Chapter 113 of Volume 1: The Mystery of the Pendant

  As soon as Song Shuyu's voice fell, the eyes of those people all focused on them, and this corny remark seemed too corny, and also too unprincipled.

  Not only were the women stunned, but even Song Shu Hao was somewhat surprised. This guy has been stimulated to madness, where did this come from? It doesn't sound like something a big man with a chauvinistic personality would say.

  As expected, Zhang Yunping smiled and chimed in: "At your age, how can you still spout such nonsense!"

  Her face turned red, her mouth twitched slightly, and she quietly maintained the shy and reserved expression at the corner of her lips, not speaking a word, waiting for the guy next to her who had just passed her an embarrassing bombshell to explain himself.

  This expression was a high-difficulty action for Sang Hong, and she hadn't practiced enough with Qin Luoshui.

  She secretly cried out in her heart, don't sell cute anymore, don't draw everyone's attention to herself again, she can't bear it, she is undergoing a collective inspection by their whole family, saying not to speak loudly, laughing without abandon, bitter ah...

  As expected, Song Shuyu was a bit out of it today. He smiled calmly and condescendingly at his family members, using the same smile and demeanor he used when facing the media, chatting away:

  "I used to be a male chauvinist because I wasn't aware of women's charm, but now it's different, I have someone I like by my side;"

  I have always believed that this society will once again enter a matriarchal society, because living in modern times, the intensity of labor required to sustain life and the risks from the outside world are getting lower and lower, so low that men become useless.

  Big brother, grandpa, don't look down on me, I'm telling the truth. The pressure we face every moment and the negative emotions that come with it all need someone to help clean up, Sang Hong, do you understand how important you are to me?

  Xiang Hong nodded in agreement.

  "How do you interpret my meaning?" Song Shuyu asked, trying to get at some ulterior motive.

  Xiang Hong's eyes narrowed as she thought to herself, "This guy is not normal at all. Usually, when he praises someone, it's like he's taking their life away, and now he's constantly pouring her the soul-stealing wine. What kind of conspiracy is this? Whatever it is, I won't let him succeed."

  She smiled with pursed lips: "You let me regularly help you sweep away garbage."

  Everyone burst out laughing, Song Shu Yu revealed a face of utter defeat, this little girl is so unreasonable, he was about to propose to her, but she gave him a slap in the face and made him forget his lines.

  Ahhhh... As expected, trying to use someone else's idea to chase a girl at the last minute, and losing control of the situation at the critical moment.

  Song Shu was depressed and couldn't help it.

  A clear and crisp shout from over there reminds:

  "Mommy, I was the first to lose, and my brothers have already taken naked photos of me. Quickly take out your phone and take pictures of them for me to see."

  Song Jiaju ran while waving his small hand, reminding Wang Jing to take a photo of those two bad boys who bullied him.

  Wang Jing didn't need to remind him, the several adults just looked at Sang Hong's demeanor and took out their phones to take a keepsake photo. She hadn't seen her son not wearing underwear for a long time either.

  Song Shuoye realized that the timing had already passed, so he promptly ended the small conspiracy. Thinking about it, today alone wasted a lot of saliva, not to mention brain cells. He simply summarized his experience and put an end to his thoughts.

  There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, besides, proposing at a mahjong table might be too casual.

  Let's just consider it as practice then!

  Waiting for those kids to jump onto the sofa and get dressed, the military strategists behind them exchanged glances, tacitly reaching an agreement, united in their resistance against Sang Hong, testing just how deep her waters were.

  Song Jiayin put on her clothes and looked at Grandpa Tai, hesitated for a moment, then winked at Song Jiabao.

  Song Jiabao shook his head and said: "I want to play cards with Little Aunt, no!"

  Everyone was shocked and looked at Song Jiabao in surprise, thinking that Song Shuhang and Zhang Hui behind him were itching to intervene.

  As expected, Song Shu Hao gave a disdainful stare at his younger brother's eldest son, who was putting pressure on him. What scheme is this guy plotting again?

  Song Jiayin received his father's gaze, feeling a bit ashamed, he decisively crawled out of his great-grandfather's arms and shamelessly squeezed into the gap between Song Shuyu and Sang Hong.

  Song Shuwei rubbed his teeth and honestly pulled Sang Hong's arm back, pushing his body backward and pulling him onto his lap.

  "Kid, focus on playing your cards well, what are you doing trying to snatch my benefits?"

  Song Jiayin glared at Sang Hong with a fierce gaze, brewing her emotions for a moment before throwing out the hurtful words she had carefully crafted: "Let Grandpa fight on my behalf, I'm watching you, your show should be over by now!"

  The whole family burst out laughing, and Xiang Hong looked at that determined little face of his, thinking to herself, this little devil is indeed very difficult to deal with. She calmly nodded at him and said:

  "Take a closer look."

  A new round has begun.

  Zhang Yunping directly gave way to Wang Jing and stood behind Song Dayou with Zhang Hui to assist him.

  Wang Jing naturally took out twelve points of seriousness to help her son, and Song Shu Hao sat down beside Song Jia Bao, replacing him in dealing the cards.

  This game is dragging on for an unusually long time.

  The last three rounds of drawing cards, it has reached the most critical moment. Everyone has stopped drawing cards, and anyone who is slightly careless will be covered by others. Several adults have started to get nervous, at this time everyone is relatively tense, and would rather play a safe card than play a live card.

  Xiang Hong drew a card, a flatbread, Song Jiajin's eyes widened and secretly cursed!

  Xiang Hong winked at him and threw a pancake out.

  Song Jiayin and Song Shuyu exchanged a glance, both looking like they were about to faint from shock. Sang Hong raised her hand, signaling them to be quiet.

  Each card that falls to the ground makes people's hearts tremble with fear.

  It's Shang Hong's turn to deal the cards again. After touching Zhang San's pastry, Song Jiajin's eyes widened again, and he covered his small mouth, secretly delighted!

  Xiang Hong raised her hand and threw it out again.

  Song Shuwei weakly buried his head in his nephew's neck, his heart couldn't take it anymore. Such a mess of dregs, others could play cards with all three sets of tiles, and now they can't even open the hidden tiles. Was she trying to curry favor with that group of people?

  How can we let Song Shu Hao off the hook?

  If he had taken this card, he would have slammed it down and stunned that guy.

  As expected, in the midst of trembling with fear, the last card ended up in Sang Hong's hands. Sang Hong smiled and looked at Song Shu Hua saying: "Sorry little Song, the card you wanted is now in my possession."

  Shang Hong took out the card and Wang Jing glanced at it, not hiding her surprise, and smiled: "Indeed, your level is high. The cards in your hand are probably very neat. If you don't play this one, which one will you play?"

  Everyone just saw her play two natural cards in a row, so she should have no more cards to play.

  Xiang Hong glanced sideways at the two little fools beside her and smiled: "I won't play anymore, I've got a pair of doubles with the 'sea bottom' and 'moon'."

  Saying that, he put down the cards in his hand and let everyone see.

  Everyone looked at the two natural cards she had just played and found that they were a pair of hidden pairs, which was surprising.

  Song Dàyǒu pointed at her with a smile and said: "You come and solve it, let's all learn from each other."

  Xiang Hong smiled and said, "Then I'll make a fool of myself."

  She said, picking up the middle pancake and putting it back: "If I open the dark row, I will touch the card that the grandfather of the upper house just touched. It's useless to go out again and make trouble. If I change this single card in my hand, Song Jiaju will win."

  I've been waiting like this, and finally, this is my winning card."

  "Auntie, how did you know the last card was your winning card?" Song Jiayin asked curiously.

  Xiang Hong smiled faintly and said, "I remember it."

  Song Shuwei was surprised to put Xiao Jiajin aside, picked up the card she had just pinched, and looked at it repeatedly: "Isn't the back of this all the same?"

  Xiang Hong suddenly smiled and said: "This 'record' is not a sign, but through complex equations calculated."

  Song Shu Hao felt that the girl's words were getting more and more mysterious, and he replied, "Then can you calculate which card Grandfather's winning hand was?"

  Xiang Hong looked at the cards in her hand, took out four cards from 4-5-6 and pushed them over, then picked up a seven from the pool and pushed it over: "Grandpa, are these two cards your winning ones?"

  Song Dai's face was a ghostly appearance, and he pushed down the card, indeed winning four seven bars.

  "What did I win? What did I win?" Little Auntie asked. Song Jiabao was anxious because she had guessed correctly.

  Shang Hong pushed out the three nine tiles: "Your lone tile, stayed in my hand, this tile is easy to get rid of according to the rules. I guess when you picked it up, you thought throwing it away would cause trouble, so you swapped it with the original tile in your hand."

  It's too depressing.

  Song Jiahao and his younger son exchanged a look, unwilling to give in.

  This card has been played to such an extent that everyone is numb, even Song Dahai's calm temperament feels too weird, and Sang Hong this girl is absolutely awesome.

  "Brother and sister, where did you learn this skill from?"

  Zhang Hui was speechless. You said that being a special forces soldier makes people not dare to bully you, but it turns out that even when playing mahjong, you can still be so overbearing and unstoppable.

  It's not just her who is curious, no one here isn't curious.

  Xiang Hong smiled and said: "My father likes to play, I grew up in a mahjong parlor when I was young."

  "Oh, your father likes this dish too? Good, good, I'll definitely invite him over to play another day." Song Dàyǒ was overjoyed.

  "Judging from your level, has your respected father become... become... a legendary gambler?" Wang Jing's eyes were filled with incredulity, this was too legendary, too legendary!

  Song Shuyu and Song Shuohao also didn't dare to guess what kind of skills San Hong's dad had.

  All they saw was Xiang Hong bursting into laughter: "What are you all thinking, my father's skills... uh... he belongs to the kind of player who has no natural talent and relies purely on luck."

  "How is this possible?" Song Shu Hao's voice trailed off, he didn't believe it, and probably no one else would believe Sang Hong's words either.

  "He often complained that after I was born, all the genes for playing cards were passed on to me and none were left for him." San Hong said, making everyone laugh.

  "Hehe, in two days we'll head back home together. I'll ask my father-in-law to teach me a few moves and then come back to show you all." Song Shuyu looked like he had a big responsibility on his shoulders.

  Everyone smiled knowingly and silently.

  "Auntie, let's continue, we'll keep playing." Song Jiayin felt it was necessary to build a good relationship with Auntie, and also learn some new moves, so he proudly threw the hidden dart outward.

  She had just used a clever trick with her two cards, and he was deeply impressed.

  "Brother, stop it, it's too unfair, you're not even on the same level, are you addicted to losing?" Song Jiabao stood up with a handsome smile after slapping the table.

  "Jiabao, sit down. In the future, our little aunt will absolutely be a master-level expert. Don't give up on the opportunity to learn and progress, or you'll regret it."

  Song Jiayin suddenly reminded him of something.

  "Alright, alright, stop making noise, what time is it? Time to have dinner, go downstairs and eat." Zhang Yunping glanced at the time and reminded them to go down.

  Xiang Hong was pulled by Song Jiajin to teach him a mnemonic, and reluctantly made up a few simple mnemonics on the spot. Then everyone dispersed with smiles, going downstairs to eat.

  Song Shuwei had his arms wrapped around his chest, with a resentful look on his face. How did this girl suddenly become so popular after just one glance? He couldn't even get close to her hemline.

  Everyone sat around the large round table, Song Shu Jie hurried back. This visit, except for Sang Hong being somewhat puzzled as to why she hadn't seen her fiancé, all the close relatives had been met.

  This meal was eaten with laughter and chatter, Song Dahan had not been so happy for a long time. Today, he was actually amused to this extent, and he was proud to have such a daughter-in-law.

  After having a full meal, they chatted for a while longer. The kids dragged Sang Hong to the gym and went wild. Seeing that Sang Hong could play with anything she picked up just like them, they couldn't help but admire her even more.

  Song Shu Hao walked into the gym and saw three little monkeys playing judo with Sang Hong.

  The air conditioner was on, and his glasses immediately fogged up. He took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with his fingers, and squinted to look at Sang Hong playing with the kids.

  This girl is really special, straightforward and unpretentious, without any of the usual feminine airs.

  After watching for a while, he walked over and said: "Are you two asking Auntie to teach Judo or are you gang-beating her? You're a bunch of little rascals."

  "She's going to be a special forces soldier, one person has to take on the work of three, we're helping her train and improve." Song Jiayin saw her dad and couldn't help but stick out her tongue mischievously.

  "You three go change your clothes." Song Shu Hao said with a wave of his hand.

  The three little guys immediately ran towards the dressing room.

  "I'm exhausted today, these ghosts are so annoying!" Song Shu Hao chatted with her casually.

  "They're all so adorable, I love playing with kids. As long as it's not a place where I need to put on a fake smile, I won't feel tired." Xiang Hong said with a beaming smile.

  Song Shu Hao looked at her small face, which was flushed with a layer of pink sweat, and her ancient eyes like water were filled with laughter. The few red spots on her face did not detract from her appearance, but rather made people feel that her face had a lot of character.

  He chuckled softly: "No wonder that guy likes you, your little girl's personality is quite likable;

  Today I got to know you, everyone in the family is very happy, it's clear that they quite like you. The third brother is afraid that everyone will give you a hard time, just look at how much effort he put into it; anyway, he just wants to tell everyone that he has made up his mind about you for this lifetime.

  And you?

  Don't think lightly of him just because he's easy to get along with, he's been working hard to learn how to please girls like a normal guy. Not to mention you, we haven't seen him so relaxed and carefree in years either."

  He looked at Sang Hong after he finished speaking.

  Xiang Hong smiled lightly and lowered her eyelashes, saying: "He's really surprising me today, but it also makes me feel that he's more real and easier to get close to. It turns out that he also has weaknesses, haha."

  "What's his weakness? Do you really understand?" Song Shu Hao asked with a light smile.

  Ah----Xiang Hong raised her head with a puzzled expression on her face.

  "He only has a weakness when he meets you, and it's fatal. Treat him well, the fate of love, the fate of husband and wife, all need to be cultivated little by little."

  Song Shu Hao said, waving his hand at those little guys who had changed their clothes: "It's late, go up and say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma."

  "No, we want to play with Little Auntie." The group of kids said in unison.

  "Hehe, let's play together again on the weekend, okay? Otherwise, you should be sleeping now and tomorrow you'll be out of energy for school." San Hong coaxed in a soft voice.

  Someone suddenly yawned, and Song Jiayin immediately asked for Shang Hong's phone number in a mature tone. After dialing her phone and saving it: "Little auntie, if you miss us, just give me a call."

  After finishing, he looked at Xiang Hong with expectation, blinking his eyes. The pitiful look made Xiang Hong's heart soften, and she said straightforwardly: "Okay, I'll save it to my phone now. If you miss me, you can also call me!"

  Song Jiayin watched her store the number, only then did she put her mind at ease. She raised her hand to cover her mouth that couldn't stop yawning and shouted that she was sleepy. As a result, the group went to the large living room and sat for a while before Song Shuhang and Song Shujie took their family back home.

  Xiang Hong took the opportunity to hint to Song Shuyu to bid farewell, but he was obviously reluctant to leave and hesitated for a moment. Then, Zhang Yunping, the aunt, came over and whispered to them:

  "It's late today, you can just stay overnight, even if it's not convenient for yourself, take care of the old man's mood. It was noisy during the day and suddenly became quiet, I'm afraid the old man will be very uncomfortable."

  Xiang Hong thought for a moment and then nodded repeatedly with pursed lips.

  Song Shuwei smiled happily and said: "I'll have Zhang Shu tidy up the room I used to live in right away."

  "Song big brother, you stay and chat with grandpa, I'll go with aunt to find Zhang Shu, and take a look at the place where you used to live."

  "Alright, alright, women's talk is never-ending. I'll go keep Grandpa company."

  Xiang Hong gently reached out and took Zhang Yunping's arm, only to feel that the arm she was holding onto stiffened for a moment, but instead of pulling away, it gradually relaxed and became soft and docile.

  Xiang Hong secretly smiled: This is also a kind of recognition and acceptance, I suppose.

  A sigh of relief, today's ordeal is finally over.

  The room was swept by Zhang Shu every year, and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. When she heard they were staying over to live, she was overjoyed, took out the bedding from the cabinet, and the three women chatted and laughed as they made up his bed.

  Instead, she went to the opposite side to tidy up the guest room where Sang Hong slept. Although they all tacitly knew that she and Song Shuyu had been living together for a long time, however, when a girl visits home for the first time, only tidying up one room is somewhat perfunctory.

  Zhang Yunping naturally understood this truth and reminded her: "Once you're afraid at night, just make a sound, Shu Ye is sleeping across from you, he'll hear it."

  Xiang Hong nodded, thinking secretly that this was a sign of concern for her. However, someone like her who was skilled in martial arts and a materialist, what could she be afraid of?

  A nightmare? Heh, it's actually possible to use a nightmare as an excuse to lure that guy into my room; but, will the guy who has a habit of sleeping with her sneak over without waiting for her to make a sound?

  Zhang Yunping looked at the time and knew she had to leave, so Sang Hong accompanied her along with Zhang Shu to bid farewell to Song Dàyǒu, then saw her off as she boarded the vehicle.

  Zhang Yunping also felt a little reluctant when it was time to part ways. She reached out and grabbed Shang Hong's hand, patting the back of her hand:

  "Red, Auntie likes you very much. Tomorrow, Shu Yu will take you over to take a look and get familiar with the place. From then on, come back often, and consider this place as your home too."

  "Uh-huh, I'll come visit Grandpa often and also go see you often." Sanhong's little mouth was very sweet.

  Then Zhang Yunping got on the bus and waved goodbye to them.

  Zhang Shu directly returned to the staff quarters on the right side of the small building to rest.

  Song Daiyou sat quietly, Song Shuyu was giving him a back massage, the conversation between the two people was very pleasant, and laughter could be heard from time to time.

  Hearing footsteps, Song Shuyu called out to Sang Hong to come over.

  Xiang Hong came in and sat with them. Since it was late at night and the time wasn't early, she also felt that they could even skip tea.

  "Grandpa, tell me about your youthful days, okay? I didn't have a grandfather or grandmother when I was younger, and I always envied those kids who had elderly relatives to tell them stories. Today, I finally have a real grandpa, so you'd better tell me or I won't be happy!"

  Xianghong thought for a moment and then pestered him to tell stories.

  Song Daiyu looked at her and asked: "What gift did you pick out today? Let me see."

  "Haha, I wouldn't have asked if you hadn't mentioned it, what is this thing?"

  Xiang Hong said, taking out a small object from Song Shu Yu's upper pocket. The material was wood, elliptical in shape like a teardrop, with a pattern engraved on the bottom similar to an official seal.

  Song Dàyǒu took it over, and Song Shūhùn carefully handed him a magnifying glass.

  Song Dàyǒu gazed at the small thing, motionless for a long time, with a bewildered expression.

  "What's wrong with you, don't you recognize it? This was found in the drawer of the treasure pavilion above you, this wooden thing smells so good, and it looks very elegant and beautiful as a pendant."

  Xiang Hong said with her eyes hooked on that little thing, she didn't know why, but as soon as she saw it, she liked it so much.

  "This was many years ago, when I was still young and wandering around looking for a way to make a living. In Sichuan, I inadvertently came across a small piece of dried Platycodon root, which is a good thing. You know that Platycodon root is a medicinal herb, but back then people were poor and food was scarce, so they would dig it up and eat it as a vegetable."

  If dried, the material is sparse and difficult to use for carving;

  Legend has it that after hundreds of years, the root of Chrysanthemum morifolium may have a crystalline body like this, which is called 'root essence' and is a treasure that many people dream of.

  Song Shuyu and Sang Hong exchanged a glance, very satisfied with this opening.

  "I remember now, I was eighteen years old at that time, carrying a small trumpet to travel the world, and later wandered to a famous small town, Shen Congwen's hometown Fenghuang, the mountains and rivers there are really beautiful!"

  It was there that I met the girl of my dreams - your grandmother.

  She was the daughter of a local garrison commander, very beautiful, and that year I went just in time for the May Dragon Boat Festival, when one of the contestants suddenly dropped out and couldn't participate, I happened to bump into her and followed along to make up the number.

  We finally won the championship, and girls from all over the countryside were shouting for me to sing a song. Being young, I was naturally not afraid of the stage at all, and easily sang it, and even moved her heart with my singing.

  So I proposed to her father, and of course he wouldn't agree, so he scolded me and drove me away. She originally had a suitor who was the wealthy Mizuno clan's chief retainer. Later on, relying on that small flute in my hand and my voice, I somehow managed to move her heart, and in the end she followed me as we escaped under the cover of night by boat.

  The day she followed me, I only had a dozen or so silver dollars on me. After paying for the boat fare and buying a small donkey, I took her all the way to the outskirts of the imperial city, hiding in the winding alleys to live.

  The day I got married, I couldn't even afford to buy her a new dress. I thought of selling this thing for money, but it's really a treasure that can be met but not sought after, so I told her clearly that if she wanted to exchange it for money, I would sell it; if she didn't want to exchange it for money, I would carve it into a new wedding gift.

  She was reluctant to part with it, so I used a knife to carve this pendant for her. It has the power to ward off all kinds of insects and evil spirits, which is very beneficial for women's bodies. Below that, I carved a chrysanthemum flower. When she was young, she once applied rouge with it on her eyebrows, looking as beautiful as a Bodhisattva.

  Song Dahai's eyes were filled with a kind of nostalgia, as if recalling the sweet life of the past.

  "Grandpa, you're so romantic!"

  Xiang Hong gazed at the man with a mixture of admiration and reverence, he was indeed a rare talent, able to elope with the commander's daughter just by playing a small flute, what courage that required!

  Song Daiyu looked at Sang Hong, smiling warmly: "Everyone has been young before, everyone may have an old day, many things that are thought to be unforgettable forever, are washed away by time, only the one carved in your heart, is always in your heart, and comes out to talk to you every day;

  She left early, leaving me alone and lonely. Sometimes I think that if I hadn't loved so deeply, I would still have the capacity to like other people. Why is it so painful?

  Shu Yu, this child is like me in this regard. Sang Hong, you two are a good match, and since you've taken a liking to this thing, I'll just give it to you."

  "Thank you, Grandpa, but I've actually heard a legendary story about the Chrysanthemum flower that might just help you fulfill a dream."

  Xiang Hong thanked them and, seeing their eager eyes, continued:

  According to legend, pick the chrysanthemum flowers, carefully crush them, and evenly apply them to the fingernails of the middle finger and thumb. Then, form a diamond shape with the four fingers of both hands while sleeping, and the person you are thinking of will enter your dreams.

  "If you can wake up halfway, put that pyramidal finger in front of your eyes, and you can see the person you've been thinking about day and night, and also know how she's doing."

  Song Shu Yu looked at Song Da You, who had a thoughtful expression on his face, and said with a smirk: "Grandpa, don't believe her nonsense. Sang Hong, stop fooling people around. She's just a silly girl like that, an atheist, how could she possibly remember such legends?"