Chapter 24: Lost What Was Just Obtained

The Li family only had eyes for food, viewing the rain-shielding tarp with disdain, as carrying it was far too burdensome. Just as Mrs. Zhao was about to retrieve it, her husband barked at her, "Grab the food, you fool! Isn't there still a bag of rations? Why don't you carry that instead?"

The Li family members were exhausted, their feet covered in large, bloody blisters; no one wanted to shoulder any extra weight. That evening, the Lis enjoyed a decent meal, but after the past two days, they had learned the importance of rationing, not daring to eat their fill for fear the supplies wouldn't last. Mrs. Zhao, naturally, received no meat, but she was content enough with a white flour pancake. Her thoughts drifted to her only daughter, and she muttered, "If I’d known there was food, I never would have let Fengzhu leave with Rongrong. That third daughter-in-law really is something—why couldn’t she have made a scene sooner?"

In her view, the fault lay entirely with Gu Yuru. Since she was only a daughter-in-law, what would it have mattered if her husband had taken a concubine? Now, look—she’d been divorced.

With food in their bellies, Lin Siyan resorted to fawning over Old Mrs. Li, and their relationship thawed. Lin Siyan possessed a certain cunning; no matter how much she despised the old woman, she avoided direct conflict. But what would happen once the food ran out?

At dawn, a shrill scream jolted everyone from their sleep.

"What are you screeching for? With a voice that loud, it’s no wonder you couldn't even birth a boy! You scared the life out of me!" Old Mrs. Li snapped.

Mrs. Zhao’s face paled. Among the three daughters-in-law, only she had a barren womb, having suffered permanent damage after giving birth to a single daughter. Since arriving in the capital, she had turned a blind eye to her husband’s philandering.

"Mother, the... the things... where are they?" Mrs. Zhao asked, her voice trembling.

"What things?" Old Mrs. Li asked lazily.

"The food! The food we brought back from the Gu family yesterday... it’s gone!"

"What?" Old Mrs. Li’s triangular eyes snapped open. She looked toward the corner where the food had been stashed against the wall. It was empty. She was stunned.

She glared viciously at the Gu family. "I’m not saying this just to hear myself talk—you were once a Duke’s family, supposedly of status and standing, so why stoop to thievery? You’re less principled than us country folk. No wonder you raised a daughter who is jealous and disrespectful to her mother-in-law!"

With the Li women shouting like that, it was impossible for anyone to stay asleep. Being accused of theft the moment they opened their eyes was more than they could bear.

"Old hag, watch your tongue," Gu Mingjing said, his eyes bleary with sleep. He had been bottling up his rage for days. "I held my tongue before for the sake of my sister’s marriage, but now that our families have no ties, if you keep spewing that filth, see if I don’t beat you."

"You... you’re just feeling guilty! Oh, heavens! Someone return my things!"

"Who took your things? We’re in such an open space, where would we hide them?" Song Qiang retorted. "Oh, the food is gone? Heaven has finally opened its eyes. You didn't deserve it, and you weren't meant to have it. Serves you right!"

She had been annoyed enough having to give them the provisions she had worked so hard to select. Now, at least the Li family wouldn't get to eat them either.

"What is all this noise?" Li Rong emerged from the inn, looking displeased, her voice hoarse and her clothes disheveled—a testament to the debauchery of the previous night. Li Fengzhu bit her lip, trembling with fear, hiding behind her.

"Third Sister-in-law, you’re really something, letting your family bully my mother like this."

"Who is your Third Sister-in-law?" Song Qiang scoffed.

Li Rong was stunned until Lin Siyan whispered an explanation of what had happened after she entered the bailiffs' room the night before. Li Rong didn't think much of it—a divorce was a divorce. However, with her limited wit, she couldn't fathom why Li Yuan had kept those four extra mouths to feed; he should have just dumped them all on the Gu family.

"What’s going on?" Zhang Xiang waddled out, his gaze lingering on Lin Siyan in a way that made her shrink back in terror.

Several members of the Li family started talking at once, annoying Zhang Xiang, who roared, "One at a time! It’s deafening!"

Old Mrs. Li finally explained, and Zhang Xiang glanced toward the corner.

"We should report this to the authorities. We can't just lose all that food," Old Mrs. Li pleaded.

Li Mumu scoffed. Did Old Mrs. Li think she was Zhang Xiang’s mother-in-law?

"Report it to who? We’re already behind schedule. Forget about reporting it. For all I know, one of you gluttons snuck out and ate it."

"But that rice can't be eaten raw!"

To cook it would have required a fire and created noise; it was impossible for everyone to have slept so soundly. While the Gu family felt the theft was deserved, they were also puzzled. What kind of thief could come and go without a trace, and more importantly, without a sound? The three Gu brothers had been trained in martial arts since childhood and were highly alert; how could they have missed it? Yet, they had sensed absolutely nothing.

"Master Zhang, that was my family's lifeline. To have it just vanish like this..." Li Rong flashed a flirtatious look, but before she could finish, Zhang Xiang cut her off sharply. "If it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re just unlucky. Get moving!"

Li Rong had assumed that since she had slept with Zhang Xiang twice, she was special to him. But she failed to realize that if she were truly special, she wouldn't have been forced to serve several men at once. If it weren't for the need to satisfy his desires on the road, Zhang Xiang might not have even touched someone like Li Rong.

Humiliated, Li Rong glared hatefully at Old Mrs. Li. If not for her prodding, she wouldn't have made such a fool of herself.

Under pressure, everyone rose to continue the journey. This time, neither the Li family nor the Gu family had any food. It was the third day, and the blisters on their feet had been worn raw and burst repeatedly; their suffering was indescribable.

Before long, Mrs. Sun and Li Fengzhu started squabbling. Mrs. Sun had no spine in front of Old Mrs. Li, but she was fierce when scolding her own daughter. "You little slut! You let them sleep with you for nothing? You were too busy enjoying yourself to even steal a scrap of food. You really are base-born."

It had been Li Fengzhu’s first time, and having witnessed the madness of the men and her aunt, she was terrified. When her aunt suggested they go back again that night, she decided she would rather die than return. She would rather sleep on the grass than be tossed about by those men. It was too horrifying. Her entire body ached.

After walking for less than an hour, the sky suddenly turned black with clouds. A thunderclap shattered the silence of the open plains, its echo lingering long after. Ahead lay a riverbed, and Zhang Xiang ordered them to find shelter from the rain. They searched for a long time, only to find a small cave—barely large enough for the bailiffs, let alone the prisoners.

They had to fend for themselves, and if they couldn't find shelter, they would simply have to get soaked.

Song Qiang slapped her thigh and purposely raised her voice. "Some people don't know a treasure when they see one, turning their noses up at good things. They deserve to be rained on."