CHAPTER 695: CHAPTER 691: THE LION’S GREEDY REQUEST (SECOND UPDATE)

"I’m going to cook now. You guys can continue chatting or playing." Mu Shuangshuang said and started heading to the kitchen.

The two men immediately perked up and moved towards her.

"Shuangshuang, let me help you with the chores!"

They both spoke almost simultaneously and, without waiting for Mu Shuangshuang to refuse, they started nudging her towards the kitchen, one on each side.

Once in the kitchen, Liu Zian said, "Shuangshuang, I’ll help you wash the vegetables. What are you making for dinner?"

"Shuangshuang, I’ll tend the fire!"

"Oh, what’s up with you two today? Both of you want to help in the kitchen? Are you planning to use my dinner as a test for your cooking skills?"

Mu Shuangshuang joked.

The two goofballs naturally shook their heads again.

"Alright, you two can leave. Tonight, I’m making dumplings and sauerkraut soup, it’s simple enough; I won’t need your help. Liu Zian, aren’t you feeling unwell? Go rest!

And Fengzi, aren’t you tired from pushing the cart for so long? I won’t chat with you guys any longer; I still have work to do."

Mu Shuangshuang pushed the two men out of the kitchen and closed the door, keeping herself busy inside.

As soon as dinner was ready, Yu Si Niang hurried into the kitchen.

"Shuangshuang, something’s wrong..."

Yu Si Niang shouted loudly.

"What’s happening?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

"Your sixth uncle...your sixth uncle, he..." Yu Si Niang had red eyes, almost crying.

"What’s going on? Mom, speak slowly, no need to rush!" Mu Shuangshuang patted Yu Si Niang’s back, calming her softly.

"Your sixth aunt and your sixth uncle want to separate; they’ve gotten someone to write the letter of separation, just waiting for your sixth uncle to seal it."

Mu Shuangshuang was baffled.

"Mom, wasn’t everything okay last time? How come they’re talking about separating now?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

"I don’t know, it’s what the people from Yu Family Village said, and they left right after. I’m really worried; their relationship was so good, how did it come to this?"

The more Yu Si Niang thought, the more unsettled she became.

When she’s unsettled, she can’t seem to do anything right.

"Shuangshuang, I want to go to Yu Family Village now. If this isn’t resolved, I’ll be restless and uncomfortable."

Mu Shuangshuang understood Yu Si Niang’s feelings; Yu Liulang was practically raised by her, just like her own child.

If anything happened to her children, Yuanbao, or Little Zhi, Yu Si Niang’s reaction would be even more pronounced.

"Mom, the weather outside is really cold. Traveling at night might make you catch a cold. My sixth uncle’s situation won’t change overnight. How about I have Fengzi take you there once the sun comes up tomorrow?"

Yu Si Niang was hesitant.

Mu Shuangshuang continued, "You always say health is more important than anything. Look at this mid-winter night; the wind is so loud, and it’s not even a full moon. How will you see the road?

If my sixth uncle knew, he definitely wouldn’t want you to take the risk. So maybe it’s better you don’t go, okay?"

Mu Shuangshuang knew that telling her this, Yu Si Niang might not be able to sleep tonight.

But if she agreed to let her go, and something happened on the way to Yu Family Village, she’d regret it immensely.

Yu Si Niang had no choice but to go discuss the matter with Mu Dashan.

In the end, Mu Dashan said almost the same thing as Mu Shuangshuang, also advising Yu Si Niang not to go today.

Of course, hearing the same words from Mu Dashan felt very different from hearing them from Mu Shuangshuang.

To Yu Si Niang, Mu Dashan’s words were comforting without any sense of dissonance.

Moreover, since Mu Dashan was willing to go back to her family home with her, Yu Si Niang’s inner panic finally eased a little.

After dinner, Lu Yuanfeng took Liu Zian home to rest, and Yu Si Niang stayed up talking with Mu Dashan all night.

During the night, the north wind was howling, and the branches and leaves outside were rustling loudly.

From time to time, there were banging sounds, and Mu Shuangshuang also didn’t sleep well all night.

The next day, Yu Si Niang and Mu Dashan went to Yu Family Village. Lu Yuanfeng borrowed a bullock cart to take them there and then went directly to Chen Family Village to meet Mu Shuangshuang and Liu Zian.

Mu Shuangshuang followed Liu Zian to Chen Family Village to find Chen Sheng, to see if he would be willing to teach in Er Gui Village.

Chen Family Village is three miles away from Er Gui Village, and walking there takes about the time of two cups of tea.

Liu Zian had never been to Chen Sheng’s home, so he had to ask door to door.

Fortunately, perseverance paid off.

They finally found Chen Sheng’s home.

As Mu Shuangshuang had suspected, Chen Sheng was not working as a teacher in town, for reasons that were similar to what she had guessed.

The town’s teachers needed to be older scholars with some prestige, and Chen Sheng fulfilled none of those requirements, so he was not chosen.

The Chen family was also poor; their house was nearly as dilapidated as a dangerous building.

Over the years, in order to send Chen Sheng to study, the family had sold almost everything, even their only two acres of land.

When Mu Shuangshuang arrived, the Chen family was basically out of food.

Without much thought, Chen Sheng directly agreed.

"But I am not young anymore and also want to get married. The teacher gift in town is typically three to four liang of silver, but I don’t need that much, just one liang per child from you, and you don’t need to provide anything else.

There’s no need to provide meals or anything; I can handle that myself."

Mu Shuangshuang hesitated a bit. She personally didn’t mind; she had prepared quite a bit for the initial gift and jerky money.

But the issue was, now with a school being established.

It wouldn’t just be Xiao Han and Yuanbao as students, perhaps children from nearby villages would also attend, bringing more students.

Each child paying one liang to Chen Sheng would indeed fill his pockets, but with her building the school and hiring, she wouldn’t gain anything.

No matter how you calculate, it was a losing deal.

"Chen Sheng, how much would you earn if you got the teaching job in town?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

Chen Sheng thought for a moment before replying honestly.

"Five liang of silver a year, and five pieces of jerky."

"Yes, that’s the rate in town, but that five liang doesn’t all end up in your pocket; you have to rent a place there and buy ink and paper, so you’d only net about four liang."

"But now with me, demanding one liang per child seems a bit steep.

I’m the one establishing the school and managing the canteen. There’s no reason for you to take the lion’s share, and I don’t plan to charge the kids that much for the gift. I want to enroll more kids and make it cheaper."

Mu Shuangshuang spoke almost bluntly.

She might be a village woman, but that didn’t mean she was ignorant. Since she decided to open a school, she needed to organize everything properly.

Mu Shuangshuang had thought about it all last night; she wanted the school to be exemplary, allowing her to earn some money while ensuring more children received an education.