Chapter 90 The Jade Emperor Descended to Earth

The fourth brother placed the shoveled yellow soil outside the thatched kiln door, took a nap, and then went to herd sheep.

When he returned from herding sheep that evening, Chen Feng had not yet given birth.

The old woman ate dinner with them, chatting and laughing with her mother, as if they had endless things to talk about.

He and Sanwa listened from the side, thinking that it had been a long time since they had seen their mother with so many smiles on her face.

"I've seen a lot of people, and your eldest daughter-in-law is definitely not a good person. Just by looking at her eyes, you can tell she's not easy to get along with. Your eldest son is destined to be completely controlled by her."

"Don't worry about these things. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. If the eldest is unfilial, there are still the third and fourth. If all else fails, save some money yourself. When you get old, live alone outside. Repair that thatched hut as soon as possible and apply acid mud every year so you can still live there when you get old."

Aunt Zhao was right. Song Chunxue nodded. “I should get it bandaged when I have some free time. I haven’t starched it this year, and there’s a big tear on it. I need to mend it properly.”

“That’s right. You should be prepared for this early on. When your children grow up, they will have their own sons and grandsons to take care of. At that time, you will just be a burden. It’s better to rely on yourself and avoid having to put up with other people’s attitudes and suffer more grievances.” Aunt Zhao said earnestly, “You shouldn’t exert yourself as much as before. A person’s strength is limited. When you get old, you’ll only have illnesses.”

"Yes, I've got it." Song Chunxue knew this all too well; she had experienced it firsthand and no longer worked as recklessly as before.

But there's a lot of work to do around the house, inside and out, so all she can do is slow down and not push herself too hard.

If you can't finish the work today, you can do it tomorrow. If it gets cold, you can just do a little more each day.

Diligent people always have work to do, but she's not as diligent as she used to be; she's still so tired every day that she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

At that moment, the eldest brother came in from outside.

"Mother, Aunt Zhao, my wife is in pain again, she says she feels like she's about to give birth."

Aunt Zhao got off the kang (a heated brick bed). "I'll go take a look. If it's just pain and I can't feel my bones, then I'm still far from giving birth."

Jiang Yeming stepped aside, and Aunt Zhao left the courtyard first.

Jiang Yeming stayed in the room, looked at Song Chunxue, and said in a low voice, "Why does it feel like she wasn't really focused on delivering the baby, and was just busy chatting with you?"

"How can you say you're not sincere? The baby is in your wife's belly, not in Aunt Zhao's. It will be born naturally when it's time. Do you expect her to give birth for you?" Hearing him say this, Song Chunxue became inexplicably angry. "If you don't trust her, why did you call her over? Is she more experienced than you?"

"..." Jiang Yeming lowered his head and remained silent.

“I know you feel sorry for your wife, but your wife is just a helper; she can’t help with childbirth. Stop talking nonsense.” Song Chunxue raised her hand. “Go and see your wife.”

Jiang Hongying suppressed a laugh and remained silent, thinking to herself that her mother had to be more careful when scolding people now, because she was so afraid of making enemies with the eldest son.

If it were before, she would have definitely told the boss to get lost.

But now, the mother and son are more estranged than their neighbors and fellow villagers.

Well, you can't say the eldest brother is ungrateful, it's just that with his temper, he never thinks about others.

Having been pampered by his mother for so many years, he had no idea that his mother was just an ordinary person, not a god who could grant every wish.

Jiang Yeming stood still, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Song Chunxue thought he was going to cause trouble again, "What are you standing there for?"

She couldn't control herself either; seeing her boss's long face, her anger surged.

"Mother, don't be angry. I was just asking, I didn't mean to interrogate you." As he spoke, the eldest son looked up at Song Chunxue. "It was my fault for not talking to you these past few days. I apologize to you."

"..." Song Chunxue was suddenly stunned, feeling as if a big honey pot had been smashed in her heart, and she couldn't help but stare at Jiang Yeming with wide eyes.

Is the sun rising in the west so late at night?

“We were wrong last time. Chen Feng dared to do that because I didn’t keep a close eye on her and indulged her. That’s why she dared to steal your things.”

Song Chunxue looked at Sanwa, her eyes seeming to ask, "Is this person your older brother?"

“I’ve thought about it carefully, and I really shouldn’t have gotten angry with Sanwa. Over the years, Sanwa has worked just as hard as his mother at home, and I haven’t helped her much. I’ve only ever asked her for things. I’ve been so ungrateful.”

As he spoke, the eldest son lowered his head and said, "Mother, I'm sorry, I'll try my best to change in the future."

At this moment, everyone stared at the boss as if they had seen a ghost.

The fourth brother stared intently at the third brother, and seeing that he didn't move, he reached out and pinched his leg.

"Good heavens, did I hear that right? The boss said he shouldn't have gotten angry with you? Is this some kind of Jade Emperor descending to earth?"

Sanwa raised his hand and pushed his head away, speaking gently to the eldest brother, "I'm very happy that you said that, brother. Your sister-in-law is still waiting for you, go and be with her. She's never had a child before, so it's normal for her to be flustered."

"Mother didn't really sever ties with you; she's just angry that you don't understand her."

Sanwa, dressed in a newly made cotton long gown, sat upright on the stool, speaking in a gentle tone that was very pleasant to hear.

“Once the baby is born, my eldest brother will understand what Mother is thinking.”

The eldest brother looked at the third brother, not angry, but also not convinced by him.

He doesn't like being lectured by his younger brother, no matter how gentle he is.

The fourth brother leaned closer to the third child and said, "I didn't realize it. You were so eloquent at school. How do you know you're different? Have you had a child?"

The third child turned to look at the fourth child and answered in a low voice, "I guessed."

"..." The fourth brother was overjoyed.

"Think about Xiujuan. Although she is our niece, how would you feel if she blamed us in the future?"

The fourth brother nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, you're pretty smart. But the thing about you is that you're so infuriating. You've only been studying for a short time, yet you make those of us who have studied for seven or eight years look like idiots. The eldest brother would definitely kill you with a single glance."

"..." Sanwa didn't think too much about it, but after hearing what Lao Si said, it made sense.

Then he should speak less in the future.

He didn't want others to think that he, a shepherd boy, had suddenly returned to school and, like a rascal, had learned to pretend to be a scholar.

He simply cherished the opportunity to study.

Jiang Yeming looked at Song Chunxue, "Mother, did you hear what I said?"

Song Chunxue snapped out of her daze and nodded vigorously. "I heard it, I heard it. This is truly the first time a young lady has ever been in a sedan chair. To hear you admit your mistake in this lifetime, I can say that my life has not been in vain."

"It's good that you know you're wrong, that's already quite an achievement." She waved her hand. "I won't make things difficult for you. It's normal if you hold a grudge. If you don't mind, you can come in whenever you want, and I'll cook whatever you want to eat."

"Okay, I got it." The eldest brother immediately smiled, his white teeth making him look a bit silly.

"But you can't be like before, silent when you see me. If I've done something to upset you, at least ask me something, don't just give me the cold shoulder all the time." Song Chunxue's tone was solemn. "I'm your mother, not your little maid."

"Although I don't expect you to be that good to me, if you ignore me when you're unhappy and then suddenly become submissive when you need me, I'll get annoyed if it happens too often."

She said softly, "Your wife is someone else's daughter, that's true, but I was also born of parents. If you suddenly turn your back on me again next time, I probably won't give you a chance to apologize or admit your mistake in this lifetime."