kvmb Chapter 191 Your daughter is dead
Chapter 191 Your daughter is dead
Liu Guilan was dragged out by the prison guards while crying.
Mu Xiaowan looked at her father walking ahead, took an envelope out of her bag, caught up with him, and stuffed it into his hand.
“Dad, actually your daughter is dead. This money is her last act of filial piety. From now on, we will have no further kinship.”
Mu Daniu stared blankly at the thick wad of money in his hand, his grip tightening involuntarily.
It took him a long time to come to his senses and understand the meaning behind those words.
Xiao Wan said that because she was sad, right?
Her family owes her too much.
"Fine! We can ignore this family then."
Now the daughter-in-law is constantly complaining about not wanting to live with her son. And the daughters are all like that too; this family is gradually falling apart.
As long as she's doing well, that's enough.
"Chu..."
Mu Daniu couldn't even recall Chu Junbai's name, and he didn't know why things were like this.
In the village, whenever a daughter gets married, everyone celebrates with great joy. The daughter, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, is brought from her home. There are also procedures like visiting the family home, engagement, and setting the wedding date. Only after these steps are completed will everyone feel that you have married well and made the right choice, and only then will they accept the marriage.
He didn't tell his daughter that the villagers would gossip about her marriage, and would laugh at him, saying, "Did you give your daughter away for nothing? People who rush into marriage like that won't be happy in the future."
However, judging from the son-in-law's gentleness and thoughtfulness towards his daughter, as well as the care shown by his in-laws, they have not mistreated their daughter.
Xiao Wan looks even better than before. She dresses well, lives well, and is more energetic than before. She looks like a girl from the city, and certainly doesn't look like her daughter.
It's clear she's living a very happy life.
Since that's the case, what can others say? The child's happiness is the most important thing. He's powerless and can't help much. The child earned their own happiness, and he can't interfere with it.
"Chu Junbai!"
“Yes, Chu Junbai, Dad sees that he treats you very well, so you should treat him well too. That way, you two can last. Dad has been a useless man all his life, unable to do anything for you. Dad is taking your mother away now, and we'll never come back to this city.”
Ye Jincheng was the one who picked them up this time.
Mu Xiaowan and Chu Junbai did not go.
She didn't want Liu Guilan to bother her anymore.
Chu Junbai escorted Mu Xiaowan back to the shop.
He had other things to do, so before leaving, he told Chu Shaoqing to keep an eye on Mu Xiaowan and to call him if anything happened.
Chu Shaoqing and Liu Caiwei also knew about this. They looked at Mu Xiaowan cautiously and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
"Sis, I'm thinking of going out this afternoon. I have a class reunion in a few days. Why don't you come shopping with me? You have good taste, help me pick out a couple of outfits."
"When are you having a class reunion? I'm your classmate, how come I didn't know?"
Seeing that Chu Shaoqing had changed the subject, Liu Caiwei couldn't help but glare at him.
"Also, how could your sister-in-law be in the mood to go shopping with you right now? Sister-in-law, I'll go to a bar with you, let's dance and have some drinks, just don't tell my brother."
“If you don’t want to go to such a noisy place, I’ll go buy him some more wine and braised food.”
Liu Caiwei hissed and said that her suggestion was bad, but how much better could his be?
Mu Xiaowan knew they were concerned about her, so she smiled and said, "I still have work to do, I'll go upstairs first."
Mu Xiaowan walked up the steps, then, worried that the two of them would worry too much, turned back and said, "Shaoqing, go buy a roast duck, and some braised meats, I want the spicy kind, and some baijiu (Chinese liquor), and get some sweet wine for Caiwei, she likes it. Oh, there's a roast lamb stall on the street, buy us a lot, we haven't had it in a long time."
"I'll reimburse you afterward."
Chu Shaoqing stared at Mu Xiaowan's retreating figure as she disappeared down the stairs, when Liu Caiwei suddenly slapped him on the back of the neck. "What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear we were going to buy roast duck?"
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, her ponytail swinging in a neat arc in the sunlight.
Now, she speaks to Chu Shaoqing in a completely different way than before. Perhaps it's because she's spent so much time together and gotten used to it, or perhaps it's because Chu Shaoqing isn't as cold as he used to be. He also treats her as part of the shop now.
What would you like to order?
Chu Shaoqing noticed that ever since Liu Caiwei made her move so decisively last time, he felt that something was different about her when he looked at her.
"Buy some desserts while you're at it."
"Didn't you say you were afraid of gaining weight? Why are you still eating desserts?"
"What do you know? Sweetness is the most healing flavor, and Sister Wan needs it."
"You girls are always so weird," Chu Shaoqing muttered as he walked away.
The opening and closing of the shop's glass door jingled like a wind chime. Mu Xiaowan stood by the second-floor window, watching a couple lead a three- or four-year-old child through the shade of the plane trees. The little girl pointed at a large tree, and her father picked a leaf for her, which she held and looked at curiously. Her father then casually picked a willow leaf from nearby, put it to his lips, and blew on it, producing a melodious sound. The little girl looked at her father in surprise, then clapped her chubby little hands, laughing and jumping. The mother, standing beside them, clapped her hands, looking at her daughter with loving eyes. This heartwarming scene must have been the envy of many. She wished the girl eternal happiness, and that her smile would always be radiant.
Suddenly, the sound of oil sizzling from a wok came from downstairs, and a rich aroma wafted up.
The aunt next door saw her and called out, "Xiao Wan, do you want to try some of the freshly made chili oil?"
Mu Xiaowan smiled and nodded.
As dusk deepened, Chu Shaoqing returned carrying a brown paper bag. "Caiwei, there are still some things on the bicycle. Go and get them."
"Sister-in-law, come down and eat, your brother is starving."
"I smelled all sorts of smells the whole way, and my mouth watered so much that I drooled a whole basinful."
Mu Xiaowan drew a blueprint, stretched her back upon hearing the sound, and went downstairs.
Seeing her come down, Chu Shaoqing glanced at her expression and said, "Sister-in-law! The line for roast duck was so long today, I almost got squeezed into a meat patty by all those aunties! In this sweltering heat, aren't they worried about getting a sore throat from eating roast duck?"
Liu Caiwei came in carrying a cake box. "Sister Xiaowan, let alone Chu Shaoqing, I'm getting hungry just looking at all this delicious food."
"Thank you for your hard work. I'm going to wash my hands."
The glass counter was quickly piled high with food. The crispy, glistening skin of the roast duck gleamed honey-colored under the light, the spicy braised lotus root slices were a vibrant red as they soaked in the broth, and the skewers of lamb were still sizzling with oil. Liu Caiwei tiptoed down the celadon wine pot from the top shelf, while Chu Shaoqing had already pulled out three rough earthenware bowls.
"This is pear blossom white wine that Brother Junbai kept." Chu Shaoqing lifted the seal and took a deep breath. "Oh no, oh no, what if he comes back and finds out we secretly drank it and beats me up?"
"I almost forgot, I just asked you to buy some wine. Your brother gave it to me, he won't scold you."
Mu Xiaowan changed into a moon-white, diagonally-buttoned dress, her long hair loosely tied up, complementing her gentle temperament. She resembled celadon porcelain after the rain, gleaming with a clear, ethereal light.
Chu Shaoqing and Liu Caiwei were both foodies, and they quickly arranged all the food.
Liu Caiwei, as expected of a young lady from a wealthy family, arranged each dish on a plate.
Chu Shaoqing teased, "A young lady is a young lady after all, even when it comes to eating, she's so particular."
Liu Caiwei said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, it's just a habit. I can't cook, so my brother usually cooks. I get bored waiting for him to cook, so every time he brings out a dish, I'll use my chopsticks to arrange it. Over time, it's become a kind of arrangement. It's just a habit."
Mu Xiaowan said, "It's good, it looks more appetizing this way."
As soon as Mu Xiaowan sat down, she picked up Chu Shaoqing's fine wine and drank it all in one gulp.
Chu Shaoqing and Liu Caiwei stared in disbelief.
"Sister-in-law, you should eat something. Drinking like this is bad for your stomach."
"It's okay, you know how much I can drink."
She loves to drink, but today she just wanted to relax, not vent.
The liquor has a warm, sweet taste as it goes down your throat, but the spiciness creeps up your spine.
Just as Chu Shaoqing was about to recount his brother's embarrassing incident at military school, he noticed Mu Xiaowan staring intently at the cream roses on the cake. That white color reminded her of her father's hand that had been clutching the envelope that morning—his knuckles were large, his fingernails were stuck with dirt that couldn't be washed off, and he trembled like withered leaves in late autumn.
The sound of brakes suddenly came from outside the shop. Chu Junbai entered, enveloped in the night, starlight still clinging to his shoulders. His gaze swept over the half-empty wine jug, then fell on the corners of his wife's reddened eyes. He asked nothing, simply washed his hands, and returned to sit beside Mu Xiaowan.