What do you think of Chapter 51?

Xia Mulan's father, Xia Changwen, was a very refined man.

He was tall and thin, with a faint smile always on his long face, gentle and warm. His light gray long gown made him look more like a scholar.

His second son looks a lot like him and has a gentle personality.

Hearing Song Chunxue say that she would side with Xia Mulan from now on, his smile deepened, and he turned around and reached out to place his hand on Xia Mulan's head.

For some reason, Song Chunxue, who witnessed this scene, suddenly felt a lump in her throat for Xia Mulan.

Xia Mulan's parents kept it a secret from her, but in fact, her father wouldn't be able to stay with her for many more years.

Not long after they got married, his father passed away, and two years later his mother also died, and in that manner.

Having lost her parents and with both of her older brothers starting their own families, Mulan had no family to rely on and had to be very careful every time she went back.

Therefore, Song Chunxue thought that although they had been engaged early, she did not intend for them to get married too soon.

As a woman, she knew very well that getting married meant she couldn't be with her parents as often as before.

Jiang Hongying held the child and led Xia Mulan around the yard, chatting and laughing with her, while occasionally glancing at the third child.

Every time Jiang Hongying saw Sanwa glancing this way, she thought to herself, "It seems he really likes Xia Mulan."

If you like it, that's fine.

Even if you end up hating each other in the end, it's better than disliking each other from the start.

My mother and father disliked each other, and it wasn't until after my father passed away that my mother would often think of his good qualities.

"Come inside and sit down. Since you're already here, have dinner before you go back. I'll prepare some food for you." Song Chunxue led them into the house.

“No rush, there’s still plenty of time, and besides, we just finished eating not long ago.” Xia Mulan’s mother, Xie, grabbed Song Chunxue’s wrist. “Let’s look around. You’re amazing that you’ve raised five children all by yourself and kept the yard so clean.”

Madam Xie patted Song Chunxue's arm with a smile, "I want to know, what is it about our Mulan that you're so eager to approach Xia Ying? She said that among all the people she's asked about Mulan, you're the most sincere."

Mulan's mother, Xie, also looked thin, about the same height as Song Chunxue. She was a calm and composed person, and looked rather dull when she wasn't smiling.

Her words reminded Song Chunxue of her past life, how she had taken a liking to Mulan.

More than forty years have passed, and she can hardly remember anymore. She vaguely remembers seeing Xia Mulan on the mountain and thinking that she would be a good wife for Sanwa.

But she couldn't say that.

"Of course it's because Mulan is beautiful and I like her a lot. I liked this child the first time I saw her." Song Chunxue smiled and glanced at Sanwa. "Most importantly, your Mulan blushed. He even helped Mulan fight with others."

"You've been in a fight?" Xia Changwen looked at Mulan. "Who bullied you?"

Xia Mulan, who was playing with the child with Jiang Hongying, turned her head, her light brown eyes making her skin look even more radiant.

When this was mentioned, she glanced thoughtfully at her aunt Xia Ying, "A group of boys were herding donkeys behind Nanshan. When I went to shovel grass, they wouldn't let me, and a fight broke out."

“The grass was taller over there, and they said they were saving it for their donkeys to eat, and they even cursed at me,” Xia Mulan explained. “After I left, they even hit me on the head with clods of dirt.”

Xia Changwen looked displeased. "Next time you run into them, try to avoid them. You're no match for them on your own. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle."

“I remember, Father,” Xia Mulan said, pointing to the apricot tree next to the sheepfold. “May I pick a few?”

Before Song Chunxue could speak, Sanwa walked over and nimbly climbed up the tree.

The adults exchanged a smile, then burst into laughter.

"Haha, this child is very clever. She picked apricots without saying much. It seems she is very satisfied with our Mulan." Xia Ying covered her mouth and laughed. "I was worried before, but now it seems we were just worrying for nothing."

“That’s right. All my children forget their mothers after they get married. Don’t worry, Sanwa will definitely treat Mulan well.” Song Chunxue smiled helplessly. “Just look at my eldest son.”

Knowing the whole story, Xia Ying laughed until tears streamed down her face, patting Song Chunxue's shoulder and laughing so hard she could barely speak.

"You know, I never thought you were interesting before, but what's wrong with you lately? Everyone says you've changed. It's true, haha, you're much more interesting than before."

Everyone was laughing under the apricot tree. Mulan held Xiujuan's hand, her face flushed red.

After climbing the tree, the third child was too ashamed to come down.

The couple inside the thatched hut grew increasingly resentful and dissatisfied upon hearing the laughter and chatter outside.

Jiang Yeming sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at Chen Feng lying on the kang, and then at his own legs, feeling very uncomfortable.

Mother really doesn't care about him anymore.

Thinking carefully about what he's done during this period, he definitely deserves to be hit.

He admits he's been spoiled, but is he really beyond redemption?

*

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), Song Chunxue cut thin, long noodles, scooped some minced meat from a porcelain jar, stir-fried it with diced potatoes, and made four dishes in total, creating a delicious bowl of minced meat noodles to entertain Xia Mulan and her entourage.

Besides pork bones and meat, minced meat noodles are the best dish for the villagers.

As dusk fell, the sun set and the sky darkened. The group of people, who had been chatting happily, reluctantly parted ways.

At first, Xia Mulan's parents were a little reserved, but after the meal, they were very satisfied with Xia Mulan's marriage.

Even though they hadn't mentioned the betrothal gift, Song Chunxue pulled Xie aside and secretly gave her two taels of silver, saying the remaining tael would be given at the wedding.

Xia Changwen and Xie Shi are both very soft-hearted and thin-skinned.

Although this marriage was mostly arranged because Song Chunxue was decisive in asking for the best dowry and gave the highest amount.

But they still felt guilty for agreeing to the marriage with Mulan because of the money.

They had assumed Song Chunxue was the harsh and domineering mother-in-law they'd heard about, but to their surprise, they found themselves getting along remarkably well in person.

"I'm sorry to have kept you from your work today. You don't need to see me off. Go back now." Xie turned around and waved to Song Chunxue. "You still have livestock to feed, right? You go ahead and do your work."

"Alright, dear in-laws, take care! And her aunt and uncle, please come visit us sometime." Song Chunxue waved her hand. "Take care on your journey."

Jiang Hongying and Sanwa, who were standing behind her, were both shocked and saw disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Mom, when did you become so eloquent? Just like those wives in the Li family, you can say all sorts of nice things without batting an eye. When did you learn that?"

Jiang Hongying sighed, "I wasn't like this before. Did you even consult anyone about Sanwa's marriage?"

Song Chunxue ignored her and watched Xia Mulan and her group disappear around the corner before turning around to feed the pigs and add fuel to the fire.

"Do I need to learn this? When you're happy and willing, you'll just say it naturally. I just didn't like to talk before, and no one else deserved to be this attentive to me."

As she spoke, Song Chunxue picked up the basket and instructed the two of them, "Call Lao Si out to help. Tomorrow morning, let him go herding sheep with Sanwa."

She looked at He Sanwa and said, "You can rest for half a day tomorrow afternoon, and I'll take you to school the day after tomorrow. What do you think?"