Volume One, Chapter 12: The Mu Family

Now that he had a bullock cart of his own, Liu Feng hurried to return the Wang family’s cart. Besides, knowing Wang Changsheng’s temper, if he didn’t return it soon, he would come knocking at his door in no time.

When Liu Feng arrived at the Wang residence, Madam Wang’s expression changed instantly upon seeing him. If eyes could kill, Liu Feng would have lost count of how many times he might have died by now. There was no need for further explanation—the matter was already out in the open. Who Madam Wang had been with in those secret rendezvous remained unknown.

Back home, Liu Feng began tidying the bullock cart. After all, it was his new support and he had to take good care of it. Once everything was done, he sat down with his two wives, and the three rested together.

Suddenly, Liu Feng made a decision. Ever since the two sisters had married in, they had yet to pay a formal visit to their natal home. Moreover, after witnessing Mu Shaoguang's miserable state the day before, Liu Feng thought it was time to take the sisters to see their father-in-law.

The Mu family had two elder brothers: the eldest, Mu Shaoliang, worked as an ordinary clerk at the county office, while the second, Mu Shaoguang, had just returned from the battlefield. Liu Feng knew the sisters were very close to their brothers since childhood. How to explain Mu Shaoguang’s condition to them now was a troubling thought.

“I’ll tell you what, once things settle down at home, I’ll take you both back to your family,” Liu Feng said.

“You’ve been married here for a long time; it’s about time to visit home,” he added.

Mu Wanqing, the clever younger sister, quickly understood and tears welled in her eyes. As the youngest, she had always been the most cherished. She had married Liu Feng, the drunkard, precisely to protect her family from misfortune.

Since coming here, the sisters had worried most about their second brother—not knowing how he fared on the battlefield, or whether he was injured.

“Husband, is that true?” she asked.

“You’ll come back with us, so Father can see how capable you’ve become,” Liu Feng assured them.

The two sisters were overjoyed. As for Mu Shaoguang’s condition, Liu Feng held back from telling them. Though they would find out eventually, it was better to keep it a secret a little longer. What if the sisters couldn’t bear the shock?

After a few more busy days setting things right at home, Liu Feng had finally managed to tidy up the dilapidated household. The cattle’s coats had grown sleek from proper feeding, so he hitched them to the cart and set off for the county seat with the two sisters.

Liu Feng was not stingy; he brought along everything available at home, including a large jar of homemade wine. He also handed Mu Wanqing a few taels of silver.

“A small sum, but it’s my token. You give it to your parents,” he said.

Mu Wanqing looked at Liu Feng’s eyes, rimmed with bloodshot veins, and felt the warmth from her new clothes. Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the money pouch.

Halfway along the way, Mu Wanqing suddenly said, “Husband, I want it now.”

“Now?” Liu Feng’s face twisted in disbelief.

“Yes, husband, right now,” Mu Wanqing echoed, and Mu Wanqing chimed in.

He truly hadn’t expected these two sisters to be so devoted to him, day and night. He now understood the key to living harmoniously with one’s spouse: always giving your partner the green light.

Looking around, the mountain path was deserted, the scenery clear and serene—a perfect moment for such affairs.

The sisters and Liu Feng shared tender moments in the grass. Two hours later, they climbed back onto the cart, laughing and chatting all the way, arriving in the county seat before nightfall.

They didn’t wander about the city but headed straight to the Mu household.

Mu Linfeng, their father, was a renowned old herbalist in the county. In his prime, he was respected and had built a family business. But after his health declined, he sold off his pharmacy and lived a quiet life at home.

Without income and with the sisters still unmarried, the government imposed heavy taxes, and their family fortune had long vanished. They were forced to sell their farmland and even their once-grand blue-stone courtyard house. Now they lived in a modest, earthen cottage on the edge of town.

The elderly couple’s life was far from affluent.

Liu Feng parked the bullock cart beside the gate. Though their fortunes had fallen, even in this humble clay courtyard, there was a hitching post by the door. The gate was swept clean, spotless.

The door opened to the sisters’ mother. Though over fifty, she did not look old. Seeing her daughters outside, tears streamed down her face.

Since ancient times, a married woman was expected to return to her natal home. Though Liu Feng had been late bringing his wives back, he had finally made the visit.

“Mother,” the two sisters knelt and wept upon seeing their beautiful mother.

The eldest brother Mu Shaoliang was away at the county office, and the second brother Mu Shaoguang, disabled from the war, lay on a bamboo chair in the yard, basking in the sun.

Beside Mu Shaoguang, an elderly man with graying temples carefully tended to his wounds—it was their father-in-law.

This was a family reunion. Liu Feng did not disturb them but wandered about quietly.

The yard smelled of herbs, with medicinal plants drying on racks. Beyond that, there was little else.

Mu Linfeng knew well what kind of man Liu Feng was. To spare the sisters hardship, Liu Feng had accompanied them with a substantial dowry. This was his way of protecting his daughters.

The last of the family fortune had been given as a dowry, which was why their current life was so difficult.

“Son-in-law, come inside and sit,” Mu Linfeng said.

“Mother, serve the tea,” the sisters urged.

After changing Mu Shaoguang’s dressings, Mu Linfeng, who usually looked down on Liu Feng, was obliged to speak out of basic courtesy. Though they were father-in-law and son-in-law, they had only met once briefly on the wedding day. Were it not for his daughter’s sake, Mu Linfeng would have ignored such a scoundrel.

“Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, you must be busy. I know times are hard. I brought Qing’er and Qing’er here with some gifts,” Liu Feng said calmly, offering a faint smile before stepping outside to fetch items from the cart.

Watching the food and wine piled up in his yard, the proud Mu Linfeng felt a surge of panic. He had been so focused on dressing Mu Shaoguang’s wounds that he hadn’t noticed the expressions on his daughter and son-in-law’s faces.

He knew Liu Feng’s character well. Seeing all these things laid out here, he feared the worst.

What he dreaded most was a broken engagement. It seemed unavoidable now—the items clearly looked like a return of the dowry.

Though fallen on hard times, Mu Linfeng had once been illustrious. Even now, people on the street would respectfully call him Doctor Mu.

If the marriage were broken off, where could he save face? The neighbors would gossip endlessly, and a divorced woman would find it hard to remarry, especially in such chaotic times.

His family would surely face exile.

“Son-in-law, what is this about? If you need anything, I’ll do my best to help,” Mu Linfeng said.

“As long as you take good care of my two girls, anything they need—food, clothing, shelter—I will help, won’t I?” he continued.

Liu Feng was dumbfounded. He had come to bring gifts to his father-in-law, yet the old man seemed to think he was trying to return them.

The two sisters were so engrossed in chatting with their mother and second brother that they forgot the tasks Liu Feng had assigned them.