Free Web NovelChapter 646: Unmasking
"Second brother, where did you guys go? I was just looking for you." Fengfeng ran up to Xu Minglei as soon as he saw his brothers return.
"Huh? What’s up?" Xu Minglei looked at his little brother with confusion. What could he need?
"Second brother, I want a slingshot. Can you make one for me? Dad won’t make one." The little guy hugged his brother’s leg, looking up at him expectantly.
The little wooden sword that second brother made for Doudou had him envious; he really wanted one too.
But since second brother didn’t want to make one, he had to settle for the next best thing.
"Okay, let’s go find a suitable tree branch outside, and we’ll call Doudou over too. We’ll make him one as well." Xu Minglei said with a smile. So that’s all it was—to make a slingshot? He knew how to do that well.
"Doudou, Doudou, come on, let’s go play outside. Second brother is going to make us slingshots." Fengfeng ran over to Yin Yang.
"I want a slingshot, Uncle, wait for me." Hearing that they were going to play, the little guy wanted to tag along too. There were kids in the village with slingshots, and he had even seen an older boy use one to knock a bird down. He was so envious then, and he wanted to do it too.
"Minglei, don’t let them wander too far." Yin Yang advised out of concern.
"Brother-in-law, don’t worry, I know my limits." Xu Minglei nodded with a smile. After all, he was grown-up now, wasn’t he? Did he still need reminders?
Xu Minglei took a sickle and headed out with the two kids.
"Aren’t you going to follow and take a look? Doudou is still so young." With Yin Yang left alone, Tian Fang eagerly came over to curry favor.
Yin Yang silently moved a bit away from Tian Fang. "Everyone in the village knows each other. What is there to worry about?" Yin Yang’s voice was cold, tired of Tian Fang’s antics.
"That’s true." Noticing Yin Yang’s movement, Tian Fang felt a bit awkward but quickly became more proactive. Thinking of the promised benefits, she was determined to make her presence known even if Yin Yang didn’t like her.
"That child Doudou, I see he’s smart. How does my brother-in-law teach him?" Tian Fang said, batting her eyes at Yin Yang.
"That’s our family matter. Also, keep your distance; otherwise, I know just where you came from, and I can send you back to the same place." Yin Yang coldly replied, the scent of perfume unpleasant to him.
"Y-you stop talking nonsense." Tian Fang’s heart trembled. Her past experiences she never wanted anyone to know about, not even the slightest bit.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, betraying her inner turmoil.
"I can look into things quite easily. Let me guess, who told you to approach me? Was it Yun Ji’s people? Although, you probably don’t even know for whom you’re acting," Yin Yang said with a wicked grin. If it weren’t for her persistently approaching him again and again, he wouldn’t have bothered to expose her facade.
According to Mrs. Xu, Tian Fang supposedly worked outside and came back after saving up some money to return in glory.
If it weren’t for this woman constantly scheming to approach him, he wouldn’t have had someone investigate Tian Fang.
Ordinary people like Tian Fang were very easy to look into.
Yun Ji’s people, upon finding out that Tian Fang was Xu Mumu’s cousin, singled her out. During this time, under Yun Ji’s instructions, she was well taken care of and lived quite comfortably.
Until that person forced her to do something, threatening to expose her past to the world if she refused.
If she complied, the benefits were substantial, such as a house in the provincial city, money, like juicy meat dangled in front of her, tempting her to strive continuously.
Now, with Yin Yang spelling it all out, Tian Fang struggled to suppress her inner panic.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Tian Fang refused to admit anything and walked away immediately.
Seeing Tian Fang leave, Yin Yang suddenly felt the air around him become fresher.
At dinner, the entire table was filled with wild boar dishes. With their second aunt’s magical cooking skills, the wild boar meat was incredibly delicious. Even Xu Mumu ate quite a lot, and Doudou overate a bit.
Luckily, Xu Mumu always brought along the little guy’s essentials, including digestive tablets for stomach issues.
The evening’s courtyard was very lively. They had electricity now, and with the lights on, the whole family gathered to chat, while several children played in the courtyard.
Xu Mumu leaned lazily against Yin Yang, feeling how comfortable life was.
Everyone had come back for the New Year. Fortunately, the second and fourth households had built new houses, accommodating everyone nicely.
Xu Mumu naturally stayed in her old boudoir.
Early the next morning, Xu Mumu was woken by the sound of children playing in the courtyard and got up at once.
The family was busy in the kitchen, and this morning’s breakfast was naturally tangyuan.
Doudou was sitting beside Madam Chen, seriously wrapping tangyuan.
His earnest little appearance made Xu Mumu find him utterly endearing.
"Mom, look, I made this one. I can wrap tangyuan now." The little guy proudly raised his head.
"Doudou is amazing, truly incredible." Xu Mumu smiled and ruffled the little guy’s head.
"Of course, our Doudou learns very diligently," Madam Chen said with a smile. "Unlike those little rascals who just ran outside to play as soon as they got up."
"Kids love to play; it’s perfectly normal." Xu Mumu wiped her face and said indifferently. The kids in the courtyard seemed to be having a good time.
The morning’s tangyuan had coins inside some of them. Looking at the ten tangyuan in her bowl, Xu Mumu felt a bit overwhelmed.
"Eat as much as you can, don’t push yourself," Yin Yang said with a laugh, seeing the conflicted look on his little wife’s face.
"Okay." Xu Mumu nodded.
The tangyuan filling was brown sugar. Even though some peanuts and sesame seeds were added, it still became too sweet after eating many of them.
However, the little guy was very interested in the tangyuan, eating five of them, which was quite impressive.
The little guy’s luck was good too. He found two tangyuan with coins inside, which made him incredibly happy, as though he’d found two big pieces of gold.
His expression made Xu Mumu a bit exasperated. It wasn’t like they’d ever withheld money from the little guy. He already had several hundred yuan in his piggy bank, and now those two coins made him as happy as a fool.
"Do you really need to be that happy?" Xu Mumu said, picking up the little guy to sit on her lap. He had gotten a little heavier, but seeing him grow up healthily bit by bit made Xu Mumu feel immensely gratified.
"Of course, I’m happy. Grandpa said that finding coins in tangyuan means I’d have good luck all year," the little guy said earnestly. Although he didn’t quite know what that good luck meant, he wanted it, seeing how envious others were.
"You, little rascal," Xu Mumu said with a smile. This little guy was even smarter than she had imagined.
