Chapter 20: In the Village

Lu Bainian saw that Liu Suqing was deeply devoted to him, and he was indeed very moved.

Sitting in a high seat, Wen Ruyu watched them exchange affectionate words, feeling nothing at all inside.

What came next was easy to handle. Holding the mindset of an old-fashioned matron, Wen Ruyu would never allow Liu Suqing to stay in her home even for one more night. That very day, she arranged for Liu Suqing and Lu Bainian to return to the countryside immediately.

She called upon some strong servant women and young male servants from the household and sent them to the back courtyard. Only a few sets of autumn and winter clothing and two bundles of bedding were prepared for Lu Bainian. He was forbidden from taking any valuable porcelain, furniture, gold and silver jewelry, or jade ornaments.

Wen Ruyu personally supervised the process, so neither Lu Bainian nor the servants dared to pull any tricks.

In truth, just the two sets of winter clothes that Lu Bainian took with him could fetch a few taels of silver at a pawnshop.

These few taels would be enough for him and Liu Suqing to buy some cheap clothing and survive for another couple of months.

At this point, Wen Ruyu couldn’t be bothered to calculate further. She only wanted to send Lu Bainian to the countryside as quickly as possible.

As for summer clothing, she absolutely would not give them any.

Since they wanted to leave and take responsibility for their choices, they needed to show some backbone, didn’t they?

That very day, Wen Ruyu took a carriage with Lu Bainian back to Lu Family Village.

First, she had their belongings placed in the old house’s courtyard before heading off to visit the clan leader and village chief.

Back when the original owner of Wen Ruyu’s body brought the Lu family back home, she had the old house renovated.

Thus, the house did not have leaks or broken windows, and there was even a well in the yard for daily water use.

Their family had been assigned a courtyard, though it wasn’t very large. At most, it was just enough space for the immediate Lu family members to live in.

After instructing the servants to place their belongings in the yard, Wen Ruyu didn’t have them organize anything.

“Just leave the things there and let them move them themselves. None of it is heavy—spreading a mattress and folding a bed won’t kill them.”

Once the items were dropped off, Wen Ruyu went straight to the clan leader’s house and summoned the village chief. She then put on an act, pretending to cry.

Dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief, she sighed, “He’s my own flesh and blood, born from my womb after ten months of pregnancy. What can I do if he insists on acting this way? For the sake of a brothel woman, he’s thrown our household into chaos. His two younger brothers and little sister have yet to marry—I have to think of them!”

Wen Ruyu had come alone, without the rest of the Lu family. So they didn’t witness how she played two different roles—one at home and another in public.

The clan leader was puzzled when he saw Wen Ruyu return. It had only been a short while since she left after the ancestral rites. Why had she come back so soon?

After hearing her explanation, he finally understood what a mess Lu Bainian had caused.

Wen Ruyu’s sisters-in-law were also present. Hearing what had happened, they all felt that Lu Bainian was unfilial.

Some even secretly rejoiced—at least they hadn’t raised a son like him.

Previously, those who had been jealous of the Wen family’s wealth now felt a sense of balance upon seeing Wen Ruyu weeping.

What did riches matter? What did being a proper lady amount to? In the end, she still couldn’t escape this troublesome fate.

Of course, outwardly, everyone consoled Wen Ruyu.

The clan leader let her cry for a while before gently asking, “Sister-in-law, since you’ve brought Bainian here today, what do you need us to do? We’re all family, and we’ll do our best to help.”

Seeing that it was time to get to the point, Wen Ruyu sniffled and wiped away her crocodile tears.

“It’s because their father passed away early, and his elder brother is still too young to keep him in check. We already tried disciplining him, even gave him a beating. But with the New Year approaching, we didn’t want to bring bad luck by punishing him again. And no matter how much we beat him, he wouldn’t change. I have no choice but to ask you all, as our family and kin, to help me!”

As she spoke, Wen Ruyu pressed the handkerchief to her face again and stood to bow deeply to those present.

Seeing how sincere she appeared, the relatives all chimed in:

“Sister-in-law, just tell us what you need!”

“Yes, just speak your mind.”

“We’re all family, no need to stand on ceremony.”

“We may not be able to help financially, but if you need a meal or some labor, that’s no problem at all!”

Wen Ruyu, satisfied that she had achieved her goal, smiled briefly behind her handkerchief before resuming her sorrowful act.

After sitting down again, she continued, “At first, I thought about separating Bainian from the family entirely.”

As soon as she mentioned “separation,” the relatives began murmuring.

“Separate the family?”

“That’s a serious matter.”

“The boy is still young—he can be taught. How did it come to this?”

“This is why those kinds of places are bad. Women from there are troublemakers.”

Wen Ruyu went on, “But Bainian was unwilling to be separated from the family. And I can’t have that woman living in the same house as my daughter and daughters-in-law, can I?”

Gasps of disapproval filled the room.

“Heavens! How can a woman like that live with proper family members?”

“Absolutely not!”

“If it were me, I’d throw her out immediately!”

“That’s why children must be disciplined early. Once they’re Bainian’s age, it’s too late!”

Ignoring them, Wen Ruyu turned to the clan leader. “So, I decided to let Bainian stay in the village for two or three years. Let him understand how our ancestors worked hard in the fields, and how his father built up this family fortune. Once he learns his lesson, we’ll see where things stand. If he still doesn’t change, then separation will be the only option.”

The clan leader nodded. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. That’s not a difficult arrangement. If Bainian has any trouble, we’ll lend a hand when necessary. And if anything urgent comes up, we’ll send word to you.”

The white-haired village chief also spoke up. “No need to worry, we’re all neighbors and kin. We look out for each other.”

Wen Ruyu didn’t care whether Lu Bainian suffered or not. As long as he didn’t die, that was enough.

“Please, do me one favor,” she said. “He’s caused such a ruckus—he needs a lesson. Unless it’s truly urgent, don’t help him. Let him work those two acres of land on his own. Even if it lies fallow for two years, don’t let him take shortcuts. And if he tries to rent the land out, be sure to inform me immediately.”

“That’s right! Bainian needs to learn a hard lesson. He threw away his family for a woman!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on him. He won’t have an easy time, but we won’t let him starve either.”

Thus, Wen Ruyu firmly established her position as the righteous, filial mother and reached an unspoken agreement with the village.

Before leaving, everyone warmly invited her to stay for a few days.

Wen Ruyu declined. “The New Year is approaching, and the household is getting busy. The shop is about to reopen, Songnian has exams coming up, and Jin’nian needs to continue his studies. I still have many things to handle. If not for that ungrateful son, I wouldn’t have had the time to come here today.”

In truth, she simply preferred living in the Lu estate over Lu Family Village.

Ignoring Lu Bainian, she boarded the carriage and left without looking back.