From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!

Chapter 123: Chapter 124: Acting Unreasonably (Second Update)

”Mom, I won’t be going, keep the melons for yourself, stay inside and rest since it’s hot, let the others like the second, third, and fourth ones do the work.”

”My son is so filial, I’ll listen to you. It’s comfortable like this, your father and I haven’t misjudged you. You’re the only one in the family with a conscience.”

Old Mrs. Mu felt delighted in her heart. Her eldest son was truly good, always giving her food first, unlike the other sons, who were like pigs, eager to eat a whole pot of food by themselves.

Mu Dade hurried back, while Old Mrs. Mu carried the slop bucket back to the kitchen.

After noon, once Mr. Mu had finished lunch and was about to rest, Old Mrs. Mu pulled him aside.

”Old man, what are you planning to do about the fifty taels of silver needed for Da De’s Autumn Examination?”

It would have been better if not mentioned, but once brought up, Mr. Mu began sighing, repeatedly slapping his thigh, overwhelmed with worry.

”What else can be done? But this fifty taels of silver isn’t just easy to come by.”

”Old man, perhaps we should just follow Da De’s advice and marry off Shuang. Da De is only going for the Autumn Examination now, and will have to go to the Capital to take exams later.

Even if we have fifty taels, it won’t be enough in the future. We might as well marry off Shuang and get more silver from Wang San’s house to cover all the examination expenses for Da De in one go.”

Old Mrs. Mu had already made up her mind, thinking that since she had to marry her off eventually, she might as well ask for more.

”You old woman, what nonsense are you talking about, marrying off Shuang to Wang San? Are you trying to disgrace Da De completely?”

Mr. Mu angrily slapped the brick bed under him, and his thick black eyebrows furrowed in anger.

”What did you say, old man? Marrying off Shuang has nothing to do with Da De. Shuang is his niece, not his daughter. Can he manage everyone in the family?

Besides, words are on others’ mouths, can we control them? I don’t care, I want to be an official’s wife. If you won’t let me be an official’s wife, I’ll just die in front of you.”

As Old Mrs. Mu spoke, she was ready to run into the nearby wall.

”If you want to go, go die outside. Don’t think about getting me to agree to this. If our reputation is ruined, what kind of official could we possibly be?”

Mr. Mu angrily finished speaking, turned over onto the brick bed, and Old Mrs. Mu, seeing this, slapped her thigh and sat on the ground, kicking the mud on the ground with both her hands and feet.

”Oh, there is no justice! I, Liu Guixiang, have been married to your Old Mu Family for so many years, bore and raised children, and fed the descendants of your Old Mu Family with my hard work, and this is how you treat me!”

”Ah... I don’t want to live anymore...”

”Ah... I can’t live anymore, Mu Dabiao, are you even a human?”

Old Mrs. Mu’s wailing attracted people who were originally resting in the main house to gather around.

When Mu Dashan rushed to the room where Old Mrs. Mu and Mr. Mu were, he saw Mr. Mu lying on the brick bed resting, while Old Mrs. Mu was rolling on the ground, slapping it, and in a few moves, she had insulted the ancestors of the Old Mu Family for eighteen generations.

The fourth daughter-in-law of the Mu Family, Mrs. Liu, was the only daughter-in-law who came over. She stepped forward to help Old Mrs. Mu, but was kicked away by her.

”Get lost, you stinky woman, you came to laugh at me too, did you?”

Mrs. Liu fell to the ground, feeling extremely wronged.

”Mom, I didn’t mean it...”

”If that’s not what you meant, then what? Get lost!”

Mrs. Liu, hearing this, went to cry by herself nearby.

Everyone knew why Old Mrs. Mu was angry, but there was nothing they could do, all the money in the family was in her hands, and they didn’t have any money.

”Second Brother, I heard that Gou Dan’s uncle is wealthy, why don’t you borrow some, later when Big Brother becomes a scholar, you’ll be the biggest contributor.” Mu Danian suddenly said.

”Nonsense, Fifth Brother, don’t talk nonsense. Let me tell you, Gou Dan’s uncle’s business isn’t doing well, he hasn’t visited Gou Dan for a long time.

As I see it, with you being so strong, you go to the pier to carry goods, you’ll earn ten or so coins a day, in half a month you’d have half a tael of silver.”

Mu Dazhong wasn’t stupid; after all, the only relative from Lin’s family worth anything was that particular one, and if ruined here, what would happen in the future?

”Second Brother, I think you just don’t want to help Big Brother. Let me tell you, don’t regret it. If Big Brother becomes an official, he definitely won’t take you along.” Mu Danian’s threatening words made Mu Dazhong unhappy. ”Fifth Brother, you act like you’ve eaten dung every day, spraying at everyone, why wouldn’t I want to help?”

”You just don’t...”

Mu Dashan sighed and said to the two engaged in a war of words, ”Don’t argue, let’s see what Dad says. If we truly can’t gather enough, we’ll all go to town to carry goods; us four brothers, in a month that’s two taels of silver, every bit helps.”

”You go if you want, I’m not going, my back still hurts.”

”Exactly, only Third Brother is so enthusiastic; your third branch has the least money in the family.”

Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian’s words left Mu Dashan’s face red from anger.

He said nothing more.

Old Mrs. Mu was still throwing a tantrum on the ground, and finally, Mr. Mu angrily got up.

”Enough! I’ll go to my little sister’s house tomorrow to borrow money, settle down all of you!”

————

In the town, Mu Shuangshuang used eighty coins to buy ten books. She casually flipped through them; they were all about the imperial exams. That scholar seemed to have some level of learning.

Lu Yuanfeng stood nearby and, seeing the girl seriously looking at those books, curiously asked, ”Shuang, do you recognize the words?”

”How could I? They recognize me, but I don’t recognize them. I just want to see what those scholars read.” Mu Shuangshuang smiled and explained.

As for the words in the book, she recognized them all. After all, writing had long been passed down through the bloodline, and even though she had never learned traditional characters, she had no difficulty reading them.

”Hehe, keep reading then, I’ll wash the dishes.”

Every dish Liu Zian washed had to be washed again, so Lu Yuanfeng took on this task willingly. By the time he finished washing the dishes, Mu Shuangshuang had already gone through a whole book.

He always had a feeling that Shuang recognized the words, otherwise, she wouldn’t stare at those books for so long.

There were kids studying in the village too, but he heard from those kids that just looking at books made their heads hurt.

Still, that was just his speculation.

This time, they sold one hundred eighty-six buns, making seven hundred forty-four coins. As for soup, Lu Yuanfeng counted it—one hundred twenty bowls, earning one hundred twenty coins.

After deducting the cost of one hundred sixty coins, they made a total of seven hundred four coins from this trip.

Lu Yuanfeng knew that without Shuang, those twenty-some pounds of meat, wouldn’t even sell back for the cost, let alone make a profit.

”Shuang, I counted the silver used to buy the meat yesterday—it was three taels plus five hundred fifty-four coins.

Later, come to my house, and I’ll give you two taels of silver; keep today’s money for yourself to pay for Xiao Han’s school gifts.”