Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 28

The Song family lived with divided rooms but an undivided household. The third branch of the Song family was assigned several rooms in the west wing, which was where Song’s parents resided.

Compared to the main house’s blue-brick tiled rooms, these west wing rooms were made of mud-brick and thatch, occupying a small area. Two of the rooms looked newer, clearly added within the last two or three years. One could imagine how cramped and destitute the family’s living conditions were before the third and fourth sons married and Song Yu was wed.

Mother Song walked beside her daughter, grumbling incessantly with a reproachful tone: “You’re here, you’re here, but why did you and Brother Jing bring so many gifts? You’ve only just married, there are so many places where you need to spend silver.”

Listening to her mother’s nagging, Song Yu felt a warmth in her heart. She didn’t argue, simply listening in silence.

However, Sunshi (the Second Aunt), who was thick-skinned enough to walk beside them and had tried, but failed to help carry the gifts, chimed in with a smile.

“Third Aunt, isn’t this Xiao Yu showing filial piety? She’s honoring you as her parents. If my Ye’er could bring such good goods to honor me, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams.”

She truly envied the things the girl had brought. Look at those many heavy oil-paper parcels, she could smell the fragrance of the pastries through the paper. And that flapping rooster, so much meat! Once slaughtered, she’d surely get a few pieces. She hadn’t eaten chicken in ages and had almost forgotten what it tasted like.

Then there was the half-bolt of fabric, the pattern was just right. If it were hers, she didn’t know how beautiful she’d look wearing it while visiting neighbors. As for the two jars of wine, her husband (the second son) would surely love them, she’d have to get a share somehow.

Song Yu wasn’t surprised by her Second Aunt’s words. This aunt was a muddled person who loved taking advantage of others, both bad and good words flowed freely from her mouth.

“Mother, Second Aunt is right. This is what A-Jing and I brought to honor you. Please just accept it with peace of mind.”

Song Yu had a faint smile on her face. As she spoke, she glanced at Xu Jing, her manner slightly different from her usual self at the Xu household.

Receiving Song Yu’s gaze, Xu Jing nodded in tacit understanding. “The clear wine and the fabric were both personally selected by Xiao Yu. If you two elders are happy, Xiao Yu and I are happy as well.”

Mother Song looked at Xu Jing in surprise. She hadn’t expected her to echo her daughter’s words so readily, a stark contrast to the cold demeanor displayed during the initial “Return to the Bride’s Home” visit.

Distributing the Bounty

The group talked as they crossed the courtyard and reached the rooms of the Song family’s third branch. Although it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, for a farming family, the holiday simply meant eating slightly better food, labor in the fields continued during the day. Aside from the fourth son, who had been sent to buy meat, all the Song men were busy in the fields.

The two set the gifts on the table in the main hall, taking up nearly half the space on the square table. It was then that Xu Jing met the wives of the third and fourth sons. Song Yu’s elder sisters-in-law.

Under Song Chuan’er’s greeting, the two women came forward with their children. Along with them came Sunshi’s youngest son, the boy who had previously bullied Song Chuan’er. The small room was crowded with people.

Young Song Qi (the seventh son) tugged at Sunshi’s hem, his eyes fixed on the oil-paper parcels, drool nearly leaking from his mouth. His mother had told him that his third cousin was coming back with many delicious things, and those wrapped in paper were sweet pastries.

“Mom, I want to eat pastries! I want pastries!”

Sunshi slapped the back of her son’s head: “Eat, eat, eat! Can’t you see this is for your Third Aunt? Such precious food, is it for you to eat? Even if you eat, you should think of your grandmother first.”

The smile on Mother Song’s face stiffened slightly: “Second Aunt, why hit the child? All children love to eat.”

Mother Song turned to address Song Yu: “Xiao Yu, these pastries were brought by you and Brother Jing. You distribute them. First, send some over to your Grandmother and Grandfather to let the elders have a taste, it’s your filial duty. Then give some to Qilang, Dabao, Ya’er, and the other little ones. Leave the rest for your father and the others.”

Hearing “Grandmother” and “Grandfather,” Song Yu’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, but she nodded. Seeing his little wife busy, Xu Jing stepped in to help.

As the oil-paper was unwrapped to reveal pastries of rice-yellow, jujube-red, and emerald-green, Sunshi teased with a smile: “Young people, just married, their feelings are truly good. They think of their spouse in everything they do. Third Aunt, I suspect you’ll be holding a grandson by next year.”

These words were clearly directed at Mother Song. Watching the young couple, one unwrapping, one distributing, working in harmony. Mother Song’s gaze softened, her heart seemingly finding some ease.

The gaze from above was a bit piercing. Song Yu’s hand paused slightly while distributing the cakes. When her fingers brushed Xu Jing’s while taking a parcel, she felt as if she’d been burned, her fingers curled inward uncomfortably.

The Patriarch and Matron

The pastries were divided into several portions. After the children received theirs, they cheered and ran into the courtyard to play. Xu Jing and Song Yu then carried the allotted portions to see the elders in the main house.

Farming folk spent years laboring in the fields, braving wind and rain. Although Old Man Song was only in his sixties, his face was as aged as someone in their seventies, with white hair and a white beard. He gave Xu Jing the impression of a typical village elder, sitting with a back as straight as a pole. He accepted the gifts with a smile and offered a few encouraging words in a warm manner.

Sitting beside him was an old woman with no expression on her face. Her gaze was cold, and the wrinkles on her forehead and nasolabial folds were so deep they looked like they could crush a mosquito. She was clearly not someone easy to deal with.

This immediately reminded Xu Jing of Grandmother Xu back home. Grandmother Xu was mean and sometimes sharp-tongued, but compared to the fierce looking Grandmother Song, she seemed almost mild. Xu Jing felt that Grandmother Xu and Grandmother Song should be “old sisters” rather than the gentle Grandmother Shuisheng.

Leaving the main house, Xu Jing keenly sensed the person beside her relax her tense body. After walking a distance, Xu Jing whispered: “Are you afraid of your grandparents?”

Song Yu’s footsteps paused. A strange light flickered in her eyes, but she pursed her lips and remained silent. Thinking she didn’t want to talk, Xu Jing didn’t push, only saying: “Once we’ve spent time with your parents, we’ll head back.”

Song Yu moved her lips, but ultimately said nothing, merely nodding. Xu Jing sighed softly and reached out to pat the girl’s head, rubbing it gently. “Alright, think of something happy. It wasn’t easy for you to come back here.”

Well, I’ve wanted to do that for a while, Xu Jing thought. The texture is indeed great, just like petting a kitten.

Song Yu’s body froze, her mind went blank for a moment. Seeing the “glitched” girl, the corners of Xu Jing’s mouth curled up as she took her hand: “Let’s go.”

Xu Jing’s palm was warm and dry, with thick calluses, slightly larger than Song Yu’s, yet still looking slender and handsome. Song Yu finally came back to her senses, glanced around instinctively, and struggled slightly to pull away.

Xu Jing let go and asked with a smile: “Are you okay?”

Seeing her smiling face and those laughing eyes, the image seemed to carve itself into Song Yu’s heart. Song Yu lowered her eyelids to hide her emotions, then looked up and whispered: “Thank you.”

Hidden Intentions at the Table

The fourth son was the first to return, having bought two pounds of meat. He greeted Song Yu warmly, but still looked at Xu Jing with a critical eye. The courtyard of the Song’s third branch was filled with joy and a harmonious atmosphere.

Finally, Song Chuan’er, who had gone to call Father Song and the third son, returned panting. She brought news, the family of the eldest Song brother was at the village entrance, also back for the holiday.

Before long, Xu Jing saw the eldest uncle’s family. The Eldest Uncle was in his forties, wearing a long robe and a scholar’s cap with a beautiful beard, he looked every bit the Confucian scholar. The woman beside him was gentle, holding the hand of a young boy also dressed as a scholar.

Beside the Eldest Uncle, Father Song and the others were dressed in coarse cloth with many patches and mud stains. Their trouser legs were rolled up to their calves, they carried hoes and walked barefoot. Standing together, it was hard to believe they were biological brothers from the same parents who hadn’t even officially split the household yet.

“Father, Bo’er’s academy only gave one day off. He has an exam in a few months, and the master is keeping a close eye on them, so he couldn’t come back this time. But Bo’er was thinking of his grandfather and sent a jar of wine and these mooncakes. He said they were bought from Xianwei Zhai for you two elders to taste.”

The Eldest Uncle had also brought gifts, a small ceramic jar of wine and a modest parcel of mooncakes.

“Good, studying is good. It’s a good thing for Bo’er to study at the academy,” Old Man Song nodded.

Xu Jing and Song Yu stood among the younger generation of the third branch, inconspicuous. Xu Jing clearly saw the second aunt, Sunshi, curl her lip privately, though she turned to the Eldest Aunt with a warm smile a moment later.

With everyone harboring their own thoughts, they entered the large house. With the men back, Xu Jing couldn’t stay with Song Yu and was called away by the fourth son to talk. Song Yu went into the inner room with Mother Song.

Mother Song held Song Yu’s hand, chatting about domestic matters until the topic shifted to Xu Jing.

“Is she good to you? In that matter, we women must also look after our own bodies.”

The question left Song Yu stunned. When she realized the implication, her cheeks flushed a scorching red, and she was speechless. Seeing this, Mother Song assumed the young woman was simply shy and continued her motherly concern.

“If she is too demanding, don’t just give in easily. You are both young, and your constitution is weak. It’s fine to wait two years before having children.”

Song Yu was incredibly embarrassed. She and A-Jing were both women, how could such things happen? But she couldn’t tell Mother Song the truth. She could only grab Mother Song’s arm to stop her and give a hurried affirmation.

“Mother… don’t say anymore. A-Jing… she treats me very well.”

Mother Song patted her daughter’s back, her voice carrying a hint of a sigh: “As long as she’s good to you. Otherwise, your father and I…”

The flush on Song Yu’s face faded. She steadied her emotions and took Mother Song’s hand. “I am doing well now. A-Jing cherishes me. You and Father needn’t blame yourselves for this matter anymore.”

Mother Song’s eyes reddened again. Her daughter’s unspoken words were clear, she didn’t blame her parents, it was her grandparents who had finalized the match. But how could they not blame themselves? They were useless parents who, for the sake of the Song family’s reputation, had agreed to such a marriage. Now that the matter was settled, she only feared her daughter’s future would be difficult.

The Comparison

While the two women talked privately, Xu Jing dealt with her father-in-law and two brothers-in-law, talking about farm work. Since they were just village men, the topics were limited to that.

Soon it was time for the noon meal. The women had been busy in the kitchen for a while. The large rooster brought by Xu Jing and Song Yu did not escape the “Mid-Autumn Tribulation” it was slaughtered, plucked, and tossed into the large iron pot.

The Song family was large, so the men and women were split into two tables. Due to her status (as the “husband”), Xu Jing sat with Father Song and the brothers-in-law. During the meal, they opened the clear wine she had brought and the cloudy wine brought by the Eldest Uncle.

Comparing the two, Xu Jing wasn’t embarrassed, but she wondered if the scholar across the table, the Eldest Uncle felt any awkwardness.

Song Yu’s table also had wine, though it was a small jar of rice wine, not intoxicating, but nourishing for women. Sunshi drank quite a bit and praised Song Yu, but as the alcohol hit, her tongue loosened.

“Oh, it’s still our Xiao Yu who thinks of us Songs. Even though she married into a farming family, she didn’t forget to bring so many gifts for the holiday. I, as her aunt, am enjoying it too. Unlike that girl Lian’er, so what if she married into a landlord’s family? Even my Ye’er sent gifts back. Not that I’m saying anything, but her grandparents dote on her so much, yet she didn’t even send a greeting…”

Midway through Sunshi’s rant, the Eldest Aunt, who was serving Grandmother Song, gave an apologetic smile.

“Lian’er is a new bride, she just entered the house. Perhaps there’s much to do, she has a mother-in-law and a sister-in-law to attend to, and many rules to follow. Second Aunt, don’t take it to heart. When she’s free, I’ll have her make up for it.”

“Make up for it? Can holiday gifts be ‘made up’? Lian’er really is something, not even a word of greeting for the family during the festival,” a girl of thirteen or fourteen muttered. This was Song Baozhu, Grandmother Song’s late-born daughter and the most spoiled person in the house.

“Enough, just eat,” Grandmother Song spoke gently to the girl, but when she turned to Sunshi, her face was as long as a donkey’s, her tone cold and sharp. “Can’t the meat and rice plug your mouth? You drink two cups of cat piss and start blabbering.”

Rebuked by the matriarch, Sunshi curled her lip and dropped the subject.

Xu Jing, while eating at the neighboring table, had been paying attention to Song Yu’s side. When Sunshi mentioned “Song Lian’er,” her hand paused mid-air. A strange light flashed in her eyes, and she instinctively glanced at Song Yu.

Song Yu remained silent at her table, eating in small bites and not participating in the argument. However, Xu Jing felt that some things needed to be said and guarded against one couldn’t let people plot in the shadows while the victim remained in the dark.