Chapter 14: A Small Act of Revenge

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Li Mumu decided to add fuel to the fire. She slipped out of her grandmother’s arms and tugged at her mother’s hand. “Mother, Brother Yun Zhe said…”

“Shut up!” Li Yuan was genuinely afraid this foolish girl might say something harmful.

Whenever she opened her mouth, trouble was sure to follow.

But Gu Yuru, usually gentle and obedient, was uncharacteristically defiant. “Why are you yelling at her? Why not let her speak?”

Bending down softly, she coaxed, “Mumu, what else did Li Yun Zhe say? Don’t be afraid; tell Mother!”

Li Mumu shook her head. “I’m scared. Father will hit my head, and it hurts. I won’t say anymore. I was wrong. I won’t say it again.”

“Li Yuan, look what you’ve done—scared Mumu so badly,” said Gu Mingjing, the third child of the Gu family, speaking with genuine concern. She no longer called him brother-in-law but addressed him by his full name.

Li Yuan cast a hateful glare at Gu Yuru and Li Mumu. “Are you just going to watch Yun Zhe die? Even if he’s at fault, he’s still a child. Besides, Mumu is fine, isn’t she? She’s not mentally whole, so you can’t take everything she says seriously.”

But the Gu family had no interest in hearing his pointless words.

Seeing their silence, Li Yuan shook his head in disappointment and prepared to turn away. Just then, Sun Shi, who had been arrogant moments ago, suddenly panicked.

“Please, please give me the antidote. I beg you, don’t just stand by and watch him die.”

Zhang Yi finally softened a bit. “Second Sister-in-law of the Li family, it’s not that we won’t give it, but there’s only one bottle of antidote. If it doesn’t work, we’re helpless.”

That was true; if there had been more, the Gu family wouldn’t be in such a panic.

Li Mumu said nothing. She had as much antidote as she wanted but refused to give any.

Sun Shi suddenly wiped tears away. “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Zhang Yi was a little stunned by her two-faced behavior, then laughed self-mockingly—her kindness was wasted.

“What should we do? Third Brother, you have the best solutions,” Sun Shi whimpered.

“Yun Zhe won’t die, will he?”

Li Yuan frowned, looking at his nephew lying on the ground, lips darkening. He grit his teeth. “I don’t know if the poison has reached his lungs yet, but there is one way.”

“Then say it quickly,” Li Ye urged. This was his only son.

Daughters are just a financial burden, others’ daughters.

“We can only cut off his leg. Maybe then we can save his life.”

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On the march, some who encountered incurable poison had no choice but to do this for self-preservation. It was a last resort, but there were no other options now.

The antidote truly did not work, showing just how venomous that snake was.

“Cut off his leg? He’ll become crippled!” Sun Shi shouted, shaking her head. “No, no, my son cannot be a cripple.”

Li Ye looked at Li Yuan imploringly. “Third Brother, really no other way? Can’t you beg the Gu family? Maybe they’re hiding some effective medicine. He’s your nephew—remember, you owe your life to me.”

What Li Ye meant by “owe” was that when the two brothers wanted to enlist, their family was too poor to survive. On the way back, a rockslide occurred on the mountain; Li Ye pushed Li Yuan out of the way but injured his own leg.

He couldn’t enlist then and still limped slightly now, though it was hardly noticeable.

“Second Brother, there really isn’t any other way.”

“Third Brother, you’re not favoring your in-laws, are you? Let me tell you, we’re all prisoners now; no one is better than the other. You could flatter them before, but there’s no need now.”

Li Yuan frowned, feeling for the first time that his own brother was difficult to deal with.

Li Mumu watched the Gu family’s commotion and felt nothing but joy.

The dog-eat-dog drama was the most entertaining.

Though they quarreled and fought, Yun Zhe’s life still had to be saved.

Of course, they wouldn’t succeed.

In the end, Li Ye begged the officials to remove his son’s shackles and personally sawed off his leg.

Li Mumu watched coldly. Even if the bleeding could be stopped, without timely medicine, the severed limb would fester and become infected.

Wasn’t this supposed to be brotherly love?

Her worthless father had caused the deaths of her uncles for the sake of brotherhood. This time, she wanted to see the brothers fall out.

That night, after a quarrel with Li Yuan, Gu Yuru took the children to live with her natal family.

In the wilderness, fearing more poison might approach, Li Mumu secretly scattered detoxifying powder around the Gu family while playing with her brothers.

At night, after everyone had gone, her consciousness entered her hidden space, where a warm, soft bed awaited her.

The next morning, Li Mumu was awakened by a piercing scream. She hurriedly returned to her body, rubbed her eyes, and yawned.

As her vision cleared, she saw Sun Shi, the Gu family’s second aunt, wailing loudly.

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Just as Li Mumu thought Yun Zhe had died, Sun Shi’s cries suddenly stopped.

“Yun Zhe, you’re not dead! You scared me to death.”

Li Mumu wasn’t disappointed; after all, this was just the beginning. For someone so severely injured, surviving the exile journey was nearly impossible.

Just then, a flatbread appeared before her. “Mumu, eat some bread.”

Li Mumu wasn’t hungry; after all, she had feasted in her space the night before.

Yet, seeing her little cousin’s adorable face, she took it. She noticed others had half or even smaller portions.

Only hers was a whole large piece.

“Eat quickly; we have to leave soon. These foods won’t last long,” the matriarch of the Gu family gently advised.

“It’s too big; Mumu can’t finish it,” Li Mumu said, breaking off a small piece and sharing the rest.

The adults, knowing the value of food, shook their heads and refused to eat. The children were sensible, so a single flatbread was divided among many.

“What a good child, so lovable, how could…” Song Qiang’s words were cut off by Zhang Yi, who bumped her and gave her a warning look.

Though the Gu family hadn’t eaten much, they at least had something in their stomachs and felt less miserable.

Yet the Gu family wailed in despair, each so hungry their chests pressed against their backs.

Lin Siyun, pregnant, was retching up sour water, weakly looking at Li Yuan, hoping he would get her some food.

But there was nothing.

“I’m starving; if I don’t eat, I can’t move,” Li Rong said, watching the officials eat breakfast, licking their lips. Suddenly, her eyes lit up—she had an idea.