《Transmigrating to the 80s to Become Stepmom to Five Bigwigs》


 Chapter 1

    <h4>Chapter 1: Five Children</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe regained consciousness and found herself lying in a simple courtyard.


    The low earthen walls and the mud-brick yard and house were all very unfamiliar.


    Mu Jingzhe got up and rubbed the back of her aching head. She then looked at the shlight in her hand and frowned.


    Nowadays, shlights could be charged. She hadn¡¯t seen this kind of battery torchlight in more than ten years.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because I call you Second Sister-In-Law and let you continue staying here, my family can¡¯t do without you. If you continue to push your luck, you can scram back to the Mu Family. Any random nanny I hire will take better care of the children than you.¡±


    A deep male voice filled with rage came from behind the door.


    Mu Jingzhe was confused. She was about to speak when a memory appeared in her mind.


    She had transmigrated into a book she had read two days ago about sweet, doting love.


    The female protagonist, Mu Xue, was a fan favorite, while Mu Jingzhe, who shared the same name with her, was the most annoying supporting character in the book. The keywords used to describe her were ¡®stupid¡¯, ¡®control freak¡¯, and ¡®the one who always snatches Mu Xue¡¯s things¡¯.


    Mu Xue¡¯s first love, Shao Qihai, had been snatched away by her.


    Shao Qihai, who had been a soldier for several years, had retired from the army after suffering an injury. He had two pairs of twins¡ªthree sons and one daughter. His wife had gone through a difficultbor and passed away.


    Although he had been married before, he waspletely different from the younger generation in the vige. Mu Xue had a good impression of him and didn¡¯t mind that he had been previously married. She was also kind and she had said that she would treat his children as her own.


    In the end, just as the two of them had been about to get engaged, Shao Qihai had suddenlye back with a child in his arms. He had said that it was his child, but the mother of the child was a mystery.


    Because of this child, the two of them had been at odds for a long time. Seeing that their engagement was about to fail, Mu Jingzhe had jumped out and imed that he was going to marry her. Rumors had then started to spread in the vige.


    Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it if Mu Xue¡¯s reputation was damaged, and the five children indeed needed someone to take care of them, so he silently agreed to this marriage.


    When the two of them got married, Mu Xue, who was heartbroken,pletely gave up.


    Mu Jingzhe had snatched Mu Xue¡¯s man, but she wasn¡¯t happy for long before Shao Qihai died.


    Right now, Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated three months after Shao Qihai¡¯s death. In the middle of the night, she had tried to seduce her younger brother-inw, Shao Qiyang, but failed. She had tried her best to open the locked door, only to suffer the consequences and fall down and hit her head.


    Her husband had only been dead for three months, yet she was already really eager to seduce her younger brother-inw. This was indeed the work of a useless supporting character.


    Mu Jingzhe tried hard to digest the extra memories. She looked at the closed door and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Shao Qiyang, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I called you because¡­ Little Bei is sick. She has a fever.¡±


    Shao Qiyang sneered, not believing a single word. If that was indeed the case, why hadn¡¯t she said anything just now?


    She was just trying to trick him into opening the door.


    There was no way he would fall for it.


    Shao Qiyang had never met such a shameless, disgusting woman before.


    This time, he decided that he couldn¡¯t let this person live there any longer. He would kick her out when the sun rose no matter what.


    Although he didn¡¯t say anything, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression grew solemn.


    She wasn¡¯t joking. The night when the original Mu Jingzhe had been thinking about ways to make love to Shao Qiyang, Shao Qihai¡¯s only daughter, Shao Bei, had gone deaf due to a high fever.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Little Bei has a fever.¡±


    Knowing the dangers of a fever, Mu Jingzhe was afraid that the dy would affect Shao Bei¡¯s condition. Thus, she quickly said something and returned to the east room.


    The decoration in the east room was quite nice. There were still traces of the wedding celebration. With no time to look around, Mu Jingzhe went to see Shao Bei first.


    Shao Bei was only five years old. Her three older brothers doted on her and would offer her all the good food, so her little face was round and chubby.


    At the moment, she was lying quietly on the bed. Her delicate brows were furrowed, and her body was burning up.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart sank. She packed up her stuff and covered Shao Bei with her nket before rushing out.


    She almost bumped into Shao Dong at the door.


    The names of Shao Qihai¡¯s five children were easy to remember¡ªDong, Nan, Xi, Bei,?Zhong<sup>1</sup>. The eldest and second eldest were twin boys, while the third and fourth were boy-girl twins. Thest one, who had been brought back from somewhere else, was called Shao Zhong.


    The eldest, Shao Dong, was seven years old and acted like a little adult. His eyes, which resembled Shao Qihai¡¯s, seemed to be able to see through people¡¯s hearts.


    He was the most protective of his younger brothers and sister and would look at people with ferocious eyes. Even the original Mu Jingzhe had been afraid of Shao Dong.


    ¡°Little Dong, Little Bei¡¯s fever is quite bad. We have to go to the hospital.¡±


    Shao Dong silently stretched out his hands. He was worried about letting Mu Jingzhe take his younger sister away.


    ¡°Little Bei is really having a fever. If you don¡¯t believe me, look¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe squatted down and let him see for himself.


    At that moment, there was a click. Shao Qiyang, who hadn¡¯t opened the door this whole time, strode over in a cotton shirt.


    Although he had woken up in the middle of the night and hadn¡¯t put on his clothes properly, this couldn¡¯t conceal Shao Qiyang¡¯s elegance.


    He was tall and handsome. His style was different from his older brother¡¯s, Shao Qihai, but it was undeniable that he was dazzling. No wonder the original Mu Jingzhe had been so unscrupulous.


    Shao Qiyang frowned. ¡°Is she really having a fever?¡±


    Shao Dong nodded.


    Shao Qiyang touched her forehead with the back of his hand and his expression changed. He looked at Mu Jingzhe with cold eyes. ¡°Her fever is really bad. Why did you only tell me now?¡±


    After saying that, he picked up Shao Bei and left.


    Mu Jingzhe stopped Shao Dong, who was about to follow him. ¡°Shao Dong, I¡¯ll go with your uncle. You stay at home and watch over everything. If nothing goes wrong, we¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took the child¡¯s backpack and chased after him.


    Shao Dong stood in the courtyard and watched as the light of the torchlight outside the courtyard disappeared.


    He didn¡¯t speak because he had been born with a stutter he couldn¡¯t ovee. After being teased repeatedly, he had stopped talking.


    Even though he was a little stutterer now, he would one day be the most ruthless bigshot in the business world.


    Well, actually, the five kids¡ªDong, Nan, Xi, Bei, and Zhong¡ªwouldn¡¯t be simple when they grew up. You could say they turned out to be bigshots, but¡­ they were all viins.


    The stepmother¡ªthe original Mu Jingzhe¡ªwas responsible for this.


    To be honest, Mu Jingzhe was under a lot of pressure. After all, she had suddenly transmigrated into this bizarre character and be associated with these five children. She was quite averse to it, but since she had already transmigrated, she could only deal with things as they came.


    Mu Jingzhe caught up to Shao Qiyang.


    When she did, she knew that nothing she said would be pleasing to hear, so she chose not to say anything and only silently illuminated the road ahead for Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang wanted to take his niece to the hospital as quickly as possible, but it was difficult to walk at night. Holding the child in his arms made walking even more difficult. Soon, both his hands were trembling.


    ¡°Let me carry her for a while,¡± Mu Jingzhe said.


    Great Eastern Vige was quite far from town, and it would take about two hours to get there on foot.


    ¡°No need.¡± Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth and refused.


    He took a deep breath and continued walking forward. However, he was really tired and identally lost his footing, sliding down the road as a result.


    Mu Jingzhe swiftly grabbed Shao Bei.


    After getting hold of Shao Bei, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think much of it. She simply grabbed Shao Qiyang¡¯s cor and lifted him.


    She then ced him on the road. ¡°Did you hurt yourself?¡±


    With his cor still raised, Shao Qiyang answered subconsciously, ¡°No.¡±


    Still in a daze, he gazed at Mu Jingzhe. Had Mu Jingzhe just lifted him up?


    On the other side, swift Mu Jingzhe had already set off with Shao Bei on her back.


    It took them more than an hour to reach the town hospital, and by the time they got there, their foreheads were covered in perspiration.


    ¡°She¡¯s running a high fever¡ª40 degrees Celsius. It would have been toote if you¡¯d brought her here anyter.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was d that it wasn¡¯t toote.


    She and Shao Qiyang stayed by her bedside and changed the towels from time to time. When the sun rose, Shao Bei¡¯s fever subsided and she finally woke up.


    ¡°Little Bei, can you hear me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe immediately checked if Little Bei¡¯s hearing was fine.


    Shao Beiy on the bed, looking listless. It had only been a night, yet her chubby face seemed to have lost some weight. The little girl, who used to be full of life, now appeared lethargic.


    She looked at Mu Jingzhe but didn¡¯t respond to her words.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

 Chapter 2

    <h4>Chapter 2: Reborn</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Little Bei, can you hear me? If you can, can you answer me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was afraid that she had been toote after all and Shao Bei¡¯s ears had ended up getting damaged from the fever, just like what had happened in the book. Hence, she forced a smile and asked her again.


    Shao Bei licked her lips and looked at Shao Qiyang instead of Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qiyang nced at her and quickly gave her water.


    Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe had already rushed out of the ward. ¡°Doctor, please take a look again. I don¡¯t think she can hear us.¡±


    Shao Qiyang, who was giving Shao Bei water in the ward, trembled. ¡°Little Bei, you can¡¯t hear anything?¡±


    The doctor was just about to leave. His night shift had just ended when he heard Mu Jingzhe say that. He immediately put his white coat back on and followed Mu Jingzhe to the ward.


    However, he heard Shao Bei¡¯s hoarse but clear voice when he reached the door.


    ¡°I can hear you.¡±


    The old doctor red at Mu Jingzhe before turning to leave.


    Shao Qiyang thought that Mu Jingzhe would scold Little Bei or lose her temper, but Mu Jingzhe only heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay. You scared me. I thought you couldn¡¯t hear anymore.¡±


    Fortunately, they had gotten her there in time. The first tragedy had been avoided.


    It was just that the child didn¡¯t want to talk to her.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t mind, but she instantly felt tired now that she had managed to rx.


    She didn¡¯t step forward again. ¡°You take care of her. I¡¯ll go to the doctor to thank him and apologize. Then, I¡¯ll go out and see if there¡¯s anything to eat.¡±


    After thanking the doctor, Mu Jingzhe went to the washroom. When she saw the mirror, she stopped and took a look. She still didn¡¯t know what she looked like.


    She was shocked by what she saw.


    The person in the mirror had short hair that reached her ears. There was no hairstyling to speak of. The hair was uneven, as if it had been bitten by a dog.


    It had been cut to look like Mu Xue¡¯s hair. The vigers praised Mu Xue for her beauty, so she had used a pair of scissors to cut her waist-length braids.


    Under her horrible hair were eyebrows as thick as two caterpirs and a big red mouth that was dry and chapped.


    This was also a result of emting Mu Xue. She didn¡¯t have the money to buy an eyebrow pencil or lipstick, so she had reced them with charcoal and red paper¡­


    After washing herself clean, Mu Jingzhe finally saw the original owner¡¯s face.


    When she saw it, she was stunned for a moment. This face was 70% to 80% simr to hers.


    Her facial features were delicate and pretty, and her eyebrows were thick and ck. However, they were a little messy. She just needed to slightly fix the shape of her eyebrows. There was no need to draw them at all.


    Although her lips were dry and chapped, upon closer inspection, the color of her lips was quite beautiful. It was a very nice cherry-pink color, so she didn¡¯t need to paint them intorge red lips at all.


    In summary, the original Mu Jingzhe had made herself look ugly. Her looks wouldn¡¯t have been inferior to Mu Xue¡¯s if she had simply done nothing. However, she¡¯d had to imitate Mu Xue, and she had done a terrible job of it. She was a 7-8 in terms of attractiveness, but she had made herself into a negative number on a scale of 1 to 10.


    After Mu Jingzhe washed herself clean, she found herself much more pleasing to the eye. The only exception was¡­ her hair.


    After walking out of the town hospital, she found a haircut stall a short distance away.


    Mu Jingzhe nced around before sitting down. ¡°Boss, please cut my hair.¡±


    The old barber said, ¡°Lady, this is a barbershop for men.¡±


    ¡°I know, just act like you¡¯re cutting a guy¡¯s hair.¡± Mu Jingzhe pointed at the male celebrity poster on the ground that had yet to be pasted on the wall. ¡°Just cut my hair like that.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe returned to the ward, she was carrying a bowl of noodles, a bowl of dumplings, and three steamed buns.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat some noodles first. We¡¯ll go back after eating.¡±


    When Shao Qiyang saw that she hade back with food, his countenance got better. However, when he looked up, he was as dumbstruck as Shao Bei.


    ¡°You¡­ Your hair.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe set down the noodles. ¡°Mm, I just had my hair cut by an old barber.¡±


    Seeing that Shao Qiyang and Shao Bei were in a daze, she raised her eyebrows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I think it looks alright.¡±


    Shao Qiyang looked at Mu Jingzhe, who had changed into another person after going out for a while. It could even be said that Mu Jingzhe had been reborn. He was momentarily speechless.


    In the past, he had found Mu Jingzhe an eyesore. Why was she acting weird today? When she had raised her eyebrows just now, Shao Qiyang had even felt like he was looking at one of those male movie stars.


    He was startled.


    However, he had to admit that although she was beyond recognition, she was much more pleasing to the eye and looked way neater than before.


    This haircut was much better than the short hair she had sported previously.


    It was even kind of stunning.


    This was the charm of hairstyling. In modern times, many female celebrities who looked ordinary with long hair appeared stunning with short hair. Mu Jingzhe belonged in this category.


    Her facial features were well-defined, but her jawline was a little strong, so short hair suited her better, making her look energetic and beautiful.


    Mu Jingzhe was eating a steamed bun when she noticed someone looking at her. She looked over and saw Shao Bei staring at her.


    She had regained her energy, so the little girl¡¯s eyes were watery, bright, big, and ck. Her eyshes were long and curly, and her tiny mouth was pink and soft.


    In summary, she was pretty and adorable and she even had a pair of eyes that could talk.


    No wonder she would one day be Movie Queen Grand m, the big boss of the entertainment industry.


    In the end, she would be swallowed up by that industry. Even though she had great acting skills, her bad personality would lead her to make too many enemies. Later on, she wouldmit suicide because of a rtionship issue and would even be stripped naked after she died.


    As for the cause of this tragedy, it was that her ears had been damaged from a high fever when she was young, causing her to suffer from hearing loss for a few years.


    Fortunately, the tragedy had been avoided this time.


    On the way back, Shao Qiyang insisted on piggybacking Shao Bei. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t argue with him and followed him from a distance, pondering her future.


    Now that her husband was dead, she didn¡¯t have to worry about getting a divorce or anything. Otherwise, it would be difficult to settle things in this day and age.


    She couldn¡¯t very well return to her parents¡¯ home either.


    Firstly, the female protagonist, Mu Xue, was staying with the Mu Family. It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea for her to go back.


    Secondly, if a marrieddy returned to her family, she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to stay for long. In the end, she would definitely have to find someone else to marry.


    This was her second marriage. Besides, given her reputation, how could she possibly marry a good person?


    Instead, she might as well keep staying with the Shao Family.


    Unfortunately, because of her actions, the Shao Family didn¡¯t like her. She had offended everyone, and the children and her younger brother-inw were all very wary of her.


    However¡­ this was better than going back to her parents¡¯ home and remarrying. She hadn¡¯t gotten married in her previous lifetime, and she didn¡¯t want to do it in this lifetime either.


    She had to get used to the environment first. As a modern woman, she had to use this opportunity to walk out and fight for her career.


    Why not just walk out now? Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    There was currently a barrier between the viges and cities that wasn¡¯t so easy to break through.


    There was a limited amount of work in the city too. With so many people in the city waiting to get jobs, it would be difficult for her to find work. Even lodging and food would be a problem. Thus, the best solution was to stay and n this slowly.


    However, by choosing to stay, it was unavoidable that she would have to bear the responsibility of taking care of those five children.


    It took a lot of effort to raise a child. Raising one was hard enough, let alone five.


    An ordinary person would definitely cower, especially someone who had never been married or raised any children. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem for Mu Jingzhe.


    She didn¡¯t know how to be a mother, but she knew how to be an elder sister and take care of a child.


    Ever since she was young, the first thing she had learned was to take care of children.


    As an orphan who had grown up in an orphanage, she had taken care of countless younger children there. As she had grown up, her ability to take care of them had improved.


    Even after she had entered society, this hadn¡¯t stopped. It had gone on intermittently. Including the ones closest to her, she had helped raise more than 30 younger children at the orphanage in total. These five absolutely wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Anyway, kids grew up fast, and before one knew it, they were all grown up. She had brought up batch after batch of little kids, so taking care of five children wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her. The two older ones were already seven years old. They would grow up in no time.


    The only problem was that they were really smart and would be viins when they grew up.


    Could she lead them down the right path?

 Chapter 3

    <h4>Chapter 3: Severely Injured</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Leading them down the right path was easier said than done. It was difficult even to help one child, let alone five.


    They were quite young and weren¡¯t in a good situation, but Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t belittle them just because they were pitiful and young. She easily made the decision to attempt to guide them to the right path.


    As an old Chinese saying goes, one can tell how one¡¯s adulthood will turn out by the time one is three years old. The oldest, Shao Dong and Shao Xi, were already seven years old, Shao Nan and Shao Bei were five years old, while Shao Zhong was three.


    Many personality traits had already formed. They had suffered through many hardships and difficulties, so some things had already nted seeds in them and sprouted.


    <i>You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re going to guide them now?</i>


    <i>Oh please, don¡¯t be so naive.</i>


    Even if the children¡¯s biological parents attempted this, it would be difficult for them, let alone for her, who the children loathed and were wary of.


    In the past, whenever the younger kids at the orphanage had been disobedient or done bad things, she had scolded them and even punished them to teach them a lesson. But these children?


    It was hard to be a stepmother, and she would probably die faster if she beat or scolded them.


    If she did that, they would probably take revenge when they grew up.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare underestimate the five children. She treated them as equals, so she was very cautious.


    After thinking about it, she decided to stay and bear the responsibility of taking care of them. She would protect them and prevent others from bullying them.


    As for guiding them onto the right path, she would try to do so when possible but wouldn¡¯t force it. She would usually mind her own business and be their temporary mother or nanny.


    If she had to be their nanny, so be it. A grown woman could adapt to the circumstances. This was what she should do after choosing to stay.


    When she found a way to leave Great Eastern Vige and had her own ie and career, she would leave.


    She wouldn¡¯t ask for anything else. It would be fine as long as they didn¡¯t take revenge on her in the future.


    Yes, that was all for now.


    With that thought in mind, Mu Jingzhe quickly got into character. ¡°Shao Qiyang, let me carry her for a while.¡±


    Shao Qiyang was also an important figure she needed to improve her rtionship with. She needed to change his impression of her. Right now, Shao Qiyang was the one supporting her and these five children. In short, he was the boss.


    As a qualified employee, she had to know how to share her boss¡¯ burden.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled at Shao Bei. ¡°Little Bei, can I carry you?¡±


    Shao Bei wrapped her arms around Shao Qiyang¡¯s neck tightly, using her actions to prove that she hadn¡¯t forgotten that the original Mu Jingzhe had secretly pinched her.


    Shao Qiyang nced at her. ¡°No need.¡±


    He had decidedst night that he would kick her out today.


    However, she had just helped take Little Bei to the hospitalst night. It seemed a little heartless to make her go back today.


    So¡­ Tomorrow, maybe. He decided he would kick her out tomorrow.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had no idea Shao Qiyang was preupied with thoughts of kicking her out, nodded obediently and told herself that she had to listen to whatever her boss said.


    At noon, the two of them finally returned to Great Eastern Vige.


    They met quite a few vigers at the vige entrance. Some of them were even holdingrge bowls, squatting or sitting down to eat. At the sight of the trio, they all greeted them and asked where they had been.


    Their eyes were filled with gossip fever.


    Shao Qiyang answered them, while Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything and just smiled throughout the whole process.


    Everyone stared repeatedly at her hair to confirm her gender.


    ¡°Why does this girl look familiar? Shao Qiyang, is that your partner?¡± an auntie asked, looking at Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s face instantly flushed. ¡°Auntie, this is my second sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°Your second sister-inw? Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    The original Mu Jingzhe had ruined her appearance so badly that everyone had forgotten what she looked like normally.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right, Auntie. It¡¯s me.¡±


    At the revtion that she was Mu Jingzhe, everyone¡¯s expressions turned from curious to awkward and disdainful.


    ¡°Why is your hair cut like a man¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more convenient this way,¡± Mu Jingzhe replied.


    The auntie¡¯s gaze on Mu Jingzhe changed again and was now filled with suspicion. She regretted saying those words earlier. She was afraid that if Mu Jingzhe made a fuss or cried, it would attract the attention of that shrew, Li Zhaodi, who would thene out to scold her.


    This was also the reason why no one in the vige said anything bad about Mu Jingzhe in front of her, no matter what she did or how ugly she looked. The mother-and-daughter duo was unreasonable.


    Unexpectedly, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t cry or make a scene. Her tone seemed to have changed as well, and there was an indescribable gentleness in her expression.


    They didn¡¯t know what the word ¡®disposition¡¯ meant, so they only felt that Mu Jingzhe seemed to have changed.


    While they were still in shock, Mu Jingzhe left.


    After she left, the vige exploded into a discussion about how she had changed.


    The short-haired Mu Jingzhe had be the most unique sight in the vige.


    However, they had only said a few words before calming down. After all, she had been even weirder before.


    Now that her hair was so short, it somehow looked quite pleasing to the eye.


    They had looked at Mu Jingzhe, and Mu Jingzhe had also looked at them. The way the people of Great Eastern Vige were dressed had made Mu Jingzhe feel as though she were looking at old photos from the 1980s.


    In order to avoid arousing suspicion, she kept a distance from Shao Qiyang as they walked.


    This made Shao Qiyang heave a sigh of relief.


    Mu Jingzhe was also happy enough to rx.


    In the rural areas in the 1980s, the air had been clear and fresh, but it was poor.


    Half of the families in the vige had tiled houses, but there were also many thatched houses.


    Walking from the vige entrance, they passed by very few good houses until they reached the Shao Family.


    Initially, the Shao Family had also been poor. It was only when the second son, Shao Qihai, had joined the army and received an allowance that their situation had gradually improved.


    Now, the Shao Family had built a new house next to the old, dpidated house. There was a big yard with a regryout and arge tile-roofed house with walls. It all looked very grand.


    However, the big house was now upied by the eldest branch of the Shao Family. Shao Dong and his siblings didn¡¯t have the chance to stay there. Even Shao Qiyang only stayed in the old house beside it.


    As Mu Jingzhe was looking at the two houses that stood there in stark contrast, she heard a crying voicee from the old house.


    The children of the eldest branch of the Shao Family hade to snatch Shao Dong and his siblings¡¯ things again.


    The names of the eldest-branch children were also easy to remember. They were Fu, Lu, Shou, and?X¨«<sup>1</sup>. There were three elder brothers and one younger sister.


    The contrast between the two groups of children was obvious. The four children from the eldest branch of the Shao Family were wearing new cotton clothes. The eldest, Shao Fu, had turned 12 years old that year. He ate very well and looked like a calf. His younger brothers were also much sturdier than their cousins.


    On the other side, Shao Dong and the others were all wearing old cotton clothes. Compared to them, they were scrawny, small, and miserable-looking.


    ¡°Give it to me! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll beat you to death.¡±


    ¡°No, my mother left this for me.¡±


    Shao Lu had taken a fancy to Shao Xi¡¯sic book, but this time, Shao Xi wouldn¡¯t let go no matter what.


    After all, theic book had been given to him by his dead mother.


    The children from the eldest branch, who were used to being domineering, were very unhappy when they heard that. ¡°Your mother died a long time ago. Your father died too.¡±


    While Fu, Lu, and Shou fought with Dong, Nan, and Xi, the youngest, Shao X¨«, didn¡¯t join the fight. Instead, she was hitting Shao Zhong on the side, calling him ¡®mute¡¯ and ¡®b*stard¡¯ as she did so.


    Though she was usually not good with words, she was very articte when it came to scolding people.


    ....


    Meanwhile, in the basement of a house in the suburbs of the neighboring province¡­


    There was a single bed with some medical equipment beside it in the cramped room. A man was lying on the bed. He had wheat-colored skin, sharp eyebrows, and a high nose bridge and he looked rather handsome. However, his eyes were closed, and his face was pale. He looked haggard.


    The short-haired man leaning on his crutch beside the bed cast an anxious look at him before raising his head to address the doctor who was diagnosing his condition.


    ¡°Doctor, why isn¡¯t he awake yet? He¡¯s been unconscious for a really long time.¡±


    ¡°His injuries are too severe. It¡¯s already a miracle that he¡¯s still alive.¡± The doctor shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

 Chapter 4

    <h4>Chapter 4: Strong As An Ox</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Qiyang was at the door, so he happened to hear the children of the eldest branch scolding the five kids.


    He was so angry that his face turned green. Shao Fu, who hadn¡¯t seen Shao Qiyang, used his ultimate move to threaten Shao Xi. ¡°If you don¡¯t give it to me, I¡¯ll get Grandma to kick you out. This is our house. If you don¡¯t give it to me, I won¡¯t let you stay here anymore.¡±


    As he took advantage of Shao Dong and the rest, who halted, a smug look shed past Shao Fu¡¯s eyes. He was about to hit them when¡­


    ¡°Stop it.¡±


    Shao Qiyang then said with a sullen expression on his face, ¡°Shao Lu, return Little Xi hisic book.¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Shao Lu refused to give in. ¡°Why can¡¯t I take hisic book when they¡¯re living in our house?¡±


    ¡°Who taught you to speak like this?¡± Shao Qiyang was furious.


    Mu Jingzhe nced at him and got straight to the point. ¡°If you don¡¯t want them to stay in your house, then return their house to them.¡±


    ¡°Since when do they have a house?¡± Shao Lu asked in turn.


    Mu Jingzhe pointed at the imposing new house next door. ¡°It¡¯s the house you¡¯re living in now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our house!¡± Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« retorted angrily.


    ¡°So you¡¯re living in your family¡¯s house? That house was built with Shao Dong¡¯s father¡¯s allowance. It has nothing to do with you. You shamelessly lived in their good house and gave this lousy house to them to live in, yet you even dare sound so self-righteous?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, you guys are the ones who borrowed the house. If you¡¯re not happy, return the house to them. They don¡¯t even care about your lousy house.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe startled everyone with her words.


    This was the first time Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« heard this. Though they were furious, they felt guilty for some reason when they saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression.


    ¡°No way, that¡¯s our house.¡±


    ¡°Ask your third uncle if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Mu Jingzhe pointed at Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang was silent. What Mu Jingzhe had said was an undeniable truth.


    This made Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« feel uneasy. They were used to being the tyrants of the vige and unting their big house. Now, it had suddenly been revealed that the house didn¡¯t belong to them?


    Shao Lu was about to lose his temper when he heard a sounding from the room Shao Qiyang was staying in.


    ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took two steps forward. ¡°Who is it? Who¡¯s inside?¡±


    No one answered.


    Shao Fu and Shao Lu looked at each other and didn¡¯t speak. Shao Nan nced at them and suddenly said, ¡°It must be a thief.¡±


    A thief?


    Shao Qiyang was stunned and found it a little strange, but Mu Jingzhe had already reacted.


    ¡°A thief?¡± Her expression changed. ¡°Hide behind me!¡±


    She picked up an old spade and stepped forward.


    ¡°You inside the house, you¡¯re surrounded. If you know what¡¯s good for you,e out with your head in your hands. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be polite.¡±


    No sound came from inside.


    ¡°If you don¡¯te out soon, I¡¯ll break the door.¡±


    The person inside stammered and made some noises, but they didn¡¯t speak properly.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. With so many children in the house, it would be terrible if they got injured or something. And this thief wasn¡¯ting out when he was told to?


    Shao Qiyang felt that something was amiss and was about to stop Mu Jingzhe. However, he suddenly saw her lift her leg and kick.


    With a bang, the sturdy new door that had been previously put in ce to keep out Mu Jingzhe was kicked open.


    Kicked open¡­


    It opened¡­


    Shao Qiyang and the nine children in the courtyard were stunned.


    Mu Jingzhe raised her iron spade and charged in. ¡°Let¡¯s see where you will run to.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t hit me, it¡¯s me! It¡¯s me!¡±


    A familiar voice was heard in the room. This time, it was trembling.


    After a wave of dust, everyone saw a horrified-looking Zhao Lan, who had nearly been smashed by the door, as well as Mu Jingzhe, who was still carrying the iron spade.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s face turned green, and her lips turned pale. She was truly scared out of her wits.


    She rubbed her chest and red at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡±


    It was her mother-inw, Zhao Lan.


    ¡°Why were you hiding here quietly?¡±


    ¡°Who says I was hiding quietly?¡± Zhao Lan retorted. Just as she was about to say something, she saw the door on the ground and then the iron spade in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and shut her mouth abruptly.


    Since when had Mu Jingzhe be so strong? Or had the door decayed?


    Shao Qiyang withdrew his gaze from the broken wooden door with difficulty and furrowed his brows as he looked at Zhao Lan.


    ¡°Mom, why are you here?¡±


    He scanned the room with his gaze and saw obvious signs of chaos.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s expression turned even uglier. Without even asking, he knew that she was there to look for his sry again.


    He was now a temporary worker at the post office, so he received a smaller sry than a permanent staff member. It was very hard on him, yet Zhao Lan had to take all his sry.


    When Shao Qihai had passed away, Shao Qiyang had said that he had to raise his nephews and niece, so he had stopped giving his sry to Zhao Lan. He hadn¡¯t expected Zhao Lan toe straight to his room and rummage through his belongings for it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said this a few times already. I have to keep my sry for the next two months to pay for Little Dong and the other kids¡¯ tuition fees. School is starting soon.¡±


    Among the four children¡ªDong, Nan, Xi, and Bei¡ªthe older two were in second grade, while the younger two were in first grade.


    ¡°Of course I know school is starting. You can just ask me for the money when the timees.¡± Zhao Lan was determined to get the money.


    Shao Qiyang and Shao Dong looked at her without saying anything. Neither of them believed that she would hand over the money as promised.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s pockets had always been empty, and she only took and never gave.


    When Zhao Lan saw that Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t saying anything, she turned around and scolded Shao Bei. ¡°Why was she taken to the hospital when she was merely feeling hot? The money for the hospital fees would be enough to pay for her tuition fees. She¡¯s just a girl. Why send her to school when she will get married eventually when she grows up? You might as well save the money and get a wife¡­¡±


    Shao Bei was unhappy to hear that. She was about to say that she was a good student and ask why she couldn¡¯t go to school, but Shao Nan stopped her.


    As Shao Nan lowered his eyes, a hint of mockery that didn¡¯t match his age flickered across them. He stopped Shao Bei from arguing unnecessarily lest she got beaten up.


    Anyway, it was good enough that their tuition fees hadn¡¯t been stolen.


    Although Shao Nan hadn¡¯t seen Zhao Lan enter the house, he had guessed that it was her. He¡¯d been afraid that their tuition fees would be taken away, so he had deliberately suggested there was a thief in the house.


    He wasn¡¯t lying. After all, his grandmother, Zhao Lan, was indeed a thief in his eyes.


    Unexpectedly, he had gained quite a lot from iming there was a thief.


    Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe. She had been the biggest surprise today.


    Mu Jingzhe, who hadn¡¯t noticed Shao Nan¡¯s gaze, stared at the unceasing Zhao Lan and frowned impatiently.


    She was most afraid of this kind of nagging. Hearing it made her want to hit someone.


    Mu Jingzhe raised her foot and stomped on the door, causing it to crack.


    ¡°So noisy.¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s entire body stiffened. Only then did she remember that this jinx was still there. This unlucky woman even had designs on her third son.


    As she was looking at thepletely ruined door, Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t even be bothered to look at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair and notice the change in her appearance.


    ¡°How¡­ How dare you call me noisy? I¡¯m your mother-inw.¡±


    Zhao Lan spoke in an incredibly weak tone. It was as if she was apletely different person from the woman who¡¯d kept calling the original Mu Jingzhe a jinx after Shao Qihai¡¯s death.


    ¡°What does this have to do with you being my mother-inw?¡± Mu Jingzhe nced at her and said, ¡°Other than the tuition fees and books, we still have to buy clothes, shoes, and exercise books when school starts.


    ¡°Their uncle is paying for their tuition fees, so you should be in charge of the clothes, shoes, and exercise books. Right, mother-inw? You didn¡¯t buy them for the new year because you wanted to buy them before school starts, right?¡±


    Since Zhao Lan had shown up of her own ord, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t going to let her off easily.

 Chapter 5

    <h4>Chapter 5: I Don¡¯t Have Any Designs On You</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Zhao Lan was famous for being biased in the book. She¡¯d epted Shao Qihai¡¯s allowance but only treated the children of the eldest branch well.


    The money that was supposed to be used on Shao Dong and his siblings was all used on Shao Fu and the rest. Shao Dong and his siblings had suffered a lot and were dressed in rags. On the other hand, the children of the eldest branch wore new clothes and ate extremely well.


    Mu Jingzhe looked coldly at Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«¡¯s fat faces and clothes.


    Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t expected to be asked for money when she¡¯de to ask for money. Her face turned red when she heard that. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Just as she was about to curse, she saw Mu Jingzhe wave the iron spear in her hand with an enigmatic smile.


    Zhao Lan instantly gulped down her words. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe looked like she was about to attack at any moment, she took two steps back and swallowed her saliva.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be responsible for that, but I don¡¯t have any money. All the money was used up to build the house, and Qihai suddenly passed away¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan ran away afterining about having no money.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« followed her closely. Judging from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze, these four sensitive children felt like she mighte up and rip off their new clothes at any moment.


    Mu Jingzhe retracted her gaze regretfully.


    She didn¡¯t make a move, mainly because she thought their clothes were dirty since they had worn them before. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t give them to Shao Dong and the others.


    She turned around and met Shao Qiyang and the five children¡¯s gazes. Finally, she looked at the door.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Silently hiding the iron spade behind her, she said, ¡°This door is a little decayed. It would be a good idea to rece it.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°I just changed my door a few days ago.¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t been lifted by her after his fall on the way, he would have believed it.


    Mu Jingzhe paused for a moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m actually a little strong.¡±


    ¡°A little?¡± More like a lot, huh.


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°Yeah, a little.¡±


    Her original strength, which was as powerful as a bull¡¯s strength, hade with her when she¡¯d transmigrated.


    She was about to step forward to destroy the evidence when Shao Qiyang, who was in front of her, suddenly took a step back, wanting to stay as far away from her as possible. There was wariness in his eyes, as if she was a pervert who would pounce on him at any time.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    This made her feel very displeased.


    The original Mu Jingzhe had wanted to seduce her brother-inw, but she didn¡¯t have that intention. Mu Jingzhe said directly, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about some serious business in private.¡±


    Shao Qiyang reluctantly agreed. Upon seeing him nod, Shao Dong led his younger siblings away without having to be asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m only treating you as my younger brother-inw. Please don¡¯t get the wrong idea.¡± Mu Jingzhe got straight to the point.


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Was that a misunderstanding? Why was her behavior so tant then?


    Mu Jingzhe pointed at the broken door. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at this door? If I really wanted to do something, do you think this door would be able to stop me? I could just tear it down easily.¡±


    Shao Qiyang was almost convinced before he saw the floral dress Mu Jingzhe was wearing.


    His expression froze.


    Mu Jingzhe looked down and saw the floral dress that she hadn¡¯t had the time to change out ofst night.


    Uh¡­ This was the dress that the original Mu Jingzhe had stolen from Mu Xue. After finding out that her younger brother-inw and Mu Xue seemed to have a thing, the original Mu Jingzhe had stolen it the previous night and worn it. She¡¯d then imitated Mu Xue¡¯s voice and tried to trick Shao Qiyang into opening the door.


    This was awkward. It was akin to iming to be innocent before the evidence was destroyed.


    Mu Jingzhe pretended not to see it. ¡°Don¡¯t doubt me. To be honest, if I really wanted you to be something other than my younger brother-inw, would you be able to stop me?¡±


    <i>Couldn¡¯t I just force myself on you? Would you be able to break free?</i>


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes widened, and his face turned red. ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡±


    He was so shocked that he was at a loss for words. This was the first time he had heard such wordse from a woman¡¯s mouth, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to retort.


    After all, it seemed to be true.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s face instantly turned into an entire color palette.


    He should have been relieved and happy after rifying the matter, but the way she was going about it made him unable to feel happy.


    Shao Qiyang was angry, embarrassed, and hateful.


    While he was feeling embarrassed, Mu Jingzhe had already gone to the kitchen to prepare dinner. The children should be hungry by now.


    When she entered the kitchen, she realized that Shao Dong had already turned on the stove.


    ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t burn yourself.¡± Mu Jingzhe hurriedly cautioned him.


    Shao Dong looked at her speechlessly.


    Mu Jingzhe instantly felt embarrassed, for Shao Dong started the fire to cook every day. He had even learned how to cook, and there were many burns on his hands.


    It had only been three months since Shao Qihai¡¯s death, but these children had gone through all kinds of hardships.


    Mu Jingzhe retracted her gaze and said, ¡°I¡¯ll cook. You guys go out and y for now.¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t say anything and silently took his younger siblings out. Mu Jingzhe spoke again with her back facing them.


    ¡°In the future, if Shao Fu and the rest want to cause you trouble again, don¡¯t fight with them. They are older than you. If you fight with them, you will be at a disadvantage. Look for me instead.¡±


    She would take care of it. She didn¡¯t have a bottom line that held her back from hitting children, as some children were worse than adults.


    Shao Dong turned around and nced at Mu Jingzhe. He thought to himself that he wasn¡¯t always the one to lose after a confrontation. And even if he suffered a loss, he would take revenge.


    When Fu, Lu, and Shou went to school or went to y, they would often get beaten up by their peers on the way. Eldest Aunt scolded the perpetrators a lot, but it was useless. Every once in a while, they would be beaten up.


    Even now, they still didn¡¯t know that this was Shao Dong borrowing someone else¡¯s hand to take revenge.


    Lunch was ready in no time because Mu Jingzhe whipped up two simple dishes¡ªChinese dough knot soup and a carrot pancake.


    She wanted to make a sumptuous meal, but there were no ingredients for her to work with.


    The seven of them sat around the dining table and ate. After the first bite, their eyes lit up.


    Delicious.


    The few of them increased their eating speed.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, as it had been a long time since they had eaten such delicious food.


    Previously, whenever Shao Dong had cooked, because he was really young and the ingredients were limited, they¡¯d frequently eaten gruel.


    As for Mu Jingzhe, she had been relying on herself since she was young, so it had been necessary for her to learn how to cook. After she¡¯d been cooking for a long time, her culinary skills had developed, so even if she cooked simple food, it tasted good.


    The few of them buried their heads in their food. There was no sound at the dining table.


    Even the youngest, Shao Zhong, obediently ate by himself. Because he couldn¡¯t use the chopsticks very well, in the end, he simply lowered his head and kept drinking the soup.


    Mu Jingzhe broke the carrot pancake into pieces and ced a bowl in front of him.


    Shao Zhong secretly nced at Mu Jingzhe and hesitated for a moment before eating.


    He was three years old this year. His facial features were exquisite as a doll¡¯s, but he was very thin and he appeared filthy.


    Even now, he still didn¡¯t know how to speak, nor did he know how to scream in pain or cry. Hence, he was despised and ignored. He would usually follow his older siblings around like an invisible person.


    Even so, there were some differences between them, as he and his siblings didn¡¯t have the same mother.


    They all had straight ck hair, but his hair was curly and a little yellow. In modern times, with his naturally curly locks, he wouldn¡¯t have to dye or perm his hair and would save a lot of money. However, in this day and age, everyone said that his yellow hair was weird and called him a mute bastard.


    Feeling Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze on him, Shao Zhong lowered his head even more until he was almost under the table.


    Mu Jingzhe shifted away her gaze and sized up the others.


    On the whole, they were all beautiful, but¡­ they were really thin. Their clothes were dirty and torn, and they looked malnourished.


    Even though she was just a temporary mother, she had to feed them well and keep them warm.


    Mu Jingzhe only had one thought when she saw that there was no soup left in the pot of Chinese dough knot soup.


    <i>No, we can¡¯t go on like this. It might be okay for adults, but kids need nourishment while growing up. I have to think of something.</i>

 Chapter 6

    <h4>Chapter 6: New Clothes</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Is there anything cheaper?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked the stall owner with a frown.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing cheaper than this, girl. Look at the quality and design. This is already the lowest price.¡±


    The boss gestured to point out the strong points of those clothes to Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t show it, but she deep down wanted to say that the quality and style were really average.


    Even so, she couldn¡¯t afford this.


    At the moment, Mu Jingzhe was in the town market. This time, she hade with the mission to buy clothes and school supplies for the children.


    Although Mu Jingzhe had said those words to Zhao Lan that day, Shao Qiyang had also heard her. Despite being worried, he was too busy, so he could only ask Mu Jingzhe to help him buy the items.


    The n to kick Mu Jingzhe out could only be postponed.


    He gave the rest of his money to Mu Jingzhe, but it was still not enough for the children to buy new clothes.


    Upon seeing that the boss didn¡¯t n on budging on the price and looking at the quality and style, Mu Jingzhe decisively gave up.


    This was her fifth day in this world.


    The past two days had been quite peaceful. Shao Qiyang left early in the morning and returned from workte at night. He would leave the house before dawn, leaving only her and the five children at home.


    Because she only took care of them, cooked for them, washed their clothes, and thought of ways to grow some vegetables, everything had been fine in the past few days.


    Mu Jingzhe observed as she looked around, then went to buy the necessary textbooks, pencils, rubbers, rulers, and other things written on Shao Dong¡¯s note.


    She had asked Shao Dong what he needed to buy when school reopened. Shao Dong still wouldn¡¯t say a word, but he had given her this piece of paper that clearly listed the items and the amount needed.


    Although he was only in second grade, Shao Dong¡¯s handwriting was excellent. After the boss read it, he said that it would be even better if he practiced his handwriting further.


    Unfortunately¡­ There was no money.


    They didn¡¯t even have the money to buy a brush and ink.


    ¡°I have to find a way to earn money as soon as possible.¡±


    After walking around the market, Mu Jingzhe finally entered the fabric shop.


    Compared to ready-made clothes, fabric was rtively cheaper.


    Not everyone knew how to make clothes, but Mu Jingzhe did. Coincidentally, a sewing machine had been included in her dowry.


    After returning home that day, Mu Jingzhe closed the door and got busy.


    Very soon, the first day of school arrived. Shao Dong woke up early and was about to take out his washed clothes to put them on when there was a knock on the door.


    Shao Dong opened the door and saw Mu Jingzhe.


    She was holding a stack of clothes in her hands. ¡°Little Dong, these are the clothes I made for you guys. Your names are on the pockets. You can wear them to see if they fit you. I also sewed a simple school bag. You can use that for the time being.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t blind. She could tell how old their school bags were.


    Shao Dong looked at the new clothes in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands and was stunned for the first time.


    He was used to people treating them badly. It had been like this since he could remember. Now that he was suddenly being treated nicely, he didn¡¯t know how to react.


    He didn¡¯t move. Mu Jingzhe could only exin. ¡°They are all new.¡±


    Shao Dong came back to his senses and quickly took the clothes. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    These clothes were new. It had been a long time since he¡¯d gotten to wear new clothes.


    In the early years, when their father woulde back to visit the family, Shao Dong and the kids would wear new clothes that didn¡¯t fit for a few days. When his father left, they would no longer be theirs. They would look forward to their fathering back every day so that they could wear new clothes and feel full.


    However, their Dad would onlye back once a year.


    Later, his father would finally return home and buy new clothes for them. However, he would be too busy to care. After he left, the new clothes would be snatched by the kids next door again.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to receive new clothes again today.


    When school reopened that day, the four children of the Shao Family, who used to be the most pitiful and often wore patched clothes, were in the limelight.


    That was because the four of them had changed into new clothes with designs the vige didn¡¯t have.


    Although Shao Dong and Shao Xi were thin, they were already seven years old, so they were little adults. Thus, Mu Jingzhe had made them long-sleeved shirts and vests.


    The doubleyered vests could keep them warm but were suitable to be worn in spring. When the weather got warmer, they could just take off the vests and wear their shirts.


    The shirts and vests were both casual, but they were indescribably beautiful and exquisite, fully entuating the boys¡¯ true appearance and vigor.


    The duo¡¯s features were simr, but their temperament waspletely different.


    If Shao Dong was the cool guy, then Shao Xi, who had been born so fair that he didn¡¯t look like a child from the countryside, was like a little prince in a fairy tale.


    Shao Nan and Shao Bei wore checkered clothes. Shao Nan had a jacket that appeared extraordinary despite its simple design.


    Using the same fabric, she had made Shao Bei a Korean-style shirt with a doll cor.


    Inbination with her beautiful braids and hair, she could be considered the most eye-catching girl in school.


    The four children attracted everyone¡¯s attention the moment they appeared on the shabby campus.


    They involuntarily straightened their backs, their eyes filled with confidence.


    This was the happiest day of Shao Bei¡¯s life. Everyone surrounded her, looking at her clothes, school bag, braids, and hair ornament. All her ssmates envied her as if she was a little princess.


    She used to be the one who envied others.


    Although she was only five years old, she loved to look pretty. Of course, she liked to be praised by everyone. Right now, she couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    On the way back from school in the afternoon, Shao Bei couldn¡¯t help jumping up and down as she walked. She kept talking about how everyone had praised her and even asionallyplimented Mu Jingzhe.


    At first, Shao Xi was still smiling as he listened, but he gradually stopped smiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a set of clothes, and all she did wasb your hair. You like her that much just because of that?¡±


    Shao Bei didn¡¯t notice anything unusual about her second brother. ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s not that I like her very much, but she is really great at braiding hair.¡±


    Shao Bei¡¯s hair had previously beenbed by Shao Xi, who only knew how to bunch it up into a ponytail that wasn¡¯t even all that smooth. Although he tried his best to be careful, he still hurt Shao Bei every time.


    This morning, Mu Jingzhe had helped herb her hair. It hadn¡¯t hurt at all, and she¡¯d even braided her hair, a hairstyle Shao Bei had never seen before. On top of that, she¡¯d also adorned her hair with a gorgeous hair ornament.


    ¡°Second Brother, you don¡¯t have tob my hair for me anymore. Let her do it for me.¡±


    Seeing that their home was just up ahead, Shao Bei sped up and ran over.


    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed. Wash your hands and eat.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had slowly corrected the four children¡¯s hygiene habits and taught them to wash their hands before eating.


    Shao Zhong was a step slower as he ran to wash his hands with his siblings.


    He was also wearing new clothes.


    Like his two older brothers, he was wearing a small vest, except he also had a hat that made him look rather adorable.


    Usually, when his siblings went to school, he would follow them there. Every day, he would y at the school gate and wait for his siblings to finish their sses.


    This time, he hadn¡¯t gone because he was wearing new clothes and was afraid of dirtying them.


    Happy Shao Bei couldn¡¯t help but ask Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Auntie, do you know how to braid hair in other ways?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Jingzhe knew how to create many different hairstyles. ¡°I¡¯ll tie your hair in a different way tomorrow.¡±


    There was finally some noise at the dining table, and the family atst started looking like a family with five children. The atmosphere was just right, so Shao Xi used this opportunity to continue the conversation.


    ¡°Did you make the clothes? Why did you decide to make clothes for us?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s voice was filled with curiosity, but his eyes had a calmness about them that didn¡¯t match his age.


    Shao Xi would one day be a future famous author, literary giant, and media big boss who would control public opinion.


    He had seen the worst of human nature, so he didn¡¯t believe that Mu Jingzhe would treat them well for no reason.


    Mu Jingzhe was silent for a moment before giving the most genuine answer. ¡°I made them. I wanted to buy them, but it was expensive.¡±


    <i>Most importantly, I couldn¡¯t afford them, dear.</i>

 Chapter 7

    <h4>Chapter 7: Have to Get a Check-Up</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    She had made them because it was expensive to buy them?


    The answer stunned Shao Xi for a moment. He had thought that Mu Jingzhe would at least say something to make them feel grateful, but it turned out to be that simple?


    Mu Jingzhe nced at him. If not, what?


    She stopped talking and frowned as if something was bothering her.


    After dinner, Shao Dong hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, ¡°Is there¡­ something wrong?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong in surprise. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. ¡°There is something indeed. I¡¯ll tell you about it after I give it some thought.¡±


    In the morning, Shao Zhong had been afraid of dirtying his clothes, so he¡¯d sat obediently on the chair without moving, his eyes following Mu Jingzhe as she¡¯d busied herself.


    He¡¯d only gone out to pick up Shao Dong and the others when their ss had been about to end.


    Unexpectedly, when Mu Jingzhe hade out again, she had seen Shao Zhong climbing up the apricot tree, swaying unsteadily with his arms wrapped around the tree trunk.


    If Mu Jingzhe hade out a littleter, his arms would have given way and he would have fallen off.


    If he¡¯d fallen from such a height, he might have broken his limbs or even died.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe had carried him down thedder.


    She had felt so startled that she¡¯d broken out in a cold sweat. The apricots weren¡¯t ripe yet, and Shao Zhong wasn¡¯t a mischievous kid. He should have some reason for climbing up the tree, but even if she asked him, he wouldn¡¯t answer.


    Earlier on, he¡¯d nearly been unable to hold on and had found himself in a perilous situation. Because he couldn¡¯t make a sound, something terrible had nearly happened.


    After Shao Zhong gave her that scare, Mu Jingzhe had to change her ns.


    As Mu Jingzhe thought about this matter, someone came to the door.


    It was a woman from the same vige that rarely visited.


    ¡°Sister, please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe, don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡± The woman reluctantly retracted her gaze from the children. ¡°My Little Yue said that your children¡¯s clothes are really nice. I thought it was strange and thought she was exaggerating, but I¡¯ve never seen such clothes on the street before.¡±


    ¡°I made them.¡±


    ¡°Really? No wonder.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard this. She then said, sounding a little embarrassed, ¡°I just heard that Little Bei¡¯s hair ornament was made by you too. I wanted to ask if you could help me make a pair for my girl.¡±


    She was too embarrassed to ask for it directly, so she pulled five eggs out of her pocket. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else in my house that¡¯s good enough. Just¡­¡±


    Eggs?


    Mu Jingzhe raised her eyebrows and nodded readily. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make the ornaments for you in the afternoon and bring them over.¡±


    Exchanging two hair ornaments for five eggs wasn¡¯t a bad deal. The five children would each get one.


    After that woman came another old woman. She was also there because of the hair ornament.


    She took out fifty cents instead of eggs.


    Ornaments were sold at about the same price outside, just like five eggs.


    When it came to prices, most of the vigers were well-versed.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected that the hair ornament she had made casually would be so popr.


    Since business came knocking on her door, there was no reason for her to refuse. Mu Jingzhe epted it without any hesitation.


    The third guest soon arrived. This one didn¡¯t want a hair ornament. She wanted Mu Jingzhe to braid her hair.


    The little girl was in Little Bei¡¯s ss. In the morning, everyone had been envious of Little Bei and even asked her if she could get Mu Jingzhe to braid their hair for them.


    Although Little Bei was a little hesitant, she had agreed because she wanted to save face.


    Upon seeing that her ssmate had really shown up, Little Bei nervously looked at Mu Jingzhe, afraid that she wouldn¡¯t agree. She didn¡¯t expect Mu Jingzhe to smile and nod.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was easy to talk to and finished braiding the little girl¡¯s hair after a few strokes. The hairstyle was beautiful andpletely different from Little Bei¡¯s.


    Soon, Little Bei and the little girl started ying together. The little girl¡¯s mother gave Mu Jingzhe a bunch of vegetables to thank her.


    This was how the vige worked¡ªthe vigers helped each other and reciprocated. Mu Jingzhe epted it.


    After a while, when Shao Dong and the others were about to go to school, Zhao Lan arrived.


    Shao Dong and his siblings had been in the limelight at school that day. Shao Fu and his siblings had also set their sights on their clothes and bag. Just like they usually did, they asked their grandma to help them get them.


    They were used to snatching things from Shao Dong and his siblings.


    Shao Dong and his siblings, who looked like they had been reborn, made Zhao Lan involuntarily think of the daughter-inw who looked down on her, and her expression became even uglier.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re from the city? Is that why you¡¯re dressing like this? You don¡¯t look like vige kids at all. Hurry up and take these off.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s face was cold, and he didn¡¯t speak or move. When Shao Zhong saw Shao X¨«, he clenched his hands tightly and his eyes turned slightly red. Shao X¨« had lied to him again.


    Shao X¨« had seen Shao Zhong the moment he¡¯d gone out in the morning. Upon seeing him in those new clothes, she¡¯d wanted him to take them off. He had refused to give in and ended up getting hit a few times.


    Later on, Shao X¨« had forced him to pluck apricots for her. She had threatened to get Zhao Lan toe over to snatch his clothes if he didn¡¯t.


    In the past, Shao X¨« had frequently bullied Shao Zhong because he didn¡¯t know how to speak. In order to protect his clothes, Shao Zhong had plucked the apricots for her. However, Shao X¨« had directly moved the stool away and left Shao Zhong on the tree.


    Now, Grandma was here to snatch their clothes.


    Besides Shao Zhong, the other children were also unhappy. No one made a sound or moved.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Take them off quickly.¡±


    Zhao Lan grabbed Shao Dong impatiently, ready to hit him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stood expressionlessly at the kitchen door.


    Her tone was neither hurried nor impatient, nor did she deliberately raise her voice, but Zhao Lan somehow detected a hint of danger.


    Recalling that she was at the door, she calmed down and retracted her hand. ¡°Where did you get these clothes?¡±


    ¡°I made them.¡± Mu Jingzhe slowly walked over. ¡°If granny had bought clothes for them, I wouldn¡¯t have had to make them. But since you refused to buy them, I had no choice but to make clothes.¡±


    ¡°They can just wear Shao Fu and his siblings¡¯ clothes. What kind of child doesn¡¯t wear older kids¡¯ clothes?¡±


    Zhao Lan coughed and gestured with her chin. ¡°It¡¯s enough that they wore these for half a day. Take them off and let Shao Fu and the others wear them. They can wear them after Shao Fu and the rest are done with them. It¡¯s always been like this in the past.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°That won¡¯t do. These clothes were made ording to their sizes. They fit perfectly, so they won¡¯t fit Shao Fu and the rest.¡±


    Zhao Lan had not thought of this problem before. She had been focused on snatching the clothes.


    It was only now that she realized this was true.


    ¡°Well¡­ why don¡¯t you make a set for each of them then?¡± Zhao Lan immediately changed her mind.


    She was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would refuse and wanted to force her to agree. She didn¡¯t expect Mu Jingzhe to be so easy to talk to or nod without hesitation.


    ¡°Sure.¡± She hadn¡¯t been a professional fashion designer in the past, but she had been involved in this field. She could make clothes, no problem.


    Shao Bei pouted unhappily. Zhao Lan, who was surprised, was about tough when Mu Jingzhe added, ¡°Since we¡¯re rtives, I¡¯ll charge you eight yuan per set. Do you want a set for each of these four kids? Pay me a 20-yuan deposit first.¡±


    Zhao Lan gasped. ¡°Eight yuan per set? Why don¡¯t you just rob me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not robbing you. Eight yuan is the market price. You¡¯re not asking me to do it for free, are you?¡± Mu Jingzhe gave her a surprised look.


    ¡°We¡¯re a family. How dare you mention money!¡±


    With a seemingly convinced expression, Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re right, we¡¯re family. My bad. I won¡¯t talk about money then. If they buy the fabric, I¡¯ll make clothes for them for free. Can you also fork out the money for Little Zhong to see the doctor?¡±


    Zhao Lan wasn¡¯t happy to hear Mu Jingzhe ask her to buy the fabric herself. And when she heard thatst line, she pulled a long face. ¡°What doctor?¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t said a word all this time. I think we¡¯d better go to the hospital and let him undergo a proper checkup. He might be cured. We have to do it before it¡¯s toote. This can¡¯t go on any longer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much money on hand right now, so can youe with me, Mom? Or you can just give the money to me. Shao Qihai said that he gave you quite a bit of money back then and you¡¯ve been saving it up on his behalf.¡±

 Chapter 8

    <h4>Chapter 8: Virgin</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Taking money from Zhao Lan was like cutting off her flesh.


    ¡°I told you before that I don¡¯t have money, so where would I get it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes were a tad cold. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m serious. Little Zhong¡¯s condition can¡¯t drag on. We¡¯ve got to get him treated as soon as possible. You can just lend me the money. I¡¯ll pay you interest and return it to you after some time. Little Zhong is your grandson too. You also hope that he will speak, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had already relented, but Zhao Lan was still reluctant.


    ¡°Even if you just want to borrow money, I still don¡¯t have any. Don¡¯t listen to what Qihai said. That money was spent long ago.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±?<i>I¡¯ll give you another chance.</i>


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t any money,¡± Zhao Lan said firmly. ¡°Otherwise, as a grandma, I wouldn¡¯t be unwilling to get my grandson treated. It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously.?<i>If you can¡¯t even lend it to me, then fine, but don¡¯t me me for being unjust.</i>


    Zhao Lan avoided Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes. ¡°I previously already took him to a doctor. He was born mute, so there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes turned even colder. ¡°Really? Where¡¯s the doctor you took him to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really. I took him to a doctor before,¡± Zhao Lan answered casually.


    Mu Jingzhe was somewhat angered by Zhao Lan¡¯s manner.


    ording to the novel, Shao Zhong never spoke. By the time they had the money to get his condition treated, it was already toote. They had already missed the best treatment period.


    Zhao Lan was the main culprit.


    At two years old, Shao Zhong had yet to speak. When Shao Qihai had said that he wanted to take him to see a doctor, Zhao Lan had hurriedly offered to take Shao Zhong there and asked Shao Qihai to focus on his work.


    Shao Qihai had given her the money and said that if the county hospital wasn¡¯t good enough, she could take him to the city to have his condition treated.


    Zhao Lan had agreed to it, but she had never once taken him to the doctor. She¡¯d only pretended to do so at the hospital in town. The doctor had suggested that they go to the county hospital, but she hadn¡¯t cared. She¡¯d only told them that he couldn¡¯t be cured.


    Mu Jingzhe had at first wanted to save up some money before taking Shao Zhong to the doctor, but this morning¡¯s incident made her push forward her ns. Otherwise, she didn¡¯t know when a dangerous situation might arise.


    When she saw Zhao Lan, she recalled the plot in the book. She¡¯d only asked because she clearly knew that the woman had hidden the money for treating Shao Zhong.


    She had even said that it would be a loan, but she hadn¡¯t expected Zhao Lan to be unwilling to even lend the money to her.


    Since that was the case, she wouldn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    Mu Jingzhe retracted her gaze and saw the five children looking at her with probing eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was talking about earlier.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong and said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this matter. You guys can go to ss.¡±


    In the afternoon, Mu Jingzhe calmed her mind and focused on making the hair ornaments.


    She had bought the materials used to make the hair ornaments thest time she had bought fabrics. She had gotten them upon seeing some scraps of cloth piled up in the back.


    She had bought them at a very cheap price because someone had already bought the good edges. What she¡¯d brought back was almost like rubbish.


    Mu Jingzhe had suddenly had an idea and made a hair ornament for Shao Bei.


    She hadn¡¯t expected it to be so popr.


    Mu Jingzhe finished using all the materials she had bought. The ornaments she made had bow and flower designs.


    Not far away, Shao Zhong watched Mu Jingzhe with his mouth wide open as if she was conjuring magic.


    Mu Jingzhe let the two young customers choose what they liked. After they started wearing the ornaments, more and more children in the vige asked their parents to get them some.


    However, the third customer didn¡¯t show up after dinner.


    This was normal. Not everyone had the means to buy such a thing.


    Instead of other customers, Li Zhaodi, who had secretlye to look for her, visited.


    Why did she sneak in? Because she¡¯d brought two pieces of chicken for her daughter.


    ¡°It¡¯s still warm. Hurry up and eat.¡±


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe felt what it was like to have a mother.


    Not only did Li Zhaodi bring her chicken, but she also wanted to bring her back for chicken soup.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. You have to be thick-skinned ande back. Otherwise, all of it will go into the mouths of Mu Xue and that wild man she picked up¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi nagged incessantly. She had to bring up Mu Xue every other sentence or so to criticize her.


    Her face was a little long, and she had a mole on her chin. Judging from her appearance, she was definitely not a good person.


    In the novel, she and the original Mu Jingzhe were the most annoying people. They disliked Mu Xue and always opposed her.


    However, she was a good mother to her children. She was devoted to her husband and children and didn¡¯t favor boys over girls because she had suffered enough as a daughter and couldn¡¯t bear to let her daughter suffer.


    After a few sentences, Li Zhaodi suddenly asked Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Why are you suddenly so concerned about those little brats? Why are you cooking and making clothes for them?¡±


    ¡°No reason. Just¡­ trying to salvage my reputation.¡± Mu Jingzhe found an excuse.


    Li Zhaodi believed her, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Jingzhe, you want to change your younger brother-inw¡¯s impression of you? How¡¯s your progress these days?¡±


    The corners of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°No, mom, don¡¯t talk nonsense. My brother-inw is just my brother-inw. I think I should find someone better and avoid being trapped in the vige. If I really ended up with Shao Qiyang, I wouldn¡¯t be able to lift my head for the rest of my life.¡±


    Li Zhaodi frowned. ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t think it was a good idea either, but you said you liked him, and Mu Xue also seems to be interested in Shao Qiyang. I thought that anyone who catches her fancy can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was a weirdo and a brainless woman in the novel, but she had good judgment. She could tell that whatever Mu Xue liked, even men, wasn¡¯t bad.


    Mu Jingzhe secretly gave Li Zhaodi a thumbs-up. Li Zhaodi really had good taste in this aspect. Whatever the female protagonist liked had to be good.


    Unfortunately, like Mu Jingzhe, Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t have a good ending.


    As Li Zhaodi was standing in front of her alive, the simple words about her ending in the novel induced heartache in Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe held Li Zhaodi¡¯s hand tightly, thinking that no matter what, she couldn¡¯t let Li Zhaodi end up like that this time around.


    As she was thinking about it, she heard Li Zhaodi say, ¡°I¡¯ll ask around for you. I¡¯ll definitely find you a good partner. Although this will be your second marriage, you¡¯re still a virgin. I¡¯ll make it clear to other people so that it won¡¯t be hard for you to marry someone from the city.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was instantly embarrassed. ¡°Mom, stop it.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is the truth. There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. I¡¯m even going to go around and talk about it everywhere.¡±


    When they¡¯d gotten married, Shao Qihai had gotten very drunk on their wedding night and hadn¡¯t touched her. It was unknown if he had really been drunk or if he had deliberately done that to avoid getting intimate with her. Later on, she¡¯d had her period. When her period had ended, Shao Qihai had gone out to work. Then, he had never returned.


    Hence, the two of them hadn¡¯t actually consummated their marriage.


    Mu Jingzhe was so embarrassed that she wanted to dissuade her mother. However, she suddenly heard a sneer.


    It was a male voice.


    Li Zhaodi immediately asked, ¡°Who is it? Come out.¡±


    No one answered. Li Zhaodi pulled Mu Jingzhe along to chase after that person. They soon found themselves at the Mu Residence.


    The Mu Family had already prepared dinner and had no intention of waiting for Li Zhaodi.


    When she saw that Li Zhaodi had returned with Mu Jingzhe, Old Madam Mu¡¯s expression turned cold.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice that. Instead, the first person she saw was Mu Xue.


    In the simple, unadorned small courtyard was a group of farmers. Mu Xue was very eye-catching among them and was noticeable at a nce. It was impossible to ignore her.


    Just like Mu Xue, it was also impossible for the man standing beside her to go unnoticed.


    The contours of his face were well-defined, and he was extremely arrogant and intimidating.


    As expected, this was the male lead, Tang Moling, whom Mu Xue had saved by ident.


    His name sounded like the name of a male protagonist.


    The two brothers from the Shao Family, Hai and Yang, were obviously supporting characters, but they themselves didn¡¯t know it.


    As she was thinking, she met Tang Moling¡¯s cold gaze.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t do or say anything.

 Chapter 9

    <h4>Chapter 9: Revenge of the Male Lead</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The male lead of a sweet, doting romance novel had to be a powerful and influential CEO. Tang Moling was someone like that. His personality was unpredictable, suspicious, and vengeful.


    He had been saved by Mu Xue after suffering an injury due to an ident. At first, he had been suspicious of her butter, he had been touched by Mu Xue¡¯s pure kindness.


    After recovering, he¡¯d started to dote on Mu Xue and Mu Xue alone. He treated her uniquely and pampered her his whole life. Other than treating her sweetly, he also sought revenge on those who had wronged him.


    As one of those who had wronged him in the novel, Mu Jingzhe was under immense pressure.


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it. The moment Old Madam Mu saw her, she scolded her. ¡°Youe back to your parents¡¯ house every day. Those who don¡¯t know might think that you¡¯re not married yet. When you came back, you even stole Mu Xue¡¯s dress.¡±


    They were both her granddaughters, but Old Madam Mu only doted on Mu Xue. Reality had proven that her judgment was right. Mu Xue was the most promising girl in the vige. After graduating from high school, she was now the only female teacher in the vige.


    She had never liked Mu Jingzhe to begin with. When the original Mu Jingzhe had stolen Shao Qihai, she had detested her even more. In her opinion, even if Mu Xue didn¡¯t want the guy, the original Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t qualified to snatch him.


    Mu Jingzhe said that she would definitely return the dress, but Old Madam Mu continued to criticize her non-stop. It would be useless for Li Zhaodi, her father, Mu Teng, and her younger brother, Mu Han, to speak up for her.


    After Old Madam Mu scolded her by using all sorts of awful insults and the table was set, Mu Xue stopped her. ¡°Grandma, forget it. Let¡¯s eat first. If Jingzhe likes it, just let her have it.¡±


    Mu Xue looked at Mu Jingzhe gently. ¡°But Jingzhe, don¡¯t take it without telling me next time. You have to at least let me know.¡±


    Tang Moling snickered. ¡°Mu Xue, you should cut off the hands of anyone who steals from others. Otherwise, they will never learn and will go on to steal again.¡±


    Mu Xue quickly pulled Tang Moling back. ¡°It¡¯s just an old dress.¡±


    Old Lady Mu scoffed. ¡°Hasn¡¯t she taken enough from a young age?¡±


    Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and was about to lose her temper, but Mu Jingzhe held her back.


    This had all been done by the original owner of the body. There was no point in trying to defend herself. In the end, after Li Zhaodi kicked up a fuss, she only ended up getting scolded and banned from eating.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again.¡± She looked at Mu Xue and said, ¡°I will return the dress and everything else.¡±


    She had just finished speaking when she heard Tang Moling scoff.


    His voice sounded exactly the same as the mockingughter she had heard before entering the Mu Residence.


    Mu Jingzhe was certain that this was the person who had mocked her when it had been said that she was a virgin.


    What terrible luck.


    She was there to get some free chicken soup, but instead of chicken soup, she¡¯d ended up getting chicken feathers all over her body.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t stay any longer and quickly bade them farewell.


    Old Madam Mu¡¯s sarcastic voice came from behind her, criticizing her for only knowing how to eat and not even knowing how to wash the dishes.


    Mu Jingzhe pretended not to hear and left.


    What had she eaten? She hadn¡¯t even had a mouthful of soup.


    Indeed, returning to the Mu Family was not the right decision. If she did, a tragedy would befall the Mu Family sooner orter.


    There was no doubt that the victim would be Old Madam Mu. As for the murderer¡­ it would naturally be her.


    Mu Han chased after her and gave her the piece of chicken breast he had gotten.


    ¡°Sister, you eat it.¡±


    He had only been given this portion. However, upon seeing that his sister hadn¡¯t even gotten to drink the soup, he had hidden it in his sleeve for her.


    Mu Han was 17 years old this year. He was tall but skinny, like a bamboo pole.


    ¡°When I kill a chicken in the future, you cane and eat it. I guarantee that you¡¯ll have enough.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Han smiled and didn¡¯t take it seriously.


    Meanwhile, in the Mu Residence¡­


    Mu Xue looked at Mu Han¡¯s back as he chased after her, aplicated look shing across her eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe was a bad older sister, yet Mu Han still treated her so well and ignored Mu Xue.


    Tang Moling kept looking at Mu Xue and whispered when he saw her expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll avenge you.¡±


    Tang Moling left after speaking. Mu Xue couldn¡¯t hold him back in time and could only chase after him.


    ¡°Tang Moling, don¡¯t take revenge so easily.¡±


    Tang Moling shook his head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just going to relieve myself. You should hurry back.¡±


    Mu Xue blushed and ran back.


    Tang Moling turned around and sneered.


    He had heard a lot about what Mu Jingzhe had done to Mu Xue recently. He had met many shameless and evil women like her, so he had to teach her a lesson to avenge Mu Xue.


    The night was like day to Tang Moling. He quickly caught up to Mu Jingzhe and took out a slingshot.


    Without hesitation, he aimed at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wrist and shot.


    <i>Who told you to steal from Mu Xue?</i>


    <i>A virgin who wants to marry someone from the city? You should learn how to conduct yourself as a person first.</i>


    Tang Moling¡¯s aim was very urate.


    Mu Jingzhe moved her hand just in time, coincidentally dodging the attack. However, the slingshot struck the back of her hand, and the shlight fell to the ground.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± She picked up the shlight and shed light over, but she only saw a tree. Before she could spot the culprit, another rock flew toward her.


    This time, it struck Mu Jingzhe¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Psst¡­¡± She was wearing her homemade bra, and it hurt so much she couldn¡¯t help but bend down and rub her chest.


    Tang Moling, who was about to continue aiming, felt his hands tremble. This woman!


    Hitting her in the wrong position was indeed his bad, but how could she¡­ rub her chest?


    Due to a split second of distraction, the stone that was thrown missed again.


    Itnded right on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s¡­ hip.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned.


    Where had this shameless persone from? What a hooligan.


    Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth and turned off the shlight. She picked up a stone and a piece of firewood from the side of the road and flung them over.


    A short scream was heard.


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson for being a hooligan!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chased after him, determined to castrate him, but couldn¡¯t find him.


    She searched for a while with the torchlight but didn¡¯t find the culprit and went back unwillingly.


    Only after she walked some distance away did some soundse from the trees.


    Tang Moling stood on a tree and watched as Mu Jingzhe left. He felt a chill underneath and unconsciously pulled his legs together. When he saw his swollen arm, his expression turned ugly and strange.


    His arm had almost snapped.


    The spots where the few scattered rocks had hit him also hurt.


    What was wrong with Mu Jingzhe?


    After a while, Tang Moling returned to the Mu Residence, feeling some difort.


    The atmosphere in the Mu Residence was very strange. The main reason was the pair of chopsticks on the dining table where Mu Jingzhe had been sitting originally.


    The chopsticks had sunk deeply into the dining table, revealing only a small portion of them.


    He saw Old Madam Mu¡¯s pale face and heard Li Zhaodi say it definitely hadn¡¯t been Mu Jingzhe.


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    What was going on?


    ******


    The next day, Shao Qiyang didn¡¯te back, as he was busy. After Shao Dong and the other three went to school, Mu Jingzhe carried Shao Zhong to the county city for treatment.


    They set off early, but it was almost noon by the time they arrived at the county city.


    After the examination, it was discovered that it wasn¡¯t a problem with his body that had caused Shao Zhong¡¯s inability to speak.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with his vocal cords. Logically speaking, he should be able to speak. Maybe it has just taken him longer to learn to speak. You should talk to him more in the future and encourage him to speak.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was both surprised and delighted.


    ¡°Did you hear that? Little Zhong, you can talk. You have to try to talk more in the future. I¡¯ll try my best to talk to you too.¡±


    As per the doctor¡¯s instructions, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t forget to speak with Shao Zhong more often even while they were busy in the county city.


    The town wasn¡¯t big, so Mu Jingzhe spent two hours walking around.


    Before going out, she had brought with her the leftover hair ornaments that hadn¡¯t been sold. As it was impossible to sell them separately, she sold them to a shop in the county city that sold shoes, hair essories, and other small items, iming they had been brought from a big city.


    The boss ced the hair ornaments on his shelves without many expectations, but before long, he sold a pair. Thus, he ordered another batch from Mu Jingzhe.


    After promising the boss that she would deliver the goods in five days, Mu Jingzhe bought another batch of supplies without stopping to rest.


    When she got home, the sky was about to turn dark.


    The person who weed Mu Jingzhe home was a furious Zhao Lan, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot and whose eyes were red.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, did you steal my money?¡±


    As soon as she saw Mu Jingzhe, Zhao Lan rushed up to her, wishing she could swallow her whole.


    ¡°Mom, what are you talking about? Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t have any money? If you didn¡¯t have any money, how could it have been stolen?¡±


    Although she had a surprised and innocent look on her face, Mu Jingzhe sneered in her heart. That¡¯s right, she was the one who had taken the money.

 Chapter 10

    <h4>Chapter 10: That¡¯s What I Ought to Take</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    In the beginning, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t thought of taking things this far.


    However, Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t even been willing to lend her money, so she¡¯d had to take it herself.


    Since she¡¯d had to take it herself, she wasn¡¯t going to return it.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had read the novel, had known where Zhao Lan had hidden her money. One of her hiding spots was the hole behind the urinal in the corner of her room.


    It contained the allowance that Shao Qihai had sent back over the years. The money used to build the house and pay for the daily expenses hade from this money.


    As for her private savings, they had been hidden in the burial mound of herte husband.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s so-called private savings were actually the money for Shao Zhong¡¯s treatment, as well as the money for the other children¡¯s illnesses that Zhao Lan had requested from Shao Qihai intermittently.


    Shao Dong and the others hadn¡¯t been taken to the doctor when they were sick, not even once. However, Zhao Lan would ask for money from time to time, umting small sums into a big amount over time.


    She would visit the grave every other day. The vigers said that she couldn¡¯t forget her deceased husband, but in reality, she was going there to look at her private savings.


    Last night, Mu Jingzhe had taken advantage of the dark night and gone to the back mountain to take Zhao Lan¡¯s money.


    She didn¡¯t feel guilty at all.


    Using it to treat Shao Zhong¡¯s illness was a hundred times better than having it spent on good food for Zhao Lan, Shao Fu, and his family.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally wouldn¡¯t admit it, but Zhao Lan was certain that it was her.


    She had gone to check her private savings today, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be gone just like that. It just so happened that Mu Jingzhe had also taken Shao Zhong to see a doctor.


    How could there be such a coincidence?


    Zhao Lan extended her hands and pounced on Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You still refuse to admit that you stole my money! I¡¯ll beat you to death, you thief¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s momentum was fierce, but by the time she reached Mu Jingzhe, she couldn¡¯t move.


    Just as Zhao Lan was about to kick her, Mu Jingzhe exerted force, and Zhao Lan felt like her arm was going to break.


    ¡°Let go! Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Have youpletely calmed down, mom? I¡¯ll let you go once you¡¯ve calmed down.¡±


    It would be strange if Zhao Lan could stay calm now. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡ª¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tilted her head. ¡°Little Dong, help me.¡±


    Shao Dong hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to help.


    Before Mu Jingzhe had returned, Zhao Lan had already taught them a lesson and given them a harsh dressing-down.


    At Mu Jingzhe¡¯smand, he bound Zhao Lan¡¯s hands with a strap and tied her to a pir.


    Shao Dong and his siblings were dumbfounded.


    Meanwhile, Zhao Lan was furious.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re so dead. I¡¯ll have you divorced today. Get out of the Shao Residence this very moment¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe dug her ear. ¡°How about¡­ we find another towel to gag you?¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe only wanted to scare her a little. She hadn¡¯t expected to see Shao Nan pass an old towel to her.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    This speed¡­


    Upon closer inspection, the towel seemed to be the one they used to wipe their feet.


    Mu Jingzhe nced at the innocent, obedient-looking Shao Nan. Tsk tsk¡­ This devious little kid.


    She shook her head slightly and looked at Shao Xi. ¡°Quick, invite the vige chief over.¡±


    Disappointment shed across Shao Nan¡¯s eyes as he put away the towel.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what are you doing? Are you crazy? How can you tie Mom up?¡±


    At that moment, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao walked through the door, her face full of shock. ¡°I knew something was amiss based on the sounds. How could you do such a thing?¡±


    Then, without waiting for Mu Jingzhe to react, she turned to Shao Xi and his siblings. ¡°Are you just going to watch Grandma get tied up? Or did you kids steal the money?¡±


    Shao Bei retorted, ¡°We didn¡¯t take it. We don¡¯t even know where it is.¡±


    ¡°Children shouldn¡¯t lie. If you did something wrong, you have to admit it. Didn¡¯t you go to Grandma¡¯s roomst night? Did you take it yourself, or did someone ask you to?¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao didn¡¯t speak loudly, but she spoke very quickly. With a few words, she determined what was going on. When she finished speaking, the vige chief happened to arrive.


    She immediately turned to the vige chief and said, ¡°Vige Chief, what are you doing here? How could they rm you over such a trivial matter? Children are insensible and can¡¯t distinguish right from wrong, so they took their granny¡¯s money. How embarrassing that they let you witness this. I¡¯ll untie my mother-inw now.¡±


    Shao Bei¡¯s face and eyes were red from anger.


    At that moment, a hand suddenly stroked her head.


    Shao Bei looked up and saw Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and clicked her tongue. ¡°Eldest Sister-In-Law, why did you start acting and making things up as soon as you came in? This is our home, not a theater. Let¡¯s talk normally. Also, don¡¯t be in a hurry to untie her.¡±


    She looked at the vige chief. ¡°Vige Chief, my mother-inw seems to have gone crazy.¡±


    The vige leader looked at Zhao Lan, who was cursing. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what triggered my mother-inw, but she suddenly used me of stealing her money and then went crazy and started trying to hit me. She¡¯s my mother-inw, so I couldn¡¯t retaliate. I could only tie her up and let her calm down so that she wouldn¡¯t hurt herself.¡±


    Before the vige leader could speak, he was interrupted by Zhao Lan.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re the one ying dumb. You¡¯re the one who stole my money. Listen to me, I¡¯m going to kill you if you don¡¯t pay me back!¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t have money, how could I have stolen it?¡± Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°Yesterday, when I asked to borrow money from you to treat Little Zhong¡¯s condition, you kept insisting that you didn¡¯t have money. Now that I took Little Zhong to the doctor, you¡¯re using me of stealing your money? What kind of logic is that? You said that I stole money, but it¡¯s more like you¡¯re extorting me.¡±


    Zhao Lan rolled her eyes in fury. ¡°You stole it precisely because I refused to lend it to you!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it. I borrowed money from my mother.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Who would believe that? Only your mother, perhaps.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao added, ¡°Jingzhe, how much money did you take from mom? Return it to her quickly.¡±


    Now that they were no longer receiving money from Shao Qihai, she had the same goal as Zhao Lan¡ªshe had to get the money back.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s eyes shed with ruthlessness as she said fiercely, ¡°If you don¡¯t return the money to me, I¡¯ll go to the Mu Family and ask for it. I want the entire vige to know that you stole the money and that someone from the Mu Family is a thief.¡±


    ¡°You can say whatever you want. No one will believe you.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care at all. ¡°Everyone in the vige knows that the Shao Family has no money. I will ask again: If you didn¡¯t have money, how could I possibly have stolen it?


    ¡°Or are you saying that you had money but you couldn¡¯t afford to treat your grandson¡¯s illness?¡±


    Zhao Lan thought to herself that there was nothing wrong with him. She then heard Mu Jingzhe answer her own question. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Mom, you said before that you would kindly treat the children Shao Qihai left behind. How could you be unwilling to treat your grandson¡¯s illness?¡±


    She stared at Zhao Lan and said, ¡°Even I, a stepmother, borrowed money to treat his illness, yet his biological grandmother had the money but didn¡¯t want to treat her grandson¡¯s illness? You were not even willing to lend the money? Isn¡¯t that a beastly action? You¡¯re not a beast, right?¡±


    <i>Are you going to be an animal and insist that I stole your money, or are you going to admit that you had no money and have wrongly used me?</i>


    Zhao Lan¡¯s expression finally changed as she looked at Mu Jingzhe.


    She wanted to curse out loud and demand her money back, but when she saw the vige chief gaze at her and then looked at the people outside who had heard themotion ande over, she almost bit off her teeth but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Only then did she realize that Mu Jingzhe had considered everything thoroughly.


    This was the first time Zhao Lan had tasted the bitter taste of having to suffer in silence.


    She had already lost her money, so why couldn¡¯t she just righteously deal with the person who had stolen it? Why did she have to be so aggrieved?


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­ Ah!¡± Zhao Lan screamed in rage.


    ¡°See, I told you that my mother-inw was acting strange!¡± Mu Jingzhe calmly looked at her and eximed.


    ***


    After everyone left, Mu Jingzhe announced that Shao Zhong¡¯s health was fine and that he would be able to speak if he worked hard at it. She encouraged everyone to talk to Shao Zhong more before asking Shao Dong to stay and see her in private.


    Mu Jingzhe took some money out of her bag and handed it to Shao Dong.


    ¡°I was actually the one who took your grandmother¡¯s money.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 11

    <h4>Chapter 11: Little Bei Is Missing</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Upon seeing Shao Dong¡¯s expression, Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m not a thief.¡±


    Previously, she had decided that she would guide them as best as she could and not let them go astray. Although she had given them limited guidance until now, she definitely couldn¡¯t be a bad example at the very least.


    ¡°I took the money mainly because your father kept it for Little Zhong and you guys to see the doctor. Your grandmother wouldn¡¯t give it to me, so I took it. This isn¡¯t stealing, though. We¡¯re in a special situation, so you mustn¡¯t learn from it, understand?¡±


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s anxious expression. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that. This is what your father left for you. Consider it receiving your inheritance in advance. This time, not much was spent on Shao Zhong¡¯s treatment fees because he didn¡¯t take any medicine. The rest is here. Store it well. You can use it if you need to in the future.¡±


    Shao Dong looked at the money in his hand. ¡°You¡­ are giving it to me just like that?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe casually replied, ¡°Of course. It¡¯s your money anyway.¡±


    Treating Shao Zhong was a special situation. After doing that, she didn¡¯t want to use the money anymore. Therefore, she naturally had to give it to Shao Dong.


    She believed that Shao Dong would take good care of it. Leaving them some money would make them feel more reassured. If she should leave in the future, they wouldn¡¯t be left empty-handed and be forced to pick up garbage.


    That¡¯s right. In the novel, Shao Dong wanted to treat Shao Bei¡¯s ears after they were damaged from the fever and Zhao Lan refused to give him money. As a result, he was forced to pick up garbage.


    People only knew that Shao Dong was a business bigshot, but no one knew that he was once a rag-and-bone man who had earned his first bucket of gold by picking up garbage.


    Shao Dong held the money, not knowing what to say for a moment. He hesitated for an instant before putting it away and thanking her.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Mu Jingzhe thought for a while and emphasized again, ¡°Shao Dong, you must remember that you can¡¯t steal. Someone who steals needles when he is young steals gold when he grows up. If one continues stealing, one will be more wicked and will eventually be capable ofmitting all sorts of atrocities.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hurriedly went to cook. As she started feeling thirsty, a bowl of water suddenly appeared in front of her.


    She looked up and saw Shao Nan.


    Shao Nan smiled. ¡°Here, have some water.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was ttered. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe had pointed to Shao Zhong and told him about everything she saw. Her mouth had never stopped moving, so she was so thirsty that she couldn¡¯t seem to drink enough to quench her thirst.


    Mu Jingzhe gulped down the bowl of water in one go.


    Shao Nan took the bowl and asked some questions about Shao Zhong¡¯s treatment.


    Shao Nan and Shao Bei were boy-girl twins, so his facial features were very exquisite, and he could pass off for male or female.


    He was the most brilliant academically among the five children and was a future scientific research big boss. He looked like a nerd on the surface, but in reality, he was devious on the inside.


    He was the one who wouldter concoct a colorless, odorless, slow-acting poison that couldn¡¯t be detected. He would take revenge for his younger sister, but in the end, no one would suspect him.


    Mu Jingzhe swallowed at the thought. Was there¡­ any colorless, odorless, slow-acting poison in that bowl of water?


    Was this going to be the way she met her demise?


    <i>No, surely not¡­</i>?Mu Jingzhe shook her head.?<i>I haven¡¯t been up to any bad deedstely.</i>


    Besides, Shao Nan was still a kid. He couldn¡¯t possibly make that kind of poison. She needn¡¯t scare herself unnecessarily.


    Shao Nan walked out of the kitchen and saw Shao Bei staring at him in confusion. ¡°Third Brother, why did you bring her water?¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi both looked at him.


    Shao Nan smiled. ¡°She¡¯s been cooking for us for the past few days, making clothes, and taking Shao Zhong to see a doctor. It¡¯s only right that we fetch her a bowl of water. If she keeps this up, I will pour her water and even smile at her every day.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it a pretty good deal?


    Shao Bei tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll pour water for her in the future as well.¡±


    Shao Nanughed and patted her head. ¡°No need. Third Brother can do it.¡±


    It would be great if this continued.


    *******


    ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± Shao Qiyang told Mu Jingzhe and Shao Bei before he left with the four boys.


    Every year before spring plowing, ording to the customs of the Great Eastern Vige, there would be a prayer for blessings and good weather. That day, sses were suspended, but only males were allowed to attend the prayer. Females weren¡¯t allowed to attend it.


    In the end, only Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were left at home.


    Little Bei was a little unhappy. Mu Jingzhe motioned for her to go over. ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll tie your hair for you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care for this tradition and was fine with not participating, but Little Bei minded.


    She changed Little Bei¡¯s hair clip.


    Only then did Little Bei¡¯s mood brighten.


    For the past few days, Mu Jingzhe had kept her promise and tied her hair in different styles every day. The little girl no longer disliked her so much.


    Mu Jingzhe had just gone to the county city yesterday to deliver goods and receive another batch of orders.


    It seemed like the hair ornament business was viable. Although it didn¡¯t bring arge sum of money, it would take care of some living expenses. However, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t keep fixating on this small business.


    After a trip yesterday, she had found a new business opportunity.


    She had decided to ask the vigers what kind of mountain goods they had. There were some walnut trees in Great Eastern Vige and in the vicinity. They weren¡¯t thick-skinned walnuts, but they were big and plump and they tasted good.


    All these walnuts could be sold.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to go over to make inquiries, but Little Bei was busy ying with the toy she had made for her.


    ¡°Be good and stay home. Don¡¯t run around.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Little Bei agreed readily, but when Mu Jingzhe returned, she wasn¡¯t at home.


    ¡°Where did she run off to again?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe initially thought that Little Bei had gone somewhere to y or had secretly gone to see the blessing ceremony.


    This was exactly like Little Bei. The more she was forbidden from doing something, the more she wanted to do it.


    She didn¡¯t like to be treated differently because she was a girl, nor did she like to be belittled. In exams, she had to get first ce and do better than all the boys.


    Unexpectedly, when Shao Qiyang brought the boys back, Shao Bei didn¡¯te with them.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Little Beie looking for you guys?¡±


    ¡°No. She came to look for us?¡±


    Shao Qiyang currently hadplicated feelings for Mu Jingzhe. She hadpletely changed. When he came back asionally, she was polite but distant around him. It was as if he had imagined her trying to get close to him previously.


    When he saw that the house was getting cleaner and neater, she took care of the five children well, and this was bing more and more like a home, his ns to send Mu Jingzhe back to her parents¡¯ house were shelved time and again.


    ¡°I thought she went looking for you guys.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice theplicated look in Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes and frowned. ¡°Maybe she went to find a friend. I¡¯ll go look for her.¡±


    Unexpectedly, she ended up looking for her until the sky turned dark.


    Mu Jingzhe searched the entire vige but couldn¡¯t find Little Bei.


    Little Bei had disappeared.


    Mu Jingzhe went next door to ask Zhao Lan and the others about her.


    ¡°Mom, have you seen Little Bei?¡±


    Zhao Lan and the others had just finished their meal and were sitting around and chatting. They had long heard Mu Jingzhe and the others looking for Little Bei. They raised their eyelids upon hearing the question.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then when was thest time you saw her?¡±


    ¡°This morning?¡± Zhao Lan looked at Mu Jingzhe with a dark gaze. ¡°Why can¡¯t you even look after a child properly? How have you been taking care of them?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, who had no time to argue with her, simply turned around and left.


    However, Zhao Lan didn¡¯t stop. She said in a strange tone, ¡°A stepmother is always a stepmother. See, she revealed her true colors in just a few days. Maybe she beat Little Bei up and hid her somewhere.¡±


    Shao Nan, who was right behind Mu Jingzhe, paused.

 Chapter 12

    <h4>Chapter 12: Gave Her Away</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Zhao Lan, Eldest Brother Shao, and his family had all heard about Little Bei¡¯s disappearance, but none of them helped to find her.


    On the other hand, a few families close to them in the vige, as well as Li Zhaodi and the rest, came to help when they heard about it.


    Shao Qiyang asked Shao Nan to stay at home and watch Shao Zhong instead of going with them, in case he ended up losing these two kids on top of the one already missing.


    Great Eastern Vige was filled with the sound of barking dogs and vigers calling out for Little Bei.


    They searched till midnight in the vicinity of Great Eastern Vige, but there was still no trace of Little Bei.


    Since they couldn¡¯t find her, everyone went home one after another.


    Mu Jingzhe changed her shlight battery. She wanted to continue searching, but she suddenly heard Shao Nan¡¯s hostile voice.


    ¡°Did you do something to Little Bei while we were away?¡±


    Shao Qiyang frowned. ¡°Little Nan, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    Although the vigers hadn¡¯t said anything in front of Mu Jingzhe, they couldn¡¯t help but suspect her behind her back.


    Shao Qiyang had also had the same thought.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. Mu Jingzhe was a stepmother after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. I was wondering why she was suddenly treating us well. It seems like she did it on purpose. She wanted us to trust her so that she could do bad things.¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. ¡°What did you do to Little Bei? Return Little Bei to us quickly.¡±


    He had never trusted Mu Jingzhe to begin with, and after hearing the vigers gossiping, he exploded.


    The bond between the twins made him feel especially bad. His heart panicked, and the more he panicked, the more he lost control.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath.


    Even though she had thought of herself as just a nanny, the interactions they¡¯d had over the past few days hadn¡¯t been fake. At the moment, she felt very ufortable with being suspected.


    ¡°Believe it or not, I didn¡¯t do anything to hurt Little Bei and I wouldn¡¯t do that in the future either.¡±


    Upon saying that, Mu Jingzhe left to look for Little Bei.


    The most important thing now was finding her.


    However, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang searched for an entire night but still didn¡¯t find her. They searched the pond at the back of the mountain and everywhere else they could think of. They even searched the Small Eastern Vige, but to no avail.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi also went out to look for her, unbeknownst to Mu Jingzhe, but they found nothing too.


    ¡°No, none of us found her.¡±


    The next day, Shao Nan saw Mu Jingzhe, who had been looking for Shao Bei the entire night, with bloodshot eyes. A trace of regret shed across his face. However, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°It might not be of any use to search so blindly. I¡¯m thinking of reporting this directly to the police station,¡± Mu Jingzhe told Shao Qiyang.


    ¡°You want to file a police report?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded affirmatively. ¡°I¡¯ll report the case. You can ask around in the area.¡±


    Shao Qiyang hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had just stepped out of the gate when she ran into Zhao Lan.


    Zhao Lan kept yawning. When she saw Mu Jingzhe, her expression immediately turned stiff. ¡°You still haven¡¯t found Little Bei? Let me warn you: If you don¡¯t find her, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    When she saw someoneing over out of the corner of her eye, her tone became pitiful. ¡°What is going on? My good granddaughter, what¡¯s going to happen to you if this continues? I¡¯m so worried.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked out of the corner of her eyes and sneered. ¡°Worried? So worried you snored in your sleep? Or did you worry in your dreams? What a joke.¡±


    Zhao Lan looked behind Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back and grabbed a middle-aged woman who was passing by.


    ¡°Did you see her attitude? She sounds so justified when she¡¯s the one who lost my granddaughter. That¡¯s why I said that stepmothers can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Along the way, Mu Jingzhe met many vigers. They were all concerned about whether or not Little Bei had been found. Some even said they would help look for her.


    When they arrived at the vige entrance, upon hearing that Mu Jingzhe was going to report the case, one of the women who had helped look for Little Beist night spoke hesitantly.


    ¡°Jingzhe, let me tell you something. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s true, though.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°My daughter said that she saw your mother-inw carrying Little Bei out of the vige yesterday. However, she¡¯s only four years old. I¡¯m afraid she might have seen wrong or remembered it wrong.¡±


    ¡°My mother-inw?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face turned cold. ¡°Did she say when she saw her?¡±


    ¡°She couldn¡¯t clearly tell us the details¡­¡±


    At that moment, another auntie also spoke up. ¡°Last night, my father-inw also said that he saw your mother-inw take Little Bei out, but he has poor hearing and eyesight. I can¡¯t be sure either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out when I ask her.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thanked them and turned around.


    On the way back, she picked up a suitable stick.


    ¡°Zhao Lan, where did you take Little Bei?¡±


    A hint of panic shed across the eyes of Zhao Lan, who was washing her face. However, she immediately calmed down.


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? I didn¡¯t take Little Bei.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t waste any time. She directly struck the pot with the stick.


    With a deafening sound, the ceramic vat that had been fine for many years was instantly deformed.


    Zhao Lan screamed.


    Mu Jingzhe pointed the stick at her.


    ¡°Zhao Lan, I don¡¯t have time to talk nonsense with you. You should know what will happen to you if this stick strikes you. I¡¯ll ask you again: Where did you take Little Bei?¡±


    Zhao Lan trembled and was about to shout for her eldest son when she heard Mu Jingzhe shout.


    ¡°He¡¯s no match for me. Do you want me to cripple his other leg too?¡±


    After Old Man Shao had passed away, Eldest Brother Shao had seeded Zhao Lan and farmed in order to raise his younger siblings. He had suffered a lot and even injured his legter on. As he didn¡¯t have the money to treat it, his leg had gone limp.


    Zhao Lan had always felt guilty about her eldest son, which was why she had favored him.


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s threat, Zhao Lan was shocked. ¡°Son, don¡¯te over.¡±


    She looked into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. She was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would hit her eldest son. Thus, feeling justified because she was the child¡¯s grandmother, she directly admitted to it.


    ¡°Yes, I gave her away. I¡¯m her grandmother. What¡¯s wrong with me giving her away?¡±


    ¡°Gave her away? Who did you give her to?¡±


    ¡°Why do you care who I gave her to? You didn¡¯t give birth to Little Bei. You¡¯re not fit to¡­¡±


    At this point, Zhao Lan saw Shao Qiyang and the four kids behind him.


    They were staring at her in shock and fury.


    Zhao Lan was angered by their gazes. ¡°What are you looking at? Stop looking for her. She¡¯s just a girl¡ª¡±


    Herst words were cut short by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wooden stick.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, tell me honestly where you took Little Bei.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bloodshot eyes shed with killing intent.


    A momentter, Mu Jingzhe left the Shao Family¡¯s main house with a dark expression. The courtyard was filled with panic and Zhao Lan¡¯s screams.


    Hearing that something was wrong, the vigers came to inquire and found out that themotion was a result of Mu Jingzhe hitting Zhao Lan¡¯s legs because she had given Little Bei away.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s legs weren¡¯t broken, but Mu Jingzhe had said that if they couldn¡¯t find Little Bei, she woulde back and break her legs.


    ¡°That¡¯s my granddaughter. So what if I gave her away? Who does she think she is? How dare she hit me! I¡¯m her mother-inw!¡±


    Zhao Lan cursed, but no one answered her.


    Seeing that something was wrong, Zhao Lan started weeping.


    ¡°I became the viin because of the other four children. Qihai is gone, but he left behind five children. With my eldest son¡¯s leg in that state, although I have the heart, I do not have the strength to raise the children. It¡¯s not possible if only I and Qiyang make an effort.


    ¡°Qiyang still has to get married in the future. If he keeps helping to raise these five children, how is he going to get a wife? I thought that it would help reduce the burden on the family, but it pained my heart too. She¡¯s my biological granddaughter, but I sent her there to allow her to lead a good life.¡±

 Chapter 13

    <h4>Chapter 13: Borrowing a Car</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Zhao Lan didn¡¯t think she was wrong at all.


    Mu Jingzhe had taken her money previously, yet she couldn¡¯t take it back. Thinking about it made her gnash her teeth in anger. Even in her dreams, she wanted to take back the money from Mu Jingzhe.


    However, Mu Jingzhe was a smart person. She locked the door at all times and used brute force. Zhao Lan was fearful of her and didn¡¯t dare make a move.


    She¡¯d also increasingly found Shao Dong and his siblings more of an eyesore, with Shao Bei being the one she disliked the most.


    In the end, she¡¯d coincidentally heard from her eldest daughter-inw that someone from elsewhere wanted to adopt a child. In particr, they were looking for a little girl.


    She might not have been able to give away a grandson, but she had no problem parting with thatss.


    She had heard that the family was rich and drove a car. If the adoption was sessful, they would even give them some thank-you gifts.


    When Zhao Lan had heard this, how could she refuse? Since she could deal with the girl and stop wasting money on her, as well as receive remuneration on top of that, she¡¯d naturally obliged.


    When Shao Bei had been alone at home, Zhao Lan had coaxed her into going out with her.


    Shao Bei was smart, but she was still young and didn¡¯t know about the evil side of human nature. Zhao Lan was her grandmother, and she had been taking care of them, so she wasn¡¯t as vignt.


    The family had driven Shao Bei away, and Zhao Lan was satisfied with the thank-you gift.


    However, she still cared about her dignity. It hadn¡¯t been nice of her to give Shao Qihai¡¯s daughter away so soon after his death, so she had med Mu Jingzhe for not looking after the child properly.


    It was normal for a stepmother like Mu Jingzhe to not do her best.


    She¡¯d also seen this as an opportunity to kick Mu Jingzhe back to her own home. Initially, she hadn¡¯t sent her back to her maternal family because she didn¡¯t want to take care of Shao Dong and his siblings. Now, she felt that she had to send Mu Jingzhe away, as everything was out of control with Mu Jingzhe around.


    After she chased Mu Jingzhe away, Shao Qiyang¡¯s sry would be given to her again, and Shao Dong and the rest would be in her charge.


    Eating eggs? Wearing new clothes? They could forget about that, as it would be her money then.


    She had a good n, but she hadn¡¯t expected to be exposed by others in the end. Zhao Lan went even crazier.


    ¡°Qihai, are you looking at this from heaven? Look at your good wife. If you hadn¡¯t left so early, I wouldn¡¯t have had to do such a wicked thing. I just wanted to give Shao Bei a good life.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe is nothing. Who does she think I am? How dare she hit me? I¡¯m her mother-inw. I¡¯m going to have her divorced. I don¡¯t want a daughter-inw like her. From now on, the two of us cannot co-exist in the Shao Family.¡±


    Seeing that the vigers¡¯ expressions had eased up, Zhao Lan wanted to continue, but she saw Shao Nan¡¯s gaze behind the crowd.


    The child was like a wolf about to pounce on her and devour her.


    Zhao Lan¡¯sints were stuck in her throat. ¡°Little brat, what kind of look is that?¡±


    She took off her shoe and threw it at him.


    Shao Dong pulled Shao Nan away. He nced coldly at Zhao Lan, turned around, and left.


    ¡°What an ingrate. You¡¯re a pack of ingrates. How did I bring you up¡ª¡±


    Zhao Lan continued to scold Shao Nan. Shao Nan lowered his head as if he was talking to Shao Dong but also talking to himself. ¡°If Little Bei isn¡¯t found, I¡¯ll kill her¡­ I¡¯ll kill her.¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t loud, and his tone was calm, as if he was narrating something normal.


    Shao Dong lowered his head. ¡°Uncle will bring her back. Let¡¯s wait.¡±


    Shao Nan raised his head. ¡°What if we can¡¯t find her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°If they don¡¯t find her, we¡¯ll go find her ourselves. I¡¯ll definitely find my sister.¡±


    The five siblings had to stay together.


    ******


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang quickly rushed to the county.


    They were in such a hurry that they were soon covered in sweat. Their legs didn¡¯t seem to be theirs anymore. Their throats felt like they were on fire.


    They rushed to the bus stop without resting.


    There were a few shuttle buses parked at the bus stop, but they didn¡¯t drive to the neighboring county city.


    ¡°You came toote. The bus only makes one trip there a day. Once it leaves, it won¡¯te back for a day.¡±


    The driver they asked was an energetic young man. He looked at Mu Jingzhe curiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you going to the neighboring county?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my child was taken to the county city, so I have to get her back. Can you make a trip there? We can book a bus, or you can lend us your bus.¡±


    The young man shook his head immediately. ¡°No, all our buses have fixed schedules and routes. The other buses don¡¯t go there. It¡¯s even more impossible to borrow a bus. These aren¡¯t our private buses. They are public buses.¡±


    There was no use asking the other drivers, for they would all give the same answer.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Shao Qiyang wiped his sweat. ¡°It¡¯s morning now. They have a car, so we can¡¯t catch up.¡±


    Zhao Lan had said that the family would leave this morning.


    ¡°What can we do¡­ Let¡¯s find a car. We have to catch up and find them no matter what.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth. She missed her shabby car and the modern world.


    There were surveince cameras in the modern world and cars everywhere. One could call a taxi or fast car when one wanted, unlike here, where there weren¡¯t many cars in the county city. Other than bicycles and rickshaws, there weren¡¯t even any motorcycles.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go to the post office to borrow a bicycle.¡± Shao Qiyang had no other choice.


    ¡°A bicycle would be too slow. I don¡¯t know what time we¡¯d get there with it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. It would have been fine if Little Bei had been adopted normally, but she was afraid that there was something fishy going on. She feared that after the adoption, Little Bei would be sent somece or something terrible would happen to her, causing irreparable harm.


    With every minute that passed, Little Bei might encounter a dangerous situation. They couldn¡¯t afford to take the risk.


    ¡°Shao Qiyang, do you know which families in the county have cars? Or which families have motorcycles?¡±


    Shao Qiyang frowned. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°We have to think of something. If you know, tell me now.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe closed her eyes. She even wanted to go to the police station.


    She hadn¡¯t gone at once because, in this day and age, it wasn¡¯t umon for families with many children who couldn¡¯t afford to raise them well to send them away. Zhao Lan was the child¡¯s biological grandmother, and she wasn¡¯t her biological mother. If she went to the police, it was uncertain if it would be of any use. It would also dy them.


    Suddenly, as uneptable ideas such as kidnapping and intimidation were shing across her mind, Mu Jingzhe saw a jeeping from not far away.


    ¡°A car.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up as she ran over. Coincidentally, the jeep stopped.


    A person she had not expected to see walked out¡ªTang Moling.


    Mu Jingzhe halted in her tracks.


    Seeing anyone else might have been fine, but Tang Moling, the male protagonist of the original novel, who had been taking revenge on her, would most likely punish her when he saw her. The probability of him lending his car to her was either zero or a negative number.


    But¡­ Mu Jingzhe continued walking forward because she didn¡¯t have a better alternative.


    ¡°Tang Moling¡­ Hello, I¡¯m Mu Jingzhe. Do you remember me? I¡¯m Mu Xue¡¯s cousin.¡±


    Tang Moling saw Mu Jingzhe.


    As soon as he did, he felt an inexplicable chill deep down. His hand, which had just recovered, also hurt a little.


    Tang Moling was frustrated at this thought. He hadn¡¯t even taught her a lesson for what had happened previously, yet she still dared to approach him.


    He narrowed his eyes and asked in an indifferent tone, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. My Little Bei was taken away by someone. We have to get her back immediately. Can we borrow your car?¡±


    ¡°Borrow my car?¡± Tang Moling had his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the car. He looked down at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Very good. He was a typical male protagonist.

 Chapter 14

    <h4>Chapter 14: Kneel and Beg Me</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to convince him. ¡°Just for one day. I won¡¯t scratch it or make a dent in it. Please, for Mu Xue¡¯s sake¡­¡±


    ¡°You still dare mention Mu Xue? You have the nerve to mention Mu Xue?¡±


    Tang Moling interrupted Mu Jingzhe in an annoyed tone.


    Mu Jingzhe replied, ¡°Yes, I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up, but this is a matter of life and death. You¡¯ve met Little Bei too. She¡¯s still really young. Mu Xue likes her a lot and she was also very anxiousst night. If something happens to Little Bei, she¡¯ll be sad.¡±


    Tang Moling¡¯s expression softened.


    Indeed, Mu Xue was kind, but that was no reason for him to lend her his car.


    While he admired Mu Xue and thought that she was kind, he couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous.


    Little Bei and those kids were Shao Qihai¡¯s children.


    Mu Xue had liked Shao Qihai before. Later on, Shao Qihai had died. She had been at her saddest when she¡¯d saved Tang Moling. It was Tang Moling who had kept herpany through those sad days.


    Tang Moling was very jealous of Shao Qihai. It could be said that he was jealous of him throughout the entire book. Even though Shao Qihai was dead, he still had a strong presence. He had always been ying the role of a tool to further their rtionship.


    As for Little Bei and her siblings, Mu Xue loved them because they were Shao Qihai¡¯s children, so Tang Moling didn¡¯t feel good about them.


    He wasn¡¯t that kind-hearted. There were many pitiful people in the world. How could he help them all?


    Tang Moling turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait a minute, Tang Moling. If Mu Xue finds out that you helped, she¡¯ll definitely be very happy and look at you in a different light. You and Mu Xue are both talented and beautiful. You must want her to be happy, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words pleased Tang Moling.


    He flicked the keys with his fingers and smiled at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You have some foresight.¡±


    She had finally said something that was pleasing to the ears.


    Tang Moling looked at Mu Jingzhe and saw the anxious look in her eyes. Her performance was pretty good. She looked as if she was really worried about her stepdaughter.


    She hadn¡¯t even had to do it herself, but the burden had been sent away. She had to be feeling ecstatic inside, yet she was putting on an act in front of him. Upon seeing how much effort she put into acting and then looking at Shao Qiyang beside her, Tang Moling thought of teasing her.


    Alright, he had nothing to do, so he might as well y along with her since she¡¯d shown up. He wanted to see how long she could keep up her act. He could also use this opportunity to avenge Mu Xue.


    ¡°It would not be impossible for me to lend you my car, but¡­¡±


    This was obviously a lie. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t lend her his car.


    This was because he simply didn¡¯t believe that the girl needed to be rescued. Leaving her stepmother was a good thing. It was better than suffering in her stepmother¡¯s hands.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard this, her eyes lit up. ¡°But what? Please tell me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember at the moment.¡±


    Tang Moling shrugged.


    His temperamental personality made Mu Jingzhe¡¯s angry mind sh with images of her snatching the key, but she forcefully restrained herself. Shao Qiyang, who had heard everything, could no longer stand by and watch.


    ¡°Stop begging him. It¡¯d be a wonder if someone like him helped.¡±


    He had noticed Tang Moling¡¯s teasing gaze.


    Tang Moling looked at Shao Qiyang with a faint smile. ¡°Someone like me? You mean someone with a car?¡±


    The male protagonist and the supporting male protagonist couldn¡¯t escape the fate of bing enemies and finding each other an eyesore.


    ¡°If you find me an eyesore because I have a car, you can go buy one too.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Shao Qiyang¡¯s anger was instantly ignited. He raised his fist, ready to punch him.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly stopped him.


    With her holding him back, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t break free no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be calctive with him. He¡¯s just too anxious about losing his niece. I really need your help. If you have any conditions, just let me know. As long as I can do it, I will. Okay?¡±


    Tang Moling saw that Shao Qiyang¡¯s face was red. Not knowing it was because he was trying to break free from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s grip, Tang Moling misunderstood.


    He sized the two of them up and said, ¡°I was wondering why you suddenly became interested in the child. Are you doing this in hopes that your younger brother-inw will see you in a different light and ept you?¡±


    Shaking his head, he added, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. You just have to be shameless enough. Although you¡¯re his sister-inw, you¡¯re still a virgin, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about!¡±


    Shao Qiyang nced at Mu Jingzhe and felt very ufortable, especially when Tang Moling said that she was a virgin.


    Mu Jingzhe was frustrated as well. ¡°Tang Moling, you¡¯ve already mocked me. Can you state your conditions now?¡±


    It was just a question of whether he wanted to lend her the car or not. By speaking excessively, they were losing precious time.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Moling saw that Mu Jingzhe had finally revealed her true colors and gave her a nasty smirk. ¡°Not unless you kneel down and beg me.¡±


    His eyes were filled with malice and mockery. He knew that this was impossible. He was only doing this to make her give up and expose her true colors.


    ¡°Tang Moling, say that again.¡±


    It was all clear to Mu Jingzhe now.


    She had originally thought that this was what Tang Moling¡¯s personality was like. She¡¯d thought she would just endure it for a while and it would pass. She hadn¡¯t expected him to take things this far.


    ¡°I said that if you kneel down and beg me, I¡¯ll lend it to you if I am happy.¡±


    Tang Moling repeated himself.


    ¡°Kneel¡­ You wouldn¡¯t lend it to me even if I did kneel, would you?¡±


    No one in this world liked to kneel, but it was nothingpared to saving someone.


    In the past, when a younger child in the orphanage had fallen ill, the orphanage had not had the money to treat her. It was Mu Jingzhe who had gone kneeling door to door behind her back and begged for money to treat her.


    To her, kneeling meant living. It was life.


    Between life and kneeling, she was very aware of what was more important.


    This concerned a girl¡¯s life. Kneeling down once was nothing. If she could save her by doing this, even kneeling down a thousand times wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    However, this was provided that it would be of use. Mu Jingzhe had knelt down time and again. Sometimes, even if it was a small amount, she was still given money after kneeling. However, there were also some people who would only mock her after they asked her to kneel.


    At the time, she had always told herself that she would never have to kneel down and beg anyone ever again. She had done it again eventually.


    She hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a situation again today.


    Furthermore, she was facing malicious teasing.


    It was up to Tang Moling whether he would lend her his car or not, but he shouldn¡¯t tease her like this. No one knew what would happen due to this dy.


    Mu Jingzhe was furious.


    The anger made her crush the rocks in her hand one by one.


    Mu Jingzhe had casually picked them up along the way. She¡¯d thought that if she was lucky enough to catch up with the people who had taken Little Bei, these woulde in handy.


    Tang Moling, who had a smug smirk on his face, was left speechless.


    His mind cleared up as he watched the crushed rocks fall.


    He suddenly thought of his hurt hand and the chopsticks that had been deeply inserted into the Mu Family¡¯s dining table. Oh right, he also recalled Shao Qiyang¡¯s strange look just now.


    There was indeed something wrong with Mu Jingzhe.


    A chill ran down his spine. He suddenly realized that if he admitted that he had tricked Mu Jingzhe, his head might suffer the same fate as those rocks.


    Tang Moling unconsciously took a step back. ¡°I was joking. I¡¯ll lend it to you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her head. ¡°Really?¡±


    She dusted her hands nonchntly. She didn¡¯t even realize what she had just done, nor did she know why Tang Moling had suddenly changed his mind.


    Still, it was good that she had managed to borrow a car.


    Tang Moling held onto the keys ufortably and reluctantly opened the car door.


    Then, he suddenly realized¡­ Wait¡­ He was just lending her a car. He hadn¡¯t said he would be her chauffeur.

 Chapter 15

    <h4>Chapter 15: She Could Even Drive a Mini-Bus</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Tang Moling instantly rxed. So what if he¡¯d lent her the car? They couldn¡¯t drive it anyway, so it had all been for nothing.


    The frustration in his heart finally dissipated a little. He smiled and handed the car keys to Mu Jingzhe.


    He waited for Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang to realize this and look troubled. He thought that they would plead with him to help them drive and he would then reject them with the excuse that he was busy.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, as he didn¡¯t have the time.


    With no driver, the car would be borrowed for no reason.


    In the end, he¡¯d still win.


    Tang Moling¡¯s face lit up.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know why Tang Moling was suddenly so happy again, but he was smiling like a cat that had stolen a fish.


    She could care less about his sudden mood change. After getting the car keys, she thanked him and got in the car.


    ¡°Get in quickly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe started the car and urged Shao Qiyang to get in.


    Shao Qiyang was stunned for a moment before he got in the car.


    Tang Moling finally reacted and briskly strode over to stop Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You know how to drive?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mu Jingzhe rxed. ¡°I do.¡±


    She thought Tang Moling had regretted it and almost hit him.


    Of course she knew how to drive. She had been a veteran driver for many years.


    She just had to familiarize herself with switching from automatic to manual. In fact, she could even drive a mini-bus.


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>You know how to drive?</i>


    <i>Even?</i>you<i>?know how to drive?</i>


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t believe her at all.


    Even Mu Xue didn¡¯t know how to drive. How could she know how to do it?


    In this day and age, besides people who had a car at home or specifically learned to drive, very few people knew how to drive.


    Tang Moling still liked his car very much and couldn¡¯t bear to let the boasting Mu Jingzhe do anything to it. However, he looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know how to drive. Remember not to bump into things, or you¡¯ll have to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll make you go bankrupt by paying for the damage.¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe nodded solemnly. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be careful. We¡¯ll leave now. I¡¯ll return the car to you when we get back.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nced at Shao Qiyang. ¡°Fasten your seatbelt.¡±


    Under Tang Moling¡¯s disbelieving gaze and Shao Qiyang¡¯s suspicious gaze, Mu Jingzhe started the car and drove away.


    Although she seemed not very used to the car at first, she quickly sped up and disappeared from sight.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Tang Moling could not believe it.


    She really knew how to drive?


    Tang Moling finally reacted. ¡°My stuff.¡±


    His belongings, wallet, and other important things were still in the car.


    Tang Moling spat and chased after them.


    He had to catch up to the car.


    After some dy, he drove another ordinary car over.


    He was a good driver and he was fast. He thought that he would catch up to Mu Jingzhe soon, but he never managed to.


    The more Tang Moling chased after her, the more anxious he became. He even suspected that Mu Jingzhe had deliberately tricked him so that she could sell his car and she wasn¡¯t really looking for the child.


    In the car in front of him, Shao Qiyang was almost scared to death.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s fast, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked ahead andforted Shao Qiyang.


    How could Shao Qiyang not worry? She was driving very fast, and the person at the wheel was worrisome Mu Jingzhe. His heart almost jumped out of his chest.


    However, as time passed, he gradually rxed.


    This was because Mu Jingzhe was a very steady driver. Although her speed was very fast, she was bing increasingly more proficient and steadier.


    Judging by her expression, she seemed to have everything under control.


    At first, Shao Qiyang kept looking at Mu Jingzhe because he was worried. Later on, before he could react, his mental state and gaze changed.


    It was the first time he had seen a girl drive.


    There was an indescribable feeling in his heart.


    Because he was worried about Little Bei, he quickly forgot about this strange feeling.


    After driving for more than two hours, they finally arrived at the neighboring county city.


    Without a navigation system, they could only look at the road signs and ask passersby how to head to their destination.


    They had the name of the family that had taken Little Bei away. They were very lucky to find someone who knew them, and that person even gave them their address.


    Unfortunately, there was a problem. That family had two residences and lived in both ces. They didn¡¯t know which ce they were currently at.


    As it turned out, the two ces weren¡¯t even close.


    Time was of the essence. In the end, they decided to split up.


    The result proved that this method was good. If they hadn¡¯t split up and Mu Jingzhe had gone with him to check, they might have missed the family.


    When Mu Jingzhe arrived, they were packing their luggage and preparing to leave.


    Mu Jingzhe had never seen them before and wasn¡¯t sure about the car te number, so she confirmed their identities after getting out of the car.


    Unexpectedly, the female owner of the house was especially vignt.


    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Mu Jingzhe. I would like to know if you guys adopted a little girl called Little Bei yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The woman denied it at once, then ran back and locked the door.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that her attitude was very suspicious, so she was probably right.


    She ran after her, but the door was closed and the woman ignored her.


    However, Mu Jingzhe heard an abnormal sounding from inside.


    ¡°Open the door now. That child was stolen by her grandmother on purpose. We didn¡¯t mean to send her away. If you really want to adopt a girl, you can find another one¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knocked on the door and pleaded. She had qualms, as Little Bei was in their hands.


    In the house¡­


    ¡°Why is someone here? Didn¡¯t they say that her parents were gone?¡± The male owner locked a metal door with an unhappy expression.


    They had heard that her biological parents were gone and she only had a stepmother. The child had been personally sent here by her grandmother, and they¡¯d only adopted her because she was cute and pretty. They hadn¡¯t expected that someone would chase after them.


    The woman was a little flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s driving, but she¡¯s alone.¡±


    ¡°Driving?¡± How could an ordinary person drive?


    ¡°Right. She drove here, but I don¡¯t think the car is hers. Her clothes are dirty, and there is a hole in her shoe.¡±


    The woman had a pair of sharp eyes and had noticed a lot with just one look.


    She¡¯d noticed that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoes had be tattered while she¡¯d been looking for Little Bei.


    Upon hearing this, the man rxed a little.


    ¡°Hurry up and open the door. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll break it.¡±


    Hearing that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s movements were getting louder and louder outside, the man quickly opened the door, afraid that the neighbors would get suspicious.


    ¡°What? Robbery!¡± he dered ferociously.


    After confirming that Mu Jingzhe was alone, he rxed.


    Even if she caught up with them, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid of a woman.


    ¡°We¡¯re not giving Little Bei away to another family anymore. Please return her to me. I willpensate you for the mary losses incurred during these two days.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe got straight to the point.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Little Bei, Little Dong¡­ We don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    The man was impatient and wanted to close the door.


    However¡­ he couldn¡¯t close it.


    Mu Jingzhe blocked the door with one hand.


    The man used all his strength but couldn¡¯t close it.


    There was a coldness in the depths of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes. She pushed the door open with force and looked at the man, who was almost pushed down.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying, then tell me something else¡­ Where did this hair ornamente from?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pointed at a little girl wearing a dress not far away. The little girl seemed to have just woken up and was rubbing her eyes with an unhappy expression. On her head was Little Bei¡¯s hair clip.


    Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t mistake it for anything else, as it was the unique hair clip she had made for Little Bei. There was even Little Bei¡¯s name on it.

 Chapter 16

    <h4>Chapter 16: Mommy?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The couple hadn¡¯t expected that they would give themselves away because of the hair clip. They had taken this hair clip because their daughter had thought it was pretty.


    Seeing that they had been exposed, the man quit denying it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank too. Her grandmother gave her to me and epted the benefits. She¡¯ll be part of our family from now on. It was useless for you toe. Hurry up and leave.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t agree. I¡¯m her mother. I have to take her home today no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. This child is disobedient and ran awayst night. We don¡¯t know where she went either.¡±


    Upon seeing their shameless behavior, Mu Jingzhe went in to look for Shao Bei herself.


    After searching through all the rooms, she finally stopped in front of an iron door.


    ¡°Open the door.¡±


    This was the only room she hadn¡¯t checked. Based on the way it was tightly locked, it was obvious that something was amiss.


    The man looked at Mu Jingzhe coldly and shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t. I lost the key.¡±


    She would see what she could do.


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°Forget it then.¡±


    She took a brick from the yard and started smashing the lock under the man¡¯s disbelieving gaze.


    The man¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Stop it, this is absurd. Listen to me, if you don¡¯t stop, I¡¯ll take you to the police station. Do you believe me?¡±


    The lock was sturdy, and even he would need some time to break it. He didn¡¯t think Mu Jingzhe would be able to break it, so he merely wanted to scare Mu Jingzhe and extort some money.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything and continued smashing the lock.


    The man¡¯s expression changed after a while.


    This was because he had realized that something was wrong. Mu Jingzhe was smashing the lock repeatedly, and the lock seemed about to break. Furthermore, even the iron door was affected, as a dent appeared in it with every smash.


    She was smashing it so hard that the brick was about to break. It was a terrifying sight.


    The man realized that something was wrong and wanted to stop her, but it was toote.


    Bang! The lock waspletely broken.


    The door was also full of holes and dents by now.


    Most importantly, when the door opened, what was inside was revealed.


    With a single nce, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes turned red.


    Apart from misceneous items, there was also a dog cage in the middle of the room.


    In the cage was Little Bei, whose hands and feet were tied and whose mouth was gagged.


    The pretty, smart little girl who loved cleanliness and beauty had been locked in a filthy cage.


    It had urred to Mu Jingzhe that they might have restrained Xiao Bei, but she hadn¡¯t expected them to restrain her so thoroughly by locking her in a cage like a dog.


    Was this what Zhao Lan had meant when she¡¯d said she was doing this so that Shao Bei would lead a good life?


    She had meant this kind of good life?


    As she thought back to the noise she had heard earlier, she realized it must havee from this cage.


    If she hadn¡¯t arrived in time, they would have sent Little Bei to god-knew-where.


    Mu Jingzhe was furious. Just as she was about to go over, the man raised a crowbar and tried to stop her.


    Sensing that something was amiss, he had already grabbed the tools that he had at home.


    Seeing that his deeds had been exposed, he had decided to go all out and deal with Mu Jingzhe as well.


    Mu Jingzhe was still young and could easily be abducted and taken elsewhere. She could forget about ever escaping.


    The man¡¯s eyes were filled with ferocity, but his first hit missed.


    After dodging, Mu Jingzhe snatched the crowbar from him and gave him a hard p on the leg.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The man screamed and fell to his knees.


    Mu Jingzhe ferociously hit the man¡¯s hand twice and felt around the man¡¯s body for the keys as he cried in agony.


    ¡°Little Bei, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m opening the door right now.¡±


    Upon opening the cage, Mu Jingzhe picked up Little Bei, carried her out, untied the rope, and removed the towel covering her mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Little Bei.¡±


    Little Bei wrapped her arms around Mu Jingzhe¡¯s neck and wailed.


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    She would never forget hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice at her most desperate moment.


    She had heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s movements.


    She had heard the terrifying sounds of the door and lock being smashed, but they had been like music to her ears.


    She really had been saved.


    She had been saved by Mu Jingzhe, whom she had never expected to save her.


    Little Bei felt like she had fallen from heaven to hell during these two days.


    Because of her new clothes, because she¡¯d had a hot meal every day and her hair had been styled into beautiful braids and adorned with a pretty hair ornament every day, she had felt very happy.


    She had lost her mother since her birth, so she had always envied those who had mothers the most.


    It had not been easy for home to finally feel like a home, but she had been pushed to hell by her grandmother, who had raised her.


    In her moments of utmost despair, Mu Jingzhe had descended from the sky like a mother and saved her.


    This was probably what a mother was like.


    Little Bei had shouted out the word she had dreamed of but hadn¡¯t dared say.


    Mommy.


    This was a form of address she could only use in her dreams.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached before she heard the little girl call her Mommy.


    Mommy?


    Mommy??


    Why would she suddenly call her Mommy?


    It felt wondrous.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had never been a mother, had a shocked expression on her face, and her body stiffened.


    As she was at a loss, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. She turned her head and saw the man, who was unwilling to give up and wanted tounch a sneak attack.


    ¡°F*ck you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stuffed the screaming man into the dog cage.


    There was limited space in the dog cage, but that didn¡¯t stop Mu Jingzhe from fitting him inpletely. As for his severed hand¡­ Well, that was regrettable.


    ¡°You deserve this for locking up Little Bei. Have a taste of your own medicine!¡±


    She quickly locked the cage and reinforced it with a crowbar before smashing the key.


    ¡°Enjoy the feeling of being in a cage!¡±


    She looked at the angry, wary woman. She was looking at her daughter, who had burst into tears from fright in her arms.


    The woman saw her gaze and immediately covered her young daughter¡¯s mouth.


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not like you people. I wouldn¡¯t do anything to an innocent child. But remember your lesson today. If you dare do such a thing again in the future, I¡¯ll cut off your evil hands.¡±


    She pointed to her own eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe finished threatening them, she turned to look at Little Bei and her body instantly froze.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Little Bei, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± Little Bei wasn¡¯t afraid when she had Mu Jingzhe protecting her.


    She sniffed. ¡°I want enormous strength too.¡±


    She waved a small fist in the air. ¡°So I can hammer their heads off.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Oh, dear. She had saved Little Bei, but this seemed to have had a bad influence on her and instilled violent thoughts in her.


    ¡°Little Bei, violence is wrong. You can¡¯t learn from me.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re wicked.¡± Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe¡¯s leg. ¡°I just want to protect myself.¡±


    She raised her head and looked at Mu Jingzhe. Her little face was dirty, and her eyes were red. She said pitifully, ¡°They said that I was disobedient, and they scolded me and hit me. I wanted to run away, so they locked me in a cage and didn¡¯t give me food or water. They were even going to give me away to a fool.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mu Jingzhe immediately exploded and looked at the man in the cage.


    The man¡¯s body froze, and he didn¡¯t even dare scream in pain or curse anymore.


    These two people were indeed well-off to be able to afford a car in this day and age. It was also true that they wished to adopt a daughter.


    However, they had only adopted this girl because they wanted to give her to a fool¡¯s family instead of their biological daughter.

 Chapter 17

    <h4>Chapter 17: p</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The reason why the man¡¯s family had been able to make a name for themselves was because they had managed to curry favor with someone. However, the person they had sucked up to had a son who was a fool.


    The fool would go crazy from time to time, and no one was willing to y with him. The family was worried that if they were gone in the future, no one would care about the fool, so they wanted to find a girl for their son.


    When she was young, she would be his ymate. When she grew up, she would be his wife.


    Just like raising a child bride, as long as she was taught well from a young age, everything would be fine.


    This family happened to have a daughter, so they had asked if they¡¯d be willing to send their daughter to them.


    Of course, they were unwilling to do so. What future would their daughter have if she got together with that fool? Because they couldn¡¯t bear to part with their own daughter, they hade up with the idea of adopting a new daughter. This way, they could gain benefits and not have to let their own daughter suffer the grievance of such an arrangement.


    Little Bei had been born beautiful, and her age and qualities were suitable. They just hadn¡¯t expected her to be so smart and disobedient.


    If a girl Little Bei was sent to the fool¡¯s ce, it would be bad if she was disobedient and provoked the fool.


    They had thus decided to train Little Bei to behave properly. They had even used the dog cage that they¡¯d previously used for their dog.


    Afraid that themotion would be too big, they had even nned to go to the countryside to train her.


    If Mu Jingzhe hade anyter, it would have been even harder to find Little Bei. Little Bei would definitely have had to suffer.


    Upon hearing their ns, Mu Jingzhe felt so angry that she almost froze.


    Since they wanted face, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t give them any.


    She carried Little Bei and went out to call the neighbors. She publicized what this family had done and told everyone to pay attention to their own children lest they did such an evil deed again in the future.


    Besides, this family would be criticized even more in the future, and the man would find it hard toe out of the cage.


    Mu Jingzhe hugged Little Bei and left with Shao Qiyang, who had rushed over to meet them.


    While Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t paying attention, Tang Moling, who was among the crowd, pursed his lips and then left with his head lowered.


    He had chased her all the way here and almost lost Mu Jingzhe. When he had rushed over, he had happened to see Mu Jingzhe confronting the man.


    Tang Moling had originally thought that since Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t around, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t continue acting as a good stepmother.


    Unexpectedly, what had happened next hadpletely shattered his self-righteousness.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t acting. She had really gone there to find her stepdaughter.


    He had stood at the entrance and had almost run in to help when he had seen the man attacking Mu Jingzhe with a crowbar.


    However, Mu Jingzhe had taken care of everything herself.


    He had seen and heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s actions, witnessed Little Bei¡¯s misery, heard her wailing, and heard her call her mommy.


    Tang Moling¡¯s countenance was ugly.


    Why was Mu Jingzhepletely different from what he had heard about her?


    Why was this stepmother different from other stepmothers?


    Why¡­ hadn¡¯t he met such a stepmother before?


    Tang Moling also had a stepmother.


    He hated Mu Jingzhe. Other than hating her because of Mu Xue, he also hated her because he was prejudiced against stepmothers.


    He didn¡¯t want to recall the past. Anyway, if he hadn¡¯t been brought home by his maternal grandfatherter on, he might have been tortured to death or killed that woman and be a murderer.


    He knew that Mu Jingzhe had be a stepmother and treated the five children badly.


    On the other hand, Mu Xue felt that the children were innocent under the circumstances. Seeing how pitiful they were, she would even give them food.


    If Mu Xue had done this today, he wouldn¡¯t have found it strange. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to do all this.


    Tang Moling felt like he had been pped in the face.


    *****


    When Little Bei saw Mu Jingzhe driving, she widened her eyes in surprise and kept praising her.


    Unlike during the trip there, Mu Jingzhe was in a good mood this time. Now that she managed to rx, she even teased Little Bei.


    Although she was talking, it didn¡¯t affect her driving at all. Her posture was much more rxed than that of other drivers.


    Shao Qiyang had seen some drivers drive, but most of them hadn¡¯t been like Mu Jingzhe.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look at her.


    He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. He just felt that the way she held the steering wheel was strangely suave, which made him want to look at her again and again.


    Previously, when he had seen his second brother, Shao Qihai, drive, he had felt that his brother was extremely impressive.


    Now that he looked at Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qiyang felt that she was more impressive and¡­ better-looking.


    He didn¡¯t know that, ording to a saying in the pugilistic world, men had nothing on a woman who looked suave while driving.


    Frightened and tired, Little Bei fell asleep in no time and the car was plunged into silence.


    Mu Jingzhe sensed that Shao Qiyang kept looking at her and thought that something had happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Shao Qiyang immediately replied before looking out of the window.


    His heart was racing.


    Soon, they returned to the county.


    Mu Jingzhe had formed a n on the road. When she passed by the gas station, she filled the car with oil. When she reached the county, she washed the car.


    She did all that before returning the car to Tang Moling.


    ¡°Thank you for lending us your car. You really helped us this time. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±


    Tang Moling took the car and looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s serious expression, nodding without saying a word.


    If he hadn¡¯t followed her today, he would have mocked Mu Jingzhe for thinking too highly of herself.


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t say a word, but he looked grumpy. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare say anything else and just left after returning the car.


    Actually, Tang Moling was just feeling awkward. It was impossible for him to apologize, but he was still curious to know why Mu Jingzhe knew how to drive. He had a few other questions too.


    In the end¡­ she had just run away like that?


    When he saw Mu Jingzhe leave without looking back, Tang Moling¡¯s countenance turned even uglier.


    ¡°You call that thanking someone? Just saying a few words? Do you think I lend my car so easily?¡±


    After saying that, he noticed that the car had been washed. Even the interior had been cleaned, and the tank had been filled with oil.


    Tang Moling felt a tad embarrassed and ufortable.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qiyang and Mu Jingzhe returned to town.


    Shao Qiyang had been supposed to only have a day off yesterday. He was supposed to go to work today, but he¡¯d forcibly applied for leave. The moment they got back, he rushed off to work.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best toe back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was inevitable that Shao Qiyang would be reprimanded. He listened absent-mindedly, wondering if Mu Jingzhe would get into a fight with Zhao Lan again when she got back.


    He then wondered why Mu Jingzhe knew how to drive.


    As his thoughts ran wild, his colleague came and told him that someone was looking for him.


    When Shao Qiyang came out, he saw Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe handed three buns to Shao Qiyang.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to workte, you can eat these when you get hungry.¡±


    She had been about to leave, but when she¡¯d passed by the bun shop, she had realized that she was starving.


    After running for an entire day and night, it would be strange if she wasn¡¯t hungry.


    Little Bei¡¯s stomach was growling too. Naturally, she¡¯d had to buy the buns. On top of that, she had also bought three for Shao Qiyang.


    There was a high chance that Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t have any money on him.


    He had yet to receive his sry and had already spent all the money he had earned previously.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed. Today, she had spent almost all the money she had earned.


    She had to work hard to earn money. She was too poor.


    Shao Qiyang looked at the piping hot steamed buns and touched his stomach, which had shriveled from hunger. He then whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It felt good to know that someone cared about him.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because the steamed buns were too hot, but his eyes were also feeling a little warm.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    As Shao Qiyang watched her leave, his colleague nudged him.


    ¡°Is this girl your girlfriend? She even brought you food?¡±


    He was hungry too, but no one had brought him any food.


    Shao Qiyang shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Although he said that she wasn¡¯t his girlfriend, for some reason, he didn¡¯t want to say that Mu Jingzhe was his second sister-inw.


    ¡°Not yet, but she will be soon. I get it.¡±


    His colleague winked at him. Shao Qiyang took a big bite out of the huge bun and left without exining anything.

 Chapter 18

    <h4>Chapter 18: An Eye For An Eye</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Halfway home, Xiao Bei woke up.


    Mu Jingzhe could clearly feel her trembling, and there was something wrong with her breathing too.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Little Bei. It¡¯s me.¡±


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice, Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around her neck. ¡°Auntie¡­¡±


    Her voice was full of attachment.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Little Bei had cried and called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ before, but she hadn¡¯t called her that again. It was as if she had called her that by ident before. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t mind. She wasn¡¯t her mother and wasn¡¯t used to it. She was more used to her calling her ¡®Auntie¡¯.


    To her, the term ¡®Mommy¡¯ was too special.


    However, after this incident, Little Bei had gotten much closer to her.


    ¡°Auntie, I want to pee.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Little Bei was done, she quickly ran back and grabbed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes with her little hands.


    She was still traumatized by what had happened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tidied up her clothes and pants. ¡°This won¡¯t happen again. Your grandmother and those people won¡¯t dare do anything to you again.¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t let them do it again.


    Little Bei nodded obediently. ¡°Mm.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe caressed Little Bei¡¯s face, which seemed to have lost its roundness overnight. She tidied the little girl¡¯s messy hair and squatted down with her back facing her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk myself.¡± Little Bei declined to ride her back.


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe told Little Bei that they had been looking for herst night.


    She knew that she was tired.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can carry you. Just don¡¯t get sick. Let¡¯s get home quickly. Your brothers and the rest are anxiously waiting for you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hoisted Little Bei onto her back.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t help but rub against her. Then, she made up her mind and said, ¡°Auntie, I¡¯ll repay you in the future. I¡¯ll support you in your old age.¡±


    She had always heard that a child had to be filial when they grew up. That was why she made this promise.


    ¡°Thank you, but I didn¡¯t do much. I just did what needed to be done. You don¡¯t have to think too much about it. Auntie will take care of herself.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to hear such words.


    In the original book, the five children had said the same thing twice. One of the people they had said this to was Mu Xue, and they had been true to their word.


    These children had suffered too much, seen too much evil, and had no one to teach them properly. Hence, they¡¯d eventually be viins.


    However, apart from bearing grudges, they would also remember kindness.


    Mu Xue had given them food and spoken up for them a few times on ount of their pitiful state. Unfortunately, it hadn¡¯t been of much use to them. Life had still been difficult for them.


    However, even though this had happened only a few times, they¡¯d remembered this great favor. Later on, when they met Mu Xue, they remembered this kindness and secretly helped repay her, bing Mu Xue¡¯s greatest gold finger.


    No one would have thought that the children they despised would have such a grateful side to them.


    Ultimately, they had suffered too much and no one had treated them well. Therefore, they considered this little bit of light and kindness extremely important.


    Upon hearing Little Bei say that she wasn¡¯t lying, Mu Jingzhe praised her.


    ¡°Little Bei, you are a good child. We have to make sure you stay this way in the future. You have to distinguish between good and evil.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had never expected the children to repay the kindness. The important thing was that they were fine.


    She remembered that Little Bei had not encountered this incident in the book because she had been deaf.


    This time, Little Bei¡¯s ears hadn¡¯t been damaged from the high fever. She hadn¡¯t expected that because she¡¯d ended up fine, Zhao Lan would plot against her and she would suffer this fate instead.


    Before nightfall, Mu Jingzhe hurried back to the vige with Little Bei on her back.


    From afar, she saw Shao Dong and his brothers waiting at the vige entrance.


    When they saw Mu Jingzhe, they ran over to them.


    ¡°Little Bei.¡±


    ¡°Sister.¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan quickly ran over. When they saw that Shao Bei was back, they heaved a big sigh of relief.


    When Little Bei saw her brothers, she recalled the frightening incident and couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d never see you guys again. Boohoo¡­¡±


    The four siblings hugged each other. Little Bei cried while her three brothersforted her. All their eyes turned red as they cried.


    Mu Jingzhe took a few steps forward and lifted Shao Zhong up from the ground.


    Shao Zhong was too young and always fell behind the rest. His short legs couldn¡¯t run fast or steadily, so he¡¯d kept falling on his way there.


    Other kids might have cried their hearts out, but he¡¯d gritted his teeth, gotten up, and continued running over.


    ¡°Next time, don¡¯t run.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe dusted off Shao Zhong¡¯s clothes and asked the children to go home.


    Along the way, she briefly exined what had happened.


    When they heard that, a gloomy expression that did not match their age appeared on the children¡¯s faces.


    ¡°The main reason I¡¯m telling you is to keep you all on your toes from now on. Don¡¯t trust anyone easily. I¡¯ll talk to your grandmother.¡±


    Along the way, she met people from the vige who asked about the situation. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t hide anything. Other than the fact that Little Bei had almost been sent to a fool, she told them what Zhao Lan had done, that she had given her granddaughter away just for some benefits.


    Rather than saying she had given her granddaughter away, it would be more urate to say that she had sold her.


    She hadn¡¯t cared if that family were good people or not, nor had she cared if her granddaughter was dead or alive.


    Mu Jingzhe purposely let everyone know so that Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t use her status as their grandmother to torment the children anymore.


    Zhao Lan had already found out by the time Mu Jingzhe returned to the Mu Residence.


    The person who had told Zhao Lan the news hadn¡¯t done so out of goodwill. They¡¯d tantly looked down on her for selling her granddaughter for some benefits.


    Zhao Lan was furious. She red at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Bei as if she wanted to swallow them whole.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, it¡¯s easy for you to just stand there and talk. You¡¯re just a stepmother. You could simply wash your hands off of them at any moment and remarry. Why are you pretending to be a good person now? If you¡¯re that capable, you can take care of them forever.¡±


    When the children heard this, their eyes flickered as they looked at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°So, as their grandmother, you are taking care of them by selling them?¡±


    Zhao Lan fell to the ground in anger.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao frowned. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t say the word ¡®sell¡¯ repeatedly. Mother-inw wanted Little Bei not to starve or freeze, which is why she gave her away. It was out of kindness. Seeing that the family even had a car, she thought that they weren¡¯t poor and Little Bei could live a good life.¡±


    Zhao Lan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Even if Mom didn¡¯t judge their characters well, you shouldn¡¯t have scolded her like that. She did that because she wanted Little Bei to lead a good life¡­¡±


    ¡°If that was really the case, why didn¡¯t you send Shao X¨«?¡± Mu Jingzhe interrupted her. ¡°What an eloquent butpletely untruthful excuse.


    ¡°I found Little Bei today, so I won¡¯t bother talking to you. However, this was thest straw.


    ¡°If you dare have any wicked ideas again, I won¡¯t be polite anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stared at Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, who were watching the show from the side. ¡°If you dare touch Shao Dong or his siblings again, I¡¯ll touch these four.¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see if I dare or not. I¡¯m telling you right now. If you give a child away, I¡¯ll give away one of yours. If you do something to one of them, I¡¯ll do the same to two of yours. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll dare to take that gamble.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s principle was an eye for an eye, and she believed in paying people back twice as much as she owed them.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s face turned pale. She didn¡¯t dare gamble anymore.

 Chapter 19

    <h4>Chapter 19: Marriage Proposal</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home. You won¡¯t be alone with them again. Everyone in the vige will understand.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe finished warning them, seeing that Zhao Lan didn¡¯t dare say anything, she took Shao Dong and the others home.


    Shao Bei held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and looked at the furious Zhao Lan, then back at Mu Jingzhe. The hatred and gloom in her beautiful eyes turned into surprise and admiration.


    The other children also hadplicated expressions on their faces.


    Mu Jingzhe was neither tall nor strong. Compared to their father, Shao Qihai, she looked thin. Even when standing before Zhao Lan, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have an advantage in terms of size.


    However, she had used her slender body to protect them.


    At that moment, she made them feel more secure than their father had.


    They deliberately avoided thinking about what Zhao Lan had said about Mu Jingzhe leaving at any time.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even think about it and went home to prepare dinner.


    After the meal, Shao Dong took on the job of washing the dishes despite not saying much.


    Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe bathed Shao Bei.


    Then, it was time to sleep. However, Shao Nan dilly-dallied and didn¡¯t go to sleep. Shao Dong strangely let him be tonight.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to go to the toilet?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan¡¯s expression and guessed.


    Shao Nan¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±?<i>What¡¯s with that constipated expression then?</i>


    Mu Jingzhe asked, ¡°Do you feel unwell? Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Nan pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned.


    Seeing that she was not reacting, Shao Nan said in one go, ¡°I¡¯m at fault for misunderstanding youst night. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe reacted but paused. ¡°I ept your apology this time, but I hope there won¡¯t be a next time. It doesn¡¯t feel good to be wronged.¡±


    Shao Nan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t suspect anyone without evidence in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go to sleep then.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but stroke his head.


    Shao Nan¡¯s entire body stiffened. He wanted to dodge, but he held himself back. After taking a few steps, he was unwilling to just go away like that and turned back.


    ¡°Although I misunderstood you this time, I still don¡¯t trust you. I will be keeping an eye on you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Sure, go ahead and do that.¡±


    Upon seeing that she didn¡¯t look angry or guilty, Shao Nan went back to sleep silently.


    That night, Little Bei fell asleep hugging Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arm and jolted awake twice in the middle of the night.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted her to take two days off school, but Little Bei shook her head.


    ¡°No, I want to go back to school. I still have to get to the top of the ss.¡±


    Then, she exined, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe sent them to school, she talked to Shao Zhong while making hair ornaments.


    The hair ornaments were selling well, but the market was too small, so the sales were limited. Furthermore, if she really wanted to do this business, she couldn¡¯t keep buying rags. She had to buy some special materials for making hair ornaments.


    This way, she would be able to expand the business and earn a lot of money. Otherwise, she would only be able to do this on a small scale.


    The problem was that the money she had earned previously had been spent on finding Little Bei.


    Therefore, she had to think of other ways to earn money.


    Mu Jingzhe had been pondering this since she had returned yesterday.


    A business with a small capital¡­ After thinking for a while, she finally decided on food.


    At noon, Mu Jingzhe made steamed buns.


    ¡°How are they? Do they taste good?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe earnestly asked the children for their opinions.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. Delicious.¡±


    ¡°Delicious.¡±


    The children were busy eating and only spoke briefly.


    Judging from their reactions, the buns were truly delicious.


    However, Mu Jingzhe was worried and went to look for Li Zhaodi.


    ¡°Mom, how do they taste?¡±


    Li Zhaodi kept nodding her head as she ate. ¡°They¡¯re delicious. Jingzhe, when did you learn how to make buns? You even made them really well.¡±


    ¡°I learned after watching others. Mom, do you think I could sell them in town?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to make and sell them?¡± Li Zhaodi was uncertain. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why did you suddenly think of making steamed buns to sell them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten steamed buns on the street before. I think they tasted average. I can make them too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had asked about this before. Many people in the vige had some dried goods. Every family had dried mushrooms, so it wouldn¡¯t be expensive to buy them.


    Some people didn¡¯t like mushroom buns, but if the buns were fragrant, people would like them very much.


    There were also vegetable buns. She could grow vegetables at home so she wouldn¡¯t have to buy them.


    As for the pickled vegetable stuffing, Li Zhaodi¡¯s pickled vegetables were very delicious.


    Mu Jingzhe shared her thoughts. ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t handle this alone. Do you want to sell buns with me?¡±


    ¡°Will that work?¡± Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t have much confidence in herself. ¡°You can try. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t try to persuade her. She would sell them first. If the sales were good, she would rope in Li Zhaodi to help.


    The reason Li Zhaodi picked on Mu Xue so much was because she was poor. If she had something to do and earned some money herself, she wouldn¡¯t have the energy to be such a piece of work.


    This was only selling steamed buns, but when the n was implemented, there would be a lot to keep one busy.


    While Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe were making preparations, Li Zhaodi also tried her hand at making buns.


    The result was very delicious. They were not any worse than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s buns.


    Actually, Li Zhaodi was good at cooking, but the Mu Family never let her cook because she would secretly eat and hide the food.


    Li Zhaodi also knew that she was despised and looked down upon, so she¡¯d simply cast aside her pride.


    However, after working with Mu Jingzhe for two days, being praised by Mu Jingzhe, and beingplimented by Shao Dong and the other children for her delicious cooking, she gained some confidence.


    While Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi were busy preparing this business, there wasn¡¯t muchmotion. However, the people next door could still sense it.


    The fragrance of the steamed buns could be smelled from next door.


    Zhao Lan was so angry that she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    In the past two days, the atmosphere in the eldest branch¡¯s house had been especially bad. In contrast, the old house was busy and prospering day by day. From time to time, the sound of children¡¯sughter could be heard.


    The life on the two sides seemed to have been reversed.


    Previously, the eldest branch¡¯s house had always been lively, while the old house had been cold and deserted.


    The eldest branch couldn¡¯t ept this disparity. Their reputation was affected, and they were even threatened. Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t help asking her eldest daughter-inw to go out andin, but it was futile.


    After all, the vigers weren¡¯t fools. They all knew what was going on.


    In the end, they could only say that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t take care of the children for the rest of her life. ¡°Mu Jingzhe has be a good person for now. Everyone praises her, but she has never raised a child before. How would she know that raising a child isn¡¯t easy?¡±


    ¡°Talk is cheap. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so free to do whatever she wants. If she were to swear that she would take care of them for the rest of her life, we wouldn¡¯t have anything to say about it. But do you think she will? Who knows when she¡¯ll wash her hands off of them and get married when a good marriage prospect appears? When that happens, we¡¯ll be the ones taking care of these children again.¡±


    As though what they said was a premonition, someone actually came to propose marriage.


    He was interested in Mu Jingzhe.


    Although Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t returned to the Mu Residence, the person who wanted to propose marriage still went to the Mu Residence.


    The identity of the man surprised and excited everyone.


    Li Zhaodi quickly went to find Mu Jingzhe.


    At the moment, Mu Jingzhe was delivering buns to Tang Moling outside the school.

 Chapter 20

    <h4>Chapter 20: You Must Get Married</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Tang Moling hade to Great Eastern Vige to look for Mu Xue again.


    He had driven his jeep there. The condition of the vige roads was such that only jeeps could drive inside.


    This was the first time the vigers had seen a car up close, so all of them came to look at it.


    Knowing that he was the person that Mu Xue had saved previously and that he hade to thank her, everyone looked at Mu Xue enviously.


    Old Madam Mu was proud. She knew that her granddaughter was a promising person.


    In the past, many people from the vige hade to ask for Mu Xue¡¯s hand in marriage, but she had rejected them all because she knew that her granddaughter would amount to great things. Mu Xue had also been unwilling, and as a result, people were gossiping that Mu Xue was a spinster and saying other things like that.


    Let¡¯s see who would still dare to gossip about her.


    Although Mu Xue and Tang Moling hadn¡¯t officially confirmed their rtionship, anyone could tell that it was only a matter of time.


    As Mu Jingzhe was preparing to start her business, the Mu Family was bustling with activity for two days because of Tang Moling.


    Li Zhaodi had been busy cooking steamed buns, so she didn¡¯t have the time to y any tricks.


    When she¡¯d brought the buns back, she¡¯d remembered Mu Jingzhe mentioning that Tang Moling had helped her before, so she¡¯d reluctantly given Tang Moling one.


    Tang Moling had eaten all sorts of good food before, so he had just nonchntly eaten it.


    Unexpectedly, it had been quite delicious.


    Knowing Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi were the ones making the buns, he halted in his tracks when he bumped into Mu Jingzhe that day.


    Mu Jingzhe would avoid the male and female leads as much as she could, but Tang Moling had helped her before, so she couldn¡¯t pretend that she hadn¡¯t seen him. She could only greet him and thank him again.


    ¡°If you really want to thank me, then show some sincerity. Do so with actions, not just with words.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought about it for a long time. In the end, she couldn¡¯t think of anything she could offer, so she just gave Tang Moling a pair of hair ornaments.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have.¡±


    Tang Moling frowned, almost tossing the ornaments away. ¡°What can I do with these?¡±


    ¡°You can give them to Mu Xue. She¡ª¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to give them to her, why wouldn¡¯t I buy some myself?¡± Tang Moling thought to himself that it would be absurd if he gave Mu Xue what Mu Jingzhe had given him.


    ¡°My bad.¡± Mu Jingzhe misunderstood. She thought that he didn¡¯t like what she¡¯d made and quickly took the ornaments back. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything I can thank you with right now. I only made some buns¡­¡±


    ¡°Steamed buns then. Make some for me as a thank-you gift.¡±


    Tang Moling interrupted Mu Jingzhe. It wasn¡¯t that he had to get a gift. He was just a little hungry.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Okay.¡±


    It would be best if she could thank him with some buns.


    Mu Jingzhe steamed ten buns for Tang Moling. ¡°There are white sugar buns, mushroom buns, and pickled cabbage buns.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The bun Tang Moling had eaten previously had been a mushroom bun. He¡¯d never really liked mushrooms in the past, but the mushrooms in that bun had been especially aromatic, though he didn¡¯t know how the mushroom filling was prepared. He was satisfied with what he heard.


    Just as he was about to say something, Mu Jingzhe left in a hurry. He frowned and was about to call out to her when he heard Mu Xue¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Xiao Xue.¡± Upon seeing Mu Xue, Tang Moling forgot all about Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Eat some buns.¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s countenance looked a tad terrible. ¡°Tang Moling, was that Jingzhe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Why did she give you these buns?¡±


    Mu Xue couldn¡¯t help but recall the days when Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe had tried to steal her things. The incident with Shao Qihai was still fresh in her mind. She hadn¡¯t expected that this time, Tang Moling would be the target.


    Tang Moling had actually epted the buns.


    He used to detest Mu Jingzhe and had even said he wanted to avenge Mu Xue. It had only been a few days, yet everything had changed?


    Was Tang Moling going to be snatched away by Mu Jingzhe too?


    No matter how slow-witted Tang Moling was, he could sense that something was wrong. He quickly exined, ¡°Xiao Xue, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. She was just thanking me. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have epted them.¡±


    ¡°Thanking you for what?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Mu Jingzhe looking for that little girl from the Shao Family a while ago? I just lent her my car.¡±


    Unexpectedly, after Tang Moling¡¯s exnation, not only did Mu Xue¡¯s countenance not improve, but it actually looked even worse.


    ¡°You even lent her your car?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lend it for her sake. I lent it because of Little Bei. Aren¡¯t you fond of that child?¡±


    Mu Xue was still a little unhappy and inevitably felt a bit jealous.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a car until yesterday.¡±


    Tang Moling looked at her expression and tried not tough. ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    Mu Xue blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t talk nonsense, but that¡¯s where my charm lies. Several people from your vige talked to me today¡­¡±


    He wanted to hint that she should grab this opportunity, but upon seeing that Mu Xue was about to run away, Tang Moling quickly took her hand.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I won¡¯t joke around anymore. I won¡¯t talk to them, nor will I talk to Mu Jingzhe. I only asked her to make the steamed buns because I wanted you to have them.¡±


    The two of them ate the buns in Mu Xue¡¯s office.


    The buns Mu Jingzhe had made were truly quite delicious.


    Mu Jingzhe had just returned home when Shao Dong and his siblings returned from school.


    Just as they were about to eat, Li Zhaodi arrived.


    ¡°Jingzhe, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Mom, have you eaten? Let¡¯s eat first.¡±


    ¡°Forget about eating. Come with me. Someone hase to propose to you¡ª¡±


    Li Zhaodi spoke excitedly. When she saw Shao Dong and the rest looking at her, she quickly stopped talking and smiled. ¡°You guys eat first. I have something to tell Jingzhe.¡±


    As she spoke, she pulled Mu Jingzhe away.


    ¡°Mom, what did you just say? A marriage proposal?¡±


    ¡°Right. The man¡¯s a driver. He¡¯s from the city and he is very eligible¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi tried to suppress her voice, but because she was so agitated, her voice became louder without her realizing it.


    Shao Dong and the others in the room also heard it.


    They were eating buns happily at first, but when they heard this, their movements slowed down.


    None of the children spoke, and the atmosphere waspletely tense.


    Mu Jingzhe was very surprised by the proposal. She had never expected such a thing to happen.


    She had thought that if she stayed with the Shao Family, everyone would know that she had no intention of remarrying for the time being. She hadn¡¯t expected that someone would actually propose marriage.


    Li Zhaodi was quick with words, so she exined the situation fast.


    The person who hade to ask for her hand in marriage was a train driver. He was the young man with the crew cut Mu Jingzhe had asked questions at the bus station.


    He knew that Mu Jingzhe had been looking for her daughter and had happened to see her driving.


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe had driven alongside him for a while and had soon overtaken him. She had driven steadily and quickly, leaving a deep impression on the young man.


    In short, he had been mesmerized by the way she drove.


    There were very few female drivers these days. The young man had asked around and found out about her living situation. He didn¡¯t mind that she had married once and felt that she was a good woman. Since she was so devoted even to the children left behind by her ex-husband, he couldn¡¯t go wrong by marrying her.


    The young man was good-looking and sincere. He even said that after Mu Jingzhe married him, she could start out by selling shuttle bus tickets, working alongside him. In the future, he would definitely find an opportunity to let her drive.


    The hot-blooded young man had taken many things into ount for their future. He had even thought about how many children he wanted to have.


    His father was a driver, and his mother was a worker. They had two houses in the city. Mu Jingzhe would have a good life after marrying into their family.


    ¡°Such an eligible man has many girls to pick from even in the city, yet he has taken a fancy to you. It¡¯ll be just the two of you living together in the future, and you won¡¯t have to live with your mother-inw every day. That¡¯s fantastic, Jingzhe. Listen to me. You must marry this man.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was over the moon.

 Chapter 21

    <h4>Chapter 21: Snatching Tang Moling?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    This marriage prospect was indeed quite good, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think of epting it.


    It would be too hasty to marry someone she had only met once.


    She did not n to get married for the time being. Her future career ns didn¡¯t involve selling bus tickets or driving.


    Speaking of that, she felt ashamed. Previously, she had been focused on looking for Little Bei, but now that she thought about it, she had driven despite not having a driver¡¯s license. This behavior was really uneptable.


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to get married yet.¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You must marry this eligible man.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was beaming with joy. She raised her eyebrows and let out the pent-up frustration that she had been holding in for a long time. ¡°Mom hasn¡¯t been sleeping well recently and has been worried about your marriage prospects. We can¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡±


    Back when Shao Qihai had died, as his mother-inw, Li Zhaodi had been even more upset than his biological mother, Zhao Lan. She had cried for several days, upset that her daughter would have to remarry and fretting over her daughter¡¯s future.


    ¡°The young man¡¯s mother seems a little dissatisfied. I¡¯ll find an opportunity to secretly tell them that you¡¯re still a virgin. This way, you won¡¯t face any problems after you marry him.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I really don¡¯t want to marry for the time being. Didn¡¯t we agree to make steamed buns together?¡±


    ¡°Marriage is more important. Don¡¯t be stubborn.¡± Li Zhaodi thought for a while. ¡°Do you feel that he¡¯s not as good as Tang Moling? Jingzhe, don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be inferior to Mu Xue just because of this. You¡¯ve already been married once, so do notpete with her anymore. This time, let¡¯s settle for this, alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe refused, she was still forced to go back by Li Zhaodi.


    Mu Jingzhe was embarrassed, but the young man was very excited. Old Madam Mu¡¯s countenance became much better.


    If both her granddaughters married well, it would reflect well on her too.


    Very quickly, everyone in the vige learned about this.


    Apart from feeling shocked, many people couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit jealous. They felt that she had been truly blessed to get to marry someone so eligible despite being married once before.


    Many people said that Mu Jingzhe had been treating the children well because she wanted to improve her reputation.


    Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw this as an opportunity to clear their names and prove that they had been right.


    The vigers believed that Mu Jingzhe would definitely agree to marry someone so eligible.


    Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao felt the same way. They felt both happy and bitter, as they thought that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t worthy.


    After hearing that, they quickly expressed her opinion¡ªMu Jingzhe could get married, but she was still a member of the Shao Family. Thus, if she wanted to get married, she could forget about taking back the dowry she had brought with her.


    The two of them had a good n and soon came to camp at the old house.


    Zhao Lan sneered when she saw Shao Dong and the others¡¯ grim expressions.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that bitter expression? Your stepmother is about to get married. Aren¡¯t you close to her? Hurry up and tell her that you can¡¯t bear to part with her. Maybe you can follow her over there.


    ¡°The guy who came to propose marriagees from a well-to-do family. They are from the city. As long as they let you follow them, you will be able to live a good life.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao chuckled and pulled Zhao Lan back. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t joke around. She might not necessarily bring them along even if they were her biological children.¡±


    While looking at Shao Dong and the others, she put on an act and sighed. ¡°Why did you have to believe an outsider and go against your grandmother, who raised you? Tell me, if we didn¡¯t care about you and gave you away, what would you do?¡±


    Zhao Lan interrupted her impatiently. ¡°Why are you telling them so much? They¡¯re all ingrates. Even if they kneel and beg me, I won¡¯t care about them.¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t say a word. He held back the fuming Shao Xi and tidied up before leaving the house.


    ¡°Look what you¡¯ve been taught by Mu Jingzhe. You don¡¯t even greet your grandma. You just go out without a word¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s voice was soon lost, but her heart was getting heavier.


    Little Bei lowered her head and looked at her shadow. When she thought about the fact that no one would hug her to sleep in the future and no one would cook for them, make clothes for them, orb her hair, she felt sad.


    ¡°Brother, will Auntie really marry?¡± Her tone was filled with reluctance.


    Shao Zhong abruptly raised his head and looked at Shao Dong upon hearing that.


    Before Shao Dong could say anything, Shao Xi sneered, ¡°What else could happen? Surely she won¡¯t refuse to marry and stay behind to take care of us? Little Bei, don¡¯t even think about it. She¡¯s been good to us because she wanted to give herself a good reputation. Look, isn¡¯t someone proposing to her now?¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°So much for observing. What is there to observe?¡±


    He thought of something and looked at Shao Dong. ¡°Big Brother, she betrayed us. Are we going to let her go just like that? I have a way to make her stay¡­¡±


    Shao Dong took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡±


    He kept a straight face, not revealing too much emotion. ¡°She¡¯s only twenty. There¡¯s no way she won¡¯t marry. It¡¯s perfectly normal for her to choose to marry, so¡­¡±


    He looked at his younger siblings seriously, especially Shao Nan and Shao Xi. ¡°Don¡¯t resent her for it, and don¡¯t say such words. We have no right to stop her.¡±


    If even their biological grandmother and uncle treated them so badly, what right did they have to ask Mu Jingzhe, who was no blood rtion of theirs, to stay?


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that the news had spread, nor did she know that a storm was brewing.


    After the awkward meeting, Li Zhaodi and the rest naturally had no objections. However, in the end, Mu Jingzhe still resisted the risk of being strangled by Li Zhaodi and made her attitude clear.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s refusal was unexpected. The matchmaker that hade along was very surprised.


    She had thought that this trip would gopletely smoothly.


    Li Zhaodi squeezed out a smile and sent them away. She implied that she would persuade Mu Jingzhe.


    After she sent them off, Li Zhaodi¡¯s expression changed.


    Mu Jingzhe was quick-witted and used this opportunity to escape, but in the end, she still ended up getting caught by Li Zhaodi.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what¡¯s wrong with you!?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve only met him twice. How can I marry him? I really don¡¯t want to get married.¡±


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t know what to do with Mu Jingzhe. She thought for a moment and suddenly said, ¡°Mu Jingzhe, tell me honestly. Have you fallen for Tang Moling?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked. ¡°Mom, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    Mu Xue had to attend ss, so Tang Moling, who had just returned from school, stopped in his tracks when he heard his name.


    Was Mu Jingzhe rejecting the proposal because of him?


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but let out augh. His slightly different impression of Mu Jingzhe instantly reverted to its original state.


    So, it was only because of this that she had turned over a new leaf.


    He spected as the conversation continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. If you¡¯re not interested in Tang Moling, why aren¡¯t you willing to ept such a good proposal?¡±


    Li Zhaodi sighed. ¡°If you really like him, you can snatch him. He looks alright. Although he¡¯s rude, he has a car and money.


    ¡°That girl Mu Xue is just lucky. She saved a random guy on the street and he turned out to be a rich person with a car. Since that girl has taken a fancy to him, he shouldn¡¯t be too bad. If you want to snatch him, just go ahead and try. If you fail, Mom will go back and find that driver. I think he¡¯s quite interested in you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked.


    ¡°No, no, definitely not. Mom, are you trying to scare me to death? Why would you say such a terrifying thing?¡±


    That was the male protagonist. The male protagonist who only had eyes for the female protagonist. If she, the supporting character, tried to snatch him, wouldn¡¯t she be courting death?


    The female protagonist¡¯s man couldn¡¯t be touched casually.


    Her attempt to get involved with the female protagonist¡¯s first love, the male supporting character of Shao Qihai, had already resulted in this oue. If one provoked the male lead, one might die before one knew it.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t say such things again in the future. I would never fall for Tang Moling.¡±


    The eavesdropping Tang Moling was left speechless.

 Chapter 22

    <h4>Chapter 22: Cuckold</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Tang Moling had always been popr among thedies.


    In the past, he had been the one who despised women. When the statement ¡®I will never fall for you¡¯ was uttered, he was always on the giving end, not the receiving end. Regardless of his appearance or background, he¡¯d been qualified to do so, especially in the past two years.


    As his identity changed, many people flocked to him.


    What had he just heard then?


    Mu Jingzhe, whom he didn¡¯t like at all, couldn¡¯t wait to reject him. Plus, she sounded as if he was something to be avoided, like an inauspicious virus or something. Tang Moling was incredibly annoyed.


    She¡¯d made it sound like he would actually fall for her.


    Tang Moling gritted his teeth. Mu Jingzhe had no idea that after she finally got rid of Li Zhaodi, Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao would be waiting for her at home.


    She had no patience for them and directly dered that she wasn¡¯t going to marry and told them to get lost.


    To think they¡¯d even wanted to forbid her from taking her dowry away. If one day she truly left, she could take it away whenever she wanted.


    Even if she didn¡¯t wish to take it with her, she would leave it for Shao Dong and the others. Did they have a right to speak?


    Mu Jingzhe had clearly stated that she didn¡¯t intend to marry that guy, but Zhao Lan and the others didn¡¯t believe a single word. They thought that Mu Jingzhe was only stalling for time because she didn¡¯t want to leave behind the dowry.


    They weren¡¯t the only ones who didn¡¯t believe it. The vigers didn¡¯t believe it either. They thought that it was just an excuse.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care if they believed her or not.


    After school ended in the afternoon, Shao Dong and the others returned home. When they saw that Mu Jingzhe was still there and was preparing food, they were a little surprised but they didn¡¯t say much.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to tell them about her situation, but upon seeing that they didn¡¯t care, she thought that they might not have heard anything, so she said nothing.


    Everything was normal except for the solemn atmosphere at the dining table.


    Halfway through the meal, Shao Qiyang suddenly returned, sweating profusely.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly back?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe immediately realized why after asking. What else could it be? He was naturally back because of Mu Xue.


    She remembered that, in the book, Shao Qiyang had remained unmarried his entire life. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t forgotten Mu Xue.


    What one couldn¡¯t get was always the best. Mu Xue wouldn¡¯t ept him because he was Shao Qihai¡¯s younger brother. In the end, she had be his white rose.


    Tang Moling had appeared in the vige in a high-profile manner, and Mu Xue seemed to have epted him. Thus, it was normal for Shao Qiyang to rush back after hearing the news.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly passed a bowl and chopsticks to Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang looked at Mu Jingzhe and wanted to say something. In the end, he only said dryly after a pause, ¡°I happened to have a day off.¡±


    He had run into a viger and rushed back after hearing about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s marriage proposal. The moment he¡¯d heard the news, he had been stunned and had rushed home without thinking.


    When he returned home and saw that Mu Jingzhe was still in the Shao Residence, he suddenly came back to his senses. Why had he rushed back?


    Even if Mu Jingzhe agreed to this marriage proposal, he wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything, as he was only her brother-inw.


    Thus, he quietly joined them and ate with them.


    The atmosphere at the dining table didn¡¯t improve because of his return. Instead, it seemed to be even more depressing.


    Mu Jingzhe wished she could shake Shao Qiyang¡¯s shoulders and wake him up so that he would stop being sad because of Mu Xue.


    <i>The female protagonist belongs to the male protagonist. You¡¯re just a supporting character. It¡¯s useless no matter how much you love her.</i>


    This was hard to say, though. She could only ask dryly, ¡°Did something happen? Did you lose the mail?¡±


    Shao Qiyang gave her aplicated look. ¡°No.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought about it and said, ¡°You should save up over the next few months and buy a bicycle as soon as possible. That way, it¡¯ll be easier for you toe back from work.¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s hand, which was holding his rice, paused for a long time before he responded with an ¡°mm¡± sound.


    Buying a bicycle had always been his dream. With a bicycle, he wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard. He could also deliver more letters and earn more money.


    Although he had thought of it before, all his money was in Zhao Lan¡¯s hands. Zhao Lan didn¡¯t want him to buy a bicycle, as she said that it was too wasteful. She felt that he might as well wait for the post office to assign him one.


    He wasn¡¯t an official employee, so he would have to wait for the post office to assign him a bicycle. It was impossible, though. He was afraid that he would be fired before he could get a bicycle.


    On the other hand, if he performed well, he might be a full-time employee.


    However, Zhao Lan didn¡¯t care.


    In the end, it was Mu Jingzhe who had asked him to save up money to buy a bicycle.


    Unfortunately, she was about to leave the Shao Family and get married.


    Seeing that Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t in a good mood, Mu Jingzhe dismissed the thought of continuing the conversation.


    She¡¯d just wanted to arouse Shao Qiyang¡¯s ambition.


    If his personal life wasn¡¯t going well, then he should work on his career.


    In the novel, Shao Qiyang had opened a courierpanyter on. It was quite a big, renowned listedpany whose services were utilized by everyone.


    His career had been based on his current job.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t sure when he would strike it out on his own.


    At midnight¡­


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s body was extremely exhausted, but because he was distraught, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    Later on, he quietly got up from bed and took a bottle of wine to the memorial tablet of his second brother, Shao Qihai.


    He told his second brother about how the children were doing.


    After talking for a while, Shao Qiyang realized that no matter what he said, he couldn¡¯t avoid Mu Jingzhe¡¯s name.


    ¡°Second Brother, Second Sister-In-Law is marrying someone else.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been gone long. I¡¯d like her to stay, but I can¡¯t say it¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyang forced out a bitter smile.


    He didn¡¯t even know if it was for Second Brother or himself.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in the basement of a house in the suburbs of the neighboring province¡­


    There were now more things in the cramped room, but the person on the single bed remained the same.


    Upon closer inspection, he seemed to have lost some weight, but his hair had grown longer.


    The device beside the bed suddenly emitted a faint green light that shone on his head.


    When the green light shed past his eyes, his hand suddenly moved.


    Because no one was around, it went unnoticed.


    ....


    Elsewhere, one cup after another was filled with wine. Slowly, Shao Qiyang became slightly tipsy.


    ¡°Second Brother, will you feel angry if someone marries Second Sister-In-Law?


    ¡°If you¡¯re not angry, does that mean that it doesn¡¯t matter who marries Second Sister-In-Law?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I was just asking¡­ mostly because Second Sister-In-Law used to knock on my door¡­¡±


    He stopped abruptly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Second Brother. It was innocent. We didn¡¯t do anything to let you down. I just¡ª¡±


    He suddenly wondered what would have happened if he had opened the door back then.


    Just as this thought shed past his mind, Shao Qiyang felt shocked and sobered up halfway.


    ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t overthink. I just drank too much. I won¡¯t¡­¡±


    If he made Second Brother a cuckold, he wouldn¡¯t be fit to be a human.


    Shao Qiyang pped himself.


    ¡°Second Brother, I¡¯m just spouting nonsense because Second Sister-In-Law is getting married. Don¡¯t take it seriously¡­¡±


    ....


    In the basement, the device beside the single bed suddenly rang.


    ¡°Brother Hai!¡±


    A short-haired man ran over in his underpants, panic shing across his face.


    A secondter, he met a pair of eyes.


    The short-haired man was stunned for a moment before he rejoiced. ¡°Brother Hai, you¡¯re finally awake!¡±


    After the doctor took a look, he said that the patient was awake. However, even though he was past the most difficult stage, he couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. He had to take good care of himself.


    The short-haired man was a grown man, yet his eyes couldn¡¯t help but turn red as he gazed at the person who had woken up.


    Brother Hai looked at him and clenched his fists. ¡°Hold it back.¡±


    The short-haired man nodded vigorously. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like people crying, Brother Hai. I definitely won¡¯t cry. Everything¡¯s fine now that you¡¯ve woken up.¡±


    Big Brother Hai moved his head. ¡°How many days have I been unconscious?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been days. It¡¯s been months.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 23

    <h4>Chapter 23: Beating Them Up</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The next day, Mu Jingzhe woke up when Shao Qiyang was already at work.


    Upon recalling themotion she had heardst night, she shook her head. When the male lead was heartbroken and drunkte at night, the female lead would soon learn about it. But when the male supporting character drank¡­ he just got drunk.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t really like the trope of devoted supporting characters, especially those who refused to marry their entire lives because of the female or male lead.


    It was fine if they didn¡¯t want to get married, but if it was because they couldn¡¯t forget about the protagonist, she felt that it was a little unfair.


    ¡°Do you want to eat steamed eggs or egg soup for lunch?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked Shao Dong and the others, who were going to school.


    The four children stopped. Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back home today?¡±


    ¡°Home?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting married?¡±


    ¡°Who said so?¡± Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°You¡¯ve heard the rumors then. Someone proposed marriage to me, but I didn¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shao Nan couldn¡¯t help confirming it.


    ¡°How could it be fake? Yes, really.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at them. ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡±


    When the children heard that, they suddenly felt better.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want that,¡± Little Bei couldn¡¯t resist saying.


    Shao Xi nced at Little Bei. ¡°We heard that he¡¯s from the city.¡±


    ¡°You kids are pretty well-informed. He¡¯s a driver from the city.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    ¡°He definitely doesn¡¯t drive as well as you, Auntie,¡± Little Bei immediately said.


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Go to school. Don¡¯t bete.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Shao Xi left too, but before he did, he said something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t regret it in the future.¡±


    He meant:?<i>Don¡¯t regret it and take it out on us again.</i>


    Shao Qihai had died right after the original Mu Jingzhe had married into their family. At the time, she had felt lost and regretful. Sometimes, she used to find those children an eyesore.


    Although she had never hit them, Shao Xi remembered.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned for a moment before she reacted and stroked Shao Zhong¡¯s head.


    ¡°I won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    While Mu Jingzhe was busy preparing for her business, the vige was gossiping about her, saying that she was bound to ept this marriage proposal.


    While their family members gossiped about this at home, the children heard them and started gossiping among themselves as well.


    The eldest branch¡¯s members, Fu, Lu, and Shou, were the ones gossiping the most happily. They called over a few people from the vige, and after school in the afternoon, they eagerly osted Shao Dong, who was on duty that day.


    ¡°Stutterer, bring your buns to us today when you get back.¡±


    They could smell the fragrance from next door. In the past, they would have directly entered the old house to snatch them. Now, they were a little afraid of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s monstrous strength and her warning, so they¡¯d chosen to threaten him outside.


    They had even called over outsiders to embolden them. The few people they¡¯d pulled over were no longer in school. Birds of a feather flocked together, so they were all people with a bad reputation in the vige.


    ¡°No.¡± With a darkness in the depths of his eyes, Shao Dong stared at them and outright refused.


    Shao Fuughed at him. ¡°Your stepmother is going to get married soon. Why are you being so arrogant? In the future, my parents will be the ones raising you. How dare you disobey me!¡±


    Shao Dong frowned. ¡°She said she¡­ she¡¯s not getting married.¡±


    The few of themughed out loud and mimicked Shao Dong¡¯s stuttering.


    Shao Dong clenched his fist, wanting to wave it over, but he held back. He turned around to leave but was quickly caught.


    When he raised his head, he was pped across the face.


    ¡°Hit this darned stutterer!¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard from a child in the same vige that Shao Dong was being beaten up, she ran over. She found Shao Dong lying on the ground with his head in his hands while six or seven people were punching and kicking him.


    Mu Jingzhe flew into a rage at the sight.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    She stepped forward and beat them up without mercy, not letting off any of them.


    ¡°Your great aunt wasn¡¯t even born when I started fighting. How dare you hit someone in front of me!¡±


    As a warrior who had knocked out an adult¡¯s teeth at the age of three, Mu Jingzhe was very experienced in thrashing up people.


    With just a few moves, the seven people who had been so aggressive just a moment ago ended up either lying on the ground or being forced down on their knees, wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw the handprint on Shao Dong¡¯s face, she pped them again.


    She returned their beating twice, not missing either side, pping each cheek the same number of times.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and theirpanions either knelt or sat in front of Mu Jingzhe, trembling and not daring to move.


    Mu Jingzhe picked up the thin rod that they had used to hit Shao Dong earlier, a rod used by the teachers to punish students. Mu Jingzhe held it in her hand and lifted their chins with it.


    ¡°If you dare bully him again in the future, I¡¯ll break both your hands whenever you touch one of his hands and both of your legs if you touch one of his legs. I¡¯ll pay you back double. If you think it¡¯s worth it, feel free to do it.¡±


    ¡°No, we wouldn¡¯t dare hit him again.¡±


    The few older children begged for mercy.


    They were truly afraid. By looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes, they could tell that she wasn¡¯t bluffing.


    On the other hand, Shao Fu, who was probably used to being arrogant, wanted to run away while Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Mu Jingzhe sneered but didn¡¯t chase after him. Instead, she ruthlessly tossed the thin rod, which grazed past Shao Fu¡¯s ear and stabbed the road in front of him.


    The roads they had been treading on all year round were hard to dig up even with a hoe, but the thin rod stuck straight in.


    Shao Fu¡¯s face stiffened. He touched his ear and saw blood on his palm. His legs went limp, and he fell to his knees.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t move. She then pped her hands. ¡°What do you think will happen if this thin rod is inserted into your neck?¡±


    What would happen? He would die, of course.


    The ce was plunged into silence.


    Those who had been crying were so frightened that they shut their mouths.


    This time, Fu, Lu, and Shou were truly scared.


    In the end, Shao Fu even had to be carried away by his two younger brothers. The ce where he¡¯d been kneeling was a little wet. Clearly, he was so terrified that he¡¯d peed his pants.


    Their movements were too loud and had attracted some attention, but Mu Jingzhe ignored everyone and turned around to help Shao Dong up.


    Mu Jingzhe asked, ¡°Where does it hurt? Did you hurt your bones?¡±


    Shao Dong put the pencil-sharpening knife back into his pocket and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I protected my head and vital parts.¡±


    Armed with extensive experience after being beaten up often, he knew that he had to protect the most important areas of his body.


    However, this was the shortest duration he had been beaten for.


    He had been beaten up many times over the years and had been seen by others on countless asions. Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had also seen him being beaten up a few times, but they¡¯d never once stopped the perpetrators.


    Many people in the vige merely looked and walked away. Few of them stopped them. At most, they would only say a few words.


    This was the first time someone had stopped them with force and had done what Shao Dong wanted to do.


    Shao Dong lowered his head. The murderous look in his eyes was reced by aplicated one.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the bloodstains at the corner of Shao Dong¡¯s mouth and then at the footprints on his body, feeling bad for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright now. No one will dare to touch you anymore. Tell me if anyone dares to touch you again.¡±


    ording to the description in the book, all five children had suffered through a certain degree of violence.


    Shao Dong had suffered the most. In the future, Shao Fu and the others would go increasingly more overboard. Gradually, they would no longer be satisfied with just hitting him. Instead, they would be more and more insulting.


    Little Bei was a girl. She was only a few years old, but she was already beautiful. However, she didn¡¯t hear anything nice and she was often bullied.


    Because the people Shao Fu had called over were undergoing puberty, they¡¯d developed some crooked thoughts, and their bullying slowly changed in favor of involving lewd acts.


    The three brothers, Fu, Lu, and Shou, knew that this wasn¡¯t good, but they were bribed with some tiny benefits.


    When Shao Dong found out about this, he ruthlessly taught those people a lesson. They ended up in a miserable state, but the damage was already done.


    Especially the damage on Little Bei.


    As the old saying goes, childhood misfortune takes a lifetime to cure, and Little Bei never recovered from that.

 Chapter 24

    <h4>Chapter 24: Splitting Up the Family Assets</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Due to Shao Dong¡¯s revenge, they were unable to stay in the vige. Shao Dong, who was less than ten years old, left the despairing vige with his younger siblings. Penniless, he even had to beg for money. Later on, Shao Dong relied on scavenging to improve their lives step by step.


    Upon recalling the plot in the book, Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth.


    She patted the dust off Shao Dong¡¯s body. ¡°If you have time, I¡¯ll teach you some self-defense moves.¡±


    ¡°You mean kung fu?¡±


    Everyone dreamed of being a hero in the wuxia world when they were young. Shao Dong was no exception. His eyes lit up as he asked this question.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like learning kung fu. It¡¯s just simple self-defense. You will urately find the weaknesses of your opponent. You guys are too young, so the best thing to do is run.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong had yet to eat when Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao arrived with the crying Fu, Lu, and Shou.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe,e out! How dare you hit my children! Look at how badly you beat them up! If you don¡¯t give me an exnation today, I won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    Zhao Lan and Eldest Brother Shao also followed her closely, their countenances looking extremely ugly. They wished they could devour Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°In the past, when Shao Dong and the others were beaten up, why didn¡¯t you say anything? Now, you feel heartache? Did you see the palm print on Shao Dong¡¯s face? I was just paying them back for it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°You didn¡¯t teach your children well, so I¡¯m doing it on your behalf as their aunt.¡±


    Seeing that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was about to speak, Mu Jingzhe immediately raised her hand. ¡°No need to thank me. No matter what, I am still their aunt. I will continue to teach them well in the future.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao didn¡¯t manage to catch her breath and nearly died from anger.


    ¡°Are you teaching the kids? Look at how badly you¡¯ve scared them.¡±


    ¡°What? Compared to the way they were beating Shao Dong up, this is nothing. I held back. If they weren¡¯t rtives, do you think they would still be standing?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t retreat at all. ¡°I¡¯ve already warned you. If you dare to touch them once, I¡¯ll touch your kids twice. If I don¡¯t break their arms and legs, I¡¯ll have let Shao Qihai down!¡±


    She looked at Fu, Lu, and Shou. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again in front of your parents. Stop bullying Shao Dong and his siblings. Otherwise, there will be no warning next time. I¡¯ll keep my word.¡±


    The three of them, who had yet to get over the trauma Mu Jingzhe had inflicted on them, once again burst into tears.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and Zhao Lan were both angry and heartbroken. In the past, they would have walked up to her and grabbed her hair. However, this time, they were afraid of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s monstrous strength and didn¡¯t dare do anything.


    Eldest Brother Shao had also seen Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ability. Coupled with the fact that he believed a good man wouldn¡¯t fight with a woman, he simply didn¡¯t look at Mu Jingzhe, but at Shao Nan and the others.


    ¡°Shao Nan, Shao Xi, are you just going to stand by and watch? What do I usually teach you? You¡¯re cousins. It¡¯s one thing for you to engage in small fights, but breaking bones and tendons? Are you just going to stand by and watch?¡±


    A trace of sarcasm shed past Shao Xi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then what do you want from us, Eldest Uncle? In the future, if Shao Fu and the rest want to hit us, we shouldn¡¯t resist or say anything? We should just let them hit us even if they beat us to death?¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao was usually a man of few words, and no one dared to object when he did speak up. His face was filled with rage when the child retorted like that.


    ¡°What do you mean? Beat you to death? Why would they, your older cousins, beat you to death? This is just a fight between children. Such resentment at such a young age¡­¡±


    ¡°Who would y around with their lives? Shao Fu and his siblings are just ying around with us when they hit us. If we don¡¯t want to die and return the favor, you¡¯ll say we bear great resentment?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°We don¡¯t care for that.¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao was trying to y down the situation, but Shao Xi had exposed him with just a few words.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao raised his hand in anger, but Mu Jingzhe sneered.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can¡¯t bear to hear the truth? Are you so angry from embarrassment that you want to beat someone up? Do you want me to beat the gong and drum for the whole vige to hear?¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao immediately directed his anger at Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I¡¯ve been holding back because you¡¯re my sister-inw. Don¡¯t push your luck!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one wanting a yard after taking an inch?¡± Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°You¡¯re still holding back? What are you holding back for? You¡¯re a coward who only knows how to hide behind his mother and suck his younger brother¡¯s blood. A wimpish loser whose only talent is to hide behind his wife and bully his nephew. Now, you get anxious and speak up? Why don¡¯t you continue ying dead?


    ¡°You¡¯re a weakling who bullies the weak and fears the strong. You make it sound so nice. Do you think everyone else is a fool and only you are smart? Who doesn¡¯t know what you people are like? Why are you threatening the children when I¡¯m still here? If there¡¯s anything wrong with what I said,e at me.¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao copsed on the ground, his face turning purple. What was even more infuriating was the fact that Shao Dong and his siblings were staring at him with cold eyes andughing at him.


    Eldest Brother Shao couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°How dare youugh!¡±


    He rushed forward but was stopped by Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I told you I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way. You¡¯re just a stepmother who will leave the Shao Family anytime now to get married. I¡¯m not going to argue with you. I¡¯m only after them!¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao was furious. He red at Shao Dong and the others with a threatening look in his eyes. ¡°Are they going to fall out with uspletely?¡±


    Shao Dong and the others didn¡¯t speak, but their eyes revealed a lot of emotions.


    ¡°Great, that¡¯s really great. They¡¯re resenting me after all I did to raise them!¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. She immediately added, ¡°I¡¯ve already said that they are ingrates. It would be better to raise a dog than them. Anyway, I can¡¯t take it anymore. Let¡¯s split up the family assets today. If we don¡¯t, I¡¯ll take our kids back to my parents¡¯ house!¡±


    After a lot of discussions, they¡¯d finally managed to bring up splitting the family assets.


    They had been thinking about this for a long time.


    When Shao Qihai had still been alive, they certainly couldn¡¯t ask to split up the family assets. Now, they had to do it.


    They had wanted to get rid of these burdens for a long time. Surely they couldn¡¯t raise them until they grew up and even find spouses for them? Those four were only their nephews and niece. This was no joke. They already had four children of their own.


    Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao visibly calmed down after they mentioned splitting up the family assets. Zhao Lan quickly forced Shao Dong and the others to apologize and kneel down.


    Theypletely ignored Mu Jingzhe.


    They were fearless and certain that Shao Dong and the others couldn¡¯t leave them. They swore to vent all the anger they had felt during this period.


    They thought that Shao Dong and the rest were definitely afraid. Later, when the kids knelt down and begged them, they wouldn¡¯t be soft-hearted. Since they had said that they would split up the family assets, they had to do it now.


    However, it was necessary to give these brats a hard time before splitting the assets up.


    Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had a lot of ns. Fu, Lu, and Shou didn¡¯t even have the time to cry anymore. Zhao Lan wanted to say something but stopped herself. In the end, she said nothing.


    However, to their surprise, Shao Dong actually nodded.


    He took two steps forward and stood in front of his younger brothers and sister. In spite of his stutter, his words were powerful and resonating. ¡°If you want to split up the family assets, so be it. You never cared about us anyway.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked over in surprise.


    Although she was surprised, she didn¡¯t try to dissuade him.


    From her point of view, it would indeed be good to split up the family assets. They would probably be better off after doing so.


    Eldest Brother Shao and the other two were really shocked. When they finally came back to their senses, they immediately shouted fiercely.


    ¡°Alright, you guys have guts! Since you¡¯ve agreed, don¡¯t go back on your word. We¡¯ll split it. We¡¯ll split it all today!¡±


    He would just wait for the day when the few of them could no longer survive and came to them begging and crying, expressing their regret for the decision they¡¯d made today!

 Chapter 25

    <h4>Chapter 25: Wouldn¡¯t Lose Out</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    An incident caused quite a stir in the Great Eastern Vige that day, and that was that the Shao Family was going to split up their family assets.


    With Shao Qihai gone, Shao Dong, a child, represented the second branch to discuss the splitting process of the family assets.


    Although Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and her family had exined a lot, everyone knew what was going on. All the vigers berated them for being heartless and evil.


    After living a good life with Shao Qihai¡¯s money, the moment Shao Qihai had passed away, they had immediately kicked aside the few children he had left behind. How heartless of them.


    The five of them probably wouldn¡¯t have it easy in the future.


    People with prestige in the vige came to persuade them and even sent someone to inform Shao Qiyang. The general consensus was that he shouldn¡¯t act rashly.


    When Shao Qiyang returned, everyone hoped that he would be able to stop them. They hadn¡¯t expected him to actually nod in agreement.


    ¡°So be it. I¡¯ll take care of them from now on.¡±


    Shao Qiyang looked at Eldest Brother Shao coldly. ¡°I only hope that you won¡¯t have nightmares over this in the future.¡±


    Zhao Lan scolded him sternly. ¡°What are you saying? Have you forgotten that your older brother raised you? His legs are still in this state, so how can you be heartless enough to say that about your brother?¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t take it any longer. ¡°I¡¯ve heard this for many years and I¡¯m sick of it. You people keep saying that Second Brother and I should thank Big Brother. We know that it was hard on him in the past, and we¡¯ve always been grateful. We can bear it even if you¡¯re biased. Second Brother even sent back all his allowance for several years in a row.


    ¡°But there¡¯s a bottom line for everything. He only worked hard for three years. After his leg was injured, Second Brother took over for him. All these years, Second Brother was the one supporting the family. Regardless of how great a debt of gratitude he owed, he has already finished repaying it all.¡±


    The hardships and grievances that he had endured all these years erupted at that moment.


    Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t stupid. He had seen them for what they were in the past two years.


    Zhao Lan was biased. Even though their eldest brother looked simple and honest and had treated them well initially, things had changed after that, especially after he¡¯d gotten married and formed his own family.


    Other people hated being called a cripple, but he didn¡¯t mind that at all. He hated that he couldn¡¯t be as crippled as possible so that his two younger brothers would repay their debt for the rest of their lives.


    Shao Qiyang had endured it in the past, but he no longer intended to do so.


    The existing conflicts in the Shao Family were all beingid out today. Splitting up the family assets had been inevitable.


    ording to the eldest branch¡¯s n, they would be taking the majority of the housingnd, farnd, and mountainnd. But how could Mu Jingzhe allow them to do as they wished?


    She would settle every score one by one.


    The eldest branch even wanted to im that the new house had been built by them, which was so ludicrous that it almost made everyoneugh their heads off.


    Did the two of them even have the means to build a house?


    Everyone knew that their children lived off of Shao Qihai¡¯s money.


    The only thing Mu Jingzhe could do was fight for more benefits for the children, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t give up.


    In the end, with her sharp words and fierce attitude, she helped the children obtain what they deserved.


    It waspletely different from what they had imagined. Zhao Lan and the eldest branch were furious.


    In the past, Zhao Lan used to have the final say, and Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t been able to out-talk her. The children were smart, but they were still children after all. The vigers saw what happened to them, but they always felt that they couldn¡¯t say much about other people¡¯s family affairs.


    The main reason was that the mother of those children wasn¡¯t from this vige. Without the help of their maternal aunts and uncles, and with their father gone, it was inevitable that they would be at a disadvantage.


    Now that they had Mu Jingzhe, things were different. She could yield when necessary or cry and shout, but she wouldn¡¯t lose out.


    In addition, even Li Zhaodi hade to help. In the end, the situation changed.


    Even though Zhao Lan and the eldest branch insisted that they had no money left, which resulted in Shao Dong and his siblings not getting any money, and they also refused to give up the big house, they had to relent as far as the farnd, mountainnd, and housingnd were concerned.


    The children were still too young to farm, but they could rent thend to vigerster on. The food they collected would ensure they wouldn¡¯t starve to death. In addition, with Shao Qiyang taking care of them, they were now much better off than they had been previously.


    Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t suffered too big of a loss.


    The eldest branch couldn¡¯t bear to fork out money or bring themselves to part with the big house. In the end, they didn¡¯t even get a single plot of good farnd, only some mountainnd.


    However, they deserved it.


    This drama, which was indispensable in the literature of that era, ended just like that.


    After this family separation drama, the vigers had a new understanding of Shao Dong. Even though the child was still young, he knew what he was doing.


    These children would amount to something in the future. When they became sessful, the eldest branch would regret it.


    Even their view of Mu Jingzhe changed quite a bit.


    Regardless of whether Mu Jingzhe had fought for the benefits of the children because she felt guilty about getting married and leaving, she had still done a good job.


    This was the first time they¡¯d learned that Mu Jingzhe had such a sharp tongue. She wouldn¡¯t cry or throw a tantrum, but she was extremely gracious and not afraid of taking risks.


    She was much better than Li Zhaodi.


    *****


    After the family assets were split up, Mu Jingzhe quickly cooked for the children, who stayed upte.


    ¡°From now on, the house we live in will be ours and we won¡¯t be kicked out, right?¡±


    While eating, Little Bei happily wanted to confirm this.


    ¡°Yes, how many times have we said it?¡± Shao Nan mocked Little Bei, but there was also joy on his face.


    The children were in a good mood. In the future, Shao Fu and his family would no longer threaten to kick them out, nor would they have to be bullied or beaten up by them anymore. Also, they would no longer have to worry about starving.


    The food would be given to them directly.


    It was rare for the atmosphere at the dining table to be harmonious and joyful. Although Shao Qiyang was sad about the separation and the fact that his family had reached this point, he quickly rxed.


    Wasn¡¯t this what he had dreamed of?


    At this point, he subconsciously thought of Mu Xue.


    Yesterday, he had seen Mu Xue and Tang Moling together.


    In the past, he would definitely have been in great pain. However, although he felt terrible now, it was just a dull pain, as he knew that it was impossible for things to work out between them.


    Because of his older brother, Mu Xue had already rejected him.


    Now that she had found that Tang guy, they no longer belonged in the same world.


    His world was now¡­ Shao Qiyang nced at Mu Jingzhe out of the corner of his eye before quickly looking away.


    His heart slowly sank. Second Sister-In-Law¡­ was getting married.


    As Shao Qiyang was in this unclear and ufortable mood and the vigers assumed that Mu Jingzhe was soon going to remarry, Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi set off before dawn. Pushing a cart, they said that they were going into town to sell buns.


    Sell steamed buns?


    After confirming that Mu Jingzhe was really about to start selling buns, the vigers finally believed that she wasn¡¯t going to remarry.


    Many people in the vige went into town to sell things. They sold firewood, potatoes nted by their own families, and charcoal burned in the mountains. However, no one sold steamed buns.


    When they heard that Mu Jingzhe was going to sell buns, everyone shook their heads. They didn¡¯t think much of this.


    ¡°They won¡¯t sell, right? They¡¯re not easy to sell, are they?¡±


    Regardless of what they said, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s stall opened.


    The first time she went there, she didn¡¯t have a good location. There was also a shop that had been selling buns for a long time. At first, there was indeed no interest in them. Li Zhaodi had a worried look on her face. However, upon seeing that there were more and more people around, Mu Jingzhe started to advertise verbally.


    ¡°I¡¯m selling steamed buns. Delicious and cheap steamed buns. You can choose between mushroom buns, pickled vegetable buns, and white sugar buns.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had tried the buns from the existing stall, which sold meat buns, white sugar buns, and steamed in buns. They didn¡¯t taste so good. Considering the fact that meat wasn¡¯t cheap, she had decided to forgo selling meat buns and had instead chosen to sell vegetable buns.


    The results weren¡¯t bad.

 Chapter 26

    <h4>Chapter 26: Shao Xi Got Hit</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The mushrooms and pickled vegetables had all been stir-fried and were very fragrant. Although her buns weren¡¯t meat buns, they were bigger and cheaper than meat buns.


    When everyone heard Mu Jingzhe calling for customers and saw that the buns seemed quite delicious, they bought one to try them.


    Even Tang Moling had found the buns delicious, so they were naturally pretty good. Unless one particrly disliked the taste of pickled vegetables or mushrooms, they would find these buns delicious.


    If one found steamed in buns tasteless, one could add some fermented beancurd.


    They tasted even better with homemade fermented beancurd.


    The people who came to sell things were all from different viges. Everyone knew each other, but they couldn¡¯t bear to eat food from other stalls. Still, they came over to buy some buns after hearing that they were delicious.


    The sales that day were pretty good. They finished selling all the buns that they had prepared.


    Apart from the original bun store¡¯s owners, who rolled their eyes at them, everyone else was pretty nice.


    Li Zhaodi hadn¡¯t expected that the buns would sell so well. She was so excited that she couldn¡¯t be bothered to nag Mu Jingzhe about not getting married.


    ¡°If the buns sell so well every time wee to the market, we could make quite a lot of money in a year.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can also sell them nearby on market day.¡±


    They could also go to the town¡¯s market day nearby, but it was further away and they would have to travel an hour longer.


    However, this distance was nothing for diligent farmers. Li Zhaodi waved a hand.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go there to sell them!¡±


    The arduous journey of waking up early and working untilte at night to sell steamed buns began. They would push their homemade tricycle, leaving the house before dawn anding back only when the sky had turned dark.


    It wasn¡¯t so bad now, as the weather was still warm. If it was winter, they would probably have frozen to death.


    In addition, they had to make preparations. Over the course of these two days, they weren¡¯t able to sleep for more than a few hours.


    However, Li Zhaodi didn¡¯tin. She wasn¡¯t afraid of hard work. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that doesn¡¯t require hard work. nting crops is even harder. Selling steamed buns is much better. While you sell them, you can sit down and earn money. It beats working in the fields.¡±


    Seeing that they were working hard, Mu Teng came to help. Even Mu Han wanted to give them a hand.


    After selling buns for a month, Mu Jingzhe calcted and gave half of the earnings to Li Zhaodi. Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t want it initially and was forced by Mu Jingzhe to take the money.


    ¡°Mom, you and Dad will have toe whenever I¡¯m busy. Just keep it.¡±


    Now that she had some capital, Mu Jingzhe found the time to go to the city to purchase supplies.


    She bought some fabric and prepared to make a new set of clothes for the children. They each had only one set, and there was not much for them to change into.


    Also, their shoes were either too small or worn out.


    This time, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t forget to make a set for Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han as well.


    Previously, Li Zhaodi had praised the children¡¯s clothes in an envious tone. However, Mu Jingzhe had taken it to heart and felt a little guilty for not making a set for them.


    This trip to the city used up the money she had earned by selling buns, but it was a fruitful trip.


    Mu Jingzhe went to the city and negotiated a business deal by using some new design samples. She handed over the hair ornaments she had made this time and earned back the money she had spent.


    While making hair ornaments, she went with Li Zhaodi to sell the buns twice. After that, Mu Jingzhe decided not to sell buns for the time being.


    ¡°Mom, from now on, you and Dad will be the only ones selling the buns. You guys should be familiar with how to sell them by now. You made most of the buns anyway. I really don¡¯t have the energy anymore.¡±


    Selling buns was a more suitable business idea for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not free, I¡¯ll help. This business is viable. You have to continue it.¡± Mu Teng had considered the long-term n.


    ¡°Dad, if business is good, then you and Mom should continue working hard.¡± She didn¡¯t want them to have to put up with Old Madam Mu picking on them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot to do. Besides, with me away all the time, there¡¯s no one to take care of the children¡¯s meals. I can¡¯t keep leaving them buns to steam.¡±


    Shao Dong and the others didn¡¯t object much. It was good to have buns to eat, for the buns were delicious.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think it was a good idea.


    During this period of time, Mu Jingzhe had been getting along quite well with them. Little Bei was close to her, Shao Dong¡¯s attitude had changed, and Shao Nan was smiling widely again.


    The only person who hadn¡¯t changed much was Shao Xi. He had been watching coldly, feeling that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s thoughts were sincere and that she was trying to win people¡¯s hearts.


    If Mu Jingzhe knew that Shao Xi thought of her this way, she mightugh out loud.


    She really wanted to have the ability to win people over.


    ¡°Xiao?Wu<sup>1</sup>, be careful so you don¡¯t fall.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe finished preparing lunch, she saw Shao Zhong chasing after the little chicks in their house and quickly warned him.


    Now that they had gotten more familiar with each other, Shao Zhong finally didn¡¯t push Mu Jingzhe away so much and quickly nodded.


    During this period, Shao Zhong had be livelier and bolder, but he still couldn¡¯t speak.


    Mu Jingzhe had talked to him quite a bit and tried to get him to speak, but to no avail.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that she couldn¡¯t rush things or pressure Shao Zhong too much. All she could do was tease him from time to time.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, count the little chicks.¡±


    The yellow, tender little chicks had just hatched not long ago. In the future, when they grew bigger, it would be just nice for the family to eat them. Li Zhaodi had specially made her hen hatch these chicks.


    These were Xiao Wu¡¯s favorite ymates, and he would chase after them every day. He would fight to feed the chicks twice a day, in the morning and at night. He knew that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t like chicken poop, so he rarely let the chickens into the courtyard or the house. He would clean up when he saw that they¡¯d dirtied the ce.


    Mu Jingzhe had assigned him the task of keeping an eye on the little chicks, so he started counting seriously.


    He knew how to count and quickly ran over to Mu Jingzhe. He stretched out his hands and raised two fingers, indicating that there were twelve chicks and not a single one was missing.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you are amazing¡­ Oh, your siblings are back. Let¡¯s eat first.¡±


    Then, Mu Jingzhe discovered that Shao Xi hadn¡¯t returned with them.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Shao Xi? Is he on duty?¡±


    ¡°No. The teacher made him stay behind.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°Could it be the Chinesenguage teacher again?¡±


    She remembered that thest time Shao Xi had misspelled a word, he had been punished to copy it 100 times.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°What was the reason this time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The teacher only made him stay behind.¡± Shao Dong shook his head.


    ¡°Auntie, the teacher has already asked Second Brother to stay behind several times,¡± Little Bei added.


    ¡°How many times has it been? I thought that was the only time.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could tell from their expressions that it was something that had happened while she¡¯d been away selling buns, but they¡¯d kept it from her.


    ¡°Second Brother forbade me to tell you.¡± Little Bei stole a nce at Shao Dong and spoke quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    When she got to the school, all the students were gone, leaving only the teachers who hadn¡¯t left behind.


    Mu Jingzhe found Shao Xi¡¯s ssroom. As she approached, she heard pping sounds. It was the sound of the teacher pping Shao Xi¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Are you going to write it? Do you know how to write it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knew the teacher. His name was Zhang Fei, and he taught Chinese. He was the only young male teacher in the school and he had a good rtionship with the only young female teacher, Mu Xue.


    When they¡¯d met previously, she had thought that he was cultured. Why was he so scary in private?


    Upon seeing Shao Xi¡¯s flushed face, Mu Jingzhe hurriedly ran over.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Zhang Fei turned around and frowned. ¡°What?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stepped forward to check on Shao Xi¡¯s swollen palm. ¡°Why did he hit you so badly?¡±


    The moment Shao Xi saw her, his expression changed. He felt embarrassed and didn¡¯t want her to see it, but how could he escape?


    His hands were already trembling from the pain, and he was on the verge of crying out of anxiousness due to his inability to break free.

 Chapter 27

    <h4>Chapter 27: Protect You</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Xi was a prideful person and wouldn¡¯t cry even when he was beaten up. Thinking that Shao Xi was in too much pain, Mu Jingzhe felt even more anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Shao Xi. Don¡¯t cry. We¡¯ll go back and apply the medicine now.¡±


    ¡°Did I say he could leave?¡± The ignored Zhang Fei had a surly expression on his face. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave until you finish your writing.¡±


    ¡°How is he going to write when his hand is in this state?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s countenance was equally sullen.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he write? It¡¯s not broken yet, is it?¡±


    ¡°He can write just because it¡¯s not broken yet? Even when his hands are in such a state?!¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s temper red up. ¡°As a teacher, is it appropriate for you to say such things?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m strict with them precisely because I¡¯m a teacher!¡±


    Zhang Fei was also angry. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what is this? Am I in the wrong for being a responsible teacher?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath and calmed herself down. This wasn¡¯t the modern era, when teachers couldn¡¯t punish students physically. In this era, it was eptable for teachers to mete out corporal punishment. Even parents supported it and would tell the teachers to hit and scold their kids if they were disobedient, believing that only then could they learn to be good.


    Never mind if it was right or wrong. There was a limit to everything.


    ¡°Teacher Zhang, I¡¯m not saying that you are wrong for trying to be a responsible teacher. If he made a small mistake, a little punishment is fine, but you can¡¯t just keep hitting him. I want to ask, what is it that Shao Xi did wrong? I will teach him that.¡±


    She had to stop the teacher from hitting him so severely.


    ¡°You¡¯ll teach him? Are you a teacher?¡± Zhang Fei¡¯s disdain was clear.


    This attitude broadened Mu Jingzhe¡¯s horizons. ¡°I¡¯m not a teacher, but I¡¯m a parent. Since I¡¯m already here, isn¡¯t it better tomunicate so that the teacher and parent can teach the child together?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯llmunicate.¡± Zhang Fei scoffed. ¡°His essay was messy, and he was spouting nonsense, so I asked him to rewrite it. His attitude was terrible, and he was unwilling toply.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was really shocked this time. ¡°An essay? You¡¯re saying Shao Xi can¡¯t write an essay?¡±


    ¡®You must be joking. Forget about everything else. You¡¯re saying that this future famous writer, a literary giant, can¡¯t write a second-grade essay?¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression of disbelief made Zhang Fei feel even more displeased.


    ¡°What? You still don¡¯t believe me? Could I be ndering him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused before saying, ¡°Show me his essay.¡±


    Zhang Feiughed. ¡°You¡¯re not convinced, are you? Fine, I¡¯ll find it for you!¡±


    A secondter, he paused.


    He had torn Shao Xi¡¯s essay apart.


    Mu Jingzhe followed his gaze and saw a ball of paper by the door.


    Her expression turned cold. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you tore his essay.¡±


    Zhang Fei snorted out of embarrassment. ¡°Yes, I tore it. So what? It¡¯s rubbish.¡±


    Shao Xi looked at Zhang Fei coldly, his eyes filled with hatred.


    Mu Jingzhe red at him before picking up the ball of paper and carefully spreading it out.


    Shao Xi was stunned for a moment. When Mu Jingzhe started to read, he wanted to say something but stopped. His expression became awkward.


    Second-grade essays were very short, so Mu Jingzhe finished reading it very quickly.


    She looked at Zhang Fei.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it was well-written?¡±


    Zhang Fei was about to speak when he saw that Mu Jingzhe was even more worked up than him. ¡°How is he not good at writing? He writes really well!¡±


    Shao Xi was stunned.


    Zhang Fei¡¯s face twisted.


    Both of them wanted to see traces of lying on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, but they didn¡¯t. Mu Jingzhe was serious.


    Zhang Feiughed and said, ¡°You said he writes it well? The topic I set was ¡®my family¡¯. Look at what he wrote!¡±


    ¡°You are aware of his family¡¯s condition. His parents are gone, so he wrote an innovative essay. This is excellent creativity!¡±


    In the second grade, other than being asked to write about themselves, students would be asked to write about their parents or family and other things like that. Instead of doing that, Shao Xi had written that he had drunk some magical water and grown up overnight to be a father. He had written about being a father for a day.


    There weren¡¯t many words, but the narration was clear and the content was very creative.


    A child¡¯s world was full of imagination. Shao Xi had revealed his talent from a young age. It was such a pleasant surprise.


    In any case, Mu Jingzhe was pleasantly surprised.


    Some geniuses were just that incredible.


    Mu Jingzhe showed no signs of acting. Zhang Fei was furious. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡­ you said that on purpose to anger me.¡±


    ¡°I did not. Don¡¯t spout nonsense. I really think it¡¯s good. Don¡¯t you think so? This is creative. This is wonderful creativity, Teacher!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to tear Zhang Fei¡¯s head apart to see what he was thinking.


    She carefully smoothed out the piece of paper in her hand and said, ¡°Teacher Zhang, don¡¯t tear Little Xi¡¯s workbook again. What he wrote is very precious. If you don¡¯t like it, others will.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say that he was blind, Zhang Fei wasn¡¯t blind and could tell.


    The way Mu Jingzhe looked at him was as if he had done something heinous.


    Zhang Fei was so angry that he almost couldn¡¯t breathe. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and then at the stunned Shao Xi. He pointed fiercely at them and said, ¡°Good, very good. Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re very good!¡±


    Upon saying that, he turned and left, certain that Mu Jingzhe had done that on purpose.


    She had disrespected a teacher, so he wouldn¡¯t let this rest so easily!


    Mu Jingzhe was also furious as she watched him leave. ¡°What kind of attitude is this? You have eyes but can¡¯t see Mount?Tai<sup>1</sup>, and you don¡¯t have the standards to appreciate it. Plus, you can¡¯t even take criticism?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was heartbroken. If there were more teachers like this, who knew how many talented students would be buried.


    Shao Xi: ¡°¡­¡±


    He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Stop acting. The teacher has already left.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not acting. I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡± Mu Jingzhe turned her head, thinking that Shao Xi was still young and since his teacher disapproved of his work, he probably didn¡¯t have confidence in himself anymore.


    She emphasized her next words seriously. ¡°Shao Xi, your writing is really good. Was anything else torn? You can¡¯t lose your papers. You have to keep everything.¡±


    A second-grade essay by a literary giant was also a rare treasure, so he had to keep it all.


    As he looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s serious expression, Shao Xi couldn¡¯t tell if this was real or fake.


    ¡°The ones I wrote previously weren¡¯t torn up, only this one was. The rest is in the exercise book.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s homework had been left alone on the podium.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly took it and carefully shook off the chalk dust. ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t tear it.¡±


    Shao Xi looked at her. ¡°You really think I¡¯m a good writer?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why would I lie to you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to take a look immediately, but her attention was quickly attracted by Shao Xi¡¯s hand, and she blew on it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go tend to your hand first.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s expression was extremely stiff. This woman had actually blown on his hand?


    Did she really think that she was his mother?


    Although she had said that she was going to tend to his palm, there was actually no medicine. All she did was chew a wormwood leaf she found by the roadside and wrap it in his palm.


    Since his hand had been wrapped, it was inconvenient for him to eat. Mu Jingzhe wanted to feed him, but Shao Xi refused and insisted on eating by himself.


    After he ate, Mu Jingzhe asked impatiently, ¡°Shao Xi, can I take a look at your other essays?¡±


    Shao Xi wanted to refuse, but in the end, he nodded.


    He wanted to see how far she could take this.


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked after reading them.


    ¡°Waa¡­ Shao Xi, you¡¯re amazing. How did your little head be so clever? Where did these marvelous idease from?¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°???¡±

 Chapter 28

    <h4>Chapter 28: Not Giving In</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe helplessly.


    Why was she still acting when they were already back at home? Or¡­ was she serious?


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. You¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sighed. Shao Xi had turned only seven years old that year, yet he¡¯d already managed toe up with incredible ideas such as going back in time.


    ¡°I finally understand why Teacher Zhang called it a mess. It¡¯s because he can¡¯t think like this and doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wedged the torn piece of paper inside the exercise book. ¡°I¡¯ll glue it upter. But Shao Xi, you have to remember that you write very well. Your writing is rare. You are truly one in a million. Don¡¯t mind what Teacher Zhang said.¡±


    Shao Xi wanted to find traces of lying on her face, but he only saw sincerity.


    After being oppressed for so long, suddenly hearing thispliment brought a smile to his lips, but he held himself back. ¡°You¡­ You won¡¯t get any benefits by lying to me.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°I don¡¯t need any benefits as long as you write an essay for me to read. Your talent is the best benefit.¡±


    The word ¡®talent¡¯ made Shao Xi¡¯s face burn uncontrobly. ¡°You know about talent¡­ Then in the future, I will still write whatever I think of. If Teacher Zhang causes me trouble and asks me to rewrite it, I will look for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me. I¡¯ll deal with him.¡±


    She didn¡¯t care about other people. In any case, she was determined to manage Shao Xi. In the future, she wouldn¡¯t allow the teacher to hit him or punish him physically. She wouldn¡¯t let him tear up his workbook and degrade him either.


    After all, a teacher could have a lifelong impact on a child.


    Mu Jingzhe was prepared to send Shao Xi and the others to school in the afternoon. She wanted to talk to Zhang Fei. If it didn¡¯t work, she would talk to the principal. Hence, she wanted to find out more about the situation.


    ¡°Does he treat other students the same way?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I think he¡¯s more hostile with me¡­ Oh, and my brother. He used to make my brother get up to answer questions and read out loud. When my brother stut¡­ paused, he deliberately made my brother repeat it. He didn¡¯t stop our ssmates fromughing at him either. Later, it was the principal who stopped him, refusing to listen to his quibbles about how he was training my brother.¡±


    Shao Dong stuttered when he spoke, and it was the same when he read a text out loud. Because of this, he only spoke when he absolutely had to, yet Zhang Fei treated him in this manner. One could imagine how angry and upset he was.


    Mu Jingzhe clenched her fists tightly, feeling very upset.


    At only seven years old, Shao Dong had to think of a way to protect his younger brothers and sister, but when he was humiliated, there was no one to stand up for him.


    ¡°I should have punched him earlier.¡± Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth.


    Shao Xi nodded in agreement. He wanted to do that too. Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe get mad because of what had happened to his older brother, he felt a little better.


    ¡°When did he start doing this?¡±


    ¡°He has always been like that, but it¡¯s gotten worse recently.¡± Shao Xi curled his lips. ¡°Teacher Zhang has been in a bad mood recently.¡±


    Even if he was in a bad mood, he shouldn¡¯t be venting his anger on the students.


    Mu Jingzhe went to ask around and found it strange. Although teachers were strict these days, she felt that Zhang Fei was treating others normally and was only targeting the Shao brothers, especially Shao Xi.


    For the past month or so, it had be the norm for Shao Xi to stand as a form of punishment. He was also punished by being made to stay behind to get hit or being forced to run. He wasn¡¯t allowed to go home to eat either.


    The reason was unclear.


    In the afternoon, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi went to school together. Zhang Fei¡¯s attitude was worse than in the morning, and he was waiting for Mu Jingzhe to apologize.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t there to apologize.


    ¡°Teacher Zhang, if Shao Xi has done anything wrong, you can tell me. I will get him to apologize to you, but I hope that you can treat him like you treat the other students.¡±


    She had to stop the teacher from picking on Shao Xi and Shao Dong. Being targeted by a teacher was aplete nightmare for a student.


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying that I deliberately make things difficult for him and punish him?¡± Zhang Fei exploded and went straight to the principal to demand justice. ¡°I don¡¯t dare teach such a student anymore.¡±


    He wanted Shao Xi to be kicked out of his ss.


    The principal¡¯s head hurt. ¡°We don¡¯t have many sses. Yours is the only ss in the second grade. If he doesn¡¯t study in your ss, where will he go? The parent just feels heartache for her child. You should be more forgiving¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t bear it. Just take him home and never bring him to my ss again. If he wants to stay in school and allow me to continue teaching him, you have to listen to me.¡±


    Zhang Fei pointed outside. ¡°He did his homework in a slipshod manner today and talked back to the teacher. I punished him by making him run in the field, but he didn¡¯t run. Now, he¡¯s going to run tenps beforeing back!¡±


    It was as if Shao Xi hadmitted a heinous crime and Mu Jingzhe was being unreasonable.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s fist hardened again when she saw his arrogant demeanor.


    ¡°Teacher Zhang, you¡¯re making him run ten rounds in this weather and you even hit him in the morning. If anything happens to him, will you take responsibility? Pardon me for being direct, but parents send their children to school to learn, not to let you vent your anger on them. Your students are not your punching bags.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear what she said, Principal? Look at her attitude¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my attitude? Before you speak of my attitude, you should first examine your own attitude. Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re a teacher, you¡¯re superior to others. You should first check whether you¡¯re worthy or not. Ask yourself honestly, don¡¯t you feel guilty? No one here is a fool. You yourself know best whether or not you¡¯re picking on Shao Dong and Shao Xi.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t back down. If you gave in to such a person, he would think that you were afraid and would be even more fearless. He would probably treat Shao Xi even more horribly then.


    The conflict was brought to the surface and blew uppletely.


    Mu Jingzhe was also pulled to the side by Mu Xue, who wanted to speak to her.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, how can you spout nonsense? Teacher Zhang is a good person. He is capable. Besides, he isn¡¯t someone who picks on students. Don¡¯t act like a shrew and spout nonsense when you don¡¯t know anything about teaching.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have never taught before, but I know the limits of a teacher!¡± Mu Jingzhe had never taught before, but she had taken the exam to be a teacher, so she wasn¡¯tpletely unfamiliar with teaching as a profession.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. He¡¯s really too much.¡±


    Mu Xue tried her best to persuade her. ¡°Even if you¡¯re unhappy, you shouldn¡¯t have said that about a teacher. Jingzhe, now that you¡¯re their mother, you should fulfill your duties as one.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to talk about the responsibilities of a mother. She was only responsible for taking care of them, but even so, she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to hurt them.


    At the end of the day, Mu Xue and Mu Jingzhe weren¡¯t on the same page, so their opinions differed greatly.


    Later on, even Mu Xue got a little angry.


    This was the first time she knew Mu Jingzhe to have such a sharp tongue.


    During this period, Mu Jingzhe had given her a lot of surprises, including selling buns and making certain choices.


    This was also the first time she realized that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s aura was really strong and her face was outstanding.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s imitation of her had annoyed her to no end. However, now that she¡¯d stopped emting her, it also made her feel unhappy.


    Mu Jingzhe was no longer the same as before¡ªshe had be very aggressive. Sometimes, she felt as if she waspletely hidden when Mu Jingzhe was around. The first person everyone saw was Mu Jingzhe.


    However, Mu Jingzhe was always trying to destroy her things and the people she was close to. She didn¡¯t know what method Mu Jingzhe had used to make Tang Moling, who hated her, lend her his car and eat her buns.


    Zhang Fei was on good terms with her, so she wanted to cause him trouble too.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, how many times do I have to say this? Teacher Zhang isn¡¯t the person you say he is. He¡¯s paying attention to Shao Xi for his own good. I¡¯m the one who asked him to take care of Shao Xi.¡±

 Chapter 29

    <h4>Chapter 29: Face-pping Moment</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Xue had asked Zhang Fei to take care of Shao Xi?


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected such a thing. ¡°You asked him to take care of Shao Xi? When? Why?¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s face darkened. Why else? Because she¡¯d almost be Shao Xi and his siblings¡¯ mother.


    Even though it hadn¡¯t happened ultimately, she still pitied the children, so she had asked Zhang Fei for help.


    ¡°It was a few days ago. You misunderstood.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely not a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, can you not be so stubborn? Can you take some responsibility? If you keep making a fuss without apologizing and Teacher Zhang really doesn¡¯t want to teach Shao Xi anymore, what will happen to him? Will he stop studying?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say that there were other teachers and schools, but a secondter, she was stuck.


    This was the only school in the vige.


    There was only one second-grade ss.


    Mu Xue looked at Mu Jingzhe and took a deep breath. ¡°If you are doing this for Shao Xi¡¯s good, apologize to Teacher Zhang now and promise him not to meddle in the way he teaches in the future. I believe Teacher Zhang isn¡¯t the kind of person who holds grudges.¡±


    ¡°I can apologize, but I can¡¯t trust him. He¡¯s a vengeful person¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe was speechless.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what¡¯s wrong with you? Do you really not want Shao Xi to study anymore?¡± Mu Xue couldn¡¯t take it anymore and interrupted Mu Jingzhe. Her eyes were filled with anger.


    ¡°If that is how it has to be, so be it.¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡­¡± Mu Xue was about to continue when she suddenly realized that the answer hadn¡¯te from Mu Jingzhe.


    She turned around and saw Shao Xi standing at the door.


    Shao Xi nced at Mu Jingzhe and then at Mu Xue. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong. Even if she doesn¡¯t speak up about it or make a fuss, I can¡¯t tolerate it anymore. Whether you believe it or not, Teacher Zhang has been picking on me.¡±


    ¡°Little Xi, you¡­¡± Mu Xue hadn¡¯t expected Shao Xi to say that. A hint of hurt shed past her eyes, and she felt like her good intentions had been let down.


    Shao Xi could see it clearly, but he pursed his lips, stubbornly refusing tofort her.


    He was even a little disappointed.


    He used to like Teacher Mu Xue very much because she was beautiful and gentle. She was also good to them.


    His father had once asked them if they¡¯d like Mu Xue to be their new mother. At the time, both he and his brother had said yes.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe had be their mother instead of Mu Xue, and he had been extremely unhappy about it.


    But now, he didn¡¯t like seeing Mu Xue say this about Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Xue had seen him being asked to stay behind after ss before, but she¡¯d never said anything about it.


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe had onlye once and had made the matter blow up.


    Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. If he doesn¡¯t want me as a student, so be it. I don¡¯t care either.¡±


    He still had to study, though.


    Now that the matter had blown up, all the students and the parents had found out about it, and Zhang Fei was no longer willing to ept an apology.


    Even if they apologized, he wouldn¡¯t want Shao Xi as a student.


    Mu Xue went to plead with Zhang Fei. When Zhang Fei saw Mu Xue, the anger on his face dissipated and his attitude became better, but he stood by his decision.


    He couldn¡¯t ept being wronged.


    The principal had told him to wait for him to think of a solution.


    The people in the vige discussed among themselves, and most of them thought that Mu Jingzhe had made a fuss and insulted the teacher.


    Some people even said that she had done it on purpose because she did not want Shao Xi to study.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.


    Fortunately, Zhang Fei exposed himself soon.


    Coincidentally, a family was holding a baby¡¯s one-month birthday party the next day. Zhang Fei went to visit them and met Mu Xue and Tang Moling, who were also there as guests.


    Worked up by the incident, Zhang Fei drank quite a bit and got drunk.


    After getting drunk, Zhang Fei dered in front of half the vigers that he liked Mu Xue.


    Mu Xue used to be a vige belle. At least one-third of the young men in the vige fancied her. However, Zhang Fei felt that he was the mostpatible with Mu Xue because he was a teacher and he was the closest to her.


    s, Mu Xue had first liked Shao Qihai. Then, after Shao Qihai had passed away, he had thought that his chance hade, but Tang Moling had appeared out of nowhere.


    Tang Moling had crushed him in all aspects.


    Do you see why he was furious?


    Ever since Tang Moling had shown up in his car a month ago, he had been feeling frustrated and anxious.


    He had been picking on Shao Xi because he was in a bad mood.


    As for why he had chosen Shao Xi, it was naturally because he hated his family. After all, they were Shao Qihai¡¯s children.


    Mu Xue had asked him to take care of Shao Dong and Shao Xi, making him even more jealous. That was why he¡¯d deliberately tormented them.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi had lost their parents, and parents generally believed that a teacher treated students strictly for their own good, which made him even more brazen. He¡¯d even racked his brains to think of new ways to punish them.


    Previously, he had been punishing Shao Xi by making him stand. Later on, he¡¯d felt that this punishment wasn¡¯t enough, so he hade up with a new method and put two pieces of chalk under the kid¡¯s heel. This way, Shao Xi could only stand on his tiptoes. If the kid couldn¡¯t take it and broke the chalk, he would add more time to his punishment.


    ¡°I was waiting to watch you cry and beg for mercy. But even though you were sweating and your feet were shaking, you refused to beg for mercy. You even said you wanted to learn from your dad what ¡®sheds blood and sweat but never tears¡¯. My foot.¡±


    It was Zhang Fei¡¯s first time getting drunk, so he had no idea what he was like when he got drunk. Due to the stimtion of alcohol, after seeing Shao Xi, he revealed his ugliest side, baring his most sincere thoughts.


    ¡°Listen to me, the more you don¡¯t cry, the angrier I get. I just want you to cry. If I don¡¯t manage to make you cry, my surname won¡¯t be Zhang. Just you wait.¡±


    When he turned to Mu Xue, his expression became ttering.


    ¡°Xiao Xue, are you satisfied with me for standing up for you? You and I are the mostpatible couple. I¡¯ve waited for you for many years. You can¡¯t let me down.¡±


    Mu Xue was extremely embarrassed.


    She hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Fei to say such things in public. Previously, she had confidently told Mu Jingzhe that Zhang Fei wasn¡¯t that kind of person, but now, she had been pped in the face.


    He was that kind of person, and the main reason he¡¯d picked on Shao Xi was because of her.


    She felt extremely embarrassed, and her eyes were red.


    Tang Moling pulled Mu Xue behind him, then scolded Zhang Fei for lusting after someone out of his league before dragging her away.


    Zhang Fei was so furious that he wanted to chase after her but was stopped by someone.


    Zhang Fei turned to look at Mu Jingzhe and vented his rage on her. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, just you wait. I will make you kneel in front of me! Who do you think you are to dare criticize me!¡±


    Ha! He even wanted to make her kneel.


    She would make him kneel first!


    As Mu Jingzhe left, she kicked a rock and sessfully tripped Zhang Fei, causing him to fall to his knees.


    Because his facended smack on the ground, he even bled from his nose.


    His parents were scared out of their wits and quickly dragged Zhang Fei away.


    Everyone looked at each other. They hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Fei to be such a person.


    Zhang Fei¡¯s reputation had been tarnished. Only then did everyone realize that they had wrongly used Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi.


    When Mu Jingzhe took Shao Xi and the rest back home, she felt proud and ted. ¡°When we go to school tomorrow, no one will chase you away. If anyone leaves, it will be Zhang Fei.¡±


    The corners of Shao Xi¡¯s lips curled up quickly as he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Sensing the excitement in his heart, Shao Xi quickly restrained it.


    He wouldn¡¯t grow fond of her so easily or regard her as his mother.


    He knew she could leave at any moment.


    Shao Xi added, ¡°Although I¡¯m thanking you, I¡¯m not as easily bought as Little Bei. Don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll be very close because of this.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡±

 Chapter 30

    <h4>Chapter 30: Never Shed Tears</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    When they went to school the next day, everything had indeed been reversed.


    Zhang Fei¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked very dispirited. His anger and shame had made him lose all his vigor and arrogance.


    An impulsive moment had caused a disaster. Everyone in the vige had seen him make a fool of himself.


    He could totally imagine what the vigers were saying about him behind his back. Without dignity and respect, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his head high as a teacher in the future. It could be said that those two cups of wine had made a serious impact on his career.


    It would have been better if he could have gotten the girl he liked. However, when he had met Mu Xue just now, Mu Xue¡¯s expression had changed slightly as soon as she had seen him, and she had turned her head and walked away without even looking at him. It was clear that she was avoiding him like the gue.


    Zhang Fei¡¯s heart sank.


    He could only cling onto his job as a teacher. He made up his mind to never touch alcohol again.


    The principal hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Fei to get into such a mess. Seeing that Zhang Fei knew that he was wrong, he had no choice but to help them reconcile. He asked Zhang Fei to apologize and promise that he wouldn¡¯t pick on the students anymore.


    Merely a day had passed, and their positions had already been swapped.


    Zhang Fei endured this humiliation and frustration and apologized to his students and Mu Jingzhe, who he despised.


    Shao Xi felt proud and ted upon seeing Zhang Fei apologize, and his earlier grievances were finally resolved.


    He snorted softly and didn¡¯t say anything. On the other hand, Shao Dong seemed very easygoing.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Now that this storm was finally over, the principal heaved a sigh of relief. He also told Mu Jingzhe that Zhang Fei was still young, so he wouldn¡¯t be the teacher in charge for the time being, and the role would be given to the mathematics teacher instead.


    However, Zhang Fei still continued teaching Chinese.


    It was impossible to change this, as there weren¡¯t many teachers at this school.


    Mu Jingzhe was naturally dissatisfied. However, this was the best oue they could have hoped for given the circumstances. She could only hope that Zhang Fei wouldn¡¯t dare go overboard in the future. She would pay more attention and try her best to not let Shao Dong and Shao Xi suffer.


    Mu Jingzhe had only thought of this. She didn¡¯t expect Shao Dong to suddenly ask the principal if he could skip a grade after everything was settled.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already studied the second-grade textbooks with Shao Xi. It¡¯d be a waste of time to continue attending second-grade sses. Can we go straight to the third grade?¡±


    The principal naturally knew that Shao Dong and Shao Xi had good grades and that the children of the Shao Family were outstanding.


    But¡­ skip a grade?


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± the principal asked in disbelief. Shao Dong nodded affirmatively. Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Shao Dong, and he also nodded affirmatively.


    The reason why they had been able to learn the second-grade textbooks was Mu Jingzhe.


    In the past, Shao Dong had worked hard to take care of his younger siblings. He¡¯d also had to protect them from Fu, Lu, and Shou¡¯s bullying. He¡¯d had to worry about food and even dig for wild herbs in his free time.


    He¡¯d only had time to learn during ss.


    However, ever since Mu Jingzhe had changed, he no longer had to worry about food. Every day, there was piping hot, delicious food waiting for them when they got home. Mu Jingzhe would also take care of their clothes and shoes.


    He didn¡¯t need to wash clothes or cook anymore, nor did he have to care about anything else. His only responsibility was to take care of his younger siblings.


    Now, he had a lot of time to learn. He would learn alongside Shao Xi and also teach his younger siblings.


    For example, although Shao Zhong hadn¡¯t started writing yet, he could already count to a hundred. He¡¯d also mastered simple addition and subtraction.


    Unknowingly, he¡¯d finished learning the second-grade textbooks.


    ¡°Principal, can we skip a grade?¡± Shao Dong nced at Mu Jingzhe. Upon seeing that she didn¡¯t object, he asked again.


    The children of the poor had to take charge of the household early. Shao Dong had been forced to be the head of the household long ago. His heart was filled with urgency. He knew that studying was good and that he had to study if he wanted to have a bright future. However, it was too time-consuming to study normally.


    He wanted to finish his studies as soon as possible. While Mu Jingzhe was still taking care of them and he was young, he wanted to learn everything he could.


    By the time Mu Jingzhe got married in the future, he would have gained a lot of knowledge and skills that would allow him to help his younger siblings study.


    The principal didn¡¯t know about Shao Dong¡¯s long-term ns and couldn¡¯t help but look at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe agreed.


    The children were smart, so she wasn¡¯t surprised that they had learned all this in advance. If they wanted to skip a grade, they could make the decision themselves.


    The principal understood and could also see why Mu Jingzhe would give such a response. He said that he would think about this and reply after some discussion.


    During dinner, Shao Dong specifically exined to Mu Jingzhe why he wanted to skip a grade.


    He didn¡¯t tell her about those thoughts, only that he didn¡¯t want a teacher like Zhang Fei to continue teaching them. He didn¡¯t want to see Zhang Fei¡¯s fake smile, nor did he want to be hated by him.


    ¡°I know, I know what you mean. As long as he continues teaching you, I¡¯ll always feel uneasy.¡± Who knew if he would secretly make things difficult for Shao Dong and Shao Xi.


    Shao Dong nodded.


    Previously, Zhang Fei had deliberately humiliated him. He hadn¡¯t had much of a reaction, but at the time, he hadn¡¯t known that Zhang Fei was picking on them. Furthermore, no one had been speaking up for them, so he¡¯d had to endure it.


    Now that everything was clear, he naturally wouldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore.


    It was fine if he was targeted, but he had taken note of everything Zhang Fei had done to Shao Xi.


    Zhang Fei didn¡¯t know that Shao Dong was famous for being protective of his own people and holding grudges.


    Of course, he also remembered kindness. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring, but what he had done warranted revenge.


    Since Zhang Fei had done something like that, he would have to bear everyone¡¯s criticism. If he couldn¡¯t take it, he could leave on his own and stop teaching.


    The corners of Shao Dong¡¯s mouth curled up for a moment, but his eyes revealed a coldness that didn¡¯t match his age.


    After he finished speaking, Mu Jingzhe suddenly thought of something. ¡°Oh right, did your father always teach you that it was fine to shed blood and sweat but never tears?¡±


    She recalled Zhang Fei¡¯s words.


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°Yes, my dad didn¡¯t like us crying. If we cried, he¡¯d get angry and say that we¡¯re not acting like men. It was the same for Little Bei. We had an agreement with him about not crying.¡±


    After Shao Qihai was gone, this promise had taken root in the hearts of the children.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    There was nothing wrong with Shao Qihai¡¯s teachings. It wasn¡¯t good for a child to cry all the time, but how could a child not cry at all? It wasn¡¯t suitable for Shao Dong and the others to strictly stick to this teaching in such a situation either.


    No wonder Zhao Lan had done whatever she¡¯d wanted previously. It turned out that it was because the children wouldn¡¯t cry or shout, so she wasn¡¯t afraid that everyone would know how she treated them.


    However, children who knew how to cry had sweets to eat. They still had to learn whatever needed to be learned.


    Mu Jingzhe pondered this for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not good to cry all the time, but have you heard of the saying that ¡®it¡¯s not a sin for a man to?cry<sup>1</sup>¡®? Besides, you¡¯re still young. It¡¯s normal for you to cry when you¡¯re bullied or you¡¯re hurting.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong looked at each other and shook their heads. ¡°No, we¡¯ve never heard of that saying.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Well, the song wasn¡¯t out yet.


    ¡°In any case, don¡¯t hold in all your grievances in the future. If you don¡¯t tell us, we won¡¯t know. We¡¯ll only know when you cry and shout in pain.¡±


    Shao Dong and the others had conflicted expressions on their faces. They were probably used to it. They still felt that men should sweat blood and sweat rather than tears.


    Mu Jingzhe was in no hurry to continue speaking. Shao Qihai, as their father, had been too assertive with his teachings, causing the few of them to suffer in secret.


    Meanwhile, in the basement of a house in the suburbs of the neighboring province, a sound rang out. ¡°Achoo!¡±

 Chapter 31

    <h4>Chapter 31: Startled Shao Qihai</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Brother Hai? Are you alright?¡±


    Shao Qihai shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. How are Little Dong and the others? Are they doing well?¡±


    After recuperating for another month or so, Shao Qihai finally got much better and could get out of bed.


    Jiang Feng, the short-haired man who had been following him, hadpletely recovered.


    Therefore, he had gone to Shao Qihai¡¯s hometown to inquire about the situation of the Shao Family¡¯s children.


    ¡°It was alright when I went to ask around. Sister-inw is taking care of them at home, but it seemed like your daughter was sent away by Auntie once. It was Sister-In-Law who brought her back.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression sank. ¡°Little Bei was sent away?¡±


    Even though they had sent back news of his passing, it had only been a short time. How could they have sent Little Bei away? It wasn¡¯t like the Shao Family couldn¡¯t afford to raise a child.


    Everything else aside, the money that he had sent back over the years should be enough to raise the children as long as they used it wisely.


    How could she¡­


    Shao Qihai knew that Zhao Lan wasn¡¯t as good as he had imagined, but he hadn¡¯t expected her to give Little Bei away.


    Of course, he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to bring her back either. Besides, she was currently still taking care of the children.


    ¡°You said Mu Jingzhe is still taking care of the children and hasn¡¯t returned to her maternal home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember your instructions. I didn¡¯t dare go directly to the Great Eastern Vige. However, I found the people from your vige who came to the market and asked around.¡± Jiang Feng nodded affirmatively.


    Shao Qihai had aplicated expression on his face. Everything had exceeded his expectations since he had woken up after escaping death a few months ago. To think that Zhao Lan, whom he had thought would raise the children no matter what, had actually sent Little Bei away¡­


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe, whom he had married by ident and hadn¡¯t pinned any hopes on, hadn¡¯t returned to her parents¡¯ home. Instead, she had stayed on at the Shao Residence to take care of the children and had even brought Little Bei back.


    He¡¯d thought she would have gone home long ago.


    It was also right for her to go home. Although they¡¯d gotten married, they had only been husband and wife in name.


    His most memorable impression of Mu Jingzhe was her striking hair, eyebrows, and red lips. He couldn¡¯t remember what her face looked like in detail.


    Shao Qihai snapped out of his reverie and saw Jiang Feng hesitate to speak.


    ¡°What else is there? Just tell me. I can take it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I also heard a piece of news. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not, but it¡¯s said that the Shao Family split up the family assets. Your younger brother and your children got their share, and Auntie is now living with your oldest brother.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s first thought was that this was absurd. ¡°How is that possible? How can they split up the family assets when they¡¯re just kids?¡±


    Previously, Eldest Brother Shao had told him that they were brothers with an unbreakable bond. Even though he knew that what he¡¯d said was a little fake, it wasn¡¯t so fake that they¡¯d need to split up the family assets, right?


    How were they going to survive now that they had been left on their own?


    Jiang Feng touched his nose. ¡°That¡¯s what I heard.¡±


    When he reached this point, he looked a little troubled. ¡°Brother Hai, I know that given our current situation, it isn¡¯t appropriate for our family to hear from us. I¡¯m aware that knowing this will harm them, but as long as the person who receives the news is reliable, can we do it subtly?¡±


    Shao Qihai frowned. ¡°No, the less they know, the better. When everything is settled, I will return. When that timees, they will know.¡±


    Jiang Feng was put in a difficult position. ¡°Can¡¯t we even tell Sister-In-Law? Why don¡¯t you tell her in secret?¡±


    Shao Qihai gave him a strange look. ¡°There¡¯s no benefit in her knowing.¡±


    Actually, he was also worried. ording to the feedback, Mu Jingzhe seemed to have changed from the person he remembered her to be. However, he still wouldn¡¯t trust her with such an important matter.


    If it was Mu Xue, he might be able to trust her¡­ When he thought of Mu Xue, Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze darkened.


    The two of them hadn¡¯t been fated to be together ultimately. There was no point in thinking about it now.


    Shao Qihai was depressed, but Jiang Feng was worried about him. ¡°Brother Hai, a husband and wife are one. It would be good for her to know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? Why are you acting so strangely?¡± Shao Qihai was puzzled.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Feng felt aggrieved. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you. If you don¡¯t tell Sister-In-Law, what if she¡­ marries someone else?¡±


    She was such a good woman. Brother Hai was already dead, yet she was still helping raise his children, who weren¡¯t rted to her by blood. What a wonderful person.


    If he identally let her slip by, he would regret it for life!


    ¡°Brother Hai, people aren¡¯t dumb. Everyone can tell that Sister-In-Law is a good person, so it¡¯s not surprising that someone noticed her. Someone has already proposed to Sister-In-Law. I heard that it¡¯s a driver from the county. Everyone in your vige said that this man is very eligible. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Sister-In-Law still remembers you, she might already have remarried.¡±


    She might even have had a baby in her stomach already!


    Jiang Feng felt like the emperor wasn¡¯t anxious, but a eunuch was. He had really expected better from Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai was stunned again.


    Someone had proposed marriage to Mu Jingzhe? A driver from the county to boot? And Mu Jingzhe had chosen not to marry when this man was so eligible?


    ¡°Did she really turn him down?¡± Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help confirming it.


    ¡°Yes, she said no. Sister-In-Law is really devoted to you.¡± Jiang Feng thought that Shao Qihai was finally anxious. ¡°Brother Hai, you must cherish her. Sister-In-Law must have been under a lot of pressure not to ept this time. What if an even more eligible, good man shows up? Sister-In-Law might be forced to remarry in the end.¡±


    Upon seeing Jiang Feng¡¯s anxious look, Shao Qihai swallowed back the words ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do if she really remarries¡¯.


    Jiang Feng didn¡¯t know that he and Mu Jingzhe had only been married for a short time and thus didn¡¯t have any feelings for each other at all, nor did he know that they had yet to consummate their marriage. He was anxious for him, so it was normal for him to be afraid that Mu Jingzhe would remarry.


    However, he couldn¡¯t say these things to Jiang Feng.


    That night, Shao Qihai suffered from insomnia.


    He would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t feel terrible about Zhao Lan¡¯s actions. That was his biological mother.


    And those kids¡­ The ones Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t let go of the most were the children. In the past, they had been the ones constantly on his mind.


    Tonight, perhaps because Jiang Feng had said too much about Mu Jingzhe, his mind was filled with thoughts of Mu Jingzhe.


    He didn¡¯t know what she was thinking or why she had changed. To think she¡¯d actually stayed behind to take care of the children.


    Could¡­ what Jiang Feng had said be true? Did she really like him?


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Shao Qihai felt a little hot. He thought that if Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t remarry, he would definitely not let her down when he returned.


    As he thought about this, he started to feel anxious. Should he speed up? What if she remarried¡­


    Shao Qihai, who had realized what he was thinking, straightened his face. He wasn¡¯t anxious. He was merely worried about the children.


    Arge portion of the subsidies that Shao Qihai had received after retiring from the army had been used by him to help hisrades. In addition, he wasn¡¯tpletely crippled, so he had given up the work the army had assigned to him to someone in more difficult circumstances and had decided to do business by himself.


    Hisrades believed in him and hade to work with him. Later, they¡¯d started a transportationpany.


    Because they were creditworthy and offeredpetitive prices, business was good.


    However, since their business was doing well, it was unavoidable that some people would consider them an eyesore. Many hooligans were also looking for trouble.


    They naturally weren¡¯t afraid of such hooligans, but something had happenedter on.


    There were certain powers involved in this matter. If they¡¯d turned a blind eye to this, it would have been fine. However, they couldn¡¯t do so. Furthermore, those people had refused to let them off, which had resulted in the subsequent ident.


    The matter wasn¡¯t over yet, and there was still danger. That was why, although Shao Qihai had only been severely injured and unconscious, news of his passing had been sent back.


    This was also ast resort. It was safer to announce that Shao Qihai was dead.


    At the time, he had been no different from a dead man. Everyone had said that he wasn¡¯t going to make it.


    Unexpectedly, he had managed to pull through.


    However, even though he had made it through, he couldn¡¯t go back until the danger was eliminated.

 Chapter 32

    <h4>Chapter 32: Counseling</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    In the Great Eastern Vige, no one knew that Shao Qihai was still alive.


    The next day, the principal gave Shao Dong and Shao Xi an answer regarding their request to skip a grade.


    ¡°If your results are outstanding and you perform well in all aspects, you can apply to skip a grade.


    ¡°However, your current problem isn¡¯t the second-grade exam. If you skip grades and go to the third grade, you will directly enter the third grade and will have to study. The problem is that the first semester of the third grade has already passed, and the next semester already started long ago. Can you keep up?


    ¡°If you can¡¯t keep up with the third-grade curriculum, then skipping a grade isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    The principal was actually quite considerate when it came to his students. ¡°Normally, we don¡¯t rmend skipping grades because teachers don¡¯t just teach what¡¯s in the textbooks. They impart other stuff as well.¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi agreed with the first part of his speech, but when they heard thest sentence, their expressions became a bit intrigued.


    After all¡­ Zhang Fei only taught what was in his textbooks. They had never seen him teach anything else.


    The principal¡¯s words made them even more determined.


    The final conclusion of this discussion was that a grade-skipping examination would be held first. If they passed, he could consider approving their request, but only if they could keep up with the third-grade curriculum.


    In the end, Shao Dong boldly said, ¡°Then include the content of the third grade¡¯s first semester in the assessment, as well as the progress exam of our current semester. You can allow us to skip a grade if we pass everything.¡±


    Seeing that they had made up their minds, and considering the fact that it was rare for the school to have such brilliant students, the principal agreed after careful consideration.


    The grade-skipping test was scheduled to take ce two weekster. During this period, Shao Dong and Shao Xi were allowed to revise by themselves. They weren¡¯t required to attend Zhang Fei¡¯s ss. If they encountered something they didn¡¯t understand, they could ask the other teachers. The principal could also teach them himself.


    It was impossible for ordinary students to finish more than one semester of the third grade within two weeks, but Shao Dong and Shao Xi happily epted the challenge.


    Mu Jingzhe had no objections.


    She believed that it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for them.


    After the agreement was made that day, Shao Dong and Shao Xi took the third-grade textbook the principal gave them and immediately began to study.


    Mu Jingzhe was a university student, and her school wasn¡¯t too bad. She shouldn¡¯t have a problem with third-grade textbooks. For the first time ever, she asked if they needed her help.


    Shao Dong hesitated for a second before nodding. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The original Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t been as knowledgeable as Mu Xue and hadn¡¯t gone to high school. However, she had at least finished middle school. Hence, they decided to let her try teaching them.


    Unexpectedly, Mu Jingzhe¡­ knew everything and was excellent at teaching.


    She was much better than Zhang Fei.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi were amazed at first, butter on, they started to listen attentively.


    Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu gathered beside them and listened quietly.


    To them, the curriculum was a bit over the top, but they liked listening to Mu Jingzhe. They felt that what she said was very interesting and rxing. From time to time, she would even say things they didn¡¯t know.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had seen modern fancy tutoring and had also tutored the younger kids at the orphanage, found these tutoring sessions quite easy.


    However, she was also amazed deep in her heart. Bigshots were indeed impressive.


    They were learning at an incredibly rapid rate, so much so that she almost suspected that they had a photographic memory.


    This learning ability made Mu Jingzhe, who was an ordinary person, very envious.


    At night, because there was no light, they couldn¡¯t continue studying, so they recited poems instead.


    The learning atmosphere was great.


    When it was time to sleep, Little Bei grabbed her chubby little feet and asked Mu Jingzhe while lying in bed, ¡°Auntie, why don¡¯t you be a teacher? You teach as well as a teacher.¡±


    This was Little Bei being tactful. She actually felt that some teachers weren¡¯t even as good as Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll teach you more often in the future. But I can¡¯t be a teacher.¡±


    ¡°Why not? You teach so well and you know so much.¡±


    In Shao Bei¡¯s mind, anyone who was impressive could be a teacher.


    However, she didn¡¯t have enough educational qualifications. Without the necessary educational qualifications, she couldn¡¯t very well tell people that she had acquired a teacher¡¯s license in her past life so they¡¯d let her be a teacher.


    The next day was a Saturday and it was still a day of lessons. Shao Dong and the rest realized that Mu Jingzhe could not only teach Chinese and Mathematics but could also teach them about nature and morals. She knew how to draw as well.


    Because the nature and moral education tests didn¡¯t factor into their results, the teachers basically didn¡¯t care about these two subjects. The curriculum simply had the students study these two subjects on their own.


    Those who liked to study would take a look at the book. Many people would just flip through it casually, or they might not even do that.


    They hadn¡¯t expected that Mu Jingzhe would not only impart knowledge on these subjects to them but would also teach them a lot of things. Besides learning to love their country, the children also had a small dream in their hearts. They wanted to visit the capital in their life.


    They also saw some stories of warriors protecting their country and Shao Qihai, who used to be a soldier, was mentioned. They felt very proud.


    In the past, they would look forward to resting after ss, but not with Mu Jingzhe. They felt that time passed in the blink of an eye when she was teaching them.


    When Mu Jingzhe said that she wanted to cook, they were reluctant to part with her. They couldn¡¯t help but chase after Mu Jingzhe to help wash the potatoes and ask her questions.


    The furthest people from the Great Eastern Vige went was the county city. They didn¡¯t even know any ces further than that. There was only one ck-and-white television in the entire vige, so they knew very little about the outside world.


    There were just a few teachers, and the furthest they had been was the city. How could theypare to Mu Jingzhe, who hade from the modern era?


    She had been to many ces in the country, and her knowledge was much greater than that of the vigers of the Great Eastern Vige. She thus widened the horizons of those kids by sharing.


    The children looked forward to seeing the world beyond this vige. Seeing that they were interested, Mu Jingzhe told them more.


    After dinner, she asked them to rest. Shao Xi awkwardly took out his preciousic book and asked Mu Jingzhe to help him mend the missing piece of paper.


    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m not a professional artist. Don¡¯t me me if I don¡¯t paint well.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Shao Xi immediately said.


    Mu Jingzhe drew some simple pictures based on Shao Xi¡¯s instructions and gestures.


    In the afternoon, she talked to them about nature. She shared quite a bit of knowledge about nature, as well as thermal expansion and contraction, Earth¡¯s gravitational buoyancy, and so on. The scope covered was quite broad, and Shao Nan obviously liked it a lot.


    He pricked up his ears to listen to whatever Mu Jingzhe was saying. After being caught, he would turn around as if nothing had happened. When Mu Jingzhe discovered this by chance, she secretlyughed in her heart.


    This was a genius, a future scientific researcher. It was normal for him to be interested in these things.


    Seeing that they were interested, Mu Jingzhe spoke more.


    Two days passed quickly. Mu Jingzhe taught them while making hair ornaments and couldn¡¯t help butin that time passed too quickly.


    The children were having a lot of fun learning from her. Before they realized it, they were already surrounding Mu Jingzhe like little chicks foraging for food around their hen mother.


    When it was Monday, Shao Nan and Little Bei had to go to school. The two of them dilly-dallied and had to be urged twice before they headed to school.


    If possible, they wanted to stay at home and study with Mu Jingzhe. It was more interesting than going to school.


    Unfortunately, that was naturally impossible.


    When they returned at noon, they were followed by a guest. Mu Xue was with them.

 Chapter 33

    <h4>Chapter 33: Forced Herself On Him</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Everyone at school was gossiping about Zhang Fei, as well as Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s application to skip a grade.


    Mu Xue felt that everyone had been looking at her strangely in the past two days. It was even more obvious when she returned to school.


    She had never thought that her good intentions would harm Shao Dong and Shao Xi, so she was troubled and sad.


    After hesitating the entire morning, Mu Xue made a decision. She followed Little Bei and her siblings back and volunteered to tutor them to make up for it.


    ¡°I can teach you guys at any time except during ss hours.¡±


    She felt much better after saying that. She didn¡¯t expect to be rejected.


    ¡°Thank you, Teacher Mu, but we can learn by ourselves. We have Auntie Mu teaching us, so we shan¡¯t trouble you.¡±


    Shao Xi politely declined, acting as his siblings¡¯ representative.


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t believe a single word he said. Did Mu Jingzhe have what it took to teach them?


    Not everyone could be a teacher.


    She felt that Shao Dong and Shao Xi still med her, so they¡¯d randomly found an excuse.


    Mu Xue lowered her head and left the Shao Family. She was very upset. When she returned home and saw Old Madam Mu, she poured out her troubles to her with red eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± she said. ¡°But I think they me me. I know it¡¯s normal for them to me me, but I just want to make up for it.¡±


    Old Madam Mu didn¡¯t like the children, but her heart ached for her granddaughter. ¡°If they me you for this, you don¡¯t have to care about them. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You were just too kind.¡±


    After cursing Mu Jingzhe for a while, she wanted to call for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng to scold them, but when she turned around, they were nowhere to be seen.


    The couple had gone to sell buns.


    Ever since the two of them had started to sell buns, Old Madam Mu could no longer control them.


    Mu Xue was listless for two days. Tang Moling coaxed her during those two days, but she was still sad. In the end, he had no choice but to look for the Shao Family.


    This was Tang Moling¡¯s first time at the Shao Family¡¯s home. When he entered and saw the clean yet dpidated courtyard, afterparing it to the house next door, he couldn¡¯t help but raise his brows.


    As if he had entered his own home, he walked in slowly. ¡°How are your lessonsing along? Can you understand what you¡¯re reading?¡±


    Shao Dong nodded. Shao Xi asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ept Teacher Mu Xue¡¯s tutoring offer? She¡¯s very upset now.¡± Tang Moling got straight to the point. ¡°I hope you can ept her help.¡±


    Shao Xi pursed his lips. ¡°But we really don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly still ming her.¡± Tang Moling was amused. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to convince myself to let her help you guys. Don¡¯t be ungrateful.¡±


    ¡°We really don¡¯t me her, but it¡¯s true that we don¡¯t need her help. We¡¯re doing fine with Auntie Mu¡¯s help,¡± Shao Xi replied.


    Tang Moling frowned. ¡°Why are you so insensible?¡±


    He raised his hand and rapped Shao Xi¡¯s head, causing thetter to cry out in pain.


    Why did it hurt? It was because he had hit his head this morning.


    He had been through a lot recently.


    Shao Xi had always been a person amenable to coaxing but not coercion. He didn¡¯t like Tang Moling¡¯s attitude at all, and the pain he felt on his head made him furious.


    ¡°Move aside!¡±


    He pped Tang Moling¡¯s hand away.


    Now, Tang Moling was also in pain after being pped. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    As he spoke, he grabbed Shao Xi¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    Shao Dong quickly went to stop him.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had juste back and was holding Shao Zhong¡¯s hand, saw Tang Moling bullying the two children.


    How could she allow this?


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Tang Moling was skilled, but Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t inferior either. Besides, given her strength, she easily subdued Tang Moling.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Tang Moling¡¯s face was red from anger.


    ¡°No.¡± Just as Mu Jingzhe was about to ask why he had attacked the two children, she heard a short scream.


    She turned around and saw Mu Xue standing at the door. The things in her hands fell to the ground as she red at Mu Jingzhe and Tang Moling. With eyes filled with disappointment and anger, she stomped her feet and ran out as she started to cry.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Huh???¡±


    Puzzled, she lowered her head to look at Tang Moling. ¡°What happened to her? Did she start crying because I hit you? Why didn¡¯t shee to help?¡±


    She remembered that there was a plot in the book about Tang Moling being in danger and Mu Xue risking her life to block a knife for him. It was touching.


    Why would she turn around and run away? Or was she running away in tears?


    Was she that scary?


    She couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter how hard she thought about it. Tang Moling gritted his teeth. ¡°Look at your posture!¡±


    ¡°What posture?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned. His words made one¡¯s imagination run wild.


    As she wasining, she lowered her head and was left speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Upon looking at Tang Moling, who was pinned under her with his limbs firmly held in ce, Mu Jingzhe finally realized what was going on.


    This posture indeed didn¡¯t seem so innocent.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because you kept struggling.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe let go of Tang Moling¡¯s hands and stood up.


    The children were around, so it hadn¡¯t seemed appropriate for her to use moves such as shoulder throws, which required great movement. She had been afraid of hurting the children, so she could only suppress him on the spot.


    She had only remembered to move the children to the side to avoid identally injuring them, so she hadn¡¯t paid attention to her posture.


    Tang Moling got up and looked at his red wrist, his face switching color from white to green.


    He was furious about being held down by a woman, and he was also ashamed of thepromising position they had been in.


    Damn, their roles had been reversed. It shouldn¡¯t have been like this.


    He should have been the one holding Mu Jingzhe down. He should have been up there¡­ Wait, what was he thinking?


    Tang Moling¡¯s face exploded from redness.


    These were conservative times. Although he was close to proposing marriage to Mu Xue, other than holding hands twice with her, they had done nothing else.


    But today, Mu Jingzhe had pinned him underneath her.


    He flew into a rage out of humiliation. ¡°Are you still a woman? I even helped you before. Is this how you repay me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless for a moment. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the debt was written off with those buns? Besides, I saw you hitting those two kids.¡±


    ¡°Who hit the children? They¡¯re the ones who hit me.¡± Tang Moling was even angrier when he saw Little Bei.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t lent you my car, you would probably still have been god-knows-where. To think you even bit me!¡±


    This little girl had taken advantage of the chaos to bite him. If he hadn¡¯t dodged, his thigh would have been bitten as well.


    ¡°You were bullying my brothers.¡± With Mu Jingzhe around, Little Bei wasn¡¯t afraid at all.


    Tang Moling wanted to say something else, but he felt extremely ufortable around Mu Jingzhe. His heart flew to Mu Xue, who had run away, and he could only chase after her.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, if Xiao Xue misunderstands, I will never forgive you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±


    In any case, she decided to ask why he hade first.


    When she realized that Tang Moling hade because of Mu Xue, it seemed like it had been a misunderstanding and she shouldn¡¯t have hit him. Feeling helpless, she followed him.


    Mu Xue was so angry that she was crying in her room and didn¡¯t even open the door when Tang Moling came.


    Finally, Mu Jingzhe arrived.


    Seeing how anxious Tang Moling was, as though he was afraid that Mu Xue might do something foolish in there, Mu Jingzhe felt that she ought to do something.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you knock down the door.¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°???¡±


    His face was full of question marks.


    Mu Jingzhe was already preparing. ¡°Mu Xue, move aside. Don¡¯t stand behind the door. I¡¯m about to knock it down¡­¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could destroy the door, Mu Xue opened it.


    Tears welled up in her red eyes, making her look pitiful.


    Tang Moling¡¯s heart ached, but Mu Xue ignored him and only looked at Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°When I was young, you used to steal all my clothes and shoes. Not only did you steal Shao Qihai, but you¡¯re even trying to snatch Tang Moling. Do you want to snatch everything that belongs to me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused. ¡°No, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I¡¯m not trying to snatch him away from you. It was a misunderstanding. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding? I saw it with my own eyes. You even did it in front of the children. You simply¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say that she had forced herself on him, but the scene had been extremely stimting.


    It could be said that it had shocked her soul and turned her world upside down.


    She felt that Mu Jingzhe had alreadyid her hands on Tang Moling.


    They had only held hands, yet Mu Jingzhe had already touched him.


    She nced at Tang Moling and felt that he was¡­ dirty.

 Chapter 34

    <h4>Chapter 34: Despise Him?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe had a headache. ¡°No, Mu Xue, you¡¯ve really misunderstood!¡±


    She exined as quickly as she could. ¡°I¡¯m really not interested in Tang Moling and have never wanted to snatch him away from you. I really don¡¯t have any feelings for him.¡±


    Had she eaten too much, or was she so tired of living that she wanted to snatch away the male lead?


    She didn¡¯t have a death wish.


    Mu Xue still didn¡¯t believe her, so she gritted her teeth.


    ¡°I can swear that even if Tang Moling was the only man left in this world, I wouldn¡¯t take another look at him!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was forced to swear.


    Tang Moling stood aside, feelingpletely ignored.


    He felt tired.


    Mu Jingzhe was also exhausted. ¡°It¡¯s really true. Mu Xue, I hope you believe me.¡±


    At the moment, the scene was very simr to a scene of the female supporting character fighting with the female lead over the male lead. However, only God knew that Mu Jingzhe vehemently refused to have anything to do with the male and female lead. If one looked at the whole novel, one would notice that those rted to them didn¡¯t meet a good end.


    Mu Jingzhe adopted her most sincere attitude and finally exined herself. She then left.


    Mu Xue and Tang Moling were left alone.


    Though Mu Xue had said that she had gotten the wrong idea about them before, she avoided Tang Moling¡¯s gaze.


    It was because she felt a subtle difort in her heart. Previously, Tang Moling had been so powerful and different from the people she had met. She had felt his charmpletely then.


    However, Tang Moling, who was high and mighty in her heart, had been pinned down by Mu Jingzhe just like that.


    This made her feel a little awkward, as if something had copsed in her.


    Tang Moling was also a little distracted. He couldn¡¯t help but think about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. She had said that she would not take another look at him even if all the men in the world died.


    He ought to be happy that she was helping him clear up this misunderstanding, yet he felt very awkward.


    Did she despise him?


    It had been like this before, and now it was like this again?


    Both of them were distracted and unhappy.


    ******


    After Tang Moling was subdued, the children were all eager to learn martial arts. They even fantasized about going to the Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts and be experts.


    Who had never dreamed of going to Shaolin and Wudang? Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything and even encouraged them to go when they had the chance.


    Going to different ces would allow them to gain more knowledge. When the time came, they could regard it as traveling.


    Two dayster, before dawn, Mu Jingzhe took a big bag full of goods and went out with Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, who went to the market to sell buns.


    When they arrived in town, it was dawn.


    While Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng set up the stall, Mu Jingzhe went to the county and then the city.


    The trip to the city went quite smoothly. She handed over the goods and even received a new order. A foreign boss was even introduced to Mu Jingzhe.


    After negotiating, she went to get more supplies. This was a fruitful trip.


    By the time she reached the town, it was already dark. She then rushed home with Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, who had been waiting for her.


    The next day, Mu Jingzhe took a look at the materials she had bought and took Shao Zhong with her to hire some workers.


    Now that life was slowly getting better, people had spare money to buy essories and hair ornaments. The more well-developed the ce, the more obvious this was. Thanks to her rebirth and existing foundation, her hair ornaments sold well, so the number of orders would probably only increase in the future.


    Under the circumstances, she couldn¡¯t do this alone. She had to find some people to do it with her.


    This wasn¡¯t a problem. There were quite a few youngdies in the vige who were skilled in needlework and threading. She could ask them to work for her and pay them a wage; it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.


    Mu Jingzhe had already made up her mind. She would ask three people to help her first and see how things went.


    This time, not only did she buy fabric for the head flower, but she also bought beads and other materials, as she wanted to develop an essory line.


    She wanted to try making nes, bracelets, and earrings.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s search went very smoothly. The people she found were all good people with a reputation for being hardworking in the vige. When they heard that they would be paid ording to the number of pieces they made and would be given the money at the end of each day, they came over in spite of their doubts.


    The simple production process began.


    Mu Jingzhe was mainly responsible for matching the colors anding up with the design and cutting, while her three workers would follow suit.


    The rest of the time, Mu Jingzhe continued to teach Shao Dong and Shao Xi at home. She was kept rather busy.


    However, it was good that the house was lively. It felt like Shao Zhong had be more daring now.


    For the first two days, the vigers didn¡¯t know what Mu Jingzhe and the others were doing. They only saw the three of them going to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house. Later on, they found out that they were going to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house to help her make essories and hair ornaments.


    Everyone was skeptical. However, the money that the three of them received at the end of each day was real.


    In a short time, Mu Jingzhe became the hottest topic of discussion in the vige. Everyone was talking about the hair ornaments she made, and many people came up to ask if they could work for her as well.


    Mu Jingzhe calmed them down, saying she wasn¡¯t certain.


    After a few days, Mu Jingzhe left for the city before dawn. This time, she didn¡¯t return.


    Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe had said that this might happen. Shao Qiyang was also at home.


    The next day, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help bute out when he saw that she hadn¡¯t returned even though it was almost afternoon.


    In the end, he saw Mu Jingzhe, who was covered in bags, in town.


    ¡°Thank goodness you came to pick me up. Otherwise, I really don¡¯t know how I would¡¯ve gotten back.¡±


    She was strong, but there were too many things. She couldn¡¯t carry all of them with her two hands.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Materials.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was covered in sweat, but her eyes were sparkling. ¡°There¡¯s another big order.¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t just hair ornaments. The nes she¡¯d brought along were also sold out. She had received another order and had even been given a deposit.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she could make a small fortune.


    Shao Qiyang borrowed a bicycle and, inbination with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tremendous strength, they transported the items home.


    ¡°If everything goes well, we¡¯ll be able to buy a bicycle after this delivery. Life will be more convenient then. You can also ride it to deliver letters.¡±


    Shao Qiyang was stunned. ¡°You mean you¡¯ll be buying it?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, are you interested in buying a bicycle together? It¡¯s a little difficult for me to buy a bicycle directly now, and it¡¯s difficult for you too. Why don¡¯t we buy a bicycle together first and then buy another er?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s little n had been implemented without a hitch.


    Shao Qiyang had a different feeling when he heard this, though. To him, it felt like the two of them were working hard for this small family and would be buying a bicycle together.


    This was the day he¡¯d dreamed of. A couple supporting each other after marriage¡­


    His dream had been realized by Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He agreed and sped up, wanting the wind to cool him down.


    This time, Mu Jingzhe found another youngdy to work for her.


    Now that she had four workers, other than designing and teaching them at the start, she no longer had to make the essories herself.


    Even so, she was still very busy. It was only asionally that she was able to focus on designing at night.


    The four youngdies, who came to her house to work, werepletely relieved from doing housework. These days, their families would help them wash their clothes and call them when their meals were ready. They woulde to work every morning and get off at night.


    This business wasn¡¯t a factory, but it resembled one. Because too many people came to ask if she was hiring, Mu Jingzhe had no choice but to temporarily close the door.


    Because of Mu Jingzhe and the four women who earned money every day, the atmosphere in the vige had changed.


    Everyone wanted to earn money and eagerly waited for Mu Jingzhe to hire more people.


    In the blink of an eye, Mu Jingzhe, who¡¯d originally had a bad reputation in the vige, had be a popr figure.


    When Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang really bought the bicycle, the atmosphere reached its climax.


    Their home was bustling with life these days. It waspletely different from the miserable state everyone had imagined they would be in after they¡¯d split up the family assets.


    Everyone wasughing at Zhao Lan and the eldest branch of the Shao Family. They had only split up the family assets shortly before this. If they hadn¡¯t done so, they would have been able to benefit from this business.

 Chapter 35

    <h4>Chapter 35: It¡¯s Shameful to Act Cute</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Compared to Mu Jingzhe and her family, the eldest branch¡¯s days passed in a very ordinary way.


    The half-blind fortune teller in the vige read the fortune of Zhao Lan and Eldest Brother Shao like a typical Monday morning?quarterback<sup>1</sup>.


    He said that Zhao Lan¡¯s life had originally been pretty good. Although she¡¯d suffered a little in her early years, she had been very blessed when it came to her children and grandchildren.


    Even though she had lost her son, she could have relied on her daughter-inw and grandsons to lead a good life.


    The same applied to Eldest Brother Shao. Although his younger brother was gone, he could have lived a good life by depending on his younger sister-inw and nephews as long as he and his mother had a conscience.


    s, Zhao Lan and Boss Shao had no conscience, so their good luck hade to an end.


    Their fortune and good luck had been personally severed by them.


    In the past, Zhao Lan and Boss Shao would have diedughing upon hearing something like this, and the vigers wouldn¡¯t have believed it either.


    Now, they had no choice but to believe it.


    Although the vigers knew that he was being a Monday morning quarterback, those who believed in fate felt that the fortune teller¡¯s words made sense.


    Everyone was gossiping about this, making Zhao Lan and her family quite furious.


    However, they had no chance to make up for it now.


    Mu Jingzhe had be the hottest topic in the vige and would asionally be on the vige¡¯s trending list. However, no one paid attention to Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s grade-skipping examination.


    Anyway, the appointed time for the grade-skipping exam came as scheduled.


    Not only would they be taking the second grade¡¯s final exam, but they would also be taking the third grade¡¯s first-semester final exam and the second-semester midterm exam.


    The principal chose to hold the exams on a weekend, when no one was at school.


    Mu Jingzhe woke up early to make breakfast. Apart from cooking eggs, she also deliberately fried dough?sticks<sup>1</sup>.


    It was unknown when fried dough sticks and two eggs had be popr, but everyone was used to giving them to children before exams. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t forget this tradition.


    ¡°Here, this is Shao Dong¡¯s. This is Shao Xi¡¯s.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe arranged them neatly.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s attention was attracted by the fried dough sticks.


    Fried dough sticks weremon food, but the vigers rarely ate them because the cooking process used up too much oil and they couldn¡¯t afford to make them.


    The three little ones had never eaten them before. They only found them very fragrant.


    On the other hand, Shao Dong and Shao Xi vaguely remembered eating them when they were very young. At the time, they¡¯d still had their mother and they had been living in the city.


    ¡°Why did you suddenly want to fry these?¡±


    ¡°Because of your exam today.¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with the exam¡­ 100 points!¡±


    Shao Xi answered his own question. ¡°This is 100 points?¡±


    ¡°You guessed right.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe snapped her fingers. ¡°Eat it. You will score 100 points after eating this.¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi felt a little strange in their hearts. Shao Dong thanked her and started eating, but Shao Xi was awkward. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t eat them, we can still get 100 points.¡±


    After saying that, he started eating happily, his mouth full of grease.


    Mu Jingzhe thought that since she had already used up so much oil, she might as well fry more. Some of the dough sticks were left at home for the children and Shao Qiyang, and some were saved for the workers.


    She also took a portion to the school for the principal and the teachers.


    The principal and the others felt bad about taking the food, but Mu Jingzhe had already brought it. Besides, it was only some food, and the parents of other students would asionally give them some food too, so they epted it in the end.


    They ate the crispy fried dough sticks with satisfaction.


    While Shao Dong and Shao Xi were taking their exams, Mu Jingzhe went to the Mu Residence and took some to Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    Li Zhaodi was grinning from ear to ear, showing off to Old Madam Mu.


    After eating a dough stick, she began to think. ¡°Jingzhe, do you think we can sell these fried dough sticks? Would anyone want to buy them?¡±


    ¡°Of course. They can be sold.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Other than fried dough sticks, you can also try selling herbal tea?eggs<sup>1</sup>. I¡¯m just afraid that you guys will have to work too hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard. As long as we can earn money, we won¡¯t find it tough. Jingzhe, how do you make herbal tea eggs?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach youter.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had been born to do business.


    When she returned to school, Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s first exam had already ended. They were currently taking the second exam, and the teacher was already grading their work.


    They rested for a while at noon and took their next exam in the afternoon. They would finish all the exams in one day.


    The results didn¡¯t disappoint.


    Although they had one to two marks deducted in their Chinese Literature paper, they scored 100 in their Mathematics paper.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi could finally hold their heads high.


    Zhang Fei came as well. He was still waiting to see Shao Dong and Shao Xi make a fool of themselves, but in the end, he was humiliated and he left dejectedly.


    The principal made a decision on the spot¡ªShao Dong and Shao Xi could skip grades as long as they submitted an application.


    The head teacher of the third grade was also there. He was short and he had only graduated from junior high, but he was a very nice person.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and got ready to leave with the children. However, Shao Bei surprised her and asked the principal if she and Shao Nan could skip a grade too.


    The two older brothers¡¯ sess had opened a new world for them. They also wanted to skip grades.


    As for the reason they wanted to do so, it was naturally to save money. If they studied for two years less, they could save two years¡¯ worth of school fees.


    It was their goal to finish elementary school by spending the smallest amount of money.


    They didn¡¯t yet know how to make money, but they had found ways to save money.


    The principal said, ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    Shao Nan negotiated with the principal. ¡°Then we won¡¯t be taking the exam now. If we perform well in the second grade¡¯s end-of-semester exam, can you directly allow us to enter the third grade?¡±


    Principal: ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to take the test and see.¡±


    He hoped that the final exam of this semester would be difficult enough to teach them a lesson.


    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely pass.¡±


    Shao Bei nced at Mu Jingzhe and waved her little fist to show her confidence.


    With Mu Jingzhe around, she wasn¡¯t afraid.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She had an ominous feeling. Would she be a full-time tutor in the future?


    As it turned out, her premonition was right.


    As soon as Shao Bei returned home, she took out her textbook. ¡°Auntie, auntie, please teach me and my brother. We also want to skip grades and join the third grade.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She thought for a moment. She had only stayed behind as a nanny at first. Why was she also working as a part-time tutor now?


    As Mu Jingzhe was struggling and hesitating, she felt someone tugging at her clothes. She looked down and saw Shao Nan shaking her clothes.


    ¡°Please teach us.¡±


    His voice was soft, and he apanied it with an adorable smile.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Okay.¡±


    As soon as she said that, she wished she could p herself.


    After letting go of Mu Jingzhe, Shao Nan tilted his head and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his face, which felt numb.


    It was shameful to act cute, but it worked.


    That was why Shao Nan had done it.


    Shao Nan, who was acting cute for the first time, felt disgusted with himself.


    Fortunately, the cute act had worked on Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe seemed unable to resist cuteness. This was a secret Shao Nan had just discovered.


    As long as Little Bei tilted her head and smiled at her, her gaze would soften. She also liked it when Little Bei bounced around.


    He had seen Mu Jingzhe¡¯s notebook. There were many messy scribblings in it, as well as records of ounts. There were also some small images drawn in the middle. Though her drawings consisted only of simple strokes, they captured the essence of Little Bei¡¯s appearance.


    There were lots of Little Bei¡¯s adorable antics, as well as some flowers Little Bei had picked for Mu Jingzhe.


    There were traces of all five siblings in the book, but most of the drawings were of Little Bei, followed closely by Xiao Wu.


    Then, there were some of Big Brother and Second Brother, and finally some of him.


    Little Five¡¯s clumsy, dumb actions and expressions made peopleugh every time.


    Big Brother also looked cute in her notebook, and there was a funny version of Second Brother.


    As for him, there were rtively fewer pictures of him.


    By observing, Shao Nan had sensed what Mu Jingzhe liked.


    He specifically targeted what Mu Jingzhe liked to achieve his goals.

 Chapter 36

    <h4>Chapter 36: giarism</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    By looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s notebook, Shao Nan also noticed the changes in the five siblings.


    In the past, they used to be skinny, dirty, and d in old clothing. However, during this period, they ate well and got to wear nice clothes. They also didn¡¯t have much to worry about. All of them had gained weight and even grown taller.


    In the past, Little Bei hadn¡¯t been in good health and used to always get sick. After Mu Jingzhe started taking care of them, she never got sick again and she bounced around every day. She also stopped following her brothers and even had a little friend of her own now. Inbination with her ruddyplexion, she looked like an entirely different person.


    Xiao Wu used to follow them like a shadow. In the past, he had been timid and quiet, but he was much bolder now.


    He no longer shrank his body or lowered his head. Instead, he frequently raised his head and looked outside with sparkling eyes at Mu Jingzhe.


    He didn¡¯t know how to speak yet, but he was slowly relying on Mu Jingzhe and no longer followed his older siblings around.


    Xiao Wu was also mischievous. He would scare the chickens, which were getting bigger and bigger. asionally, he would imitate Mu Jingzhe and cover their eyes, silently letting them guess who he was. If they guessed correctly, he would let them go.


    This family had been silently changing because of Mu Jingzhe.


    She had never promised them anything, nor had she asked them to call her mother. It was as if she would leave at any time, but all this while, she¡¯d silently supported them.


    She protected them from both the wind and rain.


    The family lived harmoniously. Every time Young Uncle came back, his eyes would sparkle.


    Thanks to the bicycle, he went home increasingly more often. Like them, he couldn¡¯t help but gaze at Mu Jingzhe and enjoy her cooking.


    Shao Nan felt that he had blended in, but sometimes, he felt like he had been watching coldly from the sidelines.


    Shao Nan stopped coldly watching from the sidelines, however, after Mu Jingzhe took them to conduct a small experiment.


    He liked nature and miraculous phenomena and he yearned for the scientific experiments that Mu Jingzhe had mentioned.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan¡¯s shining eyes and felt immense pressure.


    He was indeed a genius, a future scientific researcher. One could begin to see the signs even at his young age.


    However, given their current financial condition, what she could teach him and give him was limited.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she had to continue working hard when she saw Shao Nan¡¯s hungry gaze. Only then could she show Shao Nan more and impart more knowledge to him.


    Indeed, taking care of five children was no joke, especially when all five children were outstanding.


    She had heard that scientific research was expensive.


    Mu Jingzhe felt a headache when she saw Shao Nan, but she felt better when she saw Shao Dong.


    Fortunately, Shao Dong would earn tons of money in the future and would be able to support his younger siblings so they could do things that they liked.


    However, Shao Dong was still too young now, so she had to shoulder this responsibility for now.


    She just had to¡­ persist a bit longer.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t stop thinking about earning money.


    The production of her essories had also entered a stable period, and the workers were creating new designs based on the materials she procured. In addition, her four workers were getting increasingly more familiar with the process. Because they had sped up, she didn¡¯t hire more people in the end.


    There was nothing the vigers could do about it.


    Among the four of them, Li Tao was thest to join the team. However, she was the fastest and the one with the deftest hands. Although she was married, her husband wasn¡¯t very reliable. Now that she was able to earn some money on her own, she was much more vibrant than before.


    She had a biological sister, Li Fang, who also wanted to work there. However, her hands weren¡¯t very deft, and she didn¡¯t have much talent, so she could only give up.


    Still, she was bold enough toe up with a different approach. She came to talk with Mu Jingzhe about the possibility of getting goods from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to take some simple, cheap ones and set up a stall at the market to sell them. I¡¯ve taken a look around. The essories sold by the stalls in town aren¡¯t nearly as pretty or exquisite as yours, and they¡¯re not cheap either. I think I¡¯ll get good sales if I sell your stuff there.¡±


    Li Fang finished speaking without stopping, then looked at Mu Jingzhe nervously.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    She felt that Li Fang was quite bold and resolute.


    Some of the essories she made were high-quality and expensive, while others were simple, cheap designs. Naturally, they could be sold in bulk.


    Li Fang took a small batch of goods to try them out.


    In the end, just as she had expected, they sold very well.


    Hence, she started working furiously and continuously replenished the stock each time she finished selling the ones on hand.


    Mu Jingzhe also learned which designs were the bestselling ones based on the stock Li Fang replenished, and she would make adjustments ordingly.


    Business was roaring, and Li Fang¡¯s sess gave others hope.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t help but look for her. She said that she also wanted to take some goods from her to sell them. Furthermore, she shamelessly asked if she could just take the goods from her first, then pay her back after she sold them since they were rtives.


    Mu Jingzhe immediately rejected her suggestion.


    ¡°No, Li Fang is already selling them nearby. You will have to lower the price for the same design. I won¡¯t supply that design to anyone else.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao felt that Mu Jingzhe was still unappreciative, even though she had spoken humbly to her. She was furious, and when she recalled what had happened before, she couldn¡¯t help but spit.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know how to do this? You think I care for those hair ornaments of yours? Let me tell you something. I came to look for you because I think highly of you and wanted to give you business. You¡¯ll regret it in the future.¡±


    After Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao left, Mu Jingzhe asked around and found out that there were people in the vige who were looking to make hair ornaments and sell them.


    Duplication was the fastest shortcut. Since Mu Jingzhe had seeded, the most quick-thinking vigers naturally wanted to emte her sess.


    Everyone secretly tried it out, and there were indeed some people who seeded. For example, they could replicate the early designs Mu Jingzhe had made using scraped cloth.


    After sessfully making the replicas, they felt that it was not much. At that moment, their confidence soared and they also wanted to grab a share of the market to earn money.


    At first, it was fine. However, true difficulties surfaced soon.


    If they sold the products cheaply on the market, they could sell them but they wouldn¡¯t be able to make much money, if any. Those who tried selling them in a big city like Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have any sess either.


    Even when someone finally sessfully poached one of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s workers to help him, it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    They couldn¡¯t find as many good fabrics as Mu Jingzhe. Left with no choice but to substitute them with lousier fabrics, they realized that their end products were nowhere as good as the ones made by Mu Jingzhe.


    Li Zhaodi and the children were furious that one of the workers had been poached, but Mu Jingzhe was very calm. The result was just what she had expected.


    ¡°Like I said, there¡¯s no need to be anxious. They might think it¡¯s easy, but they have no idea that there¡¯s so much more to it than meets the eye.¡±


    Everyone felt that making hair ornaments was simple as long as one knew how to make them. However, they knew nothing about things like design and colorbination.


    With ack of solid foundation, they could only imitate the superficial aspects of the products. Plus, they didn¡¯t have a keen sensitivity to color either, so how could their productspare to hers?


    The same applied to bracelets and nes. Mu Jingzhe made it seem easy because she had learned how to do it before.


    Although the vigers failed, it still served as a warning for Mu Jingzhe.


    Just because the people in the vige had failed didn¡¯t mean that people elsewhere would also fail. Soon, more products woulde in, and the ones she made wouldn¡¯t be irreceable.


    Mu Jingzhe spent some timeing up with a new n.


    ¡°In the future, we¡¯ll mainly focus on these few products. Take a look and learn. Before these products enter the market, none of you are to leak any relevant information. You guys have also pressed your thumbprints, so you can¡¯t be careless.¡±


    The previous lesson inspired Mu Jingzhe toe up with a work contract.


    ¡°We know.¡±


    Seeing that they all understood, Mu Jingzhe took out the new samples.


    The moment they were taken out, they caused amotion.

 Chapter 37

    <h4>Chapter 37: Radio Announcer</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    This time, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s designs werepletely different than before. A lot of them were butterfly designs, yet they werepletely different. Lace fabric was used, and the colorbinations were bold, making them quite an enchanting sight.


    Among the new samples was also a butterfly hair clip. This time, it was no longer made of cloth but of other materials and small beads. When the wings moved, it seemed as if the butterflies were about to take flight.


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Auntie, I like it so much. I want one too.¡±


    ¡°I kept one for you, but you can¡¯t bring it out yet. You¡¯ll have to wait until weunch it.¡±


    Little Bei nodded obediently despite her reluctance. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a dragonfly one for youter. Only for you, okay?¡± Mu Jingzhe felt her heart ache when she saw how sensible the little girl was.


    The children were obedient and sensible because no one had indulged them into bing brats.


    After skipping a grade, Shao Dong and Shao Xi performed very well. Although they were the youngest, they were the most knowledgeable. Even the teachers praised them.


    That day, Shao Xi said that the newnguage form teacher had asked to meet Mu Jingzhe at school.


    In the past, they used to always look for Zhao Lan whenever something came up. Ever since Mu Jingzhe hadest time, everyone had started looking for her instead and regarding her as their parent.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first reaction wasn¡¯t to ask whether Shao Xi had gotten into trouble again.


    His performance in the new ss was pretty good.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shao Xi shook his head. He was quite curious but also a little nervous.


    After lunch, Mu Jingzhe went to school.


    ¡°The city is publishing a book of full-mark essays written by primary school students. There are essays by students from all levels in it. We were notified that every school teacher can rmend a full-mark essay. Last time, when we submitted Shao Xi¡¯s re-examination essay, they said that it was very novel. I want to submit it again and give it a try. Do you consent?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Of course.¡±


    The form teacher was happy to see her being so supportive. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Shao Xi for the time being because I was afraid that he would get his hopes up only to be disappointed. He might not be chosen.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try. Who knows, there¡¯s a chance his essay might get chosen.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if it didn¡¯t get chosen the first or second time, for he would definitely be chosen eventually.


    Mu Jingzhe was ted to see that this form teacher wasn¡¯t like Zhang Fei.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s send it over then. I¡¯ve already prepared it and pasted a stamp on it. You can go back and send it over.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, I have to tell you something. If his essay gets chosen, there will be no royalties, but a few sample books will be sent over.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Mu Jingzhe understood.


    She felt that she could buy some children¡¯s weekly newspapers in the future and read more. If there were suitablepetitions, she could get Shao Xi to enter them.


    This was encouraging for Shao Xi, as it proved his excellence. Besides, he could earn money, so why not?


    Mu Jingzhe was about to leave the school happily when she met the principal at the door. The principal was asking someone to carry some things with a broad beam.


    He said that the school would have a broadcast in the future. From now on, they could hold the g-raising ceremony every Monday and do radio?calisthenics<sup>1</sup>?every day.


    While Shao Xi¡¯s submission had to wait, Little Bei asked Mu Jingzhe something awkwardly before sleeping.


    ¡°Auntie, the principal says our school will have radio broadcasts now. All the schools out there have students as radio announcers, so he wants us to sign up too. I¡ªI¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you want to give it a try?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    Little Bei nudged Mu Jingzhe and whispered, ¡°Can I? My Mandarin¡­ I¡¯ve only learned it from my teacher and you, Auntie, as well as the tape recorder.¡±


    Little Bei had a ssmate who had a tape recorder at home. Her ssmates loved it, and Little Bei had gone to that ssmate¡¯s home to listen to it before.


    A tape recorder was a rare and expensive item that was only purchased when a couple got married. ying tapes and listening to music was considered rare entertainment.


    Apart from song tapes, there were also some movie tapes.


    People living in the countryside didn¡¯t have the means to watch a movie, so they just listened to tapes. Everyone listened to movie tapes with relish, ying them so many times that they could even remember the lines sometimes.


    This was rare entertainment in the vige, and Little Bei loved listening to those tapes. She¡¯d even learned how to speak like the people in the tapes and could do an excellent impression of it.


    Little Bei wasn¡¯t confident, but Mu Jingzhe encouraged her to try.


    Although she wasn¡¯t sure if Little Bei would walk down the path of acting in the future, it was always good to give it a try. It would make her more versatile if she really walked down the path of acting in the future.


    In the book, Little Bei had excellent acting skills, and her only weakness was that the way she read her lines wasckluster. This was because she had been deaf for a significant period of time and she had not had a Mandarin foundation from a young age. She only managed to ovee those weaknesses after a lot of hard work.


    This time, she hoped that Little Bei wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much.


    With Mu Jingzhe¡¯s encouragement, Little Bei bravely signed up.


    Five students signed up in total. The other four were all fifth-grade and sixth-grade students, so Little Bei was the youngest.


    However, the one who performed the best was Little Bei. She was still a tad shy, but she was also the most daring and least nervous child.


    Just like that, Little Bei became a little radio announcer.


    Her voice echoed throughout the school and over the sky of the Great Eastern Vige. It was only a simple notice at first, but it was enough to make anyone proud.


    Mu Jingzhe gifted her a radio during her first broadcast.


    With a radio, she could listen to programs and news broadcasts. Also, it would help her learn Mandarin.


    At the time, radio programs were very popr. There were all sorts of programs, including children¡¯s programs, so this was quite suitable for Little Bei.


    Because she was poor and could not afford a new radio, she could only think of ways to buy a pre-loved one.


    ¡°Little Bei, you can use this for now. Auntie will rece it with a new one in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was afraid that Little Bei would be unhappy, but Little Bei treasured it dearly.


    ¡°No need for that. Thank you, Auntie. I like it. You don¡¯t have to buy me a new one.¡±


    The addition of the radio made the house even livelier. Every day, Little Bei would listen to the radio and do impressions of the voices she heard.


    In the past, they used to basically sleep after dark. Now, after dinner, they had a new form of entertainment and would gather together to listen to the radio.


    It was always good to hear more and broaden one¡¯s horizons. Also, through the radio, one could hear a lot of news from the outside world. Mu Jingzhe really needed it.


    She missed modern phones and the inte too much.


    When Shao Qiyang was at home, he would also join them. Inevitably, he had to face Little Bei¡¯s countless questions.


    There were many things on the radio that children found unfamiliar. Initially, Little Bei was the only one who asked Mu Jingzhe when there was something she didn¡¯t understand. If Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t understand something, she would just say that she didn¡¯t really know, which was true. If she knew the answer, she would exin it to her.


    As she exined more, the children became more and more fascinated by the stories and anecdotes. Later on, Shao Xi and Shao Nan started asking questions as well, and even Shao Dong would asionally pose questions.


    While tuning in to the children¡¯s channel, they heard that a few stories had been submitted by the audience. Later on, it was announced over the radio that everyone was wee to submit their manuscript. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi discussed it for a while before deciding to submit an article that they felt was suitable to the address mentioned.


    In the midst of this busy time, an old man in the vige passed away. He was over 80 years old and had enjoyed both good fortune and longevity, as well as a prosperous family life.


    Since a person from the vige had passed away, his rtives would all go to his funeral. Even Shao Qiyang did not go to work. He was preparing to carry the coffin on the day of the funeral.


    When Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang brought a bunch of radishes over, they bumped into Mu Xue and Tang Moling.


    Upon seeing them, Mu Jingzhe quickly asked Li Zhaodi, ¡°Mom, did the Tang Familye to propose marriage? When are they getting engaged?¡±


    ording to the storyline in the novel, the Tang Family was supposed to propose marriage very soon.


    Unexpectedly, Li Zhaodi shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything.¡±


    Huh?


    He had yet to propose marriage? Strange.

 Chapter 38

    <h4>Chapter 38: Xiao Wu Says His First Word</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    In the original novel, after dealing with the annoying Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi, Tang Moling had quicklye to propose marriage. Their rtionship had progressed quickly and steadily.


    Why hadn¡¯t he proposed marriage yet?


    Mu Jingzhe nced at the male and female protagonists.


    She didn¡¯t notice anything amiss, but Tang Moling caught her gaze.


    Tang Moling looked at her with a strange expression that seemed to be filled with rage. Mu Jingzhe quickly looked away.


    Forget it. The rtionship between the male and female lead was none of her business.


    Right now, she was focused on earning money to take care of the children, so she wasn¡¯t creating any trouble for Mu Xue. Even Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were busy selling buns and didn¡¯t have time to be a nuisance. Without their hindrance, their rtionship would only be smoother.


    Mu Jingzhe immediately turned her attention back and went to help where needed.


    The children had been warned by her not to run around.


    Mu Jingzhe was soon surrounded by several people. Now that her reputation had been restored, everyone was willing to interact with her.


    Xiao Wu had been following her obediently, but when Mu Jingzhe finished washing the potatoes, Xiao Wu disappeared.


    In the end, she saw Xiao Wu with the old trumpeter.


    The trumpet was an instrument that was yed at every wedding ceremony and funeral in the vige. The vigers had invited the trumpeter, and Xiao Wu was immediately attracted by the melody the trumpet produced.


    Not minding the noise, he squatted in front of the old man, watching him with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Wu loves to hear the trumpet. Whenever we have an event in the vige and the trumpet is yed, Xiao Wu will definitely be there.¡±


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nervousness, Shao Qiyang rubbed his nose and exined.


    Xiao Wu looked at Mu Jingzhe and smiled, but he remained squatted, not moving an inch.


    Mu Jingzhe remembered that in the novel, Xiao Wu was a world-renowned top-notch musician. She nodded and said, ¡°Remember to tell me where you are going next time. I got a shock when I did not know where you were.¡±


    When Xiao Wu heard that Mu Jingzhe was frightened, he stood up and patted her tofort her.


    If Xiao Wu wanted to listen to the trumpet, Mu Jingzhe would let him and only nce at him from time to time.


    She was paying attention to Xiao Wu and did not realize that she was being watched.


    When Shao Qiyang met Mu Xue again, he felt a tad awful. However,ter, his attention was attracted by Xiao Wu and Mu Jingzhe, and he would only pay attention to her from time to time.


    Tang Moling had been watching Mu Xue register the gifts and speak now and then, but Mu Xue realized that Tang Moling¡¯s attention had been drawn to Mu Jingzhe some time ago.


    He kept ncing at her.


    The smile on Mu Xue¡¯s face became fainter and fainter. After she finished eating and greeted the vigers, she turned around and left.


    It finally urred to Tang Moling that she was unhappy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who made you unhappy again?¡±


    ¡°Why are you following me? If you want to find Mu Jingzhe, then go.¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe? Why would you mention her?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been looking at her the entire time?¡± Shao Qiyang was also paying attention to Mu Jingzhe.


    Tang Moling felt wronged. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that I was ring at her? Thest time she hit me, I red at her after I was done scolding her.¡±


    These words failed to appease Mu Xue. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s been so long. Why are you paying so much attention to her?¡±


    This was what made her feel uneasy and unhappy.


    Tang Moling was stunned for a moment. ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention to her. I was just ring at her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a form of attention too. Tang Moling, if you care so much about her, don¡¯te looking for me again.¡±


    Mu Xue bit her lip. ¡°Second Aunt asked me about you before. I think she¡¯s very satisfied with you. They didn¡¯t even agree when the county driver came to propose marriage. They must be waiting for you¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Mu Xue? What is this gibberish?¡±


    Mu Xue stared at him stubbornly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have anything snatched away from me again. I might as well not have it in the first ce instead. You can leave.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±


    Tang Moling reflected on himself. It seemed like he had indeed been paying too much attention to Mu Jingzhe.


    Inbination with Mu Xue¡¯s words, he suddenly realized that Mu Jingzhe had purposely said those words to attract his attention!


    He had experienced these tricks before.


    ¡®Ha! I almost fell for it.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiao Xue. I won¡¯t pay attention to her ever again. Even if she dies in front of me, I won¡¯t look at her twice.¡±


    Tang Moling assured both Mu Xue and himself.


    Elsewhere, Mu Jingzhe was making promises to Xiao Wu, alternating between intimidation and bribery.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, try saying it. I¡¯ll only know if you speak up. As long as you say it, I¡¯ll promise, alright?¡±


    Seeing that the trumpeter was about to leave, Xiao Wu had followed him in confusion. When he¡¯d seen Mu Jingzhe, he had taken her hand and pointed at the trumpeter anxiously.


    Mu Jingzhe had guessed that Xiao Wu wanted to listen more and even learn, but she pretended not to know and coaxed him into speaking.


    Xiao Wu started gesturing frantically but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Mu Jingzhe said regretfully, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I won¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    Xiao Wu watched as the trumpeter walked further and further away. His eyes were red, and he looked like he was about to cry.


    He was usually obedient, quiet, and adorable, and he wouldn¡¯t cry easily. Such an obedient child had to be very upset to be on the verge of tears.


    However, Mu Jingzhe bit her lip and resisted the urge to soften her heart.


    Previously, she had teased Xiao Wu a lot to make him speak, but in the end, her heart would always soften against her will. Therefore, she ultimately couldn¡¯t force him to speak.


    She knew very well that Xiao Wu really liked this, so she had to harden her heart and force him to speak.


    Maybe he felt terrible right now, but this would benefit him.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back if you don¡¯t speak up.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe saw that Xiao Wu still wouldn¡¯t speak, she couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed and upset. She even suspected that she hadn¡¯t done the right thing.


    It had been more than two months, and she had taught him so much, yet he still refused to speak.


    It wouldn¡¯t be good if this continued. Theter he spoke, the worse it would be. In the end, he might end up like he had in his previous life and never have the chance to speak.


    Xiao Wu was initially depressed, but he then realized that Mu Jingzhe was in low spirits and looked as if she was feeling awful.


    He knew how hard Mu Jingzhe had worked during this period. Seeing her like this made Xiao Wu even more upset.


    He wanted tofort Mu Jingzhe, that it was his fault, not hers.


    In his panic, he opened his mouth and silently moved it a few times before finally making a soft sound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    It was just two words, but it seemed to have taken him a lot of effort. Beads of perspiration had formed on his forehead.


    Mu Jingzhe thought that she had heard wrong and quickly squatted down to look at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad.¡±


    Under Mu Jingzhe¡¯s delighted gaze, Xiao Wu finally said aplete sentence to express what he wanted to say.


    He even imitated how Mu Jingzhe used tofort him and patted her shoulder. ¡°I said, don¡¯t be sad.¡±


    Because he had never spoken before, his voice was actually unpleasant.


    But Xiao Wu had spoken.


    He had spoken.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was overjoyed, picked Xiao Wu up.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯ve spoken. That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was happy, Xiao Wu finally rxed. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°I keep my promises. Xiao Wu, tell me what you want. I¡¯ll agree to anything you say.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Learn.¡±


    He made a gesture of blowing a trumpet and emphasized learning again.


    ¡°So Xiao Wu likes the trumpet and wants to learn how to y it.¡±


    Xiao Wu nodded vigorously. ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go learn then.¡± Mu Jingzhe had to keep her word.

 Chapter 39

    <h4>Chapter 39: Attacked From the Back</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Everyone was d that Xiao Wu could finally speak. Little Bei eximed, ¡°So Xiao Wu is really not mute!¡±


    After saying that, she started to teach Xiao Wu to call her ¡®Sister¡¯. Shao Xi joined in and asked Xiao Wu to call him ¡®Brother¡¯. The duo started quarreling over whether Xiao Wu should say ¡®Brother¡¯ or ¡®Sister¡¯ first.


    In the end, even Shao Dong, who rarely spoke, opened his mouth to teach Xiao Wu to call him ¡®Brother¡¯.


    Shao Dong felt a little guilty that Xiao Wu was only learning how to speak now. In the past, he had been afraid that his stutter would be passed on to Xiao Wu, so he¡¯d rarely taught him to speak. If he had thought of a way earlier, Xiao Wu might have started speaking long ago.


    With this thought in mind, Shao Dong simply taught Xiao Wu to call him ¡®Brother¡¯, but in the end, he still stuttered.


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression froze. A secondter, though, Xiao Wu called him ¡®Brother¡¯ loudly.


    Little Bei stomped her feet in dissatisfaction, but Xiao Wu smiled at Shao Dong and greeted him again. ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    He liked Big Brother the most.


    Xiao Wu then obediently called Little Bei ¡®Sister¡¯, sessfully coaxing her.


    In the end, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help but join in and ask Xiao Wu to call him ¡®Uncle¡¯.


    Instead of doing that, Xiao Wu went on to address Mu Jingzhe first.


    He didn¡¯t say ¡®Auntie¡¯. He only managed to utter one syble: Aunt.


    At first, they thought it was an interjection.


    Shao Qiyang was thest to be greeted, but he was very satisfied nheless.


    In the middle of the night, Shao Qiyang could not help going to his older brother¡¯s tombstone to have a chat with him.


    ¡°Second Brother, you can leave with peace of mind. Now that Xiao Wu can speak, he¡¯s no longer mute. The days ahead will get better and better. I¡¯ll take good care of them.¡±


    He did not specify which of them were included.


    Since Xiao Wu had spoken, Mu Jingzhe kept her word. The next day, she took some eggs to the trumpeter¡¯s house and asked him to teach Xiao Wu.


    Seeing that she was sincere and Xiao Wu was likable, the teacher agreed readily.


    Two dayster, Mu Jingzhe would pick up Xiao Wu again. Although he was still young, he could already replicate the trumpeter¡¯s songs and even create new ones.


    At the sight of Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes lit up. He immediately showed her what he had learned, blowing the trumpet while facing her.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She seemed to have heard the words ¡®off you go¡¯.


    She gazed at Xiao Wu, who seemed to know his way around ying the trumpet, and suddenly remembered that Xiao Wu was a musician who yed the piano, cello, and violin ording to the book. He was known as the Prince of Music.


    Right now¡­ the Prince of Music or whatever didn¡¯t exist yet. He was just a gleeful trumpet kid.


    He merrily yed a funeral song on the trumpet for her.


    Was he sending her off?


    Mu Jingzhe was in a daze. She suddenly wondered how his fans would react when they found out that the first instrument the Prince of Music had learned was the trumpet.


    It wasn¡¯t like trumpets were bad, but most people were under the impression that this musical instrument had a very special use.


    Even though these random thoughts were running through Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind, on the surface, she pped her hands and praised Xiao Wu for learning well. She then couldn¡¯t help but stroke Xiao Wu¡¯s head.


    This had be her favorite thing to do recently. Xiao Wu¡¯s hair was curly and soft, so it felt very good to the touch and had a therapeutic effect. Mu Jingzhe took advantage of this opportunity to stroke his head while she had the chance.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t hate it either. He let her touch his head and said with a red face, ¡°Aunt, I also want to learn how to y the flute.¡±


    Thanks to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s encouragement, Xiao Wu mustered up the courage to speak.


    The bamboo flute was also one of the instruments avable in the vige. The reason was that the vigers could make them on their own, and the cost was low.


    There was also a bamboo flute yer in the vige.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded in surprise. ¡°Alright, go ahead and learn it.¡±


    Xiao Wu immediately went to learn the flute and then said that he wanted to learn the erhu.


    The erhu¡­ was also amon musical instrument amongmon folks. There was only one erhu in the vige.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded again.


    Xiao Wu was very enthusiastic, and even a leaf became his instrument.


    It was just a small leaf, but he could produce a beautiful melody by using it. It wasn¡¯t a tune that everyone had heard before, but something he¡¯d casually yed.


    Everyone in the vige liked to listen to it, for it made them feel happy andfortable.


    Just like that, Xiao Wu learned all the musical instruments avable in the vige.


    Mu Jingzhe asionally felt that this development was a little strange. However, she convinced herself that music was interlinked. Who said that the piano, the cello, and the guitar were the most elegant instruments? The trumpet and the erhu were also invincible. There was nothing wrong with learning these traditional musical instruments that had been passed down for generations.


    She could always let Xiao Wu learn how to y the piano, violin, and cello in the future.


    There was no harm in being armed with more skills.


    ******


    Before the first day of June, Mu Jingzhe met Little Bei¡¯s new form teacher, who asked her opinion on allowing Little Bei to participate in apetition.


    It was only then that Mu Jingzhe found out that the town had informed every school that they could apply to participate on the 1st of?June<sup>1</sup>?show. The participants would firstpete in their town, and then the first-ce winner would be chosen to participate in the cultural performance of the county.


    The school had wanted to organize a big choir, but none of them had learned about it early, so it had turned out to be a mess. Plus, they didn¡¯t have uniforms, and most families didn¡¯t have the money to make new clothes either. Thus, they¡¯d given up on the idea.


    Later on, since that hadn¡¯t worked out, they decided to have Little Bei represent the school and recite a poem. The important thing was to participate, so they asked her to discuss it with her parents.


    However, Little Bei had never told Mu Jingzhe about this.


    The reason Little Bei had not said anything was because she felt that she could not win thepetition by reciting a poem. If she wanted topete, she might have to buy new clothes and shoes. Thinking it would be expensive, she did not want to go.


    Mu Jingzhe felt very helpless. How should she put it? It was not okay for children to not have a concept of money, but if they had too strong a concept of money at such a young age and were constantly thinking of saving money, it would make an adult¡¯s heart ache for them.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a new dress? It¡¯s very simple. You know that I know how to make one. It¡¯s not expensive at all, so go ahead and participate. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t win. The important thing is to participate.¡±


    Participating inpetitions could boost one¡¯s courage and increase one¡¯s knowledge. Why not?


    Little Bei actually did wish to go, so her eyes lit up when she heard that. ¡°Then¡­ Then I¡¯ll participate?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡±


    ¡°But I think simply reciting poetry is kind of dull.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to do something interesting.¡±


    In the end, Little Bei signed up for it. However, she did not recite a poem. Instead, she created her own performance by doing impressions.


    Shao Nan wrote a cute story for his younger sister. Xiao Wu, the only person who did not have to go to school, acted alongside his older sister. Mu Jingzhe also provided her with the greatest support.


    Before Children¡¯s Day, Little Bei represented the school at thepetition. In the end, she clinched first ce with her innovative work, which allowed her to represent the town at the countypetition.


    When they arrived at the county, they found out that the cultural performance this time was quite important. Even people from the city came. They heard that students who showed potential could get a chance to study in a specialized art school.


    The art school was under the radio station. There were children¡¯s music, calligraphy, art, and dancing sses, and so on. There were even acting and hosting sses. They specialized in training child actors, young show hosts, and little dancers.


    The school had a coboration with the radio station. When they needed young talent for programs, gs, and even other festivals, the radio station would contact the art school.


    The higher-ups were nning to open a school in the county to groom potential talent. Those who performed well in the joint performance could enroll in the school.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard about this, she was very surprised. This was not the modern era, when there were all sorts of art schools for one to choose from. In this time and age, it was difficult to study the arts, so this was a perfect opportunity for Little Bei.


    The performance started at night, and a rehearsal was held during the day so the participants could familiarize themselves with the routine. Mu Jingzhe had been watching without resting, and she only had time to go to the toilet after she took Little Bei and Xiao Wu to the resting lounge.


    She had nned on buying food originally. However, she was attacked the moment she emerged from the bathroom.


    Mu Jingzhe had never thought that someone would attack her in public. When she finally reacted, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck before cking out.

 Chapter 40

    <h4>Chapter 40: Who¡¯s the Pervert</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Ji Buwang had been unconscious for four years and had only woken up a few days ago.


    Four years had passed, and everything was different. After a period of recovery, these days he would walk around and take a breather.


    The news of him waking up was not publicized. Anyway, those who visited him personally would know. It was fine if everyone did not know, for they would find out eventually.


    After staying in his hometown for two days, he passed by and saw a cultural performance. He remembered hearing that his niece would be performing at this event and decided toe and take a look since he was bored.


    Apart from cute little kids, he had not expected to see a pervert entering thedies¡¯ room.


    He had heard of peeping toms indies¡¯ toilets, but this was the first time he had seen a man enter thedies¡¯ toilets in such a brazen manner.


    It was with heaven¡¯s blessings that he had managed to wake up, so he had to be a good person and do good deeds to repay that. He naturally couldn¡¯t ignore such a thing now that he hade across it.


    Ji Buwang went forward without any hesitation and knocked that person out.


    ¡®I almost didn¡¯t seed. I still have to train and recover my strength.¡¯


    Ji Gou gazed at the pervert lying on the ground and wanted to call for help. However, there was no one around, so he decided to drag her to the side so she would not get in the way.


    When he bent down and tried to drag the person by the armpits, Ji Buwang felt that something was amiss. Why was it so soft? What was this sensation?


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but squeeze.


    This sudden attack had made Mu Jingzhe faint before she could react.


    Eventually, the pain woke her up.


    As soon as she woke up, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but swear.


    ¡®Damn it, I actually met a pervert!¡¯


    And he had been so eager to start.


    Mu Jingzhe was furious.


    Her t chest had been through too many hardships. Previously, she had been hit by a rock, and now, she had been subjected to this. It just so happened that right now, she was also in pain because she was on her period.


    As the owner of those boobs, she had to avenge herself! She had to teach this pervert a lesson!


    Amidst the sparks, Mu Jingzhe grabbed that evil hand and threw a punch.


    The gangster fainted.


    Mu Jingzhe touched the back of her neck, which was still in pain, and called for security to tie him up.


    To think a crook had actually sneaked into the cultural performance! It would be terrible if this guy went on to harm or even abduct little kids.


    She had to get to the bottom of this. Otherwise, she would take him to the police station.


    In order to prevent him from hurting anyone, she tied his hands up before pinching his?philtrum<sup>1</sup>.


    In TV shows, people were woken up by getting drenched with a bucket of water. In reality, it was more convenient to pinch them by their philtrum, as it evoked a quicker response.


    Ji Buwang quickly woke up. When he saw the scene, his first reaction was to think that he had been kidnapped.


    ¡°What do you people want?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t asked you what you¡¯re doing,¡± the security guard said righteously. ¡°Tell us honestly what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Other than good deeds, what else could I have done?¡± Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe beside him, he was furious. ¡°How dare you capture me instead of that pervert?¡±


    The two security guards and Mu Jingzhe looked at each other. ¡°We are arresting a pervert. You.¡±


    They despised people who molested women.


    The two security guards looked at him in disdain.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Who¡¯s the pervert?¡±


    When he saw the hand that was pointing at him, Ji Buwang sneered.


    A pervert? Him?


    Heughed in anger and used Mu Jingzhe of trickery. ¡°You¡¯re a thief crying out to stop another thief! He¡¯s the pervert! I saw him enter thedies¡¯ room with my own eyes!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°If I don¡¯t enter thedies¡¯ room, where should I go? Brother, are you short-sighted?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this too much? Her hair was just a tad short!


    Although she wasn¡¯t wearing a skirt, she wasn¡¯t wearing a male outfit either. Even if she was a little t, she still had feminine curves¡­


    Mu Jingzhe lowered her head to look at herself. Alright, it wasn¡¯t very obvious. But anyone with eyes could tell that she was a woman, right?


    Why did she have to suffer such an unexpected cmity?


    Mu Jingzhe stared at the man suspiciously.


    He looked like a decent human being, but why was there something wrong with his eyes and brain? Or was he pretending?


    Ji Buwang waspletely dumbfounded. ¡°Why¡­ Why is your voice so feminine?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. ¡°Because I¡¯m a woman to begin with. Brother, if you¡¯re short-sighted, you ought to get yourself a pair of sses. I just have shorter hair.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you look closely, you¡¯ll be able to tell she¡¯s ady.¡± The security guard agreed.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°???¡±


    To think this was actually a girl. Then what he had touched previously was¡­


    Ji Buwang was shocked.


    What had he done?


    Ji Buwang was in a state of shock. Heat emanated from his hand toward his entire body, making him feel boiling hot. Besides, his mind insisted on recalling that sensation against his will.


    Ji Buwang pushed these thoughts away with all his might and cursed himself for being a hooligan.


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s face turned red as he apologized. ¡°My eyesight is bad, so I misunderstood. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    He no longer dared to look at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    So the reason she had been knocked out and subjected to that treatment was because he had bad eyesight and she had short hair?


    The pain in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s chest was still there, but she couldn¡¯t go forward and take revenge.


    There was nothing to pinch anyway. Her chest looked really t.


    Mu Jingzhe awkwardly retracted her gaze. ¡°So you didn¡¯t do it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe was speechless, she did not insist on sending him to the police station after the misunderstanding was cleared up.


    The freed Ji Buwang stood in front of her, no longer looking as pathetic as before. He looked sincere and convincing.


    He was thin and he was wearing a white shirt paired with a suit and suspenders. He looked clean and neat, and he had a hint of a cultured and elegant yet ruffian-ish air. He gave off the vibe of a senior at school during the 1920s.


    His facial features were exquisite. With abination of the look of a man and a woman, he looked both very handsome and pretty. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of a modern male celebrity.


    His skin was very fair, and his hair was curly and longer than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s.


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe had seen such hair in real life. There were many people with naturally curly hair, but this color was slightly yellow, and his hair curled as if it had been specially styled. This hairstyle gave off a modern sense of fashion, as if it was from the modern era.


    It might not stand out so much in the modern age, when plenty of fashionable people walked in the streets, but in this day and age, it was extremely eye-catching. It was the sort of thing that caught people¡¯s attention at first nce.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for the previous incident, Mu Jingzhe would probably have felt very close to him.


    Okay, now he looked a little familiar too.


    First of all, his hair resembled Xiao Wu¡¯s hair. Secondly, it had a modern vibe.


    However, Mu Jingzhe knew that this person was truly from this era. Just look at how he¡¯d treated her like a man just because of her short hair.


    ¡°I hope you could look more closely next time. In the future, more and more girls will have short hair, and there will also be boys with long hair. Don¡¯t assume that a person with short hair must be a man and someone with long hair must be a woman. This kind of distinction is too narrow-minded.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±


    Though he agreed, he felt bitter in his heart. Guys had long hair, while this girl had short hair. What was he to do?


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving first. Remember to go get a pair of sses.¡± Mu Jingzhe reminded him when she saw his good attitude.


    Ji Buwang smiled bitterly. If only a pair of sses could remedy this.


    His eyes weren¡¯t something sses could save.


    After smiling bitterly, he suddenly realized that he had not asked for her name.


    ¡°Wait, I forgot to ask for your name. My name is Ji Buwang. Let¡¯s get to know each other.¡±


    Ji Buwang chased after her.


    ¡°My name is Mu Jingzhe. I have other matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll leave now. We¡¯ll talk again when we have the chance. Goodbye.¡± Mu Jingzhe, who was eager to go back to Little Bei, waved her hand and then left directly.


    She didn¡¯t think they would meet again.


    ¡°Aye¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang watched Mu Jingzhe walk away, wanting to say something, but stopped himself.


    He still had something to say.


    Although this was not ancient times, his actions had taken away the girl¡¯s innocence.


    But since he had done that sort of thing, should he¡­ take responsibility for what he had done?


    Orpensate her?

 Chapter 41 - Imitation Show

    <h4>Chapter 41: Imitation Show</h4>


    After some dy, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei¡¯s dinner was taken care of casually. Fortunately, everything went smoothly after that.


    The June 1st cultural performance started very quickly. The venue of the performance was thergest auditorium in the county. In the front row sat the leaders, and behind them were the teachers from the various schools, as well as some staff. Further back were the parents.


    It was rare for the county to be so lively. Many people even sneaked in to take a look. If there were no seats, they would sit on the ground or stand.


    They were interested in such lively performances.


    The auditorium was soon packed with people.


    The order of the performances was decided by drawing lots. Little Bei was one of thest few to perform, so it wasn¡¯t bad.


    There was limited space backstage, so the performers who were due to performter would watch from the front. Mu Jingzhe, who was carrying Little Bei and Xiao Wu, was also in the front.


    The county had put in a lot of effort this time, so it was pretty good overall. They¡¯d even chosen two young hosts.


    The two young hosts looked around 11 or 12 years old. At first, they were a little nervous when they went up, but they gradually got better.


    The little girl was very lively, but she spoke with a slight ent. The boy was steady, and the two of them cooperated quite well.


    Everyone liked such children. When they went down, the audience apuded.


    After Little Bei pped, she secretly told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Auntie, I want to be a host next time too. I¡¯m not as impressive as them yet, but I¡¯ll be equally impressive in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe you.¡± Mu Jingzhe encouraged her.


    Little Bei, who was satisfied, watched the show obediently.


    There weren¡¯t many types of performances. To be specific, there was arge-scale choir, a poetry recital, a dancing performance, and some musical instruments. Overall, they were quite good, and two of them were quite stunning. Everyone was watching with relish.


    Soon, it was Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s turn to prepare.


    Mu Jingzhe followed them backstage so they would get ready. As she waited, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little nervous. While Little Bei was nervous, she was more excited and was looking forward to it. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was confused and a little shy.


    It was finally Little Bei¡¯s turn.


    Little Bei walked forward with her head held high and her chest puffed out. After taking a few steps, she realized that Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t following her, so she quickly stepped back and pulled Xiao Wu up again.


    As she pulled Xiao Wu, he was dragging a stick that was longer than him.


    Kindughter rang out from below.


    Little Bei was wearing the ancient clothes Mu Jingzhe had made for her. There were even mosquitos inside, but no one knew about it. They only thought that her outfit looked very nice.


    Mu Jingzhe nervously covered her face in shame.


    This costume had been specially modified by her. Previously, when she had gone into town, because she didn¡¯t have time, she hadpletely changed it by using a mosquito.


    Right now, the tv show ¡®New Legend of Madame White Snake¡¯ hadn¡¯t aired yet. Otherwise, with the addition of the veil, everyone would think that she was acting as the bride, Madame White Snake.


    Since Little Bei would continue to participate in the countypetition, she couldn¡¯t keep wearing the same old attire. Hence, Mu Jingzhe had taken this opportunity to perfect the outfit.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu said a few words.


    ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Shao Bei, and this is my younger brother, Shao Zhong. Today, we¡¯re going to perform ¡®Monkey God Thrice ys the White Bone Spirit¡¯ for everyone. I¡¯m the little White Bone Spirit[1].¡±


    After Little Bei stabilized herself, she started introducing their performance. Following that, she immediately got into the character of the Little White Bone Spirit and started acting vividly.


    Seeing that Little Bei had started, Xiao Wu quickly looked at the words in front of him and pped his hands together, ying the role of Little Monk Tang.


    The little White Bone Spirit wanted to eat Little Monk Tang, but the Great Sage Equalling Heaven saw through it.


    The audience below watched with relish, as this was a novel program that they had not expected.


    They were all waiting for the new actor who would y the role of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven toe up. They didn¡¯t expect Xiao Wu to flip his robe around to reveal the words ¡®Great Sage Equalling Heaven¡¯, switching from the role of Little Monk Tang in an instant.


    He picked up the stick and shouted before hitting the little White Bone Spirit. It looked like a fierce hit, but when the stick was about tond, he became very careful.


    Everyoneughed out loud.


    Upon seeing themugh, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help butugh too.


    Little Bei, who had expected better from him, held back herughter and continued saying her lines. ¡°I¡¯ll transform!¡±


    With her back facing the stage, she put on a pair ofrge white rabbit ears and a hair clip. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not the White Bone Spirit. I¡¯m a rabbit spirit. I won¡¯t eat you. I want to marry you.¡±


    Xiao Wu quickly reverted back to his Little Monk Tang identity and sped his hands together. ¡°No, Patron.¡±


    The robe he was wearing hung around his neck, and the bottom was empty. That made it convenient for him to flip the robe over and change identity.


    On one side were the words ¡®Monk Tang¡¯, and on the other were the words ¡®Great Sage Equalling Heaven¡¯.


    He could change his identity simply by flipping the robe to the front or back.


    Little Bei continued to perform and recite her lines. Xiao Wu flipped his robe again and nervously watched as Little Bei finished her performance before hitting the Rabbit Spirit.


    ¡°Hit you.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Little Bei jumped away. ¡°No, I¡¯m changing my story now.¡±


    The audience below the stage was confused. ¡°Eh?¡±


    This waspletely unexpected.


    Even the teacher who had seen the performance in town was surprised. This hadn¡¯t happened before.


    Under everyone¡¯s curious gazes, Little Bei hid behind Xiao Wu and put the rabbit hair clip on Xiao Wu¡¯s head. She took off her ancient costume to reveal a different costume underneath.


    When Little Bei appeared behind Xiao Wu, everyone quickly discovered her new identity¡ªNezha[2].


    ¡°Nezha!¡±


    ¡°This is Little Nezha!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s impression of Nezha was basically that he was a character that wore a dudou[3], a bun, and a lotus dress and had a round face. He was also a cute, chubby boy who looked like a girl and flew around swiftly on his Fiery Wind Wheels.


    Although Little Bei didn¡¯t have the Fiery Wind Wheels, her cosy included all the other elements. The lotus flower dress and the dudou she had put on underneath were instantly revealed when she took off the ancient costume. Also, her hair was now tied up in a bun with a hair clip.


    Then, there were also the Universe Rings made from bamboo rings. The wooden rod originally used to hit the White Bone Spirit didn¡¯t go to waste either, as it was now used as her Fire-Tipped Spear.


    There was also no shortage of Nezha¡¯s Red Armiry Sashes, which were made from red cloth strips.


    Little Nezha was portrayed vividly by Little Bei.


    Xiao Wu, who finally didn¡¯t have to perform anymore, started ying the flute for his sister.


    After the performance, Little Bei took Xiao Wu¡¯s hand and bowed to thank the audience. When they were about to head off the stage, loud apuse came from the audience.


    They shouted Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s names enthusiastically and asked them to continue acting.


    Their names were shouted louder and louder.


    Xiao Wu kept turning around and seeing smiling faces.


    He was still very young and adorable. He didn¡¯t know how to act, so no matter who he was portraying, there was no difference. He simply followed the instructions, recited the lines, and acted out the movements. There was no way he couldpare to Little Bei, who brought every role to life whenever she acted.


    However, there was a contrast between his appearance and hers that made it an amusing performance.


    Thebination produced a marvelous chemical reaction.


    This imitation and transformation, coupled with the bamboo flute performance, was very surprising.


    After they got off the stage, the apuse continued.


    It wasn¡¯t just the leaders sitting in the front row. The people from the city also nodded and discussed the performance. They even asked the cameraman if he had taken photos.


    They¡¯d even brought cameras with them.


    Seeing that everyone liked it, Mu Jingzhe pped along with everyone else. Her hands were red from pping, and she felt extremely proud.


    She happily went backstage to pick up Little Bei and Xiao Wu.


    Shepletely missed Ji Buwang, who was in the middle of the audience.


    After Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe parted ways, he didn¡¯t leave, as he was still very curious about who she was, and his heart was a mess.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to see such an interesting performance.


    Besides, the curly-haired little boy¡­


    Ji Buwang rubbed his head. After the performance ended, he couldn¡¯t help going backstage.


    [1] a shapeshifting demoness who desired to eat the flesh of Monk Tang


    [2] a protection deity in Chinese folk religion


    [3] A dudou is a traditional Chinese form of the bodice, originally worn as an undershirt

 Chapter 42 - Face Blindness

    <h4>Chapter 42: Face Blindness</h4>


    An hour had passed since the performance had ended.


    Because Little Bei¡¯s performance was unique, she even won an award.


    This was the first time Great Eastern Vige got everyone¡¯s attention in such a special way.


    Although Great Eastern Vige wasn¡¯t the most remote vige in the county, it was still quite secluded. Nobody expected such a fascinating performance to take ce there.


    It was noteworthy that basically all the students who hade to perform were from the town.


    In the past, whenever there was an event, it would be just the students from the county or townpeting against each other.


    Unexpectedly, this year, a vige kid had be the exception.


    Although everyone was surprised, they had to admit that Little Bei¡¯s performance was really good.


    Little Bei received an award and even earned the right to study at the art school free of charge.


    Students who were chosen like this could study freely over the weekend and not pay any school fees.


    ¡°If there are any events we need a little actress or dancer for, our school will inform you. Practice well. In the future, you might get chances to perform or perhaps even go on TV.¡±


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Little Bei immediately replied excitedly.


    This was the second time she had truly performed on stage, and she had already fallen deeply in love with this feeling.


    Dressed in beautiful clothes, she had stood on the stage and attracted everyone¡¯s attention.


    She loved this feeling.


    Acting was also very interesting. She hoped to act more in the future.


    After this small talk, Mu Jingzhe left with them.


    Ji Buwang turned a corner to see if he could meet Mu Jingzhe. He focused on looking for people with short hair and saw an extremely eye-catching bun and a pair of rabbit ears.


    It was those two children!


    In the blink of an eye, they were in front of him. Ji Buwang was eager to make a move, wanting to pinch those rabbit ears.


    Xiao Wu moved aside vigntly and identally caused the bunny hair clip to fall on the ground.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Buwang apologized. How had he messed things up again?


    Upon saying that, he bent down to pick the hair clip up. However, Mu Jingzhe happened to bend over to pick it up too, and their heads ended up bumping into each other.


    Mu Jingzhe felt her vision turn dark and felt extremely helpless.


    She had noticed Ji Buwang earlier and had been about to speak to him when he¡¯d reached out to touch Xiao Wu¡¯s bunny hair clip.


    What a strange man.


    Mu Jingzhe covered her head and looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Ji Buwang staring at her. ¡°It¡¯s you. I can see you.¡±


    His eyes were filled with shock.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Considering that we¡¯re so close, it¡¯s only natural that you can see me.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡­¡± Ji Buwang was shocked and speechless.


    When his head had collided with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s, it had buzzed for a moment before he¡¯d heard a voice that had left a deep impression on him despite the fact that he¡¯d only heard it today.


    He had found her.


    He raised his head eagerly and saw her face close up.


    He really saw it clearly.


    Her eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and chin could be seen clearly.


    They were no longer blurry. He could see everything clearly.


    This was the second time he had seen a person¡¯s face clearly.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s breathing quickened for a moment. He couldn¡¯t bear to blink as he stared at Mu Jingzhe, afraid that it would all quickly turn blurry.


    Mu Jingzhe felt ufortable under his intense gaze. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ji Buwang answered distractedly before sighing sincerely. ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful.¡±


    Thanks to her clearly distinguishable facial features, her face was really beautiful.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu raised their heads in unison.


    Mu Jingzhe was embarrassed. ¡°You¡¯re not teasing, are you?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Ji Buwang quickly replied before finally blinking.


    After blinking, he realized that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was still very clearly revealed in front of him.


    At that moment, Ji Buwang even suspected that he had recovered from his illness, but when he looked at others, everything was still a blur.


    Amid this blurriness, only Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was clear.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s heart was about to jump out of his chest. He took a deep breath to calm down.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just too happy. I can¡¯t believe I can see you.¡±


    The first time he had seen a human face clearly, it had belonged to his parents. However, after that clear visual, he hadn¡¯t been able to see it again because they had parted ways.


    In less than a minute, his world had be blurry again.


    Until today.


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t bear to look away.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang and a guess quickly shed across her mind. ¡°Are you face-blind?¡±


    She had asked casually, not expecting Ji Buwang to be stunned.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He looked around. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    In this day and age, few people knew about this illness.


    Other than the people closest to him, no one knew about his problem.


    Besides attracting curious probing gazes, such a strange illness would also attract many malicious gazes. It was fine if people were just teasing, but what he feared wasplete malice.


    That was why he had been trying to hide it until now, using myopia as an excuse. No one had suspected anything. He was surprised that Mu Jingzhe actually knew about it.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She had guessed it right just like that?


    In her real life, she had never met anyone with severe face blindness. However, she had seen it on many television dramas and novels before, so she stayed rtively calm.


    ¡°It was just a casual suggestion. I didn¡¯t expect you to really have that. No wonder you were so strange before.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nced at him. ¡°Is it quite inconvenient?¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded vigorously.


    It wasn¡¯t just inconvenient. It was incredibly troublesome.


    Some people might think that he just couldn¡¯t see other people¡¯s faces clearly and believe it wasn¡¯t a big problem, but they didn¡¯t know how much trouble it caused him.


    He couldn¡¯t see people¡¯s expressions, nor could he read their emotions. He couldn¡¯t share moments of joy with them, nor could he distinguish good from evil.


    Because of his face blindness, he had been different from others from a young age. It was never safe for him to go out. Furthermore, the most pitiful thing was that he couldn¡¯t even remember his parents¡¯ faces.


    It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t tried seeking treatment for his condition, but there was no cure.


    However, his identity was special. He had to keep going out and interacting with many, many people.


    In the end, he could only train his other senses and cooperate with his sense of hearing and smell to actively face them. He could remember people by memorizing their hair, body movements, and sounds, as well as some characteristics such as their moles and gait.


    He had been training since he was young, and with practice, even if people gained weight or became thin, and their hair and clothes kept changing, he could always distinguish them by the sounds they made.


    Under the cover of his family¡¯s help, he usually made no mistakes. No outsider knew that he had this problem.


    In order to help him recognize them at first nce, his parents had worn iconic hair essories and watches for more than ten years while maintaining their hairstyles and figure. In order to reduce his uneasiness, they¡¯d identified themselves right away and constantly kept himpany.


    His grandfather had changed his name for him to Buwang[1], in hopes that he wouldn¡¯t forget his parents and he would get better.


    But in the end, even when his parents were gone, he¡¯d failed to ¡®never forget¡¯ them. In fact, he couldn¡¯t even see his own face clearly.


    After more than twenty years, his mind had stored a lot of information on voices, hairstyles, and physiques. Apart from that, he only remembered two faces.


    Now, a third face had appeared clearly before his eyes.


    This feeling was too exhrating and blissful.


    Amidst the blurriness, a face lit up his world like a lighthouse, shining in his mind and heart.


    No one could understand this feeling except him.


    No matter how many people were around, he could see her at a nce.


    He was no longer afraid of not being able to find her.


    [1] meaning ¡®never forget¡¯

 Chapter 43 - I Just Want to See You

    <h4>Chapter 43: I Just Want to See You</h4>


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and said sincerely, ¡°It was indeed hard in the past, but now that I can see you, it means that the heavens arepensating me. Jingzhe, can I see you more often in the future? I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to see you in a while.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself, ¡®Why do you make it sound so pitiful?¡¯


    Meanwhile, she was mouthing words offort. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will happen.¡±


    She was puzzled. ¡°Can you really see me? Only me? Why can you only see me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I suddenly saw your face now.¡± Ji Buwang was honest. ¡°This is the first time. I cherish this very much.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to speak when someone bumped into her.


    Ji Buwang immediately said, ¡°This is not the ce to talk. Let¡¯s talk somewhere else. Where do you live? My house is in the county city. Why don¡¯t youe to my ce?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°No, it¡¯s not convenient.¡±


    It was inconvenient for her to visit his house directly considering this was the first time they met.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a good person. There are no bad people in my family either. This is my hometown, and my ancestors have lived in the county city for several generations. People know us. I won¡¯t do anything to you. I just want to get to know you better.¡±


    ¡°We already know each other.¡± Mu Jingzhe could only say this much.


    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re not from the county city. Do you want to stay at my house?¡± Ji Buwang invited her again. ¡°If youe to my house, you can do whatever you want, including sleep or do anything else. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no need for me toe to your house. I¡¯m staying at the guesthouse here, so I won¡¯t being.¡± Mu Jingzhe refused.


    ¡°Why not? I can look at you if youe.¡±


    ¡°Why would you still be looking at me while I¡¯m sleeping?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned.


    Ji Buwang took a step back. ¡°You can go ahead and sleep. I¡¯ll just look at you. I won¡¯t make a sound or do anything.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    It would be a wonder if she could fall asleep with someone staring at her.


    The thought of it was terrifying.


    Mu Jingzhe firmly refused and went to the guesthouse.


    The guesthouse belonged to the unit, and those who stayed there were parents and students who came from elsewhere, so there was no need to worry too much about safety.


    Ji Buwang also knew that he was being rash, so he could only take Mu Jingzhe and the others to the guesthouse and say that he woulde find them tomorrow morning.


    Along the way, other than asionally looking at the road, Ji Buwang kept staring at Mu Jingzhe.


    His gaze was focused on Mu Jingzhe at all times, as though he wished that his eyes could grow on her face.


    He didn¡¯t even notice Little Bei and Xiao Wu ring at him fiercely.


    From the looks of it, Little Bei felt that he mighte to snatch Mu Jingzhe in the future, just like that driver who hade to propose marriage. Then, Auntie would leave them.


    Little Bei was all the more reluctant to part with Mu Jingzhe now. While Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t paying attention, she moved her feet and Ji Buwang fell heavily on the ground.


    Little Bei was shocked. She had only stretched her foot¡­ At most, her move should have made him stagger. Howe¡­


    Then, she saw Xiao Wu quietly retract his leg.


    Alright, Xiao Wu had also moved his feet.


    Xiao Wu was having the same thoughts as Little Bei.


    When Xiao Wu had first seen Ji Buwang¡¯s hair, he¡¯d actually quite liked it because he had never seen anyone with curly hair just like him.


    However, because Ji Buwang kept looking at Mu Jingzhe, he decided he did not like him.


    This was the first time the two children had such a tacit understanding.


    The result of their joint attack was that Ji Buwang ended up in a miserable state.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s palm was scraped.


    ¡°How is it? Are you alright?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly pulled Ji Buwang up.


    She hadn¡¯t noticed Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s actions, but she could guess them based on their guilty looks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s go to the hospital to take a look and bandage it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a scratch. I¡¯ll just go home and bandage it.¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t me the two children and didn¡¯t even mention it.


    Because of this, Mu Jingzhe could only promise to see Ji Buwang before she returned home tomorrow to see if he could still see her face.


    Ji Buwang reluctantly watched Mu Jingzhe go upstairs.


    Now that he couldn¡¯t see Mu Jingzhe, his world became blurry again.


    After Mu Jingzhe went upstairs, she asked the two children seriously after dinner if they had tripped Ji Buwang.


    This wasn¡¯t just a prank. Sometimes, it could result in something serious.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu admitted it dejectedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this again, okay? You might think he¡¯s weird, but he¡¯s just sick.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe clued the two children in on facial blindness.


    ¡°If you were the ones suffering from this illness, wouldn¡¯t it be very painful? We have to learn how to step in the shoes of other people in the future, understand?


    ¡°There are still many strange illnesses in this world. People who shed tears of blood, people who can only keep smiling, people who can¡¯tugh, etc. But they¡¯re not monsters. They¡¯re just sick. If you encounter them in the future, don¡¯t call them monsters. Don¡¯t be prejudiced, alright? They¡¯re already in a lot of pain.¡±


    The two children nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, we understand.¡±


    They had never heard of such an illness. ¡°How can there be such an illness in this world?¡±


    ¡°Of course there can be. The world is big, and there are all sorts of strange things. Little Eastern Vige is just a very, very inconspicuous little ce. Do you remember what you sawst time on ¡®Natural Earth¡¯? We aren¡¯t visible from up there at all. There are more than 200 countries and billions of people in the world. You have only seen so many of them.¡±


    Later on, they sessfully changed the topic, but the two children also promised that they would never make the same mistake again. They promised to apologize when they saw Ji Buwang.


    Although they had been taught a lesson, Little Bei and Xiao Wu felt that they had gained something.


    Little Bei thought that when she saw her eldest brother, she had to tell him thatpared to other illnesses, stuttering wasn¡¯t scary at all.


    Xiao Wu touched his hair. For the first time, he didn¡¯t hate his hair so much.


    Because he was called a b*stard for his hair, which was different from the hair of his siblings and even the hair of the entire vige, Xiao Wu had always hated his hair.


    He¡¯d wanted to shave it all off, but no one would help him. He¡¯d wanted to burn it before, but instead of burning off his hair, he had burned his scalp.


    He¡¯d actually been ttered when Mu Jingzhe had touched his hair previously.


    Now, Mu Jingzhe had also told him that regardless of whether his hair was straight or curly, it was still hair. There were also many people who spent money to perm and dye their hair yellow.


    Therefore, his hair was very normal and beautiful.


    There were many people overseas who had more yellow and curlier hair than his.


    Also, it wasn¡¯t because he was a b*stard that he¡¯d spokente. Compared to people who couldn¡¯t speak at all, he was already very lucky.


    Xiao Wu fell asleep with a smile on his face. Then, he met many foreigners in his dreams. They had yellow hair or white hair, white skin or ck skin, and their eyes were as colorful as a rainbow.


    Xiao Wu yed with the rainbows and woke upughing.


    He had the same dream as Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    The world of children was indeed different. In their dreams, they even saw rainbow-like eyes.


    ¡°I dreamed about the white-skinned kid you mentioned, Auntie. His face was as white as a snowke. Then, I also saw skin as dark as Uncle ck¡¯s.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Last night, they had asked her why dark-skinned people had dark skin and if it was as dark as ink. Mu Jingzhe had said that it was like Uncle ck¡¯s skin or even darker.


    Uncle ck was the darkest-skinned person in Great Eastern Vige. He had been born with dark skin to begin with, so he had be even darker due to the sun and the wind.


    Little Bei quickly joined the discussion. The two of them were very interested in these things and wished they could immediately get to know a few children who werepletely different from them.


    ¡°You should be able to see them on TV or in newspapers in the future. There will also be photos of them in big cities.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After packing up, she saw Ji Buwang the moment she got out of the guesthouse.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I can still see you!¡±

 Chapter 44 - Foreign Language Class

    <h4>Chapter 44: Foreign Language ss</h4>


    Upon seeing Ji Buwang run over, Mu Jingzhe felt that he was actually very pleasing to the eye. It was just that he was staring at her too eagerly.


    ¡°When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ a moment ago.¡±


    The auntie at the reception quickly exposed Ji Buwang¡¯s lie. ¡°A moment ago? You came in the middle of the nightst night. I thought that you were a bad person and almost called the police.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    He smiled awkwardly and exined, ¡°I couldn¡¯t fall asleep when I got home, so I went out for a walk to enjoy the night breeze.¡±


    He had been standing in the wind in front of the guesthouse for the entire night?


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang in aplicated mood. ¡°So, can you still see my face?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°I was afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.¡±


    Last night, after going home, he had felt like he was still in a dream. He had been afraid that everything would return to the way it used to be when he woke up. He¡¯d tossed and turned until midnight and couldn¡¯t help bute over to guard her.


    He¡¯d wanted to see Mu Jingzhe as soon as possible.


    Ji Buwang also knew that his behavior was very suspicious, so he quickly exined to Mu Jingzhe that he wasn¡¯t a bad person.


    It was not easy to tell whether someone was a bad person or not.


    Mu Jingzhe asked Little Bei and Xiao Wu to apologize before acting ording to the n.


    ¡°Are you going to art school? Can I go with you? I want to know more too.¡±


    However, along the way, the thing he looked at the most was still Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face.


    He just wanted to look at Mu Jingzhe and observe her face.


    He believed that anyone else would have done the same.


    Compared to blurry faces, a normal face was naturally better.


    Mu Jingzhe was creeped out by his gaze. After taking a look around the art school, she quickly bade him farewell and prepared to go home.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your house? Can Ie with you?¡±


    Ji Buwang immediately said, ¡°I happen to be on a break and I wish to walk around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not convenient.¡± Mu Jingzhe refused.


    She couldn¡¯t bring people back to the vige casually.


    ¡°Mr. Ji, even if you find out who I am, please don¡¯t look for me. It¡¯s not appropriate because I was recently widowed. I really don¡¯t want to hear any rumors.¡±


    How could Mu Jingzhe, who had good judgment, not see that Ji Buwang¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t simple? That was why she gave him a heads-up.


    Ji Buwang was naturally disappointed but could only nod. ¡°I understand. Then when youe to the county city in the future, can Ie to see you again? You can just call me Ji Buwang.¡±


    He wrote down his contact details on a piece of paper. ¡°This is my address and phone number in the county city. If it¡¯s convenient when youe to the county city, I hope you can let me meet you. I want to confirm if I can still see you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you if it¡¯s convenient.¡±


    There were only three children left at home. Although she had asked Li Zhaodi to help take care of them, Mu Jingzhe was still worried and quickly brought the two children home.


    When she got home, she received good news. Shao Xi¡¯s essay had been chosen, and a sample book would be sent over some timeter.


    Furthermore, the radio broadcast manuscript sent to the radio station had also been epted, and they¡¯d even sent over royalties.


    It was Shao Qiyang who had brought the letter back. Although the royalties weren¡¯t high, this was the first time such a thing had happened in the vige.


    To think he was already so impressive at such a young age that he could earn money by writing. Wasn¡¯t he a truly cultured person?


    In the past, one used to have to spend money to study. This was the first time the vigers saw someone earn money this way.


    Shao Xi instantly became the hottest topic of discussion in the vige. The new form teacher and principal felt proud of themselves and encouraged the students to learn more. This even started a trend that put emphasis on essay writing.


    Zhang Fei had been keeping a low profile for some time. It wasn¡¯t easy for everyone to slowly forget what had happened previously, but because of this matter, he was pushed in front of the public again.


    Zhang Fei was even more embarrassed. Everyone was saying that he had poor judgment.


    It would have been fine if he was an ordinary person, but he was a teacher. Parents who used to trust teachers unconditionally started being suspicious of him, especially the parents of the second-grade kids. Everyone started suspecting that their kids were actually very talented, but Zhang Fei was a lousy teacher that had buried their talents.


    When they weren¡¯t looking for the principal to ask him to rece Zhang Fei, they were looking for the third-grade teachers to see if they could submit their essays or something.


    Their children might also be great schrs.


    Zhang Fei was furious.


    Great schrs? When their essays were full of misspelled words and they weren¡¯t even able to express themselves clearly?


    Zhang Fei admitted that he might have overlooked Shao Xi¡¯s talent due to his prejudice, but there were definitely no other geniuses in the ss.


    However, there was no one Zhang Fei couldin to. The principal had even talked to him and asked him to be more responsible in the future and improve the parents¡¯ opinions of him. Otherwise, if the parents were unwilling to let him teach them next semester, it might be troublesome.


    While Zhang Fei was in a terrible fix, the Shao Family received two pieces of happy news.


    ¡°From next week onward, Little Bei will go to art school every weekend to study dancing and hosting. Xiao Wu can also go there to learn.¡±


    Xiao Wu had performed with her, so he had earned the chance to learn for free.


    As the school had just been established, there weren¡¯t many teachers, and they were still hiring. There were fewer musical instruments in the curriculum, and there wasn¡¯t even a piano or violin, but they could also learn other instruments and music theory.


    The most popr and varied sses were the dance sses. Mu Jingzhe took a look and quickly set her sights on the foreignnguage sses. Russian was among the various foreignnguages avable.


    It was said that the school had invited a teacher from the county¡¯s No. 1 Middle School to teach the students, and she was free only on weekends.


    As Little Bei and Xiao Wu didn¡¯t have to pay tuition fees, they signed up without hesitation. After asking around for the fees and seeing that there was a discount because it was a new ss, Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and gritted her teeth before signing Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan up for it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t enroll you in art ss because I didn¡¯t know which sses you liked specifically. Instead, I enrolled you in a foreignnguage ss first. You guys will go there to learn every weekend.¡±


    ¡°Foreignnguage ss?¡± Shao Dong was stunned. His first reaction was to say, ¡°It¡¯s going to cost money, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°It¡¯s not expensive. I¡¯ve already paid the fees. You guys can go and learn first. When you find something else you like, you can sign up for it too. There are also calligraphy, art, and mathematics sses.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that it would be good for Shao Dong to learn calligraphy. And Shao Xi would probably like art?


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan¡¯s eyes lit up, but they didn¡¯t say anything and looked at Shao Dong.


    Shao Dong clenched his hand. ¡°Can we return the tuition fees? We are fine even without learning foreignnguages¡­ We just won¡¯t go overseas in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Can¡¯t do that. Besides, you have to learn foreignnguages even if you don¡¯t go abroad. It¡¯ll be useful in the future.¡±


    In the future, the five siblings would all go overseas.


    Shao Dong¡¯s business would go on to expand to overseas markets.


    She didn¡¯t know how they had learned itter on, but she vaguely remembered that in the novel, because Little Bei had never learned it before, she was criticized a lot. She wanted to go international and develop her career, but because she wasn¡¯t fluent innguages, she was mocked and ridiculed by others. She could have taken her acting career furtherter on, but because of these obstacles, she didn¡¯t manage to go international.


    This situation was much rarer in modern times, as many children learnednguages since they were young. However, this was a cause of regret for many older celebrities.


    They used to be too poor back then.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Little Bei¡¯s anxious gaze and exined gently, ¡°You¡¯re still young, so learning will be twice as effective. It¡¯ll definitely be of use in the future.¡±


    Actually, other than Xiao Wu, the others had missed the best age to start learning foreignnguages. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Since it was already a bit toote, they certainly shouldn¡¯t dy any longer.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to get a refund since I¡¯ve already paid, so don¡¯t even think about the cost. Knowledge is priceless, and it will be a hundred times more valuable than these tuition fees in the future,¡± Mu Jingzhe added.


    Shao Dong naturally knew this principle, but Mu Jingzhe was already good enough to them and had given them enough.


    Right now, signing up for this ss was really too much.

 Chapter 45 - Ran Away With Someone

    <h4>Chapter 45: Ran Away With Someone</h4>


    When she saw Shao Dong¡¯s hesitation, Mu Jingzhe patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. If you think it¡¯s expensive, learn it well and try your best to get the most out of the course fees. That way, you won¡¯t lose out.¡±


    If he were to learn it, he would definitely study as much as he could and at the quickest speed possible.


    Shao Dong stopped thinking about getting a refund for the course fees. ¡°Thank you¡­ It¡¯s just that if this continues, in the future¡­¡±


    He wanted to talk about repaying this kindness, but he felt that this kindness was too great.


    Mu Jingzhe guessed his intentions. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°If you feel pressured, you can pay me back when you earn money in the future. Okay?¡±


    Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief and nodded without hesitation. ¡°Alright.¡±


    The weekend trip to the county city was set.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned, she had to continue making hair ornaments. She also nned on making some hair clips.


    This was inspired by Little Bei¡¯s performance. The children loved the rabbit ears and hair clip she had madest minute. Some parents had even asked her where they could buy them.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally couldn¡¯t let go of this business opportunity. She wanted to find Li Tao, who was the fastest and had the deftest hands, so she would make them.


    However, this was the first time Li Tao hadn¡¯te to work.


    It had never happened before. However, Li Tao hadn¡¯te this time. Her younger sister, Li Fang, had helped Li Tao apply for leave. It seemed like the couple had quarreled.


    The butterfly hair clip was in the midst of being mass-produced, but now that Li Tao suddenly stopped showing up, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but recall what had happened previously.


    She intended to wait. If Li Tao still didn¡¯t show up, she would be prepared to react.


    The next day, before Li Tao was meant to arrive, Mu Jingzhe went to deliver the goods just in case.


    After returning, she wanted to go see Li Tao, but she suddenly heard that Li Tao had run away.


    In viges, every now and then, people would run away because they couldn¡¯t endure their lives there anymore.


    Most of the people who ran away were women. There would always be a reason for them to run away¡ªbe it the physical abuse of their husband or the fact that life in the vige was simply too arduous. Some people would send news back after a long time, while others nevermunicated again.


    Li Tao was quite capable herself, but the man she had married, Bai Qiang, was a good-for-nothing. Initially, the Bai Family had been quite nice and her inws had been capable. However, ever since Li Tao¡¯s inws had passed away, there had been no one to control him anymore, and Bai Qiang had looked increasingly unkempt andzy.


    The Li Family had originally married off their daughter because of Bai Qiang¡¯s parents. In the end, the marriage didn¡¯t go as nned. They had been married for three years but had no children. Many people said that Li Tao was a hen that couldn¡¯ty eggs, so the vigers stopped saying that Bai Qiang wasn¡¯t good enough for Li Tao.


    But somehow, Li Tao, who had been in a much better situation after she¡¯d started working for Mu Jingzhe, had actually run away.


    This matter instantly became a hot topic in Great Eastern Vige. Mu Jingzhe felt helpless and regretful when she heard that. Giving birth depended on fate, and the reason a couple did not have a child might not necessarily lie with the woman. It might be the man¡¯s fault.


    However, the vigers wouldn¡¯t say these things, and no one got divorced in this day and age.


    Li Tao might have run away because she¡¯d found life too hard there.


    ording to her past experience, everyone would just talk about this matter until they let it pass. However, there was a follow-up this time.


    Li Tao¡¯s husband, Bai Qiang, actually med the Li Family. He asked if they had instigated Li Tao and even demanded to know if she had hooked up with someone.


    The Li Family hadn¡¯t even asked the Bai Family to find their daughter, but the Bai Family hade to me them first. The Bai Family instantly took the initiative and ndered Li Tao.


    The Li Family was furious. They said that it was impossible and insisted that Li Tao wouldn¡¯t leave them behind.


    At the end of the day, they couldn¡¯t find her, so they could only endure this.


    Based on their forbearance, Bai Qiang determined that they were guilty and asked for a yard after taking an inch. Later on, he actually demanded that they get him a new wife by marrying Li Fang to him.


    The Li Family was naturally unwilling to do that. ¡°Bai Qiang, you¡¯ve gone too far. In your dreams!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you face and you¡¯re refusing? Bah, considering their upbringing, who knows if a daughter from this family will run away after a guy marries her? Other than me, who else in the vige will dare to marry Li Fang? Only I, who have no choice, do not despise her. To think you¡¯re actually saying no!¡±


    From that day onward, Bai Qiang went around badmouthing the girls of the Li Family to anyone who would listen. The older sister, Li Tao, had run away. His sister-inw, Li Fang, used to smile and twist her body flirtatiously at him. He told everyone that she wasn¡¯t a decent woman. It was all because of Li Fang¡¯s provocative actions that he had proposed marriage.


    In just half a day, the reputation of a good girl, Li Fang, was ruined.


    This was precisely what Bai Qiang intended to do¡ªforce the Li Family to give him Li Fang as a wife.


    The scene was ugly, and many people in the vige saw and heard it.


    Mu Jingzhe heard it from other people and saw Li Fang with red eyes.


    Normally, Li Fang was full of energy and positivity, like a sunflower. She was also famous for being capable in the vige.


    She had set up a stall at the day market to sell hair ornaments. Because she had a bright personality and an eloquent mouth, her business was doing well, and she had earned some money. Mu Jingzhe had always admired and liked her.


    Now, Li Fang was afraid of running into someone, so she specifically chose toe over at night. She looked listless and dispirited.


    ¡°Sister, I came to tell you that I won¡¯t be taking any supplies for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no hurry. We¡¯ll talk about it after you¡¯ve taken care of things. Li Fang, don¡¯t mind what Bai Qiang has been saying about you. If a guy doesn¡¯t dare to marry you because of this nder, he can¡¯t be a real man. Everything will be fine after this period.


    ¡°If he tries anything funny again, don¡¯t stand on ceremony. Teach him a lesson. I¡¯ll be waiting for you to get back to business.¡±


    If the Li Family didn¡¯t agree, there was no way Bai Qiang could force the marriage.


    Li Fang nodded vigorously. ¡°Alright, I will do that.¡±


    Amidst the chaos of the Li and Bai Families, the weekend arrived.


    At the time, people only had one day off a week, and that was Sunday. They woke up early, and Mu Jingzhe prepared to take the five children to the county city.


    The vige was far away from the county city, so it was indeed inconvenient for them to get there. If they were to get there on foot, given their young age, they would probably spend the entire day walking there.


    Fortunately, their family had already bought a bicycle.


    Shao Qiyang knew that Mu Jingzhe wanted to use the bicycle and had ridden it backst night for that reason.


    Ever since he had bought the bicycle, it had been much easier for him to work. It wasn¡¯t as hard as before.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s steady.¡±


    After checking the two bamboo baskets fixed at the back of the bicycle, Shao Qiyang and Mu Jingzhe each took a child. They picked up Shao Nan and Little Bei and ced them in the bamboo baskets.


    The old bicycle¡¯s ability to carry weight was very high. At the time, such a bicycle could be used as a small car. It could carry people and deliver food without any problems.


    A couple with two or three children would just own one bicycle. The front beam could carry two children, while the back could carry the wife. The wife would in turn carry a child on her back. In total, one bicycle could carry five people, including adults and children.


    However, Mu Jingzhe had five kids with her. Including her, there were six of them.


    Though the bicycle could carry the weight of the children, there was no ce to hang them. In the end, they¡¯d customized two bamboo baskets.


    The bamboo baskets had been ced on the left and right side of the back seat. Other people were pulling food, while Mu Jingzhe was pulling children.


    There was a mattress in the bamboo basket that the children could sit or stand on.


    When they were ced in the basket, Shao Nan was still holding back, but Little Bei was already giggling.


    ¡°You must sit properly and stand properly on itter. The road is bumpy, so try not to get injured.¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi sat on the beam. As for Xiao Wu, Mu Jingzhe carried him on her back. Just like that, she brought the five children with her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Shao Qiyang walked them all the way to the vige entrance. However, he was still worried, so he secretly followed them.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t realize that the road was that bumpy. She focused on her bicycle, afraid that she would fall.


    ¡°Shao Dong, Shao Xi, raise your legs. Don¡¯t get stuck in the wheel. It will hurt if you get stuck.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 46 - Music Genius

    <h4>Chapter 46: Music Genius</h4>


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi were sitting in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms. This was the first time they were so close, so they were a little embarrassed.


    However, their attention was quickly attracted.


    Shao Qiyang had taken them on a bicycle only a few times before, so their eyes were filled with novelty.


    Soon, the bumpy road distracted them from all that.


    The bumpy dirt road made sitting on the crossbeam feel really good. Anyway, when they got to town, Shao Dong and Shao Xi felt like their butts and legs were so numb that they didn¡¯t seem to be theirs anymore. They had even swallowed a mouthful of dust.


    Needless to say, their bodies were also covered in dust.


    Compared to them, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu were much better. While Shao Dong and Shao Xi had grown listless, the three of them would chatter from time to time.


    When they arrived in town, after Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Mu Jingzhe got off the bicycle, they started walking unsteadily.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the two children speechlessly. She knew what they were feeling.


    Riding a bicycle on the roads of this era was really cruel and inhumane.


    It made Mu Jingzhe suspect that her hymen would burst¡­ Ah, no, that her butt was about to split into four pieces.


    After this, she learned to stand and ride.


    In spite of her tremendous strength, it was tiring for her.


    It wasn¡¯t a joke to take care of five children. Besides, she had been tense all the way there.


    Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t fallen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Jingzhe took the children to find Li Zhaodi¡¯s bun stall.


    Now that the bun shop was selling steamed buns, fried dough sticks, tea eggs, and soy milk, business was bing increasingly prosperous.


    After eating, they rushed to the county city. This time, the road was much better.


    When she rushed to the art school, she saw Ji Buwang standing in the distance.


    Ji Buwang was still the most eye-catching existence. Mu Jingzhe thought that he was a character in a historical drama as he stood there.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    Ji Buwang had also spotted Mu Jingzhe.


    He had not seen her for a few days, so Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her face clearly again.


    He walked over to help Mu Jingzhe steady the bicycle. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s far from home.¡± Mu Jingzhe was covered in dirt. With Ji Buwang¡¯s help, she carried Shao Xi and Shao Dong and ced them on the ground, then took Shao Nan and Little Bei out of the bamboo basket.


    Ji Buwang looked at the neatly lined-up five children, whose eyes were filled with wariness.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He remembered that Little Bei and the kids called Mu Jingzhe ¡®Auntie¡¯. He wanted to ask if they were her nephews and niece, but Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to speak to him anymore.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take them in first. There¡¯s not enough time.¡±


    There were two foreignnguage sses in the morning.


    Ji Buwang looked around. When he heard that they¡¯d be hiring a teacher, he thought for a moment and went to the person in charge to rmend himself.


    Since he had nothing to do, he might as well apply to be a teacher during the weekend. This way, he could naturally see Mu Jingzhe and wouldn¡¯t have to keep waiting.


    What a good idea.


    When the children finished their sses and Mu Jingzhe saw Ji Buwang again, Ji Buwang had already changed his identity.


    ¡°I¡¯m a teacher here.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe eximed, ¡°Teacher? Why did you suddenly be a teacher?¡±


    ¡°I just heard that they were looking for someone, so I applied.¡±


    ¡°So fast? Do you have any skills to apply?¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. He naturally had the skills to apply for a teaching position for which they weren¡¯t recruiting.


    There were fewer musical instruments in the newly established school, so there were also fewer musical instrument teachers. Since he had brought his own musical instrument, he naturally got the job when he applied for it.


    Soon, a piano was carried into the art school. The piano teacher, Ji Buwang, took over the role.


    The big guy attracted many people, including Little Bei and Xiao Wu. Ji Buwang also suggested that they learn to y the piano first.


    The piano¡¯s strengths were obvious, which was why it would be one of the mostmon and popr musical instruments in the future.


    ¡°ying it with both hands is beneficial to developing the left and right side of the brain. Furthermore, its pitch is fixed, which makes it very suitable for children who have just started learning music. The foundation of the piano will be very helpful in learning other musical instruments or vocal music in the future.¡±


    ¡°This is a strength. The disadvantage is that it¡¯s inconvenient to carry around the piano, unlike other musical instruments that are portable. This, in turn, affects the training. Also, it will require a lot of money.¡±


    Buying a piano, especially a good one, required one to have the financial ability. If one didn¡¯t buy it, it would be difficult to learn it.


    Ji Buwang suggested that they learn as much as they could first. After all, they didn¡¯t stand to lose anything by learning.


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei were in his ss, while Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan went to try out other courses.


    Ji Buwang hade to ss because of Mu Jingzhe, but after only two sses, he was stunned, and his original intention changed.


    This was because he had discovered Xiao Wu¡¯s amazing learning ability.


    He first taught them some basics, then simply yed elementary melodies, letting everyone try.


    The other children really just tried their hand at it, but Xiao Wu directly replicated the music.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°!!!¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, this child is incredible. He has absolute sound uracy and excellent musical memory. He can y music after only hearing it once. Furthermore, this is his first time ying the piano. It¡¯s simply¡­¡± What a devil!


    Ji Buwang excitedly told Mu Jingzhe about his discovery. Mu Jingzhe nodded and said, ¡°I know. He was like this when he learned the trumpet and the erhu before. His only limitation is that his hands are a tad short.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Are you that calm?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°No, I¡¯m very happy too.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t she used to it? Besides, she knew how impressive these children were because she had read the novel.


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe, who was smiling awkwardly, and a hint of novelty shed across his eyes. So this was what it felt like to see someone¡¯s face.


    In the past, he used to only judge a person¡¯s emotions by their breathing and sounds. However, these things could all be disguised. This was the first time he saw a change of expression on a person¡¯s face.


    Apart from a smiling, proud, troubled, puzzled face, and so on, he had unlocked a new expression.


    Her emotional response and smile were both very interesting.


    ¡°In the future, let Xiao Wue every week to learn. I¡¯ll teach him well.¡±


    Unexpectedly, he had met a very talented child. Even Ji Buwang started bing serious about teaching.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The day passed quickly, and Ji Buwang reluctantly bade them farewell.


    It had only been a day, but the children¡¯s mental and physical appearance felt different.


    Little Bei chattered about the contents of her lessons. She had learned the most today and had even learned how to dance.


    Later on, they showed off the foreignnguage they had learned. Mu Jingzhe encouraged them to speak more. It was important to speak so that they wouldn¡¯t stay mute due to their shyness to try speaking the newnguage.


    As it has been said previously, the children were very serious about their studies, and each of them was smarter than the other. They had gained a lot.


    Later on, in spite of his stutter, even Shao Dong started reading the letters he had learned while holding a shlight.


    *****


    Mu Jingzhe received feedback that the butterfly hair clip was selling very well. The boss directly tripled the order quantity and asked Mu Jingzhe to be prepared to deliver the goods at any time.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t surprised. She¡¯d had a premonition that the butterfly hair clip would be popr, so she had prepared a lot of supplies in advance.


    However, it seemed like this was still not enough. Mu Jingzhe decisively found four more people to join her production team.


    Now, there was a total of seven female workers.


    The four new candidates had all been observed by Mu Jingzhe during this period and were all delighted to be chosen.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s movements made it clear to the vigers that she was about to make a fortune.


    She felt very helpless about this. She was far from getting rich, but this career was really going to work.

 Chapter 47 - Intentional Approach

    <h4>Chapter 47: Intentional Approach</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe was very busy. She didn¡¯t know if it was because the news of her adding more people agitated Bai Qiang, but something happened on his end again.


    Because the Li Family had held on and refused to give in, Li Fang refused to marry no matter what he did to tarnish her reputation. Hence, he changed his mind.


    He said it was fine if Li Fang didn¡¯t want to marry him, but the Li Family had topensate him.


    The betrothal gifts, the money it had cost to marry Li Tao, and the money he had spent on Li Tao in the past three years¡ªeven the responsibility of the Bai Family not having a child¡ªwere all pushed entirely onto the Li Family. They even shamelessly asked the Li Family to be responsible for his second marriage. What an exorbitant demand.


    That wasn¡¯t all. In fact, he even demanded thepensation to include Li Tao¡¯s sry.


    He said that Li Tao had been previously earning money by working for Mu Jingzhe. Therefore, if Li Tao hadn¡¯t run away, the money would have been his.


    The Li Family naturally wouldn¡¯t agree to such an absurd request. They didn¡¯t have that much money either.


    This time, Bai Qiang waspletely shameless. He called a few hooligans from the outer vige to harass the Li Family every day. They would smash their things, snatch their food and drinks, and verbally and physically harass Li Fang. They hurled all sorts of humiliating insults at her.


    Li Fang¡¯s parents ended up falling sick from fury.


    Everyone in the vige said that they were not dishonorable. Even the vige leader had spoken, but Bai Qiang was shameless and refused to listen. He continued making a fuss and refused to leave until he got paid.


    The matter between Bai Qiang and the Li Family attracted the attention of the vigers, but Mu Jingzhe kept a low profile.


    In the blink of an eye, it was Sunday again. It was time to go learn in the county city.


    However, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t set off yet because it was raining.


    When the rain subsided, Mu Jingzhe told the children to pack up and prepare to leave.


    Before leaving the vige, she ran into Mu Xue and Tang Moling.


    Mu Xue was holding an umbre and wearing a pale yellow dress and white sandals. She was taking Tang Moling to the car.


    In the drizzling rain, the handsome man and beautiful woman looked like a gorgeous painting.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the pleasing scene, then looked at herself.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was only when it rained that Mu Jingzhe realized that there was no umbre at home.


    During this time of the year, umbres were considered luxury goods by the vigers. Only Mu Xue had one.


    Every family in the vige used stic sheets that had previously been used to contain ureapound fertilizer as umbres and raincoats.


    The thing above Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head was a stic sheet, and it made a lot of noise when the rain fell on it.


    Upon looking down at her muddy wet pants and old shoes, Mu Jingzhe felt that she was an embarrassment to transmigrators everywhere.


    When other people transmigrated, they transformed into morous and well-loved characters that racked in big bucks and everything. She was the only transmigrator who had to work hard to make a living every day.


    After transmigrating here for so long, she didn¡¯t even own a dress or a pair of sandals.


    Before transmigrating, she used to be a worker. After transmigrating, she was still a worker.


    The vigers were still envious of her for earning money, but they had no idea how difficult it was to earn money here. Carrying those products and running around to negotiate business deals was no joke.


    Without her monstrous strength, she would have died from exhaustion.


    At the end of the day, this was simr to running a business, and she had to deal with countless cold faces. Fortunately, she had already trained herself to be thick-skinned.


    She had worked so hard and she stillcked money. She was indeed a supporting character.


    Look at the female protagonist, Mu Xue. She had been born smart and quick-witted. All she had to do was just wait for the male protagonist to love her and dote on her. Whatever she wanted to do, the male protagonist would be there to support and guide her through.


    She remembered that in the novel, Mu Xue seemed to have published some books midway and even opened a shopter on. However, she hadn¡¯t suffered, and all she did was wait elegantly to receive the money.


    Unlike her.


    Mu Jingzhe was envious, but that was it. She preferred to take things step by step.


    If she worked harder, life would get better and better in the future.


    After thinking about all these random things, in order to avoid any misunderstandings between the male and female lead, Mu Jingzhe pretended not to see them and quietly walked away.


    However, Mu Xue and Tang Moling had already seen her.


    Mu Xue had aplicated expression on her face. ¡°I heard that Mu Jingzhe sent the children to an art school in the county to study. She¡¯s really behaving like their mother now. She¡¯s being very responsible. She even went beyond what other parents do for their own children.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe¡¯s transformation to be so thorough andsting, that she would be so consistently good to the children and even manage to persist for so long.


    Tang Moling raised his brows, feeling very surprised. Mu Jingzhe actually had great foresight and knew how to develop the children¡¯s artistic talents.


    In spite of his curiosity, he said, ¡°Who cares what she¡¯s thinking? Let¡¯s not talk about her.¡±


    That was the only appropriate thing for him to say. Otherwise, Mu Xue would be unhappy again.


    Mu Jingzhe and the kids left first, but Tang Moling chased after them not long after they left the vige.


    Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe move with difficulty on her bicycle with the five children, Tang Moling frowned.


    He had previously believed that Mu Jingzhe had deliberately said those words in order to attract his attention. He had even decided to ignore her in the future and make her give up on her own.


    Unexpectedly, he had been given no chance to ignore her. During this period, whenever he had run into Mu Jingzhe, she had never looked for him. Instead, she had avoided him like the gue.


    Tang Moling felt ufortable. He suddenly suspected his conclusion had been wrong.


    Was she really not ying hard to get?


    Tang Moling looked at her pathetic back as she tried her best to ride the bicycle. He suddenly wanted to confirm her intentions.


    ¡°Do you want a ride?¡± Tang Moling stuck out his head and offered her a ride.


    Mu Jingzhe had seen his car. Due to the narrow roads, she had stopped the bike to give way to him. She froze in surprise at the sudden offer.


    ¡°A ride?¡±


    Seeing the genuine surprise on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, Tang Moling narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not easy to ride a bike in this weather.¡±


    He was momentarily frustrated after those words came out of his mouth, but when he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reaction, his frustration ceased.


    He wanted to see if she was deliberately ignoring him to attract his attention.


    If she was doing this on purpose, he would pretend to be attracted to her. When she revealed her true colors, he would say those awful words back to her and show her how it felt to be despised.


    Tang Moling gave her a perfect smile. ¡°Get in quickly. You don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the children and made up her mind. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    It was probably because she hadn¡¯t been up to any mischief recently that this future cousin-inw of hers had shown mercy and taken pity on her.


    That was fine. After all, he would be her cousin-inw in the future.


    It would be good to improve her rtionship with the male and female protagonist.


    None of the kids objected.


    After all, they were still children, so they were very curious about cars.


    This was their first time sitting in a car.


    Previously, when there had been fewer people around, they had secretly gone to take a look. However, they didn¡¯t dare approach, afraid that they would bump into the car or scratch it and have no money topensate the owner.


    The five kids got down from the bike and stood a little awkwardly. They looked down at their shoes and pants, feeling a little hesitant.


    Tang Moling could tell. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Get in the car.¡±


    After driving to the vige, it was inevitable that the car would get dirty. It wouldn¡¯t take them long to get there anyway.


    Only then did the five kids smile.


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement. She pulled at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes and asked, ¡°Auntie, can I sit in the front?¡±


    She felt that sitting in the front was very impressive. Thest time she had gone to the joint performance, she had seen some students sitting in the front passenger seat.


    Tang Moling frowned slightly when he heard that. He didn¡¯t like having children by his side, nor did he like having people sitting in the front passenger seat, as they would either be overly nervous or overly rxed.


    The overly nervous ones would shout and scream. As for the overly rxed ones, they would touch the car here and there. Sometimes, they would be so enthusiastic that they would force him to eat or even tug at him.


    Upon recalling these experiences, Tang Moling was about to speak.


    However, he then heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°No, Little Bei. Children can¡¯t sit in the passenger seat. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Then Auntie, you sit there and I¡¯ll sit on yourp.¡± Little Bei¡¯s form of address became increasingly intimate.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do either. It¡¯s dangerous for an adult to hold a child in the front.¡± Mu Jingzhe continued to shake her head.


    In the end, Shao Dong sat in the back with Little Bei on hisp.


    There weren¡¯t enough seats, so Mu Jingzhe, the biggest person among them, sat in the front.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t have to waste his breath, Tang Moling heaved a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 48 - Unexpected

    <h4>Chapter 48: Unexpected</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    When they got on the road, Tang Moling felt more at ease.


    He couldn¡¯t open the window because it was raining, so as time passed, the window would begin to get foggy. He wanted to get a towel, but Mu Jingzhe consciously wiped it away to prevent the mist from fogging up his vision.


    When some leaves fell on the rearview mirror, without needing him to say anything, she opened the car window and removed them.


    When he felt thirsty and wanted to retrieve the teacup to drink some water, Mu Jingzhe saw that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll help you. Just focus on driving.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe removed the lid from the teacup and handed it to him. After he finished drinking, she covered it and ced it back.


    Anyway¡­ he didn¡¯t have to worry about anything.


    As Mu Jingzhe moved, Tang Moling could detect a faint fragrance at the tip of his nose. It smelled like soap, but it also didn¡¯t feel like it. It was a little arousing.


    The children rxed halfway through the journey and asked many questions about cars. Mu Jingzhe, who knew a lot, answered simply. If she asionally encountered strange and unconstrained questions that she couldn¡¯t answer, she would honestly say that she didn¡¯t know either.


    Their way of interacting and their conversation surprised Tang Moling.


    Didn¡¯t adults have to pretend to understand everything in front of children even if they didn¡¯t know anything? Or shouldn¡¯t the adults find some excuse and scold the children for asking the questions they didn¡¯t have an answer for?


    Why was Mu Jingzhe so calm?


    Besides, the content of their conversation had exceeded Tang Moling¡¯s expectations. Why was it that as they talked, the range of the topics became wider and wider? Later on, they even started talking about dimensions and natural phenomena. There were all sorts of subjects, some of which even he didn¡¯t know about.


    He actually didn¡¯t know these things?


    Was this possible?


    Who was he? Who were these bumpkins? They were only a few years old!


    Tang Moling was surprised.


    Then, they continued to astonish him.


    When they were close to the county city, they started memorizing poems and textbooks. Later on, they even yed an idiom game.


    Shao Xi answered the most questions and was the fastest. Even when Little Bei dug out the dictionary from her bag, she couldn¡¯t beat him.


    The dictionary was the reward Shao Xi had wanted after he¡¯d received the first royalties.


    The five siblings finally had their own dictionary. When they had nothing to do, they would read the dictionary and learn idioms.


    Later on, by the time they started revising the foreignnguage they had learned and began singing alphabet songs, he already felt numb.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they just start learning?¡± the numb Tang Moling asked Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Is it that easy to learn foreignnguages?¡±


    It was a little different from what he thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for ordinary people, but not for them.¡± Mu Jingzhe shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re smart.¡±


    She knew that they had learned the alphabet, so she had taught them to sing the alphabet song. They had immediately mastered it.


    Tang Moling took them to the county city.


    Although it was raining, the art school was still lively. It was even livelier than before. There was also a group of observers there.


    Mu Jingzhe and the children arrivedte and were busy getting to ss, so they didn¡¯t notice them. They only thought that they were parents who were there to visit.


    After Mu Jingzhe took them to ss, she turned around and saw Ji Buwang.


    When Ji Buwang saw her, his eyes lit up like light bulbs that had suddenly been turned on.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s scalp instantly turned numb.


    Because Ji Buwang could only see her face, he was very happy every time he saw her. She could understand that.


    However, every time she came, he would look for her and keep staring at her. She couldn¡¯t quite take it.


    She had thought that she would be able to avoid it today.


    s, that was not the case.


    ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re here. I was wondering if you wouldn¡¯te because of the rain today.¡±


    ¡°Of course we came. We can¡¯t hold up the children¡¯s lessons because of the rain.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded with an awkward smile.


    Ji Buwang looked at her expression. ¡°Jingzhe, this expression¡­ Did you not want to see me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    There it was again.


    He studied her expression once more.


    The thing was, he was always spot-on.


    While facing Ji Buwang, Mu Jingzhe felt like she was facing a facial micro-expression expert.


    She took a deep breath and looked at Ji Buwang expressionlessly and coldly. ¡°Take a guess?¡±


    That¡¯s right, she didn¡¯t really want to see him.


    She didn¡¯t hate Ji Buwang, but it was stressful to be scrutinized like this.


    Ji Buwangughed and then quickly apologized. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t making fun of you, Jingzhe. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I was just really happy.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t see other people¡¯s faces, not even his own, so he couldn¡¯t distinguish between beauty and ugliness. In any case, in his opinion, Mu Jingzhe was the most beautiful person.


    She was as pretty as his mother.


    On Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, he could also see all sorts of expressions.


    He didn¡¯t know if others were like Mu Jingzhe, always wearing all sorts of expressions and smiles, but in any case, Mu Jingzhe was the cutest.


    Her emotional reactions, smiles, and various expressions were all so fascinating.


    Every time he saw Mu Jingzhe, he would unlock new expressions. It was extremely interesting.


    However, he had never seen what crying looked like.


    ¡°Jingzhe, when are you going to cry? Can you cry?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Listen to him. How demanding was this? Not only did he want to study her, but now he wanted her to cry?


    Mu Jingzhe refused heartlessly. ¡°No.¡±


    Ji Buwang said regretfully, ¡°Alright, remember to call me when you want to cry in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Get lost.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Jingzhe, don¡¯t be angry,¡± Ji Buwang hurriedly said.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t leave yet. I have something to tell you today.¡±


    Ji Buwang started talking about serious business with Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Shao Zhong is really talented in music. He has an absolute sense of music, and his future is limitless.¡±


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected to chance upon such a good seedling.


    There were very few musical instruments in this school. With his ability, he could totally learn more musical instruments.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally knew how awesome Shao Zhong was, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll work hard to allow him to studyter.¡±


    She would earn more money!


    A trace of doubt shed past Ji Buwang¡¯s face. ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you this because I have something to discuss with you. We can let him learn more musical instruments, and I can help to provide them. I have quite a few at home.¡±


    ¡°At your home?¡±


    ¡°Right, they¡¯re just piling dust at home anyway. We might as well let them be of use.¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded and took out a piece of paper. ¡°I¡¯ve counted what we have at home. If you agree, I¡¯ll bring them all for Shao Zhong to learn them. The other students can use them too.¡±


    Therefore, after the piano, Ji Buwang was going to bring yet more musical instruments to school.


    Mu Jingzhe numbly took a look at the list.


    It was really quite aplete set. There were Western instruments, like violin, cello, guitars, harps, and even drums, as well as traditional Chinese musical instruments, like yangqin, guzheng, and pipa.


    ¡°Do you have all these at home?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was astonished.


    ¡°Yes, if you agree, I¡¯ll get someone to bring them over.¡± Ji Buwang naturally wanted Mu Jingzhe to bring the children to his house to learn, but he didn¡¯t dare push his luck.


    ¡°Is it convenient?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ji Buwang said that there was nothing inconvenient about it. ¡°There are also enough music ssrooms. If you agree, I¡¯ll call home and have them brought over.¡±


    Ji Buwang even had a phone installed at home.


    ¡°What a rich family.¡± Mu Jingzhe raised her thumb and made a joke before thanking him seriously.


    ¡°Thank you, Ji Buwang. Xiao Wu was fortunate to meet you.¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°I¡¯m lucky I met you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    So¡­ mushy.

 Chapter 49 - Marry Her?

    <h4>Chapter 49: Marry Her?</h4>


    Next, Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang waited for the instruments to be sent over from his home.


    The person who brought the musical instruments was an old man with white hair. Ji Buwang called him Uncle Li. He was supposed to be the butler.


    Uncle Li instructed his men to carry the musical instruments and secretly observed Mu Jingzhe without her knowing.


    Ever since Little Master had woken up, he had seemed to lose his interest in everything. He¡¯d even hidden in his hometown and hadn¡¯t gone back.


    Old Master Ji had gone from delighted to worried, fretting that something had happened to his grandson.


    However, ever since the beginning of the month, the Little Master had beenpletely different. He was no longer dazed and bored. Instead, he was filled with hope.


    He had asked around and found out that the Little Master had met a girl whose face he could see.


    Uncle Li was so thrilled that he hadn¡¯t been able to fall asleep that night.


    Later on, he had seen his young master chase after the youngdy. He¡¯d started getting busy and had even be a teacher at some art school.


    Uncle Li had always wanted to see this girl.


    He finally got to see her today.


    At first nce, he was a little surprised.


    She waspletely different from what he had imagined.


    She had such short hair that if someone didn¡¯t know, they might think that she was a nun returning to the secr world.


    However, it looked very refreshing.


    Previously, because Little Master had been sick, he hadn¡¯t wanted to get married and have children. He felt that since he wouldn¡¯t even be able to see his wife and children¡¯s faces, getting married would be too irresponsible. Also, he didn¡¯t want to pass this illness on to his children.


    That was why he had said that he didn¡¯t want to get married.


    Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t force him either, but he had always been very sad. However, ever since this youngdy had appeared, the Little Young Master had changed. From time to time, he would mention her, and his eyes would sparkle.


    Both he and Old Master Ji suspected that he had fallen for that girl. He hade here with a purpose today¡ªto take a look at the youngdy and report to the Old Master after observing her.


    Though Uncle Li observed her in a subtle manner, Mu Jingzhe could still sense it.


    Was it their family tradition to observe people?


    Ji Buwang kept staring at her, and Uncle Li also kept looking at her.


    Mu Jingzhe greeted Ji Buwang and found an excuse to go to the bathroom.


    ¡°Uncle Li, why do you keep looking at Jingzhe? Jingzhe ran away because of you.¡±


    Ji Buwang was helpless.


    Uncle Li smiled awkwardly. ¡°Well, I only took a few more nces because it¡¯s my first time meeting her.¡±


    He lowered his voice. ¡°Buwang, what are you thinking? Do you know her well?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Uncle Li was anxious. ¡°If you like her, you have to ask around. Otherwise, good girls are snatched by others.¡±


    Ji Buwang paused. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about this yet¡­¡±


    He simply liked to look at her face and wanted to be with her often.


    ¡°Young Master, if you don¡¯t think about it now, what are you going to do if she gets married?¡±


    Uncle Li was so anxious that he¡¯d blurted out the words ¡®Young Master¡¯. ¡°If she gets married, you won¡¯t be able to see her anymore. Her husband won¡¯t let you either. Do you want to never see her again?¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°Uncle Li, you have a point.¡±


    He felt very ufortable thinking about Mu Jingzhe marrying another man. He was reluctant.


    He didn¡¯t want to be unable to see Mu Jingzhe either. He wanted to keep looking at her for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Uncle Li, what should I do? Should I¡­ marry her?¡±


    When he thought about it, it would be great if Mu Jingzhe married him and stayed with him every day.


    Ji Buwang smiled.


    Uncle Li smiled too.


    It seemed like the young master really liked that girl. He could go back and report this to the Old Master. Then, he could prepare the marriage proposal. This was a big deal.


    Uncle Li even thought of his young master having a few kids after marriage.


    As he had these joyful thoughts, he heard Ji Buwang¡¯s puzzled voice.


    ¡°But Uncle Li, Jingzhe has married someone before. She also has five children.¡±


    Uncle Li¡¯s mind exploded. ¡°What?¡±


    She was married and had five children?


    Uncle Li was dumbfounded. He raised his voice subconsciously. ¡°When did this happen? Where are the children? That¡¯s not right. How is it possible that she has five children at such a young age?¡±


    She looked like a youngdy.


    Uncle Li then conjured up an image of his young master being beaten up by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s husband because he was pestering his wife.


    Little Master was really pitiful.


    This would not do.


    ¡°The children aren¡¯t her biological children. They belong to the man she married previously. Her husband is gone, and she¡¯s raising those five children alone now.¡±


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t investigated Mu Jingzhe behind her back, but he knew what was basically going on by observing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s interactions with the five children.


    Uncle Li: ¡°¡­¡±


    There was too much information, and he needed time to digest it.


    Firstly, Mu Jingzhe was married, but her husband was gone.


    So¡­ his young master had taken a fancy to a young widow?


    Uncle Li was stunned.


    These words were a little harsh, but it was also the truth.


    Uncle Li was sad. Given the young master¡¯s situation, the Old Master no longer emphasized a good match in terms of family background, nor did he have requirements for the girl¡¯s family background or anything.


    However, although their requirements were very low¡­ she couldn¡¯t be a young widow, could she?


    No matter what, this was a little forced.


    Sigh.


    Before leaving, Uncle Li looked at Mu Jingzhe with aplicated gaze.


    This girl was quite capable. Even though she had been married and was taking care of five children, she had managed to attract the Young Master¡¯s attention.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°???¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but tremble. ¡°Ji Buwang, why is your Uncle Li¡¯s gaze so strange? It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve defiled something that belongs to his family.¡±


    If she wasn¡¯t certain that she was a woman, she would have suspected that she had be a pig and gone to Uncle Li¡¯s house to gobble up his cabbages.


    ¡°He¡¯s always been like that. Just ignore him.¡±


    When Ji Buwang saw Mu Jingzhe, his gaze finally became less direct and he stopped staring.


    This was because he was now thinking about asking Mu Jingzhe to be his wife.


    These thoughts made him feel a little shy.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice the change in his attitude. Upon seeing themotion outside, she knew that the ss was over and quickly went to pick up the children.


    Shao Dong and the boys were there, but Little Bei had been called away by the dance teacher.


    ¡°She was called away before the first ss ended.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go pick up Little Bei.¡±


    When they arrived at the dance ssroom, they saw that it was crowded and noisy.


    Before they even got close, they heard a voice.


    ¡°How can you steal things? Do you know how much this pocket watch is worth? Her father brought this back from Ocean City.¡±


    ¡°I did not steal it!¡±


    This tearful defense made Mu Jingzhe frown. This voice sounded familiar.


    She couldn¡¯t help but speed up.


    ¡°It must be you. You¡¯re the poorest student in our ss, and you can¡¯t even afford sandals. Look at how you dirtied our ssroom.¡±


    ¡°All our parents have watches, but your mother doesn¡¯t. That¡¯s why you stole the pocket watch.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in the same ss with a thief. Can you kick her out, Teacher?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly walked over and happened to see Little Bei pounce on a little girl with braids wearing a little dress. ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t!¡±


    Little Bei pounced forward and pped the little girl¡¯s mouth. ¡°Who told you to spout nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Why are you hitting people like that?!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t children without a father all so ill-bred? You have no manners, you hit people randomly, and you even steal things.¡±


    The teacher wanted to persuade her to stop, but the girl¡¯s parent stepped forward, wanting to kick Little Bei.


    She was even wearing high heels, which were a rare sight in that period. Her eyes were filled with ruthlessness, and her entire face was exerting force.


    One could imagine the oue of such a kick.


    As the teacher gasped in shock, the parent in the high heels was sent flying by another kick.


    She was kicked three meters away.


    Mu Jingzhe retracted her foot and picked up Little Bei with an icy expression.

 Chapter 50 - Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 50: Counterattack</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Little Bei to be the one surrounded, criticized, and bullied.


    Upon sensing that Little Bei was trembling, Mu Jingzhe was furious.


    The parent in the high heels who had been kicked away felt like she had been kicked away by a powerful force. Her entire body hurt, and she couldn¡¯t get up for a moment.


    The arrogant tone she had used previously was now filled with exasperation.


    ¡°This is absurd. How can she hit people like that!¡±


    Everyone pointed at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±


    ¡°Why are you kicking people around¡­¡±


    ¡°You are the one who started it. Plus, you were doing it to a child!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth. ¡°How dare you sound so self-righteous when you were bullying a child!¡±


    ¡°Your child is a thief!¡± High Heels stood up angrily. ¡°You must be her parent, huh. Look at what your child did.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t polite at all. ¡°Your child is the one who stole. My child definitely wouldn¡¯t!¡±


    Little Bei, who was being hugged by Mu Jingzhe, finally calmed down after hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. She then spoke to her.


    ¡°I put my school bag over there. When I was about to leave, they suddenly imed that their pocket watch was missing. They then suspected that it was me and searched my bag, but I didn¡¯t steal it.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes were red as she gritted her teeth.


    Little Bei¡¯s appearance resembled a video Mu Jingzhe had seen before she had transmigrated. In it, a little girl was gnashing her teeth in anger and trembling.


    At the time, she had only thought it was cute, but seeing Little Bei like this only made her feel heartache.


    ¡°I believe you, Little Bei. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stroked her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of believing her? There¡¯s solid evidence¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no conclusive evidence. You im the evidence is conclusive just because you found it in her bag? Are you a police officer? Is whatever you say thew?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe interrupted her. ¡°What era is this? Why is there a need to use such a vulgar method? Isn¡¯t it shameful?¡±


    ¡°The thing was found in her bag!¡± High Heels insisted.


    ¡°She did not steal it!¡± Mu Jingzhe seemed angry. She hugged Little Bei and ran over to push the parent.


    ¡°What are you doing? If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Before High Heels could finish, Mu Jingzhe took a big step back and started shouting.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my wallet? I lost my wallet!¡±


    Before High Heels could react, Mu Jingzhe pointed at her pocket and shouted, ¡°My wallet! You stole my wallet!¡±


    High Heels waspletely stunned. She took out her wallet with trembling hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t! You put it in yourself!¡±


    ¡°I took it out of your pocket, and you still want to deny it? What did your parents teach you? Did you have a father to teach you or not? At your age, isn¡¯t it shameful to steal a wallet in front of so many people, including children?¡±


    Like a machine gun, Mu Jingzhe threw the woman¡¯s words back at her.


    She then looked at the stunned teacher. ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m worried that my children will be led astray bying into contact with such a parent. Please get them to scram.¡±


    Teacher: ¡°¡­¡±


    High Heels was so angry that her face turned red. ¡°You rogue, you put this in my pocket just now. I didn¡¯t touch it at all! You¡¯re ndering me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just imitating you!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sneered. Yes, she had deliberately ced the wallet in the parent¡¯s pocket while she was pushing her.


    She was giving her a taste of her own medicine.


    ¡°You used this method to deal with Little Bei. I¡¯m just paying you back in kind!¡±


    High Heels trembled from rage. ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°You feel angry, disgusted, and aggrieved, huh? This is exactly how we feel right now!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed and looked at the surrounding people who had helped the wicked parent perpetuate evil deeds, as well as at the students who had shouted at Little Bei earlier.


    The little girl with the braids stared at her in a daze. Those who had scolded Little Bei earlier also looked at her, unable to react.


    Mu Jingzhe looked around.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve lost something, the first thing you should do is look around for it. If you can¡¯t find it, the best solution is to call the police and let them handle it, not search everyone. After all, you¡¯re not qualified to search other people!


    ¡°After you call the police, only they have the right to search when theye. We will find out whether the items were really stolen or whether someone is being framed as long as we investigate seriously. There are no identical fingerprints in this world. Whether Little Bei touched the pocket watch or not will be revealed very soon.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at High Heels. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance. Do you want to apologize, or do you want to call the police?¡±


    High Heels turned pale and couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Scared? Afraid that the police will expose everything?¡± Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to call the police, exin this clearly. Apologize to Little Bei and clear her name!¡±


    High Heels couldn¡¯t lift her head under everyone¡¯s gazes. If she wanted her to admit that she had framed a little girl, she might as well kill her.


    She wanted to leave, but Mu Jingzhe blocked her way.


    Not daring to look at her daughter or her daughter¡¯s ssmates, she gritted her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s gone overboard!¡± Mu Jingzhe pointed at her daughter. ¡°Now you feel shame and don¡¯t dare say it. Are you afraid of facing your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± High Heels couldn¡¯t take it and screamed.


    She opened her mouth to make a scene, but the teacher suddenly exploded. ¡°Enough!¡±


    The teacher had been at a loss and hadn¡¯t been able to stop the woman, but if she didn¡¯t speak up now, even she would look down on herself.


    She looked at High Heels and asked, ¡°Did you frame Shao Bei because of the people from the TV station?¡±


    High Heels¡¯ words were stuck in her throat. She wanted to deny it, but the teacher wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°You heard the news in advance and made preparations. However, the people from the broadcasting station only looked at Shao Bei and didn¡¯t spare your daughter a nce. Is that why you framed Shao Bei?¡±


    The expression on High Heels¡¯ face changed drastically.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face fell. ¡°So you didn¡¯t frame her for no reason?¡±


    The teacher took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s the reason. I¡¯m sorry, the school didn¡¯t do a good job.¡±


    She apologized to Mu Jingzhe.


    The people who Mu Jingzhe had thought were the students¡¯ parents turned out to be people from the broadcasting station. They were from the children¡¯s channel and often needed little dancers and actors. They also needed them for gs or performances, so they hade to look for potential seedlings.


    If Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t brought the kids to school today because of the rain, they would have missed this opportunity.


    Instead of missing the opportunity, they had merely not been informed of this because of theirte arrival.


    However, the woman in the high heels who had framed Little Bei had known about it. She had known about the news in advance and even prepared for it. She had made her daughter dress up nicely because she wanted her to be the most eye-catching child.


    In the end, she had still not been as eye-catching as the simply-dressed Little Bei.


    Little Bei was the cutest and most eye-catching child. She had stolen the limelight from her daughter. High Heels felt wretched and indignant about it.


    How could her daughter notpare to that little girl from the vige?


    Because she had been determined to win, because she was used to being high and mighty and felt that as long as Little Bei left, her daughter would no longer have anypetitors and would definitely be chosen, High Heels had immediately made a move and ced the pocket watch in Little Bei¡¯s bag when no one had been paying attention to frame her for stealing it.


    The television station would definitely not want a thief.


    High Heels¡¯ n was well-thought-out, so she hadn¡¯t been afraid at all. She felt that it didn¡¯t matter even if they found out she was behind all this.


    Shao Bei¡¯s family had no power or influence, and she was poorly dressed too. High Heels wasn¡¯t afraid at all, so she had deliberately bullied her.


    However, something unexpected had happened¡ªMu Jingzhe.

 Chapter 51 - Crying

    <h4>Chapter 51: Crying</h4>


    After Mu Jingzhe discovered the reason, she sneered at the dodging woman in the high heels.


    ¡°Is this the example you¡¯re setting for your daughter? Instead of asking her to focus on learning and work hard, you¡¯re teaching her to use vicious methods. Do you have a grudge against your daughter?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t see any maternal love in High Heels¡¯ ways.


    This was harming the child.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for her own good!¡± High Heels refused to give in. ¡°Our family is well-off, so why can¡¯t I do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a force to be reckoned with in the county. You¡¯re capable, but there¡¯s always someone better than you. If you encounter someone you can¡¯t deal with in the future, are you going to deal with them like this? Or are you going to just kill them? Aren¡¯t you afraid that your daughter will imitate you and end up like you, stinking inside out and rotting in jail?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was destroying her mentality right now.


    High Heels couldn¡¯t retort.


    She wanted to say that she would deal with the obstacle in front of her first and think about itter.


    However, when she saw her daughter¡¯s horrified gaze, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say that out loud.


    This time, she waspletely defeated.


    Utterly shamed. Aplete failure.


    The teacher heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Mu Jingzhe, who was speaking her mind for her. A hint of admiration shed across her eyes as she looked at everyone and spoke solemnly.


    ¡°Did you see what happened today? Shao Bei was framed. I hope this won¡¯t happen again. If this happens again, you will just leave. Our school doesn¡¯t dare keep such students.¡±


    The parents and students who had helped attack Little Bei previously were embarrassed.


    Not everyone was necessarily snobbish or tried to curry favor with those in power. However, most of the time, they would still follow people with a higher status, or they would not dare go against them and would simply watch from the sidelines to protect themselves.


    The teacher could understand that too, but she added, ¡°You have to put an end to this kind of thing in the future. Otherwise, although the person who was framed today was Shao Bei, your child may be next tomorrow. You don¡¯t want to see this happen, right? In order to avoid such a situation, everyone should actively condemn such incidents to stop them from happening again.¡±


    Everyone turned solemn.


    That¡¯s right. If someone had deliberately framed the child because the people from the broadcasting station hade today, then the perpetrator would also have the chance to do so in the future. If their child performed well and stood in their way, would their child fall victim to such a plot too?


    The adults who had been on High Heels¡¯ side just a moment ago immediately moved away from her and pulled their children to their side.


    High Heels had swapped ces with Little Bei and was now isted and helpless, criticized by everyone.


    ¡°Apologize to Shao Bei.¡±


    The teacher voiced her final request.


    How could High Heels be willing to do that? Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, her daughter burst into tears.


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    Upon seeing her mother get criticized, the little girl felt afraid.


    One second, she was like the moon surrounded by a myriad of stars, and the next, she was all alone. Unable to take it, she¡¯d immediately burst into tears.


    High Heels picked up her daughter and didn¡¯t dare deny it anymore. No matter how unwilling she was, she could only apologize to Little Bei.


    Only then did Little Bei, who had been trembling, calm down.


    The murderous look in the eyes of Shao Dong and his siblings, who had been staring at them and killing them with their gazes, lessened a little.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe withplicated expressions.


    Mu Jingzhe had protected them again. Once more, she had protected their younger sister.


    Xiao Wu only had admiration and relief in his eyes. When he saw the little girl look over, he even waved his tiny fist and bared his teeth in a threatening manner.


    The little girl pouted in grievance.


    But this was nothing.


    While her mother carried her away, she looked at her ssmates who were close to her, but none of them looked at her.


    Their mothers repeatedly warned them not to y with her anymore and even scared them.


    ¡°Stay away from her in the future, okay? Otherwise, you¡¯ll be a thief.¡±


    ¡°Stop ying with her, or you¡¯ll be a thief before you know it. She and her mother will corrupt you.¡±


    High Heels stiffened when she heard that, whereas her daughter wailed in grievance.


    However, no one came forward to console them.


    Later on, the little girl wouldn¡¯t have any friends when she came to school again. The pocket watch she liked to use to frame others would get smashed in the toilet the next day. No one would know who broke it.


    Due to her mother¡¯s extreme actions, her daughter would face the consequences and bepletely isted at school. This would even have adverse effects on her husband.


    After this, the little girl would nevere to the art school again.


    This would all happen in the future.


    After the dispute was settled, the teacher apologized to Mu Jingzhe and said that she hadn¡¯t done a good job.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t vent her anger on her. Instead, she picked up Little Bei and led the children out of the school.


    When there was no one around, Little Bei, who had held back her tears despite how angry or aggrieved she was because she didn¡¯t want to go against her father¡¯s teachings or be belittled, couldn¡¯t help but cry in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warm embrace while hearing herforting voice.


    ¡°Boohoo¡­ I¡¯m so scared¡­ Boohoo¡­¡±


    The five-year-old girl had endured this for too long and finally burst into tears.


    Tears rolled down her face.


    However, she still remembered her father¡¯s words, so she didn¡¯t cry out loud and merely sobbed in a restrained manner.


    Compared to wailing, this kind of sobbing was even more heartbreaking.


    With red eyes, Shao Dong and the others clenched their fists tightly. They wanted tofort her but were clumsy and didn¡¯t know how to go about it. They could only swear that they would grow up and protect their younger sister in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was consoling Little Bei, couldn¡¯t help but tear up as well.


    ¡°Little Bei, stop crying. It¡¯s all my fault. If I had kept an eye on you, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Little Bei was still crying. With teary eyes, she used her little hands to wipe Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tears andfort her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached even more.


    The two of them hugged each other and cried.


    Upon seeing them cry, Xiao Wu also started crying.


    Shao Dong bit his lips tightly, and his eyes were red.


    Shao Xi clenched his fist andforted her stiffly. ¡°Stop crying.¡±


    Ruthlessness shed across Shao Nan¡¯s eyes. He pinched himself to stop his tears from falling.


    Ji Buwang, who waste and couldn¡¯t catch up, quickly chased after them when he heard what had happened.


    What he saw made him freeze in ce.


    Just a moment ago, he had thought it was a pity that he hadn¡¯t yet gotten to see Mu Jingzhe cry.


    Now that he could see it, he hoped he would never see it again.


    It turned out that crying was a terrible thing.


    He wished he could p himself.


    Why would he say something like that to her?


    Seeing her cry once was enough.


    He hoped that he wouldn¡¯t have to see this ever again.


    Ji Buwang closed his eyes and didn¡¯t disturb them.


    *****


    After calming down from crying, Mu Jingzhe felt ufortable all over and didn¡¯t dare look at the kids.


    This was way too embarrassing.


    How old was she to cry in front of these children?


    How embarrassing.


    It was only because she was so thick-skinned that she didn¡¯t run away.


    She didn¡¯t dare look at them, so she didn¡¯t notice that the way the kids were looking at her had really changed a lot.


    After eating the food she had brought from home and seeing that the rain had stopped, Mu Jingzhe made herself forget the embarrassing crying incident and told the children, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go buy sandals.¡±


    She had heard what the students had said previously.


    She had heard them say Little Bei was the poorest in their ss, she could not even afford sandals, and she was dirtying their ssroom.


    Wasn¡¯t it just a pair of sandals? They would buy one too.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the damp shoes on their feet and felt very upset.


    She felt that she wasn¡¯t doing enough.


    The ultimate reason behind today¡¯s incident was that Little Bei wasn¡¯t dressed well and had been bullied as a result.


    If she wore better clothes, they would think twice before bullying her.


    In that case, she had to work harder.

 Chapter 52 - Revenge for Mu Jingzhe

    <h4>Chapter 52: Revenge for Mu Jingzhe</h4>


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe mention sandals, the children looked down at their shoes.


    The shoes they were wearing were cloth shoes but not the rubber-sole kind.


    Rubber-sole cloth shoes and cloth shoes were the best shoes in the countryside, but sneakers were popr in the city.


    White, fashionable sneakers were more fashionable than rubber-sole cloth shoes. Everyone was proud to wear sneakers. Most of the students who came to the art school came from good families, so most of them wore sneakers.


    Last week, when Mu Jingzhe had discovered this, she had wanted to buy them for the kids. However, the children were unwilling and had said that their shoes were new and that she didn¡¯t have to buy them new ones.


    As they had yet to buy sneakers, the children were wearing cloth shoes in the rain.


    From the perspective ofter generations, these stic sandals weren¡¯t nice at all. They couldn¡¯tpare to the embroidered cloth shoes on Little Bei¡¯s feet. However, they were rare in this era, and many people were proud to own a pair of sandals.


    After all, they could make their own cloth shoes.


    Any other family¡¯s child would probably be overjoyed to hear that they would be getting sandals.


    However, none of the five children moved. They looked at each other for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°Just buy them for our sister. We¡¯re boys, so we don¡¯t wear sandals.¡±


    ¡°Right, there¡¯s no need to waste money.¡±


    ¡°Our shoes are still perfectly fine.¡±


    Even though they had heard those words earlier, they were sensible enough to decline and only wanted her to buy sandals for Little Bei.


    When Little Bei heard that, she added, ¡°No need. My shoes are still new.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Little Bei wasn¡¯t envious or sad, but she knew that they had to save money.


    Since her older brothers didn¡¯t want them, she didn¡¯t want them either.


    Mu Jingzhe felt even more upset upon hearing their response. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? All of you are going to wear them. It¡¯s really hot in the summer, so each person will buy a pair today. Don¡¯t refuse.¡±


    ¡°We really have no need for them. You don¡¯t have to waste money.¡± Shao Dong continued refusing.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a waste of money. It¡¯s only June now, and the real heat hasn¡¯t arrived yet. It¡¯s cooler to go around in a pair of sandals. Besides, there¡¯s a lot of rain in the summer, so you won¡¯t have to be afraid of getting your shoes wet when wearing sandals. If they get wet and dirty, you¡¯ll only have to rinse them. It¡¯s worth buying a pair.


    ¡°Otherwise, these cloth shoes will get ruined easily if they soak in the rainwater every day. You won¡¯t feel good wearing wet shoes, and it won¡¯t be worth it if you catch a cold identally.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe persuaded them as she pulled them along.


    Seeing that Shao Dong was still hesitating, she added, ¡°You can record the money spent on the sandals yourself.¡±


    She had seen Shao Dong secretly write down the expenses in the ounts book before. The amounts were clearly and seriously recorded, and he even wrote down the number of eggs they ate per week.


    He would remember every kindness she had shown them.


    When Shao Dong heard that, he finally nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    They might as well just buy them. That way, his younger siblings wouldn¡¯t be looked down upon anymore.


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard Shao Dong agree.


    When they arrived at the shoe shop, Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Pick a color and design you like and try them on to see if they fit.¡±


    The five children¡¯s eyes were sparkling as they looked around. The boss told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°They should buy one or two sizes bigger. This way, they can continue to wear them next year or even the year after that. These sandals are very sturdy and willst at least two to three years. When the older kids outgrow them, the sandals can be passed down to the younger kids.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knew that everyone in the vige was like that. If the sandals were damaged, the vigers would heat up a pair of tongs and try to repair them themselves. It might affect their aesthetics a little, but it had no impact on their function.


    If the shoes became even more worn-out, the back could be cut off, and these sandals could then be worn as slippers. Then, they wouldst another two to three years.


    It was a very good deal.


    Little Bei quickly finished choosing. ¡°Auntie, I want this pair.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a look. It was an emerald-green pair of sandals.


    ¡°You want this color?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the other students have many pink, white, and yellow ones. There are very few green ones. You can tell at a nce that they¡¯re mine.¡± She wanted them to be unique.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Perhaps inspired by Little Bei, the male designs that Shao Dong and the boys chose were also green.


    Some of them were dark green, while others were a very deep shade of green. The reason they chose those was simr to Little Bei¡¯s¡ªthey wanted theirs to be different from everyone else¡¯s.


    Mu Jingzhe fell silent as she looked at the sea of green.


    They didn¡¯t know what the color green represented. Seeing that they liked them, Mu Jingzhe scratched her head. Nheless, after bargaining with the boss, she went ahead and paid for them.


    If they were green, so be it.


    After paying, Mu Jingzhe asked them to change into the sandals directly.


    ¡°Just give me the wet cloth shoes. I¡¯ll keep them for you.¡±


    The children obediently changed into their new sandals.


    Shao Dong kept saying that he was fine, but when he changed into his sandals, he realized that his cloth shoes were already wet. His feet were white and wrinkled after soaking in the wet shoes.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but frown. She thought for a moment and borrowed some hot water from thedy boss to wash his feet.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this in the future, okay? It¡¯s fine if you just catch a small cold, but it won¡¯t be good if you get an infection. The water on the ground is filled with bacteria and dirt.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe bent down to check Shao Dong¡¯s feet for any injuries.


    Shao Dong¡¯s body stiffened, and his ears turned red. ¡°No.¡±


    He had washed his younger siblings¡¯ faces and feet a lot from a young age, but since he could remember, no one had washed his feet for him.


    Although it was summer and it wasn¡¯t icy, his feet weren¡¯t feeling well from all that soaking. After washing them with hot water, he felt that his feet werefortable and warm, and even his heart started warming up.


    Shao Dong put on his shoes and followed Mu Jingzhe, unconsciously stepping on the ces she had stepped on.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was keeping an eye on Little Bei and Xiao Wu, who had regained consciousness, didn¡¯t notice his small movements.


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes were still red, but she was already smiling. She bounced up and down as she walked and kept looking down at her sandals.


    Xiao Wu did the same and kept chasing after her.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan weren¡¯t as expressive about their joy, but they couldn¡¯t help but lower their heads and look at the new sandals as well, the way children did.


    When ss started in the afternoon, the students realized that Little Bei had changed into sandals.


    When they spoke to Little Bei and praised her beautiful shoes, Little Bei snorted and ignored them.


    She was still holding a grudge.


    Then, a ssmate said, ¡°Little Bei, your mother is amazing. She even knows how to hit people. Does she know kung fu?¡±


    In the eyes of children, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s kick had been like a move out of a martial arts flick.


    When Little Bei heard that, she finally reacted. She snorted. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    She didn¡¯t deny that she was her ¡®mother¡¯.


    At the art school, most of her ssmates were brought to school by their parents or grandparents. Before she knew it, Little Bei rarely called Mu Jingzhe ¡®Auntie¡¯ in front of her ssmates.


    Because her ssmates had praised Mu Jingzhe, Little Bei finally spoke to them and told them how amazing Mu Jingzhe was¡ªthat she knew kung fu and could even beat up men.


    The man who had been beaten by her, Tang Moling, sneezed loudly from afar.


    Little Bei was holding a bragging convention.


    Elsewhere, Shao Xi and Shao Nan also heard someone mention Mu Jingzhe, but it wasn¡¯t anything pleasant.


    The people talking were a man and a woman. The woman had permed hair and was wearing a skirt. With her pinky curled up, she was heard saying that Mu Jingzhe was too shrewish and didn¡¯t look like a woman.


    The man was wearing a nice shirt and sses and looked like an intellectual. He nodded in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She doesn¡¯t look like a woman at all.¡±


    Shao Xi frowned when he heard that. He was about to speak when he saw Shao Nan take a step forward and suddenly reach out to pat the curly-haired woman¡¯s hip before stepping back and asking, ¡°Uncle, why did you touch Auntie?¡±


    The curly-haired woman, who suddenly felt someone touch her butt, heard his words amid her shock.


    She raised her hand and pped the bespectacled man. ¡°Pervert.¡±

 Chapter 53 - Showing Excessive Attention

    <h4>Chapter 53: Showing Excessive Attention</h4>


    The bespectacled man who was beaten up for no reason retorted, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? What pervert? What have I done?¡±


    ¡°You even have the cheek to ask!¡±


    The bespectacled man was positioned right next to where she had been patted. The curly-haired woman was very sure that he was the one who had fondled her. Not only was she furious, but her face was red. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone as shameless as you.¡±


    The bespectacled man also got mad. ¡°B*tch, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    The two of them got into a fight. Later on, they even talked about sending each other to the police station and stuff like that.


    Shao Nan had already pulled Shao Xi away.


    It hadn¡¯t rained in the afternoon, but it started raining again when ss ended.


    The bicycle had been ced in Tang Moling¡¯s trunk in the morning, so they could ride it back. However, he was afraid that the road would be difficult to travel and that she would fall while carrying so many people on the bicycle.


    Mu Jingzhe was worried that she would fall but didn¡¯t expect to meet Tang Moling again.


    ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll take you back.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was pleasantly surprised before she became vignt. ¡°That¡¯s too much trouble, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    It was fine when he had taken them there in the morning, but now that he was giving them a lift in the evening, could he be up to no good?


    Tang Moling looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vignt gaze and felt a knot form in his heart. He couldn¡¯t say that he was targeting her, so in order to dispel her suspicions, he said, ¡°I just quite like those children and don¡¯t want them to go through so many hardships. Get in the car.¡±


    The five kids: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®No, we don¡¯t feel your fondness for us at all. Not one bit.¡¯


    It was just a casual remark made by Tang Moling, but the children took a small step back when they heard it.


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    He was furious. ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you, do you? I¡¯m leaving then.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly spoke up. ¡°I just think it¡¯s too much trouble for you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that safety was more important and quickly took the children to the car.


    Tang Moling snorted. ¡°You could¡¯ve just gotten into the car when I asked. Do you think I¡¯ll sell you guys?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe casually replied as she packed up the stic sheet, ¡°No, I can knock you over with one punch.¡±


    Tang Moling felt like he was about to vomit blood.


    When the children heard this, they giggled secretly as they recalled the incident of Tang Moling being beaten up. They were no longer as restrained as they had been in the morning and they started telling Tang Moling about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s glorious kick today.


    ¡°Auntie is really amazing. She can flip a bad guy over with just one kick.¡±


    Xiao Wu waved his small fist. ¡°I want to be as powerful as you in the future.¡±


    Xiao Wu now spoke eloquently after not speaking all those years.


    ¡°You hit someone again?¡± Tang Moling clicked his tongue.


    After hearing what had happened, Tang Moling fell silent.


    He was recalling his childhood.


    He had also been wronged before. In a simr situation, he had been used of stealing the ss fund.


    Although he had been wronged, his stepmother had only hit him uponing and hadn¡¯t bothered defending him at all.


    Mu Jingzhe was also a stepmother, but she¡¯d trusted Little Bei without hesitation and protected her.


    Tang Moling felt an inexplicable sense of jealousy when he saw Little Bei, who remained carefree in the back seat and only cared about her sandals despite everything that had happened.


    She was lucky she had met a stepmother like Mu Jingzhe.


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he hadn¡¯t met a stepmother like Mu Jingzhe in the past.


    If only Mu Jingzhe had been his stepmother¡­ Bah!


    Tang Moling realized what he was thinking and couldn¡¯t help but spit.


    Why did he suddenly want Mu Jingzhe to be his stepmother?!


    Tang Moling shook his head and dismissed this crazy thought.


    Thisss was younger than him!


    Tang Moling¡¯s face darkened.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°???¡±


    He had been fine just a moment ago. Why was his face dark again?


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but move to the side. She winked at the children behind her and told them to be quiet and not to provoke the moody male protagonist.


    She didn¡¯t think much of it when she read novels or watched TV shows, but when facing the moody male protagonist, anyone other than the female protagonist was destined to meet a sad ending.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she had to be careful in the future and not ride in Tang Moling¡¯s car casually. Otherwise, it would be troublesome once the male protagonist acted up.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of Tang Moling, but she was afraid that he would anger her and she would feelpelled to teach him a lesson. With her skills, it would be troublesome if she really crippled him.


    The atmosphere in the car became quiet. It was peaceful and tranquil.


    Tang Moling was puzzled when he sensed it.


    Why had they suddenly stopped talking?


    Tang Moling had thought that he would be able to detect something by helping her, but it had turned out to be useless.


    After getting back to the vige, the children ran around in their new sandals, wanting everyone to see their new shoes.


    Everything was fine, except that the heels of their sandals would get stuck in rocks and mud. They¡¯d only worn them for a day, but when they returned, they used a rod to clean the sandals. Also¡­ the sandals rubbed against their feet.


    The material was stic, so of course it wasn¡¯t very soft. As a result, the sandals would unavoidably grind against their feet.


    It had only been a day, but the skin on Little Bei¡¯s heels was already scraped.


    ¡°Your skin is scraped. Don¡¯t wear the sandals for the time being.¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned.


    Little Bei shook her head. ¡°I need to wear them. They¡¯re so beautiful. Besides, this happens to everyone.¡±


    For the sake of beauty, Little Bei wasn¡¯t afraid of getting her skin scraped.


    However, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t let Little Bei go on like this. She racked her brains to think of a way to keep the shoes from rubbing against their feet.


    When the other children in the vige saw that Little Bei and her siblings had bought sandals, they also wanted to buy some. This started a sandal trend.


    Meanwhile, there were new developments regarding Bai Qiang and the gang.


    Bai Qiang kept making a fuss. If Li Tao¡¯s parents refused to give him money, he would go to their house to cause trouble. For the sake of their peace, they had no choice but to give him the money.


    After getting the money, Bai Qiang became even more self-righteous. Maybe it was because the sessful extortion had given him courage, but in the end, he actually came to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    He demanded that Mu Jingzhe take in his younger sister and pay her a monthly sry.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally wouldn¡¯t do as she was told, so he made a fuss and imed that the reason Li Tao had run away was Mu Jingzhe. In the past, Li Tao had been obedient. It was Mu Jingzhe who had made her ambitious.


    As the saying goes, ¡®He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick¡¯. He was just trying to extort money.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t hit him at first and only scolded him. She wasn¡¯t afraid of him.


    Later on, Bai Qiang even wanted to block her way and stop Mu Jingzhe from delivering her goods. He also found some hooligans to cause Mu Jingzhe trouble.


    In their eyes, Mu Jingzhe was a widow, and they could punish her however they wanted.


    In the end¡­ they found themselves in a miserable state.


    They were taught a good lesson by Mu Jingzhe.


    News of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s monstrous strength had been circting in the vige, especially among those who had been taught a lesson by Mu Jingzhe, such as Zhao Lan.


    However, because Mu Jingzhe kept a low profile and would usually smile when she saw people, no one took it seriously. They doubted how strong a girl could be and simply dismissed those rumors as exaggerations fabricated by Zhao Lan and the others.


    Bai Qiang and the others were ill-informed too, which was why they ended up in this plight.


    They tried their best to block off her blows, but to no avail. The few of them were beaten until they wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves, begging for mercy.


    Then, they saw that therge rock that they had summoned all their strength to lift had been casually shoved aside by Mu Jingzhe.


    Shoved aside¡­


    Overwhelmed by fear, Bai Qiang and the hooligans fled immediately.


    Hearing themotion, the vigers came to watch but swallowed their saliva and left.


    From that day onward, the vigers finally knew how powerful Mu Jingzhe was.


    After Bai Qiang recuperated from his wounds, he toned it down.


    Mu Jingzhe had also received urate news from the dance teacher of the art school.


    Little Bei had been chosen to dance for the television station.


    Although she would only be a backup dancer, it was nheless a dream opportunity for many people.


    With this opportunity, more and more opportunities woulde in the future, and things would get increasingly better.


    The art school in the county had chosen ten children.


    The little girl fromst time was one of the ten children selected, but after the fiasco created by her mother, the broadcasting station didn¡¯t dare take her anymore and reced her with another student.

 Chapter 54 - The Bigwigs Treat Me Really Well

    <h4>Chapter 54: The Bigwigs Treat Me Really Well</h4>


    The teacher said that she would teach them how to dance this weekend. In order to facilitate their progress, it would be best if she coulde over on Saturday and get in more practice.


    She was going to the television station next week to dance. They were asked to wear blue clothes then, preferably dresses.


    She could just wear her own dress if it was appropriate. However, if it wasn¡¯t and the broadcasting station didn¡¯t have any suitable costumes for her, she might be rejected.


    This was because the costumes at the television station were limited.


    The teacher told them to bring along the costume when they came to ss so that she could take a look.


    Compared to theter generations, the conditions were much more arduous for performers in this era.


    Mu Jingzhe understood.


    The teacher specifically informed Mu Jingzhe because Little Bei¡¯s situation was very special.


    The other chosen children were all children from the county city who coulde to practice after ss every day. Only Little Bei went to school in the vige and only had the chance to attend dance practice on the weekend.


    She liked Little Bei a lot and knew that she was a fast learner. Still, she was worried that Little Bei wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up and might fail to be selected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Teacher. I¡¯ll be prepared. If Little Bei doesn¡¯t master it by then, I¡¯ll think of a way too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe promised the teacher. She then went to select fabrics that day to prepare a dress for Little Bei¡¯s performance.


    Upon hearing that she would go to the broadcasting station to perform and dance, Little Bei was naturally excited.


    This was a very rare chance for children in rural areas.


    However, Little Bei was also worried. ¡°Auntie, won¡¯t it be too troublesome? We even have to prepare our own clothes and go to the city.¡±


    In the past, they had been too poor. Unknowingly, money had be what they valued the most. No matter what happened, the first thing they thought of was money.


    Mu Jingzhe felt helpless. A child this old should be carefree.


    ¡°Little Bei, it¡¯s no trouble. Don¡¯t think about these things anymore. It¡¯s such a good opportunity to be able to appear on TV. You like it too, so just go ahead and do it. Money is something an adult should consider. You just have to do what you have to do.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe patted her chest. ¡°Although our family doesn¡¯t have much money right now, this little bit of travel fees and costume fees shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Raising five children indeed cost a lot of money, and Mu Jingzhe could already deeply feel it.


    It made her feel that there wasn¡¯t enough money, but she really didn¡¯t want them to fret over this anymore.


    ¡°I go to the city often too. You¡¯re a child. I can just carry you, and it won¡¯t even cost any money. Don¡¯t think about these things in the future, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Little Bei finally agreed happily. ¡°I¡¯m going to appear on TV!¡±


    Little Bei was only one of the little dancers. With so many people there, she might not even be captured on screen. s, Mu Jingzhe naturally couldn¡¯t destroy her confidence at a time like this.


    Mu Jingzhe started making the costume.


    Then, Shao Dong came to look for her. ¡°I¡¯ll remember what you did for Little Bei. I¡¯ll repay you in the future. I¡¯ll pay you back double.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Alright, I believe you. I¡¯ll take care of you now, and you¡¯ll protect me in the future.¡±


    Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡±


    He was about to leave, but he stopped and said, ¡°I¡¯ll really treat you well in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled as she watched him leave.


    ¡°Does this promise from the big boss mean I can just lie down and eat in the future?¡±


    After Shao Dong left, Shao Xi dilly-dallied over and handed her his workbook.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finished this exercise book. Since you like it so much, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    Ever since Mu Jingzhe had encouraged Shao Xi and his work had been epted by the radio station, his confidence in his writing had increased. He wrote a lot and submitted some of his manuscripts.


    The first draft was in the exercise book.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why Mu Jingzhe liked his exercise book, he endured this shame and difort and gave it to her because she liked it.


    On the cover of the exercise book, it was written that it was a gift for Mu Jingzhe.


    He had written ¡®May all your dreamse true¡¯.


    Below the words was a serious signature.


    The young kid¡¯s handwriting made Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes brighten.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, I like it so much!¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°I¡¯ll give you another one when I finish writing it.¡±


    He then turned around coolly and touched his nose. ¡°Weirdo.¡±


    Even though he was calling her a weirdo, the corners of his lips couldn¡¯t help but curl up.


    As if they had made an agreement, Xiao Wu also came to look for Mu Jingzhe, but not for anything else. He had brought her food¡ªa small bunch of ck and purple mulberries.


    However, the mulberries had already wilted after being pinched by Xiao Wu on the way, staining his hands ck.


    Xiao Wu brought them over to Mu Jingzhe as if he was presenting a treasure. When he saw them, he almost cried.


    ¡°How did this happen¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. They¡¯re still delicious.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe praised Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, you are the best, but you should eat more in the future. Don¡¯t bring them all back for me.¡±


    ¡°I ate some.¡± Xiao Wu had eaten some himself, but he had eaten the less ripe ones. He had wanted to give Mu Jingzhe the ripest and sweetest ones, but because they were too ripe, he had identally crushed them on his way back.


    Upon looking at Xiao Wu¡¯s dark tongue, Mu Jingzhe knew that he wasn¡¯t lying.


    Since God knew when, Little Bei and Xiao Wu had started keeping things for her. Little Bei would give her peaches, and Xiao Wu would give her apricots. Gradually, this developed into a habit.


    After Xiao Wu left, Shao Nan also came.


    He brought her a ss of water and some sugar. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    He looked obedient, and his words were pleasing to the ears, but it was strange for a little child to have the air of a veteran.


    ¡°I happen to be thirsty right now. Thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face turned serious too, and she drank the water.


    She thought about the children¡¯s performance, and it suddenly urred to her that this might be a benefit she enjoyed because they were not her biological children.


    If they had been her biological children, they would sometimes have taken it for granted that a mother should treat her children well.


    But she wasn¡¯t, so the children were always grateful to see what she had done for them.


    Of course, this theory was only one-sided and varied from person to person. Regardless of whether they were biologically rted or not, some children knew how to be grateful, while others didn¡¯t.


    Shao Nan continued speaking like a little adult. ¡°No need to thank me. I only did what I could. Don¡¯t worry, just take Little Bei there. We will look after our home.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Those who didn¡¯t know might think that this was what a spouse said to their other half who was about to leave. She wondered where he had learned it.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but stroke Shao Nan¡¯s little face.


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He was speaking to her seriously. Why was he being treated like a child again?


    Shao Nan stomped his feet and turned to leave with the ceramic vat, but he almost bumped into Little Bei.


    Little Bei was holding some wildflowers in her hand that she passed to Mu Jingzhe as if they were a treasure.


    ¡°Auntie, these flowers are for you.¡±


    Little Bei was even more dependent on Mu Jingzhe now.


    After all, Mu Jingzhe was always protecting her.


    She could sense how well Mu Jingzhe was treating her.


    In the past, she had thought that Shao Qihai was powerful and would protect her like a hero. However, the one who¡¯d ended up protecting her in the end was Mu Jingzhe.


    She hadn¡¯t been very protected by her father when he had been around previously. And then, he was gone.


    In the past, she had still been afraid of Mu Jingzhe. Now, she no longer had any scruples. Every day, she would walk around Mu Jingzhe and tell her what had happened at school when she returned home. She would also give Mu Jingzhe all the good food and fun stuff she hade across.


    She would pluck some flowers for her and give her bird eggs when she chanced upon them.


    How could Mu Jingzhe refuse adorable Little Bei?


    ¡°Thank you, Little Bei. These flowers are really pretty. Shall I draw them on your dress?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Onlooker Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He gritted his teeth.


    His heart felt a little sour. He and Little Bei were twins, so the two of them were closer to each other than to the others. In the past, Little Bei used to tell him everything and rely on him. Then, the two of them would in turn rely on Big Brother together.


    Now¡­ For some reason, he felt that Mu Jingzhe was more important to Little Bei than him.


    She hadn¡¯t even nced at him or greeted him earlier.


    There was also Mu Jingzhe. Upon seeing that Mu Jingzhe was beaming so widely that her eyes couldn¡¯t be seen and noticing the way she was tenderly fidgeting with the slightly-wilted flowers, Shao Nan snorted again.


    Ridiculous!


    His snort¡­ wasn¡¯t even noticed by Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei.

 Chapter 55 - I Can See Daddy!

    <h4>Chapter 55: I Can See Daddy!</h4>


    The costume Mu Jingzhe made for Little Bei was unanimously praised by everyone. Little Bei loved it so much that she bounced around and even caressed the costume before sleeping.


    When it was time to learn how to dance, Little Bei was afraid that she would dirty it on the way there. Therefore, she didn¡¯t wear it but carried it on her back instead. She would change into it when they got to school.


    The moment Little Bei appeared, she became the most gorgeous little girl in the room.


    The clothes Mu Jingzhe had designed and made for her were even better than the clothes her ssmates said they had bought from Ocean City.


    The remaining nine students all wanted such a costume. The parents were also keen on buying one and couldn¡¯t help but ask around.


    ¡°Where did you buy Little Bei¡¯s costume?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t buy it. I made it.¡±


    ¡°You made it? That¡¯s impressive.¡± The parents were surprised and amazed.


    After the teacher came and said that Little Bei¡¯s costume was pretty, the parents couldn¡¯t take it anymore and came forward to ask if Mu Jingzhe could make their children one too. The price was negotiable.


    The parents took very seriously the fact that the children were going to the television station.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse. She agreed and set a price.


    It wasn¡¯t so expensive as to make the parents feel like they were being robbed, but it wasn¡¯t so cheap as to make them take her effort for granted either.


    After Mu Jingzhe took the measurements of the nine children and memorized their appearance, she went to buy fabrics and supplies that day to prepare.


    After five days, Mu Jingzhe handed them the costumes on time.


    The clothes of the nine children were different designs with simr colors. They had been tailored ording to their characteristics and looked especially good on them. They also concealed some of their shorings, highlighting their strengths.


    Since the children liked them, the parents felt that the costumes were worth it. Their rtionship with Mu Jingzhe improved by leaps and bounds.


    Mu Jingzhe was supportive, and Little Bei got along well with everyone. Besides, she didn¡¯t disappoint the teacher.


    Although she couldn¡¯t practice as much as the other children, she learned quickly and practiced at home. She could keep up with them and even perform very well.


    The next step was getting ready to go to the city.


    When Ji Buwang heard that they were going to the city, he said that he wanted to go too.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t care less about him. She only said, ¡°I might have to take care of five children, so I won¡¯t be able to pay any attention to you.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Got it.¡±


    Uncle Li, who was secretly watching, was left speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He had previously been worried that Mu Jingzhe would pester his young master and refuse to let go, so he had fretted over what to do should the Young Master and the Old Master fall out as a result.


    Now, it seemed that Mu Jingzhe had no interest in the Young Master at all. In fact, she seemed to be a little annoyed with him. It was the Young Master who was constantly chasing after her.


    Uncle Li felt confused.


    Mu Jingzhe, who didn¡¯t know about Uncle Li¡¯splicated feelings, told the kids about her decision before setting off.


    ¡°You guys should go together. The art school will book a bus, and there¡¯s enough room for all of you. When we get there, you can look around. When we get back, you can write an essay. Consider it a reward for you before your final exam.¡±


    Previously, she had heard the children gossiping about what was going to be in the city.


    Although the five kids were very sensible, they were still children after all. asionally, they would shoot envious gazes at Little Bei.


    Mu Jingzhe had noticed this and thought about taking the children with her.


    There was no difference between taking one child there and taking five children there. It would be good to bring them out to see the world.


    The boys were indeed stunned.


    In the end, they couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and went over as well.


    Shao Xi even found an excuse and said that he was there to take care of Little Bei.


    As Mu Jingzhe had been to the city a few times and was familiar with it, she ended up being the leader of the parents.


    When they arrived at the television station, they were fascinated by everything they saw. Everyone was a little reserved.


    Only Mu Jingzhe remained the same.


    Later on, during the rehearsal, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t only responsible for the children¡¯s costumes. She was also responsible for styling their hair and helping them apply makeup.


    The makeup artist of the broadcasting station was busy, as there were hundreds of children waiting for her to help them put on makeup. Like an assembly line, she would apply lipstick on their little lips, put a little red dot on their foreheads, and then apply some blusher on their cheeks before moving on to do the same thing for the next kid.


    However, the director also asked the makeup artist to use different makeup styles, making her feel quite vexed.


    Mu Jingzhe did Little Bei¡¯s makeup herself. Upon seeing the lovely makeup on Little Bei¡¯s face, the parents pushed their children in front of her without hesitation.


    Sure.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe and the parents sat among the audience and watched their children dance on stage excitedly.


    Nothing unexpected happened, and everything ended perfectly well.


    They were happy, and so were the people from the television station.


    They had originally been worried that a cock-up would happen because these kids were from a small county, but in the end, their costumes and styling turned out to be excellent.


    The cameras were all focused on them, especially on Little Bei. Although there were many children, she was the most outstanding and eye-catching child.


    The whole crowd¡¯s attention was attracted by her right away.


    Hence, they gave Little Bei a full two seconds of screentime.


    Of course, Mu Jingzhe and the others weren¡¯t aware of this.


    After the dance, Mu Jingzhe went shopping with the five children. To be exact, they went shopping at the night market.


    The night market of that era had already changed from being secretive to being open and aboveboard. The entire night market street was bustling with life.


    All sorts of things were sold there.


    Military coats, shirts, sunsses, leather shoes, and watches. There were also all sorts of food.


    There were many people at the night market. Mu Jingzhe was afraid that they would get separated, so she directly piggybacked Xiao Wu and held Little Bei and Shao Nan¡¯s hands before she made Shao Dong and Shao Xi hold each other¡¯s hands.


    To be safe, she even tied their hands together with a rope.


    The kids had said that they wouldn¡¯t go missing, that they would definitely hold each other¡¯s hands tightly. Nheless, Mu Jingzhe still tied their hands together.


    She was the one who had brought them here. If she identally lost them, it wouldn¡¯t be enough if she apologized with her life.


    The night market was a diverse and crowded ce, and the children were fascinated by everything they saw. Sometimes, they would be stunned by the sights, and at times like this, Mu Jingzhe was d that they were bound together.


    Mu Jingzhe also saw the butterfly hair clips she made at a night market stall. The boss was shouting, saying that this was the most beautiful and popr butterfly hair clip. Then, many people surrounded the stall and looked at it. There was also a brat lying on the ground, acting shamelessly and insisting on buying one. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t get up.


    Her mother couldn¡¯t pull her away no matter what.


    Mu Jingzhe touched her nose, feeling that she could hire more people and make more butterfly hair clips.


    Upon seeing that, the five kids looked at Mu Jingzhe with pride and followed her obediently.


    The brat¡¯s mother looked at her child, who was rolling on the ground, and then at the five children enviously.


    ¡®Why are other people¡¯s kids so obedient?!¡¯


    If these five kids were to roll around on the floor too, she wouldn¡¯t be so embarrassed.


    Mu Jingzhe, who still didn¡¯t know about her scary thoughts, was preparing to buy some food for the children. When she passed by the sugar figurines, she saw that the kids were all looking at them and prepared to buy them one each.


    ¡°Boss, I want five.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe let the children choose by themselves and watched as the boss prepared them. Shao Xi watched for a while before standing up and looking around.


    He suddenly froze in shock due to what he saw.


    ¡°Daddy?¡±


    He saw a man not far away carrying a child and protecting a woman as he rushed forward.


    Shao Xi was extremely familiar with that man. He would even dream of him asionally.


    That was his father, Shao Qihai.


    Wasn¡¯t his father dead? Why was he still here?


    Afraid that his eyes were ying tricks on him, Shao Xi took another look and even pinched himself.


    The pain woke him up.


    That was real. It really was his daddy!


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Shao Xi shouted, ¡°Daddy! I can see Daddy!¡±

 Chapter 56 - We Dont Want Him Anymore Either

    <h4>Chapter 56: We Don¡¯t Want Him Anymore Either</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe and the other four kids raised their heads, but they didn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Where? Where?¡±


    ¡°There!¡± When Shao Xi shouted, he even saw his father turn around.


    That man turned around and nced at them. Shao Xi could clearly see that it was his father.


    However, when his father turned around and saw them, he turned back and left without hesitation.


    Shao Xi wanted to run after him, but his hands were tied with a rope. As he ran, he pulled Shao Dong along with him and caused thetter to fall down.


    Due to this dy, as well as the fact that there were many people at the night market, by the time they went over, the man hadpletely vanished from view.


    Shao Xi gasped, and his expression was ugly. ¡°I saw him. I really saw him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re seeing things.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi and quicklyforted him, feeling bad for him.


    In the book, Shao Qihai had never returned. If he was still alive, he would have definitelye back.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not seeing things. I know what I saw. That was Daddy!¡±


    Shao Xi lost his temper. ¡°I saw him clearly. I shouted at him, and he even turned around. He just¡­ doesn¡¯t want us anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe started. ¡°Shao Xi¡­¡±


    Shao Xi took two deep breaths to calm down. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. I didn¡¯t see wrong either. That really was Daddy.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ he was with another auntie. He had another kid in his arms. I called him, and when he turned around, he saw me. He just doesn¡¯t want us.¡±


    Shao Xi repeated himself word by word. ¡°He¡¯s not dead. He just doesn¡¯t want us anymore.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s gaze darkened. He believed Shao Xi¡¯s words. Shao Xi had the best eyesight. He couldn¡¯t have seen wrong.


    Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu didn¡¯t say anything.


    Mu Jingzhe felt helpless as she saw them looking like withered eggnts. She could onlyfort them again.


    ¡°No, he couldn¡¯t have abandoned you. He loves and values you very much. It¡¯s just that he had no choice but to leave you guys. Shao Xi, you must be seeing things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Shao Xi clenched his fists, his entire body trembling. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t want us anymore. Death is just his excuse. Other people be corpses when they die, but not him. He¡¯s simply not dead.¡±


    Shao Xi wanted to restrain himself, but the anger and grievance he felt at that moment still made his eyes turn red and caused tears to fall from them.


    Shao Xi, who had obeyed his father all along and wouldn¡¯t cry, couldn¡¯t control himself.


    ¡°I hate Daddy. No, from now onward, I don¡¯t have a father anymore. He¡¯s not my father. I don¡¯t want him anymore.¡±


    Since their father didn¡¯t want them anymore, Shao Xi didn¡¯t want him either.


    Shao Xi was usually an evil little prince. He could be very scary when he decided to put his vicious tongue to good use. He didn¡¯t care about anyone else other than his siblings. Amenable to coaxing but not coercion, he had a stubborn personality and looked kind of happy-go-lucky on the surface.


    This was the first time he had revealed such a weak side.


    ¡°Stop crying, Shao Xi, stop crying.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe racked her brains but didn¡¯t know how tofort him. Though Shao Xi imed to have seen his father, he was indeed gone.


    She wiped away his tears and all she could do was hug him.


    Shao Xi leaned into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s embrace and finally cried to his heart¡¯s content.


    This warm embrace was different from his older brother¡¯sfort. It was as if he could be at ease and cry all he wanted.


    ¡°Boohoo¡­ I don¡¯t want him anymore. I hate him.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sighed and hugged him tofort him.


    After a while, Shao Xi calmed down and fell asleep from exhaustion after all that crying.


    It was the first time Shao Xi, who was like a little hedgehog, fell asleep so obediently in her arms. It seemed that he was gravely wounded.


    Mu Jingzhe could only put down Xiao Wu and piggyback Shao Xi.


    Since the sugar figurines had been paid for, and because Mu Jingzhe thought that Shao Xi would be happier to see the figurine when he woke up, she went back to get the sugar figurines.


    On the way back, the atmosphere was very depressing. The excitement and good mood that taking Little Bei to the city to perform at the broadcasting station had brought were both gone.


    Mu Jingzhe carried them back to the guesthouse. She didn¡¯t notice that Shao Xi, who was on her back, had already opened his eyes.


    His eyes were red as he looked at his siblings.


    Mu Jingzhe returned to the guesthouse and asked them to wait while she went to turn on the water herself. She ran up and down to wash their faces and feet.


    After she went out, Shao Xi opened his eyes under the covers.


    Shao Dong and the others sat by the bed. ¡°You really saw him.¡± Shao Dong¡¯s tone was affirmative.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Shao Xi replied softly. Everyone¡¯s expressions turned even uglier.


    Although they seemed to have epted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s exnation that he had seen wrong on the surface, in their hearts, they were certain that Shao Xi had seen what he imed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Daddy anymore either.¡± Little Bei¡¯s eyes were red as she held back her tears.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Nan bent down and hugged Little Bei. ¡°Cry if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to cry for him.¡± Little Bei sounded choked up, but she refused to let her tears fall.


    From this day onward, the children would no longer mention their father or Shao Qihai.


    They hated their father for abandoning them.


    They sat around the bed and leaned on each other. Their fists were clenched tightly, and there was hatred in the depths of their eyes.


    Since he didn¡¯t want them, they didn¡¯t care about him either.


    The children made up their minds one by one. They had to be sessful in the future and make Shao Qihai regret it!


    There was no need to say these words. The children could understand this themselves.


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s footsteps, Shao Xi closed his eyes and the other four kids dispersed.


    ¡°Wash your faces and feet first.¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and Little Bei knew how to wash themselves. Mu Jingzhe washed Xiao Wu, then took a hot towel and carefully wiped Shao Xi¡¯s face.


    Shao Xi felt her gentleness and, for the first time, he was d that they still had Mu Jingzhe.


    With Mu Jingzhe around, despite facing the huge blow that their father wasn¡¯t dead and merely didn¡¯t want them anymore, they could still live well.


    Mu Jingzhe felt Shao Xi¡¯s eyes move. ¡°What are you dreaming of?¡±


    She mumbled softly and looked at Shao Xi¡¯s curly eyshes. She couldn¡¯t help but touch them. ¡°Your eyshes are so long.¡±


    Shao Xi almost couldn¡¯t help but open his eyes. He had pretended to be asleep because he felt embarrassed and wanted to calm down.


    That night, the children were troubled. Shao Dong and Shao Xi didn¡¯t sleep at all.


    Little Bei had said that she wouldn¡¯t cry, but her pillow still ended up getting wet. The next day, her eyelids were even a little swollen.


    Mu Jingzhe saw that they were listless and prepared to return to the county city with everyone.


    They had packed their luggage and were about to get in the car when the dance teacher who had brought them here rushed over and informed them excitedly, ¡°The television station is looking for Little Bei.¡±


    It turned out that a client wanted to shoot an advertisement. The television station had rmended a list of children that fit their requirements and advertising n. Little Bei was on that list.


    Although Little Bei had only been one of the backup dancers previously, this dazzling child was the most eye-catching among all the children.


    Because Mu Jingzhe had personally done her styling, her appearance was all the more attractive and pleasing to the eye. Therefore, Little Bei had been rmended to participate in the audition. In the end, the advertiser would decide who to cast.


    Thismercial was an advertisement for facial wipes. The advertisement would feature a family to indicate that children could use the product too. The child had to be pretty and likable.


    Other than Little Bei, there were four other children. One of the five children would be chosen in the end.


    The other four children were from the city. Little Bei was still wearing the clothes she had worn on the stage yesterday, whereas the other four children had already changed into a new costume.


    The little girls were wearing little dresses, while the little boys were wearing pants and suspenders. Each one of them looked very nice and gracious.


    However, Little Bei¡¯s costume wasn¡¯t inferior to theirs.

 Chapter 57 - Can I Call You Mommy?

    <h4>Chapter 57: Can I Call You Mommy?</h4>


    The children took turns auditioning. They could see the process from above, but they couldn¡¯t hear anything.


    There were a few adults below, and the children took turns standing on the stage and introducing themselves to them. They would then talk about their strengths and could even perform to show their talent.


    The time they spent on the stage varied. Some danced, and some sang, but all of them looked more or less nervous or scared.


    They didn¡¯t say anything when they returned to the waiting room, so those waiting didn¡¯t know what was happening up there. Soon, it was Little Bei¡¯s turn.


    Mu Jingzhe told Little Bei not to be nervous. ¡°We¡¯ll just go back if you¡¯re not selected. Little Bei, you can sing, dance, or do whatever you want.¡±


    Little Bei had only learned to dance for a short time and hadn¡¯t undergone professional singing training. Compared to the other children, she was at a disadvantage. Mu Jingzhe was afraid that she would feel too much pressure.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not nervous.¡± Little Bei was really not nervous. She liked to go on stage and have everyone¡¯s eyes on her.


    Just like that, Little Bei went on the stage. After introducing herself, she sang the alphabet song to show her talent.


    As she sang, she improvised some movements on the spot, looking very rxed.


    The interviewers seemed pleased to watch such a cute child. After she was done with her performance, she was told that she may leave.


    Little Bei knew that this was about shooting an advertisement, so she hesitated for a moment and didn¡¯t go down. Instead, she said, ¡°I heard that you guys are going to shoot an advertisement. I can also perform for an advertisement.¡±


    ¡°How? Go ahead and show us.¡±


    Little Bei rarely watched television, but she was familiar with the radio now, and there were many advertisements on it. Thus, she started mimicking them vividly.


    She had tried mimicking the male and female voices in the advertisements, as well as the voices of the elderly.


    She had a good memory and spoke with a lot of different expressions.


    The director and advertiser¡¯s attention was captivated. What an interesting child. She could even imitate people very well.


    Little Bei¡¯s imitation ability made everyoneugh. This enhanced and deepened their impression of her.


    Little Bei was the child who was on stage the longest. Although the other four children couldn¡¯t hear her performance on stage, they saw the smiles on the director and the advertiser¡¯s faces.


    The moment Little Bei returned, the four children looked over at her more cautiously than before.


    They remembered Little Bei. They were from the city¡¯s art school and had been on stage with Little Bei and her ssmates yesterday.


    Previously, when they¡¯d heard that ten children from the county would be dancing with them, they had been very worried that the kids from the county would drag them down.


    In the end, the costumes of the kids from the county weren¡¯t inferior to theirs at all. Even though they were a tad timid, they didn¡¯t make any mistakes on the stage.


    They were filming an advertisement today, and Little Bei was actually among them. Furthermore, based on her performance, Little Bei was not inferior at all. In fact, she had performed even better than them.


    This knowledge made them ignore Little Bei.


    On the other hand, there was a little girl in red with short hair that reached her ears. She didn¡¯t seem to care much about the result and couldn¡¯t help but ask Little Bei, ¡°Where did you buy your clothes? I heard from the people who came with you yesterday that your mother made them. Is your mother very good at making clothes?¡±


    She liked Little Bei¡¯s clothes and wanted a set.


    Little Bei secretly nced at Mu Jingzhe at the door and nodded. ¡°Yes, she helped make all the clothes for the kids from our county. She¡¯s very impressive.¡±


    Little Bei didn¡¯t say ¡®Mommy¡¯ and instead used ¡®she¡¯ as a substitute.


    The short-haired girl was envious. ¡°Your mother is amazing. My mother only knows how to buy stuff. Can I buy clothes from your mother too?¡±


    Little Bei hesitated and didn¡¯t answer. At that moment, a little girl wearing a dress who had been sitting quietly next to them couldn¡¯t help but speak up.


    ¡°She¡¯s not your mother at all. I heard you call her ¡®Auntie¡¯ yesterday!¡±


    The little girl in the strapless dress had just performed a dance. She was also cute, and the director and advertiser had seemed very fond of her.


    At first, she had been very confident that she would shoot the advertisement. After doing so, she would be able to see herself on TV and show off to her ssmates.


    In the end, when Little Bei had auditioned, the adults hadughed even more happily. She felt like she had been defeated.


    Strapless Dress was outstanding and had received attention from a young age. Seeing that made her feel a little ufortable, so she couldn¡¯t help but expose Little Bei¡¯s lie. ¡°Good children shouldn¡¯t lie.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s smile froze. She knew that good children shouldn¡¯t lie, but everyone was apanied by their mothers, and it would be strange if she was the only one calling Mu Jingzhe ¡®Auntie¡¯. Besides, she felt very proud to hear everyone praise Mu Jingzhe.


    She couldn¡¯t help but silently imply that she was her mother.


    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t saying anything, the little girl snorted and asked, ¡°Is she really your mother? If she¡¯s not, that makes you a bad child.¡±


    Little Bei panicked for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not a bad child!¡±


    No one liked bad children. Their father no longer wanted them. If Auntie found out that she was lying, she might not want them either.


    Was it because she was a bad child that Grandma and Eldest Aunt didn¡¯t like her and her father didn¡¯t want her?


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes were red. Then, she saw Mu Jingzhe looking over and felt even more despair.


    Auntie had heard their conversation. She had heard her lie and knew that she was a bad child. She wouldn¡¯t like her anymore.


    Tears instantly rolled down Little Bei¡¯s cheeks. She gazed at Mu Jingzhe in panic and trepidation, and there was also a hint of prayer in her eyes.


    Silently, she begged, ¡®Don¡¯t leave me alone. Please don¡¯t dislike me¡­¡¯


    When Mu Jingzhe saw Little Bei crying and saw her gaze, her heart couldn¡¯t help but ache. She couldn¡¯t care less and quickly went forward to pick her up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Little Bei.¡±


    As sheforted Little Bei, she looked at Strapless Dress and exined, ¡°Little Bei is not a bad child. She¡¯s very good and obedient. She called me ¡®Auntie¡¯ because we were practicing shooting amercial. We used to do the same in the past. Sometimes, she would even call me ¡®Aunt¡¯ or ¡®Sister¡¯.¡±


    Strapless Dress thought about having to call a stranger ¡®Dad¡¯ or ¡®Mom¡¯ when filming an advertisement, so she didn¡¯t suspect anything and even apologized obediently. ¡°Then it was my fault. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Little Bei, say it¡¯s alright.¡±


    After Little Bei said that, Mu Jingzhe stroked Strapless Dress¡¯s head. ¡°You apologize when you find out you¡¯re in the wrong. You even know that you can¡¯t lie. How obedient.¡±


    Strapless Dress straightened her back proudly.


    Mu Jingzhe then carried Little Bei to the washroom and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and mucus.


    ¡°Hush, hush.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Auntie. I lied. I said you were my mother.¡±


    ¡°I heard you. Little Bei, it¡¯s understandable, so it¡¯s alright this time. However, we can¡¯t lie on a whim in the future, alright?¡±


    In the novel, Shao Bei was always acting and lying. Half of the words that came out of her mouth were lies. No one knew if she was telling the truth or lying, so she was often called a liar behind her back.


    However, right now, Little Bei was apologizing for telling such a lie.


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t lie again. Don¡¯t dislike me.¡±


    Little Bei grabbed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes gingerly.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart softened. ¡°Little Bei, you¡¯re still young, and it¡¯s normal for you to want a mother. I won¡¯t dislike you as long as you don¡¯t lie on a whim in the future, especially by telling harmful lies. After all, you¡¯re going to have to back up every lie you tell with countless more lies. It¡¯s never going to end.


    ¡°Lies are just like a snowball that gets bigger and bigger. In the end, you might get crushed by it. Little Bei, let¡¯s not roll a snowball, alright?¡±


    As they grew up, people would often be forced to lie or say things they didn¡¯t mean. No one could speak the truth all the time.


    However, some lies couldn¡¯t be told. This had to be made clear.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Little Bei nodded obediently. ¡°I¡¯ll remember. I won¡¯t lie on a whim anymore.¡±


    This was the first time someone had taught Little Bei like this. What Zhao Lan used to call teaching was just hitting and scolding. It was not teaching at all.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi had also taught her some things, especially Shao Dong. He had taught her a lot, but not in this way.


    Little Bei was a little afraid, but she liked this feeling.


    She involuntarily hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Auntie, I won¡¯t lie anymore. Please don¡¯t dislike me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dislike you. Little Bei, you¡¯re so obedient. I¡¯ve always been fond of you.¡± Mu Jingzhe hugged her and rocked her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words encouraged Little Bei and made her say the words she had kept bottled up inside.


    ¡°Then can I call you Mommy from now on?¡±

 Chapter 58 - Start Calling Her Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 58: Start Calling Her ¡®Mommy¡¯</h4>


    Little Bei wanted to call Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯, like all the other children.


    After Little Bei asked that, she carefully looked at Mu Jingzhe, afraid that Mu Jingzhe would refuse or that she would be unhappy. She was very nervous.


    Her father no longer wanted them. Would Auntie disdain them too?


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to hear this question.


    Call her Mommy? It wasn¡¯t any other form of address. It was ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe hesitated. This went against her original n.


    She¡¯d only nned to take care of them for the time being. She felt that she hadn¡¯t done enough, that she was far from being a mother.


    However, she hesitated when Little Bei said that she wanted to call her ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t a casual form of address. The meaning behind it was significant. It represented unlimited responsibility.


    If she agreed, it might add to her responsibilities in the future. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was up to the task or not.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hesitation made Little Bei¡¯s face turn pale.


    ¡°Auntie, I was joking. I didn¡¯t mean to cling onto you. My brothers said that we¡¯re a burden and can¡¯t keep holding you back. I was just kidding.¡±


    She really liked Auntie, but she couldn¡¯t force her to let her call her ¡®Mommy¡¯. Even their father didn¡¯t want them, so on what grounds should they ask Auntie to keep on taking care of them?


    She had already done enough for them.


    Little Bei smiled and wanted to dismiss her words as a joke, but she was still young. She couldn¡¯t hide the sadness on her face, nor could she keep her eyes from reddening.


    ¡°Auntie, let¡¯s go out. I¡¯ll apologize and exin this to them.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt very upset as she looked at Little Bei, who was forcing a smile and holding back tears.


    ¡°No, Little Bei, I¡¯m just afraid that I can¡¯t y the role of a mother well and will only disappoint you. That¡¯s because I¡¯ve never done it before. It¡¯s not because I find you burdensome.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe said seriously, ¡°You¡¯ve never been a burden, so as long as you want to and aren¡¯t afraid of disappointment, you can call me ¡®Mommy¡¯.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to be a good mother.¡±


    In her previous life, she had also been very envious of other people who had mothers. This time, she had transmigrated into a book, and the heavens hadpensated her with a set of parents in the form of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, who treated her very well.


    Since the heavens hadpensated her, she should perhaps also help Little Bei.


    Little Bei¡¯s face was full of disbelief. ¡°Really? Can I really do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    When she heard this, Little Bei¡¯s eyes lit up. She pounced on Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy!¡± Her voice was extremely loud.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly hugged Little Bei. ¡°You¡¯re really happy, huh.¡±


    She had mixed feelings and couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard Little Bei shout.


    ¡°Yes, Mommy!¡±


    Little Bei was ted and called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ a few times before sneakily nting a kiss on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face.


    Her soft little mouth melted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart, and her mind went dizzy from the kiss. At that moment, she wished she could give the entire world to Little Bei.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Little Bei¡¯s adorable little face and couldn¡¯t help but say the standard line of a domineering CEO. ¡°Little vixen.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t Little Bei a little vixen now? She was making her dizzy with her charm and all that.


    She had onlye to be a nanny, but now, she had lost her heart to them and found herself bing a mother.


    ¡°Then Mommy is a big vixen.¡± Little Bei¡¯s ears were sharp.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe carried Little Bei, who was sticking to her side, back. The minute they got back, they were notified that Little Bei had been chosen by the advertisers.


    Little Bei wanted to apologize to the children, but they had already left.


    The advertisers had thought of the advertisement n and all that. They had also decided on the adult actors long ago. Little Bei was cast in the morning, and filming would begin in the afternoon.


    The process was very efficient.


    Little Bei didn¡¯t have experience facing cameras, but after some teaching, she quickly grasped it.


    It was as if she had been born to face a camera, and she wasn¡¯t afraid or awkward at all.


    Some people were usually alright, but they would feel ufortable when facing a camera. This wasn¡¯t the case for Little Bei.


    They filmed several takes, but everything went smoothly. The shoot ended in one afternoon.


    Because of this, Little Bei even received products from the advertisers. They said that they could be used by both adults and children, so Little Bei could use them too.


    Little Bei specifically asked for seven boxes, one for her and each of her siblings, one for Mommy, and one for Young Uncle.


    ¡°Mommy, this is for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Little Bei.¡±


    The advertiser promptly gave Little Bei¡¯s remuneration to Mu Jingzhe after the shoot.


    Mu Jingzhe took the excited Little Bei back to look for her brothers.


    Outsiders were not allowed to enter during the filming process. They were still waiting in the guesthouse, and a teacher was taking care of them. From afar, they could hear Little Bei calling out ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe even responded to it.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan nced at each other speechlessly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Their gazes wereplicated, while Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes were filled with envy.


    When Little Bei came in, she chatted with them about that day¡¯s experience and identally called Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    After calling her that, Little Bei looked at her brothers sheepishly. However, none of her brothers said anything about it.


    Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief.


    Likewise, Mu Jingzhe touched her nose guiltily when she saw the boys¡¯ gazes.


    She kept having the feeling that she had abducted Little Bei and coaxed her into calling her Mommy.


    However, she really hadn¡¯t done that.


    While Little Bei was in the washroom, Mu Jingzhe quickly exined this to Shao Dong.


    ¡°Err, Shao Dong¡­ I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Something happened this morning, so Little Bei changed her form of address and started calling me ¡®Mommy¡¯.¡±


    Shao Dong had aplicated look in his eyes. ¡°I know.¡±


    Little Bei may look like she was smiling without a care in the world, but he knew his younger sister. Her intuition had always been urate, and ordinary people couldn¡¯t fool her.


    Little Bei called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ because Mu Jingzhe treated her well and because she wanted to.


    Mu Jingzhe did a good job, so it was normal for her to change the way she addressed her.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw that Shao Dong wasn¡¯t angry, Shao Xi only snorted, and Shao Nan merely curled his lips and didn¡¯t say anything, she finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    She patted her chest and left in peace. She didn¡¯t see Shao Dong hesitating to speak.


    Since Little Bei had already changed her form of address, shouldn¡¯t they do the same since they were siblings?


    He wanted to ask this, but he was afraid that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t agree.


    Mu Jingzhe had always liked Little Bei more and had never asked them to call her ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    Maybe she wouldn¡¯t be willing?


    Shao Xi snorted, sharing the same thoughts as Shao Dong. Since Little Bei had changed her form of address, why hadn¡¯t she just told them to follow suit?


    They were siblings, but now Little Bei was calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯, while they were still calling her ¡®Auntie¡¯. It was too strange.


    Shao Nan¡­ Shao Nan couldn¡¯t stand Little Bei¡¯s joyful and smug look, nor could he stand Mu Jingzhe¡¯s guilty and happy expression.


    Wasn¡¯t she just calling her Mommy? How hard was it to call her that?! He could call her that too.


    That was what he thought, but Shao Nan didn¡¯t say anything ultimately. In the end, the three brothers didn¡¯t change how they addressed her.


    By the time they returned to the county city, it was already dark. Mu Jingzhe was a little hesitant to decide whether she should rush back overnight or stay the night. She decided to rush back to ss tomorrow morning.


    Shao Qiyang had left the bicycle with them at the art school, afraid that it would be too hard on the children.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. We can rest better at home,¡± Shao Dong said.


    Actually, he was afraid of spending more money on amodation at the guesthouse. Mu Jingzhe had already spent a lot of money over the past few days.


    ¡°Right, we can wake upter tomorrow.¡± Shao Xi agreed.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s rush back at night.¡±


    It was summer now, so it wasn¡¯t too cold at night.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi took turns helping with the torchlight, while Mu Jingzhe transported them home on the bicycle.


    They chatted happily along the way. Unexpectedly, they ran into Shao Qiyang on the way.


    Shao Qiyang hade to pick them up.

 Chapter 59 - Its Time to Find a Marriage Partner

    <h4>Chapter 59: It¡¯s Time to Find a Marriage Partner</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe had said that they would return on Sunday. Seeing that they hadn¡¯t returned, Shao Qiyang knew that they must have been dyed by something.


    He was afraid that they would have to travel back during the night, so he hade to pick them up.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw Shao Qiyang, she was pleasantly surprised but couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°If we didn¡¯t n oning back, wouldn¡¯t you have wasted a trip?¡±


    Those days, there were no cell phones, and it was particrly inconvenient to contact people.


    Shao Qiyang smiled. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t make a wasted trip, did I?¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe was strong, he was still worried, as she was a woman carrying five children. He was d that he hade to pick them up.


    ¡°We nearly spent the night in the county.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good too. If you guys don¡¯t want toe back, I¡¯ll just go to town. I¡¯ll consider that an early departure. I have to work too.¡±


    Shao Qiyang had borrowed a bicycle from the vige. Even if he hadn¡¯t managed to meet them, he would still have had to return the bicycle, yet he spoke in a breezy manner.


    With Shao Qiyang around to share the load, it was much easier for Mu Jingzhe, and her speed increased.


    At around 10 p.m, they finally returned home.


    Everyone in Great Eastern Vige was asleep, and it was extremely quiet. Xiao Wu, who was on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back, was also asleep.


    When they got home, she woke Xiao Wu up and asked him to go to the toilet before carrying him back to coax him back to sleep.


    Xiao Wu was in a daze and refused to let go of Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy¡­ I want to call you ¡®Mommy¡¯ too. Can I also call you ¡®Mommy¡¯?¡±


    Half-asleep, Xiao Wu asked the question that he had been pondering.


    When he¡¯d heard Little Bei call her that, he had wanted to follow suit.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    Since Little Bei had already set a precedent, she might as well also let Xiao Wu call her that.


    It made no difference if one kid called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ or two kids did.


    Xiao Wu grinned and fell asleep with peace of mind.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Shao Qiyang had cooked for them before going to fetch them. After the meal, Mu Jingzhe took out the money Little Bei had earned while Shao Qiyang was around.


    ¡°This is the money Little Bei received for dancing and shooting themercial. There¡¯s only a small subsidy for dancing. However, there¡¯s quite a lot of money for themercial. At least a hundred yuan.¡±


    A hundred yuan was a lot of money in that era.


    ¡°Little Bei is amazing.¡± Shao Qiyang was very happy. ¡°She can even shootmercials.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll appear on TV in the future. Uncle, you have to remember to watch out for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to earn more money and then buy a TV so we can watch it at home.¡±


    Owning a television was something to be proud of, a blissful event for the vige kids. Even in her sleep, Little Bei dreamt of buying a television.


    Now that she had been praised for earning money, her first reaction was wanting to buy a television.


    ¡°Alright, buy a television in the future.¡±


    After buying a bicycle, they wanted to buy a television. Indeed, a person¡¯s wants and needs were never-ending.


    Mu Jingzhe supported Little Bei¡¯s idea. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll save this money for you so that you can buy a television in the future. Should we hand it over to your brother for safekeeping?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t mention Shao Qiyang. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust him, but she was afraid that Zhao Lan woulde to steal his money or demand to have it again.


    Little Bei looked at her older brother, then at Mu Jingzhe, and thought for a moment. ¡°No, Mommy can help me keep it safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can keep the money for her. You spent quite a bit of money this time.¡± Shao Dong nodded in agreement.


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment. ¡°Then you can safeguard your money yourself, Little Bei. Next time, when we go to the county city, I¡¯ll take you to the bank to open an ount.¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t use the money earned by Little Bei, nor would she use any money earned by the children unless she absolutely had no other alternative.


    After all, she was still capable of earning money herself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save Shao Xi¡¯s money too. From now on, I¡¯ll save up all your royalties. The same goes for the rest of you. I¡¯ll save up your money for you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t need the children to earn money to support the family.


    Mu Jingzhe made a decision and asked them to go to sleep.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qiyang waited for Mu Jingzhe to hand her the living expenses.


    ¡°I have delivered a lot of letters ever since I got the bicycle. This is my bonus.¡±


    ¡°You have to save some money too. Don¡¯t go hungry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will. I remember what you¡¯ve always told me. Good health is a prerequisite for work.¡±


    Shao Qiyang was delighted to hear Mu Jingzhe¡¯s concerned reminders.


    His heart was warm and full.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe and the children were back, this home felt like a home again. Two days ago, when they hadn¡¯t been around, he had felt very empty, and his heart had also felt vacant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow night if nothing goes wrong, Jingzhe,¡± Shao Qiyang informed her.


    In the past, he¡¯d hadplicated feelings about home. Whenever he returned, he would feel tired. He¡¯d still have to face Zhao Lan¡¯s nagging and criticism every day, as well as the pressure she put on him. s, he had no choice but to return. Every time, he would drag his feet there, never once looking forward to it.


    However, ever since they¡¯d split up the family assets, he had started to look forward to returning home. This was because there was piping hot food andughter waiting for him at home.


    This was the life he had dreamed of. This was his most ideal home. When he returned home, it was as if all his exhaustion vanished. He felt driven and motivated, and he wanted to give them more and strive hard for the future.


    His colleagues and leaders said that he was currentlypletely different from before. Shao Qiyang hoped that things would stay this way.


    He wasn¡¯t even willing to call Mu Jingzhe ¡®Second Sister-In-Law¡¯ anymore. He had subconsciously started calling her by her name a while back.


    It seemed as if this would slowly dilute their rtionship as brother-inw and sister-inw.


    Shao Qiyang felt that Mu Jingzhe probably understood his feelings too¡­


    Mu Jingzhe¡­ didn¡¯t understand.


    Compared to being addressed as Second Sister-In-Law, she preferred to have him call her by her name. She hadn¡¯t noticed that anything was amiss and only thought that Shao Qiyang was unwilling to call her Second Sister-In-Law because of the original Mu Jingzhe¡¯s actions.


    She nodded and took this opportunity to tell Shao Qiyang about Shao Xi seeing Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Shao Xi saw him at the night market. There were a lot of people around, and I didn¡¯t see him, but Shao Xi was crying really hard. He said that he saw him with his own eyes. He was very upset and even said that his father didn¡¯t want them anymore.¡±


    Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen. ¡°Second Brother? Was it really Second Brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think he probably saw wrong.¡±


    Shao Qiyang nodded. ¡°Mm, he must have seen wrong. If he was alive, Second Brother wouldn¡¯t have left his kids behind.¡±


    Second Brother wasn¡¯t such an irresponsible person.


    Speaking of Second Brother, Shao Qiyang nced at Mu Jingzhe to see how she was feeling.


    Mu Jingzhe was also looking at Shao Qiyang. As she observed his wless face, she couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    He was really handsome. No wonder manydies in the vige had a crush on him.


    Shao Qiyang was good-looking, had a nice personality, was kind-hearted, responsible, and had a good job. Although he wasn¡¯t an official employee, it was better than being a farmer.


    He was really quite eligible. Therefore, previously, people used to alwayse to inquire openly and covertly, asking Shao Qiyang what he thought and if he was keen on proposing marriage.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had felt that it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to meddle in the affairs of her younger brother-inw and that they ought to ask him in person.


    However, everyone had said that the Eldest Sister-In-Law was like a mother. Since Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t be bothered and Mu Jingzhe had yet to leave, she was the only one who could help make it happen and therefore shouldn¡¯t wash her hands off of this.


    Now that the kids called her ¡®Mommy¡¯, Mu Jingzhe might have to stay with the Shao Family for an extended period. In that case, she couldn¡¯t ignore everything anymore.


    The main reason was that her younger brother-inw, Shao Qiyang, was really not bad.


    Since they were discussing this topic, Mu Jingzhe probed. ¡°Shao Qiyang, have you met any suitable girls recently? Do you have any thoughts on this matter?¡±


    In other words, it was time for him to find a marriage partner.

 Chapter 60 - Biased

    <h4>Chapter 60: Biased</h4>


    Shao Qiyang, who rarely got a chance to be alone with Mu Jingzhe, couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart skip a beat. ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    He¡¯d thought that Mu Jingzhe had sensed his thoughts and she had the same intention. His heart trembled.


    Thinking of the possible obstacles and gossip in the future, Shao Qiyang took a deep breath. He wanted to say something, but he then heard Mu Jingzhe speak.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to beat around the bush either, so I¡¯ll just tell you directly. There are manydies in the vige who think that you¡¯re not bad and want to marry you, so they¡¯ve asked me before about it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think about this, so I didn¡¯t dare say something for sure. Let me ask you today. What are your thoughts? Are there any girls in the vige that you like? Or have you met a suitable girl at work?¡±


    Upon seeing Shao Qiyang¡¯s stunned reaction, Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be shy. If there¡¯s anyone, just tell me. This concerns your life¡¯s happiness. You have to like the girl.


    ¡°Do you have anyone in mind? I¡¯ll help you scout. I¡¯ll do my best to help you.¡±


    The blood in Shao Qiyang¡¯s body instantly turned cold.


    His heart sank.


    His heart was racing for her, yet she wanted to set up a marriage arrangement for him as his sister-inw?


    Did she really not have any feelings for him? Could she not sense his feelings for her?


    Or had she sensed them and deliberately used such a method to make him give up?


    Either way, it wasn¡¯t something to be happy about.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s expression was ugly, and his body stiffened. He replied in an uncontrobly stiff tone, ¡°No.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe touched her nose and sighed in her heart. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t forgotten Mu Xue.


    However, Mu Xue belonged to Tang Moling, while Shao Qiyang was only the supporting male character. There was no way he could win her over. Surely, he couldn¡¯t possibly refuse to marry for the rest of his life because of her?


    Mu Jingzhe softened her tone. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by it. It¡¯s just that everyone thinks you¡¯re pretty eligible. I thought you could actually interact more with other girls. You have to interact with a person to know if they¡¯re right for you.¡±


    ¡®There are other fish in the sea, dear.¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to persuade him. ¡°Tell me what type of girl you like. I¡¯ll help you keep an eye out. You two can meet and spend some time getting to know each other. It¡¯s fine even if it doesn¡¯t work out eventually, alright?¡±


    She had put it very nicely, but the more she spoke, the darker Shao Qiyang¡¯s countenance became.


    ¡°No need,¡± Shao Qiyang replied stiffly.


    Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s embarrassed expression, Shao Qiyang even had an impulse to blurt out his true thoughts.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Shao Qiyang swallowed the words that were about toe out of his mouth.


    After he calmed down, he softened his tone and said, ¡°This matter is not urgent. I¡¯ll see to it when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Jingzhe scratched her head and went to rest.


    She had been busy for the past two days, so she quickly fell asleep. Before drifting off to sleep, she even thought of Li Fang, who she was really fond of. If Li Fang became her younger sister-inw, the two of them could do business together. One could make the essories, and the other could sell them. It would be awesome if they worked together.


    Unfortunately, Li Fang was interested in Shao Qiyang, but Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t seem to have any feelings for her. Now that something had happened to Li Fang¡¯s family, this matter was probably impossible.


    The demeanor of the devoted supporting character made Shao Qiyang unable to forget Mu Xue. She could try talking to him about it again after Mu Xue and Tang Moling got married.


    Mu Jingzhe hugged Little Bei and fell asleep.


    However, Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t sleep the entire night.


    Countless times, he wanted to get up and wake Mu Jingzhe up to tell her his intentions, but when he thought of his identity, hey down again.


    He didn¡¯t dare to. He¡¯d had a good impression of Mu Xue previously, but because of his older brother, he hadn¡¯t even had a chance.


    At the time, he had been very depressed and had thought that was the most painful moment. However, it was only when he¡¯d met Mu Jingzhe that he¡¯d realized what despair was.


    Mu Xue had been only a prospective second sister-inw. Even then, everyone had said that he stood no chance. Mu Jingzhe was his real second sister-inw.


    She was his sister-inw. Shao Qiyang knew that he shouldn¡¯t continue falling for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up. Shao Qiyang, you should wake up after tonight no matter what.¡±


    It would be absurd if he still didn¡¯t wake up.


    Shao Qiyang forced himself to give up and wake up. He left the house before dawn.


    However, when he got on the road and saw the road he had takenst night, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Mu Jingzhe.


    He knew that he shouldn¡¯t think about her, but he couldn¡¯t help it. Only after snapping out of his reverie did Shao Qiyang realize there was a smile on his lips.


    He stopped andughed bitterly.


    This rtionship was like addictive poison. He clearly knew that he shouldn¡¯t go near it, but he couldn¡¯t help letting himself sink into it.


    At the same time, in the Shao Family¡­


    ¡°Little Bei, it¡¯s time to get up and go to school.¡±


    Little Bei was originally in a daze, but she suddenly thought of something and bolted upright.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to school!¡± She couldn¡¯t wait to tell her ssmates that she had been on TV and had even shot an advertisement!


    Little Bei got up swiftly.


    Mu Jingzhe had just opened the door when Xiao Wu pounced on her.


    Before he could even put on his pants, at the sight of Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu shouted excitedly, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    When Xiao Wu woke up in the morning, his memories returned to him, and he ran over excitedly to greet Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, I wasn¡¯t dreaming, right? Mommy, you really allowed me to call you ¡®Mommy¡¯, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expect him to be so thrilled and enthusiastic this morning. She quickly lifted him up.


    ¡°Right, right. But why didn¡¯t you put on clothes? What if you catch a cold?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she bumped into Shao Dong, who was chasing after Xiao Wu while holding his clothes.


    Shao Dong looked at her with a faint gaze.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She was feeling guilty again.


    ¡°Just¡­ Justst night, before Xiao Wu went to sleep, he asked if he could call me ¡®Mommy¡¯. I was afraid he would cry, so I agreed.¡±


    She had just told him yesterday that she hadn¡¯t lied to Little Bei, but Xiao Wu was calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯ today too.


    She wondered if Shao Dong would think she was a big liar.


    Shao Dong handed the clothes to Mu Jingzhe, nodded casually, and left.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly carried Xiao Wu back to the room and helped him put on his clothes.


    Seeing that Shao Dong hadn¡¯t spoken, Xiao Wu got excited and kept calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    Little Bei red at him. ¡®Why did Xiao Wu also call her Mommy?!¡¯


    Her exclusive form of address was gone in just a day!


    Little Bei wasn¡¯t petty or domineering, but she was still a little unhappy.


    In order to prove that she had grown up, she¡¯d put on her own clothes and shoes, while Mu Jingzhe helped Xiao Wu wear them.


    ¡°Mommy, help me put on my clothes too!¡±


    She ran over and pushed Xiao Wu away. ¡°I was the first to call her that. Go and stand behind me.¡±


    Xiao Wu chuckled. ¡°Okay, Sister.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mind and obediently agreed. He even called her ¡®Sister¡¯.


    Upon seeing Xiao Wu be so obedient, Little Bei couldn¡¯t say anything. She could only turn her head and ask Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, do you like me more, or do you like Xiao Wu more?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°???¡±


    Why would she ask such a question? It was like asking a child, ¡®Do you like Mommy more, or do you like Daddy more?¡¯


    The answer was, of course¡­ ¡°I like all of you. I like both Little Bei and Xiao Wu.¡±


    ¡°Liar. Mommy, you obviously like Xiao Wu more. You¡¯re the nicest to him.¡±


    Little Bei wanted Mu Jingzhe to like her more instead of liking them equally. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re biased.¡±


    Xiao Wu was young and hadn¡¯t known how to speak previously, so it was natural for Mu Jingzhe to take care of him more. Little Bei had noticed all of this.


    In the past, Little Bei hadn¡¯t said anything, but today, she was a little jealous.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°No, it¡¯s just that Xiao Wu is the youngest, so I take care of him more. I treat all five of you the same way.¡±


    After saying that, she heard a scoff. She turned around and saw Shao Nan¡¯s ugly countenance. ¡°The same?¡±


    He shook his head and left with his school bag. Shao Xi and Shao Dong nced at Mu Jingzhe and also left without saying anything.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Uh¡­¡±

 Chapter 61 - Changed

    <h4>Chapter 61: Changed</h4>


    Little Bei seized this opportunity. ¡°See that, Mommy? My older brothers also think that you favored Xiao Wu.¡±


    As soon as Little Bei finished speaking, she heard Shao Nan¡¯s voice. ¡°Little Bei, she¡¯s been quite good to you too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Little Bei concurred.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    So long as there were two or more children, the problem of being biased would exist. She hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a situation herself, let alone with five children.


    Most importantly, she had to admit that she was indeed biased.


    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t like Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, but they were older and could take care of themselves. Furthermore, due to their personalities, she wasn¡¯t as close to them as she was to Little Bei and Xiao Wu.


    Due to fate and chance, she had grown closer to Little Bei and Xiao Wu. The two of them were more obedient, likable, and attached to her.


    Thus, she was indeed a little biased and cared more for them.


    Mu Jingzhe gave the five of them an egg each and promised, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to be fair in the future.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shao Dong and Shao Xi looked a little embarrassed and stopped talking.


    After all, they felt like they were grown up, and a real man shouldn¡¯t behave like this. Besides¡­ the two little ones had called her ¡®Mommy¡¯. They weren¡¯t like Shao Dong and the rest.


    *****


    Everyone in the vige knew that Little Bei had shot an advertisement and even danced on TV.


    Then, the full marks essay of the elementary school students was finally published. The school received a sample from the publishing house for Shao Xi.


    The principal and the form teacher were both very excited. They even specially publicized this matter during the g-raising ceremony and presented him with a merit award, as well as three sample books.


    The school had kept two sample books for students to read so that everyone could learn from them in the future and strive to get their work published in the book as well.


    The children of the Shao Family had all made something of themselves. These pitiful little children, who used to have no one to take care of in the past, had be role models other parents were now asking their kids to learn from.


    After Shao Xi brought home the three sample books, he pretended to be calm and gave one to Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Take it if you like.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thanks, Shao Xi. That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Little Shao Xi exuded the air of a domineering CEO. She put it away carefully and said, ¡°I¡¯ll cherish it. You have to keep yours too. You can leave one for everyone to read, but the other one you¡¯ve got to store properly.¡±


    The corners of Shao Xi¡¯s mouth curled up. Though he had already decided to listen to her, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so excited. There will be more in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I believe you!¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded vigorously.


    Shy Shao Xi: ¡°¡­¡±


    What could he possibly reply to this?


    He touched his nose and handed the essay that he had promised to write about their trip to the city to Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Xi¡¯s essay didn¡¯t mention meeting Shao Qihai, only his wish.


    Shao Xi¡¯s true wish was hidden in his words.


    He wanted his name and books to resonate throughout the world. In the future, he wanted to be a famous author and appear in newspapers and television shows. He wanted everyone to know his name and make it difficult for Shao Qihai to ignore it even if he wanted to.


    He had to show Shao Qihai how outstanding and impressive he was and make him regret it.


    Other than Xiao Wu, who hadn¡¯t written the essay, Shao Dong and his siblings¡¯ essays didn¡¯t mention Shao Qihai either. After Mu Jingzhe read them, she felt that their essays were simr in some ways.


    For example, Little Bei had written that she wanted to appear on television more frequently in the future so everyone would get to know her.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simr to their future paths in the novel.¡±


    The Dragon Boat Festival would be taking ce on Wednesday.


    Mu Jingzhe had wrapped all the salted and sweet dumplings and tied them with a five-colored thread.


    The five-colored thread had been bought previously. It was said that it symbolized the five-colored dragon and could subdue demons and ghosts. It was also known as the ¡®longevity thread¡¯. One would tie it on their wrist and pray to suppress evil and avoid poison, allowing one to live a long life.


    ¡°Left for male, right for female. Little Bei, tie it on your right hand. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Xiao Wu, tie it on your left hand.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe followed the order. ¡°I¡¯ll braid it for you so that it won¡¯t get caught on other objects.¡±


    In the past, during the Dragon Boat Festival, they basically hadn¡¯t been able to afford to eat expensive food like dumplings. Now, their stomachs were full from eating so much.


    Although Mu Jingzhe said that eating too many dumplings wasn¡¯t good for digestion, they ended up eating to their heart¡¯s content¡ªsweet dumplings, salty dumplings, as well as meat.


    When had they ever had such a good holiday? Even Shao Dong ate merrily until his little tummy puffed up.


    He looked at the five-colored thread, curiosity shing in his eyes, but said, ¡°Hmm, no need. I¡¯m a guy¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a guy, which is why you¡¯re wearing it on your left hand. Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, Brother!¡± Little Bei couldn¡¯t wait. She loved this the most.


    In the past, she used to only tie Shao X¨«¡¯s leftover threads. They weren¡¯t even five colors, and Shao Dong and the other boys simply hadn¡¯t tied any thread at all.


    ¡°You guys have never tied a thread before. Now, you have Mommy to help you tie it. How wonderful is that¡­¡±


    Shao Dong stretched out his hand. ¡°Thank you for the trouble.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe helped each of them tie it, then even tied one around Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s necks.


    This was a custom in Great Eastern Vige and its vicinity. Little Bei and Xiao Wu were delighted, but Shao Nan awkwardly said he did not want to tie it around his neck.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t force him.


    When they went to school in the afternoon, they would see everyone show off their five-colored thread and see whose thread looked better.


    However, it onlysted for two days.


    Soon, the five-colored threads would get dirty.


    Before Little Bei¡¯s five-colored thread got dirty though, she made another trip to the county.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t to shoot an advertisement but to do the voiceover of an animated show.


    Previously, Little Bei had done an excellent job mimicking advertisements, and she could also speak a foreignnguage. These were all points in her favor. Thus, now that there was an opportunity to do a voiceover, she had naturallye to mind.


    Though the remuneration wasn¡¯t much, it was nheless a good opportunity to develop her capabilities. Mu Jingzhe took her there again.


    This time, she didn¡¯t bring the boys with her. While they were gone, Shao Dong and his siblings stayed in the county to continue their foreignnguage lessons before going to the county library to read.


    The entire school was vying to read Shao Xi¡¯s elementary school essay.


    Shao Xi, Shao Dong, and the others also read it. Xiao Wu, who hadn¡¯t officially gone to school yet, was eagerly watching from the sidelines.


    The thirst for books was undoubtedly reflected in these voracious readers, and Mu Jingzhe btedly realized that there was a scarcity of books in this era.


    The school in Little Eastern Vige didn¡¯t have any extracurricr reading material other than books.


    The same applied to other viges. Even in towns, there were very few schools and no libraries at all. The conditions of that era paled greatly inparison to the modern age.


    Reading habits and how much a child read were crucial to them. Mu Jingzhe went to inquire after realizing this.


    There was a library in the county that had a modest collection of books.


    Mu Jingzhe thought of a way and asked Ji Buwang to help her apply for a library card.


    With a library card, they could enter the library to read and even borrow books.


    The five kids liked it a lot. To them, this was like opening the door to a new world.


    However, there were some books that weren¡¯t suitable for them to read, and Mu Jingzhe had pointed those out to them.


    When Mu Jingzhe brought Little Bei back, Xiao Wu ran over and clung to Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Mommy. We missed you so much.¡±


    Shao Dong and the rest didn¡¯t say anything, but they didn¡¯t deny it. Upon seeing their sparkling eyes, she could tell that they had really missed her.


    Unknowingly, the children¡¯s attitude toward her had changed. Needless to say, Little Bei and Xiao Wu were now intimate with her and dependent on her. She had also grown much closer to the other three kids.


    At first, she had simply thought of taking care of them.


    However, when one faced these young and pitiful children, it was impossible to ignore them.


    The main reason was that she could empathize with them. She used to be an orphan as well and had gone through the same thing. After suffering through that pain herself, she knew how terrible it was, so she couldn¡¯t bear to let them suffer.


    Changes always went beyond ns. Their attitude toward her had changed, and so had her attitude toward them.

 Chapter 62 - Biological Mother

    <h4>Chapter 62: Biological Mother</h4>


    Before the kids¡¯ final exam, Mu Jingzhe recruited three more people and continued making hair essories.


    Just as she had expected, her hair essories sold really well, with the butterfly hair clip being especially popr.


    She had to expand the production before her designs were replicated elsewhere.


    Compared to a factory, her business was just a small workshop.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t afraid, for there weren¡¯t manyrge factories in that era, and her small workshop was quite efficient.


    The people she had hired were all hardworking, and their speed wasn¡¯t slow either. Everyone worked together quickly and formed the fastest production line possible.


    Before the weather turned cold, Mu Jingzhe renovated the yard and used wooden nks and bricks topletely block out curious eyes. The ce now finally looked like a factory.


    She also set up a regtion system to make the factory¡¯s procedures more standardized.


    She was familiar with these things.


    The employees didn¡¯t work in the factory, but they had to clock in and out when they came to work. It was just that formalities were not in ce. The management was even stricter than that of a factory.


    The only difference between this ce and a factory was that there was no factory building orpany. When the opportunity arose, a factory could be established and start operating immediately.


    Most of the vigers only knew that Mu Jingzhe was capable, but those who had the chance to work here knew better than anyone else how incredible she was.


    However, everyone could tell that they were running a brisk business over there. This was especially evident when one looked at the workers¡ªtheir condition waspletely different from before. This invoked envy in all the vigers.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and Zhao Lan had heard a lot of gossip about them in the vige. Although they were furious, there was nothing they could do. When they heard that Mu Jingzhe was earning money, they wanted to earn money with her. However, Mu Jingzhe simply paid no heed to them. All they could do was make oblique remarks next door, m things, or quarrel among themselves.


    As the two families lived next door, they could hear all themotion. asionally, Eldest Brother Shao would lose his temper.


    Mu Jingzhe heard it all but simply ignored them.


    However, the conflict at home affected the children. Even though Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« didn¡¯t dare bully Shao Dong and his siblings anymore, they imitated the adults and gossiped behind their backs.


    In particr, they often made fun of Little Bei and Xiao Wu for calling Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    They mocked Xiao Wu by saying, ¡°You¡¯re calling any random person ¡®Mommy¡¯ just because she can breastfeed you, huh. I can give you food too. Come on, call me ¡®Daddy¡¯.¡±


    They ridiculed Little Bei as well. ¡°It¡¯s fine if that little b*stard calls her Mommy since he doesn¡¯t have a mother to begin with, but even you are calling her that. If Second Aunt finds out about this in the afterlife, I don¡¯t know how sad she will be.¡±


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« went around spreading rumors about them. Shao Dong and his siblings¡¯ situation at school had improved, and no one dared to bully them. However, there were also people who disliked them, and they started speaking ill of them behind their backs.


    Mu Jingzhe was sensitive and sensed the change in their mood, but they refused to tell her what was going on when she asked them.


    Later on, she found out from Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao that Little Bei, Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan¡¯s biological mother¡¯s death anniversary wasing.


    The reason Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« would suddenly mention their second aunt was because it would be her death anniversary soon.


    They had not remembered her death anniversary so early because they missed their second aunt or anything like that, but because they wanted Mu Jingzhe to feel miserable.


    No matter how impressive and arrogant Mu Jingzhe was now, it couldn¡¯t conceal the fact that she was a stepmother.


    In ancient times, women in her position were regarded as concubines and would have to bow to the first wife. They would never be able topare to the first wife.


    Although she treated the children well, and Little Bei and Xiao Wu had even started calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯, she was still not their biological mother. She was only a stepmother.


    It was rare for the eldest branch to find something that upset Mu Jingzhe, so they deliberately let their children learn this and even got them to publicize the matter in the vige.


    They didn¡¯t mind, but the children indeed took it to heart. It was true that they felt terrible.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless as she watched Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao prance around.


    She had originally thought that Zhao Lan would also prance around with Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. However, to her surprise, Zhao Lan didn¡¯t say much about the death anniversary this time. Although she kept pulling a long face, she didn¡¯t say much.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao thought that it would make Mu Jingzhe miserable, but this wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    She seemed to have forgotten that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care about these things now that Shao Qihai was gone.


    Although Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao would only be d to tell Mu Jingzhe the relevant information, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ask her. Instead, she chose to ask the children.


    ¡°I heard that your mother¡¯s death anniversary is in a few days. I¡¯d like to ask how you used to pay your respects. Is there anything in particr that you do?¡±


    The children looked at each other for a moment but didn¡¯t say anything. Little Bei even gazed at her cautiously.


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Why are you looking at me like that? Is it inconvenient for you to tell me? I don¡¯t mean anything by it. I just want to help you guys prepare.¡±


    Little Bei shook her head vigorously. ¡°No, we were afraid¡­ that Mommy would be unhappy.¡±


    So they were being considerate to spare her feelings. The foolish children were sad and worried that she would feel terrible.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but stroke their heads.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, but I¡¯m fine with it, so tell me. I have to make preparations before her death anniversary arrives.¡±


    Shao Dong, who felt a little ufortable having his head stroked, thanked her in a whisper.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Shao Xi looked at Shao Dong. At hismand, he took on the responsibility ofmunicating with Mu Jingzhe as he had in the past.


    Only then did Mu Jingzhe learn that their biological mother was called Bai Lu.


    It was said that she had been named that way because she had been born on Bailu Day[1]. Also, her surname happened to be Bai, so she had been given the name Bai Lu.


    Shao Xi spoke a little too much and even referred to Bai Lu as ¡®Mommy¡¯ a few times. When he finished speaking, he was a little embarrassed.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°So it¡¯s the day after tomorrow. What did your mother like to eat?¡±


    ¡°Walnut cookies,¡± Shao Xi immediately answered.


    ¡°Walnut cookies? Hmm, alright.¡±


    Walnut cookies were a famous and tasty snack in that era.


    Mu Jingzhe had never known Bai Lu before, but she took this opportunity to get to know her a bit.


    It was difficult to find out from the children, but she had no qualms asking Shao Qiyang. When Shao Qiyang returned, she asked him about her.


    Shao Qiyang was initially still mad over that conversation, but he came back because he was afraid that she would feel awful. In the end, she waspletely fine. He had no choice but to tell her what he knew.


    This way, Mu Jingzhe learned about the conflict between the mother-inw and daughter-inw duo, Zhao Lan and Bai Lu.


    It was said that Zhao Lan had been dissatisfied with Bai Lu from the start.


    Shao Qihai was the second child. He had Eldest Brother Shao above him and two younger siblings below him. Thus, he was the most neglected child amongst them.


    Ever since he was young, he had never been one to say heartwarming words and he¡¯d only known how to work silently. It was only after he¡¯d joined the army, be sessful, and started sending an allowance back that his presence had gradually started bing obvious at home.


    Zhao Lan had originally wanted to find a good wife for Shao Qihai in Great Eastern Vige, but before she could do anything, Shao Qihai had already found someone.


    It was said that an army mate had introduced the girl to him. She was a smart, beautiful city girl with a job.


    It was normally a good thing to find such a daughter-inw, but Zhao Lan was displeased. This was because after they got married, Shao Qihai started to send back less money, saying that he now needed to support his family.


    Zhao Lan was unhappy. She had wanted to find Shao Qihai a wife from Great Eastern Vige so that she could keep her daughter-inw at home in order to retain control over Shao Qihai. This way, Shao Qihai would continue sending back his allowance to her.


    s, Zhao Lan¡¯s objections to Shao Qihai¡¯s sudden request to get married were futile. As a result, she was immensely displeased with Bai Lu.


    Initially, Shao Qihai had asked Zhao Lan to go over to get to know her daughter-inw before going home to host a dinner party when Chinese New Year came. However, Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t gone.


    In fact, Zhao Lan had even told him not to bother throwing a wedding banquet in their hometown. She said she didn¡¯t have what it took to wait on a daughter-inw from the city.


    [1] the 15th of the 24 sr terms in the Chinese Lunar Calendar

 Chapter 63 - Grandma Killed Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 63: Grandma Killed Mommy</h4>


    Bai Lu was also stubborn and had insisted on noting back. Even when she gave birth for the first time, she had two sons but didn¡¯t get her mother-inw to go over to help take care of the children.


    The people of Great Eastern Vige only knew that Shao Qihai had gotten a wife, but they had never seen Bai Lu.


    Later on, Bai Lu had gotten pregnant again and suffered great difort during her pregnancy. Shao Dong and Shao Xi were only a year old, and Bai Lu really was in no condition to take care of them, so Shao Qihai had no choice but to look for Zhao Lan.


    Zhao Lan only went over because he begged her, and also because she was afraid that Shao Qihai would continue to do this in the future.


    However, Zhao Lan didn¡¯t fit in when she went to live with them. Bai Lu loved cleanliness. On the contrary, Zhao Lan had many bad habits and didn¡¯t like cleanliness, which resulted in a lot of contradictions when it came to taking care of the children.


    Through her meticulous upbringing, Bai Lu had taught Shao Dong and Shao Xibai to be clean. They changed their clothes every day and ate very well.


    She asked Zhao Lan not to feed the children the food she chewed, saying that it was unhygienic.


    There was nothing wrong with what Bai Lu said, but Zhao Lan felt that she despised and looked down on her, a mother-inw from a rural vige. She felt so wronged that she kept crying andining.


    Later on, the conflict snowballed. Zhao Lan disliked this daughter-inw and by association, also found her two grandsons an eyesore. She felt that Bai Lu had raised them all wrong.


    Later on, Zhao Lan deliberately refused to listen to Bai Lu. The more Bai Lu said that she shouldn¡¯t do something, the more pleasure she took in doing it. She deliberately fed the children food that she had chewed and said that this was how children were raised in rural viges. It was also how Shao Qihai had grown up.


    Bai Lu was so angry that she vomited and couldn¡¯t eat anything.


    Though Zhao Lan had supposedly gone there to take care of the pregnant woman and the children, in fact, with her around, Bai Lu¡¯s condition got increasingly worse. Bai Lu couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked her to go back, but Zhao Lan purposely refused.


    Later on, when Bai Lu was about to give birth and said that she wanted to go to the hospital, Zhao Lan stopped her from doing so. She imed that there was no need to waste money and that she could just deliver the child, as this wasmon practice.


    Just like that, Bai Lu was forced to stay at home to give birth. She was in a terrible state and kept insisting on going to the hospital, but Zhao Lan didn¡¯t care and even dismissed her request as unreasonable.


    It was only when she saw Bai Lu go through a difficultbor that Zhao Lan realized that something was wrong. By the time she was taken to the hospital, it was already toote. Bai Lu had suffered a massive hemorrhage and died after giving birth to Shao Nan and Little Bei.


    She didn¡¯t even get to nce at her newborn babies or say anything before she passed away.


    At the time, Shao Qihai happened to be away on a mission. When he returned, he was confronted by Bai Lu¡¯s corpse.


    Weepy Zhao Lan said that she felt sorry for her daughter-inw and the children.


    However, Shao Dong and Shao Xi remembered Bai Lu¡¯s cries and pleas that night.


    In their dreams at midnight, they would always remember Bai Lu¡¯s cries.


    They were too young at the time and didn¡¯t remember much, nor were they very sensible back then. However, they vaguely felt that Zhao Lan had caused their mother¡¯s death.


    Meanwhile, everyone said that she had passed away because she had gone through a difficultbor while giving birth to the twins.


    Later on, they never liked Zhao Lan, and Zhao Lan wasn¡¯t fond of them either.


    This was what Shao Dong secretly told Mu Jingzheter.


    However, no one said anything in public about this. At the time, no one had suspected anything. Even if they had, it wasn¡¯t their ce to voice those suspicions.


    However, with Bai Lu gone, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t cope with four babies all by himself. Zhao Lan had offered to bring them back to their hometown to raise them, saying that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao could help take care of them. Despite his worry, Shao Qihai had no choice but to agree.


    Just like that, Shao Dong and the others had been taken back to Great Eastern Vige by Zhao Lan. Shao Qihai had then started sending back his allowance in its entirety again.


    s, Zhao Lan had never treated them well. All she did was prevent them from starving to death. They had suffered a lot since they were young, and Zhao Lan had kept brainwashing them by telling them that all stepmothers were evil.


    Zhao Lan felt that there was no point in Shao Qihai remarrying, as he already had four children. Instead, if she helped raise those children, she could get her hands on his entire allowance.


    Unexpectedly, after sending back his allowance for a few years, Shao Qihai had retired from the army after suffering an injury.


    Mu Jingzhe knew what had happened then.


    The original book didn¡¯t mention Bai Lu much, so she hadn¡¯t expected such a dramatic backstory.


    The reason Shao Dong had told her that he was suspicious was because he was just a child. He had been suppressing this in his heart for so many years, as he¡¯d had no one to say it to. That was why he couldn¡¯t help but tell her.


    After saying that, he probably regretted saying too much. He only said that he might be remembering it wrong.


    ¡°If Grandma really caused Mommy¡¯s death, she should be feeling guilty and remorseful. But she¡¯s not guilty, and she doesn¡¯t treat us well either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t sure about this either. Although Zhao Lan was wicked, she couldn¡¯t directly use her of killing Bai Lu. She could only pat Shao Dong¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep thinking about things that have no answer. Just pay your respects to your mother on her death anniversary.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Dong nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll treat my younger siblings well in the future and won¡¯t let her down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached for Shao Dong.


    He was still young, but he was already shouldering so much responsibility.


    His narrow shoulders had yet to develop, but he was already shouldering the responsibility of a parent.


    ¡°Shao Dong, don¡¯t keep thinking that you¡¯re the older brother and have to take care of your younger siblings. You can think about yourself more. With me looking after Little Bei and the rest, you can rx a little.¡±


    When Shao Dong heard this, a rare hint of confusion appeared in the depths of his eyes.


    Think about himself?


    He rarely thought about himself. He only remembered that he had to take care of his younger siblings and only took note of what they liked.


    Seeing his confused expression, Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and assigned him a mission.


    ¡°For the next two days, think about a hundred things you want to do. You can also write down what you like. We¡¯ll check off the items on the list slowly after you write them down. Tell your mother about it when you pay your respects to her on her death anniversary. Strive toplete as many tasks as possible before her next death anniversary.¡±


    Shao Dong thought about it seriously. ¡°A hundred items? They can be anything?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You can write down whatever you like, whatever you want to do, or wherever you want to go, etc. You can aplish those tasks one by one in the future. When you¡¯re done, you can put a tick next to each task. Won¡¯t you feel especially aplished by the time you finish going through the entire list?¡±


    Shao Dong nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Remember not to write about your younger siblings. Just write about yourself.¡± Mu Jingzhe emphasized this, afraid that he would write down things rted to his younger siblings.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    For the next two days, Shao Dong thought hard about what he wanted to do. When he was free, he wrote and drew.


    Mu Jingzhe went to town and bought the items for the ancestral worship. She also bought walnut cookies for Bai Lu.


    She had never met Bai Lu before, but due to the rtionship she had built with the kids, she hadplicated feelings for her.


    This was the person who had given birth to Little Bei, Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, the woman who had passed away because of a difficultbor.


    Though the kids were pitiful, she was even more pitiful. After all, she had died at a really young age. As a woman, Mu Jingzhe could empathize with her.


    In the past, everyone used to call her weird for not getting married. However, married women walked through the gates of hell to give birth to children. If a woman was unlucky, she would pass away just like that.


    ording to the storyline in the book, Bai Lu had lost her life and the children she had given up her life to give birth to didn¡¯t end up living well either. Each of those children suffered a lot of hardships and didn¡¯t meet a good end.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t think about it anymore. I¡¯m going to cry if I think about it some more.¡±


    On the day of Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, Mu Jingzhe wore dark clothes and dressed the children in dark clothes too.


    It happened to be a Saturday, so Mu Jingzhe followed Li Zhaodi¡¯s instructions. Li Zhaodi called her foolish for taking the initiative to pay her respects to the first wife when no one was that particr.


    Regardless, Li Zhaodi still came to help. She only went back after the preparations were done.


    There was only half a day of lessons on Saturday. When Shao Dong and the others returned from ss, Mu Jingzhe had finished preparing and went to pay her respects with the children.


    Because Bai Lu wasn¡¯t buried in Great Eastern Vige, the children couldn¡¯t even go to her grave to kowtow and offer incense.


    Fortunately, Shao Qihai had returned with the memorial tablet. However, he had also be a memorial tablet now.


    The couple¡¯s memorial tablets had been ced next to each other.

 Chapter 64 - The Enigma That Is Xiao Wus Mother

    <h4>Chapter 64: The Enigma That Is Xiao Wu¡¯s Mother</h4>


    It was only when Mu Jingzhe saw his memorial tablet that she remembered that she had forgotten to take Shao Qihai¡¯s taste into ount.


    ¡°I forgot to ask you what your father likes. We¡¯ll buy it next time on your father¡¯s death anniversary. Your mother takes priority today.¡±


    Shao Xi immediately said, ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    What death anniversary? He wasn¡¯t even dead yet! These were all for their mother, not him.


    The children looked at the full table of offerings that Mu Jingzhe had prepared and were very happy. They felt that this way, their mother could eat more in heaven.


    In the past, they hadn¡¯t been able to prepare much, and their mother had starved as a result. She could eat more this year.


    With those thoughts in mind, they silently kowtowed to her.


    ¡°You can talk to your mother. You can say whatever you want.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that they might be holding themselves back in her presence. After all, Little Bei had just been mocked by the other kids. Thus, she cooked up some excuse and went away.


    Unexpectedly, none of the children said anything in the end.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked helplessly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Little Bei scratched her head. ¡°Actually, we rarely did this in the past. It was always Brother who secretly took us to pay our respects.¡±


    Back then, they didn¡¯t have anything good to offer. At most, they would take some fruit and steamed buns that they had saved. They didn¡¯t even have eggs and didn¡¯t dare make a sound or burn joss paper for fear that Zhao Lan would find out.


    Seeing that they weren¡¯t used to it, Mu Jingzhe could only speak to Bai Lu herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The children have grown taller and gained some weight over the past few months.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe still remembered their current height and weight, so she nagged Bai Lu a little about it.


    ¡°Although they¡¯re a bit shorter and thinner than normal, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll catch up by next year.¡±


    The children couldn¡¯t help butugh when they heard that. Even Shao Dong pursed his lips and smiled.


    The walls at home now had records of their height.


    Mu Jingzhe said that she would measure their height and weight every three months, and she even wrote it down in her notebook.


    In this day and age, there was no electronic scale, only an old-school scale that was usually used to weigh food and pigs. Two people had to carry the scale while the weight was being measured.


    However, they were only children, so Mu Jingzhe could carry the scale by herself. When she¡¯d weighed food previously, she had taken the chance to weigh the kids as well.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that this was probably what a mother was most concerned about. She told Bai Lu about this and also about the kids losing their baby teeth.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s front teeth had already fallen out and new ones had grown out. Shao Nan and Little Bei were about to experience the same thing.


    In the end, she concluded, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to take good care of them in the future. You can rest assured and reunite with Shao Qihai in the afterlife.¡±


    After the ceremony, Mu Jingzhe went to cook.


    Because Bai Lu had died during a difficultbor, her death anniversary was actually also Shao Nan and Little Bei¡¯s birthday.


    However, due to this reason, Shao Nan and Little Bei never celebrated their birthday. They didn¡¯t have the means to celebrate it either.


    Because it was the day their mother had undergone great torment, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t intend to celebrate their birthday either. After all, it wasn¡¯t appropriate. However, since it was their birthday after all, after some thought, she made them longevity noodles[1] with a poached egg.


    After this day, Shao Nan and Little Bei would be six years old. Mu Jingzhe specifically sprinkled a ¡®6¡¯ for Shao Nan and Little Bei by using chopped spring onions.


    ¡°6! This is a 6!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that means you¡¯ve turned six.¡± There were no birthday cakes or candles, so Mu Jingzhe could only do some creative thinking here.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re six, it means that everything will be smooth-sailing in the future. You won¡¯t have to suffer anymore.¡±


    Shao Nan and Little Bei propped up their heads and simply gazed at the noodles, for they couldn¡¯t bear to eat them.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly urged them. ¡°Hurry up and eat them. Don¡¯t let the noodles turn soggy. Remember not to break them when you eat them. You have to slurp them in one go. This way, you will be safe from harm and live a long life.¡±


    This was Shao Nan and Little Bei¡¯s first time celebrating their birthday, so they felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when they heard that. They very much cherished it and gingerly started eating, afraid that they would break the noodle.


    Fortunately, they sessfully finished slurping the noodle in one shot without breaking it.


    ¡°Mommy, I didn¡¯t break the noodle. I will live to a ripe old age.¡± Thrilled Little Bei asked for credit the moment she finished eating.


    ¡°Mm, Little Bei will live to a ripe old age.¡±


    Shao Nan interrupted her. ¡°I didn¡¯t break it either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shao Nan will also live a long life.¡±


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He called her Mommy, but she wouldn¡¯t call him Little Nan. She called one of them Shao Nan and the other Little Bei¡ªwhat a big discrepancy.


    However, Mu Jingzhe was indeed quite good to them, so he quickly added, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    His gratitude was sincere.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    They felt that Mu Jingzhe had worked hard to prepare these dishes. After they finished eating, Shao Xi and Shao Dong insisted that Mu Jingzhe go and rest and let them wash the dishes.


    When Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t agree at first, Shao Dong¡¯s little face formed a frown, and even Shao Xi was angry.


    ¡°Alright, thank you then.¡± Mu Jingzhe finally agreed and thanked them for their thoughtfulness.


    ¡°When technology bes advanced in the future, we can buy a dishwasher. When that timees, we can simply load the dishes in and they will be washed automatically. There¡¯ll be no need for anyone to wash the dishes anymore.¡±


    Shao Nan was very interested. ¡°There¡¯s something that can wash the dishes automatically?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It will exist in the future. Just like a washing machine.¡± In any case, these appliances existed in the modern age.


    ¡°A washing machine? Will clothes also be washed automatically?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mu Jingzhe thought for a while. The automatic washing machine would be popr in a few years and be one of the three most important items for newlyweds. It wasn¡¯t avable yet, but the first-generation, hand-operated washing machine in the country had probably been introduced to the world by now. It worked based on the same principles as the drum washing machine, except that it was operated by hand.


    When the children heard Mu Jingzhe mention the washing machine and dishwasher, they were delighted. ¡°Mommy, if someone makes these things in the future, won¡¯t it be easier for us?¡±


    Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe pick up a broom to sweep the floor, Shao Nan had an idea and asked, ¡°Could there be a sweeping machine too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there will be a sweeping robot.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°It will sweep and even mop the floor automatically.¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. He found it very interesting and even wanted to make it himself.


    The children beamed, and so did Xiao Wu.


    He was very obedient and sensitive to emotions. As long as his siblings and mother were happy, he would be happy too.


    Apart from feeling happy, he was also envious of Shao Nan and the rest. This was because they all knew who their biological mother was, but he didn¡¯t.


    Fortunately, he also had a mother now.


    Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t sad, but he was inevitably curious.


    What did his mother look like? Did she have curly hair like him? Would she look as pretty as Mommy Mu Jingzhe when she smiled?


    Xiao Wu held a piece of charcoal and subconsciously drew his imaginary mother on the ground.


    Mu Jingzhe found him. ¡°Xiao Wu, why are you squatting here?¡±


    Upon catching sight of Xiao Wu¡¯s portrait, she asked, ¡°Xiao Wu, who did you draw? Eh, it¡¯s someone with curly hair.¡±


    Xiao Wu panicked and wanted to wipe it off, but Mu Jingzhe still saw the word ¡®Mommy¡¯ underneath.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, were you drawing your mother?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood. Xiao Wu must be missing his own mother after seeing his siblings pay their respects to Bai Lu.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t miss my biological mother. I love Mommy the most.¡±


    Xiao Wu exined hurriedly and even hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I was just curious to know what she looked like. I don¡¯t miss her. Mommy, don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± Mu Jingzheughed and patted Xiao Wu. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m also curious to know who gave birth to you and made you so cute.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe now knew a little about Dong, Nan, Xi, Bei¡¯s mother, Bai Lu, but the identity of Xiao Wu¡¯s mother was still shrouded in mystery.


    [1] A longevity noodle is a single noodle which fills the whole bowl, and it is better not to break it when eating it.

 Chapter 65 - Sister-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 65: Sister-In-Law</h4>


    Speaking of Xiao Wu¡¯s parentage, Mu Jingzhe felt that it was hard to exin in a few words.


    No wonder Shao Qihai had be the first love of the novel¡¯s female protagonist. He was really quite charming. He had married Bai Lu, who had given birth to four smart children for him, and a mysterious woman had even given birth to Xiao Wu for him.


    The book had never mentioned who Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother was; she was an enigma throughout the novel.


    Mu Jingzhe scooped up Xiao Wu. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go ask Shao Dong and see how much he knows.¡±


    She didn¡¯t mind that the kids missed their biological mother. After all, that was their biological mother.


    Xiao Wu heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t feeling upset over this.


    When Shao Dong heard the question, he frowned awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. He only said that Xiao Wu will be our younger brother from now onward. He didn¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    Therefore, no one knew if Xiao Wu¡¯s mother was dead or alive. After Shao Qihai¡¯s death, no one knew the answer to this.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t realize that Shao Dong and the others had silently changed the way they addressed Shao Qihai from ¡®Dad¡¯ to ¡®He¡¯. Their tone had also changed.


    Since she couldn¡¯t get anything out of him, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say much. Her attention was attracted by Shao Dong¡¯s notebook.


    ¡°Have you finished writing the one hundred things you want to do the most?¡±


    Shao Dong felt a little ufortable. ¡°Mm, I¡¯ve written them.¡±


    ¡°Can you let me take a look? I want to take a look to understand you better. I¡¯ll help you realize these things in the future.¡±


    Shao Dong hesitated for a moment before passing the notebook to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Then don¡¯tugh at me.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been easy toe up with this list. At first, it had been fine, but because he had to write a hundred things, he¡¯d slowly started writing down many trivial matters as well.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Mu Jingzhe promised. ¡°I won¡¯tugh or let another person see it. This will be our little secret.¡±


    Shao Dong pursed his lips. ¡°Okay.¡±


    He agreed, but he was still a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ll go see Little Bei and the rest.¡±


    Although they didn¡¯t have to attend sses on Saturday afternoon, their learning hadn¡¯t stopped. Little Bei and the rest were still hoping to skip a grade, and they were also learning a foreignnguage now.


    Mu Jingzhe watched him leave before starting to peruse Shao Dong¡¯s wishlist.


    Shao Dong was too quiet. Despite his young age, he was restrained and he rarely revealed his emotions. To a certain extent, one could gain an understanding of him through this wishlist.


    His first wish was written in a very genuine, down-to-earth manner. ¡°Earn money. Earn lots of money. Never starve and freeze again.¡±


    Later on, he wrote very honestly about his hopes to be promising and so on. He also wrote that one day, he hoped to go to his mother¡¯s grave to offer incense to her.


    He wanted to visit the big cities and the capital to look at the raised national g, as well as go overseas to take a look.


    The wishlist he wrote had traces of erased handwriting. Based on this, one could tell that his wishes had been about his younger siblings several times during the process.


    The further down the list one went, the more trivial his wishes became. For example, his desire to drink a full cup of soda and eat a chicken drumstick because these were things he had never done before.


    Though soda was delicious and Mu Jingzhe had bought them some before, he was used to letting his younger siblings drink it.


    Chicken drumsticks were good stuff, so he had to leave them for his younger siblings too. He had never eaten one before.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached.


    Lastly, he had added that he hoped to own a washing machine, a dishwasher, and a floor-cleaning machine in the future.


    He included this after being inspired by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words earlier.


    However, he was ultimately a future business bigshot. Owning these things wasn¡¯t the end; it was only the beginning.


    He had added that if no one created these appliances, he wanted to manufacture them himself and sell them all over the country so that everyone could use them and not have to work so hard.


    Mu Jingzheughed again. ¡°Your business acumen is already active.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe finished reading the list, she tried her best to memorize it. Then, she took out a bottle of soda she had bought previously and found Shao Dong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give this to them. Drink it yourself. I¡¯ll help you realize your first wish.¡±


    Shao Dong took the soda and blushed. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. The next time we ughter a chicken, I¡¯ll fulfill your second wish. I¡¯ll give you a big drumstick.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe winked at Shao Dong, who smiled shyly. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Urged by Mu Jingzhe, he drank an entire bottle of soda.


    For the first time, he didn¡¯t stop after a small sip. Instead, he really drank until he burped.


    Shao Dong felt great. ¡°I also want to manufacture soda in the future.¡± Instead of buying it, Shao Dong wanted to produce it himself.


    Mu Jingzhe shed him a thumbs-up. ¡°Sure, add it to the notebook.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Dong took the small notebook and added it seriously.


    Only then did Mu Jingzhe go to work.


    As she wasing up with designs, she heard the sound of a fluteing from outside.


    Xiao Wu was ying the flute in the courtyard. Xiao Wu often yed the flute and the erhu. The melodies were very pleasant to the ears and put one in a splendid mood.


    The youngdies, who had been busy all the way until the afternoon, instantly perked up when they heard the music.


    ¡°Your Xiao Wu is so impressive. The melodies he ys are always so wonderful to listen to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel good hearing that.¡±


    Everyone was praising Xiao Wu. Mu Jingzhe was very proud and quietly listened with everyone else.


    After a while, the flute music suddenly stopped. Then, they even heard a voice.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care at first, thinking that a viger hade. However, she then heard a sharp rebuke.


    Mu Jingzhe went out and happened to see a woman in a dress pushing Xiao Wu over.


    ¡°Get out of the way, Mute.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression darkened. She stepped forward and pushed the woman as well, helping Xiao Wu up from the ground. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Pain shed across Xiao Wu¡¯s face, but he shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. I¡¯m fine, Mommy.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s voice was drowned out by the woman¡¯s curses and sharp screams of pain.


    Given Mu Jingzhe¡¯s immense strength, one shove was all it had taken for the woman to fall to the ground.


    The fallen woman was in a sorry state and shrieked furiously. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, are you crazy? How dare you push me?! My dress!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe ignored her and dusted Xiao Wu off before looking over.


    Upon closer inspection, she realized that this was Shao Qiyun, the youngest sister of the Shao siblings, her only sister-inw, and Zhao Lan¡¯s precious darling.


    Shao Qiyun was devoted to going to the city and marrying a rich man who lived there. Usually, she hated going home. It was unknown why she¡¯d suddenly returned today.


    Upon looking at her dirty dress, Shao Qiyun was enraged. ¡°This is a dress from the department store. Can you afford topensate me if you dirty it or tear it?¡±


    As she cursed, she saw Shao Zhong looking at her sulkily, his eyes filled with displeasure.


    A trace of disgust flickered past her eyes. Without thinking, sheshed out at him. ¡°What are you looking at? Stupid mute.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°Shao Qiyun, watch your words. Xiao Wu isn¡¯t mute. He can speak now.¡±


    ¡°So what? He¡¯s still a fool.¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at her dress in an extremely awful mood. ¡°Nothing good happens when I run into him. What a jinx.¡±


    ¡°You came to my house by yourself. I didn¡¯t say that you were a jinx, yet you areining? If anyone is a jinx, it¡¯s you. Do you understand?¡±


    Thanks to her memories, she knew that her sister-inw hated Xiao Wu the most at home. She abhorred him so much that she wasn¡¯t even willing to cast a nce in his direction.


    Mu Jingzhe was very dissatisfied. Xiao Wu was her nephew after all. How could she do this to him?

 Chapter 66 - Strange Disgust

    <h4>Chapter 66: Strange Disgust</h4>


    Because she despised Xiao Wu, Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t even willing to go home. Of course, this might just be an excuse, but Zhao Lan often used this as an excuse to scold Xiao Wu.


    As a daughter Zhao Lan had given birth to inter years, Shao Qiyun had always been very favored. She hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to dare treat her like this.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, have you eaten a bear¡¯s heart or a leopard¡¯s gall? How dare you treat me like this when you so eagerly married into my family? Shouldn¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be ashamed? You¡¯re the one making a fuss in my house. You¡¯re the one who has eaten a bear¡¯s heart or a leopard¡¯s gall. How dare you hit Xiao Wu!¡±


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be so shrewish. She red at Shao Zhong. ¡°So what if I hit him? Who asked him to suddenlye over and scare me?¡±


    Shao Zhong was so frightened by her re that he involuntarily called Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯ and asked for help.


    Mu Jingzhe was about to respond when Shao Qiyun suddenly exploded. ¡°Who are you calling ¡®Mommy¡¯?!¡±


    Startled, Mu Jingzhe quickly went to hug Xiao Wu. ¡°Why did you suddenly raise your voice? What business is it of yours that he calls me Mommy?¡±


    Shao Qiyun scowled at them. She was about tosh out at them but ultimately held herself back.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I don¡¯t want to argue with you like a shrew. Just you wait!¡±


    Shao Qiyun tossed her head and left, her dress twirling in the air.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned as she watched her leave. She squatted down and looked at Xiao Wu. ¡°She didn¡¯t hit you, did she? Are your hands alright?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xiao Wu shook his head. ¡°Mommy, all I did was greet her.¡±


    Xiao Wu knew how to speak now, but he was timid and used to silence. Even when he went to the art school to learn, he was always alone.


    Mu Jingzhe had encouraged him to talk more andmunicate with others, hoping that he would befriend little kids his age. She had also instructed him to greet anyone who came to their house.


    Xiao Wu was very obedient and did as he was told. When the vigers came, he would greet them seriously before calling for Mu Jingzhe.


    When Shao Qiyun hade in, Xiao Wu had known that she didn¡¯t like him and didn¡¯t even want to see him. He would get scolded every time, but because of the task his mother had assigned him, he had still stepped forward obediently. He hadn¡¯t expected to be pushed away as soon as he¡¯d approached Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, just ignore people like her who push others away rudely. Our family doesn¡¯t wee rude guests like her,¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately advised Xiao Wu.


    Xiao Wu was still a child. He would be the one at a disadvantage if Shao Qiyun went crazy. Xiao Wu was such a precious baby that he should stay away from a shrew like her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Wu was actually quite sad to be hated so much by someone, so it was impossible for him to not mind. However, after Mu Jingzheforted him, he wasn¡¯t that sad anymore.


    Mu Jingzhe had just appeased Xiao Wu when Zhao Lan came looking for her and demanded to know what was wrong with her. Why would she treat her sister-inw like that, especially since Shao Qiyun rarely came back?


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless. ¡°Before you said so much, why didn¡¯t you take a look at what your daughter did? The first thing she did was push Xiao Wu. How can there be such an overbearing sister-inw?¡±


    When Zhao Lan heard that, she suddenly felt short of breath and left after saying a few words.


    Shao Qiyun snorted and said that she had nothing to say to her. She then left to look for Mu Xue.


    In the book, Shao Qiyun liked Mu Xue and only acknowledged her as her sister-inw. Later on, she sucked up to Mu Xue a lot and hated Mu Jingzhe with a passion.


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head as she watched her leave. ¡°She¡¯s actually quite good-looking, but why is her personality like this?¡±


    In terms of facial features, Shao Qiyun was even more exquisite than Mu Xue. The dress she was wearing was also beautiful and pleasing to the eye.


    However, God was fair. He had given Shao Qiyun a beautiful appearance, but he hadn¡¯t given her a lot of brains.


    After looking at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyun¡¯s back, Xiao Wu suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll also buy beautiful dresses for Mommy in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked down and couldn¡¯t help but stroke his head. ¡°Okay.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know why he would think of buying her dresses, but Shao Qiyun¡¯s dress was indeed quite pretty. She would also buy it when she had the chance in the future.


    When they returned to work, everyone knew that Shao Qiyun was back. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t object, they started gossiping about Shao Qiyun.


    Like her two brothers, Hai and Yang, Shao Qiyun was also very pretty thanks to her father.


    This led them to discuss these mysterious gic and hereditary issues.


    Zhao Lan looked very ordinary, but Old Man Shao was very handsome and didn¡¯t at all look like someone from the countryside. He was cultured and exuded a celestial air.


    Back then, Zhao Lan had married him because she had taken a fancy to Old Man Shao¡¯s face.


    Zhao Lan had only been given such an opportunity because Old Man Shao¡¯s health hadn¡¯t been good since he was young.


    Back then, many people said that the two of them weren¡¯tpatible. Their union was referred to as ¡®a flower nted in cow dung¡¯, and Old Man Shao was the flower.


    In their marriage photos, they looked like a bandit leader and her captive husband.


    Though Zhao Lan liked Old Man Shao¡¯s face, when it came to her children, she favored Eldest Brother Shao, who resembled her.


    Among the four children, only Eldest Brother Shao resembled her. He had average looks and was short, unlike his younger siblings. Every time they went out, he would be ignored, and no one would believe that they were biological siblings.


    However, they were indeed biological siblings. It was just that he resembled his mother and the three of them resembled their father.


    Eldest Brother Shao was actually very angry about his mediocre looks. Unfortunately, his wife, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, also had average looks. That was why Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« had ended up with a mediocre appearance as well. To sum it up, the eldest branch hadn¡¯t benefited from Old Man Shao¡¯s good genes at all.


    In the past, Li Zhaodi used to often tell Mu Jingzhe how d she was that Shao Qiyun and her brother didn¡¯t take after her and took after Mu Teng.


    Though Shao Qiyun took after her father, Zhao Lan doted on her a lot, as she was her only daughter.


    She was good-looking and ambitious, so she felt that she would definitely marry a rich person. Zhao Lan felt the same way. If she managed to meet a rich person, she would easily be able to marry him.


    However, they had been saying the same thing since she was 16, and she was now 23 and still unmarried.


    This was because they were too picky and looked down on ordinary suitors. They were typical people who aimed high but ended upnding low.


    Right now, Shao Qiyun was a dormitory keeper at the county¡¯s No. 1 Middle School. One could not underestimate a dormitory keeper. It had taken her a lot of effort to get that job.


    To Zhao Lan, this was already something to be proud of.


    When Shao Qiyun returned home, joyfulughter was finally heard from next door instead of the quarreling noises they heard all the time.


    The voices of Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« currying favor with Shao Qiyun and calling her Aunt could be heard clearly over there.


    Every time Shao Qiyun came back, she would bring delicious snacks with her, such as canned fruit, walnut cookies, brown sugar, and white sugar. Then, Zhao Lan would brag to the entire vige. Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« sucked up to their aunt because of all these goodies.


    However, Shao Dong and the others weren¡¯t envious at all, as Shao Qiyun would never share it with them, especially with Xiao Wu.


    Mu Jingzhe was afraid that the children would be sad, so sheforted them. ¡°When I go to the county city tomorrow, I¡¯ll buy you guys some canned fruit too.¡±


    ¡°No need. Learning a foreignnguage beats eating canned fruit,¡± Shao Dong replied, indicating that he wasn¡¯t envious.


    However, Mu Jingzhe still wanted to buy two cans for them to satisfy their craving.


    The next day, Mu Jingzhe woke up early and took the children to the county. Surprisingly, she ran into Tang Moling again.


    ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll drive you there.¡±


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t say that he hade specifically to give Mu Jingzhe and the kids a lift.


    He had yet to achieve his goal. Unwilling to give up, he¡¯d decided to press on.


    Seeing that Tang Moling was sincere about giving them a ride, they thanked him and got in. After all,pared to a bicycle, riding in a car was naturally morefortable. Besides, they were a bit more familiar with him now.


    Although she didn¡¯t know why Tang Moling had suddenly gone crazy and started taking care of them, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t afraid. She would deal with whatever came her way.

 Chapter 67 - Sugar-Coated Bomb

    <h4>Chapter 67: Sugar-Coated Bomb</h4>


    ¡°Sorry to trouble you again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡± Tang Moling listened to them as he drove. Halfway through, he asked Mu Jingzhe to help him look for something.


    Mu Jingzhe identally found a pearl bracelet as she rummaged through the items.


    Tang Moling nced at it and casually said, ¡°This is a pearl bracelet. Take it if you like it.¡±


    Though he might look nonchnt on the surface, he was actually carefully observing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression in the mirror.


    He was doing that on purpose. He had decided to work harder to uncover her true colors, so while buying Mu Xue a pearl ne, he¡¯d thought of Mu Jingzhe and bought this bracelet as well.


    The pearls on this bracelet were much smaller than those on the other ne and weren¡¯t worth much, but to someone of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s status, this was already a rare item.


    She would definitely fall for it if she was short-sighted.


    The bracelet would look good on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s slender, fair wrist. Any girl would be tempted.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe merely nced at him strangely. ¡°Thank you, but there¡¯s no need.¡±


    Was this indeed a trap? Was it a sugar-coated bomb? Or was he trying to defraud her or something?


    However, she hadn¡¯t provoked Mu Xue in the past few days. With those thoughts in mind, Mu Jingzhe ced the bracelet back very carefully to avoid giving him a chance to extort her.


    Tang Moling: ¡°???¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°No, it looks pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you want it?¡± Tang Moling nced at her. ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood today. That¡¯s why I said I would give it to you.¡±


    He then said meaningfully, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is nothing.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    ¡®I know very well just how rich you are because I¡¯ve read the novel. I don¡¯t need you to tell me that. I¡¯ll have money in the future too!¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe clenched her fist.


    Tang Moling raised his brow upon seeing her actions. ¡°Woman, if you like it, just take it. There¡¯s no need to hold yourself back. Go ahead and take it. It¡¯s just a small item.¡±


    His tone was especially wild and arrogant. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.


    Had he just called her ¡®woman¡¯? Gosh, he truly sounded like the male protagonist of a novel filled with sweet, doting love!


    It hadn¡¯t been so bad when she had read about it in the novel, but hearing him say that in reality was too tacky and hrious.


    It made Mu Jingzhe feel like she was watching an ancient idol drama.


    ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± The more she thought about it, the more she couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Tang Moling: ¡°What are youughing at?¡±


    Could she have seen through his ns? But it didn¡¯t look like it. It seemed like she wasughing at him.


    She actually dared tough at him?


    Seeing his dark expression, Mu Jingzhe quickly restrained herughter. ¡°Ahem, I just remembered a joke.¡±


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t feelforted by this.


    After all, this waspletely different from what he had imagined. He had plotted so meticulously to see her make a fool of herself, but in the end, he was the one being regarded as a joke?


    Tang Moling pursed his lips. Never mind if the first attempt had failed. He could try a second or third time. Surely she wouldn¡¯t continue to act like this?


    Therefore, he ¡®bumped into¡¯ Mu Jingzhe again in the afternoon. Upon seeing her and the kids holding two cans of fruit as if they were treasures, he snorted in his heart and asked casually if they wanted to go to the best restaurant in the county to eat.


    Seeing how much they cherished even something like canned fruits, Tang Moling felt that Mu Jingzhe and the kids definitely wouldn¡¯t refuse.


    In the end¡­ he was rejected again, and they happily went away with their precious canned fruits.


    Tang Moling: ¡°Are canned fruits really that delicious?¡±


    After failing to achieve his goal, Tang Moling was so mad that he mmed the steering wheel.


    Later on, he deliberately bumped into Mu Jingzhe, who was going to the city to deliver goods. Coincidentally, he was also going to the city to handle some business. This perfectly showed off his identity and everything he owned once more.


    He then casually gave her some gifts, including lipstick and perfume, things that girls found hard to reject.


    However, Mu Jingzhe still refused without any hesitation.


    Tang Moling started suspecting himself. How could Mu Jingzhe remain unmoved in the face of items that even a young miss would be tempted by?


    However, Mu Jingzhe was indeed not moved. She had seen everything in the modern era, and even if she was tempted, she would refuse. After all, those things belonged to the male lead, and she was merely the supporting character.


    After being rejected thrice, Tang Moling was all the more determined to expose her true colors.


    Following some reflection, he changed his strategy and started giving presents that targeted the kids instead¡ªsuch as calligraphy paper and fountain pens that were especially beneficial for children.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t refuse this time, and Tang Moling finally felt better.


    However¡­ he soon received Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reciprocal gift.


    The best local tea leaves and specialty ginseng wine that was said to do wonders for the body. Now, they were even.


    Tang Moling could bring the tea leaves and ginseng wine back with him and give them to his family or anyone he pleased.


    The value of this gift was equivalent to the value of the fountain pens, so she hadn¡¯t taken advantage of him.


    Tang Moling finally understood what kind of person Mu Jingzhe was.


    Who said she was a shallow thinker and was deliberately pretending to ignore him to attract his attention? It was nothing like that.


    She had her own considerations and knew what she was doing.


    He hadn¡¯t managed to expose her true colors. On the contrary, he¡¯d truly understood Mu Jingzhe. Over time, he became more and more interested in her and found it increasingly difficult to hate her.


    After all, she had been genuine from the start and truly treated the children very well. Furthermore, her knowledge and the way she spoke werepletely different from what he had imagined. Her knowledge and upbringing had far exceeded his imagination.


    He would asionally show off what he knew, but in the end, she knew everything. She could hold a conversation on all sorts of topics, as if she knew everything. Furthermore, she had many opinions that he had never heard before.


    Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had a lot inmon with Mu Jingzhe, even more so than with Mu Xue.


    Not only was she knowledgeable, but she would also say things that inspired and amazed him sometimes.


    Tang Moling was conflicted.


    Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention waspletely focused on the children¡¯s final exam.


    The final exam took ce as scheduled. Although she knew that their results were pretty good, Shao Nan and Little Bei had to take the grade-skipping test this time. They had to do well in order to sessfully skip grades.


    Seeing their younger siblings work so hard, Shao Dong and Shao Xi didn¡¯t want to fall behind either. Before the fourth grade even started, they were already nning to skip grades and go to the fifth grade next year.


    Mu Jingzhe was also nervous.


    After the nerve-wracking examination ended, the children were quite confident. The moment Little Bei returned, she said, ¡°Mommy, when school starts, I¡¯ll be in the third grade.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Shao Nan added.


    ¡°You guys are amazing, but don¡¯t work too hard.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe praised them but didn¡¯t crush their confidence. ¡°You¡¯re still young. You can take it slow. There¡¯s no hurry. Regardless of whether you skip a grade or not, you¡¯re the best.


    ¡°You guys have worked hard for the past two days. I¡¯ll kill a chicken tonight to nourish your bodies.¡± She could also take this chance to let Shao Dong eat the drumstick.


    Shao Dong also thought of it when he heard that. He scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s just an exam. It was not hard.¡±


    In the past, no one used to care if they did well in the exams. Zhao Lan definitely wouldn¡¯t praise them or say they had worked hard.


    Yet now, Mu Jingzhe even wanted to kill a chicken. This was too grand.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat it after the results are out?¡± Shao Xi, who also didn¡¯t think the exam had been hard on them, suggested.


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat another chicken when the results are out.¡± Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Our family is rearing chickens now, so we don¡¯tck them. We can always raise anotherter.¡±


    Xiao Wu pped his hands and said that his siblings had worked hard. He couldn¡¯t help but ask Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, when can I go to school? I want to go to school too. I also want to score 100.¡±


    He also wanted Mommy to praise him!

 Chapter 68 - Betrothed You to Someone

    <h4>Chapter 68: Betrothed You to Someone</h4>


    Children who loved to go to school were really adorable. Mu Jingzhe patted cute little Xiao Wu¡¯s head. ¡°You can go to school when you¡¯re a little older.¡±


    When other children were on holidays, they were over the moon, like wild horses that had broken free from their reins. However, Shao Dong and his siblings weren¡¯t like that at all. Xiao Wu was still thinking about going to school.


    That night, true to her word, Mu Jingzhe killed a chicken and stewed it. She gave Shao Dong a drumstick and gave the other one to Shao Xi.


    ¡°Your two older brothers usually indulge you guys. They should have the drumsticks today.¡±


    The two chicken wings were given to Shao Nan and Little Bei, while the chicken head was given to Xiao Wu, who said he liked the chickenb.


    Then, the two chicken feet were given to Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang, which was nice, because she happened to like chicken feet.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« had rather sharp noses. While they were eating, those four brats came over, wanting to scrounge a free meal.


    In the past, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« loved to eat meat, whilst Shao Dong and his siblings hadn¡¯t even gotten to drink the soup. Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« never wanted to share any of it with them.


    While they felt nervous, Mu Jingzhe closed the door without hesitation.


    The children snickered. They had been afraid that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart would soften.


    A smile shed across Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes as he looked at Mu Jingzhe. He had been in a difficult position just a moment ago, but now, everything was fine.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s scolding echoed outside the door. As she scolded them, everyone felt that the chicken tasted even better.


    The next day, summer break officially arrived. However, the children started learning by themselves after waking up, like they always did.


    It was only in the afternoon that Little Bei¡¯s friend came to their house and asked them to go y on the mountain. ¡°Let¡¯s go dig for dandelion greens.¡±


    Dandelion greens could dispel heatiness, so the five kids were a little tempted.


    Mu Jingzhe was prone to getting heaty. After eating chicken yesterday, she was feeling a little heaty today.


    While they hesitated, Mu Jingzhe waved her hand and made the decision for them.


    ¡°Go ahead. Summer vacation is here. You should rx and y for two days.¡±


    Children their age were all mischievous and yful. Mu Jingzhe also hoped that they wouldn¡¯t be too sensible and would y when necessary.


    ¡°Be careful on the mountain. Hit the ground with a stick. Don¡¯t step on a snake and don¡¯t hit the snake if youe across one.¡±


    During this time of the year, there were many snakes, but the children of Great Eastern Vige were also bold. When they gathered in arge group, they would get bold and start hitting the snakes. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair had stood on end when she¡¯d seen this previously.


    Mu Jingzhe prepared a small basket for them and two hoes. ¡°Dig as much as you can. Come back when you¡¯re more or less done. Don¡¯t go too far away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had been busy the entire afternoon. Then, the sky suddenly turned dark, obscuring everyone¡¯s vision. As it was almost time to wrap up anyway, she told them they could knock off.


    The workers had just left when Shao Qiyun suddenly came over.


    Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. Why was she back again? Didn¡¯t she use to hateing back to the vige in the past?


    ¡°Second Sister-In-Law, I bought brown sugar. Mom made brown sugar eggs, so I brought you a bowl. Eat them while they¡¯re hot.¡±


    rm bells went off in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head when she heard Shao Qiyun call her Second Sister-In-Law and say she¡¯d even brought her brown sugar eggs. ¡°Just put them there. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Just something minor.¡± Shao Qiyun handed a long red dress to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°This is a dress I bought. It¡¯s a little tight on the upper body for me, but I think it¡¯ll fit you nicely. I¡¯m giving it to you.¡±


    She shot a nce at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s chest, clearly hinting that she was much more voluptuous than Mu Jingzhe.


    The corners of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°No need. I have clothes myself.¡±


    When one was unjustifiably solicitous, one had to be hiding evil intentions. No way would she fall for it.


    ¡°Second Sister-In-Law, why are you so vignt? I have no ulterior motives. After that day, I went back and reflected on myself and realized that my attitude toward you wasn¡¯t right. My second brother is already gone, but you stayed with the Shao Family to take care of his five kids. You¡¯re a good person, which is why I wanted to get close to you.


    ¡°Of course, I also want to get some hair ornaments from you. I heard that your hair ornaments are now being sold in the city and in other ces.¡±


    So it turned out she had said all those nice things and brought that dress because of the hair ornaments?


    ¡°The goods have already been pre-ordered by people. I don¡¯t have spare ones to sell them to you.¡± Mu Jingzhe directly refused, not nning on interacting with her.


    Shao Qiyun was sent away by Mu Jingzhe, but she still left behind the dress and the bowl of brown sugar eggs.


    ¡°Second Sister-In-Law, try on the dress first and see if you can wear it. If you can¡¯t, we¡¯ll talk about itter. Don¡¯t let the brown sugar eggs get cold.¡±


    Eggs with brown sugar were rare and good stuff in this day and age, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t n on touching the things she¡¯d brought over. Who knew if they had put something in them.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the darkening sky and was worried about the children, who had yet to return.


    Just as she was wondering if she should go take a look, it started pouring.


    Helpless, Mu Jingzhe put on a homemade raincoat made from thin film and got ready to head out to fetch the children with an umbre. Just as she was about to leave the house, she bumped into Shao Qiyun, who was followed by Zhao Lan and three men.


    When she was about to leave, a trace of surprise flickered past Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes. ¡°Second Sister-In-Law, why are you going out in the rain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up Shao Dong and the others. They¡¯re not back yet. What are you¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯lle back. What¡¯s there to pick up? Even if you pick them up now, they¡¯ll already be wet anyway. Second Sister-In-Law, there¡¯s something urgent to take care of.¡±


    She blocked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s path and said, ¡°Second Sister-In-Law, this is a big boss from the city who wants to buy your hair ornaments. He wants a lot. You¡¯ve got to have a nice talk with him.¡±


    ¡°Boss Mu, right? I¡¯m Yang Qing.¡±


    Yang Qing, who was standing in the middle, was short, looked ordinary, and had a short neck. He stuck out his hand, wanting to shake hands with Mu Jingzhe.


    Standing beside him, Shao Qiyun exined that he was someone she knew. He had heard that she sold hair ornaments here, so he hade to take a look.


    ¡°Hello, Boss Yang.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gestured at the things in her hand. ¡°This is not a convenient time for me. Can I talk to you after I pick up the children?¡±


    ¡°Boss Yang is a busy person. He rarelyes¡­¡± Shao Qiyun interrupted her.


    Mu Jingzhe ignored her and was just about to leave when one of the men behind Yang Qing suddenly whipped out a folding fruit knife.


    Another person closed the door casually. ¡°Boss Mu, you should talk to us first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a step back. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    She looked at Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan was guilty and didn¡¯t dare look at her, but Shao Qiyun said directly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to tell you that the kids have already been picked up by someone. You have something important to attend to now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression turned cold. Shao Qiyun quickly raised her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t get agitated. I heard from Mom that you¡¯re very strong, but no matter how strong you are, it¡¯s futile in the presence of a knife. Let¡¯s have a nice talk. You wouldn¡¯t want to see blood spilled, would you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t invulnerable, so she naturally knew that she was at a disadvantage. She shouted as she retreated.


    ¡°Is anyone there?¡±


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t show any signs of panic. ¡°The rain is really heavy. Everyone has gone back. Nobody¡¯s going to hear you.¡±


    The sound of rain would indeed block out most of the noise. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t continue shouting. ¡°What do you want? To force me to sell to you? To rob me?¡±


    ¡°Second Sister-In-Law, you must be joking. Why would we do such a thing? We only betrothed you to someone.¡±


    Shao Qiyun pointed at Yang Qing. ¡°This is the groom we found for you. Now, it¡¯s time for you to get married.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°What? Get married? Betrothed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve betrothed you to him. He¡¯s here to pick you up. Your situation is different, so you can drop the formalities. The two of you can just hold the wedding ceremony right here right now and enter the nuptial chamber.¡±

 Chapter 69 - Directly Holding the Wedding Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 69: Directly Holding the Wedding Ceremony</h4>


    Mu Jingzheughed out of fury.


    ¡°Shao Qiyun, don¡¯t be ridiculous. In this day and age, you have no right to arrange my marriage. It¡¯s illegal to force a marriage.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Boss Mu.¡± Yang Qing and the three men surrounded her, and he said with a smile, ¡°I genuinely want to marry you. I¡¯ll treat you well. Look, I¡¯m a businessman too. After we get married, we can work together.¡±


    ¡°No, I refuse.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyun. ¡°Did you arrange all this? To think your second brother treated you so well. Is this how you repay him?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Second Brother liked Mu Xue, not you. He had no choice but to marry you because he was forced to. He wouldn¡¯t give a damn if you remarried.¡±


    Shao Qiyun snorted. ¡°Be a good girl and do as we say. The person I found for you is quite a catch.¡±


    This was why Shao Qiyun hade back.


    Thest time Shao Qiyun hade back was because Yang Qing had gone to her to inquire about Mu Jingzhe, as she and Shao Qiyun were both from Great Eastern Vige. He had said that her hair ornaments were selling extremely well and he wanted to coborate with her.


    She hadn¡¯t believed it at first. It was only when she¡¯de back that she had found out it was true.


    At first, they had it all nned out and wanted to use this opportunity to earn money. They hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be so uncooperative. Ever since they¡¯d split up the family assets, she had been earning money by herself and hadn¡¯t cared about the eldest branch.


    Shao Qiyun felt that Mu Jingzhe had gone overboard. Even though they had split up the family assets, they were still a family. It wasn¡¯t right of her to do this.


    If they couldn¡¯t earn money together, what use was it for Mu Jingzhe to earn money?


    The eldest branch and Mu Jingzhe had been at odds for a long time and would scold Mu Jingzhe whenever they spoke of her. However, they couldn¡¯t do anything to Mu Jingzhe. She was strong, and the fence-sitters in the vige were on her side. No one helped them.


    Shao Qiyun wondered, ¡®Since Mu Jingzhe isn¡¯t cooperating, why not get rid of her?¡¯


    How could they get rid of her? It was simple. They could simply marry her off. Why not do that?


    Since they loathed her this badly, they could just marry her off.


    Zhao Lan had still been hesitant, feeling that they probably weren¡¯t capable of making such a decision. After all, Mu Jingzhe had even turned down a great marriage proposal previously.


    Shao Qiyun had taken on the responsibility and made all the arrangements today.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t me us for not discussing this with you. Who asked you to be so selfish? You ate meat yourself, yet you didn¡¯t even allow us to drink the soup. In that case, we can only marry you off.¡±


    ¡°You have no right to marry me off.¡± Mu Jingzhe emphasized this. ¡°It¡¯s against thew to force someone into marriage. Arranged marriage has long been ouwed. If I call the police, you¡¯ll have to go to jail.¡±


    ¡°Who are you trying to scare? You and Boss Yang now answer to your parents and the matchmaker. It¡¯s legal.¡±


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°Since you¡¯ve married into the Shao Family, we¡¯re a family. Why can¡¯t we make the decision?¡±


    Zhao Lan nodded vigorously. ¡°That¡¯s right. Once you marry into the Shao Family, dead or alive, you belong to the Shao Family. We call the shots.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t understand at all. ¡°Shao Qiyun, you¡¯ve been in junior high and are even working at a school now. Are you really that ignorant?¡±


    ¡°What am I ignoring?¡± Shao Qiyun told her the story of the biological sister of a student from the county¡¯s No.1 Middle School.


    When she¡¯d passed away after getting married, her inws had arranged a posthumous marriage for her sister. The biological sister¡¯s birth character was good, and she had died at a good time. When someone hade to their door, the inws had agreed and even epted the betrothal money, preparing to get their son a second wife.


    If they could even make a decision for someone¡¯s afterlife, how could they not make a decision when the person was still alive?


    Zhao Lan kept nodding from the side and added, ¡°We could have sold someone like you for money in the past. Now, we¡¯re merely marrying you off. We did absolutely nothing wrong.¡±


    They had merely epted a considerable amount of betrothal money, that was all.


    Two days ago, Shao Qiyun had gone out to look for Yang Qing to discuss the betrothal gift.


    Rather than doing business with Mu Jingzhe, why not marry her and earn money at the same time?


    Yang Qing was a businessman and knew how impressive Mu Jingzhe was, so he agreed. As for the betrothal gifts, he felt that he could earn back the money through the profit Mu Jingzhe would make in the future.


    Yang Qing emphasized again that he genuinely wanted to marry her.


    ¡°Genuinely? You have the nerve to act genuine!¡± Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase. A marriage is impossible. If you don¡¯t want to die, get lost.¡±


    Zhao Lan felt her hair stand on end upon seeing Mu Jingzhe act so ruthlessly, but Shao Qiyun¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Mu Jingzhe, did you think we wouldn¡¯t be prepared at all?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think the kids never returned? They¡¯re in my hands! If you want them to be safe, listen to me and cooperate. Don¡¯t even think about resisting.¡±


    ¡°You actually took them? They¡¯re your nephews!¡±


    ¡°I have many nephews. It doesn¡¯t matter if one or two go missing.¡± When Shao Qiyun had heard that Mu Jingzhe had been treating the five kids well, she¡¯d felt that this was a godsend opportunity.


    She had been afraid that Mu Jingzhe would have no weakness.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re obedient, nothing will happen to them.¡± Shao Qiyun smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you the bridal clothes. Hurry up and change into them. It¡¯s that red dress I brought you earlier.¡±


    She had it all nned out. First, she had brought the red dress and a bowl of brown sugar eggs.


    Logically speaking, Mu Jingzhe should have eaten the brown sugar eggs and changed into that red dress. After all, Mu Jingzhe used to be vain and greedy. She definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the temptation.


    She had calcted it quite well. When Mu Jingzhe woke up, everything would be settled.


    Unexpectedly, what she had anticipated hadn¡¯t happened. Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t fainted after eating the brown sugar eggs, nor had she put on that red dress.


    Fortunately, even heaven was helping them. It was raining.


    It was pouring so heavily that the rain perfectly masked all sounds and movements.


    Thrilled at the thought of being able to use Mu Jingzhe¡¯s betrothal money to buy a watch and leather shoes, Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t help but urge her. ¡°Hurry up. My patience is limited.¡±


    ¡°Where did you take the children? I want to see them first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth as she red at Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun. No matter how much she disliked them, they were still their biological grandchildren, nephews, and niece. However, they only cared about money.


    She had read the novel and knew how horribly they¡¯d treated the five kids, so she knew that they were absolutely capable of those heinous acts.


    She had to ensure the safety of the children first.


    ¡°Be good. You¡¯ll see them tomorrow morning. Go change clothes first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked around the room. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll change, but I have to go back to my room to change.¡±


    Yang Qing didn¡¯t want his two ¡®brothers¡¯ to see Mu Jingzhe change clothes on the spot, so he nodded in agreement.


    Shao Qiyun took the knife and followed Mu Jingzhe back to her room, keeping an eye on her constantly.


    When the rain stopped, the sky turned much brighter. Shao Qiyun looked at the drawings in the room and sneered.


    ¡°What are these drawings? They¡¯re a mess.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had bought some crayons for the children. They liked them very much, but their drawing skills were indeed average. The drawings were filled with matchstick figures.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t mind. She had pasted their drawings in the room, in case they felt that she was too biased.


    Mu Jingzhe ignored her snide remark and slowly changed clothes.


    Shao Qiyun quickly caught sight of Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s drawings, which were pasted side by side. Upon seeing the word ¡®Mommy¡¯ written above the matchstick figure with the short hair, she knew at a nce that it was Mu Jingzhe. Her gaze darkened.

 Chapter 70 - Fighting Back

    <h4>Chapter 70: Fighting Back</h4>


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Shao Qiyun urged her impatiently.


    Mu Jingzhe nced at Shao Qiyun. This girl had an angelic face, but her thoughts were extremely malicious.


    She had no intention of infuriating her yet. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to put on my shoes.¡±


    She bent down to put on her shoes and took the opportunity to grab something.


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t notice until Mu Jingzhe stood up.


    At first, Shao Qiyun thought that with her short hair, Mu Jingzhe would definitely look hideous in a dress.


    Unexpectedly, not only was she not hideous, but she was so gorgeous that she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s curves weren¡¯t that voluptuous, but she had a tall and slender figure, and her posture was uniquely graceful. She exuded a unique, candid charmpletely different from women withmonce looks.


    At that moment, while standing next to Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qiyun felt that she was a woman withmonce looks.


    Displeasure shed across her eyes.


    She had, in a slipshod manner, chosen the cheapest and least beautiful dress. Why was it so stunning on Mu Jingzhe?


    She disliked anyone who was prettier than her.


    Shao Qiyun wanted very much for her to take the dress off, but she held herself back at the thought that this was serious business. ¡°Come out quickly.¡±


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe went out, everyone¡¯s gazes fell on her, a hint of surprise flickering across their eyes.


    Without thinking, Mu Jingzhe took advantage of their daze and scattered the chili powder she had secretly hidden in her hand.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    As the chili powdernded in their eyes, cries of agony rang out in the room.


    Mu Jingzhe herself didn¡¯t manage to dodgepletely, causing her vision to blur for a moment, but she couldn¡¯t care less about anything else. She endured the pain and started hitting anyone who stood in her way.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s back was facing Mu Jingzhe, so she wasn¡¯t affected by the chili powder much. She swung the knife at her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vision was affected. Although she managed to snatch the knife from her, she felt a stab of pain in her arm, as if it had been cut. However, she didn¡¯t have the time to check.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t restrain her strength and soon, the few of them could be seen lying on the ground in pain. Amid Zhao Lan¡¯s horrific screams, she pinned Shao Qiyun down.


    ¡°Where are the kids?¡± she demanded with the knife in hand.


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to use this move. ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you another chance. Quickly, spill!¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe was questioning her, there was suddenly a knock on the door. Shao Dong¡¯s voice could be heard.


    Mu Jingzhe raised her head in disbelief and saw the five disheveled kids standing at the door.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Little Bei was about to charge over.


    ¡°Don¡¯te close, Little Bei.¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could tie them up, Yang Qing came back to his senses and happened to see Little Bei rushing over. With a ruthless look in his eyes, he reached out to grab her.


    Mu Jingzhe yelled anxiously, ¡°Little Bei, get back quickly!¡±


    She shouted as she pounced over, but it was toote. Little Bei had already been grabbed.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Quick, catch them.¡±


    As long as they managed to grab the kids, their original n could resume.


    ¡°Little Bei!¡± Seeing that it was toote, Mu Jingzhe felt despair. She saw Little Bei open her mouth and bite Yang Qing¡¯s hand. While Yang Qing screamed and let go, Little Bei kicked him hard in the leg.


    O! Yang Qing screamed loudly.


    At that moment, Shao Dong and Shao Xi also moved. Each of them took on one of the two thugs, who were trying to get up, stomping and kicking at them.


    They were uniformly kicking the same spot¡ªthe spot between their legs.


    Shao Nan had been following his siblings with Xiao Wu. When he saw what was going on inside, he turned around and went to call the vigers.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned for a moment. She kicked Shao Qiyun and quickly ran over to check on them.


    ¡°Are you alright? How did you get so dirty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Mommy, are you okay?¡± Little Bei asked Mu Jingzhe nervously.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe still felt lingering fear. ¡°You kids scared me to death just now.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine. We knocked them all down.¡±


    Little Bei pointed at the few men who were still screaming. ¡°We¡¯re not afraid of them.¡±


    Despite this special situation, Mu Jingzhe was speechless for a moment. ¡°How did you think of kicking them there?¡±


    ¡°I learned it from you, Mommy. Didn¡¯t you say that we were weak and if we couldn¡¯t run, we should use our teeth to bite the opponent¡¯s weakest spot? We remember that.¡±


    After watching the movie, Little Bei had used the move flexibly.


    Shao Dong also said that he had learned it from Mu Jingzhe. He still remembered Mu Jingzhe hitting someone previously.


    Shao Xi, who had been silent the entire time, was the first to notice that something was wrong with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    Because she was wearing red, the blood wasn¡¯t obvious. Still, he had noticed it.


    ¡°Where? Mommy, are you hurt?¡± Little Bei got nervous upon hearing that.


    Shao Dong took a look and quickly went to get the small medicine box that Mu Jingzhe had made.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a small wound.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a look and saw that there was a cut, but it wasn¡¯t serious.


    She tied a knot with her handkerchief and bandaged it. ¡°Quick, change clothes so you don¡¯t catch a cold. What happened just now?¡±


    ¡°First Aunt stopped us froming home.¡±


    They had wanted to rush back because they¡¯d feared it might rain upon seeing the darkening sky. They could have made it back before the rain, but they¡¯d run into Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had deliberately gone to stop them and insisted on taking them to hide from the rain. She¡¯d refused to listen to their objections and carried Xiao Wu to the thatched house.


    The thatched house was where they stored the grains to protect them from the rain. Usually, everyone would seek shelter there when it rained.


    Since Xiao Wu had been taken away, they¡¯d had no choice but to follow her. They had wanted to snatch Xiao Wu back, but they¡¯d ended up getting caught in the rain due to the dy.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had refused to let them leave. Shao Dong had sensed that something was amiss and insisted on going back despite knowing they would get drenched in the rain.


    Although Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t said she would be picking them up, Shao Dong felt that based on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s habits, she would definitelye to fetch them.


    However, not only had Mu Jingzhe note, but Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had suddenlye to stop them too. He knew that something must have gone wrong.


    Shao Dong and the others had made a fuss about wanting to go back. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had gotten impatient and hit them directly upon seeing that they were disobedient.


    The children had all been beaten up. After putting in a lot of effort, they¡¯d worked together to escape from Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s hands in spite of their injuries.


    It was pouring heavily, and because they had rushed back, they¡¯d fallen quite a few times along the way. They were aplete mess, and the basket full of dandelion greens they¡¯d worked so hard to dig had been lost long ago.


    The kids were only d that they had run all the way back. Otherwise, things would have been bad.


    After they exined briefly, Shao Nan came back with the vigers.


    Yang Qing and his gang, who had been beaten up by Mu Jingzhe and the children and couldn¡¯t get up, heard themotion and knew that their n hadpletely fallen through this time. They got up, wanting to run, but they didn¡¯t have the time.


    The vigers had originally been preparing to cook because it was raining, but Shao Nan had called them over and said that something had happened to their family.


    Upon hearing that, everyone ran over, including Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. The moment the vigers arrived, they stopped Yang Qing, Zhao Lan, and the others, who wanted to flee.


    ¡°You want to leave? It¡¯s not that easy. I already told you that this is illegal.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t hide anything and briefly recounted what had happened in a few words.


    After hearing her, everyone exploded and started criticizing Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun. How absurd of them to be doing such a thing in this day and age!


    Furthermore, they had used the five kids to threaten Mu Jingzhe. Zhao Lan, their biological grandmother, had used her own grandchildren to threaten their stepmother.


    It sounded ridiculous and pathetic.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng saw Mu Jingzhe in that state and heard what had happened. Without hesitation, they grabbed Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun and hit them.


    ¡°You heartless things! How dare you plot against our Jingzhe!¡±

 Chapter 71 - Please Dont Take Mommy Away

    <h4>Chapter 71: Please Don¡¯t Take Mommy Away</h4>


    As a mother, she couldn¡¯t tolerate others touching her children. Li Zhaodi felt the same way. Her two children were her weakness.


    If Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t cleverly escaped and the children hadn¡¯t run away, Mu Jingzhe would have been defiled and forced to get married.


    Who could tolerate this?


    Shao Qiyun felt as if her entire scalp was about to be ripped off by Li Zhaodi. She screamed in pain and pleaded with her mother for help.


    However, Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t even fend for herself now, so how could she save her daughter?


    Mu Teng didn¡¯t hit women, so he only beat up Yang Qing and the other two men.


    Yang Qing was hit again before he could recover and was almost beaten to death by the furious Mu Teng.


    ¡°Dad, stop hitting, or you¡¯ll end up killing them.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stopped him. ¡°What they did was illegal. We¡¯ll take them to the police station.¡±


    Only then did Mu Teng stop.


    The vigers were also enraged by this. How could theye to someone¡¯s house and force a girl to get married? How was it any different from kidnapping?


    They unanimously decided to take them to the police station after the rain stopped. Yang Qing and the other two men were tied up and locked up by the vige chief.


    Finally, everyone¡¯s gazended on the two culprits, Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qiyun denied the usations immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    Zhao Lan also defended her daughter, iming that it was her idea.


    ¡°Bah, I don¡¯t care whose idea it was. I won¡¯t let the two of you off!¡±


    Li Zhaodi was furious, and Mu Teng¡¯s countenance was also dark. He waited for Li Zhaodi to finish speaking before he spoke.


    ¡°Cut the crap. Jingzhe had good intentions and couldn¡¯t bear to leave the children behind, so she stayed behind to take care of them. In the end, her good intentions were regarded as worthless, and they even tried to ruin Jingzhe like that.¡±


    Mu Teng looked at the five kids, then turned to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°As your father, I have made a decision today. Jingzhe, let¡¯s go home. Do not stay in this wolf¡¯s den anymore. I don¡¯t want you to be sold and ruined by the Shao Family.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not dead yet. Your old man is still alive. I can¡¯t let you suffer such humiliation and grievance.¡±


    He looked at the vigers. ¡°Everyone, you are a witness. Our Jingzhe has already done her best. From this day onward, Jingzhe will no longer have anything to do with the Shao Family and the children.¡±


    He held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jingzhe. Dad will take you home.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned and couldn¡¯t help but look at the children.


    She had also thought of teaching Zhao Lan and her gang a lesson, but she hadn¡¯t expected this to happen.


    However, from the standpoint of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, who were her parents, this was a normal choice.


    Now that such a thing had happened to their daughter, they naturally had to take her back.


    She understood, but she wasn¡¯t prepared for this. She had no intention of giving up on the children.


    The five kids were also stunned.


    Everything had happened too quickly. A second ago, they had still been filled with hatred and they¡¯d wished they could tear apart the people who had bullied Mu Jingzhe.


    A secondter, Mu Jingzhe was about to leave.


    This was not the way they had thought she would leave, though¡ªby getting married and stopping to care for them. Instead, she was being brought back to her maternal family by the Mu Family.


    They stood there in a daze until Mu Jingzhe was pulled away.


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Dong and Shao Xi stood in front of Mu Teng. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take Mommy away.¡± Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes were filled with panic. ¡°Don¡¯t take Mommy away.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe panicked and was about to say something, but Mu Teng pulled her away forcefully. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to speak.¡±


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu instantly burst into tears. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t leave us behind.¡±


    Little Bei ignored the rain and chased after her. She hugged Mu Jingzhe.


    Xiao Wu descended the stairs too quickly and ended up falling down. He stumbled to his feet and ran after her. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°Go back quickly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes warmed up. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t tell if it was the rain or tears. ¡°Go back quickly.¡±


    However, they weren¡¯t the only ones who didn¡¯t go back. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan all ran out to chase after her. Shao Dong spread open his arms and blocked the door, his entire body trembling and his eyes filled with supplication.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan tugged at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes, their eyes filled with unprecedented panic.


    Previously, they had always said that they wouldn¡¯t rely on Mu Jingzhe, that they wouldn¡¯t call her Mommy, and that they wouldn¡¯t get attached to her emotionally. However, at that moment, they panicked.


    They only hoped that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t leave.


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe and wailed. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you said that you liked us the most. We¡¯ll be obedient in the future. Please don¡¯t leave.¡±


    They cried so hard that they made other people¡¯s hearts ache. Many of the onlookers had red eyes by then.


    Mu Jingzhe felt like a knife was being twisted in her heart.


    She wanted to go back, but her hand was held back by Mu Teng¡¯s trembling hand and Li Zhaodi¡¯s pleading gaze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go back, Jingzhe. Don¡¯t be soft-hearted. You can¡¯t take care of them forever,¡± said Li Zhaodi.


    Though Mu Teng didn¡¯t say anything, Mu Jingzhe understood the emotions that were revealed in the depths of his eyes.


    At that moment, Mu Jingzhe felt like she was being torn into two.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way. Don¡¯t block Jingzhe¡¯s path.¡±


    Li Zhaodi chased them away with a choked voice. She wanted to push Little Bei and Xiao Wu away, but they refused to let go.


    She had tried to rip Shao Nan and Shao Xi¡¯s hands off, but they stubbornly clung to her.


    Little Bei begged Li Zhaodi. ¡°We¡¯ll be obedient in the future. Don¡¯t take Mommy away. I want Mommy.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re causing Jingzhe¡¯s death. Jingzhe isn¡¯t your biological mother. What else do you want? Get out of the way.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was driven crazy by them.


    However, they couldn¡¯t hit the children, so they¡¯d reached a stalemate.


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Teng and mustered up the courage to say, ¡°Uncle, I want to talk to you. Please.¡±


    He didn¡¯t call Mu Teng ¡®Grandpa¡¯ because he knew that Mu Teng wouldn¡¯t like it.


    Mu Teng¡¯s countenance was dark. However, when he looked at the surrounding onlookers and then at Mu Jingzhe, who couldn¡¯t escape, he could only agree with a dark expression.


    Mu Teng led Shao Dong out of the house. ¡°Let¡¯s talk here. What do you want to say?¡±


    Shao Dong clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Uncle, I want to beg you not to take her away. We only have her. She¡¯s our mother. It wasn¡¯t easy for us to finally have a mother. We can¡¯t leave her or bear to part with her.¡±


    Mu Teng was unmoved. ¡°I know, but she can¡¯t take care of the five of you for the rest of her life. She has to get married in the future and have her own children.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be good and filial to her, even more filial than a biological child. We¡¯re not asking that she supports us forever. If she finds someone suitable in the future and wishes to get married, we definitely won¡¯t stop her. We¡¯ll even prepare a dowry for her, but please don¡¯t take her away now.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already started earning money and we¡¯ve grown up. We¡¯ll protect her and give her the best of the best. We definitely won¡¯t let her get in danger again.¡±


    Mu Teng still didn¡¯t agree. ¡°You make it sound so nice. Who doesn¡¯t know how to say nice things like that? Yes, you¡¯re smart. I also believe that you¡¯ll amount to something in the future, but you¡¯re still too young.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to have such a hard life. I just want her to be safe and sound.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said what you wanted to say, stop pestering me. Go deal with your younger siblings, or don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡±


    Mu Teng turned around and left. Shao Dong¡¯s eyes were filled with despair. He closed his eyes and knelt down.


    ¡°Uncle, please, please don¡¯t take Mommy away¡­¡±

 Chapter 72 - We Cant Live Without Her

    <h4>Chapter 72: We Can¡¯t Live Without Her</h4>


    Shao Dong knew very well that they had too little. Even if they took out their hearts, they¡¯d still be a burden.


    However, he really didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to leave.


    After living with Mu Jingzhe for half a year, their lives and everything else were tied to her. He couldn¡¯t imagine how they would survive without her.


    They were already used to the warmth Mu Jingzhe brought them. How could they go back to the way they used to live?


    She had promised them that she would take care of them. She had also said that she would fulfill 100 of his wishes, and there were still so many unfulfilled wishes.


    They had agreed to be filial and repay her in the future, but they hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to fulfill their promise.


    How could she leave? How could they bear to see her leave?


    s, they didn¡¯t have any bargaining chips. In the end, Shao Dong could only dig out his heart and beg with it in his hands, using the method he¡¯d hated in the past¡ªkneeling.


    Even so, he had to beg. He had to use all his strength and all the means avable to keep Mu Jingzhe there.


    Shao Dong knelt in the muddy water and lowered his head, begging Mu Teng not to take Mu Jingzhe away.


    ¡°Please, Uncle. Please don¡¯t take away Mommy¡­ We can¡¯t live without her.¡±


    Mu Teng turned around and nced at Shao Dong. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t moved, but¡­ he couldn¡¯t be soft-hearted.


    Mu Teng went back and pulled Mu Jingzhe away, ignoring Xiao Wu and Little Bei¡¯s cries.


    ¡°If you still regard us as your parents,e with us.¡±


    Li Zhaodi also gazed at Mu Jingzhe with a pleading look in her eyes. She didn¡¯t say anything, but she had already said many things previously.


    She had always wanted Mu Jingzhe to go back to live with her. She didn¡¯t think it was a good idea for her to stay and take care of the children. She¡¯d said that she had seen too many such cases. In this world, blood rtions were more reliable, but even biological children weren¡¯t necessarily filial, let alone children who weren¡¯t rted to you by blood.


    Although Mu Jingzhe was doing better than before, Li Zhaodi was still worried. She had even said that she might as well be like her old self and snatch Tang Moling from Mu Xue. It was better than focusing on taking care of the children.


    These words sounded very ignorant, but they were based on Li Zhaodi¡¯s life experience.


    Mu Jingzhe looked into Li Zhaodi¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t help but think of Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi¡¯s ending in the book.


    ording to the original plot, Mu Jingzhe failed to seduce her younger brother-inw and even made Little Bei go deaf, causing her to be the target of public criticism.


    Later on, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and went to the big city to work.


    She had thought of earning money beforeing back, but that turned out to be wishful thinking on her part.


    Instead of bing a female worker at some big city factory, she was tricked into entering the sex trade.


    By the time she realized it, it was already toote. She was defiled that very night.


    In the book, while Mu Xue was pregnant, the original Mu Jingzhe contracted an STD, and her mind wasn¡¯t clear anymore. She went crazy and disappeared one night after running out.


    Later on, Li Zhaodi went to look for the original Mu Jingzhe. She didn¡¯t care if her daughter was sick or crazy. She just wanted to find her.


    They begged and searched everywhere, but they ultimately didn¡¯t manage to find her. Gradually, there was no news of her anymore, and she ended up being a rotting corpse beside a garbage dump.


    Mu Teng then embarked on the path of finding his wife and daughter. For the rest of his life, he only wanted to bring them back.


    In the end, he didn¡¯t get what he wanted and died with evesting regret.


    Now that the original Mu Jingzhe was gone, Mu Jingzhe had reced her as their daughter. She couldn¡¯t break their hearts again.


    Li Zhaodi blocked the children and prevented them from following her.


    Shao Dong stood in the rain and watched Mu Jingzhe being pulled away by Mu Teng.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s red dress gradually disappeared in the rain.


    ¡°Stop chasing her.¡± Seeing that Little Wu and Little Bei still wanted to give chase, Shao Dong stopped them.


    ¡°You¡¯re not to chase after her. Let her go back.¡±


    ¡°No, I want Mommy.¡± This was the first time Little Bei was disobedient and made a fuss.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t listen either and cried, ¡°I want to find Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    However, Shao Dong still didn¡¯t change his mind. Ignoring their struggles, he carried them back. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t selfishly keep Mu Jingzhe by their side.


    At that moment, Shao Dong was only d that the rain was heavy enough.


    No one could see his tears.


    *****


    Mu Jingzhe was pulled back to the Mu Residence by Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi.


    ¡°Stop crying. You¡¯ll get used to it in two days.¡±


    Li Zhaodi felt extremely regretful upon seeing Mu Jingzhe cry all the way back.


    ¡°If I had known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have listened to you. I should¡¯ve insisted on bringing you back then. They¡¯re not even your biological children, but you look as upset as though they are.¡±


    Li Zhaodi felt upset, and so did Mu Teng. However, he had to steel his heart. He couldn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe stay there and continue raising the children.


    Mu Jingzhe was at a loss for words for a moment. She couldn¡¯t ignore the wishes of the two elders, but she felt terrible when she thought of the children she had left behind.


    Li Zhaodi was about to say something when Old Madam Mu¡¯s impatient voice rang out.


    ¡°Come in quickly since you¡¯re back. Why are you standing at the door?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe followed Li Zhaodi in. The first thing she saw was stern-looking Old Madam Mu. Beside her were Tang Moling and Mu Xue, who were shaking their umbres.


    As Tang Moling often came to the Mu Residence, everyone liked to joke that he was like a live-in son-inw.


    Due to the rain, Tang Moling had gone to pick up Mu Xue, who had been grading papers at school. The duo had just returned and didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As he asked this, he saw Mu Jingzhe walk in through the rain.


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe was wearing a dress. She was wearing a red dress that was extremely eye-catching.


    Tang Moling was stunned for a moment, surprise shing across his eyes.


    He had already noticed that Mu Jingzhe had been bing increasingly beautiful and pleasing to the eye, but he¡¯d subconsciously ignored that.


    Until this moment.


    If Mu Xue was described as an elegant daisy, then Mu Jingzhe could be likened to a rich ink painting of andscape that was both breathtaking and unforgettable.


    Tang Moling could even hear his heart racing.


    Ba-dum. Ba-dum.


    It felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Old Madam Mu asked coldly, pulling Tang Moling back from his thoughts.


    He came back to his senses and awkwardly retracted his gaze.


    Yes, what was going on?


    This was the first time he had seen Mu Jingzhe cry. Her head was lowered, and she was looking listless.


    She waspletely different from her usual energetic and vignt self. This was the first time he saw that Mu Jingzhe could be so fragile.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reddened eyes, Tang Moling looked at Mu Teng.


    Mu Teng looked livid as he briefly exined what had happened.


    ¡°They went too far.¡± Old Madam Mu¡¯s expression darkened. She then turned to Mu Jingzhe angrily. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree with you rushing to marry Shao Qihai in the first ce. See what happens when you chew off more than you can bite? What a disgrace.¡±


    Mu Teng was unhappy. ¡°Mom, what are you saying? Jingzhe isn¡¯t at fault here.¡±


    Old Madam Mu wanted to retort, but Tang Moling interrupted her.


    Tang Moling was furious.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to hear such a disgusting thing. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe back and call for help when you encountered such an issue? We have to hit back and smash their heads. Let¡¯s see if they¡¯ll dare to do this again in the future.¡±


    No wonder Mu Jingzhe had suddenly worn a red dress. It turned out that she¡¯d been forced to marry and this was her bridal dress.

 Chapter 73 - Severing Relations

    <h4>Chapter 73: Severing Rtions</h4>


    Tang Moling was furious. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Why are you crying? It¡¯s not your fault! Aren¡¯t you strong? Hit them! Punch them until they be impotent!¡±


    She had been so impressive in front of him previously!


    No one had expected Tang Moling to suddenly lose his temper. They stared at him in shock.


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t notice and only looked at Mu Jingzhe with a dark expression. His gaze searched for a while before stopping on her arm.


    ¡°You even got injured?¡±


    He gritted his teeth, worry and fury clouding his eyes. He picked up a tool that was lying aside and got ready to leave. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back and give them what they deserve.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mu Xue quickly pulled Tang Moling back.


    Old Madam Mu also looked at him strangely. ¡°It¡¯s already been settled. Why are you so agitated?¡±


    Under Mu Xue¡¯s suspicious gaze and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strange gaze, Tang Moling slowly calmed down.


    He was stunned. That¡¯s right. Why was he so angry? Then, he came up with a reason.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand seeing them bully people like that. Before they hit the dog, they ought to see who its master is.¡±


    Old Madam Mu¡¯s expression rxed. ¡°You just have to protect Xiao Xue from now on.¡±


    Mu Xue lowered her head and smiled. Mu Teng¡¯s face darkened. Who was the dog?


    It took Tang Moling a long time to realize what he had said. He wanted to exin, but he didn¡¯t know where to start.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look at Mu Jingzhe, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at him. She just frowned and looked outside, seemingly lost in thought.


    He couldn¡¯t help but frown. The people from the Shao Family really needed to be taught a lesson, especially that wretch Shao Qiyun.


    As he was thinking about it, he heard Mu Xue say, ¡°The rain doesn¡¯t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Will it be troublesome for you to go back?¡±


    Only then did Tang Moling remember that he was supposed to leave after returning. He nced at the smudge of red out of the corner of his eye and suddenly wondered if he should sleep here for the night.


    Tang Moling was about to say something when he heard Old Madam Mu speak.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of when he has a car? It¡¯s not like he¡¯ll be walking. Moling has important matters to attend to. We can¡¯t hold him up. It¡¯s getting dark, so he should leave quickly.¡±


    Tang Moling could only swallow his words and get in the car while Old Madam Mu and Mu Xue watched him leave.


    Mu Jingzhe had already been pulled back to her room by Li Zhaodi and hadn¡¯te out yet.


    The small room that Mu Jingzhe had originally stayed in had been converted to Mu Xue¡¯s study by Old Madam Mu so she could grade the students¡¯ assignments there.


    Although Old Madam Mu wasn¡¯t very willing, she didn¡¯t stop them from converting the study back to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bedroom.


    The sky turnedpletely dark. Old Madam Mu pulled a long face and said that she wanted to eat.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have much of an appetite and Old Madam Mu had a sullen expression on her face while facing her at the dining table. However, she didn¡¯t kick her out either. Compared to before, her attitude was actually quite good.


    Mu Teng¡¯s face darkened. When he returned to his room, he said that they would build a house after saving up more money.


    In the future, whenever Mu Jingzhe returned, she would have her own room and wouldn¡¯t have to put up with Old Madam Mu.


    The Mu Family was quiet, but the Shao Family wasn¡¯t calm at the moment because Shao Qiyang had returned.


    Shao Qiyang was already drenched by the time he returned. He greeted them as soon as he reached the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    In the past, whenever he came back, the house would always be lit up, and there would be warm food. However, there was nothing today.


    No one answered.


    Shao Dong had changed into dry clothes with his younger siblings and was just starting the fire. Little Bei and Xiao Wu had kept crying until they¡¯d fallen asleep.


    Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Shao Dong were all pale from the cold. As soon as Shao Qiyang entered, he felt that something was amiss.


    It was a mess outside, and there was something wrong with the children. Mu Jingzhe was also nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened? Where¡¯s Jingzhe?¡±


    ¡°Uncle.¡± Shao Dong greeted him. He wasn¡¯t delighted to see Shao Qiyang or anything.


    After all, his return wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    ¡°Uncle, go change your clothes first.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what happened first.¡±


    Shao Xi recounted what had happened in a straightforward manner without adding much emotion.


    However, Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that. ¡°How dare they¡­ How dare they! How could they?!¡±


    How could they treat Mu Jingzhe like that? Mu Jingzhe, whom he carefully cherished in his heart and didn¡¯t even dare speak his mind to, had been treated this way by them?


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes burned with fury as he turned around and left.


    With a bang, he kicked open the door of the eldest branch¡¯s house. Ignoring Big Brother Shao¡¯s greeting, he went directly to pull Shao Qiyun up when he saw her warming up by the fire. He gave her a tight p across the face.


    This was Shao Qiyang¡¯s first time hitting a woman and the first time he¡¯d ever hit his younger sister.


    Due to Zhao Lan¡¯s favoritism toward her only daughter, the three Shao brothers had always treated Shao Qiyun quite well. But what had Shao Qiyun done in the end?


    ¡°You heartless thing!¡± Shao Qiyang scolded her as he gave her two more ps.


    ¡°Third Brother, you¡¯re crazy!¡± Shao Qiyun shrieked.


    ¡°Those two ps were me hitting you on Second Brother¡¯s behalf.¡± Then, he raised his hand and pped her again. ¡°This p is from me.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you hitting your younger sister?¡± Zhao Lan quickly went to stop him, but no matter how hard she tried, Shao Qiyang wouldn¡¯t let go of Shao Qiyun and kept hitting her.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t teach her a lesson today, she¡¯ll never know she was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mom, quickly, help me!¡± Shao Qiyun nearly went mad from all those ps. No matter how hard she punched and kicked, it was useless. She could only shout for Zhao Lan.


    Seeing that Eldest Brother Shao was unable to stop the fight, Zhao Lan gritted her teeth, picked up a piece of firewood, and struck Shao Qiyang without rhyme or reason.


    ¡°Let go immediately. How dare you hit your younger sister!¡±


    The firewood struck Shao Qiyang¡¯s head and ears, causing him to bleed instantly.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, who had been watching from afar, screamed, ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re going to beat him to death!¡±


    Only after Zhao Lan stopped did she see the blood flowing down Shao Qiyang¡¯s neck. She screamed and dropped the firewood.


    However, even while he was beaten up by Zhao Lan, Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t let go of Shao Qiyun. He merely cast a nce at her and then went back to hitting Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Do you admit you were in the wrong? Are you going to repent or not?¡±


    Zhao Lan kept retreating. ¡°He¡¯s gone mad! This is crazy!¡±


    ¡°Qiyun, quick, apologize. Your brother is crazy.¡±


    Shao Qiyun, who felt that she was about to be beaten to death, quickly apologized. ¡°I was wrong. I won¡¯t dare do it again.¡±


    Only then did the panting Shao Qiyang stop. ¡°Remember what you said today. If you dare do this again, I¡¯ll really beat you to death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet. Who are you threatening? Shao Qiyang, you didn¡¯t even ask what happened to your family. Instead, you only cared about hitting your sister. If we go to jail, I won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    Yang Qing and his men were locked up and would probably be taken to the police station tomorrow.


    When that time came, Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun probably wouldn¡¯t be able to escape either because they were aplices.


    Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun were angry and afraid to begin with, and their hearts were trembling in fear. In the end, when Shao Qiyang came back, he didn¡¯t even help them.


    Zhao Lan was so furious that she pounced on Shao Qiyang and hit him. ¡°What kind of a son are you?¡±


    Shao Qiyang shrugged off Zhao Lan. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything to you because you¡¯re my mother, but this is thest time.¡±


    Zhao Lan sneered, ¡°Or what? Are you going to disown me?¡±


    Shao Qiyang nodded, his eyes red. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll disown you. You people are not fit to be humans. I¡¯ll pretend that I don¡¯t have any rtives like you in the future.¡±


    Zhao Lan copsed on the ground, looking enraged. ¡°You won¡¯t acknowledge your mother just because of Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    She stepped forward and grabbed Shao Qiyang¡¯s cor. ¡°Did you hook up with Mu Jingzhe? I knew it. You two are shameless.¡±

 Chapter 74 - Such Bias

    <h4>Chapter 74: Such Bias</h4>


    In the end, Zhao Lan still didn¡¯t think she was wrong, but it urred to her that there might be something between Shao Qiyang and Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Shao Qiyang flung her away. ¡°You¡¯re not fit to even mention her name. You called her shameless? The most shameless people are you two.¡±


    With such a family, what right did he have to be with Mu Jingzhe?


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. ¡°You disgust me.¡±


    ¡°From now on, I will break all ties with you.¡± Shao Qiyang turned around and left.


    Zhao Lan was stunned for a moment before she suddenlyshed out. ¡°You ingrate! You unfilial son! Let me tell you something. I don¡¯t have a son like you anymore.¡±


    Seeing that Shao Qiyang had really left, Zhao Lan pped her legs in fury.


    ¡°What kind of a life is this? Why is my life so bitter?¡±


    Zhao Lan cried for a long time, but no one paid her any attention. Shao Qiyun was throwing a tantrum because of the pain on her swollen, red face.


    Since she was young, Zhao Lan had never once hit her. This was the first time Shao Qiyun had been hit.


    Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan cursed angrily. Eldest Brother Shao stomped his feet in regret. ¡°I said it couldn¡¯t be done.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao pulled him aside and asked him not to add fuel to the fire. Nobody heard himining when they collected the betrothal gifts.


    After Shao Qiyang came out, he was in a daze for a moment before he went to the Mu Residence. He couldn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe go back like this.


    He went to the Mu Residence, wanting to apologize and beg for forgiveness, wanting to ask Mu Jingzhe to go back.


    However, Mu Teng chased him away before he even got to see Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of apologizing now? In the future, the entire Shao Family can forget about setting foot on our doorstep!¡±


    Shao Qiyang stood in the rain, feeling cold all over and almost losing his bnce.


    Yes, what right did he have to do this? It was toote.


    He was never around when Mu Jingzhe needed protection the most. He was always one step toote.


    Fate had been messing with him time and again, always making him be one stepte.


    Furthermore, the people who had harmed Mu Jingzhe were his biological mother and younger sister. What right did he have to ask her to go back?


    It rained the entire night and it stopped the next morning, but the skies remained cloudy.


    Mu Teng gathered some vigers and sent Yang Qing and his two men, as well as Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun, to the police station.


    Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun naturally refused to go. They kept crying and making a fuss. Zhao Lan even wanted to hang herself in a bid to force Mu Teng to give up.


    They even found an elder from the Mu Family and persuaded Old Madam Mu to ask Mu Teng to let the matter rest. Their argument was that it wouldn¡¯t do Mu Jingzhe any good if this matter were to spread.


    After all, Mu Jingzhe was going to get married in the future. They were all from the same vige and would meet frequently. They shouldn¡¯t be so ruthless.


    However, the more Zhao Lan and the gang acted like this, the more insistent Mu Teng became. He didn¡¯t even listen to Old Madam Mu.


    Before Mu Xue¡¯s birth, Old Madam Mu had actually doted on Mu Teng a lot because Mu Teng had a glib tongue and knew how to coax people.


    Later on, because of their family circumstances, Mu Teng hadn¡¯t disobeyed Old Madam Mu, so the old woman practically had the final say in the family.


    However, this time, Mu Teng didn¡¯t listen because he was different from before.


    Although he and Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t make a lot of money selling buns, thanks to their stable ie, they were much more confident now.


    In the past, he had relied on Old Madam Mu to survive, but now that he no longer had to, he insisted on pursuing the matter.


    Old Madam Mu only doted on Mu Xue and didn¡¯t care for Mu Jingzhe. This granddaughter of hers couldn¡¯t gain her favor.


    She didn¡¯t feel pain, but he, as her father, did. If he couldn¡¯t even protect his own daughter properly, what kind of a father would that make him?


    He wanted everyone to see his attitude. He wanted to see who would dare bully Mu Jingzhe in the future.


    After fussing for half a day, it started raining again. However, this still didn¡¯t stop Mu Teng.


    After Tang Moling was done with his work, he waited for Mu Teng.


    He drove Mu Teng back and also used his connections to make sure that Yang Qing, Zhao Lan, and the gang learned from their mistakes, lest such a thing happened again in the future.


    Tang Moling¡¯s status was extraordinary. One word from him was more effective than one hundred from Mu Teng. Mu Teng thanked Tang Moling.


    The two of them hadn¡¯t interacted much in the past. After all, Tang Moling used to hate Mu Xue¡¯s horrible rtives. Mu Jingzhe was number one in line, and right behind her were Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi.


    However, as his impression of Mu Jingzhe improved and he stopped judging her based on prejudice, Tang Moling realized that Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi weren¡¯t that bad after all.


    Perhaps their behavior had indeed been so-so in the past, but their love for their children had never changed.


    Old Madam Mu was surprised that Tang Moling hade to Great Eastern Vige again. However, she only thought that Tang Moling was worried about Mu Xue, so she smiled in relief. This way, she needn¡¯t fear Mu Xue would suffer when she married him.


    ¡°Why did you bring so much food again?¡±


    Tang Moling¡¯s trunk was filled with food, including fresh beef and mutton. Old Madam Mu was grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining, so we should eat some mutton and beef to nourish our bodies.¡± Tang Moling noticed Mu Jingzhe out of the corner of his eye.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes were still a little swollen, but her expression was much calmer. After thanking him, she busied herself around Mu Teng and asked him to change while she went to make brown sugar ginger soup to warm up their bodies.


    ¡°Dad, drink it quickly. You don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡±


    As for the remaining soup, Mu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment. Since Tang Moling had helped them, she should probably give it to him to drink, but she was afraid that Mu Xue would misunderstand.


    As she was hesitating, Tang Moling asked, ¡°Is there some more? I¡¯ll have a bowl to ward off the cold too.¡±


    Mu Xue immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll make some for you.¡±


    ¡°No need. There¡¯s enough for another bowl, isn¡¯t there?¡± Tang Moling raised the bowl and drank it.


    Mu Xue pursed her lips in annoyance.


    The beef and mutton were prepared for dinner, but only in small amounts. Some of the meat was preserved in salt.


    There were many people but only so much meat. Old Madam Mu gave most of the meat to Mu Xue, and the others also got a little bit each. Mu Jingzhe only got two pieces of meat.


    Mu Xue¡¯s bowl was piled up with food. Compared to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bowl, the contrast was very obvious.


    Li Zhaodi pursed her lips, looking disgruntled. However, she didn¡¯t make a fuss and simply gave her share to Mu Jingzhe.


    Tang Moling looked at his bowl, which was full of meat, and felt a little bad.


    ¡°Grandma, why didn¡¯t you cook all of it? That way, everyone could have eaten their fill.¡±


    Old Madam Mu merely replied dismissively, ¡°How can meat be filling? Is this not enough for you? If it isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll give you some more.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Tang Moling shook his head and lowered his eyes, his gaze a little dark.


    In the beginning, when he had seen that Old Madam Mu treated Mu Xue well, he¡¯d only felt that this old woman had good judgment and was adorable.


    But today, he saw tant bias.


    No wonder Mu Jingzhe and her parents had kept snatching Mu Xue¡¯s things in the past. It was because if they didn¡¯t, they would end up with nothing.


    The portion that should have belonged to them had been given to Mu Xue instead. They were merely snatching back the portion that should have been theirs.


    However, everyone was used to it and felt that those things rightfully belonged to Mu Xue.


    Initially, he hadn¡¯t noticed it, but upon closer inspection, he realized that Mu Xue was much meatier than Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Xue might look slim due to her slender bones, but she actually had a lot of meat on her.


    He hadn¡¯t been able to tell in the past, but now that Mu Jingzhe was wearing that red dress, it was obvious that she was much thinner than Mu Xue.


    However, Old Madam Mu only felt heartache for Mu Xue and kept asking her to eat more since she was so thin.


    The dining table was filled with the joyfulughter of Old Madam Mu and Mu Xue, while Mu Jingzhe listened to them, eating in silence. Her voice could not be heard at all.


    Tang Moling held back his anger. He wasn¡¯t even in the mood to eat.

 Chapter 75 - He Had a Change of Heart?

    <h4>Chapter 75: He Had a Change of Heart?</h4>


    Tang Moling wanted to say something a few times, but when he thought of the oue, he shut his mouth and didn¡¯t say anything in the end.


    Li Zhaodi wanted to say something too, but she was disheartened upon thinking about what had happened in the past decade or so, so she couldn¡¯t be bothered to make a fuss anymore. If she did, it would only embarrass Jingzhe and make her feel worse.


    Li Zhaodi was bitterly disappointed by Old Madam Mu¡¯s attitude. In the past, they had been useless, but now, they were doing pretty well. Seeing Jingzhe return this way, her heart ached terribly for her daughter, but Old Madam Mu remainedpletely unaffected.


    After the meal, Li Zhaodi pulled Mu Jingzhe back to her room, ignoring the way Old Madam Mu scolded her for beingzy. Li Zhaodi sneered when Third Brother Mu coaxed Old Madam Mu and praised Mu Xue.


    ¡°Jingzhe, eat some walnut cookies. In the future, Mom will buy a sheep so you can eat your fill. I don¡¯t care for that little bit of food you get from her.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knew that Li Zhaodi was vexed. Although she had no appetite, she still epted it. ¡°Okay, thank you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your mother. Why are you thanking me? Look at how thin you¡¯ve be.¡±


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s heart ached as she looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for being useless. I didn¡¯t gain your grandmother¡¯s favor, nor was I able to steal more to feed you. But don¡¯t worry. If she continues acting like this, we¡¯ll eat by ourselves. When the timees, you will eat whatever you want. No one will make you feel aggrieved.¡±


    ¡°Mom, with you and Dad around, I don¡¯t feel aggrieved. I just feel heartache for you.¡±


    She was just eating fewer pieces of meat. Big deal. She could buy them herself if she wanted to. On the other hand, her heart ached for Li Zhaodi, who had suffered for more than twenty years.


    If they didn¡¯t split up the family assets, they would have to continue suffering in the future. Therefore, she fully supported their decision to build their own house and eat separately from them.


    Li Zhaodi hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to feel heartache for them, and her eyes couldn¡¯t help but turn red.


    ¡°Why are you feeling heartache for Mom? Mom is an outsider to begin with, but you¡¯re not. You and Mu Xue are both granddaughters of the Mu Family, but there¡¯s a world of difference in the way you two are treated. It¡¯s as if you were adopted.¡±


    Li Zhaodi gnashed her teeth as she spoke. ¡°The heavens are blind. After Mu Xue was born, your grandmother treated her so well that she seemed possessed. Even her grandsons weren¡¯t so favored.


    ¡°Your father used to be quite pampered, but everything changed when Mu Xue was born. Your maddening, inarticte eldest uncle and aunt also started bing favored by association.


    ¡°Just because your third uncle and third aunt said some nice things about Mu Xue and treated her a bit better, they also started gaining Old Madam Mu¡¯s favor. Only we, the second branch, are in a difficult position and get criticized everywhere we go.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally seen through it all. That damn girl, Mu Xue, is really spooky, like some sort of demon or ghost reincarnated. Those who treat her well get to live well, whereas those who don¡¯t end up suffering.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked to hear Li Zhaodi¡¯s rant.


    ¡°Mom, since you know that those who treat Mu Xue well live well, then why didn¡¯t you treat her better?¡±


    Mu Xue was the typical example of a fan favorite. Her grandmother, who¡¯d originally favored boys over girls, had been treating her well ever since her birth. Everyone who was nice to her had it good, but those who treated her badly had misfortune befall them.


    Before Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated, this type of novel that featured a fan-favorite lead had been trending. There was no logic to it; its only purpose was to give readers a kick.


    She had thought that Li Zhaodi, the biggest nuisance in the early stages, had kept going against Mu Xue because she didn¡¯t realize this. She was surprised to learn that Li Zhaodi had known all along.


    Li Zhaodi answered matter-of-factly, ¡°Why would I be good to her? She¡¯s so evil and scary. Your luck must have been sucked away by her. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be unlucky enough to be a widow shortly after you got married.¡±


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s way of thinking was different from other people¡¯s. Otherwise, with her quick wit and ability to read people, how could the third branch havepared to her? However, she was unwilling to do anything because she felt that this was spooky.


    ¡°I used to think that she would return to her original form or lose her good luck sooner orter. I didn¡¯t expect her to grow up being pampered like this. Then, she went on to be a teacher and even managed to find that rich man, Tang Moling. She¡¯s going to have such a good life in the future.¡±


    As for Mu Jingzhe, she was stuck with those children¡­


    As Li Zhaodi spoke, she heard Tang Moling¡¯s voice outside and became even more indignant. ¡°That fellow has no taste. I thought that rich people were different from farmers like us, but in the end, he¡¯s just like everyone else who fancies Mu Xue. You¡¯re clearly a hundred times better than her.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re my mother. One naturally thinks the world of their own children.¡±


    Li Zhaodi stroked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head. ¡°No, you¡¯re truly awesome. You were only affected because you were born in my stomach.¡±


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t say that.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression was serious. ¡°I must have racked up good karma in my past life to be able to be your daughter.¡±


    Only then did Li Zhaodi¡¯s mood brighten. ¡°Okay, Mom will work hard to earn money in the future and umte a decent dowry for you. You will marry whoever you want.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Alright.¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t speak of herck of desire to get married because she didn¡¯t want to agitate Li Zhaodi at a time like this.


    While the two of them were talking in the room, Tang Moling, who was outside, saw that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t appeared at all. He knew that she must be upset too, but there was nothing he could do, so he left helplessly.


    However, he came back the next day and brought things as usual. This time, it was not meat, but walnut cookies, canned fruits, and other snacks.


    To be specific, there were many fruit cans. An entire box of them.


    ¡°Someone happened to give me these as a gift, so I brought them with me. You guys can split them among yourselves.¡±


    Tang Moling moved quickly and generously distributed a few cans to each of them. Mu Jingzhe, who was starting a fire, was also given three cans.


    ¡°Oh, oh, thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly thanked him.


    Upon seeing the fruit cans in her hands, Tang Moling finally smiled.


    He still remembered the way Mu Jingzhe had hugged the fruit cans previously. It seemed like she was especially fond of them.


    He knew that Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear to part from those children, so her mood would definitely improve after eating them, right?


    Recalling that he had previously suspected Mu Jingzhe of acting, he felt as if a lifetime had passed.


    Although Old Madam Mu was a little dissatisfied with Tang Moling giving the fruit to everyone, she and Mu Xue received arger share than everyone else, so she was pleased.


    ¡°Oh dear, you¡¯re so busy, yet youe here every day with these things.¡±


    Seeing that he was so sincere, Old Madam Mu gave him the chance to be alone with Mu Xue. ¡°Hurry up and help Xiao Xue grade the assignments.¡±


    Mu Xue looked at the fruit cans on the table but didn¡¯t feel any joy.


    Even though fruit cans were hard toe by in the countryside, she had eaten them many times in the past. She could even afford to be picky and only eat the ones she liked¡ªthe peaches.


    She had told Tang Moling before that she only ate peaches from fruit cans, but he hadn¡¯t taken it seriously and had even handed her a slice of orange.


    Grandma had assumed that Tang Moling was there to look for her, but she was sensitive and felt that something was amiss.


    Though Tang Moling frequently brought things over, the things he had brought over in the past two days were different from before.


    ¡°Why have you beening here every day for the past two days?¡± Mu Xue asked Tang Moling in a low voice. She wanted to know if it was because of Mu Jingzhe.


    She kept feeling that there was something between Tang Moling and Mu Jingzhe because Tang Moling wasing to see Mu Jingzhe, but Mu Jingzhe¡¯s behavior was normal, and she didn¡¯t so much as cast a nce at him.


    Mu Xue was about to go crazy. She felt that she was thinking too much, but as a woman, her intuition made her feel uneasy.


    Tang Moling paused. ¡°I¡¯m here to see you, of course.¡±


    Even though he said that, he couldn¡¯t lie to himself.


    Yes, he still liked Mu Xue, but he rarely thought of Mu Xue these days.


    Even he couldn¡¯t tell if it was because of Mu Xue or Mu Jingzhe that he came to Great Eastern Vige.

 Chapter 76 - I Want to Go Back

    <h4>Chapter 76: I Want to Go Back</h4>


    Tang Moling hade frequently in the past, but never this frequently.


    He knew that something was wrong with him, but he couldn¡¯t control himself.


    He had wanted to expose Mu Jingzhe¡¯s true colors and seduce her to take revenge, but in the end, he¡¯d ended up getting lost in his plot.


    He couldn¡¯t help worrying about Mu Jingzhe and feeling angry because of what had happened to her, so he hade to see her in order to feel at ease.


    On the third day, Tang Moling restrained himself froming. Instead, he vented his anger on the person who had bullied Mu Jingzhe.


    Because they ultimately hadn¡¯t managed to force the marriage, Yang Qing, Zhao Lan, and Shao Qiyun weren¡¯t sentenced in the end, but they still suffered a lot.


    Shao Qiyun felt that she had lost all her dignity and was too ashamed to return to the vige. Thus, she directly went back to the county city.


    Shao Qiyun had her own dormitory. Although it was the holidays, she could still stay there.


    She didn¡¯t expect to find out that she had been fired when she arrived at the school.


    The school had learned what she had done and decided to fire her. They had even found someone to rece her.


    This job didn¡¯t require many qualifications, and there were many people eagerly waiting in line, so a recement was found in no time.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s luggage had been packed up, and she was forbidden from going to the dormitory again, as the school administration quoted fear of her forcibly marrying off the students.


    Shao Qiyun was about to go crazy. She had no idea how the news had managed to reach the school.


    ¡°I was wronged. I didn¡¯t do anything at all. How could you treat me like this? Did Mu Jingzhee to make a fuss because she wanted to take revenge on me? Was it her?¡±


    The security guard shook his head. ¡°Who is Mu Jingzhe? I¡¯ve never heard of her. You know what you did. Stop making a ruckus and leave.¡±


    Over the past two days, news of Shao Qiyun forcibly marrying off her widowed sister-inw in exchange for betrothal gifts had spread all over the school.


    The school attached great importance to this and had asked the teachers to emphasize that this was wrong when their students returned from the holidays.


    There was nock of students from remote mountain viges in the school. They had good grades, but their families were poor. Some of them would drop out of school after studying for a while to get married.


    Many of them weren¡¯t willing to do so. They weren¡¯t old enough to get married, but their parents made the decision for them regardless of whether they were willing or not.


    The school was very helpless and really didn¡¯t want such a situation to ur again. After hearing about Shao Qiyun¡¯s matter, they took it very seriously and even specifically issued a notice regarding this matter.


    Someone like her definitely wouldn¡¯t be allowed to stay in the school anymore. What if she led the students astray? What if she sold the students?


    Just like that, Shao Qiyun became a negative example and lost the job that she had worked so hard to get.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe. It must be Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan gritted their teeth, wishing they could tear her apart.


    Despite feeling hateful, there was nothing they could do because they were obviously in the wrong. When they got back, they were torn apart by the vigers before they could even tear Mu Jingzhe apart. Regarding Shao Qiyun¡¯s encounter, everyone only had three words to say¡ªserved her right.


    The vigers no longer treated Mu Jingzhe like before.


    They were eagerly waiting for Mu Jingzhe¡¯s business to expand so that she would hire more workers and they could earn money working for her.


    Thus, Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan¡¯s actions also affected them.


    While the vige was in chaos, Mu Teng and Mu Jingzhe calmed down and didn¡¯t show their faces.


    After holding back for a day, Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but bring a bunch of things to Great Eastern Vige the very next day.


    s, he realized that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t at the Mu Residence.


    She had returned to the Shao Family because she couldn¡¯t let go of those children.


    Old Mu scolded Mu Jingzhe with a dark expression. She hadn¡¯t weed Mu Jingzhe when she¡¯de back, but she was also dissatisfied when Mu Jingzhe wanted to leave.


    Tang Moling heaved a sigh of relief, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear to let go of those children.


    This made him feel that he had indeed not misjudged her. He was heartened by this fact, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. After all, she had gone back.


    For a moment, Tang Moling felt indescribably jealous of the five kids.


    Old Madam Mu kept nagging, but Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi were listless, especially Mu Teng, who kept pondering over Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words with a frown. The atmosphere was tense.


    Mu Jingzhe woke up early that morning. When Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi woke up, she poured them water to wash their faces.


    Mu Jingzhe had been doing this for the past two days, even going as far as to boil water for them to wash their feet at night.


    Mu Teng had a bad feeling when he saw Mu Jingzhe. Indeed, after a while, Mu Jingzhe spoke.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, I want to go back today. I can¡¯t let go of them. I keep thinking about them.¡±


    It was obvious who she was referring to.


    ¡°You still want to go back in the end?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mom, Dad, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t listen to you, but if this continues, I¡¯ll keep feeling uneasy.¡±


    Li Zhaodi lost all her strength and muttered, ¡°You¡¯ll end up going back after all. I knew you couldn¡¯t let go of them and would go back eventually¡­¡±


    She had really hoped that wasn¡¯t the case, but she remembered Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition for the past two days.


    She had been distracted all the time and had kept gazing in the direction of the Shao Family. Sometimes, she would identally call out their names in a daze.


    For the past few nights, she hadn¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep. All of this hadn¡¯t escaped Li Zhaodi¡¯s notice.


    ¡°You foolish child. You¡¯re so silly. Why did you choose the most difficult path?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had thought it through thoroughly. ¡°I only want to have a clear conscience. Besides, I¡¯m fated to be with them.¡±


    She hade back to stay for three days. Firstly, she did this to appease Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi, and secondly, because she wanted to calm down.


    She didn¡¯t make a hobby of being a stepmother, but she had developed feelings for them through their interactions.


    Many of her future ns were closely rted to them, and she felt that a life like that was very interesting.


    After her return to the Mu Family, she felt less at ease than while she¡¯d been living with the Shao Family.


    At the Shao Residence, she had been the head of the family, but at the Mu Residence, she felt like she was living under someone else¡¯s roof. Furthermore, she had to put up with Old Madam Mu¡¯s attitude. It was just like she had imagined.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible for her to rent a house in the county city now, but her hair ornament production team was in the vige.


    It would still be a stretch to move all of a sudden to the county or town. Besides, she didn¡¯t like giving up halfway.


    Since she had already gotten used to taking care of the five kids and had developed feelings for them, why not continue to do this for two more years? Before long, the children might not need her to take care of them anymore.


    Besides, she had yet to meet anyone suitable, let alone make ns to get married, so it would be better for her to go back.


    Mu Jingzhe had spent three days thoroughly thinking about it.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to live a happy life. Don¡¯t worry about me all the time. I¡¯ve grown up. I¡¯ll be responsible for my own life.


    ¡°Hurry up and get ready to set up your stall. Don¡¯t stop going on my ount. When ites to business, you should be consistent. Not showing up a few times for no reason will affect your business.¡±


    Mu Teng didn¡¯t say a word, but he knew that there was no turning back now that Mu Jingzhe had spoken. This child was stubborn and wouldn¡¯t reverse her decision once she made up her mind.


    Upon recalling the way Shao Dong had kneeled and what he¡¯d said and remembering those children secretlying to see her in the past two days, she knew that those children upied a position in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart and vice versa.


    Mu Teng sighed. ¡°You chose this path yourself. Don¡¯t regret it ande crying to me in the future.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe repeated her words. ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll really be fine.¡±

 Chapter 77 - Mommy Is Back

    <h4>Chapter 77: Mommy Is Back</h4>


    The Shao Family had been gloomy in the past few days.


    The earlierughter and joy had disappearedpletely, leaving only a depressing atmosphere and oppression behind. It couldn¡¯t evenpare to what it had been like before Mu Jingzhe had arrived.


    Just as Shao Dong had thought, who could stand to return to the darkness all of a sudden after living such a good life and seeing the light?


    Though Shao Qiyang wanted to take care of them, his job required him to leave the house early and return onlyte at night, so he simply wasn¡¯t able to do that.


    Shao Dong tried his best to take care of them, but they all remained listless. Little Bei and Xiao Wu kept crying and saying that they missed their mother.


    They thought about her while eating, listening to the radio, and even while sleeping. They missed her all the time.


    Previously, when writing essays, Shao Xi used to feel awkward and shy, so whenever there was an essay about his mother, he would always avoid it because he felt that he didn¡¯t have a mother.


    He had never written about Mu Jingzhe because he was afraid she would get proud, but now he regretted it. He actually had a lot to write about.


    When she had still been living with the Shao Family, he hadn¡¯t cherished her and had kept suspecting her intentions. Now that she had gone back home, it was toote for regrets.


    He was writing about her, but she couldn¡¯t see it anymore. Ever since she had left, there had been no one there to encourage him and praise him for his writing skills.


    He knew that it was toote, but he still wanted to write about her and give the essay to Mu Jingzhe.


    She liked his essays very much, so if she was willing to ept it, he would give it to her.


    Shao Nan was very silent. He didn¡¯t speak and was always in a daze.


    He also regretted not treating Mu Jingzhe well enough.


    He could have done better, but he had been too stingy to do it.


    Xiao Wu was still ying the flute, but his melodies no longer sounded happy. Instead, they invoked sad feelings in those who heard them, making them feel an urge to cry.


    Xiao Wu never finished ying an entire song again, for he would start to cry toward the end.


    ording to the n, they should have gone to the county art school to continue learning foreignnguages and reading books, but her departure had disrupted those ns.


    They had secretly gone to see Mu Jingzhe, but they had never seen her. They didn¡¯t dare let Mu Jingzhe see them either.


    Little Bei had plucked some flowers and secretly ced them at the Mu Residence, wanting to give them to Mu Jingzhe to cheer her up.


    Every night, Little Bei and Xiao Wu would cry and say they wanted to look for Mu Jingzhe, but Shao Dong would stop them.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t allow them to go. If they went, it would only make things difficult for Mu Jingzhe.


    They endured three days like this. When they woke up the next day, it was still the same. There was noughter and no eggs. The children were listless. s, they hadn¡¯t expected that things could get worse.


    Because of Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan, the fellows next door had been depressed and had hidden away, not daring to face anyone. Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were also despised.


    They pinned the me on Shao Dong and his siblings. Knowing that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t around and she had abandoned them for good, those brats couldn¡¯t help bute over to mock them.


    This was just like rubbing salt into the wounds of the children. Little Bei and Xiao Wu cried whenever they heard that. Seeing their reaction, Shao Fu got smug and even wanted to continue bullying them and snatch what they had taken a fancy to but couldn¡¯t snatch previously when Mu Jingzhe was around.


    However, as soon as they made a move, the weeping Little Bei and Little Wu exploded. They stepped forward and snatched what was theirs back, then scolded them loudly.


    ¡°Mommy bought this for me. No way am I letting you snatch it!¡±


    ¡°Mommy? Mu Jingzhe doesn¡¯t want you anymore. Give it to me!¡±


    His wordspletely angered the five children, and in the end, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were all beaten up.


    This was the first time. In the past, they had been no match for Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. After all, they were too young.


    However, during this period of time, because of Mu Jingzhe, they had grown taller and stronger. They had also be bolder and observed people¡¯s weaknesses. They specifically targeted their weaknesses and hit them wherever it hurt.


    In the end, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were beaten until they started crying and ran away.


    Shao Dong and his siblings had won. However, they didn¡¯t feel any joy at all. Instead, they felt even worse when they saw the things Mu Jingzhe had bought for them.


    Shao Dong felt awful seeing them like this, but he had to endure it.


    ¡°Stop crying. Since we already beat them, we can protect ourselves better in the future. Stop crying.¡±


    Forget about looking for Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Dong led them to the kitchen and was about to make them something to eat. However, just as he entered, he heard a voicee from the door.


    ¡°Little Bei, Xiao Wu, I¡¯m back. Where are you?¡±


    For a moment, they thought that their ears were ying tricks on them and didn¡¯t move.


    In the past few days, they would always have this kind of hallucination, the feeling that Mu Jingzhe was back, but every time they went out to take a look, it would turn out that they were imagining things.


    ¡°Shao Dong?¡± Then, they heard another voice. Furthermore, there were footsteps this time, which added to the realness.


    Xiao Wu was the first to run out and see Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Xiao Wu shouted and rushed over.


    Little Bei followed him closely. ¡°Mommy! It¡¯s really Mommy! Mommy is back!¡±


    The few older brothers could no longer sit still and rushed out too.


    Shao Xi charged over too quickly and staggered, almost falling.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu hugged Mu Jingzhe and burst into tears of joy. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally back.¡±


    ¡°Boohoo. We thought you didn¡¯t want us anymore. That you had left for good.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes were also red as she hugged them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault for leaving.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Mommy¡¯s fault. It¡¯s Grandma and Aunt¡¯s fault. They are the ones who bullied you.¡±


    After saying that, Little Bei rephrased her words. ¡°No, I should correct myself. They¡¯re no longer our Grandma and Aunt. They treated you really badly. We¡¯ve already severed ties with them and won¡¯t acknowledge them anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we only want Mommy. We don¡¯t want them.¡± Xiao Wu nodded. The boy, who had bravely fought back just now,ined to Mu Jingzhe with a teary little face.


    ¡°They¡¯re all bad people. They even came to snatch our things just now.¡±


    Now that the person who doted on them was back, Xiao Wu and Little Bei couldn¡¯t wait to share their thoughts and grievances with Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, I missed you so much. I missed you every day and dreamed of you at night.¡±


    ¡°I missed you too. I missed you every day in my dreams. I missed you so much that I cried.¡±


    ¡°I missed you guys too. Even in my dreams.¡±


    The three of them hugged and cried. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan¡¯s eyes reddened against their will, but they held themselves back and stood aside, staring at her.


    Mu Jingzhe pulled them over. ¡°Why do you look so thin? Haven¡¯t you been eating properly?¡±


    They had originally been holding back, but now that Mu Jingzhe had pulled them back and asked them this question, their eyes couldn¡¯t help but turn red.


    ¡°How can we eat properly when you¡¯re not even here? How could we not lose weight?¡±


    As they said this, they couldn¡¯t stop the tears flowing down their cheeks. In the end, all six of them huddled together and cried.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart was sour, bitter, and sweet. When her emotions calmed down, she hurriedly coaxed them.


    ¡°Alright, hush, hush. I¡¯ll nourish you guys well now that I¡¯m back. I¡¯ll help you make up for all that lost weight.¡±


    She took out a handkerchief and wiped their tears. ¡°If you continue crying, your eyes will swell. Stop crying. The way we¡¯re huddled together and crying, one might think this is a scene out of a television drama. If you continue crying, the vigers are going to starting over. Hush, hush.¡±


    When she heard this, Little Bei¡¯s tears turned into a smile.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu clung to Mu Jingzhe and refused to let go. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, on the other hand, were a little embarrassed.


    Shao Nan looked at her. ¡°You won¡¯t leave again, will you? You won¡¯t leave us like you did this time, will you?¡±


    There was a stubborn look on his face, but his eyes were filled with caution.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°If nothing goes wrong, I won¡¯t leave again. I¡¯ll leave when you guys grow up and don¡¯t need me anymore.¡±

 Chapter 78 - All of Them Started Calling Her Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 78: All of Them Started Calling Her Mommy</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she was still young. She¡¯d only turned 20 years old that year. Even if she raised these kids for another ten years, she would only be 30 years old.


    By then, the five kids would be more or fewer adults and wouldn¡¯t need her anymore. She could then consider leaving.


    Shao Nan blurted out in surprise, ¡°Barring idents, you¡¯re not allowed to leave.¡±


    He was spooked after seeing her leave once. Now that Mu Jingzhe had returned and given them hope, he didn¡¯t dare have his hopes dashed again.


    After saying that, he felt that his tone wasn¡¯t very nice, so he added awkwardly, ¡°We¡¯ll treat you well. When we grow up, we¡¯ll be filial to you and ensure you lead a good life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Shao Xi added. ¡°We may be burdens now, but we¡¯ll all amount to something in the future. We¡¯ll make sure you wear the finest clothes and most expensive jewelry in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe burst outughing. ¡°Make sure I wear the finest clothes and most expensive jewelry?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? We¡¯ll keep our word. We¡¯ll definitely make sure you live a better life than you would if you remarried.¡±


    He was afraid that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t believe him, so he said seriously, ¡°The youngdies who get married in the vige don¡¯t have it easy either. They work hard to serve their mother-inw and the entire family, yet they have to hear gossip about them. They can¡¯t even stay idle for a while. They are always treated as outsiders. When they get married, they be outsiders. When they return to their parents¡¯ home, they are still outsiders.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all. They even have to give birth to children. Giving birth to a child is dangerous enough, yet the husband and inws are even picky about the gender of the baby. This family wants a son, and that family wants a daughter. One might just die in the process. This is exactly what happened to an auntie in the vigest year.


    ¡°But in your case, you don¡¯t have to give birth. Now that you have us, we¡¯ll be filial to you in the future. You don¡¯t have to serve the entire family either. In the future, we¡¯ll help with the housework. You¡¯re the head of the family, so you don¡¯t have to be bullied. You¡¯re a true family to us.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked. ¡°How did youe up with all that? Shao Xi, are you¡­¡±


    <i>Did you transmigrate? Or have you been reborn?</i>


    Shao Xi was puzzled. ¡°Am I what? One can see this all around us. I¡¯ve been observing.¡±


    He had been analyzing and summarizing in the past two days. He¡¯d even wanted to go over to Mu Jingzhe and analyze the theories with her to persuade her toe back.


    But he couldn¡¯t go.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe was back, he couldn¡¯t help but say this.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard him say that he had been observing, she secretly praised Shao Xi¡¯s observation skills and incisiveness. She thought to herself that it was no wonder he would be a writer. He could see through phenomena and get to the essence of things.


    Shao Xi heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Mu Jingzhe give him a thumbs-up.


    ¡°We¡¯re sincere. We don¡¯t need you to take care of us forever. If you want to get married in the future, we won¡¯t stop you. We¡¯ll even help you. When that timees, you can marry whoever you want. We¡¯ll give you a big dowry. If he dares to bully you, we¡¯ll teach him a lesson.¡±


    In the end, Shao Xi concluded, ¡°Anyway, we can get you whoever you like.¡±


    Thest sentence was very bold and domineering. He could help her get anyone she liked.


    Hear, hear. Get her anyone she liked¡­


    This didn¡¯t sound like something a seven-year-old child would say. Even though he was about to turn eight, he was still a child.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She was convinced. As expected of a writer, Shao Xi knew how to summarize things very well. His words were sharp and hit the nail on the head, as they were full of persuasive power and sounded incredibly captivating.


    That¡¯s right, Mu Jingzhe was tempted. Any woman would be tempted.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but extend her pinky. ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up. He stretched out his pinky and made a seal with hers. ¡°Deal!¡±


    Shao Dong was gratified as he watched from the side. Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shining eyes. It was clearly inappropriate timing, but he couldn¡¯t help but ask Mu Jingzhe which part she had found the most tempting.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>Do you have to be so sharp?</i>


    Of course she had been tempted by the money. Men were just a bonus.


    Shao Dongughed and nudged Shao Nan with his arm, as if saying ¡®that¡¯s enough¡¯. He changed the subject and asked Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    He had referred to her as mom in front of Mu Teng previously, but he felt a little embarrassed to say it to her face.


    ¡°Not yet. I wanted toe back and cook for you guys. Have you eaten?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked as she helped Shao Dong wipe the dust off his face.


    When she saw him wipe himself, Mu Jingzhe felt that something was wrong. ¡°Shao Dong, why is your face so hot? Are you having a fever?¡±


    ¡°Another fever?¡± Shao Xi immediately touched his face. ¡°Why is your face so hot during the day too?¡±


    Only then did Mu Jingzhe find out that Shao Dong had been sick for the past two days.


    On the day she had left, he had knelt and cried, and he¡¯d even had abrasions on his body. That very night, he had developed a slight fever.


    For the past two days, he¡¯d kept having a fever at night.


    However, he had managed to hold on. After taking the medicine that Mu Jingzhe had bought previously, he would force himself to get up every day to take care of his younger siblings.


    There were too many things weighing on his heart. He didn¡¯t even dare get sick. If he fell sick, things would get even messier.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had returned, Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief in his heart and quickly fell ill.


    He didn¡¯t have a high fever, but he started showing symptoms of the flu. Mu Jingzhe took him to the doctor for a checkup.


    His younger siblings felt guilty and had taken turns keeping himpany.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had returned, they felt much better.


    Shao Dong stopped having a fever at night, but he perspired and kept saying that he was thirsty. In the middle of the night, he would alternate between drinking water and going to the bathroom.


    He only quietened down during thetter half of the night.


    The next morning, Mu Jingzhe touched Shao Dong¡¯s forehead and heaved a sigh of relief when she found that he no longer had a fever and hisplexion was much better.


    Shao Dong opened his eyes in a daze but hadn¡¯tpletely woken up. When he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but smile and call her ¡®Mommy¡¯ softly.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. Before she could react, Shao Dong hugged her.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go. I have so many wishes that have yet toe true¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t leave.¡± Mu Jingzhe hugged Shao Dong tightly.


    She was very surprised that Shao Dong had switched to calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯, but she didn¡¯t object. Her heart softened.


    Shao Dong, who was being hugged, blinked. As he felt more and more awake, he got embarrassed.


    He¡­ He had really called her Mommy. He had said out loud what was on his mind.


    In his daze, he had thought that it was a dream, but it had turned out to be reality.


    Shao Dong was stiff and lost. Then, he met Shao Nan¡¯s gaze.


    Shao Nan hade to see him and happened to see this scene.


    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re blushing. Are you feeling shy after calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯?¡±


    Shao Nan came in jokingly and pretended toin to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, Big Brother is feeling shy.¡±


    Shao Dong pointed at Shao Nan. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe, who was staring at him, and said frankly, ¡°Can I call you ¡®Mommy¡¯? I want to call you ¡®Mommy¡¯ too. Actually, if you had asked us to change our way of addressing you, I would have.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Sure, of course. I¡¯m just a little¡­¡±


    ttered.


    Mu Jingzhe had always felt that she couldn¡¯t quite figure out Shao Nan. Shao Dong, needless to say, was rtively taciturn.


    She hadn¡¯t expected to be suddenly called ¡®Mommy¡¯ by the two of them, and she was in a daze.


    After Shao Dong was exposed by Shao Nan, he suppressed his embarrassment. ¡°Thank you for taking care of us, Mommy.¡±


    Unlike the three little ones, Shao Dong and Shao Xi had never called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ before. They even had vague memories of their mother.


    Now that they were uttering the word ¡®Mommy¡¯ again, they didn¡¯t feel any indignation, only relief.


    The two of them took this opportunity to change their way of addressing Mu Jingzhe, making Little Bei get very excited. ¡°Big Brother and Third Brother are also calling Mommy ¡®Mommy¡¯ now.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s calling Mommy ¡®Mommy¡¯ now.¡± Xiao Wu chuckled. ¡°Except Second Brother.¡±


    Everyone looked at Shao Xi, the only one who hadn¡¯t followed suit.


    Shao Xi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Wait a minute, why was he the only one left?

 Chapter 79 - The Inferno of Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 79: The Inferno of Revenge</h4>


    Shao Xi red fiercely at Shao Dong and Shao Nan. He had always known that his third brother was cunning, but he hadn¡¯t expected that his older brother had also changed. To think that he¡¯d sneakily started calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯ and hadn¡¯t even asked him to do the same.


    He snorted, feeling annoyed.


    Mu Jingzhe took this as a sign of unwillingness and quickly said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you call me that or not. You can call me whatever you want. If you don¡¯t want to call me ¡®Auntie¡¯, you can also call me ¡®Sister¡¯.¡±


    She liked to be called ¡®Sister¡¯, for it made her appear young.


    Shao Xi panicked when he heard that. ¡°Who said I don¡¯t want to? I¡­ I¡¯m not going to call you ¡®Sister¡¯. That would mess up the seniority.¡±


    He groaned and called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ in a muffled voice. He called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ quickly and anxiously, as if the word ¡®Mommy¡¯ was scalding his mouth. As a result, no one could properly hear what he was saying.


    Xiao Wu said earnestly, ¡°Second Brother, I can¡¯t hear you clearly. Do you not want to call Mommy ¡®Mommy¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Shao Xi was furious. ¡°Since all of you have started calling her that, I have to do the same.¡±


    He looked at Mu Jingzhe and muttered, ¡°If I¡¯m the only one who doesn¡¯t call you that, people might think that I don¡¯t wee you. That¡¯s so not the case.¡±


    Upon saying that, he raised his neck and shouted with a red face, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    His voice was especially loud, startling the sparrows on the roof and making the few foraging chickens look up in surprise.


    ¡°Can you hear me now? You can, right?¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Those who didn¡¯t know better would think that he was shouting at an enemy.


    Mu Jingzhe, who also had the same feeling, held back a snort. ¡°Aye, I heard that.¡±


    She stroked Shao Xi¡¯s head and saw that he was blushing. She then smoothed his hair. ¡°I¡¯m d you called me ¡®Mommy¡¯.¡±


    Only then was Shao Xi satisfied. He was so happy after being praised that he felt a little smug and couldn¡¯t help but brag.


    ¡°Of course. There are so many people who want me to call them that, but I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Then, Xiao Wu looked up and asked, feeling genuinely confused, ¡°Really? Who are they, Second Brother?¡±


    He was really curious, as there didn¡¯t seem to be such a person in the vige.


    Shao Xi: ¡°¡­¡±


    He ruthlessly stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head and messed up his hair before snapping, ¡°Someone you don¡¯t know!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sighed in her heart as she watched them clowning around.


    Alright, from that day onward, she would officially be the mother of five children.


    Just the thought of it made her want to cover her face.


    When she had first arrived, she had had a headache after facing the five children.


    She¡¯d vowed to leave after being a nanny for a while. Now¡­ there was no point in mentioning it.


    If her modern friends knew about this, they would probably say that she was crazy. She also felt that she was crazy.


    It was probably a side effect of ying house and pretending to be a mother too much when she was young.


    However, now that she had agreed to let them call her ¡®Mommy¡¯, she had to be more responsible, as she could not regret it easily.


    Mu Jingzhe made up her mind and secretly clenched her fist.


    The children looked at each other with mutual understanding in their eyes. They, too, made up their minds and silently clenched their fists.


    They couldn¡¯t treat what Shao Xi had said as something random. They really had to keep their word.


    Their biological father, Shao Qihai, no longer wanted them and had abandoned them. Their biological grandmother and aunt didn¡¯t give a damn about whether they lived or died. Each of them was worse than the other.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t rted to them by blood, yet she had taken care of them like this and even returned after what had happened.


    They¡¯d remember Mu Jingzhe¡¯s return today.


    In this lifetime, they would never let their mother down.


    Their biological father, Shao Qihai, had abandoned them and Mommy and no longer wanted them.


    In that case, they would be filial to their mother in the future and find someone better and more handsome than Shao Qihai for her. She could have whoever caught her fancy. They would let her pick whoever she wished next.


    Since Shao Qihai could find another woman, they would also let their mother find a more impressive man. They¡¯d see who won then.


    They didn¡¯t believe that the five of them couldn¡¯t beat their biological father alone.


    A raging fire burned in their hearts.


    Elsewhere, Shao Qihai dreamed of a fire.


    The scalding fire seemed to be burning him.


    It was unknown if it was because of telepathy, but Shao Qihai, who was hiding in the city, had felt terrible after falling asleep in the past few nights.


    He kept feeling an urge to cry and dreaming of the children calling for their mother.


    Recalling that it had been Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary not long ago, Shao Qihai felt uneasy. Their mother was gone, and he wasn¡¯t by their side either.


    At present, he was very grateful to Mu Jingzhe, who was still taking care of them.


    Shao Qihai wanted to go back as soon as possible, but this wasn¡¯t up to him to decide.


    After dreaming of them calling out for their mother for a few consecutive nights, that night, he dreamed of fire.


    ¡°Why would I dream of fire?¡± Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it.


    Since he couldn¡¯t fall asleep after waking up, Shao Qihai got up and went outside to smoke a cigarette silently.


    In order to hide his identity, he had grown a beard and long hair and had started pretending to be a smoker.


    However, he was really not good at smoking. After a while, he choked and woke Jiang Feng up.


    ¡°Brother Hai, can¡¯t you fall asleep?¡±


    Shao Qihai nodded. He was about to apologize for waking him up when he heard Jiang Feng say, ¡°Are you missing Sister-In-Law?¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    How was he going to answer that?


    ¡°I know it even if you don¡¯t say it. I miss my mother too.¡± Jiang Feng sighed. ¡°I wonder how she¡¯s doing. I really want to send her a message.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this as soon as possible and go back.¡± Jiang Feng had helped Shao Qihai make a trip, and Shao Qihai had also helped Jiang Feng make a trip before.


    Jiang Feng¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t in a good state. Half of her hair was white, and she had turned visibly older.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Jiang Feng nodded and asked, ¡°Brother Hai, do you want me to help you take a look?¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s too risky. Let¡¯s leave it at that for now. We¡¯ll end this as soon as possible and go back.¡±


    He looked up at the moon in the sky and thought to himself.


    <i>Little Dong, Little Xi, Little Nan, Little Bei, Little Zhong, wait for me. Daddy will be back soon.</i>


    ******


    After Mu Jingzhe returned to the Shao Family, the rain that had been going on for several days finally stopped.


    Now that he was in a good mood and the weather had cleared up after the rain, Shao Dong finally recovered from his illness.


    Also, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s production line, which had been suspended for a few days, resumed.


    Everyone was happy to be back. They had been afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be able to continue earning money, but now, everything was thankfully back to normal.


    As they were in high spirits, they brought some things with them when they came to work, such as pears they had grown at home or preserved vegetables they had made themselves.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s return to the Shao Family was big news in the vige. Some people didn¡¯t understand, while others said that she was loyal.


    But no matter what, life started getting back on the right track.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly got busy, but she soon discovered that something was amiss.


    The children seemed to be clingier now. No, they weren¡¯t just clingy with her. In fact, they weren¡¯t going anywhere. They kept following her and looking at her, tugging at her, as if they were afraid that she would run away. It was the same when they were doing their homework; from time to time, they woulde to see her.


    While she was busy, the five kids took turns hiding behind the door and secretly observing her. Their cute little expressions could be turned into emojis.


    Mu Jingzhe had caught all five children when they took turns toe over.


    Whenever she saw their adorable little faces, Mu Jingzhe regretted not having a camera. She did the next best thing, which was to draw their faces in her notebook.


    When it was lunchtime, Mu Jingzhe went to make lunch, and the children stayed in the kitchen to watch her.


    Firewood was used in all the households in the vige, and there wasn¡¯t even any beehive coal. The food made from firewood tasted much better than that made using an electromaic stove, but the downside was that it produced a lot of smoke.


    This was what Mu Jingzhe was most unustomed to. Her eyes were sensitive, and every time she finished cooking, her eyes would turn red from the smoke.


    The same applied to the children. They would rub their eyes every time she cooked, and she would ask them to go out.


    ¡°Hurry up and go out. There¡¯s a lot of smoke here. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s ready.¡±


    In the past, they used to obediently go out as told, but this time, they wouldn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We don¡¯t find it smoky.¡± They wanted to watch their mother.


    Nowadays, their favorite thing to do was gaze at their mother; only when they looked at her would they feel at ease.

 Chapter 80 - Mommy Will Remarry and Have a Child?

    <h4>Chapter 80: Mommy Will Remarry and Have a Child?</h4>


    Under the gazes of five pairs of eyes, Mu Jingzhe finished preparing lunch.


    The lunch was sumptuous. Feeling guilty, Mu Jingzhe had prepared all their favorite dishes.


    ¡°Hurry up and eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Wu, who had been eating happily, suddenly burst into tears when he saw the familiar delicious food again.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you get scalded? Or are you feeling unwell?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked anxiously.


    Xiao Wu shook his head. ¡°No, I was just wondering if I was dreaming. Mom, it wasn¡¯t a dream when you came back, right? If it is a dream, I don¡¯t want to wake up.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nose instantly felt a stinging sensation. ¡°Of course not. Silly child, I won¡¯t leave again.¡±


    In spite of her words, the children still followed her around in the afternoon.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that they felt insecure, so she tried her best to keep thempany.


    At night, Shao Qiyang, who had not returned for two days, returned.


    He returned dejectedly, with heavy footsteps and dark circles under his eyes, a result of not sleeping well for several days in a row.


    When he reached the door, he tried his best to force a smile before entering.


    As soon as he entered, he saw the light on and could faintly hear the cheerful voices of the children.


    It was as if he had returned to the time when Mu Jingzhe had still been living with them.


    Shao Qiyang paused for a moment, thinking that he might be imagining things. Then, he sped up and rushed to the kitchen with a bang.


    The moment he entered, he saw the children waiting obediently for their food and Mu Jingzhe, who was busy.


    ¡°You¡¯re back. Wash your hands first. It¡¯ll be ready soon.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe greeted Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang stood at the door, dumbfounded. He pinched himself to wake up and stop daydreaming.


    However, the pinch hurt. Everything was real. Mu Jingzhe was back!


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re back.¡± Shao Qiyang stared at her without blinking.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded in embarrassment.


    A silly grin spread across Shao Qiyang¡¯s face. Without even washing his hands, he went to sit at the dining table and watched Mu Jingzhe cook.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She was actually about to finish, but she really couldn¡¯t ignore the six pairs of burning eyes staring at her.


    Mu Jingzhe turned around ufortably. ¡°Can you guys stop looking?¡±


    The children had been watching her since this morning, and now that Shao Qiyang had returned, he was doing the same thing.


    ¡°Never mind those children. Shao Qiyang, why are you also staring at me?¡±


    Shao Qiyang awkwardly shifted his gaze away. ¡°I just wanted to thank you foring back.¡±


    The warmth he had dreamed of was back. At that moment, he wished so much that time could stop and this blissfulness could go on forever.


    After this incident, he could no longer lie to himself. He had sunk in too deeply and could not get up anymore, neither did he intend to.


    He was both thrilled and guilty about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s return, so he couldn¡¯t help but apologize to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Why are you apologizing?¡±


    Shao Qiyang smiled bitterly. It was his fault. He had been incapable of controlling Zhao Lan and the others. If he had, she wouldn¡¯t have suffered such grievances.


    The only thing he could do was work hard and treat Mu Jingzhe well in the future so that she wouldn¡¯t be bullied like this again.


    At that moment, Shao Qiyang and the children had the same thought.


    However, the ways in which they wanted to treat her well were vastly different.


    He still didn¡¯t know about the children¡¯s promises, nor did he know about their bold ideas. Otherwise, he might have had to round up the children¡¯s butts and spank them one by one.


    During the meal, after learning that Shao Dong had been sick, Shao Qiyang was too ashamed to face Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I didn¡¯t take good care of him. I didn¡¯t even know he had a fever.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. He¡¯s much better now.¡± Shao Qiyang was too busy with work and didn¡¯t have the energy to look after everything, so he wasn¡¯t fully to me.


    At night, Shao Qiyang even volunteered to watch over Shao Dong, but his offer was rejected.


    ¡°Uncle, you still have to work tomorrow. Go rest. You don¡¯t have to watch over me. I¡¯m alright already.¡±


    Previously, Shao Dong hadn¡¯t recovered from his illness mainly because he had been suppressing his emotions and feeling overwhelmed with worry. Now that Mu Jingzhe had returned, the relief that had washed over him had actually cured most of that illness.


    In any case, he was feeling much better.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t let Shao Qiyang watch over him, nor did he let Mu Jingzhe continue to do so.


    ¡°Mommy, put Sister to sleep. I¡¯m much better now. If I feel unwell, I¡¯ll look for you.¡±


    Shao Xi also nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll watch over him.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had been busy since she had returned. All of them had seen that, so they definitely wouldn¡¯t let her watch over Shao Dong for the night.


    They had agreed to help take care of Mu Jingzhe, so they had to keep their word.


    Mu Jingzhe checked out Shao Dong¡¯s condition and only agreed after seeing that he was indeed much better.


    ¡°Then remember to call me if you feel unwell.¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Shao Zhongy down together and summarized the situation over the past two days.


    ¡°Little Nan, you did a pretty good job starting the fire today. You can help Mommy with that in the future.¡±


    After Shao Dong praised him, he started thinking about his mission.


    ¡°Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, Little Xi wille with me to pick up some firewood and pine nuts. There¡¯s less and less firewood in the house now. We can¡¯t let Mommy chop firewood by herself.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°Mm.¡±


    They had done this a lot in the past and were used to it.


    Xiao Wu waited for a while but didn¡¯t hear Big Brother assign him a mission. He anxiously asked, ¡°Brother, what about me?¡±


    ¡°You? You¡¯re still young. You don¡¯t have to do those chores. Just stay with Mommy and watch over her. If she¡¯s in a bad mood, you can y the flute for her. She gets in a good mood whenever you y it, but you can¡¯t y the kind of music you yed a few days ago. It makes people want to burst into tears.¡±


    Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow Mommy around.¡±


    He exined in embarrassment, ¡°A few days ago, I felt upset because Mommy left and I kept wanting to cry. That¡¯s why the flute also wanted to cry.¡±


    The room was silent for a moment before Shao Dong suddenly spoke.


    ¡°And Little Xi, what you said to Mommy previously wasn¡¯t wrong either, but that¡¯s only part of it. There are also many people who are very blissful after they marry and have kids. So, if Mommy really gets married in the future and has her own children, that will be good too. We¡¯ll dote on our younger siblings together then, understand?¡±


    The room was plunged into a deadly silence when Shao Dong said this.


    They were still young, but they had heard and seen too much. In an instant, countless thoughts emerged in their minds. Their first reaction was that they couldn¡¯t quite ept this.


    They were afraid. They feared that Mommy would stop doting on them once she had children of her own. She might even not want them anymore.


    Their little hearts sank at the very thought of it.


    Weren¡¯t they enough?


    They really wanted to object at first, but Shao Dong seemed to know what they were going to say and said directly, ¡°We can¡¯t be too selfish, okay?¡±


    It was not wrong for her to want to have her own children. A wonderful person like her should be happy and live a beautiful and full life.


    When Shao Xi heard Shao Dong¡¯s words, he restrained all his dissatisfaction and responded with a soft ¡®Mm¡¯.


    <i>Mommy¡¯s children¡­ If they are as wonderful as Mommy, then¡­ that¡¯s alright too, I guess?</i>


    But thinking about it made him feel uneasy and awful. Shao Xi held it in for a while and finally couldn¡¯t help butin to Shao Dong for the first time. ¡°Brother, it wasn¡¯t easy for us to get a mother. Can¡¯t you let us experience having a mother for a little longer¡­ You could have told us a few dayster.¡±


    Why did they have to ept such news on the first day they¡¯d started calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯?

 Chapter 81 - Scared

    <h4>Chapter 81: Scared</h4>


    Shao Dong touched his nose upon hearing Shao Xi¡¯s usation. For the first time, he felt a little guilty. However, he still said, ¡°I just feel that I have to make things clear for you guys. Don¡¯t you know that we should grieve first and rejoiceter?¡±


    Could ¡®grieve first and rejoiceter¡¯ even be applied in such a situation? No one spoke for a moment.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that the children had already made all those arrangements for her. Moreover, it was very forward of them to think that she would get married and have her own children.


    This was truly ¡®farsighted¡¯ of them.


    She was coaxing Little Bei to sleep, but Little Bei insisted on hugging her arm before sleeping. She even refused to sleep and kept staring at her, saying that she wanted to look at her face because she had missed her so much previously.


    The little girl was so sweet that Mu Jingzhe felt her heart brimming with sweetness.


    After coaxing Little Bei to sleep, Mu Jingzhey in the familiar room and slowly heaved a sigh of relief.


    Ever since she¡¯d transmigrated into the novel, this was actually the ce she had gotten most used to.


    After rxing, the exhausted Mu Jingzhe quickly fell asleep. However, she was awakened by Little Bei¡¯s sobbing in the middle of the night.


    When she got up, she saw Little Bei crying. Her face was covered in tears, and she was trembling from crying. In her dreams, she was saying, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go¡­¡±


    Startled, Mu Jingzhe hurriedly woke Little Bei up. ¡°Little Bei, wake up. Mommy is here.¡±


    When Little Bei woke up and saw her, she hugged her and wailed. ¡°Boohoo, Mommy¡­ I dreamed that you left. Don¡¯t leave again, alright?¡±


    Knowing that Shao Qihai was not dead and merely didn¡¯t want them anymore was a huge blow to the children. Although they imed that they didn¡¯t care, their self-confidence had suffered a blow, and they now felt even more insecure.


    Little Bei was like that.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll be good and listen to you from now on. Mommy, don¡¯t leave, alright?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hugged her tightly. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Little Bei, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected her departure to have such a big impact. She was filled with guilt.


    Little Bei calmed down thanks to herfort and said, feeling a little embarrassed, ¡°Mommy, can you sing a luby for me? All the children on TV have lubies sung to them. I¡¯ve never heard one before.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s mother had passed away the moment she had been born. Zhao Lan had never sung them a luby. If they dared to cry, they would basically be asking to be scolded.


    Little Bei had never had someone sing a luby to her before and was very envious of the kids who had.


    A luby?


    Mu Jingzhe scratched her head. Lyrics such as ¡®Go ahead and sleep, my baby¡¯ shed across her mind, but she didn¡¯t know how to sing.


    She also thought of the luby ¡®Mothers are the best in the world¡¯. However, the topic of a mother was very agitating to an orphan. In the past, the orphanage director had never coaxed them by using a luby before.


    Mu Jingzhe thought about it for a long while and finally remembered a song that basically all young children knew how to sing.


    ¡°Then let me try singing for you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe cleared her throat and patted Little Bei as she sang.


    ¡°The sun is shining in the sky, and the flowers are smiling at me. The little bird says morning. Why are you carrying explosives in your bag? I¡¯m going to bomb the school. I¡¯m neverte¡­¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe sang, she saw Little Bei¡¯s shocked gaze and suddenly felt that something was amiss. It didn¡¯t seem like the song was sung that way. Wait, what was the original song?


    ¡°No, no, I sang it wrong.¡±


    It was all those students¡¯ fault. They were the ones who had changed the lyrics!


    Outside the door, Shao Qiyang, Shao Dong, and Shao Xi nearly burst outughing.


    They had rushed over after hearing Little Bei cry. They hadn¡¯t expected to hear Mu Jingzhe¡¯s version of a luby.


    Shao Qiyang resisted the urge tough and patted Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s heads. ¡°Hurry up and go back.¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi looked at each other and nodded. When theyy down, the two of them hid under their nkets andughed.


    After a moment, the two brothers popped their heads out, their faces looking slightly red.


    The two of them had been about to sleep when they¡¯d suddenly heard Shao Nan shout, ¡°No!¡±


    It seemed like he was dreaming and sweating profusely.


    Shao Dong quickly shook Shao Nan awake. ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡±


    It was rare for Shao Nan to be a little dazed. He looked at Shao Dong in a daze and hummed in agreement. ¡°Eldest Brother, I dreamed that Mommy got married and had children. She gave birth to many younger brothers and sisters. They were all squeezed next to her, hanging all over her. We couldn¡¯t squeeze past them at all.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected his words to traumatize his younger brother.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. We have to trust Mommy.¡±


    Despite saying that, even Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help but dream about it in thetter half of the night.


    They all dreamed that Mu Jingzhe got married and had a child. Then, she stopped liking them and didn¡¯t want them anymore. Alternately, they had a nightmare about calling Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯ but seeing her refuse to respond to them and only liking her own children.


    When they woke up, they were all a little dispirited.


    Little Bei, who was the only one who hadn¡¯t heard Shao Dong¡¯s words and didn¡¯t know anything, forgot about waking up cryingst night by the time she woke up in the morning. On the other hand, she remembered in her heart the luby Mu Jingzhe had sung to her only once.


    When she got up, she saw the little birds bouncing on the trees outside the door and the bright sun hanging in the sky. This put her in a sunny mood, and she started singing the luby.


    ¡°The sun is shining in the sky, and the flowers are smiling at me. The little bird says morning. Why are you carrying explosives in your bag? I¡¯m going to bomb the school. I¡¯m neverte¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, who wasbing Little Bei¡¯s hair, trembled and hurt Little Bei for the first time.


    Little Bei¡¯s voice was nice, and her pitch was urate. She sounded super cute singing the luby, but these lyrics¡­


    ¡°Little Bei, stop singing. That¡¯s not how it goes¡­¡±


    She had just stopped Little Bei when Xiao Wu came out carrying a small school bag on his back and started to y a melody on the flute that matched the atmosphere well.


    He blew the song at the sun, then at the birds. It was a merry, pleasant tune.


    However, the tune he was blowing was ¡®Going to School''[1].


    Mu Jingzhe held a hand to her forehead. Shao Nan and Shao Xi kept watching and stifling theirughter. When Mu Jingzhe looked over, they quickly shut their mouths.


    ¡°Mom, aren¡¯t you cutting Shao Nan¡¯s hair today?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s voice temporarily suppressed her older brothers¡¯ nightmares and made them stop thinking about Mu Jingzhe having her own children after remarrying.


    Little Bei was ecstatic that her brothers had started calling Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯ too. She was d that her brothers now had a mother too. She then secretly spoke to Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, although my older brothers now call you ¡®Mommy¡¯ too, you still have to dote on me the most because I was the first one to call you ¡®Mommy¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe was caught betweenughter and tears.


    She had been used of ying favorites to begin with and had been working hard to correct it, yet this little girl had used this trick.


    But then again, Little Bei didn¡¯t really mean that, for she was actually very good to her brothers. She was happier to see Mu Jingzhe treat them well than having Mu Jingzhe treat her well.


    After breakfast, Li Zhaodi came to visit Mu Jingzhe.


    The children felt afraid when they saw her.


    They feared that she would take Mu Jingzhe away again.


    Little Bei swallowed her saliva and gave her a fawning smile. She opened her mouth to greet her, but for a moment, she didn¡¯t know how to address her. As she was wondering with a troubled expression, she saw Li Zhaodi wave at her.


    Little Bei went over nervously, her little face cautious and fawning.


    Li Zhaodi felt a little ufortable seeing this. This reminded her of Mu Jingzhe when she was young. When she was young, Mu Jingzhe knew that Old Madam Mu didn¡¯t like her and would always smile ingratiatingly whenever she saw her.


    However, no matter how hard she tried to please her, no matter how careful she was or how much she smiled, Old Madam Mu wouldn¡¯t smile back at her.


    When she saw the little brats that had made Mu Jingzhe insist oning back to be their mother, Li Zhaodi was naturally unhappy and even felt a little mad at them. However, when she saw this smile, it instantly invoked sad feelings in her.


    Was this the reason Jingzhe had stayed behind to take care of them?


    Was it because she had suffered enough when she was young that her heart had softened when it came to children?


    At this thought, Li Zhaodi felt awful.


    [1] the nursery rhyme Mu Jingzhe sangst night with revised lyrics

 Chapter 82 - Dont Please Someone

    <h4>Chapter 82: Don¡¯t Please Someone</h4>


    Li Zhaodi pulled Little Bei over and cupped her little face hatefully.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to smile if you don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s not like I can do anything to you. Why are you trying to please me?¡±


    Little Bei was stunned.


    Li Zhaodi spoke fiercely, but Little Bei didn¡¯t feel any malice at all. In fact, for some reason, she even felt closer to her.


    She blinked and obeyed, no longer smiling. ¡°Are¡­ Are you here to take Mommy away?¡± she asked carefully.


    Li Zhaodi snapped, ¡°No!¡±


    If only she could take her away.


    She looked up at the sky. She didn¡¯t know what she had done in her previous lifetime to deserve to go through all this.


    Seeing that Little Bei had heaved a sigh of relief andughed out loud, holding back herughter after casting another nce at Li Zhaodi, she said in a disgruntled tone, ¡°If you want tough, thenugh. I¡¯m just telling you not tough when you don¡¯t want to. Your mother is so protective of you because she wants you tough whenever you want. If you don¡¯t want tough, then don¡¯tugh. You don¡¯t have to please anyone or tiptoe around anybody.


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t be afraid of anyone in the future. If anyone dares to bully you, look for Mommy or me. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Little Bei nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll also pass the message on to my brothers.¡±


    Li Zhaodi nodded in satisfaction. She waited for a while longer, but when she did not hear anything, she couldn¡¯t resist saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t you already calling Jingzhe ¡®Mom¡¯? Why don¡¯t you greet me as ¡®Grandma¡¯?¡±


    Hadn¡¯t Jingzhe said that the children were smart? Judging by this, it didn¡¯t seem like it.


    Little Bei was stunned for a moment before she reacted and rejoiced. ¡°Grand¡­ Grandma?¡±


    ¡°Not ¡®Grand-Grandma¡¯. It¡¯s ¡®Grandma¡¯.¡± Li Zhaodi took some fruit candy out of her pocket and handed it to Little Bei.


    ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± Little Bei thanked her politely.


    Li Zhaodi waved her hand, finally feeling a little better. Then, she turned around and saw a row of radishes calling her ¡®Grandma¡¯.


    Now that they had made the change and started calling Mu Jingzhe ¡®Mommy¡¯, it was very easy for the kids to switch to addressing Li Zhaodi as ¡®Grandma¡¯.


    Li Zhaodi: ¡°¡­¡±


    It was kind of depressing to have so many step-grandchildren. How wonderful would it be if they were her biological grandchildren?


    Despite feeling depressed, Li Zhaodi still didn¡¯t favor one over the other. She gave all of them sweets to celebrate that they were calling her ¡®Grandma¡¯.


    After they called her ¡®Grandma¡¯ and she gave them sweets, Li Zhaodi and the five children looked at each other, feeling a little ufortable.


    In the end, Li Zhaodi waved her hand. ¡°Sigh¡­ Don¡¯t look at me anymore. I really can¡¯t bring myself to hug the few of you and call you ¡®darlings¡¯ today.¡±


    The kids were embarrassed by her words. They didn¡¯t want her to hug them and call them ¡®darlings¡¯ either. It would be too awkward. However, since Li Zhaodi was their mother¡¯s biological mother, they wanted to keep herpany.


    Because Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had taken Mu Jingzhe away, they had been very afraid of Li Zhaodi previously. For this reason, Shao Nan had even hated Li Zhaodi before.


    However, now that Mu Jingzhe was back, when they looked at Li Zhaodi again, they felt that she was bing friendlier.


    ¡°Grandma, this is for you.¡±


    Little Bei passed the rabbit-shaped white milk candy that she couldn¡¯t bear to eat to Li Zhaodi.


    The boys also took out their only snacks and gave them to Li Zhaodi. Xiao Wu even wanted to y the flute for Li Zhaodi.


    Li Zhaodi gazed at their little faces and felt even more conflicted.


    ¡°You only know how to curry favor with me. All of you are quite smart, but it¡¯s useless currying favor with me. What¡¯s important is that you treat Jingzhe well.¡±


    Shao Xi quickly nodded. ¡°Grandma, we know. Don¡¯t worry. We will treat Mommy very well and be filial to her.¡±


    ¡°You must make good on your promise. If you dare treat her badly and be unfilial, I¡­ I¡¯ll beat you to death.¡±


    Li Zhaodi snorted. ¡°Do you think I want to acknowledge you? I don¡¯t want to, but what can I do since Jingzhe is being disobedient? Just remember her kindness. The only thing I want to say to you is this: You¡¯ve got to support her in her old age in the future.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll ensure she wears the finest clothes and jewelry.¡±


    ¡°You sure talk big, huh. Wears the finest clothes and jewelry? Never mind all that. When Jingzhe turns 55, the five of you can support her in her old age.¡±


    Li Zhaodi suddenly had an idea. ¡°Isn¡¯t the retirement age 55 these days? When Jingzhe is 55 years old, you can give her a pension. The five of you can chip in for the pension together.¡±


    Li Zhaodiughed at the thought. This way, it would be exactly like working.


    If Jingzhe remarried and had children in the future, she would have a pension and feel more assured. If she didn¡¯t marry or have children, that would guarantee that she¡¯d have enough to live on in her old age.


    Of course, Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t want thetter to happen.


    The five kids looked at Li Zhaodi and scratched their heads. So she just wanted them to give her a pension? Couldn¡¯t they properly support her in her old age?


    However, they couldn¡¯t afford to provoke this grandma now. They would just go along with whatever she said.


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t know if the children would amount to anything in the future. She was only satisfied when she heard them agree. Afraid that there would be no evidence, she quickly asked them to write down a guarantee.


    ¡°Write it down and then sign your names one by one. If you don¡¯t know how to write yet, press your thumbprints. I¡¯ll look after the document. If you don¡¯t fulfill your promise in the future, I¡¯ll look for you.¡±


    ¡°We all know how to write.¡±


    ¡°Then go ahead and write it.¡±


    Li Zhaodi wasn¡¯t very literate either. She had merely learned a few words in a basic ss before, so she only scanned the first half of the content in a hurry. Although she was sensitive to numbers and could calcte sums clearly, she didn¡¯t know how big of a pension she should write down, so she vaguely said that they should give her an amount based on future standards.


    The children obediently wrote it down and signed.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep it then. Remember to keep your word in the future. Otherwise, I¡¯ll take this guarantee and cause you trouble.¡±


    Li Zhaodi left with the guarantee in satisfaction without waiting for Mu Jingzhe to return.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned, the five kids obediently told her what had happened, such as that they¡¯d changed the way they addressed her and started calling her ¡®Grandma¡¯, as well as that they¡¯d written a guarantee.


    Unsure whether she shouldugh or cry, Mu Jingzhe handed them the books she had borrowed from the county library.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had returned, the few female workers she had hired resumed their previous routine of leaving for work early in the morning and returning homete at night, clocking in and out day after day. On the third day, Li Fang also came, but this time, she didn¡¯te to take supplies.


    Ever since that incident, the atmosphere in the Li Family had been depressing. Li Fang looked gloomy and much thinner than before.


    Although everyone said that Bai Qiang shouldn¡¯t be acting like this and that the Li Family was pitiful for being entangled with him, there was still a lot of gossip.


    Bai Qiang had deliberately spread those rumors to force Li Fang to marry him. Although the Li Family hadn¡¯t agreed in the end and Li Fang had held on and hadn¡¯tpromised, she had still been affected.


    The young men in the vige who had previously been interested in her stopped looking for her. She also suffered from quite a lot of gossip. Some people said that although Bai Qiang¡¯s actions were wrong, there was one thing he had said that was right.


    Who knew if Li Fang would run away like Li Tao.


    Words turned into sharp weapons that hurt even more. The Li Family became increasingly silent.


    In the past, Li Fang used to have a cheerful personality. After being forced into such a state, she really couldn¡¯t stay in the vige anymore. This made her think of leaving the vige to earn money for her parents so that they could pay back the money they had borrowed. She didn¡¯t want them to be unable to lift their heads in the vige, nor did she want to be subjected to those rumors anymore.


    Coincidentally, a big sister who had gone out to earn money in the neighboring Little Eastern Vige returned, saying that their factory was still hiring this year. The girls in the vige could sign up if they wanted to go. The big sister would take a look at these girls, and if she felt that they were alright, they could go.


    Li Fang was tempted, but she wasn¡¯t confident. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but ask Mu Jingzhe.


    In Li Fang¡¯s heart, Mu Jingzhe was knowledgeable. She would feel more assured if Mu Jingzhe also felt that it was okay.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned and said without thinking, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    Li Fang froze in surprise. ¡°Why?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to have such an attitude.


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath. This had been the beginning of the original Mu Jingzhe¡¯s descent into hell.

 Chapter 83 - Put a Stop To It

    <h4>Chapter 83: Put a Stop To It</h4>


    In the novel, at right about this time, the original Mu Jingzhe followed that woman over to her recruitment.


    When that woman from Little Eastern Vige came back, she was dressed in fine clothes and expensive jewelry, looking like she was living a good life. However, she was actually just a prostitute. After working in the sex trade for so many years, she was already at the end of her rope.


    Now that she was no longer young and wanted to earn money, she turned her attention to the pretty young women who had no one to depend on and were easy to control.


    Once those young girls went there, they would be in a quagmire for the rest of their lives, never fated to escape from it. This was how the original Mu Jingzhe had been tricked and ruined.


    After all, once a girl went there, she would be plunged into hell. Everyone wanted their dignity, so the girls who were duped into going didn¡¯t dare send back news to expose this, and this had allowed that woman to seed time and again.


    Knowing that she would face a fire pit if she went, Mu Jingzhe naturally didn¡¯t want Li Fang to go, nor did she want anyone to be duped again.


    Now that that woman had returned, she had to resolve this to prevent future trouble.


    ¡°Li Fang, actually, I¡¯ve always had my suspicions about people making a lot of money at the so-called factory. This is because when a factory recruits workers, even if they only hire female workers, the age requirement generally isn¡¯t so strict.


    ¡°Everything else aside, being 30 years old ought to be fine. However, this so-called factory hires only girls and married women who are young and beautiful. As for the rest, that woman will say they didn¡¯t make the cut. Don¡¯t you find it strange?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words stunned Li Fang. She had never thought of this before, nor had anyone else in the vige.


    They¡¯d only heard and seen those girls go out to earn money. The girls who went there would subsequently bring back good stuff and send money back every year. They all thought that it was a good job.


    It wasn¡¯t like everyone was stupid, but their knowledge was limited, which in turn limited their ability to think about any problems until Mu Jingzhe exposed this.


    ¡°Jingzhe, are you saying that her job isn¡¯t proper?¡±


    ¡°I have no evidence. After all, I¡¯ve never been there before, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s normal, so my guess is that it¡¯s not a proper job.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°We can¡¯t trust people blindly just because they¡¯re from the same vige or we know them. On the contrary, we should be more vignt and cautious in that case. That¡¯s why you have to gain a better understanding of the job before going. Since she ims that the factory is hiring, shouldn¡¯t we investigate the factory¡¯s information and some other aspects?¡±


    Nowadays, news was outdated, and there were many cases of people being scammed. Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t want anyone to make the same mistake and have their life ruined.


    These youngdies genuinely wanted to work hard and earn money.


    Li Fang was convinced by Mu Jingzhe. The impulse in her heart waspletely suppressed by her rationality. She couldn¡¯t be rash just because she wanted to escape.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask around. If there¡¯s a problem, we can¡¯t let this continue.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say your name when the timees,¡± Li Fang promised.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t care if you do.¡± Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t afraid. Even if that woman didn¡¯te looking for her, she would.


    Now that she had taken over Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body, she had to take revenge for the original owner. In her previous life, the tragedy of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s family had been directly linked to this woman.


    The swift and decisive Li Fang went to inquire that very day. Before she got to the bottom of this, she shared her suspicions. The news spread very quickly.


    Everyone was discussing this matter, but the families who had previously sent their young daughters or wives there were naturally unwilling to believe it and said that Li Fang was spouting nonsense.


    However, everyone was still afraid when they heard that. The few youngdies who had originally been hesitant to go immediately decided not to.


    As the news spread throughout the vige, everyone was fervently discussing this among themselves.


    The woman from Little Eastern Vige¡¯s heart jumped when she heard that. She was originally a little flustered, butter on, she heard that it was Li Fang who had spread that information. Because of her older sister, Li Fang¡¯s reputation had been ruined long ago.


    Besides, Li Fang seemed to have suddenly started spreading this rumor after going to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    Although Mu Jingzhe said that it didn¡¯t matter, Li Fang kept her promise and didn¡¯t say anything about Mu Jingzhe. However, one could still find out about this after asking around.


    When the woman from Little Eastern Vige heard that she was a young widow, she came straight to her door.


    She was still counting on this as a source of money in the future. She couldn¡¯t let these two women ruin it.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, Li Fang,e out!¡±


    She had gathered her family and the family members of the young women she had previously recruited before she¡¯de knocking on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s door.


    ¡°Do you think you can spout nonsense just because you have a mouth? How dare you nder someone when you don¡¯t know anything about them? Come out immediately and make things clear.¡±


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe came out, the woman charged up angrily, wanting to intimidate her.


    She was wearing a red dress and high heels. Her hair was permed up, and she looked aggressive. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better might have been intimidated.


    When Shao Dong came out of the room and saw her, he thought that she was going to hit someone. Without thinking, he rushed over and stood in front of Mu Jingzhe, just like he had always stood in front of his younger siblings in the past.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned for a moment before she quickly pulled him back. ¡°Be careful, Shao Dong.¡±


    Shao Dong opened his arms and looked at the curly-haired woman vigntly. It was only then that Mu Jingzhe realized that Shao Dong wanted to protect her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mood instantly becameplicated as she looked at the top of Shao Dong¡¯s head.


    Shao Dong knew that she had immense strength, but he still instinctively protected her. This child was really heartwarming.


    Mu Jingzhe was touched and couldn¡¯t help but lift Shao Dong up and set him aside. ¡°Be good. Move aside so you don¡¯t get hit.¡±


    Shao Dong was stunned when he was picked up.


    He was still thinking that he was the man of the family and should protect his family no matter what. His heart was filled with pride. Why was he suddenly¡­ lifted?


    Only when he was put aside did Shao Dong realize that he was being treated as a child!


    Shao Dong¡¯s little face stiffened. Mu Jingzhe stroked his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Upon saying that, Mu Jingzhe looked at the other woman, who had her arms crossed and was exuding an imposing aura. ¡°What did I say wrong? You weren¡¯t clear to begin with.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not convinced, tell me in front of everyone. What is the name of the factory you¡¯re recruiting people for, its exact address, and what kind of goods are produced there? How many people are working in the factory? Why are you only hiring female workers under the age of 25?


    ¡°Also, which position are you holding? Are you in the Human Resources Department, or are you just a worker? Why do you have the right to hire people? Do you call the shots?¡±


    When the curly-haired woman hade to make a fuss, everyone hade over to take a look. As soon as Mu Jingzhe finished speaking, everyone turned their gazes to the curly-haired woman and waited for her to exin.


    Curly-haired woman: ¡°¡­¡±


    A trace of sheepishness shed past her eyes.


    Why did this Mu Jingzhe know so much? Why would she ask such questions?


    In the past, she had felt that she had been to a big city and seen the world. She¡¯d always looked down on the people in the vige and just spouted whatever lies came to her mind. It¡¯s not like they would know the difference anyway.


    Of course, she had never told them the exact name and address of the factory. She would always reply that even if she told them, they wouldn¡¯t know it. She would just cook up lies to make up for any details.


    Just as she was about to use the old method to deal with her, she saw Mu Jingzhe wave her hand to get Shao Dong, who was watching her anxiously, toe over.


    ¡°Shao Dong, write down the factory address and any other information she mentioned. I¡¯ll ask aroundter.¡±


    After saying that, she motioned for the woman to continue. ¡°Go ahead and speak.¡±


    The curly-haired woman was used to being arrogant, but this time, she had kicked an iron te. After hesitating for a moment, she could only start making things up.

 Chapter 84 - Shao Nan Shows His Might

    <h4>Chapter 84: Shao Nan Shows His Might</h4>


    The name of the factory given by the curly-haired woman was just some ce she had passed by before, and the address was random. As for what kind of goods were being produced there and whatnot, she had no clue.


    She could cook up some nonsense, though. ¡°Our factory is huge. There are more than 800 workers in total. We mainly produce bedsheets and nkets. You guys know that silk sheets are very popr. We need female workers because our business is good. The reason we hire youngdies with tender hands is because we fear the workers might scratch the silk nkets if their hands are rough.¡±


    She thought she¡¯d managed to bluff her way through, but she hadn¡¯t expected to hear Mu Jingzhe ask immediately, ¡°There are quite a few factories in that area, right? Besides, silk nkets can¡¯t be made with human hands, so there has got to be machines, right? What¡¯s the model of the machines you use? With more than 800 workers and all those machines, you must have a very big factory that upies a sizable area. It must have its own brand. What brand is it? Has the brand been advertised on television or on the radio?


    ¡°Tell me about it. I wanna see if I¡¯ve heard of it before. And you still haven¡¯t answered me¡ªare you working for HR?¡±


    These few questionspletely stumped the curly-haired woman. Who the heck knew what kind of machines were used? She did not know any brands, let alone if they had appeared on televisionmercials.


    She didn¡¯t understand. Why would Mu Jingzhe know all this? She had a reply for everything and even knew things she didn¡¯t know.


    And why did it sound like she had been there before?


    Mu Jingzhe had indeed been there, but it had been in her previous lifetime.


    This world existed in a novel parallel to the world where she hade from. There were many fictional ces, but some ces truly existed in reality, such as some cities.


    When Mu Jingzhe had been to that city in her previous life, it had already developed very well. It wasn¡¯t all that hard for her to sound knowledgeable about it.


    Seeing that the curly-haired woman was stumped, Mu Jingzhe urged her impatiently. ¡°Speak. Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of all these questions? It¡¯s not like you can go there and verify the answers.¡± The curly-haired woman tried her best to stay calm.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I go and verify them? I¡¯m really going to do that. Don¡¯t you know that I am a businesswoman? People from all over the country work with me. I¡¯m also doing business with someone in the ce you mentioned. I¡¯ll check with him after you answer my questions.¡±


    This was fake, but it wasn¡¯t impossible for Mu Jingzhe to really find out if she wanted to. She had nothing to feel guilty about. She wasn¡¯t the one who should be feeling guilty.


    Mu Jingzhe looked on calmly, while the curly-haired woman waspletely flustered.


    She couldn¡¯t answer any of those questions, and the more she said, the more likely it was that she might expose herself.


    In the end, she could onlysh back barbarically. ¡°Why are you asking so many questions when you¡¯re not even going there? Who knows what you¡¯re going to do by asking those questions? Why do I have to tell you everything? I¡¯m just kind enough to give everyone a chance to earn money together. Just forget it if you¡¯re not going!¡±


    After saying that, she tossed her head. She was just about to leave when she was stopped by a shout.


    ¡°Wait, who said you can leave?¡±


    The curly-haired woman turned around and saw Shao Nan walking around Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t clear things up today, don¡¯t even think about walking out this door.¡±


    The curly-haired woman¡¯s face turned green with anger when she saw the child¡¯s arrogant attitude. ¡°I cane and go as I please. It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    She spat and turned to leave.


    ¡°Everyone, help me stop her,¡± Mu Jingzhe said.


    The curly-haired woman scoffed, wondering who would listen to her. However, she was stopped after only taking two steps.


    The vigers weren¡¯t fools. They could tell that this woman was guilty. There was something wrong with her.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave. Stay here and rify things.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to rify? Isn¡¯t it clear enough for everyone to see? She¡¯s obviously feeling guilty. I think everyone¡¯s guess is right. She¡¯s taking those youngdies to do something indecent.¡±


    What could young and beautiful girls be duped into doing? Wasn¡¯t it obvious?


    Everyone criticized her angrily. ¡°I knew she wasn¡¯t a decent person. Looking at her now, she really doesn¡¯t look like a decent person!¡±


    ¡°She must be up to no good!¡±


    The curly-haired woman was truly flustered now. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about¡­¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, she was ruthlessly pushed. ¡°Not only did you degenerate yourself, but you even wanted to harm others. Why are you so cheap?¡±


    Those who had thought of going felt lingering fear.


    As for those whose daughters or wives had been tricked into going, they hade over in a threatening manner. Now, their faces were pale, and they were mumbling that this was impossible.


    The curly-haired woman quickly said, ¡°Hurry up and help me.¡±


    Just as she was about to urge everyone, she heard Shao Nan say, ¡°Everyone, calm down. Don¡¯t kill anyone. Let¡¯s calm down and get a clear grasp of the situation first.¡±


    He paused and looked at the curly-haired woman. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to make things clear here, you¡¯ll have to go make things clear at the police station.¡±


    When the words ¡®police station¡¯ were said, everyone was shocked. The curly-haired woman panicked. ¡°What police station? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. If you really duped people into doing something bad, then you have broken thew and you¡¯ll have to go to jail for that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one going to jail. You¡¯re the one breaking thew. What does a little brat like you know?¡± The curly-haired woman¡¯s legs trembled when she heard that.


    ¡°I know more than you do.¡± Shao Nan recited the relevant legal provisions the moment he opened his mouth, even reciting the section number of the legal code.


    Then, he took out aw book. ¡°It¡¯s all written here. You can think about how many crimes you¡¯vemitted.¡±


    The curly-haired woman and everyone else were shocked. How had Shao Nan managed to memorize all this?


    Mu Jingzhe was also shocked. Thew book in Shao Nan¡¯s hand was the one she had borrowed from the county library.


    She had thought that the children were curious and wanted to see it and felt that it would be good for them to know thew, so she had borrowed it. She¡¯d even wanted to find time to talk to them about its contents.


    It wasn¡¯t like she wanted them to finish reading the entire thing. She just wanted to let them know what was illegal.


    She wanted to talk to them more and establish the right values and outlook on life. This was also meant to prevent them from going astray in the future and breaking thew without even knowing it.


    In the end, before she had even flipped through the book herself and talked to them about it, Shao Nan had already read it and could now even recite it?


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to everyone¡¯s gazes. However, when he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s surprised gaze, the corners of his lips curled up.


    He had helped his mother today.


    The reason why Shao Nan was suddenly interested in thew was because of what had happened to Mu Jingzhest time. He had been very dissatisfied when he¡¯d seen that Zhao Lan had actually been released.


    Because of this, he had understood the importance of thew, so he had told Mu Jingzhe that he wanted toprehend it. He¡¯d immediately read the book right after Mu Jingzhe had borrowed it.


    It was honestly really dry, but Shao Nan had still patiently read and memorized it. If there was a term he didn¡¯t recognize, he would look it up. If there was something he didn¡¯t understand, he would ask. He wanted to know thew in case he had a use for it in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that the children were all incredible bigshots, but she hadn¡¯t expected them to be this incredible.


    She fell into a daze as she gazed at Shao Nan. She didn¡¯t even need to do anything, as Shao Nan had already quickly taken care of the situation.


    The vigers didn¡¯t know about the various sections of the penal code, but they knew that what the curly-haired woman had done was illegal.


    They quickly tied the curly-haired woman up and prepared to take her to the police station.

 Chapter 85 - Corpse

    <h4>Chapter 85: Corpse</h4>


    In the past, the vigers wouldn¡¯t have taken Shao Nan¡¯s words seriously, but now, everyone knew that the children of the Shao Family were impressive after seeing them publish essays, film advertisements, and act in television shows, things that only incredible people were capable of doing. They were all intellectuals.


    Since Shao Nan had already taken out the book and Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t objected, this couldn¡¯t be wrong.


    The curly-haired woman couldn¡¯t figure it out. How had thingse to this?


    She¡¯de to question Mu Jingzhe and cause her trouble. How had things backfired so much that she¡¯d ended up being taken to the police station? She knew what she¡¯d done. She¡¯d be finished if she went to the police station.


    ¡°Let go of me! You have no right to do this!¡±


    She shouted for the vigers of Little Dong Vige to help. ¡°Are you all dead? They¡¯re saying that your daughters didn¡¯t go to work at a factory but have be prostitutes. Hurry up and help!¡±


    In this day and age, reputation was the most important thing. Even if it was true, they could only swallow it down.


    This was also the reason she had always been fearless. Even if they found out that she had lied to them, they would help her keep it a secret if they didn¡¯t want to be disgraced.


    In the past, this move had been the most effective. This time, it was the same. Many people in Little Eastern Vige had red eyes. However, when they heard this, they decided to stop it first.


    Only then could their daughters be saved.


    They were about to help that woman when Shao Nan spoke again.


    ¡°You have to think this through. If you help her, you¡¯ll be covering for her. You might even be considered her aplices. When that happens, you¡¯ll be finished too. Those who helped will be held responsible too.¡±


    His words made the vigers of Little Eastern Vige freeze.


    The curly-haired woman had gone there ferociously, but she¡¯d ended up being sent to the police station.


    The police took this very seriously. Over the past few years, more than ten girls had been duped into going away one after another. That meant that there were more than ten victims. Furthermore, the curly-haired woman might even have an aplice.


    Though the investigation would take some time, when the vigers saw that the curly-haired woman hadn¡¯te out after being taken in, they knew that the situation was bad.


    The curly-haired woman knew how serious the consequences were. She knew that if she admitted it, she would be dead meat. Hence, she gritted her teeth and stuck to her story, saying that she had merely introduced those women to a job.


    However, after being taken to the police station, she was overwhelmed by guilt and fear and couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    The curly-haired woman knew that she was finished, and so did the families of the girls who had gone with her.


    They refused to admit that their rtives were there to sell their bodies and insisted that they were there to work in a factory, obstructing the investigation quite a bit.


    Those girls were all victims, but at that moment, they were also pinned on the pir of shame. Even their families felt like they couldn¡¯t lift their heads.


    Mu Jingzhe had expected the situation to be bad, but she still felt helpless when she saw this. She had clearly done nothing wrong, but at that moment, she was made to look like the bad guy.


    Mu Jingzhe told everyone not to gossip about this, but it didn¡¯t work. She wanted to go see them, but in the end, not only were her gifts thrown out, but she also became the target of plenty of hate.


    The kids were also almost angered to death.


    Why was their mother hated when they hadn¡¯t done anything wrong? They were clearly helping someone.


    Shao Nan regretted it a little. ¡°Should I not have read thew book?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You did very well, Shao Nan. We did a good deed and saved them, okay? They just find it hard to ept it because it¡¯s all so sudden.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could understand this. Those who had nearly gone there were very grateful to her, and only a small portion of people hated her.


    If they hated her, so be it. Staying alive was the most important thing. If they had really gone there, they might have ended up getting an STD like the original Mu Jingzhe.


    Most importantly, they had prevented more victims from appearing, which was enough.


    ¡°All we can do is do our best. Everyone is sensible. It¡¯ll get better in the future.¡±


    Shao Nan was still a little angry, but when he woke up the next day, he found a parcel in the courtyard. He didn¡¯t know who had thrown it in.


    They originally thought that it was garbage, but when they opened it, they found some things inside. There were also two thank-you notes in it from women that thanked Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan for helping them escape from their misery.


    Although they would be criticized, they could also have a new beginning after being saved.


    ¡°See that?¡± Mu Jingzhe showed it to Shao Nan.


    As Shao Nan read the thank-you notes, his tightly-furrowed brows finally rxed a little.


    While Mu Jingzhe had been implicated, Li Fang was the trigger of this matter. In the end, Li Fang wasn¡¯t spared from being ndered. They said that it was actually Li Fang who¡¯d wanted to do something shameful to earn money. After all, even her sister, Li Tao, had run away.


    At the mention of Li Tao, the ndering people seemed to find a point tounch a counterattack. They said that Li Tao must have gone to work as a whore. Otherwise, how could she know so much?


    Although many people knew that this was nder, there were still people who believed it and harshly criticized her for it.


    Li Tao¡¯s name was being attacked once more. Some awful things were being said about Li Fang, so Li Fang was furious.


    As Mu Jingzhe was thinking about how to stop the nder, something big happened in Great Eastern Vige.


    Everyone¡¯s attention was quickly attracted by this matter.


    When the weather cleared up, everyone went to the fields to take a look. Instead of seeing how the crops were doing, one of the families was nearly startled to death.


    They saw a decayed corpse.


    The rain had persisted for a few days. Some spots had copsed under the rain, flushing out this corpse that had been buried somewhere.


    Their screams broke the silence of Great Eastern Vige.


    Several of the bolder residents of the vige went over to take a look. Because the body was dposed, it was difficult to recognize the face, but one could tell from the clothes that the corpse was a woman, and a young woman at that.


    The clothes were also a little familiar. After taking a closer look, they realized that the corpse resembled Bai Qiang¡¯s wife, Li Tao, whom he had used of running away.


    A stone could create a thousand ripples. The entire Great Eastern Vige was shocked.


    Mu Jingzhe was also shocked. So Li Tao hadn¡¯t run away? She had died?


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first reaction was to call the police.


    The vige leader reacted quickly and immediately sent someone to the police station to report this to the police.


    When everyone heard that, they ran over to take a look. Mu Jingzhe was about to take the children to the county art school, but when she heard that, she got the children to go home and quickly rushed over.


    She wasn¡¯t going to join in the fun but advise the vige chief.


    It would be best for them to watch over the corpse. Although it wasn¡¯t the crime scene, the corpse should still be protected. This way, it would be easier for the police to investigate the case.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t good to keep looking at this corpse. Children or timid people would be particrly scared if they saw it.


    Also, although no one in the vige said anything, all eyes were on Bai Qiang¡¯s family.


    Bai Qiang¡¯s presence had been so strong previously that no one could forget him.


    The vige leader didn¡¯t need to be reminded this time. He secretly asked people to keep an eye on Bai Qiang and catch him if he dared to flee.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the vige chief had arranged everything well.


    This was her first reaction when she heard about Li Tao¡¯s death.


    There was data to support that when a married person was harmed, their other half was the greatest suspect.


    Arge group of vigers had gathered on the empty plot ofnd where the copse had taken ce. There was amotion everywhere. Not seeing the corpse around, they started discussing among themselves. It had been more than ten years since someone had been killed this way in their vige.

 Chapter 86 - Would She Have Children with Teacher Ji?

    <h4>Chapter 86: Would She Have Children with Teacher Ji?</h4>


    When Li Fang and her family heard the news, their legs went limp. With everyone¡¯s help, they came over, their grief evident on their faces.


    The people who came with them felt indignance on their behalf.


    ¡°Bai Qiang even imed that Li Tao ran away and came to cause trouble at your house every day. He also extorted arge sum of money. In the end, it turned out that she died.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s so pitiful.¡±


    Li Fang¡¯s face was numb from crying. She didn¡¯t want to hear this at all.


    She hadn¡¯t seen the corpse and hadn¡¯t confirmed it yet. However, her intuition told her that it was her sister.


    She had known that her sister wouldn¡¯t run away. She had had a bad feeling back then, but still, she had hoped that her sister had indeed run away to live somewhere else.


    Now, she knew that was just her imagination.


    They soon saw the corpse. Although it was dposed, her family members immediately recognized the clothes as Li Tao¡¯s.


    It was really Li Tao. The Li Family members cried until they copsed. When they finished crying, they rushed to Bai Qiang¡¯s house and beat him up.


    ¡°Did you kill Li Tao, you evil person?!¡±


    Bai Qiang struggled and denied that it was him. He imed that he didn¡¯t know what was going on either.


    When the police came, they also suspected him and asked him to cooperate with the investigation. Bai Qiang still wanted to deny it, but soon, he couldn¡¯t anymore.


    They had found evidence.


    Seeing that they had found evidence, Bai Qiang stopped pretending. He said, so what if he had beaten her to death? This was his wife!


    Bai Qiang wasn¡¯t remorseful at all, nor did he feel any guilt.


    ¡°If my own wife is disobedient, I¡¯ll beat her to death. It¡¯s difficult for an innocent official to settle family affairs. Who can meddle in that? I buried her on a private hillynd, which is as good as burying her in the Bai Family¡¯s graveyard. What else do you want?¡±


    Bai Qiang was very arrogant. In the end, thew told him that yes, they could meddle in that.


    Bai Qiang was quickly convicted. Thew told him that in this new society, anyone who beat someone to death had to pay with their life. Even if they¡¯d killed their own wife.


    His case caused a stir in the surrounding viges and became an illustrative case. Bai Qiang was given a heavy sentence. It was said that such crimes had to be severely punished in order to resolutely put an end to such matters in the future. The newspapers even wrote special reports about it.


    Bai Qiang had been indignant at first and didn¡¯t feel that he was at fault until he found out that Li Tao had been pregnant.


    After the forensic examination, Li Tao was discovered to be two months pregnant.


    When Bai Qiang heard the news, he finally calmed down and came clean about the details of the crime.


    Killing Li Tao had actually been an ident.


    Bai Qiang used to really like Li Tao, butter on, everyone kept saying that he wasn¡¯t worthy of Li Tao. He had been feeling ufortable, and his pride as a man had made him grow to hate Li Tao.


    After his parents had passed away, he¡¯d started acting recklessly. He usually treated Li Tao very badly, stepping on her and belittling her. Also, he would often torture her in the bedroom, making her unable to get pregnant as a result.


    Theirck of children then became Li Tao¡¯s fault, allowing Bai Qiang topletely gain the upper hand. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Li Tao to stand up again when she¡¯d started earning money by working for Mu Jingzhe.


    Everyone had started praising Li Tao again and asked Bai Qiang to work harder. When Bai Qiang had heard those harsh words once more, he had felt disgruntled even though Li Tao would give him all her sry. When Li Tao had asked him not to idle around again, Bai Qiang, who had drunk a bit of wine, had recklessly hit Li Tao and eventually beaten her to death.


    After killing Li Tao, Bai Qiang hadn¡¯t turned himself in. He hade up with an idea¡ªto say that Li Tao had run away with someone.


    Many people in the countryside ran away. Some of them really ran away, but who knew what really happened to the rest? They might have been killed and buried. Anyway, it was fine as long as everyone believed it.


    After a few years, some made-up news of her could be sent back to the vige, and that way, she would ¡®live¡¯ forever. It was that simple.


    Bai Qiang cleverly made use of this tactic and seeded.


    This sess made Bai Qiang even more confident. He felt that he could take it a step further.


    Life without a wife was truly hard. There was no one to cook, no one to earn money, no one to take care of him, and no one to vent on.


    Seeing that his sister-inw, Li Fang, could also earn money and was good-looking, Bai Qiang had finally set his sights on Li Fang.


    He had nned everything. He would belittle Li Fang from the start so that she would have to work like an ox and take care of him in the future.


    He hade up with a brilliant idea, but Li Fang had refused. Thus, he had extorted money from her. He had even thought of living off the Li Family for the rest of his life, but he hadn¡¯t expected Li Tao¡¯s corpse to be flushed out.


    Li Tao¡¯s incident came to an end in a spectacr manner. This summer vacation was too eventful.


    Because of Li Tao, Shao Nan started reading thew book again. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stop him.


    After a dy of a few days, Mu Jingzhe took the children to the county city¡¯s art school.


    Ji Buwang was worried sick. ¡°You never came. I was ready toe looking for you.¡±


    ¡°I was dyed by something.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Do you know where I live?¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded honestly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in the student book.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Alright then.¡±


    After taking the children to learn a foreignnguage, Ji Buwang followed Mu Jingzhe around and stared at her without even blinking.


    It had been a while since he had stared at her, and Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t used to it.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, can you control yourself a little?¡±


    ¡°I just haven¡¯t seen you in so many days. I want to make up for all those days.¡±


    ¡°If you can see me, you might be able to see others too. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ve thought of this issue too. I was able to see you after our heads bumped into each other, so I spected that I might be able to see someone by bumping our heads together.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Li and I bumped our heads against each other twice, but it was useless. Uncle Li fainted from the collision and even said that he wanted to vomit. He refused to bump his head against mine again.¡±


    Ji Buwang rubbed his head and sighed. ¡°That was quite a painful bump for me too. The swelling on my head only subsided in the past two days.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Uncle Li was too pitiful. Could he have suffered a concussion due to the collision?


    Mu Jingzhe quickly tried to persuade him. ¡°It seems that this method won¡¯t work. You¡¯d better not bump your head against other people¡¯s heads in the future. Otherwise, you might hit your head or die before you get to see any faces.¡±


    Ji Buwang sighed. ¡°Uncle Li said the same thing. He was afraid that I would fall into aa again and told me not to bump heads with anyone.¡±


    ¡°Remember to be obedient.¡± Mu Jingzhe then felt curious. ¡°How long were you unconscious for?¡±


    ¡°Four years.¡± Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°There was an ident. I have quite a history of idents. Or perhaps I am a jinx. My parents died, but I survived.


    ¡°Last time, my brother died, and I was again the one who survived.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s tone was very calm, but Mu Jingzhe could hear a lot of sorrow in it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. What jinx? These are all feudal superstitions.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expect Ji Buwang to be so pitiful and couldn¡¯t help but pat his arm.


    At that moment, they were downstairs. Shao Xi, who was sitting by the window, happened to see them.


    When he saw Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang so close and noticed that Mu Jingzhe had even taken the initiative to touch Ji Buwang, Shao Xi instantly tensed up and couldn¡¯t help but recall Shao Dong¡¯s words.


    Did Mommy like Teacher Ji? Would she marry Teacher Ji in the future and have children with him?


    A sense of dread washed over Shao Xi. Was he going to have new younger siblings so soon?

 Chapter 87 - Dont Fall Prey to Wishful Thinking

    <h4>Chapter 87: Don¡¯t Fall Prey to Wishful Thinking</h4>


    Shao Xi stared at Ji Buwang and pursed his lips as he gazed at his outstanding face.


    Everything else aside, Teacher Ji was really quite good-looking. Many female teachers in the art school kept stealing nces at him, including the female parents.


    Most importantly, he kept following Mommy around and was constantly staring at her. If this continued, would his mother really be snatched away?


    This was the first time Shao Xi didn¡¯t pay attention in ss. He wrote a line in his notebook and handed it to Shao Dong.


    ¡°Do you like Teacher Ji?¡±


    When Shao Dong saw this question, he was very puzzled, as they weren¡¯t all that familiar with Ji Buwang. ¡°Why do you ask? Pay attention and listen.¡±


    How could he be distracted during this ss when they had paid money to attend it?


    ¡°What if Mom likes Teacher Ji and wants to marry him and have children with him?¡± Shao Xi asked again.


    This time, Shao Dong was also a little distracted. He could onlyfort Shao Xi first. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much.¡±


    Elsewhere, Ji Buwang suddenly sneezed.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for asking.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. Regte your emotions yourself. Don¡¯t me yourself for everything. If you¡¯re sad, just cry. Don¡¯t hold it in because you think you¡¯re a man and shouldn¡¯t cry, or you¡¯ll go crazy from holding it in.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought of the five kids and decided to advise him. One should cry when need be, or they would never be able to recover from it.


    Ji Buwang grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve cried before. I¡¯m actually much better now because I¡¯m past the point of being sad.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sighed. He had been unconscious for four years before waking up, and upon waking up, he had found out that his older brother was gone. It must have been a huge blow to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to take a breather, right? If you have rtives, you should go around and visit them. It¡¯ll pass. They must be very happy that you woke up.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s smile faded. ¡°I¡¯m taking a breather. I still have family, but¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t continue and only shrugged. ¡°My heart is a little dark now, so it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t meet for the time being. Besides, I won¡¯t see their faces even if I visit them.¡±


    The only face he could see was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s.


    For the past few days, there had been no news of Mu Jingzhe. He had found it difficult to sit still, and his thoughts had run wild.


    There were a few times when he¡¯d almost looked for Mu Jingzhe. He¡¯d only managed to stop himself after recalling her request that he did not do so. He couldn¡¯t help but recall Uncle Li¡¯s words.


    If Mu Jingzhe got married in the future, would he have even less of a chance to see her?


    At the thought of this, Ji Buwang felt ufortable all over. This was not only because he would never see Mu Jingzhe again but also because of the thought of her marrying someone else.


    Just thinking about it made him find it difficult to ept.


    After enduring this for a few days, what else did Ji Buwang not understand? He wasn¡¯t only after Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face. He seemed to have fallen for her.


    He had fallen for Mu Jingzhe, who was raising five children.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s thoughts were a mess as he looked at Mu Jingzhe. He was about to say something when his pager[1] rang.


    ¡°You can return the call,¡± Mu Jingzhe said quickly.


    Mu Jingzhe nced at Ji Buwang¡¯s pager twice.


    Compared to convenient modern phones, this thing was of little value and was even quite expensive. Mu Jingzhe had never thought of buying one before.


    However, she would probably have to buy it in the future to make it more convenient for her to contact people and vice versa. After all, she was a businesswoman.


    When Mu Jingzhe picked up the children in the afternoon, she could tell that they weren¡¯t in a good mood.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Mu Jingzhe hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Shao Dong shook his head.


    Although they said that everything was fine, they were all listless and they even stole nces at her, looking like they wanted to say something but stopped themselves.


    There had to be something wrong with them. Mu Jingzhe stopped helplessly. ¡°Tell me, what exactly happened? Don¡¯t hide it from me.¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi looked at each other and hesitated. Xiao Wu looked at them and thought for a moment before holding Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and saying softly, ¡°Mommy, they are worried that you like Teacher Ji. Do you like Teacher Ji?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was filled with question marks. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking this question? Why are you worried?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, answer me first. Do you like him or not? Will you marry him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°I think Teacher Ji is very good and has helped us a lot, but if you¡¯re talking about the kind of like that leads to marriage, then no.¡±


    Shao Xi visibly heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like a false rm. For the time being, he wasn¡¯t in danger of having a younger brother or sister.


    His reaction was too eye-catching, making it difficult for Mu Jingzhe to ignore it. ¡°Shao Xi, is that what you¡¯re thinking? Why would you suddenly think to ask about this problem?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just saw that you guys are always together.¡±


    Just as the topic was about to be changed, Shao Nan suddenly said, ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t like Teacher Ji, but Teacher Ji seems to like you, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was exasperated. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys today? Did you hear someone say something? What¡¯s all this talk about liking or not liking him?¡± This wasn¡¯t good.


    Shao Nan coughed. ¡°I just feel that he likes you. We¡¯re afraid that he¡¯lle to our door to propose marriage.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t make wild guesses. Otherwise, it would be really embarrassing if we guessed wrong. He¡¯s only like this because he can only see my face. That¡¯s all.¡± Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense anymore, okay?¡±


    Shao Nan nodded, but he was still a little puzzled. ¡°Mom, why are you so sure? Why do you think he definitely doesn¡¯t like you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ we can¡¯t overthink.¡±


    Actually, it was mainly because Mu Jingzhe had been embarrassed a few times when she was young. She had thought too highly of herself and had wrongly assumed that the guy had liked her. A total of three times. In the end, it had all been untrue.


    The first time was when her interest in the opposite sex had first awakened. A boy who used toe to the orphanage with his parents for volunteer work had been taking good care of her. In addition, everyone had said that the boy treated her very well, so she¡¯d thought that the boy liked her.


    At the time, she¡¯d felt all sorts of sweetness in her heart. She had even imagined them getting married and having children in the future. In the end, it turned out that the guy had only thought that she was pitiful and thus taken care of her. He waspletely uninterested in her. It was all wishful thinking on her part.


    Just like that, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first love hade to an end.


    Later on, when she had been in university, a fellow viger had oftene to look for her. Every time he came, he would treat the people in her dormitory to a meal and would even give them fruit. He would also speak to her about his troubles. She¡¯d thought that it wasn¡¯t wishful thinking on her part this time, but¡­ it turned out that history had repeated itself.


    That guy from her hometown had a crush on her roommate, and she was just a bridge between them. The fruit he had brought was also what her roommate liked.


    However, she hadn¡¯t noticed it at the time. It was only after they got together that she was stunned.


    The third time had happened after graduation. She¡¯d been hired by the samepany and department as two male colleagues, so they¡¯d usually be together.


    There was a male colleague who had always been very good to her and used to take care of her. However, Mu Jingzheter realized that she had only been taken care of in passing. That male colleague had been so good to her because of another male colleague.


    Mu Jingzhe, who hadter found out the truth, had burst into tears. Who would have thought? She was the only girl left. She¡¯d thought that she wouldn¡¯t make a mistake again, but who would have thought that there¡¯d still be the option of a guy liking a guy?


    These three bitter lessons had taught Mu Jingzhe that she shouldn¡¯t overthink or get carried away just because someone cast a few more looks at her and treated her a little better.


    In order to change her bad habit of falling prey to wishful thinking, Mu Jingzhe had learned to never let her imagination run wild.


    [1] a wireless telmunication device that receives and disys alphanumeric or voice messages

 Chapter 88 - Acquaintance?

    <h4>Chapter 88: Acquaintance?</h4>


    The next day, when Mu Jingzhe took the children to the art school, she surprisingly ran into Tang Moling again.


    Tang Moling stopped the car without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you guys there. Get in.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was a little hesitant, but Tang Moling told Shao Dong, ¡°Hop on. Haven¡¯t you realized that you¡¯ve grown taller again? Besides, even though you¡¯re children, there are five of you, so it¡¯s tiring to take you there by bicycle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I¡¯m very strong,¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly replied.


    Shao Dong pursed his lips and immediately jumped off the bike. ¡°Let¡¯s take Uncle Tang¡¯s car.¡±


    He thought for a moment and said, ¡°When we earn money in the future, we can buy another bicycle. I can take my younger siblings there.¡±


    Shao Xi was even more ambitious. ¡°In the future, let¡¯s just buy a car.¡±


    Tang Moling found it funny. ¡°You guys sure are ambitious. Do you know how much a car costs?¡±


    Shao Xi turned around and asked seriously, ¡°How much?¡±


    Shao Dong and the others also turned their heads and stared at him, waiting for him to reveal the amount.


    It was as if they were really going to save up money to buy it.


    Tang Moling: ¡°The price differs based on the brand and quality. Let¡¯s take my car as an example. The price¡­¡±


    It was indeed very expensive. At present, it was impossible for the children to buy one.


    It would be a lie to say that they didn¡¯t suffer a blow, but they didn¡¯t give up just like that.


    The five children¡¯s hearts were now upied by this number. They quietly resolved to earn this amount of money in the future and were doing the math in their minds.


    Shao Xi calcted his royalties, then looked at his hand. Surely he could earn this much if he wrote until his hand broke?


    Little Bei secretly whispered to Shao Nan, ¡°I¡¯m not buying a television anymore. I want to keep the money to buy a car for Mommy.¡±


    Seeing them secretly whispering to each other, Mu Jingzhe asked curiously, ¡°Little Bei, what are you whispering about?¡±


    ¡°I want to dance again. I want to film advertisements again. I want to earn a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°There will be a chance.¡± Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°We¡¯ll buy a television then.¡±


    Little Bei wanted to say that she didn¡¯t want to buy a television anymore and instead would buy a car for Mommy, but when she saw Tang Moling, she was afraid that he wouldugh at her, so she swallowed her words.


    Tang Moling had mixed feelings when he saw the children, whom he had not seen for a while, change their form of address and call her ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    ¡°Did anything happen recently? Were you frightened by what happened to Li Tao?¡±


    ¡°It was alright.¡±


    Tang Moling saw that she was still the same, polite but distant. She kept maintaining a certain distance from him, and he felt very upset.


    Along the way, he couldn¡¯t help but keep finding topics to talk about with Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t take the initiative to find a topic to talk about, but she would answer politely when he asked.


    Tang Moling had never done this before, for it was usually other people who racked their brains to find something to talk to him about. This was his first time trying to find topics to talk about, so he was really inexperienced and quickly ran out of things to say.


    In the end, as a result of him forcibly trying to find a topic of conversation, he started talking about work.


    It was now time for him to seed his grandfather, so there were many problems that needed to be solved.


    He should have returned to the city long ago, or even to the capital. However, his rtionship matters had dyed him, and the problems still had to be solved.


    Tang Moling was currently troubled by some HR issues and a few other problems. As he spoke, he poured out his troubles to her unknowingly. Immediately after telling her all that, Tang Moling regretted it.


    Why was he saying all this? How was Mu Jingzhe supposed to answer? She also wouldn¡¯t know¡­


    He still regretted it, but reality proved that Mu Jingzhe really knew a little.


    Many girls would look for a clerical job after graduation, thus getting exposed to administrative and HR issues at work. Mu Jingzhe, who had extensive working experience, had also encountered these issues in her line of work before.


    Hence, based on her experience, she sinctly gave her opinion on the issues he mentioned.


    As for the issue of poor business at a brand-new mall, there were many marketing strategies one could use in the modern era. Mu Jingzhe had worked in marketing before, so she came up with a couple of suitable ideas based on the characteristics of this era.


    After she gave her suggestions, she nced at Tang Moling curiously. In the book, Tang Moling was portrayed as a cool and arrogant big boss.


    She hadn¡¯t expected him to encounter trouble in reality. When she thought about it carefully, though, it made sense. How could anyone be born to be a boss? Even a boss grew to be one step by step.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed, while Tang Moling waspletely amazed. How did Mu Jingzhe know everything?


    Besides, although the method she¡¯d suggested seemed simple, it might actually solve the problem if it was executed well.


    It was rare for Tang Moling to speak in such a sincere tone. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a tryter. If it works, you¡¯ll have helped me a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. All I did was say a few words.¡± Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. She hadn¡¯te up with this idea anyway; someone else had.


    Along the way, there was no awkward silence because they were talking about this.


    After taking Mu Jingzhe and the kids to the art school, Tang Moling got out of the car and watched them enter.


    After a while, he was about to leave when he suddenly saw a figure walking past the school that felt strangely familiar.


    He let out an ¡®eh¡¯, but when he took a closer look, that figure was gone.


    ¡°I must be seeing things. He can¡¯t possibly be here¡­¡± Tang Moling murmured to himself as he drove away.


    In the art school, someone came out of the bathroom and happened to see Tang Moling¡¯s back view as he got in the car and left.


    The figure paused, finding that back view familiar, but the car was soon gone, so he didn¡¯t pay it any mind.


    After the foreignnguage ss ended, Little Bei went to learn dancing and hosting, whilst Xiao Wu went to learn music. Only Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan had no other courses.


    ¡°Little Dong, Little Xi, Little Nan, take a look too. If you want to learn, you can. It¡¯s summer break now, so there¡¯s time.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had only called Shao Bei and Shao Zhong Little Bei and Xiao Wu previously. Later on, after all five of them had started calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯, she had found out from Shao Nan that calling the three of them by their full names was actually also a form of differential treatment.


    Mu Jingzhe was just used to calling them that, but she immediately corrected herself and uniformly called them Little (insert first name).


    ¡°We¡¯ve taken a look at the list of courses, but we¡¯d rather go to the library to read than study these things.¡± Shao Xi was the first to speak.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shao Nan nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in chess, but I think the grandfathers at the county¡¯s cultural center are more impressive at chess. I¡¯ll go learn Chinese chess from them. I can learn it for free.¡±


    The county library was in the county cultural center. There was also an elderly activity center inside. Many retired elders would usually hang out there to y the erhu or the ordion, dance, or y Chinese chess.


    Previously, when they had gone to the county library, the sharp Shao Dong had set his sights on them.


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°No, you really don¡¯t have to keep thinking about saving money. If you like it, you can learn it. Our family isn¡¯t that poor anymore.¡±


    ¡°I really want to read.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°I just want to learn from the grandpas. They¡¯re pretty good.¡±


    The children wanted to buy a car, and their goal was to earn money.


    Shao Xi wanted to submit some more manuscripts, while Shao Dong was thinking of ways to earn money.


    Since they insisted, Mu Jingzhe had no choice but to follow them to the county cultural center.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan headed straight to the library, and Shao Dong really went to look for the old folks.


    He didn¡¯t like to talk and he just watched obediently from the side;ines. The few grandpas didn¡¯t pay much attention to him at first, letting him stand there as he wished.


    Later on, upon seeing that he hadn¡¯t left and was still watching, they couldn¡¯t help but ask a few questions. Then, Shao Dong said that he also wanted to learn.


    The elderly folk had plenty of patience and time now, so they dly obliged. The result was shocking after just one afternoon of chess lessons.

 Chapter 89 - Filming

    <h4>Chapter 89: Filming</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯re talented. Are youing again tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I have to first attend a foreignnguage ss in the morning, so I won¡¯t be here untilte afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Foreignnguages, huh. If you want to learn Russian¡­ Old Man Deng learned before and speaks it fluently. Let him teach you how to speak.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We won¡¯t charge you for it either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Dong to be so impressive. In just an afternoon, he had managed to infiltrate the grandpas¡¯ inner circle and had even found a free foreignnguage teacher.


    ¡°Then study hard.¡± Mu Jingzhe patted Shao Dong¡¯s shoulder.


    In novels, old grandpas and grannies would usually appear as Sweeper Monks[1]. They were always quite impressive.


    Although Mu Jingzhe knew that they weren¡¯t all Sweeper Monks, many of these old men were very impressive. It should be fine for Shao Dong to learn from them.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Dong nodded vigorously.


    Compared to interacting with his peers, who gave him curious or pitiful gazes whenever he spoke, he actually preferred to interact with these old grandpas.


    They had seen a lot in their lives, so these old grandpas didn¡¯t pay much attention to his stutter.


    The elderly were also fond of obedient children who liked to learn. He felt veryfortable around them.


    Shao Dong and the others made arrangements for themselves.


    Mu Jingzhe picked up Little Bei and Xiao Wu, nning to go back, but she was stopped by the school teacher. It turned out that a director had invited Little Bei to the audition for a television drama.


    Little Bei¡¯s little mouth widened.


    She had just said on the way there that she wanted to dance and shoot an advertisement, and almost right away, the opportunity had presented itself.


    Although this wasn¡¯t dancing or shooting an advertisement, filming a television drama was awesome too.


    Mu Jingzhe asked in surprise, ¡°Really? Which director? What TV show?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details. We were informed by a school in the city. I heard that the director saw Shao Bei¡¯s costume-changing performance and thought that she was cute, so he wanted her to try to portray Little Nezha.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was overjoyed. She hadn¡¯t expected such an opportunity toe from Little Bei¡¯s previous performance.


    Therefore, no one knew when one¡¯s opportunity woulde. However, if one worked hard, one would always have more chances.


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s a good idea, we can take her to the audition the day after tomorrow. I heard there are other little boys auditioning with her.¡±


    Little Nezha was a little boy, and Little Bei was the only little girl who had been invited to audition.


    The teacher was giving Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei a heads-up, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything.


    This was because she knew that a little girl could also portray Little Nezha. Wasn¡¯t there a little girl in the modern era who had portrayed Little Nezha? Furthermore, she¡¯d acted quite well.


    A little girl ying the role of a little boy or a little boy ying the role of a little girl was cross-gender acting, but this was actually nothing for children.


    She had to grasp this opportunity. Mu Jingzhe decided to take Little Bei to give it a try the next day, in case the role was cast if they werete.


    When Little Bei heard that she could act in a drama that would be aired on TV in the future, she was overjoyed. She really loved acting.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll definitely act well. I¡¯ll definitely act well.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to take Little Bei with her. This time, it wasn¡¯t suitable to bring all the children along, so she could only keep them here temporarily.


    Fortunately, Shao Qiyang had a day off from work and could take them to the county so they could continue learning.


    Fortunately, the audition was held in the city.


    The filming location for the television drama was originally in a specific film studioplex. This time, it would be filmed in the city because there was ake in the city that was suitable for filming.


    It was only when they arrived that they learned the details.


    This little Nezha was actually just a supporting role and didn¡¯t have many scenes. They had originally decided on an actor, but the little actor had suddenly lost his teeth, and both his front teeth were gone.


    It was normal for a child to lose teeth. This couldn¡¯t be helped, so no one could be med for this.


    However, a toothless Nezha definitely wouldn¡¯t do. They couldn¡¯t wait for his teeth to grow out either. That was why they had decided to find a temporary little recement. Hence, they¡¯d naturally found their way to the art school.


    The art school had rmended a little boy that they felt was suitable. Then, they couldn¡¯t help but think of Little Bei¡¯s Little Nezha. They¡¯d found the video and sent it to the director.


    Upon seeing the video, the director had felt that it was quite good. That was why Little Bei had gotten the chance to audition.


    Upon hearing this, Mu Jingzhe thought to herself that it seemed like she had made the right decision by bringing the little Nezha clothes Little Bei had worn previously.


    During the audition, the boys who were auditioning for the Little Nezha part didn¡¯t think of Little Bei as their opponent. They thought that she was there to audition for another role.


    When a bulky little boy saw pretty Little Bei, he even came over to talk to her with a chuckle.


    Later on, when the audition started, Mu Jingzhe directly helped Little Bei put on the Nezha costume to increase herpetitiveness. She wanted the director to see that Little Bei could really do a good job.


    In the end, it was just as Mu Jingzhe had expected. If she hadn¡¯t put Little Bei into the Nezha costume, the director might have hesitated, but after that, Little Bei immediately gave off the vibe of a little Nezha. When the director saw this, he decided on the spot.


    The moment he learned Little Bei was theirpetitor for the role of Little Nezha, that bulky-looking little boy was stunned. When he heard the results, he wailed.


    It wasn¡¯t because he hadn¡¯t been cast but because his worldview had copsed.


    ¡°Little Nezha is a girl. Boohoo. I even said I wanted to be a brave little boy, like Little Nezha¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Little Nezha is a boy.¡± His mom felt embarrassed, helpless, and amused.


    The little boy didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°But she¡¯s a girl. She¡¯s Little Nezha now.¡±


    The little boy didn¡¯t know anything about cross-gender acting. He was especially sad and he couldn¡¯t stop crying even as his mother carried him away.


    Mu Jingzhe could only apologize and proceed to discuss the details.


    ¡°If there¡¯s no problem, let¡¯s start filming immediately. The production team has prepared the costumes. When the timees, we¡¯ll look at them together and see which costume looks the best.¡±


    The director didn¡¯t want to waste even a day. This was different from what Mu Jingzhe had expected. She had thought that they would have to go back and wait to be notified.


    However, since the director had said so, she naturally couldn¡¯t refuse. If there was something they hadn¡¯t packed in the luggage, she could just buy it. Anyway, from the sound of it, filming would end in four to five days.


    Mu Jingzhe contacted Shao Qiyang and thought of a way to send a message to Li Zhaodi, asking her to help take care of the children.


    After Shao Qiyang and Li Zhaodi got the message, they discussed how to take care of the kids. When Shao Qiyang went off to work, he would bring the kids over. After they ate at Li Zhaodi¡¯s ce, he would then take them to the art school. Finally, when he got off work, he woulde and pick them up.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei also started filming on the set. They had said that they would start filming right away, but actually, they wanted Little Bei to first get used to it and see what filming was like.


    This was also Little Bei¡¯s first time entering a production team. The end result and the filming process were very different, and Little Bei would ask Mu Jingzhe whenever she came across something she didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Mommy, why does the director film the same scenes over and over again?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how a lot of acting is done. Sometimes it¡¯s because the actor doesn¡¯t perform well, sometimes it¡¯s because the scene has to be filmed from different angles¡­¡±


    The filming process was actually different from what she had imagined. It was very dry,plicated, and repetitive. It sounded very morous, but the actual filming process was different from what she had imagined.


    It was the same even in the modern era, when the conditions were much better. Furthermore, in this era, the conditions were much tougher.


    [1] a person with formidable skills who chose to conceal them

 Chapter 90 - The Harmonious Duo

    <h4>Chapter 90: The Harmonious Duo</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to help Little Bei adapt. She pointed out the camera to her and taught her the theory of where to look at and so on.


    Little Bei eximed, ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re amazing! You even know all that.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. She had done all sorts of jobs just to pay for her living expenses and tuition fees.


    She had even gone to work in Beijing and Hengdian before. She had acted as an extra, and because she was strong, she¡¯d even worked as a stunt double.


    Hence, she wasn¡¯t that unfamiliar with the production set.


    In the evening, when the production crew members who were in charge of costumes and styling had time, they were prepared to help Little Bei try on the makeup so the director could have a look.


    Mu Jingzhe helped out the entire time. Initially, the stylist was a little annoyed that Mu Jingzhe was following them around, as they were busy enough as it is.


    But soon¡­ her attitude changed because Mu Jingzhe was very polite to her. Furthermore, she was quite impressive. She knew all the professional terms and she helped, doing an amazing job helping with the styling and makeup.


    ¡°Little Bei¡¯s mom, you know so much. Have you learned this before?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°In the future, if you can¡¯t manage by yourself, just let me know if you need anything. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Now that she had built a good rtionship with the people in charge of costumes, it would make everything easier.


    In that era, many costumes were actually limited. If they were prepared ording to the production crew¡¯s instructions, the costume might not fit Little Bei perfectly, so she wouldn¡¯t look so good in it. Besides, the clothes weren¡¯t that clean.


    If Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t on good terms with the costume team, she would only watch helplessly as Little Bei put on the clothes assigned to her, which weren¡¯t even as pretty as her previous outfit.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe hadmunicated with them, the things she had brought were put to good use. Little Bei¡¯s appearance was enhanced, and she was even allowed to alter the clothes to fit Little Bei and even bring them back to wash them.


    That night, Mu Jingzhe took the props and clothes back to wash them carefully. The next day, she altered the clothes so they fit Little Bei again. Little Bei looked clean and energetic in them, making the director feel very satisfied.


    The preparations for the start of the filming process officially started. Considering that this was Little Bei¡¯s first time acting, the first scene was notplicated. The director had wanted to rehearse a few more times, but Little Bei was much better after two tries and could even urately find the camera.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. Let¡¯s officially start shooting.¡±


    Little Bei didn¡¯t disappoint, and one take was all it took. The director was in a good mood and taught her seriously. Little Bei¡¯s improvement was obvious.


    The first day was a little bumpy, but it went by smoothly. The next day, the difficult stuff surfaced. Little Bei had to film wire-flying[1] scenes.


    It was unavoidable that little Nezha would fly around and fight.


    ¡°Little Bei, shout out if you¡¯re in pain, understand?¡±


    It was said that it was very tiring and painful to film a fight scene, especially when it required hanging from a wire. Even adults couldn¡¯t take it, let alone children. Mu Jingzhe was very worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mommy. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    It hurt. It was really painful and ufortable.


    However, knowing that she had to go through this, Little Bei wasn¡¯t afraid. She wasn¡¯t afraid of getting tired at all.


    In just three days,pared to the other children, the sensible and capable Little Bei instantly earned the adoration of the entire production crew.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t bad at socializing either. While taking care of Little Bei, she also helped some actors with their costumes and makeup.


    These were things she was used to doing. The effect was excellent, and that helped improve her rtionship with everyone.


    The director even joked about giving her a sry.


    The mother-and-daughter duo had a good rtionship with the production crew andplemented each other.


    Five dayster, the filming process waspleted. When they were about to leave, everyone was quite reluctant to part.


    The director praised Little Bei quite a bit, especially about the fact that she could cry really well.


    ¡°She¡¯s excellent in the crying scenes. This child cries onmand. Not only does she look pretty crying, but she also makes the audience¡¯s hearts ache. In the future, I¡¯ll definitely look for her when I have a suitable role for her. If the opportunity arises, I¡¯ll also rmend her for some shows.¡±


    The director was very sincere.


    Filming scenes involving animals and children was the most troublesome. Crying scenes involving children were even more troublesome. One had to ask the kid¡¯s parents to help and tell them that their parents didn¡¯t want them anymore. Only then would they cry.


    There was no need to resort to this with Little Bei. She would cry onmand, and in the exact way you asked her. Also, her tears felt genuine.


    The director felt that this was talent, but he didn¡¯t know that it wasn¡¯t just talent. It was also because Little Bei had suffered through enough at a young age and had enough scars in her heart.


    He only saw her looking blissful by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side, but he didn¡¯t know that young Little Bei had scars in her heart.


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Little Bei¡¯s head, her heart aching for her. When Little Bei started crying during the filming process, she also started crying like a dog.


    In the end, even when Little Bei stopped crying, her eyes were still red.


    Little Bei would be a movie queen in the future. This felt very real to her now.


    This child indeed knew how to act and was very good at influencing people¡¯s emotions. The other people in the production team also cried upon seeing her acting. In the past two days, many more people had started giving Little Bei sweets. No one could bear to part with them when it was time to leave.


    ¡°Thank you, Director. Thank you so much.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knew how precious the director¡¯s words were. They had just entered this industry, and she didn¡¯t have any connections in this field. If the director could help put in a few words and rmend her, it would be an opportunity that many people would kill for.


    Before leaving, Mu Jingzhe distributed the specialties sent by Shao Qiyang.


    There were some hair ornaments, some small gifts for the female crew members, some walnuts, and some dried fruit.


    The dried fruit had been made by Mu Jingzhe previously. There were many fruit trees nted in Great Eastern Vige, and every family nted them. There were plums, peaches, apples, and plums, just to name a few.


    However, no one could finish that much. Many of the fruits were left to rot just like that, and even if they were sold outside, they wouldn¡¯t fetch much money.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that it was a pity. In the end, she had tried making dried fruit, thinking that if she seeded, she could sell these.


    Although she was a little inexperienced, she still seeded in making them.


    There were very few snacks in this day and age, so these things were really suitable as gifts.


    After everyone received the snacks, they all said that they would help if they could.


    Regardless of whether it was genuine or not, some people must have taken it to heart. Maybe Little Bei had left a certain impression on them. This way, she would have more opportunities going forward.


    Little Bei had been born for this line of work, and she liked it too. At the moment, there was a limit to what Mu Jingzhe could do. She could only try her best to do more so that Little Bei¡¯s path would be smoother.


    It was already afternoon when she brought Little Bei back to the county. Mu Jingzhe went to the art school first.


    Xiao Wu was in piano ss, and Ji Buwang was sitting beside him. In high spirits, the two of them improvised a duet.


    When it ended, Xiao Wu and Ji Buwang pped happily.


    After pping, Xiao Wu looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s long fingers and then at his own. He secretly encouraged himself.


    A bit longer. They could grow a bit longer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll grow longer. Your hands were born to y the piano.¡±


    Xiao Wu was the one who interacted with Ji Buwang the most. The two of them had hit it off. Ji Buwang was in a jovial mood as he gazed at Xiao Wu. ¡°Rest and eat some sweets.¡±


    Ji Buwang took a few pieces of soft candy out of his pocket. Xiao Wu reached out to take them, and so did Ji Buwang, who wasughing. In the end, the two of them reached for the same one.


    ¡°Our taste is quite simr.¡± Ji Buwang let Xiao Wu have it.


    Ji Buwang sat on the piano, while Xiao Wu sat on the chair. The two of them swayed their legs and squinted their eyes as they enjoyed their break.


    When Mu Jingzhe arrived, they had just finished eating the candy and were continuing their practice. Even though there was quite a big age difference between the adult-and-child duo, there was no barrier in theirmunication. The two curly-haired guys¡ªan adult and a child¡ªlooked harmonious sitting there together.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear to disturb them.


    [1] suspending an actor from high-tension wires to simte the action of flying or falling

 Chapter 91 - Is It Difficult to Raise Five Children?

    <h4>Chapter 91: Is It Difficult to Raise Five Children?</h4>


    Seeing that the ss hadn¡¯t ended, Mu Jingzhe was about to leave quietly. However, before she could turn around, Xiao Wu noticed her.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Xiao Wu was overjoyed to see Mu Jingzhe. He bounced over to her and hugged her legs. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally back. I missed you so much.¡±


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± Mu Jingzhe picked him up and asked if he was obedient.


    ¡°I¡¯m very obedient.¡± Xiao Wu rubbed his face against Mu Jingzhe¡¯s. ¡°I just missed Mommy a lot.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe put him down and squatted to stroke his head. ¡°I missed you too. What a good boy.¡±


    Ji Buwang was also very surprised to see Mu Jingzhe. When he saw Xiao Wu like this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. He also wanted to go over and hug her; he wanted to be cared for.


    However, he knew that it was impossible, so he stepped back and squatted beside Xiao Wu. When Mu Jingzhe greeted him, he asked, ¡°Jingzhe, can you stroke my head too?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    What kind of a strange request was this?


    ¡°Why should I stroke your head?¡±


    ¡°When I saw you stroking Xiao Wu¡¯s head, it looked like it felt really good. I remembered that my mother used to stroke my head like that too.¡±


    After saying that, Ji Buwang felt that something was amiss, but he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°???¡±


    Her expression was indescribable. Was she giving off a maternal glow or something?


    Although Ji Buwang¡¯s head looked very nice to stroke, she still shook her head and refused. After all, the action of stroking one¡¯s head was too intimate.


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Xiao Wu looked at him and quickly said, ¡°Teacher Ji, I¡¯ll help you stroke your head.¡±


    After saying that, he stretched out his little hand and patted Ji Buwang¡¯s head.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the way Xiao Wu was doing it and saw that it wasn¡¯t much different from the way he petted the puppies in the vige.


    Ji Buwang was extremely touched and lifted Xiao Wu up. ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re wonderful. You¡¯re a little angel!¡±


    The little angel had given Ji Buwang strength. ¡°Xiao Wu¡¯s music is very warm and gives people strength. If he creates a new tune in the future, you can record it,¡± he suggested to Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    After picking up Xiao Wu and meeting up with Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, Mu Jingzhe took over the job of taking care of the children.


    As the dried fruits had been sessfully made, she began negotiating with the vigers. She would ept their fruit as long as they met the requirements and helped to sell them.


    Mu Jingzhe was now a capable person in the vige. Everyone trusted her when they heard that. When she said she would ept the dried fruit, the vigers didn¡¯t even ask how much she would be paying them and just went ahead and made the dried fruit.


    The main reason was that they couldn¡¯t fetch any money to begin with. Any money they managed to get from this would be a bonus.


    Li Fang pulled herself together and continued selling hair ornaments. When she heard about the dried fruit, she said that she could get some supplies from Mu Jingzhe in bulk. Mu Jingzhe agreed.


    Great Eastern Vige started to get busy. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was busy, Shao Dong even suggested an idea to her.


    ¡°We can first sell dried fruit this year, and next year, we can try making fruit cans. There are actually quite a lot of fruits in our county. There are also many varieties.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Yes, we can actually open a canned fruit factory. We can also produce fruit soda, walnut juice¡­ We can make them all.¡±


    It was a good idea, but she needed technology and money. ¡°Let¡¯s see if it will work out next year.¡±


    Shao Dong nodded. ¡°Definitely. When the timees, I¡¯ll help you, Mommy. I actually thought of a business that will earn money, but I might need your support.¡±


    While Mu Jingzhe took Little Bei to film, Shao Dong did something big.


    Now that Shao Dong had learned Chinese chess, he had truly entered the inner circle of the grandpas at the cultural center. While ying Chinese chess with the old grandpas, he¡¯d also bring Shao Xi and Shao Nan so they could learn another foreignnguage for free. He had even gained the favor of the old grandmas and be their little friend.


    Then, he learned about the profit of picking up garbage.


    These five kids were the kind who could soar with just one opportunity.


    Shao Dong was really talented, so he quickly discovered the business opportunity that garbage offered.


    Before the King of Rubbish hade out, he had relied on his natural sensitivity to detect this business opportunity.


    Shao Dong told Mu Jingzhe about his discovery, the ces he had gone to, how the operation worked, and so on.


    Whenever he was speaking about it, Shao Dong¡¯s eyes lit up, and he no longer cared about his stutter.


    Now that Shao Dong was increasingly unafraid of speaking in front of Mu Jingzhe, he no longer minded even though he was stuttering more than usual due to his excitement.


    His face was clearly still young, and his voice sounded tender, but his thoughts were not at all naive. He truly disyed his business talent.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed with emotion. In their previous life, Shao Dong and his siblings had been forced to pick up garbage. Later on, he had relied on picking up garbage to treat his younger sister and earn his first bucket of gold.


    This time, he didn¡¯t have to pick up rubbish. However, that first bucket of gold was still fated, and it was showing up in advance in such a way.


    Mu Jingzhe was very d. ¡°Sure, I think your n is promising. I¡¯ll give you the money you need, and you can go ahead with the operation.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe trusted him.


    Shao Dong hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to agree. He had previously told his uncle, Shao Qiyang, and thetter had said he was dreaming.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Mommy. Mommy, I¡¯ll definitely earn money. I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Shao Dong was thrilled.


    ¡°I know.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    During this summer vacation, Shao Dong and Little Bei had their own gains and embarked on a new journey.


    Even as Shao Dong started working with a stiff face, he still didn¡¯t stop learning.


    The more Mu Jingzhe looked at them, the more emotional she felt. What she didn¡¯t know was that another person was also observing the children.


    It was none other than Ji Buwang.


    Apart from observing them, he also wanted to build a good rtionship with the children. s, he¡¯d deliberately approached them a few times, but he hadn¡¯t gotten any good results.


    When he bumped into a parent of five children by chance, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but approach him.


    ¡°Brother, is raising a child difficult?¡±


    The parent was wary. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a piano teacher here. I want to understand more about the changes in the mentality of children and parents.¡±


    Only then did the parent rx. ¡°Of course it¡¯s difficult to raise children, especially since my family has five. It requires a lot of effort. The main issue is that we need money for everything. Look, money is tight enough at home, yet they have to learn things like the piano. Teacher, you have to teach them well.¡±


    ¡°I will, but Brother, I also want to ask if it would still be very difficult to raise five children if money was not an issue. Would it be better?¡±


    ¡°If money was not an issue?¡± The parent looked suspicious. ¡°Are you mocking me? I feel like you¡¯re talking about me.¡±


    ¡°No, no, Brother. I was just asking. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    ¡°Well, if money wasn¡¯t an issue, of course it wouldn¡¯t be so difficult.¡± Seeing the delighted look on Ji Buwang¡¯s face, the parent said, ¡°Wait a minute, why are you asking this when you don¡¯t have five children?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking. In case it everes up.¡±


    The parent left in confusion. Then, Ji Buwang asked another parent who was close to his child.


    It was the same question¡ªwould it be difficult to raise five children if money wasn¡¯t an issue?


    ¡°Of course, that would not be easy either. Although well-to-do families don¡¯t feel as much pressure, having money doesn¡¯t mean that there will be no problems. Money isn¡¯t omnipotent. What¡¯s important is patience, but having money is always better. After all, it¡¯s my child. Everything can be discussed.¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°Then¡­ what if it¡¯s not your biological child?¡±

 Chapter 92 - Moral Degeneration

    <h4>Chapter 92: Moral Degeneration</h4>


    ¡°Not your biological child?¡± When the parent heard that, he sized Ji Buwang up with a strange gaze. Was he a cuckold?


    Ji Buwang sensed that something was amiss and quickly exined, ¡°No, Brother, it¡¯s not what you think. I¡¯m talking about being a stepfather.¡±


    ¡°Stepfather? Are you going to be a stepfather? And the stepfather of five children to boot?¡± The parent¡¯s gaze became even stranger, as though he was staring at a pretty-looking gigolo.


    Ji Buwang looked around and hurriedly reassured this agitated parent. He couldn¡¯t let the children hear this.


    ¡°Brother, I was just asking. Don¡¯t take it seriously. Sorry to trouble you.¡±


    The parent couldn¡¯t not take it seriously. Even as he left the school, he continued grumbling. ¡®What is that young man thinking?¡¯ Later on, he went on to mumble about how the moral degeneration of the world was getting worse day by day.


    After sending that parent away, Ji Buwang felt that he had been too rash. He shouldn¡¯t have asked questions so aimlessly. He had to be more cautious.


    Maybe he could try interacting with those children again.


    Ji Buwang felt that he could try interacting with Little Bei first, as the little girl had a good personality and had the best rtionship with Mu Jingzhe.


    However, he didn¡¯t have the chance because Little Bei had some good news again.


    True to his word, that director had really rmended Little Bei to his friend. That friend was a movie director whose surname was Lu.


    Due to the high praise of his old friend and the fact that he had seen Little Bei perform and cry, Director Lu had decided toe and see Little Bei himself.


    He didn¡¯t inform the school. He came straight over to look for Little Bei.


    How could Little Bei know that this was the director? She saw that he kept staring at her. At first, she asked if something was wrong, butter on, she realized that he seemed abnormal. One moment, he asked her to cry, and the next moment, he asked her tough. She thought she had met a lunatic.


    Thus, she found an opportunity to look for the teacher, who in turn brought a few male teachers over warily. Only then did Director Lu realize what Little Bei thought of him.


    Heughed out loud and said that Little Bei was smart before he revealed his identity. Then, he asked Little Bei to audition.


    After taking a look, Director Lu immediately decided on Little Bei. ¡°It¡¯s you. You are the Xiao Jiu I¡¯ve been looking for!¡±


    Just like that, Little Bei was chosen as the female lead.


    When Mu Jingzhe came to pick up Little Bei and found out about this, her first reaction was to think that the man was a fraud. After all, the audition process was weird.


    Facing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wary gaze, Director Lu gave her a simple, innocent smile.


    ¡°Hello, Little Bei¡¯s mother. I¡¯m Lu Chenglin. I¡¯m a director¡­¡±


    After Director Lu¡¯s introduction, Mu Jingzhe became less vignt, but there was a hint of confusion.


    From the sound of it, she suspected that this Director Lu was the one with the discerning eye in Little Bei¡¯s previous life who had poached Little Bei to make her the main lead. In the end, this role had allowed Little Bei to be the youngest movie queen.


    But wasn¡¯t this something that would happen three or four yearster? Why was he looking for her now?


    It was only after hearing Director Lu¡¯s exnation that she understood what was going on.


    Lu Chenglin hadn¡¯t started out as a director. He actually used to be a writer in the past. Later on, he changed careers and became a screenwriter. He also learned by himself how to be a cameraman. Later on, he worked as a cameraman and also wrote a script.


    Recently, he had written a script, but the director he worked with wasn¡¯t willing to film it. Thus, he wanted to pull in investments and film it himself.


    He had been lucky enough to get some funding. Although it wasn¡¯t a lot, he would be able to produce the movie if he persisted and kept an eye on the budget. However, the casting was a problem.


    This was because his script was rtively special. The female lead was a young child, and the supporting role was also a young child. The female lead was a patient with a hearing disorder. There were high expectations for the young actress, as she had to portray someone who couldn¡¯t hear or speak. She even had to know how to cry.


    This was because the little actress was a pitiful girl. Her ears couldn¡¯t hear due to a high fever, and the cause of that fever was her stepmother and negligent biological father.


    In the end, she bravely embarked on an adventure to find her father. This was a story about her finally finding her father after going through a lot with the help of many people.


    Based on the storyline, it seemed like it waspletely tailored to Little Bei¡¯s previous life.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the general story because I want to reassure the parents about what kind of work we¡¯re doing. I was worried we wouldn¡¯t be able to find an actress, but it¡¯s fine now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe guessed that in his previous life, the director hadn¡¯t managed to find a suitable actor. In the end, by the time he¡¯d finally found Little Bei and cast her in the movie, she had gotten older, so the director had to change the age of the main character. Now that Little Bei had been found ahead of time, there was no need to change it, right?


    Little Bei was very willing to act, and Director Lu was very sincere. The teacher also said that there was nothing wrong with his identity, so they quickly signed the contract.


    At six years old, she was chosen to be the female lead in this movie. Little Bei had been discovered ahead of time.


    Unlike Little Nezha¡¯s part, although Little Bei had been chosen, a lot of preparations were needed to start filming. Director Lu went to prepare in high spirits and said that he would be waiting for Little Bei to join the production team.


    During this period, Little Bei could also try to grasp the state and feel of a deaf and mute person. Little Bei nodded seriously. She did just that and changed her talking habits. Later on, she even wanted to learn signnguage.


    It was uncertain if they would need signnguage in the movie. Director Lu hadn¡¯t said so either, but Little Bei wanted to learn it. Besides, learning signnguage was pretty good, so Mu Jingzhe supported it.


    They hadn¡¯t found anyone who knew signnguage yet, but after Ji Buwang learned this, he gave Mu Jingzhe thetest edition of a signnguage book.


    ¡°This was created after a discussion and the formtion of more than 600 new words and gestures. It¡¯s considered thetest book in the country. If nothing goes wrong, it will be the standard in the future. You can rest assured and have her learn from it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great. Thank you so much.¡±


    Little Bei was as serious as if she had found a precious treasure. Mu Jingzhe also learned a little alongside her. The boys weren¡¯t picky and learned whatever they came across.


    Within two days, since Little Bei was unwilling to speak and onlymunicated in signnguage with them, they replied back in signnguage. Even Xiao Wu seemed to be doing a fine job conversing in it. The only exception was Mu Jingzhe, who was a poor student inparison to the kids.


    Her learning ability was average, and she couldn¡¯t learn that quickly. Besides, she was also busy.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°You won¡¯t use this opportunity to badmouth me in front of me, right?¡±


    Little Beiughed. ¡°No way, Mommy. We love you the most.¡±


    Actually, Mu Jingzhe had also learned some signnguage in her previous life. This was because it was inevitable that some children in the orphanage would have physical disabilities. There were also some who couldn¡¯t speak or hear, but she had only learned it for a short time and hadn¡¯t mastered it. She was still a dabbler now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll learn it when I have the time.¡± Mu Jingzhe made up her mind.


    In the end, she didn¡¯t get to learn it properly because the capable children kept creating surprises for her.


    Shao Xi also gave her one.


    A few days after she took Little Bei to film, Shao Xi saw a notice at the county cultural center. It was about a literaturepetition for young children in the city.


    This was the third time they were holding thepetition, and it was open to all elementary, middle, and high school students in the entire city. Shao Xi had submitted his entry before the deadline. He hadn¡¯t expected to receive a notice to attend the award ceremony.


    The invitation didn¡¯t say what award Shao Xi had won, but ording to tradition, anyone who was invited would usually receive an award.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely get the award. I wrote the most words, a total of 5,000.¡±


    Thepetition was mainly for short- to medium-length essays, with a word count requirement between 2,000 words to no more than 30,000 words. The number of words Shao Xi had written fell within that range.


    He had previously written rtively short essays, so 5,000 words were indeed a lot.

 Chapter 93 - Kiss

    <h4>Chapter 93: Kiss</h4>


    ¡°There¡¯s also prize money involved. The first ce gets 100 yuan, the second ce gets 80 yuan, and the third ce gets 60 yuan. There are a few spots for the Outstanding Prize, but the prize money is only 10 yuan. I hope to get 100 yuan!¡±


    A hundred yuan was considered very respectable in that day and age.


    ¡°The second and third ce are also good.¡± Though Mu Jingzhe believed in Shao Xi, when she heard that elementary school, middle school, and high school students weren¡¯t separated into different categories, she was afraid that they wouldn¡¯t give the first ce to an elementary school student. That was why she said that it would be good to get second or third ce too.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not bad, but first ce is even better.¡± Shao Xi still aimed for first ce. ¡°Are we going to the award ceremony then, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    When Ji Buwang heard that they were going, he said that he was going too and that he could use this chance to go home.


    Thest time Mu Jingzhe had taken Little Bei to shoot an advertisement, Ji Buwang had also said that he wanted to go. However, he hadn¡¯t managed to do soter on. This time, it was true.


    He said that he wanted to go home, but when they arrived in the city, he didn¡¯t go home at all. Instead, he followed Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi around and lived with them in the guesthouse.


    The award ceremony was being held at the city cultural center. The students who had been invited to the ceremony were those who had performed very well. Of course, other participants were also wee to participate.


    The participants and their parents sat separately. ording to the organizer, this was meant to increase their children¡¯s independence.


    Based on the seating arrangement, there were exactly ten people sitting in the first row, including those who would receive the Outstanding Prize.


    Even an Outstanding Prize was only given to those in the city who performed well. Everyone was quite happy, except for Shao Xi, who didn¡¯t fit in.


    This was because he was the youngest.


    Everyone looked at him suspiciously. However, because they had never seen him before, no one spoke to him, unlike the others, who mostly knew each other.


    Because they were outstanding in this circle in the city at their age, many of them were groomed by their families.


    There was a bespectacled girl and a chubby boy who were the focus of everyone¡¯s attention.


    This was because the two of them had both published their work in a magazine and newspaper. They were also popr candidates for the first prize. Compared to them, Shao Xi didn¡¯t stand out in that group.


    In the past, Shao Xi would probably have felt inferior and thought that it would be impossible for him to win.


    However, after being showered with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s constant praise and receiving royalties previously, he had gained a bit of confidence. He quietly listened to them and obtained more information.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t say anything, but because he had an outstanding appearance and looked like a little prince, the girls were attracted to him.


    The bespectacled girl also nced at Shao Xi a few more times and asked him for his name curiously.


    ¡°My name is Shao Xi.¡±


    Shao Xi got acquainted with the little girl, but when he turned around, he saw the chubby boy, who was also a popr contender for the first prize, ring at him.


    ¡°Why would you bother befriending a country bumpkin?¡± Chubby Boy¡¯s face was filled with disdain, and he spoke very unkindly.


    Shao Xi frowned. ¡°Who are you calling a country bumpkin?¡±


    ¡°You, of course. Who else here is one besides you? You¡¯re wearing smelly sandals, and they¡¯re even green. Ugh¡­ You must be broadening your horizons bying from the countryside to the city, huh? But this isn¡¯t something a country bumpkin like you can participate in. The judging panel must have given you an Outstanding Prize only because they took pity on you. If it were me, I¡¯d be too embarrassed toe!¡±


    The only person who had caught arrogant Chubby Boy¡¯s eyes was the bespectacled girl. Therefore, he had been annoyed to see her talking to Shao Xi.


    Back in the county, those children had been despised because they didn¡¯t have stic sandals. Now, in the city, Shao Xi was despised because of his stic sandals. This was because many children in the city were proud of wearing leather sandals. stic sandals were considered cheap goods by them.


    Ever since Shao Xi had gotten his sandals, he¡¯d liked wearing them and had treasured them very much. He hadn¡¯t expected to be despised for it.


    Shao Xi scoffed. ¡°I like topete using my true abilities. The winner and loser will be revealed soon. If you want to bark, you can wait and see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one barking. You¡¯re the dog.¡± Chubby Boy snorted in disdain. ¡°Those who don¡¯t know any better might think you¡¯ll win, but you are overestimating yourself. Don¡¯t cry when you lose!¡±


    ¡°Counterattack. You don¡¯t cry if you lose!¡±


    Shao Xi could easily anger someone to death with his words. Chubby Boy¡¯s agitated reaction attracted the attention of the parents behind him.


    Mu Jingzhe was sitting in the back. She had noticed that there were parents around with cameras and whole families that hade together. She was the only one without a camera.


    She thought for a moment and asked the old man beside her if he could also help her take a photo of her child. She wanted to develop the photo and keep it.


    The old man understood Mu Jingzhe¡¯s feelings and agreed readily. ¡°Sure, leave me your address. I¡¯ll send it to you after I develop it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. How much is the photograph? I¡¯ll pay you in advance.¡±


    ¡°No need. It doesn¡¯t cost much. You don¡¯t have to pay me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had just finished writing down her name and address when she heard some noise ahead. Worried, she went forward to take a look. Shao Xi looked at her and smiled, saying that he was fine.


    Since the award ceremony had officially started, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ask any more questions.


    Although it wasn¡¯t a big affair, the award ceremony was organized quite well. There was even a performance at the start.


    Soon, it was time for the official award ceremony. First was the Outstanding Prize, but Shao Xi wasn¡¯t among those who received it.


    Chubby Boy¡¯s expression was a little sulky. He thought that Shao Xi had won the third prize, so he whispered to him, ¡°Even if you get third ce, you¡¯ll still be someone I defeated.¡±


    In the end, when the third ce was called out, it turned out to be the bespectacled little girl. The remaining two candidates were Chubby Boy and Shao Xi.


    Chubby Boy¡¯s countenance was awful. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to get second ce, but you¡¯ll never be as good as me¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, his name was heard. He¡¯d gotten second ce and Second Prize.


    Shao Xi had won first ce and First Prize.


    On the stage, Chubby Boy¡¯s expression was so ugly that it didn¡¯t look like he was going up to receive an award. Instead, he looked like he was attending a funeral, and there was even a hint of panic on his face.


    Holding the trophy, Shao Xi didn¡¯t pay attention to Chubby Boy. He didn¡¯t want to pay attention to him, nor did he want to add insult to injury. He only looked at Mu Jingzhe, who stood up and pped excitedly, and waved his hand.


    Mu Jingzhe was ecstatic. She had thought that he wouldn¡¯t get first ce. Indeed, a bigshot was a bigshot.


    After the old man took a photo, Mu Jingzhe ran over excitedly and hugged Shao Xi. ¡°Little Xi, you¡¯re awesome! You¡¯re amazing! How can you be so amazing?¡±


    When he saw how worked up Mu Jingzhe was, Shao Xi¡¯s ears turned red. He coughed and handed the trophy to her. ¡°Since you¡¯re so happy and you like it so much, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi. Without even thinking it through, when she saw his handsome, cool, and tender appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but kiss his forehead.


    Shao Xi was stunned.


    He had seen Mu Jingzhe kiss Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s foreheads, but he had never thought that he would be kissed too. His face instantly turned red.


    Mu Jingzhe felt a little embarrassed when she realized what she had done. However, she quickly became thick-skinned. ¡°I¡¯m your mother, so don¡¯t be stingy. Let me give you a kiss. You¡¯re all grown up now. I won¡¯t have a chance in the future.¡±


    When a child of the opposite sex grew up, a parent ought to keep a certain distance from them, for the child¡¯s good. Right now, she was grasping at herst opportunities to do so before it was toote.


    Next year, at thetest, she wouldn¡¯t have this chance. Upon thinking about it, she felt quite regretful. ¡°When I go back and see your older brother, I¡¯m going to kiss him too. Otherwise, I won¡¯t have a chance in this lifetime.¡±

 Chapter 94 - Third Wheel

    <h4>Chapter 94: Third Wheel</h4>


    She even wanted to go back and kiss his big brother?


    Shao Xi snorted and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You were praising me just now, and now you¡¯re thinking of my big brother.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe clicked her tongue. ¡°What kind of words are those?¡±


    She boldly touched Shao Xi¡¯s head, very much cherishing this opportunity. There wouldn¡¯t be many more opportunities to stroke his head. When he grew up, she wouldn¡¯t have a chance to do so anymore.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop fooling around. When can I see your work? I don¡¯t even know what you wrote this time. You said you would let me see it as soon as you finished writing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see it tomorrow. From now on, the winners¡¯ works will take turns being published in the children¡¯s newspaper. The first-ce winner¡¯s essay will be published tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°So your work will be published in the newspaper? Our Little Xi is really impressive. Wait till I buy a hundred¡­ no, a thousand copies!¡±


    The corners of Shao Xi¡¯s mouth kept curling up, but he cautioned her. ¡°1,000 copies is too much. If you buy so many, other people won¡¯t be able to buy and read it. Also, it¡¯ll be hard to carry so many copies home.¡±


    ¡°But we have to give some away and keep some for our collection. We have to buy more. When school reopens, the school will surely publicize it and keep a few copies for future students to see.¡± Mu Jingzhe pondered it for a moment. ¡°But you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s buy a hundred copies then.¡±


    In the future, Shao Xi would definitely have more work.


    They were talking happily, so they didn¡¯t notice the hostile, envious gaze of Chubby Boy while his mother dragged him out.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi were about to leave when they happened to meet the old man with the camera. The old man was the bespectacled little girl¡¯s grandfather. When he saw them, he greeted them and even asked if the mother-and-son duo wanted to take a photo together.


    Mu Jingzhe thanked him profusely. She hugged Shao Xi and raised the trophy for the camera.


    ¡°Little Xi, smile!¡± Their smiles were captured by the camera.


    The bespectacled little girl congratted Shao Xi. Mu Jingzhe was so grateful for their help that she took a bunch of hair ornaments out of her bag and gave them to her. ¡°Take them and wear them.¡±


    This was a beautiful encounter.


    Before leaving, Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe went to the washroom and saw Chubby Boy at the top of the stairs again.


    Chubby Boy was being scolded by his equally chubby mother, who was twisting his ear, calling him a disgrace, and asking him why he hadn¡¯t won first ce. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get first ce? Didn¡¯t I tell you that other than first ce, everything else is meaningless? It¡¯s useless for you to get second ce. No one looks at the second-ce winner.¡±


    Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe looked at each other and felt that he was a tad pitiful. Then, they heard Chubby Boy shout, ¡°I¡¯ll win next time! I¡¯ll definitely beat that country bumpkin.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard this form of address, she felt that she had pitied him for nothing. She frowned and ignored them.


    She had wanted to tell the parent not to twist his ear like that, for it was bad for the child and she might identally damage his ear.


    However, when she heard him call Shao Xi a country bumpkin, she was displeased. Parents and children like them probably wouldn¡¯t heed her words, and she would only attract trouble by meddling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Little Xi. Don¡¯t mind the people who nder you. They¡¯re only ndering you because they¡¯re inferior to you.¡±


    Who would care about the person who lost to them if they won?


    Shao Xi was at first a little unhappy. After all, that boy had called him a country bumpkin. The clothes he wore and everything he used had been given to him by Mu Jingzhe, and he was already very satisfied. However, when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯sforting words, he cheered up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll beat him every time in the future!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you win or not. It¡¯s good to have an opponent, but one¡¯s greatest opponent is oneself.¡±


    Shao Xi listened to Mu Jingzhe and saw that she was holding his shoulders as if she was protecting him, as though they were truly mother and son. He nodded obediently.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll listen to you, Mommy.¡±


    Only then did he realize that this was how his younger sister, Little Bei, had felt when she had gone out alone with Mommy.


    Shao Xi felt a little ashamed. Although he was a little selfish, it felt good to have his mother all to himself because it felt like his mother¡¯s heart was with him when they were alone. It waspletely different from when they were at home, where Mu Jingzhe had to split her attention between the five of them.


    No wonder Little Bei was bing clingier and clingier and liked her more and more every day. He felt the same way.


    Besides, Little Bei was a girl. She might be even closer to Mommy when she went out with her alone.


    Shao Xi¡¯s hunch was right. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were indeed more intimate. Little Bei was young, and mothers tended to be more intimate with daughters, so there was nock of hugging, piggybacking, and kissing.


    Mu Jingzhe would kiss Little Bei every day, and Little Bei had also kissed her cheek before.


    It wasn¡¯t that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s rtionship with Shao Dong and Shao Xi wasn¡¯t good, but it was impossible for them to be that intimate.


    At this thought, Mu Jingzhe happened to let go of his shoulder. He tilted his head and secretly nced at Mu Jingzhe. Seeing the mother-and-son duo walking in front of them, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly want to hold Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand.


    Before he could reach out, Mu Jingzhe raised her head and called out, ¡°Ji Buwang!¡±


    Shao Xi found himself grasping air. He pursed his lips and retracted his hand, then followed Mu Jingzhe as she went up to Ji Buwang.


    He was a little annoyed. Why was Teacher Ji here again? Didn¡¯t he have to go home or do anything to keep busy?


    Ji Buwang was waiting for them at the door. Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. ¡°Are you done? Did you go home?¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded vaguely. ¡°I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal and do my part as a host. I know a private restaurant that serves excellent food, but the location is a little remote. Many foreigners don¡¯t know about it. Only locals go there to eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sorry to trouble you then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡± Ji Buwang led the way and didn¡¯t ignore Shao Xi. ¡°Shao Xi, did you win a prize?¡±


    Shao Xi replied disinterestedly, ¡°Mm.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly added, ¡°Shao Xi won the first prize and was the only elementary school student to receive a prize. The other prize winners were older than him.¡±


    Her tone was unconsciously unting, just like the way other mothers bragged about their children.


    Shao Xi could tell, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His mood finally improved a little.


    Then, he heard Ji Buwang say, ¡°You¡¯re so impressive. Congrattions.¡±


    The corners of Shao Xi¡¯s mouth arched slightly. Although hispliments were quite nice, he still didn¡¯t feel very good.


    Shao Xi felt like Ji Buwang was totally the third wheel his mother spoke of.


    He was always sandwiched between him and Mommy. This rare trip for two had, due to his insistence to tag along, turned into a trip for three.


    Third-wheel Ji Buwang was constantly around and kept staring at Mu Jingzhe and talking to her, attracting her attention. After a while, Shao Xi looked listless and couldn¡¯t muster up any energy.


    Even Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang sensed it. They thought that Shao Xi was hungry. ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    When they arrived, Ji Buwang skillfully ordered several dishes and sighed with emotion. ¡°I haven¡¯t been here in four years.¡±


    Four years had passed, and many things were now very different. However, the vor of the food this restaurant served hadn¡¯t changed.


    It had been decades, but the taste had remained the same.


    The food tasted really good. Mu Jingzhe was quite surprised and even told Shao Xi, ¡°Let¡¯s note down the address. We can bring Little Bei and the rest to eat here next time.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    After they were done eating, Ji Buwang said that it was still too early to go back and suggested they walk around since they were already there.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping then.¡±


    She wanted to see what was popr in the city. If there was something suitable, she would buy it for the kids so that they wouldn¡¯t be called country bumpkins again.


    Although this city was still far fromparable to modern-age big cities, there were indeed quite a lot of people on the pedestrian streets in the city center.


    Mu Jingzhe took Shao Xi¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t let go, okay?¡±


    Although Shao Xi wasn¡¯t a toddler anymore, it would be bad if they got separated due to bad luck.


    Shao Xi looked at his hand, which was being held, then at Ji Buwang beside him, and finally smiled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mommy only held his hand, not the third wheel¡¯s!

 Chapter 95 - Dead

    <h4>Chapter 95: Dead</h4>


    If Ji Buwang could see Shao Xi¡¯s face, he would probably guess what was on his mind.


    However, even though he couldn¡¯t see Shao Xi¡¯s expression, he could sense that Shao Xi wasn¡¯t in high spirits. Gazing at Shao Xi, he urged himself and smiled.


    Children still needed some coaxing. When Ji Buwang saw that there was someone selling popsicles not far away, he quickly told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°I¡¯ll go buy a popsicle. Wait for me here.¡±


    Popsicles were really rare in this era. Eating one on a hot summer day would make one feel cool all over. Coincidentally, it was noon and the weather was hot.


    Shao Xi salivated a little when he heard that. Then, he became even more confident upon recalling that he had received 100 yuan as a prize today! He could buy a lot of popsicles now. It was just that he wanted to save up to buy a car.


    After Ji Buwang paid, he nced at the popsicles wrapped in a cotton nket inside the boss¡¯s wooden box and quickly chose three.


    When he turned around and saw the dense crowd, his face stiffened.


    Where was Mu Jingzhe? Where was she?


    Ji Buwang actually didn¡¯t like going out in the streets because it was too crowded with people. All he could see was a sea of blurry faces.


    At a time like this, it was very difficult for him to use his own memory method. Once he got separated from someone, that was it for him.


    When he was young, Ji Buwang¡¯s parents had taken him out to shop once. Because he had identally let go of his mother¡¯s hand, he hadn¡¯t been able to find his mother when he¡¯d looked up again.


    Although his mother had found him very quickly, the incident had left a trauma in his young heart and made him averse to crowds.


    He was afraid that the people he went out with would bepletely drowned in the crowd. That helpless feeling left him with an overwhelming sense of despair.


    Ji Buwang looked at the crowd in front of him, his breathing bing a little rapid. At that moment, he suddenly saw Mu Jingzhe.


    It turned out that Mu Jingzhe had temporarily turned her head with her back facing him to say something to Shao Xi. Then, she quickly turned around.


    Among the sea of thousands of people, Ji Buwang saw her at first nce.


    Amidst the blurriness, a clear and bright face appeared.


    Mu Jingzhe, who also saw Ji Buwang, raised her hand and waved. She remembered that Ji Buwang had face blindness, and that was why she waved at him.


    That smile and the wave of her hand were forever engraved in Ji Buwang¡¯s memory.


    After searching for her hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd, he suddenly turned back, and there she was by the dim light.


    Ji Buwang suddenly thought of an extract from a Southern Song dynasty poem. He smiled and walked toward Mu Jingzhe.


    From now on, he no longer had to be afraid of crowds. No matter how many people there were, he would always be able to see her at a nce.


    Ji Buwang handed the popsicles to them. ¡°Eat them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe thanked him as she took the popsicle, which was giving off cold air.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Ji Buwang smiled.


    His heart was thumping wildly, and he felt unprecedented peace.


    Standing in the middle, Shao Xi looked at Ji Buwang and then at Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    For some reason, he felt that Teacher Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes looked like lightbulbs, and they seemed to have be even brighter.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t like the look in Teacher Ji¡¯s eyes. It was as if he would snatch his mother away at any moment.


    Shao Xi tugged at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand to distract her. ¡°Mommy, that building is so tall.¡±


    ¡°That building is the tallest in the city. There¡¯s even a tower up there,¡± Ji Buwang added. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi took a bite of the popsicles and let them slowly melt in their mouths as they walked over.


    While walking slowly to the tall building, Ji Buwang was about to speak when he suddenly heard a short shriek.


    A secondter, something fell from high above andnded with a loud bang less than two meters in front of them.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi, who were startled, looked over instinctively.


    He merely took one look, and the popsicle in his hand fell to the ground. Due to the hot weather, after the popsicle fell to the ground, it instantly melted a little.


    The white popsicle created a sharp contrast with the red color beside it. Mu Jingzhe saw the face she had just seen not too long ago.


    Round, chubby, fair¡­


    However, at that moment, his appearance had changed. His face had be grotesque and deformed, as though it had been dyed with remaining grievances.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi knew that they shouldn¡¯t look, but they couldn¡¯t react at all at that moment. Their minds were nk.


    Then, a pair of hands blocked their eyes.


    ¡°Stop looking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    Ji Buwang covered their eyes and pulled them into his arms.


    Ji Buwang had naturally seen everything. This was also the first time he had encountered such a thing.


    However, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad for him because he couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face. He just saw the fear on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face.


    Ji Buwang covered Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi¡¯s eyes without giving it much thought.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vision darkened, and she finally regained the ability to think.


    She felt Shao Xi¡¯s hand tremble and heard his voice quivering. ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard Shao Xi¡¯s voice, she was certain that it was Chubby Boy, the boy who had insulted Shao Xi by calling him a ¡®country bumpkin¡¯.


    Perhaps because the sun was too hot, Mu Jingzhe felt dizzy.


    She tried her best to calm down and grabbed Shao Xi¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Little Xi. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    She tried tofort Shao Xi, but her voice was shaking, and she couldn¡¯t quite control her hands. ¡°We have to call an ambnce¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe momentarily forgot that they weren¡¯t in the modern era. In a daze, she started looking for her cell phone, wanting to use it to call an ambnce.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t know what Mu Jingzhe was looking for, so he grabbed her hand. ¡°Jingzhe, what are you looking for?¡±


    Only then did Mu Jingzhe remember that she didn¡¯t have a cell phone.


    All Shao Xi could feel in his heart was iciness. It took him a long time to find the strength to grasp Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand tightly.


    ¡°Teacher Ji¡­ can you save him?¡±


    Ji Buwang furrowed his brows and looked at the pool of blood in front of him, feeling that it was toote for that.


    When everyone heard about the ident, they gathered around. A man boldly stepped forward and shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s not breathing.¡±


    He¡­ had died.


    Shao Xi¡¯s heart sank when he heard this.


    He had just won thepetition and he had been feeling happy about winning the prize, but that very afternoon, he had seen hispetitor jump to his death right in front of him.


    Because they had quarreled previously and Chubby Boy had said mean things about him and scorned him, Shao Xi had found him really annoying. He had even been happy that he had beaten him, but a secondter, he had died in front of him.


    Why? Why had he died? Had he jumped because he had lost?


    Was it because Shao Xi had won?


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this wouldn¡¯t have happened if he hadn¡¯te to thepetition and won.


    Shao Xi unconsciously exerted strength with his hand, and Mu Jingzhe, whose mind was still a mess, was suddenly woken up by Shao Xi¡¯s forceful grip.


    This wasn¡¯t the time to be afraid. The most important person now was Shao Xi. Shao Xi was the one who had suffered the biggest blow.


    Mu Jingzhe bit the tip of her tongue to calm herself down and hugged Shao Xi.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Little Xi. Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    Shao Xi let out a harsh breath when Mu Jingzhe hugged him. ¡°Mommy, is it because of me¡­¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not. It had nothing to do with you,¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately replied firmly. ¡°We just met him today. It had nothing to do with us.¡±

 Chapter 96 - Pay With His Life

    <h4>Chapter 96: Pay With His Life</h4>


    As the old saying goes, one shouldn¡¯t criticize a dead person no matter what. Life is the most noble thing.


    Mu Jingzhe also felt regretful. After all, Chubby Boy was still young, and his life had just begun. That said, she couldn¡¯t shoulder all the me just because she felt guilty and sorry for him.


    How old was Shao Xi? He was only half of Chubby Boy¡¯s age. He was also very pitiful.


    From the standpoint of a parent, how was this fair to Shao Xi, who might be traumatized by all of this?


    ¡°Little Xi, don¡¯t think too much. Don¡¯t think too much.¡± At that moment, Mu Jingzhe only wanted to protect Shao Xi.


    When Shao Xi finally calmed down, they heard someone shout that the child¡¯s mother had arrived.


    Someone who knew Chubby Boy had gone to inform his mother.


    Chubby Boy¡¯s mother ran a shop just across the street, so she wasn¡¯t far away. She rushed over in no time.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi met the chubby mother they hade across in the morning again. In contrast to her ferociousness in the morning, right now, the chubby mother¡¯s face was filled with panic and disbelief.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be my Chubby Boy. No, he just went to collect some folk songs. It¡¯s not him¡­¡±


    She kept denying it until she saw the body and his familiar clothes. Her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees.


    The person supporting her wasn¡¯t able to pull her up no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡°No, no¡­ Mommy only chided you a little. How can you just leave me like that!¡± Shey on the ground, unable to stand up. Later on, she only managed to make her way over by crawling.


    ¡°Please, everyone, help me take a look. Help me save him¡­¡± She wailed, her voice shrill.


    The surrounding onlookers couldn¡¯t bear to watch and turned their heads away. The two people standing beside Mu Jingzhe whispered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why she shouldn¡¯t have hit and scolded the child all the time. She even said that he¡¯d be useless if he didn¡¯t win first ce and he should just die.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was appalled. She and Shao Xi had seen Chubby Boy get scolded, but they hadn¡¯t known that she used to say such awful things to him.


    From their intermittent conversation, Mu Jingzhe had learned that Chubby Boy had been single-handedly raised by his mother. His father had passed away when he was very young.


    He had been a writer and poet whose books had even been published. He used to be a famous schr.


    Chubby Boy had been talented from a young age. His mother had ced great importance on grooming him, but she had been too strict with him. No matter thepetition he participated in, he had to win first ce. Otherwise, he would be scolded or beaten up.


    Chubby Boy had been forced into a corner, and everyone had tried to persuade the mother, but to no avail. His mother had always said that this was the only way to be sessful.


    In the end, Chubby Boy hadn¡¯t been able to take it anymore and had chosen to resolve this in the worst way possible, by killing himself, just as his mother had told him to.


    As a mother, how could she ept that she had forced her own child to his death? In the end, she fainted from crying. The people around her helped call the police and take care of the funeral arrangements.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi¡¯s pale face and knew that she couldn¡¯t help, so she brought him away.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was in a hurry to leave, didn¡¯t even look in the direction she was going. She was going in apletely different direction from the guesthouse. It was Ji Buwang whoter led them back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much.¡± Ji Buwangforted her. ¡°We can only hope that something like this won¡¯t happen again in the future.¡±


    That chubby mother¡¯s educational methods weren¡¯t desirable, and neither was Chubby Boy¡¯s method. No matter what, one ought to cherish one¡¯s life.


    Ji Buwang tried tofort Shao Xi, but thetter didn¡¯t say a word. At his tender age, there was only so much he could endure.


    Mu Jingzhe had originally nned on going back, but after what had happened, it was a little difficult for them to go back right away. She roused herself and said, ¡°Give him some alone time and let him rest.¡± She needed some time to calm down herself.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll be next door. Call me if anything happens. Don¡¯t think too much.¡±


    Shao Xiy on the bed obediently, but he didn¡¯t dare close his eyes. The moment he did, he felt as if he could see Chubby Boy crashing to the ground in front of him again.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was experiencing the same thing, told Shao Xi, ¡°When his work is published, let¡¯s buy a copy, alright? From now on, we¡¯ll burn paper money for him this time of the year. If there are any good pieces, we¡¯ll burn them for him too so he can read them over there.¡±


    Shao Xi finally responded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    With Chubby Boy gone, the one in the most pain would definitely be the chubby mother he had left behind. She would probably feel guilty for the rest of her life. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart was heavy.


    Unexpectedly, right after Mu Jingzhe expressed her sympathy, the chubby mother came to their door at night.


    ¡°Shao Xi, are you inside? Get the hell out here!¡±


    Now that such a thing had happened, it was unavoidable that the organizer of thepetition would step in. The chubby mother had used them of being unfair, which had resulted in the death of her son, andter on, she¡¯d somehow managed to get hold of Shao Xi¡¯s address.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. Get out here. I¡¯m going to kill you today to get revenge for my son¡¯s life!¡±


    It turned out that she was there to avenge Chubby Boy. Ignoring the owner¡¯s obstruction, she had brought a pair of scissors to the door and she was pounding on it.


    The owner wanted to stop her, but the chubby mother held the scissors to her neck.


    ¡°If you continue to stop me, I¡¯ll die in front of you. If I can¡¯t even avenge my son, I don¡¯t want to live anymore. What¡¯s the point of me living?¡±


    The owner was forced to retreat, and Mu Jingzhe, who was inside, frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s fine.¡± Mu Jingzheforted Shao Xi. She didn¡¯t understand what was going on in this person¡¯s mind. Why would she think of looking for Shao Xi?


    However, the chubby mother had found an outlet to vent her anger. ¡°Open the door, Shao Xi. Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re keeping quiet I won¡¯t know you¡¯re in there. You are the one who caused Chubby Boy¡¯s death, yet you still have the nerve to live!¡±


    Ji Buwang came out to stop her. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? What does this have to do with Shao Xi!¡±


    ¡°How is it not rted to him? If he hadn¡¯t gotten first ce, my Chubby Boy wouldn¡¯t have died. Shao Xi even provoked him and scolded him. He¡¯s the one who forced my Chubby Boy to his death.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s face, which had finally eased up, turned pale. He was already ming himself to begin with, so when he heard this, he was even more convinced that it was his fault.


    Mu Jingzhe was furious. ¡°Little Xi, stay there and don¡¯t move.¡±


    She gritted her teeth and opened the door. ¡°Bah! You¡¯re using my Little Xi of causing your child¡¯s death? It was clearly you who caused the death of your son!¡±


    Initially, Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t want to say this because it was too agitating for a mother to hear. However, this time, she was really furious.


    She pitied this mother, but in the end, she wanted to pin the me on Shao Xi. Those who didn¡¯t know better might think that it was true!


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that outsiders don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve already heard about it. You¡¯re the one who kept scolding your son and forcing him to do this. You¡¯re the one who told him to die if he didn¡¯t get first ce. You know very well why your son died.


    ¡°I used to pity you, but it turns out that you don¡¯t even know how to reflect. All you know is how to me others. What kind of mother does this?!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth. ¡°No wonder he wanted to leave. You were the one who forced him to do that. It¡¯s all because he had a mother like you!¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been easy for the chubby mother to make up an excuse to absolve herself of the me and find a scapegoat, but in the end, Mu Jingzhe ruthlessly exposed the truth. How could she take it?


    ¡°Shut up, shut up!¡± She shrieked and waved the scissors over. Her eyes were red and filled with hatred, as though she wanted to kill Mu Jingzhe.

 Chapter 97 - Framed

    <h4>Chapter 97: Framed</h4>


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Ji Buwang immediately tried to stop her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes turned cold. She blocked the door with the broom, seized the scissors, and pinned the chubby mother to the ground.


    The chubby mother couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Are you awake now? If you¡¯re awake and you stop biting people, I¡¯ll let go of you!¡±


    Seeing that the chubby mother couldn¡¯t calm down for a while, Mu Jingzhe asked Ji Buwang to call the police.


    In the end, the chubby mother was taken away by the police. In her situation, Mu Jingzhe definitely could have pursued the matter.


    However, when she thought of the cause of it, she decided to forget it in the end. She only hoped that the woman wouldn¡¯t cause them trouble again in the future.


    Shao Xi had been looking pale all this while, so Mu Jingzheforted him. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. She just feels terrible, so she has to find an excuse. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to live with herself.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that this matter was finally over, but she didn¡¯t expect that the trouble was far from over.


    Not long after the chubby mother was taken away, there was another knock on the door. This time, it was the police. ¡°Are you Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Shao Xi, right? I might have to trouble you toe with us to cooperate with the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need them to cooperate with the investigation?¡± Ji Buwang asked in dissatisfaction.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there.¡±


    When they arrived at the police station, they found out that the chubby mother had used Shao Xi of pushing her son.


    Although the police was skeptical, this wasn¡¯t something to joke about. After hearing such an important clue, they hade to inquire about it.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless when she heard the usation. ¡°When he fell down, we were right below and saw him fall with our own eyes. Shao Xi was also with us the entire time. How could he possibly have run up there and pushed someone?


    ¡°She¡¯s deliberately framing Shao Xi. She¡¯s taking her anger out on him!¡±


    At the time, there had been many people at the scene, so there were many witnesses. Soon, the chubby mother¡¯s usation was proven to be pure nder.


    When the investigation was over, Mu Jingzhe was about to leave with Shao Xi, but the chubby mother refused to give up.


    ¡°What are you doing? Why are you letting the culprit leave? Hurry up and arrest him. Give him the death sentence! My son was killed by him. How can you let him go!


    ¡°Did you collude with her? Did she bribe you? Listen to me, if you dare let them go today, I¡¯ll sue you for collusion and inaction!¡±


    The police felt helpless after meeting such a lunatic. They exined a few times, but she wouldn¡¯t hear any of it.


    ¡°I said he killed him, and that is it. I saw it with my own eyes. He¡¯s my son¡¯s murderer. If you don¡¯t lock him up, they¡¯ll escape tonight. If you people can¡¯t find him after he flees, let¡¯s see who¡¯s going to take responsibility!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at her and knew that she had gonepletely crazy. Her stubbornness was beyond redemption.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Jingzhe wrapped her arms around Shao Xi¡¯s shoulders and got ready to leave. Unexpectedly, she heard something and sensed that something was amiss a secondter.


    She turned around and saw that the chubby mother had freed herself from the police officer¡¯s hold on her and pounced on Shao Xi with red eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression changed as she swiftly grabbed Shao Xi.


    The chubby mother missed. When she turned around, she was stopped by Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected her to attack Shao Xi mercilessly. The chubby mother screamed repeatedly.


    The few policemen around were also furious. They went forward and grabbed the chubby mother again. This time, they didn¡¯t show any mercy to her out ofpassion.


    ¡°Stop it. Don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll keep tolerating you just because you¡¯re the victim¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me! Get out of the way! If you don¡¯t do anything, I¡¯ll do it myself. I want to kill him. I want him to pay with his life!¡±


    A deranged expression appeared on the chubby mother¡¯s face. She red at Shao Xi with red eyes filled with killing intent, like a demon from hell.


    Shao Xi¡¯s face turned pale, and his body trembled.


    Mu Jingzhe hugged Shao Xi and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look, Little Xi. Don¡¯t look at her. She¡¯s already gone crazy.¡±


    She was very pitiful now that her son had died, but she shouldn¡¯t have med Shao Xi for it.


    The evil and despicable side of human nature had been thoroughly revealed in front of Shao Xi in just one day. Mu Jingzhe covered Shao Xi¡¯s ears to prevent him from hearing all this. She looked at the chubby mother, who was still screaming, and then at the policemen beside her.


    ¡°I want to file a police report!¡±


    The police officer beside her was stunned. ¡°What? You¡­ want to file a police report?¡±


    ¡°What? I can¡¯t file a police report just because she¡¯s pitiful? She ndered us first and now she¡¯s attacking and threatening us. Everything happened right under your noses. Aren¡¯t you going to do something about this?¡±


    ¡°We will. We didn¡¯t say we wouldn¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s just¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just what? She¡¯s already crazy, so she can do anything. If you still don¡¯t do anything about it, will you wait for another victim to appear? When that timees, who will pay for it with their life?¡±


    The chubby mother¡¯s crazy actions and her attack on Shao Xi hadpletely angered Mu Jingzhe.


    Pity wasn¡¯t a medallion for death exemption. Right now, she only wanted to protect Shao Xi.


    No one could refute Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. Everyone had seen many people go crazy because of idents or other reasons. This mother was indeed capable of doing anything.


    In order to ensure Shao Xi¡¯s safety and make the chubby mother calm downpletely, the police decided to keep an eye on her. This was also for her own good.


    Amidst the chubby mother¡¯s indignant screams, Mu Jingzhe left the police station with Shao Xi and Ji Buwang.


    ¡°She¡¯s already gone crazy. Little Xi, don¡¯t listen to her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Little Xi. She¡¯s just spouting nonsense. She¡¯s in hell herself, so she wants to drag you to hell too. If you listen to her, you¡¯ll be ying right into her hands. Pay no heed to what she says.¡± Ji Buwang also tried to advise Shao Xi.


    This reasoning was reasonable, but to Shao Xi, this was still too heavy a burden. Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe was beside him.


    Shao Xi held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and, feeling the warmth of her body, he nodded.


    He couldn¡¯t let his mother worry either. He didn¡¯t want her eyes to be filled with worry.


    Although Shao Xi tried his best to be calm, it was impossible for him to sleep well after going through so much.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t turn off the light and stayed with Shao Xi. Only after midnight did Shao Xi fall asleep.


    However, after he fell asleep, he had a nightmare, and so did Mu Jingzhe. She had a nightmare too.


    Before dawn, Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi¡¯s open eyes and sighed.


    These five children¡¯s fates were really bumpy. To think they would even encounter such a thing at apetition. It was as if the heavens were deliberately testing them to make things difficult for them.


    Mu Jingzhe said a lot tofort Shao Xi, and in the end, she brought up the topic of the meaning of writing.


    ¡°Things like this happen in the world. That¡¯s why you need someone to write about them to warn the world, right? So you¡¯re not wrong, Little Xi.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up. He had genuinely found a reason to write. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why didn¡¯t I think of that? Can I write more in the future so that parents and students can read about this and not do anything foolish?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately nodded in support. It was good that he had found an aim.


    Just now, she had been afraid that Shao Xi would be traumatized and afraid of writing due to this incident.


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll write more in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I support you!¡± Mu Jingzhe clenched her fists.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected that Shao Xi¡¯s future would take a turn at this point.

 Chapter 98 - Ji Buwangs Secret

    <h4>Chapter 98: Ji Buwang¡¯s Secret</h4>


    Shao Xi had many marvelous ideas, but his experiences in his previous life had made him full of criticism and rejection for this society and world.


    The protagonists in his works were very charismatic, but they had both a kind side and an evil side. There were characters in his novels who were entirely good.


    Because of this, although he became world-famous and many people knew him, his reputation was a mix of praise and criticism, and there were plenty of controversies about his work.


    Moreover, he did things based on his mood, which was simr to his work. Many people said that there was something wrong with his character.


    This was also why a lot of people said that although his work was very widespread, it wasn¡¯t considered a masterpiece. But now, Shao Xi¡¯s path had taken another turn because of Mu Jingzhe.


    In his previous life, Shao Xi hadn¡¯t submitted his work to take part inpetitions at this point. His essays had also been criticized by Zhang Fei and deemed worthless by thetter. They had been in despair in their previous lifetime by now.


    This time, he had submitted his work and written quite a lot. Furthermore, because of this matter, he had a new goal.


    This change was undoubtedly good for his future.


    However, the current Shao Xi, who had a goal, was still troubled by thepetition.


    Although the original reason for thepetition was good and the goal was just as good, thepetition had be a fuse in the end.


    Shao Xi hesitated for a moment before telling Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mom, arepetitions bad? Should I notpete in the future?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong withpetitions per se. Many people gain confidence by taking part inpetitions, as they give them a chance to prove themselves. This is a good thing, but some people don¡¯t fare well inpetitions.¡±


    Although she said that, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t force Shao Xi. ¡°If you really think it¡¯s bad, then you shall notpete for the next year, alright?¡±


    Shao Xi immediately nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    After packing up, Mu Jingzhe took Shao Xi out and saw Ji Buwang at the door.


    Judging by Ji Buwang¡¯s bloodshot eyes, he probably hadn¡¯t slept well either. ¡°You¡¯re up too? Why didn¡¯t you knock?¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°I was just about to knock.¡±


    Actually, Ji Buwang had been at the door the entire night, guarding them.


    He wanted to be able to hear them if they called for him. Also, he feared that the chubby mother would show up again.


    He thought that by keeping watch, he would be able to stop her immediately. Fortunately, nothing had happened.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say much. Instead, he said, ¡°Wash up first. I¡¯ll go buy breakfast.¡±


    After breakfast, Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression. ¡°Do you want to go out for a walk and y in the park today?¡±


    He wanted them to rx and get rid of any bad luck. ¡°I heard that there¡¯s an amusement park in the park now. There is also a carousel.¡±


    A carousel? Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi. ¡°Do you want to go?¡±


    Shao Xi wasn¡¯t really in the mood, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t stay like this, so he nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    They went in the morning, so there weren¡¯t many people, but there were quite a few. After all, it was cooler in the mornings during the summer.


    After they walked for a while, their moods brightened up considerably. There weren¡¯t many facilities in the amusement park. When Mu Jingzhe saw the slide, she quickly asked Shao Xi to y.


    Shao Xi looked and shook his head awkwardly. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    The children ying on the slide were all younger than him, and there were also many girls. He didn¡¯t want to go.


    They didn¡¯t y on the slide, and after that, they reached the seesaw. There was no cushion on the seesaw, but it was still very popr. Two or three children sat together to y, and some adults yed with them.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s butt hurt when she saw that, but when she saw that there seemed to be interest in the depths of Shao Xi¡¯s eyes and the people on the seesaw had just left, she asked testingly, ¡°Little Xi, do you want to y?¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°If you y with me, I¡¯ll y.¡±


    However, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi didn¡¯t weigh the same, so Ji Buwang thought of a solution. ¡°You guys sit on one side. I¡¯ll sit on the other side.¡±


    Fine.


    Although the seesaw was simple, it was actually quite fun. It was just that all that jolting was really painful.


    Finally, they reached the most important highlight of the new amusement park that had just been constructed this year¡ªthe carousel.


    In the morning, there was already a queue. Many adults were sitting together with children in their arms. It was very lively.


    ¡°Little Xi, go ride the carousel too. Let¡¯s bring Little Bei and the rest next time so that all five of you can ride the carousel. You can try it first today.¡±


    In the end, Shao Xi was still a child. He had loosened up a bit after ying on the seesaw, so he nodded. ¡°Mommy, are youing too?¡±


    ¡°You can go ahead without me.¡± Most of the adults who rode the carousel with their children were those with extremely young children. Shao Xi was old enough.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Shao Xi nodded.


    Next to them was a child who had just ridden the carousel and was pestering her mother to let her ride it again. She burst into tears when she saw how generous Mu Jingzhe was and threatened her mother, saying that if she refused to let her ride it again, she would be Mu Jingzhe¡¯s child.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing the parent¡¯s angry and amused gaze, Mu Jingzhe smiled awkwardly, indicating that this wasn¡¯t her fault.


    Mu Jingzhe nced at the little girl a few more times but didn¡¯t see Shao Xi¡¯s vignt gaze.


    Shao Xi was really afraid that someone woulde to snatch Mu Jingzhe again. Thus, when Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t paying attention, he red at the little girl.


    The little girl was stunned by his stare and didn¡¯t dare say anything in the end. She was afraid that if she continued, that older brother would hit her.


    She understood the look in that older brother¡¯s eyes. She also hated it when others came to snatch her mother away.


    Amid thismotion, the haze in his heart dissipated.


    When Shao Xi got on the carousel, Mu Jingzhe saw that although his face was tense, his eyes were shining. Judging from his expression, Mu Jingzhe knew that he liked it and heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank you, Ji Buwang.¡± While all these things had happened, he had been by their side.


    ¡°Little Xi and I are much better now. You don¡¯t have to apany me this afternoon. You should go home.¡±


    Ji Buwang shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not specifically not going home because I¡¯m watching over you guys. I just don¡¯t really want to go back.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gave him a questioning look.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Jingzhe, I actually have a secret that I might never be able to tell my loved ones. Can I tell you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was conflicted. ¡°Is it a big secret?¡±


    ording to her experience, when it came to secrets, the less one knew, the better off one was, especially when it came to the secrets of the rich.


    Ji Buwang watched her expression, reading all her emotions. He thenughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s not a big secret. It¡¯s just¡­ something that bothers me. It¡¯s not really a big secret.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe adjusted her expression. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡±


    Adults would always feel a lot of pain and pressure in their hearts. However, oftentimes, when there was something they couldn¡¯t speak about to their friends or colleagues or anyone they knew, they would yearn to have someone to confide in.


    She had been through this before, so she decided to just act as his garbage disposal today.


    Ji Buwang had been apanying them for the past two days, so she had to give him some positive energy.


    Ji Buwang wanted to speak but didn¡¯t seem to know how to say it. ¡°How should I put it? I think we have to start from my birth. My family background is quite good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I can tell.¡± How could he have so many musical instruments at home or developed such a disposition with a poor background?


    ¡°In the eyes of ordinary people, the members of rich families tend topete against each other, but our family is actually fine. Our rtives are quite close too.


    ¡°Unfortunately, time is really a cruel thing, especially during the four years I was unconscious.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention was piqued. She swallowed and asked carefully, ¡°Have you been stripped of your power?¡±


    Had everything changed after he¡¯d woken up four yearster? Was everything no longer his?


    ¡°Yes and no, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s words were shocking. ¡°I¡¯ve actually always retained awareness in the past four years.¡±

 Chapter 99 - I Like You

    <h4>Chapter 99: I Like You</h4>


    ¡°You had awareness during those four years? Weren¡¯t you unconscious?¡±


    ¡°My body was in aa, but I¡¯ve actually always had awareness.¡±


    This was the real reason why Ji Buwang had been here and hadn¡¯t returned to his position. He had actually known about the news of his older brother¡¯s passing long ago.


    Those were his moments of greatest despair. He had clearly been awake, but he had been forcefully trapped in his body.


    He had always had awareness but had been unable to move. He had been iparably clear-headed while appearing to be in a state of ignorance. In the four years he had been unconscious, he had experienced and seen many things.


    At first, everyone had been heartbroken and had oftene to visit him. Gradually, because he had little hope of waking up, fewer and fewer people hade. Everything around him had kept changing, and only Grandpa had been constantly there.


    He¡¯d watched coldly from the sidelines, feeling the changes in everyone while listening. He had felt that everything was the same, but people had changed, and the world was cold.


    Actually,pared to other people, his situation was much better. There were no arguments over the medical fees, nor were there any shocking schemes against him. However, due to this ident, the sessor naturally had to change.


    Everything was logical and reasonable, but when he faced the truth that was revealed in front of him, he still felt disappointed, frustrated, and desperate.


    Therefore, after waking up, he hadn¡¯t contacted anyone or let Uncle Li tell anyone about his condition.


    It wasn¡¯t that he hated them. He just needed some time.


    His secret about retaining awareness all this while had been destined not to be shared with anyone, including his grandfather.


    He had originally nned on not saying anything for the rest of his life, but at that moment, Ji Buwang wanted to tell Mu Jingzhe about it.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed in her heart when she heard that. To be honest, she felt quite upset when she heard it. Just thinking about Ji Buwang¡¯s ident made her go crazy, yet he¡¯d still managed to pull through.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t say anything, but if you feel aggrieved, you can say so,¡± she finally said dryly.


    ¡°I feel much better after telling you.¡± Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°How is it? Do you feel better after hearing my sad story?¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I heard that if you don¡¯t know how tofort someone when they¡¯re sad, you canpete with them over who¡¯s been more miserable. It works better than any words offort.¡±


    Ji Buwang sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how tofort you, so I¡¯ll justpete with you in terms of misery. Did it help you at all?¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°It worked. Thank you. To think you¡¯repeting with me to see who¡¯s more miserable.¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°To show my good intentions, I¡¯ll treat you and Shao Xi to a movie.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you for your good intentions. Since that should be me, how can I let you treat us to a movie?¡±


    ¡°You can treat me then,¡± Ji Buwang immediately added.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Mu Jingzhe agreed readily. After she agreed, something suddenly urred to her.


    It seemed that in this day and age, a man and a woman who weren¡¯t rted to each other only watched movies together on blind dates or if they were dating, right?


    To avoid thinking too much, Mu Jingzhe asked hesitantly, ¡°Is it appropriate for us to go to a movie together? Would it be bad if your family saw us?¡±


    Last time, their housekeeper, Uncle Li, had stared at her strangely. Mu Jingzhe was really afraid that the Ji Family would misunderstand their rtionship and then pay her to leave Ji Buwang.


    Ah, if that happened, she would really take that money.


    Stop! Mu Jingzhe snapped out of her thoughts and heard Ji Buwang say, ¡°It¡¯s fine if they see us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯ll just be watching a movie.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and paused for a moment before saying, ¡°At least, I will not. I do want to pursue you. Can¡¯t you tell?¡±


    For this reason, he had specifically asked around if there had been any changes in the way a man pursued a woman in the past four years.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but let out a cry. ¡°Are you joking?¡± This time, she didn¡¯t want to fall prey to wishful thinking again. In the end, he had confessed?


    ¡°No.¡± Ji Buwang straightened his face. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Mu Jingzhe. I do have designs on you. I want to pursue you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    This was her first confession since her arrival. At this very special moment, the confession had evene from a high-quality man like Ji Buwang.


    She should have been thrilled, but she was only dazed. How had they reached the topic of him having designs on her?


    Wasn¡¯t this jumping the gun a little? How had they gotten to this topic?


    Ji Buwang could roughly guess what she was thinking based on her expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid, nor do you have to think too much. I¡¯m sincere. If you ask, I¡¯ll tell you my thoughts honestly.


    ¡°Since you know now, I hope you can look at me more often in the future to see if I¡¯m someone worth entrusting your happiness with.¡±


    Ji Buwang had already made his intentions clear. Mu Jingzhe probably thought that he¡¯d only chosen her because he could see her.


    He couldn¡¯t deny this. The reason he was thinking of marrying her was indeed because he could see Mu Jingzhe.


    He hadn¡¯t nned on getting married originally because he didn¡¯t want to be unable to see his other half¡¯s face and find her or have his child be like this too.


    What was the simplest, most normal thing to an ordinary person was a luxury to him. However, now that he had Mu Jingzhe, who he could see clearly, he wasn¡¯t afraid anymore.


    Mu Jingzhe was special to him, but it was also because this person was Mu Jingzhe that he had such thoughts.


    ¡°After all this time together, I think we get along well. I¡¯m always looking forward to seeing you, and it¡¯s not just because I want to see your face¡­ So please, do consider it seriously.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was embarrassed. ¡°Thank you for your honesty, but¡­ I have no ns to get married for the time being. I just want to raise the children for now.¡±


    ¡°I can raise them with you.¡± Ji Buwang didn¡¯t think that this was a problem.


    ¡°Raise them with me?¡± Mu Jingzhe was surprised.


    ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. I won¡¯t interfere too much. I¡¯ll just share some of your burden. If you need my help, I can help too.¡± Ji Buwang nodded.


    A dubious look appeared on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face. Could a rich family be like this? Or was it because they were rich that they didn¡¯t mind spending a bit of money to raise a few children?


    Ji Buwang observed her expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous or feel pressured. You can interact with me however you want in the future. You¡¯ve just left a good impression on me.¡±


    Ji Buwang emphasized his next words. ¡°Don¡¯t hide from me because of this, Mu Jingzhe. Just consider it taking pity on me. Don¡¯t hide from me, understand? No matter what, show me your face.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    What was this? Why would she show him her face no matter what?


    Mu Jingzhe felt conflicted. As she was at a loss for words, she heard Shao Xi¡¯s unhappy voice. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Little Xi, you¡¯re back.¡± Mu Jingzhe snapped out of her reverie.


    ¡°Mm, what were you talking about? You were talking really attentively.¡± Shao Xi¡¯s face was full of suspicion. At first, his mother had waved at him like the other mothers.


    He had initially been very happy, but soon, although he had no idea what Teacher Ji had told Mu Jingzhe, he had managed to attract her attentionpletely. She had stopped looking at him. Shao Xi had called her twice but hadn¡¯t been able to attract her attention again.


    Mu Jingzhe had carried him up to the carousel and helped him sit down. When it was over, he¡¯d waited for a long time but Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯te. He¡¯d had to get down by himself.


    Shao Xi even suspected that they wouldn¡¯t have known if he had run away. Shao Xi was a little angry as he gazed at the two of them probingly.


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Surely they couldn¡¯t tell Little Xi that he had just confessed his interest in her!

 Chapter 100 - Shao Qihai

    <h4>Chapter 100: Shao Qihai</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°We weren¡¯t talking about anything. Was it fun? Do you want to y again?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Go y again and give him another chance to be alone with Mommy? Shao Xi wasn¡¯t stupid.


    After ncing at Ji Buwang vigntly, Shao Xi squeezed himself between the two of them and took Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand, pointing at theke in front of them.


    ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go row a boat.¡±


    Although Brother had said that he shouldn¡¯t stop his mother from getting married and having children, and he didn¡¯t intend to stop her from doing so either, he really couldn¡¯t bear for his mother to get married and have children so soon.


    Their happy times together had been too short. So short that he would asionally wake up at night and think it was a dream.


    He wouldn¡¯t force anything else. He just wanted this dream to go on a bit longer for him to truly feel this happiness. After he truly felt it, even if his mother got married and stopped loving them so muchter, he would be able to remember this blissful feeling and memories.


    Shao Xi held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand tightly and suggested rowing the boat together, actively creating blissful memories.


    No matter how much time passed, he could always remember this day, when he and his mother had rowed a boat in the park.


    It was rare for Shao Xi to propose doing something, so how could Mu Jingzhe not agree? ¡°Alright, let¡¯s row the boat.¡±


    Ji Buwang watched as Shao Xi pulled Mu Jingzhe away, then rubbed his nose and followed them.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see Shao Xi¡¯s expression, he could sense the little boy¡¯s hostility toward him.


    Well, among the five children, except for Xiao Wu, who was verypatible with him, the other four were a little hostile to him and treated him as the bad guy who was trying to steal their mommy.


    Although¡­ the kids¡¯ intuition was indeed pretty urate. He did seem guilty of doing that now.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t let go of the five children. If he really wanted to have a good ending with her, he couldn¡¯t ignore the children.


    He was actually rather fond of these five kids, so after he¡¯d realized he had feelings for her, he had considered this problem. Previously, he had even asked other parents what it was like raising children.


    Although he¡¯d received different answers, some saying it was easy and some saying it was hard, he didn¡¯t n on giving up just like that.


    The problem was the children¡¯s attitude toward him. Apart from Xiao Wu, how could he make the others ept him as their stepfather?


    On the first day that he made his intentions clear, Ji Buwang inexplicably felt that it would be a long journey. After all, they were five children, and five smart children at that. They seemed to be even harder to deal with than five brothers-inw.


    Shao Xi pulled Mu Jingzhe toward the boats.


    A park was onlyplete with ake. Although theke wasn¡¯t big, despite its small size, it had everything.


    Unlike modern tourist boats, such as the yellow duck tour boats that could be pedaled, this was a kind of boat that required rowing.


    After observing for a moment, Mu Jingzhe found the cleanest and newest boat.


    ¡°Boss, how much to rent the boat?¡±


    The boss, who had been hiding in the shade, slowly sat up and answered hoarsely.


    He was wearing a tank top and shorts and he had a fan in his hand. When he looked up, all that could be seen of him was a full beard and a big straw hat, making it impossible to see his face.


    Mu Jingzhe took a casual nce and retracted her gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s rent it for an hour first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to pay when Ji Buwang beat her to it. ¡°I happen to have some change here.¡±


    He smiled and looked at the boss. ¡°Boss, take the money.¡±


    The boss, who had been staring at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi, snapped out of his thoughts. He cast a nce at Ji Buwang and took the money.


    For some reason, Ji Buwang felt a chill run down his spine. He nced at the boss suspiciously but couldn¡¯t tell if something was wrong.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jingzhe, Shao Xi.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Jingzhe pulled Shao Xi. Shao Xi frowned and nced at the boss, then let out an ¡®eh¡¯.


    For some reason, Shao Xi felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he looked at the boss, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen him before.


    Just as he was about to think about it carefully, his attention was regretfully diverted by Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Xi turned around and left. The boss, who had originally lowered his head, suddenly looked up and stared at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi.


    He had noticed Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi the moment they had arrived. It was impossible for him not to notice them, as Shao Xi was his son.


    Even though Shao Xi had grown up and changed a lot, he was still his son. He could therefore recognize him at a nce.


    Although he had a full beard and long hair, his expression and eyes revealed a hint of familiarity.


    If Shao Xi would just take a few more looks and imagine this man without his sideburns and beard, he would definitely be able to recognize this person as the heartless father who had abandoned them, Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai was currently hiding in secret and hadn¡¯t expected to run into them.


    At first, he¡¯d only heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s familiar voice and felt that he recognized it, but he hadn¡¯t dared confirm that it was Mu Jingzhe.


    Because Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes were too differentpared to the past, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she hadpletely turned into a different person.


    However,ter on, Ji Buwang had called her name, and Shao Xi was also there. Even if he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had to. Thispletely different, dazzling, and unfamiliar woman was Mu Jingzhe, his wife.


    However, this married couple didn¡¯t recognize each other when they met. More importantly, he saw Ji Buwang following them around.


    Shao Qihai looked at Ji Buwang, who was taking care of Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi, and frowned. So¡­ Jiang Feng might be right.


    Mu Jingzhe seemed to be quite popr now, and it was very likely that she would remarry.


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but feel a little ufortable. To Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai had already been dead when she¡¯d transmigrated there. As soon as she¡¯d arrived, she had been a single person, free to fall in love or get married. It all depended on whether she wanted to or not.


    But to Shao Qihai, regardless of whether they were close or not, he and Mu Jingzhe were married. In his heart, Mu Jingzhe was his wife. It was impossible for him to not care.


    In order to avoid his family being implicated and ensure their safety, he had faked his death. It was normal for Mu Jingzhe to remarry or befriend someone new. Shao Qihai knew that she wasn¡¯t at fault.


    However, even though he knew it, he still felt terrible when he really saw it. Furthermore, that person was Ji Buwang.


    Logically speaking, Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai were people from twopletely different worlds that shouldn¡¯t have had any interactions.


    However, the two of them had crossed paths before. Not only did they know each other, but they were also old rivals.


    Ji Buwang used to be a marksman. Even though he had only learned for a short time and was only an amateur, he had been born to do this.


    With his talent, he had managed to defeat a group of professional men at the outdoor shooting range.


    The professional men were Shao Qihai¡¯srades. They¡¯d thought that they were professional, but in the end, they had been taught a harsh lesson by pretty Ji Buwang.


    After this matter had spread to the troops, the higher-ups had gotten very angry and even increased the intensity of their training, telling them to buck up and be more professional. They also hadn¡¯t forgotten to ask Shao Qihai to ¡®take revenge¡¯.


    Since it wasn¡¯t suitable to have a formalpetition, the higher-ups had asked Shao Qihai to spar with Ji Buwang at the outdoor shooting range to knock him down a notch.


    In the end, he hadn¡¯t seeded. Although Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t lost, he hadn¡¯t won either.


    The two of them had been evenly matched and tied. After that incident, Shao Qihai had deeply remembered Ji Buwang, hispetitor, and even agreed topete again.


    s, they hadn¡¯t gotten a chance topete again subsequently. He had retired from the army due to an injury, and Ji Buwang had also gotten into an ident that had caused him to be a vegetable.


    When he¡¯d heard that, he had felt as regretful as everyone else. After all, they were rarepetitors who had appreciated each other.


    Unexpectedly, they¡¯d bumped into each other today. Ji Buwang, who was supposed to be in a vegetative state, was following Mu Jingzhe around and fawning over her.


    No matter what, Mu Jingzhe was still his wife¡­ At this thought, Shao Qihai suddenly froze. He remembered that he was supposed to be dead, so this rtionship seemed to be temporarily invalid.


    But Ji Buwang had always been arrogant, so why was he treating Mu Jingzhe differently?


    As Shao Qihai listened to theughter on the boat, he felt conflicted. He stared at the boat that was slowly rowing away.

 Chapter 101 - Which Is Better—Birth Father or Stepfather?

    <h4>Chapter 101: Which Is Better¡ªBirth Father or Stepfather?</h4>


    On the little boat, Shao Xi finally learned to row.


    He could have just sat there and yed with the water while Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe rowed the boat. However, Shao Xi insisted on rowing the boat himself and asked Ji Buwang to go y with the water instead.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Why would a grown man like him y with the water?


    On the other boats, the adults were rowing and the children were ying with the water, which ultimately became a sshing game. Why wasn¡¯t it the same on their boat?


    Ji Buwang was perplexed. He didn¡¯t know the real reason Shao Xi was fighting to row the boat. Other than him really wanting to try rowing the boat, it was because he had seen the parents rowing the boat and their children ying with water on the other boats, looking very blissful.


    He¡¯d immediately eliminated the possibility of letting Ji Buwang row the boat, for he didn¡¯t want strangers to get the wrong idea about their rtionship.


    When they reached the center of theke, Shao Xi was a little tired. Mu Jingzhe could tell and said, ¡°Let it float for a while for now. Let¡¯s rest for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe warned him, ¡°Be careful so you don¡¯t fall into the water.¡±


    In the modern era, life jackets were present during all water sports and other activities, but there were none here. Hence, Mu Jingzhe was a little nervous and felt insecure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to swim, do you?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°So none of us here can swim.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°If I had known earlier, I would have confirmed it before we boarded.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could only swim in a swimming pool for a while. Although she kind of knew how to swim, if they were to fall into the water, she would barely be able to save herself, let alone rescue anyone else.


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head as she thought of this. ¡®Nothing¡¯s going to happen, don¡¯t think too much.¡¯


    Ji Buwang saw that Mu Jingzhe was holding onto the edge of the boat tightly and quickly consoled her. ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous. Look, there are lifeguards over there. There are also lifeguards on that boat.¡± Ji Buwang pointed to the shore and the boat not far away. ¡°The people on that boat are ready to save people at any time.¡±


    The fact that this rowing activity had been able to continue operating so far meant that nothing major had happened.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Mu Jingzhe rxed a little.


    Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I¡¯ll learn it when we get back. I¡¯ll be able to save you after I master it, so you don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was actually afraid, Shao Xi secretly decided to go back and learn from the uncles and older brothers in the vige who knew how to swim.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. ¡°Sure. If there¡¯s a chance in the future, you can sign up for swimming lessons.¡± It was good to learn how to swim. It could ensure one¡¯s safety and also train one¡¯s body.


    Shao Xi: ¡°Is there a need to spend money to learn?¡±


    Couldn¡¯t he just go to the riverside to learn from someone? Why did he have to sign up for everything that he wanted to learn? ¡°Mom, is there really a swimming ss?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and said, ¡°Of course. There¡¯ll be even more such sses in the future. You can learn anything. I believe you¡¯ll be able to master it, Little Xi.¡±


    At this point, Mu Jingzhe hurriedly reminded him, ¡°However, Little Xi, don¡¯t think that you can save people just because you¡¯ve learned how to swim. Being able to swim and saving people are two different things. Those who can save people are all professionally trained.


    ¡°So, Little Xi, even if you manage to learn how to swim in the future, if your skills don¡¯t meet the requirements and you¡¯re not trained, you¡¯ll have to act ording to your abilities when you encounter something. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up losing your life trying to save someone.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded obediently. ¡°I understand.¡± At the moment, there wasn¡¯t anyone he particrly wanted to save. At most, it would just be his family.


    After they chatted for a long while, the sshing game finally began btedly. In fact, they even started ying with the people on the next boat.


    Since the weather was hot, there was no need to be afraid of catching a cold. Thus, they really enjoyed themselves.


    After the adjacent boat rowed away, their battle ended, but the game continued. Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe automatically formed a team to deal with Ji Buwang.


    At that moment, Shao Xi finallypletely forgot about what had happened before and focused on having fun. This was the first time he was shouting excitedly without any scruples.


    Theirughter traveled all the way to the shore. Shao Qihai, who was on the shore, was speechless.


    He clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the three people on the boat in the distance. Countless times, he imagined throwing Ji Buwang into the water and telling him that this was his wife and child.


    He should have been ying with them on the boat. He should have been their father and husband, but now, he could only watch from afar.


    When Jiang Feng had told him that Mu Jingzhe wanted to remarry, he hadn¡¯t felt so strongly about it. However, now that he had seen it, he felt that this wouldn¡¯t do, even though she hadn¡¯t even remarried yet.


    <i>And Little Xi, are you kids going to ept Ji Buwang as your stepfather so soon? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s better than your biological father?</i>


    When Shao Qihai heard Shao Xi address Mu Jingzhe as ¡®Mommy¡¯, he felt conflicted and gratified. He had asked them to do so before, but the children had been unwilling to change the way they addressed her.


    Since they were willing to call her ¡®Mommy¡¯ now, it meant that Mu Jingzhe treated them very well. Based on the way they interacted with each other, Shao Xi seemed very reliant on her.


    In just a few short months, Shao Qihai felt that both the children and Mu Jingzhe werepletely different from what he remembered.


    Just as Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes were about to ache from staring so hard, theughter finally stopped, as Mu Jingzhe and the rest had gotten tired of ying.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call a truce and rest for a while. I¡¯mughing so hard that my face hurts.¡±


    Ji Buwang immediately stopped when he saw Mu Jingzhe asking to stop. He looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s smile under the sunlight and felt a fullness in his heart.


    ¡°Mom, let me rub it for you.¡± Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe say that her face was sore, Shao Xi immediately spoke and raised his hand to rub her face.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter again. ¡°Ha ha! Little Xi, why are you so adorable? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard someone offer to rub someone else¡¯s face when it¡¯s turned sore fromughing.¡±


    Shao Xi used to be an arrogant little boy with a vicious tongue, but he was aplete sweetheart now.


    ¡°You¡¯re too cute.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but pinch his cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m a real man.¡± Shao Xi was pleased to hear her call him cute, but he also felt a little regretful. He wanted to be a real man now.


    Ji Buwang heard Shao Xi¡¯s childish words and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°If you¡¯re a man, what am I?¡±


    Shao Xi looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°You¡¯re an old man.¡±


    After saying that, Shao Xi felt that something was wrong. He bent over to get some water to ssh back Ji Buwang, but when he looked down, he eximed in surprise.


    ¡°Mom, I think there¡¯s something down there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mu Jingzhe was about to take a look.


    However, before she could turn around, something happened. A dark figure suddenly emerged from the bottom of the water and reached out to grab Shao Xi, who was looking down, and drag him away.


    ¡°Little Xi!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression changed. Without thinking, she went to pull Shao Xi back. She managed to grab his clothes, but Shao Xi was already being taken away.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t let go and immediately fell into the water.


    ¡°Jingzhe!¡± Ji Buwang was shocked. Just as he was about to follow him down, he heard Mu Jingzhe shout without turning her head, ¡°Don¡¯te down!¡±


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t know how to swim. She was a dabbler, and Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t swim either. If he came down as well, it would be aplete mess.


    Ji Buwang abruptly realized that if he jumped down, he might not be able to help and might even be a burden.


    ¡°Help! Can anyonee over and help?¡± Ji Buwang immediately shouted.


    However, the rescue team on theke was a little far away from them.


    The rescue personnel on the shore jumped down without a word. There was one person who was faster than him, and that was Shao Qihai.

 Chapter 102 - Dont Save Me

    <h4>Chapter 102: Don¡¯t Save Me</h4>


    Shao Qihai had been paying attention to them the entire time. Therefore, he noticed that something was amiss immediately and quickly dived into the water to swim toward them.


    He tried his best because he could already tell who the person who had appeared was.


    His nickname was ¡®Old Fish¡¯, a nickname he had been given because he was ridiculously proficient in the water, just like a fish. Anyce with water was his territory.


    That was the person they had been looking for all this time. Jiang Feng had been chasing after him.


    Old Fish and his gang were all fugitives. Shao Qihai had faked his death so that his family wouldn¡¯t be involved in such a dangerous situation. However, fate had yed a trick on him. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi had still ended up in the hands of such a person.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart turned cold as unprecedented panic engulfed him. All he could think of was that he had to be faster.


    However, he had to swim over from the shore, so it was simply too far away and it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to make it.


    It was toote for the rescuers, Jiang Feng, Shao Qihai, or Ji Buwang.


    Shao Xi was suddenly caught because Old Fish was being chased by someone, and because of the thing Old Fish was carrying on him, he was just randomly trying to grab someone to protect himself. At that moment, Shao Xi hade into view, so he made for a convenient target.


    After all, Shao Xi was only a kid and seemed easy to control. However, he had never imagined that he would encounter Mu Jingzhe, who didn¡¯t care about her own life.


    Mu Jingzhe held onto Shao Xi tightly and refused to let go. Old Fish kicked her several times but still couldn¡¯t kick her away.


    Mu Jingzhe was strong and had an advantage onnd. However, she hadpletely lost this advantage in the water. Because she wasn¡¯t good at swimming, it was difficult for her to even protect herself. She was kicked so hard that she instantly drank several mouthfuls of water and almost sank.


    The only reason she didn¡¯t let gopletely was the sheer power of her determination.


    ¡°Let go of Shao Xi!¡± Shao Xi didn¡¯t know how to swim, so he bobbed up and down and drank a few mouthfuls of water. Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Mu Jingzhe was extremely anxious.


    Old Fish was even more anxious. Every second he dyed would cause him endless trouble. He could tell that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t good at swimming, so he reached out and pressed Mu Jingzhe into the water.


    Shao Xi¡¯s expression changed drastically when he saw this, and he ruthlessly bent Old Fish¡¯s fingers.


    Old Fish was in pain and could only free up his hands to save his fingers. The more he looked at Shao Xi, the angrier he got. Originally, Shao Xi¡¯s head had been exposed outside, but the angry Old Fish now pressed him into the water as well.


    Mu Jingzhe finally managed to stick her head out and started coughing. However, when she saw this, her expression changed, and she ruthlessly hit Old Yu, pulling Shao Xi up.


    The fistnded squarely on Old Fish¡¯s head, making him feel dizzy for a moment. Viciousness appeared in the depths of his eyes as he took out a knife.


    Shao Xi¡¯s expression changed when he saw the knife. He shouted, ¡°Mommy, run!¡±


    Mommy couldn¡¯t get hurt. Shao Xi struggled and shouted in spite of the water choking him. ¡°Mommy, leave quickly!¡±


    His eyes were filled with pleas. He didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be in danger. He was already very grateful that she had been trying this hard to save him. He couldn¡¯t allow Mu Jingzhe to be injured because of him.


    But how could Mu Jingzhe let go? She resisted the Old Fish¡¯s knife-wielding hand with great difficulty. ¡°Let him go!¡±


    As soon as she said that, she kicked his lower body ruthlessly.


    Old Fish didn¡¯t think that Mu Jingzhe would dare to retaliate. He wanted to break free from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand, but he discovered that her strength was abnormally great. He couldn¡¯t break free at all, and the kick was particrly painful.


    He held Shao Xi with one hand while his knife-wielding hand was gripped by Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe gripped Old Fish with one hand and snatched Shao Xi with the other.


    Neither of them could move their hands, so they were in a deadlock. They could only rely on their feet.


    Old Fish was very proficient. Mu Jingzhe was kicked again and again. Besides, there was a sharp weapon hidden by his feet, so blood quickly appeared.


    He was waiting for Mu Jingzhe to give up, but he never expected Mu Jingzhe to refuse to let go even though she was about to faint.


    She had used too much force, and that p was painful. In the end, she actually managed to snatch Shao Xi back from Old Fish.


    After Mu Jingzhe snatched Shao Xi back, she exerted herst bit of strength and kicked Old Fish fiercely. She aimed a palm strike at Old Fish¡¯s throat and watched him sink before bringing Shao Xi back.


    Ji Donghun had been rowing the boat and following them. Thus, he saw it the moment Mu Jingzhe brought Shao Xi out.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pulled the oar that Ji Buwang handed over and leaned to put Shao Xi back on the boat.


    When Shao Xi was back on the boat, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. However, she had choked on too much water. Previously, she had relied solely on her willpower to hold on. After heaving a sigh of relief, she felt her vision turn ck and fainted.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe!¡± Ji Buwang watched Mu Jingzhe sink into the water, his hand grabbing nothing.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Shao Xi, who had been in a daze, got up with a pale face when he heard Ji Buwang¡¯s shout, only to see Mu Jingzhe sinking.


    Just as Ji Buwang was about to jump down in despair, he heard the sound of water sshing as Mu Jingzhe was pulled up by someone.


    It was Shao Qihai, who had swum over with all his might and saved Mu Jingzhe.


    The boat was too small and made resuscitation difficult. Shao Qihai ignored Ji Buwang¡¯s shouts and swam directly to the shore.


    The people on the shore threw a lifebuoy over. When Shao Qihai grabbed it, he returned to the shore as fast as he could.


    After pping her back to try and make her spit out the water and seeing that Mu Jingzhe was still unconscious, Shao Qihaiid her down and was about to perform CPR on her when Ji Buwang and Shao Xi also came ashore.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ji Buwang stopped Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai said impatiently, ¡°Saving her.¡±


    Just as he was about to lower his head to perform CPR on her, he was stopped by Ji Buwang. ¡°I know how to do it too. Let me do it.¡±


    To think Ji Buwang was still pulling a stunt like this at such a critical moment! Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but push Ji Buwang away. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way while I¡¯m saving a person.¡±


    This was his wife. He would be the one to save her.


    As Shao Qihai was about to continue, he turned around and saw that while they were arguing, Shao Xi had already begun to save her.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Although Shao Xi was only a child and didn¡¯t know how to swim, Mu Jingzhe had taught them first aid before, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered waiting for the two of them.


    He didn¡¯t even see Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang quarreling. He only wanted to save Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, please¡­ Please wake up.¡±


    Looking at Shao Xi, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang instantly felt somewhat guilty. What were they doing just now?


    After Shao Xi finished performing CPR, he raised Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head and pinched her nose. As he was about to continue, Mu Jingzhe coughed out a mouthful of water and woke up.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally awake.¡±


    Feeling tense, Shao Xi watched as Mu Jingzhe opened her eyes and slumped on the ground.


    ¡°You scared the hell out of me, Mommy. You scared the sh*t out of me. Do you have any idea how scared I was earlier? I was afraid you¡¯d die trying to save me¡­¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s voice trembled. He didn¡¯t dare imagine what he would have done if Mu Jingzhe had died while saving him.


    He had promised to treat Mu Jingzhe well and repay her. He had promised her so much, yet he hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to do all those things for her. He had promised his grandmother so much and had even promised to give Mu Jingzhe a pension. If Mommy were to die because of him now, how was he supposed to continue living?


    At the thought of this, Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help but wail. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t take any risks in the future. Don¡¯t save me again¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had just woken up when she was rmed by Shao Xi¡¯s wails.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, am I?¡± She tried tofort him.


    When she said this, Shao Xi became even more agitated. ¡°But you almost died. You almost died. If you die, how will I face Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle? How will I exin it to them? How will I exin it to Little Bei and the rest?


    ¡°You just taught me that even if you know how to swim, you can¡¯t save people unless you are trained. Why didn¡¯t you do what you preached? You clearly haven¡¯t mastered swimming yourself either. Why did you still try to save me?¡±


    How could his lifepare to hers?


    In the past, when Shao Xi had seen parents fighting for their children, he had been envious of them for having such good parents. Now that he had such a mother, he was afraid.


    He would rather not have such a mother.


    A child like him, who had been abandoned by even his biological father, wasn¡¯t worth Mu Jingzhe risking her life for him.


    ¡°Mom, promise me you won¡¯t take any risks for me. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Shao Xi was scared. He¡¯d freaked out when he had seen Mu Jingzhe sink to the bottom.


    He was more scared than he¡¯d be if he were to die.


    He would rather die than have Mu Jingzhe face that kind of danger.

 Chapter 103 - A Great Humiliation

    <h4>Chapter 103: A Great Humiliation</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Xi to think so much and endure so much. When she heard him say those things and wonder how he would exin this to Grandpa and Grandma, her eyes couldn¡¯t help but turn red.


    How scared and stressed he must have been just now¡­


    ¡°You must have been startled, huh? I¡¯m sorry, Little Xi. I¡¯ll be careful from now on. I was just afraid something might happen to you¡­ I¡¯ll be careful from now on. I¡¯ll make sure to protect myself.¡±


    When Shao Xi heard Mu Jingzhe say sorry, he didn¡¯t know how to describe it. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me? You saved me. Why are you apologizing? Mom, are you stupid? Are you stupid?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe held back the tears that were about to fall. ¡°Who are you calling stupid? You dare to call me stupid?¡±


    Ji Buwang, who was watching from the side, was feeling sad. When he heard this, he couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    On the other side, Shao Qihai looked away awkwardly when he saw Shao Xi crying, but he was a step toote.


    He still saw it. He could hear it too.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart was violently shaken, but he was also filled with lingering fear and self-reproach. It was his ipetence as a father that had caused Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe to encounter such a situation.


    Ji Buwang couldugh about that final statement, but he couldn¡¯t.


    Tears streamed down his face uncontrobly, and he almost cried out loud.


    Shao Qihai wanted to stop, but because Shao Xi was still crying, everything was out of his control.


    Afraid that he would cry out loud, Shao Qihai had no choice but to jump into theke¡ªhe had to jump into theke to calm himself down and cover up the disgraceful tears on his face.


    Why was he forced to jump into theke? Because Shao Qihai had a secret.


    He had been born with a problem. He couldn¡¯t bear to hear people cry. Once someone cried in front of him, he would uncontrobly cry along with them when he saw them cry.


    It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to cry, but he couldn¡¯t stop those tears from flowing from his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t know why he had this problem. When he was young, whenever his younger sibling would cry, he couldn¡¯t help but cry along with them. Whenever a child in the vige cried, he would cry as well.


    When adults fought and cried, he¡¯d cry too. In fact, he¡¯d cry harder than anyone else.


    Ever since he could remember, Shao Qihai would cry all the time. He cried every day, so much so that he¡¯d grown to hate the sound of crying.


    He had thought that he would be fine once he grew up, but in reality, this problem persisted. He still couldn¡¯t stand to see people cry and would shed tears along with them for no reason. It was useless no matter what he did.


    Because he¡¯d discovered this bad habit of his, Shao Qihai had reduced his presence when he was ten years old and avoided crying in front of people to prevent exposing himself.


    Inevitably, he¡¯d started hating people who cried. Crying had be his taboo. Whenever someone cried in front of him, he would lose his temper and leave.


    His family knew about his taboo and didn¡¯t cry easily. Zhao Lan didn¡¯t dare cry in front of him either.


    No one knew that Shao Qihai had left in a rage because he was afraid that he would cry as well.


    Such a shoring was a great humiliation to a manly man like him. This was also why he¡¯d always taught the children not to cry.


    The reason he hated to see the kids cry was because he was afraid that he would cry along with them. As a father, his dignity wouldn¡¯t allow him to show this side of himself.


    He was also afraid that others would call him a freak if they found out. He¡¯d wanted to act normal in front of the children.


    Shao Qihai was rather sessful in that aspect. The children didn¡¯t cry easily because of his teachings, but he hadn¡¯t expected that he would reveal this w of his today and be forced to jump into theke.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s sudden jump caught the attention of Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang, and Shao Xi.


    Shao Xi stopped crying and looked over with concern. ¡°Why did Uncle jump into theke?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, he¡¯s just picking up the oars.¡± Fortunately, Shao Qihai had found something he could do. Ji Buwang stood up nervously and sat back down after taking a look.


    Mu Jingzhe also heaved a sigh of relief. Looking at his back, she felt a little strange. ¡°Why do I feel like he¡¯s crying?¡±


    ¡°Crying? Why would he be crying? Did you see wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    Ji Buwang lowered his head and saw that Mu Jingzhe was drenched. His face turned slightly red, and he quickly took off his shirt and draped it over Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi and wrapped his clothes around him. ¡°You don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    He lowered his head and looked at his singlet. Just as he was wondering if he should take it off, a kind person brought over a big towel.


    Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief, and Shao Qihai also heaved a sigh of relief in theke.


    Shao Qihai calmed down a little and turned around, only to see Ji Buwang drape his clothes over Mu Jingzhe. He was so upset that he forgot about the oars and had the urge to swim right back.


    When he saw that someone had brought them a towel, he heaved a sigh of relief and didn¡¯t swim back to shore. He wanted to wait for Mu Jingzhe and the others to leave before going back. After all, it wasn¡¯t the right time to reunite with them.


    Unexpectedly, the trio, including Mu Jingzhe, continued to stay there. Old Fish had also been caught.


    Mu Jingzhe had made a fatal move, causing Old Fish to choke on water. Unable to recover for a while, he had finally been caught.


    When the police arrived, Mu Jingzhe and the rest cooperated and gave their statements.


    They were victims who didn¡¯t know much, so after they gave a statement, the matter was over.


    As for the identity of that person, why he¡¯d suddenly appeared in theke, and what he was carrying, Mu Jingzhe andpany had no idea, nor did they want to know.


    They were waiting for their savior toe up so they could thank him.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    He dawdled for a long time, but Mu Jingzhe and the others were still waiting for him to thank him.


    Shao Qihai saw that he couldn¡¯t avoid them and then saw that Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi were still waiting for him, drenched from head to toe. He was afraid that they would catch a cold, and he also knew that it would be even weirder if he dyed any longer. Thus, he let his hair down, put on his hat, and went ashore with his head lowered.


    ¡°Uncle, thank you. Thank you for saving my mother.¡± Shao Xi, who had a towel draped over his shoulders, bowed to thank Shao Qihai.


    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Shao Qihai replied in a muffled voice. How could he ept this gratitude? He should be apologizing to him.


    ¡°Of course I need to. Uncle, what¡¯s your name?¡± Shao Xi carefully gazed at Shao Qihai¡¯s face, wanting to remember it. Not only had this man saved Mu Jingzhe, but he¡¯d also saved their entire family. Otherwise, both their family and the Mu Family would have fallen into eternal darkness.


    ¡°No need to tell you.¡± Shao Qihai didn¡¯t reveal his name.


    Shao Xi was in a difficult position. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you my name. I¡¯m called Shao Xi and I¡¯m staying in Great Eastern Vige. If you need any help in the future, you can look for me. I¡¯ll definitely repay you when I have the chance.¡±


    Shao Qihai gave a vague reply and felt quite gratified in his heart. This child had grown up to be so sensible and polite.


    He was relieved, but Shao Xi was a little suspicious. He felt that the uncle in front of him was a little weird and strangely familiar. Furthermore, he had a nagging feeling that this uncle was fairer than before.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart almost jumped out of his chest under Shao Xi¡¯s probing gaze, as he was afraid that Shao Xi would recognize him.


    Shao Xi had good eyesight because he was young. A lot of his disguise had been ruined while he was in the water. Shao Qihai avoided his gaze, but in the end, he met Ji Buwang¡¯s probing gaze.


    Ji Buwang also thanked him seriously. Although he felt that this man was a little weird and was a little conflicted, he was still very grateful to him for saving Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai turned even stiffer, feeling truly afraid that he would be recognized. In a rough voice, he said, ¡°I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Then, he fled.

 Chapter 104 - He Really Died Later

    <h4>Chapter 104: He Really Died Later</h4>


    Ji Buwang frowned as he watched him run away. Even though he didn¡¯t have any impression of a person with this hairstyle and voice, for some reason, he felt that this man wasn¡¯t pleasing to the eye. It was as if he had seen him somewhere before, and it didn¡¯t feel good.


    However, as a gust of wind blew, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t think much about it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back.¡±


    Although the weather was warm, they were drenched. It would be better for them to change clothes quickly to avoid catching a cold.


    The wound on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s leg also had to be treated.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qihai and Jiang Feng met up.


    As soon as Jiang Feng saw Shao Qihai, he apologized. ¡°Brother Hai, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t follow him closely and let him run away and cause all this trouble.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. You are alone, so how can you take care of everything?¡± Shao Qihai shook his head. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Brother Hai, our guess was right. The thing we lost was hidden at the bottom of theke by them. Old Fish came to get the goods.¡±


    At this point, Jiang Feng¡¯s face was filled with rage, but his eyes couldn¡¯t help but sparkle. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to hold someone hostage when I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Bet he didn¡¯t expect to meet such a tough nut this time.


    ¡°Old Fish is not easy to deal with in the water. We have to be extremely vignt. I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen this time. Brother Hai, I didn¡¯t dare go near them. Who are they?¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    That was his son and wife.


    Jiang Feng had gone to inquire about Shao Qihai¡¯s family, but he hadn¡¯t seen them in person, so he didn¡¯t know Mu Jingzhe or Shao Xi.


    When Shao Qihai heard Jiang Feng¡¯s words, the more he thought about it, the more frightened he felt. After this lingering fear, an indescribable feeling filled his heart.


    This Old Fish was extremely cunning. Once he entered the water, he¡¯d disappear without a trace. He was also vicious and merciless. He and Jiang Feng had joined forces and lost him twice. They didn¡¯t dare be careless when dealing with him. To think Old Fish had ultimately ended up falling into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands?


    One had to know that when he¡¯d swum over earlier, he had been filled with despair, as he had thought that Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi had fallen.


    In the end, not only had Mu Jingzhe snatched Shao Xi back, but she¡¯d even made Old Fish suffer. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was a lie.


    However, this was reality. Old Fish probably hadn¡¯t expected to fail so easily and fall at the hands of Mu Jingzhe, who couldn¡¯t even swim very well.


    Thus, one shouldn¡¯t think that a child is necessarily easy to control. If you touch the child, there¡¯s a mother who doesn¡¯t care about her life behind it.


    Shao Qihai had aplicated look in his eyes. Jiang Feng could also tell that something was wrong with him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brother Hai?¡±


    Shao Qihai wanted to say something but hesitated. Then, he shook his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Actually, it was something, but he didn¡¯t know how to tell Jiang Feng.


    But what could he say? The formidable person he was talking about was actually his sister-inw? Or that Ji Buwang was following his sister-inw around for some unknown reason? Or that it seemed like he wanted to steal his woman?


    Jiang Feng had always been nervous for him, and he would explode if he heard that.


    Shao Qihai thought about all kinds of things until he saw the knife in Jiang Feng¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Brother Hai, look. This is the knife that Old Fish brought along.¡±


    Shao Qihai took the knife and, as he looked at the icy light on it, for some reason, he suddenly shivered, feeling very ufortable.


    There was an inexplicable pain in his chest, as if the knife had pierced his heart.


    At that moment, Shao Qihai realized that if it wasn¡¯t for the ident with Mu Jingzhe, Old Fish would have taken another child hostage, and Shao Qihai would have been killed by this very knife while trying to save the hostage. Stabbed in the heart and killed with one strike.


    In the book, he really had died without getting a chance to go back.


    Furthermore, he had faked his death previously. Inbination with the fact that the situation was rather special, he had clearly acted bravely to save someone, but in the end, no one knew about it and this matter couldn¡¯t be publicized.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know that he had walked through the gates of hell, but he sensed something and felt lingering fear. He pounded his chest to ease his breathing and put away the knife.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time to reel in the. I have to speed up.¡±


    Shao Qihai attributed his palpitations to Mu Jingzhe being implicated today.


    He was afraid that Mu Jingzhe and the kids would also be implicated if he didn¡¯t reel in the. After all, it was because of Mu Jingzhe that Old Fish had been captured.


    Old Fish and the gang behind him were all desperate criminals who specialized in smuggling and other profiteering industries. In the past, Shao Qihai had opened a transportationpany and identally gotten involved.


    People died for wealth. There were too many things that were at y. If even Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi were targeted, then what was the point of enduring this for so long? He had to ensure their safety.


    When Shao Qihai thought of this, he felt somewhat troubled. He wondered if he should take care of their safety first and protect them in secret.


    Mu Jingzhe was unaware of all this. After returning to the guesthouse and changing her clothes, she rested for a moment before embarking on the trip back home.


    This had been such an eventful trip that it would be better for her to go back early. Her family would be worried.


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe felt that Shao Xi was behaving a little strangely. ¡°Little Xi, are you feeling unwell?¡±


    Shao Xi shook his head. Mu Jingzhe touched his forehead and saw that his temperature was normal. She held his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Little Xi. It¡¯s all in the past.¡±


    Shao Xi forced a smile and slowly broke free from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s grip before closing his eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at her empty hand and asked, ¡°Little Xi, didn¡¯t you love to hold my hand and follow me around like a little tail? Why did you suddenly stop?¡±


    Shao Xi froze. ¡°I want to sleep.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say something but hesitated. Justst night, he had insisted on holding her hand before he would fall asleep.


    However, seeing that Shao Xi didn¡¯t look so good, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ask any more questions. She draped a shirt over him and said, ¡°Go to sleep then. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get there.¡±


    Shao Xi responded softly and resisted the urge to pull Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and hug her.


    He was still feeling lingering fear. In his attempt to create happy memories, he had nearly killed Mu Jingzhe.


    This was probably the most ridiculous thing.


    After this lingering fear, Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help but think that he had been through so many things in just a few days.


    First, Chubby Boy. Then, being held hostage. Every time, he¡¯d startled his mother and even implicated her. Shao Xi knew that Mu Jingzhe had also been frightened, not to mention that she had almost lost her lifeter on.


    Shao Xi had a feeling that he was really unlucky. He was so unlucky that it seemed like he was possessed by a god of misfortune. No matter where he went, he would always encounter misfortune ande across danger.


    More importantly, he would implicate others. Mommy had been implicated because of him. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have encountered this situation.


    Upon careful thought, he realized Mu Jingzhe had encountered quite a bit of trouble recently, and it had been more or less rted to him and his siblings. Ultimately, Mu Jingzhe had only been through all this after bing their mother.


    In the past, he had heard a lot of people in the vige talk about how tough their birth characters were, which was why they¡¯d jinxed their mother and then their father, causing their deaths. He didn¡¯t want to believe it in the past, especially when he¡¯d learned that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    Now, though, he suddenly believed that perhaps their lives, especially his, were really wretched. Otherwise, why would they experience so many unlucky incidents?


    Shao Qihai had probably abandoned them because he was afraid of being implicated. Even Shao Qihai, their biological father, had run away, and only Mu Jingzhe was still foolishly raising them, although she wasn¡¯t even rted to them by blood.


    The intensity of his wish for Mu Jingzhe to return to them back then rivaled the intensity of his worry right now. He couldn¡¯t help but think that they should stay away from Mommy in the future so that she wouldn¡¯t suffer any misfortunes because of them.


    He really didn¡¯t want to implicate Mommy anymore. He was lucky he had escaped today, but what about next time?


    He couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would be lucky every time, so staying away from Mommy was the best thing for her, right?

 Chapter 105 - Turning Trash Into Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 105: Turning Trash Into Treasure</h4>


    Shao Xi thought about many things and curled into a ball. His thoughts wereplicated.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that Shao Xi was thinking so much. She merely thought that Shao Xi was frightened.


    It was already sunset when they returned home.


    When she got home, she saw a bunch of children ying the game ¡®Jump Over the Goat[1]¡¯.


    One by one, they lined up to jump. After jumping, they would line up to be the goat. Little Bei was amongst them.


    At the sight of her children, she felt her heart calm down. But when she saw them jump, she couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows.


    She had yed this game before when she was young. It was called ¡°Vaulting¡± in the Olympic Gymnastics Program. It had been popr for a long time and was known throughout the country. Almost all the children in the country were experts at it.


    However, looking at it now, Mu Jingzhe thought that it was very dangerous.


    Seeing that it was almost Little Bei¡¯s turn to jump, Mu Jingzhe quickly called out, ¡°Little Bei!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, why are you back sote?¡± Little Bei saw Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t care about the game anymore.


    The return of Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi caused Shao Dong and the others to heave a sigh of relief. Shao Dong was sensitive to this abnormal atmosphere. Although Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to worry them and didn¡¯t say much, he still asked Shao Xi privately what had happened.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t hide anything from Shao Dong and told him everything that had happened on this trip.


    Shao Dong hadn¡¯t expected that they would encounter so many incidents when he was supposed to just participate in apetition.


    However, he wasn¡¯t very surprised. This was because the five siblings had encountered all sorts of difficulties since they were born.


    They were already used to it, but now, they had a mother, and they were implicating her and causing her to suffer as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m d nothing happened¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be toote if something happens.¡± Shao Xi didn¡¯t dare to tell Mu Jingzhe this, but he couldn¡¯t help but tell his big brother, whom he had trusted since he was young, what was on his mind. ¡°Brother, do you think it¡¯s because we implicated Mommy that she has to suffer like this?¡±


    ¡°Before this, I always wanted parents who treated us well. Now, I¡¯m a little scared¡­¡±


    Shao Dong also felt lingering fear when he heard that, but he still consoled Shao Xi. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. We¡¯ll try our best to be careful in the future and avoid any danger.¡±


    Speaking of that, it was quite contradictory. In the past, they had been touched by how well Mu Jingzhe treated them. However, now, they suddenly wished that Mu Jingzhe would not treat them so well.


    At least not so well that she would risk her life to save them.


    This was because Shao Dong and Shao Xi thought the same thing. If something really happened to Mu Jingzhe while she was trying to save them, that would be¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect Mommy more in the future.¡± Shao Dong thought for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll find a chance to talk to Mommy too.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Shao Dong wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Mu Jingzhe, but he couldn¡¯t find an opportunity before nightfall.


    Too many people came to look for Mu Jingzhe, and there were many things to do to keep busy. This person came to find her, that person came to find her, but¡­ why was Uncle Tang there too?


    Even though many vigers came to look for Mu Jingzhe, Tang Moling¡¯s presence still stuck out like a sore thumb.


    The five kids gazed at Tang Moling curiously. Tang Moling was feeling ufortable to begin with because of his rash decision toe. Upon thinking back to when he had been held down by Mu Jingzhe in the Shao Family¡¯s courtyard, he felt even more ufortable being stared at.


    He almost turned around and left, but he held himself back and snapped at the five kids, ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯m here regarding an important matter.¡±


    Tang Moling really had a purpose foring over. Previously, he had identally told Mu Jingzhe about his job, and she had suggested solutions to him that had proved to be really effective. Ever since, whenever he¡¯d encountered any problems or couldn¡¯t make a decision, he couldn¡¯t help bute over to ask Mu Jingzhe for her opinion.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t been around for the past two days, and he wasn¡¯t used to it. Therefore upon hearing that she was back, he couldn¡¯t resist the urge toe over.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard Tang Moling¡¯s question, she was silent for a moment before answering. Then, she couldn¡¯t help but think that since Tang Moling kept asking her for her opinion, she should perhaps start charging him some consultation fees.


    Although she was tempted, Mu Jingzhe held herself back.


    Tang Moling felt relieved after receiving an answer. He couldn¡¯t help but chat a little more with Mu Jingzhe, and his heart rxed.


    He felt good talking to Mu Jingzhe. She understood everything he said. It felt like they were from the same world.


    Before he realized it, Tang Moling was leaning toward Mu Jingzhe. He wanted to continue, but Mu Jingzhe ruthlessly kicked him out.


    ¡°I have to cook. It¡¯s getting dark.¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°See you next time then¡­¡±


    After dinner, Shao Dong finally had a chance to have a private chat with Mu Jingzhe and told her that he already knew what had happened. He then said that safety was the most important thing and asked Mu Jingzhe to protect herself.


    ¡°Why are you saying the same thing as Little Xi? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m strong enough to protect myself,¡± Mu Jingzhe said while patting her chest.


    Shao Dong: ¡°Mom, being strong doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re invincible. Don¡¯t be careless.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I understand.¡± Mu Jingzhe agreed and then asked, ¡°Little Dong, how is your recycling ventureing along?¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Not bad. Uncle and I figured out the situation in the past two days.¡±


    Shao Dong himself was still a child. Although he was smart, it wasn¡¯t convenient for him to do a lot of things. When others saw that they were dealing with a child, he was oftentimes at a disadvantage.


    Mu Jingzhe was also busy and didn¡¯t have the time to follow Shao Dong around. Her younger brother, Mu Han, had been dragged out just like that and had started going around with Shao Dong.


    Ever since Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had started selling steamed buns, Mu Jingzhe had actually wanted to make arrangements for her younger brother, Mu Han. She wanted him to continue studying, but Mu Han didn¡¯t want to because he simply wasn¡¯t cut out for studying.


    Since that was the case, she¡¯d told him to learn some skills, but she hadn¡¯t managed to find a suitable opportunity yet, so Mu Han had first gone to help out Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    Shao Dong needed manpower, so Mu Jingzhe had thought of Mu Han and asked him to help without hesitation.


    There¡¯d be meat to eat if he followed the big boss. Although it might be a little tough in the early stages, it would not be bad for Mu Han. There would be plenty of opportunities for him to learn in the future.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng didn¡¯t have any objections. Since the kids were already addressing them as Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle, they had to help.


    Mu Han had originally thought that Shao Dong, who was a child, wasn¡¯t capable of doing much. When he had seen Mu Jingzhe give him money for this venture, he¡¯d only found it ridiculous. However, after these two days of going around with Shao Dong, those feelings had been reced with admiration.


    The two of them, who had initially been strangers, quickly became familiar with each other. Mu Han started to have a better opinion of Shao Dong and kept saying that Shao Dong was smart. Now, he had no qualms about working for Shao Dong.


    When Shao Dong heard Mu Han praising him, it was simr to the way Mu Jingzhe had praised him before. He also felt close to this uncle of his.


    ¡°Mommy, can Uncle always help me in the future? He is willing too.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded affirmatively as she listened to Shao Dong talk about his experiences during the course of the past few days, as well as his ns.


    Now that the economy in the country was developing rapidly, everyone¡¯s lives had improved greatly. The same applied to the county.


    Though the development of the county city wasn¡¯t yet obvious, Shao Dong had felt it clearly thest time he had gone to the city.


    As residents of the city who enjoyed all kinds of conveniences, they would discard things at home that were old or useless. To them, this was trash, but many things could actually be exchanged for money. Although those items might look cheap, they were worth quite a decent sum of money when they umted.


    Furthermore, there were many things that weren¡¯t just trash and merely required repair. Some things might not even need to be repaired. When sold to people who needed them, they could be turned into money.


    Just like that, Shao Dong formted a n to turn trash into treasure.


    [1] one person will bend over to be a goat, and the other yers will run some distance to build up momentum before jumping over the ¡®goat¡¯

 Chapter 106 - Reversal

    <h4>Chapter 106: Reversal</h4>


    ¡°Uncle and I have collected all the trash in the county over the past two days. After we categorized them, we sold what could be sold. It¡¯s not bad, but the county is too small, so there¡¯s too little trash. We¡¯ve got to go to the big city, where there¡¯s more trash, Mommy.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood. ¡°You can arrange it as you wish. I support you. It¡¯s just that your uncle needs more training before he can be independent.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. We¡¯ll take it slow.¡± Shao Dong was very steady.


    Shao Dong¡¯s scavenging business officially began. He first took some specially-collected trash and sold it to ces where it was needed, earning his first bucket of gold.


    Of course, two people weren¡¯t enough. Mu Han and Shao Dong asked around in the vige if anyone wanted toe along and scavenge with them.


    Initially, many people in the vige were wondering what scavenging was. Later on, when they found out that it was picking up rubbish, they immediately turned around and left, finding it embarrassing and dirty.


    Although everyone trusted Mu Jingzhe and thought highly of the Shao Family¡¯s children, picking up trash¡­ was still out of the question.


    Next door, Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s sarcasm couldn¡¯t help acting up. They said that it was a joke to recruit people to pick up trash, much less go to the big city to do so.


    ¡°I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to hear these words. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to starve to death and have to resort to picking up trash.¡±


    After the incident with the woman from Little Eastern Vige, everyone was now very cautious about finding work outside the vige. When they heard the words ¡®picking up rubbish¡¯, they had quite a lot of opinions.


    Eldest Brother Shao, who had been keeping a low profile for quite a while, came to their door and tried to persuade Shao Dong.


    ¡°Stop fooling around. Look at what the vige is saying about you.¡±


    The meaning behind his words was that they shouldn¡¯t listen to Mu Jingzhe and Mu Han¡¯s nonsense and fool around, for it would harm the Shao Family¡¯s reputation.


    Shao Dong no longer had any intention of acknowledging the eldest branch. ¡°This is my personal opinion and intentions. Whatever others have to say about it is none of my business.¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao was so furious that his face turned green. When he came out, he told the vigers that he couldn¡¯t do anything about it and could only try to persuade the vigers to ignore them.


    Old Lady Mu was also angry about being mocked like that. She gave Mu Han a harsh dressing-down, and even Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi were scolded.


    ¡°Their surname is Shao. How are they rted to you guys? All they did was call you Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle, and you forgot what your surname is. Do you really think that you¡¯re their grandpa, grandma, and uncle?


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this now. Mu Han, if you really dare take people to pick up rubbish, don¡¯t say that you¡¯re a member of the Mu Family in the future! I can¡¯t afford to lose this much face!¡±


    Mu Han had originally been full of enthusiasm. He¡¯d been thinking about how he was going to rope in vigers to earn money and be rich with them, as they were all from the same hometown.


    He hadn¡¯t expected the vigers to not understand. Even his grandmother was like that.


    ¡°I said that there¡¯s money to be made from this, and this is not inferior to being an employee. Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Believe you? Why should I believe you? If there¡¯s money to be made from this, why aren¡¯t others doing it? Do you think everyone is a goon? You¡¯re the only burden in the family, and now you even want to pick up rubbish. Why can¡¯t you be more considerate for Xiao Xue¡¯s sake!


    ¡°Out of the eldest branch of the Mu Family, Xiao Xue has be a teacher, and the third branch¡¯s Xiao Cai has entered high school. Who knows, he might even be able to get into university in the future. You¡¯re the only good-for-nothing. You don¡¯t know what shame is and want to continue harming others. Are you bent on destroying Xiao Xue¡¯s chances of marrying into a good family?¡±


    If Xiao Xue married into the Tang Family, they would be the inws of a family like the Tangs. The Mu Family¡¯s status paled inparison to the Tangs to begin with, so how could Old Lady Mu allow someone in her family to pick up garbage?


    ¡°Mu Han, let me tell you something. If you affect Xiao Xue, I won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    Mu Han knew that he was the most useless among his siblings, but he still felt so bad that he couldn¡¯t breathe after being insulted like this.


    Mu Teng had long had enough of Old Lady Mu¡¯s favoritism. This conflict had umted for a long time and finally erupted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll support whatever Xiao Han wants to do. Mom, if you think we¡¯re an embarrassment, you can just split our share of the family assets.¡± Mu Teng proposed to split up the family assets.


    Old Lady Mu was so angry that she stumbled backward. ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯ve sold buns for a few days, and now your wings have hardened. Do you think you¡¯re some bigshot? Fine, if you want to split the assets, I¡¯ll give you your share. Don¡¯t regret it in the future and don¡¯t even think about taking advantage of Xiao Xue!¡±


    Mu Teng had said that he wanted to split the family assets, but Third Brother Mu was unwilling to do so. If he stood by Mu Xue¡¯s side, he would be inws with the affluent Tang Family when Mu Xue married into their family. There were bound to be benefits to be reaped from being associated with them. Third Brother Mu couldn¡¯t fathom why Mu Teng would want to split up the family assets.


    Eldest Brother Mu and Third Brother Mu felt that Mu Teng was being silly. He would definitely regret it in the future.


    However, Mu Teng had made up his mind this time and wouldn¡¯t have any regrets. He hadn¡¯t been able to gain anything from Mu Xue in the past, nor would he be able to benefit by being associated with her in the future. He didn¡¯t want to take advantage of her either. Now, he just wanted to earn money honestly.


    Jingzhe had said that it was viable for Mu Han to do this, so he wanted his son to give it a shot. No matter what, it beat staying at home.


    Even if he was mocked, so be it. It wasn¡¯t as if he would shed ayer of skin because of the mockery. As a man, why should he fear beingughed at?


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected that the vige would react so strongly to this matter. Besides, the situation inside the Mu Family had gotten so dire that they were speaking about splitting up the family assets.


    When Shao Dong heard this, he panicked a little, but Mu Jingzhe thought about it and felt that it would actually be good to split up the family assets.


    Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi weren¡¯t living well in the Mu Family now. In the future, they would be able to live well by earning money on their own, so why should they be tied together by force? They might as well split up the family assets and live their own lives.


    ¡°No need to be nervous. This is actually a good thing. I support splitting up the family assets.¡±


    Then, under the gazes of Mu Jingzhe and the elders in the vige, the second branch of the Mu Family, Mu Teng¡¯s branch, had their share of the family assets carved out.


    Because he had angered Old Lady Mu, the way the assets were split was unfair, but Mu Teng didn¡¯t say much.


    After the separation, Mu Han matured a lot over a short period of time. The tenderness between his brows decreased a lot, but there was now an additional determination and resolve.


    He had to make a name for himself this time.


    Mu Jingzhe was very satisfied with his condition. After that, Mu Han brought a few of his close friends and Li Fang¡¯s older brother with him. Facing the finger-pointing and confusion of the vigers, they embarked on the scavenging path.


    Li Fang had always felt that Mu Jingzhe was brilliant, so she persuaded her brother to go along.


    Unexpectedly, this trippletely changed her older brother¡¯s fate.


    Those few people, who the vigers didn¡¯t think highly of, underwent a huge transformation after scavenging for over a month. They smelled bad, but their pockets bulged. They had only been gone for a month, and they¡¯d made money others could only make in six months or even a year.


    They didn¡¯t return home after they made some money. However, Li Fang¡¯s brother sent a letter back and asked his wife toe over. The other young men did the same and asked their parents or rtives toe out and do business with them.


    They went north, and under Shao Dong¡¯s long-distance guidance, they became bolder and bolder. They alsopletely seeded in making this scavenger business viable.


    At this point, the vigers finally realized that they had really earned money.


    Zhao Lan, Eldest Brother Shao, and his wife were pped in the face. Likewise, Old Lady Mu, who hadn¡¯t expected them to seed, ended up feeling embarrassed as well.


    It was at that moment that Old Lady Mu finally understood why Tang Moling had said that it might work.


    Now that they knew there was money to be made from this, the vigers changed their attitude. They said that there was nothing wrong with picking up rubbish. It was a little dirty, yes, but it was fine as long as they could earn money.


    Previously, everyone had been unwilling to touch rubbish with a ten-foot pole, but now, they were fighting to join them and pick up trash, asking them if they coulde along.

 Chapter 107 - Shao Xis Worries

    <h4>Chapter 107: Shao Xi¡¯s Worries</h4>


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were stunned by the sudden change in the vigers¡¯ attitude. Previously, when they had found out that Shao Dong had gone to pick up trash, they had ridiculed him for it. Even the people who had gone with him had also been mocked, including their children. Now, everyone¡¯s attitude had changed, and they were begging to tag along.


    However, this would all happen in the future, so let¡¯s not talk about it for now.


    Although there really was money to be made from this, there were a lot of hardships involved. After running around for a few days, Shao Dong had shed quite a bit of weight, losing the flesh that Mu Jingzhe had painstakingly put on him.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong came back from the city and met up with Li Zhaodi and the rest. They rushed home and told them about Mu Han¡¯s situation on the way.


    ¡°Xiao Han is working very hard now. It¡¯s really the hottest time of the year. The sun is scorching, but he runs around to collect trash every day. He has shed ayer of skin from the sun alone.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not young anymore. It¡¯s time for him to give it his all. Otherwise, who would dare marry him in two years? Who doesn¡¯t work hard to earn money? All of us farmers have worked hard to earn money.¡± Mu Teng kept a straight face, but there was a gratified look in his eyes.


    Their bun-selling business had been quite stable. However, in the summer, their business wasn¡¯t so good anymore. Furthermore, in the summer, the food business wasn¡¯t easy to sustain, for the food couldn¡¯t be preserved overnight because it went bad easily.


    Li Zhaodi saw that ice popsicles were selling very well outside, so she nned to sell some popsicles too.


    She really had a head for business. Business was quite good. Later on, she saw that the vigers also liked to eat popsicles, so she decided to sell them in the vige as well.


    When she was busy, she would take the ice popsicles to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house and ask the children to help her sell them. The remuneration of each person was eating an ice popsicle.


    Even though she called it remuneration, she was merely doting on the kids.


    More and more children came to the Shao Residence. People came and went. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know why, but ever since she hade back from the city, she had a feeling that someone was following her. However, every time she turned around, she didn¡¯t see anything.


    In the end, she could only attribute it to her imagination.


    There was another problem. Mu Jingzhe realized that ever since she hade back from the city with Shao Xi, the child seemed to have wilted.


    He had originally been quite close to her, but all of a sudden, he went back to how he used to be in the beginning. He was no longer close to her and he even called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ less.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. Logically speaking, they should have gotten closer after going through thick and thin together, so why was Shao Xi so distant?


    It wasn¡¯t as if Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t tried hard during this period, but she¡¯d always failed.


    Back then, they had agreed to buy the newspaper that had published his article. Mu Jingzhe had bought it and had even gone around promoting it. However, Shao Xi remained uninterested. He was also uninterested when the school praised him.


    When he returned that day, Mu Jingzhe bought the newspaper that had published Chubby Boy¡¯s article. After eating, she called Shao Xi over.


    ¡°Come on, Shao Xi. We agreed to burn this for him.¡±


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t refuse, but the process was silent. Mu Jingzhe held his hand, but he managed to break free.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that he couldn¡¯t go on like this. When they got home, she called Shao Xi, ¡°Little Xi, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s hands intertwined for a moment before he lowered his head and sat in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Little Xi, look at me.¡± Mu Jingzhe raised her hand so Shao Xi would look up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with youtely? Do you hate me? Did I say or do something wrong recently?¡±


    Shao Xi panicked. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you avoiding me? You don¡¯t even want to look me in the eye. It¡¯s as if you hate me.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at him seriously. ¡°At first, I thought that we should be closer after going through thick and thin together. But now, it seems that the opposite is happening.


    ¡°If I have done something that you don¡¯t like or you have something on your mind, you have to tell me so that I can change this, alright?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s hands clenched into tight fists. ¡°No. No. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, why did you stop liking me?¡± Mu Jingzhe touched Shao Xi¡¯s little hand. ¡°Don¡¯t use too much strength, or it¡¯ll hurt.¡±


    Shao Xi listened to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words and felt the warmth of her concern. No matter how hard he tried to control it, he felt a stinging sensation in his nose. ¡°This pain is nothing. Can you not be so concerned about me?¡±


    How did she waver him time and again?


    His siblings had noticed that something was wrong with him during this period and had privately asked him what was going on. Now, Mu Jingzhe was also trying to waver him like this.


    ¡°Mom, leave me alone. I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t hate you. I like you a lot. I just¡­ Anyway, just leave me alone. And don¡¯t get too close to me.¡±


    Shao Xi stood up, wanting to flee, but Mu Jingzhe quickly pulled him back and hugged him. ¡°No, if you don¡¯t make things clear today, you¡¯re not allowed to leave. Why can¡¯t I get too close to you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was very anxious. She had to find out what was going on today. Thinking that Shao Xi could be persuaded by reason but not coercion, she hugged him from behind and rubbed her face against his back as she spoke in a soft voice.


    ¡°Little Xi, I feel terrible knowing that you¡¯re ignoring me¡ª¡±


    Shao Xi became even stiffer. Hearing that Mu Jingzhe was about to cry, he quickly turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m not ignoring you. I¡¯m just afraid¡­ afraid that I¡¯ll implicate you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe grabbed his hand. ¡°What do you mean? Why are you afraid of implicating me?¡±


    When Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warm gaze, inbination with the pressure and pain he had endured recently, he finally couldn¡¯t help but speak the truth.


    ¡°I just think I¡¯m unlucky. You being nice to me is going to hurt you¡­¡± Shao Xi finally revealed the reason.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected this to be the reason. She was both angry and heartbroken when she heard this. She couldn¡¯t help but grab Shao Xi and spank his butt.


    ¡°You child, you actually kept such a big thing to yourself and didn¡¯t tell me. I kept saying that you have to tell me if you are facing trouble, but you didn¡¯t heed my words, did you?¡±


    ¡°I did. I¡¯m scared.¡± Although she was hitting him, Shao Xi¡¯s heart actually eased up. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m just afraid.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? That¡¯s a superstition!¡± Mu Jingzhe, who had expected better from him, helped him wipe his tears. ¡°Stop crying. If anyone should cry, that would be me.¡±


    She pinched Shao Xi¡¯s cheek. ¡°Silly, you¡¯re such a little fool. You can¡¯t be superstitious, you know? You¡¯re a writer. How can you be superstitious?¡±


    Shao Xi squeezed himself in front of Mu Jingzhe, too embarrassed to let her see his face. He buried his head on her shoulder and greedily sniffed the familiar fragrance on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid.¡±


    Xiao Wu popped his head in cautiously and asked, ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Your second brother just needs to be taught a lesson.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi, who was leaning against her, and shook her head helplessly. She then turned to Xiao Wu and said, ¡°Xiao Wu, go look for your eldest brother and ask him to bring over the book he borrowed from the library.¡±


    Xiao Wu turned around and didn¡¯t say anything, but Mu Jingzhe heard footsteps. Shao Dong and the rest were probably following Xiao Wu.


    Shao Dong quickly brought all the books over. Xiao Wu and the others followed him. Mu Jingzhe simply let them be and rummaged through the books to find the one she wanted.


    ¡°Come on, Shao Xi. Read this for me.¡± She pulled Shao Xi, who was still hugging her neck.


    Shao Xi rubbed his face against her shoulder twice and wiped away his tears. He didn¡¯t dare raise his head to look at his brothers. He only asked softly, ¡°Read what?¡±


    ¡°Read this section.¡± Mu Jingzhe pointed.


    Shao Xi looked at the book and read what he was told. ¡°When the heavens are about to confer a great responsibility on a person, they will first have to train their willpower, toil their muscles and bones, starve their skin and flesh, and empty their body. They will then be able to do whatever they want and benefit from what they previously could not.¡±

 Chapter 108 - Scream

    <h4>Chapter 108: Scream</h4>


    Shao Xi was stunned after reading it. He looked up at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, this¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know what this means? Even though this is something you only learn in middle school, I believe you can understand it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and pointed at Shao Dong. ¡°Just in case, Little Dong, why don¡¯t you exin what it means?¡±


    Shao Dong obliged obediently. ¡°It means that when God wants to ce a heavy responsibility on a certain person, He must first trouble their mind, tire their muscles and bones, make them starve, force them into poverty, and make every action of theirs unsatisfactory. This way, He can motivate their will, make their temperament firm, and increase the abilities they don¡¯t have.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gave Shao Dong a thumbs-up. ¡°Very good.¡± Then, she looked at Shao Xi. ¡°Do you understand now?¡±


    If Shao Xi still didn¡¯t understand what Mu Jingzhe meant, he would be a fool. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Mu Jingzhe patted him and waved for the children toe over. ¡°Come over, I¡¯ll help you get rid of your feudal superstitions today. All this talk about implicating others if you have a tough birth character or are born ill-fated is wrong.


    ¡°Everyone will encounter a lot of trouble and setbacks in their path to growth. It¡¯s just that some people encounter more and some less. If you think thatpared to others, you encounter more setbacks, there¡¯s a reason for it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe solemnly said, ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re all little geniuses, and you¡¯re destined to be great figures in the future, so you¡¯ll have to undergo more tests.


    ¡°If a person wants to seed, they have to go through some twists and turns, so this is a test from the heavens. You don¡¯t have to think too much. Just remember that after every stormes a rainbow.


    ¡°When you make something of yourself in the future, remember to contribute to society and not let your brains go to waste.¡±


    The children¡¯s eyes lit up, especially Shao Xi¡¯s. ¡°Really? Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Of course, why would I lie to you?¡±


    In any case, Little Bei was convinced. ¡°So Mommy, if we encounter many setbacks in the future, it will be because we will be powerful people. It will be proof of our excellence. Only by oveing these setbacks can we seed, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Little Bei, you¡¯re really smart.¡± Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t stingy with her praise and solemnly said, ¡°So if you encounter any setbacks in the future, don¡¯t let your thoughts run wild. If you find it too difficult, then remember to memorize this text.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll all memorize it.¡± Shao Dong had actually memorized it already. ¡°I¡¯ll get them to memorize it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and looked at Shao Xi. ¡°Little Xi not only needs to memorize it, but I think he needs to strengthen his memory too.¡±


    After some thought, Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Little Xi, copy this poem ten times tonight. Don¡¯t sleep before you finish it. I¡¯m going to test how well you¡¯ve memorized it tomorrow morning.¡±


    This was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first time making them copy something as punishment. Shao Xi stared nkly at Mu Jingzhe and nodded obediently. ¡°Mm, I will do my best.¡±


    Not only did he have to memorize this text, but he had to engrave it in his mind too.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Go.¡±


    After Shao Xi finished copying it and Mu Jingzhe checked it, she was satisfied. Shao Xi had even memorized as he¡¯d copied it. That night, the children silently memorized it.


    Mu Jingzhe had memorized it before, but she had forgotten it by now. She was afraid that she would be the only one who hadn¡¯t memorized it, so she secretly memorized it as well.


    The next day, when Mu Jingzhe woke up, the children rushed to recite the text in front of her. Each of them was more skilled than the other, Shao Xi included. His face no longer looked dispirited. Only then was Mu Jingzhe satisfied.


    As expected, there was no problem that homework and memorizing books couldn¡¯t solve. The best way to deal with an overthinking child was by making them memorize texts.


    The children didn¡¯t go to art school that day and stayed at home to study. After dinner, they had a learning exchange session.


    The children learned foreignnguages quickly and efficiently. They were already able to engage in daily conversations. Every night, Mu Jingzhe would organize a half-hour conversation.


    She participated as much as she could, but when they started speaking in Russian, she waspletely lost.


    Because Little Bei didn¡¯t learn much, she didn¡¯t know a lot. In the end, she used signnguage to join in and used this chance to practice her signnguage skill.


    Next, it was time for legal knowledge. Mu Jingzhe had supported Shao Nan in studying this subject before, and now that Shao Nan had studied it well, he could even teach his younger siblings.


    This was why Mu Jingzhe went to the city to buy more practical books for Shao Nan to facilitate their studies.


    After gaining legal knowledge, they would know in their hearts what was legal and what was not. That way, Shao Nan probably wouldn¡¯t concoct that colorless and odorless poison he had in the book.


    The next day, a scream disturbed the peace in the Shao Family.


    Mu Jingzhe woke up early and quietly got up to wash her face as usual. However, the moment she opened the door, she was frightened by the snakes she saw by the door and screamed.


    Like many people, Mu Jingzhe was afraid of snakes. Just looking at them gave her the creeps.


    However, early in the morning, two snakes had suddenly appeared at her door.


    Mu Jingzhe instinctively closed the door, but before she could heave a sigh of relief, she saw another snake crawl in through the half-open window.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brain exploded.


    Little Bei was still asleep, but she woke up when she heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s sharp eyes quickly noticed the snake. It was different from the pinky-sized snakes she usually saw. This snake was much thicker.


    It would be fine if it was just a small one, but Little Bei was actually afraid of both small andrge ones. However, upon seeing Mu Jingzhe so terrified, Little Bei couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Little Bei rolled off the bed, picked up her shoes, and threw them at the snake, wanting to chase it away.


    Her aim wasn¡¯t bad, and she hit the snake¡¯s head. However, because she hit it, the snake started crawling toward Little Bei.


    Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe shrieked in unison. Little Bei grabbed something and threw it. Mu Jingzhe also reacted by picking up a rock to smash it.


    The rock was hidden for self-defense purposes. Mu Jingzhe might be strong, but her uracy was poor.


    The rock didn¡¯t hit the snake. Instead, it shattered the window ss and made the snake even more aggressive.


    In the end, Little Bei retrieved the pestle at the head of the bed and Mu Jingzhe managed to hit the snake with it.


    The snake was finally killed. As a result of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s relentless attacks, the snake¡¯s head was smashed into pieces. However, the wooden door of the room was alsopletely smashed.


    Mu Jingzhe had destroyed a second door in the Shao Residence, but this was the least of her concerns at a moment like this.


    With the door smashed and broken, they¡¯d now inevitably have to face the snakes at the door.


    All thismotion, as well as the fact that the two snakes at the door had been hit by the fallen door frame, triggered the aggressive nature of the two snakes.


    Attracted by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s scream, the four boys ran down one after another with Shao Dong running ahead.


    What was even more dangerous was that there were more than two snakes in the house. They had appeared out of nowhere, seemingly in an instant.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sharp eyes recognized the poisonous snakes that she had seen in pictures before. At that moment, they all gathered around. Some snakes were approaching her, while others were heading toward Shao Dong and the others.

 Chapter 109 - Bitten by a Snake

    <h4>Chapter 109: Bitten by a Snake</h4>


    ¡°Little Nan, be careful!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, be careful!¡±


    Both of them saw the danger. Mu Jingzhe felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the snakes heading toward Shao Nan. She couldn¡¯t care about anything else and instantly exploded, smashing the two snakes in front of her and the one heading toward Shao Nan.


    She hit that snake¡¯s tail in an instant, and the snake instantly turned around and charged toward Mu Jingzhe at lightning speed. Just as it was about to bite Mu Jingzhe, Shao Nan¡¯s movements became faster than his brain, and he instantly pounced forward to suppress the snake.


    The snake was pinned down and was about to turn around to attack when Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression changed drastically, and she smashed down the snake hard.


    Shao Dong also picked up a stool and smashed it over. In the end, thanks to theirbined efforts, they managed to kill the snake and beat it to a pulp.


    Mu Jingzhe lifted Shao Nan up, but before he could say anything, she saw another snake crawling over from the courtyard.


    Mu Jingzhe felt her blood run cold. Was there no way to escape?


    ¡°Mom,e here quickly!¡±


    Shao Dong took a look and pulled Shao Xi along to move toward the table in the corridor.


    The table was a homemade wooden table that was usually used for resting and drinking tea. It wasn¡¯t considered tall, but in a situation like this, it was always good to be standing at an elevated height.


    Shao Xi scooped Xiao Wu up. Little Bei pulled Mu Jingzhe, who was still carrying Shao Nan, to the wooden table.


    Shao Dong¡¯s face was pale. He held a stool in his hand andforted Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s hands were also trembling, but upon looking at Shao Dong, she still tried her best to stand in front of her. ¡°Yes, Mommy, we will protect you.¡±


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t say a word and, imitating Shao Dong, picked up the stool beside the table and prepared himself.


    The same happened when Shao Nan reacted. Xiao Wu could only hold the stool with both hands, but that didn¡¯t stop him from reaching for one.


    As she gazed at them, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nk mind finally cleared up.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can do it too!¡±


    She was still holding the pestle that she had used to beat that snake previously. It was the pestle they used to pound rice during the New Year festival. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think the pestle was a good enough weapon, so she picked up a stool in the end.


    As soon as she picked it up, the snakes hissed and slithered toward them.


    All of a sudden, there were many snakes in the house. Furthermore, they weren¡¯t small. Although they weren¡¯t as thick as a person¡¯s wrist, they were all thicker than a thumb. Plus, some were even as thick as a baby¡¯s arm. Their color was also very strange.


    Mu Jingzhe was afraid of snakes. Usually, even when she opened a webpage to take a look, she would feel goosebumps. Therefore, she didn¡¯t know much about snakes. She only knew that green bamboo snakes had a weird color and were venomous.


    These snakes weren¡¯t the color of green bamboo, but they all looked like poisonous snakes. In addition, they were so aggressive that it was obvious that there was something wrong. Mu Jingzhe told herself to calm down.


    However, it was no use. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t calm down. As the snakes slithered over to attack them, the tense nerves in her brain snapped again.


    The next three minutes were a crazy nightmare for Mu Jingzhe.


    There was only one thought on her mind¡ªshe couldn¡¯t let these snakes get close. She had to keep whacking them.


    ¡°Be careful!


    ¡°Be careful!


    ¡°Smash them at seven inches. Their weakness is at the seven-inch spot.¡±


    It was actually very brave of an adult and five children to put up such a fight against these snakes with their backs facing each other. Furthermore, they knew how to protect Mu Jingzhe, but they were still too young and weak.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t manage to kill a snake when he hit it, and he was almost bitten. Mu Jingzhe reacted quickly and pulled Shao Dong away.


    However, she seemed to feel pain in her ankle, as if she had been bitten. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart sank, and before she could take another look, the snake was smashed into pieces.


    Mu Jingzhe hoped that it was just an illusion. She had no idea if she was thinking too much, but she felt that her condition was getting worse and even stranger. In the end, she couldn¡¯t care about anything else and smashed the stool at a snake whenever she saw one.


    She couldn¡¯t care less about aiming at the seven-inch spot. All she could do was smash each snake¡¯s head with all her might.


    When she finally couldn¡¯t see any snakes, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s legs went limp and she fell until she was sitting on the table. ¡°No¡­ No more, right?¡±


    Little Bei saw that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat and helped her wipe it off. ¡°They¡¯re gone. Mommy, are you okay?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart rxed when she heard that they were gone. Then, she felt dizzy and fainted.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± The children were shocked.


    At that moment, someone ran in from the door. It was none other than Zhao Lan. She had heard the screams ande over to take a look.


    There was another person following her who had alsoe after hearing the screams.


    As soon as the two of them entered, they saw the snakes that had been killed. Feelingpletely frightened, they couldn¡¯t help but let out a shriek.


    ¡°Why are there so many snakes?¡± It looked like there were a dozen¡­ or more than that. Anyone would be terrified if they saw so many snakes, let alone seeing them get smashed like that.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s legs turned wobbly. She then saw the unconscious Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mu Jingzhe was bitten to death?¡± Zhao Lan blurted out without thinking.


    In an instant, Zhao Lan could no longer care about her dizziness. She seemed to have regained her strength.


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression changed. ¡°No!¡±


    He retorted fiercely, but a secondter, Shao Dong saw two almost negligible red dots on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ankle.


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°How could¡­¡±


    Shao Xi followed Shao Dong¡¯s gaze and saw the red dots. His face turned pale. ¡°How is that possible? When¡­¡±


    ¡°When did Mommy get bitten?¡± Little Bei saw it too. Upon seeing the wound and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s pale face and cold sweat, she was instantly overwhelmed by fear.


    Why hadn¡¯t she seen it? Why hadn¡¯t she noticed it?


    This question shed through Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan¡¯s minds. Why hadn¡¯t they protected Mu Jingzhe?


    Why hadn¡¯t they even known when she was bitten? This was the first time she was so terrified of something, yet they¡¯d still failed to protect her?


    Shao Dong felt as if the world was spinning around him, but a secondter, he heard Zhao Lan¡¯s voice. He didn¡¯t know if it sounded shocked or delighted.


    ¡°Is Mu Jingzhe really dead?¡±


    Her voice was abnormally sharp and contained a hint of strangeness and excitement.


    Shao Dong looked over and saw that her eyes were wide open. There was no trace of worry, only indescribable excitement. It was as if Mu Jingzhe being bitten to death was an extremely joyous asion.


    At that moment, Shao Dong only felt his mind buzz. The taut string in his mind instantly snapped. He couldn¡¯t suppress his anger, and without thinking, he threw the stool in his hand that he had yet to put down.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    He had utilized all his might and he was filled with killing intent. At that moment, Shao Dong really wanted to kill Zhao Lan.


    The stool hit Zhao Lan¡¯s head with a thud. Zhao Lan was knocked back a few steps, and her vision went ck for a moment.


    She hadn¡¯t expected the b*stard to dare hit her. She reached out and felt a sticky sensation. It was a mixture of blood and flesh left behind after hitting the snakes.


    Zhao Lan was already in pain. When she saw this, she was even more furious. ¡°Shao Dong! How dare you throw this at me!¡±


    She roared and raised her head, only to see Shao Dong¡¯s bloodshot eyes ring at her. He was like a wolf, ready to pounce on her and bite her neck in a second.


    Zhao Lan felt a chill on her neck. Her anger froze, and her mind instantly cleared up.


    This little brat really wanted her dead. He might really kill her. Not just him, but the other little brats too.


    Zhao Lan looked at Shao Xi, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu. The other four children had identical gazes that sent a chill right to her heart. This was the first time she felt afraid of these children.

 Chapter 110 - Last Words

    <h4>Chapter 110: Last Words</h4>


    Perhaps it was because she had gotten used to bullying her children since they were young and had always had control over their life and death, but although Zhao Lan might be afraid of Mu Jingzhe, she had never taken those five kids seriously. After all, these children had been raised by her.


    Anyway, she was their biological grandmother. What could they do to her?


    At that moment, Zhao Lan knew that they could really do anything to her. They might even kill her.


    She was furious, but fear still prevailed. She took two steps back, turned around, and ran.


    The woman who hade in with Zhao Lan looked at Mu Jingzhe with worry in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go get help.¡±


    The vige doctor had medicine that might be of use here. If the medicine didn¡¯t work, they¡¯d have to consider taking her to the hospital, even though those who were bitten by snakes usually died by the time they reached the hospital.


    She turned around and ran to call for help and inform Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi at the Mu Residence. If the medicine didn¡¯t work, they could still see her onest time.


    The courtyard quietened down. Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe, closed his eyes, and calmed down. ¡°Xiao Wu, go get help. Little Bei, go find some clothes or anything else. We have to bandage the wound.¡±


    When Shao Dong heard that the woman was going off to call for help, he believed her. However, he still wanted to send Xiao Wu away so that he would not be traumatized when he saw all of this. After all, he was still young.


    Shao Dong thought of many things in an instant, but Xiao Wu didn¡¯t listen to him this time. He also knew that someone had already gone to call for help, so he wanted to stay by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side.


    Shao Dong saw that he hadn¡¯t moved, but there was nothing he could do about it. There was no time to waste. He hadn¡¯t seen anyone in the vige being bitten by a snake with his own eyes, but he had seen it on television before.


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wound. Without much hesitation, he made a decision and lowered his head to suck out the venom.


    ¡°Brother, you can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ll do it!¡± Shao Xi knew what Shao Dong wanted to do and stopped him. ¡°You can¡¯t have an ident.¡±


    ¡°Then who?¡± Shao Dong avoided Shao Xi¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. If anything happens to me, I¡¯ll leave everything to you.¡±


    After saying that, Shao Dong lowered his head and sucked out as much venom as he could.


    Little Bei¡¯s face was full of tears, but she didn¡¯t dare cry out loud. As she wiped her tears, she retrieved the cloth.


    Shao Nan¡¯s hands trembled as he bound Mu Jingzhe¡¯s legs based on his understanding to prevent the poison from spreading.


    Seeing that Shao Dong was still sucking and Mu Jingzhe was still not awake, Shao Nan clenched his hand bit by bit. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. Mommy might have been bitten while saving me.¡±


    ¡°No, she got bitten afterward when she was saving me. The person bitten should have been me.¡±


    At first, Shao Dong hadn¡¯t thought much about it. However, now that he thought about it, he could feel that something was amiss. At that moment, he finally understood the feeling that Shao Xi had mentioned earlier.


    This was the first time he was gripped by such fear. He was afraid that he had caused Mu Jingzhe¡¯s death. He was afraid of this heavy emotion and didn¡¯t dare think about what he would do if something happened to Mu Jingzhe.


    At that moment, he even thought that if Mu Jingzhe was gone, the heavens should just take him away as well.


    He was used to shouldering responsibility since he was young, but at that moment, he suddenly couldn¡¯t hold on anymore. He couldn¡¯t bear it any longer.


    Therefore, if she had to die, they might as well die together.


    He was really tired. If Mu Jingzhe was gone, he really wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on. He¡¯d have to¡­ abandon his younger siblings.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Shao Dong apologized to Mu Jingzhe and his younger siblings.


    When Mu Jingzhe woke up, she felt faint pain in her ankle. In a daze, she opened her eyes and saw Shao Xi and Little Bei¡¯s tearful faces, while Shao Dong was lying on the ground sucking on her ankle.


    All those memories instantly returned to her mind¡ªthe terrifying snakes and the pain in her ankle. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression changed, and she immediately stood up to dodge Shao Dong.


    ¡°Shao Dong, are you crazy? How dare you suck out the blood? Do you want to die?!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi were overjoyed. ¡°You¡¯re awake. How do you feel?¡±


    How did she feel? Mu Jingzhe still felt a little dizzy and weak, but she didn¡¯t dare say anything. ¡°Quick, rinse Shao Dong¡¯s mouth and call the doctor!¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was awake, Xiao Wu quickly went to get some water.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the wound and thought to herself, ¡®So it wasn¡¯t an illusion. How unlucky.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened when the venom had acted up, but her hand felt a little numb. She felt like the poison was spreading, so she quickly said herst words.


    ¡°In the future, you¡¯re not allowed to use your mouth to suck blood. You¡¯re not allowed to learn from television either. Otherwise, two lives might be lost instead of one!


    ¡°Little Bei, do you know where I hid the money? When the timees, you can use it. Also, your grandparents¡­ They will definitely be very sad. Keep thempany and help me support them in their old age!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected that she would be killed by a venomous snake. This had happened so suddenly that she didn¡¯t know what to say. She could only think that at least Shao Dong was starting to earn money and these kids were in a better situation than before.


    Although it was a little thick-skinned of her, if she really were to die now, it would probably be best if she left the children a few missions.


    ¡°Shao Dong, the pension that you kids said you were going to give me can go to my mother instead. They might take their anger out on you. I have to make sure they don¡¯t me you for¡ª¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought of using her cell phone to record a video, but she didn¡¯t have one. ¡°Little Bei, quick, get a pen and paper. I¡¯ll tell them not to me the five of you.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe instructed them what to do if she were to die, Xiao Wu and Little Bei, who was already crying, started to wail.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, Mommy.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression also changed drastically. For the first time, he shouted at Mu Jingzhe, ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? You can take care of them yourself. If you leave like this, I won¡¯t take care of them.¡±


    How could he support them in their old age when he didn¡¯t even want to live anymore?


    ¡°Don¡¯t get worked up. I¡¯ll calm down!¡± Mu Jingzhe pressed Shao Dong down. ¡°You might have absorbed the venom as well. If you get agitated, the venom will spread faster. Don¡¯t get worked up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll live if you live.¡± Shao Dong exhaled. ¡°You¡¯ll live. I¡¯ll definitely make sure you live!¡±


    The Shao Family was gloomy. Meanwhile, after the auntie left, she immediately called for help and went to the vige doctor.


    Vige doctors were barefooted doctors in the vige. Their skills had been passed down for generations, and they did have certain capabilities.


    After the auntie called the vige doctor, she immediately rushed to the Mu Family¡¯s house. She shouted along the way and told the vigers to quickly go to the Mu Residence. If the doctor couldn¡¯t do anything about it, they¡¯d have to take her to the hospital.


    When she arrived at the Mu Residence, they heard her before they even saw her. ¡°Mu Jingzhe has been bitten by a snake. Mu Teng, Li Zhaodi, go quickly.¡±


    Behind her were also people who hade over after hearing the news. ¡°Mu Jingzhe was bitten to death by a snake. Come quickly¡­¡±


    The news of Mu Jingzhe being bitten by a snake was spread by that auntie, whereas the news of her being bitten to death was spread by Zhao Lan.


    Two pieces of news simultaneously reached the Mu Residence. Unfortunately, Mu Han had already gone out to scavenge. Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi had gone to sell buns and weren¡¯t at home. Old Lady Mu and the rest were shocked when they heard that. ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Moling was even more shocked than Old Lady Mu.


    Tang Moling was at the Mu Residence early in the morning because he had caught a cold. Old Lady Mu was worried about him going back, so she had asked him to stay at the Mu Residence for a night to take care of him.


    Mu Xue was washing her face with warm water when she suddenly heard this news.


    Mu Jingzhe had been bitten to death by a snake? She was dead?


    The washbasin in her hand fell to the ground with a loud thud. Tang Moling¡¯s body swayed, and he rushed out without a care.

 Chapter 111 - Disappointed and Out Of Control

    <h4>Chapter 111: Disappointed and Out Of Control</h4>


    The auntie had just run into the Mu Residence when she was almost sent flying by Tang Moling.


    ¡°Why is he running like this?¡± And why does he look like he¡¯s lost his soul?¡± The auntie thought it was because of something else.


    No one answered her. Old Lady Mu and the Mu Family watched in shock as Tang Moling ran out. They werepletely baffled by his sudden reaction.


    They were already shocked by the news, and now that Tang Moling had suddenly run out, they couldn¡¯t react momentarily.


    Mu Xue looked at the wash basin on the ground and couldn¡¯t help but tremble. It was because of the news of Mu Jingzhe being bitten to death and also because of the way Tang Moling had reacted.


    Others might not understand, but she did. Tang Moling had lost hisposure when he¡¯d heard about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ident.


    At this point, Mu Xue could no longer lie to herself. Her previous intuition had been right. Tang Moling indeed had feelings for Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Xue¡¯s heart sank.


    At that moment, Old Lady Mu and the rest reacted. ¡°How did she get bitten to death by a snake? Why did she provoke a snake? Mu Teng and the rest aren¡¯t around either¡­¡±


    Upon hearing Old Lady Mu¡¯s anxiousints, Mu Xue got annoyed and felt her entire body turn cold. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Grandma. You might as well go take a look first!¡±


    She had to see if Mu Jingzhe could be saved. Also, she refused to ept it and wanted to see if Tang Moling had really gone to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    No one had expected that Tang Moling would be the first to rush over instead of the Mu Family.


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t even know how he got to the Shao Family¡¯s house. His mind was a mess, and he didn¡¯t dare think if all of this was real. He ran forward with all his might.


    Tang Moling¡¯s nose felt blocked, as if he couldn¡¯t breathe. When he reached the Shao Residence, he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯sst words. As he looked at the dead snakes in the courtyard, Tang Moling¡¯s legs turned wobbly and he knelt on the ground.


    ¡°Quick, bring her to my car. Let¡¯s take her to the hospital!¡±


    At that moment, Tang Moling only wanted to save Mu Jingzhe. The only thought on his mind was that Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t die.


    After shouting out, he broke into an earth-shattering coughing fit. He coughed until his face was red, he was unable to breathe, and his cheeks were full of tears.


    When the vige doctor came in and saw Tang Moling, he almost thought that something had happened to him too. Because he was so close, he was about to take a look at him when Tang Moling panicked. ¡°Mu Jingzhe¡­ Go and see Mu Jingzhe!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was still awake. She hadn¡¯t expected Tang Moling to be there too or that he¡¯d even run in suddenly. When she heard that he wanted to take her to the hospital, she felt warmth in her heart. No matter what, she was still very grateful.


    However, it was just a fleeting thought. She couldn¡¯t even protect herself now, and the children were a weepy mess. She didn¡¯t dare imagine what would happen if she were to die!


    When she saw the vige doctor approach, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up and she grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Uncle, help!¡± After she said that, she shoved Shao Dong toward the doctor. ¡°Please take a look at him first!¡±


    She might be able to return to the modern world after she died. Shao Dong was still very young. Their priority should be to save Shao Dong.


    ¡°Save my mom first!¡± Upon seeing that Mu Jingzhe still wanted to save him first, for a moment, Shao Dong didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. ¡°You¡¯re still thinking of me even at a time like this! I said I won¡¯t live if you don¡¯t live!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you won¡¯t live if I don¡¯t live? What are you saying?!¡± Mu Jingzhe became anxious.


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m begging you to save Mommy and my brother!¡± Little Bei burst into tears when she heard them arguing.


    The vige doctor had already finished examining Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wound. ¡°When did she get bitten? How many minutes has it been?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Shao Dong answered nervously. ¡°Is it¡­¡± Fear was written all over his face.


    The vige doctor looked at him, then at the children and Mu Jingzhe. He said helplessly, ¡°Unless I¡¯m wrong, it was not a venomous snake.¡±


    Hearing the answer, Little Bei and Xiao Wu stopped crying. Mu Jingzhe also widened her eyes. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said, unless I¡¯m wrong, it was not a venomous snake. The wound doesn¡¯t look like it, and you haven¡¯t shown any particr symptoms of being poisoned. Although the reaction to being bitten by a venomous snake varies from person to person, many people die in three to five minutes.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was still fine. Although her face was a little pale and she was covered in a cold sweat, her expression was normal. His experience told him that she hadn¡¯t been bitten by a poisonous snake.


    He nced at the snakes around him. ¡°There are several venomous snakes in here, but you were luckily bitten by one of our local snakes. It¡¯s not a venomous snake. Just bandage the wound up and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the rest were quiet. Little Bei burped after all that crying and said, ¡°So Mommy is okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was overjoyed. ¡°There¡¯s no need to die. Aiyo, you scared me to death. There¡¯s no need to die. You really scared me to death.¡±


    She hugged Shao Dong. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Little Dong. You don¡¯t have to be afraid anymore. We don¡¯t have to die!¡±


    After feeling overjoyed, she suddenly felt uneasy and puzzled. ¡°Uncle, are you sure? If it was not a venomous snake, then why do I feel dizzy and weak, and why are my hands numb?¡±


    The vige doctor checked her again and paused. ¡°Are you afraid of snakes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who hit most of the snakes, right?¡± The vige doctor pointed at the horrifying corpses beside them.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Your feebleness and dizziness is due to the trauma you suffered. As for your numb hands, that¡¯s probably because you used too much strength just now.¡±


    By looking at the situation and the snake corpses, one could imagine how much strength Mu Jingzhe had used.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Ah, I see. Thank you, Uncle.¡±


    So it was a misunderstanding.


    ¡°So Mommy doesn¡¯t have to die?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and the children rxed. Shao Dong rxed and fell off the table.


    It was only then that he realized that his entire body had been stiff and numb and his entire face was aching and sore. It was because he had identally clenched his teeth tightly to prevent himself from crying and had used too much strength.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Mu Jingzhe hurriedly pulled Shao Dong back.


    Shao Dong and the rest had been scared out of their wits. Tang Moling had also been scared out of his wits. He had been utterly desperate. It was only in the end that he felt alive.


    He coughed until his entire body was covered in a cold sweat. Looking at Mu Jingzhe and the others, he felt both relieved and helpless. ¡°To think that such a blunder could be made¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the strength to stand. He smiled, but his smile was bitter.


    How many years had it been? How many years had it been since he¡¯d lost hisposure like this?


    Tang Moling looked at Mu Jingzhe and felt lingering fear. His heart was filled with a mixture of joy and confusion. His feelings for Mu Jingzhe seemed to be deepening. What should he do in the future?


    When he sensed that something was amiss, he turned around and saw Mu Xue. Mu Xue looked at him quietly, her eyes filled with disappointment and despair.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was fine, Mu Xue turned around and left after seeing Tang Moling lying on the ground.


    She lowered her head and dashed forward. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Tang Moling would have lost hisposure if she had been in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoes.


    The way Tang Moling had copsed in the courtyard made Mu Xue feel as though she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.


    She could still feel Tang Moling¡¯s feelings for her, but why did Mu Jingzhe have to appear again?


    As the vigers rushed over one after another, no one noticed Tang Moling and Mu Xue losing theirposure.


    ording to the observations of the vige doctor and the vigers, it seemed abnormal for the snakes to suddenly gather at the house and attack people.


    Besides, there were a few venomous snakes that they had never seen before. They were not local snakes, but the vigers did not know who had released them. An investigation had to be carried out.

 Chapter 112 - How Much Hatred Is This?

    <h4>Chapter 112: How Much Hatred Is This?</h4>


    While looking at the snake corpses on the ground, everyone felt their hair stand on end. Their expressions as they looked at Mu Jingzhe also changed several times. This was a ruthless person.


    Upon hearing that Shao Dong had tried to suck the venomous blood out for Mu Jingzhe, everyone was filled with emotions. Even their own son might not have done this. Even though Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong weren¡¯t rted by blood, they were more protective of each other than those that were. No wonder Mu Jingzhe had chosen toe back.


    Zhao Lan was in the crowd. When she saw that Mu Jingzhe was fine, the corner of her mouth twitched. She was somewhat dissatisfied, but after casting a stealthy nce at Shao Dong, she didn¡¯t dare make a sound.


    It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t angry. After being raised for so many years, even a dog would be grateful to its master. In the end, because of what had happenedst time, he nowpletely refused to acknowledge them.


    He had even wanted to hit her for Mu Jingzhe. If she had been unlucky, she would have been beaten to death.


    To think they felt more affection for Mu Jingzhe, despite the fact that she had only raised them for half a year,pared to her, the grandmother who had raised them for five to six years prior to that. Seriously¡­


    Zhao Lan secretly spat and muttered as she left. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t she bitten to death?¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t died, Old Lady Mu also left. Meanwhile, the bravest men in the vige cleaned up the snake corpses in the yard.


    Upon seeing the door that Mu Jingzhe had smashed, the people who were tidying up the courtyard fell silent. It could only be said that it was fortunate that a snake had crawled in and not a human. Otherwise, said human might not even have been an intact corpse.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice everyone¡¯s gazes. She watched as the snakes were taken away. Although there were still traces left behind, she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Her numb brain finally started working.


    So, these snakes weren¡¯t the doing of a man? Mu Jingzhe recalled the feeling that someone had been following her all this time. Could she have offended someone who was now seeking revenge?


    But who could it be? A really vicious and terrifying method had been used. If she had woken up a littleter, or if the snakes had acted at night, they might have been bitten in their sleep. If they were unlucky, they might have been bitten by a venomous snake, and that would have been it for them.


    Even if the five kids weren¡¯t bitten, without an adult around, they might not have been able to escape.


    How big of a grudge was this? This person wanted to exterminate them directly and had even chosen a time when Shao Qiyang was not at home.


    Mu Jingzhe felt lingering fear just thinking about it. She felt like he was being targeted by a venomous snake that could bite her from the back at any moment.


    However, Mu Jingzhe soon heard that there were also snakes crawling into the other houses in the vige. The snakes that crawled in were all abnormal, for they seemed to be directly attacking humans. It was just that there weren¡¯t as many of them.


    So they hadn¡¯t been specifically targeted?


    After hearing thetest news, the vigers cleaned up the bodies and left. Li Fang and the female workers boldly looked through Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room and the entire house to make sure that no snakes had slipped through the.


    Finally, when Mu Jingzhe and the kids had a chance to speak calmly, Mu Jingzhe immediately criticized Shao Dong.


    ¡°Shao Dong, you¡¯re not allowed to do such a foolish thing again. If this was a venomous snake, you might have died too.¡±


    Where was that cold, calm business tycoon she had read about in the novel? His image had been ruined.


    Shao Dong pursed his lips. ¡°You are the one who was foolish first.¡± She was the one who was foolish enough to always want to protect them and did not care about her own safety.


    Shao Dong paused, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Mommy, I hope you can treat us a little worse in the future, especially when your life is in danger. I hope you can protect yourself first.


    ¡°If something happens to you or if you die while protecting us, then we won¡¯t have peace for the rest of our lives. We¡­ can¡¯t handle too much kindness from you, especially if it endangers your life.¡±


    They didn¡¯t want this moving kinship anymore. More than that, they wanted her to be safe. They would rather be in danger themselves.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned, but upon thinking about it from their perspective, she could understand them.


    ¡°I will. And¡­ I¡¯m not really risking my life just for the two of you. It¡¯s just a matter of convenience. I didn¡¯t think that much about it. You don¡¯t have to be so stressed.¡±


    ording to the dramas on TV, they should have been moved to tears by now, but instead, they were discussing this question.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡± Shao Dong concluded. The other four kids nodded vigorously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Mommy to be in danger either.¡± Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe, still feeling afraid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect Mommy from now on.¡± Xiao Wu refused tog behind.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°None of you want me to protect you, but you have the cheek to want to protect me in the future?¡±


    The five kids: ¡°¡­¡±


    Geez.


    The five of them looked at each other helplessly. Luckily, Mu Jingzhe had forced them to memorize ¡°Born in Woes and Died in Peace¡±st night.


    Otherwise, after encountering something like this again today, they would probably have overthought things.


    Shao Dong coughed as he looked at the room without a door and changed the topic. ¡°Mom, are we going to order a custom-made door, or are we going to buy an iron door outside?¡±


    ¡°I think we should get an iron door. Then Mommy won¡¯t break it again. It¡¯s safer too,¡± Shao Dong suggested.


    Little Bei raised her hand. ¡°Mommy will smash the metal door until it bes uneven. That¡¯s what happened when Mommy saved mest time. It won¡¯t look good after that.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°In that case, we¡¯d better go for a wooden door. Shao Xi, you go.¡±


    After Shao Xi left, Shao Dong fetched some water and cleaned up the traces on the ground. Mu Jingzhe wanted to help, but she was stopped.


    ¡°Although it was not a venomous snake, you should still rest properly, Mom.¡±


    Shao Dong asked Xiao Wu to apany Mu Jingzhe and took Shao Nan and Little Bei to clear up the traces on the ground. He threw away the stool that had been used to smash the snake and asked Shao Xi to customize a few stools as well.


    Shao Dong even suggested, ¡°If you feel scared, recite ¡®Born in Woes and Die in Peace¡¯.¡±


    Little Bei and the rest thought it might work, so they recited it while they busied themselves.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had been asked to rest, found Shao Dong¡¯s arrangement very reliable and adorable.


    As she listened to them recite poems while busying themselves, she increasingly felt that Shao Dong was capable. To be honest, she felt extremely unlucky to have experienced this today.


    Thankfully, she had the foresight to make the kids memorize this poem. Indeed, it proved to be of use at a time like this. As she listened to them recite the poem, she felt a lot moreforted. It reminded her that she had encountered so many twists and turns because the heavens were toughening her up for future sess.


    She felt much better at that thought.


    Mu Jingzhe felt a lot better, and everyone also feltforted. After experiencing all of this, as long as they could endure it, they would be one step closer to sess.


    After he was done with his work, Shao Dong still wanted to cook but was stopped by Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Let me do it. I can still cook. I¡¯m already much better.¡±


    Fortunately, the snakes hadn¡¯t gone into the kitchen. Otherwise, they would have felt especially unsafe. Speaking of that, the tables outside should be disinfected before usage.


    While Mu Jingzhe was cooking, Shao Dong went to find the vige doctor and took some snake repellent powder from him. They scattered it around the perimeter of the house. Then, still feeling worried, they also scattered it in the courtyard.


    At first, because of this incident, every family wanted to scatter some snake repellent powder in their homes. However, the vige doctor¡¯s snake repellent powder had been taken by Shao Dong, so everyone could only go and get it elsewhere.


    After sprinkling the snake repellent powder, they felt more secure.


    However, the aftereffects were still left behind. Even the slightest noise would make Mu Jingzhe immediately take a look, afraid that it was a snake. Even seeing a leaf blown by the wind would make her jump in fright.

 Chapter 113 - Youve Got to Be Fair to All Five Of Us

    <h4>Chapter 113: You¡¯ve Got to Be Fair to All Five Of Us</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to do this either, but she couldn¡¯t control herself. She had never seen a real snake before, so she couldn¡¯t control herself when facing so many snakes.


    ¡°Gosh, I was nearly scared to death.¡± Startled again by the door, which was mmed by the wind, Mu Jingzhe patted her chest in relief.


    Shao Dong frowned as he looked at Mu Jingzhe. He thought for a moment and grabbed her hand. ¡°Mommy, let me help you call your soul.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I once suffered a scare before too. The granny in the vige helped me call back my soul, and then I recovered.¡±


    After saying that, Shao Dong squatted down and picked up a small clump of soil from the ground. Then, he circled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head and earnestly called out her soul for her.


    This was something adults often did when the children in the vige were frightened. Lookingpletely serious, Shao Dong used the same method on Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Come back. Never fear again.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the serious Shao Dong and felt her heart brimming with warmth. Her heart, which had been beating too fast, slowly calmed down. ¡°Thank you, Little Dong. I feel much better now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong¡¯s serious expression and couldn¡¯t help but lift him up and spin him around. ¡°Little Dong, why are you so cute?¡±


    Stunned by her hug, Shao Dong held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Mommy?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe often carried Little Bei and Xiao Wu like this. This was his first time, and he felt ufortable all over.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at him and put him down before kissing his forehead.


    ¡°He he.¡±


    This time, Shao Dong frozepletely. His face slowly turned red, and he stuttered even more. ¡°Mom, what are you¡­ doing?¡±


    ¡°I just kissed you once,¡± Mu Jingzhe confessed. ¡°When we were in the city, I couldn¡¯t help but kiss Shao Xi. Then, it urred to me. When you and Shao Xi grow up, I won¡¯t have another chance to do this in the future. It¡¯s just this one chance, right? So I¡­¡±


    She chuckled contentedly. ¡°Little Dong, you¡¯re not mad that I didn¡¯t discuss it with you beforehand, right?¡±


    Shao Dong wasn¡¯t angry, but he was taken by surprise.


    He vaguely remembered that his biological mother had kissed him before. She had kissed his face and his forehead. However, the memory was too distant. So distant that it felt like a dream.


    Now, he clearly knew that this wasn¡¯t a dream. When Mu Jingzhe kissed him, he felt warmth envelop his entire body, causing his mind to be a bit muddled.


    Shao Dong organized his words. ¡°I¡¯m not angry, but I¡¯m already a man¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. Sons keep a certain distance from their mothers when they grow up, and so do daughters and fathers. I know you¡¯re older now. It won¡¯t happen again. Just this once.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe immediately assured him and stroked his head while smoothing down his hair.


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warm gaze and felt a bit stuck. He also felt a trace of indescribable regret.


    In the past, he had always hoped that he would grow up quickly so that he could do many things. However, this was the first time he was envious of his younger siblings.


    Today, he suddenly wanted to be younger and stay in his mother¡¯s arms for a bit longer.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong with mixed emotions. ¡°Time flies. Sometimes, I really wish time could slow down so that you guys would grow up more slowly.¡±


    Observing Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    At that moment, he only had one thought on his mind: So now he was the only one who hadn¡¯t been kissed by Mommy?


    After Shao Dong left, Shao Nan thought for a while and went to wash his forehead. He found Mu Jingzhe and looked at her sternly. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯ve got to treat all five of us equally.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. ¡°What? Why did you wash your forehead? Did you get dirty?¡± She had seen Shao Nan¡¯s confusing behavior.


    ¡°No, I was just preparing.¡± Shao Nan pointed at his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ve already washed it, so it¡¯s time for you to kiss me, Mommy. You¡¯ve already kissed Big Brother and Second Brother, so I¡¯m the only one left out of the five of us. You can¡¯t leave me out.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was a mess. What was going on? Was he waiting for her to kiss him after he washed his forehead?


    In a daze, she granted Shao Nan¡¯s request and kissed him. Only then did Shao Nan give her a satisfied smile. ¡°This is good. It¡¯s fair now.¡±


    He counted on his fingers and said, ¡°The ancients said that boys and girls shouldn¡¯t sleep together once they turn seven years old. ording to what you said to Brother and the rest just now, one should keep a certain distance from the opposite sex after they turn seven or eight. I¡¯m six years old now, and there¡¯s still a year left before I turn seven. Mommy, you can seize the opportunity to kiss me a few more times this year.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was in a daze. ¡°Would you like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shao Nan nodded. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s less than a year to go until I turn seven, so you have to seize the opportunity, Mommy.¡±


    Shao Nan coughed and left. When he reached the door, he started running quickly. The corners of his mouth slowly split open, and hisughter became louder and louder.


    He hadn¡¯t known how it felt to be kissed by his mother. No wonder Little Bei and Xiao Wu were so shy and excited every time. No wonder the children in the vige used to unt in front of him. This was indeed worth unting about.


    Shao Nan touched his forehead and, recalling the warm touch, felt his heart brimming with joy. There was still a year left.


    Although he had not experienced this in the first six years of his life, there was still a year left. That was quite good, at least better than the time Big Brother and Second Brother had left. However, it also made him feel quite shy.


    At the thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but envy Little Bei and Xiao Wu. Being a girl, Little Bei could continue to be close to Mommy in the future, whereas Xiao Wu was still young, so he had more time.


    When Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi came back and found out that Mu Jingzhe had been almost bitten by a venomous snake, they jumped around in the yard and scolded the culprit for half the night. Their general meaning was that regardless of whether this was intentional or not, if anyone dared to strike again, they would definitely tear them apart.


    Mu Teng heard that snake repellent powder had been sprinkled, but he was still worried. He used a shlight andid out a circle of thorny vines outside the yard. Shao Qiyang helped him.


    Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t expected something so major to happen when he was away for one night. Other than guilt, he also felt lingering fear.


    After Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi went back, the problem of where Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei would sleep surfaced.


    The door had been smashed, and a new one had yet to be installed. Even if there was a room door, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were so traumatized that they still wouldn¡¯t dare to sleep.


    Shao Qiyang offered to let them sleep in his room, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t agree. After all, he was her brother-inw, so it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate. In the end, Shao Dong suggested that Mu Jingzhe should sleep with them for the time being.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Xiao Wu¡¯s room originally had two beds. Since Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were going to sleep there, they removed the beds and everyone simply slept on the floor.


    As it was summer, one wouldn¡¯t get cold sleeping on a straw mat on the floor.


    Mu Jingzhe would sleep in the innermost corner with Little Bei and Xiao Wu sleeping beside her. It was Xiao Wu¡¯s first time sleeping with Mu Jingzhe, and he was so happy that he kept holding her hand.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t used to it. Furthermore, she was afraid of having nightmares, so she didn¡¯t sleep. Shao Dong felt that this wouldn¡¯t do and made some adjustments.


    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to be afraid when we sleep around you.¡±


    Shao Dong got Shao Xi to stand up and dragged the straw mat to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head and feet. ¡°This way, you¡¯ll be surrounded by us from all sides.¡± Even if snakes crawled in, they would know first.


    These darlings were so sweet to her. Mu Jingzhe, who was surrounded and protected, finally understood the joy and meaning of being a parent.

 Chapter 114 - Engagement

    <h4>Chapter 114: Engagement</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe felt warmth in her heart. ¡°Thank you, Shao Dong, but you don¡¯t have to sleep by my feet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your feet don¡¯t stink.¡± Shao Dong didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with it and didn¡¯t mind at all.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom. Just go to sleep.¡± Shao Xi, who was sleeping above her head, patted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you can¡¯t sleep, shall we sing you a luby?¡±


    Both Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei got worked up upon hearing the suggestion. Mu Jingzhe was worked up because it reminded her of the embarrassing instance of her singing a luby previously. Little Bei got excited because she wanted to sing. ¡°I can sing, Mommy.¡±


    Forget it, if she sang the ¡®bombing school¡¯ luby, it would make falling asleep even harder. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯m sleeping now.¡± Mu Jingzhe shut her eyes instantly.


    Shao Xi chuckled when he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression and switched off the shlight.


    Perhaps because the kids were protecting her, although Mu Jingzhe was only pretending to be asleep at first, she really fell asleep afterward.


    Knowing that Mu Jingzhe was sleeping with them, the five kids also fell asleep peacefully.


    The atmosphere in the Shao Family was rxed, and they all fell asleep peacefully. However, the atmosphere in the Mu Family was a little heavy and strange.


    Tang Moling had suddenly run out but because he had been worried that something had happened to Mu Jingzhe, not for any other reason. Old Lady Mu and the rest couldn¡¯t fathom why.


    Even though Tang Molingter came back and said that he¡¯d only run off because he had a car and thought that he could help save a life, he barely managed to get off the hook with this exnation.


    However, Mu Xue¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, and she ignored Tang Moling. This made Old Lady Mu and the rest feel that something was amiss.


    Due to their previous experience, they immediately wondered if Mu Jingzhe had gone back to her old ways ande to snatch the person Mu Xue liked.


    Before Old Lady Mu could speak up, Tang Moling suddenly fell ill.


    Since there was no evidence and Tang Moling was sick, they could only take care of him first. Mu Xue was also coaxed by Old Lady Mu and had no choice but to take care of him for now.


    Tang Moling¡¯s feversted for half a day before it subsided after dark. After a night of rest, he felt much better the next day and also regained his mental energy.


    Mu Xue, on the other hand, looked haggard. One of the reasons was because she had been taking care of Tang Moling. Another reason were the troubles weighing on her mind.


    She couldn¡¯t forget Tang Moling¡¯s earlier reaction. After seeing that Tang Moling had more or less recovered, she said, ¡°You can leave now. Don¡¯t evere back again.¡±


    Mu Xue had her own pride and couldn¡¯t pretend to be muddle-headed.


    Tang Moling was shocked. ¡°Mu Xue, don¡¯t misunderstand¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not blind either. I can tell.¡± Mu Xue interrupted him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know how the two of you crossed paths. I don¡¯t want to see you now. I don¡¯t have any other requests. I just hope that you won¡¯t be with her in the future.¡±


    Tang Moling looked at Mu Xue¡¯s haggard appearance and felt as if a knife was cutting his heart. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Mu Xue, don¡¯t misunderstand. The reason I reacted so strongly is because one of my family members was once bitten by a venomous snake and died. That¡¯s why¡­¡±


    He knew that he had let Mu Xue down, so Tang Moling¡¯s heart was filled with distress and regret. Because of this, he had no choice but to lie.


    He was genuinely fond of Mu Xue. He was very sure about this rtionship. There was a voice in his heart that kept telling him that the person he should be spending his life with was Mu Xue.


    He was very certain of his intentions and his future with Mu Xue. However, his heart fluttered when he saw Mu Jingzhe. He really shouldn¡¯t have allowed himself to be swayed.


    By now, everyone in Great Eastern Vige knew about his rtionship with Mu Xue. He had to take responsibility.


    ¡°Xiao Xue, don¡¯t overthink. I only like you.¡±


    The tears that Mu Xue had been suppressing finally fell. ¡°Really? But why do I feel that you¡¯ve been distracted recently?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of work. I¡¯ve taken on a lot of responsibilities, so I¡¯m distracted.¡±


    Tang Moling wiped away Mu Xue¡¯s tears, his heart aching for her. ¡°I didn¡¯t do a good job and I made you sad. Actually, my purpose foring this time was to discuss the engagement with you. I wanted to get a matchmaker to propose the marriage.¡±


    Old Lady Mu had hinted twice that he should propose marriage. She wanted them to get engaged as soon as possible. Otherwise, there would still be some ambiguity about their rtionship.


    Tang Moling knew that he ought to do this. There was a voice in his heart urging him to do it, but he didn¡¯t know why he hadn¡¯t done it yet. Now, he knew that he had to do it.


    Mu Xue was stunned when she heard the words ¡®marriage proposal¡¯. She looked at Tang Moling, whose eyes were filled with her. ¡°Do you want to? If you do, I¡¯ll get someone toe¡­¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s heart jumped. ¡°Why are you talking about this when you haven¡¯t even recovered yet?¡±


    She blushed and left. Although she hadn¡¯t given an answer directly, her intentions were clear.


    Tang Moling smiled in relief as he watched her leave. Yes, this was what he ought to do.


    Tang Moling asked around and very quickly, following the custom of Great Eastern Vige, he invited a matchmaker to propose marriage. He sent over two carts full of betrothal gifts, which was far better than what other families usually received.


    Everyone knew about the rtionship between Tang Moling and Mu Xue, so the vigers weren¡¯t surprised.


    Very soon, the date of the engagement was set. When they looked at the calendar, they realized that an auspicious day wasing up. If they missed it, they would have to wait two more months.


    After Old Lady Mu waited for so long, at longst, Tang Moling finally proposed marriage. How could she wait two months? She immediately decided on the nearest date.


    The engagement day hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but Tang Moling¡¯s gifts kepting.


    The betrothal gifts consisted of the finest food and items. The Mu Family finally found out a little about Tang Moling¡¯s identity. They didn¡¯t know much, but they knew that Tang Moling would be the heir of a big, affluent family in the future. He was so rich that they couldn¡¯t even count how much money he had. In the future, Mu Xue would be able to live a good life by marrying him.


    Given Tang Moling¡¯s status, there were many rich youngdies waiting to marry him, but Tang Moling had chosen Mu Xue.


    Old Lady Mu was so proud that she told the vigers everything she knew. Her heart swelled with pride when she saw everyone¡¯s envy.


    After the engagement date was set, both Old Lady Mu and Tang Moling heaved a sigh of relief.


    Because of the engagement, Mu Xue finally felt a sense of security and was no longer constantly anxious about losing Tang Moling. Just like before, she was her quiet self again. It was as if she had returned to the beginning with Tang Moling and their rtionship had started to be sweet again.


    It was only in the dead of the night that Tang Moling felt a little uneasy and guilty, not only toward Mu Xue, but also toward Mu Jingzhe.


    Although he knew that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t been bitten by a venomous snake, he was still a little worried about her condition. However, he deliberately stopped himself from asking around about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition, afraid that he would waver again.


    He didn¡¯t even dare face Mu Jingzhe and he felt inexplicably guilty. He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be unaffected and even happilye over to help out on the day of the engagement. She even gifted them a kettle with the word ¡®happiness¡¯ written on it.


    ¡°When you guys get married, I¡¯ll definitely give you a big present.¡±


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe in such a state, Tang Moling heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he felt incredulous and depressed.


    Mu Jingzhe obviously didn¡¯t know about Tang Moling¡¯s conflicted feelings.


    Although Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi¡¯s share of the family assets had been carved out, and things had gotten unpleasant between Old Lady Mu and them previously, they hadn¡¯t severed ties after all. On such a big day as Mu Xue¡¯s engagement, Mu Jingzhe still had to help out. She wasn¡¯t close to Mu Xue, but they were cousins after all, so she naturally had to go.

 Chapter 115 - Child Star

    <h4>Chapter 115: Child Star</h4>


    Previously, when Mu Jingzhe had seen that the male and female protagonist weren¡¯t engaged, for some reason, she had been a little anxious. Now that things were finally on track, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    During this period, Tang Moling had driven them to the art school a few times. Last time, when she had been bitten by a snake, he had even rushed over to say that he wanted to take her to the hospital. Mu Jingzhe remembered his kindness and sincerely wished them well.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Moling, who knew her blessing was sincere, felt very conflicted.


    Mu Xue saw that Mu Jingzhe seemed to be sincerely wishing her well and had even brought her a gift. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was different, Mu Xue told herself that she had been overthinking and epted her gift.


    Shao Qiyang had also rushed over that night. At this point, his feelings for Mu Xue had already dissipated. However, when he attended the engagement, he was still envious.


    He had no idea when such a day woulde for him and Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe saw the envy on Shao Qiyang¡¯s face and sighed. What a pitiful supporting character. He was seeing the girl he liked getting engaged, so his heart must definitely feel like it was being stabbed by a knife. It was normal for him to be envious of Tang Moling.


    Afraid that Shao Qiyang would feel really awful and get drunk, Mu Jingzhe asked Shao Xi to keep an eye on Shao Qiyang so that he wouldn¡¯t get drunk. Deep down, she hoped that Shao Qiyang wouldpletely give up after seeing the couple get engaged and heed her advice about seeking a marriage partner.


    Although the engagement banquet was taking ce in the vige, it was still very lively. Tang Moling had even invited some guests. These guests were all reputable people, which made Old Lady Mu very proud.


    Mu Xue¡¯s parents were so thrilled that a red glow could be seen on their faces. Eldest Brother Mu even got a little drunk.


    The vigers were naturally envious, but there were also people who found it strange that Tang Moling hadn¡¯t invited a single elder from his side of the family. Had his family not consented to this marriage?


    Upon hearing this, Old Lady Mu exined angrily, ¡°Their family does consent to it. It¡¯s only because the timing was so rushed that they couldn¡¯t make it.¡±


    This was naturally part of the reason. The main reason was that Tang Moling had already cut off all ties with the Tang Family and his biological mother was no longer around. The only rtive he was close to was his grandfather, and this was indeed too rushed for him toe over. However, Tang Moling had reassured Old Lady Mu.


    ¡°Grandpa treats me very well. He also believes in my judgement and said that it¡¯s fine as long as I like the girl. I¡¯ll bring Xiao Xue to meet him before we get married.¡±


    Old Lady Mu naturally had no objections. In fact, she thought that was pretty good. She had been afraid that Mu Xue would have a difficult mother-inw after marrying into the family. Now that she had no father-inw or mother-inw, she didn¡¯t have to worry about Mu Xue suffering grievances after marrying into their family.


    After Mu Xue got engaged, Little Bei¡¯s movie started shooting.


    The script had already been perfected, and Director Lu had also made a lot of preparations for the early stages of filming, so they went straight to the casting phase.


    Little Bei was still a student. As school would reopen in September, Director Lu rushed over as quickly as he could. Even if he didn¡¯t finish filming everything during the summer break, he had to at least film most of the scenes.


    The main character of ¡°Xiao Jiu¡± was a little girl, and the movie¡¯s main message was not to favor boys over girls. Girls were also very filial and could be relied on just as much. One shouldn¡¯t think that only sons would support them in their old age. If one had the misfortune of having an unfilial son, one would be better off having a daughter.


    The story was very representative. After her father remarried and Xiao Jiu had a stepmother, her biological father didn¡¯t care about her anymore. Because her ears were damaged by a fever, she couldn¡¯t hear anything. Thus, her stepmother abandoned her in the countryside so her grandmother would take care of her.


    Grandma favored boys over girls, causing Xiao Jiu to not have enough to eat or wear. Later on, she almost sent her off to be a child bride. Xiao Jiu was forced to embark on a journey to find her father. She wanted to ask why he had done this to her.


    The overall story wasn¡¯tplicated, but the process was tortuous, as the child would be going from the vige to the county and then to the city. She was a child who couldn¡¯t hear or speak. It was aplete adventure. After a lot of hardships, with the help of many other people, she finally found her father.


    In the end, the father only realized that he was wrong after being interrogated. Then, he saw how filial his daughter was and repented for his misdeeds.


    After Director Lu arrived, to support Little Bei, Ji Buwang was even willing to lend his house for filming. Director Lu looked around and felt that it would be easier to get things done since he was an acquaintance. Thus, he agreed.


    In the end, the filming locations were also directly chosen in the county and the city. It was decided that the scenes in the vige would take ce in Great Eastern Vige, for there were thatched cottages there where they could film.


    This made things easier for Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe, who could now film the movie without going far. However, it wasn¡¯t so convenient for the other actors. That wasn¡¯t an issue, though, because everyone was used to following the crew around the world, so it wasn¡¯t too bad.


    However, the second female lead was dissatisfied. The second female lead was also a child. Unlike Little Bei, this was a well-known child star called Tian Xiaoxiao from Ocean City.


    Tian Xiaoxiao had turned eight years old this year. She had started filming since she was two years old, so she had filmed a lot of movies. This time, she had wanted to be the main character, but Director Lu hadn¡¯t agreed.


    Tian Xiaoxiao had been in the industry for many years, and her acting was very mature. She cried whenever she was asked to, but Director Lu had always felt that her acting style was formic. In the end, he¡¯d arranged for her to be the second female lead.


    She wanted to be the female lead, but she had been given a supporting role. She was already unhappy about it, and to make things worse, she even had to amodate the female protagonist during the filming process and the filming location was in Little Bei¡¯s hometown.


    Tian Xiaoxiao had umted a lot of anger before she¡¯d even seen Little Bei.


    After filming for so many years, Tian Xiaoxiao had spent a lot of time in production teams and had a lot of experience interacting with adults. She was more mature and scheming than her peers.


    She wanted to teach Shao Bei a lesson and show the director that she was the most suitable candidate to be the female lead.


    This was also why she had agreed to take on the supporting role despite being well aware of the difference between the two. She did have the right to be proud, though. Among her peers, there were very few who could match her acting skills.


    Little Bei wasn¡¯t aware of all this. When she heard that shooting was going to start, she entered the set with Mu Jingzhe, feeling full of anticipation.


    Filming a movie was different from filming a television drama. Little Bei had only filmed a TV drama for a few days, so she had to learn from scratch. However, Director Lu didn¡¯t mind. He believed in Little Bei¡¯sprehension abilities.


    It was Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s first time seeing Little Bei in the production team. When she saw Little Bei¡¯s cute, soft, beautiful looks, which were superior to hers, she was a little unhappy.


    When the rehearsal started and the camera was turned on, Tian Xiaoxiao realized why Director Lu had chosen Little Bei the moment she saw Little Bei act.


    Little Bei was indeed not as experienced as her, but she was talented and she acted more naturally.


    It was only the first day, yet Tian Xiaoxiao already knew that her previous n wouldn¡¯t work. Mother Tian also saw how formidable Little Bei was and simultaneously became wary.


    They hadn¡¯t expected such a person toe from such a small county. If Little Bei were to gain fame, it would definitely affect Tian Xiaoxiao.


    Both mother and daughter became vignt. Tian Xiaoxiao became even more serious, as she did not want to lose to Little Bei. Although it was impossible to rece Little Bei now, at least they had to be evenly matched.


    When Little Bei felt the pressure, it triggered even more potential in her. Director Lu was very satisfied and kept praising her.


    She could still speak at the beginning of the movie, butter on, when she lost the ability to speak, most of the time, she relied on her expressions and eyes to perform. Her role was a lot more challenging than Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s.


    In order to make Little Bei act better, Director Lu tried his best to shoot the scenes in order. When Little Bei could still speak, she already felt the pressure. However, the child became stronger when she met strong people and gave Director Lu many surprises.

 Chapter 116 - Little Bei Got Slapped

    <h4>Chapter 116: Little Bei Got pped</h4>


    Tian Xiaoxiao saw this, and her temper worsened. Right from the start, Mu Jingzhe had already heard rumors about this child star from the crew members she was familiar with.


    It was said that she really knew how to act but didn¡¯t have a good reputation. There were also rumors that she would bully children her age. She would even look down on and suppress some little-known adult actors.


    Upon hearing this, Mu Jingzhe made a mental note to stay alert at all times.


    She apanied Little Bei to filming, but unlike Mother Tian, she wasn¡¯t a full-time caregiver. Mu Jingzhe was only doing this part-time. After meeting Director Lust time, she had created a job in the production team for herself by helping out with costumes and makeup.


    Coincidentally, the costumes and makeup person Lu Yuan had previously worked with had left to give birth, so Mu Jingzhe took over.


    Although there was a change in the working mode, this was still her old profession. Furthermore, period costumes weren¡¯t used in this movie. Many actors could even wear their own clothes during filming, so Mu Jingzhe easily got the hang of it.


    The filming process had started three days ago, and everything was going quite smoothly. Because the filming location was in the county city, the other four kids even came to visit.


    However, something went wrong on the fourth day. Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s character also had a lot of tragic scenes, so she needed to wear makeup.


    It was fine with Little Bei and the others, but when it was Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s turn, she cried out in pain while Mu Jingzhe was applying theatrical blood on her face. ¡°Auntie, what are you applying on me? My face hurts, and it feels so ufortable.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that, she quickly washed her up. After washing her up, she didn¡¯t see any redness or pimples. Everything appeared normal.


    However, Tian Xiaoxiao kept crying out in pain. The same happened when she applied makeup on her again. Mother Tian said that it was too dangerous and refused to let Mu Jingzhe touch her daughter¡¯s face again.


    Mu Jingzhe had no choice but to stop. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s a little allergic.¡±


    In order to solve Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s allergy problem, Mu Jingzhe had to make a trip to the city to get new cosmetics.


    She had to deliver the goods as well, so she left for two days. Before she left, she reminded Shao Qiyang to take good care of Little Bei.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair ornament business had stabilized, and the number of customers was steadily increasing. It would be fine as long as the business slowly developed.


    Ever since Mu Jingzhe had worked with the film crew and interacted with the television station, she¡¯d had a new job designing stage costumes. Many of them were ancient-style costumes.


    Mu Jingzhe had found a factory to coborate with and slowly started this business. Now, there were even clients who came to her.


    On the way to the city, Mu Jingzhe had to go to the factory to inspect the goods. If there were no problems, she would hand them over to the TV station.


    The factory had a good reputation, and there were no problems with the goods. After Mu Jingzhe handed them over to the TV station, they ordered another batch.


    ¡°I want the kind with the cape this time. We all love the blueprints you sent usst time and want to get a set each. My brother-inw owns a gallery, and their clothes aren¡¯t even as nice as yours.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe blinked. ¡°Sure, I can make more. You can collect them when they¡¯re ready. It¡¯s not expensive.¡±


    In the modern era, there were more and more photography studios, and they all provided clothing. This was also a business. As Mu Jingzhe had worked with a photography studio before, she didn¡¯t feel any pressure.


    The TV station staff member¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll order them!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded with a smile. This was how a business grew.


    The TV station was satisfied. Mu Jingzhe also received another piece of good news from the production team of the period drama that she had contacted previously. They replied that they were quite satisfied with her costumes, essories, and makeup.


    Not only did Mu Jingzhe provide fashion design, but she also provided simple hairstyling and makeup services. That production team was tempted.


    Mu Jingzhe answered them, feeling satisfied with her new business.


    While she was busy, Little Bei wasn¡¯t doing well.


    Shao Qiyang had reced Mu Jingzhe and was following Little Bei around. Even Shao Nan was worried and hade over to protect his younger sister, but when Mu Jingzhe was gone, there were still some changes to the situation.


    Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother were very familiar with the production team. Compared to the unfamiliar Shao Qiyang and Shao Nan, they knew how to attract everyone¡¯s attention and pull them over to their side to help.


    In the morning, when Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t around, it was Little Bei¡¯s turn to start filming, but her makeup wasn¡¯t done yet.


    During the filming session in the afternoon, due to an issue with the props, the order of filming was adjusted, and someter scenes were brought forward.


    There happened to be a scene when Little Bei would be pped by Tian Xiaoxiao. Tian Xiaoxiao yed the role of Xiao Jiu¡¯s older cousin, who was also neglected by her parents, but she also bullied Little Bei, who was weaker than her.


    Usually, there was a trick to pping someone. It might look painful on camera, but the actor generally wouldn¡¯t p the other person for real.


    The director had even specially instructed Tian Xiaoxiao how to go about doing it and asked Little Bei not to be afraid.


    Tian Xiaoxiao and the director had agreed that it would only be loud and clear but wouldn¡¯t hurt. Tian Xiaoxiao had learned before how to p without hurting anyone. When the time came, they would just apply makeup to make Little Bei¡¯s face appear red and swollen.


    However, when it was time to film, Tian Xiaoxiao pped Little Bei for real. The p was so crisp that Little Bei¡¯s face hurt.


    Tian Xiaoxiao had been in the production team since she was young. She was smart and she had learned to observe things from a young age. She had seen and learned all kinds of open strifes and veiled struggles between men and women in the production team.


    To Tian Xiaoxiao, taking advantage of filming to vent her anger was a piece of cake.


    Little Bei felt that something was amiss. This was different from what Mu Jingzhe had described before. However, seeing that Tian Xiaoxiao acted as if this was only natural and she hadn¡¯t made a mistake, and because the director didn¡¯t say anything, she swallowed what she wanted to say.


    Shao Qiyang had no clue what was going on. Thus, Little Bei was at a disadvantage.


    When Tian Xiaoxiao saw that Little Bei didn¡¯t say anything, she knew in her heart what to do. She could havepleted this scene smoothly, but she deliberately made a mistake so that the scene had to be shot again.


    The face-pping scene started once more. This time, Tian Xiaoxiao hit Little Bei even harder thanst time. The p was so hard that Little Bei¡¯s ears were ringing, and she couldn¡¯t react for a while. Thus, this time, the scene had to be shot again.


    In the end, they filmed two more scenes. Tian Xiaoxiao pped Little Bei harder and harder each time. Little Bei¡¯s face was red from the ps. Tian Xiaoxiao was afraid that the director would suspect her, so she even said that Little Bei¡¯s skin was too tender and would turn red with just a touch.


    Little Bei, who was standing the closest to Tian Xiaoxiao, could feel the thick malice in her. At this point, everything was clear to Little Bei.


    Tian Xiaoxiao was doing this on purpose. She deliberately pped her so hard and kept messing up so that they could reshoot this scene over and over again.


    Each time the scene was reshot, she had to endure another hard p. If she was pped a few more times, her face would definitely swell to the point that one wouldn¡¯t be able to look at it anymore.


    Little Bei looked at Tian Xiaoxiao and Mother Tian. She held back her tears and looked at Shao Qiyang and Shao Nan.


    They were asking around why she had to be pped like this, but everyone told them that this was what filming was like.


    At that moment, Little Bei was certain that her mother had been sent away on purpose. They wanted to deal with her while Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t around.


    Little Bei was right, but there was more to it than what had urred to her. Hitting her and bullying her on purpose was only the beginning. Tian Xiaoxiao had bigger ambitions. She hoped that after this incident, Little Bei would be afraid and would leave on her own.


    This way, she might be able to get the leading role and kick out a strongpetitor.


    This was the method that Tian Xiaoxiao had learned to use previously. Some children were very young and foolish. They were unable to endure any hardships or pain. They only had to be tormented a little and they would stop showing up out of fear.


    During the next take, Tian Xiaoxiao shook her aching hand and used a lot of strength to give Little Bei a tight p across the face. However, this time, something changed.

 Chapter 117 - Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 117: Revenge</h4>


    When Tian Xiaoxiao pped her face this time, Little Bei no longer held her footing despite trembling, which Director Lu had praised her for previously. Instead, she fell heavily to the ground.


    Bam! Little Bei didn¡¯t get up for a long time.


    Everyone was startled. In the end, Shao Nan was the fastest. Not caring whether they were still filming or not, he ran over. ¡°Little Bei!¡±


    Shao Nan pulled Little Bei up, who then revealed her bruised knees and elbows.


    When Little Bei saw Shao Nan, tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn¡¯t cry. She quickly wiped her tears and apologized to the director.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director. I lost my bnce¡­¡±


    Director Lu didn¡¯t expect Little Bei to apologize to him. He felt upset. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re in an awful state, so why are you apologizing to me? Quick, someonee over and treat her wound.¡±


    After saying that, Director Lu noticed that something was amiss. He looked at Little Bei¡¯s flushed cheeks and abruptly shifted his gaze to Tian Xiaoxiao.


    ¡°Tian Xiaoxiao, what¡¯s wrong with you? Did you hit Little Bei for real? Why did you use so much strength?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t use any strength.¡± Tian Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded by Little Bei¡¯s reaction.


    She knew that she had hit her hard, but she was only eight years old. How could she have so much strength? Little Bei couldn¡¯t have been sent flying by her until she fell to the ground so heavily.


    At the thought of this, Tian Xiaoxiao knew that Little Bei was deliberately implicating her. ¡°Director Lu, she¡¯s putting on an act. She fell on purpose. Even if I hit her a little harder, it was not that bad!¡±


    However, Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s usation only made everyone angrier due to the tragicparison and Little Bei¡¯s tears.


    ¡°You still dare quibble now? Look at how hard you pped Little Bei.¡±


    Director Lu had been too focused on the show to notice these details, but he wasn¡¯t a fool who couldn¡¯t tell even now.


    The others were the same. Previously, they had sensed that something was off, but Director Lu hadn¡¯t said anything, and Little Bei¡¯s family hadn¡¯tined either, so they¡¯d simply stood by and watched.


    Now that they had all seen it, they began to criticize Tian Xiaoxiao. Shao Qiyang was so angry that he almost made a move.


    No matter how Mother Tian tried to exin that Tian Xiaoxiao was just too engrossed in her character, it was no use. Although Tian Xiaoxiao was very mature at times, she was still only eight years old. Feeling upset due to all the criticism, she ran away crying.


    Since Little Bei had been pped so badly and had even gotten injured, the filming session ended. Only then did Shao Qiyang and Shao Nan learn that this kind of scene could be faked.


    Shao Qiyang was so angry that he went to argue with them. However, he ended up getting scolded by fearless Mother Tian, who had no problem dealing with a young man like Shao Qiyang.


    ¡°What? Do you want to fight? Try hitting me. That¡¯s what filming is like, do you understand?¡±


    She bumped against Shao Qiyang, causing him to retreat in defeat.


    Shao Qiyang returned with a defeated look. Shao Nan pursed his lips and looked at Little Bei, who was being bandaged by the crew members. Then, he looked at her increasingly swollen, red face. His countenance grew terrifyingly dark. However, because they hadn¡¯t said a word before and what needed to be said had been said, he knew that this matter was more or less over.


    It was impossible to rece Tian Xiaoxiao because of this. After all, this was filming. Just as Mother Tian had said, it could be said that she was too engrossed in the role. Surely one couldn¡¯t chase after her and p her back?


    If they did this, the nature of the matter would change. Shao Qiyang had gone to reason with them, but there was nothing that could be done.


    However, Shao Nan couldn¡¯t take this lying down. When he saw Little Bei¡¯s red face, he felt a mixture of self-reproach and fury.


    Although Little Bei had suffered a little in the past, as their only sister, they had tried their best to protect her. They had carefully shielded her since she was young, protecting her from Zhao Lan and the rest.


    In the end, Little Bei, whom they were so protective of, had been beaten up by that brat because of the filming process.


    If Mommy had been around, she wouldn¡¯t have allowed such a thing to happen. He had failed to do his duty and protect Little Bei well. To think he¡¯d even speciallye to the set to protect Little Bei.


    The more Shao Nan thought about it, the angrier he got. In order to avenge Little Bei, he thought of a way to drug Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother¡¯s food withxatives that night.


    Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother started having diarrhea that night. The entire production team ate and drank almost the same things as them, but they were the only ones who got diarrhea.


    Mother Tian, who was initially feeling guilty and had only managed to hang on thanks to her shamelessness, suddenly perked up and insisted that this must be the doing of Little Bei. After all, the only person they had offended was Little Bei.


    ¡°You put on an act to frame Xiaoxiao yesterday and even drugged her today. You¡¯re sowless. This time, you drugged her withxatives. Are you going to poison her next time?¡±


    Mother Tian clutched her stomach and pretended to be pitiful on set. ¡°You¡¯re so young, yet you¡¯re really vicious. You put on an act and you drugged our food withxatives. If you don¡¯t give me an exnation today, I won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    Mother Tian thought to herself that Little Bei could forget about filming from now on.


    Little Bei kept saying that it wasn¡¯t her. However, the timing was too coincidental and Mother Tian kept harping on about this matter, so things becameplicated.


    Although Shao Nan hadn¡¯t left any evidence behind and they couldn¡¯t find any proof, Mother Tian was certain that they were the culprits and kept acting pitiful. This caused Shao Nan and Little Bei¡¯s position to beplicated.


    Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother were clearly the ones who had bullied others first, but because it now appeared that they had been drugged withxatives, everything was reversed.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned to the production team, she faced this situation. After hearing a simple recount of the incident, Mu Jingzhe knew what had happened. She immediately told Mother Tian, who was acting pitiful and throwing a tantrum.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to point fingers. I wasn¡¯t around yesterday. I want to see how you guys filmed that p scene.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Director Lu. ¡°Director Lu, can you show me the p scene?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Director Lu¡¯s head hurt. He just hoped that the problem would be solved soon.


    After she took a look, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression turned increasingly icy. She looked at Tian Xiaoxiao, who said that she wasn¡¯t feeling well, and reached a conclusion. ¡°Tian Xiaoxiao, you did it on purpose. You hit her very hard, and when you hit her, there was a sh of smugness in your eyes.¡±


    ¡°I did not. I was just in a bad state. I merely used a little bit more strength to get a feel for¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you were in a bad state, how could you have pped her so hard? Is this your first day filming? If you¡¯re not in a good state, you can adjust. What do you mean you pped Little Bei to get a feel for it? You could¡¯ve just told me if you like ps so much. I can p you a few times to wake you up and show you how it feels. Wouldn¡¯t that be faster than hitting Little Bei?


    ¡°If you can act, then act. If you can¡¯t act, then get lost. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of pping someone to get a feel for acting. Based on your method, if you have to film a murder scene, you¡¯ll really have to stab someone to get a feel for it?¡±


    Tian Xiaoxiao was left speechless. Mother Tian quickly defended her. ¡°You can¡¯t put it that way. Xiaoxiao just isn¡¯t in a good state today¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about your state. You filmed the other scenes just fine, but when it was time for the face-pping scene, your condition wasn¡¯t good? You keep ming this problem or that problem. Do you think we¡¯re all so blind that we can¡¯t tell?


    ¡°Tian Xiaoxiao, all of us can see the expression on your face. I won¡¯t ask you why you don¡¯t like Little Bei. Even if you don¡¯t like Little Bei, you can¡¯t take revenge on her by using filming as an excuse. Do you know how to separate public matters from private matters? If you can¡¯t even separate the two, stop acting!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t give Tian Xiaoxiao a chance to speak, nor did she hold back because Tian Xiaoxiao was still young. Just by looking at the filmed scenes and Little Bei¡¯s swollen face, one could tell how much strength she had used.

 Chapter 118 - Education

    <h4>Chapter 118: Education</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe really detested this kind of lousy tricks. Taking revenge in the name of acting wasmon when it came to pping scenes, drowning scenes, and kneeling scenes.


    In her previous life, Mu Jingzhe had seen too many such tricks. She hadn¡¯t expected to see one again in this life, much less from a child as small as Tian Xiaoxiao.


    Thus, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t belittled Tian Xiaoxiao at all. How could someone who could do such a thing be a normal child? Since she¡¯d dared to do it, she would retaliate.


    ¡°Tian Xiaoxiao, you¡¯re wasting everyone¡¯s time, money, and energy for your own selfish desires. Do you take us for fools and think we can¡¯t do anything to you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words caused everyone¡¯s expression to change. Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother¡¯s expressions changed drastically.


    Everyone was there to work. Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s actions had held up the filming progress and caused everyone to have a hard time. They had long formed their own opinions about this, and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words really struck a chord with them.


    Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother knew that the tide had turned against them. Seeing everyone¡¯s expression, they panicked. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Don¡¯t nder Xiaoxiao!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that!¡± Tian Xiaoxiao also shouted.


    ¡°Everyone knows whether I¡¯m talking nonsense or not. Everyone is working together to film a good movie. You¡¯re the only ones dragging us down. What do you think the production team is? Is this a ce for you to y house?¡±


    ¡°Previously, when you deliberately said your face hurt, I tolerated it. I thought that your skin really was sensitive and thought of ways to deal with it. But now, look at what you¡¯ve done! It¡¯s obvious you did that on purpose!


    ¡°Tian Xiaoxiao, were you very pleased with yourself when you sent me away? Look at how old you are, yet your thoughts are so deep and vicious. Today, you sent me away because you didn¡¯t like Little Bei. You took advantage of the filming process to p her harder and more times than was necessary. Are you going to use props to kill people in the future?¡±


    Mother Tian and Tian Xiaoxiao got anxious. ¡°How can you talk about killing people? Who¡¯s killing people?¡±


    Seeing everyone¡¯s using gazes, Tian Xiaoxiao shouted, ¡°I was filming! I was just filming! I didn¡¯t kill anyone!¡±


    Because of her cute looks and young age, she had always been liked by everyone in the production team since she had started acting at two.


    Tian Xiaoxiao knew how to make people like her. Although her reputation had deteriorated as she grew older, she was still good at feigning obedience in front of others. She was also sweet-tongued and had honed her ability to y a double game when speaking to different people.


    As a result, even though everyone knew what she had done, because she was sensible and knew how to speak, everyone greeted her with smiles when they were in front of her.


    Adults would always be more tolerant of children.


    Tian Xiaoxiao had always received praise and kind gazes and had never been treated in such a manner in her entire life. She felt wronged, so she finally panicked.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Tian Xiaoxiao coldly. ¡°Facts speak louder than words. Remember what I said today. If you dare to tamper with the filming process again, I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re filming or not. I¡¯ll just hit you back.


    ¡°If I do hit you back, it won¡¯t be just a fall. I can even knock out all your teeth with one punch. If you¡¯re not afraid, you can try me.¡±


    Fear shed across Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s face. Even though it was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first day on set, she had already helped carry things on set. Everyone knew that Mu Jingzhe was strong, so Tian Xiaoxiao knew that she wasn¡¯t kidding when she said she could knock out all her teeth.


    Mother Tian had considered that matter over and hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to bring it up again. Looking at everyone¡¯s expressions, she quickly tried to salvage the situation. ¡°Why are you bringing up this matter? It¡¯s your child who spiked our food withxatives¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe cut her off. ¡°If you want to use us of drugging you withxatives, just show us the evidence. If you have evidence, you can report it to the police or do whatever you want.


    ¡°However, if you have no evidence, we won¡¯t ept any of this. From now on, you will stop ming us. This concerns the reputation of my children¡¯s innocence. If you continue to use us, I won¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do to us? You people did it. Who else but your two kids¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you want to shoot your mouth off without any evidence, then I can do it too. If you say that we harmed you, then I¡¯ll say that you¡¯re not limatized or you¡¯ve given yourselfxatives to frame us. Rather than moring here, you might as well go see a doctor or call the police.¡±


    Mother Tian was so angry that she fell backward. ¡°Why would we drug ourselves to frame you?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? Based on the way you guys acted earlier, what aren¡¯t you capable of doing?¡±


    When everyone heard this, they suddenly felt that this mother-and-daughter duo was truly capable of doing something like this. As they faced everyone¡¯s doubtful gazes, Tian Xiaoxiao and her mother¡¯s faces turned purple. They red at Mu Jingzhe as if they wanted to eat her up.


    Mu Jingzhe lifted her chin and turned the situation around with a firm attitude. However, when Mu Jingzhe pulled Little Bei and Shao Nan back to their room, her face instantly sank.


    ¡°What exactly happened? Tell me honestly.¡±


    Shao Nan and Little Bei froze immediately. However, they didn¡¯t dare hide anything and came clean with the truth.


    For example, Little Bei¡¯s fall had been only half real. The other half had been fake. The cuts on her knees and elbows were a result of her deliberately falling somewhere where there was gravel.


    Shao Nan admitted that he was the one who had drugged the mother-and-daughter duo withxatives.


    Mu Jingzhe closed her eyes. ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯sxative method had inevitably made Mu Jingzhe think of the version of Shao Nan she had read about in the book. In order to take revenge, he had concocted a colorless, odorless poison. Although the results had been vastly different, there was a trace of simrity. Mu Jingzhe had worked hard for a long time and had even helped them learn thew because she wanted them to know the consequences of doing something illegal.


    Although Shao Nan seemed to have changed a lot, in a situation like this, Mu Jingzhe could still feel that his nature hadn¡¯t changed. The choices Shao Nan made hadn¡¯t changed.


    Her face darkened as she looked at Shao Nan. ¡°Shao Nan, have you forgotten thew book you read? Do you know that what you did was illegal?¡±


    Earlier, Shao Nan had been happy that Mu Jingzhe had finally avenged Little Bei. Now, when he heard this question, he only felt uneasy. ¡°I still remember, Mom. That¡¯s why I only drugged them with a small dose ofxatives. They¡¯ll be fine. I just wanted to punish them a little, that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    ¡°What if something happened to them after taking thexatives?¡± Mu Jingzhe interrupted him. ¡°You¡¯re lucky this time. They¡¯re in good health, so things didn¡¯t go wrong. But what if something irreversible had happened because of thexatives you gave them? Don¡¯t think that diarrhea is a small matter. One can get dehydrated and die from diarrhea.¡±


    Shao Nan shook his head. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. I was very careful with the dosage¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what if they¡¯re sensitive toxatives and their diarrhea gets out of control? Or what if they havetent health conditions?¡± Mu Jingzhe interrupted Shao Nan again and bent over to press Shao Nan¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Shao Nan, don¡¯t think that everything will definitely work out as you¡¯ve nned it. That¡¯s not up to you. Have you heard of the saying ¡®one ant hole may cause the copse of a thousand-li dyke¡¯? Any small mistake has the potential to cause a great disaster.


    ¡°So, Shao Nan, don¡¯t think that a little bit ofxative is fine. Even a small dose ofxative can be fatal. If that happens, their blood will be on your hands. Do you believe that?¡±


    For the first time, there was confusion in Shao Nan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Even a small dose ofxative can do that?¡±

 Chapter 119 - I Dont Want Mommy to Go to Jail

    <h4>Chapter 119: I Don¡¯t Want Mommy to Go to Jail</h4>


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a small dose ofxative?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded in affirmation. ¡°Yes, Shao Nan, someone could get killed by this. Even if the possibility is very small, there are many repercussions that can be caused by diarrhea.


    ¡°Diarrhea can affect a lot of things. It can dy a lot of events and it might even affect a person¡¯s life. For example, if you have to go to an interview at the agreed time, you might be able to change your life after passing the interview, or you might miss your lover for an entire life. Anything can happen.


    ¡°Therefore, Shao Nan, we can¡¯t think that it¡¯s not a big deal just because it¡¯s only a little bit ofxative. Many opportunities are fleeting, and losing that one opportunity can mean missing out on it for good.¡±


    Shao Nan opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    What Mu Jingzhe told him was already heavy enough, but Mu Jingzhe still had something to say. She squatted down and looked at Shao Nan. ¡°Little Nan, there¡¯s one more thing. You know that I lied for you just now and threw a tantrum for you, right?¡±


    Shao Nan nodded. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize now. This isn¡¯t a problem that can be solved with an apology. If an apology was useful, why would we need the police?¡± Mu Jingzhe identally said a line from a television drama, but it was also the truth. She didn¡¯tugh. She only continued.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the legal aspect of this day. Think about the legal uses that you have learned about. If something serious had happened to Tian Xiaoxiao and her mom today, you¡¯re not the only one who would have been responsible. I have also lied for you. From a legal point of view, it means that I havemitted perjury. Therefore, I would also be punished along with you and might even go to jail. As the beneficiary, Little Bei would also be implicated.¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°No, I did it alone. It had nothing to do with you and Little Bei. I don¡¯t want you to go to jail.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not up to you, Little Nan. It¡¯s up to thew.¡±


    Shao Nan gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. Mommy, you shouldn¡¯t have lied for me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe exhaled. ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to be punished either. You see, even though I know that this is wrong, because it¡¯s you, I still lied for you. Therefore, I have to take responsibility for this.


    ¡°Little Nan, before you do something in the future, think more about whether what you did was right or wrong. I know that you felt bad for Little Bei and wanted to help avenge her, but you can¡¯t use a method like this. Look at this situation. Even though we were in the right initially, after what you did, that¡¯s no longer the case. There¡¯s even a bigtent danger.¡±


    The children used to have no one to protect them in the past, and because they were only children, they were used to using someone else to get rid of an adversary or take revenge afterward. These were the only methods they had been able to use previously.


    But this couldn¡¯t develop into a habit, nor could they allow such behavior to snowball.


    ¡°Little Nan, think about it before you do anything in the future. You guys have me now. You also had your Young Uncle previously. You can discuss it with me and Uncle, right? We adults don¡¯t fight back directly and take revenge like you, but it¡¯s not because we¡¯re weak, nor is it because we don¡¯t care about Little Bei and don¡¯t wish to take revenge for her. It¡¯s because we know better than to act rashly.


    ¡°Regarding today¡¯s matter, your uncle isn¡¯t familiar with the crew, so he might not have been able to do anything about it. However, you only had to wait for me toe back. If you hadn¡¯t drugged them withxatives, I wouldn¡¯t have had to lie or throw a tantrum today. I would just have confronted them with facts.


    ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t let Little Bei suffer. No matter what, I will show Tian Xiaoxiao her mistake. I will make sure she doesn¡¯t dare bully Little Bei again. Do you believe me?¡±


    Shao Nan nodded. ¡°I believe you.¡±


    This was the first time his thoughts were such a mess, and it was also the first time his mind was so clear. The words that Mu Jingzhe had subtly said or influenced him with previously were now working.


    This lesson had left a deep impression on him, and he knew that Mu Jingzhe was doing this for his own good.


    He could see her emotions in her eyes.


    Shao Nan reached out and hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mom, I was wrong. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    His actions showed his reliance. This was the first time he reliedpletely on Mu Jingzhe. This time, his apology was sincere. He was willing to ept whatever Mu Jingzhe said.


    Actually, he knew that such behavior was wrong. It was just that no one had ever taught him that before, let alone been so thorough about it. Of course, no one had stood up for them. No one had cared.


    When given a choice, who would like to use such a method? Everyone liked to be protected. They¡¯d had no choice in the past, but they had Mommy now.


    He would remember Mommy¡¯s words. He¡¯d also learned that his actions would affect his family, so he would be cautious from now on and would never do such a thing again.


    Shao Nan felt that he had to be more familiar with the legal provisions and use them in real life. He couldn¡¯t make such a mistake again. Just like Mommy had said, he had to think before acting in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe let out a sigh of relief when she heard Shao Nan sincerely admit his mistake. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve recognized your mistake.¡±


    Little Bei, who had been watching anxiously from the side, heaved a sigh of relief too. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe let go of Shao Nan, she looked at Little Bei. ¡°Now that I¡¯m done with Shao Nan, let¡¯s talk about you, Little Bei.¡±


    Little Bei got nervous when she heard that. She stood up straight obediently and looked flustered. ¡°Mommy, I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have pretended¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only problem.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Little Bei and recalled what had happened in the book. Little Bei had done this many times in the entertainment industry. There were many people like that in the industry, and everyone spoke half-truths. No one dared to reveal their true colors. However, her reputation was the worst, and she had been known as a drama queen and a liar.


    Many people lived their lives wearing masks, and framing and backstabbing weremon in the industry, but she had suffered the most bacsh.


    ¡°Little Bei, strictly speaking, you actually weren¡¯t wrong to do that this time. By doing that, you cleverly resolved the crisis and made everyone see Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s true colors. You indeed helped yourself.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe changed the topic. ¡°But this time, everyone believed you mainly because Tian Xiaoxiao really hit you. She was in the wrong in the first ce. Although you were acting, no one could tell. They really believed you. One of the reasons is because you¡¯re really in pain, and the other is that you¡¯re still a child. No one will think that you¡¯re acting because of that.


    ¡°However, you can¡¯t y too many tricks like this because there will always be someone who will see through you. If you¡¯re discovered, your pain will seem fake. Even if you¡¯re really in pain, that person will think that you¡¯re acting and that you¡¯re no different from Tian Xiaoxiao.¡±


    Little Bei opened her mouth, but no words came out.


    ¡°Just because everyone believed you today, it doesn¡¯t mean that they will always believe you in the future. Besides, what about when you grow up? Will it be like this every time?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked into Little Bei¡¯s eyes. ¡°Little Bei, although I¡¯ve always praised you for being smart, and you are indeed smart, we can¡¯t belittle everyone in this world and think that they are stupid.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then you¡¯re the stupid ones. Everyone else may not be as smart as you, but we¡¯re not stupid. We¡¯re all smart people. You can¡¯t have too much confidence in yourselves.¡±


    These words were directed at both Little Bei and Shao Nan.

 Chapter 120 - Protect Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 120: Protect Yourself</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe continued to talk about Little Bei. ¡°If we encounter such a problem again in the future, Little Bei, we can use some clever methods, but they have to be appropriate.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a problem, we can just say so directly. If you want to take revenge, you can do it openly. Even if I¡¯m not around, you can speak bravely if you¡¯re in the right. If you felt that something was wrong with the p, you could have just spoken out and Tian Xiaoxiao would have restrained herself.¡±


    Little Bei nodded. ¡°Mommy, I understand. I¡¯ll speak out in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the obedient Little Bei and then at her swollen face. She carefully touched it. ¡°Most importantly, Little Bei, you have to protect yourself at all times.¡±


    Little Bei was stunned. ¡°Protect myself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Protecting yourself is the most important thing. I said so much just now, but this is the most important thing I want to tell you. Your counterattack this time was sessful, but I don¡¯t like it. The reason I don¡¯t like it is because you paid by scratching your skin and bleeding.


    ¡°Little Bei, you hurt yourself, and even then, you didn¡¯t even manage to hurt your enemy. Tian Xiaoxiao was merely scolded a little because of you, but your wounds are still there.


    ¡°It seems to me that it would be better for you to p her back directly than using this method. If you p her back, you might not be in the right, but at least you won¡¯t have to suffer through this. You¡¯re making our hearts ache.¡±


    Little Bei hadn¡¯t expected this to be the most important reason. Initially, she had felt that it was not a big deal to suffer a little bit of pain. At least this way, she wouldn¡¯t cause Mommy trouble. This would also show everyone Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s ns and bad intentions.


    In the past, when she had been bullied by Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, she would use some methods to gain the sympathy of the vigers and get through those difficult times. At the time, she had gotten used to feeling pain.


    Now, Mu Jingzhe had said that her heart ached and that she had failed to protect her.


    Little Bei, who had been trying hard to tell herself that it didn¡¯t hurt, suddenly couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    It was as if the pain that she¡¯d said didn¡¯t hurt suddenly did. Even though those wounds had healed long ago and the pain was long gone, she remembered everything now.


    In the past, she used to look down on the children who would run crying to the adults after falling. She had wondered why they loved to cry so much.


    It was only now that she realized that they liked crying so much because someone doted on them.


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it again. Next time, I¡¯ll p that person back, Mommy. I actually wanted to p her back yesterday because it hurt so much¡­¡±


    For the first time, Little Bei didn¡¯t say, ¡°I¡¯m fine, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± Instead, she said what she truly felt.


    ¡°She pped me so hard that my face went numb, and then my ears started ringing, but I held back because I was afraid of trouble. I didn¡¯t dare cry. If I¡¯d known you would say that, Mommy, I would have hit back¡­¡±


    Little Bei cried and finally let down her guard. She finally dared to voice her true thoughts.


    In the past, her older brothers had protected her. She knew how good they were to her. Knowing that their hearts would ache for her, sometimes, she didn¡¯t dare say anything out loud. Also, she was afraid of getting into trouble. From a young age, she had learned to endure.


    Later on, when Shao Qihai hade back, he¡¯d also taught her not to cry and unintentionally caused the five of them to lose many of the rights that children should have. She had always been timid.


    Compared to Shao Dong and Shao Nan, Little Bei was the most naive. She had been the first to ept Mu Jingzhe, but she also had her own wounds in the depths of her heart.


    It wasn¡¯t until Mu Jingzhe stood in front of her time and again, boldening her up, that she finally spoke her mind.


    Seeing Little Bei cry and say that she was in pain, Mu Jingzhe wiped her tears and asked, ¡°So you have to protect yourself in the future and never get hurt again, understand?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Little Bei nodded. ¡°Mommy, will you blow it for me?¡±


    Whenever other children fell or broke something, their mother would blow on it. She wanted to know if blowing on it would stop the pain.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll blow on it for you. It won¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe blew on her wound, and Little Bei really felt that it wasn¡¯t that painful anymore. Even though her face was full of tears, sheughed.


    Shao Nan stared nkly at Little Bei¡¯s smile from the side, feeling terrible.


    They had tried their best to protect Little Bei, but Little Bei didn¡¯t even dare tell them the truth. Previously, he had kept Little Beipany, but she¡¯d kept reassuring him and saying that it didn¡¯t hurt.


    He had always thought that he was protecting Little Bei, but now he knew that Little Bei was also protecting him and her other older brothers.


    What he had done was far from enough. Little Bei didn¡¯t even dare speak the truth. Yesterday, Little Bei¡¯s ears had been ringing from the beating, but even then, she hadn¡¯t made a sound.


    If Mommy hadn¡¯te today, he might not have found out the truth his whole life. He might even have thought that he had done well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll blow on it for you too.¡± Shao Nan went forward and blew on Little Bei¡¯s wound. ¡°You have to tell us when it hurts in the future. Let¡¯s not be afraid, okay?¡±


    Little Bei nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, Brother, don¡¯t be sad. I really like you, Big Brother, Second Brother, and Xiao Wu.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Nan nodded. ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll do what Mommy said. If it hurts, we¡¯ll shout out. We¡¯ll do everything openly, alright?¡±


    Actually, Little Bei wasn¡¯t the only one. When had the few of them ever cried out in pain?


    None of them had, as there used to be no one for them toin to before, even if they were in pain. Now, there was. If it hurt, they could now tell their mommy.


    They weren¡¯t afraid that they wouldn¡¯t have anyone to back them up anymore. In the past, they didn¡¯t dare do it openly because they didn¡¯t have parents and no one had cared about them. Everyone had belittled them. Now, they had Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°In the future, if anyone dares to bully you during filming, don¡¯t be afraid. Just say it out loud, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Little Bei giggled and raised her arm. ¡°Brother, blow on it again.¡±


    Shao Nan puffed up his cheeks and blew on her wound.


    Mu Jingzhe watched the siblings interact and simply let them be. However, seeing that they didn¡¯t stop after a while, she quickly stopped them.


    ¡°Little Bei, that should be enough. If your brother continues blowing, his cheeks will hurt.¡±


    Due to the ruckus that took ce that day, the production team stopped working for a day, much to the dismay of Director Lu. However, he didn¡¯t dare rush Little Bei and the rest the next day and could only film other scenes. Although he couldn¡¯t fire Tian Xiaoxiao right now, everyone¡¯s attitude toward Tian Xiaoxiao had changed.


    Tian Xiaoxiao and Mother Tian had really kicked an iron te this time. Their reputation in the production team waspletely tarnished. Althoughmunication wasn¡¯t as well-developed as in modern times, when they could easily get news, everyone liked to watch celebrity gossip. If the media and reporters knew about this and reported on it, they would be in trouble.


    If word got out that their reputation was bad, many people would be afraid and would stop seeking them out to work together.


    Mother Tian knew the severity of this. Although she felt extremely disgusted, she still had to put on a smile in order to ease her rtionship with the crew so that they wouldn¡¯t speak of the incident around outsiders.


    Because of this, she even went to buy some things for everyone and said that she would treat everyone to a meal after filming today.


    Although she hated Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe to death, when Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei arrived, she greeted them with a smile as if nothing had happened.


    Tian Xiaoxiao was alsopletely quiet in the production team. She was quietly filming and was no longer causing trouble or putting on the airs of a child star.


    Little Bei didn¡¯t want to care about Tian Xiaoxiao, and once filming started, she would forget about all this and put her whole heart and soul into the process. The filming schedule finally got on track, and the process went smoothly. Director Lu heaved a sigh of relief.


    However, from this point onward, he paid more attention to protecting Little Bei. Mu Jingzhe was watching from the side like a tiger watching its prey. This made Director Lu feel extremely pressured, especially while filming the crying scene toward the end.

 Chapter 121 - Arranging To Go To The Ji Residence

    <h4>Chapter 121: Arranging To Go To The Ji Residence</h4>


    After shooting all the scenes in the county, they went to film in the city for ten days.


    The movie was filmed very smoothly. Because Little Bei¡¯s acting was good, crying scenes were oftenpleted in one take. Their progress speed was delightful, and it actually went even smoother than nned. They directly shot one-third of the movie.


    At this point, Tian Xiaoxiao¡¯s scenes werepleted. The main scenes involved Little Bei and the other actors.


    Director Lu really wanted to finish filming in one go, but he could only think about it. After the summer vacation, Little Bei would start going to school soon.


    Coincidentally, the vige scenes had yet to be shot, so Director Lu followed Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe back to the vige, waiting for Little Bei to continue filming after school.


    Before Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei returned, Ji Buwang came to find them.


    He didn¡¯te empty-handed. Instead, he brought gifts¡ªfive school bags with stationery boxes and other stationery staples inside.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to buy. I figured they¡¯d need a school bag when school starts. I heard a lot of kids like them.¡±


    Ever since he had confessed his love to herst time, he had been feeling that Mu Jingzhe was a little ufortable. During this period of time, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t try to find Mu Jingzhe like he always did. Instead, he gave her some time to ept it.


    When he saw Mu Jingzhe again, his eyes were still shining, but unlike before, he didn¡¯t stare at Mu Jingzhe without blinking. Instead, he restrained himself slightly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe scratched her head, wanting to refuse, but upon seeing how much thought Ji Buwang had put into it, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to reject his kind intentions.


    Seeing that Ji Buwang was seriouslymunicating with Little Bei, Mu Jingzhe recalled Ji Buwang¡¯s words about raising the five kids together. Now, it seemed that he hadn¡¯t just said it casually but really meant to do so.


    Mu Jingzhe was in a dilemma. It would be too big of a sacrifice for him to be the stepfather of the five children and raise them with her. Was she really that attractive? She was just an ordinary person.


    After thinking about it, Mu Jingzhe felt that it was all because of his face blindness. If he could see someone else, he wouldn¡¯t have sunk so low.


    If he could only look at her face for the rest of his life, would he get sick of it after a few years?


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s thoughts drifted until Little Bei called her name. ¡°Mommy, what are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Teacher Ji is talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh¡­ What did you say? Sorry, I was thinking about something else.¡±


    ¡°I said that I have a lot of books at home. If you have time, you can bring the kids to my ce to read. You can bring back whatever they like. I see that you often buy books for them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s mainly because they like them.¡± There were no phones during this period, so the children were engrossed in reading.


    During the entire summer vacation, other than having regr foreignnguage sses, the children spent most of their time in the county library.


    This was especially true for Shao Xi and Shao Nan. They basically spent the entire summer vacation in the library. If they didn¡¯t know any words, they would use a dictionary to check. Mu Jingzhe felt that they knew more words than she did. This was because there were many unfamiliar words she had to guess how to pronounce, but they could read them urately.


    Upon recalling that she¡¯d still been their teacher a few months ago, she felt like she wasn¡¯t capable of teaching them anymore.


    There was only a limited number of books in the county library, and some of them were loaned out. The two kids had already read most of the books that they could read.


    Mu Jingzhe could only buy some supplementary books for them. Ji Buwang¡¯s suggestion indeed tempted Mu Jingzhe.


    Buying books in this era was not as convenient as buying books in the future, when one could easily ce an order online. It would naturally be good if they could borrow some books.


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be too troublesome for you?¡± Mu Jingzhe was tempted, but she still had some concerns.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. Books are meant to be read. It¡¯s not fair to let them sit there idly. They will only be useful if someone reads them. I believe the kids will cherish them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll bring them over next time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Buwang had invited Mu Jingzhe to his house several times, but he had never seeded. During filming, he had not managed to invite them over to stay. When they went there during filming, they stayed only outside, not inside.


    This time, he¡¯d finally seeded. Ji Buwang was very happy. It seemed that his hard work during this period had paid off.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go on the weekend after their art school sses.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei returned to Great Eastern Vige with the crew.


    This was the first time a movie was filmed in Great Eastern Vige, and all the vigers were very curious about it.


    Director Lu and the staff were also surprised by what they saw. They had heard from Director Lu that Mu Jingzhe also had other businesses, but they¡¯d never expected that Mu Jingzhe would really run a small factory with a mature production line at home.


    Shao Dong, who was a child, had even formed a scavenger team. It was said that the team had already scavenged its way to the capital, Ocean City.


    Shao Xi was also quite something¡ªthe articles he wrote were published in magazines and newspapers.


    The remaining half of Shao Xi¡¯s vacation was very fulfilling, especially after the incident with Chubby Boy. He wrote some articles from the perspective of children, which attracted a lot of attention and discussion and were even published in Education Weekly.


    The youngest, Xiao Wu, was a musical genius. It was simply enjoyable to listen to him y the flute. Director Lu even wanted to entrust Xiao Wu topose music for his movie, as he said that Xiao Wu¡¯s music had soul.


    Xiao Wu had no idea whatposing film music was like, but Director Lu said that he trusted Xiao Wu.


    Just like that, Xiao Wu had been offered a job. Because he was too young, Director Lu wanted to show Xiao Wu the movie when he was almost done editing. Hopefully, after Xiao Wu saw it, he would be inspired topose music for the movie.


    The three children were all capable. There was no need to mention Little Bei. Director Lu also felt that this child was not simple when he looked at Shao Nan, whose talents seemed hiddenpared to his siblings¡¯.


    When school officially started, Director Lu found out that Little Bei and Shao Nan had sessfully skipped a grade. They had done wellst semester and had also done pretty well in the spot-check examination before school started. When school started, they skipped the second grade and directly entered the third grade.


    As Shao Dong and Shao Xi had also skipped a grade, they would be studying in the fourth grade when school started. However, this was only temporary. Shao Dong and Shao Xi nned to skip another grade and directly enter the fifth grade next semester.


    Director Lu and the crew members could only give them a thumbs-up. Everyone in this family was incredible.


    Taking advantage of the break and after-school time, the filming session in the vige waspleted within a week.


    There were even a few people from Great Eastern Vige who made guest appearances as passersby and extras. Zhao Lan and Li Zhaodi were both selected, and they even had a line or two.


    The two of them felt proud about being selected, but they didn¡¯t expect that the roles they¡¯d get would be viinous.


    Zhao Lan was portraying a vicious grandmother, which was basically her just acting as herself. Li Zhaodi was portraying a matchmaker. The scene onlysted for two to three seconds, but her portrayal was vivid.


    That was because Li Zhaodi really had the disposition of a wicked matchmaker who only cared about her own interests.


    On the first weekend after school reopened, Mu Jingzhe took the children to learn foreignnguages as usual and prepared to go to the Ji Residence as promised.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan took this opportunity to go to the bathroom and talk for a while.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m very happy that we can borrow books from him, I feel that Teacher Ji is a little too attentive around us and Mommy.¡±


    Shao Nan nodded. ¡°I think so too. He even gave us a backpack each when school started.¡±


    Shao Dong understood. ¡°Mommy has already agreed. Besides, it would be good to borrow books. We should go as agreed. However, we can¡¯t keep epting gifts from him without reciprocating. Let¡¯s return the favor and give him something.¡±

 Chapter 122 - Fire

    <h4>Chapter 122: Fire</h4>


    Shao Xi was very supportive of Shao Dong¡¯s suggestion to buy a present. ¡°Sure, I have the royalties. We can buy it with my royalties.¡±


    ¡°No need. Everything is going smoothly on Uncle¡¯s end. I have money now. You can keep your royalties.¡± Shao Dong shook his head.


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t vie to pay for it because he had yet to earn money. Only then did he realize that he was the only one who hadn¡¯t earned money among the five of them.


    After Shao Dong finished his discussion with Shao Xi and Shao Nan, they went to the department store to buy gifts before going to the Ji Residence.


    Mu Jingzhe was hesitating because she did not know what to buy, but Shao Dong was already done with his purchase.


    ¡°You thought of buying him a gift? You didn¡¯t even need me to remind you, nor did you tell me about it.¡± Mu Jingzhe knew that Shao Dong was used to being the head of the household when she wasn¡¯t at home. Hence, she merely marveled and said nothing else afterward.


    When it was time, they went to the Ji Residence as agreed.


    The Ji Residence¡¯s door opened, and they were weed warmly. ¡°Come in quickly.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s a little something from the kids. I hope you like it.¡± Mu Jingzhe presented the gift.


    In that era, there weren¡¯t all kinds of packaging like in the future, so it was easy to see what the gift was.


    The moment Ji Buwang took it, he realized that it was a man¡¯s wallet. His heart skipped a beat when he saw it. A wallet¡­


    When a girl gave a gift to a guy she liked, it was usually a wallet, a tie, a watch, or stuff like that. Ji Buwang guessed that it was actually from Jingzhe and she only imed that it was from the kids because she was shy.


    That meant that Jingzhe also¡­


    Ji Buwang¡¯s heart skipped a beat before he heard Shao Dong say, ¡°Teacher Ji, I chose this color because I didn¡¯t know which color you like. If you like any other colors, you can exchange it.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Oh, ah, I like this color.¡±


    So this wallet had been really bought by the kids and not Mu Jingzhe?


    Judging by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s proud look as she gazed at Shao Dong, that was likely it.


    Ji Buwang felt momentarily dejected, but he quickly pulled himself together. No matter what, he and Jingzhe were getting closer.


    ¡°Quick, have a seat. There are several vors of soda to choose from. There are also snacks and candy. You can choose what you like.¡±


    Ji Buwang had clearly made preparations beforehand and was very attentive.


    The kids also felt his sincerity. ¡°Thank you, Teacher Ji. Can we go take a look at the books first?¡±


    ¡°Sure, they¡¯re in the study. Feel free to take a look.¡±


    Afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the bookshelves, he had moved the books that were on the higher shelves to the table.


    The Ji Family¡¯s book collection was no joke. It wasparable to the county¡¯s library. There were many different types of books, and there were even manyic books.


    ¡°I read these when I was young. You can borrow them if you like.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thank you, Teacher Ji.¡±


    Upon seeing theic books, the children smiled and couldn¡¯t wait to flip through them.


    Mu Jingzhe took a look, and her attention was attracted by two rows of books. The colors of these books were slightly different, and they had an ancient feel to them. However, it could be seen that they were well preserved.


    ¡°Are these ancient books?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all the ancient books we have here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to tell them not to touch these.¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately warned the children.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to take a look.¡± Ji Buwang trusted the children.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell them, what if they identally borrowed one and dirtied it or damaged it?¡±


    The children obeyed and didn¡¯t touch those books. To them, the other books were already a sea of joy.


    As there was a limit to borrowing books from the county library, they could only borrow two books at a time. Most of the time, they would read the books borrowed by their siblings after finishing the two they had borrowed. Ji Buwang was very generous and allowed them to borrow quite a few books at once, and they could exchange them for new ones after they were done with them. This made the children very happy.


    Actually, Ji Buwang could have lent them all at once or even given them all the books. However, after thinking for a while, he realized that if he did that, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to interact with Mu Jingzhe and the children at his house in the future. Therefore, he cleverly lent out a few books and let them exchange them frequently. This way, he could build a rtionship with them.


    The kids were picking out the books happily, and even Mu Jingzhe was browsing through the collection with enthusiasm. Seeing that, Ji Buwang cast a smug look at Uncle Li, who was standing at the door.


    Uncle Li: ¡°¡­¡±


    A week ago, Ji Buwang hade back and told him that Mu Jingzhe and the five children would being to his ce.


    Uncle Li, who had been tormented by Ji Buwang and had apanied him while he¡¯d mulled for several days over what kind of presents to give the kids, could only helplessly get busy again.


    After cleaning and shopping for two days, he¡¯d finally found out that Mu Jingzhe and the kids were onlying over during the weekend.


    Uncle Li wished that he could shake Ji Buwang awake so that he would stop doing all this.


    But what could he do? In the end, he could only ept it.


    After making so many blunders, he still had the cheek to look so smug?


    Uncle Li didn¡¯t look at him, but Ji Buwang didn¡¯t let him off. ¡°Uncle Li, why aren¡¯t you speaking? See, I told you that reading books is useful. It gives you something to talk about with other people.¡±


    Thest time Ji Buwang had asked a parent about raising children, he had suffered a setback. However, he hadn¡¯t given up. Instead of asking ordinary people, he had now turned to studying.


    He really had found books on how to raise children and how to get close to them. This was the result of his studies.


    Upon hearing this, Uncle Li felt even less like talking.


    He couldn¡¯t understand why Young Master was so bent on bing a stepfather.


    It was difficult to be a stepmother, and it was also difficult to be a stepfather. Mu Jingzhe was already a stepmother, but Young Master insisted on bing a stepfather.


    How would a stepmother and a stepfather look like together?


    The Old Master didn¡¯t know this for the time being. It was about time to slowly reveal some information to him and let him know.


    Mu Jingzhe turned around and saw Uncle Li¡¯s frustrated,plicated expression.


    Uh¡­ This butler, Uncle Lee, had such rich facial expressions. It was as if she could see a new expression on his face each time she looked at him.


    However, he probably wasn¡¯t too crazy about them showing up like that.


    Mu Jingzhe urged the children to hurry up and choose. Then, she quickly bade them farewell. She didn¡¯t stay for a meal like Ji Buwang had invited them to.


    Ji Buwang could only wait for next weekend.


    However, next weekend, when Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan came, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯te.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei had gone to Ocean City to film.


    The final part of the movie was supposed to be filmed in Ocean City. Director Lu had informed them before and had gone there to prepare for the shoot.


    As the entire film crew was waiting, Mu Jingzhe took a week off from school on behalf of Little Bei and prepared to return after filming. Luckily, Little Bei was a quick learner.


    Mu Jingzhe had visited Ocean City quite a few times in the modern era. She had even stayed there for two years. However, she hadn¡¯t been to the Ocean City of this era in this novel¡¯s world.


    Ocean City was a big city, so Little Bei was very happy to be able to go there. The boys also looked forward to going there, but considering that Little Bei would be busy filming, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t bring them along. They agreed to go there next time if they had the chance.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei took the train to Ocean City. Shao Qiyang had bought them sleeper tickets through his connections. They boarded the train during the day and slept the whole night before arriving the next day.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    Director Lu had sent someone to pick them up and bring them to the set.


    It was only then that Mu Jingzhe found out that Tian Xiaoxiao was from Ocean City. Mother Tian had helped a lot this time. Even the guesthouse had been arranged by her, and she¡¯d managed to get them cheaper rates.


    The location of the guesthouse was not bad. It was also quite clean and new. Mother Tian had put in a lot of effort this time.


    Since she was so sincere, Director Lu and the crew changed their attitude toward her. They specifically talked to Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei, hoping that they could improve their rtionship, saying that harmony brought wealth.


    ¡°I really got to thank them for going through all that trouble.¡± Mu Jingzhe understood this logic, so she replied with a smile.


    On the same day, Little Bei entered the filming set. Although she was exhausted from the journey, she still got into character very quickly after filming started. Director Lu was very satisfied.


    Considering that Little Bei was also tired, they didn¡¯t work overtime that day and even had a meal together. Mother Tian also came. She shook hands with Mu Jingzhe to reconcile with her and asked her to tell her if she wasn¡¯t satisfied with the food and amodation, for she was familiar with the boss of the guesthouse.


    When they returned to their room, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were both tired.


    The room in the guesthouse was quite clean. By the time Mu Jingzhe washed her face and came out, Little Bei had already fallen asleep before she¡¯d even gotten to drink the cool water on the bed.


    ¡°You must be tired.¡± Mu Jingzhe knew that she was tired and covered her with a nket.


    After drinking a cup of water, Mu Jingzhe quickly fell sound asleep.


    Little Bei woke up choking. When she woke up, she saw that the bedsidemp was switched on. What was even more ring than the light were the burning window curtains. mes were shooting everywhere.


    The room was on fire!

 Chapter 123 - Mommy, I Will Save You

    <h4>Chapter 123: Mommy, I Will Save You</h4>


    The room was on fire!


    Little Bei woke up instantly and coughed as she pushed Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, wake up! There¡¯s a fire!¡±


    Normally, Mu Jingzhe would wake up very soon, but this time, she did not.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Little Bei got up and pushed Mu Jingzhe even harder. Her voice got louder, but no matter how hard she pushed, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t wake up.


    Little Bei became even more anxious and quickly checked if Mu Jingzhe was sick or had a fever.


    She touched Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead and found that her temperature was normal. There was no problem, but she couldn¡¯t wake her up.


    As she dyed, even more smoke filled the room. Moving along the curtains, the fire had reached the cupboard at the foot of the bed and would soon spread to the bed.


    The guesthouse had been built recently. It was fully furnished, but the furniture was mostly made of wood. This caused the tables, beds, and even rattan chairs to be quite mmable.


    They had to escape quickly.


    Little Bei looked at the fire and gave up on her n to put out the fire by herself. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was still unconscious and that she was too weak to carry her, she decisively ran to open the door.


    The door opened sessfully, revealing a smoke-filled corridor. ¡°Is there anyone here? Our room is on fire!¡±


    The entire crew was basically staying there, but they were on the first and second floor. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei had arrivedte, so they were the only ones living on the third floor.


    There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone else on the third floor. Little Bei nced around and then went down to the second floor to seek help.


    ¡°The ce is on fire! Everyone get up!¡±


    As Little Bei shouted, the boss and a few crew members got up. However, they were too busy saving others to pay heed to Little Bei. They only told Little Bei to run.


    It was easy for Little Bei to escape, but Mu Jingzhe was upstairs.


    Thinking that Mu Jingzhe was unconscious and the room was still on fire and seeing that everyone was busy, Little Bei couldn¡¯t wait to call for help. She quickly covered her mouth and ran back.


    By then, the fire had grown bigger, and the room had be increasingly smokey.


    The situation in the room was worse than before.


    The table and wardrobe in the room were already on fire, but Mu Jingzhe was still unconscious. Little Bei couldn¡¯t care about anything else and quickly dragged her down.


    She was too weak. Although Mu Jingzhe was thin, she was unconscious. She was afraid of injuring Mu Jingzhe. Besides, her nose and mouth were suffocated, and her vision was obscured by all that smoke. Little Bei had a hard time and was soon covered in sweat.


    ¡°Mommy, wake up!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll take you out!¡±


    By the time she dragged Mu Jingzhe halfway across the room, the fire had spread to the beds.


    The nkets on the beds were mmable items. The fire quickly grew bigger, and some sparks evennded on Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°No, no!¡±


    Afraid that Mu Jingzhe would be burned, Little Bei quickly extinguished the sparks and used all her strength to drag Mu Jingzhe out of the room.


    The door of the room was on fire, and so were the stair railings. The fire grew stronger, and the smoke grew.


    It was as if the fire wanted to swallow them whole. Little Bei was filled with despair and fear. She couldn¡¯t help but cry out for her mommy.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t react. Little Bei squatted down and grabbed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. She carried her on her back and tried her best to move her down.


    The pain in her feet and body intensified. Little Bei became more and more afraid, but she still didn¡¯t let go of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I¡¯ll save you, Mommy. I¡¯ll save you¡­¡±


    The disheveled Little Bei muttered as she rushed down the stairs.


    After rushing to the second floor, she finally saw someone familiar.


    ¡°Little Bei, you actually brought your mother down!¡± The stage supervisor was moved when he saw Little Bei dragging Mu Jingzhe, but there was no time for him to say anything else. He gritted his teeth and carried her out. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you out first!¡±


    ¡°No, Uncle, save Mommy first. I can walk by myself!¡± Little Bei struggled. ¡°I can walk by myself!¡±


    The stage supervisor had no choice but to put her down and rush out with Mu Jingzhe on his back.


    Little Bei stumbled out as well. Her eyes were already stinging from the smoke, and she couldn¡¯t see anything. She kept bumping into things as she ran, stumbling and falling. Along the way were many sparks, and burning things kept falling.


    Fortunately, they managed to escape in the end.


    When Little Bei saw that Mu Jingzhe had been rescued, her heart rxed, and her vision darkened before she fainted.


    In front of the guesthouse were all the people who had been rescued, including Director Lu and the rest. Half of them were unconscious.


    After a while, the fire engine and an ambnce arrived. The fire in the guesthouse was finally extinguished, and the crew was sent to the hospital.


    Because they were sent for emergency treatment in a timely manner, most of the crew members only suffered minor injuries. Those who were in aa could not wake up because they had taken medicine that had caused them to fall unconscious.


    Mu Jingzhe was one of them. When she woke up, it was already two dayster.


    When she woke up and saw the unfamiliar environment, Mu Jingzhe was still in a daze. ¡°Is this a hospital? Cough¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt some difort in her throat, and her body hurt for some reason. She coughed twice. Worried about Little Bei, she was about to look for her when she saw a familiar person on the bed next to hers.


    Mu Jingzhe walked closer and saw that it was indeed Little Bei. Both sides of Little Bei¡¯s face were smeared with medicine. More importantly, her arms and legs were fully bandaged, her arms even more so.


    At that moment, the stage supervisor came in. He was also injured, but he had already gotten much better. Mu Jingzhe quickly asked him some questions when she saw him.


    ¡°What happened? How did Little Bei end up like this? What happened?¡±


    ¡°There was a fire.¡± The stage supervisor gave her thetest update. ¡°Many of our crew members are in the same state as you. Did you drink the water in the kettle before you fell asleep?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Was there a problem with the water?¡±


    ¡°Mm. ording to everyone¡¯s memories, those who drank the water entered a deep sleep.¡± The stage supervisor looked at Mu Jingzhe and sighed. ¡°Luckily, Little Bei didn¡¯t drink it. Otherwise¡­¡±


    Little Bei had been too tiredst night and had fallen asleep before she could drink it. As a result, she hadn¡¯t entered a deep sleep like everyone else.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the stage supervisor and then at Little Bei. She had a guess. ¡°So it was Little Bei who woke up and saved me.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± The stage supervisor nodded. ¡°When she woke up, she came down to call for help. At the time, everyone was busy saving people, so they asked her to go out first. In the end, she didn¡¯t run away. Instead, she went back and forcefully saved you.¡±


    The stage supervisor let out a bitterugh. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t gone back to check for thest time and bumped into you two on the second floor, maybe the two of you would have¡ª¡±


    After just two sentences, Mu Jingzhe understood everything. Little Bei, a small child, had insisted on saving her and had even dragged her to the second floor.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even dare think about how she had done it. In fact, because she wanted to save her, Little Bei had almost died in the fire with her.


    At the time, Little Bei had probably been terrified, but she still hadn¡¯t escaped alone.


    Many couples escaped by themselves in times of danger. This was understandable. After all, one¡¯s own life was the most precious. She hadn¡¯t expected Little Bei to¡­


    Mu Jingzhe looked at herself. Other than the bandage on her forehead, she was more or less fine. However, Little Bei¡­


    Upon looking at the bandaged Little Bei, Mu Jingzhe was filled with self-reproach.


    The doctor said that Little Bei had been awake all this while and had been running up and down to save her and call for help. Compared to her, she had inhaled a lot of thick smoke. Plus, she was young and had tender skin, so her face was flushed from the heat. There were burns on her hands and feet to a certain extent. The burns on her hands were even more serious and had blisters on them.

 Chapter 124 - I Dont Regret It

    <h4>Chapter 124: I Don¡¯t Regret It</h4>


    Little Bei inevitably had a fever. Her face was slightly red from the fever, and her eyes were still red from the smoke. Even though her eyes were closed, one could see that they were red and swollen. The skin on her lips was chapped and dry.


    The doctor said that Mu Jingzhe needed to rest as well, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have time for that. She stayed by Little Bei¡¯s bedside and moistened her throat with cotton swabs from time to time.


    She asked the doctor for some ointment and applied it on Little Bei from time to time as well.


    When it came to such burn wounds, even without applying medicine, one could feel fiery pain. Mu Jingzhe could feel it on her forehead.


    She had only suffered minor injuries, but Little Bei had many wounds on her body. She must be in terrible pain.


    She was supposed to be apanying Little Bei to the filming site to take care of her and protect her. In the end, it was Little Bei who had protected and saved her.


    Mu Jingzhe guarded her, staying by her side for an entire day. When Little Bei did not wake up in the afternoon, she even contacted the doctor several times. Just as the doctor started feeling helpless because of the fuss Mu Jingzhe was making, Little Bei finally woke up.


    The doctor heaved a sigh of relief. They were really afraid of this kind of child patient, for parents easily got nervous and agitated. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was about to cry, they felt helpless and afraid. They were afraid that Mu Jingzhe would lose control of her emotions and make a scene.


    Mu Jingzhe had lost control of her strength due to her anxiety. They could all see it clearly, so they were very worried.


    Fortunately, the patient woke up in the end.


    Mu Jingzhe had no idea what the doctors were worried about. She was anxious when she saw that Little Bei remained unconscious. When Little Bei finally woke up, she ran over to her right away.


    ¡°Little Bei, how are you? Do you feel any difort anywhere?¡±


    Little Bei had been awakened by a nightmare. In her dream, a fire had been raging and she had been struggling and calling for her mother. That was when she had heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Mommy?¡± She wanted to call out but realized that she couldn¡¯t make a sound. Fortunately, she opened her stinging eyes and saw Mu Jingzhe.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was fine, Little Bei let out a sigh of relief and immediately smiled. Mommy had been saved.


    However, a secondter, her smile froze because she was hurting.


    ¡°Is it very painful? Little Bei, don¡¯t smile for now. Doctor, quick. Come and take a look at Little Bei! Why can¡¯t she speak?¡±


    Seeing that Little Bei had opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t say anything, Mu Jingzhe was very sensitive. She couldn¡¯t help but think of what had happened to Little Bei in her previous life. Her mind was filled with the thought that Little Bei couldn¡¯t speak again because she had saved her. Couldn¡¯t she hear anything again either?


    The doctor felt like Mu Jingzhe was about to break his hand. No matter how hard he tried to control himself, he could not help but bare his teeth. ¡°Ma¡¯am, please calm down. Let me take a look first.¡±


    He checked Little Bei with his hands, which were trembling slightly, and heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°She inhaled too much smoke and hurt her throat, so she can¡¯t make a sound for now. But there¡¯s no need to be so anxious. If nothing goes wrong, she should be able to speak tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Thanks. Thanks, Doc.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. I just hope you can calm down in the future.¡± The way she was grabbing them could kill them.


    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded awkwardly.


    ¡°Take good care of the child. If anything happens,e look for us.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe sent the doctor away, she turned around and saw Little Bei¡¯s slightly red, sparkling eyes. She silently called her ¡®Mommy¡¯.


    ¡°Does it hurt? Where does it hurt the most? Tell Mommy.¡±


    Little Bei raised her bandaged finger and pointed at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead, worry shing in her eyes.


    She had tried her best to protect Mommy. Why had Mommy still gotten injured?


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. It¡¯s just a small injury. It¡¯s nothingpared to yours.¡± When Mu Jingzhe said this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel lingering fear. ¡°Little Bei, why didn¡¯t you run out when the ce caught fire? I taught you to protect yourself no matter what. Why didn¡¯t you listen?


    ¡°You¡¯re just a child. How could you drag an adult like me? You should have run out and informed others so they could save me.¡±


    Little Bei shook her head. That wouldn¡¯t do. If she had done that, Mommy might have already been injured by the time someone had gone to get her.


    She couldn¡¯t leave Mommy in such a dangerous ce. If she had run away, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.


    Little Bei opened her mouth, indicating that she wanted to drink water and attracting Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly gave Little Bei some water. Little Bei smiled after drinking, indicating that she was fine.


    But how could she be fine? Her fever had not subsided, and she had been having a low fever the whole night. After that, she was in so much pain that she could not fall asleep. In the end, she did not fall asleep. She fell unconscious.


    Mu Jingzhe spent the entire night keeping an eye on Little Bei¡¯s condition. She didn¡¯t stop applying water and medicine to her mouth.


    Perhaps the heavens heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s prayers. Thanks to her meticulous care, Little Bei¡¯s condition improved the next day.


    She no longer had a fever, and her throat¡¯s condition was much better. She could make sounds now, but her voice was very hoarse.


    ¡°Mommy, go and rest. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    When Little Bei woke up and saw Mu Jingzhe, she knew that she had taken care of her the entire night. The first thing she did was ask her to rest.


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired. You¡¯re like this, yet you keep saying you¡¯re fine. Last time, you said that you¡¯d tell me if it hurt in the future.¡± Mu Jingzhe was almost drowned in guilt.


    Little Bei quickly said, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t me yourself.¡±


    She thought about it and realized that it was indeed impossible to say that she was fine. After a pause, she said, ¡°I¡¯m in pain, Mommy. I¡¯m not feeling well right now. My body is burning, and my eyes and throat are hurting too. Mommy, don¡¯t be so nervous. I¡¯ll tell you if I feel any difort.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrifying to be caught in a fire. You were scalded at home before, so why did you still dare to stay behind? Tell me, why are you so silly? If anything happened to you, what would I tell your brothers?


    ¡°Besides, you¡¯re going to be an actress. What if you get a scar? Now that it hurts, you finally feel fear and regret, right?¡±


    Little Bei shook her head slightly and then nodded. ¡°I know it hurts, but I don¡¯t regret it. Mommy, I¡¯m actually very happy because I was finally the one who saved you.¡± Little Bei looked at Mu Jingzhe and said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s saved us every time, Mommy. You¡¯ve helped me many times. This time, our roles were finally reversed. I¡¯m really happy that I protected you, Mommy.


    ¡°My brothers won¡¯t me me either. They¡¯ll only praise me because we agreed not to let you risk your life to save us in the future. I¡¯m the first one to keep our promise.¡±


    Unlike before, Little Bei¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t sweet or pleasant. However, she said the most moving words and touched Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart.


    Her eyes stung, and her throat was blocked. She didn¡¯t say anything for a long time, afraid that she would start crying the minute she opened her mouth.


    Stroking Little Bei¡¯s hair, Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath before suppressing the lump in her throat. ¡°You¡­ Little Bei, you can¡¯t do this. If you want me to not risk my life to save you, then you have to do it yourselves.¡±


    What had she done to deserve such treatment?


    Mu Jingzhe finally couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. ¡°Little Bei, you and your brothers are not to do this again. I already know how good you kids are to me. I haven¡¯t done anything at all. You¡¯re still young, so don¡¯t be so sensible.¡±


    There were many parents in the world who were troubled by their children¡¯s insensibility, but she was troubled by how sensible her children were.

 Chapter 125 - Reappearance of That Lullaby

    <h4>Chapter 125: Reappearance of That Luby</h4>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to be sensible? We¡¯re young, but we know who¡¯s good to us.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s face was full of confusion as she reached out to wipe Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tears through the gauze. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t cry. If you don¡¯t like it, we won¡¯t talk about it anymore.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you talk about it or not. What matters is that you¡¯re not allowed to do something like this again.¡± Mu Jingzhe carefully ced her hand back. ¡°Don¡¯t move around so it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    It really hurt. Little Bei bared her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mommy. I¡¯m not afraid. I¡¯m d that I didn¡¯t let you get hurt. If you were in so much pain, my heart would ache. It makes me happy to experience the pain in your ce. I¡¯m not afraid at all.¡±


    Little Bei was actually in a lot of pain and wanted to cry, but when she thought that she was hurting on behalf of her mother, she wasn¡¯t afraid anymore.


    When other kids in the vige got sick, their mothers would say that they felt terrible looking at them. They hated that they couldn¡¯t suffer the pain on behalf of their children.


    Those mothers didn¡¯t manage to do that, neither were they able to do it. But she had. She was happy to see that her mother was fine.


    Mu Jingzhe had already wiped her tears, but tears burst forth from her eyes once again when she heard this.


    ¡°Little Bei, you¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe stroked Little Bei¡¯s sweaty hair. ¡°How can I be anything but good to you if you do this?¡±


    How could they me her for being nice to them? They were the ones who had broken the rules first by asking her not to treat them so well.


    If she treated them well, they would treat her twice as well. If they kept returning the favor in double, she would sink deeper and deeper.


    The little girl¡¯s words were heart-piercing.


    However, Little Bei herself did not know and was still worried that Mu Jingzhe was in pain. ¡°Mommy, stop crying. Are you in pain too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in pain. You saved me and protected me. How can I still be in pain?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Little Beiforted Mu Jingzhe instead. ¡°Mommy, have you forgotten what you told us before? Have you forgotten about ¡®Born in Woes and Died in Peace¡¯? Don¡¯t worry, when I encounter such an incident, it¡¯s because I¡¯m about to be sessful.¡±


    Little Bei thought about it andughed. ¡°Maybe the movie is going to be popr, and I¡¯m going to be famous. That¡¯s why I need to go through some pain.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was extremely amused by Little Bei. ¡°Yes, it will definitely be popr. Very popr.¡±


    ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll have endless scenes to film and I¡¯ll be able to earn a lot of money. ¡®Born in Woes and Died in Peace¡¯ is absolutely right, so don¡¯t be sad, Mommy.¡±


    Although her words were nice and encouraging and Little Bei¡¯s fever had subsided, it wasn¡¯t so easy to recover from the pain. She kept sweating and couldn¡¯t eat anything. She only ate a little and couldn¡¯t fall asleep because of the difort she felt at night.


    Mu Jingzhe felt terrible seeing Little Bei in pain. She had avoided going deaf from fever before, but Little Bei had suffered again.


    She couldn¡¯t help but look for the doctor a few more times, making the doctor feel helpless.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe even told stories to coax Little Bei to sleep. However, Little Bei could not fall asleep even after closing her eyes.


    She merely pretended to be asleep because she didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be worried.


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°Little Bei, open your eyes if you don¡¯t want to sleep. I¡¯ll tell you any bedtime story you want to hear.¡±


    As long as she could divert some of her attention from the pain, she¡¯d do it.


    Little Bei thought about it and suddenly said, ¡°Then sing me a luby, Mommy. I want to listen to a luby like the one you sang to mest time. Maybe I¡¯ll fall asleep after listening to it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stiffened. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Ever since that blunder, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t sung the luby anymore. No matter how much Little Bei coaxed and kissed her, she wouldn¡¯t sing it anymore. Because Little Bei liked it very much, she would sing it all the time.


    Every time Little Bei sang it, Mu Jingzhe felt like she was being punished publicly. s, all the children in the vige had started singing it as well after hearing Little Bei sing it.


    Now, the ¡®Going to School¡¯ luby in Little Eastern Vige had changed beyond recognition. The principal was also helpless. Knowing that Mu Jingzhe was the one who had taught them this, the principal had even specifically told her not to revise the lyrics casually and sing them for children anymore.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even know how to exin herself. She hadn¡¯t done it on purpose either. From then on, she had decided not to sing anymore.


    Little Bei was feeling terrible, and all she wanted was just to listen to the luby. When Little Bei was gazing at her like this, how could she refuse?


    Mu Jingzhe thought hard and tried to sing ¡°Baby, Go to Sleep¡± but she was stuck after two lines.


    Little Bei looked at Mu Jingzhe innocently. ¡°Mom, isn¡¯t there a new one? Like the previous one?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t so many of them.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you can sing the luby you sangst time.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was helpless. She could only hold in her shame and sing again. Little Bei obviously knew how to sing it too, but she burst outughing as soon as Mu Jingzhe started singing.


    Upon seeing Little Beiugh, Mu Jingzhe relented. ¡°Let me think about what other lubies there are.¡±


    After all that trouble, it was almost daybreak. Mu Jingzhe pulled open the curtains.


    At that moment, the sun was rising from the east. The horizon was red, and soon, the sun rose in the sky. It was a beautiful sight.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the sun, and her eyes lit up. Inspiration finally struck her.


    ¡°Little Bei, I remember a luby.¡± Mu Jingzhe coughed. ¡°When the sunes out, I climb the electric pole. When I climb the pole, I pull the wires. As soon as I touch the high-pressure wires, I¡¯m sent to Hades¡¯ Pce.¡±


    Little Beiughed out loud and was finally cheered up. ¡°Mommy, what else? What happens after you go to Hades¡¯ Pce?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe remembered that there was a conversation with Hadester on. It was because everyone had changed the luby drastically that she couldn¡¯t remember the original song. However, she didn¡¯t really remember what came after that.


    In any case, it didn¡¯t sound good, so Mu Jingzhe decided not to think about it.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. I don¡¯t remember the next lines.¡±


    ¡°This is also very nice.¡± Little Bei enthusiastically learned to sing it and even praised Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re really amazing. You can even sing such songs.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had no idea when this song had been released and when it had been adapted. She had never heard of it in this era before, so she couldn¡¯t take the credit for it.


    ¡°I learned it from others too. I wasn¡¯t the one who wrote this song.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good. I have two songs to sing now. Mommy, do you have more?¡±


    Seeing that Little Bei looked much more spirited, Mu Jingzhe racked her brains and realized that the people from the other wards had woken up as well. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw a little girl running over.


    ¡°I remember now.¡±


    In Little Bei¡¯s sparkling eyes, Mu Jingzhe had be a parent with no limits.


    ¡°The little girl woke up early in the morning and pulled up her pants as she went to the bathroom. There was someone in the bathroom, so she had no choice but to crap her pants.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe only knew this part of this particr song. As for the original song, she had never heard it before, much less memorized it.


    After singing that short verse, Little Bei froze for a moment beforeughing out loud.


    ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s so much fun. This song is so much fun. I love it.¡±


    Little Bei couldn¡¯t wait to get up. ¡°Mommy, I want to go to the bathroom too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Little Bei had a burn on her leg because she¡¯d had no time to put on her shoes previously. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t severe. She could get out of bed if she put on her slippers.


    Little Bei was excited and didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to carry her. She pulled up her pants and sang the song as she went to the bathroom.


    Upholding her status as a small-time actress, she performed vividly.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    This girl sure learned fast.

 Chapter 126 - Dont Touch High-Voltage Electric Wires

    <h4>Chapter 126: Don¡¯t Touch High-Voltage Electric Wires</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say that they shouldn¡¯t go out and sing anymore to avoid tainting another song, but upon seeing how happy Little Bei was, she knew that she liked songs with revised lyrics and gave up.


    Since this made her happy, so be it.


    Little Bei even giggled in the bathroom. Later on, when everyone heard her sing, they alsoughed.


    There were inevitably children in the inpatient department. All of them learned quickly and soon started singing the song too.


    It was supposed to be breakfast time, but before the parents could even eat breakfast, they were hearing lyrics about a girl crapping her pants.


    There were also naughty children who wanted to try singing this. They even quickly changed the little girl and made her a youngd.


    Mu Jingzhe heard this and quietly covered her face.


    Hearing children being scolded in the neighboring room, Mu Jingzhe could only apologize to everyone in her heart.


    Seeing that Little Bei even enthusiastically wanted to teach everyone how to sing the ¡®high-voltage electric wires¡¯ luby, she quickly carried her back.


    ¡°Little Bei, it would be better not to teach this. It would be terrible if a child wanted to try. This is very dangerous and uneptable. I¡¯ve already told you that electricity is very dangerous, let alone high-voltage electric wires. You¡¯ll just have to sing it in secret in the future. Don¡¯t sing it outside. Don¡¯t sing it to your brothers either.¡±


    Children were insensible. What if they thought of touching high-voltage electric wires while singing?


    Mu Jingzhe was not exaggerating. The world of children was really different from the world of adults. A naughty, fearless child could really do that.


    Then, it would be dangerous. This wasn¡¯t anything like crapping one¡¯s pants.


    If you crapped your pants, you would at most be beaten up. You wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to spank a kid who touched high-voltage electric wires.


    Mu Jingzhe had heard these songs from others. As for who had adapted them, she didn¡¯t know. In any case, each one was more brilliant than thest.


    After pointing out to Little Bei the terror of being electrocuted, especially by high-voltage electric wires, Mu Jingzhe finally coaxed Little Bei back.


    Although Little Bei felt regretful, she knew the severity of the matter, so she agreed to sing the song secretly in the future. Luckily, she could still sing the ¡®little girl song¡¯.


    Now that Little Bei had been cheered up, she finally mustered her courage and lifted her hair. ¡°Mommy, help me cut my hair.¡±


    Little Bei liked long hair, especially since Mu Jingzhe had startedbing her hair every day and adorning it with a different hair ornament. She had always been vain, so she liked it when Mu Jingzhebed her hair every day.


    Everyoneplimented Little Bei for having ck, bright, long hair. Especially now that someone was taking care of it well and her nutrition had caught up, it was no longer as dry as before. She liked her hair even more now.


    However, this time, she had to cut her hair.


    As a result of being burned by the mes, a lot of her favorite long hair no longer looked good. She could only trim it first.


    Previously, Little Bei had been avoiding it, hoping that it would get better. But today, she knew that this just wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached when she heard this, but since Little Bei could ept it now, she borrowed a pair of scissors to trim her hair.


    ¡°Little Bei, it¡¯s not all that short after the haircut. It¡¯ll grow back in no time.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Little Bei nodded. ¡°I believe it.¡±


    ¡°You can also tie up your short hair or wear a hairband or a hairclip. I¡¯ll make some for youter.¡± Mu Jingzhe decided to make many hairbands for Little Bei when she got back. She could continue to have a pretty hairstyle then.


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡±


    Actually, Little Bei had a lot of hair ornaments now. All the hair ornaments of the children in the vige added up couldn¡¯tpare to hers. As long as she liked something, Mommy would give it to her. Little Bei had already been scolded by Big Brother twice, but she still couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse what was offered.


    She had saved Mommy this time, so Big Brother definitely wouldn¡¯t say anything.


    Although Little Bei couldn¡¯t bear to part with her, she had a good foundation and was equally adorable with a short haircut. Little Bei looked in the mirror and was finally satisfied.


    Since Little Bei hadn¡¯t slept the entire night and was overjoyed in the morning, she finally fell asleep after eating something.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this.


    Seeing that Little Bei was sleeping soundly, Mu Jingzhe finally had time to look for Director Lu and ask about the situation.


    Since the entire crew had been almost killed, the matter had blown up and made the news.


    It had been investigated for the past two days. Everyone in the production team was troubled, and Mother Tian was even more devastated.


    She had really wanted to improve their rtionship this time, which was why she¡¯d put in so much effort. Who would have thought that something like this would happen? Plus, everything had been fine before, so who could have known that something like this would happen when Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe came?


    At first nce, one would think that Mother Tian was avenging her daughter.


    However, after hearing what had happened, Mother Tian was shocked too. For the past two days, she had been crying out about this injustice, saying that it really wasn¡¯t her this time. How would she dare do something so major? It had nothing to do with her.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that it wasn¡¯t her. Mother Tian didn¡¯t have the guts. Besides, there was no need for her to do such a thing. It wasn¡¯t like she was foolish enough to want to kill the entire production team as well.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t suspect her, Mother Tian heaved a sigh of relief.


    The investigation hadn¡¯t stopped for the past two days. Director Lu had been worried sick, but he knew that Little Bei needed someone to apany her, so he didn¡¯t look for Mu Jingzhe.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe finally had time to speak to him, she couldn¡¯t help but ask Director Lu if there were any clues.


    After careful investigation, she realized that someone had drugged the kettle. Anyone who had drunk from it had been knocked out.


    As for the fire, it was suspected to have started in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room, so Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei had probably been the targets.


    Of course, Director Lu and the others also provided a list of people they had offended or didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with, hoping it would be of help.


    After being asked, Mu Jingzhe frowned and thought for a while. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone for now.¡±


    She really couldn¡¯te up with any names. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone who had such a huge grudge against her. It didn¡¯t seem like it was the chubby mother she had metst time either.


    It was said that because of her poor condition and the fact that she was being watched, she couldn¡¯t leave the city for the time being and follow her to Ocean City to kill her.


    It wasn¡¯t Shao Xi, who hade with her this time, so she could temporarily rule her out as well.


    As for the others, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know who would follow her all the way to Ocean City to kill her.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of the illusion of being followedst time. She hadn¡¯t felt like she was being followed this time, but it hadn¡¯t been long since she had been attacked by the snakes at home.


    Upon thinking about it this way, Mu Jingzhe realized that perhaps someone really wanted to kill her.


    The snakesst time hadn¡¯t been an ident. Someone was really targeting her. The snakes in other people¡¯s houses might have only appeared to reduce their suspicions.


    Otherwise, how could one exin that the snakes that had appeared in their house had been the ones most out of control? There had been many of them, and some of them hadn¡¯t even been local venomous snakes.


    Had the culprit followed her to Ocean City because they hadn¡¯t killed herst time? In order to deal with her, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to drag so many people down with them, and it didn¡¯t even matter if all of them died with her?


    If that was the case, then this method was really ruthless.


    Perhaps, the perpetrator didn¡¯t care, or it was intentional. If a lot of people were killed, the investigation would be chaotic.


    When she had this thought, everything became clear. Both times, the methods had been ruthless and the culprit had been out to kill.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly recounted the matter, and sure enough, it attracted attention.


    ¡°Think about the people you might have offended.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe told him about the chubby mother. As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but bring up the person who had beenter caught in the city park.


    Could this be rted to that man?

 Chapter 127 - Ji Buwang Meets Shao Qiyang

    <h4>Chapter 127: Ji Buwang Meets Shao Qiyang</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe felt that if this had anything to do with the person who had been caught in the park, it would mean that someone wanted to kill her at all costs!


    This was terrifying. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but shiver. She very much wanted to deny it, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized it wasn¡¯t impossible.


    Since the culprit hadn¡¯t seeded twice, what if they struck a third time?


    The first and second time, she had escaped unscathed, but would she be lucky enough to escape for the third time?


    And what if escaping meant she had to pay an even heavier price? Little Bei was still lying in the ward.


    The doctor had said that Little Bei had been really lucky this time. Otherwise, her face might have been disfigured or something else could have happened.


    The consequences were severe enough, and she didn¡¯t want something like this to happen a third time.


    Mu Jingzhe shared her spections with the police and kept her guard up.


    If this was a direct or open confrontation, it might be a little better. The way things were now, it was like there was an unknown person staring at you from behind like a venomous snake, wanting to kill you at any time. It waspletely terrifying.


    On the way back, after giving a statement at the police station, Mu Jingzhe was vignt and constantly kept an eye on the people nearby, wanting to find the perpetrator.


    She thought to herself that she should keep some defensive items on her body at all times in the future, such as the fruit knife and the chili powder that had helped herst time.


    Usually, chili powder was used as seasoning, but at critical moments, it could be used as a weapon.


    Mu Jingzhe thought about it and asked around where she could find chili powder. The spicier and more choking it was, the better.


    She wanted to prepare some more, but she was even more worried about Little Bei, so she went back to the ward first.


    Little Bei had yet to wake up. Not long after she returned to the ward, someone rushed over unexpectedly¡ªJi Buwang.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard the knock on the door and saw Ji Buwang, she thought that she was seeing things.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, why are you here¡­¡± Before she could finish, Mu Jingzhe was hugged.


    Ji Buwang had pulled Mu Jingzhe into his arms. Only after sensing that she was really alive and well did he let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°You scared me to death.¡±


    After such a huge thing had happened, before Mu Jingzhe had even woken up, Director Lu had already arranged for someone to contact her family to prevent them from being worried if they identally saw the news or heard about it.


    Ji Buwang had asked Director Lu to take good care of Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei and contact him if there was anything new.


    Ji Buwang had been the first to hear the news. When he¡¯d heard that there was a fire and that Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe were still unconscious, he¡¯d immediately rushed over.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was caught off guard, was greeted with a hug. Hearing the lingering fear in Ji Buwang¡¯s voice, she hesitated for a moment and patted his back.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you contact me when you woke up? Didn¡¯t I give you my number? Didn¡¯t I ask you to contact me whenever you need anything?¡± Ji Buwang asked after letting go of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, so I didn¡¯t contact you. Besides, I was busy taking care of Little Bei when I woke up, so I didn¡¯t manage to get in touch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really worried about you. Until you go back, I¡¯ll stay in Ocean City.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s no need for that?¡± Mu Jingzhe was a little hesitant. ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to attend to?¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t listen. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was fine, he heaved a sigh of relief. Later on, he took the initiative to buy lunch, saying that Mu Jingzhe was also a patient.


    The moment Ji Buwang left, another person who shouldn¡¯t havee appeared in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Shao Qiyang? Why are you here too?¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes were red, and he didn¡¯t notice that Mu Jingzhe had said the word ¡®too¡¯. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was standing there, alive and well, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    However, when he saw the bandage on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead, he was shocked. ¡°Are you okay? Are your injuries serious?¡±


    Shao Qiyang had also heard the news and was a step behind Ji Buwang.


    There was no phone at home, but there was a phone in the post office. He had also left his phone number with Director Lu and told him to contact him if anything happened.


    When Shao Qiyang had heard this, he¡¯d remembered the venomous snake incident. He couldn¡¯t care less about anything else, so he had taken time off to rush over.


    Along the way, Shao Qiyang had been worried and tormented. The moment he saw Mu Jingzhe, he felt an urge to pull her into his arms.


    However, just as he reached out to pull Mu Jingzhe close, thetter reacted quickly. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. Little Bei is here. Come with me.¡±


    Shao Qiyang felt a trace of regret, but his attention was quickly attracted by Little Bei.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was very guilty, whispered to Shao Qiyang, ¡°I originally nned to contact you guys to tell you about the situation. It¡¯s all my fault that Little Bei was injured.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. You¡¯ve been really good to them. She just did what she wanted.¡±


    If it were him, he would not have hesitated to save Mu Jingzhe.


    After they whispered a few words, Ji Buwang returned.


    This was the first time the two of them met. As soon as Ji Buwang came back, he realized that there was someone in the ward. Shao Qiyang looked over warily, and for the first time, he saw Ji Buwang.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s first thought was that this person had entered the wrong ward. Later on, when he saw his outstanding appearance, he thought that he was a member of the film crew.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s first thought was also that Shao Qiyang was a member of the production team, so the two of them immediately smiled and looked at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly introduced them to each other. ¡°Shao Qiyang, this is Ji Buwang. He¡¯s an art school teacher and also my¡­ friend. When he heard that something happened here, he came to visit me.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, this is Shao Qiyang, Little Bei¡¯s uncle and my brother-inw.¡±


    Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyelids twitched when he heard the name ¡®Ji Buwang¡¯ because he had heard from Xiao Wu at home what a wonderful person he was and that he had provided the school with musical instruments.


    At the time, although he had suspected why Ji Buwang would do this, he hadn¡¯t expected this to involve Mu Jingzhe.


    In the end, he¡¯d really had an ulterior motive?


    Shao Qiyang was very sensitive. When he sensed that something was amiss, he felt that something was wrong with Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze. Besides, a person who was supposed to be in his hometown had suddenly appeared in Ocean City even earlier than him. What did that mean?


    That meant that he had rushed over as soon as possible.


    He hade here because he was worried about Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei. What about him? Was he also worried about Mu Jingzhe?


    In an instant, Shao Qiyang had a lot of thoughts. Upon looking at Ji Buwang¡¯s attire, he knew that this person had to be quite eligible. Besides, his appearance was outstanding.


    Shao Qiyang was filled with vignce. He had known that someone would discover Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brilliance sooner orter, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be so soon.


    Ji Buwang was also vignt because of Shao Qiyang¡¯s vignce. Although he couldn¡¯t see anyone¡¯s face, he was very sensitive to other people¡¯s emotions and hostility.


    This wasn¡¯t the vignce and mood of a brother-inw. Shao Qiyang¡¯s condition and mood were so strange that it didn¡¯t seem like he should have such a reaction to his sister-inw. He was even hostile to him.


    Could this brother-inw of hers like Jingzhe just like him?


    Ji Buwang quickly nced at Shao Qiyang, wishing he could see his face.


    However¡­ This was Shao Qiyang. This name sounded familiar, and only a single word was different. This made him involuntarily think of a person deep in his memory.


    But that couldn¡¯t be. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s husband was dead.


    Nevertheless, Ji Buwang still probed. ¡°The name Shao Qiyang is a little familiar. Actually, I knew someone called Shao Qihai in the past.¡±


    Shao Qiyang and Mu Jingzhe, who were stunned, asked two questions in unison.


    ¡°You know Shao Qihai?¡±


    ¡°You know my older brother?¡±

 Chapter 128 - Shao Qihai Is Here Too

    <h4>Chapter 128: Shao Qihai Is Here Too</h4>


    Ji Buwang urately caught the words ¡®older brother¡¯.


    ¡°Shao Qihai is your brother? Your biological brother?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You know my brother? When did you meet him?¡± Shao Qiyang pressed on.


    ¡°A few years ago.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s expression was strange. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and then at Shao Qiyang. ¡°So you are Shao Qihai¡¯s younger brother. How many older brothers do you have?¡±


    He looked at Little Bei with suspicion in his eyes. ¡°Could Little Bei be¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Little Bei and the others are my older brother¡¯s children.¡± Shao Qiyang nodded.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang suddenly lost the ability to speak. He hadn¡¯t expected the five kids to be Shao Qihai¡¯s children.


    Because Mu Jingzhe had said that he didn¡¯t want Ji Buwang to investigate her, he had never investigated her. The children had never mentioned Shao Qihai¡¯s name either, so he had never known.


    During this period of time, he had wanted to be the stepfather of Shao Qihai¡¯s children?


    His mind was a mess for a moment, but then he urately grasped the information regarding the stepfather part. His mood instantly turned cold.


    ¡°Shao Qihai¡­ is gone?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s husband was dead!


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Shao Qiyang asked back.


    A rhetorical question was still an answer. Ji Buwang was stunned for a moment. He had been in aa for four years, so he hadgged behind on news. He didn¡¯t even know that Shao Qihai was already dead.


    They weren¡¯t familiar with each other, but he remembered him because they used to be rare opponents.


    While he had been unconscious, no one had deliberatelye to tell him about Shao Qihai¡¯s condition.


    It was only today that he finally knew that Shao Qihai was gone. Besides, he had been eyeing his widow covetously, yearning to marry her and even be his children¡¯s stepfather.


    Ji Buwang was a little confused at that moment and he sighed in his heart with guilt.


    He hadn¡¯t done it on purpose. He hadn¡¯te to snatch Shao Qihai¡¯s widow. It was fate that had allowed them to meet, and it was fate that allowed him to only see Mu Jingzhe.


    He originally hadn¡¯t known that Mu Jingzhe was his wife, or he might have restrained himself. Now that he knew, it was toote.


    Upon thinking of this, Ji Buwang felt an inexplicable sense of guilt toward Shao Qiyang.


    When Shao Qiyang heard that Ji Buwang actually knew Shao Qihai, besides feeling furious, he also felt a trace of guilt. After all, he was the brother-inw and he also¡­


    The two of them had different thoughts. After that, they were very polite to each other, but there was a hint of vignce and awkwardness in their politeness.


    The atmosphere became very strange. Mu Jingzhe, who was with them, also felt awkward.


    Outside the ward, Shao Qihai, who was watching this strange scene, was speechless.


    Shao Qihai was thest to arrive. Ever since theirst encounter, he had been worried about Mu Jingzhe.


    However, they couldn¡¯t do anything for the time being. Because of Old Fish¡¯s unexpected arrest, they had followed the vine to fish out the melon. They had helped capture arge number of Old Fish¡¯s aplices.


    Although most of them had been caught, a portion of them had still escaped.


    After Shao Qihai was done with his work, he had heard that Mu Jingzhe and the kids had been attacked by venomous snakes at home. As soon as he¡¯d received the news, Shao Qihai had known that this was the doing of the people who had fled.


    These people were extremely ruthless. They probably felt that Mu Jingzhe had harmed Old Yu, causing everyone to be capturedter on. Therefore, they were determined to avenge Old Yu and everyone else.


    Shao Qihai had acted immediately. After chasing them for a few days, he had finally caught the culprit.


    After catching the culprit, he had wanted to be by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side to protect her immediately, but there were others he needed to keep an eye on.


    Only he and Jiang Feng had seen the people who had escaped before. They still had to cooperate with the police to catch them.


    Before they could catch those people, they were notified that Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei had been attacked again. That person had chased them all the way to Ocean City and even used the most brutal method to attack them¡ªarson.


    Shao Qihai, who was really startled, rushed over as quickly as possible. He wanted to protect Mu Jingzhe this time. Meanwhile, he was waiting for the others to fall into his trap.


    ording to his understanding of those people, they would take action again and wouldn¡¯t stop until they had their way.


    Mu Jingzhe was still in danger, and all of this was ultimately rted to him. It was because she had saved Shao Xi that she had be the target of their revenge.


    Shao Qihai had arrived a little earlier than Ji Buwang. However, since it was inconvenient for him to appear, he¡¯d decided to follow her and protect her. Thus, he had disguised himself as a nurse in the hospital and waited outside Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ward to see if there were any suspects.


    He had wanted to sneak in to see Little Bei¡¯s state, but before he could do anything, Ji Buwang had rushed over. Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe, he¡¯d immediately hugged her.


    Shao Qihai had clutched the chair tightly, nearly unable to resist rushing in to beat up Ji Buwang.


    What the heck? Why was he hugging his wife like this?!


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d managed to hold it in. He only heaved a sigh of relief after Ji Buwang left.


    However, before he could finish heaving a sigh of relief, Shao Qiyang showed up.


    As her younger brother-inw, Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t really hug her or anything, but for some reason, Shao Qihai felt that his younger brother¡¯s mood was a little strange.


    Later on, Ji Buwang also returned.


    Shao Qihai listened to them talk about his death numbly. He really wanted to go in and tell them that he was there, that he wasn¡¯t dead, and he was watching them!


    In the end, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t manage to enter. Fortunately, Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang were quickly persuaded to leave by Mu Jingzhe.


    Only then did Shao Qihai heave a sigh of relief again. Seeing that only Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were left in the ward, he felt much better.


    However, Shao Qihai had heaved a sigh of relief too early. After Little Bei woke up, she had to go to the bathroom.


    While she was doing so, of course, Little Bei had to sing some of her favorite new songs.


    This was the first time Shao Qihai heard them. He was caught off guard and almost burst outughing, which could have revealed his identity.


    When Little Bei went back to the ward, Shao Qihai was still in a daze. Why would Little Bei sing such a song?


    That night, Shao Qihai guarded the mother-and-daughter duo at the door to ensure their safety. However, because of the songs he heard from inside, he had a hard time enduring it.


    Because he was suppressing hisughter, his stomach hurtter, and he trembled from holding it in. Others might think that he was having a rpse.


    He didn¡¯t know that songs could be sung like this. Each song was stranger than thest. Most importantly, these songs had been taught by Mu Jingzhe.


    It was unknown where Mu Jingzhe had heard these songs or if she had modified them herself. It sounded like those songs were meant to be sung like that.


    The more he eavesdropped, the more Shao Qihai felt that he didn¡¯t understand Mu Jingzhe. It wasn¡¯t just because of these songs. More importantly, it was the way Mu Jingzhemunicated with and educated Little Bei.


    These were all things that Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t do. This was the first time he learned that a child could be taught like that.


    He knew that children were sensible, but he hadn¡¯t expected them to have so many thoughts. However, no matter how strange their thoughts were, Mu Jingzhe seemed to be able to understand them. While chatting with Little Bei, she could also conveniently impart moral values andmon sense to her.


    Hearing that Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe were like a real mother-and-daughter duo who were treating each other wholeheartedly, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    How could he be lucky enough to marry Mu Jingzhe?


    Shao Qihai had never thought that a person could change so drastically, nor had he expected that he could protect his wife and daughter this way on a night like this.


    After this matter was over, he would focus on protecting his family.


    Now that the children had a mother, they onlycked him as their father. When he returned, this family would beplete, and the children would definitely be happier and more blissful.

 Chapter 129 - I Can Also Become a Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 129: I Can Also Be a Daddy</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe had no idea that there was someone waiting outside the ward, but she had a rare good night¡¯s sleep.


    On the third day, Director Lu came to visit Little Bei to discuss something.


    Encountering such a thing was a huge blow to the production team, but they were waiting to tie up all loose ends. At a time like this, they couldn¡¯t afford to be dispirited at all.


    The filming process had been halted, but they were burning cash every day. Director Lu was very anxious, so he came to ask about Little Bei¡¯s recovery. He wanted to ask if they could resume filming.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear it. ¡°Little Bei¡¯s throat hasn¡¯tpletely recovered. Although her face and feet are much better, her arms and hands haven¡¯t healed yet. It might be a little difficult to resume shooting now.¡±


    However, Little Bei took the initiative to agree. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine. I can do it. There are no action scenes left. I can do it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was still worried, but Little Bei had her own thoughts too. They couldn¡¯t dy any longer. Not only did the director have no time, but they didn¡¯t have time either.


    They had only applied for a week¡¯s leave, and half of it had already passed. It wouldn¡¯t be good to dy any further.


    ¡°Mommy, it just so happens that I don¡¯t have to talk in the remaining scenes. Besides, the character of Xiao Jiu is also injured. With my injuries, I will be able to film more realistically.¡±


    Director Lu looked at the sensible Little Bei and was almost moved to tears. He patted his chest and said that if there were any suitable roles in the future, he would definitely strongly rmend Little Bei to his acquaintances.


    Where else could he find a young actress like Little Bei, who was so sensible and easygoing?


    Since Little Bei had agreed, knowing that Director Lu was in a difficult position, Mu Jingzhe had no choice but topromise.


    That day, Little Bei was discharged from the hospital. She filmed two scenes that night. Mu Jingzhe personally applied makeup on Little Bei, trying her best to make it as painless for Little Bei as possible.


    In the next few days, Little Bei was still filming. Thanks to the care of the entire crew, Little Bei didn¡¯t suffer too much. She just had some more crying scenes. Everyone nearly cried themselves blind as they watched Little Bei¡¯s convincing performance.


    Little Bei made people cry whenever she cried. Everyone was amazed by how good she was at acting surprised at such a young age and treated her increasingly well. Everyone in the crew doted on her.


    The filming process was finished three dayster than scheduled. After going through many twists and turns, the movie was officiallypleted.


    Without stopping, Director Lu devoted himself to his next task. He didn¡¯t dare rx at all. However, Little Bei¡¯s work was done, and she could rx now.


    Although Little Bei wasn¡¯t a famous child star, she was the female lead, so Director Lu wasn¡¯t stingy. He transferred the remuneration as promised the night the filming process waspleted.


    Little Bei knew that she had money now and wanted to shop. She said that she wanted to buy beautiful dresses for Mu Jingzhe and presents for her brothers, maternal grandma, and maternal grandpa.


    Mu Jingzhe thought that since she had taken an extra day off, she might as well take one more day off. It hadn¡¯t been easy for them to make a trip to Ocean City, so it wouldn¡¯t be right if they didn¡¯t explore the ce a little.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go shopping tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yay, Mommy is the best!¡±


    Ocean City was arge coastal city after all, and it was much more fashionable than the county. Seeing that everyone was wearing beautiful dresses, Little Bei had long thought of buying some for her mother.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy a dress for you tomorrow, Mommy. You looked great in redst time. Let¡¯s buy one this time too.¡±


    ¡°No need¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you must. And you must buy at least three pieces. You must also buy leather shoes.¡±


    ¡°Little Bei, you can buy these things for yourself. I really don¡¯t need them.¡±


    ¡°The dresses you made for me are even prettier than the ready-made ones worn by others. It doesn¡¯t matter if I buy some or not, but Mommy, you must buy a few dresses for yourself. I call the shots regarding the money I earn.¡± Little Bei domineeringly made a decision. ¡°It¡¯s just a few pieces of clothing. Mommy, don¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    In the future, when she earned more money, she also wanted to buy more things, such as a golden ne for Mommy. Many people in Ocean City wore them, and she wanted her mommy to wear one too.


    For now, she didn¡¯t have enough money for that. She would buy clothes first and take it one step at a time.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected her children to repay her in such a domineering way so soon. She happily agreed.


    Then, they really went shopping for clothes. Little Bei kept looking for clothes to buy for Mu Jingzhe, whereas Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help shopping for children¡¯s clothes. Autumn wasing soon, and she wanted to buy them shirts and sweaters.


    The most popr style in the city was matching shirts and sweaters. The girls even wore dresses that matched their sweaters.


    ¡°Let¡¯s buy yours first, Mommy. We¡¯ll buy clothes for my brotherster.¡±


    Little Bei sensed that and stopped Mu Jingzhe in time. She forcefully made Mu Jingzhe buy things for herself first. Just like Little Bei wanted her to, Mu Jingzhe ended up buying two dresses, a shirt, a skirt, and even a pair of leather shoes.


    Every time she bought something, Little Bei would pay. Mu Jingzhe thought it was a shame that there weren¡¯t credit cards to swipe now, or she would have watched Little Bei domineeringly swipe her card.


    The domineering CEOs on TV would have to give way to Little Bei if she had to swipe her card. Mu Jingzhe looked at Little Bei and felt her heart sink.


    After buying Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes, they nned to buy clothes for the kids. ¡°When we came over just now, there were several children¡¯s clothing stores on the way. Let¡¯s go over there.¡±


    Ocean City was a big city after all, and it was perhaps because it was the weekend, but there were many people walking in the streets, making Mu Jingzhe suddenly feel like she had returned to a modern city.


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe looked at the passing crowd with a nostalgic expression. While they were waiting for the traffic light to turn green, Mu Jingzhe realized that Little Bei was holding her hand and looking at something, her eyes revealing a trace of envy.


    Although it was only a fleeting moment, Mu Jingzhe caught it. She followed Little Bei¡¯s gaze and saw a little girl sitting on her father¡¯s neck, chatting merrily with her father.


    Mu Jingzhe realized that Little Bei was envious. That¡¯s right, who wasn¡¯t envious when they were young? She had also been envious before. She didn¡¯t have the ability to revive the dead Shao Qihai, but she could be Shao Qihai.


    She had plenty of strength anyway. Mu Jingzhe stuffed all the clothes she¡¯d bought into her backpack and squatted down to stroke Little Bei¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t be envious of them. Little Bei, Mommy can do it too!¡±


    Before Little Bei could understand what she meant, Mu Jingzhe picked her up and ced her on her shoulders.


    Little Bei let out a gasp and hugged Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head tightly. ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, hold on tight. Is the air up there fresh?¡± Mu Jingzhe tilted her head as she asked this.


    Little Bei finally reacted. She was shocked and delighted. Just now, she had only been a little envious. How had her mother known?


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re so awesome. You¡¯re wonderful.¡± The worked-up Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head and kissed her forehead.


    ¡°Ha ha, alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Themotion between the mother-and-daughter duo attracted everyone¡¯s attention. When they saw Little Bei on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s neck, some people found it funny. It was inevitable that the two of them would receive many strange looks. Only a father would do something like this usually. Why was this mother also¡­


    The little girl that Little Bei had envied previously pointed at them and asked her father curiously why Little Bei was riding her mother¡¯s back instead of her father¡¯s.


    Little Bei froze for a moment but then saw Mu Jingzhe smile and reply from afar, ¡°Because I¡¯m strong.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was open and honest under everyone¡¯s stares, not caring about them at all. This was probably an ability she had developed before she¡¯d transmigrated, so she didn¡¯t care about the gazes of other people.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe like this, Little Bei calmed down and even told the little girl, ¡°My mommy is amazing.¡±


    Little Bei bragged proudly. This was her mother!

 Chapter 130 - Murdering Her Husband

    <h4>Chapter 130: Murdering Her Husband</h4>


    A second ago, she had been bragging. A secondter, Little Bei couldn¡¯t help but whisper to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, are you tired? How about you let me down?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired. This little weight of yours is nothing. You¡¯ve only been up there for a minute.¡± Mu Jingzheughed and patted her leg. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll put you down when I get tired.¡±


    The traffic light turned green. Mu Jingzhe carried Little Bei along the crowd as they passed the crossroads. Because Little Bei was up there, it was easy to see them.


    Shao Qihai, who was secretly protecting the mother-and-daughter pair and had been following them, had mixed feelings when he saw them from behind. Logically speaking, he should be the one carrying Little Bei on his shoulders.


    These days, Shao Qihai had been thinking of ways to disguise himself and follow them. He didn¡¯t dare rx at all. Gradually, he saw how they interacted with each other.


    Shao Qihai felt that it was different from what he had known and seen before. It was a method that he had never thought of before and it often surprised him.


    For example, right now, he found it funny but also felt that this was good. Little Bei was different from what he remembered. She had be braver and more cheerful.


    As a mother, sometimes Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t act like a mother, but sometimes she was the best mother. She had her own unique way, which included carrying Little Bei on her shoulders right now.


    Shao Qihai thought a lot in an instant and secretly reflected on many things. He felt that he hadn¡¯t done enough in the past.


    His gaze constantly followed them from a distance that was not too far or too close. He didn¡¯t dare get too close lest he attracted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention. Ever since thest incident, Mu Jingzhe had been very vignt. Twice, Shao Qihai had almost been caught by her.


    However, he couldn¡¯t stay too far away. Otherwise, if something happened, it would be toote. Thus, Shao Qihai managed to stay within three steps of them with difficulty.


    As he listened to Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe speak, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but smile. His heart became increasingly calm, but as he followed Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei through the next junction, he suddenly felt that something was amiss.


    Shao Qihai was very sensitive to danger. When he felt that something was wrong, he happened to see a man wearing a hat brush past him and walk toward Mu Jingzhe from the back.


    With a silver sh, Shao Qihai saw the slowly revealed dagger in his hand stab Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression changed as he recalled the victim who had copsed among a stream of peoplest time.


    This was a simr scene. There were bustling streets around, and crowds of people wereing and going. The traffic light had turned green as the victims followed the stream of people. Catching them off guard, the perpetrator had brushed past them and followed them to stab them in the back. All of this had happened extremely fast. Once the perpetrator stabbed the victim, they would disappear into the stream of people.


    By the time one reacted and copsed, the perpetrator would have already walked far away along with the crowd.


    A fatal blow in what seemed like the safest and most rxed ce was extremely difficult to guard oneself against.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that someone was targeting her. In the past few days, she hadn¡¯t rxed, especially when she was alone or there were few people around. However, she had never expected that these people would change their methods and attack at a time when she felt the safest in a really crowded ce.


    Mu Jingzhe was almost unprepared and had no way of preparing for this. If she were to guard against every passerby, she would go crazy.


    She didn¡¯t have any experience, but Shao Qihai did. The tragedy that had urredst time reyed in his mind. Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes widened, and he rushed forward. At thest moment, he blocked the de and grabbed the dagger.


    Instantly, his hand was covered in blood. Shao Qihai grunted and reached out to grab the person with his other hand. However, the person with the hat reacted extremely quickly. Seeing that he had been exposed, he pushed Shao Qihai fiercely and turned to run.


    Shao Qihai, who was pushed by him, identally bumped into Mu Jingzhe, who was in front of him. Due to the strength of the push, he ended up pressing against Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back.


    As Mu Jingzhe walked, she suddenly felt that something was amiss on her right. Just as she was about to turn around, she felt someone press against her from behind. It was a very hooligan-like feeling.


    F*ck! Mu Jingzhe cursed inwardly. She turned around dangerously and saw a dazed old man.


    ¡°Little Bei, hold tight!¡± Mu Jingzhe shouted as she punched Shao Qihai¡¯s nose.


    Blood instantly spurted from his nose. Shao Qihai¡¯s vision blurred as he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s curses. ¡°Don¡¯t think that your old age gives you a free pass to act as you please or that I won¡¯t hit you just because you¡¯re old. Old pervert, pui!¡±


    Shao Qihai was anxious. ¡°No, I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    He wanted to exin, but before he could do so, Mu Jingzhe kicked him hard.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°!!!¡±


    That day, a shocking scene took ce in the streets of Ocean City¡ªa youngdy with a little girl on her shoulder started beating up a shameless old man.


    The shameless old man, Shao Qihai, suffered a nosebleed. He curled up on the ground and almost ascended to heaven. He felt that he had probably been crippled by that kick.


    At that moment, the pain of the cut in his hand was nothing.


    When Shao Qihai saw that Mu Jingzhe still wanted to beat him up, he shivered and thought to himself, ¡®She¡¯s attempting to kill her husband, right?¡¯


    In order to prevent himself from really being killed, Shao Qihai tried his best to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. I only helped you because I saw that someone wanted to harm you. Look, the knife is still here!¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s face was red, and his nose was bleeding. He was in an unprecedentedly sorry state as he shouted to prove to Mu Jingzhe his innocence. Luckily, the dagger was still there.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. She had actually felt something touch her just now. Looking at the dagger and then at his hand, Mu Jingzhe restrained her nerves. Thinking of what had happened previously, she believed him a little.


    When she realized she had almost been killed in this sea of people, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill down her spine.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that person?¡±


    ¡°Over there. He ran in that direction. He¡¯s wearing a blue hooded shirt and a ck cap.¡± Although he¡¯d only had a brief encounter with that guy, Shao Qihai had seen his face very clearly and immediately remembered his characteristics.


    Fortunately, the dy wasn¡¯t big. Furthermore, there were many people and things on the road, so that person had luckily bumped into the cart selling fruits and gotten dyed.


    Mu Jingzhe looked over and happened to see the man Shao Qihai had described being held back by the boss. They seemed to be arguing.


    ¡°Wait for me toe back!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hated this person, who had attacked her time and again. She thus told the lewd old man, ¡°I¡¯m going toe backter to either settle the score with you or thank you.¡± Then, she took off and chased after the guy in the blue hooded shirt.


    The man who had attacked her went by the nickname Three Seconds. This implied that he was fast and could take a person¡¯s life in three seconds. His methods were ruthless, and he was full of tricks. He had thought that nothing unexpected would happen this time. After all, he had been in the right ce at the right time.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to be stopped when he¡¯d tried to escape. He had even encountered a cart that had been pushed out. The cart had been knocked over, and the boss had held him back recklessly.


    What was even more unfortunate was that due to this dy, Mu Jingzhe had caught up.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was about to catch up to him, Three Seconds cursed. Without thinking too much, he hit the boss¡¯s neck with his arm to shake him off and ran.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Mu Jingzhe watched as that person sprinted away. She was still hugging Little Bei and didn¡¯t dare to let go. As this affected her speed, she wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to him.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t willing to let him off so easily. She anxiously took off her shoe and aimed at him.


    Mu Jingzhe was lucky this time. Her shoended on his head.


    Three Seconds felt something approach him from behind. He thought that it wouldn¡¯t hit him, but a secondter, he received a heavy blow on the back of his head by something that felt like a brick.

 Chapter 131 - Crippled?

    <h4>Chapter 131: Crippled?</h4>


    Three Seconds was smashed to the ground with a bang. He got up in a daze and seemed to feel something in his hand. It was a shoe, and a female shoe at that.


    To think that he had been hit by a shoe. Three Seconds felt embarrassed. Just as he was about to curse, he heard footsteps, followed by a heavy kick on his body.


    ¡°You¡¯re the pr*ck who wants to kill me, aren¡¯t you? You released venomous snakes and tried to set me on fire. Now, you want to use a knife? Have I snatched your wife or killed your father? Is that why you are treating me like this?¡±


    As the blows rained down on him, curses came one after another. There wasn¡¯t a lot of technique involved, but the force of the blows on his body was terrifying. Initially, Three Seconds wanted to resist, but he was firmly pinned on the ground and couldn¡¯t move. Soon, he was beaten until he couldn¡¯t retaliate at all.


    At first, he held it in, butter on, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and couldn¡¯t help but beg for mercy.


    Little Bei exined to the surrounding people that this was a bad person who had beening after them to kill them. She was vignt, so she stomped on Three Seconds¡¯ fingers when she saw them sticking out.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t being cooperative, she kicked him a few more times and stepped on him when she had the chance.


    Initially, the crowd wanted to help after hearing what Little Bei said. However, upon watching the situation for a while, they realized that they didn¡¯t need to help at all. The mother-and-daughter duo were taking care of it nicely by themselves.


    Besides, it seemed like the person who needed help wasn¡¯t the mother-and-daughter duo, but the fellow who was being pressed down.


    His pained cries became softer and softer. The surrounding people couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Has he been killed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, is he still alive?¡±


    The way they looked at Mu Jingzhe was a little strange. They plucked up the courage to amplify their voices. ¡°Young¡­ Heroine, I think you should stop fighting. You don¡¯t want to kill someone.¡±


    The onlooker originally wanted to call her ¡®youngdy¡¯, but when she saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but use the term ¡®heroine¡¯, which wasmonly used in television dramas. After saying that, even she felt a little strange.


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Little Bei had heard everyone and quickly pulled Mu Jingzhe away.


    Only then did Mu Jingzhe stop and take a deep breath. She had lost control a little because she was really furious.


    The main reason she was furious were those two perilous experiences. The first time, she and the five children had almost been bitten to death by venomous snakes. Even the people of Great Eastern Vige had been implicated.


    Later on, an entire crew of 20 to 30 people, including other tourists, had almost died in a sea of fire.


    If they hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to escape and provide evidenceter, this might have been mistaken for an ident and they could¡¯ve died just like that.


    In order to save her, Little Bei had gotten injured, and her injuries had yet to recover.


    Each time, many lives had been risked. The perpetrator was unscrupulous. She had also seen him attack the boss just now.


    If he¡¯d had a knife in his hand, perhaps the boss¡¯s throat would have been slit. There was no enmity between them, but for the sake of escaping, he would casually reap the lives of others. How could Mu Jingzhe not be angry?


    She had no idea how she had provoked a group of lunatics who kept following her around to take her life. Plus, never mind if they were only targeting her. That wasn¡¯t the case either. They were even willing to sacrifice the lives of others to kill her.


    Mu Jingzhe really hated them.


    She calmed down and took off the clothes of Three Seconds, who had already been rendered unable to speak. Using his clothing, she tied his hands together, and shortly after she had done so, the police arrived.


    On such a bustling street, there would usually be regr patrols. When the policemen heard themotion, they came over.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The scene that they saw made them wary of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°This person wanted to kill me but was subdued by me,¡± Mu Jingzhe calmly exined, including the investigation she had conducted previously. She also mentioned the arson case.


    That arson case had only taken ce a few days earlier, and the police officers present happened to know about it. They half-believed Mu Jingzhe and brought Three Seconds, who looked like a dead dog, back to the crossroads to look for witnesses and the knife.


    The knife was still there, and it was obvious that there was blood on it. No one had touched it, but the old man was gone. There was only blood on the ground.


    Seeing that the evidence was still there, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was a little surprised that the old man had disappeared.


    ¡°The old perv¡­ grandpa was still here. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s gone now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly corrected herself, calling the ¡®old pervert¡¯ a ¡®kind old grandpa¡¯ instead.


    Recalling that there might have been a misunderstanding and that the old man had helped her yet she hadn¡¯t shown mercy, Mu Jingzhe felt a little guilty.


    The old pervert, who was Shao Qihai, was speechless.


    As he watched Mu Jingzhe and the police leave, Shao Qihai looked at his hand, which had been casually bandaged with a handkerchief. He stood far behind them and walked a little awkwardly.


    Yeah¡­ the pain mostly wasn¡¯t over yet.


    Shao Qihai even suspected that he had been crippled by that kick and felt extremely helpless. However, after seeing how Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei had dealt with that man, he suddenly felt that Mu Jingzhe had already shown him mercy.


    He had no idea when Mu Jingzhe had be so powerful that she could fight whenever she wanted and possessed great strength.


    When Shao Qihai saw how powerful Mu Jingzhe was, he should have felt at ease, but for some reason, he was a little worried. However, he didn¡¯t recall what he was worried about for a while.


    As she had suddenly caught the culprit who might have been targeting her for the past few days, she didn¡¯t continue to buy clothes. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei went to the police station again and met the police officer they had just met a few days ago.


    ¡°He tried to kill you with a knife? On the street?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    The police officer who asked this question was very serious. He looked at the knife and instructed his colleagues, ¡°Go do a fingerprintparison.¡±


    When it was mentioned that a fingerprintparison was going to be done, Three Seconds finally reacted. He kept screaming in pain before realizing that there was something wrong with his hand.


    Both his hands were injured, as Little Bei had stepped on them. However, that wasn¡¯t the main point. The main point was that one of his hands had been dislocated, and one of his legs was fractured.


    The police officer roughly looked at the test result. ¡°Why is his leg broken?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Maybe he identally broke it or fractured it when he fell.¡±


    She lowered her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was me either. I was really scared. When I thought about the venomous snakes and the fire, I was too scared and I hit him a bit. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±


    The police officer hesitated for a few seconds. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and then at Little Bei, who was consoling her and telling her not to be afraid. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    When they came out, the sky was already dark. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were no longer in the mood to shop and hurried back to rest.


    Shao Qihai, who had been waiting outside, watched them enter before he had the time to go back and check on his condition.


    The area where he had been kicked didn¡¯t hurt as much anymore. He didn¡¯t know if its functionality had been affected, as he wasn¡¯t a doctor.


    Thinking back, Shao Qihai felt lingering fear. He had done so much in the past and hadn¡¯t even hesitated to fake his death because he didn¡¯t want his family to fall into this dangerous swamp. However, in the end, they had still been implicated.


    Late at night, Jiang Feng came to look for Shao Qihai, and they talked about their respective situations, exchanging information.


    Seeing that Shao Qihai was injured, Jiang Feng quickly bandaged and treated his wounds. His movements were very skilled, and it was obvious that he did this frequently.


    ¡°Luckily, you followed her, Brother Hai. Otherwise, sister-inw would have¡­¡± Jiang Feng felt fear just thinking about it. ¡°Sister-inw didn¡¯t recognize you, right?¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°No¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t mention the extremely humiliating experience of being treated like an old pervert. His expression was veryplicated.

 Chapter 132 - I’m The One Being Beaten Up By My Wife

    <h4>Chapter 132: I¡¯m The One Being Beaten Up By My Wife</h4>


    Jiang Feng didn¡¯t notice Shao Qihai¡¯s stiff expression and was still fantasizing. ¡°When they find out it¡¯s you in the future, sister-inw will definitely be touched. Then, you¡¯ll have made amends for your mistake, Brother. Sister-inw and the children won¡¯t me you.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    That might not be the case. After all, she had thought he was an old pervert.


    Shao Qihai was facing difficulties that he couldn¡¯t speak of, but Jiang Feng was envious of their rtionship. ¡°Brother Hai, you¡¯re protecting sister-inw in the dark. Sister-inw is loyal and devoted and is taking care of the children for you. This is really touching.


    ¡°I also want such a rtionship in the future.¡± Jiang Feng was a little shy, but because of his close rtionship with Shao Qihai, he still chuckled and said, ¡°After this matter is over, I will also find a good girl that I will spend my entire life protecting.¡±


    After saying this, Jiang Feng suddenly frowned. ¡°Speaking of that, I remembered that guy next door who beat his wife up. Say, he¡¯s a grown man, so how can he beat his wife? He can¡¯t even protect and love his wife. He didn¡¯t have the ability and had to find grievances outside, so he hit a woman when he came back home? What kind of man is he?


    ¡°When I came out earlier, I saw him lying drunk on the side of the road. I pped him a few times to wake him up, then took the opportunity to kick him a few times.¡±


    After Jiang Feng finished iming credit, he suddenly asked curiously, ¡°Brother Hai, have you and sister-inw fought before?¡±


    The question came too suddenly. Shao Qihai, who had just been passively hit, was instantly at a loss for words.


    Jiang Feng had merely asked out of curiosity, but he hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to be left speechless by his casual question. Seeing his stiff expression, Jiang Feng added, ¡°Brother Hai, you¡­¡±


    He covered his mouth and lowered his voice. ¡°Brother Hai, you can¡¯t be serious. Don¡¯t tell me you have hit sister-inw? I just said that domestic violence is bad. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re like Old Qin! Gentle and refined on the outside but someone who hits his wife in private.¡±


    Old Qin was a formerrade-in-arms. He usually acted well and appeared to be a good person in front of everyone. He was also serious about his work. Unexpectedly, there was something problematic about him¡ªhe was beating his wife.


    It was said that he had grown up like that. He had seen his father beat his mother up since he was young and had gotten used to it. He felt that if his wife wasn¡¯t obedient, he should beat her up. Later on, he was severely criticized.


    Back then, Jiang Feng had been disillusioned when he¡¯d found out. He had thought that Old Qin was the only one who did that. He hadn¡¯t expected Brother Hai to do the same.


    Shao Qihai looked at Jiang Feng¡¯s anxious expression. ¡°I have not. I don¡¯t hit women.¡±


    He¡¯d only hesitated because he was the one who had been beaten up!


    ¡°Really? You really don¡¯t resort to domestic violence?¡± Jiang Feng wanted to confirm it.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    He was speechless for a moment before dering firmly, ¡°No!¡±


    How could he resort to domestic violence? To put it bluntly, he was the one being abused.


    He had already been abused once and had almost been crippled.


    At that moment, Shao Qihai finally remembered the worry that he hadn¡¯t recalled in the afternoon.


    If he went back, after finding out that he wasn¡¯t dead, would Mu Jingzhe be so angry that she¡¯d hit him again?


    Shao Qihai looked down and rubbed his face. If he was beaten up again, he might really be crippled.


    Not far away, Mu Jingzhe, who was applying medicine on Little Bei¡¯s face, sneezed. Her ears also felt a little hot. ¡°Who¡¯s badmouthing me behind my back?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re so wonderful. No one would say bad things about you. They must be saying something good,¡± Little Bei immediately answered.


    Mu Jingzheughed. Those who had been beaten up by her today might not agree.


    The next day, Mu Jingzhe heard that the person she¡¯d caught yesterday had indeed been the culprit. His fingerprints were a match, and it was discovered that he had also been involved in other cases.


    His nickname was Three Seconds. He was involved in many cases and was a very dangerous person. Even the police had to protect their own safety when they encountered him.


    Who would have thought that the fellow would be beaten up into that state by Mu Jingzhe and brought to the police station?


    This time, when Mu Jingzhe went to the police station again, everyone looked at her differently. ¡°How did you provoke this group of people? We just caught a batch of them previously. They¡¯re all ouws who only care about profit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. They just started targeting me for no reason. It¡¯s been happening ever since we went to the cityst time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really unlucky. But you¡¯re also lucky that you were able to catch the culprit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also because someone helped me yesterday. Otherwise, I might not have been able to do it.¡± Mu Jingzhe was still scared. ¡°Have you guys found the grandpa I mentioned yesterday?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The police officer shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll continue searching. We¡¯ll contact you when we find him. Be careful in the future. I heard that some of them are still on the run.¡±


    ¡°Some of them are still on the run?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned when she heard that. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re still after me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but you should stay safe nheless.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Of course she would pay attention to her safety. In fact, she still feared being surrounded by a crowd after that traumatizing incident.


    This trip to Ocean City hadn¡¯t gone smoothly either. Seeing that this matter had been resolved, Mu Jingzhe hurriedly bought some things and embarked on the trip back.


    Shao Qiyang had already returned. However, to avoid making the boys worry, Mu Jingzhe had told him not to tell them yet. They could tell them about it when they returned.


    The boys only knew that the filming process had dragged on, but they didn¡¯t know what had happened to Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei. It was only when the two of them got home that they found out that something had happened again. They couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.


    Little Bei¡¯s injuries were more serious than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s, but they had been treated in time and weren¡¯t too serious. The doctor said that if she applied medicine properly, they wouldn¡¯t leave too many scars.


    On the other hand, there was a small scar on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead. It wasn¡¯t too ugly, but it was still a little eye-catching.


    ¡°It should fade after a while. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t take it seriously, but the children weren¡¯t pleased when they saw it.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s skin was fair. Although the scar wasn¡¯t big, it was very eye-catching and ufortable to look at.


    Li Zhaodi, who specifically came to visit after hearing that they¡¯d returned, was not satisfied either. ¡°How can it be fine? You¡¯re a girl, so it won¡¯t look good if it leaves a scar.¡±


    How could she be fine when she had been disfigured? Li Zhaodi rolled her eyes at Mu Jingzhe and muttered that she had been through a lot. Li Zhaodi said she would look for medicine to remove her scar.


    People in the countryside tended to know some folk remedies. Li Zhaodi went back to the Mu Residence to get the medicine.


    The Mu Residence was bustling with noise and excitement because Tang Moling hade again. Ever since their engagement, Mu Xue and Tang Moling had returned to their initial sweet state, and things had been very calm for a while.


    Especially during this period, when Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t been around, everything had been calm.


    This time, Tang Moling hade to discuss taking Mu Xue to meet his elders. As the engagement had been held in a hurry, the elders on Tang Moling¡¯s side had yet to meet Mu Xue.


    After this meeting, it was expected that the wedding would be held at the end of the year.


    After all, Mu Xue would be 24 years old after New Year¡¯s. In this era, an unmarried woman of her age was considered a spinster.


    Old Lady Mu didn¡¯t want Mu Xue to get married after she turned 24. She thought that Mu Xue should at least get married while she was still 23. Old Lady Mu thought very highly of this meeting with his parents and started asking around a few days earlier what Tang Moling¡¯s elders liked so that she could prepare a gift.


    Although countryside folks couldn¡¯t afford very precious gifts, they at least had to show their sincerity.


    When Li Zhaodi went back, Old Lady Mu and the rest were busy choosing gifts. Upon seeing Li Zhaodi return, Old Lady Mu stiffened and ignored her.

 Chapter 133 - Mu Xues Unbalanced Mind

    <h4>Chapter 133: Mu Xue¡¯s Unbnced Mind</h4>


    Ever since they¡¯d split up the family assetsst time, Old Lady Mu had been unhappy. Previously, she hadn¡¯t wanted a grandson who picked rubbish to disgrace her. In the end, when she had found out that Mu Han could be sessful by picking up rubbish, her attitude had changed drastically. She thought that if Li Zhaodi and the rest knew what was good for them and gave her an out, she would take it.


    Unfortunately for her, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng hadn¡¯t even given her an out. Now, things had kind of reached a stalemate between them. It wasn¡¯t like they hadpletely severed all ties, but they weren¡¯t close either.


    Old Lady Mu didn¡¯t say a word. Instead, Third Brother Mu¡¯s wife asked with a smile, ¡°Is Jingzhe back?¡±


    ¡°Mm, she¡¯s back,¡± Li Zhaodi responded. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°Sister-inw, I remember you having some ginseng before. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°Can you sell some of it to me?¡±


    ¡°Sell some to you? Why would you mention the word ¡®sell¡¯ when we¡¯re a family? Do you want to use it?¡± Although the sister-inw made it sound very nice, she didn¡¯t even move her butt one bit.


    Li Zhaodi knew her sister-inw¡¯s character. She wouldn¡¯t budge until she was given benefits. ¡°I don¡¯t want to use it, but Jingzhe and Little Bei went to Ocean City and were in a fire¡­¡±


    As soon as Li Zhaodi finished speaking, she heard someone hiss in pain. She turned around, only to see that Eldest Brother Mu¡¯s hand had been scalded by Tang Moling.


    He had been adding hot water to Eldest Brother Mu¡¯s tea. He seemed to not care about Li Zhaodi, but when he heard Jingzhe¡¯s name, he was very sensitive. He couldn¡¯t help but prick up his ears to listen. He hadn¡¯t expected to hear about the fire as soon as he¡¯d started listening in on their conversation.


    The trauma of the venomous snake incident hadn¡¯t passed yet. When he heard about the fire, Tang Moling lost hisposure again.


    The water in the teapot sshed out and all of it fell on Eldest Brother Mu¡¯s hand. Tang Moling only reacted after hearing him scream. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have thick skin.¡± Although Eldest Brother Mu felt some pain, he recovered quickly and gave him a kindly smile.


    Eldest Brother Mu had always been a little afraid of this son-inw of his. He felt that he couldn¡¯t converse with him or put on the airs of a father-inw in front of him. However, Tang Moling had always been respectful and would even pour him water.


    Eldest Brother Mu thought that Tang Moling was just being careless and didn¡¯t take it to heart. However, Mu Xue¡¯s expression changed.


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t be bothered paying attention to Mu Xue anymore. He was anxious to hear about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s whereabouts and even wanted to rush out to see her likest time.


    Li Zhaodi had no idea what Tang Moling was thinking. She waited for a second before continuing.


    ¡°Jingzhe has a scar on her face, and Little Bei has some wounds on her body too. That¡¯s why I want to buy some from you. You said before that you have the best ginseng.¡±


    Third Brother Mu¡¯s wife nodded. ¡°Indeed, we have the best. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t have a lot¡­ but Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t look good with a scar on her face either¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw.¡± Li Zhaodi pulled the sister-inw away to talk to her about buying ginseng. After she bought it, Li Zhaodi left in a hurry.


    The Mu Family continued to speak and didn¡¯t take this matter to heart. No one said anything about visiting Mu Jingzhe.


    Only Tang Moling and Mu Xue were a little absent-minded after hearing that Mu Jingzhe had been in a fire. Judging from Li Zhaodi¡¯s appearance, it seemed that it was nothing serious and Mu Jingzhe had only been left with a scar.


    However, even though he knew, Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. s, he couldn¡¯t run out likest time.


    After all, he was already Mu Xue¡¯s fianc¨¦ and they were even going to get married at the end of the year. The person he loved was Mu Xue, and she was the one he was responsible for. He shouldn¡¯t be worried about Mu Jingzhe.


    Tang Moling restrained himself from worrying about Mu Jingzhe, but the more he restrained himself, the more distracted he became. He looked like his mind was elsewhere, and he was in a state of struggle and hesitation that made him look dazed.


    Old Lady Mu thought that he was tired and told him to quickly rest, but Mu Xue¡¯s face turned cold.


    She had felt very blessed during this period of time and had even prepared for her marriage. She was filled with anticipation for the future, but at that moment, she was once again thrown off the track.


    Just one piece of news from Mu Jingzhe was enough to make Tang Moling panic. Mu Xue couldn¡¯t help but recall what had happened previously.


    She wasn¡¯t a fool. She was forced toe back to her senses, as she could feel Tang Moling wavering.


    Mu Xue was scared and anxious. He was clearly her fianc¨¦, but why was his heart with Mu Jingzhe?


    Ever since she was young, Mu Xue had never experienced such a feeling. She suppressed her anger and called Tang Moling out.


    ¡°Tang Moling, do you have me in your heart?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Moling was a little frustrated. ¡°Of course I have you in my heart. Why would I get engaged to you otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Then what are you doing now? Are you worried about Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    Tang Moling froze for a moment. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You know best whether you¡¯re worried or not. If you keep thinking about her, just scram and go find her.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not. Don¡¯t be unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s being unreasonable? Tang Moling, look at yourself. I¡¯m not in your heart anymore. I don¡¯t want to see you today. You can leave now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kicking me out?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m kicking you out. I don¡¯t want to see you with another woman in your heart!¡± Although Mu Xue said that, she was actually hoping that Tang Moling would stay.


    However, Tang Moling really left. Looking at his departing figure, Mu Xue almost bit her lip until it bled.


    At that moment, she suddenly had a vicious thought for the first time¡ªwhy couldn¡¯t Mu Jingzhe have simply burned to death?


    When she realized what she was thinking, Mu Xue was stunned. How could she think like that?


    Mu Xue, who was in a daze, didn¡¯t visit Mu Jingzhe.


    Later on, after Tang Moling calmed down, he came back to apologize to Mu Xue. The two of them finally stopped throwing tantrums, but their argument had derailed their original n to meet Tang Moling¡¯s elders.


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t betray Mu Xue and didn¡¯t go to see Mu Jingzhe, but Mu Xue knew that he had Mu Jingzhe in his heart and kept thinking about her.


    asionally, when he heard the vigers mention Mu Jingzhe, Tang Moling¡¯s ears would involuntarily prick up, and his footsteps would slow down.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t do anything, but she still managed to attract Tang Moling¡¯s attention.


    Mu Xue felt like the heavens were ying tricks on her. From Shao Qihai to Tang Moling, it seemed like Mu Jingzhe had snatched everyone from her in the end.


    Mu Xue had temporarily forgotten that she was the one who had given up on Shao Qihai first. She felt that the heavens were ying a trick on her. Mu Jingzhe was her archenemy. All those who had originally liked her seemed to have fallen for Mu Jingzhe in the end.


    She even somewhat understood the feeling that Mu Jingzhe had felt in the past, as she suddenly wanted to snatch him back at all costs.


    It was also at that moment that Mu Xue realized that her and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s positions had been reversed.


    In the past, she used to be the most promising person in the vige. Everyone in the vige had praised her and asked her whenever they had questions because she was knowledgeable and cultured. Everyone had respected her, and Mu Jingzhe had been a joke not even worth mentioning.


    However, at some point in time, everything seemed to have changed. The most promising person in the vige had be Mu Jingzhe. The things she was doing were clearly only something trivial in Mu Xue¡¯s eyes, but the vigers were somehow all in awe of her.


    Those who used toe to ask her questions and those who used to praise her had unknowingly turned to Mu Jingzhe.


    It wasn¡¯t that they no longer praised her, but they rarely mentioned her now. And when they did mention her, it was because of her promising fiance, Tang Moling.


    While Mu Xue was suffering because of Tang Moling, Mu Jingzhe was getting better and better. Her days were flourishing, and the person people talked the most about in the vige had be Mu Jingzhe.


    Her glow seemed to be suppressed bit by bit.

 Chapter 134 - These Young Men Seem Interested In Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 134: These Young Men Seem Interested In Mommy</h4>


    In the past, Mu Xue had never taken this cousin seriously. In her eyes, Mu Jingzhe was just a clown. In fact, she had considered it beneath her to even argue with her. They simply weren¡¯t from the same world, and this was a fact that everyone silently agreed on.


    But now, things had changed. She and Mu Jingzhe were like archenemies. Mu Xue felt that if Mu Jingzhe lived well, she wouldn¡¯t live well. If Mu Jingzhe made something of herself, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to lift her head.


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t want to scare herself, but she didn¡¯t want to admit this reality either.


    In the past, Mu Xue used to be the one who started trends among the young girls in the vige. For example, student haircuts or dresses. All the girls in the vige used to imitate her.


    Mu Jingzhe had always imitated her too and made a fool of herself. But now, Mu Jingzhe had be the trend-setter in the vige.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe¡¯s dresses are really pretty. I heard that they were bought in Ocean City. I want to buy one of them someday.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    The girls wanted to wear the hair ornaments that Mu Jingzhe made and the clothes that Mu Jingzhe wore. There were even girls who wanted to cut their hair short. They only gave up that idea after being scolded a few times.


    Mu Xue looked at herself, feeling baffled. The clothes she was wearing now were all good stuff, many times better than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes. They had all been given to her by Tang Moling. By right, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes, which had been bought in Ocean City, should pale inparison. So why couldn¡¯t those girls see that?


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t know that her things were actually too good, way beyond what everyone else could afford. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes were more down-to-earth, so they were still within reach.


    After two days, Mu Xue discovered something else.


    Many young men in the vige, with the approval of their parents, actually wanted to marry Mu Jingzhe in private.


    On the surface, no one said anything. The reason no one went to propose marriage was because they knew that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t agree.


    In the past, the person people didn¡¯t dare propose marriage to used to be Mu Xue. Now, that person had be Mu Jingzhe.


    She was clearly a young widow who had already been married once, but so many promising young men felt that they weren¡¯t worthy of Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t dare propose marriage to her.


    Mu Xue was mystified. ¡°How did things end up like this?¡±


    Mu Xue couldn¡¯t remember when the change had started. When she returned home and saw Li Zhaodi, Mu Xue was also momentarily dazed.


    She almost didn¡¯t recognize her sharp, unkind scoundrel of a second aunt. When did her unpresentable Second Aunt, who was like a clown, be so spirited and cheerful? When did she start having so many people fawning over her?


    Wasn¡¯t Second Aunt the most unpopr person in the past? Hadn¡¯t the vigers avoided the very sight of her?


    Mu Xue hesitated and remembered that Second Aunt hadn¡¯te to provoke her or snatch her things for a long time.


    Thinking back carefully, Second Aunt didn¡¯t even stare at her hatefully anymore, especially after they¡¯d split up the family assets.


    When and why had she changed?


    Mu Xue looked at Li Zhaodi in a daze and tried her best to recall. Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t look at Mu Xue at first, but when she saw that she was staring at her, she couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips.


    Why was this arrogant girl¡¯s gaze so terrifying when she had been busy with her own matters and hadn¡¯t had the time toin about her?


    Li Zhaodi pondered this for a while. Her attention was then quickly diverted by everyone¡¯s ttery.


    ¡°Don¡¯t praise me. It¡¯s just an ordinary piece of clothing. Even if it was bought in Ocean City, it¡¯s still just a piece of clothing.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was busy thinking about ways to remove Mu Jingzhe¡¯s scar, but when she turned around, she was drowned in gifts.


    Little Bei had remembered Mu Jingzhe but hadn¡¯t forgotten her brothers and maternal grandparents either. She had bought things for them as well.


    Mu Jingzhe had also remembered and bought them clothes. On the other hand, Li Zhaodi had previously bought clothes for the children. Naturally, Shao Dong and Shao Xi had to reciprocate with a gift. They made their own money, and even Mu Han had brought something for his parents.


    Dizzily, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng found themselves with a pile of brand-new clothes and shoes.


    Mu Jingzhe was in the limelight because she was wearing the dress she had bought in Ocean City, and so were Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. After Li Zhaodi finished bragging about the clothes, she went on to brag about the shoes and the scarf.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was such soft leather in this world. It¡¯s so soft when you wear it. Jingzhe doesn¡¯t even wear it herself, but she insisted on buying one for me.¡±


    ¡°And this scarf. Never mind how small it is. It¡¯s not cheap. Thatss Little Bei is still a child, yet she insisted on buying it for me by using the money she earned. My hands are so rough from working all day that I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll damage the scarf if I touch it.¡±


    Everyone knew that Li Zhaodi was showing off, but they couldn¡¯t help but be envious. They had never seen silk scarves and flowers from Ocean City.


    They wanted to feel the texture, but they were afraid they would identally damage it. In the past, Li Zhaodi would never have let them touch it, but this time, she generously allowed them to touch it.


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s mouth and tongue were dry from all the talking, but she was feeling smug in her heart. Previously, everyone hadughed at her and said that they were stupid for acknowledging the five kids who weren¡¯t even biologically rted to them.


    However, the five kids had made them proud. It had only been a short while, and they were already buying things for them with their own money.


    To be honest, even a biological child might not be able to do this. Now that she could finally hold her head high, Li Zhaodi had to boast about it.


    Compared to Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng was much more reserved. However, he also frequently put on his new hat and clothes and strolled around the vige.


    He didn¡¯t know how to boast, but he enjoyed everyone¡¯s gazes. Although he spoke modestly, he was actually very gleeful about it.


    Even though the weather hadn¡¯t turned cold and it was too warm to wear a trapper hat[1], he was determined not to take it off.


    Mu Jingzhe found Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi¡¯s behavior amusing and potentially maddening. Li Zhaodi¡¯s smug look as she unted everywhere made her seem like a weird character in television dramas, an existence that the vigers hated the most. Logically speaking, she should have said something, but seeing how happy they were, she couldn¡¯t bear to douse their enthusiasm.


    Forget it, as long as they were happy, it was okay.


    The older generation had suffered too much. This was their proudest and happiest moment. The envy and jealousy of others was even sweeter than honey to them.


    Mu Jingzhe was happy, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were happy, but Zhao Lan, Eldest Brother Mu, and his wife were almost angered to death.


    Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t expected the children to be so promising. These kids, who she had considered a burden, were actually capable of earning money? And so much money at that?


    In the past, she hadn¡¯t given a damn if the children acknowledged her or not. She¡¯d even felt that it was best if they didn¡¯t, in case she had to spend money on them.


    However, when she saw that they had actually bought all those things for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, she couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous.


    She, their biological grandmother, was still there. She was the one who had raised them from a young age. Why hadn¡¯t they bought anything for her?


    Who the hell were Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng? It wasn¡¯t as if they were their biological grandparents. Those kids had merely called them Grandpa and Grandma a couple of times, yet they had bought the two of them all this stuff?!


    The happier Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were, the more they showed off, and the less capable Zhao Lan was of controlling her anger. Every day, she would keep making oblique remarks from next door or right at their door.


    She would call them ingrates and shameless children and other things like that. At the end of the day, she was just hinting that Shao Dong should buy things for her.


    If she had her way, she would be asking directly, but after that scarest time, she didn¡¯t dare to.


    Since she didn¡¯t have the balls to do so, Shao Dong and the rest simply ignored her. They treated her as a joke and never paid attention to her.


    The children still remembered Zhao Lan¡¯s reaction after Mu Jingzhe had been bitten by a snake. They remembered the kindness they had been shown, but they also bore grudges.


    ¡°She¡¯s cursing at the door again,¡± said Little Bei quietly when she came in.


    ¡°Just leave her be. This is just an appetizer. It¡¯s nothingpared to what is toe. There¡¯ll be plenty for her to be angry about.¡± Shao Xi sneered. ¡°When she left us to Mommy, she did so without any hesitation. Let her wallow in regret and anger for the rest of her life.¡±


    The children casually discussed the matter and then pushed Zhao Lan to the back of their minds. At present, they had a new headache.


    Since god knew when, many young men had starteding to their house. Those young men would greet the kids with a smile and appear outside their home from time to time.


    In the beginning, the five kids didn¡¯t think too much about it. However, recently, every time they came back from school, by observing the situation, they¡¯d started to understand.


    These people seemed to be interested in Mommy!


    [1] a fur cap with ear-covering ps

 Chapter 135 - Observation Records Comparable to A Matchmakers

    <h4>Chapter 135: Observation Records Comparable to A Matchmaker¡¯s</h4>


    Unknowingly, Mu Jingzhe had be a popr figure in the vige. In fact, in the eyes of many people in the outer vige, marrying her meant marrying into money. Moreover, Mu Jingzhe was bing more and more beautiful.


    This was especially so after she put on the dress she had bought in Ocean City. Li Zhaodi had been nagging her, so her hair had grown a lot as well. Although she still trimmed it from time to time, it wasn¡¯t as short as before. The sparkle in Mu Jingzhe was unavoidably disyed, and many people felt increasingly tempted.


    Mu Xue was already engaged, so now the person the vige was most concerned about was Mu Jingzhe.


    In the past, when they had seen Mu Jingzhe make up her mind to take care of those five kids, everyone had still been worried. Now, seeing that Shao Dong could earn money and the other four kids weren¡¯t inferior either, they no longer felt that they were a burden. Instead, they felt that the kids were treasure basins and didn¡¯t mind them anymore.


    It didn¡¯t matter if they had a few more children. The kids could earn their own money and didn¡¯t need them to provide for them. In fact, their future biological kids might even be able to lead a good life thanks to the five of them.


    After thinking it through, a lot of young men started showing up at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s door. From time to time, they woulde over and knock on the door. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice anything at all. Later, when more young men started showing up, she simply thought that they were there for the young girls who hade to work at her house. She even sighed with emotion, thinking to herself what a wonderful thing youth was.


    She didn¡¯t notice this, but the children were sensitive to it. Because of Shao Dong¡¯s instructions, they didn¡¯t sabotage or scheme in secret. They just couldn¡¯t help being vignt and observing.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. This matter was too important, and there were many implications. Besides, in their hearts, Mu Jingzhe was the most wonderful person in the world. To them, there were very few people worthy of her.


    One could see that, as Shao Xi didn¡¯t even think Ji Buwang was good enough for her.


    However, they didn¡¯t disqualify all these people right from the start. After all, they were from the same vige. It was just that when they came into contact with them, they would subconsciously observe them. First, they would help their mother see if the person was good enough and if there was a possibility of them getting together in the future.


    The children used their own ways to work together and stealthily sized up those young men properly.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice at all. After all, it simply seemed to her that the kids were chatting with a fellow viger. In the beginning, even the young men who were being observed didn¡¯t notice. In fact, they were rather happy to see that the children were willing to talk to them. They were also aware of the benefits of having a good rtionship with the children.


    Then, those young men were coaxed into revealing their backgrounds by the children while beingpletely oblivious to their intentions. Only after the children had eliminated them did they realize what had happened.


    Some of them were angry when they realized what had happened. Others felt terrible because they were aware of their own limitations.


    When these young men¡¯s families offered to help them propose marriage, they shook their heads and refused, saying, ¡°Even at my age, I can¡¯tpare to those kids. I¡¯m also not as knowledgeable as them. I only know how to farm. How can I be worthy of her?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s peach blossoms[1] had bloomed for a while without her knowledge. Before she knew it, they had been blown away by the children.


    The only trace left behind was a notebook that Shao Dong secretly kept, which Mu Jingzhe had never even seen.


    It was a detailed record of every young man they thought might want to be their stepfather. The name of each man was reced, and the information about their height, body, and physical condition was basicallyplete. Shao Dong had even noted down their educational qualifications.


    Most of them had graduated from elementary school or junior high. Very few of them had finished junior high school. There were also a lot of details about their family situation. After all, this was a very important factor. What their parents and siblings were like, whether they were favored at home, whether their parents were easy to get along with, and how their lives were.


    Then, there was the analysis of their personality, hobbies, and interests. Those with bad personalities and those who liked to y cards or gamble were eliminated. Smoking and drinking at such a young age was frowned upon as well.


    Then, there was a section on their appearance and knowledge. The record was dense andparable to that of a matchmaker, but it was also more detailed than that of a matchmaker.


    This was all because Little Bei had coincidentally bumped into a matchmaker on her way to propose marriage. She had followed the matchmaker out of curiosity and learned the things a matchmaker would say. She had told her brothers about all the factors that everyone considered important.


    After observing and considering all these factors, they weren¡¯t very satisfied with any of them. Either the young man wasn¡¯t eligible enough himself, or there was a problem with his family background.


    Although they wouldn¡¯t stop Mu Jingzhe from getting married, she had to marry a good man. These young men might be considered a decent catch in the vige, but they weren¡¯tpatible with Mu Jingzhe right now.


    Due to the actions of the children, no one dared to reallye to the door to propose marriage. However, there were also some people who didn¡¯t want to give up.


    One of them was a viger called Li Hua. In the past, he had been Mu Xue¡¯s ssmate. He had graduated from junior high and was tall and well-built. He was doing okay in the vige and was considered outstanding among his peers.


    In the past, Li Hua hadn¡¯t taken Mu Jingzhe seriously. All he¡¯d cared about was Mu Xue. He felt that only Mu Xue was worthy of him, and for this reason, he had quite disliked Mu Jingzhe.


    However, Mu Xue didn¡¯t like him, and Li Hua didn¡¯t think anyone else was good enough for him. Thus, he had remained single until Mu Jingzhe had changed and be better.


    It was impossible for anything to happen between him and Mu Xue. After Mu Jingzhe¡¯s transformation, he¡¯d increasingly felt that Mu Jingzhe would do. Thus, Li Hua had set his sights on her.


    After the children observed him, they felt that he wasn¡¯t very capable. s, they hadn¡¯t expected him to stille to their door to propose.


    Li Hua was quite sincere, for he really wanted Mu Jingzhe now. However, when he brought the matchmaker over, Mu Jingzhe refused without hesitation.


    This time, even Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng didn¡¯t waver. Their standards had be higher. To put it bluntly, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t even said yes to that guy from the county, let alone someone from the same vige.


    Li Hua had considered the possibility of rejection, but he hadn¡¯t expected to be rejected in such an outright manner. He was a little displeased.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy to seed. If you¡¯re sincere, you can go again,¡± the matchmaker quickly said. However, even she felt that it was a little difficult.


    After Mu Jingzhe refused, she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Why did he suddenlye and propose marriage?¡±


    The children sighed in relief when they saw her turn the proposal down. ¡°Because you¡¯re beautiful and outstanding, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Little Bei, why are you so good at talking?¡± Mu Jingzheughed.


    ¡°Mom, the school needs the parents to go and help out during the weekend. Are you free?¡± Shao Dong waited for them to finish speaking before he got down to business.


    ¡°Our teacher also said that the school wants to build a cement field and needs the parents to help with manualbor. Each student has to send at least one parent.¡±


    Little Bei felt a little troubled because there was only one Mu Jingzhe and four of them who went to school. There wasn¡¯t enough of her to go around. ¡°Mommy, since you¡¯re only one person, will they make you go for four days? Uncle has to go to work too.¡±


    <i>If she has to go for four days, Mommy will be exhausted.</i>


    ¡°No. Everyone in the vige knows that it¡¯s just me. I¡¯ll probably need to go for only one day. Plus, I¡¯m strong, so I can do more work. I can handle four people¡¯s work all by myself.¡± Mu Jingzhe was also troubled when she heard that the school was asking the parents to help out with manualbor.


    She had finally experienced what it was like to be a parent. In the past, she used to have colleagues who had children at home and had toplete all kinds of homework and handicraft assigned by the teacher. They¡¯d ended up being busier than their children. She¡¯d also heard that they had to go to their kids¡¯ school to help with cleaning and stuff.


    Although she didn¡¯t have to do the cleaning because the children knew how to do it themselves, there was other work she had to do.


    [1] potential love interests

 Chapter 136 - Allergy?

    <h4>Chapter 136: Allergy?</h4>


    Although Mu Jingzhe had neverid cement and didn¡¯t know how to do it, she was still happy to improve the kids¡¯ school environment.


    Their school field was really dirty, and some parts of it were bumpy and uneven. There was still dust after it was cleaned every day, especially when there was strong wind. It was even harder to walk when it rained. It would be much better if the ce was cemented.


    Mu Jingzhe had made up her mind to work hard, but when Shao Dong heard that she nned to do the work alone, he frowned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be so hard. If it is not, you can attend to your work or even go to the city for your business, Mom. We¡¯ll go ourselves.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. This is simr to a parent-teacher meeting. The parent can¡¯t be absent. You¡¯re still children and can¡¯t take on very heavy work. Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me. I¡¯ll be careful and I won¡¯t tire myself out.¡±


    The weekend hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but Li Hua didn¡¯t give up. He made two more visits with the matchmaker, but both times, Mu Jingzhe declined.


    When the vigers learned that Li Hua was going to propose marriage, many people paid attention, waiting to see what the result would be. Upon seeing that it didn¡¯t work, those who were closer to himforted him a little, saying that he didn¡¯t need to be too sad because Mu Jingzhe was now different from before.


    There were also others whoughed at him. For example, a girl who used to fancy Li Hua but had been rejected by him because he thought he was too good for her.


    Their constion and mockery were a little unbearable for the proud Li Hua. He had originally been confident about it, but he had failed and people wereughing at him now. His mood became even more irritable.


    He was more and more bent on getting Mu Jingzhe to marry him no matter what. He felt that regardless of this, Mu Jingzhe had already married someone before. This would be her second marriage, whereas it was his first marriage. Furthermore, he felt that he was pretty eligible.


    He was a little stubborn. After learning about the school¡¯s activity, he happened to find out that his eldest brother¡¯s child was also in school, so he offered to go in his eldest brother¡¯s ce. He wanted to perform well and make Mu Jingzhe change her mind.


    In the end, during the weekend, after the parents gathered to work, the person who did the most work was Mu Jingzhe.


    The school would still hire people toy out the cement, but they didn¡¯t have that much money. That was why they invited the parents to help. The parents only went to pick up some rocks that weren¡¯t too big or small toy out the foundation. They also went to the river to transport some sand back.


    The female parents would pick up rocks. As for the male parents, some of them carried the rocks back, while some were in charge of transporting the sand.


    Li Hua wanted to work with Mu Jingzhe and let her pick up rocks while he carried them. However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to have too much contact with him since she had rejected him. In addition, she felt that since she was representing four children, she should do more work.


    Thus, she picked up rocks for a while, and seeing that the others were having difficulties, sheter took on the task of transporting the rocks.


    Baskets full of rocks were being carried to the school by her. Li Hua, who wanted to disy his masculinity, didn¡¯t want to fall behind Mu Jingzhe and insisted on following her. After two or three trips, he gave up with a forehead full of sweat.


    The parents were full of praise for Mu Jingzhe.


    As a teacher, Mu Xue mainly did logistical work for this activity. She would boil the water so that after the water cooled, the working parents could have cold water and tea when they wanted to rest. Seeing Mu Jingzhe, who was so full of energy, being praised by teachers and parents alike, she pursed her lips when she thought of her rtionship with Tang Moling during this period of time.


    Li Hua had been fawning over Mu Jingzhe all this time. Mu Xue saw it too. She even identally overheard Li Hua and his mother¡¯s conversation in the afternoon.


    Seeing that Li Hua couldn¡¯t seed, his mother had advised him to give up and stop chasing after Mu Jingzhe. However, Li Hua wasn¡¯t willing to give up and said that he wouldn¡¯t give up on Mu Jingzhe no matter what.


    On the way back, Mu Xue thought to herself, ¡®That¡¯s right. Why isn¡¯t Mu Jingzhe getting married?¡¯


    If she were to get married, she and Tang Moling might stop arguing. Tang Moling would probably give uppletely, right?


    In the afternoon, Mu Jingzhe and the others continued working, and the teachers in the school got busy.


    Since the parents hade to work, they had to at least treat them to a meal, right? Hence, the school¡¯s teachers bought a sheep and ate a meal together at night to thank the parents. The sheep had been raised by one of the parents, so the price wasn¡¯t high.


    As Mu Xue helped out, she watched Li Hua fawn over Mu Jingzhe without any substantial results. While Li Hua was resting and drinking water with a gloomy face, for some reason, she asked the teacher beside her, who was frying mutton, a question.


    ¡°There¡¯s no sesame in this mutton, right? If you need to add sesame, you have to scoop some out beforehand. My cousin, Mu Jingzhe, is allergic to sesame.¡±


    Li Hua paused while drinking and pricked up his ears.


    The teacher said, ¡°Really? Is there such a thing as an allergy to sesame? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be adding any.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Otherwise, I would have to be her savior.¡± Mu Xue smiled.


    Mu Jingzhe and the other parents were busy until five o¡¯clock before they were done with their work.


    ¡°Everyone, wash your hands and rest first. The food is almost ready. You can also go home and get the students to eat together. This is also a parent-teacher meeting in disguise.¡±


    Everyone went to get the students, and Mu Jingzhe returned home. However, she hadn¡¯t gone back to get the children, as they had followed Shao Qiyang to the county city. They still had to go to the arts school on Sunday and they couldn¡¯t miss ss for no reason.


    If they hade back, they would have definitelye looking for her. If they didn¡¯te looking for her, it meant that they weren¡¯t back yet and would have to wait for Shao Qiyang to get off work and bring them back.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s main purpose for going home was to clean up and change into a fresh set of clothes. Her clothes had be extremely dirty from all that manualbor.


    The parents who had stayed behind moved the students¡¯ desks and chairs out to use them as dining tables. When they were done, dinner started very quickly.


    There were tworge porcin basins, a pot of rice, and a pot of mutton on each table.


    The mutton had been stewed for an entire afternoon, so the stewed meat was very soft and vorful. After it was served, some mint leaves and chili were sprinkled on top of it. It was simple, and not too much seasoning was added, but the taste was excellent.


    This was a farmhouse meal, the simplest yet most delicious kind. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up after she ate a mouthful. She felt a little regretful that the kids weren¡¯t back yet, or they could have eaten together.


    However, she couldn¡¯t bring home some for them either. She could only eat more herself.


    Mu Jingzhe ate while hoping that the kids woulde back and eat this delicacy. However, by the time she finished eating, Little Bei and the others weren¡¯t back yet.


    On the other hand, Tang Moling arrived unexpectedly halfway through the meal. When he entered the school and saw the lively scene, he was stunned. Later, everyone enthusiastically pushed him to sit beside Mu Xue. ¡°Eat. Let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t refuse their kind gesture, so he picked up his chopsticks. He had just arrived at the Mu Residence when Old Lady Mu had told him that Mu Xue was at school and had asked him to go over. He¡¯d thought that something had cropped up. Also, he¡¯d wanted to have a good talk with Mu Xue.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that Old Lady Mu would ask him toe over because she knew that the school was ughtering a sheep today and wanted him to get some good food for free.


    Even though Tang Moling and Mu Xue were clearly still in a fight, in front of outsiders, they treated each other respectfully. The others didn¡¯t notice that anything was amiss and they even teased them.


    Tang Moling listened to everyone¡¯s teasing and was surprised to see Mu Jingzhe, who was enjoying her food not far away.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t pay much attention to Tang Moling. In any case, Tang Moling had to be there to dispense dog food[1] in front of Mu Xue. Compared to eating dog food, Mu Jingzhe was more interested in eating mutton.


    [1] put on public disys of affection

 Chapter 137 - The Misunderstood Mu Jingzhe

    <h4>Chapter 137: The Misunderstood Mu Jingzhe</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe ate with full concentration and relish. The only imperfection was that Li Hua was sitting beside her, constantly trying to strike up a conversation and adding meat to her te.


    Although he was scooping out good meat, Mu Jingzhe still wanted to eat it herself. She felt extremely awkward around Li Hua.


    She had never encountered someone who kept chasing after her like this before. It should be said that it was rare to see someone like this in the modern era. Everyone basically fell in and out of love quickly.


    When she was in school, she had heard of some guys who had wooed a girl for three to four years, or even five to six years. Later on, she¡¯d no longer heard such stories. Those men only existed in television dramas. If one wooed a girl relentlessly, the girl would even get annoyed.


    However, the pace was too fast for Mu Jingzhe to keep up. asionally, someone would express interest in her. She wanted to observe and see if the person was suitable, but in the end, the other party quickly gave up because she didn¡¯t show much of a reaction. They weren¡¯t like Li Hua.


    It was only because Mu Jingzhe had trained herself to be thick-skinned that she could continue eating under Li Hua¡¯s intent gaze from time to time.


    Delicacies couldn¡¯t be ignored. In the end, Mu Jingzhe relied on her strong mental fortitude to finish eating her fill.


    After dinner, everyone cleared up together. Soon, they were done.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the time and saw that Li Hua seemed to being over to look for her again, so she quickly bade the teachers farewell.


    As the kids had excellent results, the teachers mostly spoke to her about the matter of them skipping grades. Nothing else.


    Mu Jingzhe exited the school and returned home, only to see that the kids had not returned. She thought for a while and carried the bag of corn given to her by Li Zhaodi to the mill by the river.


    This mill was actually a wet-milling one. Great Eastern Vige was beside a river, and two mills had been built along the terrain.


    The flour made via wet milling could be preserved for a long time and tasted good. Everyone in the vige ate it. Both wheat flour and corn flour were made in this mill. The mantous[1], buns, and cornbread that were made using such flour were all very delicious.


    Out of the two mills, one was an old mill, and the other had been built not long ago. The new one was made of cement, had electricity, and was more automated.


    The electricity was generated by the hydropower in front of the mill. There wasn¡¯t much electricity, so it wasn¡¯t enough for the entire vige to use. At present, it was only used in the school¡¯s vige council and the mill. It was said that after a period of time, those who wanted to get electricity at home would be able to get electricity too.


    However, electric cables and utility poles required money. Those who wanted electricity at home needed to fork out a sum of money themselves.


    Many people gave up when they heard the price, but Mu Jingzhe wanted to get electricity at home no matter what. She had really had enough days without electricity. She had made preparations for a long time and was just waiting for it to go through.


    After it went through, she could work overtime when she had to meet a deadline. Also, there were many things they could do with electricity.


    After Mu Jingzhe arrived at the mill, she first went to prepare water and turn on the electricity to try it out. Seeing that the lights that almost no one in the future liked had lit up, Mu Jingzhe imagined that there was electricity at home and felt quite happy.


    Mu Jingzhe first followed Li Zhaodi¡¯s instructions and ground the corn. While she was busy doing this, she started feeling very hot. She felt inexplicably itchy and hot, and she became very sensitive. As Mu Jingzhe ground the corn, she felt a little unbearable and, for some reason, felt like taking her clothes off.


    Mu Jingzhe rubbed her neck, wondering why she had be like this. Suddenly, she heard amotion and turned around to see Li Hua.


    Li Hua bent down and entered the mill. His eyes looked at Mu Jingzhe as if he was confirming something. ¡°Jingzhe, how do you feel?¡± Mu Jingzhe, who originally had no clue about her own condition, suddenly had a sh of inspiration when she saw Li Hua¡¯s appearance and heard his words. She knew what was going on¡ªshe had been drugged!


    In every novel, there was no shortage of such scenes. Mu Jingzhe remembered that there were such scenes in the original novel too. However, she remembered a supporting female character trying to drug Tang Moling, the male lead. that supporting female character had ended up getting pped in the face. Now, she was the one who was being drugged instead.


    She hadn¡¯t expected Li Hua to use such a despicable method after his proposal failed. Did he think that he could have his way just like that?


    Dream on! Even if she was drugged, she could still deal with him!


    Realizing what was going on, seeing Li Hua approaching her, and seeing the flickering light in his eyes, she stepped forward without hesitation and kicked him.


    Li Hua had been following Mu Jingzhe because he had been inspired by Mu Xue¡¯s words after overhearing their conversation. He found some sesame and ced it on the mutton on their table.


    He had wanted to see when Mu Jingzhe¡¯s allergies would act up. He wanted to be her savior and do something to facilitate the marriage. Unexpectedly, before he could even open his mouth, he was attacked.


    With a grunt, Li Hua was just about to say something when Mu Jingzhe stepped forward and struck Li Hua with her palm, knocking him down.


    ¡°You think you can scheme against me? Dream on!¡± Mu Jingzhe felt herself getting hotter and hotter. Unable to tolerate it, she dragged Li Hua and threw him into the nearest toilet.


    This kind of trashy person should just eat sh*t in the toilet!


    Mu Jingzhe was quite lucky she had not seen anyone along the way. She was about to turn around and go home, but after taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.


    At first nce, it sounded like going home was a safe option, but her condition wasn¡¯t right at the moment. If Shao Qiyang came back, what if the drug took effect and she immediately forced herself upon Shao Qiyang on the spot?


    Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t as strong as her, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to defend himself against her advances. If that should happen, he would be finished. A fine young man would be¡­ hurt by her. Mu Jingzhe subconsciously thought of the scene of Shao Qiyang shouting ¡°No!¡± while sheughed sinisterly and said, ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you scream your throat out.¡± She abruptly shivered.


    ¡°No, definitely not!¡±


    In the beginning, when Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated here, the original Mu Jingzhe had harbored ulterior motives regarding her younger brother-inw. Now that she had finally changed her image, she couldn¡¯t ruin it again.


    She couldn¡¯t be an animal who forced herself on her younger brother-inw. To prevent herself from doing that, she might as well go to the mill to calm down, for no one would go over there usually. Besides, it was near the river. If all else failed, she could always jump into the river to calm down.


    Mu Jingzhe returned to the mill. As soon as she got back there, she felt very ufortable. Her skirt was fine, but her shirt felt very ufortable. Due to an urge to take off her clothes, she wondered if she should just use a rope to tie her hands. At that moment, she heard the door open.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    Tang Moling¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    It had been a long time since Tang Moling had seen Mu Jingzhe. He had refrained from going to look for her and he hadn¡¯t expected to bump into her today.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look at her from the corner of his eye to see where she had a scar. He also saw Li Hua, who was fawning over her.


    He was very pleased to see Mu Jingzhe eating so happily, but when he saw Li Hua fawning over her, he couldn¡¯t stand it. Later on, he even saw them leave one after another.


    He followed Mu Xue home absent-mindedly and happened to see Mu Jingzhe and Li Hua heading to the mill one after another.


    The mill was a rather special ce. Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but think of rendezvous and so on. When he returned to the Mu Residence, his mind was filled with thoughts of what the two of them were going to do and whether they would engage in certain activities at the mill.


    Tang Moling was worried and angry. He had been feeling very tormented because of Mu Jingzhe, and as a result, he had even gotten into arguments with Mu Xue. But today, upon seeing Mu Jingzhe acting as if nothing had happened, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was wrong. The more he thought about it, the more indignant he became.


    If Mu Jingzhe wanted to get married, fine. But couldn¡¯t she marry someone better? How could she fall for someone like Li Hua?


    [1] Chinese steamed bun

 Chapter 138 - He Is Willing

    <h4>Chapter 138: He Is Willing</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss. In the end, Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but excuse himself by saying that he had something to attend to and had to go back. He then drove the car to the entrance of the vige and arrived at the mill.


    He had thought of many scenarios, but when he saw Mu Jingzhe alone, he couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief.


    ?


    While he was feeling relieved, Mu Jingzhe was rmed by his appearance. She had finally managed to get away from everyone, so why was Tang Moling there? Those who didn¡¯t know better would think that she had schemed against Tang Moling and wanted to you-know-what him!


    Mu Jingzhe hurriedly buttoned her shirt. ¡°What are you doing here? Get out quickly.¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± It was noisy inside the mill, so Tang Moling couldn¡¯t hear what Mu Jingzhe was saying and took two steps forward.


    ¡°I said, don¡¯te over!¡± Mu Jingzhe was abnormally sensitive at the moment. She turned around and nced at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, leave quickly.¡±


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t leave at the moment. He had noticed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s unusually red face. ¡°Do you have a fever?¡±


    ¡°I do not. I¡¯m busy. Leave quickly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself, ¡®Don¡¯t force me to make a move.¡¯


    However, just as she finished speaking, the door was suddenly closed and locked.


    Mu Jingzhe reacted. ¡°Who is it? Open the door!¡±


    A series of footsteps could be heard from outside before quickly disappearing into the distance. It was useless no matter how loudly Mu Jingzhe called out.


    The ce where the two of them were was special. The sound of water and the sound of grinding stone could be heard. When they spoke inside, they had to get closer and speak loudly. Their cries for help couldn¡¯t possibly be heard.


    F*ck. Mu Jingzhe wanted to curse.


    She had finally managed to reverse the situation of the original Mu Jingzhe, who had been snatching Mu Xue¡¯s things and men. In the end, this was happening to her. Furthermore, it was happening in this special ce at this special time.


    In that case, she might as well have gone home!


    Mu Jingzhe pushed the door a few times but didn¡¯t manage to open it. This was a newly-reced cement door. Previously, the mill had also been renovated when the power lines had been set up. Afterying the ground with cement, they had used the remaining cement to make a cement door.


    No matter how strong Mu Jingzhe was, without a tool, she couldn¡¯t open the cement door.


    Mu Jingzhe looked around in despair when she realized that she couldn¡¯t open the cement door. Other than a small venttion window, there was no other way out of the mill.


    Forget aboutTang Moling. Even she couldn¡¯t get out of the small window.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head turned numb. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you listen to me when I asked you to leave?!¡±


    Tang Moling was a little confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this either.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t arranged all this. He didn¡¯t know who had made the arrangements either. This was the first time he was in such a small space with Mu Jingzhe, or even in the same room with her. His heart couldn¡¯t help but beat faster.


    Tang Moling coughed. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Although he was confused and surprised, perhaps because he had been in too much pain previously, Tang Moling felt an inexplicable sense of relief amidst his anxiety.


    Luckily, he was the one locked up with Mu Jingzhe, not that Li Hua. Otherwise, Li Hua might have¡­


    Tang Moling looked at Mu Jingzhe under the light and realized that there was something wrong with her. Her face seemed to be getting redder and redder, and she was even sweating a little. Her breathing also seemed a little off.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, your face is getting redder and redder. What¡¯s going on?¡± Tang Moling¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    He had seen and experienced a lot. In fact, he had almost been tricked in the past. It immediately urred to Tang Moling what was going on.


    ¡°Is this Li Hua¡¯s doing?¡± Tang Moling reached out to pull Mu Jingzhe, wanting to confirm her condition.


    Mu Jingzhe suddenly took a step back. She was indeed getting increasingly ufortable and wanted to take off her clothes more and more each second. She was already struggling, but she hadn¡¯t expected Tang Moling to realize it and even want to touch her.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to experience what had been written in the novel¡ªjust one touch and she wouldn¡¯t be able to help wanting to get closer. This wasn¡¯t just anyone. It was the male lead, Tang Moling.


    If she dared to do anything with him, she would probably die without knowing how it had happened.


    She had to nip this threat in the bud! Mu Jingzhe made a decision in an instant. She decided to go all in. Taking advantage of Tang Moling¡¯sck of defense, she retreated and suddenly moved forward. She swiftly went behind his back and struck his neck, knocking him out.


    Tang Moling was caught off guard. A moment earlier, when he saw Mu Jingzhe move toward him again, he felt indescribable excitement and joy.


    He knew that Mu Jingzhe had been drugged and that he was right beside her. At that moment, he even thought that if anything were to happen between them, it would be unavoidable. It would be heaven¡¯s choice.


    At least, he would rather it was him than anyone else.


    Just as Tang Moling thought of this, his heart skipped a beat. A secondter, he felt pain on the back of his neck and his vision darkened. He passed out immediately.


    Before he fainted, Tang Moling widened his eyes, unable to wrap his head around it.


    Tang Moling fainted unwillingly, feeling confused, and Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief.


    It was safer to knock out all the male creatures at that moment in case he came to take advantage of her. If she couldn¡¯t tolerate it, it would make it easier for her to take action.


    Realizing what she was thinking, Mu Jingzhe secretly spat. No way would she take action against him.


    Mu Jingzhe tied up Tang Moling¡¯s hand with a rope and moved him to the door. This way, even if he woke up, it would be difficult for him to move because his hands would be bound.


    After doing all of this, Mu Jingzhe felt that the effects of the drug were about to erupt.


    As she felt increasingly ufortable, she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and took off her shirt.


    After taking off her shirt, Mu Jingzhe only had a short singlet on. However, the moment she took off her shirt, she felt much morefortable and instantly let out a breath.


    After exhaling, she saw Tang Moling. Thinking that Tang Moling would see her in this state when he woke up, Mu Jingzhe thought for a while and covered Tang Moling¡¯s eyes with her shirt to prevent him from peeking.


    After doing all this, Mu Jingzhe immediately distanced herself from Tang Moling.


    However, perhaps because she had taken off her clothes, her skin was still a little red, but it wasn¡¯t as itchy and hot as before.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Looks like the drug¡¯s effects are wearing off.¡±


    She started to wish that the children woulde back soon and look for her.


    She looked at the time. Usually, they¡¯d be back by now, but for some reason, the children never came to look for her.


    ¡°Just wait a little longer. Just wait a little longer.¡±


    Now that Mu Jingzhe felt less ufortable, after some thought, she removed her shirt from his eyes and put it on again.


    However, the moment she put it on, she felt ufortable again, just like she had before.


    So, she couldn¡¯t wear clothes? What kind of drug was this? It was too spooky!


    Mu Jingzhe cursed and had just taken off her shirt when she heard a groan. Tang Moling had woken up.


    Mu Jingzhe saw this and reacted quickly. At the same time that Tang Moling opened his eyes, she quickly pulled the shirt over his head. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to peek.¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    After being knocked out for no reason, he finally woke up. When he opened his eyes, his eyes were covered again. His vision darkened once more, and only a faint light could be seen.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tang Moling asked. His mind couldn¡¯t help but recall thest scene he had seen before his eyes had been covered. His heart couldn¡¯t help but race again. It seemed like Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.


    Feeling around, Tang Moling realized that his hands had also been tied up. She had tied his hands and covered his eyes. She was doing all this in order to¡­


    As this thought shed across his mind, Tang Moling blushed. ¡°Jingzhe, actually, there¡¯s¡­¡±


    Actually, there was no need to do this. He¡­ He was willing.

 Chapter 139 - Im Your Antidote

    <h4>Chapter 139: I¡¯m Your Antidote</h4>


    Just as Tang Moling was about to shyly express his willingness, Mu Jingzhe interrupted him. ¡°Don¡¯t speak! You¡¯re not allowed to peek or move either. Be obedient, or I¡¯ll knock you out again.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe considered whether she should continue knocking him out, but she didn¡¯t do so in the end. It wouldn¡¯t be good if she kept knocking him out and damaged his brain or something.


    Tang Moling could tell that Mu Jingzhe was serious, so he said helplessly, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t peek. I won¡¯t move either.¡±


    Compared to being subjected to you-know-what in an unconscious state, it was better for him to stay awake so that Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t deny it in the future.


    He expressed his cooperation, but after a while, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t help but call out, ¡°Jingzhe?¡±


    Was she feeling shy?


    ¡°I told you not to talk!¡± Mu Jingzhe was troubled enough by her own situation. Although Tang Moling was already under her control and she wasn¡¯t naked, she still felt ufortable being locked in this space with him. She didn¡¯t want Tang Moling to make a sound at all.


    Tang Moling shut up and strained his ears to catch any movement.


    Perhaps it was because he couldn¡¯t move his hands and his eyes were covered, but Tang Moling¡¯s other senses were abnormally sensitive right now. For example, he could smell the faint fragrance that he had smelled on Mu Jingzhe before.


    He could also detect Mu Jingzhe¡¯s frustration. He thought that there was actually no need for her to be so frustrated, but he restrained himself and did not speak.


    He fell silent, yet the atmosphere didn¡¯t feel right. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but ask suspiciously, ¡°You¡¯re not up to something, are you? You¡¯re not peeking, are you?¡±


    She stretched out her hand and gestured in front of Tang Moling, regretting that she hadn¡¯t tried to see if her clothes were seen through.


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Moling answered honestly. He didn¡¯t say that after he got used to it, although he still couldn¡¯t see clearly, he could see a rough silhouette of everything. The lights were the brightest, and he could also roughly see Mu Jingzhe¡¯s silhouette.


    Earlier, when she had approached him, he had felt her hot breath, and the fragrance had grown stronger.


    Tang Moling¡¯s throat bobbed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± His voice was hoarse and maic.


    However, this sound was stopped by the flowing water, and nothing else remained. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t hear it at all. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you are okay. Do you need me to help you?¡± Tang Moling asked subtly. If Mu Jingzhe was feeling too tormented and was too shy to make a move, he could help. All she had to do was untie him.


    He had seen how powerful these drugs were. Sometimes, they could drive people crazy. Plus, she wouldn¡¯t be able to find an antidote for a while. This situation would be tough in the city, let alone in Great Eastern Vige. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t very well go on enduring it.


    At the thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the conversation between Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe a long time ago. Li Zhaodi had said that Mu Jingzhe was still a virgin.


    Back then, because he¡¯d detested Mu Jingzhe, he had evenughed at them when he¡¯d heard that. However, when he thought about it now, his heart started beating faster.


    Back then, the person Shao Qihai had wanted to marry was Mu Xue. He was very clear about this. It wasn¡¯t impossible that Shao Qihai had not touched Mu Jingzhe. Besides, not long after they¡¯d gotten married, Shao Qihai had passed away. Therefore, Li Zhaodi probably wasn¡¯t lying about this.


    In the past, because of Mu Xue, he had always hated Shao Qihai. Today, for the first time, he felt a little grateful to Shao Qihai.


    Grateful to him for being so understanding and devoted to Mu Xue that he hadn¡¯t touched this treasure and left her to him.


    No wonder Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t made a move all this time. It was normal for her to not dare make a move due to her inexperience. Although he didn¡¯t have much experience either, he was better than her¡­


    Just as Tang Moling¡¯s thoughts became colorful, he heard Mu Jingzhe sneer.


    ¡°What can you help me with? You¡¯re not even as strong as me. Do you think you can open the door by shouting ¡®Open Sesame¡¯?¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d meant by helping, alright?


    Mu Jingzhe had no idea what Tang Moling was thinking. After that sarcastic ¡®Open Sesame¡¯ remark, she suddenly paused. The original Mu Jingzhe¡¯s childhood memories suddenly all came back to her.


    Oh right, sesame. The original Mu Jingzhe was allergic to sesame.


    That was something that had happened when she was young. She couldn¡¯t remember if she had been five or six years old at the time. Because she had been too gluttonish, she¡¯d secretly eaten the candy that Old Lady Mu had specially bought for Mu Xue. The top of the candy had been covered with sesame, and she¡¯d marveled at how fragrant it was after taking just one bite.


    Unfortunately, due to the sesame seeds stuck in her teeth, she had been discovered after eating a small piece. Not only had she been beaten up by Old Madam Mu, but she¡¯d also had an allergic reaction that hadsted for a while.


    She recalled feeling hot and ufortable back then as well. She¡¯d had to take off her clothes, for she had only feltfortable naked.


    Li Zhaodi had been so anxious that she¡¯d asked the vige doctor to take a look at her. Later on, the doctor had said that she might have eaten something she shouldn¡¯t have eaten. In other words, she was allergic to sesame.


    There weren¡¯t many people who were allergic to sesame. Coincidentally, Mu Jingzhe was one of them. In addition, the symptoms of this allergy were rtively special. It caused one¡¯s skin to feel hot and itchy, and they felt ufortable with clothes on.


    This allergic reaction wasparable to being drugged with that special sort of drug. It was no wonder she had misunderstood previously.


    In her previous life, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have any allergies, so it hadn¡¯t immediately urred to her. Furthermore, there were very few opportunities to eat sesame in this day and age. It was no wonder she didn¡¯t have a deep memory of this and hadn¡¯t remembered it. Coincidentally, she had transmigrated a long time ago but had yet to eat sesame, so she had been unaware.


    When she recalled this, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. Although allergies weren¡¯t fantastic either, judging from her condition, if she experienced no other symptoms, it would be better than being drugged with that kind of drug, as she would only be taking off her own clothes and wouldn¡¯t lose control or take off other people¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°I was nearly scared to death.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had instantly figured out a lot of things, but Tang Moling didn¡¯t know this. He felt very helpless while hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s disdainful words.


    Yes, he couldn¡¯t open the cement door, but he could help her! He was her antidote!


    Tang Moling wanted to take the initiative to say it, but seeing how stubborn Mu Jingzhe was, he decided to punish her by not saying anything. He wanted to see how long she could hold it in. This way, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t be ungrateful to him in the future or even y the me game.


    Of course, Tang Moling wouldn¡¯t admit that he actually wanted to know what it was like to have Mu Jingzhe take the initiative¡­ Ahem.


    Tang Moling calmed down after sorting out his thoughts. He waited calmly for Mu Jingzhe to lose control of herself.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe knew what was going on, she rxed and listened to themotion outside, waiting for Little Bei and the others to find her.


    When the kids didn¡¯t see her uponing back, they would naturallye to look for her. Mu Jingzhe was very sure about that. However, she was quite unlucky this time, as Shao Qiyang happened to be working overtime.


    With Shao Qiyang working overtime, the children could only wait for him. It was already past eleven when they returned home.


    ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re back!¡±


    As soon as she got out of the car, Little Bei shouted. However, she saw that the house was dark and there wasn¡¯t much light. When she looked in the room, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t there either.


    Without hesitation, the five kids started looking for Mu Jingzhe. They first went to the Mu Residence to look for her. When they saw that she wasn¡¯t at the Mu Residence, they got anxious and started to expand their range.


    They knew that something must have happened to Mu Jingzhe. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have disappeared without leaving behind a message. In the past, no matter where Mu Jingzhe went, she would leave a note if she expected to be gone for two hours or more.


    By now, most of the vigers had already gone to bed. However, when they heard the sound of the kids searching for Mu Jingzhe, a few families got up to help.

 Chapter 140 - I... I Will Be Responsible for You

    <h4>Chapter 140: I... I Will Be Responsible for You</h4>


    On the other side, Mu Jingzhe waited until she almost fell asleep before she finally heard amotion.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. The kids are finally back!¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    That was not right. He had been waiting for Mu Jingzhe until she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and made advances on him. Instead of that, now someone hade looking for her?


    How did Mu Jingzhe manage to hold herself back? What was going on? At that moment, Tang Moling felt a trace of regret. If he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have put on airs and missed this opportunity.


    As Tang Moling was feeling puzzled and regretful, Mu Jingzhe had already gotten up. The first thing she had to do was get dressed. Otherwise, it would be bad if they saw her looking disheveled.


    Afraid that Tang Moling would see her after she took the shirt off his eyes, Mu Jingzhe thought for a while and turned Tang Moling around so that he was facing the wall. She ced her leg on his shoulder, not allowing him to turn around or move. Only then did she remove the shirt from his head and put it on.


    Although she was wearing a small singlet beneath, and many people in the modern world wore them outside, she still had to be careful.


    After putting it on, Mu Jingzhe felt that it wasn¡¯t as painful as before. Her allergy symptoms were fading.


    Tang Moling: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Little Bei and the rest are here.¡± Mu Jingzhe shared the news happily. After sharing, she looked at Tang Moling and suddenly frowned. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re also here. We can¡¯t let anyone discover that we were locked up together!¡±


    If someone were to see them¡ªa man and a woman¡ªlocked up together for such a long time, it would be hard to exin even though they hadn¡¯t done anything.


    Mu Jingzhe started thinking about what to do about Tang Moling. Tang Moling understood what she meant. After Mu Jingzhe let go of him, he turned around with difficulty with his hands behind his back and looked at Mu Jingzhe.


    This was the first time he had seen Mu Jingzhe clearly after three or four hours. Her face was still a little red, but it was just right.


    Under the lights, a beauty looked even more beautiful. That was exactly how Tang Moling felt. His heart was pounding.


    The past few hours had finally allowed him to recognize his own feelings. Previously, he had felt conflicted, and his heart had been beating for Mu Jingzhe. However, a voice in his heart kept telling him that the person he liked was Mu Xue.


    In fact, that was the truth. From the first time he had seen Mu Xue, he had naturally been attracted to her and had always felt that this was his destiny. However,ter on, he had met Mu Jingzhe and hadn¡¯t been able to control his heart. His heart beat wildly for her. He clearly liked Mu Xue, but he couldn¡¯t help but fall in love with Mu Jingzhe.


    He had fallen in love with two people at the same time. Previously, he had chosen Mu Xue. He had thought that it would be fine, but after their engagement, he had realized that he couldn¡¯t hide this from his heart.


    The ident today had allowed him to fully understand what he wanted.


    The destiny of the male and female protagonists changed that night. It was because of this ident that Tang Moling realized his true feelings. He wanted to choose Mu Jingzhe and go crazy for her once.


    Even though she had already been married once, even though she was still taking care of those children, his heart was still fluttering like crazy for her.


    Seeing how anxious Mu Jingzhe was, Tang Moling said, ¡°Jingzhe, you don¡¯t have to be in such a hurry. Since we¡¯ve been alone for hours, it will be hard to exin things anyway. Why don¡¯t we let nature take its course? I¡­ I¡¯ll take responsibility for you.¡±


    It was the timing that made him choose her. This was probably God¡¯s will.


    After Tang Moling said that, he suddenly felt relieved. The pressure that had been weighing on his heart in the past few days suddenly loosened, and he smiled at Mu Jingzhe.


    He had thought that Mu Jingzhe would be happy and touched, but he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to look at him strangely without a hint of delight.


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What¡¯s hard to exin? I didn¡¯t do anything. You¡¯re even talking about taking responsibility for me? Forget it. Don¡¯t say crazy things.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what had gotten into Tang Moling. She guessed that he must have had a small conflict with Mu Xue. ording to the scenes in the book, Tang Moling would asionally say ambiguous words to make Mu Xue jealous.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t interfere with the way they chose to spice up their rtionship, but he couldn¡¯t drag her into that.


    Tang Moling looked at the impatient Mu Jingzhe in disbelief. ¡°You don¡¯t ept?¡±


    To think Mu Jingzhe actually dared to reject him? No way! Was she too thrilled and incredulous, or had she not heard him clearly?


    Tang Moling was about to speak when Mu Jingzhe replied, ¡°ept what? Stop nagging. They¡¯re already here. Wait, I found the ce.¡±


    The lights in the mill were still unusually bright. In addition, Shao Nan was meticulous and realized that the corn at home had disappeared. He suspected that Mu Jingzhe had gone to the mill, so he immediately went looking for her.


    Mu Jingzhe pricked up her ears and vaguely heard some movements. She also sessfully found a ce to hide Tang Moling.


    Time was tight, so Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have any time to untie Tang Moling. She simply bent down and lifted him up.


    Tang Moling, who was suddenly being carried in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms, was left speechless.


    His face was filled with shock, and he really wanted to ask Mu Jingzhe to let go of him. A secondter, Mu Jingzhe bent her knees and, with an exertion of force, lifted him onto the millstone.


    There happened to be some equipment in front of him that blocked Tang Moling¡¯s figure.


    Mu Jingzhe hid him well. ¡°Tang Moling, hold on for a while. Hide first and don¡¯t make a sound.¡±


    Tang Moling was rmed. ¡°But you can¡¯t leave me here. Let me go.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was certain that she had heard amotion outside the door. Seeing Tang Moling drop the ball at this critical moment, she couldn¡¯t help but wave her fist in a threatening manner. ¡°Shut up. Do you want me to stuff a sock in your mouth?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tang Moling choked and shut up, feeling angry.


    ¡°Be good and don¡¯t move. I¡¯lle get you in a while.¡± Seeing that he had shut up, Mu Jingzhe swiftly walked out. At that moment, the door opened.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe!¡± Shao Qiyang and the kids appeared at the door. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe was afraid that they would discover Tang Moling, so she didn¡¯t let them check. She closed the door and stopped them from entering.


    Fortunately, Shao Qiyang and the kids were in a hurry to ask about her condition and didn¡¯t notice her cheap tricks. ¡°Who locked you here?¡±


    A glint flickered across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes. ¡°It must have been Li Hua!¡±


    She had dealt with Li Hua once before, but it was still not enough, especially considering his scheme to lock them up together and take advantage of her. His thoughts were too vicious, and she couldn¡¯t let him off just like that.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that it wasn¡¯t Li Hua who had locked the door, but this was definitely rted to Li Hua. Perhaps Li Hua had hired someone to lock the door just to confine the two of them in the same ce.


    Although she had misunderstood and Li Hua had not used that kind of drug, he had deliberately used sesame despite knowing that she was allergic to sesame. This was simrly evil, and it was even more serious, as severe allergies could take a person¡¯s life.


    If she had been unlucky, she would have died just like that. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t sure how Li Hua had found out about her allergies. In any case, he had no good intentions. She had to deal with this fellow.


    Mu Jingzhe briefly recounted the incident with a few words, including her allergy to sesame and how Li Hua had deliberately used sesame to harm her and even locked her up here. Then, a furious Shao Qiyang and the kids rushed toward Li Hua¡¯s house.

 Chapter 141 - The Tortured Tang Moling

    <h4>Chapter 141: The Tortured Tang Moling</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Tang Moling listened intently to their movements. When they left, he wanted to open his mouth, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say a word.


    He thought for a moment. This was probably for the best. If he and Mu Jingzhe had been discovered today, he wouldn¡¯t have minded. However, it would have affected Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reputation adversely. Then, Old Lady Mu might have caused a ruckus and Mu Jingzhe might have even been drowned in saliva.


    ?


    Tang Moling had Mu Jingzhe in his heart and was now considerate when it came to her. Thus, he remained quiet and waited for Mu Jingzhe toe and find him.


    Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s group rushed over to Li Hua¡¯s house.


    Li Hua and his mother were still asleep. Li Hua had just returned from the smelly toilet. He didn¡¯t care that the water was cold. He had just washed away the stench on his body.


    Li Hua hadn¡¯t expected that his n would end with Mu Jingzhe using brute force. He had been beaten up quite badly by Mu Jingzhe. Not long after he woke up, he saw that he was in the bathroom, covered in filth. He was furious.


    However, the most important thing was cleaning himself up.


    Li Hua¡¯s mother was waiting for him. She hadn¡¯t gone to look for Li Hua because she was the one who closed the mill.


    When she had seen that Li Hua was wholeheartedly thinking about Mu Jingzhe and had even asked her for help, Li Hua¡¯s mother¡¯s heart had softened and she¡¯d agreed.


    When she¡¯d gone to lock the door, because it was her first time doing such a thing, she¡¯d felt too flustered and hadn¡¯t noticed that the voice inside wasn¡¯t Li Hua¡¯s. She¡¯d hurriedly locked the door and run away.


    After running home, she had hoped that everything would go smoothly and that her son would be able to fulfill his wishes. She hadn¡¯t expected him toe back like that.


    Before Li Hua¡¯s mother could ask any more questions, Mu Jingzhe and her group went to look for them.


    ¡°Li Hua, even though I didn¡¯t agree to your marriage proposal, you can¡¯t hate me so much that you¡¯d deliberately use sesame seeds to harm me. You clearly know that I¡¯m allergic to sesame seeds, yet you still added sesame seeds into the mutton!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything else and simply treated this matter as his revenge after his rejected proposal.


    Li Hua hadn¡¯t expected that he would be discovered even after suffering. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Why would I harm you?¡±


    Li Hua wanted to exin that he hadn¡¯t thought of harming Mu Jingzhe back. He¡¯d just wanted to get Mu Jingzhe. However, exining that he¡¯d wanted to take advantage of Mu Jingzhe and be her savior wouldn¡¯t sound good. Such an exnation would make him appear even more shameless.


    He was stuck. Li Hua¡¯s mother was shocked. She hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out like this. She wanted to know what was going on. She wanted to know who the man she had been locked up with was.


    However, other vigers also went there together. They didn¡¯t hear them mention a man, and from the looks of it, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to have done that sort of thing.


    Because she was so flustered, she didn¡¯t listen carefully and only vaguely heard a male voice. Judging by the way things appeared now, she began to suspect that she had heard wrong. Perhaps there had been no man inside, only Mu Jingzhe.


    But that didn¡¯t seem right either. Why would Mu Jingzhe be speaking like this if she had been alone? It really had seemed like a male voice¡­


    Li Hua¡¯s mother wanted to think about it some more, but a secondter, her thoughts were sent flying away by Shao Qiyang.


    When Shao Qiyang saw Li Hua¡¯s guilty look, he couldn¡¯t help but make a move.


    Previously, when Li Hua had suddenlye to propose marriage, Shao Qiyang had been furious. Due to his identity, he hadn¡¯t dared speak carelessly, afraid that he would ruin everything. He was also afraid that he wasn¡¯t worthy of Mu Jingzhe.


    Li Hua, on the other hand, had gone straight to their door to propose marriage. Despite being rejected, he¡¯d refused to give up time and again. Now, because he had been rejected, he¡¯d even directly harmed her. How could Shao Qiyang tolerate this?


    The ce where Li Hua had been beaten by Mu Jingzhe was still hurting, and here he was, being beaten again. How unlucky. However, when everyone heard themotion and learned what he had done, they all used him of doing bad things and told him to stop harming others.


    Li Hua had a nosebleed, and his eyes were ck and blue. It was a tragic sight. Li Hua¡¯s mother was standing aside, looking heartbroken and helpless. She didn¡¯t dare say a word.


    They still had to survive in Great Eastern Vige. Now, they had incurred the wrath of the entire vige. If the vigers found out that he¡¯d actually had other ns, who knew what everyone would think of them? In the future, he could forget about getting a wife.


    Li Hua pitifully apologized to Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe felt a little better and asked curiously, ¡°But how did you know that I¡¯m allergic to sesame seeds?¡±


    It had been a long time since she¡¯d had an allergic reaction. Perhaps only Li Zhaodi and her family remembered it. Logically speaking, no one else should know, let alone Li Hua.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t hide anything. ¡°I heard Mu Xue mention it the other day.¡±


    Realization dawned on Mu Jingzhe. The Mu Family naturally knew about her allergies, but she hadn¡¯t expected Mu Xue to still remember it. It was likely because it was Mu Xue¡¯s candy that Mu Jingzhe had snatched. However, she had never shown her any concern before, so why would she suddenly mention it?


    Mu Jingzhe found it a little strange, but based on what Li Hua said, it seemed like she had revealed it subconsciously.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help letting the children take care of her when they went back in the middle of the night. Shao Qiyang even asked if she should go to the hospital to get checked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I just felt ufortable earlier, but I feel much better now. It¡¯s not a big problem. I¡¯ll be fine if I don¡¯t eat that again in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s already midnight. Go and rest. Don¡¯t you have to work tomorrow?¡±


    After working for an entire day and suffering from allergies, Mu Jingzhe was exhausted and quickly fell asleep.


    Before falling asleep, she had a vague feeling that she had forgotten something. However, before she could remember it, she drifted off to sleep because she was too exhausted.


    As for Little Bei, after she fell asleep, she secretly turned on the shlight to see if Mu Jingzhe was alright.


    Since she was sleeping with Mu Jingzhe, she took the initiative to observe Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition and said that she would watch Mommy.


    Little Bei knew that allergies were no joke, so she didn¡¯t dare be careless. Afraid that she would fall asleep, she secretly pinched herself a few times to stay awake. She guarded Mu Jingzhe for more than an hour. Only when she saw that Mu Jingzhe was sleeping soundly did she rx and fall asleep.


    The next day, Little Bei woke upte. When dawn broke, she was still sleeping soundly. Mu Jingzhe also woke upter than usual.


    When she got up, Shao Qiyang had already gone to work. He¡¯d only left a note for her to rest well. If anything happened, she would have to go to the hospital.


    After washing her face, Mu Jingzhe felt like she had forgotten something. Upon thinking about it carefully, she looked at the water in the basin and finally remembered what she had forgotten¡ªTang Moling!


    She had left Tang Moling stranded in the millst night!


    She had promised that she would go look for him, but after venting her anger, she had identally forgotten about it.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to wipe her face. She immediately ran all the way to the mill. ¡°Tang Moling, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright? How could I possibly be alright!¡± Tang Moling¡¯s furious voice rang out. There was a tinge of grievance to his angry voice, as well as a nasal tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I was so busyst night that I forgot all about it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe ran over and saw Tang Moling¡¯s pale face. Tang Moling¡¯s eyes were red as he stared at her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly rescued Tang Moling and untied the rope that was still tied around his hands.


    Tang Moling had been tied up the entire night, so his wrists were a little red and swollen. Hey on the ground for a while and didn¡¯t get up, looking like he had been tortured the entire night. If Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know better, she would have suspected that she had done something to Tang Moling.

 Chapter 142 - Mu Jingzhe, You Have To Take Responsibility For Me

    <h4>Chapter 142: Mu Jingzhe, You Have To Take Responsibility For Me</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Tang Moling was still unaware of the dangerous thoughts running through Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind. Half of his body was numb, and he was freezing.


    ¡°If you don¡¯te soon, I¡¯m going to die of exposure and suffocation.¡±


    ?


    The millstone was made of stone. Tang Moling, who had been on the millstone, had slept on it the entire night. Although it wasn¡¯t winter yet, the mountains inte autumn were still very scary. After all, the temperature would drop during the night.


    It was already cold outside, not to mention that he had been left freezing on a cold stone surface the entire night. Furthermore, the water vapor was heavy.


    Not only was he cold, but he had also been holding it in. After all, he had enteredst night and hadn¡¯t had the chance to go to the bathroom ever since. He had been left stranded for a night. It was really due to his tenacious willpower that he hadn¡¯t flooded the ce and destroyed the millstone of Great Eastern Vige.


    It wasn¡¯t like Tang Moling hadn¡¯t thought ofing down himself, but his hands had still been tied and his movements had been restricted. Plus, he couldn¡¯t get up, and the millstone was also high. If he fell, he wouldn¡¯t know where he wouldnd. The area below was small, and it was either made of cement or stone.


    Tang Moling had been afraid that he would end up bleeding at the impact, so he could only endure this and wait for Mu Jingzhe to return. He¡¯d waited and waited, but it waspletely quiet outside. There was no longer any sound of activity, and Mu Jingzhe was nowhere to be seen.


    Tang Moling hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to forget about him. As time had gone by, he¡¯d gotten so angry that he¡¯d even cursed. He had also shouted for help.


    However, the entire vige was asleep, and the mill was noisy. There was no point in screaming. Tang Moling had pitifully stayed on the cold stone mill the entire night and stayed up until dawn. He didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d survived and didn¡¯t dare think about how he had done it.


    Tang Moling red at Mu Jingzhe with clenched teeth. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even dare look at Tang Moling. This time, she really felt guilty.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡± Tang Moling felt that Mu Jingzhe was his nemesis. He had never suffered like this before.


    It took a while for Tang Moling to recover. When he did, he felt a lump in his throat, and snot was about to flow out.


    After freezing for an entire night, he¡¯d inevitably caught a cold again. It was the second time he had caught a cold before winter.


    Mu Jingzhe felt Tang Moling¡¯s body temperature the moment she carried him down. Upon hearing him sniff, she felt even guiltier and quickly handed over the handkerchief in her pocket.


    ¡°It¡¯s new. I haven¡¯t used it many times.¡±


    Tang Moling looked at the brand-new handkerchief, and his expression finally softened. He took it from her and wiped himself. ¡°Wait for me,¡± he said before he left to settle some personal matters.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe would have left if she¡¯d wanted to. She wouldn¡¯t have waited there obediently. However, she had just left him stranded there the entire night, so she could only wait there obediently.


    She had to properly apologize again. It was her fault that Tang Moling had caught a cold once more.


    Speaking of catching a cold, Mu Jingzhe recalled the handkerchief she had given him. She had made it herself at home, along with a lot of them, but she used them very quickly.


    She was used to throwing away tissues, but she was still not used to using handkerchiefs. She couldn¡¯t ept reusing them repeatedly.


    Speaking of that, Mu Jingzhe had no choice but toin. Apart from the fact that she didn¡¯t have a phone or an inte connection, what she found more inconvenient was the fact that there wasn¡¯t any tissue paper or sanitary napkins.


    There were all kinds of sanitary napkins in the modern era. Thin and thick, with a different texture, and various designs for one to choose from. However, there were none here!


    It was true that there was no such thing. It was already verymon overseas, but there were very few in China during this period. They might not even be able to buy some in the city, except in a big city like Ocean City.


    The sanitary napkins that everyone used were the kind that were very wide and long. There were even people in Great Eastern Vige who used the sanitary?belts<sup>1</sup>?used in ancient times.


    When Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated and used toilet paper during her first menstruation there, it had left a deep impression on her. Its poor absorption ability aside, it could leak at any time, and she was even afraid that it would leak while she was walking. It was simply torture. She didn¡¯t even dare move when her period came, afraid that she would leak.


    Besides, she feared that she would sneeze when she woke up, and the paper would erupt like a volcano. Afraid that the blood would leak out, she went to the bathroom more than ten times a day. Even in her dreams, she dreamed of getting sanitary napkins.


    Thest time she had gone to Ocean City, the first thing she had bought was sanitary pads. She¡¯d bought quite a lot of them, and she hated that she couldn¡¯t stock enough tost her ten years.


    Apart from the issue of sanitary pads, there was also the issue of toilet paper. There were currently onlyrge sheets of toilet paper, and there wasn¡¯t any rolled toilet paper or boxed tissues. At first, Mu Jingzhe got used to using toilet paper in ce of handkerchiefs. Although the paper was different, she couldn¡¯t care less, as she needed to use it.


    However, every time she took it out, it would attract everyone¡¯s strange gazes. Li Zhaodi also told her not to use it, saying that toilet paper was only used by women during their periods.


    Mu Jingzhe could only follow the flow and make many handkerchiefs. She would rotate between them and wash them after usage. She would also often make new ones for the children.


    Fortunately, she could make them herself. Otherwise, it would have been useless no matter how many handkerchiefs she bought in bulk.


    Due to the huge stimtion, now that she had earned some money, Mu Jingzhe wanted to invest in the production of paper and sanitary pads. This wasn¡¯t just because there were nopetitors in this market yet. She was also doing it for herself.


    During this period of time, she had been trying to find out what she could about the relevant situation. She could directly import production equipment from overseas. She¡¯d even found out that there was a paper manufacturing factory in the city that was on the verge of bankruptcy.


    There was nothing wrong with the paper manufacturing factory itself. It was said that the finance department had taken the money and run away. All of a sudden, the capital chain was broken and couldn¡¯t be maintained.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible for Mu Jingzhe to acquire it. Her next step was acquiring the paper manufacturing factory that was on the verge of bankruptcy and changing it to produce toilet paper and sanitary pads.


    In the future, she was going to live a life without ack of paper rolls and tissue. She would be able to use sanitary pads without worrying.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was momentarily jumbled up by all these thoughts. By the time she came back to her senses, Tang Moling had already returned.


    Now that he had solved his biggest problem, Tang Moling¡¯s expression was no longer as dark, but it was still ugly. When he saw that she was still around, his expression became slightly better.


    ¡°I caught a cold because of you.¡± Tang Molingined, the nasal tone of his voice intensifying.


    Mu Jingzhe could tell as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ll definitely be responsible for your treatment fees.¡±


    ¡°Do Ick money?¡± Tang Moling¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you have to be responsible for me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that his words were quite misleading. Responsible for what? ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you to the hospital for treatment?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Tang Moling turned his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My car is at the vige entrance.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe also knew how to drive, so he threw the car keys to her.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly caught the keys. ¡°I can take you to the hospital, but I have to go home and inform the kids.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Should I inform Mu Xue for you?¡± Wouldn¡¯t it be better for Mu Xue to take care of him at a time like this?


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Moling immediately refused. How could he tell Mu Xue when he came out after lying to herst night?


    ¡°Why?¡± Mu Jingzhe guessed. ¡°Are you two having a fight? If you¡¯re having a fight, you¡¯ll definitely make up with her if you call her now. After all, she¡¯ll surely feel sorry for you now that you¡¯re sick.¡±


    Tang Moling saw that Mu Jingzhe was speaking very logically, as if she was thinking of him and Mu Xue. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t taken what he¡¯d saidst night to heart. She was still the same person who was always thinking about him and Mu Xue.

 Chapter 143 - Men Love Bad Women

    <h4>Chapter 143: Men Love Bad Women</h4>


    Still fuming, Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Then how are you going to exin to Mu Xue why I caught a cold? How are you going to exin to her that we were locked up togetherst night?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was at a loss for words. They hadn¡¯t done anything, but it would be troublesome if there was a misunderstanding.


    ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t be nice not to tell her about it. There¡¯s nothing going on between the two of us. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be upset if you exin it clearly. The most important thing between two people in a rtionship is trust and honesty¡­¡±


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t take it anymore and interrupted Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll pass on the flu to Xiao Xue. Is that a good enough reason?¡± He cooked up a random excuse, not wanting to hear Mu Jingzhe say those words again. He had already confessed his feelings to her, yet she still had this attitude. Just thinking about it made him angry.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to believe his casually cooked-up excuse right away. After all, this was all dog food[1].


    ¡°Alright, then go over quietly. Don¡¯t let anyone notice you. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    This time, Tang Moling didn¡¯t retort. Although the way they were going about it made it feel like they were hiding something scandalous, this made him feel an indescribable secret thrill.


    He and Mu Jingzhe finally had a secret and were about to take action behind the scenes.


    Looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back view as she hurried home, Tang Moling lowered his head to look at the handkerchief. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he suddenly thought that catching a cold wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing.


    Look, he¡¯d gotten Mu Jingzhe¡¯s handkerchief and created an opportunity to be alone with her out of thin air. He had even made her feel guilt.


    At the thought of Mu Jingzhe driving him to the hospital and taking care of him, Tang Moling exhaled. He took a detour to another road that the vigers rarely took and walked toward the ce where his car was parked.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned home, the children were all up. When they saw her, they hurriedly asked what was wrong.


    After some thought, afraid that everyone would misunderstand and think that she had deliberately hidden Tang Moling, Mu Jingzhe simply recounted how Tang Moling had been identally locked up with herst night.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. Don¡¯t let others misunderstand. I have to take Tang Moling to the hospital, as he is sick because of me. Be good and go to school.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, if you want to drive, I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Shao Dong immediately offered.


    ¡°No, you have to go to ss.¡±


    ¡°I can take a leave of absence. Our teacher has gone away for training, and there¡¯s no one to teach the ss. It¡¯ll just be a self-study session.¡± Shao Dong pulled Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mom, take me there. If anythinges up, I can run errands. Also, if we meet someone familiar, it¡¯ll be better if I¡¯m around.¡±


    In case someone gossiped¡­


    Thest sentence made Mu Jingzhe waver, but she said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll pass the cold to you.¡±


    ¡°I can wear a mask.¡±


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe agreed to Shao Dong¡¯s suggestion and handed the younger ones over to Shao Xi to take care of. ¡°Today, your maternal grandma won¡¯t be going to the market to sell buns. You can go look for grandma and ask her to cook something delicious for you guys.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe passed the house key to Shao Xi. Shao Xi took it and said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry about us. You can go without worrying.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe packed up and went to look for Tang Moling with Shao Dong.


    When they arrived, Tang Moling was already there, resting against the car. He adjusted himself, trying to figure out how to make the most of his time alone with Mu Jingzhe.


    However, although he kept thinking about it for a long time, when Mu Jingzhe appeared, there was a little tail behind her¡ªShao Dong. A mask-wearing Shao Dong at that.


    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± When he looked at the things in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands, he realized that there was a military water bottle, a nket, and food. His heart warmed up. ¡°Did hee to bring these things for you?¡±


    ¡°No, Uncle Tang. I heard that you are sick, so I came to take care of you since Mommy will be driving.¡±


    In the Mu Family, only Li Zhaodi¡¯s family of three acknowledged the kids. The others weren¡¯t their rtives, so they didn¡¯t call Tang Moling ¡®Uncle[2]¡¯.


    As Shao Dong didn¡¯t like to speak much to outsiders, it was rare for him to say so much. However, Tang Moling felt his heart turn cold.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to take care of? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m seriously ill. I don¡¯t need you to take care of me. Besides, you¡¯re just a child. What do you know about taking care of someone?¡±


    He wanted to spend time alone with her, so he didn¡¯t want this little tail.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re going to the hospital to have a checkup, we have to be more careful. Although I¡¯m young, I have experience. Uncle, don¡¯t decline.¡±


    While the two of them were talking, Mu Jingzhe had already turned the key in the ignition. She hurriedly nodded. ¡°Yeah, Little Dong is incredible.¡±


    Shao Dong curled his lips into a smile. Tang Moling knew that there was no way he could shake off this little tail. He opened the door to the passenger seat in frustration and was about to get in when Shao Dong stopped him.


    ¡°Uncle Tang, don¡¯t sit in the front. You can sit in the back so that you¡¯ll lie down and I¡¯ll be able to take care of you.¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    He wasn¡¯t even qualified to sit in the passenger seat?


    Tang Moling was pulled to the back by Shao Dong. When they were on the road, Shao Dong mimicked the way Mu Jingzhe used to take care of him in the past andid Tang Moling down. He then covered him with a nket and used his small hand to touch his forehead to see if he had a fever. He did it properly and was very responsible.


    ¡°Uncle Tang, you can drink some hot water. You¡¯ll recover faster if you drink more hot water when you catch a cold.¡± He even fed him hot water.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was driving at the front, looked pleased and proud. Little Dong was really a good child.


    She was very touched and satisfied. Little Dong was also d to see that he could help.


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    This wasn¡¯t what he had imagined. Mu Jingzhe should be the one taking care of him instead of this brat.


    No matter what Tang Moling thought, Shao Dong took care of him all the way to the county hospital. He was diagnosed with a mere cold. The doctor prescribed some medicine for him and asked him to go back and rest. He didn¡¯t need to be hospitalized.


    Tang Moling had miscalcted once again. He¡¯d wanted to be hospitalized and have Mu Jingzhe take care of him.


    However, even though he couldn¡¯t stay in the hospital, he had his own tricks. He hinted that Mu Jingzhe should take care of him at home, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t agree this time.


    ¡°Even if you have a temporary residence, there should be someone who can take care of you there. It¡¯s not appropriate for me toe. If you¡¯re afraid, I¡¯ll inform Mu Xue.¡±


    Tang Moling could tell from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression that she was serious. Although she was apologetic, that was all she could do.


    She was aware of the boundaries and would never cross them even by just one step.


    Tang Moling said that there was no need to inform Mu Xue and then watched as Mu Jingzhe heartlessly left with Shao Dong.


    Tang Moling was furious, but he had to admit that he couldn¡¯t forget the heartless Mu Jingzhe.


    People often said that women loved bad boys. He felt that it could also be said that men loved bad women. Despite knowing how cruel Mu Jingzhe was to him, he still went crazy thinking about her.


    After recuperating for two days, Tang Moling finally recovered from his cold. He hadpromised with himself and was even more certain of his feelings now. He was indeed a jerk. He¡¯d had a change of heart and liked Mu Jingzhe more than Mu Xue.


    Recognizing this reality, Tang Moling didn¡¯t know how to face Mu Xue. The engagement had to be annulled. He had already confirmed his feelings, so he couldn¡¯t go on with the engagement. This was unfair to both Mu Xue and Mu Jingzhe.


    But what should he tell Mu Xue? Just as he had no clue how to deal with the current situation, Mu Xue suddenly came looking for him.


    [1] a public disy of affection


    [2] Uncle as in an Aunt¡¯s husband, not a random uncle

 Chapter 144 - Call Off The Engagement Then

    <h4>Chapter 144: Call Off The Engagement Then</h4>


    Mu Xue had been having a hard timetely.


    That day, Tang Moling had suddenly gone to the vige. In the end, before the two of them had even had a proper conversation, he¡¯d left in a hurry and disappeared without a trace.


    Coincidentally, that night, Li Hua¡¯s attempt to harm Mu Jingzhe had been exposed. Because it was she, Mu Xue, who had revealed that Mu Jingzhe was allergic to sesame, she couldn¡¯t tell if she was guilty or just flustered. She even went to Mu Jingzhe to apologize.


    Although Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything, Mu Xue felt very upset. Besides, Tang Moling hadn¡¯t contacted her ever since.


    Mu Xue felt that the two of them were drifting further apart from each other. She started to panic and couldn¡¯t help but look for Tang Moling. It was only then that she realized that Tang Moling was sick again.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send me a message when you got sick? I¡¯m your fianc¨¦e, yet I didn¡¯t even know you were sick. Have you ever treated me as your fianc¨¦e?¡±


    Mu Xue waspletely disappointed. ¡°Tang Moling, if you n to continue behaving like this, let¡¯s call off the engagement.¡±


    She was only expressing her disappointment. In reality, she had never thought of breaking off the engagement. However, Tang Moling sighed and unexpectedly agreed to it.


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll call off the engagement then.¡±


    Tang Moling had just been fretting over how to broach the subject with Mu Xue. Seeing that Mu Xue was also in so much pain, he became even more certain of his decision to end the engagement. Although he didn¡¯t feel good about it, he agreed.


    ¡°I let you down this time. I¡¯ll go to the Mu Family to ask for forgiveness afterward. I just hope you can forgive me. Aspensation, I¡¯ll leave you all the things I gave you in the past. If you want a house, I can give you a house in the county. I can also give you a car.¡±


    Tang Moling tried to make it up to her and said, ¡°If Grandma makes things difficult for you, I¡¯ll talk to her. I¡¯ll speak with her until she understands.¡±


    If Old Lady Mu wasn¡¯t satisfied, he could give her a sum aspensation. That was everything he could do for her to end this rtionship.


    Tang Moling was really sincere. Given Mu Xue¡¯s current sry and the Mu Family¡¯s financial situation, they probably would never be able to earn what he¡¯d promised.


    Although Mu Xue hadn¡¯t managed to get married, the marriage hadn¡¯t taken ce after all. It was just an annulment of the engagement. It wasn¡¯t a loss to end up with a house, a car, and money.


    Tang Moling was sincere. After all, he had truly loved Mu Xue, sincerely apologized, and considered her feelings.


    However, these words seemed like a bolt out of the blue to Mu Xue. The reason she was conflicted and in pain was because she didn¡¯t want to break up with Tang Moling.


    s, Tang Moling had agreed. No matter how much Tang Moling thought of her, she only felt fury, disappointment, and humiliation.


    She gave Tang Moling a tight p across the face, her first time pping someone.


    ¡°You put it very nicely. It isn¡¯t because you¡¯ve had a change of heart? Tang Moling, I didn¡¯t expect you to choose Mu Jingzhe in the end. I can cancel the engagement, but you¡¯re not allowed to be with Mu Jingzhe. That¡¯s my only request.¡±


    Tang Moling frowned. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Xue quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll remember all the humiliation you¡¯ve made me feel today! Our engagement is nullified. Don¡¯t ever appear in front of me again and don¡¯t even think about showing off with your filthy money. I don¡¯t care for it!¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow her to ept those things.


    Mu Xue turned around and left. When she came out, she lost control of her tears and was overwhelmed by anger and despair.


    She hated Mu Jingzhe, and she also hated Tang Moling. She hated that she couldn¡¯t rip up the two of them. She didn¡¯t understand how Mu Jingzhe had snatched Tang Moling away.


    For some reason, Mu Xue suddenly understood what Mu Jingzhe had felt in the past. Mu Jingzhe probably wanted to snatch away her things because she had always seen Mu Xue obtain everything and everyone was fond of Mu Xue.


    At that moment, Mu Xue¡¯s mind was filled with thoughts of snatching Shao Qiyang and Tang Moling back.


    Mu Xue went back to the Mu Residence with red eyes. Old Lady Mu asked her what was going on out of concern, but Mu Xue didn¡¯t say anything. However, Old Lady Mu soon found out what was happening when Tang Moling came to end the engagement.


    Tang Moling said that he¡¯d realized that the two of them weren¡¯tpatible with each other during the engagement period and he hadn¡¯t made Mu Xue happy either. Thus, he hade to end the engagement.


    Old Lady Mu had dreamed of Mu Xue leading a blissful life after she married into a rich family. Unable to ept the annulment of the engagement, she immediately blew up and started scolding and hitting Tang Moling.


    Tang Moling epted all of it and gave Mu Xue a house in the county and a car.


    He even gave Old Lady Mu a sum of money for the annulment of the engagement. His attitude was very clear. He admitted his mistake and even knelt down.


    However, he was determined to end the engagement. Old Lady Mu copsed from anger.


    She realized that no matter how much she fussed, it was useless. She couldn¡¯t force Tang Moling to marry her, so she was forced to ept this reality and ept what he had given Mu Xue.


    The news spread quickly, and everyone started discussing it.


    Old Lady Mu aged several years in an instant. Mu Xue, who used to smile at everyone, also lost her smile and fell silent.


    She ignored the gazes and gossip of other people and continued her lessons withoutining. She only slowly lost a lot of weight.


    Mu Xue was, after all, an outstanding girl everyone had watched grow up. Upon seeing her like this, everyone stopped gossiping about her. Especially after they found out what Tang Moling hadpensated her with, they were only left feeling envious.


    Mu Jingzhe waspletely dumbfounded after this dramatic turn of events.


    The male and female protagonists, who were supposed to be a confirmed couple, had actually broken up with each other? She had transmigrated into a sweet, doting romance novel, right? Why was there such a sad storyline?


    Could it be an obstacle designed to enhance their rtionship? Mu Jingzhe felt that it was possible.


    In short, this should have nothing to do with her, right? Although they¡¯d been locked together that night, nothing had happened.


    If something had happened between her and Tang Moling that night and she had threatened him with a pregnancy or something, their breakup would have had something to do with her. But she hadn¡¯t done anything.


    ¡®Don¡¯t think too much. Don¡¯t scare yourself. Mu Jingzhe, everything will be fine. No matter how many twists and turns the male and female leads go through, they will ultimately end up together.¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe convinced herself and patiently waited for the duo to reconcile.


    Because the two of them had broken off the engagement, she was also conflicted. In the end, she decided to focus on her career and wait for them to resolve this issue.


    After Mu Jingzhe confirmed many things, she finally went to the city. She used the money she had earned during this period to acquire the paper manufacturing factory. Whatever amount shecked, she would borrow from the bank.


    It just so happened that there was a national poverty alleviation fund, which was basically a non-interest loan. How could she miss such a great opportunity? Mu Jingzhe naturally wouldn¡¯t let it slip, and she believed that she would be able to repay the loan.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that this was a great thing, but many people didn¡¯t dare to go. The number of people who took the loan was especially low because many people were still old-fashioned thinkers. They felt that one shouldn¡¯t get a loan unless it was absolutely necessary because they were afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be able to pay it back. They feared that if a father had a debt, the children would be implicated and saddled with debt.


    Hence, when Mu Jingzhe went to apply for a loan, she attracted arge group of people who came to watch. They felt that she was unbelievable.


    In this day and age, even men didn¡¯t dare take out a loan. In the end, she, a woman, had gone to do it? She was probably the first person in the entire city to do so, maybe even the entire county.


    When Mu Jingzhe asked for a loan, the staff who attended to her confirmed it over and over again and even reported it to the higher-ups. Thus, Mu Jingzhe underwent several confirmations.

 Chapter 145 - Shocking Confession

    <h4>Chapter 145: Shocking Confession</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe thought that she was there to confirm her qualifications, so she answered the questions seriously, including the reason for the loan and her ability to make money.


    These days, when Mu Jingzhe sold goods, it wasn¡¯t just a cash transaction. The transactions went through the bank, and they could verify this by checking her ount. Thus, she did have the ability to repay the loan.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m still young, I¡¯m already the head of a household. This is my identification.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe ced the documents on the table. After the bank staff confirmed it, they calmed down.


    This was real. Mu Jingzhe really wanted to get a loan. However, there was no concept of a sessful career woman in that era. Everyone was shocked. In the end, they concluded that she had no choice but to be so strong because her husband had passed away.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe sessfully borrowed money andpleted the acquisition of the paper manufacturing factory. She even signed a ten-year contract for a mountain that was linked to the paper manufacturing factory.


    Bamboo had been nted all over the mountain, and it was the main material of the paper mill. Bamboo would grow after being chopped, and its growth period was shorter than that of other trees. It was a very good material.


    After doing this, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have much to worry about. She nned on taking on two or three more mountains like this.


    Ji Buwang had originally thought that if Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have enough money, he could lend her a portion. In the end, Mu Jingzhe took care of the loan herself.


    When he heard that she¡¯d managed to get a loan, the admiration in Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes deepened. ¡°Very impressive.¡±


    He admired Mu Jingzhe¡¯s courage and insight.


    Mu Jingzhe was ashamed of being praised like this. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t understand. This is nothing to me. I feel ashamed when you praise me like this.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like she was better than everyone else, but she had seen countless mortgagepanies in the modern era.


    Ji Buwang swallowed the rest of his words. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anything then.¡±


    After a lot of understanding, with Ji Buwang¡¯s help, Mu Jingzhe finally managed to purchase equipment and machines to start producing toilet paper and sanitary napkins.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯ty off the paper mill¡¯s employees, but she said that there would be changes going forward. If the employees weren¡¯t willing to adapt, they could leave.


    The employees panicked at first, afraid that they would be fired. Even though they were still worried after hearing her words, no one left. They only wanted to try their best to survive.


    Their attitude made Mu Jingzhe very happy. She felt that it wouldn¡¯t be long before they could start selling.


    At the same time, Mu Jingzhe also bought some machines that could produce hair ornaments. In the future, not all of them would be man-made.


    The factory had yet to be officially established, but it was already semi-automatic. It would be even faster in the future.


    When the vigers saw that Mu Jingzhe had bought these machines, they were even more impressed by her. They repeatedly praised her for her capabilities and the children she was raising.


    Everything went smoothly for Mu Jingzhe. She was initially in a good mood, but after she was done, she received a shock.


    Tang Moling, whose breakup with Mu Xue was supposed to be an obstacle that spiced up and strengthened their rtionship, didn¡¯t reconcile with Mu Xue. Instead, he came to find Mu Jingzhe and made his ultimate move.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I like you.¡±


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t confess his love to Mu Jingzhe right after he broke off his engagement to Mu Xue. Instead, he waited a while. However, he didn¡¯t dy it for too long, as a long dy might bring trouble.


    When he used to have no feelings for Mu Jingzhe in the past, he hadn¡¯t noticed anything. However, after falling in love with Mu Jingzhe, he sensed that Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t have any good intentions and had designs on his sister-inw.


    Tang Moling cursed him in his heart for being shameless, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was only natural. Mu Jingzhe was outstanding, and Shao Qiyang was living with her. As time passed, it was normal for him to be attracted to her.


    Previously, Shao Qiyang had liked Mu Xue, just like him. Now, he liked Mu Jingzhe. He had good taste, but this wasn¡¯t something to be happy about.


    That was because he still remembered the conversation between Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi earlier about Mu Jingzhe taking down Shao Qiyang or something. He was afraid that Shao Qiyang would benefit from being in a favorable position, so he didn¡¯t dare dy for too long.


    Tang Moling was sincere. This time, he didn¡¯t ask her to be responsible for him or anything. After all, nothing had happened, and there was nothing to be responsible for. He only said that he liked her.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe seemed to be in a daze and wasn¡¯t responding to him, Tang Moling repeated himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, Jingzhe. I¡¯ve fallen for you. It¡¯s not a dream.¡±


    Tang Moling had dressed up meticulously. When he saw Mu Jingzhe, he even gave her a charming smile with eyes filled with adoration. It was all his fault for treating Mu Jingzhe so badly in the past. That was why she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    However, she would definitely be touched when she registered what he had just said. After all, it was he, Tang Moling, who was confessing his feelings for her. He had done so much for her.


    In reality, Mu Jingzhe was only shocked and frightened. She raised her hand and pped herself. ¡°I must be dreaming.¡±


    All of this was definitely just a nightmare.


    Mu Jingzhe tried to convince herself, but her face hurt.


    Tang Moling was shocked by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s actions and quickly grabbed her hand. ¡°What are you doing? You don¡¯t have to hit yourself like this no matter how delighted you are.¡±


    He smiled helplessly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so moved¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, he saw Mu Jingzhe struggle out of his grasp as if she had seen a ghost. She took a few steps back with a guarded expression.


    ¡°Moved by what? Tang Moling, are you crazy? Are you trying to kill me?¡±


    She had actually torn apart the main couple? She couldn¡¯t bear the me for the crime of causing the golden couple to break up.


    Perhaps they were just making use of her because they¡¯d quarreled? But even if they were using her, she would end up in a tragic state!


    Mu Jingzhe stared at Tang Moling with a guarded, angry gaze. ¡°Tang Moling, even if I offended youst time, you don¡¯t have to take revenge on me like this. I was also a victimst time!¡±


    Tang Moling, who was almost thrown to the ground by Mu Jingzhe, took two steps back before stabilizing himself. He was stunned by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°No. Why would I hurt you? I¡¯m not crazy. This isn¡¯t revenge. I really like you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take it anymore and shouted, ¡°Tang Moling, if I did anything wrong, I¡¯ll change! Don¡¯t scare me. I¡¯ll reflect on myself. I don¡¯t even know what I did wrong. I really only wish you and Mu Xue the best.¡±


    She had always spoken favorably of Mu Xue and she sincerely wished for them to get married as soon as possible. She, the cannon fodder, would only be safe if they got married and left this ce.


    She had always been secretly cheering for the love between the male and female protagonists, trying her best to enhance their love. In the end, Tang Moling suddenly imed that he liked her, the useless supporting actress, and didn¡¯t like the female protagonist, Mu Xue?


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t stand the shock. She touched her heart, which had suffered a heavy blow. ¡°Tang Moling, if you wanted to take revenge on me, you¡¯ve seeded. Please stop.¡±


    During this period of time, Tang Moling had thought of all kinds of reactions Mu Jingzhe could possibly have, including disbelief, delight, and so on, but none of them had been like this.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what must I do for you to believe that I¡¯m sincere and I¡¯m not seeking revenge?¡±


    ¡°You already told me that you like me. Isn¡¯t this revenge? You belong to the female protagonist¡­ Mu Xue. If you¡¯re suddenly acting like this, aren¡¯t you trying to speed up my death?¡±


    ¡°But I really mean it!¡±


    After shouting, Tang Moling looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s suspicious, guarded gaze and felt troubled for the first time.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t believe he was being sincere.

 Chapter 146 - Mu Xues Hatred

    <h4>Chapter 146: Mu Xue¡¯s Hatred</h4>


    Tang Moling had originally thought that because he had been engaged to Mu Xue, and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s current situation was so special, he¡¯d need to make some effort. However, in the end, he¡¯d fallen t on his face the moment he¡¯d confessed.


    He would never have thought that things would end up like this. This made him feel even more depressed than a simple rejection. He was the dignified Tang Moling, and this was the first time in his life that he had confessed his feelings so sincerely. How had he ended up like this?


    Tang Moling took deep breaths and tried his best to calm down. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I know you¡¯re probably startled. I won¡¯t force you. Calm down and go back to think about it. Please believe that I¡¯m sincere.¡±


    He¡¯d give Mu Jingzhe time to calm down and ept him. He thus raised his hands and stepped back.


    ¡°You should reconcile with Mu Xue as soon as possible. Stop saying you¡¯re sincere about me.¡± Mu Jingzhe ran off after shouting.


    It was impossible for her to believe him. It was also impossible to remain calm, but she could wait.


    She could wait until Tang Moling and Mu Xue¡¯s conflict was over. In any case, she would rather die than be cannon fodder, lest they take revenge on her in the future.


    When she got home, Mu Jingzhe told the children to stay away from Tang Moling in the future. Although the children were curious, they agreed obediently.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned to the vige, she inevitably met Mu Xue. When she saw that Mu Xue had lost weight, she couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for her. She sighed in her heart. This was originally a novel about sweet, doting love, but now, it was a little sad.


    Because Mu Xue¡¯s gaze was so cold, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t approach her. She was speechless and vexed. This time, she felt wronged. She really hadn¡¯t done anything to snatch Tang Moling away.


    Mu Xue watched as Mu Jingzhe¡¯s figure disappeared into the distance. She subconsciously exerted strength with her hands, and when she regained her senses, she saw a few nail marks on her palm.


    She had wanted to visit Mu Jingzhe countless times to ask her why she had ruined her happiness, but she was way too proud to do such a thing. She also didn¡¯t want the vigers tough at her.


    Now, she was already a joke. People said that she was picky and had ended up being a spinster. After getting engaged, she had still been rejected. They said that she had no self-awareness and wanted to marry a rich person. No wonder she¡¯d fallen t on her face.


    They had no idea that Mu Jingzhe was involved in this.


    Mu Jingzhe had been startled by Tang Moling and had already finished all the work she needed to do, so she didn¡¯t go out for the next few days and stayed in Great Eastern Vige to tutor the children.


    They had not given up on skipping grades. They were still working on it hard.


    It was rare for them to have a few peaceful days. It was only during the weekend, when it was time to study at the art school and exchange books at Ji Buwang¡¯s house that Mu Jingzhe took the children out.


    There seemed to be new books every time they went to Ji Buwang¡¯s house. The five kids were already used to going to his house to read and borrow books. They treated the Ji Residence as a real library.


    Of course, it was even better than a library. They could read anything they wanted, and there was also a soft sofa. They could eat snacks when they got hungry and have soft drinks when they got thirsty.


    Initially, Mu Jingzhe thought that the Ji Family simply had a lot of books, but through observation, she could tell that something was wrong. It seemed like Ji Buwang was constantly adding more books.


    Recently, even foreignnguage books had appeared. Furthermore, these foreignnguage books seemed carefully chosen. To be specific, they were books on the two foreignnguages that the kids had learned. The books were also simr to fairy tales; the text was short, and there were pictures. Even Xiao Wu could read them.


    The five kids were very happy when they saw this. ¡°Teacher Ji, can we borrow these books?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ji Buwang nodded.


    The children smiled and gathered together to look. Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang with aplicated expression. ¡°Those are new, right? You added new books to the existing collection, right?¡±


    Previously, Ji Buwang had confessed his feelings and said that they could raise the children together. After that, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t spoken about his feelings for her again or insisted.


    However, these days, he seemed to indeed be keeping his promises step by step. He wanted her to see if he was worthy of her trust and if he was genuine about wanting to take care of the five kids.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rare for them to like something so much, so we naturally have to show them more. It¡¯s good to read more books. Many parents would be thrilled to have kids who love to read.¡±


    Ji Buwang exined about the foreignnguage books. ¡°I saw that they were learning pretty fast, and their vocabry has already reached a certain level. They also dare to speak thenguage, but their writing and reading capacity are rtively poor. The teachers at the art school said that increasing their reading capacity would be good for them. Compared to reading the tranted version, reading the original version is more helpful when ites to learning, so I added these books.¡±


    ¡°Was it too much trouble?¡± Mu Jingzhe was a little embarrassed, as she felt that she wasn¡¯t doing enough.


    ¡°It was no trouble. I just bought a few books. The people close to me do go overseas every now and then,¡± Ji Buwang said casually. In reality, he had specifically asked someone to go overseas to purchase these books. They were all suitable for local elementary and high school students.


    He had specifically applied for a visa to leave the country for the sole purpose of buying these books. It might sound unbelievable, but that was exactly what he had done. Once he got familiar with the country, he would be able to find a good channel.


    Though Ji Buwang made it sound breezy, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t a fool and knew it couldn¡¯t have been simple.


    ¡°Thank you so much. I don¡¯t even know what to say.¡±


    Ji Buwang said frankly, ¡°You¡¯re wee. I want to get along with them, and the effect is not bad. Their attitude toward me has be much better.¡±


    At this point, Ji Buwang paused. ¡°Of course, it would be even better if I could make you look at me in a different light.¡± He was proving his sincerity to Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m looking at you in a whole new light.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ve achieved my goal then.¡± Ji Buwang spread out his hands. ¡°Since you¡¯re now looking at me in a different light, you can stay for dinner before going back. I¡¯ve asked you before, but you¡¯ve always refused.¡±


    The reason Mu Jingzhe had rejected his offer before was because she felt that she hadn¡¯t epted Ji Buwang yet. They were causing him enough trouble, and she had felt that it would be too thick-skinned of them to actually stay for dinner.


    However, since Ji Buwang had already done so much for them, in the end, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no.


    When she agreed, a sumptuous meal was served in less than half an hour. There were some dishes that Mu Jingzhe liked to eat, and there were also some that the children liked to eat. They had all been prepared by Ji Buwang himself after gathering intel.


    This was the first time the children were staying for a meal, but because these were their favorite dishes, they thanked Ji Buwang and ate freely.


    Mu Jingzhe had mixed feelings as she ate. The children might not have thought of this, but when she saw the dishes get served so quickly, she realized that these dishes must have been prepared beforehand.


    But Ji Buwang had not mentioned this beforehand. What if she had refused? Wouldn¡¯t the dishes have gone to waste?


    Or did Ji Buwang prepare a meal in advance for them every time they went and he invited them to stay for dinner, just like today?


    Normally, when a guest was asked to stay for a meal, the host would tell them if he had prepared the food beforehand, thus making it difficult for others to say no. However, Ji Buwang had never done that.


    If Mu Jingzhe had refused today, she might not have known this.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ask Ji Buwang to confirm this, but for the first time, she seriously considered whether she wanted to date a man.

 Chapter 147 - Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 147: Retribution</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had been focused on earning money and raising the five children. Even though Ji Buwang had confessed his feelings, she hadn¡¯t had the time or energy for this.


    However, these days, Ji Buwang had indeed shown her his sincerity.


    ?


    After dinner, it was already dark, so Ji Buwang drove them back.


    It was Ji Buwang¡¯s first time in Great Eastern Vige, but he was sensible enough to only take them to the vige entrance and didn¡¯t even get out of the car. He was considerate enough not to make things difficult for Mu Jingzhe.


    Logically speaking, Mu Jingzhe should have invited Ji Buwang to her house for some tea. However, her identity as a widow would invite gossip if he was seen at her house, and Mu Jingzhe was in the limelight now. If the vigers really saw Ji Buwang, who knew what would happen.


    Mu Jingzhe was in a difficult position. Knowing that, Ji Buwang simply waved at them and left after they got out of the car.


    Mu Jingzhe watched Ji Buwang¡¯s car drive away and stood there for a moment before turning around to go back.


    The next day, after taking the children to school, Mu Jingzhe unexpectedly saw Tang Moling outside the vige. Tang Moling hade to look for her.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, did you not let the children go to art school just to avoid me?¡±


    Tang Moling had given Mu Jingzhe a week to ept it, thinking that she ought to have calmed down after a week.


    He had specifically gone to the art school to look for them after ss in the afternoon, but he had not managed to find them. He¡¯d even gone to the county library, but they hadn¡¯t been there either.


    Tang Moling didn¡¯t know that Mu Jingzhe and the children had gone to Ji Buwang¡¯s house. He thought that Mu Jingzhe was trying to avoid him, so he¡¯d let his imagination run wild. In the end, he couldn¡¯t help but run over to look for Mu Jingzhe the next day.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair stood on end when she saw him. ¡°Why are you here? Are you trying to do me in? When the vigers see you looking for me, they will definitely misunderstand and think that I snatched you away. Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue won¡¯t let me off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already broken off my engagement to her. You and I have to get together sooner orter.¡± Tang Moling frowned.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling, then looked around to calm down. ¡°Are you really done with Mu Xue?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Otherwise, why would I go so far as to end the engagement?¡±


    ¡°So you were serious before. You¡¯re not joking or taking revenge?¡± Mu Jingzhe tried her best to calm down.


    ¡°Of course not. Who would take revenge on someone by making such a joke?¡± Seeing that she had finally epted it, Tang Moling heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if they¡¯re unhappy or spout nonsense in the vige, I¡¯ll find a way to deal with it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°How are you going to deal with it? Money isn¡¯t omnipotent. Forget it, don¡¯t rush into talking about this. If what you said is true, then I¡¯ll give you my answer first. I don¡¯t like you, so it¡¯s impossible for anything to happen between us. Remember, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    She had seen the love between Mu Xue and Tang Moling before. Although she¡¯d tried her best to ept the fact that Tang Moling had had a change of heart, she rejected him without hesitation.


    She was only wary and suspicious of this confession.


    Tang Moling¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°Impossible?¡± Why had she used such an absolute word?


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Regardless of whether it¡¯s true or not, it¡¯s absolutely impossible. Please don¡¯te looking for me again in the future.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded her head. Feeling that she had made herself clear, she left immediately.


    Tang Moling wanted to chase after her but was stopped by Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Don¡¯t force me to knock you out.¡±


    Tang Moling gritted his teeth and stood still. ¡°I won¡¯t give up. I¡¯lle and find you again.¡±


    The more he spoke, the faster Mu Jingzhe ran. Soon, she disappeared without a trace. Judging by the way she ran, those who didn¡¯t know would think that wild dogs were chasing after her.


    Tang Moling smacked the car angrily. As he hesitated, having no clue whether to continue looking for Mu Jingzhe or go back, he turned around and saw Mu Xue.


    Mu Xue was standing behind him and looking at him coldly.


    ¡°When did you arrive?¡± Tang Moling frowned.


    ¡°When Mu Jingzhe came over.¡± Mu Xue had followed Mu Jingzhe over. Although she had been far away and hadn¡¯t heard everything, she had heard Tang Moling¡¯sst sentence clearly.


    ¡°You came to find Mu Jingzhe after all.¡± At that moment, Mu Xue wished that she wasn¡¯t so sensitive, but she had already predicted everything.


    ¡°Tang Moling, I can tolerate you breaking off the engagement, but I can¡¯t ept you being with Mu Jingzhe. Now that you¡¯re with her, how am I supposed to face everyone?¡±


    If Tang Moling really married Mu Jingzhe, she would be aplete joke. Mu Xue couldn¡¯t tolerate it. She definitely wouldn¡¯t allow Mu Jingzhe to find happiness and marry Tang Moling by trampling on her.


    One Shao Qihai was enough.


    ¡°My only request is that you don¡¯t be with her. Can¡¯t you do that?¡± Mu Xue asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t promise you this back then. Forgive me for not being able to do it.¡± Tang Moling could only apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you.¡±


    After apologizing, Tang Moling changed the topic. ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t take your anger out on her. My change of heart wasn¡¯t because she seduced me. She has never done such a thing. If you want to me someone, me me. She¡¯s innocent. I fell in love with her, and it has nothing to do with her. Don¡¯t cause her trouble with Grandma.¡±


    When she heard his words, Mu Xue¡¯s face was full of mockery. ¡°You¡¯re already so protective of her. How do you expect me to believe that she didn¡¯t seduce you? Tell me how I¡¯m inferior to her. Tell me what she did to make you so devoted to her.¡±


    Tang Moling frowned. ¡°Mu Xue, can¡¯t we part peacefully?¡±


    ¡°No way. If you go after Mu Jingzhe, we won¡¯t be able to part on good terms. I won¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe off, and the Mu Family won¡¯t let her off either. I¡¯ll tell everyone about the unscrupulous way she snatched my fianc¨¦. Since she did it, she must pay the price.¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s suppressed hatred erupted at that moment.


    Tang Moling looked at the unfamiliar Mu Xue and closed his eyes. ¡°Mu Xue, I told you she didn¡¯t seduce me. She doesn¡¯t like me at all. You must have seen it for yourself just now. She kept rejecting me. She kept hoping that you and I would be together, but I couldn¡¯t control myself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. There must be a reason you¡¯re so protective of her. Do you know what sort of person Mu Jingzhe is?¡±


    Mu Xue gritted her teeth. ¡°She will snatch anyone who likes me. If she can¡¯t, she will ruin his reputation. Shao Qihai, Shao Qiyang, Zhang Fei, Li Hua, and you are all the same. Last time, she said that Li Hua took revenge on her. Who knew that they¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention Li Hua. He¡¯s just a piece of trash.¡± Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but interrupt her. ¡°He was up to no good. He only wanted to bully Mu Jingzhe¡­¡±


    At this point, Tang Moling reacted and stopped abruptly, but it was toote.


    ¡°What do you mean? How do you know this? Hadn¡¯t you already left?¡± Mu Xue¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    Tang Moling hesitated for a moment. ¡°I was going to leave, but Mu Jingzhe seemed to be feeling unwell, so I followed her. In the end, I was locked in the mill.¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s pupils shrank. ¡°The two of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions. Nothing happened between us. I¡¯m only telling you this because I hope you won¡¯t get the wrong idea about her. Li Hua did have ill intentions, and she really didn¡¯t seduce me. I justpletely understood my feelings that night.¡±


    Tang Moling exined a lot, hoping that Mu Xue wouldn¡¯t think too much about it. He had identally let this matter slip, so if he didn¡¯t exin things clearly, he was afraid that Mu Xue would misunderstand.


    However, Mu Xue could not hear anything. Her ears were buzzing, and none of his words registered in her mind. There was only one word left in her mind¡ªretribution.

 Chapter 148 - Jealousy

    <h4>Chapter 148: Jealousy</h4>


    Back then, while Li Hua had been beside her, Mu Xue had purposely revealed that Mu Jingzhe was allergic to sesame. She had thought that if Mu Jingzhe got married, Tang Moling might give up.


    She¡¯d wanted to protect her rtionship, but in the end, she realized that she had dug her own grave. She hadpletely lost her love and Tang Moling.


    Tang Moling said something else, but Mu Xue couldn¡¯t hear anything. She turned around and walked back, mumbling about retribution.


    She¡¯d only done a wicked deed once. It was just that one time. Why would she suffer through such intense retribution?


    She med Tang Moling and hated Mu Jingzhe. In the end, it was her own fault.


    Mu Xue couldn¡¯t even cry anymore. She didn¡¯t know how she got home either. When she got home, she broke down and fell seriously ill.


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s heart ached terribly. She felt that Mu Xue had fallen ill because she was really upset. When she heard Mu Xue mention Mu Jingzhe in her dreams, she became resentful. When Mu Xue woke up, she asked, ¡°Xiao Xue, did that wretched girl Jingzhe cause trouble again? Just you wait, I¡¯ll deal with her.¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. If this was really Mu Jingzhe¡¯s doing, she would kill her. The marriage she had been waiting for so long had been canceled. Old Lady Mu was even more disappointed and furious than Mu Xue.


    ¡°No, Grandma, don¡¯t go.¡± Mu Xue reacted, pulling Old Lady Mu back. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t go. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    If she had not known the cause, she might have let Old Lady Mu go. However, now that she knew, she could only me herself.


    After Tang Moling identally blurted out the whole incident to Mu Xue, he felt really regretful. He kept an eye on Great Eastern Vige, afraid that there would be hurtful rumors about Mu Jingzhe.


    After waiting for a few days, he didn¡¯t hear anything about that. However, he heard that Mu Xue had fallen sick. He felt quite upset about that.


    He even found an excuse to get a doctor to go to Great Eastern Vige to treat Mu Xue. He only heaved a sigh of relief when he found out that Mu Xue had recovered.


    Now that winter hade, knowing that Mu Xue felt cold going to ss, he even anonymously donated a lot of things, saying that it was hard on the teachers.


    Tang Moling was afraid that others would find out, so he donated some thick, cotton-padded clothes to the kids as well, thinking that Shao Dong and his siblings could benefit from it.


    When it came to the five kids, Tang Moling had always been a little jealous. In the past, it used to be because of Mu Xue, but now, he felt even more jealous because of Mu Jingzhe. He felt indescribable jealousy.


    In reality, the five kids didn¡¯t need the cotton-padded clothes. In the past, they would definitely have wanted them, but now, Mu Jingzhe had already bought thick, cotton-padded clothes for them, and they could also buy some themselves, so they didn¡¯t take any.


    They left these cotton-padded clothes to their ssmates who needed them more.


    When winter came, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t like to go out because it was too cold. She felt like her hands were freezing no matter what she did.


    During the weekend, the five kids had to go to art school to study. Shao Qiyang took the initiative to adjust his shift as much as possible so that he could take them there.


    Thus, Mu Jingzhe made them a set of gloves, a scarf, a hat, and earmuffs to keep the five kids warm.


    Because she had also made a set for herself, when she thought of Shao Qiyanging and going in the rain every day and even running around outside, she also made him a set.


    He did not have a wife, so as his sister-inw, she could only take care of him for now.


    Mu Jingzhe was always afraid that the kids would catch a cold due to the freezing temperature, so she made them thick cotton pants and shirts, covering them up so firmly andpletely that only their eyes were visible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself be exposed to the wind on the way, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Shao Dong nodded obediently. Shao Qiyang also got obediently dressed, covering up thickly and firmly as he watched her warn the kids. Now, he was the most enviable among his colleagues, as he was fully equipped and his hands and ears wouldn¡¯t get frostbite anymore.


    Although he was clumsy most of the time and would sweat after walking for a certain distance, this was much better than getting frostbite on his ears and hands.


    This was the warmest winter Shao Qiyang had ever experienced, and it was all thanks to Mu Jingzhe.


    This warmth made him think that he didn¡¯t necessarily have to get together with Mu Jingzhe or anything. As long as Mu Jingzhe stayed at home and this warmth continued, he wouldn¡¯t have a problem being Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brother-inw for the rest of his life.


    Shao Qiyang led the children on the way energetically. Xiao Wu, who was on his back, was quite sensitive to emotions. ¡°Uncle, are you happy today too?¡±


    ¡°How did you know, Xiao Wu?¡± Because of Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qiyang was indeed in a splendid mood.


    ¡°I can tell.¡± Xiao Wu chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯m really happy too.¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s good moodsted until he got off work. He tried to be as fast as possible, but he was still a littlete. When he reached the art school, ss had already ended for some time.


    He was still worried that the kids would suffer from the cold wind at the entrance, but in reality, they did not. Shao Dong and the rest were waiting for him, but they were waiting in a small car.


    It was Ji Buwang¡¯s car. There were many snacks in it, and there was even hot water to drink. The five kids were ying and reading in the car, looking very much at ease.


    ¡°Uncle is here.¡±


    As soon as Shao Qiyang went over, Xiao Wu saw him and hurriedly opened the car door to get out.


    Ji Buwang also got out of the car and greeted Shao Qiyang with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, so I told them to wait in the car.¡±


    The two of them had met each other in Ocean Cityst time and had figured out each other¡¯s intentions.


    Shao Qiyang nodded stiffly. ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Teacher Ji.¡± He couldn¡¯t tell the kids off, for they had done nothing wrong.


    Ji Buwang shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. I like them very much. Besides, I¡¯m Jingzhe¡¯s friend. I¡¯m more than happy to take care of them. If they didn¡¯t insist on waiting for you toe, I would have brought them home for dinner before taking them back.¡±


    Ji Buwang paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Actually, I want to discuss something with you. If you¡¯re busy next time, I can bring them back.¡±


    ¡°We shan¡¯t trouble you.¡± Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth and turned him down. ¡°I can bring them back. Jingzhe prepared scarves, gloves, and hats for us. We won¡¯t be cold with these, right, Shao Dong?¡±


    Shao Qiyang touched the scarf on his body. He was obviously hinting that Mu Jingzhe had made these for them.


    Although he couldn¡¯t afford a car yet, he had Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warm clothes.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze scanned Shao Qiyang¡¯s scarf and gloves. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his lower jaw and smiled. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Mm. Shao Dong, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sensing that the atmosphere was a little tense, the kids did not say much and bade Ji Buwang farewell before obediently following Shao Qiyang.


    Ji Buwang smiled as he watched them leave. Only when they were out of sight did he reveal how aggrieved he felt.


    ¡°I want gloves, a scarf, and a hat too. And that thing on their ears.¡± Jingzhe hadn¡¯t even given that to him.


    Shao Qiyang, her younger brother-inw, was as cunning as his older brother, Shao Qihai. He made use of the fact that they lived together as brother-inw and sister-inw to deliberately make Mu Jingzhe lower her guard and take care of him.


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°How hateful.¡±


    On the other hand, Shao Qiyang¡¯s good mood waspletely gone. He had previously thought that if Mu Jingzhe remained in the Shao Family, he could remain unmarried for the rest of his life.


    However, looking at the situation now, that was impossible. Ji Buwang was watching eagerly from the side, so how could he let Mu Jingzhe go?


    Although he wasn¡¯t familiar with Ji Buwang, he could tell that he came from a well-to-do family. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have a car. Also, his aura was no joke.


    He was still very inadequatepared to Ji Buwang. Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t know what he could use topete against Ji Buwang


    No, he couldn¡¯t go on like this. He had to make a change.

 Chapter 149 - Everyone In the Family Works On Their Career

    <h4>Chapter 149: Everyone In the Family Works On Their Career</h4>


    Shao Qiyang once again felt a sense of urgency. He could no longer continue working as an employee. If he continued working as an employee, he would only fall further and further behind. He wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up and would end up beingpletely unable topete.


    He was clearly living in the same house as Mu Jingzhe, so he should be enjoying the benefits of being in such close proximity to her. However, the truth was that he had been busy with work and he was alwayste to find out if something happened at home. Thus, he was unable to protect Mu Jingzhe and the kids.


    He couldn¡¯t give Mu Jingzhe and the kids a better life either. Even Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Little Bei had started to earn money. They were all doing better than him. Only he had remained the same.


    With that small sry, how could he be worthy of Mu Jingzhe?


    Not only had Mu Jingzhe be a popr star in the vige, but she¡¯d also invested in a factory. Once the factory got on track, she would be even more different from the past.


    Everyone in the family was improving, and he was the only one making no progress.


    Shao Qiyang had been working for a long time, and it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t detected some business opportunities. It was just that he didn¡¯t have any capital and thus didn¡¯t dare take action.


    However, he had to take action this time. It just so happened that Mu Jingzhe had taken out a loan a few days ago. He had also inquired about the loan. Initially, he had been afraid that there would be a trap. He¡¯d thought that if Mu Jingzhe had any difficulties, he could shoulder the debt in the future.


    At the end of the day, after doing some research on the loan and seeing that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to have any problems with it, he was tempted.


    If he saved up money before taking action, who knew how long it would take him to take action. However, Mu Jingzhe and the kids continued to advance. Besides, they didn¡¯t forget to encourage Shao Qiyang from the sidelines, allowing him to finally make a major decision in his life.


    He wanted to take out a loan to set up his own business. He wanted to start a shippingpany. Unlike what Shao Qihai had done before, he wanted to set up a shipping business that would deliver small parcels.


    He hadn¡¯t worked for nothing in the past two years. During these two years, Shao Qiyang had made many contacts and seen many markets.


    In this two-year period, the item sent most often had been letters. However, many people didn¡¯t only want to send letters but also many other things. s, they wouldn¡¯t offer such a service unless there was a critical situation. The main reason was that the price wasn¡¯t cheap and the delivery time was very long. Many times, parcels were damaged, which was very inconvenient.


    If Shao Qiyang wanted to do it, he would first do it in the province. Then, he would do it outside the province in the future. This would not only make it convenient for everyone, but it would also make it easier for everyone to pass on their love and care.


    Shao Qiyang made a decision. When he returned home, he told Mu Jingzhe about his decision. He wanted to hear her opinion and see her attitude.


    Upon hearing Shao Qiyang¡¯s words, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Isn¡¯t this basically a courierpany?¡¯


    In the book, Shao Qiyang hadter opened a deliverypany that eventually became quite big. Down the road, his business even expanded overseas and became a listedpany.


    However, Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t seemed able to do it so quickly. It seemed like he¡¯d only started to do it after a few years, when he had saved enough money. Step by step, he¡¯d eventually made it big.


    She hadn¡¯t expected that he would bring forward his ns by so many years. Also, it was very bold of him to take out a loan.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but reflect on herself and think that he might have been influenced by her. However, after giving it some thought, she felt that it was totally doable.


    Computerworks had not been poprized yet and there was no online shopping, so the current delivery industry was much worse than in the modern era. However, as everyone¡¯s days were getting better and better, the demand would only increase.


    Just like Shao Dong¡¯s scavenging venture, it would be good if he could seize this opportunity to take over the market.


    After careful consideration, Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°I think it can be done.¡± She consolidated and exined the basic operations of some deliverypanies in the modern era, especially those that fit the present best. She then encouraged Shao Qiyang.


    ¡°If this is done well, it¡¯s possible. The market will get bigger in the future.¡±


    When Shao Qiyang heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s affirmation and then heard what she said, he finally smiled, and his confidence increased. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give it a try!¡±


    ¡°Okay, if there¡¯s anything you need help with, just tell me.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. She was very happy with the atmosphere of the entire family as they worked together and influenced each other.


    Their family¡¯s days were getting better and better, and the children would have fewer opportunities to go astray in the future.


    While Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang were busy with their careers, the five kids didn¡¯tg behind. Mu Han, Li Zhaodi, and Mu Teng did not do so either.


    Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi were still selling buns. In winter, business wasn¡¯t bad, but there was also a problem¡ªGreat Eastern Vige was too far away from town, and it was really cold. If they went to sell buns, they would freezepletely


    Even with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hat, scarf, and gloves, it was useless. Their hands were still covered in frostbite. Also, they had to wake up and return home when the sky was dark, sleeping only about three to four hours a day.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that this couldn¡¯t go on, so she advised Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi to just rent a shop in town.


    It wasn¡¯t that Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but they were a little hesitant. ¡°We¡¯ve almost saved enough money. We originally wanted to get a house before or after the New Year and rent a storefront¡­ but this money might not be enough.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to hesitate about? We¡¯ll rent one first and save upter. There¡¯s no rush to build a house in the vige. We can build or buy a house in the town or in the county. We don¡¯t necessarily have to build a house in the vige.¡±


    Mu Han had finally left the vige, and Mu Jingzhe would be leaving soon as well. They couldn¡¯t very well keep staying in Great Eastern Vige. Although she wasn¡¯t sure where she would end up residing, it was almost time formercial housing to beunched. Once that happened, she would naturally have to start buying property. Otherwise, she would be letting down her identity as a transmigrator.


    Actually, Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi already had one foot out of the vige, so why would they insist on building a house in the vige?


    If their house was built in the vige, they wouldn¡¯t have much time to live in it in the future. In the end, they¡¯d still have to go outside. Anyway, she would definitely bring them out with her when the time came. It would be easier to take care of them if they were by her side.


    Mu Jingzhe thought very far ahead, but her words made Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng swallow their saliva. ¡°You mean buy or build a house elsewhere? Can we do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°We could build one in Great Eastern Vige, but we can wait until you start missing our hometown or you have spare money. There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    ¡°But when your younger brother gets married in the future, won¡¯t he need to have a new house?¡± Li Zhaodi still had an old-fashioned way of thinking.


    ¡°Mom, are you silly? He can just buy a house in the city. You don¡¯t have to worry. Mu Han can earn money now. Let him earn his own house.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe held their hands. ¡°Stop working so hard. It¡¯s more important to take care of your health. You can buy and eat whatever you like. We¡¯ll take care of everything else.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still young. It¡¯s time to work hard.¡± Mu Teng was happy that Mu Jingzhe was filial, but he retorted, ¡°Even if we don¡¯t help you two, we can¡¯t possibly drag you down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that way. The best way to help us is by taking care of your own health.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe made the decision for them. Soon, they rented a small shop in town to sell steamed buns, as well as a house behind the shop. This way, it wouldn¡¯t be so hard on them in the future, and they wouldn¡¯t have to fear the wind and rain.


    When Mu Han heard of the couple¡¯s decision, he even sent them some money.


    ¡°This child has to work so hard to pick up rubbish every day, yet he still sends money back.¡± Li Zhaodi looked at the money and secretly told Mu Teng that she felt like everything was a dream now. Her children were filial and promising, and she was even doing business in town.


    Although Mu Teng told Li Zhaodi not to set her sights so low, in his heart, he thought that he actually didn¡¯t dare dream of having all this.

 Chapter 150 - Youre Tang Molings Uncle?

    <h4>Chapter 150: You¡¯re Tang Moling¡¯s Uncle?</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe was so busy that she forgot all about the worrisome Tang Moling, making thetter quite anxious.


    Tang Moling went to look for Mu Jingzhe twice in session, wanting to prove his feelings to her, but Mu Jingzhe always said, ¡°What do you want to prove? Don¡¯t be rash.¡±


    Perhaps it was because he hadmitted too many misdeeds in the past, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t believe that he was sincere about her. She was only wary of him and remained firm and resolute in her belief that he loved Mu Xue wholeheartedly.


    Tang Moling was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to be lying. It appeared that she really thought so. She only said that it was impossible between them and then started to hide from him.


    Tang Moling felt like he was about to have a heart attack. After taking two days to calm down, he finally managed to meet Mu Jingzhe again.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, how long are you nning to hide from me? Are you nning to hide from me forever?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt a headacheing the minute she saw him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll say it again. Tang Moling, it¡¯s impossible for anything to happen between us. Stop looking for me.¡±


    Tang Moling suppressed his anger. Now that he had seen how Mu Jingzhe was avoiding him, his heart turned cold. He had to admit that Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t like him. It was impossible for anything to happen between them.


    He was overwhelmed by disappointment and despair. ¡°You really don¡¯t like me at all? What exactly is it about me that you¡¯re unsatisfied with?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you at all. It¡¯s impossible for anything to happen between us. Tang Moling, stop looking for me. I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    One shouldn¡¯t do anything more than three times, but he had done it more than thrice. Upon hearing the word ¡®begging¡¯, Tang Moling lost hisposure. ¡°Begging? You¡¯re begging me not to look for you again? Do you know how many women beg me to look for them?¡±


    ¡°Then go look for them!¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe!¡± Seeing her attitude, Tang Moling flew into a rage out of humiliation. ¡°Do you really think I won¡¯t do that? Or do you think you can do whatever you want just because I like you?


    ¡°I can tell you with certainty that you won¡¯t be able to find a better man than me. If you let me slip by, you¡¯ll be destined to be mediocre for the rest of your life. Do you know who I am? How dare you reject me like this! If I really go find them, you¡¯ll regret it!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was silent, Tang Moling exhaled to calm himself down. ¡°Let me put it this way, Mu Jingzhe: As long as you find someone better than me, I¡¯ll give up on you. As long as you find someone better.¡±


    ¡°No, Tang Moling. This isn¡¯t decided by status or money. Be rational.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be rational.¡± Tang Moling was stubborn. ¡°Find that someone, or you won¡¯t be able to reject me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was getting impatient as well. ¡°Tang Moling, that¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t force me to say something unpleasant.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t be bothered to speak with him any longer and thus turned to leave. However, Tang Moling stopped her. ¡°Are you angry? You can¡¯t find someone who¡¯s better than me, right?¡±


    There was a sh of triumph in his eyes, and a secondter, he heard someone cry out, ¡°Jingzhe!¡±


    Tang Moling frowned and looked in the direction of the voice. His smug expression changed. ¡°Uncle?¡±


    Why was Uncle here? Wasn¡¯t Uncle in aa? Hadn¡¯t the doctor said that he couldn¡¯t possibly wake up?


    Thinking he was seeing things, Tang Moling rubbed his eyes and looked again.


    This time, he could clearly see that it was really his uncle.


    Tang Moling watched as his uncle walked up to him, raised an eyebrow, and pulled his hand away.


    ¡°Tang Moling, you¡¯ve grown up. You¡¯ve already learned how to get physical with a girl? You¡¯re really rough too.¡±


    Tang Moling felt as though his wrist was about to be crushed and froze. The pain told him that everything was real.


    He stared at Ji Buwang and was momentarily left speechless.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, what are you doing here?¡± Mu Jingzhe thought she had heard Tang Moling call him ¡®Uncle¡¯ but she wasn¡¯t sure. After asking, she gave them a strange look.


    ¡°I came over as soon as I saw you.¡± Ji Buwang had naturallye over upon seeing a man tug at Mu Jingzhe. Based on his voice and physique, he could confirm that this man was Tang Moling.


    Ji Buwang nced at Tang Moling. ¡°Why are you here? Do you know each other?¡±


    It had been four years since they¡¯dst met, and this nephew of his had changed quite a bit. If they¡¯d met on the street, he might not have been able to recognize him if he didn¡¯t speak.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s tone was calm, but Tang Moling¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he finally found his voice.


    ¡°Uncle, when did you wake up? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I woke up earlier. I heard that you were busy wooing a youngdy and getting engaged, so I didn¡¯t inform you.¡± After saying that, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t look at Tang Moling. Instead, he looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand, which had been held by Tang Moling just now. ¡°Luckily, it¡¯s not red. Little Ling, you shouldn¡¯t be so rough with girls. Apologize to Jingzhe quickly.¡±


    Tang Moling¡¯s mind was a mess. He apologized in a muffled tone and then asked, ¡°Uncle, how did you two meet?¡±


    ¡°Us? We¡¯ve known each other for a long time.¡± Ji Buwang asked in turn, ¡°How did you two meet?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my cousin-inw.¡± Tang Moling didn¡¯t know what to say, so Mu Jingzhe answered.


    Tang Moling immediately retorted, ¡°We¡¯ve already broken off our engagement.¡± How could she say this when he had already confessed his feelings to her?


    Mu Jingzhe choked, and Ji Buwang frowned. ¡°Why are you speaking like this? You have no manners.¡±


    This time, it was Tang Moling¡¯s turn to choke. The way Ji Buwang was lecturing him made it seem like he was trying to distinguish the difference in seniority between him and Mu Jingzhe. However, he didn¡¯t dare retort. After all, this wasn¡¯t just anyone else. It was his uncle.


    He was only a few years older than him, but he was indeed his young uncle, who was like an older brother and father to him.


    Looking at Tang Moling¡¯s choked expression, Mu Jingzhe finally asked to confirm it, ¡°He¡¯s your biological uncle?¡± Why is the world so small?¡±


    ¡°Mm, this is the child my older sister left behind. He¡¯s my biological nephew.¡± Ji Buwang nodded suggestively. ¡°You can call him Little Ling from now on. If he¡¯s as rude as he was just now, tell me and I¡¯ll teach him a lesson.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Uh, okay.¡±


    Their rtionship was very surprising, and she felt like she needed time to digest it.


    Tang Moling was even more shocked than Mu Jingzhe. He was in a daze. At that moment, Tang Moling recalled the familiar figure he had asionally seen when he¡¯d taken Mu Jingzhe and the kids to art school. At the time, he had thought that his eyes were ying tricks on him. He had even thought that his uncle was still unconscious and couldn¡¯t possibly be there.


    Looking at the situation now, that was Uncle, right?


    ¡°Uncle, when did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Me? A long time ago. I¡¯m taking advantage of my break to be a teacher at the art school.¡±


    ¡°So that figure really was you¡­¡± Tang Moling muttered.


    Ji Buwang also remembered something. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about seeing me previously? I remember seeing a familiar shadow before. So that was you. You brought her to school?¡±


    Ji Buwang narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Tang Moling felt choked up when he saw it.


    Every time his uncle acted like this, it meant danger. His butt hurt out of reflex. ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t look at me like that¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang retracted his gaze and told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°This child is immature. He still behaves like a kid.¡±

 Chapter 151 - I Definitely Dont Want Mu Jingzhe to Be My Aunt

    <h4>Chapter 151: I Definitely Don¡¯t Want Mu Jingzhe to Be My Aunt</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling with an embarrassed expression. She hadn¡¯t expected the mighty and domineering CEO to have such a side to him. Seeing Tang Moling unconsciously protecting his butt seemed like watching a naughty child seeing his parents. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    Tang Moling finally realized that his actions were abnormal when he saw the way she was looking at him. He quickly put his hand down and was about to say something when he saw the way Ji Buwang was gazing at Mu Jingzhe.


    His gaze was focused and gentle, as if he was looking at a treasure.


    Tang Moling¡¯s heart instantly sank. Previously, he had already noticed that there was something wrong with the way Ji Buwang looked at her. He¡¯d had a feeling that his uncle had feelings for Mu Jingzhe, but because he was too shocked and because he liked Mu Jingzhe, he had subconsciously ignored this nagging feeling. But now, Tang Moling could no longer ignore it.


    Uncle probably liked Mu Jingzhe and wanted to make her his aunt, right?


    No, no, definitely not!


    Tang Moling was on the verge of breaking down. He had just dered with confidence that she wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone better than him, and now his uncle had appeared out of nowhere.


    The change in his status and position, as well as his status as the sessor, had all happened because his Uncle Ji Buwang had been unconscious. It was solely because of this that he¡¯d gotten such an opportunity.


    Now, his uncle had woken up. It was a good thing that his uncle hade out of hisa. Tang Moling should be happy, but at the same time, this also meant that his status as the heir might be gone.


    He was about to lose the identity he was the proudest of.


    Not only that, but he liked Mu Jingzhe, and so did his uncle. He could be arrogant around others, but how could he be arrogant around his uncle?


    It was hard for Tang Moling to describe how he felt at the moment. It was as if he had died once, experienced a cmity, seen everything get destroyed, and in the end, there was nothing left.


    He didn¡¯t dare imagine what it would be like to lose everything and watch Mu Jingzhe be his aunt, so he told himself that he had to be overthinking things.


    Tang Moling was lost in his thoughts when he heard Ji Buwang speak.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me why you broke off the engagement. Grandpa said that you were very serious this time, and your heart had definitely settled down. I didn¡¯t even disturb you, so why did you suddenly break off the engagement?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Could Tang Moling say that he had broken off the engagement because he¡¯d had a change of heart? In front of Ji Buwang, he couldn¡¯t say that he had fallen for Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Why do you still have the temper of a child at this age? One moment, you¡¯re like this, and the next, you¡¯re like that. You got into a quarrel and broke off the engagement. Outrageous.¡± Ji Buwang lectured him. Tang Moling¡¯s mind was a mess, and in the end, it went nk. There was also a dumbfounded look on his face.


    He needed to calm down, so he found an excuse to run away.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling¡¯s back view and then at Ji Buwang. ¡°You guys are really strange. You¡¯ve always been in the county city and even moved around in the same area, but you¡¯d never met.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite strange too.¡± Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°He suffered a little when he was young. In order to change his personality, we indulged him a little. Later on, he could be a little agitating. Did he bully you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Mu Jingzhe tried hard to recall Tang Moling¡¯s past in the original book. It seemed to have been described before, but there wasn¡¯t much of a description. It was likely that this uncle of his had no name in the novel.


    Mu Jingzhe only remembered that Tang Moling was a domineering CEO and the only suitable heir. However, under the circumstances, would Tang Moling inherit the position from his maternal grandfather¡¯s family?


    What about Ji Buwang then? He didn¡¯t seem to exist in the book. Had he not woken up?


    Upon thinking of this, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t feel good. Ji Buwang was still too young to remain in aa forever. Besides, she also knew that he had retained awareness while he had been in aa.


    Did that mean that he would struggle while being ¡®awake¡¯ in his unconscious state and eventually die soberly?


    Mu Jingzhe frowned, thinking that it was too cruel. Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s furrowed brows and nced in the direction Tang Moling had run.


    Tang Moling had been so traumatized that he had even forgotten to drive. Ji Buwang looked at the car Tang Moling had left behind and thought to himself, ¡®I didn¡¯t want to disturb this nephew of mine, nor did I want to meet him too early. Now that I¡¯ve seen him, I have to talk to him.¡¯


    During the period of time that he had left this nephew be, he¡¯d seemed a little too indulgent.


    Tang Moling, who had run out of the room, suddenly shuddered. He finally stopped in his tracks and entered a daze, ignoring where he was standing.


    Tang Moling might be living a glorious life now, but his childhood hadn¡¯t been good. His mother had been blinded by love and had fallen in love with a poor boy. Because of her parents¡¯ objections, she had even eloped and cut off all contact with her family.


    Reality wasn¡¯t a fairy tale. It ended in tragedy. His mother had been used to living a good life since she was a child. She couldn¡¯t take any hardships and had been defeated by reality in a short time.


    However, because of her pride, she hadn¡¯t contacted her parents. Later on, she didn¡¯t have the chance to contact them. When she fell sick, she died because she didn¡¯t have the money to treat her illness.


    His father had then married his stepmother, who wasn¡¯t like Mu Jingzhe and viewed him as a thorn in her side. Thus, he had a severe prejudice against all stepmothers.


    He couldn¡¯t be med for this. Those days had been really gloomy. Fortunately, his maternal grandfather had found himter on¡­ No, the correct form of address was ¡®Great-Grandpa¡¯. However, in the ce where he had grown up, great-grandfathers were also called ¡®Grandpa¡¯, so he was used to calling him ¡®Grandpa¡¯.


    Grandpa had brought him back. Thanks to the love of his maternal grandfather and uncle, he¡¯d finally started to see good days.


    Initially, Grandfather and the rest hadn¡¯t nurtured Tang Moling particrly. They¡¯d only wanted him to be a rich, idle person who would assist Uncle and the rest if he could. However, they hadn¡¯t expected that First Uncle would pass away and Young Uncle wouldter fall into aa. The doctor had even said that the chances of him waking up were very slim.


    Since both of his uncles had gotten in an ident, he was the only choice his maternal grandfather had. When his uncle fell into aa for a year, he started grooming Tang Moling to prepare him to inherit the family business.


    Tang Moling would be the heir to the Ji Family in the future, which was a consensus everyone had reached. Grandfather would also hand more and more matters over to him, and it would be fine as long as he worked by following the protocol.


    However, Tang Moling hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to wake up. Tang Moling had feelings for his maternal grandfather and uncle. Back when Ji Buwang had gotten in an ident, he had also been unable to sleep well and had often visited his uncle.


    With the passage of time, seeing that his uncle had remained unconscious, and due to his busy life, Tang Moling had gradually stopped visiting and thinking about what would happen when Uncle woke up.


    However, Ji Buwang had woken up without any warning. Now that he had woken up, Tang Moling¡¯s position as the heir would be awkward, as he didn¡¯t have a rightful im to the position to begin with.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that after his uncle woke up, he wouldn¡¯t be in a hurry to announce it to the outside world and take back the heir position immediately. Instead, he hid it from the outside world, even from him.


    Even Grandpa didn¡¯t tell him about it. During this period of time, Grandpa had been acting normally and hadn¡¯t mentioned taking back any power. Hence, he hadn¡¯t sensed anything unusual.


    However, Tang Moling couldn¡¯t lie to himself and say that everything would continue to be like this.


    Although he had undergone three years of training, he was still far inferior to his uncle, Ji Buwang, who had been trained since he was young. Now that his uncle had woken up, why would he be chosen as the heir?


    Tang Moling was happy and conflicted. Besides, Mu Jingzhe was involved.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Tang Moling scratched his head in frustration. Why did he have to say those words to Mu Jingzhe?


    He didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be his aunt. He couldn¡¯t ept that.

 Chapter 152 - Lost Both the Woman and the Money?

    <h4>Chapter 152: Lost Both the Woman and the Money?</h4>


    ¡°Shao Qihai, why did you have to die? It would have been great if you hadn¡¯t died!¡± Tang Moling, who had been jealous of Shao Qihai several times before, genuinely hoped that Shao Qihai was still alive for the first time.


    That way, his uncle wouldn¡¯t be able to snatch Mu Jingzhe.


    At the thought of this, Tang Moling smacked his head again. ¡°You¡¯re muddleheaded.¡±


    If Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t died, he wouldn¡¯t be able to snatch Mu Jingzhe either. In that case, Mu Jingzhe would be a married woman, not a widow.


    ¡®I can¡¯t take it lying down. Even if it¡¯s Uncle, I won¡¯t give in. Maybe I¡¯m just thinking too much. Maybe Uncle doesn¡¯t have that kind of intention!¡¯


    In the end, Tang Moling could only console himself. ¡°Even if it¡¯s true, Uncle has always been very good to me. He wouldn¡¯t be so cruel to me.¡±


    ******


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked by the rtionship between Tang Moling and Ji Buwang. When she got home, she couldn¡¯t help but share it with the children.


    The children hadn¡¯t expected this either, but they didn¡¯t harp on the subject. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think too much about it either, thinking that Tang Moling probably wouldn¡¯te looking for her again.


    Director Lu contacted Mu Jingzhe and said that the editing process of the movie was done. If it was convenient, he would bring it over for Xiao Wu to see. The movie was scheduled to be released during the Chinese New Year, and it was also just in time for various film festivals. Director Lu even wanted to attend the film festivals and was very confident about the movie.


    This was an important matter that couldn¡¯t be dyed. Mu Jingzhe quickly agreed and said that she could bring Xiao Wu along if necessary. Regardless of whether Xiao Wu could produce the music apaniment or not, he still had to do what needed to be done.


    In order to allow Xiao Wu to understand what he needed to do, Mu Jingzhe brought the children to watch two movies in the county.


    The children loved watching movies and had agreed to go to the cinema together when Little Bei¡¯s movie was released.


    Although Director Lu was busy, he still made a trip there. He was worried about delegating the task to others, so he came personally to exin the movie¡¯s story to Xiao Wu.


    After watching the movie, Xiao Wu started crying and hupping, saying that his sister was too pitiful. After crying, he fell asleep.


    Director Lu: ¡°¡­¡±


    For the first time, he began to doubt his decision. Although Xiao Wu was indeed a rare musical genius, he was very young. Was he too impulsive?


    Just as Director Lu started to worry and even wondered whether he should salvage the situation by finding someone else to help him, Xiao Wu woke up and got to work.


    He had already learned how topose from Ji Buwang, but his hands were too short and his strength was limited. The speed at which he wrote couldn¡¯t keep up with his brain, so he rarely wrote.


    However, he would record the song down and write it downter.


    Perhaps it was because Little Bei was acting in the movie, but the emotions flowed naturally, and his speed was faster. Very quickly, hepleted the initialposition in half a day.


    Half a dayter, everything was settled.


    When Director Lu was notified by Mu Jingzhe, he thought he was dreaming. When he received the end product, he still had some doubts.


    After all, it was too fast. However, when he heard it, he found out why geniuses were called geniuses.


    Director Lu was overjoyed. He couldn¡¯t help but hug Xiao Wu and spin in circles whileughing maniacally. Then, he nted a heavy kiss on Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re really a darling. You must remember Uncle Lu. You must work with Uncle Lu more in the future.¡±


    Director Lu was so excited that his face flushed red. He then walked away, leaving Xiao Wu touching his own face while feeling extremely aggrieved.


    Uncle Lu¡¯s beard was really prickly, not at all as wonderful as when Mommy kissed him!


    Xiao Wu deliberately wiped his face. For the next few days, he didn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe kiss the cheek that Director Lu had kissed. It was only after half a month that he slowly forgot about it.


    While Mu Jingzhe was busy, Tang Moling was busy as well.


    He spent two days epting the fact that Ji Buwang had woken up. He struggled to ept the changes that would follow and finally came to a conclusion: His uncle was the rightful heir. If he wanted to take back his power, he had nothing to say.


    Although it was difficult, he could only ept it. He didn¡¯t dare fight with his uncle, nor did he want to be enemies with him.


    In that case, there was no way he could give up on Mu Jingzhe. He couldn¡¯t possibly lose both the woman and the money, right?


    If he did not only lose his status as the heir, but Mu Jingzhe also became his aunt, he would really go crazy.


    Even though his uncle¡¯s attitude was strange and he seemed to like Mu Jingzhe, he probably wouldn¡¯t be ruthless to him out of pity.


    After Tang Moling thought about it, he went to look for Ji Buwang. Through their conversation and asking around, he verified that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang had yet to confirm their rtionship.


    However, he also knew that Mu Jingzhe was indeed closer to Ji Buwang than she was to him. Besides, his uncle seemed to be getting along well with the children.


    Tang Moling only realized what was going on after seeing so many children¡¯s books in the old residence, including in the study.


    He said he liked Mu Jingzhe, but he didn¡¯t seem to have considered the five kids.


    He had forgotten about them for the time being. Firstly, he felt that the five kids were ridiculously mature beyond their years. Secondly, they had their own capabilities and didn¡¯t need him to worry about them at all.


    He subconsciously ignored them, but his uncle didn¡¯t seem to be doing the same. He was proactively trying to build a good rtionship with the children.


    Tang Moling subconsciously reflected on himself and felt that he wasn¡¯t thorough enough. He didn¡¯t feel too guilty, though. He had neglected them, but that didn¡¯t mean that he would not care about the children in the future, nor would he object to Mu Jingzhe raising them.


    Given his own experience growing up, he definitely wouldn¡¯t mistreat the kids or anything. He would even be a good stepfather. However, he hadn¡¯t considered any of this.


    The only thing thatforted Tang Moling was that even though his uncle was so thorough, he was still just friends with Mu Jingzhe and had yet to sessfully woo her.


    He still had a chance!


    Even though this was his uncle, he wouldn¡¯t give up. He couldn¡¯t possibly give up on Mu Jingzhe.


    After Tang Moling saw Ji Buwang, the news of the Ji Family¡¯s true heir, Ji Buwang, waking up spread like wildfire.


    Tang Moling also received many greetings. Some people were probing, some were hinting at him to fight for power, and some were mocking him. There were all sorts of people.


    It would be a lie to say that he didn¡¯t care, and it would also be a lie to say that he didn¡¯t feel bad. However, Tang Moling didn¡¯t act impulsively, nor did he allow others to see him as a joke. Those people had ill intentions, and he didn¡¯t fall for them. He kept defending his uncle.


    His attitude was clear. Regardless of whether the heir was Tang Moling or his uncle, it was their family¡¯s business. This wasn¡¯t for outsiders to criticize. He really thought so too. Since his uncle and grandfather hadn¡¯t taken back what was in his hands, he would continue to manage it. He would do his job well and take things one step at a time.


    However, he had to speed things up with Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe had been hiding from Tang Moling. Besides, Tang Moling was afraid that he would bump into Ji Buwang in the county, so he got anxious and went to Great Eastern Vige to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    Tang Moling felt that it had been some time since he¡¯d canceled his engagement to Mu Xue. If he kept a low profile, the vigers wouldn¡¯t say anything even if they saw him.


    However, that was just wishful thinking on his part. He and Mu Xue had just broken off their engagement not too long ago, but even if it had been a few years, if he got together with Mu Jingzhe, everyone would still gossip about it.


    However, Tang Moling was in too much of a hurry and had lost all sense of propriety, even forgetting Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warning.

 Chapter 153 - Beat You Two To Death

    <h4>Chapter 153: Beat You Two To Death</h4>


    Tang Moling thought that he was being careful and kept a low profile, but as soon as he stepped into the Shao Residence, word of his arrival started spreading.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Mu Xue¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦, Tang Moling? Why is he here? He didn¡¯t go to the Mu Residence but to the Shao Residence? To find Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Mu Residence and ask.¡±


    The news quickly spread to the Mu Residence and reached Mu Xue and Old Lady Mu¡¯s ears.


    Meanwhile, at the Shao Residence, Tang Moling¡¯s sudden appearance gave Mu Jingzhe a shock. ¡°Why are you here? Didn¡¯t I tell you not toe on a whim?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I juste here? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Surely they can¡¯t hit me?¡± Tang Moling retorted.


    Mu Jingzhe lowered her voice, but it was filled with warning. ¡°Are you crazy, Tang Moling? Have you forgotten my warning? Do you think I should die sooner? Do you think there aren¡¯t enough people scolding me and gossiping about me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as you make it out to be.¡± Tang Moling was also anxious. ¡°Although I was engaged to her, we were not married yet. Even if we were married, there¡¯s also such a thing as divorce these days. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t get married after I¡¯ve been engaged once, right? Surely I can¡¯t be expected to remain unmarried forever? I have to get married eventually.¡±


    ¡°You can get married, but you can¡¯t have anything to do with me, do you understand?¡± Mu Jingzhe was exasperated. While looking at Tang Moling¡¯s expression, she still felt a little disillusioned. ¡°Are you really done with Mu Xue? You¡¯re not messing with me?¡±


    The male and female protagonists hadpletely fallen out. What kind of weird development was this?


    ¡°How could I be messing with you?¡± Tang Moling approached Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, can you treat my feelings seriously? I¡¯ve already told you that the person I like now is you.¡±


    He could ignore Ji Buwang, but Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t forgotten. ¡°Does your uncle know that you¡¯re doing this? He told me to tell him if you dare mess around again.¡±


    Tang Moling stiffened. ¡°Don¡¯t mention Uncle. Just look at me. I know you¡¯re not a materialistic person. Even if I don¡¯t have the status of an heir, you won¡¯t despise me. I¡¯ll work hard on my own, so I want you to only look at me and consider me seriously.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t consider you at all. Tang Moling, even if it¡¯s impossible for you and Mu Xue to be together, it¡¯s not possible for you and me to be together either. Hurry up and leave. If anyone sees this, I¡¯ll get in trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t make excuses. If the vigers dare to say anything, let theme at me. I¡¯m not afraid. It¡¯s not like they can beat me and you up¡­¡±


    Before Tang Moling could finish his sentence, Old Lady Mu¡¯s furious voice was heard from outside. ¡°I thought I¡¯d heard wrong. I didn¡¯t expect¡­ I¡¯m going to beat you adulterous pair to death.¡±


    Hearing themotion, Tang Moling turned around and saw Old Lady Mu throw something at him.


    Old Lady Mu had been watering the vegetables when she¡¯d heard that Tang Moling had arrived and had gone to look for Mu Jingzhe. She¡¯d immediately run over with a bucket in her hand.


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t avoid it in time, and the bucketnded on his head with a bang.


    By the time he removed the bucket in a fluster, Old Lady Mu had already rushed toward Mu Jingzhe with red eyes. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re really shameless. As if it wasn¡¯t enough that you¡¯ve been stealing Xiao Xue¡¯s things since you were young, now you¡¯re stealing Xiao Xue¡¯s man. I¡¯ll beat you to death today.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe helplessly exined while hiding.


    But how could Old Lady Mu listen to her? ¡°Mu Jingzhe, why are you so ck-hearted? Why did you still try to snatch him when they were already engaged? You¡¯re so shameless. If I had known earlier, I would have drowned you when you were born so that you wouldn¡¯t harm Xiao Xue¡­¡±


    Tang Moling looked at the deranged Old Lady Mu and then heard the nasty words that wereing out of her mouth. He looked at the people who hade to watch themotion and were pointing at them. Only then did he realize that he had been wrong again.


    He had said that there was no need for Mu Jingzhe to be so dramatic, but reality had proven that everything was exactly that bad.


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t catch up to Mu Jingzhe, Old Lady Mu started grabbing things to throw at Mu Jingzhe. Tang Moling panicked and ran over to stop her. ¡°Grandma, what are you doing? Calm down!¡±


    However, he didn¡¯t know that by stopping her, he stirred up a ho¡¯s nest, making Old Lady Mu even angrier. ¡°You still dare to say she didn¡¯t seduce you? Look at you! You adulterous pair, I swear I¡¯ll beat you two to death today.¡±


    Though Old Lady Mu had said that she would beat this adulterous pair to death, she picked up a broom and only threw it at Mu Jingzhe.


    The broom was a hand-made bamboo broom, the kind found in every household in the vige. It hurt when one was hit by such a broom. Mu Jingzhe was unable to dodge in time, so she was hit.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes darkened when she felt the pain on her arms and face.


    Mu Jingzhe was strong enough to deal with Old Lady Mu easily. However, she hadn¡¯t done it before because she couldn¡¯t. She was an olddy, as well as her grandmother. Something bad might happen if she hit her.


    This was the reason why she hadn¡¯t retaliated previously. However, even a good-tempered person had their breaking point. Just because she gave way didn¡¯t mean that she would always be submissive.


    Seeing that Old Lady Mu was about to hit her again, Mu Jingzhe grabbed the broom and looked at her solemnly. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I said that I didn¡¯t do it. Do you not understand the humannguage?¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. She tried to retract the broom, but to no avail. Although she was a little apprehensive, her words were harsh. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t think that you¡¯re in the right just because you¡¯re strong. How dare you say you didn¡¯t do it? If that¡¯s true, why would hee looking for you? Why would he speak up for you? How dare you quibble even when things havee to this?¡±


    Tang Moling was speechless. ¡°She really didn¡¯t do anything. Mu Jingzhe has always wanted me to be with Mu Xue. I am the one who had a change of heart. It has nothing to do with her. Don¡¯t scold or hit her. She never seduced me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Old Lady Mu flew into a rage when she heard that. ¡°Do you think you can fool me? I know very well Mu Jingzhe¡¯s character. She¡¯s just used to snatching Xiao Xue¡¯s things. She has not been a good person since she was young.


    ¡°She¡¯s a thief. A dog can¡¯t change its ways. Tang Moling, how can you be so easily fooled? Did she let you touch her or sleep with her? You¡¯re really concerned about her. Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s filthy? Xiao Xue is pure and innocent. She¡¯s a hundred times better than a filthy wretch like her¡­¡±


    Old Lady Mu was filled with hatred. She blurted out all sorts of nasty words, but she didn¡¯t see Tang Moling¡¯s furious gaze.


    Tang Moling looked at Old Lady Mu¡¯s furious face and found it extremely foreign. Her original benevolence had disappeared, leaving only madness behind. Wasn¡¯t she very reasonable and easy to talk to in the past? He had once admired that she didn¡¯t value men over women, that she was a wise and farsighted olddy. That she had foresight even though she had been born in a vige. But who was this old shrew that was speaking so viciously in front of him?


    ¡°You¡­ That¡¯s enough!¡± Tang Moling couldn¡¯t take it anymore and shouted, ¡°Old Lady Mu, take a good look. The person you¡¯re talking about is your granddaughter, a member of the Mu Family with the same bloodline as Mu Xue! How can you say that about your granddaughter!¡±


    ¡°Pfft, she doesn¡¯t deserve to bepared to Xiao Xue. She doesn¡¯t even deserve to carry Xiao Xue¡¯s shoes. What did I say that was wrong? Isn¡¯t she filthy and smelly? She only wants to spread her legs when she sees a man¡­¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s words came to an abrupt halt because her neck was gripped tightly.


    Furious Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes were filled with coldness. She restrained Old Lady Mu and prevented her from moving. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a pushover because I¡¯ve always been easy to talk to? I just didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for my father. Just because of that, you think you can do as you please?¡±

 Chapter 154 - Settling the Score

    <h4>Chapter 154: Settling the Score</h4>


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to suddenly re up, and her eyes were filled with disbelief. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I am your grandmother!¡±


    ¡°Grandmother? When have you ever regarded me as your granddaughter? How could a grandmother say such awful things about her granddaughter?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sneered. She didn¡¯t let go of Old Lady Mu as she turned to face her. Old Lady Mu still wanted to attack but was stopped by her in an instant. ¡°Be careful if you don¡¯t want your arm to break. Your old bones are much more brittle than firewood. If you don¡¯t want your bones to bepletely shattered, shut up.¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s heart palpitated as she looked at Mu Jingzhe. She felt that Mu Jingzhe was truly capable of that.


    There was a hint of fear in her eyes as she finally calmed down from her enraged state.


    ¡°Have you calmed down? Then let¡¯s settle the score now.¡± Ever since Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated there, she had never attacked anyone unless she was attacked first. She had always kept a respectful distance from elderly folks, especially people like Old Lady Mu.


    In this day and age, things were different from the modern age. Even in the modern age, hitting elderly folks was frowned upon, but Old Lady Mu was way too biased. Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t intended to do anything to her. After all, it was all in the past. She¡¯d just wanted to live in harmony.


    However, Old Lady Mu seemed to have misunderstood her attitude and mistakenly thought that she was easy to bully.


    ¡°In the past, I never tried to be calctive to deal with your favoritism. I just thought that it was all in the past, but judging by what you¡¯re saying now, it seems like we¡¯ve got to revisit that. In that case, since everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s settle the score properly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pressed Old Lady Mu down, not allowing her to move. She then said, ¡°Firstly, before my father¡¯s share of the family assets got carved out, the Mu Family never split up the family assets, right?¡±


    Old Lady Mu rolled her eyes and thought to herself, ¡®Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡¯


    ¡°Nobody splits up the family assets when the elderly are still around. I¡¯m not dead yet.¡±


    ¡°Alright, since the family assets weren¡¯t split up, then we should have worked together and eaten together. Forget about everything else. Mu Xue and I are both granddaughters of the Mu Family, so we should have had the same status. In reality, Mu Xue and I were livingpletely different lives.


    ¡°While she ate well, I had to put up with your attitude every time I ate. If I picked up some leftovers from her, you¡¯d say that I snatched her food. But if you ask your conscience, did I really snatch anything from her? My parents worked to put some of that food on the table. Isn¡¯t the money they earned by working enough to support a child like me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that Mu Xue enjoyed such treatment because Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt are hardworking and capable. That¡¯s not the case. Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt are exactly the same. They aren¡¯t much better than my parents, so Mu Xue and I should have been equals.


    ¡°In reality, because you¡¯re biased and unreasonable, Mu Xue¡¯s status has been different since she was born. You care only about her, and everything belongs to her. But why should everything be hers?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe recalled. ¡°Let me recall the most ridiculous and absurd incident. Oh, right, the rabbits. My dad used to catch rabbits and say it was so that everyone could eat some meat, even though it was obviously because he felt sorry for me and my younger brother. But every time he caught a rabbit, you said it was for Mu Xue and gave it to her.


    ¡°My mother secretly fed me two pieces, and you said I was stealing from Mu Xue. What a joke. Didn¡¯t my father catch the rabbit? When did it be hers?¡±


    These few sentences stunned everyone in the vige, including Old Lady Mu. She wanted to retort but didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Mu Jingzhe continued. ¡°The money was earned by everyone, and you were merely safekeeping it for the family. However, the things you bought with this money were all Mu Xue¡¯s. Mu Xue has been having malted milk since she was young and has a good foundation. My mother didn¡¯t eat well and had a low milk supply. She begged you to give me some, but you refused, saying that it was all for Mu Xue.


    ¡°My mother¡¯s heart ached for me, so she stole some to feed me and you chased her to beat her up. She was still in her confinement period, yet she was chased all over the vige and forced to hide. She was scolded by you for more than ten years. In the end, Mu Xue grew up having malted milk and eating white rice and noodles that you specifically made for her. As for me, I grew up drinking rice soup. Even then, my mother had to get beaten up in exchange for it. To be honest, I find it amazing that I made it to adulthood. How didn¡¯t I starve to death? Am I right?


    ¡°When we got bigger, Mu Xue had walnut cookies and canned fruit to eat. In fact, she could afford to be picky about the fruit she ate. But when I drank the leftover soup from the fruit cans that Mu Xue couldn¡¯t finish, you¡¯d say that I snatched Mu Xue¡¯s food. Ask yourself honestly, did I really snatch it?¡±


    When the vigers heard this, they felt extremely ufortable. In the past, they¡¯d only known that Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe were awful people, while Mu Xue was snow-white and cute. But if this snow-white cuteness had been built on bias, everything now seemed ugly and strange.


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s face alternated between shades of green and white. She ignored Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself sound so innocent. Did you really not snatch it? Have you forgotten how many clothes and shoes you stole from Xiao Xue?!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. We have to take things slowly. Now that we¡¯re done talking about food, let¡¯s talk about clothes. I did snatch Mu Xue¡¯s clothes and shoes, but why did I do it? Don¡¯t you know?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe snickered. ¡°Because I¡¯ve never worn a new set of clothes since I was young! Even my diapers were only Mu Xue¡¯s hand-me-downs. You said a little girl has no need to wear new ones and Mu Xue¡¯s old ones were good enough for me. That¡¯s why you never bought me new ones.


    ¡°Yes, most of the people in the vige are like this. After the older kids finish wearing a piece of clothing, it gets passed down to the younger kids. But I¡¯ve never seen anyone like you. You didn¡¯t let me buy new ones, and you couldn¡¯t even bear to give me old ones. You cursed every day as if you were distributing alms. Mu Xue couldn¡¯t even wear them anymore, but you simply refused to give them to me. Why was it such a heinous crime for me to snatch them?


    ¡°During the Chinese New Year, all the children in the vige, old and young, would wear new clothes. Not me. My mother tried her best to save money to buy me a new set and was scolded so badly by you that she couldn¡¯t even lift her head. You even snatched that new dress for Mu Xue. My mother and I were so angry that we took two pieces of Mu Xue¡¯s old clothes, and you called it stealing.


    ¡°I was not allowed to buy new clothes, and when a new dress was bought for me, I was not allowed to wear it. You refused to let me have her old clothes as well. Did you expect me to be naked?


    ¡°After all is said and done, what you said about me snatching Mu Xue¡¯s things was actually me snatching back the portion that should have belonged to me but had instead been given to Mu Xue.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe got increasingly out of control. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand. We¡¯re both granddaughters of the Mu Family, so why was I born to be a cheap wretch while she was born to live like a rich and pampered young miss? Why?¡±


    As she asked this, Mu Jingzhe cried uncontrobly and a strange emotion welled up in her heart. She felt wronged and relieved. This was the part that she felt the most indignant and baffled about. She desperately needed an answer.


    For the first time, Mu Jingzhe realized that perhaps the original owner of the body had not leftpletely. She had been waiting for an answer because she couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe empathized with the original owner of the body. This was the first time she experienced her grievances and resentment.


    The original owner of the body had only imitated Mu Xue so crazily in the past to try to gain some love. Even if it was just a little, it would be good if Old Lady Mu and the vigers treated her 1/10 as well as they treated Mu Xue.


    However, in the end, she¡¯d only been treated with mockery and, even worse, disgust.

 Chapter 155 - Hanging Herself to Prove Her Innocence

    <h4>Chapter 155: Hanging Herself to Prove Her Innocence</h4>


    Hence, the original Mu Jingzhe had imitated Mu Xue even more crazily. Whatever Mu Xue had, she¡¯d wanted to snatch away. Even her men. However, any revenge aside, she was also forced to do so.


    The same applied to Li Zhaodi. Had she been born a nuisance? No, Mu Jingzhe had heard from the vigers and Mu Teng that Li Zhaodi hadn¡¯t been like this before.


    She had be this way only after marrying into the family and having a child. For the sake of her child, she¡¯d be more and more of a nuisance, all thanks to Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue.


    Li Zhaodi had been a nag for more than ten years. Why were Mu Xue and Jingzhe so different when they were both granddaughters of the Mu Family? After listening to her rants for more than ten years, this had be the original owner¡¯s deep-rooted obsession. There were countless times when she had wanted to ask Old Lady Mu why.


    Old Lady Mu looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tears in a daze. It was as though she had returned to the time Mu Jingzhe was a child, when Mu Jingzhe had wanted to please her but used to be shoved away by her impatiently.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe had changed and be someone that even Old Lady Mu didn¡¯t recognize. But now, she seemed to have found a sense of familiarity in her.


    Old Lady Mu didn¡¯t say anything. Tang Moling looked at the tears on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face and his heart trembled.


    He¡¯d previously realized that Old Lady Mu was biased, but he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to live such a bitter life. Perhaps this was why she treated the five kids so well.


    Sensing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s confusion and despair, he also wanted to ask questions on her behalf. It wasn¡¯t just him; the vigers wanted to do the same.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, they are both your biological granddaughters. Why is there such a huge difference?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mu Xue isn¡¯t a grandson either. I would understand if she was a grandson, but they are both granddaughters. Why would you do that?¡±


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to ask such a question, nor had she expected her to remember such things. She felt that it was only natural, but when she saw the disapproving gazes of the vigers, she was stunned.


    Her entire face was flushed, and she couldn¡¯t speak for a moment. She red at Mu Jingzhe with resentment.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at her resentment and sneered. ¡°Can¡¯t answer?¡±


    After saying that, Mu Jingzhe suddenly looked at the crowd. ¡°Mu Xue, since she can¡¯t answer, why don¡¯t you try answering on her behalf?¡±


    The original Mu Jingzhe not only wanted to ask Old Lady Mu but also Mu Xue.


    Mu Xue was right outside the door. She¡¯d approached from behind and seen Old Lady Mu hit Mu Jingzhe the moment she¡¯d arrived. At that moment, Mu Xue had to admit that she¡¯d felt pretty damn good in her heart. However, after being called out by Mu Jingzhe, she only felt embarrassed.


    Of course, she was even more unable to answer. Because her grandmother had been good to her since she was young, she¡¯d also felt that she was different. As time had passed, she had long gotten used to it. She had never felt that there was anything bad about it, nor had she ever questioned why, so she naturally thought that this was the way things were supposed to be.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had asked her this question so suddenly, she was stumped. After Mu Jingzhe had said so much, it wouldn¡¯t sound right no matter how she answered.


    Mu Xue froze on the spot. For the first time in her life, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.


    Old Lady Mu doted on Mu Xue a lot and naturally couldn¡¯t bear to see Mu Xue be put on the spot. ¡°Why are you targeting Xiao Xue? Hasn¡¯t she given in enough to you since you were young?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°Given in? How did she give in to me? She took advantage of everything. After you got tired of hitting my mother, she¡¯de in and say a word or two¡ª¡¯Grandma, don¡¯t be angry anymore¡­¡¯ or ¡®Don¡¯t be so calctive with her¡­¡¯ Is that giving in?¡±


    There were some things that were better left unsaid, but once they were spoken, the naked truth was unbearably ugly. In the past, when she¡¯d read novels about a fan favorite lead, she¡¯d only felt great. However, when this happened in reality, it was really bloody.


    Mu Jingzheughed coldly. The way the vigers looked at the Mu Family hadpletely changed. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words had enlightened everyone. That¡¯s right. Previously, because of Old Lady Mu¡¯s attitude and Mu Xue¡¯s sensibility, they had always praised Mu Xue and looked down on Mu Jingzhe.


    In reality, Mu Xue seemed to have been bullied and had her things snatched from her every day. Mu Xue had never suffered a loss since she was young and had all along been leading a good life. On the other hand, the evil ones, Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi, who had been despised by everyone, had seen their days getting worse and worse in spite of snatching what they had.


    The vigers¡¯ strange gazesnded on Mu Xue, making her feel ashamed.


    What was this? Weren¡¯t they here to use Mu Jingzhe of snatching Tang Moling? Why would she suddenly talk about their grandmother being biased?


    Mu Xue couldn¡¯t stand such gazes and was on the verge of copsing. Old Lady Mu¡¯s heart ached as she looked at her. ¡°Xiao Xue, don¡¯t be anxious!¡±


    She looked at Mu Jingzhe and said, ¡°Why do you keep picking on Xiao Xue? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s good to her. If you have a bone to pick with anyone,e at me. What makes you think you¡¯re fit topete with Xiao Xue?! How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? How am I inferior to her? Tell me!¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately said.


    Old Lady Mu answered reflexively, ¡°Xiao Xue was born with good fortune and is destined for a life filled with riches. You can¡¯tpare!¡±


    ¡°Born with good fortune? Destined for a life filled with riches? Ha ha! That¡¯s all?¡± Mu Jingzhe spread her hands. ¡°Wasn¡¯t her good fortune forcibly obtained by sucking on the blood of everyone else in the family?


    ¡°But look at her now. Is she really fortunate?¡± Mu Jingzhe scoffed.


    Old Lady Mu couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°She?<i>was</i>?born with good fortune. This is all because of you. You stole Tang Moling from her. If you hadn¡¯t, she would have married into a rich family. She would have been living a good life. You ruined everything!¡±


    The more Old Lady Mu spoke, the angrier she got. ¡°You¡¯re the one who caused this. You still have the cheek to say all this after you stole one man after another from her¡­¡±


    ¡°I said I didn¡¯t!¡± Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth and interrupted Old Lady Mu. ¡°You have to be reasonable. Didn¡¯t she reject Shao Qihai? I only took over because she didn¡¯t want him anymore. It¡¯s just like I only dared pick up clothes that she discarded because she no longer liked them. If she didn¡¯t want him anymore, wouldn¡¯t it have been my turn?


    ¡°At the time, Shao Qihai¡¯s heart was filled with her, and she had the support of a good grandma like you. How could I have snatched him? If she¡¯d still wanted him, would I have survived to this day after snatching him? I would have been beaten to death by you long ago.¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s breath was caught in her throat. Mu Jingzhe was right again. That was right. Although she kept saying that Mu Jingzhe was shameless and had snatched Mu Xue¡¯s man, she would have beaten her to death if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Mu Xue had no longer wanted him.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say anything? Nothing you can refute? Alright, then we¡¯ll talk about Tang Moling now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pointed at Tang Moling. ¡°You keep saying that I seduced Tang Moling. Which eye of yours saw me seducing him? I can tell you directly that even if all the men in this world died, I wouldn¡¯t fall for him. Are you satisfied?¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Who knows if you¡¯re just saying one thing before everyone and doing another thing behind our backs? Who doesn¡¯t know how to swear like this?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe let out a snort. ¡°Then what do you want? You don¡¯t have any evidence and you refuse to believe what I say. Do you think I have to learn from ancient people andmit suicide just to prove my innocence?¡±


    Old Lady Mu thought that it was only right, but before she could say anything, the vigers couldn¡¯t help but speak up.


    ¡°What the heck? Which era are we living in? Jingzhe, you¡¯ve been saying there¡¯s nothing between the two of you all along. Everyone remembers it.¡±


    ¡°We believe you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the one who came over. We saw everything clearly,¡± Li Fang chimed in.

 Chapter 156 - Im Not Rich Enough For You

    <h4>Chapter 156: I¡¯m Not Rich Enough For You</h4>


    When Mu Jingzhe heard everyone speaking up for her, her heart warmed. She was d that there were many people who understood the situation. She looked at Old Lady Mu and said, ¡°Did you hear that? You can¡¯t spout nonsense without any evidence. Everyone here is an understanding person and can see clearly.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s an understanding person? They¡¯re just sailing with the wind. They¡¯re only speaking up for you because they feel that you can earn money now. Do you think that whatever you say must be the truth? I insist that you did do it!¡± Old Lady Mu was unwilling to ept this oue and started pestering her endlessly.


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°If you want to y this trick, fine. I¡¯ll y along. You said that I seduced Tang Moling, but I¡¯ve actually seen you seduce Old Man Wang and Old Man Li next door. One isn¡¯t enough. You even seduced two of them. You¡¯re gaining vigor with age, huh. Can I ask you what you think? Which one of them do you like more? Or do you like both of them equally?¡±


    Who didn¡¯t know how to spread rumors? Anyone with a mouth could do it.


    When Mu Jingzhe said that, everyone¡¯s eyes lit up, while Old Lady Mu was stunned. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What Old Man Wang and Old Man Li? What¡¯s that gibberish about me liking both of them? What kind of rubbish is that? I didn¡¯t seduce them.¡±


    The vigersughed when they heard that. Their eyes lit up as they asked, ¡°Old Lady Mu, tell us quickly, do you prefer Old Man Wang or Old Man Li?¡±


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected her reputation to be tarnished at such an old age. She nearly choked as she pointed at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You! Mu Jingzhe, you¡­ I¡¯ll tear your mouth off!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be tearing your mouth off. Old Lady Mu, you¡¯re really shameless. You¡¯re already so old, and your face is wrinkled like an orange peel. How dare you seduce my old man!¡±


    A loud shout came from the crowd. It turned out to be Old Man Wang¡¯s wife. Old Man Wang and Old Man Li¡¯s wives were there.


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s face turned purple. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it!¡±


    However, no one listened. They even advised Old Lady Mu. ¡°Old Lady Mu, Old Man Wang and Old Man Li both have wives. Don¡¯t get involved with them. If you really feel lonely, you can look for Old Man Fang. Old Man Fang is better. He¡¯s single.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Old Man Fang¡¯s health is quite good too.¡±


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s face turned green when she heard their words. ¡°Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense!¡±


    She wanted to get up and rip their mouths, but Mu Jingzhe stopped her. ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    Old Lady Mu flew into a rage and turned around to scratch Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I¡¯ll rip your mouth off!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mu Jingzhe easily grabbed her hand. ¡°You want to rip my mouth off with those old bones of yours? On the other hand, I can do that. I should¡¯ve ripped that mouth of yours off long ago.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stared intently at Old Lady Mu¡¯s mouth as though she was about to rip it off. Old Lady Mu felt a chill run down her spine, as well as a lingering fear.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡­ Quickly, tell them to stop talking!¡±


    ¡°Are you scared now? Are you feeling ufortable?¡± Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°This is how it feels when you keep spouting nonsense and ndering me. If you don¡¯t want to have anything to do with Old Man Zhao, etc, keep your mouth shut in the future.


    ¡°Otherwise, every time you make up a story about me and a man, I¡¯ll make up a story about you and an old uncle. In any case, there are plenty of Old Man Wangs in the vige.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Mu Jingzhe, you¡­¡± Old Lady Mu was so furious that she couldn¡¯t speak. At that moment, Mu Xue couldn¡¯t help but step forward. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, that¡¯s enough. Grandma is old and can¡¯t handle this kind of provocation.¡±


    ¡°And I deserve it because I¡¯m young?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°I¡¯ve made things clear today. In the future, stop making up stories about me seducing someone and all that.¡±


    Everyone quietened down, and Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue speaking. She pointed at Tang Moling and told Mu Xue, ¡°Since you said that Grandma can¡¯t handle this kind of provocation at her age, you can settle this yourself.


    ¡°Tang Moling is the one who let you down. He is here right now. You should ask him yourself why he doesn¡¯t want you since you were born with good fortune and riches.¡±


    Tang Moling was originally filled with guilt and helplessness, but when he¡¯d heard Mu Jingzhe say that she wouldn¡¯t want him even if he was the only man left on earth, he had choked. However, he still said, ¡°Yes, Mu Xue, I¡¯ve let you down. If there¡¯s anything you want,e at me. Don¡¯t implicate innocent people.¡±


    ¡°Heard that? This is your own family matter. Don¡¯t drag me into it.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. When she saw Mu Xue looking at Old Lady Mu, she couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. ¡°Mu Xue, you¡¯re not mute. Don¡¯t ask your grandma to help you with everything. Come out and say something yourself. You two can make things clear now.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was forcing Mu Xue again, Old Lady Mu was infuriated. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet. Mu Xue is a youngdy. How is she going to talk about this herself? Let me do it!¡±


    Mu Xue, who was stiff but had nowhere to hide, braced herself and said, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t say anything else. They¡¯re together. You can¡¯t beat them. It¡¯s meaningless. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    At this point, she understood that Tang Moling would not change his mind and nothing would change. Harping on this here would only humiliate her further.


    Of course, Mu Xue still believed that Mu Jingzhe would be the most humiliated.


    No matter how pitiful and reasonable Mu Jingzhe made herself out to be, the fact that she had snatched Tang Moling hadn¡¯t changed. She should be the one being criticized!


    Although these women seemed to be on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side, based on her understanding of them, they would definitely gossip behind her back.


    Mu Xue had an aggrieved look on her face, while Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead was full of ck lines[1]. These words reeked too much of a green tea smell[2]. ¡°No, Mu Xue, don¡¯t you understand the humannguage? I¡¯m asking you two to make things clear. You¡¯re not making sense. Which two people are together?¡±


    Tang Moling also felt that Mu Xue was being a little weird. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that it was meaningless just now? Why are you only saying it¡¯s meaningless after so much has been said?¡±


    Tang Moling felt a little dizzy after he finished speaking and decided to skip the topic. ¡°Since you want to say something meaningful, then I¡¯ll answer your question and tell you why I broke off my engagement to someone like you, who was born with good fortune and riches. The reason is simple. I think it¡¯s probably because I¡¯m not that rich anymore and I no longer deserve you.¡±


    He had already told Mu Xue that he no longer liked her, but he couldn¡¯t say that in front of so many people. Besides, he didn¡¯t dare drag Mu Jingzhe into this mess. He didn¡¯t dare say that he¡¯d had a change of heart and fallen in love with Mu Jingzhe, so Tang Moling changed his words.


    After Tang Moling finished speaking, he felt that there really was some meaning to all this. When he had still been the heir, everything had been fine. However, now that his uncle had woken up from hisa, everything had changed.


    Perhaps he really wasn¡¯t good enough for Mu Xue, who had been born to be rich.


    Tang Moling was shocked by his own conclusion.


    As for Old Lady Mu, her ears pricked up at the words ¡®not that rich anymore¡¯. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not that rich anymore? Did something happen to your family?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened to my family, but now that my uncle woke up from hisa, I¡¯m no longer the heir.¡± Tang Moling shrugged. ¡°I told you before that I¡¯ve been staying at my maternal grandfather¡¯s house, so these are actually my maternal grandfather¡¯s assets.


    ¡°I only became the heir because my uncle got into aa previously. Now that he is awake, I won¡¯t be needed anymore.¡±


    His maternal grandfather and uncle would not treat him badly. He could rely on his own abilities to carve out a career for himself, but he would definitely be inferior to the heir of the Ji Family.


    This was the first time Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue had heard of this. They were both shocked. Tang Moling was no longer the heir?


    [1] She was speechless and exasperated


    [2] implying that Mu Xue is a green tea b*tch, i.e. pure and innocent on the outside but b*tchy on the inside

 Chapter 157 - The Two Little Ones Seek Revenge for Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 157: The Two Little Ones Seek Revenge for Mommy</h4>


    No one knew what Mu Xue was thinking, but Old Lady Mu was very realistic. She quickly realized that Tang Moling would not be so rich in the future. When one thought about it, it made sense. If it were her, she wouldn¡¯t be willing to hand over such a huge inheritance to her maternal grandson either.


    They were all grandsons, but the addition of the word ¡®maternal¡¯ made him an outsider.


    If he was no longer the heir of a wealthy family, then he might not be a good match for Xiao Xue.


    Everyone in the vige knew how capable Tang Moling was. After all, Old Lady Mu had bragged a lot about him. However, they hadn¡¯t expected him to lose the position of the heir just like that.


    Everyone was discussing amongst themselves. Old Lady Mu looked at the calm Tang Moling and suddenly felt that his aura seemed to have weakened.


    In that case, there was no need for her to continue pestering him.


    Old Lady Mu grabbed Mu Xue¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Xiao Xue.¡±


    Tang Moling, who had lost his status as the heir, was immediately abandoned by Old Lady Mu. She quickly determined that Xiao Xue would definitely find someone better.


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She wondered how old Tang Moling¡¯s uncle was. If he was younger, perhaps even though things hadn¡¯t worked out with Tang Moling, they could work out with his uncle?


    Old Lady Mu pondered it for a moment before asking Mu Xue, ¡°Xiao Xue, did Tang Moling ever mention his uncle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard him mention him before, but he didn¡¯t say much. I don¡¯t know much about him.¡± Mu Xue was a little distracted.


    ¡°If only we could meet him.¡± Old Lady Mu was a little anxious. She wanted to ask around but she held herself back.


    Even if she didn¡¯t look for him, Xiao Xue was capable enough to meet someone herself. She might be able to meet someone soon or save someone, just like she had saved Tang Moling. Besides, she would definitely meet someone even wealthier! Old Lady Mu decided to wait for now.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue were thinking, but she could tell that after Tang Moling had said that he had lost his heir position, their attitudes seemed to have changed.


    However, she didn¡¯t care about that. After they left, she took a deep breath and got back to work. She didn¡¯t care about the people outside, nor did she pay attention to Tang Moling.


    Tang Moling hadn¡¯t expected his appearance to cause Mu Jingzhe so much trouble. He was filled with regret as he hurriedly chased after her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know this would happen¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you so. You didn¡¯t give up. Now, it¡¯s been confirmed. Is that enough?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe turned around. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything else. Just remember that if youe looking for me again in the future, I won¡¯t be polite. I¡¯ll beat you up every time youe.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Tang Moling was about to speak when Shao Dong interrupted him. ¡°Uncle Tang, please leave my house immediately.¡±


    Shao Dong was followed by Shao Xi and the others, who were huffing and puffing with anger. Even Xiao Wu, who had followed his older brothers to sit in on a first-grade ss, ran back with them.


    ¡°Shao Dong, I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen. I didn¡¯t know things would turn out like this¡­¡±


    Shao Dong brought along his siblings and aggressively walked up to Tang Moling, interrupting him. ¡°Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Uncle Tang, you¡¯ve already caused my mother a lot of trouble. Now that you know this, you should leave quickly.¡±


    Tang Moling was forced to leave the Shao Residence. When he returned to the car, he was extremely vexed.


    Although he was reluctant, Tang Moling had no choice but to leave. On the way back, he bumped into Shao Qiyang, who had just gotten off work. Shao Qiyang was still unaware of what had happened in the vige. When he saw Tang Moling¡¯s car, he gave way and didn¡¯t pay attention to it.


    When he returned and heard the gossip circting in the vige, Shao Qiyang was filled with regret. He should have stopped Tang Moling and beaten him up!


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t understand why Tang Moling and Mu Xue had suddenly broken off the engagement. He hadn¡¯t expected that he would switch and target Mu Jingzhe instead. He was furious.


    After feeling angry, he became even more anxious. Ji Buwang was enough to make him wary. In the end, one man wasn¡¯t enough. Tang Moling had also jumped out of nowhere. Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t know why Tang Moling wanted to force his way in even though he was obviously Mu Xue¡¯s man.


    When he found out that Old Lady Mu had scolded her so badly, he was so angry that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    After tossing and turning until midnight, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help but get up. He was prepared to do something to teach foul-mouthed Old Lady Mu a lesson.


    In the end, he sneaked out of the door, only to bump into Shao Xi and Shao Nan.


    ¡°Where are you kids going?¡±


    ¡°To the bathroom. What about you, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°Me too. Number 2. You kids should go back and rest first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Half an hourter, the three of them bumped into each other outside the Mu Residence again. They looked at each other, and the air was silent momentarily. Finally, Shao Qiyang held back his difort and said, ¡°Tell me, what are you guys up to?¡±


    This time¡­ it wasn¡¯t easy to lie. Shao Xi looked at Shao Nan. ¡°We¡¯re not up to much. We just wanted to free some things that lost their freedom before.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shao Nan said with emphasis. ¡°We won¡¯t hurt anyone. It¡¯s just a small kind of revenge.¡± He was paying attention to these things now. Originally, he had thought of even better ideas and shared them with Shao Xi, but he didn¡¯t n to take any action.


    In the end, Shao Qiyang worked with Shao Xi and Shao Nan to release the wild hare and pheasant that Old Lady Mu had praised so highly.


    The pheasant had been caught by Old Lady Mu when she¡¯d gone up the mountain and set a trap. She nned to sell it if she could or eat it herself. The wild hare had also been caught previously. The pheasant and wild hare were both very precious to her.


    However, Shao Qiyang and Shao Xi secretly let them go that night. Shao Nan took care of the Mu Family¡¯s dog and prevented it from barking.


    Shao Qiyang, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, whose evil mission had been aplished, went back quietly. They only whispered a few words when they got home.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mischievous again, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re also mischievous even though you¡¯re so much older than us.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°Stop fooling around and go back to sleep.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan returned to their room andy down softly. Just as they heaved a sigh of relief, they heard Shao Dong¡¯s voice. ¡°Did you vent your anger?¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan jumped in fright and sat up abruptly. ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet. Xiao Wu is still asleep.¡± Shao Dong¡¯s voice was extremely calm.


    ¡°Brother, you knew that we went out?¡± Shao Xi asked in embarrassment. They had thought that they had been careful enough.


    ¡°I noticed that something was amissst night before we went to bed,¡± Shao Dong said calmly. He had seen them exchange knowing looksst night.


    Besides, not only did he know that they had gone out, but he had also followed them out. Initially, he¡¯d wanted to keep an eye out for the two of them, but he hadn¡¯t expected Young Uncle to go as well.


    After Shao Dong finished speaking, Shao Xi and Shao Nan felt embarrassed and a little helpless. Why couldn¡¯t they escape Big Brother¡¯s eyes no matter what?


    Big Brother was really amazing.


    When dawn broke, Shao Xi and Shao Nan finally realized that Shao Dong was more amazing than they had imagined.


    Old Lady Mu woke up early in the morning, only to see that the pheasant and wild hare were gone. She was so furious that she nearly went crazy. Afraid that she had lost other things too, she quickly went to check.


    The pig at home was fine. However, when Old Lady Mu took a look at it, she was frightened out of her wits. The pig was still there, but it had changed beyond recognition. Its mouth had been painted blood red, as though it had been ripped open and sewn back together.


    Old Lady Mu couldn¡¯t help but recall how she had scolded Mu Jingzhe yesterday. This was a tant warning. This was a warning for her to shut up, or she would end up like this.


    Old Lady Mu was so angry that she couldn¡¯t catch her breath. ¡°Mu Jingzhe. It must be Mu Jingzhe. The wild hare, the pheasant, and the pig. How could she do this? I¡­¡±


    Old Lady Mu was about to curse Mu Jingzhe out of habit, but when she saw the pig, she suddenly stopped and changed her words. ¡°What kind of sin have Imitted?¡±

 Chapter 158 - Old Lady Mu Steals An Old Mans Undershirt

    <h4>Chapter 158: Old Lady Mu Steals An Old Man¡¯s Undershirt</h4>


    Old Lady Mu treasured this big white pig very much. Most of the pigs reared in the vige were ck pigs. She was the only one who had a white pig. This kind of white pig was imported from overseas, and white piglets were more expensive than ck piglets. However, it ate a lot, grew very quickly, and was a favorite of Old Lady Mu. She served it meticulously.


    Initially, she had nned to ughter it when Mu Xue got married. But now, Mu Xue was no longer getting married, and the big white pig was also ruined.


    News of themotion at Old Lady Mu¡¯s house quickly spread throughout the vige. When Shao Xi and Shao Nan heard it, they quickly went to look for Shao Dong¡¯s paintbrush. Sure enough, they saw that the red one was missing.


    ¡°Big Brother, why didn¡¯t you ask us toe along? What if you¡¯d gotten bitten by the pig?¡±


    Shao Dong pretended to be puzzled. ¡°What are you talking about? What do you mean by that? I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°Pretend, Big Brother. Go on pretending. Yesterday, I was wondering why you didn¡¯t say anything. I knew you were the worst.¡± Shao Dong had simply let them best night.


    Yes, Shao Dong was the one who had messed with the big white pig. That was a real warning.


    Since Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han treated Mu Jingzhe well, they would treat them well and acknowledge them as their grandparents and uncle. However, since Old Lady Mu wouldn¡¯t acknowledge them and treated Mommy badly, their attitude would be different.


    Mommy was worried that she was an olddy and couldn¡¯t do anything to her, so he would teach her a lesson personally.


    In any case, it didn¡¯t matter if he was discovered. He was a child after all. Children and the elderly were equal. No one would say anything.


    While Shao Dong had attacked the big white pig, Shao Xi had sneakily done something else. He¡¯d secretly stolen the undershirt drying in Old Man Wang¡¯s yard next door and hidden it under Old Lady Mu¡¯s pillow.


    This idea was originally Shao Nan¡¯s, who was full of bad ideas. However, Shao Nan had no intention of putting it into action because of what Mu Jingzhe had taught him previously. He¡¯d only secretly shared it with Shao Xi.


    Unexpectedly, Shao Xi was unwilling to simply let the idea remain an idea and had decided to put it into action.


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t noticed it at that moment and was still angry about the big white pig. Then, she heard amotion next door. Someone had stolen an old man¡¯s undershirt in the vige. It was baffling why the thief had chosen to steal this old undershirt, which even had a hole in the back.


    Soon, Madam Mu, who was diligently cleaning up and washing Old Lady Mu¡¯s clothes, identally pulled out the undershirt under her pillow. Seeing the hole in the back of the undershirt, Madam Mu let out a cry of surprise and tossed it aside.


    Coincidentally, Old Man Wang¡¯s wife hade to the Mu Residence to look for that undershirt, wanting to see if the wind had blown it there. When she heard the cry of surprise and saw the undershirt, she instantly exploded.


    As soon as the truth was revealed, Old Lady Mu was beaten up by Old Man Wang¡¯s wife for half an hour. Her scalp was nearly peeled off.


    This news quickly spread throughout the entire vige. No one had expected that Mu Jingzhe would actually be speaking the truth.


    Previously, they had dismissed this as a joke and hadn¡¯t taken it seriously. They hadn¡¯t expected Old Lady Mu to be so aggressive as to steal Old Man Wang¡¯s undershirt.


    Everyone in the vige was shocked. Eldest Brother Mu and Third Brother Mu were also astounded. The whole family, including Mu Xue, was left speechless by the revtion. They couldn¡¯t look Old Lady Mu in the eye.


    Third Brother Mu even said that Old Lady Mu had disgraced the Mu Family. Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a situation and was so angry that she lost two of her teeth. Later on, she even threatened to hang herself andmit suicide to prove her innocence. Only then did the Mu Family believe her.


    However, many people in the vige still gossiped about her. Old Lady Mu imed that Mu Jingzhe had framed her, but no one believed her.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard what had happened to Old Lady Mu, she thought to herself,?<i>Serves her right. Someone like her doesn¡¯t deserve to eat pheasants and wild hares. This is terrific.</i>


    While craving a spicy rabbit head, she said hypocritically, ¡°Rabbits are so cute. How can you eat cute little rabbits?¡±


    After hearing her own words, Mu Jingzhe was disgusted by herself and shut her mouth.


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked by the fact that Old Lady Mu¡¯s undershirt had been hidden under Old Lady Mu¡¯s pillow. She hadn¡¯t expected her casual remark to be true.


    Upon hearing the gossip of the vigers, Mu Jingzhe only shook her head and didn¡¯t rub it in.


    On the other hand, Shao Dong found Shao Nan, patted his shoulder, and said without rhyme or reason, ¡°In the future, talk with me before you do such things.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, Big Brother. It really wasn¡¯t me this time!¡±


    However, Shao Dong firmly believed it was Shao Nan, as this idea reeked strongly of Shao Nan¡¯s style. In the end, Shao Nan and Shao Xi seemed to fight and even have a small conflict.


    Mu Jingzhe asked them what they were fighting over, but they refused to tell her. Mu Jingzhe could only say that they weren¡¯t allowed to fight. Both of them agreed, andter, they somehow reconciled.


    On the weekend, the five kids went to art school for lessons. When Xiao Wu saw Ji Buwang, he told him about Tang Moling visiting their home and Mommy being scolded.


    ¡°Teacher Ji, aren¡¯t you his uncle? Can you control Uncle Tang?¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Xiao Wu¡¯s blinking eyes and ground his teeth as he smiled. ¡°Of course. Xiao Wu, I will teach him a lesson and spank his butt.¡±


    No wonder Tang Moling had avoided him when they¡¯d met yesterday. He must have gotten into trouble again.


    Ji Buwang continued teaching Xiao Wu. After ss, he smiled and said goodbye to Xiao Wu, but when he turned around, his expression changed.


    When they got home, the first thing Ji Buwang told Uncle Li was, ¡°Find Tang Moling.¡±


    Uncle Li saw that there was something wrong with Ji Buwang¡¯s expression and didn¡¯t dare say too much. ¡°Yes.¡±


    While Ji Buwang was waiting for Tang Moling, he found a suitable tool and waited for Tang Moling toe. The first thing Tang Moling saw as he cautiously entered was Ji Buwang holding a feather duster.


    Tang Moling panicked even more. ¡°Uncle¡­ Uncle, why have you been looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Judging from your expression, you know you did something wrong.¡±


    Tang Moling swallowed his saliva and forced himself not to admit it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still pretending even now. Tang Moling, when you wanted to be in a rtionship, when you wanted to get engaged, Grandfather and I never said anything. But look at what you¡¯re doing. Is marriage a joke to you? You¡¯re getting engaged today, and you¡¯re canceling the engagement tomorrow. You like this today, and you like that tomorrow.


    ¡°After provoking the older cousin, why did you go on to provoke the younger cousin? You implicated Jingzhe and caused her to be scolded! Didn¡¯t Jingzhe reject you? Do you know how scary gossip can be? Because of Jingzhe¡¯s words, I haven¡¯t gone to the vige to look for her until now, fearing that people will gossip about her because of me. But look at what you¡¯ve done!


    ¡°The entire vige knew about your rtionship with Mu Xue. After getting engaged, you broke off the engagement and even dared to look for Jingzhe at her home. Do you have a grudge against her?¡±


    Tang Moling had been feeling guilty for the past two days and hadn¡¯t slept well at night. ¡°I know I was wrong, Uncle. I didn¡¯t expect them to go so overboard. Besides, I told Old Lady Mu that I¡¯m no longer rich and I¡¯m not worthy of her granddaughter, who was born to be rich. She probably won¡¯t cause any more trouble.¡±


    Ji Buwang choked when he heard the part about someone being ¡®born to be rich¡¯. He had no idea Old Lady Mu was now eyeing him and considering him for the position of her grandson-inw. He asked, ¡°Have you really realized your mistake?¡±


    ¡°I really have. Uncle, don¡¯t scold me anymore. I won¡¯t go to Great Eastern Vige to look for her in the future, okay?¡±


    ¡°Only Great Eastern Vige? Are the people in Great Eastern Vige rooted in Great Eastern Vige? Don¡¯t they go out?¡±

 Chapter 159 - Mu Jingzhe Is Famous

    <h4>Chapter 159: Mu Jingzhe Is Famous</h4>


    Tang Moling was frustrated by Ji Buwang¡¯s question. ¡°Then what should I do? Uncle, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Seems like you still haven¡¯t understood your mistake. Get down.¡± Ji Buwang coldly interrupted Tang Moling¡¯s defense.


    Tang Moling was so frightened that he almost jumped up. ¡°No way, Uncle. I¡¯m already so old, yet you still want to spank me? How am I going to face anyone in the future?¡±


    He was only a few years older than him, but he had been threatening to spank him since they were young. What right did he have?


    Tang Moling guarded his butt and red at Ji Buwang, who sneered.


    ¡°You know that you¡¯re old, but look at what you¡¯ve done. Which of the things you have done seems like it was done by an adult? You knew very well that this would affect Jingzhe, but did you ever think about it from her perspective? No, you only care about your own feelings!¡±


    Ji Buwang had a disappointed look on his face. ¡°Tang Moling, you¡¯re too selfish.¡±


    He was so selfish that even Shao Qiyang was better than him. At least, Shao Qiyang was aware of the pros and cons. No matter what, he had been acting with Jingzhe¡¯s best interests in mind.


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t help but take a step back when he heard Ji Buwang¡¯s words. His uncle was right, but all he wanted was to express his love for her bravely. ¡°In the past, you taught me not to care too much about other people¡¯s gossip¡­¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t teach you to ignore the trouble and gossip you caused others!¡± Ji Buwang snorted. ¡°Listen to me. If you dare look for Jingzhe again, I¡¯ll break your legs!¡±


    ¡°What right do you have to do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your uncle, and Mu Jingzhe is your future aunt! Do you think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been asking around?¡±


    Tang Moling couldn¡¯t take this lying down. ¡°You say that she¡¯s my future aunt. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s already my aunt. What right do you have to break my legs? If she bes my aunt, then forget it. You can break my legs. But she¡¯s not!¡±


    Tang Moling stepped back warily. ¡°I won¡¯t give up. Even though you¡¯re my uncle, I¡¯ll stillpete fairly.¡±


    ¡°Say that again?¡± Ji Buwang looked at Tang Moling dangerously, the feather duster in his hand eager for action.


    ¡°This won¡¯t change no matter how many times you speak. I won¡¯t give up even if you spank me,¡± Tang Moling dered stubbornly.


    ¡°So you want people to constantly criticize and point at Jingzhe? After the vigers point at her, she will be known among the Ji Family and friends as the woman an uncle and nephew are fighting over. You want Jingzhe to be used of seducing men again?¡±


    Tang Moling paused.


    After the previous incident and the conversation with Ji Buwang, Tang Moling stopped trying to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    Meanwhile, Ji Buwang also got busy. The news of his return had spread, and it was unavoidable that many social events and things would need attention.


    Old Master Ji hadn¡¯t urged Ji Buwang previously, but this time, he said that he had rested enough and should get back to his serious work.


    However, both grandfather and grandson had the same attitude toward Tang Moling. Not only did they not take back what they had handed over to Tang Moling, but Ji Buwang even increased his workload.


    Ji Buwang felt that Tang Moling¡¯s mind was filled with love and affection because he had too much free time. It¡¯d be good to keep him busy.


    The Ji Family had arge family business. Regardless of whether he was the heir or not, they wouldn¡¯t treat Tang Moling unfairly. Tang Moling could continue working in the family business.


    Tang Moling hadn¡¯t expected that there would be even more things for him to deal with after Ji Buwang woke up. He was so busy that he really didn¡¯t have time to bother Mu Jingzhe anymore.


    While Tang Moling was busy, Ji Buwang was free, so he continued going to the art school to teach. When he was free, he would read books on how to interact with children and study.


    Uncle Li: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had thought that since his nephew was involved, he might give up. Now, it was apparent that his young master was bent on bing a stepfather.


    Uncle Li hesitated for a while, but in the end, he still reported the situation to the Old Master.


    Actually, Old Master Ji wasn¡¯tpletely clueless. This was also the reason he had allowed Ji Buwang to rest elsewhere. In the past, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t even wanted to get married. Now that the iron tree had finally bloomed, he naturally hoped for it to blossom and bear fruit.


    Old Master Ji didn¡¯t investigate further, just like he had stayed out of it when Tang Moling had insisted on getting engaged to a girl from the vige.


    This was a lesson he¡¯d learned from Tang Moling¡¯s mother. She was his first granddaughter, the apple of his eye, and he had always wanted to give her the best.


    Therefore, when he¡¯d learned that his granddaughter had fallen in love with such a poor guy, he had objected. It wasn¡¯t that he despised the guy for being poor, but he could tell that he wasn¡¯t a good match for her. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that his granddaughter would elope with him.


    This granddaughter of his hadpletely broken Old Master Ji¡¯s heart. Later on, she¡¯d even lost her life, and he hadn¡¯t even gotten to see her for thest time. She had only left behind this maternal great-grandson for Old Master Ji.


    From then on, Old Master Ji had decided not to interfere with the marriages of the younger generation. Whether they were happy or not was up to them. Anyway, the youngsters would probably eventually end the rtionship themselves without needing him to object.


    That was exactly what had happened with Tang Moling in the end. Old Master Ji just hadn¡¯t expected that he would fall for another girl. Coincidentally, it was the girl that Buwang also liked.


    Old Master Ji didn¡¯t think that Mu Jingzhe had seduced them or anything, but he was really curious about her.


    However, after listening to Uncle Li¡¯s detailed report, not only was Old Master Ji curious about Mu Jingzhe, but he was also interested in the children. The children seemed to be pretty good kids. More importantly, Mu Jingzhe, who wasn¡¯t rted to them by blood, was very concerned about them. From the looks of it, she had made up her mind to take care of them.


    To think that kid Buwang actually cared about them too.


    Hence, Old Master Ji was suddenly curious about the children and wanted to meet them.


    Old Master Ji was quite calm when he received the news, but the others were a little worked up.


    When the news of Ji Buwang waking up spread, many people started paying attention to him. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t make any effort to conceal the matter, and soon, people found out that he seemed to be interested in a girl. No, it would be more urate to say that he was interested in a young widow.


    Word of the fact that Tang Moling was also fond of Mu Jingzhe had yet to spread. Everyone¡¯s attention was still on the fact that Tang Moling had taken a fancy to a vige girl. Now that he had lost his position as the heir, the amount of attention he received had dropped significantly.


    Their attention turned to Ji Buwang, who had miraculously woken up after four years of being in aa. After a lot of waiting, instead of hearing news of him fighting for the position of the heir, they ended up hearing that he had taken a fancy to a young widow with five children.


    Everyone was shocked. Although theyter found out that the five children weren¡¯t rted to the widow by blood, it was undeniable that the woman was a young widow.


    Who was Ji Buwang? He was an arrogant man who even looked down on many nobledies, yet his taste had turned out to be very unique. Everyone wanted to know how beautiful and outstanding Mu Jingzhe was.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that she had already be famous in this circle. Her name had even spread to Ocean City and the capital, making her a legendary existence.


    Without Tang Moling to disturb her, Mu Jingzhe felt much better and could focus on the matters at hand.


    Over at the paper manufacturing factory, after some adjustments, they were already on the right track. They began to producerge quantities of toilet paper and sanitary pads.


    Mu Jingzhe was busy running the business. She wasn¡¯t in a hurry to produce tissue paper. The toilet paper she produced was mainly the rolled kind andrge-sheet kind. These days, many people were used to usingrge sheets.

 Chapter 160 - Poor Shao Qihai

    <h4>Chapter 160: Poor Shao Qihai</h4>


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had quite a few contacts, she took fewer detours. She started selling toilet paper to the entire province and even outside of the province.


    Sanitary pads were actually harder to sell. Many people weren¡¯t in the habit of using them, especially in the countryside. For the time being, she could only start selling in the city.


    In order to increase the poprity of the products, Mu Jingzhe even specifically paid to have them advertised. The effect was pretty good, and everything was finally on track.


    Meanwhile, Shao Dong¡¯s scavenging business also finally developed. Mu Han had been staying outside all this while, but he had earned quite a bit.


    Previously, Shao Dong had said that he wanted to open a fruit factory and make soda and juice to sell them. This n was slowly put into action. Coincidentally, there was quite a lot of fruit in the county, and there were also many varieties. In addition, he could buy some from the surrounding county. This waspletely doable.


    Before the winter break, Shao Dong had been preparing to skip grades while he and Mu Jingzhe had been busy with this matter. Finally, before the winter break arrived, he had forcefully opened the factory in the county.


    Although the factory wasn¡¯trge at first, it was one of the few factories in the county. On the surface, Mu Jingzhe was in charge, but Shao Dong was actually in charge of many things.


    Shao Dong was currently only eight years old.


    ¡°What is a business genius? Our Little Dong is one!¡± Mu Jingzhe rubbed Shao Dong¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re incredible.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s face was a little red. ¡°It¡¯s all because of Mommy¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°You really are incredible. No need to be humble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Big Brother. You¡¯re incredible!¡± Little Bei and the rest joined in by praising him as well. Shao Nan praised him, but he seemed to be deep in thought.


    As they were praising him, the voice of an auntie came from outside. It turned out that she was there to sell walnuts.


    There were many walnuts in the vige. After the factory was opened, the family started collecting walnuts and preparing to make walnut juice.


    Anyone in the vige who had walnuts sold them to the Shao Family, which acquired another source of ie. Everyone praised Mu Jingzhe and the children of the Shao Family whenever they saw them. Mu Xue had thought that everyone would scold Mu Jingzhe behind her back, but it never happened.


    There simply wasn¡¯t a chance for it to happen. How could they scold Mu Jingzhe when she even increased their ie? Was there anyone in the surrounding viges who didn¡¯t envy Great Eastern Vige?


    It wasn¡¯t like people from other viges couldn¡¯t sell their produce to other factories. It was just that Mu Jingzhe and the Shao kids were fair and wouldn¡¯t cheat honest people. It would definitely be better to sell to them since they were from the same vige. Therefore, everyone regarded Mu Jingzhe as the little god of wealth in the vige.


    ¡°Jingzhe, take a look. These are the walnuts that my family peeled. I¡¯ve separated them. I¡¯ve picked out the small ck ones.¡±


    It was hard to peel walnuts, so the factory mainly collected peeled walnuts. The price of unpeeled walnuts was lower. The prices also varied ording to the quality. Everyone in Great Eastern Vige was obedient and did whatever they were told.


    ¡°Alright, wait for me to weigh them,¡± Mu Jingzhe said. Shao Dong recorded the information while Shao Xi gave the auntie the money. They cooperated very well.


    The auntie left with a satisfied smile after receiving the money.


    When the factory started operating, Shao Nan said that he wanted Mu Jingzhe to apany him to the capital to participate in the recording of a game show.


    This was a nationwide quiz game show. There wasn¡¯t much of a script, and the participants relied on their abilities. Many of them were young geniuses, and the older kids were even in high school.


    Although it was considered to be a new program, which meant that rtively fewer people were registering for it, because it was open to the entire country, thepetition was no joke. In the end, Shao Nan silently obtained one of the top 100 spots.


    ¡°When did you register for the preliminaries? Why didn¡¯t I know this before? Did you participate in secret?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I thought I¡¯d tell you guys about it if I got in. And if I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d forget about it.¡± Shao Nan nodded.


    Previously, he had discovered that everyone in the family had already started earning money. Big Brother was doing business. Second Brother¡¯s essays were being published everywhere, and he had already gained some fame and earned quite a lot of royalties. Little Bei had acted in a television drama and then in a movie. The television drama was about to be broadcast, and the movie was about to be released. Given her talent, she would definitely be famous in the future.


    Even the youngest, Xiao Wu, who had previously helpedpose songs to earn money, didn¡¯t have to worry about his future. From the looks of it, out of the five of them, he was the only one who had yet to earn money and was still holding them back.


    Shao Nan felt that this couldn¡¯t go on. He had to earn money too. None of the five of them should fall behind. It would be best if all of them became famous. Only then would Shao Qihai, who had abandoned them, regret it when he saw how sessful they were.


    Shao Nan, who didn¡¯t want to be a burden, had happened to see the announcement of the television station¡¯s program. Seeing that the reward was generous and that he would be able to appear on television, he felt that it sounded pretty good overall, so he¡¯d signed up to participate.


    The preliminary round was held in the county, and not many people participated in it. He was the only person in the county who passed the preliminary round. After that, it was time for the semi-finals, which were held in the city. Fortunately, it was no longer troublesome for them to go to the city.


    After half a day, he passed the semi-finals and even made it to the top 100 in the country thanks to his outstanding performance. He only informed Mu Jingzhe after receiving the notice that he was going to the capital to record the show.


    ¡°You sure are capable.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hurriedly prepared to go to the capital. After Ji Buwang heard about it, he said that he was also going to the capital because he wanted to go home and take a look.


    When Ji Buwang found out the date of departure, he directly booked a ne ticket. Hence, Mu Jingzhe took the ne for the first time after transmigrating. Shao Nan was also the first to get on a ne among the five kids.


    Little Bei and the rest were very envious. Little Bei even swore. ¡°I want to take a ne next time too!¡±


    With Ji Buwang traveling with them, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have to worry too much on the way. When they boarded the ne, Mu Jingzhe was afraid that Shao Nan wouldn¡¯t be used to the feeling of the ne taking off, so she gave him a few pointers.


    The three of them traveled together and were sessfully mistaken for a family of three.


    The ne carried Mu Jingzhe and the others far away. While gazing at the ne flying overhead, Shao Qihai was speechless.


    During this period, Shao Qihai had been secretly changing his identity from time to time, disguising himself to protect Mu Jingzhe and the kids. Although he didn¡¯t go to the vige, he never lost them.


    Shao Nan had participated in the show quietly, so Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t known about it. When he¡¯d suddenly found out that they were going to the capital, he felt determined to follow them there. In the end, he¡¯d bought a train ticket, but Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan took a ne.


    By the time Shao Qihai realized that, he could no longer buy a ne ticket, so he could only hold on to his train ticket and watch Ji Buwang fly away with his wife and kid as though they were a family of three.


    Oh no, he still had to run to the train station to catch up with them.


    Although Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan might already be returning by the time he arrived in the capital by train, he still had to go.


    By the time Shao Qihai boarded the train, Mu Jingzhe had already gotten off the ne and arrived at the capital.


    Along the way, Mu Jingzhe took several photos of Shao Nan, including photos of him sitting on the ne next to the fluffy white clouds.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had regretted not having a camera to capture precious moments. Once she had the money, she¡¯d immediately bought one and taken photos of memorable moments or photos of them in a good mood.


    These photos might not feel like much when they were taken, but as time passed, they would be the most precious things.


    Ji Buwang took a photo of Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t stingy and took two photos of Ji Buwang as well. Then, before they got off the ne, the air stewardess enthusiastically took a group photo of their ¡®family of three¡¯.


    As Shao Nan walked out of the ne, he turned back to exin to the air stewardess that Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t his father and they weren¡¯t a family of three.

 Chapter 161 - Ji Buwang, Havent You Gone to Become a Live-In Son-In-Law?

    <h4>Chapter 161: Ji Buwang, Haven¡¯t You Gone to Be a Live-In Son-In-Law?</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan reported to the TV station. The TV station would arrange amodation for them, so Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have to worry about it.


    Ji Buwang finally decided not to stay in the hotel with them. Instead, he went home because Old Master Ji was also in the capital. If he didn¡¯t go back, his legs might get broken.


    ¡°Oh, you finally decided toe back.¡± Old Master Ji¡¯s face was full of surprise when he saw Ji Buwang return. ¡°I thought that you hadpletely be a marrieddy.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Geez, Grandpa¡­¡±


    ¡°What did I say wrong? Other families say that a grown girl can¡¯t be kept at home, but as far as our family is concerned, a grown man can¡¯t be kept at home. Xiao Ling is like that, and so are you. If one didn¡¯t know better, they¡¯d think you had gone to be a live-in son-inw. I could only think that the two of you got married.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Grandpa, if you continue, I will really return to my ¡®inws¡¯.¡±


    Old Master Ji almost threw the teacup in his hand over. ¡°I¡¯m just lecturing you by saying a word or two, yet you¡¯re really ying along, huh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a must. Whatever you say, Grandfather.¡±


    Old Master Ji looked behind him. ¡°You have such a sweet mouth. Why didn¡¯t you bring her home?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s no hurry. The timing is not right yet.¡±


    Jingzhe hadn¡¯t epted him yet, so it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to bring her home. Ji Buwang felt that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was filled with business and the children and didn¡¯t include any other thoughts.


    Ji Buwang was right. The next day, when the program officially started, Mu Jingzhe no longer had time to pay attention to him.


    The top 100 contestants werepeting on the same stage, and the program would proceed via elimination. One round after another, people would be eliminated. The one with the mostprehensive knowledge reserve would be crowned champion.


    There was a total of ten episodes. The first two episodes were the preliminary rounds, and the finals would be recorded over three days. After three days, the champion would emerge. The three days of recording would be edited into eight episodes for the broadcast.


    Amongst the top 100 contestants, the youngest was Shao Nan. The next youngest contestants were already in the sixth grade, so they were 11 to 12 years old. He was the only six-year-old there.


    At first, the other participants thought that he hade to the wrong ce or had followed his older brother in. They were surprised when theyter found out that he was also a participant.


    Upon discovering that he was participating in thepetition, although the others didn¡¯t say it, they felt that the production team was being absurd. There was quite a number of audience members who also thought that Shao Nan was just there to be a mascot.


    However, as thepetition went on, after one day, when 1/3 of the contestants had been eliminated, everyone realized that Shao Nan was still around.


    They all started to look at Shao Nan seriously and treat him as an opponent. They even went to inquire about his situation.


    Everyone there was basically a genius that others spoke of. Even though Shao Nan was young, everyone was still willing to ept this.


    However, on the second day, after 2/3 of the contestants were eliminated, only 30 or so people were left to proceed to the finals. Shao Nan was still there.


    The questions set by the program were very difficult and required a lot of knowledge. Anyone who could enter the finals wasn¡¯t simple.


    Everyone became even more vignt around Shao Nan and started treating him as a powerfulpetitor.


    However, the finals on the third day, especially thepetition in the afternoon and evening, showed everyone that they had underestimated Shao Nan again.


    The first few questions were set and answered by all the contestants. Those who got the answers right in the shortest amount of time would advance, whereas those who got the questions wrong or exceeded the time limit would be eliminated. Everyone was answering the questions. Shao Nan quietly answered the questions, and his speed wasn¡¯t too fast either, so he didn¡¯t attract much attention.


    However, when more than half of the participants were eliminated in the afternoon and only the top ten began to charge into the top three, Shao Nan began to shine. This was also when they entered the toss-up question segment[1].


    Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. There seemed to be no questions that Shao Nan couldn¡¯t answer. There seemed to be nothing that Shao Nan didn¡¯t know. Especially when it came to legal knowledge, he appeared all the more outstanding.


    Shao Nan, who was dressed in a refined manner and looked like a little prince, started his final attack.


    The people present, the spectators, and even the host were all shocked by Shao Nan. Shao Nan answered the questions correctly all the way and directly advanced to the top three, starting to fight for first ce.


    As for the other two people whopeted with him for first ce, one of them was a girl in the third year of junior high school, and the other was a boy in the second year of senior high school. They were originally the most outstanding people there, but as they faced Shao Nan, they felt pressure for the first time.


    Shao Nan repeatedly hit the buzzer and answered the questions, giving them a lot of pressure. They exchanged blows on the stage, and the audience below the stage became nervous.


    Mu Jingzhe felt like she was on a rollercoaster ride for three days, especially in the finals. She was so nervous that her palms were sweating.


    The audience on the side could tell that Mu Jingzhe was Shao Nan¡¯s mother. They were very curious and they asked her how she¡¯d managed to nurture Shao Nan so well. In answer, Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t nurture him much. He¡¯s outstanding himself.¡±


    In fact, Mu Jingzhe was also shocked by Shao Nan at first, butter, when she thought about it, it all made sense. In the original storyline, he was a top student, a future scientific researcher, and a self-taught genius who would be a medical expert.


    Someone with this kind of learning ability definitely wouldn¡¯t fare badly, not to mention that he had a strong memory and worked really hard.


    During this period, Shao Nan had basically finished reading all the books in the county library. He had even read the books that she had bought. He had also read a lot of books he had borrowed from Ji Buwang¡¯s home. It could be said that Shao Nan read the most among the five kids.


    While Shao Dong was doing business, he read books and studied. While Shao Xi was reading books and writing, he was still studying. While Little Bei was acting and Xiao Wu was ying music, he was still studying and learning.


    Learning and reading were pretty much what he did all day long. He read the most books and had a good memory. With his photographic memory, he could basically remember everything after reading it once. Hence, at such a young age, he had a shocking amount of knowledge, especially in the field of thew.


    It just so happened that at this knowledgepetition, besidespeting, people also wanted to spread some crucial knowledge. There were more questions about thew, so Shao Nan had an advantage.


    No one would have thought that at such a young age, Shao Nan would have seriously studied thew. In the end, Shao Nan became the champion of the show.


    It was unbelievable but well deserved.


    The other contestants, who wereuded as geniuses, were utterly convinced. They all said that Shao Nan was a genius and introduced themselves to him one after another. They even exchanged contact details and agreed to write letters tomunicate with each other in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe was extremely overwhelmed when she saw this, but this wasn¡¯t the end of it. Not only did the participants want to get to know Shao Nan, but even the judges were attracted to him.


    The judges who had been invited to participate in this show were naturally not simple people. They were all top experts in their fields in the country. For example, the professors from the two best universities in the country wanted to get to know Shao Nan.


    These two universities were well-known and prestigious in the country. Many people felt conflicted over which of the two they should (aspire to) attend when they were young.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned when she heard the names of these two people. At that moment, another professor came and said that he was from the Law School that was publicly acknowledged as the best in the country. He was also attracted by Shao Nan, so he joined the fight for him.


    [1] The first contestant to buzz in and correctly answer the question wins a point

 Chapter 162 - The In This Lifetime Series

    <h4>Chapter 162: The ¡®In This Lifetime¡¯ Series</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe looked at thew professor, who spoke in a refined yet direct manner.


    ¡°What he¡¯s interested in is thew. He¡¯s the most knowledgeable in thew. If he wants to get into university in the future, he¡¯ll definitely apply to our university, right?¡±


    The professor from Imperial University retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like our school doesn¡¯t have a legal major. Our school is famous for being aprehensive school. We have all kinds of majors. It¡¯s not impossible to study thew over here.¡±


    The two of them argued for a while, but the professor from Tsing University, who had been observing Shao Nan silently, didn¡¯t participate in the argument. He only squatted down and asked Shao Nan amiably, ¡°Actually, you like science very much. Especially physics, right? It¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t had the time to study it systematically?¡±


    Shao Nan felt that he was right and nodded. ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. Our school may not be good at other things, but we can teach. I¡¯m not bad either. If you think it¡¯s okay, you can learn from me first ande to our schoolter.¡±


    This cultured teacher extended an olive branch and told Shao Nan and Mu Jingzhe about the school¡¯s youth ss.


    His general meaning was that he didn¡¯t want to miss out on a good seedling like Shao Nan. He wanted to nurture him and pave the way for him to enter the juvenile ss in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe had naturally heard of the magical youth ss. She just hadn¡¯t expected that she would encounter such a magical thing in her lifetime. Shao Nan had merely participated in apetition, and now universities that people were dying to enter were vying to recruit him.


    Geniuses were indeed different.


    Shao Nan was quite calm, but Mu Jingzhe, who had a normal IQ, was extremely excited. ¡°This is like a dream.¡±


    The professor from Imperial University and the other professor hadn¡¯t expected that while they were fighting over there, the guy from Tsing University would actually be so cunning as to tempt this little student.


    ¡°That¡¯s not very honorable of you.¡± The two of them went forward and pushed aside the Tsing University professor before they began to tell Shao Nan and Mu Jingzhe about the benefits of their schools.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart swelled as she listened. She felt dizzy, as though she was floating amidst clouds of happiness.


    After leaving their contact details and saying goodbye to the three professors, Mu Jingzhe was still floating in the clouds, unable to get down. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I would have such a day. Fretting over which school you should go to. What a happy problem to have.¡±


    Although it was Shao Nan who had been invited, Mu Jingzhe felt that since she was Shao Nan¡¯s mother now, she also had to fret over which school he was going to go to.


    When he saw how thrilled Mu Jingzhe looked, although Shao Nan¡¯s face was calm, his small chest was straight. ¡°Mom, are you that happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t understand the mentality of ordinary people like us.¡±


    ¡°If this makes you happy, then it¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll make you happy every day from now on. I¡¯ll go to whichever school you like and keep you happy.¡±


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t dare guarantee anything else, but studying wasn¡¯t difficult for him. It was simr to eating and sleeping. He just needed to spend some time and energy to learn.


    Shao Nan had always thought that he was the most useless among the five of them, but now he had finally found confidence.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned for a moment when she heard Shao Nan¡¯s bold words. It wasn¡¯t because she thought he was exaggerating. If she were to say these words, it would be an exaggeration, buting from Shao Nan, it most definitely was not.


    It was her first time experiencing the feeling of raising a super-genius or a star student, so she was very curious.


    If this wasn¡¯t her son, she would definitely be itching to p this boy if she heard him say such boastful words.


    However, it waspletely different now that he was her son. She felt extremely proud of him, and her heart was filled with thoughts of how brilliant Little Nan was. Oh, the sweet frustration of having too many good schools to choose from!


    ¡°I¡¯m very happy. However, Little Nan, I¡¯m not the one who should choose. It¡¯s you who should be choosing what you like. When the timees, just find the right direction and move forward.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. I quite like thew, but I also enjoy mathematics and physics. Actually, studying medicine would be quite good too.¡±


    ¡°Then you can take your time to consider this before choosing.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Nan tilted his head and asked seriously, ¡°But can¡¯t I study all of them?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Yes, of course you can¡­ I forgot that you¡¯re not an ordinary person. You can learn more if you want to.¡±


    Given Shao Nan¡¯s brain, he would do pretty well even if he just learned something casually.


    Mu Jingzhe was still in a daze, but Shao Nan had already recovered from his excitement. ¡°Mommy, we rarelye to the capital. Let¡¯s take a nice stroll tomorrow. I¡¯ve received my prize money, so I can buy you a gift.¡±


    Since this was the first time he¡¯d earned money, Shao Nan had to buy gifts for Mu Jingzhe and everyone else.


    ¡°Okay, okay, go ahead and buy me one.¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately agreed.


    As the mother and son were talking happily, they heard Ji Buwang¡¯s voice and saw him walking over. ¡°Have you been alright in the past two days? I wasn¡¯t able to contact you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been so busy with thepetition in the past three days that I forgot to contact you. Did you receive the letter I sent you?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°How was thepetition?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the champion. Little Nan is the champion. The youngest champion at that. He¡¯s amazing.¡± Mu Jingzhe started to get worked up as she spoke.


    Ji Buwang knew that the children were all smart, but he was still impressed by how outstanding Shao Nan was. He gave Shao Nan a thumbs-up. ¡°Impressive.¡±


    ¡°Since Little Nan won the championship, let¡¯s celebrate tonight and eat well.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to eat? How about roasted duck? I know a restaurant with an authentic taste.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Since they were in the capital, they definitely had to try the local specialties. Mu Jingzhe started drooling. ¡°Were things fine at home?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. My grandfather is also in good health.¡±


    Grandpa was fine and all, but while Ji Buwang had been freshening up before going out, he¡¯d teased him by saying that he was a peacock spreading his tail. Later on, as Ji Buwang had left the house, Grandpa had nagged and said that a grown grandson couldn¡¯t be kept at home.


    As they spoke, Mu Han found them.


    Mu Han was currently staying in the capital and doing the dirtiest work but was earning quite a bit of money.


    After not seeing him for a few months, Mu Han seemed reborn. The childishness on his face hadpletely faded, and he had be mature and steady. Only when he saw Mu Jingzhe did he reveal a familiar look.


    ¡°Sister.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ You¡¯ve lost weight. Xiao Han, you look thinner.¡±


    Mu Hanughed. ¡°Sister, why are you like Mom? I thought I just saw Mom.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had said that subconsciously. The instant she had seen him, she¡¯d felt that he had lost weight. Mu Han blinked and suppressed the heat in his eyes as he looked at Shao Nan.


    Shao Nan greeted him obediently. ¡°Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Aye, Uncle will buy you some candyter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡± Because of Mu Jingzhe, Shao Nan was fond of this uncle too and had a filter when it came to Mu Han to begin with. Besides, he was the best at observing people¡¯s expressions and knew how to make an adult like him. Therefore, even though he wasn¡¯t familiar with Mu Han, he tugged at his clothes, appearing very close to him.


    Mu Han was indeed happy. To be honest, he had felt unfamiliar with this nephew, who wasn¡¯t rted to his sister by blood. However, Shao Nan¡¯s actions instantly closed the distance between the two of them. He felt that the distance between them had quickly disappeared and he felt happy about it.


    ¡°Little Nan is so obedient.¡±

 Chapter 163 - Ji Buwang, How Can You Let Me Down?

    <h4>Chapter 163: Ji Buwang, How Can You Let Me Down?</h4>


    After Mu Han praised him, he instinctively lowered his head and sniffed himself, afraid that his body would still stink.


    Because he often collected rubbish, his body inevitably had a stench. When he went out and met people, everyone would subconsciously cover their noses or avoid him. And these were only the mildest reactions. There were even people who would spit and say harsh things to chase them away.


    However, Mu Han was used to it now and felt that it didn¡¯t matter as long as he could earn money. Thus, he¡¯d decided not to be calctive with those people. After all, he didn¡¯t earn as much as them, but it was still different when it came to his family. He didn¡¯t want his family to know about his experiences, not because he was afraid of losing face, but because he was afraid that they would feel heartache.


    Hence, before Mu Han came out, he had taken a shower twice, smelled himself, and confirmed that there was no odor.


    Seeing that Shao Nan hadn¡¯t shown any abnormalities, Mu Han finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    When he looked at Ji Buwang, Mu Han¡¯s attitude and gaze changed.


    This was the first time he saw Ji Buwang, and his eyes were filled with curiosity. Ji Buwang knew Mu Han¡¯s identity and was very polite.


    Now that Mu Han had some experience working, he could tell that Ji Buwang was either rich or noble. However, Ji Buwang¡¯s attitude was very good, so he followed suit.


    Ji Buwang drove Mu Jingzhe, Shao Nan, and Mu Han away, and the car quickly merged into the traffic.


    Shao Qihai, who had finally arrived at the capital by train and was waiting for Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan toe out through the entrance, was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lowering his head to look at his two legs, Shao Qihai temporarily gave up on the idea of chasing after them. It was impossible for two legs to catch up to four wheels, and he couldn¡¯t attract too much attention.


    Shao Qihai sat on the ground, grinding his teeth. He clenched and loosened his fists repeatedly.


    What he hated was that Ji Buwang was his nemesis. Not only did Ji Buwang follow them everywhere, but he was also vignt, making it difficult for him to follow his wife and kid closely.


    Because of Ji Buwang, many of his ns had been messed up.


    Originally, he¡¯d also wanted to eat roasted duck with Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan. Although he couldn¡¯t eat with them face to face, he could eat with them from a distance. However, Ji Buwang had beaten him to it. Again.


    Shao Qihai returned to the hotel where Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan were staying with a dejected face and entered the room next to theirs.


    Meanwhile, Ji Buwang drove Mu Jingzhe and the others to their destination. Mu Jingzhe had originally thought that since they were eating roast duck, Ji Buwang would take them to a small but authentic restaurant. However, it turned out that this wasn¡¯t the case. The restaurant was very big and it was even andmark restaurant in the capital.


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat here?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked for confirmation.


    ¡°Mm, they serve the most authentic roast duck here.¡± This was the first reason. The second reason was that this restaurant was actually the Ji Family¡¯s property.


    Before going there, he hadn¡¯t informed the staff that he¡¯d be going, so he was visiting as a regr customer. However, not long after his arrival, someone recognized him.


    Many of the waiters in the restaurant had been working there for several years and knew Ji Buwang. Besides, Ji Buwang¡¯s temperament and looks weren¡¯t easy to forget.


    The news of Ji Buwang waking up miraculously and returning to the capital had spread in the past two days. It had also spread in the restaurant, but they hadn¡¯t expected to see him there.


    The manager dropped her pen on the table when she heard the news. ¡°Mr. Ji is here?¡±


    As she spoke, her eyes suddenly turned red. Seeing that she had lost herposure, the other person, who spoke carefully, nced at her and said, ¡°Yes, Sister Lan. You know Mr. Ji, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Sister Lan acknowledged this in a low voice and rushed out, leaving behind a few waiters who looked at each other.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is Sister Lan so agitated?¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know, right? Sister Lan likes Mr. Ji. I heard that it was Mr. Ji who recruited her in the first ce. When Mr. Ji got into an ident, she cried a few times. She even went to the Ji Family and said that she didn¡¯t mind that Mr. Ji was unconscious and was willing to marry him, hoping that she could save his life by marrying him to counteract bad luck. However, Old Mr. Ji rejected her suggestion.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s actually such a thing? I really didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s much more that you don¡¯t know. In the past, Sister Lan cried whenever she was scolded by a guest. Now, she¡¯s trained. Because of Mr. Ji¡¯s ident, her parents tried to force her to get married, but she never did. Everyone is saying that she¡¯s been waiting for Mr. Ji.¡±


    ¡°How old is Sister Lan?¡±


    ¡°25 or 26. Her family is really anxious for her.¡±


    Sister Lan, who they were gossiping about, rushed over quickly. She had heard that Ji Buwang had woken up, but because she hadn¡¯t seen him with her own eyes, she didn¡¯t dare confirm it. She had still been trying to think of a way to meet him, when he¡¯d shown up unexpectedly.


    Was he there to see her? Was he there because he had found out that she had been waiting for him?


    Tears welled up in Sister Lan¡¯s eyes, and she didn¡¯t stop until she reached the private room. She took a deep breath and spruced herself up. Coincidentally, a dish was about to be served. She took it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll serve it myself.¡±


    Sister Lan knocked on the door and heard a familiar voicee from inside. She pushed the door open with trembling hands and saw the face that she had been dreaming about day and night.


    He was smiling as he spoke. He had really woken up.


    Sister Lan was so delighted that she forgot what she was doing until Ji Buwang frowned and reminded her. ¡°Serve the dish.¡±


    Sister Lan came back to her senses and quickly served the dish. Just as she put it down, she heard Ji Buwang¡¯s gentle voice say, ¡°Jingzhe, try it and see if you like it.¡±


    Sister Lan looked over and saw Mu Jingzhe. It was at that moment that she realized that Ji Buwang also had other guests. Besides, Ji Buwang had not looked at her from start to end. He was only looking at the woman beside him.


    Sister Lan clenched her fists and red at that woman called Jingzhe.


    Noticing that the waitress had not left after serving the dish, Ji Buwang was about to frown and say something when there was another knock on the door. ¡°Mr. Ji?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Mr. Ji. I heard that you were here, so I came to greet you.¡±


    ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Ji Buwang held himself back as he spoke. The door was pushed open, revealing a middle-aged man in a leather vest, his wife, as well as a young girl outside.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think the rumor was true. I didn¡¯t expect it to really be you, Mr. Ji. It¡¯s great that you¡¯ve woken up.¡±


    Ji Buwang gave them a polite yet distant smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The middle-aged man and Ji Buwang exchanged pleasantries. His wife and daughter noticed Mu Jingzhe at first nce. They were more well-informed than Sister Lan and they¡¯d vaguely heard that Ji Buwang had a woman he liked, a widow with kids from her first marriage.


    They then looked at Shao Nan and instantly understood.


    Their gazes were really obvious, and Ji Buwang could feel them too. He couldn¡¯t help but frown. He was purely there to eat today and hadn¡¯t expected to meet someone like this.


    ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Buwang apologized to Mu Jingzhe in a low voice. Mu Jingzhe shook her head, indicating that she was fine. She thought to herself that this was expected of a domineering CEO¡¯s uncle. He¡¯d even been greeted while eating.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have much of a reaction, but the mother and daughter who hade to greet him widened their eyes. Jingzhe was indeed her name. The rumors were actually true!


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that she had be a legend in this circle, but when she saw their astonished gazes, she felt strange. ¡°Why are they looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Ji Buwang said softly. He then politely asked the whole family to head out. In the end, he realized that there was still an outrageous waiter in the room. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡±


    Sister Lan¡¯s heart sank when she saw the coldness between Ji Buwang¡¯s brows. He had brought a new woman with him and he was looking at her as though she was a stranger. Had hepletely forgotten about her?


    How could he! How could he let her down!

 Chapter 164 - Trapped in the Bathroom

    <h4>Chapter 164: Trapped in the Bathroom</h4>


    Sister Lan couldn¡¯t take the blow and ran out.


    Ji Buwang looked at her back and felt that he had to do something about the restaurant¡¯s service quality. The service staff was a little outrageous.


    After being in aa for four years, Ji Buwang had forgotten most of the characteristics of many people. Or rather, they had all changed. Furthermore, Sister Lan hadn¡¯t spoken, so Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t recognized her.


    Sister Lan was extremely sad. She felt that her four years of waiting had been a joke. She covered her mouth and ran to the washroom. In the end, she heard the mother and daughter who had gone to greet Ji Buwang earlier.


    The mother-daughter pair was gossiping. ¡°Mom, the rumors are true. Mr. Ji actually fell in love with a widow with kids. The name matches the rumors too.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was true. Ugh, what a shame. I thought I¡¯d take you to meet him. If only he liked you. But I never thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Her daughter was a little shy. It would be great if she could marry Ji Buwang. After all, he was very handsome and came from a really good family.


    ¡°Sigh. Luckily, I didn¡¯t hold out much hope. Otherwise, I would have been very disappointed. Who would have thought that the famous Ji Buwang would want to be someone¡¯s stepfather? I heard that the woman has five children.¡±


    The daughter was disappointed, but her attention was quickly diverted. ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t it only one child? I forgot to look at the child just now.¡±


    The girl pursed her lips and thought that she was better than Jingzhe in this aspect.


    Her mother was thinking the same thing. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice, but apparently, there are five of them. I was so focused on looking at Jingzhe just now because I wanted to see in what regard she is better than you.¡±


    The mother didn¡¯t continue speaking because she couldn¡¯t describe the feeling Mu Jingzhe gave others. She just felt that she was different from ordinary girls and was very special, so they shouldn¡¯t belittle her.


    Her daughter felt the same way. ¡°Mom, what do you think she¡¯s thinking? Since they aren¡¯t even rted to her by blood, why would she want to raise those five children?¡± If it were her, she wouldn¡¯t even dare think about it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but now that you mentioned it, I kind of admire her.¡±


    ¡°Mom, do you think that if she marries Mr. Ji, her five children will follow her into the Ji Family? Even if they are adopted children, they will stand to benefit greatly from the marriage. Will they not acknowledge their status and fight for the Ji Family¡¯s inheritance?¡±


    ¡°If they really follow their mother when she actually marries into the Ji Family, that¡¯s entirely possible. However, it¡¯s not that easy to marry into the Ji Family. The Ji Family can¡¯t afford to lose face¡­¡±


    The two of them left while talking, leaving behind Sister Lan, who was eavesdropping. She hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe¡¯s identity to be so terrible.


    Meanwhile, in the private room, Mu Jingzhe felt her ears burning. ¡°I think someone is badmouthing me.¡±


    Ji Buwang felt guilty. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Who would say bad things about you?¡±


    It was only after he returned that he found out that news of him had already spread, including the fact that he had fallen in love with Mu Jingzhe. After his return, he didn¡¯t want to face an endless number of youngdies. In addition, he had genuinely fallen in love with Mu Jingzhe, so he hadn¡¯t denied it. He even thought that if the rumors about him and Mu Jingzhe were to spread, Tang Moling wouldn¡¯t be able to interfere in the future. It would be akin to killing two birds with one stone.


    However, while facing Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang felt a little guilty. He hadn¡¯t thought too much about it and had only brought them here because he believed that his restaurant¡¯s food was healthy and tasted good. Now, he regretted it a little.


    However, upon seeing that Mu Jingzhe and the child were eating well, he felt quite d.


    After the meal, Mu Jingzhe went to the washroom. When she did, Sister Lan happened to see her. Sister Lan¡¯s eyes were red. After some thought, she chased after her because she couldn¡¯t take this lying down.


    When Mu Jingzhe was done, she wanted to open the door. However, she realized that it couldn¡¯t be opened. ¡°Eh? Why can¡¯t I open it? Is there anyone around?¡±


    No one responded. Mu Jingzhe hesitated, not sure whether she should kick down the door violently or wait for someone to arrive. ¡°Is there anyone outside? I¡¯m locked inside.¡±


    As she asked this, Mu Jingzhe tried to pull again, not daring to use too much strength. While she was pulling, she suddenly heard a voicee from outside.


    ¡°Stop pulling. You can¡¯t pull it open, and no one wille in anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°You locked the door?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°What do you want? This prank isn¡¯t funny at all.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ying a prank on you? I just wanted to give you some advice. You¡¯re not worthy of Ji Buwang. If you know what¡¯s good for you, stay away from him. A woman who¡¯s been married before like you isn¡¯t fit to be with him.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her brows, surprised to encounter such a situation. ¡°Then who do you think is worthy of him? You?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Ji Buwang also had admirers¡­ This wasn¡¯t right. Ji Buwang was outstanding appearance-wise and came from a good background, so it was normal for him to have admirers.


    Hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nonchnt words, Sister Lan became even angrier. She felt that Mu Jingzhe was disying such an attitude because she looked down on her. She said angrily, ¡°I waited for him for four years. While he was unconscious, I was waiting for him. I didn¡¯t even mind marrying him while he was unconscious. Who the heck are you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her brows. ¡°It sounds quite touching, but why are you telling me this? You should tell Ji Buwang. It¡¯s useless telling me.¡± It would only be useful if the main character heard this.


    These words sounded a little touching, but in reality, if the other person didn¡¯t like you, you¡¯d be taking advantage of them. Since Ji Buwang had been able to hear themotion outside while being unconscious, she wondered if he knew this.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s suggestion was sincere. After all, she and Ji Buwang weren¡¯t a couple. However, it sounded entirely different in Sister Lan¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t dare? I¡¯ll tell him. If I say it, he¡¯ll be moved. I¡¯m better than you anyway. I¡¯ve never married anyone and I don¡¯t have a son!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Go tell him, but let me out first.¡±


    ¡°No way. This is the punishment you deserve. You still don¡¯t know, right? Everyone knows that you have a son and they¡¯re waiting to watch a show. They¡¯re saying that after those kids marry into the Ji Family along with you, they won¡¯t be able to acknowledge their status and will want to fight for the Ji Family¡¯s assets. You and your children are just a joke in everyone¡¯s eyes. If you don¡¯t want Buwang to be a joke, you¡¯d better stay away from him.¡±


    The youngdy¡¯s voice was filled with hatred, and Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. ¡°First of all, youngdy, my first marriage doesn¡¯t hinder you in any way, right? It¡¯s not a crime that I¡¯ve been married before. Don¡¯t make it sound like an unpardonable crime, as though I¡¯ve killed someone.


    ¡°Secondly, I can tell you very firmly that my five children are all very promising. They will definitely not vie for the Ji Family¡¯s assets. They are too busy with their own careers. None of what you have imagined will happen.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, you make them sound so impressive.¡± Sister Lan didn¡¯t believe a word of what she¡¯d said.


    ¡°They really are impressive. You just need to find out more about them. Also, Ji Buwang and I are just friends. We do not have the kind of rtionship you think we do. I don¡¯t want to ruin the facilities of this restaurant. Open the door.¡±


    Sister Lan was delighted, but she quickly became alert. ¡°You want to coax me into opening the door for you? No way. If you can, open it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sure I can, but it won¡¯t be nice if I damage this door. I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Open the door.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone was filled with danger.


    However, Sister Lan waspletely oblivious to that. ¡°I¡¯m not opening it. I¡¯m already being polite by not pouring a bucket of water over you. If you can open it yourself, then open it.¡±


    Sister Lan turned around and left. She wanted to lock Mu Jingzhe in the bathroom and teach her a lesson.


    However, Sister Lan had only taken two steps when she heard a bang behind her. She jumped in fright and turned around, only to see the door being kicked open and Mu Jingzhe walking out.

 Chapter 165 - What Gave You the Confidence to Cause Me Trouble?

    <h4>Chapter 165: What Gave You the Confidence to Cause Me Trouble?</h4>


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Sister Lan looked at the broken door and then at Mu Jingzhe, feelingpletely stunned.


    ¡°What about me? I told you I could open it.¡± Mu Jingzhe sized Sister Lan up. ¡°It¡¯s all you. I was wondering who you were. You¡¯re a waitress, so how could you do something like this?¡±


    Panic appeared in Sister Lan¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re a monster.¡±


    ¡°What gave you the confidence to cause me trouble?¡± Mu Jingzhe grabbed Sister Lan¡¯s neck from behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll meet your boss together. I don¡¯t mind you talking tough in front of me, but I mind you being unprofessional and using your position to take revenge.¡±


    An ordinary person would be at a disadvantage.


    ¡°Let go of me.¡± Sister Lan was finally afraid, but how could she escape from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand? She was quickly pushed outside.


    Ji Buwang, Mu Han, and Shao Nan had noticed that she had not returned and hade looking for her. They saw her immediately. ¡°Sister, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°This girl locked me in the bathroom and wouldn¡¯t let me out. I tore down the door, but I¡¯m not going to pay for it. I n to make her take responsibility for this. I was just about to look for the person in charge of this restaurant.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Sister Lan. ¡°What gave you the guts to do that?¡±


    Sister Lan broke down when she saw Ji Buwang¡¯s cold expression. ¡°Ji Buwang, how could you do this to me? I waited for you for four years. I waited here for you for four years.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°???¡±


    He instantly felt many gazes on him, especially those of Mu Han and Shao Nan, which were filled with infinite coldness.


    Ji Buwang quickly exined, ¡°No, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. It¡¯s not what you think. You¡­ I remember you. There¡¯s nothing between us. Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    Upon hearing Sister Lan¡¯s words, Ji Buwang finally remembered this person.


    He had originally thought that it would be safer to eat in his own restaurant, but now, he had been pped in the face. He wanted to exin, but Mu Han had already pulled Mu Jingzhe away.


    ¡°Mr. Ji, you handle these matters yourself. My sister and I will leave first. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll take them back.¡±


    Mu Han hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen. His attitude toward Ji Buwang instantly changed.


    His sister had already gotten married once and ended up being a widow. It was already easy for people to criticize her to begin with. Besides, now, he was a scavenger. He didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with working in this industry, but there were many people who despised him for picking up rubbish.


    In the future, he only wanted to work hard to earn money and support his sister. Since his sister was also capable herself, why did she have to find a rich husband? Men were too much trouble, so it would be better for her to be free.


    Ji Buwang watched helplessly as Mu Han pulled Mu Jingzhe away. When he looked at Sister Lan again, his gaze had changed and be extremely icy.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qihai waited and waited until the flowers wilted. Just as he started suspecting that Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan wouldn¡¯t be returning, they finally got back.


    When they got out of the car, both mother and son were holding something in their hands. Ji Buwang was also holding something. The blissful look of the family of three deeply hurt Shao Qihai, who was peeking out of the window.


    Not only that, but Ji Buwang actually followed them up.


    Shao Qihai felt wretched. Why was he following them upstairs? Could he even want to stick around and sleep with them? Many bloody, violent scenes shed through Shao Qihai¡¯s mind as he leaned against the door to listen for any movements.


    ¡°Sis, if there¡¯s anything else, you can look for me again. I¡¯ll head back first today.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Be safe.¡±


    Shao Qihai froze in surprise. Sis?


    Thinking carefully about the figure he had seen just now, Shao Qihai finally realized that the person who had followed them back wasn¡¯t Ji Buwang, but Mu Han.


    Shao Qihai had also heard about Mu Han. However, Mu Han had changed too much in the past year, and it was a little dark downstairs. He had been too agitated just now and had misjudged the situation.


    Shao Qihai heaved a sigh of relief and silently praised his brother-inw in his heart as he listened to him leave.


    By eavesdropping, Shao Qihai realized that the thing Mu Jingzhe and the others were holding was candied hawthorn.


    Shao Qihai listened as the mother and son entered the room, then leaned against the window and listened again for a moment. In the end, he couldn¡¯t hold back and went downstairs to buy a stick of candied hawthorn himself.


    He wanted to pretend they were having candied hawthorn together.


    Shao Qihai took a bite. The first bite was sweet, but as he chewed, his expression froze.


    The hawthorn was so sour that he felt like his teeth were going to fall out.


    In the meantime, Ji Buwang was swift and decisive. He fired Sister Lan without any hesitation. ¡°Now that I saw you treat a customer that way, I believe we can¡¯t afford to have a manager like you.¡±


    Sister Lan was heartbroken. ¡°You¡¯re going to treat me like this just because of her? I waited for you for four years¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang was speechless. He remembered Sister Lan a little. Before the incident, he had been able to tell that she seemed to have that kind of intention, so he¡¯d wanted to stay away from her. He hadn¡¯t expected that something would happenter.


    He hadn¡¯t expected her to create such a mess. After returning home, he couldn¡¯t help but ask Old Master Ji if anyone had wanted to marry him while he had been unconscious.


    Old Master Ji nodded. ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t let any of them.¡±


    Perhaps some people might think that his grandfather should be very grateful that a girl had been willing to marry Ji Buwang while he was unconscious. However, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    He hadn¡¯t acted foolishly. Regardless of whether the girls were sincere or not, he¡¯d rejected all of them. Firstly, Ji Buwang might not necessarily be willing. What if he woke up with a wife he didn¡¯t like? Secondly, to put it bluntly, considering the benefits that one could reap by marrying into the Ji Family, some people would never be able to earn that amount of money in their entire lifetime.


    He wasn¡¯t old and muddle-headed.


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected it to be true and found it ridiculous.


    The next day, Ji Buwang wanted to look for Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan, but he was stopped by someone the moment he stepped out. It was none other than Sister Lan.


    After Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan got up, they went shopping.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll buy you a woolen sweater and a coat. When you wear it, you¡¯ll be like the girls in the capital.¡±


    Thest time they had gone to Ocean City, Little Bei had bought her a dress to dress her up like ady of Ocean City. Now, Shao Nan had said that he wanted to help her transform into ady of the capital.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but reflect on herself. Was she sponging off her kids? This child was still very young, yet he was already buying her things.


    ¡°Little Nan, save the money for yourself. I¡¯ll shop by myself.¡± Mu Jingzhe, who was deeply reflecting on herself, discussed this with Shao Nan.


    Shao Nan refused. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want me to buy stuff for you? Little Bei and my older brothers can buy you things, but I can¡¯t? Mommy, do you feel that I¡¯m not able to make a lot of money? I¡¯ll make a lot of money in the future.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. I just think you kids are still young. As an adult, it¡¯s not a good idea for me to keep epting gifts from you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? In any case, you have to ept it. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be angry.¡± Shao Nan wasn¡¯t joking. The reason he worked hard to earn money was because he didn¡¯t want to be a burden. Also, he wanted to buy things for his mother, maternal grandparents, and siblings.


    If she didn¡¯t let him buy these things, he would really get angry.


    ¡°Alright then, but you can only buy two things. Any more than that and I won¡¯t ept them.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Mommy, you can pick what you want.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    This big city was indeed different. ording to a wise old saying, fashion trends were repeated every few decades. When she looked at these coats and woolen shirts, she felt that they were quite vintage and fashionable.


    When Mu Jingzhe put on the woolen coat, it felt a bit like she had gone back to the modern age.

 Chapter 166 - The Mother-Child Matching Outfits of the Five Children

    <h4>Chapter 166: The Mother-Child Matching Outfits of the Five Children</h4>


    ¡°Just buy another scarf and change into a different pair of shoes. This outfit will look good with your sneakers.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe became interested. While Shao Nan was buying these things for her, she looked for something for the children. She imagined the family of six going out wearing woolen shirts and coats. It would be really cool.


    ¡°Little Nan, let¡¯s buy them all. They¡¯ll be matching outfits then.¡±


    Other people¡¯s parent-child attire just consisted of one parent matching with at most one or two children. As for her, she had five children. The lineup waspletely different.


    Although this was the first time Shao Nan had heard the words ¡°parent-child matching outfit¡±, he instantly understood. He thought for a while and immediately nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    After discussing it, the two of them immediately started shopping for woolen shirts, coats, matching scarves, and shoes. Scarves were also a fashionable element.


    They were so focused on picking that they didn¡¯t notice Shao Qihai, who had his back facing them.


    Shao Qihai had overheard a small part of their conversation. Although he hadn¡¯t heard about the parent-child attire, he had heard them say that they were putting together an outfit and that the six of them needed to wear simr clothes.


    Shao Qihai was shamelessly tempted. He also wanted to wear the same clothes as them. If nothing went wrong, he would only need to capture thest two culprits before he could go home for good.


    When that time came, he would be able to wear the exact same clothes as them. One look and anyone would be able to tell that they were a family.


    Shao Qihai quickly picked out a woolen shirt and coat for himself before following her.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the leather shoes and tried them on with Shao Nan but she didn¡¯t buy them, as she felt that they had an average matching effect with the rest of the outfit. She only bought them for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, feeling that she and the children should go buy sports shoes instead.


    Shao Qihai, who was following them, saw that they had tried the shoes on but didn¡¯t buy them. When he looked at the price again, he thought that it was because of the steep price tag. His heart ached. He thought for a while and asked the shop assistant to sell him the shoes that Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan had tried. He also bought them for himself and the other four kids, bringing all the pairs with him.


    He imagined the delighted looks on the faces of Mu Jingzhe and the kids when he brought them back. With this thought in mind, he felt happy to be carrying so many shoes.


    After Mu Jingzhe bought the sports shoes, Shao Qihai looked at the price and felt that his guess had been right. He didn¡¯t regret buying the leather shoes either. However, he also bought a pair of sports shoes for himself that was very simr to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s. He felt that since they were a married couple¡ªahem, a family¡ªthey should wear identical outfits.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan went to buy scarves. Shao Qihai looked around and bought a simr one for himself. He bought all of them.


    Later on, when Mu Jingzhe passed by other shops, she would subconsciously observe shops that sold hair ornaments. Uponing across particrly good-looking or ugly ones, she would try them on to see the effect. Wherever she went, she would observe the market, working hard for her hair ornament business.


    When Shao Qihai saw that Mu Jingzhe only looked at things and didn¡¯t buy them, he thought that she couldn¡¯t bear to part with the money. Later on, he asked the shop owner about the items Mu Jingzhe had tried and bought them all. He nned to give Mu Jingzhe a surprise when he returned.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to buy the same things for Little Bei.


    Just like that, Shao Qihai followed Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan around. Although he couldn¡¯t go up to them and reunite with them, this still felt like a family shopping trip to him.


    He was extremely d that Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t around. Shopping like this was very extravagant for him.


    In the end, because Shao Qihai had bought too many things, he wound up carrying arge bag and it got a little heavy. However, to Shao Qihai, this was a sweet burden. When he thought about Mu Jingzhe and the children being pleasantly surprised when he returned to bring these things back, he didn¡¯t feel that the bag was heavy at all.


    However, while looking at Mu Jingzhe, who had been shopping along the way, who was carrying bags bigger than his own, and whom even Shao Nan was helping out, Shao Qihai also felt a certain amount of pressure. Or rather, the pressure of raising a family.


    He had to work hard to earn money in the future. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have the chance to go on a shopping spree like this.


    Now, Mu Jingzhe was capable and could earn money herself. The children were also capable, but as a man, he couldn¡¯t spend his wife and children¡¯s money, let alone be inferior to them.


    He still had to support his family when he returned.


    While Mu Jingzhe enthusiastically went on her shopping spree, she didn¡¯t notice Shao Qihai behind her at all, nor was she aware that he was thinking so much.


    In the past, whenever she saw parent-child outfits on the streets, she would look at them enviously. Now that she could wear them too, she felt pleased just thinking about it.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe almost couldn¡¯t carry all the things she had bought. Luckily, Mu Han came looking for her.


    Mu Han helped her carry her things back to her ce. Mu Jingzhe took out the woolen shirt she had bought for Mu Han and had him change into it. ¡°Try it on and see if it suits you. If it suits you, you can wear it. I¡¯ve bought one for Mom and Dad too.¡±


    ¡°Sister, why are you still buying things for me? I¡¯m grown up now and I can earn my own money.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still my younger brother. Just ept it since I¡¯ve already bought it for you. Stop nagging.¡±


    After Mu Han put it on, Mu Jingzhe forbade him to take it off. ¡°Just wear it and go eat. We¡¯re heading back after eating.¡±


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t beening over. Mu Jingzhe thought that he might be busy, so she called to get someone to inform him that they were going back first. She then embarked on the journey back with Shao Nan.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to buy a ne ticket at this time, so she took the train instead of the ne. Then, her retribution for going on that shopping spree came. Thanks to that enormous bag of things, she almost got stuck at the train door.


    Shao Qihai experienced a simr frustration. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to make it back on the same train as Mu Jingzhe, as he was carrying a conspicuousrge bag.


    One should know that in the past, he¡¯d basically gone everywhere with the bare minimum luggage. This was the first time he was carrying such a big bag, but it was impossible for him to throw all those things away.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to buy sleeper tickets, but she couldn¡¯t. She only managed to buy a seat. The journey was long and a little difficult.


    ¡°Are you tired? I¡¯ll help you massage your legs. You can¡¯t let your legs swell.¡± Mu Jingzhe massaged Shao Nan¡¯s legs.


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired. Is Mommy tired?¡± Shao Nan was actually fine. He quite liked the feeling of being alone with his mother.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but it¡¯s not easy to sleep at night. Little Nan, if you¡¯re tired, go to sleep. I¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just lie on the small table.¡± Shao Nan didn¡¯t want to tire Mu Jingzhe out.


    Fortunately, when Shao Nan started to doze off, a sleeper bunk became avable, so they could go over.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly carried Shao Nan there. Although there was only one sleeper bunk and it was quite cramped with the two of them, it was still better than sitting down.


    It waste at night, and Mu Jingzhe quickly fell asleep with Shao Nan.


    Shao Qihai waited for them to fall asleep before keeping guard at the door for them for a while. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.


    This sleeper bunk naturally hadn¡¯t appeared out of nowhere. Instead, Shao Qihai had felt sorry for them and had tried his best to get it for them. He¡¯d only managed to buy a seat ticket for himself, but it didn¡¯t matter to him. After all, he had been in all kinds of arduous environments.


    However, that wouldn¡¯t do for Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan. For the first time, Shao Qihai used his connections and favors to think of a way to get them sleeper tickets.


    Shao Qihai was sitting on the ground outside. Amid the rumbling sounds of the train, he had closed his eyes to rest and was guarding them to prevent ignorant people from sneaking in.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s worries weren¡¯t unfounded. At present, there were some people around who specialized in stealing on trains, and a widow-and-child pair like Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan was more likely to be targeted by them.


    Besides, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan were dressed quite well and hadrge parcels with them. It was obvious at a nce that they hade back after making a major purchase. Someone had been eyeing these fat sheep since they¡¯d boarded the train.

 Chapter 167 - You Adulterous Pair

    <h4>Chapter 167: You Adulterous Pair</h4>


    Although Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan¡¯s sudden switch to a sleeper caught the pickpockets off guard, they didn¡¯t give up.


    In the dead of the night, when the entire car had quietened down, two people arrived at the sleeper carriage one after another. Along the way, while no one was looking, they skillfully stole two bags.


    They walked all the way to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sleeper carriage and looked at the big bag ced under the bed. Then, the guy d in a leather coat who walked ahead picked it up without saying a word.


    In the end, he didn¡¯t manage to lift it. His friend behind him even let out a muffled groan. When Leather Coat turned around, his friend was already fighting with someone.


    It was Shao Qihai, who had made a move. Although they were swift and good at disguising themselves, they couldn¡¯t escape Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes.


    Since there were really clueless people who wanted to attack Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan, Shao Qihai naturally couldn¡¯t stand by and watch.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that he would encounter a tough nut this time. Shao Qihai didn¡¯t manage to take him down with one move.


    Leather Coat made a sound and, ignoring everything, tried to pick up the bundle and run. However, this pull directly pulled Mu Jingzhe up.


    Before falling asleep, Mu Jingzhe had tied the bag to her hand with a rope. Using the same method as before, although it was a little exaggerated, she¡¯d even tied Shao Nan¡¯s hands and her hands together to prevent any idents.


    Leather Coat¡¯s not-so-stealthy actions had woken Mu Jingzhe up. Although she had just woken up, when she saw Leather Coat holding her bag, her reaction was fast. Before her eyes even fully opened, her fist moved first.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her fistnded heavily on the left side of Leather Coat¡¯s face. Leather Coat was in intense pain and felt something fly out of his mouth.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that the frail and refined-looking Mu Jingzhe, who was so gentle to her son, would deliver such a punch.


    Before he could see what had flown out, another fist came over and hit his right cheek. Leather Coat felt something fly out of his mouth once more.


    The pain slowed down Leather Coat¡¯s reaction. It hadn¡¯t urred to him what had flown out, but he did suddenly feel like his mouth was a little empty.


    Before he could recover, another fist came, this time striking his stomach. As the fistnded on him, Leather Coat saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face grow farther and farther away. Then, he realized that he had been sent flying away.


    Flying away? Before Leather Coat could react, he mmed against the wall and fell to the ground.


    At that moment, his young friend was also being pressed down by Shao Qihai and was unable to move. He was right opposite him.


    There was something else in the middle of their faces. It was blood and it looked a little familiar and a little unfamiliar at the same time.


    Leather Coat looked at it and finally saw that it looked like a tooth.


    Leather Coat was stunned. His slow brain finally reacted, and he slowly moved his tongue. Then, he felt an empty sensation.


    The left side was empty, as was the right one. It took Leather Coat a moment to realize that he had lost several teeth.


    Recalling that something had flown out when he had been hit, at longst, he realized what it was. It was his teeth.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Leather Coat let out a bted cry of agony.


    The other perpetrator, who was pinned to the ground by Shao Qihai, watched all of this with his own eyes. He looked at hispanion and suddenly felt that although he was in pain, he was also quite lucky. After all, the person hitting him had used conventional methods, whereas that woman totally didn¡¯t care about her virtue.


    Who would beat someone up like that? That was too much of a bully.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what the pickpocket was thinking at all. She felt that there was nothing wrong with what she was doing. She had been paying attention since earlier. Knowing that she was strong, in order to prevent any idents from killing someone, she always avoided hitting important parts of someone¡¯s body, such as the nose, the eyes, and the temples.


    As for the fact that she had knocked out a few teeth, it hadn¡¯t been done on purpose. She was really strong after all. It couldn¡¯t be helped.


    After sending that fellow flying, Mu Jingzhe waspletely awake, and Shao Nan had also woken up during themotion.


    ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Mom beat up a thief. It¡¯s fine now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sat up and scooped Shao Nan up. She carefully went over to take a look and saw the other pickpocket and Shao Qihai, who was pressing him down.


    Shao Qihai was wearing a hat with the brim pressed very low. He also had a beard. Although it wasn¡¯t a full beard, it covered most of his facial features.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t recognize Shao Qihai. As far as she was concerned, Shao Qihai was dead. She would never have guessed that it was him.


    Seeing that he was helping her catch the thief, Mu Jingzhe quickly thanked him. ¡°Thank you, thank you so much.¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard her words, he came back to his senses and shook his head without saying anything. Upon looking at the person who was still lying on the ground beside him, he had to admit that, even without his help, Mu Jingzhe would probably have been able to handle this.


    However, that was only because these two people weren¡¯t carrying any weapons to begin with. Otherwise, they would still have been in danger.


    For example, the fellow he was pressing down had a de between his fingers, as well as a folding fruit knife hidden in his bag. The de had been particrly sharpened, allowing him to easily slice a bag open while stealing things regardless of the material it was made of. If it was used as a weapon, one could imagine how dangerous it would be.


    Therefore, if one encountered a pickpocket, the best thing to do wouldn¡¯t be to take on the pickpocket by oneself but to call the professionals. Safety was more important.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to understand this concept. She¡¯d attacked without hesitation at a very fast speed.


    Although she was very strong, Shao Qihai was still worried about her safety. As he couldn¡¯t help but say a few words, he saw Shao Nan, who was in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms, staring at him. His gaze was indescribable, and Shao Qihai instantly froze.


    Could he have been recognized?


    He reflexively lowered his head and didn¡¯t say another word. At that moment, the train attendant and a police officer arrived.


    When Leather Coat recovered, he looked at the train attendant andined. ¡°You should arrest her and interrogate her. She must be a boxer. How can a boxer like her do that to a normal person? My teeth¡­ Boohoo¡­¡±


    Due to the fact that he was missing some teeth, his words were a little slurred. Inbination with his wretched appearance, he somehow appeared a littleical.


    The officers had to hold themselves back. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± They maintained their dignity and brought him down.


    The pickpocket beside him alsoined about Shao Qihai from behind. ¡°You have to investigate the two of them properly. This man isn¡¯t easy to deal with either. Is he an undercover police officer? You adulterous pair, you gang up to bully ordinary people like us¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Adulterous pair? Mu Jingzhe nced at Shao Qihai, but thetter merely lowered his head and didn¡¯t look at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± After the train attendant finished speaking, he identally kicked one of the teeth on the ground. Instantly, his gaze on Mu Jingzhe became a little subtle.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. They deliberately tricked us intoing here to steal things and then beat us up.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt wronged. ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡±


    ¡°Who the heck are you lying to? If you don¡¯t know him, why would he guard this ce? I just started to make a move, and he was already here to hit people. You guys are big bullies!¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>¡®Tsk, why is this person so talkative?¡¯</i>


    Mu Jinghe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She nced at Shao Qihai in suspicion. Had this person been guarding her?

 Chapter 168 - Since Hes Dead, He Should Be Completely Dead

    <h4>Chapter 168: Since He¡¯s Dead, He Should Be Completely Dead</h4>


    Shao Qihai coughed and exined in a low voice, ¡°I just happened to see this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Mu Jingzhe heard the train attendant exin things amid the pickpocket¡¯s rant.


    These two people were habitual criminals who ran around a few familiar routes. They had been paying attention to these two, but there were too many people on the train, and they weren¡¯t sure when they would get on or off. They were very cunning. This time, it was thanks to Mu Jingzhe and that guy that they had been able to catch them.


    After he finished exining this, they realized that Shao Qihai had disappeared.


    ¡°Where is he? Why is he gone?¡±


    Shao Nan pointed to the corridor. ¡°While you were talking just now, he walked over there. He seemed to be afraid of something.¡±


    No one doubted Shao Nan¡¯s words because he was a kid. They were a little suspicious when they heard this, though. Why would he flee? Could he be an aplice too? That shouldn¡¯t be the case, right?


    ¡°Little Nan, did you see him leave? Why didn¡¯t you say anything? We hadn¡¯t thanked him yet.¡±


    ¡°I saw that you were talking, so I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    While Shao Nan was held by Mu Jingzhe, he couldn¡¯t help but keep his attention focused on Shao Qihai. For some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity. That man even felt like the father who had abandoned them.


    That was why Shao Nan had kept staring at him. He wasn¡¯t sure, so he hadn¡¯t said anything. Of course, even if he had been sure, he wouldn¡¯t have said anything, much less been grateful.


    They were living well now and didn¡¯t need him anymore, so it didn¡¯t matter if he was their father or not.


    Of course, Shao Nan deliberately didn¡¯t say that he¡¯d left because of selfish motives. He didn¡¯t want that person to attract his mother¡¯s attention, nor did he want his mother to be grateful to him.


    Even if there was just a 1% chance, he didn¡¯t want his mother to be rted to Shao Qihai in any way.


    Since he was already dead, he might as well staypletely dead.


    Mu Jingzhe had no idea what Shao Nan was thinking about, but she felt that he was a little nervous and unusually clingy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll protect you. No more pickpockets wille.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that Shao Nan was scared and quicklyforted him.


    When thismotion was over, the sun rose after Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan took a nap. Just as Mu Jingzhe had said, they didn¡¯t encounter any more thieves and sessfully returned home.


    On the other hand, because Ji Buwang had missed the opportunity to go back with Mu Jingzhe, he decided to stay in the capital and deal with more matters.


    Ji Buwang dealt with Sister Lan, who had offended Mu Jingzhe, and it became a topic of discussion after dinner. Everyone said that Ji Buwang was serious about her.


    Even now that Sister Lan¡¯s heart had been broken by Ji Buwang, she still couldn¡¯t take this lying down. Just in what way was Mu Jingzhe better than her? Thinking of what Mu Jingzhe had said before, she really did inquire about the Shao kids to see how capable they were.


    She wasn¡¯t the first to ask around. There had already been others before her, so it took her no time to find out. What she heard shocked her.


    She realized that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t been lying at all. The children really did have their own abilities.


    Sister Lan herself wasn¡¯t very capable, and her information wasgging behind, but the people she asked were quite well-informed. While Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan were in the capital, some people took this chance to contact Shao Dong. They wanted to hear his thoughts and see what he thought about the Ji Family¡¯s businesses.


    Shao Dong shook his head firmly in reaction to this. ¡°Never mind the fact that there is nothing between Mommy and Teacher Ji now. Even if there really was something between them, we wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with Teacher Ji, much less the Ji Family. We have too many things to attend to and don¡¯t have the time or energy to snatch any of the Ji Family¡¯s businesses. We can earn money ourselves and build our own empire.¡±


    These words were as unyielding as Mu Jingzhe¡¯s statement but weren¡¯t boastful.


    Shao Dong had already shown his talent at a really young age, and the other four children weren¡¯t inferior to him. As for Mu Jingzhe, although she wasn¡¯t rich, she was quite well-off herself. She didn¡¯t need to covet Ji Buwang¡¯s riches and she could live well without having to rely on anyone.


    After Mu Jingzhe brought Shao Nan back, besides bringing back a pile of clothes, she heard from Shao Dong that the electricity in their house had been turned on, so she directly carried a television back from the city.


    Coincidentally, Little Bei¡¯s drama was finally going to air, as was Shao Nan¡¯s gameshow. They definitely had to tune in.


    The timing was just right. As soon as the television was brought, the television drama started ying. Besides, although Little Bei only had a few scenes, she appeared quite early.


    After the addition of a television and electricity to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house, many people in the vige came over to watch television. Some simply watched television, while some women even held needles and thread to sew and chat while watching television.


    When they saw Little Bei on TV, all of them were extremely fascinated.


    In their eyes, anyone who appeared on television was a bigshot with real ability. They even looked at Little Bei differently now.


    The others in the vige also found out. The children even started mimicking Little Nezha. Little Bei immediately became extremely famous.


    Then, the gameshow that Shao Nan had participated in also began to be broadcast. This wasn¡¯t a local channel but a direct broadcast on the People¡¯s Television Station. Although it wasn¡¯t Channel 1, it was still very impressive.


    Thepetition had already reached its end. Knowing that Shao Nan was the champion, the film editor showed many scenes of Shao Nan right from the beginning. Even in the first episode, there was a highlight moment of him.


    Even more people watched Shao Nan¡¯s gameshow than Little Bei¡¯s TV drama. Instantly, many people memorized Shao Nan¡¯s name.


    The way the vigers looked at Shao Nan changed ordingly. In their eyes, he was another incredible Shao child who had appeared on television.


    When Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, Shao Dong, Shao Nan, Little Dong, and Xiao Wu appeared in their parent-child outfits, they became the most beautiful sight in the vige.


    The five children liked the parent-child outfits very much. They even said that they would wear matching outfits like this in the future. For example, rather than twin outfits, they preferred parent-child outfits.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng started a new round of showing off. Other than showing off their woolen shirts and leather shoes, now, they were also showing off the children. Little Bei and Shao Nan became another thing for them to show off.


    ¡°Both of them are on TV. Little Bei even has an uing movie. I¡¯ll invite the vigers to watch the screening with us.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, Li Zhaodi decided that when Little Bei¡¯s movie was released, she was going to invite the moviepany to screen the movie in their vige. She would treat everyone to the movie.


    Mu Jingzhe had originally intended to do so, but Li Zhaodi took action before her.


    While watching Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng showing off everywhere, Old Lady Mu was furious.


    Ever since she¡¯d found out that Tang Moling wasn¡¯t that rich anymore and was no longer worthy of Mu Xue, she¡¯d been waiting for Mu Xue to find a rich husband, but no matter how much she waited, Mu Xue hadn¡¯t found one.


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s life was getting more and more morous, as was Li Zhaodi¡¯s life.


    She was the one who should be basking in glory. How had Li Zhaodi ended up basking in glory instead? Was she even worthy? Old Lady Mu was extremely displeased. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Mu Xue finally perked up and said that she would take her to the county city to shop and buy some clothes for the new year.


    Previously, when Tang Moling had broken off the engagement, he had given Mu Xue a house and a car in the county city. As Mu Xue didn¡¯t know how to drive, she hadn¡¯t even touched the car once. She had not wanted to ept the house either, but Old Lady Mu had epted it on her behalf.


    He had dyed Mu Xue for so long and even broken off the engagement. This had affected Mu Xue¡¯s reputation, so it was only right that they epted thispensation.

 Chapter 169 - Xiao Xue, Here Comes Another Wealthy Husband

    <h4>Chapter 169: Xiao Xue, Here Comes Another Wealthy Husband</h4>


    Although Old Lady Mu had epted them, Mu Xue had originally nned on holding on to her pride and not touching those things. However, because she couldn¡¯t stand the gazes of the people in the vige, Mu Xue couldn¡¯t help but go to the county city to seek peace.


    She had originally thought that Tang Moling would regret it ande back to look for her, but he hadn¡¯te at all. Her mood became even worse. It wasn¡¯t easy for her toe back to Great Eastern Vige, and now that she had seen the morous Mu Jingzhe, she felt ufortable. Thus, she decided to bring her grandmother along to buy clothes.


    Old Lady Mu also mentioned that she wanted a woolen shirt and leather shoes topete with Li Zhaodi. After she bought them, she came out of the department store and saw a familiar car.


    Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue looked over at the same time and saw Tang Moling getting out of the car. Tang Moling, who didn¡¯t see them, walked reluctantly to another car and knocked on the ss.


    Then, a man in a ck coat got out of the car. He was tall and slender and looked indescribably elegant.


    He was wearing a suit and a tie under his coat. His hair was very long and curly, whichplemented his fair skin. He looked like a prince from a fairy tale.


    He waspletely different from Tang Moling. Tang Moling, who was the center of attention no matter where he went, had dimmed a lot as he stood beside him.


    This was the first time Mu Xue had seen such a person, and she was stunned. Beside her, Old Lady Mu wasn¡¯t that different. She had a nagging feeling that this person looked like someone who had walked out of a movie, or perhaps, he was the kind of wealthy young master she had seen when she was young.


    The two of them stood rooted to the ground. It wasn¡¯t until that person got in the car that Tang Moling¡¯s shout brought them back to their senses.


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re doing this on purpose again!¡±


    Tang Moling had thought that since his uncle had woken up, he wouldn¡¯t be so busy anymore. After all, he was no longer the heir. In the end, things hadn¡¯t gone ording to his wishes. His uncle had arranged even more work for him, and he was even busier than before.


    In the past, he used to have a lot of time. Now, he even had to squeeze out some time to sleep, but because everything he was tasked with was important, he couldn¡¯t be willful.


    He had atst had some free time today and he¡¯d wanted to look for Mu Jingzhe. In the end, his uncle hade back from the capital and given him a pile of work.


    If Tang Moling still didn¡¯t realize what his uncle was up to, he would be a fool.


    His uncle was doing this on purpose. He was deliberately keeping him busy so that he wouldn¡¯t have time to look for Mu Jingzhe. He was dying his actions. This was simply despicable.


    Tang Moling clung to the car and refused to let go, ring at Ji Buwang, who was in the car. ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. You can¡¯t do this. You¡¯re the heir. Don¡¯t even think about cking off.¡±


    ¡°I have my own business. Stop fooling around.¡± Ji Buwang didn¡¯t feel guilty at all about being exposed. He pushed Tang Moling¡¯s hand instead. ¡°Let go, I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°What can you possibly be busy with after pushing all the work on me? You just want to find Mu Jingzhe. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know. Uncle, don¡¯t go overboard. If you push me over the edge, I¡¯m not going to¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± Ji Buwang removed Tang Moling¡¯s hand from his car. ¡°Be good and listen to me. Uncle will give you a big red packet during the New Year.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a big red packet. I¡¯m an adult now!¡± Tang Moling felt like he was going crazy every time he faced his uncle.


    ¡°I can tell that you still want a big red packet just by looking at how angry you are. Uncle has been in aa for four years. Don¡¯t you feel sorry for me? Can you bear to see Uncle tired? You¡¯re young and strong, so you should work harder.¡±


    Ji Buwang coughed, as if to make a point, causing Tang Moling to feel a trace of heartache and guilt.


    His uncle had been in aa for four years. In thest year, he had only visited his uncle twice and he had even stolen his uncle¡¯s identity as the heir¡­


    While Tang Moling was still in a daze, Ji Buwang drove off.


    When Tang Moling came back to his senses, he called out for his uncle, but the car didn¡¯t stop at all. Then, Tang Moling got in his car and left angrily.


    Old Lady Mu looked at Mu Xue. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Tang Moling¡¯s uncle to be so young. I thought he would be in his thirties or forties. I didn¡¯t expect him to be this young at all.¡±


    Mu Xue nodded gently. ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really young. Look at that noble aura he exudes. He¡¯s indeed the sessor of arge family.¡± Old Lady Mu looked at Mu Xue with a glint in her eyes. She felt that this uncle must be the true sessor. He was a good match for Xiao Xue.


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t reply. She lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t worthy of such a person. Besides, she had been engaged to Tang Moling before, so it would be inappropriate.


    In the past, Mu Xue wouldn¡¯t have thought about these things. She didn¡¯t care about family background or stuff like that. As long as they were in love, nothing was more important. However, after what had happened with Tang Moling, she had started to take such things into consideration.


    Now that Tang Moling had broken off the engagement, she obviously hated him, but because of the disparity in their backgrounds, there was nothing she could do.


    Mu Xue was rational and didn¡¯t think too much about it. However, on the way back with her grandmother, she bumped into Tang Moling¡¯s uncle again.


    His car was parked by the road, and he was leaning against it. He was holding a pager and looking at something.


    Old Lady Mu also saw him and quickly patted Mu Xue¡¯s hand. ¡°Xiao Xue, stop the bicycle!¡±


    Old Lady Mu was thrilled. She had been thinking it was a pity that her granddaughter hadn¡¯t had a chance to get acquainted with this man and she hadn¡¯t expected this opportunity to present itself.


    During this period of time, she had been waiting for Little Xue¡¯s wealthy husband toe for real. She had been waiting anxiously. The heavens must have heard her prayers, and here was the opportunity!


    Due to the fact that Mu Xue had taken a few more nces at Ji Buwang, when Old Lady Mu patted her, the bicycle became a little unstable. Afraid of falling, she quickly stopped.


    Coincidentally, she stopped in front of Ji Buwang and saw him look over. Amid Old Lady Mu¡¯s continuous urging, Mu Xue asked warmly, ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    She spoke in an open manner. If it were anyone else, she would have asked the same question.


    ¡°Thank you, but you might not be able to help. My car tire got punctured,¡± Ji Buwang replied politely without looking at Mu Xue.


    Mu Xue was a little disappointed, but she replied, ¡°There¡¯s a car repair shop up ahead. Do you want me to ride over and help you call them?¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at the presents in the car and thought for a while. ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s nothing. In that case, wait here for a while. I¡¯ll get them toe over quickly.¡± Mu Xue didn¡¯t care that Old Madam Mu was holding her hand. Without saying anything, she hopped onto the bicycle and left.


    Old Lady Mu anxiously said, ¡°It¡¯s such a rare opportunity. Xiao Xue, why didn¡¯t you chat more with him? You didn¡¯t even ask for his name.¡± This was such a scarce opportunity!


    Mu Xue pursed her lips. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t think too much. We¡¯ll meet again if we¡¯re fated to. Otherwise, we can¡¯t force it.¡±


    In the past, Grandma wouldn¡¯t have been like this. Ever since her engagement had been broken off, Grandma¡¯s attitude had changed and she¡¯d started to panic.


    Old Lady Mu thought for a moment and didn¡¯t say anything else. When they arrived at the car repair shop, Mu Xue asked the auto mechanic to go over. Worried that they would be indifferent, she even paid the deposit beforehand to make sure they went there quickly.


    She only left after she saw that the auto mechanic had left.


    When the sun set, Mu Xue brought Old Lady Mu back to the vige entrance. Just as they alighted, Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue realized that a car had arrived behind them. Surprisingly, it was Tang Moling¡¯s uncle¡¯s car, which they had seen before.


    Mu Xue stared at the approaching car in a daze. As for Old Lady Mu, she was so excited that she said, ¡°Xiao Xue, isn¡¯t that the car we saw before? Don¡¯t tell me he followed us here?¡±

 Chapter 170 - Rejoiced Too Soon

    <h4>Chapter 170: Rejoiced Too Soon</h4>


    Old Lady Mu was giddy with joy as she looked at the car. She then realized what Mu Xue had meant when she¡¯d said that there was no need to hurry. As it turned out, they had met again.


    Mu Xue listened to Old Lady Mu¡¯s hushed, excited voice as she looked at the figure walking over under the setting sun. She bit her lips as her heart beat faster.


    While his back was facing the setting sun, she felt that his body was basking in golden light. When he reached her, Mu Xue hurriedly asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Ji Buwang was also very surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you again, but it¡¯s very nice.¡±


    He took his wallet out of his bag and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got to thank you for paying for the cost of recing the tire. Since I ran into you here, I¡¯ll return the money to you now. Thank you.¡±


    Mu Xue saw that he was polite, and her gaze fell on his slender hand. She hesitated for a moment before taking the money. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just afraid that they wouldn¡¯te. It¡¯s not much money, but I¡¯ll take it since you¡¯re returning it.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Xueughed heartily and looked up at Ji Buwang. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± Ji Buwang tapped his fingers on his wallet before asking, ¡°Do you know where Mu Jingzhe lives? I have some business dealings with her. It¡¯s the New Year, so I came to visit her and give her a New Year¡¯s gift.¡±


    This was Ji Buwang¡¯s first time there, and he had made ample inquiries. He knew that there were many people doing business with Mu Jingzhe now, so he hade up with this excuse. This way, he wouldn¡¯t cause Mu Jingzhe any trouble and he could also show his stance.


    After parting with her on an unpleasant note in the capital previously, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t wait for Mu Jingzhe toe to the county city.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t notice that Mu Xue¡¯s expression changed slightly when he mentioned Mu Jingzhe. The smile on her face froze, and even the light in her eyes dimmed greatly.


    Behind Mu Xue, Old Lady Mu, who had been pretending to be invisible as she listened secretly, pulled a long face.


    Mu Jingzhe? Why was he looking for Mu Jingzhe? Wasn¡¯t this Tang Moling¡¯s uncle? How did he know Mu Jingzhe?


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t speak for a while, but Old Lady Mu couldn¡¯t help but jump out. ¡°How do you know Mu Jingzhe? Do you also know Tang Moling?¡±


    When Ji Buwang heard Tang Moling¡¯s name, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Mu Xue. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. ¡°Are you the Miss Mu who was previously engaged to Xiao Ling?¡±


    Ji Buwang nodded at Mu Xue and Old Lady Mu. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ji Buwang, Xiao Ling¡¯s uncle. Xiao Ling has a childish temper and he troubled you guys. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected him to really be Tang Moling¡¯s uncle. Ignoring his apology, she just tried to discover more. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered yet. How do you know Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known Jingzhe for a long time. I have some business dealings with her now.¡± Considering that Old Lady Mu was fuming, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t expect her to tell him Mu Jingzhe¡¯s address. He calmly exined, nodded, and left.


    He went to ask someone else instead.


    Old Lady Mu looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s back with a dark expression. ¡°What did he mean by business dealings? Mu Jingzhe only sells hair ornaments. Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s involved in selling hair ornaments?¡±


    Old Lady Mu immediately saw through this excuse. This guy was there to look for Mu Jingzhe. Look at the things he was carrying. This was very simr to how Tang Moling had looked when he¡¯d previously gone to the Mu Residence to look for Mu Xue. It was obvious that he was there to please Mu Jingzhe.


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected Tang Moling¡¯s uncle to like Mu Jingzhe. No wonder Mu Jingzhe had said that she didn¡¯t like Tang Moling. It turned out that there was someone better.


    Since she had the uncle who had snatched Tang Moling¡¯s sessor status, what would she need Tang Moling for?


    Old Lady Mu¡¯s face turned green from anger. ¡°She sure can hold things in. She didn¡¯t even say a word.¡±


    When Mu Xue heard Old Lady Mu¡¯s words, she didn¡¯t show anything on her face. However, the money that she had just taken from Ji Buwang was crushed into a ball.


    Her thoughts were a mess, and she held her breath. She had just told her grandmother that they weren¡¯t from the same world. She felt that she wasn¡¯t worthy of such a person, but in the end, he¡¯d turned around to look for Mu Jingzhe. Not anyone else, but her old enemy, Mu Jingzhe, who had been married before and had five children.


    If even Mu Jingzhe was worthy of him, then she¡­


    As she was thinking about this, she heard Old Lady Mu say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with all of them? First, there was Tang Moling, and now, there¡¯s his uncle. Besides, it¡¯s Mu Jingzhe. What kind of drug did she use on them to make them so obsessed?¡±


    When Mu Xue heard the words ¡®Tang Moling¡¯ and then ¡®Uncle¡¯, she suddenlyughed out loud.


    At that moment, Mu Xue knew very well that the possibility of Tang Moling getting together with Mu Jingzhe after breaking off his engagement to her was almost zero.


    Tang Moling had been willing to abandon her for Mu Jingzhe, but he would never get his wish in this lifetime. With such an uncle, why would Mu Jingzhe choose him?


    Upon thinking that Tang Moling loved a woman he couldn¡¯t have and he would be forced to call the woman he loved ¡®Aunt¡¯, Mu Xueughed even harder.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ This is retribution. Retribution.¡±


    Seeing the person he liked be in a loving rtionship with his uncle had to cause him a lot of pain. He would now understand the pain she¡¯d gone through when she couldn¡¯t ept him and Mu Jingzhe being together.


    Old Lady Mu was startled by Mu Xue¡¯s reaction. ¡°Xiao Xue, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t be so angry. If you¡¯re really angry, we can snatch that uncle for you. They¡¯re not married anyway. You¡¯re really good. As long as he has eyes, he will definitely choose you¡­¡±


    As Mu Xue listened to Old Lady Mu¡¯s words, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. After thinking for a while, she suddenly remembered that this seemed to be what Li Zhaodi had told Mu Jingzhe before.


    She had identally heard Li Zhaodifort Mu Jingzhe this way once.


    When she¡¯d heard that, she had sneered. At the time, she had been angry and had felt that the two of them were pitiful and unredeemable. How could they have led such a life?


    She hadn¡¯t expected to hear this from Old Lady Mu one day, from the Old Lady Mu who thought of her as her treasure and Mu Jingzhe as grass.


    Was she going to end up like the old Mu Jingzhe in the future? No, no, definitely not!


    Mu Xue felt a chill down her spine and interrupted Old Lady Mu sternly. ¡°Grandma, how can you say such things? I¡¯ve never thought of snatching Mu Jingzhe¡¯s things. How can I possibly snatch her things?¡±


    This was a form of humiliation to her, a rejection of sorts. She definitely couldn¡¯t take this path of no return.


    If she snatched this, she wouldpletely switch ces with Mu Jingzhe. She couldn¡¯t do that. She would never allow herself to be such a pitiful person, nor would she allow herself to be such a joke.


    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t say such things in the future. No matter who Mu Jingzhe marries or how her life is, I just want to live well. I¡¯ve never lived my life ording to how others live theirs.¡±


    Mu Xue spoke firmly, and Old Lady Mu didn¡¯t dare continue.


    However, there were some things that couldn¡¯t be ignored just because one didn¡¯t want to look at them, especially when that person¡¯s life was getting better and better, and it was bing increasingly impossible to ignore these things.


    When Ji Buwang arrived, it was just as everyone was about to get off work. Many people saw him and even heard Old Lady Mu¡¯s conversation with them. Soon, everyone in the vige knew that Mu Jingzhe was acquainted with Mu Xue¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦¡¯s uncle.

 Chapter 171 - Snatching Back The Five Kids

    <h4>Chapter 171: Snatching Back The Five Kids</h4>


    Ji Buwang¡¯s attire and aura also made many people in the vige talk spiritedly. Some people even ran to the Shao Residence out of curiosity.


    Mu Jingzhe was very surprised that Ji Buwang hade. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t angry, Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief. However, in the end, he was surrounded after uttering just two sentences.


    The people of Great Eastern Vige gazed curiously at him, just as curiously as they gazed at Tang Moling.


    Ji Buwang had fair skin, even fairer than Tang Moling¡¯s. Just as Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue had thought, he was like a young prince who had walked out of a movie fairy tale. The vigers had never seen such a person before, so they had to take a look.


    No one had expected a young master from a wealthy family to fall for a girl from this vige.


    However, after everyone gathered around, they all changed their tune in unison. That was because, after seeing this, they had suddenly realized that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t the slightest bit inferior as she stood beside Ji Buwang. In fact, they even felt that they were quitepatible.


    Because they saw Mu Jingzhe often, although they had already known that she had changed and be promising, they had never noticed exactly how much she had changed.


    Not until there was someone topare her to¡ªJi Buwang. That person, who obviously didn¡¯t belong to the same world as them, stood beside Mu Jingzhe, but Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t inferior to him at all.


    Only then did everyone realize that although Mu Jingzhe was still in the vige, she had changed very much.


    Previously, they had been unable to understand why such a person would fall for Mu Jingzhe, but after seeing the two of them together, they felt that it was normal.


    They didn¡¯t know how to express their thoughts urately. They just said the same things.


    ¡°Our Jingzhe has grown up and changed drastically. She¡¯s not inferior to the rich people from the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Although she¡¯s been married once, they¡¯re quitepatible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at all of us standing beside him. It¡¯s such a disharmonious sight. But Jingzhe lookspatible with him as she¡¯s standing beside him.¡±


    Besides Mu Jingzhe, even the children from the Shao Family looked entirely different from before. Seeing the way they interacted with Ji Buwang, and then thinking of their little mud monkeys at home, many parentspared them in their hearts and gritted their teeth.


    That night, many children in Great Eastern Vige were implicated and taught a lesson by their parents. They said that they only knew how to y all day long and didn¡¯t know how to study properly. When a child in the east stopped crying, one in the west started crying again. The crying sounds rose and fell, and the dogs barked half the night.


    Ji Buwang steeled himself and waited to eat Mu Jingzhe¡¯s cooking. When Shao Qiyang returned home, he saw Ji Buwang and gave him a forced smile.


    ¡°Why did youe to our house, Teacher Ji? As the sessor of your family business, you should be quite busy.¡±


    ¡°I was in aa for four years. There¡¯s no hurry. On the other hand, Boss Shao, your career is developing right now. How do you still have the time toe home?¡±


    When he recalled that Shao Qiyang lived with Mu Jingzhe every day and could even frequently eat the food she cooked, Ji Buwang felt anger well in his heart and replied with a fake smile.


    ¡°This is my home. No matter how busy I am, I have toe back.¡± Shao Qiyang remained expressionless. ¡°Besides, my small business is nothingpared to yours, Teacher Ji.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to belittle yourself. I think you have a vision, Boss Shao. Actually, I¡¯m also interested in this kind of business. If you are willing, I could invest in it.¡±


    If he let Ji Buwang invest in his business, wouldn¡¯t he be working for him? No way would Shao Qiyang agree to this. ¡°How can our small business concern you? If anything happens, I¡¯ll discuss it with Little Dong and Jingzhe. We¡¯re all family, so I can manage with their help alone.¡±


    When he heard him say that they were a family, the corners of Ji Buwang¡¯s lips twitched before he retorted, ¡°I suggest that the ounts be settled clearly. It may not be a problem now, but when you have a wife in the future, she might not be very happy with this.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe happened to hear this and interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Once Shao Qiyang finds a girl he likes, I¡¯llply with my sister-inw¡¯s wishes.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Shao Qiyang mockingly. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Ji Buwang had temporarily won a round, but after dinner, Shao Qiyang saw him out with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to keep guests at home. Drive back carefully, Teacher Ji.¡±


    Ji Buwang naturally knew that it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to stay, but when he saw Shao Qiyang¡¯s smiling face, he was furious.


    It wasn¡¯t appropriate for Ji Buwang to stay because he was a guest, but Shao Qiyang could live in the same house as Mu Jingzhe openly. He strongly condemned and despised people like him, who relied on their status as brother-inws to conceal their thoughts.


    However, no matter how much he despised him, he couldn¡¯t do anything in the end.


    Shao Dong was sensitive and sensed that the atmosphere between Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang seemed to be a little off. However, Mu Jingzhe was busy watching Shao Nan¡¯s program. Later on, she was vexed about Shao Qiyang¡¯s marriage prospects.


    Even now, Shao Qiyang was still unwilling to go on blind dates. A year had passed, and he had let good girls slip by one after another. Mu Jingzhe was also helpless.


    Seeing that Mu Xue and Tang Moling really weren¡¯t going to make it, Mu Jingzhe wondered if she should try to set up Shao Qiyang with Mu Xue. If she seeded, Shao Qiyang would transform from a supporting character to the male lead. Given his abilities, he would be able to give Mu Xue a good life in the future.


    This way, he would escape the fate of being an unmarried supporting character for the rest of his life.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know if things would suddenly return to normal after this plotline copsed. When that happened, Shao Qiyang might be abandoned again, and his heart would be broken a second time.


    Besides, based on what Old Lady Mu had said during this period of time, they no longer felt that Tang Moling was good enough for Mu Xue. In the future, Mu Xue would definitely find a better husband, and she had tacitly agreed to Mu Xue and Tang Moling¡¯s engagement annulment. Indeed, Tang Moling wasn¡¯t worthy of Mu Xue. She¡¯d also said that Mu Xue had been born rich and blessed and would bring whoever she married good luck and fortune.


    Judging by Old Lady Mu¡¯s attitude, she probably wanted Mu Xue to find someone more powerful and influential than Tang Moling. On the other hand, Shao Qiyang¡¯s career had just begun, so Old Lady Mu would probably despise him. Plus, Mu Xue might not agree.


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and didn¡¯t bring up the matter to Shao Qiyang for the time being.


    Mu Jingzhe was worried about her brother-inw¡¯s marriage, but Zhao Lan, his mother, didn¡¯t even think about it.


    Zhao Lan looked at the promising children and felt so much regret that her intestines turned green. Everyone was talking about the possibility of Mu Jingzhe marrying into a rich family this time. She felt very indignant about this, but she also started pondering it.


    Actually, it might not be a bad thing if she remarried. In that case, she could take over Shao Dong and the other children again and raise them, right?


    Then, she would be able to enjoy the benefits!


    At the thought of this, Zhao Lan¡¯s eyes lit up. That¡¯s right, why didn¡¯t she think of this before? Once the children were back in her hands, everything would be fine.


    Worried that My Jingzhe was also hankering after the children¡¯s ability to earn money, Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t even wait a moment. She quickly got out of bed and put on a coat just in time to bump into Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mom? Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°I have to find Mu Jingzhe. She can get married, but she can¡¯t take Shao Dong and the others with her. Those five kids are our family.¡±

 Chapter 172 - If Youre Not Afraid of Being Poisoned, Go Ahead and Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 172: If You¡¯re Not Afraid of Being Poisoned, Go Ahead and Scheme</h4>


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s first thought was, ¡°So be it.¡± However, the implications then urred to her, and she abruptly pped her thigh. ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t let her bring them along.¡±


    Now that those burdens had be golden dolls, they couldn¡¯t possibly let Mu Jingzhe take them with her.


    Initially, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had still been fuming over the possibility of Mu Jingzhe marrying into a good family, but now, she felt that it would be better for her to remarry.


    She crept up behind Zhao Lan and headed next door.


    Mu Jingzhe was practicing speaking foreignnguages with the five kids when she saw Zhao Lan rush in. Zhao Lan pulled her aside and said, ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I don¡¯t object to you getting married, but you can¡¯t bring the children along. They are the children of the Shao Family.¡±


    ¡°What? What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending. Doesn¡¯t Uncle Tang like you? How can you reject such an eligible man?¡± Zhao Lan gritted her teeth. ¡°If you want to marry, then do it. Go and live your life. That is out of my hands. But since you want to get married, return the children to us first.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wanted to marry him. Besides, we don¡¯t have that kind of rtionship,¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly said. ¡°As for returning the children to you¡­ haven¡¯t you split up the family assets and said you don¡¯t want them anymore?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you tried to drive a wedge between us in the past. They¡¯re my biological grandchildren. How could I really not want them? If you want to leave, leave now. I¡¯ll take care of the children.¡±


    Zhao Lan sounded righteous, but Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°You make it sound good. You just wish to snatch them back after seeing them be sessful. Stop dreaming. They aren¡¯t money trees, so stop having designs on them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has designs on them. I¡¯m their biological grandmother. What money trees? I think you¡¯re the one who treats them as money trees!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help cracking her knuckles and flexing her wrists. ¡°Zhao Lan, have you forgotten how it feels to be beaten up because it¡¯s been a while? The nerve you must have to call yourself a real grandmother. Let me tell you something¡­ I will never let them fall into your hands!¡±


    Zhao Lan just wanted to leech off the kids. She didn¡¯t see the effort of the children at all, and she wouldn¡¯t think about the children¡¯s future either. She just wanted to take a few bites out of them upon seeing that they had be sessful.


    ¡°Get out if you don¡¯t want to be beaten up. If you dare have such an idea again, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    Zhao Lan looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand in fear. Just as she started feeling troubled, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, who had been hiding in the dark, couldn¡¯t helping out.


    ¡°Sister-inw, why are you still the same? You¡¯re so rude to Mom. I heard everything the two of you said. I think Mom is right. How long have you been raising these children? It¡¯s only been a year or so, whereas Mom raised them for several years. You can¡¯t be so selfish.¡±


    Thrilled at the thought of her Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« eating good food and wearing nice clothes after carrying those golden dolls back, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao spared no effort to help Zhao Lan.


    ¡°Ask anyone in the vige. Even if the family assets have been split up, the fact that blood is thicker than water can¡¯t be changed. Splitting up family assets doesn¡¯t mean cutting off all ties. Even if you don¡¯t remarry, if we want to raise them again, we have every right to do so regardless of how you look at it.¡±


    Zhao Lan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t share any blood with them. Don¡¯t think that just because they called you Mommy a few times, you¡¯re their Mommy. Return the children to me quickly. I can¡¯t let you suck their blood anymore. If you refuse, I¡¯ll look for the vige head and the police. Let¡¯s see who they¡¯ll side with.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you call the heavens!¡± Before Mu Jingzhe could speak, Shao Xi¡¯s voice came from behind her.


    Shao Xi walked over. ¡°We¡¯ve already said that we don¡¯t have a grandmother. We only acknowledge Mommy. If you keep causing trouble, you¡¯ll only make yourself look bad.¡±


    ¡°Little Xi, can¡¯t you tell she¡¯s sucking your blood? Look at all the things you¡¯ve been coaxed into buying for her. She¡¯s not even sincere about being nice to you¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not sincere? And you are?¡± Shao Nan added, ¡°You only saw that we can earn money, but you don¡¯t know that the money we earn is nothingpared to what Mommy has spent on us.


    ¡°She¡¯s enrolled us in foreignnguage, dance, and hosting sses. She also protects us and guarantees our nutrition, which is why we got where we are today. Without her, we wouldn¡¯t be who we are today. What can you do? You raised us for several years, but the money and energy you spent raising us for several years can¡¯tpare to what Mommy did in half a year.¡±


    Zhao Lan was furious. ¡°You¡­¡± She wanted to retort, but she remembered that Mu Jingzhe did seem to send them to learn things every week and kept quiet.


    ¡°Little Xi is right. If you insist on taking us back to raise us, you¡¯ll realize that we spend more money than we earn. Don¡¯t be so short-sighted that you only see benefits.¡±


    Shao Dong added, ¡°If you insist on doing this, we¡¯ll fight it out with you.¡±


    Zhao Lan looked at Shao Dong¡¯s icy gaze and couldn¡¯t help but recall the time when he¡¯d smashed a stool. For a moment, she was a little afraid.


    Sister-In-Law Shao refused to give up. She thought to herself,?<i>These children only have sharp tongues. Once they are in our hands, we will be able to control them like before.</i>?Just as she was about to speak, she saw Shao Nan casually utter the most terrifying words with the most beautiful little face.


    ¡°Big Brother, there¡¯s no need to fight it out with them. It¡¯s just a simple matter of setting a fire or poisoning them. It doesn¡¯t have to be soplicated. We¡¯re still young anyway, so we don¡¯t need to go to jail. When the timees, we can just resolve this matter and go back to look for Mommy.¡±


    He rubbed his chin and tilted his head to look at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. He blinked and said, ¡°I still remember clearly the way Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« used to bully us. Why don¡¯t we go back with them, Big Brother? We can take this chance to settle the old score.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao suddenly shivered. ¡°Shao Nan, you¡¯re a child. Why are you so scary¡­¡±


    ¡°I only said that because you insist on taking us back to raise us,¡± Shao Nan said with an innocent face.


    Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had wanted to carry the golden dolls back, but they hadn¡¯t expected to be so frightened that they¡¯d break out in a cold sweat. As they were looking into the children¡¯s eyes, they were afraid. Afraid that they would really do something like that.


    ¡°You ingrates! You¡¯ll regret this in the future!¡±


    ¡°It is out of the goodness of my heart that I wanted to bring you five back to raise you. To think you kids wouldn¡¯t want to!¡±


    The two of them reluctantly said these two sentences and left without looking back. Their anxious looks wereparable to their looks when they hade.


    After they left, Shao Nan immediately walked up to Mu Jingzhe and apologized. ¡°Mommy, I was just scaring them. I won¡¯t really do that.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expect the children to take action themselves.


    Seeing Shao Nan¡¯s manner, Mu Jingzhe rubbed his head. ¡°If you dare do it, I¡¯ll break your legs.¡±


    Shao Dong shook his head from side to side. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to be so thick-skinned. But Mommy, don¡¯t worry. We can protect ourselves now. We¡¯re not afraid of them anymore. If they dare scheme again, there are plenty of ways to deal with them.¡±


    Compared to a year ago, this was indeed the case now. Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    However, after being disgusted once, Shao Xi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. After this incident, he thought of ways to deal with Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« a few times. Even Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao didn¡¯t escape their revenge.


    Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu also joined inter on. Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao were furious, but there was nothing they could do to them.

 Chapter 173 - We Can Go Home Soon

    <h4>Chapter 173: We Can Go Home Soon</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong were too busy with their careers, so they didn¡¯t notice the little ones¡¯ acts of revenge.


    Before the new year, everyone was busy shopping. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong were too busy to pay attention to these things.


    Before the new year, everyone would buy all the things they couldn¡¯t bear to buy in the past year. They would buy clothes and hair ornaments for their children, as well as snacks and fruits that they usually couldn¡¯t afford to eat. They would also need to visit their rtives.


    This led to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s two businesses bing extremely popr. Needless to say, the umted stock of hair ornaments was cleared out a few days before the new year, and everyone even had to work overtime.


    At the same time, the toilet paper and sanitary pads made at the paper factory sold well.


    The best-selling items, however, were fruit cans, fruit juice, and walnut juice. Due to the opportune timing and the fact that the products were cheap and good, they sold really well in the entire county. They were even sold elsewhere in the province. They were really a hit.


    At the same time, Mu Han and the scavenger team, who had been wandering outside for a few months, gradually returned.


    Although they had been working the dirtiest and toughest jobs outside, they came back in the most presentable clothes and shoes. They cleaned up nicely and even brought home gifts for their families, looking quite morous.


    They had really made money and had juste back home. Of the ten families, eight nned to start building new houses after the new year, and some even nned to buy bicycles.


    In just a few months, they had made money that they might not have been able to make in a few years otherwise.


    Before the new year, the most-discussed topic in the vige was these scavenger teams. Mu Han was one of them. He was the most low-profile among them, but everyone knew that he earned the most, while they were just small fries.


    Everyone praised Mu Han, but he was very humble. ¡°I¡¯m nothing. I¡¯m just an errand boy.¡±


    The truly brilliant one was Shao Dong. Shao Dong was the brain of the operation. Without Shao Dong, he wouldn¡¯t have thought so far ahead.


    Before the new year, Great Eastern Vige was extremely lively. Everyone was busy going to the scavenger team¡¯s houses for a visit to ask around for opportunities, and the scavenger team would go to Mu Han¡¯s house.


    This year was the new year Mu Teng and his family would be celebrating after their share of the family assets was carved out. They¡¯d originally thought that it would be cold and cheerless, but in fact, it was even livelier in their home than where Old Lady Mu and the rest lived. Everyone came and went with their New Year¡¯s gifts.


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t expected the grandchildren she¡¯d once looked down upon to be so promising. Upon seeing how lively their ce was and how cold and cheerless her side was, in addition to the fact that Mu Xue hadn¡¯t managed to find a wealthy husband, she was extremely vexed.


    However, Third Brother and his wife kept trying to get closer to Mu Teng and his wife. There was some resentment in their words. Back then, they¡¯d insisted on staying together because they trusted Mu Xue. Why was their family still like this?


    Mu Xue¡¯s engagement had been broken off, and her wealthy inws were gone. On the other hand, Mu Han and the others had made a lot of money. If they had carved out their share of the family assets as well back then, they might have been able to earn money with Mu Han now.


    He wanted to say a few nice words to coax Mu Han into bringing him, his third uncle, along to earn big money, but Mu Han was no longer the person he used to be a few months ago. He still remembered the way his third uncle had kicked him while he was down, and he dismissed him with a fake smile and a few casual words.


    Then, he brought his New Year¡¯s gift and carefully went to wish his older sister a happy new year. Of course, he also went to wish Shao Dong, his nephew-cum-boss, a happy new year.


    The people who went out to scavenge with Mu Han knew that although he was incredible, arge part of this sess was a result of Shao Dong¡¯s capabilities. All of them followed suit.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ce became the liveliest in the entire vige. On the night of the Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve, a lot of families sent over plenty of delicious food. There was so much food that the dining table was almost full.


    The five kids looked at the sumptuous dining table and felt filled with emotions.


    In just one year, their lives had already changed drastically. They remembered being scolded for eating two pieces of chickenst year, but this year, things had changedpletely.


    In the past, during the New Year, Zhao Lan would always kill a chicken. The chicken leg and chicken wings would always go to Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, never Dong, Xi, Nan, Bei, and Zhong. At most, they would get a portion of the chicken head. However, it would only be theirs after the most delicious chicken crown on the chicken head was bitten off by Shao Fu. The five of them would each eat a portion of the remaining chicken head.


    If Zhao Lan was in a better mood, they would get some bones without much meat. If she was in a bad mood, it would be difficult to even get a bowl of chicken soup.


    All the children in the vige looked forward to the New Year, but they had never done so before. This was because the New Year used to be no different to them.


    This year, they finally understood why other children always looked forward to the New Year¡ªbecause it truly was a blissful and lively asion.


    Mommy had bought red paper and asked them to write couplets and paste them on the door. She¡¯d also boughtnterns. The house, which was red and flourishing, had a strong Chinese New Year vibe.


    After dinner, Mommy read them a story while apanying them as they Shousui-ed[1]. They felt that the air was filled with the smell of happiness.


    Knowing that the purpose of this custom was to bless their parents with longevity, the children widened their eyes, wanting to properly Shousui for Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe had known about this custom for a long time. However, she didn¡¯t have parents before, so she didn¡¯t need to Shousui. Now that she had Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, regardless of whether their rtionship was real or fake, she would properly Shousui for them during every Chinese New Year.


    Mu Jingzhe Shousui-ed for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, while the five children Shousui-ed for Mu Jingzhe. Other than Xiao Wu, who didn¡¯t think too much about it, the other four kids Shousui-ed for Mu Jingzhe while silently discussing with the heavens. They were Shousui-ing for their mother and not their father. They hoped that their blessings wouldn¡¯t be diluted and all their blessings would be given to their mother.


    Shao Qihai, who was hundreds of kilometers away, tried his best but couldn¡¯t make it back before the New Year. However, atst, thest two escapees were found.


    The New Year had a special meaning. Everyone, regardless of their status, wanted to go back to their hometown for Chinese New Year.


    The same applied to those two people. They couldn¡¯t help but go home for the New Year, so Shao Qihai and the others finally found a chance.


    After Shao Qihai and Jiang Feng confirmed the identity of the culprits, they assisted the police with the final arrest at longst.


    Finally, all the culprits were arrested and brought to justice. For some reason, though, Shao Qihai felt a chill down his spine.


    Aftering out of the suspect¡¯s house, which was filled with a strong festive vibe, Shao Qihai looked in the direction of his house and apologized to Mu Jingzhe and his five kids in his heart.


    He had tried his best to go back before the New Year, but he hadn¡¯t made it back in the end.


    Elsewhere, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qiyang, and the kids waited until midnight to wee the first day of the New Year. Just after midnight, Mu Jingzhe started to cook the dumplings that she had prepared.


    ¡°Come,e and eat.¡± After the dumplings were cooked, Mu Jingzhe picked up the dumplings for them with a pair of chopsticks. ¡°Pay attention when you eat. Don¡¯t use too much strength lest your teeth break. Whoever bites the coin will have good luck for the next year.¡±


    In the past, life had been average, and there hadn¡¯t been many chances to eat dumplings. Even if there was money to make dumplings, they weren¡¯t so particr about it. The five children aside, this was also the first time Shao Qiyang had celebrated the New Year like this.


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, they were excited and expectant as they carefully bit down.


    ¡°Ah, Mommy, I bit it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Our Little Bei is going to be lucky this year.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I bit it too!¡± Shao Xi, Shao Nan, Shao Dong, Xiao Wu, even Shao Qiyang, all found themselves biting a coin one after another.


    Initially, only one dumpling was supposed to contain a coin, but Mu Jingzhe felt that it would be better if everyone had good luck, so she¡¯d made a few dumplings with a coin in them. When she saw them bite a coin, she congratted each of them.


    [1] A Chinese New Year¡¯s custom that has people stay upte on the New Year¡¯s Eve so that their parents will be blessed with longevity

 Chapter 174 - Little Beis Movie Is Released

    <h4>Chapter 174: Little Bei¡¯s Movie Is Released</h4>


    After Shao Qiyang and the kids were done being excited, they quickly realized that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t eaten yet. Therefore, they studied the remaining dumplings and picked some up for Mu Jingzhe, asking her to eat quickly so that she could bite into a coin as well.


    There were six of them, and each of them had picked up one dumpling, so Mu Jingzhe was offered six dumplings in the end. After she finished eating, seeing that she hadn¡¯t bitten a coin, each of them picked up another dumpling for Mu Jingzhe.


    This put Mu Jingzhe in a difficult position. Because of the sumptuous dinner, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t hungry to begin with. Eating dumplings was actually just ceremonial, but now, she couldn¡¯t refuse, so she was in a tough spot.


    She couldn¡¯t possibly bite into a coin because she had only put a coin in six of them.


    She had forgotten to include one for herself, so she couldn¡¯t eat one. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t say this directly and only said that she couldn¡¯t eat anymore.


    Shao Dong, who could tell what was going on, stopped everyone. Instead, his eyes darted around, and he secretly got busy in the kitchen for a while to cook one for Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, this is thest one. You¡¯ll definitely find a coin in there. Eat.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe ate it doubtfully, not expecting to really bite into a coin. ¡°Why is there another¡­¡±


    ¡°Congrattions for biting the coin, Mommy. You¡¯re going to be lucky this year!¡± Shao Dong pped his hands. Why was there a coin? Because he had added it, of course.


    Since they were going to have good luck in theing year, everyone had to have good luck together. The family had to be united. How could Mommy be left out?


    Mu Jingzhe also reacted, sighing helplessly with emotion. She had blessed the children, and Shao Dong had blessed her in return. They wished each other well and hoped that each other¡¯s dreams woulde true.


    By the time they ate the dumplings and packed up, it was alreadyte. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s more or less bedtime.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, are you going to sleep too?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m not sleeping yet. You kids go to sleep first. Don¡¯t stay up toote.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe had arranged for them to sleep, when the kids were left alone, all of them quietly sat up in the dark and began to Shousui.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to help Mommy Shousui for several years. We must hold on until morning tonight. In the future, we will help Mommy Shousui every year. This way, Mommy will live a long life.¡±


    As soon as Shao Xi finished speaking, the other kids, including Xiao Wu, nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s stay up the entire night then.¡±


    Shao Xi even thought that because their biological mother had left just like that and they had been too young at the time, they hadn¡¯t known how to Shousui for their mother. That was why she had passed away so early.


    Now that they were older, they couldn¡¯t fall behind anymore.


    They couldn¡¯t speak, so they could only monitor each other. By pinching each other to prevent themselves from falling asleep, they persisted all the way till dawn.


    Mu Jingzhe fell asleep sometime in the middle of the night. She didn¡¯t expect them to be able to hold on.


    When Mu Jingzhe got up to see them, they pretended to be asleep.


    On the first day of the new year, both Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang gave the five kids red packets.


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Young Uncle.¡±


    After sending Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han New Year greetings, they received three more red packets. This was the year that the five kids received the most red packets.


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe surprisingly received a red packet from Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. Even though she was already a grown married adult, Mu Jingzhe still ignored this fact and epted it.


    This was the first red packet her parents had given her.


    After breakfast, the five kids set off firecrackers at the door. The tips of their noses were filled with the unique smell of firecrackers. Children were seen running around in the vige everywhere.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally didn¡¯tck money to buy firecrackers. She didn¡¯t hate the smell, but the asional bang was scary.


    ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t get injured by the firecrackers and don¡¯t y in crowded ces. Go y out in the open. You must be careful.¡± It was rare for the children to rx. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stop them from ying with the other children in the vige. She only reminded them to be careful.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Dong agreed loudly. ¡°I will watch over them.¡±


    After the children ran away, Mu Jingzhe turned around and saw Shao Qiyang. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to y cards?¡±


    The vigers loved to y cards during the New Year.


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Qiyang shook his head. ¡°Are we going to watch Little Bei¡¯s movie in the afternoon?¡±


    The movie Little Bei had acted in previously would be released on New Year¡¯s Eve. It had been confirmed that it would be released in the county city too. Mu Jingzhe nned to take the five kids to watch it in the afternoon. Shao Qiyang had also said that he wanted to go.


    ¡°Mm, we¡¯ll go after lunch.¡±


    The corners of Shao Qiyang¡¯s mouth curled up as he responded with an ¡°Mm¡±. At the thought of going to the movie with Mu Jingzhe, his mood became much better and his heart began racing.


    Then, he heard Mu Jingzhe add, ¡°My mom and the rest also said that they wanted to go. They said that when the movie premiered, they would invite the vigers to watch it with us. She said that she wanted to talk to the person in charge of the theater.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Al¡­ Alright then.


    In the afternoon, Mu Han brought Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng to the county city to watch a movie, while Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang brought the five kids.


    Perhaps it was because this was the New Year¡¯s break, but there were quite a lot of people watching the movie. Shao Qiyang and Mu Jingzhe were queuing up to buy tickets, whereas Li Zhaodi and the rest went to ask about showing the movie in their vige. In the end, it was as Mu Jingzhe had guessed. Other movies were fine, but Little Bei¡¯s new movie would have to wait a while before it could be booked and released in the vige.


    Half an hour after Mu Jingzhe and the others got their hands on the tickets, Little Bei¡¯s ¡°Xiao Jiu¡± appeared on the screen.


    Although the movie theater was quite old and the sound effects couldn¡¯tpare to modern ones, it still felt different watching a movie in a theater.


    When Little Bei appeared in the movie, everyone got very excited. Li Zhaodi even eximed a few times. ¡°It¡¯s really Little Bei. They look exactly the same.¡±


    Upon seeing someone she knew in real life appear on the big screen, Li Zhaodi was thrilled. She hugged Little Bei and made a fuss over her.


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°Mom, Little Bei acted in the movie, so of course they look exactly the same. This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve seen this. You¡¯ve seen Little Bei¡¯s TV drama and Little Nan¡¯s game show previously.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m still fascinated.¡±


    Little Bei, who was being hugged by Li Zhaodi, nodded. ¡°Mommy, I think it¡¯s fascinating too. I actually appeared in the movie theater.¡±


    ¡°There will be more and more such opportunities in the future. Mom, just you wait. Didn¡¯t you also make a cameo appearance in the movie? You¡¯ll appear too.¡±


    ¡°Right, I have to watch closely for my appearance.¡±


    That said, after a while, when the plot slowly started, Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t be bothered anymore. Even though she had watched it once, Mu Jingzhe was too engrossed in the movie to care.


    Half an hourter, everyone was mesmerized by Little Bei¡¯s crying scene and started crying as well.


    When the wicked grandmother that Zhao Lan had portrayed appeared, so did Li Zhaodi¡¯s character. However, at that moment, Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t be bothered to get worked up anymore. She only cared about hating herself and Zhao Lan for their roles.


    ¡°They¡¯re such baddies. I wish I could crawl in and beat them to death!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Did she mean she was going to beat herself up?


    Other than Li Zhaodi herself, this was also what everyone watching the movie thought. Later on, many people cried, including the children.


    Children couldn¡¯t differentiate between reality and movies, so they thought that it was real. The other viewers didn¡¯t feel like it was acting either and didn¡¯t say things such as that Little Bei had acted really well. They were only deeply engrossed in the movie.

 Chapter 175 - Will Be Beaten to Death

    <h4>Chapter 175: Will Be Beaten to Death</h4>


    The movie theater was filled with crying sounds. Mu Jingzhe also cried until her eyes swelled. There was no choice. She wanted to restrain herself, but with the musical apaniment, the movie seemed to have a soul that made one unable to extricate themselves from it.


    Little Bei¡¯s acting was good to begin with. Even the supporting characters, such as Tian Xiaoxiao, were stimted by Little Bei, bringing the best out of their acting skills. The overall effect was already very good. And then, there was the support of Xiao Wu¡¯s music, which was like adding wings to a tiger.


    Mu Jingzhe, who hadn¡¯t known about the effect of Little Bei¡¯s movie when reading the novel before she¡¯d transmigrated, found it impossible to extricate herself from it.


    In reality, the effect of the movie was actually better than the book. After all, Little Bei was still really young. As a six-year-old, she made people¡¯s hearts ache even more when she portrayed a nine-year-old. Her acting skills also made the professionals think highly of her, convincing them even more.


    Coupled with Xiao Wu¡¯s music and Little Bei¡¯s acting skills, everyone could empathize with her. This was also the reason almost everyone in the movie theater cried.


    At the end of the movie, everyoneughed with tears in their eyes, as it had made them feel warm and happy from the bottom of their hearts.


    At the time, most of the audience hadn¡¯t watched many movies, so their senses weren¡¯t strong. However, Mu Jingzhe, who had watched many movies and had heard many movie analyses, clearly knew how crucial a role Xiao Wu¡¯s music had yed.


    Mu Jingzhe had also heard many ssic and popr songs. Many of those songs were truly stunning and touching, but none of them had moved her so much. This was especially moving thanks to the aid of the movie.


    In modern times, many movie theme songs were widely known. Other than the songs being nice themselves, it was also because of the plot. Songs made the plot more popr, and the plot made the songs more vibrant. It was a mutuallyplementary process.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s music had achieved such an effect. He was still young, so the overallposition wasn¡¯t very mature. However, his talent made his music different. It was so unique that it could enter people¡¯s hearts, resonate with them, and touch them.


    Complementing the movie¡¯s plot well, it really made people feel blissful andugh out loud. It gave peoplefort and also induced heartache and tears in them. The audience waspletely immersed in the movie.


    What would seem like a clich¨¦ plot in modern times became different when it was yed out.


    When they came out of the theater after watching the movie, they heard the other movie-goers discuss it, saying that they must get their friends and families to watch the movie too. They didn¡¯t know that the little girl who had stirred their hearts was watching the movie with them.


    Mu Jingzhe had no doubt that if this was the modern era, the movie would explode in poprity.


    As this was the 80s, the box office sales and poprity might not beparable to the modern era. However, she believed that this movie would be a ssic many yearster, even in the modern era.


    There was no doubt that this movie was a sess.


    As Mu Jingzhe sighed with emotion, she heard an apology. When she came back to her senses, she saw that a youngdy had identally stepped on Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang shook his head and said that it was alright, but the girl was in no hurry to leave. Instead, she followed them for a while and talked to Shao Qiyang with a blushing face. She said that she worked in the department store and had seen Shao Qiyang in the county city before. Just now, she had been sitting behind them in the movie theater.


    She had probably heard the kids call Shao Qiyang ¡®Uncle¡¯, so she even praised Shao Qiyang¡¯s nephews and niece for being very cute.


    Shao Qiyang answered casually, his gaze on Mu Jingzhe. However, when Mu Jingzhe saw the youngdy talking to him, she quickened her pace to give them some space to talk.


    She checked that youngdy out briefly. Her apple-shaped, cute face made her verypatible with Shao Qiyang.


    In the blink of an eye, Shao Qiyang realized that Mu Jingzhe and the kids had walked far away. As she had walked too quickly, Mu Jingzhe had almost bumped into someone. When she apologized, she realized that it was someone familiar.


    It was Shao Qiyun, whom she had not seen in a long time. Beside her was a gloomy-looking Zhao Lan. When Zhao Lan saw them, her expression changed. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her eyebrows. ¡°We¡¯re here to watch a movie, of course. You guys are here to watch a movie too? Oh, right, Zhao Lan, your scene was not bad.¡±


    Zhao Lan snapped, ¡°Not bad? Why do you care if we¡¯re watching a movie or not?¡±


    The look of anticipation on her face waspletely gone. Before the movie had premiered, Zhao Lan had been rather looking forward to the movie since she had also acted in it and hade to look for Shao Qiyun on the first day of the New Year to ask her to bring her to the movie theater.


    She had thought that being able to act in a movie was good, but it hadn¡¯t urred to her whether the role was good or wicked. In the end, the character of the wicked grandmother that she had yed¡ªwhich really was pretty much her acting as herself¡ªhad been scolded by everyone. The unprepared Zhao Lan had suffered a blow. She had wanted to proudly tell everyone that she had acted in the movie too, but when she heard everyone scolding her character, she didn¡¯t dare say so anymore.


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s scene was simr to hers, and some people also scolded her. However, Li Zhaodi had a good mentality, and everyone only said that she was wicked andical, whereas Zhao Lan received scoldings and nothing else.


    Zhao Lan, who had happilye without telling the vigers, was now filled with resentment. She hadn¡¯t expected to encounter Mu Jingzhe and the others.


    She turned around and was just about to leave when she stopped. She couldn¡¯t help but stammer, ¡°Can you tell the director to delete my scenes? I don¡¯t want to be scolded anymore. That clearly isn¡¯t who I am. Why is everyone scolding me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself, ¡°Why deny this when you¡¯re clearly acting just like yourself?¡±


    Instead, she said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible to delete them. It¡¯s not that simple. You epted the money back then too.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just return him the money?¡±


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not that easy. It¡¯s not like the filming process is still ongoing and scenes can be deleted. Now that the movie is screening in theaters nationwide, how can any scenes be deleted? Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Zhao Lan¡¯s constipated expression and asked the obvious, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you willing to act anymore? Isn¡¯t it nice that everyone can see you? Maybe the entire country will recognize you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so good about being known this way? I might perhaps get beaten up one day,¡± Zhao Lan blurted out. Then, she realized that this waspletely possible.


    She was only d that she had appeared for a short while and everyone couldn¡¯t remember her. If they remembered her, it would be over. She would be beaten up even while walking.


    Zhao Lan was exaggerating. Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    Although she said that it wasn¡¯t that bad, if she was really recognized, there actually was a chance that she would get beaten up. If a performance was really good, the audience would feel a strong sense of immersion. Even the actresses who acted as the third party in the modern world would get scolded, let alone actresses now.


    In this era, no one thought of distinguishing the actors from the characters they yed. It also didn¡¯t ur to them that it was just a performance. They just thought that the actor was as wicked as the character they portrayed. If they recognized the actor, he/she might get scolded or even beaten up.


    While Mu Jingzhe was talking to Zhao Lan, Shao Qiyun, who was beside her, had a scowl on her face, especially when she saw the children and her gazended on Xiao Wu. As soon as she saw that Xiao Wu was looking at her, her expression darkened. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mom.¡±


    Ever since she had been taken away from the vige by the police, Shao Qiyun had never returned. She hadn¡¯t even returned for the New Year. When she saw Mu Jingzhe, her eyes were filled with hatred.


    Because of what had happened previously, she had lost her job. Later on, she had suffered for a period of time and relied on Zhao Lan¡¯s subsidies to make it through. It hadn¡¯t been easy for her to find a job as a waitress in a snack shop in the county city. She even had to wash the dishes every day. Shao Qiyun hated it to the core.


    She didn¡¯t even wash the dishes at home. In the future, she was going to marry a rich person, yet now, she was washing dishes.


    However, no matter how unwilling she was, she still had to live before finding a rich person. Now, she was even thinking that she should lower her standards for ¡®a rich person¡¯ and probably should just find someone to marry if she really couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

 Chapter 176 - Looks Familiar From the Back

    <h4>Chapter 176: Looks Familiar From the Back</h4>


    Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything else. She pulled Zhao Lan along and left. Zhao Lan took a few steps forward, feeling a little hesitant. ¡°I was thinking that you should go to their factory to work. It¡¯s better than working in a restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they didn¡¯t agree?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if we bring it up a few more times, they¡¯ll agree.¡±


    Upon hearing Zhao Lan¡¯s words, Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t help but stop. However, because she hesitated, by the time she turned around, Mu Jingzhe and the others were long gone.


    They had already left, and only their backs were visible. Zhao Lan was muttering and cursing the kids for being ingrates, but Shao Qiyun was stunned when she saw the figure beside Mu Jingzhe.


    Zhao Lan came back to her senses and saw her looking dazed. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just thought it looked familiar¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyun snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head, her expression inexplicable. ¡°I think I saw wrong. I only saw the side of his face¡­¡±


    ******


    Mu Jingzhe bumped into Ji Buwang at the entrance of the theater. While Ji Buwang had been passing by the theater, he¡¯d been wondering if he would bump into Mu Jingzhe. He hadn¡¯t expected to see Mu Jingzhe when he raised his head.


    He could clearly see Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vibrant smile in the crowd.


    ¡°Jingzhe!¡±


    Ji Buwang raised his hand and shouted, ¡°Jingzhe, over here!¡±


    As he walked over and was about to greet Xiao Wu and the rest, he noticed Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng and quickly greeted them.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle and Auntie. I¡¯m Ji Buwang.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy for Shao Qiyang to escape from that youngdy. When he ran out, he saw Ji Buwang¡¯s brilliant smile as he fawned over Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    He saw that Li Zhaodi seemed to be quite satisfied, and there was a broad beam on her face.


    ¡°What a persistent ghost.¡± Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth and quickly went forward to greet them. ¡°Teacher Ji, why are you here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to go home to celebrate the New Year?¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°I made a trip home. I was in the capitalst night. I spent the New Year with my grandfather and only flew over today.¡±


    Considering that he had a suitcase in his hand, he had really just returned. When he¡¯d passed by the cinema, he had recalled that Little Bei¡¯s movie was being released today and thought that he might encounter Mu Jingzhe. His heart had skipped a beat, and he had gotten out of the car. He hadn¡¯t expected to really see Mu Jingzhe.


    This was probably what telepathy was like.


    Ji Buwang stared at Mu Jingzhe,pletely forgetting about Shao Qiyang, who had just asked him a question.


    Shao Qiyang wished he could blindfold him. ¡°It¡¯s finally the New Year. Why didn¡¯t you just spend a few days with your family instead of anxiously rushing back?¡±


    Ji Buwang finally nced at Shao Qiyang. ¡°My grandfather had matters to attend to, and there¡¯s also someone I wish to see here. That¡¯s why I came back.¡±


    It was self-evident who he¡¯d wanted to meet.


    It wouldn¡¯t be good to be any more direct than he already had. Or rather, in front of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, these words were already aggressive enough.


    Ji Buwang stopped while he was ahead and didn¡¯t dare go overboard. He didn¡¯t even dare look at Mu Jingzhe anymore. He quickly memorized the characteristics of Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han, in case he didn¡¯t recognize them next time and they misunderstood and thought he was arrogant.


    Due to face blindness, Ji Buwang usually didn¡¯t take the initiative to greet anyone. He would wait for someone to greet him before using their voice and memory to recall who this person was. Because of this, many people said that he was arrogant, and some people evenined to his grandfather.


    Since his grandfather knew about his situation, he naturally wouldn¡¯t say anything. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t take their words to heart either.


    However, he couldn¡¯t do this to Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han. Otherwise, it would be terrible. It would be best if he could distinguish them from the crowd and take the initiative to greet them.


    Due to Ji Buwang¡¯s good upbringing, after chatting with him for a while, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng both felt that this young man really had a way with words.


    Naturally, they brought Ji Buwang along when they went shopping.


    Shao Qiyang was the only one who felt that it was unreasonable for Ji Buwang to go shopping with them. When Li Zhaodi bought arm sleeves, he even rushed to pay for them.


    This was what Shao Qiyang had wanted to do, but Ji Buwang beat him to it.


    As he looked at the scheming Ji Buwang, the sense of crisis in Shao Qiyang¡¯s heart grew even stronger.


    After shopping for a while, Mu Jingzhe and the others wanted to return before nightfall and bade Ji Buwang farewell. Ji Buwang wanted to invite them over but ultimately didn¡¯t say anything and only offered to drive them.


    However, Mu Jingzhe rejected his offer. ¡°You just came off a ne today. It¡¯ll be too tiring for you. Go back and rest.¡±


    Ji Buwang knew that Mu Jingzhe was concerned about him, so he nodded warmly. ¡°Alright, be careful on your way back.¡±


    After he said that, Ji Buwang took five red packets out of his bag and gave them to the five kids. ¡°You¡¯ve grown yet another year older.¡±


    He had prepared a red packet for the childrenst night and thought that he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to give it to them. Now that he could, Ji Buwang was very d.


    The five kids were very surprised. They hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to actually prepare a red packet for them. They couldn¡¯t help but look at Mu Jingzhe.


    Ji Buwang patted Xiao Wu¡¯s head. ¡°Stop looking at your mother. Take it. This is a form of blessing and a token of my sincerity.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Teacher Ji.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. After you finish reading the books,e to my house to exchange them. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ji Buwang happily bade the children farewell. Shao Qiyang watched from the side, his thoughts gettingplicated.


    On the way back, Shao Qiyang was unusually silent. When they returned home, Mu Jingzhe wanted to cook, so he helped light the fire and fetch water to fill the water vat.


    This was something Shao Qiyang would do every day so long as he was home. Mu Jingzhe was strong herself and said she didn¡¯t need him to help her fetch water, as she could do it herself. However, Shao Qiyang wouldn¡¯t listen. He said that if he was around, he wouldn¡¯t let her fetch water.


    He would either fill the bucket with water at night or before going to work in the morning. When there was no firewood at home, he would chop firewood during his break.


    Even though Mu Jingzhe said that she was capable, he wouldn¡¯t let her do heavy work at home.


    Although Shao Qiyang was often not at home because he was at work, he hadn¡¯t washed his hands off of everything. He saw everything that Mu Jingzhe did at home, so he never troubled Mu Jingzhe to wash his own clothes. As long as he had time, he would even wash the children¡¯s clothes.


    Especially in winter, he would asionally help Mu Jingzhe wash her outerwear.


    Mu Jingzhe had gotten used to burning firewood and cooking, but because the heavy smoke of the firewood stung her eyes, he¡¯d even built a new stove at home. Now that there wasn¡¯t much smoke, she no longer had to cook with red eyes like before.


    When Mu Jingzhe cooked, if he was around, he would always wash the dishes after eating so that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t have to do it.


    Mu Jingzhe had actually noticed what Shao Qiyang did. Of course, the vigers probably saw it too. It was perhaps because of this that some girls had a crush on Shao Qiyang.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the diligent Shao Qiyang and felt that he was a good man worth trusting. He was much better than the other men in the vige.


    The men in the vige never cooked or washed the dishes, nor did they wash clothes. They felt that it was something a woman should do and didn¡¯t even help fetch water.


    Therefore, Shao Qiyang really shouldn¡¯t end up an unmarried man for the rest of his life. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Shao Qiyang, do you know the name of that apple-faced youngdy we saw today? What do you think of her?¡±

 Chapter 177 - Brother, I Will Treat Sister-In-Law Well

    <h4>Chapter 177: Brother, I Will Treat Sister-In-Law Well</h4>


    Shao Qiyang, who was sulking, was baffled by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to ask what you think of her. Her face looks likable and lucky. I think she¡¯s quitepatible with you¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to get married.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mu Jingzhe was getting anxious. ¡°That youngdy seems nice¡­ Or have you not forgotten Mu Xue?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sighed and lowered her voice before she asked him, ¡°Do you still like Mu Xue?¡±


    She had felt conflicted about this before. Now, it seemed like she had to think of a way to set them up.


    Shao Qiyang felt extremely helpless. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I told you before that I don¡¯t think of her anymore. Don¡¯t let your thoughts run wild.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why aren¡¯t you willing to consider other girls?¡±


    Shao Qiyang gazed at Mu Jingzhe and was about to say ¡®because of you¡¯ when Xiao Wu ran through the door with a persimmon in his hand.


    ¡°Mommy, this persimmon is for you.¡±


    ¡°Where did this persimmone from?¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly caught Xiao Wu.


    ¡°Sister Li Fang gave it to me. Mommy, you like persimmons. I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    After persimmons were picked, they could be wrapped up and stored to be eaten in the winter. Although one didn¡¯t look elegant eating persimmons, they were really sweet, icy, and refreshing. The ones Mu Jingzhe used to buy in the modern ages looked good, but the taste was a far cry from the persimmons of this era.


    Mu Jingzhe had been pleasantly surprised when she had tried one previously and had nearly eaten too much. Hence, the children knew that Mu Jingzhe loved persimmons.


    Before the New Year, Shao Dong had nted two persimmon trees in front of the house. Every time someone gave them persimmons, the children would be reluctant to eat them and would bring them back for Mu Jingzhe to eat.


    Although she was very touched, she was also very embarrassed. ¡°Xiao Wu, you eat it. Mommy has been eating persimmons in the past few days. You can eat them yourself in the future.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiao Wu asked, unconsciously swallowing his saliva.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m not eating it. Xiao Wu, go ahead and eat it. You know that one shouldn¡¯t eat too much of this. Mommy won¡¯t eat it today.¡± Persimmons were delicious. The children actually liked them, but they kept wanting her to eat them.


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head. ¡°Hurry up and eat it. Remember not to eat the skin.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Xiao Wu obediently went out. ¡°I¡¯ll eat with my sister.¡±


    The moment Xiao Wu had arrived, Shao Qiyang¡¯s impulse had been halted. Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyang¡¯s expression and tried to persuade him. Her general meaning was that if he really liked Mu Xue, he could try his best to win her over. If he did not, he could just let go of her and look for someone else.


    Shao Qiyang watched as Mu Jingzhe persuaded him in a clear and logical manner. Anyone who didn¡¯t know might think that she was very impressive and knowledgeable when it came to rtionships, but in reality, she knew nothing about rtionships!


    Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help but cuss in his heart. One could just imagine how furious he was. Previously, he would let his imagination run wild because of Mu Jingzhe, but after a year together, he could read herpletely.


    Mu Jingzhe might sound like she knew a lot, but she had never been in a rtionship and didn¡¯t know anything about them. In fact, she could be consideredpletely clueless in this aspect.


    Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been oblivious to the fact that he had been carrying a torch for her. So many people could tell, and she was the only one who hadn¡¯t sensed anything, as if that was somethingpletely impossible.


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t know what Mu Jingzhe had experienced before she¡¯d transmigrated, but he had truly tasted the disastrous effect of those experiences.


    She even mocked the men in the vige for being straight[1], but Shao Qiyang felt that she had no right to criticize the straight men in the vige. After all, no matter how one looked at it, she was also a straight woman.


    She even had the nerve to say that a straight man was the scariest, unlike a straight woman like her.


    As Shao Qiyang listened to Mu Jingzhe muttering, he retorted in his heart to everything she said. Seeing that the food was about to be ready, he went to get some incense. While walking out of the kitchen, he passed by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s door and saw the kids rolling around on her bed. He subconsciously saw the male celebrity poster pasted in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room.


    Upon seeing this, he felt depressed again.


    There were also posters in the rooms of other youngdies in the vige, but none of them had stuck as many posters on their walls as Mu Jingzhe, who imed that as long as one was handsome, he could be her husband.


    Shao Qiyang felt that sometimes Mu Jingzhe acted and spoke weirdly, but he could ept her weirdness and follow her train of thought.


    However, didn¡¯t she say that as long as a man was handsome, he could be her husband? Then why couldn¡¯t she think of him as her husband too? Shao Qiyang was not proud, but his face was really not bad. He would attract people wherever he went. Everyone said that he wasn¡¯t inferior to male celebrities.


    Male celebrities were such distant existences. Given how close he was, she might as well consider him instead. However, this simply had never urred to Mu Jingzhe. Could it be because he wasn¡¯t handsome enough? Should he dress up a little?


    Shao Qiyang, who was supposed to go get some incense, turned around and returned to his room. He smoothed down his hair in front of the window, using it as a mirror. He then looked at his shoes, wanting to change into another pair. In the end, he saw the leather shoes Shao Qihai had given him.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s mood instantly worsened.


    He silently went to get some incense and paper money. Shao Qiyang prepared the items needed for ancestral worship and pulled the children to kowtow to Shao Qihai. He even brought delicious food as an offering for his older brother.


    ¡°You kids didn¡¯t kowtow this morning. Now, kowtow to your father and let him bless you from heaven.¡±


    The five kids: ¡°¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, the children didn¡¯t retort and kowtowed before their mother¡¯s memorial tablet, which was beside their father¡¯s.


    After Shao Dong and the others left, Shao Qiyang looked at his older brother¡¯s memorial tablet and finally made up his mind. ¡°Brother, I will treat Sister-In-Law well. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s persistence and Tang Moling¡¯s restlessness made Shao Qiyang feel a sense of crisis. He really couldn¡¯t imagine what his life would be like after Mu Jingzhe left the Shao Family and married Ji Buwang or some other man.


    Rather than despairing over here and doing nothing, it would be better to risk it.


    Even if he failed, even if Mu Jingzhe was afraid of him in the future, he still had to gamble.


    Coincidentally, that was what Mu Jingzhe had advised him to do as well. He listened to her advice and tried his best to fight. If it didn¡¯t work, he would talk about itter.


    Mu Jingzhe had never thought that her words would really work. However, the way they worked waspletely different from what she had expected.


    Shao Qiyang stared at Shao Qihai¡¯s name. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ll support me too, right?¡±


    After saying that, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help butugh bitterly. ¡°No, that¡¯s not right. I know that you might be unhappy if you¡¯re seeing this from heaven, butpared to outsiders, you should support me more, right? Please bless me from heaven and let me seed.¡±


    In the neighboring city, on the way back from escorting the suspect, Shao Qihai, who was sitting in the car and going back with them to cooperate with the investigation, sneezed twice.


    Jiang Feng immediately said, ¡°Brother Hai, someone must be missing you. Sister-In-Law and the others must be missing you.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°No¡­¡± It would be strange if Mu Jingzhe missed him. Shao Qihai didn¡¯t even believe it himself. The children were more likely to miss him.


    Jiang Feng retorted, ¡°You sneezed. This is proof. Sneezing once means someone is scolding you, and sneezing twice means someone is missing you. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Shao Qihai said. ¡°ording to the version I heard, when you sneeze once, it means that someone is thinking of you. When you sneeze twice, someone is scolding you.¡±


    ¡°Eh, doesn¡¯t one sneeze mean scolding and two mean missing?¡±


    ¡°One sneeze means someone is missing you, and two means someone is scolding you.¡±


    Shao Qihai answered, frowning as he looked out of the window. For some reason, he had a bad premonition.


    [1] In this case, a straight man/woman refers to someone who is dense when ites to rtionships

 Chapter 178 - A Green Hat for Dear Brother

    <h4>Chapter 178: A Green Hat for Dear Brother</h4>


    After Shao Qiyang made up his mind, he mulled over his decision repeatedly that night. He felt that it might not be good to be direct. He could take things step by step and drop hints to help Mu Jingzhe truly realize his intentions and see that he was serious about her.


    Taking advantage of the holidays, Shao Qiyang decided to give it a serious shot.


    After holding back for so long, he finally decided to take the first step. Shao Qiyang was so excited that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    When he fell asleep in thetter half of the night, perhaps out of guilt, he somehow dreamed of Shao Qihai. In his dreams, they went to the market when they were kids and ended up buying a hat.


    Because they were poor and didn¡¯t have the money to buy a second hat, they kept insisting the other one take it. Later on, he was the one who gave up the hat so his brother could have it.


    This had happened a long time ago. Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t know why he dreamed about it, but what was even stranger was the second half of the dream.


    He clearly remembered that the hat was a verymon army green hat, but for some reason, the color of the hat in his dream had changed. It had turned emerald green, so green that it was dazzling[1].


    Back when they were kids, when he had put the hat on his older brother¡¯s head, his brother had clearly felt touched. However, after he put it on his head in the dream, his brother¡¯s expression changed drastically. He took off the hat and stomped on it with all his might. Then, he even wanted to beat him to death and tried to charge at him.


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyang fell from his bed and sessfully frightened himself awake. Looking at the bright sky, Shao Qiyang heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank goodness it was a dream.¡±


    This was the first time Shao Qiyang had dreamed of Shao Qihai. However, the dream was a little strange. He even felt a little afraid after waking up.


    Shao Qiyang was stunned for a moment before heughed bitterly.


    At the end of the day, this dream hade about because he¡¯d decided to take action and felt that he had let his brother down. As the saying went, ¡®what you think about in the day you will dream of at night¡¯. This dream was simply a manifestation of his guilt.


    ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t me me. When I join you in heaven, I¡¯ll apologize to you. I can even work like an ox or a horse for you.¡±


    Great Eastern Vige had a custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Thus, Mu Jingzhe woke up and made glutinous rice balls. She whipped up a total of twelve eggs, two per person, and a little bit of wine. The fragrance assailed their nostrils.


    ¡°Quick, one bowl and two eggs each.¡±


    After they ate the glutinous rice balls, Mu Jingzhe took the children back to her maiden home on the second day of the New Year. Li Zhaodi and the rest were waiting.


    Shao Qiyang was left home alone. He walked around the house and thought for a while before sitting on a simple swing hanging from an apple tree outside the door.


    Previously, in the summer, Mu Jingzhe had been napping under this apple tree. He had asionally heard her mention that it would be great if there was a swinging chair so that she could take an afternoon nap there.


    For the time being, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t make a swinging chair, nor was there any store where he could buy a ready-made one. Thus, he decided to make a swing first and slowly make a swinging chair in the future.


    Shao Qiyang waited for Mu Jingzhe to be pleasantly surprised, but when she returned, although she was pleasantly surprised, she didn¡¯t go over to try it herself. Instead, she asked Little Bei to go.


    ¡°Little Bei, go y. This is what you wanted. Shao Qiyang, thank you. Previously, Little Bei said that she wanted one, but you made it for her before I could do so.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle. I like it a lot.¡± Little Bei thanked him and then muttered, ¡°It¡¯s just a little big.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    He wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. He couldn¡¯t very well say that he had made it for Mu Jingzhe and not Little Bei.


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t remain glum for long before he regained his energy. He went out early in the morning and returned with a bunch of plum blossoms. The area around the house waspletely white. He had specifically found red plum blossoms and put them in a special bottle.


    He wanted to ce the flowers in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room to surprise her, but the moment he entered, he bumped into Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s face turned red. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Jingzhe took the flowers. ¡°I was just saying that I was going to look for a prop, and you brought these over. That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe ced the flowers on the table in the courtyard and waved at Shao Qiyang. ¡°Come here quickly. Let¡¯s take a family photo.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    So she wanted to take a family photo.


    Shao Qiyang acknowledged her and stood beside Mu Jingzhe. While sitting next to the plum blossoms, Mu Jingzhe sniffed and nodded continuously. ¡°They¡¯re beautiful and they smell lovely.¡±


    The regret in Shao Qiyang¡¯s heart seemed to have dissipated by quite a bit.


    ¡°Hurry up and stand properly. I¡¯m going to snap the photos. Qiyang, you should sit down too. Sit beside your sister-inw. The photo isn¡¯t going to look nice if you stand there because you¡¯re too tall.¡±


    Shao Qiyang responded and sat down. Only after he sat down did he remember that the county photo studio seemed to have couples sitting and children standing in family pictures.


    His heart fluttered, and he couldn¡¯t help but look at Mu Jingzhe, wanting to know if she realized it.


    However, just as he looked over, he heard the uncle in front of him, who was helping take the photos, shout, ¡°Aiyah, Qiyang, what are you doing? I¡¯ve already taken a photo. You¡¯re not facing the camera properly in it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s interesting regardless of how the photo was taken. Come on, Uncle, have a seat. I¡¯ll take the photos for you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had already stood up and started taking photos of the vigers. It was rare to take photos in this day and age.


    Many a time, the people of the photography shop woulde out in spring, when the flowers were blooming, to take a picture of the vigers. Many people couldn¡¯t bear to do it, so they didn¡¯t have many photos of themselves taken throughout their lives.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had a camera, everyone was wearing new clothes, and there was nothing to do during the New Year, someone mentioned it and asked Mu Jingzhe to help take the photos.


    Mu Jingzhe agreed but also had a photo of her own family taken.


    The third day of the Lunar New Year passed in the midst of all this photo-taking. More than half of the families in the vige came to get photos of their entire family or their children. Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe had backup camera film.


    The pot of flowers that Shao Qiyang had brought back had be the most gorgeous prop in many family photos.


    The three days of the Lunar New Year passed just like that. Shao Qiyang was persistent, so he didn¡¯t give up. On the fourth day of the New Year, an opportunity finally arose.


    The department store in the county city reopened for business that day. Shao Qiyang went to the department store and bought the trending vanishing cream[2] for Mu Jingzhe.


    In this era, vanishing cream was one of the gifts that men gave to women if they wanted to confess their feelings. The meaning of the gift was ¡°I like you¡±.


    When Shao Qiyang gave her the present, his heart almost jumped out of his chest. He was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would get mad or something. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Eh, how did you know that I wanted to buy this? I bought some for the kids previously and I just used up one jar after applying it on them every day. I was just about to buy more. Did you notice it?¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    With a lot of difficulty, he managed to utter that one syble and watched as Mu Jingzhe took the cream to the kids¡¯ room.


    In winter, one¡¯s skin tended to crack easily. In the past, the children¡¯s faces would always be red and even crack. However, this year, Mu Jingzhe had bought them vanishing cream early and asked them to apply it. She supervised them as they applied it every day.


    Shao Dong and the others felt quitefortable after applying it, but the cream gave off a nice fragrance after it was applied. The students kept smelling it, so they felt a little embarrassed.


    Sometimes, when they felt that it wasn¡¯t so dry out, they didn¡¯t want to apply it. In the end, when Mu Jingzhe caught them, she would apply it on their faces and even their hands.


    The weather was slowly getting warmer after the New Year. Seeing that the jar was finished, the kids thought that they didn¡¯t have to apply it anymore. They hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to bring another jar over. Furthermore, ording to Mu Jingzhe, she would apply it on them both in winter and summer.


    It felt good to have their mother apply the cream on their faces, but their ssmates had already stopped doing so. Also, the boys felt embarrassed to be smelling even more fragrant than their female ssmates.


    [1] wearing a green hat means being a cuckold


    [2] a cream or ointment that leaves no visible trace when rubbed into the skin

 Chapter 179 - Shao Qiyang Vomits Blood

    <h4>Chapter 179: Shao Qiyang Vomits Blood</h4>


    The kids couldn¡¯t bear to say anything to Mu Jingzhe, though. When they heard that it had been bought by their young uncle, they couldn¡¯t help but tell Shao Qiyang, ¡°Uncle, you don¡¯t have to buy this for us anymore.¡±


    Shao Qiyang thought to himself,?<i>I didn¡¯t buy it for you! Hmph!</i>


    He didn¡¯t know why something so simple for others was so difficult for him?


    Shao Qiyang refused to believe it. He gritted his teeth and went to the department store to buy a watch. He thought to himself that she¡¯d surely understand his feelings for her if he even went to the extent of buying her a watch. Nowadays, for most people, watches were big-ticket items that were bought only for spouses.


    The watch that Mu Jingzhe was wearing had been bought when she and Shao Qihai had gotten married. Li Zhaodi had sat outside the department store and kicked up a huge fuss, forcing Shao Qihai to buy it. As Mu Jingzhe had gone through too many hardships previously, the surface of the watch had been scratched, and one side had cracked. One even had to half-guess the time.


    He wanted to get her a new one, secretly hoping that she would take off the watch his older brother had given her.


    Shao Qiyang handed the watch to Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe nced at it but didn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Shao Qiyang, why didn¡¯t you tell me before you bought it? It is almost too heavy. You should give it to Little Dong yourself. Little Dong needs a watch now, and I was just thinking of getting one for him. I didn¡¯t expect you to buy it for him.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Couldn¡¯t she see that this was a design for women? Wasn¡¯t this very obvious?


    There was no children¡¯s version. If Shao Dong wanted to wear a watch, it seemed that it would indeed be more suitable to buy the women¡¯s version. However, this wasn¡¯t for Shao Dong. If Shao Dong needed it, he would buy one for him specifically.


    As Shao Qiyang was struggling to say something, Mu Jingzhe asked, ¡°Is yourpany progressing smoothly? Have the previous issues been resolved? You¡¯ve even earned some money now and bought Little Dong a watch.¡±


    Shao Qiyang was helpless. Actually, thepany was still in development and hadn¡¯t started earning money. This watch had been bought with his savings, as he had been living frugally.


    The speed at which one earned money could never match the speed at which one spent money. Previously, they had agreed to buy another bicycle, and Mu Jingzhe had bought it after earning money. Shao Qiyang had paid for half of it, just like they had agreed. Now that they had two bicycles at home, his pockets were really empty, and he had even taken out a loan.


    Shao Qiyang wanted to earn money quickly and return the loan. Usually, he would avoid spending money if possible and he was only willing to spend money on his nephews, niece, and Mu Jingzhe.


    In terms of family background and other aspects, he couldn¡¯tpare to Ji Buwang. All he had was a sincere heart and his willingness to give every dor he had to Mu Jingzhe. Take this watch for example. It was actually the cheapest watch in the department store, but it was everything he could offer.


    Mu Jingzhe found it strange that Shao Qiyang was so dazed that he wasn¡¯t moving. She was about to ask what was wrong when she heard Shao Dong¡¯s voice. ¡°Uncle, did you buy me a watch?¡±


    Shao Qiyang turned around and saw Shao Dong¡¯s surprised gaze. As he faced Shao Dong, Shao Qiyang swallowed his words of denial.


    Ever since Shao Dong had started earning money, he had bought many things for Shao Qiyang, which had really warmed up Shao Qiyang¡¯s heart. When he saw Shao Dong¡¯s delighted gaze, how could he bear to say that the watch wasn¡¯t for him?


    In the end, the watch was put on the wrist of Shao Dong, who in turn reciprocated with a suit and a pair of leather shoes for Shao Qiyang. He said that as a future big boss, he would look grand in this suit.


    Shao Dong had bought an old-style suit. It was wide and big and it actually didn¡¯t look very good. However, when it came to clothes, sometimes it really depended on the individual. Other people wouldn¡¯t be able to pull off the wide suit, but Shao Qiyang looked good in it.


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself that it was indeed about looks. She walked in a circle around Shao Qiyang and said, ¡°It will look even better after a small alteration.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, are you going to help Uncle alter it?¡± Shao Dong¡¯s eyes lit up as he asked this. Even now, the children¡¯s favorite clothes were still clothes personally made by Mu Jingzhe. If they bought new clothes that didn¡¯t suit them, they would fit well and look beautiful after Mommy altered them.


    In the kids¡¯ eyes, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands seemed able to conjure magic. Other women used a sewing machine normally, whereas their mother could create magic with it. They loved watching their mother use a sewing machine.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at their expectant gazes and then at Shao Qiyang, whose eyes were also sparkling. She stroked her chin and nodded. ¡°Sure. After an alteration, the suit will fit you better and make you look more energetic.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jingzhe.¡± Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes lit up. He could finally wear the clothes made by Mu Jingzhe. Altering something was almost the same as making it.


    When Shao Qiyang wore the suit that Mu Jingzhe had finished altering, he feltpletely different. It fit him better and made his figure appear tall and straight. When the vigers saw him, they all said that he looked energetic.


    Shao Qiyang got to work in the altered suit. When he passed by the county movie theater, he saw a new romance movie being screened. Many young people, especially couples, would watch it.


    Shao Qiyang was tempted and plucked up the courage to ask Mu Jingzhe to watch a movie this time. Mu Jingzhe agreed readily, but when they arrived, she brought the children with her. ¡°Your uncle invited you to watch a movie, and I¡¯m also benefiting from it. Shao Qiyang, have you bought the tickets?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gazended on another movie that was suitable for children.


    Shao Qiyang quietly ced the movie tickets he had bought in his bag. He said that he hadn¡¯t bought them and queued up to buy new movie tickets.


    While watching the movie, Shao Qiyang was separated from Mu Jingzhe by the five children, his face numb.


    Perhaps he was used to it, but he actually epted it very calmly this time. He wasn¡¯t as disappointed as before¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t true. He was even angrier and more disappointed.


    One shouldn¡¯t do something more than thrice, but this was already way past his third attempt. At this point, while watching the movie, Shao Qiyang resolved not to drop hints again.


    It was useless to drop hints for a straight woman[1] like Mu Jingzhe. It was also useless to send her gifts to hint at his feelings. He had to confess his feelings to her in a straightforward manner.


    After a few failures, Shao Qiyang finallyprehended what Ji Buwang had understood long ago. He was finally ready to take action.


    If he didn¡¯t confess soon, he was afraid that it would be toote. He was afraid that he would regret it. Even though he would risk being rejected, as well aspletely shattering the peace in the house, he wanted to make his feelings for her clear.


    Shao Qiyang prepared himself mentally and looked at Mu Jingzhe. Shao Nan, who was sitting next to him, asked quietly, ¡°Uncle, you also saw that person looking at Little Bei, right? I think he recognized her.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°Ah, who?¡±


    ¡°The uncle with the hat. He keeps looking at Little Bei. So does his son.¡±


    Ever since the movie had been released, many people had gone to watch it. It wasn¡¯t obvious in the countryside, but it was more obvious in the county city. When Little Bei went out, many people stared at her and found her familiar. Some people even called her Xiao Jiu.


    ording to Director Lu, more people watched movies in big cities. In the future, as the movie screened in theaters longer and started ying on TV, more and more people would recognize Little Bei. It would only be a matter of time before Little Bei became a household name as a child star.


    Now that they hade to the county city, it felt particrly obvious.


    Mu Jingzhe also noticed that there were more and more gazes on them, so she had no choice but to leave with Little Bei.


    [1] In this case, a straight man/woman refers to someone who is dense when ites to love cues

 Chapter 180 - The Little Mute Actually Made Something of Himself?

    <h4>Chapter 180: The Little Mute Actually Made Something of Himself?</h4>


    Although she left early, she was still recognized when she came out. After recognizing her, someone gave Little Bei a bun without hesitation and told her she should not starve.


    This bun made everyone look at her, and then she was recognized again. Everyone recognized Xiao Jiu. Little Bei was stuffed with a sweet potato and a small bunch of peanuts and was again told that she should not go hungry.


    Since Little Bei had acted pitifully in the movie, everyone associated her role in the movie with reality. When they saw Little Bei, their hearts ached for her, and they wanted to give her something.


    Little Bei said that she wasn¡¯t hungry and wanted to return it all, but she couldn¡¯t catch up to them.


    ¡°Mommy, what should we do?¡± In the end, she asked Mu Jingzhe what to do while holding the food in her hands. Her little face was filled with confusion and indescribable excitement. ¡°Mommy, I feel strange. I¡¯m very happy but I also feel strange.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She also felt warm. ¡°They¡¯re all good-hearted people who immersed themselves in the plot. You should just keep it. This is an affirmation of your acting skills. In the future, you¡¯ll have to carry this feeling with you. This way, you will portray your roles better.¡±


    It looked like Little Bei was really famous now. Not only was she recognized on the street, but many people also contacted Mu Jingzhe to send her scripts for consideration. Many invitations were still on the way, and she was currently choosing a good script with Little Bei.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home first. If I take you out again, you might have to wear a hat.¡±


    When they got home, Mu Jingzhe took a photo of Little Bei with the buns, sweet potatoes, and peanuts to remember this moment.


    As for the food, she thought that it shouldn¡¯t be poisoned. She tried it but didn¡¯t find anything wrong with it. In the end, Little Bei ate it.


    More and more people started contacting Little Bei, and Mu Jingzhe had to keep in touch with her business contacts as well. She couldn¡¯t keep using the vige phone, so Mu Jingzhe simply bought a pager. Although it was limitedpared to a cell phone, it was indeed much more convenient.


    Thest winter break passed quickly. Because of the sess of the movie, Little Bei even received a few advertisement offers.


    However, these advertisers varied. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t treat Little Bei as a money tree. She treasured Little Bei¡¯s reputation and didn¡¯t ept offers casually. After some consideration, she only epted a job with a rtivelyrge brand with a good reputation.


    When the advertiser saw that Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe had chosen their brand, he was very sincere. When themercial shoot was finished, Little Bei earned another sum of money.


    As soon as themercial started airing, Little Bei¡¯s face would be remembered by even more people. Even those who hadn¡¯t watched the movie would also get to know her face. She would be a household name.


    Following that, Director Lu also sent a major piece of good news. The movie, Xiao Jiu, had been nominated at the most influential and prestigious film festival in the country. This movie was also nominated in overseas film festivals, including one of the top three film festivals in the world.


    Although the results weren¡¯t out yet and would take some time, a nomination was a form of affirmation and glory.


    Director Lu was over the moon. When he called, he was so excited that he was incoherent. He sounded like he was crying andughing at the same time. ¡°I knew it would be shortlisted. This is awesome. Jingzhe, you must bring Little Bei and Xiao Wu to the film festival award ceremony to receive the award. If Little Bei wins the award, she will break the record and be the youngest movie queen in our country.


    ¡°Also, no one knows that Xiao Wu is only four years old. In order to maintain the mystery around her, I never said anything about it. If everyone saw Xiao Wu, they would definitely be shocked.¡±


    Toward the end, Director Lu¡¯s tone suddenly became cautious. ¡°However, Jingzhe, if Xiao Wu shows up, he will definitely shock the entire country. When that timees, he might be in the public eye, just like Little Bei. He will bear the reputation of a musical genius.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was also thrilled. Just like in the novel, Little Bei was nominated this time. She believed that Little Bei would definitely be crowned the youngest movie queen. However, she asked, ¡°Did Xiao Wu get nominated too?¡±


    ¡°Right, Little Bei was nominated for the Best Female Lead, and Xiao Wu was nominated for the Best Original Score. If the media reports this, the siblings will be famous.


    ¡°Even if Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t nominated, he¡¯d still be the youngest musician. He canpose such music at four years old and y so many musical instruments. He¡¯s totally a musical genius. When the timees, he will definitely steal the limelight.


    ¡°Most importantly, this is not only domestically. I heard that the foreign film festivals are also very optimistic about Xiao Wu¡¯s original score.¡±


    Music had no boundaries, and good music was indeed like that. Therefore, even though it was only his first time doing this, Xiao Wu had already produced terrific results.


    After hanging up the phone, Mu Jingzhe was overjoyed as she looked at Xiao Wu and Little Bei. ¡°Aiyo, how can there be treasures like you in this world?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help hugging them and kissing them on both cheeks. ¡°I love you to death.¡±


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei kissed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s cheeks at the same time. ¡°We love Mommy too.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m too excited. I have to vent. Let¡¯s go buy fabric. Although the award ceremony hasn¡¯t started, we can prepare in advance. I want to design the most beautiful outfits for you so that you¡¯ll be the most beautiful and handsome people there.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe happily took Xiao Wu and Little Bei to buy fabric. Fortunately, there was a good variety of fabrics in the county city. Whatever she couldn¡¯t find there, Mu Jingzhe nned to buy in the city some other day.


    Seeing that someone had recognized Little Bei, Mu Jingzhe quickly led them away, only to bump into a reporter at the entrance of the department store.


    The news of Little Bei being nominated for the film festival had spread. Seeing that Little Bei was from their city and she was so young, the city¡¯s television station reporters felt that this was newsworthy, so they¡¯d sent a reporter down.


    The reporter had gone to the art school first and seen that she wasn¡¯t there. He had happened to hear someone say that they had seen Little Bei at the department store and had thuse over.


    This was the first time a reporter had stopped Little Bei for an interview. When the people around saw themotion, arge group of people instantly gathered at the door.


    It was difficult to interview her with so many people around. In the end, they went into the department store and found a quiet ce.


    The reporter from the broadcasting station conducted a formal interview. Little Bei didn¡¯t even need Mu Jingzhe to teach her, as she could answer by herself. The reporter even asked about theposer, Shao Zhong, and whether they knew him.


    Little Bei looked at Xiao Wu and shook her head when she recalled that Director Lu had asked them to keep it a secret.


    After the reporter bade them farewell, Mu Jingzhe was about to leave with Little Bei and Xiao Wu when she turned around and saw Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun. Mu Jingzhe frowned at the sight of them.


    Not these two again.


    Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun were staring at them in disbelief.


    They had heard the reporter¡¯s question. The reporter didn¡¯t know who Shao Zhong was, but they knew very well that Shao Zhong was Xiao Wu.


    They knew that Little Bei had acted in a movie and had made something of herself, but they hadn¡¯t expected her to be so sessful that the broadcasting station would take an interest in interviewing her. Furthermore, Xiao Wu was also involved in this.


    ¡°How is this possible? How can this be¡­¡± Zhao Lan muttered, unable to ept this.


    Next to her, Shao Qiyun had an even uglier expression. She stared at Xiao Wu with a strange look in her eyes. Xiao Wu was frightened by her gaze and couldn¡¯t help but hide behind Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly picked Xiao Wu up. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to waste her breath on them, so she was about to leave with Xiao Wu in her arms when Shao Qiyun stopped her. ¡°What did the reporter mean when he asked Shao Zhong this question just now? What has he done?¡±


    He had previously been a little mute who couldn¡¯t even speak. Why was he so promising now? Was this a joke?

 Chapter 181 - Shao Xis Book Got Published

    <h4>Chapter 181: Shao Xi¡¯s Book Got Published</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Don¡¯t get in the way.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t like Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun¡¯s gazes. Upon recalling that Zhao Lan had even intended to snatch the five kids back, she left directly.


    Mu Jingzhe left with the children, leaving Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun to look at each other.


    After a moment, it was Zhao Lan who broke the silence. ¡°Xiao Yun¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, tell me about the children first, as well as the things youined to me about previously.¡± Shao Qiyun¡¯s gaze flickered.


    On the other side, Mu Jingzhe finally calmed down a little after her brief encounter with Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home first.¡±


    When they got home, Mu Jingzhe shared the good news with the five kids. Shao Dong and the others, including Shao Qiyang, praised Little Bei and Xiao Wu for being outstanding.


    Shao Xi praised Little Bei and Xiao Wu, but his eyes were always on Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe seemed to sense it after feeling his stare for a while.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Little Xi? Do you have something to tell me?¡±


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe asked, Shao Qiyang, Shao Dong, and the others smiled and looked at Shao Xi.


    Shao Xi coughed. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Shao Xi stood up and ran away. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was puzzled, Shao Qiyang exined to her, ¡°He went to get something. He ced it in your room to surprise you, but you didn¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out shortly. I helped him get it back today.¡±


    Shao Xi returned quickly. He walked over and coughed before putting the thing he had hidden behind him in front of Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Although my news isn¡¯t as big of a deal as Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s still good news.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had already seen the item. It was a book.


    The portrait on the cover was very familiar. It was a portrait of the five siblings she had casually drawn previously. On the book was the title ¡®My Family¡¯, and the author was Shao Xi.


    Mu Jingzhe stood up abruptly. ¡°Little Xi, this is¡­ this is your book? It¡¯s been published?¡±


    Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s delighted expression and pretended to be calm. However, his rapidly curling lips revealed his true emotions.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a sample book. It¡¯ll take some time for it to be officially published.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. You¡¯re a published author now. That¡¯s really you, Little Xi. But why were you hiding it from me? When did you submit the manuscript?¡±


    ¡°A while ago. I didn¡¯t think of it either. It was an editor who kept in touch with me that said I could try. I didn¡¯t expect it to seed.¡±


    ¡°You hid it very well. Thank goodness my heart is fine. Otherwise, I really wouldn¡¯t be able to take it.¡± It was such a pleasant surprise that good news kepting one after another.


    Mu Jingzhe eagerly flipped it open. Upon seeing the familiar drawings, she asked, ¡°These are the ones I drew, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm, you drew them, Mommy. So this book was actually published with your help.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why you wanted my notebook previously and even asked if I could let you use it. It had such a use then. I was wondering how you would use it.¡±


    ¡°I think Mommy draws the best.¡± Shao Xi straightened his back. ¡°This is the first book I received. I¡¯m giving it to you, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Little Xi. I¡¯ll read it carefully. I¡¯ll go buy it when it¡¯s officially published. It¡¯ll be ced alongside the newspaper that published your article.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t wait to start reading that night. She identally stayed upte and finished reading the entire book in one go.


    Fortunately, there was electricity now. Otherwise, she would have had to use a shlight to read.


    As far as Shao Xi¡¯s first published book was concerned, both the content and the fact that it was published so early exceeded Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expectations.


    Shao Xi was only eight years old, but he had already published a novel. He was practically a legend. However, when she thought about the fact that he had published many articles in the past, she found it normal.


    The content he wrote was also unexpected. It wasposed of little stories that he recorded. They had a simr nature to a diary, but they were written in apletely different way. They were very intriguing and full of life and exuded a childlike innocence. There were also many little stories about him living with his siblings and mother.


    In addition, there was a record of them being attacked by the snakes, but it was more dramatic and sublimated. It was filled with excitement and adventure and it also had an educational effect¡ªit showed everyone what to do if they were bitten by a snake.


    He had written many interesting things to show people how parents and childrenmunicated. His excellent views were reflected in the words of the text.


    The only thing Mu Jingzhe thought after reading it was: Fantastic, this book was very worth reading. She had a premonition that the sales of this book would definitely be pretty good. This was a book that could be read by every age group, and there were different benefits to be reaped by every age group. People of the same age as Shao Xi could read it, and adults could also read it. It was wonderful and child-friendly.


    Thanks to the addition of the cartoon drawings Mu Jingzhe had casually drawn in the past year, the book became even more interesting. In these cartoon drawings, the five children, their mother, and uncle were all vividly portrayed on paper.


    It was adorable, full of childlike innocence, and it made people smile from the bottom of their hearts.


    In any case, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was sore fromughing. She was afraid that herughter would be too scary, so she even had to cover her mouth.


    Reading the book was also a process of recollection for Mu Jingzhe.


    It was only then that she realized that so many things had happened in the year when she had transmigrated. So many things had happened with the children.


    Seeing that the sky was still dark, Mu Jingzhe wrote down her review of the book. When Shao Xi woke up, she carefully handed it to him.


    ¡°Little Xi, this is what your number one fan, Mu Jingzhe, feels after reading it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll read it carefully and reflect on myself.¡± Shao Xi also took it seriously.


    In the end, Shao Xi nervously opened it and saw that, other than the first part being quite normal, the rest of the contents ttered and praised him.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had praised him a lot. However, it had been only verbally. This was the first time he was seeing the written version of someone sucking up to him. Shao Xi had been secretly smiling to himself the entire day before he carefully stored the review away. In the end, he even chased after Shao Dong and the others to make them read the book so that they could pen down their afterthoughts.


    He didn¡¯t let Xiao Wu off either. ¡°Xiao Wu, you can use pinyin for words that you don¡¯t know how to spell, but you can¡¯t write less than 1,000 words.¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and Little Bei: ¡°You think you¡¯re a teacher giving out homework? No less than 1,000 words to boot.¡±


    ¡°Mommy wrote 2,000 words!¡± Shao Xi indicated that he had counted the characters one by one. A total of 1,000 words had been simply praising him.


    Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and Little Bei: ¡°But you can¡¯t force us to write.¡±


    ¡°You guys have to write. Uncle has to write too.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°Little Xi, I really like this book, but I honestly can¡¯t write 1,000 words. In the past, I was most afraid of writing essays when I was in school. I won¡¯t be able toe up with that many words.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, parents have to be good role models. You¡¯re the reason my brothers and Little Bei declined. If even Mommy can write, why can¡¯t you?¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Previously, he had tried to express his feelings to Mu Jingzhe by writing a letter, but after holding it in for three nights, he couldn¡¯t manage to squeeze out even a few words. Now, he had even been asked to write 1,000 words. Wasn¡¯t this a joke?


    If he could write so well, he would have written a love letter to Mu Jingzhe long ago!


    For the first time, Shao Qiyang, Shao Dong, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu looked at Mu Jingzhe helplessly.


    Mu Jingzhe pretended not to see their using gazes and focused on designing Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s tiny gown and tuxedo.

 Chapter 182 - Preparing a Birthday Present

    <h4>Chapter 182: Preparing a Birthday Present</h4>


    Before school started, Mu Jingzhe finished making the little gown and tuxedo. The night before school started, Little Bei and Xiao Wu tried them on and then couldn¡¯t bear to take them off.


    ¡°They¡¯re lovely. Mommy, we really like them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan were staring at them with some envy in their eyes. Xiao Wu¡¯s little suit and bow tie were really nice.


    They all kind of wanted the same outfit, but they were embarrassed to say so because they didn¡¯t seem like they would be attending an award ceremony.


    They didn¡¯t say anything, but Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t blind. She could see that they liked the outfit. ¡°Do you like it? If you do, I¡¯ll make it for you too. Come on, Shao Dong, let¡¯s measure your size again.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s feet moved, but he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, right?¡±


    ¡°Come over here quickly. I¡¯ll speed up and get it done before the award ceremony. When the timees, we¡¯ll go together to participate in the most important moment in Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s lives and witness their glory.¡±


    Shao Dong immediately stood obediently in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    The next day was the 1st of March, the first day of school. The four children insisted on skipping a grade and forcibly skipped another grade. When school reopened, Shao Dong and Shao Xi directly jumped to the fifth grade, while Little Bei and Shao Nan jumped straight to the fourth grade.


    Xiao Wu was still not old enough to enroll in school, but he had already gone to sit in on second-grade sses.


    After all, he had basically already learned the first-grade curriculum.


    Xiao Wu was likable, so everyone in the vige liked him, including the teachers. They allowed him to sit in on the ss just because he wanted to.


    When school reopened, the children became the most eye-catching existences again. However, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« next door were in trouble. This was because Shao Dong and his siblings had skipped a grade and were now in the same grade as them.


    Regardless of whether Dong, Xi, Nan, or Bei were in the same grade as them, Fu, Lu, and Shou¡¯s grades were inferior to them. The teacher told them to learn from their younger cousins and even asked why there was such a big difference between them when they were all from the Shao Family.


    Never mind the fact that their appearances were vastly different, their brains were also poles apart.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, who weren¡¯t interested in learning at all, were basically inst ce. Zhao Lan and their parents didn¡¯t care much either. Even now, they still didn¡¯t know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. When the math teacher saw the results as he handed out the exam paper on the first day of school andmented on them, he couldn¡¯t help but ask Shao Fu and Shao Lu if their heads contained tofu instead.


    Then, they became famous. After ss ended, their ssmates all called them ¡®tofu brains¡¯.


    In the past, Fu, Lu, and Shou had never thought that there was anything wrong with their grades being poor. However, when he saw Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and the others surrounded by praise and noticed how well they were dressed and how clean they looked, they looked at themselves¡­


    Slowly, Fu, Lu, and Shou developed a concept of beauty and ugliness and felt shameful, sad, and inferior. They went back home crying and asked Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao why they had been born like this, why they weren¡¯t good-looking, and why their brains weren¡¯t smart.


    The three questions, rapidly asked one after the other, left Eldest Sister Shao and Zhao Lan speechless. They didn¡¯t wish for things to be like this either.


    They couldn¡¯t answer Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«¡¯s questions, but they knew that their children were being bullied. They went to the school and made a fuss, even scolding the math teacher.


    They wanted to avenge their children, but in the end, they became an even bigger joke. Thanks to the fuss they made in school, everyone in the vige now knew that Fu, Lu, and Shou had been called ¡®tofu brains¡¯.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that, she burst outughing. ¡°Ha ha, this is too funny. This math teacher is really talented. Why doesn¡¯t he teach Chinese?¡±


    Shao Qiyang also couldn¡¯t help butugh when he heard that. He had finally mustered up the courage to confess his feelings, but Mu Jingzhe had been extremely busy these days. He had also been busy, so things had dragged on until now.


    Still¡­ this wouldn¡¯t drag on any longer. It would be Jingzhe¡¯s birthday in a few days. He would definitely seize the opportunity to express his feelings then.


    For the past two days, Shao Qiyang had been pondering over what birthday gift to get her. In the past year, other than Shao Nan and Little Bei¡¯s birthdays, when they could only eat a bowl of longevity noodles because they fell on a special day, she had put in a great deal of effort to prepare for Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Xiao Wu¡¯s birthdays.


    As for Shao Qiyang¡¯s birthday, she had also specifically made longevity noodles for him. She had even killed chickens and celebrated his birthday with him and the children.


    In this day and age, there were very few people who celebrated their birthdays. Being able to eat an egg on one¡¯s birthday was already considered very good. Like Shao Qihai, Shao Qiyang had never celebrated his birthday or eaten an egg.


    Zhao Lan had never once remembered their birthdays, only Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s and Shao Qiyun¡¯s. Although Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t say it out loud, he was actually envious of his eldest brother and younger sister.


    Because of Mu Jingzhe, for the first time in his life ever, he¡¯d gotten to celebrate his birthday.


    Now that it was her birthday, he would also prepare a gift attentively.


    Then, Shao Qiyang realized that the kids had the same thought as him. The children had already started to secretly prepare gifts. They were afraid that they would buy too expensive a gift and even secretly held a meeting. Shao Qiyang identally heard them and hurriedly eavesdropped, afraid that he too would buy too expensive a gift.


    ¡°I want to give Mommy a song.¡± This was Xiao Wu¡¯s idea.


    ¡°I bought a watch for Mommy. Her watch is scratched. It doesn¡¯t look good.¡± This was Shao Xi.


    ¡°I was going to buy her one. When I found out that you bought it, I bought her a silver bracelet instead. We have agreed to let Mommy wear gold and silver. I¡¯ll get Mommy a silver bracelet for now and change it to a gold bracelet in the future.¡± This was Shao Dong.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll buy it together when the timees,¡± Shao Xi immediately added.


    ¡°I wanted to give Mommy a car the most, but I don¡¯t have enough money, so I could only settle for the next best option and buy Mommy a perfume that smelled nice.¡± This was Little Bei.


    ¡°My gift is different from yours, guys. I bought a stove, an air blower, and ordered some coal. From now on, Mommy¡¯s eyes won¡¯t sting because of the smoke anymore. She won¡¯t have to choke while blowing on a blowtorch either, Uncle won¡¯t have to go up the mountain to cut firewood, and we won¡¯t have to fight with wit and courage with Mom to go up the mountain to pick up pine cones and dried firewood.¡±


    Shao Nan was quite particr about practicality, so he had bought practical gifts.


    Shao Dong nodded. ¡°Little Nan, well done.¡± They had helped Mu Jingzhe burn firewood and blow the blowtorch before, so they knew just how hard it was for her.


    Sometimes, when it was raining and she was too busy to gather firewood, even if she blew until her cheeks turned red and hurt, it wouldn¡¯t necessarily work. She might even choke on the thick smoke and cough non-stop as tears streamed down her face.


    The children¡¯s discussion came to an end and turned into a discussion about blowing on a blowtorch.


    Shao Qiyang left quietly. He suddenly felt that the gifts he had thought of were far inferior to those of the children. Little Nan had thought of buying a stove, coal, and an air blower, and Little Bei had even dared to think of buying a car. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t just daydreaming. They might really buy these in the near future.


    In order not to get the same gifts as them, Shao Qiyang made a lot of effort before finally deciding to get her a ne.


    He chose a silver ne after thinking about it for a long time. In the end, he ran into Ji Buwang after buying it. Ji Buwang was also there to buy things, but he hadn¡¯t seen him.


    Shao Qiyang wanted to pretend that he hadn¡¯t seen him and leave, but he then heard the person beside Ji Buwang ask him something.


    ¡°Buwang, are you really going to learn how to make a cake yourself? You can just leave it to the kitchen or order one.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s better to do it personally. There¡¯s still time. I¡¯ll learn.¡±


    Shao Qiyang frowned when he heard that. To think Ji Buwang wanted to make a cake himself. If he personally prepared the cake, Jingzhe would definitely be touched.


    Shao Qiyang, who had originally nned to confess his feelings on her birthday, was a little anxious. What if Ji Buwang also came to meddle that day? What if he didn¡¯t get a chance in the end? What if Jingzhe reciprocated Ji Buwang¡¯s feelings ahead of time?

 Chapter 183 - Since Youre Holding My Hand, You Have to Be Responsible

    <h4>Chapter 183: Since You¡¯re Holding My Hand, You Have to Be Responsible</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Qiyang was gripped by anxiety all of a sudden. Should he push forward his ns? Yes, he had to. Shao Qiyang made up his mind and quickly walked out.


    There was no time like the present. Why not just do it today and strike while the iron was hot?


    Since Ji Buwang was making a cake, he had to show his sincerity. Perhaps he could make her a meal. Shao Qiyang bought some food and rushed home. Before Mu Jingzhe returned, he made dinner.


    It was rare for Shao Qiyang to be so decisive, but he didn¡¯t know that while he was cooking, Ji Buwang had already met Mu Jingzhe.


    The children and Shao Qiyang were busy buying gifts for Mu Jingzhe¡¯s uing birthday, and Mu Jingzhe was also busy preparing herself.


    In the past, she hadn¡¯t even known her actual birthday. Not long after her birth, she had been abandoned at the entrance of the orphanage. There had been no keepsake or anything like that, not even a note mentioning her birthdate. Her biological parents hadn¡¯t left any traces, minimizing the possibility of her looking for them when she grew up.


    ording to the director, she shouldn¡¯t even have been a month old at the time, but he hadn¡¯t been able to deduce her exact birthday either. In the end, he¡¯d decided that the day she¡¯d entered the orphanage would be her birthday.


    However, that was only the date on her identification card. It wasn¡¯t really her birthday.


    After bing Mu Jingzhe, she finally had a real birthday. It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t looking forward to it. However, Mu Jingzhe also thought of Li Zhaodi.


    It was said that a child¡¯s birthday was also a mother¡¯s day of suffering. Back then, Li Zhaodi had given birth to her after a day and night of pain.


    Mu Jingzhe had been born prematurely. It hadn¡¯t been her due date yet. Back then, Li Zhaodi had secretly eaten a few walnuts in order to give the child in her stomach more nutrition. In the end, she had been chased by Old Lady Mu and had fallen down, which had resulted in her prematurebor.


    At the time, the women who gave birth didn¡¯t go to the hospital. They only gave birth at home. Whether they lived or died depended on their fate.


    Li Zhaodi had given birth prematurely due to an external force, and this had been her first pregnancy. It had been very difficult for her to give birth. The midwife that had been invited had even asked if they wanted to protect the mother or the child. In her daze, Li Zhaodi had said to protect the child.


    Fortunately, the heavens had eyes. Mu Jingzhe had been born sessfully, and Li Zhaodi had managed to stay alive.


    When she¡¯d heard this, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart had ached for Li Zhaodi. She felt that, instead of celebrating her birthday, it was Li Zhaodi who deserved blessings and gratitude on that day.


    Mu Jingzhe had already decided that she would buy Li Zhaodi a gift and make her the most delicious food. However, she also wanted to repay her before her birthday arrived.


    Therefore, before her birthday, she went out early to help Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng with their shop. After the peak morning period, she took Li Zhaodi out to shop.


    Li Zhaodi actually liked to look pretty too, but she kept feeling embarrassed because she felt old. However, she would take a few more nces at permed-haired women.


    Dyeing hair had yet to gain poprity at the time, but perming was a trend. It could be considered popr throughout the whole country. Many people in the county city had permed their hair. As long as their hair was permed, they were considered fashionable. Although there were some styles that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t appreciate, some of those hairstyles were indeed beautiful and retro.


    She took Li Zhaodi to perm her hair. Afraid that Li Zhaodi would think it was a waste of money, Mu Jingzhe paid in advance. ¡°I¡¯ve already paid in advance, and there¡¯s no way to get that money back. Mom, just get your hair permed.¡±


    Though Li Zhaodi muttered that she felt embarrassed, her body¡ªwhich was evidently more honest than her mouth¡ªmoved and sat down. During the process of perming her hair, she unted to the barber how filial Mu Jingzhe was. Seeing the barber¡¯s helpless gaze, Mu Jingzhe covered her face and apologized.


    When she came out of the hair salon, Li Zhaodi was a curly-haired, fashionable woman, and the first person in the vige to have such a hairstyle.


    Li Zhaodi, who had her head raised, was unbelievably happy. When she passed by the disy window, she admired her morous reflection. Later on, she even bought a matching scarf. Brimming with confidence, she was anxious to return to the vige.


    Although she imed that she was afraid that it would be dark by the time she got back, she was actually rushing back to show off.


    Amused, Mu Jingzhe said they should go back after getting a quick bite but ended up meeting Ji Buwang.


    When Ji Buwang saw that Li Zhaodi had permed her hair, he immediately praised her sweetly, saying that she was pretty, young, and fashionable. Li Zhaodi was over the moon.


    When she saw Ji Buwang praise Li Zhaodi sincerely even though he couldn¡¯t see her face, Mu Jingzhe was dumbfounded.


    Li Zhaodi was praised so much that she wasn¡¯t even in a hurry to go back. She even discussed permed hair with Ji Buwang. Ji Buwang said that he had been born with it, but this didn¡¯t stop them from discussing the topic enthusiastically.


    Later on, for some reason, the two of them talked about whether people with curly hair were the fittest to wear sunsses. Ji Buwang then offered to buy Li Zhaodi a pair of sunsses.


    They found a shop that sold sunsses, and Li Zhaodi tried on pair after pair before finally deciding on a pair.


    After Li Zhaodi put on her sunsses, her disposition really changed¡ªshe now looked particrly like a female bandit who could abduct someone to make him her captive husband. Ji Buwang was like a good civilian she had snatched away.


    In particr, the more Li Zhaodi looked at Ji Buwang, the more she liked him and was satisfied with him. When she held his hand, they resembled a female bandit and her captive husband even more.


    When Li Zhaodi waved her hand for Mu Jingzhe to go over, Mu Jingzhe quickly pushed away this strange thought.


    Li Zhaodi was very happy after putting on her sunsses. The only problem was that she wasn¡¯t used to them. She couldn¡¯t even walk properly with them on. In ces with no sun, she kept saying that she couldn¡¯t see, so Mu Jingzhe held her hand.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t wear the sunsses if you can¡¯t see.¡±


    ¡°No, I can see.¡± Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t bear to remove them.


    Due to this dy, they didn¡¯t have time to eat. Ji Buwang said that he would buy some food on the way back. There were quite a lot of people buying food. As they were waiting in line, Mu Jingzhe felt someone bump against her arm. Thinking that it was Li Zhaodi, she didn¡¯t turn around and habitually held her hand.


    In the end, she felt that something was wrong as soon as she held her hand. Although Li Zhaodi was a woman, she worked all year round. Her hand was very rough and hard, so why was this hand so tender¡­


    Mu Jingzhe turned around and saw Ji Buwang looking at her innocently. ¡°Where¡¯s my mother?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly let go of his hand, but Ji Buwang refused to let go and instead grabbed it and pointed to the side.


    There was a public bathroom not far away. Li Zhaodi had gone to the bathroom.


    Mu Jingzhe understood. She looked at their hands and, seeing that there were people beside them, quickly whispered, ¡°Let go now.¡±


    She didn¡¯t think much of kissing in the streets in the modern world, but perhaps because she was used to being conservative in this day and age, this act made her heart tremble.


    Mu Jingzhe exerted force, and this time, he quickly let go.


    A trace of regret shed past Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes, but he smiled and whispered, ¡°Jingzhe, you held my hand just now.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was my mother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you held my hand. What¡¯s more, you took the initiative. No girl has ever held my hand in my entire life, so you have to be held responsible.¡±


    Ji Buwang made it sound as if Mu Jingzhe had forced herself on him and stolen his innocence. Mu Jingzhe looked around and quickly tugged at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± She had just let her thoughts run wild about Ji Buwang being Li Zhaodi¡¯s captive husband. Now that he¡¯d said this, it sounded like the mother-and-daughter bandits were bullying him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. Or are you trying to shirk responsibility after holding my hand?¡± Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe innocently.


    ¡°I admit that I did hold your hand, but¡­¡± Who would take responsibility for just holding hands? This wasn¡¯t ancient times, and he was a man!


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you admit it.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes lit up, and he didn¡¯t listen to what she said next.

 Chapter 184 - Mu Jingzhe Is a Shameless Woman

    <h4>Chapter 184: Mu Jingzhe Is a Shameless Woman</h4>


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe was at a loss for words. Then, she looked up and saw that Li Zhaodi had returned. ¡°Mom!¡±


    With sharp eyes and agile hands, she took the things the boss handed her. Without even turning her head, she shouted at Ji Buwang to pay, then pulled Li Zhaodi, who wanted to greet Ji Buwang, away.


    If she stayed any longer, she wouldn¡¯t be able to take it anymore. Ji Buwang¡¯s disposition was good, and he was too handsome. As a woman, she would get flustered.


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back andughed. ¡°You¡¯re scared very easily.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe brought Li Zhaodi back to Great Eastern Vige. Li Zhaodi¡¯s curly hair andrge sunsses instantly became the focus of the vigers.


    Seeing that Li Zhaodi was satisfied and started to joke around with the vigers, Mu Jingzhe shook her head and returned home.


    As soon as she got home, she realized that Shao Qiyang had cooked a lot of food that she and the children loved.


    When Shao Qiyang saw that Mu Jingzhe had returned right on time for the meal, he heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing that there was still time, he even cleaned up and changed into new clothes.


    He carefully put the ne in his pocket and silently prayed that he would seed. Then, Shao Qiyang went to call Mu Jingzhe and the others over for dinner. However, before he could sit down, Zhao Lan arrived.


    She hadn¡¯te alone. Shao Qiyun was also there, followed by Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.


    Zhao Lan and the others had arrived without a warning. The moment they arrived, they came with fierce momentum. As soon as they entered, Shao Qiyang sensed that something was wrong.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Zhao Lan nced at Shao Qiyang. ¡°We¡¯re not here for you today. Go get Mu Jingzhe toe out.¡±


    ¡°What do you want again?¡± Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth and looked at Shao Qiyun. ¡°Shao Qiyun, every time we see you, you¡¯re up to no good. What did you encourage Mom to do this time? Have you forgotten my warning? Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting beaten up again?¡±


    ¡°Shao Qiyang, what are you shouting for? How dare you scold your younger sister? You ungrateful thing. Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t acknowledge me as your mother? Why do you care so much now?¡±


    Zhao Lan was furious when she saw Shao Qiyang. However, Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t important now. She would pretend that she had never given birth to this son of hers. Zhao Lan pushed Shao Qiyang away and looked at Mu Jingzhe, who was walking out.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to find Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her chin. ¡°What do you want to say to me? You even brought so many people with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still about the same matter asst time. Return the five kids to me. You¡¯re not allowed to bring them along when you remarry.¡±


    ¡°You brought so many people just to snatch the kids?¡±


    <i>As expected</i>, Mu Jingzhe thought to herself. ¡°I want to say something first. No matter how many times youe and how many people you bring, I¡¯ll say the same thing: No way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not their biological mother, so why can¡¯t you just let go of the five children? Today, we¡¯re here to get them back no matter what.¡±


    Shao Qiyun spoke from the side with a domineering tone. She looked at the kids behind Mu Jingzhe with sparkling eyes.


    Previously, Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t bothered paying attention to Mu Jingzhe and the rest, nor had she bothered listening to Zhao Lan¡¯s nagging. That was until she¡¯d seen Little Bei¡¯s movie at the movie theater and then Little Bei¡¯smercial on TV.


    It was only then that she¡¯d realized that even Shao Nan had appeared on TV and participated in a show. She had heard from Zhao Lan that some teachers from the Imperial University also frequently wrote letters and sent books to Shao Nan, vying to be his teacher.


    Shao Qiyun had also seen Shao Dong buy a silver bracelet. Based on his conversation with the salesperson, it seemed that he had bought it for his mother.


    He was such a young child, yet he could actually buy a silver bracelet that even she couldn¡¯t afford. What did this mean? It meant that his factory was earning money. In addition, during thest interview, she had seen that Little Bei and even Xiao Wu had be sessful, so not a single one of the five children wasgging behind. She couldn¡¯t help but have designs on them.


    She had asked Zhao Lan in detail, and the more she¡¯d asked, the more shocked she had been. Just as Zhao Lan had said, these golden dolls were right beside them. Why not snatch them back? If she had the children in her hands and used them to earn money, she wouldn¡¯t have to wash dishes anymore. It would be her wearing the silver bracelet instead.


    In terms of kinship, Mu Jingzhe, their stepmother, wasn¡¯t as close to them as her, their biological aunt. Logically speaking, unlike her, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t fit to wear a silver bracelet.


    After washing dishes for some time, her hands had already be rough. She would also frequently be teased by some senseless men. She wouldn¡¯t meet any rich men in such a small shop either. She had wanted to quit for a long time.


    However, it would be different if she had the children in her hands. She could use them to earn money, get a fewmercials for Little Bei, and make her film movies. The money she earned would be much more than she¡¯d make if she washed dishes. It would be easy to live a good life.


    Besides, with her beauty, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to be a celebrity. When the time came, she would have the chance to get to know rich men. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to get to know a celebrity. Celebrities were rich too.


    After Shao Qiyun had made up her mind, she and Zhao Lan had discussed how to snatch the children back. Zhao Lan had fearfully told her what Shao Nan had threatened them with.


    However, Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t taken it seriously. She¡¯d only said that they didn¡¯t have to be afraid, for he was just making empty threats. The oldest, Shao Nan and Shao Xi, were only 8 years old and were still far from turning 18. They weren¡¯t adults yet. As guardians, the custody rights were in their hands. They, the adults, would be the ones to call the shots.


    Unlike Zhao Lan, Shao Qiyun nned meticulously and only fought battles when she was prepared. When she returned to Great Eastern Vige, the first thing she did was bring gifts with Zhao Lan and directly go to the prestigious elders in the vige, as well as the families that didn¡¯t get along with Mu Jingzhe, to ask them to uphold justice.


    Mu Jingzhe was currently popr in Great Eastern Vige. Many people liked her and depended on her to make a living, but there were also people who disliked her or had been offended by her.


    Everything went quite smoothly. Considering that Mu Jingzhe had a lot of supporters, Shao Qiyun was afraid that they¡¯d have too few people on their side, so she had asked Zhao Lan to get her maternal family toe over as well. Only then did theye together to demand an exnation.


    Shao Qiyun hade prepared. She kept harping on about the fact that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t their biological mother and there were suspicions that she was getting married, trying to force Mu Jingzhe to let go.


    Previously, they had discarded Shao Dong and his siblings very easily. Now that they were promising, they wanted to snatch them again. How could Mu Jingzhe let them go? The children were also furious.


    However, the so-called ¡®virtuous and respected¡¯ elders who hade with Zhao Lan still felt that this made sense. Their family values were important, and they had a traditional mindset. They would repeat some variation of this over and over again: ¡°As children and grandchildren, no matter what, we can¡¯t be unfilial to our parents and grandparents. The children should go back. It wasn¡¯t easy for Zhao Lan to raise them.¡±


    Compared to maternal kindness and filial piety, they cared more about the children¡¯s filial piety. In their opinion, now that the five kids had made something of themselves, no matter how Zhao Lan had raised them in the past, since she had raised them, they couldn¡¯t be ungrateful.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already split up the family assets. We can live by ourselves now. We don¡¯t need her to raise us. How can we forcibly unsplit a family when we¡¯ve already split up the family assets? I¡¯ve never heard of that.¡±


    Shao Dong was now much more confident. Although he hadn¡¯t ovee his stutter yet, he was no longer afraid of speaking. It didn¡¯t matter if there were a lot of people around. He paused for a moment and then exined the situation clearly. ¡°We¡¯re doing very well with our mother now. We don¡¯t need outsiders to take charge.¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe is a shameless woman. She¡¯s entangled in a messy rtionship with a man and will get married soon. How is that considered doing very well?¡± Shao Qiyun said earnestly. ¡°Shao Dong, you have to consider this from a long-term perspective. Your grandma and aunt are doing this for your own good.¡±

 Chapter 185 - Whos Treating The Kids As Earning Tools?

    <h4>Chapter 185: Who¡¯s Treating The Kids As Earning Tools?</h4>


    Upon hearing Shao Qiyun¡¯s words, Zhao Lan¡¯s eyes lit up. She immediately added, ¡°That¡¯s right. Mu Jingzhecks virtue as a married woman. In the past, she would have been drowned in a pigpen. But since we now live in a new society, let¡¯s not talk about these things. We won¡¯t stop her from getting married, but since she¡¯s immoral, she should return to her maiden home. She shouldn¡¯t continue staying with the Shao Family and disgracing us.¡±


    When she heard the words ¡®immoral¡¯ and ¡®drowned in a pigpen¡¯, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but twitch her lips. ¡°Since you know that this is a new society, what¡¯s there to say?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if Mommy gets married, it¡¯s our family¡¯s business. Why are you so anxious when we¡¯re not even objecting to it?¡± Shao Xi added. ¡°We¡¯re willing to let Mommy stay here, and that¡¯s none of your concern. This is our house. We call the shots.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to let her new husband move into the Shao Residence when she remarries. That¡¯s absurd.¡± The elders couldn¡¯t ept it.


    Shao Qiyun chuckled and added, ¡°Maybe the kids want to follow Mu Jingzhe over after she remarries.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do!¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not!¡±


    As soon as Shao Qiyun said this, the elders started getting agitated. ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for them to follow their stepmother after she remarries. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no one else in the Shao Family!¡±


    They pointed at Mu Jingzhe and warned her. ¡°If you want to get married, go ahead and leave by yourself. But there¡¯s no way we will allow you to take the five kids away. They are descendants of the Shao Family.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°I¡¯ve said a few times already that I¡¯m not getting married. Do you not understand the humannguage? Besides, even if I really get married in the future, I¡¯ll bring them along if I wish. If they want to, they can follow me. So what?¡±


    ¡°So what? You make it sound so nice. Isn¡¯t this just meant to cover up the fact that you¡¯ve treated the kids as tools to earn money? Why do you think we came to snatch the kids? We did it to save them, lest they be your money-making tools.¡±


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t harp on the topic of Mu Jingzhe remarrying. Instead, she directly said the most heart-piercing words that could easily arouse everyone¡¯s emotions.


    Indeed, as soon as she finished speaking, everyone¡¯s expressions changed.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression also changed. ¡°Shao Qiyun, make yourself clear. Since when have I treated them as tools to earn money?¡±


    ¡°Since when? It¡¯s always been like that. Don¡¯t try to deny it. You saw that the kids are good-looking, so you made use of this and took them to shootmercials, movies, and even make them appear on television. Didn¡¯t all the money they earned end up in your pockets?¡±


    Shao Qiyun raised her chin and asked, ¡°Why, are you going to deny it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°That isn¡¯t the case indeed. I¡¯ve never touched the money they earned. I¡¯ve already deposited it in their bank ounts.¡±


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected such a thing. This was something she hadn¡¯t thought of at all. If it were her, she would definitely have been splurging with the money everywhere. The children were easy to trick, so why would she help them save the money?


    Shao Qiyun put herself in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoes and didn¡¯t believe a single word. ¡°How can you even tell such a lie?¡±


    ¡°Mommy isn¡¯t lying. That¡¯s exactly what she did. She didn¡¯t want the money we earned even though we wanted to give it to her. She¡¯s not like you. Don¡¯t think that others are viins just because you are one yourself.¡± Shao Xi snorted and retorted quickly.


    Shao Qiyun choked. ¡°You¡¯re the viin!¡±


    After saying that, she looked at the clothes Mu Jingzhe was wearing and thought about what she had seen previously. She calmed down and said, ¡°Alright, even if the money has been saved in your ounts, it¡¯s just for show to make this sound nice. In the end, all the money will be spent on her.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re really scheming. You put on a noble front and go around telling everyone that you don¡¯t spend their money, but behind everyone¡¯s backs, you coax them into spending the money on you. One can tell just by looking at how many things they¡¯ve bought for you.¡±


    Shao Qiyun red at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°You wear new clothes and shoes every day. Who in the vige doesn¡¯t know that they bought them for you? Not only that, but they even bought some for your parents. You rely on these children to support your entire family. You people are vampires through and through.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the vampire, Shao Qiyun. You little b*tch, is your skin itching again? Have you forgotten how I beat you upst time?¡± An angry shout came from the door. It was Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. They had heard Zhao Lan and the others head to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house and rushed over.


    Li Zhaodi had been happily showing off to everyone when Zhao Lan and the rest hade to cause Mu Jingzhe trouble. The moment they¡¯d arrived, they¡¯d heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s usations, which made Li Zhaodi feel quite incensed. She immediately gave Shao Qiyun a hard p.


    ¡°You¡¯re always talking nonsense. You¡¯re not even married yet, but you¡¯re already spewing sh*t everywhere!¡±


    Shao Qiyun was just having a jolly good time using Mu Jingzhe when Li Zhaodi showed up out of the blue, came up to her, and hit her. She was furious. ¡°How dare you hit me!¡±


    When Zhao Lan, who was beside her, saw that Shao Qiyun had been hit, she stepped forward to scratch Li Zhaodi without hesitation. However, before the two of them could move, they were shoved away by a strong force.


    Zhao Lan was pushed into the crowd and fell in a sitting position on the legs of an old man. The two of them were flustered, whereas Shao Qiyun was directly pushed to the ground.


    The mother-and-daughter duo flew into a rage and looked up to see Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe dusted her hands off and said, ¡°I¡¯m still here. Don¡¯t touch my mother. If you dare touch her, I¡¯ll entertain all of you!¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, how dare you get physical with us? You¡¯re simplywless!¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    The two of them cursed her and wanted to hit her, but someone held them back.


    ¡°Stop fighting. Even if all of usbined forces, we still wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Zhao Lan, think about the badly beaten snake you sawst time.¡±


    Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun choked. In terms of martial strength, they really were no match for Mu Jingzhe. Zhao Lan was extremely aggrieved. In the end, it was Shao Qiyun who calmed down. ¡°Fine, we won¡¯t fight. We¡¯re here to reason with you, not to fight. Let¡¯s talk about the way Mu Jingzhe used the kids to earn money to provide for her family.¡±


    With Mu Jingzhe protecting her, Li Zhaodi wasn¡¯t afraid of anything. She ced her hands on her waist and started scolding them. ¡°If you can¡¯t win, just say so. Don¡¯t give us that crap about you being here to reason with us and whatnot. Bah, are you fit to associate yourself with the word ¡®reason¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Li Zhaodi, don¡¯t go overboard!¡±


    ¡°So what if I¡¯m bullying you? You can¡¯t beat us in a fight. Even if we were to reason with you, we would not be afraid. We¡¯re using the five kids to earn money to support our entire family? Bah! We don¡¯t need them to provide for us. They¡¯re being filial to us by buying us things. Do you think everyone is as useless as you people?¡±


    Mu Han and Mu Jingzhe both made money, and the couple also made money in town themselves. This gave Li Zhaodi the confidence to speak. She ced her hands on her waist and continued to fire. ¡°Is there anyone in Great Eastern Vige who earns more money than our family? Especially Jingzhe. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she is the richest person in the vige. Any one of the four of us in this family is more promising than your entire family added up. Do we need the kids to provide for us?


    ¡°And what the heck do you mean by calling her a vampire? Jingzhe is using these children to earn money? Pfft. Does she need to? Only a bunch of useless, cowardly leeches like your family would need someone to provide for them. If anything, Jingzhe has been spending money and energy on the five kids.¡±

 Chapter 186 - Lets Perish Together

    <h4>Chapter 186: Let¡¯s Perish Together</h4>


    Upon hearing Li Zhaodi¡¯s words, Shao Dong and the others also heaved a sigh of relief and nodded. The onlookers had no choice but to admit she was right. The way they looked at Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun became subtle.


    Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun¡¯s faces turned red, and they nearly choked to death. However, for a while, they really couldn¡¯t find anything to say back. This was because they couldn¡¯t deny that Mu Jingzhe was really capable of earning money now. Even if one said she was the richest person in the vige, no one would have the courage to stand up and object.


    Therefore, Shao Qiyun could only scoff and say, ¡°Don¡¯t try to act tough. How much money can the kids spend? Aren¡¯t the children earning their own money? Why would they need her to spend money on them? Besides, isn¡¯t she just spending money so that she can earn money afterward¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyun wanted to nder them further, but the kids could no longer bear to listen.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Shao Nan couldn¡¯t take it anymore and interrupted Shao Qiyun. ¡°Who do you think you are? What right do you have to judge? Vampire? You¡¯re the vampires. Do you think everyone is a fool? Who doesn¡¯t know what your entire family is like?¡±


    Shao Nan sneered. ¡°Put away your ugly faces. Let¡¯s cut to the chase today. No matter how much effort you make, no matter how many people you bring here with you, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going back with you.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think of ndering or wronging Mommy. We¡¯re happy to spend money on Mommy. How we choose to spend our money is up to us. Anyway, we would rather donate it than let you use it. Stop wasting effort and give up on the thought of snatching us back. Let me make it abundantly clear to you: We don¡¯t want to! We don¡¯t want to go back with you, let alone acknowledge you!¡±


    As soon as Shao Nan spoke, he unleashed his fullbat strength, infuriating Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan opened her mouth to curse when she heard this, but Shao Qiyun quickly stopped her.


    At a time like this, they couldn¡¯t act rashly. She forcefully suppressed her anger and sighed helplessly. ¡°Little Nan, it¡¯s precisely because Aunt was worried that you would be like this that we decided to bring you home to raise you.


    ¡°You used to be so obedient and polite in the past, but look at you now. You don¡¯t look like a child at all. You¡¯ve been taught badly by Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    After she said that, Shao Qiyun looked at everyone. ¡°You all saw it, right? That¡¯s not all. This child has been led astray by Mu Jingzhe and her family. Who in the vige doesn¡¯t know about Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reputation? Children learn from the good but also from the bad. What¡¯s going to happen in the future?¡±


    After Shao Qiyun finished speaking, she waited for everyone to nod in agreement. However, even though she waited for a while, there was no response. She was feeling very puzzled. Zhao Lan, who was beside her, tugged at Shao Qiyun¡¯s clothes anxiously. ¡°It¡¯s not like that anymore.¡±


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t live in Great Eastern Vige, so she didn¡¯t know that Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi¡¯s image had changed. Especially after what had happened with Old Lady Mu, it was impossible to use their old shrewish image against them.


    Although Shao Qiyun still didn¡¯t understand Zhao Lan¡¯s reminder, she reacted quickly and immediately added, ¡°Everyone probably doesn¡¯t know yet. Actually, Shao Nan previously threatened my mother that if she offended them again, he would kill her by arson or poison. He even said that he was still young and that even if hemitted murder and arson, he wouldn¡¯t have to go to jail. Look at how scary he is. If that is true, it won¡¯t be long before our vige is doomed.


    ¡°I was terrified upon hearing this from my mother. If this continues, those children will definitely be taught by Mu Jingzhe tomit murder and arson. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here today. Although I may appear like the bad guy now, they¡¯re still my older brother¡¯s descendants. I can¡¯t just watch as the children are ruined.¡±


    Murder and arson were very sensitive topics. When the vigers heard this, they were moved so much that they looked at each other.


    ¡°Really? Shao Nan, you really said that?¡±


    ¡°No way. That would be really terrifying if it was true. He¡¯s only a child, yet he¡¯s already talking aboutmitting murder and arson. He even said that he won¡¯t have to go to jail.¡±


    The way everyone looked at the children changed, especially the way they looked at Shao Nan.


    Mu Jingzhe saw that things had turned against them and quickly said, ¡°Shao Qiyun, don¡¯t make a deliberate misinterpretation out of context. It was clearly Zhao Lan who wanted to snatch the kids back because she saw that they were earning money. That¡¯s why Little Nan said that he would be abused if he went back with her and he would have no choice but to do this if that happened. You¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re admitting that he did say that.¡± Shao Qiyun interrupted Mu Jingzhe and looked directly at Shao Nan. ¡°Shao Nan, tell me, did you say such a horrifying thing? Who taught you that young people don¡¯t have to go to jail even if theymit crimes?¡±


    ¡°No one taught me. I learned it myself by reading books!¡± Shao Nan retorted. He had never expected that the words he¡¯d used to protect himself and threaten Zhao Lan would be evidence used against his mother today.


    ¡°Then who gave you the book? It was Mu Jingzhe, wasn¡¯t it? She¡¯s harming you. How can you teach children like this? Of all things, why did you teach them tomit arson and murder and tell them that kids don¡¯t have to go to jail for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re not going to nder my mother!¡± Shao Nan looked at Shao Qiyun¡¯s face with vehement hatred. Shao Dong and the others had the same look.


    Shao Qiyun let out a gasp and retreated in shock. ¡°What kind of gaze is that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how they looked at me back then. Look at their eyes. Aren¡¯t they really scary? It¡¯s like they want to kill me now!¡±


    Zhao Lan finally found an opportunity toin. ¡°I was scared to death the first time I saw them like this. I am the one who raised them. After all I did to raise them, they still treated me like this¡­¡±


    Shao Nanughed in exasperation. ¡°You still have the nerve to mention that you raised us? How did you raise us? We couldn¡¯t even drink soup when you people ate meat. Even though we were starving and freezing, we had to work and get bullied!


    ¡°Ever since I can remember, I¡¯ve never had a full meal! I¡¯ve never worn a new set of clothes! When we were sick, you asked my dad for money, but you never took us to the doctor. You only saved money to buy good food for Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. You said that even if we died from illness, we¡¯d deserve it.


    ¡°In order to save a bit on school fees, you didn¡¯t even want us to go to school. We remember everything clearly! Everyone saw it too. It¡¯s only been a year since Mommy came, and everyone still remembers.


    ¡°Yes, I did threaten you, but that was because you forced us. After our father passed away, you thought of us as a burden and carved out our share of the family assets. You didn¡¯t want to take care of us, and when you abandoned us with the intention of leaving us to starve and freeze to death, it was Mommy who took over and took care of us. She made sure we never went hungry and got to wear warm clothes. She treated us with love and provided us with learning opportunities. It was only thanks to her that we finally got to live a good life for a year.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for us to live a full, warm year, but when you saw that we were capable of earning money, you wanted to drag us back to slog for you and make us live the way we did in the past. Who do you think would be willing to do that? We might as well take you down with us instead. Be it by poison or arson, we can die together and have peace!¡±


    Shao Qiyun knew how to change the subject, and so did Shao Nan. Besides, Shao Nan was telling the truth.


    When he said these words, the vigers were all moved. That¡¯s right, not much time had passed. They all remembered seeing this clearly. If it were them, they probably would have made the same choice as Shao Nan.

 Chapter 187 - The Bloodline of the Shao Family? We Find It Dirty!

    <h4>Chapter 187: The Bloodline of the Shao Family? We Find It Dirty!</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Seeing that Shao Nan had reversed the situation with just a few words, Shao Qiyun immediately panicked. ¡°The five of you don¡¯t have any blood rtions to her. Why is Mu Jingzhe so good to you for no rhyme or reason? It¡¯s because she wants to use you to earn money¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Shao Xi exploded. ¡°Even now, you¡¯re still talking about using us to earn money. You¡¯re the ones who want to use us to earn money, which resulted in this scene today. Shao Qiyun, do you think you¡¯re qualified to speak ill of Mommy?


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you attack Mommy and say so many bad things about her just because Mommy isn¡¯t our biological mother? Is being a stepmother a sin?¡±


    Shao Qiyun choked. ¡°Well she?<i>is</i>?a stepmother¡­¡±


    ¡°So what if she¡¯s a stepmother? Certain biological mothers and biological grandmothers can¡¯t evenpare to a stepmother, so what right do you have to attack her? Everything else aside, no one in Great Eastern Vige can do better than Mommy. None of you can.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face turned pale when he heard Shao Xi¡¯s words. The words that had been about toe out of her mouth got stuck in her throat.


    Zhao Lan clenched her hands and couldn¡¯t help but look at Xiao Wu. When she saw Xiao Wu ring at them with a look of fury, her heart sank. She pulled Shao Qiyun behind her and told Shao Xi, ¡°Shao Xi, do you think your wings have hardened just because you¡¯re now earning some money? Aren¡¯t you just saying that because you despise me for being poor?


    ¡°Stop that bull crap about how wonderful your stepmother is. You¡¯re only saying these things because she knows how to make money. It¡¯s true that I didn¡¯t spend that much money raising you kids, but that¡¯s only because I didn¡¯t have money¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew you would bring up this excuse.¡± Shao Xi sneered and didn¡¯t give Zhao Lan a chance to speak. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have money, how could you use the money my father sent back to build a new house? If you didn¡¯t have money, how could you raise Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« into the four pigs they are now?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s gazes unanimously turned to Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, who were watching the show. Fu, Shou, and X¨« hadn¡¯t expected to get attacked while watching the show and gloating.


    Upon seeing everyone¡¯s gazes, they sucked their stomachs in. s, that really didn¡¯t help much. No matter how much they tried sucking in their stomachs, their round tummies were hanging right there, making it impossible to ignore them.


    Upon looking at Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, someone suddenly burst outughing. Shao Xi¡¯s words made sense. In this era, everyone wasn¡¯t that well-off. Even if children ate a lot, their bodies were developing and they ran around the vige all day long, so all the children in the vige were basically dark and thin.


    Only Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were fat and dark. Weren¡¯t they just like four pigs?


    Eldest Brother Shao, who had been as silent as an invisible person and had a troubled expression on his face, had a slight change in countenance. When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao heard Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« being called four pigs, she couldn¡¯t stand by and listen anymore. ¡°Shao Xi, who are you calling four pigs? Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« are like that because they¡¯re blessed.¡±


    ¡°Blessed¡­ This blessinges from eating. The Shao Family, who imed that they didn¡¯t have the money to raise their children, produced four blessed children. All of them have always looked very blessed from all that eating, and only the five of us were thin and scrawny because we were not blessed. Is this what you call having no money to raise kids?¡±


    Zhao Lan choked. ¡°I¡­¡± She red at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    Shao Xi looked at the internal strife between the two viins and sneered. ¡°You realize that you can¡¯t use the excuse of not having money anymore, right? Which family in Great Eastern Vige has money? Everyone tightens their belts to raise children. Mommy didn¡¯t have money at first, but she treated us well even when she was penniless.¡±


    ¡°So? Don¡¯t tell me you want to follow her when she remarries? Don¡¯t forget that you have the Shao Family¡¯s bloodline. Mu Jingzhe isn¡¯t your biological mother! You¡¯re a child of the Shao Family!¡± Zhao Lan¡¯s tone unconsciously contained a hint of smugness toward the end.


    This smugness stabbed Shao Xi¡¯s heart deeply. ¡°Why is it a sin that we¡¯re not Mommy¡¯s biological children? We wish we were Mommy¡¯s biological children, but we just had to be the Shao Family¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°The bloodline of the Shao Family. Heh¡­¡± Shao Xi scoffed and raised his head to look at his arm. ¡°If it was possible, we¡¯d really dismember our bones and carve up our own flesh like?Nezha<sup>1</sup>?to return the so-called bloodline of the Shao Family to you. You think it¡¯s precious, but we only find it dirty!¡±


    Ever since they had discovered that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t dead and had abandoned them, this fuse had already been buried in their hearts. Now that they were forced into this today, Shao Xi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and blurted out these words.


    Everyone fell silent.


    Because Little Bei had acted as Little Nezha, especially since she had acted out this particr scene, almost everyone in the vige had seen this before.


    At the time, Little Bei had been engrossed in her performance. Upon hearing Shao Xi¡¯s words, Little Bei¡¯s eyes reddened. Everyone looked at Little Bei and Shao Xi, then at Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun, and their hearts went out to the children.


    How terrible must the children be feeling to be forced to say such words?


    Even their hearts ached for them, let alone Mu Jingzhe¡¯s. Mu Jingzhe stood in front of the children and said, ¡°Zhao Lan, Shao Qiyun, stop forcing the children. As long as I¡¯m still alive, you can forget about taking them away. Get lost while I¡¯m still being nice. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to be rude?¡± Zhao Lan waspletely angered by Shao Xi¡¯s words. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t out-talk them, she started acting shamelessly. Being criticized and gossiped about was a small price to pay if it meant having money to spend.


    As long as she could seize back control of the five kids, she would have plenty of money and lead a good life.


    Relying on the fact that she had brought along many helpers, Zhao Lan stretched up her neck. ¡°I know you¡¯re strong, Mu Jingzhe, but I¡¯m not afraid of you today. If you have the ability, go ahead and kill me. If you don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯ll take away the children today!¡± Zhao Lan was resolute and decisive. Shao Qiyun, who was beside her, didn¡¯t say anything. Given their current situation, they could only act shamelessly.


    When the vigers saw their behavior, they curled their lips and discussed among themselves. Shao Qiyang, who had wanted to interrupt a few times but hadn¡¯t managed to, couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He went forward and grabbed Zhao Lan, who wanted to push her luck and bump into Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Enough. Previously, you were shameless and you disregarded the five kids¡¯ lives when you gave them away. Now that the family assets have been split up, why are you making a fuss? Do you consider me a dead person?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a dead person?¡± Zhao Lan spat. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao finally said his first words. ¡°Third Brother, stop fooling around.¡± He took a deep breath and limped over. He then looked deeply at the five kids. ¡°Shao Dong, you¡¯re members of the Shao Family. The blood of the Shao Family flows in your veins. How can you think that way? I¡­¡±


    He pounded a fist on his chest with a pained look on his face. ¡°If you say this, what does that make me? What does that make the Shao Family? How will I meet Second Brother and our ancestors in the future?¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao wanted to say more but was interrupted by Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Oh, the useless bum finally spoke. I thought you were going to hide behind your wife and act like a wimp today. Why is a grown man acting like a white lotus and green tea b*tch? Who are you trying to disgust?


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has the least right to say anything here. You¡¯re living in a new house that your younger brother risked his life for and using your younger brother¡¯s money to raise your children into pigs. With such a terrible bloodline, you really should be worried about meeting Shao Qihai and his ancestors.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words were indeed malicious but they were sincere. She hated Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, but the person she despised the most was still that cowardly loser, Eldest Brother Shao.

 Chapter 188 - How Dare You, Your Second Brothers Corpse Hasnt Even Turned Cold

    <h4>Chapter 188: How Dare You, Your Second Brother¡¯s Corpse Hasn¡¯t Even Turned Cold</h4>


    After a year, Eldest Brother Shao had once again experienced the effect of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vicious tongue. For a moment, he recalled his earlier painful experience. Besides, this time, it was in front of so many people.


    Sensing everyone¡¯s gazes, Eldest Brother Shao wished he could kill Mu Jingzhe right now.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡­ How can you say that about me¡­ I¡¯m upright and I am afraid of nothing. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why should I be afraid of Second Brother? If you keep spouting nonsense, I¡­¡± He was trembling from rage as if he couldn¡¯t speak.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, did you hear that? My eldest son didn¡¯t do anything wrong. If you have anything to say,e at me. Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Did she say something wrong? Isn¡¯t everything she said true?¡± Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help but interject.


    ¡°Shao Qiyang, you unfilial son!¡± Zhao Lan was furious.


    ¡°Third Brother, Mom gave birth to you and raised you. Eldest Brother becameme from working to support the family. Can¡¯t you see that? How can you treat Mom and Brother like this?¡± Shao Qiyun fanned the mes from the side.


    Shao Qiyang red at Shao Qiyun. ¡°Shut up, Shao Qiyun. You make it sound so nice. Why don¡¯t I see you repay Eldest Brother, huh? How well has Second Brother treated you? How much money did Second Brother spend on you? Why didn¡¯t you treat his five kids better?¡±


    ¡°Never mind treating the five kids better. Every time youe back, nothing goodes out of it. When there are benefits to be had, you egg everyone on toe and cause trouble. Aren¡¯t you afraid that Second Brother will look for you at night and ask you those questions?¡±


    The depths of Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes changed slightly, but she quickly calmed down. ¡°Aren¡¯t I here to take them back and raise them? Like Big Brother said, we¡¯ve never done anything that went against our conscience and aren¡¯t afraid of ghosts or gods.¡±


    ¡°Are you taking them back to raise them? You¡¯re here because you have something to gain!¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want us to do? Third Brother, you criticized me when I didn¡¯t care about Shao Dong and his siblings. Now that I want to help them, you¡¯re also making a fuss?¡±


    ¡°You know what this is about. Everyone knows it too. Get out now!¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at Mu Jingzhe and curled her lips. ¡°Brother, are you falling out with us because of Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s expression changed slightly, and Zhao Lan immediately threw a tantrum. ¡°Shao Qiyang, I knew that vixen Mu Jingzhe seduced you. Have you guys hooked up behind our backs? I was wondering why Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t go back to her maiden home and you stopped acknowledging me as your mother. So it was because you two have already hooked up. I should have guessed it long ago. You¡­ You adulterous couple!¡±


    Zhao Lan burst into tears. ¡°Shao Qiyang, how can you let your second brother down by doing this? His corpse hasn¡¯t even turned cold, yet you already hooked up with Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    Zhao Lan scolded him and cried as she hit Shao Qiyang without rhyme or reason. ¡°You did this for a woman, and your sister-inw at that! You disowned your mother and even hit your biological sister. Aren¡¯t you afraid that your older brother will crawl out of his grave to look for you? I¡¯ll beat you to death today, you adulterous couple!¡±


    Shao Qiyang avoided Zhao Lan. When he saw everyone¡¯s expressions change, his heart sank to the bottom of his chest. This was why he had been hesitating and had been unable to muster up the courage to say anything.


    The courage that he¡¯d finally mustered up had beenpletely destroyed by Zhao Lan.


    This was a taboo in the vige. If one had a rtionship with one¡¯s younger brother-inw or sister-inw, they would be drowned in other people¡¯s saliva.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t dare look at Mu Jingzhe. He¡¯d only said that when his body had already been hit a few times and his face was scratched.


    Shao Dong and his siblings were very grateful to their young uncle. When they saw Shao Qiyang being beaten up and their mother being scolded, they couldn¡¯t help but go up to Zhao Lan and stop her. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to hit Uncle. You¡¯re not allowed to scold Mommy!¡±


    As soon as Shao Dong finished speaking, Zhao Lan waved him away. ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    Upon seeing Shao Dong pushed to the ground, Mu Jingzhe panicked. ¡°Little Dong!¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s expression changed. He grabbed Zhao Lan¡¯s hand and red at her with red eyes. ¡°Enough!¡±


    He flung Zhao Lan away fiercely. ¡°I really want to ask you something: Are Second Brother and I your biological sons? How can you treat us like this? And Shao Dong is your biological grandson. How can you hit him?¡±


    Zhao Lan stood there awkwardly before she sat down and started wailing. ¡°Shao Qiyang, you have the nerve to ask me this? Do you even regard me as your mother? What kind of son would hit his mother!¡±


    As for whether Shao Dong was her biological grandson, Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t even be bothered to answer. So what if he was her biological grandson? Did sheck grandsons? This was a grandson with the bloodline of that dead woman, Bai Lu, and he had also been taught badly by Mu Jingzhe. These children were dirty in her eyes. Besides, there was even a mute grandson amongst them!


    Zhao Lan pped her thigh and started wailing. ¡°Look at my good son. First, he disowned me because of Mu Jingzhe. Today, he even hit me because of Mu Jingzhe. My son was seduced by her into hitting me. My grandson was led astray by her and now wants to kill me. What kind of sin have Imitted? No matter what, I must kick Mu Jingzhe out of the Shao Family today. The two of us cannot coexist in the Shao Family!¡±


    No matter how big of a tantrum she had to throw, she had to achieve her final objective.


    When he heard Zhao Lan¡¯s words, the corners of Shao Qiyun¡¯s mouth quickly curled up. The people who hade with them also spoke up. Since that was the case, they naturally had to kick Mu Jingzhe out.


    Li Zhaodi was furious. However, because Mu Jingzhe had indeed had designs on Shao Qiyang back then, she did feel a little guilty for a brief moment.


    In an instant, Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun had the upper hand. Shao Dong and his siblings¡¯ expressions changed drastically. The five kids surrounded Mu Jingzhe and held her hand tightly.


    ¡°You have no right to kick Mommy out. None of you have the right to do so. We¡¯ve split up the family assets. Mommy has every right to stay here!¡±


    Shao Dong calmed down and said, ¡°When we split up the family assets, this house was given to us¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan immediately retorted, ¡°Which house are you talking about? We¡¯re kicking Mu Jingzhe out today. Children shouldn¡¯t interrupt when adults are talking.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression was extremely icy. ¡°Alright, we don¡¯t want this house anymore. You don¡¯t have to kick Mommy out. We¡¯ll go. We¡¯ll leave with Mommy and cut ties with you peoplepletely.¡±


    Shao Xi immediately agreed. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go with Mommy. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford a house anyway. Let¡¯s leave and buy a house. We¡¯ll go wherever Mommy goes.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Zhao Lan naturally wouldn¡¯t ept it. It would be terrible if they ran away. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave. I¡¯m your biological grandmother. You have toe with us!¡±


    Shao Dong wanted to say something, but Zhao Lan didn¡¯t give him the chance to. She got up and charged over at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death today, you vixen. You are an immoral slut who seduced her younger brother-inw. You even duped the Shao Family¡¯s children¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi, who had been seething with rage for a long time, immediately rushed up to her and stood in front of Mu Jingzhe when she saw this. ¡°I¡¯ll tear your smelly mouth off. Who told you to spout nonsense? My Jingzhe can marry anyone she wants, so why would she covet her younger brother-inw? I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today and show you how impressive I, Li Zhaodi, am!¡±


    The two of them wrestled. The people who hade with Zhao Lan and the eldest branch of the family immediately became restless. The atmosphere instantly turned solemn, and things were about to get out of control.


    The vige chief was so anxious that he kept shouting for them to calm down. If a gang fight broke out and something happened to them, it would be over. As he shouted, he quickly asked the onlookers to pull Li Zhaodi and Zhao Lan away from each other.

 Chapter 189 - Shao Qihai, Are You A Human Or A Ghost?

    <h4>Chapter 189: Shao Qihai, Are You A Human Or A Ghost?</h4>


    They were temporarily pulled away, but the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense.


    ¡°We have to kick Mu Jingzhe out today no matter what. We have to raise these children!¡±


    ¡°You want to touch the children? No way. I¡¯ll oblige if you people want a fight today!¡± Mu Jingzhe refused to give in.


    ¡°And let you raise them instead? The hell we will. No matter what you say today, you have to return the children to us. If you don¡¯t return them, I¡¯ll sue you tomorrow. I¡¯ll say that you abducted the children of the Shao Family!¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m a stepmother, I¡¯m still their mother. If you sue me, I¡¯ll sue you for child abuse!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t give in at all, and Zhao Lan refused to back down. ¡°Bah! You¡¯re their mother? A mother who seduced her younger brother-inw? Aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll lead the children astray?¡±


    Zhao Lan looked at Shao Qiyang, who was standing beside Mu Jingzhe, and spat again. Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes were red. Now that things hade to this point, he really wanted to go all out and express his feelings. Yes, he liked Mu Jingzhe and he would raise the five kids with her.


    Now that Zhao Lan had said this, everyone would gossip about Mu Jingzhe anyway. He might as well just say it! Shao Qiyang clutched the ne in his hand and was about to speak when Shao Dong¡¯s voice rang out first.


    ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t. Mommy even said that she wanted to propose marriage on Young Uncle¡¯s behalf. You¡¯re not allowed to nder Mommy anymore!¡±


    As soon as Shao Dong¡¯s voice echoed, Li Fang and Li Zhaodi immediately supported him. ¡°That¡¯s right, shut up if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying!¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s words got stuck in his throat.


    Zhao Lan nced at Shao Qiyang and spat. ¡°You still want to deny it even now? I¡¯m not blind. You¡¯re the ones who should shut up. Mu Jingzhe, get out. Stop shamelessly sticking around our house and snatching our children. If you have the guts, go ahead and give birth yourself!¡±


    At some point, Zhao Lan had taken out a rock that she threw at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head was struck by the rock with a dull smack, and the impact made her hurt.


    Amid Li Zhaodi and everyone else¡¯s screams, Mu Jingzhe looked at the rock on the ground. Her gaze darkened. She picked it up and threw it back at Zhao Lan without hesitation.


    Zhao Lan was still feeling smug when she was hit on the head a secondter.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strength was no joke. Zhao Lan felt her head jerk for a moment before she fell heavily to the ground. One look at her head and everyone could see that a bump had immediately appeared.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead was red, but Zhao Lan¡¯s condition was even worse. In an instant, it turned red and green. Judging from the severity of the injury, it was more than three times worse than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s. It was impossible to tell that it was the result of being hit by a rock.


    Both had been hit by a rock, but the difference was like the one between heaven and earth.


    Zhao Lan, who was sitting on the ground, was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She touched her aching head and screamed in pain.


    ¡°Murder!¡±


    The scream pushed the conflict to the breaking point. ¡°How can this be? Hit her back!¡±


    ¡°So be it!¡±


    Seeing that the two sides were about to engage in a full-on fight, Mu Jingzhe pushed the children toward Li Fang and Li Zhaodi. As she moved her wrists and got ready to start a massacre, a shout suddenly came from the door. ¡°Stop!¡±


    The shout drowned out the noise and echoed in everyone¡¯s ears. Zhao Lan was stunned when she heard the familiar voice. When she looked out along with everyone else, she saw the figure standing at the door.


    The man had a tall, straight silhouette and a solemn expression. He was wearing a coat and had a huge suitcase by his feet. No one knew how long he had been standing outside the door.


    His face was dark as he took a deep look at Mu Jingzhe. Finally, his gazended on Zhao Lan. ¡°I¡¯ll make myself clear. This is Mu Jingzhe¡¯s home. No one can kick her out.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the person speaking and frantically searched the original Mu Jingzhe¡¯s memories. This person looked familiar¡­ Wasn¡¯t this the man called Shao Qihai in her memories?


    Wasn¡¯t Shao Qihai dead? Why was he alive in front of her? Could he be alive?


    Mu Jingzhe rubbed her eyes and felt that she¡¯d probably seen wrong. Or perhaps the original Mu Jingzhe had remembered wrong. At that moment, a scream suddenly rang out beside her.


    ¡°A ghost!¡±


    The shout was earth-shattering and jolted everyone back to their senses.


    It hade from the frightened Li Zhaodi.


    However, the ones who were truly petrified were Zhao Lan and her gang. Zhao Lan let out a shriek and copsed on the ground. She looked at Shao Qihai, who had suddenly appeared at the door. ¡°Qihai, you¡­¡±


    Her lips trembled, and she felt guilty and seized by fear. It was impossible for her not to be afraid. Just as she¡¯d been plotting against Shao Qihai¡¯s children, he had suddenly appeared.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s legs went limp, and she fell to the ground. She was trembling so badly that she couldn¡¯t say anything. She only repeated the same words. ¡°Don¡¯te after me, Brother. Don¡¯te after me. It was Mom¡¯s idea. You should go after Mom¡­¡±


    She was used to shirking responsibility and no longer had the righteousness she¡¯d shown just now.


    It was strange enough for Shao Qiyun to be acting like this, but in the end, this was considered nothing, as others looked even more flustered than Shao Qiyun.


    They were Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. Eldest Brother Shao, who had previously imed that he was upright and wasn¡¯t afraid of crooked shadows or ghosts knocking on his door, immediately knelt down. That wasn¡¯t all. Soon, a puddle of water appeared underneath Eldest Brother Shao.


    As a pungent smell filled the air, everyone realized that Eldest Brother Shao had peed his pants from fright.


    Someone in the crowd eximed, ¡°He peed his pants? Didn¡¯t he say he wasn¡¯t afraid?¡±


    The people who had initially wanted to run away upon seeing a ghost in broad daylight resisted the urge to do so. After all, based on Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s appearance, the ghost was probably here for him, not toe after them. They didn¡¯t have to be afraid anymore.


    Everyone discussed among themselves, but Eldest Brother Shao couldn¡¯t hear anything. He had a guilty conscience and he liked to pretend, but at that moment, he revealed his true colors. After trembling, he began to kowtow and apologize incessantly.


    ¡°Second Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have squeezed you and Third Brother dry by using my leg injury. It was Mom who kept insisting, and I had no choice but to agree.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to ignore your five kids either. Mom has been in charge of the kids all along. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make it up to them in the future. I definitely won¡¯t harm them. I¡¯ll return Shao Dong and his siblings the food and clothes given to Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. I won¡¯t snatch the money meant for raising your children anymore. I¡¯ll treat them well. You should leave now.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    It had been more than a year. Now that the matter had finally been resolved, he could at longst go home and recover his identity.


    He could have informed them in advance, but he thought that it would be difficult to exin clearly. He might as welle straight back and give his family a surprise.


    Now, it seemed more like a shock than a surprise.


    He had never known that his honest older brother had actually done such a thing. If he hadn¡¯t died, would he never have known or found out the truth?


    Upon thinking of this, Shao Qihai sneered.


    When Eldest Brother Shao heard his sneer, he was even more frightened. ¡°I was really wrong. Second Brother, I was wrong in the past. I shouldn¡¯t have despised them for being burdens after you died and left them to fend for themselves. I shouldn¡¯t have, but after seeing them seed, I couldn¡¯t help joining Mom to plot and snatch them back so that they could earn money to support us. I was wrong. Please leave.¡±


    Shao Qihai clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes slowly turned red.


    He had already heard about this situation from Jiang Feng, but when he really heard all this with his own ears, he still suffered a huge blow. ¡°You¡¯re really my good brother.¡±

 Chapter 190 - Shao Qihai, Dont Even Think About Snatching The Children From Me

    <h4>Chapter 190: Shao Qihai, Don¡¯t Even Think About Snatching The Children From Me</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡± When he saw Shao Qihai walk over, Eldest Brother Shao was so frightened that he got up and stumbled out. He, who usually looked like he had difficulty even walking, was running very fast today. It was impossible to tell that he wasme. In no time, he had disappeared without a trace.


    When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw Eldest Brother Shao run away, she screamed and ran out as well.


    As Shao Qihai watched the two of them leave, his gaze inadvertently scanned Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. Their pants were all wet, and they were trembling in regret.


    ¡°Second Uncle, we were wrong. We won¡¯t snatch Shao Dong and his siblings¡¯ food or clothes anymore. Even if Grandma gives them to us, we won¡¯t ept them anymore. Please let us off.¡±


    Because of their parents¡¯ influence, these children were afraid of ghosts and gods.


    As Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« spoke, they wailed and ran away. Upon seeing Shao Qihai look at her, Zhao Lan swallowed her saliva and sat on the ground before retreating. ¡°Qihai, I gave birth to you and raised you, so please forgive Mom. I just don¡¯t like Bai Lu, which is why I don¡¯t like them either.¡±


    Seeing that Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes were getting redder, Zhao Lan felt even guiltier. ¡°Qihai, I know I was wrong. You should go back quickly. I won¡¯t try to snatch the children anymore. I won¡¯t ever think of making them earn money again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Brother, you should go back quickly. In the future, I won¡¯t plot against Mu Jingzhe and try to marry her off anymore, nor will I scheme against your children again. I¡¯ve always remembered your kindness. You were the one who helped me cover up my mistake. I¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyun was about to continue speaking, but she suddenly saw Shao Qihai exhale and immediately stopped expressing her repentance.


    How could a ghost breathe? Only living people did!


    Instantly, Shao Qiyun realized that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t dead. He had returned!


    Even now, Shao Qihai¡¯s corpse had yet to be found. The funeral that the vige had held had only buried the army clothes he had worn when he¡¯d retired from the army. Therefore, it was entirely possible that he hadn¡¯t died and had returned alive!


    Shao Qiyun stood up abruptly. ¡°Second Brother, you¡¯re not a ghost. You¡¯re human!¡±


    Zhao Lan was stunned. ¡°What?¡±


    Shao Qiyun had already mustered up the courage to step forward and check Shao Qihai¡¯s breathing. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re breathing. You¡¯re alive. Second Brother, you¡¯re not dead!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhao Lan suddenly got up and grabbed Shao Qihai. Feeling his body temperature, Zhao Lan instantly burst into tears. ¡°Qihai, you¡¯re not dead. You¡¯re still alive. Why did youe back without saying a word? You scared me.


    ¡°What took you so long? You unfilial son. Don¡¯t you know how cruel it is for a parent to send off her child? Why did you leave me behind back then? You unfilial son!¡±


    She was weeping uncontrobly. Those who heard her would have shed tears if they had not heard the words of repentance she had blurted out a moment ago.


    After seeing Eldest Brother Shao and the others run away in fright and then seeing Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun repent, they really couldn¡¯t cry. They even felt that this scene was a littleical and sort of amusing.


    It was already strange enough that Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t died and hade back alive. Inbination with the confession identally made by the eldest branch of the Shao Family, his biological mother and younger sister, this was even more shocking.


    Shao Qihai felt simr to them. If all this hadn¡¯t happened, he might have been moved. After all, this was the mother who had given birth to him and raised him. Even though she had been biasedter on, Zhao Lan had once tried her best to raise him.


    However, after hearing those confessions, he didn¡¯t feel touched. He only felt mocked.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯te back this way, I probably would never have heard you admit these things with my own ears or seen your true colors.¡±


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t move much but he firmly removed Zhao Lan¡¯s hand from his. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the restter. Let¡¯s make things clear first.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at the group of people who hade with Zhao Lan. ¡°I hope that today¡¯s incident won¡¯t happen again. I¡¯m still alive. I¡¯ll take care of Little Dong and the others myself. Whether they seed in the future or not has nothing to do with you. Other than me, their only other guardian is Mu Jingzhe. No one but her is qualified to raise them. Don¡¯t even think of scheming against them in the future.¡±


    If Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t qualified to raise them, then who was?


    Shao Qihai pointed at the door and ordered firmly, ¡°Go back. You don¡¯t have to worry about our family affairs in the future.¡±


    Everyone wanted to ask why Shao Qihai had returned, but seeing the atmosphere, they could only suppress their curiosity. This was clearly not appropriate timing. They¡¯d better ask again tomorrow.


    Now that the outsiders had left, Zhao Lan came back to her senses and asked Shao Qihai, ¡°Qihai, are you ming me? It¡¯s notpletely our fault. It was Mu Jingzhe who went overboard. Did you see my forehead? This is all thanks to Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    When Zhao Lanined, Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°You hit her too.¡±


    ¡°Is her wound evenparable to mine? Look at that tiny red speck on her forehead. Look at how mine has ended up.¡±


    At that moment, Zhao Lan¡¯s forehead was very swollen and indeed looked pretty terrifying.


    However, Shao Qihai only took one brief nce before looking away. ¡°This is what you deserve.¡±


    In other words, it served her right.


    Who had asked her to provoke Mu Jingzhe? Even he was afraid of her strength and didn¡¯t dare underestimate her. To think she¡¯d dared to get physical with Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, you¡­ you¡¯re actually siding with Mu Jingzhe? Sure enough, you¡¯ve forgotten your mother after getting married. Your wife beat me up so badly, yet you¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to say even more awful things?¡± Shao Qihai interrupted her and pointed at the door. ¡°Go now.¡±


    ¡°Shao Qihai, how dare you kick me out? I¡¯m your mother¡­¡± Zhao Lan stared at Shao Qihai in disbelief.


    ¡°So what? You might be my mother, but we¡¯ve already split up the family assets. We¡¯re two separate families now. You chose Eldest Brother yourself. From now on, you¡¯re part of his family.¡±


    Shao Qihai interrupted Zhao Lan again. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already split up the family assets, there¡¯s not much to say. Let¡¯s just live like two separate families in the future. It doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯re my mother. Go.¡±


    Zhao Lan was about to say something when Shao Qihai nced coldly at Shao Qiyun. When Shao Qiyun saw his gaze, she seemed to think of something and her expression changed slightly. She immediately went to pull Zhao Lan over. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go now.¡±


    After Shao Qiyun pulled Zhao Lan away, Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze finallynded on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face.


    When some people ate, they habitually ate the parts they didn¡¯t like first and left the ones they liked forst. Shao Qihai did the same when dealing with certain matters. Only after he dealt with the bad stuff did he turn his attention to the good stuff.


    He had been refraining from making eye contact with Mu Jingzhe until now.


    An unnatural expression crossed his face, and he forced a stiff smile. ¡°Jingzhe¡­¡±


    He had just called her that when he froze. He had been following Mu Jingzhe, so he felt close to her. However, in reality, Jingzhe was quite a stranger to him. Was it appropriate for him to call her that?


    Shao Qihai had thought quite a bit, but Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected this at all. She was only stunned by this sudden, godlike plot twist.


    What was going on? Why would Shao Qihaie back alive!? Why wasn¡¯t he dead? Hadn¡¯t he died a long time ago in the book?


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t feel surprise, only shock and fear, especially when she heard him say that he would raise the children himself in the future. Her first reaction was to think that Shao Qihai hade to snatch the children from her!

 Chapter 191 - You Are Shameless Enough to Come Back?

    <h4>Chapter 191: You Are Shameless Enough to Come Back?</h4>


    Shao Qihai was different from Zhao Lan and the others. She could resolve Zhao Lan¡¯s issue simply by using force. However, with Shao Qihai there, she couldn¡¯t, as he was the children¡¯s biological father.


    The word ¡®biological¡¯ was about to be Mu Jingzhe¡¯s taboo after being through so much today and hearing the words ¡®biological mother¡¯ and ¡®stepmother¡¯ get constantly mentioned. Great, their biological father was now back.


    It hadn¡¯t been easy for her to raise the five children well and develop feelings for them. In the end, he hade back to snatch the children away. But on what grounds?!


    Mu Jingzhe red at Shao Qihai fiercely. He was their biological father, so the children would definitely have to follow him in the future. Also, the children had deep feelings for him and were close to him. As she thought of all this, she was overwhelmed by anger, and her eyes were filled with a murderous warning.


    Shao Qihai was a little stunned. Mu Jingzhe kept looking at him, making him feel rather ufortable.


    Shao Qiyang, who was looking at them staring ¡®passionately¡¯ at each other, was speechless.


    This was probably one of the most dramatic days of Shao Qiyang¡¯s life.


    He had finally decided to confess. In the end, Zhao Lan and the others had ruined his meticulous preparations. Now, Shao Qihai had actually returned.


    Shao Qiyang felt like he was having a dream. His hand subconsciously gripped the ne in his pocket while he was left in a daze. He didn¡¯te back to his senses for a long time.


    He had wanted to ignore everything and confess his feelings earlier on, but now, it had turned out that Second Brother hadn¡¯t died and hade back alive¡­


    Shao Qiyang kept repeating in his mind the words ¡®Second Brother hasn¡¯t died and he just returned¡¯. Only one feeling filled his heart: Heaven just didn¡¯t like him and was toying with him on purpose.


    Shao Qiyang was in a daze. The word ¡®miserable¡¯ would not be enough to describe his current state.


    The miserable Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t know if he should be d that he hadn¡¯t confessed yet or hate the heavens for ying such a joke on him.


    He should have been delighted that his biological brother, Shao Qihai, hadn¡¯t died and had returned. However, all he felt was confusion.


    Shao Qihai nced at Shao Qiyang. Seeing that he was in a daze, he thought that Shao Qiyang was still digesting the news. He patted Shao Qiyang¡¯s shoulder and silently thanked him for taking care of the children over the past year.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze finallynded on the five kids. Seeing that they had all grown quite a bit, he felt both guilty andforted. He smiled and opened his arms, waiting for the children to pounce on him.


    However, even though he kept his arms spread for a long time, the children still hid behind Mu Jingzhe and gripped her hand and clothes, refusing to go over.


    Their appearance was very simr to when he used toe back to visit during his time in the army. However, at the time, they used to surround Shao Dong and tug at his clothes, looking at him timidly. This time, they were holding onto Mu Jingzhe.


    Every time they seemed not to believe that he had returned and would only get familiar with him after a while. As he thought of the past, Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes stung.


    Previously, he¡¯d had no choice but to fake his death. The children would definitely be flustered and sad when they heard that he¡¯d returned.


    At the thought of this, Shao Qihai moved his awkward arms. After squatting down, he pped his hands and said, ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing over? Were you frightened too? Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m not a ghost. Daddy is still alive. Come over quickly.¡±


    The five kids remained indifferent and didn¡¯t even move their feet. Fortunately, they finally replied.


    ¡°We know you¡¯re not a ghost.¡± They¡¯d always known he was alive, but they hadn¡¯t expected him to have the nerve toe back.


    They would rather he was a ghost. That would be best. Too bad that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Shao Qihai looked at the five kids¡¯ expressions and awkwardly retracted his arms. Then, he looked at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qiyang, as well as Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. Thetter two had left and returned to secretly peek outside the door. Shao Qihai had to admit that they didn¡¯t seem to be happy or delighted about his return.


    This waspletely different from what he had imagined. But why?


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it. However, his attention was soon focused on the children. If they didn¡¯te over, he would take the initiative to go over.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Little Dong, Little Xi, Little Nan, Little Bei, Little Zhong¡­ It¡¯s my fault for lying to you, but I won¡¯t lie to you again.¡±


    As Shao Qihai approached, Mu Jingzhe quickly nudged the children, wanting to retreat.


    In the end, the children also retreated with her, grabbing her hand and clothes even more tightly. Xiao Wu was so anxious that he almost pulled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s pants down.


    Mu Jingzhe was so shocked that she almost broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly pulled up her pants. It would be awkward if her pants were pulled down the very first time she met Shao Qihai.


    Previously, whenever the children saw her, they used to subconsciously tug at her. asionally, when they were careless, Mu Jingzhe felt like her pants were about to fall.


    This wasn¡¯t a joke. Mu Jingzhe had personally seen a young mother in the vige get her pants pulled down because her son liked her too much and was very enthusiastic.


    It had been extremely awkward for the mother. Fortunately, there had been very few people present at the time, so it wasn¡¯t too bad. However, there was another instance of a father of two kids going to someone¡¯s ce to have dinner and being embarrassed in public.


    The two children had been ying hide and seek around their father at the time. They had tugged at his pants several times, and in the end, the kids had probably used too much force and identally pulled his pants down.


    At the time, there had been people everywhere, so it had been really awkward. Mu Jingzhe, who hadn¡¯t been far away, had seen his red underwear. The father¡¯s face had turned red from embarrassment, and he hadn¡¯t even shown up for dinner.


    Ever since Mu Jingzhe had seen that, she had been truly afraid. In order to avoid the embarrassment of identally having her pants pulled down, she, who usually liked to wear loose pants, had started to habitually tie a belt around her waist. She¡¯d also emphasized to the children several times that they should not tug at her pants in the future.


    It was one thing to wear hot pants and quite another to have one¡¯s pantspletely yanked off like this.


    The children were sensible and knew that their mommy would be mocked if they pulled her pants down. They¡¯d specifically noted this in their minds from then on. Unexpectedly, Shao Qihai had suddenlye back and scared Xiao Wu into making this mistake again.


    When Mu Jingzhe moved, Xiao Wu sensed it and quickly let go. To make up for his mistake, he even tiptoed and helped Mu Jingzhe pull up her pants a little.


    The lift was quite urate but a tad too high, causing one of her trouser legs to be high and the other to be low.


    Mu Jingzhe lowered her head and nced at her pants.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Forget it. It would be fine as long as her pants weren¡¯t pulled down.


    Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t blind, so how could he not see what was going on? When he saw that Mu Jingzhe was startled, his heart jumped to his throat.


    He didn¡¯t even dare imagine what would have happened if Mu Jingzhe¡¯s pants had been pulled down on the spot. When he saw that Mu Jingzhe was fine, he also heaved a sigh of relief, but his face inevitably turned red.


    When he saw Xiao Wu¡¯s actions, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t bear to look at Mu Jingzhe any longer. He could only forcefully shift his attention to the children.


    He looked from Shao Dong to Shao Zhong, scanning the kids one by one. When he thought of the fact that Shao Zhong could now speak, his eyes were filled with gratitude. ¡°You¡¯ve all grown bigger and taller. Little Zhong has also grown up quite a bit.¡±


    When the five kids heard this, their expressions became better. They quickly added with some pride, ¡°Mommy raised us well.¡±


    Xiao Wu pursed his lips and finally said, ¡°I¡¯m Xiao Wu.¡±


    Xiao Wu had never really liked the name Shao Zhong. He kept feeling that it was different from his siblings¡¯ names. It was as if he didn¡¯t share the same biological mother as them. To him, it didn¡¯t sound nice at all.


    Ever since Mu Jingzhe had arrived, she¡¯d started calling him Xiao Wu. Because she always sounded happy and fond of him when she called his name, he had grown to like the name Xiao Wu. Also, it made him feel closer to his siblings. He liked being called Xiao Wu.

 Chapter 192 - Your New Wife and Children?

    <h4>Chapter 192: Your New Wife and Children?</h4>


    When he heard Xiao Wu¡¯s words, Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Okay, Xiao Wu. I¡¯ll call you Xiao Wu from now on. You can really speak. That¡¯s great.¡±


    As soon as he heard Xiao Wu speak with his own ears, Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes turned red. He wanted to hug Xiao Wu and cry, but he couldn¡¯t reach out to him. Xiao Wu quickly hid behind Mu Jingzhe and hugged her legs tightly, staring at him vigntly.


    Shao Qihai was embarrassed once more, and Mu Jingzhe also felt a little helpless. She quickly nudged Shao Dong, wanting him to go over and hug Shao Qihai to resolve the awkwardness.


    However, Shao Dong, who was usually very sensible, obedient, and considerate, surprisingly didn¡¯t listen to Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t budge at all. When Shao Qihai went to pull him close, he even dodged him. Shao Xi and Shao Nan¡¯s faces were also cold, and they all showed signs of resistance. Little Bei didn¡¯t have much of an expression, which was a little better, but she also lowered her head and wouldn¡¯t look at him.


    In the past, Little Bei would never have done this. Every time, she would be the first to hug him, bringing him endless warmth.


    The touched look on Shao Qihai¡¯s face froze. He had to admit another truth: The children seemed to have a problem with him.


    They were too cold. They didn¡¯t seem delighted about his return. Thinking back, they¡¯d seemed like this since the moment he had appeared.


    The others were either shocked or frightened, but they didn¡¯t seem too surprised. It was as if he hadn¡¯te back from the dead after more than a year and had just casually returned from a trip.


    Besides, this trip wasn¡¯t the popr kind. It was as if he had done something bad and then returned, so they were icy to him and didn¡¯t show a trace of delight.


    Shao Qihai was forced to calm down, but he couldn¡¯t fathom why they were acting like this. In the end, he cast a pleading gaze at Mu Jingzhe, wanting to know what was going on.


    Mu Jingzhe also realized that the kids were acting strangely. Previously, they had thought that Shao Qihai had suddenlye back to life and lost theirposure, but there really seemed to be something amiss with their current attitude.


    ¡°Little Dong, what¡¯s wrong with you kids?¡± Mu Jingzhe bent down to ask Shao Dong and looked at the children carefully. ¡°Are you guys a little frightened by his sudden return? Or are you a little angry?¡±


    She guessed that the children were angry because Shao Qihai had hidden it from them. Shao Xi curled his lips and was about to say something when he saw Shao Dong nce at him.


    After Shao Dong stopped Shao Xi, he looked at Mu Jingzhe and softened his expression. ¡°A little. We just couldn¡¯te back to our senses for a while.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t we talk to him?¡±


    There were some awful words and ugly realities that he didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to hear. Sooner orter, he would have to face them and make things clear. In that case, they might as well make things clear with Shao Qihai themselves. They didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be dragged into this and put in a difficult position.


    Mu Jingzhe immediately nodded. ¡°Alright, then have a good chat and clear things up.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was still thinking that it would be good for the father and son to clear things up, so she didn¡¯t realize that Shao Dong was referring to Shao Qihai as ¡®him¡¯ and not ¡®Dad¡¯. Ever since Shao Qihai had appeared, they had never called him ¡®Dad¡¯.


    Shao Dong¡¯s gazended on Shao Qihai. His eyes didn¡¯t match the steadiness and calmness of his age.


    The earlier incident had made them realize that because they were still young, everyone was inclined to think that Mu Jingzhe had taught them everything they¡¯d heard and seen.


    However, their mother had only ever taught them good things. Her teachings were things that would benefit them for the rest of their lives. They learned bad things from their own experiences and outsiders, but no one understood this.


    Since that was the case, they shouldn¡¯t let their mother watch while they talked, in case Shao Qihai felt the same way. They could talk about it themselves and keep their mother out of this.


    Shao Dong took charge and looked at his younger siblings. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t say much, but the children looked at Shao Dong and pretty much understood what he meant. They reluctantly let go of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Then talk to your father nicely.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Jingzhe raised her head and saw Li Zhaodi waving frantically at her from the door. She thought for a moment and left.


    As she passed by Shao Qiyang, Mu Jingzhe nced at him. Thinking that the two brothers should have something to say to each other too, she didn¡¯t say anything.


    She gave the children and Shao Qihai some space tomunicate. She didn¡¯t want to get involved. She also needed to digest this explosive news and think about the subsequent arrangements.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s return hadpletely disrupted her ns.


    Li Zhaodi pulled Mu Jingzhe over. As she habitually tidied the corners of her clothes that had been crumpled by the kids, she asked anxiously, ¡°Isn¡¯t Shao Qihai dead? Why did he suddenlye back? Jingzhe, what are you going to do next?¡±


    ¡°Leave it for now!¡± Mu Jingzhe pulled Li Zhaodi along. ¡°Come on, Mom. Let¡¯s talk over there.¡±


    Shao Dong watched Mu Jingzhe leave. Seeing that his younger uncle, Shao Qiyang, was still in a daze, he turned around and walked in.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and sit down.¡± As he spoke, Shao Dong¡¯s aura of negotiation, which was one of a host at that, emerged.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Shao Qihai answered subconsciously. He turned around to hug Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu turned and followed Little Bei in, holding his hand.


    As Shao Qihai watched the backs of the children, who were holding hands, he felt a little gratified and curious.


    The children had always been on good terms, but Shao Dong and the others hadn¡¯t really cared about Xiao Wu previously. Even though he had talked to them a lot about it, it hadn¡¯t helped. However, this time, their rtionship was very good.


    Besides, Xiao Wu had changed a lot. He could speak now and looked much bolder than he used to in the past. He was no longer as timid as before.


    Shao Qihai sat in front of the children and was about to speak when he heard Shao Dong say, ¡°Now that you¡¯re back, what will happen to your new wife and children? Or will you abandon them too?¡±


    The corners of Shao Xi¡¯s mouth curled up in a mocking smile. He thought to himself that he might havee back after seeing them on TV and feeling the same regret as Zhao Lan and the rest.


    Previously, they had been furious because they¡¯d wanted Shao Qihai to regret it. However, wasn¡¯t this regret too quick? How could anyone regret something so quickly and return just like that?


    Shao Qihai waspletely stunned. ¡°What new wife and children?¡±


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and added, ¡°Your new wife and children, of course. Stop denying it. We saw it. We knew you weren¡¯t dead. We just didn¡¯t expect you to have the nerve toe back.¡±


    The corners of Shao Nan¡¯s mouth curled up as he added, ¡°How could you bear toe back? Or did your new wife and children not want you anymore?¡±


    Shao Qihai was dumbfounded. ¡°Wh¡­ What are you talking about? I don¡¯t have a new wife or children. I only have you guys. I was forced to feign my death because of a special situation. Little Xi, where did you see me?¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s mind was filled with question marks. He felt even more wronged than Dou E[1].


    Shao Xi casually described seeing him in the night market. Since it hadn¡¯t been that long since the incident, Shao Qihai still remembered the situation. He heaved a sigh of relief and exined.


    ¡°So you were talking about that. That was not my new wife and children.¡±


    Shao Qihai exined, but Shao Xi and the others looked at him with an expression that said, ¡°Go on, continue weaving your story.¡±


    [1] a fictional character who was wrongly convicted of crimes by a corrupt court official for actions perpetrated by a rejected suitor

 Chapter 193 - You Want to Make It Up to Us?

    <h4>Chapter 193: You Want to Make It Up to Us?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The kids indeed didn¡¯t believe it. Who would believe such an exnation? Maybe Shao Qihai had also given the same exnation to his new wife and children, denying his rtionship with the five of thempletely.


    Shao Qihai felt very helpless. ¡°It¡¯s true. Little Dong, you have to believe me. I was only there to protect and transfer them to another ce. I can¡¯t say much about their identities and circumstances, but what I¡¯ve said is true.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t lying. He had indeed transferred the wife and children of a man who had died in the line of duty. In order to avoid revenge on his remaining children, he had transferred them away.


    Although he had transferred them to a ce where no one knew them, they had also changed their names. He had topletely forget their appearance and address.


    At the time, Shao Qihai had been in a heavy mood and had admired the senior who had sacrificed himself. He had thought that no matter what, he couldn¡¯t let anything happen to his widow and children. Now that he thought about it, he did seem to recall hearing someone call him ¡®Daddy¡¯ while he¡¯d escorted them to the night market. That voice had also been very familiar.


    However, he¡¯d had no time to listen at the time. He¡¯d turned around and seen nothing, so he had then turned around and left. He hadn¡¯t expected it to really be Shao Xi and the others.


    At that moment, Shao Qihai finally understood why the children were treating him with such an attitude. It turned out that they had always known that he was alive and had only misunderstood him.


    Shao Qihai diligently exined everything that he could think of, thinking that it would be fine as long as he exined it clearly.


    However, after hearing his exnation, the children were still very cold. They were even skeptical of what he said, and their attitudes didn¡¯t change much.


    Shao Qihai was a little hesitant, but he thought that he needed to give them time to digest and ept this, so he said, ¡°In the future, you¡¯ll know that I¡¯m not lying. Daddy let you down for the past year or so. I¡¯ll make it up to you in the future. This won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Shao Xi scoffed. ¡°The most difficult and helpless period of our lives has passed. We don¡¯t need it anymore.¡±


    After abandoning them for more than a year, had he returned to collect their corpses? If they hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to meet their mother, perhaps not even their bones would have remained. To think he imed he would make it up to them. What a joke. Was this something they could bepensated for?


    At the time, they had despaired because of his departure. Later on, they had suffered very much. Little Bei had even been sent away by Zhao Lan. If Mommy hadn¡¯t found her, who knew if she would have lived or died?


    Now that they had ovee so many difficulties and everything was finally fine, he was saying that he wanted to make it up to them? Toote for that. They didn¡¯t need him anymore.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t say much. His tone was quite calm, but the fact that a child had said such a thing and had such an expression was already sarcastic enough.


    If words could be a sharp weapon, at the moment, Shao Xi¡¯s words would have already stabbed a big hole into Shao Qihai.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Daddy has let the five of you down.¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s expression was gloomy, and he felt extremely guilty. ¡°I won¡¯t do this again. Believe me. I¡¯ll really be responsible and treat you well.¡±


    However, the children still didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. Shao Xi was even a little impatient. He opened his mouth to say that there was no need, but Shao Nan suddenly held him back.


    Shao Nan looked at Shao Qihai and said out of the blue, ¡°You are our father and have the obligation to raise us. You should indeed be responsible.¡±


    Shao Xi red at Shao Nan and pulled him aside. He then asked him in a low voice, ¡°You still want to ept his stinky money? We can earn our own money now. We don¡¯t need him to¡ª¡±


    Shao Nan pulled Shao Xi further away. He even beckoned for Shao Dong and the others toe over, shooting Shao Qihai a look so he would note over.


    The five children started to discuss this with their heads huddled together. Shao Nan was mostly the one speaking.


    ¡°I know you all hate him and don¡¯t want to spend his money. I agree with your thoughts, guys, but we have to calm down and think about this.


    ¡°We?<i>can</i>?allow him to give us money. This is his duty anyway. It¡¯s what he ought to do. If we refuse, the money will be used elsewhere. It will either be used on Zhao Lan, Fu, Lu, Shou, X¨«, or his new wife and children.¡±


    Shao Nan couldn¡¯t take that lying down. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we just take it? Anyway, I don¡¯t want the money that should have been spent on us to be used to raise Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. Our money and Mommy¡¯s money was earned painstakingly, not scraped over by the wind, so why don¡¯t we use his?¡±


    When Shao Nan said this, the other four kids calmed down. Meanwhile, their hearts simultaneously ached for Mu Jingzhe. The vigers only saw Mu Jingzhe earning money, but they didn¡¯t know about the hardships she suffered.


    They had been watching Mu Jingzhe ride her bicycle under the sun and wind on the bumpy road. Come wind or rain, she would transport the goods back and forth in the winter and summer to earn money.


    It wasn¡¯t just physical hardships that she had to endure either. Mu Jingzhe also had to put up with a horrible attitude that the people of Great Eastern Vige would never be able to imagine.


    The money had been earned painstakingly by their mother, and it hadn¡¯t been easy for them to earn money either. They had also gone through a lot of hardships. For instance, Shao Dong¡¯s money had been made bit by bit by rummaging through garbage. Therefore, why shouldn¡¯t they use Shao Qihai¡¯s money?


    Shao Dong pondered it for a moment. ¡°Little Nan is right. I hadn¡¯t fully considered the situation this time. Little Nan, continue.¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯s face rxed as he summarized this. ¡°He gave birth to us, so he should be raising us in the first ce. We¡¯ll be losing out by not letting him raise us. Anyway, I don¡¯t think we should be spiteful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. In any case, his money can¡¯t be used to raise those four pigs anymore.¡± Shao Xi was direct.


    Shao Nan nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s one aspect. On the other hand, we should consider reality and the future. Although we¡¯re still young, he¡¯s not dead. We should consider our responsibility to provide for him in his old age in the future.¡±


    Shao Xi had a constipated look on his face. ¡°Provide for him in his old age?¡±


    Shao Dong lowered his head, Little Bei pouted, and Xiao Wu pursed his lips to express his displeasure.


    Shao Nan sighed like a little adult. ¡°That¡¯s right. Who asked him to be our biological father? As long as he keeps acknowledging us, even if we don¡¯t spend his money now, when he gets old in the future, we¡¯ll still be responsible for supporting him. We can¡¯t just leave him be.¡±


    This was a principle taught to them by their mother. They would definitely listen to Mommy and do what she said. It was also their responsibility.


    ¡°In that case, it would be a waste if we didn¡¯t ept his money now.¡±


    As soon as Shao Nan finished speaking, Shao Xi nodded. That was true. If they didn¡¯t ept it now and still had to support him in the future, they would be extremely aggrieved.


    Shao Dong patted Shao Nan. ¡°So, Little Nan, you¡¯re stopping us now to reduce our anger in the future. In that case, why should we be spiteful? Whatever he gives us, we¡¯ll ept, no matter how much it is. We can use the money to eat and drink. Otherwise, we can also use it to help others.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°Big Brother is right. We¡¯ll ept the money then. Let¡¯s not let him get away with it just like that, or he might cry hypocritically and not do anything. In the end, we¡¯ll still have to provide for him. Let¡¯s take it then. We must take it!¡±


    The five children looked at each other and approached Shao Qihai again. Shao Xi told the nervous Shao Qihai, ¡°Do as Little Nan said just now. You canpensate us in ordance with your guilt. The more, the better. We won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 194 - Are You Going To Continue Being Shao Qihais Wife?

    <h4>Chapter 194: Are You Going To Continue Being Shao Qihai¡¯s Wife?</h4>


    Because Shao Xi¡¯s words were truly a bit bizarre, Shao Qihai was too stunned to agree immediately. This made Shao Xi very unhappy.


    He frowned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Or were you just saying that for fun and you aren¡¯t actually sincere about raising us?¡±


    Shao Xi red at him. Was he counting on them to provide for him now? Did he have the same notion as Zhao Lan and the rest? If that was the case, he definitely wouldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    Seeing that Shao Xi¡¯s expression was off, Shao Qihai quickly replied, ¡°No, no. I wasn¡¯t saying that for fun. I will do it.¡±


    The children didn¡¯t refuse. It should have been a good thing, but somehow, he felt that something was amiss.


    No matter how he thought about it, it seemed like their actions were too extreme. A moment ago, they had directly refused, but now, they¡¯d said that the more he gave them, the merrier.


    Both of these extreme attitudes made it feel like they were taking revenge on him or something. Shao Xi¡¯s eyes were burning with rage as he looked at him.


    Shao Qihai was listless. He would never have thought that this would happen. They didn¡¯t huddle together in tears, nor did they appear happy. In the end, they didn¡¯t even call him ¡®Daddy¡¯.


    Yes, he had noticed it. It was impossible for him not to notice. After all, none of the children had called him ¡®Daddy¡¯, or rather, they had deliberately not done so.


    Shao Qihai wanted to ask if they had misunderstood anything else, but the children didn¡¯t give him the chance to speak. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll go look for Mommy now.¡±


    After saying that, they scurried out. Shao Qihai stretched out his hands but couldn¡¯t stop them.


    Shao Qihai paused for a moment to calm down beforeing out. He nned to talk to Shao Qiyang and ask about the children.


    He and Shao Qiyang had a good rtionship. He had missed his younger brother very much. Thest time they had met in Ocean City, they hadn¡¯t been able to have a good talk. This time, he finally had the chance.


    Shao Qihai thought that even if that weren¡¯t the case for other people, Shao Qiyang would definitely be happy about his return.


    While he had been gone, Shao Qiyang had taken care of the children and Mu Jingzhe. He had done all this for the sake of his older brother, him.


    Shao Qihai came out feeling heartened at the thought of Shao Qiyang. He looked at Shao Qiyang, who was still standing in the courtyard, and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder. He reached out and hugged him. ¡°Qiyang, thank you so much for protecting the children and your second sister-inw. If it weren¡¯t for you, I dare not imagine what would have happened.¡±


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s entire body was stiff, so Shao Qihai didn¡¯t feel the warmth of a hug. Upon hearing his words, he gave him a strange look and finally spoke in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°If you were not dead, why didn¡¯t you send news back?¡±


    ¡°The situation was special. For your safety, I couldn¡¯t send back news. Furthermore, at first¡­ I was in aa.¡± Shao Qihai found it difficult to speak.


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you have sent back news when you woke up? Or do you not trust me?¡± Shao Qiyang was very hurt. If his second brother had trusted him a little and let him know earlier, he might not have fallen so deeply into this mess.


    What was this? He had been heartbroken and guilty for a long time. Now that his feelings for his sister-inw had deepened, he had returned?


    Since the husband was back, who the heck was he, the younger brother-inw?


    Rtionships weren¡¯t like other things that could be taken back as and when one liked. Now that he had fallen for his sister-inw, how was he going to clean up this mess in the future?


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s eyes were red. Shao Qihai was shocked. ¡°Qiyang, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it. What¡¯s the point of saying so now? You must have had your own reasons.¡± Shao Qiyang knew Shao Qihai well and knew that he wouldn¡¯t do such a thing for no reason. However, even though he understood, he still felt ufortable and tired.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to talk to you for the time being,¡± Shao Qiyang said before walking straight to his room.


    ¡°Qiyang, are you angry too?¡± Shao Qihai followed him. He wanted to ask for an exnation, but the door was closed ruthlessly in front of him and then locked.


    Shao Qihai, who had nearly been hit by the door, was speechless. ¡°???¡±


    What was wrong with Qiyang? Why hadn¡¯t even Qiyang weed him?


    Shao Qihai stood in the courtyard in a daze. Meanwhile, the kids went to the Mu Residence to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe was talking to Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi. Mu Han had gone to the capital two days ago to continue earning money.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s return made Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi feel very conflicted. In the past, they would have been d. At least, their daughter wouldn¡¯t have to be a widow anymore.


    However, the situation was different now. Their family was in a much better state than before. Furthermore, Jingzhe had be very capable and outstanding now. Even Ji Buwang, the heir to some big n or corporation, was courting Jingzhe despite knowing she was a widow.


    It didn¡¯t matter if she was a widow, for she still had plenty of better choices. They¡¯d all been thinking of making Ji Buwang their new son-inw, but Shao Qihai had suddenly returned.


    Shao Qihai used to be the most promising person in Great Eastern Vige in the past, but that was only in Great Eastern Vige. Now, things were different. Their horizons had already broadened beyond Great Eastern Vige. Inbination with the influence of Mu Jingzhe, their thoughts had be much broader.


    With a better choice like Ji Buwang, Shao Qihai now looked quite meh, especially since he didn¡¯t know how to buy sunsses or anything like that.


    Therefore, when Shao Qihai returned, Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t feel any delight. Instead, they felt like Shao Qihai hade back to botch their daughter¡¯s marriage.


    ¡°What should we do now? His return was so sudden¡­ Jingzhe, if only you had remarried earlier.¡± This way, it would have been useless even if Shao Qihai hade back.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you going to do now? Are you going to continue being Shao Qihai¡¯s wife? No, no, Mommy hasn¡¯t thought it through properly. You shouldn¡¯t think about it either. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t go back today. Just stay at home.¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could answer, the five kids arrived in a row.


    ¡°Mommy wants to stay at home? Then we¡¯ll stay with Mommy,¡± Shao Xi immediately replied. ¡°Grandma, we can just sleep on the floor in Mommy¡¯s room.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Li Zhaodi, and Mu Teng: ¡°Uh, this isn¡¯t appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Why not? We¡¯ll be wherever Mommy is.¡± Shao Nan indicated that what he had said previously wasn¡¯t just for show.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu also nodded vigorously, their little hands already tugging at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was originally a mess, suddenly felt moved. Sob, sob. Shao Qihai hade back to snatch the children from her. Fortunately, the children still had a conscience and hadn¡¯t forgotten all about their mother after seeing their father.


    Although Mu Jingzhe really wanted to be impulsive and ignore Shao Qihai, directly living with the children in the Mu Residence and snatching them away, she knew that it was impossible. In the end, Mu Jingzhe followed the kids back to the Shao Residence.


    Escaping wasn¡¯t a solution. She had to solve the problem.


    When he saw them return, Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes lit up before he heaved a sigh of relief.


    He had been truly afraid just now. Although the kids hadn¡¯t been gone for long, Shao Qihai had felt very tormented. He had even started to suspect that the kids and Mu Jingzhe had abandoned him and run away. He had been wondering if he should chase after them.


    Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe and the kids hadn¡¯t run away. Shao Qihai, who was overjoyed, heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back. No, let¡¯s eat first.¡±

 Chapter 195 - Youve Tarnished Our Parent-Child Outfit

    <h4>Chapter 195: You¡¯ve Tarnished Our Parent-Child Outfit</h4>


    The food was sumptuous, but it was Shao Qiyang who had worked hard to prepare these dishes.


    Shao Qihai awkwardly and warmly invited them to sit down and eat. Shao Dong looked at Shao Qiyang¡¯s room. ¡°Where¡¯s Uncle?¡±


    ¡°He said he wasn¡¯t in a good mood,¡± Shao Qihai exined awkwardly.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal for Uncle to be in a bad mood. He¡¯s been through a lot today.¡± Shao Dong, who was considerate, went to look for Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang, who was in the house, was very touched and sad when he heard Shao Dong ask about him outside. He asked Shao Dong not to worry and said that he would be fine in a while. Shao Qiyang even asked Shao Dong to go eat quickly and said that he would be skipping the meal because he had no appetite.


    Although he said that, they still left some food for Shao Qiyang.


    Thete dinner started in silence and awkwardness. Although Mu Jingzhe and the kids didn¡¯t talk much, the atmosphere was very harmonious and taciturn.


    The only person who didn¡¯t fit in was Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai wanted to pick food for the children, but the children weren¡¯t happy. In fact, when he got nervous, he even picked the wrong food.


    He had been dreaming of sitting down and having a meal with his family for the longest time. In the end, this was what happened.


    He wanted to talk to Mu Jingzhe, but when he actually sat at the table and looked at her, Shao Qihai felt a little hesitant.


    It was because he sensed that Mu Jingzhe was really different now. He felt that it would take a lot of courage to speak to her.


    In the end, the food tasted like wax in Shao Qihai¡¯s mouth, and he didn¡¯t even know what he ate.


    As soon as they finished eating, Shao Dong and Shao Xi worked together to wash the dishes. Shao Nan and Little Bei also helped clean up. Xiao Wu wiped the table, and the five siblings cooperated very well.


    Mu Jingzhe poured hot water for them and swept the floor. Only Shao Qihai had nothing to do.


    Shao Qihai wanted to help, but everyone pretty much ignored him.


    After they finally cleaned up, Shao Qihai remembered something and went out. A momentter, he came back out with a big bag and a face full of anticipation.


    ¡°I kept thinking about you guys and bought quite a lot of things.¡± Like an ordinary father who had gone on a long trip, he wanted to give his children a gift upon returning. He imagined that the children would be happy to receive the gift, and then their rtionship would improve.


    Oh, his wife would be happy too.


    Shao Qihai coughed and couldn¡¯t wait to distribute the gifts.


    ¡°This is Little Dong¡¯s. This is Little Xi¡¯s¡­ This is for you.¡±


    After giving the presents to the children, Shao Qihai nced at Mu Jingzhe and ced the item in her hand.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was watching the show, eximed, ¡°Eh?¡± There was also something for her? This was rare.


    Mu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should ept it. Shao Qihai stuffed it into her hands and said, ¡°See if¡­ if it fits.¡±


    He looked at the children. ¡°You too. Try them on to see if they fit. You¡¯re taller than I thought you¡¯d be.¡±


    Shao Dong and the others looked at the presents and didn¡¯t move much, but Shao Nan eximed, ¡°Why do I find this a little familiar¡­ This looks like something Mommy and I decided not to buy while shopping in the capital¡­¡±


    He looked at Mu Jingzhe to confirm this. Mu Jingzhe looked at the items, and they looked familiar indeed. ¡°It really does seem¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°???¡± Meow meow meow?


    They had decided not to buy them? Was it because she couldn¡¯t afford to buy them because they were expensive?


    Shao Qihai froze. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan nced at the presents in confusion. Mu Jingzhe finally spoke to Shao Qihai. ¡°Why did you buy these?¡± Wouldn¡¯t it be a little too much to call this a coincidence?


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and the five children shook their heads in unison to express their disbelief.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°I¡¯ll exin thister¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like an appropriate time to say that he had been following them all this time. Shao Qihai could only awkwardly implement the stalling policy.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to make such a blunder. Coincidentally, Little Bei was right in front of him. When he saw her adorable look, Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze melted. He quickly changed the topic and asked, ¡°Does Little Bei like these hair ornaments?¡±


    Little Bei: ¡°I don¡¯t. These hair ornaments aren¡¯t as pretty as the ones Mommy makes.¡±


    Shao Qihai stiffened again. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy has made me a lot of pretty ones.¡± A year ago, Little Bei, who had never owned any hair ornaments, might have been thrilled. However, she had a lot of beautiful hair ornaments now, so she didn¡¯t care for such mediocre ones anymore.


    Shao Qihai was so embarrassed that he was about to say something when Shao Nan took a look and suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Mommy, look at this hair ornament. Isn¡¯t it the one you said was so ugly it was adorable?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a look and saw that it was true. Because she was in this line of work, she would take a closer look at the hair ornaments sold in the streets. Some of them weren¡¯t bad, but the workmanship was rough, and they were ugly. However, when something was ugly to an extreme, it had an ugly and adorable effect. Mu Jingzhe even tried to see the effect, wanting to see if it would look different when the ornament was worn on the head.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t. Instead, the hair ornament looked even uglier and out of ce when worn.


    Mu Jingzhe still clearly remembered the jibes she had made then. She just hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to actually buy one.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    He actually didn¡¯t have much of an aesthetic sense for girly things. At the time, he¡¯d also felt that it was strange that she would take a fancy to it, but he had thought that maybe it was because he didn¡¯t understand. He hadn¡¯t expected¡­ that it would really be ugly.


    He had been looking forward to the presents relieving the awkwardness and making them feel closer to him, but now that he had distributed the presents, it was even more awkward¡­ He really was¡­


    He was at a loss for words. As he faced everyone¡¯s strange and probing gazes, he was so anxious that he nearly broke out in a sweat. At that moment, Xiao Wu looked at his father¡¯s clothes and then down at his own clothes. He finally couldn¡¯t help but speak.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing the same clothes as us.¡± He subconsciously said that in an using tone.


    When Xiao Wu said this, everyone finally saw the clothes Shao Qihai was wearing. They couldn¡¯t help but widen their eyes. How could he be wearing the same clothes as them!


    Shao Dong¡¯s face fell when he saw this, as they were wearing the parent-child outfits that Mu Jingzhe had bought previously!


    The parent-child outfits Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan had bought were unanimously liked and cherished by the children. After wearing them once, the children had cautiously worn them again on the first day of school. When they went to school with Mu Jingzhe in that outfit, they became the most beautiful sight at school.


    They loved these parent-child outfits to death and couldn¡¯t bear to take them off. Mu Jingzhe also felt that wearing parent-child outfits was very cool, so she couldn¡¯t bear to take the clothes off either.


    The other children looked at them enviously and also wanted to wear the same clothes as their parents. The parents in Great Eastern Vige were forced to think of ways to find clothes of the same or simr color to satisfy their children¡¯s needs. Many parents even took out sportswear.


    The children were proud and happy to see that everyone¡¯s outfits weren¡¯t as well-matched as theirs. In the end, Shao Qihai was also wearing the same outfit as them.


    What gave him the right?! How could he?! He had tarnished their clothes!


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the clothes on her and then at Shao Qihai¡¯s clothes. She had a profound feeling that if they were to go out like this, anyone who didn¡¯t know might think this was a couple¡¯s outfit.


    Upon seeing the children fuming and Mu Jingzhe looking at him strangely, Shao Qihai was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Under their gazes, he shrank his body, wishing he could shrink into nonexistence.


    This was the nth time he had suffered a blow. There were so many times that he had lost track. He felt like he was in a daze, as if he had died again.


    He had secretly bought that same outfit that day and specifically changed into it beforeing back. He had wanted to wear the same clothes as his kids and Mu Jingzhe, but in the end¡­

 Chapter 196 - Should We Get a Divorce?

    <h4>Chapter 196: Should We Get a Divorce?</h4>


    Under Shao Dong and the others¡¯ gazes, Shao Qihai felt guilty and had no choice but to lower his head and give in. ¡°If¡­ If you think it¡¯s not a good idea for me to wear it, I¡¯ll wear it less often in the future.¡±


    After saying that, Shao Qihai was so aggrieved that he almost cried. However, the children were still dissatisfied. ¡°You mean you still want to wear it in the future?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t said he would stop wearing it, but that he would wear it less often. These were two different concepts.


    Shao Qihai felt even more aggrieved upon hearing that they wouldn¡¯t allow him to wear it at all. ¡°I¡­ Then I¡¯ll only wear it again if you say I can.¡±


    Shao Xi was still unhappy when he heard that. Noticing the stiff atmosphere, Mu Jingzhe quickly pulled Shao Xi aside, thinking that she could just buy them new outfits in the future. That wasn¡¯t the crux of the matter. The main point was that the gift Shao Qihai had given them wasn¡¯t simple!


    After appeasing the kids, Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Shao Qihai, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Alright.¡±


    The kids looked at Shao Qihai and immediately became vignt. All of them grabbed Mu Jingzhe and looked at Shao Qihai as if he was some kind of human-eating demon that would devour Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart had only skipped two beats, yet it instantly no longer had the strength to continue beating. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    His exnation reminded the children of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strength. They thought to themselves that he wasn¡¯t capable of doing anything to her anyway and then rxed.


    Before Mu Jingzhe could speak, Shao Dong stood up. ¡°Mommy, you talk. We¡¯ll go back to our room.¡± He took the initiative to leave the kitchen to them.


    Shao Nan looked at the kitchen knife in the kitchen and stood up as well. Mm, the kitchen was indeed a good ce to talk. If Shao Qihai had any bad intentions, Mommy could grab the kitchen knife at any time.


    He pulled Shao Xi up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As he walked out, he gave Mu Jingzhe a look to show her the kitchen knife.


    Mu Jingzhe saw Shao Xi¡¯s gaze but couldn¡¯t understand for a moment. She wanted to ask what he meant, but Shao Xi had already left.


    Dismissing it as something that probably wasn¡¯t important, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ask any further questions and waited to talk to Shao Qihai about the most important matters.


    Now that only the two of them were left in the kitchen, Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai and asked, ¡°Shao Qihai, did you return previously or secretly follow us around?¡±


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to ask this right away and was thus bbergasted.


    As he was wondering how to answer, Mu Jingzhe added, ¡°You don¡¯t have to find excuses anymore. Don¡¯t think of hiding this from me. These can¡¯t be mere coincidences.¡±


    Shao Qihai could only nod and admit it, choosing his words carefully. ¡°Actually, I identally met you guys before¡­ I was in a bit of a situation at the time and couldn¡¯t quite acknowledge you guys, so¡­¡±


    ¡°When? Where?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see you before?¡±


    If she had, she would have recognized him. Also, any of the kids could have recognized him.


    ¡°I disguised myself at the time, and it wasn¡¯t convenient for me either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°I see. You haven¡¯t told me when. Or where? How many times did we meet? Based on what I saw, it should have been more than once, right?¡±


    Shao Qihai stiffened again. He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be so sharp.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t going to answer, Mu Jingzhe went on to ask, ¡°Now that you¡¯re back, you can answer my questions, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Shao Qihai thought about the things he had brought back. ¡°In Ocean City¡­¡±


    When he mentioned Ocean City, many memories of the city shed across Shao Qihai¡¯s mind. Back then, he had even saved Mu Jingzhe. However, Mu Jingzhe had gotten in trouble because of him. He didn¡¯t know if Jingzhe would me him if she found out or if she would feel close to him because he had saved her once.


    As Shao Qihai thought about it, he saw Mu Jingzhe frown. ¡°Ocean City?¡± She had beautiful memories of going to Ocean City but also many bad ones.


    When Shao Qihai saw Mu Jingzhe frown, he suddenly thought of the ¡®old pervert¡¯ who had helped her then. Oh right. He had stayed close to Mu Jingzhe and been kicked so hard that he had almost been crippled.


    This wasn¡¯t a good memory at all. If Mu Jingzhe found out that he was that old man, she would definitely look at him strangely.


    Shao Qihai corrected himself as quickly as he could. ¡°I¡¯ve been to Ocean City before, but I didn¡¯t meet you. Instead, I saw you in the capital when you were shopping¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood. ¡°So it was back then. No wonder. What happened before and after? Did you see us again?¡±


    ¡°After that¡­¡± After that had been the train trip. They¡¯d even worked together and caught some pickpockets.


    However, Shao Qihai immediately recalled that they had been scolded for being ¡®an adulterous pair¡¯ at the time.


    Shao Qihai was instantly speechless. It was only upon recalling this that he realized that his interactions with Mu Jingzhe and the children previously had made some good memories. However, these good memories were apanied by bad and strange memories, even embarrassing ones.


    Shao Qihai changed the words that had been about toe out of his mouth again. ¡°After that, I came back.¡±


    Most of the things Shao Qihai had bought had also been sold in the capital at the time, so it made sense.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t continue harping on this issue. She frowned and didn¡¯t dwell on it. Instead, she turned around and talked about another important matter, a truly important one.


    ¡°What are your ns now that you are back? Our marriage could have been considered annulled previously, but now that you¡¯re back, is it still valid? Should we get a divorce?¡±


    This was what Mu Jingzhe thought of after calming down. She didn¡¯t know the specific rules of this era. It would be fine if they were deemedpletely unrted now, but if they were still considered a married couple, they might have to get a divorce.


    She had read many transmigration novels about rebirth. When the female protagonist came back, she would always have to leave the scumbag and get a divorce. In her case, after she¡¯d transmigrated, although the situation at first had been veryplicated, she had thought that since her husband was already dead, there was no need for a divorce.


    She hadn¡¯t expected that after going around in circles for a year, she would still have to think about getting a divorce. What a sin.


    Mu Jingzhe looked helpless, while Shao Qihai was shocked.


    He¡¯d guessed that Mu Jingzhe had many things to tell him and many questions to ask him. Over the past year, he had considered many situations that Mu Jingzhe might be in. He had even considered what he would do if she remarried.


    It hadn¡¯t been easy for him to finally ovee all those obstacles. He was finally back, and she had yet to remarry. He was ecstatic, really. In the end, the second thing she had brought up on his first day back was actually a divorce.


    Divorce?!


    Mu Jingzhe actually wanted to divorce him!


    Shao Qihai knew very well what divorce meant, but in this day and age, basically no one would get a divorce. To them, divorce was a big deal, an even bigger deal than death.


    However, Mu Jingzhe had casually said the word ¡®divorce¡¯ and had even brought it up in a discussion.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know how to describe his feelings for a moment. ¡°Why would you think of getting a divorce? Why do you want a divorce?¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could answer, he couldn¡¯t help but answer first. ¡°No, I won¡¯t get divorced.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked curiously.


    Shao Qihai was also puzzled. ¡°Why do you want to get a divorce? Why did you think of asking me for a divorce? If you have anything to ask or if there¡¯s anything bothering you, you can tell me. We can discuss things nicely. There¡¯s no need to talk about a divorce.¡±


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we get a divorce because of our current situation? Back then, you married me because my mother and I used rumors to trap you. You weren¡¯t willing to do it, and I was also confused. Now that you¡¯ve survived and returned, I¡¯ve also thought it through. We should sort out our situation and get a divorce.¡±

 Chapter 197 - Going After Mu Xue

    <h4>Chapter 197: Going After Mu Xue</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she had made herself clear and adequately supported her stance with valid reasons.


    However, Shao Qihai frowned when he heard that. ¡°No, Jingzhe. Even if there were other reasons for our marriage at first and we didn¡¯t fall in love freely, marriage is not a joke. How can we get married casually and then get a divorce now that you im you¡¯ve thought it through? I¡¯ve never thought of getting a divorce. Why on earth would you want a divorce?¡±


    Was it because of Ji Buwang? It would be understandable if it was because of Ji Buwang. Shao Qihai prepared himself mentally and was about to confirm this with difficulty when he heard Mu Jingzhe speak.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You have Mu Xue in your heart and you don¡¯t like me. Of course we have to get a divorce.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t told Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng yet, judging from their expressions just now, they probably wouldn¡¯t object.


    She had already been a widow, so getting a divorce wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. She could just be a divorced woman.


    However, being a divorced woman was nothing. The biggest problem was that she couldn¡¯t bear to part with the children.


    Mu Jingzhe was conflicted about the matter of the children, while Shao Qihai felt very helpless. ¡°Of course not. Mu Xue and I ended our rtionship a long time ago. In the past¡­ we weren¡¯t free to date either. Don¡¯t think too much.¡±


    Shao Qihai was telling the truth. Although everyone had started to pursue their freedom to love, this was still a far cry from the freedom to love in the modern era.


    This so-called freedom to love was actually just a man and a woman ncing at each other before the matchmaker helped propose marriage sessfully.


    Back then, he had only interacted with Mu Xue a few times. Being from the same vige, they knew each other¡¯s background well. When they¡¯d felt attracted to each other and confirmed that both parties were interested, he had directly invited the matchmaker.


    In other viges, couples might roll around in the corn fields and stuff like that, but that was a rare urrence in Great Eastern Vige. He and Mu Xue had never done anything like that.


    Later on, because of Xiao Wu, Mu Xue had regretted it. Plus, Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi had made a move just then, so he¡¯d married Mu Jingzhe. Although he hadn¡¯t forgotten Mu Xue at first, he had known in his heart that things were over between them.


    After his fake death, he hadn¡¯t thought of Mu Xue much. Later on, the one he¡¯d thought about the most, mentioned the most, and paid the most attention to was Mu Jingzhe.


    Thanks to Jiang Feng¡¯s constant nagging, he had dreamt of living happily ever after with Mu Jingzhe in the future. After all, Mu Jingzhe had always known about his rtionship with Mu Xue. He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to suddenly mind about this.


    Shao Qihai exined seriously, but it was true that he¡¯d had Mu Xue in his heart before. Besides, Mu Jingzhe was really not prepared to continue being married to a man who was practically a stranger to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely because of Mu Xue. It¡¯s because I¡¯m not ready to live with you yet.¡±


    As Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s conflicted face, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Ji Buwang. Ji Buwang was outstanding and treated her well, so it was normal for Mu Jingzhe to be moved.


    It was normal, yet he felt terrible. It was this difort that made him put himself in her shoes.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that he¡¯d had Mu Xue in his heart back then and must have felt as terrible as him. That was why she had proposed a divorce now, right?


    If that was the case, then Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t wrong. Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe, his heart filled with guilt and bitterness. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for what happened previously, Jingzhe, but I¡¯ve really forgotten about Mu Xue now. I just want to lead a good life with you. I know that it¡¯s my fault for faking my death over the past year. Can you give me another chance? Don¡¯t mention the divorce for the time being.¡±


    Since it had been more than a year, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable even if Mu Jingzhe had a change of heart and wished to remarry. Therefore, Shao Qihai only wanted to fight for another chance. He didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to give him the death sentence and ask for a divorce right away.


    Mu Jingzhe nced at him, not quite believing that he no longer had Mu Xue in his heart. ¡°If you¡¯re worried that a divorce would be bad for you, you can rest assured. In the future, more and more people will get a divorce. Marrying for the second time¡­¡± Upon thinking that if they divorced this time, it wouldn¡¯t be Shao Qihai¡¯s second marriage, Mu Jingzhe quickly changed her words. ¡°Marrying for the third time is no big deal, really. ¡±


    As she spoke, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone became a little awkward. A second marriage might not be a big deal, but a third marriage was indeed a little overboard. Even in modern times, it was taboo for people to hear about someone marrying for the third time.


    Guessing that Shao Qihai was probably concerned about this aspect, Mu Jingzhe could only change the subject. ¡°Actually, regardless of whether one gets a divorce or marries for the second or third time, people will always be talking about it. But you don¡¯t have to be too bothered by those things. Live your own life. You know best whether you¡¯re happy or not.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe clenched her fist to give Shao Qihai courage. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid. You can bravely get a divorce. You¡¯ve experienced so many hardships, so you should know that happiness is rare and precious. Life is very short. Rather than pay attention to this gossip, why don¡¯t you bravely pursue love and make up for your past regrets?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words were hinting at something.


    Shao Qihai felt dizzy upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. ¡°What regrets? I really don¡¯t want a divorce.¡±


    ¡°Mu Xue.¡± Seeing that Shao Qihai was still pretending, Mu Jingzhe could only make it clear. ¡°There¡¯s no one else here, so let¡¯s be frank. Let¡¯s not beat around the bush. Although we¡¯re married, we¡¯re not husband and wife. Isn¡¯t it because you still remember Mu Xue?


    ¡°The two of us don¡¯t like each other, so why force ourselves to be together? We can just get a divorce. Then, you can pursue happiness, pick up where you left off with her, and have more children in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was secretly instigating Shao Qihai to be brave. Since he had regained his freedom after escaping death, he should bravely pursue love and continue his rtionship with Mu Xue. Wouldn¡¯t that be perfect? They would live happily ever after like in the novel, and she would take care of Little Bei and the rest.


    In that case, when he got married to Mu Xue and had another child, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about favoring one child over another. It wouldn¡¯t be fair for the children topete for favor. Mu Xue also wouldn¡¯t have to go through the difficult situation of being a stepmother. Splendid, wasn¡¯t it?


    Speaking of that, it was really strange. Tang Moling and Mu Xue were no longer together, and the plot had copsed terribly. In the end, Shao Qihai had even returned. Did this mean that Mu Xue and Shao Qihai were truly fated to be together?


    It was entirely possible. Mu Xue was currently feeling sad. However, her first love had suddenlye back from the dead to love her again. This would warm her heart. Hear, hear. Wasn¡¯t it wonderful?


    Shao Qihai was Mu Xue¡¯s first love. One¡¯s first love was always different.


    The more Mu Jingzhe thought about it, the more she felt that this was the best opportunity. ¡°Shao Qihai, what do you think of what I said? It¡¯s alright, you can go with peace of mind¡­¡±


    She was about to point out the most important part, which was that he could leave the children to her, when Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t take it anymore and interrupted her.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, that¡¯s enough. Stop talking.¡±


    Shao Qihai was really a little angry. He could understand why she had suddenly asked for a divorce. After all, he had been wrong in the past. However, before the divorce had even been finalized, she had already asked him to remarry. Her eager eyes were shining as though she wished that he and Mu Xue could get together immediately. This made him feel very upset.


    Even if she had fallen for Ji Buwang and wanted to marry him, there was no need to arrange for him to leave, right?


    Judging from the way she was behaving, she really didn¡¯t want him to be alive.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s interruption forced the excited Mu Jingzhe to calm down. She took a careful look at him and asked, ¡°Are you angry?¡±

 Chapter 198 - We Support Mommys Divorce

    <h4>Chapter 198: We Support Mommy¡¯s Divorce</h4>


    How could he not be angry? Anyone would be angry! Shao Qihai said stiffly, ¡°I won¡¯t get a divorce. I refuse.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. Was he that determined?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to mention this again.¡± Shao Qihai took a deep breath. ¡°Even if it¡¯s for the sake of the children, don¡¯t mention it for the time being. They like you very much, so they definitely won¡¯t support a divorce¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we support it.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s voice was suddenly heard. Shao Qihai turned around and saw Shao Xi¡¯s head popping in from outside.


    ¡°Little Xi?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s me.¡± Shao Xi simply walked in without hiding. ¡°I wanted to go to the bathroom and I identally heard you guys talking. I think that since you guys mentioned us, we have to make our stance clear.¡±


    Shao Xi was perhaps the only person who could sound so open and aboveboard about eavesdropping. Shao Xi walked in calmly, followed by Shao Nan, Xiao Bei, Xiao Wu, and finally, Shao Dong.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Do you kids always go to the bathroom together?¡±


    ¡°Of course we always go together.¡± Shao Xi nodded and said seriously, ¡°If Mommy wants a divorce, we¡¯re actually in favor of that.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had seen a truly resentful couple in Great Eastern Vige who had utterly hated each other to death. Even so, they hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce in the end because they¡¯d felt that a divorce was very shameful.


    After quarreling for a lifetime, they had ultimately angered each other to death. When Mu Jingzhe had gone to visit them, she hadmented that there was no need for this. If they were really notpatible, they could have gotten a divorce.


    From then on, the kids had changed their attitude toward divorce. One shouldn¡¯t ce too much importance on saving face. If two people were really unsuitable for each other and couldn¡¯t live well together, divorce was a viable option.


    Since Mu Jingzhe had brought it up, she had to have her reasons. Since even they didn¡¯t want this father, their mother naturally wouldn¡¯t want him either. They had to support her and not let her suffer.


    Shao Qihai was shocked. ¡°You all agree?¡±


    Why? Why would they agree? Didn¡¯t they like Mu Jingzhe a lot?


    The five children nodded vigorously, including Shao Dong.


    Shao Qihai felt like he had been shot in the chest again. He had thought that at the very least, the children would stand on his side since they liked Mu Jingzhe so much. In the end¡­


    Shao Qihai¡¯s countenance was pale and ugly. Shao Dong vigntly nudged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, go and rest with Little Bei quickly.¡±


    Although Shao Qihai didn¡¯t use to be the sort of man who would hit a woman previously, they had been separated for a year now. Who knew if he had changed or not? Or perhaps they had never known Shao Qihai in the first ce.


    Therefore, in order to prevent Shao Qihai from flying into a rage out of embarrassment and hitting her, he wanted to protect his mother.


    When Little Bei heard Shao Dong say that, she immediately pulled Mu Jingzhe away. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go to sleep first. You¡¯ll get a divorce tomorrow.¡±


    Then, she dragged Mu Jingzhe away. Shao Qihai wanted to follow them after seeing that something was wrong, but he was stopped by Shao Dong.


    Shao Dong stared at him with eyes that bore a great resemnce to Shao Qihai¡¯s. ¡°Stay with me tonight.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t even think about sleeping with Mommy!¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room was their bridal chamber, which was also Shao Qihai¡¯s room. However, when the news of Shao Qihai¡¯s death hade, many of his belongings and clothes had been taken care of, and the chamber hadpletely be Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room.


    Since they were about to get a divorce, Shao Dong naturally couldn¡¯t let Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe stay in the same room, so he arranged for Shao Qihai to stay with him.


    If he stayed with them, they could inquire about Shao Qihai¡¯s situation. As the saying goes, if one knows oneself and one¡¯s enemy, one will always win. They could also watch over Shao Qihai and prevent him from acting rashly.


    Shao Qihai could only watch helplessly as Mu Jingzhe was dragged away. In the end, he had to sleep on the ground with Shao Dong and the other boys.


    When they got to the room, Shao Qihaiforted himself by thinking that sleeping with the children would actually give him a good opportunity to talk to them.


    In particr, he could find out why they had supported Mu Jingzhe¡¯s divorce request earlier.


    ¡°Little Dong, Little Xi, Little Nan, Xiao Wu, why are you supporting Mommy¡¯s decision to divorce me?¡±


    Shao Dong replied, ¡°Because Mommy wants a divorce.¡± Whatever they wanted to do, Mommy would always support them. They would support Mommy back.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? Don¡¯t you want to think about whether it¡¯s appropriate?¡± Shao Qihai frowned.


    Shao Xi answered quickly, ¡°Of course we have. My brother is saving you the embarrassment. We support the divorce because we feel that you¡¯re not worthy of Mommy.¡±


    Shao Qihai choked. ¡°Not worthy?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you think so yourself?¡± Shao Xi looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°Think about your qualities. You have a dead wife, five burdens, and an awful mother, younger sister, and family. In the past, if anyone like that dared toe to our door, we would have directly kicked the guy out.¡±


    Although they were the five burdens and by criticizing Shao Qihai, they were also criticizing themselves, Shao Xi still spoke very ruthlessly because this was their reality. He had to tell the truth.


    ¡°Just give up. You¡¯re indeed not worthy of Mommy. You should listen to Mommy and get a divorce.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Feeling like an arrow had been shot in his chest again, Shao Qihai endured it and said, ¡°Yes, my condition is indeed quite special. But Little Xi, don¡¯t you like Mommy a lot?


    ¡°Other children don¡¯t like their parents getting a divorce. When the adults fight and have a bad rtionship, the kids cry and get anxious. They even help their father coax their mother. Why are you like this? Not only are you not helping, but you¡¯re even adding fuel to fire?¡± This didn¡¯t make sense. This wasn¡¯t how this was portrayed on television!


    Shao Xi said matter-of-factly, ¡°Because we¡¯re reasonable. You disappeared for more than a year, so your marriage to Mommy actually ended a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Actually, it¡¯s not just your marriage to Mommy. Our father-son rtionship hasn¡¯t been maintained for such a long time that it¡¯s actually almost over as well,¡± Shao Nan added. ¡°Unfortunately, husband-and-wife rtionships can be ended via a divorce, but there¡¯s no such thing for a father-son rtionship.¡±


    ¡°If we could also get a certificate to end our rtionship as father and son, we¡¯d be very willing to do it.¡±


    Now that Shao Nan had said this, Shao Qihai no longer felt like he was hit by an arrow. It felt simply like a million arrows piercing his heart.


    ¡°Little Nan.¡± When Shao Nan finished speaking, Shao Dong stopped him. He was unmoved even when he saw that Shao Qihai had been dealt a big blow, and he said without any sincerity, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Little Nan is a straightforward person.¡±


    He was only sorry about the fact that Shao Nan was direct, not because he was wrong. This knowledge broke Shao Qihai¡¯s heart all over again.


    Then, Shao Qihai heard Shao Dong say, ¡°There are no outsiders here now. Can you tell us the truth?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that we really want to know why you came back to acknowledge us. When we were in a desperate situation and needed you, you didn¡¯te. Now that we¡¯ve ovee our difficulties, why are you back?¡±


    Shao Xi curled his lips. ¡°Is there a need to ask? It must be because we¡¯ve made something of ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I really wasn¡¯t able toe back because I had something to do. I didn¡¯te back now because you guys have made something of yourselves. I really had my reasons.¡± Shao Qihai was very upset.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying that you got lucky? You weren¡¯t around when we were nothing. Now that we¡¯ve be sessful and started earning money and Mommy has be beautiful and amazing, you¡¯vee back to enjoy the fruits of other people¡¯sbor, right?¡±


    Shao Qihai choked again. Upon careful thought, he realized that he didn¡¯t know how to retort. After all, even though these words stabbed his heart, they were true.

 Chapter 199 - Only Acknowledge Mommy But Not Daddy

    <h4>Chapter 199: Only Acknowledge Mommy But Not Daddy</h4>


    The more Shao Nan spoke, the more his heart ached. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too unreasonable? How can there be such a good thing in the world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is too unreasonable. Xiao Wu even learned how to speak. We also learned a lot of skills. This is all thanks to Mommy,¡± Shao Xi added at the end. The way he looked at Shao Qihai was as though he was looking at a thief or a viin who had snatched a peach while he was eating it.


    The three of them spoke one after another, making Shao Qihai feel so ashamed that he wished he could dig a hole in the ground.


    It would have been fine if they hadn¡¯t said it, but now that they had, it seemed like he was really shameless.


    He paused and was just about to say something when Shao Xi said impatiently, ¡°Stop it. I¡¯ve spoken clearly. Anyway, Mommy is so beautiful and capable now. She¡¯s not someone you can covet. You should give up as soon as possible. Tomorrow, you should obediently divorce Mommy.¡±


    Shao Xi felt aggrieved on his mother¡¯s behalf. Why would Mommy have to marry such a person? It was absurd.


    Shao Qihai almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. If someone who didn¡¯t know better heard this, they would think that they were overestimating a fool or some pervert who was lusting after an outstanding girl.


    But the heavens could attest to the fact that he and Mu Jingzhe were husband and wife.


    Shao Qihai was about to rify this when he looked up and saw that Shao Xi¡¯s face was filled with heartache. ¡°It¡¯s not just Mommy. There¡¯s also us¡­¡±


    Right, other than Mommy, Shao Xi also felt aggrieved for himself and his siblings. On what basis? On what basis had hee back now that they had be sessful and outstanding?


    Shao Xi didn¡¯tplete his sentence, but the children understood. For a moment, their hearts ached for themselves. The way they looked at Shao Qihai became increasingly unfriendly.


    Unfortunately, Shao Qihai had yet to react and thought that they were forcing him to get a divorce.


    Shao Qihai took a deep breath to calm himself down. ¡°Have you ever thought that if you support her decision to get a divorce, she will have nothing to do with me and you? Aren¡¯t you afraid she¡¯ll leave after getting a divorce?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he said stubbornly, ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Mommy is divorcing you, not us. We¡¯re mother and children, so we can¡¯t get a divorce. She¡¯s still our mother.¡±


    ¡°No, if she divorced me, she wouldn¡¯t be your mother anymore. She wouldn¡¯t have any legal rtionship with you guys. She would just be your ex-stepmother.¡±


    Shao Qihai exposed the cruel truth. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to us! Mommy won¡¯t leave us. She won¡¯t leave us alone. She has promised us!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask her yourself. Things won¡¯t be the same after she divorces me. Even now that she hasn¡¯t divorced me, some people are already saying that she isn¡¯t fit to take care of you kids. Once she¡¯s divorced me, it¡¯ll be even harder for her to take care of you kids.¡±


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t wanted to tell the children these things, but they were too smart and shrewd. He had been forced by the children to tell the truth.


    ¡°If she can¡¯t take care of us, who can?¡± Shao Dong asked with a cold face.


    ¡°Me, of course. I¡¯m your biological father,¡± Shao Qihai answered matter-of-factly. ¡°Therefore, it would be best if we didn¡¯t get a divorce. That way, she¡¯ll continue to be your mother.¡±


    Even though he had already guessed it, Shao Dong¡¯s expression still changed when he heard that.


    ¡°Little Dong, I know you kids can¡¯t forgive me yet, but I don¡¯t think we should be rash when ites to this matter. A divorce is a big deal.¡±


    The boys were silent for a few seconds. Looking at their expressions, Shao Qihai finally heaved a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that he would be forced to get a divorce by his own children tomorrow after finally escaping death today.


    He wanted to take this opportunity while the kids were listening to him to analyze the situation in detail. However, before he could speak, Shao Dong had already gotten out of bed silently and gotten dressed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Little Dong? Do you want to go to the bathroom? I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Shao Qihai said quickly.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to ask Mommy.¡±


    In short, Shao Dong didn¡¯t believe Shao Qihai. He wanted to personally confirm it by asking Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai could tell and nodded helplessly. ¡°Alright, go ask¡­¡± Before he could finish his words, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Xiao Wu had already gotten up and gotten dressed.


    ¡°Big Brother, we want to go too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s rify this with Mommy.¡±


    Then, Shao Dong took his younger brothers to look for Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe was talking to Little Bei. Too many things had happened today. In addition, Shao Qihai had suddenly returned without a warning. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was a mess, so how could she fall asleep?


    Seeing that the kids¡¯ attitude toward Shao Qihai was a bit off, Mu Jingzhe took this opportunity to ask Little Bei about it.


    Just as Little Bei was about to blurt out the truth during her questioning, Shao Dong and the rest knocked on the door. ¡°My brothers are here. I¡¯ll go open the door!¡±


    Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief and tried to open the door, but Mu Jingzhe grabbed her and scooped her back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go open it in case you catch a cold.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe opened the door. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Little Dong, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We want to talk to you, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Thene in quickly. You don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡± After putting the kids under the nket, Mu Jingzhe asked, ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°The divorce.¡± Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and the others were sitting in a row under the nket. Their bodies were nestled in the nket, and a few strands of hair were sticking up on their heads. However, they spoke in a very mature tone.


    Mu Jingzhe held back herughter and put on a serious face. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to leave us behind when you get a divorce?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused. ¡°No, I never thought of leaving you kids behind.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe quickly denied it, the children didn¡¯t miss her pause. ¡°Mom, tell us honestly. Is it really as he said? Once you¡¯re divorced, your rtionship with us will be different? You won¡¯t be able to take care of us anymore and he¡¯ll be the one raising us?¡±


    ¡°I will. Of course I¡¯ll take care of you kids. Regardless of whether I get a divorce or not, I¡¯ll take care of you kids.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly guaranteed this, but after she did so, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. ¡°Wait, what did he say? Did he say I can¡¯t take care of you kids after I divorce him?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say that, but Mom, after you get divorced, do we really have to be in his charge?¡±


    ¡°Logically speaking, that should be the case. After all, he¡¯s your biological father.¡± But Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear to part with them. Did that mean she couldn¡¯t get a divorce because of the children?


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brain exploded, and so did the children¡¯s.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t want him. Mommy, we only want you. He might disappear again at some point. What if he goes looking for a new wife and child just like before? What are we supposed to do then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If he abandoned us once, he can abandon us again. Mommy, you can¡¯t leave us. You can¡¯t leave us alone. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be finished again.¡±


    ¡°You can get a divorce, but you can¡¯t leave us behind. We¡¯ll only acknowledge you, not him.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you wouldn¡¯t want us to fall into the hands of Zhao Lan and the others again and be treated as their money tree, right?¡±


    ¡°I only want Mommy!¡±


    The five children expressed their true thoughts one after the other.


    Because he was really curious to know what they were talking about, Shao Qihai, who couldn¡¯t help bute to eavesdrop, happened to hear the five children¡¯s confession.


    For a moment, he was speechless and bitter.


    These children. He hadn¡¯t been around for only a year and they already acknowledged their mother and not their father. He had already said that he hadn¡¯t abandoned them, so why didn¡¯t they believe him?

 Chapter 200 - Shao Qihai Felt Inferior

    <h4>Chapter 200: Shao Qihai Felt Inferior</h4>


    Shao Qihai was speechless. Mu Jingzhe was also stunned by their words. She¡¯d also realized something important.


    ¡°Wait, Little Dong. What do you mean by ¡®if he abandoned you once, he could abandon you a second time¡¯? What do you mean?¡±


    Shao Dong blinked and suddenly shut up, but it was toote. Mu Jingzhe edged closer to him. ¡°Are you hiding something from me? What did you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing special.¡± Shao Dong didn¡¯t look at her.


    Mu Jingzhe paused for a moment. ¡°Let me think. When Shao Qihai came back today, you didn¡¯t seem to be startled, but your attitude was very cold. In addition to what you just said¡­ Did you know that your father wasn¡¯t dead?¡±


    Shao Dong knew that Mu Jingzhe could guess this, so he nodded indiscernibly. Shao Xi chuckled. ¡°Mommy is so smart.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mommy is the smartest in the world. How could you guess that?¡± Shao Nan ttered her.


    ¡°Now is not the time to praise me for being smart.¡± Mu Jingzhe was helpless. If the children had known that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t dead, what kind of shocking news was this?


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me before? Why are you so good at holding back?¡± She thought that she knew the children well and knew everything about them, but they had been hiding such a big secret.


    If she had known earlier, perhaps she could have made some preparations in advance.


    When the children heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, they said, ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Mommy¡­ We lied to you, but we were afraid to tell you.¡±


    At the time, they had been too devastated and bitter. Apart from hatred, they couldn¡¯t help but feel inferiority. They were afraid that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t like them either and would leave them as well.


    ¡°Even our biological father didn¡¯t want us. We were afraid you might think we¡¯re bad too¡­¡±


    ¡°How could that be!¡± They had only said a few words, but Mu Jingzhepletely understood what they meant. Her heart ached instantly. ¡°You¡¯re so wonderful. Who could bear to abandon you? This is a misunderstanding.


    ¡°Besides, it would not be your fault even if you really were abandoned. It would be the adults¡¯ fault. Stop thinking like that.¡±


    When she was very young in her previous life, Mu Jingzhe had wondered if there was something wrong with her, which was why her parents had abandoned her. Later on, she had learned that there was nothing wrong with a child who had just been born. The abandonment had nothing to do with the child. It was entirely the parents¡¯ fault for being irresponsible.


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes were still filled with tears when she was hugged by Mu Jingzhe, but she couldn¡¯t help butugh. She hugged Mu Jingzhe affectionately. ¡°If I had known, I would have told you, Mommy. I was afraid and upset at the time. I didn¡¯t know your heart would ache so much.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Little Bei¡¯s head. ¡°Little fool.¡±


    The room was filled with warmth, but Shao Qihai, who was outside, was so shocked that he took a step back.


    Previously, he had only cared about exining and had felt wronged. He was also very helpless against the stubbornness of the children. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that they had suffered such a blow back then.


    He was a sinner. He had really failed as a father.


    Shao Qihai entered a daze again, not hearing the conversation between the five children and Mu Jingzhe as a result.


    Because she wasn¡¯t sure of Shao Qihai¡¯s attitude and whether he would stop her from seeing the children after the divorce, she wanted to find out if there was a need for a divorce first. In addition, the children were very nervous. Mu Jingzhe promised them to wait and observe first.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had realized that the five childrencked a sense of security. If someone treated them nicely, they would repay that person tenfold. However, she hadn¡¯t expected that this was also because they thought that Shao Qihai had abandoned them.


    Although she now knew that it was a misunderstanding, the pain that had been caused was already there. Seeing them so afraid that she would leave, Mu Jingzhe felt quite upset.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. Let¡¯s take it one step at a time and calm down. Who knows, things might just work out perfectly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could only try her best to see if Shao Qihai and Mu Xue could really reconcile. She would instigate Old Lady Mu. Perhaps she might be able to achieve her goal.


    After all, Old Lady Mu had also objected to Shao Qihai and Mu Xue¡¯s rtionship back then. The reason was that he had five children and she didn¡¯t want Mu Xue to be a stepmother.


    It was too difficult to be a stepmother. Previously, the children had had some unpleasant encounters with Old Lady Mu, so she might not like the children even more now. Hence, there was still hope.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯ste. You kids should go to sleep. You still have ss tomorrow.¡±


    Shao Dong nodded. ¡°Alright, Mommy. You should sleep early too. Don¡¯t be too worried. We¡¯ll think of a way to slowly resolve this together.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    That said, it was impossible for them to fall asleep.


    When the four little ones returned and saw that Shao Qihai seemed to have fallen asleep, they squeezed themselves under the nket and whispered to each other.


    ¡°Based on what Mommy was saying, she really wants to take us away. We only want to go with Mommy, so the biggest problem is him.¡±


    ¡°Right, we can¡¯t let him fake his death again either.¡± Shao Xi was very annoyed.


    ¡°We have to think of a way.¡± Shao Dong looked at them. ¡°Think of ways we can leave with Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Under what circumstances would a parent not want their children? It¡¯s unfilial tomit murder and arson.¡± Shao Nan shook his head. ¡°Since we can¡¯t do these things, there¡¯s only one way.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Shao Xi asked.


    ¡°To be so naughty that he can¡¯t stand us.¡±


    ¡°We will be ordinary and worthless.¡± Shao Dong and Shao Nan spoke in unison. After saying that, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.


    Shao Nan looked at Shao Dong. ¡°I knew that Big Brother had thought of an idea long ago.¡±


    Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, but this is indeed a solution. If we¡¯re outstanding, he won¡¯t let us go. But if we be a burden, perhaps he might.¡±


    The problem was how they¡¯d be a burden and be ordinary.


    Shao Xi was carefree. ¡°It¡¯s difficult for a person to be outstanding. Isn¡¯t it easy to be ordinary?¡±


    Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°You make it sound simple.¡±


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t think much about it. ¡°It¡¯s simple to begin with.¡±


    Xiao Wu tilted his head. ¡°Then can I still y the flute in the future?¡±


    Shao Xi paused. ¡°You should stop ying it for the time being. What if he hears it and can¡¯t bear to let go?¡±


    At the mention of this, Shao Xi felt vexed. ¡°Since Xiao Wu can¡¯t y the flute anymore, does that mean that I can¡¯t write anymore? That¡¯s quite troublesome. Why aren¡¯t we Nezha? If we were Nezha, we could dismember our bones and carve up our own flesh to return to our father. Then, we wouldn¡¯t be facing this trouble.¡±


    As annoying as it was, the tone was set.


    ¡°Alright, starting tomorrow, we¡¯ll be ordinary children.¡±


    After agreeing on it, the children pulled away the nket and went to sleep.


    Shao Qihai, who was pretending to sleep with his back facing them, only turned around and sighed over the children after they fell asleep.


    He had seen them talking secretly earlier and pricked up his ears to listen. Unfortunately¡­ he hadn¡¯t understood a word of it.


    Yes, he hadn¡¯t understood.


    The children hadn¡¯t been speaking Mandarin!


    Who would have thought that the children would actually speak a foreignnguage? Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t English, which he had been in contact with before and could understand asionally. Instead, it had sounded like Russian, and he hadn¡¯t even made out a single word.


    Shao Qihai was truly stunned. He was in a daze and he even started to doubt his life.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long. It had only been a year. How had these children be so impressive? They were openly conspiring in front of him, but he couldn¡¯t understand a word of it.


    Wasn¡¯t this akin to bullying him for being uneducated? Shao Qihai had never felt inferior because of this in the past, but on the first day of his return, he had been made to feel inferior by the children.

 Chapter 201 - Scheming to Make Shao Qihai Do the Housework

    <h4>Chapter 201: Scheming to Make Shao Qihai Do the Housework</h4>


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t sleep for the entire second half of the night. He had the feeling that his children had be entirely different people. He was deeply depressed after this blow.


    In the future, when the children badmouthed him in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand them! Did he have to learn a couple of foreignnguages too?


    On the other hand, Shao Dong and his siblings were asleep. They hadn¡¯t expected that Shao Qihai would be hurt so greatly by them. They were purely afraid that Shao Qihai would pretend to be asleep to find out about their scheme, so they¡¯d cautiously conversed in a foreignnguage. Also, their mother usually encouraged them to speak more.


    Just like that, thisplicated and eventful day had passed.


    The next day, when the boys woke up, the moment they saw Shao Qihai, they lost all interest and greeted him listlessly.


    Shao Qihai, however, perked up. Here they went again. They were speaking in a foreignnguage once more.


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Shao Qihai coughed to attract their attention before saying, ¡°Um, Little Dong, can you speak ournguage in front of me in the future?¡±


    ¡°You mean you won¡¯t let us practice speaking foreignnguages? We¡¯re only doing it because Mommy encouraged us to speak more.¡±


    Shao Xi immediately objected. ¡°We¡¯re going to continue speaking foreignnguages. Our family will speak foreignnguages in the future.¡±


    Then, he turned around and started talking.


    He was waiting for Shao Qihai to re up at him. However, after Shao Qihai stiffened for a moment, he merely touched his nose and didn¡¯t get angry. Instead, he said, ¡°Since your mother asked you to speak thisnguage, go ahead and speak it. What she says is always right. It¡¯s my fault. It only urred to me that I wouldn¡¯t understand it. The fact that you kids can converse in a foreignnguage is a wonderful thing.¡±


    As he spoke, Shao Qihai even sighed with emotion. ¡°You kids are really amazing. You actually know how to speak foreignnguages. You don¡¯t only know onenguage, but two. Myrades would definitely be shocked if I told them.¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°¡­¡±


    No, something was very wrong. This shouldn¡¯t be happening. Besides,st night they had agreed that they would pretend to be ordinary children, so he shouldn¡¯t have spoken a foreignnguage out of spite.


    Shao Xi finally understood what Shao Dong had meant when he¡¯d sighedst night. He hurriedly said, ¡°We don¡¯t know how to speak thisnguage. We won¡¯t use it in the future either. Actually, we¡¯re not speaking foreignnguages at all. We¡¯re just bbering nonsense. We¡¯re only so old. How can we possibly speak foreignnguages?!¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Was this child being difficult again?


    Shao Qihai was about to ask this when Shao Xi rushed out. Shao Dong shook his head and followed him. Xiao Wu pursed his lips tightly and followed them as well.


    Little Bei had just finished dressing up andbing her hair. When she saw them, she greeted them warmly as usual.


    Shao Xi immediately waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t speak thisnguage at home anymore! We can¡¯t let him know that we can speak foreignnguages.¡±


    When Little Bei saw Shao Qihai follow them, she quickly shut her mouth and asked in signnguage, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Shao Xi quickly exined the situation in signnguage, as well as the reason for doing so.


    Little Bei nodded to show that she understood.


    Shao Qihai, who was watching from the sidelines, was speechless. It seemed like he was being openly kept in the dark again. He couldn¡¯t figure out what the children were saying.


    However, he felt really proud. ¡°Little Bei, Little Xi, you¡¯re amazing. You even know how to use signnguage. Little Dong, do you know how to do it too? Why did you learn so much this year?¡±


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know what Little Bei was gesturing about, but he knew what this was. He instantly felt even prouder.


    Shao Xi: ¡°!!!¡±


    They were careless again! They had identally exposed their excellence once more.


    Shao Xi looked at Shao Dong and tried his best to exin with his expression that he hadn¡¯t done it on purpose! He was just used to being outstanding.


    He just hadn¡¯t expected their daily lives to be so showy.


    After these sessive slip-ups, Shao Xi listlessly went to wash his face. Shao Qihai¡¯s excited, proud face formed a sharp contrast.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Mu Jingzhe hurriedly asked.


    Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi and asked, ¡°Did Little Xi identally wet the bed again?¡±


    Children, after all, inevitably wet the bed. When they were young, they were most afraid of dreaming about finding the bathroom. It was fine when they grew up, as they wouldn¡¯t visit the bathroom in their dreams, but they would when they were young.


    It would be over once they found the bathroom.


    When Mu Jingzhe had arrived, the children, with the exception of Shao Dong, had sessively wet the bed. Xiao Wu was the youngest, so he had wet the bed the most times. Little Bei had experienced the same thing before, but not so often.


    Shao Xi had experienced that before too. This was also what had always annoyed him. He was already a very, very big boy, and he was about to go to junior high. However, he would still wet his bed identally. This was hisplete dark history.


    Thest time Shao Xi had peed the bed, he had been so angry that he¡¯d cried. Later on, he had felt embarrassed for a few days. Upon seeing Shao Xi like that, Mu Jingzhe had thought that he¡¯d peed on the bed again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Shao Xi almost dropped the basin in his hand when he heard her. ¡°I didn¡¯t wet the bed!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly went over and hugged Shao Xi. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. It would not be a big deal even if you peed.¡±


    ¡°But I really didn¡¯t.¡± Shao Xi felt wronged.


    When Shao Qihai saw the two of them, his gaze turned from surprise to gentleness. He looked at Shao Nan, who was beside him. ¡°Little Nan, do you still wet your bed?¡±


    Shao Nan was about to say that he no longer did that, but as the words were ready toe out of his mouth, they changed. ¡°Not¡­ often. About once a week? Xiao Wu and I only wet the bed two to three days a weekbined.¡±


    Xiao Wu turned his head in confusion. He rarely peed on the bed now. He was a little anxious and he wanted to defend himself, but Shao Dong pressed down his shoulders with a muffled smile and gave him a calm look.


    Indeed, Shao Nan quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s unavoidable for children to urinate on the bed. It¡¯s just that when the bed gets wet, it¡¯s quite troublesome, especially in winter. If we don¡¯t wash it, there will always be a smell. It¡¯s troublesome, and the water is cold. Mommy doesn¡¯t want us to stink so she goes to the river to wash it every time. The river water is too cold. Every time, Mommy¡¯s hands turn red from the cold and she even gets frostbite. It hurts and itches every day.¡±


    Shao Nan sighed, his face full of heartache. ¡°Everyone says that girls shouldn¡¯t touch things that are too cold. Mommy has really suffered too much for us. We might have to trouble you to wash this in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course. Let me wash it.¡±


    Shao Nan felt a little better upon seeing Shao Qihai agree. He also felt regretful that winter was almost over. It was March now, and although the river water was still very cold, it was much better with the sun warming up the water in the afternoon.


    What a pity.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned with Shao Xi, she saw Shao Qihai looking at her with guilt and gratitude, as well as confusion.


    ¡°Come for breakfast after you¡¯re done showering. Hurry up and go to school when you¡¯re done. Don¡¯t bete.¡± Mu Jingzhe nced at Shao Qiyang¡¯s room. ¡°Your uncle has already gone to work.¡±


    Shao Qiyang went out before dawn, and Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t see him when she woke up.


    Shao Qihai nced at Shao Qiyang¡¯s room and frowned. There had been something wrong with Qiyang¡¯s condition and reaction yesterday. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with him. He would have to talk to himter.


    Breakfast was as simple and nutritious as ever. There was corn porridge and eggs. Finally, each of them ate a banana to ensure their nutrition.

 Chapter 202 - The Five Childrens Ordinary Project

    <h4>Chapter 202: The Five Children¡¯s Ordinary Project</h4>


    No one had a habit of having three meals a day in the vige. Everyone was busy with work and didn¡¯t have the means to do so. It was even more impossible for many children to have breakfast. Every day, they would probably go to school without even washing their faces or removing their eye boogers. Only Mu Jingzhe was used to eating breakfast. Also, in order to guarantee the kids¡¯ nutrition, she put in the effort to prepare breakfast for them every day.


    There were misceneous grains, vegetables, and fruits in it. The menu varied from day to day, but it was always delicious.


    As the kids ate their breakfast, they became increasingly determined to leave with Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai had not eaten breakfast since he was young. He¡¯d only gotten used to it after leaving the vige. However, since it was troublesome for him to make it himself, he no longer ate breakfast upon returning.


    After eating the warm bowl of porridge, he looked at the children, who were eating happily, and sighed with emotion.


    No wonder the children looked taller and sturdier. It was all because of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I¡¯m full. Let¡¯s go after eating our bananas.¡±


    Shao Nan nodded and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Alright, Mommy, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    After saying that, he looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and sighed. ¡°A girl¡¯s hands are tender. Mommy¡¯s hands are ruined from cooking and washing the dishes every day. We have to go to school and can¡¯t be of help. Sigh¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nced at her hands in confusion. Had her hands be coarser? Didn¡¯t she take good care of them? She remembered that her hands had been rougher when she had first transmigrated. She had put in a lot of effort to take care of her hands, and the skin texture had already improved greatly.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe was about to ask, Shao Qihai said, ¡°I¡¯ll wash the dishes. Let me do it. I¡¯ll do the dishes from now on.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe continue to have such a hard time, nor could he let the children wash the dishes anymore.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw that Shao Qihai had agreed to wash the dishes, she raised her eyebrows at Shao Nan and stopped speaking.


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t look at Mu Jingzhe but he sighed again. ¡°Mommy, you mustn¡¯t wash our nkets and clothes. You¡¯re usually very busy. Don¡¯t busy yourself with chores in the small bit of rest time you have. We¡¯ll go wash them ourselves when we get back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash them. Coincidentally, I¡¯m free too. Let me wash them,¡± Shao Qihai immediately added tactfully.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Shao Nan smiled at Shao Qihai.


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard. It¡¯s what I should do.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan, that little fox, and then at Shao Qihai¡¯s expression before turning around with a muffledugh.


    The children were angry, so she would let them vent their anger. Besides, they were right. Shao Qihai had to take action. As their father, this was what he ought to do.


    Even if the children hadn¡¯t said anything, she would have. Now, she didn¡¯t have to.


    Mu Jingzhe took the children to school. When Shao Qihai saw that it was finally quiet and only the two of them were there, he was about to speed up washing the dishes and say a few words. However, before the dishes were done, the youngdies working for Mu Jingzhe came.


    As soon as they arrived, they peeped in and took a closer look at Shao Qihai. They even specifically looked at Shao Qihai¡¯s shadow to confirm that he was really human.


    Shao Qihai, who had been dead for a year, had returned and be big news in Great Eastern Vige. Last night, almost every household had been gossiping about him and the way Zhao Lan and Eldest Brother Shao had made a fool of themselves.


    Under the gaze of these youngdies, Shao Qihai, who was carrying a basket of nkets, bedsheets, and clothes, fled after saying that he was going to wash the clothes.


    The five children¡¯s clothes, along with the bedsheets and nket, filled arge basket. Instantly, everyone had a new topic of discussion.


    ¡°Jingzhe, I didn¡¯t expect him to know how to wash clothes. He¡¯s not bad, huh. My husband has never washed clothes before. He even says that washing clothes and cooking isn¡¯t something a man should do.¡±


    Some people were curious about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s future ns. ¡°Jingzhe, do you have any ideas?¡±


    Everyone had seen Ji Buwang before. That Prince Charming Ji Buwang had attracted the hearts of all the women in the vige, from the elderly ones to the children. They felt that it would be a waste for Mu Jingzhe not to marry Ji Buwang.


    Although Shao Qihai¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t inferior to Ji Buwang¡¯s, the two of them weren¡¯t the same type of man. In addition, Shao Qihai was from the vige, and the vigers had seen him grow up. Besides, he was the father of five children. They felt that Ji Buwang was better.


    They were all concerned for Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see.¡±


    A youngdy who was quick with her words panicked when she heard that. ¡°What¡¯s there to see? Since Shao Qihai is back, there¡¯s someone to take care of the kids now. If it were me, I¡¯d just pack them up and marry Uncle Ji.¡±


    Because he was Tang Moling¡¯s uncle, everyone in the vige called Ji Buwang ¡®Uncle Ji¡¯.


    Mu Jingzheughed. The others also criticized her. ¡°I think you wish to get married, right?¡±


    As they were joking around, Mu Jingzhe looked at the door and scratched her face. Ji Buwang¡­ That¡¯s right, Ji Buwang. Should she tell him about Shao Qihai¡¯s return?


    Everyone looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression and stopped joking. ¡°Let Jingzhe consider it carefully. Now that Shao Qihai is back, Jingzhe is no longer a widow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t say those words again. If the kids hear us, they won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    At the mention of the kids, everyone finally calmed down and started working.


    The aforementioned kids had already started a new day of school. Before arriving at school, they¡¯d met vigers and ssmates along the way, and all of them were concerned about them.


    When they arrived at school, both their teachers and ssmates looked at them with concern andplicated expressions.


    While everyone felt concerned, Shao Dong and his siblings quietly began to implement the n that they had discussedst night. The first step was pretending that they weren¡¯t paying attention in ss.


    Yes, they would pretend, even though they would still prick up their ears to listen to whatever the teacher said in ss and wouldn¡¯t give up on learning and absorbing knowledge. After all, this was necessary. However, they would appear to be different kids on the surface. They would no longer actively answer the teacher¡¯s questions or look at the teacher, nor would they sit upright in ss like they usually did.


    No matter how one looked at it, they didn¡¯t look like they were listening attentively. Seeing that they weren¡¯t in a good state, the teacher called on them to answer a question. They deliberately said that they didn¡¯t know the answer.


    They just wanted to act like bad students, and their teachers and ssmates were all shocked.


    There was a question they couldn¡¯t answer? Was the sun rising from the west now?


    The teacher couldn¡¯t help but nce out of the window. After confirming that the sun was rising from the east, she asked them if they were feeling unwell or were in a bad mood.


    After two periods, the teachers who taught the five children realized that something was wrong. In the end, during the inter-school exercises, even the principal came down to ask about their situation and said that he wanted to ask Mu Jingzhe about it.


    The five children were speechless.


    Why was it so difficult to be an ordinary child? They told their teacher not to look for Mu Jingzhe and asked them to look for Shao Qihai if there were any issues in the future.


    Of course, they had to look for Shao Qihai when it came to such a troublesome matter. How could they let their mother worry?


    Half a day had passed, and by the time they returned for lunch, they hadn¡¯t managed to be bad students yet. They¡¯d only been treated with a lot of concern.


    When they returned home and saw a yard of drying clothes, they knew that Shao Qihai had washed them. The five children finally cheered up a little.


    During the meal, Little Bei, who usually ate in the most cultured and clean manner, looked at Shao Qihai. Her eyes darted around, and for some reason, while she drank her soup, she let out a yelp and poured the entire bowl on her clothes.

 Chapter 203 - Too Outstanding; Cant Be Ordinary

    <h4>Chapter 203: Too Outstanding; Can¡¯t Be Ordinary</h4>


    ¡°Are you alright? You didn¡¯t get scalded, did you?¡± Mu Jingzhe was startled.


    ¡°No, the soup is cold. It¡¯s just that my clothes are dirty.¡± Little Bei quickly shook her head. In order not to get scalded, she had specifically let the soup cool before spilling it. She always remembered Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words about not letting herself get hurt.


    Mu Jingzhe took Little Bei to change her clothes. When she returned, she found that the other four kids¡¯ clothes were all dirty as well.


    There was a big patch of oil on Xiao Wu¡¯s chest. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan had also acquired stains on their clothes somehow, from chili to the ck ash found at the bottom of pots.


    The pot ash that had been burned on firewood was no joke. It was ck and very troublesome to wipe off. Mu Jingzhe stared at them in shock. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    This would never happen normally!


    ¡°Big Brother wanted to scoop out soup for us, but things went wrong.¡± Shao Xi looked at Shao Dong with eyes full of admiration.


    Indeed, Big Brother was Big Brother. Little Bei had just thought of a solution when he¡¯d immediately done it without anyone knowing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it anymore. What if you get scalded? You just changed into new clothes today.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mommy.¡± Shao Dong lowered his head and apologized.


    Shao Qihai quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t see them. They weren¡¯t hurt. It¡¯s just that their clothes are dirty. I¡¯ll go wash them.¡±


    Shao Dong gave Shao Qihai an apologetic smile.


    The kids changed clothes and went to school. Shao Qihai picked up the clothes they had changed out of and prepared to wash them.


    In the end, although he had said that he would go, he hadn¡¯t left. Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? No washing powder?¡±


    ¡°No, um¡­ do you have anything to wash?¡± Shao Qihai was dawdling because of this.


    ¡°No need to do mine. I can wash it myself.¡± Mu Jingzhe refused without thinking.


    Shao Qihai hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Little Nan said that it¡¯s not good for girls to touch too much cold water. The river water is quite cold. Just give them to me.¡±


    It was already March, but the river was still very cold. One could imagine how cold it had been in the winter.


    Mu Jingzheughed when she heard what Little Nan had said, but she still shook her head and refused. ¡°There¡¯s really no need.¡±


    Since she wasn¡¯t going to continue living with him as husband and wife, she shouldn¡¯t let him wash her clothes.


    Seeing that she was determined, Shao Qihai walked to the riverside in disappointment.


    There were more people washing clothes in the vige in the afternoon. Shao Qihai, who was sandwiched between the aunties and youngdies, instantly became the center of attention.


    Although he washed his clothes with his head lowered, he still had to answer their questions and be teased by them. His face turned red, perhaps from the sun or the teasing.


    He wanted to wash up and leave as soon as possible, but the ck pot ash was very difficult to wash off. He could only rub it, and as he did so, the aunties pricked his heart with their words.


    ¡°Now that Jingzhe and the children know how to earn money, it¡¯s only right for Qihai to do housework and wash clothes. One can¡¯t dy earning money.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t know how to wash well. The clothes are about to tear due to the way he is washing them.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s hands froze. They were making it sound like he was a freeloader at home. He wanted to say something when he heard snickers and hushed voices in the distance.


    ¡°If he refuses to wash the clothes, Jingzhe will abandon him soon. That Uncle Ji is so good-looking and rich. If I were Jingzhe, I¡¯d want Uncle Ji.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Shao Qihai is not bad, but he has a mother like Zhao Lan, and his older brother and younger sister are worrisome too.¡±


    Their voices were very low, but Shao Qihai¡¯s ears were sharp, so he identally heard them.


    Shao Qihai thought to himself that he wasn¡¯t washing the clothes in order to please Jingzhe. He was washing them because he felt that he should, because he loved his children.


    The five children, who were deeply loved by Shao Qihai, had no idea that Shao Qihai was enduring humiliation for them and listening to people gossip about him while washing clothes.


    They were still thinking of ways to make Shao Qihai hate them.


    Since he didn¡¯t seed in the morning, Shao Xi felt that he should go a little overboard. If it still didn¡¯t work, then he would learn to be bad. He should be a little more rebellious. With these thoughts in mind, Shao Xi came up with a n. When it was time for ss again, he deliberatelyy down on his desk and slept.


    He even proudly told Shao Dong that he would definitely seed this time, as teachers hated students sleeping in ss the most. They would definitely throw chalk at him, and if he still didn¡¯t wake up, the chalkboard eraser would be thrown over as well.


    Then, the teacher would scold the student and call their parents. Shao Qihai would be invited over, and he would see their hopelessly mischievous behavior.


    Shao Xi closed his eyes and quietly braced himself for the flying chalk.


    Soon, the teacher realized that Shao Xi had fallen asleep on the desk. It was very obvious from the podium.


    The ss was quiet for a few seconds, but for some reason, the chalk didn¡¯te flying at him. Instead, the teacher came down to take a look and stopped beside Shao Xi.


    Shao Xi¡¯s breathing slowed. He had thought that his teacher would personally smack his head and ask him to wake up, but his teacher left again.


    Not only did she leave, but she also lowered her voice. In the end, she even said, ¡°Everyone, please write an essay for this ss. I¡¯ll write the question on the ckboard. You guys focus on writing and don¡¯t speak so you don¡¯t disturb Shao Xi.¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°???¡±


    What? She was afraid of waking him up? He had already gone overboard by sleeping in ss. Why was the teacher afraid of waking him up?


    Was the teacher crazy or stupid today? Was she still the same teacher who threw chalk at other students?


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t fathom why, and neither could the other students. Seeing their puzzled expressions, the teacher exined in a low voice.


    ¡°You all know what happened at Shao Xi¡¯s house yesterday, right? He must have suffered a huge blow and be very upset, but he should feel happy. After all, his father isn¡¯t dead and has nowe back. He definitely didn¡¯t sleepst night. Let him sleep for a while.¡±


    In the end, she even lectured the two students she had thrown the chalk at previously. ¡°Don¡¯t feel indignant. If you be as promising as Shao Xi, I¡¯ll let you sleep too.¡±


    The two students lowered their heads. They couldn¡¯tpare to him.


    This ss then became an essay-writing ss. The teacher sat on the podium and stopped teaching.


    Shao Xiy on the desk. After this helpless sensation passed, his mood suddenly becameplicated. He even felt like crying over this kindness.


    In the past, because of Zhang Fei, he¡¯d hated teachers and felt that they were all bad people. Now, he had met a very good teacher.


    Shao Xi secretly nced at the ckboard and saw the random topic ¡®My teacher¡¯. He smiled and thought for a moment before leaning over the table and scribbling.


    After ss, Shao Xi watched as Shao Dong took his workbook with a faint smile and helped him submit his homework.


    When the teacher saw that he was awake, she told him ¡°This will all pass¡± before leaving.


    ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t work, but you refused to listen.¡± Shao Dong shook his head.


    ¡°Then think of a good idea,¡± Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help telling his older brother.


    During the break between sses, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and even Xiao Wu came over to discuss their n to be bad children. Shao Nan had also thought of Shao Xi¡¯s method, but he had been stopped by Shao Xi as soon as he¡¯d suggested it.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless. Stop using that method.¡±


    With a sorrowful heart, Shao Xi looked at the sky and sighed with emotion. ¡°Now, we can¡¯t be ordinary just because we want to. We¡¯re too outstanding. It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 204 - Ji Buwang Found Out

    <h4>Chapter 204: Ji Buwang Found Out</h4>


    Shao Nan rolled his eyes. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need to make it soplicated. We can just behave like our normal selves around outsiders. We just have to make him realize that we¡¯re terrible and make him think that we don¡¯t know anything and we¡¯re very expensive to raise. Let¡¯s show him that other than spending money and being troublesome, we have no merits at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s not like we want to be bad kids for real. We can¡¯t really sacrifice our excellence for him!¡± Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Little Nan, you¡¯re always so wicked. But I like it.¡±


    Shao Nan grinned. ¡°It¡¯s all for the sake of leaving with Mommy.¡±


    Shao Nan and the others all looked at Shao Dong and waited for him to decide. Shao Dong nodded. ¡°This is a solution, but we have to think about the details. We can¡¯t just recklessly make a move.¡± At the very least, they couldn¡¯t let Shao Qihai discover their scheme, or it would be useless.


    ¡°Let me think about ways to spend money,¡± Shao Nan said seriously.


    In the past, they used to think of ways to save money and earn money. This was the first time they had to think of ways to spend money.


    ¡°I wonder if he has money. If we ask for it but he doesn¡¯t, what if Mommy gives it to us in the end?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s first find out if he has money or not and how much he has.¡± Shao Dong then added calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to rummage through his luggage. There¡¯s not much money in there.¡±


    Little Bei looked up. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve rummaged through it? When did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Last night, while he wasn¡¯t paying attention. We should be focusing on his bank ount and other ces. In addition, I didn¡¯t see anything linked to his new wife or children. Maybe what he said was true.¡±


    Shao Qihai, who had finally finished washing the clothes and returned, dried them in the sun and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was about to rx when he suddenly sneezed.


    ¡°Once means someone is missing me, and twice means someone is scolding me, right? Is someone missing me again?¡± Shao Qihai secretly nced at Mu Jingzhe, but she was busy.


    Shao Qihai was embarrassed. Just as he was about to say something, he sneezed again. ¡°So someone¡¯s been scolding me¡­ Could it be Ji Buwang?¡±


    Ji Buwang¡­ was indeed scolding Shao Qihai.


    When Ji Buwang had learned that the kids had started school, he had wanted to take this opportunity to go to Great Eastern Vige to look for Mu Jingzhe, but he had ended up meeting the distracted Shao Qiyang instead.


    Although they had been quite at odds previously, upon seeing him like this, Ji Buwang immediately stopped the car. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±


    Shao Qiyang looked at Ji Buwang and his expression became a little strange. ¡°What? You still want to help?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± He listened to see if he should help.


    Although Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say it out loud, his meaning was clear. Shao Qiyang felt increasingly more conflicted.


    The person he¡¯d always found an eyesore looked like someone who shared the same affliction as him now. He sighed. ¡°You might as well worry about yourself instead of me.¡±


    ¡°Me? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°My brother isn¡¯t dead. He¡¯s back.¡± Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t keep him in suspense.


    Ji Buwang paused. ¡°Who¡¯s back?¡±


    ¡°My older brother, Shao Qihai.¡±


    ¡°Shao Qihai didn¡¯t die? He came back?¡± Ji Buwang repeated, finally digesting the news with difficulty. ¡°What happened? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be dead?¡±


    He had just epted the news of Shao Qihai¡¯s death not long ago. Why was Shao Qihai alive again?


    It was good that he was alive, but he was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s husband. Was¡­ Wasn¡¯t this a mess?


    Ji Buwang was shaken by the news. As he looked at him, Shao Qiyang could understand. ¡°I wasn¡¯t notified beforehand either. He just appeared in front of us all of a sudden yesterday. He¡¯s alive.¡±


    Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang looked at each other, and neither of them said anything. However, the two men who had beenpeting against each other suddenly had amonnguage, the kind that didn¡¯t need to be spoken.


    ¡°So you¡¯re here in a daze?¡±


    ¡°What else does it look like?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I have to take a look personally. One moment he¡¯s dead, and the next he¡¯s alive. Is it so easy toe back to life? Can Shao Qihai die and live as he pleases?¡±


    Ji Buwang got into the car and was just about to leave when Shao Qiyang quickly pulled him back. ¡°Are you really going?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Aren¡¯t you going back? How long are you nning to hide for?¡±


    Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll go back too!¡±


    He opened the passenger door of Ji Buwang¡¯s car and got in. Ji Buwang asked, ¡°No, are you taking my car?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why would I expend so much energy to ride behind you when I can just sit in your car?¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Ji Buwang didn¡¯t care anymore, so he drove away. However, the car suddenly broke down when they had just reached the county city. After the engine was turned off, it couldn¡¯t be started again.


    ¡°Why did your car turn off at such a critical moment? It¡¯s not even as reliable as my bicycle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an antique. My dad gave it to me a long time ago.¡±


    Since the car couldn¡¯t be started, in the end, they had to use Shao Qiyang¡¯s incredible bicycle. Because there was only one bicycle, regardless of whether Shao Qiyang was willing or not, Ji Buwang sat on the back seat of his bicycle.


    The road from the county city to town was nice, and there was a gentle breeze. Although he was anxious, it felt pretty good. Ji Buwang thought to himself, ¡®No wonder women like to sit on the back seats of bicycles.¡¯


    After experiencing it once, Ji Buwang felt that he could also buy a bicycle in the future to carry Mu Jingzhe.


    While looking at Shao Qiyang¡¯s not too broad but tall back, Ji Buwang frowned. ¡°Have you carried Jingzhe before?¡±


    Had Jingzhe hugged Shao Qiyang¡¯s waist and sat on his bicycle?


    Shao Qiyang replied in a muffled voice, ¡°No.¡±


    He wanted to lie and say that he had, but upon thinking about it, he realized that he really hadn¡¯t. He had only carried the children before, and so had Mu Jingzhe.


    Ji Buwang felt better, but after a few seconds, his expression changed.


    Because they had entered the bumpy part of the dirt road, Ji Buwang had no choice but to grip Shao Qiyang¡¯s clothes tightly. That wasn¡¯t all. He even wrapped his arms around Shao Qiyang¡¯s waist and hugged him firmly.


    Shao Qiyang almost fell into a ditch. ¡°Let go. Why is your grip so tight?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let go. It¡¯s too bumpy.¡± Ji Buwang refused.


    ¡°Still, don¡¯t hold on so tightly. You¡¯re crumpling my clothes. Besides, aren¡¯t you hugging me too tightly?¡±


    Why would two men hug each other so tightly? Wasn¡¯t that super awkward? It wasn¡¯t as if he was Jingzhe.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either, but this is a really bumpy road. I¡¯ll fall off.¡± Ji Buwang expressed that he didn¡¯t want to do this either. Wasn¡¯t this just a safety consideration?


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to fall off. Little Dong and the others are much braver than you. Rx a little. My bicycle is very stable.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Buwang rxed his grip slightly. Shao Qiyang had just let out a breath of relief when the bicycle jolted again because of a small ditch. Ji Buwang immediately hugged him tighter than before, even using both hands this time.


    ¡°That gave me such a scare. I really almost fell off.¡±


    Shao Qiyang was truly speechless. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Ji Buwang awkwardly let go of one hand. ¡°I¡¯ve never ridden a bicycle on such a road.¡±


    When Shao Qiyang thought of Ji Buwang¡¯s noble aura and then looked at the fair, tender arms hugging him, he waspletely speechless.


    On the other hand, Ji Buwang thought about it and suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I sit in front of you? That way, perhaps I won¡¯t fall off?¡±


    He had seen some men put a girl or a child in front of them and protect them with both arms. It was safer that way.

 Chapter 205 - Compensate A Wife? Can the Compensation Be You?

    <h4>Chapter 205: Compensate A Wife? Can the Compensation Be You?</h4>


    Shao Qiyang rolled his eyes. ¡°Are you crazy? How are you going to fit in front when you¡¯re so big?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t let me hug you from behind¡­ I really don¡¯t feel safe sitting behind you. Just let me sit in the front.¡±


    Shao Qiyang firmly refused, but he couldn¡¯t stop Ji Buwang from harping on about it. He even deliberately hugged him tightly, and in the end, he also wheedled and tickled him.


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t know what to say. Things had alreadye to this, yet why was Ji Buwang still in the mood to make a fuss? However, he didn¡¯t know that Ji Buwang was actually feeling uneasy, which was why he deliberately spoke to keep himself upied and divert his attention so that he wouldn¡¯t be so irritable.


    After struggling for more than half the journey, Ji Buwang felt like his buttocks were in immense pain, as if he had undergone intense exercise.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qiyang was also covered in sweat due to Ji Buwang¡¯s hug. He suspected that he would go crazy if Ji Buwang hugged him any longer. He had no choice but to give in.


    Thus, in the afternoon, when Mu Jingzhe bumped into them at the vige entrance, she saw Ji Buwang sitting in front and Shao Qiyang sitting in the back with his arms around Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s hair was still long and it was swaying in the wind. Behind him, Shao Qiyang had to avoid being swept by his hair, and his face was filled with impatience and forbearance.


    However, because he was handsome, his impatience and forbearance weren¡¯t detestable. Instead, one could see a hint ofpromise and¡­ affection.


    Don¡¯t ask Mu Jingzhe how she could tell. In any case, she could. Or perhaps, it was her imagination.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. The sight of the two of them inevitably reminded Mu Jingzhe of her two male colleagues in the past.


    Besides her experience with her two male colleagues, there were also movie and tv productions featuring male celebrity couples of various types. Although Mu Jingzhe had never shipped any of those couples before, she had watched quite a few of them. Everything else aside, a pair of two gorgeous men was really pleasing to the eye.


    Mu Jingzhe, whose mind had been corrupted, couldn¡¯t help but look at this beautiful scene through a corrupt lens. Even the look in her eyes was different. Needless to say, they were reallypatible. Verypatible. They were much morepatible than Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang.


    Indeed, whether one was worthy or not didn¡¯t depend on gender. It was all about one¡¯s appearance. Male or female, two good-looking people lookedpatible together.


    Countless images shed across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind, and she even added background music to it. Beautiful background music was very important. Mu Jingzhe carefully chose a song, and at that moment, Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang walked up to her.


    Ji Buwang kept feeling that Mu Jingzhe was looking at them strangely. Although he didn¡¯t know why, he kept some distance from Shao Qiyang vigntly.


    However, when he pulled away, he saw disappointment sh across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes. Disappointment? What was going on? Why was she disappointed?


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Ji Buwang asked with furrowed brows.


    ¡°I just thought that you and Shao Qiyang looked verypatible¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe, who was recalling the background music, casually answered when she heard the question.


    She then shut her mouth abruptly, but it was toote. Ji Buwang had already heard her.


    Previously, he had interacted with Mu Jingzhe a lot and knew that she sometimes had strange ideas. Normally, when people talked about whether two people werepatible or not, they were talking about men and women. However, Mu Jingzhe could match a man and a woman, a man and another man, and a woman with another woman. Although she had only casually said that they were pleasing to the eye and hadn¡¯t meant anything else, this had left a deep impression on Ji Buwang.


    It was one thing for her to think of someone else like that, but now she was even thinking of him in that way. Furthermore, it was with Shao Qiyang.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s expression darkened. When he¡¯d heard that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t dead, he had felt anxious to death, but she still had the time to think about all this.


    ¡°Get rid of the images and thoughts in your mind. Now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt a little sheepish and finally stopped thinking of this nonsense.


    Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t heard their first words and only saw that Ji Buwang was fierce to Mu Jingzhe. He frowned. ¡°Why are you so angry?¡±


    With furrowed brows, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°He¡¯s at home. Someone went to see him.¡±


    Why would Mu Jingzhee to the vige entrance? She had fled from home because Mu Xue had gone to see Shao Qihai!


    Initially, Mu Jingzhe had still been thinking of ways to set him up with Mu Xue. In the end, Mu Xue had shown up at the Shao Residence. When she¡¯d entered, she hadn¡¯t seen Mu Jingzhe, as she only had eyes for Shao Qihai.


    Mu Xue had specifically gone to see Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai had returned yesterday, but she hadn¡¯t been at home. When she¡¯d heard about it in ss, she had been stunned on the spot.


    Back when Shao Qihai had suddenly died, she had hidden under the covers and cried for several nights, feeling sad for him. Now that it had turned out he hadn¡¯t died and had returned home, she had tried to hold herself back. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but go to the Shao Residence to take a look after ss.


    Upon seeing Shao Qihai¡¯s familiar face, as if nothing had changed, Mu Xue let her tears fall instantly.


    She had gone through a lot in the past year. She had fallen in love with Tang Moling, gotten engaged, and had her engagement annulled. There had been both glorious and humiliating moments. Compared to a year ago, she had gone through a lot.


    After everything that had happened, she saw Shao Qihai again. It had been a year, yet he still hadn¡¯t changed. His determined gaze reminded her of the first time she had met Shao Qihai after he¡¯d retired from the army.


    After going around in circles, she felt the same way she¡¯d felt the first time she had met him.


    Tears rolled down Mu Xue¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s so great that you¡¯re not dead. It¡¯s wonderful¡­¡±


    She then pounced on Shao Qihai. Seeing that the two were about to hug each other, Mu Jingzhe was afraid that Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t dare make a move if she was around, so she quickly slipped away.


    She had to give them space to interact and create opportunities for them to spend time with each other. Only then could their rtionship be reignited and her n be implemented.


    It would be even better if there was a shotgun marriage.


    After going out, she¡¯d sauntered to the vige entrance and met Shao Qiyang and Ji Buwang. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up when she thought of Mu Xue, but when she saw Shao Qiyang, she felt a little guilty.


    She had been preupied while trying to set up Shao Qihai and Mu Xue, so she had forgotten about Shao Qiyang. Speaking of that, she had really let him down. Previously, she had even encouraged Shao Qiyang, but in the end, Shao Qihai had returned. From the looks of it, the two first lovers¡¯ feelings for each other might be reignited. What a pity for this devoted supporting actor, though.


    However, rtionships couldn¡¯t be forced. It was better to deal with the pain now than let it drag on. Mu Jingzhe was afraid that Shao Qiyang would be agitated if he went in and saw them, so she quickly told him what had happened.


    ¡°Erm¡­ Mu Xue went to see Shao Qihai. Qiyang, don¡¯t take it too hard. I was spouting nonsense previously, so don¡¯t take it to heart. If all else fails, I¡¯llpensate you with a wife. I¡¯ll definitely find you a new one.¡±


    That¡¯s right. If all else failed, she would think of a way topensate him with a wife. As long as she put in some effort, she would definitely be able to do it!


    Mu Jingzhe made up her mind. Shao Qiyang looked at Mu Jingzhe and smiled bitterly. Why did she still think that he liked Mu Xue? However, when he heard that she wouldpensate him with a wife, Shao Qiyang¡¯s mind was filled with the following thought: Can thepensation be you?


    He wanted to blurt this out on impulse, especially when he heard that Mu Xue and Shao Qihai had gotten together again. He felt that since his brother didn¡¯t cherish Mu Jingzhe, he would.


    In the end, Ji Buwang spoke up first, not giving him a chance. ¡°Shao Qihai and Mu Xue? Is there anything else in here that I don¡¯t know?¡± Hadn¡¯t Mu Xue been engaged to Tang Moling previously?


    Shao Qiyang and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expressions were a little strange when they heard his question. ¡°Actually, the person who truly proposed marriage to Mu Xue was Shao Qiyang.¡±


    This summary was very urate.

 Chapter 206 - Even If Its One Wife and Two Husbands, I Wont Give Up

    <h4>Chapter 206: Even If It¡¯s One Wife and Two Husbands, I Won¡¯t Give Up</h4>


    Ji Buwang raised his brows. ¡°So that really happened.¡± The anxiousness in his body lessened again.


    Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t help but clench his fist when he heard that. How could Second Brother do this? Jingzhe was such a wonderful person, yet he didn¡¯t cherish her and had even gotten involved with Mu Xue.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang and asked in a low voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think? How could I note?¡± Ji Buwang asked in turn.


    Mu Jingzhe immediately felt a little guilty. After all, Ji Buwang had confessed his feelings to her before, so it was normal for him toe upon learning that Shao Qihai had returned. But¡­ wasn¡¯t it a tad inappropriate for him toe like this?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home first. I¡¯ve told you before that I know Shao Qihai too. He¡¯s not dead and he has returned now. I should go see him.¡±


    Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth tightly. Wasn¡¯t it a provocation for him to visit at such a time?


    Before he could speak, Ji Buwang had already taken the lead and walked forward. Shao Qiyang wanted to say something but stopped himself and followed him. He didn¡¯t know that the four of them were already giving other people a show.


    In particr, Ji Buwang¡¯s arrival had made the eyes of the people of Great Eastern Vige sparkle with excitement. They had thought that since Shao Qihai had returned, Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯te anymore. They hadn¡¯t expected him to stille. Was he going to publiclypete with Shao Qihai for Jingzhe?


    ¡°That¡¯s not so good, no? After all, that¡¯s Qihai¡¯s wife, right?¡±


    ¡°Go and see what Shao Qihai did first. I saw Mu Xue go to the Shao Residence. She went in, and Jingzhe came out to hide from them.¡±


    Great Eastern Vige was having a jolly good time gossiping about this matter. Usually, they wouldn¡¯t reveal it when they were in public, but privately, they knew everything. They only wished they could go back with Mu Jingzhe and the others to watch the show.


    Mu Jingzhe returned to the Shao Residence with Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang. She first confirmed from the entrance whether Mu Xue had left. When she stuck her head in, she saw Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai frowned when he saw her do that. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe in since you got home?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stood up and walked in. ¡°Where¡¯s Mu Xue? Is she gone?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Qihai was about to say something when he saw Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang behind Mu Jingzhe.


    When he saw that Ji Buwang had actually swaggered in, Shao Qihai¡¯s pupils constricted. ¡°Ji Buwang?¡±


    ¡°Shao Qihai, long time no see.¡± Ji Buwang waved his hand with a beam.


    ¡°Long time no see.¡± Shao Qihai gritted his teeth. Why was this person so eager to steal his woman? He was still alive, couldn¡¯t he see that? Upon seeing Ji Buwang¡¯s beaming face, Shao Qihai was furious. Why was this person so thick-skinned? Why didn¡¯t he look sheepish at all?


    Unable to help himself, Shao Qihaimented sarcastically, ¡°You came here very quickly. You sure act fast, huh.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯tpare to you. It¡¯s only the second day, and you¡¯re already meeting your old me in front of Jingzhe and pouring your hearts out to each other.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s shocking words came out of his mouth as he smiled. This was also the reason he didn¡¯t feel sheepish. He was open and aboveboard.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression changed. He then nced in the direction of the workers. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    He shot Ji Buwang a warning look. ¡°Come in so we can talk.¡± It seemed better to speak in private lest he startled others with his shocking words again.


    The group of them entered the kitchen. Shao Qihai gave Ji Buwang a deep look. ¡°Ji Buwang, there¡¯s a limit to joking. I hope you won¡¯t spout nonsense in the future.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ill intentions. I think it¡¯s a good thing. I said it to bless you.¡± Ji Buwang was very innocent. ¡°This is just right. You and Mu Xue can pick up your rtionship where you left off, and Jingzhe and I can continue to be together.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to pour water for Ji Buwang and even nodded when she heard the first half of the sentence. However, when she heard the second half, her hand trembled and she almost dropped the cup.


    When had they gotten together? Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang in shock and saw Ji Buwang wink at her.


    ¡°When did you two get together?¡±


    ¡°You two have gotten together?¡±


    Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang asked questions angrily in unison. Their tones were the same, and the shock and anger on their faces looked copied and pasted.


    Ji Buwang looked at the two brothers with a teasing expression. Even Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but nce at Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t care less about their gazes. His mind was filled with thoughts of when the two of them had gotten together.


    Mu Jingzhe reacted, quickly looking at Ji Buwang. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang felt aggrieved. ¡°You just said two days ago that you were going to be responsible for me, have you forgotten? Jingzhe, you can¡¯t be like this. You can¡¯t abandon me after toying with me.¡±


    Abandon him after toying with him? Was that how one used that phrase? Mu Jingzhe choked.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t give Mu Jingzhe a chance to speak. He lowered his head and coughed before looking at Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang. ¡°This is what happened. Jingzhe said that she would be responsible for me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but shove Ji Buwang. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± She had just held the wrong hand. Why did it sound so differenting from his mouth?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Jingzhe. We have to let them know sooner orter. We might as well tell them now. I can¡¯t wait anyway.¡±


    Ji Buwang shot Mu Jingzhe a gaze, telling her to calm down, and looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°Shao Qihai, Jingzhe and I already have a rtionship. I hope you can give us your blessing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve wronged you. After all, you were dead previously. Your marriage had already been abolished. I have the right to pursue her, and Jingzhe has the right to fall in love and get married.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so I hope you won¡¯t be angry. After all, I didn¡¯t destroy your marriage. I didn¡¯t be a third party either. We¡¯re open and honest.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s words made Shao Qihai¡¯s mind explode. ¡°No, based on what I¡¯ve heard, the two of you aren¡¯t together¡­¡±


    ¡°Then your news source might be dyed.¡± Ji Buwang interrupted Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai gritted his teeth. ¡°I can¡¯t ept it. I¡¯m still alive, so I¡¯m her husband. Her legitimate husband.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not. You¡¯ve already died once. Your rtionship with her has been annulled.¡±


    ¡°No, my situation is special. As long as I¡¯m alive, our rtionship is valid.¡± Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang quarreled.


    Shao Qiyang was worried that they would start a fight upon seeing them oppose each other in such a tit-for-tat manner. Unexpectedly, a secondter, Ji Buwang suddenly stood up and stood behind Mu Jingzhe. He tugged at her sleeve and spoke in an aggrieved tone.


    ¡°Jingzhe, no matter what, you have to be responsible for me. I won¡¯t back down even if we are one wife and two husbands.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Had she transmigrated to a matriarchal world this time?


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Who was he? Where was he? What was he doing?


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>¡®Dafuq? One wife and two husbands?¡¯</i>


    The veins on Shao Qihai¡¯s forehead popped twice as his fist cracked. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. One wife and two husbands? What kind of joke is this?¡± Was he trying to anger him to death?


    ¡°Who¡¯s joking? I¡¯m not. Anyway, I won¡¯t give up. From now on, let¡¯s just rely on our own abilities,¡± Ji Buwang retorted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as relying on one¡¯s own ability. No matter what, I¡¯m still the proper wife¡­ husband. Give up.¡± Shao Qihai had been forced to say things like ¡®I am the proper husband¡¯. God knew why he had to say such things.


    ¡°Proper husband? So what? Although I appeared after you, I¡¯m also a legitimate husband.¡±

 Chapter 207 - Marriage Might Be Annulled

    <h4>Chapter 207: Marriage Might Be Annulled</h4>


    Shao Qiyang was dumbfounded as he watched Ji Buwang from the side. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes that even he himself didn¡¯t notice. Could that also be true?


    When he heard them arguing about being her ¡®legitimate husband¡¯ and even saying that they would each rely on their own abilities, he really wanted to raise his hand and join in. He wouldn¡¯t even ask to be a legitimate husband. Even if he was a concubine¡­ Bah, he wasn¡¯t a concubine or the male version of it. Anyway, he needed her to be responsible for him too.


    Shao Qiyang was eager to make a move. In his mind, he instantly dug up the memory of Mu Jingzhe knocking on his door in the middle of the night. Yes, this was viable too. Besides, time-wise, it had been even earlier than Ji Buwang¡¯s appearance, so he could totally join in.


    Just as Shao Qiyang was about to raise his hand, Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Stop fooling around.¡±


    She turned her head and red at Ji Buwang. ¡°You knew it wasn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe continue. He pulled her aside and whispered, ¡°I know, but you don¡¯t wish to be husband and wife with him anymore, right? I can tell that you no longer want that, so give me another chance. Just let me make a fuss.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. She had only seen Ji Buwang for a short while today and hadn¡¯t even spoken to him much. How did he know?


    A hint of a smile shed past Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes. He could tell.


    Previously, when Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t been around, Mu Jingzhe had never mentioned Shao Qihai to him. She hadn¡¯t been sad or anything like that, and she didn¡¯t seem to have any feelings for him.


    Shao Qihai had returned, but Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t been pleasantly surprised. Instead, there was some frustration between her brows. Later on, when she¡¯d spoken of Mu Xue, her expression had been even more off. No matter how he looked at it, it didn¡¯t seem like she had Shao Qihai in her heart.


    When he looked at Shao Qihai, his face was also filled with unfamiliarity and indescribable awkwardness. Based on these observations, he¡¯d confirmed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s state of mind, which was why he had taken advantage of that day¡¯s joke to make a fuss.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze and paused. Before she could finish speaking, Ji Buwang had already let go of her.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s intimate behavior, Shao Qihai pursed his lips. He wanted to say something, but upon seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude, he shut his mouth unwillingly.


    Although what he¡¯d said to Shao Qihai was very overboard, Ji Buwang was very sensible and didn¡¯t stay to let the vigers watch a show. When the vigers of Great Eastern Vige couldn¡¯t help bute to gossip, he bade them farewell.


    Because he hadn¡¯t driven in, he borrowed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bicycle.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw him out, Ji Buwang said, ¡°Half of what I told Shao Qihai was to spite him, but my intentions are true. Jingzhe, I can¡¯t give up just because of this. You don¡¯t have to think too much about your rtionship with him. If you were to just perform a check, your marriage might directly be invalid. You don¡¯t have to be restrained by this marriage.


    ¡°Whether you end up choosing me, Shao Qihai, or a stranger over the two of us ispletely up to you.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I will do that.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded solemnly. She couldn¡¯t help butugh as she looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°How did you think up that whole ¡®one wife and two husbands¡¯ thing?¡±


    ¡°It was natural. Can¡¯t help being smart.¡±


    Ji Buwang left on the bicycle. It was only when Mu Jingzhe was out of sight that his face sank. Shao Qihai¡¯s designs on Mu Jingzhe weren¡¯t simple.


    However, he¡¯d also discovered an interesting phenomenon. Before he¡¯d left, the kids had just finished school. Ji Buwang had discovered that the five kids were treating and speaking to Shao Qihai coldly, and there was even a little hostility involved.


    This was interesting. It also meant he could rx a little.


    Ji Buwang knew that Mu Jingzhe had a good rtionship with the five children. He was afraid that the children would help Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe would choose to continue to be with Shao Qihai because of the children.


    However, he¡¯d suddenly realized that Shao Qihai¡¯s five greatest helpers weren¡¯t really helping their father much. The children might not help their father. This way, he might not be at a disadvantage when it came to the children.


    Ji Buwang was really sensitive and could sense everything correctly.


    When the kids returned, Mu Jingzhe and the others were talking inside. The children didn¡¯t say anything and cleverly went to eavesdrop before pretending that they had just returned.


    While Ji Buwang was thinking about the children, the children washed their hands and ate the fruit Mu Jingzhe had prepared for them. They also squeezed in and whispered to each other. Little Bei even talked about Ji Buwang. ¡°Teacher Ji is really good-looking. It might not be bad to have a few more daddies.¡±


    Shao Dong looked to the side and Little Bei chuckled. ¡°I like Teacher Ji. It¡¯d be fine to let him be Daddy Ji. In the future, we can have more fathers. Every single one of them is different. It will be good for both Mommy and us.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shao Nan chuckled when he heard that. ¡°Little Bei is right. Since Teacher Mu Xue came to look for him, it¡¯s not wrong for Teacher Ji to look for Mommy. Tit for tat.¡±


    Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang were also talking in the kitchen, but the atmosphere wasn¡¯t nice.


    ¡°Why did you bring Ji Buwang here? Did you hear what he said?¡±


    ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t brought him, he would havee himself. He¡¯s been here before.¡± Shao Qiyang pursed his lips. The two brothers had never turned red while quarreling with each other in the past. Shao Qiyang had always been very obedient when it came to Shao Qihai, but this time, he couldn¡¯t help himself.


    ¡°Second Brother, if you still miss Mu Xue, then rify things with Jingzhe as soon as possible and let her go.¡±


    At that moment, Shao Qiyang viewed Shao Qihai as someone who was upying a mountain of gold and silver but didn¡¯t cherish it. His crime was unforgivable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t miss her. She¡¯s the one who came to take a look today.¡± Shao Qihai was very troubled. Shao Qiyang¡¯s attitude also made him feel strange. He paused for a moment and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re feeling that this is an injustice for your second sister-inw. I¡¯ll exin this to her.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe came back after sending Ji Buwang home, Shao Qihai exined in a muffled voice, ¡°You suddenly ran out today, but I didn¡¯t hug Mu Xue. I moved aside. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea.¡±


    Upon seeing Mu Xue approach, Shao Qihai had vigntly stepped aside. However, when he¡¯d looked up, he had realized that Mu Jingzhe had disappeared.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected him to exin. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to exin to me.¡± It would have been even better if he had hugged her.


    Shao Qihai had wanted to say more, but upon seeing her attitude, he gave her a deep look and left.


    Mu Jingzhe was puzzled as she watched him leave. Why did he look like she had let him down?


    ¡°Ridiculous,¡± Mu Jingzhe muttered. She turned around and saw that the youngdy who was supposed to be going home from work hadn¡¯t left and was now eavesdropping. When she saw her look over, she coughed guiltily.


    Mu Jingzhe crossed her arms and looked at her. The youngdy felt sheepish under her stare and wanted to leave, but the gossipy soul in her made her involuntarily approach.


    ¡°Erm, Jingzhe, I can attest to what Shao Qihai said just now. He really didn¡¯t hug Mu Xue.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°We all saw it.¡± The workers hadn¡¯t been able to hide. Although they¡¯d looked like they were focused on making the hair ornaments, they were so excited that they went to take a look while gripping the hair ornaments in their hands.


    The youngdy reported to Mu Jingzhe that they had been holding back for a long time. ¡°When Mu Xue rushed over in tears, Shao Qihai seemed startled and quickly dodged. There was a puddle of water on the ground due to the clothes that had been hung out to dry, and he identally slipped. I think he fell on¡­ his leg.¡±


    The youngdy was embarrassed to say that Shao Qihai seemed to have fallen on his balls because he had identally done the splits. Then, an expression of excruciating pain had formed on his face.


    It was because of this that Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t been able to chase after Mu Jingzhe in time when he¡¯d realized she had disappeared.

 Chapter 208 - Jingzhes Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 208: Jingzhe¡¯s Birthday</h4>


    ording to the youngdy¡¯s ¡®live broadcast¡¯, because Shao Qihai had dodged and slipped, Mu Xue had also been stunned. Tears had still been on her face, but she had seemed extremely embarrassed.


    Later on, Shao Qihai had gotten up with difficulty, and Mu Xue had left because the atmosphere had been too awkward.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was filled with question marks when she heard that. No, forget it, if she hadn¡¯t hugged him, why had he even fallen?


    Shao Qihai would also like to ask what was going on! Why had he been so unlucky as to step on that pool of water? He was usually very skilled, but in front of that pool of water, he had been like an idiot staring nkly at it.


    His balls¡­ No, his legs. He had felt like his entire body was being torn apart.


    Even now, he still felt some pain. He had worked so hard, but Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude remained the same even after he exined things to her.


    Shao Qihai felt aggrieved and sorry for himself. Previously, he had been kicked by Mu Jingzhe until he had almost been crippled. This time, he was forced to doubt his life.


    It was embarrassing.


    Shao Qihai went out of the door sadly. After he stood outside and calmed down for a while, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao walked out of the imposing house beside him. ¡°When will these days end?¡±


    She had just finishedining when she saw Shao Qihai there. She instantly froze, then turned around and ran back.


    ¡°Why are you so surprised? Why did youe back? I asked you to find a doctor for your husband!¡± Zhao Lan was dissatisfied when she saw Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao shushed her a few times. ¡°Mom, Second Brother Shao Qihai is standing outside.¡±


    Zhao Lan immediately shut her mouth. Eldest Brother Shao had fallen ill from fright. Although they now knew that he wasn¡¯t a ghost, perhaps he wasn¡¯t any better than a ghost. Because of his guilt, he didn¡¯t dare go out to see Shao Qihai and justy in the room.


    Zhao Lan also felt guilty, but she was used to being thick-skinned. She felt that although her words hadn¡¯t been nice, this would pass very quickly.


    When she saw that Eldest Brother Shao and his wife didn¡¯t dare go out, she messed up her hair and deliberately changed into straw sandals to look for Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Qihai, why haven¡¯t youe to see me today? Are you really nning to disown me?¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan acted all aggrieved and even cried fake tears as she criticized Mu Jingzhe. Shao Qihai was so angry that heughed.


    ¡°Just because I faked my death doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m really dead. I know everything you people did both yesterday and previously. Don¡¯te looking for me again.¡±


    Zhao Lan gritted her teeth. ¡°All of you side with Mu Jingzhe. Qiyang was like that, and now you are too. You two are really brothers!¡±


    Shao Qihai frowned, but he really ought to have a good talk with Shao Qiyang. Shao Qiyang¡¯s attitude toward him felt off. He had also heard that Shao Qiyang had quit his job at the post office.


    Shao Qihai went to Shao Qiyang¡¯s room but didn¡¯t see anyone. He just took a casual look, not expecting to see a ne.


    ¡°A ne? Does this kid like someone? Who is he nning to give it to?¡±


    At first, Shao Qihai smiled. However, as he smiled, he saw the pieces of paper Shao Qiyang had stored there. The pieces of paper had been casually torn from a notebook and were all the messages Mu Jingzhe had left at home.


    Some had been left for Shao Qiyang and the children, while others had been left for the children alone. They just contained a few words, and they weren¡¯t anything important.


    However, Shao Qiyang had kept these slips of paper.


    As he read the notes, Shao Qihai thought about the gossiping vigers. Amidst sparks, he suddenly understood why Shao Qiyang was treating him that way.


    He was¡­ lusting after his sister-inw!


    No wonder he had felt that Shao Qiyang¡¯s attitude was strange back in Ocean City. So, it was because¡­


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t understand. Previously, Qiyang had clearly hated Jingzhe. Why would he suddenly¡­ When Shao Qihai saw the scarf and gloves Shao Qiyang carefully kept in his room, which looked simr to the five kids¡¯, and recalled the warmth he had felt during the meal, he suddenly understood.


    Mu Jingzhe had changed the entire family. This warmth not only warmed the five kids, but also Shao Qiyang.


    That was why he¡­


    As if Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t enough, his biological younger brother also¡­


    Shao Qihai was ovee with sorrow. Now that he had returned after faking his death for more than a year, his five children only acknowledged their mother and had zero thoughts about their father. His dear brother and old rival were both waiting to abduct his wife. They also both wished that he had really died. Even his closest younger brother did.


    Why was he so miserable?


    Shao Qihai closed himself off. He no longer waited for Shao Qiyang and he stopped looking for the children to rebuild his rtionship with them. It was by closing himself off that Shao Qihai missed out on another major event.


    This made him feel confused early the next morning.


    Firstly, before dawn, and the children¡¯s usual wakeup time, they all quietly got up. At the same time, Little Bei also quietly got up. Amid Shao Qihai¡¯s confusion, they actually started cooking.


    ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll make it for you.¡± Shao Qihai wanted to help, but the five kids refused.


    On the other hand, when Shao Qiyang entered, he didn¡¯t say anything and immediately began helping. He didn¡¯t take the lead. He just let the children do their work. He only helped and watched from the side.


    When Mu Jingzhe woke up on time and got ready to wake the children up before preparing breakfast, she found a bowl of piping hot longevity noodles[1] topped with a sunny-side-up egg and sprinkled with spring onions waiting for her.


    ¡°Mommy, happy birthday!¡± The five dirty-faced children gave her their most brilliant smiles.


    The face of every single one of them was either dirtied or stained with flour. Compared to normal times, they looked really dirty. However, at that moment, they were the most beautiful in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank us, Mommy. Hurry up and eat it. You have to finish it in one go. Don¡¯t break it.¡± Previously, it was Mu Jingzhe who had reminded them of this. This time, it was their turn to remind Mu Jingzhe.


    The five kids had already decided that they would make a bowl of longevity noodles for Mu Jingzhe, just like what she had made for them. For this reason, Shao Dong and Shao Xi had specifically learned how to prepare the dish.


    Shao Dong had made the noodles, Shao Nan had fried the egg, Little Bei had beaten the egg, Xiao Wu had pinched some spring onions and washed them, and Shao Xi had cut the spring onions.


    Since spring onions were frequently eaten, Mu Jingzhe had nted them on their vegetable farm long ago. After the flowers in the flower pot died, they would also grow spring onions in it. Every time they wanted to eat them, she would pinch some. Then, the spring onions would continue to grow out for consumption.


    The five children finally prepared this bowl of longevity noodles ording to what they had secretly practiced previously.


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t interfere and only watched from the side. Of course, he had supported them while they¡¯d secretly practiced.


    This was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first birthday celebration, yet it was already this moving. She was extremely touched, and Shao Dong and the others were also happy. When Mu Jingzhe finished eating, they ate the ordinary noodles made by Shao Qiyang.


    The family was harmonious, and only Shao Qihai stuck out like a sore thumb.


    He had never celebrated his birthday, nor did he know of such a concept, so he had never thought of celebrating anyone¡¯s birthday. Therefore, he was left outpletely.


    Previously, he had been angry at Shao Qiyang for falling for his sister-inw. However, when he saw Shao Qiyang silently do all this, he felt ashamed. What right did he have to me Shao Qiyang?


    Shao Qiyang had also prepared noodles for Shao Qihai, but thetter couldn¡¯t taste anything. Just as he was about to wish her a happy birthday, the children suddenly stood up.


    ¡°Mommy, wait.¡±


    [1] A longevity noodle is a single noodle that fills the whole bowl, and it is better not to break it when eating it.

 Chapter 209 - The Best Birthday Present

    <h4>Chapter 209: The Best Birthday Present</h4>


    The five kids ran back to their room. A few minutester, Shao Qiyang asked Mu Jingzhe to go to the courtyard. There, they were greeted by the sight of the five little ones rushing out of their room and lining up, wearing pajamas that Shao Qihai had never seen before.


    When Shao Qiyang pressed the switch of the tape recorder, the five little ones started singing and dancing. ¡°Happy birthday, Mommy¡­¡±


    The melody was joyful and simple, and the dance movements weren¡¯tplicated, but there were also changes in the formation. The five little ones jumped out, looking absolutely adorable.


    Mu Jingzhe was so overwhelmed by their cuteness that she almost cried. It was her first birthday in two lifetimes, yet a big fuss was being made. It was as if she had made up for the dozens of missed birthdays in an instant.


    Among the five children, the one who danced the best and most freely was undoubtedly Little Bei. She was also at the center, looking oh-so-adorable. The second best dancer was Shao Nan. He copied Little Bei strictly, and even his smile was identical to hers. As for Xiao Wu, he had short limbs and was mostly responsible for being cute.


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong were the ones dancing the most earnestly. Shao Xi was fine, but his expression was forceful, or rather, it was more forceful than his body¡¯s movements.


    Shao Dong was the clumsiest among them. He was usually the steadiest and felt like he could learn everything quickly. For the first time in his life, he discovered he had two shorings¡ªsinging and dancing.


    His actions were all appropriate, but no matter how one looked at it, he looked clumsy and funny, especially since he was wearing those cartoon pajamas that made him look silly in an adorable way.


    When he finally finished dancing, Shao Dong heaved a not-so-inconspicuous sigh of relief.


    After the dance, Little Bei bounced over to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°How was that, Mommy? Did you like it? Are you surprised?¡±


    Shao Nan was helpless. ¡°How can you ask her that?¡± Although he said that, his eyes were sparkling as he looked at Mu Jingzhe, also waiting for her to praise him.


    ¡°Of course I liked it. I liked it very much. I had no idea you kids secretly prepared this.¡±


    Little Bei raised her hand. ¡°We started practicing early. Mommy, this was my idea. I said I would dance for you. I choreographed the dance myself. I even taught my brothers. Oh, you have no idea how dumb they were, especially Big Brother.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He then touched his nose. ¡°This is my first time singing and dancing.¡±


    ¡°No, Little Dong danced very well. He looked particrly good and adorable.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, praise me too. Iposed the song.¡± Xiao Wu was anxious.


    ¡°Of course. Xiao Wu, you are the best.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan and Shao Xi and said, ¡°You two must have contributed ideas too, right? Let me guess. It was Little Xi¡¯s idea to learn a few foreignnguages, right? Unless I¡¯m mistaken, six versions of ¡®Happy Birthday, Mommy¡¯ were used in the song, right?¡±


    Shao Xi puffed out his chest and grunted. ¡°Yes.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like praising himself, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He chuckled and said, ¡°We specifically learned different versions of ¡®Happy Birthday, Mommy¡¯ andbined them into one song.¡±


    ¡°How are you so creative?¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan. ¡°Looks like the clothes were your idea. I was wondering why you suddenly asked for these pajamas.¡±


    Inspired by the parent-child outfits, Mu Jingzhe had suddenly thought of modern cartoon pajamas, in which children looked the cutest. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart had stirred, and she had drawn out the design. When Shao Nan had seen it, he¡¯d said that he wanted it and asked Mu Jingzhe to make it for them.


    Mu Jingzhe had made them cartoon pajamas when she was free at night. She wanted them to wear them while they were still young and looked cute.


    After Mu Jingzhe handed the pajamas to them, she couldn¡¯t wait to get them to change into them. She had even prepared a camera to take photos of them wearing them, but the children had refused to wear them after receiving them, making up all sorts of excuses.


    Mu Jingzhe had been very disappointed, thinking that they didn¡¯t like them. In the end, they had been waiting to wear them now.


    ¡°Did you like it, Mommy?¡± Shao Nan asked. Even though he asked, his tone was affirmative. Shao Nan had long known that Mu Jingzhe was defenseless against cuteness, so he was certain that she¡¯d like it.


    ¡°I did. Of course I did.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe liked it so much that she hugged them one by one. She was so excited that she didn¡¯t see the vigers peeking around the door.


    When the vigers had heard themotion, they hade over out of curiosity. After seeing the big gift the children had prepared for Mu Jingzhe, they were touched by their cuteness. Then, they looked at their own children, and regardless of their age, they started to find them an eyesore.


    That day, many children suffered misfortune and were inexplicably scolded for being heartless and unfilial. This was only the first wave, as the five little ones hadn¡¯t just prepared a dance.


    After the dance, the five little ones delivered their meticulously-prepared birthday presents as though they were conjuring magic. Even though Shao Qiyang hesitated for a moment, he still handed over the ne that he had prepared.


    Initially, when he had seen Shao Qihai return, Shao Qiyang had felt that his intention toward her should have changed no matter what. However, in the end, he still reluctantly gave the ne to her.


    This was probably thest time he gave a gift with such a mentality, so he decided he might as well just give the present to her. He would consider it hisst act of courage.


    Shao Qiyang¡¯s gift wasn¡¯t very eye-catching among the presents the five little ones gave her. Mu Jingzhe, who didn¡¯t know that it was a ne, only thanked them all before being urged to open and put on the presents by the children.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    The children had all given her gifts, and so had Shao Qiyang. All the presents had their own merits, but he hadn¡¯t prepared anything for her.


    At that moment, even Shao Qihai was ashamed of himself.


    After the excitement passed and the birthday surprises were given, the children reluctantly went to change clothes. Shao Qihai ran after them in a hurry and absent-mindedly praised them for being awesome.


    The birthday song had been really amazing. Other than the first sentence, which he had understood, he hadn¡¯t understood anything else. However, that didn¡¯t stop Shao Qihai from feeling proud of them. ¡°It was amazing.¡±


    He was wondering how he was going to make up for hisck of a birthday gift, but he didn¡¯t realize that the five children had frozen for a moment.


    The five of them went to school obediently. On the way, upon recalling Shao Qihai¡¯s praise, Shao Xi sighed. ¡°We identally revealed our prowess again.¡±


    Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°Just¡­ Just be impressive for now. Let Mommy be happy on her birthday. We¡¯ll talk about the rest afterward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Seeing that they had gone to school, Shao Qihai wanted to say a few words to Mu Jingzhe. However, people kepting and going at home, and there were people around Mu Jingzhe too. There was no room for him to interrupt.


    The few girls who came to work knew that today was Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, so they all brought her gifts.


    One of them, who had made her shoe soles and cloth shoes, said that the soft material made them reallyfortable to wear at home. Another girl gave her a scarf with Jingzhe¡¯s name embroidered on it. Another gave her boiled eggs, saying that they ate boiled eggs on their birthdays.


    They weren¡¯t expensive gifts, but it was the thought that counted. Mu Jingzhe was touched.


    Due to themotion caused by the children, everyone in the vige knew that Mu Jingzhe was celebrating her birthday today. Li Zhaodi had also prepared noodles and eggs. Upon hearing what everyone said, she knew that Mu Jingzhe had already eaten some. After thinking for a moment, she didn¡¯t serve them to Mu Jingzhe and instead ate the noodles in one go carefully, muttering the words ¡®Jingzhe will live to a ripe old age¡¯.


    Not long after she finished eating, Mu Jingzhe came over and snatched the bowl from her to wash it. She said that Li Zhaodi wasn¡¯t allowed to wash the dishesboriously today and that she had to rest properly.


    ¡°It¡¯s your birthday today. You¡¯re not allowed to wash them either.¡± Li Zhaodi¡¯s heart ached for Mu Jingzhe too.


    In the end, Mu Teng went to wash the dishes without saying a word. ¡°You two don¡¯t have to wash them. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

 Chapter 210 - Ji Buwang Is Here Too

    <h4>Chapter 210: Ji Buwang Is Here Too</h4>


    Li Zhaodi and her husband had prepared a birthday gift for Mu Jingzhe, and even Mu Han had gotten her a gift.


    As they hadn¡¯t moved elsewhere after splitting up the family assets, Old Madam Mu and the eldest branch of the Mu Family could hear the joyfulughter on Mu Jingzhe and her parents¡¯ side. Mu Xue could also hear them and felt a little dazed upon hearing themotion.


    In the past, it used to always be lively on her birthday. Early in the morning, she would get to eat noodles and eggs. Her grandmother would even prepare a gift for her and specifically kill a chicken to celebrate her birthday. She was the only blissful girl in the vige who had a birthday celebration. No one cared about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday.


    This time, it was the other way around. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday was so lively that the entire vige knew about it.


    Old Madam Mu grumbled, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a birthday? What¡¯s so great about it? It¡¯s not even a special birthday[1]¡­¡± Old Madam Mu was sulky at the mention of birthday celebrations. This year, she was supposed to have a celebration for her special birthday, but Mu Xue¡¯s marriage had failed to go through, and her eldest and third son seemed to have forgotten about it. It was useless no matter how much she hinted at it.


    Mu Jingzhe pulled Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi out. When she saw Old Madam Mu¡¯s long face, she smiled even more happily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Dad, Mom. You must eat well today and enjoy life.¡±


    The chickens raised at home were more or less ready to be killed. She could kill two of the chickens and get two fish. Inbination with the vegetables she had bought previously, they could have a sumptuous meal.


    Mu Jingzhe had a good n. She didn¡¯t expect to find a pile of things at the door as soon as she got home. Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai were standing at the door, confronting each other. There were also two chickens with their legs tied up by their feet.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re finally back. I¡¯m here, but Shao Qihai won¡¯t let me in.¡±


    ¡°These are¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe wanted to go over, but the chickens on the ground blocked her way.


    ¡°I prepared them for you. You¡¯re the birthday girl today, so you have to eat and drink well. You¡¯re not supposed to cook, so I bought some things and came over early to prepare for your birthday party. These are the ingredients I bought.


    ¡°Because my culinary skills aren¡¯t that good, I originally wanted to bring the chefs here and have them prepare a birthday banquet for you. This way, everyone in the vige cane to celebrate your birthday. However, I¡¯m afraid of bloodshed, so I can only regretfully give up.¡±


    As he said thest sentence, Ji Buwang nced meaningfully at the livid Shao Qihai and whispered to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°If looks could kill, I would¡¯ve been hacked into pieces.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was very helpless. If it were anyone else, they would probably have been angry too. ¡°Why did you think of buying so many things?¡±


    Shao Qihai snorted upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s right. As if we can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    ¡°If you can afford it, you can very well buy them yourself. Where are the things you bought? If you take them out, I¡¯ll immediately take mine back,¡± Ji Buwang immediately replied.


    Shao Qihai froze. His expression was uglier than ever, and his face turned green. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai was furious at Ji Buwang¡¯s arrogance and the fact that he wanted a yard after taking an inch. Also, he was angry at himself for doing nothing and giving Ji Buwang such an opportunity.


    If he had realized it earlier and made preparations, he could have kicked him out. s, he hadn¡¯t prepared and had nothing to take out.


    ¡°See, I knew this would happen. That¡¯s why I bought all these things. I just wanted Jingzhe to have a nice birthday.¡±


    If Mu Jingzhe had been willing to go out to celebrate her birthday, there would have been a bigger variety and there would have been no need to go to so much trouble. However, celebrating in the vige was fine too, for it made Li Zhaodi happy as well.


    Ji Buwang looked at Li Zhaodi and greeted her affectionately. ¡°Auntie, today is your day of suffering. You should rest, eat, and drink well. You gave birth to such a good girl like Jingzhe. You did a great deed, so all the more reason to reward yourself.¡±


    Li Zhaodi could tell that Ji Buwang¡¯s words were heartfelt. These words really touched the bottom of her heart. This was the first time someone had said this to her.


    ¡°Why are you so sweet? Get in quickly. Your hands must be sore.¡±


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s heart ached as she took the things in Ji Buwang¡¯s hands and made the decision to ept them. She had to ept them, if only for what he¡¯d said.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stop her. Ji Buwang must have bought these things earlier and rushed over early in the morning. She couldn¡¯t let him down, so she epted the groceries quickly.


    This way, both the giver and the receiver would feel good. She could just reciprocate in the future.


    Sure enough, Ji Buwang beamed. Of course, it would be even better if he didn¡¯t shoot Shao Qihai a provocative look before entering the house.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s face turned green and red, then green again, as what Ji Buwang had said were actually his own thoughts. However, it was Ji Buwang who had done and said those things.


    He hadn¡¯t done enough. He needed to reflect.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll get them.¡± Shao Qihai reflected on himself as he took the things from Li Zhaodi¡¯s hands. Hearing the word ¡®Mom¡¯ made Li Zhaodi¡¯s hands tremble and also made Ji Buwang dart an unfriendly gaze in his direction.


    Why would Shao Qihai address her as ¡®Mom¡¯ directly when he was still addressing her as ¡®Auntie¡¯?


    However, Shao Qihai was very calm and didn¡¯t even nce at Ji Buwang. He had changed the way he greeted Li Zhaodi when they¡¯d gotten married. It was just that he hadn¡¯t had much of a chance to call her that afterward.


    Shao Qihai pulled himself together and disyed the advantages of being the host as he attended to the guest, Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Take a seat, Buwang. Anyone whoes here is a guest. Drink some water and rest for a while. As for the rest, just let me do my job as a host.¡± He assumed the identity of the male owner of the house.


    ¡°I know best what I bought. Shao Qihai, you should sit and rest.¡± Ji Buwang ignored him. As soon as he finished speaking, bleats came from the door.


    Ji Buwang stood up to handle it. ¡°The goat is here.¡±


    As he spoke, he didn¡¯t forget to call out to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Jingzhe,e and take a look! Don¡¯t you love eating mutton? I bought a goat from one of the vigers. The goats in the vige are more fragrant.¡±


    Upon hearing that, the vigers who mainly herded and sold goats were very happy. They smiled and agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Our ck mountain goats are the most delicious.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, thank you. Remember toe and eat with us tonight.¡± Ji Buwang took the goat and told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Tonight, those who love mutton will eat mutton, while those who don¡¯t will eat chicken and fish. I also bought fish.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was silent, Ji Buwang was vignt. ¡°You can¡¯t say that you don¡¯t eat mutton. Last time, you said that the mutton was delicious.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had forgotten that she¡¯d told Ji Buwang about it previously. She had probably just mentioned it casually, or he had heard her telling the children, but he had kept it in mind.


    Shaking her head, she said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say that. Just kill it and let¡¯s have a good meal. You¡¯ve never tried mutton before either, have you? Let¡¯s have a good meal tonight. I¡¯ll go invite the vigers who know how to prepare mutton.¡±


    It was a pity that the five kids hadn¡¯t gotten to eat somest time. This time, it would be just right.


    Upon hearing this, Ji Buwang smiled. Shao Qihai, who was watching from the sidelines, gritted his teeth. When he had seen that Ji Buwang had brought so many things, he had thought that he could perhaps go and buy a sheep, but he hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to be one step ahead.


    Shao Qihai could only go and find some cured beef. He asked many people in the vige, and in the end, he was lucky enough to find some ham, which was considered good stuff.


    Shao Qihai heaved a sigh of relief and thought that there was finally something decent he could offer.


    [1] Every ten years from the age of 50, i.e. 50, 60, 70, 80, etc

 Chapter 211 - Only Know the Pain After Experiencing It for Oneself

    <h4>Chapter 211: Only Know the Pain After Experiencing It for Oneself</h4>


    At noon that day, they cut the ham and ate it first. Be it boiled or stir-fried, it was especially delicious.


    After lunch, it was time to prepare for the evening meal. Ji Buwang asked Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Jingzhe, did you invite anyone else? How many people will be eating at home tonight? Let me know so that I can make preparations.¡±


    ¡°There should be quite a few people. Family, friends, and them over there.¡± Mu Jingzhe pointed at the few workers. Although they were there to celebrate her birthday, since she¡¯d be killing a goat, it was somewhat like entertaining rtives and friends after the Spring Festival.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. A lively home is good.¡±


    The preparations to kill the goat started. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t have any experience in this aspect, whereas Shao Qihai did, so he was the one who took the lead in making the arrangements. The five kids hadn¡¯t left yet, and it was rare for them to gather on the side and watch the show.


    Little Bei wanted to look but was afraid. She covered her face and looked through the gaps between her fingers. Because she was afraid of dirtying her dress, Little Bei stayed some distance away.


    The four boys, however, squatted on the side and watched. Xiao Wu even became interested in the goat¡¯s horn. After ying with it for a while, he asked Mu Jingzhe if sounds could be produced by blowing it.


    ¡°This horn won¡¯t do. It¡¯s too small. You can try using one of those big ones or ready-made ones in the future.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You kids should head off to school. Don¡¯t bete.¡±


    After the reluctant children were sent off to school, Ji Buwang watched as the mutton started to cook. His gaze was turned to the chicken. Determined not to fall behind this time, he confidently raised the chicken. ¡°Jingzhe, stand aside so the chicken blood does not ssh on you. I¡¯m going to kill the chicken.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Uh, you know how to kill chickens?¡±


    She really couldn¡¯t associate Ji Buwang with the act of killing chickens. These two simply didn¡¯t belong in the same world.


    ¡°I do. I¡¯ve practiced. I¡¯ve tried killing chickens before with Uncle Li helping me hold them.¡± Ji Buwang nodded confidently.


    However, it was obvious that he was too confident. In the end, he didn¡¯t even manage to kill the chicken after getting chicken feathers all over the ground. Ji Buwang had chicken feathers all over his head and body and started doubting life as he held the knife. ¡°Jingzhe, this chicken is deliberately bullying me! This isn¡¯t an ordinary chicken. This is a gamecock, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to suppress herughter and remove the feathers from his clothes. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. My dad will kill the chickenter. He knows how to do it.¡±


    Feeling proud and ted, Shao Qihai rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. ¡°What gamecock? This is just an ordinary rooster, but you can¡¯t kill it. You¡¯re simply not cut out to kill chickens. Watch me.¡±


    Shao Qihai was indeed quite capable. He sessfully killed the chicken before shooting a smug look at Ji Buwang. Following that, he poured boiling water on the chicken and prepared to heat its feathers.


    However, just as the water was poured down, the originally motionless chicken suddenly jumped out of the pot¡­ like a zombie chicken.


    Startled, Shao Qihai could only watch as the chicken run a few meters away. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    Seeing the two of them struggling with the chicken, Mu Teng clicked his tongue and rolled up his sleeves. ¡°Both of you get out of the way. Let me do it.¡±


    In the end, it was Mu Teng who sessfully subdued the two chickens, with Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang acting as his assistants. The two of them evenpeted with each other,paring their stamina and culinary skills, and they alsopeted at chopping firewoodter on.


    After themotion, lunch was finally prepared. Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t even have to lift a finger.


    After watching the show the entire morning, the female workers at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s home even got to see the two men flexing their muscles. This was truly a feast for their eyes.


    But soon, Ji Buwang no longer had the time topete with Shao Qihai, for he wanted to make the cake personally. This would be the highlight of the day.


    Uncle Li specifically drove there to deliver the necessary items. After Ji Buwang started baking the cake, the fragrance spread far and wide. It just so happened that Shao Dong and his siblings had also finished school. Quite a few children came to the door, following the aroma.


    After the five kids entered, they were overjoyed to see Ji Buwang baking the cake. They even tried making it with him. However, when they went out again, they were stopped by their littlepanions, who were salivating due to the fragrance and asking what it was and what a cake tasted like.


    When Shao Dong saw that they were asking, he ran back home and asked Mu Jingzhe if he could bring his ssmates back to the house to eat cake.


    ¡°They said they¡¯ve never tasted cake before¡­¡± It was rare for Shao Dong to be embarrassed.


    Actually, they hadn¡¯t eaten any before either. They only had the chance to eat some now that Mu Jingzhe hade. They liked it a lot and wanted their little friends to try it too.


    ¡°Of course you can bring them.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong. ¡°If you want to invite your little friends, go ahead and do so. The same goes for your birthdays in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai squeezed his way over and asked Shao Dong, ¡°How many people are there? I can get someone to deliver¡­¡±


    ¡°No need. We can make as much as needed by using what we have here. I just have to do some liaising on my side.¡± Ji Buwang interrupted Shao Qihai.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t care about their littlepetition. In any case, he was d to hear that he could bring his little friends back home to eat. After he told his friends the news, everyone was overjoyed. They let out excited cheers at the door and happily rode their tree-branch horses everywhere, causing dust to fly all around.


    This was their favorite game. They would snap a tree branch and treat it as a horse. However, Shao Dong had never yed this before, as he felt that it was too silly. This time, in their excitement, his little friends pulled Shao Dong over to ride with them twice. Later on, Shao Xi and the others also joined in.


    The clean road outside the Shao Residence was filled with the happy screams of children. In contrast, the Shao Residence next door was clouded with gloom and worry.


    They could hear themotion and smell the fragrance next door very clearly. When Zhao Lan saw that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday celebration was so lively, she was furious. What made her even angrier was that Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t even invited her to go over. On the other hand, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« cried because they were craving the aromatic food next door.


    ¡°I want to eat some too. I want to eat cake too!¡± Hearing theughter outside, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« got even more upset and wailed even harder.


    In the past, they used to be the ones ying with everyone. No one had yed with Shao Dong and his siblings. Shao Dong and his siblings were the ones constantly being bullied. However, the tables had turned now. These days, the other kids only yed with Shao Dong and his siblings and mocked Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« whenever they saw them.


    In the past, they used to call Shao Dong ¡®little stutterer¡¯ and Xiao Wu ¡®bastard¡¯. Now, it was their turn to be called ¡®tofu brains¡¯ and ¡®pigs¡¯. It was only now that they had experienced it for themselves that they realized how painful it was to have a nickname.


    Now that they were called by their nicknames, mocked, and left to y alone, these brats finally experienced how Shao Dong and his siblings had felt in the past. They grew to hate their stomachs. No matter what Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao said about it being a blessing, it was useless. Having grown up inferior and afraid of strangers, they didn¡¯t dare go out and y anymore.


    While looking at Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, who were crying and throwing a tantrum, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao felt heartache and anger. ¡°Stop crying. Even if you cry to death, I won¡¯t be able to conjure a cake for you!¡±


    In the past, with Shao Qihai¡¯s allowance to support them, she used to lead a good life. Now, life had be bitter, and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s personality had be increasingly irritable.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« kept making a fuss. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but hit the children.


    While listening to the sounds of the kids being beaten up and scolded next door, coupled with Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«¡¯s crying voices and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s hints that were disguised as scoldings, Mu Jingzhe shook her head and ignored them.


    She wouldn¡¯t repay evil with kindness. In the past, they had lived a good life while starving her five kids.


    After the fragrance of the cake dissipated, the mouthwatering scent of chicken, mutton, and ham wafted over. Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« looked at the only food avable in their house¡ªvegetables¡ªand burst into tears again.


    Amidst the four brats¡¯ cries, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others ate until their stomachs became round.

 Chapter 212 - I’ll Put You in My Pocket and Carry You Around

    <h4>Chapter 212: I¡¯ll Put You in My Pocket and Carry You Around</h4>


    After a lively dinner, under everyone¡¯s eager gazes, the five little ones pushed out the giant cake made by Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Mommy, happy birthday. That day was hard on you, Grandma. Love you!¡±


    The five kids carefully expressed their blessings and gratitude to Li Zhaodi. Li Zhaodi ate her first slice of birthday cake ever and was overwhelmed by gifts.


    The gifts had been prepared by Mu Jingzhe and the five kids. They had given their presents to their mother first in the morning because they still had to give their maternal grandmother gifts at night. Their mother had said that their maternal grandmother was actually the one who had worked the hardest and was the most deserving of blessings and enjoyment.


    Ji Buwang had also prepared a gift for Li Zhaodi. Even Mu Teng had bought a gift thanks to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s constant hints.


    Li Zhaodiughed and cried. ¡°My Jingzhe, why are you¡­ Little Dong, you kids¡­¡±


    She had lived for so long and given birth to two children. When she had given birth to Jingzhe, Old Madam Mu had pulled a long face and called her useless for giving birth to a girl. The vigers had also expressed their regret that she hadn¡¯t given birth to a son.


    Fortunately, Mu Teng hadn¡¯t said anything. However, no one felt that it was hard on her after she risked her life to give birth to the child. They all felt that it was only right.


    Even so, she had never regretted it. However, after 21 years, she was suddenly being valued and thanked. What had she done to deserve such treatment?


    Too overwhelmed to speak, Li Zhaodi hugged Mu Jingzhe for a long time before finally saying, ¡°It¡¯s so worth it. Mom¡¯s life is so worth it¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi was certain that she would be the happiest mother in the future, as she was the only one in Great Eastern Vige who received such treatment. She would fight with whoeverpeted with her for that title.


    Li Zhaodi took a big bite of the cake. ¡°Everyone, eat! Hurry up and eat!¡±


    His forthright manner made them feel like they weren¡¯t eating cake but having wine. Everyoneughed and ate at the same time.


    In this day and age, even sponge cakes were rare, let alone cream cakes. It wasn¡¯t so bad for the children in the city, but countryside kids had no chance to eat these things.


    The littlepanions Shao Dong and his siblings brought back ate ravenously. The female workers also treasured the food.


    However, a woman stopped eating after taking a bite. When Mu Jingzhe realized this, she quickly asked if she didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°No, I like it a lot.¡± The woman was a little embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s just that I want to take it back for my children to eat it because it¡¯s so delicious.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t bear to eat it, as she wanted to leave it for her children to taste.


    ¡°Go ahead and eat it. There¡¯ll be more after you finish eating. You can bring it back to your children.¡± Ji Buwang interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a lot.¡±


    Ji Buwang wanted to contact Uncle Li to think of a way to find some more cake, but Shao Qihai stopped him. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to bring it over. Everyone in the vige can eat it.¡±


    After saying that, he couldn¡¯t help but nce at Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi, frustration shing across his eyes.


    He hadn¡¯t made any preparations in the morning or given Mu Jingzhe a birthday present. Under the siege of Ji Buwang, Shao Qihai had racked his brains to urgently prepare a present for Mu Jingzhe. He had wanted to find an opportunity to give it to Mu Jingzhe at night, but in the end, no one had given presents to Mu Jingzhe at night. They¡¯d all given presents to Li Zhaodi. He was¡­ one step toote once again.


    What he had prepared for Mu Jingzhe was not suitable for Li Zhaodi, so¡­ he had yet to give the gift.


    Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t bear to let go of Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. Like a mother-inw looking at her son-inw, the more she looked at him, the more pleasing she found him to the eye. In contrast, she didn¡¯t so much as cast a nce in Shao Qihai¡¯s direction.


    Hoping to make up for his mistake, Shao Qihai had the cake sent over that very night. Shao Qihai also gave some cake to the people who came to the house to have fun. Most of the children in the vige came to the house to eat cake.


    Because of this, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, which was also Jingzhe[1], became the day that children looked forward to the most. Whenever they thought about this day, they thought about having cake to eat.


    After they ate cake, it started gettingte. Li Zhaodi, Mu Jingzhe, and Shao Qiyang saw Ji Buwang out. Ji Buwang hade in an open and aboveboard manner, so no one said anything.


    After they left, Shao Qihai ced the gift in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room while no one was paying attention.


    Elsewhere, Ji Buwang also gave Mu Jingzhe the gift he had prepared. ¡°A birthday gift for you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s even a birthday gift?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that it was a rare enough birthday present that Ji Buwang had done so much.


    ¡°There¡¯s a secret to the gift. It will all depend on when you discover it.¡± Ji Buwang said this and drove away.


    ¡°What is it? Hurry up and open it.¡± Li Zhaodi urged Mu Jingzhe.


    The gift was in a wooden box and wasn¡¯t packaged, so Mu Jingzhe saw it the moment she opened it. ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took it out and took a look. ¡°It¡¯s a set of Russian dolls.¡±


    ¡°This little person looks like you. Look, her hair is short, and her small eyes look simr to yours too.¡± Li Zhaodi could tell at first nce.


    Mu Jingzhe took a look and realized that it really did look like her. ¡°Where did he find this? To think it looks so much like me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expect that other than buying it, one could also draw one.


    Ji Buwang drove out and watched as Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi¡¯s shlights went further and further away. ¡°I hope you find out soon¡­¡±


    After he¡¯d been driving for a while, a car suddenly appeared in front of him. The road was narrow, and the car didn¡¯t give way to him. When Ji Buwang stopped the car, he saw Tang Moling.


    ¡°Why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be on a business trip?¡±


    ¡°I came back today for Jingzhe¡¯s birthday.¡± Tang Moling was fuming. ¡°I knew you did it on purpose. You purposely sent me away so that you coulde see Jingzhe and fawn over her. How can there be an uncle like you?¡±


    ¡°Her birthday is over. Go back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going back. I must see Jingzhe today and make her leave that b*stard Shao Qihai!¡± Something suddenly urred to Tang Moling. ¡°Uncle, have you heard? I heard that Shao Qihai is still alive.¡±


    ¡°Of course I heard. You learned the news toote.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you!¡± Tang Moling gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Shao Qihai and tell him what¡¯s good for him so he¡¯ll give up on Jingzhe early. I¡¯ve already bought a ring. I want to propose to Jingzhe¡­¡±


    Tang Moling wanted Ji Buwang to see his determination, but as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck and his vision darkened.


    Ji Buwang had immediately knocked Tang Moling out. ¡°You¡¯re proposing when even I haven¡¯t done so? Don¡¯t you know how to respect the old and love the young? Don¡¯t you know what ¡®firste, first served¡¯ means?¡±


    After poking Tang Moling¡¯s head and scolding him, Ji Buwang dragged Tang Moling to the passenger seat and left after meeting up with Uncle Li.


    When Tang Moling regained consciousness, it was the next day. By then, he was already at the airport. Right upon waking up, he was taken to the ne and sent away again.


    ¡°Uncle¡­ Ji Buwang, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡±


    After the liveliest birthday, Mu Jingzhe fell asleep a littlete due to her excitement. The next day, she woke up to see Little Bei quietly sitting at the table and ying with the set of Russian dolls that Ji Buwang had gifted her.


    Because these dolls bore a great resemnce to Mu Jingzhe, Little Bei hugged, stroked, and kissed them, feeling very fond of them.


    Upon seeing Little Bei¡¯s actions, Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°You like them that much?¡± In that case, she¡¯d give Little Bei one next time.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re awake.¡± Little Bei pounced over with her arms wrapped around one of the dolls. ¡°That¡¯s right, I like the dolls because they look like Mommy.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t only because the dolls were cute. More importantly, they resembled Mommy.


    ¡°Can I take one with me wherever I go? This is like carrying Mommy with me. I can put her in my pocket and look at her whenever I want.¡±


    [1] the 3rd of the 24 sr terms in traditional Chinese calendars

 Chapter 213 - Hello, Little Jingzhe

    <h4>Chapter 213: Hello, Little Jingzhe</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    It turned out that men weren¡¯t the only ones who knew how to say things that made you feel smaller, as though they could put you in their pockets and carry you around. Daughters also knew how to say such things. Furthermore, they were self-taught, which made it more touching than when it wasing from someone who had learned this by googling ¡®romantic things to say to a girl¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe stepped forward and cupped Little Bei¡¯s face. ¡°Why are you so sweet? I want to keep you in my pocket too.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯ll let me do that?¡± Little Bei was delighted to hear that. Then, she looked at the doll and shook her head. ¡°Although I really want to do this, this is a gift from Teacher Ji to you, Mommy. It won¡¯t be good if I lose it. I¡¯ll just buy a set that looks like yours in the future. When the timees, I¡¯ll secretly hide one before giving it to you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the smallest doll and suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t small enough. ¡°Maybe there really is an even smaller one¡­¡± Could Ji Buwang have hidden it?


    ¡°Probably not, right¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe recalled the secret Ji Buwang had mentionedst night and carefully searched the dolls for any secrets.


    At the same time, Ji Buwang woke up from his dream and turned to look at the pillow beside him.


    In the middle of the pillow was a tiny doll. It was exactly the same as Mu Jingzhe¡¯s, except it was really small. It was only the size of a human thumb.


    ¡°Morning, Little Jingzhe.¡±


    Ji Buwang picked up Little Jingzhe and tapped her head. ¡°Or should I call you Thumb-Sized Jingzhe?¡±


    Ji Buwang stood up and ced Thumb-Sized Jingzhe on the bedside table. ¡°Before I enjoy thepany of the real Jingzhe, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to apany me.¡±


    After washing up, before Ji Buwang left, he carefully ced Thumb-Sized Jingzhe in his chest pocket. ¡°It¡¯s time to go to work.¡±


    After the meeting, Ji Buwang took Little Jingzhe out of his pocket to take a look while resting. ¡°I really feel like I¡¯m carrying you in my pocket while I¡¯m at work.¡±


    Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe finally discovered traces of a secret. There was something hidden underneath the smallest doll.


    The base of the doll was made of different colored ques, and the different Chinese characters were made of different colors too. The first character was the character ¡®Le¡¯, but by pushing the ques, a new set of characters could be formed. ¡°Does this mean that once the correct set of characters is formed, it will open?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tried several times, including by using Ji Buwang¡¯s name, as well as her own name, but none of them was the rightbination to open it.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite mysterious. I¡¯ll continue trying in the future.¡± Mu Jingzhe was having a lot of fun. When Shao Qihai noticed this, he was very depressed.


    He had also given her a gift, but his gift was much less impressive than the Russian dolls and the gifts of the children. However, he had really given her this gift from the bottom of his heart.


    Shao Qihai had given her a fountain pen. That fountain pen had been a reward for his meritorious deeds in the past. Later on, it had even saved his life by chance. It was Shao Qihai¡¯s lucky pen. Every time he wrote or signed something with it, it seemed like his wish woulde true.


    Therefore, he actually treasured it very much and was usually reluctant to use it. He had given it to Mu Jingzhe in hopes that it would also bring her luck.


    However, it didn¡¯t seem like Mu Jingzhe had any intention of using it after receiving it, for she had put it away.


    s, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for Shao Qihai to chase after Mu Jingzhe and tell her how precious the gift was. Seeing Mu Jingzhe ying with the Russian dolls that Ji Buwang had gifted her and not even looking at what he had given her, he was speechless.


    It was only when he saw that the kids hade home from school that he perked up. ¡°Little Dong, can you teach me foreignnguages? I want to learn too.¡±


    He wanted to improve alongside his children. Mu Jingzhe also spoke foreignnguages and would talk to them from time to time. He wanted to learn so that he could blend in and converse with them.


    Shao Qihai cleverly chose to ask Shao Dong, but Shao Dong frowned. ¡°You¡¯d better not learn from me. After all, I stutter.¡±


    Shao Dong calmly mentioned the fact that he stuttered, but Shao Qihai¡¯s heart ached. Guilt then appeared on his face. ¡°You don¡¯t. You sound fine.¡±


    In the past, because Shao Dong stuttered, he was often mocked behind his back, which had made him very averse to talking and caused him to avoid talking whenever possible. This time, upon returning and seeing that Shao Dong seemed to have recovered from that, he had forgotten about Shao Dong¡¯s situation in the past.


    By neither epting nor turning down Shao Qihai¡¯s apology, he was effectively rejecting it.


    Shao Qihai thought for a moment and finally went to look for Little Bei. He had seen how formidable Shao Xi and Shao Nan were and deliberately avoided them. He thought that since Little Bei was so cute, she probably wouldn¡¯t bear to refuse him.


    However, darling Little Bei said in her most adorable and gentle voice, ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to speak it either. I learned it from my older brothers. I remembered it yesterday, but I think I forgot it today.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    When Shao Xi and Shao Nan heard that he wanted to learn, they approached him without him even having to look for them.


    ¡°Actually, when we speak foreignnguages, we¡¯re just making up some random nonsense. Since Mommy spent money for us to learn, it would be uneptable if we couldn¡¯t speak at all, so we just made up some gibberish. But if you¡¯re willing to continue paying for our lessons, we should be able to gain a slight mastery in two to three years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Foreignnguages take a?<i>really</i>?long time to learn. If the five of us learn for another two to three years, it will only cost around 10,000 yuan. Can we learn?¡±


    Shao Nan and Shao Xi did their utmost to paint themselves in a bad light and started to sound out how much money Shao Qihai had. They also took this chance to trample on themselves, hinting that they spent a lot of money.


    Shao Qihai naturally wouldn¡¯t be deceived. Upon hearing their nonsense, he knew that they didn¡¯t want to teach him. However, when he heard about the expenses, he said seriously, ¡°Of course you can. If you want to continue learning, I¡¯ll pay your tuition fees. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make you suffer in this aspect.¡±


    Shao Qihai had been dyed for the past year. The transport convoy hadn¡¯t seemed to have much work, but because they had done a meritorious deed, they had received a big remuneration, and some coborations had been proposedter on.


    Everything else aside, this was enough for the convoy to grow, as it was sufficient for him to provide for this family.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi looked at each other, both getting a sense of his finances. ¡°Then can we buy anything else? I want to buy toys!¡±


    ¡°I want toys too. I also want new clothes!¡±


    ¡°Me too! And I want to eat meat every day!¡±


    They sounded like they were being mischievous, but in reality, this was also what they really wanted. Previously, their hearts had ached for Mu Jingzhe and they had constantly wanted to save money. They had pretended that they didn¡¯t like toys and only liked to learn until they could earn money too.


    However, in the past, they had really been envious of kids who had toys. When Little Bei was three or four years old, she had liked pinwheels, which had been trending in the vige at the time. A pinwheel would move whenever the wind blew when one ran holding it, but no one had bought one for her. In the end, Shao Dong had thought of ways to make one for her.


    s, Little Bei had only yed with it for a short while before it had been snatched away by Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. When Little Bei had gone to snatch it back, those brats had stomped on the pinwheel and destroyed it.


    At the mention of toys, the five kids unanimously recalled these past events. For some time, they felt quite upset. Shao Qihai had clearly still been alive at the time.


    Shao Qihai still didn¡¯t know that the children had been reminded of the past. When he heard that they wanted toys, he smiled and agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll buy them all for you.¡±


    However, his agreement didn¡¯t make the five kids¡¯ expressions improve. Instead, they became even more depressed.


    In the past, they had known that Shao Qihai worked hard and had always acted very sensible, wanting to make it easier for him because they knew about his identity. It was the same even after his retirement from the army and his return.


    But now that they thought about it, they had probably been too sensible. They hadn¡¯t cried or told him about their hardships. Besides, Zhao Lan was good at acting, so Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t paid much attention to them.


    Now that they were being mischievous, he seemed to be paying more attention to them.

 Chapter 214 - Ive Already Suffered Through Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 214: I¡¯ve Already Suffered Through Retribution</h4>


    After so many years, the five kids finally realized that children who cried got sweets to eat. It was only then that they learned the wrong method that many children used to attract their parents¡¯ attention, something many children learned without being taught.


    They had learned it, and Shao Qihai was truly paying attention to them. But now, they already had a mother and no longer needed him.


    It was toote. Regardless of whether it was revenge or venting, the five kids still acted on the idea that they had previously thought of, pretending to be lousy and yful and spending a lot of money in front of Shao Qihai. They even observed the children who were famous for being mischievous in the vige and performed in front of Shao Qihai after learning.


    Coincidentally, Mu Jingzhe went out to deliver goods the next day, and Shao Qihai officially took over the job of taking care of them.


    Breakfast was fine, as Mu Jingzhe was still there. When Mu Jingzhe left, the children instantly revealed their mischievous side. When they were told to go to school, they pretended not to hear and continued fake-fighting with rods.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for Shao Qihai to finally send them to school, but when they returned at noon, the five children had turned into mud monkeys. Even Shao Dong had.


    After a lot of difficulty, he finally managed to get them to change clothes and clean up before sitting them down to eat. However, they refused to eat properly and ran around. After a great deal of effort, he finally managed to get them to go back to the dining table, but they started ying at the dining table as well. Two of the bowls were overturned, and the soup was spilled. They carelessly picked up food with their chopsticks and dropped food all over the table. Xiao Wu even had oil and rice all over his face.


    Little Bei quietly washed her hands, threw down her chopsticks, and started eating rice with her bare hands.


    Shao Dong frowned and pickily criticized the food for tasting awful, eitherining that it was too salty or too nd. He was unwilling to eat.


    As he looked at the messy kitchen, Shao Qihai started to doubt his life. He felt that the warmth and good times he had experienced when Mu Jingzhe was around seemed to have turned into a dream. The children had transformed from little angels into little devils.


    But they hadn¡¯t been like this before. Why was it that this time¡­


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know what the children were thinking and almost couldn¡¯t hold back his anger. However, when he thought of the debt he owed them, he felt that the children might be doing it on purpose, so he endured it.


    After the meal, the kitchen looked like a battlefield. The kids were all dirty and had changed into a second set of clothes. Due to this change, their bedroom also became a battlefield. Shao Qihai was sweating profusely.


    After clearing away their dirty clothes without a word ofint, Shao Qihai prepared to take them to school. However, when he got out, he saw Xiao Wu ying with water. There was water everywhere in the courtyard, and most of the water that he had fetched had been wasted.


    In just half a day, Shao Qihai felt both physically and mentally exhausted.


    After sending them away with difficulty, Shao Qihai returned home with abnormally heavy footsteps.


    Shao Dong turned around the corner and nced at Shao Qihai. His eyes were extremely calm. There was no trace of guilt or joy in them.


    There was indeed nothing to be happy about. Taking care of five children was difficult and tiring to begin with. This was how their mother used to live. No matter how obedient they were and how much they didn¡¯t want to trouble their mother, the process of taking care of them was still very tiring for their mother. They had seen Mu Jingzhe secretly massage her back several times.


    After Shao Qihai washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, he went to wash the clothes. A long time passed, and soon, it was time for the children to return from school. It was about time for him to prepare dinner once more.


    Shao Qihai felt like his entire body had been hollowed out, but he had no choice but to perk up and wait for the children toe back from school. As Mu Jingzhe had instructed, he would ask them to eat some fruit and then watch them do their homework.


    When he was done making all these preparations, the five kids still hadn¡¯t returned.


    It was only when Shao Qihai found his way to school that he realized it was empty. He didn¡¯t find the five kids. Instead, he saw Mu Xue.


    Shao Qihai turned to leave at the sight of Mu Xue. Gritting her teeth, thetter caught up to him. ¡°Brother Qihai, you don¡¯t even want to see me now?¡±


    Shao Qihai had a headache. ¡°No, I was busy looking for my kids. They didn¡¯te home.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they went somewhere to y. They¡¯re sensible and won¡¯t run away easily.¡± Mu Xue walked up to Shao Qihai. ¡°Brother Qihai, let¡¯s have a nice talk.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Shao Qihai didn¡¯t think that he had anything to talk to Mu Xue about.


    Seeing Shao Qihai¡¯s cold gaze, Mu Xue bit her lips. ¡°Brother Qihai, do you mind that I was engaged previously?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I give you my blessing,¡± Shao Qihai said helplessly.


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to mind. I¡¯ve already suffered through retribution and have be theughing stock of the entire vige. Brother Qihai¡­ I wished you were still alive. When I found out that you were dead, I was shocked and regretful and even med myself for being willful. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have died.¡±


    Mu Xue knew that Shao Qihai had gone out to work not long after his marriage because he had been too sad. ¡°Brother Qihai, thank you for still being alive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Shao Qihai looked at Mu Xue, feelingplicated. This was because he suddenly realized that Mu Xue was the only one who was happy that he had returned alive.


    As the two of them spoke, they didn¡¯t see Shao Dong stick his head in around the school gate. When he saw this scene, he quickly left.


    They deliberately hadn¡¯t gone home on time as usual because they wanted to see if Shao Qihai woulde looking for them. In the end, Shao Qihai hade, but they no longer knew who he was looking for.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t notice. He looked at Mu Xue and paused for a moment before saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel so bad. The vigers just casually said a few words. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. When fatees, it wille. You will also find happiness.¡±


    This was his wish for her.


    Mu Xue looked at Shao Qihai and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± After she thanked him, Mu Xue¡¯s expression becameplicated.


    ¡°Brother Qihai, what about you? Are you happy?¡± In the year that Shao Qihai had been gone, Tang Moling and Shao Qiyang had surrounded Mu Jingzhe and been attracted to her. Ji Buwang had evene to provoke him repeatedly. How had Shao Qihai endured it?


    Mu Xue was furious on Shao Qihai¡¯s behalf.


    Shao Qihai stiffened for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s fine¡­ that¡¯s good.¡± Mu Xue lowered her head, revealing a fair, slender neck.


    Because of their height advantage, Shao Qihai saw it immediately. For a moment, he felt a little ufortable and strange. He was afraid that others would see him talking to Mu Xue and Mu Jingzhe would get the wrong idea. He didn¡¯t dare say much and quickly bade her farewell before continuing to look for the kids.


    However, he searched the entire vige for ces they could possibly have gone to and didn¡¯t find them anywhere. All five of the children were missing. When he asked their ssmates, some said that they had gone to the mountain, while others imed they had seen them going to the river.


    The five kids had been obedient since they were young, and such a situation was unprecedented. When Shao Qihai heard that they could be by the river or on the mountain, he became anxious and quickly searched everywhere. When the vigers heard this, they also helped him look for the kids, but to no avail.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned, the first person she saw was Shao Qihai, who was sweating profusely. When she heard that the kids had disappeared, she also became anxious and joined the search.


    Mu Jingzhe even thought of thest time Little Bei had disappeared. At the time, Little Bei had been given away by Zhao Lan. Could those people be up to no good again?

 Chapter 215 - he Five Children Were Lectured

    <h4>Chapter 215: The Five Children Were Lectured</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Zhao Lan was stillughing at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai¡¯s anxiousness, but a secondter, the door to her house was kicked open. The sturdy door shook due to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s kick and made Zhao Lan¡¯s eyelids throb. Another kick and the door would be gone!


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, stop¡­ Stop! Have you gone mad?!¡±


    ¡°Did you do something to Little Dong, Little Bei, and the rest? Tell me, where did you hide them? Or did you give them away again?¡± Once bitten, twice shy. As she recalled that Little Bei had been locked in a cage previously, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes burned with rage.


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What do you mean where did I hide them? My goodness, I didn¡¯t do anything this time!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you admitted itst time either. You even fanned the mes to frame me. I don¡¯t believe you. Where¡¯s Shao Qiyun? Is Shao Qiyun up to no good again?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe started searching everywhere. ¡°Little Dong, Little Bei, where are you?¡±


    Zhao Lan was furious. ¡°No, Xiao Yun left that day and hasn¡¯t returned since. She was forced away by you. Stop looking for her. We haven¡¯t seen Shao Dong!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t listen. She quickly opened the room door to check and identally found Eldest Brother Shao lying there sick. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t go overboard¡­¡±


    ¡°So are you hiding the kids or not? Tell Shao Qihai.¡± Mu Jingzhe interrupted him and pulled Shao Qihai over.


    Eldest Brother Shao froze when he saw Shao Qihai. ¡°It¡¯s really not like that. It¡¯s really not us this time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Zhao Lan added. ¡°Why would I hide them?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to ask more when a surprised shout came from the door. ¡°Shao Dong¡­ Shao Dong and the others are back!¡±


    Shao Qihai rushed out of the door. As soon as he stepped out, he saw five kids who looked like mud monkeys. Shao Dong gave Shao Qihai a mischievous grin. ¡°We went to the mountain to y¡­¡±


    After saying this cheekily, they saw Mu Jingzhe walk behind Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Mommy?¡± The smiles froze on the five kids¡¯ faces. Why was Mommy back so early? Shouldn¡¯t she be back before nightfall?


    They¡¯d only wanted to scare Shao Qihai on purpose to annoy him. They hadn¡¯t wanted to scare their mother.


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Seeing the worry in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes, Shao Dong wished he could hide underground.


    ¡°So you know the way back? Where did you go? Were you kids trying to scare me to death? I thought you were abducted again.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at them one by one and saw that they were fine. She heaved a sigh of relief and was so happy that she wanted to cry. However, when she stretched out her hand, she couldn¡¯t help but make a move.


    ¡°Why are you running around? Who taught you not toe home after school?¡± Since they were so disobedient, she had to spank them to make them remember this lesson.


    The five children were all spanked by Mu Jingzhe. ¡°If I don¡¯t spank you, you won¡¯t remember. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll run about again in the future.¡±


    Like all parents, although Mu Jingzhe was happy and relieved, this didn¡¯t stop her from wanting to hit the children.


    Mu Jingzhe spanked them one after another. Because of how strong she was, it was truly a painful beating.


    The five kids were all stunned. This was the first time they were spanked. Previously, Shao Xi had been spanked twice, but it had been very light at the time. This time, it wasn¡¯t.


    They had really been taught a lesson. Like other children, their buttocks were spanked until they were red and they might even swellter.


    At that moment, they felt a mixture of pain, fear, and regret. Little Bei pouted and burst into tears. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t run around anymore.¡±


    While crying, she hugged Mu Jingzhe¡¯s leg. Xiao Wu hugged the other one. ¡°I won¡¯t run around anymore either.¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan¡¯s actions were faster than their thoughts, so they jumped into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms in unison. Their buttocks hurt, but for some reason, they wanted to cry andugh at the same time.


    A simr thought shed across the three brothers¡¯ minds. They finally knew why the children who had been beaten up by their parents because they were yful didn¡¯t run away. Instead, they snuggled into their parents¡¯ arms. They now wanted to do the same.


    As she was snuggled by the mud-covered trio, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes were ruined.


    ¡°My clothes¡­ You kids are really¡­ Why are you so disobedient?¡± Since Shao Qihai had returned, it seemed like the children had be quite mischievous. She couldn¡¯t fathom why.


    Mu Jingzhe could never have guessed their thoughts. The five of them looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes and awkwardly moved away from her, waiting to be scolded.


    Zhao Lan finally found an opportunity to retort. ¡°Look at how wronged I¡¯ve been. Those children went missing, and you came looking for me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only because you had a bad track record!¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately replied before coughing. ¡°I misunderstood you this time. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe apologized very readily. A mistake was a mistake. She was d that she hadn¡¯t broken the doorpletely. Otherwise, she would have had to pay for it. Then, she pulled the kids with her. ¡°Come back home with me!¡±


    When they returned to the courtyard, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything. The children stood in a row, admitted their mistake, and apologized.


    This was the first time in history that they were mischievous and actively admitted their mistake. Mu Jingzhe, who had returned home after a tiring day and had been scared stiff, didn¡¯t have the energy to continue lecturing them. ¡°Quick, go clean up. Don¡¯t do this again. I¡¯ll go cook now. You must be hungry.¡±


    ¡°Let me do it. You¡¯ve been working the entire day.¡± Shao Qihai quickly offered. He would have already finished cooking if this incident hadn¡¯t urred.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t argue and just watched as the children changed out of their dirty clothes.


    Shao Qihai was also scared stiff by the children. When he saw that the five kids had washed themselves, he couldn¡¯t help but say that they shouldn¡¯t be mischievous. In the end, Shao Xi retorted the moment he opened his mouth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a good time talking to Teacher Mu Xue? You imed you were looking for us, but who knows who you were really there to meet? Since you were so busy, we went to y on our own.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could lecture them, but Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t qualified.


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected to be seen by the children. Clearly, nothing had happened between him and Mu Xue, but he felt panicky. He hurriedly looked at Mu Jingzhe and said, ¡°Little Xi, don¡¯t talk nonsense. I was there to look for you kids and merely had a casual chat when we happened to meet.¡±


    These words were an exnation for Shao Xi, but even more so for Mu Jingzhe.


    However, Shao Qihai realized that other than raising her eyebrows, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have much of a reaction.


    There was actually a reason why Mu Jingzhe hade back early today. She had gone to ask about her marriage situation with Shao Qihai.


    Initially, within a year after the death of a husband or wife, the surviving spouse could apply to dere their marriage invalid. This way, even though Shao Qihai had returned, their marriage would still be invalid.


    However, because the original Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t known about this, she hadn¡¯t applied for it. Mu Jingzhe had only discovered that Shao Qihai was dead after transmigrating, so she hadn¡¯t thought of this problem at all and hadn¡¯t applied for it either. She thought that since he was dead, that should be the end of it.


    How could a marriage still exist if one of the parties had died? Unless it was necessary, no one would apply for this. Who would have thought that Shao Qihai woulde back alive and she wouldn¡¯t be remarried?


    Because Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t deliberately faked his death, they¡¯d probably still have to go through the divorce process.


    After all this, she still had to get a divorce. As long as Shao Qihai wanted to, it was possible that he wouldn¡¯t let her see the children again. She was really depressed.


    Upon hearing that Shao Qihai had met Mu Xue again, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t in the mood to care much.

 Chapter 216 - The Youngest Movie Queen in History

    <h4>Chapter 216: The Youngest Movie Queen in History</h4>


    While they were eating, Mu Jingzhe was a little distracted and couldn¡¯t muster up any energy. Thinking that they had frightened Mu Jingzhe, the five kids transformed into considerate little darlings, showing great concern for her and looking extremely obedient.


    Shao Qihai looked at the few of them, who werepletely different from how they had been at noon, and thought that they were deliberately pranking him because they were angry with him. Unexpectedly, when the five kids saw Mu Jingzhe looking listless, they secretly decided that they had to speed up.


    However, just as Shao Xi had said previously, sometimes it was impossible to stop being outstanding. It was as if the heavens were opposing them. It wasn¡¯t easy for them to score against Shao Qihai, and they were about to continue implementing their mischievous n. However, good news kepting one after another. Their sparkle couldn¡¯t be hidden no matter how hard they tried.


    Firstly, Little Xi¡¯s book would be officiallyunched on the market after New Year¡¯s. Before it was published, a few copies were sent to Shao Xi. The teachers and principal of the school had long known about this. After they received the books, they organized an activity that involved the entire school learning together.


    Everyone in the vige knew that Shao Xi didn¡¯t just publish articles in magazines and newspapers. He also published books. He was incredible and he was thus praised everywhere.


    Meanwhile, the show Shao Nan had participated in was still broadcasting. It was even broadcast until the end when he started to show his might. The name Shao Nan was now known by many people. Seeing that it was a good show and Shao Nan was really inspirational, not only did the principal be an avid viewer of the show when it was broadcast at night, but he even moved the television to the school. When it was reyed in the day, he would watch it with the teachers and students, letting everyone learn from Shao Nan.


    He even let Shao Nan share his insights into bing so knowledgeable. Seeing that Shao Nan knew a lot, the vigers would ask him if they had any questions. Sometimes, they would just ask casually, and other times, they would seriously consult him, especially regarding legal issues.


    Shao Nan¡¯s answer actually helped a person in the vige get back his sry. The boss had originally bullied him because he was illiterate and ignorant. He had even wanted to dy payment, but because of Shao Nan, he didn¡¯t dare to.


    That person brought something over to thank Shao Nan. Everyone in the vige said that Shao Nan was the most promising boy.


    Shao Nan and Shao Xi were very d and proud, but they were also extremely annoyed. However, there was more good news toe.


    Director Lu had sent over internal information that Little Bei¡¯s movie had a high chance of winning an award at the Film Festival and she was very likely to be the youngest six-year-old movie queen in the history of the country. Although she hadn¡¯t won the award overseas, Little Bei had attracted a lot of attention because of her age.


    The name Little Bei instantly became the focus of attention in the industry. She was already astounding enough, but who knew that Xiao Wu would be even more shocking.


    Xiao Wu was also rapidly gaining poprity. He first became popr overseas. Although the movie didn¡¯t win an award overseas, his soundtrack was praised and hailed as a stunning piece of music.


    A globally-renowned director and a world-famous musician publicly praised Xiao Wu¡¯s music. They said that it had made them cry and also made themugh. It had been many years since they hade across such a stunning piece of music, so they really wanted to get in touch with him and coborate with him. When they contacted Xiao Wu, they identally learned how old he was.


    Xiao Wu was only four years old, while he had only been three years old when he hadposed that piece of music. What kind of concept was that?


    Director Lu had kept Xiao Wu¡¯s age under wraps and shocked the musician and director in an unexpected way, causing Xiao Wu to be even more popr overseas.


    Both Little Bei and Xiao Wu shot to fame, especially after people found out that he was Little Bei¡¯s younger brother. This made the media fight to report the news.


    Although Xiao Wu and Little Bei didn¡¯t win an award, they sessfully made a name for themselves and garnered widespread attention.


    Meanwhile, the local media fought to report the storm caused by Xiao Wu overseas. When the news spread to their country, it was coincidentally time for Xiao Wu and Little Bei to attend the award ceremony.


    The formal evening wear that Mu Jingzhe had tailored was finally put to use. Just as they had agreed, the family went to the award ceremony, each of them dressed up smartly.


    Shao Qihai, who had returned unexpectedly, also attended the event shamelessly. He then witnessed Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s love confession.


    Little Bei really went on to win the award and became the youngest movie queen ever. When she stood on the podium to receive the award, even the emcee cooperatively squatted down to interview her. The entire audience felt proud of Little Bei.


    However, Little Bei only had eyes for Mu Jingzhe and kept looking in her direction. When the emcee asked her how she could convincingly portray a hearing disorder at such a young age, Little Bei answered seriously.


    ¡°It¡¯s because my ears were almost damaged by a fever. Fortunately, Mommy discovered it in time and rushed me to the hospital overnight. I¡¯m fine now, but I remember how flustered Mommy was at the time.¡±


    Little Bei made it sound like she hadn¡¯t ignored Mu Jingzhe back then. Mu Jingzheughed when she heard that, but Little Bei took this opportunity to confess. ¡°Mommy, I love you!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had formed all sorts of hearts with her fingers for the five kids when she had nothing to do. As everyoneughed, Little Bei asked the emcee to take the trophy and then formed a series of hearts with her fingers, gesturing at Mu Jingzhe.


    Who could resist Little Bei? Everyone present smiled maternally. Mu Jingzhe was so thrilled that she wished she could jump up and scream maniacally from below, ¡°Little Bei, I love you too!¡±


    At the end of her eptance speech, Little Bei said, ¡°I only managed to achieve all this today because of Mommy. I hope I can be with Mommy forever.¡±


    For the time being, Little Bei didn¡¯t know what creating momentum was, but she used the most sincere words to express her feelings.


    After getting off the stage, Little Bei ran over on her short legs and threw herself into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms. She gave the trophy to Mu Jingzhe, and this scene was captured like crazy by the reporters.


    After Little Bei was crowned the youngest movie queen, Xiao Wu also went on stage. Because he was too young, Director Lu led him up.


    The emcee squatted down again and praised the siblings for being incredible. Xiao Wu was embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s all because Mommy is good. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it. She asked me to learn it.¡±


    ¡°It seems that our Shao Bei and Shao Zhong both like Mommy very much.¡± The emcee praised them, using this merely as a passing remark. The emcee was about to continue the interview, but Xiao Wu suddenly nodded and added, ¡°Yes, yes. Mommy is the most amazing and beautiful. I like Mommy the most.¡±


    At the mention of Mu Jingzhe, shy Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t afraid to speak anymore. He took the initiative to lean over and say into the microphone, ¡°The best person in the world is Mommy. If it wasn¡¯t for Mommy, I might not even have known how to speak. I love Mommy!¡±


    Then, he started to form hearts with his fingers like crazy. He even pouted and mimicked a kiss. With his short legs and arms, he looked way too adorable.


    The emcee smiled helplessly. Children tended to lose control when they went on stage. He had made many preparations, but he hadn¡¯t expected the two children to lose control and confess their love for their mother instead of running around, screaming, or spouting nonsense.


    After Xiao Wu finished his unbridled confession, he buried his head in Director Lu¡¯s arms in embarrassment and whispered that he wanted to get off the stage.


    Director Luughed and told the emcee in jest, ¡°This child is insisting on going down. I suspect that he came up just to praise his mommy and tell her that he loves her.¡±


    Director Lu was really just joking. He hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to nod obediently in his arms. The emcee and Director Lu were helpless. They shrugged and said that they had tried their best to salvage the situation and there was nothing they could do now.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart almost melted from Xiao Wu¡¯s cuteness. After Xiao Wu got out, he jumped into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms and also gave Mu Jingzhe the trophy, which he could only carry with both hands.


    Mu Jingzhe raised him up, then plopped him down on her right and Little Bei on her left. Besides them, there were also Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan. She was very much looking like a winner in life.

 Chapter 217 - Shao Qihai Is Dead Again?

    <h4>Chapter 217: Shao Qihai Is Dead Again?</h4>


    The five children of the family were all very good-looking, so the reporter took many photos of them.


    The reporter casually snapped photos of them but subconsciously ignored Shao Qihai, who was next to them. When the reporter turned around and saw Shao Qihai constantly appearing in the photos, he evenined inwardly that he was in the way. ¡°Why is he always there?¡± Although Shao Qihai was very pleasing to the eye and looked nice in the same frame, this wasn¡¯t what the reporter wanted.


    The reporter didn¡¯t expect him to be the children¡¯s father. Because Little Bei and Xiao Wu only mentioned their mother and had not said a word about their father, everyone subconsciously ignored their father.


    When the reporter took a closer look at the photos, he realized that Shao Xi and Shao Nan looked very familiar. The more he looked at them, the more familiar they looked. Upon closer inspection, he realized these two were the young geniuses.


    Shao Xi rarely appeared, but it was possible to find out information about him due to the fact that he had already published a book at such a young age.


    There was no need to mention Shao Nan. During this period of time, everyone hade to know about this little prodigy. Many parents religiously tuned in to the program with their children, wanting their kids to learn from Shao Nan. Shao Nan had be that kid parentspared their kids to, a nightmare for many school-age children.


    They hadn¡¯t known until now. So, it turned out that they were siblings?


    These four children were heaven-defying, weren¡¯t they? A television station reporter quickly went to find out about the children¡¯s situation, then rushed to report it as a front-page story.


    In order to be the first media outlet to report this, this reporter hadn¡¯t actually doneprehensive research. Or rather, he hadn¡¯t obtained thetest news. Therefore, ording to the report, Mu Jingzhe, who was a stepmother, wouldn¡¯t remarry for the sake of those children, who weren¡¯t rted to her by blood, and had taken care of them without anyints. This was also why they liked their mother so much.


    This report was really touching. After it was published, the other media outlets also reported on this upon seeing it. Hence, other newspapers, magazines, and radio stations all published simr reports.


    The theme was that the children were pitiful. First, they had lost their mother and then their father. Fortunately, they had a good stepmother. It was a touching story about how they¡¯d be sessful and thanked their stepmother.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    No, he had returned alive. He was still alive. Hey, he wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    Although Shao Qihai was still alive, he was reported dead in media publications. The first reporter didn¡¯t update the news in time, causing everyone to think so. In addition, the children had never mentioned their father and were always talking about their mother, so they naturally felt that their father was gone.


    Say, would the children have done that if their father was alive? No one detected a problem.


    Shao Qihai saw reports of his death everywhere. The vigers were also curious to know how he had died again. Helplessly, he called the news agency and told them that he was still alive and they should not write that he was dead.


    The newspaper agency representative sneered. ¡°You¡¯re Shao Bei and the other kids¡¯ father? Yeah, right. And I¡¯m your grandfather. You should know what line of work we¡¯re in. How dare you lie to us?¡±


    The person who answered the phone said he had seen this kind of prank too many times before sneering and hanging up without hesitation.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Wait, I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± The call had already been hung up.


    Shao Qihai was feeling extremely helpless. Actually, there was another way to correct the report, and that was by getting the children to say something. As long as they said something, all these problems would be solved. But judging by the children¡¯s attitude, he felt that he should just forget about it.


    Before Shao Qihai could correct them and dere that he was still alive, the media had already turned the page and stopped talking about him. The reports started to focus heavily on the five children. The reports on the children attracted countless people¡¯s envy, jealousy, and hatred. Mu Jingzhe, as a mother, also became an object of envy for many people.


    The onlyme one was probably Shao Dong, the eldest son. Every single one of his younger siblings was very promising, and it seemed as if he was the only ordinary one.


    After reading the reports, many people said that it would be great if their older brother could be sessful too.


    However, after a long time, they realized that they were too naive. Who was ordinary-looking? He was simply a hidden bomb that could scare people to death.


    He wasn¡¯t ordinary. With such younger siblings, how could he be ordinary?


    The newspapers went crazy reporting this.


    The five kids were left speechless when they read the news.


    They had won an award and fervently confessed their love for their mother, and Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t even revealed his face, so they were really happy. However, this period was really subtle.


    Their n to pretend to be ordinary seemed to havepletely failed.


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t understand the troubles of the five children at all. She was only focused on being happy, especially since Little Bei and Xiao Wu had praised Mu Jingzhe so much. She felt that she hadn¡¯t doted on the children for nothing.


    Because of the news reports on them winning an award, the movie became popr for a period of time and would soon be broadcast on the television station¡¯s movie channel.


    Li Zhaodi had previously said that she wanted to invite the vigers to watch it. In the past, it had not worked, but this time, it did. Taking advantage of this lively atmosphere, she immediately invited a movie theater owner to the vige. Furthermore, they agreed to y it for three days straight.


    When the news spread, the people of Great Eastern Vige prepared to take their seats. When the people of other viges, such as Little Eastern Vige, heard this, they also rushed over to watch.


    Knowing that Little Bei was from Great Eastern Vige, the people from other viges were very interested. Although the people from Great Eastern Vige often saw Little Bei, they were still very keen to watch the movie. However, they wouldn¡¯t lose face in front of the vigers from other viges. They had a firm disposition and they stuck out their chests as they told everyone.


    ¡°Since they¡¯re busy now, there¡¯s no need to specifically visit Little Bei. They¡¯lle when the movie is released. You guys can look at her or even talk to her then. But remember not to get too close. She¡¯s our big star, so she¡¯s not someone you can touch easily.¡±


    Everyone was sensible. After saying that proudly, they definitely wouldn¡¯t take these people to the Shao Residence. When someone went to look for Little Bei, they even stopped them to prevent them from doing anything overboard.


    Because the vigers automatically took up the roles of assistants and bodyguards, Mu Jingzhe and the others weren¡¯t affected. Although they had already gone to the cinema to watch the film, since it was released in the vige this time, Mu Jingzhe and the others still had to go see it again.


    Hence, they ate earlier and prepared to leave with their stools.


    ¡°Mom, Grandma said that we don¡¯t have to bring the stools. She specifically brought a superstar¡¯s seat and put it in the middle and evenid a cushion for us and Little Bei. She told us we can just go over to watch the movie. No one is snatching the seats from us.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed out loud. ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t bring one. Your grandmother is cute, right?¡±


    Li Zhaodi was really giving them the treatment of a movie star attending her movie screening at a theater.


    ¡°Cute. When everyone heard that Little Bei is going, they got busy snatching the seats beside her. They said that they are waiting for us and they will start ying the movie when we get there.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Mu Jingzhe and the five children packed up and set off. However, when they reached the door, they noticed that Shao Qihai had not followed them.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to watch it?¡± This was Little Bei¡¯s movie.


    Shao Qihai coughed. ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯lle over in a while.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. The movie was about to start. She was ready to say something when Little Bei stopped her. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mommy. He doesn¡¯t like watching movies.¡±


    Little Bei nced at Shao Qihai. It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t disappointed. Her tone was calm, but she had actually hoped that Shao Qihai would make an exception for her.


    In the end, he had still disappointed her.

 Chapter 218 - The Manly Man With a Face Full of Tears

    <h4>Chapter 218: The Manly Man With a Face Full of Tears</h4>


    Shao Dong nced at Shao Qihai coldly and held Little Bei¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll go with Mommy. Grandma and Grandpa are waiting.¡±


    If Shao Qihai didn¡¯t want to watch, there were plenty of people who would. There were lots of people who wanted to support Little Bei.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Little Bei perked up. She held Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong¡¯s hands and skipped forward.


    Shao Qihai chased after her, taking two steps forward, as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. His face was filled with frustration, and he couldn¡¯t help but scratch his hair.


    Because there were many people watching and it was Little Bei performing, the principal generously allowed the movie to be screened directly on the school field. Now, their school field had also beenid with cement.


    Since the cement ground had been built by the parents of the students, they could enjoy it together.


    The principal didn¡¯t expect toe across such a promising child at school. He was incredibly fond of those five children.


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei went over, someone with sharp eyes shouted for Little Bei toe, causing everyone to look over. The vigers were fine, but the people from other viges stretched their necks and rushed over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t squeeze through, don¡¯t squeeze through. Sit and stand properly. Otherwise, all of you can go back. Stop looking.¡±


    Li Zhaodi instantly panicked. She and Mu Teng stood in front of Little Bei and automatically acted as security guards.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong also automatically acted as security guards and escorted Little Bei to her special seat in the center.


    There were two wooden chairs from the principal¡¯s office there. Now, they were being used by Li Zhaodi.


    Even after Mu Jingzhe sat down with them, she could still see everyone craning their necks to look at Little Bei. She thought that they hadn¡¯t asked to take photos with Little Bei or get her autograph only because they weren¡¯t in the habit of doing so. Otherwise, they would havee to get autographs and take pictures with her as memorabilia.


    The entire school field was packed with people, so it was noisy. However, when the movie started, the ce went quiet.


    When they saw Little Bei in the movie, these people¡¯s reactions were exactly the same as Li Zhaodi¡¯s in the past. They looked at Little Bei and mumbled, ¡°She¡¯s exactly the same.¡±


    As the plot progressed, each and every one of them started to cry. When they saw Zhao Lan and Li Zhaodi, the bad guys, appear, Li Zhaodi scolded herself. Also, since she was the one treating them to the movie, no one criticized her.


    However, Zhao Lan was in trouble. She was beaten up the moment she arrived.


    That¡¯s right, Zhao Lan also came. The vige was so lively that she couldn¡¯t take this lying down and secretly came to take a look. In the end, someone happened to see her. A little boy who couldn¡¯t distinguish between acting and real life picked up a rock without hesitation and threw it over at the sight of the baddie.


    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death, you evil grandma!¡±


    Shortly after her arrival at the lively scene, disaster befell Zhao Lan. With a dong, she was struck by the rock.


    She cursed in response, and upon seeing that everyone was itching toe over and hit her, she shut up and fled in a hurry.


    This was even after Mu Jingzhe stopped everyone. If she hadn¡¯t, Zhao Lan would probably have had trouble leaving.


    Even though Zhao Lan had gone overboard with the five kids, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t let them continue hitting her. What if they beat her to death? She could only stop everyone and exin that this was just acting.


    In spite of this incident with Zhao Lan, the movie continued ying.


    Toward the end, there were sobbing sounds everywhere. Everyone was engrossed in the movie.


    Mu Jingzhe had seen it once before and felt it deeply. However, as she watched, she felt the need to relieve herself, so she secretly left to go to the bathroom.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned from the bathroom, she was almost frightened to death by a crying sound as she walked past thewn outside the school.


    The vige wasn¡¯t like the city, which was brightly lit. In the dark night of Great Eastern Vige, one couldn¡¯t see their fingers without a shlight. It was really creepy to hear someone crying at night.


    ¡°Who is it? Come out. Stop hiding and scaring people.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that someone was ying a prank on her, as there were many people there. Unexpectedly, the moment she shouted, the crying sound stopped. A momentter, the other person let out a crying burp.


    It seemed like that person was really crying. Upon hearing the hups, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t that afraid anymore and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m Mu Jingzhe. Are you alright? If there¡¯s anything wrong, you can tell me. Stop hiding and crying.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that someone had been wronged and was hiding in tears. She wanted tofort the other person to prevent anything from happening.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t exaggerating. This was something that had happened when she had just transmigrated. A youngdy had given birth to her first child, a daughter. Her mother-inw, who had been dissatisfied, had kept scolding her and hadn¡¯t even taken care of her during her confinement. The confinement period was very important to a woman who had just given birth. Being scolded like this every day made the young mother depressed, which had resulted in conflict with her husband and her crying often.


    After seeing her crying a few times, everyone knew that she felt aggrieved, but there was nothing they could do about it. Later on, one night, because her daughter was sick, she wanted to take her to the doctor. Her mother-inw objected and said that it was a waste of money. Her husband didn¡¯t dare make a sound either, so she left with the child on her back.


    Everyone originally thought that she had gone to the doctor with the child on her back, but the next morning, the bodies of the mother and daughter were found in the reservoir.


    The young mother had lost her biological mother, and her biological father was crazy. She had suffered many grievances and had nowhere toin. No one had given her any advice either. In the middle of the night, in her despair, she had jumped into the pond with her child.


    When they were hauled up, the child was still firmly tied to her mother.


    Mu Jingzhe had just arrived at the time and had only met this young mother once. She hadn¡¯t expected her to be gone so quickly.


    This matter had impacted her quite greatly. She felt that the young wife might have been forced into depression by them. In addition, she had been so desperate that she had made a bad choice.


    However, it had been toote to say anything then. Now that she¡¯d heard this sound of crying, the first thing that came to her mind was that incident. Hence, she asked what was wrong out of concern, thinking that if it was another young woman in simr circumstances, perhaps a few words of advice from her could save one or even two lives.


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to sound as gentle and approachable as possible. ¡°Can you hear me? I¡¯ming.¡±


    After greeting the person, Mu Jingzhe was about to go over. However, the person hiding seemed to be frightened. After letting out a panicked sound, they rolled down the stairs and ran away.


    ¡°Are you alright? Don¡¯t fall and hurt yourself¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly climbed up and searched with the shlight, only to see a fleeing figure.


    The shlight had a limited range, so she couldn¡¯t see who it was. From the back, it seemed to be a man, and he looked a little familiar.


    ¡°Who is it? It¡¯s actually a man.¡±


    Did men cry like this too? Did they also suffer such grievances?


    Mu Jingzhe chased after him, taking two steps forward, but when she realized that she couldn¡¯t catch up to him anymore and couldn¡¯t remember who it was, she stopped. However, she picked up a pair of binocrs from the ground.


    The binocrs were wrapped in tape, and the lens was cracked. They were very old.


    ¡°He was even carrying binocrs¡­ He¡¯ll probablye back after he realizes they¡¯re missing, right?¡± Mu Jingzhe put away the binocrs and returned to the school, wondering who it was.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I know him. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen him before. Why else would I find him familiar¡­ That physique¡­¡±


    As soon as she arrived at the school gate, Mu Jingzhe had a sh of inspiration when she saw Shao Dong. ¡°Shao Qihai!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shouted in surprise and then paused. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. It can¡¯t be Shao Qihai. Why was he hiding there crying? He hasn¡¯t suffered any grievances.¡±


    Although that person had looked quite a lot like Shao Qihai, Mu Jingzhe felt that it was impossible. Shao Qihai would even teach his children to ¡®shed blood and sweat but never tears¡¯. How could he possibly hide in the grass and cry his heart out?

 Chapter 219 - Escaping Death

    <h4>Chapter 219: Escaping Death</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t imagine this cold scene, so she shook her head and pushed those thoughts away. She found Little Bei and the others and continued watching the movie.


    Elsewhere, Shao Qihai, who had run home in a sorry state, heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t caught up with him. He felt like he had just escaped death.


    He had almost been exposed. He had been scared out of his wits just now.


    Shao Qihai let out a breath and washed his face. However, his eyes were still swollen. He touched his swollen eyes and identally huped, smacking his head in frustration.


    ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have gone there.¡±


    Shao Qihai never watched television dramas or movies. In front of outsiders, he¡¯d imed that he didn¡¯t like them, but in reality, he was afraid of seeing people cry while watching television or movies. Once they cried, he would cry along with them.


    He hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to watch Little Bei¡¯s movie yet, but it sounded like a very touching movie. To sum up, it contained a lot of crying scenes.


    He couldn¡¯t even take it if an ordinary person cried. If he saw Little Bei cry, he would probably cry to death with her.


    Therefore, Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t dared to go with them. Otherwise, if he cried in front of the men, women, and children of Great Eastern Vige, as well as in front of other vigers, he would be finished. Who knew what those people would think of him.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t dare. When he had seen Little Bei¡¯s disappointed expression, he had felt terrible but had still persisted.


    However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to not watch it at all. That was Little Bei¡¯s first movie, and it had even won an award. In the end, after they¡¯d left, he had secretly followed them. He didn¡¯t dare watch the movie in public, so he had hidden away to watch it.


    Since he was too far away to see clearly, Shao Qihai had used a pair of binocrs. He had applied to bring the binocrs back after the army had discarded them.


    Although they were a little shabby, they were better than the ones outside. One could see clearly through these binocrs. Because the volume was loud, he could watch the movie just fine even from a distance.


    Shao Qihai had been very engrossed while watching it. He¡¯d kept praising Little Bei in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t help but cry along.


    Unexpectedly, just as he¡¯d been crying uncontrobly, Mu Jingzhe had discovered him. He didn¡¯t even dare to imagine Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression if she saw him like this.


    Shao Qihai had run away in fear. Because he was really anxious, he even scraped his ankle.


    He lowered his head to look at his ankle. The wound was small and it was nothing serious, but Shao Qihai also realized that he had lost the binocrs while he had been in a hurry.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t let Jingzhe pick them up.¡± If he was exposed, he would be finished.


    Shao Qihai was hesitating, not sure whether he should take the risk and go out to look for them. Just as he was about to leave the house, he saw Shao Qiyang return.


    These days, Shao Qiyang had been leaving early and returningte, so he¡¯d rarely seen Shao Qihai. Ever since Shao Qihai had discovered his intentions, the two hadn¡¯t met in private. When he saw Shao Qiyang return, he greeted him with conflicted thoughts.


    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Qiyang nced at Shao Qihai. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine. I just identally rubbed some chili into my eyes and made them sting.¡± Shao Qihai forgot that the swelling in his eyes had yet to subside and hurriedly made up an excuse. ¡°Have you eaten? I¡¯ve saved you some food.¡±


    Shao Qihai had originally wanted to talk to Shao Qiyang, but now that his eyes were red, he¡¯d probably have to postpone it.


    Shao Qiyang looked at Shao Qihai¡¯s back and was silent for a moment. ¡°Where are Jingzhe and the kids?¡±


    ¡°They went to the movies. Little Bei¡¯s movie is being screened in the vige.¡± Only then did Shao Qihai realize that Shao Qiyang had never called her second sister-inw. He had always called her Jingzhe. There had actually been signs all along.


    Shao Qiyang nodded in understanding. Then, he looked at Shao Qihai with disappointment in his eyes. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you go?¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t like movies. We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡± Shao Qihai was stiff.


    Shao Qiyang sneered softly. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, that¡¯s the first movie Little Bei has starred in. She will probably be very disappointed.¡±


    Even Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had thought of screening Little Bei¡¯s movie to make her happy. In the end, her father had refused to watch it because he didn¡¯t like movies. How ironic. He didn¡¯t even go although the movie was being screened almost right on their doorstep.


    Shao Qihai froze, also knowing that it was wrong of him to do this. ¡°I¡¯ll go and see itter. I just won¡¯t watch it for the time being.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Shao Qiyang was increasingly disappointed in Shao Qihai. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue speaking to him, so he turned to look for Mu Jingzhe and the five kids.


    The movie had already ended, but Little Bei was surrounded by passionate viewers and couldn¡¯t leave for a while.


    Even after the movie was finished, everyone was crying. When they looked at Little Bei again, they were still immersed in the movie, and someone even rolled up his sleeves, wanting to settle the score with Zhao Lan. ¡°Where is this old, wicked woman? Didn¡¯t she appear previously? Let¡¯s go and hit her. Let¡¯s just beat her to death.¡±


    Zhao Lan had just been hit by a rock. If this person went over, she might really be beaten up again. Little Bei hadn¡¯t expected that after such a long time, someone would finally stand up for her.


    She was quite happy in her heart, but she was sensible enough to stop everyone from acting rashly. She repeatedly told everyone that everything in the movie was fake and that it wasn¡¯t true. She had a mother and brothers who treated her very well.


    Although she said that, everyone in Great Eastern Vige was there. It was a fact that this was just a performance in a movie, but it was also a fact that Zhao Lan wasn¡¯t a good person. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of what Eldest Brother Zhao, Zhao Lan, and the others had done to the kids.


    Hence, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, who had blended into the crowd and were crying with everyone else, once again entered everyone¡¯s line of sight.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, who were originally very happy to be watching the movie and even silently admired Little Bei and wanted to say a few words to her, saw everyone¡¯s gazes and ran away crying.


    After what Little Bei had said, the crowd gave up on the idea of beating Zhao Lan up. Then, someone said that it would be great if they could take a picture with her. Since this was her first time watching Little Bei¡¯s movie in the vige, Mu Jingzhe had brought her camera. Hence, they ended up taking a group photo that would one day be precious.


    Although there were no autographs, everyone did take group photos.


    One vige after another took a group photo with her, gathering around Little Bei. Then, they even stuffed money into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands, insisting that she buy a copy for them when she developed the photos.


    Because of this fan meeting, they were dyed for a while and didn¡¯t return home.


    After Shao Qiyang came over and helped the five children and Mu Jingzhe take a photo, they walked home amid everyone¡¯s enthusiastic encouragement to stay.


    On the way home, Shao Dong noticed the binocrs that Mu Jingzhe had hung in front of her chest to free her hands up to take photos. ¡°Mom, where did you get these binocrs?¡±


    ¡°I picked them up. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°These binocrs look familiar. I think I¡¯ve seen them before.¡±


    ¡°Really? Whose are they?¡± If only she could find that person and return the binocrs. Most importantly, she had to persuade him not to take things too seriously.


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression was strange for a moment. ¡°I must have seen wrong. They shouldn¡¯t be his.¡± He seemed to have seen these binocrs among Shao Qihai¡¯s belongings before.


    Mu Jingzhe understood what Shao Dong meant. ¡°You mean that these belong to your father?¡±


    She realized that the children weren¡¯t willing to call Shao Qihai ¡®Daddy¡¯ anymore. They didn¡¯t want to call Shao Qihai ¡®Daddy¡¯ in front of him, and they didn¡¯t want to call him ¡®Daddy¡¯ in private either. They would rece the word ¡®Daddy¡¯ with ¡®he¡¯, but she didn¡¯t feel like it was her ce to speak to them about this.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen them before, but I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so either. They probably belong to someone else.¡±


    As they spoke, they returned home and happened to encounter Shao Qihai, who was about to leave the house.. He had originally nned on going back to look for the binocrs, but when he raised his head, he saw that the binocrs were hanging over Mu Jingzhe¡¯s chest.

 Chapter 220 - Teacher Mus Mother Is So Pitiful

    <h4>Chapter 220: Teacher Mu¡¯s Mother Is So Pitiful</h4>


    Shao Qihai instantly coughed and choked upon being startled.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m just going out for a while.¡± Afraid that they would see his red and swollen eyes, Shao Qihai lowered his head and walked out.


    ¡®What should I do? How did Jingzhe pick up the binocrs? Could she know I was the one crying?¡¯


    At the thought of Mu Jingzhe looking at him strangely, Shao Qihai felt like breaking down.


    Fortunately, based on his observation, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to have realized that it was him, which made Shao Qihai heave a sigh of relief.


    Little Bei¡¯s movie was screened for three days. Every day, the ce was packed with people. There were people from other viges who came over, as well as people from their own vige. They watched it for three consecutive days again and again.


    They didn¡¯t get sick of watching it for three days, because if they did, they could still reveal spoilers to the people from other viges who hadn¡¯t watched it before. Seeing those people¡¯s shocked expressions was their proudest moment.


    Everyone was still immersed in Little Bei¡¯s movie, but after Mu Jingzhe discussed it with Little Bei and the kids, they decided what Little Bei¡¯s next movie would be.


    Little Bei was young. Previously, scripts had been sent over to her, but there were rarely any offers for leading roles. This was normal. She was too young, and there weren¡¯t many shows with children as the main leads.


    It wasn¡¯t like she had to y a leading role, but this concerned Little Bei¡¯s future, so they were very cautious. So far, they had only chosen a supporting role in a movie, but there weren¡¯t many scenes with Little Bei in it. She could just film it over a weekend.


    This time, Little Bei was still considered the female lead. However, the real protagonists were another Best Actor and a new actor. Basically, they were all good at acting. Everything, from the director to the actors, the script, and the production team, was just right. That was why they¡¯d decided to ept the role after careful consideration.


    During the process, Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t felt like he¡¯d participated much, as he didn¡¯t know much about these things. Even Shao Qiyang and Ji Buwang could make some suggestions, but he didn¡¯t have the chance to speak.


    Although the script had been finalized, the official shooting process would have to wait. This was even better for Little Bei. She could focus on her studies and film itter.


    This was fine, actually. What made Mu Jingzhe feel concerned was her rtionship with Shao Qihai.


    Thinking back on it, she realized Shao Qihai had been back for more than two weeks. During this time, the two of them had grown a little more familiar than before.


    Shao Qihai was also busy. His transport convoy seemed to have been restored to its original state. He would also go out to handle work-rted matters, but he knew that he had been absent too much previously, so his main focus was still his family.


    As he had promised, he¡¯d taken over the expenses of the children, including the fees for the kids¡¯ enrichment sses and the books that the kids wanted. He had also bought the things that the professor had suggested Shao Nan buy, as well as the musical instruments that Xiao Wu wanted. He had never said a word ofint.


    He tried his best to get closer to Mu Jingzhe, but Mu Jingzhe was busy herself and whatever free time she had was basically upied by the children. Thus, he didn¡¯t have many opportunities to talk to Mu Jingzhe. When they did speak, their conversations revolved around the children.


    After counting, Shao Qihai realized that he and Mu Jingzhe had been alone for more than three minutes only a handful of times. Forget about nurturing their rtionship.


    His original room was now upied by Mu Jingzhe. The children said that it wasn¡¯t suitable for him to sleep in the same room with her, so he could only pack up his things and sleep with the boys.


    As long as the children were around, he was busy and basically surrounded by housework and all sorts of chores.


    Every day, he would carry a basket of clothes to wash them, clean the house, cook, and do all the housework. He was basically kept busy all the time.


    Although the children were a little vengeful at first, that was no longer the caseter on. They liked to be clean and were all sensible. In the past, in order to prevent Mu Jingzhe from washing clothes every day, they¡¯d specifically paid attention to avoid dirtying their clothes.


    The other children were like mud monkeys, but they were very careful. However, now that Shao Qihai was back, they no longer paid so much attention. These days, they yed and jumped whenever they wanted.


    Anyway, Shao Qihai was there to wash the clothes. He had already be a scenic sight in the vige. Every day, when he went to wash clothes, he was mocked by others.


    Zhao Lan had mocked him before, saying that she was the one who had helped Shao Qihai wash his clothes in the past. Now, he had to wash the clothes himself.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t care, and the five kids didn¡¯t take the vigers¡¯ gossip to heart either. On the other hand, after hearing the vigers gossip a few times, Mu Xue found this unjust for Shao Qihai.


    When the five kids finished school that day, Mu Xue hesitated for a moment before calling their names to stop them in their tracks.


    ¡°Shao Dong, I want to speak with you about something.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Teacher Mu.¡± Shao Dong¡¯s voice was polite, but his expression was very indifferent.


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t notice this change. Although she often heard news about the children, they were still young and she was a teacher, so she continued treating them like children out of habit.


    ¡°I heard some gossip recently that your father often goes to wash clothes and has be aughing stock in the vige. There are no other men in the vige washing clothes. Isn¡¯t this a tad inappropriate?¡± Mu Xue felt indignant on Shao Qihai¡¯s behalf.


    What Shao Qihai had done couldn¡¯t be publicized, but she knew that he had done a good deed. Such a person deserved respect. In her opinion, since Shao Qihai had returned, Mu Jingzhe shouldn¡¯t have stayed in contact with Ji Buwang and the others.


    It was one thing for her to not know that he was still alive, but it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to be doing this now. She¡¯d felt that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t doing a good job to begin with, so when she heard that Shao Qihai washed clothes every day, Mu Xue felt even more indignant.


    Although Mu Xue didn¡¯t mention Mu Jingzhe, her expression and words revealed her true thoughts. Rather than making this about Shao Qihai, she was implying that Mu Jingzhe should be the one washing the clothes instead.


    The kids weren¡¯t fools, so they knew what she was hinting at right away.


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression became even colder. ¡°Why would anyoneugh at someone for washing clothes? We¡¯ve washed our own clothes in the past. Besides, he hasn¡¯t washed them in a long time. Compared to what Mommy has washed, what he¡¯s washed is nothing.¡±


    Mu Xue paused and btedly detected Shao Dong¡¯s coldness. Just as she was about to say something, Shao Xi tilted his head and said curiously, ¡°Teacher Mu, my mother is your cousin. She washed many of our clothes in the past. Why have you never felt heartache for her?¡±


    Mu Xue was stunned. Had Mu Jingzhe washed them before? She hadn¡¯t noticed¡­


    Shao Nan observed her expression and smiled as he hit Shao Xi. ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t you know? Teacher Mu has never washed clothes. As a teacher, she can¡¯t suffer such hardships. She¡¯s also afraid that washing clothes will hurt her hands. Didn¡¯t Grandma say that in the past, she would have Mommy wash her clothes? Grandma made a fuss for a long time before Mommy finally no longer had to wash them for her. Since then, Teacher Mu¡¯s mother has been washing them for her.¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s face instantly turned red. In the past, Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t been able to bear to see her suffer. Her clothes had indeed been given to Mu Jingzhe to wash by Old Lady Mu, but it hadn¡¯t been for that long. It had only been for a year or two.


    Later on, when Li Zhaodi had found out, she¡¯d kicked up a fuss. Then, she had stopped. Why would Li Zhaodi even tell the children something like this?


    Mu Xue wanted to say something else, but Little Bei asked curiously, ¡°Would washing clothes hurt your hands? Why aren¡¯t our hands damaged? Doesn¡¯t Teacher Mu know how to wash clothes?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Mu Xue blushed and answered quickly.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Otherwise, Teacher Mu¡¯s mother would be too pitiful. You¡¯re already so big, yet she still has to wash your clothes.¡± Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief like a little adult. ¡°Besides, Teacher Mu, what if you get married? No one will wash your clothes for you anymore.¡±

 Chapter 221 - Youre Too Meddlesome

    <h4>Chapter 221: You¡¯re Too Meddlesome</h4>


    A trace of a smile shed past Shao Nan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Little Bei, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Have you forgotten that Teacher Mu was born to be rich? She¡¯s going to marry a rich person in the future. After she marries him, there will be plenty of people helping her wash clothes. There¡¯ll be no need for her to wash clothes.¡±


    Mu Xue hadn¡¯t expected them to mention that she had been ¡®born to be rich¡¯. Her face turned even redder, and she was a little angry. This was because her engagement had been broken off and also because her mother was indeed the one washing her clothes.


    ¡°Shao Nan, Shao Bei, you don¡¯t have to mock me. I just heard some gossip and think that it¡¯s bad for your father and you kids. That¡¯s why I warned you. I didn¡¯t mean anything else by it.¡±


    Mu Xue wasn¡¯t a fool and could sense the change in the children¡¯s attitude toward her. It wasn¡¯t like this in the past. Ever since Mu Jingzhe had be their mother, everything had changed.


    Mu Jingzhe found her an eyesore after all and had even taught the children to act like this.


    When she thought of this, Mu Xue wanted to say something, but she saw Shao Dong suddenly look at her and ask, ¡°Teacher Mu Xue, are you nning to marry my dad in the future? Are you going to have the wedding that was canceled?¡±


    Mu Xue, who was shocked, took a step back to look around. ¡°Shao Dong, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why are you so concerned about our family and my dad?¡± Shao Dong only asked one question.


    ¡°Because we know each other¡­¡± Mu Xue found an excuse.


    ¡°Teacher Mu, you know a lot of people. Like, everyone in Great Eastern Vige. Do you n to take an interest in everyone¡¯s affairs?¡± Shao Dong was just short of saying that she was being too meddlesome, but he was phrasing this in a tactful manner.


    Mu Xue hadn¡¯t expected her good intentions to be misunderstood like this. She was speechless and angry. She was about to retort when a worried-looking Little Bei spoke first. It seemed as though she hadn¡¯t heard that and was continuing the same topic.


    ¡°Teacher Mu wants to marry Dad? If she doesn¡¯t know how to wash clothes and doesn¡¯t allow Dad to wash them either, not only will we have to wash our own clothes in the future, but we¡¯ll also have to help Teacher Mu and our father wash their clothes, right?¡±


    Little Bei looked at her hands sadly. ¡°What will I do if I don¡¯t have that much strength? Teacher Mu, do you really know how to wash clothes?¡±


    Mu Xue felt a little ufortable and quickly said, ¡°I know how to do it. I know how to wash clothes!¡± Who was asking the children to wash her clothes?


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief and then paused. ¡°So, Teacher Mu, are you really going to marry Dad? Don¡¯t our parents have yet to divorce? Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯d be hical to do so. People will gossip about them behind their backs,¡± Shao Nan added before he seriously suggested something to Mu Xue. ¡°Although we can¡¯t interfere too much in the rtionships between adults, Teacher Mu, I suggest that you persuade my dad and mom to get a divorce first.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our mother won¡¯t stop the two of you or disagree. We¡¯ll be obedient and won¡¯t torture my father to make him suffer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I don¡¯t want to interfere in their rtionship.¡± Mu Xue¡¯s face turned purple. ¡°I just saw that the vigers were gossiping about him behind his back and was afraid that you didn¡¯t know, so I thought I should let you know.¡±


    Shao Dong and the rest were indifferent, as if they didn¡¯t believe her at all. Mu Xue panted as she looked at the five kids and stomped her feet. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    Shao Dong said, ¡°I¡¯ll pass on your intentions and heartache, Teacher Mu. We all heard what you lectured us about.¡±


    When Mu Xue heard this, she felt that something was amiss. Just as she was about to ask, the five children lowered their heads and left.


    Shao Qihai, who had been waiting for the five kids to return home, took their school bags and asked them to wash their hands before checking their clothes. ¡°Take off your dirty clothes. I¡¯ll go wash them before it gets dark.¡±


    Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°No need. We can wash our clothes ourselves in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai was stunned. ¡°Why? Have I not done a good job washing them?¡±


    Although doing all this was really tiring, he now knew that raising these children required washing and doing a lot of other things.


    It was hard, yet he didn¡¯tin because he¡¯d done too little in the past. He hadn¡¯t expected that just as he¡¯d made up his mind to work hard in the future, the kids would tell him not to wash their clothes anymore.


    Shao Dong shook his head as if he didn¡¯t want to know the reason and just walked away with his head lowered. Only Shao Xi was indignant. ¡°Teacher Mu Xue is already unhappy and specifically stopped us to speak to us about it. How would we dare let you wash them?¡±


    Shao Dong turned around and hollered, ¡°Little Xi!¡±


    Shao Xi pursed his lips and followed Shao Dong in.


    Shao Qihai was stunned for a moment before he grabbed Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, what¡¯s wrong? Did Mu Xuee looking for you kids? What did she say?¡±


    Xiao Wu lowered his head and looked at his fingers. ¡°She said that we shouldn¡¯t let you wash clothes.¡±


    Shao Qihai frowned. ¡°Why would she suddenly say that?¡±


    ¡°Because she wants to marry you.¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s words were shocking, but he didn¡¯t seem to know what he¡¯d said. Under Shao Qihai¡¯s shocked gaze, Xiao Wu looked conflicted. ¡°Are you going to marry Teacher Mu in the future? I don¡¯t know how to wash clothes yet. In the future, when Teacher Mu sees that I don¡¯t know how to wash clothes, will she scold and hit me? Is it toote for me to learn now?¡±


    Shao Qihai felt a massive headacheing on. He held Xiao Wu¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Who¡¯s getting married? Whatundry? Xiao Wu, what are you talking about?¡±


    Xiao Wu looked up and pursed his lips. ¡°I miss Mommy. Boohoo¡­¡±


    When Little Bei heard Xiao Wu crying, she immediately approached and pulled him over. She looked at Shao Qihai vigntly.


    Shao Qihai quickly raised his hands. ¡°Little Bei, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I only asked Xiao Wu a question. I didn¡¯t hit or scold him.¡±


    Seeing that Little Bei¡¯s expression had eased up, Shao Qihai asked, ¡°Little Bei, did Mu Xue look for you kids? What did she say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just that she doesn¡¯t know how to wash clothes and that you shouldn¡¯t be washing clothes all the time either. She said it¡¯s not right for us to let you do that.¡±


    As if she didn¡¯t want to say anything else, Little Bei pulled Xiao Wu away and left. Then, they didn¡¯t let Shao Qihai wash their clothes and washed them themselves.


    They wouldn¡¯t let Shao Qihai do other chores either, as they said that they were afraid that Teacher Mu would get angry again.


    When they said these words, they were all smiling as if they weren¡¯t angry. However, when he turned around, he heard Little Bei singing ¡®Little Cabbage¡¯.


    ¡°Little Cabbage, turning yellow in the fields¡­ Fearing that Daddy will get them a stepmother¡­¡±


    Little Bei was the youngest Movie Queen. Had she obtained the Best Actress Award for no reason? A truly good actor could use all sorts of expressions and voices. Little Bei was now very good at using her voice.


    Even though she was just singing a song, it sounded so sad and miserable that it seemed as if she was crying silently. It was so pitiful that Shao Qihai almost shed tears while hearing her sing.


    He held back his tears and ran away from home. After thinking about it, he went to look for Mu Xue. He really didn¡¯t want to hear Little Bei sing a song about them bing little cabbages before their stepmother entered the house.


    Even as Mu Xue returned home, she had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. When she heard that Shao Qihai hade, she quickly went out to meet him without giving it much thought. ¡°Brother Qihai¡­¡±


    ¡°Mu Xue, what did you say to the kids? No matter what you said, I hope you won¡¯t interfere in our family matters anymore. You¡¯ll scare my children if you do this.¡±

 Chapter 222 - Who Exactly Is Xiao Wus Mother?

    <h4>Chapter 222: Who Exactly Is Xiao Wu¡¯s Mother?</h4>


    Mu Xue was stunned. ¡°I didn¡¯t scare them. I didn¡¯t say I wanted to marry you either. They misunderstood¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai frowned. ¡°So why did you find the children and say these things? They are children and they?<i>will</i>?misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to!¡± Mu Xue¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°I only heard the vigers gossiping about you living off a woman and being a good-for-nothing. That Ji Buwang came knocking on your door, but you didn¡¯t dare say anything and you even washed clothes every day. Those words were really awful. I felt indignant and worried about you. That¡¯s why I said a word or two to the kids.¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard Mu Xue¡¯s words, his expression changed slightly. He took a deep breath and held it in. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, so you don¡¯t have to mind either, Mu Xue. Don¡¯t say anything to the kids again. It wasn¡¯t easy for us to mend our rtionship. I don¡¯t want it to be ruined.¡±


    Tears fell from Mu Xue¡¯s eyes when she heard this. ¡°I never wanted to destroy your rtionship. I just¡­ My heart aches for you.¡±


    After saying that, she covered her face and ran away.


    Shao Qihai frowned as he watched her leave. He was about to say something when he paused, then turned to leave with a frown. All of a sudden, he bumped into Li Fang, who was standing behind the house.


    When Li Fang saw Shao Qihai, she immediately turned around and left. Shao Qihai reacted and quickly chased after her. ¡°Li Fang, wait. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea. Don¡¯t say anything to Jingzhe¡­¡±


    However, before he could catch up, Li Fang disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    Li Fang was already a mature hawker. asionally, she would go to ces that didn¡¯t allow one to set up a stall. When people chased after her, she would carry a big bag of things and sprint off swiftly. She had long practiced hiding from people and improving her speed. In fact, she¡¯d saved up enough money and was preparing to open a shop. Therefore, even Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t keep up with her.


    Shao Qihai knew that things wouldn¡¯t look good for him if he didn¡¯t catch up to her. He quickly went to look for Mu Jingzhe, wanting to exin things to her clearly so that she wouldn¡¯t misunderstand and their already bad rtionship wouldn¡¯t worsen.


    However, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. When he returned home and saw Mu Jingzhe, he knew that he was a step toote.


    He was right. Mu Jingzhe had already heard from Li Fang that Shao Qihai and Mu Xue had arranged a secret rendezvous. Besides, Mu Xue even felt ¡®her heart ache¡¯ for Shao Qihai. To quote Li Fang:


    ¡°That shameless duo. She even feels heartache for him. Pfft. I really heard that. Jingzhe, you have to know!¡±


    Thanks to Li Fang¡¯s words, coupled with the five kids telling her what Mu Xue had said to them, she knew what was going on.


    She had been observing during this period of time and hadn¡¯t found any signs of Mu Xue and Shao Qihai reconciling. She¡¯d thought that her n had failed prematurely, but to her surprise, there was a silver lining. Mu Jingzhe quickly epted it and wasn¡¯t even as angry as Li Fang.


    Upon seeing Shao Qihai return and say that he wanted to exin, Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Alright, I have something to tell you too.¡±


    When the two of them were alone, Mu Jingzhe got straight to the point. ¡°Shao Qihai, my attitude hasn¡¯t changed. I already said that we should get a divorce. Now that the situation has developed up to this point, why don¡¯t you divorce me first? This will be good for you and Mu Xue, as you won¡¯t let Mu Xue suffer or feel heartache for you ande looking for the kids.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I like Little Bei and the rest of the kids. I can take care of them after the divorce. I¡¯m not trying to snatch your children. They¡¯ll still be your children. I¡¯ll just be taking care of them.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe patted her chest. She had finally found an opportunity to reveal her ultimate goal. It was impossible for her to really snatch Shao Qihai¡¯s children, but she could at least take care of them, right?


    Shao Qihai covered his face helplessly. He had wanted to exin, but she had already determined what was going on and even said something like this.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, this is the third time I¡¯ve seen Mu Xue since I returned. I went to look for her only to stop her from interfering in our family matters and looking for Little Bei and the rest. You can¡¯t take Li Fang¡¯s words seriously because she didn¡¯t hear everything.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t have any ns. Don¡¯t mention getting a divorce again.¡± He was scared out of his wits upon hearing about the divorce.


    ¡°But it¡¯s meaningless for us to not get a divorce and waste each other¡¯s time like this.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt very helpless. ¡°Look, it¡¯s been a while since you came back. Do you think we¡¯repatible? I don¡¯t think we are.¡±


    ¡°How do you know we¡¯re not right for each other if you¡¯ve never even tried? Mu Jingzhe, do the math yourself. Have I talked to you in private more than ten times in the past two weeks?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ That just means we don¡¯t have anything inmon.¡±?<i>Also, the two of us aren¡¯t meant to be.</i>


    ¡°Because you despise me from the bottom of your heart and have branded me as Mu Xue¡¯s man. In your heart, I¡¯m Mu Xue¡¯s. You despise me and only think about getting a divorce, but is this fair to me?¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I admit that I married you because of the circumstances, but don¡¯t forget that you and your mom forced me to marry you.


    ¡°You were the ones who forced me to get married back then. Now that I¡¯ve married you, you¡¯ve decided you don¡¯t want this anymore and are forcing me to get a divorce without giving me a chance at all. This isn¡¯t fair to me either, right? Ji Buwang said that you can¡¯t abandon him after toying with him, so how can you abandon me after toying with me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyelids twitched when she heard this. She hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to use this term as well.


    However, she couldn¡¯t retort because this was indeed what the original Mu Jingzhe had done.


    ¡°I apologize. I did do something wrong back then, so now that I¡¯ve realized my mistake, I want to set you free¡­¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want my freedom. I just want to live with you.¡± Shao Qihai bent down and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Jingzhe, Mu Xue and I really ended things a long time ago. It was over when I brought Xiao Wu back. She gave up on me then. It¡¯s been impossible for us to be together since then. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have let this drag on for so long. Xiao Wu is already so big now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, who had read the book, naturally knew that it was all because of Xiao Wu. The rtionship between Shao Qihai and Mu Xue had dragged on for a long time before ending.


    She was very troubled. Just as she had been about to say something, Shao Qihai had stopped her with the words ¡®You can¡¯t abandon me after toying with me¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe paused for a moment. ¡°Oh right. I have a question that I¡¯m very curious about.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Who is Xiao Wu¡¯s mother?¡± Xiao Wu had been curious to know about his mother before. Mu Jingzhe was actually quite curious too. In the past, she had thought that she had no one to ask, but now that Shao Qihai had returned alive, she couldn¡¯t help but ask him.


    Shao Qihai paused for a moment. ¡°Why do you suddenly want to know this?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m curious. Xiao Wu has also been curious before. Why didn¡¯t you marry Xiao Wu¡¯s mother? Who is she? Did you cheat on Mu Xue when you were dating her?¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°No¡­¡±


    He looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s curious expression and said helplessly, ¡°Xiao Wu¡¯s mother is dead, so don¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Even if she¡¯s dead, Xiao Wu can go and pay his respects. It¡¯ll be unfair to Xiao Wu if you don¡¯t tell him. He doesn¡¯t even know who his biological mother is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s the luckiest person because he¡¯s met you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°So you¡¯re determined not to say?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was mentally prepared and had known that he might not tell her. After all, even after Mu Xue had kicked up a huge fuss, he hadn¡¯t said anything at the time. Therefore, although she was disappointed, she could only helplessly ept it.


    After Mu Jingzhe left, the depths of Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes were filled withplicated emotions.

 Chapter 223 - Borrowing Money

    <h4>Chapter 223: Borrowing Money</h4>


    Shao Qihai stood in the courtyard for a while. Just as he was about to go do something, he saw Eldest Brother Shao cowering at the door.


    Shao Qihai pretended not to see. Zhao Lan and Eldest Brother Shao were undoubtedly there to ask for forgiveness or something to that effect. However, what they had done wasn¡¯t something that could be forgiven.


    When Eldest Brother Shao saw that Shao Qihai was ignoring him, he looked at the female workers in the courtyard. In the end, he was too ashamed to enter.


    Eldest Brother Shao didn¡¯t enter because of that. On the other hand, Shao Qiyun suddenly came back and brought some snacks with her. Unlike what she had always done, this time, she didn¡¯t give the snacks to Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« but waited for Shao Dong and his siblings to return from school and gave them to them.


    ¡°Little Dong, this is the fruit candy Aunt bought for you. You kids can split it among yourselves.¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t take it. ¡°No need. Candy causes tooth decay.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face stiffened. Just as she was about to say something, the five kids entered. The stiff smile on Shao Qiyun¡¯s face as she squatted on the groundpletely copsed.


    Xiao Wu was walking in the back. When he saw the viciousness on her face, he quickly ran, taking a few steps forward.


    Shao Qiyun took a deep breath and followed him in. She found Shao Qihai and said, ¡°Second Brother, this is the fruit candy I bought for Little Dong and the others. I don¡¯t know what Mu Jingzhe said, but they didn¡¯t ept it.¡±


    ¡°You call her Mu Jingzhe?¡± Shao Qihai nced at her. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you can leave.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Second Sister-In-Law¡¯. I¡¯ll take note in the future.¡± Shao Qiyun hemmed and hawed. ¡°Second Brother, can you lend me some money?¡±


    ¡°Lend you money?¡± Shao Qihai thought to himself,?<i>¡®Indeed.¡¯</i>


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to borrow much. Second Brother, please help me. I only need 2,000 yuan. Please save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Only need 2,000 yuan? You¡¯re really capable, huh.¡± How many people had to work really hard to earn that much money? ¡°2,000? You think that¡¯s a small amount, but to me, it¡¯s not. I don¡¯t have it.¡±


    ¡°Second Brother, I know you have it. Just lend it to me. I¡¯ll pay you backter¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯ve only ever taken but never given back. I can¡¯t lend you any money again, nor do I care about you anymore.¡±


    When Shao Qiyun saw how merciless Shao Qihai was, she was hateful and anxious. ¡°Second Brother, you can¡¯t leave me alone. I¡¯m begging you, Second Brother, please help me this time. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be finished¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to bear the consequences of your own actions.¡±


    Shao Qihai was determined to wash his hands off of Shao Qiyun. It was useless no matter what Shao Qiyun said. She was furious. ¡°Why won¡¯t you lend it to me? On Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, you guys prepared chicken,mb, ham, and a cake for her. It was such a grand affair. But when ites to your own sister, you won¡¯t even lend her money to save her life. How could you do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re not worthy.¡± Shao Qihai interrupted her directly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to say something nasty, get lost now.¡±


    Shao Qiyun walked out with a face full of hatred. She happened to see Xiao Wu standing outside the door, ying the harmonica. Shao Qihai had bought this harmonica for Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu had been ying this instrument with great interesttely.


    The melody of the harmonica was cheerful and pleasant to listen to, but Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t listen to it at all. She saw Xiao Wu ying the harmonica with a small drum on his waist, d in new clothes and new shoes. His little face was fair and tender, and it was obvious that he was well taken care of.


    But all these things cost money!


    Shao Qiyun stared intently at Xiao Wu before she walked over and told him, ¡°Give me the money your mother saved for you.¡±


    Upon seeing Shao Qiyun looking at him with a dark expression, Xiao Wu took a step back but shook his head firmly. ¡°No.¡±


    After rejecting her, he wanted to run, but he was a step toote. Shao Qiyun grabbed him by the cor and pulled him over. She red at him. ¡°How dare you not give it to me? I told you to give it to me, and you will do as I say!¡±


    She pushed him fiercely twice. ¡°Did you hear that!¡±


    The harmonica in Xiao Wu¡¯s hand fell to the ground, but he continued to shake his head. ¡°No!¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes turned sharp. She raised her hand to hit Xiao Wu. With a change in countenance, Xiao Wu raised his fist and punched Shao Qiyun¡¯s nose. As soon as Shao Qiyun let go of him in pain, he fled. ¡°Mommy, Brother, save me!¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s voice was very loud, and Shao Qihai heard it. He ran out and saw Shao Qiyun fiercely going after the fleeing Xiao Wu.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression changed. He went over to hug Xiao Wu and kicked away Shao Qiyun, who was cursing and grabbing him. ¡°Shao Qiyun, you¡¯re courting death!¡±


    Shao Qiyun had a nosebleed after being punched by Xiao Wu. She was filled with wrath, but she finally came back to her senses after hearing Shao Qihai¡¯s furious shout.


    ¡°Second Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°I just wanted to borrow¡­ borrow money¡­¡±


    ¡°Get lost. If I see you touch Xiao Wu again, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± Shao Qihai picked up Xiao Wu¡¯s harmonica and carried him back. Shao Qiyun¡¯s body trembled slightly. There was unwillingness in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t dare move.


    Shao Qihai carried Xiao Wu back and examined him carefully. ¡°Does it hurt anywhere?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xiao Wu shook his head and ran over to Shao Dong. He held Shao Dong¡¯s hand and looked at Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai returned the harmonica to Xiao Wu. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Shao Dong took it from him. ¡°Wait for me to disinfect it.¡± Then, he led Xiao Wu to the room. ¡°Go back to the room and take off your clothes. Let me see if anything¡¯s broken. Shao Qiyun has never liked you and she went crazy this time. I need to make sure you haven¡¯t suffered any injuries.¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard this, his expression darkened even more. He got up and went out. Upon hearing themotion, he went next door. No one knew what he¡¯d said to Shao Qiyun, but Zhao Lan¡¯s voice was heard for a while. Then, there was no response.


    That day, Shao Qiyun seemed to leave the vige.


    When Mu Jingzhe came back and heard that Shao Qiyun had threatened Xiao Wu, she rolled up her sleeves, wanting to beat her up, but she didn¡¯t find her.


    Soon, Ji Buwang¡¯s birthday arrived.


    It was only shortly after Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday. Mu Jingzhe remembered that she wanted to return the favor and help Ji Buwang celebrate his birthday.


    With Little Jingzhe keeping himpany every day, life was alright for Ji Buwang. Every time he felt depressed at the thought of Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe living in the same house, he felt a littleforted by looking at Little Jingzhe.


    Previously, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t really looked forward to his birthday, but this time, he wanted Mu Jingzhe to give him a gift and celebrate with him. This was the first time he felt a great sense of anticipation for his birthday.


    Afraid that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t know, he first gave hints to Xiao Wu so that he could remind Mu Jingzhe. Then, to be sure, he even asked the butler to hint at her to give him a gift. This way, Mu Jingzhe would know without a hitch.


    Mu Jingzhe found it funny, but she really prepared for the asion with all her heart. Firstly, she brought the pheasants that hadn¡¯t been ughtered on her birthday, as they¡¯d ended up eating the one Ji Buwang had brought over, to Ji Buwang¡¯s house.


    They had been raised at home and tasted very good. After doing that, remembering that Ji Buwang quite liked the mutton, she went to buy amb and also gave this to Ji Buwang.


    These things were all sent over together. When Ji Buwang received them, he was a little reluctant to ughter them.


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t eat them today. Let¡¯s raise them. This little sheep is very pretty. Look at how smart its eyes are. Look at that rooster. It looks so impressive. The hen is also very gentle.¡±


    The two chickens were one male and one female¡ªa pair. How rare was that?


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°But they¡¯re not pets. It¡¯s not very convenient to raise them, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s convenient,¡± Ji Buwang immediately replied. They were a gift from Jingzhe, so how could he bear to eat them? He had to raise them!


    No longer feeling surprised, Uncle Li resigned himself to fate and pulled the chickens and sheep into the back garden.

 Chapter 224 - A Meticulously Prepared Gift

    <h4>Chapter 224: A Meticulously Prepared Gift</h4>


    Shao Qihai tagged along, insisting he knew Ji Buwang and wanted to help him celebrate his birthday too. When he saw Ji Buwang¡¯s actions and the way Mu Jingzhe was smiling so happily at his words, he felt that he was simply inferior to Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s birthday was held at home. At his old age, it was impossible for Old Master Ji toe over to celebrate the birthday of a junior. Only Ji Buwang would go back to celebrate his grandfather¡¯s birthday, not the other way around. Therefore, there was no one else there.


    Tang Moling wanted to celebrate with Ji Buwang, but he didn¡¯t get the chance toe back, as he had been sent away to work by Ji Buwang.


    On Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, Ji Buwang had said that he didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to work hard. This time, on his birthday, there was no need for Mu Jingzhe and the others to do anything. With everything already taken care of, all they had to do was have fun.


    The five kids had also alle. They were already familiar with Ji Buwang¡¯s ce, so the moment they arrived, they ate and drank to their heart¡¯s content and even went to read books. Shao Qihai grew even more vignt when he saw their familiarity with the ce.


    Ji Buwang was very annoyed to see Shao Qihai, who was there every time he spoke to Mu Jingzhe. s, there was nothing he could do. Later on, Shao Qiyang also came. Everything else aside, it was a lively celebration.


    Eager to hear the birthday song the children had sung for Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang even asked the children to adapt the song to an ¡®uncle¡¯ version to sing it to him.


    It was impossible to do the dance now, but they could still sing it. After they cut the cake, it was time for the gift ceremony.


    The children, as well as Shao Qiyang, had prepared a gift. In order to prove that he was really there to celebrate his birthday, Shao Qihai had also bought him something, but it had really just been casually picked.


    Ji Buwang was also aware of that. Thus, he merely said ¡®thanks¡¯ to the two of them and then moved on to the presents that the children and Mu Jingzhe had gifted him, the ones he really cared about, especially what Mu Jingzhe had brought him.


    Mu Jingzhe had gifted him a notebook. When Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang saw it, they heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, they were also curious to know if it was really just a notebook.


    They were all staring at it, but Ji Buwang held himself back and did not open it despite his obvious eagerness to open it. He deliberately didn¡¯t want to let them see it.


    After receiving Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gift, Ji Buwang set it aside and took out another box. ¡°This is my gift to you in return.¡±


    ¡°A gift in return? Who gives a gift in return on their birthday?¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°Well, some people do.¡± Ji Buwang stuffed the gift into her hands and took out five gifts for the five kids. ¡°I prepared something for Little Dong and the rest too.¡±


    Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang took a step forward, but Ji Buwang shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re not among the guests, so I didn¡¯t prepare a gift in return for the two of you.¡±


    In short, he was saying, ¡°You¡¯re not my guests. You were the ones who shamelessly showed up without an invitation.¡±


    Although Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang were furious, they couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Ji Buwang was very happy. After this torturous birthday celebration finally ended for Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang, when they returned home, Mu Jingzhe and the five children ignored Shao Qihai¡¯s curious gaze and closed the door to open the gifts.


    The children¡¯s gifts were all different, but they each got something they liked.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gift was a little unexpected. It was another set of Russian dolls, the same size as the ones he had given her previously. However, this doll looked quite simr to Ji Buwang, especially its curly hair.


    ¡°This looks so much like Teacher Ji. Is Teacher Ji giving himself to Mommy?¡± Little Bei¡¯s childishnguage was very sharp.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a set of Russian dolls.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly stopped her. Little Bei¡¯s words could really make one¡¯s imagination run wild.


    However, it had to be said that the dolls were quite cute. Mu Jingzhe arranged them one by one beside her other dolls, and they made for quite a pretty sight.


    Of course, this was also Ji Buwang¡¯s objective.


    The Russian dolls he had given her this time were really simr to the ones he had given herst time. Even the bottom of the smallest doll had the same design. Likewise, the ques could be pushed around to form different words. There was another surprise awaiting her when she discovered the secret one day.


    If there was one thing that was different, that would be the addition of a smaller, thumb-sized doll.


    Last time, Mu Jingzhe had felt that one was missing. Judging from what had happened now, her hunch seemed to be urate. However, he hadn¡¯t given her the one missingst time. This time, he gave it to her.


    He even specifically told her, ¡°I¡¯m giving you this tiny one so you can keep it with you. It means that I can keep youpany in the future. You can also put me in your pocket when you go out.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the little Ji Buwang and then at the note. ¡°Is this the legendary ¡®putting you in my pocket¡¯ notion?¡±


    Ji Buwang was¡­ quite romantic.


    Mu Jingzhe hadpletely guessed Ji Buwang¡¯s intentions. This was what Ji Buwang had thought. Every day, he would ce Little Jingzhe on the pillow beside him and keep her in his pocket everywhere he went. He felt that it was great, but slowly, he started to feel that he had miscalcted.


    He thought that if he gave her a set of Russian dolls on his birthday, he would be able to get Mu Jingzhe to keep him in her pocket. After this thought had urred to him, Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t willing to give up, so he had taken advantage of his birthday to return the gift and forcefully sent ¡®himself¡¯ to Mu Jingzhe.


    Ji Buwang was happy when he gave away the gift he¡¯d wanted to give, but what made him even happier and more touched was the birthday gift Mu Jingzhe had given him.


    After Mu Jingzhe and the others left, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t wait to open it and read it. On the title page were the words: ¡°Happy Birthday, Ji Buwang. May you be happy every day.¡± There was nothing new about it.


    However, after flipping through a few pages, Ji Buwang was moved.


    The notebook wasn¡¯t empty. Inside were drawings Mu Jingzhe had specifically drawn for Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang was face-blind and could only see her face. Mu Jingzhe had previously asked Ji Buwang if it would be better if he looked at photos instead. Ji Buwang had answered that looking at a photo wasn¡¯t much different from looking at a person and that it wouldn¡¯t solve his problem.


    Therefore, Mu Jingzhe had thought of a way to create a small art book. She had drawn the faces of people she knew that Ji Buwang knew in a clear cartoon style, including their hair, facial features, characteristics, names, and so on. Although they weren¡¯t real photos, he could recognize their characteristics through the artwork.


    On the first page was none other than Ji Buwang himself.


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t see anyone else¡¯s face, nor could he see his own. He didn¡¯t even know what he looked like, so he had no idea how good-looking he was.


    After Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, when she¡¯d thought of what she would give Ji Buwang on his birthday, she had immediately gotten down to drawing. The first thing she had drawn was Ji Buwang himself.


    She had drawn him based on his photo, and this was also the person she had drawn most seriously. She had tried her best to showcase Ji Buwang¡¯s characteristics.


    In the end, the male protagonist¡¯s face had turned into a cartoon. Fortunately, her sketching skills weren¡¯t bad, and she had managed to capture the essence of Ji Buwang¡¯s charm.


    Upon looking at his name, introduction, and portrait, Ji Buwang smiled.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m very good-looking and charming in your eyes¡­¡±


    He looked at himself carefully and felt increasingly satisfied. ¡°Handsome. Really handsome!¡±


    After gazing at the picture for a few minutes, Ji Buwang reluctantly turned the page. On the second page was Grandpa Ji¡¯s name, but the image was empty. Below it was a line of small handwriting in pencil.


    ¡°It¡¯s temporarily empty because I¡¯ve never met your grandfather. I¡¯ll make it up to you when I get the chance to meet him. The same goes for other people. When I get to know more of them in the future, I can help you make up for this. You can also get others to help you add the drawings.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hoped that Ji Buwang would be able to remember people more directly in the future and suffer fewer hardships.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s heart warmed. ¡°There¡¯s even after-sales service¡­¡±

 Chapter 225 - Both Boys and Girls Have to Protect Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 225: Both Boys and Girls Have to Protect Themselves</h4>


    In the next pages were portraits of other people he knew. Because their interactions didn¡¯t ovep, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know Ji Buwang¡¯s other acquaintances either, so she had just drawn the ones she knew.


    For example, Uncle Li, Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Qihai, Shao Qiyang, Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han. When he flipped to Uncle Li¡¯s page, Ji Buwang gazed at him for a long time. ¡°So that¡¯s what you look like, Uncle Li.¡±


    As for Shao Dong and his siblings, because they were still growing up, these portraits were only temporary.


    Although they were temporary, because Mu Jingzhe was used to drawing them, they were all very lifelike.


    Ji Buwang kept smiling until he saw Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang. He pouted and mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to remember them¡­¡±


    Although he said that, Ji Buwang still took a few serious looks. It was for no other reason than topare himself to them.


    ¡°From the looks of it, both of them are quite good-looking, but not as good-looking as me.¡±


    After reaching this conclusion, Ji Buwang flipped the page in satisfaction. When he saw Li Zhaodi, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but let out an ¡®oh¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe had drawn a vivid portrait of Li Zhaodi, so the bandit-like appearance of Li Zhaodi with her sunsses and curly hair was fully depicted. Although her biological mother¡¯s filter gave her a cute appearance, it couldn¡¯t conceal the hint of banditry in her.


    Ji Buwangughed. ¡°So this is what Auntie looks like¡­ She really doesn¡¯t look like Jingzhe. Jingzhe looks like her father, and so does Mu Han.¡±


    Ji Buwang flipped through the pages of the notebook back and forth, rolling on the bed fondly. His only regret was that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t drawn herself in it.


    While Ji Buwang was happy, Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang weren¡¯t very happy. Shao Qihai even looked forward to his birthday so that he could receive a birthday gift.


    However, after Ji Buwang¡¯s birthday, Mu Jingzhe was very busy. The hair ornament business was steadily developing. Meanwhile, Shao Qiyang¡¯s courier business gradually stabilized, so Mu Jingzhe naturally had to coborate with him. It was also a mutually beneficial arrangement.


    After this development, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have the time to deliver the goods personally every time. Her main focus now was managing the creation process of the designs. For this job, she specifically hired two designers. One of them was a real designer, the kind who had graduated from university. She already had a job, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t give up and asked her to work part-time.


    The other person was a woman from Great Eastern Vige. This woman was very talented and drew the most gorgeous flowers. The colorbination was novel, and she had been born to be in this line of work. After identally seeing her creations, Mu Jingzhe had invited her to be a designer alone.


    As the team expanded, Mu Jingzhe focused more on other matters.


    The production at the paper manufacturing factory went very smoothly. Mu Jingzhe recruited a batch of salespeople for the marketing department. There was a guaranteed sry andmission, and both men and women were hired. At first, the girls couldn¡¯t quite let go, but after some training, they began to develop their sales skills.


    Other than the toilet paper sales, the promotion of the sanitary pads went quite well and it really created a market. However, male salespeople did run into some problems promoting the sanitary pads. Firstly, perhaps initially they couldn¡¯t quite let go. Secondly, the customers weren¡¯t willing to listen to men. It was fine if the customer ran away shyly, but when they encountered tough ones, they might get beaten up, either because the customers felt that they were shameless or because they thought that they were deliberately teasing them. After being chased and beaten a few times, they had no choice but to give up. Then, they mainly promoted toilet paper.


    Soon, the majority of the people left in the marketing department were women, including the employees improving the design of the sanitary pads. Mu Jingzhe felt that this was quite good. Girls knew how to design such stuff to make it morefortable, and this also increased the female employment rate.


    In order to expand the market, Mu Jingzhe produced one or two independently packaged sanitary napkins to be given away for free ording to the feedback and based on some of her experience in her previous life.


    Many people were used to using broad toilet paper and had never used sanitary pads before. They didn¡¯t want to change either and felt that it was expensive or something along that line. However, they definitely wouldn¡¯t refuse something if it was free.


    Mu Jingzhe felt thatpared to toilet paper, sanitary pads were much more useful. Therefore, it was a good idea to give out free sanitary pads for everyone to try them. They couldn¡¯t guarantee that everyone would switch to using sanitary pads after trying them, but it would be enough if just ten percent of those people switched to using the pads.


    After producing the free samples, Mu Jingzhe brought a batch back to the vige herself, wanting to distribute them to the vigers. Shao Dong, Little Bei, and the others were used to taking a look whenever Mu Jingzhe brought something back and they would always be pleasantly surprised by what they saw.


    However, this time, they couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Mom, what is this?¡± Shao Qihai stuck his head out to look curiously.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to use this. This is¡­ a sanitary pad. Girls use it when they grow up.¡± Thinking that Shao Dong and Shao Xi were already eight years old, she realized time passed very quickly and they would turn nine in the blink of an eye. Thus, it was about time they gained some physiological knowledge. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like a sanitary pad was something shameful, so she directly told them about it.


    The five kids¡¯ reaction was alright. They only took a few curious nces. On the other hand, Shao Qihai choked on the air he was breathing.


    Then, he looked at Mu Jingzhe, wanting to say something, but stopped himself. Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal to tell them about it. If you hide things, it makes one more curious. Look, now that I told them, they¡¯re not that curious anymore.¡±


    Children¡¯s curiosity was very strange. The more adults tried to cover up things, the more they wanted to understand.


    ¡°Besides, when they¡¯re about to grow up, you should also pass on to them some physiological knowledge and tell them about certain changes. I¡¯ll also tell Little Bei when she grows up.¡±


    If Shao Qihai hadn¡¯te back, she might have asked Shao Qiyang to tell the children about it in the future. Usually, she would teach them a little herself, but since Shao Qihai hade back, she asked him to do it instead.


    Shao Qihai looked at the frank Mu Jingzhe and remembered what it was like to be young. He suddenly felt that what she¡¯d said was right, so he nodded.


    He didn¡¯t know that the reason the five kids had epted it so quickly was because Mu Jingzhe had alreadyid the foundation. At the time, there were no diapers. Many two or three-year-old kids were still wearing open-crotch pants[1], regardless of whether they were boys or girls.


    However, upon thinking of the ways people in the future educated their kids, and because she had seen many news reports, Mu Jingzhe decided it was better to be safe than sorry and told the kids that they had to learn to protect themselves.


    She had told them not to take off their clothes or casually let other people hug them.


    Both boys and girls had to protect themselves. Although the people in Great Eastern Vige looked normal at the moment, who knew? It was just a precautionary measure. Furthermore, the five kids often went out now.


    Mu Jingzhe started distributing sanitary pads that day. First, she distributed them to the youngdies and young wives who worked for her. Then, she looked for other people who were already old acquaintances and whom she didn¡¯t feel ufortable mentioning this to.


    Li Zhaodi also helped. Carrying a bag of sanitary pads, she ran from door to door, sincerely rmending them to everyone. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of using this before, but Jingzhe said it¡¯s good stuff and insisted on giving it to mest time. I couldn¡¯t bear to refuse, so I tried it. It¡¯s much better than paper. You must remember to try it!¡±


    Li Zhaodi put a lot of effort into this. Firstly, she really thought that it was good, and secondly, she felt that Jingzhe could earn money if people ended up buying it, so she was especially enthusiastic.


    [1] clothing worn by toddlers in China, designed with either an unsewn seam over the buttocks and crotch or a hole over the center of the buttocks

 Chapter 226 - Working on the Business

    <h4>Chapter 226: Working on the Business</h4>


    Without needing Mu Jingzhe to do anything, Li Zhaodi took care of it. She handed out all the sanitary pads. ¡°There were more than ten left, but I gave them to Mai Miao.¡±


    ¡°Mai Miao?¡±


    ¡°The woman whose mother died and is living with her father.¡± Li Zhaodi sighed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a mother, and her father is a stuffy person. He might not know about female matters or be too embarrassed to tell her. I saw that there was blood on her pants and knew that her period hade, so I taught her how to use it. I also told her that her period woulde every month.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll give her some moreter.¡±


    Mai Miao knew that Mu Jingzhe was the one who had brought the sanitary napkins. When she saw Mu Jingzhe go over, she shyly and enthusiastically brought a chair for her to sit on.


    ¡°Does your stomach hurt? If it hurts when your periodes, remember to drink more hot water. If you have brown sugar, drink some brown sugar water. Brown sugar eggs are fine too. You can¡¯t be exposed to the cold or lift heavy things, understand?¡±


    It was the first time Mai Miao had heard of menstruation, and she thought it was good. She nodded and blushed. ¡°It hurts a little, but it¡¯s not too bad.¡±


    ¡°Mm, if it hurts badly, you have to go to the hospital. Don¡¯t be shy. You have to remember what I told you because this not only concerns your future marriage and children, but also your future health.¡±


    A girl¡¯s first periods had to be handled properly.


    Mai Miao blushed even more. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be careful. Thank you, Sister Jingzhe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Have you adjusted to using sanitary napkins?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just afraid it¡¯ll fall off when I stick it on my pants.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Mai Miao and immediately realized that she might not even have underwear.


    This was basically impossible in the modern era, but it was very normal in the countryside at the time. Back then, there were no real undergarments. Many undergarments were small clothes sewn by one¡¯s own family. This applied to women of all ages.


    When Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated there, it had taken her a while to get used to it.


    Mai Miao had already had her period, and her whole body was undergoing puberty, including her chest. Perhaps because she felt shy, she hunched over as she faced Mu Jingzhe, wanting to conceal it.


    But how could she hide it? Over time, she wouldn¡¯t be able to correct her hunching posture even if she wanted to.


    Coincidentally, Mu Jingzhe had new undergarments at home, so she went home and got them for Mai Miao. ¡°You should wear these in the future. They are brand new. I haven¡¯t worn them yet. Don¡¯t be afraid of others seeing them. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯s shameful. You¡¯re just growing up.¡±


    Mai Miao didn¡¯t take them, feeling embarrassed because she had epted too much kindness. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll ask my father for money to buy some. Sister Jingzhe, you don¡¯t have to give these to me.¡±


    ¡°You also need time to buy them, but he doesn¡¯t have time to buy them for you right now, right? Just keep these for now. It¡¯s fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe stuffed the undergarments into her arms. ¡°You know how to wear them, right?¡±


    Without waiting for Mai Miao to answer, she took them out and taught her. ¡°These clothes are also divided into sizes. Remember to buy the right size for you when you buy some for yourself.¡±


    Mai Miao¡¯s face turned red, but she listened attentively to every word. ¡°Thank you, Sister Jingzhe. How much are they? I¡¯ll pay you.¡±


    ¡°No need. Consider this a gift from me to celebrate you growing up and bing a young woman.¡±


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe thought of manufacturing one more thing¡ªunderwear.


    In the modern age, everyone knew about physiology, and parents no longer avoided talking about it. However, in this era, parents, especially those in the countryside, rarely taught these things.


    Mu Jingzhe was wondering if she should go into this line of work. Meanwhile, Mai Miao wore the underwear ording to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s instructions.


    After putting them on, for the first time, Mai Miao felt at ease. She was no longer afraid of revealing herself or having the sanitary napkin fall out at all times. She could finally walk with her head held high and she no longer had to worry about anything sticking out or moving whenever she walked, attracting the attention of the vigers.


    Mai Miao climbed on the roof and said thanks as she faced the direction of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house.


    Later on, when Mai Miao found out that Mu Jingzhe had started making undergarments, she went to her without thinking, wanting to learn how to make underwear from her. She felt that they enhanced the confidence of a girl and wanted to make more.


    It would only be a matter of time before Mai Miao became a capable assistant, but that would happenter. Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected that Mai Miao would remember the warmth she gave away casually.


    Although she was pondering whether to expand her career into bra and panties production, that would take time. Mu Jingzhe set this matter aside in her heart and busied herself with other matters first. For example, making customized formalwear for celebrities.


    The script Little Bei had previously chosen was for a guest star role. On the weekend, Mu Jingzhe took her to finish filming, and she even attended an opening ceremony held by the broadcasting station. Little Bei also walked the red carpet wearing the clothes Mu Jingzhe had made.


    Mu Jingzhe was originally quite happy, butter, she witnessed a fight in the washroom. The reason was that two women were wearing the same clothes. They weren¡¯t identical, but they were very simr. One of them was famous, while the other was a neer. The famous female celebrity was very displeased and had taught the neer a lesson.


    Based on their tone, it seemed like they were in the same production team andpany. The female celebrity immediately instructed her assistant to tell thepany not to provide the neers with any more costumes.


    The female celebrity was clearly more influential than the newbie. After threatening her, she left, leaving the newbie sobbing uncontrobly.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless. Indeed, such things happened all the time. She had seen it too many times. She wanted to wait for her to finish crying before leaving, but she didn¡¯t have time to dy, so she could onlye out now. When the newbie saw her, she immediately turned around to prevent Mu Jingzhe from seeing her in a sorry state.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw her, she paused. She had met this person once. While Little Bei was being interviewed, because she was very popr, everyone crowded over. Someone had fallen and almost crushed Little Bei once.


    Mu Jingzhe had been a little far away at the time. Fortunately, the girl walking in front of Little Bei had pulled Little Bei away.


    Mu Jingzhe had been about to thank her, but she had turned around and disappeared. Coincidentally, she had bumped into her here. However, the timing wasn¡¯t very good.


    The girl wiped her face and was about to leave when Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Um¡­ your face is still a mess.¡±


    She had put on makeup and cried very hard, so even after wiping her face briefly, it was still a tragic sight.


    The girl¡¯s back stiffened. Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can just tidy yourself up. I won¡¯t tell anyone. Speaking of that, I still don¡¯t know your name. I¡¯ve been wanting to thank you for helping Little Bei.¡±


    Upon hearing Little Bei¡¯s name, the girl finally turned her head. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Little Bei¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello, Little Bei¡¯s mother. Little Bei is very cute.¡± She seemed to quite like Little Bei. She then said, ¡°Oh right, my name is Chen Ling.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Miss Chen Ling. Pardon me for asking, but do you need an exclusive customized dress? I can help you make one. You have a nice figure and a swan-like neck. You¡¯d look good in anything. I want to help you make a dress to express my gratitude. If you like, you can wear it at the closing ceremony.¡±


    Chen Ling paused. How could she not tell that Mu Jingzhe was trying to save her? ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s too much trouble.¡±


    She knew what an exclusive customized dress represented.

 Chapter 227 - Shao Dong and Shao Nan Got Kidnapped

    <h4>Chapter 227: Shao Dong and Shao Nan Got Kidnapped</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, I¡¯m not famous now, but I¡¯m still quite confident. Have you seen the formal evening wear Little Bei and my other son, Little Nan, wore? It was all made by me.¡±


    Chen Ling¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Was what she is wearing today made by you too? You¡¯re amazing. Little Bei¡¯s clothes are lovely.¡±


    ¡°Right? Right? So you can rx and let me do it. If you dress well and help me advertise, I¡¯ll have more business in the future.¡±


    This was just a polite way to put it. She was merely a newbie now¡­ but in the end, Chen Ling couldn¡¯t bear to refuse. ¡°Then please help me make an outfit. But it won¡¯t be for free. I¡¯ll pay you ording to your sry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pondered it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then.¡±


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had taken the job, she would do it well. She earnestly bought the things she needed and started to get busy. There were quite a lot of things to do. Fortunately, Shao Qihai had returned and taken over many of the kids¡¯ matters. Thus, even though she was busy, it was still manageable.


    Speaking of that, now that the children were properly nourished, they had grown much taller than before, and it had be quite difficult to use a bicycle to take them anywhere. Although Mu Jingzhe said that it was fine, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t allow Mu Jingzhe to transport them anymore after he took them to the art school twice.


    Then, Shao Qihai drove a green jeep back and said that he would use this jeep to pick up the children in the future.


    Although Shao Qihai said that the car was an old one, it still attracted the attention of the vigers. When they saw the car, a few people privately said that Shao Qihai was living off of a woman.


    Mu Jingzhe walked around the car, not because of any other reason, but because the car started like a tractor.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes widened the first time she saw Shao Qihai activate the lever. She had really never seen this before.


    However, having a car was indeed convenient. The children also suffered less. Otherwise, not only would they be exposed to the elements, but they would also suffer during the bumpy ride. Although the car ride was still bumpy, it was much better overall.


    That day was Sunday, the day they attended art school.


    ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Mm, go ahead. Be careful.¡±


    After she walked the children to the car, they were just about to leave when Zhao Lan suddenly appeared. She said that she was going to town too and asked Shao Qihai to take her there. The passenger seat was still empty, but Shao Qihai didn¡¯t stop at all. He lied through his teeth and left after saying that the car couldn¡¯t carry an additional person.


    Seeing Zhao Lan puffed up with anger, Mu Jingzhe shook her head and went back to work. The five kids would only be back from art school at night.


    Because Shao Qihai said he had money, the five kids went to take the other courses they¡¯d previously desired to take but hadn¡¯t asked for.


    Shao Xi was filled with curiosity and signed up for all the subjects in the art school that he could sign up for in one go. Shao Dong and the others did the same. Although they didn¡¯t take all the sses, they generously signed up for everything they were interested in.


    As a result, their schedule for the entire day was almost full.


    After Shao Qihai drove them there, he happened to be busy with the transportation convoy, so he would pick them up after he was done.


    That day, the teacher of thest art ss had a severe case of diarrhea. He ran to the washroom twice in the middle of the ss, but in the end, he didn¡¯t persist until the end of the ss. The ss was dismissed ten minutes earlier, and he said that he would make up for it next time.


    The five kids walked out slowly, thinking that Shao Qihai had yet to arrive. In the end, they saw Shao Qihai¡¯s car when they reached the school gate.


    After checking the license te, the five kids walked over. The car door was open, and Shao Dong got in first. Mu Jingzhe had said before that children couldn¡¯t be in the passenger seat, so although it would be morefortable to sit in the passenger seat, they listened to Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t go to the front.


    Shao Dong was about to sit down when he felt that something was wrong with the seat. He looked at the driver¡¯s seat in confusion, only to see that the person in front had his head lowered. His face couldn¡¯t be seen, and he didn¡¯t say a word.


    This made things seem even more wrong. Previously, Shao Qihai would always alight from the car when he picked them up. He would also greet them very warmly.


    Shao Dong looked at the front passenger seat and saw that there seemed to be someone hiding there. He was rmed. ¡°Don¡¯t get in the car.¡±


    It was already toote. While he was observing, Shao Nan and Little Bei had gotten into the car. Shao Xi was carrying Xiao Wu and lifting him into the car.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the person in the front reacted quickly. The man hiding in the passenger seat got up and reached out to grab them. Seeing that he was about to grab Little Bei, Shao Dong pounced on him and shouted, ¡°Little Bei, run!¡±


    Then, he bit that person¡¯s arm.


    The person in the driver¡¯s seat cursed softly and was about to start the car. Shao Nan, who was about to get out, stepped forward and covered the driver¡¯s eyes tightly.


    Shao Xi caught Little Bei and was ready to grab Shao Nan when the driver screamed. He had already angrily grabbed Shao Nan¡¯s hand and flung it. Shao Nan screamed and was flung onto Shao Dong.


    Seeing that Shao Xi was about to get in the car to pull him out, Shao Nan shouted, ¡°Don¡¯te in!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the driver started the car without bothering to close the door and the car instantly sped off.


    ¡°Little Nan, Big Brother!¡±


    Shao Xi and Little Bei chased after the car with all their might. Xiao Wu was also behind them. They used all their strength but couldn¡¯t outrun the car. Soon, the car disappeared.


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t catch up, Shao Xi could only stop helplessly. ¡°Get the police.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find our teacher!¡± Little Bei shouted.


    As she ran very quickly, her legs went limp and she couldn¡¯t catch her breath. However, she couldn¡¯t care less and continued running back. A secondter, Shao Xi pulled Little Bei back.


    ¡°No, Little Bei, we can¡¯t split up and run around. We have to find the teacher first and go to a crowded ce in the art school!¡±


    Who knew if someone was hiding somewhere and preparing to catch them? Shao Xi was burning with anxiety. However, since Shao Dong wasn¡¯t around, he tried his best to calm himself down and bear the responsibility of being a big brother. He thought that his top priority was to protect Little Bei and Xiao Wu.


    Shao Xi pulled Little Bei and Xiao Wu back to the school. He first found the teacher and quickly exined the situation. ¡°Teacher, please help us get the police.¡±


    Mommy had said that regardless of whether they lost something or encountered a dangerous situation, the first thing they had to do was look for the police.


    When the teacher, who was standing at the door, heard that this had happened, she was shocked. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go look for them. Don¡¯t run around. I¡¯ll protect you. Did you see your father just now? Was that really your father¡¯s car?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if the kidnappers had stolen the car or something had happened to their father as well.


    Shao Xi was a little hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m not certain. I didn¡¯t get in the car, but the license te belongs to our family.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s our car,¡± Little Bei, who went over, added.


    ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll take you to the police now.¡±


    The teacher reacted very quickly. She first closed the door and asked the students who had just finished school not to go out for the time being in case something happened again. She wanted them to wait for their parents to pick them up before going out. She also nned to call the other teachers and parents to help and protect Shao Xi and the rest as they went to the police station.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as she came out, she saw Shao Qihai asking someone what was wrong with the school. She also saw a jeep parked not far away.

 Chapter 228 - Lefty

    <h4>Chapter 228: Lefty</h4>


    Shao Xi was stunned as he looked at Shao Qihai and the car. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    ¡°Little Xi, why are you kids out? What¡¯s going on? What happened? Where are Little Dong and Little Nan?¡± Shao Qihai saw Shao Xi heave a sigh of relief and quickly went forward.


    ¡°Little Nan and Big Brother were kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    When he heard what had happened, Shao Qihai¡¯s expression turned even uglier. ¡°They must have made a fake license te and deliberately let you get in the car¡­ Which way did they go?¡±


    ¡°That way. They should be leaving the city.¡± Shao Xi pointed. ¡°But if we chase after them now, it won¡¯t be so easy to catch up.¡±


    Even if he couldn¡¯t catch up with them that easily, he had to. After reporting the case, Shao Qihai took the initiative to look for Ji Buwang for the first time. He sent Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu to the Ji Family and asked him to help take care of them. Although he didn¡¯t get along with Ji Buwang, he still trusted him.


    After entrusting the children to Ji Buwang and ensuring their safety, Shao Qihai embarked on a search.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to inform Mu Jingzhe. She had to be the first to know this.


    Ji Buwang took on the responsibility of taking care of Little Bei and the rest, telling them not to be rash and try to look for their brothers themselves. He was also anxious, so he started helping with the search.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that Shao Dong and Shao Nan had actually been kidnapped and the other three kids had almost been kidnapped as well, she was shocked.


    This was a plotline that didn¡¯t exist in the original book, so she didn¡¯t have any clues to go by. Besides, because of her appearance, the plot had changed beyond recognition. Everything was filled with unknown variants. The advantage of reading the original book waspletely gone.


    Mu Jingzhe also embarked on a search. However, after searching the entire night, she still didn¡¯t find anything. The car seemed to have vanished, leaving behind no clues.


    The police had alreadyunched an investigation, asking about their situation and if they had offended anyone, but neither Mu Jingzhe nor Shao Qihai could guarantee that they had no enemies.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe was a businesswoman, she wasn¡¯t sure if she was in someone¡¯s way. Shao Qihai felt even guiltier. He had clearly been certain that there had been no danger before, but what if there had been?


    They thought of everything they could think of and brought up all the people that came to mind, including Zhao Lan, Shao Qiyun, and the others. However, Zhao Lan had been staying in the vige and hadn¡¯t gone out, and there was nothing unusual about Shao Qiyun¡¯s movements either.


    The longer the kidnapping dragged on, the more dangerous a situation the children would be in. It had been one night and more than ten hours. Anything could happen. Both of them felt like they were going crazy.


    As they were feeling anxious and desperate, the art school suddenly received a letter from the kidnappers that was addressed to Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe. It was said that the letter had been stuffed through the door, but nobody was sure when it had been stuffed.


    The teacher who opened the door knew Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s names and was aware of what had happened, so he immediately brought the letter over.


    It was a threatening letter asking them to raise money to get the children back. The kidnappers were demanding 200,000 yuan, 100,000 yuan for each of the two children. If even a single cent was missing, the two kids could forget about returning home.


    The payment time was six in the evening. For every ten minutes the payment waste, a finger would be chopped off.


    The kidnappers would call the art school at six o¡¯clock sharp to inform Mu Jingzhe of the exact address.


    They didn¡¯t say anything about not calling the police or anything like that. They only said that they would release the children once they received the money. They only had one request¡ªthat Mu Jingzhe deliver the ransom.


    Probably to prove that the kids were in their hands, there was also a photo in the envelope. In the photo, Shao Dong and Shao Nan were tied together, looking disheveled.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She could onlyfort herself by thinking that at least they were still alive.


    Although this was bad news, there was finally news. Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe had a tacit understanding this time. They had to prepare themselves for both scenarios. Raising 200,000 yuan at one go was indeed difficult, but they had to think of a way to do it.


    They didn¡¯t dare dy because they didn¡¯t dare gamble.


    Li Zhaodi and the rest also came to help look for the kids. When they heard that she needed to raise money, they gave all the money they had at home to Mu Jingzhe without a second thought. They didn¡¯t have a habit of saving money in the bank, so all they had was cash. There were quite a lot of coins, so the money came in a big bag.


    Other than Li Zhaodi, many people from the vige also came to help with their savings. Not only did Li Fang, Mai Miao, and the rest lend their money to them, but even Mu Xue did. However, Zhao Lan and the eldest Shao Family branch didn¡¯t do so. They didn¡¯t evene out to help look for them. Instead, theyined to everyone that they didn¡¯t have any money.


    There were outrageous people like Zhao Lan, but most people were warm. Mu Jingzhe was still hesitant about borrowing money, but in the end, they brought it over.


    Mu Jingzhe was moved. This was somethingpletely unimaginable in modern times, but she had encountered it after transmigrating.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noted down all the money they brought over.¡± Li Zhaodi handed the notebook to Mu Jingzhe. She was d that in order to learn how to keep ounts, she had learned how to read from Mu Jingzhe and the kids. Although the number of words she knew was limited, she could take care of book-keeping now.


    Mu Jingzhe flipped the notebook open and saw familiar names: Mai Miao, Gun, Chunju, Shuihua¡­


    These names hadn¡¯t appeared out of nowhere. They had all umted bit by bit thanks to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s actions.


    With the money that they had gathered, along with the money that Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai, and Shao Qiyang had amassed and the money they had borrowed from Ji Buwang, they really managed to raise 200,000 yuan.


    ¡°Thank you. I will remember this kindness. I will definitely return it to you in the future.¡± Shao Qihai thanked Ji Buwang individually.


    Ji Buwang shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to return it. I did it willingly. I also hope that Little Dong and Little Nan will return safely.¡±


    Although they had gathered enough money, they didn¡¯t rx at all, afraid that an ident might happen.


    Apart from wanting to save the children, it would be best if they caught the suspects as well. However, while they were discussing their n of action, an old police officer kept looking at the letter sent by the kidnapper. His expression was strange.


    Although he didn¡¯t say anything in the end, they avoided Mu Jingzhe and held another meeting. After that meeting, Mu Jingzhe could clearly sense that their expressions were even more solemn.


    Mu Jingzhe asked them why, but no one told her. Later on, Shao Qihai went to the roof and secretly climbed to the window to hear thetest news.


    ¡°Jingzhe, I heard from them that this might not be the first time these kidnappers havemitted a crime. Based on the handwriting of the kidnappers, the letter was written by a left-handed person. This year, there was an unsolved left-hander kidnapping case in the province. They specifically targeted children from rich families to ask for ransom. Simr to this case, they kidnapped children to ask for money.


    ¡°But¡­ regardless of whether the families paid or not, the children ended up getting killed.¡±


    He¡¯d heard the police officers argue that it might not be the left-handed gang, but there was no guarantee that it wasn¡¯t.


    Because the influence of the left-handed gang kidnapping cases was very bad, it had only been reported in the news once. In fact, this gang had alreadymitted several crimes, and every single one of the hostages had been killed without exception. After a while, their bodies had been found elsewhere.


    The areas where the bodies had been found were all over the province, and there had been no fixed location. Furthermore, the crime scenes weren¡¯t the original crime scenes, which was why they hadn¡¯t been able to find the suspects. They still didn¡¯t know where they were or how many aplices there were. The onlymon clue was that the threatening letter sent over was written by a left-handed person, thus the name ¡®left-handed gang¡¯.

 Chapter 229 - The Clues Given By Shao Dong and Shao Nan

    <h4>Chapter 229: The Clues Given By Shao Dong and Shao Nan</h4>


    They didn¡¯t tell Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe because they were afraid that this news would agitate them. Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t confirm that this was the same batch of people, so they could only try their best to save them.


    Shao Qihai told Mu Jingzhe all the news he had gotten after eavesdropping. ¡°We can¡¯t wait anymore. We have to save them before they get the ransom. Otherwise, it might be toote.¡±


    After receiving the ransom, they might just silence them. There was still some hope before they received it.


    ¡°But the problem is, where will we find them? How can we save them?¡± Mu Jingzhe was already anxious to begin with, so anxious that blisters had formed in her mouth. When she heard this news, she became even more anxious.


    Mu Jingzhe hugged her head. ¡°No, I have to calm down. I have to calm down and find more clues.¡±


    They had searched everywhere nearby. The police had asked around with photos and information about the car, but there had been no news.


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to calm down and sort out the clues, but she couldn¡¯t find anything. Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu had also arrived. They tried to think of a solution together. ¡°If it was possible, Big Brother and Little Nan would¡¯ve tried their best to leave behind clues, but we can¡¯t find any.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard them, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She carefully looked at the photos sent by the kidnappers. A female police officer saw that Mu Jingzhe kept looking at the photos and couldn¡¯t help but try to persuade her. ¡°We¡¯ve already looked at it. They are very experienced and didn¡¯t leave behind any useful information. Also, nothing can be seen outside the window.¡±


    ¡°I know, I just want to take a look again.¡± Shao Xi¡¯s words inspired Mu Jingzhe. Maybe Shao Dong and Shao Nan had left them some clues, but she hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the photo and didn¡¯t miss a single inch, especially the way Shao Dong and Little Nan looked. However, no matter how she looked at it, they didn¡¯t seem to have left any clues.


    That made sense. The kidnappers were highly experienced and weren¡¯t stupid. If there was an obvious hint, then they would definitely tell and wouldn¡¯t have sent the photo.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe was about to give up, her gaze suddenlynded on Shao Dong and Little Nan¡¯s tied hands. They had their backs against each other, and a part of their tied hands was visible in the photo.


    At a nce, this seemed very normal. However, upon closer inspection, Mu Jingzhe discovered that Shao Dong and Shao Nan¡¯s pinkies were linked. It looked very normal, but Mu Jingzhe then saw Shao Dong¡¯s gaze. Shao Dong¡¯s gaze was directed downward, right at his hand.


    At first nce, Mu Jingzhe thought that Shao Dong was dodging out of fear, but upon looking at where Shao Dong was looking, she suddenly felt that Shao Dong and Shao Nan might really be transmitting news to them.


    When the two fingers were together, they formed the symbol of multiplication. Tilted, they could even form a cross.


    Mu Jingzhe drew out the symbols and tried her best to think of any clues.


    Shao Qihai, who stood beside her, looked at the cross. ¡°A cross. A hospital or a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Both are possible.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention was mainly focused on the cross. ¡°No matter what, this is still a clue. We might be able to find something.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly told the police about her discovery. The police didn¡¯t say much but immediately started investigating with Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai.


    They took a look at the doctors in the county, as well as the clinics and hospitals.


    However, they didn¡¯t find any clues. Some of the doctors indeed owned cars, but none of them owned a jeep. In the end, they didn¡¯t gain much after looking around.


    As time ticked away, they became even more anxious.


    ¡°What else? What else?¡± Mu Jingzhe had no other clues and continued to focus on the symbol, as she believed that Shao Dong and Shao Nan would work hard to send them a clue.


    ¡°A cross¡­ Other than the hospital, there¡¯s also a cross in¡­ a church!¡± Mu Jingzhe asked the police, ¡°Is there a church in our county?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of one.¡±


    The county city wasn¡¯t big. In addition, most people in the county were Buddhists. There were temples, but there were no churches.


    As Mu Jingzhe started feeling disappointed, an olddy who had been sent to the police station after losing her way on the street suddenly spoke.


    ¡°A church. I know where it is. I¡¯ve even been given some bread to eat there.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up as she rushed over. ¡°Grandma, do you know where we can find a church?¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s where the cross is. I went there when I was young. It was halfway up the mountain in the west. However, no one goes there anymore. The people inside have also run away.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to continue asking questions when a police officer beside her said helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t believe this old granny. She¡¯s so old and muddle-headed that she can¡¯t even find her own home.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the old granny but didn¡¯t intend to give up. The old granny might have a bad memory or be demented. However, there was something special about this kind of elderly folks. She might not be able to remember recent events, but the memories of her youth might be vivid in her mind.


    Therefore, Mu Jingzhe continued asking. ording to the old granny, the church had suddenlye into existence one day. No one knew how it hade to be, but when they¡¯d heard that food would be distributed, they had gone there and really received dry bread.


    This was entirely possible. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare let go of any clues and immediately told Shao Qihai and the police about this clue.


    Seeing that it was already five o¡¯clock and the clues had been provided by such an elderly person, the police asked Mu Jingzhe not to go for the time being. Delivering the ransom was more important, so they didn¡¯t want to waste time. The West Mountain was overgrown with weeds, so they couldn¡¯t drive there. They had to run there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll run over there and run back as fast as I can.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was unwilling to give up on this clue, fearing that Shao Dong and Shao Nan would be in danger after she handed over the ransom.


    Shao Qihai was also on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look together. If there¡¯s no problem, we¡¯ll definitely be back at six. If we¡¯re not back, something must have happened and you guys will have toe.¡±


    Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe got in the car and rushed to the abandoned church in the west.


    When they reached the foot of the West Mountain, there was indeed no way to drive up. It usually took half an hour to get halfway up the mountain, but Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe managed to run up in fifteen minutes. When they arrived outside the church, Shao Qihai stopped Mu Jingzhe, who was about to rush forward. ¡°Let¡¯s observe first. Wait for me. I¡¯ll take a look.¡±


    Shao Qihai, who wasn¡¯t panting as hard as Mu Jingzhe, bent his waist and walked over. After a while, he returned. ¡°There¡¯s something strange here. There¡¯s no activity inside, and it¡¯s very messy. It¡¯s as if no one lives here. However, the grass has been stepped on, and there¡¯s also garbage, which is a sign that someone is living here.¡±


    ¡°So someone is staying here!¡± Mu Jingzhe was shocked.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a tramp or really the kidnappers.¡± Shao Qihai asked Mu Jingzhe to wait. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and take a look first. You wait here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. We can take care of each other if anything happens.¡±


    Shao Qihai held a stick in one hand, and Mu Jingzhe picked up a rock with both hands. They walked toward the church one after another, moving very carefully.


    However, when they pushed open the door, what greeted Shao Qihai was an iron rod.


    Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe had been very careful, but they had still been discovered. Shao Qihai raised his hand to block the hit. With a groan, he ignored the pain and retaliated.


    Mu Jingzhe was startled, but at the same time, she knew that her gamble might have been right. She hadn¡¯t misjudged the clues Shao Dong and Shao Nan had left behind.

 Chapter 230 - Saving Them

    <h4>Chapter 230: Saving Them</h4>


    Shao Qihai had better skills and quickly gained the upper hand.


    ¡°Stop!¡± The shout was timely, but he was a step toote. Shao Qihai had already knocked him out.


    ¡°No!¡± Mu Jingzhe, who was a step behind, also saw Shao Dong and Shao Nan, who were suspended high in the sky. Shao Nan and Shao Dong were tied together with their heads facing down.


    The person who had shouted for them to stop was the kidnapper¡¯s aplice. He was standing not far away. His clothing was simr to that of the person Shao Qihai had knocked out. He was wearing a wool hat with three holes dug out that often appeared in television dramas and revealed only a pair of eyes and a mouth.


    Seeing that hispanion had fainted, he cursed. ¡°You¡¯re quite capable since you found this ce. However, since you¡¯re not standing on ceremony, I¡¯ll give you a big gift.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had a bad premonition. That kidnapper pointed at his own head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll show you what a blooming head is!¡±


    After saying that, he reached out toward the window, where a rope was tied, and untied the rope.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the rope and then at Shao Dong and Shao Nan, who were suspended high in the air. How could she not understand? This fellow was nning to make Shao Dong and Shao Nan fall to their deaths.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan¡¯s heads were facing down. Furthermore, the church was a very tall building. If they fell head-down from such a height, what would their chance of survival be?


    ¡°No!¡± Mu Jingzhe screamed. However, her scream was useless. Seeing that the kidnapper had released the rope, Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth and threw the rock at him as she ran.


    Even the heavens were on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side and helped her. The rock struck the kidnapper¡¯s head and he fell back with a thud.


    However, the moment he fell, the rope in his hand was pulled down.


    The instant the rope was let go, it glided upward and Shao Dong and Shao Nan fell straight down.


    ¡°No!¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes were about to split open. He rushed forward with all his might, but he was still a step toote. He watched helplessly as Shao Dong and Shao Nan speedily fell to the ground.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan both had their mouths gagged like they had in the photo. Probably because they were suspended in the air, at that moment, they couldn¡¯t remember anything. They didn¡¯t know what it would feel like to have their heads hit the ground either. They only hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be too scary and it wouldn¡¯t scare their mother or Shao Qihai.


    Everything happened too quickly. Just as they were about to hit the ground, Shao Dong and Shao Nan couldn¡¯t help but close their eyes. However, the pain didn¡¯te for a long time. Furthermore, they seemed to have stopped.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan opened their eyes and realized that they were only a few centimeters away from the ground. However, they¡¯d really stopped.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan looked at each other in disbelief. Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected such a miracle to happen either. They looked to the side and saw Mu Jingzhe gripping the rope tightly.


    It turned out that Mu Jingzhe had rushed over at thest moment to grab the rope.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know how she had run over. She had never known that she could run so fast, but in the end, she had actually managed to sprint over and grab the rope.


    ¡°Quick, untie them.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart had suffered quite a great agitation. Seeing that they weren¡¯t moving, she hurriedly urged Shao Qihai.


    He reacted and quickly set Shao Dong and Shao Nan down before untying the rope. When Mu Jingzhe saw that Shao Dong and Shao Nan hadnded safely, her legs went limp and she fell to her knees.


    Maybe she was frightened, or maybe she had just broken her speed limit, but she didn¡¯t have any strength left in her body.


    She was very worried about Shao Dong and Shao Nan, but she didn¡¯t have the strength to crawl over.


    ¡°Little Dong, Little Nan, are you guys alright?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine. Mommy, what about you?¡± Shao Dong and Shao Nan immediately replied. Their legs were also a little weak, but they wanted to go over and look at Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine too. Don¡¯te over yet. I¡¯ll take a look at this kidnapper first. I¡¯lle over after that.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe propped herself up, wanting to check on the kidnapper she had hit to confirm they were safe. However, she froze in shock at what she saw.


    There was blood all over the kidnapper¡¯s face and head, and there was even blood flowing from the back of his head.


    This scene was very simr to some scenes in television and movies, and a person who was bleeding so profusely seemed to always end up dead.


    Mu Jingzhe had used a lot of force previously because she had been really anxious and angry. However, she hadn¡¯t expected it to be so powerful. When she saw this, her heart instantly sank.


    Although the kidnapper wasn¡¯t a good person, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to kill him.


    She looked away in a panic, and her abnormal silence attracted Shao Qihai¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s dying. He¡¯s bleeding a lot. I¡­ I¡¯ll check if he¡¯s still breathing.¡±


    Shao Qihai was stunned when he heard that. He quickly covered Shao Dong and Shao Nan¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡±


    He was used to seeing such scenes, but Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Little Dong, don¡¯t move.¡± Shao Qihai stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t look yet. It¡¯s not your fault even if he¡¯s dead.¡±


    Shao Qihai had only taken two steps when he heard a creaking sound. He looked up and saw the ss wall adorned with crosses on the roof. It suddenly fell down, apanied by the kidnapper¡¯s shout. ¡°Now you can all die together!¡±


    At that moment, Shao Qihai knew. While they had been busy saving Shao Dong and Shao Nan and speaking to each other, the kidnapper he had knocked out had woken up.


    Furthermore, the kidnappers had a backup n. The abandoned cathedral was already dpidated, and the roof was leaking. They had hung the ss wall in front of the cross over the hole in the roof, solving the problem of the leak.


    In addition to solving this problem, this could also resolve future trouble in case of an emergency.


    When the kidnapper had seen the state of hispanion and heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, he had been unwilling to escape and had decided to avenge his partner in crime.


    It would be best if he killed Mu Jingzhe, but if he failed, he could kill the two children who should have died and use their lives as an offering to his dead brother. That would also be considered revenge and would make Mu Jingzhe feel miserable for the rest of her life.


    Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and Shao Qihai saw the falling ss. ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to save them, but this time, it was impossible unless she could fly. s, she couldn¡¯t fly.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan knew that they should run, but because they were still feeling difort after being suspended, they were sitting on the ground. There was no time for them to run. At thest moment, Shao Dong only had time to reach out and hug Shao Nan to protect him.


    Amid Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart-wrenching screams, Shao Dong apologized in his heart and closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to arrive.


    When the final bang came, it was very loud. However, there was no paining from his body for a long time. He didn¡¯t even feel anything. He only sensed warmth and smelled a familiar scent.


    It was a smell that only belonged to Shao Qihai. Shao Dong remembered it very clearly.


    Shao Dong raised his head and saw Shao Qihai, who was firmly protecting him. While he was protecting Shao Nan, Shao Qihai protected him.


    For some reason, Shao Dong¡¯s mind was nk. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t remember anything, nor could he say a word.


    ¡°Big Brother, Big Brother!¡± Shao Nan hadn¡¯t expected Shao Dong to protect him either. Before he could react, Shao Dong had already shielded him.


    Seeing that it was quiet, Shao Nan quickly broke free and looked over. When he saw Shao Qihai, he was also stunned.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression was a little strange. He gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Are you guys alright?¡±


    His voice was low, as if he was enduring something.


    Shao Dong wanted to say that he was fine, but his throat was blocked. He didn¡¯t even dare open his mouth, afraid that sobs woulde out.

 Chapter 231 - Severely Injured

    <h4>Chapter 231: Severely Injured</h4>


    Shao Dong wanted to ask Shao Qihai why he had saved him. They had not called him ¡®Daddy¡¯ during this period of time. They had deliberately done those things to make Shao Qihai hate them and made up their minds to follow their mother if they divorced.


    But why would both he and Mommy risk their lives to save them? Clearly, he had abandoned them previously. Even if there had been extenuating circumstances, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he had left them behind. They didn¡¯t intend to forgive him because they felt that he didn¡¯t love them enough and didn¡¯t value them sufficiently.


    But now, why did he have to do this?


    Shao Dong wanted to say something but didn¡¯t manage to, and tears rolled down his cheeks against his will.


    Shao Qihai was initially worried that Shao Dong had been hit by the ss anyway. He hadn¡¯t expected Shao Dong to suddenly cry. This was simply a blow for Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Stop crying.¡± Shao Qihai gritted his teeth and spoke up. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes, but Shao Dong didn¡¯t notice because a drop of hot liquid had dripped on his face.


    Shao Dong froze for a moment before touching it. He then saw the blood on his fingertip.


    Blood¡­ Shao Qihai¡¯s blood¡­


    ¡°Dad!¡± Shao Dong blurted out, panic evident in his choked voice.


    They had said that they would never acknowledge him again and would never call him ¡®Dad¡¯ again, but their previous rtionship wasn¡¯t a lie. Shao Qihai was different from Zhao Lan and the rest. In addition, they had also vented quite a bit of their anger previously. At this critical moment, how could they care about those petty thoughts?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± Shao Qihai also saw the drop of blood. He quickly took a step back, his footsteps a tad unstable. However, just as he took a step back, someone held him up.


    It was Mu Jingzhe. Her heart was in her throat, as she had just watched the ss wall smash into Shao Qihai¡¯s body. How could flesh and blood resist such sharp ss?


    Not counting the wounds on his shoulders and back, which varied in size, Mu Jingzhe saw ss shards piercing deeply his shoulders, which were drenched in blood in an instant.


    Mu Jingzhe held Shao Qihai but didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Your shoulders¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just a small injury.¡± Shao Qihai gritted his teeth, but Shao Dong and Shao Nan had already seen it.


    Upon seeing that wound, even Shao Nan, let alone Shao Dong, couldn¡¯t help but weep.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s entire body trembled. ¡°Little Dong, Little Nan, don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re not allowed to cry. A man sheds blood, not tears!¡±


    It was already difficult for him to control the pain with all his strength. He prayed that they would not add to his troubles.


    However, Shao Dong and Shao Nan showed that they couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Daddy, does it hurt? What should we do¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take him to the hospital to stop the bleeding!¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Because Shao Dong and Shao Nan were crying, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but cry along with them. He echoed their cries in a sorry state, but his injuries were too severe, and he didn¡¯t recover. Inbination with the fact that he was still bleeding, he ended up staggering after taking a step.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t rxed. Seeing that Shao Qihai was in this state, she gestured twice, feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to handle or carry him. In the end, she gritted her teeth and lifted Shao Qihai up.


    ¡°Little Dong, Little Nan, can you keep up? Hurry up.¡± Given Shao Qihai¡¯s situation, his bleeding had to be stopped as soon as possible. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t leave Shao Dong and Shao Nan behind. At the thought of the possibility that there was another kidnapper, Mu Jingzhe was very anxious.


    ¡°We can. Mommy, let¡¯s go.¡± Shao Dong and Shao Nan quickly followed her.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Only then did he realize that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s posture seemed very familiar. It was always seen in television dramas and movies, when the male lead or a supporting male character carried the female lead.


    This was all very normal and good. However, it wasn¡¯t him carrying Mu Jingzhe now. It was Mu Jingzhe carrying him. Everything was reversed.


    Shao Qihai felt extremely awkward and uneasy. He touched Mu Jingzhe¡¯s slender but strong arm. ¡°Jingzhe, why don¡¯t I get down and walk?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the tears on Shao Qihai¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re already in too much pain. Why are you still being stubborn? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll lose a piece of flesh just by carrying you. Our priority right now is going to the hospital!¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s blood kept flowing. It was unknown if it was because the blood vessels had been injured, but it was difficult to stop the bleeding wound on his shoulder. Mu Jingzhe nced at him and sped up.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan followed her. When they saw Shao Qihai¡¯s blood dripping down, the fear in their hearts intensified. As they followed them, tears fell down their cheeks again. ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t die.¡±


    Because they had previously despised Shao Qihai, Shao Nan had even said that they would just treat him as a dead man. Previously, when Shao Qihai had been reported dead, they had deliberately not corrected the media. However, they really didn¡¯t want him to die again.


    Seeing Shao Qihai in this state made Shao Dong and Shao Nan feel afraid. They were afraid that all this had happened because of their malicious thoughts.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan anxiously followed their mother. They were crying so hard that Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t not notice even if he wished he could. Hence, the tears that he had finally stopped flowed uncontrobly again.


    At that moment, Shao Qihai really wanted to die.


    He hadn¡¯t expected the w that he had tried his utmost to hide to be exposed so suddenly.


    ¡°I really won¡¯t die. Don¡¯t worry. Stop crying. It doesn¡¯t hurt either.¡±


    But Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and Mu Jingzhe did not believe it. Seeing that Shao Qihai¡¯s face was covered in tears from the pain, Mu Jingzhe cautiously looked outside the house. ¡°It hurts a lot, doesn¡¯t it? Bear with it for a while. I¡¯ll definitely take you there.¡±


    Shao Qihai knew that Mu Jingzhe had misunderstood. He was in a lot of pain, but he wasn¡¯t crying because of the pain. He was only crying because Shao Dong was crying, but there was no way to exin it.


    Mu Jingzhe was anxious, but she had to prevent the kidnapper who had run away. She was afraid that he would run back. With Shao Qihai in this state, she couldn¡¯t guard herself against the kidnapper alone.


    As Mu Jingzhe was feeling troubled, someone suddenly shouted for her to stop moving. Then, a familiar-looking police officer rushed over.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°We caught the kidnapper.¡±


    It turned out that they had been worried after seeing Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai go off. Thus, they had quickly chased after them. Unfortunately, Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe had run too fast, which was why they¡¯d arrived only now.


    Although it was a tadte, they weren¡¯t toote. They had bumped into the kidnapper who had been trying to escape and caught him.


    When they saw Shao Dong and Shao Nan, everyone was pleasantly surprised. Mu Jingzhe also heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Let us carry him!¡± When they saw Mu Jingzhe carry Shao Qihai, they were all shocked. Two police officers stepped forward to carry Shao Qihai.


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and shook her head. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll run faster.¡± She was stronger, and Shao Qihai¡¯s situation was so severe that they couldn¡¯t dy.


    ¡°Help me carry the children and chase after me.¡± She had to see Shao Dong and Shao Nan in front of her to feel at ease.


    After saying that, Mu Jingzhe carried Shao Qihai away and charged down. The two police officers paused for a moment, but in the end, they gritted their teeth and picked up Shao Dong and Shao Nan before rushing down.


    When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, they got in the car and took him to the hospital. Shao Qihai had been holding on and hadn¡¯t fainted, but when they took him to the hospital, he fainted because he had lost too much blood.


    The doctor started emergency treatment, and a problem soon surfaced. Shao Qihai had lost too much blood, but the blood bank in the hospital was limited.


    ¡°I can donate blood. Draw my blood. I have O-type blood,¡± Mu Jingzhe said quickly.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Shao Dong and Shao Nan spoke at the same time. Mu Jingzhe had taken them for a physical examination before, so they knew their blood type.


    Without waiting for the doctor to speak, Mu Jingzhe pinned Shao Dong and Shao Nan back down. ¡°You can¡¯t give blood.¡±


    ¡°Why not? I¡¯ve seen it done on TV.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong. It can¡¯t work because you¡¯re father and sons. Besides, you¡¯re too young.¡± Mu Jingzhe asked Shao Dong and Shao Nan to wait obediently while she went to have her blood drawn.

 Chapter 232 - Covered In Honor and Wounds

    <h4>Chapter 232: Covered In Honor and Wounds</h4>


    After her blood was drawn, Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu also came over. The five children hugged each other and cried bitterly.


    Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu had been extremely anxious previously, but they hadn¡¯t dared make a sound or kick up a fuss about going to look for their brothers. Although they¡¯d really wanted to go, they knew that they would only cause more trouble, so they had restrained themselves.


    In order not to affect everyone else, they had been obedient and had gone wherever they¡¯d been told. They hadn¡¯t cried or made a fuss. Even when they couldn¡¯t eat, they had forced themselves to eat. Even though they were worried about Shao Dong and Shao Nan, they¡¯d only dared to cry for a while in the bathroom or behind everyone¡¯s backs.


    Seeing that Shao Dong and Shao Nan had finally returned safely, the three children finally cried in relief.


    Little Bei was crying so hard that she almost couldn¡¯t breathe. Shao Nan could have left first. It was only because he had saved Little Bei that he had ended up being kidnapped. The same applied to Shao Dong.


    With her two older brothers protecting her, she had managed to escape in the end, but her two older brothers had been caught.


    The five children huddled together and cried. In order to prevent Mu Jingzhe from getting into danger and noting back, they¡¯d even nned to dress up as Mu Jingzhe to pay the ransom. When Ji Buwang rushed to the hospital and saw that the five children and Mu Jingzhe were fine, he heaved a sigh of relief. However, when he saw them crying, his heart skipped a beat. He thought that an ident had happened to Shao Qihai and that he¡¯d died while saving them.


    They¡¯d split up the work and secretly followed the police. In the end, Shao Qiyang had helped them arrest the other kidnapper who had called to ask for ransom. When he entered, his legs went limp, as he thought that his older brother had died again.


    Only after his arms and legs went limp did he realize that he was mistaken. Shao Qihai was undergoing emergency treatment.


    Meanwhile, they also received thetest news on the kidnappers.


    The kidnapper who had suffered a massive hemorrhage after being struck by Mu Jingzhe had also been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. He wasn¡¯t dead, but it was uncertain if he would wake up. He might be in a vegetative state or die one day.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. No matter what, it was good that he hadn¡¯t been directly beaten to death. Though she didn¡¯t have to bear legal responsibility in this situation, it was still a little difficult to ept killing someone with one¡¯s own hands.


    ording to the preliminary investigation, the three of them were really members of the left-handed gang. The police had found a lot of cash and gold in their residences, and the left-handed guy was the one who had originally been there to get the money. He was also their leader.


    These three people could always find ces that were easily overlooked andmit crimes there. In order to avoid trouble, they would directly silence the victims after they received the money.


    If Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t seen Shao Dong and Shao Nan¡¯s hints and rushed over in time before the ransom had really been paid, Shao Dong and Shao Nan¡¯s corpses would have been waiting for them.


    After Shao Dong and Shao Nan calmed down a little, they told the police what had happened.


    The three of them had treated Shao Dong and Shao Nan as people who were about to die, so sometimes they didn¡¯t refrain from saying certain things. The three of them were all the same type of person. Usually, they looked no different from ordinary people, but they were cold-blooded to the core and had no feelings at all. They didn¡¯t feel any pity or fondness for children, only annoyance. Shao Dong had only said a few words to them and had been beaten up.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan had realized that something was wrong. They had cleverly pretended to be obedient and hadn¡¯t cried or made a fuss. The kidnappers hadn¡¯t cared about them and had thrown them aside. They hadn¡¯t given them any food or water either. On one hand, they had been impatient, but on the other hand, they had felt that it was unnecessary since they were about to die.


    Because Shao Dong and Shao Nan had pretended to be obedient, although they had been scared and hungry, they hadn¡¯t suffered too much.


    Other than being beaten up by the kidnappers at first, they hadn¡¯t sustained any other injuries. They were much better off than the victims who had been discovered.


    After the autopsy, it had been discovered that other than their fatal injuries, those victims had also suffered a lot when they had been alive.


    Shao Dong and Shao Nan had been smart enough to send a message in their own way. Fortunately, the clue had been discovered in the end.


    Everyone looked at Shao Dong and Shao Nan and felt a little emotional.


    After Mu Jingzhe calmed down, she asked Shao Dong and Shao Nan to have their wounds treated. Although it wasn¡¯t much, her heart ached when she saw the injuries, especially the bruise on Shao Nan¡¯s wrist.


    The doctor said that he was really lucky he had not lost his hand when it had been injured so badly.


    When it was past nine in the evening, Shao Qihai was finally pushed out of the operating room.


    ¡°The patient is in aa right now. Let him sleep well. It¡¯s beneficial to his recovery.¡±


    After Shao Qihai was pushed into the ward, Mu Jingzhe listened to a bunch of reminders. When she returned to his bed, she saw that the five children¡¯s eyes were red.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly asked.


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy has so many wounds.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that, she quickly lifted Shao Qihai¡¯s nket and realized that Shao Qihai was naked. Just as the doctor had said, the ss shards had been picked out, and the wounds had been sutured and covered with gauze. The doctor had also applied medicine on all other major and minor wounds.


    However, other than these new terrifying wounds, there were also old wounds.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s back was covered in scars of all sizes. There was also a particrlyrge wound on his other side. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The doctor who hade in at some point said, ¡°This is a gunshot wound. In television dramas and movies, being shot only results in a small wound, but in reality, the lethality is no joke.¡±


    The doctor looked at Shao Qihai and sighed. ¡°I knew at a nce that he is a veteran. Am I wrong? He was in the army before, right?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe paused and nodded.


    ¡°By looking at the scars all over his back, I can tell how serious his condition was back then. He¡¯s covered in honor and injuries.¡±


    The doctor sighed and left, but his words made the ward go silent.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze wasplicated. She knew Shao Qihai¡¯s identity, but because he rarely spoke about it and was very far from her world, she had never expected him to have so many wounds on his body.


    The children didn¡¯t speak either. In the past, the kids had actually seen the scars on Shao Qihai¡¯s body. However, although he¡¯d already had scars on his body before he had faked his death, there hadn¡¯t been many, nor had they been as shocking as this.


    When he hade back this time, they weren¡¯t close anymore and they hadn¡¯t seen the scars on him. They hadn¡¯t expected his body to be like this in just over a year. One could imagine how much pain and injuries he had suffered during this period.


    The atmosphere remained a little depressing until Shao Nan¡¯s stomach rumbled. Shao Nan touched his stomach and looked up. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    After being kidnapped for an entire day and night, they hadn¡¯t eaten at all. Even though they were hungry and thirsty, they didn¡¯t dare make a sound. Mu Jingzhe had thought of this earlier, but the kids couldn¡¯t care less and had only drunk some water.


    Now that the dust had settled, they were hungry and thirsty.


    They weren¡¯t the only ones who were hungry. Actually, Mu Jingzhe was also hungry. She had been searching for the kids and hadn¡¯t had time to eat.


    The hospital¡¯s canteen staff had left long ago. Mu Jingzhe borrowed the kitchen and cooked arge basin of noodles. Too hungry to talk, they buried their heads in the food and started eating.


    After eating two bowls of noodles, Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I only feel alive after eating a bowl of Mommy¡¯s noodles.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± When they said this, Mu Jingzhe and the others sighed with emotion. It hadn¡¯t been long, but this day and night had really been torturous.


    After eating the noodles, they returned to the ward. Shao Qiyang was already waiting inside and asked Mu Jingzhe to take the five children to rest. However, Shao Dong and the others didn¡¯t go and said that they wanted to watch over Shao Qihai too.

 Chapter 233 - Uncovered a Secret

    <h4>Chapter 233: Uncovered a Secret</h4>


    Noticing the way the five kids were staring worriedly at Shao Qihai, Mu Jingzhe knew that their father-and-child rtionship had eased up after this incident. Seeing that they were so worried, she didn¡¯t force them.


    However, since the kids weren¡¯t leaving, she would have to stay behind to keep watch too. When Shao Qiyang saw that she had also stayed behind, he left instead.


    Mu Jingzhe bought two foldable beds. In addition to the empty hospital beds in the ward, they were just perfect for them to squeeze in.


    In thetter half of the night, Shao Qihai started to have a fever. Fortunately, after a drip, his fever subsided the next morning. Shao Qihai also regained consciousnesspletely.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe and the five children were all there and were looking at him with concern, Shao Qihai heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but grin. When he heard the five kids ask him how he felt with concern and even call him ¡®Daddy¡¯, he smiled even more happily.


    His children had finally called him ¡®Daddy¡¯. They had finally forgiven him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. These are just minor injuries. They¡¯re nothingpared to injuries I¡¯ve suffered before.¡± Shao Qihai didn¡¯t want them to worry. Besides, he was telling the truth. Shao Qihai had been lying on his stomachst night. When he really couldn¡¯t lie on his stomach anymore, he¡¯d carefully turned over.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly stepped forward to help, but Shao Qihai felt a little ufortable letting her see him naked. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself that she had already seen it allst night, but she still stepped back and handed over the hospital gown next to her.


    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯ll help you put it on. Don¡¯t tear your wound.¡±


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi cooperated and helped Shao Qihai put on the hospital gown. Little Bei helped him button up his shirt. Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t stop grinning from ear to ear and praising them for being obedient. Then, he couldn¡¯t wait to go to the bathroom.


    Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe quickly went to buy breakfast. She bought fried dough sticks, soy milk, steamed buns, and eggs for herself and the children. After taking a nce at the canteen, she thought for a moment and bought red dates, peanut porridge, and brown sugar eggs for Shao Qihai.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost too much blood. These can replenish your blood.¡±


    Shao Qihai felt that the red dates and peanut porridge were alright, but the brown sugar eggs seemed more suitable for the pregnant women downstairs. ¡°These brown sugar eggs¡­ Why don¡¯t you eat them? Didn¡¯t you donate blood? You need some nourishment too.¡±


    He already knew that Mu Jingzhe had donated blood for him, but he knew that if it were anyone else, given her personality, she would still have donated blood. After all, this concerned someone¡¯s life. Nevertheless, he was still happy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just eat eggs.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°You don¡¯t think that only women can eat brown sugar eggs, do you? Men can as well.¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± He just felt like he was in confinement for some reason.


    Because the food had been bought by Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai felt that it wouldn¡¯t be good to have leftovers. In the end, he finished it all and felt so full that he burped.


    Ji Buwang, who was carrying breakfast, stood at the door and looked for a moment. In the end, he lowered his hand and didn¡¯t knock to enter.


    Other than asking about his wound, the doctor also asked Shao Qihai if there were any seque from the many wounds on his body. As Mu Jingzhe and the kids were beside him, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t want to say anything. However, the doctor did.


    ¡°Just tell me honestly. It¡¯s fine even if your family knows this. You can¡¯t hide it from them forever. If you don¡¯t pay attention, your condition might get worse and you won¡¯t be able to hide it from them anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. It¡¯s just this shoulder and my left leg, which is more urate than the weather forecast. I can know in advance whenever it¡¯s about to rain, but that¡¯s the only problem. Nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Then how many more problems do you want? Just these two are painful enough.¡± The doctor shook his head. ¡°You people are good at everything, but you¡¯re used to shouldering everything on your own. You have tomunicate more with your family so that they can understand, support you, and care for you more.¡±


    The doctor had seen many people who reported only the good news and not the bad to avoid making their families worry. The same applied to the elderly and children. Many elderly people had died from enduring too much pain. He had seen many such cases, so he couldn¡¯t help but say a few more words.


    After the doctor finished asking, he said that he was leaving. Before he left, he suddenly stood up and bowed before Shao Qihai in a very standard manner.


    Shao Qihai reflexively returned the bow. The doctor smiled and slowly straightened his body. ¡°I used to be a soldier too.¡± The doctor sounded very proud when he said this. Then, he heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Fortunately, you¡¯re not saluting with your injured shoulder. Otherwise, the wound would have torn open and bled. I would¡¯ve gotten into trouble again.¡±


    The humorous doctor wiped away his nonexistent cold sweat and left.


    Little Bei gazed at Shao Qihai worriedly. ¡°Daddy, does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Then will your shoulder hurt when it rains in the future?¡± Shao Dong asked with a frown.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s really fortunate that you kids are fine.¡± Even if it hurt a little, what was there to be afraid of? It would have been worth it even if he¡¯d lost an arm to protect Shao Dong and Shao Nan. It wouldn¡¯t even be an exaggeration to say that he wouldn¡¯t have regretted it even if he¡¯d died.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t say the part about him not regretting this. He only sighed with emotion, but Shao Dong could see the relief on his face. ¡°We thought you didn¡¯t care about us¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. I care about you the most. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose previously. I faked my death and didn¡¯t tell you for the sake of your safety. I had no choice¡­¡± Shao Qihai looked at the children. ¡°I care about you more than about my own life. ¡±


    If Shao Qihai had said these words before, the five kids might not have believed him. However, Shao Qihai had proved those words with his actions during this incident. For a moment, even Shao Dong couldn¡¯t help feeling his eyes turn red.


    ¡°We misunderstood you, Daddy. I¡¯m sorry. We could¡¯ve told the reporters before, but we deliberately didn¡¯t. We deliberately pissed you off and made everyone think you were no longer around¡­¡±


    When they saw Shao Qihai¡¯s bloody appearance with their own eyes, their deliberate revenge became a nightmare. They were really afraid that what had been reported would be the truth again, and they were powerless to bear it.


    ¡°Dad, thank you for being fine.¡± Shao Nan also spoke up. Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes turned red, and they apologized.


    Shao Qihai was already very touched, but when he saw the children crying together, he felt terrible. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    However, this wasn¡¯t something that could be stopped in a short time. Shao Qihai was about to break down. He kept saying that they shouldn¡¯t cry, but seeing that they weren¡¯t stopping, he was forced to get off the bed and run out.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and the others were still staring at Shao Qihai¡¯s back with red eyes, their faces filled with confusion. Mu Jingzhe, who had also been watching from the side with red eyes, let out an ¡°Eh¡±.


    Why had he run away just like that? Shouldn¡¯t Shao Qihai have hugged the five children topletely untie the knot in their hearts and reconcile with them?


    ¡°Mommy, why did Daddy run away?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he remembered something. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly chased after him. There was no one in the corridor or on the staircase. ¡°Where did he go¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe searched around again and, finally, in the small room where the cleaningdy kept her supplies, she saw Shao Qihai biting his hand to suppress his cries and crying like a dog.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously. She wanted to think that she had seen wrong, but no, that wasn¡¯t the case. She pinched herself, but it wasn¡¯t a dream.


    At that moment, the cleaningdy came to work and saw Shao Qihai, who was upying her storage ce. She said, mouthing the words to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head slowly. ¡°No.¡±

 Chapter 234 - Confession

    <h4>Chapter 234: Confession</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The cleaningdy hadn¡¯t expected to receive a negative answer. ¡°You really don¡¯t know him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head firmly. Who was this person? She didn¡¯t know him. She must have made a mistake. Mu Jingzhe turned around and left, her expression still a little dazed.


    Her slow-witted brain spun and dug out the memories of the movie being released in the vige a few days ago. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Shao Qihai¡¯s cries were identical to what she had heard that night.


    Therefore, the binocrs really belonged to Shao Qihai, and the person she hade across that night was also Shao Qihai¡­


    After Mu Jingzhe left, the cleaningdy scratched her head and hesitated, not sure whether she should go forward andfort Shao Qihai. This wasn¡¯t a girl, and she didn¡¯t know how tofort him.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned to the ward, the five kids had already calmed down. ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy? Didn¡¯t you find him? Let¡¯s go look for him together.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe came back to her senses and quickly stopped them. ¡°No need. I found him. He¡¯ll be back in a while.¡±


    Judging from the way Shao Qihai had fled, he probably didn¡¯t want the children to see him cry. After Mu Jingzhe sat down again, she couldn¡¯t help but p her thigh. No wonder he had taught the children to shed blood and sweat but never tears previously. It was because he couldn¡¯t bear to see them cry!


    That¡¯s right, Mu Jingzhe had already roughly guessed what was going on. She had seen some cases of tear incontinence. Some people cried uncontrobly when they were agitated, while others couldn¡¯t help but cry when they saw others cry.


    Mu Jingzhe had been fortunate enough to meet a male colleague with such a condition. He could cry while doing very overboard things, such as hitting someone or speaking viciously while crying.


    Shao Qihai was probably thetter type, which was why he had refused to watch Little Bei¡¯s movie with her at first. In the end, he hadn¡¯t resisted secretly taking the binocrs to watch it. He had cried like a dog and had even been discovered by her.


    Then, when Shao Dong had cried yesterday, Shao Qihai¡¯s face had been covered in tears. Everyone had thought that it was because of the pain, but now, it seemed that this wasn¡¯t the case.


    If today was added to the mix¡­ there was conclusive evidence.


    Mu Jingzhe clicked her tongue with a strange expression. She didn¡¯t know how he had survived previously and just how many people knew his secret.


    Come to think of it, many people in this society would cry. It was the same even in the ces where he used to stay, where there had been only men. Those who went to the army to train would cry when they missed home and things got tough, and then when they retired from the army, they would cry like dogs. How could Shao Qihai have endured it?


    When she imagined Shao Qihai hiding under the nket in the bathroom or hiding in various deserted corners, crying like a dog, and fainting from crying too hard while hugging his retiringrade, she couldn¡¯t help but feel amused.


    So was he the infamous crybaby of their troops? Did everyone know that he was such a crybaby?


    Upon thinking of a cool person like Shao Qihai actually being a little crybaby, Mu Jingzhe was amused. The song that had left the deepest impression on her shed across her mind.


    ¡°Fallen leaves drifting in the cold wind. The army is a green flower. Dearrade, don¡¯t think about home. Don¡¯t think about your mother¡­¡±


    This song was really catchy. She didn¡¯t know how to sing thetter part, but anyone could sing the first part. Hence, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but sing it.


    ¡°Mommy, which song is this?¡± Little Bei¡¯s eyes lit up as she listened carefully.


    ¡°Just a song your father used to sing.¡± Mu Jingzhe was proud. This time, she didn¡¯t sing it wrong. This song had also never been adapted before. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of it before?¡±


    Little Bei and the others shook their heads. Only then did Mu Jingzhe realize there was a problem. When had this song officiallye out? Was it avable now?


    The version that she was singing had probably yet to be released¡­ Mu Jingzhe quickly shut her mouth at the thought of this.


    Shao Qihai, who had been kicked out by the cleaningdy and had finally managed to calm down, was speechless.


    He covered his eyes at the door and almost burst into tears upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s song.


    This was because he recalled those unforgettable moments. Many a time, life in the troops was arduous and dull, but one would also gain preciousrades-in-arms.


    Unlike what Mu Jingzhe had imagined, Shao Qihai had concealed it very well. No one knew about his problem. Everyone knew that he didn¡¯t like people crying, so they would restrain themselves in front of him.


    When he trained new recruits, his first rule was that they were not allowed to cry. If they cried, they would be punished and made to run. The effect was still good.


    However, there was also a time when he had lost control. It was when his best pal had retired from the army. Fortunately, it had rained that day and others hadn¡¯t been able to tell if the rain droplets were tears. Though he rarely cried openly, that day, he had been so depressed that he had cried in the rain while training his men to fight.


    It hadn¡¯t been easy for him to make it through. He hadn¡¯t expected that in just a short time after returning home, he would continuously fail. He had taught his children to shed blood and sweat but never tears, and he had failed.


    Shao Qihai went back withplicated feelings and didn¡¯t notice Mu Jingzhe¡¯s awkward, spirited gaze. However, he saw that she was looking at his eyes, and it urred to him that his eyes were probably a little red. Afraid that she would be able to tell, he didn¡¯t dare look her in the eye.


    The kids, however, didn¡¯t notice. They just hoped that Shao Qihai could tell them what had happened previously. There were some things that couldn¡¯t be said, but he should be able to tell them what kind of injuries he had suffered.


    They were depressed because they didn¡¯t know anything about Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai thought about the doctor¡¯s words, then looked at the five kids and finally said what he could.


    Based on this, Mu Jingzhe knew that she had met him several times before. ¡°So you¡¯re that old perv¡­ my savior.¡±


    Shao Qihai was very ashamed when he heard that. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s also because of me that you encountered those situations. You were implicated by me many times, including when you and Little Bei came across the fire.¡±


    In the end, Shao Qihai still confessed. ¡°I tried my best to stop them from affecting you, but I didn¡¯t expect you to still be implicated. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to be the reason behind all this. It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t angry. However, Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t intended for all this to happen. Later on, he also said that he¡¯d secretly protected them.


    At this point, the knot in the children¡¯s hearts was finally eliminated. It turned out that Shao Qihai had deliberately faked his death because it had been too dangerous.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected something like this, which only happened in TV dramas and movies, to happen to her. ¡°Now that you mention it, I was really lucky¡­¡±


    However, Shao Dong thought of another problem. ¡°Daddy, what if you¡¯d really died in the process and couldn¡¯te back?¡±


    Shao Qihai froze before he smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t die and dide back. Don¡¯t think about what-ifs. They don¡¯t exist¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I want to know. If you had really died, would we have known? Or would we always have thought that you deliberately abandoned us?¡± It was rare for Shao Dong to be stubborn.


    Shao Qihai looked into Shao Dong¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t bring himself to lie. ¡°You would have known. Even if you didn¡¯t know by now, you might have known in the future. It would have been fine as long as you found out and forgave me in time.¡±


    Seeing that the expressions of the five kids weren¡¯t right, Shao Qihai quickly said, ¡°My situation is actually much better.. Compared to truly nameless heroes, this is nothing.¡±

 Chapter 235 - Multiple Wives and Concubines

    <h4>Chapter 235: Multiple Wives and Concubines</h4>


    As Shao Xi looked at Shao Qihai, he suddenly remembered the two people who had been mistaken for Shao Qihai¡¯s new wife and child. ¡°Dad, when you said that you were going to protect the transfer, was that a family member?¡±


    Shao Qihai thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Ordinary people don¡¯t hear about nameless heroes, but they do exist. Their contribution and sacrifices might be known by very few people. It¡¯s even possible that they won¡¯t be able to regain their honor for the rest of their lives. They might just die quietly or while facing a scandal.¡±


    Just like that seniorst time. Outsiders had only thought that he was a hooligan and had even angered his mother to death because of this, but in reality, he wasn¡¯t.


    Shao Xi was sensitive. Upon recalling that he had secretly hated themst time, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Daddy, can I contact them? I won¡¯t do anything, nor will I reveal anything. I¡¯ll just be friends with that child. I remember that he¡¯s about the same age as Little Nan and the rest. We¡¯re both boys. It¡¯d be good if we wrote letters to each other and became friends.¡±


    Shao Qihai shook his head firmly. ¡°No, absolutely not. Don¡¯t think about this anymore.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t reveal their address even if he died, and he didn¡¯t know their new identities either, so it was impossible for him to say anything or contact them. Talking so much today was already his limit.


    When he saw Shao Xi¡¯s disappointed expression, Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze became slightlyplicated. Previously, he had said that Shao Xi had good eyesight, but for some reason, that wasn¡¯t the case this time. That child was obviously a bonafide girl. It was just that her hair was a tad short.


    Shao Qihai had an honest chat with the five kids and finally made up with them. It was a heartwarming scene of a loving father and his filial children. Mu Jingzhe gave them some space and went to get thetest update on the kidnappers herself.


    The identities of the kidnappers had been discovered and were really unexpected.


    No one had expected the left-handed gang to be associated with loan sharks. The money they earned had even been invested in the loan shark business, allowing them topound their money by collecting interest.


    Plus, that wasn¡¯t all. They actually had several fake identities. These people had established homes in various parts of the province. Three of those men weren¡¯t even in their thirties, but they¡¯d already married three times each, and each of their wives had given birth to two children. Thus, each of them had six children.


    Their wives were officially married to them by using fake ID cards. The wives didn¡¯t know each other or that their husbands¡¯ names were fake.


    This kind of operation was very difficult in modern times. After all, there was the national database. However, it had been possible in this era.


    Other than the advantage of having more hiding spots, they had done this because they wanted to leave behind more descendants. It was said that their ancestors had beenndowners, and they used to have multiple wives and concubines because they were really concerned about continuing the family line. These men had thus been influenced.


    However, in the new era, multiple wives and concubines were no longer allowed. Even the number of children had to be limited. Having more identities could solve this problem.


    The three of them believed this was a good idea that they had thought of. To them, it was normal to have multiple wives and concubines. They lived to earn money so they could marry and have children. This was also why they had always needed money. If they hadn¡¯t worked on a few cases, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to help their wives settle down.


    Their original goal had been to marry a few more women and have more kids in the future. If they hadn¡¯t been caught, it would have been entirely possible.


    Based on Shao Dong and Shao Nan¡¯s observation, they were very cruel to children and didn¡¯t have anypassion for them at all. In the end, they only had feelings for their children.


    Although the three of them were involved in the loan shark business, they¡¯d never made an appearance. They had only gone to collect money and interest. However, since they had implicated the loan sharks, the police naturally wouldn¡¯t let them off. After some arrangements, they finally wiped out all of them.


    Needless to say, there were interrogations, and they also checked their ount books. However, due to this check, an unexpected person entered the police¡¯s line of sight through the ount books.


    Shao Qiyun, Shao Qihai¡¯s biological younger sister, was actually in the loan books.


    Through the interrogation, they quickly learned about Shao Qiyun¡¯s situation. It turned out that Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t bear hardships, so she had borrowed from a loan shark. Initially, she had only borrowed a little, but her vanity had eventually led her to borrow more.


    Life wasfortable after borrowing money. She could eat well, drink well, and dress well, but when she¡¯d been asked to repay the money, she couldn¡¯t do so. After being threatened by the debt collectors, she had even gone to borrow money from Shao Qihai, but Shao Qihai had ignored her.


    Since she couldn¡¯t return the money, Shao Qiyun could only return it in other ways. She was young and beautiful. If she was sold or simply used to earn money, she could repay the loan. However, Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t ept this. She was going to marry a rich person. How could she ruin herself like this?


    ording to the statements of the debt collectors, they didn¡¯t have the chance to touch Shao Qiyun in the end because Shao Qiyun had said that her second brother, second sister-inw, third brother, and even her nephews and nieces were very good at earning money and were all very rich. She had guaranteed that she would definitely repay them.


    In order to get the loan sharks to believe her, Shao Qiyun had told them everything about Mu Jingzhe. She had emphasized how promising Shao Nan and Little Bei were and the fact that Little Bei was a celebrity. She had told them they needn¡¯t worry about her not being able to repay a mere 2,000 yuan.


    ording to the thugs¡¯ statements, because of Shao Qiyun¡¯s words, they had given her a few more days. After learning about the kidnapping case, they had tried their best to prove that they had nothing to do with it. Even though they usuallymitted evil deeds and beat people up, they only targeted the borrowers. They denied seeing Mu Jingzhe and the others before and said that they had only urged Shao Qiyun to pay back the money.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qiyun to be involved in this. It was a little unexpected but not very surprising.


    After all, the kidnappers knew a lot about their family situation and had even fabricated a car te tomit the crime. If the kidnapper had not been observing them previously, someone must have leaked the news.


    Shao Qiyun was quickly brought over to be interrogated. When Shao Qiyun saw the police, her face turned pale. As soon as she entered the station, she cried out for justice, saying that she had nothing to do with Shao Dong and the others being kidnapped.


    The police hadn¡¯t even asked her anything yet, and she¡¯d already imed that she had nothing to do with it. That meant that she had to be involved.


    Intimidated by the interrogation, Shao Qiyun, who had a guilty conscience and didn¡¯t want to go to jail, confessed what had really happened in order to lighten her sentence.


    It turned out that after the group of debt collectors had left, someone else soon hade to her door. They¡¯d imed to be debt collectors too, but as she couldn¡¯t recognize all of them, she couldn¡¯t help but repeat what she had said previously. This time, the person seemed very interested and asked for a lot of details, including the time and location of the kids¡¯ weekly sses, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s business, Shao Qihai¡¯s car, and so on.


    Later on, they¡¯d even asked who was the most favored among the children. Shao Qiyun felt that something was amiss, but she¡¯d still answered.


    ¡°I just told them that the children were all favored and bragged a little. I didn¡¯t know their motives. I really didn¡¯t.¡±


    The more she emphasized that she didn¡¯t know, the more suspicious it appeared. Perhaps Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t known for sure that they were plotting an abduction, but she had definitely sensed that something was amiss.


    Of course, the interrogation wasn¡¯t only directed at Shao Qiyun. The police also interrogated the kidnappers. When the kidnappers saw that their background was being investigated and there was nothing they could do, they spat out some facts intermittently.


    Since they were each raising three families, money was always spent very quickly. As they were looking for a target and were about to take action, they identally heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s words.


    Mu Jingzhe and the kids were simply unlucky. Originally, they had been in Great Eastern Vige and had kept a low profile, so no one had known about them. However, after Shao Qiyun¡¯s words, they had entered the kidnappers¡¯ line of sight.

 Chapter 236 - Xiao Wus Biological Mom...

    <h4>Chapter 236: Xiao Wu¡¯s Biological Mom...</h4>


    The kidnappers had simply pretended to be debt collectors and gone to ask Shao Qiyun questions. Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t even have to be forced before telling them everything. However, when she¡¯d been asked which of the children was the most pampered, she had said that the four older siblings were the most pampered and hadn¡¯t mentioned Xiao Wu. Therefore, the kidnappers¡¯ main goal at the start had been four children. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t mind kidnapping a fifth as well.


    Unexpectedly, an ident had happened. In the end, only two of them had been kidnapped and they¡¯d even ended up getting caught.


    Shao Qihai had been hospitalized for three days. He had recovered quite well and could be discharged now. It was only after he was discharged that he discovered Shao Qiyun¡¯s role in this kidnapping incident.


    Shao Qihai talked to the police and asked about the situation carefully. After he came out of the police station, he stormed straight to Shao Qiyun¡¯s rental house in the county city with a murderous expression.


    Although she had caused all this, Shao Qiyun had been released because she hadn¡¯t participated in the kidnapping and wasn¡¯t the one who had ordered it.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t find Shao Qiyun. She wasn¡¯t in the rental house. The rental house had already been searched by someone and was aplete mess. One look and one could tell that Shao Qiyun had run away.


    Shao Qiyun had indeed fled after this narrow escape. Afraid that the debt collectors woulde looking for her again, she had fled back to her home in Great Eastern Vige overnight.


    She was also afraid of Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe, but inparison, she still felt that the debt collectors were more terrifying. After all, they would really drag her away and sell her off, but Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t.


    However, she was also afraid that Mu Jingzhe would break her legs and Shao Qihai would punish her. Therefore, after Zhao Lan¡¯s worried nagging, she had gone out to hide overnight again.


    This time, she hid in the small straw hut in the field behind their house. The small straw hut had been specifically built in the past to prevent the birds and wild rabbits from eating the food. It was very small and contained nothing.


    However, she was in no position to be picky about the straw hut. After covering Shao Qiyun with a nket, Zhao Lan repeatedly warned her not to appear if possible. Otherwise, even she wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai.


    Zhao Lan was very careful, but she couldn¡¯t let Shao Qiyun starve, so as soon as she delivered the food, her sneaky behavior was noticed by Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t likable, and her character was dreadful too, so she didn¡¯t have any friends. Shao Qihai didn¡¯t search for her outside and just went straight home.


    Zhao Lan imed that Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t returned, but Shao Qihai didn¡¯t believe her. He quickly realized that something was amiss.


    ¡°Daddy, what are you looking at?¡± Xiao Wu hade out to ask Shao Qihai to eat. Upon seeing that he was looking behind the house, he quickly asked him about it.


    ¡°Nothing. What¡¯s wrong, Xiao Wu?¡± Shao Qihai squatted down, wanting to carry Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu jumped away. ¡°You can¡¯t carry me, daddy. Your wound hasn¡¯t healed yet. You can¡¯t carry me.¡±


    Shao Qihai, who was being cared for, smiled as blissfully as an old father. If the children had been like a storm to him previously, they were now a mild breeze warming his heart. Each and every one of them had be a sweet little darling.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re such a good boy. When the wounds on Daddy¡¯s shoulders heal, I¡¯ll let you ride me, okay?¡±


    Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°Okay, but Daddy, you don¡¯t have to be anxious. Mommy also lets us ride her. Mommy is very impressive.¡± Shao Dong and Shao Xi had grown up, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to ride on their parents¡¯ shoulders anymore. Therefore, the two of them would no longer have the chance to experience it.


    However, ever since she had let Little Bei ride her shoulders, Mu Jingzhe had been as fair to all five kids as she could. Hence, when she returned, she let Shao Nan and Xiao Wu ride her shoulders too.


    Shao Nan and Xiao Wu blushed every time. From then onward, they didn¡¯t have to secretly envy the other children in the vige.


    Now that Shao Qihai was back and they had reconciled, Xiao Wu was even more satisfied.


    As he looked at Xiao Wu, Shao Qihai felt both happy and helpless. ¡°Mommy will get tired too. Daddy should be the one doing this. Don¡¯t trouble Mommy when I¡¯m around.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Xiao Wu agreed obediently.


    Shao Qihai stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s soft hair. Seeing his adorable look, he couldn¡¯t help but kiss Xiao Wu¡¯s forehead. ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re so obedient.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe and the children were in high spirits, she would kiss them. Shao Qihai had been extremely envious of them previously, but he hadn¡¯t dared to do that upon seeing the children¡¯s gazes. Now that he finally had a chance, how could he not kiss his child?


    Xiao Wu touched his forehead, looking a little disdainful. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t kiss me on a whim next time. You could shave before kissing me. Your face is prickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, my hands are a little inconvenient.¡± Shao Qihai was embarrassed as he followed Xiao Wu to eat.


    There were many dishes on the dining table that were used to replenish blood, including pig¡¯s blood and pig¡¯s liver. This was because Shao Qihai was not the only one who needed to replenish his blood. Mu Jingzhe needed it too.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi picked up some food for Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai ate very contentedly. Ever since he had returned from the hospital, the children had been taking very good care of him, so much so that they would even wash his face for him if they could. They remembered the doctor¡¯s reminders and didn¡¯t let him carry heavy things. They even brought him water to wash his feet.


    After the meal, Shao Qihai went to the straw hut where Zhao Lan had been while no one was paying attention.


    While Shao Qiyun was feeling bored and vexed after eating, Shao Qihai came looking for her.


    At the sight of Shao Qihai, Shao Qiyun trembled. The children were Shao Qihai¡¯s reverse scale[1]. Shao Qiyun knew that very well, so she didn¡¯t dare make a sound and pretended that she wasn¡¯t there.


    She acted very well, but Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t fooled. Seeing that she didn¡¯t open the door, he raised his leg and kicked.


    His actions were very simr to the time when Mu Jingzhe had shown up at their house to kick the door. The wooden door flew open after he kicked it twice.


    As the thatched house was very small, when the door was kicked, it hit Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Shao Qiyun clutched her arm and screamed. ¡°Second Brother, what are you doing? It hurts¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked into Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. She only wanted to hide, but there was no ce for her to hide in the messy, small thatched house.


    ¡°Second Brother, I really didn¡¯t expect Little Dong and the others to be kidnapped. I really wasn¡¯t involved¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it did ur to you. It¡¯s just that you still told them in order to live. You?<i>are</i>?such a selfish person.¡±


    ¡°Second Brother, aren¡¯t they all fine? Stoping after me. I¡¯m really innocent.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re innocent just because you were able toe out? If you hadn¡¯t provoked the loan sharks and divulged so much, we wouldn¡¯t have been in this kind of trouble!¡±


    At this point, Shao Qihai sneered. ¡°You knew enough not to mention Xiao Wu when you were asked which one of the children is the most favored.¡±


    When Shao Qiyun heard this, her face twitched a little crazily. She bit her thumbnail. ¡°Second Brother, why would you mention him? You promised never to mention him in front of me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s offended me time and time again. Previously, when you wanted to borrow money, I didn¡¯t lend it to you and you went straight to Xiao Wu to ask for it. You¡¯re bold enough to demand it directly instead of borrowing it. Aren¡¯t you doing this because you think Xiao Wu is your biological son? Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re so brazen?¡±


    ¡°Shao Qiyun, I¡¯m warning you. I told everyone that Xiao Wu¡¯s mother is dead. If you don¡¯t want to die, shut your mouth tightly. Don¡¯t pull cheap tricks like this again.¡±


    ¡°In the future, regardless of whether you get beaten to death by loan sharks or sold, you¡¯re not allowed to mention Xiao Wu. Since you wanted to drown him and pretend you never gave birth to him back then, remember that forever. Don¡¯t jump out of nowhere again after Xiao Wu bes sessful.¡±


    [1] it refers to something one shouldn¡¯t touch

 Chapter 237 - Xiao Wu Heard It

    <h4>Chapter 237: Xiao Wu Heard It</h4>


    This was why Shao Qihai hade. He naturally hated Shao Qiyun, but he also saw Shao Qiyun¡¯s abnormality. In the past, she had treated Xiao Wu as non-existent and loathed the very sight of him, but ever since Xiao Wu had be sessful, her attitude had changed.


    Last time, she had dared to ask Xiao Wu for money. This time, she had dared to leave out Xiao Wu when asked which of the kids was the most favored. In that case, she would dare do something even worse when she was forced to.


    Shao Qiyun had been released and didn¡¯t have to go to jail, but those loan sharks wouldn¡¯t let her off. Zhao Lan and the others didn¡¯t have that much money to give her either. If she was forced, who knew what would happen?


    Shao Qihai knew very well that Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t left out Xiao Wu¡¯s name because of maternal love. Instead, she was treating Xiao Wu as her future money tree.


    He would never allow such a thing to happen, let alone let Xiao Wu know about his parentage.


    ¡°Shao Qiyun, remember this. If you dare reveal it¡­ I won¡¯t mind finishing what I left unfinished a few years ago.¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent.


    Shao Qiyun trembled even more when she saw Shao Qihai like this. ¡°I won¡¯t. I remember. I won¡¯t.¡±


    After saying that, she couldn¡¯t help but touch her neck. It was as if she had gone back in time a few years ago, when she had almost been strangled to death by Shao Qihai.


    At the time, she had wanted to drown Xiao Wu. When Shao Qihai had seen that Xiao Wu had nearly stopped breathing, he had almost strangled her to death.


    At that moment, she had known that Shao Qihai would really kill her. From then on, she had started to be afraid of Shao Qihai. She believed Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t making an empty threat. How could she not be afraid?


    If that little brat hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to survive, she would have been killed by Shao Qihai long ago.


    Seeing Shao Qihai like this, Shao Qiyun suppressed the restless thoughts she¡¯d been having these days. She truly feared that Shao Qihai would kill her.


    When he saw Shao Qiyun tremble and start to bite her nails again, Shao Qihai took a deep breath. ¡°Remember what you said today. You¡¯ve already killed your son. Xiao Wu has nothing to do with you.¡±


    Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t speak after that incident. Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t said anything, but he¡¯d kept feeling that it had something to do with Shao Qiyun almost drowning him. At the time, Xiao Wu had really stopped breathing. Fortunately, he had started to breathe againter on.


    However, Xiao Wu had only gotten better after a period of time. From then on, he had never cried again. It was unknown if it was because he was young, but Xiao Wu subconsciously remembered that he had brought trouble upon himself by crying, so that fear had been carved into his bones ever since.


    Perhaps it was the fear of death, or perhaps it was because something like that had happened to him not long after his birth, but Xiao Wu had never cried or said a word since then.


    A long time ago, Shao Qihai had taken Xiao Wu to the doctor, but after examining him, the doctor had said that Xiao Wu was fine and there was no medicine for him to take. Every time Shao Qihai saw Xiao Wu, his heart ached and he med himself. He had also racked his brains for solutions, but nothing had worked.


    Later on, when he was the right age to be able to speak, Xiao Wu indeed didn¡¯t know how.


    Shao Qihai had given up and epted the fact that Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t speak. He hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to be lucky enough to meet Mu Jingzhe and actually learn to speak.


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t exin why Xiao Wu could speak, just like he couldn¡¯t exin why Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t speak back then. He could only guess that perhaps it was because Mu Jingzhe had healed some of Xiao Wu¡¯s pain, or perhaps motherly love had given him a sense of security, so he was no longer afraid and finally dared to speak.


    Xiao Wu had been unfortunate, but he was also lucky because he had met Mu Jingzhe. Shao Qihai was very certain that he would only acknowledge Mu Jingzhe as his mother in this lifetime.


    Shao Qihai nced at Shao Qiyun coldly and bent down to walk out of the straw hut. However, his expression changed the moment he went out.


    It was because he had seen Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu was standing outside the straw hut, but he hadn¡¯t noticed him just now because his vision had been blocked.


    Shao Qihai looked at Xiao Wu, panic shing across his face. ¡°Xiao Wu, what are you doing here? You¡­¡±


    He had been really angry just now, and the wind outside was blowing so loudly that he hadn¡¯t noticed Xiao Wu¡¯s footsteps. He also had no idea when Xiao Wu had arrived.


    Shao Qihai hoped that Xiao Wu had just arrived and hadn¡¯t heard anything, but Xiao Wu¡¯s expression implied otherwise.


    In the past, Xiao Wu had been a shy little boy who loved to smile, pure and innocent like a nk piece of paper. At the moment, he had a stiff expression on his face and he was looking at him as though he didn¡¯t know him.


    When Shao Qiyun realized that something was wrong, she saw Xiao Wu turn around and run away.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart sank as he stared at Xiao Wu¡¯s back.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Second Brother, did he hear?¡± Shao Qiyun was extremely anxious and quickly tugged at Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Shao Qihai pushed her away, feeling self-reproach and fury. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he heard or not. You¡¯d better watch yourself!¡±


    Shao Qihai quickly gave chase. He ran very quickly and, logically speaking, should have been able to catch up to him. However, perhaps because Xiao Wu was really agitated, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t manage to catch up to him. He didn¡¯t even see him at home.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Wu?¡± Shao Qihai quickly asked when he returned home and saw Shao Dong.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Xiao Wue looking for you? You suddenly left without saying a word, so he was worried about you and he chased after you.¡± Shao Dong looked at Shao Qihai and frowned. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know how to tell Shao Dong. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for Xiao Wu first. If hees back, Little Dong, watch over him and don¡¯t let him run around.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu is missing? Why?¡± Mu Jingzhe came out when she heard themotion.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s mind was a mess. ¡°Yes, something happened.¡± He had nned to hide it for the rest of his life. He had never expected Xiao Wu to hear it in such an unexpected way.


    Xiao Wu was none other than the main party.


    Seeing that Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t even returned home, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t dare take any chances. His mind was filled with thoughts of how to exin this to Xiao Wu.


    Shao Qihai searched the entire vige but couldn¡¯t find Xiao Wu. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe, who was worried, went out to look for Xiao Wu and found him.


    Xiao Wu was hiding in the haystack beside the Mu Family¡¯s field. Mu Teng had made it for him previously. He had dug a hole in the middle so he could hide in it and y. Xiao Wu used to love hiding in this ce when ying hide-and-seek.


    Later on, even when he was not ying hide-and-seek, whenever Xiao Wu had something on his mind or felt unhappy, he would go to the haystack. It was considered Xiao Wu¡¯s safe space. Mu Jingzhe was able to find him easily.


    ¡°Found you, Xiao Wu.¡± Mu Jingzhe was still smiling when she saw Xiao Wu, but when she noticed Xiao Wu¡¯s face, she didn¡¯t smile anymore.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Xiao Wu, what happened?¡± Xiao Wu had covered his mouth, afraid that Mu Jingzhe would hear him, but his face was covered in tears.


    Mu Jingzhe had seen Xiao Wu cry before, but she had never seen him cry so hard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xiao Wu? Did your father scold you?¡±


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s concerned expression, Xiao Wu pounced on her and hugged her tightly. He then wailed. ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here.¡± Mu Jingzhe knelt on the haystack and hugged Xiao Wu. As she patted his back, she reassured him. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Xiao Wu. Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Xiao Wu continued to hug Mu Jingzhe and cry. He kept calling her ¡®Mommy¡¯ but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart clenched as she saw his tears. ¡°Xiao Wu, tell me what kind of grievance you¡¯ve suffered. I¡¯ll only know what happened after you tell me. Did your father say something? If he did, I¡¯ll go beat him up, alright?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was forced to say things like ¡®beat him up¡¯, but Xiao Wu was still very sad and didn¡¯t respond.

 Chapter 238 - Mu Jingzhe Learned What Happened

    <h4>Chapter 238: Mu Jingzhe Learned What Happened</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to carry Xiao Wu out, but Xiao Wu didn¡¯t want to. ¡°No, I don¡¯t wanna go out.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to go out. He only wanted to hide there. He didn¡¯t want to see anyone. He was fine just having Mommy with him.


    ¡°Alright, alright. We won¡¯t go out. We¡¯ll stay here.¡± Seeing that Xiao Wu was crying so sadly, Mu Jingzhe quicklyforted him and knelt down, not moving anymore.


    Xiao Wu cried and vented for a while before his emotions finally eased up a little. He took a deep breath and burped.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly put Xiao Wu down and took out a piece of tissue to wipe his eyes. ¡°Your eyes are swollen from crying. If there¡¯s anything wrong, tell me. Don¡¯t be afraid. Stop crying. Otherwise, you¡¯ll hurt your eyes and throat.¡±


    Xiao Wu nodded. Feeling Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warmth, he became even more upset. He stopped wailing, but tears started flowing from his eyes again.


    Mu Jingzhe was anxious. ¡°Xiao Wu, are you hurting somewhere? Or is something wrong?¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was anxious, Xiao Wu finally said, ¡°My heart hurts, Mommy. I only want you to be my mother. I don¡¯t want anyone else.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m here.¡±


    However, Xiao Wu was still crying. ¡°Will you despise me in the future, Mommy? Will you abandon me? Grandma said that dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and the son of a rat knows how to dig holes. I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t want me anymore, Mommy.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was dumbfounded. She had been kneeling, feeling anxious to begin with, and her face was red. ¡°Xiao Wu, what are you talking about? Why would I despise you? I would never abandon you. What did you hear? Why would you say such a thing?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe suddenly paused. ¡°Xiao Wu, did you ask your father about your biological mother? What did he say to you?¡±


    At this point, Xiao Wu suddenly shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want my biological mother. I only want you, Mommy.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want a mother like Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s guess was right. Xiao Wu had heard. When Xiao Wu had caught up to him, he¡¯d happened to hear Shao Qihai¡¯s words. Not only had he heard that Shao Qiyun was his mother, but he had also heard that Shao Qiyun had once wanted to drown him.


    Surprisingly, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t sad about this, as it seemed perfectly normal for someone like Shao Qiyun to do something like that. Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t surprised.


    What had upset him was the fact that he was Shao Qiyun¡¯s son and she had given birth to him. This fact had shocked Xiao Wu greatly. How could this be?!


    There were so many people in the world. Billions of people¡­ Of all the people out there, Shao Qiyun was his mother.


    ording to an old saying, a son shouldn¡¯t disdain his mother for being ugly, but she wasn¡¯t fit to be a mother at all. Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t want him either. Since she didn¡¯t want him, why had she given birth to him?


    In the past, like many children, Xiao Wu had been curious to know about his mother. However, now that he had found out about it, Xiao Wu would rather not have such a person as a mother. He would even rather he had never been born.


    Grandma said that a dragon gave birth to a dragon, a phoenix gave birth to a phoenix, and the son of a rat knew how to dig holes. This sentence often proved to be true. In the past, he had been praised by Mu Jingzhe many times. When he had seen everyone acknowledge his talent, he had thought that he was a wonderful person. When he grew up, he would definitely be sessful and contribute to society.


    He had been waiting, anticipating to be as outstanding as Mommy, but now he knew that Shao Qiyun was his mother.


    Shao Qiyun was a different sort of person. Xiao Wu was furious and fearful. He feared that when he grew up, he would be a wicked person, just like Shao Qiyun.


    His four siblings, as well as his mother and father, were all good people, whereas he was the only bad apple. What should he do?


    Xiao Wu burst into tears. He¡¯d always known that he was different from his siblings because he didn¡¯t share the same biological mother with them. Only now had he learned that he didn¡¯t even share the same biological father with them.


    They hadn¡¯t mentioned his biological father, but based on their attitude, if his biological father didn¡¯t care about him, then he definitely wasn¡¯t a good person either.


    Neither of his biological parents was a good person. If Mommy and his older brothers and sister found out, would they despise him and not want him anymore?


    ¡°Mommy, can you not despise me? I¡¯ll definitely be a good person in the future. I won¡¯t be bad. If I be a bad person, I¡¯llmit suicide. I¡¯ll kill myself, alright?¡±


    At that moment, Xiao Wu decided that if he became a bad person in the future, he would end his life.


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked. ¡°How old are you to talk aboutmitting suicide? How can you spout nonsense? Quick, spit three times[1].¡±


    Xiao Wu obediently spat three times before Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Xiao Wu, don¡¯t hold it in anymore. Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Although Xiao Wu had spat as he¡¯d been told, he had already made up his mind and really calmed down as a result. He then took a deep breath. ¡°Mommy, I know who my biological mother is.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had thought to herself that this was indeed the case. Upon thinking about Xiao Wu¡¯s attitude, she was a little conflicted. ¡°Does she not like you very much? Or is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like me. I don¡¯t like her either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. She hadn¡¯t thought much about it when she¡¯d asked the question, but after this exchange, a problem surfaced. Could Xiao Wu¡¯s mother be someone from their vige or a nearby vige? Otherwise, why would Xiao Wu answer as if he had met this person before?


    She hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Xiao Wu, would it be convenient for you to tell me who it is? Of course, if you don¡¯t want to tell me or it¡¯s inconvenient, you can choose not to tell me.¡±


    Xiao Wu was silent for a moment before spitting out a name that surprised Mu Jingzhe to the core¡ªShao Qiyun.


    ¡°What? She¡­ That¡¯s impossible. She and your father are siblings.¡± Wasn¡¯t it incest for siblings to have children?


    That couldn¡¯t be right. Mu Jingzhe shook her head violently. That might mean that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t his biological father!


    Never in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wildest dreams had this answer urred to her. Only then did she understand what Xiao Wu had meant by those words.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I definitely won¡¯t be wicked like her, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Mu Jingzhe dered firmly.


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t despise me, will you, Mommy? Her blood runs in my veins¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You will always be the cutest, Xiao Wu.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knew that Xiao Wu had suffered a shock, so she simplyy down and hugged him. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Xiao Wu. It¡¯s alright. One¡¯s parentage isn¡¯t important. Who says that children must turn out exactly like their parents? If birth determined everything, then the world would be finished.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that children are bound to their parents after they¡¯re born, but from the moment they¡¯re born, they¡¯re an independent entity. It¡¯s up to them what their future turns out to be like.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. Just look at the people in our vige. Parents and children arepletely different, so don¡¯t be afraid, Xiao Wu. No matter who your parents are, we still love you and you¡¯re still our darling. I also believe that you¡¯ll be useful to society in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had told the children a lot in the past. Xiao Wu finally calmed down. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. Even if you don¡¯t believe in yourself, you have to believe in Mommy. I¡¯m the one raising you now. One is shaped by thepany one keeps. It will definitely be beneficial for you to learn from me. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson before you can even make a move.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you believe Mommy, right?¡±


    [1] to prevent bad omens

 Chapter 239 - Can I Go Kill Her Now?

    <h4>Chapter 239: Can I Go Kill Her Now?</h4>


    Of course, Xiao Wu trusted Mu Jingzhe. Thanks to Mu Jingzhe¡¯sfort, he finally calmed down and leaned against her affectionately. ¡°I believe you, Mommy.¡±


    That¡¯s right. He was raised by Mommy. Even if he was evil in his bones, he was raised by Mommy. He only had to learn from her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words finally lessened the despair in Xiao Wu¡¯s heart.


    After being traumatized, running, thinking, and crying so much, Xiao Wu fell asleep very quickly now that he had rxed. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare move. When he fell asleep, she gritted her teeth and carried Xiao Wu out of the haystack. She didn¡¯t even care about removing the straw that covered her head as she limped home with Xiao Wu in her arms.


    Mu Teng had dug this hole for Xiao Wu, so it was actually very small. Mu Jingzhe had to kneel down to get in before. When she¡¯din down, her legs had been exposed and she had instantly felt numb.


    But that was Xiao Wu¡¯s safe space. He had to be inside.


    As Mu Jingzhe carried Xiao Wu back, she happened to meet the frantically searching Shao Qihai on the way. He only heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Wu.


    ¡°Lower your voice. He just fell asleep. Let him sleep for a while.¡±


    Shao Qihai nodded vigorously, frustration and regret shing across his eyes. However, when he saw the straw on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out to remove it. Mu Jingzhe turned around and Shao Qihai showed it to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remove it when we get back.¡±


    Shao Qihai wanted to take over and pick up Xiao Wu, but Mu Jingzhe shook her head and refused. ¡°I¡¯ll carry him. Come back with me. I have something to ask you.¡±


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression, Shao Qihai guessed that she had already found out.


    When they returned home, Mu Jingzhe carefully ced Xiao Wu down and casually shook the straw off her body. She then called Shao Qihai over. ¡°Come here.¡±


    She told the kids warmly, ¡°Little Dong, you guys guard Xiao Wu. Call my name when he wakes up.¡±


    Shao Dong nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± He could sense that something had happened.


    Mu Jingzhe sat in front of Shao Qihai. ¡°Tell me what happened. Why is Xiao Wu Shao Qiyun¡¯s son?¡±


    What the heck was going on! Just now, she¡¯d had to calm down andfort Xiao Wu. But now that Mu Jingzhe had said this, it was as if there were a few chickens in her heart, screaming with all their might, unable to ept this fact. Just what the f*ck was going on?


    Of all people, he had to be Shao Qiyun¡¯s child? It¡¯d be better if Xiao Wu had been simply randomly picked up somewhere.


    What right did Shao Qiyun have to give birth to an outstanding child like Xiao Wu? Was she even worthy? She would rather find out that Xiao Wu had popped out of a crack in a rock than that he¡¯d been birthed by Shao Qiyun.


    Mu Jingzhe clenched her fists, wishing she could crush Shao Qiyun.


    Who was Xiao Wu? Who the hell was she to make Xiao Wu feel so terrible? This was so goddamn unlucky, like stepping on dog sh*t that couldn¡¯t be wiped away.


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t in front of her, but Shao Qihai was. Mu Jingzhe stared at Shao Qihai, looking as if she would go up to him and crush him to death if he dared to say yes.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression, Shao Qihai felt very helpless. He didn¡¯t want to admit it either, but this was the truth.


    He exhaled. ¡°Xiao Wu told you? Yes, Xiao Wu is indeed¡­¡±


    With a loud bang, Mu Jingzhe mmed her hand on the table. The table trembled as if it was about to break.


    Caught off guard, Shao Qihai trembled along with the table. Then, he finished his sentence. ¡°He is indeed Shao Qiyun¡¯s son.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard this conclusive sentence, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡°Then why is she still alive? Didn¡¯t you say that Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother was dead? Since she¡¯s dead, you should just make her die for good!¡±


    If he dared to say it, why didn¡¯t he dare do it? Why didn¡¯t she just die?


    ¡°If you have the ability to lie, then lie for the rest of your life. If you can, then keep it from him and continue lying for the rest of your life. If there¡¯s really no other way, you can make the liee true. Since you said you wouldn¡¯t tell anyone for the rest of your life, why didn¡¯t you lie for the rest of your life?¡±


    Compared to knowing this fact, she would rather have been in the dark forever. Xiao Wu had to feel the same way. This revtion was too disgusting.


    Mu Jingzhe mmed the table and fired at him question after question. ¡°You¡¯ve kept it a secret for so long and refused to tell no matter what. Why does Xiao Wu know now?! How do you make decisions?¡±


    Shao Qihai was still sitting, but his aura was getting smaller and smaller. He was almost about to be eaten by Mu Jingzhe.


    In the end, Shao Qihai could only lower his head and mutter, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would we need the police if saying sorry was of any use?! Why are you apologizing to me? You should apologize to Xiao Wu. Do you know how much damage this has done to him? It wasn¡¯t easy for him to be more cheerful, but now he¡¯s crying his eyes out and he¡¯s closed himself off!


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t believe in himself anymore. He even said he¡¯s going tomit suicide if all else fails. How old is he? Look at what he¡¯s been forced into. To him, it seems like the sky is falling!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe really wanted to rip Shao Qiyun apart and make her disappear from this world.


    When Shao Qihai heard the word ¡®suicide¡¯, his heart was stabbed ruthlessly. ¡°I¡¯m the one who let Xiao Wu down. I should¡¯ve been more careful. I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying sorry now? Can I go and kill her?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe waved a hand. ¡°Forget it. Pretend I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was still fuming, but when she saw Shao Qihai¡¯s expression, the words that were about toe out of her mouth were stuck.


    Shao Qihai had definitely never wished for things to turn out like this either. It didn¡¯t seem right for her to shout at him. Mu Jingzhe thought about it and changed the topic. ¡°Why did he be Xiao Wu? Tell me all the details.¡±


    If she could, she¡¯d really make her ears get reborn and return to the state they had been in before they had ever heard this and been corrupted. Alternately, she would make time start over and stop all of this in the cradle.


    But neither of these options was feasible. They could only face reality.


    Shao Qihai awkwardly exined the situation. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to follow us and hear¡­¡±


    As for the fact that Shao Qiyun was Xiao Wu¡¯s mother, the story went back a few years.


    Shao Qiyun was the youngest child and had been beautiful since she was young. Zhao Lan had doted on her only daughter very much, and her three older brothers had also given in to Shao Qiyun most of the time. Shao Qiyun had been spoiled as a result.


    After hearing about the beautiful people who wanted to marry rich people from the city, Shao Qiyun had made that her goal too. She wasn¡¯t a good student, but she was unwilling to return home. Later on, she¡¯d even thought of ways to ask for money to study at a technical school in the city and learn how to give injections.


    s, instead of gaining any knowledge, she had been mesmerized by the prosperity of the city. All she knew was to ask for money and buy dresses, saying that she would definitely use this opportunity to marry a rich person.


    She hadn¡¯t even hesitated to scheme to achieve her goal. Unfortunately, in the end, she hadn¡¯t met a rich person and had ended up losing her innocence and getting pregnant.


    Zhao Lan didn¡¯t know how to teach Shao Qiyun. She hadn¡¯t taught her what she ought to but she had taught her some things she shouldn¡¯t have. At first, Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t even known she was pregnant. Later on, she¡¯d only found out when her stomach had started getting bigger each day.


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t dared tell anyone, nor had she been certain. She had only hoped that wasn¡¯t the case. To outsiders, she had said that she had gained weight. This was also the same thing she had told herself. Since it was winter and she wrapped her belly tightly and put on thick clothing, no one had been able to tell indeed.


    During the day, she would wrap her belly, but at night, she would have to unwrap it when she slept. When she unwrapped her belly, fetal movements urred, and Shao Qiyun had no choice but to admit that she was pregnant. She was filled with hatred, but her thought process was simple. She thought that everything would be alright after she gave birth.

 Chapter 240 - Reason for Adoption

    <h4>Chapter 240: Reason for Adoption</h4>


    Shao Qiyun had heard a story about a person in their school who had given birth in the bathroom in the past. In the middle of the night, she had even heard a crying sound, but then, it had disappeared. No one had seen the child before. Legend had it that the child was dead, but in the end, no one knew who the child¡¯s mother was.


    She didn¡¯t know who had spread the rumor, but because of this rumor, Shao Qiyun felt much less afraid. She felt that if that person could do it, so could she. Although she had heard that giving birth was quite painful, it would be fine even if it hurt a little. When the time came, she¡¯d just have to endure it for a while and no one would know.


    Shao Qiyun thought that giving birth would be very simple and it would hurt a little at most. This was because she had seen the vigers directly give birth while working in the fields. There were also people who said that they¡¯d almost given birth to their baby in the toilet while relieving themselves, so she¡¯d genuinely thought that it was not a big deal.


    There was nothing to be afraid of. After all, all the women in this world gave birth. Hence, she only realized that this wasn¡¯t the case after she gave birth.


    After the sky darkened, her stomach began to act up. Then, she hid in the bathroom and lied, saying that she had diarrhea. The lights in the bathroom were very dim, and one could only see silhouettes. No one could tell that anything was amiss. Although it was very painful initially, Shao Qiyun barely endured it.


    However, when the pain really red up in thetter half of the night, Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t take it anymore. It was difficult for a person to give birth in a dirty, dark bathroom. As she didn¡¯t know how to exert strength, the baby couldn¡¯te out. Thus, she bled continuously and almost died.


    Previously, she had resisted the urge to make a sound. Later on, she didn¡¯t have the strength to shout for help even though she wanted to.


    Giving birth was a dangerous affair to begin with. Many people were careful. Shao Qiyun had dared to underestimate it, and in the end, it backfired on her.


    Later on, a teacher who lived in the school woke up and saw Shao Qiyun as she went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. After being sent to the hospital, Shao Qiyun managed to stay alive and gave birth to the child safely.


    She had managed to survive, but the teacher had seen everything. She had tried her best to hide it, but she¡¯d ultimately failed. Furthermore, children who were born in the hospital were registered by the doctor and looked after. She couldn¡¯t discard the baby anymore. The teacher had even contacted her parents.


    Zhao Lan rushed to the hospital not long after Shao Qiyun woke up. When she heard about Shao Qiyun, she was furious and hateful. She was almost frightened to death.


    Zhao Lan begged the teacher not to tell anyone about this, even kneeling down to convince him.


    Seeing that the teacher agreed, Zhao Lan heaved a sigh of relief. She cursed and cried as she took over the responsibility of taking care of Shao Qiyun. Then, she took Shao Qiyun for her confinement period.


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t even willing to spare the child a nce. This child had almost taken her life and had been discovered by the teacher, so she didn¡¯t feel a trace of maternal love. She only felt disgust from the bottom of her heart. Forget about hugging him. Even if she heard him cry, she would scold him and ask Zhao Lan to quickly deal with it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you throw him in the toilet or in the garbage. Just hurry up and throw him away. Don¡¯t let him get in my way and drag me down.¡± Shao Qiyun knew what would happen if she kept this baby.


    Zhao Lan didn¡¯t know what to do with Shao Qiyun. Although this was a son, she knew that Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t keep him. It wasn¡¯t realistic to throw him in the toilet. However, the best solution would be to give the baby away right after leaving the hospital. Fortunately, it would be easy to give the child away since it was a boy. Soon, she found a husband and wife who had never conceived and wanted to adopt.


    Both Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun heaved a sigh of relief. However, when the baby turned one month old and Shao Qiyun recovered,pletely shaking off this nightmare, that family sent the baby back, saying that they didn¡¯t want to raise him anymore because the wife had gotten pregnant.


    When Shao Qiyun saw that the child she had finally shaken off was back, she shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t carry him over! Why did you give him away? You should¡¯ve just killed him. Why did you have to go through so much trouble?¡±


    Shao Qiyun shouted for Zhao Lan to deal with the baby, saying that she could just throw him in the water or anywhere else, so long as she didn¡¯t have to see him again.


    This time, Zhao Lan didn¡¯t listen to Shao Qiyun. ¡°No, you can¡¯t kill him.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Zhao Lan didn¡¯t have the heart to do it. Instead, she feared that Shao Qiyun would suffer retribution in the future. ¡°If it¡¯s a girl, it¡¯s no big deal if she gets drowned. But this is a boy. If you kill this child, boys will be afraid when they see this and won¡¯t be willing to reincarnate in your stomach. After you get married, you¡¯ll have to give birth to a boy to carry on the family line. Only then will you solidify your position in the family.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was vexed. ¡°Then what should we do? Don¡¯t tell me I have to raise him?¡±


    Zhao Lan shook her head. ¡°Anyway, if you want to give birth to another boy in the future, you can¡¯t deal with it like this. This is the same logic behind drowning a girl after giving birth. That way, girls won¡¯t dare reincarnate in your stomach after seeing it. If you do this after giving birth to a boy, no other boy will dare toe in the future.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was overwhelmed with frustration. ¡°Then what should I do now? Tell me, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try giving him away to someone else.¡±


    It sounded simple, but in reality, it wasn¡¯t that easy. They were almost caught and arrested. If they were caught and brought to the police station, it would be over. Zhao Lan was targeted and didn¡¯t dare make a move again. In the end, after thinking about it, Zhao Lan finally thought of the perfect solution. ¡°I¡¯ll look for your second brother and ask him to bring this child back and acknowledge him as his own.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was reluctant. If Shao Qihai learned about this, he would most certainly lecture her and would definitely force her to take responsibility. Even if he reluctantly agreed, she still felt ufortable at the thought of this child being raised at home. She didn¡¯t want to see the child at all. However, because there was no other way, she could only be forced to ept it.


    Zhao Lan found Shao Qihai and asked him to save Shao Qiyun. ¡°Qihai, it¡¯s your younger sister¡¯s child anyway. It¡¯s as good as your own child. You already have four children. It¡¯ll be fine even if you have one more.¡±


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected that all this while that Zhao Lan had been secretly visiting distant rtives, she had actually been dealing with such a matter. He naturally didn¡¯t agree to this absurd request. ¡°Shao Qiyun, if you have the ability, then raise him yourself. I already have four children. I don¡¯tck any.¡±


    Just as Shao Qiyun had thought, after scolding her and forcing her to take responsibility, Shao Qihai actually refused to go along with the proposed arrangement. Shao Qiyun was furious. After eavesdropping, she was already annoyed to begin with. Just then, the baby happened to cry. In a fit of anger, Shao Qiyun went all out and tried to drown Xiao Wu. If Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t heard themotion and gone in, the child would have been drowned by her long ago.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    However, Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Go and die! As long as you die, everything will be over.¡±


    As long as the baby died, she would no longer be in trouble. Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t feel any guilt about this. This b*stard child was a burden that had ruined everything for her. She had been born with the right to punish him. As long as he was killed and buried, she could bury this matterpletely.


    Even a vicious tiger wouldn¡¯t hurt its own children. Shao Qiyun was worse than a beast. Shao Qihai saved the child and used the back of his hand to grab Shao Qiyun. He was so furious that he almost strangled her to death.


    No matter how hard Zhao Lan tried to stop her, it was toote. In the end, it was only because the child was lucky enough to survive that Shao Qiyun managed to escape.


    After the baby was sent to the hospital, Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan didn¡¯t even show up once. Only Shao Qihai went. Even though Shao Qihai already had four children, he didn¡¯t have the heart to leave this baby. In the end, he carried Xiao Wu back home as his child.


    It wasn¡¯t because he wanted to help Shao Qiyun, but because he couldn¡¯t bear to leave such a young child behind. He also told Shao Qiyun that Xiao Wu would no longer have anything to do with her in the future and she shouldn¡¯t get involved. Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t have asked for more, so she agreed without hesitation.

 Chapter 241 - 1: Who Is Xiao Wus Biological Father?

    <h4>Chapter 241: Who Is Xiao Wu¡¯s Biological Father?</h4>


    Shao Qiyun had really washed her hands of the child entirely and was since relieved from this burden. She really felt that he had nothing to do with her anymore.


    However, she couldn¡¯t go to school again. The teacher was a person with principles and didn¡¯t leak this information. The news hadn¡¯t spread, but since the teacher had already discovered this, it was impossible for Shao Qiyun to continue going to school. She could only drop out.


    However, Shao Qiyun was afraid of seeing Xiao Wu from then on. In particr, when she heard that he couldn¡¯t speak, she was even more disgusted. If she could, she wouldn¡¯t go back. She rarely ever went home.


    Shao Qiyun detested Xiao Wu, even though he had nothing to do with her anymore.


    Shao Qihai had kept his word. Ever since he had brought Xiao Wu back, he had decided to be responsible for him. Even if he was criticized, he would give Xiao Wu an identity and raise him.


    Because he didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to know about his parentage, even when Mu Xue had forced him, he hadn¡¯t said who Xiao Wu¡¯s mother was or revealed Xiao Wu¡¯s identity.


    Even at the risk of not getting married, he had guarded the secret of Xiao Wu¡¯s parentage. Everyone thought that Xiao Wu was his son.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that after Xiao Wu learned to speak and turned out to be a musical genius who had revealed his brilliance at such a young age, Shao Qiyun would start to have designs on him.


    He could read her intentions and, in order to protect Xiao Wu, went to warn Shao Qiyun, wanting her to squash the thought. Unexpectedly, Xiao Wu had heard him.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that, her face went nk. There was only one thought on her mind. Indeed, television dramas were never as exciting as reality.


    She wiped her face. ¡°Wait. Let me digest this and calm down.¡±


    Actually, even though this was unexpected, after thinking about it carefully, one could find some clues. Shao Qiyun¡¯s attitude toward Xiao Wu was indeed very strange and different.


    Shao Qihai nodded, then noticed that there was still straw on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head. Just as he was about to tell Mu Jingzhe, he heard Mu Jingzhe suddenly say, ¡°After talking so much about Xiao Wu¡¯s mother, nothing has been mentioned about Xiao Wu¡¯s father. Just who is his biological father?¡±


    Since he knew who his biological mother was, Xiao Wu had already suffered a blow. He might as well know who his biological father was and ept it all at once.


    Shao Qihai shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I¡¯ve asked this question before, but she said that she doesn¡¯t know either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Doesn¡¯t know? This answer is anything but reassuring. What if one day someone with an unexpected identity suddenlyes out and says that he¡¯s Xiao Wu¡¯s father?¡± Wouldn¡¯t that be the heavens toying with them?


    However, perhaps Xiao Wu could ept it more calmly after this cold shower?


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to have such a reaction, but after hearing what she said, he felt that it was very possible. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that will happen. Shao Qiyun really might not know who it is. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have such an attitude.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Mu Jingzhe sighed. ¡°Xiao Wu is very traumatized now and can¡¯t ept this fact. He¡¯s even afraid that he¡¯ll be a bad person.¡±


    Shao Qihai smiled bitterly. ¡°I originally decided not to let him know, but in the end, he still found out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only Xiao Wu. Given the current situation, Shao Dong and the others must have sensed it too. Should we tell them? I keep feeling that we have to tell them. Sooner orter, they will find out. We have to tell them to spend more time with Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu is sensitive, and it wasn¡¯t easy for him to be cheerful. Now that he has popped his head out of his shell, we can¡¯t let him shrink back in again.¡±


    Thepany and eptance of Shao Dong and the others would lessen some of Xiao Wu¡¯s psychological burden.


    ¡°Then tell them.¡± Shao Qihai quickly nodded with aplicated expression. ¡°Thank you, Jingzhe. I¡¯m lucky you¡¯re around. Otherwise, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been easy for Xiao Wu¡¯s heart to open up during this period of time, but in the end, Xiao Wu had to find out about his past. When he found out that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t even his biological father, if it weren¡¯t for Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu might have kept it to himself. Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t know how to face the children either.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early for you to thank me now. The biggest problem¡ªShao Qiyun¡ªhasn¡¯t been solved yet.¡± Mu Jingzhe was furious at the thought of what she had done to Xiao Wu. ¡°How can there be such a person in this world? I didn¡¯t like her in the past, but I didn¡¯t expect her to be hundreds of times more disgusting than I thought. My fist can¡¯t help but clench at the mention of her.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath. ¡°Will shee and acknowledge Xiao Wu? Or even snatch Xiao Wu away?¡± She could think of ways tofort Xiao Wu, but the problem now was mainly Shao Qiyun. Who knew what she would do?


    When Shao Qihai heard this question, he really couldn¡¯t answer for a moment because he didn¡¯t know what kind of choice Shao Qiyun would make.


    In the past, Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t known how to speak, so she had avoided him like the gue. But now that Xiao Wu had be sessful and she owed other people an amount that would increasingly snowball due to the interest, who knew if she would reallye to snatch Xiao Wu just to repay the debt?


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. We have to deal with this lunatic. We can¡¯t be this unprepared.¡±


    Xiao Wu detested her very much, and Shao Qiyun was a really awful person. If Xiao Wu fell into her hands, he would end up in a worse state than in the book. Who could bear to let adorable Xiao Wu¡¯s life be ruined?


    At that moment, Mu Jingzhe hated that she didn¡¯t have supernatural powers. She wished she could change the fact that Xiao Wu was Shao Qiyun¡¯s son. Or perhaps there was a way to throw Shao Qiyun into another dimension and not let her appear again.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t capable of such feats. She thus stood up. ¡°Think of something too. I¡¯ll go tell Shao Dong and the others first so that they have time to digest it.¡±


    The children were sensible, so they shouldn¡¯t hide the matter from them just because they were children. No matter what, it was best to tell them personally than let them hear this from outsiders.


    It was Shao Qihai¡¯s turn to guard Xiao Wu while Mu Jingzhe told the other four kids about this.


    While Mu Jingzhe had been talking to Shao Qihai, she had mmed the table so hard that the five kids had naturally heard it. However, they hadn¡¯t expected the matter to be so serious. They were naturally shocked, and after the shock subsided, they started to worry. They were about as worried as Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Will shee to snatch Xiao Wu?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we definitely can¡¯t let her snatch him. You guys will watch over Xiao Wu too. Don¡¯t let him be carried away by Shao Qiyun. I feel lingering fear when I remember that Shao Qiyun even went to look for Xiao Wu alone previously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not leave Xiao Wu alone in the future. No matter what we do, someone has to be with him. Firstly, we can prevent that lunatic Shao Qiyun from looking for him again. Secondly, we can apany him and counsel him. Xiao Wu can¡¯t quite ept this.¡±


    ¡°If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it either.¡± Shao Nan pursed his lips. If he was honest, if he were Xiao Wu, he would directly destroy Shao Qiyun and let this secret stay buried forever.


    However, this thought was only casual and definitely could not be put into action.


    ¡°Xiao Wu is really pitiful.¡± Little Bei empathized with him. ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d probably die from anger. To think he¡¯s actually her son.¡±


    ¡°If Shao Qiyun dares toe, I¡¯ll beat her until she¡¯s looking for her teeth on the ground!¡± Shao Xi patted his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll protect Xiao Wu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to counsel Xiao Wu. No matter what, we have to stop Shao Qiyun.¡± Shao Dong then looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, if there¡¯s anything you need help with after this, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 242 - I’ll Never Acknowledge Him

    <h4>Chapter 242: I¡¯ll Never Acknowledge Him</h4>


    Xiao Wu woke up after sleeping for an hour or so. He seemed to have dreamed of something and woke up in tears, shouting, ¡°No!¡±


    When he woke up and saw Mu Jingzhe hugging him, he burst into tears. ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to leave you.¡±


    From the looks of it, it had probably been a nightmare about being taken away by Shao Qiyun or something to that effect. Everyone¡¯s guess was right. Other than finding it hard to ept this, Xiao Wu was really afraid of being taken away and being separated from them.


    ¡°I want to be with Daddy, Mommy, Brothers, and Sister forever. I don¡¯t want to leave.¡±


    ¡°No, no. No one can take you away.¡±


    Xiao Wu calmed down a little and looked at Shao Dong and the rest, who were looking at him with concern. He finally realized something¡ªhis siblings knew about it.


    He looked at them worriedly and promised, ¡°Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Sister, I won¡¯t be bad. If I be bad, you can hit and scold me. I won¡¯t¡­¡±


    He wanted to say that he wouldn¡¯t want to live either, but upon seeing Mu Jingzhe shut her mouth again, he said, ¡°I definitely won¡¯t go astray.¡±


    Shao Dong and the rest already knew what Xiao Wu was worried about. Upon hearing Xiao Wu¡¯s words, Little Bei couldn¡¯t help but flick his nose. ¡°Sister believes you. If you dare go astray, I will spank you.¡±


    ¡°You, go astray? Pfft.¡± Shao Nan also smiled.


    Shao Dong patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although Grandma likes that saying, there are no absolutes in this world. There are many bad people whose parents are good people, even very good people. However, some super-viins also have children who are good. There are many such people in history and reality. You grew up with Mommy. Even if you don¡¯t believe in others, you have to believe in Mommy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t think too much. If anyone is meant to go astray, I¡¯ll be the one to do it first. I¡¯m ahead of you.¡± Shao Xi spoke with a carefree attitude, thinking to himself that he would probably believe it if Shao Nan went astray. As for Xiao Wu, he had to queue up behind Shao Nan and him no matter what.


    Overall, Xiao Wu ranked fifth. If someone among the five of them was to truly go astray, he would definitely rank fifth andst.


    ¡°What is this talk about going astray!¡± Mu Jingzhe, who had initially been nodding non-stop, couldn¡¯t help but knock on Shao Xi¡¯s head when she heard this. ¡°Of all things, why are youpeting over this?¡±


    Seeing Shao Xi grin, Xiao Wu finally smiled. At longst, he heaved a sigh of relief and wasn¡¯t so tense anymore.


    As long as Mommy and Brother didn¡¯t despise him, that was good enough. As for Shao Qihai¡­ Xiao Wu stole a nce at him and smiled when he saw his warm gaze.


    Previously, when he had thought that Shao Qihai was his father, he, like his siblings, had felt that a father should be responsible and that it hadn¡¯t been right of him to abandon them. But now, he knew that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Previously, he had been very traumatized and hadn¡¯t even wanted to see Shao Qihai. He felt that Shao Qihai had lied to him. However, after calming down, he realized that the only reason he¡¯d dared to think that way was because Shao Qihai treated him well.


    Not only had Shao Qihai taken on the role of his father, but he¡¯d given him an identity and raised him since he was a baby. More than anything else, he was his savior. If it weren¡¯t for his father, Shao Qihai, he would probably have died long ago. Even if he hadn¡¯t been drowned by Shao Qiyun, he might have been strangled to death by her or discarded in the toilet to starve to death or drown.


    He should thank Daddy.


    Mu Jingzhe encouraged them to speak more and voice their feelings, be it happy feelings or unhappy ones. Also, if they were grateful, they should say it. Otherwise, no one would know.


    Like he¡¯d been taught, Xiao Wu really voiced his true feelings. ¡°Daddy, thank you.¡±


    Shao Qihai was vignt, afraid that Xiao Wu would cry again, but Xiao Wu managed to hold back his tears this time. However, when Shao Qihai heard this, he couldn¡¯t help but want to cry.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to thank me for? You¡¯re already calling me ¡®Daddy¡¯. This is what a father should do.¡±


    He had never regretted adopting Xiao Wu, but he was still extremely touched when he heard him say ¡®thank you¡¯.


    No, he couldn¡¯t be touched anymore. Otherwise, he would cry again. Shao Qihai forced himself to calm down.


    The atmosphere in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house was great and touching. Meanwhile, Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan were also talking.


    When Zhao Lan had seen Shao Qihai looking for Xiao Wu everywhere, she had sensed that something was wrong. She had quicklye over and asked Shao Qiyun what was going on. When she heard what had happened, she was shocked.


    ¡°Xiao Wu actually heard that? What a sin. What should we do now?¡±


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t answer, but when Zhao Lan saw that she was silent, she couldn¡¯t help but jump up. ¡°Xiao Yun, you want to acknowledge him? You¡¯re not married yet. If you do, it¡¯ll be over for you. Having a child out of wedlock¡­ What will you do in the future?¡±


    ¡°But what can I do if I don¡¯t acknowledge him? Everything else aside, at least he can still earn money. Mu Jingzhe won¡¯t ignore this either. If I don¡¯t repay those debts, I won¡¯t have a future anyway. Would anyone be willing to marry a woman who is riddled with debt?¡±


    Shao Qiyun exploded. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I born in the city? Why was I born in this mountain vige without a father from a young age? If I were the daughter of a rich family in the city, would I need to suffer like this?!¡±


    Shao Qiyun asked Zhao Lan, ¡°Why are you so useless? Why did you give birth to me when you¡¯re so poor?¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s heart ached when she heard her question. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Mother has let you down.¡±


    ¡°Other than apologizing every day, what else can you say? You keep saying that I¡¯m destined to marry a rich person. Then why don¡¯t you know a single rich person? It¡¯s all your fault!¡±


    Being resented by their children made parents feel the most helpless. When asked why she was poor and couldn¡¯t help at all, even the evil-to-the-core Zhao Lan felt like a knife had been stabbed into her heart.


    She had always felt that she had let Shao Qiyun down because she was clearly so beautiful and should have been a little princess, but she was trapped in a mountain vige. All along, she¡¯d felt bad that she couldn¡¯t give her anything, not even a beautiful dress, nothing.


    Zhao Lan took a step back, feeling powerless. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop saying sorry. What should we do now? What if that little brat Xiao Wu insists on acknowledging me? If Xiao Wu has found out, he¡¯ll definitely tell Mu Jingzhe. Who knows what that crazy woman will do?¡±


    Shao Qiyun gritted her teeth. ¡°They don¡¯t have the final say in this matter. No, I can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. What if Mu Jingzhe threatens me in the future? I have to find her first.¡±


    ¡°Then what about Xiao Wu?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways!¡±


    When the female workers knocked off and no one was around, Shao Qiyun came over.


    When she did, Mu Jingzhe and the others were vignt because they were afraid that Shao Qiyun woulde to acknowledge Xiao Wu. In the past, they hadn¡¯t been worried, but now that Xiao Wu was no longer mute and could earn money, and Shao Qiyun happened to be ckmailed by debt collectors, there was reason to worry.


    Seeing Shao Qiyun and Zhao Lan enter one after another, Mu Jingzhe immediately enteredbat mode. ¡°Get ready!¡±


    She had to stop Shao Qiyun from snatching Xiao Wu at any cost!


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked warily. Then, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mess around!¡±


    Coincidentally, Shao Qiyun also spoke up. The two of them basically spoke at the same time, but what she said was, ¡°I won¡¯t acknowledge him even if I die. Don¡¯t even think of forcing me!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was a little confused. ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re not acknowledging him?¡±


    She should be heaving a sigh of relief upon hearing that Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t going to acknowledge him, but for some reason, she felt very displeased. What did she mean she ¡®wouldn¡¯t acknowledge him even if she died¡¯? Xiao Wu was outstanding!


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t put her feelings into words either. In any case, she¡¯d have an urge to beat Shao Qiyun up if she wanted to acknowledge him, but that urge became even more intense when she said she wouldn¡¯t acknowledge him even if she died.

 Chapter 243 - Shouldnt He Repay The Kindness?

    <h4>Chapter 243: Shouldn¡¯t He Repay The Kindness?</h4>


    Afraid that Xiao Wu would be sad to hear that, Mu Jingzhe quickly turned around to look at Xiao Wu.


    His head was lowered, so no one knew what Xiao Wu was thinking. She couldn¡¯t tell if he was sad or not.


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t know that Mu Jingzhe wanted to hit her, but when she saw Mu Jingzhe warily pull Xiao Wu behind her and heard her words, she indeed heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to acknowledge him. Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m not here to acknowledge him.¡±


    There was no warmth in Shao Qiyun¡¯s gaze as she looked at Xiao Wu. Other than a hint ofplicated feelings, it was basically filled with repulsion and vignce. She still had to get married. How was she going to get married if people found out she¡¯d had a child out of wedlock? She couldn¡¯t bring a burden with her. Who would be willing to marry a woman with a child?


    She had originally been afraid that Xiao Wu would insist on acknowledging her, but now she rxed.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned at her. ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to rify the situation. Since we¡¯ve reached a consensus, that¡¯s good.¡± Shao Qiyun looked at Xiao Wu and said her first sentence to him. ¡°Remember, you¡¯re not allowed to say anything about this in the future.¡±


    ¡°You should remember this yourself!¡± Seeing that she still dared to speak to Xiao Wu like this, Mu Jingzhe stood in front of Xiao Wu and waved her hand impatiently. ¡°Get lost.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done speaking.¡± Shao Qiyun nced at Shao Qihai.


    ¡°What else do you want to say?¡± Shao Qihai was also impatient.


    ¡°Not much. I was just thinking that since we¡¯re talking about this matter anyway, shouldn¡¯t some gesture be made?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she could understand every word individually, but she couldn¡¯t understand them when they were linked together. ¡°What gesture? What kind of gesture do you want? Would beating you up do? You also feel that you deserve to be beaten up?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Shao Qiyun was furious. ¡°Who would ask for a beating? What I meant is that it wasn¡¯t easy for me to give birth to him. When I gave birth to him, I almost died. I only managed to give birth to him after losing half my life. It took me a long time to recover. It was fine when Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know about it, but now that he does, he¡¯ll have to repay the kindness I showed him by giving birth to him.¡±


    The room was silent. No one had expected Shao Qiyun to be so shameless. She didn¡¯t want to acknowledge Xiao Wu, but she actually wanted Xiao Wu to repay her kindness.


    Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Shao Qiyun coughed and said, ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯ve never given birth before. You don¡¯t know how difficult and dangerous it is to give birth to a child. Although I didn¡¯t raise Xiao Wu, he owes me a debt of kindness for giving birth to him. Coincidentally, I¡¯m in a difficult situation now. It¡¯s only right that he helps me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much. He just has to pay back the debt I owe. That way, we can call it even.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen shameless people, but I¡¯ve never seen someone as shameless as you.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s face was as ck as the bottom of a pot. ¡°Shao Qiyun, do you have a death wish? Is that why you came here to seek death?¡±


    ¡°Did I say anything wrong? Am I not the one who gave birth to him?¡± Shao Qiyun, who was impatient, looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Give me the money Xiao Wu has earned. Not a cent less.¡±


    ¡°Why should I give it to you? No!¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s body started trembling when he heard Shao Qiyun ask for money. At that moment, he finally couldn¡¯t help but speak.


    Shao Qiyun spat. ¡°Why? Because I gave birth to you, of course. How dare you speak up? If it weren¡¯t for me, you¡¯d have died long ago. Don¡¯t you go to school every day? Then you should know that children need to be filial to their parents. You ought to know that you should repay my kindness and be filial to me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already been agreed that you won¡¯t acknowledge each other. Repay you, my *ss!¡± Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°If you say another word, I¡¯ll smash your smelly mouth! Do you believe me?¡±


    He really felt like he was going to explode and die from anger.


    ¡°How dare you speak to me like this?¡± Shao Qiyun was also furious. ¡°I knew that none of you had good intentions. You clearly know that I gave birth to him, but in the end, you only wanted me to shoulder the responsibility. You didn¡¯t even think of repaying me. Let me tell you something. That¡¯s impossible. Don¡¯t even think of ruining my marriage prospects!¡±


    She looked at Xiao Wu, her eyes filled with disgust. ¡°You disgusting, filthy thing. I¡¯m telling you. You can forget about me acknowledging you in this lifetime! That day will nevere! I¡¯ll never acknowledge you!¡±


    How could she acknowledge such a dirty, disgusting thing! Upon thinking of the way he had grown bigger and bigger inside of her back then and how she hadn¡¯t been able to shake him off no matter what, Shao Qiyun wanted to vomit.


    Xiao Wu, who was already pale and trembling, couldn¡¯t help taking a step back when he heard this.


    He didn¡¯t like Shao Qiyun and was afraid that Shao Qiyun would acknowledge him. However, when Shao Qiyun said these words and he saw the way she was looking at him, his heart clenched tightly.


    So he was a disgusting, filthy thing? He¡­


    Xiao Wu thought in a daze and suddenly felt someone hug him and cover his ears. The world quietened down, and Xiao Wu finally reacted. He looked up and saw Shao Dong looking at him.


    Seeing that he had reacted, Shao Dong removed his hands from his ears. Instead, he grabbed his hand and looked at him seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Xiao Wu, don¡¯t listen to her either. She¡¯s crazy. You¡¯re not disgusting or dirty. You¡¯re our darling and you have nothing to do with her. Have you forgotten how much Mommy likes you? Have you forgotten that there are still many people who are fond of you?¡±


    Indeed, Mommy really liked him. Mommy liked him the most. She liked his hair, his face, his hands, and feet. Mommy would often stroke his hair andment that it was super-soft. She liked looking at his hands and marveled at how small and adorable they were. Then, she would bite them.


    She even praised his feet for being cute and said that she wanted to eat them too. Xiao Wu would run away and hide when he heard that. She would frequently tickle his feet too.


    Therefore, Mommy liked him the most. She liked him from head to toe. He wasn¡¯t disgusting or dirty.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s face finally turned less pale. Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Do you remember what Grandma taught us when you heard something you shouldn¡¯t have? You¡¯ll be fine after washing your ears. I¡¯ll wash them for you.¡±


    Shao Dong rubbed Xiao Wu¡¯s ears. ¡°I¡¯ll help you wash them. Are they clean now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    It was only after Xiao Wu finished saying that that he realized how noisy it was. He turned around and saw that the courtyard had already be a mess. His eldest brother, Shao Dong, who had beenforting him warmly just now, had also thrown the rock in his hand at Shao Qiyun.


    This was the weapon they had prepared to protect Xiao Wu.


    Before Shao Dong had thrown that rock over, Shao Xi and the rest had already thrown other things at her.


    Little Bei¡¯s heart ached for Xiao Wu. How could that woman treat her younger brother like that! She was so angry that she bit off her already loose tooth. Her mouth hurt, and she spat out her bloody tooth. Little Bei groaned in pain as she threw the tooth over.


    Shao Qiyun was angry at them for making up all sorts of excuses and refusing to give her money, disrupting her ns. In addition, she was afraid that Xiao Wu would acknowledge her, so she¡¯d decided to make him give up on the thoughtpletely. Recalling how she had felt back then, she¡¯d said a few truthful words. Unexpectedly, her words had triggered everyone.


    As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Jingzhe went forward and pped Shao Qiyun so hard that she made her ears ring. Zhao Lan had long known that this would not end well. She couldn¡¯t care less and quickly went forward to stop them, causing chaos.


    Shao Dong moved to cover Xiao Wu¡¯s ears. Other than wanting him toe back to his senses, the main reason he did this was that Shao Qiyun¡¯s cries of agony were too loud.


    Little Bei and the rest were busy doing their own thing. Despite Zhao Lan¡¯s effort to stop her, Mu Jingzhe grabbed Shao Qiyun¡¯s hair and refused to let go. Shao Qiyun was beaten until she shrieked in pain.

 Chapter 244 - I’ll Give You a Taste of Being Drowned

    <h4>Chapter 244: I¡¯ll Give You a Taste of Being Drowned</h4>


    In the end, with Zhao Lan¡¯s help, Shao Qiyun finally escaped from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clutches and ran toward the door after paying the price by having arge chunk of her hair ripped off and having a bleeding scalp.


    Shao Qiyun felt as if her entire scalp had been ripped off. It was so painful that her entire head was buzzing. She tried her best to escape, but just as she reached the door, she was hit by somethinging from behind and fell to the ground in a sorry state.


    The person who had thrown something at Shao Qiyun was Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai was overwhelmed by fury. Upon seeing that she¡¯d still dared to run, he had picked up some firewood from the ground and thrown it. The firewood hit Shao Qiyun¡¯s back and directly knocked her down. Shao Qiyun screamed but didn¡¯t dare stay. Zhao Lan pulled her up and ran. There were countless rocks and other things aimed at her back.


    The two of them ran quickly. From the looks of it, she was afraid and in pain after the beating. However, how was this little pain enough? Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t even really started yet.


    This time, Shao Qiyun had really crossed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bottom line. Xiao Wu¡¯s heart was very fragile. They had finally managed tofort him, but Shao Qiyun had left his heart riddled with holes once more. When she turned around and saw the pale-faced and dazed Xiao Wu, Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, don¡¯t listen to her. Don¡¯t be afraid that she¡¯lle looking for you again. I¡¯ll get rid of her.¡±


    Shao Nan was also angry, but when he saw Mu Jingzhe like this, he quickly said, ¡°Mommy, calm down. If you kill someone, you¡¯ll have to go to jail. Remember not to kill her. Let her breathe when you¡¯re done with her.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind really calmed down a little after she heard Shao Nan¡¯s words. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t kill her. I¡¯ll leave her onest breath. Little Nan, you kids stay here. Don¡¯t follow me.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Jingzhe rushed out. Zhao Lan dragged Shao Qiyun along and ran home with great difficulty. Just as she was about to lock the door, she saw Mu Jingzhe chasing them.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s expression changed drastically. Between turning around to flee and continuing to lock the door, she decisively chose to run. At that moment, it suddenly urred to Zhao Lan that this door couldn¡¯t stop Mu Jingzhe.


    If the door was locked and Mu Jingzhe kicked it again, it might really be ruined for good.


    At the thought of this, Zhao Lan didn¡¯t dare lock the door anymore. As she searched for a ce to hide, she even hugged her head to prevent Mu Jingzhe from hitting her. In the end, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care about Zhao Lan at all. She walked past her and chased after Shao Qiyun. She grabbed Shao Qiyun¡¯s hair and said, ¡°If I don¡¯t teach you a lesson, you¡¯ll never learn. How dare you threaten and say such words at a time like this?¡±


    Just a small piece of her scalp had been ripped off, but Shao Qiyun¡¯s scalp still felt numb and painful. When she was grabbed by the hair again, she immediately shrieked, ¡°It hurts!¡±


    ¡°You know what pain is like? Why did you spout nonsense then? Is there anything more disgusting and filthy than your evil heart? I can wash it for you.¡±


    Seeing that Shao Qiyun kept shrinking back, Mu Jingzhe grabbed her cor. Amid Shao Qiyun¡¯s screams, Mu Jingzhe dragged her toward the kitchen. Fear seized Shao Qiyun¡¯s heart when she saw that they were heading to the kitchen. She struggled desperately for help. ¡°Mom, save me. Mu Jingzhe wants to kill me. There¡¯s a knife in the kitchen. Hurry up and save me!¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s expression changed, and Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°You do know what your end is gonna be like, huh.¡±


    No matter how Shao Qiyun struggled, she was ultimately dragged into the kitchen. Because of Shao Qiyun¡¯s reminder, Mu Jingzhe saw the kitchen knife at first nce. She pressed that wretch¡¯s head against the chopping board and picked up the kitchen knife, rubbing it against the edge of the big iron pot to sharpen it.


    The sound of the sharpening knife frightened Shao Qiyun. ¡°No, no¡­¡±


    ¡°No what? I¡¯m sharpening the knife precisely because I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to chop off your thin neck with one move. Or do you want me to chop it a few more times? That works too.¡±


    Shao Qiyun trembled when she heard that. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want money anymore. Mu Jingzhe, let me go. I don¡¯t want money anymore. If you kill me, you¡¯ll have to go to jail. You don¡¯t want to go to jail because of me, right? I beg of you, let me go!


    ¡°Mom, mom, save me!¡±


    Zhao Lan rushed in as Shao Qiyun screamed and happened to see Mu Jingzhe raise a knife-wielding hand and sh down.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zhao Lan screamed. ¡°Qiyun! My Qiyun! I¡¯ll fight you to death!¡±


    ¡°Fight what?¡± Mu Jingzhe suddenly turned around and threw the kitchen knife over. Zhao Lan screamed and hugged her head. The kitchen knife flew past her and plunged into the wooden kitchen door with a bang.


    Zhao Lan tilted her head and looked at the kitchen knife, which had been deeply inserted into the wooden door. Imagining the knife stabbing her body, she ran out like a lunatic. ¡°Murder! Murder!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s murdering people?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯szy voice rang out, followed by Shao Qiyun¡¯s overwhelmed sobs.


    Shao Qiyun had really thought that she was going to die. She had even felt the wind when the kitchen knife had shed down. She¡¯d thought that she was going to die, but in the end, she had managed to escape death.


    Mu Jingzhe was only scaring her. She wasn¡¯t really going to chop her head.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re crazy. You¡¯re crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°You only realized now that I¡¯m crazy? You¡¯ve already been taught a lesson many times. Why do you and Zhao Lan always forget and keep provoking me? This was an appetizer. Next time, I won¡¯t just scare you. At the very least, I¡¯ll have to chop off your fingers.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Shao Qiyun was filled with hatred. Just as she thought that today¡¯s suffering and shock were about to end, Mu Jingzhe rolled up her sleeves. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to get down to business.¡±


    ¡°What business?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d just scare you like that and let it slide, did you? I was just improvising because you were screaming so loudly.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face suddenly darkened. ¡°The main show is only starting now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe carried Shao Qiyun to the round old water vat and pressed her head down. ¡°How dare you drown Xiao Wu? I¡¯ll give you a taste of being drowned.¡±


    Shao Qiyun stiffened her neck and struggled. ¡°No, no!¡± But how could she resist Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strength? In no time, she was pressed into the water.


    Shao Qiyun struggled with all her might but couldn¡¯t break free from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand.


    Zhao Lan, Eldest Brother Shao, and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, who were in the courtyard outside, screamed in fright. Zhao Lan¡¯s expression changed. She mustered all her courage, wanting to step forward to stop Mu Jingzhe and save her daughter, but she didn¡¯t seed.


    This was because Shao Qihai had rushed over and swiftly tied Zhao Lan without a word. Then, he casually took a cloth used for wiping one¡¯s feet from the table and stuffed it into Zhao Lan¡¯s mouth. ¡°You¡¯re too noisy.¡±


    Seeing Zhao Lan¡¯s resentful gaze, Shao Qihai said calmly, ¡°This is what will happen to her when she gets greedy. If you don¡¯t want to really die, listen to me. Watch over her in the future and don¡¯t let her ruin things again.¡±


    Seeing that Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao were behaving themselves, Shao Qihai nodded. ¡°Listen to themotion inside. If you want to carve it more deeply into your memory, you can go in and take a look. Jingzhe won¡¯t charge you money for it.¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had seen Mu Jingzhe drag Shao Qiyun in with their own eyes. They had also seen the knife stuck in the kitchen door and heard themotion inside. Their legs went limp, and they couldn¡¯t even stand straight. How could they dare go in to look? ¡°No need, no need.¡±


    They really didn¡¯t want to be chopped up, nor did they want to get involved in this anymore.

 Chapter 245 - You Deal With Her, Ill Be The Lookout

    <h4>Chapter 245: You Deal With Her, I¡¯ll Be The Lookout</h4>


    The way Eldest Brother Shao was staring at Shao Qihai was simr to when he had suddenly returned. In fact, he was even more terrified than someone looking at a ghost. He had never known that this second brother of his could be so ruthless when provoked.


    As she was looking at Shao Qihai and listening to themotion inside, there was only one thought in Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s mind¡ªshe wanted to go back to her parents¡¯ house. These two people were too scary. They were even scarier than the two great cavaliers[1] on TV.


    As Mu Jingzhe had never done such a thing before, she was actually a little unsure of the timing. She didn¡¯t really want to drown Shao Qiyun, so she could only count the time and pull her up to let her catch her breath before pressing her down again.


    However, when Shao Qihai came in, the timing problem was resolved.


    Shao Qihai looked at the time. Mu Jingzhe was about to pull his sister¡¯s head out, but he reached out to stop her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can wait two more seconds. I have experience in this. Alright, pull her up.¡±


    Shao Qiyun had thought that, no matter what, Shao Qihai would stop Mu Jingzhe. She hadn¡¯t expected that not only would he not stop her, but he would also make her suffer even more by looking at the time.


    ¡°Second Brother, how could you do this to me!¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I do this to you? Back then, I just didn¡¯t think of such a good idea. Otherwise, I would have done it long ago. It¡¯s just nice now.¡±


    After saying that, he personally pressed Shao Qiyun¡¯s head down. The two of them worked together, switching back and forth a few times. Only when Shao Qiyun reached her limit did he throw her away like a dead dog.


    Seeing Shao Qiyun in this state, Mu Jingzhe exhaled. The raging anger in her chest had finally dissipated a little, and she no longer felt like she was about to explode.


    ¡°This is only the first time. Just wait. I¡¯ll y with you a few more times. It allows me to vent my anger and instill in you a deep sense of regret.¡±


    Shao Qiyun panted heavily. ¡°How¡­ How can you two be so vicious and scary?¡±


    Previously, Shao Qiyun had already been afraid of Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai, but at the moment, her fear had reached its peak. Furthermore, she genuinely regretted it. If she had known earlier, she wouldn¡¯t have gone to ask them for money.


    Why would she care about loan sharks if she was dead?


    ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning, yet you¡¯re already afraid?¡± Mu Jingzhe stared at Shao Qiyun¡¯s two hands. ¡°It was these two hands that almost drowned Xiao Wu, right?¡±


    As Shao Qiyun had a bad premonition, Mu Jingzhe moved her neck and flexed her wrists. ¡°I¡¯ll feel bad if I don¡¯t do anything, so your hands¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nced at Shao Qihai. ¡°Do you think we should break them?¡±


    Shao Qiyun, who had copsed on the side like a pool of mud, started struggling when she heard that. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, how dare you. Who do you think you are? You can¡¯t treat me like this. Second Brother, are you just going to watch Mu Jingzhemit crimes? Aren¡¯t you afraid that the vigers will hear ande to see?¡±


    Shao Qihai frowned slightly. ¡°You are the one who started it. But what you said makes sense.¡±


    He looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Do you want to do it yourself, or do you want to go outside so others can watch?¡± Given themotion, the vigers would definitelye to watch.


    He gave Mu Jingzhe a choice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Only by doing it personally could she appease her anger.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go outside and act as a lookout then.¡± Shao Qihai nodded. ¡°It¡¯s convenient for you because you¡¯re strong, but don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her brows, a tad surprised that Shao Qihai would say such a thing. Was he such a person? She had never known that he was capable of sarcasm.


    Seeing them like this, Shao Qiyun almost vomited blood. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai, don¡¯t go overboard.¡± She stopped calling him ¡®Second Brother¡¯ and directly called him by his name.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t react at all and just left. Mu Jingzhe gave her a p across the face.


    ¡°Alright, shut up. Unless you want to announce to the world that Xiao Wu is your son.¡± Mu Jingzhe and the others didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu¡¯s identity to be publicized, but Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t want it either.


    ¡°No, Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯te closer! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± Shao Qiyun tried her best to break free and shrink into a corner.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± Mu Jingzhe flexed her wrists and walked over step by step.


    ¡°Don¡¯te over, don¡¯te over!¡± Shao Qiyun looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s manner and only wanted to run far away from this lunatic. However, Mu Jingzhe had long seen through her intentions and said directly, ¡°Squash any crooked ideas you may have. Don¡¯t even think of running away.¡±


    Her gazended on Shao Qiyun¡¯s legs. ¡°Seems like something has to be done to these legs. You want to run? I¡¯ve got to make sure you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe ignored her screams and attacked directly. When dealing with a person like Shao Qiyun, no matter how many words one said or how many times one said things, she would only remember it if one inflicted enough pain on her once. She had to beat Shao Qiyun until she felt the pain and fearpletely. Only then could she protect Xiao Wu and stop her from harassing him. Otherwise, there would be endless trouble in the future.


    When Mu Jingzhe thought of Xiao Wu¡¯s fearful crying and his pale face just now, she steeled her heart and dislocated Shao Qiyun¡¯s arms and legs.


    She didn¡¯t break them, only dislocated them, but the pain still made Shao Qiyun scream incessantly.


    Mu Jingzhe covered her ears and took off the socks on her feet. She rolled them up in disdain and stuffed them into Shao Qiyun¡¯s mouth. ¡°Your voice is ear-piercing. Don¡¯t worry. Your hands and legs aren¡¯t broken. I¡¯m not you. I really know how to do these things. I merely dislocated them. They¡¯re dislocated, understand?¡±


    Shao Qiyun was delighted to hear that they weren¡¯t broken. s, she then heard Mu Jingzhe add, ¡°I think I should give the debt collectors the chance to break your arms and legs. Otherwise, if I break them, I¡¯d be depriving them of the opportunity to do that to you. I can¡¯t do it all myself and not give them a chance. That would not be good.¡±


    Ignoring Shao Qiyun¡¯s venomous gaze, Mu Jingzhe squatted down. ¡°Come on, tell me. Do you still want to shamelessly go to Xiao Wu and ask him for money?¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat from the pain. Her eyes were red, and she was letting muffled cries out of her stuffed mouth. Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Anyway, if you don¡¯t want to die, just pretend that you don¡¯t have a son. Your answer can only be yes.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was truly afraid. She didn¡¯t care about her son, but she couldn¡¯t speak, so she could only nod.


    ¡°Since you understand, let me put it this way: If you daree again, I¡¯ll really break your limbs.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wiped her hands and walked out. She sneered at Zhao Lan, who was ring at her with tears of resentment. ¡°You have the cheek to resent someone else when you didn¡¯t teach your daughter well. Who can you me?


    ¡°Everyone has to pay the price for what they¡¯ve done. If you people had behaved yourselves, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. But you¡¯re too greedy and you want to take advantage of everything.¡±


    She had just sold them out and caused Shao Dong and Shao Nan to be kidnapped. This debt had yet to be settled, and now, this incident with Xiao Wu had happened. She was extremely greedy.


    ¡°Zhao Lan, I¡¯ll give you a mission. Keep an eye on Shao Qiyun and don¡¯t let her leave the vige.¡±


    Zhao Lan was furious. Why not?


    ¡°Her arms and legs aren¡¯t broken. I just dislocated them. You can get someone to move the joints back into ce. This will also make it easier for you to keep an eye on her. Listen to me now. If you don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ll be the one getting drowned every day. You choose. Just weigh the pros and cons.¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s gaze flickered, and Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about suffering for your daughter and moving everyone with your deep mother-daughter bond. You can¡¯t take her ce. You¡¯re an aplice, and you¡¯ve alsomitted grave sins. You have no right to suffer for Shao Qiyun. I¡¯m not willing to let you either.¡±


    [1] a man-and-woman duo highly skilled in martial arts

 Chapter 246 - Eavesdropping

    <h4>Chapter 246: Eavesdropping</h4>


    Zhao Lan felt helpless when she heard that. Couldn¡¯t she even suffer in her daughter¡¯s ce?


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to keep an eye on her so that you can redeem yourself. If you insist on letting her go, then you¡¯ll have to suffer yourself. When I catch Shao Qiyun, I¡¯ll still deal with her. Then, I might even double the punishment because I¡¯m so angry. Therefore, watching over her is the best solution.¡±


    Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun were both stupid and evil. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything else before she left.


    When she walked out the door, she saw Shao Qihai and Shao Dong sitting on the threshold, one on the left and one on the right. When they saw hering out, they stood up in unison.


    ¡°Why is Little Dong here?¡±


    ¡°When he heard themotion, he was afraid that it would attract the vigers, so he stood at the door and exined to the vigers that Shao Qiyun was the culprit behind his and Little Nan¡¯s kidnapping. He told them she¡¯s the one who disclosed their information to the kidnappers, so you avenged them. The vigers left as soon as they heard that.¡±


    When Shao Qihai came out, Shao Dong had already exined to the vigers who hade over to check out themotion. When the vigers heard this, they left, saying that Shao Qiyun deserved it.


    Shao Dong wasn¡¯t lying either, so he was very calm.


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Shao Dong¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sometimes, Mu Jingzhe really couldn¡¯t handle the way the people of Great Eastern Vige thought. She felt that they were excessively conservative and hated that she couldn¡¯t go three days and three nights without arguing with them. But sometimes, they were particrly simple and adorable.


    Previously, the ransom that the vigers had gathered hadn¡¯t been used. After taking it back, Mu Jingzhe went to return the money to everyone one by one. Shao Dong and Shao Nan also went to thank them.


    Mu Jingzhe remembered this kindness and aid. Shao Dong and Shao Nan should also remember this.


    Mu Jingzhe told them in detail and let them read the ounts. She wanted them to know that even though there was a lot of darkness in this world, at the same time, there was also a lot of warmth.


    When Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai, and Shao Dong returned home, they saw an eavesdropper in the courtyard.


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t hide when he saw them and merely chuckled. Xiao Wu rushed over and hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy.¡±


    Xiao Wu was really hurt. He might never forget Shao Qiyun saying that he was disgusting and filthy for the rest of his life. It was one thing if he didn¡¯t like Shao Qiyun and didn¡¯t want to acknowledge her, but it was different to be despised by the person who had given birth to him.


    Shao Nan could tell that he was in low spirits, so he pulled him to the corner to listen. Since they were close, he could basically hear everything.


    Shao Nan and the restmended them for doing a good job scolding and beating her. More than anything else, Xiao Wu had seen how much Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai cared about him and how much they cherished him.


    Fortunately, he still had a mother who liked him. ¡°Thank you, Mommy, for liking me.¡±


    Little Bei tilted her head. ¡°Xiao Wu, I like you too.¡±


    Children always knew what children were thinking, so Little Bei showed him her love in real time. After saying that, she even hugged Xiao Wu and kissed his cheek carefully. ¡°Sister likes you the most.¡±


    Because of Mu Jingzhe, Little Bei and the rest had learned to express their feelings for each other. Previously, when Little Bei had been happy, she had also kissed Xiao Wu and insisted that he kiss her.


    However, this was the first time she did it so cautiously. Xiao Wu touched his forehead, feeling a little shy but also happy. ¡°Thank you, Sister. I like you too.¡±


    ¡°See, Xiao Wu? You are really cute. Everyone likes you.¡± Mu Jingzheughed.


    When he saw this, there was nothing Shao Nan didn¡¯t understand. He thought for a moment and went forward to kiss Xiao Wu¡¯s forehead as well. ¡°Third Brother likes you too.¡±


    After saying that, Shao Nan blushed a little. Xiao Wu also blushed a bit because this was the first time.


    Probably because they were boys and weren¡¯t used to it in the past, the few of them had only kissed Little Bei or been kissed by Little Bei before. The rtionship between the brothers wasn¡¯t the same.


    It felt a tad embarrassing.


    In order tofort Xiao Wu, Shao Nan made an exception himself.


    Since he made an exception, there was no reason for the others not to do the same. Shao Nan walked to the side and nudged Shao Xi, indicating that he should go too.


    Shao Xi red at Shao Nan. He did like Xiao Wu. They were brothers, so Xiao Wu should know this, right? There was no need to be so wishy-washy, was there?


    As he was thinking this way, Shao Xi saw the nervousness and anticipation in Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go forward. ¡°Xiao Wu, Second Brother likes you very much too.¡±


    After he said that, he quickly pecked Xiao Wu on the forehead and then went to look for Shao Dong. ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He wanted to say that he didn¡¯t have to, but upon seeing Xiao Wu¡¯s expectant gaze and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s encouraging gaze, he could only brace himself and go forward.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Erm, Xiao Wu, Big Brother has always liked you.¡± After saying that, he swiftly kissed his head and quickly found an excuse to run.


    ¡°He he. Big Brother is shy.¡± Xiao Wu was satisfied. All his siblings liked him and had kissed him!


    Shao Qihai was the happiest as he watched the siblings shower each other with affection. He took a step forward, wanting to take this opportunity to kiss Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu spoke first.


    ¡°I know. Daddy likes me the most. I like Daddy too.¡±


    After saying that, Xiao Wu wanted Mu Jingzhe to hug him. He turned into a sloth and hung onto Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body.


    Shao Qihai scratched his head. He hadn¡¯t even kissed him yet, but it seemed like there was no need for that.


    Little Bei looked at Shao Qihai and chuckled. She grabbed his hand and shook it as she kept calling him ¡®Daddy¡¯.


    This was Little Bei showing her fondness for him. ording to what Little Bei had said just now, she hadn¡¯t expected Daddy to be quite wicked too. Shao Qihai¡¯s performance had made the children look at him in a different light.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart softened after Little Bei tugged at his heartstrings and called him ¡®Daddy¡¯. He squatted down and smoothed Little Bei¡¯s hair. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Little Bei asked, ¡°Daddy, you really won¡¯t forgive them anymore, right?¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Little Bei¡¯s expectant gaze and said affirmatively, ¡°No.¡±


    Disappointment umted over time. This time, it was truly irreversible. Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t stupid. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t felt Zhao Lan¡¯s favoritism previously, but Zhao Lan was his mother, and Eldest Brother Shao was indeed crippled, so he had been tolerant in the past.


    The five kids were sensible and were growing up. At the time, he really couldn¡¯t take care of them himself, so he could only rely on Zhao Lan.


    Later on, when he had retired from the army due to an injury, Zhao Lan and the others had already disappointed him with their snarky attitude. This disappointment had umted over the subsequent days, until now, when he felt thoroughly disappointed andpletely gave up on them.


    Shao Qihai nced next door, squatted down, picked up Little Bei, and walked to the kitchen. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even listen to themotion next door.


    While they were cooking, the other side of the wall was still in chaos.


    Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hid for a long time. Only after confirming that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯te back again did they dare to untie Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan spat out the dirty towel in her mouth and scolded Eldest Brother Shao for a while before rushing to the kitchen.


    As soon as she entered, she saw Shao Qiyun, whose mouth was stuffed with dirty socks, as if she was dead.


    ¡°Qiyun, Qiyun!¡±


    Zhao Lan instructed a reluctant Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to help. After a long time, she finally managed to get Shao Qiyun to her feet and invited an osteopath from the vige over.


    Zhao Lan only cried and felt heartache for Shao Qiyun, but she almost caused Shao Qiyun¡¯s arms and legs to never recover from the second injury.

 Chapter 247 - Xiao Wu Fell Sick

    <h4>Chapter 247: Xiao Wu Fell Sick</h4>


    The moment the old osteopath arrived, he scolded Zhao Lan. After preparing for a while, he finally helped reset her dislocated bones. Before he started, he gave Shao Qiyun a heads-up. ¡°It will hurt a lot. Bear with it.¡±


    Shao Qiyun thought that since she had already given birth before, no matter how much it hurt, it couldn¡¯t possibly be as painful as childbirth.


    It wasn¡¯t wrong to think of it that way, but Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t expect it to hurt so much that she¡¯d almost die from the pain. Shao Qiyun screamed incessantly, so much so the old osteopath couldn¡¯t focus, so he casually stuffed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s smelly socks back into her mouth.


    ¡°Bear with it.¡±


    When her limbs were in their positions again, it looked as if Shao Qiyun had just been scooped out of the water. It was no longer clear if the moisture on her was because she had been pulled out of the water vat or whether it was a result of sweating from the pain.


    However, she wasn¡¯t the only one suffering.


    Although Xiao Wu seemedforted, it wasn¡¯t that easy. That night, Xiao Wu fell sick and had a fever.


    Because he wasn¡¯t in a good state, hecked a sense of security and had been relying on Mu Jingzhe. Therefore, Mu Jingzhe made an exception and slept with him and Little Bei. After a lot of difficulty, she finally coaxed him to sleep by singing and telling him stories. In the end, he still fell sick with a fever in the middle of the night.


    The fever spiked straight to 38.6 degrees Celsius. Because she had gained some experience in the past year, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t rush to carry Xiao Wu to the hospital. She first fed him some fever medicine for kids and kept hugging and coaxing him to give him a sense of security.


    Although he struggled until midnight, Xiao Wu¡¯s fever finally subsided. However, because of his high fever, he was listless the next day.


    In the past, Shao Qiyun had avoided Xiao Wu because she didn¡¯t want to see him. Now, it was Xiao Wu¡¯s turn to avoid Shao Qiyun. Because he could hear Shao Qiyun¡¯s voice next door, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t even willing to go to the courtyard.


    This was the first time he felt so repulsed by someone.


    Although Xiao Wu was listless, he became more and more obedient. He agreed to whatever was asked of him and kept eating and drinking when asked to do so. When Shao Dong and the others teased him, wanting to make him happier, his smile became wider.


    However, his cooperation and obedience made people feel sad. Later on, no one teased him anymore and they gave him some space.


    Nothing happened during the day. He seemed to have gotten better, but at night, Xiao Jiu had a fever again. This time, it was worse thanst night. His fever reached 39 degrees Celsius, and he even vomited a few times. He was covered in cold sweat.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Shao Qihai had been worried about him since the previous night, but Mu Jingzhe was calm. At least, she was rtively calmer. However, when she saw that Xiao Wu had vomited, she was a little afraid.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take him to the hospital first.¡± Mu Jingzhe wrapped Xiao Wu up in a nket and carried him away. Shao Qihai quickly offered to carry him, but because Xiao Wu was unwell and was feeling ufortable, he was willful, unlike his usual self, and insisted that Mu Jingzhe carry him and not Shao Qihai.


    The moment he was on Shao Qihai¡¯s back, he cried and shouted for his mother.


    This was how children were. When they were sick and feeling ufortable, they would only want the person they were usually close to. It didn¡¯t ur to them if the adults were tired. They only wanted that certain someone they had acknowledged. Only then would they feel a sense of security.


    Mu Jingzhe had seen many children who only wanted their mother in the past. Their mother¡¯s back would be covered in sweat, and her arms would be about to break from carrying them, but the child didn¡¯t want their father. This could only be hard on their mother.


    Fortunately, she was strong. Otherwise, she would have felt heartache, relief, and exhaustion, just like other mothers.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll carry him. I¡¯m used to carrying him.¡± Mu Jingzhe took Xiao Wu and carried him on her back before looking at Shao Dong. ¡°Little Dong, you and Young Uncle will stay at home and watch over the house. Take care of your younger siblings.¡±


    Shao Qiyang also got up. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them. Don¡¯t worry, just go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shao Dong nodded. ¡°Mommy, go quickly.¡±


    The countryside was different from the city, where there were streetmps at night and it was bright everywhere. Unless there was a moon at night in the countryside, one wouldn¡¯t be able to see their fingers if they held them up in front of their eyes. It was so dark that they had to use a shlight wherever they went.


    However, the range of a shlight was limited, and it wasn¡¯t safe to ride a bicycle at night. Since Shao Qihai¡¯s bicycle had been sent for maintenance, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai could only rush to the town hospital on foot.


    Mu Jingzhe was very familiar with this road, even at night. This was because she had traveled this path at night several times before. The moment she had transmigrated there, she had run along this path for an entire night.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Xiao Wu was getting hotter and hotter on her back, and she became more and more anxious. Due to her brisk pace, it was unavoidable that she would pant.


    Shao Qihai followed her, trying his best to light up the road ahead for Mu Jingzhe. As he listened to her panting, he was vexed that the car wasn¡¯t there when he wanted to use it. He kept offering to carry Xiao Wu.


    However, Xiao Wu was unwilling. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll carry him. I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    Children had poor immunity systems, and it was inevitable that they would have a headache and fever every now and then. These days, Mu Jingzhe often carried the children to the town hospital in the middle of the night. Many parents in the vige had gone through this. As long as the children fell sick, they would have to carry them there no matter what.


    After saying that, Mu Jingzhe continued walking forward. It was just a casual remark, but Shao Qihai felt extremely conflicted when he heard it.


    She had said that she was used to it. She always said that she was strong, so she didn¡¯t seem to mind doing all this.


    However, just because she was strong, it didn¡¯t mean that she wouldn¡¯t get tired, especially when traveling like this.


    Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe took the shortest time to rush to the town hospital. When they arrived, Mu Jingzhe was already covered in sweat.


    The old doctor in the hospital was used to having patientse at night, so he quickly got up. He took a look and, after hearing about the situation, said that there were many reasons children had a fever and vomited. It was also possible that this was the result of a bad mood or fright. At the end of the day, human emotions actually had a great impact on one¡¯s health.


    The old doctor quickly prescribed medicine. As he prescribed it, he chatted with Mu Jingzhe for a while. She hade often because she had five children, so the doctor and Mu Jingzhe had be acquainted.


    Looking at Mu Jingzhe and then at Shao Qihai, the old doctor handed over the prescription and said earnestly, ¡°Don¡¯t just let your woman suffer.¡± The old doctor had seen too much of the fickleness of human nature.


    Shao Qihai was embarrassed when he heard that. He nced at Mu Jingzhe and felt ashamed too. Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s because the child only wants me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t treat the children well enough.¡± The old doctor couldn¡¯t help but re. ¡°Hurry up and get an injection.¡± He had seen many fathers like this.


    While Shao Qihai paid for the medicine and looked for the nurse for the injection, Mu Jingzhe only had to carry Xiao Wu and wait.


    However, she had been covered in sweat just now. After sitting for a while and cooling down, when the wind blew, she felt a chill run down her spine.


    When Shao Qihai arrived at the injection room, he saw Mu Jingzhe tremble. He quickly took off his top and draped it over her. ¡°You don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡± He was a little vexed. Next time, not only would he bring extra clothing for Xiao Wu, but he would bring extra clothing for the adults too.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You shouldn¡¯t catch a cold yourself¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first reaction was to refuse.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. You¡¯re the one who shouldn¡¯t catch a cold.¡± It was rare for Shao Qihai to be so unyielding. He didn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe remove it. ¡°I used to camp and train a lot in the middle of the night. I won¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say something but hesitated. She thought to herself, ¡®That was in the past. Now, your body is like a punctured balloon.¡¯


    In the end, she had to borrow a nket from the nurse to solve this problem.


    After the injection, Xiao Wu¡¯s fever finally subsided and he stopped vomiting. The main reason was that he couldn¡¯t vomit anymore. He slept deeply, but he still had to get another injectionter.

 Chapter 248 - How Does It Feel Being Left In the Toilet?

    <h4>Chapter 248: How Does It Feel Being Left In the Toilet?</h4>


    Children had thin blood vessels, and the needles in this era were thick. There weren¡¯t needles specifically made for children like in the modern era. It was difficult to insert the needle during an injection, and sometimes it would cause bleeding. They were afraid that the medication would identally leak from the needle during the injection process. Usually, when the kids were getting an injection, Mu Jingzhe had to watch them carefully.


    However, with Shao Qihai around, there was no need this time. Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe yawn, Shao Qihai whispered, ¡°Hurry up and sleep. I¡¯ll carry Xiao Wu and keep an eye on things.¡±


    Unfortunately, Xiao Wu was very sensitive and cried the moment he left Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms. Mu Jingzhe could only continue hugging Xiao Wu while Shao Qihai watched from the side.


    After Xiao Wu¡¯s fever subsided, Mu Jingzhe finally managed to rx. After a tiring night, in thetter half of the night, knowing that Shao Qihai was beside her, she couldn¡¯t help but close her eyes.


    She slept until dawn.


    When she woke up, Mu Jingzhe found herself sleeping soundly against her seat. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was still in her arms. However, after she had fallen asleep, her arms had loosened around him. Xiao Wu¡¯s head and body were half-supported by Shao Qihai.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had woken up, Shao Qihai greeted her softly.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Mu Jingzhe sat up straight and hugged Xiao Wu properly. ¡°Is the injection done? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you awake now?¡± Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was so tired, how could Shao Qihai wake her up?


    Shao Qihai had discovered that Mu Jingzhe spoke in her dreams at night. He didn¡¯t know if it was because she was also worried about Xiao Wu in her dreams, but she had kept shouting that she wanted to kill Shao Qiyun.


    Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t slept well either and had often woken up.


    At dawn, it was almost time for the doctor toe to work. He went to look for the doctor again.


    The doctor prescribed some medicine, but he suggested that Mu Jingzhe look for the only old TCM[1] doctor in their hospital. The old TCM doctor was very good at treating patients who fell sick from fright or something along that line.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai then took Xiao Wu to see the old TCM doctor. The old TCM doctor looked at him and asked questions before prescribing medication. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine after taking it for a few days. After taking the medicine, he should be able to fall asleep at night. If that still doesn¡¯t work,e again. For the next few days, you and your husband should try your best not to leave the child¡¯s side and have someone always apany him.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard the words ¡®you and your husband¡¯, she was a little embarrassed. Shao Qihai, however, had already agreed and asked about the things they should take note of.


    When they came out of the town hospital, Mu Jingzhe went to look for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng without hesitation. Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were busy at work at the moment. When they heard that Mu Jingzhe hade in the middle of the nightst night, they wondered why she hadn¡¯t gone to look for them.


    ¡°Coming now is fine too. Dad, Mom, I¡¯m hungry.¡± If she hade to look for her parents in the middle of the night, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng would definitely have gotten busy themselves and would not have slept well that night. How could Mu Jingzhe bear to do that?


    They needed to get up at four or five o¡¯clock for their business, so they couldn¡¯t dy their rest.


    Xiao Wu was still a little groggy, but when he saw Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, he smiled out of habit and greeted them. ¡°Grandma, Grandpa, I¡¯m hungry too.¡±


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng didn¡¯t know about Xiao Wu¡¯s parentage. They touched Xiao Wu¡¯s forehead. ¡°Got it, got it. Grandma will make whatever you want to eat. Fortunately, you¡¯re not hot anymore. Look at you, you¡¯ve lost weight overnight. Your little face is sallow. We¡¯ve got to nourish you up.¡±


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but smile as he watched them from the side. When he saw Li Zhaodi looking at him, he quickly called out, ¡°Mom!¡±


    Then, he addressed Mu Teng. ¡°Dad.¡±


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng nodded nonchntly. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    How could Shao Qihai dare to order? ¡°Anything is fine.¡±


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. ¡°Then have some steamed buns and porridge. There are fried dough sticks and eggs too. You can take some yourself.¡±


    She casually asked Shao Qihai to eat whatever he wanted, but she couldn¡¯t just let Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu eat anything. Knowing that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t rested well at night and that her appetite wasn¡¯t good, Li Zhaodi specifically made a bowl of sour and spicy noodles for her.


    As Xiao Wu had just finished throwing up, she cooked him a bowl of egg noodles. The noodles were cooked until they were very soft, which was good for digestion.


    After Mu Jingzhe finished the bowl of sour and spicy noodles, she became energetic and gave Li Zhaodi a thumbs-up. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s delicious. Your sour and spicy noodles are the best. I want to eat an egg.¡±


    Li Zhaodi wanted to get it, but Shao Qihai had already stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    He took an Herbal Tea Egg and peeled it before passing it to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Do you want to eat anything else?¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough.¡± Mu Jingzhe ate her Herbal Tea Egg with the sour and spicy broth. ¡°Mom, the Herbal Tea Egg is also delicious.¡±


    ¡°Everything is delicious to you.¡± Li Zhaodi sounded disdainful, but her eyes were filled with happiness. Upon seeing that Shao Qihai even knew how to peel eggs for Mu Jingzhe, she found him a tad more pleasing to the eye. ¡°Qihai, are you full? You can eat more if you¡¯re still hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Shao Qihai nodded. At that moment, Mu Jingzhe put down her chopsticks and quickly brought the dishes in to wash them.


    On the way back, Shao Qihai coaxed Xiao Wu and told him not to let Mu Jingzhe carry him because it was hard on her. He carried Xiao Wu all the way back and didn¡¯t allow Mu Jingzhe to do it, saying that she didn¡¯t have to worry because his wounds were more or less healed.


    When they returned home, it was already close to noon. After cooking, Mu Jingzhe boiled the Chinese medicine. The medicine smelled awful and tasted even worse. It was bitter and astringent.


    Mu Jingzhe tried drinking a mouthful and immediately grimaced in pain before she swallowed it with difficulty.


    Xiao Wu also had a painful time drinking it, but in the end, he still drank it with his little face scrunched up.


    Although the medicine tasted awful, it was effective. That night, Xiao Wu stopped having a fever and didn¡¯t throw up. Due to its calming effect, he also fell asleep.


    However, after two days of torment, because of the medicine, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t look energetic in the next few days. He looked much thinner.


    Watching as Xiao Wu suffered, when Mu Jingzhe thought of the culprit next door, anger rushed to her head. Zhao Lan had been keeping an eye on Shao Qiyun and wouldn¡¯t let her escape, which had made things easier for Mu Jingzhe. By dragging Shao Qiyun and drowning her once a day, the hatred in her heart diminished a little.


    Every time Mu Jingzhe saw Xiao Wu drink the medicine, she had an urge to beat up Shao Qiyun. Here Shao Qiyun was, all recovered and lively again, whilst Xiao Wu was in so much pain and had to take medicine after falling sick from fright. Why wasn¡¯t she the one having a high fever and vomiting?!


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take this lying down!


    She tormented Shao Qiyun for as many days as Xiao Wu drank the medicine. When Xiao Wu finished drinking the medicine and finally regained his energy, Mu Jingzhe stopped being so angry and didn¡¯t continue.


    However, there was still one thing she hadn¡¯t taken revenge for. Mu Jingzhe felt that she had to take revenge for it. It was just that this revenge would be a little dirty, so she had to cover herself up properly lest she got dirty.


    Mu Jingzhe was still wondering if she should carry out this revenge in her raincoat and rain boots, but Shao Dong and the others went ahead first.


    They plotted against Shao Qiyun, who fell into a dung pool. When she was scooped up, she was a dreadful mess. The details were unbearable to describe. Anyway, the entire vige was rmed that day. When the vigers spoke about it, other thanughing, they would also retch.


    Now, Shao Qiyun finally had a taste of being thrown in the toilet. They didn¡¯t make her drown, though.


    Whether or not the heavens had eyes, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others had no idea, but they wanted Shao Qiyun to suffer the consequences of her own actions. They wanted her to taste how terrifying the evil words she had casually said and the evil deeds she had casuallymitted were.


    At first, she had wanted to give birth to Xiao Wu in the toilet. Later on, she¡¯d kept saying that she would just throw him in the toilet and leave him to die. Now, she finally knew what it felt like.


    [1] traditional Chinese medicine

 Chapter 249 - Jingzhe, Are You Still Getting a Divorce?

    <h4>Chapter 249: Jingzhe, Are You Still Getting a Divorce?</h4>


    Shao Qiyun, who was soaking in the river, ranted with resentment that it was Mu Jingzhe who had done it. However, the vigers, who stood by the river and covered their noses, waved their hands to stop her from spouting nonsense. No one believed her, nor did anyone suspect the five kids. They only said that Shao Qiyun was careless and had suffered this retribution.


    After spending a few days in hell and now losing all face in front of the entire vige, that night, she left with a smell that couldn¡¯t be washed away.


    Previously, she had been afraid of the debt collectors, but now, Mu Jingzhe was even more terrifying than the debt collectors. She was afraid that she would be the victim of some kind of revenge plot and really drown in the toilet, so she tied Zhao Lan up and ran away that night.


    Zhao Lan was tied up the entire night and was only discovered and untied by Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao the next day. Now that Shao Qiyun had run away, she feared that Mu Jingzhe would me her for not taking good care of her. Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t.


    It was good that Shao Qiyun had left. Previously, she had been angry, but now, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to see Shao Qiyun anymore. The sight and sound of her ruined Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mood and made Xiao Wu feel ufortable.


    After Shao Qiyun left, Xiao Wu was finally willing to go to the courtyard and go back to school.


    At school, Xiao Wu was still the most popr ssmate. Everyone loved to hear him y the flute, but things were different now.


    When Xiao Wu yed the flute for his ssmates again, everyone no longer smiled. Instead, they cried and said that the melody invoked feelings of sadness and fear in them.


    Xiao Wu quickly changed the tune, and this was resolved. His ssmates didn¡¯t take it to heart, so only Xiao Wu knew that he had changed.


    In the past, he wouldn¡¯t think so much. As long as he could y the flute or some other musical instrument, he would be happy and full of joy. When he thought of Mu Jingzhe and his siblings, he would also be happy. If he experienced any unhappiness, he would just have to y the flute and hum a tune and his mood would be sunny again.


    But now, that no longer did it for him. Even while ying the flute, he felt gloomy. Sometimes, he couldn¡¯t help but think of unhappy things. Then, he would subconsciously y some depressing songs. Instead of cheering one up, this would stir up unpleasant memories.


    Before Mu Jingzhe knew it, Xiao Wu¡¯s dark music phase had begun. Although she had changed many things, certain aspects of the fate of the five kids hadn¡¯t changed.


    Xiao Wu knew that this wasn¡¯t good, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel sad sometimes. He used to love ying music, but now he was afraid.


    The fear deep in his heart resurfaced. He was afraid that he would be a bad person. Because of his fear, he started to reject his favorite thing¡ªmusic.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others didn¡¯t notice at first. Upon seeing that Xiao Wu suddenly stopped ying the flute every day, they thought that it was because he was in a bad mood.


    However, when it was time to go to art school over the weekend, they realized the gravity of the matter.


    After what had happened at the art school, the school paid more attention to safety management. Because the school was quite responsible, Mu Jingzhe decided to let them continue going there.


    However, when he returned that day, Shao Qihai said that Xiao Wu was no longer willing to attend music ss, and there was nothing Ji Buwang could do about it either. Ji Buwang asked Mu Jingzhe to go see him.


    When Shao Qihai told Mu Jingzhe, he was still a little unwilling, but Ji Buwang had said that he had to discuss this with Mu Jingzhe. Unfortunately, since Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t do anything about Xiao Wu, he could only pass on the message.


    When Mu Jingzhe asked Xiao Wu why he didn¡¯t want to learn anymore, Xiao Wu said that he simply didn¡¯t.


    Although he said that he didn¡¯t want to, after saying that he wouldn¡¯t learn to y or touch musical instruments anymore, Xiao Wu felt like he had lost his soul and was often in a daze. He didn¡¯t seem like he was fine, nor did it seem like he really didn¡¯t want to learn anymore.


    Mu Jingzhe had been counseling Xiao Wu and encouraging him to continue learning. However, after trying to persuade him, she realized that Xiao Wu was really repulsed and even a little afraid.


    Under the circumstances, they naturally couldn¡¯t force Xiao Wu. The next day, Mu Jingzhe asked Shao Qihai to take care of the five children and rode her bicycle to look for Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang was still working part-time at the art school, but other than on Sunday, he usually wouldn¡¯t go over. He basically only taught Xiao Wu and Xiao Wu alone. Rather than calling him a teacher, it would perhaps be more apt to call him Xiao Wu¡¯s private tutor.


    The school teachers didn¡¯t have a problem with that. After all, the school¡¯s musical instruments had basically been donated by Ji Buwang. Furthermore, if he saw a talented student, he would even sponsor them. His attainments were also very high.


    The school couldn¡¯t wait for Ji Buwang to stay.


    When Mu Jingzhe went over, Ji Buwang was ying the piano. Coincidentally, sunlight shone in through the window and fell on Ji Buwang, making him look like he was covered in ayer of golden light.


    It was a truly wonderful scene. Mu Jingzhe lightened her footsteps so she didn¡¯t disturb him. She leaned against the wall and listened to Ji Buwang, who was like a prince.


    When they were young, orphanage kids like her didn¡¯t have the chance to study music, so they were envious when they saw people who learned to y musical instruments. At the time, the piano had been an unattainable existence to them, and a prince who yed the piano had been even more unattainable.


    Mu Jingzhe looked down at the dust on her pants and couldn¡¯t help but pat them.


    Ji Buwang quickly noticed her. ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re here.¡±


    Too many things had happened during this period of time. Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t spoken properly in a long time, and it had also been a while since they¡¯dst met. When Ji Buwang saw her clear face again, he was filled with emotions.


    ¡°Mm, have you been well recently?¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded and walked in.


    ¡°Same old. What about you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shrugged. ¡°There are many things that are difficult to exin in a few words. You know that too.¡±


    After some small talk, the two of them talked about Xiao Wu. ¡°What happened to Xiao Wu?¡±


    Ji Buwang was always very sensitive. Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Something did happen.¡± After saying that, she didn¡¯t continue. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust Ji Buwang, but it was best that fewer people knew about this.


    ¡°I went backst night to talk to him¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe told him about her conversation with Xiao Wu. Ji Buwang nodded and didn¡¯t pursue the matter. ¡°It¡¯s simr to what I thought. He¡¯s just a little repulsed. We have to guide him well through this situation, or it might affect his future.¡±


    Those who studied music or drew and those who walked the path of art would sometimes feel disgust and loathing midway. Some would even want to give up. Some people¡¯s condition improvedter on, but some really gave up for good.


    ¡°Xiao Wu¡¯s situation is a little simr to theirs but also a little different. I keep feeling that he has suffered a huge blow.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe smiled bitterly. He had indeed suffered through a lot. ¡°Then what should we do next?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t force him to continue learning for the time being. Give him some time. Most importantly, rebuild his confidence. Observe him more.¡±


    After the two of them finished talking about Xiao Wu, Ji Buwang suggested having lunch together. Mu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    She felt that Ji Buwang had something to say.


    Ji Buwang indeed had something to say. After the meal, he walked out of the restaurant and said, ¡°Jingzhe, have you thought it through?


    ¡°I¡¯ve given you time to consider it and make a decision. Although I was joking previously, in your current state, it¡¯s actually not easy for me to see you. I¡¯m afraid it will affect you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, but Mu Jingzhe knew that he was talking about the divorce.


    ¡°A lot has happened during this period of time. I didn¡¯t have time to¡­¡± How could she care about getting a divorce now? It wasn¡¯t a good time to get a divorce either, with Xiao Wu being in such a situation.

 Chapter 250 - How About A Sudden Hug and A Kiss?

    <h4>Chapter 250: How About A Sudden Hug and A Kiss?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe was wondering what to say when Ji Buwang raised his hand. ¡°Alright, I know even if you don¡¯t say it. It¡¯s not appropriate for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    ¡°I understand, but it¡¯s true that your attitude toward him has changed, right?¡± Ji Buwang hit the nail on the head.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and didn¡¯t try to escape. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    However, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t fallen in love with Shao Qihai or decided not to get a divorce. Just like if she really got a divorce, she might not necessarily get together with Ji Buwang.


    .


    Until now, she hadn¡¯t felt the need to get a divorce and be with Ji Buwang.


    Mu Jingzhe had read many books and watched many television dramas in the past. She felt that she knew a lot about rtionships, but in reality, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    Reality wasn¡¯t like television dramas, where a couple would be lovey-dovey every day and only have to asionally deal with some small misunderstandings and troubles. In the real world, 90% of her time was upied by many other things, and she didn¡¯t even have any time to sleep in the remaining 10%.


    She was kept busy by work and the five children. For example, she¡¯d even had to deal with Shao Qiyun previously. Although she lived in the same house as Shao Qihai, she didn¡¯t even have ten minutes to pay attention to him, let alone think about rtionships.


    Every day, she would only think of Ji Buwang when she saw the set of dolls in the room, but even then, it was only for a brief moment. She had been so busy these days that she hadn¡¯t even had the time to unlock the secret of the doll.


    She had considered dating a long time ago, but dating required time.


    In short, she was too busy to think about men.


    Perhaps when she had time and money, she would think about it more clearly. But who knew? Maybe, in the end, she might divorce Shao Qihai and still not get together with Ji Buwang. Perhaps she would be single.


    Other people could encounter earth-shattering feelings and find undying love when they transmigrated, but she felt that something wascking. This was different from the transmigration and rebirth stories she had read.


    After all that trouble, before she¡¯d transmigrated, she had only focused on her career. After transmigrating, other than raising the five children, she¡¯d still mainly focused on her career.


    She was really unqualified and a disappointment to her status as a transmigrator.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know how to express her thoughts. ¡°Um, Ji Buwang, I think that if you¡¯re waiting for me, then you really¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Ji Buwang raised his hand to ask for a pause. ¡°I know what you want to say. You don¡¯t have to finish.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°To be honest, there are very few people like you among the people I know, other than some men when they¡¯re striving to build their careers.¡±


    Even when other girls were career-oriented and attached great importance to their work, it was rare for them to not take something as important as their marriage seriously.


    ¡°Looks like I didn¡¯t perform well enough and wasn¡¯t charming enough.¡± Ji Buwang stroked his chin. ¡°I didn¡¯t disy enough charm to give you the impulse to immediately divorce him and get together with me.¡±


    ¡°No, no, you¡¯re very charming. To be honest, other than the men in television and movies, you¡¯re the most handsome and charismatic person I know. You¡¯re like someone who walked out of a movie. I am the problem.¡±


    ¡°Is it really okay for you to say that you have a problem?¡± These words were like a tongue twister, and Ji Buwang even chuckled after saying that.


    Mu Jingzheughed as well. Ji Buwang looked at her and started discussing this seriously. ¡°Why do you think you¡¯re like this? Do I need to be more aggressive to make your heart beat faster or flutter or something?¡±


    After saying that, he suddenly asked, ¡°If I suddenly hug and kiss you particrly passionately, like people do in novels, will you waver?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Uh, this¡­¡±


    She tried imagining it, but she couldn¡¯t quite do it because Ji Buwang didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing.


    Ji Buwang imagined it for a moment, and his expression froze, as the scene wasn¡¯t exactly wonderful. ¡°I think that if I really did that, I might be sent flying and get severely injured by you the moment I hugged you.¡± There was no chance of a kiss happening.


    These words made Mu Jingzhe ponder it. ¡°Could my biggest problem be my strength? Would it be better if I pretended to be an ordinary woman in the future?¡±


    Ji Buwang shook his head. ¡°It might not work either. In the novels, the female lead¡¯s heart would flutter in such a situation, while you would feel conflicted about beating the guy up. There¡¯s no chance your heart would flutter.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had to admit that it was true.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brows were almost furrowed, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. Stop thinking about it. If you¡¯re busy, go ahead. I¡¯m actually quite busy too. I¡¯m taking time out of my busy schedule every time Ie to the school.¡±


    Although he had left many things to Tang Moling, making him so busy that he didn¡¯t have time to look for Mu Jingzhe, there were many matters that required his attention. He actually understood how Mu Jingzhe was feeling.


    ¡°Then will you have time to continueing to school in the future? If you¡¯re very busy, you don¡¯t have to force yourself. I can find another teacher for Xiao Wu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now. I¡¯ll tell you if I¡¯m really busy. We¡¯ll talk about it after Xiao Wu¡¯s problem is solved.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll spend more time with him and chat with him during this period. Let¡¯s see if we can detect the underlying problem.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe bade Ji Buwang farewell, she still got busy doing many other things. She only returned at night and discussed Xiao Wu¡¯s problem with Shao Dong and Shao Qihai.


    ¡°I¡¯ll observe more too,¡± Shao Dong said solemnly. ¡°But Xiao Wu relies on you more.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll take him to the art school in the future. I know how to drive too.¡± Mu Jingzhe turned around and asked Shao Qihai, ¡°Do you mind if I drive your car?¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t, but¡­ when did you learn to drive? Do you have a driver¡¯s license?¡±


    ¡°I learned by chance when you died. I¡¯m quite familiar with driving, but I don¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license. Is it easy to get a driver¡¯s license now?¡±


    Shao Qihai said honestly, ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Do you have a driver¡¯s license? How long did it take you to pass the exam?¡±


    ¡°I do. I took the exam before I retired from the army. It was different from your situation.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought of the god-like driving videos of soldiers she had seen in modern times and nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s indeed different. It should be easier to take the exam outside. Let me ask around and try to get it within a month.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that since she was an experienced driver, it should be no problem for her to get a driver¡¯s license in a month. When Shao Qihai heard her words, he wanted to say something but hesitated. ¡°Within a month? That might be a little difficult.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe in my skills?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned. No matter what, she was an experienced driver. She should be able to get a driver¡¯s license.


    Men weren¡¯t the only ones who felt annoyed when someone doubted their driving skills. Women felt the same way.


    Shao Qihai could tell that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t very pleased, so he quickly shook his head. ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll go get the book you want right now.¡± In order to show his support, Shao Qihai immediately stood up to retrieve the book.


    In the modern era, one also had to take a theory test when applying for a driver¡¯s license. When Mu Jingzhe heard that she needed to read a book, she knew that it was a book on driving theory. She enthusiastically urged him. ¡°Hurry up and get it.¡±


    She wanted to see how it differed from modern ones. She guessed that it might be a little different, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be much different.


    Mu Jingzhe was filled with confidence. Then, she saw Shao Qihai bring in a very thick book.

 Chapter 251 - Xiao Wus Secret

    <h4>Chapter 251: Xiao Wu¡¯s Secret</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe took a look, and her face was filled with suspicion. He had brought the wrong book, hadn¡¯t he?


    Shao Qihai handed the book to Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe nced at the cover and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the words ¡®Principles Behind the Engine¡¯ on it. ¡°You brought the wrong one. I want to take the test for a driver¡¯s license, not qualify as a car repair technician. Why are you giving me this? Or do you guys need to learn this in the army when you take the test?¡±


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t take the book back. Instead, he ced it in her hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring the wrong book. We¡¯re not the only ones who need to learn this. You need to as well.¡±


    ¡°I just want to get a driver¡¯s license and I need to learn this too?¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at the thick book in her hand with a suspicious expression.


    .


    ¡°Mm, you do. No matter where you ask, unless something goes wrong, you¡¯ll have to learn this first. You can read it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt its weight and forced a smile. ¡°You¡¯re pranking me, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m really not lying to you. To get a driver¡¯s license, you have to learn about these skills first. Only after learning this can you continue learning how to drive.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Way.¡± Shao Qihai nodded. ¡°I asked about this when I hired a driver previously. That¡¯s how it goes. You can start learning for now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe opened the book and took a few nces before closing it again. ¡°I think it might not be necessary. I¡¯ll ask around tomorrow.¡±


    Shao Qihai wanted to say something but shut his mouth again.


    In the end, the result of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s inquiry the next day was exactly what Shao Qihai had said. She had to study that thick book before she could learn the stuff modern-day drivers learned when getting their license. Besides, there were many restrictive conditions.


    In modern times, it was always said that it was getting harder and harder to get a driver¡¯s license. However, now that she was studying a book, Mu Jingzhe realized that getting a driver¡¯s license in modern times was much more blissful. At least, it was way more blissful than in this era. This was the true definition of difficult.


    In the modern era, one could apply for a driver¡¯s license by learning some theoretical knowledge and taking a test. However, it was even harder now. Firstly, it was difficult to register. Many people had to apply under theirpanies¡¯ names. Secondly, the lesson fees were expensive. Mu Jingzhe casually asked about it and found out that the lesson fees for driving a truck cost more than 1,000 yuan and very close to 2,000 yuan.


    This sum was different from 2,000 yuan in the modern era. 2,000 yuan in that era was the equivalent of 20,000 yuan in modern times. Therefore, the amount of money required was really not a joke. How long would it take for a family to save up this much money? Furthermore, it would take a person a year to study.


    Though Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t looking to get a truck license, it wasn¡¯t easy to get a driver¡¯s license for a car either. This was because in this era, drivers weren¡¯t like everyone in the modern era who knew how to drive. Driving was considered a technical skill. It wasn¡¯t enough for one to only know how to drive; one also had to know how to repair and maintain a car.


    That¡¯s right. In that era, a driving license was tied to a car repairman¡¯s license, so if one wanted to get a driver¡¯s license, they had to choose to learn how to repair a car and maintain it. After Mu Jingzhe asked around, she went home and broke down when she saw the book Shao Qihai had given her.


    ¡°I just wanted to get a license¡­ Why is it so hard?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s n to get a driver¡¯s license within a month had been suspended since Shao Qihai had brought over that thick book.


    Mu Jingzhe asked why this was the case. Couldn¡¯t they just find a professional that handled car maintenance and repairs? The other party gave her an answer, and Mu Jingzhe understood after hearing the exnation.


    At the end of the day, this was determined by the characteristics of this era. Why didn¡¯t the modern era require this? Because modern cars weren¡¯t as problematic. However, things were different now. The technology of the vehicles¡¯ production was poor, and many of the production processes and quality standards were inferior to those of the modern era. The quality couldn¡¯t bepared either. Basically, many of the worst cars of the future were better than the cars of this era.


    A lot of cars would experience problems from time to time. Under the circumstances, the drivers had to have some maintenance and repairing knowledge. Otherwise, if one only knew how to drive, they would be helpless if something went wrong on the way.


    Mu Jingzhe had driven Tang Moling¡¯s carst time, and that was the best car she had ever driven. That was why she¡¯d had no problem driving it. However, how many ordinary folks could afford to own such a good car?


    Mu Jingzhe thought about it carefully. Shao Qihai¡¯s car was often cleaned up by Shao Qihai himself. She had thought that it was because it was an old car and he simply enjoyed doing it. Now, it seemed that it was necessary, and he was really required to do all sorts of maintenance in order for the vehicle to function normally.


    No wonder Ji Buwang¡¯s car was worn from usage.


    She could only dismiss the thought of getting a driver¡¯s license in a month. She still had to take the exam, but as for when she would eventually do it¡­ that could be discussed at ater date.


    Under these conditions, after she mastered this skill, if she had the chance to transmigrate back to modern times in the future, she might even be able to open a car maintenance shop or something.


    The children knew Mu Jingzhe was having trouble learning to drive. When they saw her vexed look, their hearts ached. They wanted to tell her to perhaps give up learning, but after looking at each other, they ultimately didn¡¯t say anything like that.


    They had long agreed to buy a car for Mommy. She had to learn how to drive it.


    It would be good if they could learn, as their mother wouldn¡¯t have to drive the car herself anymore. The problem was that even if they did learn, they still wouldn¡¯t be old enough. Even the oldest, Shao Dong and Shao Xi, would have to wait ten years before they could learn. Therefore, they could only let their mother work hard and learn first.


    From then on, Mu Jingzhe had another mission: She would take the test for a driver¡¯s license and study auto mechanic maintenance. Apart from that, she also had to observe Xiao Wu.


    When Xiao Wu heard that Mu Jingzhe was learning how to drive, he seemed to be even more conflicted, as he also remembered their agreement. In fact, he had even been thinking of earning more money to buy another car for Mommy after the five of them pooled in enough money to buy a car for her.


    But now, he had lost the ability topose tunes that people liked. He was also very young and couldn¡¯t even carry a sack, so how could he earn money?


    Xiao Wu now had a habit of furrowing his little brows, and Mu Jingzhe even found out that he had been secretly running out.


    Mu Jingzhe had been looking at Xiao Wu the entire time, trying to figure out what he was really thinking. However, she didn¡¯t manage to get anything out of him. When he went out, Mu Jingzhe secretly followed him, wanting to see what he was doing.


    As Mu Jingzhe watched Xiao Wu slowly walk to the back of the mountain, where there was no one, countless guesses shed across her mind, including the possibility that Xiao Wu was being threatened by someone. Unexpectedly, Xiao Wu only found a tree hole and entered it before starting to drum.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°???¡±


    There were many trees near the vige. In some cities, those were scenic spots, but here, they were verymon. Human or natural tree holes were formed, both big and small, and they were a paradise for children to y in.


    Xiao Wu still liked to crawl into small holes. Previously, it used to be the haystack. Now, it was the tree hole. However, had he avoided the gazes of the two adults and his four older siblings with such difficulty in order toe here to drum?


    Hadn¡¯t he said that he didn¡¯t want to touch musical instruments anymore? Besides, hadn¡¯t he thrown away the drum?


    Two days ago, in order to cheer up the listless Xiao Wu and motivate him to learn music again, Shao Qihai had asked someone to bring back a drum. This time, it wasn¡¯t a small drum, but a big one. Although it wasn¡¯t very big, it was said that it was custom made. The sound it made waspletely different from the sound of the previous small drum. Every beat seemed to knock on one¡¯s heart.


    Shao Qihai had even brought him a flute with a special tone. In the end, Xiao Wu had said that he simply didn¡¯t want to learn anymore. In order to express his determination, he¡¯d even thrown out the drum and the flute.


    Mu Jingzhe and the rest hadn¡¯t dared pick them up. So, it turned out that Xiao Wu had already picked the drum up and hidden it here?

 Chapter 252 - Killing with Music

    <h4>Chapter 252: Killing with Music</h4>


    After the thumping drum sounds came from the tree hole, the humming sound of a flute followed. Based on the tone, it seemed that the new flute had been picked up too.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled and squatted down with her back against the tree. She had known that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t really give up. Look, he had secretlye here to practice.


    She didn¡¯t make a sound. Xiao Wu, who was inside, was quiet for a while before he started blowing again. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that, and she even smiled, but that smile soon vanished from her face.


    The more she listened to the flute, the more depressed and sad it sounded. It made her want to cry. It waspletely different from Xiao Wu¡¯s music in the past, which had made people smile.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s emotions were inexplicably stirred up. Her mood suddenly became heavy as she thought of many unhappy memories. She felt depressed. She wanted to adjust, but when Xiao Wu suddenly started to drum inside, not only did the sorrow not decrease, but she felt increasingly awful. The music was apanied by thumping sounds, and it sounded like someone was roaring in anger, wanting to vent his rage on impulse.


    In the end, that person couldn¡¯t vent no matter what.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart pounded in sync with the sound of the drum. Then, the drum stopped.


    Mu Jingzhe suddenly let out a breath of relief. She finally came back to her senses and looked in the direction of the tree hole, her eyes flickering.


    Xiao Wu had changed. His musical style hadpletely changed.


    From warm and joyful, it had be depressing and sad.


    No wonder he¡¯d suddenly said that he no longer wanted to learn. No wonder he had been hiding.


    Mu Jingzhe finally knew the reason for Xiao Wu¡¯s abnormality. Because of Shao Qiyun, there were now knots in his heart. He¡¯d also unlocked his new ability and shocked himself.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of Shao Zhong¡¯s ending in the original book. Because of Shao Bei¡¯s ident, the five siblings had broken up and had each taken revenge for Shao Bei. Their lives had ended up being a mess.


    Each of them had their own strengths and specialties, and the same applied to their revenge styles. Shao Zhong had also embarked on a path of no return to take revenge. His method was something that ordinary people couldn¡¯t think of, and that was using music.


    He had been living a very depressing life to begin with. Later on, it became increasingly gloomy, and the music he produced became increasingly dark and terrifying. It gave people goosebumps when they heard it, to the extent that after listening to it, people would start having nightmares that evoked the fear deep in their hearts.


    This was still considered good. Nightmares weren¡¯t so bad, but what was even more terrifying were his sad, depression-inducing songs. At first, no one noticed, and they only felt like they wanted to cry when they heard this music. However, as they listened on, their mood became worse gradually, and some people started to feel increasingly depressed.


    Normal people would be affected by hearing this, let alone people who were mentally fragile or had depression tendencies to begin with. Some people would walk down a path of no return after hearing his music. At first, it didn¡¯t arouse any suspicion. It was onlyter on, when more and more people were influenced and a female celebrity was also implicated, that this matter started attracting attention.


    Later on, after careful investigation, they found out that the people involved in the incident had a unique characteristic. They either insulted Shao Bei on the Inte or held a grudge against her and the people who were rted to Shao Bei in some way. Reporters, industry insiders, and online keyboard warriors all forced Shao Bei to walk down a path of no return. Later on, they didn¡¯t let her off even when she was dead. They exposed bad things about her and refused to let her rest in peace even after her death, bent on pinning her to the pir of shame.


    That female celebrity was one of them. The celebrity was savedter on, but her condition didn¡¯t improve. Furthermore, what she had done was also exposed.


    The reason these people had fallen for it was because someone had rmended Shao Zhong¡¯s tunes to them online, and the person who had rmended them was Shao Zhong himself. Step by step, he silentlypleted his n and made them die in pain like his older sister, Shao Bei.


    Shao Zhong didn¡¯t understand why the world was so unfair. Why did the five of them always have to be tormented like this? His indignant shouts and suppressed hatred were all in the music heposed.


    He had used his music to avenge his sister and kill people. He had also triggered the resonance of many people who¡¯d had simr encounters and suffered an unjust fate. These people either felt that life was pointless and wanted to end it, or their hatred was triggered, leading them to take revenge, dragging the people they hated the most down with them.


    Shao Zhong stirred up a storm with his music, wanting to drag everyone down with him. Anyone who heard it would feel lingering fear. Besides, no one knew just how many people it affected and how many potential dangers it could bring.


    After the abnormality was sensed, although Shao Zhong¡¯s music was removed in time, the authorities couldn¡¯t control people who had already downloaded it and stop them from sharing it. Furthermore, in order to avert panic and prevent this music from bing a killing tool, this matter couldn¡¯t be made public yet. They could only investigate in secret, which only added to the difficulty of the task.


    In the end, it was uncertain how many people had been affected. Shao Zhong¡¯s music was like a virus that couldn¡¯t be seen. No one knew where it had spread.


    The police found Shao Zhong, but he didn¡¯t defend himself or say anything. He had killed people with invisible means, but all he had done was make music. There was now in the world that could convict people who killed with music.


    People were helpless against Shao Zhong and were extremely vignt, afraid that he would continue. However,ter on, it was unknown if it was because Shao Zhong had already taken revenge or because he eventually found it boring, but he directly disappeared.


    No one knew if he was dead or alive. Many people said that he was dead, but his corpse was never found. However, his influence remained. As time passed, some rumors slowly spread and became unsolved mysteries.


    To be honest, Shao Zhong¡¯s lethality wasn¡¯t inferior to Shao Nan¡¯s at all, nor was he inferior to Shao Xi, whoter used his media influence to take revenge through his cyber influence.


    Actually, it should be said that Shao Zhong was the most uncontroble and dangerous person among them.


    At the thought of Shao Zhong¡¯s ending in the book, Mu Jingzhe looked at the tree hole and frowned in frustration. What should she do next?


    Currently, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t like the repressed, sensitive, hatred-filled person he had been in the original book after growing up. Now, even he was afraid of this depression and sadness. He didn¡¯t want to be like this at all.


    It was just that he was in a bad mood and he was too talented.


    At the end of the day, she still had to properly guide Xiao Wu out of his gloomy state. It had never urred to Mu Jingzhe to stop Xiao Wu from ever touching music again to nip the danger in the bud, as this wouldn¡¯t be fair to Xiao Wu and this method was very stupid.


    Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t the same person he had been in the original novel. He wouldn¡¯t need to take revenge or anything in the future. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t think of killing people with music either.


    But how could she guide Xiao Wu? She wasn¡¯t a psychiatrist, nor was she talented in music.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what to do for a while. As she was feeling conflicted, she heard Xiao Wue out and quickly hid.


    Mu Jingzhey on the ground and watched Xiao Wu leave with a sigh, like a little adult. However, although he sighed and looked troubled, she felt that his mood wasn¡¯t as heavy as when he hade. His depressed mood seemed to have dissipated a little.


    So Xiao Wu could also vent his frustration with music? That was a good idea.


    Mu Jingzhe followed Xiao Wu home and quickly informed everyone that they should stop staring at Xiao Wu so closely in the future. They should just pay attention to him out of the corner of their eyes. When he asionally made up an excuse to run out, they should just let him go out.

 Chapter 253 - A Ghost in the Night

    <h4>Chapter 253: A Ghost in the Night</h4>


    Xiao Wu soon realized that everyone was no longer staring at him so intently. After heaving a sigh of relief, he sneaked out every day and went to the tree hole.


    Shao Dong and the rest were still young, so Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t let them follow her. Instead, she went there herself and even recorded it with a tape recorder.


    The situation for the next few days was simr. Every time Mu Jingzhe heard the tune, she had to control herself to avoid crying. Later on, there was even strange music. It sounded normal at first and only a little strange, but it made her hair stand on end.


    There was a strong mountain wind on the remote mountains, and a mild wind would blow over from time to time. As Xiao Wu liked toe in the evening, when the humming flute melody yed against the mild wind, Mu Jingzhe kept feeling like she was being targeted by something or something could appear at any time. Her heart was thumping.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Xiao Wu. To think he could y such a horrifying tune¡­ It was so horrifying it nearly made her die from fright on the spot.


    Unable to take it anymore, she covered her ears. Unfortunately, it was useless. The horror movie scenes that she had seen were automatically reyed in her mind. As she hesitated, unsure whether she should jump up and flee or jump up to stop Xiao Wu and expose herself by doing so, Xiao Wu finally stopped.


    He seemed to be frightened by his own music too. After jumping out of the tree hole, he stroked his little arms and ran home. Mu Jingzhe also ran home anxiously.


    Xiao Wu was probably frightened of himself. So much so that he had to drag Shao Dong along when he had to go to the bathroom at night. Then, his mood became increasingly depressed.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mood wasplicated. When she went to the bathroom, she also carried Little Bei along. At night, she hugged Little Bei and didn¡¯t let go. She didn¡¯t even want to turn off the light, but in the end, she still did. As a result, she either fell asleep in fear or, after falling asleep with a lot of difficulty, she would wake up because of a nightmare.


    Her condition was very simr to when she had first watched a horror movie when she was young. However, this time, she hadn¡¯t watched a horror movie. She had only listened to Xiao Wu¡¯s tune.


    Mu Jingzhe was fine with other things, but she didn¡¯t dare watch horror movies. When she¡¯d watched them as a young kid, she had been frightened quite badly, so she had stopped watching them when she had grown up.


    Now that she was forced to face this, the effect was solid.


    However, the listless Mu Jingzhe finally had some inspiration the next day.


    Judging from Xiao Wu¡¯s current state, if her guess was correct, he despised himself. Combined with what he had said previously, he surely felt that he must have be bad. Otherwise, how could he have ended up like this?


    He was no longer confident and was now burdened with worry. Ji Buwang had said they should help him rebuild his confidence so that he didn¡¯t have to be afraid.


    But how could that be achieved? The best way was to let Xiao Wu realize that he was alright in this state too. Music like this could also exist in the world and be the favorite of some people. It had its own uses.


    In that case, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t have to be afraid.


    With that idea in mind, Mu Jingzhe immediately got to work. She often went out to do things, but she didn¡¯t tell Xiao Wu and the others. It was very mysterious.


    Just as the five kids started to worry about her leaving early, returningte, or simply not returning for a few days, Mu Jingzhe finally returned with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to announce joyous news today.¡±


    ¡°What joyous news?¡± When he saw Mu Jingzhe look at Xiao Wu, Shao Nan¡¯s first reaction was to wonder if Shao Qiyun was finally courting death. If that was the case, then it would indeed be a joyous asion.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what Shao Nan was thinking about. She carefully pulled a document bag from behind her and ced it in front of Xiao Wu.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯ve been invited topose the theme song of a movie. Check if you want to sign the contract.¡±


    Xiao Wu refused instinctively. ¡°Mommy, I told you I can¡¯t do it anymore.¡± He was already filthy now and couldn¡¯t create anything good.


    Xiao Wu almost cried. He was too afraid and suppressed. Instead, he was the one rendering himself unable to walk out.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, take a look at this movie first,¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly reminded him.


    Xiao Wu held back his tears and took a look first. Then, he eximed, ¡°A Ghost in the Middle of the Night? A ghost? What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a horror movie. You can tell just by the name.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled. ¡°Xiao Wu, I have to be honest with you. When you went to the tree hole, I actually followed you in secret.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I was indeed shocked at first, but then my shock turned to surprise.¡±


    ¡°Surprise?¡± Xiao Bai hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be pleasantly surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you fear and dislike the music? Didn¡¯t you feel terrible hearing that?¡±


    ¡°I did. But that¡¯s why I was surprised.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled. ¡°Xiao Wu, you are indeed worthy of being called a little genius. You can handle all kinds of styles, but I saw that you didn¡¯t like this very much, so I secretly recorded it for others to hear. When the director heard it, he said that he wanted to buy the rights to it and insisted on working with you.¡±


    Xiao Wu was dumbfounded. ¡°What¡­ Is that so? Is that even possible?¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t he be called a bad child who had been led astray? Who was really evil at such a young age and frightened people? Why would Mommy say that instead?


    Xiao Wu was stunned. Mu Jingzhe continued.


    ¡°Of course, why not? Aren¡¯t there many types of movies and television dramas? Some people like to watch funny things, while others like to watch scary stuff. The scarier, the better. It¡¯s just like music. Some people don¡¯t like it, but some people like it. The best song is the most suitable one.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pointed at the contract. ¡°Look at this director. He doesn¡¯t film anything but horror movies because there are many people who love horror movies. In their opinion, the scarier the movie is, the better. The same goes for the movie soundtrack. I heard that he¡¯s been fretting over the musical apaniment of the movie and looking for something that invokes suppression and fear in the viewers. Coincidentally, your music is suitable, so I suggested that he listened to it.


    ¡°It turns out that he liked it very much, that this was the tune he had been looking for, and that this music is his savior. He asked me to convince you to work with him.¡±


    Xiao Wu stared at Mu Jingzhe in disbelief. ¡°Is this true? Are you lying to me on purpose, Mommy? Or are you putting on an act because I¡¯ve been sad?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m not acting. It¡¯s true. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go and listen to it yourself when the movie is released. You see, the director can¡¯t be in on this. I don¡¯t have the ability to make him put on an act with me.¡±


    Xiao Wu finally felt a sense of realness, but he still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m dreaming.¡±


    He had just finished speaking when Little Bei pinched him. ¡°Does it hurt? If it does, it means that it¡¯s really not a dream.¡±


    Xiao Wu touched his arm andughed. ¡°It hurts. It¡¯s real.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s real. You¡¯ll know when the movie premieres. It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I want to go watch it.¡± Xiao Wu tried to pull Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy,e with me. Let¡¯s all go watch it together.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head and refused. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not going. I don¡¯t dare watch horror movies because I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t sleep at night. You might have to go by yourselves.¡±


    After saying that, she looked at them suspiciously. ¡°Speaking of that, can you kids really watch it? Won¡¯t you be frightened?¡±


    Xiao Wu scratched his head. He didn¡¯t know if he would be afraid either.

 Chapter 254 - Dark Side Music

    <h4>Chapter 254: Dark Side Music</h4>


    Shao Dong, who was watching from the side, had already understood the situation and knew why Mu Jingzhe had done this. He thus teased. ¡°Is Xiao Wu afraid?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu is a man, so he¡¯s definitely not afraid. When the timees, even if we don¡¯t go, he¡¯ll go by himself.¡± Shao Qihai teased him back, looking at Mu Jingzhe with aplicated gaze.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to help Xiao Wu in this way.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know how to respond to all that teasing. He couldn¡¯t say that he wasn¡¯t afraid because he kind of was. He didn¡¯t want to say that he was afraid either, as he was curious. He was in a dilemma.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll talk about whether or not we¡¯ll watch the movieter. Check if you want to sign this first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pointed at the contract and told him another piece of good news. ¡°This is a contract for writing music that¡¯s depressing and scary. I¡¯ve also rmended your other tunes that are more like an outburst of grief. Based on the sound of the music, there¡¯s also interest in buying it. Xiao Wu, if you sign this, it¡¯ll be hard work for you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiao Wu didn¡¯t mind hard work. He only cared to know if someone really needed it.


    ¡°Of course. Why would I lie to you? The outburst of grief type of music is suitable for ying up emotions when there¡¯s a tragedy or when a character turns to the dark side. It can be used when the plot reaches its climax. No matter the style you create, there will always be a use for it. At most, it won¡¯t be so mainstream and you¡¯ll just have to wait.¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t understand why music could be used in such instances. The important thing was that the music could be epted and used. He would give them whatever they wanted.


    Unlike his previous self, who would probe and ask questions whenever he heard something he didn¡¯t understand, Xiao Wu merely confirmed this again. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re really not lying to me, are you? All this music can be used, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not lying to you. You¡¯ll know in the future. Music of all styles has fans and certain uses. As long as it doesn¡¯t harm anyone, it¡¯s good music.¡±


    Xiao Wu heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Why would I harm anyone? I won¡¯t harm anyone, but what if I scare them? What if they cry?¡±


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not intentional, it¡¯s fine even if it scares people. A horror movie is meant to scare people. The scarier it is, the better. It¡¯s even better if they¡¯re frightened to the point of tears. If the music makes people cry, it means it has resonated with the audience.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe emphasized not harming people on purpose. As long as Xiao Wu didn¡¯tpletely despair like in his previous life and had no intention of killing and destroying the world, it would be fine.


    ¡°Great, then I¡¯m not afraid anymore.¡± God only knew how scared Xiao Wu had been recently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Xiao Wu. Everyone has all sorts of emotions. The same applies to you, us, and everyone else. No one can only be happy every day. Your music reflects your mood, so there¡¯s no rule that states that you must produce something that makes people happy andfortable.


    ¡°Regardless of whether you¡¯re happy or not, you can bravely express yourself. If you¡¯re unhappy, so be it.¡± If Xiao Wu could use music to express his emotions and vent, that would also be good for him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words really reassured Xiao Wu and finally made him open his heart.


    From that moment on, Xiao Wu finally stopped trembling in fear. He epted the contract without hesitation and really started to express himself.


    Mu Jingzhe took the drum and flute that Xiao Wu had hidden away and asked him to just stay at home and do whatever it was he wanted to do.


    After a few days of this, perhaps because he no longer put so much pressure on himself, the situation improved. Xiao Wu went to look for Ji Buwang andpleted the mission with professional equipment. He really opened up a new world and felt that it was actually quite fun.


    However, there were also many times when he was happy. It was not quite the same kind of happiness as in the past but still kind of simr. Furthermore, because he had faced many things during this period,pared to before, he had improved and his emotions were even richer.


    He slowly started to have new ideas and explore other styles. When Mu Jingzhe came to pick Xiao Wu up from art school, she was a little moved when she heard his music. ¡°I feel veryfortable hearing that. My heart feels warm, as if it¡¯s beenforted.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shared her feelings, and Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°Mm, Xiao Wu is curing himself. His heart is very soft and pure, and he¡¯s good at expressing his feelings through music, so he unconsciously uses music to cure himself. Those who listen will feelforted too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°This is a good sign, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ji Buwang saw Shao Qihai enter and nodded at him. ¡°What a coincidence, Qihai is here too. I¡¯ll tell you guys my suggestions and thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that Xiao Wu¡¯s condition is improving. His talent is really rare and can¡¯t be wasted. However, his world is too small. He should explore music more and broaden his horizons. This would be good for his future.¡±


    Xiao Wu was the best age for this, and his talent shouldn¡¯t be wasted.


    Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expressions were a little somber when they heard that. Indeed, geniuses needed to be nurtured. This didn¡¯t mean that geniuses could simply be left to their own devices. Instead, the more talented a genius was, the more they had to take this seriously.


    Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t know much about music. Previously, she had bought some rted books for Xiao Wu and given him some famous songs to listen to. Ji Buwang was also keeping up. Everything else aside, he had never even attended a real top-notch recital. He had only attended ordinary recitals in the city twice.


    Even then, those two times had been a delight for Xiao Wu. Mu Jingzhe still remembered how much Xiao Wu had enjoyed those two asions.


    If other families had such talented children, they would take them to countless recitals and hire countless distinguished teachers. Even if they didn¡¯t have such talent, they had their horizons expanded since they were young. However, despite having such talent, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t have ess to such resources. To put it bluntly, he was still trapped in a small county city.


    What Mu Jingzhe had done for the children was great and rare in the vige and county, but their starting point was too low. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn¡¯t catch up to other children.


    Mu Jingzhe finally understood the thought process of modern parents. It was reasonable that they would do their best to buy a house in a school district to give their children enrolment priority. Who wouldn¡¯t want to give their children something better?


    She was upset, and Shao Qihai was even more upset. If it weren¡¯t for Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu¡¯s talent might not have been discovered, just like countless geniuses whose development might have been dyed.


    In the modern era, when Mu Jingzhe used to live, it had be a custom for children to attend interest sses. Every parent was willing to pay for their children to learn and check out those sses. If their children were talented in any way or had an interest in something, the parents would definitely take it very seriously. Because of this, the kids would have the chance to be discovered.


    However, it didn¡¯t matter how talented kids who didn¡¯te from well-off families were, for their talents would remain buried.


    Xiao Wu had loved to hear the trumpets before he¡¯d even known how to walk. Every time he heard the trumpets, he would lean over. Shao Qihai knew that, and everyone else in the vige knew that, but¡­ everyone only found him amusing. No one had taken it seriously.


    Even Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected this. He had thought that Xiao Wu was still young, but when Mu Jingzhe hade, she had made a different choice, allowing each child to learn something if they were interested in it.

 Chapter 255 - Doing What One Can

    <h4>Chapter 255: Doing What One Can</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    It wasn¡¯t just Xiao Wu. The five kids were all the same. Mu Jingzhe supported their hobbies, which was why Shao Nan was so outstanding and why Shao Xi had managed to publish his novel. It was also why Shao Dong was already earning money at such a young age, why Little Bei had be the youngest movie queen, and why Xiao Wu¡¯s talent had been discovered.


    When Shao Qihai hade back and seen these earth-shattering changes, other than feeling grateful to Mu Jingzhe, he had med himself. He thought that he definitely had to treat his children well in the future, but he still couldn¡¯t keep up.


    ¡°Ji Bu¡­ Teacher, thank you.¡± Shao Qihai thanked him. ¡°Please tell me again what to do after this.¡±


    Shao Qihai thanked him seriously and addressed Ji Buwang as?¡®you<sup>1</sup>¡®. He admired him as a teacher from the bottom of his heart. Ji Buwang was really a good teacher..


    When Ji Buwang heard Shao Qihai thank him, he was naturally in a good mood. However, he couldn¡¯t stand this atmosphere and rubbed his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t. Just talk to me like usual. Stop addressing me as?¡®you<sup>1</sup>¡®. I¡¯m not doing this for you. I just like Xiao Wu.¡±


    He was doing this for Mu Jingzhe, for Xiao Wu, but in any case, not for Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai smiled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all. Just guide him well. If there¡¯s a chance in the future, find a better teacher. I can give you rmendations too. Then, take him to listen to more music. If he can listen to live music, that¡¯d be even better. He can also attend recitals.¡±


    After Ji Buwang finished speaking, he added, sounding worried, ¡°Xiao Wu is only five years old. There¡¯s no need to rush to take him to school to learn. He¡¯s very smart and has already finished learning almost all the content of the third and fourth grade. Therefore, he might as well take the opportunity to walk around and take a look before school officially starts.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to travel 1,000 miles than read 10,000 books. I¡¯ve told him a lot, but he has never seen it before. It¡¯d be good to hear more and see the world. In his world, all sounds are musical notes.¡±


    Ji Buwang was still a teacher at this art school, but he liked Xiao Wu too much and couldn¡¯t let go of him.


    ¡°Alright, I understand. Ji Buwang, can you tell me all the details? Actually, I don¡¯t quite understand what these¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had heard of concerts before, but she really didn¡¯t know anything about recitals, musical styles, etc.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai surrounded Ji Buwang and listened to him like elementary school students listening to a lecture. They didn¡¯t forget to take notes, and their seriousness was indescribable.


    Xiao Wu, Shao Dong, and the others leaned against the window and watched. They then muttered, ¡°What¡¯s this important thing they are talking about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but Mommy and Daddy seem to be students now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for them to be so harmonious.¡± Shao Dong pulled at Xiao Wu. ¡°Alright, stop peeking.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s words enlightened Mu Jingzhe. It wasn¡¯t just Xiao Wu. The same could be applied to Shao Nan, Little Bei, Shao Dong, and especially Shao Xi. As a young writer, it would be better for him to go to more ces and expand his horizons.


    ¡°In the future, when we¡¯re on break or have free time, we really have to take them ces.¡±


    Ji Buwang asked, ¡°How¡¯s your driver¡¯s licenseing along?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°It¡¯s still in progress.¡±


    It was really difficult to get a driver¡¯s license. Otherwise, she could have taken the children there herself without needing Shao Qihai to drive.


    Ji Buwang clenched his fists. ¡°You can do it. I believe in you.¡±


    He hoped that Mu Jingzhe would get her driver¡¯s license as soon as possible and drive by herself. He really didn¡¯t want to see Shao Qihai driving while she sat in the front passenger seat.


    Mu Jingzhe was forced to nod. ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll work hard on it.¡±


    She decided to work hard when she got back, using the same fighting spirit she¡¯d had when studying for the college entrance examination. She didn¡¯t believe that she wouldn¡¯t pass.


    Shao Qihai wanted to say something but hesitated. His thoughts were the opposite of what Ji Buwang was thinking. He didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to pass the exam so quickly. This way, he could drive them again and have Mu Jingzhe sit beside him.


    After leaving school, Mu Jingzhe was in aplicated mood because of her driver¡¯s license and Ji Buwang¡¯s suggestion.


    When she saw Xiao Wu and the children again, Mu Jingzhe felt quite upset. She had taken over their lives and tried hard to give them the best, but she had still failed.


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say much and kept thinking. Shao Qihai acted the same way, which made the five kids feel a little worried.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± After getting out of the car, Shao Dong tugged at Mu Jingzhe and asked her what was going on.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just thinking about something.¡± Mu Jingzhe squatted down, stroked their heads, and clenched her fists. ¡°I¡¯m going to get busy. You don¡¯t have to think too much or worry.¡±


    She had to work harder to earn money. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the five children.


    Shao Qihai was also having simr thoughts. They both intended to give it their all.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition, the five kids guessed that something had happened, so they found an opportunity to contact Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang knew that although Shao Dong was still young, he was already sharing the responsibilities of the head of the family. After thinking for a while, he didn¡¯t hide anything and told him about their conversation that day.


    It was only then that Shao Dong found out about this situation. His heart was instantly filled withplicated emotions. Mu Jingzhe had given them enough, but she still med herself for not doing enough. He finally understood why Mu Jingzhe had suddenly asked about recitals and even started preparing to go to the capital.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t tell Xiao Wu and the others the news. Instead, he found Mu Jingzhe and forbade her to continue working overtime at night.


    ¡°Mommy, Teacher Ji is right. It¡¯d be good for Xiao Wu and us to go out and broaden our horizons, but there¡¯s no need to me yourself. There¡¯s also no need to do what other families do.


    ¡°Our family is already good enough. We¡¯ve already gained the most precious thing in the world.¡± To them, the most precious thing was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s love.


    Shao Dong knew best why Shao Xi and Xiao Wu were so outstanding. Most importantly, it was because of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s support. The warmth in their home was the greatest source of inspiration. Without it, it would be useless no matter how much they went out to broaden their horizons.


    ¡°Mom, just do what you can. One doesn¡¯t necessarily have to go overseas or visit a big city to broaden their horizons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Out of guilt, Mu Jingzhe had thought of a series of ns. She hated that she couldn¡¯t take them to travel the world, but when she thought about it, she realized she had been overly anxious.


    ¡°Thank you for your suggestion, Little Dong.¡± Shao Dong was really wonderful.


    He kept an eye on her and forbade Mu Jingzhe to work overtime. He also didn¡¯t allow Shao Qihai to go out at night to escort goods on his vehicle.


    However, the n still had to be implemented. After that, Mu Jingzhe took Xiao Wu to listen to two recitals. During the holidays, she even took Xiao Wu, Shao Xi, and Shao Dong to the capital to look for Mu Han.


    It was really troublesome for the five children to go together. In the end, she took the three of them out first. Shao Nan and Little Bei stayed at home for the time being, and she would take them out next time.


    This was also Shao Dong¡¯s intention. There was no need for the five of them to travel together, for five kids were really too many.


    Shao Dong, who was now earning money himself, even wanted to pay for the journey, but Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe rejected his offer in unison. They could still afford this much money.


    Mu Han was really familiar with the capital now. After they found him, Mu Jingzhe could just follow him without worrying. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Xiao Wu were each more obedient than the other. They kept calling him ¡®Uncle¡¯, and Mu Han was unable to handle them.


    After a few days of attending art exhibitions and listening to four recitals in the capital, Mu Jingzhe felt like she had elevated their life to a whole new level.

 Chapter 256 - Youth Military Academy

    <h4>Chapter 256: Youth Military Academy</h4>


    Shao Xi was interested in everything, and so was Shao Dong. However, he preferred to walk around the city and take a look. He would listen to Mu Han and extract business opportunities from within.


    During the entire process, Xiao Wu was the happiest. Every time he came back, he would bounce up and down, his eyes filled with stars. It was as if a new world had opened up before him. When he came back, he would also y the musical instruments that he could carry in his luggage.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was thick-skinned, even took Xiao Wu to the musical instrument shop. They didn¡¯t buy anything, but they took a look at everything. Fortunately, Xiao Wu was cute, polite, and knowledgeable. The boss smiled all the way until they left.


    This trip was very meaningful. When Shao Xi returned, he started writing. He said that he wanted to write a second book about his travels from now on.


    ¡°Actually, I used to be very curious about what a big city is like. I think many people are curious about it too, so I wrote everything down for everyone to read.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe fully expressed her support and felt that they should indeed travel around more.


    They didn¡¯t stop after that. However, this time, they didn¡¯t go to the big city. Instead, Shao Qihai took them out. Mu Jingzhe had one style when she took them out, and Shao Qihai had another style when he did.


    Although Mu Jingzhe had previously said that she could also be a father, the truth was, having an actual father was different. Shao Qihai¡¯s existence also made it different.


    The way he thought was different from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s. He took the children to ces Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expect, such as to the mountains for a pic. He even took turns taking the children to some ces with the transport car.


    These ces weren¡¯t necessarily big cities, but every city had its own characteristics. This also allowed the children to experience the life of a long-distance driver.


    The world on the road was sometimes very dull. asionally, one could encounter unexpected things. It was very tiring, but it also filled one with hope.


    Most of these people had retired from the army, like Shao Qihai, were tanned, and had their own stories behind their tanned faces.


    They were very fond of the children, and the children also liked them very much. After they got familiar with them, the children even heard many stories, including stories from the army.


    They heard stories about how hard they trained and the strict requirements they had to abide by. The children also heard a lot of Shao Qihai¡¯s stories. They were told about how outstanding and impressive Shao Qihai was back then and how everyone had viewed him in their hearts.


    Those arduous years that used to make them want to cry had now turned into wonderful memories.


    The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and the children were getting tanned to different degrees. Even Little Bei was showing signs of bing a tomboy, but her body was also getting sturdier and taller. There were also many stories in her mind.


    These trips helped them get much closer to Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai also managed to master all sorts of hair-braiding skills with a lot of difficulty.


    Although Little Bei was said to be showing signs of bing a tomboy, she still liked to look pretty deep down. She liked all sorts of hair ornaments and enjoyed having beautiful hair.


    At home, there was Mu Jingzhe, but when they were out, Little Bei could only rely on Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai clumsily went from creating crooked braids to finally being able to braid her hair properly with everyone¡¯s help.


    After interacting with these people for a long time, the children also wanted to learn how to march quickly. This was because they felt that Shao Qihai and the others looked really good doing it.


    Because he had only retired a short time ago, he missed his previous life very much. When Shao Qihai was with the few of them, his unintentional actions still came with some shadows.


    Because Xiao Wu and the rest were curious, they even stood upright and showed them how to march quickly, looking both left and right. Their valiant looks left a deep impression on the children. When they returned, they asked Shao Qihai to teach them.


    Since the kids were interested, Shao Qihai taught them. In the end, no matter how hard they tried, they didn¡¯t look uniform doing it. Shao Dong and the others could do anything well. They couldn¡¯t ept that they couldn¡¯t do this well.


    Seeing that the children were serious, Shao Qihai decided to get serious too. He said that he might as well let them experience it for a week.


    The five kids raised their hands in agreement. Hence, the entire Shao Family seemed to be a small youth military camp. They woke up early to run and exercise. Even when they went to school, they had to walk in unison. They stood and sat with perfect posture, standing straight and sitting upright.


    They were the same when it was mealtime. Right before eating, they would sing the song Shao Qihai taught them every single time.


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe had heard Shao Qihai sing. Overall, it was alright. He wasn¡¯t out of tune, but¡­ the song was too righteous.


    At first, he only yed with the children, but gradually, Shao Qihai became serious, and even the children became more serious.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because he missed that life too, butter on, he even put on the army green clothes that had been neatly folded and treasured since he¡¯d retired from the army.


    The five kids became even more serious. They even asked for a gun that they could carry like people did in television shows. Shao Qihai had one in one photo, and they wanted the same one.


    What could Shao Qihai do? He could only find a piece of wood and shave it for them to shape it like a gun before putting it in a holster. Though they clearly knew that it was fake, the children were terribly fond of it.


    Seeing that they were very envious of Shao Qihai¡¯s clothes, Mu Jingzhe recalled that there were indeed such clothes sold in stores and went to buy them some.


    Although there were many fashionable outfits at the time, this kind of uniform was still the most popr. From the elderly to young children, everyone, regardless of whether they were adults or children, was proud of having such a set of clothes.


    After their clothes were bought, they were still gesturing all day long with their hands and listening tomands while hiding around. They were having a lot of fun. They even received stic toy pistols as a gift, one for each of them.


    With the addition of this prop, they looked the part even more now. Mu Jingzhe felt that this was simr to modern specialized schools. The children attracted the envy of the other children in the vige, who even wanted to join the training.


    Previously, they had been very curious and would often follow Shao Qihai and the others to learn, especially the children in the same ss as them. Because they sat upright, the ss also involuntarily sat upright. The atmosphere in the ssroom was different.


    They had already been looking at them enviously to begin with, so now they felt even more jealous upon seeing them in a put-together outfit.


    Everyone dreamed of going to the army. In less than two days, Xiao Wu and his siblings weren¡¯t the only ones running around. The team had grown much bigger, and there were fewer mischievous children in the vige.


    The vigers loved it too. They came to take a look and even learned from them. The children¡¯s parents were both happy and troubled when they saw this, as the children were eager to get the same clothes and toy guns as Xiao Wu and his siblings.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had already caused a small trend with the vests. Later on, the parent-child matching outfit trend had appeared, and now, there was the uniform trend. Fortunately, because of Mu Jingzhe, many parents had a bigger ie now and could afford it. Otherwise, things would have been difficult for the kids¡¯ parents.


    Although the parents scolded the children a lot, they actually felt that this had helped enhance their rtionship. Therefore, although they scolded them, they still bought them those clothes quickly.


    After the market day, many children in army green clothes instantly appeared in the vige. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better might think that they were in school uniforms. After putting on that outfit, they became even more serious about their training.

 Chapter 257 - Shocking Language Talent

    <h4>Chapter 257: Shocking Language Talent</h4>


    Now that they had the clothes, they were envious of the wooden guns Shao Qihai had made for the children. All of them were extremely eager to have one. Shao Qihai had no choice but to continue struggling with the wood and shave the wooden guns for them.


    However, because of this, Shao Qihai got much closer to the vigers. He even became the idol of many children in Great Eastern Vige, who were now moring and saying that when they grew up, they wanted to be a soldier like Uncle Shao and be as impressive as him when they returned home.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s skills and vigor were what the children yearned for the most. In an instant, Shao Qihai became the goal that many children in the vige pursued.


    Shao Qihai suddenly became the target of the children¡¯s admiration and learning process. For some time, he had to pay more attention to his image and words when he went out to do something. However, he still had to wash the clothes and do housework when he needed to.


    After a while, the vige couldn¡¯t gossip about Shao Qihai washing clothes anymore.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with washing clothes? When you be a soldier, you wash your clothes yourself. You do your own things. Uncle Shao said that this is good.¡±


    The mothers who liked to gossip were a little embarrassed, but the children immediately targeted the fathers.


    ¡°Daddy, why are you sozy? You don¡¯t even wash your own clothes and smelly shoes for Mommy. You¡¯re really not a good man.¡±


    The mothers were delighted. All of a sudden, many men went to the river, lowered their heads, and washed their clothes with dark expressions.


    Of course, many of these children started washing their own clothes too, saying that they wanted to prepare for the future, when they¡¯d join the army.


    This was a good influence in the long term. Some children really remembered it, andter on, they actually embarked on this path. The educational resources in the vige were limited. In addition, some children indeed weren¡¯t cut out for studying. Studying till junior high was already considered very good. Many people only finished elementary school.


    Fortunately, at the time, the requirements to enter the army weren¡¯t high. After a child entered the army and was handed over to the country, the child would really be taught well ande back reborn.


    Even if they were only gone for two years, they would still bepletely different when they returned. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that their fate had changed.


    Among them were not only boys but also girls, as they now knew that they could also go.


    Although the army recruited fewer girls, they also had dreams. Later on, Great Eastern Vige really produced female soldiers.


    However, this would all happen in the future. Seeing that many children in the vige were moring about joining the army when they grew up, Mu Jingzhe took this opportunity to encourage them to take their studies seriously. This was because higher educational qualifications would make things better for them in the future. These words also affected the children to a certain extent.


    There was very little development in Great Eastern Vige afterward. Many children had changed their fate, and these changes started on that ordinary day, when they followed them excitedly and shouted, ¡°One, two, one!¡±


    Life stayed this way for a week.


    In June, Ji Buwang said that he wanted to go overseas and asked Xiao Wu if he wanted to go with him. This was a rare opportunity, and Xiao Wu naturally couldn¡¯t miss it. Hence, Xiao Wu followed Ji Buwang overseas for the first time.


    They went to a recital, and Xiao Wu also had the opportunity to see the people with different skin tones and hair that Mu Jingzhe had mentioned before.


    Unlike the one or two foreigners that he would asionally see in the big city, this time, he saw foreigners everywhere he went. However, the color of their hair and eyes was different from what Xiao Wu had imagined.


    Xiao Wu was gone for quite a few days. When he came back, he had actually learned the localnguage and could even sing their songs. Ji Buwang said, ¡°Xiao Wu isn¡¯t only talented in music. He¡¯s also talented innguages. He can sing local songs after listening to them twice on the streets. Even though he doesn¡¯t know what the lyrics mean, he did a remarkable job of imitating them.


    ¡°You have no idea how much of a sensation he caused overseas with his ability. When we came across a singing busker, he picked up the song immediately, and everyone started throwing money at him. He even earned quite some money by doing it.


    ¡°This was even reported by the local television station. Later on, they even came over and invited him to a show. If I hadn¡¯t remembered that we needed toe back, I would¡¯ve taken him to the show to earn money.¡±


    There were also many people overseas who yearned for the mysterious East. Needless to say, Ji Buwang¡¯s disposition and appearance weren¡¯t bad no matter where he went. Thanks to Xiao Wu¡¯s looks and ability, he attracted both people¡¯s eyes and money.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu, who was smiling so hard that his teeth weren¡¯t visible. She could only give him a thumbs-up and tease him. ¡°Then you should¡¯ve taken him there to earn back the expenses of this trip.¡±


    Ji Buwangughed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯d run away with Xiao Wu or wickedly sell him to the locals?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha.¡± Mu Jingzheughed out loud. ¡°If we didn¡¯t even trust you that much, we wouldn¡¯t have let you take Xiao Wu away.¡±


    This trip overseas had greatly benefited Xiao Wu. He slowly began to set his sights further and he also developed a strong curiosity about music in othernguages. He even developed an interest in folk music.


    Mu Jingzhe naturally wouldn¡¯t stop him. It just so happened that Shao Qihai had arade-in-arms whose rtive wanted to host some guests. They said that their people were good at singing and dancing. Every time they invited guests over, they would form a circle at night to sing and dance.


    Because Xiao Wu was interested, they went in the end. Seeing that the costumes they wore were very nice, Mu Jingzhe even bought a set for herself and the kids to change into.


    When Xiao Wu learned the way they sang, they went ooh-and-aah over him again and said that he was a quick learner. Before he left, Xiao Wu sessfully picked up their musical instruments too.


    The five kids went to Ocean City for Children¡¯s Day and even visited the amusement park.


    After going to all these ces, Xiao Wu¡¯s world hadpletely opened up. Mu Jingzhe felt that he had ovee the trauma of Shao Qiyun being his mother. He had gone back to the way he was in the past, and perhaps he was even more cheerful than before.


    Seeing that Xiao Wu¡¯s condition had stabilized, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. She no longer focused on Xiao Wu and instead turned her attention to the other children and her work.


    She had not stopped paying attention to Shao Dong and the others previously, but people had limited energy. Because she had been especially concerned about Xiao Wu, she had unavoidably neglected the other children. However, the other four children were also concerned about Xiao Wu, so nothing had happened. Besides, they were very busy themselves.


    Shao Xi had been working on his travelogue. When he finished perfecting it during the summer vacation, it might even be published. There might also be subsequent books. After all, he had to keep traveling to other ces.


    Shao Xi¡¯s perspective was always very unique and exuded a childlike innocence. This was because he was just a child with many ideas that adults couldn¡¯t think of. However, at times, he was abnormally clear-headed. Behind his simple words were remnants of an extremely cold reality.


    He didn¡¯t use a lot of flowerynguage when he wrote, but his words appeared vivid on paper. They were beautiful and warm, yet amidst the warmth and beauty was a hint of reality that was cruel and naive.


    Children might not be able to feel it when they read his words, but when adults did, they would always smile before falling into deep thought.


    In addition to the travelogue, Shao Xi had also been submitting manuscripts to newspapers and magazines. They regrly invited him to write articles for them, giving him a stable ie in exchange.

 Chapter 258 - Shao Dongs Career Blueprint

    <h4>Chapter 258: Shao Dong¡¯s Career Blueprint</h4>


    Thest time Shao Xi had published a book, because it had be very popr, it had been listed as a best-selling book. Foreign publishers had also asked about it and were interested in tranting and publishing it in their own country. Shao Xi was afraid that the trantion wouldn¡¯t be good enough and had to check it himself. He also learned foreignnguages for this purpose.


    Shao Xi was a student, so he still needed to go to school. Because of all this, Shao Xi was really busy.


    He had quite a lot of thoughts about his busy schedule. He even wrote an article, saying that his time had been stolen by the old granny who sunbathed at the vige entrance all day long.


    The old granny was advanced in age and lived a muddled life. Every day, all she did was sunbathe and eat, always wondering why the day hadn¡¯t passed yet.


    The old granny¡¯s day passed slowly, in long intervals, and the sky never seemed to turn dark. On the other hand, Shao Xi¡¯s time was never enough. Therefore, he suspected that his time was different from the old granny¡¯s or had been stolen by the old granny.


    When Shao Xi handed the first draft to Mu Jingzhe, he even discussed it seriously with her. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t stolen, then my time has been sped up. The old granny has 48 hours a day, while my day only has 12 hours.¡±


    ¡°I think my days have sped up too.¡± Mu Jingzhe deeply shared the same sentiment.


    ¡°So there must be a Time Thief, right?¡± Shao Xi pondered it. ¡°I want to find a way to deal with the Time Thief.¡±


    ¡°What kind of way?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    ¡°Let me think about it. I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯ve thought it through.¡± Shao Xi left with his notebook, looking deep in thought.


    Shao Qihai had been listening outside for a while. Seeing them discussing it so seriously, although he had seen it often, he still felt a little dazed.


    Shao Qihai felt that he understood his son, Shao Xi, very well at times. Sometimes, this child knew a lot and was very sharp. Sometimes, he felt that he was very naive. From time to time, thoughts that would never have urred to him would pop up in Shao Xi¡¯s head.


    He was often stunned and felt unable to keep up with his son¡¯s thoughts, so he always ended up looking for Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Do you really think Shao Xi is right?¡± Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but ask Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Although it goes against our understanding, I think it makes sense. I also think that my time has been sped up or stolen. Otherwise, why do I feel like the days are passing too quickly?¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Alright.


    Thest method Shao Xi had found to deal with Time Thieves, such as growing ten arms, wasn¡¯t very practical in reality but was entirely possible in his literary world.


    In the end, his article was published. The main theme of the article was that everyone should treasure their time and arrange their time in such a way that it improved their efficiency.


    When Shao Dong and the others read Shao Xi¡¯s essay, they could empathize with him. After reading it, they even expressed their views, but this time, they asked Shao Xi to express himself in verbal form and not in written form.


    Shao Dong: ¡°I¡¯ve carefully observed my time. It wasn¡¯t stolen.¡±


    Little Bei sighed. ¡°If only I could steal time. That way, I could go to school and film at the same time.¡±


    Shao Nan said, ¡°Me too. If I could also steal time, I¡¯d use all the stolen time to read. This way, I could have more time to experiment and y.¡±


    Shao Nan still loved to read and study the most. Now that there were two more professors, Mu Jingzhe increasingly felt that he couldn¡¯t understand the books they sent. Mathematics, physics, and chemistry seemed really unfamiliar to her.


    In order to facilitate Shao Nan¡¯s learning process and experiments, she even specifically created a small experimentalb for him. Usually, Shao Nan would lock the door, saying that he was afraid that someone would break in and get in danger.


    The two professors seemed to bepeting with each other. More and more books were sent over, and the professors were also getting increasingly attentive. From time to time, the professor from the University of Law would also join in and send some books over.


    Every time Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan¡¯s little head, she was very puzzled. How could such a small brain contain so much knowledge?


    Shao Dong was even more aggressive. After going to the capital and then to Ocean City, he suddenly said that he wanted to acquire a factory that produced refrigerators. The factory had only been established a short while ago and had advanced technology and equipment imported from overseas. The owner had wanted to do something big with it, but due to a financial problem, he had been unable to continue.


    Shao Dong had very sharp business acumen. Considering the current situation, he was very optimistic about this industry, so he said that he wanted to acquire it.


    ¡°If I add the money I made from the beverage factory and the scavenging business, I have enough money for the acquisition.¡±


    Initially, Shao Dong had wanted to buy a car for Mu Jingzhe with his younger siblings. However, after gaining some car knowledge, he felt that they weren¡¯t good enough. In addition, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t gotten her driver¡¯s license yet, so he felt that he could use the money for this investment first.


    When he earned more money in the future, he would then buy a car for Mommy. When that time came, he would buy an even better one for her.


    Shao Dong was ambitious. Not only did he want to produce refrigerators in the future, but he also wanted to produce television sets and washing machines. Although he had only taken the first step, he could already see the third step.


    ¡°Mommy, what do you think of my n? If you think it¡¯s feasible, you can invest in it too. That way, I can take an even bigger step. Uncle said that he has faith in me. At first, he was nning to look into buying a house in the city, but he¡¯s not buying one for the time being. He¡¯s investing in me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe immediately nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll chip in too. Your uncle made the right choice.¡±


    As for the house, it was very difficult to buy it now, formodity housing[1] had yet to be a thing. Many houses in the city had been passed down from their ancestors or allocated by their work unit[2]. In other words, they belonged to the state.


    Mu Han didn¡¯t have a partner either, so he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to buy a house. He might as well wait a little longer to invest in a goodmodity house.


    When the time came, Mu Jingzhe would also be investing. As someone who had been reborn or had transmigrated into a novel, if she didn¡¯t buy property, she¡¯d be struck by lightning. If she didn¡¯t buy a house, she would be too embarrassed to say that she was a transmigrator. However, there was no hurry now.


    If she stayed by Shao Dong¡¯s side, she could earn money alongside him and support him at the same time. Of course she had to do it with him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression and straightened his chest. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll work hard to earn money. I won¡¯t let you lose money.¡±


    ¡°I believe you. But don¡¯t stress yourself out.¡±


    Shao Dong turned around and saw Shao Qihai looking at him. ¡°Little Dong, you know that Daddy actually has some spare money. If you think it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll also¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. But Dad, you should keep your money for now, in case our family needs it for an emergency. When I find a new business, I¡¯ll definitely ask you to invest so we can earn money together.¡± What Shao Dong said was true. He felt that they had to leave some money at home as backup for emergencies, such as thest time he had been ckmailed.


    Pfft, pfft, pfft. Their family wouldn¡¯t experience such a thing. However, it was only right for them to take precautions.


    Of course, more importantly, just like before, he would be cooperating with Uncle[3] on this business. In addition, his mother would invest in it, which meant that this business belonged to his mother¡¯s side of the family. Regardless of whether he earned money or not, it would be better not to implicate his father.


    Though Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai had yet to get a divorce for the time being, they weren¡¯t like ordinary married couples. The future was still uncertain. Considering the long term, Shao Dong felt that it¡¯d be better for them to keep their assets separate. For example, now, both of them were in charge of their own money and they also spent their own money when it came to expenses.


    Although his father tried his best to buy things to support the family, his mother also spent quite a lot each time.


    It could be said that Shao Dong had read the situation very clearly.


    [1] The term modity housing¡¯ was coined to describemercial housing as opposed to old-style welfare housing


    [2] a ce of employment in China


    [3] Mu Teng

 Chapter 259 - A Mans Money Should Be Handed Over to a Woman for Safekeeping

    <h4>Chapter 259: A Man¡¯s Money Should Be Handed Over to a Woman for Safekeeping</h4>


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know that Shao Dong had considered this so much. Since he felt that it made sense, he didn¡¯t force him. He only took this opportunity to look for Mu Jingzhe and tried to hand over his bankbook to Mu Jingzhe again for safekeeping. He wanted them to be like other families, in which men earned money while women managed the money and the house.


    ¡°Jingzhe, since your money has been used to support Little Dong¡¯s business and invest in it, you can use mine for household expenses in the future. I¡¯ll give you all the money I earn every month.¡±


    When other men handed over their savings and sries, the missus would be satisfied. However, when Shao Qihai had handed it overst time, Mu Jingzhe had declined, saying that she was busy managing her own money.


    After this period, when Shao Qihai brought this up again, he no longer expected her to look satisfied. He felt that if Mu Jingzhe was willing to ept it, he could at least see a trace of hope.


    However, this time, Mu Jingzhe still didn¡¯t take it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have money for household expenses. You know that I earn cash every day.¡±


    The light in Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes instantly dimmed. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had gotten busy again, he could only leave.


    Mu Jingzhe returned to her room and continued working. She thought of something and stopped, flipping through the fabric book she¡¯d made herself. Slowly, a sketch appeared.


    This was a new job she had taken on. She had previously met the bullied newbie, Chen Ling, and agreed to make her a custom-made dress. Although many things had happenedter, Mu Jingzhe had still worked overtime at night to make it for her as promised.


    Later on, she didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to how it looked on her. She didn¡¯t even have time to prepare a matching hairstyle and makeup look for her or alter her gown.


    She felt very apologetic, but Chen Ling understood and didn¡¯t have a problem with it at all. She was already amazed by the gown Mu Jingzhe had sent her.


    The gown Mu Jingzhe had sent over looked very ordinary at first nce, especially when it waspared to other gowns. It was too simple and didn¡¯t seem to be worth looking at. The assistant had originally been full of hope, but after taking a look, she had felt disappointed.


    Unexpectedly, when she¡¯d put on the gown, the effect had been surprisingly good, as the gownpletely showcased her strongest parts. It looked like a very simple and ordinary gown, but after wearing it, shepletely changed, bing dazzling as she walked.


    The assistant aside, even Chen Ling was stunned. This was the first time she knew that she was so beautiful and charming.


    It was the most suitable outfit Chen Ling had ever worn in her life. It was better than the branded clothes she had to fight for.


    In the past, Chen Ling used to dress like everyone else, but although she was beautiful, she wasn¡¯t eye-catching. However, after wearing this dress, she stood out and waspletely different from everyone else.


    This was what Chen Ling needed urgently. Chen Ling wasn¡¯t stupid. After wearing that, she put on makeup exactly ording to the note Mu Jingzhe had written. In the end, she dazzled everyone and stood out on the red carpet.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe heard that the senior who had bullied and suppressed Chen Ling had been overshadowed by her. Chen Ling had attracted everyone¡¯s attention. That night, she even managed to gain the favor of a director who was present, and he gave her an opportunity to audition for a very important role.


    Because she was so dazzling, she attracted attention and even received endorsement offers. She was in the limelight, and thepany started to take her seriously. Everything changedpletely that night.


    Sometimes, this was what happened. If you caught a break, you might take a step forward.


    However, opportunities were given to those who were prepared and capable. Coincidentally, Chen Ling¡¯s acting skills weren¡¯t bad, just a little immature. However, she had acting skills and loved this industry. Once she found herself in the limelight, she managed to take a step forward.


    Chen Ling also found inspiration in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s dress and found her future styling direction herself. Her daily style became increasingly outstanding.


    As Mu Jingzhe listened to Chen Ling¡¯s story, she felt that this plot waspletely like the rhythm of a female-led web novel.


    She was quite happy for Chen Ling, and Chen Ling was filled with gratitude for Mu Jingzhe, as all of this luck was a result of the gown Mu Jingzhe had made for her. It was thanks to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s help that she¡¯d been given such an opportunity.


    At first, Mu Jingzhe was busy with something, so she was sensible enough not to disturb her. However, in private, she wasn¡¯t stingy about letting everyone know that the dress had been made by Mu Jingzhe and that the outfit that had allowed her to stand out was a result of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s work.


    Anyone else would perhaps have hidden Mu Jingzhe out of selfish intentions, but she didn¡¯t. She even knew that Mu Jingzhe was busy and reminded everyone not to disturb her.


    No one had expected her to be so generous, and they all sang her praises. Many people in the industry heard about it and asked around for Mu Jingzhe.


    In the end, they really did manage to find out who she was. They found out that Mu Jingzhe had worked with some production teams before and was behind the costumes in a movie and some television shows. Her work was outstanding andplemented the actors well, regardless of their gender.


    In addition, she was the mother of the youngest movie queen, Shao Bei. Previously, she had been identally noticed by the media, so she could be considered half a celebrity.


    Although they had never heard of her designing formal evening wear and felt that she wasn¡¯t quite like other designers, there was no doubt that she was capable. Therefore, many people asked around, wanting to coborate with Mu Jingzhe to customize formal evening wear.


    Unfortunately, at first, Mu Jingzhe had been too busy, so she¡¯d turned down a few people who were in a hurry. It was fine if they weren¡¯t in a hurry to use the clothes, though. As time went by, fewer people came out of curiosity or to join in the fun. After those who didn¡¯t absolutely have to have Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes left, those who remained were the people who really liked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s work.


    Mu Jingzhe was working around the clock to finish the orders. As this was private customization, she had to design ording to the customer and make the outfit herself, so it took a lot of time and energy. However, because she did earn quite a lot of money from this and she enjoyed doing it, she was very happy to take on such business.


    After working for several days, Mu Jingzhe finally managed toplete the umted orders. She heaved a sigh of relief and seriously put a tick on the calendar.


    The calendar was hanging on the wall, disying one month per page. Mu Jingzhe looked at the pages behind and saw the time she had left for the undergarments.


    After such a long dy, it was time to put this on the agenda. Actually, it had beenpleted previously, but it had been dyed by something. While she had been designing clothes, whenever she had been inspired or idle, she had created a few sample drawings.


    However, she still had to change them now because her designs were too modern. There were all sorts of fabrics in the modern era, but there weren¡¯t many fabrics to choose from now. Besides, this era favored conservative and practical clothes.


    The most important thing about underwear wasfort. ¡°I still have to find suitable fabrics.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the calendar and was about to n it all. However, she paused when she flipped the calendar to the next month.


    Her schedule in July was much cleaner than in June, and there were very few ns. However, a day was highlighted¡ªthe death anniversary of Shao Dong¡¯s biological mother, Bai Lu.


    Upon seeing the calendar, Mu Jingzhe felt a little emotional. Time passed really quickly. She still remembered experiencing Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary with the children a year ago. Now, it was around the corner again.


    As Mu Jingzhe looked at this date, she couldn¡¯t help but think of one of the 100 wishes she had asked Shao Dong to write downst year¡ªhis wish that one day, he would go to his mother¡¯s grave and offer incense to her.

 Chapter 260 - Who Will Try On The Men’s Underwear?

    <h4>Chapter 260: Who Will Try On The Men¡¯s Underwear?</h4>


    In the past year, many of Shao Dong¡¯s 100 wishes had been fulfilled, but there were also some that needed time to fulfill. For example, his wish to go to Bai Lu¡¯s grave to offer incense to her.


    Mu Jingzhe had kept the wish in her heart after seeing itst year. She had also thought of taking them there, but she didn¡¯t know if she could go this year.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe would definitely have taken them there. However, now that Shao Qihai was back, it was more suitable for Shao Qihai to bring them along.


    After dinner, when Shao Qihai came out after washing the dishes, he saw Mu Jingzhe waving at him. ¡°I have something to speak to you about.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Come over here first.¡±


    Shao Qiyang looked at Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s backs and lowered his head. He walked out of the courtyard, not wanting to see the two of them interacting.


    After this period of time, Shao Qiyang could finally face the two of them together, eat with them, and interact naturally with them.


    Of course, there was still some difort, but it was a little better than before. Shao Qiyang had hesitated before, especially when he had seen that Mu Jingzhe still nned to get a divorce. He had also noticed that she and Shao Qihai still slept in separate rooms and didn¡¯t look like a married couple.


    However, as the days passed, Mu Jingzhe still wouldn¡¯t get a divorce, nor did she have the chance to do so. Due to the fetters of the children and the many things that had happened previously, Shao Qiyang¡¯s feelings slowly faded.


    They had to fade. Now that Shao Qihai was back, even if he and Mu Jingzhe really divorced in the future, as her younger brother-inw, he couldn¡¯t rush to confess his love immediately. Otherwise, the gossip would be unimaginable.


    If two brothers fought over a woman, it wouldn¡¯t be any better than when Shao Qihai had been dead. In fact, the situation might even be worse.


    If Shao Qihai was gone, everyone would just gossip about it for a period of time. As time passed, it would pass as well. However, since Shao Qihai was still alive, everyone would always remember this.


    Shao Qiyang could tell what Shao Qihai was thinking. As he watched him cook, wash the dishes, wash the clothes, and take care of the children, shouldering responsibility for family matters and doing things that many men wouldn¡¯t do, he knew how much Shao Qihai cared.


    It seemed like Shao Qihai had really forgotten about Mu Xue and truly wanted to live with Mu Jingzhe. If he interfered, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to be brothers anymore.


    Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯t really give up his biological older brother for love. Besides, Mu Jingzhe might not necessarily ept him.


    It should be said that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t ept him. She had treated him as her brother-inw right from the start.


    Even an outstanding person like Ji Buwang was still just waiting, let alone someone like him. Shao Qiyang knew his limitations.


    Like an invisible person, he hadn¡¯t done anything. Ultimately, the reason for that was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude.


    In the end, he still had to give up on Mu Jingzhe and try to forget her.


    Shao Qiyang walked aimlessly toward the river amid the evening breeze. After walking for a while, he suddenly heard pping sounds. When he came back to his senses, he saw Mu Xue.


    Mu Xue was squatting by the river and washing clothes on a rock by the river. She was hitting the clothes with a washing rod, her movements still a little rusty.


    Ever since that conversation with the five kidsst time, Mu Xue felt quite upset. Later on, she¡¯d said that she would wash the clothes herself, but she wasn¡¯t proficient at it. When the vigers saw her, they would tease her andugh at her for not even knowing how to wash clothes.


    Wanting to avoid them, Mu Xue came when no one was around. She was always paying attention to people and had also heard thismotion. When she turned around and saw Shao Qiyang, she quickly turned her back to him. In the end, she identally bumped into the enamel basin containing the clothes beside her.


    The enamel basin slid into the river and floated away along with the water.


    Mu Xue cried out in surprise and quickly chased after the basin, but she simply wasn¡¯t as fast as the flowing water. Fortunately, the river curved and the current quickly eased. The enamel basin stopped and moved in circles in the water.


    Mu Xue heaved a sigh of relief but then felt frustrated. The reason the enamel basin stopped was mainly because there was a puddle there. However, the puddle was quite deep, so she didn¡¯t dare enter the water to retrieve it.


    Raising her head to look at Shao Qiyang, who was not far away, Mu Xue wanted to ask for help but was afraid of being rejected. She hesitated for a moment and, not wanting to continue embarrassing herself, lowered her head and prepared to go home.


    Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t blind, so he was watching everything. When he saw that she was about to leave, he frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t want the basin anymore?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get it¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to pull it over with a stick?¡± Shao Qiyang was speechless. He felt that Mu Xue was a tad too stupid. Why hadn¡¯t he realized this before?


    ¡°Oh, oh, right.¡± Mu Xue quickly found a stick. When she finally retrieved the enamel basin, she heaved a sigh of relief. She raised her head to thank Shao Qiyang, but he had already disappeared.


    The smile on Mu Xue¡¯s face instantly disappeared as well. In the past, she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to Shao Qiyang, but now, she felt that he had changed a lot and be much more mature.


    Mu Xue quickly gathered her clothes and went home before the sky turnedpletely dark.


    Shao Qiyang, on the other hand, only went back after dark. However, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai weren¡¯t saying anything intimate, like Shao Qiyang had imagined. Instead, they were talking about serious matters.


    Mu Jingzhe had just mentioned Shao Dong¡¯s 100 wishes when she saw Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes suddenly dart to the side.


    She turned around and guessed that he had probably seen the design drafts of her undergarments. She took a look and casually put them away, not taking it to heart.


    She still had to try making designs at home in the future. This was just a blueprint, and there was nothing on it one couldn¡¯t look at. Thus, she continued.


    ¡°Last year, I asked Shao Dong to write 100 wishes and think more about himself. One of these wishes was his hope to go to Bai Lu¡¯s grave one day and kowtow. It¡¯ll be her death anniversary soon. Do you want to take them there?¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard the words ¡®Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary¡¯, his mind instantly jolted back to reality. He no longer cared about the sketch.


    ¡°They indeed haven¡¯t been there.¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s voice was a little low. ¡°I should take them to visit. Then you¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re back, I won¡¯t being with you guys,¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately said.


    Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe and wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Then I¡¯ll find some time to ask them about it.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded with a calm expression.


    Shao Qihai looked at her and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Mind what?¡± Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. ¡°Bai Lu worked really hard to give birth to them and even lost her life. They should have gone there to kowtow to her a long time ago.¡±


    Actually, Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t just asking if she minded about this, but it didn¡¯t seem to ur to Mu Jingzhe at all, so he didn¡¯t mention it.


    As for whether they were going to kowtow on Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, for the next two days, it was unknown if Shao Qihai had asked the kids or not. In any case, he didn¡¯t give Mu Jingzhe an answer, so Mu Jingzhe continued to busy herself with the bras and panties.


    After buying another batch of fabric, she started trying to make some.


    When the samples were washed, Mu Jingzhe tried them on her own. She also asked Li Fang and the others to help her try the undergarments based on their different figures. This was all fine. But here was the problem: If the men¡¯s designs were made, who should she ask to try them on?


    It didn¡¯t seem appropriate for Shao Qihai, Shao Qiyang, or Ji Buwang to try them on. Mu Teng was a little old, and Mu Han wasn¡¯t at home either.


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not think about it. If it doesn¡¯t work out, let¡¯s just make the women¡¯s version for the time being. We¡¯ll talk about the men¡¯s version after it¡¯s made.¡± In any case, they would definitely find someone to try the underwear on.

 Chapter 261 - Good Mommy Refrigerator?

    <h4>Chapter 261: Good Mommy Refrigerator?</h4>


    By the time Mu Jingzhe finally pulled together the team for the undergarments and Mai Miao joined in, Shao Dong had already made great progress.


    The funds were in ce and the workers were awesome, so they were able to produce refrigerators. Furthermore, the quality was also up to industry standards. They were about to mass-produce andunch them in the market.


    They were currently discussing a name that was vibrant, memorable, and wouldn¡¯t be confused with anything else.


    Shao Dong asked for everyone¡¯s opinion to see if there were any good suggestions. Xiao Wu was the first to respond. ¡°We¡¯ll call the refrigerator ¡®Bingbing[1]¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Bingbing Refrigerator? This refrigerator brand sounds like a person¡¯s name. No.¡± Shao Dong shook his head.


    Many modern brand names shed across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind. Perhaps because she knew too much, she couldn¡¯t think of any names for a while. She was afraid that those brand names woulde out of her mouth, so she didn¡¯t say anything.


    On the other hand, Shao Xi, Shao Qihai, and Shao Nan helped by giving him ideas. However, their suggestions weren¡¯t very appropriate. Shao Xi¡¯s ideas were too bold and unconstrained, Shao Nan¡¯s ideas were too straightforward, and Shao Qihai¡¯s ideas were not flexible enough.


    ¡°Mommy, do you have any suggestions?¡± Shao Dong could only ask Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought of any yet.¡± Mu Jingzhe asked in turn, ¡°What have you thought of?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother. You didn¡¯t even tell us what you thought of.¡±


    Shao Dong pursed his lips as he recalled his list. ¡°Actually, I thought of one. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s appropriate. It¡¯s¡­ Good Mommy.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe blinked. Good Mommy? Could the refrigerator be called that?


    Shao Dong coughed and exined, ¡°Mommy is a warm word. It also means that a refrigerator can keep food fresh. I was thinking of Mommy when I came up with this name.¡±


    Shao Dong emphasized that he had been thinking of Mu Jingzhe. Previously, when Shao Qihai had discussed going to visit Bai Lu on her death anniversary with him, Shao Dong had wanted to go. After all, he had never been there.


    Although Mu Jingzhe had said that she didn¡¯t care, he felt that he had let Mu Jingzhe down. Now that he was talking about ¡®Mommy¡¯, Shao Dong didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to think that the good mother he was talking about was his biological mother.


    He hade up with this brand name mostly because of Mu Jingzhe.


    As soon as Shao Dong said that, Shao Xi and the others nodded. ¡°This is just like Mommy. It¡¯s indeed quite good.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Nobody names a refrigerator brand that way, right? Why don¡¯t you call it ¡®Five Siblings¡¯ then?¡±


    ¡°No one names a refrigerator brand ¡®Five Siblings¡¯ either, right?¡± Shao Dong argued. ¡°I like the name ¡®Good Mommy¡¯ the most. But if Mommy doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s good, we can also name the brand ¡®Jingzhe¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te up with a brand name that revolves around me. There are very few brands that are named after sr terms[2]. Let¡¯s change it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thenughed. ¡°Now that you mentioned this, I was reminded of your uncle. Good Uncle Refrigerator.¡±


    This made everyoneugh. After Xiao Wu finishedughing, he evenmented seriously, ¡°But actually, ¡®Good Uncle¡¯ is quite good too, just like ¡®Good Mommy¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Then the name ¡®Good Brother¡¯ isn¡¯t bad either,¡± Mu Jingzhe said casually. Then, she suddenly paused. ¡°Hmm¡­ ¡®Good Brother¡¯ is seriously not bad. Look, I¡¯ve already thought of an advertising slogan for you. Good Brother Refrigerator: Keeps it fresh for you.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Really. See, ¡®Good Mommy Refrigerator¡¯ actually doesn¡¯t sound as catchy as ¡®Good Brother Refrigerator¡¯.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°I¡¯m afraid that when the timees, everyone will change the slogan to Good Brother Refrigerator: It gives you nightmares[3]!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe eximed, ¡°That¡¯s fine too! If people find it interesting, they¡¯ll remember it. As long as they remember the name, it¡¯s good.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Don¡¯t doubt me. Aren¡¯t you going to make televisions and washing machines in the future? When the timees, the slogan can be changed to: Good Brother Television: Keeps you entertained. As for the washing machine, it¡¯ll be: Good Brother Washing Machine: Keeps you pretty! How catchy.¡±


    Initially, Mu Jingzhe had only suggested this casually, but the more she spoke, the more she felt that it was really catchy. ¡°I¡¯m such a genius. I¡¯ve even thought of advertising slogans for you. Little Dong, what do you think?¡±


    At first, Shao Dong had really wanted to name it ¡®Good Mommy¡¯. However, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s suggestions really sounded rather catchy.


    Little Bei and the rest also repeated it a few times. ¡°It does seem to be very catchy.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Shao Xi actually quite liked the name ¡®Good Mommy¡¯ too, so he argued. ¡°But ¡®Good Mommy TV¡¯, ¡®Good Mommy Washing Machine¡¯, and ¡®Good Mommy Refrigerator¡¯ sound catchy too. Good Mommy Refrigerator: Keeps it fresh for you. Good Mommy TV: Keeps you warm. Good Mommy Washing Machine: Keeps the love alive. These advertising slogans also sound very catchy.¡±


    ¡°But this name doesn¡¯t create as deep an impression as ¡®Good Brother¡¯ does.¡± Mu Jingzhe disagreed.


    Shao Xi looked at Shao Dong, whoughed. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    After raising their hands to vote, Shao Dong heard Shao Qihai say faintly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone propose ¡®Good Daddy¡¯ just now? Didn¡¯t you all say that you love me?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe burst intoughter. She had heard of the brand ¡®Good Daddy¡¯.


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll use the name ¡®Good Daddy¡¯ when I have the chance.¡±


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t believe a single word. Shao Xi and the others looked at each other and returned to their rooms with smiles on their faces. ¡°I¡¯m going to read my readers¡¯ letters. The publishing house sent a box over.¡±


    The books published by Shao Xi were popr, and he would receive letters from readers from time to time. His address was naturally not publicized. The agreement was that the letters would be sent to the publishing house, and the publishing house would then send them over to Shao Xi.


    Little Bei was interested. ¡°Another box came? I¡¯lle take a look too. I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s any difference between your letters and mine.¡±


    ¡°Probably. My readers are mainly children.¡± Shao Xi held Little Bei¡¯s hand, and Shao Nan and Xiao Wu followed them.


    Sending letters required money to buy stamps. However, other than families that were in a particrly difficult financial situation, many parents who saw that their children liked to write letters would encourage them to do so.


    Firstly, it was excellent that Shao Xi had published a book at such a young age, as it made him a role model worth emting. The parents wouldn¡¯t object to their kids writing to him. Secondly, this could train the children¡¯s ability to express themselves and write, increase their interest, and make them fall in love with essays.


    Many parents even asked their kids to write the address on the envelopes themselves and told them how to send the letters. This was also something worth teaching their children.


    Hence, Shao Xi received letters from many children and adults alike. Some of them even used pinyin when they didn¡¯t know how to write certain words.


    Shao Xi liked to read replies from fans because this was also a form ofmunication. He could use this chance to understand the thoughts of many children and see some of the outside world through their letters.


    As long as a letter was sent to Shao Xi, he would read it seriously. He would feel happy when readers praised him, but when there was criticism, he could also ept it. However, if he encountered someone who had written to scold him, he would retort as he read the letter. He wouldn¡¯t let go of a single word and he¡¯d use words much more ruthlessly than said reader.


    Fortunately, he only retorted verbally and didn¡¯t really reply. Otherwise, his sharp words would shut those people up.


    Fortunately, there were very few people who wrote to scold him. Otherwise, if he got angry, Shao Xi might really reply in writing.


    He rarely replied, but when he had time, he would pick out some letters to reply to.


    Shao Xi and Little Bei read the letters for a while. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t see anyone scolding him. He was in a good mood, so he picked out the letters he wanted to reply to and a letter that had already been answered once.


    [1] Meaning ice-cold


    [2] Jingzhe is the 3rd of the 24 sr terms in the traditional Chinese calendar


    [3] Ghosts are sometimes called ¡®good brothers¡¯

 Chapter 262 - I Think It Doesnt Matter If Daddy Is Dead Or Not

    <h4>Chapter 262: I Think It Doesn¡¯t Matter If Daddy Is Dead Or Not</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯ll write a replyter and send it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Then they should be very happy.¡± Little Bei helped Shao Xi arrange the other envelopes. ¡°Will there be more and more of these letters in the future? Will there be so many that we won¡¯t be able to finish them all? Will there be no ce to put them?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try our best to read as many as possible. If there¡¯s really a lot, so much that there¡¯s nowhere to put them, then I¡¯ll build a new house or buy one. When the timees, we¡¯ll save them together.¡± Even if a letter was a scolding, just like his mother had said, it had been written for him. If he retorted, he would forget about it instead of throwing it around.


    Little Bei¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll do that in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai came in as they were chatting happily. ¡°What are you talking about that¡¯s making you so happy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re replying to letters. Brother wants to reply to his readers¡¯ letters.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked down and saw the letter at the very top. His gaze suddenly froze as he abruptly picked it up.


    ¡°This address¡­ Shao Xi, how did you manage to contact this person? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to make any contact? Where did you get this address?¡±


    Shao Xi was stunned when he saw Shao Qihai¡¯s serious expression. He looked at the letter again. ¡°Dad, what are you saying? What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m just writing back to a reader who wrote to me.¡±


    Shao Qihai paused. ¡°It¡¯s a letter from a reader?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t I say just now that I wanted to read the letters written by my readers?¡± Shao Xi looked at Shao Qihai and took the envelope in his hand. ¡°Dad, what did you mean by what you said just now? Why did you say that I can¡¯t make any contact with this person?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I saw wrong. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze was conflicted. After denying it, he left with aplicated gaze.


    Shao Xi and Little Bei looked at each other, and their gazes turned to the envelope in their hands. ¡°There¡¯s something fishy about Daddy¡¯s reaction.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what do you think he meant?¡± Little Bei was puzzled.


    Shao Xi frowned and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± At this point, Shao Xi suddenly paused, recalling what had happened.


    He seemed to have guessed why Shao Qihai¡¯s reaction had been so strange just now. Shao Xi looked at the tender words on the envelope, and his gaze becameplicated too.


    Little Bei was anxious. ¡°What? Second Brother, you¡¯ve recalled it. Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± Shao Xi casually threw the envelope aside. ¡°It¡¯ste. Go back and go to sleep. When your letters arrive, I¡¯ll read them with you.¡±


    Little Bei felt that Shao Xi was hiding something from her, but since he refused to tell her, she could only leave.


    After Little Bei left, Shao Xi pounced on the bed and opened the letter that he had tossed aside previously. This was the second time they had corresponded. Previously, this reader had sent another letter, and Shao Xi had chosen to reply because this little reader had said that her father had left.


    The young reader had said that she didn¡¯t like her father because he was never at home. He would disappear every now and then and always hang out with the wrong crowd. Because of this, her mother cried a lot and had almost brought her away from her father.


    However, before her mother could do it, her father had suddenly died. No one knew what had happened. When they¡¯d received the news, they had seen his corpse.


    Later on, while packing up her father¡¯s belongings, they¡¯d found two bank savings ount books. One was for her mother, and the other was for her. He hadn¡¯t left a single word behind, only enough money for them to live well. It was at least enough to provide for her until she grew up.


    Later on, her mother had taken her and moved to an unfamiliar ce. She wasn¡¯t used to this ce because the people there liked to put vinegar in their food, and she didn¡¯t like the taste of vinegar.


    This little reader had written all these things incoherently. When she didn¡¯t know how to write certain words, she¡¯d even used pinyin or drawings to rece it. She¡¯d said that she had identallye across Shao Xi¡¯s book and liked it very much, so she had written him a letter.


    Due to the fact that there were also drawings and pinyin mixed in, and the words that the reader did know how to write were written in a very big font, the letter was very thick. Shao Xi was attracted by its thickness, but upon reading it, he found it too tiring and boring. After reading it for a while, he tossed it aside.


    However,ter on, Shao Xi kept thinking of this letter. Probably because he had also experienced his father¡¯s sudden death, Shao Xiter found the letter again and read it patiently.


    After reading it, he couldn¡¯t help but reply to the reader with a letter of his own. He wrote down all the words that the reader had written in pinyin and indicated that she had to copy them ten times to learn them. He also told her to buy a dictionary and check out the words she didn¡¯t know how to write. He told the reader not to write to him in pinyin anymore, for he was too tired after reading it. If she wrote in pinyin again, he wouldn¡¯t reply.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t know how tofort the reader. He only said at the end, ¡°You¡¯re actually very lucky because you still have your mother. Don¡¯t be afraid of being sad. It¡¯s okay to be sad. It¡¯ll pass soon.¡±


    Back then, they hadn¡¯t even had a mother. As for being sad, Shao Xi felt that one just had to get used to it.


    He initially thought that the little reader wouldn¡¯t write to him again after this. He didn¡¯t expect her to reply. Because it was rtively special, he remembered the little reader¡¯s name, Fang Yu, quite clearly.


    He just hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to react like that when he saw the envelope and the address.


    Shao Xi recalled the story of the nameless hero he had heard from Shao Qihai previously. He had wanted to be friends with the little boy Shao Qihai had transferred, but Shao Qihai had refused, saying that it was absolutely impossible.


    Unexpectedly, here was this reader!


    Upon thinking about the contents of the letter¡ªthat the father was no longer around, that the mother was moving, and so on¡ªcoupled with Shao Qihai¡¯s performance, Shao Xi guessed that this might be the boy, and not a girl!


    As Shao Xi carefully opened the letter, he muttered, ¡°He refused to give me the address previously. Surprising, huh? Even though I didn¡¯t have the address, in the end, the boy read my book and wrote to me! This must be¡­ fate.¡±


    Shao Xi shouted the words that came out of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth from time to time and started reading the letter. After taking a look, he nodded. ¡°Mm, there¡¯s no pinyin this time.¡± However, the font was still very big.


    Fang Yu said that she was very happy to receive his reply. Also, she had written those words ten times, ording to Shao Xi¡¯s request, and learned them. She¡¯d even asked her mother to help her buy a dictionary. The dictionary was really useful. She had also learned quite a few words with its help.


    She had originally nned to send over the homework that she had written ten times, but because there was too much, her mother hadn¡¯t let her.


    Although she had no idea if it was because Shao Xi had asked her to write the words ten times, Fang Yu had written, ¡°Brother Shao Xi, you¡¯re like a teacher. You¡¯re impressive.¡±


    Shao Xi chuckled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very impressive. I¡¯ll be Teacher Shao from now on.¡±


    After saying that, Fang Yu repeated that vinegar was really sour and asked curiously, ¡°Brother Shao Xi, after a person dies, do they really nevere back or appear again?¡±


    Fang Yu said that she actually didn¡¯t know why Mommy was crying so hard after Daddy¡¯s death. Clearly, Daddy was often not at home and when he did asionallye home, his appearance would stir up some gossip. Mommy had even cried a few times because of this. This had led to her not liking Daddy anymore. But now that Daddy was dead, Mommy was so sad.


    Clearly, her father had frequently not been at home back when he had been alive either.


    ¡°I think it doesn¡¯t matter if Daddy is dead or not. Either way, he doesn¡¯te home.¡±


    Therefore, at first, when she had said that her father had died and would nevere back, Fang Yu had felt like it was nothing. She didn¡¯t know why her mother was crying so much. Everyone even said that Fang Yu was pitiful and asked her why she didn¡¯t cry, but Fang Yu couldn¡¯t cry at all.

 Chapter 263 - Off To Bai Lus Tomb To Their Pay Respects

    <h4>Chapter 263: Off To Bai Lu¡¯s Tomb To Their Pay Respects</h4>


    Young children actually couldn¡¯t understand the true meaning of death. The same applied to Fang Yu. She had not understood it even though such a long time had passed, and now, after seeing that her father had really never returned, she finally understood the difference between noting back often and nevering back.


    ¡°Brother Shao Xi, I actually miss Daddy a little, but I haven¡¯t told Mommy. I¡¯m afraid Mommy will cry.


    ¡°I want him to give me a piggyback ride, like all the other children¡¯s daddies. He used to make me fly all the time. No one is taking me flying anymore.


    ¡°Brother Shao Xi, I¡¯m also a little afraid that I¡¯ll forget what Daddy looked like because I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time. If he doesn¡¯te back in the future, I¡¯ll forget him. Before Mommy moved with me, I couldn¡¯t bear to part with Brother Little Hua, but now, I rarely think of him. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll also forget about Daddy in the future and forget what he looks like.


    ¡°I¡¯m really afraid, so I stole a photo of my father from Mommyst night. I¡¯ll look at it when I¡¯m about to forget his face in the future.


    ¡°But I¡¯m so afraid that Mommy will find out. If Mommy finds out, she¡¯ll hit me. There are only three photos of Daddy. Mommy will definitely find out. I¡¯m also really afraid that I¡¯ll identally lose it.¡±


    If she lost the photo, Fang Yu might really forget what her father looked like, so she was really worried.


    Shao Xi was initially smiling as he read the letter, but when he finished reading it, he couldn¡¯t smile anymore. He felt a little upset.


    After some thought, he replied, ¡°You can ask your mother if she has any negatives. The negatives can be used to develop photos. If she manages to find some, you can develop more of them, like even 100 of them. That way, you¡¯ll have a lot of photos of him. Many people don¡¯t even have 100 photos in their lifetime, so your father wins.


    ¡°Besides, by doing this, you won¡¯t have to be afraid of losing the photo anymore.¡±


    Shao Xi made a suggestion. He really hoped that she would find out soon that her father wasn¡¯t a little baddie but a big hero.


    Shao Xi wrote a letter back and asked Shao Qiyang to help him send it the next day. Shao Qihai, who happened to be beside them, looked at the address on the envelope. ¡°What did you write? Are you going to constantly keep in touch?¡±


    ¡°I just wrote something about developing photos. If nothing goes wrong, we will indeed keep in touch.¡± Shao Xi nced at Shao Qihai. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dad? Can¡¯t we keep in touch?¡±


    Shao Qihai was conflicted. ¡°Not really¡­¡± It would be strange if he suddenly said that they weren¡¯t allowed to contact each other.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know about this little incident between them. She came out and asked, ¡°Have you applied for leave from school?¡±


    Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary wasing up, and since they had ultimately decided to pay their respects, the kids needed to apply for leave in advance.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shao Qihai quickly replied. ¡°The teachers have agreed, but they said that they shoulde back as soon as possible. The final exam ising soon, and they¡¯re going to skip grades again.¡±


    It was only because the children had performed well and were going to pay their respects on their mother¡¯s death anniversary that the teachers agreed. Otherwise, at a time like this, the teachers wouldn¡¯t have approved their request for leave.


    Two days before Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, Shao Qihai took Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Shao Bei to Bai Lu¡¯s hometown to pay their respects to Bai Lu and also meet their maternal grandparents.


    Shao Qihai took the four of them there, leaving Xiao Wu alone at home. As soon as they left, Mu Jingzhe really could not get used to it. She kept feeling that the house was empty.


    Although the children would go to school previously, they would sometimes run back during their break. Furthermore, she would be worried about their meals and water, so she didn¡¯t feel like they weren¡¯t around.


    However, when they really left this time, the ce suddenly felt empty. When she prepared lunch, Mu Jingzhe was still used to preparing their share. Only when she came back to her senses did she quickly put everything back.


    Shao Qiyang was busy at work and wasn¡¯t at home either, so it was only her and Xiao Wu. Mu Jingzhe suddenly didn¡¯t know how much food she should cook.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Shao Bei were all in their growing phase and weren¡¯t picky about their food. Their appetite wasn¡¯t small, and even Little Bei ate quite a lot. Mu Jingzhe expended a lot of energy and ate quite a lot every day. Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang ate even more, so she usually cooked a lot of food every day.


    Now, it was only the two of them¡­ Mu Jingzhe scratched her head.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiao Wu was surprised to see that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, how much do you think we should eat?¡±


    The two of them discussed the portions before getting down to cooking, but in the end, she still prepared too much. Looking at the remaining food and vegetables, she said, ¡°If your older brothers were here, we would have finished it all.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked at Mu Jingzhe and ran out. After a while, he returned with a small drum tied to his waist. ¡°Mommy, let me y the drum for you.¡±


    He could tell that his mother was just not used to it. Since his siblings had left, she had been a little distracted because she missed them.


    Fortunately, he was still there. Otherwise, what would Mommy have done if she were alone?


    Xiao Wu transformed into sticky candy and stuck to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side for the rest of the day, talking to her non-stop. From time to time, he would pick small flowers and put them in an empty beverage bottle. He would then put them in the kitchen to surprise her.


    Every now and then, he would run out. For the next two days, Xiao Wu would pluck all the flowers by the roadside in the vige. That wasn¡¯t enough. Xiao Wu even spent money to buy sunflowers.


    It happened to be the season when the sunflowers bloomed. In Great Eastern Vige, many people would nt a circle of sunflowers on the outer perimeter of their corn fields so that they would have sunflower seeds to eat in the future.


    The sunflowers looked gorgeous when they bloomed. Mu Jingzhe had marveled at their beauty before, so Xiao Wu wanted to give them to Mu Jingzhe to make her happy.


    Other children would also mischievously tear off the petals of the sunflowers when they saw them. Not Xiao Wu. After careful selection, he finally chose the sunflowers in Li Fang¡¯s field. He felt that hers were the most beautiful and went to buy one with his pocket money.


    Li Fang wanted to decline the money, but Xiao Wu simply left the money and ran home with the sunflower in his arms.


    ¡°Mommy,e and see what this is?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Where did you pluck it from?¡± Oh no, she¡¯d have to apologizeter.


    ¡°Mommy, never mind where it came from. Do you like it? Is it pretty?¡±


    ¡°It looks good, but¡­¡± But she¡¯d have to apologize. Mu Jingzhe felt helpless. She was about to tell Xiao Wu that he should not pluck flowers casually in the future and that sunflowers could be left to grow in the fields so that people could admire them for a few more days. Also, there would be sunflower seeds to eat in the future if one left them alone, so why pluck them?


    Mu Jingzhe, who was about to take this opportunity to talk to Xiao Wu about this, heard him say, ¡°All that matters is that it¡¯s beautiful. Sunflowers turn to follow the sun. I turn to follow you, Mommy. You are my sunflower.¡±


    Xiao Wu reached out and ced the sunflower in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart beat faster. ¡°Xiao Wu¡­¡± What kind of wonderful son was Xiao Wu?


    Since she was already Little Wu¡¯s sunflower, she decided to just let him be a brat for once. Children who hadn¡¯t been bratty before weren¡¯t considered to have a perfect childhood. It wasn¡¯t a big deal to apologize. After all, she was Little Wu¡¯s sunflower.


    Mu Jingzhe abandoned her principles and hugged Xiao Wu, kissing him twice. She felt that Xiao Wu¡¯s smile was brighter than a sunflower.


    After two kisses, Mu Jingzhe still felt that it wasn¡¯t enough. She couldn¡¯t help but spin around a few times with Xiao Wu in her arms. Xiao Wu chuckled, afraid that the sunflower would be damaged.


    ¡°Mommy, the sunflower. Don¡¯t damage it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It won¡¯t get damaged.¡±

 Chapter 264 - Return Early

    <h4>Chapter 264: Return Early</h4>


    The sunflower was a little big, and there wasn¡¯t a big enough beverage bottle to contain it. Xiao Wu found a jar that was frequently used in the countryside and put it in. When it was ced in that jar, it exuded a unique vibe.


    Xiao Wu insisted on having the sunflower facing her, saying that she was the sun. Previously, when they¡¯d been talking about sunflowers, Xiao Wu and the others had been curious to know if they really constantly turned to face the sun. Mu Jingzhe had specifically taken them to observe sunflowers for a while.


    Because of this, she had created a growth observation diary and taken many photos. Mu Jingzhe was actually very curious to know the answer to this question. In the past, she had seen many answers on the Inte. Some said that it wasn¡¯t true, and some said it was.


    She wasn¡¯t sure either, so she didn¡¯t dare give an answer. In the end, she decided to observe it for herself. This was the best way toe to a conclusion. Coincidentally, she was also very curious.


    The final conclusion was that at the initial stage of the sunflower¡¯s growth, which was the blooming stage, the sunflower would really rotate along with the sun. Not just the kids, but even Mu Jingzhe was amazed by the conclusion and felt that sunflowers were very magical.


    However, this was only true in the beginning. When the sunflowers fully bloomed and grew sturdier, they wouldn¡¯t rotate with the sun anymore. This was also normal. The flower disc was too big and heavy, so much so that the stem couldn¡¯t even stand straight anymore, let alone rotate. Some of them even hung their heads. However, in this phase, the sunflowers were still very good-looking.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, it looks good like this too. It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to face me. Can you tell me where you picked it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood Xiao Wu¡¯s intentions, but unless it hade from Li Zhaodi¡¯s field, she¡¯d still have to apologize. ¡°Was this nted by Grandma?¡±


    ¡°No, but don¡¯t worry, Mommy. I didn¡¯t steal it.¡±


    When Li Fang came to refund Xiao Wu¡¯s money, Mu Jingzhe realized that Xiao Wu had bought it. Sheughed and asked Li Fang to keep the money. As it turned out, Xiao Wu had bought a sunflower for her.


    Perhaps Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude encouraged Xiao Wu, but the next day, Xiao Wu returned with some pea flowers, saying that the white, red, and purple pea flowers were gorgeous too.


    Li Fang didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry and came to look for Mu Jingzhe, saying that Xiao Wu had given her money again.


    ¡°You¡¯re specifically targeting Li Fang¡¯s house, huh? You can¡¯t do this from this day onward, understand?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°I just want Mommy to be happy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very happy now.¡± Xiao Wu was afraid that she would be lonely, so every day, he would coax her, y songs on his flute for her, and give her flowers. He also stuck by her side when sleeping at night. How could she be unhappy?


    Xiao Wu was satisfied. He missed his siblings too, but he was also happy to be alone with Mu Jingzhe. He was envious at the thought of Little Bei sleeping with Mu Jingzhe every day.


    ¡°Your older siblings should be able to return tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡± Although Shao Dong and the rest weren¡¯t around, Bai Lu¡¯s memorial tablet was still there. Mu Jingzhe prepared offerings for her, just like before.


    Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu were going to sleep after dinner. They didn¡¯t expect Shao Qihai to bring Shao Dong and the rest back.


    In the room, Mu Jingzhe heard the sound of a car outside. She thought that she had heard wrong, but as it turned out, they had reallye back.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± The moment Shao Dong and the rest came back, they went to look for Mu Jingzhe. Only then did she realize that she wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡°Why are you back?¡± Wasn¡¯t their mother¡¯s death anniversary today?


    ¡°They came straight back after paying their respects,¡± Shao Qihai replied. ¡°They¡¯ve been missing you for the past two days.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Mu Jingzhe who had missed them. Shao Dong and the rest had also missed Mu Jingzhe. Although she¡¯d supported them and told them to go and pay their respects, perhaps because she hadn¡¯t gone with them, they¡¯d missed her a lot and simplye back.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you guys to make a trip there. You could¡¯ve stayed for two more days. Coincidentally, tomorrow is Saturday, and then it¡¯s Sunday.¡± Now, kids only had half a day of school on Saturday.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen what we should see and we know where it is. We¡¯ll just go again in the future,¡± Shao Dong answered as the representative. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s have longevity noodles. I want to eat the longevity noodles you make,¡± Little Bei said directly.


    Since they were moring for food, Mu Jingzhe naturally had to make them some. Noodles were cooked quickly, and Shao Nan and Little Bei¡¯s birthdays weren¡¯t over yet, so she made them longevity noodles.


    Mu Jingzhe went to the kitchen, and they followed her. They surrounded Mu Jingzhe and chattered away. Xiao Wu also joined in the fun and showed them his flowers, making Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head ache.


    Previously, when they hadn¡¯t been around, she¡¯d felt that the house was too quiet and she hadn¡¯t been used to it. But now that they were back¡­ Mu Jingzhe felt a little disdainful.


    In the past, she had seen parents look forward to seeing their kidse back for summer vacation and then merrily send the kids off. She finally understood how those parents felt. Fortunately, the children hadn¡¯t been so noisy previously. Otherwise, she might have run away long ago.


    However, other families with many children seemed to be bombarded with noise like this every day. Mu Jingzhe had seen many noisy children in the vige before, and it was also very obvious at school.


    Previously, she had thought that the five kids were fantastic and not at all noisy, but today, they demonstrated to her that they were perfectly capable of making noise.


    ¡°Alright, alright, stop arguing. Tell me one by one.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt that if this continued, she would go deaf.


    ¡°He he¡­ Mommy thinks you¡¯re noisy.¡± Xiao Wu helped Mu Jingzhe trante.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re getting bolder and bolder.¡± Shao Xi hugged Xiao Wu and dragged him out. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ears finally got some peace.


    ¡°Did everything go smoothly in the past two days?¡±


    ¡°Everything went quite smoothly.¡± Shao Dong nodded. ¡°There were no problems with the car on the way. We arrived smoothly and saw Grandpa Bai and the others.¡± In order to distinguish the two maternal grandfathers, Shao Dong called him Grandpa Bai.


    Because it wasn¡¯t convenient to take the four children on a train or car, Shao Qihai had been afraid that he would be overwhelmed. Coincidentally, a vehicle had been avable, so Shao Qihai had driven there directly. He had been afraid that he would be dyed on the way and had wanted to make preparations in advance, so he had gone there two days early.


    ¡°Are your maternal grandparents in good health? They must have been happy to see you, huh?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    Unexpectedly, Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re in rather good health, just not particrly happy.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused and looked at Shao Qihai, who was preparing water for the children to wash up. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Shao Qihai smiled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since west met, so it felt a little distant.¡±


    Shao Dong pursed his lips, clearly disapproving of this, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Mu Jingzhe was busy preparing the noodles, so she didn¡¯t ask anything else. The others had ordinary noodles, but Mu Jingzhe had made longevity noodles for Shao Nan and Little Bei. There was an egg on the noodles and two pieces of spring onions on the eggs, arranged to form the number ¡®7¡¯.


    ¡°Seven, we¡¯re seven this year!¡± Little Bei jumped up and hit Shao Nan. ¡°I knew Mommy would definitely arrange it for us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re seven years old this year.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy. Mommy, you must keep making the number for us in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now that you¡¯re seven years old, it means that you¡¯re all grown up. You¡¯ll definitely be particrly inspired and smart this year.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll be smarter!¡± Little Bei held her face and almost jumped up.


    ¡°Alright, eat quickly.¡± Mu Jingzheughed and didn¡¯t see Shao Qihai looking at her. So this was how she celebrated their birthdays. If it were him, he would also be eager toe back.

 Chapter 265 - The Knot In His Heart

    <h4>Chapter 265: The Knot In His Heart</h4>


    Little Bei started eating, but Shao Nan didn¡¯t move his chopsticks. Instead, he kept staring at the noodles.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Little Nan?¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly asked.


    ¡°Nothing. I just want to remember it.¡± Shao Nan smiled and imprinted it in his mind forever. He would be happy whenever he recalled this in the future.


    ¡°Remember not to break the noodle. You have to eat it in one go. That way, you¡¯ll be safe and live a long life.¡±


    After eating itst year, Shao Nan and Little Beipleted their mission perfectly. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Good job. You kids should hurry up and eat too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe urged Shao Dong and the rest to start eating. Only then did they start eating. They looked as if they hadn¡¯t eaten for a few days.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai suspiciously. ¡°They didn¡¯t eat today?¡± How had he taken care of the children?


    ¡°They did,¡± Shao Qihai quickly answered. ¡°I remembered everything. I didn¡¯t let them starve. It¡¯s just that they¡¯ve been a tad tired these days and only regained their appetite when they got back.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had made the noodles ording to her habits, which meant that she had prepared a share for herself and Xiao Wu as well. She and Xiao Wu had only just eaten, so they didn¡¯t eat again. However, the entire pot of noodles was still finished in the end.


    ¡°Delicious. Mommy¡¯s noodles are the best.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel alive now.¡±


    After eating their fill, they praised Mu Jingzhe again. Shao Qihai washed the dishes in satisfaction.


    Afraid that they would fall asleep after eating too much, Mu Jingzhe pulled them to take a walk in the courtyard so they could digest their food. It happened to be a full moon, and the moonlight was very bright. They didn¡¯t even need to use a torchlight.


    Every single one of them either looked up at the moon or the stars. ¡°Sister Chang¡¯e[1] and the little rabbit must be asleep.¡±


    After talking about the moon for a while, they started identifying the constetions in the sky. Little Bei suddenly said, ¡°I wonder if our mother turned into that star. Is she watching us from the sky?¡±


    This was what Mu Jingzhe had said tofort them before¡ªthat when a person died, they would turn into a star in the sky.


    ¡°It¡¯s the one that¡¯s blinking at you.¡± Mu Jingzhe picked Little Bei up.


    After searching for blinking stars for a while, it was almost time to rest. Xiao Wu insisted on sleeping with Mu Jingzhe, so she brought Xiao Wu and Little Bei with her.


    Even though she was so tired that she couldn¡¯t even open her eyes, Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe and said that she¡¯d missed her.


    Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t asleep yet. He looked at Little Bei, who was sleeping, and whispered to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, my brothers and sister seem a little sad.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t know why.¡± Mu Jingzhe could tell. Were they perhaps upset because they missed Bai Lu? Didn¡¯t seem like it, though. In the past, they also used to be sad, but it was a little different today.


    Normally, being able to go to Bai Lu¡¯s grave and kowtow should have fulfilled a wish they had always desired to fulfill. However, Shao Dong¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t right either. Mu Jingzhe guessed that it might be rted to their maternal grandparents.


    Mu Jingzhe had roughly guessed the truth. Shao Dong and Shao Xi still remembered Bai Lu and had some impression of her, but Shao Nan and Little Bei didn¡¯t have any memories of her.


    This trip to pay their respects to their mother had a different meaning to them. They had gone with high hopes, but when they¡¯d arrived, they had realized that everything was different from what they had imagined.


    The Bai Family had been very cold to Shao Qihai and even to their grandchildren. Compared to Li Zhaodi and the rest, the difference was drastic. They treated Shao Dong and the boys better and basically ignored Little Bei.


    When they¡¯d arrived at Bai Lu¡¯s grave, they had realized that it was a mess. Wild grass grew everywhere, and no one had cleaned it up. Not feeling very surprised, Shao Qihai had simply squatted down and skillfully cleaned up the mess.


    During lunch, Shao Dong and the boys were used to taking care of their younger sister, Little Bei. This had made Grandpa Bai unhappy, and he¡¯d grumbled about them making a fuss over a little girl. Grandma hadn¡¯t dared say a word. He¡¯d only shut up after Shao Qihai spoke.


    However, when the vigers hade and recognized Little Bei, Grandpa Bai and the rest had found out that Little Bei was a child star, and their attitude had immediately changed. They had gone on about how Bai Lu had died while giving birth to them and hinted that the kids should take Bai Lu¡¯s ce and be filial to them, especially Little Bei.


    One moment, they¡¯d be talking about who had leather shoes next door and who had a gold bracelet. The next moment, they¡¯d be talking about wanting a television. Later, they¡¯d started talking about not feeling well and wanting to go to the hospital to see a doctor. They¡¯d either hint at the kids to buy them something or give them money.


    The four children hadn¡¯t expected this trip to turn out like this. It would be a lie to say that they weren¡¯t disappointed. This was also the reason they hade back so quickly.


    It was Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, but they didn¡¯t seem to have made any preparations. Shao Qihai and the others had paid for the offerings themselves, and those people had even kept finding excuses to ask for money, so they hade back after paying their respects.


    The atmosphere had been depressing at the Bai Residence. The children only came to life when they saw Mu Jingzhe again. This was also why they were so noisy.


    On the way, Shao Dong had asked why Bai Lu was still buried there since Grandpa Bai and the others didn¡¯t think highly of her. Shao Qihai had only said something about returning to one¡¯s roots.


    In reality, it wasn¡¯t that simple. Back then, when he hade back from a mission, Bai Lu had already been gone. The Bai Family¡¯s parents had made a fuss and hadn¡¯t given him any peace. They¡¯d kept ranting about how difficult it had been for them to raise Bai Lu and how much money they had spent. He¡¯d even almost retired from the army because of this.


    Later on, they¡¯d finally calmed down after he hadpensated them with arge sum of money. However, they¡¯d insisted on getting back the corpse and burying her in their vige. Still, they had pretty much disregarded it and merely used that as an excuse to receive a sum of benefits from Shao Qihai every year.


    Each year, when there was time, Shao Qihai would go back to pay his respects. Every time he went, he had to give them some money. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to go to the grave.


    Shao Qihai had never told Shao Dong and his siblings these things, nor had he ever badmouthed Grandpa Bai and the rest. The kids had also been really young at the time of Bai Lu¡¯s death, so they hadn¡¯t seen their maternal grandparents much. Only when they had gone this time and heard about Bai Lu¡¯s past had they learned what kind of people Grandpa Bai¡¯s family were.


    They weren¡¯t exactly super-viins, but they¡¯d always had some small ws. Themon problem of favoring boys over girls was undoubtedly reflected in them, so Bai Lu hadn¡¯t been living well from a young age.


    Shao Dong felt quite upset. Perhaps it was because he was feeling ufortable, but after he finally fell asleep, he dreamed again. Just like on Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary in the past, he dreamed of Bai Lu crying and begging for mercy.


    Shao Dong suddenly sat up from crying, his forehead covered in sweat. He suddenly felt that something was amiss and turned around to see Shao Xi sitting there too.


    ¡°Big Brother, did you dream of it too?¡±


    Shao Dong acknowledged this, and Shao Xi sighed in the dark. ¡°Mommy, she¡­ is so pitiful. Brother, do you think every time she appears in our dreams it¡¯s because she feels indignant?¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t say anything. He had always felt that Bai Lu had died because of Zhao Lan. However, he was afraid that he was too young, so his memory could be wrong. Thus, Shao Dong thought that perhaps he would feel much better after going there and kowtowing.


    However, he¡¯d only found out after going there that it was useless. In fact, he felt even more ufortable and awful.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure if Zhao Lan indirectly caused Mommy¡¯s death. Don¡¯t say these words again in case Little Nan and the rest hear you.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯ve already heard it.¡± Shao Nan, whom the duo had nced at earlier to confirm that he was asleep, suddenly sat up and spoke.


    ¡°You scared me to death.¡± Shao Xi was shocked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything when you woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°If I had said anything, I wouldn¡¯t have heard this. Big Brother, what exactly happened?¡±


    [1] The Chinese goddess of the Moon

 Chapter 266 - The Truth About Bai Lus Difficult Labor

    <h4>Chapter 266: The Truth About Bai Lu¡¯s Difficult Labor</h4>


    Since he had already said it out loud, Shao Dong didn¡¯t hide it from him. He told him about the knot in his and Shao Xi¡¯s heart. Shao Nan listened for a while and didn¡¯t say anything. Then, he suddenly said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to feel conflicted about. Let¡¯s find out while she¡¯s still alive.¡± This way, they wouldn¡¯t need to keep bottling it up inside of them and let it be a thorn that could never be removed.


    ¡°How? She won¡¯t admit it,¡± Shao Xi said.


    ¡°Then find a way to make her say the truth. We can test her.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Shao Xi was curious.


    ¡°Find something she¡¯s afraid of¡­¡± Shao Nan was thinking when he heard Shao Dong say in a deep voice, ¡°Just dress up as a ghost and act all mysterious.¡± Zhao Lan was terrified of ghosts.


    Shao Xi was still processing it when Shao Nan reacted. ¡°Good idea. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    In the middle of the night, Mu Jingzhe was shaken awake by Shao Xi and the others. In a daze, she quickly asked them what was going on. When she finished listening, she was even more confused. However, when she looked at Shao Dong and the rest, she didn¡¯t refuse in the end.


    It was past five in the morning, but Zhao Lan was still awake. When she finally closed her eyes, she suddenly heard a faint sound outside the door. Creak¡­ Creak¡­


    It seemed like something was scratching the door, but when Zhao Lan listened carefully, there was nothing. Zhao Lan heaved a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to doze off again, the creaking sound of something scratching the door was heard again.


    Zhao Lan abruptly opened her eyes. ¡°Who is it?¡± she shouted. The creaking sound outside the door immediately disappeared.


    However, when shey down again, the creaking sound was heard again. Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t take it anymore and got up to open the door, wanting to see who exactly was scratching it.


    However, when she opened the door, there was no one in front of it. Instead, there seemed to be something in the courtyard. When she raised her head, it seemed like a white shadow had just run out of the courtyard.


    Under the moonlight, the trees swayed, making Zhao Lan shiver. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    She shouted and turned on the shlight, but the battery of the shlight had long been used up, and she couldn¡¯t afford to change it. All that was left was a yellow light, and nothing could be illuminated by it. It wasn¡¯t even as bright as the moon.


    Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t see what was ahead and shrank back when she heard the wind. Just as she was about to go back, she heard the intermittent scratching sound on the door.


    However, this time, it was echoing outside the front door, as if someone was scratching the front door. Sounds came one after another, creaking in the night. For a moment, the sound seemed anxious, but the next moment, it slowed down. There was no pattern.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s hair stood on end. She felt that this sound was a little familiar.


    She was a bit afraid and wanted to go back, but the thing outside seemed to sense her intentions and suddenly started scratching again. There also seemed to be a faint sound.


    Zhao Lan called Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao a few times, but it waste at night, and the two of them were sleeping soundly.


    Seeing that they weren¡¯t moving, Zhao Lan felt even more afraid. Just as she was about to retreat to her room, the door behind her suddenly closed with a bang. As she heard the creaking sound of the door being closed, she also heard intermittent, indistinct sounds.


    ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯ve been waiting for you¡­ Why aren¡¯t you here yet¡­


    ¡°If you don¡¯te, I¡¯lle to you¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s expression changed. She searched around but couldn¡¯t find anyone anywhere. Her mentality immediately copsed. She screamed and ran out. ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡±


    In her panic, she couldn¡¯t care less about the scratching sound on the door and ran over to it.


    She was about to shout when she walked out the front door, but when she looked up, she saw a person in white clothes with disheveled hair floating in the air. When that person saw Zhao Lan open the door ande out, she reached out. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ here¡­¡±


    The voice was drifting and sounded dragged out. Zhao Lan was scared out of her wits when she saw this. She fell on the ground and only shouted after a long time, ¡°Ghost!¡±


    Zhao Lan came back to her senses and wanted to run back, but the door had silently closed behind her at some point. Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t push it open at all. She could only face the ghost in front of her again.


    The ghost in midair reached out again and said faintly, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ I¡¯ve¡­e to fetch you¡­ It¡¯s over. You killed me. I¡¯ve been following you and watching you¡­¡±


    As if she had now gotten used to speaking, her voice slowly became smooth, but she spoke in a high-pitched voice. ¡°I was never reincarnated. I was just waiting to personally take you to the 18th level of hell¡­ Come on, I¡¯ve waited so many years for this day¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going. I¡¯m not going! Don¡¯t take my life¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan was so frightened that her mind had already copsed. She could no longer tell if this was a dream or reality. She only wanted to escape this cmity and not be taken away. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed, begging for mercy.


    ¡°I was wrong. Bai Lu, I was wrong. I know I shouldn¡¯t have caused your death. I was wrong. Please spare me. I shouldn¡¯t have deliberately not taken you to the hospital. I just couldn¡¯t stand you looking down on me and wanted to teach you a lesson so that you would give in and beg me. You just had to relent. I really didn¡¯t expect you to die.


    ¡°Although I¡¯d thought of letting you die so that you won¡¯t keep hogging Qihai¡¯s allowance, I didn¡¯t do anything. You died giving birth. It had nothing to do with me. Stop looking for me¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t expected Bai Lu toe looking for her on her death anniversary. ¡°Bai Lu, I beg you not to take me away. I wouldn¡¯t dare harm anyone again. Please spare me¡­


    ¡°I didn¡¯t stop Shao Dong and the others from paying their respects to you. Even though you¡¯re dead, there are incense offerings. Don¡¯t be angry¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan was still crying and begging for mercy on the ground, so she didn¡¯t notice the additional people around her.


    Zhao Lan wasn¡¯t afraid of anything, but she was terrified of ghosts. She believed in ghosts very much. Therefore, the day before and the day of Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, she would always have nightmares and suffer from insomnia due to her guilty conscience. This night happened to be the second night she hadn¡¯t slept well. She was in a daze. Now that she had been frightened like this, the truth that had been hidden in her heart for a few years, which she had never intended to tell anyone, was revealed just like that.


    Even though Mu Jingzhe had been mentally prepared, her heart still sank when she heard Zhao Lan say that.


    ¡°So, I was right. You really killed Mommy. I remember her crying and begging you¡­¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s voice finally made Zhao Lan, who was almost scared out of her wits and was still begging for mercy, snap back to her senses.


    She looked up in a daze and wiped her bruised forehead. She followed the voice and looked over. ¡°Shao Dong? Why are you here?¡±


    She had a bad premonition. She raised her head in disbelief and saw the ghost slowlynding on the ground as a figure suddenly appeared beside it. It looked like Shao Nan and Xiao Wu.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Zhao Lan¡¯s mind exploded. ¡°You¡¯re not ghosts. You¡¯re humans. Who asked you to scare me? How dare you¡­¡±


    ¡°If we hadn¡¯t scared you, how would we have found out the truth?¡±


    Little Bei and Shao Xi walked out of the door behind Zhao Lan. The shlights in their hands lit up the dark space. Only then did Zhao Lan realize that the ¡®ghost¡¯ was Mu Jingzhe.


    Not far behind Mu Jingzhe stood Shao Qihai, who was like a statue. Zhao Lan shuddered as she wondered how much he had heard.


    Little Bei and Shao Xi walked up to Mu Jingzhe with shlights. Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao looked at Zhao Lan at the door with inexplicable fear in their eyes. Behind them were Fu, Lu, and Shou, who were rubbing their eyes in confusion.


    Zhao Lan took a look around and felt her mind explode.

 Chapter 267 - Pay With Her Life

    <h4>Chapter 267: Pay With Her Life</h4>


    Zhao Lan¡¯s mind buzzed and went nk. She was flustered and had a lot of messy thoughts. Her face was also filled with regret. Why¡­ Why had she identally said that out loud?


    She racked her brains, wanting to say something to exin, but before she could say anything, a sudden thud came from the side.


    Zhao Lan was startled. She tilted her head and followed the light from Little Bei¡¯s shlight until she saw the couple who lived nearest to the Shao Residence. They had outerwear draped over them, and it was obvious that they hade in a hurry. They were also holding shlights in their hands, butpared to Little Bei¡¯s shlight, the light was negligible. One look and one could tell that the shlights had run out of battery, just like the one in Zhao Lan¡¯s hand.


    They stared at Zhao Lan with their mouths wide open, their faces filled with shock. They also felt excitement and disbelief after hearing the gossip.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s expression changed. How could anyone have heard that? What if they had heard that? If word got out, what would happen to her reputation?


    Zhao Lan didn¡¯t have time to think and quickly exined, ¡°I¡­ I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Although I hated her, I didn¡¯t do anything. I just didn¡¯t take her to the hospital. Everyone in the countryside gives birth at home. Why did she have to go to the hospital? I was just sticking to my own habits. Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell. It was normal for her to die giving birth.¡±


    Zhao Lan defended herself. This was also why Shao Dong found it strange that she didn¡¯t feel any guilt. It was true that she hadn¡¯t harmed anyone with her own hands. Many people gave birth at home and could only me it on their bad luck if they died while doing so. If this was wrong, there were plenty of people who were wrong just like her.


    ¡°But she begged you. She was in so much pain and she wailed and begged for mercy. She said that she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, but you were still indifferent¡­¡± Shao Dong interrupted her.


    ¡°You locked us up and forbade us to go out. You forced us to sleep and told us to stay out of it. But I heard everything¡­¡±


    He had heard Bai Lu¡¯s cries and shouts, as well as the scratching sounds. It was just that he hadn¡¯t known if Bai Lu was scratching the bed nk or the door. But the sounds kept reying in his mind.


    He had been too young at the time, so he had iplete memories. He had always been afraid that all this had just been his imagination.


    In the end, it was all true. Everything was real. It was really Zhao Lan who had indirectly caused Bai Lu¡¯s death. How desperate, how terrified, and how awful she must have felt at the time¡­


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan wanted to get to the bottom of this so that they wouldn¡¯t have a thorn in their hearts that they couldn¡¯t take out. In the end, when they discovered the truth, all it did was stab this thorn deeper into their hearts, making fresh blood seep out all over again.


    Shao Dong couldn¡¯t speak, but his entire body was trembling. Shao Nan frantically searched his mind for the legal provisions to punish Zhao Lan.


    In the past, he had always been able to find the appropriate legal provision as quickly as possible, but at that moment, no matter how hard he searched, he couldn¡¯t find it. There was no suitable provision to punish Zhao Lan. Furthermore, seven years had passed since this incident, and the cause of Bai Lu¡¯s death had been a massive hemorrhage due to difficultbor.


    For the first time, Shao Nan was powerless. He couldn¡¯t say a word. Shao Xi hadn¡¯t expected this. Only one sentence came out of his mouth. ¡°I won¡¯t let you off¡­¡±


    It was unfair of the heavens to let a person like Zhao Lan live.


    ¡°What do you want to do? How could you kids treat me like this? If it weren¡¯t for me, you would¡¯ve died long ago. I was the one who thought of a way to bring you back to life. If it weren¡¯t for me, you kids would have died a long time ago.¡±


    Overwhelmed by fear, Zhao Lan tried to defend herself. However, just as she spoke, she saw Shao Qihai walking over step by step, his body filled with killing intent and hatred.


    Zhao Lan was already feeling guilty. When she saw Shao Qihai like this, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver and retreat. She was terrified that Shao Qihai would kill her, so she got up and hid.


    Her legs were numb from kneeling and she had suffered quite a fright, so she identally fell down the stairs. A momentter, she let out a scream. Little Bei, who was standing behind her, shone her shlight down and got a shock. ¡°Blood.¡±


    The two neighbors immediately ran over. They were shocked when they saw her. ¡°She hit her head¡­¡±


    Only then did Eldest Brother Shao react. He quickly shoved Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to get her to take a look. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao nced at Shao Qihai but didn¡¯t dare move. She felt that it definitely couldn¡¯t be too serious. After all, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« used to jump up and down in this ce in the past. The injury, if there was one, couldn¡¯t be too severe.


    However, it was unknown if it was because Zhao Lan hadmitted so much evil that even the heavens couldn¡¯t stand by and watch, or if it was because Bai Lu had been waiting for an opportunity to seek revenge on her, but although it wasn¡¯t a high step, Zhao Lan¡¯s head hit a rock and blood instantly flowed.


    Besides, when she fell, she fell at a tricky angle for her waist. Zhao Lan felt as if her waist had been chopped off and shrieked in pain.


    Shao Qihai looked down at her and scoffed. ¡°Excellent. I didn¡¯t even have to do anything.¡±


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t seem to notice Zhao Lan¡¯s injury. He lifted her and dragged her inside. Zhao Lan screamed even louder when she was moved, and blood dripped onto the ground.


    Only when Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw that Zhao Lan¡¯s head and face were covered in blood as she moved past them did they realize that something was amiss. ¡°This¡­ How is this¡­¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s legs went limp, and he couldn¡¯t get up. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao wasn¡¯t much better. Neither of them could stop Shao Qihai, and they could only watch helplessly as he dragged Zhao Lan to her room and threw her to the ground.


    Zhao Lan found the pain unbearable. ¡°Qihai, help me call a doctor and take me to the hospital¡­¡±


    Her hands were covered in blood, and blood was still flowing. Zhao Lan was terrified as she grabbed Shao Qihai¡¯s trouser leg. ¡°Qihai, I¡¯ll die. Hurry up and call¡­¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you died? A life for a life¡­ You should pay for Bai Lu¡¯s life.¡±


    Shao Qihai broke free from Zhao Lan¡¯s hand and reached out to pull the door shut. Zhao Lan was shocked and quickly grabbed Shao Qihai. ¡°No, no, Qihai, you can¡¯t do this to me. I¡¯m your mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Bai Lu is the mother of my kids. Why didn¡¯t you put yourself in her shoes back then?¡±


    Shao Qihai reached out to close the door. Zhao Lan¡¯s strong survival instinct made her struggle and crawl toward the door as she was shouting.


    ¡°No, no, someonee and save me. I¡¯ll die, I¡¯ll die¡­¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao finally ran over. Eldest Brother Shao looked at Shao Qihai¡¯s red eyes and shivered. He couldn¡¯t say a word. On the other hand, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao said, looking afraid, ¡°Shao Qihai, she¡¯s still your mother. She¡¯s bleeding so much. If this continues, she¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Then just let her die. She can have a taste of the despair Bai Lu felt before she died.¡±


    Shao Qihai dragged Zhao Lan, who was running out, into the room and locked her up. ¡°No one is allowed to save her today.¡±


    Back then, when he hade back from his mission, Bai Lu had already been dead. The twins she had been pregnant with had been born a few days earlier. He had returned early, but he still hadn¡¯t made it in time.


    After Bai Lu¡¯s death, the Bai Family had kicked up a huge fuss. Zhao Lan had been beaten up by the Bai Family until she was in a sorry state. She had cried her heart out, saying she had let him down.


    At the time, the Bai Family had been throwing a tantrum and Zhao Lan had kept crying. Shao Dong and Shao Xi had been down with a fever, and they had no idea if it was due to fright. Also, the newborn twins, who knew nothing, had just kept crying.


    Now that he thought back to all this, he didn¡¯t know how he had managed to get through it all.


    Although the Bai Family had made a huge fuss, they¡¯d never cared about the lives of the four children. At the time, it was Zhao Lan who had cried and taken care of the four children, begging other breastfeeding women to feed them a few mouthfuls of milk, as well as cooked millet porridge. Only then had Shao Nan and Little Bei managed to survive.

 Chapter 268 - Just Wait To Die From Excessive Bleeding

    <h4>Chapter 268: Just Wait To Die From Excessive Bleeding</h4>


    The badly-battered Shao Qihai had almost retired from the army because of this. In the end, he had stayed behind. It was also because Zhao Lan had been like this that he¡¯d had no choice but to hand the children over to her.


    At the time, he had known that Zhao Lan and Bai Lu didn¡¯t get along, but he hadn¡¯t expected Zhao Lan to actually have any intention of killing Bai Lu. Now that he thought about it, after his return, the way those women had looked at him had been a little different. They¡¯d seemed to be discussing something behind his back.


    However, before these discussions could reach him, when he¡¯d regained his senses, they had already been gone.


    Now that he thought about it, perhaps they had been talking about Zhao Lan and Bai Lu¡¯s difficultbor and death at the time. However, Zhao Lan had appeared to be taking care of the children subsequently, and because the Bai Family had gone overboard, no one had said anything about Zhao Lan.


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected Zhao Lan to deliberately do this. After seven years, he had finally found out the truth in such an unexpected andughable way.


    He had always felt that he had let Bai Lu down because she had passed away during a difficultbor. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Zhao Lan to be involved. Zhao Lan, who had promised to take care of Bai Lu, was actually the culprit behind Bai Lu¡¯s death.


    Shao Qihai only had one thought in mind: A life for a life. He wanted to kill Zhao Lan.


    Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others stood in the courtyard and looked at Shao Qihai, momentarily unable to react.


    Seeing Zhao Lan suffer such a serious fall made them feel damn good. However, Shao Qihai¡¯s expression and reaction werepletely unexpected. Zhao Lan was in a really bad state from the fall, but Shao Qihai had locked her up. It seemed as if he really wanted to kill Zhao Lan.


    All of a sudden, neither Mu Jingzhe nor the five kids knew what to say, just like they hadn¡¯t expected to expose such a truth at first.


    Since Shao Qihai¡¯s ¡®return from the dead¡¯st time, they had known that Zhao Lan was quite fearful of ghosts. They also had a knot in their hearts, so they¡¯d wanted to try it while the anniversary of Bai Lu¡¯s death wasn¡¯t yet over.


    They had quickly thought of a solution and even asked Mu Jingzhe to help by acting as Bai Lu. When Mu Jingzhe had heard their n, she had known that they were feeling ufortable. She had thought for a moment and finally agreed.


    The five of them, along with Mu Jingzhe, had discussed it for a while before taking action.


    They had thought about the ghosts on TV, which were basically dressed in white and had long hair. The white clothing was easy to get, for Mu Jingzhe happened to have a white dress. However, her hair wasn¡¯t long enough. In the end, she had gathered her hair randomly and created the effect of having her face covered with long hair.


    She hadn¡¯t been really floating in midair either. She had just stood on a high wooden frame. With the wind blowing, and considering that it was nighttime, it was difficult to make out her figure clearly. It was just a visual effect.


    Shao Dong had thought of this method because he vaguely remembered that Bai Lu had also scratched the door before.


    In order to lure Zhao Lan out, Shao Xi had first sneaked in with Little Bei to scratch the door of Zhao Lan¡¯s room. They¡¯d kept scratching until Zhao Lan hade out, and then they¡¯d snuck into Zhao Lan¡¯s room.


    Little Bei had even improvised by using her acting skills. She hadn¡¯t been crowned the youngest movie queen for no reason. After learning so much during this period of time, she could mimic a ghost quite well.


    In the dark night, the effects were twice as effective. Even Zhao Lan was fooled. The person scratching the door was Shao Dong. After the two sides worked together to lure Zhao Lan out, Mu Jingzhe got into position.


    Actually, if one observed carefully or wasn¡¯t gued by a guilty conscience, they would quickly discover some loopholes. After all, the props and the method weren¡¯t very meticulously done. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s acting skills were also just average.


    However, Zhao Lan had fallen for it. On this special day, because she was guilty and didn¡¯t sleep well, she¡¯d gotten scared and confessed everything.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qihai had also sensed their movements and followed them to see what they were up to. The scene he had witnessed and the truth he had heard had caught him off guard.


    The sun rose very quickly. During the confrontation, and while Shao Qihai was guarding the door and forbidding Eldest Brother Shao and the others to call out or open it, the sky quickly lit up.


    After the sky brightened, the bloodstains on the ground looked even scarier.


    At that moment, many people in the vige came over in groups of two or three after hearing themotion. More and more people surrounded the Shao Residence. Everyone was discussing among themselves. No one had expected Zhao Lan to do something this atrocious.


    Everyone had the same thought regarding Zhao Lan¡¯s fall¡ªit was retribution. Served her right.


    However, if she had fallen to her death, that¡¯d be that. It would have been fine if no one had discovered it. But now, they had all discovered it. Furthermore, Shao Qihai had locked her up and was stopping her from seeing a doctor or going to the hospital. This was a little different.


    Everyone could understand Shao Qihai¡¯s actions, but it just so happened that Shao Qihai was Zhao Lan¡¯s son. It didn¡¯t seem right for Zhao Lan to die like this.


    Everyone advised Shao Qihai, saying that the dead Bai Lu couldn¡¯t be resurrected. He couldn¡¯t let his hands be stained with Zhao Lan¡¯s blood too. If she really died like that, he might have to feel bad for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Let the vige doctor bandage Zhao Lan up first. We won¡¯t take her to the hospital. We don¡¯t care what happens to her, alright?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    However, no matter how hard they tried to persuade him, Shao Qihai stood guard at the door and refused to let anyone approach.


    The vigers tried to charge in, but they were beaten back by Shao Qihai. Given Shao Qihai¡¯s skills, the people in the vige were no match for him. Of course, it was still possible for everyone to hit him with sticks together, but they couldn¡¯t very well do this.


    Zhao Lan listened to everyone¡¯s voices and waited for them to sessfully persuade him. She waited and waited until dawn, until she felt that the pain was getting increasingly excruciating and unbearable. However, Shao Qihai was still unmoved. She was furious and scared.


    She feared death.


    ¡°Qihai, I was wrong. I was really wrong. I¡¯ll be a vegetarian for the rest of my life to atone for my crimes against Bai Lu. I don¡¯t want to die. I¡¯m begging you, please let me go.¡±


    Zhao Lany at the door, her head dizzy. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she had bled too much, but her body felt cold. However, because of her waist injury, she couldn¡¯t get up, go to bed, or move. She could only reach out to scratch the door and beg for mercy.


    However, there was nomotion outside. Shao Qihai acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, quickly move aside. Listen to me, you¡¯re my son. If I really die, you won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to escape from? You said that I¡¯m your son, so I have the right to decide whether to take you to the hospital or not. I don¡¯t think the hospital can treat you. Plus, I don¡¯t have the money to pay for your treatment, so I¡¯ve decided not to take you there for the time being. Anyway, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m killing you with my own hands. I haven¡¯tmitted a crime. It¡¯s just like what you did to Bai Lu.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s words made Zhao Lan¡¯s expression change drastically. So he was waiting for her here. So this was his revenge.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, how could you do this to me? You¡­¡± For the first time, Zhao Lan felt despair. She experienced the despair Bai Lu had felt back then.


    At the time, when she¡¯d heard Bai Lu¡¯s cries and pleas for mercy, she had feltfortable and refreshed. Now, she felt really desperate.


    Zhao Lan was afraid that she would really end up like Bai Lu. ¡°Qihai, I¡¯m begging you. Let me out quickly. There are so many people watching you. Let me go quickly¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai was indifferent. Zhao Lan kept crying and begging for mercy, and the people outside kept trying to persuade him, but it was useless.

 Chapter 269 - The Reputation of Someone Who Murdered Their Mother

    <h4>Chapter 269: The Reputation of Someone Who Murdered Their Mother</h4>


    Feeling that her life was flowing away and her body was getting increasingly icy, Zhao Lan was furious.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be fine after I die. Do you think you¡¯re not responsible for Bai Lu¡¯s death at all?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know I¡¯m responsible. I¡¯m also a culprit.¡±


    He was the culprit and murderer who had caused Bai Lu¡¯s death. He deserved to die for making her suffer so much pain.


    Therefore, he was waiting to see if Zhao Lan would die. He would lock Zhao Lan up for as long as Bai Lu had suffered while Zhao Lan had remained unmoved. He wouldn¡¯t do anything but lock her up and leave her be. If Zhao Lan didn¡¯t make it through and died, she¡¯d deserve it. If she survived, it would mean she¡¯d gotten lucky.


    If she survived, he wouldn¡¯t do anything. If she died, then he would ept it too.


    Shao Qihai had thought it through. Seeing that Shao Qihai was still unmoved, Zhao Lan felt herself getting weaker and colder, and the resentment and anger in her heart could no longer be controlled.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, if you dare treat me like this, I won¡¯t let you off. I won¡¯t let you off even if I be a ghost.¡±


    Shao Qihaiughed when he heard that. ¡°If the words ¡®I won¡¯t let you off even if I be a ghost¡¯ work, Bai Lu will be the first to not let you off.¡±


    Everyone heard Shao Qihai and Zhao Lan¡¯s words clearly. They all felt indescribably terrible. Was Shao Qihai wrong about this? No. Zhao Lan had dragged Bai Lu to her death.


    But how could this continue¡­?


    Seeing that nobody could persuade Shao Qihai and hearing Zhao Lan¡¯s rant get weaker and weaker, the vige chief felt that this couldn¡¯t go on. Looking at the bloodstains on the ground, he finally made up his mind.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, we can¡¯t just watch as someone dies. If you don¡¯t give in, we can only do it by force. You¡¯ll also get in trouble if you do this¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter the consequences, I¡¯ll bear them alone. If you insist on forcibly barging in, I won¡¯t be polite either.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes were red. No one could persuade him anymore.


    Just as everyone was hesitating, not sure whether to make a move or not since they weren¡¯t Shao Qihai¡¯s match anyway, the vige chief looked at Mu Jingzhe and the five kids in the crowd.


    Neither Mu Jingzhe nor Shao Dong had said anything about Shao Qihai¡¯s actions until now. They had been standing in the crowd and watching silently.


    Mu Jingzhe was bitterly disappointed and scared. As a woman, Zhao Lan was really cruel. She had simply watched as Bai Lu had been tortured without caring. She didn¡¯t even dare imagine how desperate Bai Lu must have been back then.


    Giving birth was like walking through the gates of hell to begin with. She had never been pregnant before, but every time she heard about it, she would be afraid. Furthermore, Zhao Lan had gone overboard.


    She deserved it. Falling down served her right. She also felt that what Shao Qihai was doing was right. That was his wife, the wife who had given birth to four children for him.


    If Shao Qihai had known and hadn¡¯t done anything, even Mu Jingzhe would despise him, let alone everyone else.


    This was a grudge between Shao Qihai, Zhao Lan, and Bai Lu. Everything was their choice. Mu Jingzhe had no right to make anyments.


    The five kids didn¡¯t say anything either. Shao Dong had been puzzled about this for a few years. He had dreamed of Bai Lu crying and begging for mercy countless times in the middle of the night. This time, he had even kowtowed in front of her grave. This trip had made their hearts ache even more for Bai Lu.


    Zhao Lan, her mother-inw, had treated her like that, and she hadn¡¯t been favored by her parents at home either. The Bai Family only wanted to reap benefits, and there were very few people whose hearts had truly ached for her. In the end, she had died due toplications duringbor. What right did they have to speak?


    The vige chief nced at Mu Jingzhe and the others, and though he felt helpless, he walked over to them. ¡°Jingzhe¡­ why don¡¯t you try to talk some sense into him? If you do, Shao Qihai will listen. Letting her die like this is not the way to resolve this.¡±


    ¡°Vige Chief, do you think I¡¯m qualified to do this?¡±


    The vige chiefughed bitterly and couldn¡¯t help but look at the children.


    He wanted to say something, but when he saw the looks in the kids¡¯ eyes and remembered how Zhao Lan had treated the children previously, he was at a loss for words. Zhao Lan had indirectly caused the death of their mother and had even treated them badly. It would be good enough if they didn¡¯t take revenge on her, but forgiveness was not on the table.


    The vige chief couldn¡¯t treat the five kids like children. He put himself in their shoes and thought for a while, ultimately not saying anything. He sighed deeply and turned around to leave. He waved at the young men and asked them to go over and do it.


    ¡°You¡¯re not my match. You¡¯ll get hurt if you get physical with me.¡± Shao Qihai spoke when he saw their actions.


    ¡°Even so, we can¡¯t just stand and watch you do this¡­ You¡¯ll suffer in the future. Qihai, you still have a long way to go.¡± The vige chief waved his hand. ¡°I have to take care of this for you.¡±


    Just as the two parties were about to fight, Little Bei suddenly said, ¡°Daddy¡­ that¡¯s enough.¡±


    She held Shao Nan and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands. Her heart was filled with reluctance, but she still looked at Shao Qihai and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Daddy.¡±


    They wished that Zhao Lan would die too, but they couldn¡¯t really watch her die.


    She hated Zhao Lan indeed, but her heart ached for Shao Qihai. She couldn¡¯t bear for him to shoulder the sin of killing his mother, just like them.


    Although they hadn¡¯t killed Bai Lu with their own hands, Bai Lu had indeed died while giving birth to them. If they hadn¡¯t existed, she wouldn¡¯t have died. Shao Nan and Little Bei knew this feeling all too well.


    After she said this, tears rolled down Little Bei¡¯s face as she apologized to Bai Lu in her heart.


    Shao Nan took a deep breath and tugged at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mom, persuade Daddy.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe watched as Shao Nan looked at Little Bei before her gaze finallynded on Shao Dong and Shao Xi. Shao Dong nodded slightly. Shao Xi seemed a little unconvinced and didn¡¯t look at her, but he didn¡¯t say anything either. Hence, she sighed deeply. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Shao Dong pulled Little Bei over and hugged her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Mommy will understand.¡±


    Shao Qihai had been persisting without wavering, but when he heard Little Bei¡¯s words, he almost broke down. As soon as he saw Mu Jingzhe walking over, he turned his head and didn¡¯t look at her.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to look at her, nor did he have the dignity to do it. ¡°You¡­ I¡­¡±


    He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. His thoughts were soplicated that he couldn¡¯t express them with words.


    ¡°That¡¯s more or less enough. I know you¡¯re thinking that if Zhao Lan dies too, you¡¯ll pay for Bai Lu¡¯s and Zhao Lan¡¯s life with your own, but have you thought about what will happen to Little Dong and the others? Are you going to wash your hands off of them? You just said that you wouldn¡¯t leave them behind!¡±


    Shao Qihai trembled when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. ¡°I¡­¡±


    He and Mu Jingzhe had never been a real husband and wife. Mu Jingzhe was outstanding and had even nned to divorce him previously. That was why Shao Qihai knew that even if he died, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t be affected at all. In fact, she could be even happier. For instance, she could be happy with Ji Buwang, who was a catch.


    But there were also the five kids¡­ Although Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t ignore them¡­ Shao Qihai looked at the five kids with hesitation and internal struggle in the depths of his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hem and haw. If this continues, you won¡¯t be okay. Neither will Little Dong and the rest. In your dreams, you might not only hear Bai Lu¡¯s screams, but also Zhao Lan¡¯s¡­¡±


    The kids were still so young. They had a long way to go in the future. Who knew what people would say about them and whether he would regret it?


    Those who didn¡¯t know would probably say that not only had the five kids forced their grandmother to die, but they¡¯d also forced their father to perish. In the end, it would still be the five kids who would have to endure it. Although it sounded ridiculous, all of this would really happen.

 Chapter 270 - Destroying A Person By Attacking Their Psyche

    <h4>Chapter 270: Destroying A Person By Attacking Their Psyche</h4>


    ¡°Shao Qihai, they¡¯ve already seen your attitude. Bai Lu has also seen it, so let¡¯s stop here. You¡¯ve already abandoned them once. You can¡¯t leave them behind again. The dead can¡¯t be resurrected, but the living have to continue living.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes and his already stiff legs went limp. He fell to his knees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Three apologies. The first one was to Bai Lu, the person he had let down the most in his life, the second one was to the children, and the third one was to Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed and took the key from Shao Qihai to open the door to Zhao Lan¡¯s room.


    Zhao Lan had been silent for a while, but her eyes were still open and she hadn¡¯t died. Indeed, good people didn¡¯t live long, and scourges would live for a thousand years.


    Mu Jingzhe stood on the ground and looked down at Zhao Lan. She didn¡¯t move for a moment. Zhao Lan¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard the door open, filling with hope. She was saved¡­ Saved¡­


    Zhao Lan looked up, but her eyes were blurry, so she couldn¡¯t see clearly. She only saw a vague figure looking down at her.


    Their clothing was very white, and at the same time, it seemed very red. It reminded Zhao Lan of the ghost of Bai Lu that she had seen previously. ¡°Don¡¯te over¡­ Who are you¡­ Help, help!¡±


    Logic told her that this was fake, but she was still afraid. She slowly moved back and told herself, ¡°She¡¯s Mu Jingzhe. She¡¯s Mu Jingzhe¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe squatted down and edged closer to Zhao Lan¡¯s ear. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Mu Jingzhe. I¡¯m not Bai Lu, but that doesn¡¯t mean that Bai Lu isn¡¯t here.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice was icy and sinister. ¡°Zhao Lan, don¡¯t think that just because the children and I are speaking up for you, you can escape this cmity. Your true suffering has just begun. You just experienced the taste of despair. You also experienced the feeling of hatred soaring to the sky. You yourself just said that you wouldn¡¯t let Shao Qihai off even if you became a ghost. What do you think of Bai Lu? Does she hate you? Will she let you off?¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s pupils constricted abruptly as she trembled. No, Bai Lu wouldn¡¯t let her off.


    Zhao Lan¡¯s lips quivered. She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    Mu Jingzhe added, ¡°Zhao Lan, you don¡¯t know, right? Actually, people with grievances won¡¯t reincarnate after being killed. They will stay beside the person who caused their death, watching them every day and biting their body. They won¡¯t stop until the day they take revenge and know that their enemy has died.


    ¡°Say, why did you end up in such a state after falling down such a short flight of stairs? Think about it yourself.¡±


    Zhao Lan¡¯s eyes were wide open as she panted. ¡°It was her¡­ It was Bai Lu¡­¡±


    It was Bai Lu who had pushed her. Bai Lu hade to take revenge.


    ¡°Get out of the way. Don¡¯t look at me. Bai Lu, I know you¡¯re here. Don¡¯te looking for me¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe finally stood up in satisfaction after seeing Zhao Lan go crazy.


    If Shao Qihai was torturing Zhao Lan¡¯s body, then Mu Jingzhe was destroying her by attacking her psyche.


    In Mu Jingzhe¡¯s opinion, it wasn¡¯t enough for a person like Zhao Lan to die. However, even though she had helped persuade Shao Qihai in the end, this didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d let Zhao Lan off.


    Mu Jingzhe lowered her head and looked at Zhao Lan¡¯s horrified, crazed expression. She stood up and made way for the vige chief and the rest to enter.


    The vige doctor quickly checked Zhao Lan¡¯s injuries and bandaged them. As for her waist injury¡­ he said that there was nothing he could do.


    ¡°She¡¯s still alive, but she¡¯s lost too much blood, and her waist is injured. It¡¯ll all depend on how lucky she is now. It¡¯s up to you whether you want to take her to the hospital or not.¡±


    After the vige doctor finished his job, he didn¡¯t care anymore, and neither did the vige chief. Everything else would depend on Eldest Brother Shao and the others¡¯ decision. Whether she would be taken to the hospital or die there was none of their business.


    They couldn¡¯t just watch as Shao Qihai stopped them from interfering, but that was all they could do in the end.


    They couldn¡¯t care less if Eldest Brother Shao took her to the hospital or not. This was their family matter. Everyone knew that when someone fell sick, they should be taken to the hospital, but no one could force anyone to do so. That was their own choice.


    If Zhao Lan survived, it would be because she got lucky. If she didn¡¯t, she would deserve it.


    Initially, the Shao Residence was filled with people inside out. However, after the vige doctor finished bandaging her wound and left, everyone else didn¡¯t want to meddle in this matter anymore and left one after another. Each of them ran faster than the other, afraid that Eldest Brother Shao would ask for help to carry Zhao Lan to the hospital. Many of them didn¡¯t want to help at all. In the blink of an eye, the courtyard was empty.


    Of course, there were also people who wanted to watch the show, but most of them were dragged home by their wives. With very few exceptions, most married women in the vige had basically either given birth or were nning to give birth, unless they couldn¡¯t conceive due to medical reasons. All women hated people like Zhao Lan. Even their mother-inw and husband seemed like an eyesore to them now. They were afraid that they would learn from Zhao Lan.


    Just like that, they ran away. Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao wanted to find someone to discuss if they should take her to the hospital, but no one paid them any heed.


    Due to their sh*tty personalities and stinginess, no one wanted to befriend the couple.


    Seeing Shao Qihai like that, they naturally didn¡¯t dare look for him, for there was no chance in hell he would bother helping her. Shao Qiyang wasn¡¯t around, but even if he were, he wouldn¡¯t care either. Only Eldest Brother Shao could make this decision.


    This made things difficult for Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. Previously, when Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t allowed them to interfere, they had been afraid that she would die, so they had asked the vige doctor toe over and spoken about taking her to the hospital.


    However, they hesitated now that they could take her there. Were they really going to take her? If they did, it would easily cost arge sum of money. Now that they didn¡¯t have Shao Qihai, their money bag, and they didn¡¯t earn much money themselves, they didn¡¯t have any money.


    Zhao Lan was in a daze and kept shouting ¡®don¡¯te over¡¯, making Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao feel even more afraid. Eldest Brother Shao kept refusing to make a decision and asking her what to do, so she was annoyed and she directly replied, ¡°Who knows what you should do? She¡¯s your mother, not my mother. Don¡¯t ask me about everything. If I tell you to take her there, it¡¯s going to cost money, and it¡¯s not like we can afford it. If I say no, you¡¯ll me me if she dies.¡±


    They had lived together for more than ten years, so how could Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao not understand Eldest Brother Shao?


    In the past, she had given Eldest Brother Shao face and liked the feeling of being the head of the household. But now, she wasn¡¯t going to make this decision for him. She wouldn¡¯t bear the reputation of a vicious wife who had deliberately not taken her mother-inw to the hospital and caused her to die.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao got up and chased Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« to school. ¡°Stop looking. Go to school. The final exam ising up soon. Don¡¯te inst.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want the kids to get involved in this either. What did they know? Studying was more important. After chasing Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« away, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao wiped the blood off the ground with water. She just didn¡¯t want to look at Eldest Brother Shao.


    Eldest Brother Shao was extremely vexed. He wanted to say something but stopped himself. He kept looking at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, but even after standing in the courtyard for half a day, he didn¡¯t hear Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao make a decision. Since she wouldn¡¯t make a decision, Eldest Brother Shao wouldn¡¯t say anything either. In the end, by the time noon came around, Zhao Lan was still lying at home.


    Eldest Brother Shao wanted to wait for someone in the vige to say something, but in the end, no one did. He also wanted to wait for Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang toe back and say something, but that was clearly a dream.

 Chapter 271 - Whatever Happened to Being a Man Who Would Rather Shed Blood Than Tears?

    <h4>Chapter 271: Whatever Happened to Being a Man Who Would Rather Shed Blood Than Tears?</h4>


    It was impossible for Shao Qihai to care about Zhao Lan. Regardless of whether Zhao Lan was alive or dead in reality, she was already dead in his heart.


    By the time Zhao Lan was treated, they had already returned to the house next door.


    Little Bei was crying uncontrobly, feeling sorry for Bai Lu. Shao Qihai hugged Little Bei andforted her, but in the end, he cried even harder than her.


    His tear nds were particrly sensitive, and he also wanted to vent.


    In the end, Little Bei couldn¡¯t help but burp and ask Shao Qihai a question. Hadn¡¯t he told them that men should shed blood and sweat but never tears? Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know how to react to that.


    Mu Jingzhe was already in a somber mood, but when she heard Little Bei¡¯s question, she almostughed out loud. Who had asked Shao Qihai to teach the children that nonsense previously? It hade back to bite him now, hadn¡¯t it?


    This was also the first time the five kids had seen Shao Qihai cry. For a moment, they found it a little weird. In the past, they might haveughed at him, but this time, they couldn¡¯t bring themselves tough.


    Today was a Saturday, and there were sses on Saturday morning. Seeing that Little Bei and the rest couldn¡¯t go to school anymore, Mu Jingzhe could only go to school and apply for leave on their behalf. Fortunately, the teacher didn¡¯t say anything because they already knew about this.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let them adjust and prepare for the final exam.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you, Teacher.¡±


    That day, the Shao Family was in a constant state of low spirits. Everyone in the vige was discussing this matter and basically all the criticism aimed at Zhao Lan.


    Zhao Lan had said that most of the vigers gave birth at home. This was a fact. Every family gave birth at home. The mother-inw would deliver the baby if she knew how to do it; otherwise, they¡¯d simply hire a midwife.


    There were also cases of people dying during difficultbor. This was unavoidable, but generally speaking, if thebor was difficult, everyone would think of a way to take the pregnant woman to the hospital, unlike Zhao Lan.


    Shao Dong and the rest didn¡¯t have the energy to listen to the vigers¡¯ criticism.


    As for whether they should let Zhao Lan off, there was still a small disagreement between Shao Xi and Shao Nan. Shao Xi hated Zhao Lan too much. He also remembered Bai Lu. Shao Xi felt that grudges should be avenged, that they shouldn¡¯t let Zhao Lan off, and that even if she died, she¡¯d deserve it.


    In any case, if Zhao Lan died, it wasn¡¯t as if anyone would have personally killed her. It would serve her right even if she did die. It was only right that she paid with her life for causing Bai Lu¡¯s death.


    However, although Shao Nan said that they thought that way, if this continued, the vigers would go from criticizing Zhao Lan to using them and Shao Qihai of being heartless, and so on. This was human nature. People tended to be biased toward the party that appeared more weak and pitiful.


    No matter what, Shao Qihai would definitely be responsible for doing this. There would also be problems.


    ¡°Murder isn¡¯t the only way to take revenge. Zhao Lan has also suffered retribution. Just look at her. She¡¯s not doing well now. Stop saying such things.¡±


    Shao Nan and Little Bei felt the same way. They didn¡¯t want Shao Qihai to feel terrible either. They also felt that reputation was sometimes quite important.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan disagreed with each other¡¯s views, but thanks to Shao Dong¡¯s mediation, the two of them stopped arguing. However, neither of them spoke after that.


    Because they didn¡¯t argue, the day passed just like that. Mu Jingzhe told them not to think too much. That night, she brought Little Bei to sleep on the floor with them again.


    Because Shao Nan¡¯s countenance was very dark, Mu Jingzhe hugged Shao Nan and slept with Little Bei. Thus, the two of them were the closest to Mu Jingzhe. Xiao Wu was very sensible and didn¡¯t vie with his siblings, squeezing himself between Shao Dong and Shao Xi instead.


    ¡°This matter will end today. Don¡¯t think too much about it in the future. Your mother definitely wants you to be happy too. Your happiness is the best way to repay her, so let¡¯s bid farewell to our sorrow tonight. You have to buck up tomorrow.¡±


    Shao Nan was patted on the back by Mu Jingzhe. As he smelled the faint fragrance on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body, he felt his entire body warm up. He silently thanked the heavens that even though they had taken away Mommy Bai Lu, they had sent Mommy Jingzhe over.


    Shao Nan and Little Bei were the first to fall asleep after being coaxed by Mu Jingzhe. Shao Xi slept a littlete. He looked at Shao Nan, who was happily leaning against Mu Jingzhe, and curled his lips.


    In the end, Shao Xi and Shao Dong also fell asleep. Perhaps it was because their troubles had been resolved, but even though they kept thinking about Bai Lu before they fell asleep, they didn¡¯t dream about her again. From then on, they also stopped dreaming about those cries.


    Although they had said that they were going to return to normal, their art school lessons the next day were canceled.


    In order to make them feel better, Mu Jingzhe woke up early in the morning to make them some beautiful steamed buns. She had seen all sorts of beautiful steamed buns in the modern era, and many children liked them.


    However, over here, she didn¡¯t have so many colors and designs. Still, even though there were only white steamed buns, they could also be made into various shapes.


    Mu Jingzhe made many different designs. There were flowers, small circles, rabbits, small fish, little kittens, and finally, a little hedgehog.


    After she finished making them, only seven turned out sessful. The failures were eaten by Mu Jingzhe on the spot. After finishing four unsessful ones, she was quite full.


    Just as she was making the eyes with brown sugar, the five kids woke up. ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making steamed buns. Go wash your faces first.¡±


    The five kids went obediently, but in the end, when they washed their faces, a little incident urred. It was said that Shao Nan had identally sshed water on Shao Xi.


    ¡°You did it on purpose!¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Shao Nan was a little aggrieved. In the past, this wouldn¡¯t have been a problem at all, but Shao Xi refused to let it go today.


    Not wanting Mu Jingzhe to worry, Shao Nan still apologized first. Only then was Shao Xi satisfied. In the end, he was happy for a moment before he realized that Mu Jingzhe was standing at the door.


    Shao Xi red at Shao Nan fiercely. ¡°You did it on purpose. You wanted to make Mommy¡¯s heart ache like this. I knew you were the worst!¡±


    After saying that, Shao Xi ruthlessly bumped into Shao Nan and rushed into the kitchen.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Jingzhe was a little confused. The five children used to have a good rtionship and would asionally have some conflicts, but they would reconcile soon. This was the first time she saw Shao Xi so angry.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mommy, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Shao Nan quickly exined with a smile, ¡°I identally sshed water on Second Brother. Second Brother is a little angry.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and didn¡¯t say anything. Because it wasn¡¯t easy to be fair to all five kids, a careless sentence could make a child sad. Clearly, she didn¡¯t mean it that way, but it would indeed hurt them. Therefore, if it was a small conflict that they could resolve themselves, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t interfere.


    ¡°There¡¯s a surprise for breakfast today.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled mysteriously.


    Little Bei eagerly lifted the lid and, at the sight of so much cuteness, instantly beamed. ¡°Ahhh, little flowers, little bunnies¡­ I like them so much.¡±


    Shao Dong and the others were also pleasantly surprised. ¡°There¡¯s also a little kitten, a little piggy, and a hedgehog.¡±


    ¡°I like the little circles and little fish!¡± Xiao Wu shouted.


    ¡°There is a total of seven of them. That¡¯s nice, one each.¡± Shao Nan counted.


    ¡°The five of you can split them among yourselves. I don¡¯t want any.¡± Mu Jingzhe had already eaten her fill just now, and she wasn¡¯t a child. ¡°Shao Qihai probably doesn¡¯t like them either. You don¡¯t have to care about him.¡±


    At this point, Mu Jingzhe realized that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t around. She had wanted Shao Dong to call him over, but seeing that he was also looking at the buns with shining eyes, she thought for a moment and decided to call him over herself.

 Chapter 272 - The Solution to End the Childrens Conflict

    <h4>Chapter 272: The Solution to End the Children¡¯s Conflict</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t in the room. He had pasted a note on the door, saying that he would leave first to busy himself with the convoy.


    When Mu Jingzhe came down with the note, she found that an argument had broken out in the kitchen. Shao Xi and Shao Nan were ring at each other. If Shao Dong hadn¡¯t stopped them, they would probably have started fighting.


    She had only been out for a short while. Why were they arguing?


    However, the truth was that they were quarreling because they were choosing buns. There were seven styles but five of them. Therefore, without hesitation, they¡¯d asked Xiao Wu and Little Bei to take two more buns. Coincidentally, Little Bei liked the little flowers and little rabbits, while Xiao Wu liked the little fish and the little circles.


    After the two of them finished choosing, only the little kitten, little pig, and little hedgehog ones were left.. Surprisingly, Shao Dong liked kittens. There were people in the vige who raised cats. Shao Dong would usually feed them when he saw them. Although Shao Dong wasn¡¯t quitepatible with little kittens, he really liked them. Everyone knew that.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had suggested raising one at home. There were many pet cats in the modern era. If they raised one at home, Shao Dong wouldn¡¯t have to covet other people¡¯s cats.


    However, in the end, they didn¡¯t raise one because the cats of the era weren¡¯t like pet cats. They were cats that really caught mice. Usually, they wouldn¡¯t let anyone get close to them, not even their owners. They would scratch on a whim, and there were cat owners that had been scratched before.


    When Mu Jingzhe had heard that, she¡¯d immediately dismissed the idea of raising a cat and asked Shao Dong to endure it for a while longer. They could talk about it when pet cats became a thing and rabies shots became widely avable.


    Because there was no rabies vine in this era, one would be worried to death if they were scratched by a cat. At the time, cats would even catch mice to eat them, which made them even more dangerous.


    On the other hand, Shao Dong was very easy to talk to. He said that he didn¡¯t intend to raise a cat either, so he listened to Mu Jingzhe. Since the n to raise cats had failed to go through, Mu Jingzhe wanted to rece it with something else. Therefore, she had made this kitten for Shao Dong. Everyone knew that the kitten was indisputably Shao Dong¡¯s.


    The cute little kitten head made Shao Dong feel a little embarrassed, but his movements weren¡¯t slow. In the end, only the hedgehog and the little piggy were left.


    In the past, Shao Xi used to like hedgehogs the most, so Shao Nan chose the little piggy. However, Shao Xi refused. ¡°I want a pig today.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the hedgehog.¡± Shao Nanpromised. ¡°Second Brother, you can have the little piggy.¡±


    Looking outside, Shao Nan added, ¡°Second Brother, if Mom hears this, she¡¯ll be worried again. Let¡¯s not get into a conflict.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only sensible one, aren¡¯t you? Do I need you to teach me? Why are you pretending to be obedient? You¡¯re the worst one among us. Aren¡¯t you just pretending to be obedient and sensible to attract Mommy¡¯s attention¡­¡±


    It was at that moment that Mu Jingzhe returned. The moment she returned, both Shao Nan and Shao Xi immediately shut up and stopped quarreling. Although they both had a dark countenance, they were very happy and they cherished the steamed buns Mu Jingzhe had specifically made for them as they ate them.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan finally weren¡¯t puffed up with anger anymore and now looked happier. However, this conflict had finallye up. Neither of them looked at the other or spoke.


    In the past, the five siblings didn¡¯t use to fight so much. Now that two of them were suddenly in a conflict, the atmosphere was different.


    At noon, the conflict between the two of them escted. Finally, they got into a serious quarrel and announced that they would never talk to each other again.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    At this point, she suddenly remembered something. It seemed like she had never dealt with such a problem before.


    It was said that as long as one wasn¡¯t an only child and was in a family with two or more children, they would always face all kinds of problems. Children would quarrel in all sorts of ways, and the adults would have to resolve the issue in different ways. This would easily lead to usations of being biased or something simr.


    Although Mu Jingzhe had been told that she wasn¡¯tpletely fair to all five of them previously, and at the time that had indeed been the case, things weren¡¯t like this anymore.


    The five siblings had always had a good rtionship. Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t gotten along with them at first, but such a major conflict had never arisen. Other than the fact that the children were smart and weren¡¯t like other children, they also needed to huddle together to keep warm in order to survive.


    Therefore, they hadn¡¯t fought much previously or quarreled.


    But now, the situation had changed, leading to conflicts like this. This was considered normal, right? Compared to other families, the frequency at which it happened was considered quite low.


    Mu Jingzheforted herself this way, her mind frantically trying to think of a solution. After thinking for a while, she called the children over and asked them about their conflict. She reasoned with them and told them not to quarrel. In the end, she called Shao Nan and Shao Xi out alone and said something that made a lot of sense.


    This was what Mu Jingzhe had learned from many people. It was seen on television and in novels and it was quite effective. The two children finally made up after holding hands.


    However, at night, Mu Jingzhe turned out to be too naive. They had simply reconciled on her ount. They understood the logic behind it but still threw a tantrum.


    After a day, the conflict deepened in the evening. In fact, it got even worse. Harsh words like ¡®I never want to see you¡¯ were said. Judging from the way they were ring at each other, if Shao Dong hadn¡¯t stopped them, they would have started fighting.


    No, they had already started fighting. Shao Dong was even hit on the head while trying to stop the fight.


    After hitting Shao Dong, Shao Xi and Shao Nan were shocked. They quickly apologized to Shao Dong, causing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression to darken.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly looked at Shao Dong.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Shao Dong shook his head.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she had to deal with the root of the problem. She called Shao Xi and Shao Nan over and sighed as she looked at the two of them, who refused to look at each other.


    ¡°Looks like ordinary methods can no longer make you guys reconcile. If I don¡¯t think of something soon, you are going to fight. Everyone says that a quarrel shouldn¡¯tst overnight. If it does, it will hurt your rtionship. Now that the sky is getting dark, I can only use some special methods.¡±


    Shao Xi snorted. ¡°No need, Mommy. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m fine losing him as a brother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. You don¡¯t have to worry about us. It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t be calctive.¡± Even though he was the younger one, Shao Nan sounded like the older sibling. However, this agitated Shao Xi again. He wondered if Shao Nan was deliberately doing this to provoke him.


    This made Shao Xi explode. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be calctive? How are you not calctive? If you were not, why would I want to beat you up? Stop pretending to be a good person!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She looked at the two smart children and racked her brains for a solution. When she looked down at their feet, an idea suddenly struck her. ¡°Got it. Got it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hold his hand childishly and reconcile with him,¡± Shao Xi immediately replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to hold each other¡¯s hands. You can just hold each other¡¯s legs.¡± Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°You have to go wash your feet first.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan were baffled when they were suddenly asked to wash their feet.


    Mu Jingzhe brought in a basin and poured hot water for them. ¡°Shao Xi, Shao Nan, bring the chairs over to wash your feet.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to wash with him. I want to wash with Big Brother.¡± Shao Xi moved a chair over and, while refusing, pulled Xiao Wu closer. ¡°Let Xiao Wu wash with him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wash with him either.¡± Shao Nan also refused. ¡°Anyone else is fine.¡±


    Because boiling water was troublesome to get, they usually washed their feet in pairs. In the past, it hadn¡¯t mattered. They had always washed their feet together and yed with the water, but not today.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan were unwilling, but Mu Jingzhe insisted. ¡°No, you have to wash your feet together tonight. You also have to wash each other¡¯s feet.¡±

 Chapter 273 - The Angry Little Frogs

    <h4>Chapter 273: The Angry Little Frogs</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Not only did they have to wash their feet together, but they also had to wash each other¡¯s feet? As soon as Mu Jingzhe said that, Shao Xi and Shao Nan bristled and refused in unison. ¡°No.¡±


    They didn¡¯t even want to wash together, let alone wash each other¡¯s feet.


    ¡°You have to wash tonight. You have to listen to me.¡± Mu Jingzhe was unyielding.


    At her request, the two of them unwillingly took off their shoes and ced their feet in the water. However, they decided that they wouldn¡¯t forgive each other even if they washed their feet together.


    ¡°Alright, wash each other now,¡± Mu Jingzhe added.


    This sessfully angered the two of them again.. This time, not only Shao Xi, but even Shao Nan found it difficult to ept this.


    ¡°No way. Mommy, I can¡¯t wash his feet.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. I¡¯d rather stand as punishment than wash his feet.¡±


    ¡°No, I want you to wash each other¡¯s feet.¡± Mu Jingzhe insisted.


    Shao Xi looked at Shao Nan and pulled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°You might as well hit me. Mommy, hit me. I am aware of my mistake.¡±


    He pulled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and hit her head. ¡°Go ahead and hit me, Mommy.¡± If other children fought and made a mistake, they might get hit. He would rather get beaten up than wash Shao Nan¡¯s smelly feet today.


    Mu Jingzhe was exasperated. ¡°What¡¯s all this talk about hitting you? What if you get brain damage from the beating? I¡¯m a civilized parent. I won¡¯t hit a child for no reason. I¡¯m civilized.¡±


    That said, she pulled away from Shao Xi¡¯s hand. However, just as she broke free, she was held back by Shao Nan.


    ¡°Mommy, I was really wrong this time. I won¡¯t do it again. But can you not punish me this way? I can write a self-reflection essay.¡±


    Shao Nan shook Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand schemingly and blinked. In the end, he even pouted and deliberately attacked Mu Jingzhe with his cuteness. He schemed and pretended to be cute again to escape this dreadful punishment.


    Shao Xi was dumbfounded. Why hadn¡¯t he thought of this? Just as he was about to pull Mu Jingzhe, he saw her take a step back.


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t mess around by doing these useless things. If you hadn¡¯t wasted all this time trying to wiggle your way out of this, you would¡¯ve been done washing by now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was really almost blown away by Shao Nan¡¯s cuteness. Shao Nan was usually quite cool, but when he asionally charmed her, she really couldn¡¯t take it.


    Fortunately, in the end, she pinched herself and sessfully woke up. She didn¡¯t agree to it on impulse.


    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Mu Jingzhe urged them with a straight face.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan were desperate. Shao Nan felt even more disbelief. He hadn¡¯t expected that his shameless act of cuteness wouldn¡¯t work.


    Their faces were filled with doubts about life. Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe continued to urge them. ¡°Hurry up. The water is getting cold. I don¡¯t usually see you act like this. Why are you so wishy-washy this time? Are you guys still men?¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan red at each other. Seeing that they really couldn¡¯t escape, they could only resign themselves to their fate and lower their heads. In the end, when they lowered their heads, they bumped into each other. ¡°Ah.¡±


    The two of them yelped and kept rubbing their heads as they looked at Mu Jingzhe. Their expressions were pitiful enough to make Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart soften.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even look at them. Instead, she looked down at her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. If you still don¡¯t move, then you can wash each other¡¯s feet for the next year as well¡­¡±


    Before she even finished her sentence, Shao Xi and Shao Nan immediately stopped being pitiful and, after shooting a re at each other, quickly reached out and washed each other¡¯s feet. They didn¡¯t want to wash the other party¡¯s smelly feet for a year. If they washed those smelly feet for a year, even their hands would stink!


    However, just as they reached out to help, the furious expressions on their faces were unconsciously distorted. They felt truly itchy.


    One had to know that a person¡¯s feet were the most sensitive, especially the soles of their feet. One wouldn¡¯t feel anything when they touched them themselves, but when others touched them, they would feel the most sensitive and itchy. In the past, when they¡¯d washed together, other than stepping on each other, they¡¯d also deliberately tickled each other.


    The two of them had almost bumped into each other at the same time, so they also felt itchy at the same time. They both bit down hard to prevent themselves fromughing out loud. s, it was toote for regrets.


    How could they have forgotten about the itch?


    They wanted tough, but they held themselves back. At that moment, whoeverughed would lose.


    The two of them froze in tacit understanding and didn¡¯t move, but Mu Jingzhe was watching. She squatted down and looked at them. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving? Don¡¯t stop moving. Quick, wash your feet. I told you before that you have to wash the middle part of your feet well too. Hurry up and move. I¡¯m watching.¡±


    When Shao Dong heard that, he almost burst outughing, his originally ugly countenance changing. It looked like the dark clouds were clearing up.


    He had always been in charge of them in the past. This time, Shao Xi and Shao Nan wouldn¡¯t listen to him and had even kept quarreling. Shao Dong felt quite terrible. In the end, Mu Jingzhe used this trick.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s casual words had forced the two brats to wish they could be like Sun?Wukong<sup>1</sup>?in the 72 Transformations and use all sorts of tricks, but in the end, they¡¯d still ended up like this. Shao Dong wanted tough when he saw the way they had puffed up from anger.


    Look what they¡¯d gotten for quarreling. They¡¯d turned into frogs now, hadn¡¯t they?


    Shao Dong bit his lips and held back hisughter. Xiao Wu and Little Bei¡¯s eyes darted around. Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was squatting there, they squatted over and looked at her with their chins propped up. ¡°Second Brother, Third Brother, wash up quickly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Second Brother, Third Brother, wash up quickly.¡± After urging them, Xiao Wu nced at them andmented seriously, ¡°Second Brother, Third Brother, you guys have puffed up so much from anger that you look like frogs now.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan, who couldn¡¯t help but puff up from anger because they were suppressing theirughter, were speechless.


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei seemed to think that this wasn¡¯t enough. After saying that, the two of them started croaking in unison.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan almost couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. This made their cheeks puff up even more.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan and Shao Xi, who had puffed up from anger. Then, she listened to Xiao Wu and Little Bei, who were calling out, croaking like frogs on the side. She felt like she was among a group of frogs in the fields. Plus, it was really¡­ really funny. Especially when she saw that Shao Xi and Shao Nan really bore a shocking resemnce to frogs. Little frogs whose faces were red from holding in their anger to boot.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but extend her evil hands and poke Shao Xi and Shao Nan¡¯s puffed-up mouths with each hand.


    As she poked them, she screamed internally: ¡®Ah, so cute!¡¯


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan had been trying their best to hold back theirughter. Now, their efforts went to waste because of Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu, and Little Bei.


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°Little Bei, Xiao Wu, shut up!¡±


    The two of them shouted helplessly. However, when Xiao Wu and Little Bei saw their reaction, they croaked even more happily. Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe looked like she was watching a show.


    Shao Xi cast an aggrieved, pleading look at Shao Dong, wanting him to speak up for them. However, Shao Dong squatted down expressionlessly. ¡°I also want to see if you¡¯ve washed them clean.¡±


    Actually, he was merely doing this to take a closer look at the two little frogs. Just now, he almost hadn¡¯t been able to hold himself back from croaking with Little Bei and Xiao Wu. When he had seen Mu Jingzhe poking their faces, which were puffed up from anger, he had been really tempted to poke them himself.


    Shao Dong was expressionless, but his eyes were shining as he looked at the two of them. He was a little tempted, so he was hoping that their cheeks would puff up from anger again.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan, who identally sensed his anticipation, were speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Big Brother had actually be wicked too! How could he act like this!

 Chapter 274 - Wanting to Fight With Big Brother

    <h4>Chapter 274: Wanting to Fight With Big Brother</h4>


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan didn¡¯t want to be considered a joke by them anymore. Besides, they could feel that the water had turned cold. In the end, under the gazes of these four people, and amid Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s apaniment music (croaking), Shao Xi and Shao Nan stiffly started to help each other wash.


    They washed their feet, feeling disappointed in their big brother and angry at Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu, and Little Bei, but¡­ soon, they couldn¡¯t hold back their expressions and couldn¡¯t help wanting tough. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong felt that this wasn¡¯t enough and even gave them pointers on how to wash their feet. Under their guidance, they had no choice but to wash the area between each other¡¯s toes. At that moment, Shao Xi and Shao Nan finally couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t hold it in, and then Shao Nan followed suit. The two of themughed really hard. ¡°Don¡¯t tickle me!¡±


    ¡°I should be saying that. You¡¯re doing it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s doing it on purpose? I can¡¯t be bothered to touch your smelly feet.¡±


    As they spoke, the two of them couldn¡¯t help but tickle each other. They swore to make each otherugh to death. The two of them moved together andughed out loud.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded in satisfaction. This was the reason she had asked them to wash each other¡¯s feet. Soles were especially ticklish, and once they started bursting intoughter, they wouldn¡¯t be in the mood to re at each other anymore.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded in satisfaction as she looked at the two of them, who were bent over withughter. It seemed like her unorthodox method had worked. She could continue using it in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had provided meritorious service, quickly stood up. She didn¡¯t forget to carry Little Bei and Xiao Wu away before she asked Shao Dong to leave. Reality had proved that she had done the right thing, but she was vignt. As soon as they left, Shao Xi and Shao Nan immediately entered melee mode, sshing water uncontrobly.


    ¡°Stop sshing water. The water that was used to wash your feet just got into my mouth. Yuck, it¡¯s so dirty.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that water used to wash your feet as well? It got in my mouth too.¡±


    The two of them were forced to reconcile after drinking the water used to wash each other¡¯s feet. It wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to be ring at each other afterughing, but they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to smile at each other or anything like that.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve reconciled. In the future, helping to wash each other¡¯s feet will be amon method to ease your rtionship after you quarrel. If you quarrel again, this is how it will go. You¡¯ll help wash each other¡¯s feet until you reconcile.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the effect this had on Shao Xi and Shao Nan and felt that this method was quite good, so it was worth keeping.


    Mu Jingzhe was satisfied, but Shao Xi and Shao Nan felt like they were going crazy. Even Shao Dong and Little Bei couldn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°Noooo, Mommy!¡± Shao Xi screamed. Shao Nan also scratched his head. ¡°Mommy, this method is kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°Kind of good, right? Do you think I¡¯m very talented and amazing?¡± Mu Jingzhe helped finish his sentence with a smile.


    Shao Dong and the others: ¡°¡­¡±


    No, that wasn¡¯t what they¡¯d meant.


    Previously, Shao Dong, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu had evenughed at Shao Xi and Shao Nan. Now, they felt that they were in danger too.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at their expressions. ¡°In the future, when Little Dong, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu fight, they will also use this method.¡±


    While looking at the expressions of Shao Dong, Little Bei, and the others, Shao Xi and Shao Nan felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation. They had already suffered through this once, so they really wanted to see Shao Dong, Little Bei, and the others undergo this too. Especially Shao Dong. All of a sudden, they were filled with infinite anticipation.


    Shao Xi darted his eyes around andughed out loud. ¡°Yes, Mommy is right. Mommy, you¡¯re really smart and talented. This is a very brilliant solution.¡±


    He suddenly felt like quarreling with Big Brother. What would it feel like to have Big Brother wash his feet for him?


    Just as this wicked idea popped up in Shao Xi¡¯s head, Shao Dong sensed something and suddenly looked over, shooting Shao Xi a warning look.


    Shao Xi stood obediently and heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°Right? You agree with me, right? So tomorrow, you guys can continue washing for one more day to strengthen your rtionship.¡±


    Shao Nan froze. Shao Xi was helpless. ¡°You¡¯re the smartest, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t youugh just now too?¡± Shao Nan retorted. The two of them rolled their eyes again.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at them. ¡°Looks like your rtionship isn¡¯t deep enough. I have to think of a way to enhance it.¡±


    Again?


    Shao Nan and Shao Xi couldn¡¯t be bothered to re at each other anymore when they heard that. ¡°No, no. Mommy, we¡¯re fine.¡±


    Shao Nan immediately grabbed Shao Xi¡¯s hand, indicating that they were fine. He really didn¡¯t want to experience another good idea that Mu Jingzhe came up with.


    Shao Xi reacted and quickly hugged Shao Nan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re doing very well. Mommy, there¡¯s no need.¡± Shao Xi was also afraid.


    ¡°Really? But I think you guys are acting.¡±


    ¡°No, really, really.¡± Shao Xi panicked when he heard that. He thought for a moment and quickly kissed Shao Nan¡¯s face. ¡°See that, Mommy? We¡¯re fine.¡±


    Although he made it sound really nice, his hand did not lie and couldn¡¯t resist the urge to wipe his mouth.


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He turned around and looked at Shao Xi in a daze, his eyes filled with questions.?<i>What are you doing?</i>


    Shao Xi red back. What else could he be doing? He wanted to show that they had made up, of course.


    Shao Nan expressed himself speechlessly.?<i>Even then, why would you have to do that?</i>


    Shao Xi snorted.?<i>Kiss me back if you dare!</i>


    Mu Jingzhe, who was watching from the sidelines: ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no need for this, was there?


    Although they wanted to prove that they were close, there was no need to go to such an extent.


    Mu Jingzhe was momentarily at a loss for words, so she didn¡¯t say anything. Shao Xi looked a little anxious and nudged Shao Nan with his elbow, hinting at him with his gaze that if it didn¡¯t work, he should kiss him to prevent Mu Jingzhe froming up with other ideas.


    Shao Nan¡¯s face was filled with struggle. Just as he was trying hard to convince himself to kiss Shao Xi, Mu Jingzhe saw through their intentions and quickly interrupted.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Stop struggling and acting. I can tell what you¡¯re up to. I won¡¯t be fooled by a kiss. Don¡¯t use such a method again in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pped. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a solution. Wait a while.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Shao Xi and Shao Nan shouted in disbelief. Under Shao Dong¡¯s worried gaze, Mu Jingzhe left without looking back.


    Shao Xi instantly despised Shao Nan. ¡°You¡¯re still mad at me? Why are you struggling? If you had kissed me earlier, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Mommy say that it wouldn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a fact that you despise me!¡± Shao Xi was indignant. ¡°Shao Nan, you actually dare to despise me? What is there to despise me for?¡±


    ¡°I do not. I¡¯m just not used to it,¡± Shao Nan retorted.


    ¡°Not used to it? Then why are you used to Mommy and Little Bei kissing you? When I kissed you just now, I saw your expression. You were clearly unwilling and disdainful. Not only do you not want to kiss me, but you¡¯re even unwilling to let me kiss you. What right do you have to be unwilling?¡±


    ¡°What else did you expect? Do I have to dance in joy when you kiss me? If it were me kissing you, would you be willing? If you are, I¡¯ll kiss you back right now and kiss you every day in the future.¡± Shao Nan used his ultimate move: harming his enemy at the expense of harming himself.


    He leaned toward Shao Xi, looking like he wasn¡¯t afraid of him.


    Shao Xi choked but he insisted on sticking out his face. ¡°Come on. If you can, kiss my face until it rots. I don¡¯t mind at all. I¡¯m really d.¡±


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had forgotten that Second Brother was the sort of person who couldn¡¯t be antagonized. But he really couldn¡¯t do it. Momentarily, he couldn¡¯t find a way out of this embarrassing situation.


    ¡°See, I knew you despised me. To think you despise me¡­¡± Shao Xi, who was proud of himself, looked like a viin who had seeded.

 Chapter 275 - Living Like a Widow

    <h4>Chapter 275: Living Like a Widow</h4>


    Seeing Shao Xi¡¯s smug look, for a moment, Shao Nan didn¡¯t know how to describe his feelings. When he realized that Shao Xi was still unwilling to let go, he blurted out, ¡°I forgot to tell you. The ce where you kissed me just now was actually sshed with footwash.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing that, Shao Xi exploded. He spat and wiped his mouth with all his might. ¡°Why are you so disgusting?¡±


    ¡°Some of that water just sshed on me. Now you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m disgusting? Didn¡¯t your face get sshed with a lot of that water just now too? I feel the same way you do.¡±


    He had already been helpless when the water had identally sshed into his mouth earlier. To think he had even taken the initiative to kiss the spot the water had sshed. He wasn¡¯t crazy.


    Shao Xi spat for a long time before washing his face and rinsing his mouth. When he returned, he saw Mu Jingzhe. She was holding arge stic headband in one hand and a hooded top in the other.


    ¡°In order to facilitate the quick recovery of your rtionship, I¡¯ve thought of two ways. Now, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, you can choose one. The first method is wearing the same piece of clothing. This piece of clothing is mine. You two can wear it when you sleep at night.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan immediately objected when they heard that. ¡°No, we don¡¯t choose this.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s the second choice. I¡¯ll tie your hands together with a headband. Other than during ss time, you¡¯ll have to tie your hands together at all times. Even when you wash up or go to the bathroom. You can¡¯t untie them even when you¡¯re sleeping. When you¡¯vepletely reconciled, I¡¯ll allow you two to split up.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe added, ¡°If you guys don¡¯t reconcile after three consecutive days, we¡¯ll move on to using the clothing method.¡±


    ¡°Mom, this isn¡¯t a good idea. If you¡¯re going to end up using both, there¡¯s no need for us to choose.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite good. Don¡¯t worry, this rope is very stic. I looked for it specifically. It won¡¯t strangle you. It¡¯s very safe.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt that this method was very good and was beaming with joy.


    Regret appeared on Shao Xi and Shao Nan¡¯s faces. If they had known earlier, they wouldn¡¯t have quarreled. Shao Dong and the others sighed, feeling a little afraid. In the future, would these messy methods also be used on them? Would they have to restrain themselves from quarreling?


    ¡°Hurry up and choose. I think both methods are very good. Do you want to try both?¡±


    ¡°No need. We choose being tied up together for the time being.¡± Shao Xi and Shao Nan felt like they had nothing to live for and ultimately made their choice.


    When Shao Qihai returned, the first thing he saw was Shao Xi and Shao Nan tied together, looking like they had nothing left to live for. He didn¡¯t have the time to ask about it, as he quickly invited Li Zhaodi over.


    Li Zhaodi, who was doing business in town, was notpletely up to date. It was already the next day when she finally found out what Zhao Lan had done in the past. It was only then that she found out that Shao Qihai had gone out with the children to pay their respects previously.


    How could Li Zhaodi endure hearing that? She rushed back in a hurry and happened to see Shao Qihai returning, so she rode his car back.


    Although she had a lot to say, Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t say much on the way. She only red at Mu Jingzhe when she saw her. Mu Jingzhe was about to say something when the kids rushed over to greet their grandmother.


    Li Zhaodi very proficiently took sweets out of her pocket and handed them to the kids, distributing the candy to them very fairly. ¡°I¡¯ve given you sweets, but you need to ask your mother for permission to eat them. Otherwise, she¡¯ll me me again if your teeth decay.¡±


    ¡°Mom.¡± Mu Jingzhe was helpless.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful,¡± Shao Dong quickly said, ¡°We won¡¯t let our teeth decay, and we won¡¯t cause Grandma trouble either.¡±


    When the five kids saw Li Zhaodi, they only felt a sense of familiarity. Although Li Zhaodi ate well, slept well, and had gained weight, which made her look even less like a good person, they felt a sense of familiarity around her.


    Li Zhaodi noticed that Shao Nan and Shao Xi were tied together. After finding out the reason, she couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°It¡¯s not good to quarrel. Your mother¡¯s method is not bad. I didn¡¯t think of it in the past. Otherwise, I would have used it too.¡±


    Shao Xi secretly instigated her. ¡°It¡¯s not toote now. Grandma, if Mommy and Uncle quarrel in the future, you can also make them wash each other¡¯s feet and tie them together.¡±


    ¡°You little baddie. Alright, Grandma¡¯s got it.¡±


    As soon as Li Zhaodi finished coaxing the children, she pulled Mu Jingzhe to the other room to whisper to her and started nagging. ¡°These children have no conscience. You¡¯ve treated them with all your sincerity, and they still went to pay their respects to their biological mother.¡±


    The reason Li Zhaodi had rushed back wasn¡¯t just because she had heard about Zhao Lan. As Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mother, she was very concerned about the children paying their respects to their biological mother.


    ¡°I was wondering why they went there. So they went to pay their respects to their biological mother. You too. Aren¡¯t you silly? To think you really allowed them to go. You should have stopped them. I could tell from the way you bought things for them to officially pay their respectsst year. You¡¯re a fool. After all you¡¯ve done for them, you ought to make them forget about their biological mother.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Mom, if they didn¡¯t even care about their biological mother, would you be relieved and satisfied? If they didn¡¯t even care about their biological mother, wouldn¡¯t that be even more terrifying? There¡¯s no point in fighting over this.¡±


    Li Zhaodi froze for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s true, but they can¡¯t keep thinking about their biological mother either. You¡¯re too easy-going.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe blinked. ¡°Mom, why didn¡¯t you say so just now? The way I see it, you sure know how to coax them. Now, you¡¯re nagging me?¡±


    Li Zhaodi coughed. ¡°I only didn¡¯t say anything because they¡¯re already back. If they hadn¡¯t gone yet, I would definitely have brought it up. Now that they¡¯ve already gone ande back, it¡¯s not worth talking about it and making them unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Excuses. You clearly enjoy being called ¡®Grandma¡¯ and can¡¯t bear to say it yourself.¡± Mu Jingzhe instantly exposed Li Zhaodi¡¯s true colors.


    Li Zhaodi choked. ¡°So what if I enjoy it? I just want to be a grandmother. You and your brother haven¡¯t given me any grandchildren. In that case, I can only be a grandmother to them.¡±


    At this point, Li Zhaodi looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s unchanged room. ¡°Speaking of that, are you and Shao Qihai still sleeping in separate rooms?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that like living as a widow while your husband is still alive?¡± Li Zhaodi was dissatisfied.


    ¡°Mom, stop joking. Don¡¯t tell me you want me to sleep in the same room as him?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. Didn¡¯t you say before that you were separating and getting a divorce? Since you¡¯re about to get a divorce, it¡¯d be best to keep your chastity. All men are the same. They all like virgins. It¡¯ll be better for you if you get married in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°So what if one isn¡¯t a virgin? Mom, your way of thinking has to change too. This is a new society.¡±


    Li Zhaodi nced at Mu Jingzhe suspiciously. ¡°What do you mean by that? Have you slept with Shao Qihai?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe almost choked on air. ¡°Mom, what kind of nonsense are you spouting!¡± How had this be about her sleeping with Shao Qihai? Her mother¡¯s words had been too sudden, catching her off guard.


    ¡°No, I thought you¡­¡± Li Zhaodi shook her head. ¡°Speaking of this, Jingzhe, are you still getting a divorce? How long has it been already? You don¡¯t seem to be in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re definitely getting a divorce.¡± Mu Jingzhe scratched her head. ¡°Hasn¡¯t quite a lot happened recently? Speaking of how urgent it is¡­ it seems like it¡¯s not that urgent, right?¡±


    The main reason was that she wasn¡¯t in a hurry to fall in love or get married. Besides, after Shao Qihai¡¯s return, although she hadn¡¯t been used to it at first, she had realized that things didn¡¯t seem to be much different from before. It was just that there was an additional person taking care of the children now.

 Chapter 276 - A Mother-In-Law Who Drives Fiercely

    <h4>Chapter 276: A Mother-In-Law Who Drives Fiercely</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai slept in separate rooms, but they took care of the children together. Unlike other couples, they didn¡¯t have any responsibilities as husband and wife. This actually made things easier for them.


    Shao Qihai was obedient. Although he sometimes wanted to hand her the bank card of his savings ount, he didn¡¯t force her to do anything, nor did he have any physical contact with her. She wasn¡¯t affected at all.


    Li Zhaodi clicked her tongue. ¡°This is what you don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re still a youngdy and you still don¡¯t understand. Men don¡¯t think that way. He may be able to tolerate it now, but he won¡¯t be able to tolerate it in the future. It¡¯s only because you haven¡¯t had sex yet. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate it either. Men and women are all like that. They all have needs.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe blinked. ¡®Oh my god. You¡¯re driving[1] again, and it¡¯s a little fierce.¡¯


    However, Li Zhaodi seemed to be right. ¡°Mom, what you¡¯re saying seems to make sense. It doesn¡¯t seem fair to Shao Qihai to drag this on. He must¡­ have needs.¡± In that case, they indeed should get a divorce as soon as possible.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you weren¡¯t strong, I wouldn¡¯t be at ease leaving you here.¡± After saying this, Li Zhaodi suddenly changed the topic. ¡°But Jingzhe, tell me honestly. Has Shao Qihai really never touched you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked embarrassed. ¡°He really hasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. It¡¯s been so long. He¡¯s really good at holding it in, huh. Is he afraid of you, or is he not interested in you? Is he no longer potent?¡±


    Shao Qihai, who was bringing tea for his mother-inw and had stopped at the door, identally heard this, as his hearing was really good. The ceramic vat nearly slipped from his hand.


    Why wouldn¡¯t he be potent? He was very potent. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t interested either. It was just that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t willing.


    While Shao Qihai was shocked, Mu Jingzhe was just as shocked. She¡¯d never had a mother in the past, so she didn¡¯t know that the topics of conversation between mother and daughter could be so explosive.


    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Feeling shy? I know you are shy. Don¡¯t you want to get to the bottom of this? If he¡¯s not interested or isn¡¯t capable of doing it, you¡¯ll definitely have to get a divorce. This concerns your happiness for the rest of your life. But he can probably do it. After all, he already has five children. He must be enduring this.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was direct with Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe also knew that Li Zhaodi was doing this for her own good. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°So, getting a divorce earlier would also be good for Shao Qihai, right?¡± So that he wouldn¡¯t have to endure this any longer.


    Shao Qihai almost couldn¡¯t help but speak up. No, it wouldn¡¯t be good at all. He didn¡¯t want a divorce. Although Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t ept his money or let him get close to her, he felt that the way they were living was good enough.


    It wasn¡¯t like he absolutely had to do that. He wasn¡¯t a beast who thought about those things all day long. He could count the number of times he had seen a girl in a year in the past. Hadn¡¯t he gotten through just fine all these years?


    As Shao Qihai was struggling, he suddenly heard footstepsing from the kitchen. Feeling that he¡¯d been eavesdropping for too long, he quickly turned back.


    Shao Dong bumped into Shao Qihai at the kitchen door. Realizing that he was still holding the ceramic vat and looking at it strangely, Shao Qihai quickly exined, ¡°Dust was blown in.¡±


    Shao Dong nodded and carried the honey that he wanted to give to Li Zhaodi to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s door. Just as he was about to push the door open and enter, he heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°Mom, what I¡¯m worried about are the children. After the divorce, I have to leave this family. It¡¯s impossible for me to take them away¡­¡±


    If she really could take them away, she would probably have divorced him long ago. Thanks to this dy, the bond between them would only deepen.


    Mu Jingzhe was very troubled. Shao Dong stopped in his tracks and seemed to be lost in thought. In the end, he didn¡¯t push the door open and went back with the honey.


    This honey had been collected by the people who raised bees in the vige. It was pure honey. It wasn¡¯t like themonly-seen fake honey in the modern era, which was mixed with sugar water. It was collected twice a year. Honeb honey tasted very fragrant and sweet.


    Mu Jingzhe liked it a lot, and so did Shao Dong and the others. The vigers probably knew that their family had felt terrible yesterday, so they¡¯d kindly brought them some sweet stuff to eat, hoping that it would cheer them up.


    The quantity wasn¡¯t big, so they had finished the rest. This had been specifically reserved for Li Zhaodi and the others.


    ¡°Grandma and Mommy are talking. I¡¯ll give it to herter.¡± After Shao Dong sat down, he saw Shao Qihai spacing out. Sigh, why wasn¡¯t Daddy better-looking? If he were better-looking, Mommy might perhaps like him a little more.


    Although the family had been very happy living together up until now, they often hoped that this would always be the case and their mother wouldn¡¯t ask for a divorce. He wished they could continue to be this happy.


    However, one couldn¡¯t be too selfish. They couldn¡¯t keep Mu Jingzhe to their side just for their own happiness. They couldn¡¯t stop her from leaving or getting a divorce.


    Although they were reluctant to part, their opinion hadn¡¯t changed. If their mother wanted a divorce, they would still support her. However, it was unrealistic to say that they would just leave with Mommy. Leaving Shao Qihai alone seemed too cruel.


    Shao Dong looked at Shao Qihai, feeling very troubled.


    Although very few people divorced nowadays, because Mu Jingzhe wanted to get a divorce, Shao Dong and Shao Nan specifically went to find out about it. Usually, when a couple divorced, they would split up their house and money, and those who had kids would share custody of the kids as well.


    Sometimes, the children would go live with the mother and sometimes with the father. This differed from case to case.


    If they were an ordinary family, they might have to be separated too. After all, five children were too many. They couldn¡¯t just follow one person.


    However, the problem was that the five siblings didn¡¯t want to be separated. Besides, the characteristics of other families didn¡¯t apply either. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t their biological mother. They had never heard of a stepmother taking the child after a divorce.


    Thus, if they really got a divorce, they would definitely be given to Shao Qihai, although they couldn¡¯t bear to part with Mommy either.


    This was difficult. Too difficult. So why couldn¡¯t Daddy make Mommy like him?


    Shao Qihai was initially thinking about what Mu Jingzhe had said, and his expression was uneasy. When he sensed Shao Dong¡¯s gaze, he raised his head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Little Dong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Shao Dong shook his head, but he continued to stare at Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai felt ufortable being stared at. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Dong shook his head. He couldn¡¯t think of a solution either.


    As he felt troubled, Li Zhaodi and the rest entered the room after speaking. Shao Dong immediately stood up. ¡°Grandma.¡±


    Shao Qihai also stood up. ¡°Mom,e in and sit. Have some tea.¡±


    At the thought of what he had just heard, Shao Qihai felt a little ufortable and didn¡¯t dare look at Li Zhaodi. However, Li Zhaodi¡¯s gaze keptnding on him, moving from his shoulders to his waist and lingering a while longer when itnded on his abdomen.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s entire body stiffened. He wished that it was all his imagination, but he had trained himself to read these gazes and knew that it wasn¡¯t.


    At that moment, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know where to put his hands.


    He could roughly guess why Li Zhaodi was looking at him like that. She probably wanted to see if he was potent or not.


    This was very awkward. Shao Qihai wanted to say something about what he had heard, but when Li Zhaodi nced at him, he froze. He stopped talking and didn¡¯t even dare move.


    [1] talking about sexual matters

 Chapter 277 - Im In Good Health, But I... Have No Needs

    <h4>Chapter 277: I¡¯m In Good Health, But I... Have No Needs</h4>


    In the end, it was Shao Dong and the others who saved Shao Qihai. They enthusiastically invited Li Zhaodi to eat sweets and pulled her away.


    ¡°Grandma,e and eat the honey we specifically left for you. It¡¯s very sweet and won¡¯t give you diarrhea.¡±


    Shao Xi and the rest pulled Li Zhaodi away to eat honey. They even specifically exined that because Li Zhaodi had eaten poisonous honey before.


    The honey in the countryside was harvested by the bees themselves. Normally, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. However, there were also some unexpected situations sometimes. For example, asionally, poisonous honey was harvested. There had never been any honey in the vicinity that was so poisonous it could poison a person to death. However, although the bees were immune to the poison of some nts, humans weren¡¯t.


    Therefore, they usually had to be more cautious when picking honey. Some kinds had a hint of bitterness. Also, one had to be more cautious when picking honey in certain seasons.


    For example, previously, Li Zhaodi and the rest had once gotten into trouble after eating honey. They¡¯d just had diarrhea and a headache and they had recovered in a day or two. They hadn¡¯t gone to the hospital, and nothing had happened to them. That said, it was still dangerous. Unfortunately, Li Zhaodi loved to eat honey, so she couldn¡¯t quit.


    Li Zhaodi epted their kindness and started eating the honey. However, even though this honey had been left for her, in the end, she still stuffed a bite into each of their mouths.


    Shao Qihai carefully kept his mother-inwpany. When Li Zhaodi was about to leave, he even offered to see her off, but Li Zhaodi stopped him.


    ¡°No need. I can go back by myself.¡±


    ¡°Mom, slow down.¡± After Mu Jingzhe saw her off, she turned around and almost bumped into Shao Qihai.


    As soon as she saw Shao Qihai, Mu Jingzhe recalled Li Zhaodi¡¯s words. In particr, the part about physical needs.


    The bodies of men and women were indeed different. The nights were long, and Shao Qihai should be having a hard time.


    ¡°Erm¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe was about to say that they should discuss the divorce again when she heard Shao Qihai say, ¡°If you want to talk about the divorce, then listen to me first. I don¡¯t want a divorce. If you really insist on divorcing me, I won¡¯t remarry, so getting a divorce won¡¯t be good for me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression wasplicated. ¡°Then¡­ did you hear what my mother and I spoke about?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Qihai admitted it. ¡°I heard a few words, but what you are worried about doesn¡¯t apply. I¡¯m in good health, but I¡­ have no needs.¡±


    There was nothing wrong with his body, but he wasn¡¯t someone obsessed with sex.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to overhear her conversation with Li Zhaodi. She instantly felt a little awkward. He was in good health but he had no needs? It sounded too contradictory. However, since he had already made herself clear, she might as well continue. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My intentions haven¡¯t changed, and I won¡¯t force you in the future either. The children can¡¯t leave you, so don¡¯t mention getting a divorce for the time being. If¡­ If you don¡¯t change your mind in the future, or if you meet someone you like and want to marry him, we can talk about getting a divorce then.¡±


    Shao Qihai spoke with difficulty, but he still endured the pain and said, ¡°When that timees, I won¡¯t pester you endlessly. I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t keep refusing to divorce her, and Shao Qihai didn¡¯t want to use the children to tie Mu Jingzhe down either. That would only push her further and further away. After interacting with her for a while, Shao Qihai had also seen through Mu Jingzhe¡¯s personality and felt that there were some things that had to be said openly.


    He couldn¡¯t force Mu Jingzhe. He could only try his best to perform well and fight for her during this period of time so that Mu Jingzhe could see his sincerity. Perhaps she would be moved then. This was the only way.


    Actually, it¡¯d be useless even if Shao Qihai really pestered her endlessly. Mu Jingzhe could also resolve this through litigation or other methods. However, upon hearing Shao Qihai say this, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief.


    She only heaved a sigh of relief because there was another problem¡ªthe children. This was the most important thing.


    ¡°Then when the timees, the children¡­¡±


    Just as Mu Jingzhe started to speak, Shao Qihai immediately said, ¡°You cane and see the children at any time. I won¡¯t stop you from meeting them or say anything.¡±


    Of course, Shao Qihai could also work on the children. It would be very effective on Mu Jingzhe, but he couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled. Her expression seemed pleased but a little emotional.


    Shao Dong, who had been secretly observing, couldn¡¯t help but say when he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression, ¡°Dad, we don¡¯t just want to meet Mommy.¡±


    Shao Qihai turned around in surprise. ¡°Little Dong, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad, talk to us.¡±


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s been hard on you today. Let¡¯s talk to Daddy first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Little Dong, you guys¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I know how you feel. Leave it to me for now.¡± If Mommy couldn¡¯t bear to part with them, they couldn¡¯t bear to part with her even more. Besides, they didn¡¯t just want to meet her. If they didn¡¯t live together, their rtionship would be affected. He couldn¡¯t bear to part with her.


    Shao Qihai was dragged off to negotiate. Mu Jingzhe cooked while wondering what Shao Dong was discussing with him.


    In reality, Shao Qihai was also curious to know what they wanted to talk about. Before meeting with him, Shao Dong held a small meeting with his younger siblings.


    It was only after the kids¡¯ little meeting ended that it was time for the big meeting with Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai could only wait. When he thought of what Shao Dong had said, he felt very uneasy. He didn¡¯t know what the children were going to say. Could they want to say that they would leave with Mu Jingzhe after their divorce?


    After waiting anxiously for a few minutes, Shao Qihai finally sat down at the negotiation table.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, Daddy. After this period of observation, and taking into consideration your conversation with Mommy just now, it looks like your marriage with Mommy will eventually lead to a divorce. It¡¯s only because of us that the marriage has temporarily survived.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t get a divorce now.¡± Shao Qihai quickly emphasized.


    ¡°We know. I heard it just now. You and Mommy agreed not to get a divorce for the time being and to wait until Mommy wants to get married. This is a pretty good idea, but you might still get a divorce in the future. So let¡¯s talk about the divorce today.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°You kids want to talk to me about that?¡±


    ¡°Mm. After all, this matter will affect us greatly. It might even affect us for the rest of our lives. Since it concerns who we¡¯ll be living with after the divorce, we have to participate.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Shao Dong and couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight and raise his guard. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°Based on what you said to Mommy just now, you won¡¯t stop Mommy froming to see us. That means that we¡¯ll 100% be living with you.¡±


    Shao Qihai was vignt. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t tell me you want to go with Jingzhe? I know you like her very much, but you can¡¯t abandon me like this¡­¡± His expression was a littleplicated. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you forgave me previously? Could your kindness to me during this period have been fake?¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s words sounded familiar to the five kids, as if they had heard them in a television drama. However, it seemed like they shouldn¡¯t havee up in a father-son conversation.


    Shao Dong frowned. ¡°Of course we weren¡¯t faking it when we treated you well. Our feelings for you are also real. We have indeed forgiven you, but forgiveness is one thing. Having feelings is valid, but we can¡¯t ignore our principles and go against our intentions.¡±

 Chapter 278 - Raising the Children Together

    <h4>Chapter 278: Raising the Children Together</h4>


    Shao Dong¡¯s gaze was honest. ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re our father. This is a fact that can¡¯t be changed. Mommy is also already our mother. This fact can¡¯t be changed either. We won¡¯t abandon you, but that doesn¡¯t mean we have to abandon Mommy.¡±


    Shao Qihai was still uneasy. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I wanted you to abandon her. Little Dong, what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that, if you divorce Mommy, we also want to live with Mommy.¡± Shao Xi hit the nail on the head.


    Shao Qihai, who had had a feeling that this was indeed the case,ughed bitterly.


    Shao Dong softened his voice. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t love you anymore. It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t let go of Mommy, just like she can¡¯t let go of us.¡±


    ¡°So, if you want to get a divorce, we hope you can share custody of us.¡± This was the result of their discussion.


    Shao Qihai looked at Shao Dong with aplicated expression. ¡°Can we really raise you kids together? If we really share custody, will you still be willing to follow me?¡±


    When he heard this, Shao Xi¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help fluttering. He¡¯d be willing, but most of the time, he¡¯d probably still want to be with Mommy.


    Shao Nan¡¯s expression was unreadable, but Little Bei had already lowered her head and stopped looking at him. Xiao Wu¡¯s face was filled with guilt. Shao Qihai had hit the nail on the head.


    He instantly felt aggrieved. ¡°Little Dong, look at what you just said. Little Bei and the rest are already feeling guilty. You¡¯re making it sound so nice now, but if this really happens, you¡¯ll definitely leave with Jingzhe and leave me alone.¡±


    Shao Qihai shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t agree to this condition.¡±


    Shao Dong nced at Little Bei and Xiao Wu helplessly. Shao Nan nced at Shao Xi, despising him for not being able to keep his emotions from showing.


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu hurriedly exined. Little Bei said, ¡°I love you, Daddy. I won¡¯t leave you alone, but I¡¯m still young. I can¡¯t sleep well without Mommy hugging me. I can¡¯t leave Mommy.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m even younger. I¡¯m the youngest, so I can¡¯t leave Mommy either. If I leave Mommy, I won¡¯t be able to eat. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll starve to death.¡±


    He was even saying that he would starve to death?


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Would the kids starve to death if they followed him?


    Shao Nan looked at Shao Qihai with a helpless expression. ¡°Don¡¯t speak, you two.¡±


    These two goons. They had yet to agree on a deal and they were already eager to show that they wanted to follow their mother. They¡¯d even brought up their age. This was too disadvantageous for a negotiation.


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei also realized that they were anxious and quickly shut up. They even smiled brilliantly at Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t feelforted. This was a guilty smile.


    ¡°Dad, this matter hasn¡¯t evene up. Why are you already afraid? We¡¯re your biological sons and daughter. How can we leave you behind and run away?¡± Shao Nan gave him a warm smile and even grabbed Shao Qihai¡¯s hand.


    Shao Xi nced at Shao Nan and quickly stuffed his free hand into Shao Qihai¡¯s other hand. ¡°That¡¯s right, Daddy. We¡¯re your biological children.¡±


    Shao Nan said warmly, ¡°We just want to thank Mommy. When you faked your death, it was Mommy who saved us, so we¡¯re really grateful to Mommy.¡±


    Shao Dong looked out of the window. ¡°When we were in a dire situation, it was Mommy who pulled us up and illuminated our world. Daddy, we really need her, so we want to follow her. We don¡¯t want Mommy to be put in a difficult position because of us.¡±


    Shao Xi widened his eyes as he looked at Shao Dong. He hadn¡¯t expected his older brother to be more like a little writer than him.


    Shao Dong¡¯s words were very moving and all, but after that was said, Shao Qihai was the one in a difficult position. A struggling look appeared on Shao Qihai¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m not stopping you from being filial to her, but¡­¡±


    Shao Xi thought that he couldn¡¯t fall behind Shao Dong and started thinking of beautiful, touching words. When he heard Shao Qihai struggling, though, he instantly couldn¡¯t care less and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no need for buts. To put it bluntly, we believe in her more than in you, so just ept it. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be useless for you to hold on to custody. We¡¯ll look for Mommy when our legs grow.¡±


    Since he had already said what was on his mind, Shao Xi added, ¡°Don¡¯t feel sad. Actually, the reason we¡¯re talking to you is because we have feelings for you. Otherwise, we could¡¯ve just left with Mommy when the time came. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop us, right? We have the ability now.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®So you n to run away with Mu Jingzhe?¡¯


    ¡°I know I broke your heartsst time, but I¡¯ll really treat you well now. You don¡¯t have to feel insecure. You can trust me.¡±


    Shao Xi continued. ¡°We believe you, but Dad, would we follow Mommy just to have her raise us? No, it¡¯s not just that she¡¯s so good to us. More importantly, we want to be good to her and keep the promise we made in the past.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, although Second Brother¡¯s words are unpleasant, we¡¯re actually talking to you because we have feelings for you, so you don¡¯t have to be so conflicted. Besides, Daddy, this is also for your own good,¡± Shao Nan added. ¡°If you agree to raise us together, Mommy might develop a favorable impression of you and look at you differently.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t quite react. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course she will. Why wouldn¡¯t she? This is the right time to show your masculinity. Believe me, if you really do this, Mommy¡¯s attitude toward you will definitely improve.¡± Shao Xi nodded affirmatively. The way he was working so closely with Shao Nan, it was impossible to tell that they had quarreled previously to the point that their hands had been tied together.


    Shao Qihai really thought about this after hearing their words. If he agreed, would Mu Jingzhe really look at him differently?


    ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you believe us? Do you think we¡¯d lie to you? Mommy is actually a very simple person. If you treat her well, she¡¯ll treat you very well. She likes us very much. If you make such a decision, she¡¯ll be extremely grateful to you. She¡¯ll think that you¡¯re manly and look at you in a different light.¡±


    As soon as Shao Nan finished speaking, Shao Xi added, ¡°So Daddy, why don¡¯t you just do it? Why are you hesitating so much?¡±


    Shao Dong interrupted in a timely manner. ¡°A rtionship is like a handful of sand. The tighter you hold on to it, the faster it flows away. If you hold it gently, more sand will remain in your hand. It¡¯s time to let go, Daddy.¡±


    Shao Xi looked at Shao Dong in shock again. ¡°You¡¯re right. Dad, instead of dragging it out like this, why don¡¯t you make us, Mommy, and yourself happy?¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s mind was a mess when he heard that. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you urging me to get a divorce and get straight to handling all the formalities?¡±


    Shao Qihai shuddered. ¡°That won¡¯t do. No, I just agreed with Jingzhe not to get a divorce for the time being.¡±


    He had already agreed with Mu Jingzhe not to get a divorce for now. Why would he be discussing a divorce again after talking with the children? Shao Qihai was very determined. ¡°I won¡¯t go. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

 Chapter 279 - Finding Out About the Divorce Agreement

    <h4>Chapter 279: Finding Out About the Divorce Agreement</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Qihai was extremely vignt.


    The five kids looked at each other. Shao Dong smiled and said, ¡°No, we didn¡¯t mean that. We also know that after you get a divorce, Mommy will have to move out of the Shao Family¡¯s house. We don¡¯t want her to leave either.¡±


    Only then did Shao Qihai¡¯s expression improve a little. Shao Dong continued. ¡°So, I think we can reach apromise regarding your situation.¡±


    ¡°Apromise?¡±


    Shao Nan added, ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯spromise. We¡¯ve already discussed you and Mommy raising us together, so you and Mommy can sign a divorce agreement first.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard him mention a divorce agreement. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t signing it mean that the marriage is over?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Nan exined. ¡°Dad, this is just signing a divorce agreement. It¡¯s not really getting a divorce. You don¡¯t have to be nervous. Based on your situation, this is the most suitablepromise. I¡¯ve read a lot of legal books. I¡¯ve even seen a written divorce agreement before. I think this method is quite preferable.¡±


    Shao Qihai heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he suddenly realized something. Wait, since when had he confirmed that they were going to raise the children together? Had he agreed to it just now?


    Shao Qihai recalled it and realized that he seemed to have agreed, but he also seemed to have not. However, the children seemed certain that he had agreed.


    Shao Qihai wanted to revisit that topic when he heard Shao Xi say, ¡°Dad, you really don¡¯t have to worry. Mommy will keep her word. Since the two of you have already agreed not to get a divorce for the time being, she will hold up her end of the deal. Maybe you two won¡¯t have to get a divorce in the future and will just tear up the divorce agreement.¡±


    ¡°In that case, wouldn¡¯t this be an unnecessary move?¡± Shao Qihai retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not unnecessary, Dad. The nature of this divorce agreement is clear¡­ Overall, it¡¯s meant to give Mommy a sense of security.¡± Shao Nan exined. ¡°Dad, after signing this agreement, it will feel different for you and Mommy. It¡¯s also evidence that you¡¯ve let go and taken this big step.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Previously, you guys were in a deadlock. It¡¯s useless to drag this out. But after signing the agreement, things will be different. Your rtionship can be considered temporarily over, but this is not the end. This can be the start of a new phase.¡±


    ¡°A new phase means a new beginning. When the timees, whether you want to pursue Mommy or not will depend on your own ability. That¡¯ll truly be a fresh start.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression was uncertain. What the children were saying was reasonable. Most importantly, like Shao Nan had said, signing the divorce agreement would actually give Mu Jingzhe a sense of security.


    Now that he thought about it, Mu Jingzhe had seemed hostile to him after his return. At the time, he hadn¡¯t understood because Mu Jingzhe had never stopped him from interacting with the children. Previously, there had been a knot in their hearts, and Mu Jingzhe had even helped them think of a solution.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t harbor any hostility toward him. In her opinion, he was the person who was snatching the children from her.


    The reason they hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce until now was indeed because of the children. Therefore, perhaps signing this agreement might really give her a sense of security.


    Without hostility, perhaps there could really be a new beginning.


    Seeing that Shao Qihai was really wavering at that moment, Shao Dong said warmly, ¡°Dad, Little Nan and Little Xi are right. This end is also a beginning. Everything will be better than it is now, right? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll help you when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that they would help him.


    ¡°Of course. Actually, no one wants you to stay together more than us.¡± Shao Dong nodded. ¡°You also know that if we help, you¡¯ll get twice the results with half the effort, right?¡±


    Who didn¡¯t know that?


    ¡°You really mustn¡¯t lie to me.¡± Shao Qihai wanted to confirm it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. However, if you don¡¯t listen and insist on what you want, you¡¯ll make things too ugly and you¡¯ll realize how powerful we are.¡± After Shao Dong and the others said those nice things, Shao Xi stabbed him again with a hint of a threat.


    Overall, they cooperated quite well, like an angel and a devil.


    However, Shao Qihai felt a headacheing on. He was really afraid. ¡°Little Xi, you¡­¡±


    ¡°This is what Little Xi is like. He always likes to discuss the worst oue and say the most vicious words. Don¡¯t mind him. We won¡¯t go that far, Daddy.¡± Shao Dong patted Shao Xi¡¯s shoulder to shut him up.


    Shao Qihai nodded, but a voice in his heart told him that if he really insisted, it would be hard to say.


    He sighed and confirmed it again. ¡°You really aren¡¯t lying to me. You¡¯ll really help me, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not lying. Dad, did you grow up being lied to? You¡¯re our daddy, so why would we lie to you? We haven¡¯t lied to you more than a few times in the past. Besides, you should agree with us. This end isn¡¯t actually an end. It¡¯s a new beginning. Dad, have faith in yourself. You¡¯re actually quite outstanding. You just have to slip into Mommy¡¯s heart.¡±


    Shao Qihai was indeed convinced. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll believe you this once. You must keep your word.¡± They couldn¡¯t lie to their old man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Daddy. We¡¯re your biological children after all. Even if our bones break, our tendons will still be attached.¡± Shao Xi took this upon himself.


    Shao Nan got up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go draft the divorce agreement first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Dong and the others to be so fierce. She had some theories while cooking, but she hadn¡¯t expected a conversation to solve the problem that had been weighing on her heart for so long. They were actually going to raise the children together!


    What kind of concept was this? It meant that after the divorce, she, as a stepmother, would still be able to raise them like their biological mother. She¡¯d no longer have to worry that after the divorce, she would have absolutely nothing to do with the children.


    ¡°Ah, Little Dong, how did you do it? How did you convince your father?¡± When Shao Dong asked Mu Jingzhe to follow him to discuss the divorce agreement, Mu Jingzhe was stunned.


    ¡°By just appealing to his logic and emotions. Daddy is a sensible person, so he agreed.¡± Shao Dong spoke up for Shao Qihai. He held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and said seriously, ¡°Mom, actually, you¡¯re not the only one who can¡¯t bear to part with us. We can¡¯t bear to part with you even more.¡±


    Therefore, they wanted to work hard with Mu Jingzhe. They really didn¡¯t want to be separated from her.


    ¡°Little Dong, you guys are awesome.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart was filled with warmth. She felt that everything had been worth it.


    The divorce agreement was drafted very smoothly and basically didn¡¯t require any revisions. This was because there was no conflict over the assets and property and Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t thought of asking Shao Qihai for anything. Since their money was earned and spent personally by them and the house was Shao Qihai¡¯s, there was not much to say. It was clear and simple.


    The only controversy was the issue of child support, but they had alreadye to an agreement about this problem¡ªjoint custody. This was also the significance of the divorce agreement.


    After confirming that there was no mistake, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai signed and pressed their thumbprints on the paper.


    When they exchanged papers with each other, Mu Jingzhe looked at her copy and only then felt that it was real.


    She felt like she was in a dream. Shao Qihai felt the same way.. However, it wasn¡¯t because he was in a splendid mood but rather because he felt a little helpless.

 Chapter 280 - Free From Now On

    <h4>Chapter 280: Free From Now On</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had been reading the agreement with a smile on her face, Shao Qihai said helplessly, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, no problem. That¡¯s why I keep looking. Ah, that¡¯s great.¡± Mu Jingzhe, who had secretly pinched herself and felt pain, bounced up and down. She couldn¡¯t help but hug Shao Qihai. ¡°Shao Qihai, you¡¯re really a good person.¡±


    They¡¯d be raising the children together. Wonderful!


    After signing the divorce agreement, they¡¯d agreed in ck and white that even if they didn¡¯t go through with the divorce procedure for the time being, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry when they did get a divorce in the future.


    The divorce agreement had been discussed with Shao Qihai and the children and signed with the children as witnesses. It was impossible for Shao Qihai to go back on his word in the future.


    Besides, she believed that Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t go back on his word. As far as this issue was concerned, she still believed in Shao Qihai. He would definitely keep his word.


    Mu Jingzhe was overjoyed. Because she was so excited, she felt a little impulsive.


    On the other hand, Shao Qihai was stunned for a moment. He hadn¡¯t expected to be hugged by Mu Jingzhe. One had to know that he had never been treated this way before. At first, when he hade back, she¡¯d kept trying to pile him and Bai Xue together.


    The soft, fragrant smell left immediately, but it had already made Shao Qihai¡¯s heart pound.


    Mu Jingzhe was happy, and so were the five kids. All of them heaved a sigh of relief. They no longer had to worry about having to be separated from their mother after the divorce.


    They could stay with Mommy forever!


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan couldn¡¯t help but hug each other. They only separated awkwardly when they realized what was going on. Shao Xi looked at Shao Qihai and secretly thought that although one could go back on a divorce agreement, he definitely wouldn¡¯t allow his father to go back on his word!


    Mu Jingzhe read the agreement again and told Shao Qihai seriously, ¡°From this day onward, we¡¯re considered divorced internally. Although we haven¡¯t announced it to the public, you¡¯ll be free in the future. My intentions are the same as yours. You can find someone you like yourself. You don¡¯t have to feel like you¡¯re letting me down. If you meet someone you like, we¡¯ll immediately go and take care of the paperwork.


    ¡°Although we can¡¯t be husband and wife, we can be family and friends. If you need anything in the future,e look for me. I¡¯ll definitely help you.¡±


    Shao Qihai froze when he heard that. This was different from what he had imagined. In his mind, even after signing the divorce agreement, they still wouldn¡¯t be officially divorced and would continue to be rted to each other. But did Mu Jingzhe think so?


    He was about to say something when he saw Shao Dong nod. ¡°Although I can¡¯t bear to part with Mom and Dad, I still hope the two of you will be happy in the future.¡±


    So Shao Dong and the others had the same intention?


    That¡¯s right. This was nothing but a divorce agreement. Didn¡¯t signing it mean that it was all over?


    Shao Qihai, who was stiff, didn¡¯t say anything, but Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and carefully put away the agreement. It was already past eight o¡¯clock when the family ate.


    Mu Jingzhe habitually picked up a few dishes for the children, ensuring that they were bnced nutrition-wise, and they weren¡¯t picky about their food. As long as she picked the meal, they would eat it even if they didn¡¯t like it that much.


    Usually, Mu Jingzhe would stop after picking up some food for the children. However, when she nced at Shao Qihai today, Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and also picked up some food for him.


    ¡°Come on, have some meat.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s actions made the children¡¯s eyes dart over. Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes finally lit up.


    ¡°Okay, thanks. I¡¯ll eat. You eat too.¡±


    Although he was only receiving this treatment after signing the divorce agreement and deciding to raise the children with her, Shao Qihai was still happy to see Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude toward him change.


    Perhaps, just like the children had said, this end wasn¡¯t really the end but a new beginning.


    With that thought in mind, after picking up some food for the children, Shao Qihai also tried picking up food for Mu Jingzhe.


    He had tried it in the past, but Mu Jingzhe had always said that she would pick it herself and hadn¡¯t epted it. However, tonight, she epted it and even thanked him.


    Shao Qihai really felt that there were some changes.


    That was the truth. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mentality had indeed changed a little. Her attitude and feelings toward Shao Qihai were actually different from before. She felt much more rxed and was truly grateful to him.


    After dinner, Shao Qihai started the big project of smoking mosquitoes, which he undertook every night. In the summer, there were many mosquitoes in the countryside. If one wasn¡¯t careful, they would be bitten and the bite would hurt and itch.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body was a little sensitive to mosquitoes. Every time she was stung, her skin would swell up for two to three days. It was painful and itchy, and the more she scratched, the worse it would get. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes liked to bite her, which resulted in bumps on her skin when she wasn¡¯t careful.


    Despite using cooling oil and florida water, which gave her an intense smell all over her body, Mu Jingzhe would still scratch sometimes.


    Shao Qihai used Chinese?mugwort<sup>1</sup>?in the boys¡¯ room, then in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room. Only then did he do the same in his own room.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe thanked him. Previously, when Shao Qihai and the others hadn¡¯t been around, one night, she hadn¡¯t smoked the room upon seeing that there weren¡¯t any mosquitoes. In the end, two of them had slipped through the and the bites had yet to subside on her arm.


    ¡°No need to thank me.¡± Shao Qihai shook his head. ¡°Endure it. Don¡¯t scratch your arm. The cooling oil will affect your sleep when it¡¯s applied at night. It¡¯s best not to apply it.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had realized that Shao Qihai didn¡¯t seem to like to talk to outsiders long ago, but at home, he actually nagged a little. Not only did he nag the children, but he would also nag her sometimes. His tone with her wasn¡¯t much different from when he spoke to the kids.


    That night, Mu Jingzhe slept very soundly, and so did the children.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan were tied up together for the night. The next day, when they went to school, they were still tied up. They only had a small conflict and didn¡¯t harbor any deep hatred. After helping each other wash their feet once, they were fine. Furthermore, they had evenpleted a major mission togetherst night. They¡¯d been fine long ago.


    However, Mu Jingzhe still stuck to what she had said and didn¡¯t untie them, hoping that they would remember this and know that if they quarreled in the future, what awaited them might involve helping each other wash their feet and being tied together.


    Shao Dong and the rest all noticed the regret in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. This regret stemmed from the fact that she hadn¡¯t been given the chance to make them wear the same piece of clothing. If they dared to argue again, this move would definitely be forced on them.


    No one wanted to try it, so the five children instantly became obedient. Forget about quarreling. Even if they spoke a little louder, they would lower their voices, afraid that Mu Jingzhe would get the wrong idea.


    Of course, they also didn¡¯t have the chance to quarrel because they were preparing for the final exam.


    Mu Jingzhe fully supported the kids¡¯ preparations for the final exam. When it was time for the official exam, she prepared fried dough sticks and eggs to wish them full marks in advance.


    The five kids were focused on their final exam. After the exam, Shao Xi received more letters from the publishing house, including another one from Fang Yu.


    When Fang Yu had read Shao Dong¡¯s suggestion, she had really found the negatives. She said that she had wanted to develop a hundred photos, but her mother wouldn¡¯t agree and had almost hit her a hundred times. Later on, she¡¯d developed three copies for her.


    Because the negatives had been preserved well, they could still be developed, but the effect wasn¡¯t that good. However, Fang Yu was already very satisfied. In the end, for some reason, she sent Shao Xi one of the developed photos and told him to keep it.

 Chapter 281 - Unknown People and Matters

    <h4>Chapter 281: Unknown People and Matters</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    When Shao Xi read Fang Yu¡¯s words, he felt helpless. Although she said that she wanted to keep in touch and be good friends, this good friend was too guileless.


    ¡°What if I¡¯m a bad person?¡± Despite saying that, Shao Xi quickly poured out the contents of the envelope. In the end, he really found a photo carefully wrapped in a newspaper.


    It was a small photo only the size of his palm. Although it was colored, it was strangely so. Nheless, one could still see the person on it clearly.


    The person depicted was very young. He stood with his hands on his waist and was wearing a sailor¡¯s striped shirt that appeared too big on him. At a nce, it was obvious that he had borrowed it for the purpose of taking a photo. Perhaps it was because he was nervous, but his gaze was a little strange and his canine teeth were revealed. Shao Xi couldn¡¯t tell if he was looking askance or was actually cross-eyed. In any case, he looked a little funny. This waspletely different from what Shao Xi had imagined.


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help butugh at first nce. However, when he thought about the fact that the person in the photo was no longer around and had passed away at such a young age, he suddenly felt terrible.


    He was just an ordinary person. He didn¡¯t have three heads or six arms. In fact, he didn¡¯t even have a powerful physique. Instead, he was a little thin. In a crowd, he looked like a fish swimming into the sea,pletely inconspicuous.


    How had he mustered up the courage? Did he ever regret it?


    No one could give Shao Xi an answer because this person was already dead.


    Shao Xi looked at the photo for a long time and didn¡¯t move. When he came back to his senses and was just about to continue reading the letter, he felt that something was amiss. When he turned around, he was startled.


    ¡°Dad, when did youe in?¡±


    ¡°Just now.¡± Shao Qihai¡¯s gazended on the photo, and he hesitated before speaking. ¡°Why is there a photo too? Little Xi, remember to store the things you receive properly and not leave them lying around.¡±


    He wanted to read the letter, but he couldn¡¯t very well ask for it directly. He didn¡¯t dare make it too obvious, afraid that Shao Xi would notice. Unfortunately, Shao Xi was blocking the letter.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave it lying around. I¡¯ve been storing it well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. There are quite a lot of letters. Do you want me to help you sort them out?¡±


    Shao Xi could tell at a nce what Shao Qihai wanted to do, but he hesitated for a moment and refused. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    He decided not to show this letter to his father. He would be sad if he read it.


    Shao Qihai nced at him and dilly-dallied for a while before going out. Shao Xi carefully put the photo away. After some thought, he clipped it to the back of the photo album at home and then continued reading Fang Yu¡¯s letter.


    Fang Yu was also about to take the final exam. She said that she was afraid of exams and feared that she might not do well.


    Shao Xi sighed and replied to her, ¡°My results in ss are always top-notch. I even skipped a grade. Even if you don¡¯t skip a grade, you should study hard and learn from me.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong were in the same ss, so he couldn¡¯t always be first. He would either tie for first ce with Shao Dong or be second. Therefore, he didn¡¯t say that he was always the first in ss.


    ¡°Fang Yu, I received your photo. I¡¯ll keep it for you for the time being, but you¡¯re not allowed to casually send photos to people anymore. Some people are very wicked. What if they scribble on it or tear it?


    ¡°Also, when you write the number ¡®3¡¯, try not to let it lie on its stomach and make it stand up. It¡¯s obvious that you don¡¯t write often. I¡¯ll start for you. Send the paper back for me to check it when you¡¯re done.¡±


    For some reason, Shao Xi suddenly felt like he had a younger brother. One who kept making him worry.


    He found his exercise book, tore off a page, wrote the first number ¡®3¡¯, and left the rest of the space empty as homework.


    Previously, when Xiao Wu had to learn how to write, he had encountered a simr problem with writing the number ¡®3¡¯.


    This was only the beginning. When he learned other words, as he wrote, they slowly became unrecognizable. The words looked like they were swaying, as if they had been injected with soul.


    Xiao Wu still had this problem, but his number ¡®3¡¯ didn¡¯t lie down anymore.


    Shao Xi shook his head and teased like a little adult, but he didn¡¯t know that when he¡¯d first started learning how to write, he had been even worse than Xiao Wu. Back when he had started learning to write, his words had begun to develop into hieroglyphic?writing<sup>1</sup>. When he wrote the word ¡®person¡¯, it really looked like a person standing up.


    At the time, he¡¯d had some wonderful ideas, and his thoughts had been very active. It had taken Shao Dong a lot of time to get him to write properly. His old workbook was still kept somewhere.


    It had only been a few years since he¡¯d ovee those bad habits, but when he taught Xiao Wu and Fang Yu now, it was as if he had forgotten his old habits.


    Shao Xi was worried, but he didn¡¯t know that it was actually very impressive that Fang Yu could write letters at such a young age, spell so many words, and even check the dictionary herself. She already far surpassed her peers.


    Shao Xi replied and packed the letter, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep that night. Fang Yu¡¯s father kept popping up in his mind.


    He had an impulse to write something about him, but when he got up and started writing, he realized that he didn¡¯t know what to write.


    This was because his understanding of Fang Yu¡¯s father was really limited. Or rather, he didn¡¯t even know him at all. Forget about what kind of person he was, what he had done, and what his personality was like. He didn¡¯t even know his name.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t write a word and fell asleep again. He didn¡¯t force himself. He was still too young, and his pen strength was limited. Although he was very excited, it wasn¡¯t suitable for him to move the pen, and he didn¡¯t dare move it casually.


    Although he knew this, he still wanted to write. This was the first time he had such an impulse. When he thought of Fang Yu and Fang Yu¡¯s father, he wanted to write something.


    Shao Xi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He couldn¡¯t keep asking Fang Yu questions either¡­ Eh? At the thought of this, Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up. He didn¡¯t know Fang Yu¡¯s father, but he knew Fang Yu.


    He didn¡¯t know how to write about Fang Yu¡¯s father, but he could write about Fang Yu. This way, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about his pen strength being limited. After all, Fang Yu was still young.


    Shao Xi hid under the nket and bit the shlight as he made the first stroke. He mainly wrote about Fang Yu, but that was not all. There was also his own shadow in the words, as well as the shadows of many people.


    What Shao Qihai had done previously was actually a little different from what Fang Yu¡¯s father had done, but there were simrities. This also applied to others.


    In the quiet night, Shao Xi hid under the nket and started writing seriously.


    As Shao Dong fell asleep, he felt a light piercing his eyes. When he got up, he saw that it was the lighting from Shao Xi¡¯s nket.


    He lifted the nket and saw the shlight rolled under Shao Xi¡¯s nket. There was also Shao Xi, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. Because he was sleeping so soundly and he was lying on his stomach, Shao Xi¡¯s saliva was flowing out of his mouth and onto the notebook under his head.


    Helplessly, Shao Dong got up and turned Shao Xi over before taking the notebook and putting it aside, waiting for the saliva to dry by itself.


    As he switched off the shlight, he nced at the contents of the notebook and casually took a look. However, he paused.


    When Shao Dong was about to fall asleep again, he saw that the carefree Shao Xi had even kicked the nket aside. He helplessly covered him with the nket. ¡°Look at you. I don¡¯t know how you wrote this¡­¡±


    The next day, Shao Xi saw the saliva on the notebook and refused to admit that it was saliva. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t think you can nder me just because I fell asleep. This isn¡¯t saliva. These are tears. The tears I shedst night.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s your tears. Your tears flowed out of the corners of your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re bullying me!¡±

 Chapter 282 - The Pitiful Zhao Lan

    <h4>Chapter 282: The Pitiful Zhao Lan</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    After being mocked by Shao Dong, the sad Shao Xi went to look for Mu Jingzhe. He told her that he wanted to write a story but he was uncertain and afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to write it well, so he was too embarrassed to show it to her.


    ¡°You can write if you want. It¡¯s fine, I have faith in you.¡± Mu Jingzhe only encouraged him.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Shao Xi nodded. Later on, even though he was busy during the summer break, he kept writing intermittently. He didn¡¯t forget the second travelogue that was about to be published.


    He didn¡¯t stop contacting Fang Yu either. In order to make it easier to contact him, he told Fang Yu his home address. Fang Yu didn¡¯t have to send the letters to the publishing house anymore, which made it easier for her to reach him.


    Later on, when the travelogue sample was sent over, he sent it to Fang Yu. Fang Yu liked it very much and said that she actually wanted to visit many ces, but she hadn¡¯t been given the chance. However, after reading the travelogue, it was as if she had gone there to y with Shao Xi.


    However, this would all happen in the future. Right now, Mu Jingzhe was preparing to take Little Bei to film. Although Little Bei had gone out to film before, those had been only guest roles or supporting roles. This was Little Bei¡¯s second movie in the true sense of the word. They couldn¡¯t be careless.


    Mu Jingzhe would definitely join the production team with her. Coincidentally, she had also agreed to coborate with the production team on the costumes. In addition, she had epted some orders for customized gowns that she could make anywhere. She could work and take care of Little Bei by being on the production team at the same time.


    Because Shao Qihai was around, Mu Jingzhe could follow Little Bei without worrying. However, ording to her previous n, she would probably frequently go out during the summer vacation.


    Mu Jingzhe was very busy preparing for the production team. Eldest Brother Shao and the others next door had been quiet for a few days, but there was suddenly amotion again.


    In the end, Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t been taken to the hospital because Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hadn¡¯t said anything, and no one had made the decision. Eldest Brother Shao, that cowardly turtle, hadn¡¯t made the decision to take her there. Hence, Zhao Lan¡¯s recovery was dyed, and she relied on the vige doctor to treat her.


    The vige doctor was really rendered helpless when it came to serious illnesses. Zhao Lan had lost too much blood and her waist injury was severe, but she still managed to survive.


    After a scar formed on her head, Zhao Lan slowly woke up. However, her mental state was particrly bad. Perhaps because she had lost too much blood and had suffered a fright, she was in a daze all day long.


    That wasn¡¯t all. She also couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    The wound on her head would heal, but perhaps the wound on her waist was too severe. She could move her hands, but she couldn¡¯t move her lower limbs. She couldn¡¯t even function independently. As a result, she had to rely on someone to wait on her and help her eat and relieve herself.


    These days, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao took care of her alone. At first, it was fine, but after a few days, thetter had had enough.


    It wasn¡¯t like she was her biological mother. This kind of job was tiring and dirty, so Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao naturally wasn¡¯t willing to keep taking care of her. Zhao Lan had given birth to three sons and one daughter, and now she had two daughters-inw and one biological daughter. In the end, she was still the only one taking care of her.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was very dissatisfied, but she didn¡¯t dare ask Mu Jingzhe to do it. She was very afraid that she would end up like Zhao Lan, unable to take care of herself.


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t care about Zhao Lan and wasn¡¯t married. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t endure this by herself even for a few days. She was forced to ask Shao Qiyun toe back and serve Zhao Lan with her.


    She was a daughter-inw, so it was only right for her to take care of her inws. However, her daughter should alsoe back to take care of her. Unfortunately, Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t even fend for herself. Nobody knew if it was because she was hiding from debt collectors, but she had lost contact with them, and Eldest Brother Shao couldn¡¯t contact her either.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw that Zhao Lan¡¯s condition hadn¡¯t improved at all, and everyone in the vige said that Zhao Lan would probably be like this for the rest of her life. The more Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao heard such things, the more flustered she became. If Zhao Lan remained like this for the rest of her life, then if she didn¡¯t die, would she have to continue taking care of her?


    The more Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao listened to this, the more ufortable she felt. She asked Eldest Brother Shao to help, but Eldest Brother Shao insisted that he was a son and couldn¡¯t get close to her. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was so angry that she kept scolding him.


    Mu Jingzhe could hear Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s scolding next door. ¡°You¡¯re indeed a coward, just like they say you are. I asked you to make the decision to send her to the hospital, but you refused. She¡¯s your biological mother, not mine. Your biological mother gave birth to you. What¡¯s so inconvenient about getting close to her? You wash your hands off of everything. Do you expect me to take care of her forever?¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao probably replied that it was only right since she was the daughter-inw, which caused Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to scold him again.


    ¡°I¡¯m the daughter-inw, so I should take care of her? Then what about you, her biological son? You¡¯re not filial to your own mother and want to push all the responsibility on me. How can there be such a thing? Listen to me, if you don¡¯t help me take care of her, I won¡¯t do it either!¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had really had enough of this sh*t. She made a fuss about going back to her parents¡¯ house. ¡°What kind of life am I living? It¡¯s already this bad, yet you¡¯re still talking about gender differences. Let me tell you something. If you don¡¯t handle this soon, I¡¯ll go back to my parents¡¯ house. You can think of a way yourself.¡±


    In the past, Zhao Lan had been able to help with the chores, but now, she no longer did anything. How could Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao take it?


    If Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao returned to her maternal family, the Shao Family wouldn¡¯t be able to live for another day. Eldest Brother Shao was forced to say that if there was no other way, they could drag her to the hospital for a checkup. It was unknown if he was deliberately saying this for Shao Qihai to hear it from next door, but for the first time, his voice was a little loud, so he had to be hoping that Shao Qihai would react.


    However, he was destined to be disappointed. Shao Qihai didn¡¯t seem to hear him.


    After being injured for so long, Zhao Lan was finally sent to the hospital. Eldest Brother Shao begged someone to carry Zhao Lan there.


    After Zhao Lan was taken to the hospital, Mu Jingzhe joined the production team with Little Bei. Later on, Mu Jingzhe slowly found out about Zhao Lan¡¯s condition. It was said that Zhao Lan had injured her lumbar spine. If she had been sent over earlier for treatment, she might have recovered without any problems. However, Zhao Lan had been sent over toote and could only be treated slowly. It was uncertain if she could be cured.


    In any case, she would need to be bedridden for a period of time, and this treatment would cost a lot.


    When Eldest Brother Shao heard that he would have to spend time, energy, and money, his expression darkened. He didn¡¯t say a word but had no intention of letting her undergo treatment. He only told the doctor that he didn¡¯t have money. He didn¡¯t say anything else.


    The doctor had seen such situations many times and couldn¡¯t say anything. Even if they wanted to carry Zhao Lan back, they wouldn¡¯t stop them.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect Eldest Brother Shao to go even further. He didn¡¯t want to treat Zhao Lan, nor did he want to bring her home. In fact, he didn¡¯t want to pay the fees for this hospital treatment, causing Zhao Lan to almost be abandoned in the hospital.


    In the end, it was actually Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao who handed over the money and asked the vigers to help carry her back.


    When the vigers came, Eldest Brother Shao said that Zhao Lan had disappeared. When the vigers heard that, they quickly helped look for her. In the end, they found Zhao Lan abandoned by the roadside outside the county city.


    The vigers knew very well that it was impossible for the immobile Zhao Lan to go outside the county city by herself. It was obvious at a nce that Eldest Brother Shao despised her and had abandoned her.


    Zhao Lan looked like she had died once. She didn¡¯t say anything and didn¡¯t even look at Eldest Brother Shao.


    Since Zhao Lan didn¡¯t say anything, no one in the vige said anything either. They only said that it was a good thing that she had been found and carried her back.


    That night, basically everyone in the vige knew what had happened between Zhao Lan and Eldest Brother Shao. It was unavoidable that they would gossip privately. They even brought up those who were filial and those who weren¡¯t in the vige.


    They also teased Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« and asked them where they nned to carry Eldest Brother Shao to abandon him when he got old.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« still didn¡¯t know why everyone was saying that.. They went back and repeated those words to Eldest Brother Shao.

 Chapter 283 - This Is Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 283: This Is Retribution</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    That day, Eldest Brother Shao hit Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« for the first time. ¡°When you¡¯re all grown up, you¡¯ll throw me away, huh? How dare you! I raised you. How dare you throw me away!¡±


    ¡°They are the ones who said it. We didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were very aggrieved.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao protected the children and spat, rebuking Eldest Brother Shao. ¡°If you can, go and quarrel with the vigers. Why are you venting your anger on the children? Do you think everyone is stupid and has no idea what you were nning?


    ¡°The vigers are talking behind your back and scolding you. How dare you throw your mother away? In the future, when you grow up, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« will follow suit and throw you away. I always thought that you were just a coward, but I didn¡¯t expect you to do this.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hadpletely seen through this person, who even wanted to abandon his biological mother.


    Eldest Brother Shao flew into a rage out of humiliation. He looked at Zhao Lan¡¯s room and exploded. He moved to hit Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. ¡°Who told you to spout this nonsense? Who said that I abandoned my mother? If I deal with that mouth of yours, you¡¯ll see how formidable I am!¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao was a man after all. He grabbed Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s hair and punched and kicked her. Soon, blood was drawn.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« were frightened very much. When they went to stop Eldest Brother Shao, they also got beaten up. Later on, when the vigers came, they finally managed to persuade Eldest Brother Shao.


    However, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was heartbroken. That night, she went back to her parents¡¯ house with disheveled hair.


    While all thatmotion was going on outside, Zhao Lan was crying in the room. ¡°What kind of sin have Imitted¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai was just next door, so he naturally heard this farce clearly. However, he only told the kids to go back to their room so they did not hear it.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao returned to her maternal family. Eldest Brother Shao didn¡¯t care about Zhao Lan either. Other than bringing some food in every day, he didn¡¯t care about anything else. Zhao Lan had soiled the bedpletely.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao returned to her maternal home for three days. Eldest Brother Shao went to pick her up two days in a row and said that he couldn¡¯t do it without her and that Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« couldn¡¯t live without her either.


    Eldest Brother Shao brought Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« over. Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« cried and asked Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to go back. She didn¡¯t have the heart to leave the children, so she could onlypromise.


    When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao returned, she entered Zhao Lan¡¯s room. The moment she entered, she was greeted by a stench.


    As soon as Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao came back, she was disheartened. When she saw Zhao Lan like this, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s heart turned even colder and more afraid. She didn¡¯t want to care either, but upon looking at Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, she still did something.


    Later on, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao told them repeatedly, ¡°You can¡¯t learn from your father and ignore your parents. People who do that will suffer retribution.¡±


    Now that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was back, Zhao Lan finally looked like a human. However, how could she take care of Zhao Lan every day when she also had to work? Furthermore, it was summer, and it was inevitable that she would stink.


    In the past, Zhao Lan had felt bone-deep fondness for Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. The four kids loved going to Zhao Lan¡¯s room and seeing Zhao Lan conjure delicious food like magic. Now, they hated Zhao Lan¡¯s room the most. The one time they went in, they covered their noses the entire time. After that, they never went there again.


    This time, Zhao Lan really suffered greatly and copsedpletely. She also became a little crazy. One moment, she would scold Eldest Brother Shao and say that he was unfilial. The next moment, she would be suspicious and talk to thin air. She would ask Bai Lu if she was looking at her and if she felt good seeing her like this.


    She scolded Eldest Brother Shao, Shao Qihai, and Shao Qiyang, but she never scolded Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.


    She would even beg Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to buy some incense for her because she wanted to burn it for Bai Lu. After all was said and done, she was still fearful of Bai Lu.


    Other than burning incense and praying to Buddha, she kept saying nonsense. Zhao Lan also cried a lot, saying that she had given birth to four children, but in the end, she had ended up in a sorry state. After crying and scolding Eldest Brother Shao, she started to resign herself to fate and shout about retribution.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Zhao Lan had finally said something right. This was retribution.


    As this news spread, Mu Jingzhe could only say that she deserved it.


    Zhao Lan had been biased toward Eldest Brother Shao and had always said that Eldest Brother Shao was filial. In the end, Eldest Brother Shao only knew how to coax people. Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t be relied on either. On the other hand, Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang were good. Unfortunately, they had been tormented by her until thest bit of kinship between them had disappeared and they no longer cared about her.


    Her ¡°filial¡± eldest son couldn¡¯t evenpare to Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, who was considered an outsider.


    As Zhao Lan¡¯s news kepting, Mu Jingzhe had already entered the filming set with Little Bei.


    This time, Little Bei was considered the female lead, but the real protagonists were another Best Actor and a new actor. Still, the story revolved around Little Bei.


    The overall story wasn¡¯tplicated. The movie mainly told the story of two brothers who had a bad rtionship with their parents since they were young and their half-sister. The Best Actor was the eldest, and the neer was the second son. The younger sister was naturally portrayed by Little Bei.


    The Best Actor¡¯s father was an old-fashioned parent who believed that filial children were raised with a stick. He was very strict with his children and was a typical oppressive father. He also had a bad personality and often hit his children. asionally, he would even hit his wife.


    However, at the time, because all the men had seemed to be like this, no one had said anything. Still, because the Best Actor didn¡¯t listen to his parents and didn¡¯t take the path they had arranged for him, the conflict snowballedter on.


    Initially, everything was fine while his mother was mediating between them, but after his mother left, the rtionship between the father and son worsened. In the end, they even had aplete fallout with each other.


    The younger brother couldn¡¯t persuade them and could only feel anxious. Later on, the Best Actor ran away from home and didn¡¯t contact them for more than ten years. When he finally did, it was when his father died.


    In the end, the Best Actor went back and found out that his father had gotten married again and had a daughter. Hisst words had been that he wanted them to raise their younger sister.


    The Best Actor felt that she was a result of his father betraying his mother and didn¡¯t want to care for her at all. However, that younger sister had set her sights on them and did as her father had told her, following the older brother wherever he went.


    The Best Actor and his younger brother had no choice but to support their younger sister.


    The overall story wasn¡¯tplicated. In the end, the younger sister yed by Little Bei entered the hearts of the two older brothers. The siblings supported each other and became a true family.


    Thetter half of the movie was heartwarming, but the first half was quite funny. The two brothers had never taken care of a younger sister before, yet they were forced to take care of her. They were sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, which resulted in a lot of funny scenes. The script was hrious, and the live scenes even more so.


    Mu Jingzheughed as she read it.


    Little Bei was really talented. Previously, the role she had taken on had been a little bitter. This time, her character was pure, mischievous, andical. The two of them looked like father-and-daughter, but in reality, they were siblings. Their day-to-day lives made peopleugh out loud.


    Although this was the first time the three of them worked together, they had great chemistry. One of them was the Best Actor, and the other was the youngest Best Actress. Needless to say, their acting skills were outstanding. The new actor was also very impressive.


    Mu Jingzheughed happily every day. Although she was amused, it was also because the Best Actor was very handsome and the new actor was very cute.


    The Best Actor¡¯s surname was Shen, and his name was Han. Because his mother¡¯s surname was Shen and his father¡¯s surname was Han, he had taken his mother¡¯s surname, which was also a legendary example of marrying into a family.


    Shen Han was 32 years old and was much more mature than the new actor. The new actor¡¯s surname was Bai, and his name was also Bai. Because his name was a little strange, it was easy for people to remember it.


    Bai Bai was very humble and worked hard on the scene. He was full of vigor, hardworking, and adorable, making Mu Jingzhe sigh countless times over how good it was to be young.


    Bai Bai was charming. If he was considered fresh, sweet fruit juice, then Shen Han was a mature wine with great vor.. His appearance and aura were simply mesmerizing.

 Chapter 284 - The Man Mommy Likes

    <h4>Chapter 284: The Man Mommy Likes</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe, who was in the production team, kept hearing the crew members secretly scream and shout from the side. They whispered things like ¡®Best Actor Shen is so handsome¡¯, ¡®Little Bai is so dashing¡¯, ¡®Best Actor Shen is really charming¡¯, and ¡®Little Bai is super cute¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded in agreement. That¡¯s right, these were her heartfelt words. They were simply too handsome. She felt really blissful.


    The atmosphere in the production team was excellent. Ever since Mu Jingzhe had entered the production team, she didn¡¯t have to think about anything. She was able to look at handsome men at any time, so she felt that these days were really blissful.


    Little Bei also felt happy. It had been a while since she hadst acted. This time, she was full of energy and she felt lucky to meet two amazing actors. This made her feel even better, like a fish in water, and she had a kick acting alongside them.


    More importantly, although there were crying scenes this time too, they were much fewer thanst time. As the story was mainly hrious and happy, Little Bei acted happily too.


    Everything went smoothly, and Mu Jingzhe was in a splendid mood. While looking at the two handsome guys and Little Bei, Mu Jingzhe was filled with inspiration and could easily design a few sets of clothes.


    However, these clothes didn¡¯t have to be made. After all, the movie costumes were basically prepared in the early stages of production. They weren¡¯t very likely to be changed, and some of them weren¡¯t suitable. After all, a few of them were formal evening wear.


    However, when inspiration came, how could one not draw? Therefore, Mu Jingzhe would asionally take out the notebook she was carrying and casually draw. She would envy Little Bei on a daily basis.


    Why was Mu Jingzhe envious of Little Bei? Because Little Bei was blissfully being piggybacked and hugged by the Best Actor. Many a time, she also wanted to be Little Bei. That scene was really wonderful and warm. Mu Jingzhe was certain that Little Bei would definitely be the object of many people¡¯s envy in the future.


    Little Bei was lucky to be working with such a charming and handsome duo at such a young age.


    Little Bei also felt that this was awesome. She was an actress who could drive people, but she was even stronger when she met a strong opponent. Every time she acted, she felt immensely satisfied. Even though she was young, she wasn¡¯t afraid of acting with the Best Actor. In fact, they were evenly matched.


    Little Bei was cute to begin with, and her acting was incredible, so Shen Han and Xiao Bai liked her a lot. They doted on her subconsciously and even discussed acting with her.


    It was the same that day. The three of them gathered together to discuss again. Shen Han and Xiao Bai couldn¡¯t help but start feeding Little Bei. Mu Jingzhe watched from the side with a face full of smiles.


    Because she was so focused, she didn¡¯t notice it immediately when Shao Dong arrived.


    The first thing Shao Dong did when he arrived was look for Mu Jingzhe. He even called out to her, but Mu Jingzhe was still beaming as she looked ahead, oblivious to his arrival. Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze and then looked opposite him. He leaned closer and asked Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, do you really like Best Actor Shen and Bai Bai?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. They¡¯re so handsome,¡± Mu Jingzhe reflexively replied. She only reacted after answering. ¡°Little Dong, you¡¯re here. When did you arrive?¡±


    ¡°Just now.¡± Shao Dong looked at Shen Han and Bai Bai and asked casually, ¡°Mom, which one do you like more?¡±


    ¡°Shen Han¡­ No, I like Bai Bai too. I like them both,¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately answered. Then, she looked at him suspiciously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Just asking.¡± Shao Dong shook his head and didn¡¯t say much, but a hint of understanding shed across his eyes.


    It seemed like Mommy really liked Shen Han. In that case, he had to do something.


    It didn¡¯t ur to Mu Jingzhe what Shao Dong was thinking. When she saw Shao Dong, Mu Jingzhe remembered something important. ¡°Little Dong, the refrigerators have entered the country. The logo is quite clear. My rolls and tissues have also arrived.¡±


    Shao Dong hade over as the movie was about to start filming. When he saw the setyout, he suddenly discussed with Mu Jingzhe whether they could invest in the movie or sponsor it. Later on, they set up a Good Brother refrigerator in the house on the set.


    There was no need to do anything. The refrigerator was just set up for them to use for free, and they could even provide some support.


    Realizing that this was product cement[1] for television dramas and movies, Mu Jingzhe was stunned. Television wasn¡¯t that popr in this era, and there weren¡¯t that many televisionmercials either. There wasn¡¯t even such a thing as celebrity endorsements. Therefore, this aspect wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as inter generations.


    However, this idea had urred to Shao Dong. His judgment and business acumen were truly impable. Mu Jingzhe expressed her admiration. Since he had thought of it, she naturally couldn¡¯t let it go. In the end, she discussed it with various parties and reached a cooperative agreement.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that it was feasible. At the end of the day, she also benefited from it. Her paper products appeared in the production as product cement as well. Just like the refrigerators, there wasn¡¯t a need to read out loud slogans or anything, like they did in televisionmercials. All they had to do was ce the product there.


    From then on, Shao Dong and Mu Jingzhe were considered partners. While they were on vacation, Shao Dong had been busy with the Good Brother refrigerator. He wanted tounch it in the market as soon as possible.


    At their current rate, refrigerators could be listed in bulk before the movie was released.


    As Shao Dong came often, the production team became familiar with him. They all knew that Shao Dong wasn¡¯t an ordinary child and couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    Although Shao Dong was young, he was still very smart and mature when he spoke. In fact, some adults might not even be as good as him. Therefore, the crew didn¡¯t treat him as a child.


    However, other than talking a little more at home, Shao Dong still didn¡¯t talk much outside. It wasn¡¯t just because he stuttered, but it was impossible for him to say that he didn¡¯t care at all. Still, Shao Dong wasn¡¯t as conscious of it and didn¡¯t feel as inferior as before. It was just that he still didn¡¯t talk much out of habit.


    It was a rare urrence for Shao Dong to look for Shen Han that day. He even went to look for Bai Bai. No one knew what they were talking about, but they seemed to be chatting quite happily.


    When Mu Jingzhe brought Little Bei out so she could change into her costume, she saw Shao Dong chatting happily with them.


    On the way back to the temporarily rented house, Mu Jingzhe asked Shao Dong what they were talking about curiously. Shao Dong shook his head. ¡°Nothing, we were just chatting casually.¡±


    This time, Little Bei¡¯s filming location was in Ocean City. The production team had rented a hotel room. Because they had taken into ount that Shao Dong and the others woulde over, Mu Jingzhe had rented a house near the hotel. Renting a house was better than staying in a hotel. It was convenient to prepare some food and stew some green bean soup. She could bring it to the production team to relieve Little Bei and herself of potential heat at any time.


    The house was on the first floor. It was an ordinary house with many neighbors around. There was even a well in the courtyard, which was very rare. The water in the well was very sweet, and watermelons tasted especially sweet and cool after soaking in the well.


    Mu Jingzhe would also soak the green bean soup in to cool it down. It was considered a natural refrigerator, but it was better than a refrigerator and wasn¡¯t as cold.


    During summer vacation, filming wouldn¡¯t dy Little Bei¡¯s sses, and she wouldn¡¯t have to suffer from the cold. However, that didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t have to suffer, especially when filming autumn and winter scenes during the summer. In the summer, Little Bei had to act very cold and wear a cotton jacket and a scarf.


    When they saw it on the screen, the audience only felt that it was cute. Only those present knew that there was a price to pay for this cuteness. Because Little Bei kept sweating, she had to wipe her sweat from time to time.


    Every time Little Bei took off her clothes after filming, they would be drenched. If she wasn¡¯t careful, she might suffer a heatstroke. Mu Jingzhe had been paying attention and giving Little Bei more water and green bean soup every day.


    [1] a form of advertising that involved branded goods and services being featured in a production that targets arge audience

 Chapter 285 - Keeping Her Promise to Mommy

    <h4>Chapter 285: Keeping Her Promise to Mommy</h4>


    Thanks to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s meticulous care every day, Little Bei didn¡¯t get heatstroke, but she would still get rashes sometimes.


    When it came to filming summer scenes in the winter and filming winter scenes in the summer, no one could say which one made one want to cry more.


    If this were an adult, Mu Jingzhe would think that this was something they should bear because of their profession. However, Little Bei was still young. Although she knew that this was something she should bear as an actress, her heart still ached.


    Along the way, she kept fanning Little Bei. As for Shao Dong, she could only let him fan himself.


    When they returned home, they first pulled up a particrly cold pot of water from the well. Only after drinking a full jar of water did they feel alive.


    After resting for a while, Mu Jingzhe started preparing dinner. The weather was really hot, so Little Bei and Shao Dong didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. However, Little Bei¡¯s schedule was full every day. Since she couldn¡¯t eat, Mu Jingzhe could only think of ways to make some nutritious food for Little Bei. If she couldn¡¯t eat the food provided by the production crew, she simply wouldn¡¯t eat.


    Mu Jingzhe made cold noodles, which were sour and spicy. She also stir-fried peppers and beef. Using the steamed buns she had bought, she modified the roujiamo[1] into meat buns.


    The pickled pepper beef tasted delicious with rice and cold noodles alike. Little Bei and Shao Dong ate without looking up. ¡°Delicious. Mommy¡¯s cooking is really delicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Shao Dong said. Only when he saw his mother would his stomach get round, especially this summer.


    After eating the noodles and meat buns, Shao Dong rushed to wash the dishes while Mu Jingzhe fanned him.


    Shao Dong felt helpless. ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to fan me. I¡¯m not hot now, yet you¡¯re fanning me. How is that any different from you washing the dishes?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe either fanned him or Little Bei all day long, making Shao Dong feel helpless and causing his heart to ache.


    However, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached for Shao Dong and Little Bei. Shao Dong was also busy these days.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you hot? Look, the tip of your nose is covered in sweat.¡± The five kids all had a special characteristic when they perspired¡ªthey tended to perspire on the tip of their noses. In the summer, there would always be a little sweat on the tip of their noses.


    Mu Jingzhe reached out and wiped the sweat from the tip of Shao Dong¡¯s nose.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not hot. Mom, you should rest for a while. Or you can go to work.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong and thought for a moment before getting up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get busy. You can rest for a while after you¡¯re done washing the dishes.¡±


    Shao Dong washed the dishes and went to apany Little Bei while Mu Jingzhe busied herself for a while.


    When the sky turned dark, Mu Jingzhe took out the watermelon she had bought on the way. As soon as she split it with the knife, she heard a loud crack.


    ¡°I can tell from the sound that this watermelon was a good choice.¡±


    Upon opening it, she saw that it was indeed a good watermelon. It waspletely ripe, red inside, and the skin was very thin. The middle was covered with a sand-likeyer.


    Mu Jingzhe was very satisfied. She hadn¡¯t chosen it so meticulously in vain.


    After a few bites, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and Little Bei couldn¡¯t help but pick some more up and eat it. They were satisfied. ¡°Sweet, really sweet.¡±


    They had bought a lot of watermelons and ate less than a quarter of them. Mu Jingzhe cut the remaining watermelons into small pieces and stored them properly. Then, she and Little Bei returned to the production team.


    The reason she came back was because they were still filming at night and Little Bei had some scenes to film.


    As soon as they saw Mu Jingzhe bring the watermelon, all the crew members ran over to eat a piece. Although it wasn¡¯t big, it wasfortable to eat a cool slice.


    The filming sessionsted until midnight. The director pursued perfection, so some scenes were filmed a few times.


    As a result, when Little Bei took off her costume, she was sweaty again. She had been energetic during the filming process just now, but after the scene, she immediately became listless.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly asked Little Bei to drink some water and gave her a piggyback ride on the way back. Little Bei was exhausted and fell asleep along the way.


    Shao Dong wasn¡¯t tired. He slowly fanned himself and chased away the mosquitoes for Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei. In the quiet night, he whispered to Mu Jingzhe as they returned to the rental house.


    Little Bei had fallen asleep. She didn¡¯t know that she was carried to bed when she got home. Mu Jingzhe carefully wiped Little Bei¡¯s face and feet before she and Shao Dong went to sleep.


    The rented house had two rooms, but the other room was used as a studio by Mu Jingzhe, so Shao Dong slept in the same room as Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei. However, they all slept in different beds.


    ¡°Hurry up and sleep.¡± After confirming that there were no more mosquitoes, she put down the mosquito andy down. Mu Jingzhe fell asleep within five minutes, and Shao Dong was thest one to fall asleep.


    Shao Dong went to Ocean City with Mu Han. The next day, he followed Mu Han and kept himself busy with work, but when he had time, he would join the production team.


    Two dayster, Shao Dong suddenly told Mu Jingzhe that he and Shen Han had agreed to eat together and asked Mu Jingzhe to bring Little Bei along.


    ¡°Why did Best Actor Shen agree to eat with you?¡± Shen Han was called Best Actor. Although he was approachable in the production team, had interacted with Mu Jingzhe before, and everyone said that he was a nice person, that didn¡¯t mean that anyone could eat with him.


    Even though Shen Han was very focused on filming, and at the moment, he wasn¡¯t as dramatic as the celebrities in the future, who had bodyguards and assistants surrounding them, it was difficult to even speak to him. Given Shen Han¡¯s status, not everyone could eat with him. He also had assistants around him at all times.


    Usually, Shen Han only interacted with the director and assistant director. He ate the most with them and kept his distance from everyone else. He wouldn¡¯t eat with anyone easily. Mu Jingzhe found it amazing that Shao Dong had been able to make an appointment with him. She was also curious to know why these two unrted people would get together.


    ¡°I helped Brother Shen solve some problems.¡± Because Little Bei called him ¡®Brother¡¯ in and out of the movie set, Shao Dong did the same. ¡°Anyway, Mommy, you cane without worrying. Don¡¯t you like Brother Shen Han? You can doll yourself up when the timees.¡±


    ¡°I do like him a lot, but I didn¡¯t expect to eat with him. What did you help him with, Little Dong? Can I reallye?¡± Mu Jingzhe was even more nervous when she heard that she had to doll up.


    Who wouldn¡¯t like someone as charismatic as Shen Han? However, it felt a little different to eat with him in private. Mu Jingzhe hesitated. ¡°Why would Ie?¡± It was fine if it was for work, but it was different when she saw celebrities in private.


    ¡°Why not? Come eat and talk. Don¡¯t you like him? Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Shao Dong paused for a moment. ¡°As for what I helped him with, it was just a small favor. Mommy, you don¡¯t have to mind.¡±


    Actually, Shao Dong had helped him quite a bit. Although Shen Han was filming, he also owned some businesses. Recently, he had encountered some problems that he hadn¡¯t solved. He hadn¡¯t expected Shao Dong toe up with an idea and actually help solve them. Therefore, Shen Han was quite grateful to him and was naturally willing to meet him for a meal.


    As for why Shao Dong had wanted to help Shen Han, he naturally had his reasons. Since Mommy liked Shen Han, he would help Mommy so that she could interact more with him.


    Shao Dong thought that Shen Han and Bai Bai were quite nice too, but he hadn¡¯t nned on interacting with them much in the past. Although Shao Dong currently looked very warm, if they were strangers, he wouldn¡¯t have been nosy. He had done all this for Mu Jingzhe.


    [1] the Chinese equivalent of the Western hamburger

 Chapter 286 - I Suspect She Wants to Seduce Me

    <h4>Chapter 286: I Suspect She Wants to Seduce Me</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Both Shao Dong and Shao Xi remembered their promise back then¡ªif Mommy liked someone, they would definitely think of a way to get that guy for her. They wouldn¡¯t break thew, but they could indeed do it through certain means.


    Although they had proposed this under the premise that Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t be around, it didn¡¯t matter even now that Shao Qihai hade back. It was fine as long as Mommy liked it.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe liked Shen Han so much, Shao Dong had been tempted to help. That day, he¡¯d specifically tried to get to know Shen Han and even helped hime up with ideas for this purpose.


    The effect was not bad. Shao Dong was very satisfied.


    Shao Dong personally picked out an outfit for Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, the clothes and dresses you make are so beautiful. Make more for yourself in the future and buy a few more. Wear¡­ this tonight. Coincidentally, it¡¯s not as hot as a few days ago.¡±


    Shao Dong had chosen a long red dress. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely look good in it.¡±


    Shao Dong had previously realized that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t pick colors when she wore clothes. Some red and ck shades were very easy to pull off. Furthermore, they would be very stunning when worn. This red dress would definitely look good on her.


    Mu Jingzhe took a step back. ¡°This dress is too grand, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no need¡­¡± It was so red and grand.


    ¡°There is. Mommy, don¡¯t you want to meet Brother Shen looking your best?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± In the end, Mu Jingzhe took the dress and changed into it. Shao Dong was very satisfied upon seeing it. It was indeed beautiful andpletely dazzling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When they arrived at the restaurant, Shao Dong simply told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, you can do whatever you want. Brother Shen won¡¯t mind.¡±


    Even if he minded, he would find a way to handle it.


    Now that Mu Jingzhe had received encouragement, she took out her notebook after eating with Shen Han and asked him for his autograph. She then took out her camera and took a photo with Shen Han.


    An autograph, a photo, and a meal together were awesome fan benefits. Mu Jingzhe was very excited on the way back.


    Shao Dong was d to see Mu Jingzhe so happy.


    Only Shen Han and his assistant were stunned the entire time. Shen Han had always liked Little Bei very much but hadn¡¯t interacted much with Mu Jingzhe. However, he knew that she was a special, quite capable person. She was also Little Bei¡¯s mother, but he really didn¡¯t know her well.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes had lit up whenever she had seen him, but this was normal for Shen Han. Not to exaggerate, but the eyes of more than half of the people he met outside would light up when they saw him. It would be strange if they didn¡¯t.


    Later on, when he¡¯d identally interacted with Shao Dong, Shen Han had realized that this young man was very impressive and admired him. Later on, when Shao Dong had said that he wanted to treat him to a meal, he had agreed without giving it much thought. He hadn¡¯t expected Shao Dong to add that his younger sister and mother, Mu Jingzhe, would alsoe.


    Shen Han¡¯s assistant was sensitive and had different thoughts about it. He¡¯d even muttered to Shen Han that he didn¡¯t have a good vibe about this. They had seen many such tricks and threats, as well as all sorts of methods before.


    Some people, when they had money or power, wanted to get their hands on the famous movie stars seen on the screen. However, the assistant hadn¡¯t expected a young child like Shao Dong to do such a thing. He suspected that Shao Dong had been instructed by Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe must have wanted to do something to Shen Han but was afraid that they would be wary, so she had specifically sent Shao Dong to get in contact with Shen Han instead.


    However, Shao Dong was a kind child. That was why he¡¯d made sure to warn them. Actually, Mu Jingzhe had also gone back that day.


    The assistant didn¡¯t even want Shen Han to go, lest this became more troublesome. In the end, it was Shen Han who had hesitated for a moment and insisted oning. He¡¯d said that it should be a misunderstanding and that there was no need to be so nervous. Shen Han felt that Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei didn¡¯t seem to be such people.


    However, when they arrived, they saw Mu Jingzhe, who had specifically dressed up as if she was about to walk into a wedding hall.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair still wasn¡¯t long, and her hairstyle was short and refreshing. She had dressed up for the asion, so her appearance was several times more outstanding than when she was in the production team. On the whole, she didn¡¯t look inferior to female celebrities. However, this made Shen Han and his assistant¡¯s hearts turn cold. They felt that they had fallen for her trick. Just by looking at Mu Jingzhe, they knew that she really had an ulterior motive.


    Shen Han was disappointed. He had already decided that if the situation was weird or Mu Jingzhe confessed her love, he would immediately leave. In the future, he would keep his distance from Little Bei and never interact with Shao Dong again.


    Amid Shen Han and his assistant¡¯s various considerations and vignce, Mu Jingzhe became increasingly brazen. Every time she looked at him, she would eat a mouthful of rice, as if she treated him as food. Shao Dong, who was beside her, seemed very happy. The doting look on his face was extremely strange when it appeared on a child¡¯s face.


    The assistant knew that Shao Dong hadn¡¯t been threatened by Mu Jingzhe. Rather, he was the one who had taken the initiative.


    Not only that, but Shao Dong even gave Mu Jingzhe an encouraging look, as if he was urging her to do something.


    A secondter, Mu Jingzhe looked at him. As Shen Han stayed vignt, Mu Jingzhe pushed a notebook over in embarrassment and asked for his autograph.


    Shen Han: ¡°???¡±


    No, she was asking him for an autograph after half a day of encouragement? Why was she only asking for an autograph after spending so many days in the production team with him? Shen Han was skeptical as he signed. Then, he saw Shao Dong¡¯s encouraging gaze again.


    While Shen Han was speechless, Mu Jingzhe politely asked him if she could take a photo with him.


    Shen Han didn¡¯t know how to describe it, but his professionalism made him agree with a smile. Then, he saw Mu Jingzhe take out a camera with a delighted expression. Shao Dong took the camera from her and helped them take a photo.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was standing beside him, beamed vibrantly. She didn¡¯t get very close and she justughed and pped.


    On the other hand, because Shen Han was so surprised, he looked at Mu Jingzhe in the first photo. Then, he finally looked at the camera in the second one.


    After taking the photos, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and Little Bei bade him farewell with a smile. Just as Shen Han and his assistant felt that there was definitely a backup n, they really left and never returned.


    Shen Han and his assistant looked at each other. Later on, the assistant couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Brother Shen, is it over just like that?¡± He had been very vignt and had even brought some tools in his bag in case there was a need for them. He had been prepared to fight a tough battle, but it had ended just like that?


    ¡°What else do you want? Like I said, you didn¡¯t have to be so worried.¡± Shen Han was unwilling to admit that he had also been nervous. After saying that, he slowly stood up. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to be anxious about everything in the future. She¡¯s probably just my movie fan.¡±


    The assistant wanted to retort, thinking that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze was clearly lustful. Besides, she had dolled herself up very fancily, so it was inevitable that others would misunderstand.


    However, Mu Jingzhe had left just like that. In the end, the assistant could only lower his head and leave with Shen Han. He thought to himself that he really shouldn¡¯t be anxious about everything in the future.


    However, they didn¡¯t know that Mu Jingzhe actually didn¡¯t have such intentions. Otherwise, based on how well the five kids treated Mu Jingzhe, if Mu Jingzhe really wanted to do something, they would really help and make sure Mu Jingzhe got her wish. After all, it was a blessing for a guy to be liked by their mother.


    No matter how conflicted Shen Han and his assistant were feeling, Mu Jingzhe went back and looked at the autograph again and again. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you everywhere in the future, Little Bei. I¡¯ll definitely meet more and more celebrities. If possible, I¡¯ll try my best to get their autographs. I¡¯ll collect them in a book in the future.. It¡¯ll be so worth it.¡±

 Chapter 287 - Why Did They Witness Such A Fiery Scene As Soon As They Came?

    <h4>Chapter 287: Why Did They Witness Such A Fiery Scene As Soon As They Came?</h4>


    Little Bei didn¡¯t know why an autograph was worth it, but she supported Mu Jingzhe if she liked it. ¡°Sure, who does Mommy like? I¡¯ll get an autograph for you when I see that person in the future.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need. You¡¯re their colleague. There¡¯s no need to do this. I can do it myself.¡± She wasn¡¯t someone who chased after celebrities either, so how could she trouble Little Bei?


    Mu Jingzhe suddenly looked at Little Bei. ¡°Little Bei, I almost forgot about you. Sign one for me too. You¡¯re the youngest movie queen.¡±


    Little Bei was surprised. ¡°Can I sign for Mommy too?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Little Bei, you are amazing. You¡¯re the youngest movie queen. Who¡¯s qualified to sign autographs if you¡¯re not?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was serious. Although Little Bei was now her daughter and she was looking at her through certain filters, she was still proud of Little Bei when she saw her acting.


    In the acting field, Little Bei was truly professional and worthy of recognition.


    ¡°Little Bei, your signature will definitely be the most valuable one in the future!¡±


    Little Bei couldn¡¯t stop smiling after being praised. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll sign one for Mommy.¡±


    Little Bei took the pen and was about to sign when she suddenly saw Shen Han¡¯s signature. Shen Han¡¯s signature had been specially designed. In addition, his handwriting was beautiful to begin with, so his signature looked very elegant and smooth.


    However, Little Bei was still young. Although she had also practiced calligraphy and the words she wrote were very beautiful, they still carried a hint of childishness and she had yet to develop her own style. This was still the writing style of a primary school student, so it couldn¡¯t bepared to Shen Han¡¯s.


    Hence, Little Bei paused. ¡°I won¡¯t sign for the time being. Mommy, wait for me to practice my signature.¡±


    Little Bei went to practice signing. Mu Jingzhe even suggested so. Shao Dong was watching from the side when the pager suddenly rang. He took a look and told Mu Jingzhe to return the call.


    The person who had contacted Shao Dong was Shao Xi, who was paging to ask how the meal had gone. Shao Xi and the others had made suggestions for this date that Shao Dong had arranged.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. Mommy is very happy. She even asked for an autograph and a photo.¡±


    ¡°As long as Mommy is happy. But why don¡¯t you make him hang out with Mommy more? Mommy likes him very much.¡± Shao Xi found it a little strange.


    ¡°Mommy can do whatever she wants. There¡¯s no need to stipte what she wants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Shao Xi agreed. Then, he reminded him, ¡°When you¡¯re with Mommy, pay attention to what Mommy likes and who she likes. If she likes something, we¡¯ll think of a way to buy it for her. If she likes another movie star, you¡¯ve got to fight for opportunities like this one on her behalf.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I think Mommy likes Brother Bai quite a lot too. I¡¯ll make arrangements if there¡¯s a chance.¡± Shao Dong agreed.


    Compared to Shen Han, Bai Bai wasn¡¯t busy and was more approachable. He was also easier to talk to, so he knew the crew the best.


    Bai Bai, who knew the story of Little Bei¡¯s siblings, was very amazed by it. He was also very curious to know if Xiao Wu could coborate with the production team this time.


    This had not been confirmed for the time being, but when Shao Dong came and Bai Bai found out that he was Little Bei¡¯s older brother, the only good-for-nothing among the five legendary siblings, Bai Bai even curiously interacted with him.


    Then, he learned that Shao Dong wasn¡¯t inferior to his younger siblings at all. As a younger sister, Little Bei would listen to her older brother.


    At first, they didn¡¯t have time to interact with each other. Later on, when they had the chance to interact, Bai Bai didn¡¯t have the air of an adult and hit it off with Shao Dong. When they talked about eating with Mu Jingzhe present as well, Bai Bai didn¡¯t think much of it and was actually very happy.


    Mu Jingzhe was puzzled for a moment when she heard that Shao Dong had invited Bai Bai to eat with them. ¡°Why are you suddenly inviting someone to eat with us again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a casual meal. Mommy, don¡¯t you like him?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Of course I like him.¡± Bai Bai¡¯s style waspletely different from Shen Han¡¯s, but he was also a handsome little cutie. Mu Jingzhe felt that with this momentum, Bai Bai would definitely have a pretty bright future ahead of him.


    It was naturally nice to be able to eat with a handsome guy. Mu Jingzhe happily apanied Shao Dong and asked for Bai Bai¡¯s autograph.


    Bai Bai was very surprised. ¡°You want my autograph? I¡¯m still verycking.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be a big star in the future. When the timees, this autograph will be worth a lot of money.¡± Mu Jingzhe spoke the truth, but this gave Bai Bai Bai a big surprise.


    Hence, he gave her his autograph and took a photo with her in one go. However, the gathering didn¡¯t end there. This was because Bai Bai mentioned the clothes in the movie. He said that he liked two of the costumes Mu Jingzhe had made and praised her.


    Mu Jingzhe was delighted to hear that. Coincidentally, she was used to carrying her notebook with her now, so she took out the sketches she had drawn when inspiration had struck. ¡°If you like this, I can give you one set. This is what I drew when I saw you and got inspired. You could wear these two sets normally. You can choose one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll give it to me?¡± Bai Bai was even more surprised when he saw them. ¡°I like them both. Sister Jingzhe, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t gift them to me. I want both sets.¡±


    At the thought that Mu Jingzhe could also customize formal evening wear, he decided to take this chance to ce an order. Since a business deal had been presented, Mu Jingzhe naturally epted it. Therefore, after dinner, she turned around and went to the rental house to get Bai Bai¡¯stest measurements in a simple studio.


    As far as formal evening wear was concerned, Bai Bai quite liked the designs that Mu Jingzhe had drawn previously. Bai Bai was serious when he acted, but in private, he was a boy who liked to act cool and he was also a little vain. He was very willing to dress up and he had many ideas.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that it was good for him to be trendy. Hence, she started discussing this with him. Little Bei and Shao Dong also chimed in from time to time.


    Bai Bai brought up some small suggestions of his own. After the design was confirmed, she started measuring. As she measured, they chatted happily.


    Ji Buwang, Shao Qihai, Xiao Wu, and Shao Xi had the address and came over. When they heard themotion and entered, they saw Mu Jingzhe gently wrapping her arms around the waist of a handsome young boy. The boy looked very familiar. The way his arms were spread open, it seemed as if he was enjoying Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hug.


    Shao Dong and Little Bei were beside him, but they didn¡¯t stop him at all. They evenughed, sounding particrly happy.


    Shao Xi and Xiao Wu didn¡¯t feel that anything was wrong. They were only happy to see Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong, but Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai froze in unison.


    What was going on? Why did they witness such a fiery scene the moment they arrived?


    Ji Buwang quickly looked over and wanted to tell himself that this was a short-haired woman, but no matter how he looked at it, that person wasn¡¯t a woman. His expression changed slightly.


    Shao Qihai was even more direct. He was stunned for a moment before rushing over. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡­¡±


    Just as he moved and started to speak, Mu Jingzhe let go. She lowered her head and was about to look at the measuring tape when she heard the voice and turned her head. Her eyes lit up when she saw them.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Didn¡¯t you say you would be here tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Xiao Wu and Shao Xi had already run over to hug Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe squatted down and picked them up from her left and right. She spun them around happily. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we really, really missed you!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe put them down and looked at Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai looked at Bai Bai, who was smiling at them and Mu Jingzhe, and his gaze turned sharp. ¡°Jingzhe, this is¡­¡±


    Under Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang¡¯s gazes, the smile on Bai Bai¡¯s face froze. Why were they looking at him as though he had been caughtmitting adultery? He felt afraid.

 Chapter 288 - Head to Head

    <h4>Chapter 288: Head to Head</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe also realized that their gazes were a little strange and quickly stood in front of Bai Bai. ¡°Why are you looking at him like that? It¡¯s scary.¡±


    Ji Buwang, who was initially quite calm, didn¡¯t look so good when he saw that Mu Jingzhe was actually so protective of Bai Bai. ¡°Jingzhe, who is this?¡±


    ¡°My client, Little Bei¡¯s older brother in the movie. He wanted customized formal evening wear, so he came to our house for me to take his measurements.¡± Speaking of that, Mu Jingzhe remembered that she was supposed to be taking measurements and smiled apologetically at Bai Bai.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t see the number just now. I¡¯ll measure you again. It¡¯ll be over soon.¡±


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang¡¯s expressions rxed when they heard that. A trace of regret shed across Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes. They were too paranoid. Upon thinking about it, it made sense. Little Bei and Shao Dong were still around. What could have happened?


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang. ¡°Wait for me for a while. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Qihai agreed obediently.


    Ji Buwang said, ¡°I¡¯ll help too.¡±


    After saying that, he walked over and took the measuring tape. ¡°Are you measuring his waist?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe only responded with an ¡°Mm¡± before Ji Buwang directly got to work, not giving Mu Jingzhe a chance to do it herself. Although he knew that this was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s job, he still felt jealous seeing them standing so close to each other.


    As an actor, Bai Bai was actually already used to being measured, so he didn¡¯t think too much of it. However, after Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai appeared, no matter how slow Bai Bai was, he realized something was wrong based on their sharp gazes.


    Before he could say anything, Ji Buwang had already started measuring him.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang had outstanding looks, which gave Bai Bai a certain amount of pressure. However, when he saw Ji Buwang approaching and looking more like a celebrity, one more fashionable and good-looking than him, Bai Bai felt even more bitter.


    Who was the real celebrity here?!


    He couldn¡¯t help but hold his breath. When Ji Buwang sensed it, he patted him. ¡°Rx.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at the measuring tape and reported the number to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Leg length.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang and was about to say that she could do it herself, but Ji Buwang had already squatted down.


    Looking at Ji Buwang¡¯s long legs, Bai Bai instantly felt that the long legs he had always been proud of weren¡¯t enough. Ji Buwang¡¯s measurements seemed to be even better than his.


    He nced in Shao Qihai¡¯s direction, and Shao Qihai was also looking at him. He had been a step slower just now and had almost asked Mu Jingzhe to continue helping him measure. Fortunately, Ji Buwang reacted quickly.


    He was a little vexed, but he couldn¡¯t help but want to help do something. Bai Bai looked over and raised his eyebrows, his gaze questioning.


    However, Bai Bai¡¯s gazended on his arm, and his eyes were filled with envy. Such beautiful lines. Although he was wearing clothes, his summer clothes were thin, and one could vaguely see the muscr lines under them. He was definitely sturdy and strong.


    Bai Bai had a slim figure and was very envious of such beautiful, not exaggerated muscles. His boss often said that one shouldn¡¯t look fat with clothes on but brawny when the clothes were taken off. This person clearly fit the criteria.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang had two different styles. Ji Buwang had a good disposition, cold and fair skin, and was fashionable. He was more like a celebrity than him, while Shao Qihai had the cool guy look. He was very envious of both styles.


    Due to the appearance of Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang, Bai Bai felt a little inferior. He also had good judgment. After getting his measurements taken, he didn¡¯t say much and just left.


    Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai both heaved a sigh of relief, while Mu Jingzhe was very puzzled. ¡°Why did youe together? And why did youe early?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s second travelogue was about to be published. This time, he wasing to Ocean City to participate in a reading session, which was also an exchange between the new generation of young authors. They¡¯d been originally scheduled to only arrive tomorrow.


    Xiao Wu, on the other hand, wanted toe to Ocean City to meet the director and see if they could coborate on the soundtrack for the movie. Previously, Xiao Wu had done a great job ofposing apaniment music for movies, and he was now considered famous in the industry.


    Although he was too young and many people had concerns, there were also many people who thought highly of him. Since Little Bei was participating in the movie this time, the director took this opportunity to interact with Mu Jingzhe and see if he could invite Xiao Wu over again.


    Since Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were there, Xiao Wu naturally agreed and came over eagerly.


    Of course, other thaning to see if they could work together, Xiao Wu had alsoe to Ocean City to participate in a children¡¯s music festival. It was summer vacation, and Xiao Wu¡¯s n to take a look around was still the same. Shao Qihai had been taking care of him for a period of time. This time, Ji Buwang had said that he had time toe over as well, but the schedule had been brought forward.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t very well say that they had set off early because they wanted to spend more time with her. Unexpectedly, they had thought of the same thing and ended up meeting on the ne. They could only say that they¡¯d happened to have tickets and hade over early.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Little Nan?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked Shao Qihai as she nodded.


    ¡°Little Nan is with Mom and the rest. He said that the weather is hot, so he can read books and keep Grandma and the restpany.¡±


    Upon hearing Shao Qihai call Li Zhaodi ¡®Mom¡¯, Ji Buwang gritted his teeth and interrupted. ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯m thirsty.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly poured some water for Ji Buwang. Shao Qihai also said that he was thirsty, and the minute he spoke, Shao Dong handed him a ss of water. ¡°Drink this, Daddy.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Little Dong was really nice, but he also wanted to drink the water Jingzhe was pouring.


    After drinking the water, Ji Buwang said, ¡°Your customization business seems to be doing quite well. Are all the customers like the young man we saw earlier?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. There are girls as well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ji Buwang now knew that Mu Jingzhe was working with a lot of good-looking people.


    Besides, in the future, she would still take measurements like today unless she found an assistant. However, even if there was an assistant, Mu Jingzhe would still have to take the measurements of important customers herself.


    Ji Buwang reacted quickly and added, ¡°I also want to order customized clothes from you, Jingzhe.¡± He also wanted to wear clothes made by Jingzhe. He wanted to be measured this way too.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded, thinking that Ji Buwang was just curious. Given Ji Buwang¡¯s appearance and figure, it would be nice to work with him.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Ji Buwang smiled.


    Shao Qihai reacted and quickly said, ¡°I want clothes too.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at her notebook. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but we might have to postpone it for a while.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll push it back then.¡± Shao Qihai stepped forward. ¡°Do you want to take my measurements now?¡± After saying that, he opened his arms very cooperatively.


    Ji Buwang scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? I¡¯m still waiting. No matter what, it¡¯s firste, first served. Jingzhe, take my measurements first.¡±


    ¡°Let me help you. Jingzhe, just tell me what I need to measure.¡± Shao Qihai grabbed the measuring tape as he spoke.


    ¡°Are you sure you know how to do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Neither Shao Qihai nor Ji Buwang would let Mu Jingzhe measure the other. In the end, the two of them measured each other.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Their actions were known in television dramas as signs of jealousy and going head to head. When one watched this on television, they might think it was fun and enjoyable, but now that it was happening in real life, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what to do.


    After all, she had no experience.


    Seeing that they were at odds with each other but their rtionship was alright, Mu Jingzhe finally kicked them out and told them to stay in the hotel after arranging their dinner.

 Chapter 289 - He Must Be the First Person To Be Tricked By His Son (1)

    <h4>Chapter 289: He Must Be the First Person To Be Tricked By His Son (1)</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe urged them to leave, feeling that it was quite awkward to stay with the two of them. On the other hand, Xiao Wu and Shao Xi sessfully stayed by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Why were they suddenly a little envious of the two children?


    How could they not be envious? Compared to them, Mu Jingzhe was much more enthusiastic with Xiao Wu and Shao Xi. She¡¯d even hugged them.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t sleep much that night. He went over right after the sky turned bright, but he didn¡¯t wake Ji Buwang up.


    The sun rose early in the summer, so it was still very early when he arrived. However, Shao Dong had already woken up. As soon as Shao Qihai saw Shao Dong, he quickly went over.


    ¡°Little Dong.¡± Shao Qihai walked over and stroked the hair that was sticking up on the back of his head. ¡°Why are you awake so early? Did you not sleep well? Are there mosquitoes?¡±


    ¡°No, I just woke up to use the toilet. Dad, why are you here so early?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to buy you guys some breakfast, but I didn¡¯t want Ji Buwang to beat me to it,¡± Shao Qihai said honestly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯lle with youter. But Mommy and the rest haven¡¯t woken up yet. We¡¯ll buy breakfast when they wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Qihai sat on the threshold with Shao Dong and whispered, ¡°Little Dong, does your mommy usually interact with guys like the one we saw yesterday?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mommy follows Little Bei around these days. Besides, shees in contact with many people since she¡¯s in the business of making custom-made formal wear. She definitely meets many Best Actors and Best Actresses.¡±


    Shao Qihai felt even more uncertain when he heard that. He tried to negotiate with Shao Dong. ¡°Little Dong, your mommy is serious about her work, but in the future, in situations like the onest night, you can help her take the measurements.¡±


    ¡°Mommy measured him quite well.¡± Shao Dong yed dumb.


    ¡°Little Dong, you know what I mean. I just want you to help keep an eye on her. One Ji Buwang is enough. If another person shows up and likes your mommy, won¡¯t your mommy and I really get a divorce?¡±


    Previously, the five kids had agreed to help Shao Qihai. One could say that they had agreed to help him pursue Mu Jingzhe, butter on, there simply hadn¡¯t been a chance at all. First, there were the exams. Then, Mu Jingzhe had taken Little Bei out and they had been directly separated.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me toe here. Little Dong, you have to help me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Shao Dong nodded in agreement, making Shao Qihai heave a sigh of relief.


    Soon, Shao Qihai realized that he had heaved a sigh of relief too early. Just as Shao Dong finished speaking, the big sister next door also woke up. When she saw Shao Dong, she said, ¡°The photos have been developed. I can bring them to you right here.¡±


    The neighbors Mu Jingzhe and the kids lived near owned a photo studio, so the photos had been developed in the woman¡¯s house. Shao Dong took the photos. ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look too.¡± At the mention of photos, Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes lit up. He went to take the photos from Shao Dong¡¯s hand. Shao Dong¡¯s hand paused. Just as he was about to say something, Shao Qihai opened the envelope excitedly.


    ¡°You guys took a lot of photos, right? It¡¯s good to take more photos. You can look at them in the future¡­¡± Shao Qihai sat back and took the photos out of the paper bag. Then, he saw the photo Mu Jingzhe and Shen Han had taken together.


    Mu Jingzhe was beaming very happily at the camera. She was even wearing a lovely red dress. Beside her, Shen Han was wearing a shirt and looking at Mu Jingzhe. The image had been captured beautifully, and the two of them looked especiallypatible. Those who didn¡¯t know would think that it was a photo of a newlywed couple.


    Shao Qihai looked at the next photo. It was another photo of Mu Jingzhe and Shen Han. This time, Shen Han also looked ahead. They were still verypatible. The ce where they had taken the photo seemed to be a hotel. There was even a table in front of them.


    The more he looked at the photos, the more it looked like they had been taken when the two of them had gotten married. Furthermore, they looked like pictures of a wedding banquet. Shao Qihai immediately had a heart attack.


    ¡°Little Dong, what¡¯s up with these photos?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just photos of the two of them.¡± Shao Dong nced at them with an innocent gaze.


    ¡°I know they are photos. Why would they take a photo together? Besides, this is a dining establishment, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a ce where Mommy likes to eat very much. She also likes Best Actor Shen Han and Brother Bai a lot, so they ate and took photos together. Look, it even led to a business deal for Mommy yesterday.¡±


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know if he should heave a sigh of relief. ¡°Did your mother invite them, or did they invite your mother?¡±


    Shao Dong paused for a moment. ¡°I invited them. Mommy likes them, so I invited them.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s mind was instantly filled with question marks. ¡°Why did you invite them? Little Dong, I don¡¯t quite understand.¡±


    Shao Dong blinked. ¡°Because Mommy likes them a lot. They act well and look good. I like them too, so since an opportunity arose, we ate together.¡±


    It sounded normal, but Shao Qihai still felt strange. ¡°This¡­ This is also¡­¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t say anything else, but Shao Qihai felt particrly bad. ¡°Little Dong, although I know you don¡¯t mean anything else by it, I don¡¯t think such a thing should happen again. Otherwise, others will misunderstand and think that your mother is up to no good.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? It was just a meal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the meal. What if that person develops feelings for her while they¡¯re eating¡­¡±


    Wasn¡¯t dating freely all about eating, watching movies, and dating in the park? They couldn¡¯t keep eating together.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s mind was a mess. The two of them were focused on talking when a voice suddenly came from behind them.


    ¡°Dad, are you worried that Mommy will fall in love with them? It¡¯s fine. Even if she falls for someone, we¡¯ll think of a way to make that guy fall in love with Mommy.¡±


    Shao Qihai was startled. He turned around and saw Shao Xi squatting behind him.


    Shao Xi stroked his chin and yawned as he told Shao Dong, ¡°Big Brother, just tell Daddy. We promised Mommy that we would help her get whoever she likes in the future.¡±


    Shao Dong frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything when you got up? Why were you squatting behind us?¡±


    ¡°I saw you guys huddled together mysteriously and thought you were whispering secrets to each other, so I came to listen.¡± Shao Xi squeezed his way forward and sat beside them.


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t care less. His mind was filled with what Shao Xi had said just now. ¡°Little Xi, what did you mean by what you said just now?¡±


    ¡°I was speaking literally. Back then, we misunderstood and thought that you had found someone else, and Mommy treated us very well, so we promised her that we would find someone more handsome than you for her and we¡¯d get her whoever she liked. This time, I saw that she quite liked Best Actor Shen Han and Bai Bai. Eldest Brother and I had a discussion before arranging a date to eat with Best Actor Shen and Bai Bai.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°???¡±


    He then said in disbelief, ¡°No, Little Xi, that was before. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up and I¡¯m still here, I¡¯m Jingzhe¡¯s husband. I¡¯m your father. We¡¯re not even divorced yet. You should help me. You guys promised to help me previously.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already sign the divorce agreement?¡± Shao Xi tilted his head. ¡°We agreed that you and Mommy would be free in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai was stunned. Shao Dong hit Shao Xi and exined, ¡°Daddy, although Little Xi is right, don¡¯t think too much about it. Mommy didn¡¯t do much. She just had a meal with someone, that was all.. If she really falls for someone in the future, she¡¯ll definitely get a divorce first.¡±

 Chapter 290 - He Must Be the First Person To Be Tricked By His Son (2)

    <h4>Chapter 290: He Must Be the First Person To Be Tricked By His Son (2)</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    If he waited until Mu Jingzhe really divorced him, it would be toote. Shao Qihai¡¯s head hurt. ¡°How can I not think too much about it? Listen to what you¡¯re saying. Little Dong, you promised to help me previously.¡±


    ¡°I will, but the main issue is that Mommy has to like you. I¡¯ll say the same thing again. I hope the two of you will be happy. Daddy, your mood isn¡¯t quite right. You have to calm down.¡± Shao Dongforted him.


    Shao Xi said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve already signed the divorce agreement with Mommy and agreed to end the marriage. It¡¯s only because you two want to raise us together that you haven¡¯t announced this in public or gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce certificate. Your marriage contract only exists in name. In that case, we can also help Mommy find someone she likes, right?¡±


    What was right about this?! This wasn¡¯t right at all.


    ¡°Of course not. Little Xi, Little Dong, you promised to help me previously, but what you¡¯re doing now ispletely different from what you said. By doing this, aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll go back on my word?¡± The agreement had yet to take effect.


    As Shao Qihai finished speaking in a hurry, he saw Shao Xi¡¯s expression change. Shao Dong, who had been holding his forehead helplessly, also had a different expression now as he looked at Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Go back on your word? You¡¯re going back on your word just because Mommy ate with someone twice?¡± Shao Xi¡¯s expression was tense.


    Shao Qihai choked. ¡°Is this about them eating together twice? You¡¯re helping your mother find someone she likes. This isn¡¯t right¡­¡±


    ¡°But you did sign the agreement.¡± Shao Xi pulled back and emphasized his next words. ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t go back on your word. You always say that one has to be creditworthy and that a man must keep his word. If you renege on your promise, I¡¯ll look down on you.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Then you have to keep your word too. But that¡¯s not what you said before.¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°I haven¡¯t grown up yet, have I? I¡¯m not considered a man yet. I¡¯m still a child. I¡¯m still learning from you.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had retorted again.


    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s just a meal. Don¡¯t think too much.¡± Shao Dong tried to reassure him.


    ¡°But if Jingzhe really falls for someone, you¡¯ll definitely support her, right? You guys definitely won¡¯t help me.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong didn¡¯t answer, but Shao Qihai could already see the answer in Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s expressions.


    He took a deep breath and gradually calmed down. When he stopped thinking about their father-and-son rtionship and calmed down, he realized a cruel fact¡ªhe seemed to have been tricked.


    Before he had signed the divorce agreement, the five kids had put this very nicely. After signing it, they had changed their minds. Not only would they not help him, but they had escted to bing a stumbling block. They had even openly tried to set Mu Jingzhe up with other guys. As long as Mu Jingzhe liked it, they would help. As for him¡­ How had they helped? All they had done was impede him!


    They were only a few years old, but they had still managed to trick Shao Qihai!


    ¡°So, Little Dong, you were lying to me when you said that you would help me, right?¡± Shao Qihai asked faintly.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying to you,¡± Shao Dong said. ¡°I¡¯ll still help you.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Shao Xi. Shao Xi patted Shao Qihai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m really worried about you. We¡¯re father and sons and we won¡¯t deceive you. What if you get deceived by an outsider?¡±


    The corners of Shao Qihai¡¯s mouth twitched.?<i>No, even though we¡¯re father and sons, you lied to me. To think I believed you because we¡¯re father and sons!</i>


    Shao Xi said earnestly, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t believe everything anyone says when you go out in the future. This world is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°This world is indeed dangerous. It¡¯s too dangerous. Even a son can lie to his father. I only believed you because you¡¯re my sons, but in the end¡­¡± Shao Qihai was heartbroken. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re my sons! How could you lie to me?¡±


    Shao Dong held his forehead. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re exaggerating.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not as dramatic as you make it out to be, Dad. But you have to be vignt. Haven¡¯t you heard that the person who lies to you in the end is always the person closest to you? Don¡¯t be too angry this time. Just consider this a lesson. Remember to learn from your mistakes and not fall for it again. Also, you can¡¯t just sign something anyhow.¡±


    Shao Xi wanted to continue, but a secondter, he was hugged by Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai hugged each of them and lifted them up. ¡°No, this can¡¯t go on like this. I have to teach you a lesson for lying to me!¡±


    However, just as he turned around, he saw Little Bei and Xiao Wu squatting behind them and waving at Mu Jingzhe at the door.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Why are you kids squatting here?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were whispering secrets to each other.¡± Little Bei stood up.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at them suspiciously and asked, ¡°Little Xi, what did you kids lie to your father about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Shao Dong asked Shao Qihai to put him down. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to buy us breakfast? Dad, let go of me quickly. I¡¯ll go wash my face.¡±


    Shao Qihai resigned himself to his fate and went to fetch water for them to wash their faces. Meanwhile, Ji Buwang stood in the alley with a face full of surprise.


    What had he heard? Jingzhe had already signed a divorce agreement with Shao Qihai?


    Hahaha¡­ Ji Buwang covered his mouth and ran out quickly. He had onlye to deliver breakfast in advance, but he had heard this good news.


    They had already signed the divorce agreement. The kids had even said that she was free now. Wasn¡¯t that practically a divorce? ¡°Hahaha¡­ That¡¯s great!¡±


    Shao Qihai would never have thought that there could be so many eavesdroppers in such a short time. Most importantly, the person who was least supposed to hear this, Ji Buwang, had also heard it.


    Because of this good news, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t even oppose Shao Qihai anymore.


    Since they had already signed the divorce agreement, there was only one final step left to take. All he had to do was speed up.


    For the next two days, Mu Jingzhe followed Little Bei when she went to film. She also brought Xiao Wu along to negotiate with the director and temporarily signed a contract.


    After that, she was busy making formal evening wear. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t disturb her and instead took Xiao Wu around Ocean City for sightseeing.


    On the other side, Shao Qihai brought Shao Xi over because he had something to do. This was the first time he really helped with Shao Xi¡¯s publishing matters. As it was a travelogue, there would also be some photos, as well as some pictures Mu Jingzhe had casually drawn. It was also considered a unique feature of Shao Xi¡¯s work.


    Shao Qihai ran around with Shao Xi for two days. Because of his previous habits, no matter where he went, he would always observe and make sure they were safe immediately. Other than observing the terrain, he would also observe people to confirm the general situation.


    As a result, it was unavoidable that he would have to observe girls. The girls in Ocean City were much more fashionable and open-minded than in other ces.


    In the summer, there were many girls wearing dresses. This shouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but if Shao Qihai took a few more nces, Shao Xi would look at him from the side. That gaze looked as if he hadn¡¯t merely taken a few nces but had gone over to hug that woman.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. You can also look around like I do. Didn¡¯t your mommy teach you to observe more previously?¡±


    Shao Qihai taught Shao Xi to observe and got along quite well with him. When Shao Xi returned, he couldn¡¯t wait to share this with Mu Jingzhe and his siblings.


    ¡°Mommy, Big Brother, I observed 36 sisters and aunties with Daddy today.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t this very misleading? Besides, why did he only mention the ¡®sisters¡¯ and not any other people?!¡¯</i>

 Chapter 291 - Double Standards

    <h4>Chapter 291: Double Standards</h4>


    Little Bei was learning idioms. When she heard Shao Xi¡¯s words, she immediately started forming a sentence with an idiom she had learned. ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re quite ¡®lucky with women¡¯ today.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Little Bei, don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡±


    Previously, he had actually hoped that the children would help him. Now, it was bing painfully obvious that it was more likely that they would dig a hole to entrap him. For example, today, Shao Xi was digging the hole and Little Bei was filling it with soil. It was infuriating.


    Shao Qihai spent two days acknowledging this reality andpletely gave up on the thought of asking Shao Dong and Shao Xi to help.


    Rather than waiting for them to help, he might as well do it himself. At least he wouldn¡¯t do himself in.


    Shao Qihai was right, but he had overlooked a fact¡ªthe kids¡¯ actions weren¡¯t something he could decide. It wasn¡¯t like he wouldn¡¯t be scammed if he didn¡¯t want to be scammed.


    It was rare for Shao Qihai to make a trip to Ocean City. After settling the matter, he even met his friends in Ocean City to deal withpany matters.


    Shao Qihai had given it some thought when he had first established the transportationpany. Other than seeing that there was a market, the main reason he did this was to make sure the people who had retired with him were taken care of.


    Not all retired soldiers would get arranged jobs, especially those who retired after just two years or those who retired due to injuries. Still, many people learned a lot from their experiences in these two years and lived well after retiring.


    However, many of them still missed the past and didn¡¯t have decent jobs. They could only go home and farm.


    That was why Shao Qihai had established the transportationpany. The people he recruited basically retired this way. Most of these people were skilled and knew how to drive well. Although the situation had been chaotic for a period of time due to his fake death, the business was currently developing steadily and expanding.


    Nowadays, the transportationpany was famous for its integrity, for many people knew that it had been set up by retired soldiers. The people inside were skilled, and idents were less likely to ur on the way.


    One had to know that the people who drove trucks in that era were most afraid of being robbed of their money or goods on the road. Should that happen, they wouldn¡¯t even have a ce to cry. Once they experienced such a loss, it would be disastrous.


    However, such a thing was unavoidable. The criminals would put some ss shards on the road to puncture their tires. Even if one didn¡¯t want to stop, one had to.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s transportationpany had also encountered such a situation before. asionally, he and Jiang Feng would personally transport the goods themselves because there were some roads that weren¡¯t very peaceful, and they would always encounter trouble there. However, these difficulties had basically been taken care of. Now, their transportationpany had be a force to be reckoned with among those people, and generally, they wouldn¡¯t make a move on them anymore.


    As a result, the name of the transportationpany slowly became famous. When the transported goods were snatched or the delivery was dyed, the driver wasn¡¯t the only one out of luck. The owners of the goods were helpless too. Since there was a transportationpany that guaranteed to deliver the goods to their destination, customers were definitely willing to choose them for their business.


    During this period of time, Shao Qihai had coborations with many clients, some of them from Ocean City. However, this time, he was there to discuss a big deal. The other party was a bigpany.


    Working with a bigpany was beneficial. If there was onepany, there would be a second and thirdpany in the future. Business would only get better and better.


    Shao Qihai hade this time to have a nice talk. Later on, Jiang Feng also rushed over. They had been in contact since the beginning, and it had been three to four days since then. Finally, the negotiation waspleted and the contract was signed.


    ording to etiquette, it was unavoidable for them to eat together after the negotiation waspleted. Actually, eating with the clients was serious business too, and Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t bring the five kids there, so he went alone. In the end, he bumped into the other party¡¯s daughter and niece at the restaurant.


    Since they had met, they took advantage of this opportunity to eat with them. Later on, they even had a few drinks with Shao Qihai.


    The two youngdies were very good-looking. The daughter was obviously interested in Jiang Feng, but the niece seemed to be interested in Shao Qihai. After Shao Qihai calmly exined that he was married with kids, the youngdy drank a ss of wine and got a little tipsy.


    Later on, the two youngdies bugged Jiang Feng and the others to tell them old stories. They were especially interested in what had happened to them previously and said that they admired people like them the most. They kept pping their hands and asking Jiang Feng to tell them more.


    Jiang Feng was also a little interested in the youngdy, so Shao Qihai was prevented from leaving. In the end, he returned veryte.


    Although they didn¡¯t live together in Ocean City, Shao Qihai would still go to the rental house after he returned and before setting off every day.


    As soon as Shao Qihai entered, Xiao Wu sensitively twitched his nose. ¡°It smells like alcohol.¡±


    ¡°I drank a little.¡± Shao Qihai quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m not drunk. Xiao Wu, where¡¯s your mommy?¡±


    ¡°Mommy is busy,¡± Xiao Wu answered. Little Bei also walked over and sniffed Shao Qihai. ¡°Why is there a perfume smell in here? Daddy, you sprayed yourself with perfume.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu and Little Bei to have such sharp noses. Just as he was about to exin, Shao Xi removed a long hair from his body.


    ¡°Long hair. Looks like we didn¡¯t see wrong. Daddy ate with a girl.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°You saw me?¡±


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. We went to eat too.¡± He looked at the long hair in his hand. ¡°You ate untilte and even drank. This hair was still on you. Looks like the two of you sat very close.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at the hair. ¡°No, she just drank too much and almost fell when she got up. Maybe it identallynded on me when I went to help her up.¡±


    ¡°You even went to help the youngdy?¡± Shao Xi shook his head. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re quite considerate, Daddy.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Little Xi, what are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to let you know how big of a deal this is. If I hadn¡¯t removed the hair from you, ording to the television dramas, you and Mommy would have quarreled. You two might even have directly gotten a divorce.¡±


    Little Bei put her hands on her hips and concluded, ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re dishonest.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°It was just a simple meal. What¡¯s dishonest about it? Besides, it¡¯s just a strand of hair. It¡¯s not that serious, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, Daddy. Did you forget that you two even drank? From what I can see, you¡¯re looking for your next partner.¡±


    Shao Xi shook his head again. ¡°Daddy, you haven¡¯t gotten a divorce yet. Aren¡¯t you a little anxious? How can you let Mommy down like this? You¡¯ve disappointed us too much.¡±


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei stared at Shao Qihai. Shao Dong also looked helpless.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do anything¡­ Besides, Little Xi, aren¡¯t your words very contradictory? Previously, when your mother ate with some other guy, you said that there was nothing wrong with it. You said that my marriage to your mother only existed in name. Howe everything your mother does is right, whereas I only had one meal and I became a sinner?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could do no wrong, and her eating with a man was fine because they were already practically divorced. However, when the same thing happened to him, the marriage had a binding effect again.


    The same marriage only had restrictions on him and was effective exclusively on him. These were exactly the double standards that Mu Jingzhe always talked about.


    ¡°You little baddies.¡± Shao Qihai looked at the five kids and shook his head. These definitely weren¡¯t his children. Definitely not.


    Shao Qihai squatted down and pinched Xiao Wu and Little Bei¡¯s noses. ¡°You two puppies have such sharp noses.¡±


    ¡°So do you.¡± Shao Qihai scooped Shao Xi up and carried him on his shoulder while tickling him. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more mischievous. I have to teach you a lesson.¡±


    Shao Xiughed out loud as he was being tickled. ¡°Let go of me! Ha ha! Let go of me quickly¡­¡±

 Chapter 292 - Old Master Ji

    <h4>Chapter 292: Old Master Ji</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe heard theughter and came out with a pair of suspenders in her hand. When she saw Shao Xiughing so happily, she quickly stopped him. ¡°Keep it down. It¡¯s a littlete now. Many people are asleep.¡±


    Only then did Shao Qihai react and quickly stop. Shao Xi hurriedly covered his mouth.


    Shao Qihai wanted to say something, but Xiao Wu had already run over. ¡°Mommy, are my clothes ready?¡±


    ¡°Right, try them on. If they don¡¯t fit, we can alter them again.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe handed the suspenders and the pants to Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu was very independent now and could totally put them on himself.


    He quickly came out after changing. Shao Xi and Shao Qihai surrounded Xiao Wu and looked at him. ¡°They look good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, they look really nice.¡± Mu Jingzhe tied the little bow tie around Xiao Wu¡¯s neck, making him look even more gentlemanly.


    ¡°You little gentleman.¡±


    Xiao Wu was good-looking, soft, and adorable. Inbination with his curly hair, he looked good no matter how one looked at him. ¡°Our Xiao Wu will definitely be the most good-looking one at the music festival tomorrow.¡±


    This was also the first time the children¡¯s music festival in Ocean City was being held. Ji Buwang signed up on Xiao Wu¡¯s behalf. This was Xiao Wu¡¯s first official performance, and he was afraid that Xiao Wu would be nervous. Parents or teachers could also perform with the child.


    The other children were all apanied by their parents. Shao Qihai also wanted to go, but he really didn¡¯t have such a talent and had no idea how to go about doing it. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t cut out for it either, so Ji Buwang was the one performing with Xiao Wu.


    However, this would mainly be Xiao Wu¡¯s performance, and Ji Buwang was willing to y a supporting role.


    The next day, they had originally nned to watch Xiao Wu¡¯s performance together. Little Bei hadn¡¯t rested a day since she¡¯d arrived. They had agreed to rest for a day, but after dawn, they received a notice from the director that they couldn¡¯t rest today because it had been forecasted that it would rain. It would be a good time to film a rain scene.


    Natural rain was undoubtedly better than artificial rain.


    Since the director had informed them and the entire crew was waiting, Little Bei naturally had to go. Shao Qihai looked at the troubled Mu Jingzhe and then at Xiao Wu, who was looking at Mu Jingzhe reluctantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with Little Bei to film. You guys go ahead.¡± Little Bei couldn¡¯t go without an adult, so Shao Qihai could only make a choice.


    Although Little Bei was very reluctant, she didn¡¯t say anything. Her mother had been with her for so many days. It was time for her to apany Xiao Wu. She grabbed Shao Qihai¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Xiao Wu, you can do it. Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do a good job. I¡¯ll be fine with Daddy.¡±


    Even though their destination was different, they went out together. Coincidentally, at that moment, Ji Buwang came to pick them up.


    Upon seeing Ji Buwang get out of the car, not only Shao Qihai and the others, but even the people nearby couldn¡¯t help but slow down what they were doing, as they suddenly felt like they had entered a movie scene.


    The good-looking Ji Buwang lookedpletely different today. He was wearing a specially tailored outfit made by Mu Jingzhe, which was very simr to what Xiao Wu was wearing.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s first meeting with Ji Buwang had left quite an impression on her, so when Ji Buwang had said that he had ordered the custom-made outfit to perform on stage with Xiao Wu, her first reaction had been to make him suspenders with the trousers.


    It happened to be summer, so she made him something simr to what she had made for Xiao Wu.


    The outfit consisted of a white shirt paired with suspenders and pants. Inbination with his curly hair, he exuded an elegant, cultured air. When he got out of the car, he looked like the protagonist of a movie walking out of the big screen.


    Both men and women, old and young, looked over at the same time and lowered their voices, afraid that they would disturb this wonderful moment.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s pupils trembled. Little Bei couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°How gorgeous.¡± Mu Jingzhe was also a little stunned. While she¡¯d been working overtime to make this dress, she had hoped to add luster to Ji Buwang, but the effect was really amazing.


    After Ji Buwang got out of the car, he smiled at Mu Jingzhe. Satisfied with her dazed look, he coolly crossed the front of the car and opened the other door. ¡°Please.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe came back to her senses. ¡°Oh, oh, okay. Didn¡¯t we agree that we would go over by ourselves today? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Of course I had toe.¡± This was something that had to be done. Ji Buwang looked at Shao Qihai, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly exined, ¡°Little Bei and Shao Qihai can¡¯t go today. The director informed us that it will rain and she needs to film.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± Ji Buwang sighed with emotion, but his expression said otherwise.


    Ji Buwang felt that the heavens were helping him, so he smiled even more brilliantly, attracting the attention of the people in the alley.


    When Mu Jingzhe got in the car, Ji Buwang picked up Xiao Wu. ¡°Our little gentleman is really good-looking today.¡±


    After carrying Xiao Wu into the car, Ji Buwang patted Shao Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Little Xi, you¡¯ve grown taller again. Get in the car quickly.¡±


    After closing the car door, Ji Buwang walked up to Shao Qihai. However, he didn¡¯t look at him but at Little Bei. ¡°Little Bei, let¡¯s go together next time, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Little Bei looked at Ji Buwang and was very easy to talk to. ¡°Uncle Ji, if you were acting, many people would definitely like it.¡±


    ¡°Is Little Bei praising me?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Little Bei nodded.


    ¡°How obedient.¡± Ji Buwang stroked Little Bei¡¯s head and looked up at Shao Qihai. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of Jingzhe and the rest. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    There seemed to be nothing wrong with his words, but Shao Qihai felt that there was a double meaning behind them.


    While watching Ji Buwang drive away coolly, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely look good in the formal wear Jingzhe made as well. I definitely won¡¯t be inferior to Ji Buwang.¡±


    Little Bei nodded in encouragement. ¡°Mm, Daddy, you have to believe in yourself.¡±


    Shao Qihai recalled what Little Bei had just muttered and stroked her head before squatting down. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Daddy will carry you over.¡±


    ¡°No need. I can walk by myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll carry you for a short while.¡±


    Shao Qihai carried Little Bei to the set. Mu Jingzhe and the others quickly arrived at the music festival. As the name suggested, the Children¡¯s Music Festival was mainlyposed of children, so there were many children and parents there.


    Most of the people who came were holding their own musical instruments, big and small. Some were wearing little dresses and suits, while others were wearing costumes.


    Ji Buwang led Xiao Wu backstage to prepare. They also had to report that they were in attendance. Because there were too many people, other than the performers, the others weren¡¯t allowed to go backstage. Hence, Mu Jingzhe first took Shao Xi to find a seat.


    Because Mu Jingzhe and the others had arrived quite early and found seats early, they sat in the front row. However, those who cameter were in trouble. At first, there were still seats, butter on, there weren¡¯t even any seats left. They could only squeeze in the back and watch.


    Theter one arrived, the further away one would have to stand. Besides, there was no live broadcast, so they could only see the outline.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the dense crowd behind her and felt d that she hade early. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to see the stage and it would have been difficult to take photos.


    Because there were many people there, the festival hadn¡¯t started yet. It was noisy, and Ji Buwang was ready backstage. When he brought Xiao Wu to see where Mu Jingzhe was, it was the noisiest time.


    There were people everywhere, but Ji Buwang saw only one clear face¡ªMu Jingzhe¡¯s¡ªin the crowd at first nce.


    This really felt awesome. It didn¡¯t seem scary on stage anymore.


    ¡°Jingzhe, Jingzhe!¡± There were too many people, and Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t pass through. He could only shout loudly, but luckily, Mu Jingzhe quickly heard him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine backstage. Xiao Wu and I drew lots and will be the eighth contestant to appear. Just wait and see.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Jingzhe stood up and clenched her fists. ¡°You guys can do it. Xiao Wu, you can do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Buwang was afraid that someone would step on Xiao Wu, so he quickly carried Xiao Wu backstage.


    Mu Jingzhe sat down and didn¡¯t notice the crowd behind her. An old man was looking at her.


    ¡°Old Master Ji, you didn¡¯t hear wrong. This is Miss Jingzhe.¡±

 Chapter 293 - The Child On The Stage...

    <h4>Chapter 293: The Child On The Stage...</h4>


    The old man¡¯s hair waspletely white, but he was hale and hearty. His eyes were shining. When he heard that, he nodded. ¡°I saw that. She seems quite good.¡±


    This person was Ji Buwang¡¯s grandfather, Old Master Ji.


    When Ji Buwang had heard that Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai had signed the divorce agreement, he had been overjoyed. Old Master Ji had been able to tell that he was in a good mood when he¡¯d called.


    He had asked him what was going on. Due to his excitement, and also because Old Master Ji had previously mocked him for being useless and didn¡¯t know how to strike first to get the upper hand, he couldn¡¯t help but tell him about it.


    Old Master Ji hadughed when he¡¯d heard that. Seeing that he was so ecstatic, he couldn¡¯t bear to douse his enthusiasm and remind him that they had yet to officially get a divorce.


    After hearing Ji Buwang mention her so many times, this was the first time Old Master Ji had seen Mu Jingzhe.


    Because they were too far away, he couldn¡¯t see the front of her face or even clearly see her appearance. However, Old Master Ji had a good feeling about this.


    Old Master Ji smiled. Then, someone beside him identally stepped on him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Old Master Ji shook his head and gripped his walking stick tightly.


    Old Fan, who was following Old Master Ji, felt his heart ache when he saw this. He quickly supported him with his arm. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I should havee earlier. I even made you squeeze in here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s already very good that I get to see this at all.¡± Old Master Ji¡¯s eyes were filled with smiles. ¡°I thought that I¡¯d never see Buwang perform again.¡±


    Ji Buwang had been very talented in music since he was young, so they had naturally supported him. However, despite being so talented and learning so much, in the end, he had only participated in one performance ever.


    Many people would feel nervous when they went on stage and saw so many people below the stage. They had to mentally prepare themselves and tell themselves that those were cabbages and radishes and they should not mind them.


    Unlike them, Ji Buwang was a natural. However, when he had really stood on the stage, the audience had been densely packed with blurriness. He hadn¡¯t been able to find his parents anymore, nor had he been able to see the expressions of the audience below the stage. Only then had he realized how painful it was.


    Ji Buwang had only gone on stage once and had never performed again.


    Old Master Ji still remembered how he had felt at the time. That had also been his regret all along. This time, Ji Buwang had suddenly said that he wanted to participate in the performance. Although he had said that he¡¯d only be ying a supporting role, Old Master Ji had still rushed over.


    Buwang was going on stage for the second time. Of course he had to watch. He couldn¡¯t miss it.


    Old Master Ji smiled at the stage, his eyes filled with anticipation.


    About ten minutester, the Children¡¯s Music Festival officially started. The first performers were a group of five ten-year-old boys. Despite their young age, they performed rock songs. The drums were yed very well, and they were very stylish. The atmosphere instantly became noisy.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help but stand up and cheer too.


    As she was looking at the young but stylish performers on the stage, Mu Jingzhe could only sigh with emotion.


    This was a children¡¯s music festival, so it was different from other performancepetitions. Therefore, the next few performances involved some dancing and singing groups, individuals, as well as the parents apanying them.


    Although one or two performers made mistakes, and even their singing voices were trembling, the audience encouraged them.


    Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu were the eighth performers, and they happened to be in the middle. Because the two performances right before theirs weren¡¯t very good, everyone was actually a little tired.


    However, when Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu went on the stage, everyone¡¯s eyes lit up and the discussions suddenly became louder.


    Everyone loved beauty deep in their heart. Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu were truly stunning, and many young female parents¡¯ eyes lit up when they saw Ji Buwang.


    ¡°So good-looking.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so handsome.¡±


    ¡°The child is cute too.¡±


    ¡°Their clothes and hair look alike. Are they father and son?¡±


    Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu¡¯s clothes weren¡¯t parent-child outfits, but Mu Jingzhe had deliberately made clothes of the same style.


    Upon hearing everyone¡¯s discussions, Mu Jingzhe was very happy. When she heard someone say that they were father and son, she quickly turned around and exined, ¡°No, he¡¯s his teacher.¡±


    Ji Buwang could only see Mu Jingzhe, so he focused on her. Xiao Wu found Mu Jingzhe and focused on her as well.


    The two of them smiled at Mu Jingzhe and bowed slightly. Without saying anything, they walked to the piano and sat down.


    The people beside Mu Jingzhe let out a soft gasp and even said that the duo was smiling at them. Mu Jingzhe felt smug. They were not smiling at them, but at her!


    When Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu started performing, the venue went quiet. Xiao Wu and Buwang were ying Xiao Wu¡¯s new song, which Xiao Wu had onlyposed a few days ago. The song was filled with joy and a hint of mischief. In the middle was even a frog-like sound.


    Needless to say, the inspiration behind it was the fight between Shao Xi and Shao Nan.


    Shao Xi could tell at once. ¡°Xiao Wu is very naughty.¡±


    As Shao Xi said that Xiao Wu was very naughty, the smile on his face grew bigger and bigger. Later on, his body couldn¡¯t help but move to the beat of the music.


    The people present were all simr. Part of the audience hadn¡¯t seemed to like certain performances earlier, and many children hadn¡¯t been able to keep quiet. However, it was different this time. Both adults and children couldn¡¯t help but smile and sway with the music.


    Initially, because there were many people and it was hot in the summer, Xiao Wu¡¯s tune made people forget about the stuffy heat. It was as if they had followed Xiao Wu to the wilderness of the fields. Amidst the sounds of the frogs, they felt as if they were running alongside butterflies and dragonflies, enjoying the cool shade of the lotus leaves.


    Or perhaps they were brought back to their childhood, chasing chickens and dogs in the courtyard and following their parents to seek respite from the heat.


    Unknowingly, the adults seemed to have returned to their childhood and recalled their happiest memories. Meanwhile, the children were transported to a summer vacation trip by Xiao Wu¡¯s tune.


    When the performance was over, Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu came forward and bowed. Only then did everyonee back to their senses. The audience gave them a round of the most enthusiastic apuse mixed with cheers.


    ¡°One more song.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pped hard and ced her hand on top of her head to form a heart and gesture to Xiao Wu. It was wonderful. It was really wonderful. Xiao Wu was terrific.


    When Xiao Wu saw this, he immediately gestured back at Mu Jingzhe, forming a heart with his hands. Upon seeing this, Ji Buwang did the same. In the end, Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe gestured back again. Many children curiously followed suit.


    Amid all kinds of heart-shaped gestures and everyone¡¯s reluctance, Xiao Wu and Ji Buwang left the stage.


    However, even after they left, the apuse didn¡¯t stop. Mu Jingzhe was filled with emotions and pride.


    Old Master Ji, who was squeezed in the crowd, didn¡¯t smile. He was staring nkly ahead, a little out of ce in the happy crowd around him. He even put on his reading sses and watched Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu¡¯s backs as they went down. He grabbed Old Fan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Old Fan, did you see that? It¡¯s too far away and I can¡¯t see clearly, but that child¡­ Why do I feel like he looks very familiar¡­¡±


    Old Fan¡¯s expression was also strange. ¡°We¡¯re too far away and I couldn¡¯t see clearly either. It¡¯s all my fault. I should havee earlier¡­¡±


    Old Master Ji was stunned for a moment. After two more performances, he left first.


    Old Fan helped him out and looked at his expression. ¡°Old Master Ji, are you not going to see the Young Master? He still doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re here. If he knew, he would definitely be very happy.¡±


    Old Master Ji shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have to contact him for the time being.¡± He had to think about it.

 Chapter 294 - Too Much Alike

    <h4>Chapter 294: Too Much Alike</h4>


    Old Fan helped Old Master Ji into the car. ¡°Then shall we go back to the capital first?¡±


    ¡°No, wait for a while.¡± Old Master Ji didn¡¯t say they should leave, so Old Fan could only wait.


    They sat in the car for two hours before the music festival ended and the audience left.


    Old Master Ji, who had been silent while thinking about something, sat up straight and looked outside.


    Ji Buwang, Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu, and Shao Xi didn¡¯t squeeze into the crowd because they interacted with some of the participants before leaving. Also, some of the organizers wanted to find out more about Xiao Wu¡¯s tune. By the time they came out, most of the others had already left.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, the tune youposed is awesome. Look, even cartoon producers want to use it.¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s tune was cheerful and lively, so it was suitable for children¡¯s programs and animation.


    Xiao Wu chuckled and couldn¡¯t help but hold Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s hands as he swung.


    On the other hand, Shao Xi held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and snorted. ¡°This tune of his is mocking me, especially that croaking sound.¡±


    ¡°Second Brother and Third Brother did look like angry frogs.¡± Xiao Wu stuck his head out to look at Shao Xi. ¡°But I¡¯m not mocking Second Brother. I like Second Brother the most.¡±


    The corners of Shao Xi¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help curling up, but he said disdainfully, ¡°You only know how to coax people all day long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, Second Brother.¡±


    As they spoke, Mu Jingzhe and the others got into Ji Buwang¡¯s car. They didn¡¯t notice the car parked not far away, as they only thought that it belonged to another parent.


    Old Master Ji watched them walk past with his own eyes. When Ji Buwang¡¯s car drove away, Old Master Ji muttered, ¡°Why does he look so simr¡­¡±


    Old Fan, who was sitting in the front, could also see it clearly. ¡°Yeah, they look too simr.¡±


    Some children¡¯s facial features could be seen from a very young age, but some children¡¯s looks were worlds apart after they grew up. Especially after their facial features developed, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that they had been reborn.


    The Ji Family¡¯s appearance belonged to thetter category. When they were young, they didn¡¯t look like the same person as when they grew up. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t tell.


    However, the elders could tell because they watched them grow up.


    Old Master Ji tapped his walking stick twice. ¡°I heard from Buwang that this child doesn¡¯t know who his mother is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Go and find out.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Old Fan nodded.


    After Mu Jingzhe returned, Little Bei also returned. The director¡¯s prediction was right. During the concert, it had indeed rained in Ocean City, so the director had finished filming the rain scene.


    Shao Qihai was standing outside waiting for Mu Jingzhe and the others to return. As soon as he saw the car, he walked over and opened the door for Mu Jingzhe and Little Nan.


    Mu Jingzhe was about to get out of the car when Ji Buwang suddenly stopped her. ¡°Wait.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe turned around. ¡°Mm?¡±


    Ji Buwang called out to Mu Jingzhe and ignored Shao Qihai, who was outside. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat together. There¡¯s a Western restaurant on Chaoxi Road. The steak and cake are pretty good. Let¡¯s invite Little Bei toe along.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that. It was rare for him toe to Ocean City this time, and he had been busy before. Now that he finally had the chance, he had already made some ns. He hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to beat him to it.


    Just as Shao Qihai was about to speak, he heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°The one on Chaoxi Road? We¡¯ve eaten there before. Little Xi treated us to it yesterday.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°You guys went to eat there yesterday?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt a little helpless. ¡°I just ate there yesterday, so I won¡¯t be going today. We¡¯ll go next time, alright?¡±


    Yesterday, Shao Qihai had gone there to treat someone to a meal, and Ji Buwang hadn¡¯te either. Thus, Shao Xi had taken Mu Jingzhe and the others there to eat, allowing Mu Jingzhe to experience a candlelit romantic dinner of the era.


    Needless to say, the steak and cake were really delicious. In the end, they¡¯d even given her a surprise. The flowers that Shao Nan had asked his siblings to buy, as well as a golden bracelet from Shao Dong, were really a pleasant surprise.


    Most of the guests who had gone there yesterday were couples. Mu Jingzhe and the four children didn¡¯t fit in, but in the end, because of the children, she sessfully became one of the most envied female guests.


    One of the guests had originally prepared a romantic surprise, but because Mu Jingzhe¡¯s came before hers, the girl didn¡¯t feel any surprise. There were also very few people who shouted ¡®Say yes¡¯ in the crowd.


    When Mu Jingzhe recalled this, she felt happy. But when she looked at Ji Buwang, she felt apologetic.


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected Shao Xi to beat him to it. He could only smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright, next time then.¡±


    Shao Qihai almostughed out loud when he heard that. ¡®Who asked you to invite her in front of me to deliberately anger me?¡¯


    Although they had signed the agreement, Ji Buwang was too infuriating.


    Shao Qihai waited for Mu Jingzhe toe down. He didn¡¯t avoid Ji Buwang and directly took the movie tickets out of his bag.


    ¡°Jingzhe, let¡¯s go watch a movie since we have time today. I heard that this movie is very funny and many people like it.¡±


    This was what Shao Qihai had wanted to do yesterday. After saying that, Shao Qihai nced at Ji Buwang smugly. There was definitely nothing wrong with his suggestion.


    As he was thinking about this, he heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°This movie¡­ Little Bei invited me to watch it before.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Little Bei, who nodded. ¡°Mm, we¡¯ve seen it, Daddy.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression froze, and Ji Buwang burst intoughter.


    He had beenughing at him just now, but now it was his turn, huh?


    Shao Qihai red fiercely at Ji Buwang and looked at Little Bei awkwardly. ¡°I heard you guys say that you were quite busy previously, so I thought you hadn¡¯t seen it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve been very busy. But it¡¯s just a movie. I just watched it with Mommy when we had time.¡± Little Bei nced at Shao Qihai strangely. ¡°Daddy, I thought you didn¡¯t like movies?¡±


    After saying that, she pursed her lips and felt a little unhappy. Previously, Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t watched her movie, but now he wanted to watch someone else¡¯s movie.


    Shao Qihai froze again. How was he supposed to exin this? He had always felt that he had let Little Bei down, and this time, he wanted topensate her. He had dared to invite Mu Jingzhe to this movie with the children because he had already asked around and found out that there was no crying in the movie.


    As long as there were no crying scenes, he could do it. It was rare for him to find a movie that didn¡¯t have any crying scenes from start to finish, but in the end¡­


    Upon seeing Little Bei walk back with her head hanging low in disappointment, Shao Qihai panicked and quickly exined, ¡°I¡­ Little Bei, let me exin¡­¡±


    ¡°No need to exin.¡± Little Bei shook her head. Didn¡¯t he just dislike her movies? What was there to exin?


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Little Bei. It¡¯s really not that I don¡¯t like your movie. I have a reason¡­¡± Shao Qihai was anxious.


    Mu Jingzhe had seen Shao Qihai cry like a dog before, so she knew the reason for Shao Qihai¡¯s actions. Seeing that he was so pitiful, she helped him exin. ¡°Little Bei, your daddy is right. Actually, he has secretly watched it before.¡±


    Little Bei turned around. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. I¡¯ve watched all your movies and television dramas. I¡¯ll watch them in the future too.¡± Shao Qihai quickly nodded.

 Chapter 295 - There Has Always Been No Reason For An Earth-Shattering Love

    <h4>Chapter 295: There Has Always Been No Reason For An Earth-Shattering Love</h4>


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Only then did Little Bei let Shao Qihai off. She turned around. ¡°Mommy and I won¡¯t go, but we¡¯ve already bought the tickets. It¡¯d be a pity to waste them. Daddy, you guys should go.¡±


    Since Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t going, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t really want to go. However, Shao Xi, Shao Dong, and Xiao Wu had never seen it before. ¡°Then let¡¯s go together, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another ticket. Teacher Ji,e with us.¡± Xiao Wu even tried to pull Ji Buwang over.


    Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai said in unison, ¡°No.¡± The resistance on their faces was identical.


    He wanted to watch it with Mu Jingzhe, not Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Teacher Ji, go if you haven¡¯t seen it before.¡± Xiao Wu liked Ji Buwang very much. He could tell that Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai were always at odds, so he wanted to ease their rtionship. He held each of their hands in one of his. ¡°Daddy, let Teacher Ji go.¡±


    If they watched a movie together, their rtionship might improve. Xiao Wu shook Shao Qihai¡¯s hand. When Shao Qihai softened his attitude, he moved to hold Ji Buwang¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Teacher Ji,e with us. I want to go with you.¡±


    Xiao Wu wheedled, but Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t refuse in the end. Thus, the movie-going team included Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai, who brought Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Xiao Wu along.


    As they were pulled to the cinema by Xiao Wu, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang looked at each other speechlessly.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were left alone. The mother-and-daughter duo went shopping. This was a rare break, and it was cool after the rain, so it was a good time to shop.


    The mother-and-daughter duo bought a lot of clothes, shoes, and essories together. They then returned victoriouster than Shao Qihai and the others.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    While watching the movie, he had thought that since he had never shopped with Mu Jingzhe, he would find an opportunity to go with her.


    Ji Buwang, who stuck around in the rental house, waiting to see Mu Jingzhe, was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She had been watching movies, eating, and shopping with the children. What should he do?


    Both Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang held their breath, wanting to be the first to gain Mu Jingzhe¡¯s favor. However, when they took action, they realized that it didn¡¯t seem to work. Everything they¡¯d thought of had been snatched away by the children.


    For the next two days, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang keptpeting, but they seemed to be forever one step behind, unable topare to the children.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang treated each other as an opponent, but after a few times of this happening, they realized that their opponent wasn¡¯t just the other party. The biggest opponents were actually the children.


    When other boys wooed girls, they would give them flowers and y the guitar. However, although they wanted to do these things, Xiao Wu had already beaten them to it.


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang both bought flowers at the same time, but Xiao Wu always bought some before them.


    When Xiao Wu came to Ocean City, he would see new flowers that he had never seen before. Hence, he would buy a bouquet for Mu Jingzhe every day. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room and studio were filled with the fragrance of flowers, and there were even several vases.


    Xiao Wu would y music for Mu Jingzhe when he had nothing to do. There was no room for the two men to perform.


    More importantly, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang realized that the five kids were already looking at cars, and they were saying that they had been thinking of gifting one to Mu Jingzhe for a long time.


    They felt that as long as they bought a car, Mu Jingzhe would work hard to get her driver¡¯s license.


    The kids were even going to buy her a car, so what was left for the two men to do? Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang realized in despair that there was no purpose they could serve when it came to Mu Jingzhe.


    Ji Buwang looked at Shao Qihai¡¯s helpless expression and then at the five kids. For the first time, he realized that perhaps Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t his only love rival. Shao Qihai could even be pushed to the back. He didn¡¯t have to be so vignt around Shao Qihai.


    Rather than being wary of Shao Qihai, he might as well be wary of the children. The children were their greatest love rivals and enemies.


    After realizing this, Ji Buwang focused on observing the four children. The more he looked at them, the more shocked he became.


    Other than Shao Nan, who hadn¡¯te along, Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu all had different personalities. The way they treated Mu Jingzhe waspletely different, but without a doubt, they were all very touching.


    Some of the nice ways they treated Mu Jingzhe they¡¯d learned by watching others, while others werepletely spontaneous. This was really terrifying.


    They were five additional love rivals who had entered Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart. Compared to them, Shao Qihai was nothing.


    Even Ji Buwang had discovered this problem. Shao Qihai had been living with Mu Jingzhe and the kids for a period of time, so he naturally realized it faster.


    The tense atmosphere between the two of them instantly lessened, but when Ji Buwang came, he always liked to stare at the children. The kids noticed it.


    ¡°Mom, Teacher Ji has been staring at us for the past two days. His gaze is strange.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he looked at me too. He even asked strange questions.¡±


    Actually, Mu Jingzhe could sense it too. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll ask him next time.¡±


    That very day, Ji Buwang came over. Mu Jingzhe quickly told him, ¡°Ji Buwang, Little Dong and the rest are saying that you¡¯ve been looking at them for the past two days. You even wanted to say something but stopped. You also asked some strange questions. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s expression became even moreplicated when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. ¡°Nothing. I just feel that they¡¯re too good to you.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Right? I think so too. They¡¯re too good to me indeed.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brilliant smile and his expression became even more conflicted.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your expression? Aren¡¯t they good to me?¡±


    ¡°Good, very good. But they¡¯re too good to you. They make me feel¡­ desperate.¡± Ji Buwang covered his face and revealed his true feelings.


    ¡°Mm?¡± Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected such an answer. ¡°Real¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Ji Buwang looked up at the sky. ¡°I can¡¯t even think of what to do now.¡±


    When others wooed a girl, they could watch a movie with her, give her flowers, or treat her to a meal. But there was nothing he could do; the kids had beaten him to everything.


    After Mu Jingzhe heard Ji Buwang¡¯s words, she btedly realized that this seemed to be true. When Ji Buwang said this, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think that perhaps one of the reasons she had never had an earth-shattering love was because she had five precious children.


    They were really too good to her. They even surprised her from time to time, rendering the usual romantic surprises useless when it came to her.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned for a moment. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Ji Buwang suddenly smile. ¡°But I¡¯ve found a way that I can definitely avoid ovepping with them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mu Jingzhe was curious.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know tomorrow.¡± Ji Buwang invited them over. ¡°Little Bei only needs to film for half a day tomorrow. She¡¯ll be done by afternoon, right? I¡¯lle and pick you guys up.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was about to speak, Ji Buwang spoke first. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t refuse. I¡¯ll definitely give you a surprise when the timees. You¡¯ll certainly regret it if you don¡¯te.¡±


    Ji Buwang spoke so confidently that Mu Jingzhe was curious. ¡°What exactly is that surprise?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know tomorrow.¡± Ji Buwang kept it a secret.

 Chapter 296 - The Surprise Ji Buwang Prepared

    <h4>Chapter 296: The Surprise Ji Buwang Prepared</h4>


    The next day, Shao Dong and Mu Han went to work. Ji Buwang fetched Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei directly from the production team.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say where he was taking them along the way, making it seem mysterious. When they arrived at their destination, they realized that not only had they never been there before, but it was also a surprise¡ªa private racecourse.


    ¡°What do you think? You¡¯re surprised, right?¡± Ji Buwang pointed at the racecourse. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you have regretted it if you hadn¡¯te?¡±


    What a pleasant surprise. She really would have regretted it if she hadn¡¯te because Little Bei wanted to learn how to ride a horse. Mu Jingzhe was also very interested.


    Little Bei wanted to learn how to ride a horse because she had received a relevant script previously. This one was about a period drama. The characters in it were quite good, but the actors had to know how to ride a horse.


    Although there could be stunt doubles for the riding scenes, it was rtively difficult to find stunt doubles for children. More importantly, some directors were unwilling to use stunt doubles.


    It was because of this script that Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei felt that she had to learn how to ride a horse. This way, when she encountered such scenes in the future, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry. Ji Buwang had finally drawn inspiration from their conversation.


    This was also the reason Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t refuse Ji Buwang¡¯s surprise. Little Bei could learn to ride a horse, and Ji Buwang could take this chance to interact with Mu Jingzhe. It was a win-win situation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s rx today.¡± Ji Buwang led Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei in. ¡°That¡¯s the horse corral, and that¡¯s the venue.¡±


    Ji Buwang led Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei to the horse corral to take a look. There weren¡¯t many horses, but the corral was clean and the horses were energetic.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had only ridden twice under someone else¡¯s guidance in one of those scenic areas. Both times, the horse had been walking, and the price had been extremely expensive. As for the rest, she had never really experienced it. After all, riding a horse wasn¡¯t cheap.


    However, there was no need to worry about the fees this time. The owner of the horse farm was Ji Buwang¡¯s friend. Usually, they had to make an appointment for business. The owner had mainly started this business due to their love of horses and riding.


    It was quite hot in the city, but it was much better over here on the horse farm. There were many trees, so the horse track, which was nted with them, was quite cool.


    Besides, horseback riding wasn¡¯t as particr in this era as in the modern era. It¡¯d be fine as long as one¡¯s clothes were suitable for exercising. Mu Jingzhe happened to be wearing pants andfortable clothes, so she didn¡¯t need to change. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to wear sandals.


    Fortunately, Ji Buwang was prepared. He took out the shoes he had prepared beforehand. ¡°These are for you and Little Bei. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re new.¡±


    Other than the shoes, there was also a hat. ¡°You have to wear a hat too. It¡¯s meant to protect your safety.¡±


    The hat he gave to Mu Jingzhe was adult-sized, while Little Bei¡¯s hat was for children. It was one size smaller. Both had been prepared in advance and were brand-new.


    ¡°Thank you for going through all this trouble.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Ji Buwang waved his hand. ¡°Get up and try walking. Check if the shoes fit your feet. If they don¡¯t, change into another pair.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei took a few steps. ¡°They fit quite well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll change too.¡± Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief.


    Ji Buwang used toe here to ride a horse, so his friend had kept his riding outfit. His clothes were aplete set.


    Ji Buwang was quite fast and came out very quickly. After changing into his riding attire, he showed Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei how to get on the horse. He was handsome and agile, perfectly transforming into a Prince Charming in the process.


    Besides, Ji Buwang was riding a white horse, which perfectly matched his status as Prince Charming.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei looked at Ji Buwang with simr expressions and forgot to speak for a moment.


    ¡°Did you see it clearly?¡±


    ¡°I saw it clearly.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s question finally brought Mu Jingzhe back to her senses.


    ¡°Alright,e up and try.¡± While Ji Buwang was dismounting, Little Bei whispered to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, is Teacher Ji Prince Charming? When I grow up, I want to marry Prince Charming too.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s indeed Prince Charming.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    ¡°Mommy, Teacher Ji likes you. You should marry Teacher Ji in the future too. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll marry Teacher Ji when I grow up.¡± Little Bei had calcted it very well.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Both mother and daughter were hanging themselves from the same tree[1].


    Ji Buwang happened to hear Little Bei¡¯sst sentence. ¡°Little Bei wants to marry me? Did I hear that wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Little Bei shook her head. ¡°Teacher Ji, can you wait for me to grow up? Can you remain like this and wait for me to grow up?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll have grown old by the time you grow up.¡± Ji Buwangughed.


    Little Bei was a little regretful. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. But Teacher Ji, you¡¯ll definitely look just as good when you¡¯re old.¡±


    ¡°Of course. But why do you want to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re Prince Charming. If Mommy doesn¡¯t marry you, I¡¯ll marry you.¡±


    Ji Buwangughed out loud. ¡°I¡¯m really honored. But Little Bei, you definitely won¡¯t have the chance. Because your mother will marry me.¡±


    Ji Buwang pulled Little Bei over and whispered to her, ¡°Little Bei, if your mother marries me, I¡¯ll definitely be responsible for finding you another Prince Charming, one better than me, when you grow up. But that¡¯s provided that you help me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Little Bei giggled.


    ¡°Really.¡± Ji Buwang stretched out his hand. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, pinky swear.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Little Bei was a little tempted, so she decided to pinky swear.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Is it nice of you guys to whisper in front of me? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t say that he had bribed Little Bei with the promise of a Prince Charming and asked her to help him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not tell Mommy for now.¡± Little Bei also maintained an air of mystery.


    ¡°Alright, now which one of you wants to learn how to ride a horse first? I¡¯ll help you hold the reins.¡±


    ¡°Mommy. Teacher Ji, teach Mommy first,¡± Little Bei immediately said.


    ¡°Alright, Jingzhe, you go first.¡± Ji Buwang gave Little Bei a grateful look.


    Just as he finished speaking, a staff member led a very small horse over. When Little Bei saw this, she eximed and ran over.


    ¡°I like it.¡±


    Little Bei spoke to the staff member briefly before saying to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mommy, learn from Teacher Ji. I¡¯ll learn from this older brother. He¡¯s very impressive.¡±


    Then, she gave Ji Buwang a knowing look. Ji Buwang smiled at her. This child was too clever.


    However, Ji Buwang still came over personally. He checked the pony and reminded the staff, ¡°Safety is important. You must be careful and teach her well.¡±


    The staff member who would teach Little Bei was a professional. After Ji Buwang reminded her, he told Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to keep staring at Little Bei. Learn from me first.¡±


    Just like that, Ji Buwang became Mu Jingzhe¡¯s horse-riding instructor. He was patient and exined things clearly, and the white horse was strong and gentle.


    After Ji Buwang exined, Mu Jingzhe sessfully got on the horse. Then, Ji Buwang held the horse and let her try riding it.


    The feeling of riding a horse was very intriguing. Anyway, Mu Jingzhe quite liked it. After two rounds, Mu Jingzhe felt like running.


    Ji Buwang asked her toe down and rest for a while. Then, he brought a horse over and followed Mu Jingzhe, letting the horse run.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Rx. If anything happens, I¡¯ll pull the horse and catch you.¡±


    Ji Buwang gave Mu Jingzhe a great sense of security while riding next to her.


    [1] were fixated on the same partner

 Chapter 297 - Overflow

    <h4>Chapter 297: Overflow</h4>


    Because of Ji Buwang¡¯s words, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. Although she didn¡¯t dare move too quickly, she experienced the joy of riding a horse. It was much better than the farms in scenic areas.


    Meanwhile, Little Bei¡¯s progress wasn¡¯t bad either. Little Bei was smart and bold, and she was also quite athletic. With the help of the staff, she could slowly make the horse jog.


    ¡°Your progress is not bad. Come a few more times and you¡¯ll get better at it. You¡¯ll slowly be able to run independently.¡±


    As they were having a good time, half a day passed without them realizing it. Soon, the sun set.


    Seeing that it was gettingte, Mu Jingzhe felt a little regretful, and so did Little Bei. ¡°I haven¡¯t ridden enough. I haven¡¯t started running properly yet.¡±


    Ji Buwang could sense their regret. ¡°Then let me run twops with you guys.¡±


    Actually, he had been teaching Mu Jingzhe all day and couldn¡¯t run properly either. It was the same for the white horse. They both really wanted to run, but they just endured it.


    Since he was leading Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei and teaching them to run, Ji Buwang chose the white horse he was most familiar with. ¡°I¡¯ll run twops first to make it happy. Then, I¡¯ll bring you guys along.¡±


    Ji Buwang ran twops first, and the white horse was indeed happy. When it stopped, perhaps because it was also male, it sensed Ji Buwang¡¯s desire for a mate and raised its front hooves high, making Ji Buwang look handsome.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei looked at Ji Buwang under the setting sun and once again felt the charm of Prince Charming. By the time he came back after the finalp, Little Bei was already pping excitedly.


    ¡°Teacher Ji is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Impressive, right?¡± Ji Buwang rolled over and picked Little Bei up. ¡°Then Teacher Ji will ride with you for twops.¡±


    Ji Buwang got on the horse, and the white horse quickly rushed out. Ji Buwang tilted his head and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I¡¯ll bring youter.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯sughter rang out following that. After running twops, she was still reluctant to part ways. ¡°This is so much fun. This is great.¡±


    She liked the feeling of racing like this.


    ¡°Although you¡¯re very cute and likable, Little Bei, I¡¯m still very principled. Twops mean twops. I¡¯ll bring you here again. Now¡­ I want to bring your mommy along.¡±


    Ji Buwang got down first and carried Little Bei down. Little Bei chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t fight with Mommy either.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and gestured. ¡°Come here.¡±


    To be honest, Mu Jingzhe was really tempted. However, she said, ¡°I¡¯m a very big person, and so are you. Will the horse be able to handle the weight?¡±


    ¡°The white horse will. It can carry all three of us.¡±


    Ji Buwang reached out again. ¡°Come.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe got on the horse, and Ji Buwang quickly sat up. With a pull of the reins, the white horse immediately started running.


    Mu Jingzhe eximed. Ji Buwang¡¯s voice came from behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    She sat in front of Ji Buwang, who was almost hugging her. To be honest, this was the first time they were so intimate.


    Mu Jingzhe felt a little ufortable, but riding a horse was very stimting. For a moment, her heart beat a little faster. At that moment, she suddenly felt Ji Buwang¡¯s heartbeat. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. It was like hers.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know if it was the sound of horse hooves or if it was real, but she felt particrly excited for a moment.


    Especially when they happened to run to the straight road of the racecourse, they encountered the setting sun. The setting sun was very red and was descending bit by bit. It was as if they were chasing after it.


    The scene was astounding.


    As they ran during the secondp, Mu Jingzhe watched half the sun set.


    It was only then that Mu Jingzhe realized that it had been a long time since she hadst seen the setting sun.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Ji Buwang asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± After saying that, Mu Jingzhe saw Little Bei standing aside. She had run twops. It was time for the ride to end.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei smiled and were prepared for Ji Buwang to stop. Little Bei also waved and called for her mother, preparing to wee Mu Jingzhe.


    In the end, Ji Buwang¡­ didn¡¯t stop. While Little Bei was waving at them in the background, he urged the horse again and ran away.


    Little Bei was stunned as she watched Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe run away. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention twops? Didn¡¯t you say twops means twops?¡±


    As if in response to Little Bei¡¯s words, a gust of wind blew, blowing some dust and fallen leaves toward Little Bei.


    Little Bei coughed and quickly stepped back to cover her nose and mouth.


    Little Bei was stunned, and so was Mu Jingzhe. She couldn¡¯t help but tilt her head slightly and pat Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d run twops? Why are you still running?¡±


    Just now, Little Bei had waved at her toe over and wee her.


    ¡°Running twops and taking two steps is just a passing remark. It does not really mean twops.¡± Ji Buwang was also d to see Mu Jingzhe so happy. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to find an opportunity, so he naturally made up an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s not dark yet. We can run two moreps.¡±


    Ji Buwang kept his word. Hence, after the thirdp, Little Bei felt that it was over for good. Just as she waited for them to stop again, Ji Buwang walked past her once more.


    He said from afar, ¡°Little Bei, wait a while.¡±


    Little Bei: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Upon seeing Little Bei¡¯s expression, Mu Jingzhe was a little embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s stop. Little Bei is watching.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ji Buwang quickly agreed. ¡°I just can¡¯t bear to part ways with you.¡±


    If possible, he¡¯d really want this moment tost forever.


    Under the circumstances, it was indeed quite tempting to hear such things on horseback. Mu Jingzhe was also a little tempted, but¡­ it was only for a few seconds. A secondter, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of the romantic joke that most modern people knew about riding a horse: If you¡¯re full, it means I poured too much.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of this. Then, she started feeling embarrassed and unterally ruined the earlier good atmosphere.


    All that was left in her mind was that image, and her mind was filled withughter.


    Ji Buwang suddenly realized that Mu Jingzhe was trembling. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He thought that Mu Jingzhe was crying or something had happened, so he returned to the starting point and quickly got off the horse to look at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jingzhe? Did you think of something, or are you feeling unwell?¡±


    Little Bei had initially been afraid that she would be tricked again, so she hadn¡¯t nned oning over. Sensing that something was amiss, she quickly followed them.


    When Mu Jingzhe raised her head, she saw that her face was red. She was suppressing herughter.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Hahaha, I just thought of something funny. Hahaha.¡±


    It was unknown when the deviation had urred, but many people remembered it as overflowing.


    At the thought of this, Mu Jingzhe felt a little embarrassed to look at Ji Buwang. How could she think of such nonsense when Ji Buwang was such a Prince Charming?


    After Mu Jingzhe got off the horse, she was ashamed yet she couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Little Bei was curious to know why Mu Jingzhe was smiling. Ji Buwang, who was beside her, was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The atmosphere had clearly been good previously, so why had Mu Jingzhe suddenly burst outughing? Her outburst interrupted the feelings surging in his heart. He had wanted to say something nice.

 Chapter 298 - Yellow Dream

    <h4>Chapter 298: Yellow Dream</h4>


    Although Mu Jingzhe had ended up getting caught off guard by that joke, on the whole, it was a very happy day.


    It was already dark. After drinking some water and resting for a while, she realized that she was hungry after horse riding for an entire day.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back after dinner. There¡¯s a mountain vi on the way. I¡¯ve eaten there before. The chicken, duck, fish, and side dishes are not bad. They¡¯re very fresh. They also allow guests to fish over there. I¡¯ll take you guys fishing next time.¡±


    Because they were really hungry, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei only nodded in answer to whatever Ji Buwang said.


    The vi was not bad. It was simr to the modern farmhouse. There was an orchard, a fishing ground, and arge vegetable field. If the people from Ocean City came to vacation there, they could row a boat and fish. They could also pluck fruits and vegetables and they could bring back the fruits and vegetables or stir-fry them at the farmstead.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The people in the city knew how to have fun, and the boss was also smart. People from viges might not care for it, but the city folks did.


    The boss had started adopting agritourism[1] long before it became popr.


    Because it was already dark when Mu Jingzhe and the others arrived, these activities were canceled. The boss was very regretful and asked if they wanted to go with a shlight, but Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei refused.


    Because they came from Great Eastern Vige, they were no strangers to nting vegetables or fruits. After the initial confusion, Mu Jingzhe had be proficient in nting vegetables. She had nted many vegetables in the vegetable fields.


    Other than potatoes, she had nted plenty of brinjals, cabbages, and chives.


    The kids had also helped water the nts before. While the children in the city found it novel, to Little Bei and the rest, this was simply work.


    The boss moved quickly and the dishes were served fast. Probably because they were hungry, they found the food quite delicious.


    After they ate and drank to their hearts¡¯ content, Ji Buwang took Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei back.


    Shao Qihai was naturally unhappy, but he couldn¡¯t say a word. Because he had already said that they were free now, Mu Jingzhe was free to go out with Ji Buwang.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang toe up with an idea such as riding a horse. Riding a horse was something the five kids had never done before.


    Shao Qihai tossed and turned but didn¡¯t fall asleep. He thought that he had to think of a date that even Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t turn down. Something that the children hadn¡¯t proposed before.


    Mu Jingzhe also experienced some side effects from riding a horse that night. She dreamed of riding a horse with Ji Buwang again, but the conversation in the dream rendered her unable to bear to look at him.


    She didn¡¯t know if it was because today¡¯s events had left a deep impression on her today, but in the end, she dreamed of it too.


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to wake herself up and really woke up.


    When she woke up and realized that she was really dreaming, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. At the thought of the dream, she felt terrible.


    The dream was actually a littleplicated. Had she been affected by Li Zhaodi¡¯s driving[2] because she had heard too much about it?


    Seeing that it was still early, Mu Jingzhe felt that she needed to calm down. After washing her face, she went to the studio to work. In the end, she suddenly realized that she had picked up male underwear.


    Mu Jingzhe had already started preparing tounch thedies¡¯ version in the market, but she couldn¡¯t really ignore the men¡¯s version, so she took the time to make some samples.


    She had made two designs previously and even made Mu Han try them.


    At first, Mu Han thought that Mu Jingzhe had given him something good. In the end, when he took it off, his face turned red and he couldn¡¯t even speak.


    Mu Jingzhe was thick-skinned enough to let Mu Han give feedback to her after trying it on. After all, she had finally found a youngborer.


    Although Mu Han was a little embarrassed, he knew that it was something serious and left without saying much.


    However, Mu Han couldn¡¯t be the only one trying it on. Now that Mu Jingzhe had made another design, she had to find someone else to try it on.


    As Mu Jingzhe thought about it, Ji Buwang unconsciously appeared in her mind. She even started to imagine what Ji Buwang would look like in it.


    When she finally reacted, Mu Jingzhe was stunned. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, wake up!¡±


    A horse ride seemed to have turned on a strange switch in her, making her feel increasingly out of control.


    Mu Jingzhe pped herself and got ready to put it away.


    However, just as she was about to put it away, she realized that a part of it wasn¡¯t sewn well. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand was faster than her brain, so she grabbed the needle and thread. When she realized what was going on, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stop either.


    She decided to sew it up first lest she dreamed that Ji Buwang¡¯s clothes would suddenly burst open. That would be even more awkward.


    After Mu Jingzhe finished sewing it, she realized what she was thinking and couldn¡¯t help but hit her head. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re crazy, crazy!¡±


    As soon as she finished, she heard Ji Buwang¡¯s voice. ¡°Jingzhe, why are you hitting yourself?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused. Was she hallucinating? She frowned and turned around to see Ji Buwang standing in the courtyard. ¡°Jingzhe, do you have a headache?¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe with concern and took two steps forward, wanting to enter.


    He had followed thendy in and even fetched her a bucket of water. After thendy left, Ji Buwang wandered to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s temporary office.


    He had thought that Mu Jingzhe and the others weren¡¯t up yet, but when he saw that Mu Jingzhe was up and was even hitting herself, he thought that she was feeling unwell.


    ¡°Don¡¯te over!¡± Mu Jingzhe, who was caught off guard, reacted fast. She quickly hid the thing in her hand behind her back and reached out to stop Ji Buwang froming over.


    Ji Buwang stopped, his eyes filled with confusion.


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath to calm down and hid the underwear in her hand. ¡°Why¡­ Why are you here?¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe saw Ji Buwang, she couldn¡¯t help but recall her dreamst night. Her mind was filled with images of him in that dream. Plus, there was that one image that she couldn¡¯t help imagining a moment ago. When the two images merged, she couldn¡¯t bear to look straight at them. She was about to go crazy and didn¡¯t even dare look at Ji Buwang.


    ¡°My grandfather suddenly asked me to go back. It seems like something¡¯s happened. I bought a ne ticket to go back in the afternoon, so I wanted to say goodbye to you.¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t want to go back at all, but his grandfather seemed to have something to talk to him about, so he could only agree. He was actually very reluctant.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that Ji Buwang was leaving, she was stunned for a moment before she finally calmed down. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±


    ¡°Mm, if it¡¯s nothing major, I¡¯ll be back soon. If there¡¯s anything wrong, you can contact me. If you and Little Bei have time, you can go to the racecourse yourselves. I¡¯ve spoken to my friend. Of course, if Little Dong and Little Xi like it, you can bring them too.¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled and said meaningfully, ¡°But only you and the children can go.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t let Shao Qihai go. If he let Shao Qihai go, he would be helping to bring them together. He wasn¡¯t kind enough to do such a thing. He was the only one who could ride a horse with Jingzhe.


    Ji Buwang had specificallye to tell her because he wanted Little Bei to learn, and Mu Jingzhe had enjoyed it too.


    However, when Mu Jingzhe heard Ji Buwang mention riding a horse, she felt sheepish again, feeling like Ji Buwang had seen through her.


    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t ride anymore. I¡¯m not going again.¡± She was afraid that every time she went, she would remember that joke.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ji Buwang frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like it very much yesterday? You can tell me if there¡¯s a problem. Or is it because I said I¡¯m going back?¡±


    ¡°No, no, there¡¯s no problem. I really like it¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe looked into Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was spouting nonsense just now. I¡¯ll go again.¡±


    Maybe after riding a few times, that thought wouldn¡¯t surface in her mind again.


    [1] Agritourism involves any agriculturally-based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch


    [2] talking about sexual matters

 Chapter 299 - Funny Video Happening in Reality

    <h4>Chapter 299: Funny Video Happening in Reality</h4>


    Ji Buwang¡¯s brows were still furrowed. ¡°What are you hiding from me?¡±


    She was indeed hiding something from Ji Buwang, but she couldn¡¯t possibly let Ji Buwang know about this. Mu Jingzhe shook her head firmly. ¡°Nothing, absolutely nothing!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe coughed. ¡°If you¡¯re busy, go ahead. I¡¯m busy too.¡±


    Ji Buwang acknowledged this but didn¡¯t move. He looked at her and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Oh right, are you carrying me with you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t react in time. What did he mean by that?


    ¡°It¡¯s that mini Russian doll I reminded you about previously.¡± Ji Buwang took the little Mu Jingzhe out of his pocket. ¡°I carry you with me. When you aren¡¯t around, Little Jingzhe always apanies me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had previously guessed that there might be an even smaller Russian doll on Ji Buwang, but it had only been a guess. She hadn¡¯t expected it to be true.


    Upon seeing Ji Buwang skillfully take it out and even call it Little Jingzhe, while the cute and adorable little doll reallyy obediently in Ji Buwang¡¯s palm, for some reason, she felt like she was in Ji Buwang¡¯s palm.


    Mu Jingzhe stuttered. ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t really carry her around all the time, do you?¡±


    ¡°What about you? Did you not listen to me?¡± Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t answer whether he often carried it with him or even said goodnight to it every day.


    ¡°I¡­ I actually brought it with me.¡± When she¡¯d first packed her luggage, she¡¯d seen the mini Russian doll and remembered what Ji Buwang had said about it not taking up much space, so Mu Jingzhe had stuffed it in her suitcase.


    But she wouldn¡¯t carry it with her.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you brought it along.¡± Ji Buwang was satisfied when he heard that Mu Jingzhe had brought it. ¡°After I leave, you can look at Little Buwang if you miss me.¡±


    Little Jingzhe and Little Buwang sounded very cute. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but smile. Then, she saw Ji Buwang carefully put the doll back in his pocket.


    He put it back in his chest pocket, close to his heart. ¡°This pocket has been specially sewn. It won¡¯t let Little Jingzhe fall, so it won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    After getting Little Jingzhe, Ji Buwang had sewn all his pockets shut.


    Ji Buwang was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would be worried, so he took two steps closer to let her see. Mu Jingzhe saw Little Jingzhe lying obediently in his pocket.


    Ji Buwang seemed to be bragging. Mu Jingzhe muttered, ¡°Stop calling it Little Jingzhe.¡±


    He sounded like he was calling her ¡®Little Jingzhe¡¯ when she was already a grown woman.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I call it that? You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± It wasn¡¯t like that. It just felt weird.


    ¡°No? Then why is your face suddenly red?¡± Ji Buwang frowned and lowered his head to look at Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°My face is red?¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but stroke her face. She raised her hand and saw the men¡¯s underwear that was still hidden in her hand. She quickly hid it behind her back.


    If Ji Buwang saw this, even if she exined that she was doing business, it would definitely be very awkward.


    Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°My face is fine. Ji Buwang, leave quickly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe turned around after saying that. She didn¡¯t want Ji Buwang to discover the thing in her hand, nor did she want to continue discussing whether or not she was blushing.


    However, how could Ji Buwang let Mu Jingzhe go right now? He felt that Mu Jingzhe had been acting weird all day, not to mention that her face had indeed turned red just now.


    ¡°Jingzhe, are you having a fever?¡± Ji Buwang quickly asked, anxiously holding Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe moved aside and let Ji Buwang¡¯s hand fall from her shoulder.


    The faster Mu Jingzhe fled, the more worried Ji Buwang became.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Ji Buwang made a grabbing motion and finally managed to grab Mu Jingzhe.


    However, before Ji Buwang could heave a sigh of relief, he felt that something was amiss. What he was grabbing didn¡¯t seem to be just¡­ clothes.


    Ji Buwang looked down at his hand and felt stunned.


    Mu Jingzhe was just as stunned, as she was being pulled¡­ by the back of her bra strap.


    She was wearing thinner clothing because it was summer. Plus, Ji Buwang had exerted strength out of anxiety, and Mu Jingzhe had continued walking forward, so he had pulled it firmly. Mu Jingzhe had made a lot of effort to achieve the sticity this bra had. The sticity was really good and the material was breathable, so Mu Jingzhe was very satisfied with it. It was a featured product in her newlyunched undergarment line.


    Mu Jingzhe was satisfied with this lingerie and felt that the design andfort had met her requirements, but¡­ but that wasn¡¯t the main point. The point was that the back of her bra strap was pulled!


    Because it was very stic, it waspletely pulled open like a slingshot.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned, and Ji Buwang finally reacted and hurriedly let go.


    With a thud, the bra strap bounced heavily on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back, making her bare her teeth.


    Mu Jingzhe was numb. What was going on? Wasn¡¯t this situation only encountered in movies, television, or funny videos that had been specially edited? Why had she encountered this in reality?


    When she had first swiped on this video, she hadughed so happily. Now, she wanted to hit someone.


    The video was really funny, but when this happened in reality, it didn¡¯t seem that funny anymore. She also experienced the feelings and mood of the person whose bra strap was pulled, and it was really painful and infuriating.


    No wonder the girl in that video had been so angry. She was furious too! Mu Jingzhe red back.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang felt terrible and wished he could crawl into the ground.


    Why would he hold her¡­? If he had held on to the hope that he had tugged at something else a second ago, that hope hadpletely vanished by now.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s face was red as a cooked prawn, several times redder than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. Jingzhe, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I didn¡¯t expect¡­ I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Ji Buwang was about to cry.


    ¡°If you dared do this on purpose, would I give you a chance to speak? I¡¯d have beaten you up long ago!¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe spoke angrily, she identally opened her hand and what she was holding fell by Ji Buwang¡¯s feet.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had been gripping it tightly. Now that it was spread out, one could tell at a nce what it was.


    Mu Jingzhe was petrified, and the words in her mouth froze. Ji Buwang also froze after taking a look. This time, it was even more awkward. The awkwardness in the air intensified.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was a mess, and Ji Buwang was even more confused. He suddenly remembered that he had identally pulled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bra and he looked at the piece of clothing on the ground.


    This was definitely a man¡¯s. One could tell at a nce. But¡­ why would Mu Jingzhe have this? Could it be Shao Qihai¡¯s?


    At the thought that it was Shao Qihai¡¯s, Ji Buwang¡¯s mind exploded. Then, he tried his best to calm down. That couldn¡¯t be. She had already signed the divorce agreement with Shao Qihai. It was impossible!


    Although he said it was impossible in his heart, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this¡­¡±


    At the same time, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t stand the awkwardness and spoke up. She tried her best to break the awkwardness, adhering to the principle that as long as she wasn¡¯t embarrassed, the awkward one would be the other party. Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve seen it, I¡¯ll give it to you. This is my new product. Take it and try it on. Give me feedback when you do.¡± She felt that she was handling this very graciously.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 300 - My Size Is Big

    <h4>Chapter 300: My Size Is Big</h4>


    Upon hearing that it wasn¡¯t Shao Qihai¡¯s, Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief. However, he didn¡¯t have any experience in trying on clothes and didn¡¯t know how to react for a moment. Therefore, he didn¡¯t say anything. Since he didn¡¯t say anything, the awkwardness only continued.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Let me know if you agree or not. This is my new product. There are other products too. You can just pick the size that you wear.¡±


    In order to prevent herself from being so embarrassed that her toes would dig out a set of three bedrooms and two living rooms on the ground, Mu Jingzhe stepped forward and pulled open the drawer for Ji Buwang to see. ¡°Choose.¡±


    Ji Buwang was in a daze. ¡°I¡¯ll take¡­ this.¡±


    Ji Buwang picked up the one on the ground and rolled it up in his hands.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and blurted out, ¡°You took the biggest one?¡±


    After saying that, she wished she could p herself twice. What was she saying!


    This time, Mu Jingzhe was so embarrassed that her toes dug out three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms in the ground.


    ¡°That?<i>is</i>?my size¡­¡± Ji Buwang answered reflexively. Upon hearing himself, he wished he could p himself.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe controlled herself and did not think too much. Ji Buwang also tried his best to control himself. He was a little dazed and subconsciously stuffed the underwear in his hand into his chest pocket.


    Then, he finally made up his mind and said, ¡°Jingzhe, I didn¡¯t mean anything by what I said just now. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±


    After he said that, Ji Buwang said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave first then.¡±


    Then, he turned to flee.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed and heaved a sigh of relief. Her expression was extremely strange. ¡®You can leave, but can you not stuff it in that pocket? Little Jingzhe is still lying inside. By stuffing that in, you have ruined your disposition. Not only is it ugly, but Little Jingzhe is also there.¡¯


    She felt like breaking down.


    Mu Jingzhe covered her face. After a moment, she hugged her head and couldn¡¯t help but let out a low groan. What on earth had she done and said!


    She¡¯d actually asked Ji Buwang to try it on for her! She¡¯d even said these ridiculous words. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better might think that she was teasing Ji Buwang!


    Mu Jingzhe felt like she was going crazy. On the other hand, after Ji Buwang ran out, he also felt terrible.


    He looked at his left hand and took the underwear made by Mu Jingzhe. Then, he looked at his right hand¡­ the one that had pulled Jingzhe¡¯s bra just now.


    After Ji Buwang escaped, he conveniently hid in an alley and leaned against the wall to calm down.


    That said, he couldn¡¯t calm down at the thought of what he had just done. Ji Buwang felt like his entire body was on fire, and his face was burning. He touched his face and btedly recalled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s red face.


    Was Jingzhe embarrassed too?


    If she was embarrassed, then wasn¡¯t it good that she was embarrassed in front of him? She actually had some feelings for him, right?


    At the thought of this, Ji Buwang¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but beat faster.


    So, wearing formal wear to perform with Xiao Wu and taking her to ride a horse previously had actually both been useful?


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that Ji Buwang was so handsome every time because there was a scheme involved.


    However, this had proved to be really useful. It was difficult for girls to escape from the attraction of such a visual impact.


    At the thought of this, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but cover his mouth andugh. Then, he lowered his head and saw his bulging pocket.


    As he was looking at his pocket, the smile on Ji Buwang¡¯s face slowly faded.


    He had actually ced this thing together with Little Jingzhe. Usually, Little Jingzhe would be alone or at most have a handkerchief and a fountain pen. But he had stuffed that thing inside in front of Jingzhe?


    What would Jingzhe think? Would she think that he was always treating Jingzhe like this, covering her face with this and that underwear?


    A tragic shout came from the alley.


    Mu Jingzhe was vexed for a while. In the end, her attention was only attracted by something else when the kids got up. Also, washing her face had helped her calm down.


    There was no turning back. Since she had already asked Ji Buwang to try it on, she could only leave it at that.


    Although the little doll was called Little Jingzhe, it wasn¡¯t the real her. No matter what was used to cover her face, she definitely couldn¡¯t associate herself with it!


    When it was almost time, Mu Jingzhe led Little Bei and Xiao Wu to the production team. When they passed by the hotel where the production team was staying, they happened to meet the crew. It seemed like a good thing at first, but when they got closer, they realized that something was wrong.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Jingzhe heard that it was a little noisy in the hotel and asked the guy in charge of lighting by the roadside about it.


    ¡°Someone came to look for Shao Bei to confirm something¡­¡± he casually replied. When he turned around, he realized that it was Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Confirm what with Little Bei?¡± Mu Jingzhe was puzzled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not very sure. Something about Little Bei¡¯s aunt¡­¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard the word ¡®aunt¡¯, she thought of Shao Qiyun and immediately frowned. There had been no news of Shao Qiyun after she had gone out. The debt collectors had even run to Great Eastern Vige. It was said that they hadn¡¯t found her.


    Since the debt collectors hadn¡¯t even found her yet, why would an aunt suddenly appear here? Anyway, regardless of whether it was true or not, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to meet Shao Qiyun in Little Bei¡¯s workce. Plus, Xiao Wu was beside her.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s originally bright smile immediately disappeared when he heard the word ¡®aunt¡¯. His little hand held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand tightly, and there was some uneasiness in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, let¡¯s go now.¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately made a decision and pulled Little Bei and Xiao Wu away.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to teach Shao Qiyun a lesson, but the ¡®how¡¯ was a problem. It wasn¡¯t a good thing for Little Bei to have an aunt who owed money to loan sharks.


    Mu Jingzhe walked quickly, but she was still a step toote.


    ¡°Shao Bei? You¡¯re Shao Bei, right? Don¡¯t leave yet. Is this your aunt? Did you greet the director and ask him to choose your aunt and eliminate Xiao Mei?¡±


    A young man dragged someone out and stood in front of Mu Jingzhe. Behind him was a youngdy who kept trying to pull the young man. ¡°Cao Yang, don¡¯t be like this.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I do this? They¡¯ve already made a promise to you, but now they¡¯re going back on their word because she¡¯s Shao Bei¡¯s aunt? I want to rify things today!¡±


    The young man called Cao Yang threw the person in front of Little Bei. ¡°Shao Bei, is this your aunt¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu had already seen the person thrown in front of them, who was in a sorry state. Although she had cut her hair and permed it and her dressing style had changed drastically, they could still recognize Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qiyun had appeared in front of Mu Jingzhe and the others in an unexpected manner. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression darkened as she looked at Shao Qiyun. Shao Qiyun nced at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression and denied knowing them. ¡°I don¡¯t know them.¡±


    When she saw Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qiyun recalled the pain of being beaten up. She recalled the memories of being pressed into the water vat again and again. It had been really painful, and she didn¡¯t want to recall it even now.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s heart turned cold. Why had she met Mu Jingzhe and the others? Afraid that she would be taught a lesson again, she lowered her head and denied it while enduring the pain. ¡°I was wrong. I¡¯ll go back and apologize. I¡¯ll leave now.¡±


    Although it was difficult to give up this opportunity, it was better than losing her life. She didn¡¯t want to fall into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands again.

 Chapter 301 - Shao Qiyun Encounters Ji Buwang

    <h4>Chapter 301: Shao Qiyun Encounters Ji Buwang</h4>


    Shao Qiyun wanted to dodge, but the person called Cao Yang pulled her back. ¡°You were so arrogant previously. Why are you hiding now? Do you think this matter is over just like that? Let me tell you something¡ªit¡¯s not over!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face darkened as she listened to Xiao Mei¡¯s apology. Based on Cao Yang¡¯s words, she learned that Shao Qiyun also wanted to act. Initially, there had been a third female role, but Xiao Mei had already confirmed that she would portray it. In the end, Shao Qiyun had appeared out of nowhere and imed to be Shao Bei¡¯s aunt. Then, for some reason, Xiao Mei had been reced.


    ording to the gossip, although Shao Bei was young, she was the youngest movie queen and she had some say in the movie, so she had spoken for her aunt. That was why the director had decided to use Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qiyun had used Shao Bei¡¯s reputation to squeeze her opponent out of the way. Xiao Mei was heartbroken. Her fianc¨¦, Cao Yang, couldn¡¯t take it anymore and got serious. Coincidentally, this movie was also shooting in Ocean City. When they¡¯d heard where Little Bei and her crew¡¯s hotel was, they¡¯d immediatelye over. He felt that had to speak up for Xiao Mei, and that was why he had dragged Shao Qiyun over to confirm this with Little Bei.


    ¡°You¡¯re insisting that you¡¯re Shao Bei¡¯s aunt in front of so many people. Tell the director now!¡±


    Shao Qiyun was furious and anxious. She could only grit her teeth and admit it now. ¡°Alright.¡± She didn¡¯t dare provoke Mu Jingzhe, as she was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would deal with her.


    The reason why Shao Qiyun had appeared in Ocean City was because she had been driven into a corner previously. She had been hunted down for her debt and she was afraid of Mu Jingzhe. Amid her desperation, Shao Qiyun had thought of her previous n.


    Since she was pretty, why couldn¡¯t she make something of herself by acting? Shao Qiyun had started working hard in this aspect. She was quite pretty, but she¡¯d acted as a walk-on actor a few times.


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t satisfied, which was why she¡¯d made use of Little Bei¡¯s reputation. Needless to say, it was quite useful. In addition, she¡¯d curried favor with the casting director and had actually seeded in the end.


    Initially, she had felt smug. From then on, she would rely on acting to be somebody and realize her dream of reaching the peak of her life. In the end, she had just started filming when someone had dragged her over and made a scene in front of Little Bei.


    If Little Bei acknowledged her, then she would definitely be different in the future. However, she knew that Little Bei wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her, so she could only deny it herself.


    ¡°I was wrong. I¡¯ll go talk to the director now¡­¡±


    ¡°You still have to apologize to Xiao Mei,¡± Cao Yang requested.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe saw Shao Qiyun apologize, seeing that she was sensible and didn¡¯t want to see her either, she worriedly bent down to pick Xiao Wu up. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard Ji Buwang¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Jingzhe, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ji Buwang had said that he was going to calm down, but it took him a long time to calm down. Unexpectedly, just as he had been about to leave for the airport, he had seen Mu Jingzhe. He was afraid that she was in trouble, so he had rushed over.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°Why are you still here?¡±


    Ji Buwang scratched his head. ¡°I have something to do¡­ so¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang nced in Shao Qiyun¡¯s direction. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take you guys there.¡±


    ¡°Will you make it in time? Don¡¯t you have to pack up and go to the airport?¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯ll be quick.¡± Ji Buwang reached out. ¡°Come, Xiao Wu, let me carry you.¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t move. Ji Buwang looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s leave this ce first. I¡¯ll carry Xiao Wu.¡±


    Ji Buwang stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head and took a few steps with Mu Jingzhe. In the end, Shao Qiyun, who had been apologizing, suddenly caught up to them and grabbed Ji Buwang.


    When she saw Ji Buwang¡¯s face, Shao Qiyun¡¯s expression changed drastically. She red at Ji Buwang, her eyes instantly turning red. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ It¡¯s you. I wouldn¡¯t mistake you. It¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s face darkened, and he flung Shao Qiyun¡¯s hand away. ¡°Who is she, Jingzhe?¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you know him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned as she looked at Shao Qiyun. Previously, Shao Qiyun clearly hadn¡¯t dared to look her in the eye. Why had she suddenly changed?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to know him. Who is he?¡± Shao Qiyun asked, suddenly recalling the rumors in the vige. ¡°He¡¯s the rich man who¡¯s been wooing you? How many times have I heard about him? I didn¡¯t expect this to be the first time I saw him.¡±


    Shao Qiyun suddenlyughed out loud, her face filled with madness. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be you. You know me and you were hiding from me on purpose, right? Right!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± Ji Buwang was a little impatient.


    ¡°I could mistake anyone but you!¡± Shao Qiyun gritted her teeth. ¡°You ruined me. It¡¯s all your fault!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyun and had a bad premonition.


    Shao Qiyun suddenly looked at Xiao Wu. Upon recalling that Ji Buwang had stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head just now, she sneered. ¡°I saw what you did to Xiao Wu. You still don¡¯t want to admit it? You¡¯ve known Xiao Wu¡¯s identity for a long time, right? How can you treat me like this!¡±


    ¡°And you!¡± Shao Qiyun suddenly looked at Mu Jingzhe, her eyes filled with hatred. ¡°You¡¯ve known for so long and deliberately hid it from me. No wonder you¡¯re so good to Shao Zhong when he¡¯s not your biological son. You do it to please him! You want to marry a rich man in my ce. I definitely won¡¯t let you get your wish!¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at Ji Buwang and at the face that had once fascinated her and been the protagonist of her countless beautiful dreams. Hatred and insanity appeared alternately in the depths of her eyes as she lunged forward. ¡°I told you I wouldn¡¯t be wronged in the past. You abandoned me back then. Don¡¯t even think about abandoning me again. I¡¯m Shao Zhong¡¯s biological mother¡­¡±


    When Ji Buwang heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s words and saw her rushing over, he quickly moved aside and raised his hand to strike the back of her neck. Shao Qiyun fell to the ground with an indignant expression.


    Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief and looked up to see Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu staring at him. He looked at Shao Qiyun on the ground and then at the curly hair on Xiao Wu¡¯s head. Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes flickered as something shed past them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a quiet ce to talk. This isn¡¯t the ce to talk. She needs to calm down too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe slowly came back to her senses. Her mind was a mess. Shao Qiyun was agitated, and her words had been incoherent. Others might not have understood, but Mu Jingzhe had.


    Shao Qiyun had actually been talking about one specific thing. She knew Ji Buwang, and Ji Buwang might be Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father.


    Mu Jingzhe hugged Xiao Wu and looked at Ji Buwang for a moment before nodding. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe agreed but didn¡¯t move for a long time. Too many things shed across her mind, and she was stunned.


    Back when she¡¯d suddenly found out about Xiao Wu¡¯s background and learned that she wasn¡¯t Shao Qihai¡¯s son but Shao Qiyun¡¯s, she had asked him who Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father was and said that she hoped the same thing wouldn¡¯t happen again one day. Then, Shao Qiyun had suddenly popped out and imed that Ji Buwang was Xiao Wu¡¯s father. His identity was especially unexpected, so she felt as if heaven was toying with them.


    Back then, she had onlyined because she had been really shocked. She hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen today.


    And this person was none other than Ji Buwang.


    She was truly shocked by the revtion that it was Ji Buwang.


    Was Ji Buwang really Xiao Wu¡¯s father? Mu Jingzhe wanted to say that it was impossible, but she couldn¡¯t.


    Memories shed past. The first time she had seen Ji Buwang, she had said that he had the same hair as Xiao Wu.

 Chapter 302 - You’re Xiao Wus Father?

    <h4>Chapter 302: You¡¯re Xiao Wu¡¯s Father?</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t just his hair. Later on, Xiao Wu had exhibited talent in music, and Ji Buwang happened to be able to teach Xiao Wu. Plus, he had so many musical instruments at home. To a certain extent, this proved that he was also talented.


    Xiao Wu had said before that he and Teacher Ji liked to eat the same things and would even get food together.


    Two days ago, Ji Buwang had apanied Xiao Wu when he had performed at the music festival. The other parents had also asked if they were father and son. Like before, she had not thought much of it and had only said that they were teacher and student and not father and son.


    That¡¯s right, there¡¯d actually been signs long ago, but it had never urred to Mu Jingzhe that they were father and son.


    Previously, she had always thought that Xiao Wu was Shao Qihai¡¯s son. Later on, when she had found out that Xiao Wu was Shao Qiyun¡¯s son, she had stopped thinking that he was Shao Qihai¡¯s son.


    This was Shao Qiyun after all. How could Ji Buwang have anything to do with Shao Qiyun?


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she knew Ji Buwang well. He had face blindness and was a very proud person on the inside. How could a person like him be rted to Shao Qiyun?


    Thus, she had never thought about this and hadn¡¯t expected¡­ She hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qiyun to suddenly say such a thing.


    Speaking of this, it was really funny. Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang had known each other in the past. Later on, Ji Buwang had also gone to Great Eastern Vige a few times and he usually lived in the county city. Shao Qiyun was also in the county city and had even returned to Great Eastern Vige a few times, but they had never met.


    Now that they¡¯d finally met, this scenario had unfolded.


    Ji Buwang looked at Shao Qiyun, who was on the ground. He could have picked her up directly, but he didn¡¯t want to. Since they weren¡¯t far from the hotel, he borrowed the hotel¡¯s luggage cart and carried Shao Qiyun.


    He looked at Mu Jingzhe and saw her staring at him in a daze. The emotions in her gaze were indescribable, but her expression made Ji Buwang¡¯s heart ache.


    ¡°Jingzhe, let¡¯s talk after we get back,¡± Ji Buwang said gently.


    Mu Jingzhe came back to her senses and nodded silently. After taking two steps, she met the crew members and the director.


    ¡°Director, I have something to attend to here¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe said awkwardly. She saw that she couldn¡¯t go anymore, but she couldn¡¯t let Little Bei go alone either, for Little Bei definitely felt flustered as well.


    Seeing this situation, the director nodded. ¡°Then handle it first.¡±


    He had worked with Mu Jingzhe for a period of time, so he could clearly see that Mu Jingzhe was responsible and serious. She only acted like this because she truly had something to do. He believed that she would definitely rush over once she was done.


    Cao Yang and Xiao Mei, who hade to cause trouble previously, were watching from the side. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you say she wasn¡¯t her aunt? We agreed to talk to the director.¡±


    ¡°Stop it. They must be busy. Wait.¡± Xiao Mei quickly pulled Cao Yang back.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention to them and returned to the rental house.


    Meanwhile, many people who lived nearby had gone to work. It was quiet enough. Shao Qihai had taken Shao Nan to participate in the exchange of the new generation of young authors, so he wasn¡¯t at home either.


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and opened the room. ¡°Little Bei, take Xiao Wu to rest in the room first. I¡¯ll talk to Ji Buwang.¡±


    Xiao Wu, who had lost his smile from the moment he had seen Shao Qiyun, was now a little pale. He frowned and tugged at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes. ¡°Mommy, I want to hear it too. I want to know if he¡¯s¡­¡± His biological father.


    Xiao Wu had always liked Ji Buwang, but he liked him as a teacher or uncle. He had never thought that he might be his biological father.


    Now that their rtionship had changed, so had his mentality toward him. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know how to describe his feelings. It wasplicated, but there wasn¡¯t joy among his mixed emotions.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, I know you want to hear it, but wait a while. It¡¯s just Shao Qiyun spouting a bunch of nonsense. We don¡¯t know the details yet. You know her situation too. The situation is still uncertain. Be good and wait here.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warm eyes and finally nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Regardless of whether Teacher Ji was his biological father or not, at least he still had his mommy and daddy.


    ¡°Mommy, go ahead. I¡¯ll apany Xiao Wu.¡± Little Bei held Xiao Wu¡¯s hand and was very sensible.


    Mu Jingzhe forced a smile. ¡°Alright.¡±


    After helping Xiao Wu and Little Bei settle down, Mu Jingzhe closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief before turning to look at Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang ced Shao Qiyun¡¯s luggage cart aside and quickly walked over. ¡°Jingzhe¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe opened the door to the studio. ¡°Come in.¡±


    She walked in and turned around to look at Ji Buwang. She then asked directly, ¡°Are you Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father?¡±


    Ji Buwang paused for a moment and didn¡¯t answer. Mu Jingzhe emphasized her next words. ¡°Ji Buwang, I want to hear the truth.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­ I¡¯ll talk to you after I figure it out.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes were fixed on Mu Jingzhe, silently saying, ¡°Believe me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe avoided his eyes. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s get to the bottom of this. Let¡¯s ask Shao Qiyun first.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t put her finger on what she was feeling. Logically speaking, since Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father wasn¡¯t a bad person and had turned out to be Ji Buwang, she should be happy. However, she didn¡¯t feel any joy at all, only awkwardness.


    Without looking at Ji Buwang, Mu Jingzhe wanted to bring Shao Qiyun over and wake her up first. However, Ji Buwang stopped her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wake her up yet. She¡¯s unstable. I trust my own investigative abilities more.¡± Ji Buwang paused. ¡°Who is she?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Shao Qiyun¡­¡±


    ¡°Shao Qihai¡¯s younger sister?¡± Ji Buwang frowned. ¡°So Shao Qihai helped his younger sister raise her child?¡±


    As Ji Buwang spoke, he suddenly remembered Xiao Wu¡¯s abnormal state during that period of time. ¡°Xiao Wu wanted to give up music previously because he found out about his background?¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t go to Great Eastern Vige often, so he hadn¡¯t heard much about Shao Qiyun. However, since Xiao Wu had suffered such a blow, and considering that Mu Jingzhe had not explicitly spoken of it before, one could guess that Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t a good mother.


    In an instant, Ji Buwang had deduced many things, and he was basically right. Since they were already suspecting that he was Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father, there was no need for Mu Jingzhe to hide it. She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s hand subconsciously tapped on the table as he recalled the news Uncle Fan had identally revealed to him.


    Uncle Fan had said that his grandfather had specificallye to watch when he¡¯d heard that he was going on stage to perform, but Ji Buwang had no idea.


    Initially, this wasn¡¯t a big deal. Judging by Grandpa¡¯s habits, even if he secretly went to take a look at him at first, he would definitely show up and have a meal with him before going back.


    However, his grandfather had gone back, which was unusual. Later on, after Uncle Fan had identally let it slip that Grandpa had seemed to be a little vexed, he hadn¡¯t spoken again. Then, he had asked him to go back and said that he had something important to tell him in person.


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t taken these matters to heart previously, but when these abnormalities werebined, coupled with the current situation, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but overthink.


    Had Grandpa been looking for him because of this?


    If Grandpa had really gone to look for him because of this matter, based on Grandpa¡¯s personality, he had probably found out something.


    At the thought of this, Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯ll call Grandpa first.¡±

 Chapter 303 - Its Either Your Brothers or Yours

    <h4>Chapter 303: It¡¯s Either Your Brother¡¯s or Yours</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe remembered that Ji Buwang had wanted to go back, so she nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡± It was only right that he informed his grandfather that he couldn¡¯t go back after such a thing had happened.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Wait for me.¡±


    Ji Buwang watched Mu Jingzhe nod before walking out. When he passed by Shao Qiyun, who was lying in the courtyard, he paused. ¡°Why don¡¯t I tie her up?¡±


    ¡°No need. With me around, she won¡¯t dare move.¡± If she dared to, she would be beaten up.


    Only then did Ji Buwang quickly walk out to find a phone. Ji Buwang took a deep breath before calling a familiar number.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Uncle Fan answered the phone.


    ¡°Uncle Fan, thest time you saw me go on stage, why did you leave in a hurry? Was it because you saw me and Xiao Wu on stage?¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. ¡°Did Grandpa ask me to go back because of Xiao Wu?¡±


    Uncle Fan: ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Just tell me directly. Stop hemming and hawing. I know everything. If my grandfather doesn¡¯t want you to tell me, then find him. I¡¯ll speak to him myself.¡±


    Uncle Fan: ¡°I¡¯ll look for the Old Master¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t admit anything, but his attitude was akin to admitting it. Ji Buwang lowered his head and looked at the phone line, his gaze darkening.


    This time, they waited for a long time before Old Master Ji¡¯s voice came. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°I know. Your Uncle Fan told me everything. I wanted to ask you about it when you came back. Now that you¡¯ve realized it, I¡¯ll tell you in advance. I saw Xiao Wu that day. His appearance and hair gave me a strong sense of familiarity, so I investigated his background aftering back.


    ¡°Buwang, unless something is very wrong, Xiao Wu should be a child of the Ji Family. I just don¡¯t know if he¡¯s your child or your older brother¡¯s.¡±


    Now that Ji Buwang had grown up, other than his fairness and hair, he didn¡¯t look much like Xiao Wu. However, before Ji Buwang and his older brother had grown up, they¡¯d actually looked like Xiao Wu.


    If Ji Buwang could see people¡¯s faces, perhaps he would have discovered this problem long ago. However, he couldn¡¯t see anyone¡¯s face, nor could he see his older brother¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t even see his face in photos, so he hadn¡¯t realized this at all.


    The only time he had recognized his face was through Mu Jingzhe¡¯s cartoon drawing. He had heard everyone say that he looked pretty good.


    He didn¡¯t know what Xiao Wu looked like, and Mu Jingzhe and the others only knew the grown-up Ji Buwang, so they had never associated Xiao Wu with him.


    Only Old Master Ji had quickly recognized him.


    Old Master Ji spoke calmly, but his words had a huge impact on Ji Buwang. ¡°My older brother and I?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s been a while, but I still managed to find some news. Unless I¡¯m wrong, it happened six years ago before we returned to our hometown for the New Year. Your brother erased too much information back then. I can¡¯t be sure if it was you or your brother.¡±


    Old Master Ji said, ¡°I asked you toe back because I wanted to ask if it was your older brother¡¯s child or yours.¡±


    When Ji Buwang heard the words ¡®returned to our hometown six years ago¡¯, he closed his eyes. Some memories that he didn¡¯t want to recall rushed over.


    After Old Master Ji finished speaking, he remained silent and waited for Ji Buwang to give him an answer. He gave Ji Buwang time.


    However, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t answer in the end. He only asked, ¡°You¡¯ve also found Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother?¡±


    ¡°I have. She¡¯s Shao Qihai¡¯s younger sister, Shao Qiyun. She¡¯s also the sister-inw of Mu Jingzhe, whom you like now. This was fated. Xiao Wu was even sent away to be raised once previously.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s lips twitched when he heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s name. ¡°It¡¯s really her. Grandpa, now that I know what happened, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±


    Old Master Ji listened to the busy tone on the phone and stood there for a long time before hanging up. Old Fan stood by his side and asked carefully, ¡°Did Young Master say whose child it is?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Old Master Ji shook his head.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he?¡± Old Fan was puzzled. ¡°Buwang is looking more and more like the eldest young master.¡±


    Ji Buwang and his older brother weren¡¯t twins. They were two years apart in age. When they were young, people had still been able to tell who was older and who was younger. But when they¡¯d grown up, it had be increasingly difficult to tell.


    Later on, whenever the two brothers would go out, some people would even ask if they were twins because they looked so simr. Once, due to mischief orziness, after being asked a few times if they were twins, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t denied it and had even confirmed it. He¡¯d even let people guess who was older and who was younger as a game.


    The two brothers looked alike and had a good rtionship. It was just that the eldest young master had passed away early¡­


    Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t even aware of Old Fan¡¯s emotions. He stood beside the phone and thought for a while before making another call.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle Li.¡±


    After confirming that it was Uncle Li on the other end of the line, Ji Buwang said, ¡°Uncle Li, you¡¯ve met Xiao Wu many times. Do you think he looks like anyone?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu?¡± Uncle Li had met Xiao Wu long ago and was very familiar with him. When he heard this strange question, he paused for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiao Wu? I¡¯ve just always felt that he looked very familiar.¡±


    Uncle Li smiled in embarrassment. Uncle Li liked the five Shao kids very much, but if you asked who his favorite one was, it would be Xiao Wu. Uncle Li subconsciously favored Xiao Wu more.


    ¡°Familiar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Buwang, why are you suddenly asking this?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to ask, does Xiao Wu look like me and my older brother when we were young?¡±


    Uncle Li was stunned. ¡°Like you and Eldest Young Master¡­ Now that I think about it carefully, there¡¯s indeed a resemnce. Why are you suddenly asking this?¡±


    Uncle Li couldn¡¯t help but overthink. He had actually watched the two brothers grow up and had an impression of their childhood. However, when he had met Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu had still been too young.


    At the time, he hadn¡¯t noticed that anything was amiss. And as Xiao Wu grew up, he had gotten used to his face. However, he hadn¡¯t thought much of it. After all, he was Shao Qihai¡¯s son.


    But Ji Buwang¡¯s sudden question made Uncle Li¡¯s heart skip a beat. ¡°Young Master Buwang, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll talk to youter, Uncle Li.¡±


    Ji Buwang stood for a moment before returning to the rental house. Mu Jingzhe was sitting on a chair, looking at the door, seemingly lost in thought. When she saw him enter, she stood up.


    Ji Buwang paused and walked up to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I asked clearly. Shao Qiyun shouldn¡¯t be lying. Xiao Wu is a child of the Ji Family.¡±


    He tilted his head and looked at Shao Qiyun. So this was that person from six years ago.


    ¡°The Ji Family¡¯s child?¡± Mu Jingzhe nced at Ji Buwang. ¡°So¡­ He¡¯s yours?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stared intently at Ji Buwang, not missing his expression.


    Aplicated look shed across Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes. Just as he was about to answer, he saw the curtains of the room next door move. Presumably, Xiao Wu and the others were eavesdropping. He paused and didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Shao Qihai? Where is he? Shouldn¡¯t we wait for him before waking Shao Qiyun up, in case we have to repeat the same thing a few times?¡±


    Seeing that Ji Buwang didn¡¯t answer her directly, Mu Jingzhe retracted her gaze and said, ¡°He went out with Little Xi. He might not be back so soon.¡±


    It was just a question. Was it that difficult to answer?

 Chapter 304 - Xiao Wus Biological Father Confirmed

    <h4>Chapter 304: Xiao Wu¡¯s Biological Father Confirmed</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at Ji Buwang. The atmosphere was stagnant.


    ¡°Then when can theye back?¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s slow voice broke the silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Just as Mu Jingzhe finished speaking, she saw Shao Xi appear at the door. ¡°Eh, Mommy, why didn¡¯t you go film with Little Bei?¡±


    ¡°Why are you back so soon?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s expression was indescribable for a moment. ¡°Two people got into a fight after an argument, and the shooting ended early.¡±


    The so-called new generation of young authors¡¯ exchange was very new. Many of the authors were still quite young, so in the end, the exchange had ended as soon as it had started due to a quarrel over the seating arrangement.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t say much because of the situation in the courtyard. Shao Qihai followed him and naturally saw the group in the courtyard. When he saw Shao Qiyun, his brows twitched.


    As long as Shao Qiyun appeared, nothing good would happen. This had already created a conditioned reflex in him.


    ¡°What is she doing here? Is she here to cause trouble again?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Jingzhe had just said this when Shao Qiyun happened to wake up. She touched the back of her neck and immediately saw Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Second Brother!¡± Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw Shao Qihai. Ignoring the fact that she had fainted previously and had woken up in the luggage cart, she got up and pointed at Ji Buwang as she spoke to Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Second Brother, he¡¯s Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father. He¡¯s the one who ran away irresponsibly after sleeping with me six years ago!¡±


    Even though she was mentally prepared, Mu Jingzhe still closed her eyes when she heard Shao Qiyun say that.


    Shao Qihai was about to question Shao Qiyun, but he couldn¡¯t care less after hearing her words. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him. He¡¯s the one who bullied me six years ago. Didn¡¯t you and Mom ask who the father is? It¡¯s him. Back then, he ran away and I couldn¡¯t find him. Second Brother, you have to stand up for me.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Ji Buwang, whose expression was ugly. ¡°Impossible. How could it be Ji Buwang¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him. I remember him clearly. I¡¯ll remember his face until the day I die!¡± Shao Qiyun said firmly.


    ¡°How could it be you¡­¡± Shao Qihai looked at Ji Buwang in disbelief.


    ¡°I already said it¡¯s him!¡± Shao Qiyun confirmed it impatiently when she saw that Shao Qihai kept repeating himself. She looked at Mu Jingzhe and thought about the rumors in Great Eastern Vige that the richest person there, who was both good-looking and wealthy, had taken a fancy to Jingzhe.


    Back then, she had also hated the fact that some rich guy had been blind enough to fall for a widow like Mu Jingzhe. Now, she finally understood.


    ¡°So you deliberately said that you liked Mu Jingzhe because you knew that Xiao Wu is your biological son. I couldn¡¯t figure it out before, but now, I finally have.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes burned with fury as she red at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you discovered it long ago, right? That¡¯s why you were so good to Xiao Wu and the rest. That¡¯s why you were so angry and hated me when Xiao Wu¡¯s identity was exposed. You hated that you couldn¡¯t kill me. If you¡¯d killed me, you would have married into the Ji Family in my ce.


    ¡°Listen to me, you¡¯re dreaming. This time, I won¡¯t let you have your way!¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes turned red from excitement. When she thought of how rich the vigers had described him to be, she felt like she was looking at an endless stream of money that was flowing toward her. Indeed, there was always a way out. She had been saved and she no longer had to be afraid of the debt collectors.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless when she saw Shao Qiyun¡¯s crazy look. ¡°I didn¡¯t know anything before.¡±


    At the same time, Ji Buwang said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to guess the truth. It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it? You identally ran away back then. I won¡¯t let you run away this time!¡±


    After Shao Qiyun finished speaking, she happened to see the curtains of the room next door move. She was instantly overjoyed. ¡°Xiao Wu is in the room, right? I knew it. Where did you hide him?¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up as she went to open the door. ¡°Xiao Wu, it¡¯s Mommy. My good son¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang¡¯s expressions changed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Xiao Wu even if I beat you to death? Didn¡¯t you tell Xiao Wu not to even think about it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe still clearly remembered Shao Qiyun¡¯s face back then.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I was deceived by you in the past,¡± Shao Qiyun answered. She wanted to open the door, but she realized that she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Xiao Wu, open the door. It¡¯s Mommy. Hurry up and open the door.¡±


    In the past, she hadn¡¯t acknowledged Xiao Wu because his father had been unknown. Even if she did manage to find him, she wouldn¡¯t know his exact identity. But now, she had found him and she knew his identity.


    Of course, she had to acknowledge Xiao Wu. She still had to rely on Xiao Wu to marry into the Ji Family and rece Mu Jingzhe to live a wealthy life.


    As Shao Qiyun thought about it, her eyes were filled with ecstasy. At her most desperate moment, she saw hope again.


    No wonder she hadn¡¯t been able to find any rich people previously. So he had been here, waiting for her.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, open the door.¡±


    Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t open it and pushed it with all her might. ¡°Don¡¯t lock it from the inside. Open it quickly. I¡¯m your biological mother.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai, and Ji Buwang spoke in unison.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said that Xiao Wu has nothing to do with you. What are you doing?¡± said Shao Qihai.


    ¡°Have you forgotten what you said back then? Have you forgotten what I said?¡± Mu Jingzhe stepped forward and pushed Shao Qiyun away, feeling disgusted. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare scare Xiao Wu.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was furious. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, how dare you be so arrogant now? Xiao Wu was just insensible and he was deceived by you. Now that I¡¯m good to him, we¡¯re mother and son and our hearts are linked together. You can¡¯t stop us. Xiao Wu, be good and open the door.¡±


    She was about to pounce over again when she heard Ji Buwang say, ¡°Stop looking for Xiao Wu. Even if Xiao Wu is a child of the Ji Family, it won¡¯t change anything for you. Since you didn¡¯t care about Xiao Wu before, Xiao Wu has nothing to do with you now.¡±


    ¡°You finally said what¡¯s in your heart. I knew you didn¡¯t want me, but this isn¡¯t something you can decide. Ji Buwang, if you don¡¯t want your reputation to be ruined, you have to take responsibility and marry me!¡±


    At first, Shao Qiyun was filled with hatred, but she was quickly tempted by the benefits. ¡°Mu Jingzhe is only a stepmother. She¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m his biological mother. For Xiao Wu¡¯s sake, you have to be responsible for me. You¡¯ve got to marry me.¡±


    Ji Buwang nced at the curtains. ¡°I¡¯m not Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father. You don¡¯t have to think about it anymore. No matter how much you think about it, it¡¯s pointless.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to hear these words.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. If it¡¯s not you, who else could it be? Ji Buwang, are you a man or not? Even at this point, you¡¯re still denying it¡­¡±


    ¡°If I say it¡¯s not mine, it¡¯s not mine.¡± Ji Buwang interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯d definitely not deny it if it was my child, but if it¡¯s not, then it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Unless something goes wrong, Xiao Wu should be my older brother¡¯s son.¡± Though he was clearly exining this to Shao Qiyun, he was looking at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. He wasn¡¯t Ji Buwang¡¯s child?


    Her eyes moved, and her subconsciously clenched hands rxed. She had said that Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyun shouldn¡¯t be rted.


    However¡­ This was Ji Buwang¡¯s older brother.. Ji Buwang had mentioned him before, and he was no longer around.

 Chapter 305 - Now You Know How to Acknowledge Xiao Wu

    <h4>Chapter 305: Now You Know How to Acknowledge Xiao Wu</h4>


    Back then, Ji Buwang had said that the most painful time of his life had been that particr time. He had been like a living corpse, as he had lost his older brother shortly after losing his parents.


    But why was his older brother rted to Shao Qiyun? Why was Shao Qiyun so sure that it was Ji Buwang?


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s tightly clenched fist and knew that although he looked calm on the surface, he must be suffering in his heart. Just as she was about to speak, Shao Qiyun¡¯s voice stopped her.


    ¡°Haha, your older brother? Where¡¯s your older brother then? Ask him toe out. I wanna see where you¡¯ll conjure an older brother from.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face was filled with mockery.?<i>Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that this is just an excuse.</i>


    ¡°My older brother is gone. Shao Qiyun, show some respect. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at you now. You are the one who took away my innocence and left me to my own devices. I have a reason wherever I go. Your older brother is his father? You¡¯re really good at making up lies. You¡¯re ming your older brother because you don¡¯t want to be held responsible. You think that your older brother can¡¯t defend himself since he¡¯s dead, right? But even though he¡¯s dead, I¡¯m not. I remember it clearly. That was you!¡±


    ¡°I told you that was my older brother. My older brother and I look very simr.¡±


    ¡°How simr? Can¡¯t be that simr unless you¡¯re twins.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not twins, but can¡¯t we look like twins?¡±


    ¡°Who are you kidding? If you¡¯re not twins, how simr can you two be? Shao Dong and Shao Xi are twins, but even they don¡¯t look exactly the same. You¡¯re not even twins with your older brother, yet you still dare to me this on him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not.¡± Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t be bothered to say anything else. ¡°Besides, regardless of whether the biological father is me or my older brother, it has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to do with me? Why? Are you people not going to care about or acknowledge Xiao Wu?¡± Shao Qiyun was vignt.


    ¡°Whether we acknowledge him or not is none of your business.¡± Ji Buwang sneered.


    ¡°How is it none of my business? Ji Buwang, listen to me, you have to marry me this time¡­¡± This was her best chance to marry a rich person. She wouldn¡¯t let it go no matter what.


    Regardless of whether Ji Buwang treated her well or not or was willing to marry her, the fact that she had given birth to the Ji Family¡¯s child would be considered a huge contribution. He had to marry her. Be it for sentiment or any other reason, he had to do it. This was what happened on television.


    ¡°I¡¯ll emphasize this one more time. Stop thinking about marrying into the Ji Family. This is absolutely impossible.¡± Ji Buwang interrupted Shao Qiyun impatiently.


    How could Shao Qiyun be willing to ept this? She wanted to continue, but Shao Qihai interrupted her. ¡°Enough. Stop embarrassing yourself here. Regardless of whether Xiao Wu is a child of the Ji Family or not, it has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Second Brother, why are you still speaking up for Ji Buwang? If he hadn¡¯t run away back then, I wouldn¡¯t have ended like this. Are you still my older brother? How can you not stand on my side¡­¡± Shao Qiyun used him.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t be considered your brother. I don¡¯t even acknowledge my mother anymore. You think I¡¯ll acknowledge you?¡± Shao Qihai interrupted Shao Qiyun. ¡°Oh right, your mother is paralyzed in bed and has been nagging to see you. You should go back when you have the time.¡±


    When Shao Qiyun heard that Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t even call her ¡®mom¡¯ anymore, she knew that she couldn¡¯t count on him as she looked at his expression. She was furious. ¡°Shao Qihai, you¡¯ll regret this in the future. Do you think I want to marry into the Ji Family just for myself? If I marry into the Ji Family and have rich inws, won¡¯t it be beneficial to you too?¡±


    Shao Qiyun softened her tone. ¡°Brother, just help me. I¡¯ll help you when the timees.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Besides, I don¡¯t believe you either.¡± Shao Qihai sneered. ¡°It¡¯s not like I just got to know you today. I¡¯ve already seen your viciousness. When you heard that Zhao Lan was paralyzed in bed, you didn¡¯t even ask after her. How could you possibly help me when you¡¯re already treating your biological mother like this? I¡¯ll be d as long as you don¡¯t harm me.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°When have I ever harmed you? Besides, I did ask after her. I¡¯m Mom¡¯s child, and so are you. You¡¯re a son, yet you don¡¯t even care. Do you have the nerve to ask me to care? I¡¯m a daughter. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll get married and be someone else¡¯s family. Mom is your responsibility, not mine.¡±


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t want to show her face, although she already knew about Zhao Lan¡¯s paralysis. She hadn¡¯t gone back. Why should she go back? She was not obligated to support her in her old age and send her off after she passed away. That was her sons¡¯ business. No matter what, Zhao Lan had three sons, so she shouldn¡¯t be the one to do all this.


    Shao Qihai scoffed. ¡°We don¡¯t care about Zhao Lan because she let us down. But what about you? She¡¯s devoted to you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be devoted to? Back then, I was forced into a desperate situation by the debt collectors. I asked her to think of a way to help me, but she refused!¡± Shao Qiyun was still resentful. As long as Zhao Lan had been willing, she could have helped her repay the debt after selling the house. However, Zhao Lan had been unwilling. She only favored Eldest Brother Shao.


    At this point, Shao Qiyun suddenly realized something. ¡°Why are you talking about this with me? We¡¯re talking about me marrying into the Ji Family.¡±


    Tearing her down in front of Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to her marrying into the Ji Family.


    Shao Qiyun looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Ji Buwang, your family is also a reputable group of people. If you don¡¯t want to lose face and have others criticize you behind your backs, marry me.¡±


    ¡°Marrying you would truly be a disgrace to the Ji Family.¡± Ji Buwang looked at Shao Qiyun. ¡°Shao Qiyun, do you really think you could get everything by marrying into the Ji Family? Do you think our family will tolerate someone like you? Have you never watched television or movies? Why are you so naive?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that if you insist on doing this, the Ji Family has ways to make you disappear.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze was sharp and cold. Shao Qiyun¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it. Get out now.¡± Ji Buwang pointed at the door.


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to be so heartless and determined. She looked at Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe, who were watching coldly from the sidelines, and realized that she had no chance of winning. She could only temporarily swallow her unwillingness.


    She nced at the room Xiao Wu was in and told herself that there were many more days toe before leaving indignantly.


    Shao Qiyun finally left, but the courtyard waspletely silent. No one spoke until the door opened and Xiao Wu walked out.


    Ji Buwang was shocked, but he couldn¡¯t see Xiao Wu¡¯s expression. He could only call out tentatively, ¡°Xiao Wu.¡±


    Xiao Wu nced at Ji Buwang and lowered his head. He walked over to Mu Jingzhe and held her hand. ¡°Mommy.¡±


    Little Bei followed him. ¡°Xiao Wu and I heard it all.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Little Bei and Xiao Wu and frowned at Ji Buwang. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    It was all a mess. To think Ji Buwang and the Ji Family were actually rted to Xiao Wu. Shao Qihai hoped that all of this was fake, but upon looking at Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu¡¯s hair, he knew that the chances were slim.


    Ji Buwang looked at Xiao Wu and then at Little Bei. ¡°Go back to your room and wait for a while. I¡¯ll exin to your mother and Shao Qihai first. I¡¯ll talk to you guyster.¡±


    Some words weren¡¯t suitable to be heard by children.


    Three minutester, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai, and Ji Buwang were sitting in the workroom. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Xiao Wu almost became my son. My older brother only¡­¡± Ji Buwang dug out some unpleasant memories.

 Chapter 306 - Ji Family, Dont Even Think About Snatching Xiao Wu

    <h4>Chapter 306: Ji Family, Don¡¯t Even Think About Snatching Xiao Wu</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Speaking of this, the truth could be traced back even earlier. After growing up, Ji Buwang had been favored by girls very much. After all, he was good-looking and very mysterious.


    He was popr among girls, but not so much among boys. They even hated him and felt that he was arrogant.


    They didn¡¯t know that Ji Buwang had face blindness, so they felt that Ji Buwang was too arrogant. They had always wanted to teach him a lesson. Later on, a person called Yu Lihui, who had always been at odds with Ji Buwang, had really done so.


    Because the girl Yu Lihui liked didn¡¯t like him and liked Ji Buwang instead, she¡¯d kept chasing after Ji Buwang. Even though Ji Buwang had ignored her, it was useless. In order to win the girl¡¯s heart and also teach Ji Buwang a lesson, Yu Lihui had meticulously plotted to teach Ji Buwang a lesson and show his sweetheart Ji Buwang¡¯s true colors so she would give up on him.


    The method he used was irresponsible but quite simple. He had tempted the beautiful and brainless Shao Qiyun, who wanted to marry a rich person, and deceived her with a few words.


    As for Ji Buwang, he had used some drugs on him. At the time, Ji Buwang had been caught off guard and had fallen into a trap. Fortunately, he¡¯d been saved by his older brother in the end.


    He had dodged this scheme and woken up outside the room the next day. After he was awakened by his older brother, Ji Buwang and his older brother jumped out of the window to escape from Yu Lihui¡¯s trap.


    Later on, he had wanted to investigate what had happened, but he had unexpectedly gotten into a car ident. His older brother had passed away, and he had been so seriously injured that he had fallen into aa.


    Initially, Yu Lihui hadn¡¯t been able to take it lying down and had wanted to continue ying. In the end, since both of them had gotten into an ident, he naturally didn¡¯t dare plot against them again. Shao Qiyun had also been abandoned, and the culprit had tried his best to clean up any traces.


    After Ji Buwang woke up, he naturally wouldn¡¯t let go of Yu Lihui and the Yu Family. This was the right time to settle the score.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected his older brother to fall into their trap back then. Because his older brother hadn¡¯t said much back then, had only said that he was fine, and had passed away right after that, there was only so much Ji Buwang knew. He had always thought that his older brother hadn¡¯t fallen for it. Besides, the other party had been Shao Qiyun. In fact, Shao Qiyun had even given birth to the child, who was currently Xiao Wu.


    It was only now that Ji Buwang finally understood what had happened.


    Everything seemed destined to guide him to this point and allow him to meet Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu. He¡¯d even be Xiao Wu¡¯s teacher and taught him.


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai fell silent after hearing what Ji Buwang had said. ¡°So now you¡¯re sure that your brother is Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I went out to contact my grandfather just now. If I hadn¡¯t asked him, I wouldn¡¯t have been so sure. Butbined with the news he gave me, I shouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her eyebrows. ¡°Your grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he came to the Children¡¯s Music Festival previously. He probably saw Xiao Wu there and got suspicious, so he went back and investigated. He asked me to go back now because he wanted to talk about this.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood. ¡°So your grandfather has actually investigated it beforehand.¡±


    Shao Qihai frowned when he heard that. ¡°I can understand everything else, but there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. Since your grandfather suspected that he was a child of the Ji Family and went to investigate when he saw him, why did it never ur to you despite knowing him for so long?¡±


    Shao Qihai expressed his confusion.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Because he was face-blind. He couldn¡¯t even see Xiao Wu¡¯s face and didn¡¯t know what he himself looked like. How could he tell if Xiao Wu looked like him or his older brother when they were young?


    After a moment of silence, Ji Buwang said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you not suspect anything either? Didn¡¯t you see Xiao Wu and me too?¡±


    This time, it was Shao Qihai¡¯s turn to be speechless. Mu Jingzhe looked at the two of them. Actually, she knew both of their secrets, but neither of them did. At that moment, she really wanted them to secretly exchange information.


    It was unknown who was more unwilling to confide in the other party¡ªShao Qihai, who had a tear incontinence condition, or Ji Buwang, who had face blindness.


    No, that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was that Xiao Wu was actually a child of the Ji Family. He was Ji Buwang¡¯s nephew!


    What was going on? How had he be the Ji Family¡¯s child?


    ¡°Xiao Wu must have heard something about it just now. We have to exin this to him. We should probably tell him the truth. I¡¯ll say that you guys didn¡¯t know about his existence previously, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°Since Xiao Wu is a child of the Ji Family, we naturally have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu is my son!¡± Shao Qihai interrupted Ji Buwang. ¡°Ji Buwang, it doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s part of the Ji Family¡¯s bloodline. I only know that Xiao Wu is my son. Don¡¯t even think about snatching him.¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard Ji Buwang¡¯s words, he finally realized what was important. Ji Buwang might be there to snatch Xiao Wu!


    This wouldn¡¯t do. Absolutely not!


    Ji Buwang looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°Xiao Wu is not an object. Why are you talking about snatching him? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll acknowledge Xiao Wu but we won¡¯t force him to return to the Ji Family or anything like that. Xiao Wu can do whatever he likes.


    ¡°Besides, we¡¯re not in a position to snatch Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu only grew up to be this big because of you. Our family feels only gratitude for you.¡± Ji Buwang stood up and bowed before Shao Qihai. He said seriously, ¡°Thank you very much for this, Shao Qihai. If there¡¯s anything you need in the future, just tell us. As long as it¡¯s something within my means, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Ji Buwang was telling the truth. After discovering that Xiao Wu was his older brother¡¯s child, he was now afraid that he was dreaming. Although Xiao Wu¡¯s mother was Shao Qiyun, he was his older brother¡¯s son.


    His older brother had passed away just like that, and due to a freakybination of factors, he had left behind a son. The heavens had eyes, and he couldn¡¯t be more grateful. Why would he snatch him?


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t know why Shao Qihai had raised Xiao Wu, but he was grateful to him for doing that.


    Shao Qihai was like a hedgehog with raised prickles. He had wanted to protect Xiao Wu from being snatched by the Ji Family, but in the end, Ji Buwang¡¯s reaction had been unexpected. Not only had he not snatched him away, but he¡¯d even thanked him very seriously.


    Actually, it was normal that he¡¯d thanked him. From the Ji Family¡¯s standpoint, this was something they ought to do. However, when Ji Buwang thanked him so seriously, he suddenly felt a little guilty and undeserving.


    After all, he hadn¡¯t done a good enough job as a father. Ji Buwang had no idea what Shao Qiyun had done previously. He, as a father, had also failed to do his duty.


    Otherwise, Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much. At first, he hadn¡¯t even been able to speak.


    Shao Qihai pulled Ji Buwang up. ¡°Why are you saying all this? I didn¡¯t raise him for the Ji Family. You don¡¯t have to say such a thing again in the future. I raised Xiao Wu as if he was my own son. I didn¡¯t know who his biological father was in the past. He was my son. Now that I know, he¡¯s still my son.¡±


    Ji Buwang acknowledged this. ¡°I know that this won¡¯t change in the future, but I still have to thank you.¡±


    Shao Qihai was ustomed to seeing Ji Buwang deliberately oppose him and act in a way that made him want to punch him in the face.. He was very unused to Ji Buwang suddenly being so serious and easygoing, so he felt strange. He asked suspiciously, ¡°Since it won¡¯t change, what exactly is on your mind?¡±

 Chapter 307 - Dont Want to Acknowledge the Ji Family

    <h4>Chapter 307: Don¡¯t Want to Acknowledge the Ji Family</h4>


    Ji Buwang said matter-of-factly, ¡°I don¡¯t have many thoughts about it. It¡¯s just that Xiao Wu will be my nephew in the future. He¡¯ll be someone the Ji Family protects from now on.¡±


    As he saw Ji Buwang be so open-minded, Shao Qihai had aplicated look in his eyes.


    However, he could now rx. Just as he thought of this, he heard Ji Buwang ask Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Jingzhe, do you think Xiao Wu will me us? Did I not do well enough in the past? I¡¯ve learned how to interact with children, but I¡¯m still unfamiliar with how to be a father or an uncle.¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could figure out how to answer this sudden question, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that nothing has changed? Why are you mentioning words like ¡®father¡¯ and ¡®uncle¡¯ now? You even want to be his father?¡±


    ¡°I do. Now that my older brother is no longer around, I have to rece him as his father. Won¡¯t it be good for Xiao Wu to have another father? He¡¯ll get more fatherly love. But if he¡¯s unwilling, I¡¯ll continue to be his uncle.¡±


    Actually, if Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t in his heart and Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t so contemptible, he might not have cleared things up. Had it been someone else, he might have let the misunderstanding continue and reced his older brother as Xiao Wu¡¯s father.


    However, Shao Qiyun even wanted to marry him. He only had Mu Jingzhe in his heart and he naturally didn¡¯t want her to misunderstand. That was why he had exined so quickly.


    Shao Qihai gritted his teeth. ¡°What do you mean ¡®it¡¯d be good to have one more father¡¯? Who has two or three fathers? Xiao Wu only needs one father.¡±


    ¡°Stop arguing. We still have to tell Xiao Wu about this. Xiao Wu just found out about his biological mother¡¯s identity. It hasn¡¯t been long, and now he found out about his biological father too. I wonder what he¡¯s thinking.¡±


    That was true.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Xiao Wu about this. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Mu Jingzhe left the studio.


    After walking out, she stood there and calmed down. To be honest, she had learned this news so suddenly that she found it surreal. She was shocked, but now that she had calmed down, she could somewhat ept it.


    It was better to be a member of the Ji Family than anyone else. This way, Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t have to suffer through the torment of this parentage anymore, and he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about other messy biological fathers popping up.


    It was actually quite a relief that his father was Ji Buwang¡¯s older brother.


    Previously, when Shao Qiyun had said that Ji Buwang was Xiao Wu¡¯s father, her heart had actually jumped to her throat.


    Actually, after calming down and thinking about it, she had realized it¡¯d be quite good if Ji Buwang was Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father. But she¡¯d just felt strange.


    Uh¡­ Maybe it was because of Shao Qiyun.


    Mu Jingzhe walked to the door and knocked. ¡°Xiao Wu, Little Bei, open the door.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe entered the room. Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang looked at each other. ¡°Do you think Xiao Wu will ept it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already done regardless of whether one epts it or not.¡± Shao Qihai looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Speaking of this, you can¡¯t be wrong, right? Don¡¯t you need to confirm it again? What if itter turns out you made a mistake?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ji Buwang shook his head. ¡°My grandfather wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake.¡±


    Grandpa had directly asked him if this was his older brother¡¯s or his child, which meant that he was certain. Besides, now that he thought about it, Xiao Wu was actually simr to the Ji Family in many aspects. Ji Buwang¡¯s taste was simr to his older brother¡¯s, and Xiao Wu¡¯s taste was exactly the same as his.


    Also, their hair was the best form of evidence.


    When Shao Qihai heard this, he no longer felt conflicted. Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but ask Shao Qihai and Xiao Wu about what had happened previously. ¡°Although I know a lot, I feel that I still want to hear more.¡±


    Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t tell Ji Buwang, so the two of them sat opposite each other in silence for a moment.


    Ji Buwang sat for a second and couldn¡¯t help but clear the table for Mu Jingzhe. Shao Qihai watched him and suddenly said, ¡°You just said that you would agree to any request of mine. Then¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, he heard Ji Buwang reject his idea. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Shao Qihai was speechless. ¡°I haven¡¯t said what I¡¯m thinking yet. Just now, you said you¡¯d do whatever I wanted so long as it was within your means. Now, you¡¯re rejecting me directly.¡±


    ¡°I guessed. You must want to tell me to give up on Jingzhe or something, but that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Shao Qihai said, looking embarrassed, ¡°How are you so sure that I¡¯d mention this? I might be talking about something else.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°No, I was just joking. I don¡¯t need your gratitude.¡±


    He had not raised Xiao Wu to gain anyone¡¯s gratitude. Besides, he didn¡¯t have the right to ask for any gratitude.


    ¡°I wonder how Jingzhe and Xiao Wu are doing¡­¡±


    Actually, it was quite alright. Although seeing Shao Qiyun again had given Xiao Wu a shock, and the identity of his biological father had also been revealedter, Xiao Wu was much calmer after the previous experience.


    Mu Jingzhe skipped over the things that children shouldn¡¯t listen to and basically exined everything else. ¡°This is what happened. Unless something is very wrong, Teacher Ji should be your biological uncle.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu, who nodded but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Xiao Wu, you can tell me what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Will they want me to leave Mommy and go to their house?¡± Xiao Wu was only concerned about this.


    ¡°No, Teacher Ji just said that your preference is what matters the most. They won¡¯t force you.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not important.¡± Xiao Wu lowered his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re my biological family or not. As long as they don¡¯te looking for me, I¡¯ll stay with Mommy, my siblings, and Daddy.¡±


    He was living a good life now, so he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge the Ji Family.


    ¡°What about Teacher Ji? Can he still see you?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    Xiao Wu wanted to say that he didn¡¯t want him around anymore, but at the thought that Teacher Ji treated him very well, he felt a little reluctant. ¡°Teacher Ji is Teacher Ji.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Teacher Ji is indeed Teacher Ji.¡± Mu Jingzheughed and didn¡¯t press Xiao Wu.


    Now that the matter was clear, since they had only applied for leave from the production team, Mu Jingzhe still had to bring Little Bei over to film. When Xiao Wu heard that, he immediately said he wanted to join them. He avoided looking at Ji Buwang.


    They were on set for an entire day. Xiao Wu basically stuck by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side, but he kept staring nkly ahead.


    Things were fine over on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side of the production team. Meanwhile, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang went their separate ways.


    Shao Qihai had just left the rental house when Shao Qiyun unexpectedly followed him. She had been kicked out, but she hadn¡¯t gone far and had been hiding near the rental house.


    ¡°Second Brother.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still here? I told you not to have any designs on Xiao Wu. Stop daydreaming. Get lost if you don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Shao Qiyun shuddered and gritted her teeth, still unwilling to give up. ¡°Second Brother, you don¡¯t have to be so hostile. Things are different now. We can work together.


    ¡°Think about it. If I marry Ji Buwang, no one will snatch Mu Jingzhe from you. Wouldn¡¯t this be good for you? This way, us siblings will get what we want. You and I working together is definitely mutually beneficial.¡±


    Shao Qiyun thought that she could persuade Shao Qihai, but in the end, Shao Qihai only looked at her like she was an idiot. ¡°Stop fanning the mes. I¡¯ll give you onest piece of advice. Stop having designs on the Ji Family. Besides, Ji Buwang really isn¡¯t Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father. The person you want to marry is already dead.¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at Shao Qihai¡¯s back and stomped her feet. ¡°You still want to lie to me even now? The person I was with that night was definitely Ji Buwang!¡±

 Chapter 308 - Human Trafficker

    <h4>Chapter 308: Human Trafficker</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    That day, when Mu Jingzhe brought Xiao Wu back, Ji Buwang didn¡¯te. He could tell that Xiao Wu was still conflicted and needed some time to ept it, so he didn¡¯te to disturb him.


    However, he couldn¡¯t help but go shopping that day and he bought a lot of things.


    In the past, Ji Buwang had always wanted to be the five kids¡¯ stepfather. He had even specifically learned about this before, but because he wasn¡¯t yet, he had always kept his distance.


    Now that he knew that Xiao Wu was his biological nephew and his older brother¡¯s son, how could he tolerate it? He wanted to give Xiao Wu everything and couldn¡¯t help but buy a lot of stuff. He even started to make ns to support Xiao Wu.


    Previously, Xiao Wu had been his student, and he had been very concerned about him. However, because Xiao Wu had been Shao Qihai¡¯s son, he had always kept a sensible distance. Now, he still had to be sensible, but he could always give him things openly and make ns.


    It was one thing for Xiao Wu to treat them with such an attitude, but how they chose to treat Xiao Wu was much simpler. They could give him whatever he wanted and spend as much money on him as they wanted.


    Ji Buwang bought a bunch of gifts for Xiao Wu, but not only for him. He also bought gifts for Shao Dong and the rest.


    After buying them, he wished he could give them to Xiao Wu immediately, but Ji Buwang held himself back.


    However, just because Ji Buwang held back, it didn¡¯t mean that Old Master Ji did.


    While he was on a shopping spree, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t forget to inform Old Master Ji. Old Master Ji finally heard Ji Buwang¡¯s answer over the phone. Xiao Wu was his older brother¡¯s son.


    Over the phone, Old Master Ji¡¯s voice sounded very calm. He only instructed Ji Buwang tomunicate with Xiao Wu properly and make sure that Xiao Wu knew that they hadn¡¯t meant to disown him. They hadn¡¯t known about his existence. He had to let Xiao Wu know about their feelings for him.


    Ji Buwang had known all this even without Old Master Ji¡¯s nagging.


    Unexpectedly, the calm Old Master Ji on the phone actually had the urge to rush over overnight. The next morning, he silently appeared outside Mu Jingzhe¡¯s rental house.


    He knew that it wouldn¡¯t be good for him to suddenly appear, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He wanted to quietly take a look at Xiao Wu.


    Unexpectedly, Old Master Ji didn¡¯t have the ability to snoop around. It was too obvious that he was acting sneakily. Before he even got to meet Xiao Wu, he was caught by someone in the alley. Afraid that he was a thief or a bad person, the enthusiastdlord grabbed him and started interrogating him.


    Old Master Ji had too much pride to admit that he had secretlye to see Xiao Wu. He casually made up some excuse, but he didn¡¯t expect thendlord to be a smart person. He could tell that something was wrong. Seeing how hard he had been staring whenever a child had appeared, thendlord thought that Old Master Ji was a human trafficker. He called for help and sent Old Master Ji to the police station.


    Coincidentally, a year ago, two children had been lost in the vicinity. It was said that they had both been lured away with candied hawthorn.


    After this incident, everyone had started paying attention. This was how Old Master Ji got mistaken for a human trafficker.


    Old Master Ji had yet to see Xiao Wu when he was sent to the police station. There would be trouble if he didn¡¯t answer questions honestly.


    As Mu Jingzhe, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu set out to find the production team, they were stopped by all the neighbors in the alley. They reminded her to be careful and keep an eye on the children.


    ¡°Pay more attention to the children for the next two days. Don¡¯t let them go out by themselves. We even caught a human trafficker this morning. You have a lot of children. You¡¯ve got to watch over them.¡±


    They had an Ocean City ent. Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe could still understand them, so she quickly thanked them.


    ¡°Did you hear that? There are human traffickers. It was even an elderly person. You have to be careful.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe warned Xiao Wu and Little Bei, but she was still worried, so she went back to warn Shao Xi. ¡°Human traffickers can pretend to be anyone. They might be a child or an old man. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯s safe if you see a child or an old man. Don¡¯t go out alone today.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe also warned Shao Qihai. ¡°The person they caught this morning was an old man. Pay special attention to old men.¡±


    Little Bei and Xiao Wu held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand tightly and were very cautious. They were even more vignt around the elderly. ¡°Mommy, if we see an old granny cross the road or fall in the future, can we still help her?¡±


    The question caught Mu Jingzhe off guard. All she could say was, ¡°It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t help them at all. Maybe if someone really needs help. But we have to be careful and observe. If something goes wrong, just run immediately.¡±


    In that day and age, there shouldn¡¯t be many people trying to scam others, but they couldn¡¯t afford to be careless.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Over there, Mu Jingzhe was vignt against human traffickers. Meanwhile, not wanting to be arrested for some crime he hadn¡¯tmitted, the helpless Old Master Ji could only reveal his identity and get someone to contact Ji Buwang to prove his innocence.


    When Ji Buwang rushed to the police station in disbelief and saw that his grandfather was really there and was even a suspected trafficker, his expression becamepletely uncontroble.


    What kind of strange development was this!


    Ji Buwang exined carefully and finally led Old Master Ji out.


    When they returned to the car, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t drive. He just looked at Old Master Ji. Old Master Ji had turned his head to look out the window, but Ji Buwang didn¡¯t move. His neck hurt from twisting it, so he couldn¡¯t help but turn around and re at him.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Hurry up and drive.¡±


    ¡°I just want to see how my grandpa looks like a human trafficker.¡± Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Old Master Ji was furious. ¡°I also want to know how I look like a human trafficker.¡± He was an illustrious person.


    He¡¯d just wanted to secretly take a look at his great-grandson. How had things turned out this way? Old Master Ji doubted his life for the first time.


    ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t be angry anymore. Grandpa, no matter how one looks at it, you look mighty, domineering, and kind. The main reason you were used is because an old manmitted a kidnapping previously. However, this is a good thing. Since even you were treated as a human trafficker, it proves that the security there is very good. If suspicious people enter the area, they will definitely be watched. Xiao Wu is safer there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Old Master Ji nodded. ¡°But how am I suspicious?¡±


    Ji Buwang thought to himself, ¡®Who knows how sneaky the Old Master looked.¡¯


    However, he said, ¡°They¡¯re just being paranoid. It¡¯s not your fault. But why didn¡¯t you tell me that you wereing? You wouldn¡¯t have been arrested if I¡¯d taken you there.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to secretly take a look. I didn¡¯t want to scare the child.¡± Old Master Ji also tried to undermine Ji Buwang. ¡°You¡¯re still talking about me. When are you going to marry Jingzhe? You have to work harder. You¡¯re too lousy. You¡¯re far inferior to me back in the day and also inferior to your father. We struck after determining our target. Why are you dawdling?¡±


    If Buwang had worked hard and married Jingzhe as soon as possible, Xiao Wu would have already been calling him ¡®Great-Grandpa¡¯ and he would have met Xiao Wu earlier.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°I¡¯m not dawdling. This is how rtionships work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still unwilling to admit it.¡± Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t be bothered to nag him any further. ¡°The child¡¯s name is Xiao Wu, right? That¡¯s very good. That¡¯s a nice name.¡±


    ¡°His real name is Shao Zhong.¡±


    ¡°Shao Zhong is a good name too.¡± Old Master Ji was very easygoing. ¡°Did you go see Xiao Wust night? What¡¯s his attitude like?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t gost night. I wanted to give him some time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.. We have to give the child some time to ept it.¡±

 Chapter 309 - How Could He Like an Illegitimate Son?

    <h4>Chapter 309: How Could He Like an Illegitimate Son?</h4>


    Old Master Ji turned around and started thinking about buying him a gift. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll go buy something today so that we can give him a gift in the future. Xiao Wu likes musical instruments, right? Why don¡¯t we buy him musical instruments?


    ¡°Also, tell me about his four older siblings. We¡¯ve got to buy them something they like.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s siblings were the most important people to him. Of course he had to buy them a gift too.


    Previously, when Ji Buwang had decided he wanted to marry Mu Jingzhe, he had considered the five children. At the time, even Old Master Ji hadn¡¯t objected. Now that Xiao Wu was the grandson of the Ji Family, there was even less need to object.


    Other than the children, there was also Mu Jingzhe. She was a good woman, so she had to be thanked.


    Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang excitedly went to buy a gift. Old Master Ji held back and didn¡¯t say anything that night.


    However, early the next morning, Ji Buwang still went to look for Mu Jingzhe to ask her about Xiao Wu.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Xiao Wu still likes you a lot. Just let him calm down for a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Then can I see Xiao Wu today or tomorrow?¡± Ji Buwang exined. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but my grandfather sort of can¡¯t hold himself back. He didn¡¯t sleepst night either.¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather? Your grandfather came to Ocean City too? When did hee?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday.¡± Ji Buwang looked at the neighbors and thought that since his grandfather had been sent there, the neighbors might remember. He told Mu Jingzhe in order to avoid a second misunderstanding and prevent them from arresting his grandfather and sending him to the police station again.


    ¡°He came yesterday. He wanted to sneak a look at Xiao Wu, but he was sent to the police station by your neighbors¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe choked on pure air. ¡°You¡¯re saying the old man who was arrested yesterday was your grandfather?¡±


    ¡°You heard about it too?¡± Ji Buwang was a little embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened either. Anyway, I was notified and I went to the police station to pick up my grandfather. This is also the first time he encountered such a thing. He was stunned yesterday.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe seemed to be in a daze. ¡°I heard. Everyone warned me when I came out yesterday. I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    Unexpectedly, that person was Ji Buwang¡¯s grandfather and Xiao Wu¡¯s great-grandfather¡­ The entire matter was¡­pletely ridiculous.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang and btedly remembered Grandpa Ji¡¯s identity. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. To think such an old man had been taught a lesson by her neighbors.


    Indeed, experts were hidden among themoners.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, wait a minute. I¡¯ll ask Xiao Wu what he thinks and see if he¡¯s willing to see you. If he is, you can meet today.¡±


    The old man had already gone so far and even made a day trip to the police station. If Xiao Wu was willing, she should let him meet him.


    Mu Jingzhe discussed it with Xiao Wu and didn¡¯t hide from Shao Xi and Little Bei. Shao Xi and Little Bei couldn¡¯t help butugh when they heard that. Xiao Wu was also very surprised.


    ¡°The human trafficker that was caught yesterday is¡­ Teacher Ji¡¯s grandfather?¡± He had actually been caught because he¡¯d wanted to sneak a peek at him.


    Xiao Wu had originally thought that regardless of whether he was their biological kin or not, he would just live with his mother. He hadn¡¯t expected to hear this.


    Teacher Ji was already a grown man, so his grandfather must be very old too. This¡­


    Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment before saying kindly, ¡°Then let¡¯s meet once. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just one meeting. You don¡¯t have to think too much about it.¡± Mu Jingzhe stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head. Since Ji Buwang had said those words, he wouldn¡¯t go back on his word.


    However, this matter still had to be discussed with Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai was silent for a moment. He wasn¡¯t very willing, but he didn¡¯t say much. He just agreed.


    Xiao Wu had never met a loving old man before. Zhao Lan, who was both his paternal grandmother and paternal grandfather, had treated him badly. Fortunately, his maternal grandmother, Li Zhaodi, treated Xiao Wu very well. Thus, he had good maternal grandparents. Now that the Ji Family would definitely treat him well and there was a new great-grandfather who¡¯d treat Xiao Wu well, he couldn¡¯t stop them.


    However, he also wanted to participate in the meeting. Mu Jingzhe naturally had no objections.


    Ji Buwang had no objections either and heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that Xiao Wu was willing to meet. ¡°That¡¯s great. See you tonight then.¡±


    The meeting time between the two families was set.


    When Old Master Ji heard Ji Buwang¡¯s notice, he started to look at his clothes. ¡°What kind of old people do children like? Ones that aren¡¯t too dignified? My clothes are all in the capital. Buwang, what do you think looks better?¡±


    ¡°They all look nice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just look at me. Go dress up too.¡± When Old Master Ji heard that Shao Qihai was going as well, he felt that Ji Buwang should dress up too.


    Old Master Ji was simrly grateful to Shao Qihai. When he thought of his grandson¡¯s ns, he felt a little guilty. Although the situation previously had been special and Buwang hadn¡¯t deliberately tried to steal Shao Qihai¡¯s woman, now that they had met again, it was still¡­


    Old Master Ji thought for a moment and asked someone to prepare a generous gift for Shao Qihai.


    Old Master Ji wished he could look at his watch a few times a minute. He would either get up and walk in circles or stamp the ground with his walking stick, making Ji Buwang feel helpless.


    ¡°Grandpa, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m going to go crazy if you keep walking around. Don¡¯t be anxious. It¡¯s still early.¡±


    Upon hearing that it was still early, Old Master Ji was unhappy and rolled his eyes at Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang said helplessly, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s useless to re at me.¡±


    Old Master Ji hated that he couldn¡¯t speed up the clock, which surprised Ji Buwang. ¡°Grandpa, are you really that happy?¡±


    When he heard Ji Buwang¡¯s words, Old Master Ji¡¯s expression suddenly calmed down. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m just really happy right now. Speaking of people, it¡¯s really strange. Our attitude toward many things ispletely different when we¡¯re in different situations.


    ¡°If your older brother was alive now and suddenly had a child, and the child¡¯s biological mother was still that kind of person, I¡¯d definitely be very annoyed. If your older brother got married, the problem would be even bigger. Even if it was his biological son, I might not have liked him.¡±


    After all, it would be an illegitimate child. How could he like an illegitimate child?


    ¡°But now that this child appeared when your brother is no longer around, he became a treasure, as he is thest part of your brother¡¯s bloodline. Even though his biological mother is that kind of person, I¡¯m still happy. I¡¯m just a secr person. Back then, I taught the Ji Family that no one was allowed to abandon their wife and children. I even personally made it a rule that if an illegitimate child appeared, they would be kicked out of the Ji Family.


    ¡°In the end, I didn¡¯t even mention it now. I¡¯m not a qualified family head, as I broke my promise myself but pretended to be stupid because I really¡­ miss your brother very much.¡±


    His son and daughter-inw were also gone. The Old Master had to live through the grief of seeing his child die before him. Later on, even his granddaughter and grandson had passed away, and his little grandson had fallen into aa.


    Old Master Ji had experienced sess in his lifetime, as well as bitterness. When he was young, he had experienced the bitterness of fighting with half-siblings from different mothers for the family fortune. He had witnessed the oue of infighting between many women sharing the same husband. When he had finally be the head of the Ji Family, he had personally set the Ji Family¡¯s rules, but in hister years, he himself had gone against them.


    Ji Buwang looked at Old Master Ji, his heart aching. ¡°Grandpa, rules are dead, and people are alive. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. If othersugh at me, so be it. Anyway, it¡¯s good enough that your older brother has offspring and his son is still well and alive. He¡¯ll be happy if he finds out in theherworld.¡±


    As he spoke, the topic became a little heavy. Ji Buwang perked up. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t think too much about it. If you¡¯re happy, so be it. You¡¯re already old, so why not indulge a little?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve decided to let loose. After all, who knows when I¡¯ll die?¡± Old Master Ji nodded.


    ¡°Grandpa, why are you saying such things? Do you want to die? It wasn¡¯t easy for you to find Xiao Wu. Don¡¯t you want to see him more? Don¡¯t you want to see me get married and have children?¡±


    ¡°Previously, when you were unconscious, I didn¡¯t dare die because I was afraid that no one would care about you if I died. Now that you¡¯re alive, you even gave me hope I¡¯ll get to see you get married and have children. Rather than giving me hope, you might as well work hard to do it.¡±


    Upon hearing Old Master Ji say that he hadn¡¯t dared die, Ji Buwang¡¯s heart ached. He wondered how his grandfather had survived when he had been forced to lie in bed.


    When something had happened to his parents, his grandfather had started growing white hair. Later on, when something had happened to him and his older brother, his hair had turnedpletely white. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and he had copsed.


    Although everyone had said that he was actually dead, Grandpa had hung on because he hadn¡¯t stopped breathing.


    Ji Buwang blinked and didn¡¯t show that anything was amiss. He didn¡¯t dare let his grandfather know that he had been aware during those four years. He was afraid that his grandfather would feel heartache if he found out. He thusughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a ready-made great-grandson like Xiao Wu? You should dote on him first. When he grows older, you can dote on my children. Isn¡¯t that fair?¡±


    ¡°You know how to put things nicely. It hasn¡¯t even happened yet.¡±


    Their bickering eased the atmosphere.


    Elsewhere, Xiao Wu was also in a daze from time to time. No one knew what he was thinking, but Mu Jingzhe was overthinking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it, Xiao Wu. It¡¯s just a meeting. If you like it, you can spend more time with them in the future. If you¡¯re not used to it, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Everything went smoothly for the production team, so they got off work on time in the evening.


    Ji Buwang hade early to pick them up. This time, he even sent someone to pick Shao Qihai up.


    When they met, Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Xiao Wu. Other than the fact that he really looked like a human trafficker, the atmosphere was very harmonious.


    Old Master Ji was really grateful to Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe, so he was very polite and treated Little Wu and Little Bei nicely. It was just that the gifts he gave themter on were too expensive.


    Other than buying something for the children, they had also bought something for Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected that he would receive something too. ¡°No need, no need to be so polite. This is too expensive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small gift. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not trying to do anything by giving you a gift. I¡¯m just really happy.¡± Old Master Ji waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been earning money my entire life. I should spend it freely.¡±


    The two families met amicably. Just as they had said previously, there was no snatching issue. It was like having a gathering with old friends.


    Xiao Wu secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t hate his great-grandfather. Although he kept staring at him as if he had done something amazing while eating, he felt that he was a good person.


    Mu Jingzhe had a good impression of Old Master Ji, but the more Ji Buwang looked at Old Master Ji, the more suspicious he became. He felt that Old Master Ji¡¯s smile on the way back was terrifying. ¡°Grandpa, you like Xiao Wu so much?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have any bad ideas?¡± The more Old Master Ji liked Xiao Wu, the more worried Ji Buwang became. Based on his understanding of Old Master Ji in the past, he felt a little worried.


    ¡°What kind of bad ideas could I have?¡± Old Master Ji rolled his eyes at him.


    ¡°Who knows what kind of bad ideas you have.¡± Ji Buwang emphasized his next words. ¡°Grandpa, I told them that we wouldn¡¯t do anything. Don¡¯t go back on your word.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Why would I be a bad person? I¡¯m a good person. I want to be the best great-grandfather.¡± Old Master Ji indicated that he would continue being a good person. ¡°I won¡¯t get anxious or do anything. I can take things slowly. Besides, don¡¯t you still want to marry Jingzhe? As long as you marry her, Xiao Wu will naturally be our family¡¯s child. You have to work hard for me, if not for yourself.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°You¡¯ve revealed your true colors, Old Master¡­¡± He knew that Old Master Ji was cunning.


    No matter what, it was good that the two families didn¡¯t have to go so far as topete for Xiao Wu.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qiyun, who was the most unqualified among the two families, to jump out impatiently.


    After confirming that the Ji Family had acknowledged Xiao Wu, Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. She was no longer afraid of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s warning.


    People died for wealth, and birds died for food. Previously, she had avoided it because there was little money to put on an act for. However, it was different now that the Ji Family was in the picture. Considering their immense riches, as long as she could enter their family, she would be wealthy for life. There was only madness in her eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t surprised to see Shao Qiyun. It would be strange if Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t do anything.


    Mu Jingzhe had heard of a theory before. There were very few ordinary people in this world who couldn¡¯t be bought. After all, even though a person might not be tempted by one million yuan, what if it was ten million, one hundred million, or two hundred million?


    At the moment, Shao Qiyun was facing the greatest temptation. How could she let go of the Ji Family? Her best way out of her predicament was to acknowledge Xiao Wu and marry Ji Buwang so she could live a good life thereafter. Anyway, she was very satisfied with Ji Buwang¡¯s good looks.


    At the very least, she had given birth to the child. The Ji Family had to continue supporting her and give her arge sum of money to ensure that she would be rich for the rest of her life.


    Shao Qiyun had been dreaming all this time, and her eyes were shockingly bright. However, she also knew there was an obstacle. Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu, and Ji Buwang were not easy to talk to. Nheless, she wouldn¡¯t give up just like that.


    She wanted to talk to Xiao Wu secretly. Regardless of whether she used bribery or coercion, all would be well as long as he agreed to it. However, she never got the chance. Xiao Wu never went out alone. Mu Jingzhe kept Xiao Wu by her side at all times and even brought him to the production team with her. It was obvious that she didn¡¯t want to give her a chance.


    Shao Qiyun waited for two days but didn¡¯t get a chance. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore and went straight to their door. She was already prepared to throw a tantrum and be chased away or beaten up. She had changed into an outfit that would make it easier for her to do so.


    She even deliberately chose to go in the evening, when everyone was going home to cook. This way, if Mu Jingzhe dared to hit her, she would scream for help to avoid being beaten to death.


    Shao Qiyun had made countless preparations, but she wasn¡¯t prepared to be invited in.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw her, although her eyes were cold, she wasn¡¯t angry at all. Instead, she said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    After saying that, she opened the door and let her in.


    This was supposed to be a good thing, but Shao Qiyun was facing a formidable enemy. Her entire body was tense and dazed. Images of Mu Jingzhe letting her in and then killing her shed across her mind.


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t dare close the door and deliberately left it open. Then, she entered in shock. When she sat on a chair, Shao Qiyun still felt a sense of surrealism.


    She had actually been invited to sit here like this?


    Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t believe it, but she quickly realized that Mu Jingzhe was afraid. She knew about the Ji Family, and because she was Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother, she was afraid!

 Chapter 310 - Take Out the Knife

    <h4>Chapter 310: Take Out the Knife</h4>


    At the thought of this, Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. Her gaze became proud. ¡°At least you¡¯re sensible. Mu Jingzhe, as long as you don¡¯tpete with me for Xiao Wu, when I marry into the Ji Family, I won¡¯t cause you trouble or take revenge.¡±


    Of course she would take revenge, but she had to coax them first. When the time came, after she became Madam Ji, she could take revenge however she wanted.


    At the thought of this, Shao Qiyun almostughed out loud. She held back herughter and cast a sideways nce at Shao Qihai. ¡°Second Brother, you too. As long as you help me, I¡¯ll also help you out in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s expression made him look constipated. ¡°Help me out with what? This is nonsense.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the hypocritical Shao Qiyun and was left speechless. ¡°She¡¯s just treating herself as Madam Ji in advance. Shao Qihai, go contact Ji Buwang and the others. Tell them that Shao Qiyun is here and see where they want to meet to talk.¡±


    Shao Qihai nodded and walked up to Shao Qiyun. ¡°Take out the things you¡¯re hiding.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shao Qiyun yed dumb.


    ¡°It¡¯s either a fruit knife or a pair of scissors or something. Hurry up.¡± Shao Qihai pointed at her pocket. ¡°It¡¯s in your pocket. If you don¡¯t take it out, I¡¯ll hit you directly.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I could tell the moment you came in. Given your personality, it¡¯d be impossible for you not to bring anything with you.¡± Shao Qihai was impatient. ¡°Hurry up. With me around, you won¡¯t get the chance to do anything.¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at Shao Qihai and stomped her feet. In the end, she obediently took out a small folding fruit knife.


    She indeed wouldn¡¯t daree empty-handed, so she¡¯d brought something with her to prevent being beaten likest time. However, she hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to see through her before she could even make a move.


    Shao Qihai put away the fruit knife. ¡°Don¡¯t bring such a thing around casually in the future. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to be reformed throughbor.¡±


    Shao Qihai casually handed the fruit knife to Mu Jingzhe and watched as she ced it somewhere the children couldn¡¯t reach before going out. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Without the fruit knife, Mu Jingzhe could handle Shao Qiyun alone, and he could leave without worrying.


    Shao Xi watched Shao Qihai go out and raised his eyebrows. It seemed that it was really useful for his father to keep looking at young girls.


    He hadn¡¯t even seen what Shao Qiyun was hiding, but his father had been able to tell at a nce.


    Shao Qiyun was furious, but she pretended to be nonchnt. ¡°I was just afraid that you¡¯d get physical and I wanted to protect myself. It¡¯d be best if you were willing to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reaction was very cold.


    Shao Qiyun pursed her lips and nced at Mu Jingzhe. Then, she looked at Xiao Wu, who had been following around Mu Jingzhe, and waved at him. ¡°Xiao Wu,e here. Come to Mommy.¡±


    Her tone was gentle, and she had a smile on her face. She had a pretty face to begin with, but with this smile on, she really did look a little like a mother.


    This was also the first time Xiao Wu had seen her so amiable.


    However, Xiao Wu was indifferent and even leaned closer to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I only have one mother. You said yourself that we have nothing to do with each other.¡±


    Shao Qiyun gritted her teeth. ¡°That was because Mommy couldn¡¯t afford to raise you in the past. I was afraid of getting you into trouble, so I deliberately said that to prevent you from being sad.¡±


    She hade today mainly for this kid. Although Mu Jingzhe was beside her, she had to put in a few good words. ¡°Previously, debt collectors were chasing after me. If I took you back, they might sell you. I could only say that on purpose.¡±


    As she spoke, Shao Qiyun actually started crying. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for being useless and incapable of earning money. At first, I could only let your uncle raise you. Later on, I didn¡¯t dare acknowledge you. But I really had no choice. I already mustered up enough courage to give birth to you. Because I gave birth to you, I wasn¡¯t able to continue my studies and I couldn¡¯t even find a job. At the time, I didn¡¯t expect raising a child would be so difficult.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, I said that I hate you. I didn¡¯t even go home to see you because I was afraid that I would acknowledge you and make you suffer with me. Only by doing that could your uncle raise you well.¡±


    Good heavens, Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t have any other abilities, but she was good at distorting the truth. Anyone who didn¡¯t know would really believe her.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed and stopped. This was the first time she realized that Shao Qiyun probably had some acting skills because she was Little Bei¡¯s aunt.


    Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe thought of the same thing and made an evaluation in real time. ¡°Although it looks fake, it¡¯s not bad to act to this extent. She can cry onmand, which is not bad. Not bad at all.¡±


    After saying that, she even pped her hands. Shao Qiyun¡¯s entire body stiffened. She looked up at their expressions, and they were looking at her as if she was some kind of monkey, deliberately watching her perform circus tricks.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°This expression is very good. You show ferociousness very well.¡± Little Bei praised her again and even learned from her. ¡°I¡¯ve actually never been good at these expressions. Do it again.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Shao Qiyun stopped crying and red at Little Bei. ¡°Is there any point in deliberately humiliating me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not humiliating you. I¡¯m seriously learning.¡± Who didn¡¯t know what kind of person Shao Qiyun was? Since she hade to act, as an actress, she had no choice but to respond.


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected that her carefully thought-out words would be material for Little Bei to learn from. She couldn¡¯t help but look at Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, Mommy is crying. Aren¡¯t you going to say anything? Can¡¯t you see that they¡¯re mocking me?¡±


    ¡°You call that crying? I think you wiped ginger on your handkerchief. I can smell it.¡± Shao Xi clicked his tongue. ¡°Also, stop talking about Mommy. You really deserve a beating, understand?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I¡¯m your aunt. How can you treat me like this!¡± Seeing that everything had been exposed, Shao Qiyun stopped pretending and said, ¡°Xiao Wu,e over here. I¡¯m your mother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m noting. You¡¯re not my mother.¡± No way would Xiao Wu go to her.


    He had been really afraid of Shao Qiyun previously, but after being apanied by Mu Jingzhe and the rest for two days and seeing their attitudes, he felt more confident.


    ¡°Come over if you don¡¯t want to die!¡± Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes were fierce and threatening.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m dead?¡± Mu Jingzhe moved her hand.


    Shao Qiyun restrained herself a little. ¡°Xiao Wu, I gave birth to you. How can you not acknowledge me? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you gave birth to me, but Mommy gave me this life, not you,¡± Xiao Wu retorted. ¡°If lightning really strikes, it¡¯ll be because it wants to strike you!


    ¡°Shao Qiyun.¡± Xiao Wu called her by her name. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you toe in and talk face to face today to acknowledge you but to tell you personally that I will never acknowledge you in this lifetime, not even in death. Just give up on this thought.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Shao Qiyun¡¯s gaze became even more ruthless.


    Xiao Wu clenched his fists. ¡°Back then, you didn¡¯t acknowledge me. Now, I won¡¯t acknowledge you either.¡±


    Shao Qiyun had long known that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her, but when she heard him say that he wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her even if he died, she was still filled with hatred. ¡°You have to acknowledge me. Don¡¯t act like I owe you. You owe me. Do you know how difficult it was for me to give birth to you back then? I almost died. I risked my life to give birth to you. Even if I didn¡¯t raise you, you have no right to say these things.¡±

 Chapter 311 - The Waters Been Poisoned?

    <h4>Chapter 311: The Water¡¯s Been Poisoned?</h4>


    Shao Qiyun revealed a cruel smile. ¡°Even if you refuse to acknowledge me, I¡¯m still your mother. No one can change this fact! Don¡¯t think that just because you are somewhat sessful, you can do whatever you want! Why are you so promising? It¡¯s all because I gave birth to you. It¡¯s all thanks to me that you¡¯re being called a genius!¡±


    ¡°No way. I was killed by you a long time ago. I became sessful because of Mommy Jingzhe. It has nothing to do with you. If it wasn¡¯t for Mommy, I might not have known how to speak, let alone do anything else. You¡¯re only acknowledging me now because you know that I¡¯m a child of the Ji Family and I can also earn money. You just want to reap benefits without working hard. I won¡¯t give you such a chance. You¡¯re not worthy!¡±


    Xiao Wu finally said what was in his heart. This was the first time he expressed himself so fully, and he felt refreshed.


    Shao Qiyun was a little stunned. She hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to say these words himself. Didn¡¯t he use to be very timid in the past?


    This was also one of the reasons Shao Qiyun hated Xiao Wu. She had thought that Xiao Wu was really timid. He would tremble in fear just after getting one re from her. He didn¡¯t know how to speak and he was timid. He was like an unpresentable rat. Every time she saw him, she would feel increasingly vexed.


    She had thought that Xiao Wu would still hide behind Mu Jingzhe and the others, just like he did in the past.


    However, she hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to stand up and express his thoughts clearly. He even looked at her as if he wasn¡¯t afraid of her anymore.


    He had clearly still been afraid when he had seen her previously, as he had hidden behind Mu Jingzhe for no reason.


    Why wasn¡¯t he afraid this time? Why wasn¡¯t he even crying anymore?


    Shao Qiyun was surprised and didn¡¯t say anything, but Xiao Wu had finally said what was on his mind. After exhaling, he couldn¡¯t help but look at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, I spoke well, right?¡±


    His little face was filled with joy, and his expression made it obvious that he was asking for praise.


    Mu Jingzhe pped generously. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right, Xiao Wu.¡± She looked proud and genuinely happy.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiao Wu spoke very well.¡± Shao Xi and Little Bei pped together. ¡°This is what you have to do in the future. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m not afraid anymore!¡±


    Xiao Wu clenched his little fist and looked straight at Shao Qiyun. He no longer avoided his fear. He just faced her directly.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Mu Jingzhe stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head and gave him a reward in time.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Xiao Wu nodded and waved his little fist again. ¡°When I¡¯m a little older, I won¡¯t need my Mommy, Brothers, and Sister to protect me anymore. I¡¯ll just knock her down¡­ and face her!¡±


    Xiao Wu was very envious of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strength. If he had the same strength, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid of anything.


    However, it was fine even if he didn¡¯t. ¡°Mommy, I want to learn how to box from Daddy. I want to train my body and be stronger. I want to defeat the bad guys!¡±


    Xiao Wu stood up as he announced this. His entire body was filled with courage, as if the person standing in front of him wasn¡¯t Shao Qiyun but a big baddie or a demon king.


    Shao Qiyun was stunned at first, but when she saw this, her face turned green from anger.


    ¡°What do you mean? What do you take me for?!¡±


    ¡°What else? A whetstone.¡± Shao Xi curled his lips and praised Xiao Wu for doing a good job.


    Why would someone as inferior as Shao Qiyun be weed in or even have the right to sit down and talk to them? First of all, it was indeed time to sit down and have a good chat. They couldn¡¯t seek violent ways to solve the issue every single time.


    Although Mu Jingzhe was strong, she wasn¡¯t a barbarian. It wouldn¡¯t be good if her neighbors were frightened by her Herculean strength. Besides, unless Shao Qiyun was beaten to death, she would continue to get up after a while or when there were greater benefits to enjoy.


    Therefore, she should make Shao Qiyun calm down and hear their answer with her own ears. She should let Xiao Wu speak his mind, train his ability to express himself, and bolster his courage.


    That¡¯s right, she had to train Xiao Wu to be brave. Because he hadn¡¯t been able to speak since he was young and the environment he had grown up in wasn¡¯t good, Xiao Wu was actually very timid. Compared to his four siblings, he was much more timid.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want Shao Qiyun to be Xiao Wu¡¯s nightmare. She hoped that he could face her bravely and get over her. From now on, he wouldn¡¯t have to be afraid of Shao Qiyun when he saw her. He had to have the courage to face Shao Qiyun.


    After all, this was the real world, and they couldn¡¯t really kill Shao Qiyun or lock her up. Therefore, Shao Qiyun might still appear in Xiao Wu¡¯s world from time to time, and he couldn¡¯t be frightened when he saw her.


    Since this was already a fact that couldn¡¯t be changed, she would change the nature of the matter. Shao Qiyun should be regarded as Xiao Wu¡¯s whetstone and a tool to train him.


    Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t disappointed her. He had stood up bravely and even dared to express his thoughts. It was great.


    Upon hearing that, Shao Qiyun almost spat out a mouthful of blood. ¡°How¡­ How can you do this!¡±


    How could they humiliate her like this? She had thought that they were afraid, but in the end, they had only asked her to sit down so that Xiao Wu could say these words!


    When he saw Shao Qiyun¡¯s face turn green from anger, Shao Xi pped his hands. ¡°Go on, keep feeling angry and agitated. It would be even better if you could just die from anger.¡±


    Shao Qiyun: ¡°Shao Xi, you b*stard!¡±


    Shao Xi curled his lips. ¡°Looks like you haven¡¯t been angered to death yet. You¡¯re full of energy. But seeing how ugly your expression is, this is something worth celebrating. Shall we set off firecrackers to celebrateter?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s ability to anger people had really improved.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s chest was really tight, and her mouth was dry. Without thinking much, she picked up the cup beside her and gulped down the water, forcing herself to calm down.


    ¡°That was my water.¡± Little Bei was dissatisfied.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°No need to be afraid, Little Bei.¡±


    Shao Qiyun froze at the sight of the cup. Why had she drunk it? ¡°You¡­ You didn¡¯t poison the water, did you?¡±


    As she spoke, she even imitated how people reacted on television when they drank poison. She opened her mouth and stuck a finger inside to induce vomiting. Mu Jingzhe, who was beside her, was speechless. ¡°If it¡¯s really poisonous, it¡¯ll be useless even if you spit it out now.¡±


    ¡°Take the cup awayter.¡± Since Shao Qiyun had drunk the water, Little Bei definitely wouldn¡¯t want it anymore. She would just throw it away as a reward for Shao Qiyun cooperating with the performance today.


    Shao Qiyun was still thinking about the poison when she heard Shao Xi say, ¡°You even earned a cup on this trip. Not bad.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was even angrier when she heard that. ¡°Who cares about your lousy cup!¡± She picked up the cup, wanting to smash it, but Mu Jingzhe looked at her coldly. ¡°Try smashing it if you dare. Last time, I left your hands and feet for the debt collectors. If they can¡¯t do it, don¡¯t tell me you think I can¡¯t either?¡±


    Shao Qiyun froze immediately. She waved the cup twice, but in the end, she put the cup back with a livid expression.


    ¡°Listen to me, Mu Jingzhe. Don¡¯t think that you can continue to be smug. The Ji Family can¡¯t ignore me.¡±


    ¡°They will indeed take care of you.¡± Shao Qihai returned and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I contacted Ji Buwang. He said that since Shao Qiyun is here, they wille over soon. If you want to talk, let¡¯s clear things up at once.¡±


    A smug look instantly appeared in Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes. See? The Ji Family was going to talk to her. This time, she would definitely seize the opportunity. Shao Qiyun looked at Xiao Wu, her eyes filled with coldness. When hended in her hands, she would see if he still dared to be arrogant.


    Her eyes were cold and scary, but Xiao Wu didn¡¯t dodge like before. As he faced this malice, even though he was afraid, he still red back fiercely.

 Chapter 312 - Two Ji Buwangs

    <h4>Chapter 312: Two Ji Buwangs</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe was very pleased to see Xiao Wu¡¯s transformation, but when she turned to look at Shao Qiyun, she was displeased. Training Xiao Wu¡¯s courage was one thing, but when she saw Shao Qiyun¡¯s vicious gaze, she was very dissatisfied. She moved her wrist. ¡°Shao Qiyun, you don¡¯t want your eyes anymore, right?¡±


    Shao Qiyun retracted her gaze, looking aggrieved.


    Ji Buwang did arrive quickly, as he had said. Soon, he was there. Old Master Ji also came with him.


    This was the second time Old Master Ji hade to the alley. Last time, he had kept a low profile and even deliberately changed his clothes. This time, he didn¡¯t keep a low profile and he lookedpletely different. He had thought that others wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him this time, but in the end, he was still recognized right away.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the kidnapper? Why is he here again? How dare hee?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You even changed clothes. Did you think we wouldn¡¯t recognize you just because you changed into a set of fine clothes? Do you think you can fool us?¡±


    ¡°What are the police doing? Why did they release him again!¡±


    Last time, they had caught him and sent him to the police station.


    Old Master Ji looked at them. ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang, who was watching from the side, was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He wanted tough but felt that it wasn¡¯t appropriate. He quickly asked, ¡°Sister, do you still remember me?¡±


    As soon as he spoke, Old Master Ji looked at Ji Buwang in disbelief. He had actually called her ¡®Sister¡¯. Shouldn¡¯t he have called her ¡®Auntie¡¯?


    Thendy and the rest naturally remembered Ji Buwang. ¡°Aiyo, I told youst time to just call me ¡®Auntie¡¯. You don¡¯t have to call me ¡®Sister¡¯.¡±


    ¡°But you all look so young. Aren¡¯t you just older sisters?¡± Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t see their faces and habitually called them ¡®older sisters¡¯. His words were very sweet and sincere.


    ¡°We¡¯re already very old, so why are you still calling us ¡®Sister¡¯?¡± Despite what she said, she was beaming. After saying that, she looked at Old Master Ji. ¡°Young man, why are you with this kidnapper?¡±


    ¡°This is my grandfather, not a kidnapper. There was a misunderstandingst time.¡± Ji Buwang held back hisughter and helped Old Master Ji exin.


    Everyone was skeptical. ¡°Grandfather? Then why did he look so suspiciousst time?¡±


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help butugh. Old Master Ji nudged Ji Buwang and smiled stiffly as he exined, ¡°I had something to dost time¡­ but I¡¯m really not a kidnapper.¡±


    After exining clearly, Ji Buwang and Old Master Ji entered the small courtyard under everyone¡¯s suspicious gazes.


    Shao Qiyun was even more excited than Mu Jingzhe and the others when she saw Ji Buwang¡¯s grandfather. She had already found out that Ji Buwang¡¯s grandfather was very important, so she eagerly went to help Old Master Ji. ¡°Grandpa, pleasee in.¡±


    After saying that, she gave the most beautiful smile that she had practiced in front of the mirror to Ji Buwang, feeling a little regretful about not wearing a dress and dressing up properly.


    Shao Qiyun was very confident in her appearance and wanted to move Ji Buwang.


    Unfortunately, her smile waspletely useless. It was like winking at a tree. Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t see her at all.


    Old Master Ji also distanced himself from her and didn¡¯t give her any face. ¡°I¡¯m not rted to you by blood. I don¡¯t like people calling me ¡®Grandpa¡¯ either. When I hear someone call me that, I feel like hitting them. Don¡¯t call me that anymore.¡±


    Old Master Ji became stern. His aura was no joke. With just one look, Shao Qiyun froze. ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Ignoring Shao Qiyun, Old Master Ji immediately looked at Xiao Wu. ¡®Aiyo, little darling, I missed you so much. You look even better than two days ago.¡¯


    ¡°Xiao Wu.¡± Old Master Ji greeted him with a beam. His smile was like a flower, and his face changed extremely quickly.


    After taking a few more looks at Xiao Wu, Old Master Ji then looked at Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe with a smile.


    ¡°Old Master Ji.¡± Mu Jingzhe had just greeted him when Old Master Ji sighed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too polite? Just call me ¡®Grandpa¡¯. At my age, I should be called ¡®Grandpa¡¯.¡±


    Ji Buwang chuckled.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Grandpa Ji¡­¡±


    Behind her, Shao Qiyun¡¯s face turned green. Just a moment ago, he had said that he wanted to hit her for calling him ¡®Grandpa¡¯ because they weren¡¯t rted. Then why had he allowed Mu Jingzhe to call him ¡®Grandpa¡¯ now? And why had he even insisted? Was Mu Jingzhe rted to him by blood?


    What was going on?


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t know that there was such a thing as double standards, but she was currently experiencing a massive double standard.


    Although she didn¡¯t know much about this, she could already feel malice.


    She had thought that it would be good to have a nice talk with them since they were so easy to talk to. Now, it seemed like she had rejoiced too soon.


    After Old Master Ji and the rest finished their small talk, they sat down politely. There were too many people and too few chairs, so Shao Xi went next door to borrow two.


    ¡°Alright, now that everyone is here, let¡¯s talk about it.¡±


    Old Master Ji looked at Shao Qiyun. ¡°I heard that you think Buwang is Xiao Wu¡¯s father and you want to marry Buwang?¡±


    This time, Old Master Ji spoke quite amiably.


    Shao Qiyun perked up. ¡°Yes, I remember very clearly that the person I was with back then was Ji Buwang. Now that you¡¯ve acknowledged Xiao Wu, I think the best way to give Xiao Wu the perfect family is for me, his biological mother, to marry Ji Buwang.¡±


    Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t ept it. ¡°Why is that the best solution? You didn¡¯t raise Xiao Wu.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice in the past, but now there¡¯s a chance. This is the best choice for Xiao Wu. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely treat Xiao Wu well. After all, I¡¯m his biological mother. Blood is thicker than water.¡±


    Shao Qiyun emphasized the fact that she was his biological mother again and again.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother. You don¡¯t have to emphasize it over and over again,¡± Old Master Ji said. ¡°Every time you emphasize it, my fist clenches harder. If it clenches any harder, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to control myself and I will throw a punch.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was really not used to Old Master Ji¡¯s way of speaking. She kept feeling that he was unpredictable. ¡°Old Master Ji, I can exin¡­¡±


    ¡°Exin what? Did you not abandon Xiao Wu and give him away? I¡¯ve already asked around. I heard that you even wanted to strangle Xiao Wu. Is that right?¡±


    Upon hearing him say that she had strangled Xiao Wu, Shao Qiyun froze. She knew that Mu Jingzhe would definitely badmouth her. She red at Mu Jingzhe, then lowered her head and exined. ¡°It was a misunderstanding back then. I had no choice. Ji Buwang had run away. I didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to be born out of wedlock and be mocked¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to utter such lousy lies.¡± Old Master Ji truly hadn¡¯t seen such a stupid person in a long time, nor had he heard such an obvious lie before.


    ¡°Besides, he¡¯s not Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father. Stop thinking of such useless things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him. I remember him clearly!¡± Shao Qiyun raised her voice. ¡°Old Master Ji, your family is undoubtedly reputable. It¡¯s not good for you to deny it like this, right?¡±


    ¡°This is Xiao Wu¡¯s biological father, Buwang¡¯s older brother.¡±


    Old Master Ji took out a photo and ced it in front of Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qiyun frowned. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is Ji Buwang.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was also stunned when she saw this. The person in the photo indeed bore a great resemnce to Ji Buwang.


    Old Master Ji nced at it. ¡°I knew you would get it wrong. This isn¡¯t Buwang.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly him!¡± Shao Qiyun was indignant.


    Old Master Ji wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°Alright, what about this one?¡±


    As he spoke, he showed her another photo. Shao Qiyun was stunned when she saw it, as there were two ¡®Ji Buwangs¡¯ in the photo.

 Chapter 313 - Its Not That You Cant Marry into the Ji Family

    <h4>Chapter 313: It¡¯s Not That You Can¡¯t Marry into the Ji Family</h4>


    Out of the two ¡®Ji Buwangs¡¯, one had longer hair, while the other had shorter hair. However, they really resembled each other.


    The photo only showed the upper half of their body. The reason it might have been well preserved was that the photo was very clear.


    Shao Qiyun looked at the two of them and couldn¡¯t tell who was who. ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a photo of the two of them together. Do you believe what we¡¯re saying now?¡±


    Shao Qiyun frowned deeply. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Are they twins? How can they look so simr?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t they? They¡¯re brothers from the same father and mother and they¡¯re only two years apart. It¡¯s normal for them to look like twins.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was indignant. ¡°In that case, maybe you guys lied to me? Or should I say that this makes it easier for you to lie to me? It was clearly Ji Buwang, but in the end, you deliberately said that it wasn¡¯t him to send me away so that I¡¯d give up.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s right. You did it on purpose!¡±


    ¡°They do look alike, but they¡¯re not so much alike that I can¡¯t recognize them.¡± Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste his breath on her. ¡°That¡¯s what happened. You ought to give up now that you¡¯ve seen the photo.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Shao Qiyun was stubborn. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me. The child belongs to Ji Buwang. I¡¯m definitely not mistaken.¡± They shouldn¡¯t even think about using a dead person to send her away.


    ¡°Are you sure you can distinguish them?¡± Old Master Ji pondered it for a moment and suddenly patted Ji Buwang, making him turn around. He pointed at the photo and said, ¡°Then tell me which one of the two is Buwang. I can¡¯t fake it on the spot. I¡¯ll see if you can really recognize him. Their names are on the back of the photo. Let¡¯s see if you can get it right.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, you¡¯ll let me marry Ji Buwang?¡±


    ¡°No, no, if you¡¯re right, I¡¯ll think of a way to perform a test. There¡¯s technology now that can detect a father-son rtion, but it¡¯ll take some time. It¡¯s a little troublesome. I didn¡¯t do it because I believed Buwang. But since you¡¯re so insistent and you¡¯re sure you¡¯re not just spouting nonsense, I can get a test done.¡±


    Even if she was right, he would just get a test done, which was far below her expectations. She couldn¡¯t let them get away with it so easily. Shao Qiyun thought for a moment and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll identify him.¡±


    Old Master Ji didn¡¯t want Shao Qiyun to take advantage of him. He took a pen and paper and wrote down on the left and right lower side photo with a pen lest Shao Qiyun deliberately confused the left and right side when she answered. ¡°The right and left side have been confirmed. If you¡¯re certain, you can write your answer on the paper directly. Remember, think carefully before writing it down. You only have one chance.¡±


    There could be no regrets after she ced her bet. She couldn¡¯t change her answer verbally.


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected this to happen and was very unhappy. However, there was no way out, so she could only agree.


    She looked at the photo carefully and then at Ji Buwang, but Ji Buwang had already turned around.


    After hesitating for a moment, she couldn¡¯t tell the difference no matter how hard she looked at it. In the end, she chose the person on the left, who had longer hair and looked more like Ji Buwang. Finally, she wrote ¡®Left¡¯ on the paper.


    After Shao Qiyun finished writing, she handed the paper to Old Master Ji. She wanted to see Old Master Ji¡¯s expression, but she couldn¡¯t tell anything by looking at his poker face. He only flipped the photo over to verify the answer.


    At that moment, Ji Buwang suddenly said, ¡°Xiao Wu, Jingzhe, take a guess too. We used to y this game often. Write down your answer too. I want to see if my older brother and I are really that difficult to tell apart.¡±


    ¡°If you all guess right, then it will prove that it¡¯s actually not that difficult to distinguish us. Shao Qiyun also won¡¯t be able to use the excuse that anyone would identify us incorrectly.¡±


    Shao Qiyun had really thought of this in her mind. She hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to expose her, so she red at Ji Buwang¡¯s back.


    Old Master Ji looked at Shao Qiyun and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. You can all try to identify him then.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was sitting close and had been looking at the photo. She was quite curious about Ji Buwang¡¯s older brother, so she nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Shao Qihai, Xiao Wu, Shao Xi, and Little Bei all wrote down their answers. ¡°Done.¡±


    Seeing that they had finished writing, Old Master Ji turned the photo over. There was a name written on the back of the photo, but it was written on the right side.


    Shao Qiyun frowned. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what they wrote first.¡±


    Ji Buwang turned around and ignored Shao Qiyun¡¯s words, looking directly at Mu Jingzhe and the others.


    Mu Jingzhe and the rest showed their answers. She, Xiao Wu, and Little Bei had written ¡®right¡¯, with the exception of Shao Xi, who had written down ¡®left¡¯.


    Shao Xi: ¡°Okay, I was wrong¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled when he saw that Mu Jingzhe and the others had recognized him. However, when he saw Shao Qihai¡¯s answer, the corners of his mouth twitched. Shao Qihai had also gotten it right.


    Shao Qiyun was indignant. ¡°You¡¯re working together to deceive me. I definitely didn¡¯t see wrong.¡±


    ¡°Who deceived you? They¡¯re easy to tell apart.¡± Mu Jingzhe was speechless.


    ¡°You must have colluded.¡± Shao Qiyun wanted to deny it.


    Shao Qihai frowned and retorted, ¡°Is there a need to collude? You can tell if you look closer.¡±


    ¡°How can I tell!¡±


    Shao Qiyun pointed at the photo. ¡°You didn¡¯t observe it carefully yourself. There¡¯s a mole on Ji Buwang¡¯s right hand. He ced his hand on his older brother¡¯s shoulder, and you can see it clearly in the photo. If you were really sure that it¡¯s Ji Buwang, why couldn¡¯t you see it?¡±


    Shao Qiyun was stunned. Ji Buwang raised his eyebrows and stretched out his hand, cing it beside the photo.


    The two brothers were really simr, but Ji Buwang had a mole on his hand, and his older brother didn¡¯t.


    In the photo, Ji Buwang revealed one of his hands, and his older brother¡¯s hands were both exposed. Therefore, the one with the long hair was actually Ji Buwang¡¯s older brother.


    Shao Qiyun refused to give up and went to take a look. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t find any reason to retort. After a while, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about the mole back then, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you can find many excuses. It¡¯d be no trouble to find a hundred, but it¡¯s useless. We only need one piece of evidence.¡± Old Master Ji was neither angry nor surprised when he heard Shao Qiyun go back on her word. He remained calm.


    They hadn¡¯t shown the evidence to Shao Qiyun alone. It¡¯d be best if she believed it, but it didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t. It didn¡¯t matter. As long as the world and Mu Jingzhe believed it, that was all that mattered.


    This was the real reason they¡¯d found the photo.


    How could Shao Qiyun not read the meaning behind Old Master Ji¡¯s words? Feeling aggrieved, she epted the fact that it wasn¡¯t Ji Buwang, but she still refused to give up. She could still hold on as long as Xiao Wu was the eldest grandson of the Ji Family.


    ¡°Okay, I ept what you¡¯re saying, but I still think the best solution is for me to marry into the Ji Family¡­¡±


    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t going to stop, Ji Buwang waspletely annoyed. ¡°You still want to marry into our family? Who do you want to marry?¡±


    Old Master Ji held him back. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry.¡± Then, he looked at Shao Qiyun. ¡°It seems like you have made up your mind to marry into the Ji Family.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shao Qiyun simply admitted it. ¡°Regardless of whether he¡¯s Ji Buwang¡¯s child or not, he¡¯s still a member of your family. You have to be responsible for me. Since his older brother is dead, let Ji Buwang take responsibility and marry me.¡±


    Ji Buwang felt like vomiting when he heard her matter-of-fact tone. Her skin was too thick. ¡°I think it¡¯d be more realistic for you to dream of this.¡±


    Old Master Ji smiled. ¡°Actually, if you insist on marrying into the Ji Family, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±

 Chapter 314 - Ill Give You A Million Yuan

    <h4>Chapter 314: I¡¯ll Give You A Million Yuan</h4>


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? I can really marry into the Ji Family? You¡¯re willing to ept me?¡± She was actually lucky enough to experience such a thing?!


    Old Master Ji ignored Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze and nodded. ¡°Yes, as long as you agree to one condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Shao Qiyun was delighted to hear that there was just one condition. ¡°Tell me, I¡¯ll agree to it. Not just one condition. Even three or four will be fine.¡± Everything could be negotiated after she got married.


    ¡°No need. One condition is enough, as it will be impossible for you to agree to any other conditions after you agree to this one.¡±


    ¡°What kind of condition is that?¡± Why couldn¡¯t she agree to something else just because she¡¯d already agreed to this one?


    ¡°You can¡¯t even guess?¡± Old Master Ji was amused.


    ¡°Hurry up and say it. I¡¯ll definitely agree.¡± Shao Qiyun was anxious.


    Old Master Ji smiled and said hisst few words. ¡°The only condition is¡ªthat you die. As long as you die.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shao Qiyun¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°What do you mean as long as I die? What kind of condition is this!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice either. Who asked Xiao Wu to lose his biological father? I only have two grandsons. Buwang can¡¯t marry you. If you insist on marrying someone, you can only marry his older brother. I¡¯m an open-minded parent. Even after he¡¯s dead, you don¡¯t want to let him off and you insist on marrying into the Ji Family. You can only have a ghost marriage then.¡±


    Old Master Ji said in advance, ¡°A ghost marriage is a feudal superstitious event. I can¡¯t guarantee that it will work, but seeing that you¡¯re so sincere, I can still help you.¡±


    How could Shao Qiyun not tell that Old Master Ji was messing with her? He was basically telling her that if she wanted to marry into the Ji Family, she would have to die.


    But how could she bear to die? How could she die!


    Shao Qiyun looked at the calm and seemingly easygoing Old Master Ji and felt inexplicably terrified. With such a person in the Ji Family, it probably wouldn¡¯t be easy for her to marry into the family. Unfortunately, Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her either.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face turned green, and she was forced to implement the second n.


    ¡°You¡¯re ruthless!¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I know you despise me, so it¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t marry into the Ji Family, but you can¡¯t just dismiss me like that. I gave birth to Xiao Wu, and it¡¯s true that your good grandson took my innocence. I risked my life to give birth to Xiao Wu and leave him offspring. Even if I have not performed meritorious deeds, I have worked hard. You have to give me a sum of money.¡±


    ¡°Money?¡± Old Master Ji raised his brows. ¡°You still want money?¡± She was indeed a bold one, huh.


    ¡°Of course I want money. Why shouldn¡¯t I? I worked so hard to give birth to him.¡±


    Shao Qiyun thought for a while and finally gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want too much. Just give me a million yuan. I believe that with your worth, you¡¯ll have no problem paying this much. I believe thest bloodline of the Ji Family is worth a million yuan. As long as you give me the money, I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    One million yuan would be enough for her to splurge for some time.


    Shao Qiyun really dared to open her mouth and speak. One million yuan was already a veryrge sum in the modern era, let alone in an era when things only cost a few cents.


    A 10,000-yuan household was already an honorable household. It was an incredible feat to have a million yuan. Only Shao Qiyun would dare to ask for this much.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyun, who had the same punchworthy expression asst time, and felt speechless. Last time, she had demanded that they give her money, and this time, she had asked Ji Buwang and his grandfather for it. Her appetite was getting bigger and bigger. Just what gave her that confidence?


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s fist clenched as she watched Shao Qiyun. She was about to tell Old Master Ji not to be angry and leave it to her to teach Shao Qiyun a lesson, when Old Master Ji suddenly smiled at Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since I encountered something like this. Buwang, how long has it been since I met such a person? She¡¯s asking me for a million, huh. It¡¯s quite refreshing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Who would dare say such a thing in front of you?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t that be like courting death?


    ¡°I¡¯m a little angry, but I think it¡¯s very magical.¡± Old Master Ji looked at Shao Qiyun as if she was some rare item.


    Shao Qiyun felt ufortable under his gaze. ¡°What are you looking at? Just tell me if you¡¯re going to give it to me or not. No matter what you say, I don¡¯t feel guilty asking for this sum of money. If it weren¡¯t for me, would you have such an outstanding grandson? Xiao Wu is even starting to earn money now.¡±


    She thought for a moment and suddenly looked at Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, how much you¡¯re worth in the Ji Family¡¯s eyes now depends on how much they¡¯re willing to give me.¡±


    When she did bad things, Shao Qiyun¡¯s mind was always especially agile and smart.


    She was the one who wanted money, but it had be a test of Xiao Wu¡¯s importance to the Ji Family.


    Xiao Wu red at her. ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡±


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t retort but she looked at Old Master Ji. Old Master Ji looked at Shao Qiyun and suddenlyughed out loud. ¡°This is really interesting.¡±


    Ji Buwang said helplessly, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very interesting.¡±


    Old Master Ji sized up Shao Qiyun. ¡°You¡¯re actually quite talented when ites to asking for money. Although what you said is twisted, it does make sense now that I think about it.¡±


    Old Master Ji pondered it for a moment. ¡°Now that you mention it, we should indeed give you this sum of money. After all, Xiao Wu is very important to us.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You agree?¡±


    Old Master Ji hummed nonchntly. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said that, it won¡¯t be good if we don¡¯t give the money. Actually, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t give this sum of money. A good grandson like Xiao Wu is even worth ten million yuan, let alone one or two. As long as I have it, I¡¯ll fork out the money without hesitation.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes lit up, and she suddenly stood up. The way she looked at Xiao Wu was as though she was looking at a mountain of gold. Oh my god, she had only tried to state as much money as she¡¯d thought she could possibly get. She hadn¡¯t expected him to really agree!


    Plus, it wasn¡¯t just a million yuan. He¡¯d even directly offered ten million yuan. Ten million yuan was an unthinkable concept!


    Shao Qiyun was ecstatic. She subconsciously stretched out her hand in front of Old Master Ji, hoping that he would give the money to her as soon as possible. She was already thinking of ways to spend such a huge sum of money.


    She had thought that the heavens couldn¡¯t possibly let her be unlucky all the time. Now, the tables had turned.


    ¡°Ten million? Are you really giving her ten million yuan? Or are you only giving her one million yuan?¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s expression changed. He wanted to step forward to stop him, but Ji Buwang held him back. Ji Buwang shushed him and asked him to keep watching.


    Amid Xiao Wu¡¯s anxiousness and Shao Qiyun¡¯s ecstasy, Old Master Ji suddenly stopped talking impassionately and changed the topic. ¡°Actually, I could give you one million or ten million. Like you said, you¡¯re Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother. So as long as you treated Xiao Wu well, I could give you anything.¡±


    Shao Qiyun, who was overjoyed, couldn¡¯t react for a moment. ¡°I will. I¡¯ll definitely treat Xiao Wu well in the future.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not talking about the future. We¡¯re talking about the past. After all, we¡¯re settling a past score.¡± Old Master Ji looked at her with pity. ¡°Shao Qiyun, being good to Xiao Wu is my only request for giving you money. But you¡­ Why didn¡¯t you do it?¡±


    Shao Qiyun froze and couldn¡¯t react for a moment. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    Old Master Ji sighed. ¡°What else could this mean? It means that if you had treated Xiao Wu better in the past, I would have agreed to whatever you said.¡±


    ¡°What about now? Are you not giving the money to me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Old Master Ji nodded matter-of-factly. ¡°You didn¡¯t treat Xiao Wu well previously, so why should I give it to you? Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡±

 Chapter 315 - An Expert Who Plays With a Persons Heart

    <h4>Chapter 315: An Expert Who ys With a Person¡¯s Heart</h4>


    The ecstatic expression on Shao Qiyun¡¯s face frozepletely, making her look even stranger. She stood motionless for a moment. ¡°So you¡¯re not giving me money? Were you just ying with me just now?¡±


    Shao Qiyun mmed the table furiously. ¡°You think I¡¯m a fool and you¡¯re ying with me, right!¡±


    ¡°You were the one who treated me like a fool first.¡± Old Master Ji shrugged. ¡°I was just ying along.¡±


    After saying that, he sighed and said, ¡°So why didn¡¯t you treat Xiao Wu better? Even if you couldn¡¯t raise him personally because of secr views and reality and had no choice but to raise him by saying he¡¯s your brother¡¯s son, you could¡¯ve just secretly treated him well. You could even have just treated him to a few meals or bought him a few clothes, so why didn¡¯t you treat him better? He¡¯s your biological son. This should be easy, so why couldn¡¯t you do it?¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face twisted when she heard this. ¡°You mean that if I had treated Xiao Wu well, you would really have given me a million yuan?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but not just a million yuan. I could even have agreed to your absurd request to marry Buwang. Xiao Wu is the child left behind by his older brother, so he¡¯s Buwang¡¯s biological nephew. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to raise Xiao Wu. We can all agree on this¡­


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t do it!¡± Old Master Ji was heartbroken.


    Shao Qiyun suddenly took two steps back andpletely clung onto Old Master Ji¡¯s words. That¡¯s right, why hadn¡¯t she done it?


    It wouldn¡¯t have taken long. As long as she had raised Xiao Wu for a few years, she would have been able to live a life of luxury and wealth. From then on, she would have had everything. Why hadn¡¯t she done it! Why hadn¡¯t she?


    Shao Qiyun hugged her head and screamed as she squatted down. ¡°Why is God treating me like this!¡±


    She had always wanted to marry a rich man and change her fate, but Xiao Wu had ruined it. She had always hated Xiao Wu to death and med everything that had gone wrong on him, treating Xiao Wu as the beginning of her misfortune. However, she hadn¡¯t expected that the greatest fortune in her life and the turning point of her fate would also be Xiao Wu.


    It turned out that as long as she¡¯d treated him well, she could even have raised him under Shao Qihai¡¯s name. She could¡¯ve just treated him well in private or bought him a few meals and some clothes. For the sake of the child, the Ji Family would have let her marry into the rich family she had dreamed of. Even if they did not, they would at least give her a million yuan.


    But she had missed it. She had missed it!


    Shao Qiyun was filled with regret. ¡°Why, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyun¡¯s expression of true regret for the first time and the corners of her mouth curled up in a mocking smile. Previously, Shao Qiyun had put on an act with the help of ginger and made a fuss, but she had never truly regretted it.


    This time, she really regretted it. She really regretted it because she couldn¡¯t get the money.


    Shao Qiyun suddenly crawled toward Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, I¡¯ll be good to you. I regret it. I¡¯ll be good to you in the future. Tell your great-grandfather and the rest to forgive me, alright?¡±


    Seeing that Old Master Ji really wouldn¡¯t give her any money, Xiao Wu heaved a sigh of relief. He was stunned by Old Master Ji¡¯s actions. Upon seeing hering over, he immediately retreated.


    Shao Qiyun wailed, and Old Master Ji sighed beside her. ¡°Why are you making things difficult for Xiao Wu? Time can¡¯t be reversed, and there¡¯s nothing Xiao Wu can do about it either.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal for you to regret it. Let¡¯s not talk about a million yuan anymore. Let¡¯s not talk about you marrying into the Ji Family either. Look at Xiao Wu. He¡¯s already so promising at such a young age. As long as you¡¯d treated Xiao Wu well, wouldn¡¯t you have been able to lead a good life now? Wouldn¡¯t your fate have beenpletely different? Why didn¡¯t you treat him better?¡±


    Old Master Ji said a few more words. In the end, he said the same thing again. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just treat him better?¡±


    This sentence seemed to stab Shao Qiyun¡¯s heart deeply. This was the only thing left in her mind. That¡¯s right, why hadn¡¯t she treated him better? It had been such a good opportunity to change her fate, but she had actually missed it. The closest she had gotten to her dream had been because of Xiao Wu, but in the end, she had missed it.


    Shao Qiyun was overwhelmed with regret. All that could be heard in the room was her sobbing.


    Xiao Wu, Little Bei, and Shao Xi fell into deep thought as they looked at Shao Qiyun and Old Master Ji. When Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyun, she couldn¡¯t help but look at Old Master Ji. Old Master Ji was still sitting in an ordinary chair, just like before, but Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him and couldn¡¯t help but praise him in her heart.


    Brilliant. This move was really brilliant. It could simply drive one crazy. He had given Shao Qiyun hope time and again, making her extremely happy. In the end, he had ruthlessly pushed her down.


    He tortured her again and again. Eventually, through temptation and a few choice words, he had forced Shao Qiyun into a dead end and made her plunge into a never-ending cycle of what-ifs.


    He knew human nature too well.


    This was what it meant to destroy a person by attacking their psyche.


    Old Master Ji was very familiar with all this.


    No wonder Ji Buwang could be so infuriating sometimes, as he resembled Old Master Ji. Still, he was inferior to Old Master Ji. Indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier it was.


    Old Master Ji was a sensitive person, so how could he not notice Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze? Upon seeing the admiration in her eyes, he finally felt a little better.


    The reason he was so ruthless to Shao Qiyun today was because he felt sorry for Xiao Wu and wanted to avenge him.


    Old Master Ji knew very well what people like Shao Qiyun were thinking. To deal with such a person, one had to understand what they cared about. Things like ethics and morals werepletely useless to them.


    He had achieved his goal, but he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Unexpectedly, he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s adoring gaze.


    Old Master Ji¡¯s mood brightened. He looked up at the sky and roared in his heart. He also shook his head at Ji Buwang. Say, if he had learned from him properly, he would have attracted the admiration of that girl and married her long ago.


    However, the fact that Mu Jingzhe had realized what he had done and even worshipped him meant that this girl was actually very smart. She also had righteousness and principles in her heart and knew how to teach children.


    This was the rarest thing. There were many smart girls, but there were very few girls like her. Now, other than Tang Moling, who wasn¡¯t very clear-headed, only Buwang was left in the Ji Family. They needed a good female.


    As the old saying goes, a bad father raises one bad child, whereas a bad mother raises a nest of bad children. It was really important to get a good wife.


    If he married Jingzhe, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry too much about the Ji Family¡¯s third generation.


    However¡­ Shao Qihai was still standing there. Old Master Ji looked at Shao Qihai with some regret.


    He turned around unintentionally and saw three pairs of sparkling eyes. At a nce, he saw that they belonged to Xiao Wu, Shao Xi, and Little Bei. The three children had widened their horizons today.


    Shao Xi¡¯s eyes were bulging as if he had learned something, while Little Bei and Xiao Wu purely admired Old Master Ji.


    They marveled at how impressive this old man was. Look at how he¡¯d made Shao Qiyun cry.


    Old Master Ji was surprised by their gazes but gave them a benevolent smile. Little Bei tugged at Xiao Wu¡¯s clothes. ¡°This grandpa is a little impressive.¡±


    Xiao Wu nodded and said, ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s also a little scary.¡±


    Shao Xi clenched his fist. ¡°I want to be as impressive as him in the future.¡±


    Little Bei: ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 316 - Give Mommy a Million

    <h4>Chapter 316: Give Mommy a Million</h4>


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t notice Little Bei¡¯s speechlessness and whispered, ¡°If that brat Shao Nanes, he¡¯ll definitely hit it off with Old Master Ji.¡±


    The three of them were mumbling, but Shao Qiyun was still feeling regretful.


    When Shao Qihai saw that Shao Qiyun really regretted it, his eyes were filled with mockery. He really didn¡¯t want to hear her wail anymore, so he pulled her up and dragged her out.


    ¡°Stop fantasizing about anything else. Take care of yourself in the future.¡±


    Shao Qihai dragged Shao Qiyun outside before letting her go and turning back.


    After Shao Qihai left with Shao Qiyun, the room fell silent. Mu Jingzhe quickly invited them to have some tea and fruits.


    She also greeted Old Master Ji. When she realized that Xiao Wu kept staring at Old Master Ji, she was a little stunned.


    Xiao Wu was acting like this because of Old Master Ji¡¯s words. He hadn¡¯t expected Old Master Ji to say such things when they had only met twice. This Grandpa Ji was a little scary, but he seemed to treat him quite well.


    Of course, Old Master Ji also saw Xiao Wu looking at him. Actually, he had also been staring at Xiao Wu, but they couldn¡¯t very well keep staring at each other.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯ve been looking at Great-Grandpa. Do you want to say something?¡±


    Xiao Wu shook his head and avoided his gaze. After a few seconds, he turned around and continued staring at Old Master Ji.


    Old Master Ji quickly caught him. ¡°Do you really have nothing to say, Xiao Wu? You can ask me anything you want.¡±


    Encouraged by Old Master Ji, Xiao Wu finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is what you said true?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. You¡¯re all here. As an adult, I naturally have to set an example. I wouldn¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xiao Wu nodded. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°You just said that you¡¯d give someone one million yuan if they treated me well. You didn¡¯t give Shao Qiyun one million yuan because she treated me badly. Since Mommy has been treating me well, can you give her one million yuan?¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t really have to ask for a million yuan, but he wanted to ask.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to ask such a question. Sheughed when she heard that. Those were just words he said to toy with Shao Qiyun. Besides, she hadn¡¯t done anything. How could she earn a million yuan just like that? ¡°Xiao Wu, don¡¯t spout nonsense. This isn¡¯t reasonable¡­¡±


    Old Master Ji suddenly smiled. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite reasonable.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Old Master Ji in confusion. Old Master Ji chuckled and looked at Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, I will agree to whatever you ask of me. Besides, you¡¯repletely right. Shao Qiyun, your biological mother, isn¡¯t qualified. But you have a real mother. This mother is good to you, so you want to give the money to her. This is very reasonable, so I can totally give it to her, Xiao Wu.¡±


    Xiao Wu was so smart that he had found the loophole in his words very quickly. He was smart enough to fight for benefits for his good mother. What a filial and bright child.


    Although one million yuan was really a lot, wasn¡¯t this basically giving money to his grandson in advance? He would just give it then. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t a member of the Ji Family now, but if she married Buwang in the future, they would be a family.


    Even if they weren¡¯t a family in the end, Xiao Wu had only survived and learned to speak because of her. She deserved this money. It would be money well spent.


    Otherwise, Xiao Wu would still have been going to doctors everywhere and suffering. Since she had given Xiao Wu 100%, they would repay her 100%.


    Old Master Ji wasn¡¯t lying at all. Based on his expression, it didn¡¯t seem like he was joking.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°No, Old Master Ji, don¡¯t joke around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. It¡¯s the first time Xiao Wu¡¯s asking me for something. How can I refuse? I have to agree no matter what.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Who was she? Where was she? What was she doing? Was money really that easy toe by?


    Xiao Wu: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had just made a casual remark. Why had he agreed?


    It wasn¡¯t 100 yuan, 1,000 yuan, or even 10,000 yuan, but a million yuan. Xiao Wu had a concept of money, so he could ept 10,000 yuan, but a million yuan really scared him.


    Xiao Wu was so stunned that he couldn¡¯t speak. Old Master Ji asked, ¡°Xiao Wu, do you want cash directly, or do you want a house or something else that¡¯s worth a million yuan?¡±


    Xiao Wu: ¡°I was just asking¡­ I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d take it.¡±


    ¡°I keep my word. Since I said I¡¯d give it, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Old Master Ji said.


    ¡°But I really just wanted to ask.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked at Mu Jingzhe, asking for help. Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°Grandpa Ji, don¡¯t take it seriously. Xiao Wu was just curious.¡±


    ¡°I think Xiao Wu is making a lot of sense. Since he has already spoken, his words must be true.¡± Old Master Ji smiled. ¡°Xiao Wu might not understand this. Jingzhe, tell me, what would you prefer?¡±


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly shook her head.


    ¡°How about cash then?¡± Old Master Ji decided.


    ¡°No need. There¡¯s really no need.¡± Was this the so-called pie that fell from the sky? But she couldn¡¯t really ept it. Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang for help, indicating that he should stop Old Master Ji quickly. Unexpectedly, Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze drifted away.


    He wouldn¡¯t stop his grandfather. He knew the Old Master the best. He could guess why he was doing this and what he was thinking. He had no objections either.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to have such a reaction. This money was also his money, so why was he so indifferent? She could only say helplessly, ¡°Ji Buwang, say something. You don¡¯t think it¡¯s reasonable either, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s voice slowly faded away under Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. ¡°When ites to this, I¡­ I have no right to say anything else.¡±


    Seeing that Ji Buwang didn¡¯t dare speak as Mu Jingzhe stared at him, Old Master Ji clicked his tongue silently. He was already afraid of his wife before even marrying her. Talk about being henpecked. Tsk tsk¡­ This grandson of his couldn¡¯tpare to him at all.


    Back then, he¡¯d had a lot of prestige outside. His wife had given him a lot of face. How she hit him or nagged him at home was one thing, but outside, he would be an indomitable man.


    His grandson couldn¡¯t even straighten his back outside.


    While he felt disdain on his grandson¡¯s behalf, Old Master Ji dealt with it himself. When Shao Qihai returned after getting Shao Qiyun out, he heard Mu Jingzhe and Old Master Ji arguing over a million yuan again. Except, earlier on, Shao Qiyun had wanted it and the Old Master had refused to give it to her. Now, Old Master Ji wanted to give it to Mu Jingzhe, but thetter refused.


    The two of them pushed each other, looking very much like people who refused to ept red packet money that rtives gave them during the New Year.


    But that wasn¡¯t a red packet on New Year¡¯s Day. That was a million yuan. He wished that there was something wrong with his ears and it wasn¡¯t a million yuan but a hundred.


    However, it was indeed one million yuan. At that very moment, Old Master Ji wanted to give the one million yuan that Shao Qiyun had tried with all her might to get just now to Mu Jingzhe. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t.


    He wondered if Shao Qiyun would directly ascend to heaven from anger if she saw this.


    For a moment, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know if he should be d that he had taken Shao Qiyun out as soon as possible or find it a pity that he had taken Shao Qiyun out too early and missed the opportunity to anger her to death.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s face was numb. He had only gone out for a short while. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would think that he had gone to the moon and back.

 Chapter 317 - The Exhaustion Of Rejecting A Million Yuan

    <h4>Chapter 317: The Exhaustion Of Rejecting A Million Yuan</h4>


    Shao Qihai listened with a wooden face and finally found out how the one million yuan hade about.


    It turned out that Xiao Wu had asked out of curiosity after hearing Old Master Ji¡¯s words, but Old Master Ji had taken it seriously.


    Previously, Shao Qihai had been assured that Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t snatch Xiao Wu away. Now, he realized that what was more terrifying than snatching people directly was stealing their hearts.


    He had a really soft heart, so when he was treated like this, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help but feel warm.


    Besides, this money was given to Mu Jingzhe. Even if it was given to her through Xiao Wu, it was sort of like giving her an exorbitant betrothal gift in advance!


    Mu Jingzhe made a lot of effort and finally settled the one-million-yuan matter. She was so tired by the end of this that she was covered in sweat and she felt even more tired than when she¡¯d dealt with Shao Qiyun.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to experience the exhaustion of rejecting a million yuan one day. In short, it was ridiculous!


    Xiao Wu felt the same way. He hadn¡¯t felt tired or afraid while facing Shao Qiyun, but he was a little afraid of Old Master Ji.


    In the past, Xiao Wu¡¯s grandmother, Zhao Lan, had treated him badly. He had found it terrifying. Now, he had a crazy great-grandfather who treated him really well. That was also terrifying.


    Things were either extremely bad or extremely good. Both scenarios were terrifying.


    After sending Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang away, Xiao Wu told Mu Jingzhe with lingering fear, ¡°Mommy, I think I don¡¯t dare speak casually again.¡± He wouldn¡¯t, in case Old Master Ji went crazy again.


    ¡°Grandma is still the best.¡± Grandma was good to them, but not to the extent of going overboard. She made people feel that this was just right.


    ¡°I miss Grandma.¡± Xiao Wu stroked his chin. ¡°I miss Third Brother too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. Old Master Ji¡¯s love was indeed too fierce and overwhelming. It was as if he hated that he couldn¡¯t make up for everything he had missed out on in the past few years. It was indeed a little scary, but this was better than meeting another bad person.


    After Shao Qiyun left this time, it was unknown if she had really given up or if she was so traumatized that she hadn¡¯t worked through her regret yet. She didn¡¯t appear again for two days.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief, but she didn¡¯t dare rx too much. She still kept Xiao Wu by her side.


    After the incident with Shao Qiyun, her work had been dyed. Unfortunately, everyone liked her formal wear after wearing it out previously, and she had developed a bit of a reputation in this business. Many people wanted to order customized formal wear from her.


    Best Actor Shen Han, who had been frightened by Mu Jingzhe previously, realized that there seemed to be a misunderstanding. After realizing that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t intend to seduce him or anything, he finally wasn¡¯t so vignt anymore.


    Upon seeing Bai Bai in that set of formal wear, he also wanted to order it from Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe naturally didn¡¯t refuse.


    However, more business meant that Mu Jingzhe got a little busy.


    Xiao Wu and Shao Xi were both there. Although Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t left, she still had to film with Little Bei, so she didn¡¯t have enough time.


    The matter of hiring an assistant was put on the agenda. With an assistant, there would be an additionalyer of security at home, which could prevent Shao Qiyun from suddenly going crazy again.


    Mu Jingzhe let people know that she was looking to hire an assistant, telling her neighbors as well as the production team. Quite a number of people came, but none of them was suitable.


    Hence, Mu Jingzhe wrote a recruitment notice and pasted it outside, listing down the requirements in detail.


    Later on, a few applicants came one after another. However, Mu Jingzhe felt that the candidates werecking in one way or another. Later on, there was even one person who didn¡¯t meet the listed criteria at all: Sister Wei. However, since she had already shown up, Mu Jingzhe had a chat with her. In the end, she actually met Mu Jingzhe¡¯s requirements.


    ording to Sister Wei, her family used to embroider as well. Her parents had even helped others make cheongsams[1] before, but the business had been abandonedter on.


    She had worked at the garment factory in the past. All in all, although Sister Wei was in her forties, she was better than all the other candidates she had previously interviewed. She was skilled in cutting, good at needlework, and knew how to use a sewing machine. Her needlework was impable, so much so it was impossible to tell that it had been done by a human.


    Sister Wei had onlye in the hopes of fighting for herst chance. However, she didn¡¯t dare harbor too much hope. After all, she was much older than the listed age requirement. She didn¡¯t expect Mu Jingzhe to actually agree.


    There was no reason for Mu Jingzhe to disagree. Such an experienced, qualified worker was actually really rare. Previously, she had wanted a younger assistant because she¡¯d thought that it would be easier to teach someone young. However, she wouldn¡¯t let such a qualified worker slip away.


    As they were both women, Mu Jingzhe could tell that Sister Wei wasn¡¯t in a good state. She must have hit a wall while looking for a job previously. It was harder to find a job at this age than at a young age. Mu Jingzhe naturally chose a win-win solution.


    ¡°When can you start?¡±


    ¡°Are you really hiring me?¡± Although Sister Wei had felt that Mu Jingzhe seemed quite satisfied with her, she hadn¡¯t expected her to really hire her. She looked at her legs and couldn¡¯t help but stroke her face. ¡°I¡¯m so¡­¡±


    Sister Wei¡¯s legs were a littleme, and it was obvious when she walked. There was also a scar at the corner of her eye that didn¡¯t look very good. This was also one of the reasons she¡¯d kept getting rejected while looking for work.


    Previously, she had been rejected every single time. Now that she¡¯d suddenly been hired, she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t affect your work. You don¡¯t have to work in front of the stage. So, of course it¡¯s true. When can you start working?¡±


    ¡°Today. I can start immediately,¡± Sister Wei agreed excitedly.


    Sister Wei was a quick learner and a quick-witted person. She had helped Mu Jingzhe greatly on the first day.


    When Sister Wei said that she didn¡¯t have a ce to stay, Mu Jingzhe decided to provide her with food and amodation. She could only provide her with amodation in the studio for now, so Mu Jingzhe felt apologetic. However, Sister Wei said that it was good enough.


    She had probably suffered through a lot and she refused to mention her family, so Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t ask anything else.


    Now that the amodation had been settled, it was even easier to handle the food. Sister Wei had excellent culinary skills, which surprised Mu Jingzhe. Even Little Bei and the rest liked her cooking.


    Sister Wei applied for the position of an assistant, but because food and amodation were provided, she also did the cooking. Mu Jingzhe understood the situation and gave her an additional allowance since she was helping with the cooking.


    Sister Wei kept saying that there was no need, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t take advantage of her.


    Later on, Sister Wei didn¡¯t refuse, as she wanted to do more work. She even tried to rush to wash the dishes, but Shao Xi refused.


    ¡°We can wash the dishes. This is what happened in the past too.¡±


    ¡°Sister Wei, don¡¯t worry about it. Just cook. It¡¯s like that for me too. What¡¯s most important is for you to do your job well.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Sister Wei would cook depending on who had the time. The children quite liked her.


    However, although Sister Wei was close to Mu Jingzhe, she kept her distance from the children and didn¡¯t speak much to Shao Xi and Little Bei. Mu Jingzhe knew that not everyone liked children, so she didn¡¯t think much of it. She only asked Sister Wei to help keep an eye on Xiao Wu and the rest.


    Xiao Wu knew that Mu Jingzhe was afraid that he would be taken away by Shao Qiyun. Recalling his n to learn how to box previously, he asked Shao Qihai to teach him. Shao Xi and Little Bei also mored over to learn.


    No matter what, it was indeed better to know some martial arts to protect oneself.


    When Shao Qihai was free, he would teach them. When Ji Buwang saw this, he also joined Shao Qihai, who knew how to practice military boxing, and Ji Buwang said that he knew how to do it too. Hence, this fiery teaching activity began.


    Mm,pared to the way Mu Jingzhe had taught them to hit wherever it hurt or even aim at certain spots, this was even better.


    [1] a close-fitting dress that originated in 1920s Shanghai

 Chapter 318 - Watching a Scary Movie

    <h4>Chapter 318: Watching a Scary Movie</h4>


    After the three children internalized it, they used it flexibly. Xiao Wu learned it the most seriously and swore to protect himself.


    Ji Buwang came over from time to time, but before he left that day, he suddenly took a letter out of his bag while no one was paying attention.


    ¡°For you.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe suddenly saw the letter, her first thought was that it was a love letter. This scene was simply too familiar.


    At the thought that this could be a love letter, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t take it immediately. ¡°Why did you suddenly write a letter?¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s face was a little red. ¡°Quick, take it.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t moved, he stuffed it into her hand and left.


    Mu Jingzhe coughed and kept it. After dinner, she opened it when no one was paying attention.


    She was afraid that it was a love letter. It wouldn¡¯t be good if the kids saw it. Reality proved that she was right. This letter was indeed only suitable for one to read in private.


    However, it wasn¡¯t because it was a love letter but because it was product feedback.


    What kind of product was it about? The underwear he had taken back then.


    Mu Han¡¯s feedback had alsoe back in the form of a letter. She hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to be so embarrassed to tell her in person and write a letter. She had even mistaken it for a love letter.


    Although it was a little awkward, Ji Buwang had still seriously given her feedback and even provided some suggestions. This industry had great potential. After all, there were still many gaps in the market.


    Besides, in terms of fabric, if they were producing underwear inrge volumes, they could take care of it by themselves. Pure cotton was still a very good choice of fabric. Ji Buwang provided Mu Jingzhe with a few ideas.


    Although it wasn¡¯t a love letter, it was more useful than a love letter. Mu Jingzhe benefited greatly from it.


    As Little Bei¡¯s filming went smoothly, she received another piece of good news. The movie ¡°A Ghost in the Night¡±, which Xiao Wu had helped produce scary music for, was being screened in cinemas.


    Previously, it had been in post-production, but now, the promotion was almost finished. ording to the director, it was time for the summer heat to cool down.


    The director was very confident and came up with publicity slogans such as ¡®a movie that will definitely make you cry and scream from fright¡¯ and ¡®have a cool summer¡¯. He also asked Xiao Wu to helppose a piece of music that could be used as a selling point.


    Although there was no inte, Mu Jingzhe realized that there was a lot of publicity before the movie¡¯s premiere. The director personally publicized the movie in all sorts of ways.


    He appeared in newspapers and radio stations, and one could tell that he had a lot of confidence in the movie.


    In this world, there were people like Mu Jingzhe, who didn¡¯t dare watch horror movies, and there were also people who liked horror movies when they were even more horrifying. The day before the movie premiered, she heard Bai Bai say that he wanted to watch it. ¡°I hope it¡¯s scary. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be satisfied.¡±


    Bai Bai was bold and loved horror movies. Mu Jingzhe silently gave him a thumbs-up.


    After all, Xiao Wu hadposed a tune for the movie, so he wanted to see the effect. However, Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t dare to go. She asked around and found out that there were many scenes that had made a lot of actors cry from fright or break down. She would be putting Shao Qihai in a difficult position by asking him to take them. If he did, the entire theater would probably be filled with his cries.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for Shao Qihai to keep this a secret, and Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for him either. ¡°What should we do? Xiao Wu, there¡¯s no one to take you to watch it. How about you guys don¡¯t go either? Children aren¡¯t meant to watch horror movies.¡±


    ¡°But I want to see it. Xiao Wu wants to see it too. Why won¡¯t you let Daddy take us there?¡± Little Bei was enthusiastic. ¡°He said that he would take usst time.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe listened to Little Bei and silently shut her mouth. ¡°Then go back and tell your father.¡±


    Let Shao Qihai say no himself.


    Shao Qihai was in a difficult position. In the end, he thought of an excellent exnation. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t dare watch horror movies either.¡±


    Although it would appear too timid for a grown man to not dare watch a horror movie, it was better than bursting into tears in the cinema.


    In the end, Ji Buwang offered to take Xiao Wu and Little Bei there. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I have time too. I can take them there.¡±


    Old Master Ji was tempted, as he wanted to create memories by watching a movie with his grandson, but he was stopped by Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Old Master, wake up. This is a horror movie. What if something happens to you?¡±


    Old Master Ji could only give up awkwardly. He was old and should indeed cherish his health.


    Ji Buwang usually didn¡¯t watch movies because he couldn¡¯t see people¡¯s faces and it was all just a blur. He found it meaningless.


    However, it would be nice to bring Xiao Wu, Little Bei, and Shao Xi along. After dinner, he came to pick them up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll watch over them. I¡¯ll definitely be the calmest person in the room. I promise I¡¯ll protect the kids. If they¡¯re afraid, I¡¯ll take them out.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood. He couldn¡¯t see anyone¡¯s face, so this was quite good. He could see an automatic mosaic, yet he would still feel the atmosphere.


    ¡°If they¡¯re afraid, you¡¯ve got to take them out early. Don¡¯t let them be frightened.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was really worried about letting the kids go. At their age, they shouldn¡¯t be watching such a movie at all. She was afraid that all three of them would be frightened. In the past, they had never officially watched a horror movie.


    ¡°I understand, Mommy. I¡¯ll cover my eyes if I get scared.¡± Xiao Wu nodded.


    Ji Buwang took the three of them and set off. They were stopped at the door because they were too young and it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to watch the movie. In the end, they had to exin that Xiao Wu was aposer who wanted to watch the movie. They also promised to leave if they felt afraid.


    In reality, Xiao Wu, Little Bei, and Shao Xi weren¡¯t afraid at all. They were the calmest kids present. On the other hand, Ji Buwang was a little afraid.


    Compared to other movies, horror movies indeed made Ji Buwang experience the thrill of watching a movie.


    No human faces were visible, but the atmosphere was very good. It was so good that Ji Buwang screamed.


    The director had filmed the entire movie well. Other than creating terror, he had also created a storyline. There wasn¡¯t much blood, but the atmosphere of horror was very strong. Thanks to the support of Xiao Wu¡¯s tune, the effects were even more astonishing.


    At first, it was fine. Later on, screams rose and fell in the movie theater. Even Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but scream twice.


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei sat beside Ji Buwang and coaxed him. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Teacher Ji. It¡¯s all fake.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a little scary. Fortunately, I¡¯m bold.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Ji Buwang asked them softly, feeling a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy said that it¡¯s all fake.¡± Afraid that they would be frightened, Mu Jingzhe had given them a heads-up beforehand. Xiao Wu found it very useful.


    ¡°I think this expression is very nice.¡± Little Bei seemed to be there to study acting.


    ¡°I want my book to be adapted into a movie too.¡± While watching the movie, Shao Xi discovered his wildest ambition. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a director, but I want the story I wrote to be a movie.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll act in it when the timees, Second Brother,¡± Little Bei said from the side. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely act well.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Shao Xi agreed readily.


    Xiao Wu whispered, ¡°I want to participate too. I can help.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave the soundtrack to you. This scary tune proves your ability. I have faith in you,¡± Shao Xi replied in all seriousness.


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Second Brother.¡±


    As everyone screamed, the three children discussed their future cooperation in low voices.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Very good. The children were all outstanding. To think they were still in the mood to talk about this under the circumstances.

 Chapter 319 - Trying to Force Someone By Using Public Opinion

    <h4>Chapter 319: Trying to Force Someone By Using Public Opinion</h4>


    After watching the movie, Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief. Although he was quite afraid, he wanted to watch it again.


    When they came out of the movie theater, Ji Buwang gave Xiao Wu a thumbs-up. ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re amazing.¡±


    Xiao Wu was a little embarrassed. ¡°It was alright.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected the music he hadposed while hiding in fear to be praised. To him, it was just good enough that it could be used.


    However, in reality, Xiao Wu had underestimated himself. As the movie was screened, many people watched it. Other than those who discussed the scary plot, most people also talked about the soundtrack.


    ¡°When that music started ying, I got goosebumps. It was terrifying.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I originally thought that no matter how talented he is, he wouldn¡¯t be able topose a terrifying tune at such a young age. It looks like I was too ignorant. It¡¯s really terrifying.¡±


    ¡°The movie is not bad to begin with, but this soundtrack makes the effects even better.¡±


    A good movie and television drama were the result of various aspects thatplemented each other. Xiao Wu¡¯s tune didn¡¯t impede the movie and even added a lot of color to it.


    Many people who had watched the movie praised him. As for some film critics and musicians who had specifically gone to listen to the music, they called Xiao Wu a genius. When interviewed on a show, a musician said bluntly, ¡°I originally thought that the title ¡®little genius¡¯ was an exaggeration. Now, I see that this is a young genius. It was unexpected.¡±


    The sess of ¡®A Ghost in the Night¡¯ put the spotlight on Xiao Wu, who was mentioned repeatedly. Many programs and movie productions came looking for him, wanting to work with him or have him appear on TV.


    However, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t want to go on TV. He didn¡¯t enjoy appearing on TV but working for the right movie productions.


    Shao Nan had been alone in Mingchang County all this while. Although Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were watching over him, he still had to go back when he had to. When Shao Qihai was about to bring Xiao Wu and Shao Xi back, perhaps because of Xiao Wu¡¯s reputation, Shao Qiyun, who they had thought had given up since they hadn¡¯t seen her for a while, made a move again.


    Knowing that Old Master Ji and the Ji Family weren¡¯t easy to deal with, Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t dare target them this time. Her main target was Xiao Wu.


    She didn¡¯t look for him directly. Instead, she looked for a reporter to expose the truth about Xiao Wu being her biological son and use him of not acknowledging her or caring about her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t raise him or take care of him after he was born, but I risked my life to give birth to him. I almost died and I couldn¡¯t even go to school anymore because of him. My fate also changed because of that. Now that he¡¯s turned out to be promising, he¡¯s only acknowledged his rich adoptive mother, Mu Jingzhe, and he despises me because I have no money. My life is so hard.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was tormented by Old Master Ji¡¯s words until she couldn¡¯t sleep day and night. Every day, she regretted missing out on a million yuan and marrying into a rich family. She hated herself for making the wrong choice back then.


    They had not seen her for a short period of time, but Shao Qiyun had already changed drastically. It was as if she had been tortured and emaciated. She was quite good at acting and she cried bitterly in front of the camera.


    The rich and the poor seemed to be at odds with each other sometimes. Some people even hated the rich on principle. Shao Qiyun had clearly done something wrong, but she ced the focus on his rich adoptive mother and her ownck of money. She even imed that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her because she was poor.


    Even a dog wouldn¡¯t mind having a poor family. It was wrong for a son to look down on a mother who didn¡¯t have money. Shao Qiyun¡¯s words attracted everyone¡¯s attention.


    After crying for a while, Shao Qiyun stopped criticizing Xiao Wu. She cried and said that she had let Xiao Wu down. If she¡¯d had money back then, she would have been able to support him. h, h, h. One could only wonder how much ginger her handkerchief was stained with. She cried like a pear blossom bathed in the rain, perfectly portraying a pitiful person.


    Because Xiao Wu was known as a genius, he was receiving quite a lot of attention. When the mystery of his parentage was suddenly revealed, and such a mystery at that, it immediately attracted a lot of attention.


    In the past, people had only known that, other than the eldest, the five siblings were all very impressive and Mu Jingzhe was a good stepmother. No one had known that Xiao Wu didn¡¯t share the same mother with Little Bei and the rest.


    Now that someone had suddenly jumped out and imed to be Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother, and there was also such a big secret behind it, everyone instantly started discussing this.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others had also seen the news. The neighbors would take a few more looks at Mu Jingzhe and the kids now. Looking at the newspaper on the table, she said, ¡°We have to respond quickly.¡±


    It was a little surprising that Shao Qiyun had done all this, but it wasn¡¯tpletely unexpected.


    However, she hadn¡¯t expected her to be so smart. Not only had she distorted the truth, but she¡¯d also stood on the side of the disadvantaged and used public opinion to manipte Xiao Wu.


    Shao Qiyun had fabricated everything. However, if they didn¡¯t respond quickly, everyone would probably think that this was the truth after repeatedly hearing this. This was public opinion. Many people would think that it was true just by looking at what had happened first. They wouldn¡¯t care about what happened after that. Mu Jingzhe had seen this many times.


    People were really enthusiastic about watching the show. On the other hand, no one paid attention to the truth or any rification. Therefore, they had to respond in time.


    ¡°Yes, we have to act faster. She even said that Xiao Wu didn¡¯t acknowledge her because she was poor. We don¡¯t even have to lie. We just need to expose what she did in the past. She hasn¡¯t even repaid the loan sharks yet, and we don¡¯t even know how much the interest has snowballed. Now that she¡¯s exposed, those people will definitelye looking for her. Let everyone see her true colors.¡±


    This method was feasible, and Shao Qiyun would suffer the consequences of her own actions.


    Coincidentally, after Shao Qiyun¡¯s report was published, the reporters kept looking for Xiao Wu and Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe, Xiao Wu, and Shao Qihai officially met them to exin the situation and express their attitude.


    Out of the three of them, Shao Qihai was the most crucial. He told them everything that had happened back then, including what Shao Qiyun had done previously.


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t been poor at all in the past. She just hadn¡¯t wanted to raise the kid. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t a rich adoptive mother either. In the beginning, she hadn¡¯t even had money to buy shoes and clothes for the children.


    Any one of the things Shao Qiyun had done was enough to make one¡¯s blood run cold. After Shao Qihai finished speaking, Xiao Wu personally made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her. He also said that the reporters could ask the vigers in the county city about more details. They weren¡¯t afraid.


    Someone really went to ask the people in his hometown, and the result was not surprising.


    Xiao Wu had reacted in time, and the truth was right in front of everyone. Public opinion instantly stood on Xiao Wu¡¯s side. They felt that it was fine to not acknowledge such a mother. Sure enough, the debt collectors came looking for Shao Qiyun, and she was captured by the cameras while being chased by the debt collectors.


    Shao Qiyun started crying and looked for the media again, saying that she knew that she didn¡¯t have any rights. She only hoped that Xiao Wu would repay the debt for her on ount of the fact that she had given birth to him and give her a way out. Xiao Wu already knew how to earn money. This bit of money was nothing to him, but to her, it would be a life-saving gift.


    Xiao Wu ignored this bottomless pit of lies.


    Many reporters could empathize with Xiao Wu and didn¡¯t report much on the subject, but some magazines wrote exaggerated reports for the sake of benefit. They stood on Shao Qiyun¡¯s side and said that since he had the money, he should save his biological mother and he shouldn¡¯t be petty or anything like that.


    When Xiao Wu saw this, he turned around and donated a sum of money to the welfare institute for children who had lost their parents or been abandoned by their mothers, hoping that they would grow up safely. The donation was about the same as the money Shao Qiyun owed.


    Xiao Wu proved with his actions that he would rather donate the money to a good cause than show concern for Shao Qiyun.

 Chapter 320 - Shes a Crazy Woman

    <h4>Chapter 320: She¡¯s a Crazy Woman</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Xiao Wu¡¯s actions angered Shao Qiyun quite a bit. Almost driven crazy by the debt collectors, she started to criticize Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what¡¯s so great about you? You¡¯re just a woman who snatched my son. If you¡¯re so capable, give birth to one yourself. Shameless. A good child has been taught wrong by you. You must be the one who told Xiao Wu not to acknowledge me.


    ¡°Shao Zhong, you¡¯re heartless. Didn¡¯t Mu Jingzhe only cook a few meals and buy a few clothes for you? What¡¯s so great about that? Is itparable to me giving birth to you? How long has she been raising you?¡±


    When she dragged Mu Jingzhe into this, the magazine that had been helping Shao Qiyun for the sake of money cleverly posed the following question: Was giving birth kinder than raising a child?


    Was the kindness of giving birth to a child greater than the act of raising it? This question had always been controversial. Both Shao Qiyun and this magazine were very good at blurring out the main points and focusing on the controversial ones.


    They had indeed seeded. People kept discussing this topicter on, but other than a small number of people, many people thought it was quite forced to apply this question to Shao Qiyun and Mu Jingzhe.


    However, many people indeed started discussing the kindness of raising a child. This was Shao Qiyun¡¯s chance to speak up. However, there was no response from Shao Qiyun. Later on, they found out that Shao Qiyun seemed to have been captured by the debt collectors.


    This was also entirely possible. The debt collectors would definitely demand their money back. They were smart, so they wouldn¡¯t provoke the Ji Family, much less look for Xiao Wu.


    Since Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Shao Qiyun, it was useless for them to look for him. Besides, Shao Qiyun could earn money with her body. Naturally, they¡¯d only looked for her.


    The storm that Shao Qiyun had stirred up slowly dissipated because of Shao Qiyun¡¯s disappearance.


    However, the discussion didn¡¯t stop so quickly. Everyone was talking spiritedly, and all sorts of things were being said. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t mind too much. She continued to take Little Bei to film when necessary. In reality, many people were still on her and Xiao Wu¡¯s side.


    After filming that day, Mu Jingzhe led Xiao Wu and Little Bei out of the production studio, but they were unexpectedly stopped by someone. The young man told Xiao Wu without rhyme or reason, ¡°I support you, Shao Zhong. Some biological mothers are just not good. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t acknowledge such a mother. You did well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe found him familiar. ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Cao Yang. I troubled you because of Shao Qiyun previously.¡± Cao Yang scratched his head in embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened before.¡± The youngdy who was with him, Xiao Mei, apologized. When Mu Jingzhe saw her, she remembered that they were the ones who had dragged Shao Qiyun there. This was why this series of events had happened.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude toward them was quite calm. ¡°What happened with the recement afterward? How was it resolved?¡±


    ¡°After Shao Qiyun was exposed, she left the production team. In the end, the role went back to Xiao Mei.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry for what happened back then.¡± Xiao Mei apologized again.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s all for now.¡± Mu Jingzhe was about to leave with the kids, but Xiao Mei said, looking embarrassed, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll be joining your production team as a guest star in the future.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t have many scenes. I only wanted to give it a try. I didn¡¯t expect to be chosen. The scenes of the previous production have already been filmed, so tomorrow, I¡¯ll be joining your production team.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that, she only said that it was fine and didn¡¯t take it to heart. Unexpectedly, after Xiao Mei entered the production team, she would talk to Little Bei whenever she had nothing to do. From time to time, she would even bring some sweets, making it seem like she liked Little Bei a lot.


    Cao Yang was fond of Xiao Wu and always spoke to him. Over the past two days, Mu Jingzhe had learned that Cao Yang was so supportive of Xiao Wu because he had also met a bad mother, but he didn¡¯t specifically say why.


    There were many good mothers in the world, but not all mothers were responsible. Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu thought that Cao Yang had met someone like Shao Qiyun, so they didn¡¯t ask much.


    If the filming went smoothly, they could get off work early. If things didn¡¯t go well, they¡¯d have to work overtime. That day, because the filming process hadn¡¯t gone well, it wasn¡¯t finished even at night, even though it was supposed to end in the afternoon.


    When it finally ended, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei came out and met Sister Wei at the door. ¡°Sister Wei, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°The customer came to collect the clothes in advance. I saw that the outfit waspleted, but I wasn¡¯t sure, so I came to ask you about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯spleted. It can be altered if necessary. I thought that customer woulde tomorrow and forgot to tell you. It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll remember to tell you in the future.¡±


    With Sister Wei around, Mu Jingzhe felt much more rxed. She was also very reliable. After a few days of observation, Mu Jingzhe felt that she was doing quite well.


    ¡°How can I me you?¡± Sister Wei shook her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Just as Mu Jingzhe and Sister Wei were about to leave, they heard a questioning voice behind them. ¡°Why are you here? You came here on purpose. I told you I wouldn¡¯t acknowledge you.¡±


    Upon hearing that it was Cao Yang, Mu Jingzhe turned around for some reason and saw Cao Yang ring at Sister Wei. Xiao Mei, who was beside him, had a puzzled expression on her face and didn¡¯t react.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Sister Wei and saw that her spirit seemed to have been sucked away. Her earlier gentleness was gone, and her face was as pale as if she had seen a ghost.


    Cao Yang looked at Sister Wei with disgust in his eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°You know each other?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Cao Yang seemed to finally calm down when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice. He took a deep breath and looked at her. ¡°Sister Jingzhe, do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s my assistant.¡±


    Upon hearing that she was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s assistant, Cao Yang blurted out, ¡°Your assistant? What can she do?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t like Cao Yang¡¯s tone. ¡°She can do a lot of things and she¡¯s helped me a lot. Cao Yang, I don¡¯t know what your rtionship with her is and I don¡¯t intend to get involved, but she¡¯s not here to look for you. She¡¯s here because she has something to tell me.¡±


    Cao Yang could hear the protectiveness in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone and was a little unhappy. He said directly, ¡°Sister Jingzhe, don¡¯t be fooled by her. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s told you, nor do I know why you epted her as your assistant, but she¡¯s not a good person. She definitely didn¡¯t tell you her actual situation, so she lied.¡±


    Sister Wei¡¯s face turned even paler. She looked at Mu Jingzhe and wanted to say something, but she hesitated and didn¡¯t in the end.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. It was quite difficult to define who was a good person or a bad person. ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s not a good person?¡± Had Sister Wei done anything immoral?


    ¡°She¡¯s just not a good person. Sister Jingzhe, don¡¯t ask. Just don¡¯t keep her around.¡± Cao Yang waved his hand.


    Sister Wei¡¯s face turned even paler. Mu Jingzhe looked at Sister Wei and then at Cao Yang. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll see for myself.¡±


    Compared to Cao Yang, who she had just met, Mu Jingzhe was more familiar with Sister Wei. She wouldn¡¯t make a decision just because of a few words, but she had to ask Sister Wei when she got back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sister Wei.¡±


    Cao Yang hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe not to chase Sister Wei away directly. He felt even more ufortable now. ¡°Sister Jingzhe, what do you mean? You¡¯re not firing her?¡±


    ¡°Surely I wouldn¡¯t fire her just because you imed she¡¯s not a good person? I¡¯ll see for myselfter.¡±


    Sister Wei¡¯s eyes were filled with gratitude, and Cao Yang was only left feeling angry. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you just now because I didn¡¯t want to. She ran from my house.. She¡¯s a crazy woman.¡±

 Chapter 321 - Protect the Mother or the Baby

    <h4>Chapter 321: Protect the Mother or the Baby</h4>


    The more Xiao Mei listened to him, the more she felt that something was amiss. The crew, who were about to get off work, halted when they heard their argument and quickly stopped him. ¡°Cao Yang, calm down. Don¡¯t spout nonsense. You might have mistaken her for someone else.¡±


    She saw that Sister Wei¡¯s hair wasbed neatly. Although her legs were a littleme, she was quite energetic and she was dressed decently. She couldn¡¯t associate her with the word ¡®crazy¡¯.


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. I couldn¡¯t have mistaken her for someone else either. How could I possibly misidentify her? I¡¯d be able to recognize her even if she turned into ashes.¡± Cao Yang sneered. ¡°Xiao Mei, didn¡¯t you ask me before why you didn¡¯t meet my mother when we got engaged? She¡¯s the woman who gave birth to me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked and suddenly looked at Sister Wei. Sister Wei closed her eyes and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Boss, I want to go back now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Jingzhe was also very surprised by the rtionship between Cao Yang and Sister Wei. When she recalled Cao Yang¡¯s attitude toward his biological mother previously, it was obvious that the mother-and-son duo didn¡¯t have a good rtionship. Sister Wei had never mentioned her family before either. Previously, when Mu Jingzhe had asked, she had said that they were all dead.


    She hadn¡¯t expected her son to still be alive and hate her so much. Seeing the pain and despair in Sister Wei¡¯s eyes, Mu Jingzhe agreed without saying anything.


    Sister Wei thanked her in a low voice. Regardless of whether Mu Jingzhe would fire her in the future, she had lived a peaceful, stable life for many days. She had thought that she could continue living in peace like this, but she hadn¡¯t expected that¡­


    Sister Weiughed bitterly and got ready to leave. Cao Yang looked at her back and sneered. ¡°Why are you running away? You can feel shame? Are you afraid that I¡¯ll tell them what you did?¡±


    The way Cao Yang was speaking, it sounded like Sister Wei had let him down. The onlookers couldn¡¯t help feeling curious. ¡°What did she do?¡±


    Everyone looked at Mu Jingzhe. They all still remembered the argument about whether the kindness of giving birth was greater than the kindness of raising the child. They all suspected that Sister Wei had also abandoned her son.


    Cao Yang looked at Sister Wei¡¯s back. ¡°Back then, I almost died before I was born. When she gave birth to me, she was asked to choose between protecting herself or the baby, and she chose to protect herself and kill me.¡±


    Cao Yang sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen such a selfish mother before, have you? All the mothers in this world would have chosen their children. Only she chose to protect herself. Is she worthy of being a mother? She¡¯s not!¡±


    Everyone looked understanding. So that was the reason for his attitude.


    Sister Wei¡¯s departing back trembled, as if she was holding something back. Her eyes were filled with despair. Here they came again. Here they came again. She could never escape these selfish shackles.


    No one spoke for a moment. Only Mu Jingzhe looked like she had heard wrong. ¡°What are you talking about? Cao Yang, you¡¯ve been scolding your biological mother, not because she abandoned you or abused you, but because it all came down to protecting the mother or the baby?¡±


    Cao Yang felt that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone and question were a little strange, but he still nodded fiercely. ¡°Yes, she chose to live alone. She¡¯s a selfish woman.¡±


    This was what Cao Yang had heard since he was young. His grandmother had said this, and his father, uncles, and aunts had also told him as much. They had said that he was pitiful and he had nearly died before being born.


    When she had given birth to Cao Yang, Sister Wei had experienced a difficultbor. When the midwife had seen that something wasn¡¯t right, she had asked her if she should save the adult or the baby. Grandma had told her to save the baby. Before her father, who was smoking a dry cigarette, could say anything, Sister Wei, who had fainted from exhaustion, woke up. When she heard her mother-inw tell the woman to save the baby, she got scared and answered herself.


    ¡°Keep me safe, keep me safe. I can give birth again. I want to live¡­¡±


    Her mother-inw had told the midwife to save the child. Sister Wei wanted to live, so she mustered all her strength and held the midwife tightly, saying that she wanted to live.


    Her mother-inw scolded her outside, saying that she was selfish and that Sister Wei would die if she lost her grandson.


    Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t died in the end and the child had been born safely. Unfortunately, the mother-inw would forever remember her words about protecting the adult. This had made the mother-inw feel very dissatisfied. She¡¯d called her ruthless and vicious for even having the heart to harm her own son.


    Whenever she saw her precious grandson, the more the mother-inw thought about it, the more frightened she¡¯d be. Later on, she¡¯d refused to let Sister Wei see her son even though she wanted to. She had said that a selfish person like Sister Wei had no right to carry the child and that she should act as if the child was dead.


    She had still been in her confinement period, and the people nearby had already known what she had said and done. Everyone had used her of being selfish, especially the mothers-inw. They would scold her whenever they had free time and remind their own daughters-inw not to be as muddle-headed as her.


    Cao Yang had been brought up by his grandmother. From a young age, he had been told not to get close to his mother. He had also heard his grandmother say that his mother wasn¡¯t a good mother. Even his father, aunties, and the entire vige had said so.


    His grandmother had told him that his mother hadn¡¯t protected him back then and had selfishly chosen to save herself. There was no need to be filial to such a heartless mother.


    Ever since Cao Yang could remember, he had never interacted with his mother. He had grown up being pitied by the vigers. Later on, his mother had gone a little crazy. Ever since he¡¯d started living with his grandmother, he had always hated her.


    That¡¯s right. She was a mother. Why couldn¡¯t she be like other people¡¯s mothers? The mothers in the movies fought to protect their children. Only mothers like that were normal and good.


    They weren¡¯t at all like his mother. Cao Yang hated Sister Wei more and more as time passed. He would never call her ¡®Mommy¡¯ usually or take her to the hospital when she got sick. He felt that she deserved it. Who had asked her to be so selfish?


    However, even though she had gone crazy, he hadn¡¯t expected this woman to run. The woman who had abandoned him the day he was born had never washed his diapers or fed him milk once. In the end, she had even run away. Hence, Cao Yang hated her even more.


    He was really envious of people who had a good mother and was so close to Mu Jingzhe because he felt that she was a good stepmother.


    Upon seeing his mother, who had been missing for three years, Cao Yang vented his hatred again. He was determined to let everyone see her true colors.


    However, for some reason, when everyone heard that, they looked at each other, but no one scolded or despised that bad woman like the vigers.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the indignant Cao Yang and clenched her fists. ¡°I thought it was a big deal. This is it?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a big deal? She chose to save herself instead of her child!¡± Cao Yang thought that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t processed it and wanted to exin it to her.


    Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°So what if she chose to save herself? Is it wrong of her to want to live? She should be the one deciding about her own life. Who made this rule that women have to sacrifice themselves for their children? The mothers who protect their children are very noble, but one can¡¯t say that not protecting your children is selfish, right?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to promote maternal love, but we should stop before we go too far. Why should we sacrifice ourselves? Mothers are also human. Before she was a mother, she was first and foremost a human!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this selfish enough? Everyone in the world saves their children. Why couldn¡¯t she do it? Since she couldn¡¯t, what right does she have to be a woman? And why did she get pregnant?¡± Cao Yang retorted.


    Upon seeing Cao Yang¡¯s indignant expression, Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°If she didn¡¯t protect her life, should she have protected you, the unfilial son of a gun? Everyone in the world can criticize her, but you, Cao Yang, don¡¯t have the right to do so!¡±

 Chapter 322 - Youre Not a Good Stepmother at All

    <h4>Chapter 322: You¡¯re Not a Good Stepmother at All</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to hear such a question about protecting the mother or the baby. This question was a clich¨¦ in movies and novels. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know how it had started. Anyway,ter on, for some reason, it became the same sort of question as ¡°Who will you save¡ªyour mother or me?¡±.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had always felt awkward upon hearing this question. She had even specifically tried to understand that this question was actually a joke, especially in modern hospitals. That would be up to the doctor¡¯s own judgment.


    The doctor wouldn¡¯t ask a family member such a question. After all, they were the experts.


    After Mu Jingzhe understood it, she was relieved. However, in joke segments, movies, television dramas, and novels, they still used this lousy joke. In fact, this question had even inexplicably be a test of love. For example, if the husband chose to protect the mother, it meant he loved her or something. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know why this thing could even be evidence of love. Anyway, it was just like the question of whether the guy would save his wife or mother. It was very baffling.


    Initially, she had thought that it would be fine even though she hadn¡¯t encountered such a thing before. She hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen in reality and in such a manner.


    This era couldn¡¯tpare to modern medicine. Children were born in their own homes and were delivered by midwives. It might be barely eptable to ask such a question. What made Mu Jingzhe furious was that this question was so absurd.


    Just because she hadn¡¯t made the same choice as many others and sacrificed herself for her child, the child kept insulting his mother like this. He felt that his mother had let him down and even hated her? What kind of retard was this?


    Everything had gone quite smoothly on set, so there was nothing to argue about. Thus, Mu Jingzhe had always been cheerful and easy to talk to. This was the first time she was so sharp.


    Cao Yang was stunned. He was used to everyone standing on his side, pitying him, and criticizing Sister Wei. This was the first time he had met someone as unpredictable as Mu Jingzhe.


    Unfilial son of a gun? Was she talking about him? He had an impulsive personality to begin with, so Cao Yang¡¯s face turned red. ¡°You¡­ You actually spoke up for her. Have you been pretending? You¡¯re not a good stepmother at all, are you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe found a very urate way to describe him. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Why do you care if I¡¯m a good stepmother? It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the crazy one. How is it none of my business? Do you really think that woman is worthy of being a mother?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s worthy of being a mother, but I know that you are taking this too far. You have no right to criticize her.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words were powerful and resonating.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I have the right to do so? She is indeed unworthy¡­¡±


    ¡°Why am I unworthy? Is it wrong for me to want to live?¡± A trembling voice suddenly interrupted Cao Yang.


    Sister Wei gritted her teeth and walked closer step by step. For the first time, she straightened her back, looked her extremely unfamiliar son in the eye, and retorted.


    ¡°For more than twenty years, I¡¯ve always been indignant. I was the one giving birth back then and I was the one in danger. Why should they make a decision about my own life? Why should they ask my mother-inw, who¡¯s nothing to me? Why should I listen to her all the time?


    ¡°I was the one giving birth. Why didn¡¯t they ask me? I just wanted them to save the adult. Is it wrong for me to want to live? I could continue giving birth if I lived, but if I died, there¡¯d be nothing left!¡±


    Sister Wei finally shouted out the heartfelt words she had held in her heart for more than twenty years. She¡¯d wanted to say these words in the past, but no one had ever given her the time to finish saying them. They didn¡¯t want to hear her say these words.


    They would only criticize and reprimand her, belittling her to the ground. She¡¯d only wanted to live and made a natural decision, but it was as if she hadmitted a capital offense.


    She¡¯d also liked the child in her stomach very much. She had risked her life to give birth to him and wanted him to be well more than anyone else. She loved the child very much, but she had never seen it before, so what was wrong with choosing to protect herself? Besides, if she really gave birth to the child, who knew how long he would live without his biological mother?


    She had still been so young back then. What was wrong with her not wanting to die? What reason did she have to be scolded? All she¡¯d wanted was to live.


    After walking through the gates of hell, she had finally given birth to the child safely. It should have been something to be happy about, something that called for a celebration. The child hadn¡¯t died, and she had still lived. However, all that had awaited her were countless curses.


    Everyone had kept criticizing her as if she had done something wicked. As if women should make way for their children. Only then would they be qualified to be good mothers.


    No one was on her side, and no one had ever spoken up for her. Even if some people said that they understood her, when no one else was around, they would try to persuade her to take things easy and treat the child better. They would never support her in public.


    They didn¡¯t dare to. They were afraid of bing a second Sister Wei.


    Sister Wei had waited for more than twenty years before finally hearing a different voice. She actually didn¡¯t want anything. She only wanted one person to stand up for her. As long as there was one person, she would muster up all her courage.


    ¡°Cao Yang, you keep asking me if I¡¯ve regretted it. I really regretted it in the past. Not only because I was forced to but also because I genuinely regretted it. After hearing everyone repeat this over and over again, I began to suspect that I¡¯d really done something wrong. There was a period of time when I strongly felt that I¡¯d let you down. I wished I could apologize by dying.


    ¡°I washed my face with tears every day. No matter how much that old woman scolded or hit me, I endured it. I only asked her to forgive me, but that old woman refused and insisted that I had no right.¡±


    Sister Wei wanted tough as she thought of the past. ¡°At the time, I thought it was all my fault. Later on, I found out that she was actually afraid that I would snatch you away.


    ¡°She hated me and felt that I had snatched her son. Therefore, after you were born, she stole you and turned you into another son.¡±


    Sister Wei used to miss her son very much, and because of her increased milk supply, she had once secretly tried to take a look at him in the middle of the night. In the end, she had seen her mother-inw put her shriveled, milkless breast in her son¡¯s mouth.


    At that moment, Sister Wei had been disgusted. She had suddenly understood why the old woman found her an eyesore.


    Sister Wei didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but even her first words were unbearable for Cao Yang. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Grandma is the best and most benevolent grandmother in the world. What right do you have to criticize her? She¡¯s the one who raised me. As for you, you¡¯ve never even fed me a mouthful of milk or washed a diaper of mine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve never fed you before, but why haven¡¯t you wondered why I didn¡¯t? Was I unwilling to do it? No, I wanted to! It¡¯s your grandmother who forbade me from touching you. Do you know how many times I begged her and knelt before her just to feed you a mouthful of milk and take a look at you? Later on, even though you were about to starve to death, she didn¡¯t change her mind.¡±


    Sister Wei felt that the past was absurd. At the time, she had felt that her mother-inw was wrong. She didn¡¯t want her son to be a ything in the hands of an old woman and didn¡¯t want him to hate her either. She had tried her best, but no one had been on her side.

 Chapter 323 - Tear This Retarded Thing Up

    <h4>Chapter 323: Tear This Retarded Thing Up</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    At the time, her mother-inw used to have the final say in everything at home. Her husband only knew how to listen to her mother-inw and had even hated her. Because of what Sister Wei had said about protecting the mother, she didn¡¯t have the right to watch or hug him. However, she had no right toin.


    Plus, Cao Yang didn¡¯t know any of this. Needless to say, when he was young, even when he had grown up, her mother-inw had still guarded him against her as though she was guarding against a thief, hating that she couldn¡¯t tie Cao Yang to her belt. She had never let her see Cao Yang alone.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for her to say something, as the old woman would say even more bad things about her to Cao Yang.


    They were clearly mother and son, but they had been set up by the old woman to be enemies.


    Countless times, she had seen the old woman¡¯s smug smile. She had done it on purpose to take revenge on her. She treated her daughter-inw as an enemy. Only when her son and grandson stood by her side and opposed her daughter-inw with her would she be satisfied.


    Cao Yang had actually heard Sister Wei¡¯s defense before, but he had never believed it. He felt that she was lying to him, just like his grandmother had said. Seeing that she was still saying it now and had such a terrifying expression on her face, he felt furious and a little afraid. ¡°Grandma already said that no such thing happened. Do you think everyone will pity you if you say this in public? Is this how you show regret?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just telling the truth. As far as regret goes, I¡¯ve regretted it. However, when you cursed me with that old woman and spat at me, saying that I was vicious, I actually doubted if I should really regret it.¡±


    Sister Wei didn¡¯t notice Cao Yang¡¯s frown and continued. ¡°I was hesitant. After all, I feel a little silly about feeling regretful over such a son.


    ¡°At the time, I thought that you were just a child and would learn whatever you were taught. I thought that it was all because of the old woman¡¯s teachings, not you. Later on, I tried my best to think of ways to express to you that I really love you. I thought that it would be fine as long as you grew up and became sensible.


    ¡°But what happened in the end? I tried my best and I kept persisting. I was waiting for the day when you would grow up to be a reasonable person. I thought that you would be sensible then, so I endured it. Even when I was forced to the point of madness by them, I didn¡¯t give up. I persisted for 18 years. What did I end up with after all that waiting?¡±


    Sister Weiughed out loud. ¡°I waited until I felt twice as much hatred. I waited until your verbal abuse went even more overboard. Growing up didn¡¯t do anything to you. Everything was just wishful thinking on my part. I¡¯vepletely thought it through. I don¡¯t regret it anymore.


    ¡°If I¡¯d risked my life to protect and give birth to such a thing, I would¡¯ve suffered a huge loss. It would not have been worth it at all.¡±


    Sister Wei¡¯s gaze became extremely cold. It would have been terrible if she¡¯d lost her life because of such a thing.


    Cao Yang could not believe it. ¡°How¡­ How dare you say that?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? If anyone saw your current state, I think they would understand me. Those who scolded me should be ashamed.¡±


    The words that had been weighing on her mind for more than twenty years were finally spoken. Sister Wei felt much better. ¡°I saw the truth clearly, so I left. If I had continued living with you people, I would really have gone crazy. I might as well have died.¡±


    This was the truth behind Sister Wei¡¯s departure from home. For her son, she had stayed in hell for 18 years. She had lost her job and herself. Fortunately, at thest moment, she hadn¡¯t gonepletely crazy and had walked out instead.


    Sister Wei had finally felt less repressed, but this time, it was Cao Yang¡¯s turn to feel repressed. Sister Wei¡¯s words had a huge impact on him. He looked at everyone for help, hoping that they would help him scold her back, just like they had before. However, no one spoke. No one helped him.


    In fact, everyone looked at Sister Wei with sympathy, and the way they looked at him was indescribable, as if he had really made a mistake.


    But how could he be wrong? This had been the case since he was young.


    Cao Yang couldn¡¯t help but look at Xiao Mei beside him for help. Seeing that Xiao Mei was looking at him with aplicated gaze of disapproval, Cao Yang panicked. ¡°Xiao Mei, why are you looking at me like that? Do you think she¡¯s right?¡±


    Xiao Mei didn¡¯t answer his question. Instead, she muttered, ¡°I always thought that when you said your mother treated you badly and even ran away, she had really treated you badly. I didn¡¯t expect such an inside story¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you about to say that I was wrong?¡± Cao Yang asked. Seeing that Xiao Mei didn¡¯t answer, Cao Yang looked at Sister Wei with eyes filled with hatred. ¡°Why are you here? You always ruin my happiness the moment you appear¡­¡±


    ¡°The one who stopped Sister Wei was you. She didn¡¯t say a word at first.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take it anymore and spoke up.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We were all watching. Don¡¯t twist right and wrong.¡± Little Bei spoke. Then, she added, ¡°And you were indeed in the wrong when ites to this matter.¡±


    This was the first time Cao Yang was in such a situation and was feeling alone and helpless. One could say that the surrounding people had gotten familiar with him in the past two days, but for some reason, no one spoke up for him.


    Cao Yang could only do it himself. He red at Little Bei. ¡°Why did you say I was wrong? How am I wrong? I¡¯m the victim!¡±


    ¡°What kind of victim are you? The real victim is Auntie Wei.¡±


    Little Bei thought of Bai Lu. ¡°Auntie Wei didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    She wished so much that Bai Lu could have survived back then. She wished so much that Bai Lu would have chosen to live.


    ¡°What makes you say that!¡± Cao Yang couldn¡¯t stand Little Bei¡¯s words. If Sister Wei wasn¡¯t wrong, then was he wrong? Then what did that make his over twenty years alive? ¡°You don¡¯t know anything. You¡¯ve never been chosen before. What right do you have to say that?!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I have the right? You hate your mother for not choosing you back then, but I only hate that I couldn¡¯t choose back then myself. Otherwise, I would definitely have let my biological mother live!¡±


    ¡°Because she didn¡¯t survive. I¡¯ve always med myself. But when your mother survived, you criticized her. What right do you have to criticize her? What are you? If you criticize her for not being a good mother, then are you a good son?¡±


    Cao Yang couldn¡¯t say that he was a good son. Little Bei¡¯s words were like a heavy p on his face, making him lose face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m a good son, but only when a mother is loving can the children be filial. I¡¯m unfilial because she wasn¡¯t a loving mother in the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s considered loving? Does it only count if she gives up her life in exchange for yours? Who are you to make her sacrifice herself like this? If you have the ability, die yourself. Back then, she was the same age you are now. If you got married in the future and the child could only be safe if you died, would you make the sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°Of course I would,¡± Cao Yang immediately replied.


    ¡°Would do what? Aren¡¯t you thinking that since you won¡¯t be the one giving birth, such a dangerous situation can¡¯t happen to you? And you dare say you would do it!¡±


    Cao Yang couldn¡¯t prove that he was willing, but he thought of something else. ¡°I can¡¯t prove this because I¡¯m indeed not fit to give birth. However, I don¡¯t agree with what you said just now.. I¡¯m not using her because she didn¡¯t sacrifice herself for me, but because she doesn¡¯t even have that heart.¡±

 Chapter 324 - Even Giving Birth to a Placenta Would Be Better Than Giving Birth to You

    <h4>Chapter 324: Even Giving Birth to a centa Would Be Better Than Giving Birth to You</h4>


    As Cao Yang spoke, he suddenly calmed down. ¡°My father told me thister on. At the time, he was actually conflicted and hesitant, but in the end, he still wanted to protect the mother. He just didn¡¯t expect you to say it yourself before he even did.¡±


    At this point, Cao Yang¡¯s face was filled with mockery. The way he looked at Sister Wei became disdainful. ¡°When you quarreled with my father, you said that he didn¡¯t think highly of you, but in fact, he was prepared to protect you. He was sincere about you back then.


    ¡°So even if you hadn¡¯t said so yourself, my father would¡¯ve kept you alive!¡±


    Cao Yang looked at Mu Jingzhe, waiting for her expression to change because of this.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression did change, but that was because she was disgusted. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s perfectly fine for your father to answer the same question that way?¡±


    Cao Yang frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being literal. I¡¯m very curious. What point are you trying to make by telling us that your father was prepared to choose the mother back then? Are you trying to express your hatred for him? After all, as a father, he was actually prepared to give up on you, his son. Isn¡¯t he the most vicious father in the world?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Why would I say that about my father? My father would give up on me reluctantly because he wanted to save his wife¡¯s life. How could I me him? Why should I hate him? I just wanted to make her feel ashamed!¡± Cao Yang red at Sister Wei.


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed. ¡°Why was your father in pain? He¡¯s not the one who was in pain. He¡¯s not the one in danger either. Why should Sister Wei be ashamed?¡±


    After she said this, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face suddenly darkened. ¡°Cao Yang, why is it that even though both were ready to give the same answer to the same question¡ªboth choosing to protect the mother¡ªyour reaction ispletely different? If a man asks the doctor to protect the mother, he¡¯s a devoted, good man. If a woman says so, it makes her a heartless, bad woman. On what basis? Clearly, this concerns the woman¡¯s life.¡±


    Sister Wei was really shocked when she heard that. Everything that Mu Jingzhe had said expressed her heartfelt thoughts. That¡¯s right. Why was this the case?


    Xiao Mei suddenly looked up at Mu Jingzhe with a glint in her eyes.


    The crowd, who had been watching the show previously, fell silent and pondered this seriously. Yes, why? On what basis?


    Even though these people might not have all experienced this before, they would still encounter a few pregnant women in real life. At the end of the day, everything revolved around the children. People tended to be biased toward the children.


    It seemed that when they were asked to choose between the child and the pregnant woman, they would also choose the child. But why?


    Cao Yang¡¯s mind was a mess as well after he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, but before Mu Jingzhe could finish speaking, she stepped forward and looked at him. ¡°Cao Yang, on what basis do you only hate your mother and not your father?¡±


    Cao Yang was forced to retreat step by step. His mind was a mess. ¡°Because this question should be answered by a man!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the woman who¡¯s in danger. Why can only the man answer? What right did he have to decide about another person¡¯s life! Yes, you wanted to say that he was going to protect your mother, but is this worthy of praise?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe found it uninteresting. ¡°Isn¡¯t this more terrifying than being generous at the expense of others? It¡¯s basically taking someone else¡¯s life to show your affection.¡±


    The atmosphere instantly became heavier, and the girls and female staff who had given birth looked particrly gloomy. In the past, when they¡¯d heard their husband say ¡®you¡¯re the most important¡¯ while they were pregnant, they had all thought that it was sweet. But now that they thought about it, wasn¡¯t it only natural?


    The words ¡®taking someone else¡¯s life to show your affection¡¯ stabbed their hearts fiercely, making them feel very upset.


    Even the male colleagues thought a lot about this. It did seem sort of uneptable.


    Cao Yang¡¯s mind was a mess, but he wanted to win the argument. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about this. That¡¯s not what we¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to say more. She pulled Sister Wei aside. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sister Wei. Don¡¯t lower yourself to this person¡¯s level. Just pretend you gave birth to a centa.¡±


    This was the first time Sister Wei and the others heard such a thing. They all burst intoughter.


    ¡°centa¡­ Pfft¡­¡±


    Everyone had originally been in an emotional mood, but Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sudden mention of the centa made the heavy atmosphere finally improve.


    Theyughed, making Cao Yang furious. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what do you mean? How can you say that I¡¯m a centa? Apologize to me and take back what you just said.¡±


    Sister Wei couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She was about to speak, but Mu Jingzhe stopped her. She still looked very easygoing. ¡°Alright, I apologize.¡±


    As soon as Cao Yang¡¯s expression improved a little, he heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°I apologize to the centa. How can youpare to a centa? Using the centa as an analogy is an insult to it.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, everyone fell silent again. In the end, they burst intoughter again.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re courting death!¡± Cao Yang¡¯s temper red up. He couldn¡¯t care less. He just wanted to hit Mu Jingzhe. His family had doted on him since he was young, so he had never endured such humiliation.


    A trace of excitement shed across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes. She had wanted to teach this thing a lesson for a long time, but it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to take the initiative to hit someone. It would be great if someone brought her a pillow right after she dozed off.


    Cao Yang waved his fist and rushed forward. Then¡­ There was no ¡®then¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe beat Cao Yang up so hard that he fell to his knees and started to cry. ¡°Let go of me. Let go of me. You damn woman¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe let go of Cao Yang and finally felt a little better. She abandoned Cao Yang and left with Sister Wei.


    Everyone pointed at him, but no one helped Cao Yang. No one even came to look at him.


    In the end, it was Xiao Mei who helped him up. ¡°Stop cursing.¡±


    Cao Yang was extremely embarrassed. Seeing that Xiao Mei wouldn¡¯t help him, he already felt resentful. When he stood up and heard Xiao Mei still nagging, he couldn¡¯t help but p Xiao Mei. ¡°Shut up! Why are you always on their side? Do you also want to protect the mother over the child in the future? Are you even a woman? Women have to be virtuous. Don¡¯t you know¡­¡±


    Xiao Mei turned around and hit him back. ¡°Virtuous, your mother¡¯s *ss. Get lost. Our engagement is invalid!¡±


    Cao Yang hadn¡¯t expected the good-tempered Xiao Mei to suddenly explode. He was shocked.


    ¡°Xiao Mei, why are you even using vulgarities? How dare you say that the engagement is invalid¡­¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare say it? I pitied you because I was blind previously. I was blind enough to get engaged to you. If you want to protect your future child, go find someone who¡¯s willing to do it for you. Don¡¯t disgust me!¡±


    Xiao Mei usually had a mild temper, but she wasn¡¯t a y figurine with no temper at all. Previously, she hadn¡¯t known much about the situation and had only thought that Cao Yang had a bad mother. Now, it didn¡¯t seem like it at all.


    The way she viewed Cao Yang¡¯s seemingly honest father and his kind-looking grandmother had changed, making her feel fear from the bottom of her heart.


    She didn¡¯t dare imagine what would happen if she identally married into this family. Previously, Cao Yang¡¯s grandmother had even hinted that she should take care of her husband and children after marriage. At the end of the day, this meant that she shouldn¡¯t act anymore.


    The elderly woman didn¡¯t really like the fact that she was an actress. Previously, she had hesitated because she really liked acting. Now, there was nothing to hesitate about. Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t given up acting yet.


    At the end of the day, she would find a husband who would allow her to continue filming after they got married. In any case, she couldn¡¯t tolerate Cao Yang anymore.

 Chapter 325 - You Really Disgust Me

    <h4>Chapter 325: You Really Disgust Me</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Although Xiao Mei had a gentle personality, she actually had a mind of her own. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have ignored her family¡¯s objections and embarked on the acting path. After making this decision, she turned around and left.


    Cao Yang was familiar with Xiao Mei¡¯s personality. She was usually very easygoing, but when she made up her mind, she was serious.


    Seeing that Xiao Mei had left, he panicked and soon regretted it. Where would he find a good girl like Xiao Mei?


    ¡°Xiao Mei, I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong. I was too rash just now. I shouldn¡¯t have hit you. I might have gone crazy.¡±


    Cao Yang chased after Xiao Mei and apologized, but Xiao Mei ignored him. In his hurry to show his sincerity, Cao Yang pped himself quite ruthlessly, but Xiao Mei didn¡¯t stop walking.


    Cao Yang gritted his teeth. ¡°Xiao Mei, don¡¯t scare me. Didn¡¯t we agree to get married at the end of the year?¡±


    Seeing that Xiao Mei was unmoved, he thought about what he had just said and quickly said, ¡°Xiao Mei, I really like you. If you get pregnant in the future, I¡¯ll definitely choose to protect you over the child. I was just spouting nonsense.¡±


    Xiao Mei finally stopped. Cao Yang was delighted. ¡°Really, Xiao Mei, I will definitely¡­¡±


    When Cao Yang saw Xiao Mei¡¯s expression, he was leftpletely speechless. ¡°Xiao Mei, why are you looking at me like that¡­¡±


    ¡°How should I be looking at you? Should I be thanking you and feeling touched?¡± If she hadn¡¯t heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, Xiao Mei thought that she might have been touched. However, after hearing those words, she felt like vomiting.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what you said just now? Who the heck do you think you are to make this decision for me? You¡¯ll show your affection by deciding about my life? Did you think I¡¯d be touched? Get lost.¡±


    If she had a child one day, she would have to make the decision herself if only the adult or the child could be saved.


    She would make the decision regarding her own life.


    Xiao Mei ran away without looking back. Cao Yang stood rooted to the ground, feeling lost. What had he said wrong? What had he done wrong?


    Clearly, women were meant to carry on the family line. Children were more important than the mother, especially boys. This was what the world thought. Women should be virtuous. Why couldn¡¯t he even talk about it if a woman wasn¡¯t virtuous?


    It was a painful decision for a man to choose his wife over his children to begin with. It did mean that he loved his wife deeply. What was wrong with that?


    Wasn¡¯t this a world where children were more important than women?


    Cao Yang thought of what Mu Jingzhe had said just now and spat fiercely. ¡°This is lunacy! If all the women in this world were so selfish, wouldn¡¯t there beplete chaos? If all the women only wanted to live on their own, that would be terrible!


    ¡°Now, Xiao Mei has also been led astray. It¡¯s all that woman¡¯s fault! Are you feeling smug?¡±


    Sister Wei, who Cao Yang imagined being smug, burst into tears when she returned home. She went in and tried to kowtow before Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe was startled and quickly pulled her up.


    ¡°Sister Wei, what are you doing? Get up quickly. Don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just so grateful to you. Thank you for saying those words. I¡¯ve waited for more than twenty years to hear those words. Not only did you help me, but you also saved my life. You really saved my life. After twenty years, I finally feel like I¡¯vee back to life. I finally feel like I can live in this world openly and honestly.¡±


    Sister Wei hadmitted suicide once. She had been criticized many times and had been in a daze. Later on, she had even lost her job. She hadmitted suicide once, but she hadn¡¯t seeded.


    She had been rescued, but now that she thought about it, she had actually died at the time. Later on, she had just been a walking corpse. She had onlye back to life today.


    In the past, she had always wondered why she hadn¡¯t died at the time. Now, she was d that she was still alive and had lived to see this day.


    There was finally someone supporting her. She was no longer alone or afraid of being criticized.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached when she heard that. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s all in the past.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all in the past. I¡¯m free. If anyone dares to scold me again, I¡¯ll scold them back. I won¡¯t be afraid anymore.¡±


    Sister Wei wailed, her voice filled with grief and making one¡¯s heart ache.


    Cao Yang judged others based on himself and thought that Sister Wei must be feeling proud and smug. But why would Sister Wei feel smug? She had wasted half her life in the mud and had even been driven crazy.


    The first half of her life had been just absurd. She had wasted half her life, so what did she have to feel proud about?


    Sister Wei¡¯s cries made Mu Jingzhe feel very upset. She patted her shoulder and didn¡¯t try tofort her. She simply let Sister Wei cry.


    Sister Wei had held it in for too long. She needed to cry and vent her anger. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be good for her health.


    After a few minutes, seeing that Sister Wei was finally not crying so hard, Mu Jingzhe finally spoke and tried to persuade her.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re crying. You¡¯ll be fine after you cry. It¡¯s all in the past. You¡¯re only in your forties. Your life has just begun. Half of your life has yet to pass. Live well and show your glory. Make them regret it in the future.¡±


    Sister Wei was stunned. She was already so old, yet her life had only just begun? Besides, would she even be able to make them regret it?


    Sister Wei burped and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°What?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sensed her doubts. ¡°Don¡¯t doubt me. I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m already in my forties. Can I start over?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you? You can start over at any age.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°How many people can¡¯t find themselves in their entire life? When they were young, they lived for their parents. When they grew up, they lived for their husbands and children, especially women. A short life passed just like that. They lived their entire lives for others.


    ¡°Some people don¡¯t wake up until their children get married and leave them. Some people only find their own joy and direction after they retire. In that case, since you¡¯re only in your forties, aren¡¯t you still young?¡±


    Everyone had their own way of living. Both men and women could make a change at any age. Mu Jingzhe had seen people whose lives had be dazzling in their fifties or sixties. Sister Wei was actually very talented and could be outstanding in the future.


    Sister Wei¡¯s heart surged when she heard that. That¡¯s right, she could start over. Life wasn¡¯t just about being a good wife and mother. Even if one wasn¡¯t a good wife and mother, they could still seed!


    ¡°I¡¯ll make them regret it!¡± Sister Wei¡¯s eyes lit up, and she was truly freed. From that day onward, her children, husband, and mother-inw could all scram.


    Familial happiness was the happiest thing in life, but even if it didn¡¯t work out, she could make a personal effort to show her other values!


    Sister Wei had previously closed herself off. This time, she finally opened up. Her eyes were still red, but she quickly opened them and spoke some more.


    ¡°I was actually a factory belle in the past. The factory director¡¯s son liked me. At the time, I thought he was fat and didn¡¯t want him. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s actually no big deal to be fat. I only rejected the factory director¡¯s son because I was incredible¡­¡±


    Who would have thought that the woman who hadter been described as withered and crazy used to once be the bubbliest factory belle? Cao Yang¡¯s father had spent five years cherishing her and used all his might to chase after her, promising to treat her well for the rest of his life.


    He had indeed done it for a year into their marriage. He had cherished Sister Wei and given in to her every wish. Because of this, his mother had felt that he had forgotten about her after getting married.


    Things had only remained that way for a year, though. Then, he hadpletely turned back into his mother¡¯s good son.


    In the past, Sister Wei hadn¡¯t been able to see through this.. Now that she was free, she could see through everything.

 Chapter 326 - Mommy, Give Birth to a Younger Sister

    <h4>Chapter 326: Mommy, Give Birth to a Younger Sister</h4>


    Sister Wei, who had regained a portion of her original personality, started to talk more. However, this made the others¡¯ hearts ache even more. The five kids were very sensitive to human emotions. Previously, because they weren¡¯t familiar with her, when they¡¯d seen that Sister Wei didn¡¯t like them much, they deliberately hadn¡¯t approached her.


    After simply listening to Sister Wei talk about what had happened to her, the kids spoke to her andforted her in their own way.


    ¡°Auntie Wei, do you know how tob hair? Can you tie up my hair for me? I like the big bun behind your head.¡±


    Sister Wei had only pulled her hair up into a bun. She was a little surprised but she quicklybed Little Bei¡¯s hair.


    Her hair had already grown long. She leaned against Sister Wei and asked her tob her hair.


    Sister Wei sensed Little Bei¡¯s soft, leaning body and was a little stunned. At first, she was a little stiff, butter on, she rxed andbed her hair for her.


    Little Bei was very happy. ¡°Thank you, Auntie Wei.¡± Her hair couldn¡¯t bebed by an ordinary person. Only her mother and makeup artists could do it. However, her mother was also her costume and makeup artist now, so only she could do it.


    Getting Auntie Wei to help herb it meant that they were close. Little Bei felt that this way, Auntie Wei would know that she liked her a lot.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s method offorting people hadn¡¯t changed. He took out his harmonica and yed it for Sister Wei.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s tune was reallyforting. Sister Wei¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard it.


    Shao Xi took out the book he had published and specifically chose a travelogue. He signed it and wrote a dedication before giving it to Sister Wei. ¡°Auntie Wei, this is my book. You can read it when you have nothing to do. If there are any parts that catch your interest, you can travel there to take a look when you have time and money.¡±


    Sister Wei quickly took it. ¡°Alright, thank you. I will.¡±


    Upon opening the book, she saw a line of words on the title page. ¡°To Auntie Wei, who wants revenge in the future. I hope you seed and feel happy every day.¡±


    Sister Wei smiled. ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. I¡¯ll take a good look.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Xi nodded, looking reserved. Sister Wei couldn¡¯t tell if he was reserved or not, but she clearly saw that Shao Xi¡¯s pocket had a hole. His hand was digging into it again and again.


    Sister Wei remembered that this morning, she seemed to have heard Mu Jingzhe remind Shao Xi not to keep digging into his clothes, or he¡¯d tear them again.


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t let his hands stay idle and would subconsciously move them. The pockets of his clothes were always the first ones to suffer. He kept tearing them. As the pockets of the clothes Shao Xi was wearing today were exposed, it was obvious.


    ¡°Your pocket is torn again.¡±


    Shao Xi lowered his head and looked at his exposed fingers. ¡°¡­¡±


    After a pause, Shao Xi pulled his hand back and patted his pocket, trying to make it look like there wasn¡¯t a hole. However, he didn¡¯t seed. The hole¡­ was very obvious.


    Sister Wei watched his actions. ¡°Doing this is useless. Forget it, I¡¯ll help you sew it up.¡±


    This was the first time Sister Wei had taken the initiative to help him. Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± He didn¡¯t want his mother to catch him.


    Sister Wei quickly took Shao Xi with her and went to find a needle and thread box. Shao Xi stuck out his little stomach and asked her to help him sew it. Sister Wei¡¯s hands were very skillful. Not only did she sew up the hole, but she also sewed a sunflower over it.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s beautiful.¡± Shao Xi was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Thank you, Auntie Wei. In the future, if my clothes identally tear again, can I look for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sister Wei paused before she nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal then.¡± Shao Xi stretched out his fingers. ¡°Pinky promise for a hundred years.¡±


    Sister Wei was stunned for a moment before she stretched out her hand and promised Shao Xi.


    Later on, whenever Shao Xi identally tore his clothes, he would look for Sister Wei. Many sunflowers appeared on his clothes one after another, and there were even other designster on.


    Sister Wei noticed that he liked digging into things too much. Later on, she found time to sew up all the ces Shao Xi dug into, especially the pockets. No matter how much Shao Xi dug into them, he wouldn¡¯t easily make a hole.


    This would all happen in the future. At that moment, she watched Shao Xi skip away. Sister Wei stood up after a while and muttered, ¡°Children can be so cute.¡±


    From that moment onward, Sister Wei no longer repelled the five kids as much as before and dared to interact with them.


    Mu Jingzhe had thought that Sister Wei didn¡¯t like children. Later, she realized that Sister Wei didn¡¯t dislike children. She was afraid of them.


    Cao Yang, her biological son, had traumatized her too badly. He clearly had a harmless, cute face, but he could say the most vicious words and do the cruelest things. It was her impression of children previously that had led to her being afraid of children. She feared that these children would suddenly change expression ore to hit her and scratch her eyes.


    However, Shao Xi, Little Bei, Xiao Wu, and the rest slowly changed Sister Wei¡¯s impression of them.


    Sister Wei¡¯s world had be better, but the children had a dream that night.


    Like many children in the past, Little Bei used to like ying house and pretending to be a princess and a mother. However, that night, when she dreamed of ying house and heard that everyone wanted her to y the role of a mother, she was so afraid that she kept running. She was so frightened that she woke up immediately.


    When she woke up and realized that she was dreaming, she heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was a little afraid when she saw Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy, can you not give birth to many children in the future?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe patted Little Bei and was about to continue sleeping. When she heard this, she was stunned. ¡°What? Why are you suddenly saying this?¡±


    ¡°Giving birth is too dangerous.¡± Little Bei was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would leave them like Bai Lu and was even more afraid of having to choose between saving the mother or the baby.


    Mu Jingzhe understood. ¡°Were you frightened today?¡±


    ¡°Mm, if I lose you because of a younger brother or sister, I¡¯ll hate them. If I had a younger brother like Cao Yang, I¡¯d beat him to death.¡± Little Bei was indignant.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard Little Bei¡¯s words, she didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. Her heart felt a little warm. ¡°No, don¡¯t be afraid. This is just an exception. It¡¯s a very special situation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve never thought of such a thing before. Mommy, can you just give birth to one child? I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed and thought for a moment before agreeing. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Who knew if she would give birth in the future? She might not even give birth at all. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to give birth to many children. In modern times, many people only gave birth to one child. Now that she already had these five children, giving birth to another one would make a perfect six[1].


    Mu Jingzhe smiled at the thought of this.


    Little Beiughed when she heard Mu Jingzhe agree. ¡°Mommy, when are you going to give birth to a younger sibling?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°It¡¯s still early. It¡¯s still too early to say.¡± Things weren¡¯t even set in stone yet.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I would also prefer it to happenter.¡± Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief, indicating that her little heart still needed some time to recover.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Little Bei. ¡°Little Bei, why are you so cute?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re cute too.¡± Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Oh right, Mommy. Can I have a younger sister? I don¡¯t have an older sister or a younger one. I only have older brothers and a younger brother.


    ¡°If I have a younger sister, I can y with her in the future. I can buy her beautiful little dresses andb her hair. I can also dress her up nicely every day.¡±


    [1] Number 6 is considered lucky in China and can indicate smooth progress in life

 Chapter 327 - Find a Daddy Who Can Give Birth to a Sister

    <h4>Chapter 327: Find a Daddy Who Can Give Birth to a Sister</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Little Bei¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. Mu Jingzhe tilted her head in the darkness and looked at the cloth doll Little Bei had ced aside. It seemed like she was thinking of dressing her younger sister up like a cloth doll.


    However, upon hearing Little Bei¡¯s fantasy, Mu Jingzhe fantasized for a while and found it very cute. She was even a little tempted. ¡°A younger sister¡­ That would indeed not be bad.¡± There were already many sons, but there was only one daughter.


    ¡°Mommy, you have to remember to give birth to a younger sister,¡± Little Bei immediately said.


    Mu Jingzhe was embarrassed. ¡°Uh, the gender isn¡¯t up to me to decide.¡±


    ¡°Then who¡¯s the one making the decision?¡± Little Bei frowned when she remembered that even though most of the women in the vige wanted to give birth to a son, sometimes they would have a daughter.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    It seemed a little strange to suddenly discuss the issue of having a boy or a girl with Little Bei in the middle of the night. Mu Jingzhe thought for a while and said, ¡°The man¡¯s chromosome determines the gender of the baby, but that doesn¡¯t mean that everything will be determined by Daddy. It depends on fate, but it definitely isn¡¯t up to Mommy to decide.¡± Mu Jingzhe briefly mentioned the XY chromosome.


    ¡°Oh? So what the vigers said about some mothers not being able to give birth to boys is wrong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely not correct. If you insist that it¡¯s up to someone to decide, that must be the father.¡±


    Little Bei clenched her fists. ¡°I know. In the past, I only knew that it was wrong to say that, but I didn¡¯t know what was going on. Now that I know, I¡¯m going to tell my ssmate and ask her to go back and tell her grandma and daddy that it wasn¡¯t their mommy¡¯s fault.¡±


    There were indeed many people in the vige who favored boys over girls. Mu Jingzhe stroked Little Bei¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, Little Bei. Let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I have another question.¡± Little Bei was alreadypletely awake. How could she go back to sleep obediently? ¡°Mommy, we all know that giving birth to a younger sister is decided by the father, so let¡¯s find a father who can give birth to a younger sister. Let¡¯s find a father with an X chromosome, not one with a Y chromosome. Can we know in advance whether they have an X or Y chromosome?¡±


    Little Bei asked a series of questions. ¡°Mommy, does Daddy have an X or Y? What about Uncle Ji? We¡¯ll find someone with an X. If they do not have one, we¡¯ll find someone else.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless. ¡°No, Little Bei, we can¡¯t tell. They all have both¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe tried her best to exin in a way that Little Bei could understand.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. That¡¯s true. Just now, you exined to me that it¡¯s up to fate. I was stunned again.¡± Little Bei quietened down. After a while, she thought a bit and said, ¡°Actually, a younger brother would be nice too. I just want a younger sister so she can be mypanion. But I¡¯d like a younger brother too. Xiao Wu is so cute. I can even braid his hair.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    It was only because Xiao Wu had a good temper that every time Little Bei¡¯s hands got itchy, he would let her y with his hair if she wanted to braid it. He would even let her stick a hair ornament in his hair or something.


    However, Xiao Wu indeed looked very cute with his short hair braided up. He was soft and adorable now, and he looked good no matter how one looked at him. She was also tempted and she had secretly taken photos before, but in the end, she hadn¡¯t participated much. Although Xiao Wu was already old enough to know that he was a boy, she couldn¡¯t be willful and keep letting him dress like a girl. She couldn¡¯t blur his gender.


    It was easy for children to experience gender confusion when they were young. Better not take the risk.


    ¡°Little Bei, if it¡¯s a younger brother, you can y with him asionally, but you can¡¯t dress him up like a doll. It won¡¯t be good if he thinks he¡¯s a girl.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Little Bei nodded.


    ¡°Alright, go to sleep.¡± Mu Jingzhe patted Little Bei and coaxed her into taking an afternoon nap. It was only after she calmed down that she realized that there was no one there. She had spoken too early.


    Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe tightly as she was patiently patted by Mu Jingzhe. It was a while before she calmed down from her excited state and slowly fell asleep.


    In the next few days, Mu Jingzhe still took Little Bei to film. Shao Qihai brought Shao Nan and Xiao Wu back first, leaving only Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe in Ocean City.


    Their summer vacation was short, and the movie was filmed quickly, but it wouldn¡¯t be finished anytime soon. Little Bei might need to take some time off school.


    She had expected this and gotten prepared.


    Most of the people in the production team had heard about the Cao Yang incident. Those who hadn¡¯t happened to be present had also heard from otherster on. There werements of all sorts, but no one approached Mu Jingzhe to say anything.


    Xiao Mei still had scenes to film, so she came back as usual, the only difference being that Cao Yang no longer apanied her. Xiao Mei specifically exined to others that she had already broken off her engagement to Cao Yang and asked the security officers to stop letting him in.


    This exceeded Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expectations a little, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Xiao Mei didn¡¯t specifically approach Mu Jingzhe and the rest. On the other hand, Cao Yang was probably unwilling to give up, as he kept looking for Xiao Mei. He brought her breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even fruits. Xiao Mei ignored him, so he waited at the door, wanting to change her mind.


    Perhaps to express how devoted he was, he came no matter the weather. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t working, he directly waited under the sun. On the first day, his face turned red and oily from the exposure to the sun, and the next day, he fainted from the heat.


    When he fainted, the security guard called Xiao Mei, who wasn¡¯t moved. ¡°It¡¯s none of my business whether he fainted or not. I¡¯ve already said that I have nothing to do with him.¡± Xiao Mei didn¡¯t like Cao Yang¡¯s methods.


    ¡°Woman, why are you so heartless? He fainted because of you. Even if he did something wrong previously, how can you ignore him when he¡¯s already in this state?¡± The security guard felt indignant on Cao Yang¡¯s behalf.


    At first, when Cao Yang hade to make a fuss, no one had helped him. Now that he had fainted, he caught the attention of the production team, and they felt that Little Mei should go take a look. They all spoke up to help him.


    Xiao Mei¡¯s face turned green. ¡°Why should I care? How would I be able to help? I¡¯m not a doctor.¡±


    The security guard was about to continue when Mu Jingzhe raised her voice and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a doctor in the production team? Hurry up and get him to check him. If the heat stroke isn¡¯t handled properly, he might die. Now isn¡¯t the time to argue about this.¡±


    When everyone heard that, they quickly got the apanying doctor to visit Cao Yang. Like the security guards, the apanying doctor was also a part-time employee. He had previously learned some simple medical knowledge from his family, but that was usually enough.


    Cao Yang¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t very serious. After he woke up, he was sent away.


    This matter was considered over for the time being, but everyone could tell that Xiao Mei was determined to draw a line between them.


    Xiao Mei thought that Cao Yang wouldn¡¯te again after seeing her determination. She didn¡¯t expect him toe again on the third day. He kept begging Xiao Mei to give him onest chance.


    That day, he couldn¡¯t get a heat stroke because it was a cloudy day. She had no idea if Cao Yang had chosen a cloudy day because he happened to have just recovered or if he was afraid of getting a heat stroke again.


    Xiao Mei still didn¡¯t go out. Like before, Cao Yang stood outside for a long time, but this time, the crew couldn¡¯t care less about him.


    It was rare to have a sunless day, so everyone had to hurry up and film. No one had the time to care about Cao Yang.


    In the evening, it started raining heavily, so everyone quickly went to hide from the rain.


    The pouring rain was heavy but went away quickly. Just as the rain was getting lighter, someone suddenly rushed in from outside and knelt in the rain, shouting, ¡°Xiao Mei!¡±

 Chapter 328 - The Difference Between Love and Harassment

    <h4>Chapter 328: The Difference Between Love and Harassment</h4>


    A security guard wearing a raincoat arrivedte. As he stopped that person, he looked over. Xiao Mei¡¯s face was livid. Based on his figure and voice, she could tell that it was Cao Yang again.


    Cao Yang knelt on the ground and shouted in the heavy rain, ¡°I won¡¯t give up on you no matter what! Little Mei, I hope you can see my sincerity!¡±


    After shouting twice, he fainted.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    This kind of idol drama plot was really awkward.


    Mu Jingzhe felt embarrassed, but everyone else didn¡¯t. The apanying doctor and the security guard who had helped take a look at the heat stroke went out and dragged Cao Yang in. ¡°His body is fine, but he suffered a heat stroke previously and was suddenly drenched in the rain today, so he couldn¡¯t take it and fainted.¡±


    Everyone looked at Xiao Mei after hearing that. It was unknown if they were talking to themselves or Xiao Mei.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite devoted. He hasn¡¯t given up even now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how many days has it been?¡±


    The security guard also spoke up. ¡°This child said that he realizes his mistake. He¡¯s sincere about you. Men understand other men. If he didn¡¯t like you so much, he wouldn¡¯t have done such an embarrassing thing.¡±


    Xiao Mei¡¯s face was stiff, but she still didn¡¯t speak. The security guard couldn¡¯t help but mutter things like ¡®heartless¡¯ and ¡®there is nothing more vicious than a woman¡¯s heart¡¯. Xiao Mei¡¯s face turned pale from anger.


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. This was totally moral ckmail. When she saw that little girl Xiao Mei looking so angry that her hands were trembling, she slowly spoke.


    ¡°Brother Ni, I remember you having a daughter. Is that right? She came to look for you before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What¡¯s wrong?¡± When his daughter was mentioned, the security guard¡¯s face lit up, but he didn¡¯t understand why Mu Jingzhe had suddenly mentioned her.


    ¡°Nothing. I just heard a rumor previously. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°What rumor?¡±


    ¡°They said a boy likes your girl a lot and keeps chasing her around. Everyone feels that this boy is devoted, so they¡¯re asking your daughter to ept him. Your daughter actually doesn¡¯t like him, but everyone keeps criticizing her, which makes her feel very troubled¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such person, right? Besides, why would everyone keep harping on about it if she already said she doesn¡¯t like him?¡± The security guard interrupted her impatiently.


    ¡°Because that boy is very devoted and has been wooing her for three years.¡± Mu Jingzhe blinked.


    ¡°Three years? So what? Who is it? I¡¯ll go look for him!¡± The security guard was so furious that he didn¡¯t notice everyone¡¯s strange gazes.


    Mu Jingzhe seemed startled by the security guard. ¡°Why are you getting angry? I thought you were going to say that your daughter is heartless and that she is the most vicious woman in the world. Then, you¡¯d force her to ept that boy.¡±


    ¡°Why would I say¡­¡± the security guard retorted angrily. At this point, he suddenly realized what was happening. ¡°You¡­¡± Hadn¡¯t he just said those words? How¡­


    Mu Jingzhe looked at him. ¡°Go on. Why did you stop? Didn¡¯t you say that men know other men the best?¡±


    The security guard choked and his face turned red, but he couldn¡¯t say a word.


    He was usually very responsible and diligent when it came to his job. He was helpful and warm-hearted, but sometimes he was too warm.


    ¡°It seems like you know what the word ¡®shameless¡¯ means. I thought you couldn¡¯t differentiate between harassment and entanglement and thought it¡¯s always devotion.¡± After saying that, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at the security guard¡¯s pale, blushing face and instead looked at Xiao Mei.


    ¡°Xiao Mei, when the weather clears up, go to the police station and let the police deal with him.¡±


    ¡°Why call the police?¡± Everyone was stunned for a moment. They didn¡¯t know why this had been brought up all of a sudden. Xiao Mei abruptly looked up at her. ¡°But¡­ Can I do that?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can. You¡¯ve already broken off your engagement to him. You also told him to stop looking for you, but he didn¡¯t listen to the warning and kept pestering you. Why can¡¯t you call the police when a stranger is pestering and harassing you?¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe spoke, she calmly looked at the ground. Cao Yang, who was lying on the ground where he had just fainted, trembled under her eyes. It was unknown if it was because he was drenched in cold sweat or because he was frightened.


    Xiao Mei¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not afraid of the rain. I¡¯ll go now.¡±


    After saying that, Xiao Mei rushed out. Even though Cao Yang woke up in time to call Xiao Mei¡¯s name, it was useless.


    Cao Yang watched as Xiao Mei ran out in the rain and red at Mu Jingzhe with hatred. This person was to me again. It was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s fault again!


    Why did she always ruin his ns? Not only had she hired that woman as her assistant, but she had even ruined his marriage!


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t react to his gaze at all. Cao Yang had been staring at her like this for some time.


    Cao Yang then retracted his gaze and looked at the others for help. However, those who were supposed to be on his side didn¡¯t say anything after hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words.


    ¡°Did Xiao Mei really go to the police station? I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her. I just wanted to get back together with her.¡±


    Cao Yang was afraid when he heard that, but he thought that the people at the police station might not pay attention to something like this. After all, no one had reported a case like this before.


    In fact, Xiao Mei quickly returned with the police. ¡°Officer, it¡¯s him. Please help me.¡±


    Xiao Mei walked with an umbre, but she still looked a little disheveled when the wind blew. The police officer nodded. ¡°We understand.¡±


    Actually, this was the first time they had received such a report. At first, they had been a little stunned. However, Xiao Mei was very smart and had directly told them that Cao Yang had beaten her up previously and that he might use extreme methods, such as forcing her to change her mind.


    Now that Xiao Mei had said this, the nature of the matter had changed. They¡¯d immediately sent the police over.


    Cao Yang hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Mei to reallye back with the police. Furthermore, the way the police looked at him frightened him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Officer. I just wanted to get my fianc¨¦e back. I meant no harm¡­¡±


    ¡°We already learned that she¡¯s no longer your fianc¨¦e. Since you¡¯ve broken off your engagement, you shouldn¡¯t havee to look for her again. By doing this, you¡¯ve seriously affected Miss Xiao Mei¡¯s life. Come back with us.¡±


    The words e back with us¡¯ sounded like ¡®we¡¯re going to arrest you¡¯ to Cao Yang. He broke down immediately when he heard that. ¡°I¡¯m noting. Why should I? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡±


    After saying that, he couldn¡¯t help but roar at Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mu Jingzhe, why are you picking on me again and again?! You¡¯re ruining my happiness!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe only had one answer to this. ¡°If you curse a few more times, you¡¯ll be going back with them in handcuffs.¡±


    This reply sealed the deal for Cao Yang, as he didn¡¯t want to wear handcuffs and couldn¡¯t wear them either.


    Cao Yang was taken away to cooperate with the investigation. The security guard and the few people who had spoken up for Cao Yang subconsciously took a step back and didn¡¯t dare say another word.


    Because Cao Yang hadn¡¯t done any actual harm, he was released in the end. However, he was also warned not to harass and follow Xiao Mei anymore. Otherwise, things would get troublesome.


    Cao Yang hadn¡¯t expected that his devotion would result in him going to the police station. He was furious, but he really didn¡¯t dare harass Xiao Mei anymore.


    Xiao Mei finally found peace again, but fewer people from the production team were looking for her to talk to her. Of course, even fewer people were looking for Mu Jingzhe to talk to her as well.


    No one had expected Mu Jingzhe to have such a sharp tongue and have someone arrested by the police on a whim. No one wanted to be arrested for saying something wrong.


    They didn¡¯te to look for Mu Jingzhe, but Xiao Mei intended to follow Mu Jingzhe around. ¡°I didn¡¯t daree looking for you previously because I was afraid that Cao Yang would me you. Now¡­ I¡¯m not afraid anymore.¡±

 Chapter 329 - Use this Chance to Get a Divorce

    <h4>Chapter 329: Use this Chance to Get a Divorce</h4>


    Xiao Mei had be Mu Jingzhe¡¯s follower. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t get rid of her even if she wanted to.


    Meanwhile, seeing that his rtionship with Xiao Mei had endedpletely, Cao Yang was furious.


    He really liked Xiao Mei. Besides, he had made a lot of effort and spent a lot of money to woo her. In the end, everything had been ruined. He didn¡¯t dare cause Mu Jingzhe trouble, as he was afraid that he would be sent to the police station. Therefore, he secretly followed Mu Jingzhe and the others home. After finding out where they lived, he went to look for Sister Wei while Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t around.


    Cao Yang felt that all of this was Sister Wei¡¯s fault. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. I was fine originally, but everything was ruined because of you!¡±


    Just like in the past, whenever things didn¡¯t go smoothly for Cao Yang, he tried to me Sister Wei and scold her to vent his anger. However, this time, he was interrupted by a p.


    ¡°How dare you hit me!¡± Cao Yang looked at Sister Wei in disbelief. ¡°How dare you hit me!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Sister Wei pped him again. Before Cao Yang could react, she grabbed his hair. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to hit you for a long time!¡±


    It was as if she wanted to vent all the grievances she had suffered for more than ten years in one go. Sister Wei was thin, but she erupted with powerful strength. Cao Yang couldn¡¯t retaliate even if he wanted to.


    Sister Wei pped Cao Yang again and again until her hands hurt.


    Cao Yang¡¯s mouth was filled with the smell of blood. He felt afraid as he looked at this person, whom he had despised his entire life. ¡°Mom, please stop hitting me. You¡¯re going to beat me to death!¡±


    In his panic, Cao Yang had even called her ¡®Mom¡¯.


    Sister Wei¡¯s hands trembled when she heard him call her ¡®Mom¡¯. Back then, she had made a lot of effort to make Cao Yang call her ¡®Mom¡¯, but Cao Yang had never done so before.


    In the end, he¡¯d actually called her ¡®Mom¡¯ after getting a beating today. Sister Weiughed out loud when she heard that. ¡°Haha! You actually called me ¡®Mom¡¯. So, if I wanted you to call me ¡®Mom¡¯, I only had to give up on youpletely and beat you up?¡±


    Cao Yang felt her pause and felt overjoyed. He thought it had worked, but he hadn¡¯t expected to hear this.


    Cao Yang froze, but Sister Wei had lost interest. ¡°How boring. So it was that simple.¡±


    This simple method made her feel even more foolish in the past. However, she felt refreshed after those ps. No wonder Cao Yang used to treat her so badly in the past.


    Sister Wei tossed Cao Yang aside. ¡°Get lost. By pping you today, I¡¯m repaying you for beating me up in the past. From now on, we¡¯re even. Don¡¯t appear in front of me again. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore.


    ¡°If you daree again, I¡¯ll hit you every time I see you.¡± Sister Wei waved her fist.


    She was no longer the person she used to be.


    She was very satisfied with her fist. Previously, she had seen Shao Qihai teach the children how to punch. After seeing it many times, she had also practiced it a few times. However, she hadn¡¯t expected it to really work.


    She didn¡¯t know if it was because she had spent too much time with her boss, but she liked to wave her fists now.


    Cao Yang left with a face full of suspicion and disbelief, not daring to let out a single fart. After seeing him bully the weak and fear the strong, Sister Wei was a little regretful. If she had known, she would have learned how to hit people in the past. If she had, she wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much.


    After suffering such a huge loss, Cao Yang went back to his hometown toin to his grandmother. Upon hearing that her darling grandson had been beaten up by that woman, she lost it. She followed Cao Yang to Ocean City, wanting to teach her daughter-inw a lesson.


    In the end, she was beaten by Sister Wei. Sister Wei had suffered too much at the hands of the old woman, and this time, she finally retaliated for everything.


    Sister Wei had run away secretly back then and hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce. This time, when they came looking for her, she used this chance to get a divorce.


    No one had expected Sister Wei to propose a divorce, as they had taken her for granted.


    After Sister Wei got a divorce, she severed all ties with the Cao Family and started a new life.


    When she finished dealing with this private matter, she finally went to look for Mu Jingzhe. Meanwhile, Mu Jingzhe had already brought Little Bei back to their hometown.


    Because they hadn¡¯t finished filming, Little Bei took a leave of absence from school for a while. After filming, she went back with Mu Jingzhe. Sister Wei stayed in Ocean City for the time being and stayed behind to deal with any subsequent matters.


    Mu Jingzhe nned to set up a small clothingpany. Actually, it was simr to a studio in the modern era, one that made customized outfits. Of course, there were also many other coborations in the works.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have time to do all this. Besides getting a divorce, Sister Wei also handled the paperwork for the studio and found an office nearby. The studio was temporarily located there.


    When the matter was settled, Sister Wei took the documents and the official seal and went to look for Mu Jingzhe to get her to sign the documents.


    When Mu Jingzhe returned this time, she was incredibly busy.


    Back then, Shao Dong had gone to the capital and returned to his hometown before school had reopened. When Shao Xi, Shao Qihai, and Xiao Wu returned, they were busy with school. They had passed the sixth-grade graduation examination previously. This time, when school reopened, they would skip grades and be Grade-7 students, the first grade of middle school. If they were assigned ording to their household registration, they should study in town, but the two children had their eyes on the middle school in the county.


    This was also what Mu Jingzhe had discussed with them long ago. ording to the current situation, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to stay in the vige anymore due to poor essibility and stuff like that.


    Instead, they used this opportunity to go to the county city. Everything else aside, the county city was much more essible.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi had taken a fancy to the Southern No. 1 Middle School, the best one in the county. Because the two children had gotten excellent test results, they were tested before entering the school and sessfully enrolled.


    Xiao Wu also studied in an elementary school in the county city. When school started, he was in the first grade, but when Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei returned, he had already skipped grades and jumped to the third grade.


    Xiao Wu had always attended sses previously and learned from his siblings and Mu Jingzhe. With his knowledge reserves, he could easily enter the third grade. He was in such a hurry to skip grades because he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with his siblings. He was afraid that they would skip grades and he would be left behind, so he skipped grades as well.


    By skipping grades, he also became famous in school.


    Since the children were all in the county city, she had to worry about where they lived. When Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t return, she asked Li Zhaodi and the rest to help inquire about housing. Shao Qihai was also looking, but they didn¡¯t manage to find anything suitable for a while.


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Xiao Wu temporarily stayed at Shao Qiyang¡¯s ce, as well as Li Zhaodi¡¯s ce. Compared to Shao Qiyang¡¯s ce, the three children preferred to visit Li Zhaodi.


    Why were Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng in the county city? Because they had opened a bun shop in the county city.


    During the summer vacation, Shao Nan stayed in his hometown. Other than reading and learning, hepleted the homework assigned by the two professors and teachers. He also did something big. He instigated, or rather suggested, ways for Li Zhaodi and Mu Cheng to open a bun shop in the county city.


    The bun shop in town wasn¡¯t closed either. It continued to be open. However, instead of manning the shop themselves, they had now hired a person to run it. He¡¯d also suggested that they hire a worker for the shop in the county so they could rest more.


    The bun shop in town was rented, but the bun shop in the county city had been bought directly. Shao Dong found out that a shop had been put up for sale in the county city, so he asked Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng to buy it because the location was quite good.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had originally agreed to leave the money to Mu Han so he could marry and buy a house. Because of Shao Dong¡¯s advice, after discussing it with Mu Jingzhe and Mu Han, they gritted their teeth and bought a shop. Now, they were considered official residents of the county city.

 Chapter 330 - Good Brother Refrigerator Sells Well

    <h4>Chapter 330: Good Brother Refrigerator Sells Well</h4>


    Although the shop Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng bought wasn¡¯t big, the location was quite good. When they started to sell buns again, business was quite good.


    This matter had caused a stir in Great Eastern Vige. Who would have thought that Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng would be sessful by selling buns and even own a shop in the county city? This was something that they hadn¡¯t even dared imagine in the past. After all, there was a barrier between the city and the countryside, yet Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had broken it.


    This was even more shocking than Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sessful career. After all, Mu Jingzhe was still young, but Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were already very old. Besides, everyone in the vige knew each other and remembered clearly what they used to be like in the past.


    However, these two people that they had looked down on in the past had changed their fate at this age.


    If someone had told the people of Great Eastern Vige as much three years ago, they wouldn¡¯t have believed it no matter what. However, in reality, they had changed.


    Now, only Shao Nan and Little Bei were studying in the vige. The reason was that this time, when the school reopened, they would directly skip grades and enter the sixth grade, which meant that they only had to go to this school for one more year at most. Therefore, they ultimately decided not to transfer to another school for the time being. They would directly wait until they graduated from sixth grade before leaving the vige to save themselves the trouble.


    Originally, there had been five children there, but now, only two were left. The principal was both proud and sad. Now, when he went out for meetings, he was particrly well-respected. In the past, no one had noticed the principal of Great Eastern Vige. Now, Great Eastern Vige was famous in the entire county city because of Shao Dong and his siblings.


    He was very proud when he went out for meetings. Everyone surrounded him to ask about Shao Xi, Little Bei, Shao Nan, and Xiao Wu. However, things would only remain like this for another year.


    Still¡­ this would remain his pride for the rest of his life.


    After Mu Jingzhe returned, other than the children, who weed her, the principal was the happiest. He felt at ease when he saw Mu Jingzhe. He no longer had to be afraid that Shao Nan and Little Bei would run away too and not stay for even a year.


    Mu Jingzhe took Little Bei to school and greeted the teachers. She also took this opportunity to cancel her leave of absence and gave the teachers some specialty snacks that she had brought back from Ocean City.


    Although it had been a little troublesome to bring back big and small bags when they came back, when they brought them back, the vigers liked and cherished them very much. Upon seeing this, they felt that it was worth the trouble and hard work. At the time, these snacks were truly specialties. The teachers all knew it and didn¡¯t turn them down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be troubling you to take care of Little Bei in the future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. No trouble at all.¡± The principal hurriedly said, ¡°Little Bei is very obedient. Why would it be troublesome?¡±


    On the way back from school, whenever they encountered a viger, he/she would hold Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and talk to her about what had happened in the vige during her absence or ask about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ns going forward.


    ¡°I heard that you are moving your hair ornament business to the county city to open a factory. Is that true? Are you still going to hire people from our vige?¡±


    ¡°That is indeed the n. As long as the vigers can go, the factory will definitely want them.¡± Since she wouldn¡¯t being back to the vige often in the future, it was necessary to move her operations away. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t intend to hide it.


    ¡°If I follow you to work in the county, won¡¯t I be a county citizen too?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll just be going there to work.¡± Mu Jingzhe thought to herself that they were just going to the county city for work.


    However, many people still found it unusual to work in the county city.


    Mu Jingzhe was held back on the way home. It was a short journey that would usually only take a few minutes, but this time, it took more than an hour. This was even after she spoke until her mouth was dry and tried her best to escape.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for Mu Jingzhe to escape. When she returned, she saw someone sticking his head out the door. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t recognize him at first. When she turned around in a panic, she realized that he looked familiar. Wasn¡¯t this Fu, brother of Lu, Shou, and X¨«?


    Previously, these children had all been tanned and chubby. After not seeing them for a while, she realized that they had changed quite a bit. They had grown taller and thinner, perhaps because they no longer got to eat that much good food. They had lost some weight, but they were still tanned.


    When he saw Mu Jingzhe, Shao Fu ran off without a word.


    Not long after they returned home, they heard amotioning from next door. The women working in the courtyard weren¡¯t surprised. ¡°They¡¯re arguing again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they must quarrel about once a day.¡±


    Even now, Zhao Lan hadn¡¯t recovered. She was still lying in bed, so she needed someone to take care of her. Eldest Brother Shao had originally wanted to save face and hadn¡¯t said anything. Now, he had already given up and didn¡¯t care about anything except giving Zhao Lan just enough to eat every day so that she wouldn¡¯t starve to death.


    He felt that he had already done more than Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang, but it hadn¡¯t urred to him that he had leached off his two younger brothers for half his life. Zhao Lan was devoted to him and had sucked his younger brothers¡¯ blood to support him and raise his family and kids.


    How was it enough to just make sure Zhao Lan didn¡¯t starve after what she had done for him? However, he simply didn¡¯t care.


    He didn¡¯t care, but Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had no choice. As a daughter-inw, she would be criticized if she didn¡¯t take care of her. Every time she couldn¡¯t move Zhao Lan and asked Eldest Brother Shao to help, Eldest Brother Shao would ignore her. Arguing had be the norm for them.


    Actually, if he had steeled his heart and spent the money to treat her, perhaps Zhao Lan could have been cured. However, it was impossible for Eldest Brother Shao to spend this money, nor did he have it.


    Themotion next door didn¡¯t affect Mu Jingzhe. On the weekend, Shao Qihai brought Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Xiao Wu back.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes turned red when he saw Mu Jingzhe, and he wailed, saying that he¡¯d missed her.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi had actually missed Mu Jingzhe a lot too, but they could still tolerate it since they were older.


    After this period of hard work, Good Brother Refrigerator officially started to sell products. Advertisements were posted everywhere, and just like it had been said previously, the Good Brother brand left quite a deep impression on people.


    At home, Shao Dong had brought one for Mu Jingzhe to use. He had also given one to Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng so they could use it in their shop.


    The refrigerator was in the back seat. The vigers had never seen a refrigerator before, so they came over to look out of curiosity right after it was carried in.


    ¡°This is a refrigerator? It will prevent food from going bad, right?¡±


    ¡°It will still go bad eventually. The fridge is just supposed to keep it fresh.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear that food won¡¯t go bad in it?¡±


    When they heard that there would even be washing machines and television in the future, everyone looked at Shao Dong with even greater admiration. Why was this child so promising?


    Themotion on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side could be heard from next door, but no one spoke. Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« wanted to go over to watch the show, but they didn¡¯t dare.


    That night, Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao didn¡¯t sleep at all. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t fall asleep at the thought of the children. The next day, seeing that Shao Qiyang had also returned, she asked Eldest Brother Shao to go with her to look for Shao Qihai and the rest.


    However, Eldest Brother Shao was unwilling. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao almost vomited blood from anger. In the end, she could only do it herself.


    She waited until it was dark before entering their house with a smile. Coincidentally, Mu Jingzhe and the others were eating. ¡°You guys are eating? Qihai, Qiyang, Jingzhe, I haven¡¯t seen you in a while.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had lost a lot of weight, and her face was filled with distress. Mu Jingzhe was speechless. ¡°Why are you here? Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°There is indeed something I wish to talk to you about.¡± Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao entered the kitchen and squatted down by the door. ¡°It¡¯s not urgent. You guys can eat first.¡±


    As she spoke, she smiled and silently prayed that she wouldn¡¯t be kicked out.


    Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°If you have anything to say, say it now.¡± It was weird to have her stare at them while they ate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re done eating. I¡¯ve already eaten. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao nced at the dining table and was left speechless when she saw the sumptuous dishes. She couldn¡¯t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. It had been a long time since they¡¯d eaten meat at home.

 Chapter 331 - Child Wife Zhaodi

    <h4>Chapter 331: Child Wife Zhaodi</h4>


    While Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was staring at them, everyone felt ufortable eating. Shao Qihai frowned and was about to speak when Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw that he was unhappy and hurriedly got up. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±


    She also did this to avoid drooling while staring at the dining table.


    After dinner, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao even came in to help wash the dishes, but how could they let her do it? Mu Jingzhe looked helpless. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it.¡± She should stop bothering them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Shao Fu and Shao Lu were originally going to be in junior high, but they¡¯d have to go to town to study in junior high. The tuition fees and living expenses add up to a lot. Given the situation at home, since they don¡¯t like to study, they won¡¯t go. Now that they have stopped studying, they have to do something. I was just wondering if you had any work for them to do. They can do anything. Just give them a meal and they won¡¯t cower away from hard work.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao braced herself and begged, her face filled with even more distress. In the past, she had lived a good life, and so had her children. Now, given the situation at home, and considering that they were growing up and eating a lot, the family really couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    In the past, she had only thought about how blessed her children were. She used to once be proud of giving birth to three sons and one daughter. But now, seeing that they were idling at home and had already grown up, she started to worry.


    Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« had been pampered since they were young. They didn¡¯t know how to work and were not patient. They had been this way all their lives, and they couldn¡¯t change the way they were. Instead of going to school, Fu, Lu, and X¨« just mucked around. Even though they were still undergoing puberty, they actually followed people to the outer vige to climb up walls and eavesdrop. If this continued, what would happen?


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was really afraid that they would go astray and get in trouble outside. ¡°I know that our family has let you down, and we¡¯re too ashamed to face you, but I had no choice. I could only thicken my skin ande. I really only need you to give them some work.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Fu and Lu to stop studying. Shao Qiyang, who knew the kids well, wasn¡¯t surprised when he heard that. He directly said, ¡°Shao Fu is only 14. He¡¯s not even 16 years old. No one will ept him. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±


    ¡°They can be apprentices at first. Qiyang, aren¡¯t your parcels delivered everywhere? They can do this as well. I¡¯m just worried that if they don¡¯t acquire some capabilities, they won¡¯t get a wife in the future. Only when they learn some skills will the family be at peace. Otherwise, they¡¯ll be led astray.¡±


    To think she was already fretting over her sons marrying when they were only 14. Mu Jingzhe could only express her admiration.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like your family has nond. If they¡¯re not afraid of hardships, just bring them to work in the fields. It¡¯s impossible for me to ept them.¡± Shao Qiyang directly refused.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao looked at Shao Qihai, who said directly, ¡°It¡¯s even more impossible for me.¡±


    ¡°Then can you teach them how to drive? Qihai, all the drivers in your convoy know how to drive. Let them learn from you¡­¡±


    Driving was a skill. If one mastered that, one would always be able to find a way out. However, their family didn¡¯t have the money to send them to learn, so Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao thought that it would be good for them to learn from Shao Qihai for free.


    She thought she had it all nned out, but she was still rejected. ¡°Impossible. That doesn¡¯tply with the rules.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t maintain the smile on her face anymore. She had guessed that they might refuse, but she hadn¡¯t expected them to refuse so readily.


    ¡°On ount of the fact that they¡¯re your biological nephews, do take care of them¡­¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I been taking care of them for a long time? Do I have to be responsible for them for the rest of their lives?¡± Shao Qihai didn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao froze and looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Jingzhe¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. It¡¯s even more impossible for me.¡± Mu Jingzhe indicated that she definitely wouldn¡¯t resort to childbor. Besides, she still remembered how Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« had treated Shao Dong and the rest in the past.


    She couldn¡¯t pity Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao just because she sounded pitiful now.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao still wanted to say something, but Shao Qiyang was impatient. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you two to raise your own children. You gave birth to Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, but you¡¯ve never really raised them. They¡¯re your children. They are not ours, and they are definitely not anyone else¡¯s.¡±


    These words struck Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s sore spot. In the end, she went back without aplishing her objective.


    When she returned home, she saw Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. Then, she thought of Shao Dong and the rest. Grief welled up in her heart. She didn¡¯t know why the roles had been reversed. In the past, Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« had been the best, while Dong, Nan, Xi, Bei, and Zhong had been insignificant. Their names made it obvious enough. Why was it the other way around now?


    When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨« fight over a few peanuts, she felt even more embarrassed. They were all descendants of the Shao Family, so why was there such a big difference?


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao picked up the broom and started chasing after Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«. ¡°Why are you so noisy? Why are you fighting? I have no idea what you four do all day long. When I¡¯m old and can¡¯t do anything anymore, will you wait until you starve and die? Why is my life so bitter¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head when she heard Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s crying and scolding next door. Everything else aside, it was already not bad for Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to care about Zhao Lan. With such a husband and those children, she would have a hard time in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe only pitied Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao for a few seconds. In the end, within two days, she was rendered speechless by Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s appalling actions.


    After she returned to her parents¡¯ home, she brought back a youngdy. She said that she had found a child bride for her son, but she didn¡¯t specify which one she would give her to¡ªFu, Lu, or Shou. In any case, it was just a child bride. She could be given to any of her three sons.


    However, that little girl was the same age as Little Bei. She was only seven years old!


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned when she heard that. ¡°Which era is this? A child bride? This isn¡¯t legal!¡± Those who didn¡¯t know better might think that she had transmigrated to the feudal era.


    ¡°Our vige¡¯s Auntie Wang used to be a child bride too.¡±


    ¡°But that was in the past. What era is it now? That child is only seven years old!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that it was absurd, but Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao felt proud of her ¡®brilliance¡¯. After she was rejected, she went back to her parents¡¯ home to see if she could get her maternal family to take care of Fu and Lu. She wanted to see if they could study carpentry or build houses.


    These were still popr skill sets in the vige, but the maternal family was reluctant. They had many children of their own, and Fu and Lu wouldn¡¯t have the chance. The maternal family even wanted to look for Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to see if they could make their children follow Shao Qihai and Shao Qiyang.


    They were indeed a family. Their thoughts were exactly the same as Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s.


    However, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao said that it waspletely impossible. Then, she begged her maternal family to take care of Fu and Lu and cried for a long time, afraid that Fu, Lu, and Shou wouldn¡¯t be able to get a wife in the future.


    In the end, her mother brought a youngdy back and came up with the idea of a child bride.


    ¡°This child is seven years old and can also help with work. Since your family hasnd, you can nt corn and potatoes so you won¡¯t starve to death. Haven¡¯t you always felt that it¡¯s hard on you and that no one will help you? Let her go back with you and help you. When she grows up in two years, you can just assign this child to whoever is suitable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have a ready-made daughter-inw who doesn¡¯t need betrothal gifts and someone to help you. When the timees, you can betroth Shao Xi to someone, ept some betrothal gifts, and get another daughter-inw. Won¡¯t you have two daughters-inw then? If the third one is lucky, he¡¯ll also find someone to marry.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was tempted. In the end, she spent some money and brought the youngdy back.


    The first day that she brought her back, she started ordering her around. ¡°Zhaodi, I¡¯ll leave your grandmother to you in the future. You have to learn how to cook too. Remember not to eat in secret.¡±


    Yes, the youngdy was also called Zhaodi.

 Chapter 332 - The Little Fairy Gives Out Candy

    <h4>Chapter 332: The Little Fairy Gives Out Candy</h4>


    Usually, the moment people heard a name like Zhaodi[1], they would know that the family favored boys over girls. Little Zhaodi had been no exception. Her family had always wanted a boy. As the eldest daughter, she had been named Zhaodi. Later on, her younger sisters had been given the names Yindi, Daidi, Sidi, Niandi, and Pandi[2]. Because her family had lived on the mountain and didn¡¯t have a household register, her mother had given birth to one child every year in the hopes of getting a son.


    When she finally gave birth to a son that year, she no longer needed to use names like ¡®Xiangdi¡¯ and ¡®Laidi[3]¡¯.


    Since they couldn¡¯t afford to raise so many kids, the next baby girls were given away after being named.


    However, this wasn¡¯t enough. Now that they had a son, they had to take good care of him. The only daughters left at home to help with the chores, Zhaodi and Yindi, had to be ¡®sent¡¯ away as well.


    As the eldest, Zhaodi had helped her parents with their work for a long time. She was especially diligent and had even said that she could help take care of her younger brother. She had originally thought that this way, she wouldn¡¯t be sent away, but in the end, they¡¯d sent her away anyway.


    Zhaodi was very thin and dark. She didn¡¯t speak much either. She cowered all day and only worked hard.


    She was so young that she couldn¡¯t take care of Zhao Lan at all. However, she didn¡¯t dare disobey Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, so she did as she was told.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was very satisfied with what she saw. She would shout for Zhaodi to quickly get to work, for it made her feel like she was ordering Li Zhaodi around.


    She was especially dissatisfied with Li Zhaodi. In the past, everyone in the vige had despised and spurned Li Zhaodi. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had also despised Li Zhaodi. But now, Li Zhaodi had actually entered the county city to do business, and she was the one who was despised and spurned in the vige instead.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao felt aggrieved. Ordering Zhaodi to work satisfied some of her imagination and felt good.


    She was in a good mood and she felt satisfied, but Fu, Lu, and Shou were very dissatisfied. ¡°She¡¯s so dark. I don¡¯t want her to be my wife.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that either. She¡¯s so small.¡±


    ¡°Mom, neither of us wants her.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want her? If you can, go find a wife yourselves!¡± Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was dissatisfied.


    ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t want her. Whoever wants such a dark girl can have her. Everyone willugh at us. No family has a child bride. Only our family has one.¡±


    ¡°Then help me take care of your grandmother. Don¡¯t I need a helper too?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. She¡¯s really smelly and dirty!¡±


    There was amotion in the courtyard. Upon hearing this, Little Zhaodi felt terrified. She was afraid that she would be chased away from this ce too. She gritted her teeth and, not minding the dirt, mustered all her strength to turn Zhao Lan around.


    Upon hearing themotion outside, Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°What a sin! This is retribution from heaven.¡±


    The son and grandsons she had once doted on so much now despised her. Their promises to buy her leather shoes and a car in the past had just been meant to coax her.


    After crying for a while, she looked at the timid Little Zhaodi. It was rare for Zhao Lan¡¯spassion to be stirred. ¡°You¡¯re so young. Stop tormenting yourself. Just let it be dirty. I can¡¯t continue to sin.¡±


    Zhao Lan asked Little Zhaodi to go out. As soon as Little Zhaodi came out, Shao Fu took a big step back. ¡°You stink.¡±


    ¡°Get out. Don¡¯te to our house again. We don¡¯t want you!¡±


    Shao Lu stepped forward and pushed Little Zhaodi. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao frowned. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Mom, kick her out!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We don¡¯t want her. If Shao Dong and his brothers marry girls from the city in the future, it will be so embarrassing for us to bring her along. We also want to marry girls from the city.¡± Only then would they live a good life as freeloaders.


    Shao Lu picked up the broom and chased Little Zhaodi out. He didn¡¯t even allow her to stand at the door. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was helpless, but she didn¡¯t scold her sons. After all, in her heart, she knew that if she hadn¡¯t been forced by reality, she wouldn¡¯t have been satisfied with a child bride like Little Zhaodi either.


    Firstly, Little Zhaodi¡¯s mother had only given birth to a son after having several girls. Daughters tended to resemble their mother. What if Little Zhaodi kept giving birth to daughters as well?


    Secondly, Little Zhaodi came from the mountain, which was even more remote than Little Eastern Vige. Besides, she was very dark-skinned and her maternal family couldn¡¯t be relied on. If possible, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao would have liked to look for a girl from the city. After all, Dong, Nan, Xi, Bei, and Zhong would definitely marry someone from the city and live a good life. How could she take it lying down when her children fell behind?


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say anything else. I know what I¡¯m doing. Even though she¡¯s a child bride, if you really don¡¯t like her and manage to find a good partner, you won¡¯t have to marry her.¡±


    She just wanted to be safe and find someone to work for her. Someone she could squeeze dry.


    They were talking in the courtyard. After the despised Little Zhaodi was chased out, she didn¡¯t dare approach Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s house or move. She lowered her head, wanting to cry but not daring to.


    Her family had always forbidden her to cry. They said that she would chase away good fortune if she cried too much and that they wouldn¡¯t get a son because of all her crying.


    Little Zhaodi was holding back her tears when she suddenly heard tinklingughter in front of her. ¡°Third Brother, you will not start running first!¡±


    When Little Zhaodi looked up, she was stunned. This person was so fair and good-looking. The dress she was wearing, her hair, and the hair ornament on her head were all very beautiful. As she bounced over, she seemed to be glowing under the sunlight.


    Little Zhaodi thought, ¡®This must be a little fairy, right?¡¯


    The little fairy in her dreams looked like this.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The person she thought of as Little Fairy was actually Little Bei. She was initiallypeting with Shao Nan to see who would get home first, when she unexpectedly saw Little Zhaodi at the door.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you standing there?¡±


    As she looked at Little Bei¡¯s fair, beautiful appearance, Little Zhaodi carefully hid her dark, petite hand behind her. However, she was afraid that Little Fairy would find her smelly, so she took a step back before saying, ¡°I¡¯m Zhaodi.¡±


    ¡°Zhaodi? Isn¡¯t this Grandma¡¯s name?¡± Little Bei looked at Little Zhaodi. ¡°You actually have the same name as Grandma.¡±


    Shao Nan was beside her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. She must be the child bride they brought back.¡±


    Shao Nan was very cold and didn¡¯t want to pay attention to these things. He nced at Little Zhaodi and pulled Little Bei home.


    Little Zhaodi secretly nced at Shao Nan, who resembled Little Bei, and thought in a daze, ¡®This is a little fairy boy, right?¡¯


    However, the little fairy boy didn¡¯t seem to like her very much¡­


    Little Bei was dragged home by Shao Nan, but her eyes were dazed. ¡°Brother, if I hadn¡¯t been saved by Mommy back then, would I have been like her?¡±


    When she had been sent away by Zhao Lan, that family had wanted to send her to be a child bride. She remembered it very clearly.


    Shao Nan immediately denied it. ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t. We would have found you.¡±


    ¡°Then could any family members be looking for Zhaodi, who has the same name as Grandma?¡±


    Shao Nan paused. Unlike Little Bei, when he had gone to the bathroom during the break, he had already heard the story of the child bride.


    No family woulde looking for her because it was her family who had sold her.


    After Shao Nan had heard that, he hadn¡¯t said anything to anyone and hadn¡¯t taken this matter to heart. He would only pay attention to the people he cared about.


    But Little Bei didn¡¯t seem to be like that. That child was the same age as her, so this made her think of herself.


    Just as Shao Nan was about to say something, Mu Jingzhe came out. ¡°Why are you standing in the courtyard? Why won¡¯t youe in?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, there¡¯s someone outside with the same name as Grandma.¡±


    ¡°Is her name also Zhaodi?¡± Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected the child bride that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had found to have the same name as her mother.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. How old is she? She looks younger than me. Why is she also called Zhaodi?¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s as old as you. As for why she¡¯s called Zhaodi¡­ a lot of people have this name.¡±


    Although it wasn¡¯t a good name, there were too many girls called Zhaodi in that era.


    [1] sounds like ¡®attract a younger brother¡¯


    [2] these five names mean attract/miss/look forward to a younger brother


    [3] want a younger brother

 Chapter 333 - Let Mu Jingzhe Raise Little Zhaodi

    <h4>Chapter 333: Let Mu Jingzhe Raise Little Zhaodi</h4>


    ¡°Mommy, is she so small because she doesn¡¯t get to eat enough?¡± When she heard that they were the same age, Little Bei immediately guessed the crux of the matter. Otherwise, why would she be shorter than her despite being the same age as her?


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Little Bei. ¡°Little Bei, you seem to pay quite a bit of attention to her.¡±


    ¡°Mm, seeing her reminds me of myself.¡± Little Bei nodded. ¡°Mommy, wait for me.¡±


    Little Bei ran out and saw that Little Zhaodi was indeed still there. She took two pieces of milk candy and a peanut one out of her pocket.


    ¡°For you.¡±


    Little Zhaodi had seen milk candy before. This was something only boys on the mountain could eat during the New Year. She was a girl, so she didn¡¯t have the right to eat it. She had picked up candy wrappers to lick them before, but they hadn¡¯t been delicious.


    Despite seeing Little Bei suddenly pass the candy to her, Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t dare take it. Little Bei stuffed it into her hand and whispered, ¡°Eat it in secret when you¡¯re alone. Don¡¯t give it to them.¡±


    Little Bei didn¡¯t like Fu, Lu, Shou, and X¨«, so she wasn¡¯t willing to let them eat it.


    Little Zhaodi nodded in a daze. Seeing her dazed look, Little Bei was afraid that she would be robbed of the candy if she saved it forter. After all, the same thing had happened to her before.


    ¡°Eat it now, or they¡¯ll snatch it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Little Fairy Sister.¡± Little Zhaodi spoke very softly.


    Little Bei was stunned. ¡°I¡¯m not your Fairy Sister. I¡¯m Little Bei. You can call me Little Bei. When is your birthday? Let me see which of us is older.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t know when her birthday was, nor did her parents remember. She had no idea that there was such a thing as a birthday.


    ¡°We should be around the same age. I¡¯m a little taller than you now, so I¡¯ll be your older sister for now. You can call me Sister Little Bei.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Sister Little Bei.¡±


    ¡°How obedient.¡± Little Bei was very happy. She peeled off the candy wrapper and stuffed the candy into Little Zhaodi¡¯s mouth. ¡°Eat it now.¡±


    Little Zhaodi habitually bit it, and a sweetness she had never tasted before spread in her mouth. It was different from any kind of wild fruit. It was very, very sweet.


    Little Zhaodi felt that it tasted like a petal that she often found to suck. She didn¡¯t know what kind of flower it was, but when the petal was plucked, one could suck the juice inside. It was very sweet. She had thought that that was the sweetest thing ever, but in the end, this candy was even sweeter than that flower.


    Little Zhaodi greedily savored it. Her eyes were sparkling, and she couldn¡¯t bear to swallow it. Little Bei chuckled. ¡°Eat it before going in.¡±


    Little Zhaodi nodded vigorously. Little Bei looked at the scar on her forehead. ¡°How did that scare about? Did they hit you?¡±


    Little Zhaodi sniffed. ¡°I scared them, and they said they didn¡¯t see me.¡±


    Eldest Brother Shao and the rest couldn¡¯t bear to pay the electricity bill. There were no lightbulbs at home either, so they even had to save on the usage of kerosenemps. Little Zhaodi was too dark and was especially inconspicuous at night. For a moment, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and the rest had forgotten that there was someone at home and had been startled when they¡¯d identally bumped into Little Zhaodi.


    This was how Little Zhaodi had gotten injured, but at that moment, Little Zhaodi hadpletely forgotten about the pain. The candy was so sweet that her eyes narrowed. After feeding Little Zhaodi, Little Bei bounced back home to eat.


    Little Zhaodi should have listened to Little Bei and eaten all the candy, but because it was so delicious, she couldn¡¯t bear to eat it all at once and secretly hid it.


    After hiding it, because she was constantly afraid of losing it, she would secretly touch it to see if it was still there. As she made many small movements, Shao Shou discovered her.


    There had been no sweets to eat at home for a long time. When he saw the candy, Shao Shou¡¯s eyes turned green and he immediately demanded that Little Zhaodi give it to him. Previously, Little Zhaodi had been very weak and hadn¡¯t retaliated or scolded them back, but this time, she surprisingly resisted.


    ¡°No.¡± In spite of her fear, Little Zhaodi covered her mouth and shook her head. This candy had been given to her by Sister Little Bei. She didn¡¯t want to give it to them.


    ¡°How dare you refuse!¡± Shao Shou lost it and raised his hand to snatch the candy.


    Little Zhaodi hugged her head and didn¡¯t dare retaliate. However, when someone tried to snatch the candy from her, she resisted. Little Zhaodi, who had been doing housework since she was young, was actually very strong in spite of her petite frame. Shao Shou¡¯s strength was nowhere nearparable to hers.


    In the end, not only did Shao Shou not manage to snatch the candy, but he was also pushed down by Little Zhaodi.


    Shao Shou¡¯s wails instantly attracted Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s attention. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao acted as if she couldn¡¯t see Little Zhaodi¡¯s messy hair and nosebleed. When she saw that Shao Shou had injured his knee, she pped Little Zhaodi.


    ¡°How dare you hit your master!¡±


    Little Zhaodi was thrown down the stairs and didn¡¯t get up for a long time.


    ¡°Beat her to death, beat her to death!¡± Shao Shou shouted excitedly. Then, he tried to snatch the candy from Little Zhaodi¡¯s hands.


    Little Zhaodi held back her tears. Afraid that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao would snatch the candy along with her son, she directly stuffed it into her mouth.


    If she ate it, she wouldn¡¯t be afraid it would be snatched again.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Shao Shou was so angry that he pped her and tried to dig it out of her mouth. Little Zhaodi still refused.


    Shao Shou was so angry that he wailed. ¡°Mom, my candy, my candy!¡±


    ¡°Who gave you the candy?¡± Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao asked.


    Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t say anything. Shao Shou sat on the ground anxiously. ¡°I want to eat sweets. I want to eat sweets!¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had no choice but to search for it. Soon, she found the peanut candy. Panicking, Little Zhaodi snatched it back without hesitation and even ate the candy wrapper.


    ¡°Are you the reincarnation of a hungry ghost? Who gave it to you!¡± When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao heard Shao Shou¡¯s cries, she hit Little Zhaodi ruthlessly.


    Soon, she thought of the people next door. Only those who lived next door could afford to give away so much candy. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao spat, ¡°Those kids would rather give it to an outsider than to their own cousins.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I want candy. I want candy!¡± Shao Shou rolled on the ground and threw a tantrum, crying and begging for candy. ¡°If I do not get some, you should beat her to death. She snatched my candy.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still rolling on the ground when you¡¯re already ten years old?!¡± Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao scolded Shao Shou, but Shao Shou didn¡¯t care at all.


    When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao saw that Shao Shou was crying and making a fuss, while Zhaodi was eating sweets next to him, refusing to spit them out no matter how hard she hit her, she was so angry that she had no choice.


    In the end, she asked Little Zhaodi to continue asking for candy. ¡°Since they¡¯re giving it to you, go and ask for more.¡±


    Little Zhaodi refused to go. Since she didn¡¯t move, Shao Shou continued to cry. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had no choice but to pick up the broom and chase Little Zhaodi out. ¡°Hurry up and ask for candy. If you don¡¯t get any, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    Previously, they hadn¡¯t been able to do anything to Mu Jingzhe and the rest. Seeing that Little Zhaodi was useful, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t help wanting to get food through Little Zhaodi. It would be fine even if she was given just a few sweets.


    Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t want to go, as she didn¡¯t want Little Bei to dislike her. However, no matter how hard she struggled, she was no match for Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao carried her to the door and pressured her to ask for candy.


    Little Zhaodi ran back a few times and was chased out each time. Head hurting from Shao Shou¡¯s crying voice, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hit her even harder. As she was hitting her, she happened to encounter Little Bei and Shao Nan, who were returning.


    Little Zhaodi was shocked to see Little Bei and quickly wiped her face. However, the nosebleed blood on her face had already dried and couldn¡¯t be wiped away.


    When Little Bei saw Little Zhaodi¡¯s face, she frowned. Upon seeing Little Bei frown, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hit her even harder. She wanted Little Bei to be moved and pity Zhaodi. Then, she would give her more sweets and delicious food. If that didn¡¯t work, it would be good if they could give her food. This way, she would save on food.


    As Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao pped her, Little Zhaodi¡¯s body trembled. However, she bit her lips without saying a word. She only wanted to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t.

 Chapter 334 - Youve Broken the Law

    <h4>Chapter 334: You¡¯ve Broken the Law</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Stop!¡± Little Bei couldn¡¯t take it anymore and stopped her.


    Shao Nan, who had been about to grab Little Bei¡¯s hand, helplessly retracted his hand. He didn¡¯t want Little Bei to interfere. He could see the scheming glint in Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s eyes, but because Little Bei had already intervened, he could only helplessly step forward.


    ¡°Oh, Shao Nan, Shao Bei, you¡¯re back from school. I¡¯m teaching this disobedient child a lesson. Don¡¯t pay attention to her.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Little Bei wanted to speak but was stopped by Shao Nan. Shao Nan looked at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. ¡°It¡¯s illegal to hit someone, especially a child. That makes the crime even more severe.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m hitting a stranger. The person I¡¯m hitting is part of our family. Whether I hit or kill her is up to me.¡±


    She might be afraid of other people, but why would she be afraid of a child bride?


    In the presence of Little Bei and Shao Nan, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hit her even harder. She then cursed. ¡°This child needs a beating. Only after I hit her will she realize how powerful I am¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. If you continue to hit her, you¡¯ll end up killing her.¡± Mu Jingzhe had originally been busy in the room and hadn¡¯t heard themotion next door.


    However, the female workers had heard that something was amiss. They had gone to take a look and seen that Little Bei and Shao Nan had returned, so they¡¯d called Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe pinched her brows and looked at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao speechlessly.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao cowered for a moment when she saw Mu Jingzhe, but she quickly calmed down. ¡°You have no right to meddle in our family matters. So what if I hit her? This is my family¡¯s child bride. She¡¯s a member of my family. If she¡¯s disobedient, I¡¯ll hit her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you hit Fu, Lu, Shou, or X¨«, but I am indeed capable of meddling if you hit this child.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my child bride. She belongs to my family. What right do you have to interfere?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao. ¡°You broke thew. By raising a child bride, you¡¯ve vited the relevant uses regarding freedom of marriage in ¡®Marriage Law¡¯ and vited the rights of women and children. Therefore, the existence of a child bride is illegal by itself.¡±


    ¡°How is it illegal? How am I breaking thew? Don¡¯t the other families in our vige also have child brides? If you can, go poke your nose in their affairs.¡± Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t think you can scare me by saying this.¡±


    She sneered smugly. ¡°I¡¯m just raising a child bride. After a few years, when they¡¯re about the same age, I¡¯ll hold a wedding for them and keep her at home as my daughter-inw!¡±


    She pulled Little Zhaodi over. ¡°Right?¡±


    Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was displeased. ¡°Are you mute?¡± As if to show Mu Jingzhe and the others, she picked up the broom and got ready to hit her again. Mu Jingzhe stepped forward impatiently and caught Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s hand. ¡°I said stop it. Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s face twisted for a moment, and she felt like her wrist was about to break. ¡°Let go quickly. Who are you to order me around?!¡±


    ¡°I already said that you¡¯ve broken thew. If you continue to abuse children and use them for childbor, your crimes will only increase.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to scare me again. I¡¯m not afraid. Let go of me!¡±


    Her hand was in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Afraid that it would really break, she struggled. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t break free from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao could only try her best. All of a sudden, Mu Jingzhe let go of her hand.


    Momentarily, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao used too much strength and couldn¡¯t control her hand. She directly flew forward. Coincidentally, the earth wall of the Shao Residence was right in front of her, and she bumped into it.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao used her hand to block it, but it only prevented her from smashing her face into a pancake. However, her nose smacked right into the wall. Not only was she covered in dirt, but her nose instantly began to bleed, looking exactly like Little Zhaodi¡¯s nose.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s tears and mucus flowed together. She felt pain and embarrassment, and it took her a while to recover. ¡°Mu Jingzhe!¡±


    She was filled with hatred. She turned around and saw Shao Shou peeking. Just as she was about to ask Shao Shou to help her, Shao Shou slipped away.


    ¡°Little brat!¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao wished she could p her back a few times, but upon looking at Mu Jingzhe, she ultimately didn¡¯t dare to. Instead, she wiped away the blood on her nose and red at Little Zhaodi.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to eat or enter the house tonight. Just stand here. I¡¯ll deal with youter.¡±


    After saying that, she left gloomily. Little Zhaodi lowered her head and didn¡¯t dare make a sound.


    Little Bei looked at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s back and wrinkled her nose. ¡°Mommy, have I caused trouble?¡±


    She just didn¡¯t want to see Little Zhaodi get beaten up, but from the looks of it, what she had done hadn¡¯t seemed to help her.


    Actually, they had helped her in a sense. However, now that this had happened, Little Zhaodi was probably going to suffer. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was petty and would certainly take revenge. Since there was nothing she could do about them, she would definitely make things difficult for Little Zhaodi.


    Therefore, this help was indeed a hindrance. However, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t dampen Little Bei¡¯s enthusiasm. It was good that she had a positive, kind side.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t cause any trouble, but in the future, you could think more about the most effective way to go about helping others. Also, think about ways you can protect yourself while helping others.¡± Mu Jingzhe stroked Little Bei¡¯s head and nced at Shao Nan. ¡°For example, if there were a lot of people on the other side today, you guys might have gotten injured too.


    ¡°Thinking of ways to help others correctly is the homework I assign to you today. You two can discuss it and do your homework separately.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Little Bei and Shao Nan nodded.


    Little Zhaodi looked at them with envy in her eyes. Little Bei looked at her. ¡°Mommy, what about her¡­¡±


    Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe squatted down and looked at Little Zhaodi. ¡°You¡¯re Zhaodi, right? I¡¯ll call you Little Zhaodi in the future. Does your stomach hurt? Does your head hurt? Are your eyes blurry?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe checked Little Zhaodi¡¯s condition. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had beaten her up badly, so she was afraid that there could be internal bleeding or head injuries.


    Little Zhaodi shook her head. Her entire body hurt, but she was used to getting beaten up and could still tolerate it.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. If it hurts anywhere, call for help. Let them take you to the hospital, alright?¡±


    Upon seeing Little Zhaodi nod in a daze, Mu Jingzhe wanted to pull Shao Nan and Little Bei home. ¡°You two, do your homework obediently. I¡¯ll make a trip into town.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t bring this child home for the time being. Otherwise, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao would only go even more overboard.


    Little Bei had wanted to ask if she could bring Little Zhaodi home, but when she heard that, she asked instead, ¡°Mommy, why are you going to town?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to the police station?¡± Shao Nan was very sensitive.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had said that it was their family¡¯s business and that there was nothing she could do about it, but Mu Jingzhe really could do something about it.


    She didn¡¯t dy. She decided to go and return quickly to avoid any idents.


    This matter could be interpreted as Mu Jingzhe meddling in other people¡¯s business, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want such a bad habit to spread. She couldn¡¯t watch Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao strut around and beat a child to death. She had to consider Little Bei¡¯s emotions too. She really didn¡¯t want the children to see such a thing.


    There was nothing wrong with being aloof, but sometimes, it was better to reach out and give a helping hand. You could never be sure that the next person in danger wouldn¡¯t be you. If everyone just stood by and watched, it would be terrible when it was their turn.


    It was impossible to reason with someone like Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, so Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste her breath on her. She decided to solve the problem from the root.


    Mu Jingzhe went to the police station to report the case.

 Chapter 335 - Raising an Ancestor

    <h4>Chapter 335: Raising an Ancestor</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    This was the first time the police station received such a report. Child brides had existed for a long time. Although they knew that it wasn¡¯t legal, it would be difficult for those little girls to live after leaving the home of the family that had taken them in.


    Therefore, under normal circumstances, they couldn¡¯t do anything about it. They hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to report it directly.


    ¡°To rify the seriousness of the situation, what they¡¯re doing is human trafficking. Selling children and women is a very serious matter. Today, she bought a child bride. If she¡¯s not satisfied, she might sell the child elsewhere the day after tomorrow. After a while, she¡¯ll get bolder and bolder and think that what she has done is no big deal. Who knows what kind of atrocious crimes she will go on tomit? Such a matter has to be handled immediately.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was probably so bold because she had seen Zhao Lan sell Little Bei before. Even though Zhao Lan had imed that she had given Little Bei away, in reality, she had sold her for money. And Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had learned all that bad stuff in the process.


    ¡°Besides, in this case, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao is simply looking for someone to work for her. She beats and scolds the girl every day. This is abuse through and through. I¡¯m afraid that someone will die if this continues. Even if the child doesn¡¯t die, letting such a young child work all the time is childbor in disguise. If everyone hears this and thinks it¡¯s a worthwhile deal, I don¡¯t dare imagine what the future will be like.¡±


    Many sins started little by little.


    The people of Great Eastern Vige were still simple and kind overall, but when presented with benefits, one could be very wicked. In this day and age, many people were so poor that they couldn¡¯t afford to eat and wanted to sell or give their children away. If everyone followed suit, it would all be over.


    At this point, the police officer at the police station got serious. ¡°We understand what you¡¯re talking about. We¡¯ll investigate and deal with the situation in time.¡±


    Only then did Mu Jingzhe feel at ease and return to the vige. When she returned, the sky was already dark. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s family sounded like they were eating, and Little Zhaodi was still where she had been previously.


    True to her word, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao seemed like she wouldn¡¯t give Little Zhaodi anything to eat. Mu Jingzhe sighed and stroked her head. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there foolishly. Sit when you should.¡±


    Although Li Zhaodi had never been a child bride in the past and might not have been beaten so much, she had suffered no less than Little Zhaodi. Mu Jingzhe looked at her. Perhaps it was because of her name, but she kept feeling like she was looking at a younger version of her mother.


    At the time, she hadn¡¯t been born yet, and they hadn¡¯t even been in the same time and space, so she hadn¡¯t been able to help her mom. But she could help Little Zhaodi. Therefore, even though she knew that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had thrown her here to let them see and was aware of what Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was thinking, she could only fall for it because she couldn¡¯t really watch as Little Zhaodi starved and leave her be. Fortunately, she had already called the police.


    When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao heard that Mu Jingzhe hade back, she came out to see Little Zhaodi and waited for Mu Jingzhe and the rest to give her something to eat out of pity.


    While Mu Jingzhe and the others were eating, she went to take a look. Sure enough, she had given Little Zhaodi food. It was white steamed buns with meat wrapped inside. The food looked delicious.


    Since Mu Jingzhe had gone to the police station to report the case, she had bought some meat on the way back, so there was meat for dinner.


    Ever since she¡¯d made meat buns in Ocean City, Little Bei had fallen in love with this cooking method. Even now that they were back, Mu Jingzhe would still prepare this dish.


    Little Zhaodi drank the soup and tasted this unprecedented delicacy. This was really the first time she had eaten such delicious food. It was also the first time she had eaten white flour buns and meat. They were so tasty that she almost swallowed her own tongue.


    Seeing that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao hade over to take a look, Little Zhaodi immediately stuffed into her mouth the half of the bun that she couldn¡¯t bear to eat and had been slowly savoring.


    Although she was fast enough, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao could see it clearly. Shao Shou had also seen Little Bei eat it before and kept moring for it.


    Upon seeing Little Zhaodi stuffing it into her mouth as quickly as she could, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was furious. She cursed under her breath. Although she had plotted to get Mu Jingzhe to help them raise Little Zhaodi, when she saw that she had really been given such delicious food, she felt ufortable again. One had to know that they could only afford to eat cornbread!


    Even when they ate white flour buns, they couldn¡¯t afford meat.


    ¡°When they give you food in the future, you¡¯re not allowed to eat it. Bring it back and let us eat it.¡± Of course they had to eat this delicious food. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao threatened Little Zhaodi, but thetter didn¡¯t say anything.


    For the next two days, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao dealt with Little Zhaodi often, as Little Zhaodi was disobedient and kept eating the food given to her by Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe. She stubbornly refused to listen and didn¡¯t keep the food for them as she¡¯d been told, even if it meant she had to swallow down the food so quickly that she choked.


    Usually, she didn¡¯t say a word, but whenever someone snatched her food, she would be fierce. When Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao asked her to ask for clothes and sweets, Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t listen at all. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao kept giving her a hard time and always let Shao Nan and Little Bei witness her hitting Little Zhaodi.


    Little Bei couldn¡¯t ignore this. After saying a few words, she pulled Little Zhaodi home. In the end, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao turned around and spread a rumor that Shao Nan had taken a fancy to Little Zhaodi and shamelessly wanted to snatch his cousin-inw to make her his child bride.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was really asking for a beating. Just as she was about to teach her a lesson, the police finally came.


    They had already investigated thoroughly and confirmed the truth beforeing to their door.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had only lived a good life for two days and no longer had to wait on Zhao Lan. She was still thinking of ways to use Little Zhaodi to scheme against Mu Jingzhe and the rest and use Little Zhaodi to disgust them. In the end, the police came.


    As soon as she saw the police, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s hands trembled. When she heard that it was illegal to buy and sell child brides, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao almost knelt down.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t buy her. Her family gave her to me. I didn¡¯t buy her.¡±


    Actually, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had given them money, but she definitely couldn¡¯t reveal this. ¡°Her family said that they couldn¡¯t afford to raise the child, so they gave her to our family. I didn¡¯t buy her.¡±


    ¡°But you still can¡¯t raise her as a child bride.¡± The police said the same thing as Mu Jingzhe.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao gritted her teeth. It seemed like Mu Jingzhe had snitched on her. She gritted her teeth and swallowed. ¡°I don¡¯t regard her as a child bride. I just took pity on her and adopted her.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t youe to the police station to apply for adoption? This ispletely illegal.¡±


    The police weren¡¯t that easy to talk to. Seeing that many people from the vige hade to watch, they took this opportunity to teach everyone that their old tricks wouldn¡¯t work anymore.


    ¡°If your family truly wishes to adopt her, you have to follow the formal adoption procedure. From now on, she will be like your biological daughter and enjoy the same rights as your other children. It¡¯s even more impossible for siblings to get married.


    ¡°Also, this child is already at school age. You have to send her to school.¡±


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s face turned pale when she heard that. This was a result of both fright and anger. She didn¡¯t know why raising a child bride was against thew. Furthermore, there were so many rules. She wasn¡¯t even willing to give Little Zhaodi food and she actually wanted Mu Jingzhe to help raise her. This talk of sending her to school was even more absurd.


    At the thought of the money she had spent and thefortable life she had been leading for the past two days, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao really didn¡¯t want to send Little Zhaodi away. Why? She had gritted her teeth before spending the money to buy her.


    However, she couldn¡¯t be a child bride. She also had to be sent to school.. This wasn¡¯t how one treated a child bride but an ancestor.

 Chapter 336 - Kneeling and Kowtowing

    <h4>Chapter 336: Kneeling and Kowtowing</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    After weighing the pros and cons, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao could only grit her teeth in heartache. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this. I only thought that I was doing a good deed. Mr. Policeman, I won¡¯t do it again. In that case, I won¡¯t raise her anymore. You can send her back home if you wish.¡±


    At most, she would go look for Zhaodi¡¯s father to demand her money back. Since it was illegal, she believed that they wouldn¡¯t dare not return it.


    Little Zhaodi was taken away, and the vigers were discussing among themselves. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao sneered, ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you can¡¯t bear to see our family doing well, can you? Why did you have to snitch on us? If my sons don¡¯t get a wife, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned when she heard that. It wasn¡¯t because of Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s scolding, but because of Little Zhaodi.


    Even if Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao scolded her, she could just scold her back. If it still didn¡¯t work out, she could just hit her back. Mu Jingzhe dismissed Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and thought of Little Zhaodi instead.


    If Little Zhaodi was sent back to her parents, she didn¡¯t know if her parents would sell her again.


    Perhaps they would be intimidated by the police and would stop trying to sell her for a while, but they would definitely give Little Zhaodi a hard time. She didn¡¯t know what would be worse¡ªto slog away at home to serve her younger brother and parents or suffer at the hands of Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know the answer either, but soon, there was no need for such aparison. Little Zhaodi no longer had to be a ve for her younger brother. It was said that Little Zhaodi¡¯s parents had been given a warning after an investigation by the police previously. They had originally agreed to it, but in the end, they had run away that night, perhaps because they were afraid of being caught or being asked to return the money they¡¯d received for selling their daughter.


    Whether Little Zhaodi would stay or go was really a dilemma now. Because her maternal grandmother was still around, she ended up staying with her.


    However, her maternal grandmother wasn¡¯t well-off either. The only advantage was that Little Zhaodi no longer had to be beaten up. Although her maternal grandmother was very old and needed to be taken care of, this was still very good for Little Zhaodi.


    She no longer had to live in fear of being sold or beaten up.


    After living at her maternal grandmother¡¯s house for two days, Little Zhaodi received a bag of clothes. It had been sent over by Little Bei. It wasn¡¯t new clothes, but her old ones.


    Although it was an old set of clothes, they were clean and neatly folded. Besides, they had either been bought or made by Mu Jingzhe for Little Bei. They were better than the ones sold at the market stalls. Since Little Bei had grown out of them and they were still in good condition, these clothes had been stored away properly. Previously, when she had seen the tattered clothes on Little Zhaodi, she had wanted to give them to her.


    They were the same age, but Little Zhaodi was too thin and petite, so they fit her perfectly.


    Little Bei still remembered the cold winters of the past. Although it was still hot right now, in the blink of an eye, the autumn wind would quickly cool the weather down.


    She didn¡¯t want Little Zhaodi to freeze.


    To Little Zhaodi, these clothes came at the right time. These were also the best clothes she had ever received. Overjoyed, she kept hugging them and couldn¡¯t bear to wear them.


    Although the vige chief had only said that someone had found out about her situation and donated the clothes to her, not saying who it was, Little Zhaodi knew that it must be Sister Little Bei.


    She could smell Sister Little Bei¡¯s scent on her clothes. Only Sister Little Bei would give clothes to her.


    Little Zhaodi cherished these clothes and put them away. The day after she received the clothes, she woke up before dawn and cooked a pot of potatoes. She sprinkled some salt at the bottom of the bowl and saved up some salt to eat with her maternal grandmother.


    Little Zhaodi kept the leftovers for her grandmother. ¡°Grandma, you can eat the leftovers when you¡¯re hungryter.¡±


    After helping her maternal grandmother settle down, Little Zhaodi carried the basket to the cornfield and plucked the corn that could be eaten. Carrying a basket full of corn that didn¡¯t match her size at all, she set off for Great Eastern Vige alone.


    She rested a few times on the way. When she reached the vige entrance, she carefully changed into the new clothes she had brought with her and set off to look for Little Bei. When she reached her door, she secretly poured the corn on the firewood. After a while, when she saw Shao Nane out, she mustered up the courage to call his name.


    ¡°I want to see Sister Little Bei and Auntie.¡±


    Shao Nan was a little surprised to see her, but he didn¡¯t say much. After some thought, he called Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe over. Little Bei¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the clothes she was wearing.


    ¡°Sister.¡±


    As soon as she ran up to them, Little Zhaodi suddenly knelt down. ¡°Sister Little Bei, Auntie, thank you.¡±


    The main reason she hade today was to thank them. She knew that it was all thanks to them that she had managed to escape those beatings.


    She didn¡¯t know how to show how thankful she felt. She had heard adults say that kowtowing and thanking was the best way to express one¡¯s gratitude, so she kowtowed before them.


    She kowtowed seriously and got up again without needing help. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything good at home, so I brought some corn. It¡¯s just the right time to eat it.¡±


    Little Zhaodi pointed at the corn on the firewood. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    After saying that, she ran off. Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe then reacted. ¡°Wait, you can leave after dinner! Dinner is ready.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    She had onlye with a basket of corn on her back, so how could she stay around and eat for free? That wouldn¡¯t count as showing her gratitude. She¡¯d be taking advantage of the situation.


    Little Zhaodi ran with the basket on her back. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei wanted to catch up to her, but although she was small, she ran very quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei stood at the vige entrance and saw a kid with a basket running far away.


    ¡°She sure runs fast.¡±


    Little Bei held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Mommy, I didn¡¯t expect her toe over to express her gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I.¡±


    Little Bei touched her chest. ¡°Mommy, I feel strange. I only gave her the clothes I couldn¡¯t wear, but she thanked me so seriously.¡±


    ¡°You did well, Little Bei.¡± Mu Jingzhe praised her. ¡°I¡¯ll ask around about herter.¡±


    Since she had already helped, she might as well help her all the way and follow up on her. The most important question was whether she had enough to eat and was able to go to school. She was a school-age child, so she should go to school.


    However,ter on, they heard that Little Zhaodi didn¡¯t go to school because she didn¡¯t have the money to pay the tuition fees.


    This was something that couldn¡¯t be helped. In that era, some girls didn¡¯t have the chance to go to school. In many families, only boys had the chance to get an education.


    Little Bei had been paying attention, hoping to hear news of Little Zhaodi. After hearing about the situation, she thought for a moment and suddenly said, ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t you say before that if one has the ability, they should help people and repay society? I want to help Sister Zhaodi and allow her to go to school. She was so envious when she saw me and Third Brothere back from school.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was actually already nning to sponsor Little Zhaodi. Fate had made her encounter this child. Plus, she had the same name as Li Zhaodi.


    Based on Little Zhaodi¡¯s situation, the only way to change her fate was probably by going to school. If she could get away from the mountains by going to school, then her fate might also change.


    Otherwise, even if she was no longer a child bride, her future might not change much.


    She hadn¡¯t expected Little Bei to be having the same thoughts. She smiled. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Mu Jingzhe agree. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ve done the math, Mommy. The school fees aren¡¯t that expensive. I¡¯ll work hard to earn money in the future to help her.¡±


    ¡°Little Bei, you are awesome.¡±


    Little Bei smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a good child, Mommy, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, you¡¯re a good child!¡±

 Chapter 337 - Giving Mommy a Car

    <h4>Chapter 337: Giving Mommy a Car</h4>


    Little Bei paid Little Zhaodi¡¯s school fees anonymously. Little Zhaodi thought that having warm clothes to wear was already the best that could happen. She hadn¡¯t expected such a good thing.


    Although the help came anonymously and she wasn¡¯t able to find out who it was, Little Zhaodi was certain that Little Bei had helped her.


    One¡¯s effort could change another person¡¯s fate.


    And Little Bei¡¯s actions had really changed Little Zhaodi¡¯s fate.


    Little Zhaodi was now able to go to school. Although she wasn¡¯t extremely smart, she was very conscientious about her work. Her elementary school results had always been good. Later on, thanks to Little Bei¡¯s continuous sponsorship, she even managed to enter junior high.


    It was in junior high that Little Zhaodi¡¯s running talent was discovered at a sports meet. In the early years, Mu Jingzhe had been right to say that she had flying legs. She was quite talented athletically.


    Later on, her participation inpetitions was constantly revealing. She became an athlete and even brought glory to the country. She became a world champion that many people knew about.


    This champion loved to eat White Rabbit Milk Candy and would always remember her benefactor, Little Bei. She was a true, hardcore fan of Little Bei and had an urge to beat up whoever dared to speak ill of Little Bei.


    Later on, Little Zhaodi¡¯s coach said that Little Zhaodi was actually the least worrisome athlete. Other athletes would have various problems. Even though Little Zhaodi also had problems, on the field, when she wasn¡¯t in a good state, if you wanted to stimte her energy, you only needed one method.


    The slightest mention of Little Bei, be it praise or a scolding, had a stimting effect on this person.


    However, Little Zhaodi wouldn¡¯t hit someone because Little Bei had already warned her not to. She was an athlete, so she couldn¡¯t hit someone lest it would prevent her frompeting. Little Zhaodi had always remembered Little Bei¡¯s words and used other methods, using running to vent her anger and agitation.


    The story of Little Bei and Little Zhaodi was relished by many peopleter on, but this would all happen in the future.


    At the moment, Little Bei only wanted to allow Little Zhaodi, who envied them for going to school, to also go to school.


    Sometimes, when someone helped someone else, not only would the person being helped feel blissful, but the person helping would also feel happy because they had done something meaningful. It was like that for Little Bei.


    Mu Jingzhe was very happy to see that Little Bei waspletely different from how she had been depicted in the original novel.


    They were happy, but Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao was almost angered to death. The child-bride-sh-helper she had gotten had vanished just like that. Furthermore, she had been badly frightened by the police and had even been taught a lesson by the vigers.


    Besides, now that Zhaodi¡¯s parents had run away, her money hadpletely gone to waste. She wouldn¡¯t be able to get it back at all.


    She had already lied to the police about this, so she couldn¡¯t openly ask for it. She was so angry that she almost ascended to heaven directly.


    She was already angry enough, but in the end, Eldest Brother Shao and the children still med her. Eldest Brother Shao scolded her for wasting money. Their family had little money to begin with, and now they were even poorer.


    Eldest Brother Shao med her, while Fu, Lu, and Shou despised and resented her. They were going through a sensitive period now. After the incident with Little Zhaodi, they were criticized and mocked by the vigers, who teased them for hankering after a wife at such a young age.


    The people in the vige were even worse. They said that they were desperate and had no standards at all to fancy a coal-ball-like girl like Little Zhaodi.


    The house was in chaos again. It was difficult for Eldest Brother Shao to gain the upper hand. He then started getting smug again and ordered Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to do this and that.


    Despite clearly knowing that the enemy who had caused all this was Mu Jingzhe, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao couldn¡¯t take revenge. She was extremely aggrieved.


    She could only keep begging the heavens to make Mu Jingzhe suffer misfortune for being a busybody. However, the heavens seemed to be blind and didn¡¯t hear Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao¡¯s prayers at all. Instead, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao went on to suffer an even greater blow.


    In the blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Festival came. That day, the five kids bought a car for Mu Jingzhe.


    That¡¯s right, the five children bought a car together and gave it to Mu Jingzhe as a mid-autumn gift.


    When the news spread, the entire vige wene into an uproar. Li Zhaodi, who had gone home to celebrate the New Year, was overjoyed. The car was clearly a gift for Mu Jingzhe, but she was even more excited than Mu Jingzhe. She danced around as if she had passed the provincial civil service examination or something.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao also went crazy, though in her case, it was from anger. She had yet to adjust her mentality and was praying for Mu Jingzhe to be unlucky. Even after so many prayers, Mu Jingzhe ended up even more blissful.


    When she saw the car parked at the door, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao rolled her eyes and fainted from anger.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was standing in the crowd, looked at Li Zhaodi, who was dancing with joy, then at Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao, who had fainted from anger.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She should be the one fainting from excitement, right? Them snatching her scenes like this really affected her performance.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reaction had been snatched by the two of them, but there was nothing she could do. However, this didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t thrilled.


    She hadn¡¯t expected to receive a car as a gift in her lifetime. Besides, this wasn¡¯t the modern era, when one could buy a second-hand car for even a few thousand yuan, but a previous era.


    The kids had previously said that they would buy her a car when they had money, but¡­ how did the filial words that the children had said to cheer her upe true?


    ¡°Mommy, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Don¡¯t you like this color?¡±


    ¡°I do. I¡¯m just too shocked.¡± Mu Jingzhe pinched herself. ¡°Why did you secretly do something so major?¡±


    ¡°We wanted to surprise you.¡± It was rare for Shao Dong to be overjoyed.


    ¡°But this surprise is too big. How did you get the money for a car?¡±


    ¡°I only paid a small portion. Most of the money came from Eldest Brother, Little Bei, and Second Brother. Xiao Wu also paid quite a lot,¡± Shao Nan exined.


    Although the five of them had bought it together, the amount they¡¯d each paid was different.


    ¡°The refrigerator is selling well.¡± Shao Dong only said this much.


    The sales of Good Brother Refrigerator had been very good ever since it had beenunched, so Shao Dong felt that it was time.


    ¡°You guys are really¡­ Seriously!¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know how to express her excitement. She couldn¡¯t help but hug them and grin from ear to ear. ¡°It¡¯s worth it. This life is worth it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so worth it.¡± The five kids were also very happy. Their wish to buy a car for their mother when they¡¯d been given a lift in Tang Moling¡¯s car had finallye true.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say a few more words to express the joy in her heart. When the vigers heard the news, more and more people came to check out the car. After seeing enough of it, they asked Mu Jingzhe to try driving it.


    Mu Jingzhe had no problem driving, but¡­ she hadn¡¯t gotten her license yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get my driver¡¯s license first. I¡¯ll drive it when I get it.¡±


    Previously, seeing that the driver¡¯s license was so difficult to get and she was so busy, Mu Jingzhe had put it off. But now, it seemed like she couldn¡¯t dy it any longer. No matter how difficult it was, she had to get it.


    ¡°Mommy, you can do it! We believe in you!¡± The five kids clenched their fists and cheered Mu Jingzhe on.


    ¡°I will do it.¡±


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t encourage her. He just forced her to do it. ¡°Jingzhe, you have to get a driver¡¯s license within a month. I want to take a ride in your car.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t dare disagree. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Because she felt so proud, Li Zhaodi waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll treat everyone today. I¡¯ll treat everyone to mooncakes.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had made mooncakes, but the quantity was limited. Therefore, Li Zhaodi went to town to buy some more.

 Chapter 338 - Shao Xis New Work: "Nameless"

    <h4>Chapter 338: Shao Xi¡¯s New Work: ¡°Nameless¡±</h4>


    When the vigers heard about the car, they all came to take a look. When Old Lady Mu heard that, she said that it must be fake. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help bute to take a look and was caught red-handed by Li Zhaodi.


    ¡°Eat mooncakes, everyone.¡± Li Zhaodi felt proud and ted as she generously handed them the mooncakes.


    Full of anger after seeing the car, Old Lady Mu was in no mood to eat. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want any? Mom, you¡¯re not unhappy that Jingzhe has a car, are you?¡± She nced at Mu Xue beside her. ¡°Is it because Xiao Xue isn¡¯t the one getting such a gift?¡±


    Li Zhaodi pretended to sigh, but because her acting skills weren¡¯t good enough, she seemed very fake. ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s normal for you guys to be unhappy. If Xiao Xue hadn¡¯t kicked up a fuss previously and had gotten married, she would have been the one with the car.¡±


    ¡°Our Xiao Xue has a car anyway. She already has one!¡± Old Lady Mu retorted angrily.


    ¡°So what? Is it a gift from her children?¡± Li Zhaodi snorted. ¡°Previously, you looked down on my Jingzhe so much and thought the world of Mu Xue. Now, take a look again. Mu Xue can¡¯tpare to Jingzhe in any aspect.¡±


    ¡°How is she inferior? You shrew, I can¡¯t be bothered to waste my breath on you!¡± Old Lady Mu didn¡¯t know why things had ended up like this.


    She was about to leave with Mu Xue, but Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t let them off. ¡°Mom, how are Xiao Xue¡¯s marriage prospectsing along? Is anyoneing to propose to her? Or are you still waiting for a rich man? If you ask me, I think she should just settle. If she continues to be picky, she¡¯s going to be a spinster.¡±


    Mu Xue was already 25 years old. Even in modern times, an unmarried woman at this age was called a leftover girl, let alone in that day and age.


    Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue had faced a lot of gossip recently. Mu Xue¡¯s face turned pale, and Old Lady Mu was furious. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Xiao Xue¡¯s marriage prospects. No matter what, she will marry a better man than Mu Jingzhe!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for the wedding banquet.¡±


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe stopped paying attention, Li Zhaodi floated in the sky and disyed her true colors to her heart¡¯s content. When Mu Jingzhe entered, Li Zhaodi danced around and told her about the confrontation that had taken ce just now.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Mom, why did you provoke them?¡±


    The annoying trait was carved deep into her mother¡¯s bones. As she hadn¡¯t had the chance to put it to use for such a long time, she couldn¡¯t suppress it anymore.


    ¡°Who asked them to treat us like that back then? I¡¯m happy today and I want to take revenge. They said so much previously, but now, that picky girl is turning into a spinster. Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t call her a spinster. Mu Xue is still very young!¡±


    ¡°Young? She¡¯s already 25 years old.¡± Li Zhaodi was about to say something when she saw Shao Dong enter. A smile immediately appeared on her face.


    ¡°Aiyo, my eldest grandson is here. Let me hug you properly. There¡¯s my eldest grandson!¡±


    Li Zhaodi pounced over and refused to let go of Shao Dong. No matter how she looked at him, he was pleasing to the eye. As long as he treated her daughter well and was willing to spend money on her, he¡¯d be a good grandson.


    Now, Li Zhaodi could totally call them ¡®darlings¡¯. Shao Dong¡¯s face turned red because of the exaggerated way Li Zhaodi was calling him ¡®darling¡¯.


    The five kids had bought her a car, so Mu Jingzhe used 100% of her energy and focused on obtaining a driver¡¯s license. Fortunately, she knew how to drive, so after more than a month of hard work, she finally obtained a driver¡¯s license.


    After getting her license, Mu Jingzhe drove the children around happily. ¡°I can take you kids wherever you want to go in the future.¡±


    Shao Dong had long heard Little Bei say that Mommy looked dashing when she was driving. From this point onward, Shao Dong could finally admire her himself.


    Mu Jingzhe drove the children around in the car and returned home after admiring the autumn scenery. After dinner, Shao Xi said that he wanted to be alone with Mu Jingzhe for two hours because he had business to discuss with her.


    Shao Xi handed his notebook to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, I finished writing the first draft of the story I previously mentioned.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally finished it?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up as she took it quickly. ¡°I was about to ask you since I hadn¡¯t heard you say anything about it all this while. What¡¯s the story about? Is it very long?¡±


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had been able to read Shao Xi¡¯s essays intermittently without much time passing between each essay, but this time, it had taken longer than expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a children¡¯s story. It¡¯s not long. Mommy, read it first.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe read for two hours. The short story wasn¡¯t long. It was less than 30,000 words, but Mu Jingzhe read it very seriously and slowly.


    This story exceeded Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expectations, as it really didn¡¯t sound like Shao Xi¡¯s style. However, overall, it was obvious that it had indeed been written by Shao Xi.


    Mu Jingzhe sat there for a long while before calling Shao Xi in. ¡°Little Xi, why did you think of writing such a story? Were you inspired by your daddy and the nameless hero that you heard of before?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe nervously. ¡°Mom, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s very good. So good that I don¡¯t know how to describe it.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi, feeling very shocked. Shao Xi was only ten years old.


    A ten-year-old child had actually written such a good story. ¡°It¡¯s very meaningful. I didn¡¯t expect you to write this story from the perspective of a child. Besides, Little Xi, am I imagining things? Why do I feel like this story was written for someone?¡±


    Shao Xi smiled. ¡°So you can tell, Mommy. Actually, my original intention for writing this book was to give it to someone.¡±


    At first, he had wanted to write a story about the nameless hero and give it to Fang Yu.


    ¡°Who? The pen pal you¡¯ve been replying to?¡± Mu Jingzhe, who was sharp, asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you, Mommy.¡± Shao Xi hadn¡¯t told Shao Qihai about Fang Yu¡¯s identity, but he told Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping in touch with him too. We can talk about anything. Fang Yu is a little silly and tells me everything. I wrote the story with him in mind.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe respected the children¡¯s privacy and had never peeked at Shao Xi¡¯s letters, but she knew that he had been in contact with someone. She just hadn¡¯t expected Fang Yu to be the child Shao Qihai had escorted previously.


    Shao Xi exined the original intention behind his creation. Mu Jingzhe was filled with emotions as she listened. ¡°Little Xi, you did a very good job. A particrly good one. I¡¯m really proud of you.¡±


    Although the protagonist was a child and not a nameless hero, this was indeed the story of an unnamed hero, albeit from a different perspective.


    Those heroes, regardless of whether they were well-known or nameless, were all ordinary people. They also had families and children. The protagonist Shao Xi had simply named ¡®Nameless¡¯ was the son[1] of the nameless hero.


    It was the story of Fang Yu, who disliked and didn¡¯t understand her father and even deliberately went against him. She didn¡¯t understand the meaning of death. There was also a shadow of Shao Xi and his siblings in the story. Although these were the words of a child, they were extremely real.


    Mu Jingzhe was greatly moved when she saw this. She felt that Shao Xi¡¯s writing had improved a lot.


    This essay was very mature. If Shao Xi hadn¡¯t said that he was the one who had written it, Mu Jingzhe would have thought that it had been written by some great writer. However, only Shao Xi could write prose with such childlikenguage and give off such a vibe.


    [1] Fang Yu is a girl, but Shao Xi is under the impression that she is a boy

 Chapter 339 - I Want to Adapt It Into a Film

    <h4>Chapter 339: I Want to Adapt It Into a Film</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe felt proud, but she also had some concerns.


    ¡°You want to give the story to Fang Yu and let him know that his father is a nameless hero, but he doesn¡¯t know the truth yet, right?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know yet, but he¡¯ll understand in the future.¡± Shao Xi smiled more because of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s affirmation and gained confidence. ¡°He¡¯ll definitely thank me in the future. I¡¯m so good to him.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°I hope so. Little Xi, do you want to publish this book? I think it can be published. Such a good piece of work should be seen by more people. Otherwise, it would be a pity.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you and I had the same thought. I only wrote this on impulse and didn¡¯t think so much about it, but now I feel that more people should read it.¡±


    ¡°Then contact your previous editor and publish it as soon as possible. I want people to read it soon.¡±


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t agree immediately. Instead, he leaned closer to Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, forget about publishing it. I have another idea.¡±


    ¡°What kind of idea?¡±


    ¡°I want it to be made into a movie. There are too few people reading books these days. A lot of people don¡¯t know how to read yet, but there are a lot of people who watch movies. They might not know how to read, but they can understand movies. It¡¯s just like when we screened the movie here. Everyone in the vige loved watching it and could understand it. That¡¯s why I want to make it into a movie. I want more people to see my story. I also want everyone to understand it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned for a moment. In the original novel, Shao Xi¡¯s work hadter been tranted into variousnguages and been sold around the world. His fans had been everywhere, and he could have been considered world-renowned. Later on, his works had also been adapted into movies. Every movie had made good box office sales, left a longsting impact, and been widely discussed.


    However, this would all happen in the future. In any case, there definitely wasn¡¯t such a thing at this time. She hadn¡¯t expected Shao Xi to think of it so early.


    Mu Jingzhe recalled this plotline in the original novel and didn¡¯t say anything for a while. Shao Xi was a little nervous. ¡°Mommy, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Do you think I¡¯m wrong? Or do you think it won¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°Sure it will. It¡¯s a good idea to have it made into a movie. This story is indeed suitable to be made into a movie.¡± What Shao Xi said was the truth. Compared to the modern era, when university students were as many as a cow¡¯s hair and nine years ofpulsory education was the norm, many people were illiterate in that day and age.


    For example, in Great Eastern Vige, more than 90% of the older generation was illiterate. Even in Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s generation, most of the men might only have gone to school and studied for a few days. The women were basically illiterate too.


    Li Zhaodi had only learned how to readter on. Although many people had learned before, they¡¯d quickly forgotten about it and were pretty much illiterate now.


    There weren¡¯t many people in the vige who could read Shao Xi¡¯s books. Those who could read in the entire vige were basically gathered at school.


    Great Eastern Vige was a microcosm that represented the situation in the viges across the country, so Shao Xi¡¯s concerns were very urate.


    ¡°Little Xi, why did you think of making it into a movie?¡±


    ¡°I thought of it when I went to the horror movie with Teacher Ji and the rest. Even Xiao Wu and Little Bei said that they support me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and said, ¡°No wonder. Little Xi, I know some directors. Why don¡¯t I get them to introduce some candidates to me and see if there are any suitable directors to work with?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I agree. Mommy and Little Bei know a lot of people after all.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll start to contact them tomorrow.¡±


    As the two of them discussed this, Little Bei and Xiao Wu saw that they hadn¡¯te out and secretly came to see what was going on. Mu Jingzhe let them in and told them about Shao Xi¡¯s ns.


    When they heard that his work was going to be made into a movie, although they hadn¡¯t read the content yet, all of them raised their hands in support.


    ¡°I support you, Second Brother. I want to see if there are any suitable roles for me. I want to participate too!¡±


    ¡°I support you too, Second Brother. Count me in.¡± Xiao Wu raised his hand.


    Later on, Shao Dong joined in. ¡°I can be involved too. I don¡¯t know how to act, but I can invest.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gave Shao Dong a thumbs-up and told Shao Xi, ¡°Little Xi, express your gratitude to the investor quickly.¡±


    Shao Xi immediately got up and went to massage Shao Dong¡¯s shoulders. Mu Jingzheughed out loud when she saw this. Sometimes, when she was so busy that her neck felt ufortable, she would ask the five kids to massage it. The moment she said ¡®express your gratitude¡¯, they immediately thought of this.


    The next day, Mu Jingzhe contacted Director Lu, who she was familiar with, and asked him to help her find a movie director who was good at filming movies with children as protagonists. The director didn¡¯t have to be especially famous. Only their character and abilities needed to be adequate.


    At first, she didn¡¯t specify that they wanted to film Shao Xi¡¯s work. She was afraid that if people heard that he was a child, they would belittle him. Although Shao Xi was a little famous now, he was indeed still a child.


    However, since Director Lu insisted on asking, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to hide it from him. Director Lu didn¡¯t say much. He was quite interested after reading the plot outline, but he had a movie to film and didn¡¯t have the time to take on this project. In the end, he said that he would help her ask around for a suitable director.


    While waiting for Director Lu¡¯s reply, the children finished reading Shao Xi¡¯s story and felt that they could work together. Little Bei also liked stories and had always regretted that they had not worked together. ¡°Second Brother, why didn¡¯t you make the protagonist a girl? Since you made the protagonist a boy, how can I act in the movie?¡±


    ¡°But I?<i>am</i>?writing about a boy.¡± Shao Xi was helpless.


    ¡°I really like this story. Why isn¡¯t the main character a girl?¡± Little Bei nagged. ¡°I told you before that I wanted to act in the film, but you didn¡¯t listen. Second Brother, do you know how many people want me to act in their movies? You don¡¯t know how to cherish a good opportunity.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Shao Xi couldn¡¯t bring himself to be mean to his only sister, so he could only promise her. ¡°Next time¡­ Next time, I¡¯ll write a story about a girl. I¡¯ll let you act in it then.¡±


    ¡°I might not be willing when that timees. I¡¯ll only agree if I like the script,¡± Little Bei said proudly. However, her eyes were filled with reluctance and unwillingness as she looked at ¡°Nameless¡±.


    Two dayster, Director Lu introduced a young director to Mu Jingzhe. His surname was Jiang, and he had graduated from directing school. He was very capable and had previously been an assistant director and directed a movie himself. However, due to the theme, the movie might not be able to premiere in theaters.


    Simr to many directors who pursued their dreams, Director Jiang had thought that his movie would definitely sell well. When the funding chain had broken during filming, he had been unwilling to give up, so he had even sold his house to invest in his own movie.


    Initially, he had wanted to earn back the money from the box office ticket sales, but in the end, the movie hadn¡¯t even been released. Now, he had been reduced to wandering the streets, freeloading here and there.


    Director Jiang was already married. Because he had lost their house, his wife was so angry that she had gone back to her parents¡¯ house. Furthermore, his wife was pregnant and had given him an ultimatum: If he didn¡¯t change his ways and start earning money, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see their children anymore and they would have to get a divorce.


    Director Jiang knew that he had done something wrong. Even in his dreams, he wanted a pie to fall from the sky. When Director Lu found him, he didn¡¯t act like the other directors and downright refused upon hearing that the story had been written by a ten-year-old child.


    Although Director Jiang also had a skeptical attitude, he was interested after reading the story. He could film it. Besides, he had been a producer and screenwriter in the past, so he could also work part-time as a screenwriter. However, he had a request. Other than charging a slightly higher director fee, he also hoped to get paid in advance because he wanted to buy back his old home and earn some money for living expenses to convince his wife to go home.

 Chapter 340 - Why Film Something Written by a Child?

    <h4>Chapter 340: Why Film Something Written by a Child?</h4>


    Although this Director Jiang was a little strange, Director Lu believed that they could agree to these terms. ¡°Director Jiang has a strange personality, but he keeps his word and has good judgment. Since he has agreed, he will do his best. His ability isn¡¯t a problem, and he must be interested in the story. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have said no when someone invited him to film a project previously. He would rather scrounge a meal here and there than ept a bad offer.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Can I meet him first to talk?¡± Judging from his story, this guy seemed to have the temperament and aura of a famous director.


    ¡°Sure, but you might have to think of a way to get investment funds. Director Jiang won¡¯t be able to get any investors.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand. Director Lu, other than Director Jiang, are there no other directors willing to coborate with us?¡±


    Director Lu paused for a moment. ¡°Not many. I don¡¯t trust some of their abilities. The main reason is that Little Bei can¡¯t act in the movie either. Otherwise, there would definitely be people willing to cooperate with you.¡±


    Although Director Lu said it tactfully, Mu Jingzhe understood what he meant. He meant that no one was willing to film a story written by a child.


    Mu Jingzhe understood, but after hanging up the phone, she was still a little indignant. ¡°Age doesn¡¯t mean anything. It all depends on the story. In the future, people will being to beg us to cooperate!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Director Jiang¡¯s meeting went very smoothly. Shao Xi also went to meet them. Just as Director Lu had said, Director Jiang was actually quite good overall. Not only could he pull together his production team, but he could also work part-time as a screenwriter and even find a lighting and camera crew.


    Director Jiang¡¯s only request was that the director fees be paid in advance, and he also said they couldn¡¯t interfere with him filming and casting the roles. He had to decide how the movie was filmed.


    Of course, he also promised not to change the story randomly. If there were any changes, he would seek Shao Xi¡¯s consent beforehand.


    Both Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi could ept this. The two parties spoke with sincerity. Shao Xi gave theplete version of the story to Director Jiang, and Director Jiang gave Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi his previous work that hadn¡¯t been released, as well as some scenes that he had filmed when he had been an assistant director.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly started watching them. Although hisst movie hadn¡¯t been released, the overall quality was very good. She acknowledged Director Jiang¡¯s ability.


    Director Jiang also studied ¡°Nameless¡± seriously. After watching it overnight, because he liked the story very much and was inspired, he wrote down the filming n and even drew some storyboards.


    When they met the next day, he didn¡¯t mind that Shao Xi was a child and started discussing the movie with him. He shared some of his views and ideas with Shao Xi, and they hit it off.


    After more than an hour, when Mu Jingzhe had no choice but to interrupt them so they would drink and eat, Director Jiang finally noticed Mu Jingzhe.


    He had discussed the script with Shao Xi. To Mu Jingzhe, Director Jiang only had one thing to say: I want to film it. Pay up!


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything, Director Jiang urged Mu Jingzhe to get the money and said that she didn¡¯t need to keep thempany.


    In short, this was their creator¡¯s forum. Since Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t participate, she might as well go get the money.


    Very good, they had settled on the director, but this was only the beginning.


    Mu Jingzhe started to inquire about investments and other matters. Although Shao Dong said that he could invest, there were also issues regarding the screening of the movie. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of having money.


    Shao Dong subsequently needed money for his business and couldn¡¯t very well cut off his capital chain to support Shao Xi. It was fine to invest some money, but definitely not all of it. Therefore, they still had to look for investors.


    However, this inquiry was particrly unsessful. None of the producers and productionpanies were willing to cooperate. Their attitudes were quite uniform. Mu Jingzhe was tactfully rejected several times and given the cold shoulder.


    Feeling that something was amiss, Mu Jingzhe specifically went to ask why this had happened. One of the investors who was aware of the situation kindly told her that those people weren¡¯t willing to take a risk for a child.


    Previously, Director Lu had been polite, but in reality, the rumors were even worse than before.


    Many people in the directors¡¯ circle had heard that Director Lu had helped them find a director. Overall, they just didn¡¯t think it was a good idea and found it controversial. They felt that young Shao Xi was too proud to dare to do such a thing after just writing two books.


    Even though the protagonist was a child, they felt that nameless heroes weren¡¯t something a person of his age should be or was capable of writing about.


    Shao Xi was belittled. Mu Jingzhe, who was busy helping Shao Xi pull strings, was also criticized by others. They said that she was probably addicted to grooming geniuses. In any case, it wasn¡¯t pleasant to hear.


    The directors¡¯ attitude and opinions were also the attitude of most people in the movie industry, which was why Mu Jingzhe kept getting rejected.


    Director Lu had also heard about the situation. ¡°This is unavoidable. The main reason is that Shao Xi is still too young. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll wait a little longer. Take it slow and don¡¯t be anxious.¡±


    However, Mu Jingzhe felt that there was actually no need to wait. Shao Xi was young, but his work was indeed mature.


    When she thought of how eagerly Shao Xi and the others were waiting for news of the movie, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s fighting spirit was ignited. If there were difficulties, she should ovee them. She couldn¡¯t retreat every time she encountered setbacks. Gold would shine eventually, and there would always be people with discerning eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe ran around for two more days and didn¡¯t give up. In the end, she really made some progress and found a filmpany to coborate with. They invested in the movie and would take care of the screening of the movieter on. They also agreed not to interfere with the director¡¯s filming and casting process.


    The agreement looked negotiable, and the terms weren¡¯t harsh. Comparatively¡­ the investment amount wasn¡¯t significant. Everything had to be done by Mu Jingzhe and the others.


    Although this was far from what Mu Jingzhe had expected, it was the best oue possible.


    ¡°I can invest some money.¡± Shao Dong made his attitude clear. ¡°I believe I can earn money from this when the movie screens. I have faith in Shao Xi.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Mu Jingzhe thought of Director Jiang. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the expenses of Director Jiang and his team.¡±


    Since the family was united, this could be aplished. Shao Xi was happy and grateful, but he was actually a little unconvinced. He even thought that he would not only write books in the future but also do more things.


    For example, in the future, he wanted to be able to film without needing his mother to beg for help anymore. Shao Xi had some more ideas, but he had to take it slow. First, he had to film this movie.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that Shao Xi had already thought of starting a film productionpany himself and was starting to think about money.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s career could be considered to be flourishing everywhere now. Her hair ornaments and costume customization business earned her a stable ie, but during this period, she would need a lot of money for her undergarment business. Fortunately, there was also that paper manufacturing factory.


    Mu Jingzhe had made a lot of effort to build the paper mill, butpared to other things, this was very easy for her. The salespeople were of great help. Now that the market in the province hadpletely opened up, she had seized arge portion of it. Her method of sending the test products was very sessful. After many people tried them, they felt that this was indeed much more convenient than toilet paper and switched to it.


    By then, the salespeople were already very experienced and were sharpening their knives as they set off for markets outside the province.

 Chapter 341 - I Got Sick From Using Your Brands Sanitary Pads

    <h4>Chapter 341: I Got Sick From Using Your Brand¡¯s Sanitary Pads</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    As the paper-making business expanded, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t idle around. Previously, she had specifically rented a neighboring mountain long-term. Most of the mountains were filled with bamboo. With this mountain and a new cotton production ground, she could further expand her production.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she could ride this momentum and advertise her products.


    It had been a while since she had gone to the paper manufacturing factory. She now had to use some of the paper manufacturing factory¡¯s money and discuss their advertising strategy, so Mu Jingzhe drove there.


    Since she was just heading to her own factory, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t call before going over.


    Her previous trips had been very normal, but this time, when she reached the entrance, she realized that someone was causing trouble. They were saying that the sanitary pads were bad.


    Mu Jingzhe had originally been quite happy to see the newly built factory, but now, her joy was immediately reduced.


    ¡°You lied to us and said that this was the cleanest sanitary pad. Why did I fall sick after using it then?¡±


    ¡°Me too. I used to be fine, but ever since I began to use your sanitary pads, I¡¯ve been diagnosed with gynecological diseases. I just came back from the hospital, and the medical records are all here. How are you going to take responsibility?¡±


    A few people were gathered at the entrance of the factory. There were both men and women present. The ones who had spoken were a few middle-aged women holding sanitary pads in their hands and moring for an exnation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get agitated. Let¡¯s talk calmly. Let¡¯s go in and talk.¡±


    ¡°We refuse to go in. We¡¯ll talk outside. Who knows what you¡¯re going to do?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the people making a fuss and frowned as she parked the car and got out. Because of themotion over there, no one paid attention to her. Two people in business attire were whispering next to her.


    ¡°Why have people beening over in the past few days to say that there¡¯s something wrong with our product? I use the product myself, and there¡¯s no problem with it at all.¡±


    ¡°I suspect that it¡¯s Lanfang¡¯s doing. I¡¯ve met them before.¡±


    Lanfang was another sanitary pad brand that had a factory in the coastal city.


    ¡°Not necessarily. Besides, they were fine before, yet they¡¯ve beening to see us recently. There¡¯s indeed something wrong. I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°No matter the reason, we have to deal with it as soon as possible. Otherwise, if word gets around, everyone will think that there¡¯s something wrong with our sanitary pads. If we get reported by the newspapers or something, it will be problematic.¡±


    They were worried. Mu Jingzhe stopped beside them but didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Has anyonee looking for us before? How many times? What was wrong?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked them directly.


    The two of them turned around and were shocked to see Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Boss, when did you arrive?¡±


    These two had been working for Mu Jingzhe for a long time and knew her. After all, Mu Jingzhe was the one who had trained them.


    ¡°I just came. What happened?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    ¡°Previously, someone came to the convenience store to make a fuss. Two days ago, someone also came to the factory to make a fuss. They all imed that they faced problems after using the product.¡± The salesperson looked at Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t hide anything. ¡°Manager Lei said that it looks like someone is behind this, but there¡¯s no evidence yet.¡±


    While Mu Jingzhe was asking these questions, the protesters had finally been convinced to go inside.


    Manager Lei heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to bring his men in, he suddenly turned around and saw Mu Jingzhe. Shocked, he shouted, ¡°Boss!¡±


    Delight shed across his eyes, but he was also a little nervous. ¡°Why are you here? You didn¡¯t even inform me.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t at the paper manufacturing factory, Manager Lei handled everything at the factory. He was quite capable, nice, and basically pretty good in all aspects.


    Mu Jingzhe was about to answer when the woman wearing a checkered jacket beside her immediately looked over. ¡°You¡¯re the boss? Great. You must give us an exnation today.¡±


    Manager Lei looked a little nervous, but Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± This matter had to be resolved.


    On the way, Manager Lei told Mu Jingzhe about the situation in detail. Previously, he hadn¡¯t informed Mu Jingzhe because he had handled everything and thought that it was fine.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. When they arrived at the meeting room, she carefully looked at the sanitary pads that the woman in the checkered jacket had brought over. After confirming that they had been produced by their factory, she asked the men to leave, leaving only the female employees behind. She patiently listened to theirints and read the medical records and the doctor¡¯s conclusion.


    Overall, they had gynecological conditions. Furthermore, they confirmed that it was because they¡¯d used this brand¡¯s sanitary pads.


    ¡°My skin itches, and it stinks when I use this product. That rarely happened in the past.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe grasped the main points. Since it had rarely happened in the past, it meant that there?<i>had</i>?been some small problems before.


    It was impossible to tell if this was a scheme, but the medical records weren¡¯t fake either. Mu Jingzhe listened for a moment and suddenly asked, ¡°Can I ask how often you change sanitary pads?¡±


    ¡°That depends on whether the flow is heavy or not. Why?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I just want to know more. Is it convenient to talk about it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude was quite nice, so they were willing to share. ¡°When the flow is heavy, I¡¯ll change it when it¡¯s soaked. When it¡¯s not, I¡¯ll change it after using it for half a day. I can¡¯t remember the details either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and looked at another person. That person said, ¡°Me too. If the flow isn¡¯t heavy, I¡¯ll use it for a longer period of time, about half a day to a whole day. I originally thought it was quite useful, but I didn¡¯t expect a problem to arise. The pad is also expensive.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that she had guessed correctly. After hearing their questions just now, she¡¯d had a nagging feeling that this shouldn¡¯t be a product problem. After all, she had always emphasized hygiene. As a woman, she used it herself. She didn¡¯t want to feel uneasy using the products produced by her factory.


    She had also used the pad for a long time, but there had never been any problems. Furthermore, her products had been tested all along. Everything had been done in ordance with the rules. This had led her to suspect the problems had arisen due to inappropriate use. Unexpectedly, that was indeed the case.


    ¡°It¡¯s best to change the sanitary pads every two to three hours. Even if the flow is light, the use shouldn¡¯t exceed four to five hours. This is because if you wear it for too long, it might produce bacteria and cause symptoms such as itchy skin and inmmation. There are instructions outside the sanitary pads. I¡¯ve also been asking the salespeople to emphasize this to everyone when promoting the product. Have you heard the instructions before?¡±


    This wasmon knowledge in the modern era, but because this was a new product for everyone in this era, they might not understand its correct usage. That was why Mu Jingzhe had specifically exined it on the packaging and instructed the salespeople to make this clear.


    But now, it seemed like there were people who hadn¡¯t heard that.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words made them look at each other. ¡°You mean we¡¯re sick because we used it for too long? Why didn¡¯t I hear this before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we didn¡¯t publicize it well. When the pad gets stuffy, there might be bacteria. That¡¯s why we said you have to change it frequently,¡± Mu Jingzhe exined patiently.


    ¡°If we change it frequently, we¡¯ll have to use up a lot of pads in a month. How can we have so many pads to change? These sanitary pads aren¡¯t cheap either,¡± the person who had said that she typically used the pad for a day said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve heard this before, but if we were to do what you said, wouldn¡¯t it be appalling? My periodsts five to six days a month. Even three packets wouldn¡¯t be enough, and it¡¯s quite expensive to begin with. We didn¡¯t change because we wanted to save money and sanitary pads.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had guessed that they were trying to save money and pads, but she still felt quite upset when she heard that.

 Chapter 342 - Rats!

    <h4>Chapter 342: Rats!</h4>


    ¡°You can save on other things, but not on this. Otherwise, inmmatory gynecology disorders might arise. Not only will you feel unwell, but you will also suffer¡­¡±


    Actually, this problem had been discussed with the salespeople during their training. At the time, Mu Jingzhe had asked them to emphasize the concept of diligent change. The salespeople had mentioned it before, but people wouldn¡¯t necessarily listen. If the salespeople kept harping on about it, the customers might feel that it wasn¡¯t a worthwhile purchase, which in turn would affect sales. However, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t changed her mind.


    After some persuasion, their attitudes slowly became calmer. Mu Jingzhe and Manager Lei heaved a sigh of relief. Just as Mu Jingzhe thought that this matter was about to be resolved, Madam Zhao, who was the woman in the checkered jacket, suddenly spoke.


    ¡°You might have a point, but I think our illness didn¡¯t juste about because we¡¯re using it wrong. There must be something wrong with your product too. This is something you need to improve on. After all, we can¡¯t possibly keep getting up during the night to change. I believe many people sleep at night, so they can only change after at least six or seven hours.


    ¡°ording to you, one can¡¯t use the same pad for more than four to five hours. Then, if all the users face problems, who will dare to use it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was helpless. She had actually thought of this before, but she hadn¡¯t expected to be asked about it today.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that there will definitely be problems. Besides, you can¡¯t ask like that. If you say that, then what¡¯s safe to use? The same problem is caused by the toilet paper that you¡¯ve been using.


    ¡°The changing frequency of sanitary pads and toilet paper is the same. Of course, it¡¯d be good if you could afford to change them during the day. The reason we don¡¯t change them so frequently during the night is that people have to rest at night. This means that the sanitary pads are required to be at least safe and healthy. And our sanitary pads do meet the requirements, so they can be used continuously at night.


    ¡°But that¡¯s because people need to rest at night. If you have the means in the day, why wouldn¡¯t you change it? Why do you have topare it to night usage? I think this is too far-fetched.¡±


    Madam Zhao pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s far-fetched. Anyway, I don¡¯t trust you anymore. I simply feel that there might be something wrong with your product. It¡¯s not up to standard.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused for a moment. ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    ¡°After finding out the reason behind this, you shouldpensate the users ordingly. Otherwise, I won¡¯t dare use it again.¡±


    When she saw the attitude of Madam Zhao, who looked certain that there was something wrong with their product quality, doubt shed across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind.


    As she listened to Madam Zhao, she wrote something in her notebook. Then, while no one was paying attention, she tore it off and handed it to the salesperson beside her.


    The salesperson¡¯s gaze moved, and she hid the note without any change in her expression. After two minutes, she pretended to pour water in a kettle and walked out with it.


    Madam Zhao nced at the salesperson and didn¡¯t take it to heart. After she spoke to the other people, whose attitudes had changed, their attitudes became intense again and they started asking forpensation once more.


    Madam Zhao didn¡¯t reveal it, but she was good at manipting people¡¯s emotions. She hadn¡¯te with good intentions.


    As if in response to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s thoughts, the guard at the door notified her that the people from the supervision department hade for a sudden inspection because they had received a report that there was a problem with the sanitary pads produced by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s factory.


    Madam Zhao¡¯s eyes lit up, and she seemed to heave a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s best if theye to check. We¡¯ll be reassured then.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe walked out of the meeting room, the people from the supervision department had already started their sudden inspection. They told everyone not to do anything unnecessary and didn¡¯t listen to Manager Lei.


    Everyone was a little nervous, and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart felt like it was hanging high in the air. She finally understood what was going on today. A chain of usations was directed at them. If they were to find any problems during the inspection, it would be troublesome.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others held their breath, but Madam Zhao¡¯s eyes were shining.


    The inspection took more than an hour, and no major hidden dangers were discovered in the factory. In the end, they took some samples and said that they would take them back for testing to see if they¡¯d pass the quality check.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief, but Madam Zhao was stunned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to believe it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll perform a detailed test as soon as possible. We¡¯ll inform you if there are any problems.¡±


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief except for Madam Zhao. Mu Jingzhe looked around and finally nced at the vice team leader, who was in charge of the warehouse.


    There seemed to be something wrong with her expression too. Everyone had sighed in relief, but she looked a little uneasy and distracted.


    Mu Jingzhe sent Madam Zhao and the others away first. If they confirmed that there was a problem with the products, they wouldn¡¯t avoid responsibility for the medical fees. However, without any other evidence, it was useless to say anything else. She asked them to patiently wait for the results.


    After sending off Madam Zhao and the others, Mu Jingzhe asked everyone to go back to work and returned to her office.


    She had just gone back when the salesperson she had given the slip of paper to came in, her face a little pale. ¡°That was close, Boss. That was close.¡±


    ¡°What went wrong?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked directly.


    ¡°Warehouse Two.¡±


    Upon hearing that a warehouse was to me, Mu Jingzhe pursed her lips. ¡°borate.¡±


    ¡°After hearing what you said, I looked around. I also went to the warehouse to take a look, but I saw¡­ a rat in the car that was already packed with our products and ready for transportation. When I heard that something was wrong outside, I asked the driver to load the car and drive out. It should be back by now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe followed the salesperson to take a look at the car and saw an awful mess inside. There were two fat rats and a few small mice. When she opened the car door, a strange odor wafted out. There were also messy, torn sanitary pads inside. It was a horrifying sight.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart sank when she saw this. She considered hygiene and safety the most important. Even the warehouse ced great importance on dryness and hygiene. Every day, there would be people cleaning and checking it. The warehouse wasid with cement and perfectly sealed. She emphasized again and again that cockroaches and rats were not allowed to appear. If they were discovered, it would mean that their work was not up to standard and they should be fined. If their work was deemed not up to standard a few times, they would be fired without any negotiation.


    Because of her attitude, everyone paid the utmost attention to hygiene. The employees sprayed repellent around the factory at fixed intervals to prevent mosquitoes, and the warehouses were also disinfected regrly.


    There was no way a rat could enter the warehouse or management buildings unless someone deliberately brought it in.


    Previously, she had only felt that something was amiss and had asked her staff to investigate in advance just in case. She hadn¡¯t expected that there would really be a problem. Furthermore, it was obvious that, appallingly, an employee of thepany had deliberately brought the rats in.


    If she had not sensed that something was amiss and sent someone to investigate in advance, there would have been a big problem if the supervisor had discovered this.


    Mu Jingzhe investigated with a dark expression and spoke to her staff members one after another. In the end, she quickly found the traitor. It was none other than the vice team leader, whom she had thought was behaving strangely earlier.

 Chapter 343 - Pregnancy Due to Sanitary Pads

    <h4>Chapter 343: Pregnancy Due to Sanitary Pads</h4>


    Initially, she wanted to frame the team leader because the team leader was responsible for the schedule of the car with the rats. However, Mu Jingzhe caught the vice team leader as quickly as possible.


    ¡°What right do you have to arrest me? I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± The vice team leader¡¯s eyes were a little flustered, but she remained calm on the surface, looking as if she had been wronged.


    Mu Jingzhe threw out a bottle of fragrance oil. ¡°This is yours, right? Someone saw you bring this bottle of fragrance oil in with their own eyes yesterday.¡±


    The vice team leader¡¯s eyes went wild when she saw the bottle. ¡°So what? I brought in the fragrance oil for lubrication. What does it have to do with the rats? And no one saw me bring the rats in¡­¡±


    ¡°No one saw you bring the rats in, but you were the one who smeared fragrance oil on the sanitary pads. The evidence is conclusive.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe endured the disgust and fear she felt and personally investigated the car. There were no clues on who had brought the rats, but there was something wrong with the torn sanitary pads and packaging. The reason they had been bitten so badly in such a short time was because they had been smeared with fragrance oil.


    Since they couldn¡¯t find the person who had brought the rats in, they investigated the source of the fragrance oil. They hadn¡¯t expected to really find it. The vice team leader probably hadn¡¯t expected them to find out so quickly either, nor had she expected the fragrance oil to give her away.


    She¡¯d remembered to pay attention to the rats and mice, but she had neglected details like the fragrance oil.


    When Mu Jingzhe finished speaking, her expression drastically changed and the team leader heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Tell me, why did you bring the rats in and cause such a scene?¡±


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t escape, the vice team leader no longer defended herself, but she refused to give an exnation.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll go straight to the police and hand you over to them. Thanks to this contract, you¡¯ll have to go to jail for a few years.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took the employee contract from Manager Lei. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to sign this contract because I was bored or wanted to y around at the time. The contract can guarantee your interests and my rights. You have to pay the price for doing something that caused damage to the paper factory.¡±


    When the vice team leader heard the word ¡®police¡¯, she got scared. Upon being presented with such conclusive evidence and hearing Mu Jingzhe mention the contract, she was afraid that she would have to bear a loss or go to jail, so she could only give an exnation.


    She had been bribed, but the person who had bribed her wasn¡¯t the previously mentioned rival, Lanfang, thepany that also produced sanitary pads. Instead, it was a manufacturer of toilet paper, Green Bamboo. The reason was that the sanitary pads had affected the sales of their toilet paper.


    In the past, Green Bamboo¡¯s business had been pretty good. However, ever since Mu Jingzhe had started selling sanitary pads, Green Bamboo¡¯s business had plummeted. In the end, they had bribed a staff member and gotten Madam Zhao and the others to put on a show.


    Madam Zhao and the others did indeed have gynecological diseases, but they had minor problems to begin with. Besides, there were hidden dangers if one used the sanitary napkins wrongly. When those women had heard about pruritus and things like that, and the issue had also been exaggerated, they had determined that there was a problem with the sanitary pads and imed that using these sanitary pads made one ill.


    They had also found Madam Zhao and asked her to cooperate with them. With Madam Zhao and the others as a foundation and the rats arranged by the vice team leader, this would be a major issue. While Mu Jingzhe suffered through this misfortune, they would be able to reap the benefits.


    After the vice team leader finished speaking, everyone looked enraged. ¡°How can you treat the boss like this? The boss has treated us all well. How could you do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I must have been possessed. I shouldn¡¯t have done such a thing for some benefits. Boss, I know I was wrong. Don¡¯t kick me out.¡±


    At the end of the day, it had all happened for the sake of benefits. She had tried to use this method to get a promotion and a raise because her work ability was inferior to the others¡¯.


    ¡°I never thought of causing our factory to shut down, so I didn¡¯t put the rats in the big warehouse. Boss, I do care about the factory. Please forgive me this time¡­¡±


    Forgiving her was impossible, for Mu Jingzhe hated betrayal the most.


    ¡°Everyone present must have heard this. When the timees, you must testify. Go look for the police now.¡±


    The vice team leader¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°Boss, you didn¡¯t keep your word! I told you everything, yet you¡¯re still going to the police¡­¡±


    ¡°I only said that I would look for the police if you didn¡¯t say anything, but I didn¡¯t promise you that I wouldn¡¯t go to the police if you came clean!¡±


    Now that something like this had happened, Mu Jingzhe had to make an example out of her so that no one would dare to do such a thing again.


    The vice team leader was taken away. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and tensed up, waiting for the results.


    However, before the results of the examination were out, they saw a piece of news in the evening paper the next day. The headline was especially eye-catching: Can sanitary napkins cause pregnancy?


    From the perspective of a bystander, the reporter narrated the story of a 19-year-old girl who had fallen and identally suffered a miscarriage in a bathhouse.


    The protagonist of this news report was given the alias Xiaocao, a girl who had followed her mother to the bathhouse to take a bath. In the end, she had identally stepped on soap bubbles and fallen, causing her to suffer a miscarriage on the spot. Many people in the bathhouse had seen it with their own eyes. Moreover, because most of them were familiar faces, it had been impossible to hide it from them.


    When Xiaocao had been sent to the hospital, her life had not been in danger anymore, but there was a big problem. She was just a young girl, and she was neither engaged nor in a rtionship. However, she had suddenly gotten pregnant, and such a thing had just happened.


    Xiaocao said that she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. She didn¡¯t know how she had gotten pregnant either, as she hadn¡¯t gone to a ce where men and women swam together. The only thing that had changed in the past few months was that she had used the sample sanitary pads that had been distributed on the streets. Later on, she had switched to using said sanitary pads.


    There was no specific description of how the sanitary pads were involved, but after the swimming pool was eliminated, the sanitary pads ultimately bore the me.


    Perhaps it was because she didn¡¯t want her daughter to be criticized, but Xiaocao¡¯s mother insisted that the sanitary napkins were the culprit. She imed that the sanitary napkins weren¡¯t clean and had harmed her daughter.


    There was no way to determine if this was true or not. The reporters only reported what they had seen and heard. When Mu Jingzhe heard the news, her first reaction was to feel incredulous. How could they me that on the pads?


    As it turned out, they could.


    The day after the news was reported, the matter blew up. Everyone was talking about whether sanitary napkins could get a person pregnant. What was even more unbelievable was that there were even people who swore that the baby that Xiaocao had miscarried wasn¡¯t a child at all, but a rat.


    Because she¡¯d had a miscarriage in the bathhouse, everyone had seen it clearly, and it had frightened many people. It was said that many people had seen it with their own eyes.


    Perhaps because the miscarriage had happened in the early stages of the pregnancy, the fetus had probably been very small and not fully developed, which could have caused it not to look like a human. This led to all sorts of rumors. There were even people who swore that Xiaocao had been pregnant with a rat.


    That afternoon, Xiaocao¡¯s mother somehow met Madam Zhao. In the end, she actually came to the door with Madam Zhao, letting the other woman lead the way.


    ¡°My Xiaocao got pregnant because she used your sanitary pads. You have to take responsibility.¡±


    Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would think that ¡®sanitary pad[1]¡¯ was a person¡¯s name and he had gotten a girl pregnant. It sounded like they were there to hold the father, Wei Shengjin, responsible.


    This time, they¡¯d even brought a reporter with them. It wasn¡¯t someone working for a regr media outlet, but an employee of some trashy magazine that they had never heard of. That reporter asked trashy questions from the side.


    ¡°Previously, your sanitary napkins were suspected of making people sick. Now, there are rumors that they can get people pregnant. What exactly is the manufacturing process like? What do you do to the sanitary napkins? Are there many male workers in the factory?¡±


    He was obviously hinting that the male workers had done something to the sanitary napkins.


    [1] The Chinese term for sanitary pad is ¡®wei sheng jin¡¯

 Chapter 344 - A Girl Pregnant With a Rat

    <h4>Chapter 344: A Girl Pregnant With a Rat</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe clenched her fists when she heard that. ¡°Are you a reporter or a fiction writer? If you¡¯re going to fabricate something like that, why did youe to conduct an interview to begin with? You can just fabricate it yourself. 80% of the workers in our factory are female. There are only a few male workers. Both male and female workers work by following the factory rules. The situation that you¡¯re hinting at definitely doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Manager Lei clued Mu Jingzhe in from the side. This magazine specialized in fabricating absurd rumors and using strange or bizarre content to attract attention, so it wasn¡¯t surprising for him to ask questions like that.


    This was probably why Madam Zhao had deliberately found this reporter.


    The reporter didn¡¯t mind being scolded and instead asked, ¡°It¡¯s said that the victim, Xiaocao, gave birth to something that resembled a rat when she suffered a miscarriage. Is it rted to the rats in your factory? Is it possible that the pregnancy was caused by the traces left by the rats on the sanitary napkins¡­¡±


    Upon hearing that the fetus had looked like a rat, Mu Jingzhe frowned. When she heard thest sentence, she raised an eyebrow. ¡°First of all, there are no rats in our factory. Also, it¡¯s even more impossible for traces left behind by a rat to exist on the sanitary napkins. Besides, it¡¯s impossible for a human to get pregnant by a rat.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re denying that Xiaocao¡¯s pregnancy had something to do with your sanitary napkins?¡± the reporter asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe had just said this when she was interrupted by Xiaocao¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about denying it. My daughter got pregnant because she used your sanitary pads. You have to take responsibility. My daughter has been obedient since she was young. It can¡¯t be her doing!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes were red, and she was on the verge of breaking down. She had three daughters, and Xiaocao was the second eldest. They had originally nned on arranging a blind date for her in the near future. Their eldest daughter was also getting married soon. The third daughter had grown up as well, and it was about time they introduced her to a marriage partner.


    When the matter with Xiaocao came out, their eldest daughter was suspected and people started to gossip about her. Their third daughter was also affected. They didn¡¯t know what to do in the future.


    Xiaocao had been obedient since she was young. She firmly believed that Xiaocao had been harmed by the sanitary napkins. She had to avenge her daughter!


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight it out with you. You actually caused my daughter to get pregnant with a rat!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s mother had made up her mind to hold the sanitary napkins responsible for this. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face darkened when she saw this farce. She reached out and patted the security booth. ¡°Enough. Just because you¡¯re loud, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re reasonable. Do you believe that sanitary napkins can get people pregnant? Furthermore, pregnant with a rat? Don¡¯t you know anything about reproductive?istion<sup>1</sup>?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the reporter. ¡°How did you be a reporter? Do you have anymon sense? How can you spout such nonsense?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a ridiculous story that had been passed down to the modern age and heard by countless people.


    Before the modern inte had be so developed, Mu Jingzhe had heard of the horror story of a young girl in her prime getting pregnant with more than ten or twenty mice because of a sanitary napkin. At first, she hadn¡¯t understood that it was impossible and had been very afraid.


    It was said that a rat had crawled on the sanitary napkin or something, and that girl had ended up giving birth to a nest of rats. Also, the rats would bite the mother in the stomach or something. There was seemingly a lot of evidence, and the rumors had sounded very real.


    When she was young, Mu Jingzhe used to be quite frightened. Later on, she had found out that those were all rumors and the rats didn¡¯t exist at all. However, even in theter stages of Inte development, this story continued to circte, and there were still people asking if it was true.


    By the time Mu Jingzhe grew up, she had already known that it was fake. However, she couldn¡¯t tell how or when the rumors had started spreading. In any case, it seemed like this story had existed for a long time.


    She hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such an incident after transmigrating into a novel or even bing directly involved.


    She had just fired the vice team leader who had secretly released the rats and mice. Now, this had happened. There was also Madam Zhao. She wouldn¡¯t believe that there wasn¡¯t more to this matter than met the eye.


    The sanitary pads had yet to gain poprity, but there was such a rumor circting. It was unknown if they had fabricated this story or if someone had made it up before.


    But no matter the reason, Mu Jingzhe found it absurd. She looked at Xiaocao¡¯s mother and said, ¡°You¡¯ve given birth to a few children before, so you must be experienced. Are you really going to say that your daughter was pregnant with a rat just because people said it looked like a rat?


    ¡°Even if she identally got pregnant previously, you can just teach her properly in the future. Why do you have to give her the reputation of a girl being pregnant with a rat? Is it better to be pregnant with a rat than with a human? Now that she was pregnant with a rat, she might be criticized for the rest of her life, and it might even affect her entire future. Are you willing to see such a thing happen?¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s mother¡¯s face twisted for a moment. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re doing this for your daughter¡¯s good. But even though everyone is talking about it right now, as time passes, everyone might forget about it. In the future, just have her get married in a faraway ce and pretend that she was married once. This is better than saying that she was pregnant with a rat and having her get criticized for the rest of her life, right? Think about it. A few yearster, someone will still point at your daughter and wonder if she¡¯s the person who gave birth to a rat!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s mother waspletely stunned. Previously, her mind had been filled with thoughts of her daughter usually being the most obedient girl, but this time, she had lost face, so she had to resolve this issue. However, she hadn¡¯t thought too far ahead. Now that she had heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, she had to admit that Mu Jingzhe was right.


    ¡°I¡­ But my daughter said it¡¯s because she used your sanitary pads¡­¡±


    That reporter had originally wanted to report on this story to attract attention. Their magazine didn¡¯t need to report facts. This could be treated as a story, which was also newsworthy. As such, it would definitely garner a lot of attention. How could he allow this matter to be resolved so easily?


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Stop shirking responsibility. It¡¯s impossible just because you say it¡¯s impossible?¡± The reporter chimed in, even dreaming of Mu Jingzhe sealing his mouth with money out of guilt. The more overboard he went, the better.


    ¡°Then is it possible just because you say it¡¯s possible?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I don¡¯t care which gossip magazine you work for, but if anything you say doesn¡¯t match the actual situation, I¡¯ll sue you until you realize your mistake!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at the reporter¡¯s livid expression. Instead, she looked at Madam Zhao. ¡°Madam Zhao, your n failed, and you came up with another one. You¡¯re really full of tricks. The test results have yet to be released. Can¡¯t you wait two days?¡±


    Madam Zhao¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. I was just kind enough to help¡­¡±


    ¡°More like you¡¯re instigating this with bad intentions, aren¡¯t you? You people are really disgusting. You came up with such a rotten idea to take advantage of their plight.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe said directly, ¡°I¡¯ve already received a big gift from Green Bamboo. I¡¯ll definitely return it in the future. There¡¯s no need for this today. Whatever this is, just wait for the results to find out.¡±


    Madam Zhao hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be so direct. She wanted to say something, but coincidentally, as soon as Mu Jingzhe finished speaking, Manager Lei came over with some good news.


    ¡°Boss, the results are out. There¡¯s nothing wrong with our products. Sanitation, safety, and everything else are legal and up to standard.¡±


    When Madam Zhao heard the result, she could only ept this no matter how unwilling she was.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the reporter. ¡°Did you hear that? If you need to, I can take you to see the results. The test results are out. If you write any nonsense, then I¡¯m sorry¡­ but you and the magazine behind you should wait for mywyer¡¯s letter. If you dare harm our brand¡¯s interests, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.¡±

 Chapter 345 - Shao Nan Also Knows How to Act?

    <h4>Chapter 345: Shao Nan Also Knows How to Act?</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s threat made the reporter¡¯s expression change. The reason he hade in high spirits was because Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sanitary pads were quite famous. This also proved that they sold well. How could the magazine afford topensate them for their losses?


    In spite of his indignation, the reporter could only retreat. Only Xiaocao¡¯s mother was left at the door. Mu Jingzhe had a good talk with her and asked her not to keep running away and scolding her daughter. ¡°After experiencing such a thing, I¡¯m sure she feels awful. She has also been taught a lesson. Don¡¯t force her to death.¡±


    Although Xiaocao hade up with this foolish idea, Mu Jingzhe still wanted to solve the problem peacefully. She really didn¡¯t want to see any more reports of people being pregnant with rats.


    Xiaocao¡¯s mother burst into tears on the spot. When she went back, she didn¡¯t know how to broach the subject with Xiaocao. Later on, Xiaocao came clean with her mother and said that she had actually been bullied by someone she knew. However, she hadn¡¯t dared say it, so she had deliberately lied.


    Never mind how Xiaocao¡¯s mother settled the score with that man and how they rified things. In the end, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t let the news implicate their brand.


    However, she gave the newspaper agency a big gift¡ªGreen Bamboo¡¯s toilet paper polluted the environment and was below standards.


    Green Bamboo was considered the leader in the toilet paper market in the past few years. In the past, everyone had bought toilet paper from Green Bamboo. Both in terms of numbers and weight, their sales were much higher than theirpetitors¡¯.


    Since Mu Jingzhe had bought the paper manufacturing factory, their sanitary napkin production had had a huge impact on Green Bamboo, reducing their market share by nearly 50 percent. Instead of thinking of ways to be morepetitive or improve their own quality, they had attacked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s factory using underhanded methods in a bid to win back their market share.


    However, it hadn¡¯t urred to them that even if Mu Jingzhe¡¯s paper manufacturing factory hadn¡¯t existed, other brands¡¯ sanitary napkins would have upied the market.


    In the past few years, the economy had been recovering, especially in the past one or two years. As a result, there were many factories in coastal cities.


    Green Bamboo¡¯s quality had remained stagnant all these years. In the past, when there had been no otherpetitors, everyone used to buy their products because they were used to them. Now that they had better quality ones to choose from, they didn¡¯t buy as much from Green Bamboo as before. When they saw the news, they realized that the toilet paper Green Bamboo made was inferior and even polluted the environment. The factory had failed to properly deal with the wastewater and affected the water in several viges. After learning about this, everyone stopped buying from them.


    Green Bamboo had tried to steal a chicken, only to end up losing the rice used to lure it. They had done themselves in. Mu Jingzhe publicized what Green Bamboo had done and asked everyone to be wary of them. After a while, Green Bamboo slowly went out of business and closed the factory¡¯s doors.


    Although Mu Jingzhe had encountered some trouble during her trip to the paper manufacturing factory, after she took care of it, it didn¡¯t affect the factory much. It even made the employees in the factory feel more united.


    Mu Jingzhe only left after she handled the advertisement matters.


    Once the money was in ce, Director Jiang gave his wife the money to settle down and started working. The movie ¡°Nameless¡± officially entered the filming stage.


    Mu Jingzhe was familiar with these early stages of work. As usual, she was in charge of fashion and styling. When the preparations were almost done, it was time for the casting.


    By then, it was already December. The money spent during the early stages of filming was under control. Because there weren¡¯t any particrly big money-burning scenes, Director Jiang felt that they could continue filming until the end. They wouldn¡¯t run out of money halfway through filming.


    In terms of saving money, Director Jiang said that he was very experienced.


    The auditions then started. Although the industry had previously expressed that they weren¡¯t optimistic about this movie, seeing that the movie seemed properly done, many well-informed people of suitable age were preparing to audition.


    Director Jiang weed both children with acting experience and children without acting experience to the auditions. Because the protagonist was a child, he hoped to find someone with decent acting skills or a person who fit the role naturally so that the filming process would go smoothly.


    After the audition started, it continued for two to three days. Other roles were cast first. The people chosen weren¡¯t particrly famous because the budget was limited.


    Finally, only the extremely important young male lead, Little Fish, and his father had yet to be cast. Director Jiang wasn¡¯t quite satisfied with the actors who had auditioned for these two roles. On the fifth day, the father was cast, but Little Fish had yet to be cast.


    Director Jiang decided to make use of thest two days to utilize his final connections and publicize this. He wanted everyone to give it a try and audition for this role.


    When the teachers and parents of the art school students in the county city heard this, many of them were eager to sign their kids and students up. Even Shao Xi and Shao Dong¡¯s ssmates wanted their younger siblings to attend the audition after hearing about it.


    Although Shao Xi had been belittled previously, he was now a small celebrity in the county city. When they heard that this was his movie, everyone enthusiastically participated. Many parents even stopped Shao Xi outside the school and asked him to see if their children could do it.


    Shao Xi: ¡°I¡¯m not in charge of this. The director has the final say.¡±


    When Director Jiang saw that so many people in the county had signed up for the audition, he decided to spare a day ande to the county city for the audition. He even specifically chose a Sunday, when there were no sses, so that everyone coulde.


    Because Shao Xi and Shao Dong were curious, they deliberately went to the venue to take a look. However, after watching for a while, they lost interest. Many of those who signed up didn¡¯t know anything about acting. They couldn¡¯t cry when asked to and they only knew how to grin foolishly. However, when you asked them tough, they would cry until the heavens shook. After half a day, Shao Xi felt like his ears were about to go deaf and started having a headache.


    He believed that the director had wasted a trip there. ¡°None of these people are like the Little Fish I created.¡±


    In the end, Shao Xi and Shao Dong chose to go to the art school. The two of them left but didn¡¯t notice a small figure hiding from them.


    When the art school closed, Shao Xi wanted to know the casting results and went to the audition site to take a look. He saw Director Jiang¡¯s face alight with joy. ¡°We finally found him. Fantastic.¡±


    Upon seeing Shao Xi, Director Jiang had a helpless look in his eyes. ¡°Look at you guys. If your younger brother was nning to audition, why didn¡¯t you tell me? I didn¡¯t even know about it and was shocked when I suddenly saw him at the audition venue today. However, not only is your younger brother good at learning, but he¡¯s also very good at acting. I¡¯ve already decided to cast him.¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°Younger brother? Acting?¡±


    ¡°That younger brother of yours, Shao Nan, came to the audition in the afternoon. He¡¯s very good. I¡¯ve decided to use him. I didn¡¯t want to film a family movie originally and make it all about your family, but he performed better than everyone else and is the most suitable candidate. I ultimately decided to prioritize the role and choose him.¡±


    ¡°Shao Nan? No way! He doesn¡¯t know how to act at all.¡± Shao Xi and Shao Dong looked like they had seen a ghost.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either, but he might not have been interested in it in the past. This time, he said that the script was written by his older brother, so he wants to act in the movie. He and Shao Bei are twins, so how can only one of them know how to act? The other one must be talented too. He¡¯ll definitely make you look at him in a different light this time.¡± Director Jiang was very excited.


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong, on the other hand, had strange expressions on their faces. They didn¡¯t even know how they got home.

 Chapter 346 - Why Are There Two Shao Nans?

    <h4>Chapter 346: Why Are There Two Shao Nans?</h4>


    Now, they really had a home in the county city. Previously, they hadn¡¯t been able to find a suitable house, but they recently had. Mu Jingzhe had directly bought the house. Shao Xi, Shao Dong, and Xiao Wu finally had a home in the county city. They no longer had to look for Shao Qiyang or Li Zhaodi.


    When they lived there, Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai would always be separated. The two of them would take turns taking care of the kids in the vige and the county city.


    This weekend, it was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s turn to be in the county city. When Shao Dong and Shao Xi returned home, they happened to see Shao Nan, who was also home. ¡°Shao Nan, why didn¡¯t you tell us that you were going to the audition? When did you start thinking about acting?¡±


    Shao Xi was the most excited out of the duo. ¡°You¡¯re acting because my story is good, right? I knew you worshipped me.¡±


    Shao Nan was speechless. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I don¡¯t worship you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned when she heard their conversation. ¡°What audition? Little Nan, didn¡¯t you go to the library?¡±


    The library had a good learning atmosphere, so Shao Nan liked to go there.


    Shao Nan replied vaguely, ¡°Yes, I went to the audition briefly. I didn¡¯t expect to be chosen. I didn¡¯t anticipate it either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really good at hiding it. You didn¡¯t reveal any ws previously.¡± Shao Xi was sighing when another person entered the door. Shao Xi turned his head, and his eyes widened. ¡°Shao Nan!¡±


    ¡°Why is there another Shao Nan here?!¡±


    The Shao Nan who was at the door stared at the Shao Nan inside. ¡°You¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I meant to ask you that. What¡¯s going on with you? Why are there two Shao Nans?¡±


    Shao Xi pulled the other Shao Nan in and ced him beside the Shao Nan in the room. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s going on?! Shao Nan, have you mastered that cloning thing you mentioned before and cloned yourself? Or did you study Sun Wukong¡¯s 72 Transformations and conjure up a different version of yourself?¡±


    The Shao Nan who hade second was speechless. ¡°Second Brother, are you stupid? Why are you talking about Sun Wukong? That¡¯s Little Bei.¡±


    The Shao Nan who had entered the room first was also speechless, but he didn¡¯t admit that he was Little Bei. ¡°Second Brother, you¡¯re really hopeless. I¡¯m Little Nan, and she¡¯s Little Bei.¡±


    The two Shao Nans¡¯ tones and expressions were identical.


    Shao Xi: ¡°Which one of you exactly is Little Bei?¡±


    He looked left and right. ¡°I remember you two being about the same height. Even your teeth looked almost the same after they fell off and you grew new ones. But I didn¡¯t think you two looked alike in the past. When did you two start looking so simr?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve always looked simr. We¡¯re twins!¡± The two Shao Nans eximed in unison.


    Shao Xi was even more confused. He looked at Mu Jingzhe, asking for help. ¡°Mommy, can you tell the difference?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong looked at each other. ¡°I can tell. Can¡¯t you tell?¡±


    Shao Xi looked at them, unwilling to admit that he really couldn¡¯t tell. He thought for a moment calmly and looked at them carefully. Finally, he pointed at the Shao Nan who had entered the room first. ¡°You¡¯re Little Bei, right?¡±


    Little Bei wailed and opened her mouth to bite Shao Xi¡¯s finger. ¡°Second Brother, you¡¯re really stupid. You actually only guessed it now.¡±


    ¡°You really are Little Bei!¡± Shao Xi¡¯s face was filled with surprise. He shook his hand, which hurt from the bite, and circled Little Bei. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize that you and Little Nan looked so simr in the past? Why did you suddenly pretend to be Little Nan? Your hair¡­¡±


    ¡°This only happened because you didn¡¯t write about a little girl and made the protagonist a little boy. I could only pretend to be Third Brother to audition.¡± Little Bei was sad when she heard him mention her hair. She then pounced on Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, my hair. Boohoo¡­¡±


    Shao Xi looked at Little Bei, who had previously been covered in Shao Nan¡¯s clothes from head to toe and suddenly became Little Bei now. Although she was still short-haired and was wearing the same clothes, he could tell at first nce now. His eyes were filled with shock.


    ¡°Little Bei, how did you do it? Why do you look so much like Little Nan? So the actor Director Jiang chose was actually you? Not Shao Nan?¡±


    ¡°Of course it was me. Third Brother doesn¡¯t know how to act at all.¡± Little Bei pursed her lips. ¡°I learned so well because I¡¯ve been observing and imitating Third Brother recently. It looks like the results are pretty good. Even you didn¡¯t recognize me.¡±


    Little Bei sounded a little proud.


    Although others had been able to tell that Little Bei and Shao Nan were twins previously, it was very easy to distinguish them. Because Little Bei was a girl and Shao Nan was a boy, they wore different clothes. Therefore, they didn¡¯t look like replicas of each other.


    Although Shao Dong and Shao Xi looked simr too, people could always tell them apart.


    However, they hadn¡¯t expected Little Bei to bear such a shocking resemnce to Shao Nan after cutting her hair short. Shao Xi was both surprised and moved. ¡°So¡­ So Little Bei, you dressed like this because you wanted to portray Little Fish?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Little Bei nodded.


    Mu Jingzhe stroked her hair. ¡°So you said that you didn¡¯t want to go to art school today and insisted on following your grandmother to town just to pretend to be Shao Nan for the audition?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Little Bei nodded.


    ¡°You made a decision long ago?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ve always been very regretful. Then, when I looked at Second Brother, I suddenly had this thought. Little Fish is about the same age as us. I felt that there was still a chance, so I secretly studied the part.¡±


    Little Bei¡¯s acting seemed very real and was very much rted to her observation and learning ability.


    During this period, she had been imitating Shao Nan. Then, when she¡¯d heard that they hadn¡¯t chosen an actor, she hadpletely made up her mind. For the first time ever, she had lied to Mu Jingzhe and followed Li Zhaodi to town. In the end, she had confessed it all to Li Zhaodi in town, which had resulted in what had happened afterward.


    Little Bei had decided to audition as Shao Nan. First, she had gone to get a haircut. Coincidentally, it was market day in town, and there were many haircut stalls, so she had directly had her hair cut in one of them. She had shown the barber Shao Nan¡¯s photo and asked him to cut her hair exactly like that.


    The barber: ¡°¡­¡±


    Coincidentally, the barber Little Bei went to was the one that Mu Jingzhe had once looked for. He didn¡¯t know why his stall had suddenly be a ce where girls liked to cut their hair. Furthermore, all of them wanted to cut their hair into boyish hairstyles.


    However, he didn¡¯t refuse this time. As an old master with twenty to thirty years of experience in shaving and cutting hair, he perfectly copied Shao Nan¡¯s hairstyle for Little Bei.


    The old barber had never watched movies and didn¡¯t recognize Little Bei. He even eded to her request and helped her save the hair after cutting it.


    After the haircut, Little Bei took a set of clothes identical to Shao Nan¡¯s out of her bag to change.


    Shao Nan and Little Bei had many clothes that looked like twins¡¯ outfits. Some of them were dresses and pants, and some were identical.


    Before Shao Nan went out that day, Little Bei had offered to help him pick out an outfit, and she had picked out an identical one.


    After Little Bei had changed into the outfit, she¡¯dpletely transformed into Shao Nan. Even her tone had changed.


    Li Zhaodi, who had seen Little Bei get a haircut with her own eyes, thought that Shao Nan had reallye after Little Bei transformed. She thought that Little Bei and Shao Nan were ying a prank on her. She only confirmed that it was Little Bei after verifying it a few times.


    Little Bei¡¯s transformation had deeply shocked Li Zhaodi. Along the way, Li Zhaodi had looked at Little Bei with admiration in her eyes. For the first time, she understood what it meant to be a movie queen. ¡°The movie queen is so amazing.¡±


    Although she was certain that it was Little Bei, Li Zhaodi had still been a little restless on the way. She¡¯d even wanted to touch to see if there was a little chili to confirm it.


    It was Little Bei who had forcefully stopped her and guarded against her all the way, preventing that from happening.

 Chapter 347 - Little Nan, You Also Pretend to Be Little Bei

    <h4>Chapter 347: Little Nan, You Also Pretend to Be Little Bei</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    This was her first time doing such a big thing with Little Bei, so Li Zhaodi was very nervous. She had followed Little Bei to the audition location, but she was afraid that she would be recognized, so she had stayed outside.


    Because she didn¡¯t know if Mu Jingzhe would be angry, and because Little Bei wanted everyone to guess, Li Zhaodi returned right after taking Little Bei back.


    After hearing Little Bei recount the events, Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°Your grandmother is too much. Why does she only listen to a child like you?¡±


    ¡°Because Grandma is wonderful.¡± Little Bei smiled. ¡°I was originally afraid that I wouldn¡¯t do it well enough, but when I saw that Third Brother, who¡¯s the most familiar with me, didn¡¯t notice anything wrong, I felt that it was feasible. In the future, I¡¯ll join the production team using my brother¡¯s identity to film.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Little Bei¡¯s hair. As a girl who liked to look pretty, Little Bei usually treasured her hair dearly and liked to braid it in all sorts of ways and adorn it with hair ornaments. Previously, she had been very sad when it had been burned away. It hadn¡¯t been easy for her to grow it, but in the end, it had been cut just like that.


    ¡°You cut it so short. What if you hadn¡¯t passed the audition?¡±


    ¡°That would have meant that I¡¯m not as skilled as others. I really wanted this role, so I fought for it. If others can do it, I can too. While I¡¯m still young and can act as a boy, I have to cherish this chance. Fortunately, I passed the audition.¡±


    Little Bei was vain, but she loved acting more, so she couldpromise.


    Little Bei stroked her hair and held back her tears as she said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Hair can always grow back. It¡¯ll grow back in the future.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s heart ached at the sight of it. ¡°If I had known, I would have made the protagonist a girl¡­¡±


    ¡°I was joking previously. Brother, your writing makes sense. Little Fish is very good. I like this role so much. Believe me, I can portray it well.¡±


    ¡°We believe you, but are you really going to join the production as Little Nan?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Nan. ¡°Then does Little Nan have to pretend to be you?¡±


    Shao Nan¡¯s expression changed. ¡°No, no way. I can¡¯t pretend to be a girl. I¡¯ll never be able to learn!¡±


    Shao Nan expressed his conviction that this was absolutely impossible.


    Although he said this¡­ when the movie officially started shooting, he had no choice but to do it even if he didn¡¯t want to or wasn¡¯t able to.


    ¡°Third Brother¡­ My good brother, I¡¯m begging you. Please help me. Aren¡¯t I your favorite sister? Just help me this once. I passed the audition and even cut my hair.¡±


    The preparations for the movie werepleted, and filming officially started just before the winter break. Little Bei wanted to apply for leave and join the cast early, so Shao Nan had to cooperate.


    When Shao Nan said that he didn¡¯t know how to act as Little Bei, Little Bei immediately started to wheedle and kept calling him ¡®Brother¡¯ sweetly. She wrapped her arms around Shao Nan¡¯s neck and wouldunch a round of wheedling attacks on him at any time.


    ¡°Brother, you only have to endure it for a little bit and just put on my wig. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. I definitely won¡¯t expose myself.¡±


    ¡°Brother, please help me. This is a big deal to our family. Mommy, Big Brother, and the rest spent so much time and effort on this. So did Second Brother. You can¡¯t bear to let all this go to waste, right?¡±


    ¡°I know that I¡¯m making things difficult for you, Brother, but I really don¡¯t want to mess this up. If the director finds out that I lied to him, that I¡¯m not you but a girl, he might rece me. You also know that after probing and asking him. Even if he continues to let me act despite his reluctance, he might have concerns. That won¡¯t be good. Brother, I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    When Little Bei wheedled, no one could take it. Shao Nan was no exception. Besides, this was indeed a big deal at home.


    Little Bei didn¡¯t mean to keep lying to the director. Back then, she had pretended to be Shao Nan because she liked the role too much and wanted to show that she could act as a boy well.


    Although she had jokingly asked Shao Nan to act as herter on, she had originally nned to confess everything to Director Jiang. After all, she had to keep filming, and it wouldn¡¯t be good to keep hiding it.


    However, unfortunately, Director Jiang despised cross-dressing women. He was speechless when he saw cross-dressing women in movies and television dramas. He felt that even a blind person could tell that they were women and they were treating the audience as fools.


    Therefore, he wasn¡¯t wild about the idea of actors cross-dressing. When Mu Jingzhe asked him about it, it was just a precautionary measure. Now, she knew Director Jiang¡¯s thoughts about this.


    Director Jiang said that he wouldn¡¯t ept it under any circumstances. He would only be convinced if he really saw a performance that persuaded himpletely one day and no one could tell. Otherwise, he would curse when he heard it. He had made it clear that he wasn¡¯t into this.


    Director Jiang¡¯s attitude eliminated the possibility of hering clean. Little Bei was afraid that Director Jiang would fly into a rage when he found out the truth and stop filming. She could only bite the bullet and hide it from Director Jiang to see if she could get his approval.


    Shao Nan knew very well that this had happened, so in the end, he could only face death with a stiff face and stop shaking his head.


    Little Bei circled Shao Nan and coaxed him for two days before Shao Nan finally relented.


    Although he surrendered, his face still darkened when he saw Little Bei take off the wig on her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to put it on for me now. We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, as you wish.¡± Little Bei smiled and put the wig back.


    Little Bei had taken her hair back when she¡¯d cut it. Mu Jingzhe had used the hair to make a wig. Although it was a little short, one couldn¡¯t tell after the wig was on.


    Later on, Little Bei had started to put on the wig every day, which temporarilyforted her injured little heart.


    Little Bei liked wigs a lot, but Shao Nan was extremely resistant when he saw one. Still, the day when he¡¯d have to wear it had ultimately arrived.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go film then, Brother. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to wear a wig today. Everyone knows that Shao Nan is going to film. We can¡¯t let the cat out of the bag right from the start.¡±


    In the past, Little Bei had been the one filming. Everyone was a little surprised to hear that Shao Nan wanted to film. However, Shao Nan had appeared on television before, so everyone epted it quickly.


    Little Bei had already disguised herself as Shao Nan. Her hair had also been cut ording to the director¡¯s instructions right from the start. She could act like Shao Nan at any time.


    As he looked at Little Bei, Shao Nan felt like he was looking at himself. He nodded helplessly. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡±


    Little Bei carefully put the wig on Shao Nan¡¯s head. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Xiao Wu, and Mu Jingzhe watched without blinking. When they saw him with the wig on, their eyes lit up.


    After Shao Nan put on the wig, he did look rather like Little Bei.


    ¡°No wonder they say they¡¯re twins. They can even change gender.¡±


    Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help pping his hands. ¡°Little Nan has be Little Bei. If only he wasn¡¯t staring at me fiercely, it¡¯d be great. Little Bei wouldn¡¯t be so fierce usually.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe held in herughter and pulled Shao Xi away. ¡°Stop mocking Little Nan. If it weren¡¯t for his help, things would have been very troublesome.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe helped Shao Nan adjust his wig to ensure that it wouldn¡¯t fall off. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you today, Little Nan. I¡¯ve already applied for leave from the school on your behalf. You can stay at home and study. You don¡¯t have to specifically act as Little Bei. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Shao Nan had long finished studying the elementary school learning material, so it would be fine even if he didn¡¯t go to school. The school was also very easy to talk to. He just had to wait for the final exam.


    In order to prevent Shao Nan from feeling troubled, Mu Jingzhe also took him to the county city. Shao Nan could stay at home or go to the library to study.


    In the next few days, the siblings started acting like each other.

 Chapter 348 - The Embarrassing Things That Happened While They Were Acting As Each Other

    <h4>Chapter 348: The Embarrassing Things That Happened While They Were Acting As Each Other</h4>


    Little Bei was the most adapted to acting like Shao Nan. After filming started, she became Little Fish. When she was not filming, she would act like Shao Nan to hone her acting skills.


    Little Bei¡¯s determination and acting skills were no joke. The entire production team didn¡¯t notice anything was amiss with Little Bei and really treated her as Shao Nan. Director Jiang praised Shao Nan for being a genius. Because filming went smoothly, he praised Little Bei every day.


    Little Bei was like a fish in water and felt extremely happy. This made Shao Nan suffer. He was forced to be Little Bei, and he really didn¡¯t know how to act. He had a wig on his head and a dark expression on his face every day, looking very unwilling all this while.


    Of course, he was even more unwilling to wear a dress. This was where he drew the line, so Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t force him.


    Everything went fine. However, Shao Xi would tease Shao Nan from time to time and he kept calling him ¡®younger sister¡¯. He was a truly wicked older brother. He even wanted Shao Nan to wear a dress and take photos of him so that he could mock him.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t seed. What was surprising was that Shao Dong actually also teased Shao Nan. Even though he knew that Shao Nan didn¡¯t like having his head touched, he still stroked his head all the time and said that his younger sister was obedient.


    The two of them were the happiest when Shao Nan acted as Little Bei.


    Oh, there was also Xiao Wu. Even though Xiao Wu looked obedient, he was also a little mischievous when he interacted with Shao Nan. He would always call Shao Nan ¡®Sister¡¯ when there were outsiders around. He kept calling Shao Nan ¡®Sister¡¯ and buying him hair ornaments.


    Shao Nan was nearly driven mad by his brothers. If Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei hadn¡¯t been coaxing him, he would have quit long ago.


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t want to see Shao Dong and the others, so he went to the library more and more often. He basically went there every morning. He even got to know a little boy who also came to the library to read and learn every day.


    The little boy was about ten years old and was another little genius. He truly hit it off with Shao Nan.


    Later on, every time the little boy came, he would sit beside Shao Nan and learn with him. He would even share some snacks with him. Because he was so enthusiastic, Shao Nan couldn¡¯t refuse.


    Just like that, a few dayster, Shao Nan felt that it wouldn¡¯t be good to keep eating his food. He also prepared snacks and sweets to share with the little boy. The little boy¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Little Sister Bei, I knew you liked me too. I¡¯ll eat well. Also, I¡¯ve actually seen your movie. I¡¯ve liked you a lot since. You¡¯re very beautiful.¡±


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Like? Like what?


    <i>I treated you as a bro, but you¡¯re treating me as a girl and you even like me?</i>


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t act as Little Bei at all. He was just wearing a wig. Unexpectedly, even so, he was still liked as a girl.


    The little boy was only ten years old, but he already knew that he liked beautiful girls. He wanted to y with her forever.


    He grinned and pulled Shao Nan¡¯s hand. ¡°Little Sister Bei, let¡¯s go to my house to y today. We¡¯ll get married when the timees. Have you ever gone through a wedding ceremony? The kind where you bow to heaven and earth¡­¡±


    Shao Nan was still in a state of shock and speechlessness. He hadn¡¯t expected to hear him mention a wedding ceremony. Although he knew that he was talking about ying house, Shao Nan still resisted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you!¡± He avoided the little boy¡¯s hand with a livid face and rejected him. ¡°If you dare say it again, I¡¯ll hit you!¡±


    The little boy was very sad. ¡°If you don¡¯t like me, why do you eat the candy I give you every day? You even threatened to hit me. Boohoo¡­¡±


    The tranquility in the library was interrupted by the little boy¡¯s sad cries. The librarian quickly went to coax him and deal with this ¡¯emotional entanglement¡¯.


    In the end, the matter ended with the little boy leaving in tears. Shao Nan covered his face in embarrassment and left. He didn¡¯t tell anyone about this, but Shao Xi somehow found out about it. He mocked Shao Nan for duping the little boy into giving him snacks and even leading him on and making him cry.


    Shao Nan was furious. After this fiasco with the little boy, he didn¡¯t even want to go to the library anymore.


    However, he still went in the end. He brought back the snacks of the little boy he had eaten before, wanting to prove that it hadn¡¯t been his intention to dupe him into giving him snacks. However, he didn¡¯t see the little boy again.


    The little boy was heartbroken by the rejection. The library had be a sad ce for him, so he no longer wanted to visit it.


    While Shao Nan was in a depressed mood, the final exam arrived in the blink of an eye. Shao Nan first returned to the vige to prepare for the end-of-semester exam. He had originally thought that if Little Bei returned, he wouldn¡¯t have to act like her when he went to school. In the end, when it was time for the exam, Little Bei hadn¡¯t returned yet.


    The production team at Little Bei¡¯s side was on a really tight filming schedule, so although she applied for leave, it was dyed. She only rushed back after the exam started.


    Little Bei didn¡¯t have time to change out of Shao Nan¡¯s attire. On the other hand, because the exam was starting soon, Shao Nan had no choice but to put on his wig again and represent Little Bei by entering the examination hall first.


    The person invigting the end-of-semester exam wasn¡¯t a teacher from their school, but one from another school. When he saw Shao Nan, he specifically took a few more nces, but he didn¡¯t look at the name Shao Nan had filled in.


    Little Bei finally arrived after the exam started. The siblings heaved a sigh of relief. They could finally fill in their real names.


    After the exam, Shao Nan was about to go back with Little Bei to end this performance as soon as possible, but he was quickly surrounded.


    Both Shao Nan and Little Bei had a good rtionship with their ssmates at school. After handing in the exam papers, the ssmates approached them to check the answers one by one. Their enthusiasm made the siblings dete, forcing them to continue acting.


    ¡°Little Bei, what was your answer to the second question?¡±


    ¡°Little Nan, what was the answer to the fifth question?¡±


    He was fine answering the questions, but why was that ssmate holding his hand?


    Shao Nan looked at the young ssmate holding his hand and immediately broke free. However, he had just managed to break free when his hand was quickly held tightly. ¡°Little Bei, you haven¡¯t beening to ss recently. We¡¯ve missed you a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Little Bei, we¡¯ve been waiting for you toe back. Do you think my hair ornament looks good?¡±


    Shao Nan was about to continue struggling to break free when his other hand was grabbed firmly. Then, he was asked if the hair ornament looked pretty.


    ¡°Little Bei, do you think my clothes look good on me? I saw you look good in themst time. After I told my mother, she bought me a very simr dress,¡± another girl added.


    Shao Nan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Why was she holding his hand?! He so did not want to discuss which hair ornament looked prettier.


    Shao Nan looked at Little Bei for help and saw that Little Bei had already been pulled away by the brats. Compared to Shao Nan, Little Bei was much calmer. After all, she was used to acting.


    But¡­ dragging her to the back of the school topete with her and see who could pee further was overboard.


    There were some fourth- and fifth-grade students who came to look for Shao Nan, as well as some sixth-grade students. Despite their age, they started to toss aside their school bags, take off their pants, and take their things out, not giving Little Bei any time to react.


    Little Bei identally saw this and widened her eyes before abruptly covering them.


    The young friends couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Hurry up, Shao Nan. We¡¯re waiting for you. Why are you covering your eyes? Don¡¯t sit out again.¡±


    Little Bei covered her eyes tightly. ¡°No, I¡¯m notpeting anymore. I don¡¯t feel the urge to pee now. I can¡¯t pee.¡±


    ¡°Since we all have an urge to pee, so must you. Hurry up, we¡¯re waiting for you. We¡¯re about to start. One, two, three, begin!¡±


    Everyone startedpeting. Little Bei covered her eyes and didn¡¯t want to look. ¡°I have something to do, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    After saying that, she ran away. It¡¯d be toote if she didn¡¯t flee, as she didn¡¯t have it!

 Chapter 349 - No Way Will I Go To The Women’s Toilet

    <h4>Chapter 349: No Way Will I Go To The Women¡¯s Toilet</h4>


    When the children saw that Little Bei was about to run away, they panicked. ¡°Shao Nan, why are you running away again? It¡¯s rare for you toe back. We wanted to ask if filming was fun!¡±


    They were anxious and they wanted to pull Little Bei back, but they didn¡¯t have the chance. They could only watch as Little Bei ran away.


    Elsewhere, Shao Nan was looking for an excuse to run away. As he walked past the toilet, they actually pulled him to the women¡¯s bathroom. ¡°Little Bei, let¡¯s go to the bathroom before going back.¡±


    Not only were they holding his hands, but they even wanted to drag him to the bathroom together? No, no, no! No way in hell would he go to thedies¡¯ room!


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to relieve myself. I¡¯m going back. You guys go first!¡±


    Before being dragged to thedies¡¯ bathroom, Shao Nan struggled to break free from their hands and run away.


    ¡°Aye¡­¡±


    No matter how much they shouted behind him, Shao Nan rushed back as quickly as he could. He was extremely d that he hadn¡¯te to school previously. Otherwise, he would have definitely been pulled to the women¡¯s bathroom. That would have been very dangerous.


    Shao Nan and Little Bei just so happened to rush back. When Shao Nan saw Little Bei, he immediately pulled her in and put the wig on her head before finally heaving a sigh of relief.


    During the final exam in the afternoon, Shao Nan and Little Bei rxed, as they only had to be themselves.


    Because they were only taking the Chinese Literature and Mathematics exams, their exams ended in a day. After acting like himself for half a day, Shao Nan had to put on the wig again, as Little Bei had to return to the production team to film.


    Shao Nan followed them to the county city, which made things much less troublesome. Little Bei¡¯s filming progress was very smooth.


    Filming couldn¡¯t be stopped except for New Year¡¯s Eve and the first day of the New Year, so Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei spent their second and third day of the New Year with the production team.


    After filming for so long, because Mu Jingzhe also called Little Bei ¡®Little Nan¡¯ in the production team, not slipping up even once, although her family knew that Shao Nan was Little Bei, no one else noticed.


    Director Jiang especially liked Little Bei and said that he would look for her in the future and specifically write a movie for her. ¡°When you grow up, you¡¯ll definitely look good.¡±


    At first, Little Bei thought that Director Jiang was just joking. She didn¡¯t expect that Director Jiang would still remember this the day they finished filming and ate together.


    ¡°I¡¯ll write the movie when I have time. I¡¯ll tailor-make it for you. When the timees, you have to spare some time for me. I can tell that you¡¯ll definitely be popr again when this movie is screened. I know it because I¡¯m the one who will film it. There¡¯s also a chance you¡¯ll win an award. I¡¯m just waiting for you to win the Best Actor Award, like your younger sister.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not the Best Actor Award, you should at least win the Neer Award. When the timees, you can continue filming my movies and win the Best Actor Award. Therefore, you must remember to spare some time for me in your schedule.¡±


    Little Bei: ¡°¡­¡±


    It was really touching for him to tailor-make a movie for her, but¡­ she hadn¡¯t confessed yet. She couldn¡¯t possibly use her brother¡¯s identity again.


    Actually, halfway through, when she had seen that Director Jiang approved of her, Little Bei had thought of confessing. However, because she was too busy filming and had been working continuously, she didn¡¯t have the chance. Therefore, even now, Director Jiang didn¡¯t know that she was Little Bei.


    Now that they had already finished filming and Director Jiang had even made her a promise, Little Bei definitely couldn¡¯t hide it from him anymore. She had toe clean no matter what.


    Therefore, before the celebration ended, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei invited Director Jiang to the quiet room next door to confess while he was still sober.


    ¡°Director Jiang, there¡¯s actually something I¡¯ve been hiding from you. I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m actually Shao Bei, not Shao Nan. I really wanted to portray Little Fish back then, so I auditioned using Shao Nan¡¯s identity. I¡¯m sorry for not telling you.¡±


    The smile on Director Jiang¡¯s face hadn¡¯t disappeared yet, as he didn¡¯t react in time. ¡°What? What Shao Nan and Shao Bei?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying I¡¯m the younger sister, Shao Bei, not my older brother, Shao Nan. I¡¯m sorry, Director. I¡¯ve been pretending to be a boy this entire time.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe also apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director. I should have made things clear earlier, but I never had the chance.¡±


    Director Jiang¡¯s slow brain finally reacted. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re Shao Bei, not Shao Nan¡­ You¡¯re actually Shao Bei, the youngest movie queen. You¡¯re his younger sister?¡±


    He was still calm initially, but in the end, Director Jiang¡¯s voice sounded like a duck being strangled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director.¡± Little Bei apologized again.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize. It¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve been watching you. You twins must be pulling a prank.¡± Director Jiang calmed down again. ¡°Yes, you must be lying to me.¡±


    Little Bei: ¡°No, Director. I¡¯m really Shao Bei, not Shao Nan.¡±


    Little Bei stopped acting. Although her clothes hadn¡¯t changed, she was indeed different from the way Shao Nan usually acted.


    Director Jiang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at Little Bei and then at Mu Jingzhe, Director Jiang wiped his face. ¡°So it¡¯s true. You¡¯re not messing with me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Director Jiang: ¡°¡­¡±


    He digested this news with difficulty. He felt that his overconfidence and carelessness had led to this oversight. He really didn¡¯t like to see women disguising themselves as men. In the end, reality had taught him a lesson.


    Therefore, not only had Little Bei perfectly portrayed the role of Little Fish, but she had also fooled him in real life.


    Seeing that Director Jiang was silent, Mu Jingzhe patted Little Bei¡¯s shoulder infort. ¡°Director Jiang, I¡¯m sorry for hiding it from you until now¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. The heavens sent you here to tell me that there¡¯s always someone better. I¡¯ll keep my word. I won¡¯t get angry because I¡¯ve been convinced by your acting skills.


    ¡°Little Bei, you acted very well. I think if anyone finds out about this, they¡¯ll definitely be shocked.¡±


    Director Jiang suddenly got excited. ¡°Sigh¡­ Actually, this promotional point is even better than you being Shao Nan. No one expected you to take on the role of a boy. When we publicize the movie, if we keep the identity of the protagonist a secret, won¡¯t everyone be shocked when they find out?¡±


    Director Jiang said that he couldn¡¯t have suffered this shock for nothing. Everyone had to feel the same shock.


    He wanted everyone to know how it felt.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a marketing strategy. When the timees, we¡¯ll shock them. Now that you mentioned it, I¡¯m even more confident about our movie.¡±


    Director Jiang went into workaholic mode. ¡°Remember to keep this a secret. Other than me, don¡¯t tell anyone else in the production team. Before I say it can be made public, don¡¯t make it public. Only then will it be shocking.¡±


    Director Jiang¡¯s reaction was unexpected, but it was great that he hadn¡¯t gotten angry. Besides, this was a good idea. Mu Jingzhe helped theme up with ideas, and the two of them chatted happily.


    After leaving the celebration, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Director Jiang isn¡¯t angry.¡±


    Little did they know that the next day, a scream came from Director Jiang¡¯s room.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Director Jiang hadn¡¯t appeared drunk, but he had actually been drunkst night. It wasn¡¯t until he woke up the next day that he truly reacted to the fact that Little Bei was Shao Nan.


    Later on, Director Jiang had a permanent problem. Whenever he saw children, he would always be suspicious of their gender. When people said that they were little girls, he had to ask if it was true. He would even suspect that little boys were girls, making everyone think that he was crazy.

 Chapter 350 - Cant Become a Spinster

    <h4>Chapter 350: Can¡¯t Be a Spinster</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Director Jiang was extremely agitated, so he had to agitate others and cover up this matter.


    It would take time toplete the post-production work and everything else, but Little Bei had basically finished everything that she could do. At most, she would cooperate with the publicity team post-production.


    After filming wrapped up, Little Bei and Shao Nan couldpletely go back to being themselves.


    Little Bei wore a wig and started growing out her hair. When it was no longer so short, she slowly stopped wearing a wig.


    After the winter break, the children continued to study and got on track. Mu Jingzhe officially started preparing to move the hair ornament factory.


    During this period, Mu Jingzhe even celebrated her birthday on?Jingzhe<sup>1</sup>. As she was still in the production team, Mu Jingzhe emphasized that others should not give her presents, especially the children. They had just given her a car, and she couldn¡¯t let them spend any more money on her. However, the children still went over and performed a birthday dance for her.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi had grown a lot, so Shao Dong¡¯s stiffness was even more eye-catching this time. However, it was all recorded by Mu Jingzhe, who said that she wanted to keep it to view it in the future.


    Little Bei immediately said that they would perform a birthday dance for Mu Jingzhe every year from now on. This was naturally good for Mu Jingzhe and aplete surprise, but Shao Dong found it a little depressing.


    It was fine when he was young, but it would be awkward for him to dance when he grew up. However, upon looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shining eyes, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to refuse.


    Shao Dong, who was bing steadier and steadier, rarely had a difficult expression on his face, but at that moment, it was obvious from his facial expression that he had been put in a difficult position. If this was going to happen every year, should he learn how to dance properly?


    This was even harder than doing business.


    As for Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang, Mu Jingzhe had told them in advance not to celebrate her birthday and that she wouldn¡¯t ept gifts. She had also told them to busy themselves with their own matters and note over.


    Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    She might as well have just outright told them that they had been abandoned, that in her heart, the children were more important.


    Mu Jingzhe was extremely d that she had made this decision. Spending her birthday with just the five children was nice. It was fulfilling and warm. She didn¡¯t have to pay attention to anything else. She just had to be happy.


    Although she had said that she wasn¡¯t holding a birthday celebration, they didn¡¯t dispense with the longevity noodles and the birthday cake. Plus, they were specifically made by the children. Little Bei didn¡¯t have the time to learn how to make them, but the boys learned.


    Shao Dong waved his hand and generously treated the entire crew to a meal, gaining another wave of favorability.


    She was very happy on her birthday, and everything went smoothly when she came back to move the factory.


    Although it was in the vige, the factory had already taken shape. It was just that the location was being moved to the county city. Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t hidden it from the female workers, so they were already mentally prepared. None of them resigned, and they were all prepared to follow her.


    The hair ornament factory was just across the street from a canned beverage factory. Since they had already moved the factory, they naturally had to expand the production and make it more formal.


    There was a need to recruit more workers. Considering the actual situation, a men¡¯s and women¡¯s dormitory was set up. Four workers would share a dormitory, and the workers were free to live there. Like many factory workers, they would rest one day per week.


    On the day they moved the factory, many people from Great Eastern Vige were mobilized. Not only did they help, but they even signed up to see if they could be recruited.


    After the factory was moved, it quickly got back on track. The female workers also adapted quickly and started working in the county city.


    Some of them weren¡¯t married. Because they were moving to the county city, some of them weren¡¯t even in a hurry to get engaged, thinking that they might find someone better and settle down in the county city.


    Although it was a little troublesome for the married young women who had children, it wasn¡¯t impossible to adapt. Some of the husbands directly got a job at the canned goods factory across the street. As for the couples that were working in the county together, it would be better for them to rent a house.


    The husbands who didn¡¯t work stayed at home to take care of their children and would pick up their wives from work every weekend.


    The women going to work had effectively switched the traditional gender roles. Now, it was the women who were earning money to support the family, while the men mainly took care of the children and all domestic matters.


    Other than a small portion who weren¡¯t used to it at first, they were all used to it now. In the past, they would often send food to their wives. Now, they washed clothes, cooked, and did the dishes. They handled pretty much all the household chores.


    Seeing that their daughters-inw were earning money, the mothers-inw didn¡¯t say anything. At most, they would just mutter a few words in private. When their daughter-inw was present, they had to coax her.


    As long as one had ie, they would be able to stand tall. A person¡¯s ie determined their family status. This saying wasn¡¯t wrong. Their lives were watched by the women of Great Eastern Vige. Nowadays, many vigers were very motivated and kept thinking of ways to make money.


    Great Eastern Vige¡¯s vibe waspletely different now. When the vigers went out, they could present themselves as knowledgeable. Although many people were still illiterate, they could easily talk about what was illegal and things like that when they went out.


    This was all thanks to Mu Jingzhe, who liked to look for the police for everything. She used real-life cases to help everyone understand what was illegal. That aside, there was also the vige¡¯s little expert, Shao Nan.


    The vigers of Great Eastern Vige gained fame throughout the surrounding viges as their ie increased. More and more people came to Great Eastern Vige to propose marriage, and the thresholds of the homes of people who had daughters were almost broken from usage.


    Mu Jingzhe looked very happy, but she also felt slightly troubled. This was because ever since Li Zhaodi had celebrated her birthday with her, she had started nagging her about already being 23 years old. It was time for her to make some ns. Otherwise, she would be a spinster.


    In short, if she didn¡¯t want a divorce, she should quickly do you-know-what with Shao Qihai. If she wanted a divorce, she should get one quickly. She didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be a spinster.


    ¡°What if you still haven¡¯t settled down at 24 or 25? I gave birth to you when I was 21. You can¡¯t dy it any longer.¡±


    In the past, Li Zhaodi had been happy that Mu Jingzhe was still a virgin, but in the blink of an eye, her attitude had changed. It wouldn¡¯t do if she said that she was still a spinster despite being 24 or 25.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m only 23 years old. What¡¯s the hurry?¡± At this age, one had just graduated from university in the modern era. It was such a young age. She was d that she was still very young.


    ¡°How can you not be anxious? Do you want to mimic Mu Xue again? She¡¯s already 26 years old. ording to the Chinese calendar, she¡¯s already 27 or 28 years old and she still hasn¡¯t gotten married. That¡¯s a spinster through and through. You should go listen to what the vigers are saying about her.¡±


    In the past, Mu Xue used to be the most outstanding and popr girl in Great Eastern Vige. However, in the past two to three years, everything had changed. Now, she had be the most unpopr girl in the vige.


    She had almost gotten married twice, once with Shao Qihai and once with Tang Moling, but in the end, both engagements had been broken off.


    As a teacher in the vige, she was still outstanding in terms of job and appearance. However, because of Old Lady Mu¡¯s im that she had been born for riches, she had be the oldest unmarried girl in the vige. Mu Xue¡¯s status in the vige had thus been overturned.


    From the most popr girl in the vige, she had be a picky spinster.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t true that no one had gone to propose marriage after that. However, most of the people in the vige or the nearby area were ordinary. Their qualities naturally couldn¡¯tpare to Tang Moling and Shao Qihai¡¯s, and neither Mu Xue nor Old Lady Mu were willing to say yes.


    Old Lady Mu still yearned for a rich grandson-inw, but this time, said rich grandson-inw had failed to show up.


    When she saw the people she despisede to propose marriage, Old Lady Mu¡¯s expression turned ugly. After a while, no one went to propose marriage anymore. Furthermore, an increasing number of people said awful things about Mu Xue.

 Chapter 351 - The Clothes Are Undone

    <h4>Chapter 351: The Clothes Are Undone</h4>


    In the past, Old Lady Mu had been too arrogant. Now, everyone¡¯s words were increasingly harsh. They said that Mu Xue only wanted rich men, that she would rather marry an old widowed rich man than a poor young man. It was just that there were no concubines these days. Otherwise, she might have gone to a rich family to be a concubine.


    There were also those who used to like Mu Xue a lot and hated her after being rejected. They said that Mu Xue had probably lost her innocence long ago during her amorous rtionship with Tang Moling, which was why she didn¡¯t dare get married.


    As the rumors spread, Mu Xue became increasingly silent. Old Lady Mu¡¯s expression also became increasingly dark.


    Previously, when those people hade to propose marriage, they had been very annoyed. But now, every household in the vige that had a daughter had someone show up to propose marriage. The only exception was Mu Xue. They also felt ufortable.


    Mu Xue started to dislike life in the vige. Except when she had to return to the vige to teach, she stayed in the county at all times.


    She hadn¡¯t wanted the car and house that Tang Moling had given her in the past, but in the end, they became her safe haven.


    That Friday, after Mu Xue finished ss, she walked out of the vige. When she met some non-vigers at the entrance, she could tell at a nce that they were there to propose marriage. She avoided them because she didn¡¯t want to see them. She didn¡¯t expect to hear gossip about her.


    The matchmaker blurted out her thoughts freely. ¡°There¡¯s also a girl who¡¯s a teacher in the vige. She¡¯s very eligible, but no one goes to propose marriage. Their family situation is a little special. She¡¯s very old and probably won¡¯t be able to give birth in two years.¡±


    Mu Xue stabbed her fingernails into her palm and did not say anything.


    The matchmaker then talked about the other oldd in the vige, Shao Qiyang. Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue were the same age and had turned 26 that year.


    However, unlike Mu Xue¡¯s situation, many people had proposed marriage to Shao Qiyang. This was because Shao Qiyang was now a promising person in the vige, and his deliverypany was doing quite well.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite promising and good-looking, but he¡¯s not looking for a wife. There are many girls who want to marry him, but he doesn¡¯t fancy any of them. Everyone says that there might be something wrong with him.¡±


    Mu Xue sneered when she heard that. So there were also people who said that there was something wrong with Shao Qiyang.


    Mu Xue left the vige with a dark expression and drove to the county.


    Just like the house, Mu Xue hadn¡¯t nned on touching the car at first, butter on, she had gone to get a driver¡¯s license to drive it. However, she kept a low profile every day and didn¡¯t want people to pay too much attention to this car because it had been obtained by breaking off the engagement.


    When she arrived at the county city, Mu Xue felt a little better. She cooked at home and went out for a walk.


    In the past, she hadn¡¯t known how to cook at all, but recently, she had learned how to wash clothes and cook.


    When Mu Xue arrived at the movie theater and started wondering if she should watch a movie, she suddenly saw Shao Qiyang.


    Recalling the vigers¡¯ evaluation of Shao Qiyang, Mu Xue felt that they were in the same boat. Just as she was about to muster up the courage to greet him, she realized that something was wrong with him.


    He seemed to be drunk, and someone was holding him up. ¡°Why are you drunk? Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Behind the two of them was a girl with braids. The girl looked a little nervous as she followed them step by step.


    When she walked past Mu Xue, she heard Shao Qihai say, ¡°Let go of me. Let go of me!¡±


    But because his voice was too soft and he didn¡¯t seem to have much strength, no one noticed.


    Mu Xue paused. Seeing Shao Qiyang¡¯s expression, she felt a little worried. Upon thinking that they were from the same vige and he had helped her before, she thought for a moment and quietly followed him.


    She was just taking precautions. If Shao Qiyang needed help, she would help him.


    The three people in front of her turned left and right. Later on, they approached a remote house. Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t want to go in and was still struggling at the door, but in the end, he was pushed in anyway.


    Then, the young man came out. Mu Xue couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, but she saw the man take out a bag and hand it to the girl. Then, he pushed her. ¡°Hurry on in.¡±


    Mu Xue pricked up her ears and listened. That person seemed to say, ¡°I¡¯lle back tomorrow morning.¡±


    After a while, the young man left.


    Mu Xue suspiciously walked over and took a look. She only saw lighting out. After a while, the girl with the braids entered the kitchen and got a cup of water.


    Mu Xue remembered the paper bag they had secretly taken earlier. Worried that it contained something bad, she gritted her teeth and knocked on the door.


    The girl with the braids was nervous to begin with. When she heard the knock on the door, she was frightened. She thought that someone was looking for her and quickly opened the door, but when she did, she didn¡¯t see anyone. Suddenly, she was pushed by someone, and then someone darted in from the side.


    By the time she realized what was going on, the door to her house was already closed and locked from the inside.


    ¡°Who are you? Open the door!¡±


    Mu Xue ignored her and ran in as quickly as she could. Then, she saw Shao Qiyang lying on the bed. His clothes were undone, and he was unconscious.


    If Shao Qiyang was not a man, Mu Xue would have thought that he had been defiled.


    ¡°Shao Qiyang, get up!¡± Mu Xue quickly went forward to wake him up. ¡°Wake up.¡±


    Hearing her voice, Shao Qiyang opened his eyes with difficulty. ¡°Help me quickly. They want to harm me¡­¡±


    Mu Xue heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Shao Qiyang¡¯s voice. She quickly went forward to help him up. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Shao Qiyang felt weak all over. He bit the tip of his tongue to stay awake. ¡°Let¡¯s talk after we get out.¡±


    Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t even want to talk about the terrible things that had happened to him. One could say that he had a sessful career now. In the past, both those who were on good terms and bad terms with him would always smile when they saw him.


    He wasn¡¯t young and he was still single. It wasn¡¯t like no one had introduced a marriage partner to him before. He just didn¡¯t intend to get married.


    He knew very clearly that it was impossible for anything to happen between him and Mu Jingzhe. Every time Mu Jingzhe enthusiastically asked around about a girl who was interested in him, he would feel angry in his heart. Even now, Mu Jingzhe still didn¡¯t know anything about his feelings.


    After being angry for so long, Shao Qiyang started having ambitions. To avoid being angered to death by Mu Jingzhe, he swore to fall in love with someone else.


    He was very determined, but he couldn¡¯t find such a girl in a short time, so he had be an old bachelor of this era.


    Initially, it had been fine. He felt that he could just work a little harder and things would work out. If worse came to worst, he could just find a female driver. Back then, he had identally seen Mu Jingzhe drive, which was why he had been obsessed. He thought that she was not bad. In that case, he could find a female driver who drove better than her.


    However, before he could even find a female driver, he had been tricked. He hadn¡¯t expected his good friend to scheme against him like this.


    The young man from before was Shao Qiyang¡¯s former colleague. They were all temporary workers who had been exposed to the rain and the sun. He¡¯d had a good rtionship with Shao Qiyang at the time, and they had supported each other a lot.


    Later on, Shao Qiyang had wanted to start his own business and asked him if he wanted to join. However, when he¡¯d heard that Shao Qiyang had taken a loan to do it, he had refused without hesitation. He was timid and he was afraid that Shao Qiyang wouldn¡¯t be able to repay the money and would implicate him as a result.


    Unexpectedly, Shao Qiyang had actually seeded. Not only had he repaid the loan, but he¡¯d even earned a lot of money. Slowly, his mentality had changed and his words had be bitter.


    This was in spite of the fact that Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t changed his attitude after getting money. He was still the same around his brothers and friends, he was generous all the time, and he was never stingy. He would wee anyone who wanted to work at his ce.


    This colleague also went to work there, but he was dissatisfied. He kept feeling that since they were close, Shao Qiyang should give him a higher position and pay him a bigger sry. However, Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t fulfill his wish.

 Chapter 352 - If It Wasnt for Me, You Would Have Been Ruined

    <h4>Chapter 352: If It Wasn¡¯t for Me, You Would Have Been Ruined</h4>


    Human ambitions only got bigger and bigger. Later on, this colleague had thought about introducing his younger sister to Shao Qiyang, thinking that after they became a family, he could get his younger sister to influence him.


    However, Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t intend to get married. His colleague was indignant, so in the end, he used some tricks to get Shao Qiyang to marry her. Usually, it¡¯d be normal for everyone to drink, but this time, he had drugged the wine. Shao Qiyang waspletely awake, but he didn¡¯t have any strength in his body and didn¡¯t even have the strength to speak.


    He could guess what they wanted. They wanted to force him to marry someone.


    Just now, that girl had shamelessly taken off his clothes and even fed him some unknown medicine. Shao Qiyang was desperate. He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Xue to suddenly appear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave this ce first.¡± Shao Qiyang was really thankful. Mu Xue did like to be a busybody sometimes, but it was all thanks to her that he managed to escape unscathed.


    Mu Xue quickly helped him up, but when they reached the door, it wouldn¡¯t open. The door had been locked from the outside¡ªit had been locked by the girl with the braids.


    She was afraid that the matter would be exposed. Seeing that Mu Xue had run in and the door couldn¡¯t be opened, she decided to go all in and lock the door from the outside. After locking it, she went to look for her older brother.


    Mu Xue couldn¡¯t open the door and was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat. However, she felt that her entire body was getting hotter and hotter. This wasn¡¯t her imagination. Shao Qiyang, whom she was supporting, was getting hotter and hotter.


    Shao Qiyang felt it and even subconsciously approached Mu Xue. When Mu Xue reacted and looked over, Shao Qiyang almost kissed her face.


    ¡°Shao Qiyang, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Shao Qiyang jolted when he heard her voice. ¡°I¡­¡±


    As soon as he spoke, his voice was hoarse. When he sensed that something was amiss, Shao Qiyang¡¯s mind exploded.


    He knew what kind of medicine this was.


    Shao Qiyang tried his best to distance himself from Mu Xue. He fell to the ground but couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°Mu Xue, stay away from me.¡±


    Mu Xue had yet to react but wanted to go over to support him. Shao Qiyang closed his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯te near me. I¡¯ve been drugged.¡±


    Mu Xue, who was stunned, suddenly reacted. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it. Hurry up and call for help.¡±


    However, no one nearby responded to Mu Xue¡¯s shouts. ¡°What should we do? There doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone around.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but this ce isn¡¯t far from the county street. Before theye back, you could¡­ climb up the wall and go out to open the door. Regardless of whether you¡¯ll take me to the hospital or look for someone, you have to crawl out first.¡± Shao Qiyang indicated that he had also seen some television drama or movie with a character that had been drugged and recalled the things that had happened after that. Fortunately, he was still rational even though he didn¡¯t have any strength now.


    What is this? Why had he encountered such a thing?


    Mu Xue observed the height of the door and the wall and hesitated. It was a little high. Furthermore, there were shattered ss shards on it. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyang was lying on the ground, so he couldn¡¯t see the ss shards. Seeing that Mu Xue hadn¡¯t moved, he became even more anxious. ¡°Hurry. Don¡¯t tell me you want to be my antidote?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you moving faster? Or do you not even know how to climb a wall? You¡¯re not that stupid, are you? You¡¯ve never climbed a wall or a tree before?¡± They were all from the same vige. They had all climbed before, right?


    However, Mu Xue had indeed never climbed before. There was nothing she could do at the moment. She could only brace herself and move things to cushion her feet.


    As she moved, she looked at Shao Qiyang, who was still lying on the ground. ¡°Shao Qiyang, do you want me to move you into the room first?¡± It was strange to lie like this.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just stay like this. Go quickly.¡± He leaned against the ground. Thanks to the cold, he could sober up a little.


    Shao Qiyang felt increasingly ufortable. ¡°Stop talking. Hurry up, or I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡±


    Hearing Shao Qiyang¡¯s threat, Mu Xue gritted her teeth and climbed up. Her hands and legs were scratched by the ss shards and hurt terribly. She had even sprained her ankle when she¡¯d jumped down. Mu Xue was so angry that she wanted to curse.


    Seeing that the door was indeed locked, Mu Xue picked up a rock and used a lot of strength to smash it open before moving Shao Qiyang out with difficulty.


    After walking with effort for a while, they finally met an enthusiastic auntie. The auntie was stronger than Mu Xue. Looking at Shao Qiyang¡¯s condition, she clicked her tongue. ¡°You young people really know how to y.¡±


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Finally, they arrived at the hospital. Shao Qiyang heaved a sigh of relief and felt that he had finally been saved.


    However, in reality, the hospital wasn¡¯t omnipotent. Given his condition, the doctor could tell at a nce that he had taken the kind of medicine sold outside, the very medicine that he shouldn¡¯t have taken. However, there was no medicine that could neutralize the effect of this drug. He had to endure it.


    It was impossible for the hospital to find a bucket of ice water for him to soak in. They could only prescribe some medicine to calm him down.


    Shao Qiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    It was really too much of a scam. He didn¡¯t have any strength in his body, but that spot felt terrible.


    Shao Qiyang was lying on the hospital bed and facing Mu Xue unwillingly. Mu Xue could only pass him a ss of water.


    In thetter half of the night, Shao Qiyang finally felt better. Now that he had strength, he didn¡¯t feel so terrible anymore.


    However, when he looked at Mu Xue, he felt a little ufortable. She had seen him in his most pathetic state!


    However, after calming down, he noticed Mu Xue¡¯s wound. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your hand?¡±


    ¡°As I was climbing the wall¡­ I scratched it.¡±


    Shao Qiyang took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯re in the hospital. Can¡¯t you bandage it first? Or do you want to deliberately leave the wound for me to see so that I can be grateful to you?¡±


    Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t been like this in the past, but after growing up in the past two years, seeing Shao Xi and Shao Nan¡¯s vicious mouths, and witnessing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sharp tongue, his mouth had slowly be poisonous.


    Mu Xue¡¯s expression froze. Anger shed across her eyes, but strangely, she quickly calmed down. ¡°I¡¯d like to say that you¡¯re thinking too much, but¡­ you¡¯re right. And you really should be grateful to me.¡±


    She felt like she had nothing to lose. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you would have been ruined.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the ruined one!¡± Shao Qiyang was furious. ¡°Mu Xue, these are your true colors, right? I was blind to fall for you back then¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. These are my true colors. I¡¯m also human. I know how to scheme and I have bad intentions. I also know what it¡¯s like to be jealous and regretful. So what? I¡¯m not surprised that you¡­ you like me. I guessed it long ago.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you anymore!¡± Shao Qiyang felt less ufortable seeing Mu Xue like this, but he had to rify this.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known for a long time. Don¡¯t you like Mu Jingzhe now? Unfortunately, she¡¯s your sister-inw, so she can¡¯t be with you!¡±


    Now that his thoughts had been exposed, Shao Qiyang was a little nervous and angry. However, he was also inexplicably happy. He felt that someone finally understood his feelings.


    ¡°No matter what, she¡¯s better than you!¡± Shao Qiyang simply didn¡¯t deny it, but when these words were said, the unwillingness that had been suppressed in his heart seemed to lighten a little.


    Despite their quarrel, Shao Qiyang still took Mu Xue to the doctor to clean and bandage the wounds on her hands and legs.


    Shao Qiyang, who had been tormented the entire night, was extremely tired. He went back and rested for a day before going to work the next day. He immediately fired that guy.


    Only then did his colleague feel afraid. He wanted to salvage the situation, but it was toote.

 Chapter 353 - Going Overseas

    <h4>Chapter 353: Going Overseas</h4>


    After Shao Qiyang experienced this, one could say that he had grown up once again. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened, but she heard that Shao Qiyang¡¯s courierpany had experienced a retrenchment storm.


    Although there were some rumors, Shao Qiyang had grown visibly, and his gaze had be much more resolute. Mu Jingzhe called all of this the mark of a CEO¡¯s growth.


    No one was a steady and mature CEO right from the start. They had to grow up slowly.


    He had matured. Apart from that, Mu Jingzhe realized that Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue, two people who hadn¡¯t been in contact for a long time, had actually started connecting again slightly. They didn¡¯t look like lovers, but she felt that they seemed to have gotten familiar with each other and were quite rxed when they spoke to one another.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t wrong. After what had happened previously, the two of them were indeed much more rxed around each other, especially Mu Xue. Sometimes, she would express her thoughts directly. Compared to when Shao Qiyang had fallen for her in the past, their styles had changed drastically. They were simply two different people now.


    In the past, whenever she had faced Shao Qihai and Tang Moling, she¡¯d had some thoughts in her mind that she hadn¡¯t dared show. But around Shao Qiyang, she had no qualms about speaking her mind.


    The vigers started spreading rumors that the two of them were about to be a couple. Needless to say, everyone felt that they were quitepatible¡ªan old bachelor was a good match for an old girl. However, Mu Xue and Shao Qiyang denied it.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard the vigers say that an old bachelor waspatible with an old girl, she almost spat out a mouthful of blood. How was a fine young man like him old? As far as their opinion on age was concerned, there was indeed a generation gap between Mu Jingzhe and everyone else.


    Hearing that they were denying it, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t in a hurry to set them up. She was just watching the show from the sidelines. If the two of them became a couple, it would be akin to the supporting actor counter-attacking sessfully and taking over the position of the male lead.


    It was still unknown if Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue would be a couple, but the kids were bing more and more heaven-defying.


    After Shao Dongunched his Good Brother Refrigerator, in a few months, he went on tounch his Good Brother Washing Machine and Television, turning ¡®Good Brother¡¯ into a household name brand.


    Of course, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t idle around either. Other than the toilet paper and sanitary napkins, the underwear line was also finallyunched. Withfort and fashionable style as its main selling points, it paved the way for a new market.


    Although underwear was meant to be worn under one¡¯s clothes, one wanted their underwear to look good. Basically, those who had worn Mu Jingzhe¡¯s brand of undergarments didn¡¯t want to wear the old ones anymore.


    Shao Xi published a second travelogue and really started interacting with film and television productionpanies. He wanted to learn more about the industry to open such apany of his own in the future.


    Shao Nan was the only one not working hard on his career. What he did was study. More and more books were brought home, and the number of times he corresponded with the two professors also increased. In any case, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t understand them at all.


    Little Bei, on the other hand, rxed for some time. She didn¡¯t want her life to be upied by acting, nor did she want to constantly act as someone else. She also wanted to be herself. Therefore, after filming ¡°Nameless¡±, she went back to her student life. Other than studying, she only yed around.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s life hadn¡¯t changed much. Ever since he had found out that he was a child of the Ji Family, Old Master Ji had beening to see him when he had time. Knowing that he liked musical instruments and music, he would bring music-rted things every time.


    It would either be records, music teachers, or musical instruments. He never showed up empty-handed.


    Ji Buwang was also very concerned about Xiao Wu. From time to time, he would take him to listen to music from all over the country. He took him overseas once during the winter break and also took him out twice during the break after school started.


    Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t idle either. He was interested in everything and absorbed it all like a sponge. Apart from his talent in music, Xiao Wu¡¯s talent innguages was also revealed.


    He learnednguages very quickly, especially those that were linked to music. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that as long as something was linked to music, he¡¯d be interested in it. There was nonguage that Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t learn. Other than thenguages of various countries, the local dialects were also something Xiao Wu was very interested in, including nationalnguages.


    As long as it was enhanced by music, there didn¡¯t seem to be anguage he couldn¡¯t speak or master. He learned quickly and urately, and his pronunciation was dead-on and clear. Those who didn¡¯t know might think that he was a local.


    In any case, for a long time, Mu Jingzhe was able to hear all sorts ofnguages at home. There were so many that she couldn¡¯t even count them. Sometimes, when Xiao Wu spoke, she couldn¡¯t even remember which country thenguage was from or what it meant. In any case, when he heard something he liked, he would learn how to sing it.


    Other than the chatter that they couldn¡¯t understand, there were also other dialects from all over the world. There was simply a hodgepodge of dialects. Shao Dong and the others found it interesting to listen to Xiao Wu, so they all started learning as well.


    Little Bei was the most serious when it came to learning. She saw it as enhancing her capabilities as an actress. In movies and television, actors didn¡¯t only speak Mandarin. There would also be many dialects. She wanted to learn them well so that she could also speak these dialects when required in the future.


    The two children got serious. Whenever there was nothing to do at home, they would engage in conversations in various dialects, making many neighbors think that they were from all over the country.


    Mu Jingzhe got to hear folk songs and local dialects from all over the country at home. It was quite interesting.


    Wherever Xiao Wu went, what attracted him the most was singing. He would either stand still or squat down to learn.


    This also came with a disadvantage. If he heard someone sing out of tune, Xiao Wu would follow suit. If he met someone who was especially confident, Xiao Wu would sing just like them, even if they were out of tune.


    Of course, many people knew their limitations. They knew that they were out of tune, so they insisted on finding someone who wasn¡¯t out of tune for Xiao Wu to learn from.


    In the past, Xiao Wu used to be timid and hadn¡¯t dared talk to others. After deliberately working on this, especially after oveing his fear of Shao Qiyun, he had be bolder and he now dared tomunicate with others when he was encouraged.


    When he went to a foreign ce, be it another country or a foreign area, he would talk to people or make friends through music.


    Needless to say, Xiao Wu¡¯s intuition was quite good. Many of the people he chose tomunicate with had nice personalities, which bolstered Xiao Wu¡¯s courage further.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s life didn¡¯t seem to have changed, but he had gained a lot. The same applied to Shao Dong and the others. This was because Xiao Wu didn¡¯t go to all those ces alone. Most of the time, he would go with his siblings.


    When they went on those three overseas trips, Ji Buwang also brought along one or two of the children. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Little Bei followed them overseas on one or more of those trips.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that at this speed, the children might really travel the entire world in the future.


    This was very beneficial. While they were young, it would actually be best to travel around and take a look at the world. It could broaden the horizons of the children and shape their worldview. Every day, they could feel that the children were growing. Their vision wasn¡¯t only limited to their country but it expanded overseas.


    In any case, Mu Jingzhe was very supportive. When she followed the children around, she felt like she was also broadening her horizons, which benefited her designs.


    This also made Mu Jingzhe feel a little mncholic. If only she had been able to travel around like this when she was young. Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t been given such a chance when she was young. She had been an orphan from a young age, so she didn¡¯t use to have much money. Later on, when she had grown up, she had be a little timid and she wasn¡¯t that generous.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t toote for the five kids. Anyway, Shao Dong and the others had be different after all that traveling.

 Chapter 354 - Nameless" Is Released

    <h4>Chapter 354: ¡°Nameless¡± Is Released</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    There were also foreign countries featured in Shao Xi¡¯s travelogue. Shao Dong had started to observe the foreign markets and sharpen his knife. Little Bei would pay attention to foreign actors and learn more from them as well.


    She could see that herpetitors weren¡¯t just the actors in the country but also those all over the world. No longer satisfied with staying in the country, she made it her goal to go international in the future.


    The children saw the differences all over the world. Not only did they see the customs of the various countries, but sometimes they would also be treated with inexplicable hostility and contempt. This made them even more motivated. They wanted to improve, and they also wanted their country to be better and make everyone look at them in a different light.


    They used to be concerned about only their own family, but now, their mothend was in their hearts as well.


    Their horizons had grown, and so had their world. Mu Jingzhe felt that the children had be much steadier. Although Little Bei was still bouncing around, when she was quiet, one could see the power in her eyes.


    The children were young, but they had tasted both bitterness and sweetness before. This was because their experiences over the past few years had constantly transformed them.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s musical style was more varied and majestic. Compared to before, he had gone up by another level and learned to surpass himself.


    Xiao Wu had originallyposed a soundtrack for ¡°Nameless¡±, but before the movie premiered, he released a new version.


    The first version was already very good, but the second version was even more impressive and fitting.


    His musical style gradually matured and was no longer the same. He was very talented, but he had always had a hint of childlike innocence about him. However, this was no longer the case. He wasn¡¯t at all inferior to a matureposer now.


    Time passed quickly, and everything went smoothly for ¡°Nameless¡±. It was already ready for screening in July, and the promotion of the movie had begun.


    Coincidentally, the movie Little Bei had filmed during the summer vacationst year was also about to be screened in theaters. It started being promoted, and it was finally decided that it would be named ¡°Siblings¡±.


    Little Bei was the absolute male lead in ¡°Nameless¡± and the female lead in ¡°Siblings¡±. She didn¡¯t expect to have topete with herself on the same stage.


    However, only Mu Jingzhe and Director Jiang knew this. No one in the ¡°Siblings¡± cast and crew knew.


    Because Director Jiang had said that he wanted to keep it a secret, no outsiders knew about it. As the publicity budget was quite limited,pared to ¡°Siblings¡±, much less money had been spent promoting ¡°Nameless¡±.


    However, Director Jiang, Mu Jingzhe, and Shao Dong secretly decided that they would use Little Bei to ride on the poprity of ¡°Siblings¡±. When Little Bei¡¯s role as the main lead was announced, wouldn¡¯t that make her more popr?


    ¡°Although we didn¡¯t expect to fight on the same stage, things have alreadye to this, and there¡¯s no way to change it. In that case, let¡¯s just ept it. Little Bei, you should cooperate and promote ¡®Siblings¡¯. It¡¯s summer vacation, so let us handle the ¡®Nameless¡¯ promotion.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Since Little Bei had acted in both films, she didn¡¯t particrly favor either one. She just wanted things to be fine for both.


    The movie ¡°Siblings¡± started being promoted on television stations, radio stations, and newspapers. Because Best Actor Shen was starring in the movie with Bai Bai and Little Bei, many people were interested in this wonderful coboration.


    Compared to ¡°Siblings¡±, ¡°Nameless¡± wasn¡¯t that lucky. The theme wasn¡¯t considered popr, and the director was new. The biggest selling point was that the story had been written by Shao Xi. Even though he had been hailed as a genius, could the work of such a young writer really seed?


    Everyone disagreed on this. The reporters felt that reporting it would create a discussion, so they focused on Shao Xi.


    Other than Shao Xi, the story writer, the main lead was also mysterious, as his name wasn¡¯t made public.


    This mysterious attitude, coupled with Shao Xi, caused ¡°Nameless¡± to be criticized at first. There were even many media outlets that said awful things about it, leading many people who liked to watch movies to say that they wouldn¡¯t watch it.


    Making movies was a serious business. It wasn¡¯t a child¡¯s y but a consensus.


    Many directors also felt that there was something wrong with this. In the end, before the movie had even been released yet, it was gued with criticism.


    The only nice thing people said about this movie was that Xiao Wu had also worked on this project, which was also a promotional point. Those who knew Xiao Wu said that they wanted to watch it because of him. Just listening to his music would make it worthwhile, they said.


    Some people felt that Xiao Wu and the Shao brothers worked well together, but no one said so. Because of the current situation, that handful of people didn¡¯t dare voice these thoughts.


    This was something Mu Jingzhe and the others hadn¡¯t expected. Although they had long been prepared for this to be a controversial film, the one-sidedments were a little too much. If people continued to trample on it like this, no one would be willing to watch it.


    ¡°This is too much. These people are too much!¡± Shao Xi had originally been quite happy that the movie was about to premiere, but when he saw that so many people weren¡¯t optimistic about it and public opinion had led everyone to refuse to watch it, he was a little angry.


    After this round of publicity, Shao Xi saw the power of the media and their helplessness in the face of it.


    Although Mu Jingzheforted him by saying that the movie would take a turn for the better when it was released and he shouldn¡¯t mind this, Shao Xi was still dissatisfied.


    In his previous life, Shao Xi, who wouldter be a media bigshot in the novel, had developed some thoughts in advance because of this matter. It turned out that not only did he have to write a good story and film a good movie, but he also needed the power to control public opinion.


    A seed had sprouted in Shao Xi¡¯s heart, and the reason for all this was that ¡°Siblings¡± had also secretly yed a part. After all, ¡°Nameless¡± was apetitor.


    When Little Bei realized this, she felt conflicted. She hadn¡¯t expected to be ¡®attacked¡¯ by herself like this.


    After the promotion, ¡°Siblings¡± was released first. It didn¡¯t disappoint anyone in the end. The three main leads acted especially well, and Little Bei also gained a lot of love.


    The movie she had filmed previously had been too pitiful and bitter. Whenever everyone saw her, they would think of that pitiful crying scene, but this film sessfully changed their impression of her.


    On the first day of screening, Mu Jingzhe, Little Bei, and the rest secretly went to watch the film. While they wereing out of the cinema, they secretly listened to everyone¡¯s evaluation of Little Bei.


    ¡°This youngdy is so cute. She¡¯s wicked and very funny.¡±


    ¡°I keep feeling that she looks familiar. Like I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that very pitiful child from that other movie. I didn¡¯t expect her to have such a side.¡±


    Many people even recognized Little Bei and said that she wasn¡¯t pitiful this time. This was because the overall story of the movie was quite funny and suited the key mindsets of this era. Many people enjoyed watching it.


    Shen Han and Bai Bai were handsome, while Little Bei was adorable. Everyone liked thisbination very much. For some time, they were showered with endless praise. Among the posters in the cinema, theirs was the most eye-catching.


    The director was overjoyed. He said that the box office earnings of this movie wouldn¡¯t be too bad and that he had achieved his goal.


    After ¡°Siblings¡± was released, Little Bei changed everyone¡¯s previous impression of her. Meanwhile, ¡°Nameless¡± was also released. Compared to ¡°Siblings¡±, the promotion of ¡°Nameless¡± wasn¡¯t as good. Many people had never heard of it before, and there were even people who boycotted it.


    However, there were also people who liked this theme and had never heard of the public opinion. When they saw this new movie screening, they went directly to watch it.


    There was also a portion of professionals who knew a thing or two about movies. They went in prepared to criticize it, but when they entered the theater and really started watching it, it didn¡¯t take long for their hearts to calm down.


    Apart from them, there were also people who decided to watch it after seeing the poster, or because of Xiao Wu.. Without exception, all of them calmed down.

 Chapter 355 - Shao Bei Was the Actor?

    <h4>Chapter 355: Shao Bei Was the Actor?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The movie wasn¡¯t childish, but the angle was different. The use of the camera was mature, and the story was novel. Coupled with the main character, Little Fish, it quickly captured everyone¡¯s hearts.


    As they watched, some people who had just watched ¡°Siblings¡± and those who watched many movies found Little Fish more and more familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before.


    Later on, someone realized that this was Shao Bei.


    However, it was impossible. Shao Bei was a girl.


    Later on, no one had the time to pay attention. The story was narrated tirelessly, and they were engrossed in watching the film.


    The story wasn¡¯t tooplicated. It was simple and warm, but it also made people¡¯s hearts surge. Everyone¡¯s heart ached for the nameless hero and Little Fish. Xiao Wu¡¯s music enhanced the movie, making it even more touching.


    After many people finished watching it, they didn¡¯te back to their senses for a long time. They didn¡¯t even know how they walked out of the theater.


    It was only after they came out that they started pping one by one. ¡°Aiyah, I forgot to see who the actor who yed Little Fish was!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was just thinking that this child acted well and wanted to know who it was. I forgot to take a look.¡±


    ¡°I forgot too. Now, I have to go see it again. I must remember to look out for it.¡±


    After saying that, that person turned around to buy another ticket. However, he didn¡¯t manage to buy one. He could only buy a ticket for next day¡¯s screening.


    Mu Jingzhe specifically brought Little Bei and the others to watch the movie. When they heard everyone talk, they heaved a sigh of relief. As soon as they heard that they were going to watch it a second time, they smiled knowingly.


    It was impossible to know the exact box office earnings on the first day, but Mu Jingzhe felt that they wouldn¡¯t be too bad.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe had expected, after the second and third day, other than ¡°Siblings¡±, people were also starting to talk about ¡°Nameless¡±. They all said that the movie was not bad and rmended that everyone watch it.


    On the fifth day, someone finally started to notice the name of the main character, Little Fish. The first person who mentioned it was a radio host.


    ¡°I went to watch the movie ¡®Nameless¡¯ yesterday. Because I had watched ¡®Siblings¡¯ previously, I kept feeling that the younger sister of the siblings resembled Little Fish. I thought that it might just be a coincidence, but I still paid attention to the cast. In the end, I saw the name Shao Bei on the main cast list. She portrayed Little Fish.


    ¡°I was afraid that I was wrong, so I queued up to buy another ticket. Finally, when I watched it again at night, I confirmed that it was Shao Bei.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t think that was right. I know that Shao Bei is the youngest movie queen and has good acting skills, but she¡¯s a girl. How could it be her? In the end, I couldn¡¯t help but buy tickets to watch ¡®Siblings¡¯ again.¡±


    Although they couldn¡¯t see his expression, thanks to the host¡¯s richnguage, the listeners could tell that he was conflicted and ready to break down. Everyone¡¯s hearts couldn¡¯t help surging.


    ¡°I finished watching it too. The more I watched, the more I felt that the facial features of the younger sister in ¡®Siblings¡¯ were exactly the same as Little Fish¡¯s. Then, I looked at the cast list. The younger sister was also portrayed by Shao Bei.


    ¡°Before the show started, I used all my connections and contacted everyone I knew. I contacted Director Jiang as well and confirmed that Shao Bei, who yed Little Fish, was the youngest movie queen we know. He said yes.¡±


    The radio host paused. ¡°Yes, he said that¡¯s her. He gave a very definite answer. That¡¯s not all. Director Jiang was very excited and said that we finally found out. He said that he had been waiting for everyone to find out and worrying about what he should do if they didn¡¯t find out. ording to him, he was also kept in the dark at first because Shao Bei used the identity of her twin brother, Shao Nan, to audition.


    ¡°Later on, during the filming process, he didn¡¯t notice that anything was amiss. If Shao Bei hadn¡¯t confessed it after filming the movie, he probably wouldn¡¯t have known for the rest of his life. Director Jiang said that he had suffered too much trauma, so he wanted everyone to go through the same shock too. That¡¯s why he kept it a secret. My conflicted expression is what he wanted to see the most.


    ¡°This is also the main reason they kept it a secret from the main cast previously. They were afraid that people wouldn¡¯t believe them and wanted to maintain a sense of mystery.


    ¡°They were so good at keeping this a secret that, other than him, the entire production team is still unaware of it. Besides some of the crew members who had to write the name of the actors and knew about it before the movie premiered, many people are still in the dark about it.¡±


    The radio host sighed. ¡°I¡¯m really impressed by Director Jiang, the production team, and Shao Bei. Her acting skills are so good that I didn¡¯t suspect that she was a boy at first. Such acting skills are worth watching. It would have been a pity if we¡¯d missed this performance. Although Director Jiang is really asking for a beating, I still have to rmend this movie.


    ¡°Other than Shao Bei¡¯s acting skills, which are worth watching, the movie¡¯s story is also very interesting and beautiful. I have to praise the author, Shao Xi. He¡¯s Shao Bei¡¯s older brother. He¡¯s still young, but the story he wrote is heart-wrenching. If we take into ount Shao Zhong¡¯s soundtrack as well, their family is really¡­ amazing. No, I can¡¯t say anything else. Otherwise, everyone will think that I¡¯ve been bribed to put in a good word for them.


    ¡°Let me rify. I really only rmended the movie because I think that it¡¯s worth watching. The nameless heroes described in the movie are worthy of everyone¡¯s attention. I¡¯m very grateful for this movie. Because of it, I understand the stories of nameless heroes. In the next episode, we will introduce the stories of nameless heroes.


    ¡°We might not know who they are, but I still want everyone to know more about their stories. They are the most respectable people.¡±


    In the end, the radio host went back to talking about the movie itself and made the decision to do a series on nameless heroes.


    The radio host¡¯s listeners weren¡¯t just from a certain province or a particr city. This was a radio broadcast that everyone in the country could listen to. The radio station¡¯s address was in Ocean City, and many people listened to the broadcast daily. The host was also very famous and trusted by everyone.


    After this radio broadcast, the movie inevitably attracted widespread attention and discussion.


    The movie was nice to begin with. Those who had watched it had already started to rmend it to their friends. Thanks to this promotion, everyone heard about it. Many people who had watched it a second time and were also wondering if Little Fish was the youngest movie queen finally had an answer.


    It was really Shao Bei. Shao Bei had portrayed a boy!


    There were many listeners who tuned in to this radio station. Many people in big cities all over the country went to the movie theater to buy tickets to watch the movie. Some ces where the movie wasn¡¯t avable were urged to quickly screen the movie. Movie theaters always reacted quickly. ¡°Nameless¡±, which originally didn¡¯t have many screenings, was immediately given increased screening times.


    The two movies starring Shao Bei became the most popr movies with the most screenings. The other movies could only me their bad luck.


    Newspapers, radio stations, and television stations were all mobilized to report on this.


    That night, Mu Jingzhe received a lot of calls. Little Bei, Xiao Wu, Shao Xi, and even Shao Nan were invited to be interviewed. Of course, they had to ept to help with the movie¡¯s promotion. The same applied to Director Jiang.


    Over the next few days, many people in the country learned about this and went to watch ¡®Nameless¡¯. After watching ¡®Nameless¡¯, they couldn¡¯t help but watch ¡®Siblings¡¯ as well.. Those who had watched ¡®Siblings¡¯ didn¡¯t feelplete without watching ¡®Nameless¡¯ either.

 Chapter 356 - On The Daily News

    <h4>Chapter 356: On The Daily News</h4>


    The box office earnings of ¡°Siblings¡± soared, and ¡°Nameless¡± went well as well, achieving a win-win situation.


    Previously, ¡°Siblings¡± had even trampled ¡°Nameless¡±, but this time, it was aprehensive coboration. Shen Han and Bai Bo specifically went to watch it. After watching it, they were amazed, just like many viewers.


    In the two movies, Little Bei was very different. She really looked like two different people. There were already newspapersmenting on Little Bei¡¯s incredible acting skills.


    During this summer vacation, Shao Bei¡¯s name resounded throughout the country. She was much more famous than before when she had won the Best Actress Award. Her limelight even surpassed that of Shen Han. Those who had criticized ¡°Nameless¡± changed their stance and praised Shao Bei¡¯s acting skills.


    After discussing Little Bei¡¯s acting skills, everyone started discussing the movie itself. They started discussing Shao Xi and Xiao Wu.


    This movie was a celebration of the genius siblings. Then, they found out that Shao Dong had invested in it, and apart from being in charge of the movie¡¯s costumes, Mu Jingzhe had also invested in the film.


    In short, this movie was the product of a meticulous coboration between their family.


    Shao Xi was invited as a guest by the radio host who had first exposed the news. He wanted him to share some interesting stories about their coboration and take this chance to promote his books.


    When the movie was released, his book was also published. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same as a movie. A movie had its selling points, but reading books gave one a different feel.


    After the radio host received Shao Xi¡¯s gift, he said that he must read it. Toward the end of the interview, he even asked about the story of their family.


    Shao Xi picked some things to say, and the host said, ¡°I really hope that you¡¯ll work together a few more times in the future and create better movies. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know you well before, but ever since I watched the movie, I specifically went to buy your books. They¡¯re really beautiful. I was surprised.


    ¡°Your talent and ability¡­ Shao Zhong¡­ You guys call him Xiao Wu, so we¡¯ll call him Xiao Wu on our show too. Xiao Wu¡¯s music makes the movie even more sublime. I¡¯m eagerly hoping that Xiao Wu will produce an album so that we can listen to his music a few more times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make Xiao Wu hurry up,¡± Shao Xi immediately said.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Author Shao Xi. I think this is also a blessing for many people. Because the movie is beautiful, many people went to watch it a second time. Some people even went to watch it a third or fourth time in order to listen to Xiao Wu¡¯s music. I heard that the foreign musicians who admired Xiao Wu previously can¡¯t wait to watch the movie and listen to his music.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will let them very soon.¡± Shao Xi thought to himself that Xiao Wu could earn more money in the future.


    ¡°Other than that, I actually wanted to talk to you about how you created this story. It¡¯spletely different from your previous stories. Have you heard our feature on nameless heroes previously? After analyzing this topic, we received many letters from our readers. Some even wanted to help the children who were left behind. What were you thinking when you wrote this story?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I wrote it because I identally met a nameless hero. Later on¡­¡± Shao Xi recounted his thoughts and emotions while writing it but didn¡¯t say anything else lest he exposed Fang Yu¡¯s existence and put him in danger.


    Finally, Shao Xi said, ¡°This story, this movie¡­ Actually, I want to dedicate it to someone else. That person is¡­ my father.¡±


    After Shao Xi¡¯s interview, many people started paying attention and tribute to nameless heroes. Then, because of the movie and this interview, Shao Qihai, who had died ande back to life repeatedly, finally came back to life for real and entered the spotlight.


    Shao Qihai had long known that Shao Xi had his reasons for writing this story, but when he heard his confession while waiting outside the radio station, his eyes stung and he very nearly lost hisposure and burst into tears.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s past story was partly exposed, and nameless heroes received even more attention.


    As the movie¡¯s box office sales continued to rise, the higher-ups were also paying attention to this. Shao Xi and Shao Bei were even featured in the most influential daily newspaper in the country, which described them as a source of positive energy that young people of this era should learn from.


    Mu Jingzhe was so proud that she didn¡¯t know how to express herself with words. The entire plot of the novel had really changed.


    She remembered that in the original novel, Shao Xi and Shao Bei had also been in the daily newspaper, but not like this. Instead, they had been criticized.


    However, things werepletely different now. Other than Shao Bei and Shao Xi, there was also Shao Qihai.


    Actually, everything Shao Qihai had done previously was still remembered by the higher-ups.


    Mu Jingzhe bought many newspapers and carefully put them away. In the future, as long as Shao Xi and Little Bei were fine, she believed that things wouldn¡¯t end up like in the books.


    Now that Shao Xi and Little Bei had a lot of positive energy in their hearts, things would only get better and better in the future.


    Due to the theme of the story, although the box office earnings of ¡°Nameless¡± weren¡¯t as high as those of ¡°Siblings¡±, it had a greater impact.


    Shao Xi received a letter from Fang Yu, who told him that he already knew that his father was a nameless hero.


    The story of Fang Yu¡¯s father would still not be made public. This was also meant to protect Fang Yu and her mother. ording to the higher-ups¡¯ original n, they would only find out about this after ten or twenty years, after everything had quietened down.


    However, because of the movie, after some discussion, they informed them in advance.


    Many children in the country learned about their parents¡¯ stories, just like Fang Yu. Following that, they also announced a batch of unnamed heroes that could be announced.


    There were still traces of tears on the letter Fang Yu had sent. She thanked him for sending the book and letting her know about her father¡¯s story.


    Shao Xi¡¯s book had been ready to be published before the movie had premiered. He had also received the books early. After receiving them, he had given the first one to Fang Yu.


    When Fang Yu read it, she found it very familiar but she didn¡¯t dare confirm this. Later on, when she went to watch the movie, she cried until her voice was hoarse.


    It wasn¡¯t until they were informedter that Fang Yu and her mother dared to confirm their theories. The person who secretly informed them promised that he would definitely restore her father¡¯s honor in the future.


    Only then did Fang Yu realize that Shao Xi had known this. This story only existed because of her father.


    Fang Yu cried bitterly. She couldn¡¯t return to her hometown or visit her father¡¯s grave, so she could only apologize to her father in front of his memorial tablet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Daddy. I didn¡¯t know you left like that. I shouldn¡¯t have said those things¡­¡±


    After apologizing to her father, Fang Yu looked at Grandma¡¯s memorial tablet, which was beside her father¡¯s, and told Grandma what Daddy had done. ¡°Daddy wasn¡¯t a bad person or a hooligan. Grandma, you can be proud of him. I¡¯m sorry you didn¡¯t know before. If I had known earlier and told you, you wouldn¡¯t have passed away like that.¡±


    Fang Yu¡¯s mother had been in a daze for the past few days. She took Fang Yu to watch the movie time and again, wailing each time.


    After Shao Xi received Fang Yu¡¯s letter, he sent her two more books. ¡°Burn one for your grandma and one for your father. They¡¯ll see it underground too. When we have better news in the future, tell them.¡±


    After this incident, Shao Xi and Fang Yu felt closer. Although they had yet to meet, there was nothing they couldn¡¯t talk about.


    Or perhaps it was because they had never met before that they weren¡¯t so apprehensive. Many words and troubles they couldn¡¯t share with people they knew in real life could be recounted in letters.

 Chapter 357 - Someone Likes Little Bei?

    <h4>Chapter 357: Someone Likes Little Bei?</h4>


    Fang Yu¡¯s letters came more and more frequently. A lot of her pocket money was basically spent on envelopes, letters, and stamps. In the past, she used to reply to each letter one by one. But now, before Shao Xi¡¯s letters even arrived, her letters came quickly.


    However, in the beginning, it was because she knew the truth. Later on, it was not. The reason she wrote so frequently was because of Little Bei.


    Fang Yu was grateful and admired Shao Xi, but because they were friends and Shao Xi kept giving her homework, Fang Yu felt like Shao Xi was both a teacher and a friend.


    It was different with Little Bei. Because of the movie, Fang Yu hadpletely be Little Bei¡¯s little fan. She felt that Little Bei¡¯s acting was too good. She was clearly a little girl, but she was already so impressive. She couldn¡¯t help but admire Little Bei.


    She had written a confession letter, which took up a thick stack of paper. When Shao Xi received it, he thought that it was filled with words of gratitude or something. In the end, when he opened it, he realized that there was a pink homemade little envelope in the big envelope. On it were the words ¡®For Little Bei¡¯.


    Thest stack was filled with letters for Little Bei. There was only a note for Shao Xi. ¡°Brother Shao Xi, please help me pass this letter to your amazing younger sister. Thank you. I like her the most.¡±


    Shao Xi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shao Xi took a deep breath, endured this for a moment, and then handed the letter to Little Bei.


    Little Bei also received many letters these days, but this was the first time one was handed to her like this. When she opened it and read it, she couldn¡¯t stop giggling. Because Fang Yu¡¯s words were really cute and her praise was very sincere, her letter made Little Bei beam with happiness.


    She could sense that Fang Yu really liked her.


    Little Bei granted Fang Yu¡¯s request and signed her name on a postcard instead of a letter.


    Yes, Little Bei had postcards now.


    She was already a household name and the most famous child celebrity in the province. She had the honor of having her photo printed on postcards.


    At the time, many of the postcards were photos of scenery or andmark. When many people went overseas or visited foreignnds, they would buy postcards and bring them back to their rtives and friends or send them by post from that foreign country.


    It was always a big surprise to receive a postcard like this. In the past, the province and the city used to have their own postcards, but now, there was a special postcard that belonged solely to Little Bei. Little Bei could be considered a special highlight of the province.


    The moment Little Bei¡¯s postcard was printed, it was weed by everyone. When people saw it, they wanted to buy it.


    Little Bei had also bought some because she liked them. This time, she signed one and gave it to Fang Yu.


    Fang Yu was pleasantly surprised when she received it. Later on, she sent letters that praised Little Bei and even sent Little Bei hair ornaments.


    Shao Xi was always the middleman. He would receive a thick envelope, but most of its content was for Little Bei. When he saw that Fang Yu had even sent her hair ornaments, Shao Xi was unhappy.


    ¡°How did I be your messenger? Besides, what¡¯s the meaning of this, Fang Yu? Why are you sending all sorts of things?¡±


    Shao Xi went to look for Mu Jingzhe and told her what had happened. ¡°Mom, do you think this Fang Yu likes Little Bei?¡±


    Shao Xi was thinking ahead. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he wants to start coaxing Little Bei now so he can marry her when she grows up?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Little Xi, you¡¯re overthinking. How could that be? That won¡¯t happen.¡±


    How old was Little Bei? Why had this even urred to Shao Xi?


    ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t allow Little Bei to marry him. In the future, we¡¯ll get a live-in son-inw for Little Bei, and she can pick whoever she likes.¡±


    Shao Xi was resolute and decisive. This was an after-effect of Li Fang¡¯s marriage. Now that the brave youngdy of Great Eastern Vige, Li Fang, had gotten married, Mu Jingzhe brought the kids to visit her. After seeing Li Fang get married and hearing that Li Fang would be someone else¡¯s in the future, they started to reject the idea of Little Bei getting married and bing someone else¡¯s woman when she grew up.


    Little Bei was still young, but Shao Xi was already on guard at all times, afraid that someone would abduct Little Bei. Later on, he even came up with an idea¡ªhe would get a live-in son-inw.


    Shao Xi was especially serious. Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°It¡¯s too early to talk about this. Little Xi, you don¡¯t have to be so nervous.¡±


    From the novel, one could tell that the siblings had a good rtionship. Now, they even had a sisterplex[1]. All four brothers had a sisterplex, and not a single one of them was to be trifled with.


    Although Little Bei was still young, Mu Jingzhe felt pity for her future son-inw. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to marry Little Bei in the future.


    However, this was necessary. What if she met a jerk?


    Speaking of jerks, Mu Jingzhe unconsciously clenched her fists. If her husband was a jerk, she¡¯d have to smash his head!


    Mu Jingzhe had originally advised Shao Xi not to think too much about it, but when she thought of the scumbag stories she had read in the modern era, as well as the news of homosexuals duping people into marriage, although she wasn¡¯t nervous about Fang Yu, she started telling Little Bei what she had to take note of in the future and got worked up alongside Shao Xi.


    Little Bei listened attentively and agreed to everything they said. ¡°No problem, no problem at all. Mommy, Second Brother, I remember what you said. I won¡¯t fall for it in the future!¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t let Fang Yu write to you anymore. I¡¯ll tell him that you won¡¯t ept any more letters.¡± Shao Xi was satisfied.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Good girl, Little Bei.¡± Shao Xi was very satisfied and excitedly wrote to Fang Yu, telling her not to write to Shao Bei anymore.


    Shao Xi actually didn¡¯t want to lose Fang Yu as a friend, so he had to dispel some of Fang Yu¡¯s thoughts and purely be friends with him.


    Shao Qihai, who was watching from the side, wanted to say something but hesitated.


    ¡®Things¡­ are different from what you think!¡¯


    When the poprity of ¡°Siblings¡± and ¡°Nameless¡± slowly declined in movie theaters and people¡¯s attention moved on to new movies, many viges started bing lively.


    After all, the movie could now be released in viges. Any other ces aside, in Great Eastern Vige, Li Zhaodi invited someone to screen the movie. In the vige, the two movies were screened for a total of 20 days.


    During this entire time, the seats in the theater were full. This was because a lot of people walked for up to two hours to watch the movie in the vige.


    There wasn¡¯t much entertainment at the time. Since they could watch a movie for free, they naturally wouldn¡¯t miss it.


    While Great Eastern Vige was broadcasting the movie for free, Mu Jingzhe was busy working on her side career. Previously, the hot sales of Little Bei¡¯s postcards had allowed Mu Jingzhe to spot a market opening. The postcards aside, at the time, if a celebrity was featured in calendars or anything else, it would be rare and the items would be popr.


    Unlike theter generations, when everything could be found online, for a long time, even a small photo of a celebrity was treasured by others. For example, one could stare for a long time at the photos on a cassette tape.


    Mu Jingzhe had alsoe from the era of celebrity stickers. Her notebook and stationery box were filled with her favorite characters, and she would even collect photos of them that she found in magazines and newspapers.


    People could break up over a poster or be lifelong friends over one.


    This was a real market, so Mu Jingzhe felt that it was feasible.


    Coincidentally, she had a paper manufacturing factory. In terms of equipment and technicians, she already had a foundation, so she could properly develop this market.


    [1] A strong attachment and obsession with one¡¯s sister.

 Chapter 358 - Xiao Wu Is Disobedient

    <h4>Chapter 358: Xiao Wu Is Disobedient</h4>


    When Mu Jingzhe realized that there was a business opportunity, she moved immediately. She felt that Little Bei¡¯s photos and stickers would definitely be all over the streets in the future, so why not make them herself? It would be easier to control the quality, and she could also earn some money.


    Since she was starting this business, it couldn¡¯t just be about Little Bei. Whoever was the most popr would bring higher sales. Mu Jingzhe knew that, but she didn¡¯t casually print photos of anyone she wished. Instead, she contacted each celebrity through official channels and first obtained the rights to use their photos before testing the waters with Little Bei¡¯s photo.


    She tried printing celebrity posters, photos, and stickers first. Once they were released, sure enough, they became really popr. Many people were willing to buy them, thinking that it would be nice to collect them or hang them at home.


    Seeing that the sales momentum was going well, Mu Jingzhe started to make calendars. Calendars could be sold starting from thest three months of the year and would make a great little gift orpany perk.


    When Mu Jingzhe spotted this market, she made a small profit and felt that she could make even more in the future. After all, the market would be bigger down the road, and merchandise of some popr television dramas could be sold all over the country.


    Before long, the box office earnings of ¡°Nameless¡± were released. The cost of the movie hadn¡¯t been high, but the box office earnings were good, so it made a solid profit.


    The film productionpany was very satisfied and said that they could work together again in the future. Other than that, Shao Dong and Mu Jingzhe had also earned quite a bit of money. Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu weren¡¯t doing bad either, because they had also invested the money they had earned.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to start investing at such a young age. The family had made a lot of money.


    Little Bei had consecutively received many scripts and coboration offers. Compared to before, this time, the scripts were richer and better. Although it wasn¡¯t the end of the year, the film festival hadn¡¯t started, and the movie awards hadn¡¯tmenced yet, Little Bei¡¯s acting skills and market appeal had already been spotted by everyone.


    There were many scripts, quite a few of which included cross-gender roles, so there was enough for Little Bei to choose from. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei carefully chose, mainly based on the story and Little Bei¡¯s taste, and they didn¡¯t specifically pursue cross-gender roles.


    As Little Bei slowly picked out scripts, Shao Xi¡¯s book sold like hotcakes again. Someone even contacted Shao Xi and said that if he nned on turning his next book into a movie, they could coborate.


    The directors who used to say that Shao Xi was fooling around and had looked down on Shao Xi¡¯s work also changed their tune.


    His writing was extremely realistic.


    Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu had all received a lot of awards and favorable reviews. Besides, after ¡®Nameless¡¯ was screened overseas, it created a small storm. Later on, recordpanies really came to look for Xiao Wu to produce an album with him.


    Other than domestic recordpanies, there were also overseas ones. Those in the country who hadn¡¯t expected this or taken action at first threw out olive branches after hearing this, all of them providing the best conditions they could offer.


    They saw Xiao Wu¡¯s value and were certain that many people would buy and like his music.


    Everything was going as expected. After Xiao Wu received this news, he asked around seriously and finally agreed to coborate with someone.


    Mu Jingzhe supported this choice.


    In addition to the soundtrack that had been published previously, Xiao Wu would alsopose new songs for the album.


    This was his first time, though, so he still had to ask if there were things he didn¡¯t understand. Even though Xiao Wu had not said anything, Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang had already decided to support him.


    Ji Buwang, his uncle, had long been prepared to visit him uninvited.


    He came to bond with Xiao Wu, as well as to see Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Uncle.¡± Xiao Wu was very happy to see Ji Buwang. Previously, he had said that he wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Ji Buwang as an uncle and would just treat him as Teacher Ji, but since Ji Buwang and Old Master Ji treated him so well, he no longer said things like that.


    Ji Buwang scooped Xiao Wu up. ¡°You¡¯ve grown taller and be a little heavier.¡±


    As he weighed Xiao Wu in his hands, Ji Buwang gauged his condition. ¡°Grandpa brought you a lot of things. They¡¯re in the trunk of the car, and there are also many toys. Your cousin bought them for you.¡±


    The cousin Ji Buwang was talking about was Tang Moling. Tang Moling had been enved by Ji Buwang and hadn¡¯t had the chance to see Mu Jingzhe. Although he was still moring, in reality, he had already shifted his attention to another girl.


    It was said that because he couldn¡¯t see Mu Jingzhe, he missed her very much. He even missed Jingzhe¡¯s Herculean strength. In the end, when he had nothing to do, he would find a girl to arm-wrestle with him, offering her money for beating him.


    Only he could have thought of such a game. Anyone else would have been scolded to death, but when Tang Moling thought of it, no one scolded him. Besides, many girls were ying with him. After all, Tang Moling was in a high position and was very good-looking. He was very attractive among girls, who found it very interesting to arm wrestle with him.


    Unfortunately, Tang Moling wasn¡¯t interested in girls who couldn¡¯t beat him at arm-wrestling, but a girl barged into his world and beat him.


    Only then did Tang Moling feel a little interested. Although he thought that he had been careless, he ended up losing again and again. He then realized that the girl was very impressive and was also very good at boxing.


    It was said that Tang Moling hadunched a sneak attack and been knocked down by a shoulder throw. Just like that, the girl had sessfully piqued Tang Moling¡¯s interest and been hired as his bodyguard.


    Based on the story that Mu Jingzhe heard from Ji Buwang, the novel about sweet and doting love had turned into a novel about a pair of quarrelsome lovers. The male lead was still Tang Moling, but the female lead had be that skilled female bodyguard.


    Tang Moling rarely thought of Mu Jingzhe anymore, just like he had gone from liking Mu Xue to liking Mu Jingzhe, but he still refused to admit it.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to be his eldest uncle¡¯s son. Xiao Wu used to call him ¡®Uncle¡¯, but now he had be his cousin.


    He was his eldest uncle¡¯s son, so he had sent him many toys and gifts.


    Although it was childish, Tang Moling had actually given Xiao Wu toys that kids of his age loved to y with. Therefore, even though Xiao Wu imed that these toys were for little kids, his body obediently wanted to y with them.


    It was a good thing that Xiao Wu could have fun, but¡­ because he had been ying with marbles and couldn¡¯t beat anyone, he started practicing hard his marble-ying technique. In the end, it caused him not to want to work anymore, which was a problem.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, let¡¯s y again tomorrow. Let¡¯s get busy today.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me to hit this marble and push it into the hole.¡± Xiao Wuy on the ground, raised his butt, and extended two fingers before aiming at the hole.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°That¡¯s what you said earlier. Then, you hit another one after the marble went in.¡±


    ¡°This is definitely thest one.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°That¡¯s what you said just now. I don¡¯t quite believe you anymore.¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t say anything and focused on ying with the marbles. Ji Buwang had a helpless look in his eyes. Mu Jingzhe looked at him and advised Ji Buwang. ¡°Don¡¯t rush him. Let him y. When he¡¯s done ying, he will concentrate on work. After all, no one starts working at such a young age.¡±


    Xiao Wu had not known what it meant to be willful from a young age. Only now that he was almost six years old did he finally know what it meant to be willful. They should let him be a little willful then.


    Children had to go through every stage. As the saying went, even dogs found seven- or eight-year-old children annoying. Xiao Wu was probably preparing to go through this stage as well.

 Chapter 359 - Got to Use the Feather Duster

    <h4>Chapter 359: Got to Use the Feather Duster</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, Ji Buwang nodded to show that he understood. However, he asked, ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t know how to concentrate? Besides, even if he doesn¡¯t work, he should learn something.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°You have a point. I¡¯ll go get him.¡±


    Since it was Mu Jingzhe asking, Xiao Wu finally got to work obediently. However, after she left, he snuck out to y while Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Besides, he couldn¡¯t be called back anymore. When she saw Mu Jingzhe, he wheedled and said that it would definitely be thest time.


    Ji Buwang shrugged. ¡°Look, he¡¯s so brazen now. He knows you will indulge him.¡±


    Children had to be pampered, but they definitely couldn¡¯t be pampered when they shouldn¡¯t be. For instance, suddenly going off to y while doing homework was not okay.


    ¡°Maybe he wants to try stir-fried meat with bamboo?shoots<sup>1</sup>.¡± Mu Jingzhe stroked her chin and pondered it. ¡°Wait, because I didn¡¯t need to before, I didn¡¯t prepare any tools. Should I buy a feather duster first? A feather duster can¡¯t cause any real damage, but it hurts. It¡¯s perfect for this purpose and also suitable for someone like me, who has never hit a child.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone was serious, and Xiao Wu, who was facing away from them, stiffened.


    Ji Buwang looked at Xiao Wu and curled his lips. He replied, ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re right. Why don¡¯t I go buy one now? When I buy it, you can try it¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Wu jumped to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    After returning from the bathroom, Xiao Wu obediently urged Ji Buwang to get to work.


    Later on, Xiao Wu¡¯s first album included a very mischievous song. It was said that some parents¡¯ hands felt itchy hearing it and wanted to use a feather duster to teach their children a lesson.


    As for some children who were often taught a lesson, they felt so aggrieved that they wanted to cry when they heard it. Later on, it was called the most magical tune, for it invoked different feelings in every person who heard it.


    It didn¡¯t make Mu Jingzhe feel like hitting someone, though. Besides, she could never find the feather duster at home. After she bought it, it would disappear, only to appear again in some random corner after some time.


    Actually, feather dusters could be used in everyday life, but after that conversation, she was never able to find one at home again.


    After Ji Buwang heard that, every time he came to look for Mu Jingzhe, he would bring her a feather duster, which was considered a regr gift.


    Every time Mu Jingzhe received it, she would find it funny yet mysterious. She would even tie up the feather duster with a rope, but it would still vanish. When she was cleaning, countless feather dusters would appear under the bed, under the sofa, or behind the wardrobe.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she could even begin to sell feather dusters.


    Afraid that Xiao Wu would continue hiding them and she would really be a feather duster wholesaler, Mu Jingzhe could only tell Xiao Wu that she wouldn¡¯t hit anyone casually and that there was no need to be afraid.


    Xiao Wu agreed, but that didn¡¯t stop him from continuing to hide the feather dusters. When he saw Ji Buwang, he still didn¡¯t change his form of address and continued to call him ¡®Bad Uncle¡¯.


    When Old Master Ji came to see him, Xiao Wu secretly instigated him to hit Ji Buwang.


    Old Master Ji agreed and turned around to mock Ji Buwang. ¡°Don¡¯t bring that feather duster over again. If Xiao Wu continues to wheedle, I will have to agree. You¡¯ll look ridiculous getting beaten by a feather duster at this age.¡±


    Ji Buwang frowned. ¡°Then just bear with it and don¡¯t agree. You know that¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°But Xiao Wu is so cute and he kisses me. He¡¯s even cuter than when you were young. I can¡¯t stand it when he kisses my face. Makes me want to agree.¡± It was said that ever since Old Master Ji had acknowledged Xiao Wu, his age had really plummeted. He even added mischievously, ¡°If you kiss me, I can consider it.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Do you think it¡¯s appropriate for me to kiss you at my age?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed absurd, so stop fighting with Xiao Wu.¡± Old Master Ji beamed.


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve realized that you don¡¯t love me anymore. Your love for me has been transferred to Xiao Wu.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s face was filled with pain.


    ¡°Children are always better. The older you get, the more disdain you¡¯ll get. If you have the ability, give me a grandchild as soon as possible. That way, I might like you for a few more minutes.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Can you stop rushing me? Jingzhe and I are both busy.¡±


    ¡°Being busy is just an excuse.¡± Old Master Ji stood up leisurely.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an excuse at all, alright? Jingzhe was truly busy. She had a lot of things to do, and her life revolved around the children. Couldn¡¯t Grandpa see that Shao Qihai¡¯s heart was like dead ashes now?


    On the surface, Shao Qihai was still her husband in name, but they hadn¡¯t met in a few days.


    ¡®I, your grandson, am trying my best to meet her as often as possible. Comparatively, I¡¯m doing so much better.¡¯


    Although Ji Buwang had been mocked by Old Master Ji, when he thought about Shao Qihai, he still felt that he was doing quite well.


    In short, raising children took a lot of effort. Fortunately, he still had Tang Moling to order around.


    The sales of Xiao Wu¡¯s first album were very good, for it appealed to both ordinary listeners and professionals. It put people in a great mood when they heard it every day. The domestic sales were very stable, and the fact that it was sold overseas was a rare and amazing feat.


    There weren¡¯t many such albums, so it was very rare.


    Because of this, Xiao Wu received some invitations to get interviewed on some programs, but Xiao Wu didn¡¯t like these offers and rejected them.


    At the end of the year, the film festival arrived as scheduled. With her role in ¡°Nameless¡±, Little Bei managed to clinch the Best Female Lead Award, which was her second Best Actress Award.


    Little Bei had gone through some twists and turns before being crowned Best Actress this time. Because Little Bei had been disguised as a boy in ¡®Nameless¡¯ and had acted as a boy as well, she caused a wave of discussion. After all, people were debating whether she should be the Best Male Lead or Best Female Lead.


    Later on, they confirmed that she¡¯d be the Best Female Lead because Little Bei was a girl.


    Apart from Little Bei, Xiao Wu also won an award for Best Movie Score. Once again, the pair of siblings stood out at the film festival.


    Other than participating in the domestic movie awardpetition, the movie also participated in an international award ceremony. In the end, they won the Best Movie Score Award.


    The film festival was very prestigious, and many people in the world had been vying for such an award their entire lives. Xiao Wu¡¯s award came as an unexpected surprise, and he also broke the record of the youngest winner.


    When news of Xiao Wu winning the award spread, the local media reported it one after another, feeling proud of Xiao Wu.


    Xiao Wu was also quite happy, but some people weren¡¯t. In particr, those who hadpeted with him for this award were unhappy.


    Coincidentally, there was also a musical genius among them. He was three years older than Xiao Wu and had just turned ten years old. However, he had also won many awards in his own country. A world-ss music teacher had also set his sights on this award and had originally been very confident about winning. In the end, he had lost to this kid.


    He was naturally indignant. After the award ceremony, he went to look for Xiao Wu. ¡°I want topete with you.¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know him, and since he was speaking his country¡¯snguage, he didn¡¯t understand what he said. Therefore, he didn¡¯t take it to heart and simply ignored him.

 Chapter 360 - Related to an Affair

    <h4>Chapter 360: Rted to an Affair</h4>


    The genius thought that Xiao Wu was looking down on him, and the fighting spirit in his eyes intensified as he stared at his back. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely make youpete with me!¡±


    He would definitely think of a way to make Xiao Wu agree even if he didn¡¯t want to!


    Unfortunately, his words were quickly drowned out by variousnguages. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t notice or hear him. This award ceremony was held overseas, and Ji Buwang had taken Xiao Wu there to receive the award. It would be a pity to miss such a grand movie festival. Ji Buwang had to take Xiao Wu there to experience it.


    The main reason was that it was a great honor to receive this award. One had toe personally to im it.


    Xiao Wu was very excited. After winning the award, he got to know some people and even received some offers to work with them. Only then did he return to China feeling satisfied.


    When Xiao Wu returned to the country this time, the media reported the news like crazy again. They were all proud of him.


    Soon after Xiao Wu¡¯s return to the country, the New Year came around. Mu Jingzhe made dumplings with the five kids while listening to Xiao Wu talk about the interesting highlights of the foreign film festival.


    ¡°Everyone called me a genius. I just realized that there are so many geniuses. There are also many overseas.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to answer when she heard Little Bei say, ¡°That¡¯s right. Geniuses aren¡¯t numerous, but they aren¡¯t that rare either. Everyone called me a genius when I didn¡¯t even win an award at that film festival. However, I¡¯ll definitely win one in the future!


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely win an award with you next time, Xiao Wu!¡±


    Little Bei used so much force as she swore that she almost crushed the dumpling.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly said helplessly. ¡°You can talk, but don¡¯t ruin the dumplings again out of excitement.¡±


    Although they were only wrapping dumplings during the New Year, there were quite a few types of filling.


    Because Little Bei had used too much strength, one of her dumplings ended up having a funny shape. However, it was fine when it was ced among her siblings¡¯ dumplings.


    It was true that they were helping make the dumplings, but they couldn¡¯t help adding their own personalities to them. They were clearly taught together, but what everyone learned to make was different.


    Shao Dong wrapped the dumplings in a well-proportioned manner, but they were too well-proportioned. Every single one of them looked copied and pasted. If he wasn¡¯t satisfied with the result, he would secretly put them in Shao Xi¡¯s dumpling portion while thetter wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t notice Shao Dong¡¯s actions at all. Besides, the dumplings he made had the most bizarre shape. He was always very greedy and he used a lot of filling. In the end, the dumplings turned out too big and he almost couldn¡¯t wrap them up.


    Shao Nan¡¯s dumplings looked a little like steamed buns and gave off a unique vibe. When it was said that his dumplings looked too much like steamed buns, he adjusted until they were steamed dumplings.


    Little Bei¡¯s dumplings were wondrous; every single one of them looked like artwork. She even wanted to make all sorts of shapes andpeted with Xiao Wu to see who could shape them more like little chicks. After taking a look, Mu Jingzhe decided to cook them separately.


    Just as she stopped Little Bei and Xiao Wu from having a flour fight, Li Zhaodi arrived.


    This time, Mu Jingzhe had taken the five children to their home in the county city to celebrate the New Year. They didn¡¯t return to Great Eastern Vige. Li Zhaodi and the rest were also celebrating the New Year in the county city. At the sight of Li Zhaodi, Little Bei immediately asked where the pig knuckles were.


    ¡°They¡¯re still being stewed. They¡¯ll only taste good when they¡¯ve been stewed well.¡± Li Zhaodi was stewing a big piece of pig knuckles at home and was prepared to keep it away and celebrate the New Year with everyone.


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s culinary skills were fantastic. The big pig trotters that she stewed were excellent. They were so delicious that Little Bei and the rest missed them.


    In the past, she used to be poor and didn¡¯t have the means to cook good food. Now that she could afford it, Li Zhaodi was very willing to learn how to cook it.


    Mu Jingzhe also liked it very much. She swallowed her saliva and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Han? Is he sleeping again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I went to take a look just now. He¡¯s still breathing.¡±


    It was rare for Mu Han toe home for the New Year. He didn¡¯t want to do anything but sleep. Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng felt heartache for him and simply let him sleep.


    Ever since Shao Dong had started to invest in the electronics industry, Mu Han had been busy. Most of the time, Shao Dong only used his brain and mouth, but Mu Han was the one who really worked.


    They no longer scavenged like before. The reason they had started picking up rubbish back then was because it didn¡¯t require a lot of capital and was suitable for Mu Han and the vigers of Great Eastern Vige, who didn¡¯t know anything and had no experience.


    After these two to three years, thanks to Shao Dong¡¯s guidance, everyone had seen the benefits of picking up and collecting rubbish, and so many others went to scavenge too.


    Many people in Great Eastern Vige had gone to pick up rubbish before. Seeing that there was profit to be made, smart people in other ces also got involved in this line of work, so thepetition was huge. Although one could still earn money by doing it well, it couldn¡¯tpare to how things had been before.


    Shao Dong had pulled out in time and taken Mu Han with him. He handed the business over to the others in Great Eastern Vige and focused on doing other things.


    Picking up rubbish had been only temporary. Shao Dong also felt heartache for his uncle, Mu Han. On the other hand, after working so hard for so long, Mu Han¡¯s courage, knowledge, and ability had developed. His character was fine as well, so Shao Dong continued to work with him.


    Good Brother had earned a lot of money. As the general manager, Mu Han not only worked but also had a lot of shares. Shao Dong was totally leading Mu Han and earning big money with him.


    Mu Han didn¡¯t dare tell Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng how much money he had earned, for he was afraid that they would feel shocked or proud.


    After working so hard for so many years, Mu Han finally became President Mu. It was something he had never expected when his biological grandmother had belittled him. However, he deserved all this sess after developing his capabilities through scavenging. Now, all his hardships hade to an end.


    However, even though he was earning big money and had be the president of apany, it was really hard on Mu Han. Shao Dong gave orders verbally, and Mu Han, his uncle, didn¡¯t dare disobey him. Only by following Shao Dong¡¯s orders could he earn money.


    He had worked hard for a year, working overtime every day. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to rest for a few days during the New Year. He had to take this chance to rest properly.


    As soon as Mu Han returned, he went to sleep. He slept day and night. When he was outside, he slept lightly. When he returned, because he was at home, he felt at ease and slept so soundly that Li Zhaodi even wondered whether he was still alive. During the daytime, she had to go and check if he was still breathing. She had just taken a look at him beforeing.


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Will you be able to wake him upter?¡±


    ¡°Definitely. I¡¯ll lure him with the aroma of pig trotters and he¡¯ll definitely get up.¡± Li Zhaodi seemed very assured. She looked around and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Shao Qihai?¡±


    ¡°He went to look for a friend. It¡¯s thatrade of his called Jiang Feng. I should have told you before that he had something to attend to.¡±


    Li Zhaodi muttered something along the lines of: ¡°What could be so important that he had to personally go over on New Year¡¯s Eve?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say much. She only said that he had to take care of something.


    When Jiang Feng hade to look for Shao Qihai, Mu Jingzhe had met him twice. Jiang Feng had been very enthusiastic. Whenever he saw Mu Jingzhe, he kept calling her ¡®sister-inw¡¯. He was very enthusiastic and respectful, making Mu Jingzhe feel a little puzzled. Later on, he¡¯d even wanted Mu Jingzhe to introduce a girl to him.


    However, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t help. Instead, he had found one himself. Previously, when Jiang Feng had gotten married, Shao Qihai had gone to the wedding as a guest and even brought the kids along.


    The person Jiang Feng had married was a girl he had met in Ocean City. Back then, she had said that she admired people like them. Later on, they had slowly gotten to know each other.


    Their marriage had originally been quite good, but after less than a year, there seemed to be a conflict between the two of them.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know the exact situation and guessed that it had something to do with an affair. Before Shao Qihai had left, he had told Mu Jingzhe a little about it. Jiang Feng was in an especially bad state and was a little rash. He had to go and check on him.

 Chapter 361 - The Male Supporting Character Becomes the Male Lead

    <h4>Chapter 361: The Male Supporting Character Bes the Male Lead</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    It was rare for them to have a reunion, but he had to go out. Shao Qihai was very helpless, but he had no choice.


    Fortunately, the children remembered him. Now, there was also a fridge, so various vors of the prepared dumplings were stored in the fridge for him.


    ¡°This is Daddy¡¯s. This is for Uncle.¡±


    Other than Shao Qihai, they also remembered to save some for Shao Qiyang.


    When Li Zhaodi heard the children mention Shao Qiyang, she whispered to Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Jingzhe, are Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue about to get married?¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could answer, she heard Li Zhaodi say, ¡°It¡¯s been another year. After the New Year, they¡¯ll be 27 years old. 28 years old ording to the Chinese calendar. It would be absurd if they didn¡¯t get married soon.¡±


    In that day and age, everyone got married early, especially the people in the countryside. Some people got married when they were 18 or 19 years old. If they couldn¡¯t get their marriage certificate yet, they would hold a banquet first. When they were of age, they would make up for it and even register the children in their household then.


    There were many people who married at 21 or 22. It was considered abnormal if one didn¡¯t get married by 23 or 24. Other than those who really couldn¡¯t afford to get married, there were very few 27-year-olds like Mu Xue and Shao Qiyang, who remained unmarried.


    Mu Jingzhe felt a headacheing when she heard her mention age. Indeed, a secondter, Li Zhaodi nagged her again about being 24 years old.


    This year had been really busy. It felt like only a short while had passed, yet another year had already passed. Although she had gained a lot, she still felt that time had passed too quickly.


    The way Li Zhaodi nagged her about already being 24 years old, it seemed as if 24 was a terrifying number. She only felt a little better when Mu Xue¡¯s age was mentioned. ¡°I bet your grandmother is furious. I feel happy whenever I think about how angry she must be.¡±


    Her biased mother-inw had tormented her and Jingzhe too much. Now, Li Zhaodi was happy to see Old Lady Mu angry.


    Mu Jingzhe fell silent. Old Lady Mu really should be angry this year.


    Shao Qiyang had turned from the supporting character into the male lead and he didn¡¯t celebrate the New Year with them that year. Instead, he went to Great Eastern Vige.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t sure how Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue had gotten together, but Shao Qiyang had told her after making a decision.


    If he married Mu Xue, Mu Jingzhe and Mu Xue, who were cousins, would be sisters-inw. Logically speaking, this wouldn¡¯t be good. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t live together, so it wouldn¡¯t affect Mu Jingzhe much.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be so harsh with your words in the future. Don¡¯t take it too far or spite her so much that she¡¯ll die from anger. You¡¯re living well now, and she must feel ufortable just looking at you. If you continue to anger her and cause her trouble, everyone will criticize you,¡± Mu Jingzhe advised Li Zhaodi.


    ¡°Okay. Then tell me, are Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue together?¡± Li Zhaodi asked.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re really¡­ Don¡¯t let the kids hear you.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, let me put it this way¡­ Are the two of them about to be an item?¡±


    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t answer directly. She felt that she should wait until Shao Qiyang seeded before talking about it. She guessed that it was probably time Shao Qiyang took action.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s guess was right. Shao Qiyang had taken action and sessfully angered Old Lady Mu. ¡°You went big and you ended up settling for Shao Qiyang? No, I don¡¯t agree!¡±


    Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue exchanged a nce. There was no surprise in their eyes.


    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t disagree right away. Do you want to keep hearing those awful rumors? Can you bear to see people gossip about me?¡±


    Old Lady Mu froze when she heard Mu Xue¡¯s words.


    Since Mu Xue and Shao Qiyang had staretd interacting, a period of time had passed. During this period, both Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue had experienced a lot of trouble. They were only unmarried, but in the eyes of others, this was like a crime.


    Mu Xue was a very prideful person, but in the end, the men she had never taken seriously in the past actually hypocritically said that they could marry her now. They were acting like they were being charitable. After she got to know more people in the county city, they insisted on introducing men to her. However, the men they introduced to her were all mediocre¡ªthey either had kids from their first marriage or were unpresentable. They even kept saying that she was old and that such men were considered eligible.


    They were smart enough to scheme to get her car and house. Those men wanted their entire family to live in her house, and they even wanted Mu Xue to serve their family.


    Mu Xue had heard enough. Shao Qiyang¡¯s situation was better than hers, but there were also some ignorant people who came up to him and asked him to get treatment, as if that would satisfy them.


    After seeing how they each lived, she suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just get together? That way, people won¡¯t keep gossiping about us.¡±


    Mu Xue knew that Shao Qiyang had liked Mu Jingzhe before. When Shao Qiyang had found out that Shao Qihai had returned, Mu Xue had actually regretted it. However, Shao Qiyang had now transformed. Anyway, Mu Xue was still the girl Shao Qiyang had liked before.


    Not wanting to be tortured for another year, the two of them directly went back to Old Lady Mu and the rest to announce this before the New Year so they could get married right after the New Year.


    Old Lady Mu was more anxious than anyone about Mu Xue¡¯s marriage. She scolded everyone who mocked her, saying that Mu Xue would definitely find someone who wasn¡¯t inferior to Tang Moling and that she had been born to be rich.


    She kept forcing Mu Xue to find a rich man, but in the end, Mu Xue brought back Shao Qiyang.


    Shao Qiyang was considered a very promising man in the vige now. There were many women who desired to marry him but didn¡¯t have the chance to. Still, Shao Qiyang couldn¡¯tpare to Tang Moling. This went against Old Lady Mu¡¯s original intentions.


    She only wanted Mu Xue to find someone who wasn¡¯t inferior to Ji Buwang and ruthlessly prove the vigers wrong. Shao Qiyang didn¡¯t meet those requirements.


    Old Lady Mu wouldn¡¯t agree no matter what, but Mu Xue¡¯s parents gave their consent right away. They really couldn¡¯t stand to see Mu Xue remain unmarried.


    ¡°Qiyang is quite good. Since Xiao Xue¡¯s engagement was broken off, she¡¯s been getting older and older. I no longer dare ask for anything else. Isn¡¯t it good that Qiyang wants to marry her?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so good about it? She was even engaged to Qihai in the past. This is absurd. No way!¡±


    ¡°That was so many years ago. Who remembers that? Mom, just agree. Forget about the ¡®born for riches¡¯ thing. If this continues, Xiao Xue will remain alone for the rest of her life!¡±


    It was rare for Mu Xue¡¯s parents to be so stubborn and stick to their decision. Old Lady Mu was furious, but she couldn¡¯t persuade Mu Xue or her family. As a result, she was so angry that she fell ill.


    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be angry during the New Year. I know you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but I really have to get married. I no longer want to hear those nasty words, nor do I want to be belittled by everyone. Compared to those people, Shao Qiyang is quite good. He¡¯s much better than them.¡±


    The more Old Lady Mu listened, the more she felt that something was amiss. She stood up and asked, ¡°Xiao Xue, do you like Shao Qiyang now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yes, I quite like him, but we can¡¯t let him know for the time being.¡± Mu Xue wheedled with Old Lady Mu. ¡°Grandma, just trust me. We¡¯ll definitely have a good life. Shao Qiyang is actually not bad.¡±


    Mu Xue didn¡¯t know exactly when she had fallen for Shao Qiyang. Sometimes, she felt that Shao Qiyang was really infuriating, especially the way he spoke. It made her want to hit him.


    But unknowingly, he had gradually upied a ce in her heart. At least, Shao Qiyang was real in front of her, just like she was real in front of him. She didn¡¯t have to pretend too much and she could rx. This kind of life was actually pretty good.


    It beat being with the men matchmakers introduced to her, men who were plotting to get their hands on her house.

 Chapter 362 - International Music Competition

    <h4>Chapter 362: International Music Competition</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Old Lady Mu hadn¡¯t doted on Mu Xue for nothing for the past twenty years. In the end, she had no choice but to agree.


    Mu Xue squeezed herself into the bed to sleep with Old Lady Mu,pletely unaware that a person had quietlye to the door and left.


    Shao Qiyang hadn¡¯t expected to hear Mu Xue say that she liked him. Initially, he had only thought that since Mu Xue was having a difficult time and he also wanted to get others off his back, the two of them would just make do with each other.


    At least, they were from the same vige and knew each other well. He had things to talk to her about, unlike all the other girls.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Xue to like him.


    ¡°You have good taste.¡± Shao Qiyang whistled as he returned home.


    Everyone had their weaknesses and strengths. Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue had both experienced a lot. They had met too early, but now was indeed the right time for them.


    The news of Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue¡¯s engagement spread very quickly, and even the date of their wedding was set. Although it was quite rushed, from the engagement to the wedding, they didn¡¯t skip any formalities.


    Since Zhao Lan was useless, as his sister-inw, Mu Jingzhe represented Shao Qiyang¡¯s family andpleted the process under Li Zhaodi¡¯s guidance.


    Neither Old Lady Mu nor Mu Xue¡¯s parents had expected this day toe.


    Shao Qiyang was about to get married. As the eldest brother, Eldest Brother Shao didn¡¯t say anything or even go as a guest. Instead, Zhao Lan was carried over by others.


    After the engagement, Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue talked and decided that they wouldn¡¯t do anything for Zhao Lan besides take her to the hospital for treatment.


    Zhao Lan was taken to the hospital for a checkup, but the results weren¡¯t good. Treatment had been dyed for too long, and she couldn¡¯t be treated anymore. Zhao Lan would have to spend the rest of her life in bed.


    Shao Qiyang had done his best for her. After taking Zhao Lan back to Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s house, he made preparations for the wedding.


    After some discussion, they decided to get married in the county city. Mu Xue also considered teaching at the county city elementary school. She had been attending night school for the past two years, so this was still possible.


    Shao Qihai was very happy that Shao Qiyang was getting married. He almost drank too much on the day of the wedding.


    Mu Jingzhe brought the five kids to help. Little Bei even asked Mu Xue in a particrly wicked manner, ¡°Little Aunt, do you know how to wash clothes now? Or do you need Uncle to wash them for you?¡±


    Mu Xue¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I know how to wash and cook, but what¡¯s wrong with letting your uncle wash them?¡±


    Little Bei giggled. ¡°Nothing. As long as Uncle is willing.¡±


    Shao Dong stroked Little Bei¡¯s head. ¡°Didn¡¯t I bring you three gifts? There¡¯s a washing machine, a refrigerator, and a television. Why would you stress about washing clothes?¡±


    The five kids remembered how well Shao Qiyang had treated them previously, so they were especially generous with their wedding gifts.


    Everyone was rxed. While Mu Xue was joking around with the children, she suddenly apologized to Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?¡± Mu Jingzhe was stunned.


    ¡°I just wanted to say something.¡± Mu Xue gritted her teeth. ¡°I was insensible when I was young, and what happenedter¡­ I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe acknowledged this and didn¡¯t say anything else. It was actually quite good that Mu Xue hadn¡¯t be as evil as the characters in novels or television dramas after her engagement had been annulled.


    After Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue got married, Shao Qiyang¡¯s courier business suddenly soared and its sales skyrocketed.


    Old Lady Mu perked up. She said that Mu Xue had brought her husband prosperity and pped back at the people who had onceughed at Mu Xue.


    At first, everyone said that it was a coincidence, but after the wedding, Shao Qiyang¡¯s business started doing really well. Furthermore, it was presented with other opportunities, which sessfully shut everyone up.


    Later on, Shao Qiyang¡¯s business kept growing bigger and bigger, but all this started when he married Mu Xue. Old Lady Mu and the rest said that this was because Mu Xue had been born for riches. She didn¡¯t directly marry into a rich family, but she could create her own prosperous life.


    Mu Jingzhe could only sigh with emotion. The female protagonist was indeed still the female protagonist. She was really impressive. Although she couldn¡¯t confirm that this had only happened because of Mu Xue, it still sounded like a fantasy.


    However, this was something that would happenter. After Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue got married, Xiao Wu received a letter that proposed a challenge.


    The person challenging him was the little genius who hadpeted with Xiao Wu for the Best Movie Score Award. His name was Conan, and he wasn¡¯t a famous detective, but he couldn¡¯t take a defeat lying down. Previously, Xiao Wu had won the Best Movie Score Award, and he wanted topete with Xiao Wu again. Unfortunately, he had been ignored and rejected. This time, he finally found an opportunity.


    At the end of March, the fourth ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ International Music Competition was about to be held. This was an influential musicpetition recognized worldwide. Many musicians from around the world would participate.


    Unlike special musical instrumentpetitions, such as pianopetitions, the ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ International Music Competition focused on one¡¯s performance, as well as theposition of music. This suited originalposers like Xiao Wu and Conan.


    After Conan signed up for thepetition, he issued a challenge in the newspapers, forcing Xiao Wu to participate so that one of them could be pronounced the winner.


    In the past, very few people in the country had learned to y musical instruments, so very few people participated in international musicpetitions. Those who did well in thesepetitions wouldn¡¯t get too high a ranking either. Very few people in the country knew about this, but since a challenge had been issued, the news would definitely spread in the country.


    He also sent a letter to Xiao Wu. In order to prevent Xiao Wu from finding an excuse to skip school, he even pushed for the musicpetition to be held in China during the preliminary round, which was also an elimination round. When the time came, based on the situation, the finals would be held in China or another location.


    Previously, although some of the most influential musicpetitions would be held in different countries, they had never been held in China, not even the preliminary round. He did this because he was afraid that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t participate.


    However, Conan was actually overthinking. Xiao Wu had never thought of participating in thepetition before, but now that he had been suddenly challenged, his interest was piqued.


    Xiao Wu agreed to participate without hesitation. Mu Jingzhe also supported him. It was good topete with powerful peers. They had even decided to go overseas, but it turned out that the preliminary round would be held in China.


    That was great. They wouldn¡¯t have to go overseas topete then.


    Just like that, the matter was settled. Mu Jingzhe read up on some of the musicalpetitions, both domestic and international, especially those with great influence.


    The ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ International Music Competition was one of the most influential internationalpetitions. Ranking well in it implied that one had great ability. In the future, it would help greatly both in school and in other aspects.


    If one participated in suchpetitions often and obtained high rankings a few times, everyone would be convinced of their ability in the future.


    Xiao Wu indeed needed this experience and qualifications. Mu Jingzhe asked Xiao Wu to prepare well before thepetition.


    Thepetition would be held in Ocean City. When many people in the country heard of it, those who were qualified to sign up did.


    Ocean City also ced great importance on thispetition. Since such apetition was held in China, it would be a good opportunity for everyone to get to know the rapidly developing countries. It would help everyone cast aside their prejudices.


    Ocean City had chosen a venue for thepetition. Later on, it was decided that a television station and radio station would film and record the entire process.. The radio station would broadcast it live, and the television station would also broadcast it as soon as possible.

 Chapter 363 - Ill Let You Touch Me Again When We Go Back To The Room

    <h4>Chapter 363: I¡¯ll Let You Touch Me Again When We Go Back To The Room</h4>


    All of a sudden, domestic newspapers, television stations, and radio stations were promoting this event. The relevant status of the international musicpetition was also known by many people.


    Although no one had paid much attention to it previously, they started to care after hearing this. Many people asked Xiao Wu to work hard and showcase his talent to win thepetition.


    While everyone anticipated this, half a monthter, participants from all over the world brought their musical instruments to Ocean City.


    As for Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang, and Xiao Wu, they also went to Ocean City. This time, it was only the three of them. Shao Dong and the others had their own matters to attend to and also had to go to school.


    Now that Shao Bei and Shao Nan were also in middle school in the county city, all five kids were in the county city. Shao Qihai stayed behind to take care of them, while Mu Jingzhe took a bunch of musical instruments and traveled with Xiao Wu for thepetition.


    As many people in the country were paying attention to thispetition, great importance was ced on Ocean City. The location of thepetition was the best newly-built performance hall, which could amodate more than 10,000 people. The amodation was arranged at a nearby five-star hotel.


    There were very few five-star hotels in China at the time, so it could be seen that they were very generous.


    As the people most likely to win for China, Xiao Wu and the other participants were ced in rooms, with two people staying in each room.


    After getting the keys, Mu Jingzhe, who was used to sharing a room with Xiao Wu, wanted to give the other room to Ji Buwang. Then, Ji Buwang reached out and hooked his arm around Xiao Wu¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Xiao Wu and I will share a room.¡±


    Xiao Wu exploded when he heard that. ¡°No, I¡¯m sharing a room with Mommy.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for him to go out alone with Mommy, so he had to enjoy his time alone with her.


    Xiao Wu had just moved when he was pulled back by Ji Buwang. ¡°No, you¡¯re already seven years old. You¡¯re all grown up. You¡¯re no longer a three-year-old or five-year-old child. You can¡¯t act like before.¡±


    When Xiao Wu heard this, he felt like the sky was about to copse. He suddenly remembered what Mu Jingzhe had said when he was young. She had said that his eldest brother and second brother had grown up, that he couldn¡¯t kiss them casually in the future, and that she had to hurry.


    Back then, as the youngest child, he had been especially happy and had often attracted the envy of his older brothers. But was he also a big boy now?


    Xiao Wu was ovee with sorrow. ¡°Why am I already seven years old¡­ I don¡¯t want to grow up yet.¡± Before this, he¡¯d kept wanting to grow up, but now, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t want to grow up anymore.


    He was listless. Mu Jingzhe looked at him and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Staying with your uncle is the same.¡±


    Only when Ji Buwang mentioned it did Mu Jingzhe realize that yes, Xiao Wu had also grown up. Come to think of it, she had been in this world for four years.


    Four years had passed in a hurry. The little one, Xiao Wu, had already grown up.


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s soft hair. Ah, this soft,fortable feeling. If he grew taller, she might not be able to touch it easily. When he grew to Ji Buwang¡¯s height, she might not even be able to reach it.


    Mu Jingzhe stroked Xiao Wu¡¯s head and then looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s head. Uh¡­ Their hair really looked the same, color and all. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the texture was different from Xiao Wu¡¯s.


    Just as she thought of this, Ji Buwang suddenly bent down and stuck his head out. Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to touch my head? I¡¯ll let you touch it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Am I that obvious?¡± It was just a casual thought.


    ¡°Mm, I can tell at a nce. Go ahead and touch it. Feel free to touch it.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s words attracted the gazes of passersby. These words were really¡­ impressive.


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better might think that she wanted to touch something to her heart¡¯s content.


    ¡°No need. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe refused and stepped back, but Ji Buwang stopped her and ced her hand on his head. ¡°I told you to touch it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to be the center of attention, so she quickly touched it. ¡°Alright, I touched it. Get up quickly. Let¡¯s go back to our room.¡±


    Ji Buwang stood up. ¡°Whose hair is nicer to the touch? Xiao Wu¡¯s or mine?¡±


    ¡°Both are nice.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s hair felt about as soft as Xiao Wu¡¯s hair, but there were also some slight differences. One, the size of their heads was different, and Xiao Wu¡¯s hair was thinner and softer. Two, Ji Buwang¡¯s hair was smoother.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even stroke it properly. Forget it, I¡¯ll let you touch it properly when we get back to the room.¡±


    When Ji Buwang said this, the corners of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth twitched. More and more people looked at her angrily, as if they were about to scold her or look for the police.


    ¡°Stop saying such ambiguous things. Anyone who doesn¡¯t know might think we¡¯re up to something. It¡¯ll suck if we get arrested.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll remember to mention my head next time.¡± Ji Buwang was very easy to talk to.


    Ji Buwang took Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu back to their room first. Although it was a nice five-star hotel room, Ji Buwang still checked the entire room before sitting by the bed and beckoning to Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll let you touch it as much as you want.¡± After saying that, he raised his eyebrows.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ah, ah, ah. This was simply killing her. How could he sit on the bed and say such things? It made her overthink things.


    ¡°Stop talking. Hurry up and leave. I won¡¯t touch it.¡± Mu Jingzhe covered her eyes to prevent herself from thinking too much.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you touch it again?¡± Ji Buwang pulled Xiao Wu over and sat her down beside him. ¡°You can touch Xiao Wu¡¯s too. Come on.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that men¡¯s heads can¡¯t be touched casually? Why are you still inviting me to do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, others can¡¯t touch my head casually.¡± Other than his wife and mother, that was. Since his mother was no longer around, only his wife could touch it. Of course, others couldn¡¯t touch it casually, but Mu Jingzhe could.


    Ji Buwang urged her. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t go over. ¡°No, go back to your room quickly.¡±


    She also thought of the saying that a man¡¯s head could only be touched by his mother and wife, so she didn¡¯t move. Ji Buwang stood up regretfully. ¡°Then tell me when you want to do it next time. Let¡¯s go, Xiao Wu.¡±


    Xiao Wu wanted to y dumb, but in the end, Ji Buwang wedged him under his armpit.


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re indeed a big baddie.¡± Xiao Wu waved weakly at Mu Jingzhe before he was led away by Ji Buwang.


    Thepetition would start on the second day. This day was mainly a free day for them to settle down. Mu Jingzhe washed up in her room before Xiao Wu knocked on the door.


    ¡°Mommy,e down to eat.¡±


    Just as Mu Jingzhe opened the door and went out, the door opposite her room opened as well. A boy in a little suit and a slicked-back hairstyle came out. He spoke as soon as he saw Xiao Wu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely beat you this time!¡±


    He spoke Mandarin, but probably because he had just learned it, his ent was heavy, and they almost didn¡¯t understand what he was saying.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xiao Wu remembered him. He had met him at the film festival, and he was one of hispetitors. Seeing that he waspeting with him, Xiao Wu smiled at him. ¡°Wee to our country.¡±


    Conan: ¡°¡­¡±


    His greeting felt like a punch in the face.


    He still remembered Xiao Wu¡¯s voice. When he¡¯d heard it, he had specificallye over to challenge him. He was full of fighting spirit and had even learned Mandarin for the event. In the end¡­ Xiao Wu smiled at him.

 Chapter 364 - The Rogue Instrument

    <h4>Chapter 364: The Rogue Instrument</h4>


    Although Conan hadn¡¯t learned much, he knew the general meaning of these words. Xiao Wu¡¯s smile was warm and weing.


    Conan¡¯s fighting spirit was stifled. He awkwardly said amon phrase he had just learned. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then he repeated himself. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely beat you!¡±


    Xiao Wu: ¡°Good luck¡­¡±


    After saying that, Xiao Wu pulled Mu Jingzhe to meet Ji Buwang for dinner, leaving Conan sulking and muttering to himself.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s encouragement and attitude made Conan feel that he probably despised him, so he was even more eager to fight.


    When Mu Jingzhe got out of the elevator, she looked at Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯ve never participated in apetition before. Are you nervous?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous because I¡¯ve never participated in one before.¡±


    Alright, this logic was invincible.


    When they walked out of the elevator, they happened to hear Xiao Wu¡¯s name at the front desk. ¡°I don¡¯t know which room he¡¯s staying in. I won¡¯t look for him either. I¡¯ll let him prepare for thepetition. I just need you to help me pass these to Shao Zhong¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jiang!¡± Xiao Wu ran over and interrupted him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu.¡± Jiang Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going topete, so I wanted to give you something.¡± Jiang Feng was holding something in his hand.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Jiang.¡±


    Jiang Feng was about to speak when he saw Mu Jingzhe behind him. ¡°Sister-inw.¡±


    He had just shouted with a smile when he saw Ji Buwang behind Mu Jingzhe. Jiang Feng also knew Ji Buwang and was aware that Ji Buwang shamelessly wanted to snatch Mu Jingzhe away.


    The moment he saw Ji Buwang, the smile on Jiang Feng¡¯s face disappeared. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    His sharp gaze swept over Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Sister-inw, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    He knew that Shao Qihai couldn¡¯te because he had to take care of the other children and that Mu Jingzhe hade with Xiao Wu. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to bring Ji Buwang. ¡°Why is he here too?¡±


    His mood was a little off, and the way he looked at Mu Jingzhe had changed from respect to coldness.


    Back then, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t abandoned the kids and had even taken care of them. Jiang Feng had always respected her for this, but he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to¡­


    Jiang Feng thought of his ex-wife. Back then, he had really been serious about getting married and had treated his wife very well. However,ter on, his wife had done something to let him down. While he had been busy dealing with work, she had been busy hanging out with a wild man.


    The reason for her betrayal was that Jiang Feng was too busy, so she had been feeling too lonely. Back then, she had liked Jiang Feng because of his previous identity. However, after retiring from the army, Jiang Feng had be an ordinary person, so she didn¡¯t like him anymore.


    Regardless of whether a man or a woman had an affair, it was very hurtful for their spouse. In the end, Jiang Feng held back and didn¡¯t hit his wife. However, after getting drunk, he kept saying that he would beat that man to death and perish with her. This was the reason Shao Qihai had gone to look for him during the New Year.


    Shao Qihai had apanied Jiang Feng through his most difficult life period. It was said that thetter was nning to get a divorce.


    The county city had be a sad ce. It just so happened that their business in Ocean City had expanded and someone had to be stationed in Ocean City for a long time, so Jiang Feng was sent to Ocean City. This way, he could recuperate and cheer up.


    After experiencing betrayal, Jiang Feng was very sensitive. He looked at Ji Buwang with a murderous gaze. Ji Buwang frowned. ¡°I¡¯m Xiao Wu¡¯s biological uncle and teacher. If he wants topete, can¡¯t I tag along?¡±


    Only then did Jiang Feng remember Xiao Wu¡¯s background. He frowned and immediately agreed reluctantly. However, because he knew that Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t give up, he wanted to help Brother Hai keep an eye on him when he heard that they were going to eat.


    With Jiang Feng around, the dining atmosphere wasn¡¯t very nice. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t even get to speak to Mu Jingzhe.


    After the meal, Jiang Feng even dutifully took them back, saying that he would continue to pay attention to thepetition.


    At night, Mu Jingzhe asked Xiao Wu to sleep early to conserve energy for the next day.


    The next day, at 8 a.m, the ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ International Music Competition officially started. The television station filmed the entire process, and the radio station broadcasted the whole event.


    Thepetition was kicked off with a musical performance. The local and foreign musicians, who were also the judges of the music festival, were introduced. Their performance was a feast for the ears.


    However, the main protagonists were still the participants. After that, the organizers focused on introducing the participants, who came from all over the world. Because the ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ mainly targeted teenagers, all participants were under the age of 24. There were quite a few contestants around 20. There were also people in their teens, as well as kids around Xiao Wu¡¯s age. In other words, they were basically all geniuses.


    Reality proved that this was indeed the case. When these people¡¯s resumes were introduced, everyone learned that they had all achieved good results in the industry. Xiao Wu¡¯s resume seemed ordinary inparison, as he had never participated in apetition before.


    After the introduction of the contestants, it was time for a performance prepared by the participants, who would show their best or most representative work.


    Geniuses from all over the world disyed their abilities perfectly. Pianos, violins, cellos, and other musical instruments took turns appearing on the stage. None of the performers were bad. They even disyed instruments unique to each country. Xiao Wu listened attentively, his eyes shining.


    He had never been afraid that his opponents would be outstanding. In his opinion, the more outstanding they were, the better. The stage allowed him to truly get to know thesepetitors. He might not have the heart to remember their names, but he would remember the music very clearly.


    Xiao Wu was scheduled to perform toward the end and he was not sure which piece of music to perform or which musical instrument to y. He could follow the crowd, but he always wanted to use representative musical instruments.


    However, there were also many representative musical instruments in China. Xiao Wu knew how to y many of them. After hesitating for two days, he finally chose one. He decided on the instrument that had stirred his heart the most right from the start, the very first musical instrument he had learned.


    Hence, after Xiao Wu was introduced, he went up with the suona[1].


    Many of the foreign contestants weren¡¯t familiar with the suona, but the domestic contestants knew all about it. When they saw what Xiao Wu was holding, they couldn¡¯t help but stare¡ªa suona? No way. Was this a joke?


    Wasn¡¯t this a folk musical instrument? Why would he choose to y this at such a bigpetition?


    The staff present couldn¡¯t help talking in low voices. When the contestants saw their attitude, they were momentarily uncertain. Conan also sat up straight. Could this be some kind of special formidable weapon? But why were their expressions so strange?


    When Xiao Wu blew it, Conan immediately knew. What a¡­ killer weapon.


    Coincidentally, the performers right before Xiao Wu had yed the piano and the violin, so everyone was still immersed in elegance. However, the moment Xiao Wu¡¯s suona sounded, they felt a tremor from the depths of their souls.


    Everyone was shocked, and they couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight.


    As soon as the suona was yed, who couldpete with it?


    It wasn¡¯t called a rogue instrument for nothing. Everyone¡¯s ears werepletely conquered by the melody of the suona.


    Conan¡¯s body even leaned forward. What kind of musical instrument was this? Why was the tone so special and prating? He tensed as if he was facing a formidable enemy.


    In the audience, Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu, who was shining on the stage. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the first time Xiao Wu had plucked up the courage to speak so he could learn to y the suona. She also recalled how he had blown the suona for her after learning it.


    Back then, Xiao Wu had learned from an old master and Mu Jingzhe had felt like he was sending her off as he had blown the suona for her. However, this was no longer the case. Xiao Wu was now ying a tune he hadposed himself.


    [1] Also called a Chinese double-reed horn, a traditional Chinese musical instrument widely yed in rural China

 Chapter 365 - Xiao Wus Performance Is Disappointing

    <h4>Chapter 365: Xiao Wu¡¯s Performance Is Disappointing</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The special musical instrument and music made Mu Jingzhe smile along with the audience. This was because the music was filled with joy and hope. Later, it turned into ignorance and joy, and then into leisure. In the end, when the music quietened down, the joy turned into sorrow.


    Usually, when the suona sounded, it contained either great joy or great sorrow. Xiao Wu¡¯s tune seemed to contain both.


    It was as if it was narrating a person¡¯s joy from birth to passing. A lifetime might be filled with thorns, but in the end, it would all pass, leaving only calmness behind, like the lives of many ordinary people.


    Now that Xiao Wu had grown up, the way he yed the suona had be more mature. He wasn¡¯t ascking as before. Instead, his suona music invoked a different feeling.


    Everyone was immersed in the music. The contestants participating in thepetition sighed with emotion as they heard the special tone of the suona and witnessed Xiao Wu¡¯s talent. When Xiao Wu¡¯s performance was over, they all pped.


    They could still keep their bodies steady. After all, they were all geniuses. Even if an opponent was stunning, they refused to admit defeat. The people in China who were familiar with the suona were all amazed.


    ¡°Oh my god, can suonas even sound like this? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever understood their music before.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, no matter the instrument, the most crucial thing is who is ying it. I didn¡¯t expect the suona to be yed like this.¡±


    ¡°I take back what I said just now. He¡¯s not ying to the gallery, but he¡¯s really capable.¡±


    The staff of the television station and the radio station were also very surprised, and so was the audience listening. The phone at the radio station quickly exploded with calls.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t disappoint. He disyed his skills with an innovative performance and even made everyone reacquaint themselves with folk musical instruments.


    There were still some performers after Xiao Wu, but because Xiao Wu¡¯s performance had taken ce right before theirs, they felt a little helpless. They were unlucky that they were scheduled to perform after him. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many participants left.


    After the performance section ended, it was time to announce the rules of thepetition.


    As usual, thispetition also had a theme. The show would be held three dayster, and the participants would have topose music that fit the theme. The judges would then vote on the rankings for the next two days.


    Over the next couple of days, the radio station would re-air the broadcast. Those who were interested could go to the venue to vote using their real names.


    Because the local contestants would receive more votes, this poll would ultimately produce the Most Popr Award but wouldn¡¯t affect the rankings. Overall, the Most Popr Award wasn¡¯t as important as the ranking of the judges.


    However, the Most Popr Award was also a show of strength. When they heard the rules, many people at once secretly decided to vote for Xiao Wu or the domestic contestants in Ocean City.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know any of this. He focused on the theme announced instead. ¡°The theme of this music will revolve around healing and warmth. There¡¯s no other limitation.¡±


    Although there was a theme, it was a broad one. There weren¡¯t many limitations. The music could revolve around love, friendship, kinship, or any other emotions. If you didn¡¯t want to, you could also not stick to the theme.


    The theme was just a reference. If your work was outstanding enough and was praised by everyone, you couldpletely ignore the theme. Previously, there had been contestants who hadn¡¯t followed the theme, but because they were so outstanding, they¡¯d ended up getting first ce anyway.


    As for the theme of thepetition, it was mainly included for the sake of easyparison.


    If every style was different, it would sometimes be harder to judge. Simr styles were easy to judge. Therefore, if you weren¡¯t superior enough to guarantee that your work would be stunning enough to ignore the theme, then you¡¯d better obediently stick to the theme. Otherwise, you might be eliminated in the preliminary round.


    These rules were constantly perfected. They were considered as fair as possible and gave as much freedom to the contestants as possible.


    Xiao Wu also found it a good idea. He didn¡¯t rebel or differ from everyone else. Instead, he decided to work around the theme.


    Although artists relied on inspiration and too many limitations would limit their inspiration, a truly outstanding artist could work with anything.


    The musicpetition was paused after the first day. After the theme was announced, everyone started getting busy, including Xiao Wu.


    During the creation period, everyone was free to look for inspiration alone. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t stay in the hotel. Instead, he went out. Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang followed him.


    However, unlike the others, the ce Xiao Wu went to was a little special. What was even more special was that while the other contestants had already recorded their music, Xiao Wu came backst.


    Xiao Wu, Mu Jingzhe, and Ji Buwang, who had left the hotel for three days, came back looking travel-worn and exhausted. Xiao Wu was writing something with his head lowered, but after a while, he would pause.


    It wasn¡¯t until midnight that Xiao Wu finally finished and pulled Ji Buwang with him to rehearse.


    This was allowed. Because they¡¯d be performing on the spot, the participants could invite others to help them y some musical instruments. Many contestants had assisting performers around them, and Ji Buwang was Xiao Wu¡¯s assistant.


    The day of the official performance arrived very quickly. The venue was packed with even more people than thest time.


    Last time, audience tickets hadn¡¯t been sold, and only a batch had been given away. This time, they needed to buy tickets. There were quite a lot, but there were also many people who didn¡¯t manage to get one. It was rare for people in Ocean City toe across such apetition, so some people queued up overnight to buy tickets, and there were even people who specifically came from overseas to listen.


    There were many people but very few tickets, which resulted in some high prices.


    Some of these people were there for the others, but most of them were there for Xiao Wu. They all knew that Xiao Wu¡¯s music would touch people¡¯s hearts every time. Hearing it live would definitely feel different. They all wanted to experience it live.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know about all this because her ticket was the kind that was given to family members. When she saw that the seats were packed, she was a little nervous.


    While Mu Jingzhe waited nervously, the performance officially began.


    The order of appearance this time was decided with a lottery. Xiao Wu drew the middle position, which was quite good.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nervousness disappeared after the performance officially started. Internationalpetitions were indeed different. The performances at the beginning were all very good. It felt very nice and warm to listen to them. Everyone present couldn¡¯t help but smile when they heard the music.


    The first half echoed the theme, and it was soon Xiao Wu¡¯s turn. As soon as Xiao Wu went up on the stage, he received enthusiastic apuse, louder even than everyone else¡¯s.


    Amid endless anticipation, everyone, especially those who hade for Xiao Wu, sat up straight and waited. They believed that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t disappoint them and would definitely make them warm up.


    As they waited at the edge of their seats, Xiao Wu and Ji Buwang started to perform. After a while, everyone looked at them with strange expressions.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s performance this time didn¡¯t feel warm or healing. Instead, it was a little strange and noisy. Everyone was stunned for a moment as they waited for Xiao Wu to show his true strength.


    However, by the time he finished performing, the situation didn¡¯t change and his music didn¡¯t exude any warmth throughout. They all listened from beginning to end. Actually, it was still nice, and Xiao Wu¡¯s standard style was there. s, the audience didn¡¯t find it particrly stunning. More importantly, they didn¡¯t feel any warmth at all.


    They hade for warm, healing music, and this was also the theme, but Xiao Wu¡¯s music didn¡¯t meet the criteria.


    After Xiao Wu bowed and left with Ji Buwang, everyone realized that the judges were whispering to each other.. Everyone, including the contestants in the front row who weren¡¯t preparing to perform and the audience in the back, started talking.

 Chapter 366 - The Results of the First Round

    <h4>Chapter 366: The Results of the First Round</h4>


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is Shao Zhong¡¯s performance not as good as before?¡±


    ¡°The music is not warm or healing at all. What is he doing?¡±


    Everyone was discussing his performance below. Their voices weren¡¯t out of control, but they were filled with disappointment.


    Conan, who was sitting in the front row and was scheduled to perform toward the end, smiled, and his tense body rxed.


    The people who hade to thepetition were all very impressive, but Conan only had his eyes on Xiao Wu, as he was the opponent he valued the most. Normally, a theme like healing and warmth should be Xiao Wu¡¯s specialty. He had been nervous, but as it had turned out, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t all that.


    He might have overestimated him.


    During the rest of the performance, Conan watched in a rxed state. When it was almost his turn, he went backstage to prepare. As soon as he started performing, the tired spectators perked up.


    Conan didn¡¯t stay close to the theme. He presented a song full of fighting spirit, which suited his style. He grabbed people¡¯s ears in a moment. The music was very aggressive, making it difficult for them not to notice it. It made the audience¡¯s hot blood course through their veins.


    Conan had chosen a different approach. He had been afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Xiao Wu at what Xiao Wu was good at, so he had chosen what he himself was best at. The result proved to be good. The response he received was different from the one the audience had to Xiao Wu, who had received enthusiastic apuse when he had gone up the stage and sparse apuse when he had gotten off.


    In Conan¡¯s case, when he went on stage, the apuse wasn¡¯t considered enthusiastic, but when he got off the stage, the apuse was resounding. Even the judges apuded.


    Conan left the stage with a face full of arrogance and confidence, certain that he was going to win this time. The attitude of the audience and the judges proved this. He was even more impressive than Xiao Wu!


    Conan saw Xiao Wu backstage. Perhaps because Xiao Wu had yet to realize this was a crisis, his expression was no different from before.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to win this time,¡± Conan said bluntly.


    Xiao Wu only replied, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the results. However, you¡¯re really impressive. Your music was nice. I wish you all the best.¡±


    Those who deserved praise had to be praised. Xiao Wu gestured at him with his fist and left.


    Conan thought that Xiao Wu was unconvinced. Fortunately, a trantor told him what Xiao Wu had said. Only then was Conan satisfied. ¡°At least you have good taste. I¡¯ll definitely be the one to win the Best Movie Score Award next time.¡±


    After the performance, Conan rxed. Now it was all up to the judges. He trusted the judges¡¯ taste.


    Xiao Wu also rxed. He hadn¡¯t rested well previously. After the performance, he went back to the hotel and slept soundly.


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang did the same. Their hearts were full as they slept happily in the hotel, but they didn¡¯t know that there was going to be amotion outside soon.


    The entire process was broadcast live on the radio station. The television station quickly broadcasted it as well. Everyone had been waiting for Xiao Wu to do well and win thepetition, thus bringing glory to their country. But now that they had seen his performance, they were disappointed. That was it?


    Regardless of whether they knew much about music or not, they could judge with their instinctive feelings. Their hope had turned into disappointment.


    Jiang Feng had even heard the music live. To be honest, he was very disappointed. If he hadn¡¯t been worried about making Xiao Wu feel pressured, he would have gone to look for him long ago. However, he still called Shao Qihai consecutively and asked him toe to Ocean City to see what was wrong with Xiao Wu.


    After thepetition was broadcast on television, the newspapers reported about it. Everyone was outraged as they kept discussing Xiao Wu¡¯s performance.


    ¡°I just feel that his music fits the theme the least. It¡¯s not even as good as his work was a long time ago. At the time, I could still hear smiles in his songs, but this time¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he had limited time.¡±


    ¡°Previously, it was said that he was a genius and that it wouldn¡¯t take him long topose a piece of music. Now, it looks like it¡¯s not true, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe our expectations were too high. After all, he¡¯s a child, so he doesn¡¯t understand much aboutplicated feelings.¡±


    The newspapermented specifically on Xiao Wu¡¯s performance. In order to prevent Xiao Wu from bing the next ¡®Shang Zhongyong¡¯, everyone should be more rational. The overall meaning was that they shouldn¡¯t tter Xiao Wu too much in the future. Otherwise, he might be arrogant at a really young age and end up bing an ordinary person.


    When the newspaper article was published, many people felt that it made sense. Some people were angry, while others were disappointed. They felt that Xiao Wu had disgraced everyone.


    The public vote had also changed. They had agreed to vote for Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu had disappointed them, so no one was willing to vote for him now. Instead, they felt that it was their ce to encourage, advise, and warn him.


    Many a time, people acted like this. If a person performed very well all the time, everyone would be particrly disappointed if they didn¡¯t perform well every once in a while. But if a person¡¯s performance was always very poor, everyone would be amazed if they suddenly performed well just once.


    Xiao Wu had performed too well previously. Now that he had suddenly performed like this, everyone had lost control of their emotions. The main reason for this was that everyone wanted him to be stronger for the world to see so they could also show their excellence.


    Since they couldn¡¯t do it themselves, they had ced their hopes on the person who could do it. The greater one¡¯s hopes were, the greater their disappointment would be.


    When Mu Jingzhe finished resting and heard what was going on, she lost herposure and scratched her head. ¡°I thought the results were not announced yet? Why are they scolding him?¡±


    The reason was naturally because everyone felt that there was no hope of winning the award.


    Mu Jingzhe felt helpless when she heard everyone¡¯sments. She could only feel d that the Inte had yet to be prevalent. Otherwise, in the modern era, Xiao Wu would probably have faced endless criticism.


    Now, everyone¡¯s voices couldn¡¯t reach them. They could just pretend not to hear.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when the results are out. Rest well for two days and don¡¯t go out too much.¡± That way, Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t hear thosements and feel sad.


    However, although Xiao Wu understood Mu Jingzhe¡¯s good intentions, he still insisted on going out. ¡°Mommy, we all have to be criticized eventually. Like you¡¯ve always told me and Sister, we¡¯re not money. It¡¯s impossible for everyone to like us. We have to face dislike and criticism. I was already prepared before making this choice. Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s just listen to everyone. I have to face criticism early and learn to be strong.¡±


    Before the results were announced, Xiao Wu went out to face the criticism of others. Not only did he have to face the gazes of hispetitors, but he also had to listen to everyone¡¯s criticism at the door.


    Xiao Wu was very calm the entire time. He only jumped into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms when they returned to the hotel.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m still too young. I still can¡¯t face this. That¡¯s as much as I can bear. I don¡¯t want to hear any more for now.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why you were so calm. So you were pretending.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, was it really that bad?¡± Xiao Wu started doubting himself.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to think too much about it. Just do your best.¡±


    Amidst everyone¡¯s disappointment, it was soon time to announce the results of the preliminary round. The top ten contestants in the preliminary round could enter the next and final stage.


    The final ranking of thepetition was mainly determined by the final round. However, even though this was only the ranking of the preliminary round, it was still important. They¡¯d even specifically created medals for this.


    Although winning a medal couldn¡¯tpare to the real trophy at the finals, it was still not bad.


    The most exciting moment had arrived, but everyone was uninterested, as they had guessed that Xiao Wu probably wouldn¡¯t even enter the final. Not only would Xiao Wu not be able to enter, but if they were unlucky, all the contestants from China would probably bepletely wiped out.

 Chapter 367 - Xiao Wu Wins First Place

    <h4>Chapter 367: Xiao Wu Wins First ce</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Other than Xiao Wu, there was nock of outstanding contestants in China. However, because they had limitedpetition experience, they had been too nervous about going on stage and this had affected their performance, causing it to be average.


    Therefore, most likely, none of the domestic contestants would be able to enter the top ten. All of them would be eliminated and they wouldn¡¯t have the chance to enter the final.


    This was heartbreaking. Originally, they¡¯d had an advantage, as the preliminary round was held in their country. They should have used their advantage, but they¡¯d ended up like this instead.


    Everyone was disappointed and sad, but they still had to hear the results. There were also performances today, but Xiao Wu didn¡¯t go on stage this time. After the performances ended, the most agonizing moment arrived.


    The ranking was announced starting from the tenth ce. There was no controversy about it, but what was sad was that there were really no domestic contestants.


    The higher the ranking, the more hopeless they all felt. By the time the fourth ce had been announced, everyone knew that they had really been wiped out this time.


    Everyone was no longer in the mood to watch the emcee announce the top three of the preliminary round.


    First, the third ce was announced. There was no dispute about this. Next, the second ce was announced. This time, the results were unexpected, as the runner-up was Conan.


    ording to everyone, this time, Conan¡¯s performance had been stunning and spectacr. No contestant had performed better than him. If nothing went wrong, he should be first. However, it was announced that he was second.


    Everyone was surprised, and so was Conan. It was normally a good thing to be in second ce, as even though it was only second ce, it was something many people couldn¡¯t achieve. However, Conan¡¯s face turned as cold as if he had just been eliminated.


    Although Conan smiled when he went up to receive the award, his smile was brief and his eptance speech wasn¡¯t long.


    He only wanted to know who had gotten first ce!


    Everyone was guessing who it was. As they all nervously anticipated the result, the emcee finally started announcing who had won the first prize.


    ¡°The winner is¡­ Shao Zhong.¡±


    When the emcee finished announcing the name, there was a moment of silence. Everyone frowned. Shao Zhong? How was that possible?


    While everyone wondered, the emcee chuckled. ¡°I know everyone is surprised, but it¡¯s true that our Xiao Wu, Shao Zhong, won first ce.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s nickname was already famous, but at that moment, no one cared about Xiao Wu¡¯s nickname. The emcee even excitedly invited Xiao Wu on stage so that the guest presenter could present him with the award. Meanwhile, the discussion and doubts below the stage grew.


    Conan, who had gotten second ce, couldn¡¯t help but stand up and ask directly why Xiao Wu had won. He refused to ept it and felt that Xiao Wu didn¡¯t deserve it.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that there were judges from all over the country there, Conan would have said that the judges were corrupt.


    When Conan stood up, he acted a little rashly. After all, when he had signed up for thepetition, he had been told that the judges¡¯ evaluation was an irreversible decision. The contestants had to unconditionally respect the judges¡¯ grading.


    This was also why he had obediently gone up to receive the award when he had gotten second ce previously. However, although he might have been a little unwilling to ept it if some other simrly outstanding person had gotten first ce, he would only have thought about defeating them in the real final.


    Things were different now that the person in question was Xiao Wu. In Conan¡¯s eyes, Xiao Wu was already a loser who had been eliminated in the preliminary round. How could he deserve to be first?


    ¡°I need a believable exnation.¡±


    His tone was unpleasant, but the emcee was smiling and wasn¡¯t anxious or flustered at all. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an exnation. Actually, I didn¡¯t understand it at first either. It wasn¡¯t until I saw it with my own eyes that I felt that he deserved the first ce.¡±


    The emcee took a deep breath. ¡°When we listen to Shao Zhong¡¯s music, we don¡¯t feel that it¡¯s warm or healing because his music doesn¡¯t target ordinary people but autistic individuals. The healing warmth of his music is only effective on autism.¡±


    As soon as the emcee finished speaking, the crowd fell silent for a moment before they started discussing this. ¡°Really?¡±


    Some people asked about autism, while others discussed whether this was true or not. Afraid that the contestants wouldn¡¯t understand, the emcee exined in several differentnguages and briefly introduced autism. Although the emcee seemed very ordinary, he hade to host this event because he was proficient in manynguages.


    Conan, who knew a lot about autism, lost hisposure and asked, ¡°Is it really effective on autism?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. The judges have already verified it.¡± The emcee confirmed it.


    After Xiao Wu¡¯s performance, everyone had seen the judges discussing among themselves. They had thought that it was because he hadn¡¯t performed well. However, they didn¡¯t know that the judges had been discussing if this song was really for autistic patients. Was it really effective on autistic patients?


    When Xiao Wu¡¯s song had been submitted, the origins and story of the song had been exined in detail. The target audience had also been specified.


    After the judges had finished reading and hearing the song, they hadn¡¯t dared confirm it at first. Later on, they had personally confirmed it before announcing the scores.


    The preliminary round had ended in surprise and shock, but this was only the beginning.


    Everyone who listened to the radio or watched the television broadcastter started discussing and paying attention to autism.


    Compared to many people in the modern era, who knew that autism was different, this was the first time many people heard of autism in this era.


    However, it was a fact that autism was getting more and more attention. It was also the main topic that everyone had started discussing recently because there were more and more autistic children.


    Previously, people hadn¡¯t known much about this illness. However, the research on autism had entered a new stage now. Everyone started to abandon the hypothesis that the illness was caused by so-called ¡®inappropriate parental raising methods¡¯ and they explored the causes of autism in the field of biology,pletely separating autism from schizophrenia in terms of clinical diagnosis.


    This was an improvement, but there wasn¡¯t any special medicine to treat this illness. Early diagnosis and intervention could improve the oue. There were also some concrete, effective methods, but there were still many difficulties.


    No one had expected Xiao Wu to target children with autism. The biggest characteristics of autistic children were awkward social interactions,munication disorders, narrow interests, and inflexible behavior. In the eyes of outsiders, they were immersed in their own world and rarely yed with other children. They often yed alone and didn¡¯t listen to their teachers or parents, as if they couldn¡¯t even hear them.


    However, Xiao Wu¡¯s music was effective on them. It didn¡¯t heal them, but as long as they heard Xiao Wu¡¯s music, it seemed able to make theme out of their world and listen seriously.


    In fact, if their emotions were unstable, they could calm down after hearing it. If one took the opportunity tomunicate with them while the music yed, it would allow some autistic children to temporarily hear what their parents said to them.


    Music therapy had also been repeatedly discussed. It was still uncertain how effective it would be on autism, but this was undoubtedly a viable path.


    The judges had also tried to y the music of the other contestants to children with autism, but the songs that felt warm to ordinary people didn¡¯t have much of an effect on them. They either didn¡¯t like them or didn¡¯t react at all.


    They only heard Xiao Wu¡¯s song, which meant that it was effective. They would listen quietly, and some of them would even smile, as if the song had a warm, healing effect on them.


    Given this oue, how could they not give the first ce to him?

 Chapter 368 - If You Can Kill With Music, You Can Save People With Music

    <h4>Chapter 368: If You Can Kill With Music, You Can Save People With Music</h4>


    On the way back to the hotel, Xiao Wu was asked by the reporters and contestants how he had thought ofposing a song for autistic patients.


    Previously, when Xiao Wu had gone overseas with Ji Buwang, he had coincidentally met autistic children. From then on, Xiao Wu had started paying attention to them.


    Xiao Wu felt that they were a little simr to him in the past, as they would not speak and they were always alone. However, they were a little different.


    After Xiao Wu had noticed them, he had tried to talk to them, but it was useless.


    When Xiao Wu had heard that the theme of thispetition was warm and healing music, he had suddenly thought of them and asked Mu Jingzhe about autism. After learning about this condition, he had said that he wanted to y music for them.


    Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t sure if he could warm them up or heal them, but he wanted to talk to them using what he was best at¡ªmusic.


    When Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang had gone out, they had been constantly busy, not because of anything else, but because they¡¯d wanted to see these children.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s music was a product of these interactions.


    The next day, it seemed like the entire world was revolving around this topic. Many people also confirmed that it was true after testing the song.


    They weren¡¯t sure if it would improve the symptoms of autism, but it was enough that autistic patients could hear it. The news spread throughout the world.


    The music festival and Ocean City reacted quickly. The radio station quickly broadcasted the news and yed Xiao Wu¡¯s song repeatedly, spreading it as far as possible.


    This was because newspapers, television stations, and radio stations tried their best to report it everywhere. Even the symptoms of autism were widespread. Both those who had confirmed that their children had autism and those who weren¡¯t sure but felt that it sounded simr after hearing the description couldn¡¯t help but give it a try.


    In the end, the evidence proved that it was really effective. Those who had already known about their autistic children¡¯s condition were grateful. Those who hadn¡¯t were also grateful. Many people didn¡¯t have the money to have their autistic children¡¯s symptoms diagnosed, and their children would be treated as fools and monsters. The people around them would always say nasty things, and there were even people who bullied their children.


    Although being sick wasn¡¯t much better than being a fool, at least they could make everyone shut up and stop calling their children fools. They were just sick.


    Many of them weren¡¯t sure about their children¡¯s condition at first and only learned about it through Xiao Wu¡¯s music. This also allowed their kids to receive treatment as soon as possible.


    In short, through experimentation and professional doctors¡¯ verifications, Xiao Wu¡¯s music was indeed proved to be effective on autism. It really warmed the patients up and introduced music to their limited world, giving them more opportunities tomunicate.


    A professional doctor personally said that Xiao Wu¡¯s music, coupled with treatment, might increase the possibility of a cure. It was very useful for treating the condition.


    News of the situation in the country quickly spread overseas. The musicpetition was international to begin with, and there was already a lot of attention on it. At first, everyone was skeptical, but they tried to verify it.


    As the news spread in the country, more and more people started to verify this. In the end, they realized that the music was really effective. There were also more and more reports overseas. Xiao Wu¡¯s name was mentioned by more and more people. The public opinion on the song, which had been questioned initially, had beenpletely reversed. The song was truly spreading worldwide because there were autism cases everywhere.


    Back then, the inte wasn¡¯t as developed as in the modern ages. Many ces had seen the news, but there were no audio sources. Everyone was asking Xiao Wu for the audio.


    After this was discussed with Xiao Wu, they decided to provide this piece of music to the world for free.


    This was decided after Xiao Wu and Mu Jingzhe discussed it. Anyway, Xiao Wu didn¡¯tck money now. Although he would definitely earn a lot by selling the copyright, this way, many people might not be able to hear it.


    Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t bear to do that. He had made the song so that people could hear it.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s actions once again moved people. Both the local and foreign media praised Xiao Wu¡¯s actions. Xiao Wu had bepletely famous and was now known as a ¡®music doctor¡¯.


    The People¡¯s Television Station and the Daily News specifically reported this, calling Xiao Wu the pride of the country.


    In an instant, a trend also emerged and people all over the country started learning from Xiao Wu. Anyway, there were already kids like that in Great Eastern Vige. Though this wasn¡¯t something that could be learned just like that, there was indeed an increase in the number of people studying music.


    The local reports were still considered reserved, but the foreign reports were much more straightforward. They even called him ¡®Little Angel¡¯ and other simr names. Xiao Wu felt shy when he read this.


    They hadn¡¯t expected the ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ International Music Competition to have such a big impact. Besides Xiao Wu, even the reputation and influence of ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ increased.


    Initially, they had nned on holding the final in thepetition¡¯s origin country. Now, it seemed that the finals would be held in China.


    Many musicians who hadn¡¯t nned on participating in thepetition or hadn¡¯t intended to pay attention to it started watching it. Those who couldpete even wanted to sign up, while those who couldn¡¯t were also paying attention.


    Many of these people were very capable and influential. In the end, they even held a new preliminary round in another country.


    Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu had no objections to this. Mu Jingzhe had begun collecting newspaper articles that praised Xiao Wu as a hobby. Every time she read them, she wouldugh out loud. She hated that she couldn¡¯t keep all the newspapers and programs that praised Xiao Wu. It wasn¡¯t possible for her to collect the radio station or television station reports, but she could collect the newspaper articles.


    Mu Jingzhe carefully collected any newspapers that reported on Xiao Wu that she could buy. She was very happy to see Xiao Wu described as the pride of the country. ¡°Xiao Wu, I¡¯m proud of you too. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡±


    This was Xiao Wu¡¯s ability. In his previous life, he had used music to kill people. In this life, he was able to use music to save people.


    Mu Jingzhe even thought that it would be great if there were more people like Xiao Wu in the modern era.


    Because of Xiao Wu, the final of the ¡®Sound of Music¡¯ International Music Competition was pushed back. During this period, Xiao Wu received many thank-you letters.


    As Xiao Wu read these letters and saw that they were filled with gratitude, he felt greatly impacted. ¡°Mommy, I didn¡¯t expect that I could be of such use and receive so much gratitude. In the past, I only did it because I liked it, but now I¡¯ve realized that it also has a great effect.¡±


    After some thought during this period of time, an idea gradually formed in Xiao Wu¡¯s mind. ¡°Mommy, I want to continue doing this in the future. If possible, I want to produce more music to help more people.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I support you!¡± Mu Jingzhe supported him without hesitation.


    Previously, Xiao Wu¡¯s songs had been heart-piercing. Now, they were even better, as apart from autism, there was also a lot of invisible psychological pain in the world.


    Never mind if the music could cure it. It was good to bring people warmth and happiness anyway.


    A lot of psychological trauma was not understood by others, nor could it be treated. This was more troublesome and painful than a physical illness, as there was no medicine to take or any means to treat it.


    Now that Xiao Wu had a goal, he asked Mu Jingzhe to learn more about it. Mu Jingzhe told Xiao Wu everything she knew from modern times.

 Chapter 369 - Breathtaking

    <h4>Chapter 369: Breathtaking</h4>


    In that era, even psychology wasn¡¯t well known, let alone counseling and psychotherapy. However, just because these terms didn¡¯t exist, it didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t rted problems. Since Xiao Wu had some ideas, Mu Jingzhe would tell him what she knew.


    By interacting with others, Xiao Wu could understand what Mu Jingzhe was talking about.


    Then, the final of the international musicpetition officially began. Anotherrge group of famous musicians flocked to the country, attracting a lot of attention. Before this, although thepetition had been broadcast domestically, very few other countries had actually broadcasted it. However, this time, many national television stations and radio stations came to broadcast thepetition.


    When contestants from their own country were participating in thepetition, the media outlets of that country would try their best to obtain the rights to broadcast it.


    Many people came to interact with Xiao Wu and get to know him. If Xiao Wu spoke theirnguage, he wouldmunicate with them himself. Even if he didn¡¯t, there would be trantors present.


    Onlooker Conan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Conan was furious. Why couldn¡¯t Xiao Wu understand their country¡¯snguage? Conan had also found a trantor, but he was really unhappy that he couldn¡¯tmunicate with Xiao Wu in person. He had worked hard to learn Mandarin, but because Mandarin was too difficult, his learning speed was slow and he couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    In the past, Conan used to be very proud and had even questioned Xiao Wu on the spot. However, after learning about Xiao Wu¡¯s music and even personally testing it, this proud youth waspletely subdued.


    Little geniuses were like that. They were proud internally, but if they met someone more powerful, they would be convinced. This was the case for Conan as well.


    He had apologized to Xiao Wu long ago, and Xiao Wu had forgiven him, but that wasn¡¯t enough. He even wanted to be friends with Xiao Wu and exchange more knowledge with him.


    However¡­ many people came to interact with Xiao Wu, wanting to be acquainted with him! As soon as Xiao Wu went out, there seemed to be people around him. Older sisters and brothers also surrounded Xiao Wu.


    Xiao Wu was very happy because he had met many impressive people there. He got along well with them and felt that he had learned a lot after interacting with them.


    Soon, the final officially started. There was a total of twenty people, including the top ten contestants that had emerged from the preliminary round. Not a single one of these twenty people was simple. There were also contestants who had already made a name for themselves and who joined subsequently. There was a lot to see.


    They could have been judges in anotherpetition, but they had chosen toe to thispetition topete because of Xiao Wu.


    Now that the standard of the contestants had been elevated, they invited judges that were even more heavyweight. When thepetition started, there was another round of introductions and performances. Xiao Wu listened with relish. The theme was only announced at the end.


    The rules of the final were simr to those of the preliminary round. Due to the influence that Xiao Wu had previously, the theme that was announced this time was very direct¡ªtheir music had to relieve pain.


    This theme was somewhat simr to the warmth and healing theme. It was unexpected, but not entirely so either. This was due to the miracle that Xiao Wu had worked previously. They wanted to see how far music could go.


    When the theme was broadcast, many people started to look forward to the performances. The participants also started taking action, and most of them went to the hospital.


    There were sick people in the hospital, and although they weren¡¯t sure if the music would work on them, they wanted to try in their own way.


    Xiao Wu also took action. His actions received a lot of attention, not only from the judges and the contestants but also from the audience. However, he didn¡¯t go to the hospital this time. The ce he visited made everyone feel a little uncertain. There was no pattern, and nobody knew what he wanted to do.


    Like before, they were given three days to prepare and they had to perform on the fourth day. Three days passed quickly. Soon, the fourth day came. Xiao Wu¡¯s assisting performer was still Ji Buwang, but another person was added. It was a local contestant who had been eliminated previously.


    This contestant was very outstanding in all aspects and was even better than Xiao Wu in certain aspects. However, his mental fortitude was average. He would get nervous on stage and wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the pressure, so his performance was very average. However, if many people went on stage to perform and he wasn¡¯t the protagonist, he would exceed his usual performance.


    He felt that he should be an assisting performer for Xiao Wu since he could truly showcase his skills that way. Besides, he was very fond of Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu liked this older brother very much. He felt that Xiao Wu was very impressive. Therefore, he decided to coborate with him.


    No one knew if Xiao Wu was really lucky or if everything had been arranged this way, but he was scheduled to performst.


    Anyone who could enter the final was unique. These performances were much more exciting than the preliminary round. Everyone had different ways of relieving pain, so everyone gave their own answer.


    Some of the contestants¡¯ music made people want to cry, and crying was also a way to relieve pressure and pain. Everyone present was very moved. Some of the contestants were very warm, which also had an alleviating effect on pain. There were also some contestants who took another approach and used very irritable music filled with screams to alleviate pain.


    This was unprecedented and innovative, as screaming could indeed relieve pain. During the performance, the lights were turned off, making people feel safer in the dark. As a result, people couldn¡¯t help but shout along. In the end, it felt very gratifying.


    The performance hall, which could hold 10,000 people, seemed to be filled with cries. Later on, they could even scream and shout. It was highly novel but it also indirectly showed thepetitor¡¯s strength. Xiao Wu and Mu Jingzhe were among the people who were shocked.


    Mu Jingzhe shouted along as well. After shouting, she felt a lot less depressed.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to cry and shout to one¡¯s heart¡¯s content.


    The radio listeners who had been listening to the broadcast this entire time were also shocked. Many wailing and howling sounds were heard on the streets, and all the listeners felt that it was worth it.


    However, they were also worried for Xiao Wu. These people were very impressive. Could Xiao Wu do it? He was so young after all.


    After everyone vented and their emotions reached their peak, Xiao Wu finally went on stage. The people who had finished performing also pricked up their ears and listened attentively.


    In the end, they heard an ear-piercing sound right from the start. It was very short, but it was really ufortable. It made them feel frustrated and depressed.


    No one had expected his music to be like this. Instead of relieving one¡¯s pain, it made one hurt even more. Everyone frowned. But at that moment, the music style suddenly changed. The thumping sound of the drums elevated one¡¯s mood all of a sudden. It encouraged one¡¯s heart and gave one an inexplicable sense of courage, making one want to summon the courage to resist.


    Everyone felt a sense of relief, as if they had defeated an enemy or a difficult opponent. As their hearts were afire, the music eased up as if it were whispering in their ears, softlyforting them and encouraging them. If the first part of the music was a storm, then the subsequent part was a drizzle that slowly soothed one¡¯s wounds.


    It was as if one had returned to their childhood, where they could run into their mother¡¯s arms to beforted when they felt aggrieved. In the end, it felt as though they had all regained their energy.


    After their initial frustration, everyone¡¯s hearts were subconsciously moved. They kept following the music, frowning, clenching their fists, and resisting readily until they eventually feltforted. They felt like their hearts had opened up. Many of them even had tears in their eyes, but the corners of their mouths were curled up in a rxed smile.

 Chapter 370 - This Is For the Mentally Ill

    <h4>Chapter 370: This Is For the Mentally Ill</h4>


    After Xiao Wu and his assisting performers went down, the apuse didn¡¯t stop for a long time. Mu Jingzhe followed suit and pped until her hands were red and started to hurt.


    Everyone who had been worried about Xiao Wu heaved a sigh of relief. This time was different fromst time, when everyone hadn¡¯t been able to understand. Many people could sense the effect of this song. No one had expected it to be like this, but it did relieve one¡¯s pain.


    The judges couldn¡¯t care less about anything else and started whispering enthusiastically again. They pointed at the information provided by Xiao Wu and kept talking.


    Later on, everyone found out that Xiao Wu¡¯s music was specifically targeted at people who were particrly depressed.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s music was deeply influenced by what Mu Jingzhe had said this time. If one had to define it, one would say that it probably targeted certain forms of depression.


    At the time, the concept of depression had yet to be proposed, nor was there any medical evidence for it. Many people in the modern era were aware of it and knew how dangerous it was. However, at the time, no one understood. People with more serious conditions were directly called crazy or lunatics.


    Even if onemitted suicide, no one would know that it was because one was sick.


    At the time, depression naturally wasn¡¯t asmon as inter generations, but that didn¡¯t mean that it didn¡¯t exist. Many people had mild or even severe depression. They would rpse every now and then, but no one understood.


    The people Xiao Wu had interacted with previously were depressed patients. In the end, he hadposed this song, which could be considered a way to vent and providefort. It brought warmth, and many of the 10,000 people present felt much better.


    Without any controversy, Xiao Wu¡¯spletely different tune was broadcast widely. Unlike his previous music for autistic patients, this time, many people listened to the song and the effects were more extensive because everyone felt their own pain and pressure deep down. Only the extent of it differed.


    Although people still didn¡¯t know about depression, theforting effects of the music were solid. In the end, he undoubtedly won first ce in the final.


    The second and third ce were the two songs that had left an impression on everyone previously. Conan didn¡¯t ce in the top three, but he had no objections this time, as he had been convinced. When Xiao Wu went up to receive the award, Conan pped the loudest and was even happier than when he had received an award.


    Although he had lost thepetition, Conan had matured quite a bit. Now that he knew that there would always be someone better than him, even his personality had changed quite a bit. He had grown much steadier and left behind his arrogant, condescending manner.


    Many countries broadcasted the final. Those who listened to the broadcast were addicted. The songs of thispetition were the starting point for Xiao Wu to be a world-ss musician. These two songs also became unsurpassable ssics. Even decadester, when people listened to them again, they still felt that these ssics were useful.


    Regardless of whether they were used for autism orter for depression, they always worked. Later on, the two songs became typical representations of music therapy.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s tunes became the salvation of many depression cases down the road. Many milder cases improved by pairing treatment with Xiao Wu¡¯s music. The effect was obvious.


    Many people inter generations couldn¡¯t believe that this had beenposed by a child, but in reality, it had.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know how he would be evaluated in the future, but he had also gained a lot in reality.


    The contestants and judges gave the highest evaluation of his songs, and he also made many friends. Many music schools invited Xiao Wu to enroll in the future as well. It could be said that he had received an invitation from famous schools in advance.


    Later on, Xiao Wu received many thank-you letters and phone calls from the radio station. People were thanking Xiao Wu for his song.


    Then, another piece of news made Xiao Wu¡¯s poprity soar to new heights. In the news was a woman whose husband had died in an ident and who had originally nned tomit suicide. However, in the end, she had identally heard Xiao Wu¡¯s song and chosen to live instead.


    The woman was especially grateful to Xiao Wu. People started calling Xiao Wu ¡®Little Angel¡¯ again. Healing everyone and giving them warmth and strength became Xiao Wu¡¯s specialty.


    The movies that Xiao Wu created a soundtrack for became even more popr. Many people who hadn¡¯t dared to watch the horror movie went to watch it now just to hear Xiao Wu¡¯s soundtrack. In the end, they were frightened quite badly by Xiao Wu¡¯s music.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s album also sold very well. Then, many people approached him, wanting to coborate with him. This time, it wasn¡¯t just about movie soundtracks. Many people also approached Xiao Wu to produce a second album for him. There were also a lot of other coborations on the table.


    As long as a proposal was suitable, he would ept it. If it wasn¡¯t, he would reject it. Xiao Wu took the time to produce his second album, which mainly featured the two songs he had created at thepetition. After the album was finished, it started selling immediately. It wasunched very quickly because people couldn¡¯t wait.


    Themotion was bigger than before, as this time, it wasn¡¯t only targeting the domestic market, but also the international market.


    Xiao Wu recorded the album while attending school. It was even better than his previous album. As soon as it was released, the sales began to rise steadily. More and more people were calling for Xiao Wu to have a world tour.


    They weren¡¯t satisfied with just listening to the album and wanted to listen to his music live. There were more and more people requesting it, making it difficult to ignore them.


    Xiao Wu had never thought of holding a concert himself, but he had listened to many people¡¯s concerts, so he had dreamed of having one himself. He just hadn¡¯t expected to have the chance so soon.


    Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t afraid. After some discussion during this period, they decided to hold one concert for Xiao Wu first. Xiao Wu could decide which guest performers to invite himself. The concert would be held in thergest, best concert hall in Ocean City.


    Because of Xiao Wu, Ocean City ced a lot of importance on music and now had a top-notch concert hall. Xiao Wu was very honored to be the first person to hold a concert there. The concert hall was also very honored to host Xiao Wu¡¯s first concert ever, and everyone was very cooperative.


    Usually, such concerts would sell tickets in advance. Xiao Wu¡¯s concert was no exception. When the news spread, many people said that they had to snatch the tickets up. Many people overseas also said that they had toe and see if they could get their hands on some tickets. s, there weren¡¯t many tickets, so whether one could obtain tickets would depend on their luck.


    Compared to ordinary tickets, the tickets to this concert weren¡¯t cheap. However, once they were avable, they quickly sold out. Many people queued up overnight to buy tickets.


    In the end, some people managed to buy tickets, while others didn¡¯t. Those who had managed to buy tickets were very proud, while those who hadn¡¯t were frustrated.


    Old Master Ji felt overjoyed and proud, as he had a family ticket!


    In the past, Old Master Ji hadn¡¯t liked it when his old friends had kept mentioning their grandchildren. He used to feel that it was very boring, but ever since he had found Xiao Wu, he had be the craziest one. He went on and on about Xiao Wu to everyone he met. Everyone knew that Old Master Ji treasured Xiao Wu the most now. Besides, this child was really promising.


    Old Master Ji was the happiest about Xiao Wu¡¯s achievements. From then on, Xiao Wu¡¯s newspaper articles never left his hands. He even bought a tape recorder and yed Xiao Wu¡¯s album every day. He hadpletely be Xiao Wu¡¯s fan.


    Previously, when Xiao Wu had been suspected and scolded, Old Master Ji had defended him. Because he couldn¡¯t bear to hear people scold Xiao Wu, he had even fought with someone. He, an old man, had beaten up two young men until they couldn¡¯t retaliate and had sessfully ended up in the police station.

 Chapter 371 - Sick

    <h4>Chapter 371: Sick</h4>


    When Ji Buwang went to the police station to pick up Old Master Ji again, he saw Old Master Ji in his most disheveled state ever. There were scratch marks on his face, a tear at the corner of his mouth, and he was having a nosebleed. His white hair was also sparse and messy.


    This was evidence that the young man he had beaten had retaliated. When Ji Buwang arrived, Old Master Ji was still scolding someone.


    Despite his old age, Old Master Ji¡¯s integrity couldn¡¯t be preserved. He had gone to the police station twice, and every time, the matter was rted to Xiao Wu. The reasons were getting more and more ridiculous.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t even know how to describe his feelings. He exerted all his energy and apologized to save Old Master Ji from jail.


    While Xiao Wu was the subject of many controversies, Old Master Ji could fight with others. When Xiao Wu was praised, needless to say, he gave the people who praised him his full support. Ever since he had received the family tickets, Xiao Wu had be Old Master Ji¡¯stest tool to show off.


    Although Old Master Ji bragged and unted him, making many people envious, the tickets were sold out in advance. The concert wouldn¡¯t take ce anytime soon, so they had to wait until the summer vacation.


    If Xiao Wu¡¯s first concert went smoothly, there might be a second and third one. Many ces were waiting for Xiao Wu to visit them. Other than China, many foreign cities also kept inviting him. Only Xiao Wu had aplished so much and received such treatment.


    During the weekend, Mu Jingzhe went with Xiao Wu to handle the concert organization. There were many things going on, but everything went smoothly.


    People were in high spirits when it came to happy events. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s business had always been good, and everything had also gone well for Shao Dong and the rest. Mu Jingzhe felt that she had be a winner in life. She looked forward to the concert starting on time.


    After Xiao Wu arrived in Ocean City, he had to meet with the musicians and practice. Other than handling his matters, Mu Jingzhe was also busy doing other things. Fortunately, Ji Buwang, his responsible uncle, was there to help.


    Because Xiao Wu was often in Ocean City, Ji Buwang had also bought a house in Ocean City to facilitate Xiao Wu¡¯s every visit.


    Mu Jingzhe, who was speechless, marveled at how generous Ji Buwang was. However, she also followed suit. Later on, she bought two houses in pretty good locations in Ocean City.


    One of them was an old house in Ocean City. Upon thinking of the housing prices in Ocean City in the future, Mu Jingzhe felt that it was very affordable. Renting out the house now would also be a very good idea. If there was a chance, Mu Jingzhe would buy a few more properties.


    The other property she bought was a small bungalow. Ocean City had many garden residences of different styles. Previously, Ji Buwang had also bought one of them, and it was very big and unique. Mu Jingzheter purchased a unit not far away. It was slightly smaller than the one Ji Buwang had bought, but Mu Jingzhe liked it very much. It was just enough for the children to stay in, and there was also room for guests when they came.


    Mu Jingzhe had learned about this house from Ji Buwang when he¡¯d heard the news. After Mu Jingzhe bought it, she felt like she was having a dream.


    In the future, she, Mu Jingzhe, would have to slog away to repay the mortgage of a small house. But now, she had actually bought a small vi. Furthermore, it was in Ocean City, which was something she had never even dared to imagine. She had simply reached the peak of her life.


    After the house was renovated, they bought some furniture and moved in. In the future, Mu Jingzhe would still have a house in Ocean City.


    This time, she and Xiao Wu moved in directly. The five kids were also looking forward to the new house, but they couldn¡¯te over for the time being. However, Mu Jingzhe had taken the time to decorate their rooms. In the future, they could each have a room.


    Mu Jingzhe tidied up the house and was in high spirits every day. Ji Buwang woulde to help from time to time.


    After enjoying herself for a few days, she even went out to eat a sumptuous meal to celebrate. Then, her joy turned to sorrow, and she felt a little unwell the next day.


    After taking Xiao Wu to the rehearsal, Mu Jingzhe finished her work. After lunch, she wanted to go to the studio, but she suddenly felt nauseous and weak. Looking at the sky outside, Mu Jingzhe thought that she had suffered a heat stroke, so she contacted Sister Wei and said that she would go the next day. If Sister Wei was free, she coulde over.


    Ocean City¡¯s studio was operating normally now. The clothes Mu Jingzhe designed were always unexpected¡ªeither unimaginably trendy, simple, or retro. In short, she dabbled in all sorts of styles. The clothes were all designed ording to different people.


    These celebrities went on to have many opportunities because of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s stunning clothes. They all said that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s clothes were good luck, or rather, a battle robe that showed them a different side of themselves.


    As these rumors spread, she slowly became famous. Her studio became a ce where many people, especially celebrities, chose to customize their clothes. As her reputation grew, the clothes became increasingly expensive. However, the more expensive they were, the more people wanted to coborate with her. Wearing her clothes became a form of pride.


    It wasn¡¯t simple to interact with celebrities and customers. Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe had the help of Sister Wei, who was a treasure. Sister Wei was bing more and more capable. Not only were there no problems with her professional abilities, but she also attended to people and treated them well. She looked like a brand-new person and had really started afresh.


    Now that she was confident, she slowly started to shine. It was said that there were even some men trying to woo her. However, Sister Wei no longer had a yearning for love and only focused on her work.


    With Sister Wei in the studio, after recruiting four more people, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. Usually, she didn¡¯t care about anything but designing and making the clothes. Many things were handled by two work assistants.


    Mu Jingzhe was simply extremely fortunate that she had recruited Sister Wei. Although Sister Wei said that meeting Mu Jingzhe was her greatest fortune and that she had been reborn because of her, Mu Jingzhe felt that all of this had happened because she was outstanding to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been useless no matter how much Mu Jingzhe had helped her.


    Her encounter with Sister Wei was probably a way to fulfill each other¡¯s wishes. Mu Jingzhe sighed with emotion, nning to busy herself at home. In the end, she felt even more ufortable sitting there. It was as if all her strength had been sucked out of her body, and she felt increasingly nauseated, yet she couldn¡¯t vomit.


    As Mu Jingzhe was feeling terrible, Ji Buwang came. He was holding a homemade popsicle that he wanted to share with Mu Jingzhe, but when he opened the door, he was shocked to see Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jingzhe? Why do you look so pale?¡±


    ¡°You can tell, huh? I think I¡¯ve suffered a heat stroke.¡±


    ¡°Heat stroke?¡± Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and thought that her face was too pale. Her lips were even a little blue. ¡°Are you feeling unwell otherwise?¡±


    ¡°I just feel nauseous and weak.¡±


    ¡°Have you taken your medicine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. Maybe the drug hasn¡¯t taken effect yet.¡±


    ¡°Sit down quickly.¡± Ji Buwang ced the popsicle in the refrigerator and sat with Mu Jingzhe for a while. However, the effects of the drug had yet to appear. Mu Jingzhe still felt terrible.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital to have you checked first,¡± Ji Buwang said directly.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe was feeling terrible, but she didn¡¯t dy. Ji Buwang went back to his house to drive his car over, but after she got in the car, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression turned even uglier.


    ¡°No, I feel even more ufortable in the car. I feel way too terrible.¡±


    Ji Buwang quickly stopped the car. After some thought, he found a hat for Mu Jingzhe and rode his bicycle with her.


    He had bought the bicycle after going to Ocean City. Previously, Ji Buwang had felt that the bicycle was very good and he would ride it when he had nothing to do. He had thought that he would find an opportunity to give Mu Jingzhe a bicycle ride. This time, he finally had the chance, yet it was only because Mu Jingzhe had fallen sick.

 Chapter 372 - Caught Cheating

    <h4>Chapter 372: Caught Cheating</h4>


    ¡°Hold on tight. Do you have the strength to grab me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Jingzhe grabbed Ji Buwang¡¯s clothes.


    Riding a bicycle was better than riding a car, but the sun was shining brightly outside. Although she was wearing a hat, she still felt even dizzier and weak due to the sun. At first, Mu Jingzhe was still sitting, butter on, she couldn¡¯t help but lean against Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang tilted his head to take a look and felt even more anxious. He only wanted to take Mu Jingzhe to the hospital as soon as possible, but unfortunately, he encountered a crossroads halfway there.


    Ji Buwang finally realized the disadvantage of the ce he was currently living in. It wasn¡¯t close enough to the hospital.


    Ji Buwang frowned and anxiously waited for the light to turn green. He didn¡¯t notice that someone was constantly watching them from the roadside. When he saw that it was Mu Jingzhe, that person¡¯s expression changed drastically and he even called out her name.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe!¡±


    However, Mu Jingzhe was in a daze and didn¡¯t hear him, nor did Ji Buwang notice his presence. When he could pass, Ji Buwang rode his bicycle and sped away. Feeling that Mu Jingzhe seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, Ji Buwang freed up one hand for Mu Jingzhe to hug him tightly.


    The person by the side of the road frowned upon the way they were behaving. ¡°This is outrageous. Simply outrageous¡­¡±


    He was so angry that his voice trembled. He was none other than Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng hadn¡¯t expected to spot this scene. He was abnormally furious, but he also felt that his previous suspicions had been confirmed.


    During this period, Xiao Wu had been in the limelight, but Jiang Feng had only noticed that Ji Buwang kept appearing around Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu. He had hoped that he was overthinking, but he hadn¡¯t expected the situation to be even worse than he had imagined.


    While Shao Qihai was still waiting foolishly in the county city, Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were already hugging and behaving intimately in Ocean City without any scruples.


    ¡°Shameless. This is simply shameless!¡±


    Jiang Feng hadn¡¯t expected that he would directly catch them having an affair. He hated that he couldn¡¯t just go up to them, but at the thought of Xiao Wu, he endured it.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know that Jiang Feng had seen them. Even if she did, she wouldn¡¯t care because she was really feeling terrible. When she arrived at the hospital, nothing was discovered after a checkup. They figured it was probably a heatstroke.


    After an injection and treatment, Mu Jingzhe finally felt a little better and no longer felt so nauseous. However, the treatment was also very awkward, as the injection went into her butt.


    Unlike in modern times, when an injection was basically an infusion, during this era, there was rtively less infusion, and there were more butt injections. Mu Jingzhe was given an injection in the butt.


    In the nurses¡¯ station was a high chair specifically made for injecting one in the butt. Old and young, regardless of their gender, were given an injection there. In front of Mu Jingzhe was a young man who was awkwardly tugging at his pants. Mu Jingzhe shifted her gaze away and didn¡¯t look.


    When it was her turn, Mu Jingzhe went to sit down on the high chair and asked Ji Buwang to leave while she got the injection.


    Even though she didn¡¯t have the strength to do it, she asked him to go away while she had the injection. Otherwise, it would be very awkward.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe so weak made Ji Buwang worry. But because he was also embarrassed, he took a few steps away, facing away from them.


    He couldn¡¯t see but he could still hear.


    ¡°Pull your pants down a little more.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe could only lower her pants a little. She was d that she was wearing pants and not a dress. Otherwise, she would have had to lift the dress.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be nervous. Rx, or the needle won¡¯t be able to go in.¡±


    The more Mu Jingzhe listened, the more nervous she became. It was impossible not to be nervous before an injection.


    Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t so nervous that the needle couldn¡¯t go in, so the needle went in smoothly. When the expected pain came, Mu Jingzhe actually rxed a little.


    The butt needle was injected very quickly. Soon, it was over. Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and quickly stood up to pull up her pants.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s ears were a little red. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? You¡¯ve had an injection before, right?¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    After getting an injection and applying cooling oil, she looked a little more awake and wasn¡¯t that nauseous anymore. When she got a lot better, Ji Buwang carried Mu Jingzhe back.


    Mu Jingzhe could sit properly on the way back, but she still felt a little weak. This feeling of weakness made Mu Jingzhe very ufortable.


    After returning home, Ji Buwang asked Mu Jingzhe to rest and said he would pick Xiao Wu up. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t refuse and went to sleep.


    Previously, she had felt terrible, so she slept deeply after falling asleep. When she woke up, she realized that she had slept for an entire afternoon. It was already evening, and Xiao Wu was sitting by the bed and looking at her.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re awake.¡± Xiao Wu heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Mu Jingzhe had woken up.


    ¡°When did youe in? Why didn¡¯t you speak to me?¡± There had been no sound at all.


    ¡°Mommy, you should rest if you¡¯re tired. Do you still feel terrible?¡±


    ¡°No, I feel much better.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe said that, Xiao Wu was still worried because Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look good and was still a little pale. ¡°Mommy, you have to tell me if you feel unwell.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    When she walked out of the room, she saw Ji Buwang wearing her apron. Because it was hers, it looked a tad small on Ji Buwang. ¡°You¡¯re awake? I heard you two talking.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still here.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I made dinner. Hurry up and eat.¡±


    Ji Buwang usually had people cooking for him, but this time, he had taken the initiative to cook. He had boiled green bean porridge and made a few nutritious dishes that were easy to digest. Although they didn¡¯t look that good, they tasted pretty good.


    ¡°Eat more. You look terrible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Buwang had always given off the vibe of a movie character, but after bustling around the kitchen, he looked more like someone you would encounter in real life. He even looked a little funny in an apron.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t know what Mu Jingzhe was thinking and only said, ¡°Why are you so polite? Xiao Wu, drink more green bean soup. You don¡¯t want to get a heat stroke.¡±


    After the meal, Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu cleaned the dishes and stared at Mu Jingzhe as she drank the medicine. They left behind a big bowl of green bean soup and a lot of reminders before leaving.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t feel ufortable at night. Although she had slept during the day, she still fell asleep at ten at night.


    On the other hand, after waiting for Mu Jingzhe to fall asleep, Xiao Wu quietly took a cup and a pillow andy on the floor to guard her.


    Xiao Wu woke up in the middle of the night and secretly looked at Mu Jingzhe twice to check if she had a fever. He only dared to sleep when he confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her.


    Probably because they were uncle and nephew, Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu had simr thoughts. He was also worried about Mu Jingzhe, so he didn¡¯t sleep and he secretly came twice in the middle of the night.


    After waiting outside for a while and seeing no abnormalities, he went back in peace. Actually, if Ji Buwang had had his way, he would have spent the night at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house. He would be more at ease if anything happened in the middle of the night then, but in the end, he didn¡¯t insist, afraid that it would cause her trouble and make people gossip about her.


    Because of Xiao Wu, even Mu Jingzhe received a lot of attention. Since outsiders didn¡¯t know better, they couldn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe be gued by the scandal of having a man stay overnight at her home.


    Mu Jingzhe slept until dawn before waking up. When she got out of bed, she almost stepped on Xiao Wu, who was sleeping on the floor.


    Xiao Wu usually required Mu Jingzhe to shout a few times before waking up. However, today, because Mu Jingzhe was sick, he was abnormally alert and he woke up at the slightest movement made by Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re awake. Are you feeling unwell?¡±

 Chapter 373 - Jingzhe Got Slapped

    <h4>Chapter 373: Jingzhe Got pped</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked to see Xiao Wu. ¡°No, Xiao Wu, why are you sleeping here? When did youe?¡±


    ¡°After you fell asleepst night. I felt more at ease sleeping here.¡± Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t slept wellst night. He yawned and touched Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead. When he realized that she wasn¡¯t having a fever, he picked up his pillow and nket and got ready to leave.


    ¡°Sleeping on the floor is not good.¡± Mu Jingzhe was touched and heartbroken. ¡°You could have slept on the bed. The bed is wide enough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s summer. It¡¯s fine. Otherwise, I would have woken you up.¡±


    Just as they finished washing up, there was a knock on the door. Ji Buwang had brought green bean soup and buns over. He had made them himself.


    ¡°You should drink more green bean soup today, in case you get a heat stroke.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe also thanked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I want to eat some anyway. You have to tell me if you feel unwell.¡±


    ¡°I just suffered a heat stroke. It¡¯s not a serious illness. You guys are too nervous.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt that other than the fact that she was feeling a little weak, there was nothing wrong with her.


    However, Ji Buwang and Xiao Wu were still worried. Firstly, Mu Jingzhe had been in good health for the past two years and had rarely fallen sick. This sudden illness was worrying. Secondly, Mu Jingzhe¡¯splexion had yet to recover.


    Therefore, after breakfast, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t feel at ease and didn¡¯t want to go to the rehearsal. He stayed by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side until she finally convinced Xiao Wu to go. Ji Buwang said that he would see Xiao Wu off and asked Mu Jingzhe to rest.


    This time, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t argue and let Ji Buwang take Xiao Wu over.


    Not long after the two of them went out, for some reason, Mu Jingzhe started to feel unwell again. The feeling she¡¯d had yesterday came again. She felt weak, nauseous, and even more unwell than yesterday.


    Thinking back, she seemed to have started feeling unwell after eating yesterday. ¡°Could it be a stomach problem?¡±


    She still had some of that prescribed medicine. Mu Jingzhe quickly had some, but she vomited the moment she did. After she vomited, her head was covered in cold sweat, and all the strength in her body seemed to have been sucked away. Besides, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know if it was her imagination, but she felt like she had a slight fever.


    ¡°Why has it gotten even worse¡­ I¡¯ve got to go to the hospital again.¡±


    She had already recovered, but for some reason, she had rpsed. After Mu Jingzhe packed up, she felt that she didn¡¯t even have the strength to go to the hospital.


    As she hesitated, the doorbell rang. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up as she supported herself against the wall to open the door. ¡°Ji Buwang¡­¡±


    Just nice. She could ask him to take her to the hospital again. Although she would trouble him again, she couldn¡¯t care less about it now.


    When she opened the door, she realized that it wasn¡¯t Ji Buwang, but Jiang Feng. His expression was dark.


    Disappointment shed across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart when she saw Jiang Feng. She was also very surprised. Although his face was filled with hostility, she still greeted him with difficulty. ¡°Jiang Feng, what¡¯s the matter? Come in quickly.¡±


    Jiang Feng stood outside the door and didn¡¯t move. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and sneered. ¡°You can still smile? You¡¯re really thick-skinned. Do you think I didn¡¯t hear you call ¡®Ji Buwang¡¯ just now?¡±


    Back then, he had really been blind. If he had known that this would happen, he might as well not have persuaded Brother Hai. It would have been better to let Mu Jingzhe remarry. It would have been better than the way things were now.


    The smile on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face faded, and she suppressed a wave of difort. ¡°Jiang Feng, I¡¯m being polite by treating you nicely every single time. It doesn¡¯t mean that you can be impudent. If you have anything to say, just say it. There¡¯s no need to be sarcastic.¡±


    ¡°You still dare be so self-righteous even now? Mu Jingzhe, do you think no one knows about your ugly deeds? Let me tell you something. I saw. I saw Ji Buwang leave your house early in the morning!


    ¡°I even saw you two shamelessly ride a bicycle outside together yesterday. You even hugged Ji Buwang!¡±


    Jiang Feng was furious. Since he had watched that scene yesterday, his heart had been on fire. He hadn¡¯t been able to fall asleepst night because that scene had been stuck in his mind. This was why he hade over early in the morning. He had originally wanted to verify it, thinking that he had perhaps been overthinking. In the end, he had seen Ji Buwang leave Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house.


    Based on their conversation, they ate breakfast and raised Xiao Wu together. It seemed like they were living the life of a married couple.


    Jiang Feng was furious and disappointed. Shao Qihai had raised Xiao Wu. In the end, Xiao Wu had turned out to be an ingrate. Now that he was closer to the Ji Family, he didn¡¯t even say anything when he saw that Mu Jingzhe had let Shao Qihai down.


    In the end, Jiang Feng still got a divorce. He had grown increasingly intolerant of extramarital affairs. He looked at Mu Jingzhe as if he wanted to eat her up.


    Mu Jingzhe was a little helpless when she heard Jiang Feng¡¯s usation. She and Shao Qihai had already signed the divorce agreement, but Jiang Feng had no idea. She didn¡¯t know why Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t exined this to Jiang Feng. ¡°Jiang Feng, it¡¯s not what you think. I didn¡¯t let Shao Qihai down. Shao Qihai and I have already agreed to get a divorce. The divorce agreement¡­¡±


    ¡°Can a divorce resolve all the problems caused by an affair? I¡¯ve seen shameless people, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone as shameless as you! If that¡¯s not letting Shao Qihai down, what is?!¡± Jiang Feng interrupted Mu Jingzhe, sounding furious.


    For the first time in his life, he felt that the inhumane act of drowning promiscuous women in the olden days was a good thing. At least, it had prevented them from being so brazen and shameless.


    His ex-wife and Mu Jingzhe were the same!


    Mu Jingzhe was a little frustrated when she heard Jiang Feng¡¯s usation. She felt like she really had a fever. Her palms were sweating, and her abdomen was starting to hurt. She could only take a deep breath and exin.


    ¡°Jiang Feng, when you saw me hug Ji Buwang yesterday, it was because I was sick and wasn¡¯t feeling well. He was taking me to the hospital to see a doctor. This morning, Ji Buwang did leave my house, but he didn¡¯t stay at my house overnight. He only bought breakfast so we could eat together.¡±


    ¡°Only bought breakfast so you could eat together? Who knows if you two were fooling around and being sick is just an excuse. Do you think being sick excuses everything? In the future, if I catch you hugging each other, will it be because you¡¯re sick again?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words had coincidentally found Jiang Feng¡¯s sore spot.


    The first time Jiang Feng¡¯s wife had been caught cheating, she and the adulterer had been hugging. At the time, she had also imed that she wasn¡¯t feeling well. Jiang Feng had foolishly believed them. In the end, he had realized how stupid he had been.


    ¡°Do all women in the world use being sick as an excuse?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for an excuse. I¡¯m really unwell. Besides, I¡¯m very unwell even now. I just vomited. I¡¯m preparing to go to the hospital.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe held back her difort and exined. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you¡¯ll know if you go to the hospital with me. I happen to have no strength now. Can you apany me to the hospital?¡±


    Although Jiang Feng had misunderstood, this was still better than being taken to the hospital by a stranger. Mu Jingzhe felt increasingly unwell. She couldn¡¯t tell if it was her abdomen or her stomach, but the indistinct pain was starting to turn sharp. She directly asked Jiang Feng for help and grabbed his arm. ¡°I feel weak all over. Just take me¡­¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could finish speaking, Jiang Feng had already flung her hand away. ¡°You really disgust me. Instead of repenting, you even want to seduce me? You feel weak all over? Heh¡­ Do you think I¡¯m blind? You¡¯re pretending to be weak to lie to me!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe almost fell to the ground from the pain. ¡°I¡¯m not. I really don¡¯t have any strength. You could help me call someone¡­¡±


    As Jiang Feng looked at Mu Jingzhe, his mind was filled with thoughts of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s Herculean strength. He increasingly felt that her pretentiousness was disgusting. Unable to take it anymore, he pped Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I¡¯m pping you on behalf of Brother Hai!¡±

 Chapter 374 - Should Handle the Divorce Procedure

    <h4>Chapter 374: Should Handle the Divorce Procedure</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Back then, Brother Hai had helped him p his ex-wife. He would also help Brother Hai p her back!


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Brother Hai everything you said!¡±


    After saying that, Jiang Feng left without looking back. Mu Jingzhe was already in so much pain that it was difficult for her to stand. After being hit by Jiang Feng, she directly copsed on the ground.


    This was the first time in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s two lifetimes that she had been pped in the face. In the past, she had been the one pping other people. It was so painful that her ears were ringing. She was furious. She didn¡¯t care if he was Jiang Feng or Shao Qihai¡¯s friend. She only wanted to hit him back.


    Mu Jingzhe was filled with anger, but in reality, she couldn¡¯t even get up. She looked at Jiang Feng¡¯s departing back, ready to curse, when her stomach suddenly clenched. Something surged up, and she felt a metallic taste in her throat.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    When she saw the bloodstains on the ground, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vision darkened and she lost consciousness. One second before she fainted, the thought that appeared in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was that she had actually vomited blood.


    This wasn¡¯t a television drama. She really had vomited blood.


    Jiang Feng heard something abnormal behind him. After walking for a while, he turned around and saw Mu Jingzhe lying motionless on the ground. He sneered.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretending to faint to fool me? I won¡¯t fall for it.¡± His ex-wife had also pretended to faint to fool him back then, but it was no longer effective on him now.


    Jiang Feng strode away and prepared to contact Shao Qihai.


    A trace of blood seeped out of the corner of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth as shey on the ground. However, because this residential area was rtively special, it was quiet despite being in a central location. There weren¡¯t many people nearby, and no one noticed.


    Not until Ji Buwang returned.


    Ji Buwang was worried about Mu Jingzhe, so he sent Xiao Wu back and came to check on Mu Jingzhe before returning home. At most, he was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would feel nauseous and unwell, but he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to faint at the door.


    Ji Buwang picked up Mu Jingzhe and, seeing the blood at the corner of her mouth and the bloodstains on the ground, he widened his eyes.


    ¡°Jingzhe, Jingzhe!¡± Ji Buwang shouted, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t react at all. Her face was even worse than yesterday, pale and lifeless, as if she had already died.


    Just a moment ago, Mu Jingzhe had sent them off with a smile, but now, she was in a horrible state.


    Ji Buwang held a trembling finger under Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nose and only heaved a sigh of relief when he realized that she was still breathing. He carried Mu Jingzhe into the car and rushed to the hospital.


    He was so panicked that he even ran a red light on the way. Fortunately, nothing happened.


    Mu Jingzhe was taken to the hospital. Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong with her, so he could only tell the medical staff what he knew.


    The doctor examined her, and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s main symptom was excessive blood loss. If she had been transferred anyter, things could have been very dangerous. After emergency treatment, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s originally weak breathing slowly stabilized, but her face was still awfully pale.


    Because Mu Jingzhe had vomited blood, she underwent a checkup. However, nothing was wrong. There was no internal bleeding either.


    Then, the doctor carefully checked if there were other bleeding wounds on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body, but strangely enough, no wounds were found.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have any external wounds, and her internal organs were fine. Since there wasn¡¯t a bleeding point, she shouldn¡¯t have shown symptoms of excessive blood loss, but she exhibited symptoms of excessive bleeding indeed.


    The doctor was also puzzled. ¡°No matter how you look at it, the only thing that can be considered a wound is the palm print on her face. But it¡¯s not bleeding either.¡±


    After she was taken to the hospital, a p mark had appeared on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face. Jiang Feng had hit her too hard, causing her face to swell up. It was impossible to ignore it.


    Ji Buwang was questioned a few times by the doctor, who suspected that he was the one who had hit her.


    However, how could Ji Buwang possibly p Mu Jingzhe? When he saw the p mark on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, he was angrier than everyone else.


    He didn¡¯t know who had dared to hit Jingzhe so ruthlessly.


    Besides, it had happened while Mu Jingzhe was sick and weak. Ji Buwang knew very well that Mu Jingzhe had Herculean strength, so he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be so weak.


    If he knew who the culprit was, he would definitely hit that person back twice as hard.


    However, the most important thing right now was that Mu Jingzhe had yet to wake up.


    ¡°Doctor, when will Jingzhe wake up?¡± Ji Buwang was very anxious. He had clearly found the best doctor.


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure yet. Please be patient and wait¡­¡±


    ¡°How can I be patient in such a situation? No, you guys should examine her. You can¡¯t be uncertain about everything¡­¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe woke up again, the first thing she heard was Ji Buwang¡¯s abnormally anxious voice.


    ¡°Ji Buwang¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe called out. Because her voice was too soft, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t hear her at all. It was the nurse beside her who immediately realized that Mu Jingzhe was awake.


    ¡°The patient is awake.¡±


    Ji Buwang pounced over. ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re awake. Are you feeling terrible? Does it hurt?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that the pain that had made her faint had disappeared and she regained herposure, as if the earlier pain had been just in her imagination.


    But it hadn¡¯t been an illusion. She felt very tired and weak.


    ¡°I¡¯m just very tired.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe told the doctor about her previous convulsions. The doctor listened andmunicated with her for a while before deciding to perform a detailed checkup. Because Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition was so special, the doctor suggested that there might be some kind of parasite in her body, so they had to check for that as well.


    After the examination, Ji Buwang asked what had happened.


    ¡°What exactly happened? When I came back, I found you lying on the ground. Who pped your face? Were you attacked by criminals?¡±


    ¡°There were no criminals. I just fainted from the pain. Fortunately, you came back and brought me to the hospital.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt helpless at the thought of being pped.


    ¡°Then who hit you?¡± Ji Buwang asked.


    ¡°Just¡­¡± Before Mu Jingzhe could say anything, Ji Buwang suddenly asked, ¡°Was it Jiang Feng?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nced at Ji Buwang. ¡°How did you guess?¡±


    ¡°Is there a need to guess? Think about it. He¡¯s the only one in Ocean City who¡¯s always¡­¡± Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected it to really be Jiang Feng. ¡°Did he eat a bear¡¯s heart and a leopard¡¯s gall? He actually dared to hit you? Did you hit him back? Not only did he hit you, but he even threw you to the ground without a care!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hit him back.¡± Mu Jingzhe was also speechless. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the strength then. Otherwise, I would have hit him back long ago.¡±


    Since she hadn¡¯t hit him back on the spot, it would seem strange to hit him back afterward.


    Mu Jingzhe knew that Jiang Feng had misunderstood, but Jiang Feng didn¡¯t care if she was dead or alive and had really left her behind. She still felt lingering fear.


    She could have died. In the end, because of this misunderstanding, he had just ignored her. Sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me catch him, or I¡¯ll p his face until it blooms open.¡± Ji Buwang gritted his teeth.


    ¡°You can¡¯t me him entirely.¡± Mu Jingzhe sighed. ¡°He saw you taking me to the hospital yesterday and riding a bicycle with me. He also saw you leave my house early in the morning and thought that I¡­ He just got cheated on recently.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that it might be time for her to settle the divorce procedure with Shao Qihai. Previously, they hadn¡¯t settled it because of the children, andter on, she hadn¡¯t wanted the children to be gossiped about because of their divorce, so she¡¯d kept dragging it out.


    But now, it seemed like there were many disadvantages to this situation.


    Jiang Feng had said that he would tell Shao Qihai, so Shao Qihai would probably contact her. She should talk to him about it then. The children should be able to understand.. After all, they were the reason they had signed the divorce agreement back then.

 Chapter 375 - She Didnt Want to Contract a Terminal Illness

    <h4>Chapter 375: She Didn¡¯t Want to Contract a Terminal Illness</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    When Mu Jingzhe thought of the children, she thought of Xiao Wu. She looked at the sky outside the window and quickly said, ¡°We have to pick Xiao Wu up. He should have finished practicing by now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I almost forgot to pick Xiao Wu up. I¡¯ll get someone to pick him up.¡±


    ¡°Just go pick him up himself. Talk to Xiao Wu properly, or you¡¯ll scare him.¡±


    Ji Buwang was worried about Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t want to leave her behind again, but Mu Jingzhe was even more worried about Xiao Wu. ¡°I¡¯m in the hospital now. You can go.¡±


    Ji Buwang could only go and pick up Xiao Wu first. In the end, he didn¡¯t find Xiao Wu at the rehearsal venue and was told that Xiao Wu had gone back early. Ji Buwang traced the route back home and spotted the dejected Xiao Wu just as he was about to reach their home.


    ¡°Xiao Wu!¡± Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything beforeing back?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, where¡¯s Mommy?¡± Xiao Wu immediately asked when he saw Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Your mother is in the hospital¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang had just finished speaking when Xiao Wu helplessly took a step back. ¡°Is Mommy really sick?¡±


    ¡°You know your mother is sick? Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°No one told me. I guessed because I was worried.¡± Xiao Wu grabbed Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. ¡°Is Mommy very sick?¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say if she was seriously ill. He only said, ¡°She¡¯s awake now. Let¡¯s go to the hospital to see her first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± When Xiao Wu saw that Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t answered directly, tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°Uncle, Mommy won¡¯t die, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. She¡¯s just sick. She¡¯ll be cured soon,¡± Ji Buwang immediately replied with certainty.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Nothing can happen to Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Your mother will definitely be fine. Why are you crying so much today?¡±


    Xiao Wu wiped his tears. ¡°I¡¯m just so worried and afraid. Mommy has never been sick before.¡±


    When he arrived at the hospital, he saw Mu Jingzhe smiling at him from the hospital bed. Xiao Wu ran over. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Xiao Wu then hugged Mu Jingzhe. He had wanted to hold himself back, but when he saw her pale face, he couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears. ¡°Mommy, nothing can happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to me. I¡¯m just sick. Everyone falls sick every now and then.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re very sick¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe because I¡¯ve never been sick before, it¡¯s umted and it¡¯s happening all at once. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    After finally coaxing the teary-faced Xiao Wu, Mu Jingzhe felt a little helpless as she saw him cling to her. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m really fine. I don¡¯t feel unwell anymore.¡±


    Ji Buwang went to prepare food, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. The main reason was that she seemed to feel terrible whenever she ate something. She was already traumatized.


    Shao Qihai had probably been notified by Jiang Feng, as he kept contacting her, causing her pager to keep ringing. Mu Jingzhe borrowed the hospital phone to call Shao Qihai back.


    ¡°Shao Qihai, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Shao Qihai heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you alright? Jiang Feng suddenly contacted me and said¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t continue. Jiang Feng¡¯s words had been harsh, and he had described what he had seen in detail. Shao Qihai had actually been mentally prepared to find out that Ji Buwang was serious. He had been waiting for Mu Jingzhe for such a long time.


    However, now that he had heard that they were already a couple, it was as if he could see the day Mu Jingzhe would really divorce him.


    He wanted to ask if Mu Jingzhe had epted Ji Buwang¡¯s love, but he heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°I know what he said to you. You didn¡¯t tell Jiang Feng that we have already signed a divorce agreement. He was furious. I told him that we had already discussed a divorce and exined that I was feeling unwell, but he didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Feeling unwell? Are you sick?¡± Shao Qihai was shocked when he heard that. ¡°Is it serious? Jiang Feng was so agitated when he spoke that he didn¡¯t mention that you were sick.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am. I¡¯m in the hospital right now. They haven¡¯t found out what it is yet. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s serious. Don¡¯t tell the kids for the time being. It might just be a small problem. Perhaps I¡¯ll be fine in a couple of days. I¡¯ll tell them when I recover.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want Shao Dong and the others to be anxious. Of course, she didn¡¯t n on hiding it forever. It would be fine if it was just a minor illness. If it was a major illness, she¡¯d have to tell Shao Dong and the others about it.


    Shao Qihai knew that Mu Jingzhe had been in good health all along and was very worried when he heard that she was sick. ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t tell them for the time being, but are you really fine? Why don¡¯t Ie over directly?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong for now. We¡¯ll see when the results are out. You still have to take care of Shao Dong and the others. Don¡¯te over. I¡¯ll tell you the results when they¡¯re out.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine here¡­ Okay, that¡¯s it for now. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t convenient to talk about the divorce procedure over the phone. Furthermore, she was still in the hospital. Mu Jingzhe nned to tell Shao Qihai in person when she got discharged and then settle the matter immediately.


    She just didn¡¯t know when she would be discharged, nor did she know what this illness was. This was also the reason Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t boasted like yesterday and had only dared say that she was fine for the time being. This was because she didn¡¯t know if her body would suddenly hurt like yesterday.


    She was actually very afraid. Everyone would be afraid in her shoes. The pain was simply too terrifying. Most importantly, she had even vomited blood. Would a normal person vomit blood? That only happened in television dramas and novels, alright?


    Mu Jingzhe even suspected that she was suffering from a terminal illness. After all, she had vomited blood!


    At the thought of having a terminal illness, Mu Jingzhe was afraid. She hadn¡¯t died before she had transmigrated. This time, she would really die. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She couldn¡¯t calm down at all.


    She was very worried about her health and she was under too much pressure, so Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Xiao Wu and Ji Buwang didn¡¯t go back and insisted on watching over her.


    After tossing and turning for the entire evening, she finally fell asleep and woke up again. When she woke up, she heard Xiao Wu talking in his sleep.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t die. I don¡¯t want you to die¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was about to cry when she heard that. She bit the nket to stop herself from crying out loud.


    Sob, sob¡­ She didn¡¯t want to die either. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to finally live a good life. Now that she had bought a small vi, she would live a good life in the future. With Xiao Wu and the rest by her side, she had a family, money, and looks. One couldn¡¯t get enough of such a life no matter what. How could she bear to die?


    Previously, she had been proud of the fact that she was in good health and she wouldn¡¯t fall sick easily. In the past two years, she hadn¡¯t even caught a minor cold. However, everyone always said that it was good to catch a cold once or twice a year. People who didn¡¯t catch a cold or fall sick might contract a serious illness down the road.


    From the looks of it, this might be quite urate. She had never been sick, which was why things had turned out like this now that she¡¯d suddenly fallen sick.


    At the thought of a major illness or death, Mu Jingzhe felt afraid. She had be a character in a novel, but she couldn¡¯t be as fearless as one. She was terrified of death. Being afraid of death was a characteristic of hers, and she couldn¡¯t bear to leave such a good life behind.


    Besides, she hadn¡¯t even waited for the five kids to grow up. She had raised them for the past few years and developed feelings for them. She had never been in a passionate rtionship before either.. She really couldn¡¯t ept going through this for two lifetimes.

 Chapter 376 - Lets Settle the Divorce Procedure

    <h4>Chapter 376: Let¡¯s Settle the Divorce Procedure</h4>


    The more Mu Jingzhe thought about it, the more indignant she felt. She hadn¡¯t reached the peak of her life yet. She had just be a CEO and she hadn¡¯t married a tall, rich, handsome man yet. Most importantly, she hadn¡¯t spent all the money she had earned. She would earn a lot more money in the future. She hadn¡¯t learned to splurge yet.


    Could she not have any money because she had been born poor?


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t fall asleep and thought a lot. She waited bitterly for the results of the hospital checkup, hoping that they would tell her the diagnosis as soon as possible and say that she was not sick. That this was something that could be cured.


    However, the doctor hadn¡¯t found anything. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t feel any pain, nor did she vomit blood like before, yet her body didn¡¯t recover. She still felt weak.


    After a busy day, there were no results. At night, Shao Qihai rushed to Ocean City, looking travel-worn. When he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s pale face, his heart surged in his chest.


    ¡°Why have you lost so much weight? Have they found out what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Why are you here? Where are the kids?¡±


    ¡°I asked Mom to take care of them. I told Shao Dong and the others that I came to visit because I had something to attend to in Ocean City. They don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s gazended on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    When he¡¯d heard that Mu Jingzhe was sick, he had immediately called Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng was surprised to hear that Mu Jingzhe was really sick and was currently in the hospital. He had let it slip that he had pped Mu Jingzhe. When Shao Qihai heard that he had actually pped Mu Jingzhe, he felt shocked and furious. He¡¯d almost fallen out with Jiang Feng.


    Shao Qihai regretted not telling Jiang Feng the truth earlier and causing such a mistake.


    Shao Qihai had told Jiang Feng over the phone that he and Mu Jingzhe had signed the divorce agreement long ago. He had scolded Jiang Feng, feeling extremely vexed. The more he¡¯d thought about it, the more he had felt that something was amiss. In the end, he had helplessly rushed over.


    When he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s appearance, Shao Qihai was d that he had rushed over.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too well. I¡¯m not feeling particrly unwell, but they haven¡¯t found out what kind of illness this is. I feel uncertain.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe suspected that she had someplicated illness that was difficult to diagnose.


    ¡°It should be fine. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a serious illness. It might just be a minor issue. Don¡¯t be anxious.¡± Shao Qihaiforted her before asking hesitantly, ¡°Does your face still hurt? Jiang Feng¡­ I didn¡¯t expect him to dare to hit you¡­¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t just hit her. He even left her to die and made Jingzhe vomit blood, faint, and copse on the ground. If I hadn¡¯t rushed backter, the consequences would have been unimaginable.¡±


    Ji Buwang walked through the door and saw that Shao Qihai¡¯s expression was terrible. ¡°It¡¯s fine if Jiang Feng was angry, but if he left without a care in the world, I can¡¯t ept it.¡±


    Shao Qihai had already been shocked to hear that Jiang Feng had pped Mu Jingzhe. He hadn¡¯t expected there to be such an inside story.


    ¡°Jiang Feng left her to die? I¡­ I didn¡¯t even hear him say that.¡±


    ¡°It would be strange if he did say it.¡± Ji Buwang was furious at the mention of Jiang Feng.


    ¡°Jiang Feng might have thought that I was faking it.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt that Jiang Feng viewed women with enmity after his divorce. In his heart, all women were probably liars.


    Although Mu Jingzhe said that she was fine, Shao Qihai ultimately dragged Jiang Feng to the hospital and asked him to apologize to her.


    Jiang Feng hadn¡¯t expected things toe to this, nor had he expected Mu Jingzhe not to be faking it and be really sick. When he came to the hospital and saw Mu Jingzhe, he apologized to her shamefully.


    Since he had already apologized, it was even more impossible for her to p him back now. Mu Jingzhe sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t hit anyone casually in the future.¡±


    Sigh¡­ He used to be such a fine young man, but his failed marriage had tormented him so.


    When Jiang Feng came to apologize, Xiao Wu also returned. Previously, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t told him. Now, he knew that it was Jiang Feng who had hit his mother and left her in the lurch. Initially, the children had liked Jiang Feng because he had always treated them very well.


    But now, Xiao Wu decided that he would not like Uncle Jiang Feng for a while.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice the change in Xiao Wu¡¯s attitude toward Jiang Feng. What she was most nervous about was her illness.


    However, in the next two to three days, they still didn¡¯t find anything. Mu Jingzhe was exhausted, and Ji Buwang also had dark circles under his eyes. Xiao Wu was suffering too and wasn¡¯t in the mood to do anything else. Every day, he would look at Mu Jingzhe nervously, afraid that she would fall sick again.


    After three days, Shao Dong and the rest started feeling that something was amiss.


    Mu Jingzhe had developed a habit of finding time to talk to Shao Dong and the rest every day. As time passed, the kids sensed that something was amiss. Just as Mu Jingzhe was about to confess, the hospital finally reached a conclusion: The cause of the illness was still unknown.


    The hospital staff had investigated every lead they could, but they still hadn¡¯t managed to diagnose any illnesses. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have a rpse after that. Although she hadn¡¯t fully recovered, her condition didn¡¯t rpse or worsen. Since they couldn¡¯t find any problems for the time being, they suggested that she recuperate first.


    This result wasn¡¯t good, but at least she didn¡¯t have a terminal illness. Mu Jingzhe was discharged.


    After being discharged from the hospital, she observed her body for a few days. Her condition didn¡¯t worsen, and her strength seemed to be slowly recovering. Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and returned to the county ording to her previous n.


    If she still didn¡¯t go back, Shao Dong and the rest would go to Ocean City to look for her. Only when they saw that Mu Jingzhe had returned safely did the kids feel at ease. However, when they saw that Jingzhe had lost so much weight, their hearts ached.


    When Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng found out about this, their hearts ached and they were worried as well. Li Zhaodi specifically made a lot of blood-nourishing food for Mu Jingzhe so she could replenish her blood.


    Perhaps it was because of maternal love, but after Mu Jingzhe ate it, she felt much better. Shao Dong and the rest felt much more at ease now. Only Xiao Wu was still very nervous about her and would stare at her from time to time. He wouldn¡¯t be at ease unless he was looking at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine. Xiao Wu, don¡¯t worry. Go to school like a good boy. It was not easy for you toe back to school.¡±


    ¡°But Mommy, you have to tell me if you feel unwell.¡±


    ¡°Mm, got it. Hurry up and go.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s footsteps were light. She had fallen ill very suddenly, and the cause of the illness couldn¡¯t be determined. Perhaps she would recover for no reason, just like this had started.


    After sending Xiao Wu away, she contacted Shao Qihai and decided to get a divorce ording to her previous n.


    When she saw Shao Qihai, Mu Jingzhe got straight to the point and said, ¡°Shao Qihai, I want to go through the final divorce procedure.¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s mind went nk for a moment. He had actually been mentally prepared, but when he really heard Mu Jingzhe say that, his heart instantly felt empty. He couldn¡¯t find his voice for a long time.


    ¡°Previously, we agreed to get a divorce when we found someone we liked, but this actually won¡¯t do. Since only we know about this, it doesn¡¯t seem right to outsiders, so I think it¡¯d be better to get this settled first.¡±


    Shao Qihai was silent for a moment. ¡°Is it because of Jiang Feng?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that it has nothing to do with him. Part of the reason is what happened with him. He was the one who reminded me that I shouldn¡¯t let this drag on.¡± After saying that, Mu Jingzhe quickly exined. ¡°But it¡¯s not his fault. This matter can¡¯t be med on him. It¡¯s also my fault. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t have been such a misunderstanding. There¡¯s no point in dragging it out anymore. Let¡¯s go and take care of the procedure now.¡±

 Chapter 377 - Really Divorced

    <h4>Chapter 377: Really Divorced</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe added in a warm voice, ¡°After the paperwork is done, such a misunderstanding won¡¯t happen again. Now that Little Bei and Xiao Wu are public figures, there are many people paying attention to them. Everyone is also paying attention to us. If a reporter misunderstands one day like Jiang Feng, there won¡¯t be only a p. Things might get out of control and directly affect the children.


    ¡°Rather than go through that, why don¡¯t we get a divorce first? Although our divorce might invite some criticism and gossip, it¡¯s better than a misunderstanding, right? Everyone might discuss it for two years, but they will slowly forget about it in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe told him the pros and cons. Shao Qihai actually didn¡¯t need her to tell him. Just like before, he didn¡¯t want a divorce, but they had agreed upon this a long time ago. Besides, Mu Jingzhe had even been pped.


    He had once wanted to rely on the fact that they hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce to change their rtionship, but reality had proved that nothing had changed.


    Shao Qihai also recalled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s recent interactions with Ji Buwang. He could tell that they hadn¡¯t actually gotten together. This was normal. Given Mu Jingzhe¡¯s personality, she wouldn¡¯t ept Ji Buwang¡¯s love before the divorce.


    If she wanted to start a rtionship with Ji Buwang, she would have a fresh start with him after the divorce.


    He had said that they could get a divorce if one of them found someone they liked and wished to marry. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t exactly the case for Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he couldn¡¯t say anything and only nodded. He just said in a deep voice, ¡°Alright.¡±


    If he tried to make excuses, it wouldn¡¯t work. It would only make Jingzhe feel turned off.


    When Shao Qihai agreed, the corners of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Since we¡¯ve agreed, why don¡¯t we just go get the paperwork done directly? The officials probably haven¡¯t gotten off work yet.¡±


    Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to be so anxious, but when he thought about it, he felt that it was only right. In the past two years, other than the children, there had been no other ties between them. Since they had agreed to get a divorce, there was no point in dying it any longer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    When the two of them arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, the staff member pointed at them. ¡°You can register for marriage over there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to get married. We¡¯re here to get a divorce.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly exined to the staff member politely that they wanted a divorce, not a marriage certificate.


    ¡°A divorce? You two?¡± The staff member looked suspicious. He felt that the two of them were too calm and didn¡¯t look like they wanted a divorce.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai followed his instructions and went to settle the paperwork. The staff member tried to talk them out of it a few times, but in the end, it was pointless. Finally, the two of thempleted the divorce procedure.


    After the divorce procedure waspleted and the date was written on the divorce agreement that had been signed long ago, the agreement was effective immediately.


    ¡°As far as the children are concerned, let¡¯s leave things as they are.¡± After they went out, Mu Jingzhe discussed this with Shao Qihai.


    Their expressions really didn¡¯t look like those of a divorced couple, as they didn¡¯t resent each other or quarrel, wishing they could kill each other. They didn¡¯t say things like ¡°Let¡¯s never see each other again¡±, nor were they cold to the extreme. Instead, they were discussing everything calmly.


    This was also why the staff member had misunderstood and kept trying to talk them out of it. The two of them really didn¡¯t look like a resentful coupleing to get a divorce. Their rtionship didn¡¯t seem broken. It seemed like Shao Qihai still had feelings for Mu Jingzhe.


    In that day and age, very few people got a divorce. Unless they truly couldn¡¯t live together anymore, not many people would get a divorce. A divorce was basically a couple¡¯sst resort.


    Shao Qihai had also witnessed the divorce between Jiang Feng and his ex-wife. Back then, he was the one who had apanied Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng had refused to heed advice from others, but he had listened a little to Shao Qihai.


    Jiang Feng¡¯s resentful look when he¡¯d gotten a divorce back then was still fresh in his mind. But Mu Jingzhe still looked the same.


    It was no wonder everyone looked at them so strangely. Jiang Feng and his ex-wife looked just like a divorced couple should look like. Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe looked way too different from the other couples who came to get a divorce.


    Shao Qihai thought that perhaps it was because they didn¡¯t have any feelings for each other. Only people who had feelings for each other would feel such hatred for one another. However, he and Mu Jingzhe weren¡¯t even a normal couple. No wonder Mu Jingzhe was so calm.


    Shao Qihai was in a daze and didn¡¯t say anything for a moment, making Mu Jingzhe a little nervous. ¡°Shao Qihai, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Could you perhaps regret it?¡±


    Shao Qihai came back to his senses. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about something. Regarding the children¡­ we¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Shao Qihai smiled bitterly as he fumbled around with the freshly-printed divorce certificate in his hand. He had guessed that this day woulde after signing the divorce agreement previously. However, now that this day had reallye, he still felt very conflicted. There was no quarrel between them, no hatred. Their marriage had ended with a p from Jiang Feng.


    Shao Qihai felt quite terrible. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t happy either. In fact, she didn¡¯t even feel relieved. Instead, her feelings were quiteplicated.


    When she saw Shao Qihai¡¯s expression, she felt quite upset. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Although Shao Qihai imed that he was fine, Mu Jingzhe felt that he was about to cry when she saw his gaze. ¡°Are you really fine? You¡¯re not¡­ about to cry, are you?¡± Upon recalling Shao Qihai hiding away to cry previously, Mu Jingzhe was a little worried. She was afraid that Shao Qihai would burst into tears on the spot or hide somewhere and wail.


    To be honest, he really wanted to cry, but it was impossible for him to really cry. Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, Shao Qihai froze for a moment. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go back quickly. The kids¡¯ sses should be ending soon. We have to talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    While they still had time, they went to the market to buy some groceries. Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe split up the work and whipped up a big table of dishes. It was a sumptuous meal. It was rare for everyone to gather, so it seemed like they were there to make up for not having a New Year¡¯s celebration.


    Shao Xi and Little Bei were amused as they watched. Shao Dong also had a smile on his face. On the other hand, Shao Nan looked at Shao Qihai and then at Mu Jingzhe, his eyes filled with suspicion.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, what¡¯s going on? Is there something you want to announce?¡± Something didn¡¯t seem right.


    Mu Jingzhe, who had just eaten a mouthful of food, couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wait, why was Shao Nan so sensitive?


    ¡°Announce what? Hurry up and eat. We¡¯ll talk after you finish eating.¡± Mu Jingzhe swallowed the food and stroked Shao Nan¡¯s head.


    ¡°We can also eat after you¡¯re done talking. I won¡¯t feel at ease if you don¡¯t tell me.¡± Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe seriously. ¡°No matter what you say, I can calmly ept it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, in case the food gets cold and doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± Mu Jingzhe was a little surprised, but she still felt that they should eat first.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t saying anything, Shao Nan stopped talking. However, halfway through the meal, Shao Nan looked at Mu Jingzhe and then at Shao Qihai before blurting out some shocking words. ¡°Dad, Mom, did you go to get a divorce?¡±


    Shao Qihai was stunned. The food that Mu Jingzhe had picked up fell back on her te. She looked at Shao Nan in shock and horror.


    How did Shao Nan know?


    Shao Nan looked at them and acknowledged this. ¡°Looks like I guessed right. Sigh¡­ I knew this day woulde when Uncle Jiang Feng hit Mommy.¡±


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei looked at Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai in surprise. Shao Xi choked and spat his rice into Shao Nan¡¯s face and Shao Dong¡¯s bowl. ¡°Really? Mommy, you and Daddy really got a divorce?¡±

 Chapter 378 - Wedding at the End of the Year

    <h4>Chapter 378: Wedding at the End of the Year</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Nan to be so sharp. She nodded and admitted, ¡°Mm, really. I wanted to tell you after dinner.¡±


    She looked at Shao Dong¡¯s bowl, wanting to say something, but stopped herself. The rice that Shao Xi had spat out was in Shao Dong¡¯s bowl. ¡°Shao Dong, your bowl¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Shao Dong calmly poured the rice in his bowl into Shao Xi¡¯s bowl and let him eat it himself. He looked at Shao Nan with a helpless gaze. ¡°Dad and Mom said we¡¯d talk after dinner, but you insisted on talking about it now.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, couldn¡¯t you guess? I was just really curious. Besides, Daddy looks like he¡¯s about to cry, so¡­¡± Shao Nan¡¯s face was numb as he removed the rice from his face. ¡°I¡¯ve already suffered retribution. I¡¯ll definitely talk when Second Brother isn¡¯t eating next time.¡±


    Shao Xi wiped his mouth. ¡°Is this the real problem? Dad, Mom, why didn¡¯t you tell me before leaving?¡±


    ¡°What would be the point of telling you?¡± Shao Dong asked in return.


    Shao Xi paused for a moment. ¡°If you had told me, I would¡¯ve gone with you. I¡¯ve never been to the Civil Affairs Bureau¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, no one will think you¡¯re mute.¡± Shao Dong stuffed a steamed bun into Shao Xi¡¯s mouth and looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°Dad, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Shao Qihai shook his head reluctantly.


    Little Bei, who was sitting beside him, wiped the surprise off her face. She then patted his shoulder. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine. Daddy, don¡¯t be so sad. You still have us. I¡¯m your little sweetheart and I will always warm you up.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Alright, thank you, Little Bei.¡± This little cotton-padded jacket[1] was indeed very warm. Only when Mu Jingzhe was involved would wind enter his jacket. Apart from that, it was usually very warm.


    Although Shao Xi¡¯s words were very mischievous, Shao Qihai saw that Shao Xi was actually worried about him, so he deliberately livened up the atmosphere.


    In short, they still ended up getting a divorce. It was really a pity that he didn¡¯t have the time to win back Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart. He had spent most of his time and energy on the children and his work. The children were growing up, and there were many things going on with them. Because they were so outstanding and they kept growing up faster than their peers, they also required more money and energy.


    He wanted to give the children something better, so he had to keep working hard. When the children had been growing up previously, he had gone missing for too long, so he wanted to make up for it.


    The effect was obvious. The children were much closer to him now, and he wouldn¡¯t act like he had in the beginning,pletely ignorant regarding the children¡¯s situation. Now, although he didn¡¯t know the children like the back of his hand, he knew everything that he should know.


    He understood some of their thoughts, as well as their ns for the future, and so on. Gradually, he became what a father should be like. He was now a qualified father. The children also admitted it themselves.


    He had participated in their growth, which was a very gratifying thing.


    At the same time, because he had limited energy, to a certain extent, he had also missed the opportunity to pursue Mu Jingzhe. He and Mu Jingzhe had both been busy, so he hadn¡¯t been able to just chase after her without a care. It was impossible for him to be like Ji Buwang, who nurtured his rtionship with Mu Jingzhe whenever he had nothing to do.


    Mu Jingzhe also cared more about the children¡¯s growth, which was why they had taken this step today. He and Mu Jingzhe were like two parallel lines that kept moving toward the same goal but never met. There were very few opportunities for them to meet.


    It would be a lie to say that he didn¡¯t regret it, but he couldn¡¯t really ignore the kids either. He couldn¡¯t be like that little monkey in the elementary school textbook who lost everything and ended up with nothing.


    If that happened, Jingzhe would look down on him. He would also feel guilty and despise himself.


    Although they had gotten a divorce, he had also gained something. In the future, he might still have a chance because of the children.


    Shao Qihai calmed himself down and said, ¡°Although Daddy and Mommy are divorced, we¡¯re still your parents. There won¡¯t be a big change in your lives. You kids will still take turns staying with us.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shao Dong then added, ¡°I stand by what I said previously. I just hope that Dad and Mom will be happy.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll definitely be happy. With us around, how can they not be happy? They¡¯ll live a good life in the future,¡± Shao Xi added. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, you¡¯re the best parents.¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard Shao Xi¡¯s words, he felt that this was his onlyfort today.


    The first day of the divorce passed just like that. After telling the children, Mu Jingzhe had to talk to Li Zhaodi. The next day, Li Zhaodi happened toe over, so Mu Jingzhe showed her the divorce certificate.


    Li Zhaodi looked at it and sighed. ¡°In the end, you still ended up getting a divorce. My little heart¡­¡± She patted her chest. ¡°If you were useless and we were not in business, I would have been worried to death. Fortunately, everything is fine now.¡±


    As she spoke, she became a little sad. ¡°It¡¯s all because we were useless back then. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have had to snatch the husband that Mu Xue didn¡¯t want. After being criticized so much, you still ended up getting a divorce.¡±


    ¡°Mom, why did you suddenly think of this?¡±


    ¡°I just remembered and realized that I was quite useless. I couldn¡¯t even help you much, so I let you be criticized. Fortunately, everything is fine now.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was sad for a second before she became nervous again. ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t have time to be sad. You¡¯re already 24 years old. You¡¯re practically an olddy. You have to remarry as soon as possible. I¡¯ll find a man for you right away. There must be many people who are willing to marry you. However, Buwang is the most good-looking and rich one. What do you think of him now? When can you hold a wedding? Will it happen by the end of the year?¡±


    The way Li Zhaodi wished she could immediately marry Mu Jingzhe off left Mu Jingzhe speechless. ¡°Mom, if you continue to do this, I¡¯ll regret the divorce. Take it slow and calm down.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe fled.


    She didn¡¯t want to get misunderstood again, nor did she want to be scolded or beaten up, so she didn¡¯t hide the news. The news of her divorce from Shao Qihai quickly spread.


    Shao Qiyang was stunned for a moment when he heard that. Back then, the two of them had not gotten a divorce. He had thought that they wouldn¡¯t get a divorce anymore.


    Mu Xue was also stunned. Then, she intentionally or unintentionally stared at Shao Qiyang, afraid that he would go back on his word.


    The people of Great Eastern Vige were shocked, as they didn¡¯t know why they had gotten a divorce.


    The person who was the happiest about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s divorce was probably Ji Buwang. He couldn¡¯t wait to share this good news with Old Master Ji.


    Old Master Ji was just as happy and asked him to seize this opportunity and hold the wedding before the New Year.


    At that moment, Old Master Ji and Li Zhaodi¡¯s thoughts miraculously synchronized.


    This time, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t retort to Old Master Ji, because holding a wedding at the end of the year would be like a dreame true.


    Ji Buwang had been quite diligent while looking for Mu Jingzhe previously. Now that he no longer had any scruples, he was even more diligent. He even learned how to look for opportunities to interact with Mu Jingzhe naturally. It wasn¡¯t sudden, so it was very natural. They would bump into each other many times.


    Mu Jingzhe only felt that it was a coincidence and was unaware that all these coincidences were the result of hard work on Ji Buwang¡¯s part.


    [1] little sweetheart

 Chapter 379 - This Is The First Time She’s Carried on Someone’s Back

    <h4>Chapter 379: This Is The First Time She¡¯s Carried on Someone¡¯s Back</h4>


    Ji Buwang felt that he was making good progress. The only problem was that Mu Jingzhe was never alone. The kids were almost always around her, and Xiao Wu followed her around the most.


    The reason they followed her was because Mu Jingzhe had been sick previously. It was uncertain if she had recovered from her illness, and they hadn¡¯t found the cause. The children were worried that if she suddenly fell sick one day and there was no one around her, things could be troublesome.


    Therefore, they discussed it among themselves and tried their best to follow Mu Jingzhe to prevent any idents from happening.


    Ji Buwang understood how they felt. He was also worried about this, so he could only let them follow her around. The only way to do this was to get along with them.


    Since he was aiming to be their stepfather, he had to get along with them.


    Soon, Ji Buwang got used to it. He didn¡¯t expect that one day, when the children were too busy toe, he would have the chance to be alone with Mu Jingzhe.


    Before setting off, Shao Dong reminded Ji Buwang twice to pay attention to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition. The serious manner in which he spoke made it seem like he was handing over an important treasure that was especially fragile.


    Mu Jingzhe was both touched and amused. ¡°Little Dong, how can you be so cute?¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°Mom, I¡¯m talking to Uncle Ji about a serious matter.¡±


    That said, because of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s praise, Shao Dong stuttered even more when he spoke.


    Shao Dong could already handle his stutter openly without avoiding it. Previously, whenever he had gone to the doctor with Mu Jingzhe, he had paid attention to the doctor himself.


    However, it didn¡¯t have much of an effect. He was already very big. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to treat him.


    However, asionally, when Shao Dong wasn¡¯t paying attention to himself, he could fluently say a sentence or two. Instead, when he was nervous or shy, he would stutter even more.


    When he was young, Shao Dong had always been reserved and serious. Now that he had grown up and experienced many things, he already had a dignified aura at such a young age.


    Outsiders didn¡¯t dare say anything, but Mu Jingzhe felt that his dignified appearance, coupled with his stutter, formed a cute contrast. It was as if the stutter was there specifically to soften his disposition.


    Mu Jingzhe knew what was going on the moment she heard that. ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    Shao Dong knew what she was thinking when he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. He had originally thought that the heavens were punishing him by making him a stutter as a retribution of some sort. In the past, he had never been mischievous or mimicked a stutterer, but when he spoke, he would naturally stutter.


    However, after Mu Jingzhe said that, he treated the stutter as a bad gift that the heavens had identally given him. Perhaps it was meant to make him cuter and less imposing.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t think that it was good for boys to be cute, but since Mu Jingzhe liked that, he could only consider it a good thing. ¡°Anyway, Mommy, you have to be careful. Uncle Ji, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of Mommy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of Jingzhe.¡± Ji Buwang spoke to Shao Dong with a serious attitude, as if he was speaking to an adult of the same generation. He didn¡¯t treat him as a child.


    Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe got in the car and went straight to the welfare institute in the county city formunity service.


    In the past, there had been no welfare institute in the county, only in the city. However, the welfare institute in the city wasn¡¯t big. There were some requirements to enter, and many orphans in the county didn¡¯t meet these requirements.


    Under the leadership of Shao Dong, Mu Jingzhe, and the others, the economy in the county had developed quite well. The roads had been repaired, and quite a bit of construction had taken ce. Now, a welfare institute was also on their agenda.


    There were currently fewer cases of children being abandoned. The food and water shortage was constantly resolved, but it still couldn¡¯t bepletely avoided, especially for some children with defects or girls.


    It was quite troublesome for these children, as no family was willing to adopt them. In the end, the welfare institute put it on the agenda.


    Mu Jingzhe was very concerned about this matter because she had grown up in a welfare institute. After the welfare institute was built, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t donate money. Instead, she donated some daily necessities, such as clothes, shoes, rice, and so on. These were things that children urgently needed.


    The welfare institute was built in the suburbs of the county. When it was built, there were already ten children of different ages ready to live there. Mu Jingzhe had previously donated a cart of things, and Ji Buwang also brought some things. He didn¡¯t donate money either, but he donated some books and stationery for the kids to use when they went to school.


    This time, they also brought some food, noodles, and oil. The two of them only used one car.


    For the time being, only one director and two aunties helped take care of the children. Not only did the two aunties have to take care of more than ten children, but they also had to cook, wash clothes, and take care of everything else. There were also some children who needed special care. Even if the director helped, it would be difficult.


    When Mu Jingzhe arrived, she skillfully helped the kids wash their clothes, wash their faces, andb their hair. She even helped coax them.


    The children, who followed her, were instantly tamed and liked her very much. They even brought herntern fruits to eat.


    To them,ntern fruits were the best. They were the most beautiful existence in their childhood. The reason Mu Jingzhe could eat with them was because they really liked her. Mu Jingzhe knew this very well and couldn¡¯t refuse their kindness, so she followed them outside the welfare institute.


    After walking for a while and reaching a small hill, they finally found thentern fruits. Ji Buwang, who had been helping, leisurely followed them.


    Thentern fruit tree wasn¡¯t tall, but it had thorns. Ji Buwang volunteered to pick the fruits, but his hand was pricked repeatedly. In the end, he was pulled aside by the children in disdain. The kids decided they were better off doing it themselves.


    Their hands were small, but they plucked the fruits quickly multiple times without being pricked.


    Mu Jingzhe ate a few of them. Some were sour and some were sweet, but they were all especially delicious.


    However, perhaps because she was eating too happily, after a while, Mu Jingzhe inexplicably felt the nausea and powerlessness she had felt before return.


    Ji Buwang quickly sensed it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡±


    ¡°A little. I¡¯m probably imagining things.¡± Mu Jingzhe hoped that she was imagining things, but it turned out that this wasn¡¯t the case.


    She wanted to give the youngest child a piggyback ride back, but on the way, she felt increasingly weak after taking a few steps.


    Ji Buwang merely supported her initially. When he saw that her face was slowly turning pale and her expression was ugly, he knew that something was wrong.


    He had thought that she had recovered from this illness, but she hadn¡¯t. All his prayers had been useless. Ji Buwang squatted down. ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯ll carry you. Get up.¡±


    ¡°No need¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly refused. However, just as she finished speaking, Ji Buwang pulled her and carried her on his back.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t have any strength left. She leaned on Ji Buwang and thanked him, then asked nervously, ¡°Am I heavy?¡±


    Ji Buwang said helplessly, ¡°You think you¡¯re heavy? You should eat more. You¡¯re too thin.¡±


    Ji Buwang usually looked very thin, but when shey down on his back, she realized that his shoulders were actually wide and very strong. When she heard his answer, she rxed a little.


    This was her first time being carried on someone¡¯s back. In the past, she had been the one piggybacking others. Only now did she know how it felt to be piggybacked. It felt a little refreshing and strange.

 Chapter 380 - Even If I Have to Sell Blood, I’ll Get Her Illness Treated

    <h4>Chapter 380: Even If I Have to Sell Blood, I¡¯ll Get Her Illness Treated</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Even though the journey was very short, it was really ufortable. Later on, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have time to think about these trivial things. After bidding the director farewell, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t put her down. Instead, he carried her to the car before putting her down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first.¡± As he recalled that Mu Jingzhe had vomited blood previously, Ji Buwang¡¯s expression was tense.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little ufortable and weak. It doesn¡¯t really hurt. Don¡¯t be so worried,¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly said upon seeing Ji Buwang¡¯s nervousness.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Ji Buwang reacted by rxing his facial muscles, afraid that he would make Mu Jingzhe feel pressure.


    The county city was very small, so they quickly arrived at the hospital. However, other than the fact that Mu Jingzhe seemed to have suffered a heat stroke, they couldn¡¯t find anything else.


    If even the big hospital in Ocean City couldn¡¯t diagnose what was wrong, it was normal that the hospitals in the county city were unable to. In the past, it was only because the hospitals in the small county city couldn¡¯t diagnose what was wrong that they had gone to big cities like Ocean City.


    Ji Buwang discussed it with Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the city hospital for a checkup. Maybe the doctors in the city will find something. We can also visit a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t object. ¡°Then let¡¯s go tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go today. Before it gets dark.¡±


    Ji Buwang took Mu Jingzhe to pack her luggage and told the five kids. When Xiao Wu heard that Mu Jingzhe was sick again, his face turned pale. He insisted on going with her.


    The five kids weren¡¯t at ease, but they couldn¡¯t all go. In the end, they discussed it and decided that Shao Dong, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu would go with them.


    That night, she went to the hospital in the city for a checkup, but the doctors still didn¡¯t manage to figure out what was wrong. The TCM Department of the city hospital was famous. s, when she went to consult the TCM physician, he couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong either. The TCM physician only said that she didn¡¯t have enough blood and qi. ¡°I can¡¯t tell much more. My father isn¡¯t around either. Otherwise, he could have taken a look at you.¡±


    This TCM physician could be considered to have inherited his father¡¯s skills, but his medical skills were far inferior to his father¡¯s. His father was considered the best TCM physician in the province and was also ranked among the top ones in the country. However, because his medical skills were brilliant, he was very busy. He wasn¡¯t around now and would only be back after half a month. ¡°You cane over for a checkup when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if I haven¡¯t recovered by then, I¡¯lle back. Thank you.¡± Mu Jingzhe thanked him.


    Although the results in the city were disappointing, it wasn¡¯t so unexpected, as they had somewhat anticipated it.


    Ordinary people would go to the city if the county couldn¡¯t treat their condition, and if that still didn¡¯t work, they would then go to a big city to seek treatment. Mu Jingzhe, on the other hand, had gone to get an examination in Ocean City right from the start. In the end, they decided to return home for now.


    Shao Dong, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu looked at Mu Jingzhe and felt indescribable panic and fear for the first time ever. They had never thought that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body would continue to weaken and that no doctor would be able to treat it.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had always been in good health. She had never been sick. She was extremely strong and had always given them an unlimited sense of security. She was still young, so they had never thought that she would copse.


    Shao Dong, who had always been the steadiest, couldn¡¯t quite steady himself for a moment. ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t we go to the capital to have you checked again? This won¡¯t do. Maybe another hospital will be able to cure you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say something but hesitated. The hospital in Ocean City should be simr to the hospitals in the capital. In this day and age, medicine couldn¡¯tpare to modern medicine, be it medically or equipment-wise.


    Little Bei also perked up. ¡°That¡¯s right. If you can¡¯t be treated in the country, we can always go overseas. We don¡¯tck money now. Mommy, we can definitely get you treated. There must definitely be a ce that can treat your condition.¡±


    No matter what, they had to get their mother cured.


    Ji Buwang nced at them in the rearview mirror and tried his best to calm down. ¡°Yes, there must be a ce that can cure you.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked at them and took a deep breath before nodding. ¡°Yes, we can always think of a way.¡±


    ¡°But let¡¯s not go to the capital for the time being.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll observe my condition for two days and see how it goes.¡±


    She was rather tired and really didn¡¯t have the energy to rush around.


    Although Mu Jingzhe tried her best to pull herself together, she was so tired that she couldn¡¯t help but fall asleep.


    When Ji Buwang and the three kids saw Mu Jingzhe fall asleep, they shut their mouths and finally revealed true worry.


    The three children sitting in the back row stared at Mu Jingzhe without blinking, as if they were afraid that she would disappear.


    The news that Mu Jingzhe was sick and the cause of the illness had yet to be determined spread quickly. The five kids weren¡¯t in the mood to go to school but didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to worry about them in her sick state, so they could only force a smile and go to school obediently.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t expect Mu Jingzhe to still be sick. ¡°Did you insist on getting the paperwork done because you¡¯ve been feeling unwell?¡±


    ¡°No, I thought I had recovered at the time.¡± Mu Jingzhe was helpless. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. It has nothing to do with me being sick.¡±


    Shao Qihai pondered it for a moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the military hospital? I¡¯ll ask around.¡±


    Since some military hospitals were especially good, Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    She wanted to live more than anyone else, so she didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. It was better to let Shao Qihai help than to let his thoughts run wild again.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were the ones who couldn¡¯t ept that Mu Jingzhe had fallen sick the most. ¡°Why is she sick? Plus, they can¡¯t even diagnose what¡¯s wrong with her. This is killing me! Why is Jingzhe, who is so young, sick when even an old woman like me isn¡¯t sick?


    ¡°Why is my life so bitter? It wasn¡¯t easy for life to finally get good, and now my daughter¡¯s sick. Do I have to use my child¡¯s life in exchange for riches? In that case, I¡¯d rather be poor until the end.¡±


    She would rather starve to death than let her two children fall sick. Li Zhaodi¡¯s eyes were red from crying, but she didn¡¯t dare cry in front of Mu Jingzhe. She only dared to cry in front of Mu Teng.


    ¡°Stop crying. If it was possible, I¡¯d want that illness to be transferred to me. Even if the heavens want a life, they can take mine. But can I make that happen? It¡¯s useless to cry now. We can only hope that she¡¯ll be cured. How much money do we have on hand to treat Jingzhe¡¯s illness?¡±


    If this had happened in the past, when they didn¡¯t have money, he would probably have had to sell his blood to pay for Jingzhe¡¯s treatment.


    ¡°Of course. We have to get her treated even if it means going bankrupt.¡± Li Zhaodi wiped her tears. ¡°I¡¯ll go and count how much money we have. If all else fails, we¡¯ll sell the shop. Although the children are filial and won¡¯t want us to fork out money, we can¡¯t act dumb.¡±


    ¡°Mm, look, I¡¯ll contact Xiao Han. I have to get him toe back and gather the money. I¡¯ll also ask around about good doctors and hospitals. Xiao Han¡¯s Jingzhe¡¯s biological brother, so there¡¯s an unbreakable bond between them.¡±


    The two of them asked around. Li Zhaodi even went to pray at the temple that others often said was particrly efficacious. She didn¡¯t ask for anything but for Mu Jingzhe to recover. If all else failed, she asked that the illness be transferred to her.


    Everyone worked hard for Mu Jingzhe¡¯s illness, and many people knew about it. Everyone from Great Eastern Vige came to visit, bringing eggs and brown sugar to replenish her blood.


    Li Fang was even more impressive. She had found donkey skin somewhere and gave it to Mu Jingzhe to eat. ¡°Donkey-hide gtin is made from donkey skin. Everyone says that donkey-hide gtin replenishes blood. Eating the skin of a donkey also replenishes blood.¡±


    Just like that, there was a constant stream of peopleing to the house. They brought all sorts of strange gifts, but they were all a token of their sincerity.


    Mu Jingzhe watched as families came one after another, giving her gifts and rmending doctors and hospitals.. Although some of the rmendations sounded unreliable and possibly fraudulent, the vigers were sincere.

 Chapter 381 - Because This Body Has Reached Its End?

    <h4>Chapter 381: Because This Body Has Reached Its End?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Among these ideas, the one that left a deeper impression was suggested by an aunt. She even asked Li Zhaodi to give it a try, saying that Mu Jingzhe might have been harmed by a ghost or an old grandma who had died in the vige.


    The old grandma seemed to have passed away because of a lung disease or some other illness. It was said that she had coughed out blood, so this auntie suspected that Mu Jingzhe had been targeted by this ghost.


    Such a theory had been circting in Great Eastern Vige for a long time. Therefore, whoever suddenly fell sick would think along the same lines if they weren¡¯t cured after taking medicine. They would try to ce an egg or coin in a bowl and see if it would stand upright. If it did, it would be true.


    Next, they had to send this ghost away. After sending the ghost away, one would recover from their illness.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had never heard of such a thing before. She had only heard of it in Great Eastern Vige. At first, she hadn¡¯t quite believed this and had thought that it was a superstition. Later on, for some reason, that really happened two or three times. She didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or something else.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that this wasn¡¯t the case for her, but Li Zhaodi had already taken action. To her, as long as something could make Mu Jingzhe well, it was worth a shot.


    Li Zhaodi immediately tried it, but the result wasn¡¯t good. The coin didn¡¯t stand, so she had no choice but to give up.


    However, everyone still helped them think of other ways. Before she had fallen sick, Mu Jingzhe had had no idea that she was so popr. This waspletely unimaginable in the modern era, where even neighbors didn¡¯t know each other. There was no difference even between some rtives in the same vige. Some of them were even worse than strangers, as they were afraid that you would do better than them.


    In the modern era, the people who had the best rtionship with her were the younger ¡®siblings¡¯ she had brought up in the orphanage. However, in the end, not many of them had kept in touch. They used to be close when they were young, but when they¡¯d grown up, their feelings for each other had faded. Even if they had feelings for each other, everyone had to live their own life and work hard. They didn¡¯t have that much time and effort to spare.


    It was already good enough if they called and asked after one another usually. Very few people visited.


    On the other hand, the people from Great Eastern Vige came to see her from afar.


    From the looks of it, her rebirth had been quite sessful. Mu Jingzhe was very touched, but despite feeling touched, she only wanted to say that she didn¡¯t want their love to be proven like this.


    Shao Qihai, Mu Han, and Ji Buwang had asked around about doctors and hospitals, but after going over for a checkup, they still couldn¡¯t find out what was wrong with her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition didn¡¯t improve either. She was very weak, and her previous strength, which had been as powerful as that of an ox, seemed to have been sucked away bit by bit.


    Ever since Mu Jingzhe could remember, she had been as strong as an ox. Now that this strength was suddenly gone, she wasn¡¯t used to it and her body felt increasingly weak.


    Mu Jingzhe was very panicked after losing her strength. She kept feeling like she didn¡¯t have a sense of security anymore. In the past, no matter what she had done or whether she had acted bravely for a just cause, she would always think that she had the strength to defeat ten people all by herself. Therefore, she had been very confident and unafraid. Now that she had suddenly lost her strength, she felt like she was finished.


    She refused to give up. While no one was paying attention, she couldn¡¯t help wanting to give this a try. It was the same today. While Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t paying attention, Mu Jingzhe tried to secretly raise the table but to no avail.


    After Xiao Wu went out, Mu Jingzhe felt terrible. ¡°I used to be strong as an ox, but now I¡¯m so weak and frail¡­ Will my strength really note back? Is it rted to my illness? Will I regain my strength when I recover?¡±


    Everyone close to Mu Jingzhe felt bad while seeing her sick. However, there were also a few people who said some pretty nasty things.


    ¡°Why did she fall sick? It¡¯s because she despises the poor and loves the rich. She could¡¯ve lived well with her ex-husband, but she insisted on getting a divorce. Isn¡¯t it because she felt that he wasn¡¯t as rich as that Ji guy?¡±


    ¡°An insatiable person is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. This is her retribution. Serves her right for getting a divorce and leading the women in the county astray. The moment she got a divorce, she fell sick. It¡¯s totally retribution.¡±


    After eating, Mu Jingzhe took the opportunity to stroll around while she still had some energy. While taking a stroll, she heard two sloppy men gossiping, iming that this was her retribution.


    Mu Jingzhe was no stranger to hearing sour words in the modern era. Many people would say that women despised poor men and loved rich guys. She didn¡¯t mind it too much. What she cared about were the words of a woman who was standing with them andughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s retribution. Serves her right for sabotaging other people¡¯s money-making means. It¡¯s her turn to die now, huh. Hahaha, I didn¡¯t curse her in vain. Now, the curse is finally working. Even if I die, I¡¯ll drag her down with me. This is terrific.¡±


    The two men had only drunk a little and bragged about it to feel superior to others. They hadn¡¯t expected a woman to answer. When they understood the meaning behind her words and realized that she had a grudge against Mu Jingzhe, their eyes lit up.


    ¡°How did she sabotage other people¡¯s money-making means?¡± The two men felt that there was an indescribable smell about the woman, but they were kind of drunk and busy talking, so they didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand even if I told you. Anyway, this is her retribution. I specifically came back to see her miserable state. It would be best if I could see her off at her funeral. Where is she?¡±


    Her words were getting increasingly unpleasant. Infuriated, Shao Dong went up to her to chase her away. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stop him. As she watched the indignant woman leave due to being scolded, her mind rumbled.


    At first, she hadn¡¯t recognized the woman. But when she saw her messy curly hair andbined it with what she¡¯d said, she remembered. Wasn¡¯t this the curly-haired woman who had duped the original Mu Jingzhe and the other girls into going away to work but had actually been trying to coax them into prostituting themselves? The curly-haired woman who had gone to jail after she had exposed the truth?


    Back then, Mu Jingzhe had asked around and found out that this woman had been sentenced to many years in jail. Why had she been released so quickly?


    She had undergone a huge transformation, aging so much that it was almost impossible to recognize her.


    As Mu Jingzhe was feeling puzzled, someone quickly came to look for the curly-haired woman. It turned out that she was still in jail, but she was severely sick. So much so that she had been granted medical parole.


    Unexpectedly, the curly-haired woman had run away while no one had been paying attention and run straight to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vige. It was unknown where she had heard the news, but she wanted to see Mu Jingzhe die.


    The curly-haired woman really hated Mu Jingzhe to the core. She had led a good life previously, butter on, it had ended up being very miserable. Her family had long severed ties with her, and there was no hope for her at all.


    Previously, because of the line of work she was in, she had already been sick. She hadn¡¯t been treated in jail, so her condition had worsened.


    The prison was afraid of a possible infection, so they could only let her visit a doctor. ording to the doctor, she likely wouldn¡¯t live much longer.


    The curly-haired woman was dragged away. Mu Jingzhe looked at her hatred-filled face and suddenly understood. She sighed in her heart. Only when she saw her did she feel that she had transmigrated a long time ago.


    Upon seeing her, she felt that this transmigration was actually quite meaningful. After all, she had also helped some girls escape the abyss of hell.


    But¡­ But when Mu Jingzhe saw her, she finally realized there was a problem, or rather, she remembered the plot of the original novel.


    It wasn¡¯t written in the novel exactly when the original Mu Jingzhe had died, but when she recalled the plot, it seemed to be around this time.


    She had fallen sick for no reason and the cause of the illness had been impossible to determine. Was it because this body had reached its end?

 Chapter 382 - Vomiting Blood Again

    <h4>Chapter 382: Vomiting Blood Again</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind was about to explode. She instantly felt that she had thought through it a lot, but she still couldn¡¯t figure some things out. The plot of this novel couldn¡¯t have be any more crooked. The male and female leads had long parted ways and had each found their own true love. In Mu Xue¡¯s case, the male supporting character, Shao Qiyang, had already been promoted to the lead and married her. The plot hadpletely changed. How could she still be affected?


    Mu Jingzhe felt that this shouldn¡¯t be happening since things had changed so much, but her body really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If it wasn¡¯t because of the plot, why was her body in such a state?


    In the end, would she still have to die? But that wasn¡¯t right either. Wasn¡¯t Shao Qihai, who should have died, still alive and well?


    Mu Jingzhe felt that she had thought it through, but then again, there were still things that puzzled her. Her mind was a mess, and she felt agitated. Aside from that, she had no idea if it was because she had discovered the truth, but she started feeling a familiar pain again.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart kept sinking. She hoped that the pain was fake, but when the pain got worse each time, she knew that it wasing again. She bent down, and her face was instantly covered in cold sweat.


    Shao Dong was still very angry after chasing away those people. He took a deep breath to calm down and forced a smile. When he turned around, he realized that something was wrong.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Shao Dong ran over. ¡°Mom, you¡­ What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    It was just a short sentence, but Shao Dong stuttered and almost couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± When Mu Jingzhe heard Shao Dong¡¯s terrified voice and realized that she had frightened him, she wanted tofort him. However, just as the words left her mouth, a familiar fishy taste rose in her throat. Not wanting to scare him, Mu Jingzhe tried to push Shao Dong away. However, she had neither the time nor the strength to do so. Her vision darkened and she lost consciousness.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Shao Dong¡¯s voice had never been so sharp before. He had asked Ji Buwang about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition and heard that she had vomited blood.


    Shao Dong had always known the real situation, but only when he faced it in person did he realize how shocking vomiting blood was.


    He had always felt that the scenes of people vomiting blood on television and movies were exaggerated. Now that he saw it himself, it was really dramatic. It had happened in real life, so it was even more terrifying.


    How could a normal person vomit blood? How could she vomit blood?


    Shao Dong¡¯s mind was nk as he caught Mu Jingzhe. Fortunately, he had grown taller and stronger, and Mu Jingzhe, who had been thin to begin with, had be even thinner.


    ¡°Mom, Mom!¡± As Shao Dong hugged Mu Jingzhe, he felt unprecedented panic and fear.


    Xiao Wu ran over from the alley and immediately saw Mu Jingzhe vomiting blood and copsing.


    Hearing Shao Dong¡¯s frightened shout, Xiao Wu wanted to run over. However, after two steps, his legs went limp and he knelt on the ground.


    The tranquility of the evening waspletely gone.


    They were taken to the hospital for a checkup, but it was the same procedure and they got the same answer. ¡°She lost too much blood. It¡¯s very dangerous. Her condition has stabilized for the time being, but we can¡¯t determine the exact reason for it yet.¡±


    Li Zhaodi fainted from crying too much outside the emergency room. Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu looked at the emergency room, unable to say a word offort.


    Shao Qihai came, but because Li Zhaodi was crying, he avoided her. He was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold himself back and he would faint from crying in the hospital with her.


    When Mu Jingzhe woke up again, it was already the next day. As soon as she woke up, she saw several pairs of red eyes. Shao Dong was no exception. Little Bei and Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying and were no longer simply red.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had woken up, they couldn¡¯t help but cry tears of delight. They had been really afraid that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t open her eyes again.


    ¡°Hush, hush, stop crying. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m much better now.¡± At least it didn¡¯t hurt as much anymore.


    When Mu Jingzheforted them, Xiao Wu cried even harder. ¡°Alright, Xiao Wu, stop crying. Didn¡¯t you say you were a man previously? Stop crying.¡±


    However, Xiao Wu kept sobbing uncontrobly.


    Coaxing the five kids was already enough of a headache for Mu Jingzhe. When she saw Li Zhaodi being helped in, Mu Jingzhe only had three words in her heart: What a sin.


    After vomiting another mouthful of blood and feeling her body be increasingly weak, Mu Jingzhe felt that she might really die.


    She didn¡¯t know if it was because the original Mu Jingzhe was supposed to die, but things weren¡¯t looking good.


    She was terrified of death to begin with. When she saw everything in front of the hospital bed, she realized a cruel fact: Apart from being terrified of death, she was also afraid of what would happen to the children, Ji Buwang, and Li Zhaodi after she died.


    Ever since they¡¯d met, Ji Buwang¡¯s personality had been quite nice, but this time, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t smile anymore. By looking at his dark eye circles, one could tell that he was also suffering.


    She couldn¡¯t bear to look at Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. Mu Teng¡¯s expression was still calm, but she couldn¡¯t look him in the eye at all. She also had to ignore his trembling hands.


    She had been joking in her heart that Li Zhaodi resembled a bandit and did not look much like a good person. However, at the moment, she no longer looked like a bandit. She was just a pitiful woman.


    If she really died, in the end, the original novel¡¯s plot would be repeated all over again. She wondered if Li Zhaodi would survive this time.


    Her only relief was that Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s situation had changed. At least they wouldn¡¯t starve anymore. Mu Han had also be sessful. She wasn¡¯t an only child. Even if she was gone, they¡¯d still have Mu Han.


    Besides, even if she died, she would die in front of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. If she died in front of them, they wouldn¡¯t have to go around searching for her like in the original book. At least this time, her parents wouldn¡¯t have to die in a foreignnd, unable to rest in peace.


    At the thought of this, Mu Jingzhe wanted to cry. ¡°Mom, stop crying. Dad, Mom, you have to live well and care for your grandchildren no matter what.¡±


    She identally blurted out what was on her mind. After she said that, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw Li Zhaodi¡¯s expression. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be agitated. I¡¯ll do my very best to stay alive. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Although she had said that, after a lot of effort to persuade Li Zhaodi to go back and calm her down, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help looking at Mu Han and saying, ¡°Xiao Han, it¡¯s about time you settled down. If you meet someone suitable, just get married and have children as soon as possible. Give Dad and Mom grandchildren.¡±


    If they had grandchildren, they might divert some of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s attention and they might not be so sad. Since grandparents typically adored their grandchildren, perhaps it might work.


    Mu Han¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. ¡°Sister, you¡¯re being silly. You¡¯re the eldest child. If anything, you should be the one getting married first.¡±


    He actually understood what Mu Jingzhe meant, but it was precisely because he understood her words that he felt even more awful. In order to cover up his choked voice, he spoke in a rough tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten married.¡± Mu Jingzhe snapped. ¡°Anyway, just get married as soon as possible.¡±


    Previously, she had hated urging people to get married. Now, she had be one of the people who urged others to get married. She hoped that Mu Han would understand and she also hoped that she wouldn¡¯t die.


    Mu Han felt terrible hearing this. He simply said that he wouldn¡¯t get married and ran out by making up an excuse.


    Li Zhaodi used to be a joke in Great Eastern Vige, and so did Mu Jingzhe. On the other hand, Mu Han was a little better and wasn¡¯t ridiculed. Although everyone mocked Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe, they were the best mother and sister to Mu Han.


    Not wanting Mu Han to turn out as heartless as her own younger brother, since he was young, Li Zhaodi had taught him that his biological older sister was the person closest to him. Therefore, regardless of whether their family treated Mu Xue well or not, he was only close to his biological sister.

 Chapter 383 - Dont Turn to the Dark Side

    <h4>Chapter 383: Don¡¯t Turn to the Dark Side</h4>


    Mu Han was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s only younger brother, so Mu Jingzhe treated him really well too. Therefore, under Li Zhaodi¡¯s influence, the rtionship between the siblings was really good. The better it was, the worse it felt right now.


    Mu Jingzhe felt terrible after Mu Han ran away. When she saw the five kids and Ji Buwang, her headache intensified.


    The five kids hadn¡¯t grown up yet. Everything else aside, they weren¡¯t even 18 years old yet. Their personalities hadn¡¯t even solidified. Although everything was fine now, what if their mentality changed after she died? If they still became viins, they would all die a horrible death.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head hurt. She only had one thought now: Regardless of whether she died or not, she hoped that the five kids wouldn¡¯t be viins again. ¡°Little Dong,e over. I have something important to say.¡±


    Shao Dong took a deep breath and stood in front of the hospital bed. Mu Jingzhe struggled to sit up. ¡°Little Dong, Little Xi, Little Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu, you have to remember not to be bad people in the future. Don¡¯t casually harm others. You have to be good.


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn to the dark side and harm others or even end your own life. You have to live well.¡±


    If she could stop them from turning evil, it would be good if she brought them some warmth in their childhood. She only hoped that they would really remember this.


    Mu Jingzhe was filled with worry. When Little Bei and Xiao Wu heard this, the tears that had finally stopped began falling right away.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t say such things! I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you won¡¯t die. You¡¯ll get better!¡±


    Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan didn¡¯t cry. This was the first time Shao Dong was angry at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t make it sound like these are yourst words. I don¡¯t want to hear it. You haven¡¯t even gone to see the doctor properly. I¡¯ll be angry if you say that again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If someone has to die, it¡¯ll be someone else. You won¡¯t die.¡± Shao Xi¡¯s expression was dark, and he was fuming.


    Shao Nan pursed his lips. ¡°It¡¯s because the treatment facilities are so poor. As long as there are good doctors with good medical equipment, there are no illnesses that can¡¯t be diagnosed. You just have to go to a good hospital. If there¡¯s really no other way, there¡¯s still me. I¡¯ll study medicine and take care of you.


    ¡°I learn everything quickly. I¡¯ll study medicine in the future and I¡¯ll be able to master it soon and look after you.¡±


    Shao Nan used to love learning and was very interested in physics and mathematics. He had also been conflicted about what to learn previously. Later on, he had felt that he should just learn whatever he could. He could learn everything well.


    Learning was like eating and drinking to him. The more knowledge there was in his mind, the more secure andfortable he felt.


    However, he simply liked to learn and hadn¡¯t thought anything of this until Mu Jingzhe had fallen sick.


    There were clearly hospitals and doctors, but they couldn¡¯t determine the cause of the illness. They couldn¡¯t find anything. If there was better equipment and drugs, Mommy wouldn¡¯t be in such pain.


    He didn¡¯t know what he would do if Mu Jingzhe passed away from an illness because he had never thought that this day woulde. Mu Jingzhe had promised not to leave them. His mother was a part of his life and world, and the possibility of a future where she wasn¡¯t always with him had never urred to him.


    But now, he had suddenly been told that Mu Jingzhe was sick, that her life was in danger, and that she might even die.


    How could this do? Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t die. He didn¡¯t dare imagine what life would be like without his mother.


    He was no longer afraid of starving, as thanks to Shao Dong and the others, as well as his father, Shao Qihai, he¡¯d likely never have to go hungry again in this lifetime. However, he couldn¡¯t imagine what his days would be like without his mother.


    Shao Nan even had an idea as a result. He wanted to study medicine and pharmaceutical science. As long as he was around, his mother would definitely not die.


    This was the first time Shao Nan had such a strong thought. This was the first time he had such a clear goal: to take the career path of a doctor.


    If he had started learning before, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be feeling so helpless and unable to do anything now.


    As long as he studied, in the future, he would be able to protect his mother and siblings. He could also protect more people he cared about, such as his maternal grandparents and uncles.


    Only by living could onest long. Living was everything.


    Looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s abnormally pale hands and face, Shao Nan couldn¡¯t wait a second. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll go learn now. Stop saying those things. I don¡¯t know about any other people. I only care about you guys.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve been wronged or someone has dared to hurt you, I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re a good person or a bad person. I¡¯ll definitely take revenge. If you don¡¯t want me to be a bad person in the future, just stay alive and watch over me. I won¡¯t listen to anyone else. I¡¯ll only listen to you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was originally shocked that Shao Nan would suddenly want to study medicine, but a secondter, when she heard thest part, she was left speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Why was this bing more and more simr to the original plot? In the original plot, Shao Nan had created a colorless and odorless poison that could kill someone without leaving any traces. Indeed, he had only cared about his family then as well, so he had chosen to take revenge.


    She had encouraged Shao Nan to learn so much about thew and taught him a lot. In the end, if she died, would everything have been in vain? Was the turning point of Shao Nan¡¯s transformation his mother¡¯s death?


    The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was entirely possible. Mu Jingzhe quickly pulled Shao Nan back. ¡°Little Nan, don¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°Then survive and don¡¯t say such nonsense.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to say such nonsense either. Wasn¡¯t it because she felt really afraid? She had told them the most important things first, in case she really died without leaving behind the most important words.


    ¡°Mommy, rest well. I¡¯ll go ask now. I¡¯ll start learning right away.¡± Shao Nan was very anxious and wished he could be a good doctor overnight.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sick demeanor made him not dare dy even a second.


    Shao Nan left after saying that. Shao Dong thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go learn too.¡± Now that he had some money, he might be able to invest in medical equipment.


    After Shao Dong left, Xiao Wu took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± He wanted to think of a way to ease his mother¡¯s pain with music.


    Shao Xi and Little Bei didn¡¯t leave. They wanted to earn more money.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll stay and take care of you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say much and only asked Uncle Li to prepare a nutritious breakfast. ¡°Eat some food to replenish your energy.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s vitality was greatly damaged, and Shao Xi, Little Bei, and the rest hadn¡¯t slept the entire night either.


    Mu Jingzhe ate, wanting to recover her strength and vitality. As she looked at Ji Buwang, who was eating silently, guilt welled up in her heart.


    Previously, she had been busy with work and had focused all her attention on the children. Now that she had seen Ji Buwang, she felt that she had let him down. Come to think of it, he had waited for her for a long time, refusing to heed her words when she had told him not to wait for her.


    If she died, he would be sad for a long time. She only hoped that he wouldn¡¯t take the path of a devoted man and he would wee a new rtionship¡­ However, this was difficult because Ji Buwang was different from ordinary people. He couldn¡¯t see anyone¡¯s face.


    With his face blindness, dating was a problem. If she was gone, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see a human face again, and his future would be blurry again.


    She didn¡¯t know if he could see her photo because she hadn¡¯t asked before. If he could see it, she could maybe leave two photos behind for him?

 Chapter 384 - Traditional Chinese Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 384: Traditional Chinese Medicine</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Ji Buwang, look at my photo. Can you see my face?¡± He had to look at her photo some more to know what a human face looked like.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± After hearing Mu Jingzhe take turns telling people herst words, Ji Buwang was left a little speechless. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve talked to Auntie and the rest, including the kids, it¡¯s my turn?¡±


    Although this could at least prove that he had a ce in her heart, he didn¡¯t want to know this at all.


    Mu Jingzhe choked. ¡°I was just talking about the photo¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you want to say that if I can see your photo, you¡¯ll leave me your photo so that I can look at it when you¡¯re gone. But I don¡¯t want to look at the photo. I just want to look at the living version of you. What¡¯s so good about photos? They¡¯re dead objects.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe said weakly, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t leave a photo behind then.¡±


    ¡°Stop thinking about photos and whatnot. Don¡¯t talk as if you¡¯re dying either. The doctor hasn¡¯t said anything yet, so stop thinking about death.¡±


    Although the doctors were very worried, because the cause of the illness couldn¡¯t be determined, in addition to the fact that she had lost too much blood, they weren¡¯t sure if they would be able to resuscitate Mu Jingzhe should she fall into a critical condition.


    This was very dangerous, but without a final notice, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t want her to say these things.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either. I want to live. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Then go get treatment. If you cooperate with the treatment, you won¡¯t die. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Just cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll cooperate with the treatment. No matter what it takes, no matter where we have to go, I¡¯ll cooperate.¡±


    As long as she could live.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s expression softened. ¡°You¡¯ve been feeling weak for the past two days, so you should recuperate here. I¡¯ll get the doctor toe over and check on you. When you¡¯re feeling better in a couple of days, we¡¯ll go to the capital to have you examined. If that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll go overseas. We can use this chance to handle the visa procedure in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± How nice was it to be alive? Mu Jingzhe felt that she shouldn¡¯t give up on hope.


    Ji Buwang was very serious this time. He hired many doctors from all walks of life with money or by calling in favors. Apart from many doctors with various specializations, there were also many old medical experts who didn¡¯t usually take in patients. Old Master Ji helped out as well.


    Old Master Ji was rather fond of Mu Jingzhe. Now that she had finally gotten a divorce, there was some hope for Ji Buwang. He couldn¡¯t let everything go to waste.


    He dared not imagine what would happen if Mu Jingzhe should die. He had a nagging feeling that without Jingzhe, his grandson wouldn¡¯t get married in this lifetime. Also, Xiao Wu would definitely suffer a blow.


    Both in his head and in his heart, he didn¡¯t want anything to happen to Mu Jingzhe. If even his old bones were still holding on, nothing could happen to Mu Jingzhe at such a young age.


    At that moment, many experts from the county city came.


    In the next two days, Mu Jingzhe got much better, but after these two incidents, her vitality had been greatly damaged and she had been looking sicklytely.


    Besides, the worst news was that the experts couldn¡¯t figure out Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition either. Ultimately, they decided to go to the capital.


    It was quite far away, so they had to take a ne to the city.


    When they arrived, they figured that since they were there, they might as well go to the city hospital to see if the old?TCM<sup>1</sup>?doctor had returned. The few experts who had gone to check on Mu Jingzhe previously also quite admired and rmended this old TCM doctor.


    She was quite lucky. The old TCM doctor had returned early, so he could check out her situation.


    The old TCM doctor took her pulse for a long time. ¡°I can¡¯t diagnose this specifically either, but the cause of the illness is in the stomach. It might be a bug, but I don¡¯t know of a bug that can make people¡¯s blood and qi run dry. I¡¯ll prescribe some medicine for you to beat the bug and we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡±


    The medicine prescribed by the old TCM doctor was different from the medicine usually used against stomach bugs. ¡°It has a certain degree of toxicity. The people taking care of her shouldn¡¯t try it recklessly.¡±


    Although she had seen so many doctors, this was the first time a doctor had said such a thing. He¡¯d even prescribed some medicine specific to her situation.


    Mu Jingzhe thought that she could try taking it and see how it went.


    The medicine had to be taken, and they had to go to the capital as well. The kids wanted to tag along, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t let them.


    ¡°Your final exams are just around the corner. You have to take them seriously. Studying is your priority. I don¡¯t know when my illness will be cured. I can¡¯t let you keep watching over me and neglect your studies.¡±


    Even though the children were geniuses, this was a fact that couldn¡¯t be changed.


    Mu Jingzhe handed the children over to Shao Qihai. ¡°Watch over them. Don¡¯t fall for their tricks. Make sure they don¡¯t run out to look for me.¡±


    Shao Qihai had a conflicted expression. Actually, he also wanted to follow her, but he could only nod. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°The five of you have to be obedient. Remember to eat and sleep well so that you can grow taller. When Ie back, I¡¯ll check. Xiao Wu, you should go to Ocean City soon. You can¡¯t make a mistake at your concert. I don¡¯t want to miss it.¡±


    Even if she had to die, she would make sure she died after listening to Xiao Wu¡¯s concert. Only then would this life be worth it.


    Other than Ji Buwang, Li Zhaodi and Mu Han were the only ones who went to the capital with her. Mu Teng stayed behind for business so he could continue earning money so his daughter could keep seeking treatment.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stop Li Zhaodi. She had said before that although it was cruel, if she had to die, she would die in front of Li Zhaodi to prevent anything from happening.


    When Li Zhaodi came out of the old TCM doctor¡¯s ce, she was much calmer and more energetic. She immediately bought a Chinese medicine pot and started brewing the medicinal herbs.


    ¡°Here, drink it. I think the old TCM doctor is right. You¡¯ll be fine after drinking it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know anything about the Chinese herbs prescribed by the old TCM doctor. Some of the names of the herbs were quite nice, but maybe the nicer they sounded, the more artistic they were. Therefore, she didn¡¯t care and would just drink whatever Li Zhaodi brewed for her.


    The taste of Chinese medicine was really awful. It wasn¡¯t just bitter but also especially strange as well. It was so bitter and awful that it made one doubt life. However, Mu Jingzhe drank it all in one go and didn¡¯tin about how bitter it was.


    When they arrived in the capital, they visited two hospitals, but the oue was the same.


    On the other hand, the Chinese medicine that she had been drinking during this period seemed to be working.


    ¡°I suddenly feel that I¡¯m not so weak anymore. I feel like I¡¯ve regained some strength.¡±


    Sometimes, Chinese medicine seemed to be the most useless, but sometimes, it was the most magical and would produce unexpected results. This time, it seemed to be working.


    They didn¡¯t manage to find the cause of the illness in the capital either. They were originally prepared to go overseas to try, but all of a sudden, the Chinese medicine prescribed by the old TCM doctor seemed to take effect.


    In the beginning, Mu Jingzhe was afraid that it was just her imagination, but she slowly regained her strength. Her strength, which was like the power of an ox, started to slowly recover. As her strength increased day by day, she became certain.


    After testing her strength and easily carrying Li Zhaodi, she said, ¡°Much better. Really much better. We don¡¯t have to go overseas anymore. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was overjoyed. ¡°That¡¯s great. You¡¯ve finally recovered. This is wonderful.¡±


    Ji Buwang, however, was a little worried. ¡°Are you really fine? It¡¯s not a fake recovery likest time, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I told you, I feel much better.¡± In order to prove that she was indeed better, Mu Jingzhe easily lifted the table beside her. ¡°See?¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°I do. Let¡¯s go back then. But the way you proved it¡­¡±

 Chapter 385 - Have to Find the Time to Date

    <h4>Chapter 385: Have to Find the Time to Date</h4>


    Ji Buwang could finally rx a little after feeling so tense all this while, but Mu Jingzhe¡¯s way of proving she was recovering was a tad too strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my method of proving it? I think it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t believe me? I can lift you with one hand now.¡± As Mu Jingzhe spoke, she ced the table down. Looking at Ji Buwang, she felt tempted to pick him up to prove it to him.


    Her hand was about to touch Ji Buwang¡¯s clothes when she saw Ji Buwang look over dangerously. ¡°Lift me?¡±


    Seeing Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze, Mu Jingzhe was jolted back to her senses. ¡°Not lift you, but carry you. That was just a verb.¡±


    After saying that, she wrapped her arms around Ji Buwang¡¯s waist and lifted him up. ¡°See? My strength has returned. If another persones, I could hold each person in one hand.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°You even want to hold one man with each arm? Who do you want to hug?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind went nk for a moment. She thought to herself, ¡®You could say that?¡¯


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering? Do you really want to hug another man?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe loosened her grip and let Ji Buwang fall to the ground. ¡°No, why did you suddenly say all this? I wasn¡¯t thinking of hugging one man with each arm.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t thought of it at first, but now that Ji Buwang had mentioned it, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but fantasize for a second. It really only took a second for her to feel that it would be really satisfying to hug one man with her left arm and another with her right arm.


    Previously, when she had thought that she might die, her heart had been filled with regret. One of the reasons was that she hadn¡¯t experienced a spectacr romance. Now that she had recovered, shouldn¡¯t she seize the opportunity to date a guy?


    Ah, it would be even better if she could date two at one go. It was said that it was best for a person to fall in love two to three times. She hadn¡¯t even fallen in love once. If she dated two men at one go, she would at least make up for what she had been missing out on all at once.


    However, this definitely wouldn¡¯t do, so she had to chase this thought away.


    Oblivious to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s greedy n, Ji Buwang tried to hide his burning face and stroked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only gotten slightly better and you¡¯re already all smug. You¡¯re really¡­ Hurry up and get ready to go back. If you don¡¯t go back soon, the kids wille over.¡± The five children had limited patience.


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll go now.¡±


    After returning to the city and getting off the ne, Mu Jingzhe sessfully stopped the five kids. As expected, if they hadn¡¯te back soon, they would have gone to the capital.


    Children couldn¡¯t travel alone, and Tang Moling was the one who helped them do bad things.


    Because of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s illness, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t have much time to care about Tang Moling. Tang Moling knew that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition was quite serious, so after taking care of all his work matters, he couldn¡¯t help but run over to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    He knew that he and Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have a chance anymore, but she was still the one that got away. When he heard that Mu Jingzhe was sick, he wanted to go and see her.


    Knowing that Mu Jingzhe was in the capital, when he encountered the five kids, they hit it off immediately. Just a little longer and they would have seeded.


    Before Tang Moling could express his thoughts to Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang caught him and lectured him. ¡°Why are you always doing such things!¡±


    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t do this. There are so many people here. Don¡¯t pinch my ear. You¡¯re not my wife¡­ Ahhh, it hurts.¡±


    After Ji Buwang dealt with Tang Moling, Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Little Bei. ¡°Tell me, what happened? Where¡¯s Little Nan? Does your father know that you went out?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know, but Little Nan stayed. We didn¡¯t run away directly.¡±


    Shao Nan had started learning immediately right after he¡¯d decided to do it. He had actually figured out how to use harmless substances to concoct medicine that could make people fall asleep all by himself. He had mixed it in Shao Qihai¡¯s tea, and Shao Dong and the rest had gone out first.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. It really won¡¯t harm Daddy. Daddy hasn¡¯t rested properly partly because he was worried and partly because of us. We¡¯re taking this opportunity to let him rest.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe held her forehead. ¡°You guys are really good to your father.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re really much better now, right?¡± Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe, his eyes shining. ¡°We get worried if we don¡¯t see you. You look much better now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I told you guys before that I¡¯m much better, so there was no need for you to look for me.¡±


    ¡°But we missed you. We are all on holiday. We came to look for you because we were worried about you and weren¡¯t in the mood to do anything else.¡±


    Shao Dong remembered the method Shao Nan had taught him to appease Mu Jingzhe¡¯s anger. After struggling for a moment, he made a move. He stretched his fingers in embarrassment and tugged at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sleeve.


    Shao Nan had said that Mu Jingzhe was actually the most soft-hearted person and liked all adorable things. Thus, if she scolded him, he could try wheedling.


    Of course, Shao Dong had long known Mu Jingzhe¡¯s weakness, but as the calm and steady eldest child, he had never done this previously.


    This time, when Mu Jingzhe had fallen sick, he had suddenly felt a little regretful. Therefore, he had endured his shame and given up his usual rational, convincing methods. In spite of his height, he still did such a thing.


    Because he was really shy, the blush spread from Shao Dong¡¯s ears to his cheeks.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong¡¯s expression incredulously, and her heart rate sped up. Boohoo. So this was how it felt to be coaxed by a big boss. Moreover, it was big boss Shao Dong who had grown up quite a bit. His red face was way too cute.


    Hence, Mu Jingzhe abandoned all her principles and stopped lecturing them. ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t scold you kids anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had just finished speaking when they hugged her. She didn¡¯t even have enough arms to hug them back. After doing that, she walked sideways like a crab. Li Zhaodi, who was watching from the side, kept shaking her head.


    On the other hand, after Ji Buwang finished dealing with Tang Moling, Tang Moling wanted to say a few words to Mu Jingzhe. However, he was forced to leave after only saying two words: Loved you.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    Even Ji Buwangughed.


    The great news that Mu Jingzhe had recovered made everyone heave a sigh of relief. It also dispelled most of Shao Qihai¡¯s anger after he was yed by the children.


    After Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others went back, they thanked everyone for their concern. Then, they got busy again.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s concert was no joke. Since the tickets had already been sold, he couldn¡¯t make a mistake. Previously, Xiao Wu had been worried about his mother¡¯s condition, but he couldn¡¯t dy it anymore. Therefore, he quickly went to Ocean City.


    This time, all five children went together. They had never been to the vi in Ocean City before, so they were filled with anticipation.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t go with them. Instead, he stayed behind to deal with work and he would go over in a few days. Even Ji Buwang got busy with his own matters, as he had dyed quite a lot of matters previously.


    Mu Jingzhe, along with the five children, had a few warm,fortable, lively days in the vi. Every day, she took Xiao Wu out to practice. The rest of the time, they each had their own things to do.


    Little Bei started preparing for the movie she was going to film next. She familiarized herself with the script and practiced her lines. She was going to enter the production team to film a movie in August.


    As for Shao Xi, he wrote stories as usual. Although his first story had already been sessfully made into a movie, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. It wasn¡¯t like he had to write something for the sake of making it into a movie. He simply wrote ording to his interests and mood changes. He didn¡¯t wonder whether what he wrote was suitable to be filmed or not.


    It would be best if it could be turned into a movie, but even if it couldn¡¯t¡­ he could always film it a few yearster. He didn¡¯t have the means now, but perhaps in the future, he might.

 Chapter 386 - Love Is Something You Can Buy At Will

    <h4>Chapter 386: Love Is Something You Can Buy At Will</h4>


    When it came to filming a movie, Shao Xi was still very forward-looking. After all, with the development of technology in the future and even more special effects, everyone would be more epting.


    With this thought in mind, Shao Xi could write whatever he wanted without any restraints.


    When Mu Jingzhe had fallen sick, the experience had invoked deep emotions in him. Reality was too cruel. Therefore, he created a world filled with miracles. In his world, even if a person suffered from an incurable illness, they could still be cured. Ordinary illnesses were cured with medicine. As for serious illnesses that couldn¡¯t be treated, they could be cured with love.


    As long as there were people who loved you and couldn¡¯t bear to see you die, their love would generate electricity and slowly remove your pain. Therefore, there was a special organization that used love to conquer diseases. This organization had a machine that could generate electricity using love. After persevering every day and filling pills with love, the patient could consume them and recover.


    The more ill one was, the more love was needed. The more people there were, the better. There were also kind people who contributed their love. It was like donating blood and doing good deeds.


    The protagonist in Shao Xi¡¯s story was based on Mu Jingzhe, but she wasn¡¯t a mother. Instead, she was the director of an orphanage. The director had be the mother of many people and sent off batch after batch of children, giving them a lot of love and exorcising many diseases.


    Many children survived because of her, butter on, she fell sick. She had a very serious illness, and the love she needed was beyond normal. Therefore, even in an era when love could work miracles, it was still very difficult to save her.


    The children who were still in the orphanage offered their love, and kind-hearted people helped as well. However, their love was still merely a drop in the ocean. It could only relieve some of the pain but couldn¡¯t solve the root of the problem.


    A little girl who didn¡¯t want Director Mommy to die tried to contact the children who had moved out previously. The director was old, and the oldest children she had brought up were already in their thirties or forties. Those children had long had a family and a career.


    Some people were still in touch because they¡¯d kept doingmunity service, but most of them had long lost contact because everyone had to work. They were all ordinary people who didn¡¯t have the money to do good deeds.


    The little girl contacted each and every one of them, but the result was average. Just as she started feeling disappointed, an older brother who had once been saved by the old director wrote a story about her. He was a reporter, so he called for everyone toe back and save the old director by writing this story.


    There were a lot of hardships in the process, but in the end, everyone managed to save the old director. All the children who had left the orphanage returned, and many kind-hearted people came as well.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know why Shao Xi used the position of an orphanage director. Perhaps it was because of the orphanage in the county, which inevitably reminded her of modern times.


    Shao Xi hadn¡¯t finished writing the details, but Mu Jingzhe had seen the plot outline.


    This was Shao Xi¡¯s way of thinking¡ªunconstrained and bold. It was nice listening to the story, but when one read the first half, they would realize that this wasn¡¯t purely a warm story but also a very realistic one.


    Although love could generate electricity to treat illnesses, there were also people who died of disappointment in his story because they didn¡¯t have enough love.


    Just like in the modern era, many illnesses could be treated if one had the money and the means, while others could only die. Many people in Shao Xi¡¯s story had also died.


    They couldn¡¯t collect enough love to save themselves. Once they were diagnosed with a terminal illness, they would need a lot of love. However, how could ordinary people have so many people who loved them? Even when the love of kind people was added, it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    There were also many instances of people who were wealthy but unloved, so sometimes money couldn¡¯t buy life.


    On the other hand, some people were very poor, but because they were well-loved, they managed to defeat their illness in the end.


    Some people got a new lease of life, but even more people died unwillingly, feeling desperate.


    It was clearly a new way to save one¡¯s life, but it was even more despairing than having an illness that couldn¡¯t be treated with medicine. If something couldn¡¯t be treated with medicine, one could me it on their destiny. There was clearly hope, but survival remained out of one¡¯s reach. That made it even more disappointing.


    This also gave birth to professional love exchange, a fixed exchange of love to prepare for the future. One would thus try their best to love.


    Sometimes, if you didn¡¯t have love, you simply didn¡¯t have it. But some people loved indiscriminately and could even sell love to earn a livelihood.


    As a result, some people spent a lot of money to buy love. However, love from people who loved indiscriminately didn¡¯t work so well. Therefore, after selling their love for money because of this characteristic, those people got beaten up for revenge because their love wasn¡¯t good enough.


    Everything seemed absurd, but it was also extremely realistic. However, the story was also quite warm and it felt like Shao Xi¡¯s style.


    After reading the story, Shao Nan wasn¡¯t very satisfied because he felt that one of the characters was based on him. There was a little boy who was especially good at scheming. When he grew up, he became a middleman who sold love. His personality was inexplicably simr to his. All he did was study¡ªwhich was also something that reminded him of him.


    ¡°Did you write me into the story on purpose? And you wrote me like this to boot?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was you.¡± Shao Xi snorted. Many of the stories he wrote were products of his imagination, but many of them were inspired by the people around him.


    Little Bei felt that the brave little girl from the orphanage resembled her a lot because she liked beautiful dresses and styling her hair in different ways. She was very brave as well.


    ¡°Brother, if it¡¯s turned into a movie, I¡¯ll portray the little girl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it can be filmed yet, but if it can, I¡¯ll definitely let you act. I just don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll still be a little girl when that timees. You might have grown up by then.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. When the timees, we¡¯ll work together again.¡±


    Shao Nan snorted from the side. ¡°Those are all fantasies. This is more practical.¡± After saying that, he picked up his book and continued reading.


    Shao Nan now had a goal. However, after some research, he decided that he wouldn¡¯t be a doctor anymore. Although doctors were great and respectable overall, there was a limit to what they could do. Most of the time, they relied on medicine and other things.


    A doctor might save countless people in their lifetime and make a great contribution, but Shao Nan aimed to make medicine.


    This was because a good medicine could sometimes save more people. Coincidentally, Shao Nan felt that he didn¡¯t have the potential to be a doctor, so he quickly set his sights on researching pharmaceuticals, which suited his personality and ability.


    By understanding, Shao Nan realized that his country¡¯s pharmaceutical techniques were still too backward. Many medicines relied on imports and were quite expensive, so ordinary people couldn¡¯t afford them.


    There were too many things that needed to be done in this aspect, so Shao Nan felt that he should read more books and study hard.


    The two brothers had different personalities and made different choices, but other than asionally bickering, they were still very close.


    In the blink of an eye, Xiao Wu¡¯s concert was about to arrive. Prior to that, many foreigners arrived one after another. They hade because of Xiao Wu¡¯s reputation. Some of them had paid people to snatch up tickets, while others bought them with extra money.


    Some of them purely liked music, while others urgently needed Xiao Wu¡¯s music to help them.


    Other than them, there were also certain groups, such as parents with autistic children. These children were of different ages. Some were in their twenties or thirties, while others were in their teens. They didn¡¯t buy tickets, but Xiao Wu reserved a portion of the tickets and finally selected a group of people out of those who wanted toe.


    Most of these people came from China, and a small portion of them came from overseas. They spoke differentnguages and had different skin tones, but all of them only felt gratitude for Xiao Wu.

 Chapter 387 - Didnt Give Up Even After Divorce

    <h4>Chapter 387: Didn¡¯t Give Up Even After Divorce</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Xiao Wu¡¯s rtives couldn¡¯t miss his first concert, so Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, Shao Qihai, and the rest all came. Needless to say, Old Master Ji hade early because he wanted to spend more time with Xiao Wu.


    On the day of the concert, Xiao Wu, who was the youngest person in the country to hold a personal concert, put on the clothes Mu Jingzhe had personally made for him and went on stage.


    Guest performers were also invited, but Xiao Wu was the fully deserving protagonist. Mu Jingzhe and the others also attended in formal attire. They¡¯d even specifically invited professionals to help record the concert so that they could have it for future viewing.


    The concert didn¡¯t disappoint. It was truly a feast for the ears, making everyone present feel that it was very worth it. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong¡¯s hands were red from pping, and Shao Qihai was so proud that he almost lost control and cried. As for everyone else, they only cared about one thing: When was the second concert going to take ce? Such a concert had to be experienced a second or third time.


    Before the concert had started, Xiao Wu had been tense. Because he didn¡¯t want to disappoint anyone, he acted mature and behaved like a little adult. However, when the concert ended, he rxed and said that he didn¡¯t have ns for a second concert for the time being and that he would inform everyone when the time came.


    After saying that, he held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. He had transformed from an adult to a child. He and the professional, outstanding person on the stage just now were like two different people.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s first concert remained a topic of conversation for a long time. Those who had attended it felt that it was worth it, while those who hadn¡¯t felt regretful and kept waiting for the second concert.


    When ordinary people encountered this situation, they would definitely take this opportunity to follow up with a second and third round to steadily improve themselves.


    However, Xiao Wu shook his head without hesitation. Mu Jingzhe was also a little puzzled by Xiao Wu¡¯s choice, but she only thought that he was tired and didn¡¯t force him.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to continue, then rest for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I want to rest well and keep Mommypany.¡±


    After Xiao Wu¡¯s concert, it was time for Little Bei to join the production team. This time, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t work with the production team. In addition, Little Bei was worried that she would be tired, so she decided to let Shao Qihai follow her to the production team.


    Little Bei was still young, so her family felt more at ease following her there. This was also because there was no professional management team yet. When Little Bei grew up in the future, she could form a professional management team that suited her needs, with Little Bei acting as the core. There would then be no need for adults to follow her around.


    This was the first time Shao Qihai followed Little Bei to the production team. He was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t do a good job, so he made a lot of preparations in advance and even went to the studio to look for Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe was afraid that him doing a bad job would affect Little Bei, so she taught him a lot.


    That day, he came again. As Mu Jingzhe was cutting some cloth, she distractedly told him, ¡°The most important thing is safety. There¡¯s a riding scene this time. You have to pay more attention.¡±


    This time, Little Bei had chosen a movie from the Republic of China era. She was considered the second female lead, but she currently didn¡¯t necessarily have to choose to only act in films in which she was the female lead. After all, there were rtively few protagonists her age. Also, she didn¡¯t have to maintain her position like in the modern era.


    Little Bei only liked acting. She would take on roles that she liked based on the script and if they were suitable. If they were not, she would try when she grew up. She didn¡¯t care about maintaining her status or any of that.


    She was still young, so there were limited roles that she could take on. However, because she was young, she wasn¡¯t restrained and could try any genre she was interested in.


    Until now, she had never filmed a movie of the same theme, and the appearance of her roles was always different. This time, there was a horse-riding scene. Fortunately, she had learned how to do it previously. Although she wasn¡¯t very proficient, she could make the horse run, which was enough for the filming purposes.


    ording to the filming n, filming would bepleted in about a month. Then, Little Bei would go back to school.


    Little Bei was an actress, but she hadn¡¯t set her real life aside. Mu Jingzhe had always felt that an actor had to have a real life, especially young actors and actresses.


    Shao Qihai nodded after Mu Jingzhe reminded him. He even took notes seriously and memorized them.


    His attitude made Mu Jingzhe feel even more at ease. She nced at him and put down the scissors. ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous. If anything happens, just contact me. Little Bei knows this herself.¡± After all, she had filmed several movies before.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shao Qihai nodded. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m finally done with work for the day.¡± Because Little Bei was going to film a movie in the Republic of China era and an actress had recentlye to order clothes, Mu Jingzhe felt that she was the right person to wear a cheongsam. She was currently preparing it.


    Mu Jingzhe herself liked cheongsams very much. Her design was a little innovative and couldn¡¯tpare to the old masters¡¯ work, but Sister Wei was very good at it. She nned to continue with Sister Wei tomorrow.


    When he heard Mu Jingzhe say this, Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back. I drove here.¡±


    Although they had divorced, Shao Qihai hadn¡¯tpletely given up on Mu Jingzhe. It was rare for them to have a chance to interact, so he wanted to fight for it. ¡°You can go back and cook. Or we can pick up the children and eat outside.¡±


    Before Mu Jingzhe could speak, a bell rang outside and someone called her name. ¡°It¡¯s Ji Buwang.¡±


    Shao Qihai followed Mu Jingzhe downstairs and saw Ji Buwang in a white shirt.


    There was a bicycle parked behind him, and he wasn¡¯t surprised to see Shao Qihai. He greeted him with familiarity. ¡°You¡¯re here again. Have you mastered it yet? Can you take good care of Little Bei? Do you need my help?¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯lle again tomorrow.¡± Shao Qihai didn¡¯t care if Ji Buwang was sincere or not and directly refused, clearly indicating that he hadn¡¯t given up on Jingzhe.


    Their divorce didn¡¯t mean that everything was over. His marriage to Jingzhe hadn¡¯t started well back then. Now that it had ended, Jingzhe would be even more rxed around him. He had also changed his image and was no longer an irresponsible person, so there was still a chance. He hadn¡¯t lost to Ji Buwang!


    After looking at the bicycle behind Ji Buwang, he looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Jingzhe, you didn¡¯t drive here. Take my car. Ji Buwang only rode his bicycle over.¡±


    ¡°I used a bicycle to pick Jingzhe up on purpose. It¡¯s so stuffy and suffocating sitting in a car in this weather. Besides, you can only travel on the main road. It¡¯s different for bicycles. The sun is setting right now, and the weather is cooling down.¡±


    Ji Buwang retorted and patted the back seat. ¡°Jingzhe, I even cushioned it for you. Come quickly. You said yourself yesterday that bicycles arefortable.¡±


    After saying that, Ji Buwang even took a popsicle out and pulled it around his back to tempt Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I bought this for you. Come quickly.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up. A popsicle! Who could refuse a popsicle on such a hot day? She believed that no one could! And neither could she!


    Mu Jingzhe jumped over without hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°Come and sit down.¡± Then, he looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°We¡¯ll leave now.¡±


    Shao Qihai: ¡°!!!¡±


    How could Jingzhe be attracted to a popsicle?


    ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯ll buy you a glutinous rice popsicle when we reach the intersection.¡±


    ¡°One shouldn¡¯t eat too many popsicles in a day. Thank you..¡± Mu Jingzhe politely refused.

 Chapter 388 - Oh My, Jingzhe, Youre a Female Pervert

    <h4>Chapter 388: Oh My, Jingzhe, You¡¯re a Female Pervert</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Ji Buwang got on the bicycle and quickly passed by Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai thought that Jingzhe was attracted to the popsicle, but actually, the bicycle was also attractive, and she was biased toward him. Otherwise, why would she choose him without hesitation?


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say these words out loud, but Shao Qihai understood what his gaze meant.


    Shao Qihai watched the two of them leave and stroked his forehead. ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    Previously, when he didn¡¯t have a car, because they had lived in Great Eastern Vige, it had been convenient for Ji Buwang to drive. He could drive the children in his car, so the journey wouldn¡¯t be so bumpy or tiring. Now that he had bought a car, Ji Buwang had pulled a bicycle out. Unfortunately, in a ce like Ocean City, where traffic was intense, bicycles were indeed popr. It was convenient to take some small alleys and even take a shortcut, but cars couldn¡¯t do that.


    Shao Qihai watched helplessly as Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe left.


    Ji Buwang was satisfied. ¡°Is it delicious?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded as she ate the popsicle. ¡°Yes!¡±


    There were countless types of ice-cream and popsicles in the modern era, but some of them didn¡¯t taste as good as the ones in this era. Although many things only came in one vor, they always felt very delicious. This was the case for fruit popsicles and glutinous rice popsicles.


    As she ate the popsicle and basked in the wind, looking at Ocean City, which differed greatly from what it looked like in the modern times, Mu Jingzhe felt very satisfied.


    When Ji Buwang heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, he felt that the bicycle was not bad. He still remembered that he had hugged Shao Qiyang tightly previously. While the five kids were still young and couldn¡¯t carry Mu Jingzhe on the bicycle, he had to make the best of his time to make arrangements before the five kids grew up and fought over who would do it instead.


    Ji Buwang expressed the opinion that it was quite difficult to find something that the children couldn¡¯t do or dabble in.


    The two of them talked as they walked. After Mu Jingzhe finished the popsicle, Ji Buwang saw a small pit in front of him. If he tried his best, he could walk around it, but he didn¡¯t really want to.


    He also wanted Jingzhe to hug him, so Ji Buwang deliberately didn¡¯t go around. Jolted, Mu Jingzhe quickly hugged Ji Buwang.


    It was clearly nned, but when Jingzhe hugged him, his body still stiffened and trembled.


    Mu Jingzhe felt it. The corners of her mouth curled up as she looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s back and secretly smiled.


    There were many romantic bicycle scenes on television and in movies, as well as in school. Mu Jingzhe had watched many of them, but in reality, she had never experienced this before.


    In the past, she used to ride a bicycle alone and with other girls. She had had many women hug her on the bike and had even been called ¡®hubby¡¯ by her female ssmates.


    Although it also felt good to be called that by a girl, she wanted to feel what it was like to be led around.


    This time, she finally felt it. It was clearly time to let go of Ji Buwang and go back to holding his clothes, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t expect Mu Jingzhe not to let go either. He was pleasantly surprised, and his heart rate sped up. He wished they would never reach their destination, but in reality, they arrived in less than two minutes.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe hopped off the bicycle. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Little Bei and the others.¡±


    After saying that, she ran up without looking back. Before she jumped down, for some reason, she thought of those aggressive women¡¯sments on the Inte and took the opportunity to feel Ji Buwang¡¯s muscles as she let go of him.


    ording to the girls on the Inte, those muscles werepletely different from their own. They felt especially nice to the touch.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know if it was nice to touch them. She only knew that the moment she made a move, Ji Buwang seemed to sense it and his entire body tensed up.


    Mu Jingzhe came back to her senses and felt that she was simply acting too out of character. Although she had reflected on herself after recovering from her illness previously and had realized that no matter how busy she was, she could still date, this sudden move made her seem like a hooligan. Especially in this era, when everyone was still reserved, she seemed too aggressive.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare look at Ji Buwang after touching him and only prayed that Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t think of her as a female pervert.


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back and didn¡¯t move. Only after her back disappeared from view did he abruptly take a step back. His heart¡­ had almost jumped out of his chest just now.


    This was the first time he realized that being hugged by a girl he liked was so exciting. He didn¡¯t know how the people around him could be so calm.


    Jingzhe had only touched him casually, but he was already so sensitive.


    Ji Buwang muttered, ¡°She wasn¡¯t like this in the past. Fortunately, she ran away.¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t run away, his heartbeat would have been even more terrifying. He might even have blushed or something. That would have been very unmanly.


    Mu Jingzhe ran home and leaned against the door to calm herself down. She peeked at Ji Buwang through the window, wanting to see if he was angry or had a strange expression on his face. She only heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that he wasn¡¯t mad.


    ¡°Mommy, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Mu Jingzhe turned around. ¡°What do you want to eat today? Do you want to go out to eat?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shao Xi immediately responded. ¡°Let¡¯s vote.¡±


    Because there were many children at home, sometimes everyone would have a different opinion about what they wanted to eat or y. Hence, Mu Jingzhe had started using the methods of ¡®ck and white¡¯, ¡®rock paper scissors¡¯, and show of hands to determine the majority vote. The minority would then follow the majority. Today, they voted by raising their hands.


    ¡°I want to go.¡±


    ¡°I have no objections. I¡¯m okay with going out.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Coincidentally, Sister will be joining the production team in two days.¡±


    ¡°I agree.?Excellent<sup>1</sup>.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Shao Xi, who had recently be obsessed with riding a bicycle, immediately ran to ride his personal bicycle. The bicycle had been given to him by Ji Buwang. Initially, Ji Buwang had bought it because he had seen that Xiao Wu was envious of other children riding a bicycle, but since he was buying him one, it was impossible for him to only buy a bicycle for Xiao Wu. Thus, he¡¯d ended up buying one for each of the other four kids as well. It was much safer to ride a bicycle designed for kids. They didn¡¯t know where he had bought them, but they were very rare.


    In that day and age, children also rode bicycles designed for adults. Such a bike was too big for even the biggest kids, much less kids who started riding a bicycle at seven or eight. Some of them weren¡¯t even as tall as their bikes. It was quite ridiculous.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t care less about those children, but she didn¡¯t allow the five kids to ride bicycles for adults. Even though they had the money, she wouldn¡¯t let them buy one for the time being. Thus, they¡¯d never had a bicycle until Ji Buwang gave them something they could ride.


    This little bicycle happened to be a favorite of the five kids. They learned to ride it very quickly. Other than Xiao Wu, who had suffered a fall once, the others hadn¡¯t fallen much.


    While the children were riding the bicycle, Mu Jingzhe was still sitting behind Ji Buwang. However, this time, she was well-behaved and she pulled Ji Buwang¡¯s clothes, not daring to be impudent. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t dare be impudent in front of the children either. He rode obediently to prevent his heart from beating too quickly and making a fool of himself.


    Being familiar with Ocean City, Ji Buwang took them to a gem of a restaurant. Shao Xi and the others all praised the food¡¯s deliciousness.


    ¡°Let¡¯se again. Yummy.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I like it too.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.?Excellent<sup>1</sup>.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang, Shao Dong, and the others silently looked at Little Bei, who didn¡¯t fit in with the conversation. They saw Little Bei sitting very solemnly with her hands t in front of her. If they weren¡¯t in a lively restaurant, they would have wondered where they were.

 Chapter 389 - Youre Such a Slut

    <h4>Chapter 389: You¡¯re Such a Slut</h4>


    Looking at Little Bei, Ji Buwang leaned closer to Mu Jingzhe and whispered, ¡°Little Bei is still the same.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice seemed to contain a smile. Her life had be rich and colorful because of the children, especially Little Bei.


    After all sorts of dialects had appeared at homest time, lines from period movies and television dramas started appearing now.


    Little Bei was already in discussions about her next drama, and barring any incidents, it would be a period drama. Because this drama was set in the Republic of China, the characters spoke in a genteel manner, so Little Bei had started speaking like the ancientstely.


    Period dramas were different from modern dramas. Not only were the characters¡¯ clothes different, but their way of speaking was also different. One had to learn how to speak in that manner in order to sound natural.


    Recently, Little Bei had been practicing as much as she could, so her daily conversations had also changed. She had reced the modern versions of ¡®I¡¯, ¡®you¡¯, ¡®why¡¯, ¡®how¡¯, ¡®very¡¯, and ¡®say¡¯ with their ancient versions in her daily conversations.


    When she was in the mood, she would speak like this, looking especially dignified, just as she looked now. She even took a ss on ssical etiquette specifically for this reason.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Little Bei was currently even qualified to portray a little princess.


    When Little Bei saw Mu Jingzhe looking at her, she tilted her head slightly and looked over. She was as dignified as ever, but her gaze was questioning. Mu Jingzhe quickly asked, ¡°Are you[1] full?¡±


    Ji Buwang almost burst outughing when he heard that. Little Bei almost couldn¡¯t keep herposure as well. Mu Jingzhe saw his expression and said, ¡°What are youughing at? You wouldn¡¯t sound much better saying it.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like she had said, ¡°You¡¯re such a slut.¡±


    After eating and drinking to their hearts¡¯ content, Shao Dong and Shao Xi went to look for Shao Qihai and went to bed with him.


    Before Shao Qihai took Little Bei to the production team, he confirmed the next movie and signed the contract. It was that period drama after all.


    This period piece wasn¡¯t a movie but a television drama. Filming a television drama might take longer, but the script was excellent and Little Bei¡¯s role was also very good, so they still signed.


    At the time, there wasn¡¯t an obvious distinction between movie actors and television drama actors. Besides, many actors in the modern era also acted in both movies and television dramas. Little Bei didn¡¯t have to only act in movies. Her first production had been, in fact, a television drama.


    Afraid that Little Bei and Shao Qihai wouldn¡¯t be used to it, after some hesitation, the worried Mu Jingzhe decided to follow them to the production team for two days. She only left the production team after Shao Qihai slowly adapted.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t go with Little Bei, but she still stayed in Ocean City. Other than customizing costumes in the studio, she also handled fashion design. The television drama Little Bei has signed a contract with actively sought a cooperation with Mu Jingzhe because they had long learned of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ability and sense of responsibility from their peers in the industry.


    When she was in charge of the costumes and makeup, the effect produced was always pleasing to the eye. Even her earliest work three years ago was still not outdated and continued to look good. This was very important.


    Typically, very few television movies could cross time and space so that, no matter the current aesthetic standards, people would still find them beautiful.


    Other than the fact that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s designs were progressive, there was also the fact that she had seen many modern designs. Why some characters became ssics was one of her main points of focus.


    She had already received information about each of the actors. After meeting all the main actors, she started designing.


    However, this process wasn¡¯t fast, as Mu Jingzhe had to undergo a period of learning in the early stages. Professional fashion designers, especially those who dabbled in ancient costumes, generally had to know some basic history. Even if they didn¡¯t know anything, they had to learn. They had to learn a bit, as they couldn¡¯t be ignorant.


    Mu Jingzhe was very meticulous. The clothes she designed not only had to be suitable for the individual actors, but they also had to look good when the characters came together. The main characters¡¯ costumes had a hint of mystery about them. One could guess their identity and personality based on their clothes.


    With their different identities, colors, and styles, the clothes had to match each character¡¯s personality to enhance the plot. The same applied to the makeup.


    The number of designs in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s notebook slowly increased. After she met the director, the director was very satisfied and said that engaging her would be worth it.


    Mu Jingzhe also enjoyed this feeling, as it felt as if all her effort was worth it. She felt that her work was very meaningful and often immersed herself in it until she was woken up by the children. Xiao Wu came the most, as well as Ji Buwang.


    For some reason, Xiao Wu also started to get interested in Shao Nan¡¯s book. After reading it, he even said that he would go out to collect folk songs. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the heat and would run out every day. Sometimes, he would disappear for a long time.


    However, he kept sticking to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side when she came back. He was still the same clingy Xiao Wu.


    As long as Ji Buwang was in Ocean City and had time, he woulde to pick Mu Jingzhe up. Every day, he would give her a popsicle, other than the few days when it was inconvenient for her. She had no idea how Ji Buwang found out. In any case, he was quite attentive and considerate.


    During this special period, he didn¡¯t ride a bicycle anymore. Instead, he drove there. He didn¡¯t say it explicitly, but the two of them had a tacit understanding.


    Mu Jingzhe felt embarrassed and pleased at the same time.


    This summer, the things that left the deepest impression on Mu Jingzhe were the cold popsicles she received every day, as well as the hot and cool wind and the lively cicadas.


    The cicadas kept chirping non-stop.


    Sometimes, they would even scream at night. The kids wanted to catch them, but they didn¡¯t seed. In the end, it was Ji Buwang who helped them do it.


    During the summer, the five kids¡¯ skin had be much darker because they were all riding bicycles, including Xiao Wu. However, it couldn¡¯t be denied that this was their most peaceful andfortable summer ever.


    Perhaps it was because it was so quiet andfortable, but Mu Jingzhe¡¯s feelings for Ji Buwang had indeed changed. Previously, she had always said that she didn¡¯t have time. This time, with Ji Buwang by her side, that feeling slowly changed.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t say much, nor did Mu Jingzhe, but the two of them tacitly understood that something had changed.


    Only the two of them couldprehend such a feeling.


    Before school reopened at the end of August, Mu Jingzhe brought the children back to the county city. Two days after they returned, the night before school reopened, Shao Qihai finally returned with Little Bei.


    They had rushed to finish filming Little Bei¡¯s scenes. This time, she started school at the same time as the other kids.


    Little Bei, Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Xiao Wu didn¡¯t skip a grade this time. Previously, they had wanted to learn as soon as possible, but now, all of them were busy, so they didn¡¯t intend to skip a grade. If nothing went wrong, they would follow the pre-set grade order.


    Only Shao Nan skipped a grade. He nned to get through junior high school as soon as possible and go to university. Only by going to university could he undergo systematic learning.


    This time, Little Bei didn¡¯t follow him. The twin siblings used to sit together, but they finally separated now. It was normal for Shao Nan, though, as he had been constantly learning.


    Although staying with the children filled her heart with warmth, Mu Jingzhe still experienced the rxed feeling of having her children finally go to school after a vacation.


    After sending the kids to school, Mu Jingzhe decided to look for Li Zhaodi to y the role of a child herself.


    [1] the ancient version of ¡®you¡¯

 Chapter 390 - Beat Her Up

    <h4>Chapter 390: Beat Her Up</h4>


    Li Zhaodi naturally treasured Mu Jingzhe. When she saw her, she asked like she usually did, ¡°What do you want to eat this morning?¡±


    ¡°Anything is fine. Everything Mommy makes is delicious.¡± Although Mu Jingzhe answered this way, she still ordered a few dishes in a row. Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t scold her and dragged her to buy some groceries before preparing the food for her.


    After the meal, Mu Jingzhe stroked her stomach and slumped down. When her stomach no longer felt so full, she washed the dishes before following Li Zhaodi to the bun shop.


    ¡°Mom, has business been good recently?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. After hiring someone to help, your father and I can take turns working.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the new worker? Does he also secretly eat the food?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked with concern. Previously, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had listened to Mu Jingzhe and hired a helper. She had been quite hardworking, but there had been one bad thing about her¡­ She would secretly eat the food.


    The bun shop provided meals, so it wasn¡¯t like the worker had been forced to go hungry. Although she didn¡¯t mind the food provided, they hadn¡¯t expected this person to be so insatiable. She¡¯d even secretly eaten the food sold in the bun shop. One time, she had almost been caught and had even sold to a customer a bun she had taken a bite from.


    When the matter had blown up, she had defended herself by saying she had done that out of instinctive fear because she had gone hungry often in the past. Whenever she saw food, she wanted to stuff it in her mouth. She promised to correct this bad habit in the future, but they had still dismissed her and hired someone else.


    ¡°This one is quite hardworking and doesn¡¯t steal food. She only brings her daughter here often, but her daughter doesn¡¯t make a fuss. I thought that a child wouldn¡¯t eat much, so I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    In the past, Li Zhaodi would never have said something like this. However, when she had seen that the woman¡¯s daughter was thin and small, she had feltpassion for her. Therefore, she turned a blind eye despite knowing that the woman¡¯s daughter would secretly eat the buns. There were days where the buns didn¡¯t sell outpletely anyway. She would just consider it umting merit.


    Mu Jingzhe praised Li Zhaodi when she heard that. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re so kind. You did well.¡±


    Li Zhaodi felt a little smug and embarrassed after being praised. ¡°What¡¯s there to praise me for? I was not born evil. Since I have money, I¡¯m willing to help others.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve always known that you were a good person, Mommy. I want to learn from you.¡± Mu Jingzhe coaxed Li Zhaodi until she beamed with happiness.


    Everyone liked to listen to nice words, and Li Zhaodi was no exception. Mu Jingzhe wanted her to be happy every day. The children were also very good on that front. Every time they came, they kept greeting their ¡®Grandmother¡¯ and praising her non-stop. Each of the five children could praise her from head to toe, making Li Zhaodi experience double the joy.


    As Li Zhaodiughed, the two of them arrived at the bun shop. Mu Jingzhe saw the newly-hired Sister Ping. She was still young and she indeed had a five- or six-year-old child with her who was very skinny.


    Mu Jingzhe greeted Sister Ping and helped her chop up meat. However, just as she picked up the knife, Sister Ping snatched it away. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. How can I let you do it? Little Boss, please sit aside and rest.¡±


    After saying that, she started chopping the meat. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t argue with her, but she realized that her elbow seemed to be bruised. ¡°What happened to your arm? And the corners of your eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t watch where I was goingst night and I fell.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe found it a little strange but she didn¡¯t ask anything else since Sister Ping didn¡¯t seem to want to say anything. After a while, she went back.


    ¡°When the kidse back from schoolter, bring them to the house to eat,¡± Li Zhaodi reminded her. A person¡¯s heart was made of flesh. The children treated her as their biological grandmother, so she also treated the children as her own. She was thinking of making delicious food for them.


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took the five kids to Li Zhaodi¡¯s ce and happily ate another meal. After eating too much, she sauntered back. When she was near the bun shop, she heard the cries of a child and some screams for help. Mu Jingzhe quickly went over and asked the five kids to be careful and note near.


    When they got closer, they realized that Sister Ping was being beaten up by a man. Sister Ping was even hugging her daughter and crying for help. There were many people around who wanted to persuade the man, but whoever tried to do so would suffer. The man seemed to be drunk and was hitting whoever went up to him.


    ¡°Get out of the way. This is a family matter. It¡¯s none of your business if I hit my wife.¡±


    Now that he was hitting someone else, Sister Ping no longer had to be beaten up. However, after everyone ran away, she continued to get beaten up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit the child!¡± Sister Ping cried pitifully, shouting for help.


    Mu Jingzhe stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Stop!¡±


    When the drunkard heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice, he raised his hand, ready to hit her. When Sister Ping saw that it was Mu Jingzhe, she got very nervous and immediately shouted, ¡°Father of my child, don¡¯t hit her! This is my boss¡¯ daughter!¡±


    The man slowed down and stopped. He nced at Mu Jingzhe and muttered something, then picked up the beer bottle beside him and staggered away. It seemed like he had drunk some alcohol.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°This is your husband?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Sister Ping was filled with trepidation. ¡°Little Boss, don¡¯t tell thedy boss. Don¡¯t fire me. I won¡¯t let hime again. I won¡¯t let it affect my work either. If I get fired, I won¡¯t have a chance to live if I stay at home every day.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°You can¡¯t constantly endure these beatings. This is a problem that needs to be solved.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had zero tolerance when it came to domestic violence. In the modern era, many people would advise the abused wife to get a divorce. After all, domestic violence wouldn¡¯t stop once it started and would only be increasingly worse. However, divorce wasn¡¯t a solution people sought in this era. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t tell her to get a divorce, but she still said that this problem had to be solved.


    No wonder she¡¯d had bruises previously. It turned out that she had been beaten up.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s all my fault for failing to give birth to a son. If my stomach worked harder, I wouldn¡¯t get beaten up. I just have to give birth to a son and things will be fine.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s frown deepened. Little Bei couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°The gender of the baby is not determined by the mother. If you really want to pursue the matter, it¡¯s the father¡¯s responsibility. You don¡¯t have to me yourself.¡±


    Little Bei, who had learned the science behind this, didn¡¯t like this misconception.


    Sister Ping looked at Little Bei. ¡°How impressive. You know everything.¡±


    Although she praised her, her expression was disapproving. When she smiled, the corners of her mouth twitched and she let out a tear.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s pack up and go back first. There are no more customers. We can close for the day.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Actually, Sister Ping had specifically waited until now because she didn¡¯t want to go home. She was afraid that she would be criticized by her inws if she went home, so she¡¯d wanted to eat a few of the unsold tea eggs and buns before leaving.


    Mu Jingzhe was about to leave when the drunkard who had just left suddenly sauntered back. ¡°Give me two yuan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have money. I haven¡¯t received my wages yet. Don¡¯t drink any more. Let¡¯s go home quickly.¡± Sister Ping was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would be disgusted, so she carefully shoved her husband.


    ¡°Why are you here if they¡¯re not paying you!¡± Unexpectedly, the words ¡®I don¡¯t have money¡¯ angered the drunkard husband. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and grabbed her hair, pping her without a care.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Mu Jingzhe eximed in shock.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re the boss, you can¡¯t stop me from hitting my wife. Give me money!¡± The drunkard, who was impatient, actually picked up his beer bottle and smashed it.


    Amid Sister Ping¡¯s shrieks and Little Bei¡¯s frightened screams, the beer bottle shattered and Sister Ping¡¯s head bloomed open.

 Chapter 391 - Leaving Her to Die

    <h4>Chapter 391: Leaving Her to Die</h4>


    ¡°Help, Little Boss, help¡­¡±


    Sister Ping couldn¡¯t take the pain and shouted. The drunkard was impatient and wanted to hit her again, but just as he raised his hand, he was stopped by Mu Jingzhe.


    Now that her ox-like strength had returned, Mu Jingzhe could easily hold the drunkard in ce to prevent him from moving.


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked when she saw Sister Ping¡¯s head bleeding. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s bleeding?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not going to die. Let go of me!¡± Unable to break free, the drunkard actually raised his other hand, wanting to hit her again. Sister Ping¡¯s body trembled as she screamed.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned when she saw the drunkard¡¯s unwillingness to let go and directly dislocated his hand.


    The drunkard was slow to react for a few seconds before touching his dislocated hand and screaming. ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Although he screamed terribly, Mu Jingzhe knew what she was doing, so she ignored him and turned to help Sister Ping. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding a lot. Let¡¯s go to the hospital to take a look¡­¡±


    Sister Ping interrupted Mu Jingzhe. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    As she looked at the drunkard, who was screaming, Sister Ping¡¯s expression changed. She suddenly pushed Mu Jingzhe away. ¡°How dare you hit my man? How can you be so evil!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was dumbfounded. ¡°What?¡± Clearly, Sister Ping was the one who had shouted for help, yet she was ming her now?


    Sister Ping red at Mu Jingzhe and quickly ran over to help the drunkard up. ¡°Father of my child, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°It hurts so much, you smelly wretch!¡± The drunkard kicked Sister Ping, wincing in pain. Although Sister Ping was kicked by him, she only looked at his hand worriedly. ¡°Why does your arm look like this? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s broken?¡±


    Sister Ping had just touched him when the drunkard screamed again. Sister Ping looked at his hand in fear.


    She then turned around and looked at Mu Jingzhe, her face filled with anger. ¡°How can you hit people casually and break their hands? Listen to me, if anything happens to the father of my child, I¡¯ll fight it out with you!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed, finally certain that she had helped an ingrate. ¡°You can try.¡± She waved her fist.


    Sister Ping shrank at the thought of her methods and only red at her with hatred.


    Feeling that all this was very meaningless, Mu Jingzhe pulled the indignant Shao Dong and the others back. ¡°Let¡¯s go. No point wasting my breath on them.¡±


    People like that were truly trashy. There was nothing to say to them, for it would only anger one to death. No one could understand their logic.


    This Sister Ping definitely couldn¡¯t stay around. She had to get Li Zhaodi to fire her as soon as possible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run. You¡¯re not allowed to run. You want to flee after hitting someone? Even if you¡¯re the boss, you can¡¯t do that. You have to take responsibility for whatever happens to my child¡¯s father.¡± When Sister Ping saw that Mu Jingzhe was about to leave, she couldn¡¯t care less about her fear. Her expression changed, and she stopped her. ¡°You have to go to the hospital with me and pay up!¡±


    As Sister Ping spoke, perhaps afraid that Mu Jingzhe would run away, she ordered her daughter, ¡°Stop them quickly. Don¡¯t let them leave!¡±


    Her daughter actually ran forward and stretched out her arms to block the way. Sister Ping looked around. ¡°Everyone saw it. She injured the father of my child!¡±


    She sought confirmation from the surrounding people, wanting them to help or testify, leaving Mu Jingzhe no choice but to take responsibility. However, the people watching the show had basically been there the entire time and had seen everything clearly. Some of them had even been beaten up by that man. No one stepped forward. Instead, they looked at Mu Jingzhe with sympathy in their eyes.


    Someone even directly called Sister Ping out for being shameless. Sister Ping didn¡¯t seem to expect such a reaction and was furious as a result.


    ¡°In any case, you have to take responsibility for this!¡± she said firmly.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at her face, which was still stained with blood. Because of her agitation, her originally pretty face had be hideous. This was probably the most twisted and fickle face she had ever seen. It had changed from the most pitiful state to the most vicious.


    This was also the speediest case of ¡®returning kindness with ingratitude¡¯ she had ever witnessed.


    ¡°I saved you because you asked for help. If it weren¡¯t for me, you might have been smashed to death by that beer bottle by now!¡± Mu Jingzhe sneered. ¡°You and your husband must have plotted this. You¡¯re deliberately extorting me, right?¡±


    When she heard Mu Jingzhe say that she would probably have been dead by now if it had not been for her, a hint of fear shed across Sister Ping¡¯s face. However, when she heard thest part, she lost it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s extorting you? I know you broke my child¡¯s father¡¯s hand. My child¡¯s father needs to earn money. Our family¡¯s livelihood depends on him. I wanted you to save me, not hit him. Who knew you were so vicious?¡± Sister Ping looked at her husband with heartache.


    ¡°I¡¯m vicious?¡± Mu Jingzheughed out of sheer anger. Recalling that the onlookers had helped her just now, she said, ¡°So the reason you shouted for help was to get someone to take the beating for you? To make your husband happy so that you¡¯d suffer less?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless. ¡°A scumbag paired up with a cheap woman. You two are really a match made in heaven. However, in the future, you two can y this kind of game alone. One of you can act willing to hit, and the other can act willing to take a beating. Since you two are so loving, in the future, don¡¯t shout for help or dupe others!¡±


    ¡°My husband¡¯s hand¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste her breath on them and went over to fix the drunkard¡¯s dislocated hand. ¡°Alright, your husband is fine. He absolutely won¡¯t have a problem beating you to death in the future.¡±


    Sister Ping didn¡¯t detect the sarcasm in her voice at all and was only concerned about one thing. ¡°Really? Give it a try, father of my child.¡±


    The drunkard, who had sobered up due to the pain, moved his hand when he heard that. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. You scared me to death.¡±


    Before Sister Ping could finish speaking, she was pped in the face. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you b*tch!¡±


    The drunkard bullied the weak and feared the strong. After seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strength, he didn¡¯t dare provoke her, so he only focused on venting his anger on Sister Ping and continued hitting her, his expression changing rapidly.


    Sister Ping screamed and shouted for help again, but this time, no one paid attention to her. Mu Jingzhe left with the children without looking back.


    After taking a few steps, she remembered something and turned around. Sister Ping¡¯s eyes lit up, as she thought that Mu Jingzhe was going to help her. Mu Jingzhe informed her, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe to work tomorrow. Our family won¡¯t employ you anymore.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t afford to have such an employee.


    Sister Ping¡¯s expression changed drastically, and she quickly broke free from the drunkard¡¯s hand. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. How can you fire me?¡±


    She had the cheek to say that she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong? The corners of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Then what have you done right? Our family doesn¡¯t want someone who repays kindness with enmity.¡±


    ¡°No, you have no right. You¡¯re not the boss¡­¡± Sister Ping panicked. She had never met such a good boss.


    It was quite an easy job, and she didn¡¯t have to get beaten up. She could support herself and her daughter every day and eat very well. She was even paid a wage. Where else could she find such a good job?


    ¡°That¡¯s my mother. Do you think she won¡¯t listen to me?¡± Mu Jingzhe turned around and left, ignoring Sister Ping¡¯s indignant questions and cries of pain.


    Sister Ping hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to really leave just like that. Furthermore, everyone around her had run away, and no one gave two hoots about her. Her body hurt more and more as the beatings rained down on her. When she heard her daughter¡¯s cries, fear welled up in her heart. ¡°Don¡¯t go. Little Boss, save me. You can¡¯t leave me in the lurch¡­ How can you be so ruthless¡­¡±


    Leave her in the lurch? Ruthless?! How could she say such a thing? There was no doubt that she had suffered from cerebral thrombosis for ten years.


    Mu Jingzhe quickened her pace, and the children¡¯s faces looked numb. Shao Dong even felt some pity. ¡°Mommy, why don¡¯t we help Grandma recruit someone? The people she¡¯s recruited were all weirdos.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself,?<i>That¡¯s right. She can¡¯t even hire a normal person.</i>?She didn¡¯t know if Li Zhaodi was always attracting such pieces of work because she was a piece of work herself. It seemed like such people always liked to approach her. If this continued, she would be able to start a collection soon.

 Chapter 392 - Ill Give You My Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 392: I¡¯ll Give You My Daughter</h4>


    Since Li Zhaodi kept hiring such pieces of work, it would inevitably affect the business of the bun shop. Mu Jingzhe agreed with Shao Dong¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back and talk to her about this.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and the kids went back to find Li Zhaodi. On the way, Shao Xi even asked seriously, ¡°Mommy, why is there such a person in this world? Although everyone is different, why is there someone like her, a person born without a brain or someone whose brain has been eaten?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe also wanted to ask this question. Since ancient times, there had always been simr people. In any case, there was no escaping from them. Even if one escaped in reality, they couldn¡¯t escape from such people online either.


    ¡°Little Xi, this is very normal. From their perspective, people like us might also be very strange. They don¡¯t know what we¡¯re thinking and they¡¯ll also wonder why there are people like us in this world. Let them exist since they already do.


    ¡°If you really can¡¯t stand them, you can reason with them in your books.¡±


    When there was nothing to do about a problem in real life, a writer could mock it as much as they wanted in their books. ¡°Do the same in the future. Little Xi, you have to learn to use your strengths.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s right. I can teach them a lesson in my books.¡±


    Seeing that he had epted her suggestion, Mu Jingzhe was very satisfied. When she saw Li Zhaodi, she told her about what had happened. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯lle tomorrow and hang around, so I came to tell you about it first.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This Little Ping seems to be quite hardworking, but it turns out she¡¯s really useless. She won¡¯t even hit her man back. You helped her, and she still dared to me you. She really doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for her. You did the right thing by firing her.¡±


    Li Zhaodi naturally took Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side, so the next day, when she saw the badly battered Sister Ping, she told her not toe anymore and paid her the sry she owed her for this period of time.


    Sister Ping was still indignant, but there was nothing she could do even though she was fired.


    Shao Dong really found a helper for Li Zhaodi. The person he found was finally normal this time. Although she was a little taciturn, there was no problem with her.


    On the other hand, it was said that Sister Ping hadn¡¯t given up and hade over a few times, even bringing her daughter with her. She was covered in injuries and wanted Li Zhaodi to pity her. She said that her husband was beating her even harder now that she had lost her job and she asked Li Zhaodi to give her a way out. When Li Zhaodi ignored her, Sister Ping was indignant and she even scolded her. But how was she a match for Li Zhaodi when it came to scolding someone?


    Li Zhaodi¡¯sbat ability was impressive.


    Later on, she heard that Sister Ping was almost beaten to death and her daughter was beaten up as well. More than a month had passed, and for some reason, she actually went to look for Mu Jingzhe.


    As Mu Jingzhe was driving back, the two of them suddenly rushed up, startling Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°What are you doing! Are you trying to scam me?!¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she hadn¡¯t been driving fast to begin with, she would have knocked into them if she hadn¡¯t braked in time.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face turned green, but Sister Ping acted as if she hadn¡¯t heard a word. When she saw Mu Jingzhee out, she nudged her daughter, who immediately knelt down and called out, ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°Wrong. That¡¯s your mother.¡± Mu Jingzhe ran away when she saw her kneel down.


    She got in the car and was ready to leave when the child suddenly pounced forward and hugged her legs. She shouted, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Sister Ping said from the side, ¡°Little Boss, it¡¯s too difficult for my family to raise this child. Her father hit us again, so I really can¡¯t raise her. Can I give this child to you? Don¡¯t you love raising children? Look, you only have one daughter. Now that you have her, you¡¯ll have two daughters.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll be obedient,¡± the child said in a daze.


    Mu Jingzhe was alreadypletely speechless. ¡°Let go. Do you think you¡¯re sticky candy that one can¡¯t get rid of once it sticks to them? I¡¯m not raising you. I don¡¯t like raising children either!¡±


    ¡°Why not? Aren¡¯t you already raising five? Just raise her too. It¡¯s the same, even though she¡¯s not your biological daughter. You¡¯re rich too, so it doesn¡¯t matter if you raise one more. She doesn¡¯t eat much and she is very easy to raise. She can even help you work. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll definitely be filial to you when she grows up.¡±


    Sister Ping spoke bluntly with an expression that seemed to say, ¡°I understand you.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t worked in the shop for nothing previously. She already knew that Mu Jingzhe was divorced and was helping raise her ex-husband¡¯s children.


    Sister Ping was extremely disapproving of the divorce. She believed that women had to stick with their man for a lifetime if they got married. Mu Jingzhe had actually gotten a divorce and was even raising kids that weren¡¯t biologically hers. In her mind, Mu Jingzhe was simply a fool and a lunatic, for she could give birth to her own kids if she was so fond of children. However, she had also considered the possibility that Mu Jingzhe was infertile.


    Although Mu Jingzhe was a fool and a lunatic, her daughter would only have a way out if such a woman existed in this world.


    Sister Ping felt that Mu Jingzhe would definitely agree that her daughter was beautiful and had many strengths.


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe had seen such a shameless person with such a weird way of thinking. She said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t like raising children. Even though I have money, I won¡¯t raise such a child. Do you think I raise children with my eyes closed, like the way you looked for a husband? Get lost!¡±


    If she continued, she would have to hit someone!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. I¡¯m really giving her to you to raise. I won¡¯t acknowledge her in the future either. I¡¯ll only let her acknowledge you.¡±


    After saying that, Sister Ping tried to leave. ¡°Here, I¡¯m giving the child to you. I¡¯m leaving!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s leaving!¡± Mu Jingzhe forcibly removed the child from her, not caring if it hurt. ¡°Take your child back!¡±


    She took a few steps forward and sent that woman¡¯s daughter back into her arms before driving away. Sister Ping wanted to stop her, but she couldn¡¯t.


    After Mu Jingzhe drove away, seeing that they were still chasing after her, she quickly stepped on the elerator to get rid of them.


    As soon as she got home and parked the car, Xiao Wu appeared. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Mm, Xiao Wu is waiting for me again.¡±


    ¡°I heard the car.¡± Xiao Wu walked over and took Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Uncle is here.¡±


    Ji Buwang came. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Xiao Wu was about to answer when he heard a shout behind him. ¡°Little Boss!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe turned around and saw Sister Ping and her daughter running over. ¡°I¡¯m really giving my daughter to you. I wasn¡¯t lying!¡±


    As she ran forward, she shouted. She nced at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house and jealousy shed across her eyes. She pushed her daughter and said, ¡°Hurry, go back to your mother.¡±


    ¡°If you continue behaving like this, I¡¯m going to call the police.¡± Mu Jingzhe hadpletely lost her patience.


    ¡°Why would you call the police? Since you like raising children, I¡¯ll give her to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are? Why are you giving a child to Mommy? Do you think Mommy will raise just any child?¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s sharp voice interrupted Sister Ping. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Xiao Wu, who was usually soft and good-natured, suddenly exploded. Not only was Sister Ping shocked, but Mu Jingzhe was shocked as well.


    ¡°Why are you so selfish, child? You¡¯re living a good life yourself, yet you won¡¯t allow others to live a good life with you. Can¡¯t you see that my daughter is pitiful¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she pitiful because you didn¡¯t do a good job as a mother? You couldn¡¯t even take care of your own child. What right do you have to give her to my mother? Aren¡¯t you afraid that she¡¯ll die?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Aren¡¯t you afraid that she¡¯ll die?¡± Shao Nan¡¯s voice was heard. He looked at Sister Ping with a meaningful gaze before staring at her daughter with a look of contempt.

 Chapter 393 - Dear, Fly Slowly

    <h4>Chapter 393: Dear, Fly Slowly</h4>


    No matter how slow Sister Ping was, she could sense the difference. ¡°What do you mean? What do you want? Surely you¡¯re not going to kill someone?!¡±


    ¡°We should be asking you what you want. Do you know that this is a crime? Abandoning a child will send you to jail.¡±


    Shao Nan btedly brought up thew. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go to jail, get lost quickly.¡±


    This was the first time Sister Ping had heard of such a crime, but seeing that Shao Nan didn¡¯t seem to be lying, and Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to raise her daughter either, she left unwillingly in the end.


    She had thought that Mu Jingzhe was soft-hearted and wouldn¡¯t care if she was her biological daughter or not, as she simply loved raising other people¡¯s children. Furthermore, she was rich. It was a good idea, so she hadn¡¯t expected it to fail.


    Sister Ping left unwillingly, and Ji Buwang also came out to find her. ¡°Why won¡¯t youe in? What happened?¡±


    ¡°We met a lunatic.¡± Shao Nan took Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mommy.¡±


    Ji Buwang was speechless when he heard what Sister Ping had done. ¡°How can there be such a person? If I had known, I would¡¯vee out earlier. You guys should have called me. I would have scolded them away.¡±


    ¡°Little Nan and the rest already scolded her into going away.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked unhappy, and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mood improved a little. ¡°Xiao Wu, I think I could even hang an oil bottle from your mouth. Why are you so unhappy? Are you jealous? Are you afraid that other children wille?¡±


    Only then did Xiao Wu realize that he had been pouting subconsciously. ¡°I know you won¡¯t raise other children, Mommy. I¡¯m just angry that she went overboard.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop being angry. Such a person is not worth it. Let¡¯s go in quickly. What were you guys doing?¡±


    ¡°Something important!¡± Shao Nan replied.


    The so-called important matter was actually Ji Buwang making a kite with them out of bamboo.


    ¡°They said they¡¯ve never flown a kite before. We can fly the kite tomorrow.¡± Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t gone out in time earlier on because he had been busy working and hadn¡¯t been able to leave for a while.


    As soon as they said that, Mu Jingzhe remembered. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival[1] We can climb up to admire the chrysanthemums and fly a kite.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, so help quickly.¡± Ji Buwang pointed at the finished framework. ¡°I did as much as I could ording to their requests, but it¡¯s still not that simr. Hurry up and draw with them to enhance this.¡±


    There were more butterfly and dragonfly kite designs to begin with, and they looked very lifelike up in the sky. When Ji Buwang hade earlier, he¡¯d wanted to show off, so he had asked the kids what they wanted and had ended up suffering. The children¡¯s preferences werepletely different, and they didn¡¯t at all stand on ceremony around him.


    There were all sorts of requests¡ªa little kitten, a little pig, a little hedgehog, a little fish, and a little rabbit. Each of the five kids had asked for a different design, making Ji Buwang feel overwhelmed.


    The little fish might be easy to make, but the rest were a little difficult. Ji Buwang had wanted to say that he could just draw anything, but they¡¯d already started to think of ways to make the kite look like an animal.


    Looking at their expectant gazes, he ultimately couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell them that he couldn¡¯t do it. That was how he had ended up working until now.


    ¡°I originally wanted to give you a surprise when I was done, but I didn¡¯t manage to do it.¡± One¡¯s ns couldn¡¯t keep up with changes. He urgently needed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s help now.


    Mu Jingzheughed out loud. ¡°Who asked you to agree to everything they said? Just make a butterfly or a dragonfly or something. If you can¡¯t do it, just draw it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that now. In reality, you¡¯d probably be even more serious than me.¡± Ji Buwang could see how Mu Jingzhe doted on the children.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe was at a loss for words. Ji Buwang rxed. ¡°Take them and draw. I¡¯ll make two simple ones.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others picked up their brushes and worked together to draw the kites. Although they were strangely-shaped, they still looked a little decent.


    Thanks to everyone¡¯s hard work, they finally finished making the kites. Then, Ji Buwang made two butterfly kites for himself and Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe added color and turned them into seven-colored butterflies.


    The colors were gorgeous, and the kites were quite beautiful.


    The next day, Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang, Li Zhaodi, and Mu Teng went to the top of the county mountain to fly the kites in the wind.


    However, Shao Dong and the others had all failed. Because they had pursued a nice appearance, they couldn¡¯t guarantee that the kites could fly. Therefore, all of them failed to make their kites fly. Even the little fish kite failed.


    Only Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s two butterflies flew up. They were originally split up, andter on, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s kite almost fell down. Ji Buwang rescued her butterfly kite, but while he did so, the threads of the two butterflies got intertwined and couldn¡¯t be separated.


    The two butterflies fluttered in the wind in midair and flew higher and higher. The five kids looked up and shouted.


    Ji Buwang was very satisfied watching the two butterflies flying together. He felt like this was him and Jingzhe.


    As he was thinking, he heard Shao Xi say, ¡°This is how Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai[2] flew when they became butterflies, right?¡±


    Li Zhaodi patted Shao Xi. ¡°How can youpare them to those two butterflies? They¡¯re not like that.¡± Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had both ended up dying. This was inauspicious.


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t thought of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. She had merely thought of a song[3] and couldn¡¯t help but want to sing it.


    ¡°Dear, fly slowly. Beware of the thorny roses ahead¡­¡±


    Oh no, she really sang it.


    Sensing everyone¡¯s gazes, Mu Jingzhe shut her mouth with a wooden expression. This was what happened with songs like this, which were too popr, catchy, and easy to learn. One could hum them after listening to them once or twice. Just thinking about it made her subconsciously sing the song, and she couldn¡¯t control herself at all.


    She handed the coil in her hand to Ji Buwang, who was suppressing hisughter. Mu Jingzhe wanted to leave, but Little Bei stopped her.


    ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s nice. Hurry up and continue singing. You haven¡¯t sung in a long time!¡± Little Bei had sung that school bombing song so many times that she had memorized it.


    ¡°No!¡± There was still a long time to go before this song would be released. She couldn¡¯t fan out this song in advance just because they were flying kites.


    ¡°Mommy, sing. I definitely won¡¯t sing this song outside.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You can¡¯t sing this song yet.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t believe Little Bei. Little Bei would definitely learn this song.


    When the time came, she would sing ¡®Dear¡¯ to her all day long. These lyrics werepletely inappropriate now. Furthermore, the lyrics included words like ¡®You and I will be entangled together forever¡¯ and so on.


    Now that she¡¯d said it, if she didn¡¯t sing the lyrics, it actually¡­ wasn¡¯t bad.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe thought of this, she heard Ji Buwang say, ¡°Sing it for meter. Even if the kids can¡¯t listen to it, at least I can, right?¡± Ji Buwang felt that this song was dedicated to him. After all, the word ¡®Dear¡¯ was among the lyrics.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°!!!¡±


    She shouted from the depths of her soul, ¡°No, no way! It¡¯s not suitable for you either!¡±


    Singing the song ¡®Two Butterflies¡¯ for Ji Buwang would be too beautiful. She didn¡¯t dare imagine it at all.


    She didn¡¯t want the BGM between her and Ji Buwang to be ¡®Two Butterflies¡¯.


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe, who was rejecting him wholeheartedly, and felt very strange. Could she be shy? But why was her expression so strange?


    Mu Jingzhe turned around and felt helpless when she saw Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze. ¡°Stop looking at me. Look at the kite.¡±


    As long as the song ¡®Two Butterflies¡¯ wasn¡¯t ying in her head, the kite was still very beautiful. Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang and then at the kite in the sky, the corners of her lips curling up.


    Ji Buwang was half a step behind Mu Jingzhe. While Mu Jingzhe was looking at the kite, he was looking at her.


    [1] Observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar.


    [2] The protagonists of the tragic love story ¡®The Butterfly Lovers¡¯


    [3] A Chinese pop song released in 2004 titled ¡®Two Butterflies¡¯

 Chapter 394 - Xiao Wu, Who Was Struck by Fire

    <h4>Chapter 394: Xiao Wu, Who Was Struck by Fire</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were preparing food with the children on the side. Looking at their backs, Li Zhaodi told Mu Teng happily, ¡°Father of my children, I think Jingzhe and Buwang can really seed. Who knows, they might be able to hold a wedding in two months. At most, after New Year¡¯s.¡±


    Mu Teng nced at Jingzhe and didn¡¯t object, which was rare. Now that he looked at them, things were indeed a little different.


    Li Zhaodi saw hope this time, so she even walked with a gust of wind. Later on, when she went shopping, she subconsciously started looking at the ceramic basins with the words ¡®Happiness¡¯ written on them. When she saw some big red nkets, she happily touched them. She even looked at wedding candy and asked Mu Jingzhe for her opinion.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like she wanted to say it, but it was really obvious. Li Zhaodi¡¯s expression made it apparent that she really wished her daughter would immediately get married and get sent straight to the bridal chamber.


    ¡°Mom, stop looking at these.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you and Buwang are still not getting married?¡± Li Zhaodi looked reluctant. ¡°What I meant is that you should hold the wedding before New Year¡¯s. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be older by a year. It¡¯s too scary for a girl to remain unmarried at 25 years old. The older a girl gets, the less valuable she is.¡±


    ¡°Mom, not this again. What does this have to do with timing? We didn¡¯t say we were getting married anyway. If you keep this up, I¡¯ll go to Ocean City.¡±


    ¡°What are you youngsters thinking these days? Why aren¡¯t you in a hurry? The children aren¡¯t dissatisfied with this, are they?¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s too early to say. It¡¯s too early for you to ask.¡±


    Li Zhaodi looked at Mu Jingzhe, whose face was a little red, but she still said the same thing. Feeling helpless, she could only roll her eyes. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t rush you then.¡±


    Sigh¡­ Now that she thought about it, it had actually been more exciting when she¡¯d secretly dated Mu Teng back then. At the time, she and Mu Teng had been introduced by a matchmaker. Later on, after they¡¯d gotten engaged but before they¡¯d gotten married, they had also secretly gone on dates together.


    At the time, he had held her petite hand and even kissed her mouth, scaring her quite badly. She had been afraid that she would get pregnant and had hated herself for not being able to hold it in. It was onlyter on, when they¡¯d gotten married that she had realized there were still so many more steps to go before one got pregnant.


    She decided Jingzhe and Buwang could probably experience that excitement for a little longer. After they were done holding hands, hugging, and kissing, they could talk about marriage again.


    After all, one¡¯s heart might only beat that way once in a lifetime.


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that. Although she and Buwang felt differently now, they hadn¡¯t made it official yet.


    However, this time, Mu Jingzhe was very certain that she wasn¡¯t imagining things. It wasn¡¯t like before, when she had been the only restless party. She was very sure that Ji Buwang felt the same way!


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t urge her anymore, but she still didn¡¯t stop secretly taking action. For example, she asked the children if they would ept Ji Buwang as their stepfather.


    Xiao Wu was the person Li Zhaodi felt the most assured about. After all, that was his biological uncle. However, Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei might not agree.


    Hence, Li Zhaodi found an excuse to ask Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei one by one. She coaxed them the same way she did when wanting to find out something from other children, but Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei knew exactly what she wanted to ask.


    ¡°As long as Mommy likes him, we have no objections.¡±


    Only then did Li Zhaodi feel at ease. In the blink of an eye, it was November. The weather was getting colder and colder, and Mu Jingzhe was secretly knitting a scarf. In the past, she had also knitted scarves and even sweaters for the children.


    However, it was different this time, as she wanted to give one to Ji Buwang.


    In the past, Mu Jingzhe had either bought knits or knitted herself, arming her children and Shao Qiyang with winter protection. At the time, she hadn¡¯t thought much about it and hadn¡¯t thought of giving something to Ji Buwang. After all, Ji Buwang had everything.


    Unexpectedly, Ji Buwang had always remembered it and felt a little regretful. During this period, he had been dropping hints in front of her, so she decided to knit him something.


    However, she felt a little guilty about knitting for Ji Buwang, so she could only secretly do it while the children weren¡¯t around.


    ¡°I¡¯m really virtuous. I¡¯ll be done by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was secretly knitting a scarf when there was a knock on the door. She went to open the door and saw that a few policemen had arrived. The policemen said that something had happened to Xiao Wu.


    The whole matter had started at school. There seemed to be a mischievous ssmate in every ss, and Xiao Wu¡¯s ss was no exception. Besides, those children weren¡¯t just mischievous. They were also a little wicked. They kept bullying a timid and chubby ssmate, and Xiao Wu, who couldn¡¯t take it anymore, had helped stop them from bullying the boy.


    When the teacher found out, she severely criticized the children and asked them to write a self-reflection essay.


    When the students found out, they liked Xiao Wu even more. The chubby ssmate was, needless to say, extremely grateful.


    Xiao Wu was the most special student in the ss. Firstly, he was the youngest and he had skipped a grade. Secondly, he was also the most impressive student in the ss. He was famous in the entire school, and the teachers and the principal cherished him.


    Perhaps because Xiao Wu was polite and exceptional, many ssmates liked to y with him. No one liked those children to begin with. After this incident, everyone stopped ying with them entirely and even called them bad.


    Children at this age were quite sensitive. They were normally indignant, especially when the people around them kept instilling in them that Xiao Wu was the most outstanding one and constantly nagged at them to learn from him. Now, they were even treated like this.


    It didn¡¯t feel good to be isted, so they decided to teach Xiao Wu a lesson. However, there were always people around Xiao Wu, so they didn¡¯t get a chance for a while.


    After waiting for a few days, they finally got the chance to catch Xiao Wu, who was on duty, alone.


    Xiao Wu had learned martial arts before, so he wasn¡¯t afraid of them. He quickly gained the upper hand. Seeing that they were no match for him, one of the children, who was in pain and felt panicked, took a book out of his bag, lit it with a lighter, and threw it at Xiao Wu.


    When this brat saw adults smoking, he thought that it was very cool and liked the lighters, so he had stolen some cigarettes and a lighter from his father.


    They had secretly smoked cigarettes previously and choked quite badly. They didn¡¯t know why adults liked it, but they had kept the lighter.


    It was dry in the winter, so he threw the book into Xiao Wu¡¯s hoodie while Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    At first, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know that someone had thrown a burning textbook at him. By the time he discovered it, his clothes had already started burning. Those children didn¡¯t seem afraid at all and even pped and cheered.


    Even though Xiao Wu was usually smart, he was shocked at that moment. Fortunately, at the most critical moment, he remembered some safety fire defense knowledge that Mu Jingzhe had taught him previously.


    He wanted to take off his clothes as quickly as possible, but as he hurried, the zipper that was usually fine got stuck and he couldn¡¯t take his clothes off for a while.


    Xiao Wu gritted his teeth and rolled on the ground to put out the fire, but because his clothes were burning too quickly, he couldn¡¯t put out the fire for a while.


    At that moment, the brats beside him saw the fire on Xiao Wu¡¯s body getting bigger and bigger and finally felt afraid. ¡°What should we do? What should we do?!¡±


    ¡°Quickly, help put out the fire!¡±


    The children wanted to help, but they didn¡¯t have a better solution, so they used their hands to do it.. How could they extinguish the fire like this? They looked at Xiao Wu on the ground and wailed in fear.

 Chapter 395 - I’ll Make You Feel the Pain of Being Burned

    <h4>Chapter 395: I¡¯ll Make You Feel the Pain of Being Burned</h4>


    The other students had already left, and there was a school fence nearby. Therefore, for a while, no adults saw them. They only vaguely heard sounds of crying. Fortunately, an adult came then and finally put out the fire.


    However, the matter had blown up. As Mu Jingzhe listened to the police report about the incident and rushed to the hospital, her hands couldn¡¯t help but tremble. She was only concerned about one thing.


    ¡°Is Xiao Wu alright? Did he get burned?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen. What were those kids thinking?!


    ¡°We were notified that the burns aren¡¯t very serious, but we won¡¯t know the details until we get to the hospital.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt increasingly worried when she heard that. As she rushed to the hospital, her heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, the injuries on Xiao Wu¡¯s body weren¡¯t serious. ¡°There are some burns. He should recover after applying medicine for a while. The same goes for the scalp wound on the back of his head.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    Xiao Wu had a hospital nket draped over his shoulders. The medicine had already been applied to his back, and it was slowly taking effect. He had already recovered from the shock and could evenfort Mu Jingzhe. However, he was still a little disheveled. His hair was messy, and a lot of the hair on the back of his head had been burned off. When one got closer, one could even detect a faint burnt smell.


    Just like Ji Buwang, who had never had a short hairstyle before, Xiao Wu¡¯s hair actually looked better when it was longer. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t mind if his hair was longer, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be burned.


    ¡°You scared me to death. How did this happen?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt lingering fear in her heart, and her legs were limp. At the thought that Xiao Wu could have suffered burns on arge part of his body and be put in danger, she felt regret.


    ¡°I should have picked you up.¡±


    ¡°There was no need, Mommy. This was just an ident.¡± Xiao Wu was helpless as he stroked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face and wiped the sweat off her palms. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    The county city wasn¡¯t big. Starting from elementary school, the students would either go home together or y together. Although some kids were yful and didn¡¯t go back on time, no major problems had urred.


    The parents of the brats who had gotten into trouble also rushed over when they heard the news. All of them were ashamed and said that they hadn¡¯t taught their children well. They brought Xiao Wu nutritional supplements and offered to pay his hospital bills, not shirking responsibility or anything like that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll break his legster. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    The parents knew Xiao Wu and were very d that their children could be in the same ss as him. They had kept asking their children to learn from him.


    Since Xiao Wu was promising, they thought that their kids might be imperceptibly influenced by him and learn from him. At the very least, it would be good for them to get to know Xiao Wu. Bing ssmates also required the help of fate.


    Who would have thought that their children would cause such an incident? They didn¡¯t even dare imagine something happening to this exquisite little person.


    They were all adults and they were aware of Xiao Wu¡¯s value, so the more afraid they were, the more they apologized. They were so anxious that their faces were covered in sweat and filled with regret.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for smoking. I didn¡¯t notice that he stole the lighter. I¡¯ll definitely quit smoking in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was initially furious, but when she saw their sweaty faces, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say nasty words.


    However, just because they had a good attitude, it didn¡¯t mean that she would let their children off easily. Mu Jingzhe made up her mind. She had to show the brats the severity of this matter and make them feel the pain of being burned.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t severe, so they followed the police back to the station. Mu Jingzhe quickly saw the children, just like she wished. However, the children in the police station were in a different state than she had imagined. They were standing like quails with their messy hair. It was obvious that they had been taught a lesson by their parents, and each of them was more miserable than thest.


    The pants of the brat who had set the fire were wet. It was unknown if it was because he was frightened or because he had peed himself due to the beating, but his eyes were swollen from crying and he even burped.


    When the group of them returned and saw their parents, the children couldn¡¯t help but tremble. As soon as they spotted Xiao Wu and saw that he was fine, they heaved a sigh of relief and felt guilty and fearful.


    Seeing that they had been taught a lesson, Mu Jingzhe finally calmed down a little and suppressed the urge to go forward and tear the children apart or set them on fire.


    However, Mu Jingzhe still felt that this wasn¡¯t enough. She had to show them how terrifying fire was.


    Although Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t tear them apart, the brats were still frightened by her sinister gaze.


    They had an impression of Mu Jingzhe, who was one of the parents. She was probably the most special parent among those who often picked up and brought their children to school. In addition, she could drive and she looked pretty, so many students were envious of Xiao Wu.


    However, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s current appearance was terrifying. What Mu Jingzhe said and did next left a deep trauma in the children¡¯s hearts.


    She picked up the lighter they had used before. ¡°This is the lighter that was lit previously. Fellow parents and police officers, can you let me y a small game with them to show them how terrifying fire is by letting them experience it personally?¡±


    When they saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression, the hearts of the parents and the policemen skipped a beat. A policeman quickly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be rash! I know you are the student¡¯s mother, but please calm down. Don¡¯t burn the children.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I wanted to burn the children. Although I said that I wanted them to experience it themselves, I can¡¯t burn them directly. I know my limits.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe denied it, she switched on the lighter and squatted beside the child who had set the fire. She grabbed his hand and pulled it toward the me. His parent¡¯s expression changed, and the brat also started struggling. Soon, he broke free and burst into tears. ¡°It hurts. Auntie, don¡¯t burn me.¡±


    ¡°You feel pain too? How dare you y with fire when you know it hurts!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Auntie. I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t dare do it again. I now know it hurts¡­¡± The child looked at Mu Jingzhe and cried uncontrobly.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Just think about it. It hurts even after that short while. Do you know how much the fire burning one¡¯s body hurts?¡±


    The children were forced to feel the intensity of the fire by Mu Jingzhe, who was holding their hands. The parents were ashamed and uneasy as they watched from the side. Mu Jingzhe said directly, ¡°As parents, your attitude is not bad, so I won¡¯t do much. However, if your attitude is wrong, I won¡¯t mind teaching your kids a lesson on your behalf and letting them roast by the fire a little longer.¡±


    The children wailed in fear. Later on, they had nightmares about Mu Jingzhe holding their hands and roasting them. In the end, their hands were roasted until they were sizzling with oil.


    They were frightened badly. Although they had just been beaten up, they still looked for their parents out of habit, wanting to find somefort.


    In the end, just as they threw themselves into their parents¡¯ arms, before they could say a word, they were beaten up by their father and mother again. ¡°Who told you to bully your ssmates? Who told you to y with fire? Do you know how serious it is to set a fire? To think you actually did it. I should just beat you to death!¡±


    Seeing that the parents kept hitting them, the police wanted to stop them, but the parents said that they didn¡¯t have to. ¡°If we don¡¯t teach them a lesson today, they¡¯ll have to spend the rest of their lives in jail. Why don¡¯t we just beat them to death instead?¡±


    The entire police station was filled with wails and apologetic cries. After the beatings finally stopped, the school intervened. First, it was the form teacher and the teacher-in-charge. Then, the principal, the vice-principal, and the dean.

 Chapter 396 - She Actually Saved Xiao Wu

    <h4>Chapter 396: She Actually Saved Xiao Wu</h4>


    When the teachers and the dean came, the children were beaten up by their parents again. Mu Jingzhe felt that their buttocks must have swollen up.


    Since they had been taught a lesson, and considering that they hadn¡¯t caused too much financial damage and Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t seriously injured, there was still room for reconciliation. There was no need for the kids to be detained, but they had to be educated andpensation had to be paid.


    ¡°Murder and arson equal jail time, did you not know that? You¡¯re young now, but your parents have to be responsible for the fire caused by underage children ying with mes. Do you want to destroy your parents?¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± In the past, they had only heard that ying with fire would make one wet the bed. As it turned out, it was even more terrifying than wetting the bed. Hundreds of times more terrifying.


    It was necessary to educate them, and Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t go easy on them when it came to the necessarypensation either. However, she was more concerned about another problem. ¡°Xiao Wu, someone saved you previously. Who was it?¡±


    When Xiao Wu heard the question, he suddenly fell silent for a moment. There was something wrong with his expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly asked. Xiao Wu still didn¡¯t answer, but a police officer replied.


    ¡°We have a record here. We asked her not to leave since she had done a good deed. We also asked her to go to the hospital to have her hand injury examined, but she still left.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe quickly asked, ¡°Can you give me her address and name? I want to thank that person.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a problem, but Mu Jingzhe was stunned when she received the name and address, as the person in question was Shao Qiyun.


    She hadn¡¯t heard that name in a while. Mu Jingzhe had thought that she had been forced to run away by the debt collectors, so she hadn¡¯t expected to see this name again.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned when she saw the name.


    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake. We saw her ID. Why, do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled awkwardly and looked at Xiao Wu, who had his head lowered. No wonder Xiao Wu had such an expression and had suddenly stopped talking. So it was Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, why did she suddenly appear? How did she save you?¡±


    Xiao Wu pursed his lips. ¡°She just brought some clothes to put out the fire for me. I didn¡¯t expect her to help. Actually¡­ she suddenly came two days ago and looked for me at the school gate.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mu Jingzhe was shocked. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say so?¡±


    ¡°I thought there was no need. I don¡¯t need anypensation.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°You should tell us about such things in the future. It¡¯s really frightening.¡±


    Since the person who had saved Xiao Wu was Shao Qiyun, it was unavoidable that Mu Jingzhe would have some conspiracy theories. However, this couldn¡¯t have been nned. The children had fought and set the fire by ident, so Mu Jingzhe decided not to think about anything else.


    However, she was still quite upset and speechless, as the person she wanted to thank had turned out to be Shao Qiyun. She should be grateful, but Shao Qiyun¡­ Although she was Xiao Wu¡¯s biological mother, what she had done was truly¡­


    Seeing that Xiao Wu didn¡¯t look good, Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°Xiao Wu, don¡¯t think too much. You don¡¯t have to see her if you don¡¯t wish to.¡±


    Xiao Wu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu were talking, Li Zhaodi¡¯s shout came from the door. ¡°Who hit my grandson? Come out!¡±


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng rushed over with killing intent. As soon as they entered, they bumped into the brats, who were about to leave. When they heard that they were the ones who had done it, Li Zhaodi nted her hands on her waist and scolded them without hesitation. She even wanted to spank the children¡¯s butts.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for Li Zhaodi to finish scolding them. Then, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang arrived. Everyone who came in couldn¡¯t help but scold them. Then, Shao Dong and his siblings also came. Not only did they scold them, but they even went up to them to hit them.


    Coincidentally, there were also four brats. Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei took on one each and couldn¡¯t even be held back. Little Bei didn¡¯t look like a little child star or angel at all. It was startling to see her jump on someone and grab their hair.


    ¡°Who told you to hit my younger brother?! Who told you to bully my younger brother?! Just you wait. I¡¯m going to burn your hair!¡±


    If Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t picked her up in the end, Little Bei would have burned his hair. After she was picked up, Little Bei continued waving her arms. The way Little Bei held a lighter, ready to burn their hair, became the brats¡¯ nightmare. Coincidentally, the brat Little Bei had dealt with was the one who had lit the fire.


    He was also the one who had suffered the most injuries today. He had already been taught a harsh lesson and would be traumatized for the rest of his life. After Little Bei¡¯s appearance, he waspletely crushed. From then on, he would be afraid of Little Bei and suffer from ¡®Little-Bei-phobia¡¯.


    Later on, Little Bei yed many roles that everyone liked. Many people liked Little Bei very much. The only person who was afraid of Little Bei was this brat. Even when he grew up, his dder would tighten whenever he saw Little Bei and he¡¯d have an urge to go to the bathroom.


    Unfortunately for him, Little Bei was too popr. All the television and movie advertisements and posters were about her, causing people to think that he was sick.


    This would all happen in the future. In short, the police station was packed with people, and every single one of them was causing a scene and looking like they wanted to devour someone.


    The parents, who had been lecturing their children until their mouths had turned dry, apologized one by one, their faces covered in sweat. This din persisted well past ten o¡¯clock.


    After sending everyone away, the police officers at the station heaved a sigh of relief. They clearly hadn¡¯t gone out to arrest someone today, but it had ended up being even more tiring than running around outside. They knew that Xiao Wu¡¯s identity was special, but this scene had still been very scary.


    The mother had gone crazy, and the teachers from school had refused to give up. Then, the principal, vice-principal, and dean had alsoe. The way they fussed over the child was very scary. Besides them, there were also his maternal grandparents, his father, uncle, and finally, his siblings. One after another, they made the situation scary.


    The police officers were stunned, and the parents and children were all in a daze.


    After this incident, the brats¡¯ scalps would turn numb whenever they saw Xiao Wu. They could only hide as far away as they could.


    The brats had been taught a lesson. In stark contrast to them, Xiao Wu was adored by everyone.


    The teachers and principal felt very guilty. They felt that they had failed the trust of the parents who had entrusted their kids to them, as they had not taught (the brats) and protected (Xiao Wu) adequately. As a result, they reflected deeply. ¡°We¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


    After saying that, they gave Xiao Wu a leave of absence so he could rest.


    When the teachers were sent away, only the family was left. They surrounded Xiao Wu and showered him with concern. Unknowingly, tears welled up in Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Xiao Wu, does it hurt? I¡¯ll blow it for you.¡± Little Bei thought that he was in pain and quickly tried to blow it for him.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just so happy. So many people treat me well.¡± Xiao Wu grinned. ¡°I¡¯m just happy.¡±


    ¡°But why do you look like you¡¯re crying?¡± Little Bei held Xiao Wu¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know you¡¯re everyone¡¯s darling.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m everyone¡¯s darling.¡±


    Xiao Wu rested the next day, but the news of what had happened to him had long spread to the other schools and attracted widespread attention.


    That day, after the inter-school exercise, the principal or dean of every school spoke about this matter. After the students returned to ss, their form teacher continued lecturing them about this.


    The lecture was especially serious for Xiao Wu¡¯s ss. The children whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, and whose buttocks were so swollen and painful that they couldn¡¯t even sit down, became the target of public criticism again.

 Chapter 397 - Are You Crazy? You Actually Looked For Shao Qiyun

    <h4>Chapter 397: Are You Crazy? You Actually Looked For Shao Qiyun</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe held a family meeting with the children. Later on, the children took action, and the safety and fire escape education of the various schools wasunched in full swing. The Education Bureau also took this very seriously.


    The school specifically spent one day educating the children and even rehearsed how they¡¯d escape if there was a fire, warning them not to be curious or y with the mes.


    Because of curiosity or mischief, some children would randomly light a match or lighter. In the end, this would lead to disaster. Such scenes constantly yed out in the entire country. They had to let them know the severity of the matter.


    After school, the factories of the various units also started working. Almost the entire county was focused on spreading fire safety knowledge.


    The people at their school and other units were also tasked with writing essays and summaries.


    It did work. For example, the children now knew that they couldn¡¯t y with fire recklessly. The adults also knew that they had to be responsible if their children yed with fire, and they could easily go bankrupt as a result. If someone died, they would be finished.


    The entire county went through a week of anti-fire educational exercises. They were also taught the spirit of firefighters, as well as the dangers of their work. It was very educational.


    Later on, they gradually learned how to escape from an earthquake and rehearsed how to do so. Although some of this knowledge wouldter be forgotten over time, they would always remember some of it. Later on, it even became a life-saving trump card for everyone.


    Mu Jingzhe participated in all of this because this education was not only meant for the children, but also for the parents. It was better for the parents to recognize the danger and set a good example.


    Although Xiao Wu¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t serious, it still hurt for the first two days. When it hurt, he would apply medicine and he would only be able to sleep on his stomach.


    Sleeping on his stomach wasn¡¯t veryfortable. In the end, Mu Jingzhe hugged Xiao Wu and asked him to sleep a little longer.


    Even though Xiao Wu had slowly grown taller and now had longer limbs, he still slept the most soundly in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms.


    Because of this incident, the scarf that Mu Jingzhe had nearly finished knitting was dyed for a few days before it was finally sent out.


    Ji Buwang was overjoyed when he saw the scarf. ¡°For me? You¡­ You knitted this for me?¡±


    ¡°No, I bought it.¡± Mu Jingzhe shook her head.


    Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe deny it, Ji Buwang immediately confirmed that she was the one who had knitted it. He was so pleased that he almost floated up in the sky. He hadn¡¯t deliberately not worn a scarf and let his neck stay cold.


    Just as he finished thinking, a gust of wind blew over and drilled right into his neck. Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡°This is great. I just so happen to be cold.¡± Ji Buwang smiled and started to put on the scarf.


    Mu Jingzhe snorted and thought, ¡®Still pretending?¡¯


    Previously, Ji Buwang had worn many scarves, including some made of wool and other materials. They all matched his clothes nicely.


    He clearly used to have many of them in the past, but this year, he didn¡¯t have a single one. He kept shivering in the cold and staring at her as he shivered. Hadn¡¯t he clearly been hinting at her giving one to him?


    Sometimes, Ji Buwang was very childish and would resort to such cheap tricks, but his childishness was quite cute.


    As Mu Jingzhe was thinking, she saw Ji Buwang clumsily tie the scarf around his neck. No matter how she looked at it, it didn¡¯t look good.


    ¡°Tie it better. You¡¯ve made my beautiful scarf look ugly.¡± Mu Jingzhe reached out to help him fix it, and Ji Buwang immediately bent down.


    After Mu Jingzhe tied it for him, she nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s nice and warm now.¡±


    After saying that, she saw Ji Buwang blinking at her. Mu Jingzhe suddenly realized that Ji Buwang did know how to wear a scarf!


    ¡°You did it on purpose!¡± This was the first time she realized that Ji Buwang could act like this! If a vicious supporting character had used such a cheap trick, they would definitely have been scolded to death.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Ji Buwang denied it but couldn¡¯t hide the smile in his eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help butugh when she saw him, but after a moment, there was unconcealed frustration between her brows. Ji Buwang could tell at a nce. ¡°Are you worried about Shao Qiyun?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. If anyone else had saved Xiao Wu, their family would have gone to thank them long ago. In the end, it had turned out to be Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Shao Qihai went to take a look. He said that she rented a house. It¡¯s said that she has already paid off the loan sharks. When she returned to the county city, she wanted to start from scratch. She¡¯spletely changed. It¡¯s said that she¡¯s selling homemade tofu now.¡±


    Tofu was something one would eat on a daily basis. It was also cheap. After Shao Qiyun had rented a house, she¡¯d started selling tofu. Her business wasn¡¯t good or bad, but it did seem like she had changed. She no longer came to their door to acknowledge Xiao Wu like before, nor did she look for trouble. Even after saving Xiao Wu, she didn¡¯t make a sound and she was very obedient.


    However, even now, Mu Jingzhe found it hard to let her guard down around her, especially since Xiao Wu had suddenly said that he wanted to thank her.


    ¡°Last night, Xiao Wu suddenly said that he hadn¡¯t gone to thank her. I don¡¯t know what he is thinking.¡± In the past, Xiao Wu had been afraid of Shao Qiyun, but now, he wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. However, Mu Jingzhe felt strange.


    Ji Buwang frowned slightly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s up to anything. He only wants to thank her out of politeness, like an ordinary person. Judging from the way you¡¯re frowning, are you a little jealous that Xiao Wu is going to see her when you¡¯re his dearest mother?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°What dearest mother? I¡¯m just surprised that Xiao Wu took the initiative to mention Shao Qiyun.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re so worried, why don¡¯t you ask Xiao Wu directly?¡±


    ¡°I asked. He said that he was especially terrified when Shao Qiyun suddenly appeared and helped him. He¡¯ll always remember it in his heart.¡±


    ¡°Then let him go. Surely he¡¯s not going to acknowledge Shao Qiyun as his mother and cast you aside.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that his words made sense. ¡°Let¡¯s go then. I¡¯ll graciously go with him. How can Xiao Wu not acknowledge me?¡± Hmph, that was impossible!


    Mu Jingzhe felt a little embarrassed after saying that. ¡°I¡¯ve been overthinking all this time.¡± In the past, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have thought so much. It could also be because she was so close to the children.


    On the weekend, Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu went to look for her. Feeling worried, Shao Qihai also joined them. Meanwhile, the other four kids were temporarily unaware.


    Shao Qiyun seemed to be very surprised to see them. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Xiao Wu. She kept checking his wound and only heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that he was fine.


    After disappearing for a period of time and returning, Shao Qiyun had changed very much. It seemed like she had even regained her maternal instincts. However, with Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe around, she didn¡¯t say much. She only said that she had done what needed to be done.


    Following this trip, although Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t understand why she would suddenlye back, she knew that the debt collectors had indeed stopped chasing her. After observing for a few days, she realized that she was honestly selling tofu and didn¡¯t seem to be up to something, so she slowly rxed.


    However, after a while, a conflict suddenly broke out at home. Only then did Mu Jingzhe realize that this matter wasn¡¯t over.


    ¡°I knew it. You¡¯ve beening backte these days. So you went to see Shao Qiyun. You clearly know what sort of a person she is, yet you still went to see her! Not only did you go, but you even spent money to buy things for her. If I hadn¡¯t followed you and found out, would you have kept it from us?!¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s voice was filled with fury, and Mu Jingzhe was stunned when she heard it.

 Chapter 398 - Shes My Biological Mother

    <h4>Chapter 398: She¡¯s My Biological Mother</h4>


    Shao Dong¡¯s calm voice came from the house. ¡°Xiao Wu, what¡¯s going on? Is what Shao Xi said true?¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t say anything, but Shao Xi said coldly, ¡°How can it not be? I dragged him back from Shao Qiyun¡¯s ce.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Little Bei tried to persuade him. ¡°Second Brother, don¡¯t be so angry. Calm down. Xiao Wu, you too. Let¡¯s talk it over nicely.¡±


    Xiao Wu finally spoke. ¡°What¡¯s there to say? I¡¯m going back to my room.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Shao Xi held Xiao Wu back. Shao Dong also stopped Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, why did you do this?¡±


    Xiao Wu sounded a little annoyed. ¡°No reason. I just wanted to go. I¡¯m using the money I earned myself.¡±


    Standing outside the door, Mu Jingzhe waspletely stunned. What did this mean? Had Xiao Wu been secretly seeing Shao Qiyun recently?


    Why? Why would he go to look for Shao Qiyun?


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t figure it out, and neither could Shao Dong. ¡°Xiao Wu, while Mommy isn¡¯t around and doesn¡¯t know about this yet, calm down and tell us what¡¯s going on. I don¡¯t think you want Mommy to find out about this either, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s heartless. Mommy has treated him so well. Since he was young, she has always doted on him and been biased toward him, usually apanying him the most. But he doesn¡¯t know how to cherish her. Now, he even went to look for Shao Qiyun. If I were Mommy, I would be angered to death. This is simply betrayal!¡± Shao Xi¡¯s furious voice was heard again.


    Mu Jingzhe was about to push open the door when she paused upon hearing this.


    In the house, Shao Dong stopped Shao Xi from saying even more angry words. ¡°Alright, Shao Xi, don¡¯t be rash. It might just be a coincidence. Just let Xiao Wu say a few words.¡±


    Xiao Wu finally spoke. ¡°I said that there¡¯s nothing to say. She just helped me previously. I felt quite grateful, so I went to see her once. Later on, I felt that she was living a pitiful and hard life, so I gave her some things. There¡¯s nothing else. Even if Mommy finds out, she won¡¯t object. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Hisst sentence was directed at Shao Xi, who spat when he heard that. ¡°She¡¯s living a pitiful and hard life? Is selling tofu hard? What¡¯s so pitiful about that? What kind of position are you putting Mommy in? Won¡¯t this be hard on Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Who was the one who despised her so much previously? You¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re thanking her now? Just because she helped you that one time? You¡¯re so fickle. Even if she helped you that time, how many times did Mommy save you? In the end, Shao Qiyun only saved you this one time, yet you¡¯re so grateful to her? Compared to what Mommy has done for you, that¡¯s nothing!¡±


    Shao Xi spoke quickly and ruthlessly, but no one criticized him. Shao Nan nodded in agreement. ¡°Second Brother is right. Xiao Wu, we don¡¯t quite agree with your actions.¡±


    Little Bei also took a deep breath and said, ¡°Xiao Wu, I think our brothers are right. Tell us exactly what¡¯s going on. Don¡¯t say such infuriating things.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything infuriating. I merely wanted to go. I knew you guys would object, so I didn¡¯t tell you. But no matter what she did in the past and how much I hated her, I can¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s my biological mother.¡±


    There was dead silence in the room when the words ¡®biological mother¡¯ were said, but Xiao Wu seemed not to hear it. ¡°Besides, she already knows she made a mistake and has changed for the better. She¡¯s no longer her old self. I hope you can see that she has changed.¡±


    After a period of silence, Shao Xi exploded first. ¡°See that she has changed? Biological mother? Shao Zhong, are you crazy? Have you forgotten what she did to you? You¡¯re actually speaking up for her now. Have you ever thought about Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Nothing stays the same. She¡¯s also changed. It¡¯s useless no matter how much you say. Since you guys already know, don¡¯t worry about me in the future.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s soft voice sounded a little unfamiliar. ¡°While Mommy isn¡¯t around, I want to go over. Whether or not she finds out is up to you guys.¡±


    Shao Xi was so angry that his eyes were red, but Xiao Wu was unmoved. Instead, he abandoned them and opened the door to leave.


    He had been calm from the start and he stayed calm until he opened the door and saw Mu Jingzhe.


    All the voices around him seemed not to reach his ears. Xiao Wu¡¯s mind went nk for a moment before he said, ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    Sensing that something was amiss, after taking a few quick steps forward, the other four kids also saw Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Dong reacted as quickly as he could. ¡°Mommy, why are you back today? Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t being back today? When did youe back?¡±


    They wanted to know how much Mu Jingzhe had heard.


    Because he didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be sad, Shao Xi gave her a stiff smile, wanting to act like nothing had happened. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart, which had originally felt a little numb, warmed up. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I came back after I was finished. I happened to encounter someone nting strawberries in the greenhouse. I knew that you kids like them, so I plucked some and came back. I¡¯ll go over tomorrow. These strawberries might not be that ripe and they are a little sour.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised the basket in her hand. Shao Xi and the others looked at the strawberries inside and instantly felt even more upset. Initially, Mu Jingzhe had gone to the paper manufacturing factory because she had some matters to attend to. She had said that she would only return tomorrow. She must have rushed around in the past two days because she wanted to bring them these strawberries.


    There was much less fruit in the winter than in the summer. There were fewer greenhouses, and it wasn¡¯t that convenient to transport the fruit, so there were very few off-season fruits. Unfortunately, other than the cold, it was also dry in the winter. Two days ago, Shao Xi had said that he wanted to eat cold, sour, and sweet fruit. Xiao Wu had also said that he wanted strawberries, but Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t find any. In the end, they¡¯d even gone to buy fruit cans to eat.


    Now, it seemed like Mu Jingzhe had taken this matter to heart and specifically bought fruit to bring it back for them.


    Mu Jingzhe was used to treating them well, so she didn¡¯t think much of it when she said this. She wasn¡¯t doing this to show everyone that she had made a lot of effort. She¡¯d merely wanted to surprise the children. In the end, she didn¡¯t manage to surprise them. Their expressions instead looked very conflicted. After a moment of silence, Mu Jingzhe could only say helplessly, ¡°I came back when you guys started quarreling and I heard everything.¡±


    Xiao Wu, who had been staring at the strawberries, abruptly raised his head. Mommy¡­ had heard everything?


    Mu Jingzhe nced at the agitated Shao Xi and asked him to calm down. She then looked down at Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, can I talk to you?¡±


    Xiao Wu stiffened and didn¡¯t say anything. After a moment, he nodded.


    Shao Dong stepped forward and took the strawberries from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Mommy, go ahead. I¡¯ll wash the strawberries first. You can eat some after you talk.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded.


    After watching Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu enter the room, Shao Xi and Shao Nan, who had been behaving normally, let their faces fall and gritted their teeth the minute the door was closed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if he has another excuse. To think such a traitor has appeared among the five of us.¡±


    Shao Dong frowned and patted Shao Xi to make him stop talking.


    In the room, Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu, who had lowered his head. ¡°Xiao Wu, look at me.¡±

 Chapter 399 - Slapping Xiao Wus Mouth

    <h4>Chapter 399: pping Xiao Wu¡¯s Mouth</h4>


    Xiao Wu raised his head and nced at her, but he didn¡¯t say anything. His expression waspletely different from the reluctant look he¡¯d had when he had seen Mu Jingzhe out this morning. If she didn¡¯t clearly know that she had only been out for a day, Mu Jingzhe would have suspected that she had been away for several years or had transmigrated again.


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath. ¡°Xiao Wu, you don¡¯t even want to talk to me anymore?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xiao Wu immediately denied it and looked up at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mommy, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled and stroked the soft hair on his head. Then, she looked at his head. ¡°The hair on the back of your head has grown longer.¡±


    Sensing her usual warmth, Xiao Wu¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m here. Xiao Wu, I don¡¯t like beating around the bush. You know that, right? So can you tell me exactly what happened to you?¡±


    Xiao Wu pursed his lips. ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s nothing actually. It¡¯s just that¡­ When I was suddenly protected that day, I felt a little different about her. You know I used to really want to get to know my¡­ biological mother. This time, when I went back, I felt that she¡¯s changed a lot, so I went over to take a look out of curiosity.¡±


    ¡°I see. So you¡¯re just curious. There¡¯s no other reason, is there?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xiao Wu denied it.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu for a moment. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m just afraid that something might happen to you or that she will hurt you. She has a bad track record after all. If she was a good mother, I wouldn¡¯t have stopped you from meeting her. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Xiao Wu ultimately didn¡¯t say that he wouldn¡¯t look for Shao Qiyun again. He also didn¡¯t say that he had missed Mu Jingzhe, like he had before. Merely a day had passed, but they seemed to have grown apart.


    The strawberries she had painstakingly picked were clearly only a little sour when she had tried them. However, when she took them home and ate them again, she realized that not only were they sour, but they were also a little astringent. She didn¡¯t manage to taste their sweet and sour vor, and her mouth was filled with astringency.


    The atmosphere was very heavy. Even though the family had gathered to eat strawberries, the situation didn¡¯t get better. Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°Stop eating. Let¡¯s eat when I buy delicious ones next time.¡±


    However, Xiao Wu stopped Mu Jingzhe, not letting her throw them away. ¡°They¡¯re delicious. I want to eat sour strawberries.¡±


    The remaining half of the strawberries ended up in Xiao Wu¡¯s mouth. Shao Xi looked at him coldly and didn¡¯t say a word.


    However, Shao Dong felt that Xiao Wu was doing this because he wanted to show that he appreciated Mu Jingzhe¡¯s efforts, so he asked Shao Xi not to say anything.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw that Xiao Wu had returned to normal, she thought that this matter with Shao Qiyun hade to an end. When she returned from the paper manufacturing factory again, she made a lot of effort to make Shao Xi and Xiao Wu reconcile.


    Although there had been many ways to resolve their quarrel previously, they were clearly all inappropriate this time. Mu Jingzhe originally wanted to think of another way. She even wondered if she should pluck strawberries again, thinking they might taste better now that they were riper. However, this didn¡¯t resolve the conflict. Instead, the conflict kept getting bigger and bigger.


    A few dayster, Xiao Wu started going to school alone early again. Whenever he went to school alone early, he would go to see Shao Qiyun. Shao Xi had been watching him and caught him again.


    This time, Xiao Wu was much calmer than the first time. He even said, ¡°She¡¯s alone. I¡¯m just going over to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Why would you take a look at that thing? Do you think it¡¯s not enough that she tried to kill you once, so you n to let her kill you a few more times? Shao Zhong, have you forgotten what sort of a person she is? You¡¯re not allowed to see her again.¡±


    Shao Xi was furious. What made him even angrier was Xiao Wu¡¯s attitude. Xiao Wu fell silent and didn¡¯t agree at all.


    ¡°Shao Zhong, what does your silence imply? Mommy is still here. We agreed to be good to Mommy for the rest of our lives. What¡¯s the meaning of you going to see Shao Qiyun? Do you know how annoying and overboard your actions are? You¡¯re betraying Mommy. Listen to me, if you dare go over again, I won¡¯t let it slide!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my mother too, so I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s answer angered Shao Xipletely. ¡°Your mother? Shao Zhong, are you going to acknowledge that woman as your mother? You¡¯re crazy! Shao Zhong, you¡¯ve gone mad!¡±


    Shao Xi was so angry that he stomped his feet, but Xiao Wu was still the same as always. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. I¡¯m free to acknowledge her or not. Why shouldn¡¯t I? Your biological mother is dead, but my biological mother isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Shao Zhong, that¡¯s too much.¡± Early in the morning, Shao Dong heard their argument and didn¡¯t even have time to put on his shoes before rushing out. When he heard this, he immediately retorted.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong.¡± Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Wu saw that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room door was also open. She and Little Bei hade out, but he didn¡¯t look up. He only lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going!¡± Shao Xi also saw Mu Jingzhe. Upon seeing the expression on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, he was furious. ¡°Listen to me, Shao Zhong, I absolutely won¡¯t allow you to betray us!¡±


    Shao Nan added, ¡°Xiao Wu, you suddenly started to see Shao Qiyuntely, making the atmosphere at home tense. Speaking of that, you¡¯re free to do so. If you insist on looking for her and acknowledging her, we won¡¯t stop you. But if you go, don¡¯te back. We don¡¯t want a younger brother like you!¡±


    Shao Nan had to show Xiao Wu the seriousness of the matter. It was impossible for the two mothers, Shao Qiyun and Mu Jingzhe, to coexist. He had to let Xiao Wu know the severity of this issue and also tell him who to choose.


    There was basically nothing to hesitate about. Shao Nan thought that Xiao Wu would definitely choose Mu Jingzhe and should be aware of the severity of the matter. He didn¡¯t expect Xiao Wu to say directly, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯te back then. Coincidentally, she¡¯s my mother alone. Here, the five of us are fighting over one mother.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s words exploded like water in a pot of oil. ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to forsake Mommy and only care about Shao Qiyun? Do you not even care about Mommy anymore?¡±


    Shao Xi was furious and didn¡¯t even dare look at Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°You¡¯re the ones who can¡¯t ept that I have two mothers. I can only make a choice. Coincidentally, Mommy still has the four of you, and she only has me. I¡¯ll acknowledge her.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s words were still very calm, but this made them even angrier. Shao Xi couldn¡¯t help but pounce on Xiao Wu. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Little Xi, stop!¡± Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong shouted at the same time, but before they could stop him, Shao Xi pped Xiao Wu again.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s mouth and the surrounding skin quickly turned red from the p, but he didn¡¯t retaliate or shout in pain.


    Shao Xi looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes filled with rage, as if he wanted to eat him up. In the end, Mommy had still heard it. She was bound to be sad now.


    In reality, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have the time to be sad. She¡¯d only fallen asleep in the middle of the night because she had stayed upte. In the morning, she had been deep in slumber when she had heard the sounds of quarreling and woken up in a daze. Then, she had heard their conversation.


    Although she had heard it, she kept feeling like she was having a nightmare. This was something that only happened in nightmares, right?


    However, when she pinched herself, it hurt. That was when she realized that this wasn¡¯t a dream.

 Chapter 400 - Xiao Wu Moves Away

    <h4>Chapter 400: Xiao Wu Moves Away</h4>


    When she stood in front of Xiao Wu, Mu Jingzhe even felt that the dust had settled for some reason. Xiao Wu¡¯s previous abnormality had made her feel that things wouldn¡¯t end easily. She just hadn¡¯t expected it all to erupt so quickly¡­


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the unfamiliar Xiao Wu and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Xiao Wu, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Previously, she had even wondered if Xiao Wu had transmigrated like her, but this was indeed Xiao Wu.


    However, Mu Jingzhe was baffled by his actions. ¡°Why do you want to acknowledge Shao Qiyun?¡± She really couldn¡¯t figure it out. It would be fine if it was a normal woman, but Shao Qiyun¡­ This didn¡¯t make sense at all.


    Xiao Wu pursed his lips and avoided Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I just want to acknowledge her.¡±


    The light in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes slowly disappeared. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve made up your mind. From what I hear, you¡¯re saying that you want to go over and live with her? You want to leave us? You can bear to leave us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t be used to it at first, but when people grow up, they split up. I¡¯m just pushing it forward. Besides, now that everyone is busy with their own stuff, there¡¯s no difference.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to go to her. This is also why I acknowledged her¡­ She¡¯s my biological mother. It¡¯s different after all.¡±


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t say thest sentence loudly, but the words ¡®biological mother¡¯ in particr stabbed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart like a knife.


    Perhaps if this had happened two years ago, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t be feeling like this, but Xiao Wu had said this now.


    What happened to not minding the absence of blood rtions? That was what she had always done. All those years ofpanionship and warmth were torn apart at this moment. Even the feelings they had developed over the past few years seemed to have turned into bubbles.


    She had been his mother for a few years, yet she couldn¡¯t evenpare to his ¡®biological¡¯ mother?


    Everything was really absurd. So absurd that it seemed like a joke. However, Xiao Wu left after saying this and didn¡¯t look back.


    Mu Jingzhe took a step back. She took a deep breath and thought that she could steady herself, but the five kids weren¡¯t blind. They saw her pale face.


    These words also made the other kids abnormally angry. This time, besides Shao Xi and Shao Nan, even the calm Shao Dong and Little Bei, who had been speaking up for Xiao Wu, were angry.


    This was their mother. Mommy had done so much for him, but in the end, it all couldn¡¯t even offset the fact that she wasn¡¯t rted to him by blood?


    He had to be joking!


    Looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, Shao Xi was furious. He had always wanted to protect Mu Jingzhe, but he hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to stab her in the heart.


    Because they were a family, because they cared, this made the blow all the more devastating.


    Shao Xi was about to rush out without a word when Mu Jingzhe quickly stopped him. ¡°Little Xi, don¡¯t be rash. I¡¯ll look for him. Let¡¯s talk after we calm down.¡±


    If Shao Xi rushed out, the two children would definitely fight. The situation was bound to get out of hand.


    ¡°We all know Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu isn¡¯t this kind of person. There must be something going on.¡± Mu Jingzhe tried her best to calm down. ¡°We have to understand the situation first. Maybe Xiao Wu is being threatened. Rather than scold him, we might as well solve the problem first.¡±


    Shao Xi was furious, but his heart ached for her. ¡°He treated you so badly¡­ yet you still speak up for him.¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s a reason for my suspicions. Although I really hate people who hurt others for a reason, we have to solve the problem at hand first.¡±


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe and took on the task of appeasing and restraining his siblings to give Mu Jingzhe some peace and quiet. He could tell that Mu Jingzhe was very troubled.


    Mu Jingzhe was indeed quite troubled, as this matter hade aboutpletely inexplicably. Xiao Wu had been raised by her. She didn¡¯t believe he would do such a thing.


    ¡°You guys go to school now. The final exam ising up soon. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine. Xiao Wu isn¡¯t that kind of person. Something might have happened. Wait for me to find out.¡±


    Shao Xi was angrier than anyone else, but he still listened obediently.


    Mu Jingzhe went to look for the reason Xiao Wu had changed. She didn¡¯t find anything after running around for an entire day. When she returned home, she thought that Xiao Wu probably didn¡¯t mean what he had said in the morning and might be back already. However, when she returned, she realized that Xiao Wu¡¯s room was already empty.


    He had taken the chance to move his things away while no one was at home.


    Mu Jingzhe stood at the door of Xiao Wu¡¯s room, feeling stunned when she saw the empty, messy room.


    After ss, like Mu Jingzhe, Shao Xi and the rest went to find out why this was happening. They didn¡¯t have time to look at Xiao Wu¡¯s room. Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe like this, they thought that Xiao Wu had returned.


    ¡°Is Xiao Wu back? I told you he went crazy¡­¡±


    Shao Xi stopped talking when he saw the room. ¡°He¡­ He moved away? How dare he move away? How could he¡­ Mom, you¡­¡±


    Shao Xi wanted to ask ¡®Mom, are you alright?¡¯ but he felt that he¡¯d just be asking the obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go look for him at once!¡± Shao Xi¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent and had turned red from anger. He didn¡¯t know what Xiao Wu was thinking. It wasn¡¯t easy for their family to lead a good life, but he had to do this.


    Mu Jingzhe grabbed Shao Xi. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    The furious Shao Xi was stunned. ¡°Mom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll ask him.¡± Mu Jingzhe was extremely calm. ¡°No matter the reason, I want to hear it with my own ears. Little Xi, wait for me at home. I¡¯ll find out the reason for his abnormal behavior and bring him home.¡±


    Shao Dong pulled Shao Xi back and silently supported Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe was so vexed that she was afraid she would get into an ident, so she didn¡¯t drive and walked to her destination instead. This was the second time she went to look for Shao Qiyun, but her mentality waspletely different.


    At night, the weather became increasingly cold, especially when it was windy. Mu Jingzhe sobered up a little thanks to the cold.


    When she arrived, she realized that the lights in Shao Qiyun¡¯s house were lit. She couldn¡¯t see them, but she could hear their voices.


    ¡°Mom, wash your feet.¡± This was Xiao Wu¡¯s voice. Judging from the sounds she heard, Xiao Wu was washing Shao Qiyun¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Alright. My son is so obedient.¡± Shao Qiyun sounded like she was beaming. She sounded like a loving mother, but Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take it anymore and shouted directly, ¡°Xiao Wu!¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe called out, the house fell silent. After a while, Shao Qiyun¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°I think it sounds like Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice. Did shee to look for you after finding out that you moved to my ce?¡±


    ¡°No, you heard wrong.¡±


    Hearing Xiao Wu¡¯s denial, Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear wrong. It¡¯s me. Xiao Wu,e out and talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Go quickly.¡± It was quiet inside for a while before Shao Qiyun¡¯s voice was heard again.


    Xiao Wu finally walked out and stood in front of Mu Jingzhe without saying a word. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say anything. She first squatted down and checked Xiao Wu¡¯s limbs, neck, and face to see if he was injured. Only when she didn¡¯t see any abnormalities did she heave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, I¡¯m here to pick you up. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re being threatened or anything like that. I hope you¡¯lle home with me and we¡¯ll solve the problem together.


    ¡°We agreed long ago that if anything happened, we¡¯d handle it together. We can work together as a family¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was still talking when she was interrupted by Xiao Wu impatiently. ¡°I¡¯ve already moved out, so I don¡¯t intend toe back. Since you¡¯re here, can you give me my passbook? I only remembered that I asked you to keep my passbook when I moved my things out earlier today.¡±

 Chapter 401 - You Can Tell Me If You Want To Die

    <h4>Chapter 401: You Can Tell Me If You Want To Die</h4>


    ¡°Your passbook?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked for confirmation, afraid that she had heard wrong.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°Didn¡¯t you always say that you would save all the money we earned and give it to us in the future? Give it to me now then. I need to use the money.¡±


    Xiao Wu said the most unfamiliar words in a voice Mu Jingzhe found very familiar.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mu Jingzhe tried to confirm it again.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sure.¡± Xiao Wu seemed a little impatient. ¡°When can you give it to me? I can go back with you and get it now.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu, why would a child like you go out at this time? It¡¯ste at night. I¡¯ll go with you to get it.¡± Shao Qiyun¡¯s voice was heard. She had been listening to their conversation all along.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold. Mom, you don¡¯t have to go back with me. You don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡± Xiao Wu turned around and rejected her offer. Although he turned it down, his voice was filled with concern.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but take a step back, feeling like she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    She was no stranger to such concern. Xiao Wu had cared for her countless times in the past. This concern had originally been meant for her, but now it had all been transferred to Shao Qiyun, as if she and Shao Qiyun had swapped ces.


    Everything waspletely absurd. How could their mother-and-son rtionship end just like that?


    ¡°If you want the passbook, I¡¯ll give it to you. But Xiao Wu, do you really want to do this? I can tell you clearly that even if you have a reason for doing this, it still hurts. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so sad right now. This is the first time I know how it feels to bleed from your heart. Xiao Wu, are you sure you want to hurt me like this? Are you sure you have to treat me this way?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice trembled as she stared at Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu¡¯s eyshes quivered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you¡¯re hurt by this. If you find it painful, please don¡¯te again in the future.¡± After he said that, he asked, ¡°Can Ie get my passbook tomorrow?¡±


    He had asked about the passbook again. The topic had been switched back to the passbook as if there was only a passbook between them.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled bitterly, still not believing this. She suddenly thought of something and squatted down to grab Xiao Wu¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± As Xiao Wu shouted, Mu Jingzhe pulled Xiao Wu¡¯s hand out of his sleeve.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s hands would always clench into fists when he was feeling upset. If he used too much strength, there would always be crescent marks there left by his fingernails. If he said something against his will, his hands would also reveal his true emotions.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze and actions were determined. She felt that Xiao Wu¡¯s hand would definitely betray his true emotions. However, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression froze quickly. Xiao Wu¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t clenched into a fist. Refusing to give up, she pried open his palm. There were no crescent-shaped marks either.


    Staring at Xiao Wu¡¯s hand in a daze, Mu Jingzhe sat on the cold ground weakly and didn¡¯t move for a long time. Xiao Wu took the opportunity to retract his hand. ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯lle get the passbook tomorrow after school.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked back in. From start to end, he had never once called her mom. It was as if the scenes filled with him calling her Mommy in the past had all been a dream.


    The sound of the television ying and the conversation between the mother and son could be heard intermittently from the room. ¡°This television is really nice. It¡¯s even colored. I¡¯ve never seen one before. Thanks to my son, I can watch TV now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a television. Mom,e eat some fruit. These strawberries are the best.¡±


    Strawberries¡­


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body and mind felt cold. She finally gave up and got up to walk back home.


    She walked aimlessly while Shao Dong followed her silently.


    He had stopped his siblings froming, but because he was worried, he had followed her over. Due to the distance between them, he hadn¡¯t heard what Mu Jingzhe and Xiao Wu had said, but he could roughly guess.


    Who would have thought that Xiao Wu would do such a strange thing? If they had known that keeping Shao Qiyun around would have spelled trouble, they really wouldn¡¯t have let her live back then.


    On the way back, Mu Jingzhe even fell because she was in a daze. Before Shao Dong could run up to her, she got to her feet by herself again.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had returned alone, Shao Xi and the others could guess what had happened. This night was destined to be a sleepless one.


    Mu Jingzhe basically didn¡¯t fall asleep. The next day, Xiao Wu came to get the passbook as promised. Shao Qiyun also came with him.


    ¡°Give me the passbook.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at Xiao Wu and walked up to Shao Qiyun. ¡°What did you threaten Xiao Wu with? What did you do to him!¡±


    She reached out to grab Shao Qiyun, but Xiao Wu blocked her, standing in front of Shao Qiyun. ¡°What are you doing? Give me my passbook!¡±


    Shao Qiyun smiled as she saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression as if she was looking at a delightful scene. She couldn¡¯t help but cover her mouth andugh. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, look at what you¡¯re saying. He¡¯s my son to begin with. Is there a problem with that? If you want to say that I did something to him, then there¡¯s only one thing I did: I gave birth to him.¡±


    Shao Qiyun admired Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression. ¡°I¡¯ve always said that biological children are different. Blood is thicker than water. He¡¯s only acting like this because he is aware of this fact.¡±


    Xiao Wu urged her impatiently. ¡°Hurry up and give me the passbook. Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t take our money?¡±


    Shao Qiyun chimed in, ¡°Xiao Wu has earned a lot of money. Don¡¯t be greedy.¡±


    After what had happenedst night, Mu Jingzhe thought that she would calm down, but even now, she was still furious. ¡°If you want the passbook, watch your words!¡± At that moment, Mu Jingzhe even thought of not giving it to her. ¡®Since you¡¯re angering me, I¡¯ll anger you back!¡¯


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Look, you made it sound very nice previously. Now you¡¯ve revealed your foxy tail, haven¡¯t you? I knew you didn¡¯t have good intentions.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s expression also changed. It seemed like he was really afraid that she would greedily hold on to his money. Looking at his expression, Mu Jingzhe suddenly felt that this was pointless.


    Just as she was about to say something, Shao Dong returned. ¡°It¡¯s just a passbook, isn¡¯t it? Here, take it.¡±


    Shao Dong knew where their passbooks were kept, as Mu Jingzhe had specifically told him about it. He had gone in to retrieve the book for Xiao Wu. ¡°If this is what you want, take it. I only hope you don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    Xiao Wu nced at the passbook and, without saying whether he regretted it or not, turned around and left. Meanwhile, Shao Qiyun heaved a sigh of relief when she saw this. ¡°I thought she was going to be greedy¡­¡±


    After saying that, she smiled and waved at Shao Dong. ¡°Shao Dong, you¡¯re so generous. Let¡¯s eat together when you have the time. No matter what, I¡¯m still your aunt. You¡¯ve also helped me take care of Xiao Wu for so long. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal to show my gratitude.¡±


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected this little stutterer to be so capable either. She knew when to yield and when to stand tall. She greeted him with a smile and even tried to build a good rtionship with him, thinking that it would be even better if she could snatch Shao Dong and the rest.


    Shao Qiyun was full of smiles, but Shao Dong only felt disgusted. ¡°Shao Qiyun, if you want to die, you can just say it.¡±


    Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t expected him to be so rude. ¡°Is this how you speak to¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, ignore him. Let¡¯s go back quickly.¡± Xiao Wu took Shao Qiyun¡¯s hand.


    Shao Qiyun looked at Xiao Wu and scoffed at Shao Dong. ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t embarrass you, Xiao Wu.¡±

 Chapter 402 - Then I Wont Acknowledge Him Anymore Either

    <h4>Chapter 402: Then I Won¡¯t Acknowledge Him Anymore Either</h4>


    The mother-and-son duo held hands and left, chatting merrily. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong tried their best to find some traces of reluctance in Xiao Wu, but they couldn¡¯t find any.


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression and suddenly asked her, ¡°Mom, what if there¡¯s really no reason? What if Xiao Wu simply wants to acknowledge his mother and doesn¡¯t want to acknowledge you anymore?¡±


    ¡°Although I¡¯ll be very sad, if that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t acknowledge him anymore either.¡±


    If one was heartless, their spouse would divorce them. This did not just apply to rtionships between men and women. It was also applicable in all rtionships.


    ¡°Mommy, you still have us. We won¡¯t turn out like this.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe grinned. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re not capable of that either.¡± She even made a small joke, but this joke wasn¡¯t quite appropriate and resulted in a smile that looked more like she was crying.


    ¡°You really still have us.¡± Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe like this, Shao Dong sighed and hugged her.


    Mu Jingzhe leaned all her weight on Shao Dong. ¡°Little Dong, you seem taller.¡±


    ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll be as tall as you in a year or two.¡± Shao Dong supported Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you deal with that ungrateful brat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also deal with¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe paused. ¡°But I think he must have a reason!¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°¡­¡±


    She was still softhearted after all.


    What Xiao Wu had done couldn¡¯t be hidden for long. Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai soon found out. The two of them couldn¡¯t figure it out either. At first, they had the same thought and felt that Xiao Wu might have been threatened or something.


    However, after the final exams ended and the holidays started, they followed him and investigated this but they didn¡¯t find anything. There was no threat or any other situation on Xiao Wu¡¯s side. No matter how they looked at it, this was his genuine behavior.


    By then, Xiao Wu had already bought Shao Qiyun a new house and a lot of furniture. The two of them happily moved there.


    One couldn¡¯t argue that he was being forced anymore. Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang were extremely disappointed, but scolding or hitting Xiao Wu was useless. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t change his mind.


    Shao Xi and the others had also gone to look for Xiao Wu. They had scolded, hit, and begged him, but it was all futile.


    Xiao Wu was irritated by them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you annoying? Is there no end to this? I just want to live with my biological mother. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    Xiao Wu seemed to have be a different person. After what had been said previously, he seemed to no longer care. It didn¡¯t matter who tried to salvage the situation.


    Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei took turns looking for Xiao Wu, but it was useless. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t care about anything and just walked in circles around Shao Qiyun. No one could do anything about him. When Old Master Ji heard about this, he also went to look for him. Xiao Wu was very affectionate when he saw him and kept calling him ¡®Grandpa¡¯, but he was only affectionate because he wanted money.


    In the past, Xiao Wu had never taken the initiative to ask for money, but this time, he did. He was clearly still young, but he now looked more like an unscrupulous businessman.


    Everyone wanted Xiao Wu to change his mind. They all wanted to know why he had suddenly be a different person, but they all returned empty-handed. In the blink of an eye, it was New Year¡¯s Eve.


    In the past, the children used to look forward to the New Year the most. No matter how busy they were, they would try their best to celebrate the New Year together. Each of them would write a couplet, the character ¡®Fortune¡¯, and then stick them together.


    They felt that their words weren¡¯t good enough, but Mu Jingzhe kept saying that the best couplets were the ones one wrote alone. This caused them to secretly practice before the New Year every year to avoid embarrassing themselves.


    There were five kids and five pairs of couplets, which was just right. However, there weren¡¯t five kids this year. Even writing the couplets felt terrible.


    Every year, Little Bei and Xiao Wu loved to bring back the paper-cuts[1] from Li Zhaodi¡¯s ce. The paper-cuts that Li Zhaodi cut were created fast and looked beautiful. Every time, Xiao Wu and Little Bei would surround Li Zhaodi and watch her cut them. When she shook them open, the two children would give her face and p and shout as if Li Zhaodi had done something amazing.


    This year, Li Zhaodi cut the paper-cuts as usual. Although Little Bei apuded, everyone could tell that her reaction was forced.


    With one fewer person there, not only would it all be less lively, but there would also be less enthusiasm about the New Year.


    In the past, they had always created the most beautiful memories at New Year¡¯s, but this year, every minute and second seemed torturous, as every minute and second carried memories of the past.


    Li Zhaodi really couldn¡¯t continue cutting. ¡°I have to go and bring that brat back. What kind of a New Year is this? It¡¯s so vexing. I don¡¯t care what his reason is. Whether he¡¯s willing or not, I want him to stay at home.¡±


    ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t. He won¡¯t listen. You¡¯ll only feel more vexed if you go.¡± Little Bei quickly pulled Li Zhaodi back.


    ¡°Even so, I have to go. I have to bring him back. Can¡¯t you see your mother¡¯s state? Her soul ran away with that heartless brat.¡± Li Zhaodi¡¯s heart ached when she thought of Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I have to bring him back. Little Bei, don¡¯t tell your mother. Hurry up and take the paper-cuts back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you going alone. Grandma, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°No need. If you go, it won¡¯t be easy for me to throw¡­ express myself. Don¡¯t worry, I used to be unbeatable at quarreling in Great Eastern Vige.¡± Actually, she was the best at throwing a tantrum. Li Zhaodi had almost exposed herself. Fortunately, she had stopped herself in time.


    Throwing a tantrum wasn¡¯t exactly exemry behavior, so Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t want Little Bei toe along. She also wanted to save face.


    Li Zhaodi valiantly and spiritedly went to look for Xiao Wu. Meanwhile, Little Bei took the paper-cuts home. However, the more she thought about it, the more worried she felt. Thus, she still ended up telling Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Mom, Grandma went to look for Xiao Wu.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell her to wash her hands of him?¡± Mu Jingzhe was helpless. Afraid that Li Zhaodi would get angry, she quickly went over.


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t suffer much at first. When she went there, the ce was bustling with activity. Xiao Wu had used his money to buy a house for Shao Qiyun. In addition to the television he had bought previously, he had also bought a lot of things for the New Year.


    That wasn¡¯t all. Because Shao Qiyun had said that she wanted to eat well during the New Year, Xiao Wu had specifically hired banquet chefs to prepare a table of sumptuous dishes at home. When Li Zhaodi went over, the two chefs were busy.


    Shao Qiyun sat aside, munching on melon seeds and watching television, looking extremely carefree. Xiao Wu was writing couplets. When Li Zhaodi entered and saw this, she got so angry that she rolled her eyes. She had scolded Xiao Wu before, but none of it had worked. This time, she didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary. She simply entered the ce, picked Xiao Wu up, and left.


    Since Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t heed reason, she didn¡¯t say anything else. She didn¡¯t care what kind of reasons the brat had. In any case, if Jingzhe, her precious daughter, was unhappy, she had to think of a way to make her happy. Even if it meant she had to kidnap Xiao Wu, she would do it.


    When Shao Qiyun had seen Li Zhaodie, she had known what she wanted to do. She had prepared a basket of words, but in the end, Li Zhaodi hadn¡¯t yed by the rules and had directly wedged Xiao Wu under her arm before leaving.


    ¡°Hey, hey¡­ What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Shocked by Li Zhaodi¡¯s actions, Shao Qiyun and Xiao Wu only reacted after a moment. Shao Qiyun quickly got up to snatch the boy back, and Xiao Wu struggled as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Li Zhaodi spanked Xiao Wu¡¯s butt twice. ¡°Behave yourself! If you move again, I¡¯ll spank you.¡±


    [1] usually of auspicious patterns; to be pasted on windows, walls, and doors

 Chapter 403 - Mu Jingzhes Reverse Scale

    <h4>Chapter 403: Mu Jingzhe¡¯s Reverse Scale</h4>


    ¡°What are you doing? You actually came in to snatch a child?! Are you a robber? Help me stop her!¡±


    Li Zhaodi had picked Xiao Wu up and was about to leave, but when the two chefs heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s words, they got up and stopped her. Xiao Wu also reacted, finally breaking free from Li Zhaodi¡¯s arm.


    Li Zhaodi grabbed Xiao Wu, who was about to run away. ¡°Xiao Wu,e back with me right away. No matter what you did previously, today is New Year¡¯s. The next year will be smooth sailing. Your mother and the rest are waiting for you to go back to celebrate the New Year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m celebrating the New Year with my mother now. Don¡¯t disturb us.¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s face was cold.


    This sentence made Li Zhaodi, who had wanted not to get mad, anxious. ¡°What mother? She became your mother just by raising her butt and giving birth to you? She¡¯s no different from the hens hatching little chickens. The one who raised you¡ªJingzhe¡ªis your mother. Come back with me quickly.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my biological mother.¡± Xiao Wu turned his head. ¡°We¡¯re fine the way we are. Hurry up and leave.¡±


    ¡°I knew that you couldn¡¯t raise someone who isn¡¯t your biological child. Sooner orter, you would raise an ingrate. Back then, she refused to listen and insisted on going back!¡± Li Zhaodi was furious and anxious. ¡°I even brought Jingzhe back. You kids were the ones who cried, begged, and knelt down to make here back. You cried and begged yourself. Now that Jingzhe raised you, you turned against her and you¡¯re iming that she¡¯s not your biological mother!


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t your biological mother back then either. Why didn¡¯t you mind then? How could you treat your mother like this? How could you say that? How did she raise you? Do you know how much she doted on you? I should have thought of a way to stop her from going back.¡±


    Li Zhaodi felt regretful. Under the gazes of the two chefs, Xiao Wu repeated himself. ¡°Hurry up and leave. Saying all this isn¡¯t going to change things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Li Zhaodi stepped forward. ¡°Even if I have to tie you up, I¡¯ll bring you back today!¡±


    After saying that, Li Zhaodi really wanted to catch Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu dodged and Shao Qiyun took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, you stupid old woman. Xiao Wu already said that he doesn¡¯t acknowledge you people anymore. How can you be shameless enough to snatch him away? Mu Jingzhe can¡¯t give birth herself, so she¡¯s insising on snatching my kid, right?


    ¡°If she has the ability, let her give birth herself. That¡¯s not right either. She and Shao Qihai have already divorced. Did they get a divorce because she couldn¡¯t give birth? No wonder a stepmother like her is fighting to raise a child who isn¡¯t biologically hers. Looks like it¡¯s because she can¡¯t give birth. She¡¯s a hen who can¡¯ty eggs, so she doesn¡¯t even know how to raise her butt andy eggs¡­¡±


    ¡°Who said that my Jingzhe can¡¯t give birth? You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t!¡± When Li Zhaodi heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s words, she immediately panicked. If word got out, it would be bad for Jingzhe.


    ¡°Look at you getting all anxious. Seems like I was right. Mu Jingzhe can¡¯t give birth¡­¡± Shao Qiyun was watching Li Zhaodi smugly, when thetter pounced over, making her feel a little afraid. ¡°Don¡¯te over. What are you doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare my mother!¡± Xiao Wu held back Li Zhaodi, who was about to pounce on her. Li Zhaodi looked at Xiao Wu. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re going to anger me to death. She badmouthed Jingzhe, yet you¡¯re still protecting her. You¡­¡±


    She raised her hand, ready to hit Xiao Wu, but when she looked at Xiao Wu¡¯s face, she recalled how Xiao Wu had sweetly called her ¡®Grandma¡¯ in the past and even yed the flute for her. She also recalled that he had treated Jingzhe well back then.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Not having the heart to hit Xiao Wu, Li Zhaodi rushed toward Shao Qiyun, who was fanning the mes. ¡°Shao Qiyun, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today and rip your mouth apart. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll still spout nonsense then!¡±


    Seeing that Li Zhaodi was about to catch Shao Qiyun, Xiao Wu panicked. He stepped forward and pushed Li Zhaodi to the side. ¡°I told you not to touch her.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was caught off guard and fell to the ground. She was a little chubby, so she instantly fell backward with her hands and legs in the air. Shao Qiyunughed out loud. ¡°Why did you fall like a turtle?¡±


    Xiao Wu clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Don¡¯te over again. Stop calling me an ingrate. You¡¯re not my biological grandmother¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi finally bnced her body and rubbed her butt, which hurt from the fall. Just as she was about to say something, she saw someone sweep in like a gust of wind and p Xiao Wu, stopping him mid-sentence.


    Due to the loud p, Xiao Wu took a big step back.


    He steadied himself and when he saw who had hit him, his heart became as numb as his face.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what are you doing? Why did you hit my son for no reason? Xiao Wu, are you alright?¡± Shao Qiyun stepped forward nervously. ¡°Your face is red from the p.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xiao Wu pushed Shao Qiyun¡¯s hand away and stared at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe looked back at Xiao Wu. ¡°Shao Zhong, you¡¯ve emphasized that you¡¯re ¡®not biologically mine¡¯ many times. There¡¯s no need to emphasize it to my mother too.


    ¡°You can change your mother at will and abandon her, but I can¡¯t. You can criticize me, but you can¡¯t criticize my mother, nor are you qualified toy a hand on her. Shao Zhong, this p is payback for pushing her.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe turned around and helped Li Zhaodi up. ¡°Mom, are you alright? Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Zhaodi looked at Mu Jingzhe carefully. ¡°Jingzhe, are you alright?¡±


    Her gaze was filled with worry, as she knew that Mu Jingzhe would feel terrible and her heart would ache. It was often said that hitting a child would hurt a mother¡¯s heart. Mu Jingzhe had treasured Xiao Wu so much previously, so how could she bear toy a finger on him? However, she had just pped him.


    This was Jingzhe¡¯s first time hitting Xiao Wu, so she was worried that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart would ache.


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t understand Li Zhaodi¡¯s feelings. She was about to die from anger when she heard that. ¡°She hit my son. My son should be the one in pain. Why do you need to ask if she¡¯s alright?¡±


    After saying that, Shao Qiyun showered Xiao Wu with concern. When Mu Jingzhe heard her voice and looked at Li Zhaodi¡¯s gaze, she almost couldn¡¯t control her tears. ¡°Mom, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe understood what Li Zhaodi meant. She was indeed in a lot of pain. How could she not feel pain after pping him? However, she didn¡¯t want Li Zhaodi to worry. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go. From now on, just pretend you have one less grandson.¡±


    She smiled and added, ¡°He¡¯s not your biological grandson anyway. I¡¯ll give birth to a biological child for you in the future. You can dote on him then. If he dares to be disobedient or unfilial, you can hit him all you want. No one will say anything.¡±


    Li Zhaodi nced at Xiao Wu, who had his head lowered and was deep in thought, and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As long as Jingzhe would think it through.


    Shao Qiyun was furious as she looked at them. ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯ve suffered a great grievance. You¡¯re clearly the ones who came to cause trouble. You came all the way here to hit someone else¡¯s child, yet you still think that you¡¯re in the right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do think that we¡¯re in the right. After all, I raised him for the past few years. I think I still have the right to p him, but today was thest time. We won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Regardless of whether there was a reason, the way Xiao Wu had treated Li Zhaodi had touched Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reverse scale[1].


    She would just pretend that she didn¡¯t have such a son from now on.


    [1] it refers to something that one shouldn¡¯t touch

 Chapter 404 - The Ji Family Disowned Xiao Wu

    <h4>Chapter 404: The Ji Family Disowned Xiao Wu</h4>


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t say anything. Shao Qiyun looked at their backs and snorted. ¡°You have to remember to keep your word. Don¡¯t go back on your word after a while.¡±


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe ignored her. When they came out, Li Zhaodi looked a little vexed. ¡°Jingzhe, it¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t havee.¡±


    Jingzhe was already unhappy enough, but she had just made things worse.


    ¡°No, that only made me give uppletely.¡± Mu Jingzhe shrugged. ¡°I always felt that I knew them quite well since I raised them, but it might have been just my imagination.¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll be honest with you too. It would be a lie to say that I¡¯m not sad, but this is good too. At least it made me give uppletely as soon as possible.¡±


    Now that she had given uppletely, no matter how ufortable she felt, the feeling would pass. It was better than keeping it in her heart.


    This year was undoubtedly the worst, but Mu Jingzhe still went back and told them what had just happened. She also told Shao Dong and the rest, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to look for Xiao Wu again in the future. I suggest that you guys don¡¯t look for him either. If he wants to do this, so be it. If we keep refusing to give up and pester him, he¡¯ll find us annoying and we¡¯ll remain in pain. Let¡¯s just live our lives separately from him in the future.¡±


    Shao Dong could tell that Mu Jingzhe had really given up after having her heart breakpletely. He felt terrible, but he had no choice but to perk up. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll listen to Mommy in the future.¡±


    Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang had returned to the capital to celebrate the New Year, something they did without fail every year, as Grandma Ji, the Ji parents, and Ji Buwang¡¯s older brother were there.


    They wanted to pay their respects to their loved ones that day. Even if they just reunited with their memorial tablets, they wanted to reunite with them.


    Initially, Mu Jingzhe had thought that she would let Xiao Wu go back and spend the New Year with the Ji Family this year. This could also be considered him officially paying his respects to his biological father during the New Year.


    However, ns couldn¡¯t keep up with changes.


    Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t around, but he called. After hearing what Xiao Wu had done, he said directly, ¡°Although he¡¯s my older brother¡¯s only heir and we once said that the Ji Family will give him whatever he wants, that was before. Given his current situation¡­ Forget it.¡±


    Xiao Wu had refused to acknowledge Mu Jingzhe and had be really unscrupulous, asking for money whenever he saw Old Master Ji. Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang¡¯s feelings had changed a little.


    If Xiao Wu continued to behave like this, they might not want to acknowledge him anymore. Anyway, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t change his surname or household register. In the eyes of thew, he wasn¡¯t rted to them.


    Now that he had acknowledged Shao Qiyun, if he became like her, they would rather not have this child.


    ¡°Grandpa is actually not happy either, so I didn¡¯t even prepare a red packet for him this year.¡± This was how Old Master Ji was with money. When he was generous, a million yuan was like a cent, and he would insist that you take it even if you refused. But when he didn¡¯t want to give anything, one could forget about squeezing even a cent out of him.


    Ji Buwang contacted Mu Jingzhe. On the other hand, Xiao Wu and Shao Qiyun contacted Old Master Ji to wish him a happy new year. They even said that they wanted to see Old Master Ji, but Old Master Ji calmly refused.


    Shao Qiyun also proposed that Xiao Wu change his surname and move to the household register of the Ji Family so that he could assume the identity of the Ji Family¡¯s future sessor.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea for Xiao Wu to keep the Shao surname. It¡¯d be better for him to change his surname to Ji as soon as possible and acknowledge his ancestors. Old Master, listen¡­¡±


    If this had happened in the past, Old Master Ji would probably have been so happy that he would have wanted to set off firecrackers for three days and three nights. However, this time, Old Master Ji refused directly.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have such a n for the time being. The name ¡®Shao Zhong¡¯ is quite good. His father is gone, and you¡¯re not dead yet. You can raise him. He can keep your surname.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s a child of the Ji Family. How can he keep the Shao surname¡­ Old Master, let use and wish you a happy new year. We can handle this matter then.¡±


    ¡°Children who aren¡¯t raised in the Ji Family, even if they¡¯re rted to us by blood, are not children of the Ji Family. Besides, we¡¯re not sure if he¡¯s a member of the Ji Family. After all, we haven¡¯t performed any tests.¡± Old Master Ji got straight to the point. ¡°Over the years, people have imed to be children of the Ji Family and tried to acknowledge us. We sent them all away directly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to visit us for the New Year. He doesn¡¯t have to change his surname or household register either. This is a serious matter, and we won¡¯t make such a decision easily. Don¡¯t mention this again. Don¡¯t tell anyone that you¡¯re members of the Ji Family in the future either. We won¡¯t acknowledge you.¡±


    Shao Qiyun choked. Previously, she had seen how much Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang had treasured Xiao Wu. She had thought that Xiao Wu would certainly change his surname and household register, but why had everything changed in the blink of an eye?


    ¡°What do you mean? You don¡¯t acknowledge Xiao Wu anymore? That¡¯s not what you said previously.¡±


    ¡°That was in the past. This is the present,¡± Old Master Ji simply admitted.


    Shao Qiyun was anxious. ¡°How can you not acknowledge him? The blood of the Ji Family flows in him. How dare you not acknowledge him? Let me tell you something¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyun was still talking when Old Master Ji hung up.


    Upon hearing the beeping sounding from the other end of the line, Shao Qiyun felt furious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them? Didn¡¯t they adore you and dote on you a lot previously? Why did they change their minds so quickly? They actually said that they¡¯re not acknowledging you anymore. How dare they? Xiao Wu, tell me what¡¯s going on!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Xiao Wu shook his head.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe must have sabotaged you and fanned the mes. I knew she was a wicked person. She seduced Ji Buwang and made him listen to her. She was afraid that you would go back and get the Ji Family¡¯s assets, so she deliberately stopped you.¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face turned red from anger, and she scolded her for a long time. ¡°They¡¯d acknowledge you if Mu Jingzhe was your mother. Now that I¡¯m your mother, they won¡¯t acknowledge you. They¡¯re obviously looking down on me!


    ¡°What right do they have to look down on me! In what way am I inferior to Mu Jingzhe! You aren¡¯t something that they can acknowledge or deny at will!¡±


    After Shao Qiyun finished scolding everyone, she looked at Xiao Wu and didn¡¯t say anything for a bit. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Have you seen Mu Jingzhe¡¯s true colors now? Even though she says all sorts of nice things, she¡¯s actually a greedy, selfish person.¡±


    Xiao Wu still didn¡¯t say anything. Dissatisfied, Shao Qiyun stared at Xiao Wu and insisted on hearing his opinion. As she stared at him, Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s selfish.¡±


    Only then was Shao Qiyun satisfied. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Ji Buwang liked you previously. Remember to contact him more often. You mustn¡¯t really leave the Ji Family.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Xiao Wu nodded.


    Their n to go to the Ji Family hadn¡¯t seeded. While Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t know where to go, she heard that Mu Jingzhe and the others had returned to Great Eastern Vige to celebrate the New Year.


    Although Mu Jingzhe and the others had moved out, their connection to Great Eastern Vige hadn¡¯t been severed. They would still go back for weddings and funerals whenever they could. To Shao Dong and the rest, Great Eastern Vige was their hometown, an existence unlike any other.


    Seeing that they were in a foul mood, and since Xiao Wu and Shao Qiyun were in the county, Shao Qihai had suggested returning to Great Eastern Vige. This suggestion had been unanimously approved.


    Li Zhaodi also urgently needed to go home and chat with her fellow vigers to show off so she could relieve her depression. Therefore, on the first day of the New Year, they went back to Great Eastern Vige in a grandiose manner.


    Shao Qihai drove the four kids, while Mu Jingzhe drove Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng over.

 Chapter 405 - Zhao Lan Was Kicked to the Sheep Pen

    <h4>Chapter 405: Zhao Lan Was Kicked to the Sheep Pen</h4>


    Since Mu Jingzhe had already divorced Shao Qihai, she couldn¡¯t follow them back to the Shao Residence anymore, so she went back with Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. The house that Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had been assigned to previously had be increasingly dpidated because no one lived there anymore. Everyone enthusiastically invited them to stay at their respective homes.


    Old Lady Mu was very displeased. It wasn¡¯t like there was no one left in the Mu Family, so why would they stay in someone else¡¯s house? With a wave of her hand, she asked them to stay in the newly built house. Mu Jingzhe and the rest didn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    When Mu Jingzhe and the others returned, the vige became lively. However, everyone tacitly didn¡¯t mention Xiao Wu this time.


    Everyone in the vige had heard that Xiao Wu had suddenly acknowledged Shao Qiyun as his biological mother and refused to acknowledge Jingzhe, so they tacitly didn¡¯t mention it in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    They were quite considerate, but as soon as Mu Jingzhe and the others returned to Great Eastern Vige, Shao Qiyun also brought Xiao Wu back.


    Shao Qiyun was doing it on purpose. When she¡¯d heard that Mu Jingzhe and the others had returned, she had followed them back. The people of Great Eastern Vige only ttered Mu Jingzhe. She had long found it an eyesore, so she had specifically brought Xiao Wu back to unt.


    She was alreadypletely shameless. Now that she had Xiao Wu, she didn¡¯t care about her reputation despite giving birth out of wedlock. She swaggered back in her car and was even dissatisfied when she got out.


    Under the gazes of the vigers, Shao Qiyun deliberately raised her voice and told Xiao Wu, ¡°This vehicle won¡¯t do. It¡¯s not asfortable as a sedan. Xiao Wu, when are you going to buy me a car too?¡±


    The fact that the children had bought a car for Mu Jingzhe had already be a legend in Great Eastern Vige. How could Shao Qiyun fall behind Mu Jingzhe?


    Whatever Mu Jingzhe had, she had to have too. Whatever Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have, she also had to have.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy one for youter.¡± Xiao Wu agreed quickly.


    Only then was Shao Qiyun satisfied. ¡°Alright, we can¡¯t carry all these things either. Go get your eldest uncle and the rest toe and get them. I¡¯ll guard the ce.¡±


    Since Shao Qiyun had acknowledged Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu¡¯s way of addressing Eldest Brother Shao and the others had changed ordingly.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xiao Wu nodded obediently. He was just about to leave when Shao Qiyun added, ¡°If your second uncle and the rest are around too, you can have hime. We also bought him a gift. After all, he raised you for a few years previously.¡±


    Shao Qiyun spoke hypocritically, but Xiao Wu nodded anyway. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Since Xiao Wu had acknowledged Shao Qiyun as his mother, it would be a little inappropriate for him to call Shao Qihai ¡®Dad¡¯ again. After all, they were siblings. Those who didn¡¯t know would get the wrong idea.


    Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to call Shao Qihai ¡®Daddy¡¯ anymore, so she made Xiao Wu call him ¡®Uncle¡¯ instead, saying that he was a child of the Ji Family and could only call someone from the Ji Family ¡®Daddy¡¯.


    Therefore, since Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t acknowledged Mu Jingzhe as his biological mother, he also changed the way he addressed Shao Qihai, even though he acknowledged him, from ¡®Daddy¡¯ to ¡®Second Uncle¡¯. In a way, he no longer acknowledged Shao Qihai as his father.


    Shao Qihai was furious when he heard him call him ¡®Second Uncle¡¯, so he simply asked him not to call him that. However, Shao Qiyun deliberately wanted Xiao Wu to call him ¡®Second Uncle¡¯.


    Shao Qiyun was very satisfied with the vigers¡¯ expressions, as they looked as if they had seen a ghost. She didn¡¯t care if the vigers listened or not and started chatting with them, telling them how good Xiao Wu had been to her after acknowledging her and how he had bought her a house, a colored television, and so on.


    While Xiao Wu was on his way back, people kept constantly greeting him. Many warm-hearted people also stopped him and asked if it was true that he no longer acknowledged Mu Jingzhe. Then, they said that he couldn¡¯t be heartless, or he would suffer retribution.


    Some people helped Mu Jingzhe scold him, and others helped Shao Qihai scold him. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t retort, but he didn¡¯t ept it either. When he got tired of hearing them talk, he left directly. Then, he went to Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s home and asked Eldest Brother Shao to help them carry their things.


    At first, Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao had wished that Shao Qiyun was dead. After all, she was aplete disgrace and had even borrowed money from a loan shark. However, when they heard that she had paid off the loan sharks and even acknowledged Xiao Wu, they went without hesitation upon hearing that she had bought them gifts for the New Year. They were so warm to Xiao Wu that it was as if calling Xiao Wu a mute in the past had been nothing but a dream.


    Shao Qiyun and Xiao Wu stayed at Eldest Brother Shao¡¯s house. Because the New Year goods they had prepared were plentiful, they had a bountiful New Year.


    Shao Qiyun even took Xiao Wu to see Shao Qihai next door. She said that she had also brought New Year goods for Shao Qihai, but Shao Qihai and the others ignored them.


    They stood outside the door and shouted for a long time. When the door was opened, the duo was greeted with a basin of dirty water that was filled with chicken feathers and gave off a fishy stench. The water was sshed on Shao Qiyun¡¯s head and face, and quite a bit of it also sshed Xiao Wu.


    Shao Qiyun shrieked. Xiao Wu¡¯s expression changed, and he quickly wiped her dry. He red at Shao Xi, who was at the door. ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything. I¡¯m just pouring water.¡± Shao Xi had done this on purpose, for he found them too noisy, thus deliberately taking revenge.


    Chicken tasted very fragrant when cooked, but it had a very fishy smell while one removed the chicken feathers. The hot water in which the raw chicken was submerged couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    ¡°Apologize to my mother quickly!¡± Xiao Wu said immediately, as he could tell that Shao Xi had done this on purpose.


    ¡°Apologize? How about I fart for you?¡± Shao Xi didn¡¯t want to argue with anyone during the New Year. After achieving his goal and seeing Shao Qiyun with a smelly face, he closed the door with a grin.


    Shao Qiyun was furious. ¡°How dare you treat me like this! I¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll avenge you!¡± Xiao Wu picked up cow dung from the side and threw it in without caring about the dirt.


    Shao Xi¡¯s exasperated voice quickly came from inside. Xiao Wu urged Shao Qiyun, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mom. Hurry up and go change. Don¡¯t be angry anymore. It¡¯s not good to be angry during the New Year.¡±


    Shao Qiyun nced at Xiao Wu. ¡°Alright, but only for you.¡±


    ¡°I know. Coincidentally, you¡¯ve worn these clothes twice already. Mom, I¡¯ll buy you a few more sets of new clothester.¡± Xiao Wu coaxed Shao Qiyun, who was now satisfied.


    Shao Qiyun had just returned when Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and the others frowned. However, they quickly poured hot water so Shao Qiyun could clean up.


    Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and the others hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to acknowledge Shao Qiyun, but they were happy to make Mu Jingzhe unhappy. They simply said that nothing beat blood ties and were extremely enthusiastic around Xiao Wu.


    Shao Qiyun rarely came back, so it was impossible for her not to see Zhao Lan. However, the ce where Zhao Lan stayed was so dirty that it was impossible for anyone to get close to her.


    Zhao Lan had originally lived in a nice room, but that room had turned smelly, making it difficult to even live next to it. The entire family was affected, and they had long been dissatisfied.


    In addition, Fu, Lu, and Shou had also grown up and now found it difficult to stay in the same room. Shao Fu was already 16 years old and wanted to have his own room, so in the end, he had set his sights on Zhao Lan¡¯s room.


    Although it was very smelly, the room was fine and only had to be cleaned up so the smell would go away. Therefore, he had moved her out of the room and into the ce previously used as a sheep pen. It was freezing in the winter, but because it was cold and the sheep pen was spacious, it didn¡¯t stink as much anymore.


    Finally, the house wasn¡¯t affected and was now clean. The family was very satisfied, but the vigers couldn¡¯t stand by and watch silently anymore.


    They naturally gossiped about him kicking their biological mother to the sheep pen. The vige chief also came to their door and said that they couldn¡¯t treat the elderly like this. However, Eldest Brother Shao and the rest no longer had an ounce of shame left. They simply didn¡¯t care about being criticized. They only said that they had never beaten Zhao Lan or starved her. They fed her two meals a day without fail, so this wasn¡¯t considered abuse.

 Chapter 406 - Treat Xiao Wu Well, Or You Will Suffer Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 406: Treat Xiao Wu Well, Or You Will Suffer Retribution</h4>


    There were even people in the vige who beat up their parents and refused to give them food. Eldest Brother Shao felt that he was doing quite well already, as he fed her two meals a day without fail.


    Eldest Brother Shao indeed fed her without fail, but he neglected to mention what the ¡®two meals a day¡¯ were like. These two meals were usually leftovers from their meals, and he would give her only as much food as was left over. If there was really no food left, he would just add some dishwashing water.


    Zhao Lan knew that she was leading a tough life, but she had no choice. She didn¡¯t dare say anything, fearing that she wouldn¡¯t even get leftovers in the future.


    Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao were quite smart. They had never asked Shao Fu and the others to deliver food before, perhaps because they were afraid that their kids would treat them like this in the future.


    However, from the moment they¡¯d kicked Zhao Lan to the sheep pen, their actions had subtly affected Shao Fu and the others.


    In the countryside, the elderly basically lived with their eldest son. When Shao Fu saw that there was a leak outside the sheep pen, he even helped fix it in secret. Zhao Lan thought that it was because her grandson¡¯s heart ached for her, but unbeknownst to her, Shao Fu was simply afraid that the sheep pen would copse and that there would be no ce for Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao to live in the future.


    He had already decided that when Eldest Brother Shao and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao got old, he would make them stay in the sheep pen.


    Zhao Lan suffered every day. The only thing she hoped for was to see Mu Xue. Since Mu Xue and Shao Qiyang had gotten married, she would deliver food to Zhao Lan when she was in the vige.


    The food she gave her was all good. Zhao Lan felt grateful and regretful every time she ate it. She had long said that she wanted to live with Eldest Brother Shao, and the family assets had been split ordingly. It was impossible to change this. Shao Qiyang had said that he wouldn¡¯t care for her, but he still gave her the food she needed. Mu Xue even kept sending food over, helping Zhao Lan survive till now.


    Shao Qihai really didn¡¯t care about Zhao Lan anymore. Zhao Lan didn¡¯t dare ask Shao Qihai to take care of her either, for she was afraid of Bai Lu. She felt that Bai Lu was waiting around to take revenge. Sometimes, when no one was around, she would even pray alone like crazy for forgiveness. Given her state, needless to say, Zhao Lan was in poor health.


    However, when she saw Shao Qiyun, she quickly perked up. She wanted to say a few more words to her daughter, but Shao Qiyun despised her for being smelly and wasn¡¯t willing to approach her.


    ¡°Qiyun, you still have to get married¡­¡±


    ¡°I?<i>will</i>?get married. Now that Xiao Wu has acknowledged me, you don¡¯t have to worry about me anymore.¡±


    Zhao Lan was very surprised and pleased to hear that Xiao Wu had acknowledged Shao Qiyun. ¡°You¡¯ve done so many bad things. It¡¯s a blessing that Xiao Wu was still willing to acknowledge you. Qiyun, you must treat Xiao Wu well this time. You can¡¯t just use him. Otherwise, the heavens will make you suffer retribution.¡±


    Zhao Lan started crying. ¡°I¡¯m suffering retribution. Qiyun, if you don¡¯t want to be a second me, you have to treat Xiao Wu well and not harm anyone, understand?¡±


    Zhao Lan tried her best to persuade her, but Shao Qiyun couldn¡¯t be bothered to listen. She felt that she was too smelly, so she held her breath and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get going now.¡±


    Just as Shao Qiyun was about to leave, all the girls her age who had gotten married returned. When they saw her, they all greeted her and asked if she was going to clean Zhao Lan up.


    At the time, marrieddies didn¡¯t have any obligation to care for the elderly. It was filial of them to bring some things home when they visited. Many daughters would wash their parents¡¯ clothes and bathe them when they returned. These girls were like that.


    But how could Shao Qiyun be willing to do that? ¡°I don¡¯t know how to. Besides, my mother doesn¡¯t need me to either.¡±


    ¡°Is it just because you find her dirty? Think about it. Your mother cleaned up your poop and pee when you were a baby. Back then, she didn¡¯t find you dirty. Now that she¡¯s old, you should serve her back.¡±


    The vigers couldn¡¯t take it anymore and criticized Shao Qiyun. Shao Qiyun was displeased. ¡°I said I don¡¯t know how to do it. I don¡¯t have the strength. If you help me take care of my mother, I¡¯ll give you money.¡±


    ¡°Who wants your money!¡± The young women left angrily.


    Shao Qiyun hade back to show off, not to be bullied. She left without saying much to Zhao Lan.


    The people living in the same vige met frequently. When Shao Qiyun and the others returned, it caused a hugemotion. Seeing Xiao Wu live with Shao Qiyun and agree to whatever Shao Qiyun said made people feel ufortable.


    When Mu Jingzhe and the others saw Xiao Wu again, they immediately avoided him as if they were strangers.


    In the nostalgic Great Eastern Vige, he had be the most familiar stranger.


    In the dead of the night, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t figure out why they and Xiao Wu had reached this point. They had been so close previously, but in the blink of an eye, they had be strangers.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention to Shao Qiyun and Xiao Wu. But in Shao Qiyun¡¯s eyes, she had defeated Mu Jingzhe and the others. She was extremely smug and she didn¡¯t care about the disdain the vigers of Great Eastern Vige felt for her. She would go wherever there were more people or follow Mu Jingzhe and deliberately say how filial Xiao Wu was to her to spite Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Xiao Wu has been helping me Shousui[1]. He said that if he does that, I¡¯ll be able to live a long life. He insisted on staying up the entire night¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu bought this bracelet for me. He said that he wanted me to wear gold and silver in the future.¡±


    ¡°He even yed the flute for me when I couldn¡¯t sleep. If I¡¯m not happy, he¡¯s more anxious than anyone¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyun was smug. Mu Jingzhe was expressionless when she heard that, but Shao Dong and the rest were furious, as what Shao Qiyun described was what they had done for Mu Jingzhe in the past. This was an agreement between the five siblings, but in the end, Xiao Wu had done it all for Shao Qiyun.


    How could they tolerate this? This was both a provocation and an insult to Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei. Their heartfelt sincerity was directed at Mu Jingzhe. How was Shao Qiyun worthy of this?


    Shao Dong and the others had originally nned to listen to Mu Jingzhe and ignore Xiao Wu since they couldn¡¯t do anything about him. However, what Xiao Wu had done angered thempletely.


    Since Xiao Wu had poked at what they hated the most, they would teach Shao Qiyun a lesson and remove the smugness from her face.


    The silver bracelet Shao Qiyun unted quickly turned ck and even began to smell a little like pesticides. She couldn¡¯t wear it anymore as a result.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s favorite musical instrument, the flute that Mu Jingzhe had bought for him, was also half-burned. They definitely wouldn¡¯t allow Xiao Wu to please Shao Qiyun with the musical instrument Mu Jingzhe had bought for him.


    Previously, when Xiao Wu had moved away, he had also taken away all the musical instruments that he could. At the time, because they¡¯d had feelings for him, they hadn¡¯t stopped him. But now, they didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to touch the musical instruments that they had given him because they contained their sincerity.


    Their sincerity couldn¡¯t be wasted on Xiao Wu.


    Xiao Wu had brought a flute with him. When he saw that the flute had been burned, he didn¡¯t move for a long time. He held the remaining half of the flute in his hand, and his hand turned pale from exertion.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s screams quickly came from outside. It turned out that a hole had been burned in one of the leather shoes Shao Qiyun had wanted to wear out. The culprit was Shao Fu.


    The leather shoes had also been bought by Xiao Wu for Shao Qiyun. This happened just as Shao Qiyun had been feeling the smuggest, so Shao Qiyun was so furious that she couldn¡¯t help but hit Shao Fu. Shao Fu ran, and Shao Lu and Shao Shou tried to appease her. Later on, for some reason, Shao Qiyun would constantly either trip, fall to the ground, or get beaten up. Blood spurted from her nose during the New Year, which was very auspicious.


    Shao Qiyun was so angry that she kept cursing. Xiao Wuforted Shao Qiyun for a moment. When he saw Fu, Lu, and Shou suddenly go out, he quietly followed them.


    Fu, Lu, and Shou left the house one after the other and found Shao Nan and Shao Xi together. Fu, Lu, and Shou had taken credit for burning the flute, as well as making Shao Qiyun¡¯s bracelet turn ck. They had also deliberately scalded her shoes. Hitting Shao Qiyun was also a coborative effort of those three.


    [1] A Chinese New Year custom ording to which people stay upte on the Eve so that their parents will be blessed with longevity

 Chapter 407 - Lay a Finger on My Mother Again and Ill Do the Same to Yours

    <h4>Chapter 407: Lay a Finger on My Mother Again and I¡¯ll Do the Same to Yours</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The reason Fu, Lu, and Shou had done this was because they had been bribed by Shao Xi and Shao Nan. Every time they seeded, they would be given a yuan.


    Fu, Lu, and Shou were having a hard time these days, finding it difficult to even earn a single yuan. Therefore, they had quickly agreed.


    In the past, Fu, Lu, and Shou had bullied Dong, Xi, Nan, and Bei. Now, Fu, Lu, and Shou nodded and bowed in front of Shao Xi and Shao Nan, describing what they had done in detail just to ask for an extra yuan. They even vowed that they could make Shao Qiyun suffer even more and they would do anything as long as they were given money.


    Shao Xi held the money in his hands while Shao Nan listened. Every time Shao Nan nodded, Shao Xi would give them money. After the money was distributed, they began talking about ways to continue. That was when Xiao Wu walked forward.


    ¡°I knew there couldn¡¯t be so many coincidences. You guys nned something in the dark indeed.¡±


    Xiao Wu stepped forward and kicked the calf of Shao Lu, who had burned his flute. ¡°Shao Qiyun is my mother now. I¡¯m protecting her. If you dare touch her again, I¡¯ll make you suffer. Forget about earning money. I¡¯ll send you to jail. Do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Should we believe you just because you said so?¡± Shao Lu hugged his legs and wailed after being kicked. Shao Fu was a little stunned, but when he saw Shao Xi and Shao Nan, he became confident again.


    ¡°If I say that you stole my money and damaged my most expensive musical instrument, let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll go to jail!¡± Xiao Wu looked at Shao Xi and Shao Nan. ¡°As for them, do you think they¡¯ll testify for you?¡±


    Fu, Lu, and Shou¡¯s expressions changed, but Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste his breath on them. ¡°Get lost.¡±


    The people he wanted to talk to were Shao Nan and Shao Xi. When Shao Nan and Shao Xi saw Xiao Wu, they no longer cared about Fu, Lu, and Shou. Seeing that Shao Nan and Shao Xi didn¡¯t say anything, Fu, Lu, and Shou clenched the money they had received and ran away.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more impressive.¡± Shao Xi scoffed. ¡°What? Are you going to threaten us next?¡±


    ¡°You can consider it a threat if you want. I¡¯m indeed here to warn you not toy a finger on her. Otherwise, I¡¯ll fight you guys to death.¡±


    ¡°Fight us to death? By yourself?¡± Shao Xi suddenly pushed Xiao Wu. ¡°Do you know who you¡¯re talking to?¡±


    ¡°Other than brainless you, who else could I be talking to? I¡¯ll emphasize this again. Don¡¯ty a finger on my mother. You guys used Fu, Lu, and Shou to deal with her just because you¡¯re smart. She didn¡¯t realize it at first, but she¡¯ll quickly realize that it was you guys!¡±


    ¡°So what if she realizes it? Do you think we¡¯re afraid of her? You even dared to say that I¡¯m brainless? I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s brainless, Shao Zhong. Do you still think we care about you and are afraid Shao Qiyun will find out? We¡¯re not afraid. The sooner she finds out, the better. In fact, we intend for her to know so she¡¯ll behave herself. Otherwise, this won¡¯t end. Who does she think she is? She even wants to show off by trampling on Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Shao Xi, do you think you¡¯re that impressive? Do you think you can toy with someone just because you¡¯re smart? Let me tell you something. I¡¯m still here. If you dare hurt her again, I won¡¯t let it slide. You¡¯re not the only one who knows how to use tricks. I can do it too.¡±


    ¡°Then show me what you¡¯ve got. Do you think we¡¯re afraid of you?¡± Shao Xi was fearless.


    Xiao Wu looked at Shao Xi and clenched his fists. ¡°Are you really not afraid of anything? Don¡¯t you care about anything either? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll pay you back in kind?¡±


    ¡°How are you going to do it? Go ahead¡­¡± Shao Xi¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°What do you mean? Pay me back in kind? Are you saying you¡¯ll do to our mother what we¡¯ve done to your mother?¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s face was filled with mockery. ¡°Not only do you not acknowledge Mom anymore, but you also want to deal with her?¡±


    Xiao Wu nced at Shao Xi. ¡°What I do will depend on what you do.¡± He actually admitted it.


    Shao Xi paused for a moment before he reacted. Just as he was about to explode, he suddenly realized that someone else was faster than him. Shao Nan rushed over and pped Xiao Wu¡¯s head. ¡°You actually want to hurt Mommy now? I definitely won¡¯t allow it!¡±


    Shao Xi wasn¡¯tgging behind either. Xiao Wu was hit by Shao Nan, but he pped Shao Xi¡¯s hand away ruthlessly. ¡°Just because I didn¡¯t retaliate, it doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t have the ability to retaliate. This is thest time, Shao Xi. I didn¡¯t say that I would take the initiative to deal with anyone, but if you continue to be so willful, then it¡¯ll be your fault if something happens to your mother!¡±


    Shao Xi was even angrier when he heard that. Seeing that the two of them were about to fight, Shao Nan¡¯s eyes darkened and he stopped Shao Xi. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be angry. There¡¯s no need to waste your breath on a person like him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no need to say anything else. I know what kind of people you are. Don¡¯t let me discover your cheap tricks again. If you dare do this again, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±


    Xiao Wu, who would only be eight years old after New Year¡¯s, spoke ruthlessly. There was no innocence on his face anymore. It seemed as if he had grown up and changed.


    Shao Nan felt unfamiliarity while looking at Xiao Wu. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly tilted his head and saw Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong standing not far away, watching them.


    Shao Dong looked at them with a stern gaze, while Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu quietly.


    Xiao Wu sensed Shao Nan¡¯s abnormal head tilt and found himself meeting Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. He quickly blinked and calmly looked back.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Shao Xi panicked when he saw Mu Jingzhe. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His voice was filled with frustration. He didn¡¯t know why his mother had heard him.


    Even he couldn¡¯t stand hearing those words, let alone Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I just came to ask you guys toe and eat. Li Fang¡¯s family is treating rtives and friends to a feast after the Chinese New Year.¡± Mu Jingzhe slowly walked over. ¡°Don¡¯t do this again in the future. We have no right to care if Shao Qiyun¡¯s showing off.¡±


    After she said that, she looked at Xiao Wu. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t keep them close to me. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Her voice was calm, and her gaze became unfamiliar. She looked at him as though he was a stranger. Xiao Wu looked at her and didn¡¯t say anything for a moment.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t care about his reaction. ¡°But I don¡¯t want anyone to threaten my children again. I don¡¯t have anything else, but I do have strength. If you provoke me, I won¡¯t be polite.¡±


    Only a momentter did Xiao Wu realize that she was addressing him. Just as he was about to answer, Mu Jingzhe wrapped her arm around Shao Xi¡¯s shoulder and walked away.


    ¡°Shao Xi, I realize that you¡¯re bing more and more impressive. Your temper grows with your age and height, huh. When you¡¯re taller than me, I won¡¯t be able to control you anymore, will I? You¡¯re sowless, aren¡¯t you? You were very obedient in the past.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still very obedient. I¡¯ve always been obedient.¡± Shao Xi had been just like a fire-breathing dragon a moment ago, but he leaned over like a husky now. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ll always be obedient. So if I get bullied one day, you have to help me fight back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things. You¡¯re already so old, yet you still want me to help you fight. Just be good and don¡¯t do anything ridiculous. You¡¯re getting more and more hot-tempered.¡±


    ¡°I know, Mommy. I admit my mistake.¡± Shao Xi obediently admitted his mistake.


    Shao Nan added, ¡°I am aware of my mistake, but I¡¯ll still dare do it again.¡±


    This pair of enemies, Shao Xi and Shao Nan, started fighting again. Mu Jingzhe simply let them be.. Shao Dong looked at the two of them and walked past them in disdain. ¡°Mommy, are you alright?¡±

 Chapter 408 - Really Became a Shang Zhongyong

    <h4>Chapter 408: Really Became a ¡®Shang Zhongyong¡¯</h4>


    Shao Dong¡¯s eyes were filled with concern, and Mu Jingzheughed out loud. ¡°It¡¯s fine. What could have happened to me? I was angered previously, but I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    Even though Mu Jingzhe had said that she was fine, she suddenly said that she wanted to make glutinous rice cakes when she returned from Li Fang¡¯s house. Then, she started making glutinous rice cakes in the courtyard. It was only after she broke out in a cold sweat in the winter that she stopped.


    That night, Mu Jingzhe, who had eaten brown sugar glutinous rice, fell asleep feeling exhausted. The next day, Mu Jingzhe and the rest left Great Eastern Vige.


    After that, Mu Jingzhe, Li Zhaodi, and the four kids all tried their best to ignore the news about Xiao Wu and Shao Qiyun. Even Shao Qihai no longer paid attention.


    Rtionships would slowly wear off. When there was too much disappointment, there would be no more hope left.


    After the New Year, Mu Jingzhe entered a busy state again. She and Little Bei went to the production team of the ancient drama that they had agreed to work on previously.


    Long before the filming process started, the main actors entered the production team to participate in the training. Because it was a period drama, the actors had to participate in training to learn both how to talk and walk. In order to achieve the wanted effect, they had to learn historical knowledge and etiquette so that they could better portray the characters.


    The production team was very serious. Little Bei had alsoe to train for a few days previously, but she had practiced long ago, so she didn¡¯t take as much time as everyone else.


    After filming officially started, there was no shortage of teachers in the production team. The etiquette, clothes, and everything else were highly urate.


    Although they were just filming a television drama, the seriousness was the same as in a movie production. Or rather, it was more exquisite than in ordinary movies.


    Mu Jingzhe liked this serious way of doing things and felt that she had also learned a lot. Other than filming daily, Little Bei also liked to talk to the history teachers and experts the crew had invited.


    Little Bei¡¯s role was moreplicated. In the early stages, she was an innocent little girl. She could have grown up without worries, but the circumstances didn¡¯t allow her to do so. Amid a power struggle, she married someone at the age of ten.


    She was only ten years old and had a tender face, but she was still forced tob her hair into the style of a married woman.


    This character underwent a huge transformation in the early andte stages. The little girl had to transform in the short span of one year. In spite of her tender face, the look in her eyes made it seem as if she had experienced many vicissitudes in life. It was a huge test for her acting skills. Everyone was worried that Little Bei wouldn¡¯t be able to portray the character well, but after a few adjustments, Little Bei managed to act perfectly.


    The director¡¯s attitude toward Little Bei changed visibly. He kept saying that they had to coborate again in the future.


    Of course, the director was also very satisfied with Mu Jingzhe and kept marveling at how wonderful her work was. Later on, he even mentioned Xiao Wu and said that the television drama needed some grand music. He expressed the desire to coborate with Xiao Wu.


    In the past, this would have been a very joyous matter, but this time, it was just awkward. She could only tell the director that she couldn¡¯t make any decisions regarding Xiao Wu now. If the director wanted to work with him, he¡¯d have to contact him himself.


    Everyone sensed something different and tactfully stopped mentioning Xiao Wu in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe stopped paying attention to Xiao Wu andpletely broke off all ties to this youngest son of hers. Although it was very childish, Xiao Wu seemed to be very satisfied and never contacted her again. He just guarded Shao Qiyun every day like a filial son.


    Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei stayed in the production team for a period of time. They were busy working and they tried their best to forget about Xiao Wu. No one would mention Xiao Wu anymore either. However, when the director mentioned Xiao Wu, it seemed like the ¡®Xiao Wu switch¡¯ had been turned on again. Then, from time to time, they would hear news about Xiao Wu.


    For example, Xiao Wu seemed to have taken on many jobs. No matter who asked, as long as the price was high, he would take on the job, be it apaniment music or song writing.


    At first, there was no news about it, but slowly, people started talking about Xiao Wu¡¯s exorbitant asking prices. Even his reputation was affected.


    Shao Qiyun was the one who negotiated, so everyone had a deep impression of her. Later on, there were reports that Xiao Wu had changed his mind halfway and now refused to acknowledge his adoptive mother, only acknowledging his biological mother at present.


    In the past, Xiao Wu¡¯s identity had caused quite a lot of discussion. At the time, some people had supported Xiao Wu, and other people had said that she was still his biological mother. Although there were disagreements over this issue, they had already epted the fact that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t acknowledge his biological mother.


    In the end, after such a long time, Xiao Wu had actually gone back on his word. He even personally contacted the reporters and said in an interview that Shao Qiyun was his biological mother and that he had nothing to do with Mu Jingzhe anymore. He hoped that everyone wouldn¡¯t report this inurately in the future.


    Based on this, the production team understood why Mu Jingzhe no longer mentioned Xiao Wu. After the report was published, Xiao Wu was scolded again and people called him ungrateful. However, Xiao Wu had no intention of rifying anything. He only said that this was what his biological mother wanted.


    It turned out that Shao Qiyun was dissatisfied with the fact that everyone only remembered that Xiao Wu¡¯s mother was Mu Jingzhe, so he specifically had a report published to rify this.


    When Mu Jingzhe left the production team midway, she heard more news about Xiao Wu. The reason Xiao Wu had taken on so many movies and television shows was to earn money. The money he had earned previously wasn¡¯t enough to splurge, as he wanted to buy Shao Qiyun a car and jewelry.


    At first, when Shao Qiyun came back, it was said that she had changed. However, her true colors were quickly revealed. Watches, gold, silver jewelry, clothes, and all that required money. Although Xiao Wu could earn money, he couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed at which she spent money. That was why he took on so many jobs.


    The price he charged had increased, and the speed at which he worked had increased as well. However, among the work that Xiao Wu submitted, only a portion met his previous standards, while the rest was very ordinary.


    It might not be that bad, but some people said that he was no longer inspired like before and his music wasn¡¯t that infectious anymore.


    ¡°Shang Zhongyong[1]¡± was mentioned again. Shao Qiyun directly retorted that Xiao Wu¡¯s work was still superb. As long as he had time, he would even y it for her every day. She was very obviously being protective.


    Unlike Mu Jingzhe, who kept a low profile, Shao Qiyun, his current mother, was different. She was very enthusiastic about appearing in front of the camera and was extremely willing to be interviewed by reporters. She would even go on shows with Xiao Wu.


    In the past, Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t been very willing to ept interviews or go on other shows. He had kept a low profile. However, after he went to live with Shao Qiyun, he became very high-profile. Because Shao Qiyun said that she liked it, he went to these events. Not only did she want him to show his face, but Shao Qiyun would think of a way to show her own face and speak every time. She would always say Xiao Wu this and Xiao Wu that, clearly very eager to y up the image of a loving mother and son with Xiao Wu.


    She liked the feeling of being watched by everyone. She also wanted to earn money and be famous. She hadn¡¯t given up on acting and she still wanted to be a movie star like those other beautiful women.


    She felt that, with her good looks, she was perfectly up to the task. Sometimes, she would even use this as a condition when someone wanted to work with Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu could work with them, but they had to include her.


    However, Xiao Wu¡¯s situation was a little special. He didn¡¯t know many people, and his foundation was still unstable. Previously, with Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s help, everything had gone smoothly. Now that the ignorant, money-grubbing Shao Qiyun had taken over, after interacting with her once, people were immediately put off.


    Even those who had previously had a good impression of Xiao Wu and wanted to coborate with him quickly became afraid.


    While Shao Qiyun still felt that things were going very well, their situation was actually slowly deteriorating. In contrast, Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei¡¯s situation continued improving.


    [1] a wasted child prodigy

 Chapter 409 - Xiao Wu Plays Cupid for Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyun

    <h4>Chapter 409: Xiao Wu ys Cupid for Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyun</h4>


    Little Bei¡¯s reputation was getting better and better. Meanwhile, Shao Xi continued publishing books as per normal. His book about using love to treat illnesses had achieved delightful sales and attracted countless praise. It even garnered the attention of some directors who wanted to turn it into a movie, but Shao Xi was still considering it.


    Shao Nan jumped another grade and took another step toward his goal.


    In the meantime, Shao Dong seeded in making the ¡®Good Brother¡¯ brand a household name. It was well-known, influential, and had a good reputation. Unfortunately, Xiao Wu, one of his former good brothers, was no longer nearby.


    Shao Qiyun was ambitious and thought that she would rise up and be a movie star when given the chance. In reality, she wasn¡¯t likable. Besides, she had given birth to a child out of wedlock. Even though Xiao Wu was outstanding, her actions still made many people dislike her.


    Many people said that she was making use of Xiao Wu, shattering Shao Qiyun¡¯s great dream. She had failed to get to know a male movie star and marry them. She had also failed to get to know better and richer men.


    After repeated failures, even with Xiao Wu¡¯s help, Shao Qiyun could only give up helplessly.


    As she got older, she became increasingly anxious. Later on, when she identally heard that Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe seemed to be dating again, she was very unhappy.


    Why was Ji Buwang still revolving around Mu Jingzhe? She had wanted to marry him previously but hadn¡¯t managed to do so.


    Speaking of Ji Buwang, Shao Qiyun became interested and asked Xiao Wu to contact Ji Buwang so the two of them could meet. ¡°In the past, you didn¡¯t acknowledge me, so Ji Buwang didn¡¯t want to marry me. Now, it¡¯s perfectly right for me to marry Ji Buwang.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu, remember to put in a good word for me. No matter how much I think about it, I still want to marry Ji Buwang. As long as I marry Ji Buwang, the Ji Family won¡¯t refuse to acknowledge you anymore.¡±


    Previously, the Ji Family had said that they wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Xiao Wu, and now, true to Old Master Ji¡¯s word, they really couldn¡¯t be contacted anymore. Shao Qiyun¡¯s ns had thus been disrupted.


    Shao Qiyun had originally wanted to make a name for herself before looking for the Ji Family. That hadn¡¯t really worked out, so she had a new idea.


    She hadn¡¯t found a better candidate than Ji Buwang. Besides, she could snatch him from Mu Jingzhe. It would be like killing two birds with one stone.


    Previously, Mu Jingzhe had tortured her very much, and she had only snatched away Xiao Wu, while the other four were still with her. Furthermore, Mu Jingzhe also had Ji Buwang. That meant that she had still lost. It would be fine if she snatched Ji Buwang away. Then, she would win.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t object to Shao Qiyun asking him to set the two of them up and make Ji Buwang marry her.


    Although he couldn¡¯t contact Old Master Ji, he could still contact Ji Buwang. However, when Ji Buwang received the call, he didn¡¯t show any concern and his tone was calm.


    Later on, when Xiao Wu suggested that they eat together, Ji Buwang was very disappointed in him and said that he was very busy and didn¡¯t have time.


    In the end, it was Shao Qiyun who thought of a way. She asked Xiao Wu to say that he actually wanted to meet Ji Buwang because he was feeling unwell.


    These words sounded like an obvious lie, but just in case they were true, Ji Buwang said that he would consider it before finally agreeing. Plus, he also wanted to know what Xiao Wu wanted.


    In the end, when he arrived, he realized that Xiao Wu was not alone. Shao Qiyun was also there. Shao Qiyun was dressed up gorgeously, and Xiao Wu put in many good words for Shao Qiyun.


    Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t a fool. He looked at Xiao Wu, feeling like he had gone crazy.


    ¡°Shao Zhong, you really keep getting more disappointing each time. I thought a miracle had happened.¡± Ji Buwang didn¡¯t even want to call him by the nickname Mu Jingzhe had given him. He ignored Shao Qiyun¡¯s encouragement to stay and stood up to leave.


    ¡°Sigh. Why did he leave just like that¡­¡± Shao Qiyun was very dissatisfied, but Ji Buwang left without looking back.


    Ji Buwang saw that the restaurant Xiao Wu had booked was a specialty restaurant in Ocean City. It had just been renovated and had novel interior decor. There were even private rooms.


    Ji Buwang circled around and went to the private room next door, where Mu Jingzhe was sitting.


    The sound instion in the private room was average. When someone spoke in the adjacent room, one could hear them if they were quiet and listened carefully. Mu Jingzhe was sitting there and had heard the conversation next door intermittently.


    ¡°You heard that, right? You were worried that Xiao Wu had grown thinner, but in the end, he happily stabbed you in the back.¡±


    After Ji Buwang had received Xiao Wu¡¯s call, he had discussed it with Mu Jingzhe. It was Mu Jingzhe who had made the decision. The reason was that Xiao Wu seemed to have lost weight, and she suspected he might really be sick. In the end, it was proven that she had been worried for nothing.


    Afraid that the people next door would hear, Ji Buwang leaned closer to Mu Jingzhe and whispered, ¡°They set their sights on me and decided to snatch me away. Jingzhe, how can you still sit so calmly after hearing them talk? Do you not care about me? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll really go away?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was originally tense, but when she heard this, she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°Do you want me to go in, grab her hair, and get into a catfight with her then?¡±


    Ji Buwang imagined this. ¡°If only that were the case.¡± That would mean that Jingzhe cared about him. He would definitely die of happiness then.


    ¡°Stop thinking about it. If Shao Qiyun really snatches you, then I must have been really blind. I guarantee that I¡¯ll turn around and leave without a word. I definitely won¡¯t look back.¡±


    ¡°Then you admit that I¡¯m yours?¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s way of thinking was as novel as ever.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe was starting to feel helpless, a bang came from next door, interrupting them.


    Shao Qiyun had started throwing a tantrum after Ji Buwang left. Her voice was hysterical, soundingpletely different from when she had faced Ji Buwang just now.


    Previously, she had just been making noise. Now that she had started smashing things, the service staff went in to calm her down. In the end, they even quarreled.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned when she heard Shao Qiyun¡¯s movements. ¡°Shao Qiyun gives off a strange feeling. She was very crazy previously, but this time, she feels even crazier. She¡¯s easily angered, and her emotions are even more out of control. The way she¡¯s behaving now proves my point.


    ¡°And Xiao Wu¡­ He would always defend Shao Qiyun, but when Shao Qiyun got so angry, he didn¡¯t say a word orfort her. When the waiter came in and Shao Qiyun kicked up a fuss, he didn¡¯t deal with it or help say a word or two.


    ¡°ording to what he said and what he did previously, he should care very much about Shao Qiyun, but I keep feeling that his caring feelings are intermittent. For example, I didn¡¯t notice them at all this time. Instead, I feel indescribable coldness.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe frowned, looking puzzled.


    She was disappointed and furious about Xiao Wu¡¯s initial actions. After a period of calmness, she felt that she could finally face this. Only now did she slowly stop deliberately avoiding hearing news about Xiao Wu.


    She had originally thought that, no matter what, Xiao Wu had made her feel a lot of emotions and joy. Even if they couldn¡¯t be mother and son, they could each live their own life well separately.


    In the end, when Mu Jingzhe had noticed Xiao Wu was on the news again, she¡¯d realized that Xiao Wu had be awfully thin. His originally soft and adorable face had be exquisite, but it was expressionless. The light in his eyes seemed to have disappeared.


    Besides, he didn¡¯t seem to have grown taller in such a long time. He had grown quite fast previously.


    Many of the clothes he was wearing had been bought or made by Mu Jingzhe previously. After such a long time, based on his original situation, these clothes should have been altered because he had outgrown them, but they still didn¡¯t look shorter or smaller on him.


    He was wearing his old clothes, in sharp contrast to Shao Qiyun, who was all dolled up in morous clothes all the time.

 Chapter 410 - How Can You Not Be Happy?

    <h4>Chapter 410: How Can You Not Be Happy?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Xiao Wu¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t good, but Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t seem to be in a good state either. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t know what was going on with them.


    Hearing that Shao Qiyun and Xiao Wu seemed to have left next door and that there was no movement, Mu Jingzhe ate some food before leaving the room with Ji Buwang.


    After Ji Buwang paid the bill, Mu Jingzhe went out. Unexpectedly, when she did, Shao Qiyun and Xiao Wu had yet to leave. Shao Qiyun was ordering someone to wipe a car that was identical in color and design to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s car. Xiao Wu had bought it for her.


    Shao Qiyun had specifically requested a car that was identical to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s, but she didn¡¯t know how to drive and couldn¡¯t get a driver¡¯s license either, so she had hired a driver. The person wiping the car was the driver.


    Though Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t drunk at all, she acted like she was drunk and was even cursing to boot.


    Xiao Wu was sitting on the stairs and looking at Shao Qiyun and the car. When Mu Jingzhe came out, she tilted her head and met Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but frown. Back when she had seen Xiao Wu on TV, she had felt that he had lost weight. Now that she looked at him in person, it was even more obvious.


    When Xiao Wu saw Mu Jingzhee out, he couldn¡¯t help but stand up. ¡°Why did youe out? Were you eavesdropping?¡±


    ¡°Why have you lost so much weight? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked at the same time.


    Xiao Wu frowned. ¡°Were you eavesdropping on us?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Yes, I was.¡± Mu Jingzhe walked over, her expression even uglier than Xiao Wu¡¯s. ¡°Shao Zhong, since you¡¯re living the life you want, then live a better life. You should livefortably and proudly so that you can make me angry just by looking at you. Why are you living like this? Look at you now. Do you have no money to eat or something? Can¡¯t you work harder?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was furious. If Xiao Wu was doing well, she might feel jealous, but her anger would pass.


    In the end, he had tried so hard to acknowledge Shao Qiyun. The two of them should be very blissful. He should be happy too. But what was happening? What the heck was wrong with him?


    ¡°How can you tell that I¡¯m not doing well? I¡¯m doing very well!¡± Xiao Wu retorted. ¡°I¡¯m doing extremely well!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. How are we not doing well? Don¡¯t spout nonsense. You still haven¡¯t given up. Do you want to snatch Xiao Wu back?¡± Shao Qiyun saw Mu Jingzhe and pulled Xiao Wu behind her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you still saying these things? It¡¯s impossible for Xiao Wu to go back. You won¡¯t be able to snatch him even if you try for the rest of your life, understand?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who snatched him away. You should treat him better since you snatched him back with your coaxing. You have the nerve to let him get so thin?¡± Mu Jingzhe fumed even more when she saw Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°You keep getting new clothes every day. Why don¡¯t you buy him new clothes instead of letting him wear these old clothes every day? Can¡¯t you make some nutritious food for him? He¡¯s lost weight and he hasn¡¯t grown any taller. How are you raising the child? Didn¡¯t you always emphasize that he¡¯s your biological son? Then don¡¯t act like a stepmother!¡±


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face turned green, and her saliva almost sprayed on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face. ¡°Why do you care? This is my son. I can make him thin if I want to. I can treat him well if I want to, and I can treat him badly if I wish. What does it have to do with you? So what if I buy new clothes for myself every day and don¡¯t buy him any? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    As Shao Qiyun spoke, her spirits were lifted. ¡°You¡¯re very angry and frustrated, right? You treated him so well, worried so much about him, and bought him new clothes, yet he only acknowledges me now. Hahaha.¡±


    Xiao Wu tugged at her from the side and didn¡¯t look at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go back quickly. The car has been wiped.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Son, you¡¯re the best to me.¡± Shao Qiyun hugged Xiao Wu. ¡°I know you¡¯re indignant and envious that Xiao Wu is treating me so well, but it¡¯s useless no matter how envious you are! Xiao Wu only wants to spend money on me. Even if he can¡¯t afford to spend money on himself, he insists on buying clothes for me.¡±


    Shao Qiyun looked at Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu chimed in. He looked at Mu Jingzhe and said calmly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very eager to spend money on my mother. I¡¯m living a very good and blissful life. I don¡¯t need your pity. I also hope you won¡¯t make wild guesses in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe scoffed. So this was a case of a mother abusing a child and a child willing to be abused.


    As Shao Qiyun was pulled toward the car by Xiao Wu, she turned around. ¡°Did you see that Xiao Wu is so good at earning money and willing to splurge on me even though he¡¯s thrifty when ites to himself? That¡¯s why you want him to give you money too. I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s useless. In the past, you raised Xiao Wu willingly. Xiao Wu won¡¯t give you a dime now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep look at Xiao Wu. ¡°I don¡¯t want money. I just think of raising him as feeding a dog.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Shao Qiyun warned, ¡°Don¡¯te looking for him again. If you do, I won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    After saying that, she nudged Xiao Wu forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Xiao Wu. You¡¯re not allowed to talk to her anymore.¡±


    ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t talk to her. She was the one who talked to me first.¡± Xiao Wu exined in a low voice before he got in the car to leave.


    The person before him had their bill tallied wrongly and was making a fuss about it, so Ji Buwang was dyed at the cashier for a while. When he came out, he saw Mu Jingzhe looking ahead with a frown.


    ¡°Why are you frowning again? Are you still thinking about Xiao Wu? After everything he¡¯s done, you should stop thinking about him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He has done so many bizarre things and changed his bottom line again and again. I shouldn¡¯t miss him anymore. I don¡¯t want to appear so pitiful either. I decided to stop missing him. But when I came out, I met him again. Did you see how thin he is? It¡¯s like I went back to the time when I started raising them a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°I saw it.¡± Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t blind and had seen that he had lost weight too.


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have lost so much weight. It feels like he hasn¡¯t eaten a full meal since he left home. Ji Buwang, I keep feeling that something is wrong with Xiao Wu. I also keep feeling that Shao Qiyun is threatening Xiao Wu.¡±


    Ji Buwang frowned when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words. ¡°So you still think there¡¯s something fishy about this? But we¡¯ve already investigated it previously. There¡¯s nothing fishy about it, and we didn¡¯t find any threats. Xiao Wu and Shao Qiyun have also been acting like mother and son.¡±


    ¡°I know, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either.¡± After Mu Jingzhe finished speaking, she suddenly looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°No, Ji Buwang, thatst sentence wasn¡¯t right. You said that they have been acting like mother and son.


    ¡°You subconsciously used the word ¡®act¡¯, so you also realize that their rtionship isn¡¯t truly good.¡±


    Ji Buwang was momentarily stupefied. ¡°That seems to be the case, but Jingzhe, this doesn¡¯t mean much or change anything.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s words had hit the nail on the head, but when he saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s helpless expression, he said, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go investigate again to find out more. There might be some details that I overlooked, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±


    Everyone felt pity and disappointment about Xiao Wu¡¯s transformation. Ji Buwang also sincerely hoped that his nephew woulde back.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled.. ¡°I¡¯ll go and find out more.¡±

 Chapter 411 - Surrender or Escape?

    <h4>Chapter 411: Surrender or Escape?</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe went around to ask about Xiao Wu, but she didn¡¯t manage to find out anything of value. Instead, she found out that Xiao Wu often applied for leave and didn¡¯t go to school. Although Xiao Wu was smart, this situation still didn¡¯t make the teacher feel good.


    Even though Xiao Wu¡¯s parent was now Shao Qiyun, the teacher still felt that Mu Jingzhe was more reliable. When Mu Jingzhe went to school to find out about Xiao Wu¡¯s situation, the teacher pulled her aside to talk.


    Xiao Wu took leave from school and didn¡¯t go to school often. He spent all his time earning money. Mu Jingzhe realized that Xiao Wu had even participated in apetition program but hadn¡¯t performed well in it. The rhythm of Xiao Wu¡¯s music was clearly pretty good, but it made one feel vexed.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned when she heard that. There seemed to be something wrong with Xiao Wu¡¯s music too. It was annoying to listen to. No matter what the rhythm was, one felt that there was something wrong with it.


    Some of his music was clearly soothing and should make one feel calm, but when one heard it, they were calm to the point of feeling depressed.


    The more Mu Jingzhe listened, the more she felt that something was amiss. Xiao Wu¡¯s music shouldn¡¯t be like this. She even suspected that Xiao Wu had some psychological problem, but she was just suspicious. There was no way for her to confirm it.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re secretly asking about Xiao Wu again. Didn¡¯t we agree not to care about him anymore?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, who had been caught eavesdropping on the radio by Shao Xi, touched her nose. ¡°I just think he¡¯s acting weird, so I wanted to listen.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone back to live with Shao Qiyun for a few months now. Isn¡¯t he living quite well? Just ignore him. Since he gave up on us, let¡¯s give up on him too.¡±


    Shao Xi got angry at the mention of Xiao Wu and really didn¡¯t want to feel angry anymore.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe agreed, but for some reason, she felt uneasy.


    This uneasinesssted for a long time, causing Mu Jingzhe to suffer from insomnia. When it was already past eleven o¡¯clock, she still hadn¡¯t fallen asleep.


    Originally, her daily routine had improved thanks to the four kids. She usually slept before ten, went to bed early, and woke up early. She rarely suffered from insomnia or anything like that, but tonight, she was inexplicably anxious.


    She tossed and turned but couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Mu Jingzhe carefully got up to drink some water. Just as she finished drinking water, she heard amotion. She turned around and saw Little Bei and Shao Dong.


    Little Bei had purely been woken up by the noise, and so had Shao Dong. He usually slept lightly and would be aware of any movements. In addition, Mu Jingzhe had been preupied and worried, so he hade to take a look.


    ¡°Did I wake the two of you up? Go back to sleep. I¡¯m fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe suspected that her period wasing early. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be feeling so anxious.


    ¡°Are you really fine? Mommy, are you still thinking of Xiao Wu?¡± Shao Dong got straight to the point.


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine. Xiao Wu¡­ I just felt that he was acting weird¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe paused and held her chest as she suddenly took deep breaths.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shao Dong and Little Bei stood up sensitively.


    ¡°Nothing. I just feel like I can¡¯t breathe. I¡¯m feeling very vexed and anxious.¡± There was also an indescribable sense of uneasiness in her heart.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but take two steps forward. Shao Dong was puzzled. ¡°Why is this happening¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± He was just feeling uneasy. Mu Jingzhe looked at their worried faces and wanted tofort them, but when she opened her mouth, she spat out a mouthful of blood without warning.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s expression changed drastically as he stepped forward to catch Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Little Bei¡¯s voice was choked with tears. As she looked at Mu Jingzhe, it was as if she had returned to her state of helplessness a year ago, when Mu Jingzhe had been sick.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had recovered? Why are you still vomiting blood?¡± Little Bei helped support Mu Jingzhe and called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ a few times, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t react at all.


    Shao Xi and Shao Nan also heard the bigmotion and quickly ran out.


    ¡°Quick, take Mommy to the hospital!¡± Shao Dong¡¯s face was pale, but he tried his best to calm down. ¡°Little Nan, contact Daddy and Uncle Ji and ask them toe and help quickly. We¡¯ll take Mommy to the hospital first.¡±


    Shao Nan responded and ran out, but he stepped on the blood Mu Jingzhe had spat out. He looked down at the dark blood. He didn¡¯t know if it was his imagination, but Shao Nan seemed to see something move in the blood.


    Compared tost time, the color of the blood was different, making Shao Nan feel even more worried.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi worked together to take Mu Jingzhe to the rickshaw borrowed from next door. They had a car at home, but they were too young to drive it. On the other hand, they could ride and push the rickshaw.


    Shao Dong was about to ride the rickshaw and leave when Xiao Wu suddenly ran over and appeared at the door. His head was covered in sweat. When he saw Shao Dong, he asked, ¡°Did Mommy vomit blood?¡±


    Shao Dong and the rest tensed up. They hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Wu to appear at this time and call her ¡®Mommy¡¯. He¡¯d even asked if she had vomited blood.


    Didn¡¯t he only acknowledge Shao Qiyun now? Besides, why had he coincidentally rushed over and why had he known that Mommy had vomited blood?


    ¡°What do you mean? What did you do to Mommy?¡± Shao Xi grabbed Xiao Wu¡¯s clothes and stared at him with murderous eyes.


    ¡°How did you know Mommy vomited blood?¡± Little Bei¡¯s eyes were filled with suspicion.


    Xiao Wu had already seen the blood at the corner of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth. When he heard Little Bei¡¯s question and confirmed that Mu Jingzhe had vomited blood, he wasn¡¯t as nervous as Shao Dong and the rest. Instead, he heaved a big sigh of relief.


    It was fine now. Everything was fine now.


    Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help butugh even while Shao Xi was grabbing his clothes. When Shao Xi saw Xiao Wu¡¯sughter, his first reaction was that Xiao Wu wasughing at them and at Mu Jingzhe for vomiting blood.


    How could he tolerate this? In a fit of anger, Shao Xi punched Xiao Wu ruthlessly. ¡°You¡¯reughing? Shao Zhong, let me tell you something. If anything happens to Mom, you can kiss your life goodbye!¡±


    Xiao Wu was beaten to the ground by Shao Xi but didn¡¯t say a word.


    Shao Dong felt that Xiao Wu¡¯s words were very strange, and his reaction was also extremely weird. Given when he hade over, it seemed as if he had known beforehand that Mu Jingzhe would vomit blood. Everything seemed strange, but now was not the time to pursue the matter. He nced at Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t care less, hurriedly riding the rickshaw to the hospital.


    Shao Xi and Little Bei couldn¡¯t be bothered anymore and helped push the rickshaw.


    Lying on the ground, as Xiao Wu watched them leave, he no longer hid his suppressed emotions and began to wail. He had saved Mommy, but he had also killed someone.


    Shao Nan had just contacted Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang and was about to follow them to the hospital when he heard Xiao Wu¡¯s cries from the door.


    They were cries of despair. For a moment, Shao Nan couldn¡¯t even describe how he felt.


    His voice was clearly despairing, but it also contained joy and relief. Shao Nan¡¯s heart trembled when he heard that. Looking at Xiao Wu¡¯s back, Shao Nan realized that Xiao Wu was awfully thin. It was as if he hadn¡¯t grown since he¡¯d left home, just as Mommy had said.


    Shao Nan pursed his lips and stepped forward to pull Xiao Wu up. ¡°So your abnormal behavior in thest few months was really a result of being threatened, Xiao Wu. Or is there more to the story than meets the eye? Hurry up and tell me what happened!¡±


    Shao Nan realized that the fingers of Xiao Wu¡¯s left hand were covered in blood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your hand? Did you cut yourself? Why did you not tell us about it instead of taking matters into your own hands?¡±


    He was furious, but Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t look at Shao Nan. He flung his hand away and turned to leave. ¡°What are you talking about? There isn¡¯t more to it than meets the eye.¡±


    Now that everything was handled, it was toote. There was nothing left to say.


    He should turn himself in, but perhaps running away was more reasonable¡­

 Chapter 412 - Shao Qiyun Drinks Pesticide

    <h4>Chapter 412: Shao Qiyun Drinks Pesticide</h4>


    Xiao Wu quickly left. Shao Nan hesitated for a moment. Because he was more worried about Mu Jingzhe, he still chased after her and went to the hospital.


    Mu Jingzhe had already been sent to the hospital. When the doctors heard that she had vomited blood, considering that this had happened before, they quickly examined her. However, they didn¡¯t find anything.


    ¡°We can¡¯t find the reason behind this, nor is there anything wrong with her. She¡¯s in excellent health¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why isn¡¯t she awake? Why is she still vomiting blood? How can you say she¡¯s in excellent health when she¡¯s vomiting blood?¡± Shao Xi asked directly.


    The doctors were just as helpless. Shao Dong nced at Shao Xi and asked him to apologize before asking the doctors to examine her again.


    ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work, let¡¯s go look for the TCM[1] doctor again. He was the one who cured herst time.¡± Shao Dong made a decision. ¡°If there¡¯s still no result by dawn, we¡¯ll set off immediately.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± Shao Nan nodded. Then, he hesitated for a moment before he said, ¡°I suspect that Xiao Wu knows about Mommy¡¯s condition. Judging from his reaction, perhaps Mommy is really fine now. The doctors might not have made a mistake.¡±


    If Shao Nan hadn¡¯t been certain previously, after hearing the doctor¡¯s words, he felt that he might have guessed correctly.


    ¡°Xiao Wu?¡± Shao Xi frowned when he heard Xiao Wu¡¯s name. ¡°Speaking of him, he¡¯s acting very strange. He evenughed when he heard Mommy vomiting blood.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯tughing maliciously. He wasughing as if he had been relieved of a burden.¡± Little Bei added what she had seen.


    Shao Dong was silent for a moment. ¡°I think he¡¯s acting abnormally too. It¡¯s like he knew in advance that Mommy would vomit blood. Besides, he heaved a sigh of relief when Mommy vomited blood.¡±


    He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Seems like there¡¯s really a reason for Xiao Wu¡¯s previous abnormal behavior. It might be rted to Mommy¡¯s health. Because it¡¯s been a long time and Mommy¡¯s health has improved, we believed that it couldn¡¯t be because of this.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he tell us? Besides, this exnation is a little too forced. Don¡¯t tell me Mommy¡¯s illness can be controlled by someone? I don¡¯t like him hiding things from us. We agreed that if anything happened, the entire family would bear it together. Back then, we asked him so many questions, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He¡¯s so heartless.¡±


    Shao Xi¡¯s expression turned even uglier. ¡°Are we that untrustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Something might have happened. We have to get someone to see what¡¯s going on between him and Shao Qiyun.¡± As Shao Dong finished speaking, Ji Buwang and Shao Qihai rushed over.


    After Shao Qihai took a look at Mu Jingzhe, he nced at Ji Buwang. Upon hearing Shao Dong¡¯s words, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look at Shao Qiyun.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to bring Xiao Wu back too,¡± Ji Buwang said from the side. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for Xiao Wu.¡±


    Shao Dong: ¡°If our guess is right, he might be concerned about Mommy¡¯s condition. Maybe he¡¯s keeping guard near the hospital. Now that Mommy¡¯s condition is unknown, he might appear if we camp there and wait.¡±


    ¡°Very likely.¡± Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°But what exactly can cause such a situation?¡±


    ¡°What situation?¡± Mu Jingzhe¡¯s voice was heard. Ji Buwang, Shao Dong, and the others were pleasantly surprised. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Ji Buwang asked immediately.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, nor do I feel unwell. Actually, I feel much better.¡± Previously, she had been very restless, but now, her entire body felt much better. ¡°I think that there¡¯s nothing wrong with me now. The doctors can¡¯t find anything either. Perhaps I¡¯m really okay.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was nearly used to vomiting blood. It was as if she had transmigrated to a wuxia world where one would easily vomit blood from time to time. However, this time, it felt different from the previous two times.


    What Mu Jingzhe was concerned about was this: ¡°What did you say just now?¡±


    When Shao Dong and Shao Nan saw that Mu Jingzhe had woken up, although their expressions were a little ugly, they weren¡¯t as pale as when she had vomited blood previously. They were much more at ease and they told her about Xiao Wu¡¯s abnormal behavior and their spections in a few words.


    ¡°So Xiao Wu knew in advance that I might vomit blood and his abnormal behavior might be rted to my illness?¡± Mu Jingzhe had made guesses about Xiao Wu¡¯s change previously but hadn¡¯t guessed that it had to do with her falling sick previously.


    However, everything had been fine after that. Besides, she couldn¡¯t think of a way someone could threaten him about this matter, so she hadn¡¯t thought too deeply about it. In the end, it turned out that it was true?


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Wu? Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He left previously, but we don¡¯t know where he is now. Big Brother said that if our guess is right, he should be concerned about your health and keeping guard nearby.¡±


    ¡°Then find him¡­¡± Before Mu Jingzhe could finish speaking, Shao Qihai returned with an unconscious Shao Qiyun.


    ¡°Looks like she drank pesticide. I brought the pesticide, but there were two bottles.¡±


    When the doctor saw that there were two pesticides, his expression changed. He didn¡¯t say anything and immediately resuscitated her.


    Shao Qihai felt that everything was very bizarre. He guessed that Xiao Wu might have gone back to take Shao Qiyun¡¯s life, but he felt that this was too absurd and strange.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qiyun, who had been brought to the hospital, and then at the two pesticide bottles. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was amiss. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. We have to find Xiao Wu as soon as possible!¡±


    If Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t gone back to look for Shao Qiyun, she was afraid that Xiao Wu must have done something foolish and dreaded that one of the two bottles might have been drunk by Xiao Wu.


    Seeing the two pesticide bottles, Shao Dong and the others also thought of this and quickly split up to look for Xiao Wu.


    In the end, Shao Dong had really guessed correctly. He found Xiao Wu, who was peeping around the hospital. When Xiao Wu saw Shao Dong, he turned around and ran, but he was caught by Shao Dong a few momentster.


    ¡°Why are you running?¡± Shao Dong grabbed Xiao Wu and looked at his expression. When he smelled his mouth, his expression changed slightly. He picked him up and ran to the hospital.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Xiao Wu struggled.


    ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t want to die. Tell me honestly, how much pesticide did you drink?¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. Put me down!¡±


    ¡°You still want to hide it from us even now? How long do you want to hide it? Do you think we¡¯ll be grateful to you after you die? We won¡¯t. We¡¯ll only hate you! Who allowed you to make this decision on your own? Have you thought about Mommy¡¯s feelings?¡±


    Xiao Wu was about to retort when Mu Jingzhe ran over upon hearing themotion. She took Xiao Wu and sprinted without hesitation. ¡°Doctor, he might have drunk some pesticide too. Quick, take a look¡­¡±


    When Xiao Wu saw that Mu Jingzhe was fine and strong and that it was effortless for her to carry him, a hint of surprise shed across his eyes. Then, he said sadly, ¡°I didn¡¯t drink¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Mu Jingzhe interrupted Xiao Wu. ¡°Shao Qiyun is also in the midst of emergency treatment. I don¡¯t want you to die while Shao Qiyun survives.¡±


    While Xiao Wu was still in a daze, he was taken to the doctor. The doctor said that Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t seriously poisoned and was in a much better condition than Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qiyun was in a perilous condition and was still undergoing emergency treatment. No one knew what the final oue would be.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others waited for Xiao Wu¡¯s treatment to end. During this process, nothing else happened to Xiao Wu. Besides, he had been awake all this time. The doctor said that he would observe him for some time, but if nothing went wrong, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.


    [1] Traditional Chinese Medicine

 Chapter 413 - Even If I Die, Ill Take Her With Me

    <h4>Chapter 413: Even If I Die, I¡¯ll Take Her With Me</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe could only be d that it wasn¡¯t paraquat[1]. Otherwise, it would really have been over. No one would be able to save him no matter what. Paraquat was something that gave one time to regret it but certainly not the chance to live. Furthermore, one would feel tortured right up to theirst moments.


    That was something that couldn¡¯t be touched. Mu Jingzhe seized the opportunity to emphasize to the children that these dangerous things couldn¡¯t be touched casually. Of course, she particrly emphasized this to Xiao Wu.


    The few of them surrounded Xiao Wu¡¯s bed and got straight to the point. ¡°Tell us, what¡¯s going on? Why did you two drink pesticide?¡±


    Xiao Wu looked at their interrogating stance and paused for a moment before saying, ¡°She didn¡¯t want to live anymore. She wanted to die, so she dragged me with her and made memit suicide.


    ¡°I sensed that something was amiss when I saw her buy pesticide previously. Because I didn¡¯t want to die, I made preparations in advance. I poured out the pesticide in one of the bottles and reced it with water. What I drank was a bottle of water.¡±


    Although it had been reced with water, there had still been remnants of pesticide, so it had been impossible for Xiao Wu to remain perfectly unscathed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I regret it. If I had known she was so greedy and ruthless, I wouldn¡¯t have followed her back. But it¡¯s useless to talk about this¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t even think about making excuses to fool us. Tell me honestly, what did Shao Qiyun threaten you with? Was it rted to my previous illness? You ran over to look for me and even knew in advance that I would vomit blood.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe interrupted Xiao Wu. ¡°It¡¯s useless to hide it now. You¡¯d bettere clean.¡±


    Xiao Wu pursed his lips and didn¡¯t say anything. Ji Buwang sighed. ¡°Xiao Wu, although you might have hidden this from us because you were threatened or something, the hurt that you have caused with your previous actions is a fact. Now, stop deliberately making excuses. You know that your mother and the rest don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Shao Qihai added, ¡°Shao Qiyun is a coward who fears death. She couldn¡¯t possiblymit suicide for no reason. You¡¯re behind this, right? Are you worried about this, or are you afraid that Shao Qiyun will die?¡±


    Xiao Wy stopped breathing. Shao Dong observed his expression. ¡°So what did Shao Qiyun do to Mommy to make you want to kill her? What exactly happened between the two of you?¡±


    They chimed in one after the other, forcing Xiao Wu into a corner. Besides, they could guess everything. This was also the reason he had been so ruthless and had made everything look reasonable previously.


    At the moment, even though he didn¡¯t say anything, they could still discover the majority of the truth. Xiao Wu looked at them and clearly realized that there was no point in hiding it anymore.


    ¡°I indeed¡­ had my reasons. Mostly, I wanted to protect Mommy.¡± No one was surprised when Xiao Wu finished.


    ¡°It really is like a movie.¡± Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. As she looked at Xiao Wu, who lookedpletely different from before, so thin and scrawny and with dark eye circles at such a young age, her heart ached unbearably. She would rather this was the story of an ingrate.


    At least an ingrate wouldn¡¯t hurt herself.


    However, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t really trying to be strong or insist on shouldering this himself. He deliberately hadn¡¯t told Mu Jingzhe and the others simply because he¡¯d had no choice. Therefore, even though he knew that his method wasn¡¯t appropriate and that Mu Jingzhe and the others wouldn¡¯t like it, he could only do this.


    The entire incident had started when Mu Jingzhe had fallen sickst year.


    Last year, Mu Jingzhe had suddenly gotten sick and even vomited blood. At first, Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t known the reason for this, but Shao Qiyun had suddenly found Xiao Wu and said that she could make Mu Jingzhe sick and make her life a living hell. If he didn¡¯t want Mu Jingzhe to be in pain, he would have to listen to her.


    Xiao Wu naturally hadn¡¯t believed it. He had never heard of anyone with such capabilities. He hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang toe looking for him and say that Mu Jingzhe was really sick.


    However, at first, Xiao Wu had thought that it was just a coincidence. Shao Qiyun merely took the opportunity to scare him after learning that Mu Jingzhe was ill. He believed that if she was sick, she would be fine after going to the doctor. Even if Shao Qiyun had poisoned Mu Jingzhe, they could just have Shao Qiyun arrested after getting the doctor to treat her.


    However, the doctors couldn¡¯t find out the cause of the illness, and Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t recovered either. Shao Qiyun had found Xiao Wu again. Compared to when Xiao Wu had first met her, Shao Qiyun¡¯s face was much rosier. One had to admit that Shao Qiyun had been very thin at first and her face had been pale, but after not seeing her for a long time, she lookedpletely different to him.


    Mu Jingzhe became weak and pale, while Shao Qiyun became energetic in a short period of time. She looked for Xiao Wu and told him, ¡°Do you believe me now? I was the one who caused her to fall sick.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. How could you be capable of that!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I fed your mother some specially-concocted stuff while you guys were eating outside. From now on, her life will be in my hands. I was originally skeptical, but I didn¡¯t expect it to really work. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Shao Qiyunughed out loud. ¡°The heavens have eyes. They gave me a chance to take revenge on her for snatching you away. Now, I¡¯m going to snatch you back.


    ¡°Shao Zhong, listen up. In the past, I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge you, but I do now. I don¡¯t want you to acknowledge Mu Jingzhe. You have to promise me this. You also have to be a filial child and let me, your mother, live in thep of luxury. Otherwise, I¡¯ll torture Mu Jingzhe for the rest of her life. I¡¯ll make her vomit blood and take her life. You will then live with regrets for the rest of your life.¡±


    Xiao Wu still didn¡¯t believe her. Shao Qiyun said directly, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t believe me so easily, but that¡¯s not a problem. I have plenty of opportunities to prove it. Go back and wait. I¡¯ll make her vomit blood in half an hour. You¡¯ll believe me then.


    ¡°If you still don¡¯t believe me, I can prove it to you a few more times. I can do it as many times as you want me to, but I don¡¯t know if she will survive vomiting blood a few times. It¡¯s your choice.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was fearless and took a solemn vow. Xiao Wu ran back home in disbelief and saw Mu Jingzhe vomit blood for the second time. It was exactly at the time Shao Qiyun had mentioned.


    Xiao Wu got scared. He wanted to tell Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others immediately, but Shao Qiyun had anticipated it and forbidden him from doing so right from the start.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to tell anyone about this. Only you and I can know. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill Mu Jingzhe directly. If Shao Dong and the others find out, or if your father, Ji Buwang, and the others find out, I won¡¯t admit it. I¡¯ll kill Mu Jingzhe directly.¡±


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t good at anything else, but she was talented when it came to doing evil. She feared that if Mu Jingzhe found out, she wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve her goal. She was also afraid that things would get troublesome if Shao Dong and the others found out, for the children were very impressive. Furthermore, Ji Buwang and the others were rich and knew people. Who knew if they would find a way to resolve this? If this happened, things would get out of hand. Therefore, she had forbidden Xiao Wu to say anything.


    She merely wanted a good life, but she didn¡¯t want to attract too much attention. The fewer people knew about this, the better. She only wanted to control Xiao Wu.


    Xiao Wu was only so old, and he wasn¡¯t like Shao Dong and the rest personality-wise, so he was terrified. There were a few times when he couldn¡¯t help but want to tell his siblings, but every time he wanted to take action, Mu Jingzhe would continue to be feeble.


    He also didn¡¯t dare gamble with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s life. Shao Qiyun had suffered too much at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands and had long hated her to the bone. Besides, she was really crazy. If the matter was exposed, she definitely wouldn¡¯t let Mu Jingzhe off if things didn¡¯t go well for her. She really might, as she had said, kill her.


    [1] a toxic chemical that is widely used as an herbicide

 Chapter 414 - Pardon My Frankness, Its a Little Melodramatic

    <h4>Chapter 414: Pardon My Frankness, It¡¯s a Little Melodramatic</h4>


    However, with such a killing method, one couldn¡¯t even know how it had happened, let alone find evidence. If Mu Jingzhe really died by Shao Qiyun¡¯s hand¡­ Xiao Wu didn¡¯t dare imagine it and really didn¡¯t dare gamble.


    Mu Jingzhe had been getting weaker and weaker, but Shao Qiyun¡¯s condition had been getting better and better. Xiao Wu had watched helplessly as this bizarre thing happened. In the end, Mu Jingzhe had even said herst words. He could only look for Shao Qiyun again.


    He had asked Shao Qiyun what she had done, but Shao Qiyun had refused to answer. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you. Anyway, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s life is in your hands now. If you want her to live well, then be my son and help me and support me financially. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make her wish she was dead.¡±


    Xiao Wu had pretended to agree on the condition that Mu Jingzhe would get better. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t believe her.


    Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t afraid that Xiao Wu would y any tricks and agreed directly. After that, Mu Jingzhe really recovered. Everyone thought that it was because she had taken Chinese medicine, but Xiao Wu knew that this wasn¡¯t the case.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qiyun to really be able to control Mu Jingzhe¡¯s life and safety. After proving her ability, Shao Qiyun had immediately wanted Xiao Wu to acknowledge her. Otherwise, she would torture Mu Jingzhe again.


    Xiao Wu had tried his best to calm down and made a lot of effort to convince Shao Qiyun not to be anxious. ¡°It has to be at least three months apart. Otherwise, it¡¯ll appear abnormal if I acknowledge you right after my mother recovers from this illness. Her mother and the rest will also guess it. If that happens, your n will probably be useless.¡±


    Shao Qiyun wanted this to be a lifetime transaction so she could lead a good life for the rest of her days. She decided she could wait three months and thus reluctantly agreed.


    After convincing her to let him stay for three more months, Xiao Wu had cherished those three months very much. He had thought of solving the problem in three months, but he didn¡¯t seed. Shao Qiyun was tight-lipped and didn¡¯t speak the truth at all.


    Xiao Wu had made a lot of effort to ask around and check. This was also the reason he had been out for the entire summer vacation. He had wanted to solve this from a scientific perspective, like Shao Nan would do, but it was useless.


    Later on, Xiao Wu had finally found some clues. Shao Qiyun and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s situation was very simr to a legendary thing¡ªthe Gu[1].


    Many people had heard of such a thing, but they had basically never seen it before. However, Shao Qiyun had this thing.


    Xiao Wu had found out by himself. Seeing that three months had passed, Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t hidden it from Xiao Wu and had directly said that she had used the Gu.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s face had been filled with hatred. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect this, did you? There¡¯s always a way out. Back then, you people were ruthless to me. Even when I was in such a state, you still didn¡¯t help me repay my debt. In the end, those debt collectors found me. My fate was worse than death.¡±


    Back then, Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t been able to fork out the money. In front of her had been only two paths. She could die or repay the debt with her body. She had two choices. The first was to be a prostitute to repay her debt. Coincidentally, she was quite good-looking. Her second option was to deceive someone into marrying her and scam a man out of their money.


    These methods were risky. Once one took this path, there was no going back.


    At the time, Shao Qiyun had gotten lucky, and there had fortunately been a third option: She could be the subject of a kind of in-vitro experiment[2]. As long as Shao Qiyun was willing, the debt would be repaid for her.


    In the end, Shao Qiyun had chosen the third path. After passing through many ces, she had been brought to a very remote deep forest in the southwest and had met a man there.


    That man had been the victim of Gu. It was said that he used to have a family of his own. Later on, someone had used Gu on him, causing him to abandon his wife and children to follow that Miao[3] woman to her vige.


    After being in love for more than ten years, it was only after that woman passed away that he finally found out that she had cast the love Gu on him. Unfortunately, he could no longer go back to the past.


    Later on, he had be interested in Gu and started researching it. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to try it on a small animal. In the end, he had found a way to try it on a human. Just like that, Shao Qiyun had been brought back.


    Shao Qiyun, hisb rat, had unexpectedly seeded. This also allowed her to gain a good understanding of the Gu, especially the Mother-Child Gu.


    Therefore, she had brought the Gu in her body back to take revenge. She had wanted more, such as the Love Gu, as this way, she could marry anyone she wanted. However, this wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained just like that, so she could only bring back the Mother-Child Gu first.


    ¡°The mother Gu is in my body and obeys my intentions. As for the child Gu, I¡¯ve already ced it in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body. Although we¡¯re separated, my mother Gu can contact the child Gu. I can do whatever I want to her. You can forget about trying to deal with it. This is an unsolvable problem, and there¡¯s no antidote. Unless I die, it¡¯s useless.


    ¡°But you people can¡¯t kill me casually because if I die, the mother Gu will die. If the mother Gu dies, the child Gu won¡¯t live either. And if the child Gu dies, Mu Jingzhe will die too. So don¡¯t even think aboutying a finger on me.¡±


    Shao Qiyun had exined clearly, ¡°While I¡¯m in a good mood, I¡¯ll give you another piece of information. If Mu Jingzhe dies, it won¡¯t affect me because I¡¯m the mother Gu.¡±


    The terrifying aspect of this type of Guy in its absolute status. Moreover, the mother Gu could even control the life force of the child Gu. The so-called life force was actual life. Back then, Shao Qiyun had been tormented greatly during the experiments. The mother Gu had absorbed too much life force, causing her to urgently need replenishment.


    Because she was too greedy, she had almost absorbed too much life force from the child Gu on her first try and nearly killed Mu Jingzhe.


    This was also why Shao Qiyun had recovered her vitality so quickly back then, but Mu Jingzhe was bing weaker and weaker.


    The Mother-Child Gu was terrifying, and Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t lying. There was really no antidote.


    Forced into a corner, Xiao Wu hade up with an idea. ¡°Move the child Gu to me. I¡¯lle with you. I¡¯ll earn money and support you. I¡¯ll try my best to give you what you want. I¡¯m your son. Juste look for me.¡±


    Xiao Wu had been willing to suffer in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ce. At most, he would die. However, Shao Qiyun had shaken her head. ¡°Once the child Gu is cast, there¡¯s no way to transfer it to someone else. Besides, what if you ignore it and die after it¡¯s cast on you? I¡¯m better off casting it on someone you care about.¡±


    Shao Qiyun was smart. After that, she had only urged Xiao Wu toe back quickly. She knew that she couldn¡¯t force him too much, so she had agreed that as long as Xiao Wu went back and acknowledged her, as well as listened to her obediently, she wouldn¡¯t harm Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qiyun had done what he¡¯d promised, and Mu Jingzhe had stopped having health problems. Xiao Wu had patiently dealt with her and bought some time. As he¡¯d made preparations to make his departure appear reasonable, he had searched for a solution. However, he couldn¡¯t find one in the end.


    Not wanting Mu Jingzhe to be in danger again, he hadn¡¯t dared gamble. Later on, he¡¯d had no choice but to do those things until, step by step, he had been abandoned by everyone.


    Those falling-out scenes had been the result of Xiao Wu¡¯s repeated practice in secret, forcing the well-protected, timid, adorable Xiao Wu to be reborn.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qiyun had be increasingly greedy and had even wanted to trample on Mu Jingzhe. Xiao Wu had been forced to learn her crazy, greedy, unscrupulous ways. Perhaps it was because they were mother and son, but Xiao Wu really mimicked her quite well in this aspect.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s catchphrase was, ¡°If I¡¯m unhappy, I have to make someone else unhappy too.¡±


    This ¡®someone¡¯ was none other than Mu Jingzhe.


    [1] venomous worms that can be imnted inside human bodies and then take control over their host¡¯s body


    [2] an experiment performed in or on a whole living organism, such as a person,boratory animal, or nt


    [3] an ethnic group living in Southern China

 Chapter 415 - Dont Have to Worry Anymore

    <h4>Chapter 415: Don¡¯t Have to Worry Anymore</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    This was what Shao Qiyun had said right from the start. When she was unhappy, she would recall the wretched past and have an urge to deal with Mu Jingzhe to vent her anger. Therefore, she had warned Xiao Wu not to make her unhappy.


    She had often repeated this sentence over and over again, like a knife hanging over Xiao Wu¡¯s head, forcing him to think of ways to coax her.


    He had kept a watchful eye on Shao Qiyun every day and didn¡¯t dare make mistakes, fearing that Shao Qiyun would deal with Mu Jingzhe.


    During the New Year, when Shao Xi and Shao Nan had taken revenge on Shao Qiyun, Xiao Wu had tried his best to stop them because of this.


    If Shao Qiyun knew that his siblings were doing this to avenge Mu Jingzhe, she would definitely make Mu Jingzhe suffer double the pain. This was what Xiao Wu feared the most, so he had to stop them.


    Xiao Wu was already in enough pain, but Shao Qiyun still felt that it wasn¡¯t enough. Her appetite had grown. ¡°I want everything you¡¯ve done for Mu Jingzhe. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be unhappy. I also want what you haven¡¯t done for her. Only then will I be happy.¡±


    When she heard parents bragging about how wonderful their children were, she wanted Xiao Wu to do it all.


    Xiao Wu had been in endless pain every day. He was forced to do all sorts of speechless things and earn money. Meanwhile, he had to think of ways to get rid of that Gu, but he had never learned the crux of it. He had racked his brains, unable to sleep day and night.


    Meanwhile, Shao Qiyun¡¯s appetite had been ballooning, just like her boldness. She had even set her sights on the other four kids, wanting to snatch them for herself too.


    It was at this time that, after a lot of effort and deliberation, Xiao Wu had finally found a way to suppress the Gu in Shao Qiyun¡¯s body.


    He had heard of this method from a Miao doctor. Previously, Shao Qiyun had said that even if she died, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t live either. This was true, but there was one situation in which it would work¡ªif Shao Qiyun wanted to die herself.


    Therefore, the only solution to the Mother-Child Gu was for Shao Qiyun tomit suicide.


    At that moment, Xiao Wu had already been forced by Shao Qiyun to the point where he almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore and he wished he could kill Shao Qiyun.


    Xiao Wu had been forced to abandon his family and friends by Shao Qiyun. There was only pain left in his life now. He was already in a bad state and even intended to kill her. Hence, everything that had happened in his previous life happened once again.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t hesitate before taking action. This was because the longer he dyed, the more dangerous it would be for Mu Jingzhe. Plus, he had no other alternative. This was the first time he used dark music. Every day, he would y music for Shao Qiyun. He had learned to hide his killing intent, and no one could tell that there was anything wrong with his music, but the killing intent hidden within it affected Shao Qiyun.


    Shao Qiyun had some psychological problems to begin with. She was the sort of person who had insanity carved into her bones. Coupled with the influence of Xiao Wu¡¯s music, Shao Qiyun became increasingly anxious and dramatic, and her ambition grew as well.


    Because the Ji Family had directly said that they wouldn¡¯t acknowledge Xiao Wu, he had heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qiyun to have designs on Ji Buwang again and force him to set them up. Even more coincidentally, Mu Jingzhe also came.


    It had been a while since Xiao Wu had seen Mu Jingzhe. Seeing her was like a stimnt to him, allowing him to persist and find the motivation to continue. However, seeing Mu Jingzhe also made him feel agony.


    Mu Jingzhe was furious when she realized that he had lost weight and hadn¡¯t grown taller. She even questioned him about it. Her words were harsh, but behind those harsh words was concern.


    At the time, Xiao Wu wanted to throw himself into her arms and whine like before, but he couldn¡¯t.


    On the way back, Shao Qiyun had kept cursing. Later on, her fury had turned into smugness again. Xiao Wu touched his hand and only smiled bitterly.


    He had still exposed himself. He had practiced so much and hadn¡¯t exposed himself in any way, but he had aroused suspicions because he had lost weight. He hadn¡¯t done it on purpose, but how could he not lose weight? Before he had left Mu Jingzhe, even though he had been troubled, he had always eaten and slept at night. But ever since they¡¯d fallen out, he had never eaten or slept well.


    As soon as he fell asleep, he would dream of Mu Jingzhe vomiting blood and dying over and over again. He wasn¡¯t able to sleep at all.


    Other than the fact that he was thin, his clothes were also another clue that nearly gave him away. He was wearing these old clothes because Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t want to buy him new ones. On the other hand, he wanted to wear the clothes Mu Jingzhe had bought for him, for it would then feel as if Mu Jingzhe was still by his side.


    But in fact, that wasn¡¯t the case. If this continued and he didn¡¯t solve the problem soon, he might really never be able to return to Mommy¡¯s side again.


    Shao Qiyun had started nagging again about what she wanted to do next. She had her sights set overseas, and she said that she wanted to go abroad. This made Xiao Wu feel increasingly anxious and determined to solve this problem as soon as possible.


    He increasingly lost control of his hatred and killing intent for Shao Qiyun, but that music didn¡¯t only affect Shao Qiyun. It also affected him. After all, he was too young, soter on, even Xiao Wu lost control more and more. Afraid that an unexpected situation would arise again, from that day onward, Xiao Wu worked hard and sessfully drove Shao Qiyun crazy. She finally wanted to die.


    Although she wanted to die, even if she died, she didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to live without her and return to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side. Therefore, before she died, she wanted to kill herself with Xiao Wu and watch him drink before drinking the liquid herself.


    If Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t switched the pesticide to water beforehand, he might have died before Shao Qiyun did. Fortunately, he had been prepared.


    As Shao Qiyun hadmitted suicide by drinking pesticide, at that moment, she¡¯d intended to die. The Mother Gu in her body sensed it and felt extremely anxious. If there was any smell of blood outside, the Mother Gu would escape in order to live, wanting to switch to a new host.


    The Mother Gu was in a person¡¯s body and was telepathically linked to the host. However, as long as it was drawn out, it would be fine before it entered the new host. Xiao Wu had been waiting for this opportunity.


    After Shao Qiyun finished drinking the liquid and copsed, Xiao Wu got up again and cut his finger with a knife, making it smell of blood. He tempted the Gu worm at the tip of Shao Qiyun¡¯s nose.


    In the end, Xiao Wu finally seeded in luring the Mother Gu out. When the female Gu crawled out of Shao Qiyun¡¯s nose, Xiao Wu killed the Mother Gu immediately.


    After leaving the host, this Mother Gu was just a worm whose life could be taken with a stomp of a foot.


    The death of the Child Gu wouldn¡¯t have much of an impact on the Mother Gu, but if the Mother Gu died, the Child Gu would also die. If the Child Gu died, Mu Jingzhe would then be safe.


    Mu Jingzhe had been anxious and uneasy all this time because she had been affected by the emotions in Shao Qi¡¯s Mother Gu. Later on, she had vomited blood because the Child Gu had died. This was also why the blood had been ck.


    Rather than calling it blood, it would be more urate to call it Child Gu.


    What Xiao Wu was most afraid of was that the Child Gu was so powerful that it would also drag its host down and make it die with it. Fortunately, the Child Gu was still young and Mu Jingzhe quickly vomited blood, so the problem wasn¡¯t that big.


    Unlike when she had vomited blood previously, this time, vomiting blood meant she would survive.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t say much about how much suffering he had gone through or how much effort he had made to find this solution. He only talked about how Shao Qiyun had threatened him and introduced the Mother-Child Gu and the solutionter on.


    ¡°Now that the Child and Mother Gu are both dead, you¡¯re safe, Mom. You don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected something like the Mother-Child Gu to really exist. It didn¡¯t sound real, but her bloody vomit and her inability to find the cause of the illness forced her to believe it.. Mu Jingzhe thought that this was the world of a novel, so this was probably why everything was possible.

 Chapter 416 - His Body Has Long Collapsed

    <h4>Chapter 416: His Body Has Long Copsed</h4>


    There were all sorts of strange things in the novel world, and the existence of the Mother-Child Gu seemed normal.


    Upon thinking of the legendary Gu in her body, Mu Jingzhe felt waves of difort. She really wanted to vomit, but when she saw Xiao Wu¡¯s expression, she forcefully suppressed the urge to do so.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t look at Mu Jingzhe. Instead, he looked in the direction of the emergency room. He didn¡¯t know how Shao Qiyun was, but he knew that he was no longer clean after killing someone.


    Even though he had done it to save someone, it was a fact that he had killed a person. He had killed with his favorite thing, music, which was something that he had originally nned on liking for the rest of his life.


    Xiao Wu looked at the frowning expressions of his siblings and took a deep breath. ¡°This is what happened. If it were you guys, you might have handled it better, but I couldn¡¯t think of a better solution. Whether you can understand me or not, this is the only way.¡±


    After saying that, he lifted the nket. ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take him there.¡± Ji Buwang perked up. Ignoring Xiao Wu¡¯s resistance, he picked him up and walked out. As he walked, he frowned. Why did he feel lighter than before?


    When Xiao Wu and Ji Buwang left the ward, Mu Jingzhe followed them worriedly. Shao Qihai said that he was going to check on Shao Qiyun and left as well.


    Although Shao Qiyun, his younger sister, deserved to die, he couldn¡¯t let her die now.


    The remaining four kids looked at each other¡¯s expressions. ¡°Why is nobody talking?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± Little Bei wrinkled her nose. ¡°We¡¯ve scolded and resented each other before¡­¡±


    ¡°Then how can you not forgive him?¡± Shao Dong asked in return.


    Little Bei frowned. It was impossible for her not to forgive him. Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t even have to lift a finger to im their mother¡¯s life. If their mother¡¯s life was being threatened, who could guarantee that they would have acted better than him?


    Shao Nan looked at her expression. ¡°Stop thinking about it. Previously, we said that even if there was more to the story than met the eye, we¡¯d have to teach Xiao Wu a lesson. If that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll use those other methods¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, they heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s panicked voice calling for the doctor outside. Shao Dong and the others looked at each other and quickly rushed out.


    Xiao Wu had fainted at the door right aftering out of the bathroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t they say that the pesticide hadn¡¯t affected him much?¡±


    The doctor soon arrived. ¡°The pesticide didn¡¯t cause the child too much harm, but his body has been exhausted for a long time. The specific test results will only be out tomorrow, but based on experience, it might be a little troublesome.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know tomorrow.¡±


    After an entire night of resuscitation, Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t die. She was barely resuscitated, but her condition wasn¡¯t very good. As for what would happen in the future, they had to continue observing to find out.


    On the surface, Shao Qiyun¡¯s condition looked more dangerous, but in reality, Xiao Wu¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t optimistic either.


    After a few consultations with experts, the conclusion was: ¡°His body copsed a long time ago. He¡¯s like an arrow at the end of its flight, just barely holding on. He suffers from malnutrition, anemia, and so on.¡±


    This was also the first time the doctor had encountered such a case. ¡°Furthermore, for such a situation to arise, physical illness is not enough. He must also be mentally and physically exhausted. He must have not slept well for a long time.


    ¡°Such a condition usually only affects adults. This is the first time it has happened to such a young child. What exactly happened to him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare look at Xiao Wu anymore. ¡°Can it still be cured? It can still be cured, right?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on your cooperation. If you cooperate and take good care of him, he might be able to recover, but he can¡¯t go on like this in the future. He¡¯s human and he¡¯s still growing. He can¡¯t be so hard on his body. Otherwise, this will leave behind a lifetime of seque. It¡¯s possible that he won¡¯t grow taller or bigger from now on.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was shocked. ¡°He won¡¯t grow taller or bigger? It¡¯s that serious?¡±


    ¡°It?<i>is</i>?very serious. He¡¯s in a terrible state now. That¡¯s why I told you to be careful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since hest grew taller¡­ He can still grow taller if he¡¯s well taken care of, right?¡±


    She had always hoped that the five kids would grow up healthily. Although people said that it would be great if time slowed down and they didn¡¯t grow up, they didn¡¯t mean it in this sense.


    What would looking like seven or eight years old forever be like? One would probably go crazy.


    The doctor also knew the severity of the matter. ¡°Pay more attention. Recovery should be possible. You guys should observe him more. We¡¯ll do our best too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you, doctor. Thank you, doctor.¡± After thanking the doctor, Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu, feeling terrible.


    Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t said how long he had been going through this, but the doctor¡¯s words and Xiao Wu¡¯s condition indirectly exined everything.


    No wonder he hadn¡¯t grown taller and had gotten so thin. How could he grow taller and gain weight when his body was so tormented?


    ¡°I felt that he was ridiculously thinst night¡­¡± Shao Nan, who hade to eavesdrop, muttered. Only then did he realize why Xiao Wu¡¯s cries had made them all feel so ufortable.


    Shao Xi, who hade to eavesdrop too, was even more speechless. He had resented Xiao Wu the most previously and felt that he was really ungrateful. Back then, because of Xiao Wu, Shao Xi had cried and made a fuss. He had felt extremely vexed and hurt, but he hadn¡¯t expected that,pared to Xiao Wu¡¯s condition, this would be nothing.


    ¡°He¡¯ll grow up. Every child grows up. At most, I¡¯ll stew bone broth for him every day. I¡¯ll go buy some now.¡±


    Shao Xi ran out to buy the broth because he felt so awful.


    It was such a big deal, but in the end, their youngest brother, Xiao Wu, had to bear this responsibility. No wonder he had changed so much. He had been forced to do this.


    Shao Dong, who had apanied them, also felt his heart ache when he heard that. However, other than worrying about Xiao Wu, he was also worried that Mu Jingzhe would feel terrible. After all, Mu Jingzhe had hit Xiao Wu before.


    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go out. The doctor will treat him well. Xiao Wu will definitely grow bigger and taller.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. Xiao Wu will definitely grow taller. If he doesn¡¯t grow taller this time, I¡¯ll formte a substance to make him grow taller in the future,¡± Shao Nan also told Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded and didn¡¯t speak for a long time. When she returned to the ward, she couldn¡¯t help but stroke Xiao Wu. When she saw that he was thinner than she had imagined, she felt terrible. She found an excuse and came out again. She couldn¡¯t help but bump her head on the side.


    ¡°I told you before, this is what I hate the most¡­ The fact that he had his reasons. He has been sacrificing himself silently¡­ What have I done to deserve him?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. Xiao Wu did that because he thinks that you¡¯re worth it.¡± Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t stop her in time and helplessly advised her. ¡°If we find a better doctor, he¡¯ll definitely be able to treat Xiao Wu and make him grow taller.¡±


    Xiao Wu was unconscious. When Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng received the news, they also rushed over. They hadn¡¯t expected the truth to be so shocking, but because they had heard too much about ghosts and gods, it was easy for them to ept the Gu exnation.


    ¡°What the heck is this? All this is Shao Qiyun¡¯s fault. Why didn¡¯t she die?¡±


    Everyone wished that she had died, but their priority was still Xiao Wu. Since Xiao Wu had fainted, he hadn¡¯t woken up.

 Chapter 417 - Shao Qiyun Is Not Dead But She Has Gone Crazy

    <h4>Chapter 417: Shao Qiyun Is Not Dead But She Has Gone Crazy</h4>


    The doctor said that Xiao Wu had fallen into such a deep sleep because he hadn¡¯t slept for so long previously and he had finally let go of his worries. Sleep was beneficial to his recovery.


    However, they couldn¡¯t let him go on sleeping. Otherwise, he might never wake up.


    He had been advancing toward a goal. Now that the goal had suddenly been achieved, he mightpletely rx and not want to wake up again.


    Afraid that he didn¡¯t want to wake up but also wanting him to rest more, Mu Jingzhe and the rest took turns talking to Xiao Wu in front of his bed, letting him subconsciously know that someone was waiting for him.


    While Mu Jingzhe was talking to Xiao Wu, she habitually stroked his hair. As she stroked it, she suddenly found a white hair on Xiao Wu¡¯s head.


    ¡°Why does he have a white hair¡­ at such a young age?¡± Xiao Wu was only a few years old. It was too soon.


    Mu Jingzhe quickly went to look for the doctor. After the doctor took a look, he pondered it for a moment. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s been thinking too much or hecks some kind of element. But if a child who¡¯s only a few years old already has white hair, we have to be careful¡­¡±


    The doctor also knew Xiao Wu and was aware that Shao Qiyun was his biological mother. He shook his head. This matter was strange no matter how one looked at it.


    Mu Jingzhe was even more upset when she heard that. She found the white hair striking.


    Ji Buwang, Shao Qihai, and the others fell silent when they heard that. Shao Xi, who had gone out to buy pork bones, returned after getting them. When he saw Xiao Wu¡¯s white hair, he silently went out to buy sesame seeds and walnuts.


    Sesame seeds and walnuts could be used to nourish and darken the hair.


    However, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t manage to eat the cooked bone broth either. Xiao Wu slept for an entire day and didn¡¯t wake up. After one more night, Xiao Wu slept for an entire day and night. They had to wake Xiao Wu up.


    However, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn¡¯t wake him up. Mu Jingzhe panicked and quickly went to look for the doctor. The doctor came to check on him and also tried their method, but it was useless. He said that they had to find something that Xiao Wu cared about, something that could stimte him.


    However, it was useless even after they took turns trying. In the end, Shao Xi suddenly thought of something and went forward to shout in Xiao Wu¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Mommy vomited blood again!¡±


    His voice was quick and anxious. Little Bei was about to pull Shao Xi back when she saw Xiao Wu, who had been motionless, suddenly open his eyes. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe by the bed, Xiao Wu grabbed her hand. ¡°Mommy, are you vomiting blood again? Why are you vomiting blood again? She promised she wouldn¡¯t make you vomit blood¡­¡± He looked flustered as he spoke.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu and burst into tears. She hugged him and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t vomit blood. I¡¯m fine. Xiao Wu, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Xiao Wu gradually regained his senses in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms, and his expression slowly calmed down. ¡°I¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what to say. Shao Xi looked at Xiao Wu, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes turning red. He had suddenly thought of it and tried it without giving it much thought. He hadn¡¯t expected it to really work.


    It was obvious how much this sentence had stimted Xiao Wu.


    Now that Xiao Wu had woken up, he avoided the danger of falling into aa. However, his body still needed to recuperate. His nerves were too tense, and he needed to adjust.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others remembered what the doctor had said, so not long after Xiao Wu woke up, a steaming pot of bone broth greeted him.


    ¡°I went to buy the bones this morning and stewed them myself. Drink it quickly. You didn¡¯t get to drink it yesterday.¡±


    After a big bowl of bone broth, Shao Xi gave Xiao Wu a big bone. ¡°Hurry up and suck the bone marrow.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had heard that cylindrical bones could allow one to grow taller, especially if one ate the bone marrow. In the past, she had also nourished them using this. She had asked each of the kids to suck the bone marrow out before. Shao Xi felt that it was quite effective, so he decided to feed Xiao Wu at least one cylindrical bone a day from now on.


    He didn¡¯t believe that it would be useless.


    Xiao Wu was very stunned, but he couldn¡¯t bear to turn down Shao Xi¡¯s kind intentions. He could only suck hard on the big bone.


    Shao Xi was only satisfied when he obediently sucked it. After confirming with the doctor that he could eat sesame and walnuts, he peeled a walnut for Xiao Wu.


    In the afternoon, Shao Xi went to buy cylindrical bones again. Xiao Wu was very sensitive and had already sensed that their attitude was abnormal. He quickly asked if he had a calcium deficiency or something.


    Shao Nan nced at Mu Jingzhe and told Xiao Wu the truth without having to discuss it with her.


    They had long said that they wouldn¡¯t hide things from each other anymore. Besides, Xiao Wu had to know about this so that he would cooperate.


    Xiao Wu hadn¡¯t expected this to happen either. He was also afraid, but upon seeing the seriousness on their faces, heforted them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. At most, I¡¯ll just be your younger brother for the rest of our lives.¡±


    He would work hard to grow up so that his mother wouldn¡¯t worry about him for a lifetime. But even if he didn¡¯t manage to grow taller, he wouldn¡¯t regret it. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s safety was worth it!


    However, Mu Jingzhe and the others didn¡¯t feel the same way. They only wanted Xiao Wu to return to normal. Now, Shao Xi was determined to help Xiao Wu by using food, and Shao Nan would look for the doctors whenever he had the time, wanting to solve every problem through scientific treatment.


    Xiao Wu cooperated with them, and nothing else happened after that. However, Shao Qiyun was not well. She was still in a critical condition.


    Xiao Wu was very cold when he mentioned Shao Qiyun. He believed that she deserved to die, but Mommy had long told them that even if someone¡¯s crimes were unforgivable, they shouldn¡¯t rece thew and condemn them for the crimes themselves. Otherwise, if they got used to it, their mentality would change and they would think that they could decide the fate of others at will and they¡¯d feel superior to others.


    This wouldn¡¯t do for long. Xiao Wu knew very well what he had done, so he was already prepared to turn himself in. It might not have urred to the others that his music could kill, but he knew it very well himself, so he had to take responsibility.


    Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t have to go to jail because of his age, but he should go to juvie to be reformed. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say this to Mu Jingzhe for the time being.


    He had left his mommy for too long. So long that he felt like he had died once before returning. Seeing his mommy taking care of him every day and feeding him while his siblings, maternal grandparents, and uncles around him kept asking about his well-being, he felt so blissful that it felt like he was dreaming.


    Xiao Wu wanted this dream tost longer.


    He stayed in the hospital for five days. The day he was discharged, Xiao Wu obtusely thought that he would turn himself in after Shao Qiyun died and he would stay by his mother and siblings¡¯ side a little longer for now.


    However, Shao Qiyun didn¡¯t die in the end. After a few days of emergency treatment, Shao Qiyun was brought back from the brink of death.


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Shao Dong and the others felt that it wouldn¡¯t be enough even if Shao Qiyun died a thousand times. It wouldn¡¯t be sufficient to kill her a few times. However, they had to let the doctor save her for no other reason than for Xiao Wu.


    As long as she was still alive, the burden in Xiao Wu¡¯s heart might not be so heavy. Even though he felt that he had already killed someone, this was better than her really dying and forming a knot in his heart.


    After Shao Qiyun was rescued, she was hospitalized for two days. Then, she recovered and could finally be discharged.


    However, it was unknown if it was because she had suffered a mental breakdown or because of the aftereffects of the pesticide. When Shao Qiyun woke up again, her mental state was already abnormal. She was sometimes sober and sometimes muddle-headed. To put it simply, she had gone crazy.

 Chapter 418 - Ive Got to Kill Her In Secret

    <h4>Chapter 418: I¡¯ve Got to Kill Her In Secret</h4>


    When Shao Qiyun was muddle-headed, she was in a daze. She would pretend to be a bride and say that she wanted to marry a rich person. She would also cover her head with a pillowcase and get someone to lift the cover for her.


    Sheughed out loud when the pillowcase was lifted and felt extremely ecstatic. She would often go crazy while the pillowcase was on her head and go everywhere, looking for people to lift the cover for her. The nurses, the doctors, and the patients¡¯ families were all bugged by her, and she had even frightened some children to tears.


    This was the result of Zhao Lan repeatedly telling her that she must marry a rich man ever since she was still a child. This goal had been ingrained in her mind, making her obsessed with marrying a rich man.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s appearance wasughable, but when one thought about it seriously, it was quite horrifying. She didn¡¯t even remember who she was, but she remembered that she wanted to marry a rich man. How terrifying was that?


    ¡°You can¡¯t just instill such thoughts into a child¡¯s mind. Otherwise, they¡¯ll scar the child for life.¡±


    When Shao Qiyun was muddled, she behaved like this. When she was sober, she wasn¡¯t much better. Actually, she was even scarier and crazier. She kept asking people for Gu. ¡°Where¡¯s my Gu? Where¡¯s the Gu I used to kill Mu Jingzhe? Why is it gone?¡±


    She would even rummage around and scratch her body while looking for Gu. When she saw Xiao Wu, she would go even crazier. ¡°Did you take away my Gu? Shao Zhong,e back, or I¡¯ll kill Mu Jingzhe!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your mother. I have Gu. Haha, I have Gu¡­ I¡¯ll kill Mu Jingzhe now.¡±


    After going crazy for a while, Shao Qiyun covered her mouth again. ¡°I can¡¯t let anyone know. I¡¯ve got to kill her in secret.¡±


    She kept muttering about killing Mu Jingzhe, and after the agitation passed, she would be in a muddled state again.


    The problem had been solved. After confirming that Shao Qiyun was acting crazy, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t want to see Shao Qiyun at all, and neither did Mu Jingzhe and the others. It was enough that Shao Qiyun wasn¡¯t dead.


    Xiao Wu used to be such a wonderful person. So many people had thanked him because they had found redemption in his music. They had all praised him for being a little angel. In the end, he had been plunged into hell and the so-called little angel had been forced to undergo a drastic transformation by Shao Qiyun.


    No one pitied Shao Qiyun. Shao Qihai sent Shao Qiyun back to her hometown and had her keep Zhao Lanpany in the sheep pen.


    At the sight of Zhao Lan, Shao Qiyun went even crazier. ¡°Give me the Gu. It¡¯s my Gu!¡±


    When she was muddle-headed, she would rant about wanting to marry a rich person. When she wasn¡¯t crazy, she would ask Zhao Lan for the Gu and me her for not giving it to her.


    Zhao Lan was in endless pain because of her. She knew very well now that she had harmed Shao Qiyun.


    She already knew what Shao Qiyun had done and thought that it was karma. ¡°I told you to treat Xiao Wu well and not do evil things, but you didn¡¯t listen. Now, this is your retribution. If I had known, I would have advised you more.¡±


    Zhao Lan was filled with anger, hatred, and regret. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for always telling you to marry a rich man and making you think that you have to be good-looking. I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have helped you deal with Xiao Wu like that previously. I should have let you learn your lesson.¡±


    Zhao Lan had influenced Shao Qiyun too much. To a certain extent, Shao Qiyun was a replica of Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan¡¯s favoritism and her subsequent attitude toward Xiao Wu had affected Shao Qiyun, causing her to be such a person.


    Zhao Lan regretted it, but it was useless. She could only pay more attention to Shao Qiyun to prevent her from running away, as Shao Qiyun still wanted to find the Gu.


    ¡°My Gu was killed by Methamidophos and Dichlorvos[1]. I want to find him again. I want him to give me the Gu¡­¡±


    Zhao Lan was asked for the Gu every day. In the end, she gave her a tattered rattler. Seeing that she wanted to run away, Zhao Lan tied her up with a rope and refused to let her out.


    Now that she had lost her freedom, Shao Qiyun would not only chomp on the rope but would also go crazy on Zhao Lan, sometimes hitting her and spitting at her. Zhao Lan was in indescribable pain and felt great remorse.


    Almost all the things that Xiao Wu had given Shao Qiyun previously had been taken back. They had been bought with money that Xiao Wu had worked hard to earn. They couldn¡¯t let her squander them like this.


    The gold and silver jewelry, the clothes, and everything else were sold. However, some things were in Shao Qiyun¡¯s name, such as the house and car, which made things a little troublesome.


    In this case, Zhao Lan yed a role. She said that she couldn¡¯t let Shao Qiyun continue to do evil and that she could sell the house and car on Shao Qiyun¡¯s behalf. However, she temporarily couldn¡¯t return the money Shao Qiyun had taken previously, as she had to use it for some of Shao Qiyun¡¯s living expenses.


    Zhao Lan didn¡¯t dare ask anyone to be responsible for Shao Qiyun. She didn¡¯t ask Xiao Wu to support Shao Qiyun in her old age either, because as a mother, Shao Qiyun hadn¡¯t done a good job. Everyone despised Shao Qiyun, but Zhao Lan couldn¡¯t leave her be. After all, she was the one who had given birth to this child, and it was also her fault she had not taught her well.


    Zhao Lan didn¡¯t know how much longer she would live. In short, she would live with Shao Qiyun for as long as she was alive. After she died, she couldn¡¯t care less about what would happen.


    Shao Qiyun was reaping what she had sowed. Regardless of whether she died or lived, this was her fate.


    Shao Qiyun¡¯s antics finally came to an end. Considering her crazy state, she would no longer be able to do evil in the future.


    However, she had also caused a lot of aftereffects. Xiao Wu¡¯s health and mentality had been affected during this period. Other than his physical health, his mental health also needed to recover.


    Initially, Mu Jingzhe and the others had been worried that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t grow tall and had been concerned about making him grow taller.


    However, after he was discharged from the hospital, they realized that not only was there a problem with Xiao Wu¡¯s body, but there was also a problem with his mentality. His personality had changed. He had be taciturn and would often be in a daze. Sometimes, he would even stare at a knife in a daze.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart trembled as she looked at Xiao Wu, afraid that he would pick up the knife and do something foolish.


    Although Xiao Wu tried his best to hide it and he didn¡¯t say it, everyone could sense that he was in great agony. Especially when he came back to his senses from his daze, his face would habitually reveal a greedy or cold expression. That tense expression made people feel ufortable.


    After considering all the relevant aspects, Xiao Wu was discharged. However, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go back to school. Mu Jingzhe went to school to help him apply for leave.


    Other than that, Xiao Wu also behaved abnormally, as he no longer touched any musical instruments or music. When he had used music as a weapon to kill, everything had changed. This was also why the coborations he had agreed to previously had produced average results.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others didn¡¯t force Xiao Wu. Knowing that he didn¡¯t want to do this, they were prepared to wait for him to slowly recover while paying attention to his diet and sleeping patterns.


    Xiao Wu cooperated in terms of diet, and Mu Jingzhe personally apanied Xiao Wu to sleep for two days. Seeing that he seemed to be back to normal, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    As it turned out,ter on, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all at night. This secret was discovered by Shao Xi.


    Shao Xi knew that Xiao Wu had to eat and sleep well if he wanted to recover, so he secretly checked to see if Xiao Wu was asleep in the middle of the night and found out that Xiao Wu actually had his eyes open in the dark. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all, and he had merely been pretending to be asleep in front of them.


    Anyone else would have gone crazy if they couldn¡¯t sleep for an entire night. Shao Xi finally understood why Xiao Wu¡¯s health, height, or weight would not improve even though he had been feeding him bone broth every day. It was because he couldn¡¯t sleep at night.


    ¡°Stop pretending. Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡±


    Shao Xi unexpectedly poked Xiao Wu¡¯s armpit, making it impossible for Xiao Wu to pretend to be asleep even if he wanted to.


    [1] chemical names of insecticides

 Chapter 419 - Xiao Wus Nemesis

    <h4>Chapter 419: Xiao Wu¡¯s Nemesis</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Xiao Wu dodged Shao Xi¡¯s hand. ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep¡­¡±


    ¡°You simply can¡¯t fall asleep because Mommy isn¡¯t by your side, right? Previously, Mommy offered to keep youpany, but you stubbornly thought that you¡¯re a big boy now and you declined. Serves you right.¡±


    Shao Xi nudged Xiao Wu. ¡°Move over.¡±


    Xiao Wu was surprised. ¡°You want to sleep with me?¡±


    ¡°What else? What? You don¡¯t want to?¡± Shao Xi was displeased.


    Xiao Wu chuckled. ¡°Mm, I thought you didn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, but you forced me to.¡± Shao Xi snorted.


    Previously, when Xiao Wu had suddenly gone to acknowledge Shao Qiyun and refused to acknowledge Mu Jingzhe, Shao Xi had cried and quarreled with him. He had confronted Xiao Wu and hated him the most. Even after learning that Xiao Wu had had his reasons, Shao Xi had still been a little indignant at first.


    Previously, he had said that he wouldn¡¯t forgive Xiao Wu easily and he¡¯d wanted him to know how impressive he was. In the end, Shao Xi hadn¡¯t done anything.


    Especially after this period of time, Shao Xi couldn¡¯t think of a better solution than what Xiao Wu had done no matter how hard he thought about it.


    Shao Xi squeezed his way onto the bed and gave Xiao Wu his arm. ¡°Here, just pretend this is Mommy¡¯s arm.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked at Shao Xi¡¯s thin arm.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Shao Xi and Shao Dong were currently growing taller. They were quite thin and they didn¡¯t look like Mu Jingzhe at all. Although Mu Jingzhe was thin and strong, she was also soft and fragrant, so she waspletely different from Shao Xi.


    However, Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment before hugging his arm. Forget it. He decided he did not mind. Otherwise, Second Brother would make a fuss again.


    Shao Xi watched as Xiao Wu hugged his arm and patted him with his other hand. ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    However, he didn¡¯t do a good job. One moment, his hand was heavy, and the next moment, it was light. It would be strange if Xiao Wu was able to fall asleep this way. Shao Xi was already dozing off, but when he saw that Xiao Wu was still awake, he asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? Do I have to sing the ¡®going to school¡¯ song, like Mommy used to sing for Little Bei?¡±


    Recalling the version Mommy sang, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Stop it. The more Iugh, the harder it will be to fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do? How about you y the flute to coax yourself to sleep?¡± Knowing that Xiao Wu was unwilling to touch any musical instruments, Mu Jingzhe and the others didn¡¯t force him or even dare mention it, afraid that Xiao Wu would be sad. However, Shao Xi felt that the matter wasn¡¯t that serious and reckoned that being excessively careful would actually make Xiao Wu very nervous. Therefore, when it was only the two of them, he spoke in a carefree manner.


    Xiao Wu was silent for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°You try ying it and coaxing yourself to sleep!¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Why are you angry? Forget it. I¡¯ll write about a sleepyhead like you in my book. You¡¯ll be able to fall asleep then.¡±


    ¡°How does your writing about a sleepyhead help me?¡±


    ¡°How is it useless? I¡¯ve already punished so many evil people in my book.¡± Shao Xi snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t belittle my books. Although they¡¯re not as impressive as your music, they¡¯re still not bad. If I write in my book that you¡¯ll grow taller, you really will grow taller.¡±


    Xiao Wu was depressed. ¡°Then you¡¯re really impressive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re equally impressive,¡± Shao Xi replied without thinking. ¡°It¡¯s useless even if I kill bad people in a book. Your music can do it for real, so I¡¯m actually quite envious of you. If it were me, I might have been very useless this time and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Mommy.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s pupils constricted. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s just the two of us now. We can just speak our minds freely. I think you did the right thing. You¡¯re amazing.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡± Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help but ask Shao Xi.


    ¡°Why would I be afraid of you? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to kill me. Look at you. All you did was teach Shao Qiyun a lesson. Why are you so afraid? You don¡¯t know how envious I am of you.¡±


    ¡°But Mommy said we can¡¯t do such things.¡± Xiao Wu pursed his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it again.¡±


    ¡°Fine. It¡¯s rare for me to praise you. If you had fallen asleep obediently, we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation now.¡±


    As he spoke, Shao Xi suddenly realized something. ¡°That¡¯s not right. In your case, you can actually listen to a tune youposed previously. It might work.¡±


    After saying that, Shao Xi went to look for Xiao Wu¡¯s album for him.


    Xiao Wu: ¡°¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t really want to listen to it, especially since this music used to be used for salvation. He had already broken all his promises.


    Xiao Wu wanted to turn it off, but Shao Xi had already wrapped his arms and legs around him and was patting him. ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    Unlike Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hug, Shao Xi¡¯s was rough. He waspletely treating Xiao Wu like a human-shaped pillow and evenining about him being all bones.


    Afterining, in order to ensure that Xiao Wu would fall asleep, Shao Xi covered Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes with his hand, determined to make him go to sleep.


    Xiao Wu had no choice but to close his eyes, but he wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. While the old music was ying in his ears, Xiao Wu felt that all of this waspletely sinful.


    Xiao Wu thought that Shao Xi wasn¡¯t there to coax him to sleep but had purposelye to torture him. Before he could fall asleep, Shao Xi was already sleeping soundly.


    Xiao Wu believed that he definitely wouldn¡¯t sleep. In the end, not long after this thought entered his mind, Xiao Wu, who was clearly annoyed by Shao Xi¡¯s hug, actually fell asleep without realizing it.


    When the tape finished ying, it stopped by itself. The next day, Shao Xi was woken up by the urge to pee. He got up and threw Xiao Wu aside to go to the bathroom. When he put on his shoes, he suddenly remembered what had happenedst night.


    He looked down and realized that Xiao Wu had fallen asleep with his mouth open, even oblivious to the fact that he had been kicked away. He heaved a sigh of relief and then said smugly, ¡°I indeed have to keep youpany. All children are like this. They¡¯ve got to have someone keep thempany.¡±


    Xiao Wu slept until well past ten o¡¯clock. When he woke up, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t figure out how he had fallen asleep. How had he managed to fall asleep?


    Although he couldn¡¯t figure it out, Xiao Wu felt much more refreshed after a rare good night¡¯s sleep.


    When Shao Xi returned from ss and saw Xiao Wu, he took credit for it. ¡°It¡¯s all because of me that Xiao Wu fell asleep. I¡¯m going to hug him to sleep tonight too. How can someone not be able to sleep? One should feel sleepy at night time and doze off naturally.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was speechless when she heard this. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard of insomnia before? But since hugging Xiao Wu is effective, you can hug him to sleep in the future.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, Ji Buwang, and Shao Qihai had previously thought of many ways to improve Xiao Wu¡¯s symptoms, but from the looks of it, the effect had been average. They hadn¡¯t expected Shao Xi¡¯s illogical actions to hit the mark.


    Mu Jingzhe adjusted in time. Shao Xi acknowledged this and took charge. ¡°No problem, leave it to me. I¡¯m very good at coaxing Xiao Wu.¡± Then, he casually handed Xiao Wu a cylindrical bone and only said one word. ¡°Suck.¡±


    Xiao Wu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Was that what he called coaxing? This was nothing but torture. However, looking at the big bone in front of him, Xiao Wu still sucked on it helplessly and didn¡¯t retort.


    During this period of time, Shao Xi bought him cylindrical bones every day before he went to school. He even peeled walnuts for him. After eating so many bones, Xiao Wu started to feel like a dog. However, he didn¡¯t have the heart to reject Shao Xi¡¯s kind intentions.


    Shao Xi was very satisfied when he saw Xiao Wu suck the bone obediently. Because Mu Jingzhe had said that she would leave Xiao Wu to him, after eating lunch, he would drag Xiao Wu to take an afternoon nap with him.. Needless to say, he would definitely hug Xiao Wu and y his tape every night before going to sleep.

 Chapter 420 - A Princess Hug and a Prince Hug

    <h4>Chapter 420: A Princess Hug and a Prince Hug</h4>


    After being held like a human pillow for two days, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t quite stand it anymore, especially during the afternoon nap. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and it felt way too warm with Shao Xi hugging him.


    Shao Xi¡¯s response to Xiao Wu¡¯s refusal was to pull Xiao Wu over his shoulder and leave. However, after being scolded by Mu Jingzhe, he switched to carrying him in his arms.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Put me down quickly. Only girls are carried this way!¡±


    This was the ¡®princess hug[1]¡¯ that Mommy had mentioned before. He wasn¡¯t a princess! He was a boy.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you¡¯re a boy. When a boy is being carried this way, it¡¯s called a prince hug.¡± Shao Xi reacted quickly. ¡°You¡¯re thin and small now. If you don¡¯t want to be carried, you should take good care of yourself and put on some weight so I won¡¯t be able to lift you!¡±


    Xiao Wu had nothing to live for and could only let him carry him. However,ter on, he couldn¡¯t help but tell Mu Jingzhe that he didn¡¯t want Shao Xi to hug him. Mu Jingzhe said that it was good that they felt brotherly love for each other.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t deliberately teasing Xiao Wu. She really thought so, as when Xiao Wu was with Shao Xi, she saw Xiao Wu be vivid again. This time, Xiao Wu hade back less vivid than before and felt a little like a walking corpse. They had tried to think of a solution, but it only had a small effect.


    However, it was different when he was with Shao Xi. Although Xiao Wu would have a dark expression on his face when he was with him, he was lively.


    Besides, Shao Xi had adopted a different approach. He actually didn¡¯t care if Xiao Wu resisted or not and directly made him listen to his own tunes. In the end, this stroke of luck hit the mark. Xiao Wu¡¯s music seemed to be useful to him too.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s tune had a healing effect to begin with. In the past, Xiao Wu had also unconsciously cured himself. No matter howplicated Xiao Wu¡¯s mood was, he was nheless subconsciously affected and cured by it.


    Upon seeing this, Mu Jingzhe changed the way she treated Xiao Wu. They had been too careful with Xiao Wu previously, so perhaps they could be more casual now.


    Without Mu Jingzhe reminding him, Shao Xi took care of Xiao Wu more and more freely. He really took care of him, but his method was very strange and he gave off the aura of a brat.


    However, this method also made Xiao Wu rx. After being angered and annoyed so much, Xiao Wu slowly became a little like his old self.


    Xiao Wu ate the food Shao Xi asked him to eat speechlessly every day and was tortured by him as though he was a human pillow. However, it was also because of thismotion and difort that Xiao Wu subconsciously knew that he had returned home to his mother and siblings. Therefore, although heined about it, his body was very honest and he was eating and sleeping when he should.


    Just like that, after a while, Xiao Wu finally gained weight. After careful observation, it was confirmed that Xiao Wu had finally grown by a centimeter.


    Although it was only one centimeter, this was Xiao Wu¡¯s first growth spurt since he had stopped growing. It was the best transformation.


    Mu Jingzhe and the others had been afraid that Xiao Wu wouldn¡¯t grow tall, but it seemed like there was no problem anymore.


    Mu Jingzhe and the rest quickly took Xiao Wu to the hospital to see the doctor. The doctor was very happy to hear that. ¡°It looks like you guys have been taking good care of him. Very good. Just keep it up in the future.¡±


    After hearing the doctor¡¯s praise, Shao Xi became even prouder and more confident. He even suggested, ¡°I think just a diet alone is not enough. He also has to exercise. Xiao Wu should go to school soon. It¡¯s not good for him to take such a long leave.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought about it and agreed. ¡°That¡¯s true. The final exam ising up soon. It¡¯s time for him to go back to school.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t good for Xiao Wu to be kept in istion. Going out would be beneficial to him.


    Therefore, Xiao Wu was taken to school by Shao Xi again. Mu Jingzhe helped Xiao Wu cancel his leave. Mu Jingzhe exined Xiao Wu¡¯s previous abnormal behavior, as well as the fact that he had acknowledged Shao Qiyun, to the outside world by saying that Shao Qiyun had a mental problem. Xiao Wu had been forced to follow her to stop her from doing something foolish, but in the end, he hadn¡¯t seeded.


    In any case, the Gu and all that other stuff couldn¡¯t be mentioned casually. Now that Shao Qiyun had gone crazy, everyone epted this exnation.


    Both the teachers and the media slowly found out the reason for Xiao Wu¡¯s transformation. They all said that he was pitiful. Although his biological mother had gone overboard, he was still so loyal that he had ended up being tormented quite badly by Shao Qiyun.


    When his ssmates heard what Xiao Wu had gone through, their hearts ached for him. When Xiao Wu went back to school, he received all sorts of love and protection both from his teachers and ssmates.


    Their way of loving him and caring for him¡­ sometimes left Xiao Wupletely speechless.


    For example, when they went to the bathroom, they had to drag him along. Whenever a male ssmate caught a bug, he had to share it with Xiao Wu, even offering to give it to him so he could scare a female ssmate.


    At the brat stage, when boys had a crush on a ssmate, they had to scare the girl and pull her hair. Therefore, it was considered very generous of a male ssmate to give Xiao Wu a bug.


    Xiao Wu naturally didn¡¯t want it. The female ssmates felt that Xiao Wu was great anyway and even asked him to y jump rope with them.


    However, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t interested in doing that either. Since he couldn¡¯t turn down their kindness, he could only act as their pir.


    The teachers cared a lot about Xiao Wu for no reason and even took Xiao Wu to listen to his tapes, praising him and expressing their fondness.


    Xiao Wu really couldn¡¯t handle the enthusiasm of his ssmates and teachers. Sometimes, he couldn¡¯t understand their actions and found them quite annoying. But due to all this annoyance, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t have time to think about anything else.


    In school, he was bugged by the teachers and students, and after school, Shao Xi was there to annoy him. Xiao Wu¡¯s days were full. Slowly, he didn¡¯t have time to think about anything else.


    After the final exam, Xiao Wu gained a little weight and even grew a bit taller. He became visibly livelier and looked a little like his old self.


    When Old Master Ji personally came to take a look, he was filled with emotions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you. You¡¯re the best at caring for Xiao Wu.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t do much. I merely tried to figure it out step by step.¡±


    Old Master Ji was so happy that he wanted to buy something for Xiao Wu. ¡°I used to buy him musical instruments, but now I suddenly don¡¯t know what to buy for him. Do you think he¡¯ll still write music in the future?¡±


    ¡°I think so. There¡¯s no hurry, though. Maybe you can buy him some fish this time.¡± Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and her eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Xiao Wu likes fish. It might be good for him to raise fish.¡±


    Old Master Ji nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s let him raise fish.¡±


    Old Master Ji took action immediately. Besides, he didn¡¯t just buy a small fish tank. Instead, he brought over a big fish tank and ced in it a few fish that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t recognize or hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°This fish has gorgeous looks and strong vitality. It won¡¯t die easily. It¡¯s perfect for Xiao Wu.¡±


    When Xiao Wu returned home and saw the beautiful fish tank with the pretty little fish that he had never seen before, he was delighted.


    Coincidentally, Old Master Ji had given them twelve fish. Xiao Wu looked at them for a long time and could now recognize every single fish. He said that these fish were like all of them.


    They looked like his siblings, his mommy, his daddy, as well as Grandpa, Grandma, and his uncles. Anyway, Xiao Wu could always find a fish that he thought was simr to each of them. He was happy to see the little fish swimming around.


    Later on, Xiao Wu started to fall asleep while looking at the little fish. His insomnia at night was slowly cured.


    Mu Jingzhe gently carried Xiao Wu back to bed and carefully ruffled his hair to check. She heaved a sigh of relief when she didn¡¯t see any white hair.


    [1] carrying someone in one¡¯s arms

 Chapter 421 - Xiao Wus True Return

    <h4>Chapter 421: Xiao Wu¡¯s True Return</h4>


    Xiao Wu¡¯s insomnia slowly recovered. The only problem was that he still didn¡¯t dare touch music because he couldn¡¯t get over what he had done previously.


    Mu Jingzhe patiently apanied Xiao Wu through that, but she was afraid that he would really shun music for good. This would be a waste given Xiao Wu¡¯s talent, but more importantly, Xiao Wu had been born to be a musician. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that music was his true calling.


    Without music, how was Xiao Wu going to live his life? Even if he had kinship, and perhaps in the future, love, he might be happy, but he would always feel empty. Over time, he might feel that life was too boring.


    This wasn¡¯t good. Besides, Xiao Wu was still young and hadn¡¯t really grown up yet. It could be said that his life hadn¡¯t officially started.


    Therefore, at the end of the day, she had to handle Xiao Wu¡¯s troubles.


    This was also something Mu Jingzhe felt very helpless about. Artists were more sensitive than ordinary people to begin with. No matter what they did, they were very particr about their state of mind and their precious inspiration. A good state of mind and inspiration were very important to them.


    The same applied to Xiao Wu. His mood directly affected his work. It wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal if things had gone smoothly, but Xiao Wu was so unlucky that he constantly encountered such things.


    However, ording to a saying, artists had to experience many setbacks to create good work. Sometimes, hardships would nurture their work.


    That might be true, but the family of artists definitely wouldn¡¯t want them to suffer for the sake of good work. One could only hope that their lives would go smoothly even if they couldn¡¯t create ssics.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want that to happen either, especially when Xiao Wu was suffering partly because of her.


    She really didn¡¯t want Xiao Wu to have ¡®great inspiration¡¯ anymore. She only hoped he could follow his preferences and keep music as apanion. Even if he couldn¡¯tpose famous songs anymore, it would be okay.


    As long as he was safe and happy and found joy in his life, everything else could be discussed.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s thoughts were very simple. The problem was that she didn¡¯t know how to get Xiao Wu to ovee his trauma.


    As a result, Mu Jingzhe often looked for Shao Dong, Ji Buwang, and Shao Qihai to discuss this, but they didn¡¯te up with any good ideas either. Xiao Wu still couldn¡¯t get over the hurdle in his heart.


    In the end, Shao Nan saw that they were very vexed and said that he would take care of this matter.


    Mu Jingzhe was very curious to know what kind of method Shao Nan would use. She thought that he would act like them and touch him with his emotions or something, but in the end, that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    During the summer break, Little Bei had to join the production team to film. Mu Jingzhe also needed to work often. The five kids were busy with their own matters as well. It was also because Shao Nan and Xiao Wu were rtively free that the two of them took care of each other.


    Shao Nan still prioritized his studies. When he had nothing to do, he would take Xiao Wu to court and watch any trials that he could attend.


    Sometimes, they would go there for an entire day. The audience seats weren¡¯t as packed as in television dramas. Sometimes, the process was very long, but Shao Nan would bring Xiao Wu along. After listening to many cases and learning a lot about them, he had witnessed many incidents.


    Some peoplemitted crimes purely because they were evil, some because they were greedy, but there were also many thatmitted crimes out of helplessness.


    Xiao Wu felt much more relieved after seeing so many people at the defendant¡¯s table.


    Shao Nan took Xiao Wu to watch trials for a while. Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, he struck while the iron was hot. After watching the trial of a father-son murder case, he took the opportunity to say, ¡°This older brother killed his father because he almost beat his mother to death. But because the timing wasn¡¯t right, he was sentenced in the end.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you also did that to protect Mommy. Your previous actions were at most self-defense, so there¡¯s really no need to think too much about it. You can¡¯t harm others, but you can¡¯t let your guard downpletely either. If you didn¡¯t resist when the knife was already against your neck, you¡¯d be a fool.


    ¡°In any case, Shao Qiyun isn¡¯t dead. You don¡¯t have to think so much about it. During this period of time, the family has been worried sick about you. Mommy is also very troubled and has been feeling very guilty. She feels that you¡¯re in so much agony because of her¡­¡±


    Xiao Wu felt anxious. ¡°Why would Mommy be in agony? It¡¯s got nothing to do with her¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you should take it easy. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Do what you have to do. If you really feel bad, just do more good deeds andpose more good music.


    ¡°In any case, you have the ability to control it now. Just act as though you¡¯re hiding a gun. You can control the switch of this gun yourself. You just have it around for self-defense and to protect your family, but you might not have any use for it for the rest of your life.¡±


    Xiao Wu followed Shao Nan¡¯s train of thought. That indeed seemed to be right. He would just treat it as a gun. Besides, he had indeed acted in self-defense previously.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°So just do whatever you want. If you still think it¡¯s not enough, I can find some foreign cases for you to check out.¡± Shao Nan said that there should be cases of self-defense overseas.


    Xiao Wu: ¡°No need. I know what to do.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Shao Nan to really sessfully counsel Xiao Wu. He had even cited legitimate self-defense as an argument, which was unexpected. However, when she thought about it, that was indeed the case.


    Mu Jingzhe was very happy, as was Xiao Wu. After oveing the obstacle in his heart, he excitedly started preparing to take action.


    ¡°Mommy, I have topose a lot of useful songs to make people happy.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll be waiting!¡±


    After Xiao Wu pulled himself together, he asked Mu Jingzhe about her previous experience. Upon learning that many people were suffering from insomnia, he decided topose a luby to help everyone sleep.


    Mu Jingzhe raised her arms and legs and nodded in agreement. ¡°Xiao Wu, you can do it. This is a really good thing for mankind.¡±


    In the modern era, many people were more or less troubled by this issue due to the stress of their lives and work. In some serious cases, they might not be able to sleep well over a prolonged period, which could severely affect their lives. Although a small number of people could fall asleep, the quality of their sleep wasn¡¯t high.


    Not sleeping well had a huge impact on one¡¯s life. If one didn¡¯t have energy during the day, it would affect their work and mood and they¡¯d suffer from headaches and other setbacks. Over time, it would also affect their health. There were all sorts of hazards involved. Having a good night¡¯s sleep was what many people dreamed of.


    As Mu Jingzhe anticipated the oue, Xiao Wu yed with his little fish every day. When he had nothing to do, he would stay beside the goldfish and fall asleep as he watched them.


    Many dayster, just as Mu Jingzhe thought that Xiao Wu was about to give up, Xiao Wu started to get busy and yed a special tune for Mu Jingzhe.


    The tune was called ¡°Swim, Little Fish¡± and it was a tune that wasn¡¯t really considered a tune. It was the sound of little fish swimming in the water and asionally producing bubbles. The entire process wasn¡¯tplicated, and the tune was simply repetitive.


    However, as she listened, she slowly felt like a little fish swimming in the water. It was as if she had returned to her mother¡¯s body. She felt like she was still in the amniotic fluid or in a cradle, being gently pushed around. Then, she fell asleep without realizing it.

 Chapter 422 - The Terrifying Little Skeleton

    <h4>Chapter 422: The Terrifying Little Skeleton</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe tried listening but she fell asleep as well.


    When she woke up, she felt refreshed and amazed. ¡°Xiao Wu, how did you do it? It¡¯s amazing. Truly amazing.¡±


    Xiao Wu pursed his lips and smiled. ¡°I was inspired by the little fish.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°So Mommy, this really?<i>is</i>?useful, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Xiao Wu had finally ovee this difficulty. ¡°Xiao Wu, how do you n to publish this song? I think it will definitely be received with a lot of love and gratitude.¡±


    In any case, Mu Jingzhe was very grateful. If this was released in the modern era, many people would be waiting for it.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything as long as it can help people.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wu, you¡¯re really wonderful.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s tune had to be released, but there was another matter that needed to be handled first. That was Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, which was held annually. On that day, the children would apply for leave and go back. Shao Qihai would also go with them.


    This was also a day when Ji Buwang would never disturb them.


    They had already be very familiar with the process of the death anniversary. Every year, Mu Jingzhe would make or buy Bai Lu¡¯s favorite food and let the children pay their respects to her.


    Although it was said that when a person died, that was it and ghosts didn¡¯t really exist, one needed to find sustenance in a certain way. What if¡­ What if a person really could receive offerings after their death?


    Therefore, Shao Dong and the rest would never stop paying their respects.


    Besides preparing to pay her respects, Mu Jingzhe also cooked longevity noodles for Shao Nan and Little Bei as usual. Previously, Mu Jingzhe had prepared them alone, but now, Shao Qihai also joined in.


    Shao Nan and Little Bei were destined to never celebrate their birthday like other people, so Mu Jingzhe did whatever could be done for them on that day.


    For example, this year, she had prepared a special gift for Little Bei¡ªa little white rabbit.


    Little Bei had always liked little bunnies. Since Xiao Wu had received the little fish from Old Master Ji, Little Bei had also helped him feed them. Mu Jingzhe had seen her envious look.


    Therefore, she had gotten a little white rabbit for her for her birthday.


    In the past, she didn¡¯t have the means. Now that she had the means, she couldn¡¯t disappoint them.


    When Little Bei saw the little white rabbit in the cage, she was overjoyed. ¡°Is it really for me? Mommy, thank you. Mommy, you¡¯re wonderful. I love you so much.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hugged Little Bei, who pounced on her, andughed. ¡°I knew you would like it. Just raise the rabbit well in the future.¡±


    Since she had given Little Bei this gift, Shao Nan¡¯s gift couldn¡¯t becking inparison. However, Shao Nan¡¯s gift had been prepared by Shao Qihai. This had been decided by Mu Jingzhe and him by drawing lots. Mu Jingzhe had drawn Little Bei, and Shao Qihai had drawn Shao Nan.


    ¡°Little Nan, your father also prepared a gift for you,¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly added upon seeing Shao Nan curiously squat down and stroke the little rabbit.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°Yes, I prepared something too.¡±


    Initially, he had thought that the gift he had prepared was fine, but after seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gift, he was a little worried. He walked out nervously and pushed a pretty big rack over.


    After Shao Nan lifted it, Mu Jingzhe looked over curiously and fell silent.


    Shao Qihai gave Little Nan a customized bookshelf that was just right for his height. There were wheels below it that allowed the bookshelf to be pushed around, and the top was filled with books that Shao Qihai had painstakingly collected. He believed that Shao Nan would definitely like them.


    These books included books on pharmaceuticals and human anatomy and had been written by both local and overseas writers. There was also a human body structure model, as well as a skeleton model.


    In addition, there were some books on legal cases overseas and many foreignnguage versions, as he thought that Shao Nan would like them.


    Shao Nan indeed liked the gift. After all, this had been prepared by Shao Qihai and it suited his taste. However, there was actually a problem with this gift. It had been prepared very meticulously and it was nice, provided that it wasn¡¯tpared to Little Bei¡¯s adorable little bunny.


    Looking at the little white rabbit in Little Bei¡¯s arms, then at the human body structure model and skeleton model, Shao Qihai coughed and covered the gift with his body. ¡°So¡­ Little Nan, what kind of little animals do you like? Daddy will buy one for you next time too.¡±


    In contrast to the little white rabbit, the little skeleton model was like something out of a terrifying fairy tale.


    Mu Jingzhe held her forehead. Shao Qihai was very simr to those crazy parents who gave their children three years of college entrance examination papers and five years of simtion questions as birthday presents.


    Previously, she had not felt reassured and had even asked Shao Qihai how the gift preparation was going, but Shao Qihai had confidently dered that Shao Nan would definitely like it.


    It wasn¡¯t like the gift was terrible. Shao Nan definitely liked it, but it was still a weird birthday gift.


    Shao Nan looked at Shao Qihai¡¯s ashamed expression and resisted the urge tough. ¡°I like it a lot. Thank you, Daddy. You made a lot of effort to find this model, right?¡±


    Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that. ¡°That¡¯s right. I originally wanted to give you an acupuncture chart, but the old TCM[1] doctor refused to help.¡±


    Shao Nan could imagine that Shao Qihai had worked hard. ¡°I happen to need this. Thank you, Daddy.¡±


    Actually, what was significant about a gift wasn¡¯t the gift itself but the sincerity behind it. Although his father¡¯s gift wasn¡¯t as cute as the little bunny, he had made a lot of effort and the gift was filled with his sincerity.


    Besides, to him, the little skeleton was so much better than a little rabbit.


    Shao Nan didn¡¯t look forced at all. He even hugged the little skeleton and stroked its head. ¡°It feels good to the touch and it isn¡¯t very heavy either. Daddy, this was made ording to the real bone ratio, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was made ording to the real ratio.¡± Shao Qihai nodded vigorously. Seeing that Shao Nan really liked it, he heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Little Nan, you¡¯re wee. I¡¯m d you like it.¡±


    ¡°I like it. I like it a lot. I¡¯ll put it in my room.¡± Shao Nan picked up the other model as well.


    Upon hearing that, Shao Xi, Shao Dong, and Xiao Wu were speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Now that there was an empty room, the four brothers were no longer squeezed in one room together. They could sleep separately, but there were basically two boys per room.


    Besides, they didn¡¯t have fixed sleep partners. They slept at random, so the three of them would take turns being Shao Nan¡¯s roommate.


    It was fine for Shao Nan to put the little skeleton in the room, but if they also stayed in the same room, wouldn¡¯t they be frightened to death when they woke up in the middle of the night?


    In the end, because of their objections, Shao Nan reluctantly ced it on the bookshelf.


    Finally, Mu Jingzhe took a birthday photo of Shao Nan, who was holding the little skeleton and the model, and Little Bei, who was holding the little white rabbit.


    Although Shao Nan had said that he liked the gift, Shao Qihai still decided to learn from this. ¡°Little Nan, I¡¯ll get you a little animal next time. Do you like puppies?¡±


    ¡°It might not be convenient since we move between different ces. I can¡¯t be responsible for a dog¡¯s life.¡± Shao Nan refused. This was what Mu Jingzhe had said before. One had to be responsible for their pet for its entire life should they choose to raise it.


    Shao Qihai fell silent when he heard the words ¡®a dog¡¯s life¡¯.


    ¡°Little Nan likes little piglets more, but we can¡¯t give him one for the time being. When there are mini pigs and pet pigs in the future, we can buy some for him,¡± Mu Jingzhe added. There was nothing she could do for the time being. It wasn¡¯t as if they could raise a big ck pig as a pet. After the New Year, they would have to kill it and eat it.


    That would be too cruel.


    [1] Traditional Chinese Medicine

 Chapter 423 - Are The Children Crazy?

    <h4>Chapter 423: Are The Children Crazy?</h4>


    A dog and a pig sounded very funny, but this was also them showing their sincerity. Shao Nan touched his nose. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait to get a pet pig.¡±


    Little Bei was so delighted to have the little rabbit that she couldn¡¯t sleep at night. Mu Jingzhe quite liked the little rabbit too, as it looked really adorable.


    Little Bei went to take a bath. As Mu Jingzhe squatted next to her and yed with the little white rabbit, songs about little white rabbits also surfaced in her mind. ¡°Little bunny, be good and open the door¡­¡±


    What were the next lyrics of the song? She had forgotten.


    Mu Jingzhe only knew how to sing this one line, so she repeated it many times before recalling another one.


    ¡°Little bunny, fair and white. Pick it up by both ears and cut its artery and veins. It¡¯ll look so cute as it remains motionless¡­¡±


    Although she remembered another song, she only recalled the adapted version again. Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°Can¡¯t let Little Bei hear this.¡±


    Little Bei, who was standing at the door and had been about to speak, blinked and took a step back.


    Actually, everyone had an interest in the little white rabbit, including Shao Nan. That day, he also wanted to feed the little white rabbit, but when he arrived, he realized that Little Bei was feeding it and singing.


    Seeing that Little Bei was very focused, Shao Xi didn¡¯t say anything. He quietly went forward to cover Little Bei¡¯s eyes and y with her. His ears were distracted as he listened to Little Bei sing, and the more he listened, the more he felt that something was amiss.


    ¡°Little bunny, fair and white. Pick it up by both ears and cut its artery and veins. It¡¯ll look so cute as it remains motionless¡­ Where are the veins? And where is the artery?¡±


    Shao Xi froze and watched as Little Bei lowered her head to look at the little white rabbit carefully, as if she was really looking for its artery and veins. He immediately stopped thinking about ying the blindfold game. ¡°Little Bei, stop!¡±


    Little Bei was startled. ¡°Second Brother, you scared me to death. Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who scared me to death. What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°The little rabbit¡¯s artery and veins¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking for its artery and veins? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to cut them when you find them?¡± Shao Xi snatched the little rabbit and hugged it. ¡°The bunny is so cute. How can you have such thoughts? Besides, this is a gift from Mommy. You should raise it until it grows old and dies.¡±


    Little Bei looked at Shao Xi and suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Second Brother, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I heard everything. After cutting the artery, you¡¯re going to cut its veins. You even said that it looks adorable as it remains motionless. You¡¯re really scary¡­ Or were you rehearsing a scene? This kind of scene is terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Little Beiughed out loud. ¡°No, Second Brother, I was not. I was just singing a song. I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Who taught you this kind of song? It¡¯s awful¡­¡± After Shao Xi finished, he suddenly thought of the ¡®bombing school song¡¯ and the ¡®pulling up one¡¯s pants song¡¯.


    ¡°It can¡¯t have been Mommy, can it?¡±


    Little Bei responded with an ¡°Mm¡±. Other than Mommy, who else would sing such a nice and interesting song?


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Shao Xi was helpless. It had indeed been Mommy. Mommy¡¯s brain was too strange. There would always be strange wordsing out of it, and she would even sing strange songs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sing it out loud. Mommy is afraid that I¡¯ll learn it. I heard it and learned it in secret.¡± Little Bei looked at the little rabbit. ¡°Then, I was curious to know if the bunny really has arteries and veins, so I researched it. I wouldn¡¯t really cut it. Like you said, I¡¯ll raise it until it grows old and dies. I¡¯ll be responsible for its entire bunny life.¡±


    Shao Xi nodded in relief when he heard that. Then, his interest was piqued. Hence, the two of them started looking for the bunny¡¯s artery and veins. As they searched, they even subconsciously hummed the song they had secretly learned.


    As they were trying to figure it out, a voice suddenly came from the side. ¡°Are you really going to cut the artery of the little white rabbit? Isn¡¯t this a gift from Mommy? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.


    Shao Xi and Little Bei were so frightened that they almost fell to the ground. They looked at Shao Nan, who had suddenly spoken.


    ¡°Shao Nan, you scared us to death!¡±


    Shao Nan stood on the side and said solemnly with his hands behind his back, ¡°You¡¯re scarier, alright? Mommy bought the little white rabbit for you to raise it, but you actually want to cut its veins.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t. We were just taking a look out of curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Shao Nan paused. ¡°The song¡­ is quite nice.¡±


    Little Bei quickly tugged at Shao Nan. ¡°I secretly learned it from Mommy. Don¡¯t expose yourself.¡±


    Squatting on the ground, Little Bei tugged at Shao Nan¡¯s pants. Shao Nan, whose pants were nearly pulled down, quickly reached out and grabbed his pants, no longer looking as serious as before.


    ¡°Shao Bei, you pulled my pants down again. How many times have I told you not to pull my pants down casually!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡± Little Bei apologized. ¡°Besides, I just do it at home. Even if your pants fall at home, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already grown up and you should behave like a big girl. Why are you still so carefree? You have to change this habit. Otherwise, what if you pull someone else¡¯s pants down in the future?


    ¡°If it¡¯s a girl, she¡¯ll cry to death. And if it¡¯s a boy, shouldn¡¯t you take responsibility?¡±


    Shao Nan was very serious and gave off the dignified air of an older brother. Little Bei could only admit her mistake and apologize. ¡°I understand. I definitely won¡¯t dare carelessly pull someone¡¯s pants down in the future.¡± No way would she do it to other people.


    After Little Bei apologized, she taught Shao Nan the rabbit song.


    In the end, even Shao Dong learned it. The song was very catchy, and one could sing it after listening to it once or twice. Furthermore, every time he fed the little white rabbit carrots or vegetable leaves, he would subconsciously sing it. It was hard to stop.


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t want to sing it, but even though his mind told him not to, his mouth had a mind of its own.


    Xiao Wu had also learned it. Every time he looked at the little rabbit, he thought that¡­ it was really pitiful.


    Fortunately, his little fish didn¡¯t have to listen to such a horrifying song every day. It was also fortunate that the little rabbit couldn¡¯t understand it. Otherwise, its heart would probably tremble every day.


    Although the little rabbit was pitiful, just like Shao Dong¡¯s mouth, Xiao Wu¡¯s mouth had a mind of its own and couldn¡¯t be controlled.


    After summer vacation, Xiao Wu officially made aeback and released a new album. In it were songs like ¡°Swim, Little Fish¡±. Compared to his old self, Xiao Wu was more mature this time. Those who had been disappointed in him once again felt hope.


    Xiao Wu personally apologized and exined it all to his previous partners, returning the unreasonably high amount of fees they had paid. He was aware of his mistake and didn¡¯t avoid it. Instead, he corrected it, making everyone think even more highly of him.


    As for the special tune ¡°Swim, Little Fish¡±, because of its effect, it instantly attracted the fondness and attention of many people. Although there weren¡¯t as many cases of sleep disorder as in the modern era, there were indeed a lot even in this day and age. This tune had be a true blessing for everyone.


    It was beneficial to listen to it when one asionally suffered from insomnia. Once again, everyone realized what genius music was like.


    Later on, this song also became an insurmountable ssic, like Xiao Wu¡¯s previous songs. As time passed, it received more and more admiration and became an indispensable existence in many people¡¯s lives.


    The more people praised his work, the more Xiao Wu inevitably became popr. When Xiao Wu began selling albums, he kept constantly earning money by collecting copyright fees.


    Of course, this would all happen in the future. For now, Xiao Wu¡¯s reputation and credibility had taken a turn for the better.

 Chapter 424 - n Love

    <h4>Chapter 424: In Love</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    After Xiao Wu recovered, even his reputation improved. Mu Jingzhe was very relieved.


    There was another piece of good news during summer vacation, and that was Shao Xi¡¯s new work, which was all about treating illness with love. In the end, he had decided to turn it into a movie and had already started working on the project.


    Initially, Shao Xi felt that some of the things he had imagined, such as those machines, might not be easy to produce. However, Director Jiang, who he had worked with before, liked this idea very much and was very sincere about it. He kept pestering Shao Xi to film it, even offering to forgo the director fees to do it.


    In addition, Shao Xi had previously bought a filmpany. Coincidentally, he was very interested and he even wanted to be a screenwriter. Since he had worked with Director Jiang before, he decided to try producing the film himself. In the end, he decided to cooperate with him and give it a try. They would show their greatest sincerity together.


    Shao Xipleted the adaptation of the script inte summer, and Director Jiang also started getting busy. Little Bei was delighted to hear that and said that she had to audition for the role of the youngdy. Shao Xi didn¡¯t stop her.


    Mu Jingzhe also wanted to coborate with them, so in the end, the entire family got busy working on this.


    It wasn¡¯t clear if this was good or not, but somehow, things still ended up this way. There was also a benefit to thismunication was easier. Furthermore, they could be a little more direct and wouldn¡¯t be careless about it.


    After a busy summer vacation, the children returned to school.


    Now that the kids had returned to school, although Mu Jingzhe was usually busy working, she felt a little relieved. Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this.


    Although he was also busy and concerned about Xiao Wu and the other children, with the children around, coupled with Xiao Wu¡¯s previous issue, it had been a long time since he had been alone with Mu Jingzhe.


    Because of the previous situation, his rtionship with Jingzhe should have advanced and taken a step forward. However, because of Xiao Wu, he hadn¡¯t been in the mood to pay attention to this.


    Now that the children had left, there was finally a chance for the two of them to be alone.


    Ji Buwang, who had been holding back for a long time, decided to spend some quality time with Mu Jingzhe. First, they had to watch a movie. Since she didn¡¯t dare watch horror movies, they could watch another movie. However, Mu Jingzhe knew that Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t see anyone¡¯s face and wouldn¡¯t enjoy it much. Thus, when they arrived at the movie theater, she chose a cartoon.


    Pretty much everyone watching the cartoon was an adult with children, so Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were the only exceptions. However, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t care. Had he gone there to watch a movie? No, he was doing it to be with Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe shared the same sentiment. Compared to the exquisitely-made cartoons of the future, animation at the time was very inferior in terms of technique and other aspects.


    However, the movie actually turned out not to be too bad, especially when Ji Buwang intentionally or unintentionally leaned his arm over.


    Ji Buwang usually talked big and sounded formidable, as he kept asking Mu Jingzhe to make an honest man out of him and whatnot. However, when one interacted with him, they would realize that he had a courage that people in this era didn¡¯t have, but he also had the carefulness of the men in this era.


    For example, he had looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand a few times, but he didn¡¯t dare hold it. He only dared to get a little closer, as if it was already very good that their arms were next to each other.


    Mu Jingzhe had undergone a modern baptism. Modern fast-food-style love made intimacy very easy. Even without love, one could be intimate in all sorts of ways. At the time, she hadn¡¯t been used to it, so she could be considered conservative.


    She hadn¡¯t expected a conservative like her to be an open-minded, bold person in this era.


    Having their arms next to each other was nothing really. However, even so, she felt her heart palpitate for some reason.


    Even the content of the cartoon seemed to be cute and funny.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t really remember what she had watched by the time it ended. As they walked out of the movie theater, someone leaving in a hurry bumped into Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe lost her footing, and Ji Buwang quickly grabbed her.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Upon saying that, he subconsciously grabbed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. After taking a few steps, he suddenly realized what he had done and felt his palm start to burn.


    At this short distance, Mu Jingzhe could feel Ji Buwang¡¯s palms start to sweat, but he couldn¡¯t bear to let go and didn¡¯t dare move.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at their hands and smiled. When they came out, Ji Buwang reluctantly let go of her hand. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but scratch his palm yfully, instantly feeling Ji Buwang go stiff.


    Ji Buwang felt his hands turn numb and almost jumped up. When he turned around and saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s calm expression, he knew that he might be too sensitive.


    He was instantly a little vexed. He had thought it through very well, but after holding Jingzhe¡¯s hand, he couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.


    Seeing that someone was selling popsicles in the distance, Ji Buwang quickly offered to buy a popsicle for Mu Jingzhe and walked away.


    He needed to calm down, and eating a popsicle would help.


    Mu Jingzhe covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched him leave. ¡°So cute.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t been like this in the past. She didn¡¯t know why but she wanted to tease Ji Buwang whenever she met him. Bah¡­ This wasn¡¯t teasing. It was just ying around.


    Yes, she wasn¡¯t a pervert. She was just messing around.


    Ji Buwang bought them popsicles, and the two of them were about to leave when they identally bumped into Shao Qiyang and Mu Xue. Upon seeing the two of them together, Shao Qiyang was stunned momentarily before returning to normal. He asked a thing or two about the kids.


    When he learned that Xiao Wu was fine, Shao Qiyang heaved a sigh of relief. After Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang left, he looked at their backs and felt conflicted. What was his Second Brother going to do?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mu Xue pulled Shao Qiyang over. Shao Qiyang came back to his senses and quickly held Mu Xue. Being pregnant, Mu Xue was a tad sensitive. Seeing that he looked dejected, she was a little upset. ¡°You still can¡¯t forget her?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m thinking about my older brother.¡± Shao Qiyang perked up. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink.¡±


    Shao Qiyang could clearly sense that Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t given up on Mu Jingzhe, nor was he prepared to ept anyone else as her partner. However, now that Mu Jingzhe seemed to have chosen Ji Buwang, what should his older brother do?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they divorced? Don¡¯t think too much about it,¡± Mu Xue said.


    Shao Qiyang acknowledged this and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    After the movie, Ji Buwang took Mu Jingzhe to eat. While they were eating, Ji Buwang deliberately ced his arm on her chair, but in the end, he didn¡¯t manage to hug Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoulder.


    Mu Jingzhe could feel his arm and guessed his intentions. She knew what this meant very well, so she had been waiting nervously. In the end¡­ she was nervous for nothing!


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t even put his arm around her shoulder!


    Mu Jingzhe waited during the entire meal, but in the end, it didn¡¯t happen. After the meal, she was full of food and anger. She grumpily followed Ji Buwang, feeling indignant.


    Therefore, when they walked out of the restaurant, as she was standing on a staircase step higher than Ji Buwang, she hugged his shoulder first.


    If he didn¡¯t hug her, she would hug him. If the mountain didn¡¯te over, she would go to the mountain! Wasn¡¯t it just a shoulder hug after all? She had to hug him!

 Chapter 425 - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

    <h4>Chapter 425: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder</h4>


    Ji Buwang was puzzled by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s sudden action. ¡°Jingzhe?¡±


    He looked confused and didn¡¯t know why Jingzhe had suddenly hugged his shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit for a while. My legs are a little numb.¡± Mu Jingzhe casually found an excuse. Alright, it wasn¡¯t an excuse. Just now, in order to help Ji Buwang hug her shoulder, her body had been leaning toward Ji Buwang, preparing itself for a hug at any time.


    Her legs were indeed a little numb from sitting like that. After saying that, Mu Jingzhe leaned her weight on Ji Buwang.


    When Ji Buwang heard that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s legs were numb, he quickly supported her. ¡°Are they very numb?¡±


    ¡°No, just a little. I¡¯ll be fine in a while.¡±


    Ji Buwang was relieved when he heard that. Then, he could clearly smell the faint fragranceing from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body. Their close contact made his heart race, and he felt that it wasn¡¯t bad.


    However, after Mu Jingzhe went down the stairs, she thought that it wasn¡¯t so good. Because Ji Buwang was taller than her, when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, it was as if she was hanging off of him.


    Now that she had touched his shoulder and her legs weren¡¯t numb anymore, she let go of him.


    Ji Buwang was disappointed, as he couldn¡¯t bear to part with her. Looking at the park not far away, he suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk in the park.¡±


    It was rare for Old Master Ji toe and take the children out to eat and drink, so he wanted to spend more time with Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up and she nodded, finding it a great idea. The park was a favorite ce for couples of this era. On the chairs and under the trees, couples could even hold hands and hug each other. They could also go into the woods to kiss.


    This park had been very popr ever since it had been built.


    She had even seen online photos of people on dates in the park during this era. Ah, she wondered what Ji Buwang would do.


    Filled with anticipation, Mu Jingzhe happily held Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Coincidentally, it was already night, so it was dark and the wind was strong, making it easier to do bad things.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Mu Jingzhe gently holding his hand, and his back straightened even more. This was terrific!


    Ji Buwang happily maintained this pose as he led Mu Jingzhe into the park.


    Mu Jingzhe had guessed correctly previously. Other than the many elderly people and children in the park, there were indeed many couples in remote ces. Along the way, they even startled a lot of them. Some of them loosened their grip on each other, while others had abnormal expressions. It was obvious what they had been doing.


    Mu Jingzhe tilted her head and nced at Ji Buwang. Ji Buwang must be inspired too, right? She wondered what he would do.


    Ji Buwang looked calm on the surface, but he was nervous deep in his heart, as he was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would let go of his hand. He hadn¡¯t suggesteding here on purpose. He hadn¡¯t expected the park to be so exciting.


    He only knew that youngsters liked to go to the park, but he didn¡¯t know that they were doing such bold things. He also didn¡¯t know if Jingzhe thought that he was too scary. He really only wanted to take Jingzhe for a walk and, at most, hold her petite hand. He didn¡¯t intend to crawl into the woods and do bad things with her.


    The two of them had different thoughts, but their hearts were beating equally fast. Then, Ji Buwang nervously led Mu Jingzhe away from the park, afraid that he would see an even more exhrating scene.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    After they startled others, their trip to the park ended just like that? They wouldn¡¯t even hold hands properly? She was even the one who had taken the initiative to enter the ce with her arms linked with his.


    It was ridiculous.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t believe that Ji Buwang didn¡¯t have feelings for her in his heart, but why did she have to take the initiative all the time?


    It wasn¡¯t a problem for her to do so, but wouldn¡¯t it be better if it was more interactive?


    Mu Jingzhe red at Ji Buwang and let go of his hand. Ji Buwang was helpless when he saw her re. ¡°Jingzhe, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡±


    Didn¡¯t do it on purpose? But it wasn¡¯t as if they could go in again. That was impossible. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t right anymore.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Mu Jingzhe waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Her heart had been beating a little fast that day. She had been nervous, hopeful, and disappointed in turns. She was really tired. She wondered if it was the same for others too.


    Upon hearing that Mu Jingzhe was tired, Ji Buwang could only take her back.


    After Mu Jingzhe returned home and washed up, her gaze focused on the set of dolls Ji Buwang had given her previously. The dolls were still the same, charmingly naive and cute.


    As for the doll with the mechanism, she still couldn¡¯t open it. She had tried forming a lot of words, including what she loved and whatnot, but she couldn¡¯t open it. Even the name didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°What exactly is inside? I have to open you today! I must see what you¡¯re hiding.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tried to open it again, but it didn¡¯t open in the end. ¡°Ah! How long has it been? Why can¡¯t I open it?!¡±


    When Little Bei returned, she chuckled at the sight of her. ¡°Mommy, you can do it!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to be cheering her on. She didn¡¯t have chemistry with Ji Buwang!


    Now that Little Bei was back, she was too embarrassed to continue, so she put the doll back. However, she decided that she would definitely open it one day!


    She would try whenever she was free, but it still didn¡¯t open after three days. On the other hand, Ji Buwang returned to the capital, saying that he had something to do.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s sudden departure made a knot form in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart, and endless reluctance surged up. Boohoohoo, why had he left just like that? All they had done was hold hands.


    The more this continued, the more reluctant she was to part with him. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear to part with him, and Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t bear to part with her either. It was excruciating before he left.


    Mu Jingzhe felt the same way and was still a little unused to it. After Ji Buwang left, her heart suddenly felt empty and she couldn¡¯t muster up any energy.


    Meanwhile, Shao Dong and Mu Han also had somepany matters to deal with. Shao Dong could tell that Mu Jingzhe missed Ji Buwang, so he thought for a moment and deliberately asked Mu Jingzhe to go over and help him deliver the most important documents. He would also handle some other matters.


    Mu Jingzhe could handle this matter, so she immediately agreed.


    She wanted to tell Ji Buwang immediately, but she held herself back. She only told him before boarding the ne in order to give him a surprise.


    This truly was a pleasant surprise. When Ji Buwang received the news, his heart almost jumped out of his chest. When he saw Mu Jingzhe at the airport, he rushed over and lifted her off the ground.


    At that moment, Ji Buwang forgot about the gazes of others and only saw Mu Jingzhe. He needed to vent the joy and anxiety in his heart, so he even spun her for a few rounds after picking her up.


    Mu Jingzhe was just happy, but she hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to be so d. He even hugged and spun her as she had seen people do on television and in movies. While she was enjoying this blissful dizziness, a sentence couldn¡¯t help but pop up in her mind: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.


    Seeing that Ji Buwang kept smiling, she couldn¡¯t help but grin foolishly too.


    ¡°When are you going back? You¡¯ll stay for a few more days, right? Go back with me when it¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    ording to her n, Mu Jingzhe should return after staying for just two to three days. However, upon looking at Ji Buwang, Mu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright.¡±


    She decided to follow her heart and be willful for once. She would let Shao Qihai take care of the children for a week.


    To be honest, in the past few years, she hadn¡¯t let go of the children much orpletely lived her life. This time, she ought to rx.

 Chapter 426 - This Is My Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 426: This Is My Boyfriend</h4>


    Ji Buwang was delighted to hear Mu Jingzhe agree.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± His eyes lit up, and his entire body seemed to be giving off a glow.


    He was extremely handsome to begin with, and this joyful look made it even harder for people to look away. Besides, he only had eyes for her, making Mu Jingzhe smile despite herself.


    Many people were already looking at them. Seeing the amazement in the eyes of many girls, Mu Jingzhe took Ji Buwang¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As she saw the amazed and envious looks on everyone¡¯s faces, she felt very happy. She was finally not the one forever envious of others, someone who could only watch idol dramas and scream. That day, she became the object of envy of others and she was the protagonist for once.


    Although her appearance might not be that outstanding, Ji Buwang only had eyes for her, so she was confident that she was worthy of him.


    After all her hard work, she was now considered an outstanding person. Therefore, she could confidently stand beside the once-unattainable piano prince.


    Mu Jingzhe hade mainly to deliver documents, so there wasn¡¯t much to do. Other than meeting Mu Han to y the role of a good sister, she hung out with Ji Buwang for the rest of her time there.


    Ji Buwang excitedly took Mu Jingzhe to pluck grapes. He said that people in the capital would always pluck grapes during this season. These grapes were much smaller than those in theter generations and weren¡¯t as numerous, but the taste was very strong, sweet, and sour.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s appetite was whetted, so Ji Buwang kept picking grapes for her to eat. In the end, she experienced tooth sensitivity.


    At mealtime, her tooth sensitivity affected her appetite.


    ¡°Why did you let me eat so much?¡± She had eaten too much because she was in a good mood, and her teeth had ended up suffering. This kind of thing wouldn¡¯t have happened in the past. She was the one who would not let the children eat too much.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, my fault. I forgot.¡± As Mu Jingzhe had been eating happily, and Ji Buwang, who only cared about making her happy, hadn¡¯t expected that she would overeat. He now admitted his mistake. ¡°Can you still eat?¡±


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t, I have to.¡±


    The ce where Ji Buwang had taken Mu Jingzhe to pluck grapes was actually a friend¡¯s house. His friend had a two-entrance courtyard house where grapes grew. When the grapes ripened, he would invite his family and friends to pluck them instead of selling them.


    Most of Ji Buwang¡¯s friends were in the capital. Now that Mu Jingzhe was there, he wanted to introduce her to everyone.


    This process was the happiest and proudest for Ji Buwang. He wanted his friends to witness his happiness and he couldn¡¯t wait to introduce the most important girl in his life to them.


    He had wanted to do this in the past, but he hadn¡¯t been able to. Firstly, Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce back then, and secondly, their rtionship hadn¡¯t reached that stage yet.


    Now, Ji Buwang felt that their rtionship had more or less been confirmed. Coincidentally, his friends were extremely curious about Mu Jingzhe, so he took her there.


    However, he was afraid that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t be used to it, so he hadn¡¯t asked too many friends toe and he¡¯d only epted the invitation as a guest.


    His friend was really curious about Mu Jingzhe, as after Ji Buwang had woken up, there had been rumors that he liked someone. This person was even a widow with a few children. His friend had confirmed it, so he knew that it was true, but it had been a long time since this rumor had started circting and there hadn¡¯t been any follow-up news.


    However, the reason there hadn¡¯t been any follow-up news wasn¡¯t because the Ji Family objected, but because the woman didn¡¯t seem to have epted him. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that this matter had caused a stir in their circle. After all, this was none other than Ji Buwang, who had the most outstanding appearance, family background, and character. To think that woman wouldn¡¯t ept him¡­


    What was even more surprising was that Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t given up and had kept waiting for her and relentlessly wooing her. He had even be famous for being a devoted lover in their circle.


    One had to know that those of his friends who were wooing girls back then, regardless of whether they¡¯d seeded or not, had basically all gotten married and even had children. Even the children of those who had gotten marriedter were already old enough to run around.


    Only Ji Buwang remained the same as always. Just as everyone thought that Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t seed, there had suddenly been news from Ji Buwang, and good news at that.


    His friends were the first to hear the news. They were very curious about the girl Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t managed to conquer after such a long time.


    They had thought that Mu Jingzhe would be a stunning beauty, but when they saw her, they realized that she wasn¡¯t. However, she had a strong personality and aura. Furthermore, her personality and appearance were different from what they had imagined. She wasn¡¯t the most beautiful, but she was indeed the most eye-catching and special person in a crowd.


    No wonder Ji Buwang treated her differently and had remained deeply in love with her for so long. Many girls would pale inparison when they stood beside him. However, no one would ignore Mu Jingzhe when she stood next to him.


    After interacting with her, one would realize that she was a very special woman. She was knowledgeable, broad-minded, and gracious. She wasn¡¯t shy, but she wasn¡¯t pretending to be noble either.


    When interacting with Ji Buwang, she looked like a lovable little woman, but asionally, she exuded an extraordinary bearing. Also, she was tolerant of Ji Buwang. In short, their way of interacting was very strange and abnormally harmonious.


    His friend observed them for a long time and clicked his tongue as he watched their interaction. After thinking about it, he finally found a reasonable exnation¡ªthey doted on each other.


    They were unlike many young people, when the boy usually doted on the girl or the girl was considerate of the boy. In their case, they doted on each other.


    This felt really good. As his friend brought the dishes over, he felt a little envious. Just as he was about to continue watching the show, someone unexpectedly knocked on the door. When he opened the door, he realized that it was another friend. He had heard that Ji Buwang hade and had specificallye over to see Mu Jingzhe out of curiosity.


    There was a total of three people. They all came in excitedly and nced at Mu Jingzhe. Surprise shed across their eyes as they looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Buwang, shouldn¡¯t you introduce us? This is your¡­¡±


    As the friend asked this and winked, Ji Buwang was helpless. He nced at Mu Jingzhe, who stood up with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s my¡­¡±


    <i>Should I say she¡¯s my partner or lover?</i>


    As he was thinking, he heard Mu Jingzhe say, ¡°Girlfriend. I¡¯m his girlfriend, Mu Jingzhe. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had guessed that Ji Buwang was hesitant, so she had decided to speak up.


    The three new arrivals looked at Mu Jingzhe and eximed in their hearts, ¡®How generous!¡¯


    Besides, the term ¡®girlfriend¡¯ was really interesting. ¡°Hello, hello. So Ji Buwang is your¡­¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend,¡± Mu Jingzhe replied. She sighed with emotion in her heart. Ah, so this was how it felt to introduce one¡¯s boyfriend to others.


    Aside from happiness, there was indescribable anticipation and a hint of pride in her heart.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang, and Ji Buwang looked back at Mu Jingzhe. The smile on his face couldn¡¯t be stopped no matter what. He warmly weed his friends and asked them to take a seat, his brows and eyes filled with excitement. He was really happy because their rtionship had be even clearer now. They were truly dating. Jingzhe had personally introduced them as a couple.


    This introduction made Ji Buwang feel as happy as if he had eaten honey.


    The more he thought about it, the more exuberant he felt. In the end, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help secretly holding Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand under the table, as if this was the only way for him to express his joy.

 Chapter 427 - Just Pounce on Him

    <h4>Chapter 427: Just Pounce on Him</h4>


    When Mu Jingzhe felt him hold her hand, she turned around and looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s serious expression, unable to stop smiling. She hadn¡¯t expected him to do such a thing.


    But she loved it.


    That night, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t bear to let go of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. He had no idea that his friend had seen his small actions.


    His friends were all experienced and knew what was going on. They didn¡¯t expose him. They only stole a few nces while the duo wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Inevitably, they were pressed for details on how the two of them had met and how they had fallen in love. Ji Buwang said everything he could. Because he was so happy, he even drank beer with them.


    Drinking with friends was meant to liven things up. As long as one didn¡¯t go overboard, Mu Jingzhe felt that it was all good. It wasn¡¯t their intention to force Mu Jingzhe to drink, but Mu Jingzhe happily drank two sses of beer nheless.


    In the end, Ji Buwang drank a little too much. He wasn¡¯tpletely drunk, but he was a little tipsy. His emotions got a little worked up, and he became braver. Hence, when he got up, he still held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand, refusing to let go.


    After drinking beer and, before that, water, Mu Jingzhe wanted to go to the washroom, but Ji Buwang refused to let her go. In front of his friends, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t say what she wanted to do directly. Ji Buwang thought that Mu Jingzhe was joking, so he insisted on holding her hand and even used two hands to hold her.


    In the end, Mu Jingzhe almost beat him up. It was only upon sensing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s formidable aura that he let go of her, feeling aggrieved. Then, he went to the washroom himself. When he returned and saw that Mu Jingzhe was smiling, he quietly took her hand and refused to let go again.


    His friends were too embarrassed to look at Ji Buwang. No one had expected Ji Buwang to be like this and have such a secret side.


    It was this minor incident that made them realize that Ji Buwang seemed to be a little afraid of Mu Jingzhe. When they got married in the future, he would inevitably be a henpecked husband.


    Although it was funny, because Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t drive after drinking, he asked the driver to take them back.


    When Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang first got in the back seat, they were sitting on either side, but Ji Buwang refused to do so and went to sit in the middle, clinging to Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe had no choice but to let him cling to her. Not only was Ji Buwang holding her hand, but he also kept looking at Mu Jingzhe with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re really good-looking¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe coughed and nced at the driver in the front. She whispered, ¡°I know.¡±


    Ji Buwang was delighted that she had acknowledged this and held her hand. ¡°Jingzhe, your hands are soft and beautiful¡­


    ¡°And so is your nose. Your nose looks good too¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Your eyes look nice as well. Jingzhe, your eyes are the most beautiful. They look like jewels and stars, sparkling like¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was afraid that the driver wouldugh, so she quickly held his hand. ¡°Alright, I understand. Stop talking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, I¡¯m not lying.¡± Ji Buwang was anxious. Everything he had said was the truth, and he was merely saying out loud what had been in his heart all along. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. At that moment, Mu Jingzhe was a beauty in Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes.


    She was naturally happy to be praised like this. She even found it sweet, but there was a driver in the front seat.


    The driver was very professional. He didn¡¯t peek or make a sound and instead stayed focused on driving. However, he could still move his ears. He was expressionless, but when he heard Ji Buwang¡¯s silly praise, he would move his ears.


    Mu Jingzhe identally saw it and felt a little shy. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m aware I¡¯m good-looking now. You can stop praising me.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not done praising you. Jingzhe, your mouth looks good too¡­¡±


    As he praised her, he even moved toward her, his Adam¡¯s apple throbbing and his eyes staring straight at her as if he wanted to take a bite.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She nced at the driver and covered his mouth before pushing him away. ¡°Mm, yeah, it looks good. You drank too much. Buwang, go ahead and sleep if you want.¡±


    Previously, she had mentally prepared herself for this and the two of them had even gone into the woods, but he still hadn¡¯t taken action. In the end, after drinking, he finally wanted to take action, but there was someone there!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t drink too much. I¡¯m sober. I don¡¯t want to sleep. I want to look at you. I¡¯m not done praising you¡­¡±


    Upon hearing Ji Buwang even praise her beautiful ears and neck, Mu Jingzhe was afraid that it might be a bad idea to let him continue praising her, so she covered his mouth again.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I know I¡¯m good-looking already. Buwang, give it a rest.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe carefully and realized that she was paying attention to the driver in the front seat. After staring at the driver in front of them a few times, he suddenly leaned over toward Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ear. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t let him hear mepliment any other parts of you.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s voice was a little hoarse because he was drunk to begin with. After he lowered his voice, it became even more celebrity-like. He leaned close to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ear just like that, making her freeze.


    ¡°I¡­ I understand. Move back a little.¡± These words were too stimting. What did he mean by that?


    Ji Buwang frowned and moved away. He blinked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ufortable expression and suddenly leaned over. ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯m dizzy. Let me lean on you for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go ahead. Be good.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe let Ji Buwang lean on her shoulder and let out a sigh of relief as she looked out of the car window. Just as she started to rx, Ji Buwang suddenly leaned closer and spoke into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯m d you said I was your boyfriend tonight. I liked it a lot. I like you and I¡¯d like for all my friends to get to know you.¡±


    He was very close to her, and his voice was hoarse. As he spoke, his breathnded on her neck. Mu Jingzhe froze, and her face turned hot. For the first time, she realized that she had a weakness for charismatic voices. These words made her heart skip a beat.


    Mu Jingzhe was stiff and had yet to react when Ji Buwang took her hand. ¡°Jingzhe, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Do you like me? Look at me¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang tilted his head and looked at Mu Jingzhe. Inbination with his maic voice, he became extremely seductive. Especially since his hand was holding hers, and his fingers were grazing her palm intentionally or unintentionally. The sensation was numbing and it affected her heart.


    Meanwhile, Ji Buwang was defenseless, as if he was silently inviting her to do whatever she wanted.


    What the heck! This was the first time Mu Jingzhe realized that Ji Buwang was so seductive. She simply wanted to press him down and pounce on him.


    Mu Jingzhe almost couldn¡¯t control herself. She only came back to her senses when the car jolted.


    She grabbed Ji Buwang, who almost fell, and said, ¡°Sit properly. Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to do that,¡± Ji Buwang muttered.


    Mu Jingzhe helplessly let him lean on her shoulder. ¡°Alright, be good. Stop making a fuss.¡±


    As she spoke, she grabbed his hands to stop him from moving.


    Ji Buwang obeyed and stopped making a fuss. Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, close your eyes.¡±


    Ji Buwang closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. A smile shed across his lips, glimmering with a hint of delight and cunning.


    He had discovered Mu Jingzhe¡¯s secret. Usually, she was very generous and wouldn¡¯t be so embarrassed. On the other hand, he appeared a little useless in front of her. In her presence, he was also nervous and often felt vexed.


    However, just now, he had realized that Jingzhe¡¯s ears were red. It turned out that she couldn¡¯t resist his voice¡­


    Ji Buwang felt that he could do this sort of thing a few more times in the future.

 Chapter 428 - Sleeping in the Same Bed

    <h4>Chapter 428: Sleeping in the Same Bed</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe still didn¡¯t know that Ji Buwang had discovered her little secret and had decided to seduce her again in the future. After taking Ji Buwang home and making sure that he was fine, she was ready to go back.


    Mu Han was also in the capital. Although he hadn¡¯t stopped her from meeting Ji Buwang, she had to go back at night. Otherwise, he woulde looking for her directly.


    After Mu Jingzhe poured a cup of water for Ji Buwang and ced it at the head of the bed, she saw the little doll that Ji Buwang had ced on another pillow. Her mood instantly became strange and subtle.


    She hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to really bring her around often and have her sleep on the pillow next to his at night.


    It was clearly just a little doll, but for some reason, she felt like it was her sleeping beside him and sharing a bed with Ji Buwang.


    Aside from sharing a bed with him, the little doll might even see his sleeping face and watch him change clothes and other stuff like that¡­


    Wait¡­ Why would she think of him changing clothes?


    Could she have already been seduced by Ji Buwang to such an extent? If she continued to think about it, she might just get used to it.


    Most importantly, at that moment, Ji Buwang was still lying obediently on the bed, looking utterly defenseless.


    Mu Jingzhe patted her face to wake herself up. She was afraid that she would think of strange scenes or do something weird. After giving him a few reminders, she didn¡¯t even dare look at Ji Buwang and left in a hurry.


    Ji Buwang noticed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze, but his brain was a little slow. Although he hadn¡¯t drunk too much, he had indeed drunk quite a bit, so it hadn¡¯t urred to him what was going on before Mu Jingzhe left.


    He was a step toote to ask her to stay, so he could only watch her leave. After a moment of dull sadness, he recalled what had happened tonight and his spirits were lifted again.


    He had taken Jingzhe to meet a friend. Just the thought of it made him excited, so Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t fall asleep. He tossed and turned, his face turning redder.


    ¡°This is my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m his girlfriend¡­ Girlfriend, boyfriend¡­ That sounds really nice.¡±


    As Ji Buwang spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Then, he couldn¡¯t help kissing Little Jingzhe, who was beside him. ¡°Little Jingzhe, why are you so good at talking? Why are you so sweet?¡±


    After kissing her a few times, he wanted to hold Little Jingzhe¡¯s hand, but he realized that it was too small and couldn¡¯t be held. ¡°I can¡¯t hold your hand because you¡¯re not really Jingzhe, but you might be able to retire soon.¡±


    When the right time came, the real Jingzhe would be on duty and lie beside him instead of the doll. He wouldn¡¯t need this doll to quench his thirst anymore.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t forget you just like that. When Jingzhe goes to work, I¡¯ll still keep you by my side.¡±


    While Ji Buwang was rolling around and talking to Little Jingzhe, Mu Jingzhe went back and exined to Mu Han everything before returning to her room.


    Previously, when she had packed her luggage, even though she had known that Ji Buwang was in the capital, she had still packed Ji Buwang¡¯s little doll in her luggage.


    It felt very different now that she took it out and looked at it.


    ¡°Why are you so adorable? Buwang calls the little doll Little Jingzhe, so I¡¯ll call you Little Buwang. Tell me, how do you manage to be so sexy, cute, bold, and shy all at the same time?


    ¡°Buwang, Buwang, you¡¯re a contradiction.¡±


    However, this was what made things interesting. Humans had a contradictory nature to begin with. When she thought of everything that had happened in the car, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face heated up, so she went to wash it.


    Looking at Little Buwang, she suddenly couldn¡¯t bear to put the doll down, so she ced it in her pocket.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it feels to carry you around in my pocket.¡± It really felt like she was carrying Ji Buwang around with her.


    After washing up, Mu Jingzhe held Little Buwang and suddenly thought, ¡®How would it feel to really sleep with you?¡¯


    For the first time, Mu Jingzhe ced Little Buwang on the pillow. After some thought, she even took out a small handkerchief and folded it before gently covering him with it, revealing only his face. ¡°This way, you won¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    For some reason, she found again the joy she had felt while ying house when she was young. Plus, because it was Little Buwang, the joy was doubled.


    Mu Jingzhe sat on the bed and looked at Little Buwang with a smile. It wasn¡¯t until her face was sore from smiling that she reacted and patted her face.


    In the past, she had often seen the sweetness of a girl in love on television. Only now did she realize just how sweet it was.


    After switching off the light, shey on the bed and looked beside her. For some reason, she felt like she was sleeping with Ji Buwang.


    She fell asleep and had a beautiful dream at night. When she woke up in the morning, Mu Jingzhe was about to change out of her pajamas when she suddenly felt that something was wrong. She turned to look at Little Buwang and thought for a moment before covering it with a handkerchief.


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to peek.¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe washed her face, she started missing Ji Buwang and wanted to see him. She felt like it had been three years since they hadst met.


    In the end, as she was thinking about this, Ji Buwang showed up. When Mu Han opened the door, he saw that Ji Buwang¡¯s countenance was a little dark. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I want to see Jingzhe.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just meet yesterday¡­¡± Before Mu Han could finish speaking, Mu Jingzhe ran out with a face full of water. ¡°Ji Buwang!¡±


    Their gazes met. Mu Han gritted his teeth and blocked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gaze. ¡°Sister, quick, go dry your face. What is this?¡±


    Previously, when Mu Jingzhe had divorced, Li Zhaodi had been worried, and so had Mu Han. But now, while seeing Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang like this, he felt his teeth ache.


    Back then, when Mu Jingzhe had first married Shao Qihai, he had still been young. Besides, she had married into another family just like that, so he hadn¡¯t felt too strongly about it. Now that he was older, when he looked at Ji Buwang, he inexplicably felt that he was an eyesore.


    Ji Buwang wanted to take Mu Jingzhe away. When he was busy at work, Mu Jingzhe could be by his side. However, Mu Han heartlessly refused.


    ¡°No, my sister has something to do today. She has toe with me.¡±


    Mu Han sessfully did not let Ji Buwang take Mu Jingzhe away, but their reluctant expressions made Mu Han feel like an evil person who had broken up a loving couple.


    However, he could only separate them for half a day. At night, Ji Buwang even brought some fruit over just to take a look at Mu Jingzhe.


    The next day, under Mu Han¡¯s speechless gaze, Ji Buwang came again and excitedly took Mu Jingzhe to pluck pomegranates.


    Coincidentally, it was the right season to pluck pomegranates. While they plucked pomegranates, they were pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°This pomegranate is awesome. It¡¯s like a ruby.¡± It was really pretty. Although it wasn¡¯t very big, it was very red and aesthetically pleasing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you got lucky.¡± This time, the ce where they went to pick pomegranates wasn¡¯t his friend¡¯s house. Seeing that the couple looked pleasing to the eye, the owner of the pomegranate garden said some auspicious words to bless them. ¡°Pomegranates signify many children and blessings. You¡¯ll be blessed with a lot of children in the future.¡±


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help butugh when he heard that, but Mu Jingzhe said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for the future. I¡¯ve already been blessed with many children.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± The boss looked at her. ¡°You look rather young.¡±


    ¡°Really? How old do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°In your early twenties?¡±


    Delighted, Mu Jingzhe started spouting nonsense. ¡°I¡¯m actually in my thirties. I have five children, including both sons and daughters.¡±


    With a stunned expression, the boss looked at her face in disbelief and eximed, ¡°I really couldn¡¯t tell! Then he¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s still young. He¡¯s just in his early twenties. He¡¯s the stepfather I found for my children.¡±

 Chapter 429 - Ji Buwang, Youre Courting Death!

    <h4>Chapter 429: Ji Buwang, You¡¯re Courting Death!</h4>


    The boss had aplicated expression on her face. She nced at the two of them with a very subtle gaze and left. Perhaps she hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to be a gigolo.


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Did you see the boss¡¯ gaze? Why did you lie to her?¡± She had even said he was only in his early twenties.


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you correct me?¡±


    ¡°Because you said that I¡¯m the stepfather you found for your children. That part is right.¡± Ji Buwang quietly held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand.


    When they returned home, Ji Buwang kept peeling pomegranates for Mu Jingzhe to eat. He filled an entire bowl with them. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it. I¡¯ll peel them for you.¡±


    As he peeled, Mu Jingzhe grabbed some pomegranate and fed him from time to time. ¡°Delicious. So sweet¡­¡±


    ¡°Then eat more. I¡¯ll peel more for you after you finish these.¡±


    Not only did Ji Buwang peel pomegranates for Mu Jingzhe, but he also didn¡¯t mind taking the pomegranate seeds she spat out. ¡°Don¡¯t swallow them.¡±


    ¡°I can do it myself.¡± Mu Jingzhe was embarrassed. ¡°You don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Mind what?¡± Ji Buwang stretched out his hand seriously. ¡°Why would I? Jingzhe, spit them out.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s expression and covered her face. No, no, her heart had beenpletely conquered.


    How could there be such a wonderful and cute person in this world?


    She spat out the pomegranate seeds herself but held Ji Buwang¡¯s hand, which was about to be retracted. ¡°Since you¡¯re sticking out your hand, I¡¯ll give you something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Close your eyes and don¡¯t peek.¡±


    Ji Buwang cooperatively closed his eyes, and Mu Jingzhe drew a heart on his palm.


    Ji Buwang felt his palm itch, but what surprised him even more was the heart Mu Jingzhe had drawn. ¡°Did you guess what it is?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Ji Buwang opened his eyes, which were shining like stars. ¡°It¡¯s your heart.¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s my heart indeed.¡± Mu Jingzhe closed his palm. ¡°So you have to take good care of it.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t help but reach out to hug her. ¡°Jingzhe, why are you so wonderful?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°You just found out? Let me give you a few more.¡±


    After saying that, she made all sorts of heart shapes that she had seen in the modern ages.


    Ji Buwangughed. Then, he thought of something and clumsily gestured back at her, making shapes one by one. ¡°I¡¯ll give you all of mine too.¡±


    After saying that, he took Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and drew a heart on it.


    Mu Jingzhe ate them solemnly and swallowed them. ¡°Alright, I ate them.¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled again. This was the first time he realized that Jingzhe had such a side.


    In the past, whenever she was with the children, although her education methods were different from those of other parents and her thoughts were out-of-the-box at times, most of the time, she was steady and serious, especially when she worked.


    He had seen her angry, sad, proud, and happy, but he had never seen her wheedle and be as funny and cute as this.


    ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re the best.¡± Ji Buwang pulled Mu Jingzhe into his embrace again.


    It was only then that Mu Jingzhe realized that Ji Buwang quite liked to hug people and he was even smug about praising her.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressive, aren¡¯t I?¡± Although she had been narcissistic many times and had never dated in her two lifetimes, she refused to admit defeat. She was actually very good at dating and not at all inferior to anyone in this aspect.


    She was a love genius who had studied many idol dramas, which was why Ji Buwang was so happy.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t understand what Mu Jingzhe meant at first. ¡°What¡¯s impressive about you?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you very fond of me? That¡¯s why I¡¯m impressive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very, very fond of you indeed,¡± Ji Buwang admitted.


    ¡°I can be even more impressive.¡± Mu Jingzhe sat up straight.


    Ji Buwang was curious. ¡°How?¡±


    Before he even finished speaking, Mu Jingzhe suddenly leaned over and kissed his face. ¡°Like this.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    His heart pounded, and all he could think of was, ¡®So soft¡­ So her kisses are that soft?¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe was initially a little shy and only turned around after a moment. In the end, she saw the dazed Ji Buwang looking like a stunned goose and couldn¡¯t help but wave her hand in front of him. ¡°Ji Buwang, what¡¯s wrong? Are you overjoyed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you were too fast¡­¡± The kiss had been too brief and the action too fast. It was over before he could even feel it.


    Mu Jingzhe understood and thought of an inappropriate advertisement: ¡®Has it started? It¡¯s already over.¡¯


    She made a spitting sound. It was really a sin to think of that at such a time.


    Seeing Ji Buwang¡¯s blushing face, Mu Jingzhe moved faster than her mind could think. She leaned forward and kissed him again. This time, itsted longer and she even made a sound.


    ¡°Did you feel it this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± It had felt very soft¡­ Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze involuntarilynded on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s lips. He wanted to¡­


    When she saw Ji Buwang slowly approach, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind went nk. She suddenly closed her eyes, feeling her heart about to jump out of her chest.


    At that moment, Mu Han¡¯s furious voice suddenly rang in his ears. ¡°Ji Buwang, you must have a death wish!¡±


    Then¡­ chaos ensued.


    Mu Han, who had seen the up-to-no-good Ji Buwang, flew into a rage. ¡°This is my house. You two aren¡¯t even married yet. How dare you!¡±


    Later on, Ji Buwang was thrown out after being hit with two pomegranates. That was probably the most embarrassing moment of his life. Though Mu Han was no match for him in terms of skill, this wasn¡¯t a matter of skill.


    Mu Han was his brother-inw, so how could he dare retaliate?


    Ji Buwang was chased away, and Mu Jingzhe was also taught a lesson by Mu Han. At that moment, the siblings¡¯ positions had been reversed.


    Mu Jingzhe silently retorted that it had been just a kiss and not much else, but she didn¡¯t dare say it out loud.


    Then, they couldn¡¯t meet again the next day. The more they couldn¡¯t meet, the more they missed each other. Fortunately, they were able to meet again on the third day. Ji Buwang also decided to go back with Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe was very happy to see him after a day, but because she kept thinking about that unfinished kiss, she felt a little embarrassed.


    Ji Buwang was also embarrassed, as not only did he think about it during the day, but he had even dreamed about it at night.


    In the dream, he had gotten his wish. Then¡­ If you¡¯re a man, you might understand what followed. Even if you¡¯re not a man, you probably still know. In short, they had done ¡°it¡± in the dream. Now that he saw Mu Jingzhe, he felt a little shy.


    After the two of them met, they walked side by side for a while before Ji Buwang pretended to be calm and took Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand in his.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back with you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but does Grandpa Ji agree?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I brought Tang Moling back.¡± Ji Buwang exined that after Grandpa Ji had seen the progress between him and Jingzhe, he had expressed his support for him and said that his biggest mission now was to marry Jingzhe.


    He hadn¡¯t confessed it all to his grandfather yet, but his grandfather could tell at a nce after seeing his lovestruck expression.


    Upon hearing Ji Buwang mention Tang Moling, Mu Jingzhe fell silent. In the novel, domineering CEO Tang Moling was still a domineering CEO. But now, with Ji Buwang and Old Master Ji above him, he seemed to have be a mere worker.


    However, his working position was more handsome. Besides, he was working for himself.

 Chapter 430 - Dating at the Risk of Ones Life

    <h4>Chapter 430: Dating at the Risk of One¡¯s Life</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    There were also many parks in the capital. When Ji Buwang took Mu Jingzhe to the park again, the two of them already knew what it implied.


    As they stood under the shade of a tree, their hands were already covered in sweat.


    This time, Ji Buwang was impulsive and brave enough to take action. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart was beating furiously. Feeling this strange sensation, she now knew that watching it on TV waspletely different from experiencing it in real life.


    This was the first time she discovered that Ji Buwang¡¯s lips were so soft.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart beat faster and faster, and so did Ji Buwang¡¯s. His hand subconsciously stroked Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ear. Mu Jingzhe trembled for a moment, and her mind went nk for a second. She subconsciously exerted strength with her arms.


    She usually didn¡¯t use much strength and she was actually simr to an ordinary person. After many years of training, she hadplete control over her strength, unlike when she was young and hadn¡¯t been able to control it. But now, she had lost control of her strength and exerted a lot of strength as she hugged Ji Buwang¡­


    Upon feeling her tight hug, Ji Buwang grunted. She had used so much strength that he almost couldn¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°Jingzhe¡­ Rx.¡±


    Ji Buwang gently patted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s back. Mu Jingzhe hummed in a daze. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Rx, Jingzhe. Rx.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart pounded, but her mind regained some rity. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Rx, Jingzhe, rx. Rx your hand.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s face was red from holding it in, and Mu Jingzhe finally reacted. She quickly loosened her grip and let go of Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang finally caught his breath. He had almost been strangled to death by Jingzhe just now.


    Mu Jingzhe finally realized what was going on. ¡°Are¡­ Are you alright?¡±


    What had she done? Mu Jingzhe covered her face. She had gotten too excited just now and nearly¡­ If she hadn¡¯t reacted in time, would she have strangled someone to death?


    She would be too embarrassed to live if she strangled her boyfriend to death because of a kiss.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± Ji Buwang was actually still in a bit of pain. This was also the first time he experienced Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strength, but he wasn¡¯t angry or afraid.


    Other than a trace of helplessness, everything else felt very sweet to him. Jingzhe was actually¡­ too cute. She was just inexperienced.


    He found it cute, but Mu Jingzhe felt terrible. She didn¡¯t know that someone who was as strong as an ox would experience such an unexpected situation in a rtionship.


    ¡°I¡¯m so embarrassed. Leave quickly. I can¡¯t even face you now.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe said this, she hid in Ji Buwang¡¯s arms. She didn¡¯t dare think about the future. What if she couldn¡¯t control her excitement every single time?


    If this kiss had already been so intense, then after they got married, would Ji Buwang be able to survive their wedding night? He wouldn¡¯t be hugged to death or strangled to death by her excitement, right?


    Other people¡¯s wedding night was theirs, but would hers and Ji Buwang¡¯s wedding night be a night of adventure? Would Ji Buwang have to wear protective clothing?


    Come to think of it, Ji Buwang was simply risking his life by dating her. In the future, would he also have to risk his life to consummate their marriage?


    No, that couldn¡¯t be. She could definitely control it. They couldn¡¯t have such a future!


    As she denied it, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of a solution, such as tying up her hands.


    Even if her hands were tied up, though, her feet were strong too. She would have to tie both her hands and feet. No, wait. If her hands and feet were tied up¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be too wicked?


    Besides, she might be able to break free from ordinary ropes. She couldn¡¯t possibly use chains or something else, right?


    <i>Ah, I can¡¯t even think about it!</i>


    ¡°Jingzhe, what are you thinking about?¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s voice interrupted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s thoughts.


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Are you afraid?¡± After suffering through this, would Ji Buwang be traumatized by kissing?


    ¡°No, why would I? Just listen to my heart and you¡¯ll know.¡±


    Coincidentally, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head was buried in his chest. When she listened carefully, she realized that his heart was thumping very quickly, just like hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Ji Buwang kissed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s voice and reactionforted Mu Jingzhe. He really wasn¡¯t afraid. After confirming that Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t afraid, Mu Jingzhe felt happy again.


    Wedding night and whatnot, she could think about this in the future.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Mu Jingzhe held Ji Buwang back, unwilling to let go. She liked this feeling of them being alone in the world.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of them hugged quietly for a long time until they suddenly heard the sound of a branch snapping.


    Someone was there.


    Mu Jingzhe trembled. ¡°Someone¡¯s here.¡± She frantically grabbed Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ji Buwang bared his teeth in the darkness but didn¡¯t make a sound. He obediently followed Mu Jingzhe.


    The two of them sessfully escaped from the park and agreed to leave together the next day.


    The next day, Ji Buwang was wearing a white shirt with his sleeves and buttons tightly buttoned, giving off an ascetic vibe. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but look at him again and again.


    Ji Buwang even had Old Master Ji¡¯s gift for his future inws with him, so when he returned to the county that night, he first went to visit Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had sharp eyes. They could tell at a nce that the two of them acted differently now and they couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    Ji Buwang wanted to make a good impression, and his words were ridiculously sweet. However, something unexpected happened during the meal.


    While they were eating, soup identally sshed Ji Buwang¡¯s sleeve. Li Zhaodi wanted to wipe it for him, but Ji Buwang didn¡¯t have any time to think before unbuttoning his sleeve. Then, the handprint-shaped bruise on his wrist was revealed before everyone.


    Ji Buwang wanted to cover it up, but it was toote.


    His skin was very fair to begin with, so the bruise was very obvious. Besides, it had clearly been made by someone¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Why is your wrist green? Who grabbed you? Why did that person use so much strength?¡± Li Zhaodi¡¯s heart ached at the sight of it as she quickly asked about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m fine,¡± Ji Buwang quickly replied. Actually, it wasn¡¯t just his wrist. There were also bruised spots on his back, and the culprit was none other than Mu Jingzhe.


    His back had been bruised by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s arms, and his wrist had been identally bruised by Mu Jingzhe when she had pulled him away in the park.


    This was a situation that rarely ever happened to her, but this time¡­


    Mu Jingzhe stared nkly at the bruise on Ji Buwang¡¯s wrist, then looked down at her hands.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ahhh, why had she bruised his skin? Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would think that she had abused him.


    Meanwhile, Li Zhaodi was still asking what was going on. Mu Jingzhe looked at the sky and earth, but she didn¡¯t look at Li Zhaodi because she was too embarrassed. She was also depressed because her rtionship was so strange.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Auntie. I¡¯m really fine.¡± Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe with aforting look in his eyes. Although Jingzhe¡¯s excitement had caused him quite a lot of pain, he knew that Jingzhe hadn¡¯t done it on purpose.


    Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t tell yet, but Mu Teng could. If one looked at the handprint carefully, it resembled Jingzhe¡¯s hand. Most importantly, other than Jingzhe, who else could have hurt Ji Buwang so badly?


    Mu Teng coughed. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine as long as Buwang says so. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    He looked at Mu Jingzhe, wanting to say something, but hesitated.. He hadn¡¯t expected that, between the two of them, Jingzhe might be manhandling Buwang. He wondered what she had done¡­

 Chapter 431 - Gastrointestinal Bleeding

    <h4>Chapter 431: Gastrointestinal Bleeding</h4>


    Everyone was quite d that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang had finally gotten together, especially Li Zhaodi and the gang. After handling the most important matter in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s life, they were just waiting for the wedding. They started to urge Mu Han to get married as soon as possible too. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be proper.


    Mu Han¡¯s head hurt when he heard that. He didn¡¯t know why this fire had reached him.


    The five kids didn¡¯t have many objections. After all, they were already mentally prepared. To be honest, Ji Buwang had been waiting for Mu Jingzhe for so many years and had treated them very well during this period.


    Even though Shao Qihai had treated them well before his return, they didn¡¯t have much to say.


    However, the fact that Mu Jingzhe had stayed in the capital for a week before returning had shocked them. They hadn¡¯t expected her to be such a mother.


    Shao Dong and the others even suddenly understood the mentality of a mother-inw that Li Zhaodi and the others often talked about. When a son was criticized for being unfilial, it was usually because they had forgotten about their mother after marrying someone. In their case, their mommy had forgotten about her mother¡­ No, wait, she had forgotten about her sons and daughter before she had even gotten married¡­


    In the past, Mommy had never been like this. She had been led astray by Uncle Ji. Uncle Ji must have led her astray, just like those vixens in television dramas.


    Shao Xi had seen through Ji Buwang¡¯s nature many years ago and had known that he would snatch his mother away. In the end, he really did snatch her away.


    ¡°Vixen¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t all. Shao Xi even added another nickname. ¡°Wicked Concubine Ji.¡±


    Shao Dong, who had heard this clearly, held his forehead. Although he felt that Shao Xi¡¯s description was absurd, he thought that it was very urate. If one looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s expression, he really did show the characteristics of a wicked concubine.


    ¡°Stop talking and eat more.¡± Shao Dong picked up a drumstick and stuffed it in Shao Xi¡¯s mouth.


    Although it was just a passing remark, Shao Dong still found time to gather his younger siblings and hold a simple meeting.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything about Mommy going to find Uncle Ji. Don¡¯t show a reaction either. This is a good thing. Don¡¯t re at him just because you¡¯re not used to it.


    ¡°Think about it. When we grow up, we¡¯ll go to school and busy ourselves with our careers. We¡¯ll even have our own families in the future. When we leave Mommy one by one, what will happen to her? Will she be left alone? It¡¯s good for her that she¡¯s found a partner now. In the future, when she gets old, she¡¯ll have Uncle Ji to apany her.


    ¡°Therefore, we can¡¯t say nonsense just because we can¡¯t leave Mommy now. We should be happy about this.¡±


    Shao Xi wanted to say that, in that case, he wouldn¡¯t get married and he would keep Mommypany. However, when he saw Shao Dong¡¯s gaze, he silently shut his mouth.


    Everyone took it well. The only person who didn¡¯t ept it was probably Shao Qihai.


    It would be a wonder if he epted it. Actually, it wasn¡¯t that surprising. He had thought about it in the past, and it could be said that he had been mentally prepared. However, when this scenario became a reality, he still found it difficult to ept.


    Seeing the vibe between Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe turn sweet, after Shao Qihai took a few nces, his heart ached. He really wouldn¡¯t have a chance in the future.


    When Shao Qihai returned, because he truly felt awful, he couldn¡¯t help but get drunk, like countless other seniors. He felt that perhaps he could forget his pain after getting drunk.


    In the end, when he got drunk, it only made him feel worse. He even lost his usual self-control because of the alcohol. Then, he burst into tears.


    When people got drunk, everyone¡¯s reaction was different. Shao Qihai was the sort who would sob uncontrobly.


    Coincidentally, Jiang Feng returned and saw Shao Qihai, who was crying loudly. Shao Qihai¡¯s secret was still intact. Only Mu Jingzhe had seen him cry like a dog and knew that he couldn¡¯t bear to see anyone cry.


    However, Jiang Feng had never seen him like this before. Thest time he had seen Shao Qihai cry, his best friend had retired from the army. Later on, no matter how sad he had been, he had never lost hisposure like this.


    This was the first time he saw it, so he was shocked. When he found out that Shao Qihai was only crying because Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were together, he felt even worse.


    Mu Jingzhe had harmed Brother Hai greatly. He also regretted it. If he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have persuaded Brother Hai back then. Now that he thought about it, Brother Hai¡¯s feelings for Mu Jingzhe back then hadn¡¯t seemed to be that deep. It was all his nonsense about cherishing her and whatnot that had slowly changed Brother Hai¡¯s mind.


    If he had known this would happen, he wouldn¡¯t have said anything back then. It was all his fault.


    ¡°Brother Hai, stop crying. Even if you don¡¯t have her, there are others¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over. It¡¯s over. There¡¯s no one else like Mu Jingzhe in this world. It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault for not treating her well enough back then and letting her down. I¡¯vepletely lost her¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai was ovee with sorrow. He began to cry again and continued drinking. Jiang Feng couldn¡¯t bear to stop him, but Shao Qihai ended up drinking too much and started vomiting. At first, it was fine, butter on, he actually started vomiting blood.


    Jiang Feng was frightened and quickly took Shao Qihai to the hospital. In the end, he found out that Shao Qihai had drunk too much and had suffered a gastric hemorrhage. Shao Qihai had drunk alcohol on an empty stomach, which had really hurt his stomach.


    It was unknown if it was because his body hurt or because he really felt terrible. When they arrived at the hospital, Shao Qihai was still crying and shouting for Jingzhe as he received treatment. He became quite the spectacle in the emergency room.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for him to get a little better. By the time he managed tofort Shao Qihai to sleep, it was already dawn.


    Jiang Feng looked at Shao Qihai on the bed and couldn¡¯t help but look for Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe was woken up early in the morning. When she opened the door, she was bombarded by Jiang Feng¡¯s questioning. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, do you know what Shao Qihai did for youst night?!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    She didn¡¯t feel good seeing Jiang Feng now. ¡°What do you want to say? Or do you want to hit me again? Let me make things clear up front this time. If you dare hit me, I¡¯ll hit you back twice.¡±


    ¡°Who wants to hit you!¡± Jiang Feng gritted his teeth. ¡°He¡¯s suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding because you¡¯re with Ji Buwang. Why did you choose Ji Buwang? Other than not being as rich as him, how is Brother Hai inferior to him¡­¡±


    Jiang Feng wanted to reprimand Mu Jingzhe for being vain, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t give him the chance to finish before she interrupted him. ¡°Because I like him. Isn¡¯t it good to be rich? Being rich is a good thing. Besides, in terms of looks and disposition, Ji Buwang is outstanding. Isn¡¯t it normal for me to like him and choose him?


    ¡°Jiang Feng, I know that you and Shao Qihai are chummy, but this isn¡¯t something you can meddle in. Just because you got a divorce and had your heart wounded by love, it doesn¡¯t mean that everyone has to suffer because of you. I hope that today is thest time. If you still refuse to let go, then don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s face turned livid. ¡°How do you intend to be rude?¡±


    ¡°In whatever way you want. I¡¯ll entertain you when ites to reasoning. I¡¯ve seen too many dogs like you, who catch rats in the name of upholding justice, sticking their noses into other people¡¯s business. I can also entertain you when ites to martial arts. I¡¯m not seriously ill anymore. If you want to hit me, just say the word. Coincidentally, I still remember the p you gave me previously.¡±


    As Mu Jingzhe spoke, she flexed her wrist. This was a great opportunity to hit him back.


    Jiang Feng hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to have such an attitude. ¡°Brother Hai must be really blind to have taken a fancy to you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because he¡¯s not blind that he took a fancy to me.¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t be bothered to listen. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m closing the door. Talking to you is such a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe!¡± Jiang Feng was furious. He was about to say something nasty when he suddenly saw Shao Dong appear behind Mu Jingzhe.


    He frowned at him and interrupted him. ¡°Uncle Jiang Feng, that¡¯s enough.¡±

 Chapter 432 - Threat To Shao Qihai

    <h4>Chapter 432: Threat To Shao Qihai</h4>


    Jiang Feng was stunned when he saw Shao Dong. ¡°Shao Dong, your father has gastrointestinal bleeding.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go visit him.¡± Shao Dong nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re here to inform us, thank you. But if you¡¯re here to scold my mother, then I¡¯m sorry, Uncle Jiang. Our family won¡¯t wee you here anymore.¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Shao Dong, you¡­ I¡¯m defending your father.¡±


    ¡°This is a family matter. You don¡¯t have to help my father fight for justice.¡± Shao Dong held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°One shouldn¡¯t do the same thing more than three times. If you do this again, Mommy will hit you directly.¡±


    The door was closed with a bang, almost hitting his nose. Jiang Feng stood at the door, his face livid. A hint of confusion shed across his eyes. Had he really done something wrong?


    However, he was really only doing this because he felt indignant on Brother Hai¡¯s behalf. Brother Hai was such a wonderful man, so why did Mu Jingzhe have to divorce him and choose Ji Buwang? Wasn¡¯t it because Ji Buwang was rich?


    Besides, from the looks of it, the five kids had also beenpletely brainwashed by Mu Jingzhe. Even at a time like this, they were still standing by her side. Brother Hai was really pitiful.


    Jiang Feng stood outside the door for a moment. In the end, because he was worried about Shao Qihai, he returned to the hospital.


    Not long after he went back, Shao Qihai happened to wake up. ¡°Where have you been?¡± His memories after getting drunk were intermittent. At the thought of how badly he had cried, Shao Qihai felt too ashamed to face Jiang Feng.


    ¡°I went to look for Mu Jingzhe,¡± Jiang Feng answered after some hesitation.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe? Why did you go looking for her?¡± Shao Qihai was shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you went to spout nonsense again?¡±


    Jiang Feng pursed his lips. ¡°Brother Hai, I just felt bad seeing you so devastated. When did you ever cry like that? I couldn¡¯t bear to see you like that. My heart aches for you, Brother Hai. That¡¯s why I went¡­¡±


    Shao Qihai almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. He was no stranger to crying, and there had been countless asions when he had cried so hard that he¡¯d had difficulty breathing. Wasn¡¯t it insignificant?


    ¡°Jiang Feng, although I feel terrible, rtionships aren¡¯t like anything else. Don¡¯t be like this in the future. I know you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but there¡¯s really no need. If you do this, how will I face Mu Jingzhe in the future?¡±


    Jiang Feng hadn¡¯t expected Shao Qihai to not support him either. For a moment, he felt terrible. Had he really done something wrong?


    As Jiang Feng was struggling, Shao Dong¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Daddy.¡±


    While it was still early, Mu Jingzhe had brought the children to visit Shao Qihai. After all, he had gastrointestinal bleeding.


    When Shao Qihai saw Mu Jingzhe and Shao Donge in, he almost burrowed into the ground. Seeing that the five kids were looking at his eyes, he reacted by quickly covering them.


    Ahhh, this was so embarrassing. His eyes were definitely swollen.


    The kids¡¯ expressions were subtle. Little Bei blinked. ¡°Daddy, were you crying?¡±


    ¡°No, why would I cry? I¡¯m a man. I just felt unwell after drinking.¡± Shao Qihai denied it without hesitation.


    Despite feeling that he must have been crying, Little Bei gave Shao Qihai some face.


    The children asked Shao Qihai how he was feeling because Shao Qihai kept covering his eyes, feeling too embarrassed to look at them. Because they had to go to school, they didn¡¯t talk much to him before bidding him farewell. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe stayed behind.


    ¡°If you are having gastric issues, don¡¯t drink anymore.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Shao Qihai looked at Jiang Feng. ¡°Jiang Feng told you some nonsense earlier. Don¡¯t get mad or mind him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If he says it again, though, I¡¯ll hit him directly. I only came to advise you not to drink anymore. Otherwise, the kids will be worried again.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe really didn¡¯t have any ill feelings for Shao Qihai. When she¡¯d heard that he had gotten drunk, she had felt strange. However, she really didn¡¯t want Jiang Feng to nag her anymore, so she thought for a moment and said, ¡°Actually, I know your secret, so if you continue drinking or Jiang Fenges to find me again, I¡¯lle and cry in front of you. Then, you¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Cry like a dog. Mu Jingzhe chuckled.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had never expected to be threatened like this.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t stay for long. She quickly left, leaving Shao Qihai with a smile that was even uglier than crying.


    Jiang Feng frowned and watched from the side. He wanted to say something but hesitated. Shao Qihai nced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think that she¡¯s really threatening me. She¡¯s just concerned about me. She hopes I won¡¯t ruin my health.¡±


    He could understand Mu Jingzhe¡¯s intentions. Shao Qihai took a deep breath. ¡°Jiang Feng, I know that you did all of this because you care about me. I know that. But Jingzhe didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Don¡¯t look for her again in the future. We¡¯re raising the children together and we still have many opportunities to interact. I don¡¯t want to lose this opportunity.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t convinced, and he was sad because his love for her wasn¡¯t inferior to Ji Buwang¡¯s. However, since Mu Jingzhe had chosen Ji Buwang, he should acknowledge it. He didn¡¯t want to get to a point when he couldn¡¯t even be friends with Mu Jingzhe.


    Jiang Feng looked at Shao Qihai and finally regretted it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brother Hai. You clearly told me sost time, but I still¡­¡±


    He felt indignant on Brother Hai¡¯s behalf, but after calming down and thinking about it, he realized that his so-called feeling of injustice only pushed Mu Jingzhe further away. The person who bore all the consequences was Shao Qihai.


    ¡°I can apologize to her. I don¡¯t know what got over me. I was clearly taught a lessonst time, but I can¡¯t control myself at all.¡±


    ¡°No need. Don¡¯t me yourself. It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t do this again in the future. The heavens have actually treated me well by once granting someone like me such a marriage.¡± Shao Qihai smiled sadly. ¡°Because of her, the kids will grow up well. This is the greatest kindness to me.¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s lips curled into a smile. This was probably the greatest blessing in all this misfortune.


    ¡°Treat this as myst indulgence. I won¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll be the best role model for the children. Like they said, I should cherish my health. At least, I won¡¯t drag them down. I¡¯ve survived all the difficult days of the past. I¡¯ll get through this as well.¡±


    Shao Qihai believed that he could make it through. This was the way of the world. There wasn¡¯t a single person one couldn¡¯t live without. No matter how difficult it was, he would eventually get over this.


    After Shao Qihai was discharged from the hospital, he really returned to normal. The five kids took turns to keep himpany, and they only heaved a sigh of relief when they saw that he was fine.


    When Mu Jingzhe found out, she heaved a sigh of relief too. She hadn¡¯t expected a novel or a television drama to happen in real life. It was actually a little awkward, which was why she had tried to persuade him by using a threat. Now that she knew that there was no problem, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    In the next few days, Mu Jingzhe found herself in a passionate rtionship. Whenever she had nothing to do, she would be with Ji Buwang. And whenever they were apart, she would miss him.


    They were already familiar with each other, so they didn¡¯t really have to adjust to each other¡¯s presence. The only problem she had to take note of was that she had to control her emotions and strength to prevent herself from identally hurting Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang suggested that they practice more. Once she got used to it, there wouldn¡¯t be any idents.


    Therefore, they had to find an opportunity to kiss and hug whenever possible. After a while, although she would asionally lose control, it was finally much better.

 Chapter 433 - Three Tribulations in Life, One More Tribulation

    <h4>Chapter 433: Three Tribtions in Life, One More Tribtion</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were getting along fine. Then, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng started urging them to get married. They said that they had to hold a wedding before the New Year before Mu Jingzhe got older by another year.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the hurry? We¡¯ve already discussed it. We¡¯ll get married sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°How can I not be anxious? You¡¯re still alright for your age, but look at Ji Buwang. He¡¯s going to be 32 years old after the New Year. He¡¯s in his thirties and he still hasn¡¯t gotten married. If I were his family, I¡¯d be so anxious that my beard would fall off.¡±


    It was normal to get married at 32 years old in the modern era, when this age wasn¡¯t considered old at all. But in this era, it was indeed a little old.


    Hence, when she saw Ji Buwang, she couldn¡¯t help but ask him about it curiously. Ji Buwang didn¡¯t hide anything. ¡°The Old Master is indeed impatient. What¡¯s wrong? Is Auntie urging you again?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get married then?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    ¡°Of course¡­ I do.¡± Ji Buwang said that he even dreamed of it.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get married,¡± Mu Jingzhe said bluntly. ¡°In case they keep getting anxious.¡±


    Ji Buwang was a little stunned. ¡°What? Jingzhe, you¡­¡±


    It was such an important matter, and he was still thinking about how to propose. Why had Jingzhe said it out loud? Was he hallucinating? Jingzhe was willing to marry him?


    ¡°You don¡¯t agree? Or do you need a small ceremony?¡± After looking around, Mu Jingzhe plucked a small flower from the roadside and gave it to Ji Buwang. ¡°So, Mr. Ji Buwang, will you marry me?¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at the flower. ¡°Jingzhe, the man is the one who¡¯s supposed to propose¡­¡±


    ¡°Men and women are equal. So what if I propose? You¡¯re very good-looking, so I won¡¯t lose out. Just tell me if you¡¯re willing to marry me or not. If you¡¯re willing, just nod.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang and insisted.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing. I¡¯m extremely, extremely willing,¡± Ji Buwang replied in a heartbeat.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I figured you¡¯d be willing.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled. She took Ji Buwang¡¯s hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe, and his heart skipped a beat. Then, he turned his hand around and kissed the back of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Hand in hand¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll grow old together.¡± Mu Jingzhepleted his sentence.


    She then added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make up for theck of a ring. Or let¡¯s split up the work. You buy the wedding ring and I¡¯ll buy the proposal ring. Just treat them as a couple of rings, alright?¡±


    When Ji Buwang heard this, he hesitated for a moment as if feeling a hint of helplessness. However, he still nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought that he was hesitant about her buying the ring. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡±


    Since they had agreed to get married, even though they had already met each other¡¯s parents, they had to meet the parents again. At the very least, they had to get Old Master Ji to acknowledge her and have him hand Ji Buwang over to her without any worries. Also, Ji Buwang had to let Mu Jingzhe¡¯s parents hand her over to him without any worries.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t get dyed by work and quickly told Li Zhaodi about this. Li Zhaodi was also in a hurry. She didn¡¯t think that a woman should wait for the man toe. She felt that Ji Buwang was following Jingzhe around every day now, so they should indeed hold the wedding as soon as possible. She quickly contacted Old Master Ji.


    Old Master Ji was delighted to hear that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were really nning to get married. He excitedly talked to Li Zhaodi about meeting her parents, where they would hold the wedding, the date, and so on.


    After he calmed down from all the excitement, he suddenly realized something. Why had the female party informed them?


    He kept feeling that Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t marrying a wife but was marrying into her family instead.


    Old Master Ji shook his head and pushed away his strange thoughts. How could that be? He was thinking too much.


    They hadn¡¯t met her parents yet, but they had checked the dates in advance. The wedding would take ce on a day after the New Year that was auspicious for both of them. This contradicted Li Zhaodi¡¯s expectations that they would get married before the New Year.


    But it was a good thing nheless. After all, two to three months would pass soon. During this period, she would have time to prepare the dowry.


    In the past, she hadn¡¯t been able to decide on Jingzhe¡¯s dowry, so Jingzhe had basically married without a dowry. At the time, she had been filled with guilt. Now that she thought about it, she still felt terrible. Since she was getting married for the second time, she had to prepare well and make up for what she hadn¡¯t been able to do in the past.


    When the five children heard that Li Zhaodi wanted to prepare a dowry and help with the wedding, they were stunned for a moment. ¡°They¡¯re getting married already?¡±


    After receiving an affirmative answer, they all had the same thought: They had to prepare a dowry for their mommy. This was something they had thought of in the past.


    The entire family seemed to get very busy instantly, while Mu Jingzhe became the idlest person among them.


    Li Zhaodi even asked for Ji Buwang¡¯s birth characters and said that she wanted to have their birth characters looked at. She also dragged Mu Jingzhe along, saying that this fortune-teller was very urate and asking her to take a look at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t quite believe in these things, not to mention that she was a transmigrator. However, since Li Zhaodi believed in it, she could only follow her.


    After the fortune-teller looked at Mu Jingzhe, she said mysteriously, ¡°Your fate is quite strange. It¡¯s sweet at first and bitterter. There will be plenty of good days in your future. Your children are filial and you¡¯ll die of old age.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe smiled when she heard that. ¡°Thank you for your blessing.¡±


    The five kids were naturally filial. There was nothing to say about this.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe felt a little helpless when she heard the fortune-teller¡¯s words. She wished there were no buts, but there really were.


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°There are three tribtions in your life. You have survived two of them, and there¡¯s still one more to go. You have to survive thisst one.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face froze. ¡°Are you trying to say that there¡¯s a way to resolve this? So long as¡­¡±


    She had seen this kind of money-scamming trick too many times. Just as Mu Jingzhe was about to rub her fingers and make the ¡°pay me¡± gesture, she heard the fortune-teller say, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything. This is your predestined fate. It is a tribtion that cannot be escaped. How can I resolve it?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe choked. Why wasn¡¯t she ying her cards logically?


    Li Zhaodi smacked Mu Jingzhe and pushed her aside. ¡°Get out of the way. Please don¡¯t be calctive with this child. She¡¯s just asking for a beating. Here, I helped you hit her. Don¡¯t be angry. Just help me tell her how to resolve this. As long as it can be resolved, I can give you money.¡±


    As Li Zhaodi spoke, she really smacked Mu Jingzhe twice.


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°¡­¡±


    The fortune-teller shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no way to resolve it. No amount of money can resolve it.¡±


    Li Zhaodi begged for a while, but it was useless. Later on, she thought that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s previous tribtion should have been that illness she¡¯d had and felt that she might be able to brave through it. She could only give up for the time being and ask the fortune-teller to take a look at her marriage.


    The fortune-teller looked at Mu Jingzhe with an indescribably strange gaze. ¡°Her marriage willst three lifetimes, and she¡¯s met a wonderful person. After oveing the tribtion, she will have a good marriage and grow old with her husband.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Li Zhaodi heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°But she has to ovee the tribtion first,¡± the fortune-teller emphasized.


    Mu Jingzhe tilted her head. ¡°Ji Buwang and I don¡¯t seem to have experienced many tribtions¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi pped Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoulder and interrupted her. ¡°Then how many more tribtions do you want to experience? Haven¡¯t you had enough in the past? Look at how many years you¡¯ve been dyed. In the future, you two will grow old together.. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±

 Chapter 434 - I Am Your Protective Charm

    <h4>Chapter 434: I Am Your Protective Charm</h4>


    On the way back, Li Zhaodi criticized Mu Jingzhe for not being respectful around the fortune-teller and said that her analysis was right.


    Seeing that she trusted the fortune-teller so much, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t argue with her. When she returned, she evenined to Ji Buwang about it. In the end, Ji Buwang actually asked, ¡°Did you buy some auspicious luck charm then?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Why do you believe in this too? I¡¯ve never seen you believe in it before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t exactly believe in it. But since this is rted to you, I think it¡¯d be good to buy some.¡± Ji Buwang shook his head.


    Mu Jingzheughed when she heard that. ¡°I know what you mean, but my mother asked and the fortune-teller said that she didn¡¯t have any charms.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be by your side more often in the future,¡± Ji Buwang immediately said. ¡°I¡¯ll be your protective charm.¡±


    ¡°Haha, alright. You¡¯re my protective charm then.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that this was probably the benefit of dating. Her heart was always brimming with sweetness, and he would always say such sweet words.


    The parents¡¯ meeting went very smoothly, mainly because it wasn¡¯t their first meeting. Old Master Ji arrived very quickly. The only problem with this meeting was the dispute about the betrothal gift and the dowry.


    It wasn¡¯t like one side wanted more, and the other side didn¡¯t want to give it. On the contrary, the argument started because Old Master Ji wanted to give too much.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for Old Master Ji to finally see his thirty-something-year-old grandson getting married. It truly hadn¡¯t been easy. In addition, Ji Buwang had a face blindness problem. If he missed this opportunity, he might perhaps remain single forever.


    Now that they were finally getting married, he was over the moon. Before they even got married, he had already offered an exorbitant betrothal gift, including the one million yuan that Xiao Wu had casually mentioned and other misceneous things.


    Although the more betrothal gifts there were, the better, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng couldn¡¯t afford to give them so much, so they asked them to take less. This way, they could give a dowry of more or less the same value.


    Who would have thought that Li Zhaodi would one day refuse such benefits? However, she did refuse. Even though her heart ached so much that she almost couldn¡¯t breathe. Even though she really wanted to ept it all without a care so that Jingzhe could take it all and live a good life.


    However, she held herself back in the end. She told herself that she was no longer the Li Zhaodi of the past. She had to have foresight. She couldn¡¯t just be greedy and take whatever was in front of her. She couldn¡¯t let the inws look down on her. She couldn¡¯t let their rtives and friends despise Jingzhe either.


    Her daughter, Jingzhe, was so outstanding now that no one in the world couldpare to her. However, Ji Buwang was also very outstanding, and it was said that many girls liked him. There were also many girls from families of simr backgrounds to his who wanted to marry him but had been rejected. These people were all waiting for Ji Buwang.


    Jingzhe was wonderful, but they were dragging her down. They didn¡¯t want to be looked down upon, so they had to have a backbone. Therefore, they wouldn¡¯t ept so many betrothal gifts to avoid being criticized. However, they would match the standards of the dowry to those of the betrothal gifts to the best of their ability.


    This way, they would have a clear conscience and those people wouldn¡¯t be able to belittle Jingzhe.


    Hence, a strange scene happened at the meeting between the inws-to-be. The man¡¯s side desperately wanted to give more betrothal gifts, while the woman¡¯s side desperately refused. This waspletely different from other cases, as it was usually the woman¡¯s side that requested gifts and the man¡¯s side that refused with gritted teeth.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for the betrothal gifts to be finalized, and they started arguing over the dowry again. This was because the bride¡¯s side looked like it wanted to be the one giving everything. They offered to give the dowry so that the groom didn¡¯t have to prepare anything, so they started arguing again.


    However, the younger brother didn¡¯t have any objections to their family¡¯s attitude. He was even more excited than anyone else.


    Indeed, Mu Han didn¡¯t have any objections. The only reason his family was in such a state today was his older sister, Jingzhe. If Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t disagreed, he would have given even more.


    It was already absurd enough that both parties were acting like this. In the end, what was even more absurd was that when the five children joined in, all of them wanted to give their mother the best they could offer.


    Mu Jingzhe watched from the side. Other than feeling helplessness, she also felt endless bliss. She hadn¡¯t expected that she would one day have so many family members and feel so much happiness.


    When she had first transmigrated there, she had never imagined this would happen one day. She also didn¡¯t know why she had transmigrated herself. Yet now, she felt that she had found the meaning of transmigrating¡ªit was meant to help her find happiness.


    In her previous life, she had never fallen in love or gotten married. In this life, she had been married right from the start, and then she had found Prince Charming Ji Buwang.


    In her previous life, she had no family. In this life, she had the best family ever.


    ¡°I feel like this is all a dream,¡± Mu Jingzhe muttered softly. ¡°It¡¯s too blissful.¡±


    ¡°Your life will remain like this in the future. Every single day.¡± Ji Buwang was also very d.


    The parents of both parties met for a day and argued nonstop. Finally, everything was confirmed. Then, both parties started making preparations.


    It would take a lot of time and energy to seriously prepare for such a wedding. When Li Zhaodi started preparing, she was d that they were getting married after the New Year. Otherwise, she might not be able to finish everything.


    While they were busy, Ji Buwang was also busy. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe had a little free time. After all, she didn¡¯t have to embroider her own wedding dress or anything like that.


    Speaking of that, Mu Jingzhe was inspired. She could totally design her own wedding clothes.


    In the past, she had designed a lot of formalwear, but she had never dabbled in wedding dresses. Now that wedding dresses were trending, she could totally design one herself and wear it.


    She could also make a traditional wedding dress. If she made it herself, wouldn¡¯t she look beautiful in it?


    She got to work immediately. Mu Jingzhe started designing the bride and groom outfits, and even the traditional wedding dress. After designing the outfits for the bride and groom, she wondered if she should design something for Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Old Master Ji as well.


    She did the same for the five kids. Little Bei liked the wedding designs that she had drawn with so much inspiration. After asking about the wedding process, she even wanted to be a flower girl and have Shao Nan be the page boy so they could scatter petals for her mommy, not caring whether she was too old for the job or not.


    Therefore, Mu Jingzhe also started to get busy. She took the measurements and prepared to make the clothes. Old Master Ji¡¯s measurements were sent over by someone. He beamed happily and said that it was the greatest blessing to be able to wear clothes made by his granddaughter-inw.


    Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han were also happy. Only Li Zhaodi was troubled as she looked at her bby stomach. ¡°My stomach is too bby. I won¡¯t look nice in this outfit, will I? Why don¡¯t I eat less from now on?¡±


    Li Zhaodi even wanted to lose weight for the gown. Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°No need, Mom. Didn¡¯t you say that you feared hunger the most in the past? Just leave it to me. I guarantee that you¡¯ll look good in it. You have to believe in your daughter!¡±


    There was no such thing as an ugly figure in this world. There were only ipetent designers. If a person didn¡¯t look good in customized clothing, the problem was the designer¡¯s poor abilities.


    While Li Zhaodi and the rest were waiting happily, Mu Jingzhe finished making the clothes one after another. Mu Han was fine. Although he looked even taller in his clothes, he was still quite calm.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were thrilled. Previously, they had also worn many clothes that Mu Jingzhe had bought and made, but those had been mainlyfortable clothes, not this kind of formalwear.

 Chapter 435 - The Way to Make A Woman Stop Is By Kissing Her

    <h4>Chapter 435: The Way to Make A Woman Stop Is By Kissing Her</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    This was the first time in Mu Teng¡¯s life that he was wearing a suit. He looked quite good in it, but he didn¡¯t even know where to ce his hands.


    After putting on the cloak-style gown specially designed by Mu Jingzhe to cover her bby stomach, Li Zhaodi looked really nice too.


    Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi had been husband and wife for half their lives. When they saw each other, they suddenly felt a little shy. Their eyes were filled with surprise, as if they were recalling their younger days.


    Based on their habits in the past, Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi hated that they couldn¡¯t wear such beautiful clothes to show off. However, this time, because they had to keep them for the wedding, they couldn¡¯t show them off. This stifled them, and they swore to make everyone look at them in a different light at the wedding.


    Amidst all this bustle, the weather became colder and colder. Before long, the five kids were on their winter break.


    The holidays had be the busiest time of the year for the children. Shao Xi¡¯s previous work, ¡®Charging for Love¡¯, had finally started filming. It had yet to yield any results, but after the relevant report, those who knew about it were all waiting for it.


    His new book also started selling at the same time. The sales were excellent. As he grew older, Shao Xi¡¯s work became more and more mature.


    The publishing house contacted Shao Xi and said that they could hold a signing event in response to the readers¡¯ request. Many people liked him, and many parents would bring their children to see him and let them learn from him, as he was a good role model.


    After some thought, Shao Xi agreed. In the end, the signing event was also a meeting between readers. It was decided that it would be held in Ocean City. Mu Jingzhe and the others happened to be in Ocean City too, so they came with Shao Xi.


    On the day of the reader meeting, there were surprisingly many people there. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that there was a sea of people. They shouted slogans and expressed their fondness for Shao Xi.


    Perhaps because he had heard too many good things and everything had gone too smoothly so far, Shao Xi became a little proud after that.


    In the past, he had been too bitter and hadcked confidence, but now, he was well-liked and everything was going very smoothly. He was outstanding and really talented and learned everything quickly. Hence, everything started to get to his head a little.


    Back then, he had been very serious when he had read letters from readers. If he encountered someone who wrote an essay or any other work of literature and asked him to read it, he would seriously read it. But now that he received so many letters, he was toozy to read them all. And when he did read a few when he was bored, he wasn¡¯t so serious about it.


    ¡°What is this? His writing is too childish. He even said that he¡¯s older than me. How can someone write something like that at such an old age?¡±


    ¡°What is this one? It¡¯s written so badly, yet he still showed it to me.¡±


    He casually took a look and put it away, not taking it seriously.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned when she saw how Shao Xi had changed. She silently put away the letters, then told the publishers that there was no need to send Shao Xi any more letters, for there were simply too many. They could just give them to her.


    Shao Xi¡¯s current world was filled with sess and praise. It was time for him to hear less about such things.


    In the past, Shao Xi had needed these letters because he hadn¡¯t been confident enough. Now, he was too confident.


    ¡°This kid is gettingcent. I felt that he was a little proud previously. After this signing event, his arrogance became even more obvious.¡± Mu Jingzhe privately discussed it with Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Then what do you n to do?¡± Ji Buwang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to y the role of a family member, of course.¡± Mu Jingzhe snorted. ¡°We have to show him how powerful the outside world is to wake him up.¡±


    This was the role of a family. When the outside world was filled with malice, family members had to give one confidence and praise them.


    However, when there was too much praise in the outside world, one¡¯s family had to keep them awake and give advice that was hard to swallow, thus letting them know the severity of the matter.


    When Ji Buwang heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s n, he couldn¡¯t help but give her a thumbs-up. ¡°Sure, sure. Do you need my help? We can y good cop and bad cop together.¡±


    ¡°No, no, we want a full-blown strike. This child needs to hear some harsh words.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then tell me when you need me.¡± Ji Buwang hugged Mu Jingzhe from behind and whispered into her ear.


    When he lowered his voice, Ji Buwang¡¯s voice was maic, making Mu Jingzhe get goosebumps and causing her heart to beat faster.


    Here ites again. Ji Buwang had been like this recently.


    This low-pitched voice was unbearable to begin with, and now that he even hugged her from behind, it was even more bewitching.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that her mind wasn¡¯t clear anymore. Ji Buwang¡¯s heart was actually also beating furiously. Since he had realized that Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t resist his voice, he had been using this move a lot.


    Looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s dizzy, blushing face made him feel blissful. He really liked to hug Jingzhe. Jingzhe was strong, but her frame was small and her body was soft. With her in his arms, he felt like he owned the entire world. It was such an awesome feeling.


    Mu Jingzhe also found it nice. Being hugged from the back was especially surprising at times. In fact, so surprising that she couldn¡¯t quite take it sometimes. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a serious matter. Why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. I saw that you¡¯re so tired and wanted to hug you.¡± Ji Buwang held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and interlocked their fingers. ¡°Haven¡¯t I let you get used to it? Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to practice so you did not lose control of your strength?


    ¡°We¡¯re getting married soon. Don¡¯t you want to get used to it early?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded vigorously. Of course she wanted to. Only by getting used to it could she properly spend her wedding night with him. Otherwise, it might lead to tragedy.


    As he saw the way Mu Jingzhe was nodding vigorously, Ji Buwang¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple rolled. He let go of her first so that she wouldn¡¯t notice this abnormality.


    Every time Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but try to seduce Mu Jingzhe, he would be the first to be defeated.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe was feeling blissful, she suddenly felt Ji Buwang retreat again. In her heart, she thought, ¡®Why do you always let go so quickly?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Where are you going?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pulled Ji Buwang and hugged him from behind. She leaned against his broad back and closed her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t hugged you enough.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s entire body tensed up. He closed his eyes and slowly rxed. ¡°Jingzhe, you¡¯re really¡­¡±


    His tone was filled with a sigh, but it was also filled with affection. Before falling in love with Jingzhe, he hadn¡¯t known that love was so wonderful. It waspletely different from how it felt when he was with friends.


    Jingzhe was just like that¡ªher actions matched her thoughts. If you gave her 100% love, she would definitely return 100% love to you. She would not hide it, just like she did not now.


    After hugging him for a moment, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help feeling mischievous and tickled Ji Buwang. Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help butugh at her amusing behavior.


    ¡°Jingzhe, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Mu Jingzheughed out loud. Ji Buwang quickly held her hand, but how could hepare to Mu Jingzhe in terms of strength?


    Initially, he was the one holding Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. Later on, it was Mu Jingzhe holding his hand, wanting to continue messing around.


    Ji Buwang looked at the wicked smile on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face and really didn¡¯t want tough so hard that he couldn¡¯t breathe. With a sh of inspiration, he suddenly lowered his head and kissed Mu Jingzhe.


    Stunned, Mu Jingzhe loosened her grip. Ji Buwang retracted his hand andpletely took the initiative.


    Indeed, this was the best way to stop her.

 Chapter 436 - Teaching Smug Shao Xi a Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 436: Teaching Smug Shao Xi a Lesson</h4>


    After this kiss, Mu Jingzhe forgot all about tickling him. In the end, Ji Buwang suffered another round of torture, feeling both pain and joy.


    After Mu Jingzhe obtained strength from Ji Buwang and formted a n, she immediately implemented it. For this reason, she specifically summoned Shao Dong, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu, basically all the kids except Shao Xi, and told them about her concerns and n.


    Shao Nan and the rest could sense Shao Xi¡¯s change and were very supportive. ¡°No problem, Mommy. We know what to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Daddy too,¡± Shao Dong said.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll implement the n starting today.¡±


    Shao Xi quickly sensed the change in his family¡¯s attitude toward him. It wasn¡¯t like they were ignoring him, but they were clearly much colder to him.


    No matter what he said, they weren¡¯t as supportive as before. Plus, they didn¡¯t praise him anymore.


    He thought that it was just his imagination, but when he took his new work and went to look for Mu Jingzhe, she wasn¡¯t as excited as before. She even asked Shao Xi to put it aside, as if she couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at it.


    Of course, in the end, Mu Jingzhe still read it, but she wasn¡¯t as thrilled as before. Her expression didn¡¯t change either, and she simply returned it to him after reading it.


    ¡°Mommy, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Isn¡¯t it a good read?¡± Shao Xi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he was filled with trepidation.


    ¡°It is. This was written by our great author Shao Xi. How can it not be a good read? So many people praise you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had said it was a good read, but her expression didn¡¯t say that. Shao Xi pursed his lips. ¡°Mom, tell me the truth. I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to hear the truth?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shao Xi replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Alright then. Actually, I was just giving you face just now. To be honest, it was¡­ it was just average this time. You didn¡¯t surprise me much.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe shrugged and looked at Shao Xi¡¯s expression. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Shao Xi said that he was fine, but he was flustered. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it again. The exercise book¡­¡±


    He had wanted to say that he would leave the exercise book to Mu Jingzhe, just like in the past, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even look at the exercise book, and it was obvious that she had no intention of keeping it.


    Shao Xi gripped his exercise book tightly and turned around to leave.


    After he left, Mu Jingzhe looked up. ¡°I wonder if this will be too big a blow¡­¡±


    Actually, Shao Xi had written quite a good piece this time. There was no doubt about his ability, but there was indeed no surprise there. Therefore, Mu Jingzhe had controlled her expression and carried out her n.


    Shao Xi had indeed suffered a huge blow. This was the first time he had seen Mu Jingzhe like this. After taking a closer look, he even started to doubt himself.


    That night, Shao Xi didn¡¯t feel like he was floating on air for the first time in a long while. Instead, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The more he thought about it, the more ufortable he felt. There was also a hint of indignation in him. ¡°Average? How can it be average? I can write something extraordinary!¡±


    After saying that, he started writing furiously in the middle of the night.


    Worried about Shao Xi, Shao Dong slept with him. Upon seeing that he was writing in the middle of the night, something he rarely did, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    The next day, as soon as Mu Jingzhe woke up, Shao Xi stopped her and asked her to look at his new piece of work.


    After taking a look, Mu Jingzhe almost couldn¡¯t control her expression. When Shao Xi exploded for real, it was quite a pleasant surprise, but she still controlled her expression.


    ¡°A bit better than yesterday. Why did you write something again so quickly?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe returned the exercise book to Shao Xi after reading it. Although she had said that it was a bit better, she didn¡¯t appear delighted or anything.


    Shao Xi¡¯s heart sank. Then, he lowered his head and walked away. He felt extremely aggrieved and couldn¡¯t help punching the pillow when he returned to his room.


    ¡°Was it really that bad? But I¡¯ve already gotten very serious. I think it¡¯s very good too. Isn¡¯t it much better than what I wrote when I was younger?


    ¡°In the past, you used to praise me for writing well and you even wanted to collect my exercise books. You even once asked how my brain grew to be so clever, but now¡­¡±


    It was as if Shao Xi had been let down by a scumbag lover. He was simply too sad.


    Shao Dong, who was observing him from outside, identally heard this. He almost couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.


    Although she felt amused, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ached a little when she heard that. However, she still braced herself and persisted. Then, she bought many books ording to the n. They were all carefully chosen. Most importantly, the authors who had written them were young.


    Shao Xi then went on to hear Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others praise other people¡¯s work for several days. They even said that they wanted to invest in them to have them turned into animation.


    Shao Xi almost died from anger when he heard that. He said that he despised looking at these books, but at night, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly read them.


    He recalled what Mu Jingzhe and the others had said about the strengths of these books over the past few days and realized that they were right. There was indeed always someone better than him.


    After three rounds of rehabilitation therapy, Shao Xi finally calmed down and his feetnded on the ground.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe reminded him that it was time for him to pay his respects and burn his work. Everything about Chubby Boy surfaced in Shao Xi¡¯s mind again, followed by his own original intention.


    Yeah, he had wished to do this back then.


    Shao Xi¡¯s heart sankpletely. He found back his original intention and showed his sincerity. The sense that he was floating in the air also finally disappeared.


    When Shao Xi matured, he realized that Mu Jingzhe and his siblings had deliberately tricked him.


    It was fortunate that they had. He now understood the good intentions of Mu Jingzhe and the others.


    In the blink of an eye, the New Year was almost there. They had originally wanted to go back to the county city to celebrate the New Year, but because there was an urgent matter to attend to at the studio, Shao Dong and the others went back first. Mu Jingzhe stayed behind and postponed her return by two days.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t left, Ji Buwang also postponed his return to the capital by two days.


    Without the children, the two of them finally had a rare chance to be alone. After two days, they would have to separate again, so they were even more reluctant to part.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s house was right beside them, but he kept hanging out at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ce for no reason and couldn¡¯t bear to leave. After having dinner, going for a walk, and returning, he still couldn¡¯t bear to leave.


    ¡°Hurry back. I¡¯m going to take a shower. I¡¯ll sleep after I¡¯m done. You should too. Have a good night¡¯s sleep when you get back.¡± The two of them were alone. They clearly weren¡¯t doing anything, but for some reason, Mu Jingzhe felt something in the air. Thus, she sent Ji Buwang home.


    Ji Buwang agreed and left obediently. When he returned, he even took a bath. However, after washing up, he realized that he had forgotten to say goodnight, so he put on his coat and ran back.


    He had the keys to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s house, so he coulde and go as he pleased.


    Boys typically showered faster than girls. When Mu Jingzhe came out slowly, she was startled to see Ji Buwang there. ¡°Why are you back?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to say goodnight.¡± Ji Buwang kissed Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I¡¯m just here to do that. Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really¡­ Okay, I heard you. Goodnight to you too. I¡¯ll go to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, your hair isn¡¯t dry yet.¡± Ji Buwang frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My hair is short, so it¡¯ll dry in a while.¡± Even now, Mu Jingzhe still mainly sported a short hairstyle.


    ¡°Even so, you should dry your hair before you go to sleep. Otherwise, you¡¯ll get a headache. I¡¯ll help you dry your hair before I leave.¡±


    ¡°No need. I can dry it myself.¡± Mu Jingzhe helplessly went to the room to find a towel. She then sat by the bed and started wiping her hair off.

 Chapter 437 - You Have to Extinguish the Fire You Started

    <h4>Chapter 437: You Have to Extinguish the Fire You Started</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    The minute she started wiping their hair, she began to miss the hairdryer. If there was a hairdryer, she would have dried it easily. There would be no need to wipe her hair like this.


    Mu Jingzhe wiped her hair casually a bit but was about to stop when she looked up and saw Ji Buwang standing at the door. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡±


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t wipe it properly.¡± Ji Buwang came over helplessly and took the towel in her hand to help her wipe.


    He didn¡¯t use much strength. He just gently wiped it. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help butugh while he was doing it. It was¡­ quitefortable.


    She sat up straight. ¡°Ji Buwang,e up and help me wipe properly.¡±


    When Ji Buwang heard her invitation, he realized that he was in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s room. He was a little hesitant and was just about to refuse when Mu Jingzhe pulled him over. He almost fell.


    ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡± Ji Buwang could only sit opposite Mu Jingzhe and continue helping her wipe.


    ¡°Buwang, it feels sofortable to have you wipe my hair for me. Will you help me wipe my hair in the future?¡±


    ¡°Alright, as long as I¡¯m around in the future, I¡¯ll wipe it for you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Mu Jingzhe was satisfied. Then, her hands started to get naughty again. She lowered her head and started poking Ji Buwang¡¯s leg.


    Ji Buwang froze. ¡°Stop ying around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ying around.¡± Mu Jingzhe retracted her hand. After a few seconds, she started repeating herself and quietly picked up a strand of hair to tickle Ji Buwang¡¯s sole.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe!¡± Ji Buwang immediately felt it and felt very helpless. He turned her around and made her sit in his arms with her back facing him, using his legs to hold her in ce. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe snorted, and her gazended on his feet again. ¡°Ji Buwang, your feet are so fair and pretty.¡±


    Ordinary people¡¯s feet didn¡¯t look very good, especially the feet of boys. Only some girls had really beautiful feet.


    However, Ji Buwang¡¯s feet were the same as his hands¡ªboth were very fair, slender, and good-looking. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize that your feet were so good-looking in the past? Indeed, a fine man like you looks fine from head to toe!¡±


    Ji Buwang froze, feeling amused and a little ufortable. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Mu Jingzhe pushed Ji Buwang¡¯s feet inward and stretched out her own feet. Then, sheughed.


    ¡°I used to think that my feet were big, but I didn¡¯t expect them to look so smallpared to yours.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wiggled her feet, heart brimming with sweetness. ¡°I think our feet look verypatible, just like our hands.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought to herself that it was fortunate that her feet had turned fair after this winter. Otherwise, she would always have to wear sandals in the summer. Her feet would be a little tanned from the sun, and she would also have sandal tan lines. Fortunately, they were gone now. Otherwise, it would be awkward.


    After Mu Jingzhe wiggled her feet, she couldn¡¯t help stepping on Ji Buwang¡¯s feet. Ji Buwang, who had initially felt amused and moved after hearing her say those words, stopped moving his hands as she stepped on his feet.


    ¡°I know we¡¯re verypatible. Even our feet are. But you should stop stepping on them.¡±


    Ever since they had gotten together, Jingzhe had said that their eyes, their ears, their hair, their hands, and their height werepatible. Now, their feet were alsopatible. It sounded like they were a match made in heaven.


    He didn¡¯t have an ounce of resistance when it came to Jingzhe.


    ¡°If you agree with me, then you¡¯re right. Fine, I¡¯ll stop stepping on them.¡± Mu Jingzhe was very obedient because she had found a newpatible point: Ji Buwang¡¯s leg. ¡°Ji Buwang, your leg hair is quite long¡­ That¡¯s also verypatible with mine.¡±


    As she spoke, her hand got itchy and she pulled on a leg hair of his.


    Ji Buwang hissed. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re really¡­¡±


    While Mu Jingzhe was messing around, Ji Buwang had already dried her hair. He threw the towel aside and held her in ce from the back.


    ¡°Why are you so mischievous?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tossed her hair back twice. ¡°How am I mischievous? It¡¯s not like I plucked it off¡­ Bite me if you can.¡±


    As she spoke, she lowered her head and bit Ji Buwang¡¯s arm around her. After leaving a bite mark, she let go with augh.


    Mu Jingzhe suddenly discovered the joy of biting someone. She lowered her head and was just about to bite him again when Ji Buwang froze. ¡°Jingzhe, don¡¯t move, or I¡¯ll bite back.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s bite actually hurt a little, but it felt different after the pain passed.


    ¡°Bite me back if you dare!¡± Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t afraid at all. She just chuckled and bit his other arm.


    She looked at her masterpiece and was just about tough when she suddenly felt pain at the back of her neck. Ji Buwang had bitten her.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s neck and ears were sensitive areas. Although Ji Buwang knew his limits and had only bitten her lightly, precisely because the bite had been too light, Mu Jingzhe trembled and an rming sensation washed over her.


    ¡°Why are you biting people randomly? Let go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting go. Who asked you to bite people?¡± Ji Buwang didn¡¯t let go.


    People in a passionate rtionship were always the most childish. Then, the two of them lost control a little. By the time they realized what was going on, their clothes were a little disheveled and they were ying around. Later on, Mu Jingzhe wanted to bite back, but she lost control.


    There were also red marks on Ji Buwang¡¯s neck, right beside his Adam¡¯s apple. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s breath was hot, and Ji Buwang¡¯s entire body was tense. ¡°Jingzhe, let go¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s voice was hoarse. He hadn¡¯t done it on purpose this time, so he was a little flustered. He bit the tip of his tongue to wake himself up and didn¡¯t look at the blushing Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe had just taken a shower, so her face was red to begin with. At that moment, she looked even redder. He had to calm down. They weren¡¯t married yet, so he couldn¡¯t lose control.


    He shouldn¡¯t havee back. He shouldn¡¯t have made up an excuse toe back and say goodnight because he had missed her right after they had just parted. He had even gone straight to Jingzhe¡¯s room.


    ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯ll get going now¡­¡±


    As Ji Buwang spoke, he tried to get up to leave, but just as he moved, he was pulled back.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave.¡± Ji Buwang still wanted to wait until they got married, but Mu Jingzhe refused. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe¡­¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s heart trembled. Now that Mu Jingzhe had asked him to stay, it was obvious what would happen next. ¡°No, Jingzhe¡­¡±


    Afraid that he wouldpletely lose control, he tried to struggle and leave, but Mu Jingzhe pressed him down and stopped him from moving. ¡°I told you not to leave. After all that seducing, you want to leave just like this? No way!¡±


    As the saying goes, one has to extinguish the fire one started.


    At that moment, Mu Jingzhe finally understood that domineering CEOs¡¯ line: ¡°You can tolerate it, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    She had to take him down today! Mu Jingzhe lowered her head and kissed Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s body tensed up, and a secondter, he took the initiative.


    She couldn¡¯t tolerate it, and neither could he!


    Mu Jingzhe found what happened next¡­ quite surprising. Fortunately, the tragedy she had once imagined would take ce on her wedding night didn¡¯t happen.


    The next day, when Mu Jingzhe woke up, the first thing she did was confirm that Ji Buwang was breathing.


    Seeing that he was still breathing, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief andy back down. It was good that nothing had gone wrong.. Otherwise, theedy would have turned into tragedy.

 Chapter 438 - Afraid of Getting Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 438: Afraid of Getting Pregnant</h4>


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t feel the soreness and pain of being crushed by a car, but she did feel a little ufortable.


    She was also now aware that men were quite strong, especially when it came to sex.


    Ji Buwang had simply made her see him in a different light. Mu Jingzhe secretly looked at Ji Buwang and felt a little shy, which was rare. However, she quickly remembered something important and wanted to confirm if Ji Buwang¡¯s arms and legs were fine. When she lifted the nket and looked, the first thing she saw was the bruises on his arms and back.


    There were marks made by her pinching and scratching him. Upon seeing Ji Buwang like this, Mu Jingzhe fell silent.


    She couldn¡¯t help but look down at herself¡­ There weren¡¯t many marks on her skin.


    So the traces on the female leads in novels had all been transferred to Ji Buwang.


    Mu Jingzhe covered her face and felt like she needed to calm down.


    She had just covered her face when she heard Ji Buwang say, ¡°Do you want me to die of hypothermia?¡±


    Ji Buwang had just woken up when he heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s movements. Just as he had been about to speak, he had realized that Jingzhe was checking his breathing again. For a moment, he was so speechless that he almost wanted to hold his breath to scare her to death.


    Ji Buwang was speechless for a second before Jingzhe moved again. Her actions made himugh, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense if she didn¡¯t cover him again with the nket after lifting it.


    Mu Jingzhe stiffened even more when she heard Ji Buwang¡¯s voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang understood and couldn¡¯t help but hold a hand to his forehead. He then kissed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you¡­ Do you feel ufortable? I¡­¡± Ji Buwang found it difficult to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe pulled the nket over her head. ¡°Hurry up and get dressed.¡±


    A trace of hesitation shed across Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes before he nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    The two of them had secretly eaten the forbidden fruit before getting married. Their attitudes toward this were different. Mu Jingzhe was blissful, while Ji Buwang was also a little worried on top of feeling blissful.


    He was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would get pregnant. Although they were about to get married, it still wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think much of it. ¡°No.¡± Although there was no emergency contraceptive pill in their era, she was in a safe period, so it should be fine. Even if something happened, she wasn¡¯t afraid.


    ¡°Our wedding is in another month or so. What¡¯s there to be afraid of? If I really do get pregnant, I can just give birth to the baby.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe believed in Ji Buwang. They were about to get married, so there was nothing to be afraid of.


    Now that they were even closer, their hearts felt even more linked. When they were about to separate, they were even more reluctant to part.


    As they were about to part ways at the airport, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help but act rashly and kiss Mu Jingzhe when no one was around.


    This was a rare instance. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can meet again after the New Year.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± This was the first time Ji Buwang was so eager to wish time would pass faster, but he wished the day of their marriage woulde sooner.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me meet you, Jingzhe.¡± When he had been a living dead person for four years, he had never thought that he would be so happy.


    ¡°Thank you too.¡± Mu Jingzhe stood on her tiptoes and hugged Ji Buwang.


    The two of them reluctantly parted. When they returned home, Mu Jingzhe celebrated the New Year with the five kids. During the New Year, she wrote the wedding invitations.


    After the New Year, they started distributing them. Everyone knew that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were getting married.


    Everyone came to congratte them, and they weren¡¯t that surprised.


    It was quite simple to send an invitation. The only contradictory decision was whether they should send an invitation to Shao Qihai.


    Inviting an ex-boyfriend or ex-husband to a wedding was quite an intriguing matter. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t want to unt her happiness, so she was a little hesitant.


    However, it would be quite strange not to send an invitation to him. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but ask Shao Dong for help. Shao Dong nodded without hesitation. ¡°Send it. Mommy, I¡¯ll help you take it.¡±


    It would be good to let his father attend his mother¡¯s wedding so he would give up as soon as possible. Shao Dong felt that this invitation was very necessary.


    ¡°Alright then. Take it to your father.¡±


    Despite already knowing the news, when Shao Qihai saw the invitation, his heart still trembled.


    ¡°Dad, we¡¯ll go together when the timees. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Shao Dongforted him solemnly.


    ¡°Mm, thank you, Little Dong.¡±


    Shao Qihai was actually a little hesitant to go. Seeing Mu Jingzhe marry Ji Buwang with his own eyes would be too cruel for him.


    ¡°You¡¯ll go, right?¡± Shao Dong immediately asked, as if he could read minds.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes?¡± Shao Qihai answered reluctantly. After taking a deep breath, he finally confirmed it. ¡°Yes.¡±


    As he agreed, he couldn¡¯t help but recall his wedding to Mu Jingzhe andpare the two.


    This time, he realized that theparison really hurt.


    At the time, there had been no invitations, and the wedding had been held in a hurry. Besides, because their marriage hadn¡¯t been mutual, there had been no anticipation, so there hadn¡¯t even been much joy.


    Because she had been bearing a grudge against Mu Jingzhe, Old Lady Mu had been unwilling to give her a dowry. Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had risked their lives to give the sewing machine that Old Lady Mu had prepared for Mu Xue to Mu Jingzhe as a dowry. They had secretly carried the sewing machine to the Shao Residence and shouted for people to be witnesses along the way. Later on, they had almost been beaten to death by Old Lady Mu.


    Other than the sewing machine, everything else had been personally prepared by Mu Teng and his siblings. However, because of the sewing machine, Old Lady Mu had be extremely wary of them, causing Mu Jingzhe to not even have a decent set of clothes for her wedding.


    Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi had been forced to steal Mu Xue¡¯s red clothes, and only then did she barely look like a bride. At the time, before they had left the Mu Residence, if it hadn¡¯t been for Li Zhaodi¡¯s desperate efforts to stop them, Mu Jingzhe might have been stripped naked on the day of her wedding.


    The entire vige hadughed at Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi, saying that she had even stolen her wedding dress, just like the way she had stolen Mu Xue¡¯s groom.


    Back then, Shao Qihai hadn¡¯t been familiar with Mu Jingzhe and had only thought that they were ridiculous. However, now that he looked back, he realized that there had been pity amidst the absurdity.


    At the time, Mu Jingzhe had married him in too pitiful a manner. This time, however, based on what he had heard from the children, Mu Jingzhe had personally made a traditional wedding dress herself and worn a Western bridal gown¡ªwhich was trendy those days¡ªat the photo studio.


    It was said that she looked gorgeous in it. Otherwise, Little Bei wouldn¡¯t have insisted on wearing it when she got married in the future. She even said that she wanted to wear it as soon as possible and was already nning when she would get married.


    A little brat thinking about getting married at such a young age naturally had to be taught a lesson.


    As Shao Qihai recalled the past, the corners of his mouth twitched. Thisughter, coupled with his past wedding, seemed cruel.


    It was no wonder Mu Jingzhe had wanted to get a divorceter. At the time, although he had known how difficult it was for Mu Jingzhe, he had never thought of going over to help her. He had never put in a good word for her either. He had never even thought of giving her a new set of clothes.


    Back then, the only thought on his mind had been that they would live together properly after they got married and that he would be responsible for her. However, now that he thought about it, he hadn¡¯t done that back then either.


    Later on, before they had entered the bridal chamber, that red dress had been taken back by Old Lady Mu. When Old Lady Mu had taken it back, she had even spat ruthlessly, making Mu Jingzhe feel extremely embarrassed.


    Their marriage had seemed as ridiculous as that dress.


    At the time, Shao Qihai had only felt embarrassed, but he couldn¡¯t remember Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression or feelings because he hadn¡¯t taken her seriously.


    Come to think of it now, how disappointed and desperate must she have been back then?

 Chapter 439 - Two Men Are Getting Married

    <h4>Chapter 439: Two Men Are Getting Married</h4>


    For some reason, Shao Qihai thought of this. He hadn¡¯t even recalled this back when Mu Jingzhe had wanted to get a divorce. But now, when he heard that she was going to remarry, these memories all came back to him.


    However, after recalling this, he realized that he hadn¡¯t been a good person at the time either.


    Just as he started feeling upset, he heard Shao Dong say, ¡°Then buy a few more pieces of clothing this year, Daddy. Buy a suit too. When the timees, wear it and attend the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Shao Qihai agreed. He hadn¡¯t married her properly and treated her well back then. Now, he should at least properly witness her happiness.


    Seeing that Shao Qihai had agreed, Shao Dong smiled. ¡°Dress more handsomely when the timees, Daddy. Don¡¯t look too inferior to Uncle Ji.¡± Though it was impossible to snatch the groom¡¯s thunder, they could be evenly matched.


    Shao Qihaiughed. ¡°If you continue speaking like this, you¡¯ll ignite mypetitiveness. When the timees, what if I really dress better than the groom and outshine him?¡±


    ¡°No, Daddy, you won¡¯t,¡± Shao Dong said honestly. ¡°Besides, Uncle Ji¡¯s limelight isn¡¯t something you can snatch away just because you want to.¡±


    Shao Qihai choked. ¡°You¡¯re so honest.¡± After saying that, he paused for a moment and said nonchntly, ¡°After your mother gets married, you¡¯ll have to change your form of address too, right?¡±


    When he thought of the five kids calling Ji Buwang ¡®Daddy¡¯, he felt very upset, but this couldn¡¯t be changed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shao Dong admitted it directly. Eventually, in order to distinguish the two of you, shouldn¡¯t wee up with an exclusive title for each of you? For example, ¡®Big Daddy¡¯ and ¡®Little Daddy¡¯? Or ¡®Daddy Ji¡¯ and ¡®Daddy Mu¡¯?¡±


    ¡°What ¡®Big Daddy¡¯ and ¡®Little Daddy¡¯? That¡¯s absurd. The ones with the surname are ridiculous too. No¡­ Maybe you kids can call Ji Buwang ¡®Papa¡¯ and call me ¡®Daddy¡¯ in order to distinguish us?¡±


    Shao Qihai endured this heartache and discussed how they should address Ji Buwang with Shao Dong.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask Uncle Jiter and see what he thinks.¡± Shao Dong nodded.


    Not wanting to continue this conversation, Shao Qihai got down to business. ¡°Little Dong, why haven¡¯t you kids spent any money recently?¡±


    ¡°Because Mommy is getting married, Grandpa Ji was happy and tried his best to spend money on us, so we didn¡¯t have to spend any. He felt that the betrothal gifts were not enough, so he wasn¡¯t very pleased.¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard Shao Dong¡¯s words, his heart suddenly felt empty for a moment.


    He had also heard that the Ji Family had insisted on giving more betrothal gifts. He couldn¡¯t help butpare this to his wedding. He remembered that his family hadn¡¯t given Mu Jingzhe any betrothal gifts at the time.


    Zhao Lan had looked down on Mu Jingzhe and used the excuse that she wasn¡¯t Mu Xue topletely omit the betrothal gifts. It was useless, even though Li Zhaodi had gone over to fight with her. As a result, she and Mu Jingzhe had be the butt of many jokes in the vige.


    Li Zhaodi had refused to give up. Ignoring the scratches on her face and body, she had gone to look for Shao Qihai. She had sat outside the department store and cried, forcing Shao Qihai to buy a watch. She had said that Mu Jingzhe had to at least get one decent betrothal gift, as their family had given them the sewing machine as a dowry.


    Everyone knew that the sewing machine was a dowry that Old Lady Mu had prepared for Mu Xue, but it had been stolen by the husband and wife. At the time, Shao Qihai really hadn¡¯t liked shrews like Li Zhaodi. He had only bought the watch because he had felt that it was embarrassing.


    Back then, he had hated being forced. When Zhao Lan had found out that Li Zhaodi had actually forced her son to buy a watch, she had stormed over to their door and almost ended the marriage.


    Their marriage had been like one farce after another. While the Shao Family had tried their best not to give Mu Jingzhe a single betrothal gift, the Ji Family was trying its best to shower her with gifts. The contrast was too obvious and cruel.


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help butugh, his face filled with misery. ¡°Why bother¡­ Shao Qihai, stopparing us.¡±


    The more hepared the two weddings, the more he hurt. He was simply asking to be humiliated. How could he have the face topare himself to her new groom?


    ¡°Might as well. I¡¯m d you¡¯re happy. They value you enough¡­¡±


    The two weddings were worlds apart. No wonder he had failed to keep her.


    If it were him, he would have chosen the Ji Family too.


    He could only me himself for not helping Mu Jingzhe at all because he¡¯d had Mu Xue in his heart back then. All he had seen were Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, who were nasty pieces of work. He had only been worried that if he had such parents-inw, they would continue to throw tantrums and force him to do things in the future.


    At the time, he had been filled with frustration. But now, when he looked back, he realized that those unreasonable and shrewish acts had been forced out of Li Zhaodi. Behind them had been the heartache of a parent.


    Just look at them now. The Ji Family valued Mu Jingzhe, so Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s actions were theplete opposite of their actions back then.


    Other than Old Lady Mu¡¯s favoritism and Zhao Lan¡¯s unreasonable attitude, the main reason for that situation had been him. He was the one who hadn¡¯t done his duty and hadn¡¯t protected Mu Jingzhe.


    If he had done his duty, Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t have been like the version that existed in his memories.


    While Shao Qihai was torturing himself, Shao Dong really went to ask Ji Buwang about changing their form of address.


    When Ji Buwang heard that they were nning to change their form of address after he married Jingzhe, he couldn¡¯t help but grin. He was very happy, but he felt strange hearing them call him ¡®Papa¡¯.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes darted around. ¡°Little Dong, why don¡¯t you try calling me that way now to practice?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Dong wasn¡¯t fooled. He also felt embarrassed. ¡°We¡¯ll uniformly change our form of address when you get married.¡±


    ¡°Just try it once. I want to hear it now. Who knows when I¡¯ll be able to hear it in the future¡­¡± Ji Buwang acted shamelessly.


    ¡°No.¡± Shao Dong was determined. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before you hear it. Uncle Ji, tell Mommy. I¡¯m not talking to you anymore.¡±


    He then called for Mu Jingzhe and slipped away.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard the forms of address ¡®Papa¡¯ and ¡®Daddy¡¯, sheughed out loud. ¡°Why is it so funny? Papa? No matter how I look at it, you don¡¯t look like a ¡®Papa¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s strange too, but this is the only suggestion they coulde up with. Since they¡¯re calling Shao Qihai ¡®Daddy¡¯, calling me ¡®Daddy¡¯ as well would confuse things.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted tough again. One of them would be ¡®Papa¡¯ and the other ¡®Daddy¡¯. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would think that they had switched and the two men were getting married.


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled, and Ji Buwang immediately sensed that something was wrong. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about again? Stop your brain at once.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly denied it, not daring to continue being impudent.


    Although Ji Buwang felt strange being called ¡®Papa¡¯, he still hoped that the children would change their form of address. He even asked Mu Jingzhe if he could tempt them to change their form of address early.

 Chapter 440 - The Most Tragic Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 440: The Most Tragic Revenge</h4>


    ¡°If the gifts hit the right chord, it¡¯s possible that they¡¯ll change their form of address in advance, right?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re very principled, so stop wasting your effort.¡± Mu Jingzhe was helpless. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? It won¡¯t make a difference even if they change itter.¡±


    ¡°It will. The earlier they change the way they address me, the earlier I will be their father. You have no idea how long I¡¯ve wanted to be their father. I¡¯ve been preparing for this for a long time. I¡¯ve even dreamed of it.¡±


    Ji Buwang said this because he wanted to be a father, but he was actually confessing to Mu Jingzhe that he had liked her for a long time.


    ¡°Then think about it in your dreams.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at the time. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave it at that for now. Nobody talks on the phone like this.¡± In this era, phone bills weren¡¯t cheap.


    After hanging up the phone, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but take out Little Buwang and stroke his head and face. She also couldn¡¯t help but kiss him.


    After doing that, Mu Jingzhe yed with the doll unconsciously again. She wanted to open the box before the wedding, but after trying to open it for a long time, she still hadn¡¯t managed to do it.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I open it? Ji Buwang, what kind of words did you use? Do you want me to try them all one by one by using the dictionary?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wished she could just force it open, but in the end, she held back. ¡°You can¡¯t be violent. You have to use your brain! Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re a person with brains!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tried to form the word ¡®brain¡¯, but she naturally failed.


    ¡°I must be mad to use the word ¡®brain¡¯. Ji Buwang would never give me a gift to mock me for being brainless.¡±


    After trying for a while, Mu Jingzhe finally gave up. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll eventually solve it in this lifetime. That¡¯s it for today.¡±


    Two dayster, Ji Buwang and Old Master Ji came together. This time, they were there to deliver the betrothal gifts. They came on an auspicious day that had been chosen long ago.


    Because they didn¡¯t have many family members, Tang Moling was allowed toe.


    Tang Moling finally saw Mu Jingzhe again, but it was because he had joined his uncle to give her the betrothal gift. In the end, Mu Jingzhe still became his aunt. This world was very cruel to him.


    What was even crueler was that he was also forced by his uncle to change his form of address in advance. When Mu Jingzhe greeted him, he immediately called her ¡®Aunt¡¯.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help butugh. Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s expressions were also extremely strange.


    Who would have thought that the famous Tang Moling of Great Eastern Vige would actually call Mu Jingzhe ¡®Aunt¡¯?


    Li Zhaodi suddenly thought that if nothing had happened to Mu Xue and Tang Moling back then, wouldn¡¯t Mu Xue, as her cousin, have to call Jingzhe ¡®Aunt¡¯ as well?


    Thinking about it was actually quite satisfying. Previously, Mu Xue had suppressed Mu Jingzhe so much that she hadn¡¯t even been able to lift her head. When they got married, she would be suppressed by Mu Jingzhe, who would be her aunt.


    Li Zhaodiughed out loud at the thought.


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    Why was sheughing so loudly? Was she that happy? He suddenly understood the literary saying: ¡°The joys and sorrows of humans are not interlinked. I only think that they are noisy.¡±


    Ji Buwang patted Tang Moling¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Looks like they like you a lot. When you get married, Uncle will give you a big red packet.¡±


    Tang Moling snorted, not wanting to talk to Ji Buwang at all. He wanted to calm down, but Ji Buwang didn¡¯t let him off.


    ¡°Wait, since you called her ¡®Aunt¡¯, don¡¯t you know how to greet her parents too?¡±


    Since he was greeting his new rtives, he should greet them all at once.


    ¡°How¡­ How should I address them?¡± Tang Moling really didn¡¯t know. He hadn¡¯t expected that he would have to greet Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    Li Zhaodi was also a little surprised, but when she saw Ji Buwang¡¯s questioning gaze, she quickly replied, ¡°Over here, one would say ¡®Granduncle¡¯ and ¡®Grandaunt¡¯.¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°Granduncle?¡±


    How strange.


    ¡°Mm.¡± He called this out tentatively, but Mu Teng responded. Then, everyone looked at Tang Moling, waiting for him to call out again.


    Tang Moling screamed for help in his heart. What kind of demonic scene was this?


    Standing beside him, Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling and felt sorry for him. It felt like a child was calling for help right before her eyes.


    Children were always the most awkward and pitiful when greeting rtives. She just hadn¡¯t expected this child to be Tang Moling.


    The five kids were all there, but Tang Moling was the one who had to suffer through this.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling sympathetically. Tang Moling was on the verge of breaking down. He felt that this was retribution from the heavens. Who had told him to look down on Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Jingzhe back then and mock them in all sorts of ways?


    Now, retribution hade. He reasonably suspected that his uncle was doing it on purpose. He knew what he had done in the past, so he deliberately tormented him like this today to please his future father-inw and mother-inw.


    He was way too scheming.


    Tang Moling felt aggrieved, but he didn¡¯t dare say a word. Under Li Zhaodi¡¯s gaze, he shouted out helplessly, ¡°Grand¡­ Grandaunt!¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡±


    Li Zhaodi responded. Seeing Tang Moling obediently greet her without daring to say anything, she suddenly felt that things had changed.


    In the past, Tang Moling had been the most outstanding child in Great Eastern Vige. He used to be high and mighty, like the stars in the sky, looking down at them all as though they were mere ants. He had only fawned over Old Lady Mu and the Mu Family. But now, everything had changed.


    It all felt like a dream. She had never imagined that this day woulde.


    Li Zhaodi was overjoyed, and her already good culinary skills had improved even further. The dishes on the table were delicious. Tang Moling, who was initially depressed, said that he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, but his eyes lit up when he started eating. He buried his head in his food and kept praising it and calling it delicious.


    Tang Moling was puzzled. ¡°Grandaunt, you cook really well. Why didn¡¯t you cook at the Mu Residence?¡±


    After eating the delicious food, he called her ¡®Grandaunt¡¯ very smoothly.


    ¡°Because I was prevented from eating in secret and hiding.¡± Since Tang Moling had asked, Li Zhaodi answered. ¡°Have you forgotten?¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°I haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    Now that he thought about it, it seemed like it had indeed been said that Li Zhaodi would secretly eat food. At the time, he had really despised Li Zhaodi. He had felt the same way for Mu Jingzhe. A lot had been said about breaking her hand or something like that.


    After Tang Moling finished speaking, he felt an extremely intense gaze on him that couldn¡¯t be ignored. He followed the gaze and saw the cold-faced Mu Han. It was as if he was asking if he still had the cheek to talk about this and eat her food.


    Upon seeing Mu Han, Tang Moling froze again. He suddenly remembered that he had taught Mu Han a lesson for Mu Xue a long time ago and asked why he only acknowledged Mu Jingzhe as his older sister. Mu Xue treated him so well, so why didn¡¯t he know what was good for him?


    At the time, he had pinned Mu Han down and threatened him. Now¡­


    Tang Moling swallowed. Mu Han should have forgotten, right? Mu Han was only his aunt¡¯s younger brother. Surely he didn¡¯t have to acknowledge him as well?


    As he was thinking about this, he saw Mu Han look at Ji Buwang. ¡°Brother-inw, what should he be calling me?¡±


    The word ¡®brother-inw¡¯ shocked Ji Buwang. Without thinking, he said, ¡°He should call you whatever he should be calling you, of course.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Li Zhaodi. Li Zhaodi thought for a moment. ¡°Here, one would call him ¡®Uncle¡¯ or something like that. Those who are younger will be greeted as ¡®Young Uncle¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Then call him Young Uncle.¡± Ji Buwang decided, patting Tang Moling. ¡°Hurry up and greet him.¡±


    Tang Moling: ¡°¡­¡±


    He was very certain that this was revenge. It was definitely revenge!

 Chapter 441 - Forgetting Old Love When You Find a New Love

    <h4>Chapter 441: Forgetting Old Love When You Find a New Love</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Tang Moling knew this very well, but as he looked at Mu Han¡¯s faint smile, he had no choice but to lower his noble head. ¡°Young Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Aye, what a good boy.¡±


    Mu Han epted it without hesitation. Tang Moling felt sad. Indeed, he would have to pay for the sins he hadmitted sooner orter. Given his low seniority, he had really experienced all sorts of things. He¡¯d even had to greet that little brat and call him ¡®Young Uncle¡¯ now.


    Tang Moling felt like he had nothing to live for anymore. Then, he realized that Shao Dong was smiling. When Tang Moling saw Shao Dong, he suddenly perked up. ¡°Wait, since we¡¯re acknowledging each other as family, I can¡¯t be the only one acknowledging you guys. Shao Dong, don¡¯t you kids have to acknowledge me too?¡±


    Shao Dong and the rest were Mu Jingzhe¡¯s children. This time, it wouldn¡¯t be his turn to greet others. He could finally have someone lower in seniority greet him.


    ¡°Hurry up and greet me!¡± Tang Moling straightened his back and raised his head. Just as he was thinking about how the five kids should address him, Shao Dong obediently greeted him without any hesitation.


    ¡°Cousin.¡±


    Shao Xi and the rest also casually called out, ¡°Cousin.¡±


    Tang Moling paused. ¡°Cousin?¡± Cousin? That couldn¡¯t be right. How could these little brats be calling him ¡®Cousin¡¯? He had to be at least an uncle or something, right?


    He looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Uncle, they didn¡¯t address me right, did they?¡±


    ¡°They did.¡± Ji Buwang looked at the five kids and praised them for being obedient before saying, ¡°They¡¯re in your generation, so you¡¯re their cousin.¡±


    He was actually in the same generation as those little kids. Tang Moling feltpletely depressed and fell silent.


    While helping clear away the dishes, Ji Buwang took the opportunity to tell Li Zhaodi that he wanted to change his form of address in advance. ¡°Since so many forms of address have been changed today, Auntie, I¡¯ll also change my form of address and call you ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯ from now on.¡±


    ¡°The wedding hasn¡¯t been held yet. It¡¯s not appropriate, is it?¡± Li Zhaodi was actually quite happy to hear that, but she declined.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about it. Feels closer that way.¡± Ji Buwang paused. ¡°If I change my form of address earlier, I¡¯ll have parents to dote on me again.¡±


    His parents had left him long ago, so it had been a long time since he had been able to use the form of address ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng didn¡¯t have a good reputation in the past, and some of their actions hadn¡¯t been right. However, they were good parents.


    When Li Zhaodi heard Ji Buwang¡¯s words, her heart ached. ¡°Alright, go ahead and change the way you call us. You¡¯ll have us from now on.¡±


    Ji Buwang grinned. ¡°Mom.¡±


    Then, he looked at Mu Teng. ¡°Dad.¡±


    He greeted them loudly. Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi acknowledged it when they heard him call them ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯. Mu Teng turned to Li Zhaodi and asked her to quickly get a red packet. He had suddenly called them ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯, so he hadn¡¯t even prepared a red packet tomemorate this.


    Li Zhaodi quickly went out to get it. Ji Buwang knew what she wanted to do but didn¡¯t stop her. He wanted to take the red packet.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that he had switched to calling her parents ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯, she touched her nose and found it quite nice.


    On the other hand, when Old Master Ji and Tang Moling heard that, besides feeling happy for Ji Buwang, they also suddenly felt a little upset.


    Old Master Ji muttered softly, ¡°Buwang has parents again. Someone will dote on him again from now on.¡±


    A son-inw was half a son, but Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng would definitely dote on Ji Buwang.


    In reality, that was indeed the case. Li Zhaodi already found her son-inw very pleasing to the eye. She had liked him for a long time and thought that he was handsome, eloquent, and rich, so he basically had the whole package.


    Now that he had called them ¡®Dad¡¯ and ¡®Mom¡¯, although he had only changed the way he addressed them, it somehow felt different. It was as if she really had one more son now.


    ¡°From now on, you should tell me what you want to eat. I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±


    Mu Teng also said from the side, ¡°If Jingzhe bullies you, tell us and we¡¯ll uphold justice for you.¡± He remembered the bruise on Ji Buwang¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°How could I bully anyone? Dad, don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± Mu Jingzhe had heard him.


    ¡°You¡¯re indeed too strong. You have to pay more attention,¡± Li Zhaodi added, patting Ji Buwang. ¡°Our Buwang is soft-skinned and tender, so he can¡¯t handle your torment.¡±


    Li Zhaodi spoke casually, but that didn¡¯t stop Mu Jingzhe from feeling guilty. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the bruises on Ji Buwang¡¯s body previously.


    She felt a little ufortable. Ji Buwang also thought of what had happened previously and his face turned a little red. ¡°Mom, no. I¡¯m very strong.¡±


    ¡°No matter how strong you are, you can¡¯tpare to Jingzhe. But it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re on your side. If she hits you in the future, we¡¯ll stand up for you.¡±


    Li Zhaodi knew that a married couple would asionally have disagreements, as they were living together. She thought that if the two of them quarreled in the future, what would happen if Jingzhe hit her son-inw? Therefore, she quickly made her stance clear.


    Compared to other parents, it was much easier for them. After all, after their daughter got married, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her getting beaten up. They¡¯d only have to worry about their son-inw getting beaten up.


    Mu Jingzhe was annoyed. ¡°I won¡¯t hit anyone for no reason. Don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± What if Old Master Ji heard this? Would he be at ease letting them get married?


    ¡°Okay, okay. I won¡¯t talk about it anymore. Anyway, it¡¯s good that you know our attitude.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°Dad, Mom, now that you have a new son, you find me¡ªyour old daughter¡ªan eyesore? How can you act like this?¡± How could they forget their old love after finding a new one?


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng used their actions to prove that they would actually do just that.


    When Ji Buwang left, his heart was blooming with joy. Tang Moling¡¯s face had turned numb from watching all this from the side. Who would have thought that things would develop like this?


    After his uncle had switched to calling his inws ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯ in advance, he had actually fought to be pampered by them. Most importantly, he seemed to have won.


    Before Ji Buwang left, he specifically told Mu Jingzhe that the three gold pieces weren¡¯t included in the betrothal gifts this time because he wanted to buy them with Mu Jingzhe so she could choose the style she liked.


    Although rings, nes, and earrings weren¡¯t included in the three gold pieces, jewelry such as bracelets was included.


    After sending Ji Buwang and the others away, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng counted the betrothal gifts and recorded them before letting Mu Jingzhe take them away.


    Although the Ji Family had agreed not to give too much, they were still full of sincerity.


    Especially when it came to the jewelry, Li Zhaodi clicked her tongue incessantly. There were all sorts of pearls, agate, and jade. There were also quite a few jewelry pieces that had obviously been passed down from their ancestors¡ªthings like gold hairpins and ancient hair ornaments. They were so stunning that one couldn¡¯t take their eyes off them.


    ¡°My goodness, we agreed on fewer betrothal gifts, but in the end, they still gave us so much.¡± The Ji Family¡¯s foundation could totally be seen based on these betrothal gifts. Someone like Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t even imagine such things, let alone see them in the flesh.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s horizons were broadened. This jewelry was too beautiful. Most of the pieces were clearly antiques, and each one of them was incredible.


    However, she probably wouldn¡¯t have the chance to wear it all because she had always sported a short hairstyle.


    Other than these things, there were also some gold and silver bracelets that left Mu Jingzhe speechless. Some of them had been made with ancient craftsmanship and were very exquisite, but there were also some that had obviously been newly added.


    These newly-added designs were not bad either. However, their most defining characteristic was that they were heavy and big. They were especially heavy when picked up. Furthermore, they had given a lot to get them.


    They had clearly been ced at the bottom of the box and weren¡¯t eye-catching at all, but when the box was opened, they were so dazzling that they almost blinded one¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 442 - Let’s Call the Child Yuanbao

    <h4>Chapter 442: Let¡¯s Call the Child Yuanbao</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Li Zhaodi gasped when she saw the golden bracelets. ¡°Why are there so many?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask the same question. Why are there so many things?¡± Some modern wedding videos shed across Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mind. Those brides had golden bracelets all over their arms or even hanging around their necks.


    Those videos made theizens call them ballers. At that moment, Mu Jingzhe also shouted ¡®Baller!¡¯ in her heart.


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t have to wear all these, right?¡± Mu Jingzhe immediately checked.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you wear it. If you do, you¡¯ll look good and you¡¯ll show how much your inws value you.¡± When she saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s disbelief, Li Zhaodi changed the topic. ¡°But you definitely can¡¯t wear so many. Wealth should not be revealed. What if peoplee to steal them when they see you wearing them?¡±


    Although that was a good reason, it was fine as long as she didn¡¯t have to wear it all. Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and patted herself. ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you¡¯re so arrogant now. You actually sighed with relief because you don¡¯t have to wear golden bracelets.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s surprise wasn¡¯t limited to that. There was also a special gift box among the betrothal gifts that was specifically for Mu Jingzhe. When Mu Jingzhe received it, she opened it curiously and felt stunned. After Li Zhaodi took a look, she gasped.


    There were three rows of gold bars neatly ced in the box. Real gold bars.


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s mind flipped. She picked up a piece and wanted to bite it like people did on TV, but Mu Jingzhe quickly stopped her.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t. It won¡¯t be good if you leave tooth marks on it.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had never seen a real gold bar. She touched one and felt dizzy. ¡°It¡¯s too beautiful and cute.¡±


    In the past, she had liked gold bars very much and felt that they looked ancient and beautiful, but she had never seen one for real. Perhaps because she had revealed her preferences previously, Ji Buwang had specifically prepared these for her.


    There was also a note among the gold bars with Ji Buwang¡¯s elegant handwriting on it. ¡°Do you like them?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Li Zhaodi answered at once. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t like them!¡±


    Thrilled, Li Zhaodi pped Mu Jingzhe¡¯s shoulder a few times. ¡°When I have money in the future, I¡¯ll buy gold bars too. I¡¯ll buy them and hide them all!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth. ¡°Mom, it hurts. Be gentler.¡±


    Ignoring everything else, Mu Jingzhe happily carried the gold bars back.


    That night, Li Zhaodiy down and then got up again. She kept changing the ce where she hid the jewelry, afraid that a thief would find out ande to steal it.


    She was really not used to having so much gold all of a sudden, so Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t rest well the entire night.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t think of this. She had a good night¡¯s rest, hugging the gold bars to sleep, even picking them up in her dream. The next day, she happily went out with Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Why did you think of giving me gold bars?¡±


    ¡°I saw that you liked them. Did you like the gift?¡±


    ¡°I did. Of course I did. But it¡¯s too much gold. And there are so many gold bracelets.¡±


    ¡°Gold is good,¡± Ji Buwang answered matter-of-factly. ¡°It can be used as jewelry, and when turned into gold bars, it¡¯s both valuable and cute.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Mu Jingzhe felt that if she were to have a child in the future, she would have to give it the nickname?¡®Yuanbao<sup>1</sup>¡®.


    She couldn¡¯t help butugh at the thought. Ji Buwang asked curiously, ¡°Why are youughing? Do you like it that much?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll know in the future. I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll give you a surprise when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I look forward to the surprise you will give me. Let¡¯s go take a look at nes and rings. We¡¯ll buy what you like. If nothing catches your eye, we can also go shopping in the capital. There are more designs there.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hooked her arm around Ji Buwang¡¯s as they entered the department store. Everyone knew what they were there for and weed them warmly. They really did find something suitable.


    The ring, ne, and earrings were the three gold pieces of jewelry one wore at a wedding, so she would be wearing them constantly and keeping them. Mu Jingzhe felt that,pared to novel designs, it was better to buy some simple and ssic ones. That way, they wouldn¡¯t be old-fashioned even after a few years.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t have any objections as long as Mu Jingzhe liked them. He only found these too light. ¡°If only they were heavier. They¡¯d be worth more money then.¡±


    Salesperson: ¡°¡­¡±


    This was the first time she had seen such a weird customer. Other people were afraid that they would spend more money if the jewelry weighed more, but this man disliked them for being too light.


    Mu Jingzhe tugged at Ji Buwang. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I tell in the past that you had the potential to be a baller? Alright, pay up and let¡¯s leave.¡±


    Aftering out of the department store, they soon passed by a photo studio. The owner had hung some photos he deemed nice outside the studio. Other than individual photos and family photos, the most eye-catching ones were the wedding photos.


    Before and after the New Year, it was peak wedding period. The boss was very good at doing business and had ced the most recently popr wedding photos in an eye-catching position. Soon, he managed to attract Ji Buwang.


    Ji Buwang stopped outside and looked. ¡°Jingzhe, let¡¯s take photos too.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her brows. As a modern person, she had yet to mention taking wedding photos, but Ji Buwang had brought it up first. ¡°Sure.¡±


    The boss came to greet them and solemnly rmended taking wedding photos. He said that they would regret it if they didn¡¯t take photos. Their photo studio was progressing with the times, and there was even a Western bridal gown. When the time came, the bride could wear it and take photos in it. It would definitely look good.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the few sets of photos the boss was proud of and held back her surprise. At the time, because of the limitations of photography equipment and technology, there was no photoshop. Compared to the photos of the modern era, these were actually very ordinary. They were basically just photos of the bride wearing a wedding dress and photos of the flowers, while the groom stood on a hanging canvas. They looked fake no matter how one looked at them.


    All the brides and grooms basically had the same expression. Their makeup and wedding dress were also ordinary. Whether they looked good or not depended on their own beauty. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t mind taking a few retro wedding photos, but she kept feeling that she couldn¡¯t handle this makeup style. Her hair was still short as well.


    Ji Buwang was very good-looking, and she didn¡¯t want to be outshined by him. Otherwise, when they had children in the future, what if the children saw the photo and posted it online to tease them?


    She didn¡¯t want their kids to mock her and say things like ¡®Was my dad short-sighted back then?¡¯ or ¡®My dad must have been blinded by pig oil back in the day¡¯, nor did she want them to say things like ¡®My dad had face blindness and could only see my mom, so he thought she was the most good-looking person in the world, but that was actually not the case¡¯.


    After seeing the wayizens teased people, Mu Jingzhe thought ahead and decided to take precautions. Although she had short hair, she had to be good-looking in addition to being handsome. Otherwise, she might even hear people say ¡®These are clearly brothers!¡¯ or something along that line.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression was dark. Ji Buwang found it strange. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Jingzhe, you don¡¯t want to take photos? It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I want to, but I have a request. I want to be beautiful. Beautiful! At the very least, I can¡¯t be too inferior to you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s perfect face. For the first time, she was troubled by his handsomeness.


    The boss of the photo studio was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Buwang chuckled. ¡°They¡¯ll be beautiful. You¡¯re beautiful to begin with.¡±


    The boss of the photo studio was speechless once again.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Should he not havee out to greet them?

 Chapter 443 - If You Dont Treat Jingzhe Well, Ill Take Her Away

    <h4>Chapter 443: If You Don¡¯t Treat Jingzhe Well, I¡¯ll Take Her Away</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Perhaps because the boss¡¯ resentment was too strong, Ji Buwang finally remembered he was there. ¡°Believe in the boss. He will definitely take good photos, right?¡±


    The boss: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take good photos.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll cooperate with you.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at the boss seriously. ¡°Boss, I hope you will listen to me. I¡¯ll give you my opinion.¡±


    The boss: ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°We can take some photos first, then take some more on the day of the wedding. Boss, do you offer a video recording service too?¡± Taking photos and a video on the day of the wedding was basically routine.


    ¡°Well, we¡­ do not.¡± The boss shook his head.


    ¡°No? Then I¡¯ll find someone else¡­ Ah, Director Jiang¡­ If he and the cameramane to film, it will definitely be awesome. I wonder if we can get him to film the wedding.¡± When Mu Jingzhe heard the photo studio boss say no, she immediately thought of Director Jiang.


    ¡°Director Jiang has always said that he wants to earn money, so if we give him money, we¡¯ll definitely be able to hire him. Ji Buwang, let¡¯s contact Director Jiang. The cameraman¡­ We can also hire him to take photos, just like a magazine photoshoot.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that if she wanted to look as good as Ji Buwang in the photos and the video, it would be best to use her connections. Fortunately, she had some.


    Ji Buwang watched Mu Jingzhe leave excitedly and quickly apologized to the boss before chasing after her.


    Mu Jingzhe could handle the makeup and costumes herself, but she had to contact Director Jiang.


    After filming the movie ¡®Charging for Love¡¯, Director Jiang, who was waiting for the post-production, finally received a call from Mu Jingzhe after spending a few days with his wife and children. His first reaction was to hang up.


    ¡°I¡¯m a movie director. I¡¯m not going to film your wedding!¡±


    He was furious!


    The phone rang again after he hung up. Director Jiang was impatient. ¡°I told you I won¡¯t do it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you money.¡± Mu Jingzhe only said five words. ¡°You don¡¯t want to earn money to support your children and wife?¡±


    Director Jiang: ¡°¡­¡±


    When it came to earning money for his wife and children, it was the more, the merrier.


    In the end, Director Jiangpromised for money and promised that he would help them film their wedding. He also promised that he would make Mu Jingzhe look good. Then, Director Jiang went off to tempt the cameraman.


    In less than two days, Mu Jingzhe met a professional cameraman. She was also prepared to take wedding photos.


    Just like that, they were busy for two more days. The cameraman guaranteed that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t look that inferior to Ji Buwang in the photos. They would definitely lookpatible.


    However, this also caused a wedding photo craze. Mu Jingzhe wanted to take photos with Ji Buwang and the children. There were many photos of the children, but wedding photos were different, so the children had to take photos with Mu Jingzhe.


    They were handsome and cute as they surrounded Mu Jingzhe, the boys looking like little gentlemen and Little Bei looking like a little angel.


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe took photos with them, she realized that Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng didn¡¯t have any wedding photos. Other than the one on their marriage certificate, the couple had only taken a photo when they¡¯d had Mu Jingzhe. It was also a photo taken with the entire family.


    At the time, they had been standing in the periphery. Later on, this photo had also ended up in Old Lady Mu¡¯s hands.


    There were very few photos taken of Mu Jingzhe and Mu Han after they were born, all of which had been taken when Mu Xue was around. Although there weren¡¯t many of them, there were at least some. However, they basically didn¡¯t have any photos of them after they became adults. Later on, Mu Jingzhe had helped her parents take some photos, but they weren¡¯t wedding photos either.


    Since there were no photos of them, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even have the chance to tease them. In the end, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention was shifted to Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    She decided to make up for theck of wedding photos of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. She would personally design a wedding dress and groom outfit for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s first reaction was to refuse. ¡°Why should we take wedding photos? We¡¯re already really old.¡±


    However, Mu Jingzhe felt that they should take some photos while they were still young. Ji Buwang was very supportive. He excitedly gave suggestions and even took Mu Teng to buy three pieces of gold.


    ¡°Dad, in the past, you didn¡¯t have the means to buy these for Mom. Now that you have the means, you can do so. As long as you have the heart, it¡¯s not toote.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll buy them for her.¡± Mu Teng felt that he made so much sense. Mu Teng was feeling increasingly satisfied with his son-inw. ¡°Child, that¡¯s a good reminder.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and the children had given Li Zhaodi gold and silver jewelry before, but receiving it from her husband would be different.


    Ji Buwang also knew this, so after the jewelry was chosen, he didn¡¯t insist on paying. Instead, he let Mu Teng pay himself.


    On the other hand, Mu Teng was afraid that Ji Buwang would insist on paying, so he sent him to buy a soda. Before he could buy one, he identally bumped into Shao Qihai.


    Ever since he had received the wedding invitation, intentionally or not, Shao Qihai had been avoiding Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang. It had been a while since they hadst met.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know why he was doing this either; it was a subconscious reaction. It seemed like by avoiding Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe and not seeing them, he could pretend that they didn¡¯t exist. He also didn¡¯t want to see the duo together.


    This time, he didn¡¯t see them walking together, but the contrast between the two of them was obvious. Ji Buwang¡¯s face was flushed with sess and joy, and it was apparent that there was a joyous asion going on in his life. As for Shao Qihai, even though he tried his best to hide it, he was still a little depressed.


    After not seeing him for a while, he seemed to have lost weight. When Shao Qihai saw Ji Buwang, he realized that he couldn¡¯t avoid him anymore. He paused for a moment beforeing over. ¡°Long time no see. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came to buy something with Dad.¡±


    Shao Qihai followed Ji Buwang¡¯s gaze and realized that Ji Buwang was referring to Mu Teng. His brows couldn¡¯t help but twitch. ¡°You changed your form of address? Did Dad agree?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If he didn¡¯t agree, would I be calling him that?¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s expression was subtle. ¡°When did you change your form of address? Why are you still calling him ¡®Dad¡¯?¡± How long had it been since they had gotten a divorce? It was absurd.


    Shao Qihai instantly froze for a moment. In the past, when he had called Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi ¡®Dad¡¯ and ¡®Mom¡¯, it was because he¡¯d had no choice but to do so due to tradition. Later on, he had called them that sincerely, but in the end, he didn¡¯t have the chance to address them like that anymore.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m just used to it.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve got to change it. It won¡¯t be good if outsiders who don¡¯t know any better misunderstand.¡±


    Shao Qihai nced at Ji Buwang but didn¡¯t say anything, feeling extremely aggrieved. He had clearly built up his mental fortitude and had been determined to take it easy. However, now that he had met Ji Buwang, he realized that he couldn¡¯t remain calm.


    He was clearly the one with the right timing, location, and manpower. He was the one who had married Mu Jingzhe first, but in the end, Ji Buwang had gotten together with her.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, instead of telling me this, you might as well think about how to treat Jingzhe well in the future. I have nothing to say about Jingzhe choosing you, but if you don¡¯t treat Jingzhe well after you two get married, I won¡¯t let you off. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll take Jingzhe away. I¡¯ll always watch over her and I will never give up.¡±


    Anyway, Ji Buwang had also been this thick-skinned back then. He had to be thick-skinned too.. In the past, due to his rtively special rtionship with Mu Jingzhe, he couldn¡¯t say that Ji Buwang had shamelessly poached his wife. This time, even though he wouldn¡¯t deliberately cause trouble, he could at least watch from the side, right?

 Chapter 444 - Shameless

    <h4>Chapter 444: Shameless</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Qihai¡¯s gaze slowly became determined. Ji Buwang gritted his teeth. ¡°You won¡¯t get a chance. Jingzhe and I will always love each other. At most, you¡¯ll be witnessing our happiness.¡±


    Ji Buwang thought, ¡®You¡¯ll keep your eyes on me? I hope you won¡¯t vomit blood by watching.¡¯


    Shao Qihai choked when he heard that. ¡°That better be true.¡±


    Ji Buwang was about to say something when he saw Mu Teng return after paying. Seeing that he was focused on looking at something and wasn¡¯t paying attention to the stairs, he couldn¡¯t care less about Shao Qihai and quickly walked over to him.


    ¡°Dad, watch the stairs.¡±


    Shao Qihai also saw this and almost acted at the same time as Ji Buwang.


    Mu Teng looked at the two people running over together and then heard them call him ¡®Dad¡¯ in unison. He fell silent for a moment and chose to take Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. He told Shao Qihai amiably, ¡°Qihai, just call me Uncle in the future. Or you can call me Old Mu. Everyone in the city likes to call me that.¡±


    In any case, he should stop calling him ¡®Dad¡¯.


    Now that Shao Qihai wasn¡¯t his son-inw anymore but an outsider, Mu Teng was very polite to him.


    Shao Qihai smiled stiffly and retracted his hand. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call you Uncle in the future.¡± As for calling him Old Mu, he pretended not to hear it.


    Looking at Ji Buwang¡¯s smug expression, Shao Qihai felt quite upset. ¡°Um, Uncle, do you have any time to eat together?¡±


    A proud son of heaven like Ji Buwang was very respectful to Mu Teng, yet he hadn¡¯t done so in the past. Shao Qihai wanted to treat Mu Teng to a meal to apologize.


    ¡°Maybe in the future. I still have something to do today.¡± Mu Teng was in a hurry to go back and give Li Zhaodi the three gold pieces.


    When Mu Teng thought of Li Zhaodi, he couldn¡¯t care less about Shao Qihai. Then, he bade him farewell and left. His footsteps were quite fast, and he couldn¡¯t care less about Ji Buwang either.


    Ji Buwang was about to chase after him, but he turned around and looked at Shao Qihai instead. ¡°Shao Qihai, all jokes aside, I will really live a good life with Jingzhe. I know that your feelings for Jingzhe are very deep, but it¡¯s toote now, so stop watching us.


    ¡°Look for your own happiness. I hope you will find it too.¡±


    If he kept immersing himself in the past and trained his eyes on them, he would only feel pain. He had to move forward.


    Shao Qihai looked at Ji Buwang andughed bitterly. He then muttered softly, ¡°If possible, I hope that happens too.¡±


    Mu Teng quickly returned home and eagerly delivered the three pieces of gold he had bought. When Li Zhaodi received the three pieces of gold, sheughed until tears came out of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine if the children make a fuss, but why are you making a fuss too?¡±


    ¡°I just feel that I¡¯ve done too badly in the past after seeing what Buwang has done for Jingzhe.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Li Zhaodi started praising him, looking embarrassed. ¡°Even though outsiders keep saying that you¡¯re a rascal and azy person, whenever there¡¯s a mouthful of delicious food, you will always think of me and the children. Thest thing I would regret in my life is¡­ marrying you.¡±


    At their age, it was rare for them to say such things. She felt a little shy saying this out of the blue.


    Mu Teng was moved when he heard that and blushed. ¡°I¡¯ve never regretted it either. No matter what others say about you, I feel that I married the right person.¡±


    Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t have a nice family, she wasn¡¯t good-looking, and she was also shrewish. However, she was devoted to him and the children, so he had always been d he had married her.


    ¡°I was lucky to marry you in this lifetime. If I wasn¡¯t useless, I wouldn¡¯t have made you suffer so much and get beaten and scolded so often.¡±


    Li Zhaodi shook her head. ¡°No. If you weren¡¯t protecting me, I would have been chased back home or beaten to death by my mother-inw. It¡¯s only because you protected me that I¡¯ve been kind of fine. I know all about it. In the past, you were the second son that your mother doted on. It¡¯s all because of me that she was disappointed in you and you lost her favor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my wife, so I naturally have to protect you. Quick, put on the ne and the ring. Tomorrow, the guests will keep talking about them. unt in front of them.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang, who were eavesdropping, walked out the door. Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°Dad and Mom are so close. I won¡¯t ask for anything else. I just hope we¡¯ll be like them in the future.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I hope we¡¯re just like Mom and Dad. I hope we grow old together.¡±


    Ji Buwang hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°We will.¡±


    Just as he had told Shao Qihai during the day, he wouldn¡¯t give him a chance.


    It would still take some time for Mu Jingzhe to make a wedding dress for Li Zhaodi, but the next day, half the county knew about the golden ring, the golden ne, and the golden earrings that Li Zhaodi was wearing. They even knew that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were going to take wedding photos for them.


    As Li Zhaodi bragged, everyone smiled. When they turned around, they couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Geez. Who would wear a bridal gown and take wedding photos at such an old age? Won¡¯t it be an eyesore? Only young people wear such things.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Anyone who doesn¡¯t know better might think that they¡¯re the ones getting married. They¡¯re old and shameless! It¡¯s clearly their daughter getting married, but they¡¯re so busy. This is absurd. There¡¯s not much time left until the wedding. Instead of preparing for the wedding properly, they¡¯re wasting their time on something like this.¡±


    Although they wereining, if one listened carefully, they would notice an indescribable trace of envy and jealousy in their voices. Why hadn¡¯t their children thought of this?


    That day, many children were scolded by their parents for no reason. Their children also heard about this matter. Some of them couldn¡¯t tell that their parents were envious, but some could.


    Although it was quite a headache, in the next two days, many people really went to the photo studio to ask how much it would cost to take wedding photos for their parents.


    Some people gave up after hearing the price, while others were interested. The only problem was that the wedding outfits used for wedding photos might not be suitable for parents their age.


    Although Mu Jingzhe and the others didn¡¯t take photos at the photo studio, they indirectly brought the photo studio a lot of business.


    At first, a few people went to ask one after another. However, when Li Zhaodi¡¯s wedding dress waspleted and the photos were taken, more people went to the photo studio to enquire.


    The wedding dress Mu Jingzhe had designed for Li Zhaodi was suitable for her figure. In addition, she had personally helped her with her makeup, allowing Li Zhaodi to reach the peak of her attractiveness. Mu Teng also looked quite good after cleaning up.


    Mu Jingzhe epted some of the credit, but more importantly, the result was so good because the two of them felt blissful. Happiness was the best cosmetic.


    The wedding photos taken were very nice. So nice that everyone was tempted. Mu Jingzhe sessfully caused the county city to turn into Great Eastern Vige by triggering another trend¡ªparent wedding photoshoots.


    However, this would all happen in the future. After Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng took their wedding photos, for two days, they felt so blissful that it was as if they were floating over the clouds. Then, seeing that the wedding was approaching, they quickly went to prepare for it.


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe was still a little regretful. Because she couldn¡¯t go anywhere else to take photos, she couldn¡¯t have hers or Li Zhaodi¡¯s photos taken wherever she wanted, like in the modern era. She only took photos near the county city.


    However, Mu Jingzhe was smart enough not to voice her regret. Otherwise, the wedding photo trend in the county might be even crazier.


    As the day of the wedding approached, Mu Jingzhe finally realized that she was getting married.. This was her first time getting married in two lifetimes, so she was actually a little nervous.

 Chapter 445 - Honeymoon Tour

    <h4>Chapter 445: Honeymoon Tour</h4>


    Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios


    Ji Buwang had followed Old Master Ji back to the capital, but he soon received a call from his maternal grandmother.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandmother was still around, but because she was old, she was a little muddle-headed. Under the circumstances, she couldn¡¯t attend Ji Buwang¡¯s wedding.


    However, for the past few days, perhaps because she had heard her sons mention Ji Buwang¡¯s wedding, his maternal grandmother actually sobered up a little and started looking for Ji Buwang.


    His eldest uncle thus contacted him. Ji Buwang decided to make a trip over to speak with her while her mind was clear and bring her some wedding candy.


    When he was young, his maternal grandmother had actually treated him very well. Later on, after his mother had died, his maternal grandparents had started to me the Ji Family, so they hadn¡¯t contacted each other for a long time.


    Since Ji Buwang had woken up, the two sides had started having contact again.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard Ji Buwang¡¯s n, she asked, ¡°Should I go with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best if youe and let Grandma take a look at you. But won¡¯t you be too busy?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Besides, the scenery there should be pretty good.¡± She would consider it an early honeymoon.


    ¡°The scenery is indeed not bad there. This is the season the peach blossoms are about to bloom. The plum trees must have bloomed too. There are also willow trees there. The willow trees look their best now.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s bring the camera.¡± If she went out with Ji Buwang, the scenery would look the best anywhere.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to go out with Ji Buwang. Li Zhaodi felt very helpless when she heard that. ¡°You¡¯re the bride. You should be at home waiting to get married. Why are you running around?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not running around. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t do anything about that, and the children were also helpless. They knew that they were getting married and they had a good rtionship, but was it really fine for them to run away like this? Although they happened to be going to apany Shao Qihai, they felt kind of upset when they saw Mu Jingzhe leave with Ji Buwang just like that.


    Before leaving, Ji Buwang saw Xiao Wu secretly ring at him. Shao Xi stared at him as if he was a bad person who had secretly abducted his mother.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Little guy, why are you ring at me?¡± Ji Buwang stroked Shao Xi¡¯s head and rapped Xiao Wu¡¯s.


    Shao Xi didn¡¯t let him stroke his head. ¡°Take good care of Mommy. If Mommy loses even a single hair, we¡¯ll make you suffer.¡±


    Ji Buwangughed. ¡°Little Xi, don¡¯t keep imitating television dramas. Hair falls by itself all the time¡­¡± Seeing Shao Xi¡¯s expression, Ji Buwang quickly corrected himself. ¡°Got it, got it. We¡¯ll be back soon. I¡¯ll definitely bring your mother back safely. Not a single strand of her hair will be missing.¡±


    Shao Dong pulled Shao Xi aside. ¡°Are you still worried about Mommy and Uncle Ji going out?¡±


    ¡°Little Dong is still the best.¡± Ji Buwang patted Shao Dong¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What about me? Am I not good?¡± Little Bei squeezed her way in.


    ¡°Little Bei is the best too. You¡¯re all great.¡± Ji Buwang blinked. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the red packets and give them to you guyster.¡±


    The red packets were for the change of address. Once they were given, they would switch to calling him ¡®Papa¡¯.


    ¡°I look forward to our next meeting.¡± Ji Buwang indicated that he was already prepared.


    The children waved their hands and watched the couple leave. Shao Xi asked Xiao Wu, ¡°Xiao Wu, are you going to call him ¡®Papa¡¯ too? Or are you going to call him ¡®Uncle¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Xiao Wu shook his head. ¡°Anything is fine. He¡¯s my biological uncle anyway.¡±


    ¡°I think you should call him ¡®Papa¡¯. Otherwise, it will be strange if we all call him ¡®Papa¡¯ and you call him ¡®Uncle¡¯.¡± Their rtionship wasplicated to begin with. A Daddy wasn¡¯t enough. Now, there was also a Papa. If Xiao Wu called him ¡®Uncle¡¯, it would be too messy.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xiao Wu was very easy to talk to.


    ¡°After we change the way we address him, he¡¯ll definitely be very proud. During this period of time, he secretly asked us to change the way we address him, but we refused.¡±


    Shao Dong alsoughed when he heard that. ¡°But you can¡¯t kid around when it¡¯s time to officially change your form of address.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Shao Xi snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll call him ¡®Papa¡¯ properly.¡±


    ¡­


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang rushed to his maternal grandmother¡¯s house. Everything went smoothly on the way, and they also saw the scenery along the way.


    People always said that if one had goodpany on a trip, the scenery would be good anywhere. This was something Mu Jingzhe had experienced on the way, as it was really nice to go out with Ji Buwang.


    They basically didn¡¯t have any arguments. No matter what she said, Ji Buwang would agree. Besides feeling happy, Mu Jingzhe was a little worried that if this continued, she would be spoiled and would be a particrly annoying brat.


    Ji Buwangughed out loud when he heard her worries. ¡°That¡¯s fine. As long as I like it.¡± It was best if no one came to snatch Jingzhe.


    The two of them walked and stopped, seeing all the gorgeous scenery that Ji Buwang had mentioned. The newly-bloomed willow branches were indeed beautiful. Ji Buwang had made a hat to shield Mu Jingzhe from the sun, and when he saw blooming flowers, he would stick them on the hat.


    As looked at the green willow branches and flowers, Mu Jingzhe felt like she wasn¡¯t far from bing a flower fairy.


    When Ji Buwang went to pick the flowers, he was chased by a dog who almost bit his butt.


    Mu Jingzhe was quite startled. ¡°Fortunately, it didn¡¯t bite you. What if you got rabies?¡±


    The price to be a flower fairy wasn¡¯t small, but she did take quite a few photos. They walked and stopped multiple times like this, and they rested overnight once more midway before arriving the next day.


    His maternal grandmother¡¯s family was doing well, but they had not interacted with each other for many years and were unfamiliar with each other now. What¡¯s more, he had never met some of them before. Their family had gained many children since he hadst been in touch with them, so these children basically didn¡¯t know Ji Buwang.


    Coupled with the fact that his maternal grandmother had moved house, other than her, who he still found familiar, everything else seemed very unfamiliar to Ji Buwang. Everything had changed.


    Actually, ording to blood rtions, they had all originally been very close. However, if a rtionship wasn¡¯t maintained, that blood rtionship would fade.


    They had originally been cousins from the same family, but they were unfamiliar with each other. It hadn¡¯t even urred to them that Ji Buwang woulde over after they sent him the news. Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe came to visit his surprised Eldest Uncle and other rtives and they behaved in a reserved way.


    For some reason, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood and he felt especially vexed after getting there. The weather was also hot. The New Year had clearly just passed, but it felt like summer had arrived early. He couldn¡¯t even wear his coat.


    Coincidentally, his maternal grandmother had also fallen asleep, so Ji Buwang bade them all farewell and said that he woulde again some other day.


    They politely invited Ji Buwang to stay at their home, but judging from the situation, there wasn¡¯t a room for them at all.


    After bidding them farewell, Ji Buwang felt a little depressed. ¡°In the past, whenever Mother brought me back, I yed with my cousin and the rest. Although I only saw them two or three times a year, when Mother was around, I felt close to them.. Back then, my cousin and the rest even brought me around to y.¡±

 Chapter 446 - Ji Buwang, Youre Worse Than a Beast

    <h4>Chapter 446: Ji Buwang, You¡¯re Worse Than a Beast</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    They had clearly been close when they were young, but now that they had grown up, they felt like strangers.


    ¡°Everyone feels the same after growing up.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t have any rtives, but she had many siblings from the orphanage. Many of the children who had been brought up by her had also been close to her when they were young. They had even said many times that they wanted to be good to her and treat her well for the rest of their lives, but the rtionship had still ended up fading away eventually.


    They had not been lying when they were young, nor did they not have a good rtionship back then. At the time, they had all been sincere. However, when they grew up, their feelings for each other faded.


    ¡°If you want to y, there will be plenty of people to y with you in the future. I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll find it annoying,¡± Mu Jingzhe added.


    Ji Buwang knew that she was talking about the five kids and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°That¡¯s true. When I think about having five children when we get back, these things don¡¯t seem like a big deal.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded and fanned herself with her hand. Ji Buwang quickly fanned her too. ¡°You must be feeling stuffy. I don¡¯t know why the weather is so stuffy.¡±


    ¡°It might rain in a couple of days.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at the sun above her. ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly.¡±


    Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe found a guesthouse in the county city. Although it was only a county city, because there were many factories there, it was quite well-developed. The newly-opened guesthouse had three floors and looked quite good.


    Ji Buwang was still conflicted about how many rooms to ask for. Two? He kept feeling that it wasn¡¯t safe to be separated from Jingzhe. But if they booked one room¡­


    He was conflicted, but Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t. She directly asked for one room.


    The two of them had already done the deed and were about to get married soon, so why did they have to book two rooms? Since they were away from home, they naturally had to share a room. The people there didn¡¯t know them, so they could just say that they were husband and wife. There was no need to be so conflicted about it.


    Seeing that Ji Buwang wanted to say something but stopped himself, Mu Jingzhe finished the check-in and went up to the second floor with him. ¡°Alright, alright, stop hesitating. I won¡¯t touch you before the wedding ceremony. Anyway, there are two beds.¡±


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    He was helpless against Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I should be the one saying this!¡± If they really stayed in the same room, he would be the one feeling both pain and happiness.


    Although Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words were very maddening, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t try to prove himself. The night passed without any mishaps.


    On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe really fell asleep waiting for him. When she woke up the next day, she looked at Ji Buwang, who was lying on the bed beside her, and couldn¡¯t help but spit out, ¡°You¡¯re worse than a beast!¡±


    This was the legendary ¡®worse than a beast¡¯ saying. He had actually kept his word. ¡°You were so calm, weren¡¯t you!¡±


    The weather was really hot, and she had even perspired while sleeping. Mu Jingzhe clicked her tongue and got up to wash up.


    Ji Buwang, who had heard all that, was speechless.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    If he didn¡¯t have to go to his maternal grandmother¡¯s house, he would have¡­ Ji Buwang got up to wash his face and calm himself down.


    After eating the local specialty breakfast, they went to his maternal grandmother¡¯s house. This time, his eldest uncle and the rest of his rtives were finally prepared. They even let the children who had never seen Ji Buwang acknowledge them. They were also very enthusiastic around Mu Jingzhe.


    The wedding candy that Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe had specifically brought instantly captured the children¡¯s hearts, and they kept revolving around them.


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang got a headache from all the noise. Although they had five children at home, they had never been so noisy. These children were incredible. They chattered and ran around, revealing the distinct characteristics of brats.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for them to wait until noon, when Grandma finally woke up. However, when she woke up, she only opened her eyes and didn¡¯t really look conscious. Grandpa was no longer around, but she kept talking to him, clearly living in the past.


    Eldest Uncle, who had already be a grandfather himself, wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He exined to Ji Buwang that this was how she usually acted. She had only spoken to them a few days ago, when her mind had suddenly regained rity. In the end, when Ji Buwang came, her mind became muddled again.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine even if she¡¯s not aware. I¡¯ll just look at her and keep herpany.¡±


    After Ji Buwang asked his eldest uncle and found out that Grandma didn¡¯t have so many problems, he peeled a piece of soft wedding candy for her.


    When Grandma tasted its sweetness, she looked at Ji Buwang in surprise. It seemed like she was still unaware, but when she saw Ji Buwang, she looked for more sweets and said that she wanted to give him sweets to eat.


    Eldest Uncle naturally took out a bag of sweets. The children instantly surrounded him, their faces filled with excitement. To them, being able to eat sweets twice was pure bliss.


    This bag of candy was a little special. It was a big piece of candy stuck together. It looked like candied rice puff, but it was soft and it had to be shredded by hand before it could be eaten.


    The children stretched out their hands. Grandma only gave each of them one piece at a time. Ji Buwang watched with nostalgic eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I ate this.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes revealed her surprise when she saw this. She had eaten this kind of candy when she was young in the modern era, but it hadn¡¯t existed anymore by the time she grew up. At the time, because there hadn¡¯t been many chances to eat it, she would grab it tightly and eat until her hands were sticky.


    After eating, she would even lick her fingers and hands clean.


    Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe were also given a piece of candy. After eating it, they felt quite emotional. It was indeed the taste in their memories.


    ¡°Is this sold where we live?¡± Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but ask Ji Buwang.


    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s always sold on market day.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard that, she knew that she had missed it. There was also a market day in the county, but there were always many people in attendance. Sometimes, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to squeeze her way through the crowd, so she had ended up missing this.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go buy some for Little Bei and the restter.¡±


    After distributing the sweets, Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandmother kept looking at him. Ji Buwang told her who he was. After saying his name twice, Grandma actually looked aware. ¡°Buwang¡­ You¡¯re Buwang, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Grandma.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so many years since west met. You¡¯ve grown so much.¡± Grandma smiled and touched Ji Buwang¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re so handsome, just like your father.¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled. ¡°I think it¡¯s partly thanks to you, Grandma. I am only handsome because you are so beautiful.¡±


    Grandma pursed her lips and smiled. Then, she asked, ¡°Oh right, didn¡¯t your parentse along? Where are they?¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°They¡¯re busy, so I came by myself. Isn¡¯t it good that I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, good, good.¡± Grandma pulled him. ¡°Come on, let Grandma take a good look at you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even look at the children who were calling her ¡®Grandma¡¯. Her eyes were filled with unfamiliarity. ¡°Why are there so many children at home? Are they all neighbors? It¡¯s too noisy here.¡±


    She hadpletely forgotten that these were her biological grandsons and granddaughters.


    ¡°Grandma doesn¡¯t remember us again.¡± The children were very used to it, so they simply ran out to y.


    Grandma didn¡¯t mind them. She just looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Buwang, how old are you now? Let me guess¡­ Look at you. You¡¯re already 15 or 16 years old, right? You can get a wife in a couple of years.¡±


    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m about to get married. Look at her. This is my wife-to-be.¡±


    Ji Buwang pulled Mu Jingzhe over. ¡°My wife is pretty, right? Her name is Jingzhe.¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe? Jingzhe is a nice name. She¡¯s beautiful.¡± When Grandma saw Mu Jingzhe, she clearly liked her very much.. She held her hand and kept saying that she was verypatible with Ji Buwang.

 Chapter 447 - Don’t Marry Buwang; You Will Cry

    <h4>Chapter 447: Don¡¯t Marry Buwang; You Will Cry</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Grandma held Ji Buwang with one hand and Mu Jingzhe with the other. After nagging them for a long time, she mentioned Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandfather.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one to see her. Your Grandpa has to see her too. He¡¯ll like her as well. Oh right, where¡¯s your Grandpa? Why is he never around¡­¡± She shouted for her eldest son and asked him to look for his father. She said that Buwang had returned with his wife-to-be, but as she spoke, her mind gained rity.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right. Buwang, how can you get married? When I heard them say that you wanted to get married, I thought that it was fake news. Aren¡¯t you still a small child? Your parents¡­¡±


    Grandma paused as she spoke. ¡°Your parents¡­ are dead. I remember now. Your parents are dead¡­ and I will die soon too.¡±


    Perhaps because she had suddenly remembered all this, Grandma fainted after saying that. Ji Buwang felt very upset when he saw her like this.


    However, his uncle skillfully covered her with a nket. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The doctor said that falling asleep is good for her health and that she doesn¡¯t get too agitated that way. This happens when she asionally thinks of your mother or your maternal grandfather.


    ¡°By the time she wakes up, she¡¯s forgotten again. She¡¯s been like this for the past six months. She rarely has a clear mind. Let her bask in the sun and get some fresh air. The doctor said that this is good for her health.¡±


    Although basking in the sun was good for her health, they didn¡¯t let her do this in the end because the weather was too stuffy and hot.


    His Eldest Uncle felt very helpless. ¡°In the past, it wasn¡¯t so hot here. It wasn¡¯t this bad. I don¡¯t know why it started getting hot two days ago. It¡¯s stuffy as well. This heat is abnormal. We¡¯re just looking forward to it raining soon.¡±


    The New Year had just passed, but it was already very stuffy and hot, making one feel vexed.


    ¡°It will.¡±


    Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe kept Grandmapany. Seeing his white-haired maternal grandmother like this made them feel quite upset.


    He was even a little worried. He was a few years older than Jingzhe. Perhaps he would be the one to leave Jingzhe first in the future.


    But if he left, would Jingzhe feel as terrible as his maternal grandmother felt now? The person left behind was actually in great agony, so if possible, Ji Buwang hoped that he would be the person to leave second.


    But wouldn¡¯t this mean that Jingzhe¡¯s lifespan would have to be much shorter?


    Ji Buwang was conflicted. While no one was paying attention, he secretly held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and made up his mind. He hoped they would die on the same day, month, and year.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to take the initiative to hold my hand. What are you thinking?¡± Mu Jingzhe was curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about the future. I don¡¯t want you to be a lonely olddy, so I¡¯ll have to die on the same day, month, and year as you. Are you willing to do that?¡±


    ¡°Die on the same day, month, and year as you? Do you think I¡¯m your sworn brother?¡± Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°Even if you die early, I won¡¯t be like your maternal grandmother. I will find handsome old men, dance with them, and have lots of fun.¡±


    Modern za dancing even included the romantic duet dance.


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to answer like this. This one sentence managed to make him explode. ¡°Handsome old men? Can anyone be more handsome than me? Even when I¡¯m old, I¡¯ll still be the most handsome man. After having a taste of a handsome old man like me, how could you possibly fall for other men?¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard him call himself a handsome old man, she started tough uncontrobly. Ji Buwangughed as well.


    Because it was so stuffy and hot, her hands started sweating after a while. However, Ji Buwang didn¡¯t let go. Upon seeing Mu Jingzhe fan herself again, he also fanned her with his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll make a fan for you when we get back.¡±


    ¡°You know how to make one?¡±


    ¡°I do. It¡¯s just a fan, right? Isn¡¯t that simple? I¡¯ll make one for you to fan yourselfter,¡± Ji Buwang promised.


    The two of them sat beside Grandma and chatted with her as they waited for the sun to set.


    They all knew that, given Grandma¡¯s age and health, this might be theirst time with her.


    The sun soon set and there was no longer any light, but it was still stuffy and hot. Grandma didn¡¯t wake up either. Eldest Uncle pushed her back to let her sleep some more and asked Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe to go eat.


    After the meal, they were covered in sweat. Grandma had woken up by then as well. Eldest Aunt skillfully fed her mother-inw while Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe watched from the side.


    Grandma actually finished an entire bowl of rice. Eldest Aunt clicked her tongue in wonder. ¡°Looks like Grandma is really happy. She doesn¡¯t usually eat so much.¡±


    ¡°Grandma, you have to eat just as much in the future,¡± Ji Buwang said.


    Grandma woke up again after hearing Ji Buwang¡¯s words. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to eat again. This is myst meal. That¡¯s why I ate so much.¡±


    Upon hearing these inauspicious words, Ji Buwang was just about to retort when Grandma reached out and held his hand tightly. ¡°What a coincidence that you¡¯re here too, Buwang. I can rest assured now. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±


    Ji Buwang was d that he hade. ¡°I¡¯lle see you again when I have time.¡±


    However, Grandma didn¡¯t seem to hear him. She only looked at the empty roof and said, ¡°They kept urging me to leave, but I didn¡¯t listen. I had to wait for you. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go together. If Grandma brings you along, you won¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Mom, where are you taking Buwang? Can wee?¡± Eldest Aunt, who was listening from the side, couldn¡¯t help but tease her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not time for you guys yet. It will just be me and Buwang. Buwang, hold my hand and don¡¯t let go. Don¡¯t be afraid¡­¡± Grandma held Ji Buwang¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t let go. When she saw Mu Jingzhe, she suddenly said, ¡°Poor child¡­ What are you going to do in the future¡­ Don¡¯t marry Buwang. You¡¯ll cry¡­ You¡¯ll cry¡­¡±


    Grandma¡¯s words were baffling and strange. For some reason, Mu Jingzhe felt a little ufortable under her gaze.


    Eldest Aunt knew that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were getting married, so these words weren¡¯t auspicious. She quickly stood up and said, ¡°She¡¯s just saying that brides cry when they get married. She didn¡¯t mean anything else by it. She¡¯s so muddle-headed that she didn¡¯t finish her sentence. Let her rest. Her mind isn¡¯tpletely clear.¡±


    Actually, Grandma¡¯s mind was clear. It even felt like her mind was the clearest at that moment. Otherwise, her eyes wouldn¡¯t be so bright.


    Grandma grabbed Ji Buwang¡¯s hand very tightly. It took a lot of effort for Eldest Aunt to pull Ji Buwang¡¯s hand out of Grandma¡¯s grasp. Ignoring her struggle, she pushed Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe out. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go out.¡±


    When Grandma saw that Ji Buwang was about to leave, she got anxious. She even shouted that she wanted to leave with him, but her attention was quickly diverted and Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe were pulled outside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind your grandmother¡¯s words. She¡¯s like this all the time. She is not very clear-headed.¡±


    His Eldest Uncle exined, ¡°After you go with me to offer incense to Grandpa tomorrow morning, you should go back. Grandma has seen you two, so it¡¯s fine. Preparing for your wedding is more important.¡±


    After saying that, Eldest Uncle realized that he didn¡¯t sound very nice and quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m not chasing you guys away. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s because the wedding is more important.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ji Buwang smiled.. ¡°We originally nned to go back tomorrow anyway.¡±

 Chapter 448 - Terrifying Prophecy

    <h4>Chapter 448: Terrifying Prophecy</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Eldest Uncle heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. ¡°Mm, thene over early tomorrow morning. Don¡¯t buy fruit or anything else like today. Just buy a bottle of your maternal grandfather¡¯s favorite barley wine. He¡¯ll definitely be happy if youe to see him. He was still thinking of you on his deathbed.¡±


    Back when his maternal grandfather had passed away, it had happened to be during the four years when Ji Buwang had been neither dead nor alive. It was on the hospital bed that he had received the news of his maternal grandfather¡¯s demise.


    At the time, he had wanted to see him off and take onest look at him, but he hadn¡¯t been able to.


    Now, he was a stepte, but he was finally there. Ji Buwang nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely bring it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go back and rest early today. You still have to drive tomorrow. Since you¡¯re staying at the guesthouse, I won¡¯t keep you here. It¡¯s stuffy and hot today. The house is small and stuffy too. It¡¯s not asfortable as the guesthouse.¡±


    Eldest Uncle knew that Ji Buwang didn¡¯tck money, so he didn¡¯t have to wonder if he needed to save on amodation fees.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe bade him farewell. When he came out, he could still hear his maternal grandmother¡¯s voice, as if she was saying something.


    ¡°Were you frightened?¡± Ji Buwang held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Grandma is like this sometimes. When she was young, she often recited poems. She¡¯s a youngdy from a rich family, so she is very particr.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. She had seen Grandma¡¯s small feet and knew she had bound her feet in her younger?days<sup>1</sup>. This was a bad habit, and the process was very painful. However, a long time ago, only the youngdies of rich families had possessed the means to bind their feet. Girls from humble families had been too busy making a living.


    Mu Jingzhe had never seen bounded feet before. It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t curious, but she couldn¡¯t just keep staring at them because she was curious. That would seem too disrespectful.


    On the way back, Ji Buwang bought some barley wine and asked the boss for cigarette packaging. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and make you a fan.¡±


    Making a fan required tougher paper. Ji Buwang remembered seeing the packaging.


    After returning to the room, he started folding the paper. While watching him, Mu Jingzhe was hit by nostalgia. She had folded paper fans when she was young too. There were also students who mischievously tore off paper from their textbooks to fold it into paper fans, which resulted in their parents chasing after them to spank their butts.


    The fan Ji Buwang folded was sort of a sess. However, when the two small paper fans werebined, an issue arose. They went to ask the boss for glue, but he didn¡¯t have any, so they ended up using gruel. In the end, the fan opened after drying.


    As Mu Jingzheughed, Ji Buwang decided to clip it with a pen cap. It looked sort of ridiculous with the pen still attached to the pen cap, but Ji Buwang refused to admit it.


    ¡°The fan still works well. I can use it.¡±


    Although the fan was strange, the wind it produced was indeed cool and Mu Jingzhe felt veryfortable.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. Xiao?Jizi<sup>1</sup>, keep up the excellent fanning. I¡¯ll reward youter.¡±


    There weren¡¯t many pce dramas in this era, so Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t react for a moment. ¡°Xiao Jizi? What a strange form of address.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t very well call you Xiao Buzi or Xiao Wangzi, right? Wait, actually, Xiao Wangzi is quite good too. It sounds like ¡®little prince¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re a little princess?¡± Feeling helpless, Ji Buwang resigned himself to fate and sat down to fan her.


    ¡°You shoulde here. It¡¯ll be cooler if we¡¯re next to each other.¡± Mu Jingzhe pulled Ji Buwang up and leaned against him happily.


    It was already nighttime, but the sky was getting hotter and hotter, and there were no signs of the weather turning cool.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t bear to let Ji Buwang continue fanning her, so she could only silently pray with a calm heart that she would naturally cool down and fall asleep. Just as she was about to fall asleep in a daze, she felt a cold wind. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Ji Buwang was actually lying on his bed and fanning her.


    Mu Jingzhe got up without hesitation and went over. ¡°Why are you so disobedient that we¡¯re sleeping separately? Hurry up and go to sleep.¡±


    After saying that, she hugged Ji Buwang and fell asleep. Ji Buwang wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he let her hug his arm and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Half-asleep, Ji Buwang was still fanning her. Later on, he really fell asleep until he was eventually woken up by a violent shaking motion all of a sudden.


    When he opened her eyes, it was dark. He couldn¡¯t tell what time it was, but he could feel that everything was shaking badly. ¡°Jingzhe.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe immediately grabbed Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. ¡°This¡­ It can¡¯t be an earthquake, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had never experienced a major earthquake before. He had only experienced two or three aftershocks. Even so, she was quite frightened. At that moment, she didn¡¯t even dare confirm it. She thought that this was impossible.


    Ji Buwang had already grabbed her hand. ¡°It¡¯s an earthquake. Run!¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s reaction was considered fast, but as soon as he got off the bed, his legs went limp and he felt dizzy. Due to the pitch dark before his eyes, he couldn¡¯t run far. After taking a few quick steps, he felt an intense tremor and felt the heels of his feet suddenly sink.


    ¡°Ji Buwang!¡± Mu Jingzhe reached out to hug him, and Ji Buwang hugged her at the same time. The two of them instantly fell down. They seemed to hear screams and cries, but in an instant, everything seemed to disappear.


    By the time it all stopped, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nose was filled with the smell of houses being demolished at a construction site. She found herself amid the ruins, and her surroundings were still dark. Ji Buwang was still hugging her, but she sensed no movement from him.


    ¡°Ji Buwang? Ji Buwang!¡± Mu Jingzhe quickly shouted, but Ji Buwang still didn¡¯t respond.


    This was the first time Mu Jingzhe was so flustered. She hadn¡¯t expected to be unlucky enough to encounter an earthquake. The news about earthquakes that she had seen in the past shed in her mind one after another, such as the abnormal weather before a quake, the stuffy heat, the anxiety and frustration of the people, and so on. All of these boxes had been ticked earlier on, but she hadn¡¯t seen thising at all.


    Mu Jingzhe tried her best to calm down. She hugged Ji Buwang and tried to figure out if he was alright. There didn¡¯t seem to be any blood on his body. However, there seemed to be a bump on the back of his head, as if he had fainted after being hit. He had been struck unconscious while protecting her.


    Fortunately, Ji Buwang¡¯s breathing was typical. Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief and started to explore bit by bit. She realized that although they were buried, they were still considered lucky. They weren¡¯tpletely buried, so there was still a possibility of them saving themselves or being saved.


    She felt around and touched a lot of things. Amid the mess, she seemed to feel a towel and a teapot, but the water inside had been lost during this chaos.


    This was a pity, but after Mu Jingzhe knocked on the teapot, she noticed that it made quite a loud sound, so she put it aside. This could also be used as a tool to call for helpter on.


    After calming down, Mu Jingzhe recalled the first-aid knowledge she had read about in the past. If one was pinned under something, they had to prepare themselves for an aftershock and try their best to prevent another copse.


    Mu Jingzhe thought that it would be good if the ce where they were buried was rtively shallow. However, other than the house copsing, they also seemed to have sunk downward, so she couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what was going on for a while.


    After searching for some time, Mu Jingzhe figured it all out. There seemed to be a closet on top of them. She didn¡¯t know if it was the one in their room, but because it was pressed against a table, it created a small safe ce.


    They were both very unlucky and lucky to be trapped in such a rtively safe ce.


    As long as the closet and table remained intact or they found some other kind of support, they could slowly wait for help. She just didn¡¯t know if this ce had sufficient venttion.

 Chapter 449 - Protecting Each Other With Their Lives

    <h4>Chapter 449: Protecting Each Other With Their Lives</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe tried knocking things around. Other than some dust, she couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Is anyone there? Help!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe tried to shout twice, but her voice was muffled and couldn¡¯t be heard at all. Based on this, Mu Jingzhe deduced that they were buried quite deeply, and it was difficult for their voices to be heard outside.


    Mu Jingzhe immediately gave up shouting for help to conserve her strength, but her shout woke Ji Buwang up.


    ¡°Jingzhe.¡±


    ¡°Ji Buwang, you¡¯re awake. How do you feel? Are you in pain?¡±


    ¡°My head hurts a little. I¡¯m fine. Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ji Buwang. We¡¯re trapped.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ji Buwang really regretted this visit at that moment. He shouldn¡¯t have brought Jingzhe there. If he hadn¡¯t brought her, they wouldn¡¯t have experienced an earthquake. There definitely wouldn¡¯t have been an earthquake in his hometown.


    It was all his fault for being too reluctant to be apart from Jingzhe and thus bringing her there and putting her in danger.


    It was toote for regrets now. He could only think of ways to bring her back home safely. Ji Buwang pulled himself together and asked questions about the situation.


    Mu Jingzhe told him what she had discovered. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that there will be aftershocks. We have to find something sturdier to support this ce.¡±


    Where they were now, they could sit up.


    Ji Buwang did as he was told. ¡°Alright, let me take a look.¡± As he spoke, something in his hand glowed. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°The pager! Why are you holding this? Quick, let¡¯s ask for help!¡±


    It didn¡¯t feel good to be in the darkness. Upon seeing the light, Mu Jingzhe almost burst into tears of joy.


    ¡°I grabbed it while running.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°There¡¯s no signal. I can only use it as a tool to light up the ce.¡±


    The hope in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes was snuffed out. That¡¯s right. After an earthquake, electricity andmunications were basically cut off. It was like that in modern times too, let alone now.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s good enough that we can use it as a shlight. It will be better if we have light.¡± Mu Jingzheforted him and realized there was something else in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re still holding the fan.¡±


    ¡°I probably held on to it while falling asleep, so¡­¡± Ji Buwang found joy in his misery. ¡°If you get hotter, I¡¯ll fan you again. ¡±


    ¡°Why would I need you to fan me at a time like this?¡± Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°I wonder what grade the earthquake was. It was so scary.¡± She felt that the magnitude of the earthquake wouldn¡¯t be low.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s fine. While I¡¯m around, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re safe. I promised the kids that I would bring you back safely. Not even a single hair on your body will be missing.¡±


    Ji Buwang carefully wiped the dust off Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already lost some of the hair on my body. Let¡¯s not talk about this. Don¡¯t be so silly that you only try to protect meter. Let¡¯s make things clear now. Protect yourself first and hug your head as quickly as possible. I can protect myself. Don¡¯t just focus on protecting me and expose your head to danger.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Ji Buwang agreed obediently.


    ¡°Alright, then our priority now is to get through this together.¡±


    Under the faint light of the pager, Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang cleaned up the gravel around them and expanded their activity space. They also wanted to find some bricks to strengthen the support of the ce.


    However, shortly after they started cleaning up, they suddenly felt dizzy. A familiar feeling attacked them again¡ªit was an aftershock.


    ¡°Jingzhe.¡± Ji Buwang protected her once more. Mu Jingzhe was stepping on the gravel, and this move wiped out everything.


    ¡°Why did you only remember to protect me? I told you to protect yourself.¡± Mu Jingzhe was furious.


    ¡°I know, I was wrong. I¡¯ll protect myself now.¡± Ji Buwang obediently protected his head. Just as Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief, she felt another tremor. A secondter, she heard a crack. The table supporting the closet actually broke.


    Seeing that the closet was about to crash down on them, Mu Jingzhe quickly reached out to support it. In an instant, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands cracked as an unprecedented weight pressed down on her.


    Mu Jingzhe was almost crushed. Fortunately, she managed to hold on in the end.


    ¡°Jingzhe!¡± Ji Buwang shouted.


    Mu Jingzhe also heard a muffled groan. ¡°Ji Buwang, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ji Buwang¡¯s voice was heard. Without the light of the pager, she couldn¡¯t see Ji Buwang, but his voice was still calm. ¡°Jingzhe, are you holding up the closet?¡±


    ¡°Mm, the quality of this closet is quite good. I can hold on. We won¡¯t die.¡± Mu Jingzhe tried her best to be calm, but a secondter, the pager lit up. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression, which was tense from exerting too much force, was instantly revealed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t look good right now.¡± Mu Jingzhe closed her eyes and tried her best to revert to her usual expression.


    Ji Buwang felt very upset when he heard that. ¡°No, you¡¯re the most good-looking right now.¡±


    How could Jingzhe be ugly? He calmed down and raised his hands next to her. ¡°Jingzhe, let go. I¡¯ll help you lift it.¡±


    ¡°No need. To be honest, you can¡¯t lift it. Only I can lift it, so don¡¯t waste your energy and conserve your strength.¡± Even Mu Jingzhe felt that it was difficult to lift so much weight, so how could he lift it?


    ¡°Go look for something that can support it. We¡¯ll be fine once it¡¯s supported.¡±


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and finally gave up, but he didn¡¯t move for a long time, making Mu Jingzhe look over strangely. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe, my feet are pinned down.¡± Ji Buwang was taller than Mu Jingzhe. His feet had originally been under the table, but the table couldn¡¯t hold the weight anymore and had copsed. Even his feet were being pressed down.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to pull my feet out for a while. That might affect my speed. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to find support. It¡¯s not an option for you to hold on like this. I mean, if you can¡¯t take it, you can let go. I¡¯ll lie on my side. My shoulders are much wider than yours. I¡¯ll prop up the closet so you can let go.¡±


    He would protect Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe got anxious when she heard that his feet were being pressed down. She didn¡¯t register anything he said after that. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What wide shoulders? This closet can crush you. If you can¡¯t move, don¡¯t move. I can hold on. Have you forgotten that I¡¯m as strong as an ox?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe calmed down and asked, ¡°Can you feel your feet? Are you being pressed down too hard? I can¡¯t help you with my hands. They¡¯re busy right now. If possible, you should slowly look around. Once this closet is propped up, I will free up my hands and help you remove the weight on your feet.¡±


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t want to talk about his feet. ¡°My feet are fine. They¡¯re just pinned down. The most important thing now is you. It¡¯s not good for you to keep holding on like this, so you should listen to me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Ji Buwang, don¡¯t belittle me. I¡¯m not joking when I say that I¡¯m as strong as an ox. I¡¯m fine. I can hold on.¡± Before Mu Jingzhe even finished speaking, Ji Buwang could already see her biting her lip under the light of the pager. It was clear to him that she was straining.


    Ji Buwang was about to say something, but Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, ¡°You¡¯re looking at me again. Forget it. If I¡¯m ugly, so be it.. Anyway, you shouldn¡¯t mind that I¡¯m ugly. Instead of nagging me so much, why don¡¯t you kiss me to give me strength?¡±

 Chapter 450 - Shao Dong Finds Out

    <h4>Chapter 450: Shao Dong Finds Out</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, Ji Buwang knew that she wouldn¡¯t listen to him. ¡°You¡¯re still saying this¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. The power of love is the greatest. Ji Buwang, with a kiss from you, I¡¯ll be able to endure until you find a support point.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe was serious. She wouldn¡¯t let go. As long as she was still breathing, she would hold on and not let Ji Buwang be in danger. After all, she had promised Grandpa Ji to take good care of Ji Buwang for the rest of his life.


    Seeing the determination in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes, Ji Buwang clenched his fists tightly. ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to hold on like this for long. You¡¯ll hurt your hands and body.¡±


    Given the situation, he didn¡¯t know when he would be able to find a support point. He didn¡¯t want her to be in so much pain.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold on as long as I can.¡± Mu Jingzhe suddenly became serious. ¡°Ji Buwang, you have to know that I love you as much as you love me.¡±


    Just now, Ji Buwang had protected her very much. She felt the same way for him. She wanted to protect Ji Buwang even if it meant that she would die trying.


    After Mu Jingzhe finished speaking seriously, she felt a little helpless and couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Ji Buwang, you¡¯re really like the vixen Shao Xi mentioned in the past. It hasn¡¯t been long, but you¡¯ve already seduced me and made me love you so much.¡±


    In the television dramas and movies she had watched in the past, people only realized their true feelings when they were on the verge of death. At the time, she hadined. How could they not know their true feelings if they weren¡¯t fools? However, now, she was in a simr situation. If this hadn¡¯t happened, she wouldn¡¯t have known that she loved Ji Buwang so much.


    Without the light of the pager, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t see Ji Buwang anymore. She actually didn¡¯t even hear his answer.


    This made Mu Jingzhe very ufortable. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to say such mushy heartfelt words, so why hadn¡¯t Ji Buwang reacted yet? She was dealt a rather big blow.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Are you unhappy that I called you a vixen? I won¡¯t speak anymore, alright? No, I can¡¯t speak anymore. I have to conserve energy and save oxygen¡­¡±


    Before she finished speaking, she felt Ji Buwang move. He leaned forward with difficulty and kissed Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I¡¯ll charge your battery.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Ji Buwang didn¡¯t want to speak, but he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    Jingzhe had said that she loved him as much as he loved her. He would usually be thrilled to hear such words, but at that moment, he suddenly wished that Jingzhe didn¡¯t love him so much. This way, she could be more selfish and listen to him.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s emotions wereplicated and indescribable. He could only kiss her and say, ¡°Does it really work?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe smiled. ¡°Of course. I feel like I¡¯m filled with energy again.¡±


    Ji Buwang smiled too. He didn¡¯t tell Mu Jingzhe that he could feel her hands trembling slightly. This trembling motion showed her difficulty holding on.


    Ji Buwang could feel the pain in his legs, which made him feel even more awake. ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯ll find something to support the closet.¡±


    ¡°Mm, mm, go ahead and look. I¡¯ll wait for you. It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t be anxious.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had already searched her surroundings just now. Actually, there was nothing that could act as a support point, but she had to have hope. Perhaps he could find something.


    Ji Buwang started to feel around. The difficult part was that his feet were being pressed down and the pager light couldn¡¯t be on all the time. He had to conserve battery for critical moments. It was always best to have some light.


    Given the limited space, it was extremely difficult for Ji Buwang to move, but he had no choice but to continue searching. During this process, he had to be careful so he did not cause a worse copse and he also had to be wary of any aftershocks.


    Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe spoke from time to time to confirm each other¡¯s condition. As time passed, Ji Buwang became more and more anxious, as he could already feel Mu Jingzhe¡¯s entire body trembling.


    She couldn¡¯t hold on any longer.


    Mu Jingzhe really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. It was extremely difficult for her to hold on. She wanted to control the trembling motion of her body but she couldn¡¯t, just like she couldn¡¯t control the sweat that kept forming on her skin.


    Because she had been sweating and propping up the closet, she was very thirsty. However, there was no water at all. Besides, because the air was limited, as time passed, she slowly felt her breathing bing heavier and her head getting heavier and heavier.


    There were a few times when she felt that she couldn¡¯t hold on anymore. She felt that this was more painful than death, but in the end, when she thought of Ji Buwang, she couldn¡¯t bear to let go. She had to hold on so that Ji Buwang could live.


    It was said that love could work miracles. Mu Jingzhe believed that. If she were alone, she probably would have given up long ago because of the excruciating pain. She didn¡¯t know how many things were stacked on top. Her Herculean strength had be useless at the moment. There was nothing she could do other than hold on.


    Other than her own life, her only other motivation was Ji Buwang. No matter what, she was shouldering two lives. Only by holding on could she protect Ji Buwang.


    After the sweat on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body dried, new sweat formed. This kept happening repeatedly, and Ji Buwang felt just as desperate.


    He couldn¡¯t find anything. He couldn¡¯t find a single thing to support the closet. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly felt like the air had gotten a little lighter.


    ¡°Jingzhe, although there¡¯s no light, there seems to be winding in here.¡±


    As long as there was air, they wouldn¡¯t suffocate in there. Perhaps they weren¡¯t far from the ground.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Mu Jingzhe perked up. ¡°Ji Buwang, we can definitely get out alive!¡±


    The two of them perked up again. ¡°Someone should be here to save us soon, right? It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    It was dawn outside, and the deste state of the county city was obvious. A new day had begun.


    At the same time, Shao Dong had been watching his pager since he had left the house. When he arrived at school, he was still watching it. He had not received a response on his pager, so he felt increasingly anxious. ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a response yet? Could Mommy be sleeping in?¡±


    Though Mu Jingzhe had left home, she still kept in touch with Shao Dong every day, and they updated each other on their respective situation. Sometimes, although she didn¡¯t call, she would contact him through the pager and say that everything was going ording to n. Yesterday, Mu Jingzhe had contacted him before she had gone to Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandmother¡¯s house in the morning. She had said that she would return today.


    Under normal circumstances, Mu Jingzhe should already have contacted him. However, she hadn¡¯t.


    Although it was possible that Mu Jingzhe was sleeping in, Shao Dong felt a little uneasy for some reason.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Shao Xi asked, feeling a little vexed. He had been in a bad mood since he had woken up early in the morning and was inexplicably anxious. Shao Dong also looked off.


    ¡°Mommy hasn¡¯t contacted us. This won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll try contacting her.¡±


    Shao Dong, who had been about to enter the ssroom, turned around and ran out. Shao Xi quickly followed him. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯lle with you!¡±


    Shao Dong took the initiative to contact Mu Jingzhe and found a phone to wait for her to call back.


    However, there was no phone call. His message was like a rock that had sunk into the sea. Shao Dong waited for ten minutes, feeling increasingly uneasy. He didn¡¯t care if ss was about to start or not and tried to contact Mu Jingzhe and the others in Nanlin County.


    However, he still couldn¡¯t get a hold of her. Shao Dong then contacted the neighboring county city. This time, he finally managed to make contact, but he received a piece of news that almost made him lose his bnce.


    ¡°Last night, there was an earthquake in Nanlin County in the middle of the night¡­ The disaster was severe, and many houses copsed¡­¡±

 Chapter 451 - Rescue

    <h4>Chapter 451: Rescue</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Dong was no stranger to the word ¡®earthquake¡¯ because he had learned about this topic. Mu Jingzhe had even taught them a lot about earthquakes previously.


    Not long ago, they had even revised and consolidated their knowledge in this field. At the time, they had felt that earthquakes were very far away from them, but in the blink of an eye, one hadnded right on their heads.


    This was the first time Shao Dong¡¯s brain reacted so slowly. It took him a while to connect the earthquake to his mother.


    An earthquake¡­ Mommy was in Nanlin County. So Mommy hadn¡¯t contacted him because she had encountered an earthquake. The disaster was severe¡­ Many houses had copsed, so Mommy might be buried somewhere.


    Shao Dong reacted and his body swayed.


    Shao Xi, who had tagged along, saw that his reaction wasn¡¯t right and nudged him. ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    Shao Dong snapped out of his thoughts. He hung up the phone and looked over. ¡°Little Xi, Mommy might have encountered an earthquake¡­ We have to save her. We have to hurry up and save Mommy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shao Xi wanted to ask more, but Shao Dong had already run out.


    Shao Dong wanted to go and look for Mu Jingzhe immediately, but after taking a few fast steps, he suddenly turned back. No, that wouldn¡¯t do. He was weak, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to save Mommy even if he went. He had to find help. He had to look for his father.


    ¡°Little Xi, I¡¯ll go look for Daddy. Go look for Little Nan and the rest and ask them to go home quickly.¡± They had to discuss how to save Mommy together.


    Shao Qihai was still at home. At the thought of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s wedding taking ce in a few days, he couldn¡¯t muster up any energy. After sending the children away, he had slowly tidied up the house and prepared to do theundry.


    At that moment, Shao Dong suddenly ran back. ¡°Dad, there was an earthquake in Nanlin County. Something might have happened to Mommy and Uncle Ji.¡±


    The sock in Shao Qihai¡¯s hand instantly fell to the ground. ¡°What?¡±


    Half an hourter, all five children were back. However, they decided not to tell Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng for the time being because they weren¡¯t sure what was going on.


    Shao Qihai had already changed clothes, packed his bag, and gotten ready to leave. Although he had returned, his old habits hadn¡¯t changed, so he had packed his bag as fast as possible.


    Shao Qihai wanted to meet up with Jiang Feng and the others and head to Nanlin County, but before he left, a disagreement came up.


    The five children all wanted to go together, but Shao Qihai refused. ¡°No, the situation is unclear. It¡¯s still dangerous over there. You kids can¡¯t go.¡±


    Knowing the situation, Shao Dong stopped Xiao Wu and the others. ¡°Daddy is right. Although it¡¯s urgent, we can¡¯t all go together. I¡¯ll go.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve grown up a lot. I can take care of myself now. I¡¯ll definitely listen to you and I will not take action recklessly or run around. But I must go this time. Even if it¡¯s dangerous, I must go.¡±


    Mommy was in danger. He had to go no matter what.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t want to bring Shao Dong along, but based on the look in Shao Dong¡¯s eyes, he knew that even if he didn¡¯t bring him along, Shao Dong would probably go over by himself. That would be even more dangerous. In the end, he could onlypromise.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you there, but you will keep your word.¡± Shao Qihai strode out. ¡°The convoy will set off in an hour. You can rush over then. I¡¯ll go gather everyone now and prepare supplies.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there in a while.¡±


    Shao Dong looked at his siblings. ¡°I know everyone wants to go, but I don¡¯t agree. Mommy isn¡¯t home. ording to the previous rules, I¡¯m in charge of all family matters now. I¡¯ll go this time, and you guys can stay home.¡±


    ¡°Shao Xi, don¡¯t speak so rashly.¡± Shao Dong stopped Shao Xi. ¡°Stay home and dispatch supplies. Do your best to help the disaster area.


    ¡°If we all go, we¡¯ll just be adding to the existing trouble. Not only will we not save Mommy, but we¡¯ll also add to Daddy and his friends¡¯ burdens. They¡¯re going there to save people. If they also have to take care of us at the same time, it¡¯ll only affect how fast they rescue Mommy. Therefore, you guys might as well stay here and do something useful.¡±


    After Shao Dong finished speaking, although the other four kids still felt terrible, they eventually calmed down.


    Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief and added, ¡°Shao Xi, after I leave, you have to bear the responsibility of being a parent. You have to take good care of the younger ones. You have to make all the decisions regarding family matters. Also, Grandpa and Grandma¡­ If they find out, they¡¯ll definitely be very worried. You have to be responsible for taking care of them.¡±


    Shao Xi clenched his fists tightly and nodded heavily. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take good care of everything here.¡±


    Shao Dong turned to look at Xiao Wu. ¡°Xiao Wu, Uncle Ji is with Mommy. He is also in danger. If Grandpa Ji finds out, you¡¯ll have tofort him.¡±


    Xiao Wu looked at Shao Dong and nodded seriously. ¡°Alright, I will.¡±


    The children had no choice but to calm down.


    Shao Dong looked at the crying Little Bei. ¡°Little Bei, don¡¯t cry. You and Xiao Wu will listen to Little Xi and Little Nan. If anything happens, you guys can discuss it together. We have to shoulder your respective responsibilities. I¡¯ll go with Daddy and his convoy. You guys have to support us from home.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Since Daddy is going over with a convoy, he will definitely need to bring rescue supplies. You guys must go look for these things immediately and help as quickly as possible. The sooner we get this done, the sooner Mommy will be saved.¡±


    When Shao Dong finished speaking, no one objected. They all started moving as quickly as they could.


    That was indeed Shao Qihai¡¯s n. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t have been implemented that fast, but with the help of the five kids, they managed to set off on time an hourter.


    Other than Jiang Feng, his other retiredrades were also there. Basically everyone Shao Qihai could gather was present. Other than those who were out with a convoy and really couldn¡¯te back, as well as those who couldn¡¯t make a detour, they all headed to Nanlin County.


    No one hesitated or refused. Although these ¡®brothers¡¯ had be ordinary civilians, the hot-bloodedness in their bones was still there. Their spirit hadn¡¯t changed either. At that moment, they didn¡¯t hesitate.


    Even if there were no familiar faces involved, they would still have gone, let alone now that Mu Jingzhe was there.


    Although Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai had gotten a divorce, she was still the children¡¯s mother. None of them would refuse to help at a time like this.


    Shao Qihai, Jiang Feng, and Shao Dong led a convoy to Nanlin County as fast as possible. The other convoy moved just as fast, and so did those who could switchnes.


    At the moment, he no longer cared about business. If he couldplete a job, he would try his best to do it. He would push back against any other orders. If worse came to worst, he would just pay thepensation.


    After Shao Qihai and the others set off, because they weren¡¯t sure of the details, considering Old Master Ji¡¯s age and health, they didn¡¯t tell him the news for the time being. However, Old Master Ji still found out.


    He had his own sources and had even more information than Shao Dong.


    When he heard the news, Old Master Ji, who had basically confirmed that Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t optimistic, felt his vision turn dark. However, he held on tightly for he couldn¡¯t fall yet.


    Old Master Ji was still in the capital. As he rushed over, he started dispatching supplies.


    Everyone started taking action, but Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were unaware of all this.


    Mu Jingzhe was also thinking of the five kids and talking about them. She kept talking to Ji Buwang intermittently to stay awake and remind herself to hang in there.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, when do you think the kids will discover that we¡¯re trapped?¡±


    ¡°They should know soon and they will rush over.¡±

 Chapter 452 - I Came From Thirty Years Into the Future

    <h4>Chapter 452: I Came From Thirty Years Into the Future</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe smiled and frowned. ¡°But it¡¯s not safe here. I don¡¯t want them toe over. Buwang, your voice doesn¡¯t sound right. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just touched a few more bricks.¡±


    Ji Buwang felt something, but it was a little far. If he wanted to slowly dig it out, he had to get closer, but his feet were pressed down and he couldn¡¯t move.


    However, sensing that Jingzhe couldn¡¯t hold on much longer, he couldn¡¯t care less. Ji Buwang gritted his teeth and reached out with all his might, ignoring the paining from his feet.


    There had been countless times when Ji Buwang had wanted Mu Jingzhe to stop holding on, but in the end, he hadn¡¯t said anything because Jingzhe wanted him to live. Besides, she had to hold on in order to survive herself.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to see her die.


    As he searched all around him again and again, Ji Buwang¡¯s hands were already riddled with injuries. He also ignored his leg injury. Mu Jingzhe quickly sensed that something was wrong.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, are you alright? Why do I smell blood?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I identally scratched my hand. It¡¯s no big deal. Jingzhe, wait a little longer. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mu Jingzhe agreed and continued to hold on numbly.


    There was no longer any pain in her hands, only numbness. Sometimes, Mu Jingzhe was in a lot of pain, but sometimes, her entire body was numb. She felt that her hands and her supporting back were no longer hers.


    After an unknown period of time, Mu Jingzhe felt that she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She was extremely thirsty, but her body was still sweating. The sweat entered her eyes, making them sting and bringing about a painful sensation.


    Mu Jingzhe felt a little helpless. How nice would it be if this sweat could enter her mouth and quench her thirst? s, it insisted on entering her eyes.


    Just as Mu Jingzhe felt that she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and she felt a little dazed, she suddenly heard Ji Buwang¡¯s voice. ¡°Jingzhe, I found it. I dug out the bricks. Alright, it¡¯s almost done.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s voice made Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body tremble, and she braced herself again.


    Ji Buwang propped up the bricks with difficulty. ¡°Alright, Jingzhe, let go quickly. Let¡¯s try it. They should be able to support the closet.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe slowly stopped using her strength. When she saw that the bricks could really prop it up, she rxed and lowered her hands weakly.


    ¡®I made it through. I really made it through¡­ I can finally rx.¡¯


    Mu Jingzhe was about to fall unconscious when Ji Buwang suddenly woke her up. ¡°Jingzhe, you can¡¯t sleep. Jingzhe, wake up.¡±


    Ji Buwang touched Mu Jingzhe¡¯s limp hand, but he didn¡¯t dare touch it with too much strength because Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands were trembling. Besides, after her hands went limp, they didn¡¯t move again.


    Ji Buwang was certain that there was something wrong with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands, as she had kept saying that she would check on his legs when her hands were freed up. Now, she didn¡¯t even say a word.


    She definitely hadn¡¯t forgotten. She just couldn¡¯t move and didn¡¯t have the energy to bring it up.


    He could imagine how much pain Mu Jingzhe was in right now. He swallowed the lump in his throat and called Mu Jingzhe¡¯s name over and over again to stop her from falling asleep.


    ¡°Jingzhe, wait a little longer. Hang in there a little longer. You made it through despite all that difficulty. Don¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    Because of the fear in Ji Buwang¡¯s voice, Mu Jingzhe bit her tongue slightly to wake herself up with the pain.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t sleep. Buwang, don¡¯t speak anymore.¡± Talking too much would affect his stamina and make him even thirstier.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop talking. Don¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    Ji Buwang wiped the sweat from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face, his heart feeling like it was being stabbed by a knife.


    After another unknown period of time, they vaguely heard sounds outside. However, when they listened carefully, they couldn¡¯t hear anything. They also didn¡¯t hear anything being dug out. It didn¡¯t sound like someone was trying to save them.


    Ji Buwang knocked on the kettle, but there was no response.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help feeling dazed for a moment before her thoughts returned to the modern era. She was feeling miserable at work, but her hands were in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t lift them. At that moment, the sound of Ji Buwang striking the kettle woke her up.


    Mu Jingzhe woke up, but her body felt very unwell. She no longer perspired, and her body gradually turned cold.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, but she had a vague feeling that she might not make it.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, do you know where I came from?¡± Mu Jingzhe suddenly spoke, stunning Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t tell you, you wouldn¡¯t think of it. ording to our timeline, I should havee from thirty years into the future.¡±


    ¡°Thirty years into the future?¡± When Ji Buwang heard this, he had a bad premonition. ¡°Jingzhe, are you muddle-headed from exhaustion? Why are you suddenly saying all this? Let¡¯s talk after we get out.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to hear such things, as they sounded suspiciously likest words at the moment. ¡°Let¡¯s talk when we get out. Don¡¯t speak so you don¡¯t feel even worse.¡±


    ¡°But I want to talk to you right now.¡± If she didn¡¯t tell him now, she might not have the chance to do so in the future.


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to tell him before she died. She didn¡¯t want to die without leaving behind anyst words. ¡°You have to listen to me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll get angry.¡±


    Then, ignoring Ji Buwang¡¯s words, she added, ¡°I¡¯m only telling you this. You should keep this to yourself in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the Mu Jingzhe of the past. This body isn¡¯t mine. I came to this world six¡ªno, seven¡ªyears ago and became Mu Jingzhe. I should be considered a time traveler and I came here as a guest by ident.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone was filled with emotion. ¡°Now that I think of it, I¡¯ve been here for many years. This is a rare experience. When the right timees, I might have to leave.¡±


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to say such a thing. How could he not understand what she meant?


    ¡°Stop lying to me. I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Just keep listening to me. You¡¯ll understand what I mean after hearing more.


    ¡°There¡¯s a term called transmigration that applies to people like me. What is transmigration? It means transmigrating through time and space. There are two ways to transmigrate¡ªphysically and consciously. For example, when I transmigrated here from 30 years into the future, my consciousness transmigrated, but my body remained where it was.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe exined to Ji Buwang the meaning of transmigration. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn¡¯t say anything about transmigrating into a novel.


    ¡°Transmigration isn¡¯t limited to returning to the past. One can also transmigrate to the future. It¡¯s very popr 30 years from now. Everyone knows about transmigration. There are also many books and television dramas revolving around this theme. I didn¡¯t expect to transmigrate here. At first, I was surprised and a little unused to it.


    ¡°Aftering here, I actually really missed the modern era. Don¡¯t underestimate this 30-year difference. 30 yearster, our country is prosperous and our people wealthy, so everything is much different from now.


    ¡°Food, clothes, and everything else are more convenient to get than it is now, and there¡¯s stuff like cell phones, the Inte, and food delivery. I¡¯ve actually always wanted to go back. This time, my wish might finallye true.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s tone was serious, and she sounded quite convincing. Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t tell if Mu Jingzhe was telling the truth or not. He kept feeling that she was lying to him, but when he thought about it, Mu Jingzhe did seem very different.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re telling the truth or not. I¡¯m asking you, what will I do if you go back? Listen to me, I don¡¯t care where youe from or if you miss the modern era. Since you¡¯ve agreed to marry me, you have to take responsibility.. You¡¯re not allowed to abandon me.¡±

 Chapter 453 - I’m Not Really Dead; I’m Just Returning Home

    <h4>Chapter 453: I¡¯m Not Really Dead; I¡¯m Just Returning Home</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to use the word ¡®abandon¡¯ even at this point. ¡°This isn¡¯t considered abandonment, right?¡±


    ¡°Why not? If you leave just like that, you¡¯ll be abandoning me.¡±


    Ji Buwang held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Listen to me, if you dare abandon me after doing this, I¡¯ll catch you even if I have to travel 30 years into the future.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Mu Jingzheughed out loud. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to catch me. By the time you live for 30 more years, I¡¯ll also have lived there for 30 years. In 30 more years, there might even be robots where I live.¡±


    Besides, they weren¡¯t in the same space and time. This was an alternate world in a novel.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of robots either. If you dare to leave, I¡¯ll catch you.¡± Ji Buwang held Mu Jingzhe. He was afraid that she would really leave, but he didn¡¯t dare use force.


    ¡°I already said that you won¡¯t be able to catch me.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t argue with him. ¡°During this space-time trip, by getting the chance to meet, fall in love with, and even marry a handsome man like you, I¡¯ve gained a lot.


    ¡°But the heavens probably can¡¯t stand seeing me marry you, so they want me to go back.¡±


    Ji Buwang¡¯s hand trembled. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to say anything else. I won¡¯t allow you to go back.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t up to us. Life and death are up to fate.¡± Feeling increasingly weak, Mu Jingzhe quickly said, ¡°Ji Buwang, remember that I will not be really dead when I die. It will be just Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body that¡¯s dead, and my spirit and soul might have returned to the modern world 30 years into the future.¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, shut up. You won¡¯t die!¡± This was the first time Ji Buwang was so angry. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just your physical body, you¡¯re not allowed to die. Don¡¯t talk to me about 30 years ago or 30 years down the road. I don¡¯t believe any of that.¡±


    ¡°Why are you angry? I just thought I shoulde clean with you since we¡¯re getting married.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to say a few more words, but she really couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so. ¡°Ji Buwang, I just wanted to tell you that if I really die this time, you don¡¯t have to be too sad. I won¡¯t really be dead. I might just return to the modern era. There¡¯s Inte there, and everything is awesome. You have no idea how happy I feel to see handsome guys every day.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told you the truth yet. The modern era is actually very open. Unlike this era, there are many people who don¡¯t get married in their thirties or forties. They can also date a few times. Besides, no one cares if they¡¯re virgins or not. It¡¯smon for people to live together before marriage. I¡¯ve dated many times and been with many men. You¡¯ve suffered a loss in this aspect.¡±


    It would be strange if Ji Buwang believed her nonsense. ¡°Then the men you found must have only been mediocre. They probably didn¡¯t even know how to kiss. Otherwise, why would you have bitten my tongue?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe: ¡°I was pretending¡­ Anyway, that¡¯s the truth. Believe it or not, when I get back, I¡¯ll fall in love and have lots of fun. I¡¯m only telling you because you¡¯re so handsome.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Just live well. Even if you¡¯re angry with me, don¡¯t cause the children trouble. Then there¡¯s my parents. Since you¡¯ve acknowledged them as your parents, take on the responsibility of a son and help me take care of them. Remember not to tell them that I¡¯m not their daughter Mu Jingzhe.¡±


    After saying that, Mu Jingzhe curled her lips. ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯m also Mu Jingzhe because my name is Mu Jingzhe too. She seems to be me in my past life¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Mu Jingzhe to begin with!¡± Ji Buwang really didn¡¯t want to hear her say these things. ¡°Stop talking and conserve some energy. I don¡¯t believe a word you¡¯re saying, and don¡¯t even think of asking me to take care of your parents. They¡¯re your parents.¡±


    Ji Buwang was flustered. ¡°If what you said is true, I¡¯ll be very angry. When the timees, you can forget about me taking care of them, I¡¯ll even take revenge on them. The same goes for the children. Aren¡¯t you concerned about them? I¡¯ll torment them then.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed. ¡°I know you won¡¯t. Ji Buwang, this isn¡¯t the response I was expecting after telling you my biggest secret.¡±


    She?<i>was</i>?telling the truth, albeit modified slightly. It was possible for her to return to the modern era after she died, although the probability was extremely small. After all, logically speaking, unless her corpse came back to life, she should be dead.


    However, since it was possible to transmigrate into a book, it was also possible for her corpse toe to life. Hence, that wasn¡¯t considered a lie.


    She wasn¡¯t lying about the men either. After all, she had indeed had several husbands, as she would change husbands every time she watched a drama series. Other than the main guy, there were also many side characters who sneaked their way into her heart. In short, they were all her true loves.


    She had said all this because she wanted Ji Buwang to live well if she died.


    She had made so much effort just to make sure he would live well without her.


    She wanted to have a chance to say it, so she took this opportunity while she still had the strength to do so. However, she still couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell him to ¡®live well¡¯ in the end. Fortunately, Ji Buwang should know.


    How could he not understand? She had said so much nonsense just to make him give up. She wanted him to live well even if she died, but how could he let her die?


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, don¡¯t talk nonsense. You won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t let you die. Let¡¯s hold on together and wait for help.¡±


    Ji Buwang kept talking to Mu Jingzhe to prevent her from falling asleep. Sensing that her body was cold, he leaned over and hugged her to keep her warm.


    This was effective. Although Mu Jingzhe was dizzy, she stayed awake. Actually, she didn¡¯t want to die either.


    Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her like this, but in the end, she still couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    No matter what methods he used, Mu Jingzhe still couldn¡¯t hold on and eventually lost consciousness.


    ¡°Jingzhe¡­¡±


    Under the light of the pager, Ji Buwang saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s dry lips and pale face, as well as her abnormal hands that had never been raised again.


    Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t sure if they were broken or something. He only knew that she hadn¡¯t moved them ever since letting go of the closet, which meant that Mu Jingzhe and her hands were in a very bad state.


    If she hadn¡¯t held on for so many hours, she might have been able to wait another 24 hours for help. However, she had held on for so long that her body was covered in sweat, so she couldn¡¯t hold on anymore. Apart from exhaustion, there was also the danger of dehydration.


    She wouldn¡¯tst long if she fainted now.


    Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and muttered, ¡°The heavens really can¡¯t stand to see me live well¡­¡±


    He had at longst found happiness and was about to step into the marriage hall, yet¡­ the heavens were treating him like this now.


    How was he going to live without Jingzhe?


    An ident had split the world into two¡ªa world underground and another world above the ground.


    At that moment, both worlds were filled with despair.


    Shao Qihai, Shao Dong, and their group arrived as fast as possible. Halfway there, they encountered a road copse and had to take a detour. When they arrived, the rescue operation had already begun.


    However, progress was a little slow because the entire county was affected and the rescue equipment and manpower were limited.


    Shao Qihai and his group were the first batch of reinforcements to arrive of their own ord, bringing over the first batch of supplies.


    Considering the danger, the rescuers at first wanted them to go back, but Shao Qihai and the others stood in front of them and said that they could do it¡­.

 Chapter 454 - One Dead, One Wounded

    <h4>Chapter 454: One Dead, One Wounded</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Although they were only wearing ordinary clothes, they disyed strength just by standing there. Later on, they also proved that they were up to the job. They cooperated well and had good stamina. Furthermore, they had relevant experience and were a great help.


    Shao Qihai and his group started taking action. Because they weren¡¯t sure where Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were, they could only save as many people as they could.


    Shao Dong focused on finding where Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang might be. He even went to the address of Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandmother¡¯s house. Her house was also buried, but they were all rtively lucky. Although they had suffered injuries when the house had copsed, they had managed to quickly climb out because the house was a one-story building.


    Shao Dong also saw a coffin that belonged to Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandmother.


    After Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s departure, when Eldest Uncle had gone to check on her during the night, she had already passed. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to inform Ji Buwang.


    After Shao Dong found out from Eldest Uncle where Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang were staying, he rushed back as quickly as possible to tell Shao Qihai.


    Coincidentally, Jiang Feng and the others were right beside that location. However, to save them, they had to deal with the people in front of them first, as there were also people trapped in the periphery. Besides, they were afraid of hurting other trapped people, so their progress was very slow.


    Shao Qihai, Jiang Feng, and the others couldn¡¯t care less about their own well-being. When they got hungry, they simply stuffed two morsels of food into their mouths, and when they got thirsty, they drank two mouthfuls of water. They went at it without getting any rest. Finally, they found Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang.


    By then, 48 hours had passed. Jiang Feng was the one who had discovered them. However, after they were discovered, it was useless no matter how much he shouted at them. There was no response.


    More importantly, because they were in a special ce, a copsing ident could happen if they weren¡¯t careful. To save them, they had to remove the things above them bit by bit. Furthermore, they had to pay attention to the feet that were being pressed down.


    This was a big project. After two to three more hours, when the third day dawned, the basic removal was finallypleted. Shao Qihai and Jiang Feng worked together to move the closet away and finally saw the situation under it.


    When he saw the scene under the closet, Shao Qihai¡¯s expression changed slightly and he stopped Shao Dong, who was running over.


    Jiang Feng swiftly stopped Shao Dong and covered his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Shao Dong had already seen Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand and the watch on it. ¡°Let go of me. I can see Mommy.¡±


    He struggled, but Jiang Feng held him tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t move. It¡¯s dangerous. You forgot the condition you agreed to.¡±


    Shao Dong stopped struggling. They had agreed to let him tag along on one condition: that he absolutely wouldn¡¯t move recklessly or affect them.


    Shao Dong took a deep breath and tried to calm down as much as possible. ¡°Daddy, just tell me¡ªis Mommy still alive? It¡¯s fine. Tell me honestly. I can take it. It¡¯s fine even if her legs are injured. As long as Mommy is still alive¡­¡±


    He had heard that someone¡¯s legs were injured. He wasn¡¯t afraid of that as long as she was still alive. He only prayed that she was still alive¡­


    Shao Qihai¡¯s hands trembled as he stepped forward to check if they were breathing. Among the two of them, one was breathing weakly, while the other had stopped breathing.


    Shao Qihai instantly lost his voice. After Shao Dong shouted, he came back to his senses and said hoarsely, ¡°Lift them up first.¡±


    Not hearing an answer, Shao Dong pressed on. ¡°Dad, say something. How are Mommy and Uncle Ji?¡±


    Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t speak. The people who hade with him wanted to carry them out, but they encountered a difficult problem. ¡°Brother Hai, their hands can¡¯t be separated¡­¡±


    Because they had held hands too tightly while they had been alive, they couldn¡¯t separate the two of them at the moment. Afraid that they would hurt someone, they didn¡¯t dare use force. For a moment, they didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Because one of them had turned a little stiff, Shao Qihai exerted a lot of strength. In the process, he kept apologizing and saying that he wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose. However, because he had to separate them, he felt that he had let them down.


    ¡°Take them to the hospital!¡±


    Just as Shao Qihai was about to leave, he suddenly saw something. He picked it up and saw that it was a fan. He froze on the spot again.


    Nanlin County had attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Countless people prayed that there wouldn¡¯t be many casualties.


    However, the actual situation wasn¡¯t optimistic. Because this had happened in the middle of the night, many people had been sleeping soundly and hadn¡¯t been able to react in time to save themselves. Many people had passed away in their sleep, and even more people were trapped.


    ording to the reports, the number of casualties continued to increase. Nanlin County tugged at the heartstrings of countless people.


    When Mu Jingzhe woke up again, she felt pain all over her body, especially in her hands. They hurt terribly. She didn¡¯t understand why she felt so horrible or why her hands hurt so much.


    When she opened her eyes, she thought that she hadn¡¯t done much yesterday. After Ji Buwang had picked her up, she had just carried Ji Buwang too.


    This habit of carrying each other was actually a side effect of watching television. Whenever she saw the male protagonist carry the female protagonist to bed, she chuckled and said that it was really romantic.


    Perhaps she had smiled too enviously, as Ji Buwang had said that it was a piece of cake and had immediately carried her back to bed. Mu Jingzhe had been very happy and her acting addiction had kicked in, so she had deliberately struggled and said no.


    Ji Buwang had been stunned for a moment. Later on, he had tried to act with her. Subsequently, they had acted a few times. After that, he had taken a liking to attacking her from behind and carrying her to bed.


    However, after acting a few times and getting bored of it, Mu Jingzhe had felt that they could improve on it. Hence, while Ji Buwang wasn¡¯t paying attention, she had carried him in her?arms<sup>1</sup>.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s face had been numb. It was only after Mu Jingzhe coaxed him for a while and called this a prince hug that he had been soothed.


    The expression on Ji Buwang¡¯s face had been very funny. Mu Jingzhe had thought that she could carry him again, but she hadn¡¯t expected her hands to hurt so much.


    Mu Jingzhe frowned and opened her eyes. What greeted her eyes was an unfamiliar roof. Mu Jingzhe was wondering why she hadn¡¯t woken up in her house when she suddenly heard Xiao Wu¡¯s shout.


    ¡°Mommy is awake!¡±


    A secondter, seven heads appeared in front of Mu Jingzhe. The five kids, plus Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, were all particrly agitated.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ears were filled with their shouts and the sound of them calling for a doctor. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head hurt when she heard all that. Upon seeing their tired, solemn faces and red eyes, she was puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡± Only when she spoke did she realize that her voice was hoarse and she was extremely thirsty.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re awake. That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, you scared me to death!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I fine now? Stop crying,¡± Mu Jingzhe said. ¡°I¡¯m so thirsty. I want some water.¡±


    Li Zhaodi quickly fetched her water. Mu Jingzhe was about to raise her hand when she felt some pain. Li Zhaodi quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll feed you. Your hands are injured.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe drank two cups of water in a row before she felt better and more energetic.


    ¡°Why am I in the hospital?¡± She looked at her hands. ¡°What happened to my hands?¡±


    As soon as Mu Jingzhe said that, Li Zhaodi started crying, saying that the bones in her hands had cracked. ¡°You have to take good care of yourself. The bones in your hands almost shattered.¡±


    ¡°Almost shattered? No wonder they hurt so much.¡± Mu Jingzhe muttered as she looked at her hands. ¡°The phrase ¡®body crushed to powder and bones smashed to dust¡¯ is used often, but this is the first time I¡¯m experiencing true bone fracture.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression was calm, Li Zhaodi felt a trace of relief.


    However, as Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe from the side, he kept feeling that something was wrong with her. He just couldn¡¯t put his finger on it

 Chapter 455 - We’re Clearly Married

    <h4>Chapter 455: We¡¯re Clearly Married</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Just as Shao Dong felt that something was amiss, he heard Mu Jingzhe ask, ¡°How did my hands get injured? Why are they so badly injured¡­¡±


    As she spoke, she suddenly remembered. ¡°Oh right, there was an earthquake. My memory is getting worse. No wonder it hurts so much.¡±


    She was still wondering why Ji Buwang¡¯s hand had hurt so soon after she had hugged him and had forgotten what had happened previously.


    When they heard Mu Jingzhe mention what had happened previously, Li Zhaodi, Shao Xi, and the rest froze. On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe looked at them and then looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Ji Buwang? Why isn¡¯t he here since I¡¯ve been hospitalized? Or is he out buying something? What a coincidence, I¡¯m hungry too.¡±


    When they heard Mu Jingzhe mention Ji Buwang, they all tensed up. By looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression, even the slowest person could sense her abnormality.


    They looked at Mu Jingzhe, not knowing how to answer. Seeing that they weren¡¯t speaking, Mu Jingzhe frowned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys talking? Where¡¯s Ji Buwang?¡±


    Shao Dong didn¡¯t answer. Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi, who clenched his fists under her gaze. ¡°Mommy, Uncle Ji¡­ He¡­ He¡­¡±


    ¡°What Uncle Ji? Didn¡¯t you change your form of address to ¡®Papa¡¯ previously? Why are you calling him ¡®Uncle Ji¡¯ again?¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at her hands. ¡°If my hands weren¡¯t injured, I¡¯d have taught you a lesson. Since you already epted the red packet, you can¡¯t go back on your word.¡± She knew that Shao Xi was very mischievous.


    Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, Shao Xi waspletely stunned. ¡°When did I change my form of address¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy, what do you want to eat? I¡¯ll go buy it for you.¡± Shao Dong suddenly interrupted Shao Xi, attracting Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Alright, go buy it. We won¡¯t wait for him.¡±


    Xiao Wu and Little Bei stayed behind. After Shao Dong went out, Li Zhaodi and the rest also came out.


    ¡°Little Dong, what¡¯s wrong with your mommy? Why do I feel so strange? Why did she suddenly say that you kids changed the way you addressed him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Mommy¡¯s condition doesn¡¯t seem right. I have to find a doctor to find out more.¡±


    When the doctor heard what was happening, he wanted to go back for a follow-up, but he was stopped by Shao Dong. ¡°Wait, doctor. Can you not ask Mommy any questions for now? I want to let her eat something first. Can you tell us why Mommy is in such a condition?¡±


    ¡°The details will depend on the patient. However, it¡¯s possible that she experienced a huge stimtion or encountered an ident, causing her cognition to be impaired. She took the initiative to change her memories or mistake dreams and fantasies for reality.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s heart ached when he heard that. ¡°What should we do in that case?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to find out the details before we can know what to do. We have to go and check on her as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Doctor. I¡¯ll invite you over after my mother eats something.¡± Shao Dong knew that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t eaten in a long time, so he decided to let her eat something first.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go take a lookter.¡±


    Because Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t eaten properly in a while, Shao Dong chose to buy her porridge. It was inconvenient for Mu Jingzhe to eat with both hands, so Shao Dong and the others personally fed her.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at her bandaged hands andughed. ¡°Although my hands are in this state, I feel very happy with you kids feeding me.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe finished the porridge, she was in a good mood, as she ate the fruits that Little Bei had washed and cut for her. After eating, she also looked less sickly.


    Shao Dong was about to look for the doctor when he heard Mu Jingzhe ask, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Ji Buwang back yet? Little Dong, why don¡¯t you go home and check on your papa? Just in case something happened.¡±


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Shao Dong didn¡¯t know how to answer. Mu Jingzhe looked at him with a strange expression. ¡°Little Dong, why are you looking at me like this? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you said that we had changed the way we addressed him¡­¡±


    ¡°That was before. Have you forgotten? After Ji Buwang and I got married, you kids obediently changed your form of address the same day. Ji Buwang even gave you kids quite a few gifts.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at them. ¡°Little Dong, why are you all acting so strange today? Did something happen?¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s heart sank. Married¡­ Mommy had actually said that she and Uncle Ji had gotten married, but that was impossible. This hadn¡¯t happened at all.


    Seeing Mu Jingzhe behave like this, Li Zhaodi felt increasingly afraid and had to hold herself back to avoid losing control. She looked at Shao Dong with a pleading gaze.


    Shao Dong restrained himself so his expression did not look too strange and probed. ¡°No, we were just frightened by the earthquake. Mommy, do you remember the earthquake?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe sighed. ¡°Of course I remember it. Wasn¡¯t I trapped with Ji Buwang? But it¡¯s fine now. Little Dong, don¡¯t be afraid. Weren¡¯t we all rescued?¡±


    As she spoke, she saw the newspaper beside her and tilted her head to read it. After taking a few nces at it, she frowned. ¡°Why is the newspaper old? Nanlin County has been restored quite a lot, hasn¡¯t it? Are there any new newspapers?¡±


    Shao Dong looked at the date in the newspaper. He wanted to smile but he couldn¡¯t, as this was thetest newspaper. This was the fourth day after the earthquake. It wasn¡¯t an old newspaper at all.


    He had expected many different scenarios to ur when Mu Jingzhe woke up, but he hadn¡¯t expected this to happen. Everything was chaotic and he was at a loss.


    As Shao Dong didn¡¯t know how to answer, the doctors arrived. They asked Mu Jingzhe many questions, and Mu Jingzhe answered them all clearly.


    However, her timing was wrong. For no apparent reason, her timeline had been pushed back by a month. When the doctor asked about it, she began looking for Ji Buwang again and urged Shao Xi to go home and find him.


    Based on those few words, Shao Dong could tell that, in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s timeline, she and Ji Buwang had also experienced an earthquake but had been saved the next day.


    Although she had been in an ident, luckily, their wedding had been held on time. It was now a monthter.


    The doctor didn¡¯t know why Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition was this strange. Just as he was about to take a good look, Mu Jingzhe started looking at her arm curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a month since my injury. Why hasn¡¯t it healed yet? I don¡¯t remember being hospitalized. Why am I in the hospital now? I clearly remember wearing a wedding dress and getting married. I didn¡¯t have any wounds.¡±


    As she wondered, Shao Dong¡¯s heart palpitated when he heard that. As soon as the doctor heard her words, his hand paused while holding the pen. Just as he was about to speak, the pen identally fell to the ground. The doctor bent down to pick it up. Mu Jingzhe immediately saw the doctor¡¯s record.


    ¡°The date¡­ Why is the date you wrote down also the date in the old newspaper¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at the newspaper and then at the five kids. She suddenly shook her head. ¡°No, no, you¡¯re all wrong. The date is wrong. Everything¡¯s wrong. You guys must be part of my dream. Wake up! I want to wake up!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart was filled with panic, as if a ferocious beast was living in her mind and it would run out if she wasn¡¯t careful. This made her feel very uneasy. She couldn¡¯t lift her hands, and her mind was a mess. She couldn¡¯t help but look at Shao Dong for help. ¡°Little Dong, pinch me. I want to see if I¡¯ll wake up.¡±


    Shao Dong watched as Mu Jingzhe¡¯s body stiffened.. After a moment, he stepped forward and stretched out his hand, but he didn¡¯t know where to pinch her.

 Chapter 456 - Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water

    <h4>Chapter 456: Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Dong was even more afraid of forcing Mu Jingzhe to return to reality by pinching her. He didn¡¯t have the heart to do so.


    At that moment, Shao Dong even hoped that Mu Jingzhe could live in this world for a month. This way, she wouldn¡¯t have to face the pain that would follow.


    He didn¡¯t know why the heavens were treating Mommy like this. Mommy and Uncle Ji were clearly such good people.


    Shao Dong hesitated and didn¡¯t make a move. Seeing Shao Dong¡¯s expression, Mu Jingzhe felt increasingly uneasy. She couldn¡¯t help but retreat. ¡°Little Dong, why do you look so helpless? You¡­ I¡¯ll do it myself. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    She was so uneasy that she even forgot that she could bite her tongue to test it. Instead, she mmed her head into the wall so hard that it seemed as if she was attempting tomit suicide.


    Li Zhaodi screamed and pounced on her. ¡°No!¡± Everyone tried to stop her, but Mu Jingzhe had already bumped her head against the wall and was falling to the ground.


    Amidst the dizziness she felt, Mu Jingzhe heard everyone¡¯s panicked voices. Her head buzzed, and the unprecedented pain she felt told her that this wasn¡¯t a dream.


    If she wasn¡¯t dreaming right now, what was everything that was going on in her mind?


    Mu Jingzhe thought back carefully and realized that those memories were very clear yet blurry at the same time. They were like flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water. They could shatter with a single touch.


    It was like an extremely realistic dream, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t recall it.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at her hands with difficulty. Her hands were bandaged, and there was no ring on her finger.


    There was no wedding ring.


    No ring. Nothing.


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath with difficulty. Now that her mind was a mess, it finally froze a moment before she lost consciousness and descended into darkness.


    They were still in Nanlin County, right under the ruins.


    This wasn¡¯t a monthter, but a month ago. That so-called wedding and post-wedding period had been nothing but a dream.


    A long dream.


    In the dream, Ji Buwang had married her and stayed by her side. What about now? Where was Ji Buwang?


    ¡°Where is Ji Buwang? Were we saved? When did Ie back?¡±


    She could tell that she was no longer in Nanlin County. She had returned. Then what about Ji Buwang?


    She also realized that the injuries on her hands were the aftereffect of holding up the closet. Despite her incredible strength, her hands had a limited capacity to withstand weight. That was why Li Zhaodi had said that her bones had fractured and almost shattered.


    Mu Jingzhe bit her tongue to confirm that she was awake. She looked at Shao Dong and waited for an answer, but he didn¡¯t say anything. She then looked at Li Zhaodi, who didn¡¯t say anything either.


    Mu Jingzhe took a deep breath. ¡°I was acting a little abnormally just now, but I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m awake. I¡¯m normal. I¡¯m not crazy or sick. So Shao Dong, tell me, where is Ji Buwang?¡±


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe had actually said that she was normal, Shao Dong couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. He quickly went forward tofort her. ¡°I know, Mommy. I know you¡¯re normal. Don¡¯t get all worked up.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, how is Ji Buwang? Is he alright?¡± Mu Jingzhe recalled their red eyes earlier and was almost swallowed by despair. ¡°Little Dong, please tell me, what¡¯s wrong with Ji Buwang?¡±


    Ji Buwang looked into Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes and clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re very agitated now. You have to calm down. We will only tell you after you calm down and recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Tell me now. If you don¡¯t tell me, how can I recuperate? If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll go look for him myself.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe rolled over and was just about to get off the bed when Li Zhaodi carefully hugged her. ¡°Jingzhe, focus on recuperating. Don¡¯t scare me again.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to see Ji Buwang. I want to see him now.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you should recuperate first. When you recover, we¡¯ll take you to see him.¡±


    ¡°Then where is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s next door.¡± Shao Dong hesitated for a moment. Because of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s abnormal behavior just now, he ultimately didn¡¯t dare say it.


    ¡°Take me there first, or I won¡¯t be able to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t move yet¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want? Shao Dong, are you hiding something from me? How¡¯s Ji Buwang? Is he seriously injured? I know that something fell on his legs. Will he beme or crippled in the future? I can ept it. I¡¯m not afraid. Just tell me.¡±


    As long as he was still alive, she wouldn¡¯t be afraid of anything. She wouldn¡¯t ask for anything else. She only wanted him to be alive.


    Shao Dong was forced into a corner. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it? Is he¡­ Is he in aa again?¡±


    Shao Dong still didn¡¯t answer. His attitude made Mu Jingzhe despair. A thought that she didn¡¯t want to admit popped up in her mind. She didn¡¯t dare think about it. She only wanted to see Ji Buwang.


    ¡°Even Shao Dong refuses to tell me? Alright, I¡¯ll go take a look myself. I¡¯ll go by myself¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe had just moved when she was stopped by them.


    ¡°Mommy, you have to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe, don¡¯t do this. You¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt like she was being pressed down into water, which made her suffocate and feel unable to breathe. She struggled with all her might but couldn¡¯t escape. Just as she felt desperate, a voice suddenly came from the door and Shao Qihai appeared in front of her.


    Shao Dong was stunned to see Shao Qihai. ¡°Dad? You¡¯re back?¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe and the others had been saved, following the preliminary examination, because the local hospital was tight on resources, Shao Dong had decided to bring them back.


    However, Shao Qihai and his exrades hadn¡¯t followed them back. They had stayed there to continue helping, so he¡¯d only returned now.


    Initially, they had said that they could help, but they were afraid that they would be too tired, so they¡¯d insisted that theye back first.


    Shao Qihai had just returned and arrived at the hospital. When he saw that Mu Jingzhe had woken up, the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile.


    Shao Qihai looked very disheveled. He had a scraggly beard and a tanned face, and his clothes were filthy and smelly.


    Upon seeing them holding Mu Jingzhe down, he frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that she can¡¯t breathe? Why are you still holding her down?¡±


    Li Zhaodi was stunned. When she saw Mu Jingzhe¡¯s abnormal expression, she suddenly let go. ¡°Jingzhe, are you alright¡­¡±


    After being released, Mu Jingzhe finally started breathing. She looked at Shao Qihai and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I just came to take a look at you,¡± Shao Qihai told Mu Jingzhe as he stood at the door, not entering the room.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai and didn¡¯t say anything. Shao Dong said, ¡°Mommy, it was Daddy and Uncle Jiang Feng who saved you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Thank you. Thank you¡­ for saving me. Saving me¡­¡±


    Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe, wondering what was wrong with her. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe raised her head, her eyes red as she red at him. She actually grabbed his hand little by little and turned a deaf ear to Shao Dong, who was shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t use force!¡±


    She only looked at him and asked, ¡°What about Ji Buwang? Didn¡¯t you guys save him? You couldn¡¯t have possibly saved only one person when the two of us were trapped together.¡±


    Shao Dong¡¯s face turned pale. He hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to reach this conclusion just by hearing this sentence.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    ¡°I should have known. Your attitude was so strange, but I refused to believe it. Ji Buwang can¡¯t be dead. He hasn¡¯t married me yet.. He promised me.¡±

 Chapter 457 - I’ll Take You to See Him

    <h4>Chapter 457: I¡¯ll Take You to See Him</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe wanted to get down, but Shao Xi and Shao Dong quickly tried to stop her. Mu Jingzhe looked at them with determination. ¡°Get out of the way. I want to see Ji Buwang.¡±


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s body trembled. ¡°Jingzhe, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to see Ji Buwang. Dead or alive, I want to see him. Unless I see him, I won¡¯t believe anything you guys say. It¡¯s impossible for me to recuperate now.¡±


    She knew that something must have happened to Ji Buwang. Otherwise, as long as he was awake, even if he was really crippled, he would have tried his best to be by her side.


    Now that he wasn¡¯t there, it could only mean that he couldn¡¯te. Since that was the case, she would go to him instead.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s attitude was firm. As the five kids didn¡¯t know what to do, they heard Shao Qihai¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see him.¡±


    Shao Dong suddenly turned around and looked at Shao Qihai, his voice furious. ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Let her see him.¡±


    Shao Qihai spoke with difficulty. This was Ji Buwang¡¯s request. He had wanted Mu Jingzhe to see him.


    Shao Dong was at a loss for words. Seeing that he had stopped talking, Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    After Shao Qihai finished speaking, it was as if a pause button had been pressed in the ward. Even the air was silent for a moment. Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai in a daze. Shao Qihai had clearly agreed, but she was afraid. Because of Shao Qihai¡¯s expression and gaze, as well as everyone¡¯s reaction, she was afraid.


    Shao Qihai stared at her, not giving her a chance to retreat. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    The five kids, as well as Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, looked at Shao Qihai with despair all over their faces, but in the end, they didn¡¯t object.


    Mu Jingzhe was ced in a wheelchair, and Shao Qihai pushed her out of the ward. Mu Jingzhe looked at the ward next door, but Shao Qihai didn¡¯t stop at all.


    ¡°Shao Dong said that he¡¯s in the ward next door¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai and stopped him.


    ¡°It¡¯s next door, but we still have to move a little.¡± Shao Qihai kept walking forward. Shao Dong and the rest followed him but didn¡¯t retort.


    Shao Qihai pushed Mu Jingzhe out of the hospital ward and kept walking without saying a word.


    Mu Jingzhe sensed that something was amiss. She turned around and looked at Shao Dong, hoping that he would say something, but he still didn¡¯t.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t care that Mu Jingzhe had turned her head. He continued walking until he reached the funeral parlor next door.


    No one usually paid attention to the ce next to the county hospital, but it was actually a funeral home.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw the funeral home, she lost the ability to speak. Like a puppet, she was pushed in by Shao Qihai in a daze. She then watched Shao Qihai speak with someone before finally pushing her toward a room.


    In the room, Mu Jingzhe finally saw Ji Buwang.


    He was lying peacefully on a hard bed with no mattress. His body was covered by a white cloth, and the room looked very much like those ces on television dramas where corpses were identified. The only difference was that Ji Buwang¡¯s face was exposed and visible at first nce.


    Shao Qihai pushed Mu Jingzhe in front of Ji Buwang. Ji Buwang¡¯s expression was calm. Other than his pale face, he seemed no different from before.


    However, it seemed like Ji Buwang no longer had a trace of life in him.


    Mu Jingzhe had not seen many dead people before, but when she saw Ji Buwang, she immediately knew that this wasn¡¯t a living person.


    He was not warm, nor was he breathing.


    She didn¡¯t even need to check if he was breathing. She knew without even touching him.


    She had said that she wanted to see Ji Buwang dead or alive, and now, as per her request, she got to see Ji Buwang¡¯s corpse.


    So, the reason Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t been by her side ore to see her was because he was dead. No wonder.


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang quietly. She didn¡¯t speak or cry and she seemed as if she was in a trance. Li Zhaodi, who was outside the door, covered her lips tightly to prevent her cries from escaping.


    She grabbed Mu Teng, her eyes filled with helplessness. What should she do? What could she do to help Jingzhe and lessen her pain? Why was God so unfair to her?


    Shao Dong stood aside and stared at Mu Jingzhe, afraid that she would faint from crying.


    However, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t cry. She quietly looked at Ji Buwang for a while and only leaned closer, pressing her forehead against his face. ¡°It¡¯s so cold.¡±


    Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe and wanted to say something, but he hesitated. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at him and reached out with difficulty to hold Ji Buwang¡¯spletely frozen hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s so cold. You must be freezing from the cold. You were afraid of the cold to begin with¡­ yet they only covered you up with this thin sheet. They even let you sleep on such a hard surface. They must have frozen you up before. You must have been lonely, all frozen up and waiting for me to show up to no avail.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Now that I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang as if he would wake up any second now, but that wouldn¡¯t happen. He had lost his heartbeat and he was now dead.


    She had thought that she would be the one to die. In the end, when she had woken up again, she had still been alive, but there was now no Buwang in this world.


    Mu Jingzhe pressed her ear against Ji Buwang¡¯s chest, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t hear his heartbeat. He would never hug her or speak again.


    At the thought of this, Mu Jingzhe turned to look at Shao Qihai. ¡°Shao Qihai, you were the one who saved us. Did he say anyst words? Or¡­ was he already dead by then?¡±


    Shao Qihai choked. ¡°Yes, so no.¡±


    ¡°Not a word?¡± Mu Jingzhe asked.


    Shao Qihai confirmed it. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Mu Jingzhe scoffed.


    The heavens really liked to joke. She had said so manyst words, but in the end, the one who had died was Ji Buwang, who hadn¡¯t left a single word behind.


    She should have died instead. She had said herst words, but in the end, it was Ji Buwang who had left.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help but think of the fortune-teller Li Zhaodi had taken her to previously. The fortune-teller had said that she would experience three tribtions in her life and that there was one more that she hadn¡¯t been through yet. That was right, she really had one more tribtion to go. Ji Buwang had said that he would be her protective charm and stay by her side to shield her. Then, he had really fulfilled his promise.


    The prediction had been quite urate. But why hadn¡¯t the fortune-teller foretold that Ji Buwang would die? Hadn¡¯t she said that they were destined to be married for three lifetimes? Why didn¡¯t it even happen in one lifetime?


    ¡®Indeed, even fortune-tellers can¡¯t be trusted,¡¯ Mu Jingzhe thought subconsciously. She took a deep breath and asked calmly, ¡°Why is he gone? Logically speaking, my condition was even worse. Why did he die when I¡¯m still alive?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe pulled off the white cloth with difficulty and looked at Ji Buwang. ¡°Is it because his legs were pinned down, or did he suffer some other injuriester?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gazended on Ji Buwang¡¯s hands. ¡°Why are there so many wounds on his hands? Why is the wound on his wrist so serious?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he was injured previously. Later on, something fell on him and his legs were also injured. He lost a lot of blood.¡± Shao Qihai saw her gaze and his entire body stiffened. He braced himself before he answered.


    Mu Jingzhe saw Ji Buwang¡¯s feet. That weight had pinned down his joints, and at the moment, his feet looked a little deformed, as if they had been forcibly twisted into that shape.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw his feet, she seemed to see him disregard his injuries to reach those bricks.


    He must have been in a lot of pain.. Despite being in that kind of pain, he¡¯d had to listen to her spout nonsense.

 Chapter 458 - I Want Her to Never Know the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 458: I Want Her to Never Know the Truth</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    While looking at Ji Buwang¡¯s injury, Mu Jingzhe could imagine how much it had hurt. ¡°So when he left, it must have been very, very painful¡­¡± This was what made Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart ache the most. Besides, she hadn¡¯t been awake to apany him at the time.


    Shao Qihai closed his eyes. ¡°No, he probably fainted like you, so he shouldn¡¯t have suffered much.¡±


    ¡°Really? If that¡¯s true, then¡­ that¡¯s good.¡± Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected herself to say such a thing. She evenughed.


    She turned around and nced at Shao Qihai. ¡°This is the first time I realize that you¡¯re quite good atforting people, Shao Qihai.¡±


    Although thisfort was sort of despairing.


    As Shao Qihai looked at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s smiling face, tears flowed uncontrobly.


    He had a crying disorder, so he couldn¡¯t bear to see others cry. This time, Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t crying and was even smiling instead. However, he could see so much sorrow on her face. This was the first time he discovered that one could be crying while smiling.


    Mu Jingzhe looked away when she saw Shao Qihai¡¯s tears. ¡°Is your problem getting worse? Why¡­ The kids are still behind. Don¡¯t let them see¡­¡±


    How was he going to maintain the image of a man that shed blood but not tears? So useless.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t look at Shao Qihai. ¡°I have to thank you. Thank you for saving me and Buwang. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been nice for him to be buried alone.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thanked him sincerely, but Shao Qihai felt that something was amiss. Why was she thanking him at a time like this? Besides, other than sincerity, he could hear regret in her tone.


    Perhaps Mu Jingzhe would have been more willing to be buried with Ji Buwang forever.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say thank you at a time like this.¡± Shao Qihai felt that Mu Jingzhe seemed too calm.


    Not only could Shao Qihai see that something was wrong with Mu Jingzhe, but Li Zhaodi and the rest could see it as well. She was too calm. Ridiculously calm. However, this calmness didn¡¯tfort them. Instead, it made them feel even more worried.


    ¡°Jingzhe, stop talking andughing. Cry if you want to.¡± Li Zhaodi looked at Mu Jingzhe and couldn¡¯t help but urge her.


    A mother knew her daughter best. She knew how much pain Mu Jingzhe was in. She didn¡¯t know how hard Mu Jingzhe had to work to suppress this kind of despair and difort. She would rather Mu Jingzhe cried and made a fuss about it.


    Mu Jingzhe shook her head. ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t cry in front of him. If I cry, his soul in heaven will be even more upset when he sees this. He must be feeling terrible enough for going back on his word and leaving me behind.¡±


    After seeing his maternal grandmother, he had said that the person who was left behind was too pitiful. He¡¯d even wanted to die on the same day, month, and year, or perhaps leaveter than her. If she cried, he would definitely feel even guiltier.


    ¡°I can¡¯t cry. I won¡¯t cry.¡± Mu Jingzhe only regretted yearning for a spectacr romance.


    It was only today that she finally remembered that a spectacr romance seemed to always end in tragedy.


    The rtionship of couples who got together after a spectacr event turned into nd everyday life.


    She had been insensible at the time and had said something she shouldn¡¯t have. She had felt a yearning that she shouldn¡¯t have.


    She shouldn¡¯t have made a fuss about wanting to go with Ji Buwang. If Ji Buwang had gone to his maternal grandmother¡¯s house alone, he wouldn¡¯t have been dyed by a day on the way. If he had returned a day earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have had an ident and died.


    She was the one who had gotten him into this mess and caused this to happen. She was the one who deserved to die.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, you lost out¡­¡±


    He had waited for her all these years, and in the end, he had died because of her. After finally surviving four years of living as a zombie, he was still gone just like that.


    Seeing that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s expression was strange, Shao Qihai looked at Shao Dong. Shao Dong nced at Xiao Wu, who quickly stepped forward. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go back quickly.¡±


    ¡°No, Xiao Wu, you guys go back first. I¡¯ll keep your unclepany for a while. He must have been very lonely when he was alone previously. I¡¯ll apany him for a while longer. You guys go back first.¡±


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Xiao Wu was worried that Mu Jingzhe would do something stupid.


    ¡°Just let me stay with him for a while.¡± Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Qihai.


    Shao Qihai paused for a moment before leading Xiao Wu out and closing the door. ¡°Let her stay alone for a while. It¡¯ll be good if she lets out those tears.¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t do something foolish, would she?¡± Li Zhaodi was afraid.


    ¡°Just pay attention to her. I don¡¯t think so.¡± Shao Qihai shook his head.


    In the room, when the two of them were gone, Mu Jingzhe leaned against Ji Buwang and pressed her face against his. ¡°In the past, when I kissed you, you would always wake up the fastest no matter what¡­¡±


    However, there was no reaction this time.


    Mu Jingzhe leaned against Ji Buwang. ¡°I still don¡¯t think I can ept it. Ji Buwang, can I take you far away?¡±


    She wanted to take his corpse with her. Even though it was a corpse, she wanted Ji Buwang to apany her. However, she knew that was impossible.


    This impossibility overwhelmed Mu Jingzhe with despair and helplessness.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired, Ji Buwang. I lied to you about some things back then, but I¡¯m not lying to you now. I¡¯m really tired. I suddenly feel that this ce is really bad.¡±


    Li Zhaodi and the rest took turns watching Mu Jingzhe carefully, nervous that she would do something foolish inside. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t do anything foolish, but she never came out. Later on, she even stopped moving.


    Shao Dong realized that something was amiss and went in. He noticed that Mu Jingzhe was still breathing, but she seemed to have fainted while leaning against Ji Buwang.


    Mu Jingzhe was urgently sent back to the ward. The doctor checked on her and found nothing wrong. He said that she might be too tired and she should rest well.


    However, after Mu Jingzhe fell asleep, she didn¡¯t wake up even after a day. Shao Dong and the others couldn¡¯t wake her up, and the doctor couldn¡¯t do it even after using some external stimtion methods.


    This was a huge problem. This time, after falling asleep, Mu Jingzhe no longer had the desire to live or wake up.


    She was still alive, but she waspletely lifeless.


    Without a doubt, it was because when she had seen Ji Buwang¡¯s body, the stimtion had been too great, which had resulted in this problem.


    ¡°What if Jingzhe never wakes up again?¡± Li Zhaodi despaired.


    Shao Dong and Shao Qihai had no choice. Seeing the dark night descend, Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t help but go to the funeral home. He didn¡¯t enter. He just watched from the outside, his hand subconsciously stroking the thing in his pocket.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, your n worked. You made Jingzhe see your corpse and say goodbye to you. You made her give uppletely. It all seems to have worked too well. It feels as if her heart diedpletely with you.¡±


    It had been Ji Buwang¡¯s idea for Shao Qihai to bring Mu Jingzhe to see him.


    It wasn¡¯t true that Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t left behind anyst words. It was just that he hadn¡¯t left any words behind for Mu Jingzhe.


    His corpse hadn¡¯t been cremated yet because he had wanted Mu Jingzhe to ept reality.


    He hadn¡¯t wanted to give Mu Jingzhe hope. He¡¯d only wanted to shorten Mu Jingzhe¡¯s pain. He¡¯d wanted her to never know the truth about her survival.


    Shao Qihai stood in the funeral home and didn¡¯t go in to see Ji Buwang.. However, thest image of Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe under the closet involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

 Chapter 459 - Your Life Was Exchanged With His Life

    <h4>Chapter 459: Your Life Was Exchanged With His Life</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    When Shao Qihai had first seen the two of them, he had thought that Mu Jingzhe was dead because her mouth and face had been covered in blood, as if she had vomited blood due to serious injuries.


    However, upon closer inspection, he had realized that it wasn¡¯t Mu Jingzhe¡¯s blood, but Ji Buwang¡¯s.


    Knowing that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s condition was dangerous, Ji Buwang had used his blood to feed her. He had used his blood to keep her alive, allowing her to hold on until help arrived.


    Shao Qihai seemed to have seen simr reports before, but those reports had been mostly rted to parents and children. Ji Buwang¡¯s actions weren¡¯t groundbreaking, but seeing this happen first-hand still had a huge impact on him.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s wrist had been bitten badly. Upon seeing that there was blood at the corner of his mouth, one could tell that he had bitten himself.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know how long Ji Buwang had held on. He had found the fan where Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe had been trapped, and Ji Buwang¡¯sst words had been written on it.


    Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t known who would save them and had only asked the person who would dig them up not to let Jingzhe see the wound on his hand. He didn¡¯t want Jingzhe to know the truth. He had asked them to clean the traces of blood in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s mouth and destroy the wound on his wrist to make it look like his hand had been smashed by an object. He didn¡¯t want her to know the truth for the rest of her life.


    Based on the scene, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand injury, and everything else, one could basically conclude what had happened.


    At first, Mu Jingzhe had risked her life to save him. Later on, it was Ji Buwang who had risked his life to save her. They¡¯d both wanted the other party to live.


    And Ji Buwang¡¯s actions were definitely something Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t hoped for or wanted.


    With hisst words, other than asking for help, Ji Buwang had only said, ¡®Grandpa, I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t left anyst words for Mu Jingzhe, for he¡¯d wanted her to give up.


    Shao Qihai had been the first to see the fan. He had fulfilled Ji Buwang¡¯sst wish. Before Mu Jingzhe had woken up, he had cleaned the blood on her face and mouth and personally injured Ji Buwang¡¯s wound-riddled hand, creating the illusion that the injury had been caused by heavy impact.


    He had followed Ji Buwang¡¯s instructions step by step, but he hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to fall into a long slumber.


    The fan Ji Buwang had left behind was handed over to Shao Dong by Shao Qihai. When Shao Dong brought it back, Shao Xi and the others all saw it. Even Old Master Ji and Li Zhaodi had seen it. Only Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t.


    She would never see it in her lifetime because Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t wanted her to ever know the truth.


    In the end, the fan was returned to Shao Qihai¡¯s hands. Old Master Ji was too heartbroken to keep it. The kids were afraid that Mu Jingzhe would find out, so they didn¡¯t dare keep it either.


    Shao Qihai realized that Ji Buwang had been really his enemy. They had been rivals while he was still alive. Later on, Ji Buwang had even snatched Mu Jingzhe away. In the end, even now that Ji Buwang had died, he still had to clean up the mess he had left behind.


    However, he had no choice but to clean it up for Ji Buwang.


    He had always known about Ji Buwang¡¯s feelings for Mu Jingzhe, but he hadn¡¯t known that they were so deep. He should hate Ji Buwang, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate him. Instead, he only felt guilty.


    Even when they had separated Ji Buwang¡¯s hand from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s, although he clearly hadn¡¯t done anything wrong and had even saved them, he had felt really bad about it.


    ¡°Now that Mu Jingzhe is in this state, what should we do? You predicted everything like a god. But did you predict that Mu Jingzhe would lose her will to live because of you?¡±


    No one answered Shao Qihai. There was only a gust of wind.


    Mu Jingzhe slept for an entire day and night without waking up. Shao Dong and the others didn¡¯t sleep or rest either. Their eyes only turned increasingly red.


    Without needing the doctor to say anything, they knew that it was dangerous for her to go on like this. As they looked at Mu Jingzhe, who looked like she was about to die in her sleep, the five kids couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t go. We haven¡¯t grown up yet. You promised to take care of us forever.¡±


    ¡°Jingzhe, you can¡¯t let your old parents see you off¡­¡± Li Zhaodi was also crying, but Shao Dong didn¡¯t stop her this time, as he wanted to cry too. It would be good if Mommy heard that and woke up.


    However, Mu Jingzhe actually didn¡¯t hear it. She was too tired. After seeing Ji Buwang¡¯s corpse, she could no longer continue living in her dreams and believe it was a month after her wedding.


    All she saw was Ji Buwang leaving after saying goodbye. She kept chasing after him, but she couldn¡¯t catch up no matter what. Later on, Ji Buwang became a butterfly.


    She became a butterfly too and kept flying with Ji Buwang. As she flew, she forgot about all her troubles. She thought that going to the ends of the earth with him was quite nice too.


    However, Mu Jingzhe also realized that she wasn¡¯t flying far. It was as if there was a thread holding her back. She looked down and realized that she really looked like a butterfly, a butterfly kite to be exact.


    A familiar shout came from below. Mu Jingzhe lowered her head and saw Li Zhaodi, Shao Dong, and the others.


    She took a closer look and realized that these butterfly kites were very simr to the two that Ji Buwang had made.


    She remembered now. This was the kite that Ji Buwang had made previously. At the time, only hers and Ji Buwang¡¯s kites had been butterflies, and they had flown into the sky.


    She even identally sang ¡®Two Butterflies¡¯. However, when she listened carefully, she didn¡¯t hear her voice. She only heard Shao Xi ask from below, ¡°This is how Liang Shanbo and Zhu?Yingtai<sup>1</sup>?flew when they became butterflies, right?¡±


    Shao Xi had said this before. At the time, she hadn¡¯t taken it seriously. But now, she realized that these words had been like a prophecy.


    Regardless of whether they were really a prophecy or not, Mu Jingzhe felt that it was pretty good to be a butterfly and fly, as she wouldn¡¯t have to be separated from Ji Buwang.


    Mu Jingzhe kept flying with him. She knew that these two kites would fly far away in the end. As expected, it really did happen. The kite¡¯s line broke, and she was just about to soar into the blue sky with Ji Buwang. However, at that moment, she suddenly heard someone crying.


    When she lowered her head, she saw that the five kids, who had originally been smiling happily, were all crying at that moment. Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were also standing below and waving desperately for her toe back.


    Their cries were heart-wrenching. The kids were chasing after her, but she was flying in the sky. How could they catch up?


    Mu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment. She wanted tofort Shao Xi, so she didn¡¯t follow Ji Buwang for a second. However, when she turned around, she realized that Ji Buwang was gone. She wanted to chase after him, but she was held back by Shao Dong and the others.


    Mu Jingzhe woke up amid her struggle, the exact same sound of crying she had heard in her dream ringing in her ears. Shao Dong, Xiao Wu, and Li Zhaodi, who were looking at her with red eyes, burst into tears when they saw her wake up.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re finally awake¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe froze. Yes, she had woken up, but she had lost Ji Buwang and couldn¡¯t catch up to him anymore.


    He was face-blind and he didn¡¯t know anyone else. How sad and lonely would he be without herpany on the road to theherworld?


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s suppressed tears gushed out. ¡°He will be afraid alone. I should have gone with him. Why did you wake me up¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi¡¯s heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife, but she also heaved a sigh of relief. It was good that she was letting out these tears. She had been afraid that Mu Jingzhe would keep holding it all in.


    Shao Dong could sense that Mu Jingzhe was in excruciating pain, but he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her wake up. He couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened if Mu Jingzhe had left with Ji Buwang.


    Shao Dong knelt in front of the hospital bed and muttered an apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mommy. I¡¯m sorry. We were too selfish. We couldn¡¯t bear to see you leave. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

 Chapter 460 - It’s Understandable If You Hate or Detest Me

    <h4>Chapter 460: It¡¯s Understandable If You Hate or Detest Me</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios.


    When Mu Jingzhe heard his voice, she cried even louder. Those tears were for Ji Buwang, as well as for the five kids. ¡°I should be the one apologizing. I promised you that I would be with you kids as you grew up, but I wanted to escape¡­¡±


    When watching television and movies, she couldn¡¯t stand seeing people who wanted to die because of love. She hadn¡¯t expected she would feel the same way one day.


    At that moment, she had disregarded the kids and her parents and had only wanted to follow Ji Buwang.


    She had once criticized people like that on television, but now she knew that it was really agonizing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I let you kids down. And Mom and Dad. I let you down too¡­¡±


    Li Zhaodi and Shao Dong were already feeling terrible, so they felt even worse when they heard her apologize. ¡°We don¡¯t me you. Mommy, don¡¯t apologize.¡±


    As all that crying was going on in the ward, Shao Qihai stood outside the ward and silently covered his head with his clothes.


    Tears were streaming down his face. He had yet to recover from that quirk of his, but he heaved a sigh of relief after seeing her wake up at longst. No matter what, it was good that she was alive.


    He had been afraid that Mu Jingzhe would take it too hard and just go with Ji Buwang. Ji Buwang had made so much effort ande up with a cruel scheme just to let Mu Jingzhe live on.


    Shao Qihai left amidst these crying sounds. When his mood calmed down a little, he went to the funeral parlor again.


    He didn¡¯t go in, though. He just stood outside and looked on quietly for a moment before saying, ¡°You can rest in peace. She woke up instead of chasing after you. With the five kids here, as well as Mom¡­ Uncle, Auntie, and the rest, she¡¯ll live. After all, she has a strong sense of responsibility.¡±


    Because Shao Qihai had habitually called Li Zhaodi ¡®Mom¡¯ again, he couldn¡¯t help but recall his chance encounter with Ji Buwang previously. He hadn¡¯t expected that that would be thest time the two of them met.


    They had always beenpetitors and they¡¯d rarely spoken nicely to each other whenever they had met. That day had been no different. They had originally been at odds, but in the end, Ji Buwang had suddenly blessed him and said that he hoped he could find his own happiness.


    Now, that seemed to be his final blessing¡­


    He hadn¡¯t expected to make so much effort to grant Ji Buwang¡¯s final wish. Unfortunately, he had heard Ji Buwang¡¯s final wish and seen Ji Buwang¡¯s deep affection, which had made it impossible for him to ignore it.


    ¡°You were sent by the heavens just to restrict me¡­¡±


    After Shao Qihai finished speaking, he was about to leave. However, he suddenly saw a personing out of the funeral home. Upon seeing who it was, he froze.


    This person was none other than Old Master Ji.


    Other than Mu Jingzhe, the person who had been dealt the greatest blow by Ji Buwang¡¯s death was Old Master Ji. When he had heard that Ji Buwang had passed away, Old Master Ji had copsed, but in the end, he had gotten up again.


    However, he no longer had the strength to walk, so he was sitting in a wheelchair.


    When Shao Qihai saw Old Master Ji, he didn¡¯t dare look into his eyes. He avoided his gaze awkwardly and only called out softly, ¡°Old Master Ji.¡±


    ¡°Mm, you came to see Buwang too? Why didn¡¯t youe in?¡± Uncle Li pushed Old Master Ji over. Old Master Ji¡¯s voice was low but calm.


    He had experienced too much in his life. He had survived the four years when Ji Buwang had been neither dead nor really alive. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that in the end, he would still have to bid farewell to the grandson that he had painstakingly kept alive.


    An old man like him was still alive, but he had to send away yet another junior.


    ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± Shao Qihai asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Exactly the same. I won¡¯t die anytime soon. Anyway, I have to arrange his funeral and send him off properly.¡± Old Master Ji sighed. ¡°I want to take another look at him before he gets cremated. I won¡¯t have many more chances to see him. I have to take a look so I can confirm that he¡¯s really dead.¡±


    Uncle Li¡¯s eyes reddened again when he heard this.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Instead, Old Master Ji took the initiative to ask, ¡°Has Jingzhe woken up?¡±


    When Shao Qihai heard him mention Mu Jingzhe, he carefully nced at him and paused before answering, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Old Master Ji¡¯s expression was ugly. Shao Qihai looked at him and didn¡¯t dare make a sound.


    He was afraid that Old Master Ji would vent his anger on Mu Jingzhe.


    He didn¡¯t say anything, but Old Master Ji said, ¡°I haven¡¯t gone to see her yet. I¡¯ve had too much on my te. Take me to her ward now.¡±


    Shao Qihai hesitated when he heard that. Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t in a good state to begin with. What if Old Master Ji said some awful things to her and affected her negatively? She was already tormented enough.


    Old Master Ji¡¯s health wasn¡¯t good to begin with. What if he got agitated at the sight of Mu Jingzhe and his condition worsened?


    Shao Qihai wanted to make up an excuse, but he heard Uncle Li say, ¡°I know the ward number.¡±


    Shao Qihai immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    It was better for him to go with them. Since they were going to see each other, no matter what happened, he could stop them when necessary if he was there.


    Actually, he could understand Old Master Ji¡¯s feelings. It was normal for him to hate Mu Jingzhe.


    Old Master Ji didn¡¯t notice theplicated expression on Shao Qihai¡¯s face. He just nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    When Shao Qihai led Old Master Ji to the ward, the five kids were busy finding food for Mu Jingzhe. Li Zhaodi was also taken to rest by Mu Teng.


    Since Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t woken up until now, no one had been able to fall asleep. They had all stayed up too. It had been a long time since they had rested properly. Mu Jingzhe was filled with guilt and promised them that she would eat and rest well and asked them to rest too.


    She finally calmed down a little, but when she turned around, she saw Old Master Ji.


    When she saw him, Mu Jingzhe froze, almost drowning in guilt.


    It hadn¡¯t been easy for Ji Buwang to wake up from thea, and because of her, Old Master Ji had to send his grandson off now.


    Mu Jingzhe slid off the bed and knelt down before Old Master Ji. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa Ji¡­¡±


    It was her fault for not taking good care of Ji Buwang and protecting him. She was still alive, and Ji Buwang was dead. Mu Jingzhe lowered her head. Other than apologizing uselessly, she couldn¡¯t find anything else to say.


    Old Master Ji looked at Mu Jingzhe with anger in his eyes. ¡°Get up!¡±


    This was the first time Old Master Ji got mad. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s fingers trembled, and her throat tightened. She wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t.


    It was understandable for Old Master Ji to hate her and detest her. Anyone would hate a jinx like her. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t speak. She was about to ask Old Master Ji to hit her if he wanted to, but Old Master Ji suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Hurry up and help her up.¡±


    The anxious Shao Qihai was stunned when he heard that. He reacted and quickly went forward to help Mu Jingzhe up.


    After being helped up by Shao Qihai, Mu Jingzhe looked up and saw Old Master Ji¡¯s furious expression. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why did you kneel before me? Why did you apologize?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had an ugly smile on her face. ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t hate me? It¡¯s my fault that Ji Buwang¡­¡±


    ¡°Why should I hate you? Silly child, why would I hate you?¡± Old Master Ji exined. ¡°Did you think that I med you because I didn¡¯te to see you previously? I¡¯m not ming you. I was just afraid that the two of us would feel even worse after seeing each other, so I didn¡¯te.


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯re thinking.. You¡¯re so young. Why are you letting your body waste away like this?¡±

 Chapter 461 - The Gift In the Dolls

    <h4>Chapter 461: The Gift In the Dolls</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Old Master Ji wasn¡¯t much different from before. In fact, he seemed even more benevolent than ever, making Mu Jingzhe feel disbelief and difort.


    ¡°I thought¡­ I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Don¡¯t.¡± How could he bear to detest and hate her? This was the woman Ji Buwang had treasured in his heart. She was the girl he had risked his life to save.


    If he hated her and stabbed her with a knife, his grandson would be in so much pain when he saw this from up there.


    Old Master Ji was in so much pain that he wished he was dead, but he really didn¡¯t hate Jingzhe. Not even a little bit. This was because Buwang had exchanged his life for Jingzhe¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t wait to love and protect her. Only by doing so would he not let him down.


    Right now, treating Mu Jingzhe well meant treating Ji Buwang well. He couldn¡¯t let Buwang die with remaining grievances.


    ¡°Jingzhe, remember this¡­ I definitely don¡¯t hate you, nor do I me you. You have to live well. Only then will Buwang and I be happy.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe looked into Old Master Ji¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears again. ¡°Thank you, thank you, Grandpa. Buwang is gone, but I¡¯m still here. I¡¯ll take his ce and be filial to you in the future.¡±


    She had once asked Ji Buwang to help take care of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng if she died. Now that she wasn¡¯t dead and Ji Buwang was gone, she would take care of Old Master Ji in Ji Buwang¡¯s ce.


    Old Master Ji reached out with his trembling hand and patted Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then.¡±


    He thought that this had also been Ji Buwang¡¯s intention. He¡¯d wanted her to live on and be filial to his grandfather.


    After seeing Old Master Ji, Mu Jingzhe seemed to calm down a lot. She ate whenever she was told to and actively cooperated with the doctor¡¯s treatment.


    Her hands didn¡¯t heal that quickly, but her mind slowly recovered and she also regained her peace of mind. The five kids heaved a sigh of relief, but they still didn¡¯t dare mention a particr problem to Mu Jingzhe¡ªJi Buwang¡¯s funeral.


    His funeral had to be arranged eventually, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t seem to havepletely epted it. She didn¡¯t go to look at Ji Buwang and didn¡¯t mention him again, as if she was deliberately trying to forget him.


    Later on, she didn¡¯t cry anymore. She just kept staring in the direction of the funeral home in a daze. However, her condition wasn¡¯t okay either. Li Zhaodi and the rest instead hoped that she would cry more.


    Still, it was a good thing that she was willing to eat and rest. They didn¡¯t dare say much to her.


    However, Li Zhaodi quickly realized that Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t slept at all. She would fall asleep facing them at night, but when no one could see her, Mu Jingzhe would look in the direction of the funeral home and wouldn¡¯t fall asleep at all.


    When Li Zhaodi found out, she started to cry again. She didn¡¯t know what to do.


    After two days in the hospital, Li Zhaodi felt that this couldn¡¯t go on. She felt that it might be better for Mu Jingzhe to be discharged and go home. This way, she would miss Ji Buwang less.


    Upon hearing that she was about to be discharged, Mu Jingzhe fell silent for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but look at the funeral home. After a long while, she nodded.


    She kept thinking that if she stayed in the hospital, just as Shao Dong had said, Ji Buwang would be next door, so she didn¡¯t want to leave. However, she agreed, as she couldn¡¯t just stay there forever.


    Mu Jingzhe agreed to be discharged and everyone helped her pack up. Little Bei helped Mu Jingzhe button up and took out ab tob her hair.


    ¡°Mommy used to be the onebing my hair. I¡¯llb Mommy¡¯s hair in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Jingzhe smiled. Little Bei helpedb her hair seriously and realized that there was suddenly a lot of white hair hidden under her normal hair color.


    She paused and didn¡¯t dare say anything. She only secretly told Shao Dong.


    Shao Dong¡¯s hands trembled when he heard that. After a moment, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll be fine in the future.¡±


    Perhaps Mommy was very sad, so she had grown some white hair. It would be fine in the future. It had happened to Xiao Wu before, but he had recoveredter.


    Mu Jingzhe returned home after a long time. She had merely been away for a few days, yet she felt like she had been in a dream. When she returned to her room, she was stunned when she saw the red shoes on the ground.


    Little Bei followed her in and was stunned for a moment when she saw this too. A hint of frustration shed across her eyes. When she turned around, she saw the small ¡®happiness¡¯ character on the window again and her eyes were filled with helplessness.


    Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s wedding date had been set. Because it was too far from the capital, many of Mu Jingzhe¡¯s acquaintances were here. Besides, this was the Ji Family¡¯s hometown, and their old residence was also there, so the wedding was set to be held in the county city.


    The dowry from Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had long been sent to the old residence.


    Over at the old residence, arrangements had been made long ago. Uncle Li had waited for many years to finally get to see Ji Buwang get married. He had made ample preparations, and the house was red all over.


    Not wanting to be beaten in this aspect, after Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang had gone to visit his maternal grandmother, Li Zhaodi had specificallye to decorate the new house. Because Mu Jingzhe was used to living there, it had been decided that she would get ready for her wedding there.


    Li Zhaodi, Shao Dong, and the rest had decorated the ce together. They had hung rednterns, red silk, and wedding decorations from the windows. Li Zhaodi had personally cut the paper-cut decorations, and it all looked really festive.


    A red wedding nket and red candles had also been brought over, just waiting to be ced. They had even hung up some carefully chosen wedding photos.


    Initially, Li Zhaodi had still not been sure how many gold bracelets Mu Jingzhe should wear when the time came. She hadn¡¯t expected Ji Buwang to suddenly have an ident. Now, she no longer had to fret over that.


    Before Mu Jingzhe had been discharged, Li Zhaodi had remembered these arrangements and asked Mu Teng and the kids to remove them.


    In her hurry to leave, she had forgotten about the red shoes and the small ¡®happiness¡¯ character in the corner of the window.


    When Little Bei saw the red ¡®happiness¡¯ character, her eyes were suddenly filled with anxiety. Afraid that Mu Jingzhe would be sad, she quickly reached for it. In the end, she wasn¡¯t tall enough and she bumped into something on the table in front of the window.


    As soon as the things on the table fell, so did everything else. Little Bei¡¯s eyes widened as she watched Mu Jingzhe turn around and look at her. She also saw the word ¡®happiness¡¯ in the corner.


    As Little Bei was at a loss, Mu Jingzhe suddenly smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. It looks quite nice. Just leave it there.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe walked closer to unpack her things, but she didn¡¯t manage to do so. As soon as she moved, the things on the table fell. More importantly, the dolls on the table also fell.


    Coincidentally, there was a mechanism. The doll that Mu Jingzhe had been trying to untie fell to the ground with a bang. It shattered into pieces, and the box below also broke.


    The broken doll happened to be Ji Buwang¡¯s doll. It was in pieces now, silently symbolizing something.


    Mu Jingzhe heard Little Bei¡¯s apology, but nothing registered in her mind. She subconsciously said that it was fine, but there was only one thought in her mind¡ªBuwang was broken.


    She went over to pick the doll up and saw what was hidden inside. It was a white jade ring.


    This was the one she had been giventer on. It was ratherrge and it looked like a man¡¯s design. Mu Jingzhe picked up the broken mechanical box and saw the faint trace of a word¡ªi¡¯.


    If Mu Jingzhe had formed this character on the outside, the box would have opened. Unfortunately, she had tried for several years but hadn¡¯t been able to get it right.. Now, it had opened in this unexpected way.

 Chapter 462 - Wedding; Funeral

    <h4>Chapter 462: Wedding; Funeral</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe had been curious about what was inside for a long time. She had asked Ji Buwang, but thetter had refused to tell her anything. At that moment, she finally saw what was inside. Only now, Ji Buwang had left.


    Mu Jingzhe gripped the ring tightly and got up to take the small set of dolls she had given him at first. She didn¡¯t hesitate to spell the character ¡®wei¡¯.


    After she spelled out the word ¡®wei¡¯, the unopened box opened with a click, revealing the gift Ji Buwang had given her many years ago¡ªthe ring.


    Unsurprisingly, it was another white jade ring. However, this one was a little smaller. Judging by the size, this one was for her.


    Mu Jingzhe picked up the ring and saw a note under it. When she unfolded it, she saw Ji Buwang¡¯s handwriting.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re reading this note, it means that you¡¯ve already opened the box. It also means that you¡¯re thinking about our?future<sup>1</sup>, Jingzhe. I hope that one day, this ring will be on your hand.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had tried so many times, but she had never thought of using the word ¡®future¡¯. She had never expected such a word to be the key.


    For many years, Ji Buwang had wanted just this one thing¡ªa future with her.


    However, they had no future, just like she had never been able to open this box.


    ¡°The future, the future¡­ It was actually the word ¡®future¡¯. You saw that I couldn¡¯t open it, but you never gave me any hints¡­ What if I never managed to open it?¡±


    Little Bei was afraid that Mu Jingzhe would get hurt, so she picked up the broken doll fragments. As if in response to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words, at that moment, she picked up a note that had fallen beside her.


    This note was also in Ji Buwang¡¯s handwriting, as if it had been specifically written to answer her question. ¡°If you didn¡¯t open it, Jingzhe¡­ it means that you don¡¯t have me in your heart. But I have faith in you. You must have opened it, right?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gripped the ring tightly. No, she hadn¡¯t opened it. She hadn¡¯t opened it all this while. It was just like the rtionship between her and Ji Buwang. They¡¯d always missed each other by just a little bit.


    She suddenly remembered the expression on his face when she had proposed to him and said that she would buy the proposal ring while he would buy the wedding rings. At the time, she hadn¡¯t understood, but now, she suddenly did. Back then, he had looked at her like that because he had thought of the ring in the box, right?


    Mu Jingzhe quickly realized that this pair of rings was a little different. This used to be the Ji Family¡¯s tradition in the past. Their family used to keep some original jade stones, and every child would receive one after they were born. Usually, they would make a ring with that jade.


    This ring would normally be worn during their wedding. Later on, when it wasn¡¯t convenient to wear it anymore, one could put it away. When that person passed away, they would wear it for their burial. It was said that the Ji Family wanted to use this as evidence to recognize their own kin in the afterlife. It was also a form of blessing. They hoped that the fated ones could use this unique ring to reunite in the next life.


    Ji Buwang had long determined Mu Jingzhe to be his lifelong partner, so he¡¯d had a ring crafted from his jade stone for her. Previously, when Ji Buwang had wanted to buy a wedding ring, Old Master Ji had even asked him why he wouldn¡¯t use this ring.


    The reason was naturally because Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t opened the box then. It was unknown if Ji Buwang was nning to buy a new one or if he¡¯d wanted to remind Mu Jingzhe.


    Now, Mu Jingzhe had opened the box and gotten the ring, but everything had changed.


    Just like their supposed wedding day had turned into Ji Buwang¡¯s cremation day.


    Ji Buwang had been at the funeral home all this while, but he couldn¡¯t stay there for too long. At first, this was done to let Mu Jingzhe bid him farewell, but now that Mu Jingzhe had seen him, his funeral had to be arranged.


    After Mu Jingzhe was discharged from the hospital, they started preparing for Ji Buwang¡¯s funeral. Old Master Ji would bring Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes back to the capital and bury them in the Ji Family¡¯s ancestral grave, but the funeral could only be held there.


    When it came to weddings and funerals, one had to select an appropriate day. Originally, this was supposed to be a good day for Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s wedding, but now, it had be the best day for Ji Buwang¡¯s funeral.


    The day of the wedding had turned into a day for a funeral.


    Li Zhaodi and Old Master Ji had prepared everything, but the groom was missing.


    Old Master Ji didn¡¯t me Mu Jingzhe, but that day, Mu Jingzhe med herself for not registering their marriage in advance and even wanting to find a meaningful day to do so.


    In the end, she hadn¡¯t be Ji Buwang¡¯s wife.


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t take this lying down. The sky was still bright when she found Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng. ¡°Dad, Mom, can we move forward with the wedding?¡±


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng hadn¡¯t slept well to begin with, so when they heard that, their heads hurt even more. ¡°Jingzhe, Mommy knows that you¡¯re sad, but without the groom, how can we still hold the wedding?¡±


    ¡°Buwang is here. He hasn¡¯t been burned yet. He¡¯s still here.¡± After saying that, Mu Jingzhe saw the gazes of Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng and paused for a moment before apologizing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad, Mom. I¡¯ve made you worry, but he¡¯s really still here. Can you let me be willful for once? Just this once. I only want to be his wife.¡±


    Because they hadn¡¯t registered their marriage in advance, she was destined not to be Ji Buwang¡¯s true widow for the rest of her life. She couldn¡¯t be his widow legally anymore. In the end, she could only fight to be his wife based on a formality.


    Li Zhaodi felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe. Could they hold a wedding now? That would make her daughter no different from someone who went through a wedding holding a memorial tablet. How could she agree to it?


    But upon looking at Mu Jingzhe, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse.


    Mu Jingzhe was actually so willful because she was certain that they wouldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad, Mom. I rely on the fact that you love me, but I¡­ still want to marry Ji Buwang.


    ¡°If nothing goes wrong, this will be myst wedding. This is it for the rest of my life. I only want to be Ji Buwang¡¯s wife.¡±


    Li Zhaodi cried for a long time. Her heart ached terribly, but in the end, she didn¡¯t object. ¡°Since you can¡¯t forget him, then go ahead and marry him.¡±


    Marrying him could be considered fulfilling her wish. Li Zhaodi didn¡¯t want this to be Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eternal regret.


    Who could forget someone like Ji Buwang?


    Li Zhaodi thought that perhaps it would be better for Mu Jingzhe if she had fewer regrets.


    Mu Jingzhe had initially thought that Li Zhaodi would object. After all, she believed the fortune-teller¡¯s words. But in the end, she didn¡¯t object.


    After getting Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng¡¯s approval, Mu Jingzhe went to look for Old Master Ji.


    Old Master Ji hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to say such a thing. ¡°Hold the funeral after the wedding? No, no, I object.¡±


    This definitely wouldn¡¯t do. Buwang wouldn¡¯t allow it either, as he was already a dead man.


    ¡°Grandpa, please agree. I want to be his wife. We agreed to get married today. I don¡¯t want to go back on my word. I want him to leave in his groom¡¯s clothes.¡±


    Old Master Ji objected, but he couldn¡¯t persuade Mu Jingzhe in the end.


    Because Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang had sent out invitations early, many people knew about it. However, no one had expected that something would happen to the groom just before the wedding.


    Their hearts ached for Mu Jingzhe and felt pity for Ji Buwang. Everyone in Great Eastern Vige was very sad for Mu Jingzhe, but they didn¡¯t know that Mu Jingzhe had already changed into the wedding dress she had specifically made for herself and was preparing to get married.


    Although Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t stop Mu Jingzhe, he ultimately kept this matter under wraps and prevented more people from finding out about it.

 Chapter 463 - The Wedding of the Century

    <h4>Chapter 463: The Wedding of the Century</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Old Master Ji, Li Zhaodi, and Mu Teng tried their best to smile even though they couldn¡¯t. Like Shao Dong, they wore the formal wear Mu Jingzhe had prepared for them.


    After learning what Mu Jingzhe wanted to do, Shao Qihai merelyughed bitterly, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He only helped out and put on the tailored suit along with Shao Dong.


    He had originally said that he wanted to be more handsome than the groom, but now, there was no way topare anymore.


    Shao Qihai knew that he would never be able topare to Ji Buwang in this lifetime.


    Shao Qihai asked Shao Dong to go to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s to get the groom¡¯s outfit and then helped Ji Buwang put it on with Shao Dong.


    Because his body had long turned stiff, it was a little difficult to put the clothes on, but in the end, they still managed to do it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I would personally put on the groom¡¯s outfit for you. Ji Buwang, you have to thank me in your next life.¡±


    The more time passed, the paler Ji Buwang¡¯s face became, and he looked less and less like a normal person. Hence, Shao Dong hired someone to put some makeup on Ji Buwang to ensure that he would look more like a normal person with blood and qi.


    The groomsmen that Ji Buwang had previously picked were now irrelevant. Shao Qihai personally became a groomsman, and Tang Moling was added.


    Shao Qihai thought that, given the current situation, Ji Buwang probably wouldn¡¯t mind that he was divorced and had even lost his wife before. After all, they weren¡¯t all that different.


    As for Mu Jingzhe¡¯s side, Mai Miao and Xiao Mei didn¡¯t care about her objections or if it was auspicious or not. Knowing that she still wanted to get married, they became her bridesmaids.


    Li Fang, Sister Wei, and the rest all showed up. Ignoring all the talk about it being inauspicious, they participated in this most special wedding that had ever taken ce.


    There weren¡¯t many people at the wedding, and those who came were the people closest to the couple. Because Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t move, she didn¡¯t opt for a traditional wedding. Instead, she chose a simple wedding witnessed by a priest.


    The pastor was brought over by Tang Moling, whose eyes were red. At ten in the morning, this special wedding was held at the funeral home right on time.


    In the bride¡¯s room, Mu Jingzhe saw Ji Buwang again. He was wearing the groom¡¯s attire she had made and he looked like a sleeping Prince Charming. ¡°It fits very well. Looks dashing too.¡±


    If only he was really a sleeping Prince Charming, she could wake him up by kissing him. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t.


    Mu Jingzhe stared at him for a moment and imprinted Ji Buwang¡¯s appearance in her mind. Then, she moved in a circle in front of him. ¡°I look good in a wedding dress, don¡¯t I?¡±


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t answer, but Mu Jingzhe believed that he definitely liked it.


    When it was time, the bride and groom entered the venue. The priest stood up and controlled his expression, trying not to show that anything was amiss as he asked the question that he had asked too many times.


    ¡°Mu Jingzhe, do you want to marry the groom, Ji Buwang?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, do you want to marry Mu Jingzhe?¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Mu Jingzhe answered on his behalf. She firmly believed that he did.


    During the ring exchange, Mu Jingzhe took out the white jade rings she had found in the dolls despite the fact that her hand had yet to recover. She put the big ring on Ji Buwang¡¯s hand and the small one on her own.


    After the priest announced that they were husband and wife, the bride kissed the groom.


    Li Zhaodi, who was behind her, almost fainted from crying. Jingzhe looked so good in a wedding dress, but it was such a strange scene.


    Too upied to pay attention to Li Zhaodi, Mu Jingzhe bade Ji Buwang farewell for thest time. ¡°Ji Buwang, our wedding ispleted. From now on, we¡¯re husband and wife. You didn¡¯t expect me to send you off in a wedding dress, right?


    ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed many weddings in this century, but I think ours is definitely a first. It¡¯s unprecedented.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe gently stroked Ji Buwang¡¯s brows. ¡°Ji Buwang, we¡¯re married. Remember to look for me in your next life. I¡¯ll believe the fortune-teller this time. After experiencing the hardships of this life, we can be together in our next life.¡±


    Shao Qihai was facing away from them but could hear her clearly. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Eventually, the funeral parlor owner urged them to hurry up. Old Master Ji personally urged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Alright, Jingzhe, the funeral is about to start. The guests are here. Since you¡¯ve more or less said goodbye, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t bear to part with him. Grandpa, you can¡¯t bear to part with him either, right? Let¡¯s not cremate Buwang. Can we keep him?¡±


    How could Old Master Ji not want to do that? However, he shook his head firmly. ¡°No, Buwang wouldn¡¯t be happy. Jingzhe, let go. It¡¯s time to let go.¡±


    She actually knew in her heart that it was time to let go.


    ¡°I understand, Grandpa. Don¡¯t take my words seriously. I just said that casually.¡± Mu Jingzhe forced a smile and held Ji Buwang¡¯s hand. ¡°Let me take another look at him.¡±


    However, in the end, Ji Buwang was still taken away. Mu Jingzhe wanted to chase after him, but she was hugged by the children, so she didn¡¯t manage to do it.


    ¡°Mommy, you have to calm down. You¡¯re already married to Uncle Ji. You should let him go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to let him go¡­¡± Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°I know. I just can¡¯t control myself at the moment. I¡¯ll be fine soon. I¡¯ll be fine soon.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe kept her word and finally calmed down.


    However, she didn¡¯t change out of her wedding dress. She appeared at the funeral in the wedding dress and sent Ji Buwang off in her most beautiful state.


    The guests didn¡¯t know that they had even held a wedding previously. When they saw her dressed like this, they were filled with emotions.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t notice their gazes and only focused on Ji Buwang¡¯s photo.


    In the end, they had chosen a photo of Ji Buwang taken during the bridal shots, one where he looked very handsome and young. Time would forever stop at that moment for him.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled bitterly when she recalled the events of the past. ¡°I¡¯ve thought of countless futures with you and made countless preparations. In the end, we won¡¯t have a future at all¡­¡±


    There were no children, and no one would mock their wedding photos. Those expectations had all been in vain.


    Ji Buwang had said that he would still be a handsome man when he got old, but he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to age at all.


    In the end, her beloved turned into a pile of ashes.


    Initially, Old Master Ji had wanted to bring Ji Buwang home and bury him in the Ji Family¡¯s ancestral grave. However, after seeing Mu Jingzhe, Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t bear to do so.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you for now. When youe to terms with it one day, just send him back.¡±


    After dealing with Ji Buwang¡¯s funeral, Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t take it anymore and quickly returned to the capital. Tang Moling followed him back and said that he would contact Mu Jingzhe if there was any news.


    Xiao Wu was worried about Old Master Ji¡¯s health and wanted to follow him back, but he was also worried about Mu Jingzhe. He was facing a dilemma. Old Master Ji asked him to apany Mu Jingzhe and said there was no need to worry about him as long as Mu Jingzhe was fine.


    Mu Jingzhe had asked him to go with Old Master Ji, but he had never stayed with the Ji Family before.


    Xiao Wu finally decided to apany Mu Jingzhe for a while before going to look for Old Master Ji.


    After obtaining Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes, Mu Jingzhe remembered something and told the five kids, ¡°When I leave in the future, bury me with Ji Buwang.¡±


    Since they couldn¡¯t be together in life, they would seek to be together in death.


    This was the only thing Mu Jingzhe could ask for.

 Chapter 464 - Turned Gray But Couldn’t Grow Old Together

    <h4>Chapter 464: Turned Gray But Couldn¡¯t Grow Old Together</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    ¡°Mom, why are you suddenly talking about this? Let¡¯s go eat.¡± Feeling really unwilling to talk about this, the five kids changed the topic.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t harp on it and just stopped talking.


    Although she couldn¡¯t make Ji Buwang stay, with his ashes, Mu Jingzhe still felt willful for once. She wasn¡¯t in a hurry to return him to Old Master Ji, so she kept him by her side.


    Now that she had Ji Buwang¡¯spany, seeing that Shao Dong and Li Zhaodi were worried every day and kept acting as if she was made of ss, Mu Jingzhe pulled herself together.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You kids should go to school. Mom, you and Dad must be busy. I¡¯m fine. My hands are much better now. I¡¯m alright.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had actively cooperated with the treatment and seemed to have really recovered. However, when she went to the hospital to check on the dressing again, she fainted as soon as she encountered an emergency patient.


    The patient was a woman, and it was said that she had been beaten by her husband. Her head was covered in blood. Mu Jingzhe had only taken a nce at her, but that one nce had made her vision darken and she had fainted.


    Her sudden fainting spell had startled Li Zhaodi and the rest again. However, the doctors didn¡¯t discover anything wrong with her, and Mu Jingzhe quickly woke up.


    ¡°I just saw the blood on her and fainted.¡±


    The doctor asked, ¡°This symptom sounds like hemophobia. Have you been?hemophobic<sup>1</sup>?in the past?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe, who was stunned, suddenly looked up at the doctor. ¡°Hemophobic?¡±


    A trace of fear shed across Li Zhaodi¡¯s face. Shao Dong¡¯s entire body tensed up. Mu Jingzhe nced at them before looking at the doctor again. ¡°But I didn¡¯t have hemophobia before¡­¡±


    Now that she said that, the doctor was uncertain.


    In the end, because Mu Jingzhe was fine, she went back. However, Mu Jingzhe was very quiet the entire way back. Li Zhaodi and Shao Dong didn¡¯t dare say much either. Coincidentally, just as they were about to return home, they met their neighbor.


    The little girl staying next door had identally cut her pinky, and it was bleeding. She was crying as she went to look for her mother just as Mu Jingzhe and the others returned.


    Mu Jingzhe only caught a glimpse of her finger before her vision darkened again.


    This time, it was confirmed that Mu Jingzhe indeed suffered from hemophobia.


    In the past, Shao Dong and the others would have been very nervous and would definitely have thought of ways to get this illness treated. After all, even though this illness wasn¡¯t a big problem, it wouldn¡¯t be a small problem if it red up either.


    However, this time, it wasn¡¯t just Shao Dong. Even Shao Xi and the others didn¡¯t say anything, let alone mention any kind of treatment. They only decided to pay more attention in the future.


    They tried their best to hide it, but the word ¡®hemophobia¡¯ still made them very nervous.


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expose them or say much. She remained silent for two days and was in a daze the whole time.


    When Li Zhaodi saw this, she felt so anxious that a blister formed at the corner of her mouth. The five kids kept paying attention to her and felt very nervous. Xiao Wu was filled with frustration because he realized that he couldn¡¯t cheer Mu Jingzhe up no matter what.


    When Mu Jingzhe came back to her senses and realized that they were so worried, she felt very guilty. She pulled herself together again and said that she was fine and began smiling again.


    After observing her for two days, Li Zhaodi and the rest realized that Mu Jingzhe seemed to have really recovered and had started busying herself with work. She really smiled and had even started cooking for them.


    Shao Dong, Li Zhaodi, and the rest heaved a sigh of relief, but Little Bei had a lot on her mind. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands had yet to recover, so Little Bei had been helping herb her hair. She had noticed that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair had been turning whitetely.


    Only a bit of her hair had turned white previously, and that bit could still have been hidden. But now, there was more and more white hair, so much of it that it couldn¡¯t be hidden.


    Mu Jingzhe stopped letting Little Beib her hair and even began wearing a hat. However, Little Bei had been paying attention and she watched as Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair turned white.


    She couldn¡¯t conceal it even if she wanted to. Shao Dong, Li Zhaodi, and the others weren¡¯t blind and quickly noticed it.


    When Li Zhaodi removed the hat from Mu Jingzhe¡¯s head and realized that she had even more white hair than her, she wailed. ¡°Haven¡¯t we talked things through? Why would your hair turn white? Jingzhe, you¡¯ll make me die from pain.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe really wanted to say that she had dyed her hair white, but no one would dye their hair white in that era. Besides, hair dye wasn¡¯t popr yet, so Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t dye her hair ck even if she wanted to.


    She felt even more upset when she saw Li Zhaodi pounding her chest and crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I made you worry again.¡±


    She wanted to be a good daughter to Li Zhaodi and not make her worry, but she had failed.


    When Li Zhaodi heard her apologize, her heart ached even more. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Jingzhe.¡±


    Held in her embrace, Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t move for a long time.


    At night, she sat before the mirror and smiled bitterly at her white-haired self. She had seen the White-Haired?Demoness<sup>1</sup>?and read many stories of people¡¯s hair turning white overnight, but she had never expected that it would one day happen to her.


    Her hair hadn¡¯t turned white overnight, but it had slowly and silently changed.


    Mu Jingzhe¡¯s gazended on Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes. ¡°I finally turned gray with you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Ji Buwang naturally wouldn¡¯t answer, and Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t say the words ¡®turn old and gray together¡¯ because even though they had agreed on that, only the ¡®turning gray¡¯ part hade true. The two of them hadn¡¯t grown old together.


    Later on, Mu Jingzhe began wearing a hat pretty much all the time. Shao Qihai came to the house a few times and wanted to say something when he saw her hat, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say anything.


    More than a monthter, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hands had clearly gotten a lot better. Although they couldn¡¯t go back to normal, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem if she didn¡¯t exert force.


    When she heard that Old Master Ji had been recuperating in the hospital after his return, Mu Jingzhe asked Xiao Wu to go back and apany him.


    She wanted to keep her word and really take Ji Buwang¡¯s ce and be filial, but in the end, she thought about it and didn¡¯t go. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t filial, but it wasn¡¯t right for the two of them to be together at the moment.


    They were both heartbroken, so it might be better if they were apart. She also didn¡¯t want Old Master Ji to see her hair and kept thinking of dyeing it ck before meeting him.


    In any case, it would be better to meet him again after some time.


    Mu Jingzhe reminded Xiao Wu of it a lot. After he went over, she heard that Old Master Ji had recovered a lot because he was happy. Later on, he even got discharged and went home.


    Mu Jingzhe was relieved. She had originally told Xiao Wu toe back to take the final exam when Old Master Ji had almost recovered. In the end, after a month, she suddenly received news that Old Master Ji was critically ill.


    The good health he had experienced previously during Xiao Wu¡¯s visits seemed to have drawn out his remaining life. He had clearly been fine the day before and had even agreed to go hiking the next day, but in the middle of the night, he copsed.


    Xiao Wu contacted Mu Jingzhe. Although he didn¡¯t say everything, Xiao Wu was very nervous and sounded as if Old Master Ji wouldn¡¯t make it this time.


    The thing she was most worried about had still happened. Mu Jingzhe set off that very night with Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes and returned Ji Buwang to Old Master Ji.


    Old Master Ji was waiting for Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe. When he saw her, he smiled and stroked the urn containing Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jingzhe. I¡¯ll find Buwang. He shouldn¡¯t have gone far. I¡¯ll take him with me after I find him. You don¡¯t need to worry that he¡¯ll be alone and won¡¯t recognize anyone.¡±

 Chapter 465 - The Ji Familys Bloodline Hasnt Reached Its End

    <h4>Chapter 465: The Ji Family¡¯s Bloodline Hasn¡¯t Reached Its End</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    These words made Mu Jingzhe¡¯s nose sting. She lowered her head and held back her tears, trying her best to calm herself.


    The moment she lowered her head, Old Master Ji saw a bit of the white hair that Mu Jingzhe had tried her best to hide but had still revealed. His eyes instantly ached.


    Buwang had left. The most pitiful ones and the ones in the greatest agony were him and Jingzhe. Unfortunately, he had to leave too. After he left, Jingzhe would be left to endure this alone in the world. He shouldn¡¯t leave, but he had no choice.


    Momentarily, Old Master Ji didn¡¯t know if Ji Buwang had done the right thing or not. Looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s white hair, he even thought that perhaps Ji Buwang should have been reported as missing, just to give Mu Jingzhe some hope. Maybe that would have been better.


    If he had left behind a glimmer of hope, Jingzhe might not be having such a difficult time now. Her hair wouldn¡¯t have turned so white at such a young age either.


    That way, Mu Jingzhe might have lived in hope and disappointment for the rest of her life, just like the four years when Ji Buwang had been in aa.


    Upon thinking of those difficult four years and then looking at Mu Jingzhe¡¯s white hair, Old Master Ji couldn¡¯t decide whether it was better that Mu Jingzhe had given uppletely or if it would have been better to give her some hope.


    Buwang might have chosen this method precisely because he had experienced those four years. However, it was too difficult to decide. No matter the choice, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    Old Master Ji had a lot to say to Mu Jingzhe but didn¡¯t know where to start.


    In the end, it was Mu Jingzhe who calmed down and spoke first. ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s not talk about this. You¡¯ll get better.¡±


    Old Master Ji came back to his senses. ¡°I¡¯m old and I should have left long ago. Don¡¯t be sad. At my age, this is a ¡®happy?funeral<sup>1</sup>¡®.¡±


    Given Old Master Ji¡¯s current state, his death would actually be a relief. He had experienced too much in this lifetime. He had lost his children, his spouse, and his grandchildren. He had experienced all these three hardships in life, and not just once or twice.


    Old Master Ji held Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand. ¡°Jingzhe, I¡¯ll entrust Xiao Wu and the Ji Family to you. There¡¯s also Moling. He¡¯s not young, but he¡¯s still not steady enough. You should watch over him more in the future. If he¡¯s disobedient, you should teach him a lesson.¡±


    In the end, Old Master Ji still chose the path Ji Buwang had taken, as he had no other choice.


    Ever since Ji Buwang had left, Tang Moling had been by Old Master Ji¡¯s side. He had be a lot steadier during this period of time. When he heard Old Master Ji¡¯s words, he looked up at Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll watch over him. I¡¯m his aunt after all.¡±


    Upon seeing her nod, Old Master Ji heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Did you hear that? Tang Moling, you have to listen to your aunt. Your uncle has left, and so will I soon enough. You can¡¯t do whatever you want from now on.¡±


    ¡°I heard you.¡± Tang Moling nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Old Master Ji held Xiao Wu¡¯s hand again. ¡°Xiao Wu, Grandpa has let you down. I can¡¯t keep youpany anymore. You have to listen to Mommy in the future.¡±


    Xiao Wu nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    Old Master Ji looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes filled with reluctance. After all, he wouldn¡¯t get to see Xiao Wu grow up. Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe would be there. With her around, he felt at ease.


    Old Master Ji finally looked at Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Jingzhe, live well. Don¡¯t follow my footsteps. This was also Buwang¡¯s wish.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll live well on behalf of Ji Buwang too. Since he saved me like that, I have no right to die.¡±


    Her life didn¡¯t belong to her now. It belonged to Ji Buwang. She had no right to die, as she had to cherish it.


    Old Master Ji should have been at ease when he heard that, but when she reacted, he felt that something was amiss. Could Jingzhe know the truth?


    He had promised not to tell Mu Jingzhe the truth for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Jingzhe, you¡­¡± Old Master Ji¡¯s expression was uncertain. He wanted to ask but didn¡¯t know what to say. Mu Jingzhe could tell what he wanted to ask, but she didn¡¯t answer.


    She didn¡¯t know the truth, but because she had suddenly fainted due to hemophobia, she had already guessed it.


    However, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t wanted her to know the secret behind her survival, so she pretended not to know and didn¡¯t ask around.


    Since Ji Buwang had hoped she wouldn¡¯t find out, she would pretend not to know.


    Old Master Ji had been hanging on just to see Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes. After seeing them, he passed away in the middle of the night.


    He died in his sleep and left very peacefully without suffering.


    However, it had been less than three months since Ji Buwang had left. At the end of the day, he only left because Ji Buwang was gone. Otherwise, he might have been able to live for a few more years.


    The Ji Family held two funerals in three months.


    The person who carried Old Master Ji¡¯s portrait was Xiao Wu. After Old Master Ji died, Xiao Wu discussed it with Shao Qihai, who had rushed to the capital to help with the funeral arrangements. After also talking about it with Mu Jingzhe, Tang Moling, and his siblings, he decided to change his surname to Ji.


    Previously, with Ji Buwang around, it hadn¡¯t mattered if he changed his surname or not. In any case, Ji Buwang would have children in the future, and surnames weren¡¯t that important.


    However, things were different now. Ji Buwang was no longer around, and only he and Tang Moling were left in the Ji Family. They felt that it didn¡¯t matter and that Tang Moling was also family, but outsiders viewed it differently.


    Xiao Wu heard people say that no matter how rich the Ji Family was, in the end, their bloodline had still reached its end. They still had no descendants left.


    Regardless of whether they were sighing or gloating, their tone made one feel ufortable. Xiao Wu didn¡¯t want Old Master Ji to hear such words and finally decided to change his surname to Ji.


    Shao Qihai agreed when he heard him bring it up. Xiao Wu was a member of the Ji Family to begin with. In the past, he had always said that he didn¡¯t want them to snatch Xiao Wu because Ji Buwang had still been fine. Now¡­ what else was there to say?


    The matter was settled. No one thought of asking Shao Qiyun for her opinion, for she had gone crazy. She was still alive, but her life wasn¡¯t much different from death.


    People always said that a scourge would live for a thousand years. How true. Zhao Lan and Shao Qiyun were half-dead but still alive, but Ji Buwang had left just like that.


    The heavens were too unfair.


    Fortunately, in the end, the Ji Family had still left behind Xiao Wu, an only child. After Xiao Wu acknowledged his ancestors and returned to the Ji Family, although some people kept gossiping behind their backs, no one said that the Ji Family¡¯s bloodline had reached its end anymore.


    Old Master Ji and Ji Buwang were buried in the Ji Family¡¯s ancestral grave together.


    Because Ji Buwang¡¯s ashes remained in the capital, and Shao Dong and the others might also frequently stay in the capital in the future, Mu Jingzheter bought a house in the capital, nning to stay there for a long time.


    She took turns staying in three ces¡ªthe capital, Ocean City, and the county. Li Zhaodi and the rest had no objections to this, as Mu Han was often stationed in the capital now.


    Now that Xiao Wu had returned to the Ji Family, he was considered the newest heir of the family. Because Tang Moling had often been enved by Ji Buwang previously, he could handle many things by now. Although there was a period of chaos, he quickly straightened things out. Other than the fact that Tang Moling became even busier, nothing else had changed.


    Tang Moling had never thought of monopolizing everything in the Ji Family. He only wanted the portion that Old Master Ji had left him. After all, it was already a lot. He still wanted Xiao Wu to take over the rest after thetter inherited it.

 Chapter 466 - Three Years Later

    <h4>Chapter 466: Three Years Later</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Thinking that Xiao Wu was smart, Tang Moling decided to teach him now so that he could manage everything more easily in the future.


    After experiencing these changes, Tang Moling was much more mature than before and had the appearance of the domineering CEO in the original novel. He had be steadier, his abilities had improved, and he could take on this responsibility and even teach others.


    However, Xiao Wu wasn¡¯t interested. He told the well-meaning Tang Moling, ¡°Cousin, I don¡¯t wish to learn this for the time being. I still prefer music.¡±


    ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t let you write music anymore, but you can also study management at the same time. This way, when you grow up, you¡¯ll be able to manage thepany.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t things fine with you in charge? You can continue to be in charge.¡± Xiao Wu was still uninterested.


    Tang Moling was helpless. ¡°No, you¡¯re the heir of the Ji Family now. You have to manage it all in the future.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, it¡¯d be better if you did it since you¡¯re doing so well now. I even heard Uncle praise you previously. You¡¯re doing great. You can continue to manage thepany.¡±


    Thinking that Xiao Wu didn¡¯t know the pros and cons, Tang Moling told him about them, but Xiao Wu remained unmoved. He was even forced to speak the truth. ¡°Cousin, just take care of it. I believe in your ability. I just want to take the money. I¡¯m not interested in running thepany.¡±


    Tang Moling saw Ji Buwang¡¯s shadow in Xiao Wu. This was how Ji Buwang had enved him previously. In the end, Xiao Wu copied him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been taught wrong. You learned bad things from Young Uncle. All you know is how to squeeze me dry.¡± Tang Moling was speechless. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll take over the Ji Family and change its surname to Tang?¡±


    ¡°Cousin, I know you won¡¯t. Also, regardless of whether our surname is Tang or Ji, we¡¯re a family.¡±


    These words left Tang Moling speechless. That¡¯s right, he wouldn¡¯t do it. He couldn¡¯t bear to. Now, only he and Xiao Wu were left at home. In the past, he hadn¡¯t felt much about it, but after Ji Buwang and Old Master Ji¡¯s departure, he realized that he had no other kin left.


    He didn¡¯t want to be alone. He needed kinship, and Xiao Wu was his closest kin now.


    During the time that Xiao Wu and Tang Moling had apanied Old Master Ji, their rtionship had rapidly warmed up. He could only continue slogging away.


    As the saying goes, ¡®if you love the house, love the crow thates with it¡¯. He thought that since his uncle had treated him so well back then, he would treat Shao Dong and the rest as his nephews and niece, as he wanted to treat them better in his uncle¡¯s ce.


    The children aside, he didn¡¯t change his way of addressing Mu Jingzhe. No matter how others looked at him, he still called her ¡®Aunt¡¯. Who would have thought that he would one day sincerely call the girl he used to like ¡®Aunt¡¯ without any reluctance?


    Tang Moling had thought it through. His fondness for her had been genuine, butpared to Ji Buwang¡¯s feelings, it was nothing. In the face of such feelings, he had no regrets.


    His heart ached for them, especially when he identally saw the white hair peeking out under Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hat.


    From then on, Tang Moling observed a lot and grew up a lot. He learned to cherish rtionships and he matured. He officially got together with that arm-wrestling girl and would get married when the mourning period was over.


    Seeing how Shao Qihai had been silently protective of Mu Jingzhe, Tang Moling thought that, as time passed, they might get together. However, year after year, even after many people had forgotten about Ji Buwang, they still didn¡¯t get together.


    After putting on the white jade ring at the wedding, Mu Jingzhe had never taken it off again.


    Time was the best medicine. Later on, Mu Jingzhe finally overcame her sadness, but her hair still didn¡¯t turn ck. When hair dye became a thing, she began to often dye her hair ck and sometimes even blond.


    Although she didn¡¯t dress up particrly fashionably, because her hair was dyed blond, she exuded a trendy vibe.


    Now looking like a punk, Mu Jingzhe kept busy and would even bring the small doll with her on her trips.


    Now that Ji Buwang was no longer around, Mu Jingzhe was very lucky to have the dolls with her. She had found someone to glue the broken doll and restore it to its original state.


    This set of dolls was always with Mu Jingzhe¡¯s other dolls. They were always wherever Mu Jingzhe lived.


    However, the one she often carried with her was the smallest one, and the one who apanied Mu Jingzhe to sleep every night was also Little Buwang.


    Mu Jingzhe brought it along everywhere she went and would take some time out each year to travel to the ces that Ji Buwang had promised to go with her or mentioned to her.


    The five kids wanted to follow, but Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t let them because this was a trip for her and Ji Buwang alone.


    When she arrived, she would take a photo as a keepsake. Afraid that Shao Dong and the others would be sad to see it, she could only secretly hide Little Buwang somewhere and act like he was in the photo with her.


    She often spoke to Little Buwang on the way, as if Ji Buwang was apanying her. She even attracted strange gazes, but she didn¡¯t mind.


    Other than Ji Buwang, Mu Jingzhe would also bring Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng along sometimes. They had lived in a mountain vige their entire lives. In the past, the furthest they had gone was only the county city. Later on, although they had been to some ces, the ces they had visited were still not many.


    If the five kids needed to broaden their horizons and explore new ces, it was also necessary for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng to do so.


    After going to the capital for the first time and taking a photo there, Li Zhaodi bragged about it for three months. Later on, she was quite enthusiastic about going to famous ces to have fun. After each trip, she was particrly enthusiastic about bragging to others regarding her experiences.


    Mu Jingzhe felt that Li Zhaodi had missed her calling. Otherwise, she could actually have been a tour guide. The travel stories she told others sounded interesting and made one look forward to visiting those ces themselves. She was perfectly suited to be a tour guide.


    As there were many scenic ces in the country, Li Zhaodi even bought a map to mark the ces she had been to. She would brag to others about how many ces she had visited.


    Mu Jingzhe thought that this was great. She nned to bring them along to tour famous historical sites. When it was more convenient in a few years, she would buy a globe and a world map for Li Zhaodi and take her parents around the world.


    When Li Zhaodi heard Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ns, she was overjoyed. After going to many ces, Li Zhaodi was already different. When she traveled overseas, Mu Jingzhe believed that she would be even more different. She wouldn¡¯t feel any regrets when she was old anymore.


    Upon hearing the overseas travel n, Li Zhaodi specifically bought tapes to learn foreignnguages. She was more serious than anyone else. Even after learning just one or two lines, she still had to show off to others, showing everyone how impressive and filial the five kids were to her.


    Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng were happy, especially after Mu Han got married.


    For people like them, who came from Great Eastern Vige, these were serious life changes. Their children were filial and promising, and there was no one leading a better life than them.


    Their only regret was that they had lost their son-inw and their daughter was single.


    Mu Jingzhe came to see Li Zhaodi again and asked where they wanted to travel when Shao Xi and Little Bei had time during the holidays. Li Zhaodi said a few words, but she soon entered a daze.


    When her daughter asked what she was thinking, she heard Li Zhaodi say, ¡°Jingzhe, it¡¯s been three years, almost four. What are your thoughts and ns? I think Shao Qihai is actually not bad.. He¡¯s been waiting for you all these years.¡±

 Chapter 467 - Are You Planning to Get Married?

    <h4>Chapter 467: Are You nning to Get Married?</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe paused when she heard Li Zhaodi¡¯s words, then raised her head to look at her. ¡°Mom, haven¡¯t I been married before? Look, my wedding ring is still there. What else can I think of or n?¡±


    Seeing that Li Zhaodi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, Mu Jingzhe spread her arms and hugged her. ¡°Mom, stop thinking about this. I already said that I¡¯d only have one wedding, so your daughter is already married. Besides, it¡¯s the kind of husband I can¡¯t divorce before I die. After all, if I wanted a divorce, I¡¯d have to go to theherworld. You know that too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡± Li Zhaodi got mad. She felt terrible when she thought of Mu Jingzhe holding the little doll every day and treating it as though it was Ji Buwang. That was just a little thing. How could it possibly rece a human?


    Mu Jingzhe sighed. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m being serious too. Thest time I got married, I wasn¡¯t joking. I married Ji Buwang. You can¡¯t make me turn him into a cuckold just because your son-inw can¡¯t do anything about this. Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯ll get angry ande look for you tonight?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe knew that Li Zhaodi believed these things, so she deliberately tried to scare her. Unexpectedly, Li Zhaodi freed herself from her hand and didn¡¯t seem afraid at all. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. Let hime. If there¡¯s any me to assign, me it on me. He can¡¯t me you. He cane and look for me. All of this is my fault. I let him down even though he called me ¡®Mom¡¯, but I believe he can understand my feelings because he definitely wants you to live a normal life too. He does not want you to torture yourself like this.¡±


    Li Zhaodi was aware of Ji Buwang¡¯s intentions.


    Mu Jingzhe was silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not torturing myself or suffering. I¡¯m doing quite well now. I¡¯m living a carefree life and I have money. There¡¯s nothing bad about it. Why do I have to get married to be considered blissful?¡±


    This life was simply the biggest dream in society.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed with emotion. Seeing that Li Zhaodi still didn¡¯t look good, she quickly retracted her words. ¡°Mom, what I said just now was really not a joke. I¡¯m serious. Do you remember what the fortune-teller said? She said that Ji Buwang and I would be married for three lifetimes. It¡¯s only been one lifetime now, and there are still two more lifetimes to go.


    ¡°I only have one husband, Ji Buwang. He won¡¯t make a mistake. He will definitely wait for me. In our next life, we might be able to find each other and be husband and wife again.¡±


    She held Li Zhaodi¡¯s hand. ¡°When the timees, Mom, you¡¯ll still be my mother, Dad will still be my father, and Mu Han will be my brother. We¡¯ll still be a family. When we find Ji Buwang, he¡¯ll still be your son-inw. Doesn¡¯t that sound good?¡±


    Of course it did, but how could Li Zhaodi know what would happen in her next life? Right now, she only wanted to deal with what was in front of her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you refuse to believe in these things in the past? Now, you only know how to bluff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not bluffing. I believe it now.¡± She did believe it now. Mu Jingzhe shook Li Zhaodi¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright, Mom, don¡¯t think too much about it. I think things are pretty good the way they are now. There¡¯s you and Dad and the five kids.


    ¡°They¡¯re still young now. In the future, when they grow up, they¡¯ll have their own jobs and personal life. If we leave you too, what will you do?


    ¡°You and Dad are in such good health now, so you won¡¯t leave us so early. Besides, how can you bear to leave when you¡¯re not done traveling around the world yet? That¡¯s why you¡¯ll live a long life. As for the possibility of you feeling lonely, that won¡¯t happen. Little Dong and the others are busy, but they¡¯ll still give me grandchildren.


    ¡°If the five kids have one child each at the same time, there will be five grandchildren. If they have two each, there will be ten. I¡¯m even afraid that there will be too many grandkids and I will have my hands full. I won¡¯t be alone, though.¡±


    Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince Mu Jingzhe, Li Zhaodi felt helpless. ¡°Jingzhe, do you dislike Shao Qihai that much?¡±


    ¡°I like him. He¡¯s a good person, but it¡¯s impossible for anything to happen between me and Shao Qihai. He knows it too.¡±


    Shao Qihai was a really good person. He was also her savior. Back then, he had gone to save her without hesitation. Jiang Feng had helped too. Jiang Feng had had a conflict with her before because of his ex-wife. However, like Shao Qihai, he was actually a very good person.


    In the past few years, Shao Qihai had been very good to the five kids. He was a great person and a great father. Presumably, he would make a great husband too, but nothing would ever happen between her and Shao Qihai.


    She had made things clear to Shao Qihai two years ago. At the time, the people around her had advised them. Seeing that Shao Qihai had never started another rtionship, she had taken the opportunity to make things clear. She had said that a rtionship waspletely impossible between them, and Shao Qihai knew that too.


    Mu Jingzhe left after making things clear to Li Zhaodi. Li Zhaodi looked at her back as she left and sighed. ¡°What should I do about you?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t even turn around. ¡°Mom, stop sighing. Be careful, or Buwang wille to look for you at night.¡±


    Li Zhaodi shouted angrily, ¡°Let hime! I¡¯m not scared!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t reply this time. Li Zhaodi looked at the gold bracelet on her arm, then at her wealthy home, and sighed.


    For the past two years, Li Zhaodi had spent most of her days very happily, as she was living a blissful life that she had never imagined. Only in the dead of the night, when she thought of Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe¡¯s white hair, would she feel terrible.


    Ji Buwang had been so great. As a mother, she could understand that Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t forget him, but she didn¡¯t want her daughter to be alone.


    As for Shao Qihai, he had been waiting for Mu Jingzhe all this time. Although he wouldn¡¯t say it, he had been silently taking care of her and waiting for her all these years.


    Seeing Shao Qihai¡¯s performance in the past few years, Li Zhaodi felt that he was actually not bad, and it might be nice for her daughter to be with him. After privately discussing it with Mu Teng, she felt that she should be more selfish and not let Jingzhe die alone.


    Because of this thought, they felt that they had let down Ji Buwang, who was up there. Therefore, right from the start, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng would secretly go to see Ji Buwang whenever they had nothing to do. They would make him his favorite foods and discuss this with him. They had let him down, but this couldn¡¯t be med on Jingzhe. It was their selfishness as parents.


    They only hoped that Ji Buwang wouldn¡¯t feel terrible. If he really had to me someone, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng would rather he med them.


    In the end, although they kept apologizing to Ji Buwang for two years, Jingzhe still didn¡¯t change her mind.


    It was impossible for Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng to force Mu Jingzhe to get married, so they could only suppress the longing in their hearts.


    After returning from an overseas trip and witnessing life overseas, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng went around bragging and forgot about this matter for some time. However, because of the five kids, they still felt uneasy when they met Shao Qihai again.


    Over the past few years, Shao Qihai had be more and more mature. He didn¡¯t seem to have aged, but he was bing more and more imposing. Many women had their eyes on him. There were even some youngdies who didn¡¯t mind that he had children. He was quite popr.


    This was understandable. The main reason was that he was good-looking and had a sessful career.


    However, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t intend to find someone. Usually, the only person he cared about was Jingzhe. He was quite respectful to Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi and secretly took care of them.


    Now that they had met, Li Zhaodi recalled Mu Jingzhe¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Qihai, do you n to get married?¡±


    Shao Qihai paused.. ¡°No.¡±

 Chapter 468 - He Never Had a Chance

    <h4>Chapter 468: He Never Had a Chance</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Li Zhaodi hadn¡¯t expected to hear this. She had thought that Shao Qihai would take this opportunity to ask them to put in a good word for him in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    ¡°I thought you were¡­ Forget it, I won¡¯t say anything else.¡± Upon seeing Shao Qihai like this, Li Zhaodi knew that it was hopeless and felt terrible.


    She had originally thought that it was only because Jingzhe couldn¡¯t forget Ji Buwang that she kept dragging this out. She had thought that, with Shao Qihai guarding her like this, Jingzhe might sort out her thoughts one day. She hadn¡¯t expected that Shao Qihai would not be interested either.


    However, he¡¯d clearly been interested in her before and had been guarding her all along. Li Zhaodi couldn¡¯t figure it out and blurted out, ¡°Qihai, do you despise Jingzhe¡¯s white hair? She can dye it back now.¡±


    Shao Qihai was stunned. ¡°No, why would I? It¡¯s just¡­¡± Shao Qihai paused for a moment. ¡°Auntie, I don¡¯t mind it. I¡¯d jump at the chance. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re not destined to be together.¡±


    Li Zhaodi regretted saying those words. Looking into Shao Qihai¡¯s eyes, she knew that what Shao Qihai had said was true. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you two are thinking. I misspoke. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    In Li Zhaodi¡¯s opinion, if two people were more or less suitable, they could just make do with each other and live together. She didn¡¯t overthink these things. However, that wasn¡¯t the case this time.


    Neither Mu Jingzhe nor Shao Qihai needed to make do with each other.


    As Shao Qihai watched Li Zhaodi leave, the corners of his mouth formed a bitter smile. He muttered, ¡°I know that we can¡¯t be together because she only has Ji Buwang in her heart. She can¡¯t let go or forget.¡±


    He had not given up on Jingzhe. He had just never had a chance.


    He had not had a chance even before Ji Buwang. How could he have one now with Ji Buwang between them?


    He had never mentioned this before, afraid that it would be difficult for them to meet again.


    Coincidentally, after meeting Li Zhaodi, when Shao Qihai returned home, he saw the kids return too. ¡°Wait for me for a while. I¡¯ll prepare dinner soon.¡±


    Shao Qihai was now proficient in cooking. Although his culinary skills couldn¡¯tpare to Mu Jingzhe¡¯s, he wasn¡¯t bad either. He put on his apron and got busy, while Shao Dong helped from the side. Thetter suddenly asked, ¡°Dad, are you not nning to get married? On my way back just now, an auntie next to me was asking about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already 40 years old. You¡¯re all grown up now. Why would I get married again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯ve grown up that you can find an old partner.¡± Shao Dong sighed. ¡°Mommy¡¯s not looking for a partner, and neither are you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing that I didn¡¯t find a stepmother for you? Why are you rushing to get a stepmother? Do you think everyone is as good as your mommy? Aren¡¯t you afraid that your life will get messy?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it seems like we don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for us.¡± Shao Dong looked at Shao Qihai. ¡°What you said makes sense. However, when Mommy watches television, she says that it¡¯s really unreasonable for a devoted male supporting character to remain single forever. I quite agree with that. So Dad, you shouldn¡¯t overthink it. Don¡¯t hold yourself back when you meet the right person.¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly being such a lobbyist today? I know what I¡¯m doing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Shao Qihai knew what Mu Jingzhe had meant. It was indeed unreasonable for a devoted male supporting character not to get married for the rest of his life. He agreed with her, but he had never felt that he was a devoted male supporting character. He simply didn¡¯t want to get married because he was tired.


    More importantly, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t want to get married. He had already been married twice.


    He hadn¡¯t even taken care of his two wives despite getting married twice, though. What right did he have to get married again?


    He wasn¡¯t in the mood for that anymore. He didn¡¯t want to disturb the peace at home with a new marriage. Instead, he wanted to livefortably with the kids around him and look after Jingzhe.


    He didn¡¯t deny that, in his heart, he asionally hoped that Jingzhe would think things through and they¡¯d rekindle their previous rtionship, but he also knew that it was impossible.


    He was guarding Jingzhe to atone for his sins, as he had not done a good job previously.


    Shao Qihai had always been this sober, but sometimes being too sober wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. It made people unable to even dream.


    Seeing that the children had so much free time that they wanted to meddle in his affairs, Shao Qihai paused for a moment and added some chili in the dishes, sessfully spicing Little Bei and the boys¡¯ food.


    ¡°Dad, you did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± The five kids ate very happily, but they were totally feeling the spiciness of the meal.


    ¡°No, I identally added a little too much.¡± Shao Qihai was calm.


    Little Bei understood when she saw Shao Qihai¡¯s expression. ¡°Alright.¡± She sighed and suddenly called him ¡®Dad¡¯. Shao Qihai raised his head reflexively and saw Little Bei suddenly cry.


    Shao Qihai: ¡°!!!¡±


    Shao Qihai wiped his tears away awkwardly. ¡°Little Bei!¡±


    Little Bei chuckled. ¡°If you spice our food, I¡¯ll make you cry.¡±


    The secret that Shao Qihai couldn¡¯t bear to see tears had eventually been exposed. Little Bei was the most mischievous. She was an actress to begin with, and tears came to her naturally whenever she wanted to. asionally, she would make Shao Qihai cry.


    Shao Qihai was almost driven crazy by her, but there was also a benefit. When he felt depressed and ufortable, it was actually quite good to cry.


    Therefore, when Little Bei was mischievous, it was also when he felt the most depressed. After Ji Buwang¡¯s passing, when he had seen Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hair turn white, he had relied on venting to survive. At the time, Little Bei had forced him to watch the movies she had acted in, giving him an excuse to vent.


    This time, Little Bei seemed to have heard something and had deliberatelye to tease him again. Everyone said that daughters were their father¡¯s little cotton-padded jackets. This saying was true. Countless times, Shao Qihai was d to have Little Bei as his little cotton-padded jacket.


    It wasn¡¯t that Shao Dong and the rest weren¡¯t good, but the thought of having five sons was a pretty scary one. It was best to have a daughter too.


    Although Shao Qihai was sober, being sober didn¡¯t mean that he was heartless. It didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t feel terrible either. After being teased by Little Bei until he was forced to cry, he felt a little better.


    Then, he, who had originally had no appetite, felt hungry after crying. Therefore, he decided to eat more. Shao Qihai went to scoop some rice with red eyes and took a few more nces at the brand name ¡®Good Mommy¡¯ on the rice cooker.


    This was the new brand that Shao Dong¡¯spany hadunched in the past two years. ¡®Good Brother¡¯ was now famous in the country and had be a household name. Both adults and children could recite the brand¡¯s advertising slogans. If one mentioned a slogan, the brand ¡®Good Brother¡¯ woulde to mind.


    Besides continuing to sell washing machines and refrigerators, they alsounched other appliances. Previously, they hadunched an electric rice cooker and an electromaic stove. This time, the line wasn¡¯t called ¡®Good Brother¡¯ but ¡®Good Mommy¡¯.


    Shao Dong hadn¡¯t discussed it with Mu Jingzhe and his siblings. He felt that this was a very suitable name for a rice cooker, for it implied that the rice cooked by this rice cooker was as delicious as the rice cooked by a mother.


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration, but the rice cooker was indeed not bad.


    After it wasunched, the sales were excellent and its reputation was awesome. Again, this appliance entered thousands of households.


    Shao Qihai didn¡¯t have to buy one. As soon as the product came out, it was sent to him. When he saw this brand name, he felt that it was quite good. Of course, he didn¡¯t dare ask if there would be a ¡®Good Daddy¡¯ brand name in his lifetime as well.


    He felt that there was a high chance that it wouldn¡¯t happen, so he didn¡¯t ask to spare himself the humiliation.


    The five kids stayed at Shao Qihai¡¯s ce for two days.. When Mu Jingzhe returned, they went back to see her.

 Chapter 469 - All Grown Up

    <h4>Chapter 469: All Grown Up</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Children grew up quickly, especially when they entered the period of rapid growth that urred during puberty. In four years, they had all changed drastically.


    The changes in the five children were very obvious. The oldest, Shao Dong and Shao Xi, were 17 and about to turn 18. Their height had already surpassed Mu Jingzhe¡¯s.


    In just two years, they had soared to 1.80 meters. From the looks of it, they would continue to grow.


    In the blink of an eye, Mu Jingzhe felt that they had grown even taller. Their clothes would always be short quickly. Sometimes, after buying new clothes, if they didn¡¯t wear them in time, they would outgrow them in two to three months.


    The changes of the duo made Mu Jingzhe truly experience seeing her children grow up.


    Now that they had grown taller, their facial features had also changed. They had dashing eyebrows, and their nose bridges were tall and straight, which made them look rather heroic. Their facial features resembled Shao Qihai¡¯s, but inbination with Bai Lu¡¯s characteristics, they looked even fresher.


    Children their age really had the most vigor. Every time Mu Jingzhe looked at them, she felt a youthful aura rushing over her.


    At the thought that they had been raised by her, she couldn¡¯t conceal her pride.


    Shao Dong and Shao Xi¡¯s height basically increased at pretty much the same rate. Because they were twins, their appearance was still simr. However, their disposition waspletely different.


    Shao Dong was very steady. Just like when he was young, he looked like a young adult, reserved and very serious when dealing with outsiders. Over the past few years, his aura had be even more domineering, making it impossible for anyone to retort.


    Even Mu Han, his uncle, said that whenever Shao Dong¡¯s countenance darkened these days, he would feel his hair stand on end and he wouldn¡¯t dare say anything.


    However, Shao Dong would only do that to outsiders, not to his family or Mu Jingzhe. When he saw Mu Jingzhe, he would always smile before saying anything. Whenever he smiled, his entire disposition would soften. Therefore, he was a big boss to outsiders, but when he came home, he was a good little boy around his family.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Shao Dong was the same this time. He called her ¡®Mom¡¯ first and looked at her with smiling eyes. Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Shao Dong¡¯s stutter hadn¡¯t disappeared yet. Although he no longer cared, he still didn¡¯t like to talk outside usually. However, when he had to speak, he was never afraid.


    He didn¡¯t mind his stutter, nor did he mind other people¡¯s gazes. Instead, he became increasingly calm.


    Beside Shao Dong was Shao Xi. Shao Xi was fairer and gave off apletely different vibe from Shao Dong. He wasn¡¯t serious but he was lively. When he smiled, he looked handsome and exuded a bad-boy vibe. In a crowd, one could always spot him at first nce.


    Shao Xi was now famous for his vicious tongue, and his bad-boy appearance made many people go crazy for him.


    However, in front of Mu Jingzhe, Shao Xi was simply childish. No matter how many years had passed, he was still the same around Mu Jingzhe and he keptpeting for her favor.


    Shao Xi wanted to hug Mu Jingzhe, but Shao Nan pushed him away.


    They had turned fifteen this year, so it was unavoidable for Shao Nan and Shao Bei to grow taller. Also, Shao Nan was still at the stage when his voice was changing. Because his voice wasn¡¯t pleasant, he didn¡¯t like to talk anymore.


    Besides, because he hadughed at Shao Xi during Shao Xi¡¯s voice-changing period previously, he would be mocked by Shao Xi as soon as he opened his mouth. Therefore, he would use actions instead of speech to express himself when possible.


    After bing a little short-sighted from reading too much, Shao Nan had begun wearing a pair of sses. He had a pair of ck-framed sses and a pair of gold-rimmed sses, and each pair made Shao Nan give off a different aura.


    The ck-framed sses were elegant and refined. At a nce, one could tell that he was a star student and a school hunk. He looked harmless wearing those sses.


    However, whenever he was wearing the gold-rimmed sses, he looked like a refined degenerate. He rarely wore the gold-rimmed sses, as he was usually wearing the ck-framed ones instead.


    Because he had suffered quite a bit in Shao Nan¡¯s presence, Shao Xi was about to argue after being pushed aside. However, Shao Nan only let Little Bei go forward.


    Cutie-pie Little Bei was still cute, but she had be even more beautiful. At fifteen years old, she was at her most beautiful and youthful age. Quick-witted and adorable, she was truly the nation¡¯s daughter and younger sister.


    At the sight of Little Bei, Mu Jingzhe¡¯s smile widened, and she picked Little Bei up in her arms. Little Bei was both happy and embarrassed. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m grown up now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can carry you even if you¡¯re 20 or 30 years old.¡±


    The boys couldn¡¯t help butugh as they watched from the side. Little Bei was their precious younger sister, and Mu Jingzhe was their beloved mother. They were naturally only d that the two of them were so close.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m here too.¡± Xiao Wu followed, opening his arms. ¡°I want a hug too.¡±


    Xiao Wu was 13 years old and had grown much taller. His facial features kept slowly developing and bing more exquisite. He had long curly hair and skin so fair that it seemed to glow, like a Prince Charming in a book.


    When Mu Jingzhe saw Xiao Wu, a dazed look shed across her eyes. Xiao Wu seemed to be bing more and more like Ji Buwang.


    Or rather, he resembled Ji Buwang¡¯s older brother. But since the two brothers had looked like twins, he also resembled Ji Buwang.


    Xiao Wu¡¯s facial features had be more simr to his now that they had developed a little. Perhaps the resemnce would grow as he grew up.


    However, there were also some differences. For instance, his disposition. Although he was young, Xiao Wu was already a little gentleman. He was still just like before¡ªobedient, fond of smiles, and famous for his politeness.


    Mu Jingzhe reached out and gave Xiao Wu a hug. ¡°Xiao Wu is going to be taller than me too. I¡¯ll be the shortest person in the family from now on.¡±


    Who would have thought? In just a few years, she had be the shortest. Although she felt happy, Mu Jingzhe sighed in her heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mommy. If you want to touch my hair, I can squat down.¡± Xiao Wu lowered his head as he answered.


    ¡°No need. I can stand on my tiptoes.¡± Mu Jingzhe pulled them in. ¡°Alright,e on in and eat.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, if you¡¯re busy, I cane back and cook,¡± Shao Dong said.


    ¡°No, I have time.¡±


    The family ate a meal and shared what had happened today at the dining table. The atmosphere was quite lively.


    After Mu Jingzhe listened to them and told them what she had done, she casually asked about Xiao Wu¡¯s confrontation on TV.


    ¡°Xiao Wu, is there something wrong with that Zhao guy? Looks like you don¡¯t like him very much.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe asked, everyone stopped to look at Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu was different from his brothers and had a nice personality. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t get angry. It was rare for him to act like Shao Xi, but on the TV show, his sharp tongue had made that guy¡¯s face turn purple with just a few words.


    Xiao Wu paused. ¡°No. I just don¡¯t like him.¡±


    Xiao Wu would asionally appear on television. Usually, he would meet good people, but this time, he had met an ignorant person.


    That Zhao person was actually an old acquaintance of the Ji Family who knew about Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe and was aware that Ji Buwang had passed away. He had hypocriticallyforted Xiao Wu for a while and then changed the topic and actually expressed his interest in Mu Jingzhe.


    His words hadn¡¯t been very respectful and hadpletely angered Xiao Wu.


    Xiao Wu also had a reverse?scale<sup>1</sup>¡ªhis family. He was protective of his loved ones and couldn¡¯t be provoked when it came to the people he cared about. He usually seemed mild-tempered, but when he got angry, he was very intimidating.

 Chapter 470 - The Most Special Birthday Celebration

    <h4>Chapter 470: The Most Special Birthday Celebration</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    To put it simply, Xiao Wu was someone who usually didn¡¯t get angry but was really terrifying when he did get mad.


    Therefore, not only had Xiao Wu insulted that Zhao guy on TV, but he hadn¡¯t let him off in private either. He¡¯dpletely eliminated any possibility of him appearing in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    However, Xiao Wu didn¡¯t intend to say much to Mu Jingzhe. Seeing that there was nothing new, Mu Jingzhe just let it pass.


    They chatted over the meal and ate until their tes were clean. Theyughed and chatted happily until they went back to their own rooms. Only then did a sigh leak out.


    Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary wasing up. Right after Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary would be Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday. Shortly after that, it would be Ji Buwang¡¯s birthday.


    It wasn¡¯t good that these asions happened one after the other, but it wasn¡¯t something that could be changed artificially.


    Right before Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary, the five kids would always apany Mu Jingzhe and would rarely let her stay alone, as they knew how agonizing it was for Mu Jingzhe.


    The night before Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary, Little Bei made a fuss about wanting to sleep with Mu Jingzhe again. Knowing that they were worried about her, Mu Jingzhe could only agree.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Little Bei. Mommy is fine. It¡¯s all in the past. I¡¯m not that sad anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe hugged Little Bei andforted her at night. What she had said was the truth. She really was much better and wasn¡¯t in so much pain that she wished she was dead. She didn¡¯t cry anymore either. The closer they got to Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary, the less she cried. She had to show him that she was living well.


    Little Bei hugged Mu Jingzhe. ¡°Alright, Mommy, go to sleep quickly. If you can¡¯t sleep, I will sing you a luby.¡±


    Upon hearing the word ¡®luby¡¯, Mu Jingzhe was startled and quickly said, ¡°No, no need.¡±


    However, it was toote. Little Bei had already started singing about carrying explosives to blow up the school. Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face was numb, but she couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Seeing that it was working, Little Bei sang about climbing up a utility pole and crapping in one¡¯s pants. In the end, she even sang the one about the bunny¡¯s arterial vein being cut off, singing all of these songs for Mu Jingzhe.


    Mu Jingzheughed uncontrobly and had fun with Little Bei for a while before falling asleep.


    Little Bei secretly heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Mu Jingzhe was really asleep.


    When they woke up the next day, the five kids were all wearing white or ck clothes. Just like Mu Jingzhe had helped them prepare for Bai Lu¡¯s death anniversary, they helped Mu Jingzhe prepare for this one.


    They prepared all of Ji Buwang¡¯s favorites to the best of their abilities. After a while, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng came too, bringing a lot of delicious dishes that used to be Ji Buwang¡¯s favorites in the past.


    After they met up, the group went to Ji Buwang¡¯s grave and ced his favorite food there. Li Zhaodi even burned a lot of paper money and gold bars for Ji Buwang, which added up to two sacks.


    Last year, there had only been one sack, but this year, there was an additional one. Mu Jingzhe was speechless. ¡°Mom, why is there another sack? There¡¯s so much that it¡¯ll take quite a long time to burn it all, won¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can take care of it. I¡¯ll just burn it a little longer. Buwang was rich since he was young and was used to living a good life. If he goes to theherworld and doesn¡¯t have money, he¡¯ll definitely be unused to it. I have to burn more for him lest he bes poor in the afterlife.¡±


    Li Zhaodi shouted as she burned, ¡°Buwang, if it¡¯s not enough, you can tell me in a dream! I¡¯ll burn more for you. There are many gold bars this year. Go ahead and spend it all.¡±


    Since Ji Buwang had given Mu Jingzhe gold bars, she had to burn more for him.


    Li Zhaodi thought that since Ji Buwang didn¡¯t have any rtives to burn things for him, at the end of the day, they were the only ones there, so she had to burn more.


    ¡°With so many gold bars, he¡¯ll definitely be able to lead a good life.¡± Mu Jingzhe also thought about the gold bars. She then paused for a moment and squatted down to help.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have to burn more money next year, in case money bes increasingly worthless in theherworld. Money isn¡¯t as valuable as before anymore.¡±


    Mu Jingzheughed when she heard that. Li Zhaodi was even taking intion into ount.


    Shao Dong and the others also started burning money. ¡°Papa, just spend as much as you want. We can afford it.¡±


    After Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang¡¯s wedding, the five kids had also changed their form of address.


    Shao Xi even muttered that he had not received a red packet for the change as he burned the paper money.


    That said, the children were actually very regretful. If they had known, they would have switched to calling him ¡®Papa¡¯ earlier.


    Ji Buwang had always wanted to hear them change their form of address. He hadn¡¯t given up when he had seen them for thest time, but at the time, they hadn¡¯t changed their form of address. In the end, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t even heard them call him ¡®Papa¡¯ once.


    Because they had prepared too much paper money, they burned it for a long time. If it was not for the fact that this was the Ji Family¡¯s cemetery, they would have been stopped long ago.


    After seeing Ji Buwang, she didn¡¯t forget to look at Old Master Ji beside him. Li Zhaodi even promised Old Master Ji, ¡°When it¡¯s your death anniversary, I¡¯ll burn just as much for you. If it¡¯s not enough, you can also tell me in a dream.¡±


    Although Mu Jingzhe felt that he might not be able to spend it, she was still affected by Li Zhaodi. When she returned, she couldn¡¯t help but make a set of clothes and burn it for Ji Buwang.


    On Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary, Shao Qihai didn¡¯t appear, nor did he go to the grave to pay his respects. However, he bought some wine at night and drank quite a bit alone. He scattered the rest on the ground and offered it to Ji Buwang.


    After the agonizing death anniversary of Ji Buwang, it was Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday.


    There were birthdays every year. If they celebrated their birthdays every single time, over time, there would be fewer gifts one could give. However, the five children would still give Mu Jingzhe a surprise every year, as they prepared gifts with all their hearts, just like Mu Jingzhe prepared gifts for them every year.


    In the end, these surprises were all a result of effort.


    This year, on?Jingzhe<sup>1</sup>, Shao Dong also held a brand discount day.


    He had long mentioned that the brand name ¡®Good Mommy¡¯ had been created because of Mu Jingzhe. Hence, on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, in order to celebrate his mother¡¯s birthday, all the products of his brand were discounted to express his gratitude to her.


    Although it was a way to celebrate Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday, the discount was also a way to repay the customers. After all, the reason his career had developed so well was because of the trust and support of his customers.


    That day, if a mother had the same birthday as Mu Jingzhe, she could even enjoy a discount on top of the existing discount and save more than 50% off the original price. One could enjoy such benefits if they were lucky enough to have the same birthday as Mu Jingzhe.


    Later on, when Shao Dong¡¯s career grew bigger and bigger and the industry distribution became wider and wider, the discount event on that day¡ªJingzhe¡ªalso became increasingly influential.


    Shao Dong had long be famous, but this discount day continued. When Shao Dong was interviewed, he always said that the discount was held that day because it was his mother¡¯s birthday. He was grateful to his mother, as without Mu Jingzhe, there would be no him.


    Simrly, without everyone¡¯s support, he wouldn¡¯t be who he was today.


    In the early years, such an impact was still rtively small. Later on, it became bigger and bigger, especially as technology became more and more advanced. With the arrival of the Inte era, thepetition became bigger. After online shopping became a thing, this day became even more special.


    Jingzhe had be a day everyone was looking forward to. They were all looking forward to getting a discount that day, which forced other brands to follow suit ande up with discount activities. Later on, that day became a popr brand promotion and discount day.

 Chapter 471 - Bury Us Together

    <h4>Chapter 471: Bury Us Together</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Shao Dong had single-handedly created this special day. Later on, when the inte developed even more, many people even called Mu Jingzhe their future mother-inw.


    Because Little Bei was the nation¡¯s daughter, Mu Jingzhe was called the nation¡¯s mother for a long time. This was because, like Shao Dong, Little Bei always talked about her mother.


    Also, because of Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Xiao Wu, the nation¡¯s mother lived up to her name.


    As Shao Dong and Shao Xi grew up, they became increasingly good-looking. Thus, Mu Jingzhe became the mother-inw of the whole country.


    This would all happenter. Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t expect the decision that Shao Dong made on her birthday to affect the future so much, and in the near future, it would even create this world¡¯s 11/11 in advance.


    In the modern era, 11/11 was initially Singles Day, butter on, it became a shopping festival, and no one remembered it as Singles Day anymore.


    In this world, because of Shao Dong,?Jingzhe<sup>1</sup>?had also be a nationwide discount shopping day, eventually even spreading overseas from China. Later on, even people overseas knew that this was a shopping festival.


    At first, Shao Dong didn¡¯t think that far ahead. He was really just celebrating his mother¡¯s birthday.


    Although he hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead, causing such a stir was not bad. It was as if the entire world was celebrating Mu Jingzhe¡¯s birthday.


    Themotion that day made Shao Qihai, their father, feel gratified. He felt that Mu Jingzhe would definitely be happy, but he also felt a little helpless.


    Even now, he still didn¡¯t have much of a presence. Although the outside world knew that he was still alive, he remained transparent, whereas everyone knew about Mu Jingzhe.


    Shao Qihai was used to it. He hadn¡¯t expected that after two years, Shao Dong would give him a big gift¡ªa brand named ¡®Good Daddy¡¯.


    That was a new field Shao Dong got involved in. He wanted to enter the military vehicle manufacturing industry. To him, the stablest and safest car he had ridden in was his father¡¯s car, so he named the brand ¡®Good Daddy¡¯.


    Among other car brands, the brand name ¡®Good Daddy¡¯ was a little out of ce. However, he still managed to carve out a path through quality and good prices.


    Later on, ¡®Good Daddy¡¯ also became a brand name that everyone was familiar with.


    What Mommy had, he also wanted Daddy to have. Shao Dong didn¡¯t want to be too biased, so he gave Shao Qihai the same treatment.


    Therefore, on Shao Qihai¡¯s birthday, the ¡®Good Daddy¡¯ brand offered a discount. However, with Jingzhe¡¯s discount day ahead, the effect of this brand¡¯s discount was negligible. More people knew about the discount on Jingzhe, so they were still used to making their purchases on Jingzhe¡¯s birthday.


    Shao Qihai¡¯s birthday discountsted two years but didn¡¯t cause much of a stir. Later on, Shao Qihai took the initiative to call it quits, asking Shao Dong to merge the discount activities and have them both on Jingzhe¡¯s birthday.


    Due to the discounts, time passed by fast. In the blink of an eye, decades had passed.


    For the past few decades, Mu Jingzhe had been busy non-stop. Her career hadn¡¯t paused at all. Other than being busy, she also took Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng, as well as the children, on trips to various parts of the world.


    Time passed quickly, and the white-haired Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi were sent off one after another.


    After the two elderly folks passed away, Mu Jingzhe knew that she would be next.


    She slowly aged until she passed away.


    Mu Jingzhe had been feeling unwell since before the New Year. Later on, she had a vague feeling that her time might be up soon too.


    Coincidentally, it would be Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary soon.


    When Mu Jingzhe had first met Ji Buwang¡¯s maternal grandmother and heard her say those words, she had only wondered how such a thing could happen. But now, she suddenly understood.


    Some people would indeed sense it before they died.


    Mu Jingzhe had felt lethargic previously, but on the day of Ji Buwang¡¯s death anniversary, she regained her energy and dressed up presentably, turning into an elegant olddy to pay her respects.


    Li Zhaodi was no longer around, but she hadn¡¯t stopped burning paper money. However, the yellow paper had turned into hell?money<sup>1</sup>, which had a particrly high denomination. Other than that, there were also vis, cars, and even cell phone models.


    She wanted Ji Buwang to have what others had, so this year, other than burning a lot of paper money, she also burned these things. Upon burning them, Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang¡¯s youthful face on the tombstone and couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°I wonder if you know how to use cell phones and tablets. Do you really receive these things? If you do, you must be living a cushy life.


    ¡°Buwang, it¡¯s been so long. Do you still remember me? Can you even recognize me now that I¡¯m so old¡­¡±


    At this point, Mu Jingzhe perked up. ¡°Although I might be old, I¡¯m an elegant olddy.¡±


    After nagging for a long time, Mu Jingzhe finally said, ¡°Ji Buwang, the promise we made back then can still be fulfilled.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t die on the same day, month, and year, but they might die on the same day and month.


    That would be nice too.


    After Mu Jingzhe finished paying her respects to Ji Buwang, she returned home. Coincidentally, the entire family was present, so she was quite satisfied.


    When she got home, she didn¡¯t have any strength left. The high energy she had just experienced had been just herst moments before death. Shao Dong and the rest could also tell that something was wrong.


    Mu Jingzhe smiled when she saw their expressions and called the five children over. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re already fathers or even grandfathers. Don¡¯t look at me like this. I¡¯m just going to look for your papa.


    ¡°After being apart for so long, we¡¯re finally going to meet. You should be happy for me.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe held Shao Dong and Xiao Wu¡¯s hands. ¡°Little Dong, Xiao Wu, bury me with Ji Buwang.¡±


    Xiao Wu¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Mom, can¡¯t you keep uspany a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Enough. It¡¯s enough¡­ I¡¯ve been with the five of you for many years. I should go find him now.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe patted Xiao Wu¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ll all be fine¡­¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she stopped breathing.


    Mu Jingzhe left with a smile. She was going to look for Ji Buwang.


    Shao Qihai quickly found out about Mu Jingzhe¡¯s death and rushed over with his walking stick, but he still didn¡¯t manage to make it in time to see her for thest time.


    This was their fate¡ªthey would always be one step apart.


    Shao Qihai listened to the criesing from inside and didn¡¯t go in. Instead, he sat outside the door in a daze. ¡°You finally got your wish. You can go look for Buwang now¡­¡±


    Mu Jingzhe had gotten her wish. As for him, he didn¡¯t know who he would look for after his death.


    After Mu Jingzhe left, the five children buried her and Ji Buwang together, honoring herst wish. When they chose the funeral portrait, they ultimately decided on a wedding photo from her younger days. Next to Ji Buwang¡¯s, it looked verypatible.


    The five children adhered to the rules and buried them together, hoping that Mu Jingzhe would really find Ji Buwang.


    After Shao Dong and the rest left, Shao Qihai came with his walking stick. He looked at the photo of the two of them on the tombstone with aplicated gaze.


    ¡°Ji Buwang, I have to admit that I¡¯ve always been envious of you.¡±


    Shao Qihai had envied Ji Buwang for his entire life because Ji Buwang had always lived in Mu Jingzhe¡¯s heart.


    ¡°From start to end, I never won. Ji Buwang, I¡¯ve always been a loser. I was utterly defeated¡­¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew over, messing up Shao Qihai¡¯s white hair and not letting him open his eyes. It was as if the wind was retorting on Ji Buwang¡¯s behalf, and it was a strong retort at that.


    He was envious of Ji Buwang, and Ji Buwang was also envious of Shao Qihai. Even though Shao Qihai was far away, he had at least been by her side.


    How blissful it must have been to see her grow old.


    The cruelest things in the world were separation and death.

 Chapter 472 - Actually Alive Again!

    <h4>Chapter 472: Actually Alive Again!</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Knowing that she was dead, Mu Jingzhe closed her eyes. It was over.


    However, she didn¡¯t expect to wake up again. At first, she thought that she had made a blunder and repeated the embarrassing mistake of saying herst words but not dying.


    Still, when she opened her eyes, she realized that something was different. This didn¡¯t seem to be the ward she had been in previously.


    At the time of her death, although her husband had already passed away, she had been a winner in life. She had reached the peak of life. When hospitalized, she had been admitted to a single ward and had even had a legendary private doctor attend to her.


    It had been a long time since she had seen such a ceiling.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. Where was she now? Had she transmigrated through a seamless connection again?


    As Mu Jingzhe was feeling curious, she suddenly heard a voice that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar. This voice was really familiar, yet it was also unfamiliar because she hadn¡¯t heard it in decades. It was only after she reacted that she found it familiar.


    At that moment, the voice muttered and scolded her. ¡°What kind of attitude is this? I just asked you to change the name, yet you make it sound like it¡¯s going to kill you!¡±


    Mu Jingzhe thought for a while before finally remembering who this was.


    Wasn¡¯t this Xiao?Shiliu<sup>1</sup>? Xiao Shiliu had ranked 16th in the orphanage, where she had brought her up before transmigrating. It was Xiao Shiliu who had rmended to her the sweet, doting novel she had been reading before transmigrating.


    So she had transmigrated back again? That couldn¡¯t be right. She had gotten into a car ident back then, and it had been very serious. The blood had flowed all over the ground, so by right, she shouldn¡¯t have been saved at all. Why had she woken up again? Could she have been saved?


    As Mu Jingzhe was digesting the news, Xiao Shiliu finally realized that she was awake. ¡°Sister, you¡¯re awake! That¡¯s great! Doctor, doctor, my sister is awake!¡±


    Then, there was a series of checkups. Mu Jingzhe listened to everyone and looked at her hands again. She even picked up an unfamiliar cell phone and saw her own reflection.


    She had really returned to the modern era. She had been saved.


    ¡°The preliminary exams show that you¡¯re fine. You just have to recuperate properly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Xiao Shiliu bowed and thanked the doctor before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s my sister¡¯s attending doctor, Doctor Ji?¡±


    ¡°Doctor Ji is performing surgery. We¡¯ll inform him when he¡¯s finished.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you. Thank you.¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard their conversation, she sighed. Ji¡­ What a nice surname. What a coincidence. The doctor who had saved her was also called Ji.


    ¡°Sister, you scared me to death. You didn¡¯t wake up for more than a month. I thought you were really going to be a vegetable. Fortunately, you woke up again.¡±


    Xiao Shiliu looked at Mu Jingzhe and felt that she seemed a little dazed. ¡°Sister, are you alright?¡± Was this a side effect of the operation?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just didn¡¯t think I¡¯d survive.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to survive either, Sister. It¡¯s all thanks to Doctor Ji. We originally thought that you couldn¡¯t be saved, so we didn¡¯t expect him to sessfully resuscitate you in the end.¡± Xiao Shiliu told Mu Jingzhe that she had undergone surgery for more than ten hours.


    Mu Jingzhe sighed when she heard that. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t even stand working a desk job for more than ten hours, let alone be in the operating room.


    ¡°When this Doctor Jies, I have to thank him properly.¡± Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to wake up in the modern era. She¡¯d thought that she was deader than dead.


    It was good that she had woken up in the modern era. Since she could still remember Ji Buwang, it probably meant that she hadn¡¯t drunk Old Lady Meng¡¯s?soup<sup>1</sup>. However, could she find Ji Buwang in the modern era? Could the ¡®destined for three lifetimes of marriage¡¯ thing be real?


    As Mu Jingzhe was thinking, she heard Xiao Shiliu¡¯s angry voice. ¡°This author actually dared to retort!¡±


    ¡°Author?¡± Seeing Mu Jingzhe¡¯s strange gaze, Xiao Shiliu quickly said, ¡°The author of the book I told you about previously. She used your name and made you a trashy character.


    ¡°This author is good at everything else, but her choice of names isn¡¯t good. Why did she have to give such a wonderful name to such a trashy character? Not only did the character make a fool of herself by imitating and picking on the female protagonist, but she even knocked on her younger brother-inw¡¯s door in the middle of the night. She also died a miserable death.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. What I can¡¯t stand the most is that the author wrote that she¡¯s not good to the children. You¡¯re so nice and you have raised so many of us. You¡¯re the best big sister. No, I have to ask her to change it. I won¡¯t ask her to change the plot, but I have to make her change the name! I can¡¯t ept her demonizing Mu Jingzhe like this!¡±


    When Mu Jingzhe heard about this plot, she was instantly filled with emotions. As she looked at Xiao Shiliu, she didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t make things difficult for the author. There are many people with the same name and surname in the world. You can¡¯t just take away the author¡¯s right to name her characters.¡±


    Xiao Shiliu was feeling indignant on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s behalf, but the author would definitely be speechless if she heard such an unreasonable objection. What was the point of picking on the name of a trashy character? The author naturally wouldn¡¯t want to change it. In her opinion, Xiao Shiliu was beingpletely unreasonable.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t like seeing a character with your name written in such a terrible way.¡± That was why Xiao Shiliu had been posting reviews every day. Each time the author deleted her review, she continued posting. After she¡¯d posted for more than a month, the author finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and had ended up retorting.


    Knowing that Xiao Shiliu was protecting her, Mu Jingzhe grabbed her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s fine. She can write whatever she wants. It doesn¡¯t matter because I¡¯m not that kind of person. If you don¡¯t like it, just don¡¯t read the book in the future. It¡¯s not easy being an author either.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe felt that perhaps it was because the author had written it that way and she and the fictional Mu Jingzhe had the same name and surname that she had been able to transmigrate into the novel. That had been a nice experience. Because of that, she had met Ji Buwang, the five children, Li Zhaodi, and the rest and had been allowed to live a life without regrets.


    Sheforted Xiao Shiliu in a gentle voice, and thetter finally stopped harping on this. However, she looked at Mu Jingzhe, feeling a little strange. ¡°Sister, I feel like you¡¯ve changed a lot.¡±


    That was certain. After all, she had gone through an additional lifetime. Perhaps she now gave off the vibe of an elderly person?


    Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I already died once. Of course I¡¯ve changed.¡± It was easy to find a reason on the spot.


    Xiao Shiliu nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Xiao Shiliu happily informed her other ¡®siblings¡¯ of this good news, and they agreed toe and visit Mu Jingzhe after work. During this period, they took turns watching over Mu Jingzhe.


    Xiao Shiliu kept herself busy by caring for Mu Jingzhe. When Mu Jingzhe saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the five kids. She was quite gratified and she missed them. ¡°Shiliu, sorry to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trouble is this? Sister, you took such great care of us in the past. What I¡¯ve done is nothing.¡±


    After eating the porridge and asking the doctor, she tidied up and finally felt a little more refreshed. Then, she heard amotion outside.


    Xiao Shiliu went out for a while and came back to tell Mu Jingzhe, ¡°Doctor Ji is here for his ward rounds. Sister, it will be our turn soon. If you feel any difort, you can tell Doctor Ji.¡±


    Just as Xiao Shiliu finished speaking, Doctor Ji arrived with a few young doctors.


    Mu Jingzhe approached the door. After the group entered, they walked straight to Mu Jingzhe. The young doctors in the back were still discussing her case softly. ¡°She really woke up. What a miracle. Doctor Ji is amazing.¡±


    However, Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t hear their words. All she could see was the figure walking ahead. No one else.

 Chapter 473 - Missing You Like a River

    <h4>Chapter 473: Missing You Like a River</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned. This wasn¡¯t for any other reason, but because it was all too familiar. Both his figure and vibe were almost identical. It was all so familiar that Mu Jingzhe didn¡¯t dare move, afraid that this was all an illusion.


    ¡°Patient Mu Jingzhe?¡± A familiar voice spoke in her ear again. Mu Jingzhe suddenly came back to her senses. Upon looking at those familiar eyes, she pinched herself.


    This was real. It hurt. She wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    The familiar surname, figure, voice, and eyes seemed to be telling Mu Jingzhe something. He might be Ji Buwang.


    Because Mu Jingzhe¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t right, Doctor Ji frowned and took two steps forward to check. However, just as he stepped forward, the patient suddenly reached out and pulled down his mask.


    Doctor Ji frowned. The doctor behind him couldn¡¯t help but want to say something, but he saw that the patient¡¯s face was suddenly covered in tears. Her expression was so sad that he froze on the spot.


    What was wrong with her?


    Mu Jingzhe was actually happy. Upon looking at those familiar eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but take off his mask to finally see the face behind it.


    It really was Ji Buwang.


    Mu Jingzhe instantly burst into tears. She had finally found Ji Buwang. She finally got to see him again.


    He was alive and well, not lying there lifelessly. He was alive.


    Mu Jingzhe had never thought that Ji Buwang would live in the same world as her. Back when she had told Ji Buwang that she hade from 30 years into the future, Ji Buwang had said that if she dared to die, he would look for her 30 yearster. Now, she had finally found him.


    Everything was like a dream, a dream in which all her wishes hade true. However, Mu Jingzhe knew that this wasn¡¯t a dream because if it was, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see Ji Buwang.


    In the remaining years of her previous life, she had missed him like a river. Her only hope had been that she would dream of him when she was sleeping, but he waspletely gone. He hadn¡¯t even appeared in her dreams.


    She hadn¡¯t seen him for forty years.


    Forty years. It had been so long that even if she looked at his photo, she was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him in the future.


    After forty years, she had finally seen him again.


    Xiao Shiliu hadn¡¯t expected Mu Jingzhe to react so abnormally and tear off the doctor¡¯s mask for no reason. This was her savior.


    Just as she was about to speak, she heard Mu Jingzhe speak.


    ¡°Ji Buwang.¡±


    Xiao Shiliu was a little stunned. Because everyone called him ¡®Doctor Ji¡¯, she hadn¡¯t noticed his full name, but the doctors behind him knew it.


    ¡°How does she know Doctor Ji¡¯s name? Does she know him?¡±


    Mu Jingzhe couldn¡¯t hear their discussion, nor could Ji Buwang.


    The moment Mu Jingzhe called out his name, his world suddenly became clear and he could see her face clearly.


    However, everything changed after she called his name.


    Ji Buwang looked at her face and didn¡¯t react for a long time.


    He¡¯d had face blindness since he was young. He could see everyone¡¯s faces, but he¡¯d forget them as soon as he saw them. They wouldn¡¯t leave an impression in his mind.


    He had clearly been called a genius since he was young, as he could remember everything quickly and had routinely skipped grades in school. Although he had turned from a young genius into the most promising doctor, he had spent less time than the average person.


    However, despite his exceptional brain, he couldn¡¯t remember people¡¯s faces. He could only rely on their voices and physique to distinguish them.


    Fortunately, although he was face-blind and couldn¡¯t remember people¡¯s faces, that didn¡¯t affect his ability to treat illnesses and observe facial expressions. The only problem was that he couldn¡¯t remember a face after seeing it.


    However, after so many years, when she called out his name, he could suddenly see her face clearly and remember it distinctly.


    Ji Buwang stared at Mu Jingzhe in a daze and couldn¡¯t help but recall a dream he had been having for a long time.


    He always dreamed of a person. A girl, to be specific. They seemed to be trapped somewhere, and he could see her face. In his dreams, under the faint light, his gaze traced her face and he memorized it bit by bit.


    ¡°We have to be together in our next life, so God, please don¡¯t let me forget her face. I just have to remember her face.¡±


    He was extremely anxious and he only hoped to remember her face. In the end, he muttered that he didn¡¯t want to forget her.


    In the past, Ji Buwang hadn¡¯t been called Ji Buwang. He had been called Ji?Tiancai<sup>1</sup>?because his parents thought that he was a genius. However, after being given this name, he¡¯d kept feeling that this wasn¡¯t his name. Every time they¡¯d called him that, he hadn¡¯t reacted at all.


    Later on, when he had gone to school, seeing that he would never write his name or respond when his name was called, the teacher had gone to look for his parents. After a few conversations, upon learning about his dream, the teacher had suggested that it might be better to give him a new name.


    Then, he had changed his name to Ji?Buwang<sup>1</sup>, implying that he didn¡¯t want to forget her.


    After he had changed his name, that sense of feeling had disappeared and he had begun to feel a sense of belonging. Since then, he had responded whenever he was called by his name and written his name in ss and during exams.


    However, despite changing his name, he would still forget what she looked like when he woke up.


    As he grew older, the dream became clearer and clearer. In the dream, he could clearly remember her face, but when he woke up, he couldn¡¯t remember it anymore.


    Ji Buwang had already given up on this dream, yet he had suddenly seen her face now.


    This was the first time he saw a person¡¯s face so clearly. This was the first time he remembered a face. Then, the face that he had dreamed of but forgotten upon waking up finally became clear.


    It was her. It was that face.


    He dreamed of this face every night. This was the face he wanted to remember no matter what.


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t understand why he had to remember this face. It wasn¡¯t a pretty face. Besides, she had been hospitalized after getting into a car ident, so her face was pale and haggard. Inbination with the fact that she was wailing and her face was covered in tears, she didn¡¯t look good no matter how he looked at her. However, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.


    This was because he had seen it. The face he had been chasing for more than twenty years had finally appeared before him.


    He had waited so long for the moment she¡¯d finally appear.


    Everything seemed like destiny. Her not-very-pretty face and her tears instantly tugged at his heart and soul. After a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Stop crying.¡±


    He fumbled in his pocket for a tissue and handed it over. He then blurted out, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you cry. I want to see you smile instead.¡±


    The doctors behind him and the nurse who had followed him in were shocked when they heard this. Doctor Ji had actually said such a thing?


    Ji Buwang was also stunned after saying that. He didn¡¯t know why he had said that. Fortunately, it seemed to be effective, as she finally stopped crying.


    However, a secondter, tears streamed down Mu Jingzhe¡¯s face again.


    In his previous life, he had wanted to see her cry. In this life, he had said that he wanted to see her smile. It felt so nice.


    Ji Buwang: ¡°¡­¡±


    Why was she even sadder now that he¡¯d said that? He suddenly felt anxious. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Seeing that he was anxious, Mu Jingzhe raised her hand and wiped her face. Her tears had yet to dry, but she revealed the most brilliant smile.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t cry anymore. If you want to see me smile, I¡¯ll smile for you.¡±


    Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw her smile.

 Chapter 474 - Ending (1)

    <h4>Chapter 474: Ending (1)</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Ji Buwang didn¡¯t even know how he left the ward. When he returned to the doctor¡¯s office out of professional habit, the doctors following him couldn¡¯t help feeling curious.


    ¡°Doctor Ji, so you know the patient in Ward 36.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Why didn¡¯t I hear you mention that before, Doctor Ji? No wonder you were so desperate to save her previously.¡±


    Ji Buwang was stunned when he heard that, recalling the night he had been on duty more than a month ago.


    When Mu Jingzhe had been brought in, the situation had actually been very dangerous. It had basically been hopeless, but for some reason, he¡¯d just felt that he couldn¡¯t give up.


    He¡¯d had a vague feeling that if he didn¡¯t save this person, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    Hence, he had refused to give up. Even though her heart had stopped, he hadn¡¯t given up. In the end, he had finally snatched her back from the gates of hell and worked a miracle.


    Since saving her, Ji Buwang had been wondering why he¡¯d had these thoughts back then.


    However, after being saved, she hadn¡¯t woken up. After a while, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t see anything special about her, so he¡¯d thought that it was just his imagination. s, he hadn¡¯t expected that when she woke up, everything would change because of a single name.


    He seemed to suddenly realize why he had felt that way back then, as well as why he was face-blind.


    He could see people¡¯s faces but couldn¡¯t remember them because he needed to remember her face first.


    His only wish in the dream was to remember her face. Perhaps it was because he had been afraid of forgetting or confusing her, so he would rather not remember anyone else¡¯s face. He¡¯d only wanted to remember her face.


    He had never understood why his dream self had prayed so sincerely and desperately, but today, he suddenly understood.


    Face blindness was very painful, but in order to find her, he had still been willing to go through this forever and ever.


    Ji Buwang heaved a sigh of relief. As a doctor and an atheist, he didn¡¯t believe in reincarnation. However, all these coincidences seemed to prove that there was indeed such a wonderful fate in this world.


    He even suspected that this patient named Mu Jingzhe might have had the same dream as him before.


    It felt great to be able to clearly see and remember someone¡¯s face. In spite of his busy schedule, Ji Buwang couldn¡¯t help wanting to visit her. Therefore, even if it wasn¡¯t on the way, he would pass by Mu Jingzhe¡¯s ward six times a day.


    Every time he passed by, he realized that she would always notice him immediately and smile brightly at him.


    She seemed to be staring at the door, waiting for him to pass by.


    And because he had said that he wanted to see her smile, she kept smiling at him. Every single time.


    After passing by six times and seeing those six smiles, Ji Buwang¡¯s heart was a mess.


    Therefore, he restrained himself and stopped walking past her room.


    Mu Jingzhe was very disappointed when he stoppeding. ¡°Shiliu, when can I get out of bed? Even if I still can¡¯t walk, I can sit in a wheelchair. I want to go out.¡±


    ¡°Sister, if there¡¯s anything you want, you can tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless to tell you.¡±


    ¡°But you still have to recuperate. Why are you in such a hurry? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Something very important.¡± She wanted to see Ji Buwang. A day apart from him felt like three years. He was clearly right in front of her, yet not seeing him felt really terrible.


    ¡°What else could it be? Don¡¯t you just wish to see Doctor Ji? Yes, Doctor Ji is very handsome and impressive, and he¡¯s one of the most popr and impressive doctors in his department. Many patients and colleagues are infatuated with him. But Sister, wake up. You¡¯re only one of them.¡±


    ¡°No way. We¡¯re destined to be together.¡± Mu Jingzhe refused to ept this.


    Xiao Shiliu looked at Mu Jingzhe helplessly. Her steady older sister, who had never been in love, was doomed. This rebellious phase had arrived toote. She was in yet self-confident, so she was totally beyond redemption. She insisted that they were destined to be together.


    At the thought of Mu Jingzhe craning her neck to look at the door, waiting to see Ji Buwang, and the way her eyes looked eager to take off the doctor¡¯s mask again while he was doing his rounds, Xiao Shiliu was very afraid that her sister would be kicked out of the hospital for harboring ill intentions toward the doctor.


    Xiao Shiliu was also very helpless while seeing her treat her savior like this. She felt that this must be the author¡¯s fault. It was because she had used her older sister¡¯s name carelessly in her book that her older sister had be so strange!


    Xiao Shiliu secretly left anotherment on the novel. In the end, the author couldn¡¯t take it anymore and blocked her.


    Unable to harass the author anymore, Xiao Shiliu could only secretly pray that Mu Jingzhe wouldn¡¯t be kicked out. Fortunately, Doctor Ji was magnanimous, so in the end, they stayed in the hospital.


    However, Mu Jingzhe also made everyone sigh, as she started to frantically inquire about Doctor Ji¡¯s situation. It seemed like she was trying to woo him and didn¡¯t intend to let go.


    His colleagues in the hospital quickly found out that yet another patient had fallen for Doctor Ji and was going around asking about him.


    Everyone was used to it because this wasn¡¯t the first time. There were always patients who came to ask questions. Not only was Doctor Ji popr among his colleagues but also among the patients.


    None of them was surprised to see Mu Jingzhe asking around. They watched in amusement as Mu Jingzhe, who couldn¡¯t get out of bed yet, grabbed every nurse and asked them about Doctor Ji. They only said whatever they could.


    Later on, it became even more impressive when she was able to get out of bed and sit in a wheelchair. When she had nothing to do, she would wait for Doctor Ji at the door of the ward. When Doctor Ji was working in the office, she would secretly take a look.


    Besides, everyone realized that Mu Jingzhe somehow knew some of Doctor Ji¡¯s preferences. She seemed to know some things that even they didn¡¯t know.


    What was even stranger was that he seemed to treat Mu Jingzhe differently. Doctor Ji usually kept his distance from the patients, politely refusing anything that exceeded his duty as a doctor. If she were any other patient, he would have dealt with her coldly.


    He seemed to care about her too. Every time she was mentioned, he would pay more attention.


    Everyone felt that they might know each other, yet that sort of didn¡¯t appear to be the case. In any case, it was quite strange.


    His colleagues in the inpatient department saw that Mu Jingzhe¡¯s eyes were shining like a radar, constantly staring at Doctor Ji even though she had yet to recover.


    Because she was still in university, Xiao Shiliu took care of Mu Jingzhe the most. Every day, she would look at her sister with a gaze that said ¡°My older sister is crazy¡± and ¡°My older sister ispletely useless¡±. She was like an old mother who was worried about her daughter.


    However, no matter how worried Xiao Shiliu was, her rebellious older sister would go straight to Doctor Ji without turning back, looking infatuated every day.


    Mu Jingzhe wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose. The main reason she did this was that the sense of regaining what she had lost was too precious, making her feel blissful just by looking at Ji Buwang every day.


    After waiting for so long, she felt very happy to see her sweetheart again and she felt like she was floating on a cloud.


    In a different world, Ji Buwang was still a Prince Charming, but there was now an additional sense of abstinence.


    Even an ordinary white coat looked different on him.


    Every day, Mu Jingzhe kept bubbling with bliss. She actively cooperated with the treatment, wanting to recover as much as possible. She was doing quite well.. Before long, his colleagues started to like Mu Jingzhe even more, which was apparent whenever they mentioned her.

 Chapter 475End - Ending (2)

    <h4>Chapter 475: Ending (2)</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    Why did everyone like Mu Jingzhe? Because Mu Jingzhe was always very enthusiastic and warm. Furthermore, she was strong and she actually helped everyone a lot.


    Meanwhile, Doctor Ji¡¯s attitude was confusing. In the past, he would long have thought of a way to handle it if someone wooed him like this, but his attitude toward Mu Jingzhe seemed to be more tolerant.


    This triggered jealousy in other people who also had a crush on Ji Buwang. It also made the colleagues who had designs on Doctor Ji feel conflicted. However, some of the nurses who were married and only admired Doctor Ji had some heartfelt words to say to Mu Jingzhe after getting chummy with her.


    Based on looks, ability, and character, Doctor Ji was a catch. However, he didn¡¯tck ws. He actually had a fatal w¡ªhis mother was extremely unpleasant.


    ¡°That mother of his is scary. She finds everyone an eyesore out to steal her son from her. She frequently brings food to Doctor Ji, and everyone is scared of her every time they see her. His father doesn¡¯t care either. Anyway, Doctor Ji is excellent in all aspects, but if you really marry over, it might be a little troublesome.¡±


    The nurses¡¯ words were considered very polite. Actually, what was even more terrifying was that, since he had such parents, his woman¡¯s life might be ruined after she married him. No matter how good the couple¡¯s rtionship was, it wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the ravage of her inws.


    After all, it was true that Doctor Ji had a good rtionship with his parents. His mother was difficult to please alright, but she was truly devoted to her son.


    However, the better his rtionship with his parents was, the worse it would be for their daughter-inw.


    When Xiao Shiliu heard that, she felt even more worried. She tried her best to persuade Mu Jingzhe to give up and stop chasing after Doctor Ji.


    Mu Jingzhe was quite surprised to hear this. In her previous life, she hadn¡¯t experienced such trouble, but in this life, she¡¯d actually have trouble dealing with her parents-inw.


    Mu Jingzhe asked around about Ji Buwang¡¯s family and heard that Ji Buwang had a younger brother. Everyone had rarely heard of the younger brother, but whenever they spoke of Ji Buwang and his parents, they only wondered how that bandit-like mother of his could have given birth to such a charming son. It simply had to be a gic mutation.


    In private, some people even said that Ji Buwang might not be their biological son and must have been picked up from the streets instead. However, this rumor was quickly stopped. Doctor Ji would get mad whenever someone said this in front of him.


    After asking around for two days, Mu Jingzhe met the legend herself.


    That day, Doctor Ji went to perform surgery as usual. Then, Mu Jingzhe heard that the doctor¡¯s office was quite lively because Doctor Ji¡¯s mother hade again.


    Mu Jingzhe immediately went over curiously. When she got closer, she heard a voice praising Ji Buwang. Mu Jingzhe was stunned when she heard that voice and sped up without thinking.


    When she saw who it was, she froze in shock.


    This person was really familiar. Even though she had changed a lot, she was wearing different clothes, and she looked arrogant, she was still extremely familiar.


    This was the person she had called ¡®Mom¡¯ her entire life, Li Zhaodi.


    Mu Jingzhe was stunned on the spot. As she looked at the female bandit-like woman with her hands on her waist, tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrobly.


    It had been many years since she hadst seen her mother. In the dead of the night, she kept thinking that there were many ces she hadn¡¯t taken her parents to.


    Now, she saw her again.


    Everyone saw Mu Jingzhe appear. Mommy Ji, who was speaking, sensed everyone¡¯s strange gazes and turned around, only to see Mu Jingzhe crying.


    When the other doctors saw Mu Jingzhe cry, they thought that she was crying because Doctor Ji actually had such a terrifying mother.


    They were all well aware that Mommy Ji was difficult to deal with. If she learned that another woman who coveted her son had appeared, Mommy Ji would show her might again.


    Everyone broke out in a cold sweat on Mu Jingzhe¡¯s behalf. They hadn¡¯t expected that Mommy Ji would feel heartache for some reason when she saw Mu Jingzhe crying.


    ¡°Why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell? Tell me, I¡¯ll get my son to treat you. He¡¯s very impressive.¡±


    Before anyone could react, Mommy Ji had already taken out a tissue to wipe her tears.


    What was even more shocking was that Mu Jingzhe actually hugged Mommy Ji and called her ¡®Mom¡¯. The way she called her ¡®Mom¡¯ was loud and touching, making everyone¡¯s jaws drop open in shock.


    This was the first time they had seen such a method of acknowledging a parent. To think that just because she liked someone¡¯s son, she had called the mother ¡®Mom¡¯ the moment they¡¯d met.


    What was even more unbelievable was that Mommy Ji, who would usually immediately shake off such a person, actually responded with an ¡°aye¡± after being hugged and called ¡®Mom¡¯.


    When Daddy Ji returned, Mu Jingzhe also called him ¡®Dad¡¯. Strangely enough, Daddy Ji was stunned for a moment before responding with an ¡°aye¡± too.


    Both Mommy Ji and Daddy Ji felt very fond of Mu Jingzhe at first sight, so fond of her that it was baffling. They even said, ¡°If only she was our daughter.¡±


    Mu Jingzhe almost cried when she heard that. She hadn¡¯t expected that in this lifetime, Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng would actually be Ji Buwang¡¯s parents.


    This was fate.


    No wonder everyone said that the mother and son were nothing alike. If bandit-like Li Zhaodi had given birth to a Prince Charming like Ji Buwang, wasn¡¯t it akin to a gic mutation?


    Mu Jingzhe hadn¡¯t expected to see them again in such a way. She also had an inkling who the younger brother was now.


    Mu Jingzhe was delighted and blissful, but the employees of the hospital felt like they had seen a ghost. No one would have thought that Mommy Ji, who was a terrifying mother-inw in everyone¡¯s eyes, would transform into an angel in front of Mu Jingzhe.


    Everyone who witnessed this scene was in a daze by the time they left.


    Xiao Shiliu, who hade to look for Mu Jingzhe, was alsopletely dumbfounded. Even though she was still young, she had done her best to take care of Mu Jingzhe. However, this still wasn¡¯t enough in Mommy Ji¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°This chicken soup doesn¡¯t look good. I¡¯ll brew some for Jingzhe tomorrow and bring over some bone broth.¡±


    Mommy Ji was afraid that Xiao Shiliu wouldn¡¯t be able to take good care of Mu Jingzhe, so she nagged her. Xiao Shiliu wanted to say something, but she simply didn¡¯t have a chance to interrupt. Upon hearing that Xiao Shiliu had applied for leave toe over, Mommy Ji waved her hand and asked her to go back and just leave Jingzhe in her care.


    Xiao Shiliu left in a daze. In her mind, she was thinking that her sister was actually quite smart. By saying that they were ¡®destined to be together¡¯, she had actually been talking about winning over Doctor Ji¡¯s parents first.


    Perhaps her older sister was nning to get Doctor Ji to follow his parents¡¯ orders regarding marriage. She wanted to curry favor with Mommy Ji to achieve her goal and get together with Doctor Ji. Come to think of it, it wasn¡¯t impossible. Since Doctor Ji and Mommy Ji had a good rtionship, this might actually be feasible.


    Xiao Shiliu left with the expression of someone who had seen the ways of the adult world.


    When Ji Buwang returned from the operation room, he saw his mother holding Mu Jingzhe¡¯s hand affectionately as if they were a family and he was just an outsider.


    Sensing something, Mu Jingzhe turned around and saw Ji Buwang. She immediately gave him a brilliant smile.


    When Mommy Ji saw Ji Buwang, she stepped forward and grabbed his hand. ¡°Son, you¡¯re back. You¡¯ve worked very hard. Come on, let Mommy introduce you to Jingzhe. I like her a lot and want to acknowledge her as my goddaughter.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    They shouted in unison.


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