Lin Fengyao knew that his mother had made a lot of money this time, and said with a longing look on his face, "Candied hawthorn, I want candied hawthorn. Didn't Mom say she was going to buy me candied hawthorn?"
"Okay, let's go buy candied hawthorns! We'll buy one for each of your brothers and sisters-in-law too."
"Yay!" Lin Fengyao jumped up excitedly.
Song Anxin led Lin Fengyao around, but only to the small stalls and vendors on the street. As for those teahouses and jewelry shops that looked expensive, Song Anxin knew her own limitations.
Even so, the mother and son still had a great time shopping and bought a lot of trinkets.
Song Anxin went and bought two more pounds of pork belly and twenty pounds of salt, as pickling salted duck eggs requires a lot of salt.
Song Anxin was heartbroken. Salt in ancient times was so damn expensive, thirty coins a pound, and she spent six hundred coins just on salt.
But you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; you still have to spend the money.
Now she was short of a tael of silver again. When she came to the county, Song Anxin only brought a few coins for the oxcart, and left the rest at home for them to collect duck eggs.
Yesterday we collected so many, and now we only have about one or two hundred coins left. But I doubt there are many households in the village that still have duck eggs, so it should be fine.
Song Anxin thought that her mother had not yet met Lin Fengyao, so she took Lin Fengyao to Yong'an Lane.
Sure enough, Grandma Song was amused by Lin Fengyao and left with a look of reluctance towards her little grandson. Song Anxin instantly felt like she had fallen out of favor...
This is Grandma Song's house.
“Xin’er, how did you persuade your brother to write letters and copy books for others? He hasn’t been to the academy this month; he’s been setting up a stall at the entrance of the bookstore.”
Grandma Song asked while chatting with Song Anxin.
Upon hearing that this young scholar was quite efficient, Song Anxin thought he would finish his studies this month and go next month, and said:
"He didn't say anything. Anbang is old enough to share the burden of his family, and it would also help him to study and take exams if he could see and listen to the lives of ordinary people."
Old Mrs. Song sighed and said, "I really can't pay next month's tuition. I was thinking of selling the silver hairpin your father gave me..."
This is the only memento your father left me, and I've never been able to part with it.
Song Anxin knew that her parents had a very good relationship, and the old lady couldn't help but feel sad every time she mentioned her deceased father.
She knew that there was no point in trying to persuade her; she understood all too well the grief of losing a loved one. All she could do was hold the old woman's hand tightly, hoping to offer her some comfort.
Grandma Song patted Song Anxin's hand and said:
"It's good that he's like this. Bang'er studies too hard, and he always has a sullen face and doesn't talk much. I can feel that there's a stone weighing on his heart."
Since he started setting up his stall, he's looked much more relaxed, and when he came back, he told his mother about what he'd heard each day. Seeing him like that, I realized he's a real person. Whether he passes the imperial examinations or not, I don't care anymore. As long as Bang'er continues like this, that's good enough.
Lin Fengyao, who was intently licking his candied hawthorn on the side, heard this:
"No way! Although I've never met my uncle who's a student of the imperial examination, I think he must be very capable and will definitely pass the exam to become an official."
"Hahaha..." Old Mrs. Song burst into laughter at Lin Fengyao's words.
“Then Xiao Fengyao, you must study hard and become an official like your uncle.”
Grandma Song patted Lin Fengyao's little head and said.
Song Anxin smiled too, but she felt that Song Anbang would definitely not continue like this as her mother said; this younger brother still had his own ambitions.
Grandma Song looked at Lin Fengyao with loving eyes, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and said:
“Xin’er, since Bang’er listens to you so much, why don’t you let Bang’er get married sooner? He’s already such a grown man, and he hasn’t even started a family yet, while other kids like him already have children running all over the place.”
Upon hearing this, Song Anxin immediately became interested. People in ancient times got married at a young age. Her eldest son got married at eighteen, which was considered late in this era.
Song Anxin was curious about her younger brother, who was already twenty-four years old and still unmarried. Logically speaking, Song Anbang was handsome, a scholar, and had even passed the imperial examination. He should be in high demand!
Grandma Song then explained to Song Anxin, "Your younger brother is just a bookworm. When he passed the imperial examination at sixteen, countless matchmakers came to propose marriage, but Bang'er rejected them all."
He keeps saying, "How can you start a family if you can't even succeed in your career? Does he expect someone to marry him and suffer with him? Sigh, I just can't do anything about it."
Song Anxin chuckled. He had thought her brother had taken a fancy to some young lady and was waiting to marry her after he achieved success, since that's what they always showed on TV.
Unexpectedly, his younger brother has rather progressive ideas about marriage. Well, that's good too; it shows he's being responsible to the girl.
Seeing Song Anxin laughing so happily, Grandma Song said with a bit of exasperation, "Xin'er, why are you still so happy? Your mother is almost worried to death."
Song Anxin quickly suppressed her smile and said:
“Mother, what can I do? Besides, I think Anbang’s words make sense. With the current conditions of our family, how many more mouths can we feed? What if your grandchildren don’t even have a full meal?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Fengyao stopped licking the candied hawthorn and wrinkled his little face, saying:
"It's so hard not to have enough to eat. I used to always be hungry. Grandma, please don't let my younger brother and sister go hungry."
When Grandma Song heard Lin Fengyao say this, she felt heartbroken. After Erzhu passed away, her daughter's life would definitely be difficult. She was afraid that the dowry she had given her would not be enough to make ends meet.
If Song Anxin knew what Old Madam Song was thinking, she would probably think to herself, "Mother, your spendthrift daughter has already spent all the money, but at least she has never gone hungry, at most she just doesn't eat well."
The group chatted for a while longer, mostly Lin Fengyao teasing the old lady.
Around 9:00 AM, Song Anxin said goodbye to Grandma Song and prepared to go back, otherwise she would have to walk back on her own if she missed the oxcart.
Song Anxin had intended to secretly leave half a pound of meat at the old lady's house again, but this time the old lady seemed to have been on guard and she was discovered immediately.
Old Mrs. Song said with a stern face, "Xin'er, I haven't even scolded you for secretly saving rice and flour for me last time. This time, you absolutely cannot let this old woman eat it. Hurry up and take it back."
Caught red-handed, Song Anxin said sheepishly, "Mother, this is a gift from your daughter to show her respect. How can you say it's a waste?"
I really can't make it in time, I have to go now, I'll come see you again next time.
After finishing her sentence, Song Anxin took Lin Fengyao and ran off in a flash. When she reached the alley entrance, Song Anxin looked back to make sure her mother wasn't chasing after them before she felt relieved.
Sigh, this is clearly a matter of showing filial piety to the elderly, so why is it being treated like something a thief would do?
Song Anxin shook her head. She was still poor after all. If she were a little richer, the old lady wouldn't be in this situation. However, Song Anxin felt that she was not far from escaping poverty.
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