Chapter 15 is about Sanwa's wife.
In this arid and barren land, the cooking oil that everyone uses is pressed from sesame seeds.
Sesame seeds are more expensive than wheat, and to achieve a high yield, they need to be planted in flat, fertile soil, just like wheat.
Coarse grains have a higher yield and are less prone to disease; even if planted on steep ridges, the seeds can still be harvested in a drought year.
Sesame oil and wheat bran are worlds apart.
The eldest brother's plan was too shrewd, and Song Chunxue couldn't help but look up at him calmly.
The eldest brother had already carried grain several times, and now his forehead was covered in sweat as he stood at the door waiting for her reply.
“No, nobody wants black face. If you don’t want to eat it yourself, you can feed it to the chickens or pigs. We have two black pigs this year. You can take the smaller one and raise it.”
"But……"
"Don't wait until the New Year to come and divide the meat, I don't have time to raise it for you. If you're going to divide the family, you should divide it thoroughly and clearly."
With that, Song Chunxue closed the granary door and locked it from the outside.
She called out to her second brother, who was standing at a distance watching the spectacle, "Come over and lend a hand, help your eldest brother carry him out."
The second son responded, "Okay."
Upon seeing the second child, the eldest child thought of something.
"Wait a minute, the second brother is leaving, what will happen to his share of grain?" The eldest brother stopped outside the granary, realizing something. "Besides, the second brother will be receiving a salary in the future, so what about all that grain...?"
"Take care of your own business. He can't take that grain with him anyway, so I can only give him more silver. You can divide your share, and don't worry about anything else."
With her back to them, Song Chunxue felt an even greater displeasure with her boss.
She turned her head and looked at him coldly, "I raised you all these years, and now that we're married, you're going against me, saying this isn't allowed and that isn't allowed. I'm already being generous by sharing my things with you. If you're not satisfied, you can give them back to me."
"..." The eldest brother opened his mouth, frowned, and didn't say anything.
He hoisted the bran off the table and huffed and puffed as he walked out.
The houses covered with straw are actually cave dwellings built with mud bricks. They are warm in winter and cool in summer, and were originally inhabited.
After this old courtyard was built, it was used to store hay after sheep were raised there. Actually, there was a stove and a kang (heated brick bed) inside. It was where Song Chunxue and her husband lived when they got married.
They usually call it the grass kiln.
Now, the eldest brother can't wait to move out, simply because he finds living with Song Chunxue and the others annoying.
Song Chunxue could understand this.
But the eldest brother only thought of himself and never cared about others, which chilled Song Chunxue's heart.
However, she wasn't too heartbroken. After all, more than forty years had passed, and her eldest brother had already pierced her heart like a sieve.
She's done with it cleanly; she won't favor the eldest brother in the slightest.
The second and fourth sisters are also leaving, and she wants to leave their portions for herself and the third sister.
However, part of the land in the family belongs to the second son. After the second son stays in the military camp for a year, that land will be given to the eldest son's children.
Sanwa is not married yet, and it's too early for her to have children. She doesn't want the eldest son to take all the good land in the family.
Thinking this way, Song Chunxue felt that she had to arrange Sanwa's marriage as soon as possible.
In his previous life, Sanwa married Xia Mulan, a woman from the Li family in the neighboring village with whom he had a close relationship.
This time, Sanwa's wife must still be her.
Because Song Chunxue had treated her badly in the past, always finding fault with her, the two women had been arguing for half their lives.
In the end, when she was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) unable to move and unable to control her bowel movements, it was Sanwa's wife who washed her quilts and blankets, and sometimes even gave her a bath and applied ointment for bedsores...
This time, she'll treat Sanwa's wife better.
*
In the afternoon, Song Chunxue didn't go to hoe the field; instead, she planned to go to the river bend to cut mustard greens.
Yellow mustard greens grow in the saline-alkali soil at the lowest point of the river bend, and the tender shoots are best picked at the end of March, when they are especially delicious.
Song Chunxue hadn't eaten this vegetable for many years. Now that she was able to walk easily, she wanted to cut more so that she could dry it and use it in cold dishes during the winter.
Yellow mustard greens have a slightly salty taste, which can save you some salt at home.
The river bend was bustling with activity, as many people came to harvest wild mustard greens.
Some people also cut firewood along the riverbanks. It's actually a plant with large leaves that grows in slightly dry saline soil, and sheep love to eat it.
Many people feed pigs with alkaline firewood, which makes the pigs grow faster and eat more.
But Song Chunxue didn't want to waste her energy; it was too strenuous.
The river bend was far from her home, and the roads were not yet smooth. She had to carry the dried firewood home herself.
She will never do that kind of physically demanding work again.
No one cares if she's tired or not; she needs to take good care of her body so as not to cause trouble for her third son's wife in the future.
However, she seems to have seen Sanwa's wife!
Seeing a girl carrying a basket coming down the slope in the distance, Song Chunxue immediately stood up excitedly.
It's Xia Mulan!
She also came to cut some mustard greens for her aunt.
Xia Mulan's home is far away, but she often visits her aunt's house, and her aunt often assigns her chores.
Looking at that slender figure, for some reason, Song Chunxue suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Actually, the mountains near Xia Mulan's home are not as steep as these. Her family's home is on higher ground with flatter terrain, more rainfall, and the river bends are not as deep.
In the past, whenever she and Sanwa upset Xia Mulan, Mulan would cry and say that she hated her aunt and resented her aunt for arranging such a marriage for her.
Knowing full well that the Song family was a pit of fire, her own aunt pushed her into it for a small benefit.
Will Song Chunxue make her Sanwa's wife again this time?
Yes, it must be done.
Otherwise, wouldn't she never see the five children that Sanwa and Mulan had?
This time, she will definitely treat Sanwa well and will definitely not look down on Xia Mulan for not being able to give birth to a girl.
Xia Mulan was fair-skinned and the most capable woman in the village. Her daughter was the most beautiful girl in the village.
If he misses out, where will Sanwa find such a good wife?
With that in mind, Song Chunxue made up her mind.
This time, we must expedite the marriage between Sanwa and Xia Mulan.
Another day, she will bring some nice things and visit Aunt Xia Mulan's house.
Therefore, she did not go up to disturb Xia Mulan, but simply watched her from a distance while cutting the yellow mustard greens.
"What are you looking at?" Zhao Yufang suddenly leaned closer to her. "Xia Ying's niece, she's quite pretty, with a round face and fair skin. She's also very well-behaved. I'm thinking of finding her a wife for my eldest son."
Song Chunxue turned her head and said irritably, "Didn't your eldest brother mention a girl from afar? You're still talking about her? You're too greedy. Mentioning two at once, how many eggs are you wasting?"
When visiting someone's home to propose marriage, it's customary to bring some nice gifts. Eggs are the least desirable item, but they are still considered a prized possession by the people of the village.
Zhao Yufang laughed at her, "Why are you in such a hurry? And you even yelled at me. Have you really taken a fancy to someone else's niece?"
Song Chunxue poked her slender waist, "Be quiet, don't scare the girl. If you leave a bad impression, you'll be in big trouble."
Zhao Yufang squatted down next to her and cut yellow mustard greens.
"That's Xia Ying's own niece. She married into the Li family, a wealthy family with so many boys. How could she possibly marry her niece into your family? Don't dream about it."
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