Chapter 57: Where has Mumu gone?

"Hurry back," Gu Yuru said softly, afraid that Sun Shi would beat the child again shortly.

After all, she was an outsider; she could help for a moment, but not for a lifetime.

Li Fenghua unceremoniously handed the small wildflowers she had picked to Gu Yuru. Li Mumu happened to witness this scene while standing beside Old Madame Gu.

Whether it was her imagination or not, the look Li Fenghua gave her just now was filled with provocation.

Upon returning, Li Fenghua was, predictably, beaten by Sun Shi once again. Yet this time, she was quite pleased; she believed that the harder her mother beat her, the more sympathetic her third aunt would feel toward her.

Therefore, even though she cried loudly, in her heart she hoped her mother would strike even harder. As long as it wasn't fatal, she would be able to live a good life.

When it was time to eat, the Li family naturally ate the meager provisions given by the bailiffs, whereas the Gu family had vegetables, meat, and even goat's milk—delicious and nutritious.

After a period of this, while the members of the Li family had lost a noticeable amount of weight, most of the Gu family members still maintained a rosy glow. Once they took off their prisoner uniforms and put on ordinary clothes, no one would ever guess they were people who had suffered such a disaster.

"The little girl from the Li family, come over here." Song Qiang finished cooking and beckoned to Li Fenghua, having no intention of breaking her promise about the flatbread.

Clutching her broken bowl and bearing a face full of bruises, Li Fenghua walked over.

Seeing this, Song Qiang felt a pang of heartache and couldn't help muttering, "Those heartless monsters, how could they bear to hit her like this?"

Li Fenghua bit her lip pitifully, but upon seeing Gu Yuru walking over hand-in-hand with Li Mumu, she shook her head and said with a display of fortitude, "Fenghua doesn't hurt. Third Aunt is a good person; even if I get beaten, I still like Third Aunt."

Gu Yuru smiled faintly, her eyes full of distress. "Good child, listen to your mother, take fewer beatings, and stop provoking her anger."

Li Fenghua, however, shook her head.

Gu Yuru frowned. "Why is that? Doesn't getting beaten hurt? Look at how swollen your face is."

"It doesn't hurt. Mother doesn't like Fenghua getting close to you, but Fenghua likes you. Even if I were beaten to death, Fenghua wouldn't stop associating with you."

If she hadn't read the novel from cover to cover and hadn't inherited the original owner's memories, Li Mumu would have truly believed that this second female cousin was stubborn and knew right from wrong.

In reality, however, she was someone vain and obsessed with achieving her goals by any means necessary.

In the novel, the female protagonist had been regarded as a star of fortune since birth. Though the original owner was unfavored, she had managed to survive, but later, consumed by jealousy, she was dealt with very harshly by the protagonist.

What Li Mumu found most incomprehensible was that, on the journey of exile, this cousin had once tried to smother the protagonist with a pillow, and later, when the protagonist was three years old in the place of exile, she had even tried to push the protagonist into a river, only to end up falling in and drowning herself due to the protagonist's counterplot.

At that time, she was only eight or nine years old.

As Li Mumu watched Li Fenghua trying to curry favor with her mother, she realized that the hatred the cousin would later harbor toward the protagonist was now being transferred onto herself.

However, with no evidence at hand at the moment, even if she claimed that the other girl harbored malicious intentions toward her, no one would believe it.

After all, they were just children, and Li Mumu decided she would handle whatever came her way.

Upon returning, Li Fenghua was predictably given another beating by Sun Shi. Li Ye completely ignored it; after all, she wasn't a son, just a worthless little girl.

Not a single soul in the entire Li family spoke up for her. The only remarks made were not to stop the beating, but to complain that Li Fenghua's crying was too noisy and prevented them from resting.

The worse she was beaten, the more sympathy she could elicit from the Gu family. Fortunately, the Gu family members remained rational and did not easily meddle in other people's affairs.

By evening, the Li family members were starving and forced themselves to trudge into the nearby forest to forage. When Lin Siyan complained that she felt unwell, no one paid her any mind, and since no one cared, she received no food.

Knowing that Old Madame Li was not playing games, she had no choice but to drag her exhausted and heavy body along with them.

Li Rong did not want to go. Ever since her miscarriage, forget about resting, she hadn't even had a single full meal. The bleeding below had not decreased; instead, it grew heavier by the day, accompanied by severe pain. Her face was as pale as paper, drained of color, and the medicine the doctor had prescribed earlier had been lost during the journey. Yet, continuing to march like this, no medicine on earth could save her.

The Gu family had food, and their supplies hadn't noticeably diminished over the past few days, but the children, playful and untiring as ever, still headed into the forest.

Refusing to stick with the Li family, Li Fenghua insisted on following the Gu family instead. "Third Aunt, don't worry, I'll take good care of the little sister."

Gu Yuru smiled and nodded. Who could have imagined that such a young child harbored such venomous intentions?

"Fenghua is truly a good girl. Make sure you take care of yourself, too."

Li Fenghua nodded vigorously and then affectionately took Li Mumu by the hand as they walked away. The boys strode ahead, while Li Fenghua and Li Mumu brought up the rear, the excuse being that they could be protected if any danger arose.

As soon as they entered the forest, Li Fenghua let go of Li Mumu's hand. "You go over there."

Li Mumu let out a cold laugh. Was she not even going to bother pretending anymore?

Did she really think she would encounter danger just by walking alone?

"Alright, then I'll go look for the older brothers."

"You are not allowed to go," Li Fenghua panicked. "The boys are busy working, don't go and hold them back."

Li Mumu didn't know what to say. The girl had truly been poisoned by those patriarchal parents, subconsciously believing herself to be inferior to boys.

"But when you weren't here, I always followed the brothers."

"I... aren't I here now? You have to stay with me, or else I'll tell Third Aunt that you didn't listen to me and see how she deals with you."

Li Mumu smiled. "Alright, Sister, please don't tell my mother. I'll listen to everything you say."

Li Fenghua smiled smugly. "Then you go over there, and I'll go over here. Don't get lost, now."

Li Mumu nodded. "But I'm scared!"

Li Fenghua didn't reply and walked away without looking back.

As darkness gradually descended, the people who had gone into the forest returned one after another. Perhaps because it had just rained, the Li family members had managed to gather some wild vegetables and mushrooms, which would at least fill a corner of their stomachs—still vastly better than starving.

Gu Yuru glanced into the forest several times, growing increasingly worried when the children failed to return, and began to regret letting them go in the first place.

"Sister, don't worry, they'll be fine. Have you forgotten that girl Mumu's capability, not to mention Yunzhao is with them!" Thinking of the little girl drawing a bow and shooting arrows, Gu Mingjing liked her immensely and wished he could personally mentor her.

Even so, Gu Yuru felt they were still children after all. Just as her anxiety peaked, Gu Yuru caught sight of a figure approaching and realized it was Li Fenghua.

"Third Aunt, look how many mushrooms I managed to gather." She lowered the hem of her tunic, which was bulging with a considerable quantity of mushrooms.

At that moment, Gu Yuru cared nothing for mushrooms. "Why did you come back all by yourself? Where are they? Where is Mumu?"

Despite her young age, Li Fenghua remained remarkably calm. "Didn't Mumu come back?"

Hearing this, Gu Yuru's face darkened. "Weren't you with Mumu?"

Li Fenghua nodded. "Mumu walks slowly. We started out together, but she cried and said she wanted to find you and refused to let me stay with her. Didn't she come back?"