"Shut up! I know Shuangshuang better than you do!" Mu Dashan shouted at Mu Dazhong.

"Of course, she’s your daughter. You’re naturally biased towards her!" Mu Dazhong retorted.

Who knew, Mu Dashan refused to hand over the money.

"Dad, I won’t use this money to treat Xiangxiang’s illness!" Mu Dashan said and then fell silent.

Mr. Mu understood what he meant and turned to scold Mu Dazhong.

"You, second son, why is your mouth so foul? It was our Old Mu Family’s fault before, not Shuangshuang’s. Why do you speak of her like that?"

"No, Dad, I..." Mu Dazhong tried to argue.

"Shut up and apologize! Apologize to the third branch and to Shuangshuang!" Mr. Mu ordered.

"Dad, I didn’t do anything wrong..."

The words "didn’t do anything wrong" reminded Mr. Mu of Old Mrs. Mu, who also always claimed she wasn’t wrong no matter what happened.

Without much hesitation, Mr. Mu picked up his tobacco pipe and struck Mu Dazhong hard with it.

"Apologize..."

Mu Dazhong cried out in pain, and finally, reluctantly spoke, "Third brother, I was wrong, wrong... Shuangshuang isn’t like that, I was wrong!"

After Mu Dazhong apologized, Mu Dashan felt somewhat relieved.

He handed the silver to Mr. Mu and said, "Dad, Shuangshuang isn’t a petty person. If you had never done anything excessive, she wouldn’t refuse to give money!

Moreover, she didn’t refuse; this was borrowed by Shuang. When Xiangxiang wakes up, make sure she uses her dowry to repay it!"

Mu Dashan’s words made Mr. Mu feel uncomfortable.

But he understood the reason; the first branch, which he had placed his hopes on, didn’t contribute a single penny.

Instead, the third branch, from which he never had any expectations, came up with the money!

What an irony!

As night fell, Mr. Mu realized he couldn’t deliver the money to the town tonight and would have to wait until the next morning to address the matter.

...

After leaving the Old Mu Family, Mu Shuangshuang went to Lu Yuanfeng’s place.

These days, she had been spending a lot of time with Lu Yuanfeng.

She even visited the tavern in town less frequently than before.

When she arrived at Lu Yuanfeng’s house, he was resting in the courtyard.

On summer nights, if there was wind, there were no mosquitoes, making it the perfect time to be outside.

Mu Shuangshuang’s arrival made Lu Yuanfeng very excited.

He hurriedly opened the gate and then ran to Mu Shuangshuang.

"What brings you here so late? You could have told me during dinner; I could have come to fetch you!"

"I came to see you! Where’s Beichen?" Mu Shuangshuang glanced around and didn’t see Xing Beichen.

"He went to find Xiao Nan. You know, last time he got rejected by Xiao Nan!"

Xing Beichen had proposed to marry Fu Xiaonan last time but was turned down.

Fu Xiaonan implied that she didn’t like Xing Beichen and saw no need to interact further.

Xing Beichen was lost in thought every day, and even Cheng Dagang had grown quite dissatisfied with him.

"That’s just perfect; we can enjoy ourselves tonight!" Mu Shuangshuang said with a smile.

The night wind was strong, and the moon was big. Turning around, she could see Lu Yuanfeng’s defined features and eyes like stars.

Under the cover of night, Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t help but repeatedly gaze at Lu Yuanfeng.

Unbeknownst to her, her unabashed staring had already made Lu Yuanfeng blush.

After a while, Lu Yuanfeng said, "Shuangshuang, let me pour you a cup of tea!"

Mu Shuangshuang nodded, and when Lu Yuanfeng returned, he had two cups of tea in his hands.

One cup had honey in it, meant for Shuangshuang.

Sipping the sweet honey tea, Mu Shuangshuang opened up.

"Fengzi, your trip to the Northwest is a long journey; make sure to stay safe!" Mu Shuangshuang said.

"I will! But you, Shuangshuang, be careful while I’m away! If you have conflicts with anyone, don’t argue with them. Just wait for me to come back and seek justice for you!" Lu Yuanfeng said.

As he spoke, he cautiously reached out and pulled Mu Shuangshuang into his embrace.

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t resist and rested her head on Lu Yuanfeng’s chest, listening to his irregular heartbeat.

When she left the house, Mu Shuangshuang had taken a bath, carrying the fragrance typical of a young woman.

This scent made Lu Yuanfeng feel particularly at ease.

"Don’t worry, I won’t allow myself to be bullied!" Mu Shuangshuang said.

"While I’m away, take good care of yourself. If you lack anything, write to me, and I’ll buy it and have someone deliver it!"

Mu Shuangshuang knew that logistics in this era weren’t as advanced as in modern times.

But she could spend more money to hire people from the escort agency to transport things.

Although it was more expensive, anything Lu Yuanfeng wanted, she could buy.

"No need! I don’t need anything; just take care of yourself!"

In the barracks, nothing was lacking, and if there was, everyone would lack it together.

Lu Yuanfeng definitely wouldn’t want anything!

The two of them kept talking, reluctant to part with each other.

They hadn’t even separated yet, and they were already like this. One could only imagine how they’d be on the day of parting!

Mu Shuangshuang sighed softly, and to her surprise, Lu Yuanfeng noticed.

"Shuangshuang, is something bothering you?" Lu Yuanfeng asked.

"Not really, it’s just that I’m quite annoyed. Those people from the Old Mu Family have no shame!

Just now, my grandpa came over to borrow ten taels of silver to treat my aunt’s illness!"

Mu Shuangshuang never hid anything about her family from Lu Yuanfeng.

Because there was no need, Lu Yuanfeng knew her family situation as well as she did.

"Grandpa Zhang told me not to worry about the silver. Just consider it a gift to them and don’t burden yourself!" Lu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Shuangshuang actually thought the same!

She just felt a bit indignant when she thought about the conduct of the Old Mu Family!

"I feel like my grandpa has changed a bit! He’s more sincere than before. This time, he even mentioned that my aunt didn’t contribute any money!"

Mu Shuangshuang actually noticed.

The status of her eldest uncle’s family seemed not as high with her grandpa as before!

"That’s a good thing. Uncle Dashan has always wanted to reconcile with Mr. Mu! They’re not like us; their minds are more about filial piety!"

Lu Yuanfeng’s family was in a similar situation, so he understood well!

But he would never forgive Lu Xiao, not even if his mother returned!

In this way, Lu Yuanfeng and Mu Shuangshuang were quite alike; a hurt is a hurt and can’t be appeased as if nothing happened!

"You’re right; no matter what my grandpa does, my dad always thinks of family harmony. That’s why I gave the money!

It’s not much; I just hope my grandpa can truly change his ways. Even if he doesn’t treat the third branch well, he shouldn’t let misfit come bother the third branch, or else those ten taels of silver will be completely wasted!"

After talking with Lu Yuanfeng, Mu Shuangshuang felt much better.