Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 584: Avoiding Children

The lapels and cuffs are trimmed with two plain satin edges, and the hem of the skirt is embroidered with peony branches. The stitching is not very delicate, but it is lively.

When the sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell on her, the fabric glowed a warm red like ripe apricots, accentuating the delicate beauty of the silk camellia pinned on her temples. However, this wedding dress was not as fine as silk, and occasionally made a rustling sound when she moved, like the autumn wind blowing through coarse sacks on a threshing ground.

"What a beautiful bride," Song Ying smiled and went to sit next to her. "I wanted to come back earlier, but I ran into a patient and was delayed for a while."

Xiaoxiang's ears flushed slightly. She tucked a strand of her unruly black hair behind her ear and said, "You teased me as soon as I got back. In terms of looks, you are the most beautiful among us."

Her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, but it was filled with unconcealable joy.

Song Ying laughed and reached out to help her straighten her slightly askew hairpin: "There's no such thing as the best appearance. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has different ideas about what is beautiful."

Because most of the girls her age in Xinghua Village had already married, only her cousin Zhao Xiaocui was in the house to keep her company. She cheerfully placed a plate of melon seeds and peanuts on the small table in front of them and said with a smile, "That's right, today our Xiaoxiang is the most beautiful bride!"

Luo Yanxing put the basket aside and gave Song Ying a wink.

Song Ying glanced at Zhao Xiaocui and shook her head imperceptibly. Luo Yanxing understood and asked with a smile, "What do you mean by feast? I'm starving."

"Then I'll bring you two cold dishes to eat first," Zhao Xiaocui said as she stood up. "It's been scheduled just in time. It's the busy farming season right now, and everyone has to focus on their farm work first. Uncle and Auntie specifically scheduled it later."

The wedding banquet of the bride in a farming family is held in the evening, usually starting after noon.

"I'll go with you." Luo Yanxing took her hand and went out. When he reached the door, he turned back and winked at Song Ying.

After they left, Song Ying quickly took out a purse and handed it to Xiaoxiang. "This is four taels of silver. Yanxing and I gave you this as a safe deposit. Keep it safe and don't let anyone know."

Xiaoxiang was stunned for a moment, then quickly declined, "No, no, this is too much, I can't take it."

"Take it. Money gives you confidence. This is a conclusion we've all come to. The Gong family is wealthy and has many rules. With money in your hands, you'll have more confidence to order the maids around."

Song Ying directly took her hand and stuffed the purse into her hand. "There is a saying that it is easy to see the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with the little devils. This is particularly true in the homes of wealthy families. If you give a small reward, it will be easier to get things done."

Xiaoxiang still refused to take it. "Then I can't take your money either. You've given me soap and hand cream over the years, and it's already cost you a lot. I can't take any more."

"You are being estranged when you say that. We three grew up together and have a deep friendship. When my grandma punished me by making me kneel and not giving me food, you secretly saved food for me.

When I was taking care of Song Yuan, you guys helped me watch him, otherwise if anything happened to him, I would be beaten to death by my family.

Neighbors will occasionally give us some of the things we sell in our shop, let alone a friendship like ours."

The things added to the dowry are all recorded openly. If she meets a kind family, it will be no big deal. But I am afraid that someone in the Gong family will bully Xiaoxiang because she is soft-hearted. If they take away all the dowry, Xiaoxiang's life will be difficult.

Song Ying made this decision after discussing it with Luo Yanxing.

Xiaoxiang is a thoughtful person. Although Song Ying didn't say it explicitly, how could she not know their painstaking efforts? She was even more touched and felt more guilty.

When the news of making money by picking herbs came to light, the villagers slandered Song Ying and her friends to the extreme. When they met people from other villages, they would even talk about it and accuse them of being unfilial and keeping things to themselves.

However, she didn't even dare to say a word to defend her companions. It was only in recent years that Song Ying and Yan Xing became more and more successful in the city, and the villagers began to look up to them and needed their help more often, so they changed their attitude and began to praise them.

Xiaoxiang hung her head, twisted her fingers, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Ah?" Song Ying was confused. "Sorry for what?"

"Back then, I should have stood by you and not betrayed you..."

Before she could finish, Song Ying interrupted her speechlessly, "How can this be considered a betrayal? Your family's situation is different. Besides, everyone has different personalities and faces different situations, so it's normal to make different choices.

Besides, we will all be discovered sooner or later, just sooner or later."

Xiaoxiang pursed her lips. "But in that situation, if I sided with the adults, they would often use me as an example, telling me how bad you are."

"What's the big deal? I'll pretend to be obedient and sensible in the future. Don't they often use me to teach you that you're not as sensible and capable as me?" Song Ying shook his head and stuffed the purse into her palm. He took out a folded paper and said, "This is a contraceptive prescription. You are too young. Giving birth will cause great harm to your body. If you wait until you are older, the chance of a difficult birth will be lower, the harm to your body will be less, and the baby will be healthier."

Xiaoxiang was stunned, not even bothering to refuse the silver. She asked in astonishment, "Is there such a thing as that?"

Song Ying nodded. "Take the recipe. It's up to you to decide whether to use it or not."

Although a woman's body belongs to her own, she often cannot decide when to give birth.

Once a woman gets married, she is usually urged to have a baby by her family. Xiaoxiang's husband is already in his twenties, so the Gong family's master and mistress may be more eager to have a grandson.

From Xiaoxiang's own perspective, she already has a concubine's eldest son, and if she gives birth to a legitimate son, her position in the Gong family will be more solid.

Although it was clear that under various circumstances, the possibility of Xiaoxiang using contraception was very small, Luo Yanxing said that it would be useless to give her the prescription.

But after thinking about it, Song Ying decided to send it, just in case there was a slight possibility.

They come from poor backgrounds, have had poor food since childhood, and have poor health to begin with. If their bodies are damaged by early pregnancy, they will be the ones who suffer.

Although he let Xiaoxiang decide for herself, Song Ying was still worried and emphasized, "From our doctors' point of view, it's really good for women to have children later. Don't worry, it won't affect your future fertility."

Xiaoxiang felt warm in her heart. "I know, you're a miracle doctor, so you must be right. I'll listen to you."

Song Ying breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how worried she was, she couldn't live Xiaoxiang's life for her. That was her life, and she had to decide for herself.

I just hope Xiaoxiang won’t be so easily influenced and can withstand the pressure.

Luo Yanxing must have been worried that they were not done yet, so he kept Zhao Xiaocui outside for a long time before bringing in a plate of cold pig ears.