Song Anxin knew that the old lady was heartbroken over the things the original owner of the body had done.
So he said, "Mother, I was ignorant before. Where is Father's memorial tablet? May I go and pay my respects?"
Grandma Song exclaimed excitedly, "You've forgiven your father?! Xin'er, your father really did it for your own good. Although the Lin family are farmers, they were chosen by your father after careful consideration. Your father investigated that scholar Fan, and he's unreliable."
"Do you know how heartbroken your father is that you've never been home since you got married? He cries behind my back every night."
Grandma Song's face was filled with sadness as she recalled the events.
Lin Fengnian and his brother Fengshou finally understood why their mother never mentioned their maternal grandparents' family anymore, and they also realized that their mother originally did not want to marry into their Lin family, which was why she treated their father and brothers so badly.
"Oh dear, why am I saying so much? Your father's memorial tablet is in my room. Come on, come on, your father will be very happy to see you." Old Mrs. Yang led the group to Song Xiucai's memorial tablet.
Song Anxin solemnly offered incense to the father who had devoted himself to his daughter, and Lin Fengnian and the others also offered incense to pay their respects to their maternal grandfather.
Song Anxin knelt before Song Xiucai's memorial tablet, and many scenes of the original owner's time with her father flashed through her memory. In her memory, her father was incredibly loving, but he didn't even get to see his daughter one last time before he passed away. How sad he must have been.
Song Anxin thought of her parents who passed away without her ever meeting them. If her father were still alive, he would probably still dote on her just as much.
There were also her maternal grandparents who raised her. When her grandfather passed away, she was busy traveling and rushed over, but he had already passed away, and she didn't even get to see him one last time.
I heard from my hometown that my grandfather kept repeating his own name before he passed away, which was his biggest regret.
Overwhelmed with grief, Song Anxin burst into tears, crying out, "Father, I'm so unfilial! I shouldn't have gone so long without coming to see you, Father..."
"Daughter doesn't blame you, really doesn't blame you, Father... How could you leave like this? Why didn't you wait for your daughter? It was your fault, your daughter is unfilial... unfilial... Father... your daughter has come to see you... Waaah..."
Song Anxin cried sincerely, and her words came from the bottom of her heart. Lin Fengnian and the others were also moved and knelt down behind Song Anxin, crying along with her.
The saddest person was Old Mrs. Song. She never expected that her daughter would finally understand her father's good intentions, but unfortunately, the old man did not live to see it.
She immediately wailed, "Old man... old man, can you hear me? Your daughter has grown up and understands everything. You can rest in peace now, waaaaah..."
The room was filled with the sound of weeping.
After the group finished their memorial service, they sat back down in the main room. Everyone's eyes were red. Song Anxin felt a little embarrassed. It had been a long time since she had expressed her emotions so openly. After crying her heart out, she actually felt much better.
Although she had no relatives in that world, she still had her mother, four dutiful sons, and oh, her daughters-in-law in this world.
Song Anxin felt that coming to this other world might not be so bad.
Song Anxin took a sip of water to cover up her embarrassment. She was also really thirsty after crying for so long. The water even tasted slightly sweet. Did they put sugar in it?
Lin Fengnian and his group also noticed.
"Mother, this is sweet soup!"
Zhang Mei never expected to be able to drink sweet soup. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the water, and she tried her best not to spill it.
In ancient times, sugar was a very precious commodity for poor families. If someone could offer sugar water to someone, it meant that they valued that person highly.
Song Anxin thought that her mother lived in such a dilapidated place and must be living in dire poverty. Yet she still brought out such precious candy for her and her grandchildren to drink. It was clear that her mother valued her as her daughter. The original owner of this body was too heartless. Otherwise, they would have had some contact for more than ten years.
For the first time, Song Anxin felt the love from her mother.
"Hey, I bought it to eat. After you finish drinking it, I'll make you some more." Old Mrs. Song's eyes never left Song Anxin.
"Mother, why haven't I seen Anbang in so long? I'd like to see my younger brother, who is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination. Also, why did you move here?"
Old Mrs. Yang spoke of her son with considerable pride: "Bang'er is currently studying at Renshan Academy in town, and he only comes back during his days off."
Then, with a touch of sadness, she added, "Since your father passed away, our family has had almost no income. We barely manage to make ends meet by doing mending, laundry, and embroidery for others."
But your younger brother is a scholar, and paper and pens are very expensive. He also needs travel expenses to take the exams, so I had no choice but to sell our old house. However, Bang'er lived up to my expectations and passed the preliminary exam at the age of sixteen!
Upon hearing this, Song Anxin thought to herself that the old lady must have had a difficult life all these years, as studying in ancient times was an expensive affair.
She asked, "Didn't Anbang write letters and copy books to supplement his family's income?"
“Anbang said he wanted to focus on his studies and not be distracted, so I didn’t think about sending him. I just hope he can pass the imperial examination in the future,” Grandma Song replied.
Song Anxin immediately had a bad impression of her younger brother. She wondered if he was just a bookworm who only knew how to study. However, the fact that he passed the imperial examination at the age of 16 showed that he was quite talented in studying.
No matter how poor my family is, I should still be understanding of my mother.
Song Anxin shook her head, deciding not to think about it for now. She hadn't even met the person yet; she'd see how things went after she did.
Song Anxin hadn't forgotten that she still had important business to attend to, and she wanted to finish it as soon as possible and get back.
So she said, "Mother, I'll have Fengnian and the others rest here with you. I'm going to the yamen."
"What are you doing at the yamen? Is there some kind of lawsuit?" Old Mrs. Song asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, Mother, what are we going to the yamen for? That’s where officials are, it’s terrifying,” said the Lin brothers, Fengnian and Fengshou.
Song Anxin replied, "Isn't it because your father's pension hasn't been paid yet? I heard people on the street say that the new magistrate has arrived, so I'm going to ask him."
"What?! Erzhu is dead?! When did this happen?" Old Mrs. Yang asked, her eyes wide, then looked at her daughter with heartache, "Oh dear, my poor daughter, how could she be a widow at such a young age..."
Seeing that her mother was about to cry again, Song Anxin quickly stopped her and said, "Mother, don't cry. Fengnian's father died in battle half a year ago. I've already moved on. Can you bear to see your daughter grieve again?"
Song Anxin had no feelings for the original owner's husband and couldn't even cry. All she could do was take good care of his sons with the money she had earned with her life.
"Alright, alright, Mother won't cry." Old Mrs. Yang quickly held back her tears, afraid that her daughter would be sad again.
“Mother, let’s go with you. I’m really worried about you going alone,” Lin Fengnian said.
"No, you two must be tired from the journey. Zhang Mei also needs to rest and shouldn't travel with me anymore. Don't worry, I can manage on my own," Song Anxin politely declined.
Finally, Lin Fengshou suggested that he go with her, leaving his elder brother to stay here and take care of his sister-in-law.
Seeing their insistence, Song Anxin had no choice but to agree.
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