"Even if they meant to harm me, given the situation at the time, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Besides, it was only a seizure—I was confident enough that they wouldn't be able to falsely accuse me over it."
Shu Lanzhou nestled into Mu Side's arms.
"Darling, I'm not afraid of their dirty tricks. If I had let someone die just out of fear, that would truly go against the Mu family principles."
"Besides, the Zhangs never trusted the Mu-style acupuncture and even publicly slandered us. That's all the more reason I had to show everyone that Mu-style acupuncture is legitimate—that it can save lives."
"You're absolutely right," Mu Side sighed softly. "But I still can't help worrying. The Zhangs are ruthless—just look at what happened to my uncle. I'm afraid that—"
Shu Lanzhou raised her hand and pressed it gently against his lips. "Don't be afraid. We can't afford to be afraid. Those people are already behind bars. If they haven't learned their lesson by now, so be it. But hiding won't help."
"The more we hide, the more they'll think we have something to be guilty about. Besides, the Zhang family today isn't what it used to be. They came after me because they think I'm weak."
"I find it strange, too," Mu Side said quietly. "Out of all the people in the Mu family, they targeted you. Could it be because you're my aunt's disciple?"
Shu Lanzhou nodded. "In the end, they still believe that Old Master Zhang died because of Mu-style acupuncture. They don't want to see it regain any credibility."
"Let's go home first," Mu Side said, starting the car. "We'll need to talk to my uncle and the others about this."
They didn't dare tell the old lady, but somehow she still found out.
Mu Rongxie came out of the house. "Is Shu Lanzhou okay? Grandma's been worried sick. Go see her quickly."
"How did this end up getting to Grandma?" Mu Side frowned and pulled Shu Lanzhou along.
Mu Rongxie gave them both a look. "The news is all over the internet—no way you could've kept it from her. You know ever since Shu Lanzhou started promoting the acupuncture method online, she's been surfing the web daily."
"…"
Shu Lanzhou followed Mu Side into the house. In the living room, the old lady stood up and quickly came over.
"Come here, let me take a look. Are you hurt? Did that woman from the Zhang family lay a hand on you? What happened after the hospital? Was her son actually sick?"
Shu Lanzhou answered her calmly and clearly.
"I think they planned to cause trouble and make a scene, but it turned out the son really had a seizure. I couldn't just let him die. And this gave us a perfect chance to show the effectiveness of Mu-style acupuncture."
"Good, good." The old lady sighed with relief. "Our Shu Lanzhou really is a lucky star—always turning calamity into blessings. But this matter with the Zhang family can't be let go so easily."
"We, the Mu family, don't owe them anything. I've already notified Mu Side's parents and his aunt. They're flying back immediately. This time, we must confront the Zhangs properly."
"Confront them about what?" Mu Yaning rushed in from outside. "Grandma, now isn't the time for vendettas."
"I know you love your second son and think the Zhang family went too far back then. You held back all these years out of respect for Grandfather."
"And Second Brother never settled down or got married. That's been hard for you. I remember when Long Xingyu left—you locked yourself in your room for days and wouldn't come out."
"Now that you've realized the Zhangs were behind it all, and they're targeting Shu Lanzhou, of course you want revenge—I get it."
"But Mom, it's been so many years. Things have already calmed down. Mu-style acupuncture is just starting to gain some traction—can we not stir up trouble now?"
"I believe Shu Lanzhou saving their son will be enough to make them back off. Let's compensate them a bit and let this blow over, okay?"
Everyone was stunned by Mu Yaning's attitude.
Even Shu Lanzhou was surprised. This timid retreat was nothing like the resolute woman who had once begged Elder Mu to preserve the Mu family's medical legacy.
What was she afraid of?
The old lady slammed the back of the sofa with force.
"Compensate them? You actually said that out loud? Do you want to trample your father's name into the ground and let people curse him even in death?"
"You're such a 'dutiful child.' Let me tell you—no way. The Zhangs were never going to stop. If they wanted to stop, they wouldn't have caused all this chaos."
"At this point, even if they do want to stop, it's too late. The Mu family's name and dignity won't be dragged through the mud by them any longer!"
"I've made up my mind, and the calls are already made. Don't try to talk me out of it. This matter needs a clear resolution—the Zhangs need to be fully and completely convinced!"
Mu Yaning's expression changed. She stood up sharply. "No. I don't agree."
"I never meant to smear Dad's name. But what happened back then is a fact—Old Master Zhang died. No explanation will change that. And besides…"
"You just want revenge—for Second Brother, for our family. But have you thought about what we're fighting with? Shu Lanzhou's current level of Mu-style acupuncture?"
"What if the Zhangs drag out the old case again, question the method all over? Then what?"
"Mom, you know how big the scandal was. I don't want to be scorned again. We can't even prove that our method truly works."
Tears welled in Mu Yaning's eyes, her body trembling with fear.
It was as if she had been dragged back to that painful time when the Mu family fell into disgrace, when one relative after another lost their jobs, and even their proud father could no longer stand tall.
Now their father was gone, the eldest brother wasn't in the country, and the second brother was still ill. Despite years of hard study, she hadn't been able to revive the Mu family's acupuncture technique.
Mu Side, Shu Lanzhou, He Sixin—they were all still young. Who could carry the burden? Who could ensure the Mu family's survival in another storm?
Call her cowardly, call her weak—she simply couldn't bear to watch the Mu family go through that hell again. This matter had to be handled quietly. People like the Zhangs were best left unprovoked.
The old lady was livid. She raised her hand and pointed at Mu Yaning—
"Mom." Mu Rongxie hurried forward to steady her.
Shu Lanzhou and Mu Side knelt beside the old lady, flustered.
"You're right," the old lady said, gripping her second son's hand. "But I can't swallow this anger. My son's whole life was ruined by those Zhangs, and now they're here again to provoke us."
"Today it's Shu Lanzhou—who will it be tomorrow? How can you guarantee they'll stop?"
Clutching her chest, she continued, "No matter what you think about what happened back then, I have always believed your father did nothing wrong. No one knew his skills better than I did."
"If he couldn't save someone, then no one could. I don't know if Old Master Zhang died because of Mu-style acupuncture, but I know this: the technique itself was never the problem."
"I will always believe that. Mu Yaning—don't you even believe in your own father?"
Mu Yaning froze. "I…"
"Enough," the old lady said, her face grim. "At the end of the day, you're just afraid that all your years of effort will go to waste."
"Mu Yaning, you're being selfish."