Chapter 721 I am ashamed of myself.

I went to the neighboring courtyard, and the second son had already gone to the yamen (government office).

Song Chunxue told the person looking after the courtyard, and then went to the tavern to find Lao Si.

Tianqi's belly was already quite noticeable. Lao Si was preparing food in the kitchen and moving wine jars from the backyard.

"Mother?" The fourth son smiled. "Mother, you're back. It's so early in the morning. I was wondering why there were magpies calling this morning."

He ran over and took Song Chunxue's arm. "Mom, come upstairs and sit down. What would you like to eat? I'll have the cook make it for you."

"Mother, you've arrived. Please sit down, I'll make some tea." Tian Qi looked a little plumper than before, and her clothes were also nicer.

"No need, you all sit down, I've already eaten." Song Chunxue sat down. "Tian Qi, you sit down too, take care of yourself. Fourth brother, please be considerate and don't let her suffer."

The fourth brother looked at Tian Qi and said, "Mother, it's not that I don't understand, it's just that she can't stand it. She doesn't trust me to take care of the business, she's worried that I'll ruin the signboard, and she's also worried that the vegetables and dishes won't be washed clean enough and that people will dislike me. She insists on keeping an eye on things herself, and I can't stop her."

Tian Qi nudged him. "That's right. Last time, there was a bowl that wasn't washed properly, and the guests called me over to check it. They're so lazy."

“I’m keeping an eye on it too. They wouldn’t dare not wash it properly, or they’d dock their pay. Don’t worry, I’m not that careless.” The fourth brother looked at her belly. “Taking good care of the baby is more important than anything else.”

Tian Qi pursed his lips, thinking to himself that all he ever thought about was the child.

The waiter brought over some hot tea. Song Chunxue took a couple of sips and thought to herself that she never expected that in the end, the fourth brother would live the most carefree life and get along the best with Tian Qi.

"Mom, when did you get back? Yesterday?" The fourth son pushed some snacks towards her. "Did you stay at Sanwa's last night?"

"Um."

"By the way, has Mother set a date for Second Brother's wedding?"

"Not yet," Song Chunxue said with a smile. "Why don't you decide?"

The fourth brother didn't refuse, "Sure, I asked around for him before. There are several days available, but I feel that the best time is when it's neither too hot nor too cold. It's still cold in the twelfth and first months of the lunar calendar, and the cooks' hands hurt from the cold."

Tian Qi laughed, "But the most lucrative jobs for cooks are during the twelfth and first lunar months, that's when they make the most money."

"That's true, I was just being considerate of my second brother." The fourth brother suddenly remembered something. "Mother, I heard that Lord Xie has returned these past few days. He was injured, and the three of us brothers have all gone to visit him. He was injured too badly, and we only saw the third child. When are you going to go see him?"

Song Chunxue said casually, "I went to see him this morning and even had breakfast at his house."

"Oh." The fourth brother nodded, then suddenly stopped, looked up at Song Chunxue, and frowned in thought for a moment.

He stroked his chin and smiled meaningfully, "Mother passed away quite early."

He looked at Tian Qi and said, "You're not comfortable sitting here. Go and rest on the recliner for a while. I want to talk to Mother."

Tian Qi obediently replied, "Mother, you two chat."

Song Chunxue looked at Tian Qi's back and said, "You're really lucky to have married Tian Qi. You're the ugliest, but you've married the most beautiful wife."

The fourth brother sighed and raised his chin. "That's right. Who told me to be so clever? What good is being good-looking? It's not as useful as my mouth and brain."

That's really not modest.

"By the way, you and Lord Xie..." The fourth brother lowered his voice, not moving his lips, but probing with his throat, "Something's not right."

"Is something wrong?"

“That day when we went to the Xie residence, Sanwa said that Lord Xie asked if you had returned yet, and also said that if you wrote back, you could let him know.”

The fourth brother leaned closer to her and said, “They are foolish. I can see that Lord Xie really wants to see Mother. This is unusual. Lord Xie has always been sensible.”

“Especially that Liu Chunshu, he asked again, saying that Mother came back a long time ago, probably went to the county, and also said that if any of us want to go back to Zhuanglang County to see you, remember to let him know,” the fourth brother said, cupping his cheeks and nudging Song Chunxue with his elbow, with a half-smile, “Tell me, what’s going on?”

Song Chunxue ate half a pastry. "Did Mother quietly bypass us and go back to the county first? Did she also go to Li Family Village?"

"Um."

“That’s right, Mother must have gone there because she was heartbroken,” he whispered, covering one side of his mouth. “I heard that Lord Xie was in trouble, which is why he hasn’t been able to come back for so long. Liu Chunshu’s attitude towards us is also different from before. I think something’s fishy.”

The fourth one is quite clever.

But Song Chunxue wasn't going to be honest yet, saying, "Don't be so suspicious, what could possibly be going on?"

The fourth brother lowered his head thoughtfully, "You two, could it be that you're having an affair?"

"I'll kick you!" Song Chunxue kicked him. "Can't you talk properly? Didn't you used to really want me to have something going on with him?"

The fourth brother leaned back, his eyes brimming with laughter, and pointed at her with his finger.

"Mother is getting anxious. You two...you didn't actually get together, did you?"

If you think about it carefully, they're bound to find out eventually; they can't keep doing it secretly every day.

"No, keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone else. Actually, if you think about it carefully, Lord Xie is such a good person, it wouldn't be a loss to get a closer look, right?"

"Pfft~" The fourth brother was overjoyed and laughed so hard he bent over, slapping the table.

“Mother, you’re joking. Lord Xie is such a good person, many people have his eye on him. You’ve finally come to your senses, haha,” the fourth son laughed, his face turning red. “Don’t be embarrassed because of my father. You’ve raised four sons for the Jiang family, and the family line has been continued.”

"..."

“Look at Zhao Yufang, she found a son-in-law who moved in a long time ago. Although he can’t be relied on much, it’s still better than her being alone. Lord Xie’s man is worlds apart from Zhao Yufang’s. What are you afraid of?”

"I'm not afraid." She grabbed the pastry and broke it in half, but her eyes were unfocused.

“I don’t believe it,” the fourth brother chuckled. “Unless you tell me when you’re going to tell everyone.”

"If we don't get married, it's not something to be proud of. I can't exactly invite everyone over for a drink, can I? Don't be ridiculous."

The fourth brother was in a dilemma. "That's true. If you marry him, we'll all be five bald radishes. Someone of Lord Xie's status can't possibly be a live-in son-in-law. It seems better not to get married."

"But if it's consensual and you're both in love, as long as you don't have any affairs like Yao Man, there's nothing shameful about it, right?" The fourth son comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, we all agree wholeheartedly, and we won't cause any trouble for Lord Xie."

"No, Sanwa will definitely get some advantage, but he knows his limits, so don't overthink it."

The fourth brother stood up, put his hands on his hips, and looked like an elder.

"I never expected that Mother would finally succumb to Lord Xie's charm. The iron tree has finally blossomed! That's wonderful, that's wonderful, haha."

Song Chunxue found it amusing, "What are you so happy about? It's not like you and Lord Xie are together."

"I just find it unbelievable. That's Lord Xie! My mother has transformed from a eccentric, bad-tempered farming woman into a sword-wielding Taoist priest, and she even managed to bring Lord Xie to our home. She's so accomplished; I'm ashamed of myself."

"Bang!"

Song Chunxue slammed her hand on the table. "You brat, are you asking for a beating?"