Chapter 1263 Heavenly Secrets Must Not Be Revealed
Song Chunxue went outside and opened the wooden door to the outer courtyard.
Outside the door stood two boys, about ten years old, dark-skinned and thin.
"Could...could you give us some food? We're out of flour at home, and my mother sent me out to beg for food. Your...your house is the prettiest."
The implication is that there seems to be no shortage of food.
"This yard is empty, but I brought some food back recently. I'll go get it for you later." Song Chunxue went to the new house, took an old burlap sack, filled it with some wheat, and wrapped a few steamed buns in a piece of white cloth.
She gave them a basket, saying, "Put some food in there, and tell them you went weeding, otherwise someone might steal it."
The two boys nodded vigorously.
"Thank you, Auntie. I wish you a long and healthy life and all the best."
"Auntie, you are a good person. I will remember you. When we have a better life in the future, we will definitely repay you."
The two boys talked and wiped away tears, saying they wanted to kneel down.
"Get up, get up, don't be like this," Song Chunxue patted their heads. "By the way, you should eat your fill before going back. Come on in."
The two children looked at each other, somewhat hesitant.
"Come in, shall I offer you some snacks?" Song Chunxue casually picked up two small pebbles and handed them to them. "Would you like this candy?"
The two children put it in their mouths and smiled happily.
But they soon realized that the candy had no taste.
"Try chewing it up and swallowing it."
The two children were very obedient; they chewed it up and swallowed it.
"It doesn't have much flavor, but it's not bad," said a slightly taller boy with bigger eyes. "Thank you, Auntie."
Song Chunxue was overjoyed and gave him another small one, saying, "Here, this one is for you too."
The other child clearly didn't want to eat.
Then Song Chunxue found them real candy, a handful for each of them, each piece wrapped in oil paper.
They both grinned from ear to ear, peeled a fruit and popped it into their mouths, then sat obediently on the bench.
Song Chunxue was worried that they would upset their stomachs if they ate snacks first, so she gave them steamed buns first.
They each ate one, and they ate very quickly, clearly because they were very hungry.
Song Chunxue seemed to see her former self in them, and silently poured them water to drink.
Towards the end of the meal, they ate while shedding tears.
To avoid upsetting them, Song Chunxue asked them where they came from, who their families were, how they ended up begging, and how their harvest was this year.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that they were from the same village where Song Chunxue had once begged for food.
Their parents had several daughters before having a son.
They are not biological brothers, but their fathers are brothers, born a month apart. The older one is called Da Dou (Soybean) and the younger one is called Xiao Dou (Little Bean).
The other sisters don't have names; they're listed in order: eldest, second eldest, and third eldest.
Soybeans are the fourth oldest in the family, while red beans are the fifth.
Song Chunxue didn't ask any more questions; it would be pointless and only add to her troubles.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they got up and wiped the bench with their sleeves, their movements restrained yet polite.
“Auntie, we should go home now. My mother is still in her postpartum period. We’ll make her some steamed buns when we get back.” Xiaodou smiled and wiped her tears with her sleeve. “This time she finally gave birth to a little brother.”
Song Chunxue asked, "How old is your mother this year?"
"Twenty-three."
She took out a bottle of medicine and gave it to Xiaodou, saying, "Give this to your mother. It's to replenish her qi and blood. Give it to her secretly, and don't give it to anyone else. If you want your mother to stay with you for a few more years."
Xiaodou paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously with a pout, tears welling up in her eyes but ultimately not falling.
"Okay, thank you very much, Auntie. I'll kowtow to you."
"Oh, you silly child." Song Chunxue turned to look at the stubborn donkey standing not far away. "Come here and take them home."
The stubborn donkey arrogantly raised its head, glanced sideways, and pondered for a while.
Then he strolled over and moved his lips.
That means he wants stones.
Song Chunxue took out a piece the size of an egg, "There aren't many left, so use them sparingly."
"Pfft~" The stubborn donkey snorted, even though there were still two baskets left.
"Pat~" Song Chunxue patted his back, "Thank you for your hard work, come back soon."
The two girls were a little surprised, but they still didn't refuse.
This horse seems very intelligent, and this aunt doesn't look like an ordinary person either.
Before they came here, they met an old man carrying a hoe who said that they would definitely be able to get food at this place, and that the woman here was a formidable person who would give them whatever they asked for.
I didn't expect it to be true.
This time they met some good people.
Watching the stubborn donkey walk away with the two children, Song Chunxue heard footsteps from afar, turned around and closed the courtyard gate.
None of the people in this village have reached that point. Even if they have, they've already asked the eldest son for food.
Most of the people who come to her now want something else.
It's late tonight, I just want to get some rest.
Thankfully, the footsteps faded away after she closed the door.
She tiptoed and peeked; it was Cheng's wife.
Then there's even less reason to pay attention to it.
She meditated until dawn, but Wuyou remained motionless.
At dawn, she went to the inner courtyard and saw the white-haired old woman, who was still asleep.
Worry-free slowly twirled in the air before landing back on the white rabbit fur blanket.
"I'm watching, you just don't believe me."
"You still can't rely too much on others. You almost lost your life twice. You're not a god, that's normal."
"..." Wuyou hummed twice and then fell silent.
Suddenly, she sensed something was wrong.
He quickly went outside.
The next moment, the person under the apricot tree on the sidelines, looking up at the apricots turning yellow, slowly turned their head.
He smiled and said, "You got up quite early today, it's not even dawn yet."
Song Chunxue smiled and said, "Senior brother."
My closest senior brother is even closer than family; it feels like I have a powerful backer.
"I noticed you've got something good again, so I came here specifically to ask about it." Zhang Chengxuan got straight to the point, the Cangyun Sword in his hand gleaming, exuding an ethereal aura.
Song Chunxue knew it all. "Come with me."
"Don't rush, have some tea first. I think those apricot wood stumps over there are quite nice." With that, he sheathed his sword, rolled up his sleeves, and went to gather firewood.
Song Chunxue picked up the basket. "We can't just drink tea. I'll stir-fry some cabbage and vermicelli for you. Do you want an egg?"
"Yes, that's fine. If you're adding eggs, add more cabbage and lard." That way, the sweetness of the cabbage will mask the dry, fishy smell of the eggs.
"My senior brother really knows how to eat." Suddenly, she remembered that her senior brother had taught her how to cook fish, and she wanted to eat fish.
Before long, Song Chunxue brought out a long willow wood tray and took out a plate of steaming hot stir-fried vermicelli, a plate of various kinds of steamed buns, and a plate of green dates.
"Hey, crisp dates," the senior brother casually grabbed two, rubbed them together with his thumb, took a bite, and said, "Mmm, sweet."
Song Chunxue sat cross-legged on the narrow kang (a heated brick bed) in front of the window, with a low table in the middle. The small tea stove on the table was exquisite and delicate, which Master Han had bought for a high price.
Hmm, sitting around a stove brewing tea, not bad.
She handed over a pair of chopsticks, saying, "Here, taste if there's any salt."
Zhang Chengxuan didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks. Inside were eggs and soft cabbage, with bits of meat scattered about. One bite, and the aroma was rich and intense.
My junior apprentice is quite skilled at cooking. The dishes may not look very appealing, but they taste perfectly cooked.
"Hmm, not bad." He gave a thumbs up, took two more bites, ate them in big gulps, and then picked up the tea that Song Chunxue had just poured and drank two sips, exclaiming how satisfying it was.
"So that's why you insisted on staying here to live a quiet life. Turns out you're living such a comfortable life." He picked up a piece of fried egg and put it in his mouth. The pores were filled with soup, and it smelled delicious.
Song Chunxue smiled but didn't reply. Actually, when she was alone, she didn't plan to drink tea; she just wanted to boil some hot water to wash her face.
I just mentioned fasting last night.
Once my senior brother arrived, the matter was dropped.
She took out a handful of transparent stones and placed them on the table. "Look at what this is."
Zhang Chengxuan was taken aback. "Where did you come from?"
"The stubborn donkey found it; it's in the cave."
"Where's the cave?" Zhang Chengxuan slurped up a mouthful of potato starch, his cheeks puffed out as he chewed and picked up his sword. "Come on, take me to see it."
"Senior brother, you still haven't told me what this thing is."
"No rush!" Zhang Chengxuan urged, "Hurry, hurry, put on your shoes, finding the things is the priority, the secrets of heaven must not be revealed!"
Note: This is a very rough chapter... There are new settings and foreshadowing, I hope you like it.
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