Chapter 1

Mujia Village is located in Qingshui Town of the Qi Dynasty. It is a village of moderate size. Most of the villagers are surnamed Mu, and a few are refugees who fled to Qingshui Town from other places. The county government settled them in Mujia Village because there were also some people of other surnames who fled to the village.

Mujia Village is neither too close nor too far from Qingshui Town. If you walk fast, you can reach the town in less than half an hour. Every household in the village grows some cotton, and merchants from the town will send people to buy it. The selling price is not low, which is better than growing wheat or rice.

Although the villagers in this village are not particularly wealthy, they can still eat meat two or three times a month. Their clothes are not particularly luxurious, but they all have a piece of pure cotton clothing that can make them look presentable.

Mu Jin lived in this relatively peaceful village. He had almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, an oval face, and fair skin. Despite years of farm work, he had never gotten tanned, just like his mother who had run away with someone when he was three years old.

Therefore, his father, who had lost face because of his first wife, disliked him very much. When Mu Jin was five years old, Mu's father married a man ten years younger than him named Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling is young, and he looks young too. With his round face and round eyes, if you took him out and said he was Old Man Mu's eldest son, no one would doubt it.

The people of Mujia Village all say that Old Man Mu is an old ox eating young grass, marrying such a young man. Old Man Mu, however, feels very proud, after all, only those with money in their family can be old men and young men, right?

He felt that Zhou Ling had redeemed the face that Mu Jin's mother had made him lose, and he treated Zhou Ling exceptionally well when they first got married.

But as the saying goes, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. A leopard can't change its spots. Before long, Old Man Mu revealed his true nature and started beating his husband. But no one knows how Zhou Ling coaxed him. As Mu Jin grew older, the beatings and scoldings became less and less frequent.

Later, when Mu Jin was twelve years old, she saw that her hot-tempered, chauvinistic father seemed to obey Zhou Ling completely. Anyone who didn't know better would really think that Mu's father was a man who was afraid of the people in the house.

Mu Jin couldn't help but admire his stepfather's methods. If his mother had been even a fraction as capable as him, she wouldn't have been so unable to bear it and secretly eloped with someone.

Zhou Ling was never favored as a child; otherwise, his mother, who favored boys over girls, wouldn't have accepted twenty taels of silver as a betrothal gift and married him off to a man so much older than him.

But from a young age he knew how to seek advantage and avoid harm. Although he couldn't avoid doing chores, he was good at talking and coaxing people, and he could eat and dress well, but he just couldn't win his mother's favor.

He had no choice but to marry Mu Laoqi. Although he heard that Mu Laoqi's previous wife had been beaten away, he accepted his fate and believed that with his skills, subduing a man who was nearly thirty years old was a piece of cake.

He wasn't so generous as to treat Mu Jin, the boy who hadn't been abandoned by his father, as his own son. But he knew that if he wanted to live well in a village, he couldn't have a bad reputation. Because he was very good at maintaining appearances, outsiders said he was a good stepfather and a kind person.

When Mu Jin was seven years old, Zhou Ling gave birth to Mu Zhou, Mu Laoqi's first son. Mu Laoqi was overjoyed, and Zhou Ling's foothold in the Mu family was finally secured.

Two years later, Mu Bai was born. Although he was a boy, he was cute and fair-skinned, and he won the heart of Mu Laoqi. From then on, the least favored child in the family was Mu Jin.

When Mu Jin was little, he would always cry, missing his mother. Later, he gradually learned to keep his feelings to himself, because crying wouldn't get him a piece of candy, a hug from his mother, or comfort and coaxing from his father.

Although Zhou Ling would instruct him to do chores, she would also make him clothes. Although they were made from old cloth, they were clean and warm. As for food, although Mu Jin rarely got to eat meat, it was good enough that he could have meat broth to dip in steamed buns and taste the flavor.

Mu Jin did a lot of work, but he didn't really resent his stepfather. After all, how could a boy who was unwanted by his own mother and unloved by his own father expect someone with no blood relation to treat him well?

Zhou Ling was very good at putting on a good show, and because of this, Mu Jin's clothes were always clean and tidy, at least he looked like a neat young man, not a sloppy one.

Mujin had a good friend in the village named Mumian, who often said to him, "Brother Mujin, your stepfather treats you very well. The cotton-padded clothes you wear in winter look thick and warm."

Mu Jin just laughed it off. The cotton inside was stiff and didn't keep the room very warm, but it was better than nothing. As for the fact that he lived in the worst room in the house, there was no need to tell Mu Mian.

Mu Jin had his own plans. In front of outsiders, he always acted as if Zhou Ling treated him very well. Only in this way would his stepfather, who loved to put on airs in front of others, not go too far.

This continued until Mu Jin turned eighteen, long past the age for matchmaking. After hearing a few words from the villagers, Zhou Ling finally thought of helping him make arrangements. After all, if a young man over eighteen doesn't get engaged and married, he has to pay a late marriage tax of one tael of silver a year, which he is reluctant to do.

"Brother Bai, where's your brother?" Zhou Ling asked Mu Bai, who was sunbathing and eating melon seeds in the yard, after chatting with her neighbor's husband.

Mu Bai was only nine years old, her voice still clear and bright, "Which older brother?"

Zhou Ling tapped his forehead. "Look at how lazy you are. If others see this, let's see who will want you in a couple of years."

Mu Bai patted the sunflower seed shells off his hands and snorted, "I'm still young! Big brother went to the river to wash clothes, and second brother was called out by Brother Mu Quan and hasn't come back yet."

Where is your father?

"My dad? He went out drinking with my third uncle."

"Honestly, when I need to contact them, there's no one home!" Zhou Ling complained.

"I'm not human, Daddy, what's wrong?" Mu Bai asked Zhou Ling with his big, curious eyes.

"Don't ask so many questions, you're just a kid."

"Tch, you just said you'd help me find someone in a couple of years, and now you're complaining I'm too young," Mu Bai said irritably.

The two hadn't exchanged more than a few words when Mu Jin returned with the washed clothes. Her fingers were red from the cold river water in early winter. When Mu Bai saw her, he said happily, "Little Father, Big Brother is back."

Mu Jin paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said softly, "Father, you were looking for me?"

Mu Bai ran over to Mu Jin's side and helped her unfold her clothes. Mu Jin had taken care of him a lot since he was little, and he was very close to this older brother. He whispered, "Big brother, Dad said I can't hear it yet."

Zhou Ling did not object to his two biological children getting close to Mu Jin. They were much younger than Mu Jin, and life is unpredictable. Who knows when he might need to help them out? He had to leave the two children a way out.

"Jin-ge'er, you're back. After you finish hanging up the clothes, your father will be back, and then we'll talk about this."

Zhou Ling's expression wasn't as gentle as when she was talking to Mu Bai, but Mu Jin didn't seem to mind and nodded slightly.

Mu Bai whispered in Mu Jin's ear, "They're making it sound quite mysterious."

Mu Jin smiled, vaguely sensing something in his heart. He glanced at the clothes hanging crookedly on the clothesline and said, "Alright, stop making things worse here. Go back inside."

Mu Bai wasn't too happy and clung to Mu Jin, not wanting to leave. He whispered to his older brother about his friends, who had a fight with whom, and who had gotten a new hair accessory that looked really nice.

While hanging up the laundry, Mu Jin listened quietly. At first, he treated Mu Zhou and Mu Bai well for his own sake, but over the years, he had also developed some feelings for his two younger brothers.

Looking at his lively, talkative, and innocent younger brother who was happy to share everything with him, he felt a pang of envy from the bottom of his heart. He was clearly a child who had been spoiled by his father.

After eating a simple farm-style lunch, Mu Jin washed the dishes and chopsticks, when Mu Zhou came over and said, "Big brother, Father and the others are calling you to come inside."

Mu Jin nodded. "I'll go after I finish washing these two bowls."

Mu Zhou stepped forward and whispered, "I'll take care of the rest. Brother, you should hurry up and not keep Father and the others waiting."

She added at the end, "I won't tell my stepfather."

Mu Jin smiled, dried her hands, patted Mu Zhou's head, and whispered, "Thank you, Second Brother."

Just as Mu Jin had expected, Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling had called him here because of his marriage.

“Well, Jin’er, things have been busy at home these days. I didn’t realize you were already eighteen this year. Your father and I are worried about your marriage. That’s why I went to the neighbor’s house today and chatted with your matchmaker. You know the Zhou family in our village, right? They’re actually related to my family.”

Mu Jin stood quietly to the side, and nodded upon hearing this. They were all from the same village, and he had indeed seen the Zhou family before.

Zhou Ling smiled and said, "You've already told the matchmaker that the Zhou family is looking for a husband for their eldest son. If you're interested, I'll talk to the matchmaker tomorrow. We're from the same village, and you've met him before. He's probably met you too, so there's no need to go through the trouble of arranging a match."

Mu Jin felt a little uneasy. Although he had a lot of work to do, he didn't know much about the village. However, he knew that the second son of the Zhou family had already married, so the eldest son was ranked after the second son. But the eldest son of the Zhou family was quite handsome and tall. He could often be seen working in the Zhou family's fields. He was a capable worker.

Mu Jin nodded gently, "Jin'er's marriage is entirely up to Father and Uncle."

Zhou Ling was satisfied. "Alright, I'll go talk to Mu Mei tomorrow."

Mu Laoqi, who hadn't uttered a word since Mu Jin entered the room, took a puff of his pipe and said calmly, "If it works out and you marry into the Zhou family, you can't be lazy and let others laugh at my Mu family."

Ever since Mu Jin's mother ran off with someone, Mu Laoqi has valued his reputation above all else and can't stand anyone saying a bad word about him.

Mu Jin nodded obediently. Seeing that the two of them had nothing more to say, she left the house, feeling a little expectant about getting married and starting a new life.

“In the blink of an eye, Jin’er has reached the age to get married. As for me, I’ve been married to you for thirteen years. We’re an old married couple now,” Zhou Ling said sweetly.

Old Mu shook his pipe and pinched his butt. "Look at you, you still look like a teenager. You can still give my Mu family a few more sons."

Zhou Ling is only twenty-nine years old now, and she can indeed have more children. She glared at him and said, "What are you saying? In broad daylight, aren't you ashamed?"

Mu Laoqi really loved Zhou Ling's spirit. If it weren't for the fact that the children were outside and might come in at any time, he would have dragged him onto the kang (heated brick bed).