Outside the house, the sound of knocking on the door was mixed with Mu Danian’s curses.
The more he cursed, the uglier it got, and the more emotional Mu Danian beca.
With such a commotion, no one from the Old Mu Family ca out to check.
Neither Mrs. Lin, who was usually sharp-eared, nor Old Mrs. Mu, who surveilled the whole family like criminals.
At this mont, how much Huang Bita wished for these two people to appear, it didn’t matter if they beat or scolded her, as long as they took Mu Danian away...
"Get lost, I won’t open the door..." Huang Bita shouted at Mu Danian outside the house, covering her ears.
Mu Danian’s hands were hurting from pounding, yet Huang Bita still didn’t open the door.
He left a harsh word: "Bitch, sooner or later you’ll co begging daddy."
When it beca quiet outside the door, Huang Bita was already numb from the cold.
She got up from the ground, changed into clean clothes, and hugged her legs, crying for a long ti.
By the ti Huang Bita stopped crying, who knows how much ti had passed.
She opened the door, took her drenched clothes, and shivered as she headed to the courtyard.
She initially wanted to do the laundry, but in the courtyard stood a young man, holding a freshly washed garnt, ready to hang it out to dry.
"You... why are you... holding the clothes?" Huang Bita stamred, and Mu Dalang spoke up.
"I ran into Fengzi on the way to fetch water and asked him. During such tis, I should help you wash the clothes. He said it’s cold in winter, and girls should avoid touching water; it’s bad for health. From now on, I’ll wash the winter clothes."
"I asked third aunt about the dirty spots and how to wash them. After washing, third aunt inspected it, and she said it’s fine; our grandma and mom won’t find fault with you."
Mu Dalang explained to Huang Bita why he was holding the clothes and that he learned this from Lu Yuanfeng.
As he spoke, a small smile revealed his little canine teeth.
He was still young; taking on the burden of a family might still be challenging, but sharing small tasks with Huang Bita was rely a trivial matter.
"Why are you crying? Don’t worry, I won’t tell grandma and mom that I washed these clothes." Mu Dalang put down the clothes and ran over to Huang Bita.
Step by step, he slowly walked into Huang Bita’s heart.
Mu Dalang took the clothes from Huang Bita’s hands and placed them in a wooden basin nearby, then grabbed her hands.
A piercing chill surged through, almost making him let go of Huang Bita’s hands.
"So cold, Fengzi wasn’t lying; hands this cold shouldn’t be doing laundry!" Mu Dalang said.
After speaking, he gently rubbed Huang Bita’s hands.
Friction generates heat, and after a few rubs, the temperature of Huang Bita’s hands gradually rose.
Mu Dalang reached out his hand to wipe Huang Bita’s tears.
"So grown up, yet still crying, aren’t you embarrassed?" Mu Dalang said.
Everything before her seed like a dream, thoroughly warming Huang Bita’s cold body.
Huang Bita greedily savored everything before her, montarily leaving all her previous unhappiness behind.
"Dalang, let hang the clothes; you go inside. It’s cold outside." Huang Bita said.
"You go in; I’m a man, I can handle it. From now on, if mom and grandma ask you to do the laundry, just leave the clothes aside, I’ll wash, and you check whether they’re clean."
Mu Dalang spoke as he hung the clothes.
Huang Bita didn’t remain idle, and helped out. Soon, the clothes were all washed clean.
The last piece of clothing was Huang Bita’s. Mu Dalang glanced at it and casually said, "Bita, why do I feel like you wore this in the morning?"
Huang Bita froze, suddenly afraid to tell Dalang what Mu Danian had done.
After all, that man was Dalang’s fifth uncle.
Of course, what scared Huang Bita more was what Mu Danian had said.
No matter how good things are now, one day, she’ll be the one abandoned...
"No... no, you rembered wrong." Huang Bita hurriedly denied.
Mu Dalang didn’t think much of it, as he never paid attention to such details.
But he realized he needed to learn, just like Yuan Feng, handling both big matters and small tasks.
"You go inside; there’s only one piece left. I’ll go to the third branch and wash it with their clothes, Aunt was doing laundry earlier."
Huang Bita nodded, watching Mu Dalang go to the third branch.
After a while, Mu Dalang ca back not only with the clothes but also with two sweet potatoes.
The rosy sweet potatoes were cradled in his arms, the clothes casually thrown over a bamboo pole for drying. Mu Dalang took Huang Bita’s hand and led her into the room.
In between, he went out again, and when he returned, he carried a bundle of straw.
"Bita, let’s make a fire and roast so sweet potatoes."
The sweet potatoes were given by Yu Si Niang, while the straw was found in Old Mu Family’s storeroom.
The two of them started a fire in the room.
As the fire blazed, the cold around Huang Bita quickly diminished.
The sweet potatoes were still uncooked even after the bundle of straw burned out slowly, but Huang Bita and Mu Danian insisted on finishing them.
By lunchti, Old Mrs. Mu’s yelling could be heard from the courtyard.
"That damn thief! Who stole my bundle of straw? Damn it, it’s going to die!"
This shout startled many people in the Old Mu Family.
Including Mrs. Lin, who previously slept like a dead pig in her room.
"Mom, why are you yelling, what was stolen?" Mrs. Lin asked.
"Straw, a bundle of dry straw. Yesterday, Ma Family’s wife asked to borrow a bundle, said they couldn’t start a fire at ho. I thought it was a borrow-never-return thing, so I didn’t lend it. Didn’t expect that stinking woman to steal it."
Old Mrs. Mu spat profusely as she spoke.
Mrs. Lin retorted with irritation: "Then go find that stinking woman Ma, what are you shouting about in the courtyard?"
"You think I want to? With Ma being this bold, if I don’t curse a few tis, how am I supposed to go looking for trouble later?"
This was Old Mrs. Mu’s usual style.
Whenever planning to squabble with soone, she must first curse them thoroughly before going and causing trouble.
"That’s true, then hurry up!" Mrs. Lin urged.
In the house, the conversation wasn’t too loud nor too quiet, reaching Mu Dalang and Huang Bita’s ears.
Huang Bita was a bit anxious as she said, "What do we do now? Mom’s going to trouble Ma Family’s Sister-in-law, but we took the straw."
Mu Dalang shushed Huang Bita softly, "Don’t speak; even Ma Family’s Daughter-in-law can handle my grandma.
And as for the straw, don’t tell anyone about it, just pretend you don’t know."
Mu Dalang pointed at the leftover straw ashes on the ground.
Huang Bita hesitated, "Is this really okay? What if grandma finds out..."
"It’s fine; after all, we were the ones bringing bale after bale. Using one bundle isn’t much.
Besides, you don’t know grandma’s temper. If she knows it’s the two of us, we won’t be in for anything good."
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