Just as he was about to lift his legs and leave, he heard the faint voice of the girl inside.
"Excuse me, which one is the body wash?"
Mu Yuze paused and was at a loss for words for a moment.
Then, to his surprise, the bathroom door cracked open a bit, and steam billowed out. A section of the girl's fair arm poked out from the crack.
"Is it this one?" She held up a bottle and shook it.
Mu Yuze stared at that fair arm, watching as the steam and water droplets scattered gently on the floor with the girl's movement.
He was stunned for a moment and didn't utter a sound for a long time.
"Not this one?" The girl seemed to mutter and picked up another bottle, shaking it.
Mu Yuze finally came to his senses and moved his thin lips.
"Sorry... I'm not sure either."
"... You're not sure either?" The girl was in a quandary, as if facing a century - old problem. "Then... shall we call Miss Ding?"
In the end, Ding Muyun came up and helped Lu Xue distinguish all the bottles and jars inside.
Lu Xue finally had a comfortable and pleasant bath.
But when Ding Muyun came out, her expression looked a bit solemn.
"... Brother Mu, it seems that Miss Lu..." She hesitated to speak.
"What's wrong?? What's wrong with her??" Mu Ziyue suddenly opened the door and poked her head out to inquire.
"Just now when I helped Miss Lu identify the labels on the bottles, I found that..." Ding Muyun said awkwardly, "She seems illiterate."
"Pfft!"
Mu Ziyue spat out as if she had just drunk salt water.
"Really? Where did she come from, some remote mountain village? Can't even recognize Chinese characters?"
Mu Yuze didn't say a word and listened quietly as Ding Muyun continued.
"... Just now, the label on the shampoo bottle was all written in Chinese, but she seemed confused after looking at it for a long time. She even pointed at the characters and asked me to read them for her."
Mu Ziyue was completely speechless.
"... A hick like her wants to be the adopted daughter of our Mu family? Oh my god, she can barely read a few characters. She probably doesn't even have a primary - school diploma! A girl like this should be catching fish, farming, and selling pork in the countryside. How could they bring her back and raise her as a young lady? Mom and Dad even intend to arrange for her to join our Mu Group??"
Mu Ziyue really couldn't understand what her parents were thinking.
What bad luck for the family!
Ding Muyun gently tried to defuse the situation: "We can't entirely blame her. We should blame ourselves for not bringing her back earlier. If she had been raised in our family since she was seven or eight years old, she would have received a different education and wouldn't have had to suffer so much. After all, she comes from a different world from ours. Since she has grown up like this, we can only choose to accept her."
Mu Ziyue wanted to say something else, but under her elder brother's serious expression, she silently shut up.
The three of them sat on the sofa downstairs. The atmosphere was solemn, and no one said a word.
Upstairs, there was the sound of rushing water and happy humming, while downstairs, there was a tense silence. Even the ticking of the clock could be clearly heard.
"Anyway, I won't agree! Let her into our family? Don't even think about it. Do I have to call her elder sister? Oh my god, how can I show my face in front of my classmates?" Mu Ziyue was almost pulling out her own hair.
Ding Muyun also spoke softly.
"... I don't really mind her background. I just think it might be inappropriate to give her this identity. If the master and mistress just want to repay a debt of gratitude, the Mu family can simply spend some money to help her. Give her a sum of money in her account every month, send her to a top - tier university, and arrange a good job for her. This can also make up for the guilt towards her father, right?"
"Sister Ding is right!! Repaying a debt of gratitude shouldn't be endless and have no boundaries! A country girl like her would be happy with tens of thousands of yuan every month. If we were to follow the will completely, it would be more than just bringing her back. Brother, you would also have to - "
At this point, Mu Ziyue suddenly stopped.
Ding Muyun seemed to sense something and tightened her fingertips, eager to know the rest.
But Mu Ziyue stopped talking and just crossed her legs. "Anyway, you definitely won't want this, right, brother?"
Mu Yuze quietly stared at the ring on his index finger. His eyes were deep and unfathomable.
While they were talking, the sound of water upstairs stopped.
Lu Xue came downstairs.
She changed into a fresh set of clothes and was wiping her wet hair as she came down.
Mu Ziyue glanced at her disdainfully, but was quickly stunned: "You..."
Damn it! After taking a bath, she's like a different person!
After washing off the dirt on her face, Lu Xue had delicate features and fair skin. Her looks were outstanding!
She was simply a great beauty!
Ding Muyun also looked up. After seeing Lu Xue's bright face, she immediately tightened her fingertips. Her body language betrayed her current self - inferiority.
Mu Yuze was the last one to look up.
Lu Xue walked past him while wiping her hair. The man took a casual glance, but his chest seemed to be shaken by something.
All he could see was half of the girl's side face, but it was fair and charming, exuding an indescribable sense of indifference and laziness. Her wet hair was scattered on her shoulders, and the water droplets seemed about to roll into her charming collarbone.
Lu Xue was thinking about what to eat while wiping her hair. It would be great if there was a bowl of hot and spicy duck - blood vermicelli soup right now.
She turned her head and saw a room full of stunned expressions.