activa-t Chapter 4: Robbery is definitely easier.
Chapter 4: Robbery is definitely easier.
Gu Baoxia was the original owner's fiancée. The two had no dramatic love story, and no meddlesome elders arranged a marriage for them when they were young.
They simply reached a certain age, and since they were from the same village, they got engaged after being introduced by a matchmaker.
Although the boys played with boys and the girls played with girls, and the two didn't have much interaction, they knew each other well and their families didn't have any objections, so they became engaged.
Gu Baoxia is the youngest daughter of the Gu family. Her eldest brother, Gu Yingqing, and Lu Yuanqing's second brother, Lu Yuanjun, were comrades-in-arms who enlisted together.
Gu Hewang, who called out to Lu Yuanbo and whispered in a corner, is Gu Yingqing's eldest son, who is 16 years old this year.
When did their relationship become so good?
Lu Yuanqing was curious, after all, he had never seen Lu Yuanbo and Gu Hewang interact before, and the children in their group often fought over 'treasures' such as wild fruits found on the mountain.
Gu Hewang was still asking, "Are you going tomorrow night?"
Lu Yuanbo hesitated, "The rules there are very strict. What if I get arrested?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Hewang knew in his heart that things were going badly; Lu Yuanbo was about to change his mind! "Didn't you say you were out of food at home? If you don't go, you'll starve to death! I only approached you out of kindness because my aunt is your future sister-in-law. If you're not going, then forget it, I'll find someone else!"
Gu Hewang was about to leave after he finished speaking when Lu Yuanbo immediately grabbed him, "No, no! Let me think about it some more, okay?"
If Lu Guobin hadn't brought the food last night, he probably would have agreed immediately.
After all, he had never been to that place, but he had heard about many people being arrested there. Lu Yuanbo was too foolish to go there.
He couldn't bear to watch his family starve to death; even knowing the risks, he would still do it.
Lu Yuanbo values his family very much, which is why he had an idea in mind as soon as Gu Hewang approached him.
But... wouldn't this mean the family could hold out for a while longer? The fear of that place took over again.
Gu Hewang pressed on, "Everyone says that if you go once, you can earn a lot, enough for your family to eat as much as you want for a while. Your youngest nephew and niece won't starve to death. As their uncle, you have to think about them and can't just watch them starve to death! Don't worry, I've found out everything. As long as you're careful, you won't be discovered."
He didn’t know exactly how much he could earn; he had only heard about it. Wasn’t this just waiting for him to trick Lu Yuanbo into becoming his vanguard?
Anyway, Lu Yuanbo is worried that his twin nephews and nieces will starve to death, so he will definitely agree.
Lu Yuanbo was indeed tempted.
Uncle Lu brought some grain, but with so many people in the family and the current situation, that little bit of grain wouldn't last more than a few days.
"I……"
Lu Yuanbo was about to agree, but Lu Yuanqing, who had been waiting for a while, lost his patience and called out to him to go home, "Hurry up, what are you dawdling for!"
Seeing Lu Yuanqing approaching, Gu Hewang, fearing he might overhear something, hurriedly said, "Remember! I'll be waiting for you at the old locust tree at the village entrance tomorrow night."
After saying that, he turned and ran away without even saying goodbye to Lu Yuanqing.
Lu Yuanqing approached and casually asked, "What did you want me to remember?" Thinking that kids this age were bound to cause trouble if they had any energy, he quickly asked, "Isn't it a challenge to a fight?"
"You can't go!" You won't have money for medical treatment if you get injured.
The thought of how he had searched through the original owner's estate last night, and how the 'huge sum' of three yuan and fifty cents had almost moved him to tears, filled Lu Yuanqing with sorrow. Naturally, he overlooked the guilty look that flashed across Lu Yuanbo's face.
"No, it wasn't a fight. We just agreed to go to the oak forest to find something to eat," Lu Yuanbo explained with his hands behind his back.
"As long as it's not a fight, it's fine!" As long as it's not a fight, Lu Yuanqing doesn't care. He doesn't know how to get along with teenagers, so he's not that attentive.
"Let's go home! I'm hungry!" Lu Yuanqing rubbed his stomach and took the lead in heading home.
Life is getting harder and harder; I'm never full, and no matter how much water I drink, it's no use.
"Okay!" Lu Yuanbo replied, lowering his head as he followed.
He was still full of hesitation and indecision!
Lu Yuanhuan made wild vegetable porridge for dinner, this time with rice added.
But looking at the few grains of rice floating on the wild vegetables in the bowl, Lu Yuanqing really wanted to ask: Did you count the rice grains before cooking? There's so little rice!
Even with just a few grains of rice, Lu Yuanbo and the others ate with great pleasure. After all, the wild vegetable porridge with the aroma of rice mixed in was much tastier than wild vegetable porridge with only wild vegetables.
Lu Yuanqing finished the wild vegetable porridge in a few gulps, then fed his poor stomach a meal. Looking at Lu Mingnan and the other little ones, who were still licking the bottom of their bowls after finishing their porridge, he turned his gaze back to his own bowl, where there was still a little porridge left at the bottom.
Ouch! To lick or not to lick?
Out of sight, out of mind. He resolutely pushed away the bowl in front of him, but he couldn't do it!
However, the thought that he had found a way to get food made Lu Yuanqing feel a little better.
"I'm going out tonight!" Lu Yuanqing left with light steps.
Lu Yuanbo finished licking the bottom of the bowl and looked up, but all he could see was his back. He was about to ask where he was going!
Once outside, Lu Yuanqing walked through the village, following his memory.
It was already completely dark, and the moon was mostly obscured, with only a small crescent moon illuminating his path.
The road was difficult to walk at night; a place that would take five or six minutes to reach during the day took him almost ten minutes.
Lu Yuanqing squatted in the corner of the mud-brick house, listening to the rustling voices coming from inside.
There was no electricity in the village, and it was pitch black all the way, but the family he was keeping watch at had the luxury of using a kerosene lamp.
He thought he had to wait until everyone inside was asleep before he could look for someone, but to his surprise, the person he wanted to find tonight came out carrying a basin of dirty water to empty.
Lu Yuanqing was relieved that this was the Sichuan-Chongqing region, where no household had a courtyard, so he didn't have to search through the yard.
"Gu Baoxia!"
Lu Yuanqing called out to the person in a low voice. Actually, he didn't need to be so careful. After all, seeing his fiancée wouldn't be criticized, which showed that his purpose tonight was not pure.
After emptying the dirty water, Gu Baoxia heard someone calling her. Before she could even be scared, she saw Lu Yuanqing squatting in the corner calling her by the moonlight.
"Oh my god, I'm so scared!" Gu Baoxia patted her chest, crouching furtively in the corner. She almost thought she'd seen a ghost. "Pah, pah, pah, I can't say that tonight."
"What are you doing squatting here?" Gu Baoxia asked irritably.
"Come here!" Lu Yuanqing beckoned.
Gu Baoxia rolled her eyes at him, wondering how what could have been an open and aboveboard meeting had turned into a clandestine affair, with him crouching in the corner of her own house.
"What do you want from me?" Gu Baoxia said coldly, "I have no food, but you can take my life."
She hasn't even married into the Lu family yet! She has no right to worry about whether the Lu family members will starve to death.
Lu Yuanqing: "…………"
The answer was as expected.
"I'm here to threaten you!" Lu Yuanqing was an honest boy; he wouldn't beg if he was going to threaten someone.
"Tch!" Gu Baoxia scoffed. "What are you threatening me for? I haven't married you yet."
Given the current situation, whether or not she will still marry into the Lu family needs to be reconsidered.
"After we got engaged, my family gave your family 20 yuan as a bride price. After three years of engagement, I gave you 53 yuan and 70 cents, three hair ties, two bars of soap, a box of biscuits with 5 yuan, two packs of fruit candies, 10 White Rabbit candies, and a cloth ration coupon."
Ignoring Gu Baoxia's increasingly dark face, Lu Yuanqing continued counting on his fingers, "Also, the military water bottle and malted milk powder that my second brother sent me were taken by you. You also asked me to buy you two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste, but you didn't give me any money. A few months ago, I also gave you five catties of cornmeal, two catties of rice, and ten catties of enriched flour."
Lu Yuanqing retracted his fingers. "Well, that's about it!"
"What do you want?" Gu Baoxia was furious. "You gave these to me yourself, do you want them back? I'm your fiancée, isn't it your duty to give them to me?"
This guy looks weak and indecisive, but I never expected him to secretly remember everything he gave her. I was wrong about him.
Lu Yuanqing snorted, and even his squatting position in the corner did not affect his self-righteousness. "Gu Baoxia, you said it yourself, this is for my fiancée. Tell me, do you, including your snobbish parents, still intend to keep your promise?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I'm only letting it slide because I don't care. Now that I'm going to get serious, I'll scare you to death!"
Gu Baoxia was surprised. Was this guy, who wouldn't let things go even when he was in the right, still the same Lu Yuanqing who would never dare to disagree with her? Had the honest man lost his temper?
"Don't overthink it, I have no intention of breaking off the engagement!" Not for now.
Gu Baoxia asked warily, "I know your family's current situation, but my family doesn't have any extra food either. Even if you force me, I can't give it to you."
"As you know, my mother is the one who makes the decisions in my family, and she would never take out any food."
Seeing that she was agreeing with him, Lu Yuanqing chuckled inwardly and said, "There's no need to lie to me. Your snobbish mother probably can't get anything out of you, so she's looking for you!"
"What do you mean?" Gu Baoxia immediately became alert.
Lu Yuanqing curled his lips into what he thought was a classic villain's smile and chuckled, "I saw you hiding something once."
"Impossible!" Gu Baoxia retorted instinctively. She hid things so well that even her family didn't know, and she was always careful, observing for a long time before going in.
Lu Yuanqing directly shattered her illusions, "When did your old house collapse?"
He emphasized the word "collapse".
Gu Baoxia's shoulders slumped. "How did you know? When did you find out? Were you following me?"
Lu Yuanqing ignored her angry glare and said, "Anyway, you know my family's current situation. Even a cornered dog will jump over the wall. If I get desperate, I'll tell your mother about you hiding the grain. There's no other way."
"Give me two hundred catties of grain, just two hundred catties, and I will forget everything I gave you before, and I will also forget about you hiding grain."
"You know your mother's personality best. If she finds out you've been secretly doing these things, you know exactly what will happen to you!"
Lu Yuanqing didn't think threatening people was shameful at all, especially since the target was his nominal fiancée.
What could he do? The Lu family was destitute; if he didn't find a solution, everyone would just starve to death!
Besides, there's nothing shameful about threatening Gu Baoxia; that woman is no pushover.
To be able to deceive the original owner of so many things in just three years, and even hide food from one's own family, this person must be someone to be trifled with.