Chapter 77 Returning to the Village
“You did a better job than me, you don’t need to be modest,” Xue Huai’an said, a rare compliment.
Zhou Chengyu was flattered by such high praise, and couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He took the initiative to show the two of them their accommodations and occasionally told them about their experiences over the past few days.
Magistrate Gu and Xue Huai'an came only to check on the children. Seeing that they were all well-fed and warmly asleep, and more importantly, able to study, they were naturally very satisfied. They left some supplies they had brought before departing.
"Look, these children are living better than those in the academy. We really aren't as thoughtful as them," Magistrate Gu remarked in the carriage on the return journey.
"She always does things in unexpected ways," Xue Huai'an's expression softened when he mentioned Song Yushu.
"Tsk, why didn't you stay there and talk to Boss Wei a little more earlier?" Magistrate Gu could tell from his expression that he had someone on his mind, but he was afraid that he was still in unrequited love.
"Let nature take its course; there's plenty of time in the future," Xue Huai'an said, not pressuring him too much.
"With your personality, it's no wonder you can't win anyone over," Magistrate Gu couldn't help but tease him when he saw that Magistrate Gu had regained his usual indifferent demeanor.
Xue Huai'an didn't respond and simply closed his eyes to rest in the carriage.
Thirteen days passed in the blink of an eye. The roof of the orphanage had been repaired and reinforced by the county magistrate's men, and the children from the academy had moved back.
The children on Song Yushu's side were sent back two days later. During that time, they made the most of their time to learn two more characters before reluctantly leaving, their arms still clutching several sheets of paper with copied poems.
When they returned, they began to show off the three poems and ten characters they had learned from Song Yushu. The other children who stayed at the academy stared longingly at the papers in their hands, their eyes brimming with envy.
However, they soon had no time to think about anything else. The New Year was only three days away, and they did not waste these days. They took the newly cut paper-cut window decorations and red ropes and went outside to sell them, and managed to save up some copper coins.
Song Yushu had also packed up and was preparing to go home for the New Year. All the employees in the shop could have a holiday. However, Xiong Erni couldn't go home. Song Yushu wanted to take her to the Wei family to celebrate the New Year together, but she refused to go and insisted on staying at the restaurant. Song Yushu had no choice but to buy her new clothes and some supplies to prepare for her.
"You're finally back. Why are you so late this time? Your father was thinking of going to the restaurant to look for you," Mother Wei said, relieved to see the three of them return.
“The roof of the orphanage collapsed under the weight of the snow, so we took in some children and only sent them back a few days ago,” Song Yushu explained.
"Did anyone get hurt?"
"A few people were injured in the crush, but the medical staff are taking care of them. The others are fine."
"Alas, the snow is indeed too heavy this year. If you had come a few days later, I'm afraid you wouldn't have been able to return at all," Wei's mother sighed.
"Alright, now that the whole family is together, Mother, you can finally relax!" Sister-in-law Wei interrupted her mother's worries.
"Eldest daughter-in-law is right, as long as our family is safe and sound," said Wei's father, seeing his wife's sadness.
Song Yushu and Zhou Chengzhu shared a room, which had been tidied up long ago, with the bedding aired out and radiating warmth.
After packing the clothes, Song Yushu took out the New Year's gifts he had brought back and gave them to Wei's mother and the others.
"Two bolts of cloth for each of my mother and two sisters-in-law, two portions of dried fruit cakes for each of them, and some face and hand care products for each of them," Song Yushu knew they would definitely be reluctant to buy them, so he simply bought them back and gave them to them as gifts for the year.
These New Year's gifts were exactly what Wei's wife and the others needed. They had a very good relationship with Song Yushu now, so they didn't refuse and happily took the gifts back to their house.
“You child, you always buy so much stuff. I’ve already prepared the New Year’s gifts, so there’s no need for you to spend money. Chengyu still needs to study,” said Mother Wei, as she took out the New Year’s gifts she had given to Song Yushu and his mother.
"These clothes were all sewn by your two sisters-in-law and me. Try them on when you get back. This jacket is stuffed with a lot of cotton, so it will definitely be warm. There's also Chengyu's calligraphy brush and Chengzhu's sachet," Mother Wei said, taking out all the New Year's gifts for them one by one.
Song Yushu accepted them one by one, and even went to change her clothes. The jackets all fit her perfectly. When she thought that they were sewn by Wei's mother and her two sisters-in-law, she felt that the ones she had given were not as thoughtful as theirs.
"My clothes fit perfectly, and there's even candy in the sachet!" Zhou Chengzhu was very happy after changing her clothes. Although Song Yushu had never stopped giving them new clothes, the ones he sewed by hand were just different.
“Chengzhu is thirteen now that the New Year is over, you should start looking for someone,” Mother Wei said, suddenly remembering something as she looked at her granddaughter’s rosy lips and white teeth.
"No rush, I want to stay a few more years," Song Yushu really hadn't thought about arranging a marriage for Zhou Chengzhu. Thirteen years old was still too young in her eyes.
“Why isn’t there a rush? It’s not like you’re getting married just because you’re dating someone. It’s just an engagement. If you don’t get engaged soon, all your peers will probably be engaged by now,” Wei’s mother said, quite disapprovingly.
"Grandmother! I won't get married. I still want to open my own shop in two years!" Zhou Chengzhu is now focused on having her own shop and has no intention of getting married so soon.
In the past, she would have definitely asked Wei's mother to help her find a rich man, but now, she feels that she has saved up quite a bit of money on her own and has also tasted the sweetness of earning money on her own from Song Yushu, so she is not willing to get married so quickly.
"Alright, alright, I don't care anymore. You two can discuss it yourselves," said Mother Wei. Seeing that neither of them wanted to get engaged, she simply stopped pressuring them. Anyway, with her granddaughter's looks, she wouldn't have to worry about finding a husband, so she stopped worrying.
Zhou Chengzhu escaped a disaster by pleading with Wei's mother and saying a lot of nice things to appease the old lady.
This year's Spring Festival was really lively at the Wei family's house. Villagers came wave after wave with New Year's gifts, and Song Yushu's face was practically frozen from smiling.
She had originally planned to sleep in, thinking that Wei's mother and others would be fine to entertain the guests, but unexpectedly, everyone came to see her.
You can't hit someone who's smiling, especially since they came specifically to thank Song Yushu for accepting their vegetables before giving him gifts. So Song Yushu could only sit aside and listen to their pleasantries.
However, some people lacked any sense of boundaries, and their conversations were full of inquiries about Zhou Chengyu and Zhou Chengzhu's marriage.
“My son Chengyu is about to take the exam, and as his mother, how can I delay him? This child is ambitious and insists on waiting until he passes the imperial examination before he will be sure of his family.”
"It's good that he's ambitious! Chengyu seems like a sensible child; matchmakers will be lining up at our door!"
"Chengzhu is a good girl, I wonder if she's engaged yet?" The old woman who came to the door was still not giving up. She pretended not to understand Song Yushu's implied meaning and shamelessly asked again.
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