Chapter 403: Chapter 403

Mrs. Lin had already calculated everything clearly.

If she were to miscarry now, the Old Mrs. Mu would only let her rest for a few days at most.

The concept of postpartum rest did not exist in the eyes of the Old Mrs. Mu; once a child was born, she had to go to work.

Even Yu Si Niang, back then when Little Zhi and Xiao Han were born, early in the morning she was carrying a manure bucket to the vegetable field to spread manure. Just a day after giving birth, she was forced to work.

Mrs. Lin didn’t think she would be an exception.

"So what do you suggest?"

Mu Dazhong himself was also anxious, afraid of being discovered.

He had been involved in too many guilty dealings lately. One might be manageable, but two or three piled together were likely to cost him dearly.

"What can we do, just drag it out until I regain my health. Now that we have food and drink, who would be willing to work."

"Oh, then I’ll get going!" Mu Dazhong replied indifferently.

There was no way out, really no way out. His wife was increasingly neglectful of hygiene, not washing her hair or bathing for days on end, smelling bad, yet still liked to cling to him.

Mu Dazhong couldn’t stand it any longer.

Unaware of Mu Dazhong’s thoughts, Mrs. Lin smiled at him, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, which scared Mu Dazhong into fleeing.

In the kitchen, Yu Si Niang was on edge, as was Mrs. Liu; while she felt good beating Mrs. Lin at the time, she became fearful afterward.

Afraid of getting into trouble with Old Mrs. Mu, and more fearful of something happening to the child in Mrs. Lin’s belly.

Fortunately, after finishing the meal, nothing happened at home.

Only then did Yu Si Niang breathe a sigh of relief and return home.

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t cook dinner. After she put some beef bone soup into a small iron pot, she added dried chili peppers and red oil, making it into spicy soup.

The hot chili peppers floated on the small pot, the fragrance alone could captivate one’s soul.

"Shuangshuang, this beef bone soup is truly not ordinarily fragrant, I didn’t know it could be cooked ," Feng Xiaohua remarked emotionally.

Yu Si Niang hadn’t arrived yet, but Mu Shuangshuang still served each person a bowl of soup to try.

"Aunt, if you want to know more, I can teach you next time, okay?" Mu Shuangshuang raised her eyebrows and continued, "I have quite a few recipe books."

Upon hearing about the recipes, Feng Xiaohua’s eyes lit up.

For women, cooking, embroidering, and taking care of the home is perfect.

This was Feng Xiaohua’s belief.

"Of course, roast duck, shredded chicken, whenever you want to learn, I’ll teach you then."

Mu Shuangshuang responded with a beaming smile.

"Anyway, Shuangshuang is handling our wedding banquet next month, so let’s have her cook this."

Weddings in the countryside were significant affairs, with plenty of meat and fish to avoid being considered stingy.

Yu Liulang had given enough money to Feng Xiaohua, and they had recently agreed not to skimp on food.

"Good, sounds good. But Shuangshuang, do you want to try it out first? My aunt’s family is supposed to have a funeral this month, it’ll surely be busy, and I can ask about the banquet for you?"

In ancient times, hosting a banquet had its protocols.

Red was referred to as a red celebration, emphasizing festivity, so meat and fish were essential.

White, commonly known as someone has passed, referred as eating rotten meat; Feng Xiaohua worried that Shuangshuang might not understand the nuances, wanting her to become familiar with it.

"Sure, although this has to wait, after all, talking about the deceased isn’t really appropriate."

"It’s okay, Shuangshuang, my grandaunt is ninety-eight, and people aren’t really superstitious about such things for someone her age."

The older people were about to die, the less others avoided discussing it, and some even said mentioning it could bring good fortune and long life.

As for whether this was true, no one verified it, as it was passed down through generations.

"Thank you, Aunt! Shuangshuang learned a lot today!"

After this, Yu Si Niang arrived.

Seeing her in good spirits, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t ask what had transpired at the Old Mu Family.

It was Yu Liulang who was unhappy seeing his sister frequently visiting the Old Mu Family in recent days.

"Sis, why do you always go there? You’ve already separated, and the work there should be done by their wives, not you."

"Mom, Uncle is right, you shouldn’t go there, Little Zhi feels heartbroken seeing that." Little Zhi said as he hugged Yu Si Niang’s thigh, seeking comfort.

Yu Si Niang, having no other choice, comforted him well, knowing her family was discontented.

She looked at her husband, saw him in silence, understanding not to make things difficult for him.

"All right, I know what I’m doing, you all don’t have to worry, I’ll handle it. Besides, these days, your fourth aunt is unwell, I can’t let her work while she’s sick."

Among sisters-in-law, there could be conflicts, but also mutual sympathy.

Yu Si Niang and Mrs. Liu got along well, and she didn’t want to see her suffer.

"Enough said, today is Liu Zian’s first day at our home, let him eat well, and tomorrow, pass some of his knowledge to Xiao Han and Yuanbao, maybe we can produce a couple of scholars too."

Mu Shuangshuang’s comment lifted the atmosphere.

Mu Dashan nodded non-stop at Liu Zian.

Deep down, he admired Liu Zian’s talent at such a young age.

"By the way, Zian, when exactly is your Autumn Examination?" Mu Dashan had always been curious, though he often heard it mentioned by the Old Mu family.

"August 9th, 12th, and 15th, over three days. As for the results, they will be out when the osmanthus blooms in September."

Liu Zian explained to Mu Dashan and everyone present word by word.

Mu Shuangshuang felt that Mu Dade had gone too early, expecting it to cost a lot of silver.

The town was at most seven or eight days by foot to the Provincial Government Qianzhou Prefecture; by horseback, it could be two or three days.

Plus a few days of rest, going half a month early would suffice.

Mu Dade clearly left almost a month too early.

Wouldn’t the silver flow out like water staying there that long?

Mu Dashan was also pondering this, unexpectedly, the next day afternoon, a letter from Mu Dade arrived.

The following day, a courier rode up to the Old Mu Family, out of breath. Hearing Mu Dade had sent a letter, the whole Old Mu Family was in an uproar.

Old Mrs. Mu even thought it was time for the results, kneeling and bowing thrice before the courier, scaring him into thinking he was at the wrong house, ready to leave and find the right place.

It was Mr. Mu who helped up the useless Old Mrs. Mu and invited the courier to their home.

Old Mrs. Mu was always stingy, never keeping tea leaves or costly items, serving plain water to guests. But now, with the courier present, plain water wouldn’t suffice.

So Mr. Mu instructed Mu Dazhong, "Second Son, go borrow some tea leaves from the third branch, saying the courier wants to drink tea, quickly!" Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽