Chapter 16: Shock After Shock (Part 2)

Meanwhile, Mu Mian had no idea that her intuition was about to come true—Shi Xiaolian was indeed planning something. At this moment, she was being dragged by Mu Wan, who was excitedly showing off her two eggs.

The ten-year-old girl had a red bump on her forehead but was beaming with joy. “My dad said both of these are mine! Mom won’t take them away to save for later. I can eat them all! Xiao Mian, I’ll share one with you!”

Mu Mian glanced at the red bump. “You don’t have to. Sister Xiao Wan, you can eat one today and save the other for tomorrow.”

The moment she said that, Mu Wan, who had been so happy just now, suddenly sighed. “But then I won’t have anything to eat the day after tomorrow. Why are there only two? If only Shi Dabao had pushed me a few more times!”

That way, her mom could have demanded more eggs!

Mu Mian: “……”

She could see it now—her grandmother was absolutely right. Her Sister Xiao Wan was a big foodie.

In this little girl’s world, things seemed to be divided into only two categories: edible and inedible.

The boy who had been following behind them rolled his eyes. “Second Sister, did you hit your head too hard and become stupid?”

Mu Wan raised her arm and took a swing at him. “You’re the one who is stupid! This is a great deal!”

The boy dodged swiftly, and Mu Wan ended up hitting nothing but air.

Mu Fugui burst into laughter. “Looks like she really did get knocked silly.”

He then slung his arm around Mu Xingwang’s shoulder. “Old Four, one of these days, you should take this girl to the city for some fresh air.”

Mu Xingwang, not wanting to deal with his unreliable eldest brother, shoved the heavy arm off his shoulder.

Mu Wan stomped her foot. “Uncle, why are you saying that too?!”

The little girl pouted in frustration. “Hmph! I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to find Fang Fang!”

Gutou, muttered as he watched his second sister walk away. “Second Sister is just a stomach with legs. Give her something to eat, and she’ll follow anyone.”

The little boy puffed out his chest, looking like a miniature adult worrying over his sister.

Mu Mian chuckled. “Then what about you? What kind of head do you have?”

Gutou straightened his back. “Obviously, I have a smart head!”

Mu Fugui ruffled the little boy’s short-cropped hair. “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you going to school this year? Why are you waiting for Xiao Chengzi?”

This time, it was Gutou’s turn to stomp his foot. With the same expression as his second sister, he grumbled, “Uncle, you’re so annoying!”

After saying that, he ran off like a flash.

Mu Fugui laughed heartily after making both his niece and nephew storm off.

Mu Mian, who had watched everything unfold: “……”

She had figured it out. Her fifth uncle and her father were definitely blood-related brothers.

As for her fourth uncle, he was probably forced to act mature because he had one unreliable older brother above him and an even more unreliable younger brother below him.

After all the commotion, by the time they got home, it was already noon.

Since they didn’t have to work today, lunch was simple—a stir-fried dish with mushrooms. The basketful that Mu Mian had collected was more than enough for their family of four, so the rest were spread out on stone slabs to dry.

After Sunday passed, the next few days were bright and sunny.

Qingfeng Brigade was a big place, full of people and plenty of gossip.

It wasn’t long before the incident between the Mu and Shi families faded from conversation. After all, it had only involved children. Many people didn’t even think it was a big deal, just that the Mu family was overly protective of their daughter.

That said, there was still some lasting impact. Mu Mian soon realized…

It seemed like more children were afraid of her now.

For example, Dazhuang, who often played with Xiao Chengzi and Gutou, started calling her “Sister Xiao Mian” whenever he saw her—just like Xiao Chengzi.

Mu Mian: “……”

Based on physical age, Dazhuang seemed to be a few months older than her.

And he wasn’t the only one. After hearing it so many times, Mu Mian had gotten used to it.

After all, if they were to be completely honest, these kids should indeed call her “older sister.”

Mu Mian accepted it with ease.

Aside from that, she was more concerned about something else. These past two days, she had felt that the atmosphere in the brigade was a bit strange. The familiar aunties and elderly women were always huddled together, whispering to each other with expressions full of intrigue.

That day after school, Mu Mian walked home with Xu Lele as usual. Xu Lele mentioned that she had spotted a few unripened wild berries a while back, and they should be ripe by now. They had to pick them quickly before someone else did.

By the time the two girls finished picking the berries and returned, the adults had already finished their work for the day.

From a distance, Mu Mian saw her mother, Comrade Liu Shuangcui, standing with Aunt Cao Chunfeng and Aunt Liu Guizhi. They were walking slowly, whispering about something.

Mu Mian and Xu Lele exchanged a glance before breaking into a sprint towards their mothers.

Half a minute later, Mu Mian squeezed her way into the group of women, tilting her little face up. “Mom, what are you talking about?”

Xu Lele had the same expression on her face, almost as if the words “Tell me now” were written all over it.

Before Liu Shuangcui could respond, Liu Guizhi was already pushing her daughter’s head to the side. “Little girls shouldn’t be nosy. Go play elsewhere.”

Xu Lele, having been pushed away, pouted. “Who are you calling little?”

The adults stopped talking, and Mu Mian didn’t press further. In fact, she had already overheard a little bit. It seemed to be about Shi Xinggui and his wife, Li Guiyan, but she didn’t catch the details.

As it turned out, in the countryside, there was no such thing as a secret.

Within two hours, Mu Mian had already heard from Mu Wan what the adults had been gossiping about. The topic was—

Apparently, Shi Dabao was not Shi Xinggui’s biological son!

Just as Mu Mian received this shocking news, Xu Lele, who had nothing better to do and often hung around her house, heard it too. She opened her mouth wide in shock. “Is it true? Who told you that?”

Although there were no outsiders around, Mu Wan still lowered her voice. “Who knows? I overheard my mom talking to my dad about it.”

Xu Lele’s face was full of curiosity, like she was dying to know more. “Then who is Shi Dabao’s real dad? Is he from our brigade?”

Mu Wan shook her head. “I don’t know either.”

Then, she added in a hushed voice, “Hehe, but I think it might be Wang Mazi. He and Shi Dabao both have tiny eyes!”

Wang Mazi was a bachelor in their brigade. Because he wasn’t very good-looking, he had never managed to find a wife.

Well, saying “never” wasn’t entirely accurate—after all, Wang Mazi was only twenty-one.

It was just that his mother had been worrying about his marriage for years. She had started making arrangements for him when he was only fifteen or sixteen, asking people for help in matchmaking.

But even after all this time, there had been no progress. That was why he seemed like an eternal bachelor.

The ten-year-old girl didn’t realize anything was wrong and had a serious expression as if she had discovered the truth.

Xu Lele grew even more excited. “Yes! They both have squinty eyes!”

Mu Mian: “……”

Seeing them go further and further off track, she reminded them, “Shi Dabao is ten years old. Ten years ago, Wang Mazi was only eleven.”

Why were squinty eyes being blamed for everything?!

There were plenty of men with small eyes in the brigade.

The two girls, who had been passionately discussing their theory, suddenly froze. Xu Lele even started counting on her fingers. “One plus one equals one, one plus two equals…”

This little girl had always been bad at math.

Mu Wan sincerely praised, “Xiao Mian, you calculate so fast! You’re as smart as my sister!”

Mu Mian: “……”

Why was she gossiping about this nonsense with two elementary school kids?!

No wonder the adults didn’t let them listen. That was how grown-ups were. Whenever the conversation involved romantic entanglements, they would always be secretive around children.

Some would even shoo kids away when chatting idly, acting like these topics were not meant for little ears.

Thanks to Mu Mian’s interruption, the two little girls ended up solving math problems instead.

Mu Mian lost interest in the gossip and went to the backyard to flip over the drying pickled vegetables.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t expected such a scandal in the Shi family’s second household. Normally, something like this wouldn’t be easily discovered.

So, it was obvious who had leaked it.

Recalling all the outrageous things Old Lady Shi had done over the years for her precious grandson, Mu Mian couldn’t help but look forward to the upcoming drama in the Shi family!

But unfortunately, there was no movement from them in the next two days.

—

Shi Xinggui still had no idea. He only vaguely felt that, these past few days, a lot of people seemed to be looking at him.

But whenever he turned to look back, they would immediately avert their gaze, leaving him completely puzzled.

In reality, it was normal that no one had told him yet.

First, gossip was all about whispering behind people’s backs. Who would dare say it to his face?

Second, the Shi family’s second household was not well-liked. From the eldest, Old Lady Shi, down to Shi Dabao, none of them were popular.

Compared to the capable Shi Xingfu, the second branch of the Shi family looked even worse in contrast.

So, for the time being, no one bothered to tell them.

But there’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t let the wind through.

Sooner or later, the truth would come out.

—

On another Sunday, just as the sky was darkening, Mu Mian was having dinner with her parents and grandmother when she suddenly spotted the brigade leader and Aunt Liu Guizhi walking in a hurry.

Behind them, Xu Lele was running to catch up with them.

Mu Mian abruptly stood up with her bowl of rice and ran to the courtyard gate, shouting, “Lele, you—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Lele cut her off. “Sister Mianmian! Hurry, hurry! Aunt Chunfeng said there’s a big commotion at Shi Dabao’s house!”

Mu Mian: “!!!”

She’s coming right away!

Just as she was about to go back and put down her rice bowl, she turned her head and saw that her father, mother, and grandmother had all come out with their bowls too.

Her father even grabbed the lock, ready to latch the door behind them.

Mu Mian: “……”

Sure enough, no one in the countryside could resist watching a spectacle!

Since the place was a bit far, by the time Mu Mian arrived at Shi’s second household with her bowl of rice and her friend, many people had already gathered there.

From inside, bursts of shouting and cursing could be heard, and it sounded like a full-blown fight had broken out.

The sky was dimming, and Mu Mian did not pay attention to where her parents had gone. Taking advantage of her small size, she dragged Xu Lele forward, squeezing into the crowd while chattering away.

“Auntie, I’m short, so I won’t block anyone. Could you let me through?”

“Aunt, you haven’t finished your meal yet, right? What were you eating? Hey! I see some space on your right. Let us squeeze in!”

“Uncle, you’re here too? Why don’t I see Auntie around?”

…

After a while, the two little girls managed to squeeze to the front.

Inside, Shi Xinggui and Li Guiyan were still fighting, hitting and cursing each other in a chaotic mess.

One of them kept yelling, “You damn woman! You cheated on me! I’ll kill you!”

The other fiercely retorted, “I am innocent! If I’m lying, may the heavens strike me down!”

Shi Dabao was nowhere to be seen, while Shi Chuncao was crying and wailing beside them. Shi Dazhu’s old face was flushed red, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

Although Shi Xinggui was a man, he was thin and weak. Li Guiyan, on the other hand, had been doing hard labor for years and had strong arms, so she was actually gaining the upper hand in the fight.

The two of them were at each other’s throats, and blood had already been drawn. Just as the fight escalated, Xu Yongshou roared, “Enough!! Do you really want to beat each other to death?!”

He stepped forward, trying to pull them apart. Only then did Mu Mian notice that her father had somehow squeezed his way to the front as well, helping to break up the fight.

But he didn’t seem too sincere about it—his eyes darted back and forth between the fighters, as if he was just there to enjoy the drama.

Shi Xinggui glared fiercely. “Who the hell asked you to interfere?! This is my family’s business! None of your damn business! I’m going to beat this woman to death today!”

Xu Yongshou was also angry. Did he want to get involved?!

There was always some drama happening in the brigade—one family today, another family tomorrow. There was never a moment of peace.

Xu Yongshou’s voice boomed, “I don’t care about your family’s business, but if someone dies today, then I will have to get involved!”

With several men stepping in, the couple was finally separated.

But Shi Xinggui was like a mad dog, still howling that he was going to kill Li Guiyan, struggling as several people held him down.

The onlookers murmured among themselves.

“Shi Xinggui is making such a big fuss… Could it be that Shi Dabao really isn’t his son?”

“Not necessarily. He might just be embarrassed.”

“Any man would be embarrassed if something like this happened to him.”

“When did Li Guiyan get pregnant with Shi Dabao again? I remember it took her more than three years after marrying Shi Xinggui, right?”

“Exactly! Back then, Old Lady Shi would curse her every day, calling her a useless hen that couldn’t lay eggs.”

“I remember when Li Guiyan first married in, Old Lady Shi bragged to everyone, saying she looked like a good breeder and would definitely give her a fat grandson. But it took her three years to conceive.”

“And she never had another child after that. Do you think… maybe Shi Xinggui is the one who can’t have kids?”

“Hey! You know what? That actually makes sense!”

“If he really wants to know, he could just go to the county hospital and get checked. Didn’t Li Xiaoshuan find out that way?”