A gaunt old woman sat on the ground, slapping her thigh and crying. A group of people stood around her, all staring at her with angry eyes.
If looks could kill, the old lady would have been stabbed countless times by now.
Qian Xiao glanced at the person next to her: "Aunt Wu, what's wrong?" She hadn't figured out what was going on yet, all she heard was old Cao crying.
The woman called Aunt Wu turned her head and saw Qian Xiao: "It's Erdan. It's all because of that old woman Cao's misdeeds."
“Nowadays, food is so precious to every family. Everyone is counting every grain of rice before putting it in the pot. But this old woman Cao is something else. She's taken all the little food she has and sent it to her brother’s house. Doesn’t she ever think about how her whole family will survive if they run out of food?”
Qian Xiao was also surprised. Was this guy an idiot?
"Ah! Isn't this crazy? It's understandable when there's plenty of food, but in this kind of year, isn't this just sending the whole family to their deaths?"
Old Cao was a notorious woman in the village for favoring her brother. It was said that her real name was Lai Di, and just by looking at that name, you could tell that Old Cao was born into a family that preferred sons to daughters.
No one can say for sure, since Old Cao was a later settler. She and her brother fled famine together, and by the time they reached the neighboring village, only the two of them remained.
In order to ensure her younger brother had food to eat, Old Cao's wife married the current Old Cao, even changing her surname to Cao, though it's unclear what the intention was. Anyway, Old Cao was a kind man when he was young, and he actually raised Old Cao's wife's younger brother and even helped him get married.
However, for some reason, Old Cao's younger brother insisted on living in the neighboring village, refusing to live in the same village as his sister. Old Cao raised his brother-in-law and even helped him get married, thinking that he had finally completed his mission.
Who could have imagined that this was just the beginning? From that moment on, the wife he married became a domestic rat, taking anything from their house to her younger brother's house, and even letting her own children go hungry for her brother's sake.
Old Cao was a bit too honest. The Cao family were outsiders and didn't have any relatives here. After his parents passed away, Old Cao had been living alone. Otherwise, Old Cao's wife wouldn't have targeted him at first glance. Being all alone and without relatives, he was the easiest to manipulate.
Seeing his own child so thin and pale from hunger, Old Man Cao didn't dare to utter a sound. He could only sigh every day, as if he himself was suffering greatly.
However, they managed to get through these bumpy times, and life gradually improved. After all, the children had grown up and knew how to guard their things, so they rarely let Old Cao's wife get her hands on them. Although there was still some noise, they were able to get by.
With all the able-bodied men in the village out working these past two days, and the rest of the villagers just watching the excitement, and no one from Old Cao's family left, it gave Old Cao's wife the perfect opportunity.
This girl is ruthless. She used an axe to break the lock on the room where the grain was stored, allowing her brother to secretly take away every single grain in the house. As a result, the Cao brothers found out when they came back. After all, how could they not see the lock after it was in such a bad state?
When the two brothers pushed open the door to the room where the grain was stored, they immediately felt their blood rush to their heads. They thought that even if their mother was being unreasonable, she would at least leave some grain for the family. Who would have thought that she hadn't left any at all? She was planning to starve the whole family to death!
That's how they started arguing. Whenever the topic of grain came up, Old Cao's wife would sit on the ground, slap her thighs, and cry. There was no way to reason with her.
Qian Xiao looked around the yard and saw Old Man Cao squatting in the corner. His face was numb, as if the noise in the yard had nothing to do with him.
Qian Xiaodu was also anxious. It was impossible to let this family starve to death, but the village would definitely have to worry about it. In this day and age, who would have extra grain to fill the huge hole in the Cao family's coffers?
The key is that even if you fill the gap, how can you guarantee that Old Cao's wife won't do it again next time? You can't expect Old Cao's wife to help you every time she moves something big, that would be a bottomless pit.
Qian Xiao looked at the Cao family members glaring at her mother in the yard and felt anxious for them. She quickly whispered in Aunt Wu's ear, "No, what's the use of making such a fuss? Hurry up and go and get the grain back."
Aunt Wu clapped her hands: "That's right, how can the grain be brought back if we keep making such a fuss?" They're so worried about this, nothing is more important than the grain at this time.
"Boss Cao, hurry up and take your men to get the grain back. We can talk about the rest later." If we're too late, we might not be able to get the grain back at all.
"Yes, yes, getting the grain back is the most important thing now." No one had thought of this before, especially since the Cao family often came here for this kind of thing.
"Brothers, lend a hand! This food is our lifeline right now!"
"Yes, yes, everyone should go along."
To be honest, the villagers wouldn't be that enthusiastic, since it's not really their own business.
The main problem is that this matter involves everyone's interests. If the Cao family really has nothing to eat, they won't need the village's help. All that grain belongs to everyone, and if it's given to the Cao family, they will inevitably receive less grain.
As someone said before, food is now everything; it's life itself.
Cao Laoda thought it made sense. At this time, nothing was more important than getting the grain back. If they divided the family property after getting the grain, life would be unbearable.
Cao the eldest called to his younger brothers: "Hurry up, take your household chores and go get some grain for our family."
Upon hearing that she was capable, Granny Cao opened her mouth and howled: "If you dare to go, I'll hang myself at the door! Your uncle is living in such hardship, and you heartless people still want to steal his food!"
As she spoke, Old Lady Cao got even more excited. She took a thin rope and stood at the door, looking like she was ready to hang herself if anyone dared to come near.
In this day and age, filial piety is still highly valued. If an elder in a family says that their child is unfilial, then no one will respect that child, and their reputation will be ruined.
The Cao brothers were terrified by their mother. They really didn't care whether their mother lived or died, but the problem was, what would happen to their children if this reputation got out? Their future marriages would become a huge problem.
Cao the Elder was so angry that he squatted on the ground and sobbed. The remaining brothers were also furious, their eyes red with anger. The wives all looked at Cao the Elder as if they were enemies, wishing they could drink her blood and eat her flesh.
They all knew what the lack of food meant, but they had to swallow this bitter pill for the sake of their reputation.
In years of famine, every family's food supply was a major concern. Before long, the village chief arrived and understood everything once he saw the situation inside and outside the door.
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