"Dad, I really don’t have any secret techniques, if you don’t believe me, ask Shuangshuang how she works!"

Yu Si Niang was also at her wit’s end. When it comes to working, either you’re naturally faster, or you practice a lot.

What kind of secret technique could there be?

"Grandpa, what my mom said is true, we’re not lying to you!"

Mu Shuangshuang felt that Mr. Mu was just grasping at straws in desperation. Having farmed all his life, as long as you don’t slack off, how slow can you really work?

"That’s not okay, Si Niang, you come with me to that side and make a demonstration, let those brats see how others work."

Mr. Mu insisted on taking Yu Si Niang over, actually to give himself a way out.

Since he came, if he couldn’t get even one daughter-in-law to help, wouldn’t he lose face?

Yu Si Niang said, "But I haven’t finished my work here yet."

Mr. Mu was getting a bit impatient. Even calling a daughter-in-law seemed to be an effort.

"I told you to go, so go! What’s with all the fuss? There’s a big family waiting to see!" urged Mr. Mu.

This finally provoked Mu Shuangshuang.

Mu Shuangshuang grasped the sickle tightly in her hand, her expression not pleasant.

"Grandpa, it’s not Shuangshuang saying this, but my uncles and cousins, it’s not that they don’t know how to work, they just don’t want to work.

No matter how sharp the axe, if you don’t swing it, it’s just a heap of scrap iron after a while.

Rather than seeking out some secret technique, it’s better to practice well and not be lazy."

Mu Shuangshuang actually didn’t want to say this because it’s an old and tired topic.

When the third branch split off, the double harvest of the Old Mu Family just stopped there, unfinished for a long time.

Mr. Mu didn’t learn his lesson but wanted to find shortcuts instead.

He’s really muddleheaded!

Being hit where it hurts, Mr. Mu sighed deeply, feeling somehow upset.

The little old man stood in the field, suddenly looking much older.

Mu Shuangshuang did not pity him. As the saying goes, "The wicked will be ground by the wicked."

Mr. Mu usually indulged his sons’ laziness, and now it turns out like this, serves him right!

"Grandpa, if there’s nothing else, my mom and I will get back to work!" Mu Shuangshuang finished speaking and buried herself in her work.

She grabbed a handful of rice stalks in one hand and a sickle in the other, cutting it down before Mr. Mu could even react.

That speed was unmatched, even compared to Mr. Mu’s decades of farming.

Mr. Mu watched in surprise, and in no time, a whole row of rice was cut down.

She noticed that Shuangshuang didn’t rest during the process, didn’t drink water, and didn’t shout out in fatigue like the other members of the Old Mu Family.

Mr. Mu suddenly felt extremely envious. How great it would be if this granddaughter were still his, the farm work would be finished quickly.

"Shuangshuang, come with me for a walk, help grandpa cure your uncle’s laziness, and I’ll give your third branch twenty pounds of shelled cotton."

Twenty pounds of shelled cotton was quite a sum for a farm family.

It’s just enough for each person in the third branch to get a new cotton jacket, and with two kids, there would definitely be some left over.

She could even buy some more cotton to make one for Fengzi and Yuanbao.

Such a good deal, Mu Shuangshuang didn’t even hesitate to nod.

"Grandpa, I’ll go for this task. But you know the temper of my uncles and cousins, they might not listen to Shuangshuang!"

Mr. Mu also thought of this, knowing that his sons were proud and arrogant, typical cases of being ambitious but incompetent.

The girl surely couldn’t command them.

"This is how it will be: today’s work is yours to assign. Anyone who doesn’t treat you well, you can make him work alone, or even skip lunch and dinner. I’ll back you up!"

This was probably the only sensible thing Mr. Mu had said.

However, in Mu Shuangshuang’s view, it was also for the sake of those fields of the Old Mu Family.

Going further, it was for Mu Dade.

The harvest here, according to the usual routine, apart from taxes and family consumption, all the rest was sold to fund Mu Dade’s studies.

Now that Mu Dade had passed the imperial exam, although there were court subsidies and some grains.

But once blood is sucked dry, it’s hard to let go.

Mu Shuangshuang, carrying her sickle, followed Mr. Mu to the Old Mu Family’s fields.

It was better not to look, but upon arrival, there was not a single person working.

They were all playing in the fields, even the most honest Mu Dajiang stood there holding his sickle.

After almost an hour, not even a portion of the Old Mu Family’s land was harvested.

Not to mention Mr. Mu being furious, even Mu Shuangshuang was half scared to death.

If this went on, it’s not just the Old Mu Family having problems with the third branch, but with such an attitude, they’d all starve eventually.

"Dad, why did you bring the girl over? Is she here to do the work for our family?" Mu Dazhong approached, looking excited.

Everyone was surprised, expecting Yu Si Niang to come, but it was Mu Shuangshuang instead.

"Second Son, what are you talking about? Shuangshuang is here to teach you all how to work. Pay attention, if you don’t learn, you won’t eat today!" Mr. Mu said.

Upon hearing that she wasn’t here to help, everyone deflated like punctured balls.

"Dad, you’re kidding, how can the girl’s work compare to the third sister-in-law, she’s famously fast!" Mu Dazhong said.

"Alright, stop jabbering, watch Shuangshuang’s demonstration!"

Mu Shuangshuang gripped the sickle tightly and cast a sweeping glance at everyone.

"Uncles, aunts, sisters, and brothers, Shuangshuang asks all of you to find a patch of field, pick up your sickles."

This request from Mu Shuangshuang was actually devoid of any real intent because she knew the Old Mu Family would hardly listen.

Sure enough, apart from the fourth branch’s Mu Dajiang and Mu Xiaxia, no one paid attention to Mu Shuangshuang.

Mu Shuangshuang worked at the previous speed and cut through a patch of the Old Mu Family’s field, then laid down her sickle.

"Today we’ll harvest the rice using the previous incentive system, whoever finishes first can go home first.

And today’s meals aren’t divided; the first to finish work can eat first, meaning food portions aren’t controlled.

Of course, those who don’t work, don’t eat!"

Mu Shuangshuang used a tactic previously employed. The reason for the Old Mu Family’s laziness was communal meals.

Everything was done together, but the rewards were shared equally.

Like, everyone works, you work the hardest, you’re the fastest, but you always get the same as everyone else.

As time goes on, you become like everyone else, thinking of slacking off to play.

Just like the fourth branch.

When the third branch was around, at least there was someone to compare misery, now that they’re no longer there, even the fourth branch is starting to get assimilated.

At least when Mu Shuangshuang came, the fourth branch was also slacking off.

"Girl, since when do you have the right to decide the affairs of our family? Dividing meals and dishes is your grandma’s responsibility, what right do you have to decide?" Mrs. Lin said bluntly.

"Grandpa, explain it to my second aunt, she doesn’t want to work!"