Chapter 349 Serious Illness
“I received a letter from Jin Nian a few days ago, saying that you were coming back for the New Year. I was both happy and worried, afraid that the journey would be too much for you, the old and the young. Fortunately, you all came back safely.”
Xu Cuilian held Zhuozhuo tightly, letting the little one sit on her lap, peeling a few melon seeds every now and then and feeding them to her, then kissing her cute little face a couple of times.
Seeing Zhuozhuo blinking her big eyes like a little squirrel while eating fragrant melon seeds, Zhang Zhaodi and the others were incredibly envious. They stared longingly at Xu Cuilian, waiting for her to tire of carrying them so they could take over.
Xu Cuilian pretended not to see her son and daughter-in-law's envious looks and asked Sheng An with a hint of worry, "You came back so suddenly, did something happen?"
Sheng An was surprised that her aunt guessed correctly on the first try, and not wanting her to worry, she quickly explained with a smile:
"I've always wanted to come back and visit. Before, Zhuozhuo was too young to travel far. Recently, I kept dreaming about my mother, so I thought about coming back to visit her grave. Plus, Jinnian was also thinking about you, my aunt, so I decided to come back for the New Year."
Xu Cuilian had no doubt about Sheng An's words and nodded understandingly, saying, "It's true that you should come back to visit your mother's grave and let her see her granddaughter, Zhuozhuo!"
Every year around the time of Qingming Festival, her parents would appear in her dreams, chasing after her for incense, candles, and paper money, saying that they had no money to spend down there.
An'an hadn't visited her mother's grave for over two years, so it was perfectly normal for her mother to miss her.
The others were also convinced by Sheng An's fabricated excuse, and Zhang Zhaodi comforted her:
“For the past two years, my parents have gone up the mountain to burn paper money for your mother’s grave every Qingming Festival. You don’t need to worry about your mother suffering down there.”
Sheng An was surprised that Mr. and Mrs. Zhang had come to sweep his grave, and his heart warmed: "Thank you so much, Uncle and Aunt Zhang. I must thank you properly when I return to the village in a couple of days."
Zhang Zhaodi retorted, "Given the relationship between our two families, there's no need for you to express your gratitude for such a small matter."
She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "I went back to the village yesterday and my mother told me that Kong Dazhuang is very ill and probably only has a few days left to live."
Since losing a leg, Kong Dazhuang's spirits have waned, and he now stays at home every day, relying on the charity of Peng Chunlan and her two children.
With such a burden in the family, the Liu family's life became increasingly difficult. In addition, neither Liu Dazhu nor Liu Shitou were capable people, and they could barely make ends meet even after working hard all year round.
When Kong Dazhuang fell seriously ill, Peng Chunlan did not even call a doctor to examine him. She simply brought him a bowl of water to his bedside every day and let him wait to die.
Having not heard the name Kong Dazhuang for several years, Sheng An was stunned for a while before remembering who he was, and then said indifferently, "His life or death has nothing to do with me."
Seeing her best friend's attitude, Zhang Zhaodi understood what was going on and reminded her:
“If you hadn’t come back, Kong Dazhuang’s matter would naturally have nothing to do with you. Now that you’re home, you still have to go back to the village to pay respects at your mother’s grave. Peng Chunlan will most likely use filial piety as an excuse to force you to give her money.”
Sheng An scoffed, completely unconcerned: "Let's see if she dares to say that in front of me."
Zhang Zhaodi considered it for a moment and also felt that Peng Chunlan probably wouldn't dare.
She is a very smart woman. Knowing that An An's status is different now, she would never jump out for the sake of a dying person and make things difficult for An An.
It's hard to say about the Liu brothers. They're so desperate to get married that they won't miss any opportunity to make money.
In the past two years, they have often tried to curry favor with her when she returned to the village, hoping to get a job in her bamboo weaving workshop or shop.
However, she did not agree.
Who would hire two lazy people to do the work?
It was a rare occasion for the two families to reunite, so the Zhang family stayed at Shengyuan for lunch, while the three Zhang brothers went home and brought their wives and children over as well.
The meals were prepared in the large kitchen in the front yard. Over the past two years, Baoxiu's culinary skills have become increasingly refined, and the food was so delicious that even Sheng'an couldn't help but praise it.
After eating and drinking their fill, the Zhang family got up and left so that the elderly and young, who had traveled a long way, could rest early.
Sheng An prepared gifts for them and told them to take them back and share them.
Because of the rush of her return, Sheng An had Aunt Niu buy all the gifts, and she herself didn't know what they were.
However, Aunt Niu always handled things properly, so they were definitely things that the Zhang family could use.
Xu Cuilian said a few words about the expense, and then happily left with the others, carrying their gifts.
Grandpa Sheng and the others are getting on in years, and they haven't had much rest lately due to their rush to get somewhere. They told Sheng An and then went back to their rooms to rest.
The small building had just been cleaned inside and out, and the pillows and bedding on the bed had been washed and dried, so you could lie down and sleep right away.
After coaxing Zhuozhuo to sleep, Sheng An went to the front yard and gathered Baoxiu, Shuqi, and the others together.
They were all veterans of Shengyuan, and had been personally trained and promoted by Sheng An. The moment they stood in front of her, their eyes involuntarily reddened.
Baoxiu's tear ducts were exceptionally well-developed, and she said somewhat incoherently, "Master, I've been waiting with my eyes open and closed every day, and finally you've come back!"
Although her mistress had gone to the capital and no one was watching her work every day, her mistress was the pillar of the entire Sheng Garden. She was always worried that she might do something wrong, disgrace her mistress's reputation, or ruin the Sheng Garden.
For the past two years, she has not dared to slack off in the slightest, and whenever she has free time, she studies culinary skills, with only one thought in her mind:
Win over the stomachs of our guests and keep Shengyuan thriving!
Now that her master has returned, she can proudly tell him, "Look, I protected you!"
Seeing the little girl crying with snot bubbles coming out of her nose, Sheng An felt both sad and gratified. He stepped forward, put his arm around her shoulder, and coaxed her, "Good girl, don't cry anymore. Look how much Shu Yan is heartbroken."
Baoxiu blushed deeply and immediately burst into tears: "Master, you...you're so mean!"
Shuyan's face also turned red. She looked at Sheng'an somewhat awkwardly, then at her beloved. Her ears were so red they looked like they could bleed.
Seeing their reactions, Sheng An laughed heartily: "You're both getting on in years, what's there to be ashamed of? I'm back now, I'll pick an auspicious day after the New Year and hold your wedding for you."
After Baoxiu and Shuyan took a liking to each other, they told their master, Sheng'an, about it in a letter.
Sheng An held their indentures tightly; if she didn't allow it, they wouldn't dare to truly become husband and wife.
Upon hearing Sheng An's words, Bao Xiu and Shu Yan were overjoyed and knelt down together to express their gratitude: "Thank you, Master!"
Sheng An smiled and told them to stand up, then had Aunt Niu distribute their gifts one by one.
In an instant, another wave of thanks filled the room.
After handing out the gifts, Sheng An inquired about the operation of Shengyuan over the past two years.
Although Shuqi would write to the capital every quarter to report the general situation of Shengyuan to Sheng'an, the specifics of the situation could not be clearly described in the letters.
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