CHAPTER 758: CHAPTER 754: TWO SILVER COINS (THIRD UPDATE)

By the time Mu Shuangshuang and a few others reached Uncle Fu’s house, it was already past midnight.

Most of the villagers had gone back to sleep, leaving Uncle Fu’s family waiting for Fu Xiaonan and the others to return.

As Lu Yuanfeng carried Liu Qingshan into the Old Fu Family’s door, Uncle Fu rushed up to help Lu Yuanfeng move him inside.

In Liu Qingshan’s room, the bed had been heated well in advance, making it just the right temperature when he lay down.

After handling Liu Qingshan’s matter, everyone gathered in the Old Fu Family’s parlor room.

In the parlor, Fu Xiaonan’s mother had prepared a pot of ginger tea, which the villagers would each have a bowl of when they came to collect their money.

Mu Shuangshuang and the others had it too.

"Fengzi, Shuangshuang, thank you really for today. I heard from the villagers that it was you two who rescued my son-in-law Qingshan.

Haha, you two are great, don’t worry, I, Fu Wu, will not treat you poorly." Uncle Fu said with a hearty laugh, looking at Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng with growing fondness.

Uncle Fu, caught up in constantly praising Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng, overlooked the fact that the atmosphere among the group wasn’t very good. Fu Xiaonan looked pleadingly at Mu Shuangshuang, while Liu Qingshan’s servant kept staring at his own toes.

As for Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng, although they appeared quite normal, those who knew them understood it was a sign they were troubled.

"Okay, okay, let the children have their ginger tea and warm themselves by the fire to ward off the cold!" Fu Xiaonan’s mother said.

She handed each person a bowl of ginger tea and moved the two large basins of fire in the room closer to them.

The flames in the basins burned brightly, dispelling much of the chill upon approach.

Mu Shuangshuang held her bowl of tea, taking a large gulp of ginger tea, which brought more warmth back to her.

"Fengzi, Shuangshuang, here is your reward. If you feel unwell after going back, you must tell Uncle Fu. Uncle Fu is responsible for your health." Uncle Fu pulled out two ounces of silver from his pocket.

Handing it to Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng.

Mu Shuangshuang said nothing and took her share.

"Uncle Fu, it’s getting late, Fengzi and I will head back first." Mu Shuangshuang said.

"Shuangshuang..." Fu Xiaonan called after Mu Shuangshuang.

"What’s up?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

"Shuangshuang, I’m sorry, I misspoke earlier. I shouldn’t have said you went looking for Brother Qingshan for the money. I apologize, please don’t ignore me." Fu Xiaonan said and began to cry.

Her tears fell into the bowl of ginger tea, drip by drip.

Throughout the evening, Fu Xiaonan had joined in the search, no matter how tough, cold, or tiring it was, she hadn’t complained once, even though she found out the servant was a woman, she hadn’t cried.

The only time she couldn’t hold her emotions was when Mu Shuangshuang hardly paid her any attention.

Mu Shuangshuang stepped forward and handed her handkerchief to Fu Xiaonan: "Why are you crying? You’re a grown woman. Aren’t you embarrassed? I’m not angry; if I were, I’d certainly pull you aside for a good scolding."

Mu Shuangshuang was generally considered straightforward, but due to her previous profession, she had learned to be reserved, thus her personality was often a contradictory mix.

Caring to friends, ruthless to enemies.

Liu Qingshan had become her enemy, so naturally, she had no favorable attitude toward him.

"Really?" Fu Xiaonan wiped her tears, asking Mu Shuangshuang.

"Of course, it’s so late, Fengzi and I really need to go back and sleep. If there’s anything, come to my place tomorrow, okay?" Mu Shuangshuang said.

"Okay! I’ll come to find you tomorrow!" Fu Xiaonan said and looked eagerly at Mu Shuangshuang: "Shuangshuang, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Fu Xiaonan wanted to ask about Liu Qingshan.

Though she already had the answer in her heart, because she was afraid, she still wanted to avoid it.

"Nothing else, take care of yourself!" Mu Shuangshuang said.

Fu Xiaonan watched as Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng left the Fu family’s yard and headed straight to the Third Branch of the Mu Family, finally feeling reassured.

Fu Xiaonan didn’t dare tell her parents about Liu Qingshan, but she desperately wanted answers, so she secretly called the servant to her room.

She said, "Now you... can tell me about your relationship with Brother Qingshan, right?" Fu Xiaonan felt really uneasy at that moment.

She had never felt she failed as a person like this before.

Her childhood sweetheart fiancé came home twice a year, and once he brought along a woman disguised as a servant.

"Miss Xiao Nan, the young master is Yueying’s benefactor. Back when I and my parents went to the county seeking relatives, my parents fell seriously ill, and the young master saved their lives by giving a large sum of money, allowing them to survive.

But Yueying is incapable and can’t earn money to repay the young master, so I can only serve as a maid to repay the young master’s kindness with my life." Shen Yueying said, crying as she spoke.

Her tears seemed to become her weapon, leaving Fu Xiaonan unable to scold or criticize her.

"If I give you money, will you return it to Brother Qingshan and then leave him, is that possible?" Fu Xiaonan asked.

"No way... Miss Xiao Nan, I... I swore that if I don’t stay by the young master’s side for life, let me be struck by lightning and die miserably,"

Shen Yueying looked genuinely fragile, yet her words were blood-stained with resolve, each one causing Fu Xiaonan to feel more pained.

"Then how do you plan to live? Spend a lifetime as Brother Qingshan’s maid?" Fu Xiaonan asked.

"The young master said Yueying won’t threaten Miss Xiao Nan’s status. Even if someday Yueying has the young master’s child, Yueying would only be a concubine, never a wife.

If Miss Xiao Nan truly dislikes Yueying, just let Yueying work as a cook stoking the fires, preparing meals for the young master, and that would be enough."

Liu Qingshan’s family was quite reputable in the county.

They could afford to hire servants.

Servants were ranked; apart from the master of the house came the steward, followed by the maids near the master. The maid responsible for stoking fires was paid the least, and the kitchen wife could freely command the fire maid.

Shen Yueying indeed lowered her stance to the lowest point.

From the start, she expressed she wouldn’t compete with Fu Xiaonan.

But what Fu Xiaonan pursued was not the position of the Liu family’s young madam.

That position wasn’t even preferable to Fengzi marrying Shuangshuang alone.

"What you said I won’t agree to; if Brother Qingshan marries me, he can’t have anyone else.

As for you, there are numerous ways to repay him; street cleaning jobs can earn money, anything can if you earn silver and repay him,"

Fu Xiaonan’s words were brutally straightforward.

She wanted to personally extinguish Shen Yueying’s hopes.

Shen Yueying’s body trembled uncontrollably, she cried as she walked out, and right at the moment she shut the door, she heard Fu Xiaonan’s voice from inside.

"You used to be a servant and could stay in Brother Qingshan’s room, but not anymore. Find yourself a room where you can live!"