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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.
“Cousins, I won't recite the toast anymore; it's all in the wine!” With that, she downed three more cups in quick succession.
By the end, even the youngest, Mu Shengli, raised his cup. “To my two elders 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, once the guests had departed, the two families, as the host family, sat together to drink tea.
Second Aunt spoke candidly, “These old cousins really put in some effort this time. Just look at the gifts they brought; they’re all substantial and 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 gotten into them.”
Second Aunt exchanged glances with Sister-in-law Zhao Meirong. “Let me tell you…”
There are some things men find hard to say, so Auntie represented the three men of the family and revealed:
The three brothers of the Mu family are indeed true, but Oldest Brother Mu Zhonghe only has three daughters, and Third Sister Mu Baicheng also has just two daughters. Only Second Brother Mu Baishun has one daughter and one son.
The only boy, Mu Shengli, became the treasure of these three families. With their lives going well, this child was spoiled rotten from a young age. He attended elementary school in the village and then middle school in town, causing trouble while his father and uncles always came to his rescue.
However, things took a turn when he entered high school.
After a brief period of arrogance, he soon found himself targeted by a group of boys who couldn’t stand him. First, he was stomped on in his dormitory one night while someone covered his head with a blanket. Then he was coerced into handing over money and meal tickets almost every week!
The once proud child returned home crying several times, insisting he wanted to drop out.
Mu Baishun and his brothers were left dumbfounded: this was the only male heir of the Old Mu family’s third branch, someone who had been given high hopes as the future of the Mu family! Could it really end like this?
But once they left Caoguying and Laogu Township, who knew who the Mu brothers were?
Later on, their child even got slapped!
The whole family felt a mix of anger and heartache but were helpless.
Until this boy went to seek out his cousin Hu Ruoyun—who was more than just a cousin—and surprisingly, this younger cousin actually helped him resolve the issue!
The usually unruly boy returned home with his head shaved short and changed out of his bizarre clothes into ordinary attire. This was significant because these had previously been his stubborn points; no amount of coaxing or threats could make him change.
Now at home, he referred to Hu Ruoyun as Brother Yun constantly…
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that life had become increasingly easier for both families.
Once, Oldest Brother Mu Zhonghe invited Township Head Feng for drinks. Somehow during their conversation, he 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, 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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