Chapter 11: Gou Dan Dali

After Wang Yuan’er’s persuasion, Madam Liang indeed cried less. Although she and Wang Da had been deeply in love, and she still cried into her pillow at night, during the day, she kept busy and chatted with her daughters, making life a bit easier. Wang Yuan’er often woke up in the middle of the night to hear her mother’s soft sobs and could only sigh silently, hoping that time would heal her mother’s wounds. However, Madam Liang’s frail body worried her deeply.

In her previous life, Madam Liang had died from complications during childbirth due to a lack of proper care. The main reason was her broken spirit and weak constitution. In this life, would she have to watch her mother suffer the same fate?

Since the family hadn’t split, they all ate from the same pot. Everyone knew what they were eating, and making special meals just for Madam Liang to nourish her was impossible. If they did, her second aunt would surely cause a scene.

Even if she wanted to make special meals for Madam Liang, she needed money. Holding the small money bag in her hand, Wang Yuan’er looked up at the sky, thinking she had to do something.

“You little brat, stop running!” Suddenly, a shout came from the end of the long street. Before Wang Yuan’er could look, a figure dashed past her, almost knocking her over.

“You little rascal, if I catch you, I’ll skin you alive!” A panting woman stopped beside her, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. It was the plump aunt from Zhang’s Bun Shop, her face red from running.

“Aunt Zhang, what’s going on?” Wang Yuan’er asked, helping her up.

Aunt Zhang straightened up, hands on her hips, and cursed in the direction the figure had disappeared. “It’s that brat Gou Dan again, stealing buns from my shop. This isn’t the first time. Next time I catch him, I’ll skin him alive. He’s got a father but no mother to teach him, turning into a little thief at such a young age.”

Gou Dan, the son of Zhao Niu from the west end, was only twelve or thirteen. His mother had died early, and his father was a drunkard, often passed out drunk. The boy had grown up eating from various households and had stolen buns from Zhang’s shop more than once.

“Aunt Zhang, Uncle Zhao is probably drunk again. Gou Dan must be starving. Next time, just make him work at your shop to pay for it. Don’t get yourself worked up over it,” Wang Yuan’er advised.

Aunt Zhang snorted, “Starving doesn’t justify stealing. If he isn’t taught a lesson, he’ll become a criminal.”

“How could that be? Gou Dan will surely repay you in the future,” Wang Yuan’er said with a smile.

“Bah!” Aunt Zhang spat on the ground. “That little thief, repay me? What a joke!”

“Of course…” Wang Yuan’er started to say, then stopped, looking in the direction Gou Dan had run.

Gou Dan, whose real name was Zhao Dali, would become the notorious bandit leader of Jiang Liang Village in six years. He would occupy the easily defensible Jiang Liang Mountain, leading a band of over ten thousand bandits, robbing and killing without mercy, causing the government endless headaches. Multiple attempts to recruit him had failed.

As an adult, Zhao Dali held grudges. Those who had mistreated him as a child were brutally killed, while those who had helped him, like Aunt Zhang and the families who had fed him, received bags of gold.

This Gou Dan would become quite a figure in the future!

Chapter 12: Lending a Hand

Wang Yuan’er bought three buns from Zhang’s shop and headed home, still thinking about Gou Dan. How did this kid become a bandit leader, and when did it happen?

Ah, that’s right. After his father died, Gou Dan disappeared. Some said he died, some said he was beaten to death by kidnappers, and there were all sorts of rumors. Later, it was discovered that he had become a bandit leader.

And how did his father, Zhao Niu, die? Yes, he got drunk in the winter and fell into a ditch, freezing to death. She had even seen it when they pulled him out, stiff as a board.

Wang Yuan’er stopped and thought. Zhao Niu’s death was this winter, around the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.

Thinking of Zhao Niu, Wang Yuan’er couldn’t stand him. He spent his days drinking and took out his anger on his wife and child when drunk. It was said that Zhao Niu’s wife was beaten to death by him. Poor Gou Dan lost his mother at a young age and never had enough to eat.

But no matter how bad Zhao Niu was, he was still a human life. Could she ignore it?

Wang Yuan’er shook her head. She had enough of her own problems to deal with. How could she worry about others’ troubles? At most, she would remind Gou Dan when the time came, considering it a good deed.

Lost in thought, she turned onto Ban’er Street and heard shouting and cursing. “You bastard, just like your mother, deserved to be beaten to death by your drunkard father. Do you know why? Because your mother cheated, that’s why she was beaten to death.”

“That’s right, my mother said the same. She’s a shameless woman, and you’re a bastard.”

“Dare to touch me? I’ll kill you.”

The string of curses made Wang Yuan’er frown. Looking ahead, she saw a group of boys kicking someone in an alley. A closer look revealed it was Gou Dan.

“What are you doing?” Wang Yuan’er pursed her lips and walked over, recognizing the boys as locals. One of them was Lu Jinbao, who Zhao Dali had brutally killed in her previous life.

“None of your business, get lost,” Lu Jinbao, whose family owned a coffin shop, was spoiled and had a bad temper.

“Lu Jinbao, you’re bullying people again. I just saw your father looking for you with a measuring stick. Watch out for your backside,” Wang Yuan’er said.

Lu Jinbao instinctively touched his backside. He feared nothing but his father’s measuring stick. Feeling uneasy, he kicked Gou Dan one last time. “You’re lucky this time. Next time, walk the other way when you see me.” He waved his hand. “Let’s go to the river and listen to the boatwomen sing.”

Wang Yuan’er shook her head and, seeing them leave, squatted down to help Gou Dan. “Are you okay?”

Gou Dan looked up, his eyes dark and menacing, making Wang Yuan’er instinctively step back. Realizing her reaction was too much, she said, “You shouldn’t…”

“I’ll repay them a hundredfold and kill them all!” Gou Dan stood up, clenching his fists.

Wang Yuan’er shivered and said, “They’re just kids who don’t know better. They’re your neighbors. Don’t hold a grudge. Uncle Lu has even fed you before.”

Gou Dan sneered and walked away without responding.

“Gou Dan,” Wang Yuan’er called after him. “It’s almost the twelfth lunar month. Your house is far, and your father drinks a lot. Tell him to drink less to avoid accidents.”

“It’d be better if he died!” Gou Dan replied coldly, not looking back.

Wang Yuan’er sighed. She had said her piece but wasn’t sure if lending a hand today was right or wrong.