CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 60: THREAT

Earlier, they already prepared fish and meat, and now they added a chicken. Today’s dishes are quite sumptuous.

At the dining table, Aunt Xie didn’t see Song Erlang and his wife and asked Granny Song, "Why aren’t Erlang and his wife coming to eat?"

In front of so many people from the Xie Family, Granny Song couldn’t say much, so she casually replied, "Second Lang’s wife went out earlier and accidentally got stung by a bee. We just called the doctor, and now she’s resting at home, so she can’t come."

Afraid Aunt Xie might misunderstand something, Song Fang quickly interjected, "I’ve already taken food to Second Brother and the young girls, so let’s not worry about them."

Aunt Xie nodded.

She and Old Song originally had an elder brother, but before he reached the age to marry, he fell ill and passed away. When Aunt Xie was young, she especially relied on Old Song and was very fond of these nieces and nephews of the Song family.

Back when Song Erlang’s family was making a fuss about separating, Aunt Xie even came personally to persuade them, wearing out her lips, but it didn’t work out in the end.

Even so, Aunt Xie still hoped that every time she came to visit Second Brother, she would see the whole family happily together. After all, the Da Lang couple was no longer around, and if those alive were still at odds, wouldn’t it chill the hearts of those below?

After eating, it was already late, and the Xie Family didn’t stay long before heading back.

On the way, they ran into people from Upper River Village, who asked, seeing the whole family together, if something was happening with the Song family?

Aunt Xie, feeling cheerful, didn’t hide it and honestly said that Song Wei returned from the county exam and invited their whole family over for a meal.

The villagers were shocked, "What did you say? Did Song Sanlang really go to take the exam?"

That unlucky person never had anything smooth from childhood to adulthood. Last month, someone spread the word that Song Wei registered this year to take the county exam, and privately, many people gossiped, saying his last county exam a few years ago resulted in the death of his own brother and sister-in-law. And daring to go again this time, who knew who in their family would follow with bad luck. Maybe it was that little wife, Wen Wan, who just married in a year ago.

Because of this, a few women even secretly lamented Wen Wan’s unlucky fate, saying that although they couldn’t speak openly, she was beautiful and diligent. If she married into another family, the conditions might not be as good as the Song family, but as long as she worked hard and managed well, she could accumulate some savings eventually. Isn’t that how every family lives?

It’s a shame she married Song Wei, enjoying immediate prosperity but at the cost of decades of her life. It’s just too much of a loss.

...

But just now, hearing Aunt Xie say this, does that mean Song Wei isn’t unlucky this year?

The person couldn’t quite process it.

Aunt Xie didn’t need to inquire to know what these people were thinking. For so many years, the unlucky events surrounding Song Wei had always been their joking topic when they gathered.

Making fun of Song Wei had even become a habit for them.

Now that he wasn’t unlucky anymore, smoothly entered the examination hall and finished the exam, wasn’t it bound to leave some people feeling uneasy?

Thinking of this, Aunt Xie straightened up, saying loudly, "For the past twenty-plus years, it was heaven’s way of tempering our Third Son. Once he’s tempered enough, surely he’ll go to Shangjing City to become an official, and those gossiping behind an official’s back can wait to squat in a prison and eat prison food!"

The person was frightened, turning pale, yet reluctantly said, "Aunt Song, do you have to scare people like this? Everyone says the law doesn’t punish the multitude. So many people have talked behind Song Sanlang’s back, I don’t believe that if he really became an official, he’d come back and put everyone in jail regardless of kin."

Aunt Xie, hands on her hips, glared, "If you don’t believe it, want to try?"

The person shivered in fear and ran off with his hoe, as if his life depended on it.