It was a dark and windy night when a dark figure emerged from the cucumber grove, carrying about ten large cucumbers in his hands.

They were all sturdy and upright, with small yellow flowers still clinging to their heads.

The man looked around nervously, not noticing that the soil beneath his feet was soft, and stepped into a muddy ditch that had been drained.

His heart raced with fear, but he only relaxed when he saw that his feet were covered in mud.

He quickly shook some of the mud off his feet and ran back to the embankment along the path.

Afraid of being discovered, he dared not linger and quietly ran back home.

On summer mornings, it always gets light very early. While the sun is still sleeping in, some farmers in the village have already started fires to prepare breakfast.

The Tian family was no exception; everyone wanted to take advantage of the early morning before it got too hot to get to the fields and finish their work.

On a hot afternoon, it's best to hide at home on a cool mat and take a nap to escape the heat.

After finishing breakfast, Tian Sangui and Tian Laosi went to the field to pick some chili peppers, which they would take to the county later.

Passing by the cucumber field, I could clearly see that a large number of the leaves were drooping like hammerheads.

Tian Sangui asked in confusion, "That shouldn't be the case. She and her brothers watered the plants yesterday evening, so why does this area look so sparse?"

To get a clear look, Tian Sangui took off his shoes and went barefoot into the melon patch to find out what was going on.

I was shocked when I saw it: "Dad, come quick!"

Tian Laosi, who had just entered the chili field, heard Tian Sangui's urgent and frightened shouts.

He hurriedly put down his work, picked up his hoe, and headed towards the direction of Tian Sangui's voice.

When he arrived at Tian Sangui's side, he was quite surprised himself.

Why are there so many footprints?

They had just watered the plants last night, so their footprints should have been covered by mud and shouldn't have been this deep.

“These big feet definitely don’t belong to us!” Tian Sangui asserted.

Tian Laosi checked the shoes; they were a size smaller than his, so they were clearly not his.

He knew Tian Da and Tian Er very well; they weren't left by the kids at all.

It's even less likely that Tian Sangui and her daughter would be involved.

"Our house has been burgled!"

Tian Sangui clenched his fist tightly around the trouser leg, seething with resentment.

"What should we do? This whole area is probably beyond repair!"

Tian Laosi looked at the ground; the roots and seedlings were all damaged. He was an old expert in farming, and he knew that all vegetables were the same. If the roots were damaged, they would never grow again, and the entire vine was ruined.

Seeing that small cucumbers were still growing on the ground, Tian Sangui and Tian Laosi both felt very sorry.

Right now, I hate that thief so much.

"With dozens of households in the village, it's really too difficult to find this person."

"The government won't get involved in this kind of thing!"

"We have no choice but to accept our fate!"

Old Tian squatted on the ground, pulling at the broken vines with both hands, sighing incessantly.

Cucumbers were an important task for Tian Sangui, as he needed them to upgrade his spatial system. Now that he had just tasted the benefits, they were ruined by that damned thief.

His anger was barely contained: "No, I'll make that thief come to me in person!"

"Huh?" Tian Laosi couldn't believe it and turned to look up at Tian Sangui.

"This...this...what kind of thief would just walk right into your doorstep?"

My daughter must be so angry that she's lost her mind.

Tian Lao Si was worried about Tian San Gui, so he got up, touched her forehead, and compared her to himself.

"Why are you talking such nonsense!"

Tian Sangui was oblivious to Tian Laosi's actions towards her. She grabbed his hand as he was about to let go, held it with both hands, and looked up at him firmly.

"Dad, listen to me, go back and talk to Mom... tell her our cucumber patch... is poisonous..."

"Hey, hey, I'm going back to find your mother right now!"

Tian Laosi looked flustered and ran away as fast as he could.

Tian Sangui, standing behind him, reminded him, "Speak louder, shout to everyone you see..."

Watching Tian Laosi walk away, Tian Sangui's face was cold: "I don't believe I can't catch you!"

Before long, the village was in an uproar thanks to the performances of Tian Laosi and Zhang Shi. Even the ducks in Yantang knew about it and whispered among themselves and the roosters on the shore, quacking incessantly!

"This is incredible! Have you heard?"

"The fourth brother's cucumber patch?"

"Oh dear, I heard they used some kind of pesticide, it'll kill you if you eat it!"

"I hope the person who stole the vegetables goes to his house soon, or it won't be useful after noon!"

"No wonder his vegetable garden is growing so well, it turns out he's been using those pesticides they were talking about!"

"They run a big business in the county town and have seen the world, so it's not surprising that they got their hands on these medicines!"

A few aunties and grandmas sat in groups of two or three under the big locust tree, discussing a major event that had shaken the village!

“Our village hasn’t had a thief for many years, not even when we were robbed by bandits. How come this kind of thing happens just because life is getting better?”

"Alas!" the village head sighed.

Tian Sangui had no interest in working in the fields, so he simply went home to wait.

She wanted to see who it was!

It was almost noon, and there was still no sound from outside my house.

Zhang, who was washing clothes under the eaves, looked at the open door with a furrowed brow.

"Could it be... that he's not from our village?"

If that were the case, that person would have been restless long ago, unless he didn't believe in fate and was willing to take a gamble!

Tian Sangui was also a little confused at this moment. Could it really be as Zhang said?

Suddenly, a large hand appeared on the door frame and grabbed the door.

Zhang and Tian Sangui both jumped up in alarm. To ensure his safety, Zhang picked up a bamboo broom from behind him and held it horizontally in front of him.

The person at the door slowly emerged and stumbled into the courtyard.

Was it him?

The mother and daughter were surprised to find that it was this person.

The man on the ground was dressed in gray, with a blue cloth covering his hair and a gray linen cloth wrapped around his waist. His figure resembled that of Tian Laosi.

"Second Uncle?"

"Second Brother?"

"You..." The mother and daughter spoke at the same time.

Tian Lao Er looked up, reaching out his hand to Tian San Gui in anguish: "Save me..."

It was him! It was actually him?

Tian Sangui couldn't understand why her family would do such a petty theft when they had no grudge against the second wife.

"Second brother, why are you doing this? If you want to eat, just come to our house and get it. Do you think your fourth brother and I would stop you?"

"By doing this, you have not only caused us to lose a large area of ​​melon groves, but you have also lost the trust of the villagers. How will you face the elders and folks in the future?"

"Aren't you just bringing shame to the Tian family?"

With a bitter face, Zhang squatted down beside Tian Lao Er and scolded him.

If it were anyone else, she would have gone to kick them a couple of times in the morning to vent her anger.

"What are you worrying about now? Save me first! Hurry and save me!"

Tian Lao Er felt like he couldn't breathe and was about to die. Why was Zhang Shi still muttering to herself beside him?

If he dies, even as a ghost he won't let the Zhang family have a moment's peace!

Just then, Tian Laosi returned from the field carrying a hoe. As soon as he entered the door, he saw his second brother lying on the ground, holding Zhang Shi's hand and saying something to her.

"Second brother, what are you doing?"

He strode forward, pulled Zhang up and shielded her behind him, his eyes glaring angrily at Tian Lao Er on the ground, ignoring his pained expression.