CHAPTER 442: CHAPTER 439 MU DALANG (SECOND UPDATE)

"Are you Shuangshuang?"

The visitor hesitantly addressed Mu Shuangshuang.

Mu Shuangshuang looked up and saw the person fully, wearing a gray cotton shirt, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, with slightly youthful features.

His eyebrows were like distant mountains, almond-shaped eyes, looking a lot like Mu Dazhong from the second branch, with a facial shape similar to Mrs. Lin, but much more attractive than Mrs. Lin.

A thin face, with no extra flesh, and a pointed chin.

While Mu Shuangshuang stared at Mu Dalang, Mu Dalang was also staring at Mu Shuangshuang.

In his memory, the dirty girl who would only tremble in the corner now looked much prettier, her complexion fair with a touch of rosiness, and her clothes clean.

She carried a refreshing fragrance of gold and silver flower.

Her body remained thin, but compared to before, she seemed well-nourished; at least, now she didn’t look like a dried-up twig.

Mu Dalang gave a bright smile, quite like a big brother from next door.

"Are you the older cousin?" Mu Shuangshuang was also hesitant, although she was certain in her heart, she dared not make too quick judgments.

Mu Dalang was probably the only one among the children who had a good relationship with Mu Shuangshuang’s family.

The two from the main branch, Mu Dandan and Mu Yingying, never treated the third branch as human, thinking they could trample over them at will.

Gou Dan and Mu Qingqing from the second branch enjoyed bullying the children from the third branch since childhood.

The fourth branch, Mu Xiaxia, although she didn’t actively bully the third branch, had stood with Mu Qingqing and Mu Dandan before.

Even now, Mu Xiaxia wasn’t particularly close to Mu Shuangshuang, unlike Yuanbao and herself, who sincerely felt that Yuanbao treated her as a real elder sister, no different from Lu Yuanfeng.

"Shuangshuang, you’ve changed so much, I hardly recognize you."

Mu Dalang spoke somewhat shyly, but he seemed more like an honest child.

Mu Shuangshuang saw him holding an earthenware bowl with something white inside, looking like milk. As the youth approached, she smelled the scent of sheep, confirming that it was goat milk.

"Older cousin, wait for me a moment, I’ll get you some tea."

Mu Shuangshuang set down the golden ingot in her hand and got up to make tea.

Mu Dalang declined, but Mu Shuangshuang was quick, bringing a chair and tea over in no time.

"Thank you, Shuangshuang, this is goat milk. The taste is a bit strong, but it’s very nutritious. You should take it to the kitchen and give it to the family later."

In her past life, Mu Shuangshuang had a glass of milk every day. Now suddenly seeing goat milk made her feel incredibly familiar.

She placed the goat milk in the kitchen, and Mu Dalang drank a bowl of tea.

"Are you going to the town this time, older cousin?" Mu Shuangshuang asked curiously.

She knew what Mu Dalang did in town, and before, she hadn’t thought about having a glass of milk or goat milk in this ancient era. Now that Mu Dalang returned, it sparked hope in her.

Goat milk should be beneficial for physical recovery. If they had a glass of goat milk every day along with an egg, her family and she should become sturdier in just a few months.

But finding milk sheep wasn’t easy.

"No, I’m planning to come back, settle the marriage, and then raise sheep in the village, sell wool, and produce goat milk."

Most men in the Da Ning Dynasty believed in establishing a family before a career.

It was actually because men were young, understood things late, and thus marriages led the way.

Once the marriage was settled and children were born, as they got older, they began to think about more things.

"That sounds good, but I heard a sheep costs quite a bit."

Whether Mu Dalang had money, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t know, but Mu Dazhong certainly had none; otherwise, he wouldn’t live such a pitiful life.

"Yes, I plan to start small and slowly accumulate. Shuangshuang, if you can’t find work, you can come and help me manage the sheep pen in the future. I’ll pay you, so you don’t have to endure others’ pettiness!"

Mu Dalang’s words made Mu Shuangshuang completely embrace this older cousin.

"Older cousin, thank you. If you really want to buy sheep, you must let Shuangshuang know."

Mu Dalang had just returned and was unaware of Old Mu Family’s affairs, so he didn’t know Mu Shuangshuang had earned money.

Mu Shuangshuang planned to see how prepared Mu Dalang was when the time came. If there was money to be made, she would invest and become a shareholder; after all, money in hand wouldn’t grow itself.

"Okay, older cousin remembers. You should rest well."

As soon as Mu Dalang left, Mu Shuangshuang returned to her work.

Near noon, Lu Yuanfeng came back from the mountain covered in sweat.

His harvest today seemed pretty good; he carried a large prey on his back, which Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t make out. When he got closer, she noticed he was carrying a wild boar.

It should be said, it was a half-grown wild boar, much more tender than an adult one.

The wild boar snorted and growled, but with Lu Yuanfeng there, it couldn’t move.

In the kitchen, hearing the commotion, Yu Si Niang came out and was stunned seeing the wild boar on Lu Yuanfeng.

But she quickly reacted and drove the little black pig into the pigsty.

"Shuangshuang, bring a knife, basin, and rope over, I need to bleed the pig."

The wild boar had fallen into the trap, and at this point, even if not killed, it wouldn’t recover.

Lu Yuanfeng decisively resolved it, planning to sell it in the village; today was Mid-Autumn Festival, and if there was cheap meat, they would buy it.

"Okay!"

Mu Shuangshuang obediently prepared these things.

Holding the kitchen knife, Lu Yuanfeng ground it on the whetstone for a long time.

In reality, the rural family’s knives were made of iron and very sharp; even without the whetstone, killing a pig was no problem.

Grasping the knife, Lu Yuanfeng first tied the wild boar to the big tree in Shuangshuang Courtyard with hemp rope, before bleeding it.

With a single cut, the wild boar began to struggle; if not for Lu Yuanfeng firmly holding it down, the blood would have splattered long ago.

The sound of slaughtering a pig is actually very loud, and everyone busy at home was curious, wondering whose family was killing a pig to honor ancestors and relatives.

That’s not something ordinary people could do.

As people investigated, hearing it was Lu Yuanfeng slaughtering a wild boar, everyone felt relieved.

That boy lived close to the forest and fed himself off it, so slaughtering a pig wasn’t necessarily to worship ancestors.

Old Mu Family also heard the sound of pig slaughtering, and Mu Xiangxiang hid under the table, refusing to come out despite Old Mrs. Mu’s coaxing.

"Mom, the sound is terrifying, I’m scared..." Mu Xiangxiang cried.

"Don’t cry, my dear, mom will go reason with them. Killing a pig all morning, aren’t they afraid of being hated."

Others in Old Mu Family didn’t mind at all.

At this moment, they wished they were in the courtyard themselves; whether getting some pig blood or fatty meat, they would profit.

"What are you worrying about, that’s the third branch’s business, let it be!"

Mr. Mu puffed his dry tobacco a few times, preventing Old Mrs. Mu from causing trouble.