From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!-Chapter 850 - 846: A Bolt from the Blue (Second Update)
At the third branch, after the dough was ready, Mu Shuangshuang also started making dumplings.
Mu Shuangshuang calculated, the people coming to the third branch for dinner tonight include five from her family, plus Fengzi and Yuanbao, making a total of seven people.
Each person gets six dumplings, so Mu Shuangshuang needs to make a hundred, enough for tomorrow’s breakfast, and some for families who helped out and are on friendly terms, all prepared at once.
Making dumplings, you can’t say it’s hard, yet you can’t say it’s easy either.
Rolling out the skins and wrapping dumplings are both technical skills. In the kitchen, it was only Mu Shuangshuang working alone, making it a bit slow.
However, Mu Shuangshuang wasn’t in a hurry, since there was nothing much else to do.
After a while, she wrapped some dumplings, and the outside of the kitchen suddenly became lively.
Mu Shuangshuang glanced out the window and saw Lu Yuanfeng heading towards the third branch, holding what seemed to be firecrackers.
Beside him were several kids, not only Yuanbao but also Zhao Yun’s Da Long, and several other village kids.
They surrounded Lu Yuanfeng, shouting for him to hand over the firecrackers, or they wouldn’t let him leave.
Lu Yuanfeng had a cheerful grin, naturally not handing over the firecrackers in his hand.
Such flammable and explosive items must be handled together with adults to be played with.
"How about this, tonight I’ll set off fireworks in your Sister Shuangshuang’s yard, if you want to watch, come over tonight, I’ll set them off myself!"
The kids were a bit disappointed, circling Lu Yuanfeng for a while, but still ended up agreeing to come watch the show later.
Mu Shuangshuang shook her head with a smile, and Lu Yuanfeng entered the room while she was in a daze.
Mu Shuangshuang quickly said, "Don’t bring the firecrackers into the kitchen, it’s not safe! Put them in my room instead, and please get Little Black and the Little Black Dog up for me.
Those lazy ones really think they’re bears hibernating, it’s been a long time already, if they don’t get up soon, they’ll turn into balls!"
Lu Yuanfeng chuckled, took the firecrackers to Mu Shuangshuang’s room, and casually picked up the deeply sleeping Little Black.
Little Black was startled when suddenly lifted, first surprised, then glanced at Lu Yuanfeng disdainfully, letting him carry it into the kitchen.
In Mu Shuangshuang’s impression, since winter began, Little Black rarely came out. Most of the time, it was focusing on maintaining itself, with its shiny black fur and robust body.
Previously a critter capable of digging into mouse holes and climbing trees, now it couldn’t do anything, even its caretaker duties had been returned to Mu Shuangshuang.
Mu Shuangshuang had a bold idea, she felt it was time for Little Black to go on a diet.
Because in her view, entrusting the Third Branch’s assets to Little Black was the safest.
She pulled out a piece of broken silver from her pocket, waved it in front of Little Black, and said, "If you can slim down a bit, how about I give you this silver."
This was Mu Shuangshuang’s tactic, knowing Little Black is particularly greedy.
Offering money to encourage Little Black to lose weight was the best plan, yet Shuangshuang was thinking too much; Little Black didn’t care at all, only concerned whether its fur was shiny black.
Being despised by a Black Mink wasn’t something Mu Shuangshuang found prideful.
She glared at Little Black, grabbed its shiny black mink fur, and swung it back and forth, causing Little Black to emit a "hiss hiss" of distress.
Shooting pitiful eyes towards Lu Yuanfeng, its paws clasped together clearly believing Lu Yuanfeng could help!
Witnessing this, Mu Shuangshuang huffed coldly, "You think acting like this means you don’t need to diet? I’m telling you, if you don’t slim down to your former self, I’ll throw you out!
Or sell you, anyways given your current size and weight, your fur is worth quite a bit."
Little Black trembled fearfully, turning to beg Mu Shuangshuang.
Its rotund body swung back and forth in the air, looking delicious, making Mu Shuangshuang drool.
Unfortunately she hadn’t heard of anyone eating minks, otherwise she’d want to try how it tasted.
Lu Yuanfeng looked helpless; he grabbed vegetables not yet washed from the nearby chopping board, rinsed them with water, and started washing.
After cleaning all the vegetables, he turned to Mu Shuangshuang and said, "I’ll help you with the cooking tonight, let’s make dinner together."
Mu Shuangshuang nodded, having someone assist meant the work would be done quickly.
Soon, everything that needed preparation was ready.
...
During dinner time, Mr. Mu had someone come over to invite the third branch people to have dinner, saying it’s a family reunion.
But Mu Shuangshuang refused, not to mention the third branch splitting from the family. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Tonight’s dishes at the third branch were relatively abundant, definitely not inferior to those at the Old Mu Family, with no need to go freeloading.
However, one matter surprised Mu Shuangshuang; the woman dining at the Old Mu Family, Ruan Xiao Jiao, Lu Yuanfeng knew.
Though he’d only seen her once, she left a very deep impression.
Lu Yuanfeng had once told Mu Shuangshuang, back when he went to find Luo Xiuer’s in-laws in the county, he’d wandered around the county for a long time.
Then he saw a woman entering an inn with Mu Shuangshuang’s uncle, Mu Dade, and they didn’t come out for a long time.
That woman was Ruan Xiao Jiao.
Meaning, the relationship between Ruan Xiao Jiao and Mu Dade wasn’t simple.
Recalling that Mu Dade, at one point, bragged around the third branch, that even without being a high official in the capital, he could certainly be one in the county.
And also Mu Dade climbed the social ladder, currying favor with the County Magistrate.
It seemed likely Ruan Xiao Jiao was the intermediary, and the connection was that the two were secretly mingling.
To Mu Shuangshuang, this matter was akin to a thunderbolt on a clear day.
The things Mu Dade did were indifferent to Mu Shuangshuang, but this matter made her feel anxious.
In this world, two things should never be done; one is wiping out a family, the other is stealing someone’s partner!
Mu Dade was merely a scholar with no official position, yet dared to challenge a County Magistrate, and he was poaching the Magistrate’s partner.
If this matter is discovered, it would inevitably implicate the Old Mu Family, and implicating them is not the concern, it’s whether the County Magistrate will let the third branch go after they split.
Mu Shuangshuang dared not think further. This small year, she lived worriedly, until Lu Yuanfeng took out the firecrackers from her room, allowing the kids to gather around waiting for him to light them, slightly lifting her mood.
"I noticed you were distracted during dinner, was it because of your uncle’s issue?
I personally feel that this matter doesn’t need to weigh on your heart, Shuangshuang. I once had the fortune to exchange some words with the County Magistrate.
From what I understand, the County Magistrate is not an unreasonable person; if we haven’t participated, he won’t blame us."
