Chapter 11 Making New Clothes

The piece of land the eldest brother mentioned is right below this yard.

The area is characterized by ravines and steep mountains. The land in the lower areas has been terraced bit by bit, which is better for building houses or farming than the steep mountains.

Song Chunxue smiled bitterly, "The eldest son's courtyard was built there in my previous life."

Standing outside, she could clearly see the eldest brother's yard, and even the table in his room.

The eldest son and the third son's family haven't had any contact for over thirty years, and their children are like enemies, yet they happen to live closest to each other and see each other all the time.

“No, that piece of land is too close. If you want to be further away from me, then build your yard further away. Otherwise, when I get old, you won’t be able to see me even if you don’t want to, and that will make everyone uncomfortable.”

Song Chunxue flatly refused, saying, "The land below the Li family's farm is also good. It's flat and spacious, and the harvesting path is all downhill, making it easier."

The eldest brother frowned. "But I've already consulted a geomancer. The ditch next to that piece of land is too deep, making it difficult to accumulate wealth. Besides, that area is all Li family territory. They're a large and powerful family. Do you want me to be bullied to death by them?"

Song Chunxue had made up her mind. "Then let's find another geomancer. The one you consulted was only half-baked; I don't trust him."

"You..." The old man angrily put down his chopsticks, no longer wanting to eat.

Chen Feng kicked him under the table. If he didn't eat his fill at this meal, they wouldn't have any white flour pancakes to eat, and he didn't like the mixed grain steamed buns in the kitchen either.

The eldest brother looked very unhappy, but he still picked up his chopsticks, quickly finished eating, and then got up and left.

Just as Sanwa was about to say something, Song Chunxue said, "Give me your clothes. I bought a few feet of cloth last time, so I'll make you two tops first."

"Oh, I got it." The second brother tapped the third brother's leg, signaling him not to miss this opportunity.

He finds Sanwa increasingly pleasing to the eye now. Could it be because his mother is on his side?

How come he never noticed before that his older brother spoke so rudely and had such a bad temper?

Song Chunxue didn't want to go to the fields in the afternoon; she wanted to stay home and watch over the eldest dog to prevent him from becoming desperate.

She took out the newly bought fabric, and after measuring it, she found that it wasn't enough to make two garments.

She decided to finish making the second set first, and then buy a few more feet at the market next time to make two sets for the third child.

As for the eldest son, he already had a set made for his wedding last time, and she had spoiled him before, so he didn't lack clothes at all.

The third child, however, always wears clothes that the eldest and second eldest have worn.

The third child's clothes were too old, while the fourth child's clothes were mostly new or were hand-me-downs from the eldest, second, and youngest children.

Over the years, it's still the third child who has suffered the most injustice.

In the afternoon, the eldest brother went out, and the second brother deduced that he went to see a geomancer.

Just before the sun was about to set, Chen Fengcai went to weed the nearby fields.

Song Chunxue found it laughable and decided not to bother with her for the time being, figuring they would have plenty to cry about when the family divided up.

As the sun set and its shadow had already passed the east room, Song Chunxue packed the cut fabric into a basket and went out to cook.

When she used to pamper her eldest child, she would always ask what he wanted to eat, but now she just wants to do things her own way.

I suddenly have a craving for pickled cabbage with clear oil, and that's the best way to eat rice with glutinous rice.

After feeding the livestock, she quickly prepared a rice dish, mixing her homemade pickled cabbage with oil and salt, along with wild vegetables she had dug up from the ground.

The eldest brother arrived right at mealtime, and the third brother had also been coming home earlier than usual these past two days because Song Chunxue insisted on waiting for him to return before eating.

Song Chunxue ladled the rice into a bowl and carried it to the north room with the second son.

Chen Feng hid in her room and wouldn't come out, so the eldest son came to the north room to serve her food.

Seeing the steamed rice on the table, which was her least favorite food, the eldest brother's face turned somewhat unpleasant.

He suspected that his mother did it on purpose.

He piled two rice bowls full of vegetables and took them to the west room to eat.

The second and third brothers couldn't help but glance at Song Chunxue.

Normally, she would have been furious and yelled at him.

Although Song Chunxue used to dote on her eldest son, she often had a bad temper and would scold anyone she met.

"Anyway, we'll be separating soon, so he can eat wherever he wants. I don't want to see the two of them either."

"The second brother is leaving in a few days, right? If there's anything you haven't prepared, tell me in advance, so that you won't be caught off guard when you get there."

The second son is good at reading people's expressions. These past two days, he has noticed that his mother seems like a different person, and he is not sure if what she said is true.

"Besides clothes and shoes, it seems like we haven't prepared anything else. We're going to the military camp to endure hardship, so bringing too much wouldn't be of any use." His voice trailed off at this point. "Maybe the only real thing is money."

That did tell the truth.

"Okay, I understand. I'll make sure to prepare it for you," Song Chunxue said. "Next time I go to the market, I might be back a little late, so you don't need to wait for me for lunch."

Sanwa replied, "I understand."

This time when she went to the market, Song Chunxue brought three taels of silver. She used two taels to make a silver pendant for her second son, so that he could wear it around his neck for safety and in case of emergency.

She used half of the remaining ounce to buy cloth.

Money left in one's hands will only attract covetous eyes; why can't she make clothes and shoes for herself?

In the past, she saved every penny to help her four sons get married and have children, which almost delayed her only daughter's marriage.

Now, her daughter Jiang Hongying has married far away and hasn't come back for three years. Her sons have grown up to be like this. What has she gained in her life?

It's better to treat yourself well from the start and not neglect yourself.

She bought a lot of food and supplies, and even went to the clinic to buy herself several doses of Siwu Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) to nourish her qi and blood.

She had five children and never took care of her health. When she turned fifty, her body suddenly collapsed.

The doctor who examined her pulse said that if she had taken some supplements after giving birth, she wouldn't have aged so quickly.

If she could do it all over again, she wouldn't want to be old and lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) like a lump of mud.

She wants to keep jumping around for a few more days, until she can't jump anymore and dies sooner, she doesn't want to be paralyzed on the bed waiting to die anymore.

She also bought six chicks, which she would raise to nourish herself from time to time.

In this world, no one will care about you except yourself.

Therefore, wise people should be good to themselves and not expect anyone to repay them in the future, including their own children.

It was already afternoon when we got home. The third child had gone to herd sheep, while the second child was at home fetching water.

He said that the eldest brother was taking a geomancer to find the most suitable site to build a house.

Chen Feng went back to her parents' home again.

Song Chunxue knew that she had gone home to ask her parents for advice.

The idea of ​​dividing the family property was proposed by Chen Feng's parents.

It's too late to work in the fields at this time; I'll spend all my time walking. I might as well hurry up and make clothes for my second child.

Her shoes weren't very nice, but her clothing-making skills were top-notch in the entire village.

Although the children's father died young, the children were never dressed in rags or ate worse than other children.

As the sun set, the lambs in the sheepfold grew anxious and began calling for their mothers to return.

Song Chunxue put her needlework aside and went to the fields to cook.

“Mother, I’ve chosen the land. Since you want to live far away from me, I will grant your wish and build on the land below the threshing ground. It’s said to be a feng shui treasure.”

The eldest brother seemed quite satisfied and walked into the house with a smile.

Seeing the new cloth on the kang (heated brick bed), he asked, "Is Mother going to make me new clothes?"