"Dad, why don’t you go find Big Brother? He’s a scholar; maybe Zhuangzi’s mother will listen to him."
Mu Dajiang, who had always been reticent, hesitated for a long ti before speaking.
In this situation, if no one cos to handle it, the Old Mu Family will fall into chaos.
Gou Dan is just a six-year-old child; no matter how you put it, he didn’t do anything wrong.
Mr. Mu hesitated and hesitated again before finally letting out a low sigh.
"This is the only way. Go and ask your Big Brother!"
Actually, Mu Dade had heard the news early on, but he didn’t co out. First, he was afraid of getting into trouble, and second, he shared the sa thought as Mu Shuangshuang—if it didn’t concern him, stay out of it.
Now, when Mr. Mu sent soone to call him, he finally ca slowly.
When he arrived, Mu Dade said directly to Mr. Mu, "Dad, why don’t you invite Third Brother’s family?"
Mu Dade was referring to the third branch of the family, not just to Mu Dade and Yu Si Niang. Actually, he really wanted to say just directly call Mu Shuangshuang over.
But after seeing the sufferings his wife had gone through, Mu Dade beca cautious, realizing that Mu Shuangshuang wasn’t soone to be easily bullied.
Now that the family is separated, doing anything has beco even more difficult.
"Why invite them? To watch the drama? Just look at the third branch; when there’s any benefit, they push their way in. Now they beco old turtle-heads, and I, an old lady, refuse to call them over."
Old Mrs. Mu decisively said no, not allowing the third branch to get involved.
"Mom, don’t say that. I just listened to Fourth Brother telling about the situation. This matter can be big or small. Gou Dan is a mber of the Old Mu Family. Everyone gathered together can co up with a good solution."
Mu Dade tried hard to appear brotherly and gentle, successfully gaining the favor of several others in the Old Mu Family.
"Yes, at a ti like this, Mom, let the third branch in. Perhaps they have ideas. My son Gou Dan is my heart and soul. Without Gou Dan, I wouldn’t want to live..."
Mrs. Lin was crying pitifully, completely different from her usually headstrong self. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were ssy, her face was dirty, and her eyes were red and swollen.
When Gou Dan was taken, everyone in the Old Mu Family feared the hoes and sticks in Zhuangzi’s mother’s group, except for Mrs. Lin, who rushed forward, pulling and tugging. In the end, she was kicked away by Zhuangzi’s mother, so her current state was understandable.
When Mu Qingqing ca over to call the third branch, Mu Shuangshuang had just finished bathing, feeling refreshed.
Mu Qingqing spoke to Mu Shuangshuang with a sarcastic tone. "You stinky girl, Uncle asked to call your third branch to discuss tonight’s matters."
Mu Shuangshuang refused without even thinking. "Not going!"
The issues of the Old Mu Family can’t be resolved, so they co to the third branch. How ridiculous.
When Mu Dade needed money for exams, he wanted to sell her. When there was no one to do household work, Mu Dashan had to do it alone. Now that his grandson was taken, they still co to the third branch.
"You stinky girl, how dare you..." Mu Qingqing shouted shrilly at Mu Shuangshuang.
"Mu Qingqing, you should correct your address. Between the two of us, who’s the stinky one now? Look at yourself, and look at your face. Anyone who didn’t know would think you crawled out from so filthy ditch."
Mu Qingqing indeed looked a bit unkempt at the mont, having worked all day, it was inevitable she was dirty and had a sll.
Especially since Mu Shuangshuang stopped smudging her face with ashes, the contrast between them was more pronounced whenever they stood together. Mu Qingqing hadn’t noticed before, but now the disparity was increasingly obvious.
The girl she used to bully and look down upon suddenly beca clean one day, with a face fairer than anyone else in the village. Especially when you see her looking good even in simple rough clothing, Mu Qingqing completely forgot about her kidnapped brother.
"You stinky girl, I’ll beat you to death." Mu Qingqing’s features twisted in anger.
Mu Shuangshuang thought the person in front of her looked like an enraged monkey, holding a wooden stick picked up from sowhere, flailing wildly at her.
This chaotic fighting style, she even learned to fight.
Mu Shuangshuang sighed, swiftly sidestepping and grabbing Mu Qingqing’s hand.
To be honest, ever since she started to improve her life by eating well occasionally, her strength had increased a lot. Most importantly, the grappling skills she learned finally ca in handy.
Twisting Mu Qingqing’s arm behind her back, Mu Qingqing’s bones made a "crack" sound, seemingly dislocated.
The stick fell from Mu Qingqing’s hand, and she imdiately began to cry in pain.
"Waa, my hand, it hurts so much..."
"Let go, let go..."
"Just because you say so, should I let go? That would make lose face," Mu Shuangshuang whispered in Mu Qingqing’s ear. "Qingqing, if I dislocate your arm, who would want you in the future?"
Mu Qingqing’s face instantly turned pale, full of fear and dread.
When Yu Si Niang ca out of her room, she saw her daughter grappling Mu Qingqing from the Old Mu Family’s second branch. Mu Qingqing’s face was filled with terror. Seeing Yu Si Niang, Mu Qingqing began to plead for help.
"Third Aunt, please save . Sister Shuangshuang is going to dislocate my arm. It hurts so much, my hand is going to break..."
When Mu Qingqing pleaded for help, Mu Shuangshuang secretly applied more force until Mu Qingqing started to tremble. Then she flipped her over her shoulder, throwing her out.
Mu Qingqing cried even harder after hitting the ground.
Yu Si Niang sighed, stepped forward to comfort Mu Qingqing, but never ntioned any wrongdoing by her daughter.
"Qingqing, you should go back. We can’t ddle with the family’s affairs. We also hope Gou Dan can co back."
Mu Qingqing whimpered a few tis; not seeing the imagined scene of Mu Shuangshuang being reprimanded, she ran off crying.
Mu Shuangshuang’s growing violence hadn’t concerned Yu Si Niang a bit.
She had experienced the sa youth, fighting with the village kids, and now everyone had good relations.
Only after joining the Old Mu Family, all those wild instincts were worn away completely.
Seeing Yu Si Niang not ntioning anything despite waiting for a while, Mu Shuangshuang was in a great mood.
"Mom, I’ll go prepare sothing to eat first. Tonight, we might not even have dinner."
The sky gradually darkened. After Mu Qingqing returned, she exaggeratedly narrated what Mu Shuangshuang had done, deliberately pointing out that Mu Shuangshuang said she had nothing to do with the Old Mu Family.
Such twisting of the truth, along with Mu Qingqing’s injured arm, enraged Old Mrs. Mu, who said she’d beat Shuangshuang no matter what.
In the end, it was Mr. Mu who stopped her.
"Since the third branch doesn’t want to help, then forget it! We’ll solve our problems ourselves!"
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