CHAPTER 185: CHAPTER 185: WHAT IS UNCLE UP TO? (SECOND UPDATE)

"Hey, you little brat, just as rotten as your sister, get out of my way."

Mu Danian made a gesture as if to hit Little Zhi, but Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng both reached out to stop him.

Before Mu Danian could touch them, Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng simultaneously pushed him away.

A burning pain flared up in his arm, and Mu Danian’s expression immediately changed.

"Alright then, you filthy pair, how dare you hit me. I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of our third brother today."

Unlike Mrs. Jin and Mrs. Lin, Mu Danian had some strength, so Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng exchanged a glance and decided to give this foul-mouthed person a good lesson.

A deep voice suddenly emerged from behind, stopping the unruly Mu Danian in his tracks.

"Fifth, what are you doing? Are you even planning to hit Little Zhi?"

It was Mu Dade, dressed in a blue-gray robe, his hair impeccably combed. The fabric of the robe appeared very soft and undoubtedly of high quality.

Despite being over thirty years old, he didn’t look his age at all. Having never done any hard labor, Mu Dade appeared five to six years younger than farmers of the same age. His presence was like a striking spectacle.

Mu Shuangshuang knitted her brows.

When did so many people suddenly come into her shabby house?

Wasn’t Mu Dade always one to never come out, forever reading in the east wing?

As Mu Shuangshuang was pondering, Mu Dade had already approached. He squatted down in front of Little Zhi and asked gently, "Little Zhi, your fifth uncle didn’t mean what he said. Don’t be afraid. I apologize on his behalf."

Mu Dade’s voice was inherently rich and magnetic, and now, with his voice deliberately softened, it was exceedingly gentle.

Little Zhi stared blankly at Mu Dade. In her memory, her eldest uncle was always so lofty, treated like a god by the entire family, untouchable by anyone.

Even the second auntie, who bullied the third family the most, never dared to speak ill of him.

Mu Danian was dumbfounded as he watched Mu Dade suddenly appear and deliberately comfort the little girl of the third family.

What’s up with his big brother? Could he have gone mad?

Why was he deliberately getting close to the third family all of a sudden?

After a long pause, Mu Danian angrily voiced to Mu Dade, "Big brother, have you gone mad? That crappy girl’s family has already separated from us, you..."

"Fifth brother, you really need to reflect on your actions. Everyone here is a child, and as a man, bullying them would make you a laughingstock if word got out. Also, isn’t your field work still unfinished? You better go tend to it quickly!"

Mu Dade’s words carried an assertive tone that allowed no refusal.

"Eldest uncle is right, fifth uncle, you should be busy in the fields, not here bullying children."

Mu Shuangshuang smirked. She was watching to see what game this eldest uncle was playing. When she was about to be sold, he did absolutely nothing.

It was precisely because he did nothing that made it more detestable. Had he not told the Old Mu Family she was short on money, they wouldn’t have targeted her.

"Big brother, what are you talking about? We are family." Mu Danian persistently resisted.

"Fifth brother, the third brother and his family are also part of our family. Regardless of whether we’ve split or not, I hope you remember that!"

As soon as Mu Dade finished speaking, his stern face suddenly softened into a smile.

"Shuangshuang, I heard your father is ill, so I came to have a look."

One wouldn’t hit a smiling face, so Mu Shuangshuang refrained from turning away gloomily and simply said, "My father is in his own room. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my room first."

All the valuable items in the house were kept in Mu Shuangshuang’s room, partly to guard against thieves and partly to guard against people from the Old Mu Family.

Just before entering Mu Dashan’s room, Mu Dade cast a glance at the items Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng were holding, his gaze briefly showing a flash of shadow.

Mu Dade went straight to Mu Dashan’s room. Mu Dashan’s room wasn’t large, and with half the room stacked with smoked palm leaves, it looked even more cramped.

Mu Dade seemed somewhat disdainful but didn’t show it. His coming here was neither hugely significant nor entirely trivial.

Earlier that morning, an old schoolmate had dropped by to see him and told him that a certain food called cold noodles was presently very scarce in the town. It was sold at a high price at Jiu Si Xuan and was so rare that only the truly wealthy had a chance to taste it.

Moreover, his old schoolmate had intentionally inquired about it and found out that it was provided by a little girl who held the secret recipe, and that little girl was Shuangshuang.

This schoolmate had a certain relation to Mu Dade, visiting his family once a year, so it wasn’t surprising he knew Shuangshuang.

Mu Dade had just meticulously observed everything. Given what his schoolmate said was likely not false, Shuangshuang was indeed able to purchase such precious beef, and the items in that Fengzi boy’s satchel were probably grains like rice and flour, all things that required silver, not suddenly appearing from thin air.

Already worried over financial matters, discovering now that Shuangshuang had such a recipe surely made him think it was a blessing from the heavens sent to help him.

"Big brother, why are you here?" Mu Dashan hurriedly tried to rise from the bed, but Mu Dade stopped him.

"Third brother, I heard you were ill, so I came to see how you’re doing. Are you feeling any better?"

"I’m fine. If it weren’t for having to drink medicine daily and feeling weak, I wouldn’t even think I’m sick."

Mu Dashan was telling the truth, as internal weakness compared to other ailments was almost negligible, but when doing heavy labor, his body would react. The last time Mu Dashan coughed up blood was because he had reached his physical limit.

If he continued to force himself to work, his physical issues would only worsen.

Mu Dashan felt uneasy in front of Mu Dade, a feeling that had formed very early on.

Currently, Mu Dade was a scholar, not even having to bow in front of the County Magistrate, incomparable to them, the peasants.

"Big brother, did you... have something to discuss?" Mu Dashan wasn’t truly clueless. His big brother wouldn’t come without reason, certainly not just to check on him.

Besides, Mu Dashan had a lingering shadow from the past. Last time, sister-in-law came to find him, almost costing him his daughter. This time, with big brother here, it couldn’t be...

Mu Dashan’s emotions were clearly visible to Mu Dade, and how could he not understand Mu Dashan’s wariness towards him?

"Oh, it’s nothing much, just reminiscing. Back when I hadn’t become a scholar, neither had third brother married, and you were doing almost all the work at home.

Back then, second and fifth brothers were as they are now, finding ways to slack off, and father couldn’t hold them accountable, so he had to have you do more work to make up for their slack. Thinking back now, indeed, father was biased then."

A simple acknowledgment of favoritism left Mu Dashan with reddened eyes, having worked tirelessly most of his life, always yearning for recognition, acknowledgment from the Old Mu Family that he, Mu Dashan, had never slacked off and consistently contributed to the family.