Chapter 479 What a Sin!

Isn't there also yellow ink?

Isn't Xie Dong a better fit than her?

“They’re all rough men, but I trust Sister Song’s judgment in this regard.”

"..." How good could her eyesight be?

Seeing that Song Chunxue didn't respond, Xie Zheng smiled and said, "It's alright, if you feel uncomfortable..."

"It's no trouble at all. It's just a small favor. I can even go with you to see how wealthy families conduct their coming-of-age ceremonies. We ordinary people have never seen that before, especially those of us from humble backgrounds."

In Lijiazhuangzi, only large families like the Li family would hold coming-of-age ceremonies for their children. Even if it was simple, at least the elders of the clan would witness it in person. On the morning of the coming-of-age ceremony, the whole family could rest for half a day and do less farm work.

“Then it’s settled,” Xie Zheng turned around. “If you don’t have any suitable clothes, I’ll have someone send you a set.”

Before Song Chunxue could reply, he had already walked away.

This was the first time Song Chunxue had ever been driven to madness and wanted to scratch her head in frustration after being reborn.

The next day, Song Chunxue got up early to wash up.

The fourth brother came to her room with a steamed bun in his hand.

"Mother, I heard that you are going with Lord Xie to Lord Yang's house today to attend the coming-of-age ceremony of the second daughter of the Yang family?"

Song Chunxue responded.

"Two matchmakers came last night, is that true too?"

"Um."

The fourth brother plopped down on the stool. "Sigh, I never expected things to turn out this way. I didn't believe it at first, but I never thought Lord Xie would fall for someone else so quickly."

Song Chunxue glared at him, "Don't talk nonsense, even food can't shut you up."

The fourth son looked more heartbroken than anyone else. "Sigh, I know Mother is upset, but this is probably the most normal outcome. Anyway, Mother doesn't agree to marry someone else. There's nothing wrong with marrying a young and beautiful wife."

Song Chunxue was both amused and exasperated. "Are you trying to comfort me? Actually, I'm not sad. Although I can't be completely unaffected, I'm not heartbroken. If Lord Xie could marry a young and beautiful woman who could take care of him, it would be a great joy."

"Having known each other for many years, I would be happy for him if I could see him being with his partner for the rest of his life."

The fourth brother sighed, lay down in the chair like a lump of mud, looked up at the wooden rafters on the roof and sighed, "It's better this way. Lord Xie is not a good match for us. It's like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung. There will inevitably be trouble in the future."

Song Chunxue tossed a sachet from beside the bed, "Who are you cursing?"

"Hehe, I didn't say Mother is cow dung." At this point, the fourth son suddenly grinned mischievously. "Mother, yesterday I met a man, very handsome, and he seemed to be a scholar, but his family has fallen on hard times, his wife ran away with someone else, and he's not doing well now. Do you want to…"

"Mommy, oh Mommy, let go! If you pull any harder, I'm going to wet my pants... Waaah, it hurts so much, waaaah~"

The fourth brother covered his ears and jumped up, squeezing his legs together to hold in his urine, tears streaming down his face.

When I was in school, the teacher would beat me with a cane. The wide, thick wooden board would hit my palm, and it felt like my bladder was about to burst, making me really, really want to pee.

He had hated that teacher for years because of this, but he never expected his mother to be so harsh.

Seeing him squatting down and holding his breath, Song Chunxue realized she had been too rough. "Are you alright? I'll be gentler next time."

"If you wet your pants, go change them right away. I won't tell anyone else."

The fourth brother took a deep breath and stood up. "Hmph, I won't pee. I'll do it again next time. I don't believe there's anyone in this world who doesn't like young and handsome guys. I'll become sworn brothers with him someday and show him to you."

As they were talking, the fourth brother had already run quite a distance. He even squeezed his bladder as he jumped out of the courtyard gate, so he was probably not far from urinating.

That little brat, he dares to test her! He can forget about getting a wife!

She tidied her hair in front of the mirror. Her clothes were gorgeous, a combination of dark blue and stone green. The skirt was made of high-quality muted cyan brocade with beautiful embroidery.

Since she was going to the Yang family with Lord Xie, she couldn't dress in a way that was beneath her dignity.

Her headdress was simple, consisting of a silver hairpin and two hair ornaments, not too plain. Her earrings were teardrop-shaped green jade. She was fairly satisfied with her outfit.

She touched her cheek. The greatest benefit of cultivation was that her face was firmer and more delicate than it had been three years ago when she was reborn.

But she's not exactly young, and can't compare to the pampered women from wealthy families.

Although there is something strange about it, it makes sense for him to stand beside Lord Xie as a friend.

She went to the front yard and bumped into her second son, who was rushing out.

"Mother?" The second son couldn't help but turn around and look a few more times. "Beautiful, really beautiful. I'll take another look when I get back tonight."

"Buy it for me, hurry up and go."

These clothes are nice, but they're so tight they make you feel uncomfortable. You have to stand up straight and can't take big steps, otherwise it feels like you're ruining the clothes.

She went inside, grabbed a steamed bun, and took a couple of bites. A short while later, she saw Xie Zheng wearing a dark green cloak. The white collar accentuated his red lips and white teeth, and his features appeared more aloof than usual.

Song Chunxue couldn't help but praise, "With your demeanor, Lord Xie, I reckon even when you're in your sixties or seventies, women will still be captivated by you."

She seemed to see the Taoist priest's shadow in him, with his graceful demeanor.

Xie Zheng rubbed his eyes. "So what? They're attracted to my identity. If I take off my fancy clothes, they'll only think I'm pitiful."

Song Chunxue shook her head. Forget it, he clearly didn't sleep well. She wouldn't argue with him about it.

It's estimated that when Xie Zheng was young, the threshold of his house was almost worn down by people walking all over it.

A large carriage was parked outside the door, and Song Chunxue hesitated slightly.

Xie Dong reached out his hand, and she helped him into the carriage.

Xie Zheng climbed into the carriage and sat down, and the carriage moved slowly forward.

The atmosphere was too quiet, and it was especially eerie when their eyes met.

Song Chunxue spoke first, "When you were young, there must have been quite a few people who wanted to marry you."

Xie Zheng laughed. "How do you know?"

"Talented and beautiful."

“There are quite a few now, but none of them are satisfactory.” He smiled. “You must have been just as good when you were young.”

"I got married when I was thirteen."

Xie Zheng's eyes were filled with surprise, then his gaze darkened, and he lowered his head and said, "You were able to bear him five children, so he must have treated you well."

"Well, he's quiet, which is good. The one who's mean to me is his father. When I first came in, I was like a child. He made me do all the chores. If I didn't cook well, I'd get beaten. If the kang (heated brick bed) was too hot, I'd get beaten. Even if I walked too loudly, I'd get scolded."

"..." Xie Zheng dared not look into her eyes, his fists slowly clenching under his sleeves.

“But I didn’t feel that sad at the time, because most child brides are like that. I was late in getting married. Compared to my sister, I suffered a few years less. At least my mother didn’t scold me. She was in a worse situation than me. She died very early. She couldn’t walk and had nosebleeds every day. She wouldn’t let me take medicine. She was carried to the fields to pull wheat. She died young.”

Xie Zheng opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

"When we meet him later, I'll ask around carefully. I can't let you end up with an unreasonable and bad-tempered father-in-law. When choosing a wife, you can't just look at the wife herself; you also have to consider her family and relatives."

"..." The sentimental words that were about to be spoken were choked back.

P.S.: I was about to leave, and I uploaded it to the wrong place again. A whole chapter of my drafts is gone just like that…