Chapter 43 Fight Back at Them All
"Oh my, let me see who this is. I heard you almost beat your own son to death. That's quite something."
While shoveling wormwood on the mountain, I ran into Zhao Yufang. She rubbed her watery eyes and teased, "You've become famous. You've gone from an easy target to a tigress in an instant. You're really something."
Song Chunxue threw a clod of dirt at her in an annoyed tone, "Get lost."
"I heard from others that you broke several sticks, and the eldest son is now lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) and won't get up. You're heartless, aren't you? What bad thing did he do?"
"So what if he climbed over the wall and was after your valuables? Was it really necessary to hit him so hard?"
Song Chunxue said expressionlessly, "If I don't hit him this time, what if he tries to burn down my yard next time he's unhappy? Life is long, and I've already spoiled him rotten. Plus, that scoundrel Chen Feng loves to instigate things. When I get old, if I say a few words to him, he'll throw me into a ditch to feed the wolves. Do you think I should hit him?"
"Yeah, spoiling a child is the worst thing ever. My kid... sigh, never mind." She then asked, "What exactly happened? He didn't take your savings for your funeral, did he?"
"No, my box is durable, otherwise it really would have been taken."
Zhao Yufang stopped what she was doing, hesitating to speak.
"Get to the point. Has someone been talking badly about me again?" Song Chunxue knew something was wrong when she saw her expression.
"Or did your man hit you again?" Song Chunxue clenched her fist. "If you don't know how to hit back, I'll teach you."
Zhao Yufang smiled, then rubbed her eyes; her thin cheeks were also very loose.
"No, it's not that. He doesn't hit me as much now. It's just that he doesn't like to work and likes to go out and flirt with other women. I can't control him." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have kept him at home. Now I have two children with him, and it's too late to back out."
Seeing her eyes dull and lifeless from crying, Song Chunxue didn't know how to comfort her.
“I heard that wild chrysanthemums are good for the eyes. Your eyes are so dry and watery every day. You should dry some wild chrysanthemums and make tea to drink this year.” Song Chunxue sighed. “The key is to eat well. Don’t be stingy with eggs and meat. Save them for the children. If you’re reluctant to eat a bite yourself, you won’t benefit from it.”
As she spoke, she stopped and sat on the ground, looking at the big, red sun, and gave a smile that was hard to describe.
"Didn't Sanwa call a doctor for me last time and get me a room? You don't know, I feel so much better lately. My hands and feet are warm and my stomach feels cold, and my bones don't itch at all."
She chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I always thought it was normal, but after taking the medicine I realized that those problems could be cured with a little money. It's a pity I couldn't bear to spend the money before."
"Really?" Zhao Yufang asked. "I developed health problems during my postpartum period. Can knee and shoulder pain be treated?"
"Yes, you can. Don't be stingy with yourself. If you ruin yourself, no one will care whether you live or die. Anyway, buying medicine won't cost much. Huang Xiong is really capable. I don't dream much at night anymore, and I don't feel short of breath all the time. You'll see if you try it."
Zhao Yufang seemed to understand something. "Okay, I'll go see him in a couple of days to get some medicine. I've been feeling unwell all over lately."
"Oh, by the way, I heard that your fourth child isn't studying hard at school, did you know that?"
Song Chunxue said calmly, "I know. Next time, I'll teach him a lesson."
*
The one-month deadline for the fourth son had arrived. Song Chunxue drank her soup early, dressed neatly, and went to school.
Today is market day, so I can buy some things on my way back.
She encountered a donkey cart halfway there and spent a penny to sit on it.
It's just a penny. Why did she treat herself so badly before, insisting on walking until her legs ached and she couldn't sleep well at night before she felt at ease?
The other passengers also recognized Song Chunxue.
"Isn't this Jiang's wife? You're dressed so nicely, who are you going to see?"
Someone joked, "Are they going to pick up their live-in son-in-law?"
Song Chunxue glanced indifferently at the well-dressed woman who harbored ill intentions.
"You're going to pick up your man, have you forgotten?"
"you……"
The woman's expression changed as she tried to say something, but someone next to her nudged her side.
If it were the old Song Chunxue, seeing this group of women chatting and laughing, dressed smartly, and seemingly better than her in every way, she wouldn't even dare to raise her head and would quietly pretend to be mute.
If someone makes a joke at him, he'll blush and respond, a typical honest person who's easy to bully.
Sometimes, she would even join others in belittling herself.
I don't know when that unconscious tendency to please others started.
Perhaps it started when she lost her parents and had to live with her sisters at her second uncle's house.
She seems to be born with the ability to please others and act according to their moods.
Although she later discovered that others were not so great after all, and in the end they were not as well off as her, she also had a lot of mess to make.
When she lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) unable to move, the images of her past attempts to please and flatter others would replay in her mind again and again, filling her with deep regret.
But by then she was old and could no longer move.
Now, she has returned to her youth, and she understands that she has nothing to be ashamed of.
No one is more noble or more extraordinary than her.
They're all ordinary people, and most of them have dirty hearts.
She would no longer tolerate such hurtful yet insulting words, lest they, years later, be recalled unintentionally on an afternoon and become like a thorn piercing her bones, impossible to remove no matter how hard she tried.
When they accumulate, they become thorns that penetrate deep into her flesh, causing her great discomfort.
From now on, if anyone bullies her or makes her life difficult, she must not hesitate to fight back on the spot.
If she had a second chance, she wouldn't be here to change her fate.
She came here to cherish herself.
Her nose stung with tears. Song Chunxue bit her lip and repeated to herself:
That's right, she came back to treat herself well and cherish herself.
"How come I never noticed before? Jiang's wife is so fair-skinned. She's had five kids, but her belly isn't showing any signs of getting bigger. How does she do that?"
But some people just had bad intentions. Seeing that Song Chunxue was still charming in her thirties, they couldn't help but make fun of her.
A man with sparse, dry hair smiled maliciously. "In the blink of an eye, your eldest son is married. You should find a man now and maybe you can enjoy a few happy years. I heard your second son has also gone to the army. You'll be living a life of luxury from now on. Your husband has been dead for almost ten years. It's time to find a companion to keep you company."
As he spoke, the sleazy man with small eyes crossed his legs and said, "There's an old bachelor in our village. He's not good at cleaning and he's a bit dirty, but he's a good worker. Do you want to come and be my son-in-law?"
“Actually, it would be better if you married into the family. He is my cousin, and his family owns land and two new houses. You won’t have to do anything if you come here. Just try to have two children.”
The woman who had just been retorted to looked Song Chunxue up and down, her eyes full of contempt.
"Yes, anyway, your youngest child is already a teenager. They'll all be married and won't need their mother anymore. You just need to find a man to keep you company, that's better than anything else."
"Really?" Song Chunxue said with a half-smile, "Such a wonderful thing, why don't you let your mother marry into that family? I remember, your mother has been a widow for many years."
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