Chapter 488 A Sudden Turn of Events
"Is the Taoist priest such a petty person? Is your mother like that too?" Song Chunxue asked indifferently, clearly disliking these words.
“Since you’ve already spoken to both sides and there’s no trouble on your end, and you’re the one who did the work, even if we’re not satisfied, it’s because we’re worried about you, not for any other reason.”
She looked at the fourth brother curiously, "Didn't you say I've changed? I'm a pretty sensible old lady now, don't you think?"
The fourth brother nodded his head like he was tapping a wooden fish.
"Yes, yes, that's why I dared to act first and ask for permission later. I know that Mother would agree unless it was something too outrageous."
As he spoke, he pulled a string of copper coins from his pocket as if presenting a treasure.
"This is what I've earned over this period of time. It's not much, but it's enough to buy a few meals. Mom, please don't think it's too little."
Song Chunxue laughed disdainfully, "This isn't even enough to fill a gap between my teeth."
But she accepted it anyway.
“Now that you and the second brother have settled in, I’m quite bored here. The Taoist priest is also busy with things on the mountain, so I can’t help much. There’s no kang (heated brick bed) in this house, so I don’t feel comfortable burning any amount of wood. Therefore, I plan to go back to Zhuanglang County in a few days.”
Song Chunxue discussed with him, "I plan to hire a cook or servant for you to sweep the yard and cook for you. I'd rather stay in the fortress."
The fourth brother looked at the thin layer of snow in the yard, feeling reluctant to leave.
"Is Mother going back before November?"
Song Chunxue didn't soften her heart. "There's no place like home. I still feel more comfortable in the fort. I have a heated kang bed to sleep on, I'm familiar with the area, and I don't have to pay for all my meals."
The fourth brother could tell from her determination.
He sighed, "Fine, I knew Mom was going back. You've already bought us a yard and cooked for us for so long. It's much better than us struggling alone outside."
He moved his small stool closer to Song Chunxue, squeezed in front of her, and leaned on her shoulder.
“I will definitely come during the Chinese New Year. The second brother has no choice but to come. After we got married, we became more and more distant.” The fourth brother said sullenly, “At first, I didn’t want to stay at home at all. I only thought about running away. Now I think home is the best.”
Song Chunxue snorted, "Hmph, if we were still at Li Family Manor, you certainly wouldn't say that."
The fourth son grumbled unhappily, "Mother is just accusing me. I do want to make something of myself, but I have never looked down on my hometown."
She looked at the steam rising from the pot lid and shrugged gently.
"Okay, I know. You're such a grown man, still so clingy. You'll be a laughingstock when you get married."
The fourth brother grabbed her arm, preventing her from getting up, saying, "What are you laughing at? You're my mother."
"Go see if your second brother is back yet, I need to cook some noodles." Song Chunxue pushed his forehead away. "Since you like Tian Qi, then work hard there. If her father is willing to marry Tian Qi to you in the future, you can pay for the shop next door as a betrothal gift. I will give you the money."
The fourth child's face lit up with joy. "Mother, are you serious?"
"If that's the case, I'll consider the extra dowry a loan from you. Otherwise, it's not fair, and my eldest brother, third brother, and second brother will also have objections. As long as I work hard, I can pay you back in a few years, how about that?"
It sounded plausible, but Song Chunxue couldn't believe it entirely.
"Don't just brag. It's not even close to happening yet. They might not even be interested in you. Oh, and by the way, whatever you do, don't become a live-in son-in-law. Even if you're willing, you'll need my permission first."
The fourth brother nodded excitedly, "Of course. Then I'll wait until the time is right, until Tian Qi is no longer sad, and then I'll tell her that I want to marry her."
“Don’t be reckless. Since you don’t have an advantage in appearance, you need to let people see that you are resilient and reliable.” At this point, Song Chunxue’s expression became serious. “Most importantly, don’t let them down in the future. If you fall in love with someone else early on, I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”
It seems that this time, the fourth brother and that girl from Ji County are not destined to be together. I hope she can find a good man and grow old together in love.
Before long, the second brother returned, and the Taoist priest brought a roast chicken with him.
When Song Chunxue saw that he had finally arrived, she didn't rush to ask any questions.
"Your senior brother came all this way, and even brought roast chicken. Did you know I was craving chicken?" She took it. "You guys go inside and wash your hands first. I'll cut it up and put it on a plate. We'll eat right away."
Potato noodles don't really go well with roast chicken; I guess she won't be able to finish all the potato noodles she made.
So she had to wait until the noodles were finished before bringing out the roast chicken.
Two bowls of noodles for each person, and not a drop of soup was left in the pot.
Song Chunxue brought over chicken and wine, and the second brother grabbed a chicken wing, saying, "I'll go wash the dishes; I won't drink the wine."
The fourth brother knew they had something to say, so he grabbed a chicken neck and a chicken foot and left, saying, "I'm going to chop firewood."
The Taoist priest laughed, "These two are so clever, why are they running away?"
Song Chunxue noticed that the quilted robe he was wearing had come undone, and the cotton was almost spilling out.
"Senior brother, take off your clothes first, I'll sew a couple of stitches for you. Why have you suddenly become so careless after not seeing you for a few days? Don't you have a clean cotton robe to change into?"
She took the sewing basket off the box, put on the thimble, and found that her senior brother was sitting still.
She then realized something was wrong. "Senior brother, what's wrong?"
The Taoist priest shook his head slightly. "It's nothing. I've been quite busy these past few days and haven't had time to change my clothes. I'm a little tired."
He rubbed his eyes, stood up, took off his outer robe, and handed it to Song Chunxue.
Could it be that Tang Yuxiu said something that deeply moved him that day?
Since that's the case, she won't mention that day.
She skillfully tied a knot in the thread, then rubbed the needle against her scalp, deftly straightening the open slit. The needle and thread moved back and forth without leaving a trace.
"Didn't my senior brother say I had a great opportunity? Why haven't I encountered it?"
She looked up and smiled, "If not, I'll go back to sleep on a heated kang. Jincheng is different from my hometown; I'm not used to it."
"Here we are. Tomorrow, bring your tools and come with me to look at the grave. How can you travel the world without knowing how to read feng shui? You'll be laughed at by your fellow practitioners."
Song Chunxue looked at her with obvious resistance, "It looks like it's going to snow tomorrow."
“Those who cultivate have strong internal energy and won’t freeze to death. Wear two more layers tomorrow. If you receive my true teachings, you can live a good life even if you only rely on telling feng shui for others.”
Song Chunxue didn't understand the hidden meaning in his words.
"That works too. Actually, I'd really like to learn. If I live a long time, I can go back and tell at a glance whether their graves are good or not, and even see how their descendants will be blessed, right?"
The Taoist priest nodded. "That's how it is."
"By the way, you might not be able to sleep on your heated kang anymore. I plan to go back to my hometown ahead of time to settle my scores."
Song Chunxue asked in surprise, "Why are you in such a hurry? Is there something you're hiding from me, Senior Brother?"
"The senior brother you met before brought me a message. I want to go back early, because he might not be able to wait until next year."
he?
Does "senior brother" refer to his father?
When do we depart?
"How about three days from now?" The Taoist priest asked in a low voice, looking preoccupied. "If you're afraid of the cold, I'll go alone."
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