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Shen Muhan's domineering and playful expression left Xia Muxin somewhat distracted. As she spoke, her throat tightened, and her gaze inadvertently drifted to Zhaoxia Muxin's chest.
Feeling the weight of his teasing gaze, Xia Muxin crossed her arms and glared at him fiercely, her eyes filled with anger. Before she could unleash her fury, Shen Muhan spoke up.
“There’s nothing to hide. What’s the point? Besides, it’s all mine to see sooner or later; it doesn’t matter if I look now or later.”
Xia Muxin took a few deep breaths, staring at Shen Muhan's infuriating face. She reached behind her without looking and threw whatever she had at him.
Shen Muhan grinned widely, raised a hand, and caught the object she tossed with ease. He then said in a surprisingly good-natured tone, “Girls should be gentle; this isn’t how you should treat your future husband.”
Xia Muxin smirked and kicked out her leg, aiming right between Shen Muhan's legs. His expression changed instantly as he quickly closed his legs, still wearing that infuriating grin as he looked at Xia Muxin.
“Muxin, bullying Young Master Shen so early in the morning? A girl should have some modesty.”
“Mom, we’re just playing around.”
Unexpectedly, Xia Muxin's unladylike action was spotted by Aunt Xia as she stepped out of the house. Aunt Xia's face flushed red with embarrassment as she scolded Xia Muxin. In response, Xia Muxin shot a triumphant glare at Shen Muhan, then lowered her gaze and spoke to her mother.
After that, she jumped off the stool and went to prepare breakfast.
Shen Muhan watched her hurried movements and couldn’t help but chuckle silently.
In the blink of an eye, another month had passed. During this month, Xia Muxin spent most of her time at the Brick Factory. She had organized everyone to help build a resting area. A few of them worked hard, starting before dawn and even having their lunch delivered from home. It rained several times during the month, but fortunately, everyone managed to keep up with their work. When they first encountered difficulties using the bamboo fence, it was Xia Muxin who braved the rain to teach them how to do it, only to be scolded by Shen Muhan for quite some time afterward.
Then, she fell ill, burning with fever for several days and nights, while he seemed to be by her side every moment, taking care of her. As a result, she burned up, and during a bath, she slipped and fell awkwardly, dislocating her arm and spraining her ankle. A scar was left on her face from the edge of the bathtub. That was the first time she had seen Shen Muhan lose his temper.
Looking back now, she still felt a bit scared.
Of course, his anger was not directed at her but rather at the bathtub and the floor of the bathhouse. The next day, he had Ming Yi and the others replace the bathtub, even having one specially made for her, and the ground was raised with soil.
Forced to lie in bed for over ten days, she felt like she was going moldy. Once her foot healed, her urge to move exploded, and she rushed straight to the Brick Factory, of course followed closely by the stern Uncle Shen.
To her surprise, they were now able to produce six hundred bricks per person each day. In a month, each person could make about eighteen thousand to twenty thousand bricks. With Er Dan Ge being seven people strong, a kiln could produce around one hundred thousand bricks. If the weather held up, they would be able to fire the kiln at the beginning of next month.
This news delighted Xia Muxin.
She heard that a prominent figure had moved into the Wang family’s residence. After resting for a month, the Wang family began to assert their influence again.
Feng San Niang had also visited their home several times, merely advising her to keep her distance from Feng Liulang so as not to affect his studies. She found it puzzling; did Feng San Niang have a sideways view of things?
When had she ever looked at Feng Liulang directly?
It was unclear where the rumor came from, but it was said that Zhou Guilian had been taken to the Feng Family by You Shi, with the proposal coming from Zhou's side for Feng Liulang to marry Zhou Guilian.
Upon hearing this, Feng Liulang hid at home for several days without stepping outside, which only fueled Feng San Niang's prejudice against the Zhou family.
The two families clashed daily. Xia Muxin would often see monkeys at her doorstep using similar phrases to confront each other. At first, it was amusing; over time, not only did she become immune to it, but she also grew increasingly disgusted.
In half a month, it would be time for the late rice harvest. During this period, she made some Wine-Pickled Fish to sell and earned several hundred taels. At the same time, she bought plenty of seeds so that once the late rice was harvested, she could plant something new.
It had been nearly half a month since she last saw the Golden Python, and the creature was becoming increasingly unruly. Whenever she visited, it would throw a little tantrum. Just like last time, when she had gone to see it behind Shen Muhan's back. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t visited in a while, but when she arrived, the massive serpent swiftly devoured a pile of Game Meat that had been laid out for it, then straightened its body and stared at her with wide eyes.
She couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. In the end, it took her a lot of sweet talk before it reluctantly accepted her presence and allowed her to lean against its side.
Today, she woke up early, seizing the moment before everyone else was awake. She grabbed her Crossbow and Bamboo Basket, ready to head out. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Shen Muhan's low, hoarse voice came from behind her.
"Where are you sneaking off to this early?"
After the incident with her illness, he had become even more protective of her. Aside from sleeping and using the bathroom, he hardly let her out of his sight. This made her quite annoyed, especially since every time they argued, their parents would witness it and always side with him, painting her as the bully. Over time, even though he was often in the wrong, their parents still favored him.
This left Xia Muxin at a loss for words while he continued to play the innocent one.
"Hehe... Good morning, Uncle!"
She mechanically turned around and tossed the Crossbow into the Bamboo Basket, forcing a stiff smile as she waved at him.
Inside, however, she was silently lamenting: Golden Python, oh Golden Python, it's not that your master doesn't want to visit you; it's just that your master is also helpless with a bloodsucking leech around—one that happens to be quite favored by her family.
Seeing the flicker in her eyes, Shen Muhan furrowed his brow. He casually threw on an outer garment and walked toward her.
His gaze immediately fell on her foot that was still hovering above the threshold. His lips pressed tightly together, his eyes dark and unfathomable, causing Xia Muxin's heart to race wildly.
She wondered how their playful banter had suddenly turned so serious under his gaze.
"Well, it seems your foot is recovering well. Where do you want to go? I'll go with you!"
After a long moment, Shen Muhan nodded and looked at her, saying with unexpected kindness.
Hearing this, Xia Muxin angrily walked into the house, tossed aside the things in her hands, and poured herself a cup of tea. She tilted her head back and drank it all in one go before speaking in a low voice:
"I'm not going anywhere; I'm staying home. Uncle, I'm hungry!"
Shen Muhan's brows twitched slightly, but he didn't argue. He shot her a glance and walked over to the stove to start a fire.
Seeing this, Xia Muxin tilted her head and smiled.
He was now half her servant, yet his temper was quite strong. He only cooked for her, and although the food was barely edible at times, she had to make do with it.
Her belly was already five months along, clearly showing her pregnancy. She often lay on her stomach, teasing the little one inside. Sometimes when she irritated him, the little one would kick back, and even through her thin clothing, she could see the rhythmic movements of her belly.
It was astonishing to experience the creation of life like this; how fascinating...
Every time this happened, Shen Muhan would quietly stand by and watch her, a pleasing smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Tell me, whose wild child is in your belly?"
"You dead girl, how could you do something so against nature? Come on, whose is it?"
While Xia Muxin was still basking in her memories with pride, a commotion erupted outside. Peering through the front door, she saw the Wu Family and the You family pushing a pale Zhou Cailian forward, each accusing her in turn.
Zhou Cailian's eyes were vacant, her cheeks pale. The corners of her lips were bleeding from being bitten, and her once beautiful hair was now a tangled mess as if it hadn't been combed in ages.
Seeing the Wu Family and You's aggressive gazes, with a hint of malice flashing in their eyes, Zhou Cailian wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and pointed at Xia Muxin's house, saying, "It's her, it's Xia Muxin who set the trap. That person... I don't even know who it is!"
In recent days, Zhou Cailian had been vomiting and feeling faint, completely drained of energy. Her family had called for a doctor, but to their surprise, she was already over a month pregnant. Instantly, her status in the Zhou family plummeted, and she faced constant scolding. Today, they could no longer hold back and decided to expose the matter regardless of her reputation.
Determined, Zhou Cailian fixed her gaze on the warm scene between Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan, her resentment deepening. If she were to die, she would drag Xia Muxin down with her. Pointing at Xia Muxin, she sorrowfully declared, "You must take responsibility for this!"
Xia Muxin's expression turned cold. From their earlier words, she understood that the events of that night had led to Zhou Cailian's pregnancy, and now the blame was being placed on her.
Aunt Xia had also been awakened by the commotion and came out dressed properly. She saw the Wu Family and You's charging toward them with fierce expressions.
You was pounding her chest and crying uncontrollably, "Xia Muxin! My Color Lotus is still so young! How could you be so cruel? You’re a rotten piece of work yourself but want to drag my Color Lotus down with you! Tell me which one of these people is responsible; you must give my Zhou family an explanation!"
In recent days, You and the others had already noticed that Shen Muhan was not an ordinary person. Even his subordinates were all handsome and capable individuals from respectable backgrounds.
Rather than letting Color Lotus marry some country bumpkin, it would be better to choose one from among them at random.
- End of Chapter -
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