CHAPTER 450: CHAPTER 447: GOOD INTENTIONS GONE WRONG (PART 1)

Lu Yuanfeng starting a fire is understandable since he often helps Shuangshuang with chores.

But Xing Beichen washing vegetables; that’s a bit tricky.

Although Xing Beichen isn’t a scholar who can’t even bind a chicken, he’s never really touched household chores.

He looked at Mu Shuangshuang with a troubled expression, seeming a bit at a loss.

"Miss Shuangshuang, how do I wash these vegetables?"

"..."

Mu Shuangshuang was momentarily dazed and handed the picked bok choy to Xing Beichen.

He took it, confused, picked up the bok choy from the wooden basin, and unexpectedly tossed it into a bucket of water.

A full bucket of water was instantly wasted.

Mu Shuangshuang was so angry that steam seemed to rise from her head.

"You... just stand aside and watch!"

Lu Yuanfeng almost laughed himself breathless; it’s fortunate it was Xing Beichen, if it were anyone else, they’d probably have been kicked out by Shuangshuang.

Xing Beichen awkwardly rubbed his nose, looking to Lu Yuanfeng for help, as if saying, why is your wife so fierce?

Lu Yuanfeng remained unmoved, refusing to step forward!

What a joke, whatever his wife Shuangshuang says is right, he would never contradict her.

Seeing Lu Yuanfeng like this, Xing Beichen made a tooth-baring grimace at him, only to be caught by Mu Shuangshuang who turned around.

This directly led to a misunderstanding; Mu Shuangshuang thought Xing Beichen was upset with her, and with a big wave of her hand, she decided Xing Beichen’s fate.

"Xing Beichen, since you don’t like being busy in the kitchen, go clean the pigsty. If you can’t do it well, I’ll kill you!"

Mu Shuangshuang spoke viciously, her eyes full of fierceness!

Xing Beichen, having grown up, encountered such a woman for the first time.

Clearly gentle in front of Fengzi, but so fierce in front of him?

...

...

Mu Dalang headed straight back to the Old Mu Family’s kitchen, washed his hands and face without incident, only to be caught by Old Mrs. Mu who came to inspect.

Without saying a word, Old Mrs. Mu started questioning, "Da Lang, tell Grandma, where did you go?"

"I went to Third Uncle’s; today Third Uncle is tending the dry fields and working the land!" Mu Dalang was unrestrained.

He felt he hadn’t overstepped, yet Old Mrs. Mu clapped her hand in anger.

"You wretch, if you’re going to help anyone, why them? You want to die, don’t you? Eating the food of the Old Mu Family and betraying us!"

Old Mrs. Mu’s words were bold and unrestrained.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Liu timidly stood at the hearth’s edge, fearing she’d be pulled out as a scapegoat, her voice was much softer.

"Grandma, Third Uncle is also your son, my Third Uncle; helping his family is only right, and Third Uncle is recuperating at home, we should be helping him!" Mu Dalang spoke righteously.

In the whole Old Mu Family, it was only Mu Dalang who dared confront Old Mrs. Mu.

Even as a child of the second branch, he did not join them in doing wrong; he’d listen to reason, but he couldn’t accept the unreasonable.

"Oh, you’ve turned against me." Old Mrs. Mu’s face turned blue with anger.

She turned and yelled at Mrs. Lin, who was lazily at home.

"Second Daughter-in-law, get out here and see your son who dares talk back to me."

Old Mrs. Mu spoke at length, but Mrs. Lin did not appear. She was so angry she wanted to ram the door but was stopped by Mu Dalang.

"Grandma, this matter has nothing to do with my mother; she’s pregnant, don’t touch her."

The more Mu Dalang defended Mrs. Lin, the angrier Old Mrs. Mu became.

Could not hit the eldest grandson, after all, he was already sixteen.

She turned to Mrs. Liu, who was already curled up, and slapped her twice.

Mrs. Liu’s face swelled instantly.

"You lazy thing, not cooking yet, trying to starve me!"

Mu Dalang wanted to intervene, but it was too late; he watched helplessly as Mrs. Liu was slapped by Old Mrs. Mu.

"Grandma, why are you hitting my Fourth Aunt? What did she do wrong?"

Old Mrs. Mu snorted coldly. "I won’t just hit, I’ll kick too!"

Old Mrs. Mu raised her foot, ready to kick Mrs. Liu on the ground, who sobbed but dared not move.

In the kitchen, Old Mrs. Mu exuded a pressuring aura.

But in the end, her foot didn’t land, stopped by Xing Beichen.

Xing Beichen couldn’t find tools to clean the pigsty, intended to borrow from others, and happened to walk to the Old Mu Family’s kitchen, where the cries made him halt and witness Old Mrs. Mu trying to kick someone.

"What are you doing?" Xing Beichen stepped in.

"Who are you to meddle in my affairs?" Old Mrs. Mu glared venomously.

"You don’t need to know who I am, but I won’t tolerate your behavior. A wife belongs to her husband, not to the mother-in-law, and she wasn’t brought in to be hit. You should understand a wife’s hardship, having been one yourself."

Matters of the inner court were ones Xing Beichen usually ignored, as he was single, and his father had passed early, letting only clean issues come to him.

But today’s incident was truly excessive; even a stranger couldn’t stand by.

Yet Old Mrs. Mu, as the mother-in-law, thinks of a wife as nothing but a tool for childbirth; as long as the son is present, a wife gone can be replaced, just a matter of bride price.

Moreover, Mu Dade’s promotion was imminent, elevating the family’s status, making brides swarm like wasps even without bride price.

"Hmph, today you’ll learn what it means when I say I’ll hit the daughter-in-law; try and stop me!"

Old Mrs. Mu lifted her foot to kick...

Mu Shuangshuang was cooking the first dish in the kitchen when Mu Xiaxia rushed in, kneeling in front of her.

"Sister Shuangshuang, please, save my mother, please..."

Mu Shuangshuang tossed the spatula aside, asking anxiously, "What happened to Fourth Aunt?"

"My Grandma is hitting my mother; she’s kicking her..."

Mu Shuangshuang was startled upon hearing this.

Usually, Old Mrs. Mu would at most slap people; why was she using her feet this time? Without further thought, Mu Shuangshuang told Lu Yuanfeng, "Fengzi, help me clean the kitchen, I’ll be right back, and don’t follow me!"

Mu Shuangshuang meant nothing else; the issue was likely between women, better for Lu Yuanfeng not to get involved.

To avoid innocently becoming collateral damage.

When Mu Shuangshuang arrived at the Old Mu Family’s kitchen, Xing Beichen was already holding Old Mrs. Mu’s wrist, looking fierce and intense.

Mu Dalang helped Mrs. Liu outside the kitchen, comforting her softly.

Looking at Old Mrs. Mu, a pair of fierce eyes glared at the crying Mrs. Liu.

Mu Shuangshuang thought to herself: This is bad; Old Mrs. Mu already disliked Mrs. Liu, and with this fiasco, Mrs. Liu’s life might become untenable.

Mu Shuangshuang quickly told Mu Xiaxia beside her, "Hurry, go call Grandpa from the field, quick!"