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On Monday, Cousin Mu Shengli made a special trip to find Hu Ruoyun, just to show him that he had cut his long hair into a short style, and had replaced his trendy batwing shirt and flared pants with ordinary clothes.
Hu Ruoyun gave him an appreciative nod and encouraged him, "Alright, go back to class."
Mu Shengli still felt a bit worried. "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 a smile, Mu Shengli ran off happily.
The following Saturday, Mu Shengli sought out 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 going too."
When Hu Ruoyun returned home, he mentioned this to his father and Second Uncle. Both Brother Hu Qihua and Brother Hu Zhenhua were a bit confused. "He barely acknowledges us when we visit their place; why suddenly decide to come over?"
But no matter what, Uncle was still alive, so they had to treat them with respect despite their discomfort.
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 the streets and alleys who came out to watch the commotion.
Second Uncle steadied his bike and pulled out a hard box of Golden Mango cigarettes to share with the onlookers, giving enough face to the two older 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 in the side rooms at two tables, chatting animatedly.
The men first toasted three rounds together before Hu Qihua and Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua took turns pouring drinks for their Uncle and three older cousins as a gesture of respect.
After the hosts finished their toasts, the older cousin and two younger 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 again. "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 me for being shallow; ever since my aunt passed away, I feel like we’ve drifted apart… Now that I think about what my brothers and I did… sigh, I’m embarrassed…" He stammered through his words before downing three more cups in one go.
The eldest Mu Zhonghe saw how his younger brother had set an example and raised his own cup. "The second brother has said what needs to be said; please don’t hold it against your three older cousins… From today onward, with your uncle here, we are family! Even after our old man passes away one day, we will still be real relatives!
Even if we’re all gone someday, Shengli will still recognize you as Brother Yun and Cousin!"
With that said, he also downed three cups in succession.
“Cousins, I won’t read the tea leaves anymore; it’s all in the wine!”
With that, he downed three more cups in quick succession.
By the end, even the youngest, Mu Shengli, raised his cup. “To my two esteemed uncles and Cousin Hu Ruoyun…”
Only then did Hu Ruoyun realize that this kid was the main topic of discussion.
After a day filled with commotion, they sent off their guests and the two families sat together to drink tea.
Second Aunt spoke candidly, “These old cousins really came prepared this time. Look at the gifts they brought; they’re all substantial and they even prepared two identical sets. Cousin’s wife speaks quite well too.”
Hu Ruoyun’s father chimed in, “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’s going on with them.”
Second Aunt exchanged glances with Sister-in-law Zhao Meirong. “Let me tell you…”
Some things were hard for men to say, so the matriarch of the family took it upon herself to explain:
The three brothers of the Mu family were indeed true, but the eldest Mu Zhonghe only had three daughters, while Third Sister Mu Baicheng also had 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 he was little. He attended elementary school in the village and then went to middle school in Laogu Township, where his father and uncles would intervene whenever he got into trouble.
However, things took a turn when he entered high school.
After a few days of bravado, he found himself targeted by a group of boys who couldn’t stand him. First, they ambushed him in his dormitory at night, covering his head with a blanket and kicking him a few times. After that, he was coerced into handing over money and meal tickets almost every week!
The once arrogant boy returned home in tears, demanding to drop out of school.
Mu Baishun and his brothers were left dumbfounded: this was the only male heir of the old Mu family’s next generation, someone who had been greatly anticipated—the future and hope of the Mu family! Was it really going to end like this?
But outside of Caoguying and Laogu Township, who knew who the Mu brothers were?
Later on, their child even got slapped!
The entire family felt a mix of anger and heartache but were at a loss for what to do.
Until this boy finally sought out his cousin Hu Ruoyun—his “double cousin”—and surprisingly enough, this younger cousin actually helped him resolve the issue!
The usually unruly boy returned home with a buzz cut and changed out of his bizarre clothes into ordinary attire—clothes that had previously been his pride and joy. It was known that no amount of coaxing or scolding could make him change before.
Now at home, he referred to Hu Ruoyun as Brother Yun at every opportunity…
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that life was getting better for both families as well.
Once, the eldest Mu Zhonghe invited Township Head Feng for drinks and somehow mentioned having 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 nearby, paused and said, "Those names sound familiar. By the way, 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 understood, "Oh, I remember now! So you’re relatives! Come on, Old Mu, let’s have another round!"
Mu Zhonghe could clearly feel the Town Chief's attitude warming up significantly.
Later, Mu Zhonghe specifically sought out Director Chai to inquire further and learned that his cousin's son was quite impressive. Even without mentioning all this, just by helping his own son, Mou Shengli, settle matters, their family had 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 aligned their thoughts and soon planned a visit to Hu Family Village with the whole family.
People are just that realistic.
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