Upon hearing their intention to end his life, Mu Erlaizi couldn’t help but panic and yelled, "It was your shameless daughter who seduced me, why should I be punished for it."
Mu Zhongli kicked him and harshly spat, "Take a good look at yourself in your piss, my daughter would never be interested in an old bachelor like you."
Mu Erlaizi pointed at Cai Ping and shouted, "Fellow townsfolk, look! His daughter came to my house dressed , layered with makeup. If she didn’t come to seduce me, what did she come for?"
The people looked and indeed, Cai Ping’s attire today was different from her usual. She was wearing a conspicuous red silk beizi which was tailored to accentuate her slender waist and bust. The white powder on her face had been partially washed away by tears, but the remainder was still highly visible.
Immediately, people started whispering amongst themselves. Although their voices were low, they were still audible.
"Look at Eldest Brother Mu, being all precious about it. His daughter has been defiled, why not just let her marry Erlaizi, at least they could make an honest woman out of her..."
"Hey, Eldest Brother Mu always had high expectations, he considers his daughter as precious as his own eyeballs, how could he bear to marry her to Erlaizi! He had plans for a prestigious marriage for his daughter."
"Humph, she’s damaged goods. Which influential family would want to marry into theirs? Moreover, if they marry her, there might be a little Erlaizi growing inside her. What a predicament they would be in."
Mu Zhongli was so angry on hearing this that his scalp tingled. He started fighting again with a deathly fury. The Clan Leader, fearing that someone might indeed be killed, ordered people to separate them and instructed them to go back home to discuss the matter further.
The discussion revolved around whether Cai Ping should marry Mu Erlaizi. Normally, marriage within the clan was forbidden, but given the existing relationship between Cai Ping and Mu Erlaizi, and that both families were distantly related beyond the five degrees of kinship, the clan rules could potentially be bypassed.
However, when Cai Ping heard the Clan Leader suggest that she marry Mu Erlaizi, she almost lost her mind. She smashed a teacup nearby and held a shard to her throat, declaring that she would rather die than marry Mu Erlaizi.
Seeing her resolute attitude, the Clan Leader gave up, consoled her a few words, and left.
Mu Zhongqing and Lady Du sat for a while, but seeing that the festivities had been in effect ruined, they decided to return home to celebrate the new year with their own children.
Back at home, seeing their well-behaved children, the couple felt a surge of satisfaction. Their own children were truly the best, each one quiet, well-mannered, and dependable, a far cry better than the three from the main branch of the family!
After coming back, Cai Wei boiled some water for everyone to drink. No one had ate to their fill today at the main house and there was no food left at home as it had all been moved to the town. They could only drink some hot water to stave off hunger.
"Let’s all sleep early tonight. We’ll rise early tomorrow to go back to the town, sort things out, and then move." Mu Zhongqing instructed his children gently, wanting desperately to leave this place and get as far away as possible from that other family.
"Dad, are we not staying up for the new year?" Cai Wei asked.
"Not this year. The children are hungry. It’s better for you to get some sleep so you won’t feel uncomfortable." Mu Zhongqing, a man who indulged in his children, couldn’t bear to see them staying up all night on empty stomachs to celebrate the New Year.
After hearing their father’s instructions, Cai Wei and Cai Fei went back to their room. After cleaning up they went to bed.
However, having been accustomed to sleeping on a soft embroidered couch, sleeping on the hard fire kang felt quite uncomfortable. Especially with the hard quilt on top of them that neither provided warmth nor comfort. It was so heavy that it made breathing difficult.