Chapter 25: It Rains, and Misfortune Befalls the Li Family Once More

The men of the Gu family were all seasoned veterans of war and possessed top-tier wilderness survival skills. Despite their physical limitations, they directed the women to construct a rain shelter.

"Grandfather, I'm going to gather some firewood," Gu Yu said.

Gu Jian nodded. This rain was coming down fiercely, and there was no telling how long it would last. It was bound to get cold later, so having some wood for warmth would be useful.

"You lot go as well," Li Yuan said, glancing at his three children.

"Father, Big Brother is still injured. We should go instead," Li Yunye suggested.

"Aren't you all recovered? Why are you wasting your breath?"

"Let's go, I'm fine," Li Yunchao said, shaking his head at his younger brothers; there was no point in arguing with him.

Gu Yuru was heartbroken. "Take good care of your little sister."

"Aunt, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on our little cousin," Gu Yu said with a raised brow.

"Don't go too far," Zhang Yi added. The bailiffs had stopped appearing and had thrown them a meager amount of rice—hardly enough for so many people.

The Li family was still reminiscing about the feast from the previous night. Thinking about how much they had left behind, only for it to disappear, the eldest, Li Sheng, and the second son, Li Ye, began to complain.

"Mother, if we had known it would be lost, we should have just eaten it all last night."

"Who's to say otherwise? Whose pathetic idea was that anyway?"

Li Yuan cleared his throat. It had been his idea, but he hadn't eaten much either. Who could have foreseen such a thing happening?

Old Madam Li was already irritable. Seeing Sun Shi doing nothing but clinging to the corpse, looking utterly lost, she shouted crossly, "Throw him away already! He's already starting to stink."

The weather was hot, and the body was indeed giving off an odor and showing signs of decay. Everyone looked at Sun Shi as if she were a freak. Sun Shi wailed, refusing to let go, insisting the child was still alive and could be saved, but in the end, she was held down by several people who snatched the body away and tossed it into a ditch.

Digging a grave would have taken too much energy. Sun Shi remained silent, as if her soul had left her body. Disgusted by the smell of feces on her, no one wanted to go near her—even her husband, Li Ye, kept his distance.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, we're back!"

Gu Yu shouted, his voice filled with joy. He was carrying a load of firewood, and with the branches the Gu women had gathered nearby, they had enough to last a while. Once a fire was roaring, even damp wood would burn.

As Gu Yu drew closer, everyone saw that his tunic was bulging with things: fruits, wild vegetables, mushrooms, and a large pile of bird eggs. Most importantly, he was followed by a nanny goat with a full udder.

"Yu'er, where did you get all this?"

Gu Yu stole a glance at Li Mumu but dared not tell the truth. "I found them."

"The goat, too? Don't tell me it's the one we lost," Li Rong said sourly.

"You're ugly, but your imagination is quite beautiful. The one from yesterday had spots; this one is pure white."

"Who says? The one from yesterday was pure white, too!" Old Madam Li argued unreasonably. A goat was a valuable asset, and even though she could see the difference, she wanted to claim it as her own.

Li Mumu chuckled and set down a few sticks thinner than a finger. "Goat, whose are you? Are you Grandmother's or Grandma's?"

"How stupid can you be? Can it talk? If it did, would you even understand?" Li Rong rolled her eyes.

But the next moment, the goat walked over to Gu Yu and licked his hand, a sight that stunned everyone. Gu Yu felt that his little cousin wasn't slow at all; she seemed smarter than all of them. But he dared not say it aloud. If they knew how capable she was—that she could just walk around and find a pile of wild fruit and a goat—they would never let her stay with his family.

Song Qiang smiled. "See that? My Yu'er found it, and it has already bonded with him. Don't even think about claiming it."

Gu Yu pursed his lips. It was his little cousin who had rubbed something on his hand to make the goat come over.

Li Rong was deflated. She looked at the meager pile of wood the four boys had gathered—hardly a handful—and scolded angrily, "Are you lot useless? Four people can't even do the work of one."

Li Yunchao and his brothers kept their heads down. If they gave their finds to their little cousin, they knew they would get a share. But if they gave it to the Li family, there would be nothing for them. Li Yunchao understood this clearly, which was why he had come up with this plan. But it was his little sister who was truly the most brilliant.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the dim sky, followed by a thunderous crash and a sudden downpour. The rain shelter wasn't very large, but the Gu family managed to squeeze in.

The Li family, however, was in for a miserable time, instantly drenched like drowned rats. Li Yunchao and his three siblings had long since been taken under the wing of the Gu family.

The water they had boiled was ready. There wasn't much rice, but with the fruit, goat's milk, mushrooms, and wild greens, they had a satisfying meal. The Li family was in a wretched state; their newly lit fire had been extinguished by the rain, and they had no shelter from the wind and rain, let alone food.

The weather was cold, and with their clothes soaked, it wasn't long before the Li family began to shiver. Lin Siyan’s lips turned blue and her face pale. She hid in Li Yuan’s arms, but he could do nothing to protect her.

"Yuan, will I die here? I don't care about myself, but our child is so pitiful," Lin Siyan said, no longer bothering to hide her identity. But she was truly foolish; while she wanted Li Yuan to help her get into the Gu family's shelter, she kept saying things that provoked them.

Li Yuan looked at the small cave—it could keep the wind and rain out—but the thought of Zhang Xiang’s lecherous gaze toward Lin Siyan made him realize that asking for shelter was like throwing the sheep into the tiger's den.

In the end, he decided to beg the Gu family for help. Deep down, he knew the Gu family were kind people. But before Li Yuan could speak, Old Madam Li couldn't take it anymore. "Yuru, can't you let your mother in to escape the rain? I’m old, I can't take this."

"Mother? I only have one mother now. Who are you?"

"You..." Old Madam Li wanted to flare up, but realized she had no choice but to humble herself. "Look, the business of you and your third brother separating was your own idea, you can't blame me for that. Let me in, even just for a bowl of hot porridge."

"What kind of daydream is that?" Song Qiang retorted. "Didn't you say last night that your son could marry any young girl he wanted? Then go find those young girls; why bother my sister? What were you thinking when you were snatching our food?"

The Gu family remembered that she hadn't left them a single grain of rice, offering them no way to survive. Now, all they could say was that evil deeds would be punished by heaven. They deserved it.

Seeing this, Li Yuan didn't know how to proceed, but he saw the four children huddled under the shelter. "Yuru, let Mother and Siyan in, and you can take the children."

Just as the Gu family was about to agree, Li Mumu shook her head, crying out, "Father, I don't want to leave! I want to stay with you, don't leave Mumu behind!"

Everyone was confused. Mumu wasn't exactly close to her father. What was the child up to?