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On Monday, Cousin Mu Shengli specifically sought out Hu Ruoyun just to show him that he had cut his long hair into a short style, and had swapped his flashy batwing shirt and bell-bottom pants for ordinary clothes.
Hu Ruoyun gave him an appreciative nod and encouraged him, "Alright, go back to class."
Mu Shengli still felt a bit anxious. "Bro, am I... am I really okay now? They won't come after me again, will they?"
Hu Ruoyun kicked him lightly on the backside. "Get lost!"
With that, Mu Shengli ran off happily.
The following Saturday, Mu Shengli found Hu Ruoyun again. "Bro, my dad said last week that he’s taking me to your house tomorrow."
Hu Ruoyun was puzzled. "What’s so fun at my place?"
Mu Shengli smiled mysteriously. "I don’t know either, but my uncle and third uncle are coming too."
When Hu Ruoyun returned home, he mentioned this to his father and Second Uncle. Both of them were a bit confused. "They’ve always ignored us when we went to their place; why do they suddenly want to visit us now?"
But regardless of their feelings, Uncle was still alive, so they had to treat them with courtesy.
The next day, the whole family of the cousin arrived.
To the surprise of Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua, not only did the men come, but the women did too; even Hu Ruoyun's maternal grandfather showed up. A hand-pulled tractor with a large trailer was filled to the brim with people.
Second Uncle rode in on his flashy motorcycle carrying Mu Shengli.
This spectacle drew the attention of neighbors from down the street who came out to see what was happening.
Second Uncle steadied his bike and pulled out a hard box of golden mango cigarettes to share with the onlookers, giving face to the two old cousins. Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua quickly helped Uncle into the house.
Since preparations had been made in advance, a banquet was set up in the main room with the men from both families seated together. Hu Ruoyun's grandfather sat proudly in the middle, his beard twitching as he smiled, while the women and children were gathered in another room at two tables, bustling with activity.
The men started by drinking three rounds together, followed by Hu Qihua and Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua each raising their glasses to toast their uncle and three old cousins.
After the host family finished their toasts, the elder cousin and two other cousins returned the favor with their own drinks.
Second Uncle Mu Baishun seemed either genuinely tipsy or using alcohol as an excuse; after downing three cups in quick succession, he poured drinks for Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua: "Cousin, today I’m here on behalf of my brothers to apologize!"
Seeing that Hu Zhenhua was about to say something, he waved his hand to stop him: "Second Brother, let me finish! Honestly, don’t blame us for being distant; since my aunt passed away, I feel like we’ve drifted apart... Now that I think about what my brothers did... sigh, it makes me blush..." He stumbled through his words before downing three more cups in quick succession.
Eldest Brother Mu Zhonghe saw that his younger brother had set an example and raised his glass as well: "The things that needed saying have already been said by the second brother; please don’t hold it against your three old cousins... From today onward, with your uncle around, we are family! Even after our old man passes away one day, we will still be real relatives! Even if we’re all gone one day, Shengli will still recognize you as Brother Yun and Cousin!"
With that said, he too downed three cups in a row.
"Two cousins, I won't read the script anymore; it's all in the wine!" After saying this, he downed three cups in quick succession.
By the end, even the youngest, Mu Shengli, raised his cup: "Two gentlemen, Cousin Hu Ruoyun..."
Only then did Hu Ruoyun realize that this kid was the main topic of discussion.
After a day filled with commotion, once the guests were sent off, the two families serving as the host sat together to drink tea.
Second Aunt, straightforward as ever, remarked, "These old cousins really put in some effort this time. Look at the gifts they brought; they are all substantial and even prepared two identical sets. Cousin's wife speaks quite well too."
Hu Ruoyun's father took over the conversation: "I just can't understand how those brothers have changed so much." Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua also expressed his confusion: "Exactly, I have no idea what happened to them."
Second Aunt exchanged glances with Sister-in-law Zhao Meirong: "Let me tell you..."
Some things are hard for men to say, so Auntie represented the three men in the family and laid it all out:
The three brothers of the Mu family were indeed true, but the eldest Mu Zhonghe had only three daughters. Third Sister Mu Baicheng also had only two daughters. Only the second brother Mu Baishun had one daughter and one son.
The only boy, Mu Shengli, became the treasure of these three families. With their lives going well, this child had been spoiled since childhood. He attended elementary school in the village and middle school in town, getting into trouble while his father and uncles always came to his rescue.
However, things took a turn when he entered high school.
Just when he was feeling proud, he caught the attention of some boys who didn't like him. First, he was stomped on a few times in his dormitory at night while someone covered his head with a blanket. Later on, he was forced to hand over money and meal tickets almost every week!
The once arrogant boy ended up crying at home several times, demanding to drop out of school.
Mu Baishun and his brothers were somewhat dumbfounded: this was the only male heir of the old Mu family’s next generation, someone who was expected to carry on their legacy! Was it really going to end like this?
But once they left Caoguying and Laogu Township, who knew who the Mu brothers were?
Then later on, their own child even got slapped!
The whole family felt both angry and heartbroken but helpless at the same time.
Until this kid went to find Hu Ruoyun, his "cousin of a cousin," and surprisingly enough, this little cousin actually helped him resolve the issue!
The usually unruly kid returned home with a freshly shaved head and dressed in ordinary clothes—these were things he had previously refused to change no matter how much he was coaxed or scolded.
Now at home, he addressed him as Brother Yun whenever he opened his mouth...
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that life was getting better for both families.
Once again, when the eldest Mu Zhonghe invited Township Head Feng for drinks, somehow they ended up talking about relatives from Hu Family Village. Township Head Feng casually asked, "Which family from Hu Family Village? What kind of relatives?"
Mu Zhonghe casually replied, "Cousin, the eldest is Hu Qihua, and the second is Hu Zhenhua."
The director of the Party Affairs Office, who was pouring water, paused and said, "Why do these names sound so familiar? Oh right, don’t they have a boy named Hu Ruoyun?"
Mu Zhonghe responded, "Yes, Director Chai, how did you know?"
Seeing Township Head Feng looking a bit puzzled, Chai Hongmin leaned in and whispered, "Town Chief, don’t you remember? You and Deputy County Head Zhong visited their home!"
Township Head Feng suddenly realized, "Oh, now I remember! So you’re relatives! Come on, Old Mu, let’s go for another round!"
Mu Zhonghe could clearly feel the Town Chief's attitude becoming much warmer.
Later, Mu Zhonghe specifically sought out Director Chai to inquire further and learned that his cousin was quite remarkable. Even without mentioning all this, just by helping his own son Mu Shengli settle matters, their family would need to take some action and show their support while their elder was still around; there was still time…
When he returned and shared what he had learned with his two brothers, they were also a bit surprised.
The three brothers quickly reached a consensus and soon planned a visit to Hu Family Village with the whole family.
People are just that realistic.
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