Mu Erpang had met the Chen family several times before.
Logically, he should call Mrs. Chen "aunt-in-law", but this name is too difficult to pronounce and he could never remember it.
It was strange today, but as soon as he saw Mrs. Chen, the title that he had been taught many times automatically came to his mind.
He called for help, and Mrs. Chen was quite surprised.
"Good boy, come here quickly!" Zheng had been dealing with her in-laws for several years. Seeing Mrs. Chen's smile in front of her, she knew that this old hag could not say anything good.
Zheng was not afraid of her, but she didn't want to make things too embarrassing in front of the children, so she called Mu Erpang over.
Mu Erpang walked over obediently, and Zheng took his hand affectionately.
With this pull, the smile on Zheng's face faded a little. The back of Mu Erpang's hand was surprisingly cold.
She turned her head and glanced at Li, who explained in a whisper: "I didn't wait for the oxcart at the village entrance, and the weather changed, so I..."
Zheng didn't want to talk about her daughter-in-law in front of the Chen family, so she looked at her again and waved her hand, indicating that she would talk about it later.
Although no one responded to her words, Mrs. Chen did not feel awkward and continued to talk to herself, "I say, Madam, don't be too indulgent with the child. Doesn't your daughter live in Shuiyun Village, which is only a few steps away from the county town. Not to mention such a big child, even the little ones I take care of will have no problem walking such a short distance."
Zheng rolled her eyes, "Why is my second fat man the same as others?"
Mrs. Chen also rolled her eyes and said meaningfully, "It's different."
After saying that, Mrs. Chen turned around and looked at Mu Erpang with a smile, "Erpang, it's rare to see you. I heard you say that you've been studying recently?"
Mu Erpang nodded generously, then smiled a little embarrassedly, "But I only read it for a few days and learned from three books."
"Hey, isn't this a coincidence! My son Danniu also started to learn to read this year." Mrs. Chen smiled and called her little grandson who was playing nearby, "You two are at about the same level, so it's a good opportunity to compare."
It is very common to compare children at relatives' gatherings. If Mrs. Chen points to other children in the Shen family for comparison, Zheng will definitely agree.
But his precious grandson is "different", how could he possibly memorize something? Zheng couldn't bear to let him be outdone!
Zheng was about to help him fight back, but she noticed that Mu Erpang was shaking her hand.
"Grandma, it's okay. Just compete. It doesn't matter if you can't win."
Mrs. Chen wanted him to be defeated. She smiled a little more when she heard that. "Yes, it's okay if you can't win. This isn't a serious competition. We're just having some fun!"
Mu Erpang nodded and asked, "Then what are we competing for?"
"You are just beginning to learn, so you should compete in memorizing! Memorize what you two have learned," Mrs. Chen said, paused, turned around and asked Chen Daniu, "Daniu, what was the name of the thing you learned earlier?"
“It’s called Three Character Classic.”
"Okay, then you two recite this! Each of you recite a sentence, and see who can't continue first." Mrs. Chen laughed so hard that wrinkles appeared on her face.
Chen Daniu started with a quote, "Man is inherently good at birth."
Mu Erpang calmly continued, "We are similar in nature, but different in habits."
“…”
“…”
Chen Daniu was just starting out and had only been in school for one year. Children of this age are the most restless, and besides, he had been on annual leave for a long time, so many things had already been returned to his teacher.
After a while, Chen Daniu's head was covered with sweat. "In the past, Meng Mu chose... chose..."
He tried to choose for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer, so Mu Erpang helped him to continue: "In the past, Meng's mother chose neighbors. When her son refused to learn, she broke the loom."
Chen Daniu's face flushed, and he shouted, "I will! I will!"
After all, she was only six years old, and she burst into tears as she spoke.
When he cried, the competition was over and Mu Erpang won him without a doubt.
Mrs. Chen couldn't laugh anymore. She just pulled her grandson over and coaxed him while awkwardly adding, "You are really good at reciting, but you are several years older than our Danniu, so it's normal that you are more proficient than him."
Zheng also pulled Mu Erpang to her side, wiping the non-existent sweat from his forehead and feeding him hot tea, but she also did not forget to brag: "How can they be the same? Our Erpang has only learned for a few days, how long have you, Daniu, learned? Alas, this person, you have to believe in fate!"
"I just recited a passage from the Three Character Classic, why are you talking about fate?" Mrs. Chen said unhappily.
"Why not? His elder brother is a well-known talent in the academy. My second fat man is his brother, so how can he be worse than his elder brother? Let me see, in a few years, he might be able to achieve fame!"
Zheng privately looked down on Mu Yunchuan, but that didn't stop him from bringing up Mu Yunchuan to save Erpang's face.
Qingzhu Academy is a well-known academy in the state, and countless students from other places come here to admire its reputation.
The Chen family wanted to cultivate their child's academic career, so they naturally learned about it.
Not to mention, the vast majority of students at Qingzhu Academy all give a thumbs up when talking about Mu Yunchuan, saying that he is an outstanding figure, both in terms of talent and character.
Even though Mrs. Chen looked down on the Shen family, she could not find any fault with the famous Mu Yunchuan.
Based on the fact that this ten-year-old Mu Erpang can only recite a few lines of "Three Character Classic", is he worthy of being called Mu Yunchuan's younger brother?
If the two families were not real relatives, Mrs. Chen would know that this was absolutely true, otherwise she would definitely treat it as a joke!
But then Mrs. Chen thought again, Mu Erpang was undoubtedly a fool. It was really shameful that her smart grandson lost to such a fool!
She had no choice but to stand up angrily and say that it was getting late and she should go home.
Zheng did not keep her either, and only asked her eldest daughter-in-law Chen to send her mother out.
Chen had been silent at first, and after following her mother out of the Shen family, she finally couldn't help but complain aloud: "Mother, you came here to give me a gift for no reason, why did you bring up that fat fool?"
Chen was so angry that she stamped her feet and complained, "Why did I give birth to such a useless thing like you? I want your mother-in-law to know that our Chen family is going to produce scholars, and you may become a successful person in the future, so that she will not look down on you!"
Of course, my mother was doing this for my own good. Chen was not someone who could not figure things out. She quickly calmed down, apologized, and said, "I know you were thinking about me, but don't do such things again. Fortunately, the idiot got wise today. If he had really embarrassed himself and made a scene, my mother-in-law would have taken more seriously than her own eyes. Would she have forgiven me later?"
"You're right. But I'm really confused. How come he suddenly became a different person from before? Could it be that it's really like what your mother-in-law said, that the people in the Mu family are born to study and become smarter once they start studying?"
"That Mu Erlang?" Chen sneered. "Mother doesn't come to the Shen family often, so I don't know what kind of useless kid that is. This time... I guess he just happened to be lucky enough to do that, so maybe he will just say a few words."
Chen actually guessed some of them correctly. Today, the two children were just competing to recite an enlightenment book, and Mu Erpang had learned it twice in the past two days, so he remembered it clearly. If we compare their understanding of the meaning, Mu Erpang is definitely not as good as Chen Daniu, who has studied seriously for a year.
Mrs. Chen nodded in agreement. "I just forgot to ask who the idiot studied with. But I thought his mother was just as confused as your mother-in-law, so it must have nothing to do with her. I know, the idiot must have studied with his eldest brother, so it's normal for him to be better than our big shot."
"Let's not talk about him anymore. Let's get back to the previous point. Is mom really planning to send Daniu to school?"
Mrs. Chen smiled and nodded, "Daniu just didn't perform well. Just wait and see. In three to five years, not to mention the second son of the Mu family, even Mu Yunchuan might be outshined by our Danniu!"
Chen also laughed and said that was great, "When our big brother becomes successful, I wonder if my mother-in-law will dare to have eyes on the top of her head again!"
The mother and daughter became happier and happier as they talked, as if they had already seen the day in the future when they would trample Zheng and Mu Erpang under their feet.
…………
At the Shen family's side, Fatty Mu watched Mrs. Chen leave angrily, and asked anxiously, "Grandma, did I do something wrong?"
Zheng immediately shook her head and said no, "Why did Erpang say that? What could you have done wrong? It was that old woman who felt ashamed and couldn't afford to lose!"
After hearing this, Mu Erpang thought about it and went to see Li again.
Li was the most fair person. Since Mu Erpang had done nothing wrong just now, he immediately smiled at him and secretly gave him a thumbs up.
Later, several men from the Shen family came back from work outside, and the family had a lively dinner.
Knowing that Mu Erpang would come in the afternoon, Zheng had already prepared several main dishes, including braised pork elbow, stewed pork ribs, chicken stewed with mushrooms... the meat dishes took up half of the table!
Although the Shen family is no longer what it used to be, they still do not have deep roots in the city, and such delicious food is not often available. The children in the family were so happy that they said today was the New Year's Day in advance!
At the dinner table, Zheng once again exaggerated the glorious deeds of Mu Erpang that surpassed Chen Daniu, almost describing Mu Erpang as the God of Literature who had descended to earth.
Old Master Shen, Shen Da and Shen Er were also very fond of Mu Erpang. After hearing this, they all laughed so hard that they couldn't stop, and even opened the rice wine at home to drink.
Just like what Mrs. Chen thought, no one asked Mu Erpang who he studied with, and subconsciously thought that he was taught by his eldest brother.
After dinner, Mr. Shen took Erpang to take a bath.
In the past, Erpang was helped by his grandfather to take a bath, but this time he refused and said he could wash himself.
After he finished washing, Zheng used some perfume powder to rub him in to make him smell nice before letting him go to bed.
The Shen family’s house was not very big, so Mu Erpang slept with his two cousins.
Normally he was a person who could fall asleep anytime he lay down. But today, he did not fall asleep immediately after lying down. Instead, he thought of many things.
The mocking looks from the neighbors at the alley entrance, the undisguised contempt from his aunt-in-law and eldest aunt, and the fact that he had agreed to the competition because he was afraid that his aunt-in-law would be unhappy, but he didn't expect that she would leave in anger after the competition.
She clearly said it herself, that the kids at home were just trying to have fun, so why was she angry?
He is a few years older than Daniu, so isn't it normal for him to win a few endorsements?
Is it shameful to lose to him?
What's more, when her grandmother mentioned his brother, their looks became even more disdainful, as if saying that he was not worthy of being his eldest brother's younger brother.
These people's dislike for him definitely didn't come out of nowhere today, but why didn't he notice it before?
It's not a pleasant feeling to be disliked by others. At least now Fat Mu Er can't digest these emotions.
Strange emotions surged in his chest, and he felt very at a loss. He tossed and turned on the kang for a long time, but could not fall asleep at all.
Just then, Mu Erpang heard a slight "dong" sound on the window frame.
Then there were two more knocks. Mu Erpang knew he had heard it right, so he put on his clothes and went down to take a look.
As soon as he went out, Mu Erpang saw his own mother clinging to the wall and throwing pebbles at the window.
"Mom, why are you here?" It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Mu Erpang subconsciously lowered his voice.
Why did she come? Of course, she came here because she saw her silly son's mood fluctuating all night long and she was worried about him, so she rushed over.
Fortunately, there was no curfew in the city during the New Year holidays, otherwise she wouldn't even be able to enter the city gate.
Shen Cui threw all the stones she had picked up on the ground and said nonchalantly, "Mom couldn't sleep at night, so she came here for a walk."
Can you walk into the city while taking a walk in the village? Even if he had the mental capacity of a nine-year-old child, Mu Erpang would not believe it.
There was still a light curtain in front of Shen Cui's eyes. Seeing his mood rising, he finally felt relieved.
"Will mother come into the house?"
Shen Cui shook her head and said no, "I'll just come to see you, if you're tired, go back to sleep."
"I'm not sleepy. I have something for mother."
Mu Erpang reached into his arms, took out a round object and handed it to her.
Shen Cui took it and looked at it carefully, only to find that it was a salted duck egg with body temperature.
Duck eggs are already a good thing, and salted duck eggs, which require a lot of salt, are an even more rare good thing.
Shen Cui raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Mu Erpang immediately said, "I took a shower today and changed into new clothes. I am clean now."
"What are you thinking about? I don't think you're dirty. I'm just wondering why you sleep with a duck egg in your arms."
"I wanted to bring it back to you secretly, but I was afraid grandma would find out, so I just kept it with me."
Under Mu Erpang's expectant gaze, Shen Cui peeled the duck egg and took a bite.
“Is it delicious?”
Shen Cui said with a smile: "Didn't you eat today? I don't know if it tastes good or not?"
Mu Erpang scratched his head and said he hadn't eaten it. "Grandma said it was saved for the New Year, so she secretly gave me one at night and said no one else in the family had any."
Shen Cui handed the duck egg to his mouth and fed it to him so that he could taste it.
The Zheng family has invested heavily in the salted duck eggs we eat during the Chinese New Year. The quality of the duck eggs is impeccable, with thick egg whites and a sandy and sticky yolk.
But the salt was enough!
Mu Erpang's fat face wrinkled up, "So salty!"
Shen Cui burst out laughing, "It's indeed salty!"
"Then don't eat it on its own, take it home and mix it with porridge."
"Okay, don't worry about it. Go back to sleep." Shen Cui saw that Mu Erpang's mood was already full, and waved her hand coolly.
Mu Erpang also waved to her, took two steps back, stopped, turned around and asked her, "By the way, mother, how did you get in? Didn't grandma bolt the door?"
Shen Cui touched her nose and said, "What's wrong with the bolt? I climbed over the wall to get in."
"Why are your clothes so dirty after climbing over the wall? Shouldn't only the hem of your clothes be dirty after climbing over the wall?"
"Go to bed!"
…………
In the main house of the Shen family, Mr. Shen and Mrs. Zheng had not gone to bed yet and were still talking about Mu Erpang.
They are the ones who love Mu Erpang the most in the family, so they can naturally see that Mu Erpang has changed a lot and is almost like a completely different person from before.
Zheng had always thought that studying was too mysterious. Mu Yunchuan was a well-known talent in the surrounding area and even in the academies in the city. However, after studying for so many years, he not only did not gain any benefits, but also spent an unknown amount of money.
Today, because of Erpang’s incident, she changed her mind.
It’s not that Zheng was really like she had teased her in-laws before, hoping that Erpang would be able to achieve fame and honor through study.
But just because reading can make Erpang smarter, she thinks reading is a good thing.
Mr. Shen had been used to listening to his wife over the years, so he agreed, "Then let Erpang study. Our family still has some extra money, so we'll give it to Cuihua later. Today, it seems that Cuihua is right. Erpang is becoming more and more successful. If she can rely on him, she will have good fortune in the future. There's no need for her to be someone else's stepmother."
When talking about her daughter, Zheng was still angry.
At this point, she was no longer angry about the remarriage, but about her daughter's attitude -
How many days have the mother and daughter been arguing? The New Year is coming in a few days, and she doesn't even bother to humble herself and admit her mistake?
So when Mr. Shen mentioned Shen Cui, she stopped talking and just said she was going to sleep.
The two were not old enough to become blind or deaf, and not long after they fell asleep, they heard rustling noises outside.
There are many thieves every year. Not long ago, someone's house nearby was robbed, so Zheng said that there might be a thief in the house.
Mr. Shen was already half asleep, and said incoherently, "No, it should be the kid at home who got up at night. And there's a dog tied up in our yard. If a thief really breaks in, how can the dog not bark?"
Zheng was worried, so she picked up the broom in the house and went out.
After a while, Zheng came back quietly.
Mr. Shen muttered, "I already said it couldn't be a thief, you're just overthinking it."
Zheng laughed and scolded angrily: "He is definitely not a thief, but a puppy that crawled into a dog hole!"
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