Jia Mulong heard his wife’s words and looked at the handsome, polite young man in red before him. He smiled and said, “My sister is truly fortunate to be married to you.” He patted the young man’s shoulder.
Mu Anxiao remained seated, observing Jia Mulong, who had switched his allegiance based on the other man’s appearance. She curled her lips and said, “Hello.” Then she stood up, walked to Jia Mulong’s side, and faced the man in red.
At the same time, Jia Mulong cast a disdainful glance at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao paid him no mind. She looked up at the man in red and smiled, “Is this marriage arrangement already set?” She asked, feigning ignorance.
The man in red looked down at Mu Anxiao, who only reached his shoulder. He then looked at her attire, similar to Jia Mulong’s, and smiled, “This must be your younger sibling?” He glanced at Jia Mulong.
Upon hearing this, Jia Mulong hurriedly shifted his gaze from Mu Anxiao’s face. Before he could speak, his wife said, “No, no, this is… my guest.” She did not want to mention Mu Anxiao’s connection to butchery, as that would surely invite mockery. Thus, to preserve the Mu family’s reputation, she spoke as she did.
“Oh,” the man in red said, glancing at his wife, who had approached Mu Anxiao, and then at Mu Anxiao, “Then why is she wearing your brother’s clothes?”
“I am a wealthy merchant,” Mu Anxiao began to boast again. “When I have nothing to do, I enjoy traveling all over the land, commonly known as venturing into the jianghu. Therefore, for safety’s sake, I prefer to disguise myself as a beggar. Just now, upon arriving here, I had no clothes to wear, and the kind lady lent me some of this young master’s new clothes.”
Jia Mulong’s expression turned one of disgust upon hearing Mu Anxiao’s words.
The man in red said, “So that’s how it is. Your taste is quite peculiar to disguise yourself as a beggar.”
“Disguising as a beggar is peculiar?” Mu Anxiao retorted.
“You could be a chivalrous hero, or something else. Why insist on being a beggar? It must be troublesome when staying at inns.”
The man in red’s words continued to leave Mu Anxiao feeling stifled.
However, there was no alternative. She had already spun her tale, and any further changes would surely arouse suspicion.
Thus, she could only brace herself and continue her fabrication, “I do not stay at inns.”
“You sleep on the streets, so what do you do when it rains?”
“There are dilapidated temples. If I give the beggars a little money, it suffices.”
In the mortal realm, Mu Anxiao’s profession was that of a beggar. Therefore, she answered the man in red’s questions with ease.
The man in red’s family was also in business. Yet, he had never encountered anyone like Mu Anxiao. Coupled with Jia Mulong’s look towards Mu Anxiao, he sensed that Mu Anxiao was exaggerating.
However, he did not wish to expose her directly, especially since Mu Xiang’s sister-in-law had made the introduction. Thus, he intended to find flaws in her story.
Unexpectedly, Mu Anxiao’s answers were so meticulous that he was left speechless.
Seeing the man in red’s smiling, silent expression, Mu Anxiao thought she had successfully deceived him.
However, she had forgotten about Jia Mulong.
Following a few moments of contemplation, Jia Mulong stared at her and could not help but exclaim, “You stinking beggar, you really know how to spout nonsense.”
“…” Mu Anxiao was stunned and turned to meet Jia Mulong’s gaze.
Jia Mulong glared at Mu Anxiao, “I advise you to get lost immediately.”
Mu Anxiao felt no embarrassment. Instead, she found Jia Mulong’s actions laughable. In reality, no matter how much of a beggar she appeared to be, she had been invited in by Mu Xiang’s sister-in-law. Jia Mulong acting this way was clearly embarrassing the sister-in-law.
It seemed Jia Mulong was about to face domestic reprisal.
The man in red frowned and dared not speak further.
Just as Mu Anxiao had predicted, after Jia Mulong uttered those words, his wife moved to his side. To avoid further embarrassment in front of everyone, she deliberately grabbed Jia Mulong’s sleeve and said, “Come out with me for a moment.”
Jia Mulong: “…” He turned to look at his wife, frowning.
His wife tilted her head and glared at Jia Mulong, saying, “Hurry up.” Her voice was very low, making it seem to others as if she had merely moved her lips.
Jia Mulong stared at his wife’s slightly parted lips and understood. Without another word, he gave the man in red an awkward smile and left.
Subsequently, only Mu Anxiao, the man in red, and the servants remained. The atmosphere here was quite stifling.
“Sit anywhere you like.” Wanting to break the silence, she turned, walked to a chair, and sat down.
The man in red asked, “What business does your family do?” He subconsciously believed Mu Anxiao to be a merchant.
Mu Anxiao looked at the curious expression on the man in red’s face and smiled down, “We slaughter pigs.”
“Slaughter pigs?” The man in red frowned. He walked to a chair beside Mu Anxiao and sat down, turning to stare at her.
Mu Anxiao felt a bit awkward under his gaze. “Can you stop looking at me like that? It’s quite embarrassing.”
If a woman had spoken like this, the man in red might have accepted it.
Conversely, when these words came from Mu Anxiao, who appeared to be a man, the man in red found it repulsive.
Consequently, with a look of disgust, he quickly averted his gaze from Mu Anxiao’s face and stared straight ahead, saying, “Slaughtering pigs… Pig prices have been quite cheap lately. This business must not be easy.”
“I don’t bother with that,” Mu Anxiao said, resuming her fabrication. “I am the eighth child in my family, so the family’s performance is naturally not my concern. However, I do receive a share. Once a year, I just need to collect the money and then travel everywhere. It’s so great.” She shook her head.
“You’re not young anymore, and your family doesn’t worry about you not finding a wife.”
“How old do you think I am?” Mu Anxiao’s tone was stiff. She disliked being spoken to like this, and naturally, the man in red had managed to provoke her.
“You…” The man in red, fearing Mu Anxiao would say something else repulsive, cautiously glanced at her before speaking, “You must be at least nineteen years old.”
Mu Anxiao found the age of nineteen acceptable.
Thus, her resentment towards the man in red diminished. “How old are you?”
The man in red replied, “I am two years older than you.”
“Two years,” Mu Anxiao said, counting on her fingers, “Twenty-one.”
“Mhm,” the man in red nodded.
“You’re twenty-one and still haven’t married, yet you talk about me,” Mu Anxiao sneered, recalling the man in red’s attitude earlier. “I truly don’t know where you get your courage.”
“…” The man in red was rendered speechless by Mu Anxiao.
The servants exchanged glances at Mu Anxiao’s demeanor and remained silent.
Meanwhile.
Mu Xiang and Wan Sha had seen the man in red enter the reception hall with servants carrying red chests from a distance. They then moved to the kitchen.
Standing in the kitchen now, Mu Xiang was filled with anxiety. “What should we do?” she asked Wan Sha, who was sitting on the stove, drinking tea.