CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 230 FEEDING THE PIGS (21ST UPDATE)

"Dad, Mom, you keep eating, finish up and rest early, I’m going to the town in the morning."

Mu Shuangshuang finished her wild vegetable porridge and started preparing things to feed the pigs in the evening.

The wild boars on the mountain are somewhat different from domestic pigs; not only are they pitch-black in appearance, but the boars might even grow tusks.

Fortunately, the diet of wild boars is quite varied, and Mu Shuangshuang could still find things to feed them.

Mu Shuangshuang used some swill, added some wild vegetables, and the leftover porridge from dinner, and took it to the pigsty.

The little wild pig must be hungry; as soon as Mu Shuangshuang approached, it started squealing. Its reactions seemed no different from domestic pigs, except it was darker and uglier.

After finishing its meal with a grunt, the little pig found a corner and went to sleep.

At this moment, Mu Shuangshuang pondered what would be best to feed the little pig.

In modern times, most piglets eat pig feed, which certainly won’t work in ancient times. But she had seen people in the village raise pigs, mostly using alfalfa or amaranth, and mustard greens seemed to work too.

As the saying goes, predecessors plant trees, descendants enjoy the shade. Since others have found a way, she just needs to follow it. If worse comes to worse, she could plant some corn or something; raising pigs is also good.

Mu Shuangshuang made up her mind; she took one last look at the pigs in the sty and returned to the kitchen.

While she was feeding the pigs, Yu Si Niang had already finished eating. She brushed the dishes with loofah pulp one by one, laid them neatly on the stove, and covered them with a clean cloth once the water dried.

The third branch’s kitchen was newly built, temporarily having nothing—no cabinets, no tables to place things, the dining table was the one moved out from Mu Dashan’s room, which had undergone countless "surgeries."

"Shuangshuang, I’m going to take the medicine to your father first, call me when you start making cold noodles."

"Alright, no problem, Mom, you go ahead, Dad’s health is the priority!"

Exhaustion turning into illness isn’t a severe disease, but it can’t be ignored. If you don’t recuperate well, it can damage the core, leaving one as good as useless.

"I’m going right now!" Yu Si Niang took a clay pot out of the stove; previously, when the family didn’t cook, she used firewood to burn on the stove, brewing medicine in a Chinese medicine pot, often getting criticized by the Old Mu Family, plus she had to keep an eye on the fire constantly.

Now it’s different, as you only need to place the clay pot with medicine in the stove while cooking, and when the meal is ready, the medicine in the pot is done too.

It was truly killing two birds with one stone, although these clay pots were more commonly used by peasant families for porridge or stewing chicken soup, making the porridge sticky and fine, and sweet and savory.

Chicken soup is even better; supposedly, the bones can be boiled soft, tasty enough to swallow your tongue.

Mu Shuangshuang drooled at the thought of these foods.

No way, tomorrow she must catch a brood of chicks. By then, she could have eggs and hens, and wouldn’t have to sit alone by the stove, looking at an empty clay pot, drooling.

Fengzi had a saying that was right, if you can plant and raise it yourself, just do it yourself, it might not promise wealth, but definitely won’t leave you hungry.

But right now, she had more important things; she was going to town to do business tomorrow, and it was high time to prepare to grind green beans.

The green beans had softened after soaking all afternoon; Mu Shuangshuang placed them in a bamboo sieve and set them aside, then cleaned the stone mill.

From the yard came the loud voice of Mrs. Lin.

"Third family’s, Shuangshuang’s second aunt is about to choke on a fish bone, and you still won’t go and see."

Looks like it’s another troublemaker again.

Mu Shuangshuang continued her work as she saw Yu Si Niang stepping out the door.

Yu Si Niang curiously asked what was wrong with second aunt, only to be dragged by Mrs. Lin towards the Old Mu Family, Yu Si Niang naturally unwilling, shook off Mrs. Lin’s hand, and retreated a few steps.

With this very move, Mrs. Lin started shouting loudly. "Dad, Mom, the third family’s, you know how to save second aunt, hurry and come."

With Mrs. Lin’s senseless shouting, Old Mrs. Mu and Mr. Mu brought Mu Zhenzhen out.

Yu Si Niang became flustered, knowing nothing about saving anyone.

"Third daughter-in-law, you said you can save Zhenzhen?" Old Mrs. Mu came with a barrage of accusations.

Making Yu Si Niang’s head spin.

Yu Si Niang quickly denied, "Mom, I don’t know."

Unexpectedly, this sentence provoked Old Mrs. Mu’s rage. "Yu Si Niang, Zhenzhen is in this state and you still joke around? Zhenzhen isn’t your sister, right? The third isn’t your husband, right? How did our Old Mu Family marry such a lazy, heartless wife like you, with such a poisonous heart..."

Old Mrs. Mu scolded endlessly, Mu Shuangshuang put down the dipper in her hand and stepped out.

Simultaneously stepping out was Mu Dashan, who had just taken the medicine.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

Mu Dashan’s chest felt tight, and his expression didn’t look good.

Ever since the family split, there hasn’t been peace; there was always something every three days, couldn’t his mom let the third branch have a single peaceful day?

"Third, you’re just in time, Yu Si Niang is heartless, she..."

Old Mrs. Mu was cut off halfway by Mu Dashan. "Mom, I heard it from inside, it was second sister-in-law who was shouting senselessly."

"Third, you’re just like that brat, pouring dirty water recklessly, obviously it’s Yu Si Niang..." Mrs. Lin said sheepishly.

"Grandma, did you hear what my dad said? My mom never claimed to know how to treat second aunt, second sister-in-law is lying herself, to bring you to the third branch for trouble."

Old Mrs. Mu, upon hearing this, looked at Mrs. Lin skeptically, with eyes exuding poisoned anger.

"Mom, I wasn’t..." Mrs. Lin attempted to explain, but the more she explained, the guiltier she seemed.

Without another word, Old Mrs. Mu slapped her, making Mrs. Lin’s head dizzy and seeing stars.

This time, she played herself as the fool.

The third branch couldn’t save anyone, so Old Mrs. Mu began to cry loudly while holding Mu Zhenzhen.

A display of deep mother-daughter affection, truly emotional.

Mu Dashan stared enviously at the two for quite a while.

After a while, he helped Yu Si Niang back into the room.

"Actually, there’s a way to save second aunt."

Mu Shuangshuang felt it was about time to lay out her conditions.

"Shuang, you can?" Mr. Mu’s eyes lit up with hope.

"Can, indeed, but Grandpa might not know how second aunt got choked on the fish bone. After we treated everyone to lunch, there was half a bowl of braised pork left and a boiled fish. When we returned, the braised pork was gone, only a fish head left, even the bowl was licked clean."

As Mu Shuangshuang spoke, she fixed her gaze on Mu Zhenzhen, indicating to the Old Mu Family that the thief was Mu Zhenzhen.

Mu Zhenzhen held her throat, wanting to curse but didn’t dare to open her mouth; speaking would cause her throat to burn painfully.