Chapter 36: Why Is It Always Their Family That Loses Things?

As it turned out, Li Mumu had been overly worried. Gu Yuru did not overthink the situation; she was simply filled with joy and gave Li Mumu another hug.

Just as she was about to say something else, Li Yuan approached, having put his shackles back on. "Yuru..."

Upon seeing him, Gu Yuru felt only revulsion. His voice, in particular, made her feel sick. "Mumu, Mother is going to cook."

Li Mumu nodded obediently. Was her deadbeat father already starting to regret his actions? That was far too fast, wasn't it? Li Mumu felt nothing but contempt; as expected, a deadbeat father was always a deadbeat father.

"Mumu, what did your mother tell you?" Li Yuan asked in a low voice.

Just then, Lin Siyan came out to retrieve the groceries they had just bought, though she did not notice the pair. Li Mumu spoke up loudly, "Father, are you asking what Mother told me?"

Li Yuan frowned and cleared his throat. "I'm just showing some concern for you."

"Oh, so you're concerned for Mumu, but not for Mother."

"Ahem..." More embarrassment crept onto Li Yuan's face.

Once Li Mumu was certain that Lin Siyan’s gaze was sharp enough to kill, she smiled even more brightly. With her around, she would never let her mother look back, though she wouldn't mind letting the mistress experience this feeling. "Mother told Mumu to eat well tonight."

"Is that all?" Li Yuan asked again, clearly skeptical.

Li Mumu nodded. "Yes."

"You were calculating quite quickly earlier."

As expected, Li Yuan remained suspicious. Li Mumu could not reveal her true capabilities—at least not until she left the Li family, lest it cause trouble for her goal of returning to her mother's side. "Mother taught me."

Li Yuan’s expression turned serious. "Your mother taught you that? What else has she taught you?"

"Reciting poems."

"Then recite one for me to hear." Li Yuan knew nothing about this daughter; he had gone off to war while she was still in the womb, and he only knew from the books that she was mentally deficient.

"Spring sleep, unaware of the dawn," Li Mumu recited crisply.

Li Yuan nodded, his face relaxing. "Continue."

"Spring sleep, unaware of the dawn, mosquitoes biting everywhere. When night comes, the Big Bad Wolf arrives, and no one can run away!"

After finishing, Li Mumu waited eagerly for Li Yuan’s praise. "Father, did Mumu recite it well?"

"Your mother taught you this?" Li Yuan's face turned dark. Having been married to Gu Yuru for ten years, he knew her well; she was a woman of learning and education who would never teach her daughter such things.

Li Mumu bit her lip, looking as if she were about to burst into tears the next second.

"Is there anything else?"

Li Mumu nodded vigorously. "Yes."

"Recite it!"

"Okay!" Li Mumu puffed out her cheeks. "Spring sleep, unaware of the dawn..."

"Not that one, pick another."

"Spring sleep, unaware of the dawn..."

Li Yuan’s head began to ache. "Enough. It seems I thought too much; perhaps you only know how to calculate." With a look of disappointment, he walked away, ignoring his young daughter.

That night, both families ate their fill. Li Rong fell asleep as soon as she finished eating, too weak to bother Gu Yuru again. In truth, it would have been useless anyway, as the Gu family had already heard that the child in her womb was lost due to bad karma, having nothing to do with Gu Yuru.

Before going to sleep, Old Madam Li repeatedly instructed everyone to guard their belongings well. Although it was uncertain when they would return to the capital to live a good life, these few remaining possessions were all they had left. She hugged her sack of rice to sleep, while other items—clothing, meat, and medicinal herbs—were distributed among the others to hold in their arms so they would wake up if anyone tried to touch them.

After making these arrangements, Old Madam Li was exhausted. She had injuries on her body and had been too lazy to seek treatment earlier; had she known their silver would be spent on "warding off disaster," she would have gone to a doctor. Now, her chest and back ached intensely.

Yet, the next morning, the items were gone once more.

When Old Madam Li woke up and wiped the drool from her face, she discovered the rice sack she had been using as a pillow was missing. Looking further, she saw that the items distributed to her children were also gone.

"Stop sleeping! Wake up! People are dying!"

"What are you shouting about so early in the morning? Do you want a beating?" the guard roared irritably.

"Officer, Officer, something is wrong! The thieves have returned, and all our things are gone!" Old Madam Li cried out.

The guard opened one eye, still half-asleep. "Stolen? Could it be that one of your own people was greedy and ate it?"

"Who would steal and eat it?" Old Madam Li looked at the group, but everyone shook their heads, denying it.

"Officer, even if someone were greedy, they wouldn't eat dozens of pounds of rice," Li Yuan argued.

"If it's lost, it's lost," the guard said, turning over to continue sleeping.

"We can't lose it! That is our life!"

The next second, she was slapped by the guard, causing her to wail in pain. "Shut up!"

At such a commotion, the Gu family had long since woken up. Hearing that thieves had returned, they immediately checked their own belongings and breathed a sigh of relief to find everything safe and sound.

However, Gu Jian was puzzled. Was the thief some kind of righteous hero? It seemed they knew the Li family was vicious and targeted only them, even following them here to steal. Otherwise, how could two different thieves have the same modus operandi?

Zhao nudged her husband. Li Sheng said impatiently, "What is it? Everything is gone, what are we going to do now?"

Zhao gestured toward the Gu family. "Why is their stuff safe again?"

Li Sheng nodded. He started to shout something but swallowed it back; he didn't want to be whipped. "That's right, why is it only ours that goes missing, while theirs stays? Could it be that they are the ones stealing?"

That was exactly what Zhao meant, but she didn't dare say it out loud for fear of being beaten. Li Sheng hurried to find Old Madam Li and shared their suspicion.

When Old Madam Li saw the pile of food belonging to the Gu family, her eyes turned green with envy. Yet, she knew clearly that the Gu family had had this same amount of food yesterday; it hadn't increased. But why was it only the Li family’s belongings being stolen?

"Officer, Officer."

"Tsk... are you not tired of getting beaten!" The guard raised his whip, but this time Old Madam Li dodged it.

"Officer, I want to report this! Look, both times the items stolen were ours, while the Gu family is completely fine. This... this definitely has to be suspicious!"

The guard opened his eyes impatiently and looked at the Gu family. "Your belongings weren't stolen?"

Gu Jian nodded. "No, they weren't."

"Officer, look! I'm not lying! The thief only steals from us and not from them. This... this really is suspicious!"

The guard took a deep breath. The situation was indeed strange. "Wait here, I'm going to get the boss." With that, the guard hurried off to find his superior.

Zhang Xiang arrived belatedly. Upon seeing him, Old Madam Li began to wail, "Officer, you must seek justice for us! Someone is colluding with the thieves, stealing our things again and again. They are trying to kill us!"

At that moment, Li Mumu stretched and watched the scene, confirming that she had woken up at the perfect time. Last night had truly exhausted her.