"Mom, what are you yelling about? What thief came? What was stolen?"

Mrs. Lin, acting as if she knew nothing, came to ask Old Mrs. Mu.

"The chicken, that barred rock hen. I saw it just yesterday, how come it’s gone today!"

Old Mrs. Mu was cursing under her breath, and her words were quite unpleasant.

Mrs. Lin felt a bit guilty because that barred rock hen was currently lying in her room.

Her husband, Mu Dazhong, hadn’t left the house since coming back from Mountain Village.

No one at home knew he had returned. Today, he said he wanted to eat chicken, so Mrs. Lin boldly and secretly put a hen away, then hurried to her own room.

"Mom, it’s broad daylight, the chicken is surely outside, you wait a bit more, it might return by nightfall!" said Mrs. Lin.

Old Mrs. Mu heard this and was infuriated.

"Bah! What nonsense are you talking, I told you yesterday, Xiangxiang is coming today, don’t let the chickens out today, once Xiangxiang picks a chicken, we’ll kill that one!"

Old Mrs. Mu’s spit sprayed all over Mrs. Lin’s face, making her feel extremely disgusted.

Yet she could only smile apologetically, "You’re right, Mom, I remembered wrong, remembered wrong..."

"Mom, the chicken should be in the yard, shouldn’t be far, let’s search around, maybe we’ll find it in a pile of hay!" said Mu Zhenzhen from the side.

"Second sister is right, but Mom, you should search everyone’s house, we have quite a few thieves at home, could very well be a family thief!" As Mu Xiangxiang spoke, her gaze openly fell on Mrs. Lin.

It seemed like she was reminding Old Mrs. Mu that Mrs. Lin was the thief!

Mrs. Lin felt even more guilty inside, but she still leaned forward, narrowed her neck, and retorted: "Little Aunt Dog Egg, just speak, why are you looking at me? What, you want to say I’m the thief?"

"Am I right or not, I don’t know, but I do know, second sister and I want to eat chicken, whoever stole the chicken, it’s as if they’re against us!" Mu Xiangxiang retorted back at Mrs. Lin.

"You... you’re throwing mud at me! Let’s call Dad to judge, see this matter, who’s right or wrong!"

"Alright, enough with the arguing, just a small thing, and you want to escalate this to your father, aren’t you embarrassed?" Old Mrs. Mu scolded.

In fact, she didn’t want Mrs. Lin to escalate this matter to her husband.

Since getting married, Xiangxiang had been coming home frequently.

Every visit, she was treated with good food and drink, sometimes, that wasn’t even enough, and Old Mrs. Mu would give her something to take home.

It’s like the common phrase ’eat and take away’!

But a married daughter, after all, is a married daughter.

No matter how much Old Mrs. Mu loved her, she had to consider Mr. Mu’s feelings.

Her husband had long said, for Xiangxiang’s visit, no special food should be prepared, just something ordinary would do!

If it escalates, not only would the chicken not be found, but she would also get scolded!

"Mom, this is Little Aunt Dog Egg falsely accusing me, if she hadn’t said that, I surely wouldn’t ask Dad!" Mrs. Lin responded incessantly.

"Alright, you troublesome woman, get back to your doghouse!" Old Mrs. Mu shouted.

Mrs. Lin put on a reluctant look, but inside, she was delighted.

She could return and enjoy the chicken...

As Mrs. Lin left, Old Mrs. Mu thought about her lost chicken, and it gave her a headache.

Seeing this, Mu Xiangxiang said, "Mom, we have to search, every household, we’ll find it eventually!"

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Mu first searched through the pile of hay in the chicken coop, finding nothing, she went to the fourth branch.

She searched every corner of the fourth branch’s room thoroughly.

The bed was disheveled, the cabinets opened, even the table drawers were searched.

She treated Mu Danian’s house the same way.

Soon it was the third branch, and Old Mrs. Mu, along with Mu Xiangxiang and Mu Zhenzhen, was grandly heading to the third branch.

Just like before, over a missing bun, they charged into the third branch to strip Yu Si Niang of her clothes for punishment.

By this time, the third branch was quite lively, Mrs. Bai, Yu Si Niang, Zhao Yun, and a few village women were there chatting.

Old Mrs. Mu barged into the third branch’s courtyard like a bandit.

She started cursing, "Yu Si Niang, was it you, old woman, who stole my hen?"

In the bedroom, Yu Si Niang was chatting with the women, her face stiffened, and she slowly stood up from the bench.

"Mom, why are you here?" Yu Si Niang asked.

"Who’s your mom! Don’t you dare claim relations! Tell me, where’s the hen?"

Yu Si Niang replied, "Mom, what hen? I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

"Hmph, not knowing, you invite so many people over to your house? I think you stole my hen and are planning to invite them for a cheap chicken feast!"

"Mom, how can you say that? These ladies just saw I was bored and came to sit at home, nothing else!" Yu Si Niang said.

"Quit playing innocent with me, I know what kind of person you are! I’m telling you, you must hand over my hen now!"

Old Mrs. Mu’s unreasonable attitude angered Mrs. Bai.

Mrs. Bai stood up and said to Old Mrs. Mu, "Which family do you come from? How can someone be so vulgar?"

One of the women explained, "That’s the Old Mu Family’s old lady, Shuangshuang’s grandmother, Yu Si Niang’s mother-in-law, her son is the county magistrate in the county!"

Mrs. Bai’s attire and demeanor were not like ordinary women.

Plus, with her Jade Bracelet and golden hairpin, everyone was inclined to ask her to get justice for Yu Si Niang.

In fact, Mrs. Bai indeed wasn’t afraid of Old Mrs. Mu!

"Is that so! But how can someone so vulgar raise a scholar, a county magistrate, aren’t they their biological children?"

Mrs. Bai spoke without dirty words.

But it was different for Old Mrs. Mu; as soon as she heard Mrs. Bai imply her sons weren’t her biological children.

She angrily stomped her feet in the third branch’s courtyard, even kicking up a good amount of dust in the air.

The women increasingly despised Old Mrs. Mu.

"Who do you think you are, daring to stop me from lecturing my daughter-in-law, are you seeking death? Do you believe I won’t skin you alive?"

"Oh, you old hag, why is your mouth so filthy? And you just told Yu Si Niang not to claim relations, how come now she’s your daughter-in-law?" Mrs. Bai gave Old Mrs. Mu a disdainful glance, her tone remaining calm and composed.

"You... you stop talking nonsense!" Old Mrs. Mu said.

"I never talk nonsense, but you, old hag, your words stink like toilet waste, just looking at you soils my eyes, listening makes my stomach churn wanting to vomit!"

While speaking, Mrs. Bai fanned her nose, mimicking the gesture perfectly.

Old Mrs. Mu had never been spoken to like this before, she immediately rushed at Mrs. Bai.

She cursed, "Whore, I’ll show you how tough this old lady can be today!"