"Second Uncle sure likes to joke, asking for money at the drop of a hat. It’s just that I’m not sure if the family steward agrees."
"Steward?" Mu Dazhong was taken aback, unable to respond imdiately.
Since when did the third branch have a steward? Haven’t seen any new faces in the third branch.
While still curious, he saw Mu Shuangshuang call into the room.
"Little Black, soone wants to take your money!"
No sooner had she spoken than a black shadow dashed out from Mu Shuangshuang’s room, leaping onto Mu Dazhong’s head in just a few steps.
Mu Danian was instantly excited, "Second Brother, that’s a Black Mink! Catch it; it’s worth a lot of money!"
Mu Shuangshuang frowned upon hearing Mu Danian’s words.
Although she didn’t know how Mu Danian recognized Little Black as a Black Mink, since he already knew, Little Black had to show what it’s made of.
"Little Black, they’re going to eat you. Deal with it yourself!"
Little Black used both of its paws at once, fiercely scratching Mu Dazhong’s scalp, causing him to yelp in pain.
"Ouch, this beast wants to rebel, Fifth, kill it..."
Mu Dazhong went mad, reaching out to grab Little Black. Mu Danian followed him, chasing it around Mu Dashan’s small room.
The thing was, Little Black was quite agile, darting and jumping around the not-so-large room.
Mu Shuangshuang watched coldly, wanting to see how this pair of monkeys would bounce around.
"Second Brother, Fifth Brother, what are you up to?" Mu Dashan couldn’t sit still anymore.
The last ti Little Black was lost, he almost worried himself sick. If sothing were to happen again, the family wouldn’t have a mont’s peace.
"Third Brother, this little beast was sitting on my head, defecating and urinating last ti. This ti I’m definitely catching it!"
"Fifth Brother, let’s do this together!"
The two exchanged a glance and looked at Little Black, who was perched at the room’s entrance.
"Alright, this ti we’ll skin this little beast."
Both lunged at Little Black simultaneously, but Little Black swiftly dodged.
With a "bang," Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian collided, while the culprit, Little Black, dashed out of the room and leapt onto the roof.
"Second Brother, there’s already a lump on my head..." Mu Danian said tearfully.
"I’m going to fight this little beast today."
The two n stord out, breathless with anger, yelling as they looked at Little Black on the rooftop.
"This little beast is getting out of hand. Let’s hit it down with stones."
Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian kept escalating, while Mu Dashan grabbed the wooden pillow from the kang and threw it at one of them.
The wooden pillow hit Mu Danian hard on the back of his head.
"Get out, just get out, our family doesn’t welco you!"
When Mu Dashan got angry, he truly appeared frightening. The scar on his eyelid bunched up, and his gaze lost its usual gentleness.
Mu Shuangshuang knew the man was feeling protective of Little Black.
"Are you crazy, Third Brother, are you crazy..." Mu Danian howled, clutching his aching head.
Mu Shuangshuang felt it was about ti, grabbed a wooden stick from the floor, and began to swing it at Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian.
"Dare to bully my dad; are you even human? The third branch is already dirt poor, yet you want my dad to give you money for at..."
"Second Brother, what’s that girl saying, when did we say we wanted to buy at?" Mu Danian shouted while dodging blows from the stick, not forgetting to ask Mu Dazhong.
"How should I know? This crazy girl, ouch... it hurts..."
Mu Shuangshuang cried and shouted loudly, her movents never ceasing.
Soon, people unfamiliar with what was happening gathered around.
Pointing fingers at Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian.
"Hey, what’s with Mu the Second and Mu the Fifth? Old Mu hasn’t been up to work for months, and they’re still trying to exploit him."
"You all know it wasn’t divided before, all Old Mu Family’s work was done by Da Shan, and now Da Shan’s sick, they’re bullying Si Niang and her kids."
"Well, this is unjust. Old Mu doesn’t even care. Mu Dade might have made it, but with brothers like these, who knows how far he can go."
"Couldn’t have said it better, one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel, let alone two..."
"Shuang, don’t hold back. We support your third branch. Your second uncle and fifth uncle deserve what’s coming."
With the villagers voicing support, Mu Shuangshuang swung the stick with renewed vigor.
The wailing grew louder as Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian tried several tis to snatch the stick from Mu Shuangshuang’s hands, but she kept dodging like a nimble monkey.
Instead of getting the stick, their hands got swollen from hits.
The commotion got so big, even Mr. Mu, resting in the main room, was alard. He hurried outside.
Seeing a crowd gathered outside the third branch’s yard, Mr. Mu’s blood boiled.
"Everyone get back. Shuang, you stop too. Daring to hit your uncle, you want to turn the world upside down?"
Mu Shuangshuang anticipated this scene, so she threw down the stick and looked pitifully at the people watching.
Soon enough, the crowd began speaking up for Mu Shuangshuang: "Old Mu, your granddaughter is indeed sensible beyond words. It’s Dazhong and Danyan who ca causing trouble at her ho, and the young girl couldn’t bear it, so she acted."
"Yeah, Uncle Mu, Shuangshuang’s not at fault. We’ve seen it all. She’s just a child, and if she didn’t act, she’d be bullied to death. Don’t disregard her just because she’s a girl."
With people chiming in, Mr. Mu didn’t know how to reprimand Shuang anymore.
He glared at Mu Shuangshuang, dragging Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian out of the third branch’s yard.
Mu Shuangshuang contentedly put away the stick, turning to thank the crowd.
"Thank you, everyone, for speaking up for Shuang!"
Seeing the show over, the crowd, appreciating Mu Shuangshuang’s politeness, laughed and went back to their hos.
Once the yard quieted down, Mu Shuangshuang waved to Little Black on the roof, and the small creature leapt into her arms.
Rarely did the little thing not disdain her, and Mu Shuangshuang gladly soothed it, smoothing its fur.
Mu Dashan ca out from inside, the redness from his earlier rage still lingering.
Seeing his daughter unhard, he sighed in relief.
Yet it only deepened his guilt.
His second brother and fifth brother were the most troubleso in the Old Mu Family, most difficult for him to deal with.
"Shuang, do you think we should move elsewhere?"
Mu Dashan felt terribly upset. Since falling ill, it’s his daughter Shuangshuang who suffered every ti.
Mu Dashan’s decision stunned Mu Shuangshuang. Looking at the man before her, sohow she felt he was tougher than before.
"Dad, I’ve thought about it before, but not right now. For now, our family doesn’t have the capacity to build another house, and they’re just causing a fuss. I won’t let myself be taken advantage of."
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