Chapter 185 A Temporary Solution

The fourth brother really wanted to yell, "You wish!"

But his mother had already walked away with the oil lamp, and he began to feel afraid again. He didn't want to go to the courtyard gate.

"Third Brother, hurry up and close the door."

Anyway, I've already called him that, so calling him "Third Brother" won't hurt me.

Sanwa laughed, "Alright, here's the oil lamp. I'll go close the door."

The courtyard gate was closed, and the fourth brother walked over to the third child, saying, "Come on, go to sleep."

Song Chunxue followed Cheng San's wife to Cheng Laosan's house.

Neither of the children were home; they had gone to sleep at another uncle's or aunt's house.

It turned out that Old Man Cheng felt it was too embarrassing for Cheng San's wife to cry so much these past few nights, so he told her to bear with it.

The two children were originally with her, but tonight, Old Man Cheng called them away.

Cheng San's wife stayed in the empty courtyard. Her husband had just passed away, and she felt that she had no reason to live. Several times she saw the water cellar by the roadside and wanted to jump in.

But thinking of her two unmarried children, she endured it all.

“It’s the middle of the night, and I’m in deep mourning. I shouldn’t be troubling you, but I really want to talk to someone.” Cheng’s third wife, looking haggard, was dressed in black with messy hair; she looked like a beggar.

“It’s okay. I went through the same thing. You could cry for three nights in a row. I even told my child that I envied you. I don’t know how to comfort you. Saying that the dead can’t be brought back to life is just a light sentence, but it can’t relieve the pain and resentment in your heart.”

“He left us in a terrible way. If he had just gone home after he was injured, you wouldn’t be so upset. But nobody listens to you. Your family kept saying it was a respectable job and told him not to give it up.”

“You’re crying because you feel sorry for him, and also because you feel sorry for yourself. I understand.” Song Chunxue patted her arm. “Actually, Old Man Cheng is more heartbroken than anyone else. He’s been competitive his whole life, and now that his son has done this, his heart is breaking.”

"No one expected this to happen, it's not your fault."

Cheng San's wife covered her face and cried again.

Song Chunxue gently comforted her, "You haven't been sleeping well these past few days, you must be exhausted. Get a good night's sleep, and once you've cried enough, cheer up. Life goes on, doesn't it?"

She smiled faintly, "Your daughter isn't married yet, and your son isn't settled down. You have to be strong for their sake."

"Okay," after a while, Cheng San's wife brought her a new pillow. "I haven't used it yet. I was planning to change it for the New Year."

I don't mind the old ones.

"You can use it, this quilt is new too." The third daughter-in-law of the Cheng family took a deep breath. "This village is so big, almost everyone here is a relative of ours, but I can't find anyone to talk to about my sadness. Thank you for coming."

"You must be tired. Go to sleep. The kang (heated brick bed) is quite warm tonight."

Song Chunxue gave her a piece of malt candy, "Here, have a piece of candy before you go to sleep."

Cheng San's wife unwrapped the candy, put it in her mouth, and forced a smile, "So sweet."

Then she blew out the oil lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

The third Cheng family lived at the highest point in the village, and there was another courtyard next to it, which belonged to the sixth Cheng family.

However, Cheng Laosan's courtyard was smaller, and each room was also small, squeezed under the high embankment, making it somewhat cramped and not very bright.

But at night, I feel warm and safe when I sleep.

Song Chunxue was prepared to chat with her all night, but shortly after falling asleep, she heard snoring next to her.

She smiled gently, calmed her mind, and gradually drifted off to sleep in meditation.

Song Chunxue was awakened by the sound of knocking on the door.

"You can go to sleep and don't worry about it. I'll go open the door."

Cheng San's wife came out of the kitchen with a spatula for stir-frying and quickly ran towards the gate of the yard.

"Mother, you..." Her daughter spoke first, "There are people at home, who did you call to keep you company?"

"Let me in first." Their son walked past his mother and went to his own room.

Cheng San's wife said, "It's Jiang's wife. She hasn't gotten up yet. Go to the kitchen and help me."

Song Chunxue had already put on her clothes and shoes and appeared at the door of the north room.

"The children are all back, so I'll head back now. I'm going to make soup for Sanwa."

"No, no, no, Sister-in-law Jiang, don't rush off. My soup is ready. You have to eat it before you go back. I'll bring it to you right away." Cheng San's wife winked at her daughter. "Quickly help your aunt wash her face. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Yes, Auntie, you've probably heard that my mother hasn't been sleeping these past few days. None of my aunts and uncles want to keep her company, and my grandparents won't let me stay in the yard..."

Cheng's daughter, Ayan, with red eyes, stopped her, saying, "Go inside and wait. Eat before you leave."

When Song Chunxue saw her wiping away tears, she didn't insist on leaving.

After washing her hands, Cheng San's wife quickly brought over poached eggs, scrambled eggs with meat, and freshly made pancakes.

So lavish?

Song Chunxue looked at Cheng San's wife, who was exceptionally warm and even wiped the chopsticks for her and handed them over.

"Sister-in-law Jiang, eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Song Chunxue is a cold person who doesn't know how to get along with people she doesn't know well.

The two of them were just nodding acquaintances before, exchanging a few pleasantries when they occasionally bumped into each other, but otherwise they hardly had any contact.

I reached into the bowl with my chopsticks and found three poached eggs.

"There are too many eggs, I can't finish them." Song Chunxue picked one up and put it directly into Ayan's bowl. "You didn't sleep well either, did you? Eat more."

"Hey, don't..." Cheng San's wife deliberately put on a stern face, "You can eat the other two. Don't be modest. I just wanted you to stay with me for two more nights."

"Okay, I'll come over after dinner these next few days. It doesn't matter where I sleep, it won't delay me." Song Chunxue quickly picked up a poached egg and put it in her mouth. She ate and drank, and the bowl of soup was soon empty.

She held the bowl to stop him from getting more soup, then picked up some scrambled eggs and sliced ​​meat from the table and got up.

"Your cooking is excellent. I'm full. I'll go back and make some soup."

Song Chunxue pressed down on Cheng San's wife, "You don't need to worry about me. You don't need to prepare so much for tomorrow. It's just a small favor. I feel embarrassed to come if you do this."

"Okay." Cheng San's wife's eyes reddened, and she insisted on seeing her to the door.

Song Chunxue walked down the slope, and after a while, she turned around and saw Cheng San's wife still standing at the door watching her.

"Go back and have some soup, it won't taste good when it's cold," Song Chunxue said with a smile. "I'll come back tonight."

She understood Cheng San's wife's feelings and was extremely grateful to the person who was willing to lend a helping hand when she was at her most vulnerable.

When I got home, Sanwa was already making soup.

Seeing Song Chunxue return, Sanwa chuckled and lowered his voice, saying, "Lao Si was terrified last night and called me 'Third Brother' several times."

"Ah, he's willing to call you Third Brother now?" Song Chunxue was quite surprised. "This kid has a sharp tongue; it's not easy for him to actually call you Third Brother."

She placed her hand on Sanwa's shoulder. "It seems he's starting to respect you. I blame myself for not standing up for you before."

The fourth brother stood outside the door, scratching his forehead uncomfortably.

He wasn't truly convinced by Sanwa; that was just a temporary measure!