From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!-Chapter 890 - 886: Entering the Inner Circle (Third Update)
On the way back, Mu Dashan couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional, both for the Old Wang Family and for the thief who suddenly appeared.
This year, Er Gui Village had the strictest precautions against thieves, yet who would have thought, the night before the New Year, a thief would still show up.
"Fengzi, last night the thief stole from Old Lu Family’s chickens, did your chicken coop lose any?"
Mu Dashan realized there was another victim, so he asked Lu Yuanfeng, whose home was separated from the Lu Family by just a courtyard wall.
"No, I went to bed early last night, but I didn’t hear any noise." Lu Yuanfeng shook his head.
"Well, regardless of what the Old Lu Family did, losing all the chickens they’ve raised this year is still heartbreaking." Mu Dashan muttered.
Mu Shuangshuang’s reaction was somewhat unexpected.
"That thief is indeed despicable, but in my view, this incident is absolutely not accidental.
First, they came to our house, then stole from the Wang Family, and next was the Old Lu Family; the underlying issues here are quite significant."
As soon as Mu Shuangshuang finished speaking, Lu Yuanfeng and Mu Dashan spoke up in unison.
"What? Our house was also visited by a thief?" Mu Dashan said.
"Dad, keep your voice down, I don’t plan to tell anyone outside our family." Mu Shuangshuang said.
Mu Dashan quickly covered his mouth, but his eyes were filled with eager anticipation, waiting for his daughter to continue.
"Shuangshuang, tell me, what exactly happened? You didn’t go out last night, right?" Lu Yuanfeng grabbed Mu Shuangshuang’s hand, looking back and forth, afraid of missing anything.
"Relax, it’s all fine. I didn’t go out, but I scared away the thief. However, last night, only one thief came to our house. The most important thing is that I noticed he went directly to our kitchen."
"In general, thieves should scope out the situation and then go into a room to steal, wouldn’t they? Rooms have money, deeds, and the like. In the kitchen, there’s at most a bit of ingredients for today’s New Year’s Eve meal."
"Last night, I moved all those ingredients to my room in advance. Normally, if it were a thief, seeing there’s nothing, he should have left. But that person lingered in the kitchen for quite a while and even kicked a chair."
"I think that thief might be someone we know. Last night, they might have come to steal from us purely out of revenge, that’s why they lingered in our kitchen for so long."
Mu Shuangshuang shared her thoughts with Mu Dashan and Lu Yuanfeng, and then discussed the details she observed at the Wang Family with them.
Mu Shuangshuang’s analytical skills have always been quite strong.
As she went through each point, Mu Dashan’s mouth opened wide in surprise, unable to close.
It wasn’t just because of Mu Shuangshuang’s analytical ability, but also because of the notion that the thief is known to the third branch and might be seeking revenge on the third branch.
"Oh my, what should we do? We don’t even know who that person is..." Mu Dashan’s face was filled with anxiety, his heart about to leap out.
"Dad, you don’t need to scare yourself, it’s just a petty thief. Fengzi stayed in the military camp for quite a while, his skills are certainly unremarkable.
Besides, aren’t you here too? What are we worrying about? We don’t need to worry about anything, let’s just enjoy New Year, after which we can ask around at the market in town to see who sold chickens."
Mu Shuangshuang isn’t worried that the petty thief might escape, as the village and town aren’t that large, and there are only a few who hold grudges against the third branch.
If needed, they could find them anytime.
It’s just that now isn’t the right timing, so they don’t want to delve deeper into it.
After returning home, the three maintained a tacit understanding and didn’t mention the incident to Yu Si Niang to avoid her worrying.
The children were sound asleep last night, clueless about anything.
Actually, the New Year’s Eve dinner doesn’t necessarily have to be at night, it can be anytime throughout Danyan.
Some people have it in the morning, others at noon, and some in the evening.
The third branch chose to dine at noon, with the family gathering in the evening to eat dumplings.
In the kitchen, Yu Si Niang hasn’t gotten around to slaughtering chickens or fish, so as soon as Lu Yuanfeng entered, he took on those tasks.
During New Year, carp is served, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity.
The pound-plus carp in Lu Yuanfeng’s hands quickly had its scales removed, belly opened, cleaned, and he was off to busying himself with handling the chicken.
In the kitchen, everyone started getting busy.
Once the dishes are ready, it’s sure to be a lavish feast.
This time, Yu Si Niang was the head chef, with Mu Shuangshuang only needing to get the fire going as the fire tender.
After a while, the third branch received the first wave of New Year’s visitors.
It was Mu Dalang and Huang Bita; last night they went to the Huang Family Village, so Huang Bita was still immersed in the joy of returning home.
"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, and Shuangshuang, Fengzi, Happy New Year! Bita and I are here to wish you a Happy New Year!"
Huang Bita, being newly married, was due for red packets during New Year’s greetings.
Fortunately, Yu Si Niang prepared the red packets ahead of time, and as soon as she entered the kitchen, she directed Xiao Han outside to fetch them.
"This is a token of sincerity from your Third Uncle and Third Aunt. Once you accept it, may your days be joyful and harmonious," Mu Dashan chimed in from the side.
Mu Dalang and Huang Bita happily accepted the red packets, exchanging a few celebratory words.
Mu Dalang took over the task of tending the fire from Mu Shuangshuang, letting her chat with Huang Bita for a while.
The two friends left the kitchen and went into Mu Shuangshuang’s room, closing the door to share secrets.
Their conversation naturally revolved around her return home and the recent happenings in the Old Mu Family.
When happy topics were mentioned, Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t help but join in on the laughter.
"By the way, who’s handling the New Year’s Eve dinner? At the Old Mu Family?" Mu Shuangshuang asked curiously.
"My mom and Fourth Aunt; Grandma said my generation isn’t dignified enough, so I’m not allowed in the kitchen to help today."
"That’s a good thing, not having to help with cooking," Mu Shuangshuang replied.
"Yes, and a lot of New Year’s visitors came to our home today, both from within the village and outside. Oh, Ruan Xiao Jiao also came, saying she plans to spend New Year at our house."
Everyone else returned to their homes after presenting their New Year greetings, except for Ruan Xiao Jiao, who stayed at the Old Mu Family and intended to eat their New Year’s Eve dinner.
This, to Huang Bita, could be considered gossip.
Mu Shuangshuang burst out laughing and said, "Am I hearing this correctly? The County Magistrate’s concubine is spending the New Year at the Old Mu Family? Doesn’t she have her own family?"
Despite saying that, Mu Shuangshuang found Mu Dade’s audacity much more amusing.
In the county, he dared to book—rooms with Ruan Xiao Jiao at a hotel.
Back in the village, he went directly to the Old Mu Family, frequently showing off, as if he believed his scholar status exceeded the County Magistrate’s, or did he think everyone was blind to what he and Ruan Xiao Jiao had?
Moreover, they were even discussing marriage back then.
"Yeah, I was shocked too. I heard from my mom that eldest aunt was about to go crazy, asking grandpa and grandma to chase that woman away," Huang Bita lowered her voice to talk to Mu Shuangshuang.
"What did grandpa and grandma say?"
