“Will you all stop? Do you think I’m just a clay figurine without any fire in me? Do I have to report this to the headmaster?”

Mu Yunchuan, usually with a warm smile on his face, now looked stern, exuding an aura that discouraged further interaction.

The three finally fell silent. After all, they were a few years older than Mu Er Pang, and seeing him genuinely upset, they feared word might get out that they were bullying a child. Their expressions were sullen.

Mu Yunchuan turned to Mu Er Pang, rare sympathy evident in his eyes, and whispered, “Don’t mind them, just go back early.”

Mu Er Pang moved his lips as if to say something in response but didn’t know where to begin. In the end, he just nodded quietly.

Once he left, Mu Yunchuan’s face turned completely cold.

The classmates hurriedly tried to patch things up. “Mu, we were just trying to speak up for you out of goodwill. We didn’t realize your brother would hear, and things got out of hand.”

“Yeah, and we didn’t say anything wrong. Frankly, your brother has been spoiled by your stepmother.”

Just then, the old tailor emerged from inside, no longer carrying scraps of cloth but a measuring tape. He was going to measure Mu Yunchuan’s body.

With his appearance, everyone tacitly pretended the dispute hadn’t happened.

Mu Yunchuan glanced at them deeply and quickly said, “I won’t make a new robe. Just trouble you to patch it with the same color.”

Wei Shu hesitated for a moment, intending to help him cover the cost, but seeing that he seemed genuinely upset today, he refrained from saying more.

The old tailor, not one to talk much, was a bit annoyed now. “Young master, don’t refuse. The young master behind just said he won’t make a new robe but will make one for you instead. Master Mu, your brother is truly obedient and thoughtful. The money for making the robe has been saved from his New Year’s money for ten years…”

Mu Yunchuan was surprised, and the three who had spoken so carelessly, along with Wei Shu, turned red in embarrassment.

Perhaps they had really misunderstood. A mother who could raise such a child should not be a malicious person, right?

It was strange. Mu Yunchuan had never said a bad word about his stepmother, yet rumors about her being cruel and harsh had spread outside.

Was he truly misled by rumors?

…

Shen Cui drank a bowl of tea at the tea stall. Since the tailor shop’s curtains blocked her view, she couldn’t see who had entered, only knowing that it was crowded inside.

When she saw Mu Er Pang coming out, she called him to have a bowl too.

But Mu Er Pang shook his head, saying he didn’t feel well and wanted to go home.

Shen Cui immediately put down the bowl and opened his data panel. Sure enough, his mood value was dropping below the passing line again.

Shen Cui obediently followed him

As they were getting close to Shuiyun Village, Mu Er Pang hadn’t said a word the whole time.

Shen Cui tentatively asked, “What’s wrong, Pang? Did something happen? Did you suddenly feel upset because Mom left for a while? Are you hungry, or are you worried about spending money on a new robe?”

When someone feels wronged, if they keep it to themselves, their emotions will gradually settle. But if they receive care from someone close, those emotions will rise again.

As soon as she asked, Mu Er Pang sniffled.

“Mom, I’m sorry,” Mu Er Pang’s voice trembled with tears.

Shen Cui hurriedly wiped his eyes with her sleeve and said, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. What’s wrong? Tell me slowly.”

“I… I didn’t make a new robe. After Mom left, my eldest brother and his friends came. His friend advised him to make a new robe, saying he couldn’t go to the county exam dressed so shabbily… something like that. So I thought, that exam must be really important, and since I have clothes at home anyway, I went to tell the tailor to give the clothes to my brother. But when I went back, I heard them all talking badly about Mom…”

Mu Er Pang finally burst into tears, “Wuwuwu, I said Mom isn’t like that, but they kept saying it!”

“So that’s what happened.” Shen Cui wasn’t angry at all. She hugged him tenderly and said softly, “The new robe was made with your New Year’s money, right? You wanted to give it to your brother, so Mom won’t be angry. As for what happened later, Pang, remember what Mom told you before? Mom just started to understand recently, right?”

Mu Er Pang nodded with teary eyes.

Shen Cui continued, “So, Mom did make mistakes before. That’s why others say those things.”

Afraid that the child couldn’t accept it, Shen Cui changed her approach. “It’s like you used to be too lazy to even get off the kang, but now you’re studying, practicing calligraphy, and taking care of yourself. You’ve changed completely, but others don’t know, so they still think you’re the same as before.”

After thinking for a while, Mu Er Pang nodded first, but then his head drooped with discouragement. “Mom and I used to be bad, but now we’ve changed for the better. They just won’t believe it no matter what I say. It wasn’t until my brother spoke up that they stopped. Mom, I feel so useless.”

“Why would you think that way? Your brother’s words worked because he’s more talented than them. Like the county exam you heard about, that’s the first stage of the imperial examination. After passing several exams, your brother will be more successful than them, and then they’ll be jealous of him. You’re still just a half-grown child; it’s not your fault…”

In fact, there were some cruel truths that Shen Cui didn’t want to tell Mu Er Pang at the moment.

Although Shuiyun Village was close to the county town, Mu Yunchuan was mistreated by his stepmother, which was purely a family matter. How could family matters spread to the county town? Without Mu Yunchuan’s support, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Moreover, as Mu Yunchuan’s status rose in the future, whether to curry favor with him or to ridicule him, the misdeeds of the original body would be brought up repeatedly.

Unless one day Mu Er Pang also stood at the same high position, and others feared him, they would dare not mention the past.

But Mu Er Pang was already thinking about many things now. He thought about the ridicule and disdain from the neighbors in Teapot Alley, he thought about the disgust and disdain from the Chen family, he thought about the teasing and mocking from the people in the tailor shop just now…

After a long while, he finally raised his head, wiped away his tears, and said firmly, “I understand now. I will be even more successful than my brother in the future, so they’ll fear me more than they fear him. They won’t dare to look down on me anymore. I want them to believe whatever I say!”