Chapter 312 Don't Leave Me
When asked what kind of talisman it was, the senior brother remained silent.
The carriage was packed with people, and people were getting off one after another.
After sitting for three and a half hours, they were almost there, and only Song Chunxue and the Taoist priest remained in the carriage.
The driver was exhausted from talking outside and couldn't utter a single word, slowly swaying forward.
"Are we almost there?" the Taoist priest asked lazily, leaning back in the car. "I'm so thirsty."
"Soon, let's go into town first, then buy some things before going to Hongying's house."
The Taoist priest hummed in agreement.
The carriage struggled forward, and after another half hour, the driver called out, "We're here, get off!"
The driver lifted the curtain and said, "Are you looking for a guesthouse? I know one that's reasonably priced and has spacious rooms."
"No need, thank you for your kindness." The Taoist priest jumped off the carriage with his bundle on his back, stretched his arms and legs, and said, "Oh dear, my old back."
Song Chunxue jumped off the carriage, feeling her legs go numb from sitting.
My senior brother is just making a lot of noise. In fact, after cultivating for so long, his arms and legs are much better than those of a twenty-year-old man. He can even lean back halfway.
"Then I won't go to my daughter's in-laws' house with you. It wouldn't look good if others saw us, and they might say bad things about Hongying. I'll find an inn to stay in and contact you again tomorrow if I need anything."
As he spoke, he whispered a word of advice, "Take the talisman with you; you'll definitely need it this time."
"Which inn are you going to, senior brother? I'll come find you."
The Taoist priest pondered for a moment, "Counting forward from this street, the third inn, that's where I'll stay tonight, no matter how run-down or expensive it is."
“Okay, then I’ll come to see my senior brother tomorrow.” Song Chunxue waved to him. “I’ll go buy something first; I can’t go empty-handed.”
The Taoist priest waved his hand and disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Liangzhou City is very flat, and the hills are far away, requiring some effort to see.
Although Song Chunxue had visited once before, that was decades ago, and she had almost no recollection of it.
She used to be unable to afford anything valuable, but now she wished she could buy a whole truckload of things and take them to the He family to teach them a lesson.
She bought a bolt of cloth, two baskets of pastries, a pot of wine, and two roast chickens.
I'll buy the rest another day; I really don't have enough on hand.
If Hongying's home hadn't been so close to Liangzhou City, she wouldn't have been able to carry all those things.
It was dusk, and the shepherd boy was driving his flock home. The bleating of the sheep came from afar. The white flock of sheep was a magnificent sight, and after they passed, they left behind a pile of black sheep droppings.
The winding dirt road was almost devoid of weeds.
When people walk around a lot, there's nowhere for weeds to hide.
As the crows returned to their nests, they cawed in the treetops. The farmers, who had been weeding in the fields all day, were now heading home, looking at the sunset on the horizon with a sense of urgency.
There are still a bunch of livestock waiting to be fed, and the kang (a heated brick bed) needs to be filled in. Water hasn't been fetched and no one is cooking.
Perhaps her Hongying still carried the child home, and might even be holding another child in her left hand.
Following the path she remembered, she arrived at a dilapidated courtyard that took up a lot of space, with weeds growing among the blue tiles above the gate.
Outside the courtyard gate, someone was chopping grass. Inside the house, there were sounds of children crying, an old woman cursing, and tree branches being snapped in the kitchen.
The strong smell of firewood in the air made Song Chunxue feel both familiar and sad.
Who is this?
The He family father and son, who were chopping grass at the door, stood up and their curious gazes fell on Song Chunxue.
"Father-in-law, I am Hongying's mother." As she spoke, Song Chunxue had already stepped into the courtyard carrying large and small bags.
"You're so slow and dawdling while cooking. If the baby is crying, so be it. Who are you cursing at in such a sarcastic way?"
"If you don't get a beating for three days, you'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles. I bet you haven't been disciplined for several days and you're itching for a beating again, aren't you?"
On the platform in the main room, an old woman was sweeping away the unseen dust with a worn-out broom, muttering curses under her breath.
It's obvious without even trying that she's insulting Hongying.
Song Chunxue clenched her fists, her body covered with all sorts of things, blocking the doorway like a wall.
As darkness fell, the people in the courtyard didn't see anyone coming to the gate.
"You keep clamoring to go back to your parents' home. If you're so capable, go back now! You're not allowed to take any of the He family's kids with you. Your mother is very powerful. She bought a house in the county, which belongs to your younger brothers. What can you do if you go back? Do you think you can fly to the sky?"
"Hmph, you're not enjoying your good life, are you? You're just asking for trouble." The old woman was quick with her hands and feet, and even quicker with her mouth. "You think you're some kind of ancestor we invited into our family? We can't say anything to you, we can't scold you. I think you deserve a beating."
"You've been much more obedient since I beat you up last time. If you keep whining about your toothache, I'll cure your problem."
Hongying, her voice trembling with tears, yelled from the kitchen, "What did I say? I just asked you where the lentil noodles were, and you complained about my tone?"
The old woman on the rooftop, as if she'd been stepped on, grabbed a broom and ran towards the kitchen door.
The He family father and son behind them tried to rush in to stop them.
"Don't move." Song Chunxue raised her hand to stop them. "I want to see how she usually treats my daughter."
The courtyard was large and spacious enough. She spoke in a low voice, while the children in the kitchen were crying loudly. Old Mrs. He still didn't notice the commotion at the front gate.
"Try talking back again!"
Hongying remained silent.
"You good-for-nothing, if you dare talk back, you'll be sleeping outside tonight!"
"You think you're so valuable because of your family? Your mother almost sold you off before. Otherwise, would our He family have been able to marry a daughter-in-law like you? Our He family must have owed you something in our past life..."
"Clang!"
Song Chunxue kicked the broken wooden basin in the yard, put down what she was holding, and watched as the old woman from the He family turned around and looked at her.
"What's wrong with my Hongying? Does she owe the He family something?" Song Chunxue strode over. "If you think she's too much, we can leave. Who are you insulting with such sarcasm?"
The sound of bowls and chopsticks rolling onto the floor came from the kitchen.
The next moment, Jiang Hongying ran out of the kitchen, her eyes red and brimming with disbelief, and called out, "Mother?"
The old woman from the He family stared at Song Chunxue as if she wanted to bore a hole through her.
"What, you're not happy that I'm scolding my own daughter-in-law?"
Old Mrs. He was notoriously unreasonable and didn't feel embarrassed at all when caught red-handed. She raised her chin and looked at Song Chunxue.
"If you're so capable, take her home. Our family can't afford a wife like you."
Song Chunxue looked at Jiang Hongying, her voice cold and calm, "Did you hear that? Since they look down on you like that, you're coming back with me. I've come all this way to see my daughter; there's no reason for me to put up with this humiliation."
"Pick up the child. We're not cooking this meal. Let whoever wants to cook it do it."
As she spoke, Song Chunxue turned around and noticed that the He family father and son were standing helplessly at the door, not daring to look her in the eye.
She picked up the items she had chosen, regretting that she hadn't bought so many.
"Stop right there! You can't take our He family's child with you. If you're going to take someone, take the money-losing child. Leave my grandson here!"
"Waaah, Mom, don't leave me! I don't want to sleep with Grandma!" The little boy, who was just over three years old, clung to Jiang Hongying's leg and cried like a sick kitten.
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