Chapter 208 Farming is a hassle
Song Xuechun thought that Sanwa and Lao Si had been bullied, so she went to the north room, only to find that they were laughing at someone else.
A man who opened Song Chunxue's jewelry box was scolded by Sanwa.
Seeing Song Chunxue come in, Wang Defu laughed and said, "Are you afraid that we will bully your child? I didn't expect that Sanwa would turn from a shepherd boy into a scholar, and his tongue has become much sharper. He scolded his Uncle Wang until he had no temper left."
In the past, Song Chunxue would definitely have belittled her own child and then pretended to scold Sanwa, just like many mothers in the village.
Because that's what she's always seen: when children make mistakes, in order not to offend adults, the first thing they're scolded is the child.
Song Chunxue looked at the fourth brother sitting next to the kang cabinet, cracking melon seeds, and then at the third brother sitting on the low stool in front of the table, brewing tea with a smile in her eyes.
“Yes, Sanwa used to be quiet and wouldn’t say anything even if he was wronged. But I know my child. Sanwa wouldn’t curse for no reason. If Sanwa has wronged his Uncle Wang, I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
As she spoke, Song Chunxue's gaze fell on the Wang family man, who was about the same age as her, "How did my third son scold you?"
Everyone else was watching the spectacle, but seeing that Song Chunxue wasn't taking it seriously, Wang Defu smiled and changed the subject, "It wasn't anything harsh. She's just a kid, it doesn't hurt when she scolds people. It's her Uncle Wang who was in the wrong."
The person being scolded was Wang Defu's cousin, who was currently cracking sunflower seeds with an unhappy expression.
Sanwa replied with a half-smile, "It was also my fault as the younger generation, but I'm eighteen years old this year, not a child anymore. If I, as the son, pretend not to hear the gossip about my mother in the future, that wouldn't be right."
“That’s right,” Wang Defu said with a smile. “The child has grown up and knows to stand up for his mother. Song Chunxue, you have really raised a filial son.”
“Sanwa has suffered a lot, but he knows how to be grateful and how to protect me in front of others.” Song Chunxue did not mince words. “I am very gratified.”
She looked at the man from the Wang family and said, "There are so many people here today. If my child says anything, please don't take it to heart. Sanwa is making you some tea, so don't hold it against him. Have a cup."
It was obvious without even asking that they were joking about her private affairs, and Sanwa didn't hold back and cursed back.
People are prone to jealousy. If it were Song Chunxue herself, seeing someone who was once worse off than her suddenly living a good life, not only dressed better but also speaking and acting more assertively, unlike before when she had a pleasant demeanor, she would also be extremely jealous and would not be able to resist making a few sarcastic remarks.
At this critical juncture, Song Chunxue has no need to make enemies with them.
Even if she moves away, we'll still live in the same village.
There's no need to resort to violence or ruthlessness. As long as it's not too excessive, there's no need to hold a grudge.
Prioritizing harmony requires resources and confidence. She didn't understand this principle before. In fact, back then, she should have been fiercely protective of her own.
Now, in everyone's eyes, she is no longer the Song Chunxue who was afraid to go into crowds, and she no longer needs to fight for that pride.
She felt she was already very capable because she could make others jealous.
When she gets old and dies, she might still have to be buried in this remote mountain valley, and her descendants will need to carry her away for burial.
Let them talk nonsense from now on; she'll live her good life anyway, since she can't hear it.
"What are you dawdling for? It's almost the fifteenth. Do you all know the song yet? Xiulian, sing a verse for everyone."
The white-bearded man from Shangchuan who taught opera broke the silence, "And have you memorized all of Yang Erlang's lines?"
"No, no, no, Master, I'm not very bright and haven't learned it yet. Let the others sing first, and you can teach me how to sing this part."
"Which part?" the singing instructor said irritably. "I think you're just here to chat, not to perform. The 'Golden Beach' scene is very long, it might take two hours to sing. You all need to be serious. Come early tomorrow night, we'll listen to each of you. If you don't sing well, sing it more during the day. If you're going to sing, be serious, don't be all smiles."
"..."
"..."
The group of people fell silent after being scolded.
The people who teach opera are not from this village; they have to ride over early every night, and they inevitably get angry when they see that everyone isn't taking it seriously.
But since their criticism was correct, no one dared to refute it.
Song Chunxue went to the west room, and half an hour later, everyone came out of the north room and left one after another.
Sanwa and Lao Si saw the person off, then went into the courtyard and bolted the door.
They ran to the north room and saw Song Chunxue sweeping the floor, which was covered with sunflower seed shells, making a "whoosh" sound when stepped on.
"Mother, tell me quickly, are we really going to move to the city? Do we really have a house in the county?" The fourth son grabbed Song Chunxue's arm anxiously. "Mother, you kept it a secret so well. How could you keep such a big thing from me?"
"The matter was accomplished in secrecy, and I was afraid something might go wrong."
Song Chunxue had thought it over. They would move to the courtyard of that high-walled fortress first. However, things wouldn't be peaceful for another two years, and it would be troublesome to move again then.
The fourth son excitedly bit his finger, "When does Mother plan to move?"
"After the opera ended, we moved things slowly. We definitely couldn't finish moving them in one or two trips. We borrowed two more donkey carts and moved the previous things to the county first. At that time, Sanwa was going to start school, so we sent him to the county school to study and look after the yard for us."
Sanwa's face remained calm, but his heart was churning with turbulent emotions.
Is he really going to study in the county?
What he never dared to dream of before, he has now achieved in such a short time?
"Going to study in the county? That's wonderful!" the fourth son said bitterly. "Then, Mother, can you let me continue my studies?"
Song Chunxue looked at him calmly, "So, do you really want to study? How much do you want to?"
The fourth son scratched his head and said, "I haven't thought it through yet, Mother. Can you let me think about it carefully?"
"Sure, but if you don't want to do this or that in the future, and just laze around and cheat your way through life, I don't care. You're just fooling yourself, and you're the one who'll suffer. Don't go out with your classmates after studying for a few days, thinking about making big money. You should give up on that idea as soon as possible."
Song Chunxue's lecture, delivered in a neither too harsh nor too gentle manner, was met with the fourth brother's lowered head, who seemed rather reluctant to listen.
"By the way, all the grain in the house is mine. If you secretly send it to the eldest brother again, I'll break your legs!" She had to make this clear to the fourth brother.
"I know, I definitely won't give it to the eldest again. I was out of my mind last time, Mother, please forgive me." The fourth brother grabbed Song Chunxue's arm and shook it. "Mother, believe me. From now on, I will discuss everything with you."
Song Chunxue looked at him calmly, "You'd better keep your word. No matter how well you talk, it's useless."
Sanwa got up and tidied up his things, stacking the low stools on the ground and moving them to the platform outside.
"By the way, Mother, I thought you were going to yell at someone tonight. That person said some really nasty things..."
"Let's not talk about that. I didn't hear the nasty things. Sanwa can just curse back. Don't repeat it to me, or I won't be able to sleep at night. It's not necessary. We can't just chase someone to their house and start a fight in the middle of the night."
"oh."
"We're going to haul manure into the fields tomorrow, go to sleep."
"Oh," the fourth brother sighed, "farming is such a hassle."
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