Chapter 341 Full of Flesh and Blood
Dinner was made by He Chuan and Hong Ying: buckwheat noodles.
They had been traveling for days and were really craving some fermented vegetable soup.
The buckwheat porridge comes with soup. It's soft and chewy, and taking a bite of the soup with your chopsticks is so comforting.
The three children were used to eating coarse grains, so they ate in silence and didn't talk. Even three-year-old Xiaolong ate a whole bowl.
After the meal, Jiang Hongying kept exclaiming, "Mother, we can be considered a wealthy family now. I never imagined you would live in a fortress. I never dared to dream of such a big fortress."
"And the three-courtyard house on Wuquan Mountain in Jincheng is like a dream." Jiang Hongying held Song Chunxue's hand. "Mother, we will take care of you and enjoy your happiness from now on."
Song Chunxue was amused, "Whether you're filial or not, as long as you're doing well, that's all that matters."
“That’s right, my sister and brother-in-law have three children. I will take care of our mother in the future.” Sanwa said shyly, “I’m getting married soon, and I will take care of our mother with Mulan in the future.”
Jiang Hongying laughed at him, "Look how happy you are, you like Mulan so much. When are you two going to get married?"
"July 18th." Sanwa's cheeks flushed slightly. "Three more months."
"Huh?" Jiang Hongying looked at Song Chunxue. "I thought it was in April. Mother always said you're getting married next month, so we didn't dare delay and came back soon."
Song Chunxue said calmly, "I originally planned to stay at your house for a while, at least a month or two, to help you two build a courtyard. Who knew I would be back in less than half a month? I almost thought it would be next month."
Sanwa noticed that He Chuan looked unwell, so he didn't ask any further questions.
“It’s good that my sister is back. Everyone says that daughters are more reliable than sons. We can’t count on my eldest brother. My sister lives nearby, so Mother will have company wherever she goes.” Sanwa said sweetly, “It will also be close to where the children will go to school in the future. That courtyard is very close to the private school.”
Song Chunxue looked at Jiang Hongying, "Well, so you should move in tomorrow. After all, you're married and have three kids. Xiaoxu hasn't been to school before, has she? Get the house ready as soon as possible and send Xiaoxu to school. Children need to go to school eventually."
Then she looked at He Chuan and said, "I'll give you my donkey from now on. We'll buy another one to make a pair, so we won't have to ask anyone for help with farming anymore. What do you think?"
He Chuan nodded, "I'll do whatever Mother says."
Sanwa thought to himself, "This sounds kind of weird."
"In a couple of days, I'll take you to the fields. We have thirty mu of land at home now. We thought it was a lot before, but now that we have enough food for five more people, it might not be enough. We'll have to buy some more land."
Jiang Hongying lowered her voice, "Mother, we just got back, why don't we talk about it tomorrow?"
Song Chunxue smiled, "I was too anxious. I was just worried that you might not be sure. Let's eat first."
Sanwa served meat to the children, saying, "Eat more meat, and you'll grow tall."
"Uncle, you should eat too." Xiujuan put a piece on Sanwa's plate as well, smiling shyly.
"Okay," Sanwa teased her, "Xiujuan, do you still remember when your uncle held you when you were little?"
Xiujuan turned to look at Jiang Hongying and leaned half of her body against her.
Jiang Hongying gently patted her head. "She was only one year old then, how could she remember all this?"
As everyone could see, He Chuan wasn't happy despite coming.
Even if he suffered humiliation while at the He family's house, it was still his own home.
Now that they've brought their whole family to the Jiang family, although their future looks bright, things are still different.
Fortunately, He Chuan was sensible enough not to be sad for too long.
He looked at Song Chunxue with a serious expression, "You don't need to worry about my feelings. Actually, I'm very happy. It's better for the children to be able to study than anything else. I'm just... really sad. On the day I left, neither my parents nor anyone else came to stop me."
As he spoke, he raised his elbow and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
It would have been better if I hadn't said anything, because once I started talking about it, I couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down my face.
"This is the first time in my life I've realized how worthless I am in my own family. It's not that I didn't want to come here, really, I just..."
Song Chunxue patted his shoulder and gave Sanwa a wink.
Sanwa found a clean handkerchief and handed it to him. "Brother-in-law, we all know. You don't need to think so much. Just settle down and relax."
"After you finish eating, get a good night's sleep. Your mother and I don't mind, so what are you afraid of?"
At this point, he placed his hand on He Chuan and looked up at Jiang Hongying.
"Sigh, I'm just afraid my sister will bully others in the future. She'll definitely raise her voice when talking to you in front of her family. People are all bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong." Sanwa smiled and raised his chin. "Isn't that right, sister?"
Jiang Hongying smiled through her red eyes, then lowered her head to pick up some pickled vegetables to hide her emotions. "Get lost, we haven't even gotten to that point yet, and you're already siding with outsiders."
“I suffered so much humiliation and hardship at their house, and although He Chuan saw it all, he really couldn’t do anything about it.” Jiang Hongying snorted. “You just wait, I might pay He Chuan back later.”
He Chuan pushed the handkerchief to Sanwa, saying, "Don't get it dirty, I have one."
He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket that was even older than a rag, wiped his tears and snot vigorously, and then stuffed it back into his pocket.
Then, feigning composure, she said, "It's alright now. I feel much better after crying. I don't feel bad at all anymore."
He picked up his chopsticks, "When I grow up, I'll be living the high life with my mother, and everyone in my village will be so envious."
These words made everyone burst into laughter.
Although the three children were slow to understand, they had never seen their father cry like a child before. When they saw his tears, they all started wiping away their own tears.
The little dragon was bold. He stretched out his arms and said, twitching, "Daddy, hug me."
"Sigh, Xiaolong is really my good son." He Chuan got up, hugged him, and kissed him twice.
The meal left everyone with mixed feelings.
After finishing the meal, He Chuan wanted to wash the dishes, but Jiang Hongying stopped him.
"Take Xiaolong to the west room. We'll sleep there tonight. I'll bring some hot water for you to wash your feet later, so you don't fall asleep."
He Chuan looked at Jiang Hongying with red eyes, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.
"Why are you looking at me? I'm not going to be like your mother." Jiang Hongying poked his forehead in annoyance. "Go to sleep."
He Chuan grabbed her collar and stared at her longingly without saying a word.
Jiang Hongying was both embarrassed and ashamed. "I know what you want to say. Go to sleep."
She turned around, wiped away her tears, and quickly went into the kitchen.
Having been married for so many years, she knows He Chuan very well.
Although he listened to his parents very much, and he didn't dare to protect her too much when she was wronged, he would hold her every night with self-reproach and say things like, "Just hang in there a little longer," and "We'll build a house outside and move out when the child is a little older."
She resented him, but she also felt sorry for him.
However, he used to be more like a block of wood, and so was she.
Perhaps in such a helpless situation, two pieces of wood, if they break their own bones, can only persevere for longer by not complaining or getting angry.
But now, they don't need to persevere anymore. Like a willow stake stuck in damp soil, the couple has begun to take root, sprout, and come back to life.
As you begin to become more real and relatable, a quick glance back at the path you've traveled reveals just how wronged you truly were back then.
P.S.: Sorry, everyone, I had a lot going on today and wasn't feeling well, so this is only one update.
Don't feel sorry for everyone in this world. If you have too much empathy, hug yourself first.
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