Chapter 120

Mu Jin thought she would have to make another trip to the Mu family to convey Manager Liu's message to them.

Unexpectedly, on the way back in the oxcart, they encountered Mu Laoqi, Zhou Ling, and Mu Bai.

Judging from Zhou Ling's expression, it seems that this matchmaking attempt has failed again.

“That young master of the Li family is so good. He’s chubby and looks like a blessed man. He’s about the same age as you, and his family owns a cloth shop. If you marry him, you’ll be a young master who never has to lift a finger.”

Mu Bai pursed his lips, "He's almost fatter than the pig we have for the New Year."

Zhou Ling sat on the cart and poked his head with a look of exasperation.

“It’s good to be a little chubby. Only when your family is well-off can you grow up to be that chubby. Look at our village, most of them are farmers who tighten their belts to make a living. They can’t even get enough to eat, so they can’t get fat.”

"But you can't get that fat!"

Mu Bai dodged Zhou Ling's finger, her face full of disgust.

“Father, Little Father, Bai’er, I was just thinking of going back to the village to find you. What a coincidence, Brother Nianjun, you can leave me here. I’ll ride back in my father’s oxcart.”

Mu Bai and Zhou Ling were bickering when they heard Mu Jin's voice from behind.

Knowing that Mu Jin had something to discuss with them, Mu Nianjun put him down and had Mu Sheng drive the oxcart, following Mu Laoqi's oxcart at a distance.

Mu Laoqi stopped the oxcart, waited for Mu Jin to sit down, then raised the whip, and the family's old yellow ox started to move again.

Zhou Ling looked at Mu Jin, who was already showing signs of pregnancy, and felt quite complicated.

He had heard a lot about the Zhou family building a new house, digging a well, and hiring day laborers.

Everyone praised him for raising a son well, saying that Yan Mujin was very lucky.

He never expected that even after marrying into such a family, Mu Jin would be able to make a living.

He still gets along so well with his son and husband, and both of his children are very close to him. Mu Zhou is not good with words, so there's no need to say more. But Mu Bai, that brat, will go to his house to stay for a while whenever he has free time.

However, given this, Zhou Ling, being the way she is, would naturally not consider making enemies with Mu Jin again.

"Take your time driving the carriage, and be careful of Jin-ge'er's health."

Zhou Ling whispered to Mu Laoqi, who was driving the oxcart ahead, then smiled at Mu Jin.

“Jin’er, it’s been a long time since you came home. When we heard that you weren’t feeling well, your father and I were quite worried. We just had too many things to do at home and couldn’t get away. Now that I see you look healthy, I think you’re much better, so I’m relieved.”

Mu Laoqi really slowed down, and the oxcart moved forward slowly without being so bumpy.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Father and Uncle. Everything is fine now."

Mu Bai leaned against Mu Jin and sat down, then said to Zhou Ling, "My brother-in-law makes old hen soup for my brother every three to five days. He doesn't want my brother to do any heavy work. Uncle, don't we have two hens that we've raised for more than three years? They don't lay eggs much anymore. Why don't we take them back to my brother later and save him and his brother-in-law some money?"

Zhou Ling glared at him, "Nowadays, your older brother's family doesn't need to save such a small amount of money."

Fearing that Mu Bai might say something that would make his blood boil, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Jin-ge'er just said he had something to discuss with your father and me. What is it?"

Mu Bai muttered, "My little father is so stingy."

Zhou Ling glared at him.

Mu Jin smiled and said frankly, "Little Father, I went to the bookstore today. The owner of the bookstore, Mr. Liu, happens to have a youngest son. He is the only son in the family. Seeing that I can read, he felt that his younger brother must be quite remarkable. So he thought of finding a good day to meet our Bai'er."

Upon hearing this, Mu Laoqi, who was driving the carriage, exclaimed with delight, "The only son of the bookstore owner?! That's a good match!"

Zhou Ling wasn't blinded by such good fortune. "Why would a family with such good financial standing come to the village to find a spouse? Could it be that young Master Liu has some hidden illness?"

Mu Jin sighed inwardly, realizing that her new father was far more cunning than her previous one.

"I inquired at the carpenter's shop today. Young Master Liu has no hidden illnesses. He is the only son in his family and has been pampered since childhood. His older sister and brother also dote on him. In town, the Liu family is considered to be a respectable family. It's just that Young Master Liu is a bit spoiled. He is fifteen years old and has been asked about marriages with many families in town, but he hasn't taken a liking to any of them."

Zhou Ling then laughed, "So that's how it is. I was wondering why Jin-ge wouldn't choose a sick man for your own brother."

Mu Bai curled her lip. "I think it's better to forget it. They don't even want the guys in town, why would they want me?"

Zhou Ling glared at him, "Your older brother went to great lengths to find you a good marriage. Don't go against his good intentions. Whether it works out or not, let's see how it goes first."

Mu Bai then stopped talking, appearing ready to listen to Zhou Ling's suggestion.

Zhou Lingchong smiled at Mu Jin and said, "Jin-ge'er, thank you for your trouble. Tell Manager Liu to set a good date and let your father and me know in advance so we can take your brother over."

Mu Jin nodded. "I'll have A Lin and Manager Liu tell them first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhou Ling smiled and nodded. Seeing that Mu Jin still cared about her younger brother, she felt better and stopped being petty.

Back home, he caught the two old hens that Mu Bai had mentioned, carried them, and had Mu Jin take them back.

Having managed to get something from Zhou Ling, Mu Jin pretended to refuse once, then took the two tied-up chickens and went home.

The next day, Zhou Lin brought back a message: the end of August was an auspicious time, and Manager Liu had specially booked a superior room at the largest restaurant in town, showing how much he valued this last visit of the year.

Manager Liu had already sent someone to inquire about the Mu family and learned that their family was of average means in the village and that they had a son who had passed the imperial examination. He was quite satisfied with the family.

Ruo Mubai and Liu Chengye hit it off, and Manager Liu planned to arrange their marriage on an auspicious day.

With a month and a half left, Zhou Ling instructed Mu Bai to diligently study the Thousand Character Classic that Mu Zhou had taught him at home. When he went to meet potential spouses at the end of August, he should not reveal his ignorance if asked how many characters Mu Bai knew.

When Mu Zhou returned home on his day off, Zhou Ling summoned him and taught Mu Bai to memorize a few poems that the boy could recite.

Confined at home and unable to leave, Mu Bai felt both angry and helpless. Under Zhou Ling's tyranny, he obediently stayed home and began to study.

Unaware of her younger brother's dire straits, Mu Jin decided to copy the story five or six times since it was short this time. She figured that practice makes perfect and she could write faster later on.

Of the two old hens Zhou Ling gave her, Mu Jin immediately slaughtered one.

Zhou Ling raised them well; the chickens had accumulated a lot of yellow fat in their bellies.

Mu Jin felt no regret about eating someone else's chicken; the thought of getting it from Zhou Ling made her extremely happy.

It was arguably the most delicious chicken meal he had ever eaten.

Seeing her husband's state, Zhou Lin shook her head helplessly. However, for some reason, Mu Jin's greedy and opportunistic appearance was rather endearing.

Before we knew it, the day arrived for the raising of the beams of the wooden house in our home.

Yesterday, Mu Jin had Zhou Lin buy two large bags of sorghum candy from town, and in the evening, she steamed a pot of rice cakes.

The sorghum candy and rice cakes wrapped in oil paper that fell from the heights were snatched up by the villagers waiting below.

When children find candy, they put it into their mouths with big smiles before their parents can help them put it away.

Hibiscus gazed at the tall wooden building and the brick houses in the courtyard, her eyes filled with smiles.

Zhou Lin walked up to him without him noticing and gently put her arm around his shoulder.

In the courtyard, the roof beams of all the houses are raised, and a craftsman in each house scatters sorghum candy and rice cakes, symbolizing a life that gets better and sweeter every year.

Zhou Lin reached out and took a piece of sorghum candy, unwrapped the oil paper, and fed it to Mu Jin.

Is it sweet?

Mu Jin smiled and nodded emphatically, "Sweet."

The cool autumn breeze swept by, but it couldn't extinguish the warmth in my heart.

As autumn deepens, Mu Jin is now heavier than usual. In previous years, she would go to the mountains to collect wild produce, but this year she can't go.

Even when Zhou Lin was not around, Wen Zhaoran and Bai Qiqiu kept a tight rein on things.

The mountain produce was right there in the mountains, but since my family didn't go looking for it, others found it and took it.

Mu Jin felt a strong itch in her heart, but she also knew that the little one in her belly was more important.

Lin Nuo and Wang Lixiang went to the foot of the mountain and picked up quite a few mushrooms and fruits.

When Bai Qiqiu went to the mountains to find dye, he would think of hibiscus. Whenever he came across walnut trees or chestnut trees, he would pick up a whole basketful and send it to hibiscus.

Therefore, even though Mu Jin did not go to the mountains, she still stored a lot of dried fruit and fresh fruit in the kitchen.

The weather is getting colder, and the yard is gradually filled with fallen leaves.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Mu Jin went back to her parents' home to visit relatives.

Finally, I saw Mu Bai, who had lost a lot of weight due to the trauma of learning to read.

Upon seeing Mu Jin and Zhou Lin, Mu Bai poured out all her grievances.

"Brother, don't you think Father and Uncle are going too far? I'm not trying to pass the imperial examinations, yet they're making Second Brother watch me and make me write poems. Isn't that making things difficult for me?"

Mu Jin smiled gently. Within the Mu family, she naturally couldn't speak ill of Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling.

"Have you finished learning all the characters?"

Mu Bai hugged his arm. "I already know them all, but writing poetry is really difficult. I can't learn it at all. What's with the tones and rhymes? Just thinking about them gives me a headache."

Before Mu Bai was confined at home and forced to learn to read, he already knew quite a few characters, even though he was talking about meeting the young master of the Liu family.

But composing poetry really stumped young Mu Bai.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Learning more is not a bad thing."

It's not that he couldn't tell Zhou Ling that Mu Bai had already done well by finishing learning to read.

But he wasn't really close to Zhou Ling, and if he talked too much, he might feel that Zhou Ling didn't want Mu Bai to get better.

Therefore, it's best not to say anything more about this matter.

Mu Bai pouted, looking like she was about to cry, and said angrily, "Big brother, how could you be like this? I'm not going to be friends with you anymore."

Mu Jin deliberately said, "Okay, then you can't come to stay at your brother's house anymore."

Mu Bai immediately put on a smiling face, "Big brother, I still think you're the best in the world."

Mu Jin was both amused and exasperated, sighing inwardly, "She's still just a child, so easily fooled."

After the Mu family relatives finished visiting, Mu Jin and Zhou Lin went to see Zhou's grandfather.

Because of the vegetable garden issue, Zhou Lin and Zhou Wu's relationship gradually soured. For the first time this year, he did not return to the Zhou family for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Zhou Wu was angry, but she was short of breath. Fearing that the old incident of damaging the Zhou family's vegetable garden would be brought up again, she did not come to cause trouble.

However, since Mu Qing and Zhou Ming divorced, and Zhou Ming's new husband turned out to be a troublemaker, her life has become increasingly stifling.