Just after breakfast, Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng were getting ready to head to Tie Dao Village to dig up the pond’s silt. Before they walked out of the courtyard, they heard strangers outside asking for directions to their house.
Mu Shuangshuang set down the water jug in her hand and took a quick look outside, seeing Wang Tiejiang and his wife walking towards her house.
Upon seeing Mu Shuangshuang, Wang Tiejiang and Mrs. Zhou froze, taking a mont to compose themselves before asking.
"Is this the third branch of the Old Mu Family?" Mrs. Zhou’s face showed so timidity, even though she was already sure this was the place, she was still anxious and uneasy.
This ti, they ca to offer an apology and also to check on the two children.
"I am the daughter of the third branch. What do you need?" Mu Shuangshuang’s tone was neutral and ordinary, yet carried a hint of estrangent.
Anyone would have a bad attitude upon seeing the people who had purchased their younger siblings, so Mu Shuangshuang’s reaction could be considered quite polite.
Mrs. Zhou, receiving confirmation from Mu Shuangshuang, excitedly handed over the bamboo basket she had brought.
"Here are fifty eggs, take them! Little girl, is there an adult at your house? I need to speak with them?"
In Mrs. Zhou’s eyes, Mu Shuangshuang was just a ten-year-old little girl, unable to make any significant decisions.
"You can tell what you need, my parents are quite busy!"
Mu Shuangshuang didn’t accept the basket of eggs, as she couldn’t take a gift without rit, and she wasn’t unaware of their intentions.
Mrs. Zhou glanced worriedly at Wang Tiejiang, and seeing that he had no objections, she spoke up: "We ca to apologize. Previously, we were blinded by greed and bought your younger brother and sister. My husband and I know we were wrong, and now, the only thing we can do is offer you compensation and ask for your forgiveness."
Life in Tie Dao Village wasn’t easy for the Wang Tiejiang couple either. The village head from Er Gui Village had personally visited to inquire about this matter, and after Chen Hong openly revealed to the whole village that they had sold her, they were isolated by the entire community.
Everyone protected their children when they first saw them.
No one wanted to live in the sa village with human traffickers.
If it weren’t for the village head rembering that the Old Wang Family had lost their son and were honest and straightforward, they would have been expelled from the village long ago.
"Forgiveness is too great a word. After all, your actions not only hurt ; can the children who were frightened forgive you?"
After speaking, Mu Shuangshuang continued: "Your biggest problem wasn’t buying my younger siblings but talking to traffickers about purchasing children. I understand your grief from losing a son, but in this matter, while you were pleased, for others, it was pain and disaster."
Both Wang Tiejiang and Mrs. Zhou flushed red.
This issue was indeed their oversight; they knew these two children might have been stolen or kidnapped by traffickers, yet they just wanted soone to accompany them.
Even if the child ca from unjust ans...
"We already realize the mistake we made. We ca this ti because we want to see the two children again and apologize in person. Is this acceptable?" Wang Tiejiang pleaded.
"I won’t let you see the children. Little Zhi and Yuanbao cried for a long ti that night, and the next day they were terrified. If they saw you, they would surely rember that day."
It’s not that Mu Shuangshuang was heartless; originally, people without any intersection shouldn’t complicate things unnecessarily.
Wang the blacksmith’s family probably wanted to establish a good relationship with her family, visiting the children occasionally.
But how can such a beautiful thing exist in the world? A wrongdoing cannot be fixed with a simple apology.
A mistake is a mistake. What you should bear, you must bear yourself.
"Little girl, just consider us begging you. We’re getting on in years..."
"Old Master Wang, Mrs. Wang, Yuanbao is my brother. He’s always been a cheerful child and has never cried even through hardship. But on that day, he cried very badly. I knew then that the incident was a knot in his heart."
"Although Shuangshuang and I aren’t children from a wealthy family, we can still provide food for our younger siblings."
"So things have already happened, and if Shuangshuang and I don’t want our siblings to think about them again, if we ever et, we will explain to Yuanbao and Little Zhi that it was a misunderstanding."
Lu Yuanfeng’s intention was to let the Old Wang Family not insist and let things happen naturally.
"Actually...our lives as husband and wife aren’t good, not just because of exclusion by villagers, but more so because Yuanbao’s good-nature reminds us of our deceased son Little Jiang. Our son was just as good-natured and called us mother and father..."
Recalling their son, Mrs. Zhou wept bitterly.
While other families had children in abundance, they feared children would suffer, so they only had one.
And at middle age, they found themselves without even their only son.
"Old woman, forget it, let’s not search anymore. As long as Yuanbao and Little Zhi are happy, that’s enough," Wang Tiejiang tugged at Mrs. Zhou’s clothes and comforted her.
Wang Tiejiang now looked ten years older, with more white hair on his head, and even his back was stooped considerably.
Mrs. Zhou’s hand shook as she held the bamboo basket, but she eventually nodded.
The two elderly supported each other, walking towards the door.
Their lean silhouettes and staggering steps paused with each stride.
In fact, neither of them were too old to walk, but they just felt too tired.
Not knowing what the courage to live on really is.
Gradually, as the Wang family got ready to leave Mu Shuangshuang’s sight, Mu Shuangshuang called out: "Wait a mont..."
Mu Shuangshuang’s decision to let the Wang family see Little Zhi and Yuanbao was made temporarily.
For soone with one foot already in the coffin, perhaps this was their only wish.
Moreover, life is filled with bitterness, and they had already tasted one; it shouldn’t be compounded with more harshness.
However, Mu Shuangshuang did say they could look, but not approach, at least not to frighten the two children.
After sending off the Old Wang family couple, a lot of ti had already been delayed.
Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng carried their hoes and proceeded with water on their journey again.
At the village entrance, they ran into Mu Dalang. Upon hearing that Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng were going to dig up a pond, Mu Dalang promptly rolled up his sleeves and joined them in their work.
Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t help but tease Mu Dalang.
"Cousin, my uncle has beco a scholar, and grandma and grandpa are probably eager to arrange your marriage, aren’t they? Tell , when is it happening?"
Mu Dalang blushed and slowly recounted the events.
"It’s set for the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month, but my parents still disagree. They argued with grandma and grandpa, who forcefully set the date and have already sent matchmakers to notify the people in Huang Family Village."
"This is indeed a good day, right before my uncle’s Imperial Examination."
The Imperial Examination is an incredibly important part of the civil service exams, passing this stage allows one to take part in the Palace Examination and et the Holy Emperor.
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