Chapter 360 Senior Brother Left

As Song Chunxue reached the door, she turned around and saw her senior brother disappear from the spot.

Suddenly, a wave of sadness welled up in my eyes.

She tried her best to suppress it.

Her eyes would swell up if she cried, especially before going to bed, and she had to endure it.

Some things are better left unsaid.

After she entered the room, she climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) fully clothed and didn't close her eyes all night. Soon after, she fell into a deep sleep.

Her two older sisters knew she was coming home late, so they didn't rush her during breakfast. She didn't wake up until noon.

After waking up, she sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and meditated for half an hour.

The older sisters got up and went to work in the fields, while Alai went up the mountain to herd sheep and donkeys. Song Chunxue went to the outhouse and then continued meditating.

An hour later, the third and fourth sisters returned with baskets to cook.

"Fifth Brother, has the Taoist priest left?"

Fourth Sister Song Chunlian asked, "Are you going back today too?"

"Yes, I need to go to my second sister's house. I'll go back to the city tonight. Hongying has three children to take care of, and I'm afraid she won't be able to manage."

As she spoke, Song Chunxue took out a talisman from her bosom.

"Third sister, we tried to scare Zhao Qian last night, but he's old-fashioned. Don't scold him all the time. You have to make him afraid of you. You have to be ruthless."

“This talisman belongs to An Zhai Ning’s family. Misfortune and illness come from the mouth. Watch your mouth and accumulate good karma for yourself. Third sister, I hope you will have a better and better life.”

Song Chunmei nodded with red eyes and carefully took the talisman.

"Fifth Brother is right, I'll remember that. This time, I'll wait for him to come and take me back, otherwise I'll go live with Fourth Sister and let the father and son fend for themselves."

"Sigh, life has turned out like this. Sometimes I've thought about ending it all, but that would only benefit Zhao Qian and wrong myself." She forced a smile. "I want to live a better life and surprise those who laugh at me."

Song Chunxue smiled and nodded, "That's right, that's exactly what I mean."

After dinner, Song Chunxue went to her second brother's house.

Her fourth sister packed two large braids of garlic for her.

“You used to love eating garlic, and I planted too much last year that we can’t eat.”

Song Chunxue smiled and said, "Thank you, Fourth Sister. I don't eat it anymore, and I even eat less scallions. This counts as meat. I'll take it back for Hongying to eat, but I'll still put some in when I cook meat."

She used to love eating raw garlic, and could eat more than half a clove in one night with whole grain noodles, but now she eats it less.

The fourth sister looked at her with some pity, "Do you think cultivation is a good thing?"

"It's great. I've come to terms with things I used to hold grudges about, and I feel good about it. Fourth Sister, you don't need to think I'm suffering. I'm not suffering any more now than before."

Her fourth sister patted her hand, "But I still hope that you can do whatever you want and not restrict yourself too much."

“Exactly, what Fourth Brother means is that you shouldn’t use the methods you’ve learned to discipline yourself all the time. Just enjoy life while you can. Nobody’s perfect, and it’s okay to break your rules sometimes.” Third Sister patted her on the back. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life when you have money.”

Song Chunxue felt that the two of them were implying something.

"Yes, I will." She waved from outside the gate. "Go get some sleep. Don't forget to come on July 18th."

"We won't forget, don't worry. We'll all be there and won't embarrass you."

Song Chunxue smiled and walked alone up the mountain path to her second brother's house.

Her second brother also packed a lot of things for her, all of which were grown and grown by themselves. He even packed a slaughtered hen for her to make soup.

"Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work, you even made me flower-shaped steamed buns."

The second sister-in-law was still wearing an apron, saying, "What's the trouble? It's hard on you to come all this way."

Song Chunxue got into the carriage. "Second brother, you go ahead and do your work. Come to the county to see me when you have time."

“I’ll definitely come to see you when I get here,” he couldn’t help but urge. “Go out more often, eat and drink what you like, don’t stay at home like a nun all day.”

Song Chunxue laughed. Now everyone thinks she became a Taoist because she couldn't figure things out, just like a Buddhist nun.

She thought the same way in her past life. She knew that the son of the neighboring village had gone up the mountain to chant scriptures at a young age and had lived there ever since. He didn't get married or farm, and he chanted scriptures every day. She must have suffered some kind of loss somewhere and didn't want to work, so he went up the mountain.

Now she understood that perhaps he had already seen the meaning of his journey, and that only through cultivation could he save himself.

"Your second sister will definitely try to introduce you to some old bachelor in the village, but ignore him. Which bachelor in the city isn't better than the one in the countryside? If you're going to find someone, find someone like a Taoist priest."

Song Chunxue smiled and said, "I know, Second Brother. I left some things on the table in the main room. Please keep them safe."

"What did you leave behind? Wait here, I'll go get it."

Song Zhizhu turned and ran into the courtyard.

"Giddy up!" Song Chunxue raised her whip. "Second sister-in-law, you should go back inside."

By the time Song Zhizhu ran out with two ingots of silver, Song Chunxue's carriage had already gone far away.

“This fifth sister earns money but doesn’t spend it herself. She comes to help others and then goes back. She’s still wearing her Taoist robe…” Song Zhizhu said, then squatted down and cried. “This fifth sister has never known how to enjoy any blessings in her life.”

Second sister-in-law also sighed.

Nengneng didn't understand. "I think my fifth aunt looks better in a Taoist robe. Why does enjoying life mean eating and drinking excessively and showing off all the time? My fifth aunt is literate and can draw talismans. She is a person of great wisdom. What bachelor is worthy of my aunt?"

"What do you know? People are just here to eat and drink. You can't take all that money with you when you die. She shouldn't give it to anyone. I'd rather watch her grow up fat and plump..."

At this point, Song Zhizhu's eyes reddened again.

“I know that spiritual practice is good, and people always have a next life, but what if she is just as poor in her next life? Wouldn’t that be a waste?”

Nengneng pouted, "Auntie will be a blessed person in the next life. Father, don't worry about it. You should worry about Second Brother. He loves other people's women. It's true that other people's shit smells sweet. Why don't you marry him a widow so he won't covet other people's wives?"

"Stop right there!" Song Zhizhu took off his shoe and pointed it at her. "This is outrageous! How dare you talk to your second brother like that?"

"Hehehe," Nengneng said, unafraid of him, "Can't people even speak the truth?"

"You brat, I'll marry you off one of these days. You'll have plenty of people to deal with you when you get to your husband's family!"

"I'll marry you then. Whoever tries to mess with me, I'll kill them."

"Hey, you stop right there!"

*

No one was home at my second sister's house; she was probably working in the fields.

Song Chunxue left the wine and meat behind, and wrote a line of words at the door. As soon as her second sister returned, she knew it was her.

After traveling for an hour in the carriage, she returned to Zhuanglang County. Passing by Dongshan, she lingered at the foot of the mountain for a long time.

In the end, he didn't go up the mountain to see if his senior brother was in the temple.

He asked for the donkey; he's probably already gone out.

I wonder how long it will be before my senior brother returns.

Back in the courtyard, Sanwa had already returned from school, and Hongying was peeling potatoes in the yard.

"Mother's back?"

"Grandma is back, Grandma, Grandma."

The three children gathered around, shouting, "Let's ride in a carriage! Let's ride in a carriage!"

Sanwa dismounted and went to the backyard. "Mother, the Taoist priest left this morning with the gray donkey. Do you know where he's going?"

"I don't know, didn't he tell you?"

He said he might not be back for three to five months, and asked his mother to buy his sister another donkey to plow the fields. If that didn't work, he could buy a mule. This horse could also be trained to plow the fields.