On the little boat, Shao Xi finally learned to row.
He could have just sat there and played with the water while Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe rowed the boat. However, Shao Xi insisted on rowing the boat himself and asked Ji Buwang to go play with the water instead.
Ji Buwang: "…"
Why would a grown man like him play with the water?
On the other boats, the adults were rowing and the children were playing with the water, which ultimately became a splashing game. Why wasn't it the same on their boat?
Ji Buwang was perplexed. He didn't know the real reason Shao Xi was fighting to row the boat. Other than him really wanting to try rowing the boat, it was because he had seen the parents rowing the boat and their children playing with water on the other boats, looking very blissful.
He'd immediately eliminated the possibility of letting Ji Buwang row the boat, for he didn't want strangers to get the wrong idea about their relationship.
When they reached the center of the lake, Shao Xi was a little tired. Mu Jingzhe could tell and said, "Let it float for a while for now. Let's rest for a bit."
"Okay."
Mu Jingzhe warned him, "Be careful so you don't fall into the water."
In the modern era, life jackets were present during all water sports and other activities, but there were none here. Hence, Mu Jingzhe was a little nervous and felt insecure.
"I don't really know how to swim, do you?" Mu Jingzhe asked Ji Buwang.
Ji Buwang shook his head. "I don't either."
"So none of us here can swim." Mu Jingzhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "If I had known earlier, I would have confirmed it before we boarded."
Mu Jingzhe could only swim in a swimming pool for a while. Although she kind of knew how to swim, if they were to fall into the water, she would barely be able to save herself, let alone rescue anyone else.
Mu Jingzhe shook her head as she thought of this. 'Nothing's going to happen, don't think too much.'
Ji Buwang saw that Mu Jingzhe was holding onto the edge of the boat tightly and quickly consoled her. "Don't be too nervous. Look, there are lifeguards over there. There are also lifeguards on that boat." Ji Buwang pointed to the shore and the boat not far away. "The people on that boat are ready to save people at any time."
The fact that this rowing activity had been able to continue operating so far meant that nothing major had happened.
"That's good." Mu Jingzhe relaxed a little.
Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe and couldn't help but say, "I'll learn it when we get back. I'll be able to save you after I master it, so you don't have to be afraid."
Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was actually afraid, Shao Xi secretly decided to go back and learn from the uncles and older brothers in the village who knew how to swim.
Mu Jingzhe's eyes lit up when she heard that. "Sure. If there's a chance in the future, you can sign up for swimming lessons." It was good to learn how to swim. It could ensure one's safety and also train one's body.
Shao Xi: "Is there a need to spend money to learn?"
Couldn't he just go to the riverside to learn from someone? Why did he have to sign up for everything that he wanted to learn? "Mom, is there really a swimming class?"
Mu Jingzhe nodded and said, "Of course. There'll be even more such classes in the future. You can learn anything. I believe you'll be able to master it, Little Xi."
At this point, Mu Jingzhe hurriedly reminded him, "However, Little Xi, don't think that you can save people just because you've learned how to swim. Being able to swim and saving people are two different things. Those who can save people are all professionally trained.
"So, Little Xi, even if you manage to learn how to swim in the future, if your skills don't meet the requirements and you're not trained, you'll have to act according to your abilities when you encounter something. Otherwise, you'll end up losing your life trying to save someone."
Shao Xi nodded obediently. "I understand." At the moment, there wasn't anyone he particularly wanted to save. At most, it would just be his family.
After they chatted for a long while, the splashing game finally began belatedly. In fact, they even started playing with the people on the next boat.
Since the weather was hot, there was no need to be afraid of catching a cold. Thus, they really enjoyed themselves.
After the adjacent boat rowed away, their battle ended, but the game continued. Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe automatically formed a team to deal with Ji Buwang.
At that moment, Shao Xi finally completely forgot about what had happened before and focused on having fun. This was the first time he was shouting excitedly without any scruples.
Their laughter traveled all the way to the shore. Shao Qihai, who was on the shore, was speechless.
He clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the three people on the boat in the distance. Countless times, he imagined throwing Ji Buwang into the water and telling him that this was his wife and child.
He should have been playing with them on the boat. He should have been their father and husband, but now, he could only watch from afar.
When Jiang Feng had told him that Mu Jingzhe wanted to remarry, he hadn't felt so strongly about it. However, now that he had seen it, he felt that this wouldn't do, even though she hadn't even remarried yet.
And Little Xi, are you kids going to accept Ji Buwang as your stepfather so soon? Don't tell me he's better than your biological father?
When Shao Qihai heard Shao Xi address Mu Jingzhe as 'Mommy', he felt conflicted and gratified. He had asked them to do so before, but the children had been unwilling to change the way they addressed her.
Since they were willing to call her 'Mommy' now, it meant that Mu Jingzhe treated them very well. Based on the way they interacted with each other, Shao Xi seemed very reliant on her.
In just a few short months, Shao Qihai felt that both the children and Mu Jingzhe were completely different from what he remembered.
Just as Shao Qihai's eyes were about to ache from staring so hard, the laughter finally stopped, as Mu Jingzhe and the rest had gotten tired of playing.
"Let's call a truce and rest for a while. I'm laughing so hard that my face hurts."
Ji Buwang immediately stopped when he saw Mu Jingzhe asking to stop. He looked at Mu Jingzhe's smile under the sunlight and felt a fullness in his heart.
"Mom, let me rub it for you." Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe say that her face was sore, Shao Xi immediately spoke and raised his hand to rub her face.
Mu Jingzhe couldn't help but burst into laughter again. "Ha ha! Little Xi, why are you so adorable? This is the first time I've heard someone offer to rub someone else's face when it's turned sore from laughing."
Shao Xi used to be an arrogant little boy with a vicious tongue, but he was a complete sweetheart now.
"You're too cute." Mu Jingzhe couldn't help but pinch his cheeks.
"I'm a real man." Shao Xi was pleased to hear her call him cute, but he also felt a little regretful. He wanted to be a real man now.
Ji Buwang heard Shao Xi's childish words and couldn't help but laugh. "If you're a man, what am I?"
Shao Xi looked at Ji Buwang. "You're an old man."
After saying that, Shao Xi felt that something was wrong. He bent over to get some water to splash back Ji Buwang, but when he looked down, he exclaimed in surprise.
"Mom, I think there's something down there."
"What?" Mu Jingzhe was about to take a look.
However, before she could turn around, something happened. A dark figure suddenly emerged from the bottom of the water and reached out to grab Shao Xi, who was looking down, and drag him away.
"Little Xi!"
Mu Jingzhe's expression changed. Without thinking, she went to pull Shao Xi back. She managed to grab his clothes, but Shao Xi was already being taken away.
Mu Jingzhe didn't let go and immediately fell into the water.
"Jingzhe!" Ji Buwang was shocked. Just as he was about to follow him down, he heard Mu Jingzhe shout without turning her head, "Don't come down!"
Shao Xi didn't know how to swim. She was a dabbler, and Ji Buwang couldn't swim either. If he came down as well, it would be a complete mess.
Ji Buwang abruptly realized that if he jumped down, he might not be able to help and might even become a burden.
"Help! Can anyone come over and help?" Ji Buwang immediately shouted.
However, the rescue team on the lake was a little far away from them.
The rescue personnel on the shore jumped down without a word. There was one person who was faster than him, and that was Shao Qihai.
Shao Qihai had been paying attention to them the entire time. Therefore, he noticed that something was amiss immediately and quickly dived into the water to swim toward them.
He tried his best because he could already tell who the person who had appeared was.
His nickname was 'Old Fish', a nickname he had been given because he was ridiculously proficient in the water, just like a fish. Anyplace with water was his territory.
That was the person they had been looking for all this time. Jiang Feng had been chasing after him.
Old Fish and his gang were all fugitives. Shao Qihai had faked his death so that his family wouldn't be involved in such a dangerous situation. However, fate had played a trick on him. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi had still ended up in the hands of such a person.
Shao Qihai's heart turned cold as unprecedented panic engulfed him. All he could think of was that he had to be faster.
However, he had to swim over from the shore, so it was simply too far away and it didn't seem like he was going to make it.
It was too late for the rescuers, Jiang Feng, Shao Qihai, or Ji Buwang.
Shao Xi was suddenly caught because Old Fish was being chased by someone, and because of the thing Old Fish was carrying on him, he was just randomly trying to grab someone to protect himself. At that moment, Shao Xi had come into view, so he made for a convenient target.
After all, Shao Xi was only a kid and seemed easy to control. However, he had never imagined that he would encounter Mu Jingzhe, who didn't care about her own life.
Mu Jingzhe held onto Shao Xi tightly and refused to let go. Old Fish kicked her several times but still couldn't kick her away.
Mu Jingzhe was strong and had an advantage on land. However, she had completely lost this advantage in the water. Because she wasn't good at swimming, it was difficult for her to even protect herself. She was kicked so hard that she instantly drank several mouthfuls of water and almost sank.
The only reason she didn't let go completely was the sheer power of her determination.
"Let go of Shao Xi!" Shao Xi didn't know how to swim, so he bobbed up and down and drank a few mouthfuls of water. Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Mu Jingzhe was extremely anxious.
Old Fish was even more anxious. Every second he delayed would cause him endless trouble. He could tell that Mu Jingzhe wasn't good at swimming, so he reached out and pressed Mu Jingzhe into the water.
Shao Xi's expression changed drastically when he saw this, and he ruthlessly bent Old Fish's fingers.
Old Fish was in pain and could only free up his hands to save his fingers. The more he looked at Shao Xi, the angrier he got. Originally, Shao Xi's head had been exposed outside, but the angry Old Fish now pressed him into the water as well.
Mu Jingzhe finally managed to stick her head out and started coughing. However, when she saw this, her expression changed, and she ruthlessly hit Old Yu, pulling Shao Xi up.
The fist landed squarely on Old Fish's head, making him feel dizzy for a moment. Viciousness appeared in the depths of his eyes as he took out a knife.
Shao Xi's expression changed when he saw the knife. He shouted, "Mommy, run!"
Mommy couldn't get hurt. Shao Xi struggled and shouted in spite of the water choking him. "Mommy, leave quickly!"
His eyes were filled with pleas. He didn't want Mu Jingzhe to be in danger. He was already very grateful that she had been trying this hard to save him. He couldn't allow Mu Jingzhe to be injured because of him.
But how could Mu Jingzhe let go? She resisted the Old Fish's knife-wielding hand with great difficulty. "Let him go!"
As soon as she said that, she kicked his lower body ruthlessly.
Old Fish didn't think that Mu Jingzhe would dare to retaliate. He wanted to break free from Mu Jingzhe's hand, but he discovered that her strength was abnormally great. He couldn't break free at all, and the kick was particularly painful.
He held Shao Xi with one hand while his knife-wielding hand was gripped by Mu Jingzhe. Mu Jingzhe gripped Old Fish with one hand and snatched Shao Xi with the other.
Neither of them could move their hands, so they were in a deadlock. They could only rely on their feet.
Old Fish was very proficient. Mu Jingzhe was kicked again and again. Besides, there was a sharp weapon hidden by his feet, so blood quickly appeared.
He was waiting for Mu Jingzhe to give up, but he never expected Mu Jingzhe to refuse to let go even though she was about to faint.
She had used too much force, and that slap was painful. In the end, she actually managed to snatch Shao Xi back from Old Fish.
After Mu Jingzhe snatched Shao Xi back, she exerted her last bit of strength and kicked Old Fish fiercely. She aimed a palm strike at Old Fish's throat and watched him sink before bringing Shao Xi back.
Ji Donghun had been rowing the boat and following them. Thus, he saw it the moment Mu Jingzhe brought Shao Xi out.
"This way."
Mu Jingzhe pulled the oar that Ji Buwang handed over and leaned to put Shao Xi back on the boat.
When Shao Xi was back on the boat, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. However, she had choked on too much water. Previously, she had relied solely on her willpower to hold on. After heaving a sigh of relief, she felt her vision turn black and fainted.
"Mu Jingzhe!" Ji Buwang watched Mu Jingzhe sink into the water, his hand grabbing nothing.
"Mommy!"
Shao Xi, who had been in a daze, got up with a pale face when he heard Ji Buwang's shout, only to see Mu Jingzhe sinking.
Just as Ji Buwang was about to jump down in despair, he heard the sound of water splashing as Mu Jingzhe was pulled up by someone.
It was Shao Qihai, who had swum over with all his might and saved Mu Jingzhe.
The boat was too small and made resuscitation difficult. Shao Qihai ignored Ji Buwang's shouts and swam directly to the shore.
The people on the shore threw a lifebuoy over. When Shao Qihai grabbed it, he returned to the shore as fast as he could.
After slapping her back to try and make her spit out the water and seeing that Mu Jingzhe was still unconscious, Shao Qihai laid her down and was about to perform CPR on her when Ji Buwang and Shao Xi also came ashore.
"What are you doing?" Ji Buwang stopped Shao Qihai.
Shao Qihai said impatiently, "Saving her."
Just as he was about to lower his head to perform CPR on her, he was stopped by Ji Buwang. "I know how to do it too. Let me do it."
To think Ji Buwang was still pulling a stunt like this at such a critical moment! Shao Qihai couldn't help but push Ji Buwang away. "Don't get in my way while I'm saving a person."
This was his wife. He would be the one to save her.
As Shao Qihai was about to continue, he turned around and saw that while they were arguing, Shao Xi had already begun to save her.
Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang: "…"
Although Shao Xi was only a child and didn't know how to swim, Mu Jingzhe had taught them first aid before, so he couldn't be bothered waiting for the two of them.
He didn't even see Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang quarreling. He only wanted to save Mu Jingzhe.
"Mommy, please… Please wake up."
Looking at Shao Xi, Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang instantly felt somewhat guilty. What were they doing just now?
After Shao Xi finished performing CPR, he raised Mu Jingzhe's head and pinched her nose. As he was about to continue, Mu Jingzhe coughed out a mouthful of water and woke up.
"Cough, cough…"
"Mommy, you're finally awake."
Feeling tense, Shao Xi watched as Mu Jingzhe opened her eyes and slumped on the ground.
"You scared the hell out of me, Mommy. You scared the sh*t out of me. Do you have any idea how scared I was earlier? I was afraid you'd die trying to save me…"
Shao Xi's voice trembled. He didn't dare imagine what he would have done if Mu Jingzhe had died while saving him.
He had promised to treat Mu Jingzhe well and repay her. He had promised her so much, yet he hadn't yet had the chance to do all those things for her. He had promised his grandmother so much and had even promised to give Mu Jingzhe a pension. If Mommy were to die because of him now, how was he supposed to continue living?
At the thought of this, Shao Xi couldn't help but wail. "Mom, don't take any risks in the future. Don't save me again…"
Mu Jingzhe had just woken up when she was alarmed by Shao Xi's wails.
"I'm not dead yet, am I?" She tried to comfort him.
When she said this, Shao Xi became even more agitated. "But you almost died. You almost died. If you die, how will I face Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle? How will I explain it to them? How will I explain it to Little Bei and the rest?
"You just taught me that even if you know how to swim, you can't save people unless you are trained. Why didn't you do what you preached? You clearly haven't mastered swimming yourself either. Why did you still try to save me?"
How could his life compare to hers?
In the past, when Shao Xi had seen parents fighting for their children, he had been envious of them for having such good parents. Now that he had such a mother, he was afraid.
He would rather not have such a mother.
A child like him, who had been abandoned by even his biological father, wasn't worth Mu Jingzhe risking her life for him.
"Mom, promise me you won't take any risks for me. I'm afraid…" Shao Xi was scared. He'd freaked out when he had seen Mu Jingzhe sink to the bottom.
He was more scared than he'd be if he were to die.
He would rather die than have Mu Jingzhe face that kind of danger.
Ji Buwang frowned as he watched him run away. Even though he didn't have any impression of a person with this hairstyle and voice, for some reason, he felt that this man wasn't pleasing to the eye. It was as if he had seen him somewhere before, and it didn't feel good.
However, as a gust of wind blew, Ji Buwang didn't think much about it.
"Let's hurry back."
Although the weather was warm, they were drenched. It would be better for them to change clothes quickly to avoid catching a cold.
The wound on Mu Jingzhe's leg also had to be treated.
Meanwhile, Shao Qihai and Jiang Feng met up.
As soon as Jiang Feng saw Shao Qihai, he apologized. "Brother Hai, I'm sorry. I didn't follow him closely and let him run away and cause all this trouble."
"It's not your fault. You are alone, so how can you take care of everything?" Shao Qihai shook his head. "How's it going?"
"Brother Hai, our guess was right. The thing we lost was hidden at the bottom of the lake by them. Old Fish came to get the goods."
At this point, Jiang Feng's face was filled with rage, but his eyes couldn't help but sparkle. "I didn't expect him to hold someone hostage when I wasn't paying attention. Bet he didn't expect to meet such a tough nut this time.
"Old Fish is not easy to deal with in the water. We have to be extremely vigilant. I didn't expect something like this to happen this time. Brother Hai, I didn't dare go near them. Who are they?"
Shao Qihai: "…"
That was his son and wife.
Jiang Feng had gone to inquire about Shao Qihai's family, but he hadn't seen them in person, so he didn't know Mu Jingzhe or Shao Xi.
When Shao Qihai heard Jiang Feng's words, the more he thought about it, the more frightened he felt. After this lingering fear, an indescribable feeling filled his heart.
This Old Fish was extremely cunning. Once he entered the water, he'd disappear without a trace. He was also vicious and merciless. He and Jiang Feng had joined forces and lost him twice. They didn't dare be careless when dealing with him. To think Old Fish had ultimately ended up falling into Mu Jingzhe's hands?
One had to know that when he'd swum over earlier, he had been filled with despair, as he had thought that Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi had fallen.
In the end, not only had Mu Jingzhe snatched Shao Xi back, but she'd even made Old Fish suffer. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was a lie.
However, this was reality. Old Fish probably hadn't expected to fail so easily and fall at the hands of Mu Jingzhe, who couldn't even swim very well.
Thus, one shouldn't think that a child is necessarily easy to control. If you touch the child, there's a mother who doesn't care about her life behind it.
Shao Qihai had a complicated look in his eyes. Jiang Feng could also tell that something was wrong with him.
"What's wrong, Brother Hai?"
Shao Qihai wanted to say something but hesitated. Then, he shook his head. "Nothing."
Actually, it was something, but he didn't know how to tell Jiang Feng.
But what could he say? The formidable person he was talking about was actually his sister-in-law? Or that Ji Buwang was following his sister-in-law around for some unknown reason? Or that it seemed like he wanted to steal his woman?
Jiang Feng had always been nervous for him, and he would explode if he heard that.
Shao Qihai thought about all kinds of things until he saw the knife in Jiang Feng's hands.
"Brother Hai, look. This is the knife that Old Fish brought along."
Shao Qihai took the knife and, as he looked at the icy light on it, for some reason, he suddenly shivered, feeling very uncomfortable.
There was an inexplicable pain in his chest, as if the knife had pierced his heart.
At that moment, Shao Qihai realized that if it wasn't for the accident with Mu Jingzhe, Old Fish would have taken another child hostage, and Shao Qihai would have been killed by this very knife while trying to save the hostage. Stabbed in the heart and killed with one strike.
In the book, he really had died without getting a chance to go back.
Furthermore, he had faked his death previously. In combination with the fact that the situation was rather special, he had clearly acted bravely to save someone, but in the end, no one knew about it and this matter couldn't be publicized.
Shao Qihai didn't know that he had walked through the gates of hell, but he sensed something and felt lingering fear. He pounded his chest to ease his breathing and put away the knife.
"It's about time to reel in the net. I have to speed up."
Shao Qihai attributed his palpitations to Mu Jingzhe being implicated today.
He was afraid that Mu Jingzhe and the kids would also be implicated if he didn't reel in the net. After all, it was because of Mu Jingzhe that Old Fish had been captured.
Old Fish and the gang behind him were all desperate criminals who specialized in smuggling and other profiteering industries. In the past, Shao Qihai had opened a transportation company and accidentally gotten involved.
People died for wealth. There were too many things that were at play. If even Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi were targeted, then what was the point of enduring this for so long? He had to ensure their safety.
When Shao Qihai thought of this, he felt somewhat troubled. He wondered if he should take care of their safety first and protect them in secret.
Mu Jingzhe was unaware of all this. After returning to the guesthouse and changing her clothes, she rested for a moment before embarking on the trip back home.
This had been such an eventful trip that it would be better for her to go back early. Her family would be worried.
On the way back, Mu Jingzhe felt that Shao Xi was behaving a little strangely. "Little Xi, are you feeling unwell?"
Shao Xi shook his head. Mu Jingzhe touched his forehead and saw that his temperature was normal. She held his hand and said, "Don't be afraid, Little Xi. It's all in the past."
Shao Xi forced a smile and slowly broke free from Mu Jingzhe's grip before closing his eyes.
Mu Jingzhe looked at her empty hand and asked, "Little Xi, didn't you love to hold my hand and follow me around like a little tail? Why did you suddenly stop?"
Shao Xi froze. "I want to sleep."
Mu Jingzhe wanted to say something but hesitated. Just last night, he had insisted on holding her hand before he would fall asleep.
However, seeing that Shao Xi didn't look so good, Mu Jingzhe didn't ask any more questions. She draped a shirt over him and said, "Go to sleep then. I'll wake you up when we get there."
Shao Xi responded softly and resisted the urge to pull Mu Jingzhe's hand and hug her.
He was still feeling lingering fear. In his attempt to create happy memories, he had nearly killed Mu Jingzhe.
This was probably the most ridiculous thing.
After this lingering fear, Shao Xi couldn't help but think that he had been through so many things in just a few days.
First, Chubby Boy. Then, being held hostage. Every time, he'd startled his mother and even implicated her. Shao Xi knew that Mu Jingzhe had also been frightened, not to mention that she had almost lost her life later on.
Shao Xi had a feeling that he was really unlucky. He was so unlucky that it seemed like he was possessed by a god of misfortune. No matter where he went, he would always encounter misfortune and come across danger.
More importantly, he would implicate others. Mommy had been implicated because of him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have encountered this situation.
Upon careful thought, he realized Mu Jingzhe had encountered quite a bit of trouble recently, and it had been more or less related to him and his siblings. Ultimately, Mu Jingzhe had only been through all this after becoming their mother.
In the past, he had heard a lot of people in the village talk about how tough their birth characters were, which was why they'd jinxed their mother and then their father, causing their deaths. He didn't want to believe it in the past, especially when he'd learned that Shao Qihai wasn't dead yet.
Now, though, he suddenly believed that perhaps their lives, especially his, were really wretched. Otherwise, why would they experience so many unlucky incidents?
Shao Qihai had probably abandoned them because he was afraid of being implicated. Even Shao Qihai, their biological father, had run away, and only Mu Jingzhe was still foolishly raising them, although she wasn't even related to them by blood.
The intensity of his wish for Mu Jingzhe to return to them back then rivaled the intensity of his worry right now. He couldn't help but think that they should stay away from Mommy in the future so that she wouldn't suffer any misfortunes because of them.
He really didn't want to implicate Mommy anymore. He was lucky he had escaped today, but what about next time?
He couldn't guarantee that he would be lucky every time, so staying away from Mommy was the best thing for her, right?
Shao Xi thought about many things and curled into a ball. His thoughts were complicated.
Mu Jingzhe didn't know that Shao Xi was thinking so much. She merely thought that Shao Xi was frightened.
It was already sunset when they returned home.
When she got home, she saw a bunch of children playing the game 'Jump Over the Goat[1]'.
One by one, they lined up to jump. After jumping, they would line up to be the goat. Little Bei was amongst them.
At the sight of her children, she felt her heart calm down. But when she saw them jump, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
She had played this game before when she was young. It was called "Vaulting" in the Olympic Gymnastics Program. It had been popular for a long time and was known throughout the country. Almost all the children in the country were experts at it.
However, looking at it now, Mu Jingzhe thought that it was very dangerous.
Seeing that it was almost Little Bei's turn to jump, Mu Jingzhe quickly called out, "Little Bei!"
"Mommy, why are you back so late?" Little Bei saw Mu Jingzhe and didn't care about the game anymore.
The return of Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi caused Shao Dong and the others to heave a sigh of relief. Shao Dong was sensitive to this abnormal atmosphere. Although Mu Jingzhe didn't want to worry them and didn't say much, he still asked Shao Xi privately what had happened.
Shao Xi didn't hide anything from Shao Dong and told him everything that had happened on this trip.
Shao Dong hadn't expected that they would encounter so many incidents when he was supposed to just participate in a competition.
However, he wasn't very surprised. This was because the five siblings had encountered all sorts of difficulties since they were born.
They were already used to it, but now, they had a mother, and they were implicating her and causing her to suffer as well.
"I'm glad nothing happened—"
"It'll be too late if something happens." Shao Xi didn't dare to tell Mu Jingzhe this, but he couldn't help but tell his big brother, whom he had trusted since he was young, what was on his mind. "Brother, do you think it's because we implicated Mommy that she has to suffer like this?"
"Before this, I always wanted parents who treated us well. Now, I'm a little scared…"
Shao Dong also felt lingering fear when he heard that, but he still consoled Shao Xi. "Don't think too much about it. We'll try our best to be careful in the future and avoid any danger."
Speaking of that, it was quite contradictory. In the past, they had been touched by how well Mu Jingzhe treated them. However, now, they suddenly wished that Mu Jingzhe would not treat them so well.
At least not so well that she would risk her life to save them.
This was because Shao Dong and Shao Xi thought the same thing. If something really happened to Mu Jingzhe while she was trying to save them, that would be…
"Let's protect Mommy more in the future." Shao Dong thought for a while. "I'll find a chance to talk to Mommy too."
"Mm."
Shao Dong wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Mu Jingzhe, but he couldn't find an opportunity before nightfall.
Too many people came to look for Mu Jingzhe, and there were many things to do to keep busy. This person came to find her, that person came to find her, but… why was Uncle Tang there too?
Even though many villagers came to look for Mu Jingzhe, Tang Moling's presence still stuck out like a sore thumb.
The five kids gazed at Tang Moling curiously. Tang Moling was feeling uncomfortable to begin with because of his rash decision to come. Upon thinking back to when he had been held down by Mu Jingzhe in the Shao Family's courtyard, he felt even more uncomfortable being stared at.
He almost turned around and left, but he held himself back and snapped at the five kids, "What are you looking at? I'm here regarding an important matter."
Tang Moling really had a purpose for coming over. Previously, he had accidentally told Mu Jingzhe about his job, and she had suggested solutions to him that had proved to be really effective. Ever since, whenever he'd encountered any problems or couldn't make a decision, he couldn't help but come over to ask Mu Jingzhe for her opinion.
Mu Jingzhe hadn't been around for the past two days, and he wasn't used to it. Therefore upon hearing that she was back, he couldn't resist the urge to come over.
When Mu Jingzhe heard Tang Moling's question, she was silent for a moment before answering. Then, she couldn't help but think that since Tang Moling kept asking her for her opinion, she should perhaps start charging him some consultation fees.
Although she was tempted, Mu Jingzhe held herself back.
Tang Moling felt relieved after receiving an answer. He couldn't help but chat a little more with Mu Jingzhe, and his heart relaxed.
He felt good talking to Mu Jingzhe. She understood everything he said. It felt like they were from the same world.
Before he realized it, Tang Moling was leaning toward Mu Jingzhe. He wanted to continue, but Mu Jingzhe ruthlessly kicked him out.
"I have to cook. It's getting dark."
Tang Moling: "See you next time then…"
After dinner, Shao Dong finally had a chance to have a private chat with Mu Jingzhe and told her that he already knew what had happened. He then said that safety was the most important thing and asked Mu Jingzhe to protect herself.
"Why are you saying the same thing as Little Xi? Don't worry, I'm strong enough to protect myself," Mu Jingzhe said while patting her chest.
Shao Dong: "Mom, being strong doesn't mean you're invincible. Don't be careless."
"Okay, okay, I understand." Mu Jingzhe agreed and then asked, "Little Dong, how is your recycling venture coming along?"
Shao Dong's eyes lit up. "Not bad. Uncle and I figured out the situation in the past two days."
Shao Dong himself was still a child. Although he was smart, it wasn't convenient for him to do a lot of things. When others saw that they were dealing with a child, he was oftentimes at a disadvantage.
Mu Jingzhe was also busy and didn't have the time to follow Shao Dong around. Her younger brother, Mu Han, had been dragged out just like that and had started going around with Shao Dong.
Ever since Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng had started selling steamed buns, Mu Jingzhe had actually wanted to make arrangements for her younger brother, Mu Han. She wanted him to continue studying, but Mu Han didn't want to because he simply wasn't cut out for studying.
Since that was the case, she'd told him to learn some skills, but she hadn't managed to find a suitable opportunity yet, so Mu Han had first gone to help out Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng.
Shao Dong needed manpower, so Mu Jingzhe had thought of Mu Han and asked him to help without hesitation.
There'd be meat to eat if he followed the big boss. Although it might be a little tough in the early stages, it would not be bad for Mu Han. There would be plenty of opportunities for him to learn in the future.
Li Zhaodi and Mu Teng didn't have any objections. Since the kids were already addressing them as Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle, they had to help.
Mu Han had originally thought that Shao Dong, who was a child, wasn't capable of doing much. When he had seen Mu Jingzhe give him money for this venture, he'd only found it ridiculous. However, after these two days of going around with Shao Dong, those feelings had been replaced with admiration.
The two of them, who had initially been strangers, quickly became familiar with each other. Mu Han started to have a better opinion of Shao Dong and kept saying that Shao Dong was smart. Now, he had no qualms about working for Shao Dong.
When Shao Dong heard Mu Han praising him, it was similar to the way Mu Jingzhe had praised him before. He also felt close to this uncle of his.
"Mommy, can Uncle always help me in the future? He is willing too."
"Of course." Mu Jingzhe nodded affirmatively as she listened to Shao Dong talk about his experiences during the course of the past few days, as well as his plans.
Now that the economy in the country was developing rapidly, everyone's lives had improved greatly. The same applied to the county.
Though the development of the county city wasn't yet obvious, Shao Dong had felt it clearly the last time he had gone to the city.
As residents of the city who enjoyed all kinds of conveniences, they would discard things at home that were old or useless. To them, this was trash, but many things could actually be exchanged for money. Although those items might look cheap, they were worth quite a decent sum of money when they accumulated.
Furthermore, there were many things that weren't just trash and merely required repair. Some things might not even need to be repaired. When sold to people who needed them, they could be turned into money.
Just like that, Shao Dong formulated a plan to turn trash into treasure.
[1] one person will bend over to be a goat, and the other players will run some distance to build up momentum before jumping over the 'goat'