Chapter 223 Keep it well-covered

Looking at the face in front of her, Song Chunxue imagined what he would look like in his fifties.

At that time, the third child looked older than the eldest.

The eldest son learned bricklaying when he was young and earned money faster than the third son.

She regretted not letting her third child learn a skill as well.

Actually, the brothers all look quite alike, and they look even more alike as they get older.

"Put yourself in my shoes. If you're nicer to me and have a better attitude, and don't give me the cold shoulder all the time, I won't do the same." Song Chunxue smiled slightly. "Haven't I already made an exception several times?"

“I’ve said some harsh words to you several times, but every time you suddenly act like a human being, I, as your mother, just soften my heart.” She chuckled, a bitter feeling in her heart. “But what about you? You turn heartless in the blink of an eye, as if I’m a hen that lays eggs, and I’m useless when I can’t offer anything good.”

"By the same token, if I find that I can't rely on you when I get old, should I not be so soft-hearted towards you?"

These words struck the boss like a thunderbolt.

Looking at the courtyard in front of her, Song Chunxue smiled through her tears, "Who would have the heart to make things difficult for their own child? If you could always remember that I am your mother and not let me feel heartbroken time and time again, I would not use a double-edged sword."

The eldest brother dug hard into his palm, unable to speak for a long time.

"Forget it, I don't expect anything from you. I'll be gentler with you from now on, which is also being gentler with me." She raised her hand and patted the eldest son's head. "I'm sorry you've had to suffer. Go sleep in the west room first, and let the third son and the fourth son squeeze in together."

After saying that, she turned and went into the house.

The door closed from the inside, and shortly afterward, the lights in the room went out.

The eldest son stood blankly on the steps, looking at the blue bricks that cost one or two coins each, and remembered how his mother used to be reluctant to buy even a one-coin steamed bun when she went to the market.

She seems to have learned to take care of herself.

As a son, he was used to his mother being good to him, but he never thought that his mother also wanted to eat well, drink well, and dress well.

He felt uncomfortable the last time he saw his mother wearing a peacock blue long gown.

He pinched his thigh and slowly walked towards the west room.

*

The next day at dawn.

Song Chunxue woke up on time, but didn't hear the rooster crowing, which felt a little strange.

As soon as she opened the door, Sanwa ran up to her.

"Mother, my eldest brother has gone back," he asked curiously. "Did you two have a fight last night?"

"No, I just said a few words to him."

Sanwa lowered his voice, "He also added hay for the remaining three donkeys, and filled the water vat in the kitchen. How come his conscience is so fickle?"

Song Chunxue forced a smile, "Maybe he can sometimes understand what people are saying. Now that you're going back, when are you going to school?"

"I forgot to mention last night that the teacher told me to go to the school this morning and prepare my tuition within three days, along with my study bag."

At this point, Sanwa lowered his head and kicked the ground in embarrassment. "The tuition at the county school is more expensive, costing one tael of silver every six months. The Qingjin Academy and the others will give it to me. Two sets cost two hundred coins, and the study bag costs fifty coins, not including lunch."

Song Chunxue gave him five taels of silver, saying, "Ask for more if it's not enough."

"..." Sanwa stared at the silver in his hand, then suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Song Chunxue in disbelief.

He moved the silver in his hand like a stone, saying, "Mother, isn't this too much? It looks like at least three taels."

"Wu Liang, don't get scammed." She walked towards the kitchen. "You wash up first, I'll go make some pancakes and soup."

Sanwa followed his mother's retreating figure blankly, feeling the silver in his hand burning hot.

Is Mom really that rich?

How could she be so generous!

Although studying is expensive, he won't use up all that money in a year.

No wonder the boss is unhappy; isn't he the same boss he used to be?

Looking up, he saw the fourth brother leaning against the door of the east room, looking at him with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk, five taels of silver! Is Mother sending you to school or making you a rich young master? When I was studying, I only spent two taels a year by tricking and deceiving people."

Sanwa held out his hand, "Here, take two ounces."

The fourth child glared at him. "I don't want it. Although Mother won't give me that much, she will definitely give me some. Otherwise, wouldn't I be like an adopted child?"

"What about my elder brother..." Sanwa felt uneasy holding so much silver.

“Mother will definitely give some, but you saw the eldest son’s attitude yesterday. His eyes were unpleasant, and he even dared to give a hard time to our family’s great benefactor, Lord Xie. Mother must be furious.” The fourth son casually looked at his fingernails. “We still have to go back. After we finish moving everything, we will definitely have to talk to the eldest son about it.”

The third child asked, puzzled, "What kind of logic is this?"

"It's the way of being a son/daughter. How can you sever ties with your eldest son? After all, he was born of his mother. Before he committed murder, arson, and desecrated ancestral graves, he was still his mother's beloved eldest son."

As he spoke, the fourth brother sat down on the steps, adopting an air of old age.

He rolled up his sleeves, clicked his tongue twice, and said, "Wow, the city feels so different. I feel like I won't be able to walk properly after I go back tomorrow."

Sanwa clutched the silver in his hand and pretended to throw it at him like a clod of dirt. "Be normal. Do you think you can just walk sideways like that?"

He walked over and squatted down next to his fourth son, saying thoughtfully, "Mother has money now, but that money isn't ours. Why don't you come with me to study?"

The fourth brother shook his head. "I've already promised my classmate, and even if I can't do it for long, I don't want to break my promise."

Sanwa nodded, "Alright, as long as you have an idea."

The fourth brother carefully surveyed the courtyard before him, his eyes calm and collected.

"Sanwa, do you think we're dreaming?"

Sanwa laughed, "I also feel like I'm dreaming, and I don't want to wake up at all."

"Then don't wake up," the fourth brother said, pointing to the high fortress wall. "Did you go up there yesterday?"

"No, I couldn't find where to go up."

“It’s in the backyard, in the corner behind the donkey pen, there’s a platform,” the fourth brother stood up and dusted himself off. “Let’s go take a look. I’m living in Dabaozi now, I need to get familiar with the territory.”

After Song Chunxue finished cooking the soup and brought it to the main hall, she couldn't find anyone there.

"Third brother, fourth brother, come and have some soup."

The fourth son poked his head out from the wall and whispered, "Mother, come quick! You can see other people's yards from up here."

Song Chunxue had already seen it, and couldn't help but wave, "Come down quickly, don't embarrass me."

Sanwa and Lao Si hunched over and ran down from above.

At the dinner table, the fourth brother sat at the spacious table and sighed, "It feels so good to be rich. You can even stretch your legs out while eating."

Sanwa shook his head, indicating that he couldn't bear to watch.

Song Chunxue touched the shiny tabletop. "Well, now we can finally eat without worrying about sneezing onto your faces."

"Pfft..." Sanwa had just taken a sip of soup when he turned around and spat out half of it. "Cough cough cough cough, cough cough, Mother, cough cough, Fourth Brother, you two, cough cough cough... are you trying to choke me to death?"

The fourth son slapped the table and laughed loudly, "See? Mother isn't actually calm either, she's just pretending."

"To be honest, last night when I came back from Lord Xie's house, I wanted to roll around in this courtyard." He put one foot on the stool and said with no small amount of pride, "Lord Xie also wanted to buy this courtyard, but he couldn't live there for more than a few years, so he found a way to leave it to my mother."