Chapter 467 Self-Deception
Song Chunxue greatly admired this man named Wang Qing.
She didn't limit herself because she was a woman; she took the initiative to find her classmate and they talked about their lives.
Upon learning that they were going to Jincheng the day after tomorrow, Wang Qing said that she was also going to Jincheng in the next couple of days and asked if she could go with them, as she was worried about encountering robbers on the way.
As a mother, Song Chunxue was not very satisfied with her daughter's situation. After all, her second son's conditions were not bad either, so why did he have to marry a widow?
But she won't interfere if the second child is willing.
Therefore, she did not object when her second child agreed to travel together.
After saying the important things, Wang Qing left, and the second brother saw her off at the gate.
After closing the door, the fourth brother started talking about this man named Wang Qing.
Song Chunxue's prediction was correct; Wang Qing did indeed become a widow. After her husband passed away due to illness, she returned to her parents' home with her only daughter.
She has a very famous second uncle who has had a smooth career in recent years, rising all the way to Jincheng.
The fourth brother crossed his legs and looked at his second brother.
“I think this Wang Qing is here to meet my second brother. She asked to meet you after learning that he is not married. After we go to Jincheng, there will be plenty of opportunities to visit each other. The Wang family has complicated relationships. If he gets married, my second brother will be able to rise to prominence. So even though she is a widow, we are still considered to be of higher status in my brother’s eyes.”
The second brother tapped him on the head, "You think you're so smart."
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you think she looks better now compared to back then?"
The fourth brother grinned wickedly, "Of course it looks even better now. You're lucky that you came to my door today without being annoying. Maybe it suits your taste."
"Go away, what kind of person have I become in your eyes?"
The fourth brother shrugged, "He's the kind of person who's shrewd and calculating, and he won't let himself suffer any loss in order to climb up the ladder."
The second brother lowered his head and gave a bitter smile.
He said nothing and turned to go to the west room.
Seeing the second brother's reaction, Song Chunxue said to the fourth brother in a deep voice, "Others can say whatever they want about him, but as his younger brother, you can't say that."
The fourth brother stood up, a hint of apology on his face.
“I said before that he wasn’t angry, but I didn’t expect this to happen today… That’s not what I meant.”
Song Chunxue said in a cold tone: "I was very angry when I found out that he agreed to become someone's live-in son-in-law for the sake of his future. In other people's eyes, he will do anything to achieve his goals, but you are his brother. If we had criticized him for this from the beginning, it would have been fine to say so directly. But for you to say this while joking around, it can't be considered a joke, but it is full of malice."
Song Chunxue said earnestly, "I can let you apologize to your second brother because you are still too young and don't understand much."
The fourth brother stood up, head drooping, and walked towards the west room. "I'm afraid he'll hit me."
"Be nicer, don't just brush it off. You deserved it if he hit you." Song Chunxue turned and went to the stove outside the kitchen. "I'm going to boil the medicine."
Sanwa was in the kitchen making lunch with Mulan when the Taoist priest went to the west room.
Whether the second brother forgave the fourth brother is unknown, but everyone was on good terms at lunch.
In the afternoon, the Taoist priest went to the clinic, and Song Chunxue went to Hongying's house.
This time, not knowing when she would return, she carefully instructed the couple that if they couldn't finish their work, they should ask others for help instead of trying to do it all themselves.
She also gave He Chuan five taels of silver so that he would have more money in his pocket.
Afterwards, she thought that since she had come back once, she couldn't just not go and visit the inn.
"Oh, you've finally arrived! I was thinking of coming to see you in the next couple of days," Yao Man said reproachfully. "Knowing you were back from Jincheng, you didn't come to see me on your own initiative. Instead, you had the Taoist priest come to talk to me about selling talismans. Were you afraid I would feel uncomfortable?"
Yao Man turned around and ordered the kitchen to cook two dishes to go with the drinks, then pulled Song Chunxue into the side room.
"I do have concerns about that, but I mainly can't manage it. I have more children than you. One of them broke his leg, another wants to divorce his wife and is arranging to marry a new wife. My sons live together, and after a while, they start to have conflicts and quarrels. I can't get away from them."
Song Chunxue sighed, "I don't know what I was thinking back then. I could have had fewer children. Other people have two sons, but I insisted on having four."
Yao Man poured her a cup of tea. "Yes, I've only had three children, and I'm already exhausted. Imagine if I had five. They're all my children, and they're so hard to take care of."
The two widows huddled together, and tears streamed down their faces as they spoke of their children.
"Actually, I've only heard about the talisman stuff. I was afraid it would be a losing proposition, so I wanted to tell you this with my senior brother, but I was afraid you'd feel uncomfortable. I hope you won't take it to heart." Having known each other for so long, Song Chunxue decided to tell the truth.
"Oh dear, let's talk about this. Luckily, the Taoist priest pointed it out, saying that selling fake talismans is bad karma. Actually, I didn't intend to sell fake talismans. It's just that more and more people came to the inn and asked about talismans."
"Since neither of you were here, I found another geomancer to draw talismans. He said he often sells them too. But the people who bought the talismans said that putting the talisman paper under their pillows not only had no effect, but also gave them nightmares. I burned them all four days ago."
Song Chunxue understood. "That's good. I'll draw some for you before I leave. We won't sell them if we run out."
Afterwards, the two of them chatted over drinks and mentioned Xue Xingyuan.
"Ha, I know Xue Zhong, he's just like that, a leopard can't change its spots, he deserved to run into you." Yao Man cursed when she mentioned the Xue family, "Not a single one of them is good."
Song Chunxue nodded in agreement.
"By the way, Sister Song, aren't you planning to do business in Jincheng?"
"Me?" Song Chunxue smiled. "Let's talk about it later."
She was thinking that if it wasn't convenient to live on the mountain, she would buy a two-courtyard house down at the foot of the mountain, so that each of her second and fourth sons could have a courtyard if they got married.
She didn't think much about anything else, just about when she could travel the world.
"Oh right, I forgot to mention, the Taoist priest is too fierce. A few days ago, someone came to this inn and praised its name. It was obviously named by his junior brother." Yao Man asked curiously, "The Taoist priest has a senior brother? Where is his ancestral home?"
"My senior brother didn't say."
Yao Man lowered her voice, "Now I really believe you are innocent. Someone like the Taoist priest wouldn't have even the slightest evil thought. When I see him again, I'm not so ashamed of what I did back then."
Song Chunxue strongly agreed.
“I envy you. Actually, compared to a life partner, the most important thing is a confidant, a benefactor. It’s a pity that I only recently began to understand this.” Yao Man raised her glass. “I wish Sister Song all her dreams come true and that all her wishes are fulfilled.”
Whether he meant it sincerely or not, Song Chunxue was delighted. "I take your kind words to heart and wish you happiness and prosperity."
The two then burst into laughter and chatted for another half an hour.
As she pondered whether to go to the Hu family to plead for Mulan, she saw her senior brother in front of the City God Temple.
And another man dressed in a Taoist robe.
“Junior brother, what are you hesitating about? Your family has been looking for you. It’s time to let go of what happened back then. You’re not young anymore, why can’t you go back and visit them?”
The man earnestly advised, "If you can't let go of this knot in your heart, no matter how powerful your cultivation is, you still won't be able to attain enlightenment. Tell me, what kind of person are you, hiding here deceiving yourself for a junior brother who didn't even join the sect?"
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