there was surely the shadow of that woman behind it all.

Mrs. Shao was well aware of Zhou Yao’s identity, which was unknown to others. Some “Miss Cousin” she was, nothing but a spy Liu Xuan had planted in the City Lord Mansion. However, this spy was sisters with that vixen. Mrs. Shao knew about the shameful incident of Zhou Yao being driven out of the Han Mansion, and she suspected that the lord was instigated by that vixen, most likely for Zhou Yao’s sake. Not to mention that Zhou Yao and Su Wenyue were enemies; if Zhou Yao truly succeeded in bringing down Su Wenyue and winning Han Yu over to her husband’s side, with the sisters helping each other, her own status might be greatly diminished.

As for what kind of a man her husband was, Zhou Yao knew very well. If her value to him decreased, there would only be one possible outcome.

However, she could not refuse the tasks her husband gave her. She had no choice, as these were matters that affected the grand scheme of things. To achieve their goals, the family would not care about sacrificing a pawn like her. But that vixen probably did not expect Mrs. Su to be so formidable. Now that Mrs. Shao had done all that she could, and even things she shouldn’t have, it wasn’t her fault that she failed to achieve the goal. Her husband couldn’t blame her and, instead, he should be the one to comfort her.

Thinking thus, Mrs. Shao suddenly began to smash things around her, shattering everything smashable in the room. The Nanny and Servant girl watched their mistress calmly destroying her surroundings. Although they could not entirely comprehend her thoughts, they guessed something of them and stood by silently, unlike usual, when they would have been anxious and advising against it. It was not until they saw a figure approaching from a distance—Liu Xuan was coming.

The Nanny suddenly changed her expression and quickly came forward, “Young lady, please don’t be angry. You must take care of your health.”

After so many years as master and servant, they had developed an understanding. The Nanny acted so, and Mrs. Shao immediately understood why. She now wore a look of anger and self-reproach, “How can I not be angry? Mrs. Su dared to belittle me in front of so many people, saying such things that every sentence stung my heart! That would have been all, but back then, that woman deliberately sowed discord in front of my husband, and now that I’ve failed to complete the task he gave me, he thinks I did it on purpose.”

“Madam, you can’t be blamed for this. You have done your best already. It’s just that Madam Han is too formidable. It’s my first time seeing someone so reckless, completely disregarding their own reputation, even worse than a foul-mouthed woman from the marketplace, let alone a few more of them, they would not be a match for that Madam Han. Second Young Master will not blame you, knowing things went wrong.” The Nanny soothed with all her heart, although her tone carried hints of uncertainty.

Seeing this, Mrs. Shao stopped smashing things and stood there, looking disheartened, “No, he won’t believe me either, even though I did my utmost, in the end, I failed to handle the matter properly. He now only believes that woman’s words. Nanny, my heart is truly in pain! Even though I was somewhat reluctant when I married him initially, but after so many years of marriage, how could feelings not develop? I always used to challenge my husband and deliberately upset him, just to make him pay more attention to me. I had long since let go, but I could never express these feelings, he never knew, alas…”

Mrs. Shao sobbed, speaking to her most trusted Nanny about her most vulnerable and helpless side, and all the feelings she could not express openly.

The Nanny looked at her with a pained expression, uncertain of how to comfort the young lady, “Young lady, don’t lose heart. You have Second Young Master in your heart, and you always act in his best interests, even when you knew that dealing with Madam would give you trouble, you did not hesitate. Second Young Master will surely feel your sincerity.”

“Alas, my husband’s affection and trust in me are now less than ever before. I no longer expect anything. I just hope that he doesn’t blame me for this.” Upon hearing what the Nanny said, Mrs. Shao spoke with a touch of sadness, her voice filled with sorrow that was hard to ignore.

Liu Xuan had been listening outside all this time, and he was surprised to hear Mrs. Shao’s words, realizing her thoughts. He felt a significant change in his heart, especially when he heard Mrs. Shao express her admiration for him, a mix of joy and pride stirring within him.

No matter how formidable or willful, Mrs. Shao was simply a common woman after all, ultimately subdued by his charm. Liu Xuan thought to himself that as a man, being so admired by someone, especially when that someone was his own legal wife, there was no reason not to be pleased.

Indeed, Liu Xuan had heard that Mrs. Shao had not handled the matter he entrusted to her well. Although he had no intention of punishing her, he was quite displeased. But considering Mrs. Shao’s influential mother’s family, he could only forgive her, refraining from alienating Mrs. Shao for a while to let her reflect and understand her position. Now, he had utterly abandoned such thoughts.

“Rest assured, Madam, I, Liu Xuan, am not a man who fails to distinguish right from wrong. This is not your fault; how could I blame you? The only blame lies with Mrs. Su for being overly cunning and sly, causing you such distress.”