So Song Anxin and her group set off for the riverbank in a grand procession. Song Anxin helped Old Madam Song, A Si and Uncle Bai were together, Brother Lin was carrying Xiao Cao, Sister-in-law Lin and Da Xi were holding Da Cao, and Lin Fengnian was leading Zhang Mei.
Song Anbang, Lin Fengshou, and Fenghe lagged behind. The moonlight shone on the earth and illuminated everyone's faces. They chatted and laughed as they made their way to the river.
There were also many villagers on the road who came out to admire the moon, and they were all heading towards the river. When we met them, we greeted them with smiles and wished them a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
Song Anxin and others also responded with smiles, sharing the same sentiment.
As they approached the riverbank, Lin Erxi, Feng Yaodongzi, and a few others waved and shouted, "Second Aunt, Mother, come quick! The moon is about to fall into the river!"
When Song Anxin arrived at the riverbank, she found that what the little ones had said was indeed true. A huge moon rose from the east, as if it were about to fall into the river. The moonlight sprinkled on the river surface, the water flowed gently, and the waves shimmered.
Song Anxin couldn't help but feel the charm of that ancient poem: "The bright moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment though we are far apart."
She wondered what things were like in her time, and whether her best friend had recovered from her death. She couldn't help but think to herself, "Don't worry, I have family here who love me, and I'm doing very well here."
"Haha, what a fine poem! But for Fengnian Niang, there's a river in front of her, not the sea," said Old Man Bai, admiring the moon.
Song Anxin smiled and said, "This is not a poem I wrote. I just happened to hear it somewhere before, and I remembered it. I just felt that it matched this scene well, so I recited it."
Song Anbang was also amazed, but since his sister said it wasn't her doing, he said, "Sister, I'll go back and get some paper and pen. I want to draw this beautiful scene and write this poem next to it."
Lin Fenghe said, "Uncle, I'll go with you."
Song Anbang: "Feng He, you stay here. I'll be right back."
Song Anxin nodded. She wasn't worried, since there were so many villagers coming and going along the road. What she didn't expect was that some villagers were on the road.
Liu Xiuhong saw Song Anxin's family heading towards the river and quickly went home to find her parents.
"My dear daughter, is this reliable?" Liu Xiuhong's father asked.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It's not easy for a golden nugget to come to this remote mountain village, so we have to hold on tight. Putting aside whether Song Tongsheng can pass the imperial examination and become an official, there's the money his family made during the prosperous year, and all the silver they received as rewards. Xiuhong can get a share of it after she marries in, right? Our whole family will be rich then." Liu Xiuhong's mother was happy just thinking about it.
She had thought it was unreliable when her daughter told her about it before, but her daughter was right. If they didn't seize this golden egg now, they would miss the chance once Song Tongsheng was gone. Why should her daughter be burdened with the reputation of being a jinx and die an old man at home? She wanted to show everyone in the village that her daughter could marry better than them in her second marriage.
Liu Xiuhong said, "Father, when you have a chance, knock Song Tongsheng unconscious and carry him to me. Remember, don't hit him too hard and damage his head. Once I marry Song Tongsheng and become an official's wife, you and Mother can enjoy a life of luxury."
Liu Xiuhong's father, Liu Fangtou, was persuaded by his daughter and wife. He spat twice into his palm, rubbing the wooden stick between his fingers, ready to give it a try. He thought that the Liu family's status in Linjia Village would be quite different then, hehe.
Just then, Song Anbang went back along this path to get paper and pen. When Liu Xiuhong saw him walking alone, she made sure that there was no Lin Er's family behind him. She was immediately excited. Sure enough, even God was helping her. She was destined to be an official's wife.
She quickly said to her parents, "Mother, hurry, let's hide. Father, it's up to you now."
As Liu Fangtou walked down the road, he saw Song Anbang walking towards him. He quickly hid the wooden stick in his hand behind his back. Saying it was one thing, doing it was another. Although he had just been rubbing his hands together in preparation, he was still extremely nervous.
Seeing Song Anbang walk up to him, he greeted him with a smile, "Song Tongsheng, are you alone? Happy Mid-Autumn Festival."
Song Anbang nodded and said calmly, "We share the same interests."
Just as Song Anbang walked past him, Liu Fang turned around and hit him on the back of the head with a stick, knocking Song Anbang unconscious.
Liu Xiuhong immediately jumped out of the nearby bushes and looked at Song Anbang's handsome face, saying, "Dad, is this guy alright?"
Aunt Fangtou also came out, squatted down to check the breath of the person lying on the ground, and then touched the back of his head: "It's okay, our son-in-law is still alive, there's not even a bump on the back of his head, your father's strength was just right."
It was Liu Fangtou's first time doing something like this, and his hand holding the stick was trembling a little. Fortunately, it worked. He quickly said, "Quickly pull Song Tongsheng aside. People from the underworld may come at any time."
The group quickly pulled Song Anbang to the side into the bushes. Liu Xiuhong instructed, "Father, Mother, I'll shout loudly, and you'd better bring people over right away."
"Don't worry, daughter, Song Tongsheng will soon be our son-in-law." Aunt Fang smiled proudly.
Liu Fangtou and his wife left the bushes and deliberately headed towards the riverbank where there were many people admiring the moon.
A moment later, a scream came from not far from the riverbank: "Ah!..." followed by a low sob: "Waaah..."
The villagers who were admiring the moon by the river certainly heard it, and there were also bursts of weeping.
A woman said, "Who is crying? It sounds like a young woman."
Aunt Fang deliberately spoke up in the crowd, "Honey, doesn't this sound like Xiu Hong's voice?"
Liu Fangtou looked a little uncomfortable and said, "It seems so. Let's go and see if Xiuhong has run into any trouble."
Upon hearing this, the villagers' gossip-loving spirit was ignited, and they all went to see what was going on. Of course, Sister-in-law Lin and Erxi couldn't be left out, and the mother and daughter tacitly pulled Lin Daxi along to join in the fun.
When the villagers saw Song Anbang lying in the grass, disheveled and gritty, they were so surprised they could have stuffed an egg in their mouths.
Liu Xiuhong had already been pulled aside by her mother, who wrapped her in the clothes they had prepared beforehand.
Therefore, all that everyone could see was her panicked, tear-streaked face, and her body was wrapped up tightly. Even so, the villagers could imagine what had happened.
"This, this is Song Tongsheng, and Liu's eldest daughter, what's going on here?"
"What else could it be? It's that kind of thing between men and women. I never thought those two would get together."
"Judging from Liu Xiuhong's appearance, could Song Tongsheng have forced her?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com