The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 395: If I Had Known Today, Why Bother in the First Place?

Chapter 395: Chapter 395: If I Had Known Today, Why Bother in the First Place?

It wasn’t until the sun streamed into the house that she seemed to wake up as if startled, not bothering to comb her hair or wash her face, she bolted outside.

Everyone in the village had gone to work in the fields by now, and there weren’t many people around, at most a few elderly or children at home preparing meals and looking after the house.

As Song Chunhua ran past like a madwoman, some perceptive old folks saw her and shook their heads, thinking, "If only she had known this would happen, why did she do it in the first place?"

Song Chunhua, out of breath, made it to the Wang Family’s field where she had been yesterday, only to find it had already been cleared and not a soul was in sight.

When Hong Hua’s mother saw Song Chunhua coming, she shouted from a distance, "Hey, isn’t that Aunt Chun Hua? What’s the matter? You sold your son for one hundred taels yesterday and still think it’s not enough, and now you want more money today? I tell you, Aunt Chun Hua, one mustn’t be so shameless, you know? Yesterday, you signed the contract in front of the Lizheng and the Clan Leader, you aren’t having second thoughts now, are you?"

Song Chunhua’s face turned deathly pale, and she trembled, not knowing what to say.

People in the neighboring fields looked over and began pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

However, Hong Hua’s father, fearing that something might happen to Song Chunhua that could be blamed on his family, decided to intervene.

He pulled Hong Hua’s mother aside: "Enough, tone it down."

Hong Hua’s mother pursed her lips, snorted, and fell silent.

With kindness in his voice, Hong Hua’s father asked, "Aunt Chun Hua, is there something troubling you?"

"I... I’m looking for our Chongjin... Where are the people from the Wang Family? Aren’t they working the fields?" Song Chunhua asked hurriedly.

Hong Hua’s father pointed into the distance: "They finished harvesting their plot yesterday; today, they are working on the rented land over there—"

Without hesitating, Song Chunhua rushed toward the direction he pointed.

Behind her, Hong Hua’s mother said indignantly, "We’ve already severed ties, and she still has the nerve to call our Chongjin? He belongs to the Wang Family now! What a shameless woman! Husband, do you think she regrets her decision and wants to take her son back?"

Hong Hua’s father responded, "What are you talking about? So many people witnessed the signing, and the silver was paid; how could she take him back? Return the silver? That silver has already been taken by the Song Family to pay off gambling debts..."

Song Chunhua wandered in a daze.

Indeed, what could she do even if she found Chongjin? Bring him back home? But the Song Family had already taken the one hundred taels from the Wang Family, and most likely, the money had been used to pay off gambling debts.

How could she ransom her son back?

As for whether Chongjin would even want to return, she refused to consider that question.

Despite these thoughts, her feet instinctively continued toward the edge of the field.

From a distance, she spotted her son, busy at work in the field.

She didn’t dare get any closer, hiding behind a tree instead, silently watching.

By noon, she saw a Wang Family girl approach with food, and her son getting up on the ridge and smiling at the Wang Family girl.

The Wang Family girl said something to him, and he obediently went to wash his hands, after which she handed him a piece of cloth to wipe his sweat and hands.

The dining area was very close to the tree where Song Chunhua hid, close enough to smell the enticing aroma of meat.

Song Chunhua watched her son eat the Wang Family’s food with voracious appetite, while Old Granny Zhang occasionally told the Wang Family girl to give more meat to her son.

After the meal, the Wang Family girl also prepared mung bean soup.

As her son drank the soup, the contentment in his eyes and brows was something she had never seen before.

In the end, Song Chunhua did not have the face to step forward and quietly retraced her steps the way she had come.

In the scorching noon sun, she headed back into her family’s courtyard and found her young nephew inside the house, which was in complete disarray, with preserves she had kept on the kang table scattered about.

The little nephew, his mouth full, saw Song Chunhua enter and said, "Auntie, Grandpa asked me why you didn’t bring lunch at noon? Everyone at home is waiting; where did you run off to? Why are you only coming back now?"

The nephew, barely in his teens, had grown accustomed to seeing grandpas and grandmas talking to this old maiden every day without a shred of courtesy.

Song Chunhua was taken aback, slipping into a trance before stuttering an explanation, "I... I forgot... "

The nephew rolled his eyes, visibly impatient, "Anyway, I’ve delivered the message, you better prepare it quickly and send it to our house!"

Having said that, he grabbed all the preserved fruits in his hand and sprinted out.

Song Chunhua, looking at the mess strewn about the house, was used to it by now. Every time her nephew visited, he would turn the house upside down, taking away any tasty or valuable items he could find.

She wanted to protest, but her mother had said, what’s the big deal if her own nephew made a mess? In the future, wouldn’t she be relying on her brother and nephew to stand up for her?

Gradually, Song Chunhua had grown accustomed to it.

Recalling her nephew’s words, Song Chunhua didn’t even bother to tidy up the house. Instead, she habitually stood up and went to Song Chongjin’s room to fetch flour. Only when she opened the rice jar did she realize there was hardly any flour left, not even enough to cover the bottom of the jar, probably just enough for one person’s meal.

Song Chunhua murmured to herself, "There’s no flour in the jar, I need to tell Chongjin—" but before she could finish, she froze herself.

Who was there to care for her now?

No matter how many times she called, no one would refill that rice jar with food again.

※※※

Song Chunhua hid behind the tree, unknown to others, but Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu knew.

Wang Yongzhu only looked at Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin’s face was devoid of any different emotion, as if he hadn’t noticed anything.

He washed his hands for the meal, completely calm.

In his eyes, there wasn’t the slightest hint of sadness, sorrow, or maybe gratitude?

It seemed as if, with that Letter of Severance, he had cut off all mother-son affection with Song Chunhua, truly treating her as a stranger.

Wang Yongzhu always felt something was odd, but couldn’t pin down exactly what it was.

However, she didn’t think much of it, just wary that Song Chunhua might shamelessly burst out crying, causing trouble, or even threatening suicide, afraid that the one who would have the hardest time would be Song Chongjin.

But with Old Granny Zhang, her birth mother around, ten Song Chunhuas would be no match for her.

To their surprise, Song Chunhua actually cared about face at the crucial moment and silently went back.

Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin exchanged a glance, "Then I’ll go back too."

This piece of land was smaller than the Wang Family’s, and now with the addition of Song Chongjin, a sturdy worker, he had become quite skilled after these few days.

Especially since he was eager to learn, following Wang Laozhu, he asked various questions about farming.

Wang Laozhu already loved to show off his two talents, farming and carpentry. His two grandsons were taught by the Eldest Brother, and Laosan was slick, always trying to slip away. Rarely did he have such a willing son-in-law to teach, and he was eager to share all he knew.

The two prospective father- and son-in-law were now both very earnest in their work after the meal, one teaching, and the other learning.

Especially Wang Laozhu, the way he looked at his prospective son-in-law was filled with affection.

Old Granny Zhang was astonished and secretly joked with Wang Yongzhu, "My son-in-law is quite astute. Look how charmed your father is by him, as if he were his own son."

Wang Yongzhu just smiled as she packed up their belongings, thinking to herself that if Song Chongjin truly wanted to win someone’s favor, for someone at Wang Laozhu’s level, indeed, it would be effortless.

Even his own mother, Old Granny Zhang, since yesterday, had started calling him son-in-law more tenderly than she did her own biological sons.