Chapter 017: Who Doesn't Know How to Act?

Just now, when Old Lady Li shouted so loudly, Gu Yuru naturally heard her. Seeing that her little daughter was about to take the mushrooms to her maternal home, she called out, “Mumu, wait a moment.”

Li Mumu turned back with a smile. “Mother!”

“These mushrooms might be poisonous…”

Before she could finish, Old Lady Li interrupted, “Poisonous? Where would that come from? Don’t spread nonsense about the Third Family.”

The old woman’s eyes darted shrewdly, gleaming with a sharp, cunning light. She thought to herself that if the Gu family all died from poisoning, the food and money would be hers. Even if they didn’t die but were left crippled, that would be fine—then they would be more obedient.

She glanced at Lin Siyuan with increasing satisfaction; this girl was clever after all.

“Mother, I just heard you say…” Gu Yuru began to explain.

“I misread it. I’m old now and my eyes are failing. The mushrooms I mentioned weren’t like that—they were green.”

“Grandma, are there green mushrooms?” Li Mumu asked, having never seen any herself.

“Of course there are. You all live well and wouldn’t have seen them. Why would I lie?” Old Lady Li softened her harsh glare at Gu Yuru and smiled. “We’re all family, even in exile we have to stick together. We don’t mind hardship, but your father and mother are precious. Go give the mushrooms to them.”

With that, Old Lady Li gave Li Mumu a gentle push. “Quick, take them to your grandfather and grandmother.”

Gu Yuru hesitated for a moment. No matter how bad the relationship between the two families was, surely her mother-in-law wouldn’t really give poisonous mushrooms to her own family.

Li Mumu, afraid her mother wouldn’t agree, didn’t want to waste the fresh mushrooms she had gathered.

“Mother, Grandma said they’re safe to eat. Mumu wants to eat them.”

“Yes, eat, eat plenty,” whispered Madam Li secretly, thinking, “I’ll poison you all to death.”

In the end, Gu Yuru nodded. On the road to exile, food was rare.

Originally, the Gu family planned to eat some thin vegetable porridge with dry rations, saving whatever they could for the elders and children.

But mushrooms couldn’t be stored long. Though they could be dried, the conditions for exiles weren’t adequate, so they ate them as soon as they were gathered.

Mushrooms alone weren’t enough. Li Mumu glanced at a large water hole nearby; with water available, she could add two fish.

Song Qiang was busy cooking the mushrooms. To make sure the mushrooms were thoroughly cooked, Li Mumu took some time before bringing back the two fish. “Second Aunt, second Aunt, fish! Let’s eat fish!”

Seeing her son and Li Mumu running toward her, Song Qiang beamed. Though exile was hard, at least the food was not too bad.

“Where did you get the fish?” Song Qiang asked, and Zhang Yi came over to see.

“Mumu saw them. Mumu and I caught them together,” Gu Yu said, smiling with two little tiger teeth showing at his young cousin.

Song Qiang lifted Li Mumu up. “Mumu’s amazing. Second Aunt didn’t even notice. You’re our lucky star, always finding food wherever you go.”

Li Mumu chuckled. When Zhang Yi suggested roasting the fish, she insisted on eating it boiled.

She had her reasons.

The Li family was so hungry that they glared greedily, nearly wanting to devour the people opposite them. If the fish were roasted, they would shamelessly demand some—her worthless father would definitely do that.

But if the fish were cooked with the fresh mushrooms, though the taste might be odd, they feared poisoning and would never dare eat it.

By secretly adding some seasoning, the flavor wouldn’t be too bad. Since they had just set off, she wanted to keep things low-key.

The fish were caught by Li Mumu and, since the Gu family doted on her, they indulged her wishes.

“I want to eat fish!” Li Fenghua from the second branch shouted, unwilling to be slapped by Old Lady Li.

“Eat, eat, all you do is eat. What’s wrong with your eyes? You went inside just now—how didn’t you see any fish?” Old Lady Li scolded.

Li Fenghua shook her head, feeling wronged. “There were no fish inside.”

“Nonsense. How else would she find them?” Li Fengzhu glared disdainfully at her cousin. “Useless.”

Previously, Sun Shi would have defended her daughter, but now she was holding her unconscious son, unable to care about her daughter’s fate.

When the fish and mushrooms were cooked, the aroma wafted over, making the Li family’s stomachs growl louder.

Old Lady Gu sighed. “Yunye, Yunju, take some to your grandmother and the others.”

The two Li brothers hesitated. Children’s affections were simple and pure, without the complications of benefit or sacrifice—their loyalty went to those who treated them well.

Seeing their reluctance, Old Lady Gu coaxed, “Be obedient.”

“Grandma, I want to go too,” Li Mumu smiled.

Old Lady Gu laughed. “Mumu is such a filial, good child. Go ahead.”

However, when the three siblings returned with two bowls filled with fragrant fish and mushroom soup, Old Lady Li swallowed hard.

“Grandma, please eat. Grandma gave this to us. It’s delicious.”

Old Lady Li shook her head like a rattle. “Grandma isn’t hungry. You eat it.”

This was truly a first.

Li Mumu deliberately swayed before her worthless father and his mistress. “Father, give it to Aunt Lin.”

Li Yuan frowned tightly. If not for thinking this girl was an idiot, he would have suspected she was deliberately trying to harm them. “You eat it.”

Li Mumu didn’t move. “Why won’t you eat? Aunt, aren’t you hungry?”

“I…” Lin Siyuan’s mouth twitched. “No, I just ate. I’m not hungry.”

Li Mumu then offered the bowl to her father. “Father, eat.”

Li Yuan instinctively pushed the bowl away, thinking of the consequences. He swore he didn’t push hard—after all, it wasn’t worth fighting a fool.

Unexpectedly, Li Mumu suddenly collapsed weakly to the ground and began wailing loudly.

Gu Mingjing rushed over. He was the only unmarried son of the Gu family and treated the younger generation like his own children.

“Mumu kindly brought you food. How can you hit her?”

“I… I didn’t. I really didn’t,” Li Yuan explained.

“Not as badly as she’s crying?”

Li Mumu, to make her crying seem genuine, had wiped her eyes with hands touched by chili, and now tears streamed down like broken pearls. Anyone who saw her would feel heartbroken.

“I… get up. Tell me, did I hit you?”

Li Mumu grabbed her uncle’s leg and stood up, crying but silent.

Gu Mingjing grew angrier. The Gu family was very proper, but this time he called out by name, “Li Yuan, aren’t you just tired of Mumu? Your whole family dislikes her. You wanted to abandon her before but couldn’t. Now you treat her badly. If you don’t want her, give her to us. Our Gu family wouldn’t mind having one more.”

For Li Yuan, giving the child away was a great humiliation. A man who valued face as much as he did would never normally agree.

Yet, thinking about the events to come in the Gu family, he surprisingly nodded.