“You little wretch, don’t push it too far!” Wu Shi roared in fury, her eyes practically popping out from anger.
“If you don’t pay compensation, I’ll chop off one of them first. Anyway, if our siblings can’t survive without food, we might as well take a few more down with us!”
With that, Gu Jiu swung her axe and cut each of the two little bastards on the arm, drawing two bloody gashes. Fresh blood immediately poured out.
Gu Zhi Shu and Gu Da Li screamed in agony, then fainted from fear.
“The Old Gu family! I’ll count to ten. If I still don’t see the money, my axe is coming down!”
Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao Er wanted to rush forward and save them, but Gu Jiu’s axe was aimed right at the boys’ necks. They didn’t dare act recklessly for fear the children would die on the spot.
Gu Rong, Gu Xiao Man, and Gu Chang Le were already being protected by Li Dazhao and Feng Da Quan. There was no hostage they could grab—so even though they were furious, they were helpless.
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
“…”
“One!”
Just as Gu Jiu raised her axe and was about to bring it down on the two boys’ heads, Gu Zhao Shi let out a piercing scream.
“Don’t move!”
“I’ll pay! I’ll pay!”
Gu Zhao Shi grabbed a handful of copper coins from her pouch and threw them onto the ground.
Li Dazhao helped count them. Under the hostile glares of the Old Gu family, he said firmly:
“This isn’t enough. You’re still short twenty wen.”
“Old woman, stop wasting time and give it to her!” Old Master Gu barked, panicking now. To the Gu family, those two grandsons were their future prospects—losing both would be a devastating blow.
Li Dazhao collected the money, and only then did Gu Jiu step off the two boys. She wiped the blood off her axe on their clothes.
She then grabbed Gu Zhi Shu and Gu Da Li like they were chicks and tossed them over to Wu Shi and her husband.
“My sons! Wake up! Don’t scare your mother!” Wu Shi screamed, her voice getting louder and louder.
“If anyone dares bully my siblings again, they will end up like this tree!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jiu raised her axe and crack—cleanly chopped down a tree trunk as thick as an arm.
Her fierce aura shocked everyone watching into complete silence.
Gu Jiu glanced at the Old Gu family one last time before taking Gu Rong and walking back to their resting place.
Feng Liren’s son, Feng Da Quan, checked on Gu Zhi Shu and Gu Da Li. Aside from the cuts on their arms, there was nothing serious.
“Feng Yuan Zheng! You’re clearly favoring those little wretches from the Gu family! As village head, you’re not fair or just—I refuse to accept this!” Gu Zhao Shi screamed as she grabbed Feng Liren and started causing a scene.
Li Dazhao and the others, who often helped Feng Liren, simply lifted Gu Zhao Shi up and threw her back into the Old Gu family’s tent.
“All of you listen up!” Feng Liren declared loudly. “As long as I am village head, there will be absolutely no stealing or bullying of the weak in our group!”
“Village head is right!”
“The Old Gu family’s grandsons deserved it for stealing!”
Facing the crowd’s condemnation, the Old Gu family could only swallow their anger in humiliation.
Gu Jiu checked on Granny Zhou Jinhua and confirmed she was fine. Li Xiaojiao’s father was a doctor by trade, and she herself knew some basic caregiving.
Feng Liren had a donkey cart and insisted that Zhou Jinhua should not continue traveling with Gu Jiu and the children. The kids already had a hard enough time surviving—Feng Da Quan carrying one more elderly person wasn’t a big problem.
Zhou Jinhua also understood that staying with the children would only burden them. Since Feng Liren’s family was willing to help, she was more than willing to go with them instead.
Besides, Feng Liren had two sons—enough labor to take care of an old woman.
Gu Jiu didn’t force her to stay. Instead, she took out ten steamed buns and ten stuffed buns from their food supplies as dry rations for her, promising to send more food later.
After arranging things for Granny Zhou, Gu Jiu returned to their belongings.
“Sister, you’re amazing!”
Gu Xiao Man was standing by the two cooking pots, holding Gu Chang Le’s hand, and shouted excitedly when she saw Gu Jiu coming back.
Both children were dusty from earlier struggles over food. Though they had tried their hardest, they were still too small to make much difference—but they had fought with all their strength.
Gu Jiu patted her younger sister’s head and brushed the dirt off her back.
“I’ll go hunting again tomorrow so you can eat roasted meat. Tonight, you’ll have to make do.”
Gu Xiao Man sniffed the air, smelling pigeon soup and rice, and broke into a silly smile.
“I’m not suffering at all. This is already great.”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly as well, then picked up her younger brother. The little one grinned and babbled happily at her.
“Sis… sis…”
Gu Rong, meanwhile, hurried over to check the white rice and pigeon soup in the pots.
Seeing the injury on her palm, Gu Jiu found some medicine from their supplies.
“Rong’er, stop working. Open your hand—I’ll apply medicine for you.”
Gu Rong obediently held out her palm, then looked up in confusion.
“Sister, where did you get the medicine?”
There was no village doctor in their area. In the past, whenever villagers got sick, they had to go to the county or nearby towns. Even consultation fees alone were expensive.
“I met a doctor while I was out chopping wood and bought it from him,” Gu Jiu said, making up an excuse.