Mu Shuangshuang returned to her own kitchen with an extrely heavy heart. As soon as she entered, Yu Si Niang warmly greeted her.
"How’s your fourth aunt? Is the matter resolved?"
Mu Shuangshuang nodded, "I’ve already given the at to her and told her to also take care of her own needs. I think she will rember what I said."
"Good, now I’m relieved."
The smile finally returned to Yu Si Niang’s face. The issues with the Old Mu Family’s fourth branch were a constant worry for her. Every ti they were bullied, it reminded her of her own past, making her sympathy inevitably co forth.
"Let’s eat."
The five mbers of the family ate their fragrant and sweet dinner under the dim light of an oil lamp, laughing and enjoying themselves imnsely. This was an experience they never had at the Old Mu Family, where everyone could eat easily and speak freely about anything they wanted.
"Mom, I noticed that there’s not much rice left in the jar. I want to ask around the village to see who has rice to sell."
With a family of five, even if they didn’t eat white rice and supplented with sweet potatoes and wild vegetables, consumption was still significant. Mu Shuangshuang liked to plan ahead and store so grain at ho.
Of course, buying rice in the village was cheaper, with prices at six or seven coins compared to eight coins at the town.
"Try Uncle Wang’s house; they have a lot of land. But Shuangshuang, don’t buy too much. Your uncle said he would co in a couple of days; he should bring us so corn and sweet potatoes. We can use more mixed grains and less rice then, to make it last longer."
Not having your own land or grain is challenging. Once you’ve finished one al, you have to worry about the next.
Speaking of Shuangshuang’s uncle, Mu Dashan couldn’t hold back his curiosity, "Has our Sixth Brother married yet?"
Mu Dashan hadn’t visited Yu Si Niang’s family for years because of the workload at ho, but he knew Yu Si Niang had visited recently and would know about her family’s matters.
Not ntioning it was better; once it was brought up, Yu Si Niang felt saddened. Her brother, Yu Liulang, was already twenty-five and still unmarried.
The family had arranged several matches, but none had caught his eye.
"Mom, why are you so worried? You seem troubled; you can tell us anything." Mu Shuangshuang sensed sothing was off with Yu Si Niang and asked with concern.
"Alas, it’s your uncle. He’s so old now but refuses to marry or let your grandmother find a matchmaker for him to see which family has suitable girls. Finally, he found one he liked, and they didn’t care about his situation, but he just wouldn’t agree."
Yu Si Niang was really upset. Watching her brother grow up, it was troubling for her as an older sister to see him unmarried at such an age, even after getting married herself.
"What’s the reason? Sixth Uncle must have a reason for not getting married!"
Mu Shuangshuang knew that in ancient tis, unlike modern tis, love matches were rare, while marriage by parental arrangent was common. If her Sixth Uncle was rejecting all matches, it seed unusual.
"There’s a reason. When he was younger, he had a fiancée, and the betrothal gifts were already given, but she ran off with a wealthy rchant from the county. Your Sixth Uncle was heartbroken and feels that wives are unreliable and will eventually leave.
So, ten years have passed, and he still can’t let go of it. Whenever we bring it up, he says he’s not qualified to marry in this lifeti."
Mu Shuangshuang finally understood that her uncle had been deeply hurt, becoming fearful as the saying goes, "Once bitten by a snake, one is ten years afraid of a rope."
But it’s been ten years already; even the most bitter grievances should be forgotten by now.
"Mom, don’t worry. Won’t our uncle be coming soon? We’ll all find ways to persuade him then. He’ll surely relent."
Mu Dashan nodded in agreent, "Shuangshuang is right. If we put our hearts into it, I’m sure we can convince him."
...
...
After waiting a day, Shuangshuang’s uncle arrived from Yu Family Village. At that mont, Mu Shuangshuang was in the yard washing the family’s clothes.
Because it wasn’t his first visit, Yu Liulang arrived quietly, without alerting anyone. By the ti Mu Shuangshuang noticed, there was already a strange man in the yard.
He looked at Mu Shuangshuang with eyes full of affection and a particularly warm smile on his face.
Mu Shuangshuang suddenly realized who was in front of her and quickly put down the clothes, calling out sweetly, "Uncle, you’re here."
The smile on Yu Liulang’s face was now completely undeniable. He ca forward and looked Mu Shuangshuang up and down, constantly expressing his astonishnt.
"Shuangshuang, are you really okay now?"
"I’m okay now, Uncle. Shuangshuang is all better."
"That’s good to hear, your mom must be thrilled."
Mu Shuangshuang’s previous condition was known to the Old Yu Family; she was always silent, timid, and would be scared to death if anyone approached her. Even her sister, trying to give Shuangshuang a bath, could make Shuangshuang cry incessantly.
But now, everything seed normal, and Yu Liulang was extrely happy. His trip hadn’t been in vain. When he brought this news back in a couple of days, his parents would be overjoyed.
While Yu Liulang was observing Mu Shuangshuang, she was also sizing up him.
Yu Liulang was tall and sturdy, with dark skin and the typical appearance of a man from a farming household. He wore an old blue-gray outfit and held a bunch of greens, likely brought from ho.
"Uncle, co sit inside. Shuangshuang will finish washing the clothes and then prepare lunch."
Speaking of lunch, Mu Shuangshuang hadn’t yet decided what to cook for noon; she might have to buy a pound of at.
"Lunch isn’t urgent; you go on with your work. I’ll unload the things from the cart."
Yu Liulang had brought quite a few things, including sweet potatoes ntioned by his sister, the special corn from Yu Family Village, and homade vermicelli, along with so greens.
Previously, these items delivered by the Old Yu Family ended up in Old Mrs. Mu’s hands, and the third branch didn’t get even half a cob of corn. After that, the Old Yu Family stopped coming.
They only hoped their daughter could eat well once a year when she returned ho.
Mu Shuangshuang now noticed a rundown cart by the small side gate of the yard, with several burlap bags, seemingly filled with quite a lot.
"Let help you!" Mu Shuangshuang stepped forward, wanting to lend a hand, but was stopped by Yu Liulang.
"Girls shouldn’t do hard work; boys should be raised rough."
Yu Liulang’s words amused Mu Shuangshuang, as apparently her uncle knew about raising girls to be well-cared for?
(A plea for a wave of monthly tickets, one hundred monthly tickets for an extra Chapter~)
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