CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 440: RELYING ON YOURSELF (THIRD UPDATE)

"You old fart, always siding with the third branch, didn’t you see how they scared our Xiangxiang? That brat did it on purpose, scared me last time, and now wants to scare others."

Old Mrs. Mu looked like she wouldn’t rest until she caused trouble.

The people nearby were all waiting to see a good show.

Mu Dalang was stunned, realizing that his grandma seemed even more unreasonable than when he left, downright unreasonable, one might say.

"Grandma, my third uncle’s family probably slaughtered the pig to worship the ancestors of the Old Mu Family, not to scare us."

"Da Lang..." Mrs. Lin stomped her foot in displeasure nearby.

"Oh, you’ve just returned and already turning against your own. If you like the third branch so much, why don’t you go live with them? Why are you sponging off us?"

When it comes to Mu Xiangxiang, Old Mrs. Mu’s mind never seems to think straight, always finding someone to scold.

"You old hag, shut up for me! Da Lang just came back, say less!" Mr. Mu felt it was inappropriate and rebuked.

Just then, the sound of pigs squealing from the third branch’s courtyard stopped.

Old Mrs. Mu was silenced but still looked fiercely towards the third branch.

...

...

Lu Yuanfeng collected half a basin of pig blood, handed it to Mu Shuangshuang, and then placed the wild pig on a door panel.

This door panel was something Mu Shuangshuang had removed from the kitchen halfway through to make it easier for Lu Yuanfeng to place the pork. It turned out to be quite useful now.

At this moment, Lu Yuanfeng was relying on a kitchen knife to skin the pig and then cut the meat.

His knife skills were excellent; with a few strokes, the pork was disassembled into pieces, just like a craftsman dissecting an ox, all along the joints, without using any brute force.

Mu Shuangshuang saw how hot he was and handed a cup of cold tea, along with a towel, over to him.

"Fengzi, have a sip of tea first."

Lu Yuanfeng cooperatively bowed his head, drained the cup of gold and silver flower tea in one gulp.

Lu Yuanfeng felt instantly quenched, and just as he was about to raise his head, the girl’s hand extended out, presenting a plain cotton towel, wrung dry in front of him.

The towel glided over his forehead, bringing a cooling sensation.

Starting with the forehead, then moving to the cheeks, Lu Yuanfeng stood stiffly, experiencing the girl wiping his sweat for the first time.

The soft touch from her hand waved in front of him, so much so that Lu Yuanfeng felt like his soul had vanished.

He dumbly watched Mu Shuangshuang smile, eyes filled with happiness.

"Alright!" Mu Shuangshuang quietly reminded, yet Lu Yuanfeng maintained his posture, motionless, taking quite a while to snap back to reality.

Once Shuangshuang walked away to continue folding the golden ingots and spirit money, Lu Yuanfeng realized he’d entirely lost his composure.

But this loss of composure was something he was willing to accept.

Lu Yuanfeng sliced off two pounds of meat and a pig knuckle, handed them to Mu Shuangshuang, and was just hesitating about what to do with the pig head when Mu Shuangshuang spoke up.

"Fengzi, I’ll use the pig head to make roast pig head, later take it to your home for offering. We can make a few more dishes, these few nights the temperature isn’t high, it will be alright until tomorrow morning!"

"I’ve folded quite a few golden ingots for your mom, this afternoon we’ll go burn them outside your courtyard."

"You can take the rest of the pork to the village to sell it, I reckon the folks here would want it."

Lu Yuanfeng nodded in agreement, and the two started dividing the tasks.

...

...

In the afternoon, once everything was ready, Mu Shuangshuang burned golden ingots and spirit money in her own home, then went over to Lu Yuanfeng’s place.

A large table of dishes, all prepared at the third branch’s place and then brought over.

Yu Si Niang and Mu Dashan didn’t come over, it was just Mu Shuangshuang, Lu Yuanfeng, Xing Beichen, and three little kids there.

Lu Yuanfeng knelt in the courtyard, feeling a bit down.

All those spirit money and golden ingots were burnt by him alone.

He wouldn’t even let Yuanbao get close.

Mu Shuangshuang knew, he was reminiscing about his past life.

In the army for five years, he managed to support himself, but forever lost the mother who loved him.

Mu Shuangshuang thought, if given another chance, Lu Yuanfeng certainly wouldn’t choose to go to the army.

At least not when his mother was not secure.

"Brother Fengzi is indeed a loyal and righteous person, trustworthy friend, it’s a win-win to know him,"

suddenly said Xing Beichen who stood beside him.

With this period of time, Xing Beichen had almost recovered, and considering leaving, though he was unsure why he was still staying to heal.

But since Lu Yuanfeng didn’t mention it, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t either.

"Indeed, Fengzi is a very good person!" Mu Shuangshuang replied softly, not engaging in more talk with Xing Beichen.

"Miss Shuangshuang, you and Brother Fengzi are both good people! Last night I chatted away half the night with Brother Fengzi and learned of your future business plans. Do you need my help?"

Mu Shuangshuang quickly shook her head. "No need, I have hands and feet, I can handle my own affairs. Fengzi and I didn’t save you hoping for any repayment or climbing up to higher branches. We’re just living ordinary lives."

Xing Beichen thought Mu Shuangshuang misunderstood him and quickly waved his hand.

"Miss Shuangshuang, you’ve misunderstood me, my offer to help comes from treating you as a friend. I know that achieving something on your own relies on more than just one’s fists; the strength is ultimately limited."

"The path Miss Shuangshuang wishes to tread should be even higher and further, and if one starts from the bottom to climb towards the top, it surely takes a lot of time."

Xing Beichen had been in the Capital long enough, and although his father Xing Ningtian died early, he saw clearly the world of officialdom.

"Young Master Xing, you must have heard the saying, ’The process is more important than the outcome.’ If during this process there’s someone you care about accompanying you, even the suffering would feel like happiness."

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t shy away from hardship.

She wanted results and the process as well!

Moreover, starting from the bottom and working up, the foundation will be more stable than starting from a higher point, with stronger resilience.

After listening to Mu Shuangshuang, Xing Beichen had more admiration in his eyes for her.

"Miss Shuangshuang indeed is extraordinary! I am impressed!"

"Actually, it’s nothing, people just have different choices. I say this now because I feel I have the ability to climb up. If I didn’t, I’d also bow down for five bushels of grain," Mu Shuangshuang said, appearing natural.

Xing Beichen felt helpless, if it were not for the Mid-Autumn Festival, he would surely have laughed out loud.

After burning the last piece of spirit money, Lu Yuanfeng called over Yuanbao and Mu Shuangshuang.

Yuanbao was his brother, and Shuangshuang was his soon-to-be wife.

Therefore, they should all say a few words to his mother.

Yuanbao had never met his mother, but he knew his mother loved him, so he looked serious.

After burning the offerings, everyone returned to eat.

The large table of dishes, with flavors lingering on their tongues.

"Fengzi, Miss Shuangshuang, I plan to leave the village and go to the county in the next days,"

Xing Beichen originally came with a mission, and now that he had healed, it was time to leave.