Chapter 138 They have to take a detour

Hearing the fourth brother ask this, Master Zhang laughed and said, "What, you also want to become an apprentice?"

“That’s fine too. You can become my disciple, and your mother will be my junior brother. That won’t mess up the seniority.”

The fourth brother waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, I don't like learning these things."

Song Chunxue finished her soup and said, "I'm done. You can drink slowly."

"I've finished drinking too." Sanwa quickly picked up his bowl and chopsticks, walked out of the house, and glanced at the sunlight on the opposite mountain.

"We're going to be late, we're going to be late! I have to run!" With that, Sanwa dashed to the kitchen like lightning, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and went to the house to get his book bag.

Then, he rushed out of the yard like a gust of wind.

"Slow down, you'll make it in time," Song Chunxue called out helplessly. "That's because you usually arrive too early."

Farmers have two ways of telling time, the most reliable and accurate being the rooster in their yard.

Therefore, every household raises chickens, preferring to skip a meal of meat rather than compromise on having a crowing rooster at home.

The second way is to look at the sun.

Throughout the year, with the changing of the twenty solar terms, the lines on the mountain illuminated by the sunlight represent different times.

But everyone knows what's going on.

Sanwa recently went to school, and the sun had just begun to shine on the mountaintop.

Now that it was already the width of two plots of land, no wonder the Third Brother was so anxious to fly away.

If it's summer, the sun rises earlier, so even if the sunlight reaches halfway up the mountain, there's no rush.

After breakfast, everyone went about their own business.

The third child went to school, while the fourth child went to the kitchen to get water and dry food for himself, and then leisurely went to herd the sheep.

Song Chunxue was about to go to work in the fields when she couldn't help but look at Master Zhang, remembering that he had mentioned staying one more night.

If we leave him at home to sleep, I wonder if...

"You lock the door and go to work. I'm going to patrol the mountains outside. There should still be something around here."

Just as Song Chunxue hesitated, Master Zhang came out of the north room and casually patted the large cloth bag on his body.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I meditated, and it felt just like sleeping; I wasn't tired at all. Half an hour of meditation made me feel more energetic than two hours of sleep."

He paused here, "How about I teach you meditation first?"

Song Chunxue was taken aback. "Now?"

"Oh, you're worried about the children misunderstanding? That's fine, I'll come to see you tonight."

"..." Wouldn't it be easier to misunderstand at night?

"I'm leaving. I won't be coming for lunch, but please save some for me for dinner."

"Hey, wait a minute, then take some water and dry food with you." Song Chunxue turned around and went to the kitchen, taking out two steamed buns.

“That’s fine, so I won’t have to go to other people’s houses to tell fortunes and sell talismans, and they’ll all think I’m a fraud.” Master Zhang opened the cloth bag with both hands and gestured for her to throw it inside.

Song Chunxue couldn't resist taking a peek into his bag.

"Don't look," Master Zhang shoved her forehead away, "I'm leaving."

"There's still water." Song Chunxue rubbed her head. His hands were really heavy; he really treated her like a junior brother.

This is great, it feels like I've gained a family member.

“Every household has a water trough at their doorstep, so you can just drink a couple of sips. Carrying water on your body is too heavy.”

Song Chunxue said helplessly, "That's what the livestock drink."

"I don't mind."

"..." Oh well, I guess he's always been like this.

Watching him swagger away, Song Chunxue wanted to remind him not to let anyone see that he had left from her house.

But then she thought better of it; if she had to worry about what other people were saying, she'd be too tired.

I've said it many times before, but I've never seen anything go wrong.

She locked the gate, took her sickle, and went into the mountains.

It's late autumn, the grass and trees are withered, and it's getting harder and harder to cut grass for the livestock.

Some alfalfa and sorghum from the fields should be saved for winter, so we can bring home some wild grass from the fields to supplement our income.

As I walked past the courtyard wall, I saw Chen Feng taking a walk while holding her baby.

Her smile, which was playing with the child, disappeared.

Song Chunxue looked away, pretending not to see her, and walked past her.

Some people are destined to be irreconcilable, so why should she bother with such things?

The eldest son has been moving his things around these past few days and will be moving to the new house on the 26th.

After that, she and her boss gradually drifted apart.

As Song Chunxue walked along the narrow path, the scent of withered grass mixed with the smell of soil and dew filled the air, refreshing her heart and soul.

She couldn't help but smile, feeling not sadness or regret, but rather a sense of ease and relief.

When you regain something you've lost, you won't be overjoyed, but rather feel a mix of joy and sorrow.

Sometimes, it can even feel troublesome and tiring.

In the evening, just as the sun set, Song Chunxue headed home.

The days are getting shorter and shorter; once the autumn sun sets, it gets dark very quickly.

Unlike in summer, when it's still light long after sunset.

She had just finished chopping grass with the third child when the eldest child returned.

He frowned slightly, looking very unhappy, and walked straight up to Song Chunxue.

"Mother, has that Taoist priest not left yet?"

Song Chunxue looked at him calmly, "Yes, I will stay another night."

The eldest brother pursed his lips, his brows furrowing even deeper.

"How about letting him stay in the cave outside tonight, or he can stay in our new house? We've already brought some bedding over, so it won't be too cold."

Song Chunxue stirred the chicken feed with a wooden stick. "Did you hear anyone gossiping?"

The eldest brother lowered his head and said, "The women from the Li family downstairs are all talking about it, and they even asked if my mother is going to hire a Taoist priest to live with us. The Taoist priest won't stay here permanently; he'll just use my mother's place as a stopover to freeload off her."

Song Chunxue suddenly stopped moving.

She asked calmly, "So what did you say?"

“I said…” the eldest brother hesitated for a moment, “I don’t think you’d be interested in him, but there’s no guarantee you won’t bring him in…”

"Smack!"

Sanwa was stunned; the grass in his basket swung halfway around because he turned around too quickly.

In a fit of anger, Song Chunxue hit him on the shoulder with the wooden stick she used to stir the chicken feed.

It's too hurtful and damaging to her reputation to be constantly contradicted; she herself doesn't feel good about it either.

She wouldn't be foolish enough to insist on competing with her own son.

It's best if we drift apart.

"Mother?" The eldest son was stunned, and reached up to grab the clothes on his shoulder. "They're so dirty."

"It seems I can't count on you to protect your mother's reputation outside. Even if I really want to keep some other man at home, it's none of their business."

Song Chunxue sneered, "They mess around with their cousins' women and don't allow outsiders to talk about it, but they love to gossip about other people's families."

"If you think I'm embarrassing you, then you can bear with it. When Li Guangzheng came to our house before, why didn't you stop him for me? When he threatened me, you were the eldest son in the family, did you speak up for me?"

"Now that you're married, do you know how to lecture your mother?"

She crossed her arms and said coldly, "Tell them tomorrow that I'm going to live with that Taoist priest. He'll come back to see me often, so they can worry about their own family matters."

The eldest brother lowered his head and remained silent with a sullen face.

"Hey hey hey, you're already starting to ruin your senior brother's reputation?"

Master Zhang walked over from around the corner and said irritably, "How am I supposed to take you to see my master if you keep acting like this?"

"Don't worry, those people won't spread rumors. I'll go to their homes one by one tomorrow to check things out, to examine the feng shui of their ancestral and residential sites, and then I'll come back and clear things up for you."

"They'll know you're my junior brother, and they won't dare say another word about you."

He gave a meaningful smile, "From now on, they won't dare to talk about you, and they'll even avoid you when they see you."