Old Mrs. Mu’s fabricated story clearly couldn’t hold up.

Because anyone with a brain would know that the person who had just walked with Mu Shuangshuang was the Xue Family’s second son, Xue Yi.

Though Qingshan Town wasn’t a bustling small town, it had certainly produced a few well-known individuals.

Xue Family’s eldest son, Xue Houcheng, definitely counted as one, holding a significant position in the capital. Even the county magistrate might not dare to confront the Xue Family head-on.

For Old Mrs. Mu, a mere countryside woman, to dare to speak slanderously of Xue Family’s second son, she clearly hadn’t figured out the situation.

But neither Aunt Qin nor Qin Shijie exposed her lie, as all they cared about was Mu Xiangxiang and didn’t mind what others did.

Because of Qin Shijie’s silence, Old Mrs. Mu grew increasingly pleased with him.

Everyone began to prepare for dinner.

Mrs. Lin longingly watched as Qin Shijie and Aunt Qin ordered a ton of dishes, mostly large fish and meat dishes, with just the beef amounting to two jin.

These were things Mrs. Lin would absolutely not have access to at home.

Yet she dared not move forward, for fear of being scolded or beaten by Old Mrs. Mu.

Mrs. Lin averted her gaze, only to see the table where Yu Si Niang was dining. The golden fried chicken emitted an alluring aroma.

Mrs. Lin’s tongue was almost hanging out, and when she looked back at her own table, seeing only two green vegetables, she instantly lost her appetite.

However, the family of the fourth room was eating with great relish, not thinking there was anything wrong with the food they had.

...

...

In the private room prepared by Xue Yi

Mu Shuangshuang, Lu Yuanfeng, along with the Xue Family’s Old Mrs. Xue, Xue Yi, and Xue Zheng, made up a table of five.

The dishes on the table were identical to those on Yu Si Niang’s table, except for having a slightly smaller portion.

"Shuang, I heard from Xue Yi that you made all this food yourself? Specifically for Zheng’er?"

Old Mrs. Xue was in a good mood, her smile deepening the wrinkles on her face.

The reason was nothing other than her eldest grandson, Xue Zheng, being willing to come out.

Though he was only willing to be around Mu Shuangshuang,

it was still a significant progress. According to Shuangshuang, given gradual exposure to the outside world, he would soon get better.

"Yes, these are a mix of meat and vegetables. Madam, try the Mapo tofu and the soup; they’re particularly delicious."

Mu Shuangshuang introduced the dishes while serving a bowl of soup to Xue Zheng.

"Drink it, after which we can have fried chicken, which is really good," Mu Shuangshuang said with a smile to Xue Zheng.

Xue Zheng didn’t speak but picked up the bowl and began drinking the soup hastily.

Old Mrs. Xue also served herself and asked Mu Shuangshuang after just one sip.

"Shuang, what kind of soup is this, why is it so savory?"

"Madam, this is fresh flavor soup, made with three ingredients: kelp, meatballs, and mushrooms. It’s very simple to make but tastes especially fresh."

Old Mrs. Xue nodded.

"You, girl, have such good cooking skills, much better than those lousy chefs in Ah Zheng’s restaurant. If they all could cook like you, I, an old lady, wouldn’t lack appetite."

Seeing this, Xue Yi quickly tried to flatter his mother, "Mom, how about I kick all those below out and let Miss Shuangshuang cook for our restaurant?"

"You’re talking nonsense! Such a big restaurant kitchen to manage by Shuang alone, are you trying to work her to death?" Old Mrs. Xue scolded.

Even Xue Zheng, who was drinking soup, looked up and glared at Xue Yi.

Xue Yi was filled with frustration, thinking he was just joking. Did even kids have to look down on him?

"Mom, I was just joking. If you don’t like it, I won’t say it again." Xue Yi responded.

"Now that’s right!" Old Mrs. Xue rolled her eyes at Xue Yi, then turned with a kind demeanor towards Mu Shuangshuang.

"Shuang, after dinner, I’ll have someone invite your mother and aunt up for some tea and snacks.

Besides, I have something for them. Since they rarely come, it wouldn’t do not to meet."

Old Mrs. Xue wasn’t unreasonable; bringing out Shuangshuang with her mother and aunt suggested that they wanted to buy things in town.

But since her son made such a large table of dishes and occupied the girl’s time, causing them only to wait in the restaurant, she had to make some amends.

"Madam, you don’t need to prepare anything. Today, Mr. Xue has paid me wages for this meal, and Shuang is not at a loss." Mu Shuangshuang declined anything from Old Mrs. Xue.

"Alright, don’t mention him. He’s stingy as hell. What he paid you probably isn’t even as much as hiring a top chef for a day."

Mu Shuangshuang chuckled and buried her head into eating.

No sooner did Mu Shuangshuang lower her head, two pieces of fried chicken appeared in her bowl.

One from the left was Lu Yuanfeng, and the right was Xue Zheng. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Mu Shuangshuang could understand Fengzi. After all, she was meant to be his future wife, and fattening her up was his wish.

But Xue Zheng, this Little Douding, wasn’t he unwilling to speak? Didn’t he ignore people?

Mu Shuangshuang turned to look at Xue Zheng, but he met her question with silence.

"Never mind, since given, I’ll eat it!" Mu Shuangshuang thought to herself.

Putting down her chopsticks, Mu Shuangshuang impolitely began eating the fried chicken. The golden exterior was crispy, and the inside was even tastier.

After a crunch or two, Xue Zheng, sitting next to her, suddenly dropped his gaze onto Mu Shuangshuang.

As he hesitated about whether to eat or not, Mu Shuangshuang freed up a hand and picked up her chopsticks to give Xue Zheng a piece of fried chicken.

"Mutual aid, you gave me yours, and I finished it all. What I pass to you, you must eat it all too!"

Xue Zheng was slightly startled, and his gaze at Mu Shuangshuang was somewhat flickering, making her think he might say something, like whether he liked it or not,

but he didn’t. Xue Zheng picked up the chicken piece from the bowl and ate it alone, saying not a single word to Mu Shuangshuang.

Basically, the way Mu Shuangshuang and Xue Zheng interacted was like this. Although there was a lot of silence, it felt easy.

Sometimes, when Mu Shuangshuang did something, Xue Zheng was mostly cooperative.

He would eat what he was given, but still, he wasn’t a man of many words.

Old Mrs. Xue had been observing Mu Shuangshuang and Xue Zheng for some time and now had an idea. Perhaps she should let her Zheng’er go out with Shuang, even if just to the countryside.

After the meal, Old Mrs. Xue sipped tea, chatting leisurely with Mu Shuangshuang, while eagerly awaiting the arrival of Yu Si Niang, Zhao Yun, and their kids.

Xue Zheng wasn’t in the room at this moment; Xue Yi had arranged a separate room for him. This was also why Old Mrs. Xue felt at ease inviting Shuangshuang’s mother.

Xue Zheng was timid and felt uncomfortable around strangers.

Since he wasn’t here now, Old Mrs. Xue did whatever she wanted.

After two cups of tea, Yu Si Niang and Zhao Yun came in with their kids.

The two people, along with the four little kids behind them, were very reserved.