Chapter 362 The Fourth Brother is Back
Song Chunxue smiled slightly.
"If that's the case, you've made a fortune dozens of times already. How's business lately?"
Yao Man walked down the steps, her gaze falling on Ren Haitang.
"It's alright, not great, not bad either. I heard you brought your daughter back to live with you, that's impressive. When did you buy a house elsewhere for your daughter to live in? Won't your son complain?"
Song Chunxue noticed that Yao Man looked at Ren Haitang with a hint of disdain.
They might know each other.
Ren Haitang didn't speak, but her child tugged at her clothes, "Mother, let's go home quickly."
Song Chunxue had no interest in chatting with Yao Man. She walked away and replied, "There's nothing I can do about complaining. I'll just have to let my son earn his own way."
"I can't talk to you anymore. This stuff is a bit heavy. I'm going home now. We can talk another day."
Yao Man raised her hand and said, "You can come sit at my place for a while, what's the rush?"
"No, I have things to do at home, let's do it another day."
Having known Yao Man for the past two years, Song Chunxue knew that Yao Man's initiative today was most likely because she wanted to borrow money.
She used to think that Yao Man would be a very capable person in the future, and that she must be a very honest person, so she wouldn't suffer any losses by dealing with her.
Her previous experience taught her that it varies from person to person.
When businessmen deal with people, they may be adept at tailoring their approach to the individual.
She still felt more comfortable dealing with Ren Haitang.
After walking a distance, Ren Haitang casually asked, "You and Yao Man are getting very close. I heard she's been having a big fight with someone lately?"
Song Chunxue asked, puzzled, "We haven't been in contact lately, I haven't heard anything about it. What's she up to with someone?"
"She has a lover in Jincheng who often comes to see her. He gives her money and helps her find a partner. I heard she has taken over an inn and it will open soon."
"But she always hangs out with shady men, and her lover happened to see them. I heard that Yao Man and that man were both beaten up, and her inn might have to close down. Be careful, she might try to borrow money from you."
Ren Haitang lowered her voice and said, "You didn't know before, but Yao Man's reputation is actually very bad. When she was young, her husband was still alive, and she was already flirting with Jin Cheng's lover. Now she has cut off ties with her in-laws because they can't control her anymore."
Song Chunxue nodded, "I've heard a little about it too. Anyway, we're not on the same path, so we won't be in touch often in the future."
"It's good that Sister Song is aware of this. These past two years have been quite turbulent. There have been more and more beggars in the city these past few days. They are said to be refugees fleeing famine. You should be careful in your daily life."
When they reached the alley entrance, Song Chunxue thanked her.
"Thank you for reminding me, I'll be careful." Song Chunxue tilted her head in a gesture of respect. "Come to my house to play, the child will definitely love my wolfhound."
Ren Haitang laughed and said, "I'm not going. The child likes it, but I'm quite scared. I need to go home and make some steamed buns. I'll go another day when I have time."
"Oh, by the way, there's something I need to tell you. Does Sister Song still want to buy land and shops?"
*
Hongying and He Chuan arrived with wine, saying that Xiaoxu was going to school tomorrow and they came specifically to thank Song Chunxue.
Song Chunxue made potato starch soup, and the children really enjoyed the fried dough twists she made yesterday.
At the dinner table, everyone mentioned that they had seen a lot of beggars recently, and feared that there would be more disaster victims soon.
This year's drought is severe; the wheat is just reaching its heading stage, and it hasn't rained for a month. The wheat harvest won't be good this year.
Everyone hopes for rain every day, but even when the sky is overcast, it doesn't rain. Then, a light drizzle and the sky clears up again.
Many people started complaining that God wasn't worried about the harvest this year, or that someone had done something wrong and God had stopped sending rain.
He Chuan took a piece of yellowish-brown steamed bun and couldn't help but sigh, "The sesame seeds are growing very evenly this year and will soon be in bloom. If only there were some rain, otherwise the sesame harvest would be reduced by half."
"I wonder if the Taoist priest can pray for rain. If he can, he can save the people of Zhuanglang County."
Song Chunxue was taken aback. "I haven't heard my senior brother mention praying for rain yet, and I don't know if he knows how. Praying for rain requires a lot of people to organize, and the county magistrate has to come forward. Praying for rain requires a lot of things."
Besides, now that my senior brother has left, I'll have to find someone else to pray for rain.
Jiang Hongying said, "I think whether it rains or not is up to fate. If we pray and it still doesn't rain, we'll all feel even worse."
“If the Taoist priest could pray, he would have prayed for rain long ago.”
Yes, drought is to be expected in this area.
Song Chunxue remembers that this place rarely has a year with favorable weather. Either the first half of the year is dry and the second half is rainy, or the second half is dry, or it rains only after the harvest is over. In short, things rarely go as planned.
Whether it rains or not depends entirely on the Dragon King's mood.
"Mom, I want to eat rice noodles, and more rice noodles."
Xiao Long stood up, holding a small bowl, his face dirty.
Xiaoxu and Xiujuan looked at the noodles in their bowls; clearly, neither of them had had enough.
"Okay, the noodles in the pot are all gone. I'll scoop some potato strips for you to eat first, and then I'll cook some more noodles for you, okay?"
Xiujuan and Xiaoxu agreed, but Xiaolong shook his head while holding his bowl, saying, "I want to eat noodles."
Jiang Hongying had no choice but to get up and serve some potato strips to Xiujuan and Xiaoxu. Then she lit the fire and waited for the soup to boil before putting the noodles into the pot.
These noodles were made from leftover potatoes last year; they're very chewy, and everyone loves them.
The kitchen was bustling with activity when suddenly the dog in the house darted out and barked at the gate.
"Knock knock knock".
"Knock knock knock".
Everyone was wondering, since Sanwa hadn't gotten out of school yet, who was knocking on the door?
"I'll go open the door." He Chuan stood up.
"Brother-in-law?"
The fourth brother stepped into the yard carrying his things. "When did my brother-in-law arrive? Where's my sister?"
Jiang Hongying stepped out of the kitchen with a smile, "Fourth brother is back, we're having dinner."
The fourth brother put the large bundle on the ground and saw three little heads looking at him curiously from the kitchen doorway.
"Sister, you brought all three children? Your whole family came together, won't your mother-in-law scold you?"
The fourth brother walked up the steps with a smile and said to the children, "Call me uncle, I'm your little uncle."
Jiang Hongying and He Chuan exchanged glances but did not respond.
It's best if Mother says so.
"Mother, I'm back!" The fourth son said with a beaming smile. "Guess if I made any money this time?"
"I can tell from your tone that you've made a profit. It's good that you're back safe and sound. You've grown taller." Song Chunxue patted his shoulder with satisfaction. "Sit down and eat."
The children were a little reserved when they sat down again.
The fourth brother asked again why his sister and brother-in-law's family had all come.
"Fourth brother, your sister and brother-in-law will be settling down here from now on. Your brother-in-law's mother is too biased and even beats your sister, so I brought them here. Your brother-in-law said he would help me farm, which I think is great."
The fourth brother asked in surprise, "Huh? Isn't my brother-in-law now a live-in son-in-law? Does that mean my sister and brother-in-law live in the backyard? Won't it smell because it's so close to the donkey pen?"
"No, when I bought this fort, I also bought a small courtyard house where your sister and brother-in-law live."
The fourth brother almost choked after taking a sip of soup.
"What?"
"Mother, you bought two courtyards but kept it a secret from me. Are you afraid that I'll become too lazy to work once I have a courtyard?"
The fourth son put down his chopsticks, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Mother doesn't trust me."
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