Chapter 425 Just a Meal
Lord Xie, dressed in a dark blue long robe and wearing a square cap, looked up and saw Song Chunxue carrying a pine tree about six meters tall, looking at him calmly.
Their eyes met, and Song Chunxue looked slightly embarrassed, while Lord Xie's serious face broke into a smile.
Like a gentle spring breeze.
Song Chunxue stood still, watching Lord Xie walk towards her.
"I didn't expect to run into Sister Song here. You're carrying that tree because..."
“If we use it as firewood, the tree will die, and it will rot if left unattended.” Song Chunxue looked at another man who had already reached the door. “You’ve come up the mountain to enjoy the scenery?”
Lord Xie nodded, "I originally thought that today was a rare day of leisure, so we arranged to come and enjoy the autumn scenery together. Who would have thought that it would start raining as the carriage slowly climbed the mountain?"
As they were talking, the raindrops started to fall harder and harder, just as they were supposed to.
"Let's go inside to avoid the rain and have a couple of cups of tea," Song Chunxue gestured. "I just steamed some buckwheat buns, you can try them."
Seeing that Lord Xie intended to give way, Song Chunxue carried the tree and entered the gate first.
"Come in quickly, your clothes are going to get wet." She walked ahead, through the second courtyard gate, and threw the tree on the ground.
The front yard is the storefront, so it shouldn't be too dirty; that's why they all live in the middle yard.
The backyard is too far and too spacious, making it suitable for a large family to stay in.
Xie Zheng's friend looked bewildered. Standing in the center of the front yard, he turned to Xie Zheng and asked in a low voice, "You two know each other?"
"Yes, I know her." Xie Zheng's eyes were smiling. "She's from Zhuanglang County."
"Oh, I know, it's the person you mentioned?"
Xie Zheng nodded, and the smile in his eyes faded a little as he thought of the scene when they parted last time.
Jiang Yehui, who was sitting on the threshold in a daze, suddenly heard Song Chunxue call out to him.
"We have guests. Rinse a few teacups."
Jiang Yehui stood up. "Oh."
He limped toward the kitchen, and suddenly saw someone coming in through the gate, and froze on the spot.
"Thank...thank...thank you, sir?"
Xie Zheng looked at him with a kind smile, "Your leg isn't healed yet?"
"No...no," Jiang Yehui quickly looked at his mother and saw her calmly taking out the tea stove and bending down to start a fire. He was extremely flustered. "Please come in and sit down, I...I'll go get some steamed buns."
Lord Xie gently reassured them, "Don't be nervous. We originally intended to go to the top of the mountain to enjoy the scenery, but it just happened to be raining when we passed by. We thought we would come in to take shelter from the rain, but we didn't know that this courtyard belonged to you."
Jiang Yehui was very reserved, as if he had encountered a teacher he hadn't seen for many years.
"Yes, I never expected that my mother would exchange this courtyard for a stone."
Lord Xie led Huang Mo towards the main house.
Huang Mo leaned closer to him and whispered, "Your son is quite handsome. It seems she was quite beautiful when she was young."
Lord Xie remained calm and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Huang Mo wasn't so obedient. He turned around and glanced at Song Chunxue, who was busy, and said, "Unfortunately, she doesn't care about you."
Lord Xie moved his lips, but ultimately did not utter a single word.
Song Chunxue took the tea stove to the main room, placed it on the tea table between them, and filled the tea canister with water.
Then, she took out a nine-compartment tea tray, smiled at the two of them, and said, "Put whatever you like in it."
"Okay, sorry to bother you." Huang Mo glanced at Xie Zheng and casually asked, "Did Sister Song buy this courtyard?"
"Sort of. We've run out of snacks at home, so all we have left are buckwheat buns, both sweet and bitter buckwheat. Don't be picky." Song Chunxue sat down on the chair opposite her. "When Lao Si comes back later, he should buy some."
Huang Mo smiled and said, "How could I dislike it? I know that sweet buckwheat buns are delicious, but I've never had them before. After all, few people grow buckwheat here in Jincheng. I've heard from Lord Xie that your buns are delicious, but I never expected to be able to taste them myself. It's my honor."
Lord Xie glanced at him casually.
Huang Mo didn't care at all. He stood up and cupped his hands to Song Chunxue, saying, "I am Huang Mo. I am a colleague of Lord Xie. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sister Song."
Song Chunxue stood up and returned the greeting, "My name is Song Chunxue, greetings, Lord Huang."
"Oh, no need to be so formal, just call me Huang Mo. You've known Brother Xie for a long time, are you still going to call him Lord Xie?"
Xie Zheng put two roasted red dates, a pinch of goji berries, two chrysanthemums, and a dried longan into the tea canister.
Song Chunxue smiled slightly, "Once you get used to it, it's hard to change."
Huang Mo nodded slightly, broke off a small piece of sweet buckwheat bun, and took a bite.
"Mmm, it's delicious. The sweetness of buckwheat isn't the sweetness of cane sugar; it's very fragrant." Huang Mo pushed the plate towards Xie Zheng. "Don't be shy, eat up."
"..." Xie Zheng bit his cheek, wishing he could kick him.
Observing their actions, Song Chunxue thought that their relationship must be quite good.
She was genuinely happy for Lord Xie because he wasn't as lacking in friends as he claimed.
Lord Xie, with his proud and extraordinary character, should never lack friends.
It's just that very few of them caught his eye.
For some reason, when they met again, Song Chunxue's feelings of inferiority, timidity, fear, and unease seemed to have disappeared.
She was much calmer and more composed.
Perhaps Xie Zheng was different from others, or perhaps they had all come to terms with it in their hearts.
Then, Huang Mo started talking about other things to liven up the atmosphere.
Like Xie Zheng, he didn't have such a strong bureaucratic air about him. He asked about this year's crop harvest in a very easy manner, and when they talked about each other's relatives, they naturally became familiar with each other.
Xie Zheng poured tea for them and occasionally struck up a conversation, talking about his experiences over the past few years and this year's Double Ninth Festival.
Two days before the Double Ninth Festival, Xie Zheng looked at Song Chunxue and asked, "I wonder when Sister Song will return? Could we go to the mountaintop together to enjoy the view next time?"
Huang Mo took a bite of the buckwheat bun, picked up his tea and took a sip, his ears involuntarily perking up.
The second brother, Jiang Yehui, sat quietly to the side, listening to their idle chatter, his mind in turmoil.
Is this person still his mother?
She spoke to the two adults without showing any sign of panic; on the contrary, she answered their questions with ease.
How did she do it? He'd only been gone for three years, and his mother was already quite literate; how could she still surpass him in every other aspect?
He began to wonder if his mother had been possessed.
The sound of rain and wind outside gradually intensified and then subsided. Half an hour later, the rain stopped.
Song Chunxue stood up. "Second brother, you talk to them for a bit. I'll go cook. It'll be ready soon."
Xie Zheng stood up. "Sister Song, there's no need to trouble yourself. We can eat down the mountain."
"Does Lord Xie have a problem with me?"
"Huh?" This left him completely confused.
Huang Mo turned his face away, pursing his lips to suppress a laugh.
"It's just a meal, why be so formal? I haven't even said that if it weren't for you, my second son's future would be uncertain right now. I don't know how to thank you enough."
"What would you like to eat, noodles with minced meat sauce or mixed grain noodles? I absolutely cannot let you leave on an empty stomach."
Huang Mo chimed in, "That's right, Sister Song is a very honest person, Brother Xie, please give her a chance."
"Then, braised noodles?" Actually, he'd been craving it lately. Everyone's cooking tastes different, and he'd never encountered braised noodles as delicious as Song Chunxue's.
"Okay, then you all sit down first, it won't take long." Song Chunxue hurriedly came to the kitchen, just in time to hear the fourth brother returning from outside.
He carried chicken and pork in his left hand and wine and vegetables in his right. "Mother, I asked for two bowls of chicken blood in the jar. By the way, whose carriage is that outside? Are we having guests?"
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