Chapter 406 If you try to persuade me again, I'll turn on you.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Sanwa and Mulan returned.

It turned out that they had stayed in a village not far from the city last night, but the thunderstorm was so severe that the mountain road had been washed away.

Before dawn, people filled in the ditch, and a group of people helped to tamp down the road; they were the first to arrive.

Farmers need to transport grain, and the roads cannot be interrupted.

Moreover, that road was an official road with a lot of traffic, and everyone carried shovels to fill in any potholes they encountered.

As Song Chunxue listened to Sanwa's story, she asked him if he was used to staying at someone else's house and if he had been given any gifts.

Sanwa took a big bite of the yellowish-brown steamed bun and said, "I gave them two big steamed buns and twenty copper coins."

After drinking the soup, Mulan got up to wash the dishes. She learned that they would go to pick sesame seeds after the dew dried up, and Mulan said she wanted to go with them.

Seeing that Mulan kept running around involuntarily, Song Chunxue did not stop her.

She's not used to it yet, and she always unconsciously tries to please her and Hongying. She'll get used to it after a while.

Their entire family of seven went to the sesame field to harvest sesame seeds, making quite a spectacle that drew envy from the farmers harvesting grain in other fields.

In other grain fields, there are usually two or three people, but four or five is rare, and it's possible that three of them are children.

But there were five adults in total, and they could cover the entire plot of land in one row.

Sanwa hadn't pulled up grain in a long time. When he used to herd sheep, it got hot early in the summer, so he would put the sheep in the pen around 9 am, then drink some water and go to the fields to pull up grain.

If you calculate the time, it has been three years.

The wheat field was the sunniest and most uncomfortable place. Sometimes, when he got tired of pulling wheat, he would stand up and look at the vast fields of wheat waiting to be pulled, and he would feel sad and complain to himself for a while.

Why did the others go back to rest early, while he and his mother had to work hard here?

At that time, he didn't like summer at all.

It was hot at noon in the summer, but by the time he returned home from herding sheep at night, it was already dark, and the wind on the mountaintop was very cold.

But in the summer there are apricots, so he can drive his sheep into the apricot grove to pick apricots, and then take them home to sell the pits for money.

"Sanwa, you should go home early. You're going to school tomorrow, so don't get a tan, or your classmates will laugh at you."

It was almost 9 a.m. when Jiang Hongying said while bundling sesame bundles, "The new bride has only just entered the house. You two haven't had a chance to talk properly yet. Go home and prepare lunch. We'll eat what's ready for us."

Sanwa snapped out of his daze, touched his palms which were almost chafed, stood up and looked at Mulan, "That's fine. I haven't done any hard work in a long time, my fingertips are swollen, I won't be able to hold a pen well tomorrow."

"I almost forgot. I told you two to come and check on our grain, not to do any work. Go back early, and take the kids with you. It'll be very sunny later," Song Chunxue instructed. "If you get thirsty, go back and get some watermelons. Watermelons cause stomach aches after the start of autumn."

Sanwa smiled broadly, "I haven't been to the vegetable garden yet this year. Are we getting a lot of melons this year?"

“Fifty or sixty seedlings should be enough to eat.” Song Chunxue stood up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “The fourth brother should be back today. Have him hitch up the donkey cart to bring the sesame seeds and dry them in the field early. Birds will eat them if they’re left out.”

"Okay," Sanwa picked up Xiujuan. "Mulan, carry Xiaolong, he's almost asleep."

Mulan hesitated whether to stay and continue working, but when she saw Xiaolong burying himself in the pit, yawning boredly, looking so adorable that it broke her heart, she silently hugged him.

"Mother, what are we having for lunch?" Mulan asked Song Chunxue.

"Let's make long noodles with fermented vegetable broth, stir-fry two dishes, and I'll hang some lean meat in the well."

"I remember my mother."

Mulan carried the little dragon with practiced ease. When she reached the third child, she heard what he said. She blushed and stomped on his foot. The two of them walked away chatting and laughing.

Watching their retreating figures, Hongying put her hands on her hips and sighed, "It was so much better when we were first married. The two of us could still blush and flirt. I never imagined that Sanwa would cherish his wife so much, always taking Mulan's side."

He Chuan remained silent, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What's wrong? You're unhappy that He Chuan isn't flirting with you? You can scold He Chuan too, but don't do it in front of me, or I'll be embarrassed."

Hearing her mother say this, Jiang Hongying perked up and lowered her voice to ask, "Mother, do you really not want to grow old with Lord Xie?"

"What do you mean by growing old together? He's an official, currently in Jincheng, but he might return to the capital later. Aren't you afraid that your own mother will run off with someone else and people will laugh at you?"

A couple of days ago she felt embarrassed to talk about this, but today, sitting in the field drying in the sun, she was completely at ease, and even found it somewhat amusing.

In her past life, children wouldn't have dared to speak to her like that.

"What are you laughing at? Money makes the world go round. If you can marry Lord Xie, people will only say you're awesome and powerful. Who would dare to laugh at you to your face?"

Song Chunxue stretched her legs and continued pulling. In another half hour, she would be able to pull all the weeds in this field.

Hongying continued, "Besides, don't you like to go out and see the world? It would be good if you could stay in the capital in the future. When you get old, you can let him come and live with us."

"Hmph, you dare to dream."

“I’m still young, what don’t I dare to think about? Mother is just old, too concerned about her reputation, always looking before she's done and afraid of this and that. I can understand if you’re afraid of those old men in Li Family Village, but Lord Xie, instead of hurry up and snatch him away, you’re pretending to be a fool and becoming his close friend…”

Song Chunxue's neck was burning, and she threw down the sesame seeds in her hand. "Who told you that? Shut up."

"What the fourth brother said? You've never been in a relationship or even spoken of love. Anyone could see what Lord Xie meant, but you insist on just being friends with him. I'm really worried for you. You can't find a man like him even with a lantern, and Mother is still hesitating..."

Seeing Song Chunxue stand up and stare straight at her, Jiang Hongying obediently lowered her head to pluck sesame seeds.

"Of course I know that Lord Xie is a good catch. Even young girls are eyeing him. I should thank my ancestors eight generations ago for being noticed by him."

Song Chunxue sighed, "But as you just said, you're only shy and blushing right after you get married. After two or three years, you're just making do with how you live."

"How would I know if I haven't tried? It definitely won't work with Lord Xie. Besides, once you two are together, he can focus on his important business, and you can focus on your cultivation. In your spare time, he can even teach you to compose poetry..."

Song Chunxue tossed a clod of dirt onto her shoulder. "Stop talking. Just say the nice things. Don't you know I'm quite free now? Once I start thinking about finding a partner, I'll have to revolve around him from now on?"

“I know that if I really went along with his wishes, I would be the one who would benefit, but I would rather go to Jiangnan to see the world and then devote myself to cultivating the Tao. But once a woman has a master, her heart is bound, and she has no mind to cultivate the Tao.”

"He never remarried, and his ability to remain chaste shows that he has a virtuous character. He should be practicing Taoism and cultivating himself. Why did he have to get married?"

Jiang Hongying was helpless.

"Because getting married doesn't interfere with one's spiritual practice."

“I think it’s a waste of time,” Song Chunxue said firmly. “I think cultivating Taoism requires severing all emotions and love. You shouldn’t have any ulterior motives either. I’m determined to become a nun. Once Lao Si’s marriage is settled, I will go on a long journey.”

"..." Jiang Hongying was discouraged. Why did things get worse the more she tried to persuade her?