Mu Dazhong refused to work unless Mu Danian started working first.

But Mu Danian was waiting with evidence against the eldest branch, no one dared to throw him out!

"Daddy Gou Dan, Fifth isn’t working, should we?" Mrs. Lin asked again.

Mu Dazhong gritted his teeth, hesitated a moment, then irritably said: "Work, if he doesn’t work, we will. No more talking about it. The ones who finish first can eat first, we can eat up all the food Mother prepared and starve that bastard!"

When Mu Dazhong finished speaking, he began to work.

After all, he’s been alive for so many years, he knows clearly when to yield.

Especially at times like this when the Old Mu Family is still unstable.

The others saw Mu Dazhong had started working and quickly followed suit.

Initially, Mu Danian was unwilling too, but seeing even the usually lazy Mu Dazhong, who would use the excuse of going to the toilet to slack off, getting to work seriously.

Feeling uneasy, he picked up a sickle from the ground and started working alongside the others.

Only Mu Xiangxiang and the two girls from the eldest branch continued playing by the field’s edge.

Mu Shuangshuang didn’t go up to reprimand them, knowing they’d be punished later as an example for the monkeys, those who don’t work.

Soon, it was midday, and the second branch finished their work and left happily.

Mu Danian still had a bit left, but didn’t want to finish it, intending to sneak away with the second branch. However, Mu Shuangshuang stopped him.

"Uncle, your work isn’t finished yet, where are you going?"

Mu Danian rudely replied: "What business is it of yours, you brat, don’t meddle in my affairs!"

Mu Danian followed the second branch up the field slope.

The second branch was naturally unwilling.

"Dad, I just had a miscarriage and finished all the work, why can Fifth leave without finishing his?" Mrs. Lin pointed at Mu Danian.

"Let the beast leave and see if I give him lunch today. You second branch go back and eat without worrying about him!" Mr. Mu frowned, displeased with Mu Danian’s behavior.

"Dad, I’m just hungry, can I eat and then come back to finish?" Mu Danian pleaded with Mr. Mu.

In the past, Mr. Mu would have agreed, but the situation was different now.

If the Old Mu Family continued like this, none of them would work.

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eat. Besides eating, what else do you know? You’ve shamed the face of the Old Mu Family.

Go home and look, what kind of woman have you hidden in the house? If people find out, who would dare marry you?"

Mr. Mu was so angry he could spit blood, squeezing the sickle in his hand tightly, tendons bulging, a sign of impending rage.

But Mu Danian was oblivious, having used such tricks often and getting away with it every time.

Mu Danian climbed up the field bank, just about to move forward when a whirlwind hit.

Pain shot through his back, as Mr. Mu kicked him.

Mu Danian rolled down the slope, head towards the ground, legs up in the air, diving straight into someone else’s paddy field.

Mr. Mu rushed up, pulled Mu Danian out of the field like pulling out a scallion, and then started punching him relentlessly.

"You dare slack off, you refuse to work, how did my Old Mu Family produce something like you."

"Look at your third brother, look at your fourth brother, none of them are as lazy as you, being asked to do a bit of work feels like they’re asking for your life."

"Why don’t you just die from laziness, suffocate from a urinal, or drown from drinking water?"

Mr. Mu beat and scolded, full of grievances and anger, all vented on Mu Danian.

Under his fist, Mu Danian cried and wailed, begging and pleading.

But Mr. Mu turned a deaf ear.

This time, Mr. Mu was truly angry, otherwise, he wouldn’t have cursed so harshly.

In Mr. Mu’s eyes, other families are harmonious.

No matter how lazy, during the harvest and autumn pause, they wouldn’t slack off.

They hurried to get all their harvest home.

Sort everything out at home.

But his sons feared doing even a little more work.

Fear that the work they do would benefit someone else.

Always thinking only of themselves, if they have enough to eat, if they’re having enough fun.

Whenever there are benefits, they flock together.

As Mr. Mu beat Mu Danian, his heart ached badly.

His back, already curved from years of farm work, now hunched even more.

Mu Shuangshuang watched the commotion, didn’t step forward to intervene.

Because she knew Mr. Mu was doing the right thing.

If this wasn’t addressed now, sooner or later they’d commit a serious mistake.

All bad habits start small, from minor matters.

To prosper, laziness must be eliminated.

Mr. Mu was tired of kicking, Mu Danian cried out from exhaustion.

He quietly went to the field bank and finished the work he neglected.

Mu Xiangxiang and the two girls from the eldest branch watched each other, frightened.

In their memories, Mr. Mu rarely got physical.

The one who liked to get physical was Old Mrs. Mu.

"Sis, should we still work?" Mu Yingying nudged Mu Dandan’s arm.

"Why work, it’s noon, I’m hungry, let’s go back," Mu Dandan said.

Mu Dandan was certain Mr. Mu wouldn’t dare hit them, as they were daughters of a scholar, they shouldn’t be doing farm work in such a place.

"Should we go back?" Mu Yingying was still fearful.

"Of course!"

Finished speaking, the two girls climbed up the field bank, followed by Mu Xiangxiang, trotting back home.

No one cared about Mr. Mu huffing and puffing on the field bank, nor did anyone offer to help the little old man up.

Mu Shuangshuang suddenly found Mr. Mu’s life truly pathetic.

On the surface, his sons all listened to him, but when it came to work and personal benefits, they pushed each other around!

"Grandpa, Shuangshuang will help you up!"

...

...

When Mu Shuangshuang returned to the Old Mu Family, she had barely warmed her seat when Mr. Mu had Mu Xiaxia send over a bag of cotton.

After being criticized by Mu Shuangshuang last time, Mu Xiaxia had restrained herself quite a bit.

At least, she was less openly hostile towards Mu Shuangshuang.

"Sister Shuangshuang, grandpa said you can go or not in the afternoon, anyway the cotton is for you!"

Mr. Mu’s meaning was clear, Mu Shuangshuang gave him advice, he would follow this method to discipline the people of the Old Mu Family.

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish!

Since Shuangshuang had given good advice, whether she came or not, to Mr. Mu, was no longer that important.

"Alright!"

Taking the bag, Mu Shuangshuang checked it, it was this year’s newly harvested cotton.

But the color was not pure white, the cotton inside the bag had a slight yellowish tinge, likely cotton that had been rained on.

Indeed, Mr. Mu wasn’t any different from the rest.