Chapter 1561 - 1556: Not Fond of Meddling (Part 27)

The man and his wife really did stop.

As time went by, Mu Shuangshuang’s rhythm on the bowls and plates grew faster and faster.

But that festive feeling became more and more obvious, and finally smiles appeared on everyone’s faces.

The man didn’t wait for the whole piece to finish; halfway through, he was already able to follow Mu Shuangshuang’s melody.

The tune Mu Shuangshuang was tapping out was "Opening Red," the perfect thing to listen to at New Year.

Watching the man go from not quite getting the beat at first to later single-handedly leading the whole room, Mu Shuangshuang finally showed a gratified smile.

This was a craftsman; in such a short time he could grasp the melody and even turn it into an erhu piece.

By now, everyone eating in the inn had had their mood set alight; one after another they copied Mu Shuangshuang, picking up their own bowls and chopsticks and tapping along.

Ancient people’s sense of music was actually much better than modern people’s.

At the very least, gradually, the sounds everyone tapped out started to sound quite decent.

Mu Shuangshuang waved at that little girl, and the little girl left her spot and ran over with a smile.

"Little girl, once your dad finishes playing, you take this bowl and go to every table to ask for tips.

Remember, you have to say ’May you make a fortune, great luck and great profit, uncles, aunties, big brothers and big sisters, this year your wealth will flow in from all sides and you’ll strike it rich!’"

Who doesn’t like hearing nice words?

Especially at New Year, one auspicious phrase can make someone happy for ages!

The little girl listened to Mu Shuangshuang and nodded hard.

When the erhu piece ended, the little girl carried a big Da Hai bowl around to collect tips.

Because she knew how to talk and her smile was sweet, every table she passed put Copper Coins into the bowl.

In no time at all, she had collected a bowlful of Copper Coins.

The erhu-playing couple were deeply moved, looking excitedly at all these kind-hearted people in the inn, thanking them over and over.

Before long, the little girl came back.

She poured all the money from the bowl and her own pockets into the erhu man’s hands.

The man looked at all that money and almost burst into tears.

"Joyous days, more smiles!" Mu Shuangshuang reminded him at the right moment.

"Thank you, thank you, young master!" The man said to Mu Shuangshuang.

"Dad, she’s a big sister!" The little girl corrected him very seriously.

"Ah?" The man froze, then said, "Fengfeng, don’t talk nonsense, this is a young master."

With a bamboo hat and men’s clothes, how could it not be a young master.

"Nope, Daddy, look at Big Sister’s hands, they’re so delicate, like scallions; men’s hands are really rough!"

The man didn’t dare look at Mu Shuangshuang’s hands, but his wife did glance over.

Then she nodded at him. "They really are a young lady’s hands."

The man grew even more emotional. Just now, it turned out it was a young lady who had saved his whole family.

"Shh!" Mu Shuangshuang shushed the three of them, signaling them not to make a fuss.

The three nodded again and again.

"Sit down and eat with us, just treat it as a reunion dinner!" Mu Shuangshuang said.

"Is that really okay?" The man’s lips moved; he looked troubled.

"It’s New Year, the livelier the better! Whatever you want to eat, order it. Today I’m rewarding this clever little girl!"

As Mu Shuangshuang spoke, she reached out and ruffled the little girl named Fengfeng’s hair.

The little girl seemed to really like Mu Shuangshuang and scooted up next to her on her own, smiling shyly.

"Head of the family, since this lady... young master has said so much, let’s just sit down and eat together!"

"Alright!"

Once they sat, the man introduced himself.

"My name is Zhou Dabao, this is my wife Huang Cuilian, and this is our girl Zhou Xiaofeng. Young master can call us by our names as you please!"

Zhou Dabao said.

Mu Shuangshuang nodded. "Uncle, Auntie, don’t stand on ceremony. Eat!"

While Mu Shuangshuang was speaking, the waiter had already brought over three sets of clean bowls and chopsticks.

Mu Shuangshuang ordered more dishes: one radish stewed with five-flavor pork, three more bowls of dumplings, and two more jin of beef.

And then a whole fish, for the meaning of ’having abundance year after year.’

"Uncle, how come the three of you are out performing on the streets during the New Year?" Mu Shuangshuang started chatting with them.

"We..." Zhou Dabao hesitated first, then began, "We used to be up in the northern regions, near the Capital, making a living with an opera troupe. In the beginning, life was pretty decent.

Later we went into the Capital. We thought our days would just get better and better, but who knew, the troupe offended some powerful family in the Capital.

The owner was dragged straight into prison. We had no way out and could only roam north and south trying to survive. It’s been three years now, if you add it up!"

In three years, everything had already changed beyond recognition.

The man sounded a bit wistful as he spoke of his experiences.

Beside him, when Huang Cuilian heard him talking about that part of their past, her expression wasn’t too pleasant, but at least she didn’t start sighing and lamenting.

And once the dishes arrived, she kept picking meat for her daughter and only ate radish herself.

She really was a mother who loved her girl.

"Mom, I don’t want meat, I want radish!" Fengfeng muttered when she saw Huang Cuilian keep putting meat in her bowl.

That would’ve been fine, but the meat that had already been placed in her bowl got picked up and dropped into Mu Shuangshuang’s bowl. "Big Sister, you eat too!"

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; this girl really was amusing.

"Good girl, Fengfeng, eat the meat yourself. And of course, eat the radish too; eating radish in winter is good for you!" Mu Shuangshuang said with a smile.

She gave Fengfeng half a bowl of beef, then ladled her half a bowl of radish soup.

After doing all that, Mu Shuangshuang looked at Zhou Dabao and Huang Cuilian.

"Uncle, Auntie, you eat too. Fengfeng may be a child, but she knows how to take care of herself."

"Mm!"

"Mm!"

Zhou Dabao and Huang Cuilian nodded in unison.

"By the way, Uncle, Auntie, do you have any plans for the future?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

That one question completely stumped Zhou Dabao.

He really hadn’t thought about it. He’d always felt that life was just something you got through one day at a time.

From Mu Shuangshuang’s glance, she could tell that this couple had no plan for what lay ahead.

That wouldn’t do.

"Uncle, Fengfeng is getting older day by day. Are you really planning to let her keep roaming all over with you? She’s a pretty girl—what if, and I mean what if, some wicked person sets their sights on her?"

From what had just happened, Mu Shuangshuang could see that Zhou Dabao and Huang Cuilian were honest folk.

When they ran into danger or trouble, their first reaction wasn’t to fight back, but to beg those vicious men for mercy.

The reason bad people are called bad is because they’ll do things ordinary people never would.

People like that, they’re not the type to listen when someone begs.

Mu Shuangshuang wasn’t someone who liked meddling in other people’s business in the first place, but when she saw Zhou Dabao and Huang Cuilian kneel and beg that man, it reminded her of her own parents.

Back then, when the Old Mu Family were going to sell her, her parents also knelt and begged the Old Mu Family.

Maybe it was that resonance of emotion, coupled with the sense of duty left over from her past life’s profession, that made her step in to help Fengfeng.

Mu Shuangshuang was the sort who, if she was going to help, wouldn’t stop halfway; she had to help people solve their worries for the future.