Chapter 373 Extra Chapter: Song Erniang (15)
Song Erniang had mixed feelings about her eldest sister.
She was once one of the accomplices who almost caused her elder sister to fall into hell. In the end, her elder sister escaped from that hell, but she herself stepped into it...
Does she hate her eldest sister? She used to...
But later... Song Erniang thought that if she were to think from the perspective of the eldest sister, she would probably want to tear them apart and skin them alive!
Her elder sister didn't take her seriously. Although others thought her elder sister had long since severed ties with them, Song Erniang knew that her elder sister still cared about her sometimes.
When she left the capital, she returned a jade pendant belonging to her stepmother to her eldest sister.
Her elder sister sent her a purse through a third party. Inside the purse were silver notes, beads, and gold ingots.
She knew that it was travel money given to her by her eldest sister.
Later, outside Suzhou, she saw her elder sister on an errand. Although her elder sister didn't say anything, Song Erniang knew that her elder sister had secretly made many arrangements.
After her elder sister left, not only did Chun Buwan's men send her a plaque, but some officials from the prefectural government would also frequently make a special trip outside the city to eat a bowl of her wontons.
Those people treated her very well and came here often. Some shady characters knew that Song Erniang had someone protecting her, so they almost never dared to come here to cause trouble.
Song Erniang was still grateful to her elder sister from the bottom of her heart.
If it weren't for what her elder sister said, she might not have had the courage to leave the capital.
And the fact that she was able to establish herself in Suzhou must be due to the protection of her elder sister.
...
After seeing Lian Niang off, Song Er Niang closed the courtyard gate and returned to the house. Looking at the ebony box on the bed, Song Er Niang remained silent for a while.
Opening the ebony box revealed a pair of jade pendants of excellent quality, a pair of gold hairpins, a pearl necklace, and a pair of gold bracelets inlaid with precious stones.
There was also a five-hundred-tael silver note pressed under these pieces of jewelry.
Song Erniang touched the things, thought for a moment, and then put the boxes away.
She knew that her elder sister had forgiven her; otherwise, she wouldn't have sent the dowry over.
Suddenly feeling much better, Song Erniang burst into laughter, a rare occurrence for her.
After laughing for a while, Song Erniang leaned over the table, looking at the flickering candlelight on the candlestick, and for the first time felt that there was hope for the future.
...
Two days later, Song Erniang and Long Hanshi got married.
It was very lively. Everyone in the village came to help. Song Erniang didn't have to do anything. The village head's wife and the young wives in the village took care of everything.
As evening fell, Song Erniang, wearing a red veil, was carried into the bridal sedan chair by Long Hanshi.
The bridal sedan chair circled the village once before entering Long Hanshi's courtyard.
Long Hanshi's house and surrounding area were decorated with feasts...
Although her head was covered by a veil, Song Erniang could still sense the lively atmosphere around her.
It felt completely different from last time.
There is no fear of the unknown, only longing for the days to come.
...
About ten days after the wedding, Song Erniang went out to sell wontons at her stall again.
Long Hanshi didn't want Song Erniang to work so hard, saying that he had plenty of strength and could do a lot of work, so Song Erniang didn't need to go out to earn money.
But Song Erniang insisted on going out to earn money.
"These are all jobs we're used to doing. We're just sitting at home doing nothing anyway. If we go out and earn a little more, we won't be caught off guard when we need money in the future!"
Don't worry! I'll just come back earlier next time.
“Then I’ll go with you to set up the stall, otherwise you won’t be able to manage on your own.” Long Hanshi still wanted to accompany Song Erniang.
"Are you going to neglect the land at home?"
You bought ten acres of land back then, and I also have five acres of land. Don't we both need someone to watch over them?
"And you also planted vegetables on the mountain and chopped firewood. There are so many things to do!" Song Erniang explained to Long Hanshi earnestly.
Upon hearing this, Long Hanshi realized that his wife's words made a lot of sense.
There's still land at home, a vegetable garden to look after, and firewood to chop from the mountain. Otherwise, where would my wife get the firewood to cook wontons?
If you take good care of the land, you can harvest more grain and vegetables, and that way you'll have more money.
I can go to a shop in town and buy my wife a pendant, bracelet, or hairpin...
Ah, my wife is so clever and knows how to plan things out. This way, we'll definitely have more money left over.
Long Hanshi was very happy and did as Song Erniang instructed.
He's got plenty of strength! And he knows how to farm, so he'll definitely be able to farm well and make life better for his family!
"Wife, you're going to set up your stall by yourself, so please be careful."
"If you encounter those troublemakers again, just ignore them and don't get into any conflict. Just let me know when you get back," Long Hanshi instructed.
"If someone bullies me, are you planning to settle the score with them?" Song Erniang joked.
Long Hanshi nodded very seriously.
"Of course! You are my wife, and I will definitely protect you. Otherwise, would I still be a man?"
Don't worry, as I said, once you marry me, I will never let anyone bully you.
Song Erniang felt a warmth in her heart.
Someone was genuinely protecting her. Although this man was a bit naive and perhaps a little silly, he cared about her.
"Okay, I'll definitely tell you if anyone bullies me!"
But you must promise me you won't easily break someone's head again; that's not right!
"Fine! I promise I won't break those bad guys' heads, but I'll break their legs!"
...
And so the days went by, one after another.
Both Song Erniang and Long Hanshi were striving to live a better life.
Song Erniang saved some money selling wontons, and Long Hanshi took good care of the crops. With favorable weather, both the grain and the vegetables in the garden yielded excellent harvests.
That winter, Song Erniang became pregnant.
The following autumn, Song Erniang gave birth to twin daughters.
Everyone who saw these two little girls was absolutely smitten; they were both fair-skinned and very pretty.
Song Erniang, Long Hanshi, and Long Hanshi's sister's family all doted on these two little girls like the apples of their eyes.
Song Erniang's wonton stall expanded again, and many people in Suzhou liked to eat the wontons she made. She and Long Hanshi discussed it and rented a small shop near the city gate in Suzhou to sell wontons.
Long Hanshi's brother-in-law was also a soldier guarding the city, so he was very safe.
Looking at his two well-behaved and beautiful daughters, Long Hanshi felt that things couldn't go on like this.
"Second Aunt, I want to... go out and work as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort)!" Long Hanshi told Song Erniang about his plans.
"Going out to escort goods?" Song Erniang was startled.
"Yes, going out to escort caravans means protecting the Ye family's merchant caravans. That Fourth Master Ye contacted me before, and he told me that I could get at least thirty taels of silver for each caravan escort."
"This way you can earn money faster, and you don't have to work so hard!" Long Hanshi said earnestly.
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