Chapter 195 His Uncle's Family

Yao Man might actually be her great benefactor, as Song Chunxue made a delicious bowl of noodles with minced meat sauce.

Yao Man praised her cooking skills highly, and even drank the soup after finishing the noodles.

She held the bowl in both hands, looking at Song Chunxue through teary eyes.

“I must have accumulated a lot of good karma in my past life. Not only did you give me money, but you also treated me to noodles with meat sauce. I, Yao Man, will always remember this kindness and will repay you in my lifetime.”

Song Chunxue picked up her bowl and walked towards the kitchen. "It's not that bad. We're in the same boat. I only took the money because I had my own reasons. You're sure to be a very wealthy person in the future. Besides, I don't have many friends. When I go to the county, I'll have to ask you for help."

The fourth brother had already finished eating his noodles and left, and Song Chunxue didn't care too much.

“Every time I go to the county, I ask Lord Xie for help, which inevitably attracts gossip. You’ve heard about it, let alone others.”

Yao Man followed behind her, watching her light the fire and cook the noodles. After the water boiled, she added fresh water and brought it to a boil again before starting to scoop out the noodles.

“Then come find me when you come to the county in the future. It’s easier for us to do things together since we’re both women. You don’t know anyone else in the county, so I’ll be your friend from now on.” As she spoke, Yao Man took off a bracelet from her wrist and pulled Song Chunxue’s glove onto it.

"What are you doing?" Song Chunxue put down her chopsticks to pick it up.

“I don’t have anything else to thank you for. This is just a small gift. It’s not worth much. Keep it.” Yao Man pressed down on her wrist. “Look how thin you are. You should gain some weight.”

Song Chunxue also thought that if she were a little fuller, she would definitely look better in clothes.

However, she has become a bit rounder than she did six months ago, and her skin is not as dry and is slightly firmer.

She felt that meditation was more effective.

After finishing her noodles, Yao Man got up to say goodbye.

"Sister Song, this ten taels of silver is a lifesaver. If my business can be revived, I'll share half of the net profit with you, okay?"

"Okay," Song Chunxue said with a smile, "There's no need to divide it so much."

If she could have half of it, she could live a life of ease and comfort for the rest of her days.

“We’re the same age. You were born in February, and I was born in June. From now on, I’ll call you Sister Song. I’ll also like it if you call me Sister Man, or you can call me little sister.”

“Then I’ll call you Manman. I have older sisters, but no younger sisters.” Song Chunxue saw her off at the door. “Go back now, your family must be too busy to leave.”

“Okay,” Yao Man pursed her lips, her gratitude evident. She waved to Song Chunxue, “Sister Song, you can go back now. I’m leaving. Come find me in the county.”

"Yes, I'll definitely come to see you." After the New Year, she should set off.

Before long, Sanwa returned, accompanied by a father and son, and the meddlesome Li Dazui.

The fact that Li Dazui came along suggests that this father and son must have a complicated relationship with the Jiang family.

Song Chunxue looked at Sanwa calmly.

"Mother, these two are my uncle's cousins. They've come to acknowledge our kinship."

Song Chunxue put her hands on her hips and glanced indifferently at the father and son in front of her. They came empty-handed; was this supposed to be a family reunion?

They lived closer to my second sister's house, so they came by following the scent.

But when people come knocking on your door, you can't just turn them away.

After all, their father and the third child's father were born to the same grandfather, so they were quite related.

But she has been raising her children alone all these years. Now that her children have grown up, they are coming to claim kinship, probably with the intention of taking advantage of her.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. If others can see her with Lord Xie, then naturally someone will see her buying the courtyard.

All of this was within her expectations, and she hadn't intended to keep it completely hidden.

After all, she will soon be living in the county. Once the grain is milled in the spring and the fields are planted, she will gradually move her belongings out of the house.

At that point, it will be impossible to keep it a secret.

Rather than letting others say she's hooked up with some random guy, she might as well just openly admit that she has the money to buy a yard.

Believe it or not, it's up to them.

Once inside the courtyard, his uncles and cousins ​​looked around.

"Wow, your family has built so many houses. You must have been one of the richest families in the village a few years ago. You only have one kiln. How impressive!"

Song Chunxue didn't reply. This house was built when the child's father was alive. He was the only son in the family and married two older sisters. Back then, the family was quite well-off.

Unfortunately, his father died young.

However, Sanwa is very similar to his father in temperament; they are both hardworking people.

When he was alive, he was the only person in the village who raised sheep. Others thought herding sheep was too hard work, and the grain from the fields was only enough to feed themselves. They would either raise a donkey and sell it for some money.

The Jiang family's flock of sheep was something that the villagers could only envy.

Shepherds never get a break, even during the Lunar New Year. Influenced by his father, Sanwa drove the sheep up the mountain on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Once inside the courtyard, Song Chunxue led them to the fourth brother's house on the east side.

The fourth brother hasn't been herding sheep these past few days; he disappears whenever he has a spare moment.

Song Chunxue knew she couldn't control him, so she ignored him.

"Uncle and cousin, have some steamed buns and tea." Sanwa knew his mother didn't like them, so he brought over a plate of buckwheat steamed buns.

He carried a small tea stove outside the courtyard to start a fire. Song Chunxue planned to go to the kitchen to cook something simple, so she sent them away.

Before long, Sanwa came to the kitchen from the east room.

“Mother, what I heard from them is that they heard about your visit to Aunt’s house a few days ago and the nice things you bought. They think that you sold some treasure left by our great-grandfather, which is why you were so generous.”

Sanwa said calmly, "Since they're here for money, let's get rid of them as soon as possible. They want to stay another night; who knows if they'll steal something in the middle of the night."

Song Chunxue looked at him with satisfaction, rubbed the coarse grain flour off her hands, and washed it with warm water.

"Fine, now that you've seen through their intentions, I never planned to acknowledge them as family in the first place." Song Chunxue said coldly, "They just thought my son and I were easy to bully, so they came to rob us. They weren't genuinely trying to establish a family relationship."

Sanwa smiled and said, "Mother, if you don't want to kick people out or offend them later, I'll speak up for you."

He patted his chest confidently, "Anyway, I'm still young, a junior in their eyes. At worst, they can say my mother doesn't know how to raise children."

Song Chunxue paused in her act of untying her apron, looking at Sanwa in surprise, the red pendant by her ear swaying slightly.

How could Sanwa say such a thing?

Reading really has its benefits; at least he's more talkative than before, and he can even speak to her heart, making her feel sad.

“No need,” Song Chunxue walked over and patted his back, noticing that he had grown taller. “You are a scholar now, not a shepherd. You will be taking the imperial examinations to become a scholar and a high-ranking official. You should leave the swearing to me.”

"But……"

"Bear with it, hold it in. You're a scholar, even when you're cursing, you should at least be more refined."

As she spoke, Song Chunxue walked up the steps to the east room.

Before the curtain was even lifted, whispers could be heard coming from inside.

"There's a wooden box here, it must contain something valuable, tonight..."

"Splash!"