Chapter 344: Chapter 342: Old Mu Family’s Fortune Plan (Third Update)
In the kitchen of the Old Mu Family, Mrs. Liu rushed left and right, finally managing to get the midday meal prepared.
Before it was even on the table, Old Mrs. Mu spoke up again.
"Fourth daughter-in-law, clean up the kitchen before you come; also, bring in the dried clothes, with the sun this strong, how will the clothes keep their color?"
Mrs. Liu had been about to eat, but upon hearing Old Mrs. Mu’s words, she had no choice but to go work again.
Once she left, Mu Xiangxiang came over.
"Mom, I want to eat meat, how can we eat these plain dishes?"
"Xiangxiang, wasn’t it just yesterday that mom made you meat soup? How have you already run out?"
Old Mrs. Mu couldn’t resist; this little girl, whom she cherished, could never be fully satisfied.
"Mom, that was yesterday. I’m at the age when I need to grow. You wouldn’t want me to not grow up, right!"
Mu Xiangxiang shook Old Mrs. Mu’s body, and Old Mrs. Mu immediately surrendered.
"Alright, alright, tomorrow we’ll ask your fourth sister-in-law to buy some meat. What do you want, meatballs or just meat soup?"
"Meat soup, just make me a bowl, too many meatballs are greasy!"
At the dining table, the interaction between Old Mrs. Mu and Mu Xiangxiang was incredibly warm, but the others watching found the scene quite glaring.
"Mom, I’m pregnant, and haven’t gotten any nourishment yet. Can you see if it’s possible..." Mrs. Lin gathered her courage to try and request some good food.
"What nourishment, you know if you eat too well, the child will grow too big, and when the time comes my grandson will suffer during birth. Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?"
Old Mrs. Mu’s questioning left Mrs. Lin so angry her mouth twisted.
In all her life, she’d never seen such stinginess, being pregnant, and not even being given a single good meal.
"Mom, I’m just worried about your grandson being too weak, so..."
"Enough, I can tell from the look on your face what you’re going to say, don’t play pitiful in front of me. The family finances are just so much, we got meat for Gou Dan’s aunt, so you can’t have any."
Having said that, Old Mrs. Mu picked up the bowl of vegetables from the table and started piling the food into Mu Xiangxiang’s bowl, while the others hadn’t even started eating yet.
"Mom, you’re so nice. Dad, you eat some too, stop fussing over me."
Mu Xiangxiang wasn’t good at much, but she had a sweet tongue, and in one sentence, she made Mr. Mu feel warm inside; however, he still reminded Old Mrs. Mu.
"Old lady, second daughter-in-law is pregnant with a child of our Old Mu Family. The necessary nourishment must be provided. I’ve been thinking recently, we also need to buy some chicks and bring back a pig."
This has been on Mr. Mu’s mind for a long time; their family has lost two chickens to theft, and of the remaining three, only one is laying eggs. If this continues, the Old Mu Family will soon have no eggs.
They might not even have chickens.
Hearing about buying chickens and pigs, Old Mrs. Mu panicked.
"Old man, what are you saying, buying a pig? The eldest is coming back soon, our family will soon be like a phoenix. Buying more livestock now would be a waste of money, wouldn’t it?"
"Besides, our family doesn’t have extra money for those things."
The runaway pig from back then still pains Old Mrs. Mu’s heart; of course, she wouldn’t want to spend money on pigs again.
"Don’t fool me, don’t I know our family’s finances? Anyway, I’ve decided, we will raise pigs and buy chicks."
Once Mr. Mu made the decision, the rest of the people seemed to be charged with energy, extremely happy.
Raising pigs means having a new year’s pig to slaughter; there’ll be plenty of pig’s blood and whatever meat isn’t sold can make for a hearty meal, though this year it’s too late for a new year’s pig since it’s already July.
In just five months, it’ll be New Year.
"Mom, raising pigs is a good thing. Think about it, why does my third sister-in-law’s family raise pigs? Isn’t it because there’s money to be made? With so many people in the Old Mu Family, how come we can’t?" Mu Danian quickly expressed his view.
"Exactly, they say golden pigs, golden pigs, maybe when we raise pigs, our good luck will come too," Mu Dazhong chimed in with an uncharacteristically positive comment, even feeling quite clever about it.
Old Mrs. Mu was still stubbornly resisting, after all, this spending would be her silver.
Ultimately, it was Mu Xiangxiang saying she wanted to eat the new year’s pig that made Old Mrs. Mu finally throw aside her hesitation.
Old Mrs. Mu mainly thought a chick costs three wen. If she were to catch them, she’d have to get more than the third sister-in-law’s family.
The third sister-in-law’s family got thirty-five, so she’d get forty, costing a hundred and twenty wen.
Then about the piglets, she’d have to get two. Pork prices are all fifteen wen, so piglets should cost about the same.
A twenty-something-pound pig would cost three hundred wen.
Thinking about it made Old Mrs. Mu feel breathless.
"I, this old woman, will do it for the children, tomorrow we’ll go to Tie Dao Village to get chicks, and the piglets can be gotten from Wang Erma’s house."
The chicks from Aunt Ge in Tie Dao Village were well-known for being high quality, and Old Mrs. Mu’s first choice was there.
Mu Danian, hearing this, thought of how he hadn’t seen that flirtatious Chen Hong for so long, and now had the perfect excuse to visit.
"Mom, I’ll go to Tie Dao Village. I know more people, maybe I can get a discount."
"Really?" Old Mrs. Mu eyed him suspiciously; a hundred and twenty wen wasn’t a small sum, and she wouldn’t easily let it slip.
"Of course, if you trust me, leave it to me. If not, there’s nothing your son can do."
Mu Danian’s sincere tone, coupled with his recent lack of troublemaking, reassured Old Mrs. Mu.
"Alright, I’ll leave this to you. If you don’t handle it well, don’t bother coming back."
The chick matter settled, but the piglet?
Old Mrs. Mu looked around the room, just about to ask when Mrs. Lin nudged her husband under the table.
Feeling the pain, Mu Dazhong understood his wife’s intention. "Mom, since the fifth brother is contributing to the family, I’ll handle the piglets. I promise to complete the task."
Old Mrs. Mu nodded in satisfaction.
"This old woman is truly blessed, sons who are sensible, and a daughter who is obedient, except for some who are useless at critical times!"
Old Mrs. Mu gave Mu Dajiang a mean glance, her harsh words coming relentlessly.
Mu Dajiang lowered his head, not daring to meet Old Mrs. Mu’s eyes.
"Okay, since everything is decided, let’s eat, and after the meal, everyone mind their own business!" Mr. Mu ordered, and everyone began eating.
Mu Dajiang hurriedly picked up some food for his bowl, but just a few bites in, Old Mrs. Mu raised her voice.
"Fourth son, if you’re not going to eat, don’t pile your bowl with so much food, leaving none for others?"
Mu Dajiang awkwardly smiled, "I...I will eat, I will eat!"
He said he would eat, but still didn’t.