In the next few days, Shen Qiushu ran out after breakfast every day and had no time to argue with Old Man Shen.
Except for eating and sleeping, I spend the whole day at Ergouzi's house and have become addicted to it.
There are wins and losses, but losses are more common.
As a result, Shen Qiushu's face became more and more sour every day.
Old Man Shen thought he was still angry about the bride price and ignored him.
Chen Qiushu was unwilling to spend his money and always thought about making a comeback next time.
However, after a period of time, the price has not increased but decreased by a few cents from the initial 7 cents.
Chen Qiushu stole more and more food from home. At first, he was worried about being discovered by his family, but later on, he didn't care anymore.
Finally, on the morning of the fifth day, Li Xiang looked at the bag of flour with a large piece missing, with a look of confusion on her face.
I wanted to turn around and tell Old Man Shen who was sitting on the kang about the situation, but when I saw that he had a sullen face and closed eyes, I swallowed the words that were about to come out of my mouth.
After the family finished breakfast, Li Xiang cleaned up the outer room and stood at the door, looking at Old Man Shen, and asked hesitantly.
"Dad, have you touched the cornmeal in the cupboard these past few nights? I noticed that there is a lot less cornmeal these days."
Old man Shen leaned against the windowsill, frowning in dissatisfaction: "I eat it every day, how can it be too much?"
Li Xiang quickly explained: "No, I found that in addition to what I eat every day, there is a lot less."
For their family, there is a fixed amount they eat for each meal.
Each person only eats one bowl of flour per meal, so there is no possibility of leftovers. Therefore, people who cook frequently have a rough idea of how much food is left in the flour bag.
Moreover, Li Xiang has been a little suspicious these days. After cooking yesterday afternoon, she deliberately spread the cornmeal evenly.
But when I opened the bag this morning, it was in a mess and it was obvious that someone had touched it.
Li Xiang carefully told Old Man Shen about the situation, which immediately scared away his sleepiness.
"You mean to say that besides what the family eats every day, there is still less food?"
Li Xiang nodded timidly.
Although Old Man Shen kept the key himself, she was the one who took the food every day. She was worried that her father-in-law would think that she had stolen it, otherwise she really didn't want to ask.
Old man Shen sat on the kang with a gloomy face. He thought about the keys on his waistband which kept falling off inexplicably in the past few days.
Old Man Shen immediately suspected that someone had broken into the house, stole his keys while they were asleep at night, and then stole food.
But there were three men sleeping in the east room, including him, the second and third sons. How bold must this thief be to steal their food one after another?
Shen Laosan was out and not at home, and only Shen Xiashu was in the room.
"Second brother, did you hear any noises when you were sleeping these few nights?"
Having their house robbed was a big deal, and what was stolen was their food rations. Chen Xiashu was also shocked.
"I didn't hear any noise!" Chen Xiashu thought about it carefully and realized that he didn't hear any noise at night.
"This thief has stolen several times, he will definitely come again. Don't shout it out yet. Wait until you catch him in the act, and see if he will pay you back several times the amount you paid."
Old man Shen was very angry and slammed the kang angrily. "You little bastard, how dare you mess with me? You must be tired of living."
That afternoon, Shen Qiushu went home for dinner.
Chen Xiashu looked at him and said to him, "Don't go out after dinner. Dad has something to tell you."
As a result, Chen Qiushu didn't want to listen at all. Because he lost money during the day, his tone was particularly bad: "Why are you telling me? Who do I have the final say in this family?"
Old man Shen angrily slammed his chopsticks on the table: "You are not from this family?"
Chen Qiushu's stubborn temper also came up: "You didn't even tell me about a wife, am I worthy of it?"
He drank the porridge in the bowl in a gulp in angrily, put down his chopsticks and left.
Old man Shen pointed at his back with chopsticks in his hand, and was so angry that he almost fainted.
Chen Xiashu wanted to stand up and call the third brother, but Old Man Shen immediately glared at him and said, "No need to call him. He was subdued by a woman. What great things can he achieve?"
"We can still catch thieves without him at night."
Chen Xiashu wanted to say a few good words for the third brother, but before he could open his mouth, he was blocked by Old Man Shen.
"I don't need to speak for him. He has been spoiled by you all. He doesn't do his job properly every day, and his ambition is even higher than that day."
Chen Xiashu looked at his father and realized that he was a prophet who could predict the future and blocked his every word. He knew that his father was venting his resentment because he was angry at the third son for being disobedient.
As the least favored son, he had never enjoyed the same willfulness as the third son. For a moment, he felt a little disappointed, but did not try to persuade him further.
On this day, Shen Qiushu lost all his money again. With bloodshot eyes, he was chased off the card table.
Watching others draw cards round and round, Shen Qiushu felt itchy and his hands were itching to play.
But at this time, he had no money at all.
I kept staring until lunch time, then reluctantly went home.
As soon as he got home, Shen Qiushu kept looking at Old Man Shen's belt, wishing he could pull it off right now.
After finishing the second meal, Chen Qiushu did not go out for the first time. He leaned against the wall at the end of the kang and closed his eyes to rest.
Under the seemingly calm appearance, in fact, he is eager for night to come immediately.
Behind the others' back, he kept picking at his cotton-padded jacket with his hands, otherwise he would feel like an opium addict, with an unbearable itch in his heart.
He waited until Old Man Shen and Shen Xiashu took off their clothes and lay on the kang, and Shen Qiushu didn't even take off his cotton-padded jacket and went straight into bed.
He didn't know how long he waited, but it felt like a whole night. He couldn't wait any longer, so he sat up and walked towards his father's feet.
As he had planned it in advance, he hid the bag of cornmeal he had been using these days in his arms before going to bed.
After getting the key, he went straight to the cabinet in the basement.
Just as he had opened the cupboard and was about to grab some cornmeal, a light suddenly appeared in the dark room.
Shen Qiushu was startled and looked back quickly, only to see his father holding a kerosene lamp and looking at him angrily.
"You little bastard, I thought it was an outsider, but it turned out to be you, a domestic thief."
Because he and his second son had agreed to catch a thief, Old Man Shen kept his eyes closed. As a result, he heard the rustling of his youngest son beside him.
He was about to ask him what he was doing, but to his shock, his youngest son actually stole his keys.
Watching him open the cabinet furtively, Old Man Shen immediately understood why there was so little food at home.
I was on guard against everything, but I didn't expect it to be a thief in my family.
One can imagine how angry Old Man Shen was at this moment.
He put the kerosene lamp on the kang, and without even bothering to put on his shoes, he walked barefoot a few steps to the stunned Shen Qiushu, raised his hand and slapped him in the face.
He angrily questioned Shen Qiushu: "Tell me, why did you steal the food?"
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