The Second Lang’s wife borrowed twenty coins from Mrs. Tian Zhang, paid Mrs. Tian, and then carried Sanyang away. Like mother, like daughter, both of them were impulsive, locking the door and heading straight for Upper River Village.
As they passed a patch of wildflowers, the Second Lang’s wife paused, frowning at the flower branches stretching three or four yards. "Who’s so idle to spread flowers all over the ground?" she asked.
Mrs. Tian Zhang replied, "Maybe it’s because the ground is slippery, and passing travelers laid them down to make walking easier. Hurry up, don’t just stand there foolishly. I need to get back home to cook for your father!"
With Mrs. Tian Zhang urging her, the Second Lang’s wife had no choice but to steel herself and move forward.
Mother and daughter stepped on the scattered flower petals, with the juice being squished out beneath their feet, the rich fragrance quickly attracting nearby bees.
Mrs. Tian Zhang turned pale with fear, terrified that the bees would fly onto her face, and hurriedly waved her hands to shoo them away.
Her actions indeed angered the swarming wild bees, which flew buzzing towards her face.
Mrs. Tian Zhang screamed in pain, clutching her face and rolling on the ground.
The Second Lang’s wife was stung hard on her mouth too. Startled, she accidentally dropped Sanyang into a cattail patch nearly as tall as a person. Fortunately, the soft grass cushioned her fall, and she wasn’t too hurt. The little child stopped crying after a while, reaching out to play with flowers, thus escaping disaster.
The Second Lang’s wife and her mother, Mrs. Tian Zhang, were not so lucky. It wasn’t over yet, as another swarm from the beehive flew over.
The Second Lang’s wife wept with fear, turning to Mrs. Tian Zhang, "Mother, think of something, quick! My face hurts so much."
"What can I do? Run!"
The Second Lang’s wife was in pain, and Mrs. Tian Zhang was hurting even more.
The wild bees were venomous, and both sides of her face had already swelled up, making talking difficult.
"It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t tried to chase the bees away, would I have been stung?" The Second Lang’s wife, painfully, began to blame her own mother.
Mrs. Tian Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a tirade, "Who do you think I’m going to Upper River Village for? If you put it this way, I won’t bother with any of your family’s troubles anymore. If you enjoy being bullied, feeding and raising money-losing offspring to send away, what does it have to do with me?"
Mrs. Tian Zhang removed her outer garment, desperately swatted at the wild bees, turned, and ran toward Tian Family Manor.
"Mother—" The Second Lang’s wife watched her mother’s retreating figure, eyes red with urgency.
Ever since Song Wei left for the county to take his exam, Granny Song’s heart had been in turmoil.
Although what happened with the Da Lang couple eight years ago wasn’t Third Son’s fault, ultimately, it was because of Third Son’s misfortune that they suffered such calamity.
Previously, Song Wei told his mother that Wen Wan had special abilities to help him avoid disasters.
Granny Song treated it as a joke, not taking it seriously.
"Old man, do you think Third Son can finish his exams and come back smoothly this time?"
The thought left Granny Song anxious and restless, like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
Old Song filled a basin with water, sat on a small stool, bent over sharpening a knife, smoking his pipe.
Compared to Granny Song, he appeared particularly calm.
Upon hearing his wife’s words, Old Song looked up and said, "He hasn’t even returned yet, what’s the point of you worrying blindly? It’s getting late, better go cook so that when they’re back, they can have something hot to eat."
"I won’t!" Granny Song sat down on a stone seat with a huff, venting, "Until I see Third Son return from the county whole and well, I have no mind to cook."
Old Song was about to say something when Song Fang cut in from the inner room, "Father, let Mom rest for a bit. I’ll go cook and make sure Third Brother and Sister-in-law can eat when they return."
Soon, Song Wei’s voice came from outside the courtyard gate.
Granny Song immediately perked up, running out in no time, without waiting for Song Wei to catch a breath, and began asking, "Third Son, how did it go this time? Did you encounter any trouble on the road? Did you enter the examination hall? How did the exam go? You look thinner, haven’t been eating or sleeping well these days?"