Chapter 27

"No money," Song Yulan said, sewing the child's clothes without looking up, rejecting Xu Dashan.

Xu Dashan seemed a bit annoyed, pacing back and forth on the ground for two rounds, saying, "This is serious business."

Song Yulan snorted and said, "What serious business? I understand if you want to give gifts, but why do you need money from me? Shouldn't the money for gifts come from the family?"

Xu Dashan patiently said, "You know our family doesn't have much money. Now that someone from the Xu family has become a Jinshi and will be an official in the future, it's important to make connections now so they will remember us in the future."

Song Yulan laughed and said, "Even our close relatives are too numerous to visit. Even if you give gifts, will they take care of you? And do they really need your money now? Those officials and landlords have been giving gifts to them for a long time. How much do you plan to give? Ten taels? Twenty taels? Xu Dashan, I can tell you, I won't give you a single penny."

"Song Yulan, you!" Xu Dashan seemed frustrated and said angrily, "It's only been three years since we got married, why have you changed so much? When I wanted to start a business and asked your family for twenty taels, they made it difficult. But this is a big deal now!"

"Xu Dashan, whoever has changed, I haven't changed. Are you here to argue with me today?" Song Yulan threw the child's clothes aside, glanced at her son sitting on the kang with big round eyes looking around, and said, "Fine, let's argue. Let's go argue in front of our parents."

"Who, who said I want to argue with you?" Xu Dashan tried to avoid the confrontation.

"It's you, asking me for money, right? I've made it clear, I won't give you anything. If you want to ask someone else, go ahead. I won't give you a penny." Song Yulan hugged her son, patted him, and then put him down on the floor, smiling, "Da Bao, go, go play with Heizi, from next door."

Da Bao looked at Xu Dashan, then at Song Yulan, made a soft sound, and ran off on his little legs.

Seeing his son leave, Xu Dashan felt helpless and shouted, "Song Yulan, what do you mean by this? Who are you acting weird in front of? Are we Xu family indebted to you?"

Song Yulan looked at Xu Dashan with a smile that was not a smile and said, "I'm acting weird? Fine, since you said that, let's go argue in front of our parents today." She then got off the kang bed, put on her shoes, and walked out, saying, "Your Xu family owes my sister and me. I've thought about it for a few days, tsk tsk..."

She walked quickly, came out of the east room and went straight to the main room, smiling as she entered, "Father, Mother, I heard you want to go give gifts to the Xu Qiang family and asked Dashan to ask me for money?"

Xu Qiang's parents were discussing this matter, although they had five sets of clothes, they were still surnamed Xu, and now that someone from the Xu family had passed the Jinshi exam, it was an opportunity for them to rise. As long as they established good relationships, they would definitely have a bright future.

Currently, they only had ten taels of silver in hand, and they felt it wasn't enough to buy anything, so they asked Xu Dashan to ask Song Yulan for money. Even though they said that, being called out like this by their daughter-in-law made the two old people feel a bit embarrassed.

Wang shi smiled and said, "What are you talking about? Asking for money or not asking for money... we're all family..."

Song Yulan also laughed. She sat on the chair near the window and said, "Just now Dashan and I were both anxious. He said that when he wanted to start a business, he asked my family for money, and they didn't give it, making things difficult for him. I don't think things should be put this way. Now, you want to give gifts to Xu Qiang's family and are asking me for money... Father, Mother, when I got married, I brought twenty taels of silver as dowry. I've basically used that money to buy things for this family over the years. Now you want money from me, where should I find it?"

Wang shi's face turned red and said, "After all, this is a big matter for the Xu family, and Da Bao is also surnamed Xu. Don't you want him to have a relative in a high position in the future and make a name for himself?"

"Yes, that's right," Xu Xiujuan, Song Yulan's sister-in-law, also said, "Sister-in-law, if you don't have money, but your family does, why not ask for some? At least we can send a decent gift."

Song Yulan covered her mouth and laughed for a while, then said, "Juan'er, are you suggesting for me to ask for money from my family? Not borrow it?"

Xu Xiujuan said, "Oh, it's just one or two taels of silver. Your family is so rich, even a little leak from their fingers will be enough."

Song Yulan looked steadily at Xu Xiujuan and said, "Juan'er, who taught you to say such things? My family's wealth belongs to my family, and it's meant for my siblings. As a married woman, I can't go back to ask for money. Even if I wanted to borrow, I can't go back for this matter."

Xu Xiujuan pouted and said, "Why can't you borrow? I think your family is biased towards your sister, Song Dingxiang, and ignores you. When my brother wanted to start a business and asked to borrow money, they didn't lend it. And now, for such a big matter, they should willingly provide the money."

Song Yulan's face hardened and she said, "Xiujuan, don't you know that Xu Qiang caused trouble for my sister with Song Taohong back then, almost driving her to suicide?"

"That's because your sister was not careful and let a man..." Xu Xiujuan started to say.

"Xu Xiujuan!" Song Yulan stood up abruptly, and angrily said, "What nonsense are you talking? You're just a young girl, how dare you speak so recklessly?"

"What are you shouting about? Xiujuan didn't say anything wrong!" Xu Dashan also raised his voice.

Song Yulan sneered and looked at everyone in the room, "So you all see my family this way? When Dashan wanted to start a business and asked me for money, my father asked him to present a business plan, that's considered making it difficult for him? My mother asked me to give my own dowry to Dashan for his business, but I didn't even dare to say that the money had already been spent on all of you! My sister had an accident, and you say she was not careful? So it's only right if she died? And about Xu Qiang... ha! Don't you know that it's being said everywhere now that Xu Qiang and Song Taohong had an illicit affair, and the child was born months ago? I wonder, if he was with Song Taohong during his engagement period with my sister, and then my sister suddenly fell into the water after she was pregnant, what does that mean?"

"You, how dare you spout nonsense, shut up!" Xu Qiang's father slammed the kang bed and angrily said, "Since you married into the Xu family, you are a part of the Xu family. What's wrong with supporting the Xu family?"

"I may have married into the Xu family, but I also have my own family. If my sister from my family is being mistreated, should I just turn a blind eye as her older sister? Today I'll let this go, don't say there's no money today, there won't be money in the future either. My dowry is my own money, it doesn't belong to the family. I'll spend it on whoever makes me happy in the future, and if I'm not happy, there will be nothing!" She said, surveyed the room coldly, and walked out flicking her sleeve.

When she returned to her room, Song Yulan felt a sudden sense of relief in her chest. She laughed heartily, realizing that she had always tried to please her in-laws, sister-in-law, and husband, but in the end, she was the most unhappy. Seeing them all upset now, she felt a sense of satisfaction.

Not long after, Xu Dashan stormed into the room angrily, "You, Song Yulan, look at yourself, you've upset my parents so much!" he said, and even raised his hand.

Song Yulan raised her eyebrows and said, "What? You want to hit me? Come, hit me here!" she stepped forward, "I don't believe you dare to hit me."

Xu Dashan's hand was held halfway before he hesitantly put it down. Indeed, he didn't dare to do it. Just as Song Yulan had said, she still had her own family, with many siblings. If he really struck her, it might cause a hornet's nest.

"Fine, I won't hit you, but our Xu family can't afford to keep someone as high-maintenance as you. I'll go find someone to write a letter of divorce!" Xu Dashan threatened, his tone sharp but uncertain.

Song Yulan's face turned pale instantly. She looked at Xu Dashan in disbelief and her voice strained, "You want to divorce me?"

Seeing her fear, Xu Dashan lifted his chin triumphantly, "You're disrespectful to your parents, what use is a daughter-in-law like you?"

Song Yulan stared at him for a moment and then suddenly burst out laughing, "So I'm disrespectful to my parents! When my mother carefully chose for me to marry into your family, I thought you were all honest people. Turns out, I was wrong! You want to divorce me? Sure, I'll wait for your divorce letter. If you don't divorce me, then you're not a man!"

With that said, she got up again, walked out, called Da Bao from across the street, and left without looking back.

Xu Dashan was dumbfounded, standing in the room for a while, and when he finally chased after her, he didn't see her anywhere.

"Hey, Dashan, what are you looking for?" the neighbor from across the street asked.

Xu Dashan awkwardly smiled, "My wife... did you see where my wife went?"

The neighbor said, "Just now your wife came and took your son and left, she didn't look happy, did you have a fight?"

Xu Dashan casually replied, "Ah, just a little argument." He stopped talking to the neighbor, turned around, and hurried back to the yard, "Father, Mother... Mother, Song Yulan just took Da Bao and left after I mentioned divorce."

Wang shi was shocked, "What? She left? Where did she go?"

Xu Dashan shook his head, "I have no idea... Maybe she went back to her mother's place?"

Wang shi was furious, "How did I not realize that Song Yulan is such a strong-willed person? Stop standing there and go after her!"

She couldn't bear to let Song Yulan go back to her mother's house just like that, even if she wasn't that good, she was still the mother of her grandson. And they had spent a lot of money on her in the past two years, if Song Yulan spread it around, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

"I'm not going," Xu Dashan leaned against the door and squatted down, "You want me to ask her for money and also lie to her about divorcing her, she said, if I don't divorce her, I'm not a man. How can I do that?"

"You, you..." Wang shi pounded her chest, "How did I end up with such a foolish son?"

She had tried so hard to please Song Yulan in the beginning just so her eldest son could marry into a family with a good background. If she had the support from her family, then they wouldn't have to live like his elder brother's family, poor and struggling.

Furthermore, Song Yulan didn't seem to resemble the Song family at all when she first arrived. She had a gentle demeanor and appeared carefree.

And how did Song Yulan suddenly become so stubborn?

Xu Qiang's father also had a dark expression on his face, suddenly cursing, "We should never have let Juan'er say those words. Who doesn't know that her own sister, Song Dingxiang, has a grudge with Xu Qiang, how can their families get along? If she had not said those words, talked more about Da Bao, it might have worked... Ah!"

Xu Xiujuan's mouth pouted in frustration, "You always speak like this, I didn't say anything wrong. Besides, Song Dingxiang is not dead, hasn't she married someone else? There was still plenty of dowry and gifts, and there was still a shop in town. If all that belonged to the eldest daughter-in-law, wouldn't that be great? I think their family is biased."

It was said that the shop could make one to two taels of silver in rent every month, one or two taels of silver! It would be enough for her to buy many flowers and new clothes!

Xu Dashan said, "Yulan said, the money and property of that shop were all bought with the money from selling the tigers that Zhou Tiezhu killed, not from their Song family."

In fact, this was not news. In the beginning, Zhou Yinuo took out all his money and land to pay the betrothal gifts, and the Song family bought the shop with the money made from selling tigers. He even went up the mountain to hunt wolves, and it was said that he made a lot of money from those wolves.

"The Zhou family really can't see it, they had such a golden egg but still let it go..." Wang shi muttered, "Even if Zhou Tiezhu doesn't come back in the future, with the land and shop, Song Dingxiang won't be starving, and she will have her pick of suitors in the future. Forget it, forget it, why am I even saying this? Dashan, hurry and go to your in-laws, and bring your wife back."

Xu Dashan scowled. "I'm not going," he grumbled. "How can I possibly say I'm going after all that?"

Wang shi sighed. "What other choice do you have? You're just young and squabbling. Happens all the time!"

Xu Dashan pursed his lips. "What am I supposed to tell everyone when they ask why we're fighting? She won't even give me any money when I ask!"

Wang shi sputtered in exasperation. "Just say it's a joke! How could you seriously ask her for money?!"

Just then, Wang's sister-in-law walked in, a smile on her face. "Well, well, what's all the commotion? I heard Yulan went back to her parents' place. What happened? Such a sweet girl, why would she leave?"

Wang shi gave her visitor a sly smile. "Just a little domestic squabble, sister-in-law. Nothing more than a young couple's argument."

Her sister-in-law chuckled. "I wasn't planning on dropping by, but your mother wanted to see her great-grandson. I overheard a bit on my way in... Don't you two usually get along well? Why the fight?"

Wang shi laughed nervously. "You know how it is," she said. "Just like your sister-in-law and my eldest brother. A bit of bickering is unavoidable. Here, Dashan, go bring your wife back."

Xu Dashan hesitated for a while before reluctantly leaving.

Song Yulan, holding Da Bao, walked angrily towards her mother's house, getting angrier as she walked, and the tears couldn't help but fall. She had reached the entrance of Upper River (Beihegou) Village when she realized that if Fang shi saw her in this state, she would feel heartbroken, so she hesitated to go further.

Coincidentally, Song Dingxiang had just finished embroidering a pattern for Sixth Grandaunt, and went to the entrance of the village to buy something, and she immediately saw Song Yulan.

"Sister?" She hurried over, "Sister, are you crying? What's wrong?"

"I'm not going back, how can I explain this to my mother if she sees me like this?" Song Yulan felt awkward.

Song Dingxiang said, "Mother is in good health, and the child in her belly is strong, the physician said there's nothing wrong. If it's not for something else, not going back would be understandable, but their family is bullying you, why not go back?"

She dragged Song Yulan back home, talking about how busy the family was now that the spring planting was done. Song Zhiyuan and the others had taken on a job to slaughter some pigs for a wealthy family in town for a spring feast, and were out.

In the house, only Song Xingyi and a few others were present, the rest were all women.

Even though the spring planting was over, the men could rest, but the women were even busier. They had to take apart, wash, sew, and store all the winter clothes, bring out and wash all the clothes that they would wear once the weather got warmer.

The children grow fast, clothes need to be mended and changed. In addition, taking care of the pigs and chickens at home were all tasks for the women.

The Song family was truly busy now, just after the spring planting, Song Dingxiang's eldest sister-in-law was pregnant and was nauseous all the time. The eldest sister-in-law from her uncle's family was fine, but the younger sister-in-law had just given birth not long ago, and was busy taking care of the two children.

Fang's belly was getting bigger, and every sunny day, she would walk around the yard to help with some miscellaneous chores. Cooking for the pigs and chickens mostly fell on the her sister-in-law, Zhang shi, and her eldest daughter-in-law.

Due to Qiao's pregnancy, they had to move back home. The house was left for the eldest son of the elder uncle's family to move in with his wife, in order to take care of that group of pigs.

Fang shi had just finished walking around the yard and entered the main house, chatting with her mother-in-law. Since the spring cold had not completely passed, they would occasionally burn some firewood in the main house, making it warm inside.

Song Dingxiang dragged Song Yulan in, and when Fang shi saw the look in Song Yulan's eyes, her eyebrows furrowed, "My Eldest Daughter? What's going on?"

Li shi coughed, patted the few children next to her, "Go, take your brothers to play in the backyard, and ask your mother for some fruit slices to eat."

The children had been out fetching pig feed all morning and had just finished eating, wanting to sleep. But if Grandma spoke, they had to listen.

Once the children were all out, Song Yulan tearfully recounted the situation with the Xu family.

Fang's face turned dark, and Li shi's expression was not good either, "I see that the Xu Dashan family really can't figure out what they want to do, with one thing after another, don't they want to live a peaceful life?"

Song Yulan cried, "It was fine before..."

"That's because you used to spend money on them, and now you don't!" Li shi was regretful, "Why did you spend your savings? That was to boost your confidence. Look at you now, spending it all on others, why are you so foolish?!"

Song Yulan cried, "I just wanted to be a good daughter-in-law? Mother-in-law always said her clothes didn't fit well, and complained that her younger sister-in-law wasn't well-dressed, not looking good when out. With all that talk, I just couldn't resist..."

"What kind of people are they?!" Fang shi was furious, "If life is tough, then don't live it! I must have been blind in the past, how did I end up pairing my eldest daughter with such a family!"

Song Dingxiang: I think divorce is necessary, cut losses in time.

Fang shi: Agreed!

Li shi: ...Can't handle these two anymore.