CHAPTER 211: CHAPTER 210: A GOOD MARRIAGE (PART 1)

"Shuang, what do you think about this matter?"

Talking about dealing with Old Cao’s house, Zhuangzi’s mother felt a bit troubled in her heart.

Especially when she knew that, even though Old Cao’s family had tricked away her grandson, Xiao Mizi, they indeed didn’t mistreat him, providing him with good food and drinks.

Old Cao’s family, with so many people and only a few acres of land, really couldn’t sustain them.

Right now they only have two grandsons, what if they add more family members in the future, how will they sustain them?

"Grandma, you should decide on this matter, Shuangshuang is not from Dahuo Village and it’s not appropriate to say much. But no matter what decision you make, Shuangshuang will support you."

Mu Shuangshuang had no intention of getting involved in this matter; she only came to find Xiao Mizi and bring Gou Dan back. Now that she had achieved her goal, she could step back.

Zhuangzi’s mother sighed, "For now, let’s put this matter aside. I’ll first go back and see our Xiao Mizi before making a decision!"

...

...

On the way back to Zhuangzi’s family with Zhuangzi’s mother, Mu Shuangshuang mentioned the dead fish she found in the ditch when she entered the village. She originally thought the fish were sick, but it wasn’t the case.

Zhuangzi’s mother’s expression looked troubled as she sincerely told Mu Shuangshuang, "Shuang, you’ve helped grandma so much, I won’t beat around the bush with you.

Every year around this time in Dahuo Village, there’s a large number of fish that swim upstream to spawn from the far-off downstream of the Golden River, creating a fish tide.

The villagers seize this opportunity to catch fish like crazy. But you know, it’s such a hot season now, and if the fish are slightly mishandled, they start to rot and smell bad.

Plus, there are too many of them to finish, so throwing some away is normal."

Saying this, Zhuangzi’s mother made a gesture of covering her mouth, indicating she didn’t even want to eat fish anymore; the smell was strong and unpleasant, and the sight of the discarded rotting fish was revolting!

"Then why not take those fish to town and sell them?" Mu Shuangshuang asked curiously.

No matter what, that would count as income!

"It’s because of dual harvests making everyone busy; we just don’t have time to go to town. Anyway, in a couple of days, the fish tide will subside."

Zhuangzi’s mother casually mentioned something, which sparked an idea in Mu Shuangshuang’s mind.

"Grandma, can I go to the river to catch fish? Our family has no farmland now, so we don’t have to worry about farm work, I want to..."

Before Mu Shuangshuang could finish her thought, Zhuangzi’s mother was already nodding happily. "That would be great, because if you don’t catch them, others will only throw them away too, letting them rot and smell, which is a waste as well.

Let’s go back first. I’ll find tools for you later, and then we’ll go to the river to catch fish."

"Okay, thank you, grandma!" Mu Shuangshuang nodded enthusiastically.

Back at Zhuangzi’s house, Zhuangzi’s big brother had already hurried back upon hearing the news, and their home was lively with the family weeping as they embraced Xiao Mizi.

The pain of separation is something ordinary people can’t understand.

Seeing her little grandson, Zhuangzi’s mother slapped her thighs and cried out heart-wrenchingly. "Xiao Mizi, my dear grandson, you finally came back..."

"Grandma, I’m back..." The little guy responded in a childish voice, and the two cried their hearts out together.

At this moment, Mu Shuangshuang was deeply moved. She even recalled solving a missing person case in her previous life, and the family reunion was just like this, crying until they almost couldn’t breathe.

Since her emotional pressure seemed so low, Lu Yuanfeng took her by the shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, Xiao Mizi is back now, they’re happy!"

"Yes, having something lost and then found again is probably the happiest thing in the world." Mu Shuangshuang commented emotionally.

Loss isn’t terrifying; it’s the inability to ever recover what’s lost that’s truly frightening!

After a round of greetings and emotional outpouring, Zhuangzi’s mother pulled the family aside and explained everything to Zhuangzi’s father and the kids, including the Cao Family stealing the child and Shuangshuang’s help in finding him.

Zhuangzi’s father immediately decided to help Shuangshuang catch fish, putting other matters aside for now.

The deeper reason is their desire to forgive the people of Old Cao’s house.

After all, aside from this incident, Old Cao’s people haven’t done anything bad over the years.

Of course, necessary punishment is still required, as hiding someone else’s child is a serious matter that cannot be overlooked by heaven.

Mu Shuangshuang never expected Zhuangzi’s entire family would help her catch fish, and with everyone involved.

At the main riverbank of Dahuo Village, the Golden River, the fish tide described by Zhuangzi’s mother had already subsided a lot, unlike the previous density of fish everywhere.

But you could still see fish struggling to swim upstream. Each member of Old Cao’s family was catching one fat fish after another with buckets and sieves, placing them into their "Five Finger Mountain."

Suddenly, satisfied bursts of laughter echoed from the riverbank.

Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng stood in the water, watching the clear lake water ripple over the surface and the occasional fish swim to their feet, feeling absolutely delighted.

"This is my first time catching fish like this, it’s like swatting mosquitoes—feels like I can just reach out and grab them."

Mu Shuangshuang said, her originally fair face now flushed red from excitement and the heat, and Lu Yuanfeng laughed foolishly beside her.

"I’ve seen this before, but only with small fish, never this big," Lu Yuanfeng also commented with a sigh, though catching fish was secondary to the joy he felt.

"Shuang, what are you and Fengzi whispering about over there? Are there fish over there? Come over here, there are more fish here." Zhuangzi’s mother raised her sieve and called out to Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng, who were off away from the group.

Zhuangzi’s father quickly nudged her arm. "Old woman, let the young people have their chat and catch some fish, it’s romantic. Why bother them? Be careful not to ruin their good match, even Grandpa City God won’t spare you."

Zhuangzi’s father’s words were clearly in jest, but his implications made Mu Shuangshuang blush fiercely, her face turning red from her neck to her earlobes.

Lu Yuanfeng, too, had his face turn bright red, like a monkey’s butt, unsure of how to explain himself. He opened and closed his mouth futilely, which was incredibly cute.

"Fengzi, let’s go over there and catch more fish."

Mu Shuangshuang pulled Lu Yuanfeng’s sleeve and walked toward the part where Zhuangzi’s mother said the fish were thicker.

Indeed, there were significantly more fish here than where she and Fengzi had been.

Knowing that the two young ones were already shy, the others refrained from teasing.

Instead, they tacitly managed to push them together, and Mu Shuangshuang occasionally brushed against Lu Yuanfeng’s strong frame and iron-like arms, once again causing her face to heat up...

(A Chapter of two thousand words, others have a Chapter of a thousand words, so it’s charged at 1Q rice or 10 Book Coins, for higher levels, it’s six/eight Book Coins!)