Chapter 534 Climbing
Have you found a partner?
Nowadays, the only person who would dare to ask such a question so bluntly in front of Song Chunxue is Old Man Cheng.
Nowadays, no one dares to ask directly; at most, they gossip about it behind people's backs.
She had asked this question countless times. Song Chunxue felt that Old Man Cheng would not believe her explanation. No matter how eloquently she spoke, he would insist that she had achieved what she had today because of some other man.
She didn't want to waste her breath talking, but public opinion was a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Sanwa stood beside her, his fists clenched, about to say something, but he stopped her.
"Old Cheng, you're asking this because you're convinced that our family got what we have today thanks to someone. Why are you even asking me? Would you believe me if I said I didn't?"
Song Chunxue asked with a half-smile, "I'm curious, in your hearts, who is the companion I've found outside?"
Old Cheng was taken aback by the question, but then he smiled knowingly and said, "If you have someone, then you have someone. You're a woman, it's not shameful to rely on others."
"If I have one, I have one; if I don't, I don't. If I did, why would I hide it? My children want someone to be with me. Except for my second son, they're all married, so no one will stop me. But I just don't have one. If you don't believe me, fine."
Old Man Cheng didn't believe it. He gripped his cane and snorted, "Fine, don't admit it then. You're a woman. Even if a pie fell from the sky, you couldn't possibly have saved up that much money."
"Ha!" Song Chunxue was too lazy to waste words with him. "Old Cheng, don't think that everyone who becomes rich owes their wealth to someone just because your second son is doing well outside and married a rich woman. Do you think everyone is like your grandson who relies on others for food? I saved my own money myself, and everyone in the county knows that."
"You're still trying to argue..."
"Old Cheng, you're so old, don't force me to expose your shortcomings. Both of your sons are gone. I feel sorry for you and don't want to talk about you. Don't force me to curse you. You're a despicable person."
Song Chunxue sneered, "You insist on believing that I got to where I am today because of men. It's just that you don't believe that God favors me so much. You're envious and jealous, and you want to spread rumors about me to make yourself feel better. I won't allow it. If you insist on asking for a beating, I won't hold back either."
There were clearly many people in the courtyard, some helping to peel potatoes and cut radishes, others busy with other tasks outside, but they all pricked up their ears and remained silent, waiting for Old Man Cheng to continue.
Old Man Cheng looked displeased and curled his lip in disdain.
"Fine, never mind."
At this moment, the fourth son strode into the courtyard and said without any politeness, "Old Cheng, don't force me to curse. Do you think we children don't know whether my mother has company or not?"
“My mother has always been practicing Taoism at home. The patriarch was grateful for her sincere practice and her charitable nature, so he gave away his own grain and medicine to beggars who couldn’t afford food and poor people who couldn’t afford medicine. Don’t believe me? My mother’s money was a gift from the patriarch. It was blown in by the wind and picked up when she went out.”
The fourth brother, with one hand on his hip and the other pointing in the direction of Jincheng with a thumbs-up, boasted in a very impolite and arrogant manner:
“Some of you have heard of it, right? There used to be a very spacious courtyard on the top of Wuquan Mountain in Jincheng. Something happened to that family, and they wanted to sell it for money. My mother picked up a stone from the mountain and traded it for the courtyard. Except for Sanwa and the eldest son, we all lived there. The Taoist priest is a witness.”
At this point, he shouted, "I'll say it again, my mother and the Taoist priest are completely innocent fellow disciples. If I hear anyone gossiping about this again, I'll rip out their tongue!"
“We Jiang family members used to be bullied. Now that we’re doing well, we don’t think about revenge. Gossip is fine, but I can’t stand baseless rumors. If you want our help in the future, you’d better find out the details before you speak. Don’t just have a mouth that’s like a shit-eating machine. If you don’t know how to use it, lend it to animals. Let them say a few words that sound better than some people.”
"..."
"..."
"..."
The courtyard was completely silent.
Song Chunxue looked at Sanwa, who understood and walked over to put his hand on Lao Si's shoulder.
"Why get so worked up? He's an old man, he's used to being a senior, he just speaks a bit directly. It's not that serious, don't take it to heart."
Then, he turned and smiled at Old Man Cheng.
"Even if my mother has a companion, it's none of your business. If you don't believe me, why do you have to ask? It's just causing trouble for everyone."
“Actually, we would love to find a companion for my mother, but unfortunately she has high standards and doesn’t like anyone.” He turned to look at Song Chunxue, “Besides, my mother is devoted to Taoism and thinks men are all vulgar, so it’s better not to have one.”
Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and strode into the main house.
Old Man Cheng's face turned a mixture of red and blue, quite a sight to behold.
The fourth brother snorted and sat down in front of Song Chunxue.
"Thanks to Sanwa's many years of schooling, he speaks much more elegantly than I do."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued with their work, pretending not to have heard the commotion. Those who needed to go about their business went about their business, while those who wanted to drink tea continued to drink their tea.
But they all sensed that the third child was angry.
Cheng Laowu and Cheng Laoda came in from outside, their faces dark as they helped the old man up.
"Dad, you too. On such a joyous occasion, you had to say such unpleasant things, acting like an old man. You deserve to be scolded."
Cheng Laowu knew that if the two of them talked back today, their future days would probably become difficult.
If the Jiang family is magnanimous, that's fine; but if they try to trip them up, they're powerless to resist.
I heard that when the third son got married, the county magistrate had gone to the Jiang family.
Now all three children have passed the imperial examinations, while the county magistrate is the only one who has passed.
He could only assume that his father was senile.
"Why don't you stay at home? Why do you have to come here and offend people? Go back and guard the gate, help my mother carry donkey dung, and dry it in the sun to smother the kang (heated brick bed). That would be much better."
Old Man Cheng was so angry that his face turned ashen, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He's old now. If his son had dared to insult him in the past, his cane would have been unrecognizable.
But now, he still needs his sons to support him in his old age.
Because of his leg problems, his grandchildren would laugh at him for bending over and using his cane, and he couldn't even catch up with them to give them a good beating.
Watching the old man of the Cheng family being helped out of the yard by his two sons, Song Chunxue's expression was complicated.
The old man was clearly a pitiful person, but the things he said made him seem hateful.
If you don't save face for yourself, who can you blame?
At noon, the eldest brother found a geomancer, who wrote the eulogy. Then, the four brothers, along with He Chuan, took five bags of paper money they bought from the paper money shop, as well as various yellow paper folded into yellow paper, bundles of white paper, and folded gold ingots. They also took incense and some offerings, and rode a horse-drawn cart to the cemetery.
The classmates and young people from the village helped to cut firewood to prevent the mountain from burning.
Everyone says that the tomb of Sanwa's grandfather was chosen well, which is why Sanwa was able to pass the imperial examination with flying colors.
Song Chunxue simply laughed it off.
While she was out of the yard to use the outhouse, she went to the old courtyard alone to clean it up a bit more before going to bed that night.
Last night, the stove was cold and the blankets were damp; I barely managed to get through the night.
She took the quilt that was drying on the haystack into the house, spread it out neatly, and then went back up the mountain.
Now she finally understands what it feels like when other people's children come back from being away for many years and go to climb the mountain.
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