Chapter 154 The Ending
As the Lunar New Year approached, Song Yushu bid farewell to Grandpa Liu and others, and then returned to the county town with his family.
They tacitly kept everything that happened in the prefectural city a secret from Wei's mother and the others. Wei's mother was unaware that her restaurant in the prefectural city had been burned down, and upon seeing them return, she still prepared a table full of delicious dishes as always.
"Are you two really planning to get married next year?" Wei's mother asked in disbelief after hearing their decision at the dinner table.
Over the years, Song Yushu had not explicitly mentioned wanting to marry Xue Huai'an. Although Wei's mother was anxious, she also felt it was because Zhou Lao Er had hurt her too deeply back then. Now that she had suddenly taken the initiative to propose marriage, it surprised her.
"I'm not lying to you, we'll get married after Chengyu finishes the exam next year," Song Yushu patiently repeated.
"Okay! He's waited for you for so long, it hasn't been easy for him. You two should live a good life from now on. I'll be at ease knowing you have someone by your side," said Mother Wei, tears welling up in her eyes.
Song Yushu quickly took a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and comforted her for a while before calming her down.
Besides celebrating the New Year, Song Yushu plans to expand the Haowei Restaurant again after returning home. Since he is getting married next year, he can't be too careless about his accommodation.
Although the Xue family's house was quite nice, she still preferred her own farmhouse inn, where she felt more comfortable.
When Xue Huai'an learned of her plan, he took out his own belongings as well.
"You, a mere scholar, have such a wealthy family!" Song Yushu looked at the box of silver notes in disbelief.
"This is all the family can offer, along with some other businesses, which have been managed by the elderly lady of the family for many years..."
"Alright, we're not even married yet, and you're already telling me your family's assets. Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?"
"Money is just an external thing, and besides, I know your character. Since we've agreed to spend the rest of our lives together, I have to show you my sincerity."
Xue Huai'an was not actually short of money and never worried about such material possessions in his life. After passing the imperial examination at a young age, he stayed in the capital to serve as an official. After experiencing some things, he became disgusted with officialdom and brought his family to a remote and impoverished area to become a teacher.
Although he didn't care about money, he didn't have any problem with Song Yushu being a woman who thought about making money all day long. On the contrary, he felt that it was very difficult for her to raise two children on her own.
It was precisely because he never condescendingly offered sympathy nor looked down on ordinary people struggling for money that Song Yushu decided to accept him.
“I see your sincerity. Just wait patiently to enter, Master Xue,” Song Yushu teased.
At the beginning of the year, Madam Xue came over in person and made up for all the betrothal gifts that should have been given for the wedding.
When many villagers heard about this, they thought it was because one of Song Yushu's children was getting married and the matchmaker had come to offer betrothal gifts. But when they inquired, they found out that it was Song Yushu himself who wanted to get married. Regardless of what he really thought, many people came to congratulate him.
Song Yushu was well aware that her remarriage would cause a lot of controversy, given that she was a divorced woman with two children, but she didn't care. She had worked so hard to earn so much money, just so she could have confidence and live the life she wanted!
After the New Year, Zhou Chengzhu stayed in the county town to manage the shops they opened with Xue Qingyao, while Xue Huai'an was in charge of expanding the Haowei Restaurant.
After Song Yushu and Xiong Erni donated some supplies to the orphanage, they accompanied Zhou Chengyu to the prefectural city again, and would return after his provincial examination in August.
She didn't plan to open another restaurant in the prefectural city. She would only send Zhou Chengyu some nutritious meals every day, and spend the rest of her time eating, drinking and having fun.
During this period, she frequently visited Madam Liu, and the two often went on outings to the countryside.
“I never thought you and Xue Huai’an would end up together. I thought he would never remarry because of his personality. I never expected you two to be so destined for each other.” Madam Liu had actually met Xue Huai’an’s ex-wife in the capital. She was a completely different person from Song Yushu.
“I originally thought I would never get married in this life, and that I would save up enough money to live alone. Who knew that sometimes fate would bring such a thing?” Song Yushu never asked Xue Huai’an about his previous wife, and felt it was unnecessary. After all, everyone has a past, and there is no need to compare them.
Time flies, and with the provincial examination approaching, more and more scholars are coming to the prefectural city to take the exam. For safety reasons, Song Yushu did not let Zhou Chengyu go out, but only told him to stay in the courtyard and study.
Apart from that, the mother and son weren't particularly nervous. On the day of the exam, Song Yushu personally escorted them to the examination hall before leaving.
While waiting for Zhou Chengyu to finish the exam, Song Yushu was not idle. He took Xiong Erni to a Buddhist temple in the suburbs to draw a fortune stick. Unexpectedly, it was a very auspicious one. Whether it was true or not, he was still very happy. He donated some money for incense before leaving.
On the last day, the examination hall was surrounded by layers of people. Occasionally, a few candidates couldn't bear it and had to be carried out, and cries could be heard from the crowd. Song Yushu's originally not very nervous mood was immediately affected. It wasn't until he saw Zhou Chengyu walk out of the examination hall steadily that his heart slowly settled down.
The results of the provincial examination would take a month to come out, so Song Yushu told Zhou Chengyu to rest in the prefectural city for a few days before taking him back to the county town.
During the month that they waited for the results of the provincial examination, Song Yushu married Xue Huai'an.
The banquet was held at the Haowei Restaurant, a farmhouse restaurant, and Song Yushu's friends and the children from the orphanage all came.
Grandpa Liu, Grandma Gu, and Doctor Wu came with Madam Liu, making for a very lively scene.
Both Song Yushu and Xue Huai'an were remarried, so they didn't have many reservations. The two newlyweds came out together to toast the guests and made sure they were well taken care of before they could rest.
"The water is ready. Go wash up first. You've worked hard today," Xue Huai'an said, helping her remove the hairpin from her hair.
"Master Xue, you've worked hard too," Song Yushu said, not quite sure how to address him, so he used the usual form of address.
After she finished washing up, she sat on the bed waiting for Xue Huai'an to finish washing up, and picked up the book that Xue Huai'an had been reading to pass the time.
"Hiss... This erotic picture is quite unique..." Although Song Yushu was not married in her previous life, she had at least had a boyfriend. In this world, the original owner had already given birth to two children, so she was not shy about this. However, this was the first time she had ever seen such an erotic picture.
When Xue Huai'an came out, he saw her looking at the erotic pictures with great interest. As soon as he got closer, he heard her ask, "Where did you buy this book? Judging from the quality, it must not have been cheap."
“If you want to see it, I’ll find you a set tomorrow. But tonight is our wedding night, and we have other things to do,” Xue Huai’an said, putting the book down and smiling at Song Yushu.
For some reason, Song Yushu, who originally thought he was not a naive young man, found his face burning up after being stared at for a while.
As the curtains were lowered, the two spent a wonderful night together in the flickering red candlelight, becoming the most intimate of partners.
After Xue Huai'an and Song Yushu got married, they lived together at the Haowei Restaurant, and occasionally Xue's mother would come to stay for a few days.
Now both are middle-aged, but after getting married, they like to spend time together just like any other young couple.
Customers at the restaurant would occasionally tease them, and the two would just smile and remain silent, simply getting along as they pleased.
A month later, the good news arrived: Zhou Chengyu had passed the provincial examination and ranked twentieth.
This news was a huge surprise to them. Song Yushu asked Zhou Chengyu if he wanted to continue taking the exams. After hearing his affirmative answer, she continued to support him in taking the exams.
Three years later, Zhou Chengyu passed the imperial examination and was required to take up a post in another place. Song Yushu and Xue Huai'an accompanied him to the place of his post, and the two began to travel around and enjoy the scenery.
From this point on, the two of them would take time to travel to various places every year. As Song Yushu said, they should take advantage of the fact that they were still able to travel and see more of the world.
As the two grew old and gray, Zhou Chengzhu and Xue Qingyao worried that they might hurt their arms and legs, so they decided to stay at the Haowei Restaurant and start their retirement life.
Xue Huai'an was a few years older than Song Yushu. When he was eighty, he fell and could only get around in a wheelchair. Song Yushu had an extra activity every day: pushing him to the yard to bask in the sun. The two held hands, neither of them speaking, just watching the children in the yard laughing and playing.
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