Chapter 31:  Grandchildren Will Have Their Own Fortunes

“You crazy girl! Don’t come near me!” Ma Shi screamed.

Her strong will to survive made her forcefully push past Zhao Qiao’e, running wildly towards the gate. Though she avoided the knife aimed at her head, a large chunk of her hair was cut off and stuck in the mud bricks by the door.

Her forehead also hit a long table in the kitchen, resulting in a large bruise.

Song Yuntang didn’t chase her, only standing at the kitchen door, watching her leave.

Zhao Qiao’e, pushed by Ma Zhaolan, hit a long table, causing her to wince in pain.

Liu Xiangyun, seeing Ma Shi leave, quickly told her brothers to close the gate, then approached Song Yuntang.

Carefully taking the knife from her, she put it back in the hanging basket, gently saying, “She’s a good girl. If she gets a reputation for being fierce, how will she marry?”

Song Yuntang didn’t care.

“If I didn’t do this, she’d come every few days.”

Losing some reputation but achieving lasting peace, Song Yuntang didn’t think it was a bad thing.

Liu Shi sighed. “We can just not open the door for her next time. Why ruin your reputation?” She helped Zhao Qiao’e, who was rubbing her waist by the table. “Mother, are you alright?”

Zhao Shi waved her hand. “I’m fine. I’ll just rest in the room.”

Liu Shi helped Zhao Qiao’e to the room. Song Yuntang looked at them, selecting some herbs from a shelf in the courtyard.

She had kept some commonly used herbs at home after her trip to town, and they proved useful.

She lit a small stove, brewing a concoction for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

She also made a simple ointment with several herbs and took it to Zhao Qiao’e’s room.

“Does your waist still hurt?”

Zhao Qiao’e, feeling better, continued her needlework.

Seeing Song Yuntang, she was surprised and relieved.

“Tang’er, don’t worry, Mother’s fine. My waist doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

Song Yuntang entered with the ointment, placing it on the bedside table. “I’ll apply this ointment, and later you’ll drink the blood-activating medicine. You should be fine.”

Zhao Qiao’e was flattered, quickly putting down her needlework and lifting her clothes.

Three years.

This was the first time Song Yuntang had shown her care since coming home.

Song Yuntang applied the ointment to the bruised area, blowing gently and massaging lightly.

Perhaps because of the mint, the ointment was cool and comfortable, and with Song Yuntang’s gentle touch, Zhao Qiao’e felt no pain.

“Tang’er’s hands are so skillful.”

Looking down at her hands, which had several small cuts, Song Yuntang didn’t speak.

After applying the ointment, Song Yuntang washed the bowl. The medicine was ready. She poured it and took it to Zhao Qiao’e’s room.

“The medicine is on the table. Drink it when it cools.”

“Okay.” Zhao Qiao’e looked at Song Yuntang, asking, “Tang’er, why don’t you let Zhuzi and Zhuangzi send two buns to Grandpa and Grandma? They’re frugal and rarely buy meat. It’s pitiful.”

Song Yuntang nodded calmly. “Okay, I’ll tell them to go.”

When the original owner came to Rongshu Village, the Song family had already split. Song Yuntang hadn’t interacted much with Song’s grandparents and didn’t know them well.

They weren’t known for being troublemakers.

As the original owner’s grandparents, respecting them was natural.

…

Zhuzi and Zhuangzi took two buns from the kitchen and ran to Song Xingye’s house. They arrived just as Ma Zhaolan was complaining.

The gate was ajar.  The brothers heard Ma Zhaolan’s cries.

“Father, Mother, look at me! It’s all because of that stinky girl, Song Yuntang! She hurt me like this. How can I face people? Oh, my!”

Song Xingye was impatient.

“You know how powerful that girl is. If you don’t provoke her, she won’t hit you.”

Ma Zhaolan cried sadly.

“But hitting elders is wrong. Father and Mother are the oldest in the family. You can’t ignore it.”

Song Xingye waved his hand, unwilling to get involved.

“Father and Mother are old, and you’ve all split up. We can’t handle this.”

He didn’t want to provoke a girl who could wield a knife in a fit of rage. He wasn’t as strong as he used to be; an old man now, he just wanted a peaceful life.

Mother Lin nodded in agreement. “Your father’s right. You need to solve this yourselves. Since you know she’s formidable, you should stay away. Yet you went and provoked her. Weren’t you asking for it?”

Ma Shi cried harder.

“Even if you don’t care about me, Mei’er is your granddaughter. Her wedding is approaching. We can’t let Song Yuntang’s craziness affect Mei’er’s marriage, can we?”

The old couple exchanged glances, hesitation in their eyes.

Song Zhimei was eighteen. Song Yuntang was her cousin. If Song Zhimei’s future in-laws learned about the knife incident, they might call off the wedding. Finding another good match would be difficult.

It would ruin her life.

Outside, Zhuzi and Zhuangzi looked at each other, seemingly in sync, pushing open the gate with bright smiles.

“Grandma, Grandpa, Sister asked us to bring you buns.”

Looking at their two smiling grandsons, then at their second daughter-in-law, sitting on the ground, disheveled and crying, a hint of disdain flashed in their eyes.

Mother Lin glared at her. “Alright, grandchildren will have their own fortunes. Don’t make a fool of yourself in front of your juniors. Be more careful in the future and stop stirring up trouble.”

Ma Shi looked at the elders in disbelief.

“Father, Mother, don’t you even care about Mei’er?”

Song Xingye sighed. “We can’t. Go back.”

Ma Shi’s face darkened. She stood, hands on her hips.

“You old fools! I kindly went to Lao San’s house to get you food, and you’re so ungrateful! If I hadn’t caused a scene, would she have sent you buns?”

Mother Lin, not one to be easily pushed around in her youth, retorted.

“Ma Shi, in front of Zhuzi and Zhuangzi, I don’t want to expose you. Who were you really getting the buns for? Others may not know, but you do.”

Ma Zhaolan’s eyes flickered.

“I… I was thinking of you…”

Mother Lin impatiently said, “Enough, enough. Whether you were thinking of us or not, we don’t need it. Go.”

Ma Shi, resentful, stamped her foot and left angrily.