Chapter 35 My Daughter is My Own (Part 5): A Guide to Pampering My Wife and Daughter...
"You old hag!" Upon hearing this, Song's mother was furious. She rushed to the window, grabbed the large broom she usually used to sweep the yard, and was about to hit Aunt Li.
The surrounding villagers quickly stopped them, and Aunt Li quickly covered her mouth. But what had already been said was already said. Liang Qiulan, who came out of the house upon hearing the news, had red eyes. When Song Ce saw this, he hugged her and the child and couldn't help but shed tears as well.
The family of three didn't say anything, but the heartbreaking scene of them hugging and crying still upset many of Old Song's relatives. The men didn't know what to say, but they were so angry that their faces turned red. The women, however, didn't care and started scratching Aunt Li's hair.
In an instant, Song Ce's courtyard was in complete chaos.
After the villagers finally managed to pull them apart, Aunt Song, her aunts, and great-aunts shouted menacingly at Aunt Li, "You old hag, it's one thing to gossip about other people's families, but you dare to bully the educated people in my Song family and come here to cause trouble in the younger generation's house! Today you must apologize to Ce and his wife, otherwise, your Li family will never have peace in this village again!"
"I...I'm old, can't I even speak the truth? Isn't that what everyone in our village is saying? Besides, if that girl didn't really look like your son, would all the men in our village have misunderstood his wife? Now look what's happened, you're all pretending nothing happened and blaming it all on this old woman!" Aunt Li retorted defiantly.
Upon hearing this, those villagers who had initially wanted to mediate the fight were at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Aunt Li regained some courage: "You still want me to apologize? I've watched Ce grow up, he's almost the same age as his parents, and you want me to apologize to him? Ce, aren't you and your wife afraid of shortening your lifespan?"
Seeing that Aunt Li was still being stubborn, Song Ce said calmly, "Fine, you can say whatever you want. It's still early, let's just go to the police station and talk to her about it."
Upon hearing that they were going to the police station, Aunt Li panicked. But she put on a brave front, though she seemed a little scared: "Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you say we're going to the police station!"
“Aunt Li, you don’t know, do you? Spreading rumors and maliciously defaming others is a crime of insult and libel! In serious cases, it can lead to three years in prison! Yes, you’re old and may not care, but with a criminal mother like you, will your son still be able to get married at the end of the year? Even if his wife’s family doesn’t mind, if she marries your son, your grandson will have to undergo a background check for employment. You can weigh the pros and cons yourself.” Song Ce said, word by word.
Aunt Li's face turned pale upon hearing this, and the surrounding villagers immediately fell silent. Song Ce was a college dropout, so if he said so, he must be right!
“Young Master Ce, and his wife, it’s…it’s my old eyes that are failing me. I don’t know anything and I’m just spreading rumors. I shouldn’t have come to cause trouble. Please, for the sake of Aunt Li, who has watched you grow up since you were a child, and you’re already so old, please…please…” Aunt Li forced an awkward smile and stammered.
“Ce, your Aunt Li…” Before Song’s father could finish speaking, Song’s mother pinched his waist hard, stopping him from continuing.
"What?" Song Ce asked calmly.
"Don't take it personally with an old woman like me!" Aunt Li took a deep breath and apologized in a guilty whisper.
“Aunt Li, if you have a problem with our family, just say it to our face. If there’s a problem, solve it if you can, and if you can’t, find a way to solve it. What can gossiping about our family behind our backs change? We all live in the same village. Just because we don’t hold grudges doesn’t mean we Song family members don’t have tempers, nor does it mean we’re afraid of you. It’s just that we don’t think it’s necessary,” Song Ce said calmly.
When Aunt Li's only son, Li Feng, arrived after hearing the news, he quickly pulled his mother behind him and said with a face full of shame, "Brother Ce, my mother was wrong. She shouldn't have come to your house to cause trouble. So I bought some eggs and milk for my sister-in-law to help her recover, as an apology to you and my sister-in-law."
Seeing Li Feng's good attitude, Aunt Li's eyes reddened with fear. Since they lived in the village and the surrounding area, it was best not to make things too tense. Song's mother thought so too, "Since Feng has said so, Ce, you should also express your opinion."
“Alright, that’s settled then. Aunt Li, if anyone speaks ill of my family again, I’ll assume it was you who spread it, and then…” Song Ce said meaningfully.
“Because…” Before Aunt Li could finish speaking, Li Feng quickly interrupted, “Brother Ce, don’t worry, if I hear anyone gossiping about you, I’ll be the first to object!”
After the farce ended, Song's relatives comforted Liang Qiulan in twos and threes, and the villagers who were on good terms with Song's parents also comforted the elderly couple. After the villagers' backs gradually disappeared into the distance, the Song family's courtyard became quiet.
Seeing their daughter-in-law's aggrieved and tearful appearance, the elderly couple didn't know what to say. They gave Song Ce a wink, signaling him to go home and comfort Liang Qiulan.
Song Ce nodded and pulled Liang Qiulan back to their own courtyard.
After closing the gate, Song Ce said gently, "Lanlan, this matter is now resolved. The villagers aren't stupid; they were all witnesses just now. From now on, you can stay home and take care of our daughter Rou Rou. Let's see who dares to gossip."
Looking at her gentle and considerate husband, Liang Qiulan could no longer hold back her tears. She threw herself into Song Ce's arms and cried loudly, as if she wanted to release all the pain and helplessness she had been holding in.
Sensing Liang Qiulan's sadness, Song Ce tenderly stroked her head until the little woman in his arms stopped crying.
"Don't be afraid, Lanlan, I'm here. I'll do my best to solve anything for you and make sure you live a glorious life with me," Song Ce said softly.
"Yeah, Brother Ce, I believe you."
"Lanlan, there are still more than two months until the Chinese New Year. I'd like to go to the city to see if there are any jobs or businesses that can make money," Song Ce said.
“Brother Ce…we’re perfectly happy with how things are now. I’m already very content.” Liang Qiulan said, holding Song Ce’s hand tightly.
“Lanlan, listen to me. Through this incident, I’ve realized that even if we stay quietly in the village, we still suffer from these unwarranted rumors. Clarifying the facts is indeed easy, but we can’t go through all this trouble every time, can we? I can’t bear to see you and Rourou suffer such injustice.” Song Ce paused, then continued, “In that case, why don’t I go out and earn some more money to shut the villagers up and make them dare not offend us again? You and Rourou can stay home and wait for me to come back, okay?”
Hearing her husband's caring words, Liang Qiulan gave a heavy, nasal "hmm."
After comforting Liang Qiulan, Song Ce went to his parents' courtyard and briefly explained his plans to go to the city. Compared to his mother's worries, his father was very supportive of Song Ce's idea.
“Ce, you’re right. If you have any ideas, just go for it. Your wife and Rou Rou are here, and your mother and I are here to take care of them, so don’t worry!” Song’s father instructed.
On such an important matter, Song's mother would not contradict Song's father. Seeing that the father and son had reached an agreement, she tearfully packed a lot of things for Song Ce to use on the road.
Song Ce smiled and waved goodbye to his parents, wife, and daughters before boarding the bus to Haishi.
After getting off the bus, Song Ce first spent a day wandering around the streets of Hai City's Second Ring Road to gain some understanding of the prices in this world city. Then, he rented a farmhouse in the suburbs of Hai City and immediately bought all the ingredients needed according to the seasoning recipe produced by the system.
At that time, the process of registering a company in Shanghai was still very simple and the cost was not high. Song Ce simply registered Song's Seasoning Co., Ltd. and began his entrepreneurial journey.
After the first batch of seasonings was completed, Song Ce did not go out to sell them on the street. Instead, he went directly to food stores, restaurants, factory canteens and other places where there was demand. When promoting Song's seasonings, he confidently stated that if the taste was not good, people could come to Song's seasonings to return or exchange them at any time.
In just two months, Song's seasonings became known to more and more people. Merchants who tried buying them all gave positive reviews. As the reputation of Song's seasonings grew, businesses of all sizes in Haishi began to use Song's seasonings. Song Ce's Song's Seasoning Co., Ltd. also moved from its initial farmhouse to Xingding District, which would later become Haishi's only national-level economic development zone.
As the Lunar New Year drew closer, Song Xiaojie, as in previous years, returned to the village with the air of a leader and an air of great importance.
The next day, a banquet was held at Song Xiaojie's home, and all of Song's relatives were invited.
Song Xiaojie is one of the few successful younger members of the Song family. His parents even hung a big red lantern outside the door, which was very festive.
Old T's relatives all arrived early, including Song Ce's parents. The relatives all had smiles on their faces, constantly praising how successful Song Xiaojie was.
At this moment, Song Xiaojie was dressed in a very luxurious suit, his hair was slicked back, and the gold watch on his wrist was dazzling. He stood in the middle of the main room and said loudly, "Dear uncles and aunts, everyone, I, Song Xiaojie, owe my success today entirely to the good feng shui of our Song family! It's so nurturing! Please enjoy your meal to the fullest!"
Upon hearing this, the relatives applauded, cheered, and offered compliments.
Once the banquet began, Song Xiaojie, holding a wine glass, went from table to table toasting. When he reached Song's father's table, his smile suddenly froze. "Uncle Song, where's my brother? I've looked all over the place today and haven't seen him."
Upon hearing this, Song's father raised his wine glass and said, "That child said he wanted to go out and make his way in the world. As elders, we can't stop him, can we?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xiaojie couldn't help but laugh smugly, "Uncle Song, why don't you let my brother come to our big boss's company to find me? I can talk to the big boss and arrange a job for my brother, so he won't have to go out and do manual labor, right?"
Upon hearing this, some of the relatives laughed, some looked envious, and some teased, "Nephew, you'd better treat them all equally. Our Song family isn't just about that one boy!"
"My dear Uncle Gui! Don't worry!" Song Xiaojie laughed heartily, "Come on, let's drink, let's drink!"
Just then, a gleaming black sedan broke the tranquility of the village. The black car slowly pulled up in front of Mr. and Mrs. Song's house, its exhaust fumes kicking up a layer of dust on the dirt road.
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Author's Note: Car King Jie is back! Don't worry about the two months, it's a fast-paced story after all, haha~ Thanks for everyone's support. Today I queued up for a long-established clay pot rice noodle place, and it was so delicious TAT
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