CHAPTER 294: CHAPTER 292: THE AGGRIEVED MR. MU (3RD UPDATE)

Mr. Mu is trembling with anger where he stands.

This Shuang, she’s here to mess things up; to actually place the money jar in such a place! Doesn’t she know how important that thing is to Zhenzhen?

But angry as he is, Mr. Mu still helplessly heads to the outhouse, under the chilly moonlight.

The outhouse reeks to high heavens at this hour, emitting a nauseating smell.

Perhaps because it’s nighttime, mosquitoes are humming in swarms, and Mr. Mu almost faints from the stench in the outhouse.

Yet, to preserve Mu Dade’s reputation, Mr. Mu grits his teeth against the nausea, picks up a wooden stick in the outhouse, and attempts to fish with it, only to grab a handful of filth.

He then remembers, the wooden sticks in the outhouse are for wiping bottoms, and after they’re used, they need to be washed promptly and returned to their places.

Looks like someone used the outhouse without cleaning up.

Mr. Mu rushes out of the outhouse and vomits.

After a while, he gets back to normal. This time, he finds a clean wooden stick, starts poking around in the outhouse, and finally hits something hard—it’s undoubtedly the money jar.

But how to get it out is the real problem.

Outhouse jars in rural households are particularly large and deep. Toss a jar in there, and it’s as much trouble as tossing a person in, rescuing is tough.

It’s late, and Mr. Mu wants to avoid complications, so he makes a revolting decision even to himself: he’s going to fish it out with his hand, since no one will see.

In the pitch-dark outhouse, as Mr. Mu reaches his hand in, a shadow like a weasel sprints quickly and steps on Mr. Mu’s head...

A screech instantly echoes from the outhouse, followed by the quick departure of the small black shadow, as if it was never there.

After washing up, Mu Shuangshuang is about to go to bed when Little Black suddenly rushes over with an ingratiating manner.

It stares straight at Mu Shuangshuang with its round eyes, seemingly trying to say something, but Mu Shuangshuang is too tired, and Little Black smells awful, she wrinkles her forehead and says:

"Did you fall into the outhouse? Why do you smell so bad?"

Little Black hasn’t quite reacted before Mu Shuangshuang picks it up and carries it into her tree hollow.

It hissed a few times in protest, but this strong-willed owner would not let it make waves.

She covers the tree hollow’s lid, and suddenly the whole world feels quiet.

Her hands also smell; Mu Shuangshuang leaves the room to wash her hands before coming back.

...

...

When Mr. Mu emerges from the outhouse, he’s covered in waste, scared half to death by the small black shadow, his face an ashen shade.

He stumbles back to the house, collapses onto the floor, trembling all over.

Old Mrs. Mu is awakened by the thud, lights the oil lamp, and sees Mr. Mu sitting there looking very pale.

"Old man, what’s wrong with you? Sitting on the floor, and why do you stink?"

Old Mrs. Mu asks four questions in a row, not slowing down in her actions. She approaches Mr. Mu, helping him up, not minding that he stinks.

"I... I’m afraid I won’t live long, a ghost just touched my head, I..."

Village families hold gods and ghosts in particular reverence, especially when incidents befall them personally; even a man like Mr. Mu can’t withstand.

"What nonsense, why wouldn’t you live long, I had someone predict your fortune, you’re destined for wealth and good health."

Old Mrs. Mu quickly reassures Mr. Mu, but after a while, she speaks again. "Do you think the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and your parents are asking for money, so they’re reminding you?"

Only then does Mr. Mu relax a bit, if it is his parents, it’s easier to handle.

"Well, after Qixi Festival, you should go to town and buy more incense paper and candles, burn more paper money for my parents, and get a jug of good aged wine; my father loves his wine, if there’s no wine, he absolutely can’t get by."

The old couple settle the matter like this, and Old Mrs. Mu gets up to prepare water for Mr. Mu’s bath.

Halfway through, she remembers Mrs. Liu running out earlier this night and turns back to the fourth house, regardless of Mrs. Liu and Mu Dajiang being in the middle of unspeakable matters, and starts pounding on the door furiously.

"Lazy woman, get up and boil some water, how long do you plan on slacking off?"

The pounding frightened Mu Dajiang off Mrs. Liu immediately, Mrs. Liu hurriedly dresses herself, and rushes to open the door.

Once opened, under the moonlight, she sees Old Mrs. Mu glaring fiercely, her eyebrows furrowing together angrily.

"Mother, it’s late, what’s the matter?" Mrs. Liu asks timidly, clutching her clothes tightly.

Being interrupted while doing that sort of thing, Mrs. Liu is particularly afraid that Old Mrs. Mu heard sounds and came to shame her.

"What’s the matter? Are you deaf? I told you to boil hot water, what are you standing there for? At night, only engaging in shameless activities."

Mrs. Liu’s eyes hang with tears, unwilling to fall, appearing pitiful.

She rushes to the kitchen, boils a pot of water, then dilutes it with a wooden tub, and carries it to Old Mrs. Mu.

After completing all this, Mrs. Liu’s tears have dried up.

Back in her room, her heart feels icy cold, she ignores Mu Dajiang, and goes straight to sleep. At this sight, Mu Dajiang lets out a low sigh.

...

...

After bathing, Mr. Mu throws his clothes in the corner outside the house, they’re too smelly, so he thinks about having the second daughter-in-law or the fourth daughter-in-law wash them tomorrow.

Upon entering, Old Mrs. Mu is still awake, lying on the bed, half-dressed, her eyes never leaving Mr. Mu who just finished bathing.

After a night of fussing, Mr. Mu has wants to talk but these matters don’t relate.

"Wife, let’s skip it tonight, the plow can’t work the field today, let’s chat instead, or I’ll feel stifled inside."

Despite her unwillingness, Old Mrs. Mu thinks of following her husband after marriage and suppresses her fiery mood.

Listening to Mr. Mu recount the events, Old Mrs. Mu sits upright in anger.

"That girl, I never liked her since she was young. How could she be so vile? Had I known, when Yu Si Niang gave birth to that wretched girl, I should’ve killed her to prevent today’s disaster."

"What’s the point of saying this now? Look at the third branch, both the third son and his wife dance to her tune, lost all their manly dignity."

A man led around by a teenager, it’s absurd.

"Don’t even mention the third son, I overheard them saying the other day, the third son makes fans, selling for five coins each in town, he can make thirty fans a day..."