Chapter 289 How Could There Be Such a Favor?
In her previous life, Song Chunxue relied solely on her words to travel alone to Liangzhou to find Jiang Hongying's home and visit her from afar.
In fact, apart from being illiterate, she was more daring and enterprising than many people in Zhuangzi.
Unfortunately, there were too many things she didn't see clearly in her past life, leading to a tragic end.
Now that she has confidence, she dares to do and think more boldly.
In the past two years, she has become familiar with Zhuanglang County and has also spent two years in quiet contemplation. Through books, she has witnessed the vastness and abundance of the Great Xia Kingdom, its expansive mountains, rivers, and seas. Her heart is no longer satisfied with merely peeking at the outside world through words.
She wanted to see it for herself.
If her senior brother doesn't go, she wants to go alone.
She would go to the county government office as a Taoist priest to obtain a travel permit.
Hongying wrote a letter a few days ago. Although she didn't go into detail about her family's situation, it was clear from the few words that she was not doing well.
Her mother-in-law had a bad temper and made things difficult for Hongying at every turn. They lived in the same courtyard, and Hongying inevitably suffered from her temper.
Besides, that old woman was a formidable character, and Hongying, being weak-willed, could only secretly wipe away her tears.
Two years ago, she thought she shouldn't interfere too much in Hongying's family affairs, but Hongying mentioned in her letter this time that she had been beaten.
Song Chunxue was furious and wrote to Hongying, asking her to bring the child back. However, Hongying was concerned about the child's and husband's reputation and did not want to return.
Since that's the case, she, as the mother, had no choice but to personally support her daughter.
Sitting on the donkey cart, Song Chunxue told Sanwa about the plan.
"What? Mother is going to my sister's house?"
The third child was a little excited, "Is Mother going to support my sister and buy her a yard?"
Song Chunxue laughed and said, "Why does your mother sound so wealthy and powerful, buying a courtyard like that?"
Sanwa chuckled, "Although I don't know exactly how much money Mother has, I can tell from the past two years that if she didn't have the confidence to buy a courtyard for my sister, she wouldn't have gone to her personally."
"Yes, that's true. You can't get support just by arguing a few times. The strongest backing is money. Your brother-in-law has an older brother. His family didn't have the money to build a house, so they live in a courtyard with the elderly and have to be mindful of their feelings."
"It's such a long way. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't dare let a messenger deliver it to her. I'd rather deliver it myself."
Song Chunxue looked at Sanwa and said, "When I'm not home, you'll be in charge of taking care of everything at home. Are you sure you can manage?"
“Sure, why not?” Sanwa patted his chest. “I did all the work while herding sheep without missing a beat. You can go see my sister; I’ll make sure the house is spotless.”
“I believe you. You’re the most capable person in our family.” Song Chunxue patted his head. “Actually, I’ve already found a helper. He comes to our house every day to feed the chickens and livestock, and cooks meals for you in the morning and evening. He leaves as soon as he’s done.”
The third child was surprised, "Why is Mom wasting money? I can do these things myself."
“But you’re preparing for the college entrance exam recently. Although I don’t expect you to pass, I don’t want to hold you back at this crucial moment.”
"You just focus on your studies. Anyway, I have money. I can find a helper for a small amount of money, just a dozen or so coins a day. We've already discussed it."
Judging from Song Chunxue's words, the matter has been settled.
Sanwa couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who did Mother find? Do I know them?"
"It's the second house in our alley. Aunt Wu, who has been visiting me a lot these past two years, said she would cook breakfast and dinner and bring them over. She also feeds the livestock and waters my flowers. She's free anyway, so she can do it on the way when she brings her kids to our house."
"I trust your fifth aunt's character. I've never met anyone whose words and actions make me feel so at ease and without any burden. You know her too, what do you think of her character?"
“Yes,” Sanwa nodded, “She doesn’t ask too many questions or say too much. She’s very sensible. Let’s do as Mother says.”
As they were talking, Sanwa jumped off the donkey cart. "Mother, don't wait for me. I'll catch up soon."
Song Chunxue shook her head helplessly, pulled the donkey to stop, and said, "Why are you urinating so frequently? It's just a trip to see your in-laws, why are you so nervous like you're being tortured?"
Sanwa had his back to her, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Mother, you go first, I'll catch up soon." He said, both embarrassed and annoyed. "I didn't even get married, of course I'm nervous. I don't believe you weren't scared at all when you got married."
When she got married?
As Song Chunxue sat on the donkey cart, she looked up and saw a crooked old apricot tree growing on the ridge by the roadside, its apricot blossoms in full bloom.
When the wind blows, the petals flutter down like snowflakes, their slightly bitter yet sweet fragrance refreshing and delightful.
Perhaps because she was used to seeing apricot blossoms, Song Chunxue felt that apricot blossoms were much more beautiful than peach blossoms.
Thinking back carefully, the apricot blossoms were in full bloom when she got married.
“I was only thirteen years old at the time, a child bride, and I hadn’t yet experienced love. Rather than being nervous, I was more like feeling utterly hopeless.” She smiled slightly. “Logically speaking, since your second maternal grandfather wasn’t my biological father, the fact that he raised me until I was thirteen was already a great kindness.”
Sanwa sat on the donkey cart, gently patted the donkey's back, and urged the cart to continue moving forward.
“I remember my mother always calling my maternal grandfather Old Man Song,” he said softly. “My mother had a much harder childhood than I did.”
Song Chunxue smiled slightly, "It's all in the past, let's not talk about it."
"Yes, Mother doesn't need to worry about anyone's feelings anymore. Just take care of yourself," Sanwa instructed. "Mother, save your own money and don't give it away too much. I see you wrapped up six taels of silver; isn't that too much?"
What Sanwa didn't say was that even for a very wealthy man, spending five taels of silver to marry off a daughter-in-law was already the most generous thing imaginable.
“You don’t understand,” Song Chunxue patted Sanwa’s shoulder, “You must be good to Mulan in the future. Mulan’s parents were also pitiful people. Actually, Mulan is my benefactor, the person I want to repay in this life. Do you believe me?”
Sanwa was stunned. "A benefactor in this lifetime?"
He forced a stiff smile. "Mother, do you still remember things from your past life? Have you gone mad from cultivating Taoism or demonic possession and are you talking nonsense?"
“That might be true, but if you don’t treat Mulan well, you can divorce her in the future. I will support her, and you can go out and make a living with Lao Si and the others.”
"..." Sanwa stared at her blankly, her expression not seeming like a joke, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
He had actually thought about this question. His mother's personality suddenly changed drastically three years ago. After his eldest brother divided the family property, his mother's eyes, tone of voice, and the style of her speech and actions changed a lot.
But so much has changed in the past few years that he has gradually forgotten about what happened back then.
Thinking about it carefully, his mother was very insistent on his marriage to Xia Mulan. Even when the family was very poor, she made crispy lard cakes and bought cloth for Mulan to make clothes...
Could it be that Mother is truly repaying a debt of gratitude?
The third child was very curious. "Mother, do you really remember things from your past life?"
"How did Mulan do you any favor? What were you in your past life? Were you a human, a snake, or a wild rabbit from the mountains?"
"..." Song Chunxue rolled her eyes. "Are you also going to ask if I was a donkey or a pig in my past life?"
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