The dishes were laid out on the table one by one.
Wild chicken soup, bracken and cured at, fresh mushrooms, stir-fried greens—just these four dishes on the table would make anyone’s appetite soar.
Moreover, everyone eating together were all their own people.
Luo Bai had basically gotten used to this way of life.
Every day, after teaching classes to students, he would co to the Third Branch of the Old Mu Family to have a hot al and chat with them about school matters.
Everyone talked and laughed, and the al passed just like that.
-
anwhile, several miles away through the mountain road, Mu Dazhong was also surrounded by a bunch of people, eating at and drinking wine.
These were all n summoned by Mrs. Lin’s brother, Lin Dajun, to help with the mining, right in a place called Mountain Village.
Dozens of n, all handpicked from various villages, were skilled hands.
Farming and working were no big deal for them.
The campfire crackled as Lin Dajun held a map in his hand, a terrain map of Mountain Village.
The gold mine was right beneath the land of a family nad Yang in Mountain Village.
Lin Dajun hadn’t told the Yang family they were there to mine, but had long ago expressed a desire to buy the land.
But the Yang Family refused, saying it was ancestral property.
No matter the price, they were unwilling to sell.
So Lin Dajun simply bought a house next to the Yang family and started digging from underneath.
At night, these n would sleep soundly at ho. Co daylight, when the residents of Mountain Village went out to work, they would begin construction.
Outwardly, they claid they were building a new house and digging foundations, and because they encountered large boulders, it required so effort to break through.
The people of Mountain Village, having been isolated for a long ti, were unaware of Lin Dajun’s true intent. Moreover, when Lin Dajun and the outsiders arrived, they brought business opportunities to the villagers.
Since these n ate, drank, relieved themselves, slept, and everything else in Mountain Village, they inevitably ended up doing business with the villagers.
Since the villagers benefited, they turned a blind eye.
"Brother-in-law, we’ve been digging for over half a month now, when will we reach the gold..."
Mu Dazhong spoke without restraint.
He nearly let the secret of the gold mine slip.
Lin Dajun was nearly scared to death, and he reprimanded angrily, "What’s wrong with you? I told you before, don’t ntion what we’re here for, not even to those working for us!"
After speaking, Lin Dajun looked around warily.
The surrounding n were drinking and eating heartily, none of them paying attention to their conversation.
Lin Dajun let out a sigh of relief.
Unbeknownst to him, Mu Dazhong’s comnt about digging for gold entered the ears of a man with a sneaky expression.
The man’s surna was Wang, called Wang Dali, recruited from Yu Family Village.
It turned out he had so connection with Mu Shuangshuang. Luo Xiu’er once planned to have Wang Dali disgrace Feng Xiaohua, but Mu Shuangshuang turned the tables, causing harm only to herself.
Wang Dali had a hard ti because of Mu Shuangshuang and behaved well for a while in the village.
This ti, he was willing to co out only because Lin Dajun was recruiting workers with als and housing provided and still paid.
"Heh heh, brother-in-law, don’t be angry. I just forgot... forgot!" Mu Dazhong laughed awkwardly.
He looked embarrassed.
But in his heart, he cursed Lin Dajun for not being human.
These n were all hired by Lin Dajun at fifteen coins a day. Once in the mine, they had to dig all day long.
Mu Dazhong was supposedly there to help manage things.
But after being there so long, not a single person listened to him.
Everyone listened to this brother-in-law instead.
"Forget it, my ass! If you screw this up again, you can just get lost, go back, not that you’ve done anything right since you ca here!" Lin Dajun said impatiently.
Lin Dajun was justified in being angry. In his years of trading, he’s been either breaking even or losing. This gold mine was a gamble of his life.
Owed a pile of money, not to ntion, borrowed from the Mu family in a usurious manner.
So he could only succeed, failing was not an option.
Being cursed at like a grandson by Lin Dajun.
Mu Dazhong could only apologize and do nothing else.
Fortunately, a man beside him passed Lin Dajun so wine and at, and only then did Lin Dajun stop his scolding.
At night, while Lin Dajun and the n were fast asleep, Wang Dali shook Mu Dazhong awake.
He called Mu Dazhong outside, and his first words to him were a question.
"Brother, you and Lin Dajun are here to dig a gold mine, aren’t you?" Wang Dali asked confidently.
Mu Dazhong’s eyes were unfocused as he answered nervously, "Dig... Digging what? Don’t talk nonsense. Be careful my brother-in-law will give you trouble!"
Mu Dazhong, a rough man, spoke ekly without any montum.
In this regard, he couldn’t compare with Wang Dali, who had served ten years in prison.
Though Wang Dali didn’t look good and seed sly.
But when he glared at Mu Dazhong, Mu Dazhong didn’t dare to speak.
"Alright, stop fooling , Wang Dali. I heard everything you and your brother-in-law said."
"You brought us here not for copper mining, but for gold mining."
"But there’s no need to be anxious. I called you out to ask if you are interested in cooperating with !"
Wang Dali spoke slowly and deliberately.
Seeing Mu Dazhong’s dazed state, he continued.
"Let be honest with you, I’m Wang Dali, I’ve been in prison and done all kinds of bad deeds.
This ti out, I just want to make a quick fortune, earn money to marry a wife and have a son for myself!"
"So... so?" By now, Mu Dazhong was a completely different person from the unruly one in the Mu household.
His nature to bully the weak but fear the strong was fully displayed in front of Wang Dali.
"Of course, we will bypass your brother-in-law and go alone. Do you think your brother-in-law will give you a share of the gold mine once it’s discovered?
Stop dreaming, he has been shouting at you these past days, why not cooperate with , and we do the mining ourselves.
When the ti cos, we’ll split the entire mine in half. What do you think?" Wang Dali asked Mu Dazhong.
Half of the mine.
Mu Dazhong was tempted.
"But with just the two of us, how can we possibly dig through the gold mine? Moreover, gold needs to be refined, and we need to find soone to take it out.
Neither of us can do it." At this point, Mu Dazhong regained so of his senses.
"Leave that to . Once we reach the gold mine, we’ll handle it ourselves. As for your brother-in-law, we’ll just kick him out!" Wang Dali said with a sly smile.
Mu Dazhong began to envision himself possessing the gold mine.
——
Early in the morning, Yu Si Niang got up to make breakfast.
Still cooking vegetable porridge, coarse grain cakes, with a bowl of pickled radish.
After having breakfast, Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng were going to Tie Dao Village to check on Mu Dalang’s pigsty.
They also needed to check on the hair ponds they dug before the new year.
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