Chapter 174 Ouch

Song Chunxue was not surprised that her senior brother had left quietly.

He was like that last time; he doesn't like saying goodbye in person.

After hearing Song Chunxue's words, Fourth Sister Song Chunlian smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps, the Taoist priest doesn't like people watching his departing back, and he doesn't like farewells. That's how I am; I always feel that waving goodbye is too sentimental."

Song Chunxue nodded and emptied the contents of the envelope.

"Fourth Sister can read, look at what he said."

Song Chunlian took the letter and began to read it, while Song Chunxue picked up a cinnabar amulet, tied with a black string; it was quite exquisite.

“The Taoist priest said this amulet is for your safety. He took everything with him and said you can find him when you go to the county.” At this point, Song Chunlian paused, her eyes filled with emotion. “He also told me not to disturb Alai’s meditation, saying that the child is insightful and will meditate often in the future.”

Song Chunxue took the densely packed little slips of paper, but she couldn't understand many of the words.

It seems she needs to go back and learn to read as soon as possible; she's missed quite a bit of time these past two days.

"The Taoist priest likes Alai very much. He's not stupid, he just doesn't have the hateful face of worldly people. He's too simple and doesn't have any bad intentions, so people say he's stupid." Song Chunxue held the cinnabar amulet, her thoughts drifting far away.

“I have five children, and none of them are close to me, but my third child is the closest to me. As for my fourth sister, I used to think that parents are the sky for their children, and I never thought that parents would owe their children anything.”

Song Chunlian patted her hair. "It's good that you found out. It's not too late. Besides, aren't you going to follow the Taoist priest to cultivate? Don't you understand that parents should let go more than control their children?"

At this point, she sighed deeply, “Ah Lai used to love going out at night. Every summer he would go to the woods in the mountains. You have no idea how angry I was. I wanted to break his legs. If other people knew that he didn’t sleep at night and went to the mountains to listen to the hooting of owls, who knows what would be said.”

“Back then, every time I saw him grinning at me like that, it felt like my heart was being ripped out. But now, as long as he doesn’t go to any shady places and walks home at night, I’m not worried about him anymore.”

Song Chunxue nodded, "Fourth Sister, I understand. We shouldn't worry too much about the children. I don't want to care about them anymore. As long as they don't do anything too outrageous, let them be."

Before long, Song Chunmen came in from outside, panting heavily, looking at her two younger sisters nervously and guiltily.

"What's going on?" Song Chunlian looked at Cuicui who was following behind. "Judging from your expressions, is Zhao Qian here?"

"Yes, my father, my second uncle, and Brother Alai came down from the mountain."

Although the mother and daughter had agreed to be tough this time, they were still afraid when they saw Zhao Qian's figure from afar.

Song Chunxue got up from the kang (heated brick bed). "What are you so cowardly about? If he doesn't kneel down to you today, don't go back. Stay and live with Fourth Sister. Anyway, you have money now, so why worry about not being able to make ends meet?"

“Yes, Third Sister, instead of going back to suffer, you might as well come with me and find a good husband for Cuicui, so that the father and son can live on their own.” Song Chunlian really wanted her to stay. “Our land is enough for the three of us to eat.”

Song Chunmei was so nervous that she couldn't stand still and paced back and forth on the ground.

"That's fine, but my son isn't married yet..."

As they were talking, Song Zhizhu loudly cursed Zhao Qian as he walked into the courtyard.

Song Chunxue folded the quilt and stacked it on the kang (a heated brick bed), then put on her shoes and got out of bed.

Song Zhizhu lifted the curtain and entered the room first. "Chunmei, your husband is here. Whether you go back or stay a few more days is up to you. But as long as you still consider me your second brother, I will settle the score for how many times he has beaten you over the years."

With tears in her eyes, Song Chunmei nodded heavily.

“My second brother is my family. Zhao Qian is a complete scoundrel. Over the years, he has never treated me like a human being and has treated the girls like mules. I must have been bewitched to have endured this for so long.”

She wiped away her tears and glared fiercely at Zhao Qian, "If you don't give me an explanation today, I won't go back even if you kneel down before me."

Zhao Qian took a breath, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.

He seemed to have come on a whim, wearing old shoes he used to wear while plowing the fields, and the white linen wrapped around his calves was so dirty it was unsightly, with rings of water stains, probably from urine splashes.

He was wearing a worn-out long cotton-padded coat, one of the buttons on the right side of which was broken, as if it had just been torn.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. He suppressed his anger, looked down at Song Chunmei, and reluctantly admitted his mistake.

“It was wrong of me to hit you, and I shouldn’t have scared your sister when she came over. These past few days, my son and I have been unable to cook or feed the chickens, and two of them choked to death. Come back with me, and I promise I won’t hit you again.”

He kept his head down, his neck stretched out long, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he wasn't being sincere.

When Song Chunmei heard that two chickens had choked to death, she felt both heartbroken and angry.

"You can't even feed a chicken, what good are you? All these years, besides beating me, what else can you do?" Song Chunmei sneered. "It's your problem if you starve to death. I haven't visited relatives in so many years, and you want me to go back after only two days? Do you really think I'm a maidservant of the Zhao family?"

Oh my?

The Song siblings exchanged glances, surprised that their third brother could speak with such conviction; it was as if this was the first time such a young woman had ever said such a thing.

Cui Cui clenched her fists excitedly, almost ready to cheer.

"Aren't you just a woman who serves us? You're getting too big for your britches after I say a few nice words, aren't you? Believe me or not, I'll slap you!" Zhao Qian didn't say a few nice words before raising his arm to hit him.

"Fine, go ahead and hit me. Come on, hit me here. If I don't, you're a son of a bitch!" With so many of her own people backing her up, Song Chunmei was full of confidence in her bullying and cursing. She pointed to her cheek and moved closer to Zhao Qian. "Have you forgotten how you hit me? You even stepped on my head in front of Lao Wu that day. You just wait and see if you ever get into my hands again. When you're old, I'll step on your head and use it as a chamber pot!"

"You beastly thing, you'd be bedridden and waiting to be waited on long ago. You'll be drowning in your own excrement then."

Zhao Qian raised his arm and moved closer to her, wanting to make a move, but also afraid of being trampled to death by the menacing Song siblings.

"Smack!"

He gently slapped himself on the face, looking pitiful and innocent. "I was wrong, my wife. I'm a piece of trash. As long as you come back with me, you'll be in charge of the family from now on, and I'll listen to you in everything."

Song Chunxue and Song Chunlian sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), chewing on the peas that had just been stir-fried that morning.

"You'll listen to everything I say?" Song Chunmei laughed angrily. "It's already a miracle that you're not waiting for me with a whip. I've wasted all these years sleeping on the same kang with you if I believed your nonsense. I can tell what you're going to say the moment you open your mouth. If I weren't at my parents' house today, you would have already beaten me up."

"You should go back first. You're so comfortable at your parents' house. Cui Cui and I will stay a few more days before going back. If you can't cook, you can make soup. Didn't you give all the good stuff to your mother? What's wrong with going to her house for a few meals?"