Chapter 229 What Can I Do When I Have a Mouth?
He squinted. "My back is still there, but my thighs and calves are cramping. We'll see how it goes tomorrow morning. If I really can't walk, we'll postpone it for a day."
Song Chunxue rested on her kang (heated brick bed) for a while, then endured the soreness and went to the kitchen to cook.
"Junior brother, just make some soup, heat up some meat, and have some steamed buns. Don't bother cooking." The Taoist priest stood at the door, rubbing his back. "I'll go check out other burial sites tomorrow. I'll leave tomorrow."
Song Chunxue, holding her eyes with one hand, replied lazily, "Alright. Senior brother has never farmed before, you must be exhausted. After you eat, I'll boil some hot water so you can take a good shower and relax."
“Alright,” Zhang Daoshi said, seeing her listless appearance, and stepped across the threshold. “I’ll start the fire.”
"No need, no need, senior brother, you should rest first. I can't work properly here. I'll call you when the food is ready." She explained, "Actually, this isn't the hardest part. Harvesting wheat is even more tiring. My arms and legs ached when I slept at night. I've gotten used to it over the years, but you've probably never done such heavy work before, senior brother. When we get to the county, I'll definitely kill more chickens and fish for you and treat you well."
"Alright, I'll go inside and wait." The kitchen was too cramped; it seemed a bit odd for two people to be circling around the stove.
After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them finally felt refreshed and full of energy.
The fourth brother, complaining that he was covered in dirt, went to boil some water first.
There's only one large bathtub at home, which we don't use much because it uses a lot of water.
But tonight, they have no fear of squandering the water in those two cisterns.
After washing the pot, Song Chunxue waited for the two of them to finish washing, rinsed the bathtub clean, and moved it to the north room for a refreshing bath.
When she gets to the county, she'll definitely buy a bigger bathtub.
Just as she was comfortably soaking in the water, preparing to scrub off the grime, the fourth brother called from outside the door, "Mother, the eldest brother is here."
"You two go to the west room to talk, don't disturb me."
"Oh," the fourth brother said from outside the door, "Then hurry up, Mother. The Taoist priest has disappeared. The eldest brother and I have nothing to talk about."
Song Chunxue snorted, quickly rubbed her hair, then put on her clothes and dried her hair.
After putting on the clothes, she felt like she had washed away all her skin and felt light and refreshed.
Farmers always have a lot of dirt on them.
She had no doubt that farmers eat ten pounds of soil every year.
Just the weight I'm carrying on my back is at least five pounds.
She poured the bathwater into the apricot tree pit outside, making the most of it.
Afterwards, she changed into clean clothes and went to the west room.
The eldest brother sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), while the fourth brother leaned against it; the two of them had nothing to say to each other.
Upon seeing Song Chunxue enter, the eldest brother stood up.
"I heard from Li Dazui that you're leaving tomorrow?" The leader fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "Why the rush?"
"I've been busy planting these past few days and haven't had a chance to help. If you're free tomorrow, is there anything I can do to help?"
Song Chunxue dried her hair and sat down in the chair. "There's nothing I can help with. Just keep an eye on this yard and make sure no one steals the firewood. I'll be coming to collect firewood every few days."
“Alright, then I’ll help you carry the grain tomorrow. It’s not safe to leave the grain in this yard. I didn’t expect my mother to leave it for me; I’m here to help voluntarily, and I don’t need anything.”
Fearing that Song Chunxue might misunderstand, the eldest brother took the initiative to explain, "I've thought about it carefully, and I really don't have the face to take anything from my mother. You don't need to give me the donkey either. I'll partner with Li Dazui to plant it for a year, and then raise it next year. We don't have much fodder at home."
Song Chunxue looked at her eldest brother and thought to herself, "It's rare to see him showing any conscience right now."
But it has little to do with her.
For the rest of his life, the eldest son will have to live by his own conscience.
"Use whatever you want with the rest of the things. I can't take anything with me except for the things to feed the donkey and the firewood. Keep an eye on the trees and houses so no one can tear them down, and keep an eye on the water cellars and such."
At this point, Song Chunxue took out three taels of silver from her bosom. "I would be very grateful if you could take a look at the grain and clear away any weeds in any plot of land."
The eldest brother looked at the silver without touching it, saying, "This is what I should do."
"Take it. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, and so should mothers and sons. If you take it, I'll feel more at ease." Three taels of silver was usually more than enough.
The eldest brother gently took it, lowered his head, and said nothing more.
The fourth brother felt the air in the house was stuffy, so he put on his shoes and went to the yard to play with the dog.
“By the way, during the two days when Mother was away, the Taoist priest was home alone. I saw several women from the village come to see him,” the eldest brother said hesitantly. “Their motives were not pure, and Li Mengchun’s wife was among them.”
Song Chunxue instantly understood that he was referring to something other than the simple method.
"I understand. Don't worry about it. Senior brother has his own opinions, and it's not appropriate for others to interfere."
The eldest son lowered his head, thinking to himself that his mother and the Taoist priest were truly innocent.
"Then I'll head back now. My child has been running a fever these past few days and hasn't been sleeping well. I'm currently preparing medicine for him."
Song Chunxue walked out of the house. "How serious is it? Have you seen a doctor?"
"It's alright, the doctor said it's just a chill. Some medicine and acupressure will do the trick." The eldest son stopped at the door and asked with difficulty, "Mother, if I come to the city in the future, can I visit you?"
Song Chunxue was taken aback; he had actually asked such a polite question.
Could it be that he only realized how important she was as his mother after he learned that they wouldn't see each other often anymore?
“I’m your mother, who else can you turn to if not me?” Song Chunxue said gently. “Live a good life from now on. The fact that you can tolerate Chen Feng for the sake of the child shows that you are not a heartless person. Don’t take your anger out on her and the child. In this life, all you need to do is to have a clear conscience. If you take your anger out on others every time you are unhappy, you will inevitably have regrets.”
“Mothers and sons naturally drift apart. I didn’t understand this before and got angry with you a lot, so please don’t take it to heart. But Chen Feng is stubborn, so don’t spoil her, and don’t spoil the children in the future either. Don’t let your eldest son’s hard work go unpunished just because he’s a son. Remember, he is the son of a farmer, not the son of a rich man.”
She was speaking to her boss, and also to herself.
“Your personality is difficult, and it’s my fault for it. But now you can distinguish right from wrong. In the future, be more responsible and don’t follow my example. Teach your children well and learn from this experience.”
The eldest brother opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything.
"Hmm." He nodded and slowly walked out of the courtyard.
The fourth son carried a dog into the house and said, "Mom, I'm going to sleep."
Song Chunxue laughed and said, "You want to take it to sleep on the kang? You don't want it to get dirty, the dog might have fleas on it."
"No, I'll let him out later." The fourth brother yawned. "It's getting late, I'm going to sleep soon. The Taoist priest hasn't come back yet, so don't lock the door yet."
Song Chunxue sat on the steps.
"Okay, you go to sleep first, I'll go to sleep after the Taoist priest comes back."
The night was cool and still quite cold at the end of the first lunar month.
She got up and squatted at the door of the north room, wrapped a thick quilt around herself, and slowly dried her hair.
She wasn't just waiting for the Taoist priest; her mind was in turmoil, and she wanted to calm down.
Half an hour later, the Taoist priest arrived late.
He held a pheasant in his hand and handed it to her with a smile, "Junior brother, are you still awake? Did you wait for me all this way?"
"without."
"Then why aren't you inside? It's cold outside, and there's no moon. Are you waiting for your husband's ghost?"
"..." My senior brother's mouth can be quite annoying sometimes.
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