Jiang Jinxi returned to his room and put his things away, then crouched slightly to hide behind the door. The Song family clan meeting was a good opportunity for him to understand Song Bo’s interpersonal relationships, which might help him escape back to the capital later.
However, after listening for a while, Jiang Jinxi felt that except for Song Bo and Song Chazai, no one else in this family was a good person. The Second Uncle only looked out for himself, the Fourth Aunt had usurped the land, and the Fifth Uncle needed others to exert effort even for his own marriage. Jiang Jinxi sighed inwardly, feeling a sudden touch of sympathy for Song Bo.
While Jiang Jinxi’s thoughts swirled inside the room, those in the courtyard also harbored their own hidden agendas.
After Song Chazai reclaimed the usage rights to Song Bo’s land, Song Yunxiang froze for a few seconds. She immediately lowered her eyes, half-covering her face with her sleeve, and faint, thin sobs began to drift out from behind the fabric.
Song Bo was amazed by this speed of transformation; in the short duration of a single clan meeting, Song Yunxiang had already cycled through several different expressions.
“What kind of act are you putting on now?” Song Chazai knew her fourth sister’s temperament well; such a pretentious opening usually meant she was about to cause trouble.
Sure enough, Song Yunxiang drew out her wailing. “You all are just blaming me…”
The long, shrill voice pierced his mind, and Song Bo felt a splitting headache. He quietly shifted his position, hiding half of his body behind Song Chazai and surreptitiously covering his ears to shut out the noise.
Hidden in the shadows, Jiang Jinxi couldn’t help but chuckle. He hadn’t expected Song Bo to make such a childish gesture.
Ignoring Song Yunxiang, Song Chazai turned to Song Shenwen and said, “Tomorrow at the hour of Chen (7–9 AM), go to town and buy the wild geese.”
At this moment, Song Shenwen put on an act of being considerate. “Fourth Sister deserves credit for looking after Third Brother’s fields. Does Eldest Sister really intend to take them back just to give them to that spendthrift?”
Although the old Song Bo was indeed a spendthrift, Song Chazai was no longer pleased to hear others call him that. “Don’t worry about the land. Just take care of your own marriage.”
“Yes,” Song Shenwen replied. His eyes flickered, and his gaze met Song Bo’s in mid-air.
Song Bo had no expression, but Song Shenwen felt as if there were a hint of mockery in his eyes. Eldest Sister said that the beauty was just a patient seeking treatment, but he felt otherwise. Judging by the natural way Song Bo had handed things to the beauty earlier, there was definitely something between them.
Why does this person always have such good luck? It has been this way since they were children.
Song Bo, being stared at by Song Shenwen, found it baffling. In the original host’s memory, there wasn’t much impression of this Fifth Uncle. In the original book, Song Shenwen’s assault on Jiang Jinxi was only mentioned in passing. Aside from the displeasure he felt when the man stared at Jiang Jinxi earlier, there seemed to be no major conflict between them. So why was Song Shenwen looking at him with such jealous eyes?
Song Yunxiang was still crying off to the side, but Song Chazai had already settled everything. She clapped her hands and announced loudly, “That’s it. Meeting adjourned.”
The matters discussed today had nothing to do with Song Haixiong. He had only spoken up because he couldn’t stand seeing Song Yunxiang occupy two portions of land. Now that the land had been taken back, he was overjoyed. He patted his belly and didn’t linger for a second, heading straight out of the courtyard for home.
Song Shenwen walked to Song Yunxiang’s side and took a clean handkerchief from his robe. “Fourth Sister, stop crying.”
Song Yunxiang stole a glance at Song Chazai. Seeing her pouring tea and clearing cups, she knew there was no room for maneuver regarding the land. She took Song Shenwen’s handkerchief, feigned wiping away tears, and said with forced dejection, “Eldest Sister, I’m leaving now.”
Song Chazai replied, “Little Brother, go with her. Go home after you’ve seen her back.”
“Yes,” Song Shenwen answered.
Once the three had left, the courtyard finally fell quiet. Jiang Jinxi came out of the room to help move things.
“Just help Eldest Aunt move the chairs; I’ll handle the table,” Song Bo said.
The table Song Chazai had brought out was very heavy; she and Song Shenwen had moved the large round table out together earlier.
Song Chazai was standing outside washing teacups. Hearing this, she teased, “It’s so heavy, can you do it alone?”
“I’ve been hauling goods for three days; I must have built up some strength by now,” Song Bo replied.
Hearing Song Bo say this, Jiang Jinxi burst out laughing. He had seen strong soldiers in the capital; when Brother Ye trained those soldiers, it took months of practice to build up that kind of strength. Speaking of which, Brother Ye would surely be worried about his disappearance. He had to quickly shake off the tails following him in the shadows and leave evidence of his presence here.
Hearing the crisp laughter, Song Bo’s eyes rounded in a sort of shame as if he had been exposed. “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Jinxi turned his mouth down to suppress his smile, using the motion of bending over to pick up a chair to hide his giggling.
Song Bo folded the table, grabbed both sides of the round top, took a deep breath, and lifted it off the ground.
Song Chazai watched as Song Bo wobbled slightly, stubbornly carrying the table into the storehouse. She felt satisfied. If Song Bo continued to change for the better, she might consider returning the land to him next year so he could manage it himself.
The wind whistled outside the window. Inside the room, the three of them sat around a small table. With the door tightly shut and only a small crack left in the window, it wasn’t too cold.
Song Bo touched the bundle he had brought back; fortunately, it was still warm.
“What did you buy?” Song Chazai asked.
Song Bo kept them in suspense and didn’t answer. He slowly unwrapped the bundle, and as soon as it opened a crack, the aroma of the dishes wafted out. Although Jiang Jinxi had already eaten, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva at the scent.
Song Chazai looked at the name “Xichun Pavilion” printed on the lid of the packaging box and said, “Did you really go to drink and play with courtesans?!” She knew exactly what kind of place Xichun Pavilion was. However, she didn’t condemn him immediately but waited for his explanation.
Courtesans and wine!
As Jiang Jinxi smelled the scent on Song Bo, half of the good mood brought by the food aroma vanished.
“I didn’t go for that,” Song Bo explained as he opened the lids and set the dishes out one by one. “The boat owner’s younger brother passed the imperial examinations. He was happy, so he treated us laborers to a meal. I didn’t know the place he chose was Xichun Pavilion before we went.”
Song Bo handed out chopsticks to the two of them as he explained. “I only tasted the dishes. They are fragrant and delicious; hurry and try some.”
Seeing Song Bo’s natural movements and relaxed expression, Song Chazai put away her suspicion. She said, “Passing the exams is a grand occasion. No wonder the boat owner was willing to spend such a large sum of money.”
The clouds in Jiang Jinxi’s heart gradually dissipated due to this sincere explanation. He looked at the dishes; privately, he was reluctant to touch food from such a place, but that plate of lotus root slices garnished with osmanthus petals looked incredibly appetizing…
After Song Chazai got a bowl, she took several bites. Jiang Jinxi, however, was still staring straight at the food without moving.
Song Bo didn’t know what was wrong with him; the craving in his eyes was practically overflowing, yet his hands remained primly fixed on the table.
Song Bo picked up his chopsticks, lifted a piece of osmanthus honey lotus root, and placed it in Jiang Jinxi’s bowl. “Only you people like these overly sweet things.”
Jiang Jinxi glanced at Song Bo. He thought to himself that these were clearly dishes Song Bo had tasted and found delicious, yet he claimed only Jiang Jinxi liked them. Snarking internally, he finally picked up his chopsticks and put the lotus root into his mouth.
Even though the food came from that kind of place, it tasted truly exquisite… Jiang Jinxi’s appetite was awakened by that single slice, and he began to help himself continuously.
“When will Uncle return?” Song Bo asked.
Just as he spoke, Liu Nanmin’s voice drifted in from outside. “Azai, what are you cooking? It smells so good!”
As the voice drew closer, Liu Nanmin opened the door to find three pairs of eyes staring at him. Remembering what he had just shouted, a flush of embarrassment instantly rushed to his head, and his face turned red.
“Song Bo bought it; sit down and eat.” They were an old married couple; there was no need to be embarrassed about showing affection in front of the younger generation.
“It’s actually food from Xichun Pavilion.” Liu Nanmin put away his farming tools, washed his hands, and sat at the table. “The food in that pavilion is very expensive.” When Song Chazai was younger, she had visited Xichun Pavilion to give medical consultations. Liu Nanmin had caught a glimpse of the prices on the wall, and the shock had stayed with him ever since.
“Did you spend all your labor money on a meal?!” Song Chazai’s voice suddenly rose several decibels.
She knew exactly how much one could earn hauling goods at the docks every day. In just two days, Song Bo could have earned a hundred coins at most. She didn’t know how much this meal cost, but it certainly wasn’t cheap.
In an instant, Song Bo decided to hide the truth about how he earned the money. “The owner was happy and let us pack the leftovers.”
He would hide the fact that he won money by writing calligraphy for as long as possible. If Song Chazai knew he could write, she would definitely force him to study for the imperial exams. Given her own knowledge, she would surely want him to aim high.
But having lived another life, he no longer wanted to struggle and strive. After he sent Jiang Jinxi away in a year, he just wanted to stay in this small village and spend his life farming.
“Your boss is quite generous,” Song Chazai said, suspecting nothing.
Xichun Pavilion truly had a way with cooking. The four dishes were polished off completely. Jiang Jinxi put down his chopsticks, feeling a bit unsatisfied.
After chatting in the house for a while longer, Song Bo and Jiang Jinxi stood up to leave.
It was late now; the sky was as black as spilled ink, and the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Stepping suddenly from a bright environment into the darkness, Song Bo found it hard to see clearly.
“Take this lantern.” Song Chazai ran into the storehouse and brought out a lantern for them.
She had made this lantern specifically for Song Bo. Seeing that they didn’t have one yesterday, she had worked quickly in the gaps between seeing patients today to finish it. It wasn’t very beautiful, but it was at least functional.
Song Bo raised his hand to look at the lantern; a warm candlelight glowed through. “This lantern is a real lifesaver.”
“Alright, hurry back. If you’re too late, tomorrow’s work will be hard to bear,” Song Chazai said.
Going back late meant sleeping late, and for those doing manual labor, poor rest was a major taboo.
“Mm, we’re leaving.” Remembering that Jiang Jinxi was afraid of mice, Song Bo pulled him closer to his side.
“Go on, pay attention on the road,” Song Chazai urged. “Especially look out for Jinxi; don’t let the rats scare him again.”
“I know,” Song Bo replied.
Song Chazai stood at the entrance, watching from afar as the glimmer of candlelight drifted further away until it disappeared from sight. Only then did she clasp her hands behind her back and walk back into the courtyard.