Chapter 402: Chapter 402

Mu Shuangshuang returned home, and several people gathered around in the yard.

They naturally knew Shuangshuang was fine; it was Old Mrs. Mu who had troubles.

But they still wanted to see more of Shuangshuang.

"Alright, alright, I’m fine, go make dinner, do what you’re supposed to do, no slacking off!"

Mu Shuangshuang curled her lips into a smile, and without waiting for the others in the yard to speak, she picked up the basket on the ground and began to get busy.

She bought kelp, which needed to be soaked first, and then washed clean with loofah scrubs, then there was the meat, which had to be cut into rectangular thin slices, to be put into the bone soup later.

Thinking of so much work, Mu Shuangshuang really felt she had no time to play.

When Lu Yuanfeng entered the kitchen, Mu Shuangshuang was already making a fire, lighting the stove.

It seemed she was planning to make hotpot, and Lu Yuanfeng stepped forward, saying to Mu Shuangshuang, "Leave this to me, you rest for a while."

"I’ll rest once I’m finished."

Since it was hotpot, as simple as can be, the aroma of beef bone soup had long filled the big pot, Mu Shuangshuang placed the new iron pot she bought on the adjacent stove and put some rendered fat in it.

Generally, a newly purchased pot isn’t used immediately; instead, it’s coated with fat, left for a day, then used for cooking.

Vegetables, meat, Mu Shuangshuang cleaned them one by one, placed them in a basket to drain, and Lu Yuanfeng had also started the fire on his stove.

The only ones missing were Yu Si Niang, Yu Liulang, and Feng Xiaohua.

Yu Si Niang was busy at the Old Mu Family with dinner, Mrs. Liu was ill, developed fever since last night, half dreaming, talking in her sleep, sweating.

Late at night, Mu Dajiang asked Old Mrs. Mu for money to call a doctor, but not only did he not get any money, he was also punished to kneel for half the night.

Mrs. Liu was tough, pulled through, but felt weak all day long.

At noon, Yu Si Niang asked Zhang Huai Shu to prescribe medicine, and after drinking it, Mrs. Liu finally fell asleep.

Thus, meals at the Old Mu Family had no one to prepare them.

Yu Si Niang didn’t want a sick Mrs. Liu to be forced out to work, so she took on the cooking herself.

In the kitchen, the first thing the tired-from-the-day Mu Dajiang did when he got back was help Yu Si Niang make a fire.

The fire in the stove was burning very vigorously, and Yu Si Niang was cooking sweet potato porridge, while Old Mrs. Mu had become increasingly frugal these days.

Dinner was no longer rice, just porridge cooked with vegetables and sweet potatoes.

Mu Danian and Mu Dazhong didn’t do much work, which was fine, but the poor Mu Dajiang who dug the ground all day, dealing with weeds and fertilization, not only hadn’t had a sip of water, but couldn’t even guarantee a full stomach.

"Third Sister-in-law, thank you for helping our fourth branch, if it weren’t for you often helping Jinhua, she wouldn’t know how she would manage."

Mu Dajiang’s face bore a shy smile; he had so much appreciation and envy for his third brother and third sister-in-law.

Envious of their straight-forward nature.

Even more envious that everything they did now belonged to themselves.

"Fourth Brother, don’t say that, your... your hardships, Sister-in-law understands."

What’s the fourth branch enduring now, but what the third branch endured back then?

It’s just that now the third branch is separated, and Old Mrs. Mu shifts most of the work to the fourth branch.

If the third branch hadn’t separated today, imagine it would be her lying in bed.

"Sister-in-law, Jinhua’s medical expenses, I..." Mu Dajiang wanted to say he’d repay them later, but the fourth branch was penniless, without spare money or silver.

Unless his elder brother could become a scholar, relieving the family pressure and maybe save some silver.

"No need to repay, Shuangshuang’s father and I agreed, your family isn’t easy, if there’s any difficulty, we will try to help wherever we can."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Mu Dajiang, a grown man, couldn’t help but tear up.

Mrs. Lin suddenly charged out, pointing at Yu Si Niang and Mu Dajiang, cursing.

"Oh wow, having the mood to flirt here, don’t you know to make food for me? You want to starve the Old Mu Family’s precious grandson in my belly?"

"Mrs. Lin, clean your mouth, say one more wrong word and I’ll rip your mouth apart!" Yu Si Niang almost exploded with anger.

Mrs. Lin was reckless with her words, but the person in front of her was her brother-in-law, words like these deserved drowning in a pig cage.

Mu Dajiang was also red-faced with anger, but didn’t dare to confront Mrs. Lin.

"Yo, Yu Si Niang, you want to rip my mouth, go ahead, my mouth’s right here, and my belly too, come on, see if you can knock down my son."

Mrs. Lin deliberately pushed out her empty belly, arrogantly proclaiming.

She firmly believed no one in the Old Mu Family would dare offend her.

"You..." Yu Si Niang’s grip on the spatula tightened further.

"What do you mean ’you’? I’m telling you, if you don’t make me food and bring it to my room, I’ll tell Mother you’re having an inappropriate relationship with Fourth Brother, whispering sweet nothings in the kitchen!"

"Slap!" A slap landed on Mrs. Lin’s face.

The assailant was none other than the sick Mrs. Liu, who climbed up to drink water.

"Second Sister-in-law, clean your mouth, cough, cough..."

Speaking a sentence made Mrs. Liu cough several times, showing how uncomfortable she felt.

Actually, she didn’t hit hard, it was just that she was used to being bullied, and suddenly fighting back, caught Mrs. Lin off guard.

Once Mrs. Lin reacted, she rushed forward to retaliate against Mrs. Liu.

Yu Si Niang timely stepped forward and held Mrs. Lin back. Once held, Mrs. Lin deliberately clutched her belly and screamed.

"Oh dear, I’m being hit, pregnant belly hit..."

"Blood, I’m bleeding..."

She cried out loud, and inside, Mu Dazhong naturally knew what was going on, quickly rushed out, supported Mrs. Lin, and joined her acting.

"You’re finished, hitting my wife, if my wife’s baby is gone, you’re dead."

"Second Brother, we..." Mu Dajiang tried to explain but was thrown aside by Mu Dazhong.

"Get away, you wait...!"

Finished, Mu Dazhong ran to his room with Mrs. Lin, almost tripping due to Mrs. Lin’s recent weight gain.

In the room, Mu Dazhong tossed Mrs. Lin onto the ground.

"You woman, what have you eaten, you’re so heavy!"

Mrs. Lin climbed up from the floor, smiling sycophantically at Mu Dazhong.

"What can I eat, same as you all, just don’t need to work."

Currently, Mrs. Lin was quite proud of herself, when she realized she wasn’t pregnant, pretended to be, and the old lady, unwilling as she was, had to let her rest.

"What do you think, should we just say we ’miscarried’ this time, blame it on the third and fourth branch, and then ask for money?" Mu Dazhong proposed.

The two had long since discussed choosing some scapegoat from the third and fourth branches for the baby, anyway those two branches were foolish.

"Are you stupid, claiming miscarriage now, who’s gonna do housework?"