CHAPTER 235: CHAPTER 234: EITHER TRAITOR OR THIEF (PART 1)

"No illness, huh? Why are you not speaking anymore."

Mu Shuangshuang muttered to herself belatedly.

She didn’t notice at all how ambiguous the position where she and Lu Yuanfeng were standing, and how she had placed her hand was.

Lu Yuanfeng didn’t dare to move, allowing Shuangshuang to touch his forehead repeatedly.

Within this short moment, Lu Yuanfeng’s face flushed from red to the roots of his ears, his heart pounding as if it would jump out.

He lowered his head, completely not daring to look at Shuangshuang in front of him.

Unexpectedly, the sour emotions in his heart vanished all at once.

In his mind, he thought only of how Shuangshuang cared about him.

"Shuangshuang, you... you just find that Liu Zian interesting, right?" Lu Yuanfeng asked again, still uneasy.

Mu Shuangshuang suddenly understood a bit—could Lu Yuanfeng really think she was interested in Liu Zian? Was this why he was just unhappy?

"Haha, Fengzi, you wouldn’t have misunderstood something, would you?" Mu Shuangshuang laughed, staring at Lu Yuanfeng.

Sure enough, the young man’s earlobes were flushed red.

"When I say interesting, it doesn’t mean I like him. It’s merely that the contradictions in him are particularly obvious. On one hand, he wants to make money and pass the imperial exams, while on the other, his thoughts are bound by those very exams.

I want to see in the end whether reality will defeat noble virtues, or virtues will defeat reality."

If Liu Zian could gather the fees for the exams, he would be an exceptional talent in the future.

But if, because of his current thinking, he’s unwilling to trade paintings for travel expenses, then his journey with the exams might end here.

This was Mu Shuangshuang’s intuition, an inexplicable intuition just like Liu Zian’s.

"Mmm!" Lu Yuanfeng nodded heavily, now completely at ease and wouldn’t ask about anything else anymore.

After strolling around the market, Mu Shuangshuang picked up some spices needed for cooking, like star anise, cinnamon, and pepper, hoping that next time when she cooks, the lack of these would not affect the taste of the big dishes.

When they rushed back to Er Gui Village, the time, as usual, was early, and there was about an hour until lunchtime. Mu Shuangshuang was eager to rush back to turn the cucumbers at home into cucumber skin.

She just didn’t expect to be baffled when she was suddenly greeted by Mrs. Jin upon returning home.

"Shuangshuang, you’re back. What did you buy? Let Auntie take a look."

Mrs. Jin was all smiles. If she hadn’t entered through the side door, Mu Shuangshuang would really think she’d walked into the wrong door.

"Auntie, what are you doing? What have you set your eyes on from our third branch? Let me say this upfront, we only have a few fish left, and they’re small too, probably not enough to nourish you.

As for the meat, I guess you’ll have to dig it out from my second aunt’s stomach. But considering my second aunt’s efficient intestines, that meat is probably already turned into waste by now."

Mu Shuangshuang spoke as simply and bluntly as ever. A flash of disgust crossed Mrs. Jin’s face, and she felt nauseous, but remembering her purpose, she quickly composed herself.

"Shuangshuang, what are you saying? How could Auntie want anything from you, a child? The fish you caught yourself is naturally yours." Mrs. Jin laughed off Mu Shuangshuang’s words.

That creepy smile and her face that didn’t match her smile made Mu Shuangshuang’s goosebumps fall to the ground.

The person in front of her smiled more purely than a white lotus, as if she completely forgot who wanted to sell her for money to her husband back in the day. Forgot all about how she wanted to eat her alive when she fought back.

Has the sun risen from the west today? Is Mrs. Jin finally here to soften up?

"Auntie, if you’re done, I’ll head back to my room. I still have to cook later."

Actually, it was early to cook at this hour, but Mu Shuangshuang simply didn’t want to see this aunt because she was too repulsive.

"What cooking? Your older aunt is coming home today, and your little aunt is coming along too. Your granny made good food and invited your third branch to join." Mrs. Jin said.

"Then please tell my granny that I’ve already prepared dishes, so I won’t be attending today."

Offering excessive hospitality for no reason usually means ulterior motives.

Mu Shuangshuang refused Mrs. Jin, but unexpectedly, this shameless person directly shouted toward Mu Dashan inside the house.

"Old Three, Shuangshuang’s older aunt and little aunt are back. Mom and Dad said it’s rare for the whole family to be together, so they want to invite the third branch over for a meal and chat!"

Mrs. Jin knew Mu Dashan well, understanding what he had always desired.

For years, even if Old Mrs. Mu and Mr. Mu were biased, he hoped one day to be recognized by them.

So the moment she spoke, Mu Shuangshuang knew that they had no choice but to attend this Hongmen feast today.

"Auntie, you should head back first. I’ll call my mom to go with me once she’s back."

Hearing this, Mrs. Jin left satisfied.

With the situation like this, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t think much more and returned to the kitchen to wash her face before starting to prepare dried cucumber skin.

Dried cucumber skin has always been Mu Shuangshuang’s favorite, crispy and a great side for rice, and most importantly, it’s simple to make.

Mu Shuangshuang removed the thorns on the cucumber skin in the kitchen, cleaning them thoroughly.

Then she removed some of the seeds and the thicker cucumber flesh, sprinkled salt, and marinated the cucumbers evenly.

Speaking of, salt was always a headache for Mu Shuangshuang. In the Da Ning Dynasty, the salt and iron were monopolized by the court. To prevent illegal merchants from selling secretly, they even regulated the amount of salt that could be bought and sold. That’s probably why last time, when she stole a jar of salt from the Old Mu Family, Old Mrs. Mu beat up Mrs. Lin.

The cured cucumbers needed to be left for a day and then taken out to dry the next day.

With nothing else to do, Mu Shuangshuang blanched the vegetables in water, soaking them in a small wooden basin, waiting to use them to cook fish in the evening. One way or another, she had almost processed all the vegetables taken from Zhuangzi’s mother.

Yu Si Niang returned just in time for Old Mu Family to have Mrs. Liu call people over, and Little Zhi also returned from Lu Yuanfeng’s house.

These past few days, it was rare for the two little ones to separate and play together. Ever since Xiao Han got those few books, he rarely went out, not caring whether he knew the characters or not, he just held the book and read it.

Even when Mu Shuangshuang mentioned that Granny invited the third branch over for dinner, he was a bit reluctant, picking up and putting down the book in his hands.

"If you don’t want to let go, then hold onto it. Don’t worry about what others think!"

"Sister..." Mu Xiaohan’s eyes flashed with a touch of emotion.

He really didn’t want to let go of what he was holding in his hands, even reluctant to do so for meals or sleep.

"It’s okay, come next spring, I’ll send you to school. My brother Mu Xiaohan doesn’t need to care about anyone else’s opinions to study!"