Chapter 22 The Second Brother is Leaving

Xia Mulan looked at the new trousers and vest in Song Chunxue's hands, her big eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

How old is your third child? Does he hit people?

She asked seriously, "I hate men who hit women the most. What if he hits me in the future?"

Song Chunxue couldn't help but chuckle. Had she already been bribed?

"Don't worry, if he hits you in the future, I'll deal with him." Song Chunxue handed her the clothes. "Put them on. If your aunt scolds you, just tell her that I'll bring her some fried dough sticks in a few days, and she'll definitely agree."

Xia Mulan looked at the peach-pink vest with its floral pattern and couldn't stop loving it.

"Is it really okay? My mother will beat me." She clutched her trouser leg and looked down. "She doesn't want me to marry too far away."

"Isn't your aunt here too? In the future, you two, aunt and niece, will be able to look after each other. Isn't that what your aunt told you?"

Xia Mulan nodded, then hesitated before accepting it.

"If they don't agree, I'll return it to you tomorrow."

Song Chunxue smiled, "Okay, if you feel embarrassed to accept both, you can choose one first, and I'll give you the other one later?"

Although Song Chunxue is generous, Xia Ying will definitely think that she made a fortune somewhere if she makes two pieces of clothing for Xia Mulan at once.

It's not too late to give it to her in a few days.

“Then I’ll take this vest,” Xia Mulan said happily, holding the vest in her hand. “It was quite cold when I went out this morning, but my outer garment is too thin.”

Song Chunxue resisted the urge to pat her head.

That's so strange; she used to really dislike this daughter-in-law.

Never mind, the thought is what counts.

"Then hurry up and clear the weeds. I'll go back and hoe the crops so that no one sees me and goesssips."

The people of Zhuangzi love to gossip and have sharp eyes.

Apart from the forest on the mountaintop, the land below was all bare fields with very few tall trees.

The two of them were talking so loudly that almost everyone in the village could see them, and they probably already had a whole bunch of gossip going on about them.

Xia Ying is the kind of person who loves to gossip, but also hates it the most.

I wonder if they'll scold Mulan.

It was almost noon when Song Chunxue carried a large basket home to cook.

Just as they arrived at the yard to dry the wormwood, Chen Feng, heavily pregnant, came out of the thatched kiln.

"Mother, do you really want Li's niece to be Sanwa's wife?"

Her words were unpleasant to hear: "I heard she's only fourteen. You're too impatient. Can't you let the girl enjoy a few more years of happiness?"

"So you're saying you've been mistreated since marrying into my family?" Song Chunxue said indifferently. "Don't meddle in things that aren't your business."

Chen Feng gritted her teeth and glared at Song Chunxue with dissatisfaction.

"It's not even a done deal yet, and you're already giving people gifts. You weren't this generous when I was engaged to the eldest son."

"I heard from Li Si's wife that you even made clothes for that Xia Mulan." She touched her big belly and said sarcastically, "Your first grandson is about to be born, why haven't you made him any clothes?"

Song Chunxue stood up and looked at her coldly, "Don't you have hands?"

"..." Chen Feng took a breath, wanting to retort, but didn't know what to say.

Song Chunxue didn't give her a chance to continue pestering her, and took the basket to collect firewood to prepare lunch.

The Chinese mustard greens in the yard should be dried a bit more. They taste better when blanched while they're still partially dried; they won't be so soft and will still have a bit of chewiness.

The sun is strong today, and she wants to eat something sour.

The price of sheep has been good these past few years. The sheep dealers should be coming soon, and their family should make another sum of money. Song Chunxue thought that she must reward Sanwa.

We haven't used much of the cooking oil at home, so I'll make him some buckwheat fried dough rings.

In addition, she also had to make some guokui (a type of flatbread) for her second son so that it wouldn't spoil on the way.

She decided not to work in the fields that afternoon.

In the evening, as soon as Sanwa entered the door, he smelled the aroma of cooking oil and his eyes lit up when he saw the buckwheat fried dough rings.

"You've made so much delicious food, is Second Brother leaving already?"

Sanwa suddenly realized the problem and asked with concern, "Have you prepared everything for Second Brother? I heard that life in the military camp is particularly tough, and some people can't stand it and run away."

"My second brother has never done any heavy work before. What if he can't keep going?"

Song Chunxue handed him a fried dough ring, "Don't worry, he's the kind of person who'd rather suffer than lose face, he definitely won't run away."

The second son walked into the kitchen and said, "Who said I can't? If I really couldn't keep going, I wouldn't have run home. Otherwise, everyone in the village would know, and that would be so embarrassing."

Sanwa lowered his head and said, "Do you have enough shoes? If not, I'll get you a pair. My feet are about the same size as yours."

The second son waved his hand, "No need, three pairs of shoes are enough for me to wear for several years, you keep them for yourself."

"Then I'll take you to the village tomorrow, and the sheep can rest in the pen for a day," Sanwa said casually, having already finished a fried dough ring.

The second son nodded, "That's fine."

“I’ll go with Sanwa and drive the lambs to the market to sell. Those who come to us will try to lower the price.”

Sanwa nodded, "Then I'll go pick one out and find a rope to tie them together tomorrow, so they don't get separated."

Watching Sanwa's retreating figure, the second son said to Song Chunxue, "Mother has suddenly become smarter. He is indeed more reliable than the eldest brother. No matter what happens in the future, Sanwa is your support now."

Song Chunxue teased, "Oh, I didn't expect you to know this too. Then why did you take sides and help your older brother bully Sanwa before?"

The second son smiled sheepishly, "I'm used to it, anyway, you always bullied him before."

Feeling a pang in her heart, Song Chunxue remained silent for a long time.

"Mother, I haven't asked you yet, how come you've suddenly changed so much? Whether it's towards us or others, you're like a completely different person. Could it be that you've met a master who can guide you?"

Song Chunxue kneaded the dough and then bent down to add firewood to the stove.

As she expected, the second son was the smartest; he was the first to ask her that question.

"Yes, I met an old Taoist priest a few days ago who said I was bad at educating children and would harm myself and all of you. Now that I think about it, that man, who looked so shabby, was probably a really wise man."

The second brother asked curiously, "What kind of old Taoist priest is so amazing? I thought you would never realize it in your life. You are too biased towards the eldest brother. You will make the third brother suffer in the future."

Song Chunxue froze for a moment; it turned out he had already figured it out.

"I will treat Sanwa well from now on, don't worry."

The second son watched her kneading dough to make guokui (a type of flatbread), and couldn't help but sit down to add firewood.

"When the land is divided, keep mine, just in case I come back," the second son said, still a little reluctant. "Don't give my share to the third son just because I'm leaving."

"Alright, alright, as long as you come back, I'll give you all the land and grain. If you come back to get married, I'll build you a new house."

The second son, holding a fire poker, raised his hand and rubbed his nose.

"That's good. I've noticed you've been ignoring me these past few days, and I thought you didn't care about me anymore."

The second son smiled with red eyes, "That may be true, but I will definitely do very well in the future. I will bring you to the city, let you live in a house with blue bricks and tiles, and even the courtyard will be paved with blue bricks. I will also find two maids to serve you."