Chapter 253 Give Up
Sanwa ran back to his room and closed the door; Song Chunxue couldn't catch him.
He's become quite capable now; not only does he talk back, but he also helps her with important life events.
"You brat, you don't need to worry about my affairs. Just focus on your studies. If I find you've been slacking off lately, you can go home and farm!"
Sanwa replied with a smile, "I know, Mother, don't worry, these things won't interfere with my studies."
"Stop reading those storybooks, or I'll break your legs!"
"I didn't look at them. Didn't Mother notice? I've already sent those notebooks to Mother's room. Mother knows more characters, she'll definitely be able to understand them."
"..." Song Chunxue really didn't notice.
She turned back into the house and found that in the central attic of the north room, there were three shelves stacked with some old books that had been read too many times.
I picked up a book at random; the cover said "Spring and Autumn Annals," but inside it was "The Romance of the Western Chamber."
Song Chunxue had heard of *The Romance of the Western Chamber*, but did not know the specifics of its story.
She didn't know many characters, but when she opened it, she recognized half of the characters, even if she didn't know any characters at all.
I feel like I recognize them all, but I'm not sure what they mean.
Isn't there the "Shuowen Jiezi" (a dictionary of Chinese characters)? If she encounters a character she doesn't recognize, she can just look it up and identify it.
When she learned that the book was about Cui Yingying, the daughter of a prime minister, and Zhang Junrui, a scholar, falling in love at first sight, she immediately lit an oil lamp, sat on the bed, and began to read.
This is truly a great way to learn to read. Song Chunxue opened two books at the same time, moistened her lips with saliva as she turned the pages, and read with great interest.
This fascinating story compelled her to become eager to learn, and she consulted various books on literacy to find out the meanings of the characters she hadn't yet learned.
When she read the most exciting parts, she only regretted that she didn't know enough characters. Even with direct pronunciation and fanqie (a method of indicating pronunciation in traditional Chinese dictionaries), she couldn't find the correct pronunciation for a particular character.
Fortunately, the "Shuowen Jiezi" (a dictionary of Chinese characters) allowed her to understand the general meaning, and by connecting it with the context, she became completely engrossed in it.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she felt her face turn red with embarrassment as she read those words that she only vaguely understood.
She then copied down the words she couldn't read, intending to ask Sanwa about them the next day.
As she looked at the books, Song Chunxue couldn't help but sigh. It turned out that besides those books that could increase knowledge and help people rise in rank, there were also books like this... books that were so unbearable to look at, yet so irresistible.
No wonder when she was worried that Sanwa and Lao Si wouldn't consummate their marriage, they both seemed to understand perfectly well.
The book even talks about this kind of thing!
You only realize how little you know when you need it.
She finally understood what it meant for a sow to be stuck in a fence, unable to move forward or backward.
Because she didn't recognize many of the characters, it took her a long time to figure out what those few characters meant, which was both frustrating and annoying.
No, she needs to learn to read as soon as possible.
Otherwise, she would find it too difficult to read such a good book.
Before she knew it, her eyelids felt heavy, so she tossed the book aside and fell asleep.
Perhaps the book's content was too vivid; she was still savoring it in her half-awake state.
She opened her eyes when the rooster crowed for the first time.
Her mind was a complete mess, so she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
She didn't get up quickly until she heard the door open in the east room, and went to make breakfast for Sanwa.
Eating steamed buns and drinking soup makes you hungry very easily. Song Chunxue kneaded the dough last night, and it must be very chewy after waking up all night.
She rolled the soft dough thin, cut it into strips about two fingers wide, smeared it with oil, pinched it in her hand, and put it into the boiling potato soup. Cabbage leaves floated on top, making it much better than what she used to eat during the New Year.
It also had two spoonfuls of stir-fried minced meat on top.
After reading in the yard for a while, Sanwa came back and exclaimed as soon as he entered the kitchen, "Mom, it's like New Year's every day in our house! It smells so good!"
Song Chunxue thought to herself that she wouldn't do it for nothing; when he came back that night, there would be a bunch of words waiting for him to teach her.
"Let's finish eating quickly, Mother should go see Lord Xie off."
"..." Song Chunxue looked up at Sanwa, "You used to be the fourth one, but now you're not behaving yourself either."
“Mother has received such a great favor from you, so it’s fine for you to see me off at the city gate and show your face. You don’t have to say anything; just watching from afar would be good enough,” Sanwa said seriously. “I was just talking nonsense last night, so please don’t take it to heart, Mother.”
Song Chunxue nodded. He was right. It was only right and proper for her to see Lord Xie off.
Upon arriving at the city gate, all I could see were dark heads; they were all there to see off Lord Xie.
She went around in a big circle until she came to a place where Lord Xie could see her, and quietly watched him.
The wind was unusually strong today, blowing his dark red clothes up like flags.
He was still wearing black official boots, the fine material tightly wrapped around his calves, making him look handsome and well-proportioned.
Xie Zheng was talking to another person dressed in official robes and hat, while the common people kept stuffing things into his arms, telling him to eat on the road.
Many people were reluctant to see him go and even cried.
Xie Zheng laughed and said that he was just going back to Beijing to visit relatives, not that he wasn't coming back, but no one believed him.
The high-ranking officials from the capital had already been in this small place, where all they could see was dry yellow earth, for more than half a year. They couldn't bear to let them stay here any longer, enduring the yellow winds and dust storms of spring, with sand and dust filling the air.
In summer, the loess soil here can sprout lush greenery. If the heavens take a nap and forget to rain, even the green will droop and wither.
Song Chunxue thought to herself, if he were to return, she must come in the height of summer or autumn, when this small town is full of beautiful colors.
Just as he stood on the carriage, as if sensing Song Chunxue's gaze, he smiled and waved to her.
Song Chunxue smiled and waved at him, almost getting pushed to the ground by the excited crowd around her.
Xie Zheng subconsciously reached out to steady him, which made the people who came to see him off burst into laughter, shouting, "Lord Xie, stand firm!"
After he climbed into the carriage, he stuck his head out of the window and continued waving. Song Chunxue was pushed aside and almost tripped.
"Be careful." Someone steadied her from behind, then quickly let go.
Mei Yang watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, her eyes and brows displaying a gentle smile rarely seen before.
"Was he saying goodbye to you just now? Give up, he won't come back to this small town for a woman, no, a widow."
"None of your business. I didn't tell him to come back." Song Chunxue turned around and walked back. She reached for her waist and realized that she had forgotten to bring her knife when she left.
She quickly walked back, not wanting Mei Yang to follow.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look down on widows..."
Hearing this, Song Chunxue stopped and turned to look at him with a smile. "It's no use looking down on you. Even if I were a widow, I wouldn't be interested in you. You should focus your attention on unmarried girls. With your reputation, there are plenty of women willing to marry you."
After saying that, she turned and walked back without looking back.
Thankfully, she didn't follow.
Back home, she pulled a donkey cart to go outside and haul soil to plant some vegetables in the yard and on the high walls of the fortress.
She also heard that there is a type of rose that blooms several times a year and only fades in late autumn.
It would be great if we could plant just one.
She tucked the dagger into her waistband and hauled three cartloads of soil from the wasteland by the roadside to take home.
On the fourth trip, Mei Yang leaned against the gate of her house.
"Sister Song, what are you doing hauling dirt? Such hard work should be done by men. How much do you need? I'll haul it for you."
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