And her eyes, empty without a trace of emotion in them.

If it weren’t for the faint breathing he heard, Mr. Mu would have thought the person on the bed was already dead!

Mr. Mu recalled the last year he visited his home, when his granddaughter was round and plump like a ball.

Now he looked at her, as thin and frail as a stick.

He could not help but wipe his tears; no wonder Xianxian was so furious.

His own daughter, watching helplessly as she turned into this; what could be done?

"Jianmin, you just find the best doctor for Miao. Even if I have to sell land and fields, I’ll provide you with the money!" Mr. Mu said.

Cao Jianmin shook his head, "Dad, how can we take your money! As long as... as long as when the time comes, you ask big brother to look out for us a little!"

If possible, when he becomes the county magistrate, have him visit our shoe shop more often, so the townsfolk know that our big brother is the county magistrate!"

The expression on Mr. Mu’s face turned a bit grim for a moment.

In the past, he was confident that the eldest would listen to him.

But now it seems the chance of listening is small, and the chance of not listening is big.

Yet he couldn’t say this to Cao Jianmin, in case it affected his daughter, then he would be unforgivable.

"Jianmin, don’t worry, I will talk to your big brother!" Mr. Mu said.

Cao Jianmin was finally a little relieved.

Lately, due to his daughter’s situation, the shoe shop had been neglected for a long time, and business had plummeted. Moreover, two new shoe shops opened across the street, increasing their competition.

Without figuring out a way, doing business would become increasingly difficult in the future!

The two hurried to the dining hall to find Mu Xianxian and Mu Dazhong; who knew, while passing the main hall, they saw Mu Xianxian and Mu Dashan dismantling the mourning hall items.

Cao Jianmin rushed up to stop them, "What are you guys doing? It was so hard to set up!"

Mu Xianxian forced a hurried smile on her face to explain, "Jianmin, we’re not using these things, so we won’t be laughed at!

Otherwise, when Miao gets better, the neighbors will laugh at her too! We’re dismantling these things today, and tomorrow we’ll put up some festive ones. I believe that Miao will definitely get better!"

"But the Daoist said..."

Cao Jianmin hadn’t finished speaking when Mu Xianxian interrupted him. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Shuangshuang? Do you remember? There was even a fortune-teller who said she’d be foolish all her life, destined to be miserable and bullied!

But what happened? You know Chengfeng Restaurant, it’s owned by Shuangshuang, and now, which restaurant in town is more popular than hers?"

Mu Shuangshuang’s fate had been judged by fortune tellers early on.

It was a rare life of misery and loneliness, destined to be trampled underfoot!

This was why everyone in the Old Mu Family bullied her, though it was never mentioned openly.

Plus, with Mu Shuangshuang’s later changes, everyone soon regarded that fortune teller as a sham, a fraud!

Cao Jianmin hesitated, and after a while, he finally nodded.

"Actually, I don’t like that white cloth either; it makes me uneasy! Let’s take all those things down today!"

...

The night was already deep!

The kitchen in the Third Branch of the Mu Family was still lit with an oil lamp.

Yu Si Niang sat in front of the dining table, with a large bowl in front of her, a bowl covering another bowl.

The bowl contained Mu Dashan’s dinner.

It was already so late, and Mu Dashan hadn’t returned yet.

Yu Si Niang was restless, glancing frequently toward the courtyard gate.

Mu Shuangshuang, having finished washing her feet and wearing a pair of homemade slippers, came to the kitchen to talk with Yu Si Niang.

"Mom, has Dad ever come home this late before?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

"Yes, quite often! Every year during the busy harvest seasons, he’d work late into the night to finish the day’s tasks!" Yu Si Niang said.

"My dad works so hard!" Mu Shuangshuang remarked.

"Yes, your dad was always willing to work hard when he was young, seizing any task in the fields!" Yu Si Niang said.

"Is that why you fell for my dad, or is there another reason?" Mu Shuangshuang winked at Yu Si Niang, a playful grin on her face.

Yu Si Niang blushed instantly, nodding slowly.

"Back then, another matchmaker brought me to the Old Mu Family to meet your dad; it happened to be lunchtime, and the entire family was there, except your dad!

The matchmaker cursed, saying your dad was disrespectful to me, and just after her words, your dad came in, panting heavily.

He was drenched in sweat, his face reddened by the sun, continuously apologizing to the matchmaker!"

"So you thought he was simple and wouldn’t deceive you?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

"Pretty much, but it was also the things later on. At that time, the Old Mu Family, much like now, had sweet potatoes and wild vegetables mixed with rice.

Your dad did a lot of work and was given a bowl of white rice and half a sweet potato, which he switched with mine without a word."

Yu Si Niang’s expression was soft and tender as she reminisced.

"Was Grandma really that stingy then?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

Yu Si Niang laughed but didn’t answer.

Mu Shuangshuang knew her mother’s silence meant agreement but, as a junior, she couldn’t speak ill of her grandmother!

Mu Shuangshuang really wondered, given how Old Mrs. Mu was, how anyone could be willing to be her daughter-in-law!

In today’s world, even if the family had billions, one would think twice before deciding to become part of a family that might mistreat them. What’s more, the Old Mu Family had nothing!

The mother and daughter chatted away, discovering much more about Yu Si Niang and Mu Dashan, continuing their conversation into the first half of the night.

In the middle of the night, when neither could hold on any longer, the sound of horse hooves and the rumbling of carriage wheels faintly came from outside the courtyard.

"Your dad is back!" Yu Si Niang stood up abruptly.

Before Mu Shuangshuang could react, she dashed out and then saw Mu Dashan coming back in the carriage.

The carriage came to a steady stop at the entrance to the Third Branch of the Mu Family. First, Mr. Mu got out, followed by Mu Dashan.

Yet there was no sight of Old Mrs. Mu.

"Where’s my mother?" Yu Si Niang inquired.

Mu Dashan and Mr. Mu then remembered they had gone to town to fetch Old Mrs. Mu.

"Oh no, we forgot!" Mu Dashan exclaimed.

"Ah..."

"Si Niang, never mind that for now, let’s get Dad inside to eat something first; he must be hungry!" Mu Dashan suggested.

"Yes, I’ve already prepared the meal for you, it just needs reheating!"

With that, Yu Si Niang headed back to the kitchen, but by the time she entered, Mu Shuangshuang had already started the fire, reheating the dishes and the rice.

"Shuangshuang, you..."

"Mom, I’m also Dad’s good daughter; reheating meals is what I should do!"

"You child!" Yu Si Niang shook her head.

Just at that moment, Mu Dashan and Mr. Mu came in, and with the aroma of the food, the two men’s bellies started to rumble!