Chapter 145 Did they kiss?

Upon hearing Sanwa's words, Song Chunxue stopped what she was doing.

“Child, sincerity moves mountains, I believe he will receive it.”

Sanwa nodded vigorously, "Yes, Father will definitely receive it. He'll be happy for Mother when he sees how much she's changed."

Song Chunxue didn't care about that.

“If your father saw that you are now studying, he would be at ease. Sanwa, study hard. As long as you want to study, our flock of sheep can definitely support you.”

"You don't need to overthink it. Just read if you want to, and don't care what others say."

Sanwa nodded solemnly, "Mother, I understand."

He could sense that as long as his mother didn't change back to what she used to be, he would be able to study as he wished.

However, he won't study for very long. His mother has to work too hard to manage so many fields and grains all by herself.

He will study for a maximum of three years, after which he will go back home to farm.

He cherished this grand dream immensely.

As dusk fell, Song Chunxue went to the kitchen to cook.

When the fourth brother returned from herding the sheep, it was just in time for dinner.

"You're back quite early today," Sanwa teased him at the dinner table. "Were you scared?"

The fourth brother shrugged. "Today is the Cold Clothes Festival. Our ancestors are all here to collect their winter clothes. They might be waiting at the door to rob us. How can I not be afraid?"

He said irritably, "Aren't you afraid?"

“I’m not afraid. Dad will definitely protect us and not let other people’s ancestors scare us.”

"..." The fourth brother was silent for a moment, then said, "That makes sense."

They finished their meal quickly, and it was completely dark by then.

Stepping out of the courtyard, they could see flickering lights on the distant opposite mountain.

The Jiang family mother and son knelt at the crossroads outside the gate, using a wooden stick to prop up the fire.

The air smelled of burning paper, and the firelight made people's faces feel slightly hot.

Song Chunxue couldn't help but ask, "When I die, will you burn clothes for me?"

“I definitely will burn them. Next year you will teach me how to make winter clothes, and I haven’t learned yet.” Sanwa said earnestly, “By then, I will definitely have made money, and I will burn more for you.”

Song Chunxue felt a mix of emotions, as if a bottle of mixed feelings had been spilled.

Sanwa and Lao Si started burning offerings for their ancestors, while Song Chunxue was burning offerings for her biological parents.

So many years have passed that Song Chunxue almost forgot that she was also a child with biological parents.

Although she doesn't remember what they look like, they haven't been gone for many years, and if their spirits still exist, they will definitely need winter clothes.

Yes, if Sanwa had money, he would definitely be more generous to her.

Unfortunately, in his previous life, he had always lived a difficult life. His family was not well-off to begin with, and having five children, coupled with several years of drought, completely emptied his pockets.

"Fourth brother, what about you?"

"I'll give you a cartload, making you the richest old woman in this village," the fourth brother said seriously. "When I start earning my own money in the future, I guarantee you'll be the old woman that all the other ghosts in the underworld envy the most."

Song Chunxue smiled and said, "That's enough."

In this lifetime, she will not be fixated on who is filial to her.

She deserved to die alone; she would no longer resent them.

Now she knows Master Zhang, who is said to have a way to burn paper money for himself.

When she is near death, she will definitely ask someone to burn a mountain of gold for her.

She doesn't rely on anyone.

If all else fails, being a poor person is fine too.

She believed that as long as one doesn't just laze around and wait to die, even a poor person can turn their life around.

*

On the eighth day of the tenth lunar month, Zhao Yufang's family held a wedding for their son.

Song Chunxue went to help.

Some people would make fun of her drawing talismans with the Taoist priest, but Song Chunxue could joke with them openly, saying that the people in the village might need her to choose their burial plots when they get old.

Some people laughed and scolded her, some praised her for looking good lately, and some complimented her on her clothes.

Some people said she must have a man, but Song Chunxue retorted dismissively: whatever you say.

Although people still can't stand to see her doing well, they don't bully her as much as they used to.

Her unforgiving nature and impenetrability made those who teased her lose interest.

Walking along the narrow path, Song Chunxue suddenly felt that the village was much more spacious.

She doesn't need to be careful, wary of anyone's gaze, or accidentally step into someone's field.

While picking wild vegetables on the mountaintop, she unconsciously sat cross-legged in meditation, feeling as if the entire world was at her disposal.

Half an hour later, she suddenly opened her eyes, her clear eyes slightly curved.

Tomorrow, she is going to the county.

I'll sell that jade bracelet and go visit my older sisters.

"Mom, when you go to the county this time, don't forget to buy me storybooks. You forgot last time."

Upon learning that Song Chunxue was going to the county, Lao Si gave her repeated instructions.

Song Chunxue was a little embarrassed. "I will definitely buy them for you this time, and I will buy several more."

"Then you should buy more spices. Our pig's trotters and heads have been sitting for a while. Although they're fine hanging under the eaves, I saw a cat jump up and take a bite yesterday. Anyway, it's almost Chinese New Year, so we can't let them spoil if we don't eat them soon."

The fourth child has a sweet tooth; all he does is eat and play.

Song Chunxue found it somewhat strange that he could now obediently herd sheep.

"Okay, okay, I'll buy more. This time I'll take my time browsing and buy more things."

The fourth son watched as she stuffed a small cloth bag into her bundle and couldn't help but lower his voice, "Mother, did you find another treasure?"

Song Chunxue paused for a moment. "What do you mean, 'again'?"

"Didn't you find a jar last time? What did you find this time?"

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the fourth brother knew about her digging up the grave.

“I found a bracelet that looks very valuable. Maybe I can buy a cheap jade bracelet for myself and have some money left over to buy some things for my sisters.”

The fourth son's eyes were full of excitement. "Then Mother, hurry up and go. You absolutely can't sell it cheaply."

He didn't even ask her where she picked it up.

Song Chunxue didn't know if the fourth brother was pretending to be confused or genuinely didn't care about these things.

"Do you want to come with me?"

She put on the new cloth shoes she had worn twice; they were nice except they pinched her feet.

"No, Mother," the fourth son said shyly, scratching his forehead and kicking the ground. "I promised the Gao family girl behind the mountain that we'd herd sheep and roast potatoes together, and I don't want to break my promise."

The Gao family's daughter?

Song Chunxue raised an eyebrow. "You've taken a liking to him?"

"No," the fourth brother said shyly, his face turning as red as his bottom. "It's just that time flies when I'm talking to her. Before I knew it, it was dark."

"Moreover, she wanted to use our ram to get her ewes pregnant."

Hearing these words, Song Chunxue felt embarrassed.

It seems that girl is quite bold and shameless.

Either she's taken a liking to the fourth brother, or she's older than him and trying to seduce him.

"Is that girl older than you?"

"Yes," the fourth brother nodded, "He's a year older than me and is already engaged."

"..." Song Chunxue took a deep breath, she couldn't get angry or curse, she had to stay calm.

"So, if you herd sheep with her, do his family know?"

"I don't know, we released them in the Ten Great Bays, and hardly anyone saw them." The fourth brother chuckled, like a clueless girl who had been tricked without even realizing it.

"Did she touch you? Did she kiss you on the lips?"

The fourth brother's face flushed red.

"..." Song Chunxue sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Did she take your clothes off?"