Good Man Operation Guide

Throughout the day, Mother Lin had something on her mind, mainly her youngest son’s plan to sell the copied books in the county town. She worried that something might go wrong.

Previously, when Father Lin wasn’t bedridden, Mother Lin never allowed her son to earn money using his scholarly identity. On one hand, she felt that as an educated person, he shouldn’t profit from trivial things. On the other hand, she was concerned that he would focus too much on making money and neglect his studies.

This morning, she discovered that her son had secretly copied books to earn money for the household expenses. Her heart felt warm and yet bitter at the same time.

If it weren’t for them giving away most of the family’s possessions to their unfilial eldest and second sons, the youngest son wouldn’t have to endure such hardships.

From childhood to adulthood, he had only immersed himself in studying. Now, for the first time, he was copying books to earn money. Would he be deceived by others?

Eager to see her youngest son as soon as possible, Mother Lin didn’t work in the fields today. Instead, she sat at the entrance of the courtyard, occasionally standing up anxiously to look outside. Her hands absentmindedly sewed shoe insoles.

In comparison, although Li Lanlan also worried about her husband, her absolute confidence in him brought a sense of calmness to her heart. She sat next to her mother-in-law, diligently sewing a long green robe.

The triennial provincial examination was approaching, and Lin Shiheng would have to go to the capital to participate in the exam. Mother Lin worried that her son would be looked down upon if he didn’t dress well outside. Even in their difficult situation, she mustered up the courage to go to the county and bought some good fabric, which she handed over to Li Lanlan to make a garment.

Li Lanlan was skilled in needlework, and now that she was sewing her own husband’s clothes, she put even more care into it than when sewing her own. Every stitch was meticulously and tightly done.

Therefore, in Mother Lin’s eyes, Li Lanlan’s attentive demeanor made her appear as an incredibly virtuous daughter-in-law.

Furthermore, she was nothing like the wives of the eldest and second sons, lazy and unable to handle household chores inside and outside. Every time, without needing a word, Li Lanlan would already be immersed in her work, completely contrasting with the two on the other side who would only start doing anything after being scolded by the eldest and second sons. Mother Lin felt even more satisfied in her heart, thinking about that.

Thinking about her youngest son, Mother Lin absentmindedly sewed a few stitches on the shoe. She turned her head and kindly told Li Lanlan, “Lan Lan, are you tired? Why don’t you go rest in the house for a while?”

Li Lanlan shook the clothes in her hand and smiled, “It’s just making a shirt. I’m not tired.”

“Mother, would you like some water? Shall I bring you a bowl?”

Surprisingly, after working for such a long time, Mother Lin was indeed thirsty. Seeing her agree, Li Lanlan carefully placed the clothes down and went inside to fetch some water.

The flaw of their house was that it used to be a big house. Although they had separated now, if someone in one room wanted to observe the activities in another, it was all too visible. Mother Lin and Li Lanlan sitting together at the entrance of the house all day long, the granddaughters-in-law left behind by the eldest and second families could see everything clearly.

They didn’t have the courage to treat Mother Lin like their own grandmother, so they always kept their heads down and focused on their own tasks. Occasionally, they would catch a glimpse of how Mother Lin smiled at Li Lanlan and spoke kindly to her, which stirred a hint of envy in their hearts.

The wives of the eldest and second sons treated their own husbands with kindness and respect, carefully serving and were also very kind to their sons. But when it came to their own daughters-in-law, they wished they could lie in bed and have their daughters-in-law serve their every need.

They were the younger generation, and even if they had grievances in their hearts, it wasn’t appropriate to say anything. Fortunately, their father-in-law couldn’t stand their mother-in-law’s behavior, and their grandmother-in-law, who lived next door with their Third Uncle, wasn’t polite either. Once these two offended them, she would directly scold their fathers-in-law.

In reality, these younger ones weren’t particularly happy about the separation of the family. As Mother Lin mentioned before, the main source of income for the family was Father Lin, who worked hard in the fields. How much money they earned depended on the blessings from the heavens. After paying taxes, there was barely enough for the family’s meals, let alone any surplus.

Before the separation, they could occasionally have chicken eggs in the family. If their father-in-law earned more money, he would bring back fish. Although they couldn’t eat much fish due to the large family, even fish soup would be good.

But now, after the separation, each family lived independently, and their mothers-in-law were both stingy. Even if they had money, they wouldn’t spend much on food. Since the separation, none of the children, including their own, had even tasted a single egg. Otherwise, the grandson of the eldest son’s family wouldn’t have been so envious when he saw the third son’s family eating eggs from a distance.

The young granddaughter-in-law didn’t think about how much money Father Lin needed for medicine. All they saw was that Third Uncle’s family next door ate good food every day. Now that Third Uncle got married and Li Lanlan entered the family, it wasn’t as difficult as the rumors circulated in the village before.

Thinking about that, the young granddaughter-in-law worked while casting glances towards Li Lanlan.

Li Lanlan was wearing a floral dress at the moment. It was the dress Mother Lin used to wear when she was young. Later, as she grew older and her waist became thicker, it was originally intended to be given to the young granddaughter-in-law, but unexpectedly, both granddaughters-in-law had thicker waists than her. So, it was left in a box all this time. Now that there was a slender and filial daughter-in-law, Mother Lin remembered it and made some alterations before giving it to Li Lanlan.

Li Lanlan had fair skin. After marrying into the family and being compared to the handsome Lin Shiheng, she became more cautious, avoiding direct exposure to the sun. Perhaps it was due to her constitution, but even though she worked in the fields, by being so careful, she had actually become noticeably fairer than before. Now, wearing this floral dress and complemented by her beautiful features and rosy complexion, she had a carefree expression as she carried the water and smiled while walking towards the door. Compared to the girls in the village, it was like night and day.

What a fortunate life she had.

Recalling the unintentional moments when she witnessed the gentle smile from Third Uncle towards Li Lanlan and his patient demeanor while teaching her how to read in the courtyard during the cool weather, the young granddaughter-in-law couldn’t help but feel envious.

Its no wonder that Mother-in-law doesn't like Third Aunt They’re sisters-in-low, but Mother-in-law is bossed around by Father-in-law, and Grandmother-in-law looks down on her. It’s only natural for her to be jealous of Third Aunt

The eldest daughter-in-law was exhausted from working in the fields, so she quickly found an excuse and rushed back home, planning to rest properly in the house. After all, her daughter-in-law wouldn’t dare to complain.

However, as soon as she returned, she saw her own daughter-in-law looking at Li Lanlan with an envious expression.

Her face immediately turned sour, and she approached her and scolded, “Instead of working properly, you’re busy looking around?! Are you tired from doing housework and straining those precious eyes of yours? If I catch you being lazy like this again, don’t even think about staying in the house. Go to the fields right away! Do you really think everyone can laze around at home on a scorching day?!”

It was another instance of pointing fingers and berating.

Li Lanlan understood what was happening. She frowned and glanced over, but Mother Lin remained calm as if she had seen it long ago, “Ignore her. She’s just someone who goes looking for trouble when she has nothing to do.”

Following her instructions, Li Lanlan didn’t look at the eldest daughter-in-law. After the scolding, the daughter-in-law she turned her attention towards Li Lanlan.

When she saw the floral dress on Li Lanlan, it infuriated her, and her eyes squinted with anger.

She had wanted that dress for many years, but her mother-in-law always said her waist was too wide and refused to give it to her. It was just favoritism! As soon as Li Lanlan entered the family, she eagerly handed it over to her.

Observing Li Lanlan’s complexion, the expression on the eldest daughter-in-law’s face changed several times.

During this period, Li Lanlan had been eating and drinking well. Her mother-in-law was satisfied with her, and although her husband didn’t talk much, he was considerate in his actions. Moreover, with counter to her father’s actions at hand, her mood was exceptionally good, and she had no interest in bothering with those who didn’t matter.

Considering all that, her complexion had improved significantly compared to before she got married. Her face even had a bit more flesh, making her even more beautiful.

In the eyes of the eldest daughter-in-law, these changes were attributed to Mother Lin treating her well.

It was the same as that day with those eggs, she couldn’t help but feel extremely envious, yet she could only watch Lin Shiheng put spoonful after spoonful into Li Lanlan’s bowl.

Furthermore, just yesterday, the third family had fish for their meal. When she caught a whiff of the fishy aroma, she stood by the wall and secretly listened. It was said that Lin Shiheng and Li Lanlan came back from a visit and, feeling bored at home, brought out some books and a fishing rod. They fished by the river while reading, and they actually caught two big fat fish.

Mother Lin made fish soup, and the family enjoyed a delicious meal. While they were savoring the meal, the fragrant aroma wafted over to the neighboring rooms, enticing the other two households. Even the little grandson made a fuss and demanded to have some several times.

The eldest daughter-in-law couldn’t believe the nonsense about Lin Shiheng catching the fish. He used to hate those fishy things the most. It was strange for him to go fishing by the river. Who knows, maybe he wanted to eat fish and used the family’s money to buy them outside. Perhaps he mode up lies because he was afraid of being scolded by Mother Lin.

Even if she thought that way, she couldn’t help but feel as if a cat had scratched her heart, causing great discomfort.

She also wanted to eat chicken, and she also wanted to eat fish.

They had originally separated the households to get rid of the burden, Lin Shiheng, the money-consuming scholar, and Father Lin, the father-in-law who required medical care and medication. Clearly, they had successfully achieved their goals, but after the separation, they, who no longer had a source of support, were suffering and living frugally every day. On the other hand, the third family, which should have been living in hardship, was living so comfortably. Even the newly wedded daughter-in-law living there seemed to be leading a better life than her.

The eldest daughter-in-law felt a sourness in her heart. After she finished scolding, she saw her daughter-in-law bowing her head and working, while nobody in the neighboring third family paid any attention to her. This made her even more uncomfortable.

Feeling distressed, her mind heated up, and she ignored her previous reprimand from her husband. She directly addressed her daughter-in-law with a scolding tone, saying, “Even though your eldest daughter is still young, you should start looking for a good husband’s family early on. It doesn’t matter who you find, just never let her marry a scholar. Even if they study for ten thousand years, they still won’t bring money into the household.”

Mother Lin couldn’t stand hearing that. She slammed the shoe in her hand on the ground and stood up with a fierce expression on her face.

Before she could get angry, she heard her son’s gentle voice echoing from a distance.

“Mother!”

Lin Shiheng walked quickly and arrived at the door. Without taking rest, he immediately handed over two jewelry boxes in his hand and smiled, saying, “I made some money from copying books and bought two gold jewelry pieces for you, Mother. Take a look and see if you like them.”

As he spoke, his slender hand opened the wooden boxes.

Under the sunlight, the sparkling gold jewelry almost blinded the eyes of the eldest daughter-in-law.