Chapter 407: Chapter 407
"Aren’t you going to quickly take the letter to that person!"
Old Mrs. Mu held up the letter, bossing Mu Dajiang around.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Mu had already forgotten how she had been strutting around in the third branch, threatening to beat this one and kill that one.
Mu Dajiang didn’t take the letter, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "Mother, that gentleman was invited back by Shuangshuang, I’m worried..."
"What are you worried about? If anything happens, this old woman will handle it. Does that brat think she can turn the sky upside down?"
"No, mother, I mean to say, I think we should discuss it with Shuangshuang first."
"Old Fourth, what do you mean? This old woman decides what to do, do we need a brat to make the decision? If you don’t go, get out of the Old Mu Family with your fourth branch!"
Mu Dajiang was scolded so harshly that he eventually was forced to go out to find Liu Zian.
Not knowing where Liu Zian was, he went to the third branch to ask.
Mu Shuangshuang was tidying up the courtyard at that moment. To say she was tidying up, in fact, she was just arranging the chair Mu Dazhong had been sitting on. She cherished her family’s possessions very much. Chapters fırst released on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚~𝙣𝙚𝙩
The courtyard was quite lively; Little Black Dog was chasing the free-range chicks around, while Little Black followed behind with a flattering expression, helping Little Black Dog catch the chicks.
The duo of "troublemakers" worked hand-in-hand, chasing the family’s chickens in a frenzy.
When Mu Shuangshuang saw this, she stepped forward and slapped Little Black and Little Black Dog twice with Lai Mi, causing the little troublemakers to hide in the house and not come out for quite a while.
Watching the scene, Mu Dajiang couldn’t help but feel a bit envious inside. He looked at the flock of chicks in the third branch’s courtyard and the little black pig tied under the willow tree, rooting in the soil with its charming demeanor that never failed to amuse.
The kind of life a farmer spends a lifetime pursuing seemed to be realized in the third branch.
A house, livestock, and, perhaps, a few more acres of land — a family living happily.
And if they earned more money in the future, let Xiao Han study, become a scholar, a Champion Scholar...
The more Mu Dajiang thought about it, the more hopeful the life of the third branch seemed, unlike their fourth branch which didn’t even have the right to an extra mouthful of food.
Mu Shuangshuang sensed the burning gaze from behind, turned and saw Mu Dajiang standing in the corner of the courtyard, looking enviously at the chicks and the little black pig.
"Fourth Uncle, you’re here." Mu Shuangshuang approached him with warmth, and this softened Mu Dajiang’s heart.
He took out a letter from his pocket and waved it in front of Mu Shuangshuang.
"Shuangshuang, this is... it’s your grandma... it’s the family letter sent by your elder uncle, asking the gentleman you invited to help read it."
Mu Dajiang was somewhat incoherent in his speech, knowing that just a moment ago his parents had caused quite a stir in the third branch, and the anger should not have subsided yet.
"Can I take a look at it?"
Mu Shuangshuang was dealing with the matter, not the person. The fourth branch was already suffering enough, she saw no need to vent her anger on them; otherwise, it would be just like the people of the Old Mu Family.
"Sigh~" Mu Dajiang responded and handed the letter to Mu Shuangshuang.
Mu Shuangshuang opened the letter, glanced at the content, and felt a strong urge to curse internally.
Mu Dade’s letter actually mentioned asking for money, and it’s 20 taels.
If she remembered correctly, Mu Dade had left with 110 taels of silver. Many farming families would have to spend 40 or 50 years without eating or drinking to save such silver taels.
Some families living in hardship might never see so much silver in their lifetime.
Yet, Mu Dade had been gone for just a few days, and he not only squandered all the silver but was now concocting excuses to ask for more money!
Mu Dajiang watched his niece’s suddenly changed expression, mistakenly feeling she could read. But clearly, Shuangshuang couldn’t!
Despite his thoughts, Mu Dajiang still asked.
"Shuangshuang, do you know what’s written in the letter?"
"No, Fourth Uncle, how would I know? Yesterday, Liu Zian taught me a few words. I just compared them to the letter to see if they match, but I didn’t find any."
"Then that’s good, then that’s good..." Mu Dajiang nodded.
"Shuangshuang, where is Liu Zian? Can I go look for him?" Mu Dajiang hesitated for a long moment before speaking.
"At Fengzi’s house, go ahead, Fourth Uncle! By the way, here are some snacks, you can take them to Xiaxia and Xiao Chu."
Mu Shuangshuang went into her room, and when she came out, she carried a small oil-paper wrapped package, containing popcorn she made in the morning and cookies she had fried.
Of course, Mu Dajiang was unwilling to take them and tried to decline.
"Shuangshuang, you should keep these for Xiao Han and Little Zhi, don’t bother about Fourth Uncle."
"Fourth Uncle, aren’t you being too polite? We have plenty at home. Even if they run out, I can make more myself. Just take these to Xiaxia and Xiao Chu quietly, don’t let others see."
Mu Shuangshuang lowered her voice, confidently believing that Mu Dajiang understood her intentions.
Sure enough, Mu Dajiang accepted the oil-paper package and quietly made his way towards the Old Mu Family’s place.
After a while, there weren’t any cursing sounds coming from the Old Mu Family, so perhaps he got away with it.
"Fengzi, shall we go for a walk in the mountains? Perhaps there might be another argument later."
Mu Shuangshuang said towards Lu Yuanfeng, who was placing water into the trough for the little black pig.
The two casually packed up a bit, took two baskets, and headed north towards Niuwei Mountain.
Right now, it was early July, the weather was far from refreshing, and stepping out, they were soaked in sweat; Mu Shuangshuang kept wiping the sweat from her forehead, breathlessly panting.
Lu Yuanfeng carried a basket to shade Mu Shuangshuang from the sun, though it wasn’t quite effective as the sunlight was omnipresent, yet his earnest efforts touched Mu Shuangshuang deeply.
"By the way, Fengzi, are you going to burn offerings on Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Ghost Festival. Besides the Qixi Festival in July, a second significant event is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Ancient peoples regarded traditional festivals with great importance, and each one was celebrated with grandeur.
Moreover, the Ghost Festival concerns deceased relatives and ancestors, making it a family matter of utmost importance.
Lu Yuanfeng paused, seemingly taken aback by Mu Shuangshuang’s question, before speaking after some contemplation.
"Yes, in a few days, I’ll go buy some yellow paper money and candles!"
Mu Shuangshuang thought of Lu Yuanfeng’s mother, who was carried off by wolves, and her mood suddenly became heavy.
In comparison, she really was much happier, having parents who loved her, whereas Lu Yuanfeng had a father whose presence made no difference.
Mu Shuangshuang moved closer, took one of the baskets from Lu Yuanfeng’s hands, and softly said, "How about we go together? When the time comes to fold golden ingots and such, I’ll help you, and you can treat me to some good food, how’s that?"
Lu Yuanfeng’s gloomy mood vanished, he grabbed Mu Shuangshuang’s hand, and the two of them headed up Niuwei Mountain together.