In broad daylight, a living person staring at soone else’s front door with drool.
Naturally, this made the doorkeeper alert.
The servant walked up and asked Mu Qingqing, "What are you doing? Begging? Beggars, get away. Our lady’s soup kitchen is not at the Liu Mansion!"
Although the servant was driving Mu Qingqing away, he didn’t touch her, seemingly a bit disgusted.
Because today, Mu Qingqing ca prepared.
She had a bit of mud on her face, intentionally applied before leaving ho, just to show that she had been working.
And that mud didn’t affect her beauty.
Moreover, she wore her oldest and shabbiest clothes, which she hadn’t worn for a long ti, aiming to elicit sympathy from Mrs. Liu.
"Brother, I’m not a beggar. I’m here to thank Mrs. Liu. She saved my life at the dical center last ti and even bought clothes. I..."
The servant glanced disdainfully at Mu Qingqing.
"I say, are you out of your mind? Our lady is famous for her charity. So what if she gave you a ragged dress?
What, are you trying to use this pretext to climb up to my lady?"
"No, brother. I’m just here to thank Mrs. Liu, nothing more."
Mu Qingqing tried hard to make herself look as pitiable as possible.
Unfortunately, without a good outfit and with a dirty face, however pitiful Mu Qingqing made herself, the man in front of her was not willing to show her any sympathy.
He forcefully moved Mu Qingqing to the stall opposite the Liu family and warned her not to step into the mansion.
Mu Qingqing’s stomach growled.
It was alti, but she had no money to eat. All the money she brought out went to that vegetable-selling woman.
Mu Qingqing stared eagerly at the Liu’s front door, determined to wait for Mrs. Liu to appear.
Fortunately, Mu Qingqing got lucky; today was the day Mrs. Liu was giving out porridge in town, and she happened to return at noon.
Mrs. Liu usually went in and out on foot, and Mu Qingqing, with her sharp eyes, saw her.
She shouted, "Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Liu...it’s Qingqing!"
Hearing soone calling her, Mrs. Liu turned her head and saw Mu Qingqing across the gate with a basket on her arm.
The servant who had previously driven Mu Qingqing away was afraid she would offend Mrs. Liu and quickly said, "Madam, I’ll make her leave now. I don’t know where this beggar ca from!"
Mrs. Liu waved her hand and said, "It’s okay, I know her!"
Mu Qingqing got the chance to et Mrs. Liu.
Once in front of Mrs. Liu, Mu Qingqing’s eyes reddened. She sniffed and said, "These are vegetables from my own garden.
I owe Madam so much from before. I thought with the New Year coming, I’d repay a bit of interest. Once Qingqing has money, I’ll pay back the rest of the silver."
Mu Qingqing pretended to be strong.
Seeing Mu Qingqing in her plight, Mrs. Liu felt the sa old heartache.
"Qingqing, what happened to you? I bought you new clothes, why aren’t you wearing them?"
Mu Qingqing shook her head, deliberately looking troubled, refusing to speak.
Mrs. Liu sighed in resignation and asked, "Have you eaten?"
Mu Qingqing nodded, "I have eaten!"
Yet Mu Qingqing’s stomach inconveniently grumbled, and Mrs. Liu understood everything.
She insisted that Mu Qingqing co into the mansion to eat with her, and Mu Qingqing seized the opportunity, finally entering the Liu family’s gates.
At the dining table, under Mrs. Liu’s persistent questioning, Mu Qingqing reluctantly told her about her life at the Old Mu Family.
"Madam, you are the nicest person Qingqing has ever t.
My grandparents favor my little aunt. Last ti I was in town because she was sick, and if I didn’t take care of her, they wouldn’t give food.
Every day I had endless work. Even the clothes you gave were taken by my grandmother..."
Mu Qingqing seed pitiful.
This reminded Mrs. Liu of her own deceased daughter.
Her daughter, married and living away, who maybe looked the sa outside.
Is that why such a tragedy happened?
"Then what about your... parents?" Mrs. Liu asked.
"My dad... he listens to my grandparents, they are the only ones with a say in the house. My mother, being the daughter-in-law, has even less say. But she often says, girls will get married sooner or later.
Skipping a al doesn’t matter; her in-laws will take care of her anyway!"
Every word Mu Qingqing said had been planned and rehearsed in her mind countless tis.
She had to make Mrs. Liu feel sympathetic enough to accept her as a goddaughter.
Only then could she escape the poverty of the Old Mu Family.
Sure enough, after hearing Mu Qingqing’s words, Mrs. Liu was deeply angered and even more sympathetic to Mu Qingqing’s plight.
She instructed the housekeeper to give so broken silver to Mu Qingqing, but she said nothing about the goddaughter issue.
Though Mu Qingqing really wanted the broken silver,
she only pretended to be disinterested and firmly refused to take it.
Feeling unsatisfied, she could only keep coaxing Mrs. Liu, hoping she would one day call her the Liu Family’s eldest daughter.
*
By dusk, Mu Qingqing hadn’t achieved her goal, but Mrs. Liu did at least say she could co by anyti and not to bring anything.
Mu Qingqing was naturally delighted as she headed to the village entrance to find Mrs. Lin.
Mrs. Lin was already boiling with anger.
She ca up and slapped Mu Qingqing across the face.
Knocking Mu Qingqing to the ground.
"You little tramp, all day, a whole day I’ve been waiting for you here by this wretched stone tablet. Tell , where the hell have you been?"
Mu Qingqing covered her face, her eyes full of hatred.
But she didn’t lose her temper with Mrs. Lin.
When leaving the Liu Mansion, that servant who had stopped her earlier followed, though keeping a distance. Still, Mu Qingqing noticed.
Maybe that person was sent by Mrs. Liu.
So, without resisting, Mu Qingqing received slap after slap from Mrs. Lin until her face was swollen beyond recognition.
When Mrs. Lin was about to kick her,
Mu Dashan from the third branch, who also happened to be returning, intervened.
Mu Dashan jumped down from the ox cart and pulled Mrs. Lin’s hand away.
"Second sister-in-law, are you crazy, hitting your own daughter in broad daylight on the street."
Mrs. Lin, already angry, got even angrier when she saw Mu Dashan.
"Disciplining my daughter is none of your business, is it?" Mrs. Lin puffed up her chest, hands on her hips, proudly facing Mu Dashan.
"Discipline your daughter at ho, who does it in front of so many people?
You don’t care about faces, but Qingqing does!" Mu Dashan faced Mrs. Lin’s disdainful gaze.
"I do as I please. My daughter. I’ll hit her if I want to, or not if I don’t. You, a piece of trash kicked out by the Old Mu Family, dare to ddle in my affairs!" Mrs. Lin said.
"Second aunt, did you eat garlic on your way out? Why does your breath stink so much?" Mu Shuangshuang jumped down from the ox cart and walked up to Mrs. Lin, rolling her eyes at her.
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