Chapter 287 Two Years Later
Aunt Tian interjected, "I heard your shop has become a clinic, and a young Taoist priest is writing prescriptions there. Where did your Taoist priest go?"
Song Chunxue thought to herself, "This butterfly has been holding back for so long before asking, it must have been quite a struggle."
“My senior brother went to stay at the Taoist temple on the mountain. He stayed there a few days ago because he was afraid that I would be bothered by Mei Yang. Although we are fellow disciples, we are also a man and a woman living alone. It is not appropriate for us to always live in the same courtyard.”
As she spoke, she turned and walked back, saying, "I still have potatoes simmering in the pot, so I won't talk to you about these things. Come visit me at my house sometime."
"well."
"Okay, you go ahead with your work."
The other two women smiled and responded.
Flower Butterfly bluntly said, "I think you just don't want to chat with us and think we talk too much."
Song Chunxue remained noncommittal, saying, "Whatever you say, then it is."
...
That evening, the third child brought the second child's letter, which he nervously opened and read.
Although she was educated, her letter writing was somewhat literary, but Song Chunxue could roughly understand it.
The second son was surprised to learn that they had bought a house in the county and wondered where they got the money. He even wanted to come back and visit.
He kept mentioning that the land at home was reserved for him, because life in the military camp was too tough, and if he came back halfway, he would have to go home to get married and farm.
The second child was extremely jealous of the fact that the third child was studying at Taolin Academy, saying that he wished he had been born a few years later.
When you're away from home, a letter from home is worth a fortune.
Song Chunxue told the third child to write a reply himself. Apart from telling the second child to take good care of himself, she didn't know what else to say.
Time has passed, and she is no longer the Song Chunxue she once was.
The second son will eventually fly far away, and she won't stop him.
She's all grown up now, how could she possibly raise a filial son by writing letters?
In the blink of an eye, she already possessed things she never dared to dream of before, and she was very content.
She's too busy to nitpick about which son is unfilial.
Only by seeking within can one find peace of mind.
*
Two years later.
In mid-March, apricot blossoms were in bloom amidst a light drizzle.
Song Chunxue is thirty-nine years old this year.
Sanwa, who has been studying for three years, is now nineteen years old.
Xia Mulan is seventeen years old.
Two days ago, Xia Ying came to urge Xia Mulan to get married.
In his previous life, Sanwa and Xia Mulan got married this year.
Fortunately, Xia Mulan's father is still alive and has been taking medication for the past two years.
Thinking that in this life, Mulan's father might be able to see his daughter get married, Song Chunxue felt that having her senior brother treat his illness was the best thing she had ever done.
Without further ado, she needed to discuss the marriage with Sanwa.
Anyway, after getting married, the third child can continue his studies.
In the evening, Song Chunxue made lentil noodles; the slightly reddish broth was very comforting.
At the dinner table, Song Chunxue casually brought up the topic of marriage.
“Sanwa, you’re nineteen this year, and Xia Mulan is seventeen. If you don’t marry her soon, her family will get worried and might have to find someone else’s son to marry her.”
"Cough cough cough... cough cough." Sanwa choked on the lentils and coughed a few times.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his mouth, and drank several mouthfuls of soup before calming down.
Whether it was from coughing or from feeling embarrassed about reaching marriageable age, Sanwa's face turned as red as sorghum ears.
"Eat slowly, I won't take it from you. But someone will take your wife from you. You've been engaged for almost three years, and you two haven't seen each other for two years. Mulan must have grown into a beautiful young woman. She's fair-skinned and pretty. Don't you want to marry her soon?"
Sanwa used his chopsticks to pick at the green beans at the bottom of the bowl, gulped down the soup, got up to scoop out a second bowl from the pot, and then answered in a low voice.
"Mother, please stop testing me. You want us to get married soon too. Although I have studied, my marriage to Mulan will not change. It's a good thing that I have studied, so that our children can know more words in the future."
Song Chunxue couldn't help but laugh. "Sanwa, I didn't expect you to have even thought about having children with Mulan. It seems you still have feelings for Mulan. Why didn't you say so sooner?"
“If you had told me earlier, I would have gone to her house to propose last year and married her sooner, so you wouldn’t have to worry about it every day.”
Sanwa's cheeks turned even redder after being teased by Song Chunxue. He buried his head in his rice and ate it with gusto, as if the lentil noodles were even more delicious than pork bones.
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Tell me, when are you going to marry Mulan?"
"Anything is fine."
Knowing that his mother was going to tease him, Sanwa didn't want to say a word more, for fear that if he said a few more words, he would be too ashamed to face anyone.
“Then I will bring generous gifts to their house in a few days. If you want to go, we can go together on your day off. Our two families will then set a wedding date.”
"Since you're currently studying and will be home in June and July, how about we get married during those two months?"
Sanwa nodded, "Yes, either way is fine, I'll follow Mother's arrangements."
Song Chunxue said irritably, "If you say a few more words, your mother won't laugh at you."
Two years have passed, and Sanwa has grown much taller.
Perhaps it's because he's been eating well these past two years, but Sanwa is much taller than in his previous life. His skin is also fairer from studying in a room where there's no sunlight, and his slightly curly hair is much more manageable.
Sanwa's skin tone is like Song Chunxue's; he doesn't tan easily and becomes exceptionally fair when covered up, almost glowing.
Therefore, blushing is more noticeable.
"Mom, I've finished eating. I'm going to go inside to read. You can wash the dishes." With that, he quickly stepped out the door, his ears turning red.
"I know, I told you not to wash it. Just focus on your studies."
When Sanwa comes home at night, he always helps her wash the dishes.
Song Chunxue often sighed with relief, saying that among all the children she had, this one was filial.
In the past two years, quite a few people have wanted to marry their daughters to Sanwa.
Of all the Jiang family members, the third child is now the most handsome and promising.
Because the third child had already participated in the children's examination the year before last.
The preliminary examinations were held twice every three years, and were divided into three stages: the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the provincial examination.
Sanwa has already passed the county and prefectural examinations. If he passes the provincial examination, he will become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations).
Song Chunxue never expected Sanwa to become a scholar so early.
Sanwa hadn't studied for nine years, and in just three years, she was so happy to pass the prefectural examination that she couldn't sleep for several nights.
If she passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, that would be incredible! She would have to jump up and down with joy to calm herself down.
Anyway, the autumn examinations won't be held until next year. Even if I don't pass this time, I'll have another chance next spring.
Actually, Song Chunxue thought that Sanwa would refuse to get married. After all, he was currently engrossed in a book all day long, wishing he could catch up on all the books he had missed over the years, so he had no time to think about marriage.
Unexpectedly, Sanwa didn't refuse at all and even let her decide how to arrange it.
That's fine too.
Otherwise, even if Sanwa doesn't want to marry Xia Mulan, she will still make this marriage happen this year no matter what.
The next day, Song Chunxue went to the Taoist temple on Dongshan Mountain to ask her senior brother to choose an auspicious day for Sanwa and Mulan.
My senior brother was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. The tea stove was placed on a large table made of adobe, and next to it was a stack of flatbread and buckwheat buns.
It is said that buckwheat is cold in nature, and if you have a weak stomach, drinking it with tea can easily cause diarrhea.
However, buckwheat is too bitter, and the steamed buns made from it have a bad color, the same color as donkey dung that a donkey has just excreted in the summer. Song Chunxue didn't like it at all.
Therefore, she never grows buckwheat.
"Did my junior brother bring me some food? Come and have some tea."
Song Chunxue said in a serious tone, "I came here specifically to ask my senior brother to choose a wedding date. I don't trust any other geomancers, so I came here specifically to ask my senior brother."
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