Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Something Feels Off
Previously, when there was a ruckus over here with people shouting and dogs barking, Second Lang’s wife was eavesdropping next door. She didn’t pay much attention to the rest, but she specifically remembered Song Wei saying that if he passed the exam, he would let people register the land without collecting taxes.
It was like a stab to Second Lang’s wife’s tailbone, and she jumped three feet high, ran inside, and banged a few times on the kang where Song Erlang was taking his afternoon nap.
Song Erlang was woken up by her noise, furrowing his brows, "What are you doing, in such a rush, saw a ghost or something?"
"Isn’t it like I saw a ghost?" Second Lang’s wife gave her husband a couple of pushes, fully waking him up, and told him, "Third Son is back."
Song Erlang drooped his eyelids, "So he’s back, he’s out for the exam, not moving house, can’t be staying outside forever, can he?"
Second Lang’s wife, seeing her husband looking so lackluster, couldn’t help but give his head a smack, "Just had a ruckus in the courtyard next door, I went to eavesdrop, Third Son means he’s confident about passing, and even said that when the time comes, he’d let people register land without taking any advantage."
Song Erlang jolted awake, "What did you say?"
"Now you’re anxious, huh?" Second Lang’s wife gave him a sideways glance, "Better hurry over and find out what’s going on, if he gives land registration for free, that’s his loss, actually doesn’t affect our family much, what’s urgent now is we haven’t gotten those few acres from Big Brother and Sister-in-law’s house, the parents refuse to let go, what do you say to that?"
Song Erlang quickly got dressed and got off the kang, prepared to head out.
Second Lang’s wife reminded him, "If your brain doesn’t work well, stick to the important points, don’t go chattering away, and end up being kicked out without understanding a thing."
Song Erlang protested, "Am I that useless?"
Second Lang’s wife responded promptly, "If you were really useful, could you have married me?"
Song Erlang thought about it seriously and agreed, "That’s true."
Second Lang’s wife: "..." Why does something feel off?
——
Relying on others, Song Erlang didn’t dare show up empty-handed to have a staring contest with his mother, risking getting chased around with a rolling pin by his wife, he sliced off a large piece of preserved meat and shuffled over to the courtyard next door step by step.
Granny Song asked him, "Your wife pregnant?"
If it weren’t for a joyous occasion, how could the second family possibly offer benefits on their own? Granny Song had experienced Second Lang’s wife’s stingy ways before.
Song Erlang pulled at the corners of his mouth, "Mother, stop teasing, Sanyang is still so young, how could my wife be pregnant so soon?"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I’m here... Third Son just got back from the provincial exam, I brought a piece of preserved meat for him."
Granny Song was busy stir-frying vegetables in the wok and couldn’t spare a hand to receive it. "Your wife gave you another lousy idea, didn’t she?"
Song Erlang was momentarily speechless and thought it was a waste for his mom not to be a detective at the government office.
"Let’s hear it, if it sounds reasonable, I’ll listen, if not, you can roll back to where you came from."
Song Erlang remembered his wife’s instructions before he went out, didn’t dare waste any words, placed the preserved meat on the stove, rubbed his hands, hunched his neck, "I figured, the two elders, you’re getting old, can’t work the fields every day, how about this, divide Big Brother and Sister-in-law’s fields to our family? My wife and I are still young, we have the energy, if worst comes to worst, we can hire a few people during busy times to get by."
Granny Song understood immediately, the second family definitely overheard Third Son about the land registration thing, wanting to quickly grab Big Brother’s fields to plant, eventually not having to pay land tax and getting benefits for free.
Well, it’s all one family, if given, it’s given. Big Brother’s family has lots of fields; Wan Niang has to manage fields from the third family, can’t help much, and the two elders indeed can’t manage it all.
But Granny Song couldn’t stand Second Lang’s wife’s habit of haggling over every little thing, even more than a mother-in-law like her. "Alright, giving to you is fine, every year send 30% of the grain over here."
"Thirty percent? That’s...too much, isn’t it?"
"Take it to plant if you want, if not, forget it." Granny Song wiped her hands on her apron and chased him out.