Wu Zhenggui turned his head at these words, his eyes filled with displeasure.
"She's rushing to save a life, not running away and leaving you behind."
Mu's mother was instantly rendered speechless by Wu Zhenggui's retort. Tears clung to the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall but not quite doing so, making her look oddly comical.
Wu Zhenggui couldn’t be bothered to waste time with such people. He turned to face Mu Yongnian and Mu Haoxuan.
"Did you hear what your eldest sister-in-law just said?"
"We heard," Mu Yongnian nodded.
"Then why are you still standing here?"
"We’re leaving now." Mu Yongnian took Mu Haoxuan’s hand and immediately headed toward Song Nianchu’s house.
"Yongnian, where are you taking your brother?" Mu's mother called out anxiously as they walked away.
"I’m going to look after Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law’s house." Mu Yongnian paused slightly but didn’t turn to look at her.
"Why should you look after their house? You’re part of the Mu family! Just because Eldest Brother married into their family, does that mean you all have to follow?" Mu Jingmei’s tone turned icy when addressing her younger brothers.
For the past two days, they had been running off outside, leaving no one to fetch water or heat bathwater for her. She hadn’t had a proper bath in two days, forced to make do with just a towel.
Mu Yongnian had intended to ignore her, but Mu Jingmei’s words were too much to bear. He spun around, glaring at her in anger.
"Why do you keep bringing up Eldest Brother marrying into their family? He only did it to help you, to help our family! Instead of being grateful, why do you keep twisting the knife in his heart?!"
His voice was loud, almost a shout.
Normally, Mu Yongnian was the most even-tempered in the family. Mu Shi'an, though reliable, was cold and distant, rarely speaking. Mu Haoxuan was a troublemaker, prone to tantrums when upset—something Mu Jingmei despised.
Only Mu Yongnian was obedient and mild-mannered, carrying out her requests without complaint. He had always treated her with respect, never raising his voice at her before.
But now, he was yelling at her?
"Mu Yongnian, what kind of attitude is this? I’m your sister!" Mu Jingmei’s chest heaved with fury.
"I know you’re my sister, which is why I’ve put up with you for so long. But why do you only think of yourself and never consider the rest of us?"
"You knew Father was at home. You knew Haoxuan is just a child. Why did you have to pick a fight with him?"
"Fighting is bad enough, but why did you have to use Eldest Brother’s situation to hurt him? Father is in the house—we’ve all been keeping it from him. Why do you keep shouting about it?"
"And it was you who made Father cough up blood, yet you blamed it all on Haoxuan! Other sisters protect their brothers, but you—you’ve always bullied us!"
Mu Yongnian poured out years of pent-up frustration in one breath.
His outburst left not only Mu Jingmei stunned but also Mu's mother, who stood frozen nearby.
"You—you’ve lost your mind! That Song Nianchu has bewitched you, making you forget who your real family is!" Mu Jingmei’s fingers trembled with rage.
"I don’t think you’ve ever treated us as family. To you, we’re just outsiders." Mu Yongnian wasn’t intimidated. He glanced at Mu's mother, who stood dumbfounded, as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he swallowed his words and led Mu Haoxuan away.
His mother had always favored his second sister. No matter what they said, she wouldn’t believe them. There was no point wasting his breath.
"Go, both of you! Once you leave, don’t come back! Let’s see how long that woman can support you two freeloaders!" Mu Jingmei screamed at their retreating figures.
Even after shouting, she still seethed, her chest tight with resentment.
"Jingmei, what did Yongnian mean just now?" Mu's mother finally regained some composure, looking at her daughter in confusion.
She hadn’t been home when Mu Haoxuan and Mu Jingmei argued. Later, Mu Jingmei came to her, saying Mu's father had coughed up blood, so she rushed back.
Mu Jingmei never told her the truth—that Mu's father had been provoked into it. She had assumed his condition had worsened.
"Mom, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I was just panicking when Father spat blood. Besides, that brat Haoxuan said he’d never come home again, that he was moving in with Song Nianchu! I only wanted to discipline him, but he wouldn’t listen—he even cursed and hit me! I was so upset, I spoke without thinking."
"So… it really was you?" Mu's mother’s eyes widened in shock.
"Mom, I told you, it wasn’t on purpose! Haoxuan was the one who started it! He’s my father—how could I ever want to upset him?" Mu Jingmei quickly steadied her mother.
"I…" Mu's mother’s mind was in chaos, unable to think straight.
"Mom, ever since our family’s assets were seized, Father’s health has declined. He’s been in and out of sleep—his condition worsening is only natural. But don’t worry, no matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side." Mu Jingmei embraced her mother gently.
She was an expert at coaxing her mother, knowing exactly what to say and how to act to soften her heart.
Sure enough, Mu's mother’s expression eased slightly.
"Alright. Just be more careful with your words from now on. Your father isn’t as strong as he used to be—he can’t handle stress."
"I know." Mu Jingmei lowered her eyes obediently.
"Let’s go to work. Who knows how much your father’s hospital visit will cost? We need to work harder." Mu's mother regained some rationality.
"...Alright." Mu Jingmei had no desire to work, but with her mother still upset, she couldn’t refuse. Reluctantly, she followed her out.
Meanwhile, Mu Shi'an was hauling Mu's father on a wooden cart toward the county hospital.
He had never pulled such a cart before, and the rural roads were uneven, making the journey grueling.
Beads of sweat rolled down his temples and dripped from his jaw, his face flushed red with exertion.
Song Nianchu couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She stepped forward and grabbed the cart.
Feeling the added force, Mu Shi'an turned in confusion.
"I’ll pull. You push from behind." Song Nianchu said firmly.
Mu Shi'an opened his mouth to refuse, but before he could speak, Song Nianchu snatched the cart from him.
"Now’s not the time for hesitation. At this rate, we won’t reach the hospital before dark. Do you really want to watch your father die here?" Her expression was grave.
