A Good Country Wife-Chapter 622 - 616_1

As soon as Lin Yue arrived at the village chief’s house, she was startled to see the village chief’s wife being supported by her son and daughter-in-law, half-lying on the ground. At first, she was afraid that the village chief’s wife had met with some accident, but as she got closer, she saw that, although the village chief’s wife looked extremely weak, her eyes were open. Lin Yue let out a sigh of relief. "Auntie, what’s happened? Why are you lying on the ground? The ground is cold and damp; what if you get sick? Quickly, help her inside to lie down; don’t make things worse."

The village chief’s family all trusted Lin Yue’s words, especially at this time when they were already feeling somewhat desperate. Seeing Lin Yue was like seeing a lifesaver, and hope filled their faces as they looked at her.

"Erhu’s wife is right, hurry up and help your mother to the bed to lie down. It’s been raining for so long, the ground is very damp. Don’t catch the dampness."

Reminded by Lin Yue, the village chief’s family finally snapped out of it. They, too, had been frightened by the village chief’s wife’s sudden fainting and had been too panicked and worried to think of moving her to the bed. Now they hastily did as Lin Yue said.

"Auntie, what’s happened to you? How did you end up like this, you really don’t look too good," Lin Yue said, only after the village chief’s wife had been helped to lie down on the bed.

From the expression on the village chief’s wife’s face, Lin Yue could tell it was not just because of hunger. There was still a hint of anger and despair on her face, suggesting there were other reasons for her condition. Moreover, when Lin Yue asked this question, the village chief’s face clearly showed some discomfort, indicating that he was most likely the cause of the matter. Had it not been for the particular circumstances, Lin Yue believed the village chief would not have done something so unreliable, and she even started to suspect something else.

Although these matters could be discussed openly behind closed doors, they were difficult to speak of in Lin Yue’s presence. While it wasn’t exactly wrong, it was embarrassing to explain in front of Lin Yue, who always did good deeds for the village and was kind-hearted, that the village chief’s wife fell ill because she didn’t want to share food, leaving others to starve. It was one thing to explain this to others, but quite another to say it before Lin Yue, who was seen by everyone as a truly good person.

"Ah, Erhu’s wife, don’t ask anymore. It’s all my fault, I am useless and can’t protect my wife and children or this home," the village chief sighed and said. This made Lin Yue really unable to continue asking.

Although curious, Lin Yue had no desire to pry into other people’s privacy. Seeing the village chief’s wife looking very pale on the bed, "But Auntie has ended up like this; we must think of a solution."

The village chief was worried as he looked at his wife in this state, unsure whether she was upset or starving, or suffering from some other problem. He felt extremely guilty but was at a loss for what to do. With the city gates closed, there was no way to enter Xin’an City to find a doctor, and the medical skills of the traveling practitioners in the village were inadequate.

Lin Yue saw what the village chief was thinking. "The gates of Xin’an City are probably still closed now, so we can’t go to the city to get a doctor. How about this: my family’s servant is from the palace and has learned some medical skills in the past. Although it’s not as sophisticated as Doctor Zheng’s, there’s no other option with Xin’an City’s gates closed. How about I have Nanny Xu come over and take a look at Auntie first? If it’s a minor ailment, Nanny Xu can handle it."

"That’s the best news, thank you for troubling Erhu’s wife. You’ve helped our family time and time again, and my old man doesn’t know what to say to express his gratitude. If anything comes up in the future, just come to me. As long as it doesn’t involve the village’s interests, this old man will do his utmost to help without a second word," Zhao Youfu was genuinely grateful to Lin Yue. However, he always put Zhao Family Village first in his heart, and even now, he didn’t forget his principles.

Lin Yue smiled and didn’t take the village chief’s words to heart. By now, for minor matters, she didn’t need the village chief’s help to resolve them, and for major ones, he couldn’t help at all. However, she replied cheerfully, "Uncle Youfu, there’s no need for such courtesy. Leaving aside the fact that you are our Zhao Family Village’s village chief, just the relationship between our two families would make it impossible for me to ignore auntie’s situation. I’ll send someone to bring Midwife Xu over."

Having said that, Lin Yue stepped outside and gave a few instructions, to bring Midwife Xu over and to also send some grain and precooked hot food. Given the gaunt look of starvation on the faces of the entire family, she could tell they hadn’t eaten well in a long time. The village chief’s wife seemed to have been greatly weakened by hunger too. Eating food and regaining energy would help her recover, whether she was sick or not.

Being part of the same village, Midwife Xu immediately got ready and was escorted over by the family guard after the servant relayed Lin Yue’s instructions.

"The village chief’s wife is not in any serious danger, it’s just that she hasn’t eaten properly for a long time and has become too weak from hunger. She just needs to eat more to restore her vitality and recuperate properly. However, don’t eat too much at once, but eat smaller amounts more frequently. Once her vitality is restored, she will naturally get better," Midwife Xu said confidently after checking the village chief’s wife’s pulse.

Hearing that the village chief’s wife was merely suffering from hunger and had no serious health issues, the entire family of the village chief felt relieved. The village chief’s expression also eased significantly. Although he usually prioritized the affairs of the village, his wife and family were even more important. His wife had been by his side for most of his life, and it would be odd if he weren’t upset about anything happening to her.

"It’s good to hear there’s nothing wrong, nothing at all. Thank you, Midwife Xu," the village chief said joyfully, giving his thanks. But then he remembered that his home had hardly any grain left, and his expression became troubled again. He looked towards Lin Yue, wanting to borrow some, but felt uneasy about asking. After all, she had already done so much for his family, and with so many servants in Erhu’s wife’s household, he assumed her family might be short of grain as well. But he really couldn’t think of any other solution; even if he had silver, there wasn’t anywhere to buy food in the current situation.

"It seems auntie usually has good health; presumably, she is just suffering from hunger. That’s an easy problem to solve. As long as she eats well, she’ll naturally recover," Lin Yue remarked.

"Erhu’s wife, my family was ravaged by refugees, leaving us with hardly any grain. My wife has become like this because she was trying to save a bit for the family. I know it’s difficult for you at this time too, but seeing the state my wife is in, she really can’t go hungry. Could you, could you possibly..." Zhao Youfu found it hard to ask, but for the sake of his wife, he still spoke up.

"Uncle Youfu, there’s no need to say anything; I understand. Although our household is also somewhat short on grain, we were fortunate enough not to have been raided by refugees. I had some reserves stored away, which is more than enough for many people to share. Since your family has such a small amount of grain, how could I not spare some? When I went to ask for Midwife Xu, I had already asked them to bring some grain from our house," Lin Yue replied.