Chapter 48

Song Taohong still had a graceful figure, with a bit of makeup on her face, giving her a rosy complexion at first glance. However, when she smiled, fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, indicating that her complexion might not be that good without the makeup.

She held a basket in her hand and placed it on the table, saying with a smile, "It's been a long time since I last came. Fourth Granduncle's house seems even livelier now."

She lifted the oilcloth covering the basket and said, "If I had known earlier that Auntie gave birth, I should have brought more good things. This roasted chicken was brought from the county by my eldest sister-in-law, it tastes quite good. Fourth Granduncle, it's perfect for you to eat with your liquor."

Song Xingyi smiled and said, "Is it necessary to spend so much? No need, leave one piece, the rest can be given to your parents."

Covering her mouth, Song Taohong chuckled, "My parents have some already..."

She looked around and then sighed, "I heard about Sister Yulan's situation this time, and I feel sorry for her. But I didn't just come to see Fourth Granduncle and Fourth Grandaunt. You know, Fourth Grandaunt, it's not easy for a married daughter. In a nice way, I am the wife of the county magistrate, but in a bad way, I am just someone's daughter-in-law, with no freedom in anything."

Li shi's smile didn't reach her eyes as she said, "What are you saying? No daughter-in-law has it easy. Do you think you can come to me and complain?"

Song Taohong's gaze fell on Song Dingxiang, then she lowered her eyes and said softly, "I know that Fourth Granduncle and Fourth Grandaunt don't like me, but... after all, we are all surnamed Song. I won't do anything to harm the Song family. I just want to tell Fourth Granduncle and Fourth Grandaunt that the reason Xu Dashan made trouble was because of my mother-in-law and elder brother's issues. They, for some reason, seem to look down on our Song family and have been instigating Xu Dashan. But their words are ambiguous, even if I hear them, I can't tell Yulan the truth..."

Song Dingxiang said, "Tao Hong, you don't have to worry about this. My sister has separated from the Xu family now, and she has taken back her child. She also has her natal family to rely on. With so much work in our family, both the workshop and the shop in town, she can live a good life. When I think about it, it's much better than living in the Xu family."

Song Taohong hurriedly said, "That's true! I used to think it would be good to have two of our Song sisters married to the Xu family, so we could have someone to speak up for us. But my mother-in-law is strict, and I hardly go out, so even after so many years of marriage, I can't even say a word... I'm just afraid that Fourth Granduncle and Fourth Grandaunt will blame me."

Li shi said, "If anyone is to blame, it's the Xu family. What does it have to do with you?"

Song Taohong said, "You're right, as long as it's not me to blame."

After a moment of embarrassment, she thought for a moment and said, "I actually want to see our little sister, I wonder if it's convenient?"

Li shi said, "It's not a good time now. Your aunt just woke up and is still feeling very weak. Why don't you come back in two days for the 'washing of the third day' ceremony? Then you can see her properly."

Song Taohong exclaimed, "Ah, I have to go back today. I'm not sure if I can make it for the 'washing of the third day' ceremony. But if I can, I'll definitely come and see her. I'm sure our little sister is very beautiful."

——— TNote: "洗三" (xǐ sān): This term directly translates to "washing three times" and refers to a traditional Chinese custom performed three days after a baby is born. It is a ritual cleansing for the newborn and is often accompanied by a family gathering. ———

After chatting awkwardly for a while, Song Dingxiang realizes what Song Taohong is up to. Life in the Xu family doesn't seem very pleasant, and with Song Yulan gone, she appears even more isolated. It almost seems like she came here with some ulterior motive, trying to impress the Xu family.

With this thought in mind, Song Dingxiang offered a smile. "Speaking of which," she said, "my nephew isn't a child anymore, is he? It's a good thing, actually. I just made some carp purses a few days ago, perfect for him. Sister Taohong, why don't you join me?"

Song Taohong was very happy to hear this and followed Song Ding Xiang into the West Wing. However, instead of entering the room where she and Yulan lived, they entered the room of the Fang shi.

Song Dingxiang had indeed embroidered a few purses, but the embroidery work was just average, usually for her own amusement. However, this time she picked up a pair of carp purses and handed them to Song Taohong, but her eyes were full of disdain and coldness.

"Taohong, there are a few things I feel like I should tell you," Song Dingxiang said.

Initially happy to receive the purse, Song Taohong's mood changed at Song Dingxiang's words, and she forced a smile, "Between sisters, we should be able to talk about anything. Where did this distance come from?"

Sitting on the kang edge, Song Dingxiang calmly said, "Taohong, do you think that because I didn't hold you back back then, my family has no way to deal with you now?"

Song Taohong's heart tightened, "Ding Xiang, what are you talking about?"

"Back then, you pushed me into the water to marry into the Xu family, which made me seriously ill when I came out, and the Xu family withdrew the marriage proposal. I will never forget this incident, and I've been thinking about when to settle this account with you." Song Dingxiang's face had a slight smile, but her words were merciless.

"I've thought a lot, now that my family has made money, many people in the village are envious. But because my family has hired help and has some backing in town, they can only envy us but dare not do anything bad.

Especially the Zhou family, when they found out that Zou Ge gave me the land and money, and even gave me a tiger as a betrothal gift, and put the shop in my name, they must be seething with anger, right?"

Song Taohong suddenly felt a chill running through her body. She said, "Isn't this proof that Dingxiang has married well? They may hate you, but if they had treated Zou Ge well, it wouldn't have come to this."

Song Dingxiang smiled and said, "But if they knew it was all because of your scheming, instigating Zou Ge to cut ties with them, what do you think they would do?"

Cold sweat broke out on Song Taohong's body.

The Zhou family is known throughout the village as typical fallen nobility. They were ungrateful when they had money in the past, and now that their days aren't going well, they love to curse people, especially Zhou Lao San's wife, who can curse all day long over a straw.

She said, "Sister, how can you say such things, you know, she has to believe me."

Song Dingxiang said, "I don't know if she believes me, but her family dares not come causing trouble in my home. But you know the foul mouth of Zhou Lao San's wife, she dares to say anything dirty and smelly. If some unpleasant words were to spread to the Xu family, your position as the magistrate's wife may become unstable... oh, it's probably already unstable, right?"

"Song Dingxiang, I came to your house with good intentions to celebrate the New Year, how could you say such things?" Song Taohong became a bit agitated and jumped off the kang, "Since you don't consider me as a sister, I'll just leave!"

"Don't go, I haven't finished speaking," Song Dingxiang continued slowly, "Do you know why I'm reluctant to stir up this matter? Because in the end, it involves only you, your family, and the Xu Qiang family. If this matter escalates, it will tarnish the reputation of the Song family girls, I have to consider that, right?"

"In the past, I was misled, but you, you came out fine, right?" Song Taohong shivered, knowing that if these words spread too harshly, she would have an even harder time in her family.

Things were already tough as Xu Qiang had been gone for two years without returning, and she felt like she was living like a widow. Then there was the incident with Song Yulan, and her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were acting strange towards her.

However, she was smart and mentioned the backing from Wang Yuanwai in town, which made her mother-in-law and sister-in-law behave. So even though she didn't take anything when she left today, it indicated that there was still a connection between her and this family.

Their relationship was still good, and it would make her mother-in-law wary.

Playing with the tassel on her clothes, Song Dingxiang's voice still carried a smile, "You think I came out fine? I barely escaped death. My man's fate is unknown in the north, is that nothing? I just choose not to dwell on it. And I was thinking, you two scoundrels should stay together, don't cause problems, and harm others. But after seeing you today and noticing you're not doing well, I feel uncomfortable."

Song Taohong was taken aback, her eyes turning red, "Sister, you don't know, ever since Xu Qiang took office, how have I been living at home? My mother-in-law always treats me like an outsider, my sister-in-law is unkind, they always believe I'm not good enough for Xu Qiang, they're always trying to push me out. But I know this was all my doing, even when I suffer, I can't tell anyone, I just keep it to myself..."

Song Dingxiang didn't respond, she continued, "Has Xu Qiang's letters mentioned you? A thousand miles away, if he doesn't come back, you may never see him again in your life. He's now a magistrate, a ruler of a county, how can he not have a knowledgeable and elegant wife by his side? Do you think... he will really be a content and faithful person? Even if he remarries and has children there, you wouldn't even know, right?"

Song Taohong's face turned pale instantly, her rouge unable to conceal the look of panic on her face. "But, but no matter what, that person can only be a concubine, I am the rightful wife."

Song Dingxiang covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "What good is a rightful wife that no one has ever seen? Besides, he wants to marry someone with status and prestige now. Do you think it matters how beautiful you are? You're just a country girl after all. There are definitely a lot of beautiful girls in the county who come from powerful families. If he doesn't come back, you can't go, and the one he marries will be treated as the rightful wife, and you won't even know about it. Song Taohong, you're really smart for a moment and muddled for a lifetime. Do you think your mother-in-law is preventing you from going because she's afraid you'll work too hard? They simply don't want you to go because they think you're an embarrassment."

"You're talking nonsense, you, you're talking nonsense!" Song Taohong trembled as if sieving chaff, "In plays, it's said that abandoning a faithful wife will be struck by lightning!"

"Plays? Oh, it's rare that you still watch plays. But plays are just plays after all. Have you seen anyone really struck by lightning for abandoning their wife? When you accidentally fall into the river someday, or trip and die while going out, then that person will become the legitimate wife."

Song Taohong's voice trembled incessantly, she said angrily, "Song Dingxiang, you can't scare me. Fine, even if I can't have a place in his heart, we still have Jin Bao, he's his son!"

Song Dingxiang replied, "I was just kindly advising you, how did it become scaring you? Son? You've seen it too, the son in the Xu Dashan's family, even the legitimate eldest son, they doesn't even want him. Xu Qiang, now that he has money and power, how many women would be willing to have his child? It's just a son, do you really think he treasures him? If he did, why hasn't he ever mentioned having you and your son come visit him?"

Song Taohong fell silent.

Indeed, over the years she had been pretending to be ignorant when she knew the truth. The letters Xu Qiang sent back never mentioned her, and the things he brought back were always for his parents, never for her and their son.

Song Dingxiang's words were like a sharp knife, cutting through her heart, leaving blurry traces of blood, making her unable to ignore the pressure carried in those words.

"But, but what can I do? What can I do?" Song Tao Hong couldn't help but cry, "I rarely leave the house, I have no money, let alone travel a thousand miles to find him, what can I do?"

"Why can't you do anything?" Song Dingxiang's voice was like a curse, "Isn't your village selecting capable people to assist him? You can take your son and follow along. If you feel lonely as a woman, buy a pretty maid to accompany you on the journey. When you arrive in the county, dress up as the magistrate's wife, won't you become an elegant wife then? By that time, with the magistrate having a wise wife, beautiful concubines, and a well-behaved son by his side, when others see it, would anyone dare to have any dirty thoughts?"

She just wanted Song Taohong to leave quickly and go find Xu Qiang. They were tormenting each other, so they wouldn't run over here for every little thing, making everyone irritated.

When Song Taohong was gone, then Zhu Shi wouldn't be able to play any tricks, and she could make Zhu Shi suffer a loss.

Song Taohong clutched the two pouches that Song Dingxiang had given her and left in a daze.

Song Dingxiang breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when she heard Song Yulan's voice calling, Sister? Come here."

Song Dingxiang stuck out her tongue and went into her own room.

Song Yulan had been recovering for a few days, her complexion had improved a lot. Da Bao's fever had subsided, but he had still suffered greatly and his body was still weak.

The two of them were playing on the kang in the room, and after hearing Song Dingxiang's words, Song Yulan couldn't help but laugh and cry.

"You little brat, did you really just trick her like that?"

Song Dingxiang chuckled and said, "Sister, don't you find her annoying? Send her away to torment Xu Qiang together. Once she's gone, her mother won't be able to cause trouble either, and we can have some peace."

Song Yulan sighed and said, "If only I had been cunning like that, I wouldn't have ended up in this predicament."

"Sister, why are you thinking so much? What's important now is to recover your health quickly. Once spring comes, we'll have a lot to do at home. It was fine when you weren't here before, but now that you're back, do you really want to stay idle and avoid work?"

"Oh, come on, when have I ever avoided work?" Song Yulan playfully tapped Song Ding Xiang and whispered, "Do you really think Tao Hong will leave?"

Song Dingxiang picked up some peanuts from the nearby table and placed them on the kang table. She peeled two and gave them to Da Bao, saying, "What is Song Taohong most afraid of? She originally sought wealth and status, but here in our village, there's only so much she can achieve. Who else could she encounter but Xu Qiang? Marrying Xu Qiang and having a son, she thought her good days had come. How could that be possible? Since Xu Qiang was willing to seduce her when he was engaged, will he stay faithful from now on? If Song Taohong leaves and sees him surrounded by other women, will she feel comfortable? Oh, I can't wait to see them have a fight."

Song Yulan couldn't help but laugh, "You, really, our family's cunning spirit resides in you, I can't believe it. You could turn into a crafty monkey just by touching a fur!"

Song Ding Xiang snorted and said, "Who let them bully me back then? They bullied me and still expect to live a good life? It's not that easy. If they had just stayed put, that would have been okay. But they had to come and bother me, that's why I couldn't stand it."

They say revenge is best served after ten years. It's foolish to take matters into your own hands; letting them destroy each other is the real way to find closure.

Song Taohong's first task today was to show the Xu family that she and Song Dingxiang were still close. The second task was really to blame Xu Qiang's parents and clear herself of any wrongdoing.

Song Dingxiang could easily cause trouble for them both, but she truly cared about her own family and the other members of the Song family.

She refused to believe that Xu Qiang truly loved Song Taohong, and she didn't believe that Song Taohong would just accept her precarious position as the rightful wife. Both of them were schemers, and only when they were together was it truly interesting.

Today, the sisters-in-law took their husband back to their mother's home, leaving the house feeling empty.

Fang shi stewed some leftover meatballs and pickled vegetables, reheated some frozen buns and dumplings, made some eggplants, fried a plate of peanuts for the patriarch to enjoy with his drinks, and put together a makeshift lunch.

As for the roasted chicken, no one mentioned wanting to eat it, so they decided to keep it in the kitchen to give as a gift later.

Bai shi ate separately; she made a thick soup with crucian carp and tofu, added some seven-spice powder and autumn sauce that Song Dingxiang had prepared to enhance the flavor, fearing that the pregnant woman might not be able to eat it otherwise.

Liu shi planned to stay in her in-laws house until the fourth day of the first lunar month and did not sit at the table to eat. Instead, she took a bowl of rice to eat with her daughter.

Hu Tou had his fill outside before returning, sweating and washing his face and hands before excitedly climbing onto the kang. "Grandpa, I asked around, and in our village, I'm the youngest shopkeeper. They all envy me."

Song Xingyi happily put his arm around his grandson's shoulder, "Impressive, impressive. My grandson is impressive, one can be a shopkeeper, the other can study. Both will be impressive in the future."

"Grandpa, I'm impressive too, I helped uncle!" Tu Dan also raised his hand. These past few days of training outside seemed to have lifted his spirits, and he had grown taller, looking very spirited.

"Impressive, my great-grandsons are impressive. Oh...we have to thank your sister and aunt, if it weren't for her, you would just be farming." Song Xingyi happily laughed.

The two children rushed to thank Song Dingxiang, and Hu Tou asked, "Sister, can we have some other fresh items in our shop?"

Song Dingxiang ate a peanut, smiling as she asked, "What, are things not selling?"

"Not enough, we only sell a few kinds regularly, and when they're out of stock, they're out. Can we have something that doesn't go out of stock? The shop isn't fully stocked with such items." Song Hutou was happy about the fast sales at their shop, but many items were seasonal, which made him quite unhappy.

"Alright, let me think about it. What items can we sell that won't go out of stock?" Song Dingxiang ate another peanut, suddenly having a revelation as she looked at Song Xingyi and asked, "Grandpa, do we still have a lot of peanuts at home?"

"We have plenty, we didn't sell many last year. Oh, and if you're thinking of something, we have quite a bit of buckwheat, too. Any ideas?" Song Xingyi took a sip of wine, looking content.

Song Zhixuan said to Song Zhiyuan, "This is great. I thought that by studying, I could help solve some problems for our family. Who knew that now Dingxiang is making everything a concern for my dad and my mon. My heart aches."

Song Xingyi laughed heartily and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Isn't the money your niece earned for you to study? Once you've studied and become an official, don't forget the kindness of your niece. I'm telling you, we should not be ungrateful."

"Oh, dad, I spoke out of turn. I deserve a scolding," Song Zhixuan slapped his own cheek and said, "I was just jealous, you know?"

Song Dingxiang said, "Don't say that studying is useless. In fact, studying is very useful. I have understood many things by reading, and although it may seem like there is no need for studying in farming, many secrets are found in books. Only if you read them will you benefit. It's just that there are too few books like that. If in the future someone could gather all this farming knowledge and write a book, farmers could learn and grow better crops, wouldn't that be great?"

"Look at my granddaughter, so bright!" Song Xingyi's excited face turned red, "Yes, who said being a farmer is just about farming? Farming requires skills, blindly planting won't work, right?"

Song Zhixuan, after listening, nodded thoughtfully, "Dingxiang is right, there is a lot of knowledge in farming. Even if one becomes an official in the future, they still have to prioritize the well-being of the people. What do people rely on? Isn't it farming and mulberry cultivation?"

After discussing farming matters, Song Hutou became impatient and said, "Oh, I wanted to hear my sister talk about how to earn money."

Song Dingxiang smiled and said, "I heard that in the northwest, there is a snack made by mixing buckwheat flour with a little white flour, adding water to form a paste, steaming it in a pan, cooling it, cutting it, and mixing it with cucumber strips, vinegar, sesame sauce, etc. It can be eaten as a dish or a meal, very refreshing. Why don't we make some of this this year?"

"Doesn't this need to be made fresh? Can it last for a long time?" Fang shi asked with concern.

Song Dingxiang said, "It's fine in cold weather, but in hot weather, it should be made fresh. I was thinking of having my sister help make it at the store in town. If she's too busy, maybe another sister-in-law can help out."

Actually, she still wants to make liangpi (cold noodles), but nowadays flour is expensive. Except for paying taxes, she basically keeps it for home consumption, which would be a waste to make liangpi.

Since there is so much buckwheat at home, it is better to make buckwheat bowl dumplings and noodles, which are a convenient snack.

Zhang shi thought for a moment and said, "Hey, with one pregnant and the other busy in the workshop, there is plenty of work to be done at home. Where is the time to go to town?"

Fang shi also said, "Your sister-in-law is not well, she is pregnant, and it's only two more months to go. After giving birth, she will be even busier."

Song Dingxiang said, "Even at home, there is plenty of work to do. We still have a lot of peanuts, right? Soak the peanuts in brine, let them dry, roast them until they become tasty. This way, the peanuts taste better than directly roasted ones and keep your hands clean. This can be done for a long time, using your own peanuts; when you run out, you can collect peanuts from others. When they are ready, you can sell them in the shop. As long as there are peanuts all year round, you will not be short of income."

Li shi couldn't help but say, "Dingxiang is always thinking about food, right? Even peanuts, can anyone in our family do that?"

Song Dingxiang said, "I have an idea, but I don't know if grandpa, grandma, father, mother, uncle, and aunt would be willing."

——— Author's Note: Song Dingxiang: Killing someone is foolish, I'll just watch the show and enjoy some snacks. It doesn't dirty my hands and helps relieve anger, it's a great feeling.