Chapter 431: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
**Chapter 431: Mysterious New Year's Gifts and Debt Collection (4)**
Mo Qingze's heart sank. This man didn’t seem to be bluffing; he probably had some real backing. After all, Da Chu strictly forbade private lending with high interest rates, and violators faced severe punishment. Ordinary citizens wouldn’t dare to engage in such activities without support…
Understanding this, Mo Qingze’s face turned even darker. However, the thought of paying to avoid trouble was revolting.
Initially taken aback, Yu shi didn’t expect the situation to take such a turn. Seeing Mo Qingze being coerced into repaying her debt, she fervently hoped the skinny man would extort even more silver, allowing her to get a share.
The rest of the people were equally disgusted, especially Tang Xin. She wished she could stab Yu shi, the source of their misfortune. She had been living well at the Mo family, trying to forget everything about the Tang family. As long as they didn’t bother her, she didn’t want to think about them. But reality hit her hard.
She knew this wicked woman wouldn’t let her off easily. Even living in the Mo family, Tang Yu would find ways to torment her. If she were living with a ruthless master, she would be severely punished, if not beaten to death, after such an incident. Tang Yu’s attempt to disgrace her made Tang Xin hate her even more.
With these thoughts, Tang Xin, her eyes red, unconsciously walked towards the kitchen.
Mo Yan, standing beside her, noticed her abnormal behavior. Recalling her previous actions at the Tang family, he quickly grabbed her arm. “Don’t do anything foolish. It’s not worth it for someone like her.”
A simple sentence, filled with concern, made Tang Xin’s eyes well up. Covering her mouth, her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Mo Yan sighed silently. Seeing his father at a loss, he asked Xin'er to watch over Tang Xin and walked towards the arrogant skinny man. He whispered a few words, and the skinny man's face turned pale…
“What did you say to scare those people away?”
“Yeah, sis, that skinny guy turned pale!”
“Yan'er, please tell us, we’re dying to know.”
After the skinny man led his group away with the Tang family in tow, the younger members of the Mo family looked at Mo Yan with admiration, bombarding her with questions.
Mo Yan, unable to escape their curiosity, made up a few casual excuses. Once she got away from them, her father intercepted her.
“Father, those people clearly had powerful backing. Not wanting to let them get away with it, I used the name of Shopkeeper Xing’s master to scare them off.”
Mo Qingze stood there in a daze, watching his eldest daughter leave. He felt a pang in his heart. If their family didn’t know shopkeeper Xing, if shopkeeper Xing’s master wasn’t influential, would they have had to endure this unjust loss today, and possibly continue to endure in the future?
For the first time, Mo Qingze clearly realized the benefits that power, which he once despised, could bring…
The Mo family's lunch was delayed by the commotion. With other tasks to attend to in the afternoon, they quickly made do with buns and noodles.
According to custom, a New Year’s Eve meal lasts for three days, meaning from the first to the third day of the new year, only leftovers are eaten. With ten people in the Mo family, they needed plenty of food.
This time, all three stoves in the house were used. One pot simmered radish and pork ribs, another cooked mushroom and chicken stew, and the third bubbled with a rich broth, simmering chicken meat.
Once the chicken was done, they would continue cooking pork, wild lamb, and wild rabbit meat. Although they had previously made a lot, they had given most away, so this batch was for their own consumption.
The seasoning was Mo Yan's special blend, with some ingredients sourced from her space. The freshly stewed chicken was fragrant and tender, irresistible even to Zhen'er. Even Mo Qingze and Li Zhong, the adults, couldn’t help but wander into the kitchen from time to time.
The first chicken was out of the pot, and Mo Yan hadn't yet cut it into pieces for the evening meal when Zhen'er snuck in, grabbed the basket, and ran to the study. He planned to "bribe" his father, who was testing him and Yun Zhao on their lessons, hoping that the delicious chicken would make him go easy on them.
As the second chicken was stewing, the three beasts returned from the mountains, drooling over the stove, almost ready to stick their heads into the pot.
The second chicken didn’t escape being devoured on the spot. They managed to sneak three chickens until Mo Yan lost her temper, and the three beasts didn’t dare to steal the fourth. Their pitiful, longing eyes were almost heartbreaking.
By the time all the meat was done, it was dark outside. The distant sound of firecrackers indicated it was time for the New Year’s Eve dinner. With Mo Yan’s cooking skills, she took charge of the meal, with Xin’er and the others helping. Despite having to make over ten dishes, they finished everything within an hour.
The sound of firecrackers echoed from near and far, signaling the return of travelers and city workers reunited with their families.
After a series of blessing rituals, including incense burning, ancestor worship, and firecracker lighting, the family finally sat down to their first New Year’s Eve dinner since moving to Liuyang Village.
Seeing Mo Yan place a cup in front of everyone and pick up a small wine jar, everyone thought it was glutinous rice wine or the wild fruit wine they had before and didn’t pay much attention. But as the unfamiliar yet pleasant aroma filled the air, they all turned to look at the small wine jar…
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