Chapter 1533 - 1528: Everyone Arrives at the Old Mu Family Home in the County Town

A few men, waiting here for almost half an hour.

During this time, several dishes were served, tasting incredibly good.

If they weren’t in a rush to unwrap the bundle, the men would have wanted to stay and keep eating.

What a pity!

As delicious as the food was, it couldn’t compare to the importance of splitting the money.

"Waiter, we’re leaving. The two pounds of beef, three pounds of wine, and two pounds of peanuts we ordered at the start, let’s settle the bill!" the leading man said.

Ah Cai rolled his eyes, realizing that so much time had passed and no government officers had shown up. He certainly couldn’t let these people leave.

But these guys clearly ate the spiked food—why are they acting like nothing’s wrong?

Just as he thought this, the man who was about to settle the bill suddenly clutched his stomach and began to call out, "Oh my, my stomach hurts... Waiter, where’s the restroom in your restaurant? Take me there!"

"It’s in the back, I’ll take you, guest!" Ah Cai was thrilled, the medicine finally took effect.

As the leading man went to the restroom, the rest of them started to react too.

With three stalls quickly occupied and two more men unable to find a stall, they clutched their butts, jumping in place like ants on a hot pan.

Ah Cai kindly gave each of the two a chamber pot and found a piece of wood to cover them, letting them squat smoothly.

Squatting like this for half an hour, by the time the government officers arrived, the men were already drained.

The officers, without much effort, took away the criminals.

Thanks to careful planning and exiting through the back door, no one really knew that Chengfeng Restaurant had such an incident!

The restaurant returned to peace, but the bundle made Yu Dahai troubled.

Mu Xiangxiang was nowhere to be seen, and no one knew where she went.

Unable to think of a solution, Yu Dahai could only temporarily keep the bundle until Mu Shuangshuang returned and let her decide what to do with it!

——

Mu Xiangxiang cried almost to the point of fainting in the town, exhausted and hungry.

Originally, she intended to return to Er Gui Village to steal silver again, since her third brother had plenty of money, but she feared getting caught, causing the whole village to know.

Mu Xiangxiang loved her reputation too much to allow everyone to call her a thief.

So she could only move forward.

Not knowing by what willpower, Mu Xiangxiang walked and stopped on the way, sometimes asking for food from people also heading to the county.

Some would give, others wouldn’t pay her attention.

In the end, what took a morning by carriage took Mu Xiangxiang two full days to walk.

By the time she arrived in the county, it was already the 27th of the lunar month.

The sky began to flurry with snow, and the weather was cold.

Mu Xiangxiang spent much effort, asking many people, before she found out Mu Dade’s residence.

In these two days, she hadn’t eaten well or slept well.

She only knew that once she reached her elder brother’s house, her mother would take care of her.

Mu Xiangxiang banged on the door with all her might, but no one came to open it for a long while.

She shouted hoarsely, "Mom, open the door, it’s me, Xiangxiang..."

Mu Xiangxiang called out for a good while until, on the verge of despair, two people arrived.

Seeing them, Mu Xiangxiang recognized her second and fifth brothers. Before she could speak, she heard Mu Dazhong say, "Fifth, this should be our elder brother’s house, right?"

"It definitely is, this is the address our elder brother mentioned! But why is there a beggar at his door? So dirty and smelly!"

Mu Danian pointed to Mu Xiangxiang and said she was a beggar.

Mu Xiangxiang, hearing this, her face nearly twisted in anger, "Second brother, fifth brother, what do you mean? Who’s a beggar?"

"Who the hell are you, yelling at us like that? Who’s your brother? We certainly don’t have a beggar sister!" said Mu Dazhong.

"Exactly, looking so filthy, I never thought her brain would be waterlogged too!" Mu Danian sneered.

"You..." Mu Xiangxiang trembled with anger.

"Alright, alright, stop sticking around someone else’s doorway, this is not where you beg!" Mu Dazhong said as he casually pushed Mu Xiangxiang, knocking her to the ground.

Her own brothers didn’t recognize her and even pushed her, and Mu Xiangxiang burst into tears.

The two rugged men didn’t look back, using all their strength to knock on the door.

"Mom, we’re back!" Mu Dazhong shouted.

"Mrs. Lin, you wretched woman, hurry and open the door!"

Mu Dazhong only shouted twice before Mrs. Lin, who was working in the courtyard, heard it.

She stood up quickly, her face filled with joy, "Husband, my husband is back!"

"Gou Dan, go open the door, your father’s back!"

Mrs. Lin shouted toward the main house and rushed out herself.

Opening the courtyard door and seeing her husband, Mrs. Lin burst into tears and smudged her face with snot.

She threw herself onto him, like a clingy dog, tightly hugging Mu Dazhong.

"Oh, you scoundrel, where on earth were you? I couldn’t eat or sleep, just thinking of when you’d return. You scoundrel, disappearing for months.

All the house chores and child-rearing left to me alone, you scoundrel..."

Mrs. Lin’s wails were more terrifying than the slaughter of a pig.

Old Mrs. Mu, resting in the main house, was also awoken by the noise.

She vaguely heard that someone had returned, quickly put on her shoes, moved her feet away from the fire pit, and stormed into the courtyard.

Seeing Mu Dazhong, Mrs. Lin, and Mu Danian, the old lady, who had been domineering for half her life, started to feel her nose tingle.

Then she saw Mrs. Lin hitting her son, without a word, she went over, grabbed Mrs. Lin’s hair, and started to scold, "You shameless woman, how dare you hit my son? You’ve turned against me!"

Mrs. Lin, in pain, begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Mom, it’s not like that, I... I was just joking with Daddy Gou Dan, ask Daddy Gou Dan if you don’t believe me!"

Mu Dazhong wasn’t stupid, knowing that if his wife fell into his mother’s hands, she’d end up in a bad way.

"Mom, what Gou Dan’s mom said is true, just think of it as a fart and let her go!"

Mu Dazhong smiled ingratiatingly.

With his kind words, Old Mrs. Mu let go.

Even as she released her, she warned Mrs. Lin, "You foolish woman always talking about your husband not coming home, suspecting he was with someone else outside. Now that he’s back and not with anyone else, keep your mouth shut. If I hear you slandering my son again, I’ll end you!"

Mrs. Lin nodded hastily, "Mom is right, right indeed!"

Seeing Mrs. Lin’s timid appearance, Old Mrs. Mu snorted coldly, just about to head back indoors.

At that moment, a voice sounded from behind.

"Mom, it’s me, Xiangxiang..."

That voice, weak as a kitten, full of grievance.

Hearing this, Old Mrs. Mu turned sharply.

The sight before her was a woman covered in dirt, with hair more unkempt than straw, most of her face obscured by filthy hair.

But with just one look, Old Mrs. Mu recognized that this was her daughter, Xiangxiang!