Song Sanniang's Journey to Wealth

"Okay, let's go back to the front yard and talk." Li Du said as he took the father and daughter back to the front hall, because the smell here was really strong.

"This donkey is five years old. It is now in its prime of growth and strength. If you buy it and feed it well, it can still work for more than ten years.

I'll charge you twelve taels of silver for the donkey and eight hundred coins for the carriage, and I'll give you a whip and a set of straw raincoats as well. What do you think?"

In fact, the father and daughter didn't know the market price, but they felt that the price didn't seem to be that high, so Song Lao Er said, "I think you're offering a good price, so we'll buy it."

Li Du had a business deal and a commission, and he happily explained,

"You are all straightforward people, so I, Li Du, will directly give you the lowest price.

I won’t sell it to you at a higher price. If it is sold to you at a higher price, you can give it back to me.”

So they bought the donkey cart, and the father and daughter went to Tianshui Lane. Although Song Laoer's driving skills were not very good, he was still very safe when he took his time.

Arriving at the Qin family's door, Qin Haodong's house had not been rented out yet. The back door was open and Qin Haodong was talking to Aunt Hu inside.

Seeing Song Laoer and his daughter, Qin Haodong introduced them to Aunt Hu, "Aunt Hu, this is my boss and his daughter, Uncle Song and Miss Song. They helped me get my house back."

"Ms. Song, thank you so much. We watched Haodong grow up. Thanks to you, the two brothers have a roof over their heads.

If there is any need for us neighbors in the future, please let Haodong tell us."

After that, he said to Qin Haodong in a deep voice, "You must work hard for the Song family and don't let them down." Qin Haodong nodded seriously.

Song Lao Er and Aunt Hu exchanged a few polite words before asking, "How is it going? Have you heard any news about Mrs. Wu recently?"

"No, it shouldn't be that fast. I've already told them that as soon as there's any news, they'll have someone write to tell me." Qin Haodong's tone of voice was still a little disappointed when he answered.

"Don't worry, since that woman said she wouldn't sell the girl to a bad place,

That should be a servant girl in a rich family. When we get to the capital, we can help find out the news. "Song Lao Er comforted him.

Qin Haodong nodded and said a few more words to Aunt Hu, then everyone left the Qin family's house. Qin Haodong locked the door and then he drove the car.

The three of them went to the market. Since they had to go to the capital, they probably wouldn't have time to deliver the gifts to Mrs. Song one by one.

He planned to give all the money every month to Boss Song at once, and let him pay it to Mrs. Song on a monthly basis.

I gave her mooncakes during this Mid-Autumn Festival, and also gave her a portion of the delicious dishes and meat that I cooked on Mid-Autumn night.

Song Lao Er planned to buy her clothes for the autumn and winter seasons first, and also cut a piece of meat for her every ten days, replacing it with bacon and sausage, so that Song Lao Da could also eat it in due course.

Buying her some other things would be considered filial piety. Don't wait for the villagers to say that he is living a good life in the capital city and letting his mother suffer at home.

The three of them bought two sets of autumn and winter clothes each, the styles of which were chosen by Song Sanniang, and five catties of bacon and sausage each.

According to Mrs. Song's habits, if there was only one male child at home, the sausages and bacon would have to be eaten until the New Year.

Then I bought walnuts, longans, and dried fruits. I had brown sugar at home, so I took some from there. That was about it.

Then I bought some dry food to eat on the bus tomorrow and then headed home.

After returning to Songjia Village, Song Laoer packed up his things and carried the baskets to Song Pozi by himself.

When someone asked him about it on the way, he said, "Aren't we going to the capital? I'm afraid I won't be able to come back in time to give my mother gifts every month.

Send it one or two months in advance, and then send it back when you are free. "Some elderly people are very envious.

"This Mrs. Song is so lucky. She treated her son so badly, but Mr. Song is still so filial to her."

"Yes, Old Man Song taught me well."

"Yes, yes, both the eldest and second oldest Song studied with Old Man Song.

You see, the two brothers did not turn against each other despite being treated like this by Mrs. Song, so Old Man Song can rest assured in his grave."

Song Lao Er put the villagers' comments behind him, put down his burden when he arrived at Song Lao's house, knocked on the door,

Boss Song's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Brother, it's me."

Hearing the voice of Song Lao Er, Song Lao Da hurried to open the door. Seeing the burden at the door, he helped to carry it in and said, "Bring what you have."

"We are not planning to arrive in the capital tomorrow. I will first send the latest gifts to mother." He went into the house to find Mrs. Song.

Mrs. Song heard the voice and came out. Seeing the load, she couldn't help but smile. Then she took small steps to the basket and looked through it. "Are they all for me?"

"Well, I may not remember to send it to you in the next two or three months, so I sent it in advance. I will let my eldest brother give you the monthly maintenance money." Song Lao Er said in a deep voice.

In fact, he did not forgive Mrs. Song. He always had a grudge against her, so he could understand why Mrs. Song and her daughter did not associate with Mrs. Song. After all, as her own son, he could not let it go.

Hearing Song Lao Er's tone, Mrs. Song awkwardly withdrew her hands from the things she was picking up, and then said in a low voice,

"I heard you are going to the capital. When you get there, you must do business honestly and be careful not to offend the dignitaries. Come back to see me when you have time."

She searched her bosom, then took out her purse and took out a silver ingot worth ten taels.

"Keep this for yourself. I know you don't need my money now that you're making money, but this is a small token of my appreciation. Just take it."

"No need, you keep it, I have money." Song Lao Er said, and turned around to take the things in the basket into the house. He thought that if Mrs. Song had been like this before, they would not have to go to this point.

"Mom, please keep the money. My second brother doesn't need money to spend." Boss Song also said something, and then helped to move things.

Leaving behind was Mrs. Song standing there in a daze. Her old body began to hunch over and her hair had turned gray. She sighed silently, then turned around and went back to her room.

The family bought a donkey cart. The happiest people were Si Niang and Wu Niang. They surrounded the donkey, petting and stroking its fur.

Mrs. Song was afraid that the donkey would lose its temper, but after watching it for a long time and not seeing it lose its temper, she let them play with the donkey.

They were not satisfied with playing by themselves, so they went to their friends' homes and called them to come and watch the donkeys together.

The donkey couldn't stand it anymore. It looked at the little brats, raised its head and started to cry, and kept wagging its tail.

Finally, Song Sanniang couldn't stand it anymore. She was afraid that they would anger the donkey, so she kicked them all away and called them away.

The next day, everyone didn’t have to rush to sell mooncakes, so there was no need to set out so early.

After getting up in the morning and having breakfast, we waited for Master Huang to arrive on his donkey cart. He divided the things and loaded them onto the cart, and then everyone got on and sat down.

Originally, the eldest brother Song and his family wanted to see off the second brother Song and his family, but the second brother Song refused. He said that he would only be gone for a while and would be back soon, not that he would never come back. So everyone gave up.

Niu Laosan bought a half-grown puppy from Lao Zhang to help Song Laoer guard the house. If someone goes in, the puppy will bark, and other dogs in the village will also bark when they hear it, so that people around can hear it.

Master Huang cracked the whip and the donkey started off with a thumping of its hooves.