Chapter 449 This is incredible!

The Taoist priest shook his head.

“I won’t go. I know your family will be coming. The people in the village know you inside and out. They’ll flatter you because they see you’re doing well now, but if they don’t get anything out of you, they’ll definitely rub salt in your wounds and spread rumors about me.”

That's what they say, but we can't let our senior brother go hungry.

"Don't worry, I have all sorts of skills. How could I not earn a meal when I go out?" The Taoist priest tied up his half-dry hair. "Go and do your work after you finish your tea. I'll come again tomorrow."

Song Chunxue did not stop her, and got up to take out a small jar of wine from her bundle.

"Oh, Senior Brother, you even brought wine with you when you went out. You must have quite a drinking habit." The Taoist priest took the wine and brought it to his nose to smell it. "You have a discerning palate. It's pear blossom white. You're willing to give it to me?"

The Taoist priest guessed that she planned to drink it secretly that night.

"I have more, Senior Brother, please don't be shy." Song Chunxue slung her bundle over her shoulder and walked down the steps. "By the way, Senior Brother, could you join us for festivals in the future?"

The Taoist priest glanced at her, then bent down to pick up the crumbs of steamed bun that had fallen on his lap and put them in his mouth.

"You value holidays a lot?"

"Yes, it's a time when people miss their loved ones even more during festivals. It must be quite lonely for you to spend the festival alone, Senior Brother. You spent the Double Ninth Festival alone a few days ago."

Perhaps Song Chunxue values ​​the seasons, and always feels especially lonely when the seasons arrive.

“What’s the big deal? I celebrate with the ancestral master every year.” The Taoist priest changed the subject. “But since you say so, junior brother, I can burn paper money with you next Cold Clothes Festival.”

"..."

"But, won't your deceased husband be angry if he sees me burning paper money with you?"

“…” Song Chunxue rolled her eyes. “Except for the Cold Clothes Festival and Qingming Festival.”

“No, your senior brother will definitely spend the Cold Clothes Festival with you this year. You might see many deceased people that day, and it wouldn’t be good if you were frightened.” With that, the Taoist priest waved his hand and said, “Go and get busy.”

These words sent a chill down Song Chunxue's spine, yet she was unable to refute them.

"I don't have any senior brothers or servants." After saying that, she slung her bundle over her shoulder and left without looking back.

She walked down the winding path and came to a slope about twenty meters away, where she saw a number of people standing at the gate of the eldest son's courtyard.

A quick count reveals at least a dozen.

“Sigh, your mother is back. Telling you about this won’t work; your mother has to agree.”

A plump woman with full lips looked at Song Chunxue with a smile.

She waved and laughed loudly, "Hey, little sister, come on over, we've been waiting for you!"

Wait, when Song Chunxue got to the gate, she found that there were still people in the yard.

The second son was entertaining people in the courtyard, smiling like a flower, surrounded by several women, looking quite pleased with himself.

The eldest brother was surrounded by a group of women and men outside the door, as if he were being interrogated, and he would occasionally lower his head and touch his nose.

Seeing Song Chunxue was like seeing a savior, and they rushed over immediately.

"Mom, come and tell her I'm going to the outhouse, I'll be right back." With that, the eldest son went around to the back of the house, and no one could stop him.

Could these all be matchmakers for the boss?

The eldest son's marriage is already arranged, what are they still doing here?

“Sister-in-law Jiang, you look so beautiful now. I remember you were very thin a few years ago, hunched over, and pale. It must have been so hard raising four sons.” The most well-dressed woman smiled and took Song Chunxue’s arm. “You’re so different now. At first glance, I thought you were some rich lady.”

"What are you saying? She's a rich woman now, a rich woman who doesn't have to worry about men. What a blessing!" The woman behind her gently pushed Song Chunxue's waist. "I heard that your sons are all very handsome. The second son in the courtyard is going to work at the Jincheng government office. That's quite something."

Song Chunxue had no chance to speak. Some of these people looked familiar, some were from the neighboring village, and some were from the other side of the mountain, from Shangchuan. She had a vague impression of them, but couldn't match them up.

She could manage a couple of replies when one person was talking, but when a group of people were chattering away, she could only nod or shake her head.

However, Song Chunxue understood everything they said.

These people are really sharp-tongued. They didn't mind that their eldest brother was engaged to the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and even said that they could let their niece be their concubine.

There were also matchmakers who wanted to set up the second and fourth sons, saying that their daughters were not only beautiful but also had studied for several years. Matchmakers from all around came to arrange the marriages, but their daughters were picky and spoiled at home, so they didn't choose any of them and instead set their sights on Song Chunxue's son.

Most of them were women who wanted to be Sanwa's concubines, and one even brought her own dowry to be Mulan's equal wife...

Song Chunxue's head was throbbing from listening.

She had lived in the county for three years and hadn't met anyone to arrange a marriage for her fourth son. How come so many people were eager to become in-laws after she returned to her hometown?

No wonder the boss ran away; no one could stand it.

However, seeing how easily the second brother handled the situation, Song Chunxue had an idea.

"Dear sisters, sisters-in-law and brothers' wives, I appreciate your kindness. I have told my children not to take concubines, but to marry only one wife, so as to avoid trouble in the future. We are not like those wealthy families. If we decline one day, we will not be able to support them."

Song Chunxue smiled politely and declined.

"The eldest son's marriage to the Xu family is the day after tomorrow. They're not in a hurry to arrange the marriages of the second and fourth sons, and I won't make any arrangements. The third son is still in school, so taking a concubine is out of the question..."

A woman with a mole on her lip laughed and said, "And what about you? I heard your husband has been dead for over ten years. Haven't you thought about finding a companion to keep you company?"

"..." A sudden remark made Song Chunxue's eyes widen.

It's one thing to arrange marriages for the children, but why are they even targeting her?

Is the Jiang family such an obvious piece of meat?

Song Chunxue had a terrible headache.

"Yes, you've reminded me. There's an old widower in our village who was quite handsome when he was young. Now that his sons are all married, he's living a very leisurely life. Why don't we have him come and meet your wife?"

"Yes, my third sister-in-law passed away several years ago, and my third brother is all alone, but he's still quite young and can do physical labor. He'll definitely take good care of his sister-in-law..."

Song Chunxue stood up. "I'm going to the outhouse."

As she spoke, she gave her second son a wink, signaling him to send the man away.

These women dare to say anything; they're not ashamed at all, while Song Chunxue feels incredibly embarrassed.

"Then hurry back. I know you won't be interested in someone too shabby, but there's a man in our village who's more than ten years younger than you and only has one child. If you two get together, I guarantee he'll make you comfortable..."

"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough!" Song Chunxue got up and ran out of the courtyard.

Damn it, don't they have any shame?

She was a widow, not an old demon from the Spider Cave.

She ran to the back of the yard and saw the hem of the eldest brother's clothes flash by.

Song Chunxue chased after him, "You ran away. There are so many people in the yard, can Second Brother handle them?"

The eldest brother rubbed the sweat from his palms. "He should be able to. He's even more talkative than the fourth brother. I didn't realize it before. When those people came, the second brother handled them with ease."

Just then, they could be faintly heard coming from the courtyard that they were coming to check out the outhouse.

Song Chunxue hurriedly ran to the back of the field, saying, "Boss is looking for you. I'm going to the field to pick grain."

"Oh, Mother, wait for me..."