The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 12: The Shameless Lin Family

The person Wang Shishi hated was currently enjoying a happy meal with her family, completely unaware of the brewing storm.

After dinner, there was still work to be done. The sweet potatoes planted a few days ago had taken root and needed watering and fertilizing. The corn hadn’t been fully harvested yet, and there was plenty of work to keep them busy.

Once the bean sprouts were successful, they would need to sell them in town to earn money for the family, send the brothers to school, and rebuild their house. How could they survive the winter in such a dilapidated home?

Xu Zhizhi was deep in planning when a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Xu Da Niu was washing the dishes, so Mother Xu went to answer the door. It was Aunt Lin from the village.

As soon as she entered, Aunt Lin’s eyes locked onto Xu Zhizhi. She nodded approvingly and said, “Not bad, not bad. You really are a sensible child. In these parts, it’s hard to find a girl as pretty and hardworking as you. I wonder which lucky young man will have the fortune to marry such a good wife.”

“You flatter her too much, Aunt Lin,” Mother Xu said happily.

Xu Zhizhi felt uncomfortable under the old woman’s gaze. She couldn’t recall this woman from the original host’s memories, but hearing her mother call her “Aunt Lin,” she forced a smile and greeted, “Hello, Grandma Lin.”

“Ah!” Aunt Lin responded cheerfully, her eyes growing even more intense as she looked at Xu Zhizhi. “I’m so happy to see Zhizhi. I didn’t expect us to hit it off so well.”

Xu Zhizhi was puzzled. She was thin and dark-skinned—where was the beauty in that?

Mother Xu, perhaps unaware of the underlying meaning, was pleased by the compliments. But Father Xu sensed something was off. The way Aunt Lin talked about his daughter’s “fortune” and how well they “hit it off” was suspicious.

“Aunt Lin, what exactly do you mean?” Father Xu asked cautiously, his protective instincts kicking in.

“Old Xu, what do you mean by that? What else could I mean?” Aunt Lin finally tore her gaze away from Xu Zhizhi and smiled at Father Xu. “I just think Zhizhi is such a clever girl, and I really like her. Coincidentally, my eldest grandson is still unmarried. I think these two would make a good match.”

Upon hearing this, Mother Xu’s face turned cold. Normally meek and mild-mannered, this was the first time she had ever lashed out at someone. “Aunt Lin, we’ll pretend we didn’t hear what you just said. If you continue to stir up trouble, don’t blame us for being rude.”

Father Xu also spoke sternly, “Aunt Lin, please leave. We’ll act as if you were never here.”

Aunt Lin, however, wasn’t deterred. She had expected this reaction and continued cheerfully, “I know you only have one daughter. Don’t worry, if you agree to this marriage, our family will never mistreat Zhizhi. I’ve even brought half a bag of coarse rice today to show our sincerity.”

She lifted the cloth covering her bamboo basket, revealing a pale sack of rice.

Father Xu was so angry that if he hadn’t been injured, he might have grabbed a broom to chase Aunt Lin out. His face darkened, and he nearly choked on his rage.

“Out of respect for your age and because we’re fellow villagers, we’ve called you ‘Aunt Lin.’ But I never expected you to be so shameless. Take your half bag of rice and give it to someone else. We don’t want it,” Father Xu said furiously.

“Grandma Lin, we won’t consider your grandson. Please leave,” Xu Da Niu added, his face also dark. Though young, he was the eldest son and felt it was his duty to stand up for his family.

Father Xu continued, “Don’t ever bring this up again. If you damage Zhizhi’s reputation, don’t blame me for not respecting my elders.”

Seeing the family’s firm stance, Aunt Lin realized there was no hope for this match. She hadn’t expected the Xu family to reject her so decisively, even after she brought half a bag of rice.

“Pah! Just a discarded woman who was dumped. Do you really think you’re some unparalleled beauty? It’s her good fortune that I even considered her for my grandson. You’re so ungrateful! Do you think Jin Zijun, the scholar, will marry her now? A village girl, and so ugly at that, dreaming of being a scholar’s wife? Keep dreaming! Jin Zijun went to propose to Miss Wang this morning. She’s a real lady!” Aunt Lin spat out angrily.

Just moments ago, she had been praising Xu Zhizhi to the skies. Now, she was hurling insults.

Xu Zhizhi, who had been feeling a bit pleased with the earlier compliments, was now stunned by the old woman’s harsh words.

She grabbed a large broom and swung it threateningly at Aunt Lin, shouting, “Old woman Lin, whether Jin Zijun is ungrateful or not, it’s none of your business to gossip about me. If you keep spewing filth, don’t blame me if this broom accidentally smacks your foul mouth!”

“If you don’t want to talk about the marriage, then don’t. Why are you so fierce? I’m just telling the truth. If you don’t want to admit it, fine,” Aunt Lin said, backing away nervously.

Xu Zhizhi roared, “Don’t you dare run away, you old hag! I’ll beat you to death!”

She chased after Aunt Lin and swung the broom, hitting the ground just behind the old woman’s heels, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

Terrified, Aunt Lin fled as fast as her legs could carry her.

Xu Da Niu’s eyes were red with anger. After the old woman left, he said fiercely, “That’s right! Next time we see her, we’ll beat that old hag to death!”

Xu Zhizhi was puzzled. Even if her parents didn’t agree to the marriage, why were they so hostile to someone who had come with gifts to propose?

“Father, who is that old woman? What’s going on?”

Xu Da Niu said irritably, “She’s from our village. She’s always been a gossip, but she’s never caused any real trouble. Everyone in the village calls her ‘Grandma Lin’ out of respect. Who would have thought she’d set her sights on you? Does she think her grandson is worthy of you?”

Mother Xu added angrily, “Everyone in the village knows her grandson is a scoundrel—a thief and a troublemaker. He’s in his thirties and still unmarried because of his terrible reputation.”

“That old hag really dared to think of such a thing. If she hadn’t run so fast, your broom would have beaten her to death,” Father Xu said furiously.

Xu Zhizhi finally understood. In ancient times, men usually married by seventeen, and girls by fifteen. Someone like her, who had been strung along by a scoundrel until she was seventeen, was considered past her prime and only fit for an old bachelor.

No wonder Aunt Lin had brought half a bag of coarse rice and didn’t even bother hiring a matchmaker. The old hag thought Xu Zhizhi was unwanted and unmarriageable, so she tried to pawn off her useless grandson!

Xu Zhizhi gritted her teeth in anger, regretting that she hadn’t actually hit the old woman with the broom.

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Father Xu felt heartbroken. “Zhizhi, don’t listen to that old hag’s nonsense. She’s full of filth.”

Xu Zhizhi smiled. “What others say is their business. It doesn’t affect me. Jin Zijun passing the imperial exam is now the talk of the town. Many people are probably laughing at me. But we’ve done nothing wrong. Father, Mother, don’t let it bother you. Let’s just focus on living our lives well.”

(End of Chapter)