Song Ci looked at the chubby old man in front of her, who resembled a Buddha, and felt suffocated with frustration.
This was her husband, younger than her, chubbier than her, healthier than her, hence his rosy complexion, still able to have frivolous affairs with concubines.
The Song Family wasn't a prominent family, but rather poor scholars and farmers, and the original Song Ci was their child bride, three years older than Old Lord Song, Song Kun. Since childhood, she played the roles of elder sister, mother, and wife.
While serving the Song Family like an ox or horse, she also had to take care of Song Kun and the two elders, undeniably toilsome.
At fourteen, Song Ci's parents in the Song Family, due to poor health, advocated for the two to marry. By the time Song Ci was sixteen and Song Kun was thirteen, they officially consummated their marriage. At seventeen, Song Ci gave birth to their first son, Song Zhiyuan.
Thinking of this, Song Ci's face burned hot. Damn, they were still kids, and yet...
Song Ci shook her head, brushing off the discomfort, silently reminding herself this was ancient times, not to be compared with modern times.
When Song Zhiyuan was born, the two elders of the Song Family passed away with smiles, and now Song Ci officially became a wet nurse, taking care of her son, the somewhat carefree little husband, while also doing household chores and farm work. Because everything relied on her, she became strong-willed and fierce, thus preserving what little property the Song Family had.
Song Ci had foresight, knowing to groom her eldest son, she pawned possessions to send him to study, even during times of warfare, she didn't give up.
It was also their good fortune. During the upheaval, the founding ancestor was just one of many rebels raising the flag of rebellion, unable to tend to his wife and child, leading the Empress Dowager and her son to wander among the people, taken in by Song Ci's family. Five years later, when the founding ancestor established the nation successfully, did he bring the Empress Dowager and her son back to the palace, altering Song Ci and her family's fate.
Song Zhiyuan was both talented and virtuous. At eighteen, he became a top scholar, first in the imperial exams, and earned the admiration of the founding ancestor and the Empress Dowager. Even though at the time he had no substantial family assets, he was engaged to the eldest daughter of the loyal and courageous Marquis's family, Gu Xiangyi, and married at twenty-one, now with a son and a daughter.
Over the years, Song Ci and her younger husband, Song Kun, had three sons together. But Song Kun also took concubines and had a pair of twins, resulting in the next generation of the Song Family having four sons and a daughter, all married with children except for the youngest.
It can be said that the rise of the Song Family couldn't happen without Song Ci, the stabilizing force, and it's thanks to her, there exists today's popular and flourishing Song Family.
Only Song Ci herself aged and weathered compared to her peers because she spent her good years, while the Old Lord of the Song Family, without a care in the world, enjoyed himself, chubby like a Buddha, leisurely playing with birds, often traveling with concubines, living a youthful and joyous life.
Song Ci sighed, unsure whether to comment that this tough body was a blessing, or lament she made sacrifices for the Song Family, bringing them prosperity, yet devoid of enough enjoyment of the fruits before dying.
Everything is fate, and a bitter one at that.
Song Ci asked herself if she was an adaptable person, thinking that here she was, might as well take it as receiving a new script and act it out.
Except, the opening of this script left her a bit frustrated.
Why must it be as the aged and waning Old Lord?
"You, what's with that look in your eyes? You've become defiant, haven't you, looking at me like that?" Feelings of guilt crept over Old Lord Song from Song Ci's gaze.
I just shook her a bit, nothing serious like breaking a waist or anything.
Song Ci closed her eyes: "Get out!"
"You damn old woman, how dare you order me, the old man, out..."
"Get out, or I'll just go off myself." Song Ci felt quite annoyed.