Children who loved to go to school were really adorable. Mu Jingzhe patted cute little Xiao Wu’s head. “You can go to school when you’re a little older.”
When other children were on holidays, they were over the moon, like wild horses that had broken free from their reins. However, Shao Dong and his siblings weren’t like that at all. Xiao Wu was still thinking about going to school.
That night, true to her word, Mu Jingzhe killed a chicken and stewed it. She gave Shao Dong a drumstick and gave the other one to Shao Xi.
“Your two older brothers usually indulge you guys. They should have the drumsticks today.”
The two chicken wings were given to Shao Nan and Little Bei, while the chicken head was given to Xiao Wu, who said he liked the chicken comb.
Then, the two chicken feet were given to Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang, which was nice, because she happened to like chicken feet.
Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ had rather sharp noses. While they were eating, those four brats came over, wanting to scrounge a free meal.
In the past, Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ loved to eat meat, whilst Shao Dong and his siblings hadn’t even gotten to drink the soup. Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ never wanted to share any of it with them.
While they felt nervous, Mu Jingzhe closed the door without hesitation.
The children snickered. They had been afraid that Mu Jingzhe’s heart would soften.
A smile flashed across Shao Qiyang’s eyes as he looked at Mu Jingzhe. He had been in a difficult position just a moment ago, but now, everything was fine.
Zhao Lan’s scolding echoed outside the door. As she scolded them, everyone felt that the chicken tasted even better.
The next day, summer break officially arrived. However, the children started learning by themselves after waking up, like they always did.
It was only in the afternoon that Little Bei’s friend came to their house and asked them to go play on the mountain. “Let’s go dig for dandelion greens.”
Dandelion greens could dispel heatiness, so the five kids were a little tempted.
Mu Jingzhe was prone to getting heaty. After eating chicken yesterday, she was feeling a little heaty today.
While they hesitated, Mu Jingzhe waved her hand and made the decision for them.
“Go ahead. Summer vacation is here. You should relax and play for two days.”
Children their age were all mischievous and playful. Mu Jingzhe also hoped that they wouldn’t be too sensible and would play when necessary.
“Be careful on the mountain. Hit the ground with a stick. Don’t step on a snake and don’t hit the snake if you come across one.”
During this time of the year, there were many snakes, but the children of Great Eastern Village were also bold. When they gathered in a large group, they would get bold and start hitting the snakes. Mu Jingzhe’s hair had stood on end when she’d seen this previously.
Mu Jingzhe prepared a small basket for them and two hoes. “Dig as much as you can. Come back when you’re more or less done. Don’t go too far away.”
“Okay.”
Mu Jingzhe had been busy the entire afternoon. Then, the sky suddenly turned dark, obscuring everyone’s vision. As it was almost time to wrap up anyway, she told them they could knock off.
The workers had just left when Shao Qiyun suddenly came over.
Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. Why was she back again? Didn’t she use to hate coming back to the village in the past?
“Second Sister-In-Law, I bought brown sugar. Mom made brown sugar eggs, so I brought you a bowl. Eat them while they’re hot.”
Alarm bells went off in Mu Jingzhe’s head when she heard Shao Qiyun call her Second Sister-In-Law and say she’d even brought her brown sugar eggs. “Just put them there. What’s the matter?”
“Just something minor.” Shao Qiyun handed a long red dress to Mu Jingzhe. “This is a dress I bought. It’s a little tight on the upper body for me, but I think it’ll fit you nicely. I’m giving it to you.”
She shot a glance at Mu Jingzhe’s chest, clearly hinting that she was much more voluptuous than Mu Jingzhe.
The corners of Mu Jingzhe’s mouth twitched. “No need. I have clothes myself.”
When one was unjustifiably solicitous, one had to be hiding evil intentions. No way would she fall for it.
“Second Sister-In-Law, why are you so vigilant? I have no ulterior motives. After that day, I went back and reflected on myself and realized that my attitude toward you wasn’t right. My second brother is already gone, but you stayed with the Shao Family to take care of his five kids. You’re a good person, which is why I wanted to get close to you.
“Of course, I also want to get some hair ornaments from you. I heard that your hair ornaments are now being sold in the city and in other places.”
So it turned out she had said all those nice things and brought that dress because of the hair ornaments?
“The goods have already been pre-ordered by people. I don’t have spare ones to sell them to you.” Mu Jingzhe directly refused, not planning on interacting with her.
Shao Qiyun was sent away by Mu Jingzhe, but she still left behind the dress and the bowl of brown sugar eggs.
“Second Sister-In-Law, try on the dress first and see if you can wear it. If you can’t, we’ll talk about it later. Don’t let the brown sugar eggs get cold.”
Eggs with brown sugar were rare and good stuff in this day and age, but Mu Jingzhe didn’t plan on touching the things she’d brought over. Who knew if they had put something in them.
Mu Jingzhe looked at the darkening sky and was worried about the children, who had yet to return.
Just as she was wondering if she should go take a look, it started pouring.
Helpless, Mu Jingzhe put on a homemade raincoat made from thin film and got ready to head out to fetch the children with an umbrella. Just as she was about to leave the house, she bumped into Shao Qiyun, who was followed by Zhao Lan and three men.
When she was about to leave, a trace of surprise flickered past Shao Qiyun’s eyes. “Second Sister-In-Law, why are you going out in the rain?”
“I’m going to pick up Shao Dong and the others. They’re not back yet. What are you…”
“They’ll come back. What’s there to pick up? Even if you pick them up now, they’ll already be wet anyway. Second Sister-In-Law, there’s something urgent to take care of.”
She blocked Mu Jingzhe’s path and said, “Second Sister-In-Law, this is a big boss from the city who wants to buy your hair ornaments. He wants a lot. You’ve got to have a nice talk with him.”
“Boss Mu, right? I’m Yang Qing.”
Yang Qing, who was standing in the middle, was short, looked ordinary, and had a short neck. He stuck out his hand, wanting to shake hands with Mu Jingzhe.
Standing beside him, Shao Qiyun explained that he was someone she knew. He had heard that she sold hair ornaments here, so he had come to take a look.
“Hello, Boss Yang.”
Mu Jingzhe gestured at the things in her hand. “This is not a convenient time for me. Can I talk to you after I pick up the children?”
“Boss Yang is a busy person. He rarely comes…” Shao Qiyun interrupted her.
Mu Jingzhe ignored her and was just about to leave when one of the men behind Yang Qing suddenly whipped out a folding fruit knife.
Another person closed the door casually. “Boss Mu, you should talk to us first.”
Mu Jingzhe took a step back. “What’s the meaning of this?”
She looked at Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan was guilty and didn’t dare look at her, but Shao Qiyun said directly, “It’s nothing. I just wanted to tell you that the kids have already been picked up by someone. You have something important to attend to now.”
Mu Jingzhe’s expression turned cold. Shao Qiyun quickly raised her hand. “Don’t get agitated. I heard from Mom that you’re very strong, but no matter how strong you are, it’s futile in the presence of a knife. Let’s have a nice talk. You wouldn’t want to see blood spilled, would you?”
Mu Jingzhe wasn’t invulnerable, so she naturally knew that she was at a disadvantage. She shouted as she retreated.
“Is anyone there?”
Shao Qiyun didn’t show any signs of panic. “The rain is really heavy. Everyone has gone back. Nobody’s going to hear you.”
The sound of rain would indeed block out most of the noise. Mu Jingzhe didn’t continue shouting. “What do you want? To force me to sell to you? To rob me?”
“Second Sister-In-Law, you must be joking. Why would we do such a thing? We only betrothed you to someone.”
Shao Qiyun pointed at Yang Qing. “This is the groom we found for you. Now, it’s time for you to get married.”
Mu Jingzhe frowned. “What? Get married? Betrothed?”
“Yes, we’ve betrothed you to him. He’s here to pick you up. Your situation is different, so you can drop the formalities. The two of you can just hold the wedding ceremony right here right now and enter the nuptial chamber.”