Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Update. There was a call from outside, and Song came in.
There was no trace of haggardness on her face; one could even see the color of blood on her face. She was no longer like when she lost her daughter and became a vegetarian, without makeup or jewelry, and dressed in plain clothes.
Now she was wearing a scarlet cloak, a golden hairpin in her bun, and moon-shaped earrings on her ears. She didn't look like someone about to die, but rather had a beautiful appearance. A resolute look came from her brows. She clasped her hands and said:
"My daughter-in-law Song is here to pay her respects to Aunt Jun."
"you……"
Old Madam Yan's eyes were as loud as bells. She had never visited Mrs. Song before, but she had only heard Mrs. Pan talk about how Mrs. Song had no food or drink, was so thin that she was just a bag of bones and could not get out of bed. She was afraid that she would not even survive the New Year.
Now he was still standing in front of me to greet me, but he looked like a ghost, his jaw trembling and he couldn't speak for a while.
Mrs. Pan was furious, knowing that she had been deceived that day. She pointed at him and asked,
"Song, you're so good! How dare you pretend to be sick to deceive the old lady? The old lady has been worried and anxious about your illness lately, and she has even skipped meals. This is all your fault!"
Song had already seen the improvement. When she knew she was coming in that day, she had indeed deliberately poured porridge all over the floor, covered herself up, and let her hair, which had not been washed for many days, to hide her face so that she could see it. Now she said:
"I feel guilty for causing Aunt Jun to worry. But my sister-in-law said I was faking illness, but I can't admit it. I was so weak that I couldn't even save the baby in my womb. I collapsed in the courtyard and had to be carried back by the maids. The doctor took my pulse and prescribed medicine. Everyone in the mansion knows this. How can I say I was faking illness? I was afraid that Aunt Jun would worry, so I came to pay my respects as soon as I felt a little better."
As he spoke, he coughed twice against his lips, pretending to be still not fully recovered. Only when he looked at Pan, there was resentment in his eyes.
"That's good. Poor Master. Our ancestors committed many sins of killing. The only way is to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures to accumulate merit for our descendants. I am old and I am afraid I will die one day if I only eat vegetarian food. Only you, as the eldest daughter-in-law, can do it.
It's a pity that you haven't had much nourishment in recent years, and your health has deteriorated. In my opinion, after you recover this time, you can ask the master to calculate it. Even if you accumulate good karma, you won't have to eat vegetarian food all your life."
The old lady said some nice things and then said,
"You have no children, and your sister-in-law is willing to adopt Yong'er to you as soon as possible..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard a report from outside:
"Oh no! Oh no! A group of bricklayers broke into our house and are trying to break down the wall!"
"This is outrageous! Where did this troublemaker come from? Beat him out!" Pan ordered.
"I hired those people. They didn't come to break down the wall, but to build it, separating the east and west courtyards."
But listen to what Song said.
The Yan family's east and west courtyards housed the main and second wives respectively. Old Mrs. Yan's courtyard was in the middle, so construction was started near it.
When Old Lady Yan heard this, she was greatly shocked. She went out to see what was happening and saw some masons carrying sand and bricks to build a high wall running from north to south.
Mrs. Pan also read it and said angrily, "While the old lady is still alive, you are instigating the two brothers to live in separate houses and separate her flesh and blood. This is clearly treasonous. Aunt Jun, you can't do this. It will be so inconvenient for you to see your grandson in the future."
Old Lady Yan struck her cane and scolded Song:
"You are alienating my mother and my brother. I will ask Dalang to divorce you! And don't let these people leave!"
Song refused to obey and instead ordered Feng Gu and two strong women to bring in a man and ask:
"Gu Jun, look who this person is?"
The man was skinny, wearing a yellow Taoist robe, a sorcerer's hat, and holding a flag with the words "face reading and divination" written on it.
There was a greedy look for money between his eyebrows. When he saw this, his eyes rolled around. He turned around and wanted to leave, but was driven back by the two strong women.
Old Madam Yan’s eyesight was dim, but she looked carefully and still wanted to bow, saying:
"Master, you are well. Master, please eat well and stay healthy."
This happened three years ago. Xiaoyao was lost by the Wei River and his life or death was unknown. Mrs. Song fell seriously ill, and the family invited a fortune teller, who said that she had committed too much sin of killing and should eat a vegetarian diet.
"Aunt Jun, you remember now. This man isn't some master, but a sorcerer who scams people along the Ba Bridge. He took money from my sister-in-law and deliberately said this. He wanted my sister-in-law to become a vegetarian and chant Buddhist scriptures, which ruined her health. Pity my unborn baby. The doctor said that if the mother was strong, she wouldn't die... It's all because of you, you vicious woman!"
Pan flatly denied it. "My sister-in-law is heartbroken after losing her child, so why would she drag me into this? I didn't know he was a fraudulent sorcerer. If I had known, why would I have invited him into our home?"
But Song threw down a piece of cloth, which was the sorcerer's confession. It stated how Pan ordered a maid named Chen'er to find him and asked him to tell a false divination. She also promised him a lot of money and asked him to keep the matter secret. She listed all the details and pressed her fingerprints on it.
This happened because Song's health improved after she started eating meat, and Ji Xu brought it up.
It was said that the recent meals seemed to be full of meat and meat, and they advised Song to eat tonic food, but in fact they were all greasy and fishy. She had been a vegetarian for many years, and if she ate such meat and fish for the first time, she would definitely not be able to bear it and would vomit it out. It seemed that the person behind it was deliberately not wanting to teach her how to eat.
Song then remembered the fortune-telling practiced at home three years ago and ordered Feng Gu to investigate. After catching the sorcerer, she ordered her thugs to intimidate him twice, and the sorcerer confessed everything out of fear.
Because the old lady was illiterate and couldn't understand it, Mrs. Song read the confession to her.
Pan argued:
"It's obvious that you used money to make this sorcerer deliberately defile me and cause Jun Gu to alienate me.
Aunt Jun, you must not trust her. She is just trying to instigate you to split up the family and separate the flesh and blood of your family. She is an unfilial woman."
"Speaking of which, it was my sister-in-law who brought up the matter of dividing the family property with Aunt Jun years ago. At that time, you had three sons and daughters, and you all received a large share of the family wealth. However, my second brother and sister-in-law were incompetent, and they lost it all over the years."
As she spoke, she took out the accounts of the two families over the years and read them out in public. It turned out that the eldest wife was subsidizing the second wife, but the old lady was biased and said:
"We're brothers from the same family, so why would you say we need to give each other money? Don't say such things in Dalang's ear. You're corrupting him. That sorcerer is a liar, so his words can't be trusted."
Song also expected that they would deny it, so she ordered:
"Someone, bring Chen'er up here."
It turned out that she was a slave girl who had been sold to a human trafficker by Pan a long time ago, and now she had returned with Feng Gu.
Because Pan had treated her harshly before, she was even sold to be the lowest-ranking city maid.
She had been doing hard labor for three years and was already very old and rough, but now no one was trying to cover up for her.
Kuang Fenggu agreed, and considering that she had suffered hardships under Pan's hands before, she would redeem her from that miserable place and treat her kindly.
Now, in front of her three aunts and daughters-in-law, she told them everything about how Pan had instructed her.
Hearing this, Pan slapped her in the face and cursed:
"You gossiping bitch! Why didn't I cut off your tongue? Aunt Jun, don't believe her lies. She's committed the seven offenses of childlessness, yet for years she's refused to take Yong'er. Now she's even instigating the two brothers to build a wall to separate their property. A woman like her deserves to be kicked out of the house!"
"Since you've been denying it and even instigating your aunt to kick me out, I, your sister-in-law, have no other choice but to file a complaint with the authorities and seek justice. There's a hierarchy of seniority, but you, as the younger sister-in-law, have been plotting against your sister-in-law time and again. How can this be justified? Come on, file a complaint with the authorities!"
The Song family could not blame Jun's aunt, but it was legitimate for them to hold their sister-in-law accountable. Even if the matter got out, there was no point in blaming her.
"stop!"
Old Lady Yan called the maid to stop and began to persuade her earnestly.
"Don't air your dirty laundry in public! We can discuss our own affairs behind closed doors, but do we really need to make it known to the world? Wouldn't that bring disgrace upon our ancestors in Maoling?"
In fact, she had believed it a long time ago, but she wanted to protect Pan out of selfishness. Now she didn't protect her anymore. She scolded her a few times and hit her twice with her cane.
"You vicious woman, why don't you kneel down and kowtow and confess your guilt!"
Seeing this, Pan blushed and knelt before Song, saying:
"Sister-in-law, it's my fault. I was blinded by greed and allowed that sorcerer to tell a false fortune and deceive you. Over the years, my health has been damaged and I had a miscarriage. I beg you to consider the many years we have served each other and not to report us to the authorities. Please save our family's reputation. I will eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures for the rest of my life, and I will always be by my side to accumulate good karma for you."
As he kowtowed to her, Song walked past her and said:
"Aunt Jun, have you heard me? I absolutely dare not adopt Yong'er, the child she gave birth to. I have built a high wall today so that our two families will not interfere with each other in the future. Whether the second branch is rich or poor, it has nothing to do with my first branch."
Old Madam Yan only wanted to ask Pan to beg for her forgiveness so that the two brothers would not split up. But now she was still unwilling to give in. She only heard Song say:
"Think about it, Aunt Jun. Who can provide you with good food and clothing until you are old? Your yard is actually on the side of the main house."
The old lady was biased and scolded Pan for being useless, but she finally nodded in agreement.
"Come on! Divide!"
Song also knew that it was unrealistic to file a complaint with the authorities. If she angered the old lady, she might really divorce her by using the fact that she had no children.
I'm afraid that when her soft-hearted husband comes back, he won't even be willing to divide the family property and profits. In the end, he listens to his mother and is willing to be sucked dry by his second brother's family.
Song had also made up her mind. Building a wall to divide the family was secondary. The proper thing to do was to take care of her health, take over the business, and keep the family's financial power in her own hands. She secretly saved money for the mother and daughter. Even if they divorced, it would be a lifelong retreat.
From now on, we will build high walls and separate the two houses. It will not be so easy for people from the second house to come to the first house. They will have to ask the housekeeper Song.
Later, when Yan Dalang came back from business, he was called over by the old lady and cried.
Song originally thought that he would be soft-hearted and want to smash the wall to death, but she never expected that she stood by the bed for half a day, set up a tablet for the unborn child, and then rushed to the next door to ask her second brother to divorce the vicious woman.
After a big fuss, Pan was finally sent to Baode Temple in the suburbs to live permanently. As she said when she knelt on the ground, she would eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures for the rest of her life to accumulate good karma for the Song family.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather was beautiful and the main house of the Yan family was full of guests. They were all ladies from various mansions with whom the Yan family had close ties. They came to celebrate Song's recovery from the postpartum confinement.
Some of them had visited her before and had seen Song's withered appearance, like ashes. Now, seeing her wearing a headband and a deerskin coat and entertaining guests everywhere, they felt both relieved and curious.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, and you've gotten much better."
"Yes, he looks much better now. He's completely different from before."
Mrs. Song turned over a girl with a snow-white face and slightly red ears from the frostbite. She wore a jacket made of red silk, a seven-piece pleated skirt, and a cashmere fur coat. She looked very pretty and lovely, and everyone asked who she was from.
Song said, "This is my niece, named Xu. Thanks to her filial piety, she took care of my diet three times a day, which is why I was able to survive the brink of death. She made longan, red dates, lotus seed porridge, silver sprout yellow croaker, jujube and pork... She also knows how to braise them in a special way. She's very skillful with her hands. Look, it's on the table. You can all try it."
After hearing this, these ladies couldn't help but remember Ji Xu. After all, a dying man was actually recovered. They were very impressed.
Some people also asked Song privately, wanting to invite Ji Xu to cook for her and help her take care of her body with food, saying that she had severe lower abdominal pain every day when she had her period.
Song told Ji Xu about this, and Ji Xu was very willing. She didn't have the conditions to open a restaurant yet. If she could first serve as a cook for the ladies in Maoling Town and gain a good reputation for being a good cook, it would also help accumulate popularity for the restaurant in the future. So the two of them agreed on a date.
That day, Mrs. Song wanted to keep the mother and daughter for a while, and Mrs. Tian said:
"You've been staying here for a while now, it's time to go back home for the New Year. Come visit us after the New Year."
During the twenty days or so of the twelfth lunar month, Ji Xu and her sisters stayed here for a long time. Tian also stayed here for two days at the beginning. Later, when Song's condition improved, she returned home and came back here during the day.
Because the vegetable patch at home needs to be taken care of, the hens, starlings, cats, and cattle all need to be fed and watered, and they cannot be left alone for long periods of time.
Now that Song has finished her postpartum confinement, both mother and daughter have returned home, and it's time to set up the stall after the New Year.
Song said, "That's right. Let's get together again after the New Year, and I won't keep you."
After saying that, she ordered the maid to bring two bundles, which were filled with snacks and fruits for them, and a new set of clothes for each of them. Feng Gu even brought a horse.
They were all in the carriages, and when they saw a lone horse coming out, they were about to ask, but they heard Song say:
"This is for Xu'er. She's going to be working as a cook for someone, and I heard she can ride a horse, so having a horse is definitely more convenient than using an oxcart. Also, as an aunt, I have to say this from the bottom of my heart: the ladies in Maoling are somewhat servile and look down on the weak. If they see her driving an oxcart, they'll inevitably look down on her. Xu'er is away from home, and I don't want her to suffer any injustice."
Tian thought this made sense, but the horse was so valuable that she refused to accept it, saying:
"You are telling the truth. My family sold a batch of woolen mats a while ago, so we can still afford a horse. I'll remember your words. As a mother, I will never be short of money. When I have time, I will go to the West Market and buy her a horse."
Song said, "You have been taking care of me for so many days that you have even delayed the family business. I have some money, but you are worried about where to spend it? Besides, this is different. This is my aunt's intention. Don't worry about it.
Xu'er, don't listen to your mother. This horse is very docile, but your aunt picked it especially for you. If you don't accept it, your aunt will be sad."
Ji Xu's heart softened when he heard this. He looked at Tian, who smiled and said:
"Forget it, I'll take it."
I saw that tall, dark red horse with shiny fur and well-developed muscles. It was an extremely good horse and was worth at least ten taels of gold.
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