Gu family yard.
Qianbao quickly ate the steamed egg custard made by grandma. The child was very hungry and could not wait for the egg custard to cool down. He opened his mouth wide and cried for food, "Milk, milk..." His little baby voice was full of anxiety.
"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious. You need to blow on it. What if you burn your little mouth?" Mother Gu was so full of love that she wanted to hold her little grandson in her hands.
She blew again and again, carefully feeding her grandson.
Gu Chenghuai: “…”
"Mom, I didn't eat either."
Without even looking up, Mother Gu glanced at her son and said, "You decide for yourself. Our Qianbao's belly is the most important thing."
She touched her grandson's belly, which was soft and flabby. She felt so distressed that she didn't know what to do. "Look at his flat belly. He must be starving. The weather is too hot. The food can't get cold for a long time..."
Gu Chenghuai accepted the fact that his family status was declining, and looked at Huang Xiulan, "Sister-in-law, you can stew the pheasant for A Lan. She lost so much blood, she needs to be nourished."
He also felt sorry for his honest niece, and said, "Let Ah Lan take good care of her. I'll buy her a can of milk powder and two kilograms of brown sugar tomorrow to replenish her lost blood."
Hearing this, Huang Xiulan was happy for her daughter, "Oh! Thank you, her uncle."
"Why thank her? Our family should thank her." Gu Chenghuai said solemnly, "If it weren't for Alan risking her life to delay time, Dahuang wouldn't have been able to catch up. Zhaozhao and I thank her sincerely."
"The family doesn't talk about this, but anyone who sees it must stop it," said Huang Xiulan.
She didn't leave the house, and didn't know that Zhang Manyue had a miserable end. She cursed a few words to herself, and then as if she remembered something, she asked, "Did you see the bullied girl in the Li family? Didn't you slap her a few times?"
The nausea that Gu Yuanshan finally felt after going down came back. He really didn't want to think about it, but someone kept reminding him.
He said with a dark face: "Don't mention it, the people are all gone."
Huang Xiulan's face froze with anger, then turned into shock. She asked in astonishment, "How could this happen? Did you encounter a wild animal in the mountains?"
"…It's wolves, a small wolf pack." Gu Yuanshan glanced at the fair and tender little Qianbao. The little guy ate the eggs in the spoon with a howl and shook his little feet in satisfaction. The whole little guy didn't show any sequelae of being frightened.
On the contrary, he has nightmares every time he sleeps at night.
He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the hero.
He squatted down, rubbed Dahuang's head, and touched its paws in awe, his eyes shining.
"Da Huang is a very capable man. He can even beat wolves. He doesn't eat in vain. He is so awesome. He didn't embarrass your mother. This is what they say: a good father will have a good son."
Da Huang bared his teeth, "Woof woof... woof woof..." (Who is the tiger? Who is the dog? You two-legged person, tell me clearly!"
Huang Xiulan's pupils contracted, and she was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. "What?! Oh my God! Did you run into a wolf?"
"...No." Gu Yuanshan waved his hand and gave his third brother a look of admiration. "When we arrived, all the wolves had been killed by Cheng Huai."
"Third brother, you are a really good shooter." He said this to Gu Chenghuai, with an expression full of admiration.
Gu Chenghuai's eyes flashed with a helpless smile, "I am a soldier, active duty."
Isn't it normal to be good at shooting?
"That's amazing too." Gu Yuanshan insisted.
In the eldest brother’s simple opinion, the third brother is the best!
At this time, Zhao Liuniang, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up, "So, Zhang Manyue is gone, and the matter of her stealing Qianbao away... is it over just like that?"
She felt uncomfortable. "If we let it go so easily, what will happen to the safety of the children in the village? This is blatant child stealing. If those lazy bachelors follow suit..."
Needless to say, the Gu family members all understood the consequences.
Mother Gu's expression twisted for a moment, "There's no way you can get through this way!"
Qianbao reached out and touched his grandmother's face, which instantly melted Mother Gu's heart. She smiled with a kind face.
"Good boy, open your mouth."
While feeding his grandson, he said firmly: "Such a big incident, and a life was lost. The Li family should not think of dying. I will come to your door soon!"
The fright her child suffered, the time and energy her family spent, and the tears shed by Yu Bao and others... the Li family must compensate!
After feeding her beloved grandson, she patted Dahuang's head and told it to take good care of Qianbao. Then, Mother Gu called her two daughters-in-law and hurried to Li's house.
Outside the Li family courtyard.
The Li family thought Zhang Manyue's death was too tragic and ominous, so they refused to allow her body into the house.
The other party was determined not to open the door, so the people carrying the stretcher back to the village had no choice but to put the straw stretcher at the door, shout a warning, and quickly leave the place of trouble.
In the yard, old lady Li was almost mad with anger. She wanted to leave the house but couldn't, and was extremely anxious.
"You damn unlucky star, why don't you just die cleanly? It's so unlucky. I can order a coffin for you for free."
The more he thought about it, the more painful he felt, and he began to blame his son who was squatting in the corner.
"You are such a fool! You followed her to the mountains, and you brought her back knowing that she had become... that state. It would be better if you just pretended you didn't see anything. You are so mad at me. With the money I had for the coffin, I could have given you another wife who can bear children!"
"Mother!" Li Ergou raised his head and tried to defend himself. "That's my wife. She has been with me for a lifetime. I can't ignore her. At least, I should give her some respect and let her rest in peace."
He was also afraid that his wife would die with regrets and become a ghost to haunt him.
He also wants to marry a wife who can give birth to children. He doesn't want to be a childless man!
Old lady Li spat and rolled her eyes, "You are so kind. Since you brought this thing back, we have been working for nothing for two months. I really don't know what to say to you."
"At that time... there were so many people watching, I couldn't just pretend nothing happened, what kind of person would I be if I did that..." the man with a naive face and a cold heart muttered.
"Mother, please take Zhang to the courtyard quickly. If we leave her outside, the villagers will laugh at us and talk about us."
At this point, all he thought about was his own face.
Old Mrs. Li was worried.
She knew that her daughter-in-law had fallen into this state because of her beatings and scoldings. She didn't want a body with missing limbs lying in her yard, fearing that she would have nightmares at night... and even more afraid of being entangled.
"this……"
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family standing nearby curled her lips and crossed her arms to express her opinion, "...We can't let her enter the yard. She is a dead person, full of bad luck. What if she brings bad luck to the family? I don't agree!"
The other members of the Li family nodded in agreement.
Li said, "Second brother, your sister-in-law is right. We have children at home, so it's not appropriate to leave a dead body there. So, let's not prepare a coffin. Later, when it's dark, find a piece of rag mat, wrap the body up on your back and carry it up the mountain. Then find a quiet place to bury the body and be done with it."
Li Er's eyes widened and he shrieked, "How can this be possible?"
"Why not? I think it's okay." Li's eldest wife gave her husband an admiring look and said to Li Er, "It's hot now. Anything will go bad if left overnight, not to mention that she...she's not whole anymore.
If you bring her into the yard and leave her there overnight, the yard will surely stink to high heaven. How will we live then? Second brother, people should not be too selfish. The dead must give way to the living. "
Li Er felt that what his brother and sister-in-law said made sense. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded in agreement.
The family reached a consensus and decided not to bother with the "things" at the door and just wait until dark.
However.
It didn't get dark before, but people from the Gu family showed up.
Gu's mother was old and had experienced wars. She had seen all kinds of bloody scenes. She glanced at the straw stretcher at the door and calmly looked away.
Bang, bang, bang on the door.
"Li family, open the door for me. You who are hiding in the house like a turtle, come out. I know you are home, open the door..."
The fierce and loud voice was like thunder and could be heard from far away.
All the neighbors of the Li family were alarmed and came out with their bowls of rice.
He caught a glimpse of the straw stretcher out of the corner of his eye, turned his back to it, and quickly ate the rice with the chopsticks in his hand. After finishing his meal, he gave the bowl to his children at home and sent them home to stop hanging around. He then started to watch the fun.
The child who wanted to get closer to the Li family's gate was grabbed by the back of the neck, and his little black hand had a chipped porcelain bowl. The boy raised his head, looked at his father with disgust, and went home obediently.
He did not behave himself even when he got home. He rolled his eyes and quickly found a wooden ladder, leaned it against the earthen wall, and climbed up stealthily. He climbed over the wall with his arms, revealing a pair of bright black eyes, watching what was happening at the gate of Li's house.
Several naughty kids did the same thing.
Like dumplings falling from the wall, a bunch of heads of different sizes appeared.
Old Mrs. Li looked at the door that was clanging loudly and gasped in pain.
How come Mrs. Gu is so strong? She wouldn’t feel sorry for the door if it wasn’t her own, right?
"Mom, what should we do? The Gu family has come to our house. What should we do? Open the door? What are they here for? Isn't the third son of the Gu family fine?" Mrs. Li stamped her feet anxiously.
Outside the door.
"Mom, stop knocking, I'll knock!" Zhao Liuniang said, and she took over from Gu's mother and banged on the door. She swung her arms and banged hard, saying loudly, "Mom, look at the noise I make, is my strength enough? Just tell me, do you believe I can take down this door..."
This was obviously a scare tactic, she didn't have the strength to do that.
In the yard, the Li family was really afraid that the gate would be removed, so they hurried to open the door.
The bolt was pulled out, and the smooth and sophisticated old man Li rubbed his hands and forced a smile.
"Hey, Yuanshan, we are all from the same village, there is no need to make a scene. Come on, it's hot outside, let's talk inside and take our time."
"Hmph." Mother Gu snorted and sneered, flicking her sleeves and walking inside, "If you had known better earlier, you wouldn't have wasted so much time!"
When she entered the yard and saw the head on the wall, she was stunned and almost lost her composure.
Tsk, they are all people who like to join in the fun.
Old Mrs. Li couldn't bear to see others watching her family's fun, so she picked up a gourd ladle, scooped it up with water, and poured it on the walls on both sides.
"Go away, what are you looking at? It's immoral to watch other people's fun!"
The adults and children who were watching the fun were splashed with water and screamed.
A boy who was sitting high wiped his face and shouted excitedly, "Oh, it's so cool! Grandma Li, pour another bucket of water, it's really cool hehe."
Old lady Li was so angry that she fell backwards, with a mouthful of blood stuck in her chest.
"What a brat! Get out of here!" She raised her eyebrows, her face stretched long, and she looked extremely fierce.
The little boy is also fierce when kissing his mother. He is also protective of his child. He is not afraid at all. He even sticks out his tongue and makes faces infuriatingly, "I'm at my home, not in your territory. Why are you leaving? I won't! Lululu..."
Old lady Li's blood boiled, her face turned red and her eyes were filled with anger.
Gu's mother and her two daughters-in-law felt relaxed all over, as if they had drunk ice soda on a hot day.
This family deserves it.
It’s best to die of anger.
Mother Gu sat down unceremoniously, while Huang Xiulan and Zhao Liuniang stood on either side of her mother-in-law.
Li family: “…”
Mother Gu said calmly, "What are you standing there for? Sit down. Let's talk about compensation..."
Hearing this, the Li family felt as if they were struck by a heavy hammer, and heavy rain poured down in their hearts.
This "prosperous age" is just as they wished.
The Gu family...really came to ask for compensation.
"Yuanshan mother..." Old lady Li didn't want to admit it, "Look at this matter, the one who stole the third child was that woman Zhang Manyue, it has nothing to do with us, did you find the wrong person?"
"Bang!" Gu's mother slapped the table, causing it to shake.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced at the Li family, "What do you mean? You don't want to recognize me?"
"Isn't Zhang Manyue the daughter-in-law of the Li family?"
"I came to talk to you nicely but you didn't listen. You want my third son's wife to come to your house in person, right?"
Li family: “…” No, we don’t want to!
They know too well how difficult the Cheng Huai family is. Once she comes, their family will be in great trouble, even the roof of their house will be blown off!
"Let's talk it over nicely, let's talk it over nicely." Old man Li gave in. He had to give in. After all, he was in the wrong, and he didn't want to see the house he had worked so hard to build all his life being damaged.
"You are in the wrong in this matter. You have no right to bargain. Do you understand?" Gu's mother frowned, thinking that the Li family could not distinguish between the big and small Wang.
Without waiting for them to push her any further, she made a blunt request:
"Your family needs to compensate my family for lost wages, mental damages, and the medical expenses for A-lan and Qianbao... Oh, so many people in the village helped find the missing person, so we need to give them a thank you gift. Your family also needs to pay for that. I roughly calculated that you need to pay 45.78 yuan, a chicken, and ten eggs. That's all. It's too much, and your family can't afford it."
When the Li family heard the compensation list, they felt like they had lost their parents.
This is indeed the limit of what the Li family can compensate; they can’t afford any more.
Mrs. Li's eyes went dark and she screamed like crazy, "There are so many, why don't you just go and grab them!
Forty or fifty yuan, how can my family afford forty-five yuan? Why does he have to pay so much for lost wages? And compensation for mental damage...what is this?
There are also medical expenses. We recognize Gu Lan's fault. Sanzai doesn't have any injuries at all, why does he need medical treatment?
You want money, chickens and eggs, why don't you kill me!"
She glared at the Gu family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, feeling annoyed.
This is blackmailing her family like they are bandits!
Mother Gu was more imposing and had a louder voice than hers.
"You should calculate how many people there are in my family and how many work points I will lose based on the number of people. My calculation is too low!"
"And why doesn't Qianbao want medical expenses? He has lumps all over his body... You must be blind to see that!"
"As for the chickens and eggs, they are for my Ah Lan and Qian Bao to nourish their bodies. One of the two children is injured, and the other is frightened. Which one doesn't need nourishment? Tell me, answer me! Which one doesn't need nourishment!"
Huang Xiulan nodded beside her and said seriously:
"My mother didn't count it as much. We calculated it one by one at home. Considering the fellow villagers, it's considered a small amount."
Li family: Who would believe this? I didn’t even think about rounding off the number, so what’s missing?
Zhao Liuniang had a smile on her face and looked like a amiable young wife.
She said, "What the eldest sister-in-law said is true. If the real owner comes to your house, you will have to pay at least 100 yuan. You should know the temper of the third brother's wife. When has she ever suffered a loss? My mother really showed mercy.
That's all. If you accept, we can reconcile. If you don't accept... I can wait for my third brother's wife and her brothers from her mother's side to come over. What do you choose?"
This is a threat.
A naked threat.
Old man Li was very upset and blamed his unlucky daughter-in-law for causing the family to lose money.
He weighed the pros and cons and didn't want to argue any further, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.
"…We will pay."
As I said this, my heart ached.
Gu's mother did not continue to be unreasonable. She took the compensation and took her two daughters-in-law home.
The news soon spread throughout the village.
Those who were "inspired" and had secretly been thinking of evil ideas suddenly became honest and no longer thought of taking shortcuts.
Gu family’s brick and tile house.
Lin Zhao washed off the sweat and walked out of the bathroom, but was almost tripped by two children at the door.
Looking down, I saw the twins, staring blankly with their chins propped up.
"Yubao, Hengbao, why are you sitting at the door? Where is your father?" Lin Zhao lifted up the hem of her skirt and half-knelt down, wrapping her long hair with a towel.
When Hengbao saw that his mother didn't dislike them, the little guy in his heart jumped for joy.
He said, "Dad and my eldest and second uncles went to hunt wild boars. They said they wanted to thank the uncles in the village and treat everyone to some meat."
Yubao also breathed a sigh of relief, "Dad brought a shotgun."
Lin Zhao understood. Many people in the village had been mobilized to look for the person today, and she really had to thank everyone.
She guessed that Gu Chenghuai saw traces of wild boars on his way into or down the mountain, which was why he came up with the idea of getting rid of them.
It not only solves the potential harm, but also rewards the villagers, killing two birds with one stone.
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