CHAPTER 206: CHAPTER 205 DAHUO VILLAGE

Dahuo Village is situated in a river valley, a so-called alluvial river valley, and is considered quite a famous village in this area. Especially compared to Er Gui Village, Dahuo Village is like paradise.

The greatest characteristic of the fields in Er Gui Village is their infertility. Many fields look decent but the actual harvest might be worse than barren land. At least barren land doesn’t require paying rent or taxes.

In Er Gui Village, the grains planted each year are harvested, yet not enough to pay the rent and taxes.

But Dahuo Village is different; the land is fertile, the fish are fat, and the water is clear. People here mostly rely on farming and fishing to maintain their livelihoods.

Mu Zhenzhen marrying Zhuangzi truly epitomizes the saying, "Wang Ba sees green beans, and their eyes meet."

However, Mu Zhenzhen didn’t care for Zhuangzi as a person; she was attracted to his family’s land.

Zhuangzi’s family owns more than twenty acres of land and is considered a big farming household within Dahuo Village. However, Zhuangzi’s mother is a prolific giver, having birthed three sons, all of whom will inherit the land in the future. This is why Mu Zhenzhen didn’t allow Zhuangzi to work later on.

After all, the land will be divided among others eventually, so why not do less work now than wait for their efforts to benefit Zhuangzi’s older brothers.

Observing at the entrance of Dahuo Village, Mu Shuangshuang roughly understood the external layout. From the village entrance, Dahuo Village stretches very far as it is all flat ground without any peaks.

Because of the lost child, the outside of Dahuo Village already put up fences, with a man guarding the village entrance, keenly watching the people coming and going. As soon as Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng appeared, they naturally became the man’s target.

He approached briskly, yelled at Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng, "What are you here for?"

Lu Yuanfeng positioned Mu Shuangshuang behind him protectively. He courteously addressed the approaching man, "We are from Er Gui Village. Zhuangzi is my friend’s second uncle, they’re relatives. We’re here to help find Zhuangzi’s family’s missing child."

Lu Yuanfeng’s upright appearance and his honest gaze, along with the bow and arrow on his back, made the man naturally assume he was a helper sought by Zhuangzi’s family.

"Zhuangzi’s house is on the north side of the village. You walk straight to the very end on the north side; the adobe courtyard with several rooms is their home."

Lu Yuanfeng thanked the man and entered the village with Mu Shuangshuang.

Throughout the whole process, Lu Yuanfeng was the one negotiating with the man while Mu Shuangshuang watched from the side.

At the moment, she suddenly felt that Lu Yuanfeng wasn’t actually a silent or reticent person. At least in such situations, she didn’t have to speak but just nodded alongside him.

Since Lu Yuanfeng was being so earnest, she too should get serious.

"Fengzi, later when we go to my second uncle’s place, his mother’s emotions will definitely be unstable. It’s highly possible she’ll vent on us, so be sure to focus on your own safety. Be mindful of the bow and arrow on your back; don’t let it be snatched away. Self-protection is most important.

If reasoning matters, I’ll handle it. If push comes to shove, we’ll make a run for it."

Relying on past life experiences, Mu Shuangshuang has seen many such occasions. The most dangerous one she witnessed was when a colleague’s gun was nearly snatched away; luckily, it wasn’t loaded, otherwise, if an incident had occurred, they would have had a big responsibility.

Lu Yuanfeng’s hand suddenly touched Mu Shuangshuang’s sleeve.

"Shuangshuang, stay behind me later. If anything happens, you leave first, I’ll hold them off."

Lu Yuanfeng’s expression was incredibly earnest. Mu Shuangshuang was not worried he was lying, but she feared him being too sincere, lest he really faced all peril on his own.

"Fengzi, thank you. It’s really good to have you here!"

Mu Shuangshuang’s sentence wasn’t just a joke; it was the truth.

As long as Lu Yuanfeng was around, she never suffered a disadvantage. Although he blushed easily and mostly didn’t refute her words, Mu Shuangshuang had to admit that with him around, those factors that scared her miraculously vanished.

Because of Shuangshuang’s comment, Lu Yuanfeng’s face instantly reddened like a monkey’s behind.

Subconsciously, he pursed his lips and gazed at Shuangshuang with more determination in his eyes.

With him here, nobody could bully Shuangshuang!

This warm scene was destroyed by a foul stench, growing stronger as they progressed into the village. Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng almost had to walk while holding their noses.

"What’s this smell, so stinky?" Mu Shuangshuang furrowed her brows and glanced around, seeking the source of the stench.

Inside, Lu Yuanfeng happily followed behind her. With Shuangshuang there, no matter how bad the smell was, he could endure it.

Mu Shuangshuang discovered a few rotten fish in Dahuo Village’s gutter—likely deceased not too long ago. But with the summer heat, simply tossing them on the ground can easily lead to maggots and stench.

"Who did this, so thoughtless? In this hot weather, discarding dead fish and shrimps carelessly—isn’t it foul enough to kill?"

"Perhaps they were washed ashore. Let’s go up ahead and see, maybe it won’t smell." Lu Yuanfeng comforted her.

Only then did the two decide to continue forward, but the stench didn’t lessen at all.

...

...

In Zhuangzi’s family courtyard, Zhuangzi’s mother stood with hands on hips, cursing loudly.

"I spit, couldn’t find Xiao Mizi, but dragged back such a lazy glutton, which is simply a replica of that slut Mu Zhenzhen. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Mu Zhenzhen bore him."

The lazy glutton Zhuangzi’s mother spoke about was, of course, Gou Dan.

That day when Gou Dan played in the courtyard, the Old Mu Family members wouldn’t open the door, and Zhuangzi’s mother tricked Gou Dan away with a raw egg, initially thinking the Old Mu family would help find her grandson, Xiao Mizi, out of kinship.

Who would’ve guessed—it’s been a full day, and not only aren’t they helping to search, they’ve abandoned even this child.

Especially with Gou Dan eating a lot—each meal consuming a bowl of rice; though the Zhao family has grains, they can’t sustain such a little rascal’s feasting and drinking.

"Mother, I think you shouldn’t have brought this kid back."

Zhuangzi’s mother’s second daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhou, spoke to her kindly.

Zhuangzi’s mother isn’t a bad person. On the contrary, she’s quite warm-hearted. When Mu Zhenzhen married Zhuangzi, fearing Mu Zhenzhen’s family had no grain to eat, Zhuangzi’s mother voluntarily delivered some grains to the Old Mu Family.

Unexpectedly, the wife her son married turned out to be a fancy yet useless hen. Mu Zhenzhen does no work herself, yet persuades Zhuangzi to follow suit.

That could have been tolerated, but over five years of marriage, she wouldn’t even leave Zhuangzi a seed, constantly using this to threaten Zhuangzi’s mother, saying if forced to work, she’d never give birth and let Zhuangzi die childless.

This woman repeatedly challenged Zhuangzi’s mother’s authority. For Zhuangzi’s sake, Zhuangzi’s mother endured, but due to Mu Zhenzhen’s laziness, she now lost her own grandson!