At first, Song Nianchu didn’t quite recognize the person standing there, but as she got closer, she realized it was Mu Deyi.
"Uncle? What are you doing here?" Song Nianchu quickened her pace to approach him.
Mu Deyi was already in a foul mood, and hearing Song Nianchu’s question only made his chest tighten with anger.
"Are you mocking me?" Mu Deyi gritted his teeth.
"Huh?" Song Nianchu was momentarily confused.
"You’ve got some nerve, little girl!" Mu Deyi’s chest heaved as he turned to leave.
The commotion seemed to have caught the attention of those inside the courtyard, and the gate swung open as Mu Shi'an stepped out.
Seeing Song Nianchu’s bewildered expression and Mu Deyi’s furious demeanor, he asked in confusion,
"What’s going on with you two?"
Did they argue again?
"Ask her yourself!" Mu Deyi spat out the words before storming off.
"What happened?" Mu Shi'an turned to Song Nianchu, his puzzlement deepening.
It was rare to see his father this angry.
"I swear, I didn’t say anything to provoke him today. The moment I got back, I saw him standing outside our house. I just asked why he was here, and he accused me of mocking him." Song Nianchu raised her hand as if to swear her innocence.
Mocking him?
Mu Shi'an lowered his gaze in thought, then suddenly remembered something and fixed his eyes on Song Nianchu.
"Did you not go to see my dad today?"
"Huh? No, why would I?" Song Nianchu blinked in confusion.
"Last night, didn’t you ask me to talk to him about becoming your village’s accountant?" Mu Shi'an reminded her.
"Didn’t Uncle Zhengui go to him?" Song Nianchu asked.
The two stared at each other, and suddenly, realization dawned on Song Nianchu.
"Oh no! Uncle Zhengui must have thought I’d go talk to your dad, but neither of us ended up going!"
Mu Shi'an: "..."
Mu Shi'an looked at her, torn between amusement and exasperation.
"No wonder he was so mad at me just now, saying I was mocking him. This is a huge misunderstanding." Song Nianchu frowned deeply.
"It’s fine. Put your things inside first, then I’ll go with you to talk to my dad again," Mu Shi'an reassured her.
"You don’t think he’ll change his mind, do you?" Song Nianchu asked tentatively.
Mu Shi'an wasn’t entirely sure either, but he didn’t voice his doubts.
"Let’s go explain first."
"Okay." Song Nianchu placed her basket in the kitchen before following Mu Shi'an to the Mu household.
It was just after work hours, and Mu Deyi had returned home in a huff, running into Mu's mother and Mu Jingmei at the doorstep.
"What’s wrong?" Mu's mother hurried forward, concerned at the sight of Mu Deyi’s expression.
"Nothing!" Mu Deyi couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d been "mocked" by a young girl, so he stormed into the courtyard instead.
But the frustration lingered, and he grabbed a broom to sweep the yard aggressively.
Mu's mother hesitated, unsure whether to approach him while he was clearly upset.
"Mom, did brother make Dad angry?" Mu Jingmei whispered.
"Your brother? I doubt it." Mu's mother frowned.
Mu Shi'an respected his father deeply—his unwavering care during Mu Deyi’s hospital stay was proof enough.
"Dad was in a good mood last night, but after brother visited, he’s like this today. And just now, Dad seemed to come from brother’s place," Mu Jingmei pointed out.
"Well..." Mu's mother wavered.
"Mom, if you don’t believe me, ask Dad yourself," Mu Jingmei urged gently.
"Dear, did you just go see Shi'an?" Mu's mother ventured.
The moment the words left her mouth, Mu Deyi stopped sweeping and snapped,
"Don’t mention that brat again!"
"See? Dad really is mad at brother," Mu Jingmei chimed in smugly.
Before Mu's mother could press further, movement at the gate caught her attention.
Song Nianchu and Mu Shi'an had arrived.
"Mom," Mu Shi'an greeted.
"Brother, what did you do to make Dad this angry? Don’t you know his health hasn’t fully recovered?" Mu Jingmei shot Mu Shi'an a gleeful look.
Their father always favored him—who would’ve thought he’d be the one to provoke such fury?
Before Mu Shi'an could respond, Song Nianchu shot Mu Jingmei a cold glare.
The girl’s tone was downright infuriating.
Mu Jingmei instinctively hid behind Mu's mother under Song Nianchu’s sharp gaze.
That woman was freakishly strong—one punch from her, and her frail frame wouldn’t survive.
Watching Mu Jingmei cower, Song Nianchu scoffed inwardly.
So spineless, yet always stirring trouble.
She turned her attention back to Mu Deyi and approached him.
"Dad..." Song Nianchu tried to soften the mood.
"Don’t call me that! I’m not your father!" Mu Deyi cut her off heatedly.
Song Nianchu rubbed her nose sheepishly—seems she’d only made things worse.
"Uncle, there’s been a misunderstanding today. I thought the village head would talk to you about the accountant position, but he assumed I would. Neither of us ended up reaching out to you."
"We truly didn’t mean to slight you. We genuinely want you for the role—why else would I have asked Shi'an to persuade you?"
"And I wasn’t slacking off either. I’ve been busy since morning—when you saw me, I’d just returned from town. The moment I realized the misunderstanding, I rushed here without even eating." Song Nianchu spoke earnestly.
She had always valued capable people. In her past life, she’d once courted a technical expert by delivering breakfast to him for a month straight.
After winning him over, her company’s performance skyrocketed, setting industry benchmarks.
Rewards only came after effort.
Mu Deyi’s expression flickered slightly at her words.
"Dad, Nianchu is telling the truth," Mu Shi'an added.
"Uncle, if you don’t believe me, I’ll take you to our village head. He can vouch for me," Song Nianchu insisted firmly.
Mu Deyi studied her, skepticism still lingering.
"Uncle, think about it—if I were really mocking you, wouldn’t I be here gloating instead of apologizing?" Song Nianchu pressed on.
Finally, Mu Deyi’s expression softened a fraction.
"Look, I even brought my account books." Song Nianchu pulled out several crumpled sheets covered in dense numbers from her pocket.
Mu Deyi glanced at the papers and winced.
"You’re telling me... these are what?"
