After the meal, all the injured lay down to rest. Zhao Guihua and Zhou Sifu took turns keeping watch, not daring to be careless even during the day. Tangguo and Xingxing sat in the yard playing cat's cradle.
Zhao Guihua glanced at the boy and found that his fever had started to subside, so she called Zhou Sifu over, "Go and get that bowl of rice porridge and feed it to the child. He can't go on without eating."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Zhou Sifu quickly brought over the rice porridge, preparing to force-feed it if the baby couldn't eat it.
However, after the fever subsided, the boy was clearly much better. When fed rice porridge, he instinctively opened his mouth and swallowed it. Perhaps he had been hungry for a long time, or perhaps he was starving. The bowl of rice porridge was finished in no time.
"It seems he's out of danger and can eat again." Zhou Sifu came out and sat down on the bench with Zhao Guihua, which Zhao Guihua had brought out from the main room.
Zhao Guihua didn't respond to him. She stared blankly for a while, then got up and said, "You stay here and watch over things. I'm going to the backyard to cut some grass to feed the horses."
"Isn't there straw in the shed?" Zhou Sifu said, pointing to the dilapidated shed.
"Never mind, I'll be right back." Zhao Guihua took the sickle and left. She just wanted to find something to do, otherwise sitting there lost in her own thoughts would be too uncomfortable.
Candy and Star were playing seriously, while the two little girls were carefree and still had the mood to have fun.
"Ouch..." Zhao Guihua suddenly screamed, startling everyone.
Ignoring his injuries, Boss Zhou got up and tried to run to the backyard. The other sleeping people also suddenly opened their eyes. The men in black were here again.
"Sifu, come quick! There's a snake here!" Zhao Guihua cried out, her legs weak.
Zhou Sifu rushed to the backyard as soon as he heard the noise. He is now standing in front of Zhao Guihua, looking like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Mom, don't be afraid. It's just an ordinary python, it's not poisonous."
"Be careful, this snake is as thick as your father's arm." Zhao Guihua didn't dare to speak loudly, afraid of startling the python.
Zhou Sifu glanced around, then grabbed a large wooden stick, leaped forward, and pinned the python down on its vital spot with the stick. He then swung his fist at the snake's head.
The python was stunned, and Zhou Sifu skillfully began to extract its gallbladder and skin it. After processing the snake, he searched the weeds in the backyard again and found another cobra weighing more than two pounds.
After searching several times to make sure there were no snakes in the backyard, he asked Wufu for a packet of snake and insect repellent and sprinkled it in the backyard.
"Mother, I'm going to start a fire to make snake soup so everyone can have some nourishment. We've sprayed some medicine here, so snakes and insects won't dare come near for now. You can continue cutting grass."
"Here's the sickle. Cut two bundles to feed the horses. I'll go make snake soup." Zhao Guihua was terrified of snakes. The sight of a long, soft snake wriggling around terrified her. Even though she knew no snakes would come, she still didn't want to stay there.
Zhou Sifu didn't care. He took the sickle and started working. In less than 15 minutes, he cut two large bundles of grass and carried them to the front yard to feed the horses. He glanced at the kitchen and knew that his mother was busy and didn't have time to pay attention to him.
"Xingxing, Fourth Brother is going to the back mountain to see if he can catch a few pheasants and rabbits. You and Tangguo stay here and keep watch. If any bad guys come, shout loudly," Zhou Sifu said.
Xingxing craned her neck to look into the distance, and seeing no danger, nodded. "Then hurry back. You must be back in a quarter of an hour at most."
Okay, Xingxing is craving meat too. It would be even more perfect if there were pheasant and snake meat stewed together in a dragon and phoenix soup. It's very safe here, no bad guys will come looking for us.
...
In the back courtyard of the Gu family mansion in Quanshui Prefecture, Wu Lianlian frowned and glared at Steward Gu, "Are you saying that all ten people sent out were killed, and not one of them came back alive?"
“Yes, Madam,” Butler Gu said respectfully, bowing his head. “There was a large tiger in that place last night. Those people seemed to know about the tiger’s existence. They were covered with a kind of herb that the tiger hates. The tiger would go crazy when it smelled it, but it dared not approach and would only stay far away.”
These are the conclusions their people reached this morning after inspecting the scene. There were some of those herbs left behind at the place where the Zhou family was resting, which is why they figured out why only the man in black was killed by the tiger, while the Zhou family was not harmed by it.
"I underestimated them. I didn't expect them to have such abilities. So where did the Zhou family go?" Wu Lianlian asked with a gloomy look in her eyes.
Butler Gu stammered, "We couldn't find any trace of the Zhou family. I really didn't expect all ten of them to be wiped out. I thought at least a few would survive."
No, he actually thought no one should be harmed and the Zhou family was doomed.
"Useless!" Wu Lianlian cursed, then thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that they didn't come to Quanshui Mansion and went somewhere else instead?"
"I'll send someone to investigate immediately," said Steward Gu.
"No rush, the Zhou family will definitely enter the city. Just have someone keep watch at the city gate. Something happened at the prison. Gu Yiqiao was rescued by his mother's loyal servants. Those good-for-nothings didn't realize he was missing for three days. Send someone to find him for me. Gu Yiqiao must die."
Gu Yiqiao is the legitimate son of Master Gu's first wife. He is sixteen years old this year and is a handsome young man who has shown great talent in both his studies and business management.
Wu Lianlian had always disliked him and wanted to kill him long ago. If Gu Yiqiao didn't die, he would block her son's path to succession. That's right, Wu Lianlian gave birth to a son for Master Gu.
It wasn't that Wu Lianlian had any deep feelings for Master Gu. She gave birth to this son so that she could rightfully inherit the Gu family's fortune. However, if her son was to become the legitimate heir, she had to get rid of the legitimate son first.
Wu Lianlian wasn't the only concubine in the Gu family's inner quarters. Master Gu was handsome and had a good business sense, but all crows are black, and Master Gu was also fond of novelty. He took in seven concubines and a bunch of illegitimate children.
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