The mother of the era is reborn to support her cannon fodder children!

Chapter 176 "Some in Whole Numbers and Some in Smaller Quantities"

Gu family yard.

Qianbao quickly ate the steamed egg custard that his grandmother had made. The child was very hungry and couldn't wait for the egg custard to cool down. He opened his mouth wide and cried out for food, "Grandma, Grandma..." His little voice was full of urgency.

"Don't rush, don't rush, you have to blow on it first, what if it burns your little mouth?" Mother Gu was full of love and wished she could hold her little grandson in the palm of her hand.

She blew on it again and again, carefully feeding her grandson.

Gu Chenghuai: "..."

"Mom, I didn't eat either."

Without even looking up, Gu's mother gave her son a look and said, "You decide what to do. Our Qianbao's little belly is the most important thing."

She touched her grandson's tummy; it was soft and saggy. A wave of heartache washed over her, and she didn't know what to do. "Look at that flat tummy! He must be starving. This awful weather is so hot; the food takes forever to cool down..."

Gu Chenghuai accepted the fact that his status in the family was declining. He looked at Huang Xiulan and said, "Sister-in-law, stew the pheasant for Alan. She has lost so much blood and needs to be well nourished."

He also felt sorry for his honest niece and said, "Let Alan take good care of herself. I'll go buy her a can of milk powder and two pounds of brown sugar tomorrow to help her recover her lost blood."

Hearing this, Huang Xiulan was happy for her daughter, "Oh! Thank you, her third uncle."

"No need to thank her, our whole family should thank her." Gu Chenghuai said with a serious face, "If it weren't for Alan risking her life to buy time, Dahuang wouldn't have been able to catch up. Zhaozhao and I are sincerely grateful to her."

“We don’t talk about this as family, but anyone who sees it will stop us,” Huang Xiulan said.

She hadn't left the house and was unaware of Zhang Manyue's tragic end. She cursed to herself for a moment, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Did you see that pushover from the Li family? Didn't you slap her a few times?"

Gu Yuanshan felt nauseous again after finally getting up. He really didn't want to think about it anymore, but someone kept reminding him.

His face darkened: "Don't even mention it, the body was smashed to pieces."

Huang Xiulan's face paled with anger, then turned to shock, and she asked in astonishment, "What? Did you encounter wild animals on the mountain?"

"...It's wolves, a small wolf pack." Gu Yuanshan glanced at the fair-skinned little Qianbao, who was happily munching on the egg in the spoon, swinging his little feet contentedly, showing no signs of being frightened.

On the contrary, he has nightmares every night.

He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the heroes.

He squatted down, rubbed Big Yellow's head, and then touched its paws with reverence, his eyes shining.

"Dahuang is a formidable dog, capable of even defeating wolves. Every bite he eats is hard-earned. He's incredibly awesome and hasn't disgraced his mother. This is what they call 'like father, like son.'"

Big Yellow bared its teeth, "Woof woof...woof woof..." (Who's the tiger? Who's the dog? You two-legged man, tell me who's the tiger!)

Huang Xiulan's pupils contracted, and she was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. "What?! Good heavens! You've run into wolves?"

"...No." Gu Yuanshan waved his hand and gave his third brother an admiring look. "When we arrived, Cheng Huai had killed all the wolves."

"Third brother, your marksmanship is truly excellent." These words were spoken to Gu Chenghuai, his expression filled with admiration.

A helpless smile flashed in Gu Chenghuai's eyes. "I'm a soldier, active duty."

Isn't it normal to be good at shooting?

“That’s impressive too,” Gu Yuanshan insisted.

In the eldest brother's simple understanding, the third brother is the best!

At this moment, Zhao Liuniang, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "So, Zhang Manyue is gone, and the matter of her stealing and taking Qianbao... is it just over like that?"

She felt uneasy. "If we let this go so easily, what about the safety of the children in the village? This is blatant child abduction. What if those lazy bachelors follow suit..."

The consequences are self-evident; the Gu family understood them perfectly well.

Mother Gu's expression twisted for a moment, "You think you can just walk over like that? No way!"

Qianbao reached out and touched his grandmother's face, instantly melting Gu's mother's heart. She smiled kindly.

"My dear, open your mouth."

While feeding her grandson, she said decisively, "Such a big deal, and it even resulted in a death. The Li family can't just walk away like that. I'll be coming to their door later!"

The Li family has to compensate for the fright her child suffered, the time and effort her family spent, and the tears Yu Bao and the others shed!

After feeding her beloved grandson, Gu patted Dahuang's head and instructed it to guard Qianbao well. Then, Gu's mother called her two daughters-in-law and hurried off to the Li family's house.

Outside the Li family compound.

The Li family disliked the gruesome and unlucky manner of Zhang Manyue's death and refused to let her body into their home.

The man was determined not to open the door, so the people carrying the stretcher back to the village had no choice but to put the straw stretcher at the door, call out a reminder, and then quickly leave the place of trouble.

Inside the courtyard, Old Lady Li was furious. She wanted to leave the house but couldn't, and she was pacing around anxiously.

"That damned jinx, he can't even die cleanly, what bad luck! Ordering a coffin is free."

The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, and she started to complain about her son who was squatting in the corner.

"You're such a blockhead! You went to the mountains with her, knowing full well that she had become... become like that, why did you bring her back? It would have been better to just pretend you didn't see anything. You're driving me crazy! With the money you'd spent on a coffin, you could have found yourself another wife who could bear children!"

“Mother!” Li Ergou looked up, trying to explain, “That’s my wife. She’s been with me for a while. I can’t, I can’t abandon her. I must at least give her some dignity and let her rest in peace.”

He was also afraid that his wife would die with resentment and become a vengeful ghost to haunt him.

He still wants to marry a wife who can bear children; he doesn't want to end his family line without heirs!

Old Mrs. Li spat and rolled her eyes, "You're so kind. With you bringing this back, our family has worked for nothing for two months. I really don't know what to say to you."

"There were so many people watching back then, I couldn't just pretend nothing happened, what kind of person would I be..." the seemingly honest but cold-hearted man muttered.

"Mother, quickly bring Zhang Shi into the courtyard. If you leave her outside, the villagers will laugh and gossip."

Even at this point, all he could think about was his own reputation.

Old Mrs. Li was filled with anxiety.

She knew that her daughter-in-law's current state was related to her beatings and scoldings. She didn't want a missing limb corpse lying in her yard, afraid of having nightmares... and even more afraid of being haunted by her.

"This……"

Standing to the side, Li's eldest daughter-in-law pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and declared, "...We can't let her into the yard. She's a dead person, full of bad luck. What if she brings misfortune to the family? I don't agree!"

The other members of the Li family nodded in agreement.

Brother Li said, “Second brother, your sister-in-law is right. There are still children at home, so it’s really not appropriate to put a dead person here. How about this, let’s not prepare a coffin. Later, when it gets dark, you find a tattered mat, wrap the person up, carry them up the mountain, and bury them wherever you can find a quiet place.”

Li Er's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in a shrill voice, "How can this be?"

“Why not? I think it’s fine.” Li Da’s wife gave her husband an approving look and said to Li Er, “It’s hot now, anything will rot overnight, let alone her… she’s not even fully recovered.”

"If you bring her into the yard and leave her there overnight, the yard will stink terribly. How are we supposed to live then? Second brother, one can't be too selfish; the dead have to make way for the living."

Li Er felt that his elder brother and sister-in-law made a lot of sense. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded in agreement.

The family reached a consensus and stopped worrying about the "things" at their doorstep, waiting for nightfall.

however.

Instead of seeing them when it got dark, people from the Gu family arrived.

Having lived through war and witnessed countless bloody scenes, Gu's mother glanced at the straw stretcher by the door before calmly looking away.

Bang bang bang. Knock on the door.

"Hey Li family, open the door! You cowardly cowards hiding in the house, come out! I know you're home, open the door..."

His fierce, loud voice was like thunder, carrying far and wide.

The neighbors around the Li family were all alerted and came out with their rice bowls.

He caught a glimpse of the straw stretcher out of the corner of his eye, turned his back, and quickly shoveled rice into his mouth with his chopsticks in hand. He finished the meal with a smacking sound, handed the bowl to the children in the house, and sent them home to stop wandering around and watching the commotion.

The boy who tried to approach the Li family's gate was grabbed by the back of the neck, and a chipped porcelain bowl appeared in his small, dark hand. The boy raised his head, gave his father a disgusted look, and obediently went home.

Even after arriving home, he didn't stay still. His eyes darted around, and he quickly found a wooden ladder, leaned it against the earthen wall, and stealthily climbed up. He stretched his arms over the top of the wall, revealing his bright black eyes, and watched the movements at the Li family's gate.

Several other kids did the same thing. Like dumplings being dropped into a pot, a whole bunch of heads, big and small, appeared on the wall.

Old Mrs. Li looked at the door that was being banged on loudly, and her heart ached so much that she gasped for breath.

How come this old woman is so strong? Doesn't she care that it's not her own door?

"Mother, what should we do? The Gu family has come to our door! What should we do? Should we open the door? What do they want? Isn't the Gu family's third son alright?" Sister-in-law Li was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet.

Outside.

"Mother, take a break, I'll knock!" Zhao Liuniang said, taking over from Gu's mother and banging on the door. She swung her arm and pounded on it with all her might, shouting, "Mother, look how loud my knocking is! Is it strong enough? Just say the word, believe me or not, I can take this door off the door..."

That's clearly just a bluff; she doesn't have that kind of strength.

In the courtyard, the Li family was so afraid that the gate would be taken down that they rushed to open it.

With a flick of the bolt, the worldly-wise old man Li rubbed his hands together and forced a smile.

“Oh, Yuanshan’s mother, we’re all from the same village, there’s no need to make a scene. Come, come, it’s hot outside, let’s come inside and talk, let’s talk slowly.”

"Hmph." Madam Gu snorted coldly, flicked her sleeves, and walked inside. "If you had been this sensible earlier, we wouldn't have wasted so much time!"

Upon entering the courtyard and seeing the head on the wall, she paused, almost losing her composure.

Tsk, they're all just people who love to join in the fun.

Old Mrs. Li couldn't stand seeing others watching her family's commotion, so she grabbed a gourd ladle, filled it with water, and splashed it onto the walls on both sides.

"Go away, what are you looking at? Isn't it indecent to watch other people's fun?"

Adults and children watching the commotion got splashed with water and screamed in terror.

A tall boy wiped his face and exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, it feels so cool! Grandma Li, splash me some more, it's so refreshing, hehe."

Old Mrs. Li was so angry that she fell backward, a mouthful of blood stuck in her chest.

"What a wretched child! Get out of here!" She raised her eyebrows, her face long and fierce.

The little boy's grandmother was also quite feisty and protective of her child. He wasn't afraid at all, and even stuck out his tongue and made a face in an annoying way, saying, "I'm in my own house, not on your turf, why should I get out? I won't! Hehehe..."

Old Mrs. Li's blood rushed to her head, her face flushed, and her old eyes were filled with rage.

Mother Gu and her two daughters-in-law felt refreshed, as if they had drunk ice-cold soda on a hot day.

This family deserves it.

It would be best if he died of anger.

Mother Gu sat down without ceremony, with Huang Xiulan and Zhao Liuniang standing on either side of her mother-in-law.

The Li family: "..."

Mrs. Gu calmly said, "What are you standing there for? Sit down. Sit down and let's talk about compensation..."

Upon hearing this, the Li family felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer, and their hearts were filled with a torrential downpour.

This "prosperous age" is just as they wished.

The Gu family... have really come to our door demanding compensation.

“Yuanshan’s mother…” Old Mrs. Li didn’t want to admit it. “Look at this matter, it was Zhang Manyue, that woman, who stole the three children. It has nothing to do with us. Are you sure you’ve got the wrong person?”

"Bang!" Mother Gu slammed her hand on the table, making it shake.

She narrowed her eyes, her sharp gaze sweeping over the Li family. "What do you mean? You don't want to acknowledge them?"

"Isn't Zhang Manyue the Li family's daughter-in-law?"

"You won't listen to me when I try to reason with you. Do you want my third son's wife to come to our door in person?"

The Li family: "..." No, we don't want to!
They knew all too well how difficult Cheng Huai's wife was. Once she showed up at their door, their family would be severely injured, if not wiped out, and their roofs would be torn off!
"Let's talk this out, let's talk this out." Old Man Li gave in; he had no choice but to, since he was in the wrong and didn't want to see the house he had worked so hard to build with his whole life damaged.

“You’re in the wrong here. You have no right to bargain, understand?” Mother Gu frowned, feeling that the Li family couldn’t distinguish between the big and small kings.

Before they could say anything more, she bluntly made her demands:

"Your family has to compensate my family for lost wages, emotional distress, and medical expenses for Alan and Qianbao... Oh, and since so many people in the village helped find us, we have to give them a thank-you gift. Your family has to pay for that too. I've roughly calculated that you need to compensate us forty-five yuan and seventy-eight fen, plus a chicken and ten eggs. That's all. If you ask for too much, your family can't afford it."

Upon hearing the compensation list, the Li family was devastated.

This is indeed the limit of what the Li family can compensate; they cannot afford any more.

Old Mrs. Li's vision went black, and she screamed like a madwoman, "There are so many, why don't you just rob them!"
Forty or fifty yuan? Where would I get forty-five yuan? How can you ask for so much in lost wages? And what about compensation for emotional distress?
There are also medical expenses. We'll take care of Gu Lan's, but San Zai doesn't have a single injury, so why would he need medical treatment?
"You want money, and you want chickens and eggs too? Why don't you just kill me!"

She glared angrily at the three members of the Gu family—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—feel

They're trying to extort money from her family like bandits!

Gu's mother was even more imposing and had a louder voice than her.

"If you don't calculate how many people are in my family, and count by headcount, how many work points would I lose? My calculation is an underestimation!"

"And why doesn't Qianbao want medical expenses? He's covered in bruises... You must be blind to see that!"

"As for the chicken and eggs, those are for my Alan and Qianbao to nourish their bodies. One of the children was injured, and the other was frightened. Which one doesn't need some nourishment? Tell me, answer me! Which one doesn't need it!"

Huang Xiulan nodded in agreement, saying with an air of seriousness:

“My mother didn’t calculate it too much; we calculated it carefully at home, item by item. Out of consideration for our hometown and fellow villagers, she calculated it too little.”

The Li family: Who would believe that! We didn't even intend to round it down, where is it less?

Zhao Liuniang had a smile on her face, looking like a kind and gentle young wife.

She said, "My sister-in-law is right. If the real culprit came to our door, she would have made you pay at least a hundred yuan. You should know what kind of person my third sister-in-law is. When has she ever suffered a loss? My mother really went easy on her."

"That's it. If you accept this, we'll reconcile. If not... my third sister-in-law and her brothers from her maternal family can come to our door. It's up to you to decide."

This is a threat.

A naked threat.

Old Li was extremely irritable, harboring resentment towards his jinxed daughter-in-law who had caused the family to lose money.

He weighed the pros and cons, didn't want to argue any further, and gritted his teeth and agreed.

"...We'll compensate you."

As I spoke, my heart ached terribly.

Mother Gu did not press the matter further. She accepted the compensation and took her two daughters-in-law home.

The news quickly spread throughout the village.

Those who were "inspired" and secretly plotting crooked schemes immediately became honest and stopped thinking about taking shortcuts.

Gu family brick and tile house.

Lin Zhao washed away the sweat and stepped out of the bathroom, almost tripping over the two children at the door.

Looking down, I saw twins propping their chins up and staring blankly.

"Yu Bao, Heng Bao, why are you sitting at the door? Where is your father?" Lin Zhao lifted her skirt and squatted down, her long hair wrapped in a towel.

Hengbao was overjoyed to see that his mother didn't dislike them.

He said, "Dad and my two uncles went to hunt wild boars. They said they wanted to thank the uncles in the village and treat everyone to meat."

Yu Bao breathed a sigh of relief, "Dad brought a hunting rifle."

Lin Zhao understood. The village had mobilized many people to search for the missing person today, and he really had to thank everyone.

She guessed that Gu Chenghuai saw traces of wild boars on his way into or down the mountain, which gave him the idea to deal with them.

This solves the potential problem and rewards the villagers—killing two birds with one stone.

(End of this chapter)