Chapter 245 The Lingering Ghost

In her drowsy state, Song Chunxue heard the sound of the courtyard gate opening. She got out of bed and walked into the courtyard wearing her socks.

"Sanwa, why are you only just getting back?"

Sanwa sighed helplessly, "I'm going to see Lord Xie off."

"..." Song Chunxue instantly sobered up a bit, realizing that she had drunk wine with Lord Xie and had passed out first.

It was a little embarrassing to be seen by the third child.

She turned around and said, "Well, you should go to sleep early. I'm going to the kitchen to get some water."

"Okay, then Mother should rest early."

Song Chunxue went to the kitchen and found that the noodles on the cutting board were gone, but there were still dry noodles left in the bowl.

It seems that the third child has already eaten.

Her stomach was empty and she wanted to heat up some noodles, but her mind was foggy.

Never mind, I'll eat it tomorrow morning.

The next day, Song Chunxue slept until she woke up naturally.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the window, and she jumped up in a panic.

Is it already this late today?

She rarely overslept.

She also wanted Sanwa to make pancakes.

I hurriedly put on my shoes and went to the kitchen, where I found several potato and chive pancakes stacked on the table. Sanwa had already made them.

There were still poached eggs left in the pan, and they were just as good as hers.

Song Chunxue sat on the threshold with her bowl in her hand, eating and thinking. Now, Sanwa no longer needed her to take care of him.

This is a good thing, but why do I feel melancholy and uneasy?

After eating, she hurriedly sewed clothes for herself.

When she was in a hurry, she was prone to making mistakes, so she simply put down her needlework and went to feed the chickens and donkeys.

Anyway, it's Yao Man's shop opening, not hers, so what does it matter whether the clothes are new or old?

Whether something is dignified or not is for others to see. Why should she get so anxious about others who are invisible and intangible?

After loosening the soil around the peonies in the garden, she leisurely went back to the house to sew clothes.

Unexpectedly, she finished sewing the new dress in less than half an hour.

She took a nap at noon, and before Sanwa came back, she had sewed up all the fabric she had cut.

Hey, that's amazing!

In the evening, she stir-fried pig intestines, made cold pig ears, and prepared buckwheat noodles in fermented vegetable broth, waiting for Sanwa to come back and eat.

Fortunately, when Sanwa returned, he praised the food as delicious and didn't ask a single question about drinking with Lord Xie the day before.

"Mom, on the way back, I heard that Codonopsis pilosula is very expensive this year, and everyone has started planting it. Should we give it a try?"

Song Chunxue was surprised, "You noticed this too?"

"As farmers, I heard people shouting about buying Codonopsis pilosula, and I heard that many people have already started planting it."

"Yes, everyone is opportunistic. If everyone plants this year, the price will drop by half next spring. By the second half of next year, the cabbages will be rotten and no one will want them. They won't even be able to recover their costs."

That's how it was in the past life. Two gusts of wind blew by, and everyone made a profit in the first year, lost money in the second year, and no one planted medicinal herbs in the third year.

But with so many medicinal herbs in the world, why does everyone want to grow the same ones?

This is such a simple principle that everyone understands.

But when the price of one type of medicinal herb is particularly high, everyone will put all their effort into planting that one type.

Song Chunxue had planted it in her previous life. She dug up Codonopsis pilosula in the snow in December and her hands almost froze off.

This time, she's going to do the opposite.

"I plan to plant astragalus, licorice, and isatis root, some of each, and we'll see how it goes next year."

Anyway, there's enough coarse grain for the family this year. He grows mostly wheat. White flour is for people to eat, and black flour is for feeding the chickens. She doesn't believe that eating white flour will ever get boring.

Sanwa nodded, "Mother has already made up her mind, but growing medicinal herbs is hard work."

"Will it be as hard as before?" Song Chunxue said dismissively. "At worst, when I don't want to weed, I can just let them grow and die on their own. Anyway, when there's a drought, there's still no harvest."

Sanwa laughed, crunching the cartilage of the pig's ear with a loud cracking sound.

"As long as Mom learns to be lazy, that's fine. Now that we have money, we shouldn't work too hard, or we'll age faster."

This child even knows this.

Song Chunxue's gaze softened considerably, and she pushed the plate of pig intestines towards him, "Eat more, finish all of this tonight."

...

Early in the morning, Song Chunxue fed the family's mouth-eating cat, applied almond oil, changed into new clothes, and went out.

Yao Man's tavern was already being set up in full swing, with the signboard at the entrance covered with red silk.

Song Chunxue helped set out the bowls and chopsticks and checked that each table was clean and in good condition.

The auspicious time had arrived, and acquaintances had all come. Two strings of red firecrackers crackled and popped. Song Chunxue covered her ears, watching the red paper scraps explode high and fall to the ground. The air was filled with the strong smell of gunpowder, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

She loved the smell; it smelled like a happy occasion.

Yao Man was well-liked, and today she was wearing a dawn-red satin midi-length gown, with a rouge-red pleated skirt fluttering at her feet. She was truly more beautiful than the flowers, stunningly gorgeous.

There were quite a few guests, and there wasn't enough room inside, so more than a dozen tables were set up outside. Business was booming.

Everyone was sensible; after finishing their meal, they exchanged a few pleasantries with Yao Man and the others, paid their bills, and left, saying they would come often in the future.

Song Chunxue was not good with words, so she temporarily took on the role of a little housekeeper, keeping track of which dishes needed to be served to which tables.

During this time, she discovered that her memory was actually quite good; she didn't make a single mistake and also learned the names of many dishes along the way.

An hour later, the guests gradually dispersed, and fewer people came.

"Sister Song, could you watch the house for me for a bit? I'm going to the kitchen to get some soy milk; my throat is so dry from talking." Yao Man patted her shoulder. "You don't talk enough. Say a few more words."

Song Chunxue nodded, thinking that if the food was delicious, they would naturally come more often, and it didn't have much to do with talking.

"Sister Song, someone's here to get some wine. I'm busy serving dishes, could you please get me a pot?" The waiter carrying the dishes said hurriedly. "The kitchen doesn't have enough plates, and I have to wash some dishes too. Could you please keep an eye on things, Sister Song?"

Song Chunxue laughed and said, "Why are you being so polite? I'll go and make the call."

She gently lifted the hem of her skirt; she hadn't dressed like this before when she was farming, and it felt a little strange at first.

"How many ounces do you want?" She lifted the lid of the wine jar, picked up the measuring cup, and stirred the contents.

"Can I have them all? Anyway, my sister-in-law is strong and can carry them to my house." Mei Yang's deep, annoying voice rang out above me.

Song Chunxue looked up at him calmly, "Bring me the wine gourd."

Mei Yang handed her the gourd in his hand, "I heard that you are also the second owner of this tavern. You must be very wealthy."

"I'm not as big and strong as Brother Mei, I'm just trying to make a living."

"Brother Mei?" Mei Yang laughed, resting his hands on the wine jar, staring at Song Chunxue with a half-smile. "Want to call me brother? Not necessarily. After all, a man and a woman alone don't necessarily have to be husband and wife."

"Clang!"

Song Chunxue hung the measuring cup on the side of the vat, frowning and looking at him with displeasure. "I have no intention of remarrying. Please speak to me less in the future. We're not close, so don't try to get close to me. If you push me too far, we'll have to fight, and I'll make sure you never want to mess with me again, understand?"

"Oh ho, judging from your tone, you're quite confident in your skills," he said, raising his chin with a roguish grin. "So, what's going on between you and Xie Zheng? You've got your eye on him?"