Chapter 519 Old People and Old Stories

The people beating gongs and drums are government officials announcing good news.

The last time he passed the imperial examination, there was a commotion. All the neighbors came, people I knew and people I didn't know came.

It's lively, but the noise is so bad it gives you a headache.

This time, Song Chunxue didn't want to cause any more trouble, so she quickly gave the officials some money and sent them away.

Now that the eldest son's family has arrived, everyone discussed it for a while and decided that there was no need to wait any longer. They would set off for Jincheng together tomorrow.

He Chuan said he wanted to stay and look after the livestock, but Song Chunxue and Jiang Hongying stopped him and asked a neighbor to help look after them for a few days, promising to pay them.

Hongying went to ask, and the neighbors who didn't usually keep in touch readily agreed, saying that they didn't need any payment and that they could go with peace of mind, assuring her that her livestock wouldn't suffer.

That evening, while packing her things, Hongying chuckled foolishly, saying that she had benefited from Sanwa's kindness.

"Is there a saying, 'When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'? Is this what it means?"

Hongying chuckled and chattered, "Mom, you don't know my neighbor. He used to look up at me with his chin practically pointing to the sky, but ever since he found out that Sanwa passed the imperial examination, he's been beaming like a flower when he sees me. I'm too embarrassed to talk to him anymore."

The eldest child, who was playing with a group of kids, also had something to say.

“The people in the village are even more outrageous. Don’t you know how many people came to see me that month when the news reached the countryside?”

The eldest brother said with some distress, "At first I was quite happy. Some people gave me pumpkins, some gave me radishes, and some even brought their families to claim kinship, insisting on feeding my pigs and donkeys. I couldn't stop them."

Xu Dahong, whose face was as round as a baby's, nodded repeatedly. "It got quite annoying later on. The reason we rushed to the city as soon as we got the news was because we were afraid of being stuck at home by everyone and not being able to do any work."

Jiang Hongying laughed and said, "It's good that you ran fast, but I'm worried about our old village now. I heard that last time someone went all the way there to see what the whip that Sanwa used to raise looked like, and almost stole it. If they find out now that he has passed the imperial examination, what will they do?"

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent for a moment.

Song Chunxue was also worried that the courtyard where she had lived for decades would be vandalized.

However, these words reminded her that one should not forget one's roots. Sanwa had passed the imperial examination, and such great news should naturally be shared with her ancestors at home.

Everyone else is doing it this way, so they can't ignore it.

The higher you climb, the colder it gets. From now on, more people will be watching what the third child does. Even the smallest mistake can be heard by many more people the next day.

Such a joyous occasion should at least be announced in person at their father's grave.

Thinking about all the things that were going to be busy with, Song Chunxue felt a headache coming on.

Logically, she, as the mother, should be the happiest person, so why is she so worried?

Indeed, mothers are destined to be hardworking.

However, she also lacked experience in this area, so she decided to find an experienced and calm person to handle the rest.

Besides, Sanwa is destined to become an official, and he is completely clueless about many things on his own.

Once we get to Jincheng, Xie Zheng will definitely be good at this.

It seems that this time, she has no choice but to trouble him, since Xie Zheng cares about her even more than her own mother. He knew about her third son passing the imperial examination earlier than she did.

His letter arrived in her hands an hour earlier than Sanwa's, and both contained news of Sanwa passing the imperial examination.

However, she read Sanwa's letter first.

Five children together could lift a roof off.

It was only then that Song Chunxue realized she must be getting old; she no longer enjoyed crowds.

The eldest brother and his sister Hongying were having a good chat. Since the children were loud, the siblings raised their voices to drown out the children's noise.

"By the way, has Chen Feng come to you for money these past few years? Is she still unwilling to give you the child?"

The eldest brother's smile faded, and he lowered his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

“I said I would send it over before the New Year, but she insisted that she couldn’t bear to part with it. The man she married is an alcoholic who beats her when he’s not happy, and he definitely doesn’t care about the child. I went to see her last time to ask for the child back, but she knelt down and begged me, saying that she wanted the child to stay with her for a few more months.”

At this point, the eldest brother sighed, "When I come back this time, I'll snatch the child back even if I have to. Our Jiang family's flesh and blood should return to the Jiang family. As long as there's money, her husband will definitely be happy to do so."

Jiang Hongying snorted coldly, "You're just too soft-hearted. She should have asked for it back before she remarried. If you keep delaying, she'll only become more and more reluctant to let go, and the child won't have an easy time either."

The eldest brother remained silent, feeling distressed and regretting that he hadn't been decisive enough back then.

Xu Dahong whispered, "We will definitely come back this time. I won't boast that I treat the child as my own, but I will raise him well. Although he may not be as good as a biological mother, at least I won't abuse him."

The eldest brother looked at Xu Dahong, his eyes filled with an emotion that Song Chunxue had never seen before.

Song Chunxue could tell that although Xu Dahong was young, the eldest son relied on her a lot.

Since marrying Xu Dahong, the once lifeless eldest brother seems to have become a different person, with a smile and vitality on his face.

Before the meal, she overheard her eldest son flirting with Xu Dahong, which made her so embarrassed that she ran away as soon as she could. Afraid of making a sound and embarrassing everyone, she immediately flew low on her sword.

Jiang Hongying sighed for her niece.

"Evil people will be punished by other evil people. Chen Feng is so ungrateful. She was so picky and experienced in choosing her second husband, how could she still marry a drunkard?"

The eldest brother didn't want to talk about it.

Xu Dahong continued gently, "It's said that her brother chose him for her. The dowry was generous. The man was from another village. Her brother didn't ask any questions. Matchmakers always say the good things and never the bad. It's said that he looks presentable, but you only find out his true colors after you marry him. But it's too late to regret it then."

"Serves her right! The eldest brother gave her a chance back then, but she didn't want to live a good life and had to make trouble. She doesn't know how good she has it. Let her regret it. Get the child back as soon as possible. It would be her own fault if her husband beats her to death later."

Song Chunxue patted Hongying and looked at Jiang Huan, who was sitting and listening to their conversation.

"..."

I almost forgot, Chen Feng is Jiang Huan's biological mother.

The child may look small, but he knows very well who his biological mother is.

Adults always underestimate children's intelligence.

Just as they were about to rest, someone came to their door.

It turned out that Yao Man and her group had brought the account book and congratulatory gifts to Sanwa for passing the imperial examination.

Yao Man is busier every day. She has basically never stopped working in the past two years. It seems that she is addicted to doing business. She has even stopped contacting her lover and is focused on making money.

It is said that her lover was secretly cheated on by someone else, and was called away several times by a woman younger than Yao Man. After Yao Man found out, she decisively broke off all contact with him.

Yao Man today is vastly different from before. She dresses much more simply and elegantly, without makeup or gold and silver jewelry, yet her reputation continues to improve.

When Yao Man is mentioned, everyone says that she is willing to go to any lengths for her children, working herself to the bone to earn money so that her children can have a good life.

“Sister Song, your hard times are finally over. Your child is so promising. My path of cultivation has only just begun,” Yao Man patted Song Chunxue’s hand, her expression sorrowful. “I wonder if you can take me with you when we set off for Jincheng tomorrow?”

P.S.: I haven't had a single comfortable day since I came to this rented place. I suspect it's either because it wasn't cleaned properly, or the place is just really dirty. I can't take it anymore. I just went downstairs and bought some moxa sticks, alcohol, and coarse salt. I plan to move the flower pots off the landlord's balcony and wait until I'm back to normal!