Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 712 Random Thoughts

Song Ying had gone through all these procedures before going to the new house to cut out the wedding decorations. By the time Luo Yanxing returned after paying respects to his ancestors, it was almost noon.

Wang found Song Ying and said, "Song Ying, the banquet is about to start. Go and invite your grandmother over for dinner. In principle, your aunt should go and invite her in person, but she's too busy right now. You can go for her and ask her to make sure she comes."

As Li gets older, she is no longer asked to help with weddings and funerals in the village in recent years. However, she has always been respected in the village, and now that the Song family is becoming more and more prosperous, the host family always invites her to the banquet for every happy occasion.

Song Ying agreed and was about to head to the Song family home when she suddenly heard the rumbling of a carriage in the distance. A thought struck her, and she quickly walked to the gate of the courtyard.

A blue-curtained carriage slowly came to a stop. The curtain was lifted, and a young maid with her hair in two buns peeked out first. Behind her, as she was about to get up, was Xiao Xiang, who was heavily pregnant.

Song Ying felt relieved. Her trip to the Gong family hadn't been in vain. Now, Xiao Xiang not only had a carriage to ride in when she returned to her parents' home, but also a maidservant. It's just that the maidservant was a bit young and probably didn't have much experience taking care of a pregnant woman.

"Xiao Xiang," she called out, "I've been waiting for you. Yan Xing has been looking out the window eight hundred times this morning."

Familiar friends and hometown came into view, and Xiao Xiang's eyebrows relaxed. "I also want to see her in her wedding dress as soon as possible. I wish I could grow wings and fly over. Come on, let's go in and see the bride!"

As she spoke, she got up and, with the help of her maid, got out of the carriage.

Song Ying quickly stepped forward to support her other arm, her gaze falling on her protruding belly, her voice softening unconsciously, "Was the journey safe? Did the little one in your belly cause you any trouble?"

Xiao Xiang patted her round belly, her eyes full of affection. "She's so well-behaved. She only kicked me once halfway through. I guess she also wants to come and drink the wedding wine soon."

Song Ying smiled and slid her hand down to her wrist to check her pulse before she felt truly at ease.

Upon entering the house, Luo Yanxing was overjoyed to see Xiao Xiang, but he said, "Didn't I tell you to stay home and rest during your pregnancy? This is such a long journey, what if something happened to you on the way..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Xiang reached out and gently covered her mouth, "Pah, pah, pah! On such a joyous day, why say such unlucky things? Aren't you afraid of bringing bad luck upon yourself?"

She gave a light scolding, then laughed again: "Today is your big day. If I miss it, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

Luo Yanxing felt a warmth in her heart. She glanced at Song Ying and felt as if she were soaking in a honey pot. Her childhood friend's feelings remained unchanged. She had overcome all difficulties to attend her wedding banquet in person. And the person she was about to marry was her ideal husband with whom she shared a deep understanding!

How wonderful!

The happiness made it seem as if the hardships and bitterness of childhood had faded away, as if they were from a past life.

She pulled Xiao Xiang to sit down on the embroidered stool, then looked at Song Ying and said, "Don't worry about anything else today, leave it to Mei Yue and the others. Your job is to take good care of Xiao Xiang; she can't afford to get hurt right now."

Song Ying smiled and said, "Don't worry, not to mention any bumps or bruises, even if someone tries to say something mean to upset her, I will definitely stop them before they can even open their mouths."

Everyone burst into laughter. Song Ying handed a bowl of tea to Xiao Xiang, saying, "Bamboo leaf soup, specially brewed for you. It's good for calming the mind and relieving anxiety, and it helps prevent excessive heart fire during pregnancy. It's perfect for summer. Please sit for a while, I'll go fetch my grandmother."

After lunch, the aunties and grandmothers busied themselves with the wedding banquet that evening, while Luo Yanxing, the bride, took out her handkerchief and began to weep before her wedding.

Song Ying's good friends took turns crying for her to prevent her eyes from getting swollen and making her look bad on her wedding day.

Luo Yanxing held her aunt's hand, covered her face with a handkerchief, and sang a lament: "My aunt, I cut bamboo poles in the golden bamboo forest, and I was unwilling to leave the roots behind. My aunt treated me like her own daughter, and today I am married off, my heart is broken!"

Who adds firewood to the stove for you? Who brings you medicine when you cough at night? Who accompanies you to the gravesite during the Qingming Festival in March? Who helps you carry the jars of pickled vegetables in December?

Her aunt wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, brushed the silk flower at her temple, and sang back: "Wild geese fly in formation, bamboo shoots grow from the roots, daughters should not be sad when they get married, their husbands' families will treat them like roots, and they will be loved for their diligence and filial piety."

Then she pulled out a red cloth bag from her bosom. "Keep this bag of well soil safe. If you're not used to the water, soak it in water and try it. If you miss home, look up at the crescent moon. Your aunt will wait for you to return home!"

After she finished singing, she laughed and said, "Alright, stop crying here. This is just the beginning. You'll have a lot to cry about today. Your eyes will be swollen and you won't look good."

"You've married well. The Chen family is a prominent family in the county; I've heard they own shops on several streets. From now on, you'll be a proper young mistress, able to choose any fine silks and satins you want, and eat whatever delicacies you desire."

As she spoke, her gaze swept around the room, finally settling on Song Ying. Her smile widened. "The girls of your generation in our village are all so lucky. You've all married well, especially you and Song Ying. You'll be living a life of wealth and honor from now on!"

She dragged out the last "lou" sound for a long time, almost as if she were singing it three times in a row, but her gaze fell on Xiao Xiang, and she shook her head regretfully.

Clearly, she had overheard something and was comparing Xiao Xiang to Song Ying and Luo Yanxing, lamenting that Xiao Xiang only seemed to have a good marriage on the surface, but was actually living a miserable life.

Many of Luo's relatives, like her, would praise Luo Yanxing and Song Ying after being dragged to cry. Those who knew Xinghua Village well would always give Xiao Xiang a meaningful look at the end.

These subtle things aside, Aunt Liu came in at some point and started chatting warmly with several of Luo's relatives. Then, in a serious tone, she said:

"Xiao Xiang, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but now that you're a young mistress, you should still help out your family. Only when your family is successful can a woman stand tall in her husband's family."

Look at the Song family. Now that Song Tian has become an official, everyone looks up to them. Even his second uncle is very polite to them, and has been coming to pay New Year's visits to the Song family every year.

Luo Yanxing's aunt asked in surprise, "Li Wu has been associating with the Song family?"

"Of course! She came with Song Erni during the New Year. She called Aunt Li 'mother-in-law' all the time. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were such a close couple..."

Song Ying frowned and interrupted their conversation: "Aunt Liu is right. Guoxiang is remote, not as close to the city as our Xinghua Village. I'll talk to Sister Chun'er later and ask her to help her family more. If she can find jobs for her brothers in the city, they might be able to settle down there instead of staying in that remote mountain village."

Aunt Liu's face stiffened, while Mei Yue and the others almost burst out laughing. Luo Yanxing even secretly gave Song Ying a thumbs up.

If it were anyone else, the others could use their seniority to reprimand or argue back, but since it was Song Ying who spoke, they couldn't very well stand up to her.

He chuckled awkwardly a few times and then changed the subject.

The people who came in later didn't make any tactless remarks or criticisms of Xiao Xiang.