C7 Hanging up a Concubine 3

"Cursing me?" Mu Yuyao was taken aback by Little Apricot's reminder and suddenly realized what was happening, her anger boiling over, "You dare call me a fool!? Mu Yunhua, you big sack of nothing, waste of space, worthless mutt, dimwit, spineless wimp, fool..."

Wow, quite the collection of adjectives. Got any more?

Mu Yunhua munched on a chicken leg, listening to Mu Yuyao's tirade with a series of tsk-tsk sounds. Such limited cursing skills; she used to bully the original owner to tears with that? Pathetic!

With a "pfft," she spat out the well-gnawed chicken bone and gave Mu Yuyao a sidelong glance, "Finished? If so, then leave."

Lingering at her room's doorway, you're not only an eyesore but also blocking the light.

"You! You!" Mu Yuyao's eyes bulged, staring at Mu Yunhua as if she'd seen a ghost. Normally, by the time she got to 'worthless mutt,' Mu Yunhua would be in tears. But today... Could it be that a visit to Nether King's Manor, without meeting death, had emboldened her, suddenly fearless of everything?

Impossible, impossible!

"Hmph, what does it matter if you've smartened up? You still snatch chicken legs meant for dogs and relish them as if they're a delicacy. Still a fool at heart!" Mu Yuyao finished with a self-satisfied laugh, "You're clueless, aren't you? That chicken leg you just savored was wrestled from the jaws of the dog our wet nurse keeps in the kitchen! My maids saw it with their own eyes!"

"Mu Yunhua, you even stoop to stealing food from the animal's bowl, how revolting!"

As Mu Yuyao's disdainful words fell, the wet nurse's face turned ashen, "No, no, it's not what you think, Miss. I insisted on giving it to Miss to eat, it wasn't... It wasn't dog food, the dog hadn't touched it, it wasn't snatched from the dog's mouth... I, I..."

The wet nurse felt that any attempt to explain would only make things worse, painting a darker picture. After all, Mu Yuyao had one fact straight: the chicken leg was indeed meant for Wang Cai, the dog. But the dog hadn't even had a bite before she took it away. It was still clean, truly clean!

The wet nurse was at a loss for words, but Mu Yunhua had finally pieced together why Mu Yuyao had that air of mystery about her from the moment she walked in.

It was clear upon reflection. They scarcely ever laid eyes on meat all year, so how could a chicken leg just drop out of nowhere? After more than a decade, Mrs. Zhang's conscience had surely been devoured by a dog. There was no way it could have made a sudden reappearance.

In Nether King's Manor, it seemed they were less valued than dogs. Dogs got to feast on chicken legs, while they were deemed even lower than canines.

Mu Yunhua comforted the wet nurse with a reassuring pat on the hand and a look that said no more words were necessary. She then fixed her gaze on Mu Yuyao and quirked an eyebrow, "You're claiming that chicken leg belonged to Wang Cai?"

"Absolutely. Mrs. Zhang handed it to Wang Cai herself, and my maid Little Apricot witnessed it," Mu Yuyao replied with a tilt of her chin, while Little Apricot at her side nodded vigorously in confirmation. "Indeed, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Is that so?" Mu Yunhua responded, nonchalantly tossing the picked-clean chicken bone from the table at Mu Yuyao's feet, "If it's Wang Cai's, then call it over. Let's hear it respond."

What?

Mu Yuyao's ears must have been playing tricks on her; she couldn't have heard Mu Yunhua correctly. Was she being asked to summon a bone to speak? What on earth did that mean?

Could such a thing even speak?!