Chapter 523 Mother and Daughter
"I'll buy you some good materials, and don't be stingy with gold and silver jewelry. It's only when you wear it that it looks precious. If you're willing to put in the effort to please yourself, your relationship with your husband will stay fresh and new for a long time."
She couldn't say too much about their marital affairs.
Besides, she's been a widow for a long time, so she doesn't have any experience to share.
Mulan quickly declined, "Mother, you've given me plenty before."
"That was for all of you, this is just for you. Women need to have their own savings, so they can spend it with peace of mind, right?"
Song Chunxue stuffed the money bag into her arms, "I know Sanwa is very frugal, but don't listen to her. Spend money as you like, buy whatever you want, and tell her if you need more."
Song Chunxue sensed that Mulan was about to cry again.
She was very fair-skinned, and her reddened eyes were clearly visible in the candlelight.
Song Chunxue avoided eye contact, allowing Mulan to catch her breath.
She took off her outer garment and went to bed. Now her health is better than before, and she doesn't need to get up at night to drink any water.
After pulling the blanket over herself, Song Chunxue felt completely relaxed.
She closed her eyes and heard Mulan sniffing.
"By the way, I haven't asked yet, did your parents build a house outside your second brother's yard? Now that your father has passed away, does your mother live with your second brother and sister-in-law?"
Mulan's voice was slightly hoarse.
“She built a house before, right in the field outside my eldest brother’s house. Now she doesn’t care about my second brother and sister-in-law’s feelings, nor does she care about my eldest brother and sister-in-law’s feelings. She grows her own vegetables and eats her own food. After listening to my advice, she stopped farming. When she runs out of flour, she buys it. When she’s free, she goes to chat with people. Nobody is willing to help her.”
At this point, Mulan's voice sounded much more normal.
"Actually, at first my mother couldn't help herself and always wanted to do this and that for my sister-in-law, to hoe the grain and tend the vegetable garden. But then one time, my sister-in-law wrongly accused her of stealing eggs, and she never went there again."
Mulan's voice was filled with relief and joy, "My mother raised two chickens herself, and even built a fence with corn stalks to separate the chickens from the two families' chickens."
Mulan looked up and smiled, "Mother might not believe it, but she said that she was destined to worry about others. Even though she knew her son was unreliable and her two daughters-in-law were stingy, her son was her own son, so she would help him even if she got scolded."
"But guess what? Once she had a dream that she was angered to death by my second sister-in-law, so she found a rope and hanged herself. But instead of being sad, the other woman scolded her for dying at the wrong time. My mother suddenly realized this and decided to mind her own business."
"..." Song Chunxue's heart skipped a beat. If Mulan knew that it was not a dream, but a fact from her past life, she definitely wouldn't be able to laugh.
Mulan didn't see Song Chunxue's expression; she leaned against the pillow and smiled as she reminisced.
“My mother is really something. She remembers these strange dreams very clearly. She even said that she dreamt that on the ninth anniversary of her death, her eldest and second eldest brothers didn’t burn any paper money for her. They went to work outside when it was almost time to burn the paper money, and they didn’t even want to burn a single piece of paper. She was so angry that she died several times in the cemetery…”
Mulan tilted her head back and choked back tears as she laughed, "At first I didn't believe it, but the more I thought about it, the sadder I became. My mother is young now and can take care of herself, but what about when she gets old?"
She started sniffling again and quietly wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
"If Sanwa is to marry in the future, I have no other requests. I would like to live in a small courtyard by myself and bring my mother to live with us. Is that alright?"
Song Chunxue felt uneasy.
"Of course you can. If Sanwa really treats you badly, you can just take the money and live a good life. Whether you bring your mother over or not, I won't ask. It's your decision."
"But this is the worst-case scenario. You have to think that even if Sanwa treats you badly in the future, you still have to be able to hold Sanwa by the throat. If you see him being blinded by power and blinded by the benefits of treacherous villains, you have to speak up in time. If he doesn't listen, call me. You can't work so hard to pass the imperial examination only to become a corrupt official and villain in your career. I'll break his legs!"
Song Chunxue opened her eyes, her attitude resolute.
"If that day ever comes, he'll be the one moving to the small courtyard!"
Wasn't the fourth brother just like that in his past life?
She took a deep breath.
"Don't rush to worry unnecessarily. Let things take their course. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. It's foolish to worry and fret about things that haven't even happened yet, only to make things harder for yourself."
Song Chunxue adjusted her sleeping position. "Alright, go to sleep early. I have my own judgment on everything, so don't overthink it."
Mulan let out a long sigh, her voice heavy with nasal congestion, "Alright, Mother, go and rest early."
...
The next day.
Song Chunxue was meditating in the outer hall early in the morning when she heard someone leave the courtyard early.
Afterwards, the second and fourth brothers finished breakfast and went out to attend to their own business. The gate creaked and groaned, indicating that this was a large and prosperous courtyard.
Then, He Chuan got up and swept the yard. The sound of the bamboo broom sweeping on the bluestone bricks made Song Chunxue feel that the air outside must be very cold.
Not long after, Mulan woke up and went out to empty the chamber pot. Hongying and Mulan were talking in the courtyard, which made it impossible for Song Chunxue to concentrate on her meditation.
She opened her eyes, put on her shoes, and got out of bed.
Stepping out of the house, Jiang Hongying was talking to Mulan about her new clothes. Mulan said that her stitches weren't fine enough and that she could sew them on for her later, otherwise her armpits would easily open up.
It's said that armpits are prone to cracks, which means you won't get along with your mother-in-law. Jiang Hongying said that her armpits often have cracks that are a foot long, no wonder she and He Chuan's mother are like enemies.
Song Chunxue thought to herself, Mulan's clothes were often torn under the armpits in her previous life, was that her problem?
She's gotten rounder and rounder after having children, can you blame that on her?
However, she rarely saw any openings in Mulan's clothes these days.
As her mother-in-law, she was generous with money, and Mulan could make clothes that fit well. Even if a garment was torn, she could make a new one that wouldn't tear easily.
But now that I think about it, it seems to be quite accurate.
She was a good mother-in-law in her life. She never caused trouble for Mulan and even gave her money. Naturally, she couldn't open that door.
Who knows? It doesn't matter.
"Mother, what are you doing standing there?" Jiang Hongying laughed at her from afar. "Do you think you can absorb the essence of heaven and earth just by standing there?"
Mulan chuckled and patted Jiang Hongying, "Mother's probably lost in thought, wondering what's on her mind."
Song Chunxue walked towards the two of them. "You two are showing off your new clothes so early in the morning. I have one too, Mulan made it for me."
She looked at Jiang Hongying and sighed sadly, "Hongying has never made clothes for me, but I know Hongying's needlework is terrible. Just make me a pair of socks."
Hongying looked bewildered as her mother walked into the kitchen, and frowned as she asked Mulan, "Did my mother ask me for socks?"
"The shoes and socks I made for her last year, did she think they were blown in by the wind?" Jiang Hongying said irritably. "My mother's needlework is quite good, but the shoes she makes are really ugly."
Song Chunxue came out carrying a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns. As she passed the two women, she tossed out a remark, "Even though you're ugly, you still managed to raise all of you. But you've done an even worse job. Xiujuan cried and begged Mulan for a pair of shoes. Have you forgotten?"
"..." Jiang Hongying took a breath but couldn't refute it.
"..." Mulan was holding back her laughter, tears welling up in her eyes.
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