CHAPTER 232: CHAPTER 231 DUCK’S SALIVA (TWENTY-TWO MORE UPDATES)

Mr. Mu’s face alternated between blue and white; after all, speaking of sneaking others’ leftovers was a disgrace.

Especially since Mu Zhenzhen even licked the bowl.

The atmosphere instantly became tense as Mr. Mu remained silent, contemplating how to resolve the situation.

Mu Zhenzhen whimpered, clutching her throat, looking as ugly as she felt.

Mr. Mu sighed and suddenly spoke. "Shuang, if you can cure your second aunt, we’ll... we’ll give you fifty pounds of grain."

Having dealt with Shuangshuang a few times, Mr. Mu knew that if Shuangshuang brought up the matter, she wouldn’t be satisfied with just a fish or some braised pork, so he figured he’d make the offer himself.

To prevent Shuangshuang from demanding even more unreasonable things later on.

Mr. Mu’s words left everyone stunned.

Was he out of his mind, offering fifty pounds of grain? To the third branch?

Right now, Mu Shuangshuang was finding it hard not to laugh. How confident Mr. Mu was to think that she’d help this mere second aunt of hers?

But fifty pounds of grain, it might be worth considering.

"Grandfather, are you talking about grain with or without husk? Sweet potatoes or rice?"

Mu Shuangshuang grinned at Mr. Mu, as expected, his face darkened further.

"You cheeky girl, dream on! We’re not giving you any grain."

Fifty pounds of rice would be worth four hundred wen in town. If it’s sweet potatoes, it would still cost fifty wen. Old Mrs. Mu was always so stingy that she’d grumble for days over losing a single hair, let alone losing so much grain outright.

"You hush, the girl’s like this, and you’re still haggling over these things?" Mr. Mu barked in anger, turning to Mu Shuangshuang. "I’ll give you fifteen pounds of rice and thirty-five pounds of sweet potatoes."

Mu Shuangshuang calculated in her mind; these items might be worth over a hundred wen, enough.

"Thank you, Grandfather. To save Second Aunt, we’ll need duck saliva."

Ducks particularly like eating snails and earthworms; their saliva can soften bones much better than vinegar.

"What, eating duck’s saliva? Such disgusting stuff? That stuff eats earthworms, crap, and maggots." Mrs. Lin exclaimed on the side.

Unsurprisingly, her words brought Mu Zhenzhen to tears.

Mu Zhenzhen always loved her appearance. Even at Old Mu’s house, even if she only came out for three meals a day, she would apply makeup and come out pristinely clean.

The thought of drinking duck saliva was nauseating to her.

"Say less, life is more important than anything else in times like this." Mr. Mu scolded, frightening Mrs. Lin into shrinking her neck and stepping aside.

"Shuang, you aren’t..." Mr. Mu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

He didn’t quite believe that duck saliva could dissolve fish bones and worried that Shuang was just messing with his daughter, so he hesitated to ask.

"If you don’t believe it, Grandfather, there’s nothing I can do. Second Aunt’s eyes are already bulging; if the bone isn’t removed soon, she might either die or become mute."

Duck saliva is just a temporary disgust; refusing to drink it would be much worse than just a moment’s nausea.

Mu Shuangshuang believed that the Old Mu Family understood this logic!

At this point, Mr. Mu didn’t hesitate any longer. He said, "Second daughter-in-law, go... go borrow a duck from Yutou’s house, hurry!"

"Dad, why should I go? It wasn’t my idea, whoever suggested it should go." Mrs. Lin muttered unwillingly.

"I told you to go, so you go! Stop whining, or there’ll be no dinner for you."

At the mention of food, Mrs. Lin thought of that bowl of stir-fried pork with chili and swallowed nervously before rushing off to Zhang Yutou’s house.

There were more people raising chickens than ducks in the village.

Duck eggs sold cheaper than chicken eggs; at the lowest point, two duck eggs sold for a wen, so naturally, fewer people raised them.

Zhang Yutou’s family raised five ducks, simply because their son, Zhang Dalong, liked to eat a duck egg every day.

After a while, Mrs. Lin returned with a black-and-white-feathered duck, reeking, and almost as soon as she reached the yard, she tossed the duck at Mu Shuangshuang and wiped her hands vigorously, as if the duck carried some virus.

Mu Shuangshuang held the duck, patted its feathers, and then spoke. "Mother, go inside and get a bowl to catch the duck’s saliva."

Yu Si Niang went inside and soon came out with a small earthen bowl, Mu Shuangshuang held the duck’s head near it, and with the hand that had stroked the duck’s feathers, she reached into the duck’s throat.

Mr. Mu wanted to stop her but was too late.

Duck saliva trickled down Mu Shuangshuang’s hand, soon filling half the bowl.

"Alright, take this for Second Aunt to drink. It must be swallowed!"

"..."

At this moment, even honest Mu Dashan felt disgusted.

Mu Zhenzhen shook her head desperately, stepping back as if she’d rather die than drink it.

"Grandfather, hurry and make Second Aunt drink it. If she doesn’t drink it soon, her throat will be damaged."

After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Mu finally spoke. "Dazhong, Danyan, pry open your sister’s mouth and pour it in!"

"Alright~"

With the combined brutal effort of Mu Family’s second and fifth, Mu Zhenzhen was forcibly made to swallow that half bowl of saliva.

Soon after, the fish bone softened and was swallowed. Only, the duck saliva also went into her stomach.

Dirty hands, dirty saliva...

Thinking about it, Mu Zhenzhen hunched over and began to vomit furiously.

"Ugh..."

She retched until her stomach was empty, even bile came out.

Still felt nauseous...

The Old Mu Family members, seeing Mu Zhenzhen leave, didn’t linger. Mrs. Lin followed them back for dinner, unwilling to return the borrowed duck.

Mu Shuangshuang watched them leave and, once they were out of sight, crouched on the ground, laughing so hard she almost fell over.

It’s no surprise that Mu Zhenzhen felt disgusted, even she found it disgusting.

Her hand stank from touching the duck, and even she didn’t dare smell it.

"This girl, always so mischievous." Yu Si Niang shook her head helplessly, but her words carried no reproach, just a hint of affection.

Mu Dashan chuckled, "It’s better this way than not speaking or smiling before.

I actually think Shuangshuang’s personality is something we don’t have."

Clear loves and hates, never taking a loss.

Mu Dashan wanted to learn from Shuangshuang, but a nature nearly thirty years in the making wasn’t something that could change overnight.