Chapter 33 Land Must Never Be Sold

That evening, Zhao Yufang visited Song Chunxue again and learned that she was critically ill and needed ginseng to recover.

Zhao Yufang sighed and advised her to try other methods, then left, wiping away her tears.

The next day, news that Song Chunxue needed ginseng to stay alive spread throughout the entire village.

When the villagers asked the eldest son and his wife about it, they simply said they didn't have money to buy ginseng and that they couldn't help it, which earned them a lot of criticism from the villagers.

The eldest son and his wife were furious and went home in a huff after scolding him.

Song Chunxue, who was lying on the kang coughing, heard the eldest brother's hurried footsteps step into the room. The next moment, she saw his dark and smelly face.

Jiang Yeming flung down the curtain and sat angrily on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his anger surging within him.

"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough..."

Song Chunxue coughed so hard that tears streamed down her face, and she looked like she was on the verge of death.

"Boss, you... are here." She patted her chest to catch her breath. "You're back quite early today."

She struggled and sat up with difficulty from the kang (a heated brick bed), propping herself up with two pillows and leaning against the wall like a boneless creature.

The eldest brother's brows furrowed deeper as he looked at her.

"How did you suddenly become so sick? You were perfectly fine all the time!"

Jiang Yeming scolded her impatiently, "I told you not to work so hard all the time. If you're going to farm, just farm. Are you that short of money? Why do you have to shovel wormwood and dandelions under the scorching sun? How much money can you make from that? You're just wasting your health."

Song Chunxue coughed while pressing her chest, without saying a word.

She calmly observed Jiang Yeming's reaction, her mind as still as water.

Jiang Yeming clenched his fists, annoyed by the sudden trouble, and looked at Song Chunxue impatiently.

"Where are we supposed to find ginseng for you? We probably couldn't even scrape together a single ginseng root if we sold all of us." His tone was harsh, and he glanced at Song Chunxue with disgust and impatience in his eyes.

"Cough cough cough, cough cough..." Song Chunxue coughed and pounded her chest.

“We’re a poor family, where would we get the money to buy ginseng? Don’t let that Huang Xiong cheat us. He’s just making things difficult for us.” Jiang Yeming’s tone softened a little when he saw that she was coughing badly.

Song Chunxue managed to squeeze out two words, "Don't buy it."

Jiang Yeming's expression softened slightly. "Is there any other way? Let's find another doctor to take a look at you. As for Sanwa, why don't we have him keep the sheep locked up for half a day and then have another doctor examine him?"

If you need anything, just ask Sanwa; the eldest is really smart.

Song Chunxue lowered her eyelids and mocked herself inwardly. Look, this is the eldest son she raised single-handedly.

"He came back early, cough cough cough, he's already gone to look for it." Song Chunxue waved her hand. "You're busy, it's none of your business."

Jiang Yeming immediately stood up, seemingly not wanting to stay there for even a moment longer.

"Did he get the medicine? If we don't need ginseng, we can drink something else. It doesn't necessarily have to be ginseng." He stood on the ground and asked a rare question.

"Then could you buy me some medicine this afternoon? Go to the market and buy some herbs. There's a very skilled doctor there," Song Chunxue suggested tentatively. "Cough cough, I feel really unwell."

“Sanwa went, didn’t he? He must have bought medicine too. I can go after he finishes his medicine.” Jiang Yeming muttered reluctantly. “My money is managed by Afeng. She won’t give me any money. She said she needs it to build a house and raise the children.”

"..." Look, he absolved himself completely with just one sentence, and he wasn't even willing to do errands.

Let alone paying money, the fact that the eldest brother was allowed into her house was already because of the land that hadn't been allocated yet.

“Cough cough, what else can we do?” Song Chunxue coughed for a long time before stopping. “The doctor said that my cough is not just an internal ailment, but a chronic illness caused when I gave birth to you all. Ginseng is the most effective treatment.”

"If all else fails, we can sell some of the land. Right now, our family's most valuable asset is..."

"That won't do!"

Jiang Yeming shouted excitedly at Song Chunxue, "You can't sell the land! Do you want us all to starve?"

“Sanwa’s flock of sheep can always fetch some money. I’ve inquired about it; there are about twenty sheep, and if the market is good, they can sell for seven or eight taels of silver. The land can’t be disturbed!”

He spit excitedly, pointing at Song Chunxue and cursing, "Are you senile? Do you think you can just pay for your treatment without caring about the lives of the four of us brothers?"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Song Chunxue coughed forcefully, as if she could cough up her lungs.

Jiang Yeming quickly took two steps back. "If you want to sell the land, fine, but don't sell my share. You can't let my newborn child starve to death, can you?"

"..." Sure enough, all he cared about was the land; he never considered that if she died, he would be motherless at such a young age.

That's true, he's already married, what use is a mother now?

If he has to pay for my medical expenses, what is he if not a burden?

“Okay,” Song Chunxue said weakly, leaning her head against the wall. “Dividing the land is fine, but the land in Shuichuan, cough cough, I can’t give it to you.”

"..." Jiang Yeming didn't reply. He sat on a chair in the distance, looking away, looking very upset.

“It’s fine if you don’t give us any, but give us more land elsewhere. Ah Feng said we can’t just have one child. If the first one isn’t a boy, we’ll have to have several more. If you give us less, we won’t be able to survive.”

Jiang Yeming seemed to realize that his behavior was inappropriate, and his tone became much lower.

“Alright, I can’t really not give you any land, after all, you’re my child.” Song Chunxue looked up at the wooden rafters on the roof, which were covered with cobwebs and dust.

It's almost the end of March and April; the weather is getting warmer and the sunshine is getting brighter.

The sunlight streaming into the room made it both delightful and absurd.

Song Chunxue disliked the feeling of golden sunlight shining into the room, as it reminded her of the days when she was paralyzed in bed, spending her days watching the sunlight stream into the room.

She rarely had the chance to leave the house, and the feeling of powerlessness made it hard for her to breathe.

Xia Mulan was very busy, leaving early and returning late. Occasionally, she would ask Xia Mulan to carry her to the yard outside to bask in the sun.

Although it was troublesome, and although she had treated Xia Mulan badly in the past, she was still more patient with her than with the other children she had given birth to.

Thinking of this, her eyes began to sting.

Seeing through the boss's heart so early makes all her hard work in putting on an act worthwhile.

“Then when you’re better,” Jiang Yeming hesitated for a moment, then changed his words, “let’s divide the land in a couple of days. Even if it’s just for the sake of us and Sanwa, don’t sell the land.”

Song Chunxue didn't say anything more, closed her eyes and coughed, not wanting to look at him at all.

He left quietly at some point.

At 1-3 PM, Sanwa returned, covered in sweat and under the blazing sun.

He was holding his outer shirt, his face was tanned a deep red, and his cheeks were covered in sweat.

He came back carrying a bag of herbs, a jar of pear syrup, and some mint.

"Mother, let me dissolve some pear syrup in water for you to drink first. The medicine will take another hour. If you feel really uncomfortable, you can suck on these mint leaves; they will make your throat feel better."

Looking at the things in his hands, Song Chunxue couldn't help but ask, "How much did all of this cost in total?"

"Not much, a hundred coins." He quickly carried the things to the kitchen. "I'll go boil some water."

Before going to the market, Sanwa did not ask her for money; he had almost spent all the pocket money Song Chunxue had given him.

Just then, Jiang Yeming's shout came from the kitchen:

"Take the things out!"