Chapter 20 Standing Up for the Future Daughter-in-Law
In the past, she didn't want her eldest son to be unhappy, and she thought that the children should solve their own problems.
From now on, she will no longer stand idly by.
Moreover, the eldest son's courtyard is located in a very far place, so there will be no daily contact, which can avoid a lot of conflicts.
Moreover, she had already died once, and was no longer as confused as before, nor did she target Xia Mulan at every turn.
Upon reflection, it's understandable that she was so muddle-headed in her past life, and that her children weren't close to her.
But she couldn't understand where the children got their heartlessness from.
She was forgetful about small things, but she never wronged them on important matters...
Fine, all she wants in this life is to treat herself well and, incidentally, make up for what she did to Sanwa and her wife.
She talked with Xia Ying sincerely for a long time, and only left when Xia Ying was able to work in the fields.
When we got home, Sanwa was already up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Where did Mother go?" he asked casually.
In the past, Sanwa would never have asked her that question.
But during this time, she was intentionally or unintentionally kind to him, and he and Song Chunxue were no longer as distant as before.
"I've gone to find you a wife," Song Chunxue said seriously. "You're sixteen now, a good girl should be settled down soon."
Sanwa's face instantly turned red. He scratched the back of his head and looked away, saying awkwardly, "Mother, I'm still young."
"You're not young anymore. Your eldest brother's wife was engaged when he was seventeen. If it weren't for Chen Feng's father wanting to keep her at home for two more years to work, she would have two children by now."
Sanwa suddenly stood up. "I'm going to herd the sheep."
Song Chunxue chuckled to herself, then suddenly saw the second son emerge from the east room.
"Why doesn't Mother find me a wife? I'm older than Sanwa, so it should be my turn." The second son said with a sullen face, "You're favoring Sanwa now, but he might not take care of you in the future."
Song Chunxue's smile faded. "Whether it's you educated people or not, it's Sanwa who I've nagged about his whole life."
"..." The second brother was quite intimidated by her gaze.
"Besides, didn't you say you don't like uneducated, silly girls? You want to find a beautiful, rich girl in the future. When you go to the military camp, you'll meet the sister of a wealthy young man and marry her."
After saying that, Song Chunxue stood up. "By the way, you're leaving the day after tomorrow, right? I have something for you."
As she spoke, she walked into the north room.
Upon hearing this, the second son smiled and followed his mother around happily.
He knew that his mother would not mistreat him.
Opening the heavy wooden box, Song Chunxue took out a cloth bag wrapped in three layers.
In front of the second son, she untied the cloth and handed him a square piece of silver.
“You’re destined to be someone important. Even though you didn’t pass the exam, you were selected by the elite army, so you’re likely to do well in the future. If you do well, you can get rid of your life of constant risking your life. As long as you’re doing well, I’m at ease.”
“I used to say that you would take care of me in the future, but I won’t say that anymore.” Song Chunxue patted his shoulder. “You have your own paths to follow, and I won’t force you.”
The second son stroked the silver plaque tied with a black rope, remaining motionless.
Upon closer reflection, the reason why the second son was so filial to his mother-in-law was because he didn't ask his family for a single penny when he got married; it was his wife's older brother who arranged the wedding.
The second son's wife's family lives in the south, a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, fertile land, and lush green trees everywhere.
Since he chose that place, abandoning this barren and desolate land was a wise move.
The second child is not wrong; she is.
Song Chunxue was persistent her whole life, yet she was unhappy her whole life.
She then pulled out two taels of silver from the box. "Take these with you on your journey. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself."
"Your mother is just a farmer. If I can't help you, don't blame me. Your father passed away early, and I think I've done my best."
She couldn't even imagine the hardships she had endured, the backbreaking manual labor she had to do.
She didn't want to experience that kind of deep-seated exhaustion again.
“You don’t need to worry about things at home from now on,” Song Chunxue said, wiping away her tears as she turned her back to him. “Just focus on your future. I’m still young, and I have three kids to take care of.”
"But if you encounter difficulties, remember that we are still your family."
She bit her lip and spoke each word she hadn't told him in her past life.
Salty tears slid into her mouth; she seemed to have no regrets about her second son.
She went out of the north room, took her tools, and went up the mountain.
In the future, the mother and son will gradually drift apart until they become strangers.
She no longer expected anything from him in return; the resentment and bitterness in her heart vanished with the wind, leaving her feeling relaxed and at ease.
She stood on the mountaintop, the wormwood in her basket towering high, not in a hurry to go home.
Over the years, she has rarely stopped to do anything leisurely or enjoyable.
Today, she wanted to be willful and watch the sunset.
Just then, she heard the sounds of children laughing and shouting, mixed with the crying of a girl, coming from the poplar grove not far away.
She got up from the ground, picked up her basket, and walked into the woods.
“You better be stubborn, be stubborn! This is a tree on our estate, not some wild outsider like you…”
Several teenage boys are throwing clods of dirt at a girl.
If I'm not mistaken, the girl who is holding her head in her hands, lying on the ground and crying softly is Xia Mulan.
Well, that brat dares to bully Sanwa's wife!
"What are you doing?" Song Chunxue shouted.
The boys who were herding the donkeys scattered and turned to look at her.
Seeing that it was Song Chunxue, they didn't take it seriously and kicked Xia Mulan in the leg.
Xia Mulan sobbed softly.
"What are you doing!" Song Chunxue put down her basket, ran over quickly, and kicked the boy. "This is my Sanwa's wife. If you dare kick her, I'll break your legs!"
As she spoke, she raised the shovel in her hand and chased after them.
"You're really something, bullying a girl just because you have more people. You're destined to be bachelors!"
At that moment, one of the children hit her with a branch in his hand.
A tingling, stinging sensation spread throughout my body.
Song Chunxue was instantly enraged and quickly chased after the person, kicking him to the ground.
The teenagers were already as tall as her, but they weren't as strong as her.
She stomped him to the ground and pressed down hard on his shoulder, saying, "You think you can hit me? You're still too green."
The young man had dark skin, and it was clear that he spent most of his time herding donkeys outdoors.
The face is unfamiliar; it must be from a village on the other side of the mountain.
"Mulan, come here," Song Chunxue called to Xia Mulan. "Hit him back just like he hit you!"
The other children stood at a distance, wanting to go forward to help but unwilling to, watching the commotion with mischievous smiles.
Xia Mulan wiped away her tears and stood up, slowly walking towards Song Chunxue.
"Let me go!" The boy on the ground began to struggle, gritting his teeth and looking very humiliated.
Song Chunxue slapped him, "This is called the wheel of fortune turning. When you bully others because you think you can, you should have thought that others could bully you in the same way."
"Don't move, or I'll come to your house and demand an explanation. You're the one who's acting tough in the woods on our estate! You're the real outsider!"
As Xia Mulan watched, she kicked the young man on the ground twice and slapped him on the head twice.
"Aunt Song, that's how he hit me just now."
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