Chapter 21: Breaking Off the Engagement Isn't So BadAfter seeing the visitors off, Tang Guihua turned to Lin Qinghe and said, "It's for the best that the engagement is broken off. Mrs. Qian became a widow at a young age and treats her son as more important than anything else. With her temperament, I doubt she could get along with any daughter-in-law."Lin Qinghe smiled but didn't respond. She wouldn't waste her thoughts on irrelevant people."Ah, breaking off an engagement is such a big matter. Should I go and inform your mother about it?"She shook her head. "No need. Let her live in peace. There's no need for her to worry about our affairs.""You're right. After all, she's now part of the Wang family. If we keep bothering her with these matters, Butcher Wang might not be pleased." As women, they all had to live under the scrutiny of their husbands, especially since she had remarried and might not have an easy life in the Wang household."I've troubled you too much today, Auntie. It's getting late. Why not stay for dinner?""No need for that. I have a whole family waiting for me to cook dinner at home. It's almost dark, so I should head back." As she spoke, she started walking out."Take care, Auntie." Lin Qinghe saw her off at the courtyard gate."Go back inside. No need to see me off. It's getting dark—make sure to close the gate properly." She waved her hand behind her as she spoke.In the blink of an eye, she was gone.Lin Qinghe smiled, turned around, and walked back into the courtyard, closing the gate behind her. As she looked up, she saw Lin Qingsong coming out."Elder Sister, it's because of us that you've been burdened, causing your engagement to be broken off." After saying this, he lowered his head."This has nothing to do with you. With Father gone, Aunt Qian would have come to break off the engagement sooner or later, given her temperament." She had simply gone along with her wishes, which was why the matter was resolved so swiftly. She smiled and said, "The engagement is already broken off. Let's not bring it up again."Lin Qingsong seemed to understand but not entirely. He looked up and asked, "What should we do from now on?""What do you mean? We'll just live our lives as we always have." She glanced down at him gently and added, "You've been doing well these past few days, gathering firewood and saving me a lot of trouble.""Then I'll gather firewood every day from now on."Lin Qinghe chuckled. "Selling firewood is only temporary. Once we find other ways to make a living, we won't need to gather firewood every day."As she spoke, she reached out and pinched his arm, causing him to hiss in pain."Is gathering firewood very hard?""It's not too hard. I'm just not used to it yet. Once I get used to it, I won't feel tired, and my arms won't ache anymore.""You haven't complained about the pain or exhaustion in your arms, which shows you're quickly growing into a real man."Hearing this, Lin Qingsong looked up with a faint smile on his face. "When I become a real man, I'll be able to protect you, Elder Sister, as well as Qingbai and Qingmiao. No one will ever be able to bully us again.""Yes, then you must practice diligently.""Don't worry, Elder Sister. I won't slack off even for a day. Soon, I'll become as strong as Father was."At the mention of Lin Dazhuang, Lin Qinghe's expression darkened for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "You will. You'll become even stronger than Father."She patted his shoulder in encouragement, then walked to the courtyard wall, picked up the rabbit with the broken leg. The rabbit struggled in her grasp."Everyone has been working hard lately. Tonight, we'll stew rabbit meat."Their standard of living had drastically declined. In the past, they had meat almost every day, but now they hadn't tasted any for a whole month, eating coarse grains with every meal. Life was undeniably difficult.Upon hearing this, Lin Qingsong's face lit up with joy, but after a moment, he hesitantly asked, "Aren't we going to sell it for money?""No need. It's been a while since we've had meat. Everyone needs nourishment, especially Qingbai and Qingmiao, who are both injured. Eating something good will help them recover faster."Seeing his conflicted expression—clearly craving meat yet reluctant to indulge—amused her. "We're not short on money for now. Do you know how much the jade pendant the Zhao Family returned is worth?"Lin Qingsong shook his head. He had no idea about such matters."That pendant was bought by Mother in the county town for over fifty taels of silver. Since it's useless in our hands, I plan to sell it for cash," she explained slowly.Mrs. Su used to spend lavishly. If those fifty taels had been used to buy land, their family wouldn't be struggling like this. Of course, it wasn't entirely Mrs. Su's fault—Lin Dazhuang, as the head of the household, had indulged her. He wasn't much of a planner either.She pondered whether to use the money to buy land or start some kind of business. Living off savings would eventually drain them dry.Lin Qingsong's eyes widened, taking a long moment to process this. "A fifty-tael jade pendant, and Mother just gave it to the Zhao Family like that!"Lin Qinghe nodded. "Thankfully, the Zhao Family returned it. Otherwise, what a loss! The silver bracelet they gave me probably isn't even worth two taels."The contrast was too stark. Lin Qingsong felt a surge of indignation. Following his sister's reasoning, he began to think that breaking off the engagement might not have been such a bad deal after all."The Zhao Family claims to be scholars, but their actions are anything but generous," he mused aloud after some thought."Exactly," Lin Qinghe added calmly. "So there's no point dwelling on such people. From now on, they'll live their lives, and we'll live ours, with nothing to do with each other."Lin Qingsong strongly agreed with this, nodding emphatically. "You're right, Elder Sister."He then reached for the rabbit in her hands. "Elder Sister, let me handle the rabbit. I used to help Father with this, so I'm quite skilled. I can skin it perfectly in one piece—just you wait!"Fur could be sold for money, though rabbit pelts weren't particularly valuable and wouldn't fetch a high price."Alright, I'll leave it to you. I'll go prepare their medicine first. I didn't have time earlier after rushing to the Village Chief's place." That Butcher Wang and his son had really delayed their affairs.In the room, the siblings who had been eavesdropping wore pained expressions. Lin Qingmiao even shouted out, "Elder Sister, since you didn't have time to prepare the medicine, why not just skip it?"That bitter medicine—she truly didn't want to drink a single drop.Lin Qingbai shot his sister a disdainful look. The medicine was indeed bitter, and no one liked drinking it, but he understood the principle that good medicine often tastes bitter."Stop fussing, the medicine's already been bought, there's no reason not to drink it. Grandpa Zhao said your foot needs proper care, otherwise you'll end up lame. See if that scares you."Lin Qingmiao actually did feel a bit scared at that. Being lame would mean being mocked and pointed at—she couldn't bear that."Well then, maybe I should drink it after all!"Though the siblings were inside the room, they weren't speaking quietly at all. Hearing their conversation, Lin Qinghe felt both exasperated and amused.But it was just as well—it saved her the trouble of coaxing them to take their medicine.

Eldest Sister of a Farming Family: Managing the Household, Farming and Opening Shops