Chapter 127 How can I compare to you?

"come out"

To see things through to the end, Song Jin, though overwhelmed by the search for her child and desperately wanting to avoid getting involved in all this mess, found that things had taken a turn for the worse, and her child was unfortunately not involved.

Honestly, Yang Yanjun simply couldn't handle it.

After the two children had been missing for most of the day, Song Jin, yawning, found them in a dilapidated thatched hut in the freezing cold.

Contrary to the imagined disheveled and dangerous situation, the small thatched hut where the two were located was well-prepared. The walls were piled with straw and branches, and the interior was lined with rice straw and wood branches to keep out the cold wind. The two were wrapped in thick blankets, and there were pastries and hot water nearby, indicating that they were well-prepared and had likely set up this small hideout beforehand.

The two of them were huddled together, their flushed, steaming faces pressed together, like little animals shrinking even closer, their eyes sparkling with a mixture of guilt and grievance.

Song Jin stood in front of them with her arms crossed, her long, narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, looking at them: "I'll count to three, three."

!!

The two children instinctively took off running, but because they were inside the blankets, they lost their footing and rolled out, causing the thatched hut behind them to collapse.

With a bang, Song Jin curled her fingers and smacked one of them on the head, glaring at them: "You've grown bold, huh? What, do you find wealth and luxury tiresome? You don't even want gold and silver treasures chasing after you?"

Xiaohua turned her head away, disdainfully saying, "I don't care."

Song Jin tapped her head again: "Whether you like it or not is not important. Children have no say. Your hall master has already made arrangements, and your things are packed. Go back and come with us to live in your big house."

Xiao Hua's eyes widened immediately, and she rolled over onto the ground in a somersault: "No, no, I don't agree, I don't want to go..."

She could already do horse stance before she could even run; her legs were incredibly strong, thumping like a rabbit's.

Song Jin stepped on her foot, looking down at her condescendingly: "Don't try to fool me, I'm not falling for that."

Little Flower stopped rolling around, her eyes red, and lay down on the ground. She soon began to sob.

Song Jin shook her head, grabbed the person by the collar and lifted them up. Then she looked at Ningning beside her, reaching out to grab her. Ningning jumped up and grabbed her hand, blinking her big, white, and tender eyes, looking obedient and sweet, with a childish voice.

"I'll beat it up myself."

Song Jin pinched her cheek: "Don't try to act cute, you're not exactly an honest person either."

Ningning pouted and turned her head to the side, pouting.

Ignoring the two children's little tantrums, Song Jin picked them up and led them back the way they came.

The two of them had already run to the south side of the city. This area was crowded and chaotic, with many shacks and small houses. And now that it was snowing, it was easy for them to hide. Song Jin was only able to find them thanks to the Thousand-Mile Insect.

Song Jin glanced at the silly bee on her shoulder, then turned her head and pressed it down.

The round, silly-looking bee chirped, its head drooping.

She couldn't help but think back to half a year ago. It was because of this same dimwit that her ambush of Song Xingzhi was exposed, she was recognized, her mother's Gu worms went berserk, and they came to the capital, step by step, until they reached where they are now.

It seems like nothing much was done, but life changed little by little.

Song Jin's narrow phoenix eyes swept over the surroundings as she led the two children through the rows of houses and high walls. Night had fallen, the darkness unfathomable, with only the faint glow of candles hanging by the doorways illuminating the falling snow. Occasionally, rustling sounds could be heard from the surroundings, but mostly silence prevailed.

The snowy and slippery conditions even made the thieves behave themselves.

There were only the three of them on the way.

"Hey, Princess," came Xiaohua's hesitant voice, "If that woman can adopt us, why can't you? Ningning and I will be good."

Ningning tilted her head back and said in a childish voice, "Be good."

Song Jin's lips twitched, speechless: "How old is Yang Yanjun? How old am I? How could I have children as old as you? You all have such high and mighty dreams. Do you even know who I am?"

Xiao Hua pouted: "I know, Princess."

Ningning: Sister Jinjin

Song Jin snorted lightly, tilted her chin up, and said with a hint of smugness in her eyes, "You'll find out later."

Her fiancé is the undisputed crown prince. These two little brats may have ambitions, but forget it. Putting that aside, even if she were just an ordinary countrywoman, she couldn't possibly take in two brats who would only cause her trouble.

They only need her as their child.

Song Jin looked smugly at the two little brats and teased, "But if you two were to come and work as maids in my house, it would be more or less acceptable."

Xiao Hua immediately pouted: "I don't want to be a maid who gets beaten and scolded and still has to do chores."

Ningning pouted, "The princess is bad!"

Song Jin: "Looks like you're not that stupid. So why are you running away? Yang Yanjun may be a bit slow, but didn't you get along quite well before?"

Xiaohua fell silent, her head drooping, looking dejected.

It was indeed wonderful. In its moments of happiness, she even wished Yang Yanjun were her mother. But now that she was actually her mother, Xiaohua found it utterly absurd. How could such a pampered young lady be her own mother?

Xiao Hua also knew that Yang Yanjun was previously the wife of a marquis, but they divorced because her biological father was not a good person.

Xiaohua couldn't understand it, felt very upset, and ran away.

As for Ningning, she knew Yang Yanjun was a good person, and she knew that being adopted meant she wouldn't lack food or drink, but she still cared more about Brother Fu and didn't want to be separated from him.

She pouted and said in a childish voice, "Ningning wants to be with Brother Fu."

Song Jin looked down at Ningning's adorable little face and clicked her tongue twice: "You'd better not regret it, or you'll miss this opportunity."

Ningning firmly repeated: "Ningning wants Brother Fu."

Song Jin added, "If you leave with Yang Yanjun, you'll eat meat every day, and you can even give money to Brother Fu and the others every month so they can eat meat too."

Without the slightest hesitation, Ningning raised her voice: "Ningning wants Brother Fu!"

They now earn their own money. The liquor store provides room and board, paying each person two coins a day. They often receive tips for delivering liquor, and the liquor store regularly buys the straw baskets they make. The blacksmith shop also buys small straw pendants. With all the miscellaneous income from the five of them, they can earn anywhere from twenty to over a hundred coins a day.

Ningning proudly emphasized, "We have money."

Song Jin exclaimed, "Wow! How much have you saved up?"

Ningning pinched her fingers and made a three-pointed gesture.

Song Jin raised an eyebrow: "Thirty taels? You're really good at saving that much!"

She looked around and realized that at this rate, by the time she came of age, the family would barely be able to afford a small house.

It's terrible.

But Ningning was very proud; that was thirty taels of silver, enough for them to eat for a super, super long time.

Saving money normally is definitely difficult, but thanks to Song Jin's connections, she knew many wealthy people who would give her a little here and a little there, which added up to quite a bit.

Seeing her smug little face, Song Jin didn't pour cold water on her enthusiasm. She told her to let her talk to Brother Fu herself; whether she continued living an ordinary life or went to the Yang family as a concubine with Xiao Hua, she wouldn't go hungry.

She led the two of them by the hand and escorted them to the wine shop.

Brother Fu and Brother Sheng paced anxiously in front of the liquor store. Lanterns were lit outside, their dim candlelight illuminating the figures in the distance. A group of people rushed over.

Ningning

"Little Flower, Little Flower"

...

Song Jin safely returned the child to the cubs' home, but the matter wasn't over yet. She went to the Yang residence to report that everything was alright. Faced with Yang Yanjun's grief-stricken crying, she was forced to listen to her rambling. By the time she returned, it was almost dawn.

She had just fallen asleep when she heard a crackling sound outside. She rolled over twice, head still buried in her pillow. The warm sunlight streamed in through the window, especially comforting on a winter's day.

Song Jin squinted twice, then opened her eyes, yawned widely, and got out of bed.

The sun was shining brightly outside, but it didn't feel very hot on my skin. I leaned out, and the crackling sound of firecrackers outside grew even louder.

Song Jin rubbed her eyes, still a little sleepy: "Mother, what's going on outside?"

Niu Tielan and Qu Maoze sat under the eaves, several braziers beside them, a heavy chaise lounge in the middle, a pleasant fragrance emanating from them. She frowned, looking at Song Jin, who was only wearing her undergarments: "Put your clothes on."

Song Jin yawned: "It's not cold, I'll bask in the sun for a while."

Niu Tielan just stared at her, his almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears, yet also carrying a sense of pressure.

Song Jin pursed her lips, slowly turned around, went inside to find some comfortable clothes to wear, put them on, walked out the door, sat down next to them, and leaned on the table.

Niu Tielan picked up the incense stick and tapped her on the head: "Get out of the way, you're in my way."

Song Jin yawned and leaned her head on her shoulder, pointing in the direction from which the crackling sound of firecrackers came, and asked, "Why are they all setting off firecrackers?"

A short while later, sounds of gongs and drums came from several other places.

She asked curiously, "Which family got married?"

Niu Tielan was exhausted: "The results of the provincial examination are out."

Those who set off the cannons were naturally families with members who had passed the imperial examinations. Their area had the most prominent and wealthy families, and consequently, the most scholars. The number of successful candidates was definitely the highest in Yong'an City.

Song Jin suddenly realized: "They're out? Oh well, I'll go out and see."

As she tried to run away, Niu Tielan quickly grabbed her, pulled her hair, and said irritably, "What's so interesting about your disheveled hair? The sun is almost setting, everyone's already gone, don't cause trouble here."

Upon hearing this, Song Jin immediately sat up, grabbed her mother, and asked excitedly, "So you passed the exam? You got in?"

Although Yan Sheng's life, whether good or bad, wasn't directly related to her family, the sense of accomplishment was different. She was a promising prospect chosen by her mother, and if she actually passed the exam, it would prove their judgment was good.

The last time I ran into Yan Sheng, judging from his relaxed demeanor—he could still set up a stall—he must have performed quite well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said he'd visit me after the results came out.

He still has some conscience.

As for Shu Chenghao, Song Jin never expected him to pass the exam. As her close friend, it was already incredibly lucky for him to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). As for Gongsheng (a student who passed the provincial-level imperial examinations), Song Jin thought it would be more likely that he would go home next year to burn down his ancestral graves before coming back.

Song Jin clung to Niu Tielan, her phoenix eyes sparkling as she looked at her, filled with excitement and anticipation. A closer look revealed dark circles at the corners of her eyes.

These past few days have been quite eventful with Xiaohua and Ningning.

Niu Tielan felt sorry for her daughter, who had been up all night. She reached out and touched the corner of her eye, sighing, "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

Song Jin shook his head and said with a grin, "It's no big deal, Mother. Didn't you always say you wanted me to experience the hardships of raising me? See, this is karma."

Niu Tielan tapped her head impatiently and sneered, "Nonsense! What retribution? Those two kids are nothing compared to you. You underestimate yourself."

That's too much of a fuss about the trauma she suffered as a mother over the years.

These two brats only ran away from home for half a day, and they were even in the city. This person in front of her could go into the deep mountains alone for five or six days when she was only four or five years old. She was almost scared out of her wits back then.

Song Jin was speechless: "...Mother, you really think highly of your daughter."

Niu Tielan snorted and turned to Qu Maoze to tell him about Song Jin's childhood exploits: climbing trees and swimming were a piece of cake for him, catching poisonous snakes, provoking bears, teasing wild boars, and catching giant pythons...

For a while, her backyard almost turned into a zoo, full of all sorts of random things, which scared her so much that she didn't dare leave her bedroom.

Qu Maoze had never experienced anything like this before, nor had he ever truly raised a child. He couldn't imagine the danger and fear; he only felt that his child was indeed his own, born so capable.

Looking at Song Jin, who was not much shorter than him, he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Jin Jin is amazing!"

Song Jin looked at him with more appreciation: "You have excellent taste."

Qu Maoze chuckled: "Thank you."

Niu Tielan was a little annoyed by this, and gently pinched his hand, scolding, "Just go along with her then."

Qu Maoze chuckled, turning his phoenix eyes, filled with longing for Song Jin, to look at her, a deep, tender affection hidden within: "My daughter, if I don't obey her, who will I obey?"

Song Jin felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, shifted her eyes, and muttered with a pout, "Smooth talker."

Qu Maoze sighed

He was truly sincere, but the child was too stubborn and had a strong temper.

Niu Tielan glanced at him, her willow-leaf eyebrows fluttering, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, and she pouted: How did it go last time?

Qu Maoze was even more helpless. He turned to look at Song Jin and saw that she had her head down, her smooth, thick hair cascading down her back. She was strikingly beautiful, yet exuded a strong sense of aggression; one look at her and you could tell she wasn't someone easy to talk to.

He took a deep breath, looked at Niu Tielan, and indicated that he felt he could try again.

Try it, try it, it'll be fun if you get to call me "brother" next year.

Niu Tielan glanced at him, snorted, and, too lazy to watch his bravado, turned to Song Jin, then slapped her across the face. She cried out in annoyance, "You brat, will your hand break if you don't do this every day? Let go of me right now!"

Song Jin awkwardly put down the aromatherapy diffuser in her hand, muttering, "Stingy girl."

Niu Tielan glared: "If you keep making a fuss, go play somewhere else."

Song Jin pouted, then lay on the table again, her long arms hanging limply at the other end: "Mom, you still haven't said whether you passed the exam or not."

Niu Tielan took a deep breath: "What do you think?"

Song Jin immediately perked up: "You really passed the exam! What was your ranking? Top score? Second place? Third place?"

Niu Tielan was speechless: "What kind of exam do you think this is? If he were such a prodigy, he would be overwhelmed by the rich families in the county, and we wouldn't be the ones to sponsor him."

Of course, Yan Sheng hasn't lacked sponsors in recent years, but most of them are ordinary merchants. Although he is intelligent, there are too many outstanding people in the academy, and he isn't particularly exceptional.

Luck played a large part in his success in this imperial examination. He was able to take the exam in his area of ​​expertise, and the Qing County government had also performed exceptionally well in the previous examination, which meant that most of the top candidates had left, allowing him to snag a spot.

His family was poor, so wealthy and influential families looked down on him, and even if they did, they were arrogant. He didn't want to waste his time on families without any connections.

With financial support from Niu Tielan, scholarships from the college, and some extra money earned from copying books, he had enough to live on for the time being.

but

"Yan Sheng is still very capable. He has worked hard over the years. This time, out of 360 candidates, he ranked 97th, which is above average. If he performs well, he has a good chance of passing the palace examination."

Niu Tielan's eyes were gentle as she sincerely praised him.

Putting aside the potential marriage, it's a great joy that Yan Sheng, whom I've mentored and supported, has become a tribute student.

Seeing her happy expression, Qu Maoze chuckled, "Song Xingzhi still has some research notes from the imperial examinations; we'll send them over later."

He naturally looked down on a mediocre scholar, but since it was his wife who had chosen him, he was happy to offer some assistance so that the person could go further in life. As for how far they could go, that depended entirely on the individual.

Niu Tielan didn't refuse his offer, and smiled, "Alright, let him come tomorrow and take it away. We'll exchange it back after the palace examination."

In contrast to their 'emphasis', Song Jin lost interest in inquiring after hearing 97th place. She yawned and muttered, "Almost 100th, that's too far off."

Seeing her still complaining, Niu Tielan was speechless: "Even if you went, you wouldn't get a hundredth place, let alone ten thousandth."

Song Jin retorted, "That's a written exam. If you're so capable, let's have a martial arts exam. I'll bring you first place!"

Niu Tielan took a deep breath and waved her hand: "Yan Sheng and Shu Chenghao are coming tomorrow, so don't you dare run off."

Yan Sheng had been waiting for the results these past few days, and as soon as they came out today, he brought his visiting card with them.

Whether it was out of gratitude for the past or for the sake of the Song family, at least on the surface, things were acceptable.

Niu Tielan was still satisfied.

Song Jinqie: "What a distinguished guest, ninety-seven years old!"

Niu Tielan raised his hand as if to slap him.

Song Jin darted away, picked up a twig to casually pin up her hair, then stuck out her tongue, shook her head, and deliberately skipped away: "Going out to play, don't bother saving me any food."

Niu Tielan was speechless, staring at her as she disappeared through the door. She slowly lowered her raised hand, then slapped it on Qu Maoze's leg, angrily saying, "It's all your fault! Don't you know how old she is? She has no manners at all, just goes along with her."

Qu Maoze grasped her hand and chuckled, "You're still young, you haven't even reached the age of marriage yet, what's the rush?"

Niu Tielan retorted, "How could I not be anxious?"

If her daughter had fallen for anyone else, she wouldn't be in a hurry; she could just divorce them if it didn't work out. But it was Qi Zheng, the undisputed future crown prince—how could she not be anxious?

Qu Maoze sighed helplessly, "What do you call this? The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is. The emperor himself hasn't said anything, so why are you so anxious?"

Niu Tielan paused, thinking about it carefully, and it seemed to make sense. But then she pinched his leg, annoyed, "What do you mean? How can you talk to your daughter like that?"

Qu Maoze: ...

To be honest, with him, his daughter is definitely more obedient than his mother.