At noon that day, they cut the ham and ate it first. Be it boiled or stir-fried, it was especially delicious.

  After lunch, it was time to prepare for the evening meal. Ji Buwang asked Mu Jingzhe, “Jingzhe, did you invite anyone else? How many people will be eating at home tonight? Let me know so that I can make preparations.”

  “There should be quite a few people. Family, friends, and them over there.” Mu Jingzhe pointed at the few workers. Although they were there to celebrate her birthday, since she’d be killing a goat, it was somewhat like entertaining relatives and friends after the Spring Festival.

  “That’s good. A lively home is good.”

  The preparations to kill the goat started. Ji Buwang didn’t have any experience in this aspect, whereas Shao Qihai did, so he was the one who took the lead in making the arrangements. The five kids hadn’t left yet, and it was rare for them to gather on the side and watch the show.

  Little Bei wanted to look but was afraid. She covered her face and looked through the gaps between her fingers. Because she was afraid of dirtying her dress, Little Bei stayed some distance away.

  The four boys, however, squatted on the side and watched. Xiao Wu even became interested in the goat’s horn. After playing with it for a while, he asked Mu Jingzhe if sounds could be produced by blowing it.

  “This horn won’t do. It’s too small. You can try using one of those big ones or ready-made ones in the future.”

  “Okay.”

  “You kids should head off to school. Don’t be late.”

  After the reluctant children were sent off to school, Ji Buwang watched as the mutton started to cook. His gaze was turned to the chicken. Determined not to fall behind this time, he confidently raised the chicken. “Jingzhe, stand aside so the chicken blood does not splash on you. I’m going to kill the chicken.”

  Mu Jingzhe: “Uh, you know how to kill chickens?”

  She really couldn’t associate Ji Buwang with the act of killing chickens. These two simply didn’t belong in the same world.

  “I do. I’ve practiced. I’ve tried killing chickens before with Uncle Li helping me hold them.” Ji Buwang nodded confidently.

  \r \r \r

  However, it was obvious that he was too confident. In the end, he didn’t even manage to kill the chicken after getting chicken feathers all over the ground. Ji Buwang had chicken feathers all over his head and body and started doubting life as he held the knife. “Jingzhe, this chicken is deliberately bullying me! This isn’t an ordinary chicken. This is a gamecock, right?”

  Mu Jingzhe tried her best to suppress her laughter and remove the feathers from his clothes. “It’s alright, it’s alright. My dad will kill the chicken later. He knows how to do it.”

  Feeling proud and elated, Shao Qihai rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. “What gamecock? This is just an ordinary rooster, but you can’t kill it. You’re simply not cut out to kill chickens. Watch me.”

  Shao Qihai was indeed quite capable. He successfully killed the chicken before shooting a smug look at Ji Buwang. Following that, he poured boiling water on the chicken and prepared to heat its feathers.

  However, just as the water was poured down, the originally motionless chicken suddenly jumped out of the pot… like a zombie chicken.

  Startled, Shao Qihai could only watch as the chicken run a few meters away. “What’s going on…”

  Seeing the two of them struggling with the chicken, Mu Teng clicked his tongue and rolled up his sleeves. “Both of you get out of the way. Let me do it.”

  In the end, it was Mu Teng who successfully subdued the two chickens, with Shao Qihai and Ji Buwang acting as his assistants. The two of them even competed with each other, comparing their stamina and culinary skills, and they also competed at chopping firewood later on.

  After the commotion, lunch was finally prepared. Mu Jingzhe and Li Zhaodi didn’t even have to lift a finger.

  After watching the show the entire morning, the female workers at Mu Jingzhe’s home even got to see the two men flexing their muscles. This was truly a feast for their eyes.

  But soon, Ji Buwang no longer had the time to compete with Shao Qihai, for he wanted to make the cake personally. This would be the highlight of the day.

  Uncle Li specifically drove there to deliver the necessary items. After Ji Buwang started baking the cake, the fragrance spread far and wide. It just so happened that Shao Dong and his siblings had also finished school. Quite a few children came to the door, following the aroma.

  After the five kids entered, they were overjoyed to see Ji Buwang baking the cake. They even tried making it with him. However, when they went out again, they were stopped by their little companions, who were salivating due to the fragrance and asking what it was and what a cake tasted like.

  When Shao Dong saw that they were asking, he ran back home and asked Mu Jingzhe if he could bring his classmates back to the house to eat cake.

  “They said they’ve never tasted cake before…” It was rare for Shao Dong to be embarrassed.

  Actually, they hadn’t eaten any before either. They only had the chance to eat some now that Mu Jingzhe had come. They liked it a lot and wanted their little friends to try it too.

  “Of course you can bring them.” Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong. “If you want to invite your little friends, go ahead and do so. The same goes for your birthdays in the future.”

  Shao Qihai squeezed his way over and asked Shao Dong, “How many people are there? I can get someone to deliver…”

  “No need. We can make as much as needed by using what we have here. I just have to do some liaising on my side.” Ji Buwang interrupted Shao Qihai.

  Shao Dong didn’t care about their little competition. In any case, he was glad to hear that he could bring his little friends back home to eat. After he told his friends the news, everyone was overjoyed. They let out excited cheers at the door and happily rode their tree-branch horses everywhere, causing dust to fly all around.

  This was their favorite game. They would snap a tree branch and treat it as a horse. However, Shao Dong had never played this before, as he felt that it was too silly. This time, in their excitement, his little friends pulled Shao Dong over to ride with them twice. Later on, Shao Xi and the others also joined in.

  The clean road outside the Shao Residence was filled with the happy screams of children. In contrast, the Shao Residence next door was clouded with gloom and worry.

  They could hear the commotion and smell the fragrance next door very clearly. When Zhao Lan saw that Mu Jingzhe’s birthday celebration was so lively, she was furious. What made her even angrier was that Shao Qihai hadn’t even invited her to go over. On the other hand, Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ cried because they were craving the aromatic food next door.

  “I want to eat some too. I want to eat cake too!” Hearing the laughter outside, Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ got even more upset and wailed even harder.

  In the past, they used to be the ones playing with everyone. No one had played with Shao Dong and his siblings. Shao Dong and his siblings were the ones constantly being bullied. However, the tables had turned now. These days, the other kids only played with Shao Dong and his siblings and mocked Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ whenever they saw them.

  In the past, they used to call Shao Dong ‘little stutterer’ and Xiao Wu ‘bastard’. Now, it was their turn to be called ‘tofu brains’ and ‘pigs’. It was only now that they had experienced it for themselves that they realized how painful it was to have a nickname.

  Now that they were called by their nicknames, mocked, and left to play alone, these brats finally experienced how Shao Dong and his siblings had felt in the past. They grew to hate their stomachs. No matter what Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao said about it being a blessing, it was useless. Having grown up inferior and afraid of strangers, they didn’t dare go out and play anymore.

  While looking at Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ, who were crying and throwing a tantrum, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao felt heartache and anger. “Stop crying. Even if you cry to death, I won’t be able to conjure a cake for you!”

  In the past, with Shao Qihai’s allowance to support them, she used to lead a good life. Now, life had become bitter, and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao’s personality had become increasingly irritable.

  Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ kept making a fuss. In the end, she couldn’t help but hit the children.

  While listening to the sounds of the kids being beaten up and scolded next door, coupled with Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ’s crying voices and Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao’s hints that were disguised as scoldings, Mu Jingzhe shook her head and ignored them.

  She wouldn’t repay evil with kindness. In the past, they had lived a good life while starving her five kids.

  After the fragrance of the cake dissipated, the mouthwatering scent of chicken, mutton, and ham wafted over. Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xǐ looked at the only food available in their house—vegetables—and burst into tears again.

  Amidst the four brats’ cries, Mu Jingzhe, Shao Dong, and the others ate until their stomachs became round.