Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands

Chapter 428 - 0409 Song Jinxiu’s Troubles (2)

Li Yuzhu looked at her in surprise, "Jinxiu, are you serious?"

She actually chose to become a nun?

It was really unexpected.

Song Jinxiu nodded and didn’t speak further, continuing to rub her clothes.

Li Yuzhu sighed, "Alright, I respect your choice."

Maybe it’s just a moment of anger; she would ask Song Jinxiu about this again after some time.

Song Jinxiu finished scrubbing the clothes and needed to take them to the pond to rinse.

Rinsing requires a lot of water. The water in the home tank is far from enough; it needs to be reserved for bathing and cooking.

Song Jinxiu put the clothes into a dedicated bamboo basket and carried them to the pond.

Li Yuzhu immediately followed her.

She turned back to look at Li Yuzhu, not saying anything, and continued to walk forward.

Song Jinxiu did not go to the pond she jumped into but went to another place.

This pond was smaller and further away.

There were women by the pond washing vegetables at the pier.

They were originally laughing and chatting, but seeing Song Jinxiu approaching, they fell silent, exchanging glances.

Song Jinxiu didn’t greet them, walking to another pier.

She put down the bamboo basket filled with clothes, adjusted her skirt, tucking it at her knees to prevent it from getting wet.

After tidying herself up, Song Jinxiu then squatted down, picked up a piece of clothing, and started rinsing it in the water.

Li Yuzhu squatted on the shore, watching her wash clothes.

Only Song Jinxiu’s own clothes were being washed; adding together, there were only about five or six pieces.

Song Jinxiu soon finished washing.

She stood up, patted the wrinkles out of her skirt, and carried the basket back to the shore, heading home.

Li Yuzhu followed her.

When Song Jinxiu reached a turning point, Li Yuzhu did not follow but stealthily returned to the pond, hiding behind a dirt mound, listening to the women chat.

"She really is a child without a mother; no one to support her." a middle-aged woman sighed.

"Doesn’t she have a grandfather? Mr. Song still holds some prestige in our village, doesn’t he?" a young woman said.

"You’ve just married into our village, so you don’t know some things. Her grandfather is old and sick; what can he do? The marriage matters ought to be worried over by her mother." the middle-aged woman said.

Another older woman said, "Even having a mother is useless! How could the Tian Family see her favorably? The Tian family boy is slick-tongued! His uncle is the village chief!"

"How do you know she has something with the Tian family boy? Where did this talk start?" the middle-aged woman curiously asked.

The older woman looked around and whispered, "I saw them go into the woods together one day. When they came out, Song Jinxiu was carrying a bundle of thick firewood. She had only a sickle in her hand, how could she cut such firewood? If it wasn’t the Tian boy helping to cut it, then who did? The Tian boy had an axe on his belt; going in together and coming out together—it’s strange to say they have nothing going on!"

"Oh, so it really is true."

"Song Jinxiu jumped into the water today; could it be that the Tian boy doesn’t want her? Was she distressed?"

"Hard to say."

"Oh, without a mother to arrange the marriage... poor thing."

"Really pitiful."

Li Yuzhu glanced at the women, turned, and quietly left, running towards the Song Family’s place.

Back at the Song Family’s backyard, Song Jinxiu had already hung the clothes out to dry, sitting on a small stool to select vegetables.

Upon hearing footsteps, she looked back and realized it was Li Yuzhu. She nodded, "Stay for lunch before leaving."

Li Yuzhu walked up, squatted down, and asked, "Jinxiu, the village chief’s nephew’s surname is Tian, right?"

Song Jinxiu paused her hands selecting vegetables, looked at the greens spread out on the ground, biting her lip silently.

"Did he ever help you chop firewood?" Li Yuzhu asked again.

"No." Song Jinxiu took a deep breath and continued selecting vegetables.

However, her complexion wasn’t as good as before.

Li Yuzhu glanced at her, saying, "I heard he’s not very good. I just heard an auntie scolding him fiercely; it was strange, I wonder how he offended that auntie—she was really angry."

Song Jinxiu didn’t respond, merely pulling at the corner of her lip, letting out a soft snort.

Li Yuzhu didn’t ask her anything further, and together they finished selecting the greens, washed fish jerky with her, and after she cut several white radishes, Li Yuzhu followed her to the pond to wash vegetables.

Song Jinxiu glanced at her and said, "Miss Li, you don’t have to follow me; I am much better now and have thought things over."

Li Yuzhu laughed, "I’m just relaxing with nothing to do, taking a walk to get familiar with the village routes."

Song Jinxiu, understanding her good intentions, did not persuade her when she insisted.

They returned to the pond from before, where the women washing clothes and vegetables had already left.

Besides a bunch of difficult-to-wash greens, seven or eight three-inch long dried fish and four three-inch long white radishes were easy to wash.

Having finished washing the vegetables, the two returned to the Song Family.

Li Yuzhu continued to help Song Jinxiu with the stove and fire.

This time, Song Jinxiu said nothing about it.

Together, they quickly finished preparing the meal.

Three dishes and a soup.

Pan-fried dried fish, stir-fried greens, white radish stewed in a clear soup, and a plate of scrambled eggs.

Mr. Song smilingly invited Mu Yuanxiu and Li Yuzhu to eat with them, "Simple and plain fare, don’t laugh at us."

Mu Yuanxiu smiled and said, "I eat like this every day too."

Li Yuzhu also said, "So do I."

With the chilly weather, everyone drank a bowl of radish soup before starting the meal.

Mr. Song was very talkative, recounting stories from earlier days in the village as they ate.

Such as who was the best hunter, who was the best carpenter, which family had the most educated people, which family had the most land, and who loved gambling.

Finally, he mentioned a family fond of gambling.

"The old man from the Tian Family loved gambling, squandered all the family’s assets, and it turned out his descendants were the same. The Tian Family used to have over eighty acres of land, and now, in his grandson’s generation, they’re down to just over five acres. With seven or eight mouths to feed, how can the yield from five acres be enough? Alas, the village chief even worried about them."

Li Yuzhu glanced at Song Jinxiu and asked, "Mr. Song, is that Tian Family the village chief Song’s nephew’s family?"

"Yes, Miss Li, have you also heard about the Tian Family?" Mr. Song asked in surprise.

Li Yuzhu smiled, "I often travel between the two villages, and heard it mentioned by people in the village once."

"It turns out the Tian Family is distant kin of ours, and when Jinxiu’s parents were still around, the Tian Family would visit our home too. It’s just that with our small family and lonely atmosphere, they eventually stopped coming." Mr. Song shook his head and laughed, "People, after all, love visiting lively homes."

Li Yuzhu said, "Not necessarily, homes that are lively but have poor family values aren’t well-received. That liveliness is fake; when something happens, very few truly help."

Mr. Song sighed, "That’s true."

After lunch, Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu chatted with Mr. Song for a while before getting up to leave.

Song Jinxiu saw them off to the mule cart at the foot of the steps.

"Thank you for saving me today. I only did something stupid because I was in a bad mood this morning, but I’ve come to my senses and won’t do it again." Song Jinxiu smiled slightly at the two, "You don’t have to worry about me."

Li Yuzhu held Song Jinxiu’s hand and said, "Jinxiu, your grandfather transferred the school to my father, giving him a job, and our whole family is grateful to you all. No matter what happens, just come to us. Anyone in our family will help you."

Song Jinxiu nodded, "Alright."

"Don’t just brush it off, I’m serious!" Li Yuzhu said, "Don’t forget, the Lord County Magistrate is a distant relative of ours. If we can’t help, there’s still the Lord County Magistrate."

Song Jinxiu continued smiling, "I know."

Hopefully, she listened to that.

Li Yuzhu waved at Song Jinxiu and climbed into the mule cart.

Mu Yuanxiu drove the cart away from there.

Song Jinxiu watched them as they went far and sighed, talking to herself, "Mu Yuanxiu is really good to Miss Li."

"Jinxiu!" A woman walked over, calling out to Song Jinxiu.

Song Jinxiu turned abruptly at the sound.

Her face turned pale as she looked at the woman, "Third... third aunt, why... why have you come?"

Approaching was a plump middle-aged woman, who was one of the Tian Family people Mr. Song mentioned.

She was also the real sister of the village chief of Qingshui River Village, married into the Tian Family.

She was the third child in her family, and both the village chief Song and Mr. Song were part of the same clan.

They were fifth-degree distant relatives.

Since the village chief Song often had dealings with Mr. Song, and Song Jinxiu frequently played with the village chief Song’s daughter, she too called Mrs. Tian Song third aunt along with the daughter.

"Is your grandfather home? I have some matters to discuss with him." Mrs. Tian Song lifted her skirt, heading up the steps.

Song Jinxiu quickly pulled her back, "No... he’s not at home."

Mrs. Tian Song looked at Song Jinxiu skeptically, "It’s quite windy today, your grandfather’s legs just healed a bit, where could he have gone? You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?"