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墨書 Inktalez
So, silence is the best answer.
"Not speaking means you agree with my way."
Seeing her remain silent for a long time while her expression grew longer, Shen Muhan's playful side emerged. He pinched her waist a few times and teased her with a charming voice, not forgetting to plant a kiss on her fair neck.
Xia Muxin gritted her teeth, wishing she could dump a basin of pig's blood over his head.
"I think the biggest use of my uncle's ruler is to measure your thick skin."
Finally, she turned to glance at the smug Shen Muhan and said stiffly.
Shen Muhan found it amusing and touched his own face, pulling her even closer as he joked, "Good thing I have such thick skin; otherwise, how could I have married such a wonderful wife?"
"......"
Alright, Xia Muxin was conquered; more accurately, she had nothing to say because she couldn't anticipate the level of Shen Muhan's cheekiness.
"Alright, everything outside should be ready. You'll need to direct and manage it all."
Seeing her expression soften, Shen Muhan leaned down and stole a kiss from her lips before taking her hand and leading her outside.
"I used to think I was best at killing people; I didn't expect that killing pigs would be so easy too."
Ming Peng was currently washing his hands in a wooden tub, a smug smile spreading across his face as he praised himself. However, just as he finished speaking, he felt the temperature around him drop sharply. Even the brothers who had been joking just moments ago fell silent. Confused, he looked up only to see that apart from Ming Yi and the others, everyone else was staring at him with fear in their eyes, shivering and unwilling to approach.
Ming Peng felt a wave of annoyance mixed with helplessness. He was usually straightforward and had grown accustomed to joking with the other brothers. Today, however, he had forgotten the occasion and spoke without restraint, not realizing he had frightened everyone.
"They all say you are a great contributor, yet you remain humble every time. Without you, how could we have such peaceful days?"
Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan had arrived, and Ming Peng's words had reached their ears without missing a beat. They anticipated the reactions of family and some villagers, so Xia Muxin stepped forward, both praising and teasing.
As soon as she finished speaking, she received admiration and gratitude from everyone, especially from Ming Peng.
What she said was indeed true. As everyone reflected on it, they felt relieved, and the atmosphere once again became lively as everyone resumed their tasks.
"Muxin, what about these two pigs? They weigh nearly six hundred pounds of meat; are we just going to eat them like this?"
The two pigs were extremely fat, each weighing over three hundred fifty pounds before slaughter. After removing the internal organs, they still weighed close to three hundred pounds. Just the meat alone was almost six hundred pounds. Aunt Xia looked somewhat troubled. It was the end of the year, and she hadn’t informed the villagers that her family would be slaughtering pigs. Everyone had already prepared their New Year goods, so they had bought enough meat. Seeing so much meat made her feel a bit awkward.
"Mom, don’t worry; we’ll use all this meat at home."
Xia Muxin understood her concerns and stepped closer, affectionately wrapping her arm around her shoulder while smiling.
"Everyone, let’s go catch some fish."
At the same time, she didn’t forget to give instructions.
Thus, some people carried the meat back home while others went to the fish pond to catch fish using the method Xia Muxin provided. A few others went to catch lobsters since only Xia Muxin's family had them. Once word spread about catching lobsters, villagers rushed over, clamoring to buy some.
Now, Daimiao Village had become a relatively wealthy village. Men and women alike had work to do; even the elderly could plant crops for money. Every household's conditions had greatly improved. While they might not have fish and meat every day, they could still enjoy a warm and prosperous New Year.
Lobsters were relatively rare and not cheap. Seeing that everyone was from the same village and familiar with each other, Xia Muxin allowed them to buy twenty for one or two silver coins each. This meant that each person could roughly have two lobsters, which was already a significant advantage for the villagers. They knew that at Fortune and Longevity Restaurant, lobsters were sold at five taels per pound—a sky-high price—and since Donghe dried up last time, they hadn’t seen lobsters again. This meant that only Xia Muxin’s family had them now.
Xia Muxin was truly a business-savvy individual; even under such conditions, she knew how to preserve these lobsters. In just one year, their numbers had multiplied beyond count.
This sale brought in over two hundred silver coins for her family; however, for Xia Muxin, it wasn’t about making a profit but rather providing convenience for everyone to taste something fresh. Moreover, she had enough lobsters now; with spring approaching, they would reproduce again. Selling a little now was beneficial.
The pig was slaughtered, the fish were caught, and the lobsters were gathered; everything that needed to be done was taken care of.
Aunt Xia then began sewing clothes for the children, while Er Dan went home to clean and tidy up. In this village, there were customs to follow; as the New Year approached, every household had to be cleaned from top to bottom to welcome the new year.
The workshop had already stopped working today; after all, everyone had families and plenty of things to attend to. Xia Muxin understood this well.
After lunch, she and Shen Muhan loaded a cart with supplies and headed to Dayao Village. Compared to other places, Dayao Village had more elderly people and children, making it less convenient for them to go out. Even if they had a little money, they were reluctant to spend it. What she brought were just some basic groceries from the supermarket—mostly food.
In the village, people raised fish and livestock. With the New Year coming, several pigs would be slaughtered, allowing everyone to share. The elderly in the village were very responsible, and Xia Muxin felt grateful for them from the bottom of her heart. Therefore, she prepared some snacks for the children and also brought fabric.
There were only about twenty households in total, so she brought two pieces of fabric and a bag of snacks for each family as her New Year’s gift to everyone.
When the adults and children received these items, their eyes filled with tears. They never dreamed that their nearly abandoned village would welcome such a day. Now not only could every household enjoy steamed rice, wear warm winter clothes, and sleep under white cotton quilts, but they also had some extra money on hand. If someone fell ill, they no longer had to grit their teeth and endure.
The cotton was sold to them at a low price by Xia Muxin—much cheaper than in Town—so much so that at one point, everyone in the village knelt down before her in gratitude.
Gradually, teenagers in their mid-teens began to marry without regard for social status; most of them settled down within their own village. Last year alone saw over a dozen couples getting married. Xia Muxin encouraged them to build houses and work alongside her without fear of going hungry or being unable to afford clothes or shelter. She even offered discounts for her internal staff.
As a result, over the course of a year, life in the village became much more vibrant. People worked harder than ever before; even those seedlings were entrusted to their care by Xia Muxin.
After finishing their tasks, the two had an early dinner at the village chief's house before returning home before dark.
When they arrived home just as dinner was being prepared, they were greeted warmly. Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan smiled and said they had already eaten but took bowls of food to feed the children instead.
“Daddy’s fur is gone; he looks good now.”
Yuan Yuan squeezed into Shen Muhan’s arms first, arching her back and gazing up at him for quite some time. Shen Muhan felt a chill from her stare until finally, her chubby little hand reached out to touch his smooth chin as if she were scolding him.
“Dummy! Of course! Otherwise, he’d want to climb onto Mother Tiger’s bed.”
The second child shot Yuan Yuan a fierce glare and said in a babyish voice before glancing at Xia Muxin.
Of course, the Mother Tiger he mentioned was undoubtedly Xia Muxin.
Both Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan were overwhelmed with countless black lines on their foreheads. Xia Muxin wished she could stuff the second child back into her womb and start over; at such a young age, not only was he sharp-tongued, but he was also quite lewd.
He always wore a look of indifference, acting as if he understood everything. However, this kid knew more than the average child, and there were several occasions when Shen Muhan was in the middle of something with her, only for him to wake up without crying or making a fuss. He would simply lie there in the dark, staring at the two of them. Once they were done, he would start whimpering. Of course, this was before he turned one, and it had scared her so much that she nearly rolled off the bed several times.
"Big brother, it's time to eat. Once you're full, Mama will carry you to sleep."
However, the second child was a glutton. Unlike Yuan Yuan, he belonged to the type that could never be satisfied. The eldest was always cold and expressionless, his face perpetually stiff around others. Yet when he spoke, he had an impressive presence. The second child, on the other hand, was chatty and had to interject in every conversation. At that moment, Xia Muxin seized his weakness and brought a spoonful of food to the eldest's mouth.
The eldest accepted the spoonful of rice from her without any expression, his eyes filled with disdain. Xia Muxin was infuriated by his contemptuous gaze and immediately said to Shen Muhan:
"After dinner, move their beds to the next room."
Upon hearing such a good deal, Shen Muhan disregarded the resentful looks from the children and coaxed Yuan Yuan into eating. His attentive demeanor left Xia Muxin stunned; this family was a handful—both the little ones and the older ones were troublesome. She felt a headache coming on.
Fortunately, they took their bowls outside and sat on stools in the yard to feed them; otherwise, they would have been laughed at inside.
After dinner, they busied themselves giving the kids baths. There was quite a commotion during bath time, and by the time they finished washing the children, both of them were soaked as well. After dressing the kids, Shen Muhan pushed Xia Muxin toward the bathroom and prepared water for her.
"Hurry up and take a shower; it's cold out here, and your clothes are soaked. Don't catch a chill."
A warm current flowed through Xia Muxin's heart as she saw him about to leave and blurted out:
"What about you?"
After saying that, she noticed Shen Muhan looking at her meaningfully with his head tilted. Her cheeks flushed red as she pushed him toward the door.
She hadn’t thought much of it; after all, he was wet too—it was just a concerned question. But he had to take it the wrong way. If she had known better, she would have asked nothing at all and just sent him away to avoid this awkwardness.
"I still have to take care of three little tyrants; no couple's bath tonight. I'll make sure you're well-fed later."
However, Shen Muhan was pushed to the door by her, and he leaned down, whispering charmingly in her ear. Xia Muxin, annoyed, directly pushed him out and quickly closed the bathroom door behind her. Leaning against the door, she took a deep breath. That guy had been talking so casually, yet his hand had to squeeze her chest. Soaked all over, she shivered at the sudden touch and felt a reaction.
Xia Muxin felt a bit dizzy and cursed herself before taking off her clothes to start showering.
Meanwhile, Shen Muhan returned to the room with three Bear Cubs, happily moving the children's bed to the next room.
"Daddy, how can you bear to leave Yuan Yuan behind?"
"Daddy, that's so unfair."
"You only care about your wife; when I have a wife in the future, I won't care about you either, hum..."
The three Bear Cubs followed him in and out, pouting in grievance. Yuan Yuan was the first to cling to his leg and act cute. The eldest turned his head away, speaking coldly as if in a bad mood. The second one directly moved his wife out, but his words successfully pleased Shen Muhan, who immediately picked him up and said with a smile:
"Daddy looks forward to you finding a wife."
The second cub immediately wilted, wanting to cry without tears, glaring at Shen Muhan with red eyes. Shen Muhan raised an eyebrow at him and then placed the Three Babies on the bed, commanding:
"You have one incense stick's worth of time. If you don't fall asleep, Daddy will take your mother out for a trip and only come back once a year."
As soon as Shen Muhan finished speaking, the three kids who were about to annoy him immediately closed their eyes and pretended to sleep.
What a joke! Daddy only comes back a few times a year and now he wants to take away their Mother Tiger? Not a chance!
If Mother Tiger is taken away, who will tell them interesting stories? Who will cook delicious fish for them? Who will develop new toys for them to play with?
Shen Muhan gave himself a victorious smile; he had won this battle.
The kids were lively but fell asleep quickly. Before long, even breaths filled the room. Shen Muhan confirmed they were asleep several times before quietly closing the door behind him as he stepped out.
"You..."
"Shh..."
Xia Muxin was just drying her hair with a towel while walking upstairs when she saw Shen Muhan coming out of the adjacent room. She was momentarily surprised, and an uneasy feeling crept into her heart. Could it be that Shen Muhan had brought the children to this room to sleep? She had only intended to scare them a little for fun. However, before she could voice her concern, Shen Muhan gestured for her to be quiet, then pulled her closer into the room and pressed her against the door.
"I was just saying it casually. They're still young; how can they sleep alone?"
Although Xia Muxin was usually strict, she felt a deep affection for the children. After all, since their birth, they had never spent a night away from her. How could she bear to let them sleep alone at such a young age?
"They're not that young anymore; they need to learn independence."
Shen Muhan took the towel from her hands and began drying her hair while speaking earnestly.
He had never slept a single day with his mother since he was born. All of this was thanks to his father, the Vinegar King Dad. Besides, there were three of them, not just one. They were old enough to sleep alone; wasn't it said that the student surpasses the teacher?
Couldn’t they exceed their father in this aspect?
If Xia Muxin knew what Shen Muhan was thinking at that moment, she would have kicked him out.
"Well... umm..."
She wanted to argue back, but Shen Muhan's strong presence overwhelmed her, and he effectively silenced her.
*
Downstairs, Shen Muqing had been in Yan Zhouwan's room without stepping out. At first, it was because everyone was still awake, and later, after seeing Shen Muhan bring the three children upstairs and create a series of noises, followed by Xia Muxin going up as well, there was no more sound.
Yan Zhouwan was folding clothes. Having not returned for so long, these clothes had been sitting in the closet untouched for quite a while. With things being busy at home lately, she finally found some time tonight to take out the old clothes. The weather had been nice these past few days with plenty of sunshine; tomorrow would be perfect for hanging them out to dry.
Shen Muqing sat on her bed, propping her chin up with one hand as she watched Yan Zhouwan skillfully fold the clothes, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Although they were now in a relationship, even engaged, Yan Zhouwan was quite stubborn. To this day, aside from that one incident, he hadn't even touched any meat. Besides, he was skilled; even living on the fourth floor, he could still hear the subtle movements of Shen Muhan and Xia Muxin.
Every time, he endured immense pain, wishing he could just take Yan Zhouwan to his room and cherish her properly.
"What's wrong? It's getting late; why aren't you going to sleep?"
Finally, after finishing her tasks and feeling warm all over, Yan Zhouwan noticed that Shen Muqing didn’t seem to be leaving and asked in confusion.
Their interactions had always been casual. Even when sharing the same tent, nothing had ever happened between them. Sometimes she wondered how she could be so indifferent, especially when she saw Shen Muhan and Xia Muxin being affectionate. She had thought about it, but Shen Muqing lacked a romantic side. She genuinely liked him as a person, not for his attempts at charm or unrealistic romance.
"Zhou Zhou..."
Suddenly, Shen Muqing pulled her into his embrace and called out in a hoarse voice.
Yan Zhouwan felt a jolt of surprise at his address; he usually didn’t call her that. After confirming their relationship, they hadn’t talked about their childhood. Yan Zhouwan believed that everything was in the past and that their coming together was fate; there was no need to revisit old wounds.
However, Shen Muqing was waiting—waiting for the chance for her to open her heart to him. But he had waited too long, too long to waste any more time.
At that moment, the person he admired sat in his arms, her nervous breaths quickening, her face so close to his, her body soft as water. Everything about her felt like a fuse leading him to explore further.
In the next instant, he followed his desires and pressed his lips against hers, silencing her confusion.
Yan Zhouwan was taken aback by his action, holding her breath. Unlike Xia Muxin, who came from a modern soul, she believed such actions were only permissible after marriage—even after that one incident.
Her cheeks flushed crimson as she weakly pushed against his chest with both hands, emitting faint sounds of protest.
Yet Shen Muqing paid no mind to it; he simply couldn’t hold back any longer. Moreover, he remembered everything from that night clearly—her beauty and everything she brought him felt like it had happened just yesterday.
After all, he was a normal man with needs. Watching the person he admired every day and even sharing a tent with her made it incredible that he had managed to endure this long.
Even though Yan Zhouwan resisted, he couldn't stop himself. He grabbed her hands, flipped over, and pinned her beneath him. His large hand began to explore her body.
However, he was still inexperienced, and Yan Zhouwan trembled all over. In the end, they couldn't go through with it. Shen Muqing gritted his teeth, pulled up his pants, and rushed out of Yan Zhouwan's room.
Yan Zhouwan was left with a blank mind, instinctively pulling the blanket over her bare body, her neck flushed red.
Just moments ago, they had almost...
Thinking about it made her feel both joy and fear. After all, this was incredibly important for a woman, especially when the person involved was someone she had liked for over a decade.
In contrast to the shyness and awkwardness on this side, Shen Muhan was different. He carried Xia Muxin from the doorframe to the bed, only releasing her when she begged for mercy in a weakened state. He then took his clothes and went to take a shower.
Xia Muxin felt drowsy and sore all over. She rolled deeper into the blanket and fell into a deep sleep.
Shen Muhan went downstairs and had just entered the back room when Shen Muqing walked out with a defeated look on his face. The two brothers met; one was radiant while the other hung his head in silence. Shen Muhan felt puzzled but chose not to pry since Shen Muqing seemed unwilling to talk. He simply walked past him and headed straight for the bathroom. Shen Muqing felt an inexplicable heat rise in his face and quickened his pace.
"Shen Muqing, have you lost your mind? It's freezing outside, and you're taking a cold shower!"
- End of Chapter -
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