novelAbuy Chapter 607 - 603: Days of Making Money (Part 1)
Chapter 607 - 603: Days of Making Money (Part 1)
After the banquet, the Zhao family called Mu Shuangshuang over to settle the bill privately.
Receiving the three taels of silver handed over by Old Sir Zhao, Mu Shuangshuang instantly felt that all the hardships and troubles of the day were worth it!
"Miss Shuangshuang, I, this old man, must thank you properly today! You’ve brought honor to our Zhao family and this is fifty wen I’m giving you personally. Use it to buy some food for everyone."
Old Sir Zhao took out another fifty wen and handed it to Mu Shuangshuang.
"Old sir, I can’t accept this money. What happened today was something Shuangshuang should have done."
"Listen to me, that Zhang Cuihua usually flaunts herself as the only banquet chef around these villages, behaving arrogantly. Sometimes she even takes the host’s dishes away. Everyone suffers but can’t find someone to replace her. You’ve saved me money today and taught her a lesson, so you deserve this."
With Old Sir Zhao speaking this way, Mu Shuangshuang accepted the silver without further refusal.
"Old sir, next time you host a banquet you can call on me again. I wish your son and daughter-in-law to have children soon, two in three years."
As these congratulations were spoken, Old Sir Zhao grinned broadly, and Mu Shuangshuang took the opportunity to show Mrs. Fengzi’s portrait to the old man, asking him to keep an eye out.
Given what had happened earlier, Mu Shuangshuang’s request now seemed a major task to Old Sir Zhao.
He patted his chest making a promise that if he saw her, he would immediately go to Er Gui Village.
Mu Shuangshuang sighed with relief, expanding the search area to another village.
She only hoped that after almost six years, nothing had happened to Mrs. Fengzi.
Back in the courtyard, Huang Da and Huang Er urged Zhang Cuihua to hurry up with the dishwashing. Everything was almost tidied up, just waiting on the dishes, after which Mu Shuangshuang and her group could leave.
It was already dark by now, and Yu Si Niang, following Mu Shuangshuang’s instructions, had put on slightly thicker clothes but was still cold.
The third branch hadn’t made new clothes in a long time, and the previous ones were for summer, light and not warm.
Mu Shuangshuang looked at Yu Si Niang and told herself to go to town again to buy cloth for the family’s new autumn clothes.
"How’s it going? Are the dishes done?" Mu Shuangshuang walked up and asked.
"No way, this woman is still slacking off, taking forever with a few dishes. Who knows when she’ll finish," Huang Er complained nearby.
"If she weren’t a woman, I’d have beaten her by now!" Huang Da chimed in.
"Shuangshuang, why don’t we just wash these dishes? Waiting like this isn’t helping," Yu Si Niang suggested.
Yu Si Niang was anxious to return home, not knowing if her kids and husband had eaten.
Hearing Yu Si Niang’s words, Zhang Cuihua slowed down even more.
Where before she could wash a dish in a minute, now she couldn’t even do one side in a minute.
Mu Shuangshuang, eagle-eyed, noticed this. She saw the dark courtyard outside and suddenly said, "It’s getting late, Aunt Zhang, let me walk you home!"
Zhang Cuihua fell for it, thinking Mu Shuangshuang truly was letting her go. She wiped her greasy, dirty hands on herself and gleefully followed Mu Shuangshuang out of the Zhao family’s courtyard.
Huang Er was full of confusion.
"Why’d Boss Shuangshuang let her go? That woman’s so dishonest, she needed a lesson!"
The moment Huang Er finished speaking, sounds of thumping, like a stick hitting someone, echoed from outside the Zhao courtyard.
Everyone was puzzled except for Lu Yuanfeng, whose lips curled into a charming smile.
He knew what Shuangshuang was up to. Or rather, among everyone, he understood her best.
For the way Zhang Cuihua provoked Shuangshuang, she had it coming.
Outside the Zhao family’s courtyard, after tiring of hitting Zhang Cuihua, Mu Shuangshuang stomped on her a few more times.
The whole time, there was only the sound of the stick hitting flesh, without a single scream from a woman.
Zhang Cuihua was beaten black and blue, her face covered in snot and tears.
She never expected Mu Shuangshuang to play dirty, taking her out to the dark, only to stuff her own rotten shoes in her mouth.
"Zhang Cuihua, this auntie has a bad temper. If you dare slack off or play tricks again today, it won’t just be a beating. Now get back and wash the dishes."
Zhang Cuihua limped back to wash dishes, her speed unknowably faster than before, leaving Huang Er watching dumbfounded, not snapping out of it for a long while.
Seeing Zhang Cuihua’s battered face, he knew she had been taught a lesson and admired Shuangshuang.
"Boss Shuangshuang, good thing we’re not enemies. If we crossed you, there’d be nothing left but bone dust!" Huang Er said ingratiatingly.
He didn’t pay attention to Yu Si Niang beside him.
Mu Shuangshuang lightly coughed, reminding Huang Er to be mindful of his words.
She was quite the perfect little cotton-padded jacket in front of elders, not a violent girl!
Lu Yuanfeng affectionately watched Shuangshuang nearby, and just as Mu Shuangshuang sensed it, she turned and gave him a mischievous smile.
Zhang Cuihua finished washing the dishes, and after speaking with the Zhao family, Mu Shuangshuang and the group hurriedly pushed the cart heading for Er Gui Village.
On a late autumn night, the temperature was still quite low, and as Yu Si Niang shivered along the road, Mu Shuangshuang considered giving her own coat, but Mu Dalang beat her to it.
"Aunt, wear my coat. I’m sturdy, but next time, let’s each wear thicker clothes!"
"Da Lang, you’re young and shouldn’t catch cold. Aunt’s older and can handle a breeze," Yu Si Niang refused to accept Mu Dalang’s coat.
"Mom, take it. Although my big cousin isn’t fat, he’s not a delicate scholar who’d blow away with the wind!" Mu Shuangshuang joked with everyone.
Just then, a coat was draped over her shoulders, it was Lu Yuanfeng’s, warm and carrying his warmth.
Mu Shuangshuang stood still, letting Lu Yuanfeng tuck in the coat edges carefully. His coat was so big it could almost wrap her up entirely, making her feel much warmer.
"Everyone, we got a pay raise today. It was thirty wen a day, but now it’s forty wen. I’ll distribute the wages once we reach the village entrance!"
Mu Shuangshuang shouted to the Huang brothers on the cart behind them.
The two carts, one pulled by the Huang brothers and the other by Lu Yuanfeng.
Huang brothers perked up on hearing the raise, especially Huang Er, who despite being behind Lu Yuanfeng, instantly overtook him.
The few people behind called out many times, but Huang Er wouldn’t stop.
"Seems money’s power is pretty strong. How did I not realize before?" Mu Shuangshuang laughed helplessly.
"Yeah, a forty-wen-a-day job is hard to find these days!" Yu Si Niang commented.
"Indeed, I’ve been an apprentice in town for years, and Master only gave me two taels of silver."
Mu Dalang and Yu Si Niang had both worked in town and were well aware of the prices, so they both agreed Shuangshuang was offering high wages here.