Chapter 60

"Second Daughter, Second Daughter!!" Song Zhiyuan hurried back with a cart pulled by cows, unloading a pile of pockets. The pockets were filled with seeds, some with corn and some with rice, all things that were needed at the moment.

"What are you shouting about?" Fang Shi came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a cloth. "She went to the lotus pond, what's the matter?"

"Where's Dad? Quickly distribute the seeds so we don't delay the farming season. Oh, I saw Wang Yuanwai in town, he said..." Song Zhiyuan's face lit up, almost dancing with joy, "said there was a great victory in the north!"

Fang Shi said, "Oh, I already know."

Song Zhiyuan: ???

"How did you already know? Has this news already spread through the village? I don't think many people in town know about it yet."

Fang Shi chuckled, "As soon as you left, a young man came to deliver a letter to Second Daughter, it was from Zhou Zi, haha."

Song Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you know. Ah, I've been waiting anxiously, finally managed to get him back."

The Song Xingyi family was filled with joy, they had escaped natural disasters and man-made calamities. They didn't starve in the year of disaster and even managed to keep their two large livestock.

Now, with the great victory in the north and Zhou Yinuo bringing back a letter from home, it was truly a double happiness. Of course, if Song Zhixuan could pass the imperial examination and become a scholar-official, that would be even better.

In fact, the spring examinations should have started last year, but due to severe drought in the north, the emperor had ordered a one-year postponement. With the slight relief of drought conditions in some areas this spring, the spring examinations naturally began.

Bai Shanchang had taken several of his students to the capital early. Regardless of whether they passed the examination or not, it was time for them to receive letters.

In the letter written by Zhou Yinuo, apart from mentioning the great victory in the north and their plans to return to the capital, he also specifically mentioned the wool business. Because the wool gloves and blankets sent by Song Dingxiang were very useful, the old general intended to continue sending wool in this direction after the drought ended, hoping the wool workshop could continue operating.

Song Dingxiang was naturally happy to see this, with a continuous supply of wool, the workshop would not stop and they could continue to make money. Moreover, aside from labor costs, it was all profit, a very lucrative business.

Calculating on her fingers, they had planted beans and cabbage, so they could continue making fermented bean curd and spicy cabbage in the autumn. With the easing of the drought and the return of people, the town and county had gradually come back to life.

It was said that many who had sold their shops and courtyards were now regretting it, as they hadn't expected the drought to end so soon and the war in the north had not spread over. As long as there was no war in the north, this was a very good place for doing business, with many merchants coming and going, the bustling atmosphere of the past was about to return.

On this day, as the family was busy, they suddenly heard a lively musical sounds. A lively group came from the village entrance, the sound of suona could almost penetrate the sky.

"What's going on? Is someone getting married?" People looked over, but they didn't see any wedding procession, instead they saw a few yamen runners.

"Fourth Uncle, Seventh Brother, Eleventh Brother, stop what you're doing quickly, hey!" Song Shi'er, the son of Fifth Grandaunt, ran over with sweat all over his head and his hair disheveled, "Great news, great news!! The government officials are here with good news. Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle!!"

Song Xingyi blinked in confusion, "What good news? Are they here to deliver food?" They were still eating buckwheat noodles and dried sweet potatoes at home, their mouths were bitter, and they wished they could take a bite of a golden pancake to satisfy their cravings.

"What food? It's Xiao Liu! Xiao Liu passed the exam!" Song Shi'er was so happy he couldn't contain his excitement, he couldn't wait to share the news, "Quick, come back with me."

"Xiao Liu passed the exam?" After hearing this, Song Zhiyuan dropped the hoe in his hand, grabbed Song Xingyi, and ran towards the fields, "Dad, your youngest son passed the exam, he passed! Big brother, big brother, why are you still here? Hurry back home!"

The men in the family abandoned their work and hurried back home.

As the messenger of good news had not left yet, Song Dingxiang and others quickly prepared a table of tea and leftover dried fruits for the visitors.

Li shi also joined in the preparations, constantly saying, "There's not much left, only these dried fruits from last year, enjoy the sweetness."

Song Dingxiang carried out a handful of copper coins and distributed them to the yamen runners and the musicians, and gave a few to each of the onlookers.

Song Xingyi's shoes had fallen off as he ran into the courtyard. He stared blankly at the crowd, "He won? Did he really win?"

The official who brought the good news laughed and said, "Congratulations, Old Master! Congratulations, Old Master! Your son has won the highest rank in the imperial examination, and the emperor has personally appointed him as the top scholar! This is a great occasion!"

"Ah, ah..." Song Xingyi was stunned, and after a long while, he burst into tears, "Top scholar? Oh my goodness... My son, my son is so amazing?"

The junior official smiled and said, "These past few years have been plagued by drought everywhere, right? The exams set by the emperor are about the nation's well-being, and it is said that the essay written by your young master is related to farming. The emperor immediately took a liking to it."

Song Zhiyuan came in carrying shoes and said, "Dad, why are you still crying? This is a joyous occasion. But we truly feel sorry for not being able to offer anything in return to thank you all."

The junior official said, "Well, it's not easy anywhere. Just being able to taste the tea from the top scholar's family is enough for me. Alright, since you all know, we will take our leave first. There are other villages where people have passed the exam, so we need to go congratulate them as well."

The junior official left with the bailiffs and drummers, and the villagers rushed into the courtyard to congratulate them loudly.

Song Xingyi was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling, "Damn, serve tea to the villagers, drink tea! This tea was gifted to us years ago, and we never had the heart to drink it. It's good tea."

"That's vintage tea, the tea leaves I brought you are this year's good tea." A loud laughter came from the entrance.

"Wang Daren? Why are you here?" Song Dingxiang asked in surprise.

Wang Yuanwai smiled and said, "I came to bring you the good news. It's a double happiness. Come on, everyone, I brought sugar cubes, come and eat." As he spoke, he had his servant lift the oiled cloth covering the basket to reveal a basket full of sugar cubes.

"Wang Daren, please come inside and have a seat," Song Dingxiang led him into the main house and said to Song Xingyi, "Grandpa, go wash up quickly. Where are your shoes? Put them on quickly."

Song Xingyi laughed and cried, "Yes, yes, Wang Daren, please rest for a while first. Let me go wash my feet before putting on shoes. No, second son, find me a clean outfit."

"You've really endured a lot, not easy at all," Wang Yuanwai took a sip of his freshly brewed tea and said, "Originally, your aunt also intended to come, but the child was clingy and she couldn't leave, so I came alone with the gifts."

Song Dingxiang smiled and asked, "Is the madam doing well?"

Wang Yuanwai nodded, "She's fine, just a bit shaken. Actually, there's been a bit of a drought in the south too, just not as severe as in the north. Let me tell you, although the drought situation here has eased, the northwest is still suffering. It is said that the emperor couldn't sleep for nights worrying, last year the severe drought caused the treasury to be empty, almost unable to pay the military, considering recalling troops from the north. But who would have thought, they won the war all of a sudden, now the emperor should finally rest well."

Wang Yuanwai had a wide social circle, he spoke about many things that people didn't know, and even took out the essay written by Song Zhixuan to hand it to Song Xingyi, "You've raised a good son. Scholars can't just study books, they must also understand the nation's well-being. This essay, although still a bit immature, talks about many views on the drought and prevention of locusts after the drought. We had drought for two years here, so burning the fields should prevent locusts, but it may not be the case in the northwest. Anyway, the emperor was so pleased after reading it, he directly appointed him as the top scholar - well, this is what my nephew told me."

Song Xingyi laughed, "The method of burning fields and the method of preventing insect pests in paddy fields were actually thought out by Song Dingxiang from reading. If this girl were a boy, she probably could have also taken the imperial exam."

Song Dingxiang hurriedly said, "Grandpa, what are you saying? My skills are only related to this, how could I take the imperial exam?"

Due to the severe drought and the cancellation of the spring imperial examination last year, Song Zhixuan stayed at home for a year. This year didn't disrupt his studies, but he also learned a lot about agricultural work from Song Dingxiang and the others.

After a severe drought, it is most prone to locust plagues. Those insect eggs hide in the ground, and the hot and dry conditions of the drought naturally cause them to hatch in batches.

Nowadays, there aren't many effective methods to kill locusts, but deep plowing and burning the fields after a drought every year can kill most of the insect eggs.

This method was suggested by Song Dingxiang in a letter to Wang Yuanwai, who then passed it along to some county magistrates he knew. The magistrates urged the people in the village to regularly plow the land and burn dried weeds and branches to prevent locusts.

Although it was uncertain if it would work, it at least provided some comfort.

For these county magistrates, they weren't the ones doing the work, so if there were no locust plagues, their official positions would be secure. If disasters occurred elsewhere but not in their jurisdiction, they might even get promoted.

They just had to talk, but they were diligent in their supervision.

Wang Yuanwai looked meaningfully at Song Dingxiang and said, "I'm not trying to take credit for this. Now that our two families are in-laws, your well-being is as important to me as my own. If there's no locust plague here while other places are affected, it proves the method is effective, and the emperor will definitely reward your family."

Song Xingyi waved his hand and said, "We're not seeking rewards, we just hope there won't be any more disasters, with enough food to eat and money to live comfortably, we'll be content."

Wang Yuanwai chuckled and said, "If everyone was as enlightened as your father, there wouldn't be so much intrigue and chaos. Plus, I've heard...” he lowered his voice, looking mysterious, “Your grandson-in-law made significant contributions in the recent victory in the north. Perhaps... with this good fortune, your family will be able to fully enjoy it in the future."

Song Xingyi chuckled and said, "As long as one returns home safe and sound, even with a broken arm or leg, it's all good. To be honest with you, I don't care about any awards or accolades. All I want is for my family to be happy and healthy, to never go hungry or cold, and to have a house full of grandchildren. That's all I ask for in this life."

Wang Yuanwai sighed and said, "No wonder they say you're a blessed man, Fourth Master Song. I wish my family was like yours. Ah, well... let's not talk about such depressing things on such a happy day. I came here to give you a gift, and also to share in your joy and have a bite to eat."

Song Xingyi frowned and said, "We don't have anything at home now. Because of the severe drought, we had to slaughter all the pigs at home, not leaving a single one."

Song Dingxiang said, "Grandpa, we still have sheep. With Wang Daren's visit today, we should at least slaughter a sheep."

Song Xingyi slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, how could I forget about that. Hehe, I still have a few sheep at home, which I had kept for my great-grandson's nursing. It's just the right time to slaughter them now."

Wang Yuanwai was not shy and said, "Then I'll have a taste of sheep meat today. It's been a long time since I had any, and I've been craving it, haha."

Song Zhiyuan and others slaughtered a young ram and stewed it with wild vegetables, dried fruits, and jerky in a large pot. They also steamed a pot of buckwheat noodles, mashed garlic with remaining soy sauce, vinegar, and chili paste as a topping.

They called over a few brothers, and asked Song Junli to invite Li Yunsheng and his wife to join them. Together with the village chief, they entertained Wang Yuanwai with a feast.

The leftovers were sent to a few other families as a gesture of goodwill.

This time, Wang Yuanwai brought silver, silver ingots, fans, silk flowers, handkerchiefs... boxes and boxes piled up on the kang.

Li shi looked at these things, and despite being cheerful all along, she suddenly shed tears. "This is really good, these things were also earned by my son. I never thought... that our family could produce a top scholar, that our family could... truly didn't expect..."

Bai shi smiled and said, "Mother, we shouldn't cry today. If you want to cry, wait for Zhixuan to come back and cry then." She married Song Zhixuan just for him to treat her well, but she never expected her husband to be so outstanding, actually becoming the top scholar.

"Oh, I'm not crying, I'm happy. When I'm happy, tears just can't help but fall. When Third Son and Zhouzi come back, our family will truly be reunited." Li shi hurriedly wiped her face, but no matter how much she wiped, the tears wouldn't dry.

She had been watching over her children all these years, even though she appeared to be indifferent. She worried that her eldest son and second son would quarrel over the sliver workshop, that her third son would feel upset if he didn't pass the exams after studying for so many years, that Zhou Yinuo would get into trouble warring outside, and that her granddaughter would be upset.

But now, her sons were united, her youngest son was appointed as top scholar, and her granddaughter's husband was also coming back. How could she not be happy?

*

Zhou Yinuo was coming back, and Song Dingxiang felt complicated. She never got married in her past life, and in this life, she suddenly became a married daughter.

The two of them didn't have a particularly deep emotional foundation, and she had always treated Zhou Yinuo like a younger brother.

In addition, for the past few years, she had been living with her mother's family, just like an unmarried daughter, and she felt quite comfortable. But when Zhou Yinuo came back, it meant she was going to be his wife and would have to have that kind of relationship with a man, and be prepared to have children...

"It's really... troublesome." Song Dingxiang sighed on the kang, unsure whether to be surprised or happy.

Song Zhixuan's letter also arrived, detailing his school matters and mentioning that the teacher wanted to take them to meet some old friends, travel around, and might return home later. They asked the family not to worry.

Bai shi wished she could tuck this letter into her bosom, taking it out to read to her daughter whenever she had the chance. Now her young daughter was three years old, just in the adorable stage.

Although they hadn't eaten well for two years due to the drought, and she was a bit thin, everyone had survived. If the weather was favorable this year, wouldn't she be able to raise her daughter well?

Her biggest wish now was to have a son, who could be as smart as his father and excel in studies.

Everything in the village seemed to be on the right track, but everyone could vaguely see that the harmony in the Song family's six houses wasn't the same as before. The eldest, second, and third sons were more active, while the fourth, fifth, and sixth families were often together.

And ever since the villagers found out that Song Zhixuan had become the top scholar, Zhu shi had been gloomy all day, and had been talking behind the Song Xingyi family's back.

Old Fifth Grandaunt was the first to move to the town to live, because Song Dingxiang bought a shop in the county seat, and Song Hutou and Song Yulan had moved their shop to the county seat as well. The grocery store in the town was rented to Fifth Grandaunt's son, and they were also considering renting out the restaurant.

Song Zhiyuan had someone bring in a few piglets to raise, feeling uncomfortable without pigs at home. He felt relieved watching the piglets settle in the sty in their home.

Song Dingxiang was now relatively relaxed, with not much to do at home since most of the land was rented out. Fang shi always asked her to go to Sixth Grandaunt's house to learn embroidery, making her dizzy.

She found an excuse to go to the orchard, feeling relieved watching the fruit trees with the newly-hung fruit.

"Song Dingxiang." A familiar voice called out.

Song Dingxiang stopped picking peach gum, and looked over at the voice, "Jiaoxing?"

The woman in front of her looked nothing like an eighteen-year-old young bride. She was dressed in drab gray, with sunken cheeks and calloused hands that were once tender.

"Now you must be feeling proud, right? Among the women in the Song family, you're the one who married well." Song Jiaoxing from now on seemed like a different person, her voice cold.

Song Dingxiang furrowed her brows and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Zhou Tiezhu is coming back soon, I heard he did something meritorious, and this time he might return in glory, right?"

Song Jiaoxing brushed away some loose strands of hair from her face and continued, "I heard that back then, he was the one my aunt wanted to arrange a marriage for with Song Taohong, but unfortunately, Song Taohong wasn't interested, she was determined to marry into a good family, and in the end, it ended up affecting you. But now, we can't say it was affecting you, this might have actually been for your own good."

Song Dingxiang was getting impatient and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

After a long pause, Song Jiaoxing finally said, "I'm not doing well now, that family is very poor, and my in-laws are difficult people, always arguing. I was pregnant once, but because I couldn't eat enough, I lost the baby."

Song Dingxiang said, "What's the use of telling me all this? Your mother also arranged a good marriage for you in the past."

"A good marriage?" Song Jiaoxing sneered and said, "What kind of good marriage was that? Song Taohong married the county magistrate, and your man also did something meritorious. I used to look down on the people from the Fifth Grandaunt's family the most, but Song Hongmei married the son of transportation dealer, and now they're successful. Even the sickly daughters born to the Sixth Grandaunt have married better than me, even when there's a disaster, there's always food and drink at home, never having to worry. Why am I the only one so unlucky?"

Song Dingxiang couldn't listen any longer. She stuffed the peach gum into her purse and said, "If you've come to complain to me, I'm sorry, I don't have time to listen to your complaints."

Song Jiaoxing smiled and said, "I don't have anything to complain about. I just wanted to tell you that if I'm not doing well, they shouldn't expect to do well either. My mother sold me once and then sold me again. The other day, the wife of the patriarch from that family came to my house and smashed things, causing me to get beaten up again. Why?"

Song Dingxiang cautioned, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Song Jiaoxing lowered her eyes, a murky expression in them, and said, "I haven't decided yet, but I'm the kind of person who seeks revenge for being wronged. They sold me, so don't blame me for not showing any compassion."

Song Dingxiang felt a chill run down her spine. She took two steps back and said, "Jiaoxing, I advise you not to do anything foolish. You made a foolish mistake back then and ended up in this situation. If you make another foolish mistake, you..."

"I don't want to live anymore." Song Jiaoxing lifted her head, her once bright and beautiful eyes now dull and murky. "I don't want to live, and I don't want them to live well either. They harmed me."

"That's your parents! It was your own doing that led to this!" Song Dingxiang couldn't bear to listen any longer. She thought Song Jiaoxing had gone mad.

"My parents? My father is foolish and incompetent, and my mother never paid any attention to me! Otherwise, she wouldn't have deceived that family, wouldn't have ruined my reputation!"

Song Jiaoxing's eyes were full of fierceness as she said, "I'm telling you this to let you know, whether it's my parents, my uncle and aunt, my grandparents... hmph, I see through them. None of them are good people. They don't treat me like a person, so why should I treat them like family? Dingxiang, do you know? I almost starved to death last year. I went to ask her for some food, and she scolded me, saying that the brothers at home couldn't even eat their fill, so where would there be anything for me to eat...

"Am I not her own flesh and blood?! Am I not her own daughter?!?!?!"

A nerve twitched at the corner of Song Jiaoxing's lips, "I'm leaving, you live well."

Song Dingxiang's scalp tingled, she watched Song Jiaoxing walk away, then suddenly snapped back to reality, and hurriedly ran home.

"Grandma, Jiaoxing... she's gone mad."

After hearing Song Dingxiang's words, Li shi's head buzzed, "Don't talk about it for now. We'll discuss this matter properly when your grandpa and the others come back tonight. We can even go stay in the county. Yes, let's bring your Sixth Grandaunt's family too. This girl, this girl... what is she trying to do?!"

Song Dingxiang asked softly, "Should we inform my Fifth Uncle and Third Granduncle's family?"

Li shi said, "What's being said? How is it being said? Are you saying that your Jiaoxing wants to harm you all? Let's not talk about this matter, let's pretend we don't know. Why can't things just calm down? Can't we just live our lives peacefully?"

"She said that man from that family hit her, and she lost a child..." Song Dingxiang felt that Song Jiaoxing was both terrifying and pitiful. She was a girl with lofty ideals, but lacked intelligence and capability, and had not been fortunate enough to have good parents.

Now filled with hatred, she had become like a madwoman.

Li shi said, "Who can we blame for that? Her parents treated her well, and that family was quite good before. To put it plainly, their family is just poor and shallow-minded, always eager for money. If only they had exchanged that silver for land or a business, how much better it would have been. It's a pity... sigh."

Song Dingxiang couldn't understand what Wu shi was thinking. Even if Song Jiaoxing had made a mistake, she should not have been married off to such a family.

There were plenty of unmarried men out there, couldn't they have found a family that treated their daughter-in-law well?

How deep was this grudge, that they not only married their own daughter to a widower, but a widower who liked to beat his wife.

Could Song Jiaoxing endure that?

Perhaps the day she was married off, she was already driven mad.

——— Author's Note:

"I don't know why, but recently I've suddenly gotten addicted to playing Love Nikki QAQ

Ah, changing into a new dress every time is really so enjoyable!"