The Lady Butcher and the Delicate Bride - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The next day, Chu Yu went out early to slaughter pigs as usual. Not long after Mu Dingxiang got out of bed, she saw Zhu-er running into the cave on her short little legs.

“Mother, a bad woman is coming toward our house.”

Mu Dingxiang hurried out of the cave to look. She saw Mother Mu walking toward the cave on her small bound feet, glancing back at the harvested crops in the fields.

The standing corn stalks were neat and tidy. Looking at the husks still remaining on the stalks, one could tell how large the ears had been and there were even two ears per stalk.

She didn’t know what kind of things this “little wretch” had put in the soil to make the grain grow so well. Back when she was at the Mu house, the crops had never looked this good. This “dead girl” must have been holding out, refusing to let the family prosper.

As she was muttering to herself, a crisp voice rang out, sounding particularly sharp in the empty valley.

“What are you doing here!” Mu Dingxiang stood on the steps, glaring down at the woman from a height. She said without the slightest politeness, “You are not welcome here.”

Mother Mu was startled by the sudden voice. Ever since the last time she came to steal the money pouch and was tripped by the vines, she felt this valley was very eerie. If it weren’t to fetch Mu Dingxiang back to harvest the rice, she wouldn’t be willing to step into this place.

When she lifted her head to look, she realized the person standing before her was a tall young woman. Her skin was tanned to a slight wheat color, but her figure was well-proportioned. She looked very handsome and somewhat familiar.

Mother Mu rubbed her eyes and realized that this young woman was indeed the Mu Dingxiang she had always looked down upon. Instantly, her anger flared.

“What, I can’t come? This wretched place of yours is haunted by ghosts; I don’t even like coming here.”

“Then don’t come. Leave immediately,” Mu Dingxiang coolly issued the order to depart.

“I’ll leave as soon as I’ve said my piece. We’re harvesting rice at home tomorrow; get over there early in the morning to help,” Mother Mu said, not being polite at all.

Sure enough, as soon as she opened her mouth, it was nothing good. Mu Dingxiang looked at Mother Mu’s “matter-of-fact” attitude and couldn’t stop a cold sneer. “By what right? Last time you took those twenty taels of silver, it was made clear that I am no longer a member of your Mu family. Go find someone else.”

“You little hussy, giving you face and you don’t even want it! If I tell you to go, you go! We raised you for so many years; what’s wrong with having you harvest a little rice? If you don’t go, I’ll have your father come and beat you to death,” Mother Mu said viciously.

“Go ahead and call him. When the time comes, I’ll go find the Village Head to judge who is in the right.”

“The Village Head has so many things to do; do you think he can watch over you every day?” Mother Mu looked smug.

Mu Dingxiang was stunned for a moment by her words. The Village Head wasn’t some high-ranking official; he was just in charge of household registration and tax matters. He wasn’t a court-appointed official, let alone someone with a salary. How could he watch over the village’s trivial trifles every day?

Though she understood this logic, Mu Dingxiang followed it with a smile, her white teeth making Mother Mu’s eyes ache.

“It doesn’t matter if the Village Head handles it or not. But our Chu Yu I’m sure you know of her. Sometimes she truly isn’t very reasonable. I just don’t know if she is more ruthless or if you are. When she was a soldier, she saw enemies more cruel than you can imagine, and she could kill them one by one. For ‘mud-legs’ like us in the countryside with no strength, she can cut down two with one blade.”

Mother Mu shivered at those words. The scene of being locked in the county jail was still fresh in her mind. Those twenty strokes of the board were thanks to Chu Yu. If this “wild person” turned violent again, even her old man would be beaten.

However, thinking of how no one was harvesting the rice at home Mu Jueming was out wandering all day and couldn’t be found, and the old man wouldn’t finish unloading cargo for at least ten days she steeled herself to continue scolding.

“Is this any way for a daughter to act? We raised you this big, only for you to marry a woman. Not only do you bring shame to your natal family, but when you’re called back to help with the autumn harvest, you won’t even move your backside. Truly a lazy woman! No wonder you’re so poor you don’t even have a house and have to live in a cave.”

Looking at Mother Mu’s distorted face, jealousy made her look exceptionally ugly.

Mu Dingxiang knew that a shouting match with her would never end and would only lower her own status. She bent down and picked up a shoulder pole from the side. “Are you leaving or not? If you don’t leave, I’m going to start swinging. This pole doesn’t recognize people.”

In the past half-year, she had been well-fed by Chu Yu. She had grown taller, her strength had increased, and she was younger than Mother Mu. If it really came to a fight, how could this woman be her match?

Seeing her pick up the pole, Mother Mu assumed she wouldn’t actually dare to hit her, but that didn’t stop her from performing. Without a word, she sat down on the ground and began to scream at the top of her lungs.

“Someone come quickly! How can there be such a vicious daughter in this world, trying to hit her own mother.”

“What kind of world is this?”

After screaming for a long time, she realized the surroundings were dead silent. Mu Dingxiang had pulled up a stool and sat down, watching her throw a tantrum on the ground with a playful look.

Mother Mu hurriedly stopped and glared viciously at Mu Dingxiang.

“Why did you stop? Keep shouting.”

This place of the Chu family was very far from the outside; it was a recessed valley separated by a river. No matter how loud she shouted, no one could hear. Realizing that all her shouting just now had been in vain, Mother Mu’s face turned pale. She spat out a few unspeakable insults, scrambled up, and left unwillingly.

Mu Dingxiang looked at her back and sneered. A wicked person truly needs a wicked person to grind them down. This kind of person should be handled by Chu Yu.

Then she thought that wasn’t right Chu Yu wasn’t a wicked person. To her, Chu Yu was the best person in the world. Having her lift a hand against Mother Mu would truly be a waste of Chu Yu’s hands.

Mother Mu walked out of the valley grumbling. Just as she approached the stone bridge, she wasn’t careful and was tripped by a vine lying across the road. She fell flat on the ground, nearly chipping her front teeth. This made her even more furious. She stomped on the vine before walking away in resentment.

As she walked, she kept looking back. This valley was truly cursed; every time she came, she was tripped. She felt as if something was staring at her back, making her feel chilled.

The pace of her footsteps unconsciously quickened, as if her backside were on fire, as she rushed back home.

Mu Jueming came back from fooling around and found the pots and stove cold. There was nothing to eat. He shouted, asking why no meal had been made, saying he was starving to death.

Mother Mu had just arrived home. Hearing his endless complaining, she picked up a stool from the ground and slammed it down. Her sharp voice rang out: “The daughter isn’t filial, and the son isn’t filial either! Nowhere to be seen all day long, only rushing home at mealtime. Truly a ‘starved ghost’ reincarnated—”

Mu Jueming was startled to see his mother like a lit firecracker, ready to explode. Instantly, he was also displeased.

Ever since Mu Dingxiang married out, the work in the fields had piled onto him. He had long been unhappy about it. Usually, he did half the work and played half the time, but compared to his previous idleness, it was much harder. Coming home to no hot meal, he also lost his temper.

“What are you shouting for? You do nothing at home all day but cook and feed the pigs, and now you won’t even cook! Show me which other family’s woman is like you, thinking she’s a lady of a wealthy house. If you don’t have the fate for it, don’t put on airs.”

It was the first time Mother Mu had been scolded so harshly by her son. Coupled with the threat from Mu Dingxiang earlier, her heart was filled with both rage and hate. She could no longer control anyone. Her teeth chattered with rage as she grabbed a broken stool from the floor and swung it at Mu Jueming, cursing him as an unfilial son and a starved ghost.

Though Mu Jueming was dissatisfied with his mother, he was afraid she would complain to Old Man Mu. He didn’t dare fight back and ran around the house with his head tucked in. The whole house was in a lively uproar, prompting the neighbors to prick up their ears, afraid of missing some important news.

After Mu Dingxiang drove Mother Mu away, she went into the fields to work. Yesterday, the rice, corn, and beans had been harvested, but the stalks remained in the fields. They had to be cut down and piled together so they could be burned as fertilizer later.

Once finished, they could turn the soil after a rain and plant the new season’s grain.

The weather was as hot as yesterday, but Mu Dingxiang didn’t find the work hard once she got busy. At noon, Chu Yu returned on her horse.

Seeing Mu Dingxiang still working in the fields, she hurriedly told her to go home and rest.

Back at home, Chu Yu tossed her two money pouches. “Count them. I’m going to wash up.”

Mu Dingxiang gripped the two bags of different sizes and smiled happily, her lips pressed together. She went into the cave and poured the money onto the table.

She first counted the lighter bag. Inside were several silver notes and a large string of copper coins. She didn’t know until she counted—it nearly gave her a fright. There was actually nearly thirty taels!!!

Mu Dingxiang vaguely remembered Chu Yu saying it was about fifteen taels when they were sleeping last night. But for it to suddenly increase by over ten taels made her unable to believe it. However, the silver notes were placed there neatly; it was impossible to miscount.

Mu Dingxiang ran excitedly out of the cave to the small wooden bathing room where Chu Yu was. “Chu Yu, did Auntie Ji and the others give the wrong amount? How can there be thirty taels of silver?”

Accompanied by the sound of splashing water, Chu Yu poked her head out from the door, revealing her collarbone and above. She said with a smile, “I don’t know either, but they were the ones who took the grain back to weigh. When Auntie Ji personally brought the money this morning, I was also very surprised and asked if there was a calculation error. Your Auntie Ji said it was this amount. I couldn’t argue with her, so I had to take it.”

As Chu Yu spoke, Mu Dingxiang’s gaze was locked on her collarbone and snowy-white neck. Her gaze moved higher, looking at those opening and closing red lips. Her mind went blank, and she didn’t hear what was being said.

It wasn’t until Chu Yu raised her voice and called her name twice that she suddenly snapped out of it. Realizing she had been immersed in the other’s beauty, her face flushed instantly. She gave an “ah” and asked, “What did you just say?”

“I said your Auntie Ji said it wasn’t a mistake; it’s this amount.”

Mu Dingxiang finally regained her senses. She hurriedly withdrew her gaze to look elsewhere and said slowly, “But it’s too much. It shouldn’t be this amount no matter how you look at it.”

Thinking that it wasn’t convenient for Chu Yu to talk right now, she turned back into the cave to count the other bag.

The other bag was the money from selling pork. After subtracting the cost of the live pig and Shi Man’s share, there were three hundred and fifty wen left. It seemed today’s pig was a bit smaller.

By this time, Chu Yu had finished bathing. She walked in wearing a different, light-weight dress, her wet hair draped over her shoulders as she dried it with a towel. She walked over and sat beside Mu Dingxiang. A scent of soap mixed with floral fragrance wafted over. Mu Dingxiang couldn’t help but take a light breath. The image of the snowy-white skin she had just seen flashed in her mind, and her ears instantly turned a blood-red color.

Chu Yu didn’t notice this and continued with what they were just talking about. “Sister Ji looked a bit strange when she came today.”

“What was strange?”

“She kept staring at me. Even though I’m usually thick-skinned, her staring made my hair stand on end.”

Hearing this, Mu Dingxiang found it even more strange. But since the money had been accepted, it wouldn’t be right to return it. She had no idea what her Auntie’s intent was; even after racking her brain, she couldn’t find a clue, so she could only leave it for another day.

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