Chapter 32 My Daughter is My Own (Part Two): A Guide to Pampering My Wife and Daughter...
Song Ce sat on the wooden chair for a while, then summoned System 702 and started the task reward settlement from the previous world.
702: Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully completing the beginner's mission! Mission settlement is now open. Mission details are as follows: Be a good official, cherish and make amends to your family, completion rate 100%, gain 500 Soul Energy; Hidden title: Light up the title "Serving as an official and benefiting the people", reward 200 Soul Energy; Due to remaining in the world until the end of life, deduct 100 Soul Energy, total Soul Energy: 600.
Successfully triggering the hidden title will result in a random drop of the following item from the reward shop: [Master Chef's Recipe x1]. Item description: You will obtain a food recipe to conquer humanity.
In an instant, a small scroll appeared in Song Ce's hand. When he pulled the scroll open to its maximum extent, it slowly disappeared, and what appeared in his mind was a secret recipe for seasoning.
This seasoning recipe is a unique condiment made primarily with traditional seasonings from ancient Eastern countries. It contains more than fifty kinds of Chinese herbs and spices and is said to have the characteristics of removing the gamey smell, enhancing freshness, strengthening the spleen and stimulating appetite, and having a rich aroma. It can truly be described as a one-of-a-kind product.
Just as Song Ce was pondering the secret recipe for this seasoning, the sound of a baby's sleep-talking came from inside the room. Liang Qiulan pursed her lips, somewhat at a loss, and gently patted the baby in the swaddling clothes.
Despite the rumors circulating outside, Song Ce treated her as before. However, they couldn't withstand the constant visits from relatives; Uncle San, for example, had already come twice. Listening to Song Ce's hesitant and angry tone from inside the room, she was prepared to have a serious talk with him, even anticipating the worst possible outcome. But looking down at her daughter's adorable sleeping face, Liang Qiulan couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
Lost in thought, she didn't even notice the tears dripping onto the back of her hand.
Soon, the door was pushed open from the outside. Liang Qiulan hurriedly tried to turn her head away, but the person who came in gently closed the door, stood in front of her, and gently wiped away the tears on her face.
With a gentle smile on his face, Song Ce softly comforted his young wife, who was as frightened as a bird in distress: "Alright, don't cry. No matter what others say, I believe you."
The tears that had been wiped away welled up again, and Liang Qiulan couldn't help but sob. She buried her face in the man's arms, muttering words incoherently.
“Brother Ce, Rou Rou… Rou Rou is our child. What right do they have? They know nothing and just spread rumors. I really didn’t do it, I… I…”
The pent-up emotions were released at this moment. Liang Qiulan became more and more upset as she spoke, and her words were indistinct as she sobbed. She didn't know what she had done or what to do. Ever since she gave birth to Rou Rou, her life had become a mess. The villagers who were usually kind and friendly had become hateful. It was as if everything had changed overnight.
Song Ce gently stroked the top of her head, listening to Liang Qiulan's soft accusations and grievances. He gently but firmly cupped her face with his hands and said earnestly, "Lanlan, don't be afraid. I believe you. At worst, we can go to the city and live a good life, far away from them. I will definitely make sure you live a good life in the future."
Liang Qiulan was stunned when she heard Song Ce call her "Lanlan". This was the first time that Song Ce had called her so intimately. When she came to her senses, she had already stopped crying and buried her face in Song Ce's arms with embarrassment.
Feeling his burning body temperature, Liang Qiulan thought, thankfully, Brother Ce hasn't changed at all.
After calming Liang Qiulan down, Song Ce walked a few steps to the neighboring yard. Song's parents were drying things in the yard. When they saw their son coming over, Song's mother smiled at first, then her face fell and she completely changed her expression.
"Youngest son, you came all by yourself? Where's your wife?" Song's mother looked at the neighbor's courtyard wall and deliberately raised her voice: "You don't mean you're not even going to visit your mother-in-law anymore, do you?"
"Mom, what are you saying? Qiulan is at home taking care of the child! The child is small and can't be left alone." Song Ce quickly stepped forward to help his parents pack their things. After the family finished, Song's father took out some cigarette paper from his pocket, rolled a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and said to Song Ce, who was carrying things, "Ce, don't rush off. Come inside. Your parents want to talk to you for a few minutes."
Upon hearing this, Song Ce went into the house and closed the door behind him. Song's father sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked with a serious expression, "How did you come up with this plan regarding your wife?"
"Dad, Rou Rou is definitely my daughter. Look at her eyebrows and face shape, she looks just like your son! I think it must be those lazy men and women in the village who can't stand seeing our family's life getting better and better, so they're making up ridiculous lies. Dad, Mom, you two should talk to my third uncle properly. It's fine if others spread rumors, but why do our own family members believe them?"
Seeing Song Ce's confident expression, Song's mother hesitated and looked at her husband, while Song's father's face darkened: "You ungrateful brat, that girl Rou doesn't look like her father at all."
"Dad, who told you these things?" Song Ce asked.
"Don't worry about who told me. Just tell me, look at Rou'er, her appearance is just not right. I've seen her so many times. What are you talking about with her eyebrows? She's only a week old, how can you possibly tell what her eyebrows look like!" Song's father was an old farmer, and his words inevitably carried some vulgarity.
"Dad, I know, did Aunt Li tell you? I was wondering what she was whispering to you about at the village entrance the other day. Mom, did Aunt Li have a grudge against our family before? I saw her talking to Dad alone several times." Song Ce raised his eyebrows slightly, complaining in a tone that suggested Aunt Li was inexplicably targeting their family.
Sure enough, Song's mother slammed the sweater she was knitting on the table, stood up, and pointed at Song's father, saying, "Well, Song Dacheng! You old fool! She's an old widow and you still dare to flirt with her! What? You think you can kick me out of the house to make room for that old widow? Let me tell you! No way! As long as I'm alive, you can forget about it!"
"How old are we? Why are you saying these things in front of the children?" Mr. Song, embarrassed, scolded.
"You dare flirt with that old widow and I can't even say anything? What, you didn't marry her when you were young, and you married me instead, so you're feeling wronged? I think she's doing it on purpose. Now that she's an old widow, she can't stand seeing others doing well, and she's trying to break up my son's family. Let me tell you, you heartless wretch, no way!" Song's mother was so angry that her face turned red as she shouted.
"What are you talking about? We've been married for so many years, don't you know me?" Mr. Song cried out that he was wronged and couldn't help but defend himself.
"Mom, don't be angry, you'll hurt yourself." Song Ce immediately stood up to soothe his mother, then pulled her to sit down. "Dad, Mom, I think someone is definitely stirring things up. When Rou Rou was born, Dad said her face and eyebrows were exactly the same as mine when I was little. How come Rou Rou is only a week old, and everyone is saying the child isn't mine? I think there's definitely something going on here."
Seeing the angry expressions on his wife and son's faces, Mr. Song began to recall uncertainly that it was indeed his Aunt Li who had told him at the beginning that Rou Rou was not like his son...
Song Ce paid no heed to his father's complicated inner turmoil. He, always eager for drama, soothed his mother, whispering, "Mom, don't you know what the people in our village are like? Take Uncle Qian from the north side of the village, for example. The other day he told me that Aunt Li had agreed to join some rural senior dance troupe as his dance partner! My Aunt Qian still doesn't know, what kind of nonsense is that? And then there's my Aunt Xia, who said she'd live with Uncle Qin, who sells vermicelli in the west. Poor Uncle Xia, he's bedridden and can't make any decisions! And then there's Old Wu's family at the village entrance, the man goes out to work for half a year and comes back, and his wife's baby is only three months along… Look at them, their lives are a complete mess. They're just jealous of how well we're doing, making up all this nonsense!"
Upon hearing this, Song's mother's eyes widened, her blush disappeared, and she asked in a gossipy tone, "Is everything you're saying true?"
"How could it be false? Mom, go out and ask around. Everyone in the village knows about these things. Why are they targeting our family? Maybe someone is causing trouble. Mom, isn't it more important for our family to live a good life? Qiulan has been married into the family for so long. Have you ever seen her neglect you and Dad? Even at home, she keeps telling me that she's so lucky to have such an understanding mother-in-law like you!"
"She...did your wife really say that?" Song's mother's expression softened considerably as she asked in a low voice.
“How could it be fake? Did you see that new coat in our yard? That’s the one Qiulan bought for you at the market last time! She was afraid you wouldn’t want to return it, so she washed it carefully and prepared to bring it to you! And my dad, there are two pairs of cloth shoes that are almost finished on the kang (heated brick bed) at home. Qiulan sewed them for him stitch by stitch, saying that the shoes he wears at the market aren’t comfortable, and the ones he makes himself are much more comfortable!” Song Ce spoke rapidly, and his parents were overwhelmed by his rapid-fire words.
Mr. and Mrs. Song exchanged a glance. They thought carefully about the days since Liang Qiulan married into the family. It seemed that the two of them hadn't really had to worry about anything. Liang Qiulan managed the household and the outside world very well. Even their son had gained seven or eight pounds after the wedding. It was clear that their daughter-in-law wasn't as bad as the villagers had said.
Besides, they live right next to their son. The son and daughter-in-law are always together. What man would go around getting close to the daughter-in-law? It must be someone who's jealous of their good life and is spreading rumors!
The elderly couple thought the same thing at the same time. Looking at their son's confident expression, the thorn in their hearts slowly disappeared. Thinking about it carefully, Rou Rou's eyebrows and face shape do look a bit like their son, right?
At this moment, Song Ce returned to his own courtyard. The weather was getting colder, and looking at the apricot tree in the yard that was beginning to shed its leaves, he couldn't help but think that winter was coming soon in this world.
He had already persuaded Song's parents. In fact, the original owner himself was not the problem. It was just that he was introverted and did not know how to comfort his parents and wife. He did not act as a bridge between his wife and parents, so a tragedy occurred. The timing, location, and people were all right, and unfortunately, the original owner's family had all of them.
Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Liang Qiulan couldn't help but get up and stand up. Through the window, she saw Song Ce staring blankly at the apricot tree. She quickly went to the main room and called out to the person outside, "Brother Ce."
"Hmm?" Song Ce turned his head and saw that Liang Qiulan was only wearing a thin shirt. He quickly walked over and scolded her, "Why did you come out wearing so little? Be careful not to catch a cold."
Upon hearing this, Liang Qiulan couldn't help but smile shyly, then hesitated before asking, "Brother Ce, how is it? Are Mom and Dad still angry with me?"
"Why are you angry? Your parents know how good a wife you are. Don't worry, I've already talked to them. Mom even said she wants us to come over for dinner tonight!" Song Ce said as he helped Liang Qiulan into the house. "Lanlan, just stay home and don't overthink things. Leave everything else to me, okay?"
From the day Liang Qiulan married Song Ce, she felt like she had fallen into a paradise. Her husband was knowledgeable, highly educated, and treated her well, being considerate in every way. No matter how much gossip there was outside, he always stood firmly by her side. Liang Qiulan felt that there was no better life than this.
The young woman, who had been anxious because of the rumors, breathed a sigh of relief and blushed as she responded.
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Author's Note: The veracity of the village gossip in this chapter is questionable. Of course, if you have any more juicy stories to share, I'll include them in the credits QAQ. Thank you for your favorites, thank you for the nutrient solution, and thank you for the comments! Sending you love~
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