TRANSMIGRATING TO THE 80S TO BECOME STEPMOM TO FIVE BIGWIGS

by Usui Takumii

not mine, news novel.

28. 151 to 160

Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling with an embarrassed expression. She hadn't expected the mighty and domineering CEO to have such a side to him. Seeing Tang Moling unconsciously protecting his butt seemed like watching a naughty child seeing his parents. She couldn't help but chuckle.

Tang Moling finally realized that his actions were abnormal when he saw the way she was looking at him. He quickly put his hand down and was about to say something when he saw the way Ji Buwang was gazing at Mu Jingzhe.

His gaze was focused and gentle, as if he was looking at a treasure.

Tang Moling's heart instantly sank. Previously, he had already noticed that there was something wrong with the way Ji Buwang looked at her. He'd had a feeling that his uncle had feelings for Mu Jingzhe, but because he was too shocked and because he liked Mu Jingzhe, he had subconsciously ignored this nagging feeling. But now, Tang Moling could no longer ignore it.

Uncle probably liked Mu Jingzhe and wanted to make her his aunt, right?

No, no, definitely not!

Tang Moling was on the verge of breaking down. He had just declared with confidence that she wouldn't be able to find anyone better than him, and now his uncle had appeared out of nowhere.

The change in his status and position, as well as his status as the successor, had all happened because his Uncle Ji Buwang had been unconscious. It was solely because of this that he'd gotten such an opportunity.

Now, his uncle had woken up. It was a good thing that his uncle had come out of his coma. Tang Moling should be happy, but at the same time, this also meant that his status as the heir might be gone.

He was about to lose the identity he was the proudest of.

Not only that, but he liked Mu Jingzhe, and so did his uncle. He could be arrogant around others, but how could he be arrogant around his uncle?

It was hard for Tang Moling to describe how he felt at the moment. It was as if he had died once, experienced a calamity, seen everything get destroyed, and in the end, there was nothing left.

He didn't dare imagine what it would be like to lose everything and watch Mu Jingzhe become his aunt, so he told himself that he had to be overthinking things.

Tang Moling was lost in his thoughts when he heard Ji Buwang speak.

"You still haven't told me why you broke off the engagement. Grandpa said that you were very serious this time, and your heart had definitely settled down. I didn't even disturb you, so why did you suddenly break off the engagement?"

"I… I…" Could Tang Moling say that he had broken off the engagement because he'd had a change of heart? In front of Ji Buwang, he couldn't say that he had fallen for Mu Jingzhe.

"Why do you still have the temper of a child at this age? One moment, you're like this, and the next, you're like that. You got into a quarrel and broke off the engagement. Outrageous." Ji Buwang lectured him. Tang Moling's mind was a mess, and in the end, it went blank. There was also a dumbfounded look on his face.

He needed to calm down, so he found an excuse to run away.

Mu Jingzhe looked at Tang Moling's back view and then at Ji Buwang. "You guys are really strange. You've always been in the county city and even moved around in the same area, but you'd never met."

"I think it's quite strange too." Ji Buwang smiled. "He suffered a little when he was young. In order to change his personality, we indulged him a little. Later on, he could be a little agitating. Did he bully you?"

"I don't think so." Mu Jingzhe tried hard to recall Tang Moling's past in the original book. It seemed to have been described before, but there wasn't much of a description. It was likely that this uncle of his had no name in the novel.

Mu Jingzhe only remembered that Tang Moling was a domineering CEO and the only suitable heir. However, under the circumstances, would Tang Moling inherit the position from his maternal grandfather's family?

What about Ji Buwang then? He didn't seem to exist in the book. Had he not woken up?

Upon thinking of this, Mu Jingzhe didn't feel good. Ji Buwang was still too young to remain in a coma forever. Besides, she also knew that he had retained awareness while he had been in a coma.

Did that mean that he would struggle while being 'awake' in his unconscious state and eventually die soberly?

Mu Jingzhe frowned, thinking that it was too cruel. Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe's furrowed brows and glanced in the direction Tang Moling had run.

Tang Moling had been so traumatized that he had even forgotten to drive. Ji Buwang looked at the car Tang Moling had left behind and thought to himself, 'I didn't want to disturb this nephew of mine, nor did I want to meet him too early. Now that I've seen him, I have to talk to him.'

During the period of time that he had left this nephew be, he'd seemed a little too indulgent.

Tang Moling, who had run out of the room, suddenly shuddered. He finally stopped in his tracks and entered a daze, ignoring where he was standing.

Tang Moling might be living a glorious life now, but his childhood hadn't been good. His mother had been blinded by love and had fallen in love with a poor boy. Because of her parents' objections, she had even eloped and cut off all contact with her family.

Reality wasn't a fairy tale. It ended in tragedy. His mother had been used to living a good life since she was a child. She couldn't take any hardships and had been defeated by reality in a short time.

However, because of her pride, she hadn't contacted her parents. Later on, she didn't have the chance to contact them. When she fell sick, she died because she didn't have the money to treat her illness.

His father had then married his stepmother, who wasn't like Mu Jingzhe and viewed him as a thorn in her side. Thus, he had a severe prejudice against all stepmothers.

He couldn't be blamed for this. Those days had been really gloomy. Fortunately, his maternal grandfather had found him later on… No, the correct form of address was 'Great-Grandpa'. However, in the place where he had grown up, great-grandfathers were also called 'Grandpa', so he was used to calling him 'Grandpa'.

Grandpa had brought him back. Thanks to the love of his maternal grandfather and uncle, he'd finally started to see good days.

Initially, Grandfather and the rest hadn't nurtured Tang Moling particularly. They'd only wanted him to be a rich, idle person who would assist Uncle and the rest if he could. However, they hadn't expected that First Uncle would pass away and Young Uncle would later fall into a coma. The doctor had even said that the chances of him waking up were very slim.

Since both of his uncles had gotten in an accident, he was the only choice his maternal grandfather had. When his uncle fell into a coma for a year, he started grooming Tang Moling to prepare him to inherit the family business.

Tang Moling would be the heir to the Ji Family in the future, which was a consensus everyone had reached. Grandfather would also hand more and more matters over to him, and it would be fine as long as he worked by following the protocol.

However, Tang Moling hadn't expected Ji Buwang to wake up. Tang Moling had feelings for his maternal grandfather and uncle. Back when Ji Buwang had gotten in an accident, he had also been unable to sleep well and had often visited his uncle.

With the passage of time, seeing that his uncle had remained unconscious, and due to his busy life, Tang Moling had gradually stopped visiting and thinking about what would happen when Uncle woke up.

However, Ji Buwang had woken up without any warning. Now that he had woken up, Tang Moling's position as the heir would be awkward, as he didn't have a rightful claim to the position to begin with.

However, he hadn't expected that after his uncle woke up, he wouldn't be in a hurry to announce it to the outside world and take back the heir position immediately. Instead, he hid it from the outside world, even from him.

Even Grandpa didn't tell him about it. During this period of time, Grandpa had been acting normally and hadn't mentioned taking back any power. Hence, he hadn't sensed anything unusual.

However, Tang Moling couldn't lie to himself and say that everything would continue to be like this.

Although he had undergone three years of training, he was still far inferior to his uncle, Ji Buwang, who had been trained since he was young. Now that his uncle had woken up, why would he be chosen as the heir?

Tang Moling was happy and conflicted. Besides, Mu Jingzhe was involved.

"Ah." Tang Moling scratched his head in frustration. Why did he have to say those words to Mu Jingzhe?

He didn't want Mu Jingzhe to be his aunt. He couldn't accept that.

---

Shao Qihai, why did you have to die? It would have been great if you hadn't died!" Tang Moling, who had been jealous of Shao Qihai several times before, genuinely hoped that Shao Qihai was still alive for the first time.

That way, his uncle wouldn't be able to snatch Mu Jingzhe.

At the thought of this, Tang Moling smacked his head again. "You're muddleheaded."

If Shao Qihai hadn't died, he wouldn't be able to snatch Mu Jingzhe either. In that case, Mu Jingzhe would be a married woman, not a widow.

'I can't take it lying down. Even if it's Uncle, I won't give in. Maybe I'm just thinking too much. Maybe Uncle doesn't have that kind of intention!'

In the end, Tang Moling could only console himself. "Even if it's true, Uncle has always been very good to me. He wouldn't be so cruel to me."

Mu Jingzhe was shocked by the relationship between Tang Moling and Ji Buwang. When she got home, she couldn't help but share it with the children.

The children hadn't expected this either, but they didn't harp on the subject. Mu Jingzhe didn't think too much about it either, thinking that Tang Moling probably wouldn't come looking for her again.

Director Lu contacted Mu Jingzhe and said that the editing process of the movie was done. If it was convenient, he would bring it over for Xiao Wu to see. The movie was scheduled to be released during the Chinese New Year, and it was also just in time for various film festivals. Director Lu even wanted to attend the film festivals and was very confident about the movie.

This was an important matter that couldn't be delayed. Mu Jingzhe quickly agreed and said that she could bring Xiao Wu along if necessary. Regardless of whether Xiao Wu could produce the music accompaniment or not, he still had to do what needed to be done.

In order to allow Xiao Wu to understand what he needed to do, Mu Jingzhe brought the children to watch two movies in the county.

The children loved watching movies and had agreed to go to the cinema together when Little Bei's movie was released.

Although Director Lu was busy, he still made a trip there. He was worried about delegating the task to others, so he came personally to explain the movie's story to Xiao Wu.

After watching the movie, Xiao Wu started crying and hiccupping, saying that his sister was too pitiful. After crying, he fell asleep.

Director Lu: "…"

For the first time, he began to doubt his decision. Although Xiao Wu was indeed a rare musical genius, he was very young. Was he too impulsive?

Just as Director Lu started to worry and even wondered whether he should salvage the situation by finding someone else to help him, Xiao Wu woke up and got to work.

He had already learned how to compose from Ji Buwang, but his hands were too short and his strength was limited. The speed at which he wrote couldn't keep up with his brain, so he rarely wrote.

However, he would record the song down and write it down later.

Perhaps it was because Little Bei was acting in the movie, but the emotions flowed naturally, and his speed was faster. Very quickly, he completed the initial composition in half a day.

Half a day later, everything was settled.

When Director Lu was notified by Mu Jingzhe, he thought he was dreaming. When he received the end product, he still had some doubts.

After all, it was too fast. However, when he heard it, he found out why geniuses were called geniuses.

Director Lu was overjoyed. He couldn't help but hug Xiao Wu and spin in circles while laughing maniacally. Then, he planted a heavy kiss on Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, you're really a darling. You must remember Uncle Lu. You must work with Uncle Lu more in the future."

Director Lu was so excited that his face flushed red. He then walked away, leaving Xiao Wu touching his own face while feeling extremely aggrieved.

Uncle Lu's beard was really prickly, not at all as wonderful as when Mommy kissed him!

Xiao Wu deliberately wiped his face. For the next few days, he didn't let Mu Jingzhe kiss the cheek that Director Lu had kissed. It was only after half a month that he slowly forgot about it.

While Mu Jingzhe was busy, Tang Moling was busy as well.

He spent two days accepting the fact that Ji Buwang had woken up. He struggled to accept the changes that would follow and finally came to a conclusion: His uncle was the rightful heir. If he wanted to take back his power, he had nothing to say.

Although it was difficult, he could only accept it. He didn't dare fight with his uncle, nor did he want to become enemies with him.

In that case, there was no way he could give up on Mu Jingzhe. He couldn't possibly lose both the woman and the money, right?

If he did not only lose his status as the heir, but Mu Jingzhe also became his aunt, he would really go crazy.

Even though his uncle's attitude was strange and he seemed to like Mu Jingzhe, he probably wouldn't be ruthless to him out of pity.

After Tang Moling thought about it, he went to look for Ji Buwang. Through their conversation and asking around, he verified that Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang had yet to confirm their relationship.

However, he also knew that Mu Jingzhe was indeed closer to Ji Buwang than she was to him. Besides, his uncle seemed to be getting along well with the children.

Tang Moling only realized what was going on after seeing so many children's books in the old residence, including in the study.

He said he liked Mu Jingzhe, but he didn't seem to have considered the five kids.

He had forgotten about them for the time being. Firstly, he felt that the five kids were ridiculously mature beyond their years. Secondly, they had their own capabilities and didn't need him to worry about them at all.

He subconsciously ignored them, but his uncle didn't seem to be doing the same. He was proactively trying to build a good relationship with the children.

Tang Moling subconsciously reflected on himself and felt that he wasn't thorough enough. He didn't feel too guilty, though. He had neglected them, but that didn't mean that he would not care about the children in the future, nor would he object to Mu Jingzhe raising them.

Given his own experience growing up, he definitely wouldn't mistreat the kids or anything. He would even be a good stepfather. However, he hadn't considered any of this.

The only thing that comforted Tang Moling was that even though his uncle was so thorough, he was still just friends with Mu Jingzhe and had yet to successfully woo her.

He still had a chance!

Even though this was his uncle, he wouldn't give up. He couldn't possibly give up on Mu Jingzhe.

After Tang Moling saw Ji Buwang, the news of the Ji Family's true heir, Ji Buwang, waking up spread like wildfire.

Tang Moling also received many greetings. Some people were probing, some were hinting at him to fight for power, and some were mocking him. There were all sorts of people.

It would be a lie to say that he didn't care, and it would also be a lie to say that he didn't feel bad. However, Tang Moling didn't act impulsively, nor did he allow others to see him as a joke. Those people had ill intentions, and he didn't fall for them. He kept defending his uncle.

His attitude was clear. Regardless of whether the heir was Tang Moling or his uncle, it was their family's business. This wasn't for outsiders to criticize. He really thought so too. Since his uncle and grandfather hadn't taken back what was in his hands, he would continue to manage it. He would do his job well and take things one step at a time.

However, he had to speed things up with Mu Jingzhe.

Mu Jingzhe had been hiding from Tang Moling. Besides, Tang Moling was afraid that he would bump into Ji Buwang in the county, so he got anxious and went to Great Eastern Village to look for Mu Jingzhe.

Tang Moling felt that it had been some time since he'd canceled his engagement to Mu Xue. If he kept a low profile, the villagers wouldn't say anything even if they saw him.

However, that was just wishful thinking on his part. He and Mu Xue had just broken off their engagement not too long ago, but even if it had been a few years, if he got together with Mu Jingzhe, everyone would still gossip about it.

However, Tang Moling was in too much of a hurry and had lost all sense of propriety, even forgetting Mu Jingzhe's warning.

---

Tang Moling thought that he was being careful and kept a low profile, but as soon as he stepped into the Shao Residence, word of his arrival started spreading.

"Isn't that Mu Xue's ex-fiancé, Tang Moling? Why is he here? He didn't go to the Mu Residence but to the Shao Residence? To find Mu Jingzhe?"

"Let's go to the Mu Residence and ask."

The news quickly spread to the Mu Residence and reached Mu Xue and Old Lady Mu's ears.

Meanwhile, at the Shao Residence, Tang Moling's sudden appearance gave Mu Jingzhe a shock. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come on a whim?"

"Why can't I just come here? I didn't do anything wrong. Surely they can't hit me?" Tang Moling retorted.

Mu Jingzhe lowered her voice, but it was filled with warning. "Are you crazy, Tang Moling? Have you forgotten my warning? Do you think I should die sooner? Do you think there aren't enough people scolding me and gossiping about me?"

"It's not as bad as you make it out to be." Tang Moling was also anxious. "Although I was engaged to her, we were not married yet. Even if we were married, there's also such a thing as divorce these days. It's not like I can't get married after I've been engaged once, right? Surely I can't be expected to remain unmarried forever? I have to get married eventually."

"You can get married, but you can't have anything to do with me, do you understand?" Mu Jingzhe was exasperated. While looking at Tang Moling's expression, she still felt a little disillusioned. "Are you really done with Mu Xue? You're not messing with me?"

The male and female protagonists had completely fallen out. What kind of weird development was this?

"How could I be messing with you?" Tang Moling approached Mu Jingzhe. "Mu Jingzhe, can you treat my feelings seriously? I've already told you that the person I like now is you."

He could ignore Ji Buwang, but Mu Jingzhe hadn't forgotten. "Does your uncle know that you're doing this? He told me to tell him if you dare mess around again."

Tang Moling stiffened. "Don't mention Uncle. Just look at me. I know you're not a materialistic person. Even if I don't have the status of an heir, you won't despise me. I'll work hard on my own, so I want you to only look at me and consider me seriously."

"No, I can't consider you at all. Tang Moling, even if it's impossible for you and Mu Xue to be together, it's not possible for you and me to be together either. Hurry up and leave. If anyone sees this, I'll get in trouble…"

"It's not that bad. Mu Jingzhe, don't make excuses. If the villagers dare to say anything, let them come at me. I'm not afraid. It's not like they can beat me and you up…"

Before Tang Moling could finish his sentence, Old Lady Mu's furious voice was heard from outside. "I thought I'd heard wrong. I didn't expect… I'm going to beat you adulterous pair to death."

Hearing the commotion, Tang Moling turned around and saw Old Lady Mu throw something at him.

Old Lady Mu had been watering the vegetables when she'd heard that Tang Moling had arrived and had gone to look for Mu Jingzhe. She'd immediately run over with a bucket in her hand.

Tang Moling couldn't avoid it in time, and the bucket landed on his head with a bang.

By the time he removed the bucket in a fluster, Old Lady Mu had already rushed toward Mu Jingzhe with red eyes. "Mu Jingzhe, you're really shameless. As if it wasn't enough that you've been stealing Xiao Xue's things since you were young, now you're stealing Xiao Xue's man. I'll beat you to death today."

"Calm down, I didn't…" Mu Jingzhe helplessly explained while hiding.

But how could Old Lady Mu listen to her? "Mu Jingzhe, why are you so black-hearted? Why did you still try to snatch him when they were already engaged? You're so shameless. If I had known earlier, I would have drowned you when you were born so that you wouldn't harm Xiao Xue…"

Tang Moling looked at the deranged Old Lady Mu and then heard the nasty words that were coming out of her mouth. He looked at the people who had come to watch the commotion and were pointing at them. Only then did he realize that he had been wrong again.

He had said that there was no need for Mu Jingzhe to be so dramatic, but reality had proven that everything was exactly that bad.

Seeing that she couldn't catch up to Mu Jingzhe, Old Lady Mu started grabbing things to throw at Mu Jingzhe. Tang Moling panicked and ran over to stop her. "Grandma, what are you doing? Calm down!"

However, he didn't know that by stopping her, he stirred up a hornet's nest, making Old Lady Mu even angrier. "You still dare to say she didn't seduce you? Look at you! You adulterous pair, I swear I'll beat you two to death today."

Though Old Lady Mu had said that she would beat this adulterous pair to death, she picked up a broom and only threw it at Mu Jingzhe.

The broom was a hand-made bamboo broom, the kind found in every household in the village. It hurt when one was hit by such a broom. Mu Jingzhe was unable to dodge in time, so she was hit.

Mu Jingzhe's eyes darkened when she felt the pain on her arms and face.

Mu Jingzhe was strong enough to deal with Old Lady Mu easily. However, she hadn't done it before because she couldn't. She was an old lady, as well as her grandmother. Something bad might happen if she hit her.

This was the reason why she hadn't retaliated previously. However, even a good-tempered person had their breaking point. Just because she gave way didn't mean that she would always be submissive.

Seeing that Old Lady Mu was about to hit her again, Mu Jingzhe grabbed the broom and looked at her solemnly. "That's enough. I said that I didn't do it. Do you not understand the human language?"

Old Lady Mu's heart skipped a beat when she saw Mu Jingzhe's gaze. She tried to retract the broom, but to no avail. Although she was a little apprehensive, her words were harsh. "Mu Jingzhe, don't think that you're in the right just because you're strong. How dare you say you didn't do it? If that's true, why would he come looking for you? Why would he speak up for you? How dare you quibble even when things have come to this?"

Tang Moling was speechless. "She really didn't do anything. Mu Jingzhe has always wanted me to be with Mu Xue. I am the one who had a change of heart. It has nothing to do with her. Don't scold or hit her. She never seduced me."

"Pfft." Old Lady Mu flew into a rage when she heard that. "Do you think you can fool me? I know very well Mu Jingzhe's character. She's just used to snatching Xiao Xue's things. She has not been a good person since she was young.

"She's a thief. A dog can't change its ways. Tang Moling, how can you be so easily fooled? Did she let you touch her or sleep with her? You're really concerned about her. Don't you think she's filthy? Xiao Xue is pure and innocent. She's a hundred times better than a filthy wretch like her…"

Old Lady Mu was filled with hatred. She blurted out all sorts of nasty words, but she didn't see Tang Moling's furious gaze.

Tang Moling looked at Old Lady Mu's furious face and found it extremely foreign. Her original benevolence had disappeared, leaving only madness behind. Wasn't she very reasonable and easy to talk to in the past? He had once admired that she didn't value men over women, that she was a wise and farsighted old lady. That she had foresight even though she had been born in a village. But who was this old shrew that was speaking so viciously in front of him?

"You… That's enough!" Tang Moling couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Old Lady Mu, take a good look. The person you're talking about is your granddaughter, a member of the Mu Family with the same bloodline as Mu Xue! How can you say that about your granddaughter!"

"Pfft, she doesn't deserve to be compared to Xiao Xue. She doesn't even deserve to carry Xiao Xue's shoes. What did I say that was wrong? Isn't she filthy and smelly? She only wants to spread her legs when she sees a man…"

Old Lady Mu's words came to an abrupt halt because her neck was gripped tightly.

Furious Mu Jingzhe's eyes were filled with coldness. She restrained Old Lady Mu and prevented her from moving. "Do you think I'm a pushover because I've always been easy to talk to? I just didn't want to make things difficult for my father. Just because of that, you think you can do as you please?"

---

Old Lady Mu hadn't expected Mu Jingzhe to suddenly flare up, and her eyes were filled with disbelief. "Mu Jingzhe, I am your grandmother!"

"Grandmother? When have you ever regarded me as your granddaughter? How could a grandmother say such awful things about her granddaughter?"

Mu Jingzhe sneered. She didn't let go of Old Lady Mu as she turned to face her. Old Lady Mu still wanted to attack but was stopped by her in an instant. "Be careful if you don't want your arm to break. Your old bones are much more brittle than firewood. If you don't want your bones to be completely shattered, shut up."

Old Lady Mu's heart palpitated as she looked at Mu Jingzhe. She felt that Mu Jingzhe was truly capable of that.

There was a hint of fear in her eyes as she finally calmed down from her enraged state.

"Have you calmed down? Then let's settle the score now." Ever since Mu Jingzhe had transmigrated there, she had never attacked anyone unless she was attacked first. She had always kept a respectful distance from elderly folks, especially people like Old Lady Mu.

In this day and age, things were different from the modern age. Even in the modern age, hitting elderly folks was frowned upon, but Old Lady Mu was way too biased. Mu Jingzhe hadn't intended to do anything to her. After all, it was all in the past. She'd just wanted to live in harmony.

However, Old Lady Mu seemed to have misunderstood her attitude and mistakenly thought that she was easy to bully.

"In the past, I never tried to be calculative to deal with your favoritism. I just thought that it was all in the past, but judging by what you're saying now, it seems like we've got to revisit that. In that case, since everyone's here, let's settle the score properly."

Mu Jingzhe pressed Old Lady Mu down, not allowing her to move. She then said, "Firstly, before my father's share of the family assets got carved out, the Mu Family never split up the family assets, right?"

Old Lady Mu rolled her eyes and thought to herself, 'Isn't that obvious?'

"Nobody splits up the family assets when the elderly are still around. I'm not dead yet."

"Alright, since the family assets weren't split up, then we should have worked together and eaten together. Forget about everything else. Mu Xue and I are both granddaughters of the Mu Family, so we should have had the same status. In reality, Mu Xue and I were living completely different lives.

"While she ate well, I had to put up with your attitude every time I ate. If I picked up some leftovers from her, you'd say that I snatched her food. But if you ask your conscience, did I really snatch anything from her? My parents worked to put some of that food on the table. Isn't the money they earned by working enough to support a child like me?

"Don't say that Mu Xue enjoyed such treatment because Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt are hardworking and capable. That's not the case. Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt are exactly the same. They aren't much better than my parents, so Mu Xue and I should have been equals.

"In reality, because you're biased and unreasonable, Mu Xue's status has been different since she was born. You care only about her, and everything belongs to her. But why should everything be hers?"

Mu Jingzhe recalled. "Let me recall the most ridiculous and absurd incident. Oh, right, the rabbits. My dad used to catch rabbits and say it was so that everyone could eat some meat, even though it was obviously because he felt sorry for me and my younger brother. But every time he caught a rabbit, you said it was for Mu Xue and gave it to her.

"My mother secretly fed me two pieces, and you said I was stealing from Mu Xue. What a joke. Didn't my father catch the rabbit? When did it become hers?"

These few sentences stunned everyone in the village, including Old Lady Mu. She wanted to retort but didn't know what to say.

Mu Jingzhe continued. "The money was earned by everyone, and you were merely safekeeping it for the family. However, the things you bought with this money were all Mu Xue's. Mu Xue has been having malted milk since she was young and has a good foundation. My mother didn't eat well and had a low milk supply. She begged you to give me some, but you refused, saying that it was all for Mu Xue.

"My mother's heart ached for me, so she stole some to feed me and you chased her to beat her up. She was still in her confinement period, yet she was chased all over the village and forced to hide. She was scolded by you for more than ten years. In the end, Mu Xue grew up having malted milk and eating white rice and noodles that you specifically made for her. As for me, I grew up drinking rice soup. Even then, my mother had to get beaten up in exchange for it. To be honest, I find it amazing that I made it to adulthood. How didn't I starve to death? Am I right?

"When we got bigger, Mu Xue had walnut cookies and canned fruit to eat. In fact, she could afford to be picky about the fruit she ate. But when I drank the leftover soup from the fruit cans that Mu Xue couldn't finish, you'd say that I snatched Mu Xue's food. Ask yourself honestly, did I really snatch it?"

When the villagers heard this, they felt extremely uncomfortable. In the past, they'd only known that Li Zhaodi and Mu Jingzhe were awful people, while Mu Xue was snow-white and cute. But if this snow-white cuteness had been built on bias, everything now seemed ugly and strange.

Old Lady Mu's face alternated between shades of green and white. She ignored Mu Jingzhe's words and said, "Don't make yourself sound so innocent. Did you really not snatch it? Have you forgotten how many clothes and shoes you stole from Xiao Xue?!"

"I haven't forgotten. We have to take things slowly. Now that we're done talking about food, let's talk about clothes. I did snatch Mu Xue's clothes and shoes, but why did I do it? Don't you know?"

Mu Jingzhe snickered. "Because I've never worn a new set of clothes since I was young! Even my diapers were only Mu Xue's hand-me-downs. You said a little girl has no need to wear new ones and Mu Xue's old ones were good enough for me. That's why you never bought me new ones.

"Yes, most of the people in the village are like this. After the older kids finish wearing a piece of clothing, it gets passed down to the younger kids. But I've never seen anyone like you. You didn't let me buy new ones, and you couldn't even bear to give me old ones. You cursed every day as if you were distributing alms. Mu Xue couldn't even wear them anymore, but you simply refused to give them to me. Why was it such a heinous crime for me to snatch them?

"During the Chinese New Year, all the children in the village, old and young, would wear new clothes. Not me. My mother tried her best to save money to buy me a new set and was scolded so badly by you that she couldn't even lift her head. You even snatched that new dress for Mu Xue. My mother and I were so angry that we took two pieces of Mu Xue's old clothes, and you called it stealing.

"I was not allowed to buy new clothes, and when a new dress was bought for me, I was not allowed to wear it. You refused to let me have her old clothes as well. Did you expect me to be naked?

"After all is said and done, what you said about me snatching Mu Xue's things was actually me snatching back the portion that should have belonged to me but had instead been given to Mu Xue."

Mu Jingzhe got increasingly out of control. "I just don't understand. We're both granddaughters of the Mu Family, so why was I born to be a cheap wretch while she was born to live like a rich and pampered young miss? Why?"

As she asked this, Mu Jingzhe cried uncontrollably and a strange emotion welled up in her heart. She felt wronged and relieved. This was the part that she felt the most indignant and baffled about. She desperately needed an answer.

For the first time, Mu Jingzhe realized that perhaps the original owner of the body had not left completely. She had been waiting for an answer because she couldn't figure it out.

This was the first time Mu Jingzhe empathized with the original owner of the body. This was the first time she experienced her grievances and resentment.

The original owner of the body had only imitated Mu Xue so crazily in the past to try to gain some love. Even if it was just a little, it would be good if Old Lady Mu and the villagers treated her 1/10 as well as they treated Mu Xue.

However, in the end, she'd only been treated with mockery and, even worse, disgust.

---

Hence, the original Mu Jingzhe had imitated Mu Xue even more crazily. Whatever Mu Xue had, she'd wanted to snatch away. Even her men. However, any revenge aside, she was also forced to do so.

The same applied to Li Zhaodi. Had she been born a nuisance? No, Mu Jingzhe had heard from the villagers and Mu Teng that Li Zhaodi hadn't been like this before.

She had become this way only after marrying into the family and having a child. For the sake of her child, she'd become more and more of a nuisance, all thanks to Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue.

Li Zhaodi had been a nag for more than ten years. Why were Mu Xue and Jingzhe so different when they were both granddaughters of the Mu Family? After listening to her rants for more than ten years, this had become the original owner's deep-rooted obsession. There were countless times when she had wanted to ask Old Lady Mu why.

Old Lady Mu looked at Mu Jingzhe's tears in a daze. It was as though she had returned to the time Mu Jingzhe was a child, when Mu Jingzhe had wanted to please her but used to be shoved away by her impatiently.

Later on, Mu Jingzhe had changed and become someone that even Old Lady Mu didn't recognize. But now, she seemed to have found a sense of familiarity in her.

Old Lady Mu didn't say anything. Tang Moling looked at the tears on Mu Jingzhe's face and his heart trembled.

He'd previously realized that Old Lady Mu was biased, but he hadn't expected Mu Jingzhe to live such a bitter life. Perhaps this was why she treated the five kids so well.

Sensing Mu Jingzhe's confusion and despair, he also wanted to ask questions on her behalf. It wasn't just him; the villagers wanted to do the same.

"That's right, they are both your biological granddaughters. Why is there such a huge difference?"

"That's right. Mu Xue isn't a grandson either. I would understand if she was a grandson, but they are both granddaughters. Why would you do that?"

Old Lady Mu hadn't expected Mu Jingzhe to ask such a question, nor had she expected her to remember such things. She felt that it was only natural, but when she saw the disapproving gazes of the villagers, she was stunned.

Her entire face was flushed, and she couldn't speak for a moment. She glared at Mu Jingzhe with resentment.

Mu Jingzhe looked at her resentment and sneered. "Can't answer?"

After saying that, Mu Jingzhe suddenly looked at the crowd. "Mu Xue, since she can't answer, why don't you try answering on her behalf?"

The original Mu Jingzhe not only wanted to ask Old Lady Mu but also Mu Xue.

Mu Xue was right outside the door. She'd approached from behind and seen Old Lady Mu hit Mu Jingzhe the moment she'd arrived. At that moment, Mu Xue had to admit that she'd felt pretty damn good in her heart. However, after being called out by Mu Jingzhe, she only felt embarrassed.

Of course, she was even more unable to answer. Because her grandmother had been good to her since she was young, she'd also felt that she was different. As time had passed, she had long gotten used to it. She had never felt that there was anything bad about it, nor had she ever questioned why, so she naturally thought that this was the way things were supposed to be.

Now that Mu Jingzhe had asked her this question so suddenly, she was stumped. After Mu Jingzhe had said so much, it wouldn't sound right no matter how she answered.

Mu Xue froze on the spot. For the first time in her life, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Old Lady Mu doted on Mu Xue a lot and naturally couldn't bear to see Mu Xue be put on the spot. "Why are you targeting Xiao Xue? Hasn't she given in enough to you since you were young?"

Mu Jingzhe scoffed. "Given in? How did she give in to me? She took advantage of everything. After you got tired of hitting my mother, she'd come in and say a word or two—'Grandma, don't be angry anymore…' or 'Don't be so calculative with her…' Is that giving in?"

There were some things that were better left unsaid, but once they were spoken, the naked truth was unbearably ugly. In the past, when she'd read novels about a fan favorite lead, she'd only felt great. However, when this happened in reality, it was really bloody.

Mu Jingzhe laughed coldly. The way the villagers looked at the Mu Family had completely changed. Mu Jingzhe's words had enlightened everyone. That's right. Previously, because of Old Lady Mu's attitude and Mu Xue's sensibility, they had always praised Mu Xue and looked down on Mu Jingzhe.

In reality, Mu Xue seemed to have been bullied and had her things snatched from her every day. Mu Xue had never suffered a loss since she was young and had all along been leading a good life. On the other hand, the evil ones, Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi, who had been despised by everyone, had seen their days getting worse and worse in spite of snatching what they had.

The villagers' strange gazes landed on Mu Xue, making her feel ashamed.

What was this? Weren't they here to accuse Mu Jingzhe of snatching Tang Moling? Why would she suddenly talk about their grandmother being biased?

Mu Xue couldn't stand such gazes and was on the verge of collapsing. Old Lady Mu's heart ached as she looked at her. "Xiao Xue, don't be anxious!"

She looked at Mu Jingzhe and said, "Why do you keep picking on Xiao Xue? I'm the one who's good to her. If you have a bone to pick with anyone, come at me. What makes you think you're fit to compete with Xiao Xue?! How dare you!"

"Why wouldn't I dare? How am I inferior to her? Tell me!" Mu Jingzhe immediately said.

Old Lady Mu answered reflexively, "Xiao Xue was born with good fortune and is destined for a life filled with riches. You can't compare!"

"Born with good fortune? Destined for a life filled with riches? Ha ha! That's all?" Mu Jingzhe spread her hands. "Wasn't her good fortune forcibly obtained by sucking on the blood of everyone else in the family?

"But look at her now. Is she really fortunate?" Mu Jingzhe scoffed.

Old Lady Mu couldn't take it anymore. "She was born with good fortune. This is all because of you. You stole Tang Moling from her. If you hadn't, she would have married into a rich family. She would have been living a good life. You ruined everything!"

The more Old Lady Mu spoke, the angrier she got. "You're the one who caused this. You still have the cheek to say all this after you stole one man after another from her…"

"I said I didn't!" Mu Jingzhe gritted her teeth and interrupted Old Lady Mu. "You have to be reasonable. Didn't she reject Shao Qihai? I only took over because she didn't want him anymore. It's just like I only dared pick up clothes that she discarded because she no longer liked them. If she didn't want him anymore, wouldn't it have been my turn?

"At the time, Shao Qihai's heart was filled with her, and she had the support of a good grandma like you. How could I have snatched him? If she'd still wanted him, would I have survived to this day after snatching him? I would have been beaten to death by you long ago."

Old Lady Mu's breath was caught in her throat. Mu Jingzhe was right again. That was right. Although she kept saying that Mu Jingzhe was shameless and had snatched Mu Xue's man, she would have beaten her to death if it wasn't for the fact that Mu Xue had no longer wanted him.

"Can't say anything? Nothing you can refute? Alright, then we'll talk about Tang Moling now."

Mu Jingzhe pointed at Tang Moling. "You keep saying that I seduced Tang Moling. Which eye of yours saw me seducing him? I can tell you directly that even if all the men in this world died, I wouldn't fall for him. Are you satisfied?"

Old Lady Mu's face turned pale. "Who knows if you're just saying one thing before everyone and doing another thing behind our backs? Who doesn't know how to swear like this?"

"Heh…" Mu Jingzhe let out a snort. "Then what do you want? You don't have any evidence and you refuse to believe what I say. Do you think I have to learn from ancient people and commit suicide just to prove my innocence?"

Old Lady Mu thought that it was only right, but before she could say anything, the villagers couldn't help but speak up.

"What the heck? Which era are we living in? Jingzhe, you've been saying there's nothing between the two of you all along. Everyone remembers it."

"We believe you."

"Yeah, he's the one who came over. We saw everything clearly," Li Fang chimed in.

---

When Mu Jingzhe heard everyone speaking up for her, her heart warmed. She was glad that there were many people who understood the situation. She looked at Old Lady Mu and said, "Did you hear that? You can't spout nonsense without any evidence. Everyone here is an understanding person and can see clearly."

"Who's an understanding person? They're just sailing with the wind. They're only speaking up for you because they feel that you can earn money now. Do you think that whatever you say must be the truth? I insist that you did do it!" Old Lady Mu was unwilling to accept this outcome and started pestering her endlessly.

Mu Jingzhe scoffed. "If you want to play this trick, fine. I'll play along. You said that I seduced Tang Moling, but I've actually seen you seduce Old Man Wang and Old Man Li next door. One isn't enough. You even seduced two of them. You're gaining vigor with age, huh. Can I ask you what you think? Which one of them do you like more? Or do you like both of them equally?"

Who didn't know how to spread rumors? Anyone with a mouth could do it.

When Mu Jingzhe said that, everyone's eyes lit up, while Old Lady Mu was stunned. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What Old Man Wang and Old Man Li? What's that gibberish about me liking both of them? What kind of rubbish is that? I didn't seduce them."

The villagers laughed when they heard that. Their eyes lit up as they asked, "Old Lady Mu, tell us quickly, do you prefer Old Man Wang or Old Man Li?"

Old Lady Mu hadn't expected her reputation to be tarnished at such an old age. She nearly choked as she pointed at Mu Jingzhe. "You! Mu Jingzhe, you… I'll tear your mouth off!"

"I'm the one who should be tearing your mouth off. Old Lady Mu, you're really shameless. You're already so old, and your face is wrinkled like an orange peel. How dare you seduce my old man!"

A loud shout came from the crowd. It turned out to be Old Man Wang's wife. Old Man Wang and Old Man Li's wives were there.

Old Lady Mu's face turned purple. "I didn't do it!"

However, no one listened. They even advised Old Lady Mu. "Old Lady Mu, Old Man Wang and Old Man Li both have wives. Don't get involved with them. If you really feel lonely, you can look for Old Man Fang. Old Man Fang is better. He's single."

"Yeah, Old Man Fang's health is quite good too."

Old Lady Mu's face turned green when she heard their words. "Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense!"

She wanted to get up and rip their mouths, but Mu Jingzhe stopped her. "Are you angry?"

Old Lady Mu flew into a rage and turned around to scratch Mu Jingzhe. "I'll rip your mouth off!"

"Are you sure?" Mu Jingzhe easily grabbed her hand. "You want to rip my mouth off with those old bones of yours? On the other hand, I can do that. I should've ripped that mouth of yours off long ago."

Mu Jingzhe stared intently at Old Lady Mu's mouth as though she was about to rip it off. Old Lady Mu felt a chill run down her spine, as well as a lingering fear.

"Mu Jingzhe, you… Quickly, tell them to stop talking!"

"Are you scared now? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Mu Jingzhe scoffed. "This is how it feels when you keep spouting nonsense and slandering me. If you don't want to have anything to do with Old Man Zhao, etc, keep your mouth shut in the future.

"Otherwise, every time you make up a story about me and a man, I'll make up a story about you and an old uncle. In any case, there are plenty of Old Man Wangs in the village."

"You… Mu Jingzhe, you…" Old Lady Mu was so furious that she couldn't speak. At that moment, Mu Xue couldn't help but step forward. "Mu Jingzhe, that's enough. Grandma is old and can't handle this kind of provocation."

"And I deserve it because I'm young?" Mu Jingzhe's lips twitched. "I've made things clear today. In the future, stop making up stories about me seducing someone and all that."

Everyone quietened down, and Mu Jingzhe couldn't be bothered to continue speaking. She pointed at Tang Moling and told Mu Xue, "Since you said that Grandma can't handle this kind of provocation at her age, you can settle this yourself.

"Tang Moling is the one who let you down. He is here right now. You should ask him yourself why he doesn't want you since you were born with good fortune and riches."

Tang Moling was originally filled with guilt and helplessness, but when he'd heard Mu Jingzhe say that she wouldn't want him even if he was the only man left on earth, he had choked. However, he still said, "Yes, Mu Xue, I've let you down. If there's anything you want, come at me. Don't implicate innocent people."

"Heard that? This is your own family matter. Don't drag me into it." Mu Jingzhe nodded. When she saw Mu Xue looking at Old Lady Mu, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Mu Xue, you're not mute. Don't ask your grandma to help you with everything. Come out and say something yourself. You two can make things clear now."

Seeing that Mu Jingzhe was forcing Mu Xue again, Old Lady Mu was infuriated. "I'm not dead yet. Mu Xue is a young lady. How is she going to talk about this herself? Let me do it!"

Mu Xue, who was stiff but had nowhere to hide, braced herself and said, "Grandma, don't say anything else. They're together. You can't beat them. It's meaningless. Let's go."

At this point, she understood that Tang Moling would not change his mind and nothing would change. Harping on this here would only humiliate her further.

Of course, Mu Xue still believed that Mu Jingzhe would be the most humiliated.

No matter how pitiful and reasonable Mu Jingzhe made herself out to be, the fact that she had snatched Tang Moling hadn't changed. She should be the one being criticized!

Although these women seemed to be on Mu Jingzhe's side, based on her understanding of them, they would definitely gossip behind her back.

Mu Xue had an aggrieved look on her face, while Mu Jingzhe's forehead was full of black lines[1]. These words reeked too much of a green tea smell[2]. "No, Mu Xue, don't you understand the human language? I'm asking you two to make things clear. You're not making sense. Which two people are together?"

Tang Moling also felt that Mu Xue was being a little weird. He couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you say that it was meaningless just now? Why are you only saying it's meaningless after so much has been said?"

Tang Moling felt a little dizzy after he finished speaking and decided to skip the topic. "Since you want to say something meaningful, then I'll answer your question and tell you why I broke off my engagement to someone like you, who was born with good fortune and riches. The reason is simple. I think it's probably because I'm not that rich anymore and I no longer deserve you."

He had already told Mu Xue that he no longer liked her, but he couldn't say that in front of so many people. Besides, he didn't dare drag Mu Jingzhe into this mess. He didn't dare say that he'd had a change of heart and fallen in love with Mu Jingzhe, so Tang Moling changed his words.

After Tang Moling finished speaking, he felt that there really was some meaning to all this. When he had still been the heir, everything had been fine. However, now that his uncle had woken up from his coma, everything had changed.

Perhaps he really wasn't good enough for Mu Xue, who had been born to be rich.

Tang Moling was shocked by his own conclusion.

As for Old Lady Mu, her ears pricked up at the words 'not that rich anymore'. "What do you mean you're not that rich anymore? Did something happen to your family?"

"Nothing happened to my family, but now that my uncle woke up from his coma, I'm no longer the heir." Tang Moling shrugged. "I told you before that I've been staying at my maternal grandfather's house, so these are actually my maternal grandfather's assets.

"I only became the heir because my uncle got into a coma previously. Now that he is awake, I won't be needed anymore."

His maternal grandfather and uncle would not treat him badly. He could rely on his own abilities to carve out a career for himself, but he would definitely be inferior to the heir of the Ji Family.

This was the first time Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue had heard of this. They were both shocked. Tang Moling was no longer the heir?

[1] She was speechless and exasperated

[2] implying that Mu Xue is a green tea b*tch, i.e. pure and innocent on the outside but b*tchy on the inside

---

No one knew what Mu Xue was thinking, but Old Lady Mu was very realistic. She quickly realized that Tang Moling would not be so rich in the future. When one thought about it, it made sense. If it were her, she wouldn't be willing to hand over such a huge inheritance to her maternal grandson either.

They were all grandsons, but the addition of the word 'maternal' made him an outsider.

If he was no longer the heir of a wealthy family, then he might not be a good match for Xiao Xue.

Everyone in the village knew how capable Tang Moling was. After all, Old Lady Mu had bragged a lot about him. However, they hadn't expected him to lose the position of the heir just like that.

Everyone was discussing amongst themselves. Old Lady Mu looked at the calm Tang Moling and suddenly felt that his aura seemed to have weakened.

In that case, there was no need for her to continue pestering him.

Old Lady Mu grabbed Mu Xue's hand. "Let's go, Xiao Xue."

Tang Moling, who had lost his status as the heir, was immediately abandoned by Old Lady Mu. She quickly determined that Xiao Xue would definitely find someone better.

Old Lady Mu's heart skipped a beat. She wondered how old Tang Moling's uncle was. If he was younger, perhaps even though things hadn't worked out with Tang Moling, they could work out with his uncle?

Old Lady Mu pondered it for a moment before asking Mu Xue, "Xiao Xue, did Tang Moling ever mention his uncle?"

"I've heard him mention him before, but he didn't say much. I don't know much about him." Mu Xue was a little distracted.

"If only we could meet him." Old Lady Mu was a little anxious. She wanted to ask around but she held herself back.

Even if she didn't look for him, Xiao Xue was capable enough to meet someone herself. She might be able to meet someone soon or save someone, just like she had saved Tang Moling. Besides, she would definitely meet someone even wealthier! Old Lady Mu decided to wait for now.

Mu Jingzhe didn't know what Old Lady Mu and Mu Xue were thinking, but she could tell that after Tang Moling had said that he had lost his heir position, their attitudes seemed to have changed.

However, she didn't care about that. After they left, she took a deep breath and got back to work. She didn't care about the people outside, nor did she pay attention to Tang Moling.

Tang Moling hadn't expected his appearance to cause Mu Jingzhe so much trouble. He was filled with regret as he hurriedly chased after her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know this would happen…"

"I told you so. You didn't give up. Now, it's been confirmed. Is that enough?"

Mu Jingzhe turned around. "I won't say anything else. Just remember that if you come looking for me again in the future, I won't be polite. I'll beat you up every time you come."

"I…" Tang Moling was about to speak when Shao Dong interrupted him. "Uncle Tang, please leave my house immediately."

Shao Dong was followed by Shao Xi and the others, who were huffing and puffing with anger. Even Xiao Wu, who had followed his older brothers to sit in on a first-grade class, ran back with them.

"Shao Dong, I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know things would turn out like this…"

Shao Dong brought along his siblings and aggressively walked up to Tang Moling, interrupting him. "Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Uncle Tang, you've already caused my mother a lot of trouble. Now that you know this, you should leave quickly."

Tang Moling was forced to leave the Shao Residence. When he returned to the car, he was extremely vexed.

Although he was reluctant, Tang Moling had no choice but to leave. On the way back, he bumped into Shao Qiyang, who had just gotten off work. Shao Qiyang was still unaware of what had happened in the village. When he saw Tang Moling's car, he gave way and didn't pay attention to it.

When he returned and heard the gossip circulating in the village, Shao Qiyang was filled with regret. He should have stopped Tang Moling and beaten him up!

Shao Qiyang didn't understand why Tang Moling and Mu Xue had suddenly broken off the engagement. He hadn't expected that he would switch and target Mu Jingzhe instead. He was furious.

After feeling angry, he became even more anxious. Ji Buwang was enough to make him wary. In the end, one man wasn't enough. Tang Moling had also jumped out of nowhere. Shao Qiyang didn't know why Tang Moling wanted to force his way in even though he was obviously Mu Xue's man.

When he found out that Old Lady Mu had scolded her so badly, he was so angry that he couldn't fall asleep.

After tossing and turning until midnight, Shao Qiyang couldn't help but get up. He was prepared to do something to teach foul-mouthed Old Lady Mu a lesson.

In the end, he sneaked out of the door, only to bump into Shao Xi and Shao Nan.

"Where are you kids going?"

"To the bathroom. What about you, Uncle?"

"Me too. Number 2. You kids should go back and rest first."

"Okay."

Half an hour later, the three of them bumped into each other outside the Mu Residence again. They looked at each other, and the air was silent momentarily. Finally, Shao Qiyang held back his discomfort and said, "Tell me, what are you guys up to?"

This time… it wasn't easy to lie. Shao Xi looked at Shao Nan. "We're not up to much. We just wanted to free some things that lost their freedom before."

"Yes," Shao Nan said with emphasis. "We won't hurt anyone. It's just a small kind of revenge." He was paying attention to these things now. Originally, he had thought of even better ideas and shared them with Shao Xi, but he didn't plan to take any action.

In the end, Shao Qiyang worked with Shao Xi and Shao Nan to release the wild hare and pheasant that Old Lady Mu had praised so highly.

The pheasant had been caught by Old Lady Mu when she'd gone up the mountain and set a trap. She planned to sell it if she could or eat it herself. The wild hare had also been caught previously. The pheasant and wild hare were both very precious to her.

However, Shao Qiyang and Shao Xi secretly let them go that night. Shao Nan took care of the Mu Family's dog and prevented it from barking.

Shao Qiyang, Shao Xi, and Shao Nan, whose evil mission had been accomplished, went back quietly. They only whispered a few words when they got home.

"Don't be mischievous again, okay?"

"Uncle, you're also mischievous even though you're so much older than us."

Shao Qiyang: "Stop fooling around and go back to sleep."

Shao Xi and Shao Nan returned to their room and lay down softly. Just as they heaved a sigh of relief, they heard Shao Dong's voice. "Did you vent your anger?"

Shao Xi and Shao Nan jumped in fright and sat up abruptly. "Big Brother!"

"Be quiet. Xiao Wu is still asleep." Shao Dong's voice was extremely calm.

"Brother, you knew that we went out?" Shao Xi asked in embarrassment. They had thought that they had been careful enough.

"I noticed that something was amiss last night before we went to bed," Shao Dong said calmly. He had seen them exchange knowing looks last night.

Besides, not only did he know that they had gone out, but he had also followed them out. Initially, he'd wanted to keep an eye out for the two of them, but he hadn't expected Young Uncle to go as well.

After Shao Dong finished speaking, Shao Xi and Shao Nan felt embarrassed and a little helpless. Why couldn't they escape Big Brother's eyes no matter what?

Big Brother was really amazing.

When dawn broke, Shao Xi and Shao Nan finally realized that Shao Dong was more amazing than they had imagined.

Old Lady Mu woke up early in the morning, only to see that the pheasant and wild hare were gone. She was so furious that she nearly went crazy. Afraid that she had lost other things too, she quickly went to check.

The pig at home was fine. However, when Old Lady Mu took a look at it, she was frightened out of her wits. The pig was still there, but it had changed beyond recognition. Its mouth had been painted blood red, as though it had been ripped open and sewn back together.

Old Lady Mu couldn't help but recall how she had scolded Mu Jingzhe yesterday. This was a blatant warning. This was a warning for her to shut up, or she would end up like this.

Old Lady Mu was so angry that she couldn't catch her breath. "Mu Jingzhe. It must be Mu Jingzhe. The wild hare, the pheasant, and the pig. How could she do this? I…"

Old Lady Mu was about to curse Mu Jingzhe out of habit, but when she saw the pig, she suddenly stopped and changed her words. "What kind of sin have I committed?"

---

Old Lady Mu treasured this big white pig very much. Most of the pigs reared in the village were black pigs. She was the only one who had a white pig. This kind of white pig was imported from overseas, and white piglets were more expensive than black piglets. However, it ate a lot, grew very quickly, and was a favorite of Old Lady Mu. She served it meticulously.

Initially, she had planned to slaughter it when Mu Xue got married. But now, Mu Xue was no longer getting married, and the big white pig was also ruined.

News of the commotion at Old Lady Mu's house quickly spread throughout the village. When Shao Xi and Shao Nan heard it, they quickly went to look for Shao Dong's paintbrush. Sure enough, they saw that the red one was missing.

"Big Brother, why didn't you ask us to come along? What if you'd gotten bitten by the pig?"

Shao Dong pretended to be puzzled. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by that? I don't get what you're saying."

Shao Xi: "Pretend, Big Brother. Go on pretending. Yesterday, I was wondering why you didn't say anything. I knew you were the worst." Shao Dong had simply let them be last night.

Yes, Shao Dong was the one who had messed with the big white pig. That was a real warning.

Since Li Zhaodi, Mu Teng, and Mu Han treated Mu Jingzhe well, they would treat them well and acknowledge them as their grandparents and uncle. However, since Old Lady Mu wouldn't acknowledge them and treated Mommy badly, their attitude would be different.

Mommy was worried that she was an old lady and couldn't do anything to her, so he would teach her a lesson personally.

In any case, it didn't matter if he was discovered. He was a child after all. Children and the elderly were equal. No one would say anything.

While Shao Dong had attacked the big white pig, Shao Xi had sneakily done something else. He'd secretly stolen the undershirt drying in Old Man Wang's yard next door and hidden it under Old Lady Mu's pillow.

This idea was originally Shao Nan's, who was full of bad ideas. However, Shao Nan had no intention of putting it into action because of what Mu Jingzhe had taught him previously. He'd only secretly shared it with Shao Xi.

Unexpectedly, Shao Xi was unwilling to simply let the idea remain an idea and had decided to put it into action.

Old Lady Mu hadn't noticed it at that moment and was still angry about the big white pig. Then, she heard a commotion next door. Someone had stolen an old man's undershirt in the village. It was baffling why the thief had chosen to steal this old undershirt, which even had a hole in the back.

Soon, Madam Mu, who was diligently cleaning up and washing Old Lady Mu's clothes, accidentally pulled out the undershirt under her pillow. Seeing the hole in the back of the undershirt, Madam Mu let out a cry of surprise and tossed it aside.

Coincidentally, Old Man Wang's wife had come to the Mu Residence to look for that undershirt, wanting to see if the wind had blown it there. When she heard the cry of surprise and saw the undershirt, she instantly exploded.

As soon as the truth was revealed, Old Lady Mu was beaten up by Old Man Wang's wife for half an hour. Her scalp was nearly peeled off.

This news quickly spread throughout the entire village. No one had expected that Mu Jingzhe would actually be speaking the truth.

Previously, they had dismissed this as a joke and hadn't taken it seriously. They hadn't expected Old Lady Mu to be so aggressive as to steal Old Man Wang's undershirt.

Everyone in the village was shocked. Eldest Brother Mu and Third Brother Mu were also astounded. The whole family, including Mu Xue, was left speechless by the revelation. They couldn't look Old Lady Mu in the eye.

Third Brother Mu even said that Old Lady Mu had disgraced the Mu Family. Old Lady Mu hadn't expected to encounter such a situation and was so angry that she lost two of her teeth. Later on, she even threatened to hang herself and commit suicide to prove her innocence. Only then did the Mu Family believe her.

However, many people in the village still gossiped about her. Old Lady Mu claimed that Mu Jingzhe had framed her, but no one believed her.

When Mu Jingzhe heard what had happened to Old Lady Mu, she thought to herself, Serves her right. Someone like her doesn't deserve to eat pheasants and wild hares. This is terrific.

While craving a spicy rabbit head, she said hypocritically, "Rabbits are so cute. How can you eat cute little rabbits?"

After hearing her own words, Mu Jingzhe was disgusted by herself and shut her mouth.

Mu Jingzhe was shocked by the fact that Old Lady Mu's undershirt had been hidden under Old Lady Mu's pillow. She hadn't expected her casual remark to be true.

Upon hearing the gossip of the villagers, Mu Jingzhe only shook her head and didn't rub it in.

On the other hand, Shao Dong found Shao Nan, patted his shoulder, and said without rhyme or reason, "In the future, talk with me before you do such things."

"It wasn't me, Big Brother. It really wasn't me this time!"

However, Shao Dong firmly believed it was Shao Nan, as this idea reeked strongly of Shao Nan's style. In the end, Shao Nan and Shao Xi seemed to fight and even have a small conflict.

Mu Jingzhe asked them what they were fighting over, but they refused to tell her. Mu Jingzhe could only say that they weren't allowed to fight. Both of them agreed, and later, they somehow reconciled.

On the weekend, the five kids went to art school for lessons. When Xiao Wu saw Ji Buwang, he told him about Tang Moling visiting their home and Mommy being scolded.

"Teacher Ji, aren't you his uncle? Can you control Uncle Tang?"

Ji Buwang looked at Xiao Wu's blinking eyes and ground his teeth as he smiled. "Of course. Xiao Wu, I will teach him a lesson and spank his butt."

No wonder Tang Moling had avoided him when they'd met yesterday. He must have gotten into trouble again.

Ji Buwang continued teaching Xiao Wu. After class, he smiled and said goodbye to Xiao Wu, but when he turned around, his expression changed.

When they got home, the first thing Ji Buwang told Uncle Li was, "Find Tang Moling."

Uncle Li saw that there was something wrong with Ji Buwang's expression and didn't dare say too much. "Yes."

While Ji Buwang was waiting for Tang Moling, he found a suitable tool and waited for Tang Moling to come. The first thing Tang Moling saw as he cautiously entered was Ji Buwang holding a feather duster.

Tang Moling panicked even more. "Uncle… Uncle, why have you been looking for me?"

"Judging from your expression, you know you did something wrong."

Tang Moling swallowed his saliva and forced himself not to admit it. "I don't know what you're talking about, Uncle…"

"You're still pretending even now. Tang Moling, when you wanted to be in a relationship, when you wanted to get engaged, Grandfather and I never said anything. But look at what you're doing. Is marriage a joke to you? You're getting engaged today, and you're canceling the engagement tomorrow. You like this today, and you like that tomorrow.

"After provoking the older cousin, why did you go on to provoke the younger cousin? You implicated Jingzhe and caused her to be scolded! Didn't Jingzhe reject you? Do you know how scary gossip can be? Because of Jingzhe's words, I haven't gone to the village to look for her until now, fearing that people will gossip about her because of me. But look at what you've done!

"The entire village knew about your relationship with Mu Xue. After getting engaged, you broke off the engagement and even dared to look for Jingzhe at her home. Do you have a grudge against her?"

Tang Moling had been feeling guilty for the past two days and hadn't slept well at night. "I know I was wrong, Uncle. I didn't expect them to go so overboard. Besides, I told Old Lady Mu that I'm no longer rich and I'm not worthy of her granddaughter, who was born to be rich. She probably won't cause any more trouble."

Ji Buwang choked when he heard the part about someone being 'born to be rich'. He had no idea Old Lady Mu was now eyeing him and considering him for the position of her grandson-in-law. He asked, "Have you really realized your mistake?"

"I really have. Uncle, don't scold me anymore. I won't go to Great Eastern Village to look for her in the future, okay?"

"Only Great Eastern Village? Are the people in Great Eastern Village rooted in Great Eastern Village? Don't they go out?"

---

Tang Moling was frustrated by Ji Buwang's question. "Then what should I do? Uncle, I…"

"Seems like you still haven't understood your mistake. Get down." Ji Buwang coldly interrupted Tang Moling's defense.

Tang Moling was so frightened that he almost jumped up. "No way, Uncle. I'm already so old, yet you still want to spank me? How am I going to face anyone in the future?"

He was only a few years older than him, but he had been threatening to spank him since they were young. What right did he have?

Tang Moling guarded his butt and glared at Ji Buwang, who sneered.

"You know that you're old, but look at what you've done. Which of the things you have done seems like it was done by an adult? You knew very well that this would affect Jingzhe, but did you ever think about it from her perspective? No, you only care about your own feelings!"

Ji Buwang had a disappointed look on his face. "Tang Moling, you're too selfish."

He was so selfish that even Shao Qiyang was better than him. At least, Shao Qiyang was aware of the pros and cons. No matter what, he had been acting with Jingzhe's best interests in mind.

Tang Moling couldn't help but take a step back when he heard Ji Buwang's words. His uncle was right, but all he wanted was to express his love for her bravely. "In the past, you taught me not to care too much about other people's gossip…"

"But I didn't teach you to ignore the trouble and gossip you caused others!" Ji Buwang snorted. "Listen to me. If you dare look for Jingzhe again, I'll break your legs!"

"What right do you have to do that?"

"I'm your uncle, and Mu Jingzhe is your future aunt! Do you think I don't know that you've been asking around?"

Tang Moling couldn't take this lying down. "You say that she's my future aunt. It's not like she's already my aunt. What right do you have to break my legs? If she becomes my aunt, then forget it. You can break my legs. But she's not!"

Tang Moling stepped back warily. "I won't give up. Even though you're my uncle, I'll still compete fairly."

"Say that again?" Ji Buwang looked at Tang Moling dangerously, the feather duster in his hand eager for action.

"This won't change no matter how many times you speak. I won't give up even if you spank me," Tang Moling declared stubbornly.

"So you want people to constantly criticize and point at Jingzhe? After the villagers point at her, she will be known among the Ji Family and friends as the woman an uncle and nephew are fighting over. You want Jingzhe to be accused of seducing men again?"

Tang Moling paused.

After the previous incident and the conversation with Ji Buwang, Tang Moling stopped trying to look for Mu Jingzhe.

Meanwhile, Ji Buwang also got busy. The news of his return had spread, and it was unavoidable that many social events and things would need attention.

Old Master Ji hadn't urged Ji Buwang previously, but this time, he said that he had rested enough and should get back to his serious work.

However, both grandfather and grandson had the same attitude toward Tang Moling. Not only did they not take back what they had handed over to Tang Moling, but Ji Buwang even increased his workload.

Ji Buwang felt that Tang Moling's mind was filled with love and affection because he had too much free time. It'd be good to keep him busy.

The Ji Family had a large family business. Regardless of whether he was the heir or not, they wouldn't treat Tang Moling unfairly. Tang Moling could continue working in the family business.

Tang Moling hadn't expected that there would be even more things for him to deal with after Ji Buwang woke up. He was so busy that he really didn't have time to bother Mu Jingzhe anymore.

While Tang Moling was busy, Ji Buwang was free, so he continued going to the art school to teach. When he was free, he would read books on how to interact with children and study.

Uncle Li: "…"

He had thought that since his nephew was involved, he might give up. Now, it was apparent that his young master was bent on becoming a stepfather.

Uncle Li hesitated for a while, but in the end, he still reported the situation to the Old Master.

Actually, Old Master Ji wasn't completely clueless. This was also the reason he had allowed Ji Buwang to rest elsewhere. In the past, Ji Buwang hadn't even wanted to get married. Now that the iron tree had finally bloomed, he naturally hoped for it to blossom and bear fruit.

Old Master Ji didn't investigate further, just like he had stayed out of it when Tang Moling had insisted on getting engaged to a girl from the village.

This was a lesson he'd learned from Tang Moling's mother. She was his first granddaughter, the apple of his eye, and he had always wanted to give her the best.

Therefore, when he'd learned that his granddaughter had fallen in love with such a poor guy, he had objected. It wasn't that he despised the guy for being poor, but he could tell that he wasn't a good match for her. However, he hadn't expected that his granddaughter would elope with him.

This granddaughter of his had completely broken Old Master Ji's heart. Later on, she'd even lost her life, and he hadn't even gotten to see her for the last time. She had only left behind this maternal great-grandson for Old Master Ji.

From then on, Old Master Ji had decided not to interfere with the marriages of the younger generation. Whether they were happy or not was up to them. Anyway, the youngsters would probably eventually end the relationship themselves without needing him to object.

That was exactly what had happened with Tang Moling in the end. Old Master Ji just hadn't expected that he would fall for another girl. Coincidentally, it was the girl that Buwang also liked.

Old Master Ji didn't think that Mu Jingzhe had seduced them or anything, but he was really curious about her.

However, after listening to Uncle Li's detailed report, not only was Old Master Ji curious about Mu Jingzhe, but he was also interested in the children. The children seemed to be pretty good kids. More importantly, Mu Jingzhe, who wasn't related to them by blood, was very concerned about them. From the looks of it, she had made up her mind to take care of them.

To think that kid Buwang actually cared about them too.

Hence, Old Master Ji was suddenly curious about the children and wanted to meet them.

Old Master Ji was quite calm when he received the news, but the others were a little worked up.

When the news of Ji Buwang waking up spread, many people started paying attention to him. Ji Buwang didn't make any effort to conceal the matter, and soon, people found out that he seemed to be interested in a girl. No, it would be more accurate to say that he was interested in a young widow.

Word of the fact that Tang Moling was also fond of Mu Jingzhe had yet to spread. Everyone's attention was still on the fact that Tang Moling had taken a fancy to a village girl. Now that he had lost his position as the heir, the amount of attention he received had dropped significantly.

Their attention turned to Ji Buwang, who had miraculously woken up after four years of being in a coma. After a lot of waiting, instead of hearing news of him fighting for the position of the heir, they ended up hearing that he had taken a fancy to a young widow with five children.

Everyone was shocked. Although they later found out that the five children weren't related to the widow by blood, it was undeniable that the woman was a young widow.

Who was Ji Buwang? He was an arrogant man who even looked down on many noble ladies, yet his taste had turned out to be very unique. Everyone wanted to know how beautiful and outstanding Mu Jingzhe was.

Mu Jingzhe didn't know that she had already become famous in this circle. Her name had even spread to Ocean City and the capital, making her a legendary existence.

Without Tang Moling to disturb her, Mu Jingzhe felt much better and could focus on the matters at hand.

Over at the paper manufacturing factory, after some adjustments, they were already on the right track. They began to produce large quantities of toilet paper and sanitary pads.

Mu Jingzhe was busy running the business. She wasn't in a hurry to produce tissue paper. The toilet paper she produced was mainly the rolled kind and large-sheet kind. These days, many people were used to using large sheets.

---

Now that Mu Jingzhe had quite a few contacts, she took fewer detours. She started selling toilet paper to the entire province and even outside of the province.

Sanitary pads were actually harder to sell. Many people weren't in the habit of using them, especially in the countryside. For the time being, she could only start selling in the city.

In order to increase the popularity of the products, Mu Jingzhe even specifically paid to have them advertised. The effect was pretty good, and everything was finally on track.

Meanwhile, Shao Dong's scavenging business also finally developed. Mu Han had been staying outside all this while, but he had earned quite a bit.

Previously, Shao Dong had said that he wanted to open a fruit factory and make soda and juice to sell them. This plan was slowly put into action. Coincidentally, there was quite a lot of fruit in the county, and there were also many varieties. In addition, he could buy some from the surrounding county. This was completely doable.

Before the winter break, Shao Dong had been preparing to skip grades while he and Mu Jingzhe had been busy with this matter. Finally, before the winter break arrived, he had forcefully opened the factory in the county.

Although the factory wasn't large at first, it was one of the few factories in the county. On the surface, Mu Jingzhe was in charge, but Shao Dong was actually in charge of many things.

Shao Dong was currently only eight years old.

"What is a business genius? Our Little Dong is one!" Mu Jingzhe rubbed Shao Dong's face. "You're incredible."

Shao Dong's face was a little red. "It's all because of Mommy's help."

"You really are incredible. No need to be humble."

"That's right, Big Brother. You're incredible!" Little Bei and the rest joined in by praising him as well. Shao Nan praised him, but he seemed to be deep in thought.

As they were praising him, the voice of an auntie came from outside. It turned out that she was there to sell walnuts.

There were many walnuts in the village. After the factory was opened, the family started collecting walnuts and preparing to make walnut juice.

Anyone in the village who had walnuts sold them to the Shao Family, which acquired another source of income. Everyone praised Mu Jingzhe and the children of the Shao Family whenever they saw them. Mu Xue had thought that everyone would scold Mu Jingzhe behind her back, but it never happened.

There simply wasn't a chance for it to happen. How could they scold Mu Jingzhe when she even increased their income? Was there anyone in the surrounding villages who didn't envy Great Eastern Village?

It wasn't like people from other villages couldn't sell their produce to other factories. It was just that Mu Jingzhe and the Shao kids were fair and wouldn't cheat honest people. It would definitely be better to sell to them since they were from the same village. Therefore, everyone regarded Mu Jingzhe as the little god of wealth in the village.

"Jingzhe, take a look. These are the walnuts that my family peeled. I've separated them. I've picked out the small black ones."

It was hard to peel walnuts, so the factory mainly collected peeled walnuts. The price of unpeeled walnuts was lower. The prices also varied according to the quality. Everyone in Great Eastern Village was obedient and did whatever they were told.

"Alright, wait for me to weigh them," Mu Jingzhe said. Shao Dong recorded the information while Shao Xi gave the auntie the money. They cooperated very well.

The auntie left with a satisfied smile after receiving the money.

When the factory started operating, Shao Nan said that he wanted Mu Jingzhe to accompany him to the capital to participate in the recording of a game show.

This was a nationwide quiz game show. There wasn't much of a script, and the participants relied on their abilities. Many of them were young geniuses, and the older kids were even in high school.

Although it was considered to be a new program, which meant that relatively fewer people were registering for it, because it was open to the entire country, the competition was no joke. In the end, Shao Nan silently obtained one of the top 100 spots.

"When did you register for the preliminaries? Why didn't I know this before? Did you participate in secret?"

"Mm, I thought I'd tell you guys about it if I got in. And if I didn't, I'd forget about it." Shao Nan nodded.

Previously, he had discovered that everyone in the family had already started earning money. Big Brother was doing business. Second Brother's essays were being published everywhere, and he had already gained some fame and earned quite a lot of royalties. Little Bei had acted in a television drama and then in a movie. The television drama was about to be broadcast, and the movie was about to be released. Given her talent, she would definitely become famous in the future.

Even the youngest, Xiao Wu, who had previously helped compose songs to earn money, didn't have to worry about his future. From the looks of it, out of the five of them, he was the only one who had yet to earn money and was still holding them back.

Shao Nan felt that this couldn't go on. He had to earn money too. None of the five of them should fall behind. It would be best if all of them became famous. Only then would Shao Qihai, who had abandoned them, regret it when he saw how successful they were.

Shao Nan, who didn't want to be a burden, had happened to see the announcement of the television station's program. Seeing that the reward was generous and that he would be able to appear on television, he felt that it sounded pretty good overall, so he'd signed up to participate.

The preliminary round was held in the county, and not many people participated in it. He was the only person in the county who passed the preliminary round. After that, it was time for the semi-finals, which were held in the city. Fortunately, it was no longer troublesome for them to go to the city.

After half a day, he passed the semi-finals and even made it to the top 100 in the country thanks to his outstanding performance. He only informed Mu Jingzhe after receiving the notice that he was going to the capital to record the show.

"You sure are capable."

Mu Jingzhe hurriedly prepared to go to the capital. After Ji Buwang heard about it, he said that he was also going to the capital because he wanted to go home and take a look.

When Ji Buwang found out the date of departure, he directly booked a plane ticket. Hence, Mu Jingzhe took the plane for the first time after transmigrating. Shao Nan was also the first to get on a plane among the five kids.

Little Bei and the rest were very envious. Little Bei even swore. "I want to take a plane next time too!"

With Ji Buwang traveling with them, Mu Jingzhe didn't have to worry too much on the way. When they boarded the plane, Mu Jingzhe was afraid that Shao Nan wouldn't be used to the feeling of the plane taking off, so she gave him a few pointers.

The three of them traveled together and were successfully mistaken for a family of three.

The plane carried Mu Jingzhe and the others far away. While gazing at the plane flying overhead, Shao Qihai was speechless.

During this period, Shao Qihai had been secretly changing his identity from time to time, disguising himself to protect Mu Jingzhe and the kids. Although he didn't go to the village, he never lost them.

Shao Nan had participated in the show quietly, so Shao Qihai hadn't known about it. When he'd suddenly found out that they were going to the capital, he felt determined to follow them there. In the end, he'd bought a train ticket, but Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan took a plane.

By the time Shao Qihai realized that, he could no longer buy a plane ticket, so he could only hold on to his train ticket and watch Ji Buwang fly away with his wife and kid as though they were a family of three.

Oh no, he still had to run to the train station to catch up with them.

Although Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan might already be returning by the time he arrived in the capital by train, he still had to go.

By the time Shao Qihai boarded the train, Mu Jingzhe had already gotten off the plane and arrived at the capital.

Along the way, Mu Jingzhe took several photos of Shao Nan, including photos of him sitting on the plane next to the fluffy white clouds.

Previously, Mu Jingzhe had regretted not having a camera to capture precious moments. Once she had the money, she'd immediately bought one and taken photos of memorable moments or photos of them in a good mood.

These photos might not feel like much when they were taken, but as time passed, they would become the most precious things.

Ji Buwang took a photo of Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan. Mu Jingzhe wasn't stingy and took two photos of Ji Buwang as well. Then, before they got off the plane, the air stewardess enthusiastically took a group photo of their 'family of three'.

As Shao Nan walked out of the plane, he turned back to explain to the air stewardess that Ji Buwang wasn't his father and they weren't a family of three.