ebookland Chapter 182
Chapter 182
"Am I the one forcing you, or are you forcing me?" For the first time, Mother Mu faced Mu Jingmei without her usual indulgence, her tone turning cold instead.Mu Jingmei was startled by this side of her mother and took a long moment to collect herself.
"You envy others for making bestselling canned goods and getting good treatment, then work hard to do research, instead of thinking about these dishonest shortcuts. I believe that in the years I've raised you, I've never taught you to do such shameful things." Mother Mu forcefully pulled her arm free from Mu Jingmei's grip and turned to leave.
"Mom, if you don't agree to this, I won't recognize you as my mother anymore!" Seeing her mother's resolute attitude, Mu Jingmei shouted at her retreating back.
Mother Mu's steps faltered slightly. Mu Jingmei thought her threat had worked, but the next moment, Mother Mu walked on without hesitation, never once looking back.
"Mom!" Mu Jingmei's voice was hysterical, but it still failed to stop her.
Yang Dafu, who had been keeping watch ahead, turned back at the noise and saw Mother Mu walking quickly past him with a cold expression. He frowned and made his way toward Mu Jingmei.
At that moment, Mu Jingmei's eyes were red, with large tears streaming down her face.
"What happened? Why are you crying?" Yang Dafu's tone was urgent.
Mu Jingmei only cried harder, whether because her mother had refused her or because she finally realized she was losing everyone's support.
"Don't cry, just tell me—did your mother agree or not?" Yang Dafu grew impatient as Mu Jingmei remained silent.
But Mu Jingmei ignored him and turned to walk back.
"Hey, don't go! You haven't answered my question," Yang Dafu said, hurrying after her.
"What's there to ask? If you're so capable, ask my mother yourself!" Mu Jingmei snapped, quickening her pace.
"..."
After coming down the mountain, Mother Mu made her way home. When she pushed open the bedroom door, she was very careful.
Mu Deyi appeared to be still asleep on the bed. Mother Mu breathed a faint sigh of relief, took off her clothes, and climbed into bed with caution.
She hadn't been able to sleep before, but now that she was lying down, she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes. She slept surprisingly well, with no dreams, all the way until dawn.
The next morning.
When Mu Deyi got up, Mother Mu had already prepared breakfast and set it on the table.
"You're up. Go wash up and come eat. I need to head to the square early today to earn as many work points as possible," Mother Mu said with a smile.
"...All right." Mu Deyi was taken aback by Mother Mu's sudden enthusiasm. Hadn't she been restless just last night?
How could one night of sleep improve her mood so much?
Mu Deyi went outside to wash up. During breakfast, Mother Mu ate heartily, devouring large bites of coarse grain cakes without a trace of her usual delicate demeanor.
"What's gotten into you?" Mu Deyi finally asked.
When Mother Mu first came home with him, she had been ridiculed for not understanding table manners. Since then, she had been very careful, even hiring someone to teach her proper etiquette. After marrying him, she became even more particular, almost never eating so ravenously at the table. Even during their time here in the countryside, she always ate elegantly.
But today, her unrestrained manner made her seem like a true rural woman.
"Nothing. I just suddenly came to some realizations. From now on, I want to work hard and earn more work points, so we can get more grain at the end of the year." Mother Mu looked up and smiled at Mu Deyi.
She had let Haoxuan and Yongnian down too much before. She didn't expect them to forgive her. All she wanted was to save up some money for them so that, even if they never returned to the capital, they could still find wives and live decent lives.
"Do what you can, don't push yourself too hard. I'm here for everything else." Mu Deyi wasn't quite sure why a single night's sleep had changed Mother Mu's outlook, but he was happy she had come around. He only hoped it wasn't temporary.
"Mm." Mother Mu nodded firmly.
"..."
Over at the Mu household, Song Nianchu was completely unaware of what was happening. She was busy in the canning workshop. Orders for fish maw gelatin had increased significantly this month, and the raw materials were running low.
They used to buy whole fish from the village to make cans, and the fish maws were enough for gelatin. But now with the increased orders, the supply was insufficient.
Song Nianchu thought about having someone purchase maws from outside. Luckily, since they were in a fishing village, such raw materials weren't too hard to find.
After work, Song Nianchu planned to speak with Wu Zhenggui about it. But halfway there, a thin figure suddenly blocked her path.
It was Mother Mu.
Song Nianchu frowned slightly. After their last confrontation, when Song Nianchu had yelled at her, they had had no further interaction.
Had she come now to retaliate?
"Comrade Song... could we find a place to talk?" Mother Mu was still a bit intimidated by Song Nianchu, not only because of her strength but also because of her fierce words last time.
"All right." Song Nianchu studied her for a moment before nodding.
They found a somewhat secluded spot, and Song Nianchu spoke first.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Mother Mu tugged at the hem of her clothes. After a long pause, she finally lifted her head and met Song Nianchu's gaze.
"Yesterday... Jingmei came to see me."
"What did she want?" Song Nianchu's tone hardened immediately.
"She wanted me to steal your canned goods recipe." Having begun, Mother Mu held nothing back.
"Heh, she never gives up, does she?" Song Nianchu guessed as much.
"But I already refused her. I warned her not to think about taking such underhanded paths anymore."
Song Nianchu narrowed her eyes, sizing up Mother Mu.
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"Even though I refused, I know my daughter. Once she sets her mind on something, nothing can change it. I'm afraid that if I won't help her, she'll try something else. The village's canning workshop affects the livelihood of the entire community. If my daughter caused so many people harm, I couldn't make amends even with my life. So I wanted to warn you, to be careful around her."
Mother Mu spoke slowly, with a hesitant, stumbling tone, but she managed to get her point across.
"Are you telling me to be on guard against Mu Jingmei?" Song Nianchu understood Mother Mu's intention, her eyes widening in disbelief.