Chapter 37 The Woman Who Became a Mother

Song Chunxue picked up the little girl from the ground, said nothing, and walked behind Jiang Hongying, gently supporting her lower back.

"Let's eat first. Aren't you afraid of running into bad people coming back so late?"

Jiang Hongying sighed, "There's nothing I can do, it's because I married someone from far away."

Song Chunxue didn't reply. It was she who insisted on marrying Hongying to someone she didn't like. In a fit of anger, Hongying ran away to find work.

She returned in less than a few months, saying that she had started a relationship with someone else and was very likely pregnant.

Song Chunxue was furious, but she had no choice but to hurry up and arrange the wedding, sending her eldest son and third son to escort the bride...

Because of this, her only daughter had always resented her. Although she visited her in her old age, she still harbored resentment towards her.

Looking back now, Song Chunxue thinks it's better for her to be far away. If they were closer but couldn't see each other more than a few times a year because of relationship problems, she would feel even more heartbroken.

The children are all her own flesh and blood. Although she has complaints about being a mother to them, she sincerely hopes that they can live a good life.

The difference is that she used to put the children first.

Now, she puts herself first.

Upon entering the house, Jiang Hongying was somewhat surprised to see the white noodles on the table. "What day is it today? Why are we eating so well?"

"Sister, you're back?"

Sanwa was taken aback when he saw Jiang Hongying, then quickly walked forward, looking very surprised.

“Mom was sick a couple of days ago, and it was quite serious. She hasn’t eaten much all day, so I made her something delicious.”

As he spoke, Sanwa pulled over a stool, "It's perfect that you're here, I'll go get some more noodles."

Song Chunxue pulled him back, "You guys sit down and eat, I'll make it, it'll be quick."

Sanwa insisted on continuing, but Song Chunxue had already gone to the kitchen.

Seeing her mother's retreating figure, Jiang Hongying lowered her voice, "What's going on? Your older brother isn't home, so why is Mom staying in this room?"

Sanwa lowered his voice and said, "The family has separated. My eldest brother is in the thatched hut outside."

Jiang Hongying was shocked. "No wonder, I heard someone talking in the thatched hut just now, I thought I saw a ghost."

"..." Sanwa thought about his mother's changes these days and couldn't help but think that it was all a ghost.

But seeing ghosts is seeing ghosts, and he is extremely content with his mother's current state.

I hope Mother can stay like this for a while longer, and not go back to her old ways after a few days.

He didn't want his mother to treat his eldest brother badly, but he hoped that she could be a little fairer to him, like she had been recently, and that she could remember that there was a third child in the family.

Sanwa's gaze fell on the little girl in his arms. The girl's big eyes were looking at him, and she was biting her finger, with saliva dripping down her finger.

"Sister, is this your second child? She's so pretty." Sanwa had noticed her belly earlier. "You're pregnant again. Do you want Mom to take care of the second child? What's her name?"

Jiang Hongying patted the girl's head and took out a handkerchief to wipe the girl's hands. "Her name is Xiujuan. I really can't take care of her anymore, so I wanted to bring her over as soon as possible. Before my mother has a grandson, I want her to help me take care of her."

Sanwa thought of Chen Feng's big belly and couldn't help but ask, "What about her grandparents? Don't they have time to take care of the child?"

Jiang Hongying frowned slightly. "I don't trust them to take care of me."

Sanwa stopped asking questions and simply pushed the food in front of her, saying, "Sister, hurry up and feed the child, don't let him go hungry."

*

The next day, Jiang Chunxue was already lively and energetic, and she made egg drop soup in the kitchen.

Just as the soup was placed on the table, the eldest brother came in from outside.

Upon seeing Jiang Hongying, he smiled slightly. "Sister, when did you arrive?"

“Last night,” Jiang Hongying said with a smile, beckoning, “Sit down and have some soup. I heard your wife is about to give birth?”

Jiang Yeming glanced at Song Chunxue subconsciously, but received no response. He didn't ask her to leave, and instead sat down on the chair next to him.

"You're over six months along, are you pregnant too?"

Jiang Hongying lowered her head. "Yes, it's been four months. I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to come back to see you all in the future, so I came back to visit as soon as possible."

As she spoke, she patted the little girl's head, "Xiujuan, this is your uncle."

Xiujuan grinned, but then turned to look at Jiang Hongying.

Song Chunxue brought in another bowl of soup. "Have some soup."

Jiang Yeming hesitated for a moment when he saw his own bowl and chopsticks on the table.

"Big brother, sit down and have a drink. Mother made a lot of soup today." Sanwa gestured for him to sit down.

He didn't hold a grudge at all for being beaten; on the contrary, he felt very uncomfortable because of the embarrassment.

They used to get along very well, like brothers and sisters, so why are they so polite and distant now that they've started a family?

If things are always like this, he'd rather not get married.

Song Chunxue didn't say much. She just broke the steamed bun into pieces and put them into the soup bowl. After the bun softened, she ate and drank the soup. After finishing the soup, she got up and walked out.

"Hongying, I'm going to the fields now. You wash the dishes, and I'll cook lunch when I get back. Just take good care of the children."

As she spoke, she picked up her bowl and chopsticks and disappeared outside the door of the north room.

Inside the house, Jiang Hongying looked at her two younger brothers, who were silent and withdrawn. Although she was not sure if the division of the family property had gone smoothly, judging from the atmosphere, it probably wasn't going well.

Just as Jiang Hongying was about to ask something, she saw her eldest brother, Jiang Yeming, quickly put down his chopsticks and bowl. "I still have to go make mud bricks. I'll go and get busy first. I'll come see you again at noon."

"Why……"

Jiang Hongying raised her hand to stop him, but the boss left without saying a word.

She couldn't help but look at the third child, "Isn't Mother the one who loves the eldest the most? What's wrong?"

Sanwa shook his head. "I don't know. A few days ago, Mother suddenly refused to let the eldest son divide the family property, and she was unwilling to give him the land in Shuichuan. She was also wary of him in every way. I don't know if the eldest brother did something to upset her."

He finished the soup in a few bites and took the bowl to the kitchen.

"Sister, I'm going to herd the sheep. You can stay home and watch the house. I won't lock the door."

At this point, Sanwa walked into the house and lowered his voice, saying, "Normally, when we go to the fields, Mom locks the door very promptly, but even that can't prevent my sister-in-law from taking small items from the house. You keep an eye on things."

Jiang Hongying didn't say anything. Her husband's family also had brothers and sisters-in-law, so she could guess what was going on.

"I don't know what's wrong with Mother. Suddenly she doesn't favor my eldest brother at all anymore. Yesterday, she even argued about the land division..."

At this point, he probably told Jiang Hongying about how his mother had fallen ill a few days ago and needed ginseng to treat her illness.

“My elder brother was afraid that Mother would have to sell the land to pay for her medical treatment, so he hurriedly divided the land. Although I know Mother was faking it, my elder brother’s reaction and the things he said must have broken Mother’s heart.”

Sanwa whispered, "Don't make Mom angry these next few days. But she won't throw tantrums anymore; she's like a completely different person."

Jiang Hongying nodded, "Okay, go ahead and get busy. Leave the light work to me. Go herd the sheep and come back soon."

Sanwa put on his hat. "Okay, I'm off then. I'll catch two little birds for the kids to play with."

Jiang Hongying repeatedly stopped her, saying, "No, the little birds all have mothers. Even if we catch them, they won't survive. Let's not harm their lives."

Sanwa smiled and couldn't help but look at her belly and the child beside her.

"I understand. You're a mother after all."

Jiang Hongying joked with him, "When you have children in the future and things don't go smoothly everywhere, you'll think about doing good deeds everywhere you go."

Sanwa stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong? Did something happen at home?"