Uncle and I have collected all the trash in the county over the past two days. After we categorized them, we sold what could be sold. It's not bad, but the county is too small, so there's too little trash. We've got to go to the big city, where there's more trash, Mommy."
Mu Jingzhe understood. "You can arrange it as you wish. I support you. It's just that your uncle needs more training before he can be independent."
"There's no hurry. We'll take it slow." Shao Dong was very steady.
Shao Dong's scavenging business officially began. He first took some specially-collected trash and sold it to places where it was needed, earning his first bucket of gold.
Of course, two people weren't enough. Mu Han and Shao Dong asked around in the village if anyone wanted to come along and scavenge with them.
Initially, many people in the village were wondering what scavenging was. Later on, when they found out that it was picking up rubbish, they immediately turned around and left, finding it embarrassing and dirty.
Although everyone trusted Mu Jingzhe and thought highly of the Shao Family's children, picking up trash… was still out of the question.
Next door, Zhao Lan and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao's sarcasm couldn't help acting up. They said that it was a joke to recruit people to pick up trash, much less go to the big city to do so.
"I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to hear these words. It's not like I'm going to starve to death and have to resort to picking up trash."
After the incident with the woman from Little Eastern Village, everyone was now very cautious about finding work outside the village. When they heard the words 'picking up rubbish', they had quite a lot of opinions.
Eldest Brother Shao, who had been keeping a low profile for quite a while, came to their door and tried to persuade Shao Dong.
"Stop fooling around. Look at what the village is saying about you."
The meaning behind his words was that they shouldn't listen to Mu Jingzhe and Mu Han's nonsense and fool around, for it would harm the Shao Family's reputation.
Shao Dong no longer had any intention of acknowledging the eldest branch. "This is my personal opinion and intentions. Whatever others have to say about it is none of my business."
Eldest Brother Shao was so furious that his face turned green. When he came out, he told the villagers that he couldn't do anything about it and could only try to persuade the villagers to ignore them.
Old Lady Mu was also angry about being mocked like that. She gave Mu Han a harsh dressing-down, and even Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi were scolded.
"Their surname is Shao. How are they related to you guys? All they did was call you Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle, and you forgot what your surname is. Do you really think that you're their grandpa, grandma, and uncle?
"I'll say this now. Mu Han, if you really dare take people to pick up rubbish, don't say that you're a member of the Mu Family in the future! I can't afford to lose this much face!"
Mu Han had originally been full of enthusiasm. He'd been thinking about how he was going to rope in villagers to earn money and become rich with them, as they were all from the same hometown.
He hadn't expected the villagers to not understand. Even his grandmother was like that.
"I said that there's money to be made from this, and this is not inferior to being an employee. Why don't you believe me?"
"Believe you? Why should I believe you? If there's money to be made from this, why aren't others doing it? Do you think everyone is a goon? You're the only burden in the family, and now you even want to pick up rubbish. Why can't you be more considerate for Xiao Xue's sake!
"Out of the eldest branch of the Mu Family, Xiao Xue has become a teacher, and the third branch's Xiao Cai has entered high school. Who knows, he might even be able to get into university in the future. You're the only good-for-nothing. You don't know what shame is and want to continue harming others. Are you bent on destroying Xiao Xue's chances of marrying into a good family?"
If Xiao Xue married into the Tang Family, they would be the in-laws of a family like the Tangs. The Mu Family's status paled in comparison to the Tangs to begin with, so how could Old Lady Mu allow someone in her family to pick up garbage?
"Mu Han, let me tell you something. If you affect Xiao Xue, I won't let you off!"
Mu Han knew that he was the most useless among his siblings, but he still felt so bad that he couldn't breathe after being insulted like this.
Mu Teng had long had enough of Old Lady Mu's favoritism. This conflict had accumulated for a long time and finally erupted.
"I'll support whatever Xiao Han wants to do. Mom, if you think we're an embarrassment, you can just split our share of the family assets." Mu Teng proposed to split up the family assets.
Old Lady Mu was so angry that she stumbled backward. "Fine, fine. You've sold buns for a few days, and now your wings have hardened. Do you think you're some bigshot? Fine, if you want to split the assets, I'll give you your share. Don't regret it in the future and don't even think about taking advantage of Xiao Xue!"
Mu Teng had said that he wanted to split the family assets, but Third Brother Mu was unwilling to do so. If he stood by Mu Xue's side, he would be in-laws with the affluent Tang Family when Mu Xue married into their family. There were bound to be benefits to be reaped from being associated with them. Third Brother Mu couldn't fathom why Mu Teng would want to split up the family assets.
Eldest Brother Mu and Third Brother Mu felt that Mu Teng was being silly. He would definitely regret it in the future.
However, Mu Teng had made up his mind this time and wouldn't have any regrets. He hadn't been able to gain anything from Mu Xue in the past, nor would he be able to benefit by being associated with her in the future. He didn't want to take advantage of her either. Now, he just wanted to earn money honestly.
Jingzhe had said that it was viable for Mu Han to do this, so he wanted his son to give it a shot. No matter what, it beat staying at home.
Even if he was mocked, so be it. It wasn't as if he would shed a layer of skin because of the mockery. As a man, why should he fear being laughed at?
Mu Jingzhe hadn't expected that the village would react so strongly to this matter. Besides, the situation inside the Mu Family had gotten so dire that they were speaking about splitting up the family assets.
When Shao Dong heard this, he panicked a little, but Mu Jingzhe thought about it and felt that it would actually be good to split up the family assets.
Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi weren't living well in the Mu Family now. In the future, they would be able to live well by earning money on their own, so why should they be tied together by force? They might as well split up the family assets and live their own lives.
"No need to be nervous. This is actually a good thing. I support splitting up the family assets."
Then, under the gazes of Mu Jingzhe and the elders in the village, the second branch of the Mu Family, Mu Teng's branch, had their share of the family assets carved out.
Because he had angered Old Lady Mu, the way the assets were split was unfair, but Mu Teng didn't say much.
After the separation, Mu Han matured a lot over a short period of time. The tenderness between his brows decreased a lot, but there was now an additional determination and resolve.
He had to make a name for himself this time.
Mu Jingzhe was very satisfied with his condition. After that, Mu Han brought a few of his close friends and Li Fang's older brother with him. Facing the finger-pointing and confusion of the villagers, they embarked on the scavenging path.
Li Fang had always felt that Mu Jingzhe was brilliant, so she persuaded her brother to go along.
Unexpectedly, this trip completely changed her older brother's fate.
Those few people, who the villagers didn't think highly of, underwent a huge transformation after scavenging for over a month. They smelled bad, but their pockets bulged. They had only been gone for a month, and they'd made money others could only make in six months or even a year.
They didn't return home after they made some money. However, Li Fang's brother sent a letter back and asked his wife to come over. The other young men did the same and asked their parents or relatives to come out and do business with them.
They went north, and under Shao Dong's long-distance guidance, they became bolder and bolder. They also completely succeeded in making this scavenger business viable.
At this point, the villagers finally realized that they had really earned money.
Zhao Lan, Eldest Brother Shao, and his wife were slapped in the face. Likewise, Old Lady Mu, who hadn't expected them to succeed, ended up feeling embarrassed as well.
It was at that moment that Old Lady Mu finally understood why Tang Moling had said that it might work.
Now that they knew there was money to be made from this, the villagers changed their attitude. They said that there was nothing wrong with picking up rubbish. It was a little dirty, yes, but it was fine as long as they could earn money.
Previously, everyone had been unwilling to touch rubbish with a ten-foot pole, but now, they were fighting to join them and pick up trash, asking them if they could come along.
Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ were stunned by the sudden change in the villagers' attitude. Previously, when they had found out that Shao Dong had gone to pick up trash, they had ridiculed him for it. Even the people who had gone with him had also been mocked, including their children. Now, everyone's attitude had changed, and they were begging to tag along.
However, this would all happen in the future, so let's not talk about it for now.
Although there really was money to be made from this, there were a lot of hardships involved. After running around for a few days, Shao Dong had shed quite a bit of weight, losing the flesh that Mu Jingzhe had painstakingly put on him.
Mu Jingzhe and Shao Dong came back from the city and met up with Li Zhaodi and the rest. They rushed home and told them about Mu Han's situation on the way.
"Xiao Han is working very hard now. It's really the hottest time of the year. The sun is scorching, but he runs around to collect trash every day. He has shed a layer of skin from the sun alone."
"He's not young anymore. It's time for him to give it his all. Otherwise, who would dare marry him in two years? Who doesn't work hard to earn money? All of us farmers have worked hard to earn money." Mu Teng kept a straight face, but there was a gratified look in his eyes.
Their bun-selling business had been quite stable. However, in the summer, their business wasn't so good anymore. Furthermore, in the summer, the food business wasn't easy to sustain, for the food couldn't be preserved overnight because it went bad easily.
Li Zhaodi saw that ice popsicles were selling very well outside, so she planned to sell some popsicles too.
She really had a head for business. Business was quite good. Later on, she saw that the villagers also liked to eat popsicles, so she decided to sell them in the village as well.
When she was busy, she would take the ice popsicles to Mu Jingzhe's house and ask the children to help her sell them. The remuneration of each person was eating an ice popsicle.
Even though she called it remuneration, she was merely doting on the kids.
More and more children came to the Shao Residence. People came and went. Mu Jingzhe didn't know why, but ever since she had come back from the city, she had a feeling that someone was following her. However, every time she turned around, she didn't see anything.
In the end, she could only attribute it to her imagination.
There was another problem. Mu Jingzhe realized that ever since she had come back from the city with Shao Xi, the child seemed to have wilted.
He had originally been quite close to her, but all of a sudden, he went back to how he used to be in the beginning. He was no longer close to her and he even called her 'Mommy' less.
Mu Jingzhe couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. Logically speaking, they should have gotten closer after going through thick and thin together, so why was Shao Xi so distant?
It wasn't as if Mu Jingzhe hadn't tried hard during this period, but she'd always failed.
Back then, they had agreed to buy the newspaper that had published his article. Mu Jingzhe had bought it and had even gone around promoting it. However, Shao Xi remained uninterested. He was also uninterested when the school praised him.
When he returned that day, Mu Jingzhe bought the newspaper that had published Chubby Boy's article. After eating, she called Shao Xi over.
"Come on, Shao Xi. We agreed to burn this for him."
Shao Xi didn't refuse, but the process was silent. Mu Jingzhe held his hand, but he managed to break free.
Mu Jingzhe felt that he couldn't go on like this. When they got home, she called Shao Xi, "Little Xi, let's talk."
Shao Xi's hands intertwined for a moment before he lowered his head and sat in front of Mu Jingzhe.
"Little Xi, look at me." Mu Jingzhe raised her hand so Shao Xi would look up. "What's wrong with you lately? Do you hate me? Did I say or do something wrong recently?"
Shao Xi panicked. "No."
"Then why are you avoiding me? You don't even want to look me in the eye. It's as if you hate me." Mu Jingzhe looked at him seriously. "At first, I thought that we should be closer after going through thick and thin together. But now, it seems that the opposite is happening.
"If I have done something that you don't like or you have something on your mind, you have to tell me so that I can change this, alright?"
Shao Xi's hands clenched into tight fists. "No. No. You didn't do anything wrong."
"If I didn't do anything wrong, why did you stop liking me?" Mu Jingzhe touched Shao Xi's little hand. "Don't use too much strength, or it'll hurt."
Shao Xi listened to Mu Jingzhe's words and felt the warmth of her concern. No matter how hard he tried to control it, he felt a stinging sensation in his nose. "This pain is nothing. Can you not be so concerned about me?"
How did she waver him time and again?
His siblings had noticed that something was wrong with him during this period and had privately asked him what was going on. Now, Mu Jingzhe was also trying to waver him like this.
"Mom, leave me alone. I'm okay. I'm fine. I don't hate you. I like you a lot. I just… Anyway, just leave me alone. And don't get too close to me."
Shao Xi stood up, wanting to flee, but Mu Jingzhe quickly pulled him back and hugged him. "No, if you don't make things clear today, you're not allowed to leave. Why can't I get too close to you?"
Mu Jingzhe was very anxious. She had to find out what was going on today. Thinking that Shao Xi could be persuaded by reason but not coercion, she hugged him from behind and rubbed her face against his back as she spoke in a soft voice.
"Little Xi, I feel terrible knowing that you're ignoring me—"
Shao Xi became even stiffer. Hearing that Mu Jingzhe was about to cry, he quickly turned around. "Don't cry. I'm not ignoring you. I'm just afraid… afraid that I'll implicate you."
Mu Jingzhe grabbed his hand. "What do you mean? Why are you afraid of implicating me?"
When Shao Xi looked at Mu Jingzhe's warm gaze, in combination with the pressure and pain he had endured recently, he finally couldn't help but speak the truth.
"I just think I'm unlucky. You being nice to me is going to hurt you…" Shao Xi finally revealed the reason.
Mu Jingzhe hadn't expected this to be the reason. She was both angry and heartbroken when she heard this. She couldn't help but grab Shao Xi and spank his butt.
"You child, you actually kept such a big thing to yourself and didn't tell me. I kept saying that you have to tell me if you are facing trouble, but you didn't heed my words, did you?"
"I did. I'm scared." Although she was hitting him, Shao Xi's heart actually eased up. "Mom, I'm just afraid."
"What are you afraid of? That's a superstition!" Mu Jingzhe, who had expected better from him, helped him wipe his tears. "Stop crying. If anyone should cry, that would be me."
She pinched Shao Xi's cheek. "Silly, you're such a little fool. You can't be superstitious, you know? You're a writer. How can you be superstitious?"
Shao Xi squeezed himself in front of Mu Jingzhe, too embarrassed to let her see his face. He buried his head on her shoulder and greedily sniffed the familiar fragrance on Mu Jingzhe's body. "I'm just afraid."
Xiao Wu popped his head in cautiously and asked, "Mommy, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Your second brother just needs to be taught a lesson." Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi, who was leaning against her, and shook her head helplessly. She then turned to Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu, go look for your eldest brother and ask him to bring over the book he borrowed from the library."
Xiao Wu turned around and didn't say anything, but Mu Jingzhe heard footsteps. Shao Dong and the rest were probably following Xiao Wu.
Shao Dong quickly brought all the books over. Xiao Wu and the others followed him. Mu Jingzhe simply let them be and rummaged through the books to find the one she wanted.
"Come on, Shao Xi. Read this for me." She pulled Shao Xi, who was still hugging her neck.
Shao Xi rubbed his face against her shoulder twice and wiped away his tears. He didn't dare raise his head to look at his brothers. He only asked softly, "Read what?"
"Read this section." Mu Jingzhe pointed.
Shao Xi looked at the book and read what he was told. "When the heavens are about to confer a great responsibility on a person, they will first have to train their willpower, toil their muscles and bones, starve their skin and flesh, and empty their body. They will then be able to do whatever they want and benefit from what they previously could not."
Shao Xi was stunned after reading it. He looked up at Mu Jingzhe. "Mommy, this…"
"Do you know what this means? Even though this is something you only learn in middle school, I believe you can understand it."
Mu Jingzhe thought for a moment and pointed at Shao Dong. "Just in case, Little Dong, why don't you explain what it means?"
Shao Dong obliged obediently. "It means that when God wants to place a heavy responsibility on a certain person, He must first trouble their mind, tire their muscles and bones, make them starve, force them into poverty, and make every action of theirs unsatisfactory. This way, He can motivate their will, make their temperament firm, and increase the abilities they don't have."
Mu Jingzhe gave Shao Dong a thumbs-up. "Very good." Then, she looked at Shao Xi. "Do you understand now?"
If Shao Xi still didn't understand what Mu Jingzhe meant, he would be a fool. "I understand."
"Good." Mu Jingzhe patted him and waved for the children to come over. "Come over, I'll help you get rid of your feudal superstitions today. All this talk about implicating others if you have a tough birth character or are born ill-fated is wrong.
"Everyone will encounter a lot of trouble and setbacks in their path to growth. It's just that some people encounter more and some less. If you think that compared to others, you encounter more setbacks, there's a reason for it."
Mu Jingzhe solemnly said, "That's because you're all little geniuses, and you're destined to become great figures in the future, so you'll have to undergo more tests.
"If a person wants to succeed, they have to go through some twists and turns, so this is a test from the heavens. You don't have to think too much. Just remember that after every storm comes a rainbow.
"When you make something of yourself in the future, remember to contribute to society and not let your brains go to waste."
The children's eyes lit up, especially Shao Xi's. "Really? Is that true?"
"Of course, why would I lie to you?"
In any case, Little Bei was convinced. "So Mommy, if we encounter many setbacks in the future, it will be because we will be powerful people. It will be proof of our excellence. Only by overcoming these setbacks can we succeed, right?"
"That's right. Little Bei, you're really smart." Mu Jingzhe wasn't stingy with her praise and solemnly said, "So if you encounter any setbacks in the future, don't let your thoughts run wild. If you find it too difficult, then remember to memorize this text."
"Alright, we'll all memorize it." Shao Dong had actually memorized it already. "I'll get them to memorize it."
Mu Jingzhe nodded and looked at Shao Xi. "Little Xi not only needs to memorize it, but I think he needs to strengthen his memory too."
After some thought, Mu Jingzhe said, "Little Xi, copy this poem ten times tonight. Don't sleep before you finish it. I'm going to test how well you've memorized it tomorrow morning."
This was Mu Jingzhe's first time making them copy something as punishment. Shao Xi stared blankly at Mu Jingzhe and nodded obediently. "Mm, I will do my best."
Not only did he have to memorize this text, but he had to engrave it in his mind too.
Mu Jingzhe nodded in satisfaction. "Go."
After Shao Xi finished copying it and Mu Jingzhe checked it, she was satisfied. Shao Xi had even memorized as he'd copied it. That night, the children silently memorized it.
Mu Jingzhe had memorized it before, but she had forgotten it by now. She was afraid that she would be the only one who hadn't memorized it, so she secretly memorized it as well.
The next day, when Mu Jingzhe woke up, the children rushed to recite the text in front of her. Each of them was more skilled than the other, Shao Xi included. His face no longer looked dispirited. Only then was Mu Jingzhe satisfied.
As expected, there was no problem that homework and memorizing books couldn't solve. The best way to deal with an overthinking child was by making them memorize texts.
The children didn't go to art school that day and stayed at home to study. After dinner, they had a learning exchange session.
The children learned foreign languages quickly and efficiently. They were already able to engage in daily conversations. Every night, Mu Jingzhe would organize a half-hour conversation.
She participated as much as she could, but when they started speaking in Russian, she was completely lost.
Because Little Bei didn't learn much, she didn't know a lot. In the end, she used sign language to join in and used this chance to practice her sign language skill.
Next, it was time for legal knowledge. Mu Jingzhe had supported Shao Nan in studying this subject before, and now that Shao Nan had studied it well, he could even teach his younger siblings.
This was why Mu Jingzhe went to the city to buy more practical books for Shao Nan to facilitate their studies.
After gaining legal knowledge, they would know in their hearts what was legal and what was not. That way, Shao Nan probably wouldn't concoct that colorless and odorless poison he had in the book.
The next day, a scream disturbed the peace in the Shao Family.
Mu Jingzhe woke up early and quietly got up to wash her face as usual. However, the moment she opened the door, she was frightened by the snakes she saw by the door and screamed.
Like many people, Mu Jingzhe was afraid of snakes. Just looking at them gave her the creeps.
However, early in the morning, two snakes had suddenly appeared at her door.
Mu Jingzhe instinctively closed the door, but before she could heave a sigh of relief, she saw another snake crawl in through the half-open window.
Mu Jingzhe's brain exploded.
Little Bei was still asleep, but she woke up when she heard Mu Jingzhe's voice. "Mommy, what's wrong?"
Little Bei's sharp eyes quickly noticed the snake. It was different from the pinky-sized snakes she usually saw. This snake was much thicker.
It would be fine if it was just a small one, but Little Bei was actually afraid of both small and large ones. However, upon seeing Mu Jingzhe so terrified, Little Bei couldn't care less.
"Mommy, don't be afraid." Little Bei rolled off the bed, picked up her shoes, and threw them at the snake, wanting to chase it away.
Her aim wasn't bad, and she hit the snake's head. However, because she hit it, the snake started crawling toward Little Bei.
Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe shrieked in unison. Little Bei grabbed something and threw it. Mu Jingzhe also reacted by picking up a rock to smash it.
The rock was hidden for self-defense purposes. Mu Jingzhe might be strong, but her accuracy was poor.
The rock didn't hit the snake. Instead, it shattered the window glass and made the snake even more aggressive.
In the end, Little Bei retrieved the pestle at the head of the bed and Mu Jingzhe managed to hit the snake with it.
The snake was finally killed. As a result of Mu Jingzhe's relentless attacks, the snake's head was smashed into pieces. However, the wooden door of the room was also completely smashed.
Mu Jingzhe had destroyed a second door in the Shao Residence, but this was the least of her concerns at a moment like this.
With the door smashed and broken, they'd now inevitably have to face the snakes at the door.
All this commotion, as well as the fact that the two snakes at the door had been hit by the fallen door frame, triggered the aggressive nature of the two snakes.
Attracted by Mu Jingzhe's scream, the four boys ran down one after another with Shao Dong running ahead.
What was even more dangerous was that there were more than two snakes in the house. They had appeared out of nowhere, seemingly in an instant.
Mu Jingzhe's sharp eyes recognized the poisonous snakes that she had seen in pictures before. At that moment, they all gathered around. Some snakes were approaching her, while others were heading toward Shao Dong and the others.
Little Nan, be careful!"
"Mommy, be careful!"
Both of them saw the danger. Mu Jingzhe felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the snakes heading toward Shao Nan. She couldn't care about anything else and instantly exploded, smashing the two snakes in front of her and the one heading toward Shao Nan.
She hit that snake's tail in an instant, and the snake instantly turned around and charged toward Mu Jingzhe at lightning speed. Just as it was about to bite Mu Jingzhe, Shao Nan's movements became faster than his brain, and he instantly pounced forward to suppress the snake.
The snake was pinned down and was about to turn around to attack when Mu Jingzhe's expression changed drastically, and she smashed down the snake hard.
Shao Dong also picked up a stool and smashed it over. In the end, thanks to their combined efforts, they managed to kill the snake and beat it to a pulp.
Mu Jingzhe lifted Shao Nan up, but before he could say anything, she saw another snake crawling over from the courtyard.
Mu Jingzhe felt her blood run cold. Was there no way to escape?
"Mom, come here quickly!"
Shao Dong took a look and pulled Shao Xi along to move toward the table in the corridor.
The table was a homemade wooden table that was usually used for resting and drinking tea. It wasn't considered tall, but in a situation like this, it was always good to be standing at an elevated height.
Shao Xi scooped Xiao Wu up. Little Bei pulled Mu Jingzhe, who was still carrying Shao Nan, to the wooden table.
Shao Dong's face was pale. He held a stool in his hand and comforted Mu Jingzhe. "Mommy, don't be scared."
Little Bei's hands were also trembling, but upon looking at Shao Dong, she still tried her best to stand in front of her. "Yes, Mommy, we will protect you."
Shao Xi didn't say a word and, imitating Shao Dong, picked up the stool beside the table and prepared himself.
The same happened when Shao Nan reacted. Xiao Wu could only hold the stool with both hands, but that didn't stop him from reaching for one.
As she gazed at them, Mu Jingzhe's blank mind finally cleared up.
"It's fine, I can do it too!"
She was still holding the pestle that she had used to beat that snake previously. It was the pestle they used to pound rice during the New Year festival. Mu Jingzhe didn't think the pestle was a good enough weapon, so she picked up a stool in the end.
As soon as she picked it up, the snakes hissed and slithered toward them.
All of a sudden, there were many snakes in the house. Furthermore, they weren't small. Although they weren't as thick as a person's wrist, they were all thicker than a thumb. Plus, some were even as thick as a baby's arm. Their color was also very strange.
Mu Jingzhe was afraid of snakes. Usually, even when she opened a webpage to take a look, she would feel goosebumps. Therefore, she didn't know much about snakes. She only knew that green bamboo snakes had a weird color and were venomous.
These snakes weren't the color of green bamboo, but they all looked like poisonous snakes. In addition, they were so aggressive that it was obvious that there was something wrong. Mu Jingzhe told herself to calm down.
However, it was no use. Mu Jingzhe couldn't calm down. As the snakes slithered over to attack them, the tense nerves in her brain snapped again.
The next three minutes were a crazy nightmare for Mu Jingzhe.
There was only one thought on her mind—she couldn't let these snakes get close. She had to keep whacking them.
"Be careful!
"Be careful!
"Smash them at seven inches. Their weakness is at the seven-inch spot."
It was actually very brave of an adult and five children to put up such a fight against these snakes with their backs facing each other. Furthermore, they knew how to protect Mu Jingzhe, but they were still too young and weak.
Shao Dong didn't manage to kill a snake when he hit it, and he was almost bitten. Mu Jingzhe reacted quickly and pulled Shao Dong away.
However, she seemed to feel pain in her ankle, as if she had been bitten. Mu Jingzhe's heart sank, and before she could take another look, the snake was smashed into pieces.
Mu Jingzhe hoped that it was just an illusion. She had no idea if she was thinking too much, but she felt that her condition was getting worse and even stranger. In the end, she couldn't care about anything else and smashed the stool at a snake whenever she saw one.
She couldn't care less about aiming at the seven-inch spot. All she could do was smash each snake's head with all her might.
When she finally couldn't see any snakes, Mu Jingzhe's legs went limp and she fell until she was sitting on the table. "No… No more, right?"
Little Bei saw that Mu Jingzhe's face was covered in cold sweat and helped her wipe it off. "They're gone. Mommy, are you okay?"
Mu Jingzhe's heart relaxed when she heard that they were gone. Then, she felt dizzy and fainted.
"Mommy!" The children were shocked.
At that moment, someone ran in from the door. It was none other than Zhao Lan. She had heard the screams and come over to take a look.
There was another person following her who had also come after hearing the screams.
As soon as the two of them entered, they saw the snakes that had been killed. Feeling completely frightened, they couldn't help but let out a shriek.
"Why are there so many snakes?" It looked like there were a dozen… or more than that. Anyone would be terrified if they saw so many snakes, let alone seeing them get smashed like that.
Zhao Lan's legs turned wobbly. She then saw the unconscious Mu Jingzhe. "Mu Jingzhe was bitten to death?" Zhao Lan blurted out without thinking.
In an instant, Zhao Lan could no longer care about her dizziness. She seemed to have regained her strength.
Shao Dong's expression changed. "No!"
He retorted fiercely, but a second later, Shao Dong saw two almost negligible red dots on Mu Jingzhe's ankle.
Shao Dong's expression changed drastically. "How could…"
Shao Xi followed Shao Dong's gaze and saw the red dots. His face turned pale. "How is that possible? When…"
"When did Mommy get bitten?" Little Bei saw it too. Upon seeing the wound and Mu Jingzhe's pale face and cold sweat, she was instantly overwhelmed by fear.
Why hadn't she seen it? Why hadn't she noticed it?
This question flashed through Shao Dong, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan's minds. Why hadn't they protected Mu Jingzhe?
Why hadn't they even known when she was bitten? This was the first time she was so terrified of something, yet they'd still failed to protect her?
Shao Dong felt as if the world was spinning around him, but a second later, he heard Zhao Lan's voice. He didn't know if it sounded shocked or delighted.
"Is Mu Jingzhe really dead?"
Her voice was abnormally sharp and contained a hint of strangeness and excitement.
Shao Dong looked over and saw that her eyes were wide open. There was no trace of worry, only indescribable excitement. It was as if Mu Jingzhe being bitten to death was an extremely joyous occasion.
At that moment, Shao Dong only felt his mind buzz. The taut string in his mind instantly snapped. He couldn't suppress his anger, and without thinking, he threw the stool in his hand that he had yet to put down.
"Get lost!"
He had utilized all his might and he was filled with killing intent. At that moment, Shao Dong really wanted to kill Zhao Lan.
The stool hit Zhao Lan's head with a thud. Zhao Lan was knocked back a few steps, and her vision went black for a moment.
She hadn't expected the b*stard to dare hit her. She reached out and felt a sticky sensation. It was a mixture of blood and flesh left behind after hitting the snakes.
Zhao Lan was already in pain. When she saw this, she was even more furious. "Shao Dong! How dare you throw this at me!"
She roared and raised her head, only to see Shao Dong's bloodshot eyes glaring at her. He was like a wolf, ready to pounce on her and bite her neck in a second.
Zhao Lan felt a chill on her neck. Her anger froze, and her mind instantly cleared up.
This little brat really wanted her dead. He might really kill her. Not just him, but the other little brats too.
Zhao Lan looked at Shao Xi, Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu. The other four children had identical gazes that sent a chill right to her heart. This was the first time she felt afraid of these children.
Perhaps it was because she had gotten used to bullying her children since they were young and had always had control over their life and death, but although Zhao Lan might be afraid of Mu Jingzhe, she had never taken those five kids seriously. After all, these children had been raised by her.
Anyway, she was their biological grandmother. What could they do to her?
At that moment, Zhao Lan knew that they could really do anything to her. They might even kill her.
She was furious, but fear still prevailed. She took two steps back, turned around, and ran.
The woman who had come in with Zhao Lan looked at Mu Jingzhe with worry in her eyes. "I'll go get help."
The village doctor had medicine that might be of use here. If the medicine didn't work, they'd have to consider taking her to the hospital, even though those who were bitten by snakes usually died by the time they reached the hospital.
She turned around and ran to call for help and inform Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi at the Mu Residence. If the medicine didn't work, they could still see her one last time.
The courtyard quietened down. Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe, closed his eyes, and calmed down. "Xiao Wu, go get help. Little Bei, go find some clothes or anything else. We have to bandage the wound."
When Shao Dong heard that the woman was going off to call for help, he believed her. However, he still wanted to send Xiao Wu away so that he would not be traumatized when he saw all of this. After all, he was still young.
Shao Dong thought of many things in an instant, but Xiao Wu didn't listen to him this time. He also knew that someone had already gone to call for help, so he wanted to stay by Mu Jingzhe's side.
Shao Dong saw that he hadn't moved, but there was nothing he could do about it. There was no time to waste. He hadn't seen anyone in the village being bitten by a snake with his own eyes, but he had seen it on television before.
Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe's wound. Without much hesitation, he made a decision and lowered his head to suck out the venom.
"Brother, you can't do it. I'll do it!" Shao Xi knew what Shao Dong wanted to do and stopped him. "You can't have an accident."
"Then who?" Shao Dong avoided Shao Xi's hand. "I'll do it. If anything happens to me, I'll leave everything to you."
After saying that, Shao Dong lowered his head and sucked out as much venom as he could.
Little Bei's face was full of tears, but she didn't dare cry out loud. As she wiped her tears, she retrieved the cloth.
Shao Nan's hands trembled as he bound Mu Jingzhe's legs based on his understanding to prevent the poison from spreading.
Seeing that Shao Dong was still sucking and Mu Jingzhe was still not awake, Shao Nan clenched his hand bit by bit. "It's all my fault. Mommy might have been bitten while saving me."
"No, she got bitten afterward when she was saving me. The person bitten should have been me."
At first, Shao Dong hadn't thought much about it. However, now that he thought about it, he could feel that something was amiss. At that moment, he finally understood the feeling that Shao Xi had mentioned earlier.
This was the first time he was gripped by such fear. He was afraid that he had caused Mu Jingzhe's death. He was afraid of this heavy emotion and didn't dare think about what he would do if something happened to Mu Jingzhe.
At that moment, he even thought that if Mu Jingzhe was gone, the heavens should just take him away as well.
He was used to shouldering responsibility since he was young, but at that moment, he suddenly couldn't hold on anymore. He couldn't bear it any longer.
Therefore, if she had to die, they might as well die together.
He was really tired. If Mu Jingzhe was gone, he really wouldn't be able to hold on. He'd have to… abandon his younger siblings.
"I'm sorry…"
Shao Dong apologized to Mu Jingzhe and his younger siblings.
When Mu Jingzhe woke up, she felt faint pain in her ankle. In a daze, she opened her eyes and saw Shao Xi and Little Bei's tearful faces, while Shao Dong was lying on the ground sucking on her ankle.
All those memories instantly returned to her mind—the terrifying snakes and the pain in her ankle. Mu Jingzhe's expression changed, and she immediately stood up to dodge Shao Dong.
"Shao Dong, are you crazy? How dare you suck out the blood? Do you want to die?!"
"Mom!"
Shao Dong and Shao Xi were overjoyed. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
How did she feel? Mu Jingzhe still felt a little dizzy and weak, but she didn't dare say anything. "Quick, rinse Shao Dong's mouth and call the doctor!"
Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was awake, Xiao Wu quickly went to get some water.
Mu Jingzhe looked at the wound and thought to herself, 'So it wasn't an illusion. How unlucky.'
She didn't know what exactly had happened when the venom had acted up, but her hand felt a little numb. She felt like the poison was spreading, so she quickly said her last words.
"In the future, you're not allowed to use your mouth to suck blood. You're not allowed to learn from television either. Otherwise, two lives might be lost instead of one!
"Little Bei, do you know where I hid the money? When the time comes, you can use it. Also, your grandparents… They will definitely be very sad. Keep them company and help me support them in their old age!"
Mu Jingzhe hadn't expected that she would be killed by a venomous snake. This had happened so suddenly that she didn't know what to say. She could only think that at least Shao Dong was starting to earn money and these kids were in a better situation than before.
Although it was a little thick-skinned of her, if she really were to die now, it would probably be best if she left the children a few missions.
"Shao Dong, the pension that you kids said you were going to give me can go to my mother instead. They might take their anger out on you. I have to make sure they don't blame you for—"
Mu Jingzhe thought of using her cell phone to record a video, but she didn't have one. "Little Bei, quick, get a pen and paper. I'll tell them not to blame the five of you."
After Mu Jingzhe instructed them what to do if she were to die, Xiao Wu and Little Bei, who was already crying, started to wail.
"You'll be fine, Mommy."
Shao Dong's expression also changed drastically. For the first time, he shouted at Mu Jingzhe, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? You can take care of them yourself. If you leave like this, I won't take care of them."
How could he support them in their old age when he didn't even want to live anymore?
"Don't get worked up. I'll calm down!" Mu Jingzhe pressed Shao Dong down. "You might have absorbed the venom as well. If you get agitated, the venom will spread faster. Don't get worked up!"
"I'll live if you live." Shao Dong exhaled. "You'll live. I'll definitely make sure you live!"
The Shao Family was gloomy. Meanwhile, after the auntie left, she immediately called for help and went to the village doctor.
Village doctors were barefooted doctors in the village. Their skills had been passed down for generations, and they did have certain capabilities.
After the auntie called the village doctor, she immediately rushed to the Mu Family's house. She shouted along the way and told the villagers to quickly go to the Mu Residence. If the doctor couldn't do anything about it, they'd have to take her to the hospital.
When she arrived at the Mu Residence, they heard her before they even saw her. "Mu Jingzhe has been bitten by a snake. Mu Teng, Li Zhaodi, go quickly."
Behind her were also people who had come over after hearing the news. "Mu Jingzhe was bitten to death by a snake. Come quickly…"
The news of Mu Jingzhe being bitten by a snake was spread by that auntie, whereas the news of her being bitten to death was spread by Zhao Lan.
Two pieces of news simultaneously reached the Mu Residence. Unfortunately, Mu Han had already gone out to scavenge. Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi had gone to sell buns and weren't at home. Old Lady Mu and the rest were shocked when they heard that. "What?"
Tang Moling was even more shocked than Old Lady Mu.
Tang Moling was at the Mu Residence early in the morning because he had caught a cold. Old Lady Mu was worried about him going back, so she had asked him to stay at the Mu Residence for a night to take care of him.
Mu Xue was washing her face with warm water when she suddenly heard this news.
Mu Jingzhe had been bitten to death by a snake? She was dead?
The washbasin in her hand fell to the ground with a loud thud. Tang Moling's body swayed, and he rushed out without a care.