Chapter 209 Beware of Thieves
Farming is certainly troublesome.
Farmers work the hardest, yet their harvest is the smallest.
But the world can do without merchants, but it cannot do without farmers.
The majority of people in the Great Xia Kingdom are farmers.
Those corrupt officials are rolling in money, spending all the hard-earned money of farmers.
Song Chunxue knew what the fourth brother was thinking; he couldn't endure hardship, which was why he so wanted to venture out into the world.
He thought that once they had a yard in the county, they wouldn't farm anymore?
Song Chunxue never forgets her duty, no matter what.
She has farmed all her life, and farming is her specialty. If she were to seek a more leisurely life and go into doing something else, she would probably lose everything.
Anyway, she was just an incompetent old woman. If it weren't for the chance encounter with a benefactor, she would have spent her whole life obediently farming.
The next morning, Song Chunxue made egg drop soup and went to the west room to call the two of them to drink the soup, but found that their aura was not right.
The fourth child was huddled under the covers, and couldn't be woken up.
Song Chunxue came in from outside, having added a kang (heated brick bed). Sanwa brought two bowls of soup and placed them on the table in the north room.
"What's wrong? Did you two have a fight last night?"
Sanwa remained expressionless and spoke calmly, "We had a fight."
Song Chunxue knew that last night, when she mentioned sending Sanwa to study in the county, her words to Lao Si were not so pleasant, and Lao Si must be unhappy.
"Did you win?"
Sanwa took a bite of his dark-colored steamed bun. "I've been herding sheep for nine years, and he's only been herding for a short time. He can't beat me."
Song Chunxue couldn't help but chuckle, and sat down to pick up her bowl and chopsticks. "You did the right thing. Don't give in to him. Although he's become much more sensible, he still has this habit of picking fights when he's upset. Don't spoil him."
In the past, the third child always gave in to the fourth child, and he was the one who suffered the loss.
The fourth child forgot about it the next day, but the third child, with his personality, might remember it for a lifetime.
"Mother, going to school in the county requires a lot of money, I..."
Song Chunxue said sternly, "If you're told to study, then study. If we can't even save money for your education, what's the point of moving to the county?"
"I'm so concerned about saving face that I'll suffer for it. I can't possibly go to the county and starve just to become a city dweller, can I?"
Sanwa lowered his head and silently drank a sip of soup.
"What about my eldest and second brothers..."
Song Chunxue sighed, "Sanwa, don't worry, I have a scale in my heart, and I will try my best to be fair to you."
“The courtyard in the county is mine. I didn’t bring an umbrella, so I’m giving it to you. It’s not too late to distribute it after I die. Apart from letting you go to school, I won’t show you much favoritism.”
“Even if I didn’t have any unexpected wealth, you were still going to study in the county this year, so I’ll save all the money from selling the sheep for your education.”
"But..." Sanwa felt a great burden on his heart.
"No buts. You've suffered so much in the past, can't you enjoy life now?" Song Chunxue's smile was tinged with sadness. "Don't worry, just keep reading and have fun these days. I know you like opera."
"Take everything seriously and don't think about useless things. Your mother is very capable. There aren't many women in this village as capable as me. Besides, with money, I won't make myself suffer."
As she spoke, Song Chunxue stood up. "I'm going to call Lao Si. If he gets angry with me today, I'll break his legs."
The knot in Sanwa's heart was smoothed out, and he couldn't help but smile.
He picked up the bowl and chopsticks and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Song Chunxue was very busy in the following days.
Sheep dung in the sheepfold, donkey dung in the donkey pen, as well as chicken and pig manure, and the ash scooped out of the stove holes—all of it is fertilizer, and it all has to be taken to the fields.
She also had to get up early in the morning to carry the latrine contents to the fields.
When she returned from the fields, if the sky was clear and the sun was shining, she and her two children would spread out the wheat piled in the threshing ground to dry. In the afternoon, they would harness the large stone mill and drive the donkey to grind it.
Although there is a lot of stalks, they are easier to manage than wheat; they can all be collected into large sacks in one go.
On the fifteenth day, Sanwa also had to help set up the stage during the day.
Song Chunxue and Lao Si hauled manure to the field three times, then went home to spread out the buckwheat to dry.
The air was filled with the smell of buckwheat stalks, which were faintly moldy.
Before lunch, Li Dazui arrived at Song Chunxue's door.
Why are you here?
At this hour, he should be home cooking, so why is he suddenly here, and why does he look so strange?
Li Dazui pointed to the courtyard, "Come inside and talk, we have important business to discuss."
Song Chunxue quickly dropped the buckwheat stalks in her hand and patted the dirt off her clothes.
"What's wrong? Why are you being so mysterious? What happened?"
Li Dazui went straight into the north room and sat down in a chair.
"I'm here to give you a heads-up. Be careful lately. I heard you're moving to the county. You shouldn't go out to watch plays at night, lest your house be burgled."
He lowered his voice and said seriously, "When you go to sleep, you have your tools ready. People in the village don't have much spare money. Before, your family raised sheep to pay for your children's education, so everyone knew you didn't have much spare money. But things are different now."
Song Chunxue understood his good intentions.
"Wait a minute, I'll go get some steamed buns. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Li Dazui waved his hand, "I'll leave after I finish speaking, I won't eat anything. To be honest, I'm even jealous that you're suddenly living such a good life. I've thought about asking you for money several times and then not paying you back, let alone other people."
“If you’re going to move, you should move sooner rather than later. Everyone’s jealous of others doing well. You don’t know how many people have been envious of your peacock blue satin gown these past few days.” Li Dazui glanced at her. “You should wear it in the city.”
Song Chunxue said helplessly, "It's the New Year, and when they see me, I'm all dressed dirty. They can't stand me wearing something nice. Li Mengchun's wife, and the Wang and Zhao families, aren't they all dressed quite well?"
"That's different. They've always lived better than you. Now people are even saying that you've been kept as a mistress by a wealthy family in the county. It's a secret, but they're paying you a lot. If you were to rob them, no one would stand up for you."
Song Chunxue felt a chill run down her spine; she had underestimated the evil in people.
"Although it was said as a joke, the thief's intention has already been set in motion, and it will be difficult to eliminate without taking action. You must be careful."
Song Chunxue nodded repeatedly, "You heard about this today? Who were they talking about? I want to be prepared."
“The closer you are, the more careful you should be. You’ve offended quite a few people this year. Although the Wang family lives scattered and isn’t as united as our Li family, you know they’ve even taken over your grandfather’s courtyard and refuse to feed him. They’ve done a lot of shady things in the past. Be careful.”
After saying that, Li Dazui stood up. "I'm going back to cook and feed the pigs. I was just chatting with someone under the big apricot tree and I felt something was wrong, so I came to remind you."
"You came all this way, have a meal before you leave. It's rare that you're so considerate of me."
Li Dazui didn't linger. "No, no, if someone sees me, I'm all alone, and it might get me in trouble. Everyone's home for dinner now, so no one will see me."
He walked very fast, and in the blink of an eye he was out of the courtyard, acting furtively and keeping his voice low.
Song Chunxue did not follow, knowing that he was also afraid of getting into trouble.
Two small dogs tugged at her trouser legs. They were growing very fast and had recently started barking at strangers, but their barking wasn't very strong.
It would be great if they could bite.
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