Chapter 198 Family Members
It was already the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, and Song Chunxue never expected that her second brother would make a special trip for the two dogs.
His family must be quite busy.
"Second Brother, what brings you here today? You could have come after the New Year. You must be busy at home lately, right?" Song Chunxue wiped her hands on her apron. "Second Brother, please come inside and have some tea. It's so cold today, the coldest time of winter. You must have caught a chill on the way here."
Song Zhizhu entered the room, and Sanwa had already lit the tea stove.
"Second Uncle, come sit down and have some tea. My mother is making fried dough sticks today. They're fresh out of the pan. Eat them while they're hot." Sanwa smiled and walked out. "I'm going to check on the puppy."
“Go ahead, those two are both little wolfhounds. They’ll be fierce guard dogs when they grow up. I had to ask a lot of people for help to get them.” As he spoke, Song Zhizhu rubbed his almost frozen hands and warmed them by the tea stove.
Song Chunxue felt very guilty. "I'm not in a hurry to have it, why is Second Brother more concerned than I am?"
Song Zhizhu chuckled, "You forgot? Last time you gave me a small silver brick. I shared half with your second sister, and I still have a full five taels of silver left."
"I've taken so many benefits from you, and all I get are two dogs? If you don't take it seriously, I won't have a peaceful New Year." He smiled broadly, looking at his youngest cousin with gratitude and heartache.
"But as your second brother, I have to say something to you. Everyone looks out for themselves. You just got some money and before you even had a chance to enjoy it, you gave it away everywhere. And it caused quite a stir, especially with your third sister. She had a huge fight with Zhao Qian, saying that you gave her money. Now many people know that you have money."
Song Zhizhu said earnestly, "Don't flaunt your wealth. Be careful at home from now on. I'm worried you won't sleep soundly at night. What if someone climbs over the wall? A person's ears are not as good as a dog's. Having two wolfhounds to watch over you is more reliable than having two servants."
Song Chunxue nodded repeatedly, "Second brother is right, I wasn't careful enough. But my sisters and second brother have been so good to me, I was worried that it wouldn't be safe to keep it at home, so I shared some with you first, and now it's almost all spent."
At this point, she got up and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), taking a cloth bag from the kang cabinet.
"I gave fabric to all my older sisters last time, but I didn't prepare anything for my second brother. I've made him a long satin vest these past few days. Do you like it?"
Song Zhizhu smiled and accepted the clothes with a chuckle, saying, "I've never worn such bright clothes before, how could I possibly accept this?"
"Don't be embarrassed," Song Chunxue said with a gentle smile as she sat down to pour tea for her second brother. "Second brother, there's no need to be modest. This was originally made for you."
Song Zhizhu was absolutely thrilled. He grinned foolishly, got up, and put the top on. "Look, how is it?"
"It fits perfectly. Luckily, I made it a bit loose. If it were too tight, Second Brother would look like a fat, nouveau riche." Song Chunxue raised her hand and smoothed his back, her heart filled with joy.
She was very satisfied with her skills.
Afterwards, they chatted and drank tea.
As the year draws to a close, everyone is planning how to have a good New Year.
No matter how poor a family is, the children should not be poor during the Chinese New Year.
All year round, children look forward to those few days when they can wear new clothes, eat delicious food, get together to play and set off firecrackers, and let others praise their new clothes.
Song Zhizhu said that he also raised a few rabbits. Knowing that Song Chunxue did not like killing, he killed them, wrapped them in paper, and brought them in a cloth bag he carried on his shoulder.
"How many pigs did you raise this year, second brother? Is it enough to feed us?"
“That’s enough to eat. You don’t need to worry about sending me anything,” Song Zhizhu took a couple of sips of tea. “I heard you had a falling out with the boss. Now that you have money, didn’t you share some with him?”
Song Chunxue's smile faded. She took a bite of the fried dough and said in a low voice, "He's gotten too big for his britches. He's even divided the family property. He's going to haggle with me over a little bit of money. Why should I share it with him?"
"But he was born from you after all..."
“Because he is my son, I know what he is thinking. I can’t expect him to take care of me when I’m old. Because of Chen Feng, he might blame me in a few years,” Song Chunxue sneered. “The knife that your own son stabs you with hurts the most. I don’t want to always regret it because of him.”
"Anyway, he's doing very well now. I just asked Lao Si to give him some meat, which is more than enough." As she said this, Song Chunxue's eyes involuntarily moistened. "You haven't seen him make me angry, so I won't care about him anymore. Anyway, if I'm not doing well, he's not going to help me."
Song Zhizhu nodded, "Yes, the flowers that are dyed are not colored. You used to love the eldest brother the most, and you wished you could give him your heart. It is reasonable for you to do this now."
"Ah, the hearts of parents are all the same. I saw Chen Feng go home alone last time, but she probably didn't stay there for long before coming back."
Song Chunxue paused, her mockery deepening.
In this way, her trip to the Chen family last time seems like a joke.
But she wasn't surprised.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate. As a mother, if someone uses such crooked and evil methods against her son, it wouldn't be excessive for her to come to the Chen family's door and smash it with a cleaver.
Now, if the eldest brother brings good gifts to the Chen family to seek peace, that is his own business.
"Let's not talk about that. I have something to ask you," Song Zhizhu glanced at her expression, lowered his voice, and hesitated before asking, "I heard you went to the county several times. Were you going to buy a house?"
“Yes, Second Brother guessed it,” Song Chunxue said without hiding anything. “I didn’t tell the two children, especially the fourth one. He always clamors to go out and make his way in the world. He’s so determined that I can’t stop him. So I just let him go.”
Having been through similar experiences, Song Zhizhu, as an observer, was better able to see Song Chunxue's thoughts.
“That’s fine. If he finds out you have money to buy a courtyard, he might stay at home and become a lazy young master. You can’t afford to support him.” Song Zhizhu sighed. “But the fourth son is much more honest than my second son. At least he doesn’t cause any trouble. He’s been gone for several months now, and we haven’t heard a word from him.”
When it comes to children, few parents can smile the whole time.
Let's not talk about it.
"Second brother, you wait here for a moment, I'll go cook, it'll be ready soon."
Song Zhizhu stood up. "I'm not eating anymore. I'm going home early. I still need to steam some buns tomorrow. Your sister-in-law is waiting for me."
At this point, Song Zhizhu seemed to remember something and pulled a rolled-up piece of cloth from a bag next to him.
“This is an undergarment your sister-in-law embroidered for you. She knew you liked her handiwork, so she specially bought peach-pink fabric and made it for you.”
Song Chunxue was flattered and surprised, "Sister-in-law embroidered this for me personally?"
"Oh right, and this too. These are earrings your fourth sister bought for you. There are three pairs in total. She knows that even if you have money, you wouldn't buy them for yourself because you're afraid of showing off."
Song Zhizhu laughed and said, "Your fourth sister has always been clever. She knows that you will be moving away soon after the New Year, but you still have a lot of grain to pack up. You don't like to deal with the people on the estate either. Around the fifteenth of the first lunar month, let's come together and clean up the grain stacks in your field, shall we?"
Song Chunxue's eyes reddened, and she nodded gently.
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