CHAPTER 225: CHAPTER 224: SECOND AUNT IS A GLUTTON (15TH UPDATE)

Mu Zhenzhen barged into the house unceremoniously and was about to grab chopsticks and a bowl to help herself to some food, only to find she couldn’t locate any extra chopsticks or bowls despite searching the entire room.

"Third brother, what’s up with your house not even having extra utensils?"

Mu Zhenzhen stared eagerly at the table full of food, her mouth watering. If it weren’t for the presence of outsiders, she would’ve just grabbed some with her hands.

Mu Shuangshuang frowned slightly. This second aunt had no qualms about entering her kitchen directly; did she really think her home was her own?

"Second aunt, we third branch have just split from the family, where would we have so many utensils? Maybe you could buy us some?"

"You wish. Your lack of utensils has nothing to do with me. So, are you saying you don’t want me to have this meal?"

"Second aunt, you yourself said our house doesn’t have extra utensils, and you don’t care. So not having eaten is none of third branch’s business, right? If you want to eat, you can always go home and cook, after all, a pound of meat doesn’t cost that much."

As Mu Shuangshuang spoke, she deliberately picked up a piece of braised pork and waved it in front of Mu Zhenzhen.

The braised pork she made was naturally fragrant; getting a little closer to it, the aroma was nearly enough to captivate one’s soul.

Mu Zhenzhen’s feet unconsciously followed the piece of braised pork.

Just when she thought she might be close enough, Mu Shuangshuang quickly popped the braised pork into her mouth.

"Chomp," and in an instant, Shuangshuang’s chopsticks were empty.

Mu Zhenzhen could only watch as Shuangshuang chewed the braised pork by herself, deliberately making exaggerated expressions.

Lu Yuanfeng and the others, seeing Shuangshuang act that way, wanted to laugh but felt embarrassed to, so they just glanced at each other awkwardly.

"Little brat, you tricked me!" Mu Zhenzhen realized she had been fooled and decided to vent her anger with a loud burst of cursing.

"I did trick you, so what, what!"

Mu Shuangshuang wasn’t scared of tearing into Mu Zhenzhen; everyone present was familiar with the third branch and had often been annoyed by Old Mrs. Mu. Plus, none were the gossiping type, so Mu Shuangshuang was unconcerned.

"Such stinginess, little brat, I’ll tell you, you’re so heartless, you better watch out for lightning strikes!"

Mu Zhenzhen’s words were quite sharp, so much so that Mu Dashan, who initially planned to keep the peace, couldn’t sit still.

"Zhenzhen, go eat at your side’s place. Today’s meal is to thank Yu Tou and Gou Zi for helping the third branch; I’ll send some food over to you later."

"Send food? I bet it’s leftovers. If you were really sending food, you’d do it before the meal. Now saying these pretentious words, what’s the point? I don’t care, I’m eating here today."

As Mu Zhenzhen spoke, she reached out to take the third branch’s dish, but Mu Shuangshuang reacted swiftly and swatted Mu Zhenzhen’s hand away, causing her to grimace with pain.

"Ah, little brat, dare you hit me, you..."

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t want this meal to go sour due to Mu Zhenzhen’s antics.

She stood up directly, grabbed Mu Zhenzhen’s arm, and started dragging her outside. Mu Zhenzhen struggled and tried to shake off, but she couldn’t loosen Shuangshuang’s grip.

With some forceful tugging and pulling, she finally managed to get Mu Zhenzhen out of her home.

When they arrived outside the main house of the Old Mu Family, Mu Shuangshuang still hadn’t let go of Mu Zhenzhen’s hand.

Her arrival inevitably invited some mocking and teasing.

"Oh, little brat is here to borrow something from us? We don’t have fancy food, but we do have plenty of heartless people." Mrs. Lin quipped sarcastically.

"Grandpa, second aunt has been causing a scene at our third branch. Couldn’t you intervene a bit? We have guests at our place; if anything happens and becomes a laughing stock, the reputation of our Old Mu Family would be tarnished."

Mr. Mu was already feeling down, and Shuangshuang’s arrival compounded his gloom; this sensation of having been slighted was something only he understood.

"Zhenzhen, sit down and have your meal. Why run riot when people are eating?"

"Dad, how did I run riot? You don’t know how outrageous this little brat was—even hitting my hand to stop me from eating, sob sob..."

Mu Shuangshuang rolled her eyes at the sudden change of scene.

Damn it, this Mu Zhenzhen was simply a drama queen, skilled at twisting facts. "Second aunt, stop smearing Shuangshuang. The third branch has no rice, no chopsticks, no bowls; I asked you to take some utensils but you refused, insisting on being unreasonable. What could I do?"

"You’re lying..." Mu Zhenzhen stomped her foot, fuming the moment Mu Shuangshuang spoke.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I’m leaving now. Enjoy your meal."

Mu Shuangshuang left the main house of the Old Mu Family with her head held high, the sun blazing down without any scarf for protection, making her scalp tingle.

Soon, she was drenched in sweat, yet making the Old Mu Family gnash their teeth in resentment but helpless made Mu Shuangshuang extremely pleased.

Since coming to this world, for the first time, she felt a sense of her existence’s worth.

Indeed, she was cut out for bold encounters and conflicts, not suited for the subdued role of a bullied wife.

After the midday meal, Mu Shuangshuang tidied up the kitchen, while Lu Yuanfeng and Yuanbao had already left due to other commitments.

Though the meal was a pleasant one, the odd visit from Mu Zhenzhen in the middle made her dread the days ahead.

She couldn’t drive the oddity away, and her current silver was insufficient to relocate.

She could only wait and see if someday she could find a truly profitable way.

Once done cleaning, Mu Shuangshuang placed the leftovers from lunch in a pot, warming them with hot water since in these ancient times there were no cooling devices, so everything had to be made sparingly, or it would spoil quickly.

Originally planning a nap, Yu Si Niang entered.

"Shuangshuang, rest, no need to get up."

Seeing Shuangshuang on the bed about to rise, Yu Si Niang swiftly moved to support her.

"Mom, why aren’t you napping, is something the matter?" Mu Shuangshuang asked concernedly, rubbing her eyelids.

"Not really, just that you’ve been quite close with Fengzi; tell me honestly, have you two been..."

Today, having come to see Shuangshuang, Yu Si Niang had thought quite a bit; after all, her daughter had grown, and talk of eventual marriage loomed. It wouldn’t fare well for her reputation if gossip arose.

"We’ve got nothing, Mom, why’re you asking?" Mu Shuangshuang looked puzzled.

Yu Si Niang leaned toward feeling like dealing with a situation of early romantic notions, which worried her.

At this moment, Yu Si Niang would rather her daughter confessed to having something with Fengzi, whom she particularly liked; if her daughter were to marry someday, she’d willingly see her marry Fengzi.

But the concern was that it might not be so.

"Mom just feels you should pay more attention to your lifelong matters. Your birthday’s approaching, and over it, you’ll be fourteen. When I was your age, preparations to marry your dad were already underway."