Chapter 44: Good Brothers

In her previous life, Su Mu had finally made a name for herself in the business world. As her wealth increased, so did the number of people eyeing her.

Especially in ancient times when merchants had low status, Magistrate Xu was like a god in Juancheng. He would often send his subordinates to collect “protection fees” from Su Mu. During festivals and birthdays of the magistrate and his relatives, she had to send expensive gifts as bribes. When his beloved ninth son, Xu Qiyun, got married, she even sent rare flowing light silk that was hard to obtain even in the capital as a wedding gift.

If she didn’t handle these matters well, Magistrate Xu would make things difficult for her in the future.

If it was just occasional protection fees, it would have been fine. But in the year before her death, Magistrate Xu actually wanted her to cover his own mismanagement deficit. His shortfall was a full 10,000 taels of silver, and he wanted Su Mu to cover 7,000 taels, with the rest to be shared by other wealthy merchants in the city.

7,000 taels of silver was no small sum, especially in a small place like Juancheng. If she really gave 7,000 taels, if there was any cash flow problem in the future, her business would fail.

Moreover, Magistrate Xu was already over 70 years old at that time, and the imperial court was preparing to appoint a new magistrate. Su Mu offered 2,000 taels as a “filial gift” and politely declined Magistrate Xu’s request.

Naturally, this incurred Magistrate Xu’s hatred.

As luck would have it, the new magistrate’s horse was startled just before reaching Juancheng. He fell off a cliff with his carriage, and his body was too gruesome to look at.

The magistrate who was supposed to step down ended up staying in that position for another year. During this year, he didn’t miss any chance to retaliate against Su Mu, giving her the cold shoulder at banquets, and using excuses to seal some of her shops and lands to intimidate her.

Su Mu had to humble herself, apologize profusely, before finally appeasing this official.

But after that, her health deteriorated day by day, and she died before reaching 27.

At her funeral, Magistrate Xu even came to pay respects, sighing about her untimely death.

Just thinking about it made her angry. She had transmigrated to this place, worked hard to survive, never intentionally harmed or bullied anyone, and could be said to have lived a virtuous life. Yet she couldn’t outlive a vicious old woman. It was truly unfair.

Fortunately, she was reborn. Now her status was no longer that of a small merchant who could be pushed around at will. Although her wealth was not as great as in her previous life, at least her status was much higher. She didn’t have to kowtow when meeting the magistrate, and he had to treat her with courtesy.

Thinking of this, Su Mu began to look forward to tomorrow’s banquet.

“Sister Mu, the noodles are getting cold. Don’t stand outside anymore, come in quickly. Otherwise, the noodles will become soggy and won’t taste good,” Xie Miaorong called out intimately, “Sister Mu,” again, ignoring Xie Yi’s warning glare that fell on him like knife blades.

His beauty had a touch of innocence compared to Xie Yi’s, his eyes curved, filled with smiles.

Su Mu smiled at Xie Miaorong: “Yes, we shouldn’t waste Xiao Yi’s cooking skills. Your brother’s Central Plains cuisine is superb, even better than the chefs in restaurants. You should come and taste it too.”

Xie Miaorong’s smile instantly froze.

Xie Yi, standing beside them, chuckled smugly and took the initiative to hold Su Mu’s hand, entering the room together, leaving Xie Miaorong far behind.

Xie Miaorong’s face turned unpleasant. He was about to take big steps to catch up, but on second thought, he deliberately made his footsteps louder, limping even more severely than yesterday, hoping to attract Su Mu’s attention.

Sure enough, Su Mu quickly noticed his foot injury: “Miaorong, is your foot still hurting like this? Didn’t the bruise medicine I gave you yesterday have any effect?”

Xie Miaorong furrowed his delicate brows, exuding a sense of frailty: “I used the medicine Sister Mu gave me as soon as I returned to my room, but the injured area still hurts today. Perhaps it’s because brother made me chop firewood earlier, aggravating the injury.”

Xie Yi’s eyes turned cold, sweeping fiercely over Xie Miaorong, then lowered his gaze and said by Su Mu’s side: “Sister Mu, I didn’t realize Miaorong’s injury was this serious.”

“It’s alright.” Su Mu held his hand and patted it gently, as if tenderly comforting him: “Miaorong is injured and shouldn’t do heavy work. He doesn’t need to do it in the future.”

“Thank you, Sister Mu.” Xie Miaorong smiled sweetly, the corners of his eyes raised proudly, like a rooster that had defeated its rival, raising its neck high.

Su Mu’s smile spread to her lips, rippling like spring water, making one’s heart race: “I treat Xiao Yi as my future husband, so in terms of seniority, you should be considered my younger brother-in-law. We’re all family, no need to be polite. It’s only natural.”

The smile in Xie Miaorong’s eyes instantly faded a bit.

Su Mu continued: “As for your foot injury, since there’s no external wound, and it doesn’t seem to be as painful as a bone fracture, yet you’re still limping, you should indeed rest well. In my opinion, you shouldn’t get out of bed for the next few days. Otherwise, if you really become disabled in the future, your brother and I will both be sad for you.”

Xie Miaorong’s lips instantly stiffened: “Sister Mu, my injury is just an old one. It’s actually almost healed. It won’t lead to disability.”

Su Mu’s eyes curved slightly as she smiled: “That won’t do. Since it’s an injury, it naturally needs to be nursed properly, without any negligence. This way, it will be easier for Xiao Yi to find a match for you in the future. Come, eat your noodles.”

“…Alright.” Xie Miaorong, feeling deflated, picked up his chopsticks with little enthusiasm.

“Sister Mu, here’s a bowl of vegetable soup. If you find the noodles too salty, you can drink the soup to balance the taste,” Xie Yi said, ladling a bowl of vegetable soup for her.

His sleeves were rolled up above his wrists due to cooking in the kitchen earlier, revealing his slender yet strong wrists, as white and delicate as young bamboo shoots. Although he kept his head lowered, from Su Mu’s angle, she could still see the excitement and secret delight in his eyes.

Su Mu took his hand and pulled the chair beside her closer. She patted the chair lightly and said softly, “Sit here and keep me company while I eat.”

“Alright.” Xie Yi pursed his lips, his smile about to overflow, and obediently sat next to Su Mu, their clothes brushing against each other.

The little excitement in Xie Yi’s heart grew even more rampant, as if a thousand little birds were fluttering their wings inside. His heart felt like it was about to burst. Before he knew it, he had finished his bowl of noodles, while Xie Miaorong was still eating listlessly, occasionally casting resentful glances at Su Mu.

Su Mu ate slowly and gracefully, chewing gently, occasionally taking a sip of the vegetable soup. A small gleam of moisture clung to her slightly reddened lips.

Xie Yi’s throat moved involuntarily as he looked at the noodles in her bowl, pondering. They were the same noodles, a common breakfast in ordinary households, yet when she ate them, it seemed like a royal feast. It made him crave to know if the taste in her bowl was different from what he had eaten, and he yearned for that glistening moisture on her red lips.

Xie Yi lowered his gaze, steadying his overly heated gaze, and saw the invitation card that Su Mu had casually tossed aside.

Author’s Note: Welcome to the free reading website: Meiwu Novel Website Address:

The invitation card was adorned with elegant patterns. Because Su Mu had carelessly tossed it aside, the black characters on the white paper inside were visible. He tilted his head and read it carefully, then disappointedly shifted his gaze back.

“Did you want to look at it?” Su Mu had been watching him for some time.

Xie Yi, realizing that Su Mu had seen him tilting his head, furrowing his brows, and carefully reading the characters, felt embarrassed and uncomfortable: “No, I was just curious about what was written on it, but unfortunately, I can’t read.”

“It’s alright, many people can’t read… But if you want to learn, I can teach you.”

Xie Yi’s eyes instantly lit up with a dazzling light: “Really?”

Su Mu smiled as she scooped up a spoonful of vegetable soup and brought it to her lips: “Of course it’s true. Although there’s a saying in the Central Plains that ‘a man without talent is virtuous’, it’s always good to read more and understand principles.”

Xie Yi was both expectant and hesitant: “But wouldn’t that disturb Sister Mu’s reading?”

“How could it? I have time now anyway. When I review my books at night, you can come to my room and learn with me. Over time, you’ll be able to recognize quite a few characters,” Su Mu said.

Xie Yi nervously and excitedly clutched Su Mu’s sleeve: “Alright.”

More than the joy of learning to read, what excited Xie Yi most was that Su Mu finally allowed him to stay by her side and serve her while she read.

In the past, when Su Mu read late into the night, she wouldn’t let him serve her, sending him to his room early to sleep. But just thinking that Su Mu was still awake, how could he sleep? He would toss and turn, only able to rest after the lights in Su Mu’s room went out.

“Sister Mu, I want to learn to read too. Can you teach me as well?” Xie Miaorong suddenly interjected.

Xie Yi smiled coldly, his smile not reaching his eyes: “Miaorong, have you forgotten what Sister Mu just told you? She asked you not to get out of bed for the next few days, to rest and heal your leg in your room. We can talk about learning to read later.”

“But,” Xie Miaorong said reluctantly, “Sister Mu has time now. Who knows when she’ll have time again in the future.”

Xie Yi’s eyes darkened as he said coldly: “You only think of Sister Mu. Have you forgotten you still have a brother? When I learn it later, I can teach you just the same. Or do you think my teaching won’t be good enough, and only Sister Mu’s teaching will do?”

Xie Miaorong pressed his lips together: “Brother, that’s not what I meant.”

Seeing the two brothers arguing over this matter, Su Mu smiled and mediated: “Miaorong, actually your brother learns things very quickly. Whether it’s cooking or embroidery, he’s at a level that even makes teachers marvel. After your injury heals, having your brother teach you will be just as good.”

With Su Mu saying this, Xie Miaorong couldn’t push further even if he wanted to, and had to give up: “Alright, we’ll do as Sister Mu says.”

Xie Yi stood up beside Xie Miaorong and asked, “Are you finished eating?”

Xie Miaorong nodded: “Yes, why?”

“If you’re done eating, of course I need to help you back to your room. It was my mistake to make you chop firewood earlier. Don’t worry, before your injury heals, I absolutely won’t let you get out of bed. Just stay in bed and rest well. I’ll bring all your meals to you,” Xie Yi said firmly as he forcefully led Xie Miaorong back to his room.

As soon as the door closed, a chill appeared on Xie Yi’s face: “Have you forgotten what I told you yesterday? You dare to call her like that again?”

Xie Miaorong sat on the edge of the bed, frowning and saying reluctantly: “Brother, you’re really biased, monopolizing such a good woman all to yourself. But don’t forget, your status isn’t much different from mine. Although she likes you and has promised to marry you, you’re not officially married yet. Who knows if some vixen outside might steal her heart? Can you keep her all by yourself?”

Xie Yi furrowed his brows deeply: “That’s none of your business.”

“Brother, why don’t you let me help you? If we brothers serve one wife together, we’d have a better chance. Women can never resist this.”