Mu Dade’s letter to the family arrived several days ago.
These days, Mr. Mu has been running around raising money, afraid to say Mu Dade needs money for exams, only claiming Old Mrs. Mu is seriously ill and needs money for treatment.
But as soon as Mr. Mu opens his mouth, he gets rejected.
What a joke, everyone’s living so hard, no one wants to spend money on illnesses or disasters, why lend money for someone else’s medical bills?
After facing countless rejections, Mr. Mu no longer wants to go out.
He’s been sighing at home all day, which is really concerning.
Mr. Mu doesn’t go out to work, so Mu Danian and Mu Dazhong have to go. Mu Dazhong still hides in the latrine as usual, staying there all afternoon.
Mu Danian can’t stand it, hiding in the fields playing, and soon he’s sunburned to a soy sauce color.
In his words, his handsome face is doomed.
So Mu Danian found a moment, pulled Mu Dazhong along to find their father and mother.
"Dad, we can’t delay my eldest brother’s money any longer, I’ve heard people nearby have already gone for the exams."
Because Mu Dade went to find a teacher, people in the village know he went quite early.
But now others have already gone, further delays may affect Mu Dade’s exams.
Mu Danian’s words made Mr. Mu even more anxious.
"Ah, what can I do, I’ve borrowed all I could, and your third brother is still letting a little girl boss him around, I can’t possibly sell our family’s land!"
Once selling land is mentioned, Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian’s eyes light up.
They’re eager to sell the land; if it’s sold, they won’t have to work.
Old Mu Family’s land, both owned and rented, is around thirty or forty acres, and harvest is approaching. If they don’t find some people to help then, they’ll likely work themselves to death.
"Dad, I think this idea works, sell the land and we’ll gather enough money for eldest brother, and you won’t have to endure people’s grudges."
Mu Dazhong says sycophantically to Mr. Mu.
In return, Mr. Mu slaps Mu Dazhong hard, making him see stars.
"You beast, land is our family’s foundation; sell the land and you’ll be drinking northwest wind!"
Mu Danian watches the scene with amusement, sneaking a laugh at his second brother’s foolishness.
"Dad’s right, second brother, what are you talking about? Can we sell our land? That’s dad and mom’s lifeblood!"
"You..." Mu Dazhong didn’t expect Mu Danian to betray their plan, and he’s shaking with rage.
He says, "Fifth, you’re good, who just said that I should..."
Seeing this, Mu Danian glares fiercely at Mu Dazhong, pinching Mu Dazhong’s hand hard.
In his heart, he curses his elder brother as a fool.
Only listened to half!
"Ow~ Fifth, what are you doing?" Mu Dazhong asks in pain.
"Nothing, just teaching you a lesson!" Mu Danian replies nonchalantly.
After speaking, he turns to please Mr. Mu.
"Dad, I think second brother is talking nonsense but also makes sense! Right now our priority is getting big brother through this crisis; he must have a special urgency, or he wouldn’t have sent a messenger."
"Think about it, if eldest brother gets a degree, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to become an official in the county."
"Eldest brother can write, and he has knowledge; if he becomes a steward, our family will also rise."
"Think about it, the court-divided compound, three gateways, a red door, red bricks, endless riches and glory..."
Mu Danian observes Mr. Mu’s face while speaking.
He knows his father envies this life, and he wants it too.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent so much silver over the years to make sure his eldest brother stands out.
Mr. Mu is hesitating, whether to sell the land for silver for the eldest or think of other ways.
"Dad, I actually have a way; we won’t lose out by selling the land." Mu Danian squints, his eyes full of deceit.
"What way?" Mr. Mu asks.
"We sell the land to my third brother; hasn’t he always wanted to buy land? Let’s give him our land, and when my eldest brother comes back successful, won’t he hand over the deed to please eldest brother?"
"Even if he doesn’t, by then if our family has money, we can redeem the land, right Dad?"
Mr. Mu ponders Mu Danian’s words, thinking it through can’t find fault with the plan.
Selling to third wouldn’t be taking advantage, so there should be no objection.
"Alright, I’ll go to the third branch to have a look!"
Mr. Mu personally steps in, but coincidentally meets Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng returning from Yu Family Village.
Just as he requests, Mu Shuangshuang denies.
"Grandpa, it’s not that we don’t want to buy land, but Shuangshuang spent all her money on dry land. You hadn’t said you wanted to sell the land, otherwise we wouldn’t go far to Tie Dao Village to buy land."
Mu Shuangshuang speaks with a false heart, secretly guessing Mr. Mu’s intentions. Read full story at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥
As the head of the family, Mr. Mu undoubtedly failed, unable to be fair.
His heart always leaned towards Mu Dade, neglecting everyone else’s fate.
Mu Shuangshuang believes she has no obligation to raise Mr. Mu’s son.
Besides, the black-hearted couple once wanted to sell her to raise money.
Thinking of that Wang San, older than Mr. Mu, Mu Shuangshuang feels disgusted.
People like them, she won’t help!
"Don’t you have that formula or something? Selling it should bring quite a bit of money, right?"
Mr. Mu speaks with finality, essentially pinning hope on Mu Shuangshuang.
Mu Shuangshuang shakes her head.
"Grandpa, that formula can’t be touched; the third branch has nothing, the meals are paid for by that formula’s earnings, even for simple sweet potatoes, the third branch doesn’t have any."
The dry land Old Mu Family allotted didn’t have usable crops.
It’s already the cotton blooming season, but the half-acre of cotton is smaller than weeds.
"There’s also oil, this year the third branch didn’t have any seeds, oil costs money, plus winter clothes, except for ten years ago when my dad made a cotton coat, no one else in the third branch has winter clothes."
"In the bitter cold, wearing a single layer might freeze; if they fall ill, it’ll cost more!"
Mu Shuangshuang speaks with piercing truth, layer by layer diving deeper.
Mr. Mu feels as if a steel knife stabs his heart with every word.
Who’s to blame for the third branch’s plight now?
A faint voice inside tells him: it’s him, Mr. Mu himself!
The sudden thought scares Mr. Mu, he flees without concern.
Watching Mr. Mu’s hasty departure, Mu Shuangshuang’s lips curl slightly in a smile.
She merely played a little psychological suggestion in front of Mr. Mu, and he can’t handle it?