Chapter 45: Thief! Catch the Thief!

The Li family followed the enticing aroma for quite some time before finally reuniting with the Gu family. They had initially assumed the officers were the ones eating, but to their surprise, the Gu family was also indulging heartily.

It was incredibly fragrant—truly irresistible.

The Li family had never encountered such an alluring scent, nor tasted meat so delicious in their entire lives.

Li Rong, lying on the ground and too tired to move, didn’t care if the meat had cooled. Yet, seeing the Gu family enjoying the meat while the officers never offered any to them, she felt deeply unfairly treated.

Weakly, she asked, "Brother Zhang... why are they allowed to eat meat, but we... we are not?"

"Eat meat? You lot?" Zhang Xiang bit into a large chunk, juice flooding his mouth. The roast was exquisitely done, even better than the finest banquet houses in the capital.

"Yes, sir, we’re all prisoners. Why can they eat, but we can’t?" Zhao Shi, heedless of the consequences, persisted. "Our Fengzhu is a clean, proper girl who’s been with you; how could you not know the difference?"

She was clearly positioning herself as Zhang Xiang’s mother-in-law.

Zhang Xiang laughed at this, "Difference? Who says you’re family? Damn it, what are you thinking? Wasn’t she the one begging me to sleep with her? Always whining and nagging, driving me crazy. If I didn’t, and something happened to her, she’d never know a man’s touch in her life."

Being a modest young woman, Li Fengzhu was embarrassed by such frank talk and began to cry.

Zhao Shi wasn’t ready to give up. "Then... could you at least give us some meat to eat?"

"Eat your grandmother’s leg!" Zhang Xiang snapped, cracking his whip down hard on Zhao Shi.

The Li family remained silent; she had brought it on herself with her impudence.

"If you want meat, go get it yourselves!" Zhang Xiang scoffed. "This wild boar was caught by them and offered to us. What has your Li family done, besides cause trouble?"

The officers favored the Gu family because whenever they brought food, they shared some. The Li family, however, was only a source of trouble, especially after enduring the stench from escorting them all afternoon.

"They... caught it?" Zhao Shi could hardly believe it.

At that moment, Song Qiang couldn’t stay quiet any longer. "Yes, it wasn’t us, it was Mumu. This is Little Lucky, the little girl walked toward that tree, and the wild boar just ran headfirst into it. Who’d believe that?"

With her exaggerated tone, the Li family’s faces turned green, but Madam Gu couldn’t help but laugh.

"I don’t buy it, you liar. I don’t believe a wild boar would run into a tree by itself," Madam Gu retorted.

Song Qiang shook her head. Having only recently learned from the Li family how to be so irritating, she said, "Believe it or not, we’ve got meat to eat. Mumu, you’re the hero of the Gu family. This piece is the best, it’s for you."

"Thank you, Second Aunt. Mumu has eaten enough, now it’s for Grandma."

Madam Gu smiled kindly. "Mumu is so filial, Grandma’s full too."

Song Qiang continued provocatively, "Some families mistake worthless things for treasures. Such a devoted, blessed child is disliked by some. Truly, those who are blessed do not fall into homes without fortune. Sister, don’t you agree?"

Gu Yuru paused briefly, then smiled faintly in silent agreement.

She had indeed lost out before, but now she was gone.

"Hmph, maybe that wild boar was sick. Eat it and you’ll be poisoned to death."

"Shut your damn mouth."

The officer, with mouth full of roast suckling pig, kicked Madam Li rudely. "I’m eating well here, and you’re the one spoiling the mood?"

Madam Li dared not argue further, but she remained unconvinced that a perfectly healthy wild boar would kill itself against a tree.

The Li family wasn’t completely without food; each had a dry pancake from noon, eating it quickly before it spoiled.

But the contrast was stark—meat on one side, stale pancakes on the other.

Li Sheng and Li Ye, accustomed to drinking and eating well, had been enduring for days and could no longer hold back.

"Third brother, why don’t you go catch one too? If they can get one, why can’t you?" Li Sheng urged.

Li Ye nodded. "Yeah, Third Brother, you’re a general. Surely you can catch a wild boar?"

Li Yuan frowned. His wounds hadn’t healed, and after pulling all afternoon, he was staggering. Even if there was a wild boar, he wouldn’t be able to catch it.

Lin Siyen, eager to please Li Yuan, quickly said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, you both had diarrhea and are just starting to feel a little better. You shouldn’t eat such greasy food."

That was true, but as soon as she spoke, the two brothers exploded in anger.

"Diarrhea? Who caused that?" Li Sheng fumed. "You jinx, Third Brother, if you ask me, you should get rid of her. She’s a curse; haven’t we suffered enough because of her?"

"Exactly. The previous sister-in-law was so good. If not for her, we’d have had meat to eat by now," Li Ye finally remembered Gu Yuru’s kindness.

Gu Yuru had truly been good to the Li family, especially when those two caused trouble—she was always the one to calm things down.

Moreover, she had never withheld food or necessities.

Had the two families not fallen out, Gu Yuru certainly would have shared the meat with them.

Li Yuan glanced at Gu Yuru; when their eyes met briefly, she looked away.

"Enough arguing. When I feel better tomorrow, I'll figure something out," Li Yuan said, sensing Gu Yuru was still upset. He decided to wait until her anger subsided.

She was his wife, and Lin Siyen the concubine; a concubine could never threaten his status. When Lin Siyen’s son was born, he would still be raised by Gu Yuru.

Li Yuan had firmly made up his mind, convinced Gu Yuru still loved him.

There was plenty of meat, and the Gu family hadn’t lacked anything recently, so there was quite a bit left over. But the Gu family never liked wasting food, especially under these circumstances.

Zhang Yi packed the meat carefully, planning to warm it up again in the morning.

Before going to sleep, Li Mumu noticed the intense gazes of the Li family fixed on the meat’s resting place. She guessed tonight wouldn’t be peaceful.

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, she heard rustling sounds.

Actually, the officers in the wild had also fallen asleep. Though someone was supposed to keep watch, the next day they had to move on—who could truly stay up all night?

In this desolate wilderness, even if prisoners tried to run, they wouldn’t dare.

Li Mumu heard someone stealthily approaching, opening the oiled paper wrapping, the rustling sound unmistakable.

She cracked open one eye, catching the thief’s silhouette in the firelight, and smiled smugly, "A thief! Catch the thief!"

The woman hurriedly tried to close the oiled paper, but it was too late to escape.

The Gu family stared wide-eyed, watching her intently.