Xiao Han happened to see Aunt Zhang sneaking so at off the table. Without a second thought, he pointed at Aunt Zhang and shouted.
"Sis, Aunt Zhang took the at without paying..."
Aunt Zhang shuddered and then started shouting loudly.
"You brat, what nonsense are you spewing? When did I ever steal your lousy at? Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll tear your mouth apart."
"Aunt Zhang, I saw it too. Xiao Han isn’t lying." Yuanbao had just moved a stool out from the house, and as soon as he ca out, he saw Aunt Zhang stealing. But before he could speak, Xiao Han already did.
Lu Yuanfeng put down the bone-cutting knife in his hand and walked over to Aunt Zhang.
"Aunt Zhang, kids don’t lie. If you want to eat so at, you can pay for it."
"Fengzi, what do you an? You believe the words of two brats who haven’t grown any hair? Saying I stole the at, where is it?" Aunt Zhang raised her chest and looked provocatively at Lu Yuanfeng.
She wasn’t afraid at all; she was a woman, and the at was tucked in her belly. If they had the guts, they could lift up her clothes; otherwise, she’d never admit to it.
The commotion was so loud that the villagers turned their attention to Aunt Zhang. They stared at Aunt Zhang, and finally, all eyes focused on her belly, which looked bulging as if sothing was inside.
"What are you looking at? I’ll gouge your eyes out if you keep staring." Aunt Zhang, feeling guilty, raised her head and yelled loudly at those watching her.
"I say, Aunt Zhang, when did you get pregnant again? Ma Houhou hasn’t even found a wife yet, and are you planning to give him a brother?"
Soone casually remarked, leading to a burst of laughter among the villagers.
Mu Shuangshuang squinted. She rembered Ma Houhou; when she first arrived here, it was Ma Houhou who insulted her, making her want to retaliate, but in her anger, she fainted.
Narrow paths for enemies, it’s the perfect ti for revenge.
Mu Shuangshuang stepped forward and stared at Aunt Zhang. "Aunt Zhang, if there’s a celebration at ho, everyone should join in the fun. I’m just curious, how many months along is your belly child?"
"What business is it of yours, you brat? What, you want to lift my clothes and see my belly? Go ahead, I’m not afraid of you. If Yu Si Niang doesn’t teach you a lesson today, I will."
Aunt Zhang put her hands on her hips, looking fierce. She was certain Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng wouldn’t dare to lift her clothes.
Mu Shuangshuang chuckled, looked casually at the ground, and then shouted, "Oh dear, whose money is this?"
Saying that, she threw a Copper Coin and pretended to pick it up, prompting Aunt Zhang, who quickly turned her head, seeing a coin on the ground, to say, "Mine, mine, don’t you dare grab it..."
The mont Aunt Zhang bent over, Mu Shuangshuang reached out and slapped Aunt Zhang’s belly, causing a piece of five-flavor pork to fall out from her belly.
Mu Shuangshuang quickly caught it and couldn’t resist jokingly saying, "Oh dear, Aunt Zhang’s belly child has fallen out..."
The villagers imdiately perked up, staring at Mu Shuangshuang’s hand. What they thought would be a bloody scene turned out to be just a piece of fatty five-flavor pork.
"Wow, Aunt Zhang’s belly dropped a piece of five-flavor pork? So, Ma San and your child are nothing but five-flavor pork?"
"Haha, no wonder Ma Houhou never finds a wife; he must be waiting for his mom and dad to give birth to more pieces of five-flavor pork instead."
The crowd laughed, looking at Aunt Zhang with disdain and contempt.
No one liked petty thieves because no one knew if their own belongings might get stolen.
Mu Shuangshuang was even more direct, holding the at and waving it around, saying, "Aunt Zhang, my mom taught never to steal. No matter how poor you are, don’t steal. This at belongs to Lu Yuanfeng; how did it end up in Aunt’s belly? Aunt, would you care to explain to everyone?"
Aunt Zhang’s face was flushed with anger; she had planned to steal the at unnoticed, but now that she was caught, she couldn’t admit she took the pork. Of course, she planned to buy it; Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t refuse her.
With that thought, Aunt Zhang regained so confidence. "What’s the matter, I want to buy Fengzi’s pork, okay? I’m paying, what do you want?"
"Oh dear, so Aunt Zhang intended to pay, but we haven’t weighed it yet, and you already tucked it in your belly. What’s this performance about?"
Mu Shuangshuang stared straight at Aunt Zhang, despising such people the most. Committing wrongdoing yet daring to talk tough—only she could believe the rubbish coming out of her own mouth.
"Why don’t you weigh it now? Do you think I’ll short you those few coins? Let tell you, our Ma Houhou is quite capable; earning one tael of silver a day is nothing. Who wants to be dirty like a stinky butcher?"
"No need for big talk, whether Ma Houhou’s backside can lay golden eggs, I don’t care. But if you don’t pay for the at today, don’t bla for reporting you to the village chief and letting you rot in the county prison."
Mu Shuangshuang said, taking the five-flavor pork to weigh it, ensuring that Aunt Zhang couldn’t deny it by showing it to the villagers.
"It’s three pounds in total, eighteen Copper Coins per pound, that’s fifty-four Copper Coins."
"Pfft, eighteen Copper Coins per pound? You brat obviously said it was sixteen Copper Coins per pound earlier, trying to cheat out of six Copper Coins, huh?" Aunt Zhang was furious, pointing at Mu Shuangshuang’s nose and started cursing.
"Aunt Zhang, it was sixteen Copper Coins earlier for soone else, but for you, no discount this ti. If you take the at, I’ll keep quiet; otherwise, we’ll go to the county. My uncle can write up the lawsuit, and I’m sure it’ll be no problem to file one against you, right?"
Mu Shuangshuang didn’t pay Aunt Zhang any mind; stealing must co at a price.
Aunt Zhang stood there trembling with anger, unable to retort Mu Shuangshuang. She could only glare at Mu Shuangshuang, her eyes burning as if to set her ablaze.
"Auntie, stop staring; do you want the at or not?"
The villagers, having enjoyed the commotion, knew Aunt Zhang was a thief. But if she said she was buying the at, it couldn’t count as theft—just that her thods were less than honorable.
Of course, there were those who chid in. "Shuang, don’t expect Aunt Liu to pay; she’s stingy and won’t buy at. If I were you, I’d report her to the governnt."
"Exactly, we’re still waiting to buy at. I just told the neighboring village about Fengzi catching a wild boar, and once they co, there won’t be enough good at left for us."
Once ntioned, the villagers got all worked up, staring at the at on the table, each hoping to take the best part ho.
"Alright, I’ll do as you say today."
Mu Shuangshuang didn’t bother with empty words; Aunt Zhang’s fifty-four Copper Coins were hers to take.
With the weather hot, such a large wild boar needed to be sold off as much as possible. If not, she’d have Lu Yuanfeng cook it by evening, or it would spoil and be worth nothing.
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