Chapter 719: Am I In?

"Bang!"

Song Chunxue got a duster on her forehead.

"Hiss~" Song Chunxue touched her head and looked at her senior brother with one eye. It seemed that she had guessed wrong?

"No offense intended, it's alright, don't be angry, senior brother." She rubbed her head, thinking to herself that her senior brother really didn't hold back.

The Taoist priest closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage. "Why are you angry? Take a nap."

"Um."

After that, they barely spoke.

The following afternoon, they arrived in Jincheng.

After getting off the carriage, the sounds of shouts and carriages from the city filled my ears.

Song Chunxue looked at the Taoist priest and said, "Senior brother, I'll be going now."

"Okay." The Taoist priest nodded to her. "I'll go up the mountain first."

"Okay." She straightened her appearance, smiled at the Taoist priest, and then turned and left.

The Taoist priest stood there, watched her for a moment, and then turned and headed up the mountain.

"Selling mutton!"

"Selling jars and cans! Jars and cans!"

The shouts and calls around her were clearly audible to Song Chunxue, who could hear everything around her, and her heart ached.

After walking some distance, she looked back at the Taoist priest and saw his figure getting farther and farther away, gradually being blocked by people nearby, appearing and disappearing.

She looked up at the sky and saw a flock of sparrows fly by and land on a tall poplar tree in the distance.

The setting sun transformed the poplar trees into two colors, one side golden and the other dark green, creating a melancholic yet vibrant effect against the backdrop of the azure sky.

Just like the fork in the road before us, like the cycle of the seasons, early autumn is destined to be followed by late autumn, and winter and snow are not far away.

But she still wanted to see spring as soon as possible, a season of growth and hope.

...

Song Chunxue arrived at Sanwa's house first.

"Mother's back?"

Sanwa opened the door and saw her, his face full of surprise. "I knew that if someone knocked on the door at this hour, it was probably Mother coming back. I didn't expect it to be true."

He reached out and took the bundle from Song Chunxue's shoulder. "It's just in time for dinner. Mother, come inside and eat."

Xia Mulan held the child and sat with them, smiling as she asked her where she had been and how she had been these past few days.

Song Chunxue answered truthfully.

"Whether my mother-in-law has gone home or up the mountain, I haven't had a chance to ask." She looked at Sanwa, "What are your plans?"

“My mother works as a cook on the mountain now. She comes down the mountain every few days for a couple of days. She doesn’t want to go back to see my two older brothers anymore. It’s better to be out there doing something and earning money.” Xia Mulan sincerely thanked her, “It’s all thanks to my mother for giving her such a good idea. She keeps saying she wants to thank you.”

"That's good. No need for thanks, as long as she's happy." Song Chunxue was relieved. Otherwise, Mulan's mother might have been driven crazy by being caught between her two sons.

Now, out of sight, out of mind; I earn my own money and spend it as I please, without having to worry about what others think.

After dinner, they sat down and talked about the eldest brother and Jiang Hongying, recounting many people and events.

Afterwards, Song Chunxue went outside the gate and took the noodles and potatoes from her storage ring inside to avoid them overthinking.

She lied and said that a carriage had brought it to the door, and that she had forgotten to mention it earlier.

Sanwa didn't press her for details, but urged her to rest early.

The baby was crying for milk, so Mulan went to soothe the baby, and the eldest daughter also went with Mulan to see her younger sister.

Only Song Chunxue and her son Sanwa remained in the room.

Song Chunxue was soaking her feet when Sanwa, dressed in a lake-blue outfit, looked at her with a curious gaze.

"Speak up if you have something to say, don't just stand there watching."

"Why didn't you come back with the Taoist priest? Mother went to the capital, so why didn't she come back with Lord Xie?"

He pondered for a moment, "Did something happen to Mother when she went back to Li Family Village alone?"

"What could possibly happen?" she asked casually, looking at Sanwa with an indifferent expression.

"It's good that you're alright. I just feel like something's wrong with Mother." Sanwa looked at her. "Lord Xie came back a couple of days ago. I thought you came back together, so I went to my second brother's house to ask. That's when I found out that Lord Xie was injured. He said it was good that you came back early."

"You're injured?" Song Chunxue paused, trying to remain calm. "Is the injury serious? How did you get injured?"

"It is said that he encountered bandits on the way, but fortunately he had skilled guards with him, and most of them died. However, there were also assassins sent from the capital, probably to prevent him from returning, but they did not gain any advantage and lost many of their own men."

Sanwa breathed a sigh of relief, "Thankfully, it was a close call. These days have been unsettled; who knows, Second Brother might go to war, which has everyone feeling uneasy."

"Well, it's the way things are in the world, there's nothing we can do but adapt to the situation." She looked at the obedient Sanwa sitting in the chair, "Have you been bullied these past few months?"

"It's alright. At first, I could tolerate it, but later I became more assertive and even got into two fights. Then I suddenly realized that in times of turmoil, no matter how strong your pen is, it's useless to be an official. You still have to rely on your own fists and feet. Lately, I've been practicing swordsmanship and stance training whenever I have time. Now my body isn't so weak anymore. Have you noticed, Mother?"

Sanwa, like a child eager for praise, clenched his fists and raised them upwards, patting his arms, "Mom can check it out."

Song Chunxue couldn't help but chuckle, "I'll give it a try."

She patted his strong arm and laughed, "Not bad, not bad. You should have realized this a long time ago. The reason I've gotten to where I am today is not only because of Senior Brother's good fortune, but most importantly because of my own strength and courage. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself to reason with others."

Sanwa laughed and replied, "If you can't use words, you can use force. There's always something that will work, right? Hahaha."

“That’s right. You should practice hard from now on. I’ll pick the simplest archery technique for you, and it will be no problem to deal with an ordinary strong man.”

"Okay, I will definitely study hard." Sanwa said sincerely, "I used to study too hard and didn't take good care of my health. For the past two years, I always felt weak and listless. But recently I started practicing swordsmanship and I feel much better. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow."

Song Chunxue looked pleased.

"What would you like to eat tomorrow, Mother? The cook can make it for you."

"Um."

"You're going to your second brother's house tomorrow, right? I'll be going there tonight."

"Okay, go to sleep. I'm not a guest."

Sanwa wanted to chat for a while longer, but he had to give up when he saw the fatigue on his mother's face.

The little brat is finally gone. She lay on the bed, quietly looking at the top of the bed curtains, wondering how Xie Zheng's injuries were.

Even with Wuyou by his side, he was still injured, which shows that the enemy is not simple.

She took out Wuyou. "Go and keep him company first, and I'll come find you tomorrow, okay?"

Wuyou floated leisurely in the air, then suddenly slipped out of the window and left.

"..." A traitor!

The next day, she left home without eating breakfast and went to the Xie residence first.

Without alerting anyone else, they appeared directly outside Xie Zheng's door.

"Sir, breakfast is ready."

"Go down."

Song Chunxue hid behind a pillar and watched the others go to the kitchen to eat.

She entered the room and spoke gently to the noticeably thinner man, "Is there any for me?"