Chapter 44 It's Up to You
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There were seven or eight people crammed into the donkey cart, and those who had been watching the commotion and were being scolded had all fallen silent.
They never expected that Song Chunxue, who looked so gentle and weak, could be so ruthless when she started cursing!
Song Chunxue looked at the woman who was making things difficult for her with a faint smile.
She remembered this person, but she didn't know his name. It seemed his surname was Hu. He had fox-like eyes with red corners, and he was a born ruthless character.
Because her husband was quite capable and made money in the mines, he was initially very arrogant, looked down on everyone, and was bullied by everyone.
But a few years later, her husband had another woman and child. She was left with three children and couldn't see her husband even once a year. Eventually, she moved away with her children.
The next moment, the woman surnamed Hu suddenly stood up and reached out with both hands to grab Song Chunxue's hair.
Song Chunxue quickly dodged backward, grabbed her head, and pushed her back forcefully.
"Fuck you!"
The woman surnamed Hu was so angry that her eyes turned red, and she swung her fist at Song Chunxue.
"Your mother has already had it hard enough, and you still curse her? Why don't you curse your father?"
Song Chunxue was strong; not only did she grab her fist, but she also shoved her head onto a pile of cloth bags in the middle of a group of people.
"You started this trouble, and now you won't even let me return it? Do you think you're the emperor, that everyone will give in to you?" Song Chunxue grabbed her hair and pressed her head down hard. "You want to fight me? Do you think someone who just talks can beat someone who's strong?"
She smiled calmly and said, "Don't look down on me. You're not much better than me. We're all farmers. Don't talk nonsense in front of me."
The man who had spoken earlier reached out to stop him, saying, "Alright, alright, I know you're strong. I was just joking, and you're acting tough."
"Who's being aggressive? Are you blind or deaf? She was the one who stood up to hit someone first, not me. Why are you siding with her like this? You two aren't having an affair, are you?"
Song Chunxue stared at the man with a cold face, a strange feeling rising up her back and rushing to the back of her head.
She felt like she could kick that jerk off the car any second.
The man was intimidated by her gaze. He wanted to stand up and fight, but considering there were other people on the bus, he turned his face away and sneered, "I don't argue with women."
"Then why did you have to be so rude? You were the one who started this mess, spouting such nonsense and pretending to be magnanimous. You're so condescending." Song Chunxue retorted, clenching her fists, ready to fight at any moment.
As she spoke, she released the woman.
They exchanged a glance, then simultaneously stood up and extended their hands to Song Chunxue.
Song Chunxue smiled, she had been waiting for this moment.
She gripped the ground with both feet, lunged forward, and slapped the two men with all her might.
"oops!"
"Damn it!"
The two men leaned back, and with the donkey cart moving forward, they lost their balance and fell backward.
They both fell down on the dirt road, yelling at Song Chunxue.
"Song Chunxue, you widow, get down here!"
"Song Chunxue, you son of a bitch..."
The two people behind her started cursing from the ground, their bodies covered in yellow dust, pointing at Song Chunxue and yelling insults.
The donkey cart made a move to stop.
"Don't stop, keep going, they're too dirty. I'll pay for their ride."
As she spoke, Song Chunxue took out two copper coins from her purse and threw them on the ground. "Here's your fare back. Go find another place to sit, or I'll beat you up again."
She was bullied as a child, but she is the kind of person who is most unwilling to admit defeat.
You can criticize her, but you absolutely cannot be beaten forever.
Therefore, she has been good at fighting since she was ten years old. Unless it is an exceptionally strong man, no one her age can suppress her with force.
Now, she doesn't want to admit defeat verbally.
The others sitting on the donkey cart remained silent, not uttering a single word, and their gazes did not fall upon Song Chuxue, as if nothing had just happened.
But they knew in their hearts that the woman in front of them was not someone to be trifled with.
They're all from the same village; if you go to the market often, you'll have seen each other even if you don't know each other.
The driver remained silent, cracking his whip across the donkey's rump and quickening his pace.
Before long, they arrived at the market. Song Chunxue sold a bag of Artemisia capillaris, pocketed about twenty coins, and went straight to the school in the mountain valley.
She went directly to the classroom where her teacher, Jiang Yejun, was studying.
The walls of the old house, which housed more than thirty people, were mottled, and the doors and windows bore the marks of time.
Song Chunxue spotted Jiang Yejun sitting by the window at a glance. He was joking around with the person at the table behind him, and he was holding a note in his hand.
Although he didn't make a sound or disturb the teacher, his classmates who were nearby turned around and looked at him with some dissatisfaction.
"Jiang Yejun!"
Song Chunxue called out from outside the window.
The teacher, who was lecturing to his students, looked up, saw Song Chunxue, and got up to leave the room.
"Are you Jiang Yejun's mother?"
"Since you're here, why don't you take charge? I can't control students like this. They're good for nothing, disrupt the order, and make it impossible for others to study in peace."
As he spoke, the Master shook his head. “You came last time, and I thought he would have restrained himself, but he has only gotten worse. Let’s take him home and discipline him.”
Jiang Yejun stood by the window, his face turning pale and then pale, his lips pressed tightly together as he looked at Song Chunxue.
Song Chunxue took a deep breath and tried to speak in a neutral tone, "Did you hear what the teacher said? Come out now."
All eyes were on the mother and child. Jiang Yejun hesitated for a moment, then got up to leave.
"Take all your things with you." Song Chunxue raised her voice.
Jiang Yejun paused for a moment, then turned around and started packing his things on the table. With a tense expression, he quickly walked out of the room.
Song Chunxue bowed slightly to the teacher and said, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your reading."
The teacher simply shook his head and turned to continue interpreting the poems for the children sitting below.
Song Chunxue led Jiang Yejun and turned to walk out of the school.
"Mother," Jiang Yejun called out.
"A month has passed, and you don't appreciate it at all."
Jiang Yejun lowered his head and said, "But you said you wouldn't let me go back. Even though I can't pass the imperial examination, I don't want to go home."
"Alright then, you don't need to go home this month. I won't give you any money, nor will I send any oil or flour to the school. Just stay here by yourself."
Jiang Yejun stood in the courtyard, holding a thick stack of books, craning his neck to look at his toes.
Song Chunxue also stopped, her gaze falling on the swirl on the top of his head.
At first, she thought the fourth child was also well-behaved, just like the eldest. Neither of them talked much and had bad tempers.
But in the forty years that followed, they flew out of the mountains and far away from her. Once they had grown up and no longer needed her to support them, they revealed their true colors.
In fact, they are the best at catering to people's preferences.
The fourth child is a bit smarter than the eldest. No matter how much of a scoundrel he is outside, he becomes as obedient as a little lamb in front of her when he comes home.
“Jiang Yejun, everyone wants to coast through school without studying or suffering, but have you forgotten how hard it is for our family to make money? It was your third brother who made money by herding sheep, and he's only a year and a half older than you.”
"Since you don't cherish this rare opportunity, then let your third brother study instead."
"I don't!"
"It's not up to you. I'm still the one who calls the shots in this family."
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