Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 153 - 153 154 The Cutest Siblings_1

?Chapter 153: Chapter 154 The Cutest Siblings_1 Chapter 153: Chapter 154 The Cutest Siblings_1 “Mu, Mu!”

The joyful voices of several children rang through the entire house.

Muniang looked at the children: “Not going to see your new house but running around again? Can’t you stay put for a moment?”

Indeed, these children were well-behaved. At first, when they were not familiar with the place, they were more restrained than anyone else. Now that they’ve gotten used to it, they have no sense of propriety, especially since moving out from the Qiao family, they were like birds let out of a cage.

Hongsheng eagerly approached, “Mu, we won’t be able to live at your place anymore, can we still come over for meals? Your food is delicious, even better than my mother’s.”

Muniang laughed, “If you talk like that, be careful, or I’ll tell your mother. Then we’ll see if she still makes you food.”

Hongsheng hurriedly said, “My mother’s cooking is good too, but yours is even better, Mu. Please don’t tell my mother; she’ll spank me.”

Muniang burst into laughter, seeing his little face so tense, she didn’t tease him anymore: “Don’t worry, our houses are so close, not to mention coming over for meals, even staying for a while is no big deal.”

Only then did Hongsheng smile, his eyes squinting: “I knew Mu was the best.”

Tianniu finally couldn’t stand it anymore, thumped Hongsheng on the forehead: “Forgot what we came here for? Always acting cute and pretending to be good, not at all like a boy.”

Hongsheng pouted, covering his head, “You aren’t much like a girl yourself.”

Tianniu’s face turned red with anger: “You—”
Everyone inside the house was amused by these two children. Truthfully, Tianniu, a girl, always acted like a boy, whilst the youngest brother, Hongsheng, liked to act cute and cuddly. This brother and sister were truly unique.

Tianniu glared at Hongsheng and then turned to Muniang, “Mu, there will be lanterns in the town tomorrow night. Mother said she’d take us to play. Let’s go together.”

“Oh, that? I’ve heard about it. Do you want to go?” Muniang asked.

“We do!” Er Liang exclaimed, “Missus, let’s go see the lanterns. We’ve never been before!”

The children all looked forward hopefully: “Mother said, after watching the lanterns in the town, we could stay the night at the Embroidery House and come back the next morning. Mu, let’s all go together!”

Muniang was actually reluctant to join the fuss, but seeing them all so eager, she didn’t have the heart to refuse, so she nodded.

With some frustration, Tianniu said, “It’s just that I heard there’ll be lantern riddles at the festival. It’s a pity I can’t even recognize characters. It’s such a good opportunity wasted. I can only go to watch the lanterns and join in the fun.”

Hongsheng quickly clung to her, “Sister, don’t worry. Once I learn to read and write, I’ll teach you first. By that time, you will definitely shine at the lantern festival.” He had completely forgotten his earlier squabble with Tianniu.

“By the time you learn to read, how old will I be?” Tianniu said irritably, though touched at heart, she took after Madam Liu’s nature—contrary.

Muniang slyly smiled, “Tianniu wants to guess lantern riddles at the lantern festival? Could it be you’re hoping to find a sweetheart? The women who stand out at the festival are all hoping to catch a perfect beau.”

Tianniu’s face flushed in an instant, “How can you tease me like this, Mu!”

She said this and immediately ran out.

Muniang’s laughter grew even brighter. This little girl, usually so carefree, became shy at crucial moments. Muniang wondered which lucky fellow would marry her in the future. Thinking about it, Tianniu was already ten years old. In ancient times, girls usually started discussing marriage around the age of twelve or thirteen, so it probably wasn’t far off.

The next day, after lunch, Muniang and her son prepared to set off to town with the Liu family. They had intended to invite Mrs. Lin to join for some excitement, but Mrs. Lin repeatedly declined, saying she couldn’t handle such large crowds, so they let it be.

As for Qiao Yuanming, he had also gone off to work in the fields. The family still had a plot of land measuring one acre and three fen, which certainly couldn’t be neglected.

When Muniang drove the carriage to the Liu family’s doorstep, she saw Madam Liu hurrying out to pass a water bottle to Qiao Yuanming. Muniang chuckled to herself, it seemed that the couple had truly let bygones be bygones.

Muniang’s carriage was spacious enough, comfortably seating seven people, not to mention that four of them were children. Zhu Zi was driving the carriage from the outside.

Fearing it would be too stuffy inside, they had intentionally placed ice blocks within, keeping the entire carriage cool. Muniang had also brought a large jug of mung bean soup, chilled in the well, which was refreshingly cool to drink.

Madam Liu looked around and clicked her tongue in admiration, “Muniang, you really know how to enjoy life. Look how nicely you’ve fixed up this carriage, sitting inside feels unbelievably comfortable.”

Erlang chuckled, “My wife always says, life is too short to treat oneself poorly. If we can live well, we must take care to do so properly.”

Muniang smiled, squinting her eyes, “Exactly, there’s no need to suffer unnecessarily.”

The children eagerly drank their hawthorn juice in big gulps, smacking their lips, “Mu, this hawthorn juice is so delicious. It would be unbearable to get through summer without it.”

Madam Liu couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “So how on earth did you get by before all this?”

At her words, the children’s faces fell, presumably reminded of their past days with the Qiao family. Madam Liu cleared her throat and said, “Isn’t it tasty? Why not drink more? Now that we can live well, I definitely won’t let you suffer even a bit.”

The children immediately smiled again, “Mom is the best!”

With laughter and chatter all the way, the hour-long journey didn’t feel tiring at all.

By the time they arrived in town, the kids were still lively and energetic.

The streets were already being adorned with lanterns in preparation for the evening’s Lantern Festival. It was still early, and Muniang had purposely come early so everyone could stroll around. After all, Tupo Village was quite remote, and visits to Chatu Town were rare, so it was a good opportunity to buy some things.

Madam Liu thought of buying some fabric to make clothes for the kids, and the group decided to check out the Embroidery House. As they were walking around, Muniang happened to see a group of people coming towards them.

Qiao Yuanzhen was part of the group. He had obviously noticed them too and furrowed his brows as if he had seen some disdainful people.

Muniang knew what he disdained. To him, there was not a single person from Tupo Village worth his respect, including his own parents.

Qiao Yuanzhen had no intention of greeting them and passed by Muniang and the others without so much as a glance, let alone a proper look. Muniang didn’t mind. If he looked down on them, she looked down on him even more. What was he but a penniless Scholar, pretending to be something he wasn’t?

However, as Muniang turned around, she noticed that their group had entered a teahouse across the street. Muniang looked up at the sign. Qianyuan Pavilion, the most luxurious teahouse in Chatu Town. Reserved for the rich or the noble, could Qiao Yuanzhen afford such a place?

Suddenly, Muniang felt her heart pounding with an ominous premonition.