Chapter 5: She Was Just Reclaiming Her Things

Li Hua glanced into the kitchen and found it completely empty, everything stolen.

She immediately ran into the yard and started cursing, “Which heartless bastard did this! Coming to my house to steal things, why don’t you starve to death!”

Su Yuanyuan frowned in the house; Li Hua’s curses were incredibly harsh.

The commotion woke the two children.  They rubbed their eyes, sat up, and looking at Su Yuanyuan with a frightened expression, asked about the noise.

“Mom! Did someone rob our house last night? What do we do! If so, we won’t have any food!”

“Are we going to starve?”

Both children were scared.

They had often gone hungry in the past, and their greatest fear was starvation; the feeling of hunger was unbearable.

Especially since their mother was still recovering from an illness; how could they survive without food?

Actually, they had eaten an mugwort cake the night before, and their stomachs were already rumbling by morning.

“It seems we were robbed, but don’t worry, no matter what, Mom won’t let you starve.”

Su Yuanyuan rubbed her children’s heads, her heart aching.

When the original owner was still alive, she loved springtime because of the abundance of wild vegetables. Even with her inconsiderate in-laws and the meager rations provided by her two brothers-in-law, the children would never go hungry.

She could find plenty of fish mint, shepherd’s purse, earth cakes, bracken, and fragrant toon trees, among many others more than they could eat.

But once spring ended, the hard times began for the mother and her two children.

Su Yuanyuan sighed, told her children to stay inside, and went outside.

As soon as she stepped out, the wails and howls of Li Hua and the others pierced her ears, incredibly loud.

“Oh dear! How are we going to live? All the food is gone, including the cured meat from a pig and a half! Those damn thieves!”

They cried and wailed, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

Li Hua wiped her nose, sat on the ground, and slapped her thighs, cursing.

“Damn it! Those thieving bastards cleaned out the kitchen overnight. Why didn’t heaven strike them with lightning?”

Su Yuanyuan was immune to their curses.  Stolen?  That’s too harsh; she was merely reclaiming what was rightfully hers.

The family’s crying and cursing quickly attracted the attention of their neighbors.

“Oh my, Aunt Lu, what’s going on so early in the morning?”

The villagers lived close together, and many neighbors came to gossip and watch the commotion, crowding at the doorway to see what was happening.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you talk things over properly? You’re all family, just discuss it calmly.”

Aunt Zhang, carrying a winnowing basket, rushed over to join the excitement.

She didn’t approve of Old Man Lu and Li Hua’s behavior.  The two families only maintained a superficial friendship; privately, they ignored each other.

She felt sorry for Lu’s young daughter-in-law and her two children, who were constantly tormented.

Hearing the commotion from afar, she thought Su Yuanyuan had been beaten or someone was causing trouble again.

Upon arriving, she immediately tried to mediate.

“Discuss what?! Our house was robbed! Those damn bastards stole everything from the kitchen! Not even rats could steal so cleanly! May they rot in hell!”

Wang Chunhua’s face was streaked with tears and snot, looking quite pitiful.

Li Hua glanced at the onlookers at her gate, her eyes narrowed. She stood up, pointed at the people at the gate, and asked.

“We haven’t heard of any thieves in the village recently.  Everything was taken silently and without a trace. It must be someone in the neighborhood.  Are any of you envious of our Lu family’s good fortune and stole from us?”

Su Yuanyuan cowered in the corner, feigning fear at the scene unfolding in the yard, while internally rolling her eyes a thousand times.

Li Hua’s suspicion wasn’t unreasonable. If it weren’t Su Yuanyuan, she too would suspect the neighbors, given the amount of missing items and the lack of commotion.

However, the neighbors lived so close; they saw each other constantly.  Such accusations were incredibly hurtful.

Who would want to be accused of theft first thing in the morning?

Couldn’t she have phrased things more tactfully?

Su Yuanyuan shook her head; what a mess.

But then again, it was true; not a single family in the ten surrounding villages looked favorably upon the Lu family.

Su Yuanyuan included.

As expected, the words caused the faces of the women at the gate to fall, with one or two openly rolling their eyes in displeasure.

“Don’t say such things! We went to bed early last night. When we turned off our lights, we saw your Lu family’s lights still on from afar. You were still awake when we went to sleep.”

“Those are harsh words. Your family is doing better thanks to your youngest son, but we’re not starving either. Who would steal from a kitchen? I wouldn’t stoop to that.”

Aunt Lin pursed her lips, her eyes rolling almost to the back of her head.

Aunt Zhao, standing beside her, nudged her and added, “Yes, it’s the busy farming season; everyone goes to bed early. Theft is a serious matter, and you can’t just accuse people randomly.  Let’s report this to the village committee.”

Aunt Zhao’s words were tactful, giving everyone a way out, preventing a potential fight.

After Aunt Zhao finished speaking, Li Hua’s face changed, and she stomped back into the house, slamming the door shut.  The onlookers found the scene amusing.

A moment later, a wail came from inside.

Li Hua burst out of the house, crying and grabbing Old Man Lu.

“Oh dear, all the money is gone!  And my dowry!  It was my mother’s dowry! I’ve hidden it for so many years, and that scoundrel stole it!”

The neighbors were shocked; they knew the Lu family had some savings.

With all the money and the kitchen’s contents stolen, but nothing missing from their own homes, they feared they might have offended someone.

Since Lu Zhengan joined the work team, the Lu family’s fortunes had improved.

Previously struggling to make ends meet, they now enjoyed meat and fine dishes, and began to look down on others. Few neighbors liked associating with them.

Upon hearing about the missing money, the faces of the other Lu family members turned pale.

Li Hua wiped her tears and snot, glaring fiercely at the neighbors crowding the doorway.

The neighbors’ glances made her uncomfortable; they looked at her as if they were certain she had stolen the money.

Aunt Lin’s gaze swept over the wives of Lu’s eldest and second sons.  She folded her arms and smiled gleefully.

“Don’t look at us. Everyone hides their money. We don’t even go into your Lu family’s yard, let alone know where you keep your money.  Money and food are missing. Who could have done it?  It’s always the people closest to you!”

While others held their breath, Aunt Lin didn’t spare Li Hua any mercy.

The two women had always clashed, even arguing in the fields.

Being glared at by Li Hua, she didn’t hold back her words.

Just as Li Hua was about to retort, Aunt Lin’s words struck a chord.

Yes, she had hidden her money and dowry securely, and no outsiders had been in the house.

Furthermore, they hadn’t heard any noise last night; the theft was silent and stealthy, suggesting an insider.

Li Hua immediately suspected her daughters-in-law.

Both sons had always coveted the money, and she knew it.  They wouldn’t steal it themselves, but they might have instructed their wives to do so.

“Exactly, it was done so cleanly, it must be an inside job. Who is it? If you confess now, I won’t hold it against you. Otherwise, once I find out who did it, I’ll tear their hair out!”

Li Hua’s glare was ferocious.

In times of scarcity, people resorted to violence over meager resources.

Su Yuanyuan felt a surge of excitement; her chance to stir the pot had arrived.

Su Yuanyuan quickly leaned against the doorframe, looking terrified.

“Mother-in-law, where did you usually keep the money? Who knew about it? To steal the money so quietly, they must have known where you hid it to take it so effortlessly.”

No one knew Su Yuanyuan’s mosquito coils were tampered with. The thief managed to steal everything without anyone noticing, implying intimate familiarity with Li Hua’s hiding place.

Li Hua paused, then glared at Old Man Lu, whose face had fallen, and grabbed a broom leaning against the wall, hitting him.

Old Man Lu was stunned, shouting, “What’s wrong with you! Don’t you think things are chaotic enough?”

Old Man Lu knew his sons’ intentions. Hearing the suggestion, he also suspected one of his sons.  Having a thief in the family was shameful.

With onlookers gathered, family matters should be kept private.  He wanted to disperse the crowd and deal with the issue privately.

Before he could figure out a solution, Li Hua struck him with the broom, infuriating him.

He grabbed the broom, but Li Hua lost her balance and fell forward.

The neighbors at the doorway were stunned.

They had come for gossip, but ended up witnessing a spectacle.

Su Yuanyuan covered her mouth, widening her eyes, secretly trying to suppress her rising amusement.

Li Hua was vain, especially after acquiring some wealth.  She couldn’t bear to lose face in front of her neighbors!

Her teeth clenched; she got up and started fighting with Old Man Lu.

“Don’t act innocent! I know you’ve been messing around with other women! You’re having an affair! You know best where I keep my money and dowry!”