Chapter 315 Unable to Fulfill Filial Piety
Song Chunxue raised her hand and tapped her forehead, "Don't talk nonsense, my senior brother gave me a ride on his way."
Jiang Hongying lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I misunderstood."
He Chuan carried the three children into the inn and found that the inn was quite clean and bright, and should have been open for only a few years.
Song Chunxue handed the items to Jiang Hongying, then booked two superior rooms and handed over one tael of silver.
The shopkeeper gave her three strings of copper coins in change, which looked like three hundred coins.
In other words, a superior room here costs 350 copper coins.
It's so expensive it makes your legs weak.
"Let's go, it's up to you how you sleep. The rooms here are quite big, with two beds in each room. I'll pick one first." With that, Song Chunxue took her things and went upstairs to the second floor.
Jiang Hongying and He Chuan exchanged a glance, but neither dared to say a word.
Although this inn may not be the best in Liangzhou City, it is certainly not bad either. The rooms not only do not smell of dust, but also have a faint fragrance of incense.
The bed was very clean and tidy, the floor tiles were laid neatly and wiped clean, and stepping into the room made one feel relaxed and comfortable.
Jiang Hongying carried the child and followed Song Chunxue into the room. Xiaolong immediately struggled to get down and rushed to the window to look at the scenery.
As dusk settles, the lanterns on the street emit a warm, yellow glow, a sight that brings joy while simultaneously reminding one that they are a traveler far from home.
But in the eyes of children, this was the newest and most unique sight; they had never seen the night view of Liangzhou City from the second floor of an inn before.
As expected, there's a reason why it's expensive. Not long after they entered the room, the innkeeper brought out a simple meal and asked them if they wanted noodles or a three-course meal.
The three carts contain Liangzhou noodles, cured meat, and rock sugar jujube tea, which are famous throughout the Hexi Corridor.
Liangzhou, located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor, is a strategic location fought over by military strategists. It has a rich history and has experienced many vicissitudes. Today, its prosperity is no less than that of Jincheng.
Song Chunxue had to admit that Jiang Hongying was quite bold and daring when she was young, and she had a good eye for choosing places, but she was not good at choosing a husband's family.
"We need three carriages."
"Yes, sir. Just let us know if you need hot water, and we'll have the waiter bring it up."
Song Chunxue nodded, "Okay, thank you."
The waiter draped a towel over his shoulder and said with a smile as he closed the door, "It's nothing."
The pine door was closed, and the room was filled with peace.
The three children were all leaning out the window, pointing at the people below and talking excitedly, completely forgetting the unpleasantness they had experienced at the He family's house.
He Chuan, standing outside the door, clenched his hands, hesitated repeatedly, and still dared not go in.
"Come here, let the mother and daughter talk first, I have something to ask you." The Taoist priest leaned over the railing, looking at the guests on the first floor, and casually waved his hand.
Knowing that the Taoist priest wanted to ask about what had happened at home, He Chuan walked over nervously.
"Master Daoist."
Inside the room.
Song Chunxue broke the roast chicken apart and called the three children over to eat.
Several children happily sat in a row on the windowsill, holding chicken legs, wings, and necks, chatting and laughing as if it were Chinese New Year.
Jiang Hongying tucked her stray hairs behind her ears, and only after tearing off a chicken wing did she realize how dirty her clothes were, with tattered cuffs and black oil stains all over them.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she quickly hid her arms under the table.
Song Chunxue pretended not to see it, forcefully suppressing the soreness rising in her nose, and took out the unfinished guokui from her bundle.
It's crisp and looks very white.
"Want some? I made these guokui (a type of flatbread) before I left." As she spoke, she got up and took out a porcelain jar. "There's also honey, half left."
Jiang Hongying nodded, "Mother, you eat too, don't worry about me."
The mother and daughter sat on an exquisite wooden table without a single scratch, eating quietly without saying a word for a long time.
But Jiang Hongying started crying as she ate; she hadn't tasted such delicious chicken in a long time.
"Take this half out and let the Taoist priest and He Chuan eat it together. They must be drinking."
Jiang Hongying wiped away her tears, got up, and left the room with the coarse paper package in her hands.
Not long after, she returned with red eyes.
"Why did Mother come so suddenly without even writing a letter to say goodbye?"
Song Chunxue blurted out, "What did you say? That I told you to swallow your anger and pretend everything was fine, that all I saw was an illusion?"
Jiang Hongying tore off a chicken claw.
Song Chunxue snatched the chicken feet away, tore off a piece of chicken breast and two pieces of chicken skin, and handed them to her, saying, "Eat this."
For people who are always hungry, chicken breast is the best cut of meat besides chicken thigh, and it is usually reserved for honored guests.
"Knock knock knock".
The waiter pushed the door open and came in. "The three carts have arrived. Should we deliver two of them to this room?"
"Okay, bring everything to this table." Song Chunxue got up and gave him two copper coins. "Besides the hot water in the bathtub, we also need a basin of hot water for washing our faces, since we have many children."
"Of course, of course." The waiter accepted the two copper coins and went downstairs with light steps.
Jiang Hongying looked at her mother's clothes, which seemed to be a Taoist robe with a luxurious overcoat, making her lips and teeth look even whiter.
The mother and daughter sat together; she was covered in dust and dirt, while her mother was clean and radiant. To an outsider, it might not be easy to tell who was older.
"Don't be sad. You chose this path yourself, so there's nothing to regret. Our family wasn't doing well back then. In order to make things easier for my eldest son and his family, I asked for a high dowry, which forced you to run away from home."
"Actually, thinking about it carefully, the reason why I bought a house in Zhuanglang County and waited two years before coming to find you was because I was very clear about my plans."
“I’m afraid you haven’t suffered enough and won’t be able to bring yourself to declutter. But I’m not forcing you to declutter. You’re my daughter, and I won’t just stand by and watch you get bullied.”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll give you two choices. First, come with me to Zhuanglang City, you divorce He Chuan, and you come with me with Xiujuan. But Xiaolong is still young, and you obviously can’t let him go.”
"Secondly, I'll buy a courtyard in Liangzhou City so I won't have to be subservient to others anymore. No, there's a third reason. We've been away from the He family for too long, and we'll inevitably be bullied by them in the future. You can come with me to live in the courtyard in Jincheng."
Jiang Hongying stared in disbelief, opening her mouth but not knowing what to say.
"Mother, you...you're so extravagant now, buying a yard just like that?"
Song Chunxue frowned slightly, "It's not like I can just buy it whenever I want, but I have more than enough money to buy you a courtyard."
Jiang Hongying lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "Won't your brothers say anything to you?"
"I'm spending my own money, why should I care what they say?" Song Chunxue said expressionlessly. "They should keep quiet if they want to say anything, or they'll get scolded."
"..." Jiang Hongying smiled, but this time she smiled through her tears, the hot tears filled with more relief and gratitude.
"Thank you, Mother. If you're serious, I will choose to buy a courtyard in Liangzhou City. From now on, I will hold my head high."
Song Chunxue patted her arm. "I know. He Chuan is a good person. The children also have the surname He. It would be best if they lived here."
"Then I won't come to see you anymore. Come visit me whenever you have free time, and bring the children with you."
Jiang Hongying burst into tears, "I'm so sorry, Mother. I've married so far away, and I won't be able to take care of you in the future."
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