"Daddy Gou Dan, look what I’ve brought!"

Mrs. Lin shook her coat pocket and said to Mu Dazhong.

Mu Dazhong wasn’t interested in guessing; all he had in mind was eating, and he didn’t want to bother with anything else.

"Alright, just take it out, why are you being so pretentious? You don’t have the face of a young lady, so stop doing what young ladies love to do!" Mu Dazhong replied.

Mrs. Lin’s face fell instantly, "Mu Dazhong, what do you mean by that? Are you complaining about me now? Back then, when I was bearing your children, making you happy, why didn’t you complain?"

Seeing Mrs. Lin about to start an argument, Mu Dazhong’s expression also turned sour.

"Alright, I don’t want to argue with you. If you don’t want to eat chicken, just don’t follow me later!"

As soon as Mrs. Lin heard about eating chicken, her gloomy face immediately lit up with joy.

"Daddy Gou Dan, don’t be mad, I was just speaking out of anger. I swear, I won’t argue with you, we can go eat together later!"

Seeing Mrs. Lin’s good attitude, Mu Dazhong finally calmed down.

...

At night, Mu Shuangshuang, Lu Yuanfeng, and Xing Beichen, equipped with the tools they made to catch eels, left the house under the moonlight, carrying sacks. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

They planned to visit a few ponds where eels usually gathered.

They would put the bamboo eel-catching traps into the ponds and ditches, and come back in the morning to catch the eels.

After finishing this, they didn’t rush home but continued wandering in the rice fields and hemp fields.

During this season, there were many frogs. In the past, Lu Yuanfeng would catch some and trade them at a large restaurant in town for money.

Now that they had their own restaurant, these frogs could be turned into dishes that diners love.

Of course, they could eat them themselves as well.

Anyway, the frogs cooked by Shuangshuang were tasty.

Xing Beichen was an amateur, and he followed Lu Yuanfeng and Mu Shuangshuang throughout the process.

Whenever they said to stop, he would stop.

But watching Lu Yuanfeng skillfully catch a sack full of frogs in no time, he felt tempted.

He asked Mu Shuangshuang for a sack and went off in his own direction to catch frogs.

He wandered further and further away, and before long, he was far from Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng.

Upon reaching a cotton field, he noticed a light not far away, as if someone was doing something there.

Driven by curiosity, Xing Beichen approached and overheard the conversation between two people.

"Daddy Gou Dan, how much longer for this chicken? I can already smell it!"

"You greedy woman, what’s the rush? Good things should be savored slowly!"

"You think if we eat this chicken far from home, Mother won’t suspect us, right?" Mrs. Lin’s voice had a hint of anxiety.

"What are you thinking? Right, we should throw the chicken feathers in Big Brother’s outhouse when we go back later.

I reckon Mother will cause a scene at the neighbor’s house tomorrow; figure out a way to make her go to Big Brother’s place. Then, let Mrs. Jin also take the blame!"

Mu Dazhong’s suggestion was instantly agreed upon by Mrs. Lin.

Xing Beichen listened to their conversation, grasping most of it, and then turned to find Mu Shuangshuang to relay the story.

Mu Shuangshuang wasn’t too surprised after hearing it.

Because she had long suspected that the ones stealing chickens were Mrs. Lin and Mu Dazhong, though how they avoided Old Mrs. Mu was beyond her knowledge.

However, Mu Dazhong’s plan to frame the first branch was none of her concern.

But the fact that Mu Dazhong and Mrs. Lin wrongly accused her mother today couldn’t be let go.

"Fengzi, Beichen, do you want a midnight snack tonight?" Mu Shuangshuang asked with a mischievous smile.

Though Lu Yuanfeng and Xing Beichen were already full from dinner, they couldn’t resist nodding.

"Yes!"

"That’s good then..."

...

Early the next morning, Old Mrs. Mu’s curses once again echoed over the Old Mu Family’s residence.

Three more chickens were missing from the coop this time.

Old Mrs. Mu was so angry she almost fainted, swearing to uncover the thief.

Having caused a scene yesterday, today’s process was smoother.

She first checked the fourth branch and Mu Danian’s room, then the third branch, finding no issues.

When she reached the second branch, she discovered chicken feathers hidden in the wardrobe, instantly enraged.

With red eyes, she was ready to kill Mrs. Lin and Mu Dazhong.

"Mu Dazhong, Lin Xiaozao, you... you dare steal four of my chickens, you..."

Mu Dazhong and Lin Xiaozao were completely shocked, especially Mrs. Lin, who trembled while pointing at the chicken feathers in the wardrobe.

"Mother, this... this wasn’t us. Even if we’re foolish, we wouldn’t hide the chicken feathers in our own wardrobe!"

Her words only made things worse, as the smell of chicken feathers was noticeable.

Old Mrs. Mu grew even angrier.

She began beating Mu Dazhong and Mrs. Lin, though she was more lenient with Mu Dazhong given he was her offspring.

Mrs. Lin wasn’t as lucky; Old Mrs. Mu took off her shoe and used the shoehorn to hit Mrs. Lin.

Mrs. Lin screamed, promising to make up for the lost chickens before Old Mrs. Mu relented.

After being beaten, Mrs. Lin didn’t forget to drag Mrs. Jin and Mu Dade into the mess.

"Mother, you always search our second branch for things, but you don’t go to other branches often. Even if I pay for your chickens today, I honestly didn’t eat them!" Mrs. Lin sobbed.

Her eyes were swollen from crying.

Old Mrs. Mu snorted, "You’re lying. I’ve searched the other branches!"

"Mother, did you check the first branch? Did you check Big Brother’s place?" Mrs. Lin asked.

"Second Daughter-in-law, you never change, always trying to drag your Big Brother down with you. I ought to beat you to death!" Saying this, she raised her hand again.

Mrs. Lin hurriedly said, "Mother, I wasn’t talking about Big Brother, but Big Sister-in-law! She’s the one who stirred up trouble over the gold bracelet and insisted on selling Shuang back then, which led to the third branch splitting off.

If the third branch hadn’t split, wouldn’t the restaurant be yours? Wouldn’t the school be yours?"

The sister-in-law rivalry in the Old Mu Family had always been tense.

Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Jin especially were always at each other’s throats, each wishing the other ill.

But Mrs. Jin held a higher status and lived better than Mrs. Lin, often making Mrs. Lin suffer.

This time, Mrs. Lin was resolved to drag Mrs. Jin down with her.

Listening to Mrs. Lin’s words, Old Mrs. Mu felt increasingly aggrieved.

"You, along with Second Uncle, come with me to the First Branch; I have to see if this eldest daughter-in-law has turned into a cunning fox!"

Mrs. Lin limped behind Old Mrs. Mu to the First Branch.

Then, she coaxed Old Mrs. Mu into checking the outhouse, where they indeed found chicken feathers.

Old Mrs. Mu then went to the kitchen of the first branch, finding chicken bones, far exceeding the amount from one chicken.

A storm was about to break...