Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 85

Yu Jiao smiled but said nothing.

When the group arrived at the field, Madam Song noticed Yu Gancao and her husband had come to help and greeted them with a cheerful smile.

Although Li Hanqiu was slightly chubby, both he and his wife were skilled at farm work. With the couple helping, the fieldwork progressed much faster.

By evening, Madam Song borrowed an ox cart from their neighbor, Madam Wang. They bundled up the wheat harvested during the day and used the cart to transport it home. It took more than ten trips back and forth to get it all done.

During dinner, Madam Zhao couldn’t hold back from sniping at the eldest branch. “Eldest Sister-in-law, you and Eldest Brother sure know how to slack off. All this work in the fields, and you just leave it to us? If you’re sick, fine, our father’s a doctor, have him write you a prescription and get back to work!”

Madam Zhang kept her head down and ate in silence. Yu Qiaoshan sighed. He wanted to help in the fields, but Madam Zhang wouldn’t let him.

Yu Ruhai frowned at the pair, displeased. Ever since they made that fuss about Zhizhou attending the county school, even his authority as head of the household was being ignored.

“Eldest, both of you are going to the fields tomorrow to harvest wheat,” Yu Ruhai ordered.

Madam Zhang laughed coldly in her heart. Whenever there’s a benefit, it never comes to the eldest branch. But when it’s time to work, they’re always the first ones called.

“My chest hurts, and Eldest has a headache. We can’t go,” she said, shooting a look at Yu Hanshan and his wife. “The third couple’s so capable, why would the eldest branch need to step in?”

She set down her chopsticks and dragged Yu Qiaoshan back to their room.

Yu Ruhai, furious, slammed his chopsticks down on the table, at a loss for words.

Old Madam Yu quickly tried to calm him down in a gentle tone.

Yu Gancao and her husband sat stiffly at the dinner table like they were on pins and needles. They quietly set down their bowls and left to try and persuade Madam Zhang.

After dinner, as usual, Yu Jiao walked around the courtyard to help with digestion. Madam Song, having finished washing the pots and dishes, brought out a patched-up burlap sheet. With help from Yu Mengshan, she spread it out in the yard and began piling the harvested wheat onto it.

Yu Jiao, intrigued by the process, joined in and helped carry in more wheat. When the sheet was fully covered with a thick layer of wheat, Madam Song dragged out the large, round stone roller from the corner and began laboriously rolling it back and forth across the wheat.

“This is for removing the husks?” Yu Jiao asked curiously.

Madam Song nodded, wiping the sweat from her face with the towel hanging around her neck as she continued to roll the heavy stone.

Usually, this kind of heavy work was done by the men in the Yu family. But now that Yu Mengshan had lost a leg, the eldest couple is still sulking, and Yu Hanshan from the third branch is lazy, Madam Song had no choice but to do it herself. The wheat had been harvested, it couldn’t just be left there.

Inside the west room, Yu Qiaoshan heard the noise from the yard and muttered, “I’ll go roll the wheat.”

Madam Zhang glared at him. Yu Gancao quickly pushed her father forward with a smile. “Dad, go ahead. Second Aunt’s exhausted out there. I’ll try talking to Mom again.”

Madam Zhang snorted. “Don’t bother. Your grandfather and grandmother are completely biased. As long as they don’t agree to let Zhizhou go to county school, I’m not setting foot in that field!”

Yu Gancao had been trying to persuade her for a while now, but seeing how stubborn her mother was, she could only say, “Third Uncle and Aunt aren’t really the hardworking type. They didn’t even harvest a full bundle of wheat before sitting down to rest. If you and Dad don’t help, Second Aunt will be completely worn out.”

Madam Zhang still refused to budge. Yu Gancao sighed. “Mom, Hanqiu and I are going back tomorrow. We haven’t been much help. With Third Uncle’s leg like that, what happens if Second Aunt works herself sick?”

“You’re leaving tomorrow?” Madam Zhang immediately got up and rummaged through the bottom of the cabinet, pulling out a basket of duck eggs. She counted out more than twenty and stuffed them into a cloth bag. “These are from your eldest sister-in-law’s family. I’ve been saving them. Take them home with you.”

Looking at the full bag of duck eggs, Yu Gancao felt a flicker of joy. If she brought them home, maybe her mother-in-law’s attitude would soften. But she still hesitated. “I can’t. These are from Eldest Sister-in-law’s family. How can I take them?”

“Take them for the little girl. Your mother-in-law’s always been hard to please. It’s harvest season, and you brought Hanqiu here to help, did she say anything?” Madam Zhang asked.

Yu Gancao gave a bitter smile. Not wanting to worry her mother, she just shook her head. “No, she didn’t say anything.”

Madam Zhang relaxed. “Good. That woman always has something to complain about. You and Hanqiu only have one daughter, you should try harder to have another, preferably a son.”

Yu Gancao’s expression dimmed. Ever since her miscarriage three years ago, she hadn’t been able to get pregnant again. Her already difficult mother-in-law had only grown more unbearable since.

Noticing her daughter’s expression, Madam Zhang’s heart sank. “Gancao, it’s been three years with no news. Don’t tell me something’s wrong with your body?”

She forced a smile and shook her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m perfectly healthy. Nothing’s wrong with me.”

Madam Zhang didn’t see anything unusual, but she was still suspicious. “Really? Then… could it be your husband—”

“Mom!” Yu Gancao quickly interrupted. “Don’t say that. Hanqiu is perfectly fine!”

“If both of you are healthy, then you need to work on having another baby. Gancao, you have to take this seriously.” Madam Zhang reached out to pull her daughter down to sit on the edge of the bed for a proper mother-daughter talk.

But as soon as she touched her daughter’s arm, Yu Gancao’s face turned pale and she instinctively flinched away.

Madam Zhang’s expression changed instantly. She grabbed the arm her daughter had been hiding behind her back, rolled up the sleeve and was greeted by a mess of bruises in the shape of pinches.

Her temper exploded. “What happened?! Did Li Hanqiu hurt you?!”

She turned and stormed toward the main hall where Li Hanqiu was talking to Old Master Yu.

Yu Gancao quickly stopped her, whispering in a panic, “Mom, it’s not Hanqiu! I just bumped into something, that’s all!”

Madam Zhang was both heartbroken and furious, her eyes red. “Do you think I’m an idiot? These are clearly bruises from pinching, such a vicious hand! Was it your mother-in-law?!”

Yu Gancao opened her mouth to deny it, but before she could speak, her tears started falling. She hurried to wipe them away. She hadn’t wanted to cry, but her mother’s question broke the dam of grievances she’d been holding in.

“That wicked old hag from the Li family! How dare she treat you like this! And that good-for-nothing Li Hanqiu!” Madam Zhang felt like a fire was burning in her chest. She turned to rush out again and confront Li Hanqiu.

Yu Gancao grabbed her quickly, defending her husband. “Mom, this has nothing to do with Hanqiu! He’s always protected me and Yujie in front of his mother. She only lays hands on me when he’s not around.”

Madam Zhang grabbed her daughter’s other arm and pulled up the sleeve, more bruises, just like the first. Her voice trembled with rage. “You look like this, and Li Hanqiu hasn’t noticed?!”