It was already past one o'clock in the afternoon, and the Fu family, who were far away in town, were still enjoying their meal at the state-run restaurant, unaware that uninvited guests had entered their home.
Fu Dalaizi and Sanlaizi had a simple lunch at home, which, as usual, consisted of wild vegetables and steamed buns. There wasn't even a bowl of cheap fish or shrimp on the table.
Looking at the deserted dining table, Fu Dalaizi got angry as he ate.
He slammed his chopsticks on the table and yelled at Wang Panlan, "Can't you go out and dig for clams or collect fish and shrimp like everyone else? You make me eat this stuff every day!"
They're both women, both from fishermen's families, so how come she's so different from Fu Wan of the Fu family!
Fu Sanlaizi remained silent. He was actually quite tired of the food. He had finally managed to come to his older brother's place for a meal, and this woman had actually given him a meal of junk food.
Wang Panlan had long since become numb to Fu Dalaizi's occasional fits of madness. She picked up the cornbread that had fallen on the ground with a blank expression, wiped off the dust, and then broke it apart and put it in her bowl.
She's been to many places to collect clams, fish, shrimp, and all kinds of sea snails. Hasn't she collected enough of them?
The money he got from selling it was stolen before he could even enjoy it.
He lost everything at the gambling table.
At first, when Fu Da Laizi scolded her, she would try to defend herself, but now, saying anything more would only get her beaten up again.
I still need to eat my fill, at least to survive.
When Fu Dalaizi saw that Wang Panlan remained silent and did not respond at all, he became even angrier.
He raised his hand to slap her.
It was Sanlaizi who came up and pulled him back, "Brother, we have important business to attend to. Hurry up and eat. When we have more money, we'll treat each other to a nice meal!"
Fu Dalaizi thought about it and realized that it was true. Thinking about the important thing he was going to do later, it would be impossible not to feel nervous.
He suddenly remembered that Erlaizi had given him a bottle of liquor when he got married, and now was the perfect time to drink it.
Without further ado, Fu Da Laizi ran to the room and pulled out the bottle of white wine covered in dust from under the bed, amidst Fu San Laizi's bewildered gaze.
The two brothers each ate more than half a bowl, and then set off with high spirits.
Wang Panlan was no longer curious about what the two brothers had been doing. She tidied up the table and then pulled out the fishing net to mend it.
Yesterday, Fu Dalaizi and his group went out, but they didn't catch many fish. Instead, their fishing nets got caught on the rocks and tore several holes in them.
At the entrance of Old Master Fu's house, Fu Da Laizi and Fu San Laizi staggered a little.
"Third brother... I... I'll go in, you wait outside!"
Big Laizi braced himself with both hands and climbed over the fence into the yard.
The fence around Old Master Fu's courtyard was only half a person high. Fu Sanlaizi stood at the door, nervously watching Fu Dalaizi's movements.
He pulled a wire from his pocket, a wire that he had somehow placed on his person.
In his early years, Fu Da Laizi learned the basics of petty theft from the village's old rascals. However, in recent years, after he got married, the petty theft became his younger brother, Fu Er Laizi.
At that time, the countryside still used those big and heavy iron locks. Fu Dalaizi opened his sleepy, drunken eyes and, based on his memory, turned the wire to listen to the sounds inside the lock.
With a click, the lock on the gate of Old Master Fu's house opened.
Fu Da Laizi waved triumphantly at San Laizi at the door, then slipped into Fu Lao Da's house.
Seeing this scene, Fu Sanlaizi outside felt both happy and nervous.
The sun was at its blazing hottest, and apart from the incessant chirping of cicadas, there was no other sound around.
Perhaps it was because the sun was too scorching, or perhaps it was because he hadn't drunk alcohol in a long time, but Sanlaizi suddenly felt his stomach churning and squatted down under a tree not far away to vomit.
I vomited up everything I ate for lunch: wild vegetables, steamed buns, and liquor.
He felt both distressed and nauseous, and kept vomiting, as if he were about to throw up bile.
"Uncle Laizi, what are you doing?"
A sweet, childlike voice rang out, startling Sanlaizi so much that he fell to the ground, luckily avoiding tumbling into his own vomit.
Turning his head, he saw Fu Honghong, who lived next door to Old Master Fu, standing at the door, covering her nose and looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Damn it, it's the middle of the day and so hot, why are people wandering around instead of sleeping?
He glanced nervously at the tightly closed door of the Fu family's house, feigning a fierce expression.
"Why are you asking so many questions, little kid? Go back and take your afternoon nap!"
After saying that, he glared fiercely at Fu Honghong, looking as if he was about to hit her.
Fu Honghong has never taken a nap, and no matter how hot the weather is, it doesn't stop the children from running around everywhere.
However, Fu Ling wasn't there at noon today. Fu Honghong remembered that Fu Ling had told her to bring her something delicious when she returned, so she eagerly waited for her friend to come back.
But she was still just a little girl of five or six years old. Even if a group of children were usually very wild, she was all alone now. Faced with Fu Sanlaizi's fierce appearance, she pouted and burst into tears.
"Waaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
The child's voice was like a thunderclap, exploding right next to Old Master Fu's house.
Fu Sanlaizi was so frightened by the child's actions that his face turned pale. Good heavens, his brother was still stealing money from Fu Laojia's house!
"You, you, you, stop crying!"
Fu Sanlaizi whispered, but Fu Honghong remained unmoved and cried even louder.
Damn it, kids are such a hassle!
Fu Sanlaizi didn't care about anything anymore and reached out to cover Fu Honghong's mouth, but unexpectedly, little Fu Honghong bit him on the tiger's mouth.
He winced in pain and kept shaking his hand.
"Sanlaizi, what are you doing!"
An old woman rushed out of the house and saw Fu Sanlaizi bullying her granddaughter. Enraged, she grabbed a broom and started hitting him.
Fu Honghong's parents also came out of the house and hugged her to comfort her.
Several neighbors who had been woken up by the noise gathered around and began to criticize Fu Sanlaizi.
"Sanlaizi, why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the day? What's with bullying the child?"
"Oh dear, look at the smell you have! Haven't you showered in days?"
Having just vomited, Fu Sanlaizi smelled not only of alcohol but also of an unpleasant sour odor.
As more and more people gathered around, Fu Sanlaizi grew increasingly anxious. Had his brother succeeded or not? He hoped he wouldn't come out at this moment!
Inside the house, Fu Da Laizi felt a little dizzy. He searched through two or three rooms, looking inside every cabinet and drawer, but he couldn't find a single penny.
Not a single penny!
This is truly unbelievable. If you were to say that Master Fu's family has no money, Fu Da Laizi would be the first to disbelieve it.
Just as he was becoming increasingly impatient with his search, the commotion outside grew louder.
What's going on? Has Sanlaizi been discovered?
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