The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 148: Catching Thieves

When the Lu couple arrived near the Chen family, Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen were already waiting outside their own cave.

Mrs. Lu smiled, “Why the sudden urge to make soybeans? Have the beans been soaked?”

Mrs. Chen sighed inwardly and first sent her granddaughter to the Xu family to play with Shen An and Shen Ning’s group of children before inviting the Lu couple into the cave to talk.

There was no one in the Chen family cave at the moment; Qin Fangniang, Chen Youtian, and Chen Dashan had already avoided the scene.

Since Chen Youtian was skilled in carpentry and had been staying in the valley for a while, the Chen family already had tables and stools, so Old Man Chen invited the Lu couple to sit down.

By this time, the Lu couple felt that something was amiss.

How did making soybeans lead to this?

Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen exchanged glances, and it was Mrs. Chen who spoke first.

“Calling you both here is not really about making soybeans or discussing field matters. There is another issue to address.”

“To be honest, it’s difficult to bring this up. Just by calling you here and opening this topic, our Chen family might offend you today.”

“But considering the relationship between our families over the years and our current situation, to avoid any future trouble, I believe it’s important for you to know. If we are mistaken, we will apologize in advance and hope you won’t take it to heart and damage the bond between our families.”

This opening statement left the Lu couple utterly confused. Mrs. Lu’s heart was pounding, “You’ve got me all worried now. What’s going on? How come just by opening your mouth, it’s considered offensive to us?”

She quickly wondered if someone in her family had done something wrong recently.

Old Man Lu also furrowed his brow, looking at the Chen couple, “If you are making it difficult for us like this, it must be serious. Given the neighborly relationship between our families over the years, it’s unlikely for a few words to cause offense. So, just tell us directly. Did someone in my family behave improperly?”

Mrs. Chen sighed for the Lu couple internally, then turned around, took out two neatly folded empty grain bags from the shelf, and placed them on the table, pushing them towards the Lu couple.

“A few days ago, there were mountain mice causing trouble near the big cave. Many grain bags were bitten through. Take a look at these two bags first.”

As soon as they heard it was related to grain, the Lu couple’s expressions changed, and their uneasy feeling deepened. Each of them picked up a bag and unfolded it.

Just by opening the torn part, it was clear. With a single glance, the old couple could see the issue – the bags were deliberately damaged.

Old Man Lu’s hand holding the grain bag trembled, his old face burning with pain.

“Whose bags are these?”

“Belong to Luo, there are three more from the Xu family, but whether Mrs. Xu noticed this problem with the torn part, I don’t know. Luo noticed it while helping to mend it, but she didn’t speak up, so there’s no way to address this.”

Mrs. Lu covered her chest with one hand.

She understood why Mrs. Chen felt calling them here was already considered offensive to their family.

Because by calling her here, it implied that the thief was probably from their Lu family.

However, she couldn’t blame Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen because even she couldn’t think of anyone else upon hearing that the problematic bags belonged to Sang Luo and the Xu family.

But because of this, her heart truly ached.

Gripping the grain bag tightly, Mrs. Lu was about to get up, “I’ll go back and ask.”

Mrs. Chen held her back and pulled her to sit down again. Old Man Chen, with a stern face and trembling hands like Old Man Lu, pressed him back down. Mrs. Chen then advised, “Let’s not act in haste. Frankly, no one saw who did this, so if we wrongly accuse someone, it could lead to trouble. The amount of grain lost by each family isn’t significant. If this had happened in the past, back in Shili Village, we would have just let it go. We’d just watch the grain more closely in each house, at most, venting our frustration without naming names from outside the door. Whoever feels guilty would bear the brunt. But by directly inviting you here today, to be honest, it’s causing you discomfort and making us uneasy as well.”

Mrs. Lu’s face turned red as she said, “There’s no need to put it that way. You mentioned that was in Shili Village in the past. What about the current situation? You and Brother Chen are willing to tell us the truth. I appreciate your honesty.”

It was truly embarrassing, but blaming Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen was out of the question.

Mrs. Chen patted her hand and said, “I know your character well, that’s why you dared to take on this matter. Of course, sharing this with you doesn’t mean we’ve already determined who did it or seeking retribution. It’s just that in these times, our families have come together for refuge due to fate. The more chaotic it is outside, the more we need to stick together. If this bond rots and breaks from within, it’s not just a family matter; if one suffers, everyone will be affected. That’s why we can’t keep this from you.”

“If it turns out to be a misunderstanding, that’s the best outcome. If not, to be honest, the lost grain isn’t much, and no one wants to make a fuss. Out of consideration for the children like Shuanzhu, we don’t want to make a big deal out of it. That’s why we called you here privately. In the future, just be more cautious within your own family.”

The best way to avoid offending anyone would have been to discuss this matter openly in front of the six families living in the valley instead of privately summoning the Lu couple.

The Lu couple nodded in agreement. Old Man Lu was so angry that his vision blurred, and he grabbed Old Man Chen’s hand, saying, “You mean well, thinking of our face and the children’s face. We know that we are the ones at fault, and we will explain to everyone.”

Old Man Chen looked at Old Man Lu’s trembling hand with concern, and he advised, “Let’s sit a while longer, calm down, and don’t go back causing a scene. Sort things out behind closed doors and keep the children away. These matters are best kept from the children.”

Otherwise, even if they didn’t show any strange expressions when they visited the Lu family’s main house to see the five children, those children might find it hard to hold their heads up in the future.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lu, an elderly woman, her eyes reddened. Having endured a lifetime of hardship, her family’s reputation was tarnished by her daughter-in-law. Now, in front of Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen, she couldn’t hold back any longer. Placing her hand on the table for support, she buried her red eyes in her palms, wiping away the tears before they fell, then sighed to Mrs. Chen.

“Shuanzhu and the others, they will be a burden to me for the rest of my life.”

After saying this, she felt a bit relieved. She glanced at her husband, knowing he was struggling emotionally. She then said, “Alright, we are feeling better now. Let’s head back.”

Mrs. Lu picked up the two bags from the table, saying, “I’ll take these with me and return them later.”

As the Lu couple left, they seemed to have lost much of their earlier enthusiasm. On their way back to the Lu family, passing by the Zhou and Shi families, they had to muster their spirits to avoid raising suspicions.

In the meantime, back at the Lu household, their short trip to the Chen family felt like a trial. While in the Lu household, barely a while after they had returned and started their respective activities, the elderly couple arrived back.

Feng Liuniang greeted them with a smile, “Mother, Mrs. Chen has made soybeans. Shall we make a jar too?”

However, Mrs. Lu couldn’t muster a smile. Her gaze passed over Feng Liuniang and straight to Wang Chunniang.

At that moment, Wang Chunniang was busy taking some grains out of a bag to have her daughter, Da Niu, grind them in a newly made wooden mortar.

Old Man Lu’s hand trembled uncontrollably upon seeing the grains, his anger rising. Mrs. Lu, also on edge, remembered Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen’s words and suppressed the urge to confront Wang Chunniang, instead instructing Feng Liuniang and the three Lu brothers preparing to do carpentry work at the cave entrance, “Everyone, go into the cave. Your father and I have something to discuss.”

The Shuanzhu brothers, who were helping their father, turned to look at their grandparents upon hearing this. Mrs. Lu glanced at her grandchildren and then said, “Tiezhu, take your brothers to play under the tree by the waterfall. Shuanzhu and Da Niu, stay here.”

As the eldest grandson was fifteen years old, there were things he needed to understand, and even the usually unnoticed granddaughter had questions to ask.

Feng Liuniang and her companions sensed that something was amiss.

Their parents’ expressions were off, and with all the children sent away, they wondered what was happening.

Inside the cave, the elderly couple sat on the edge of their bed, their son, daughter-in-law, and two eldest grandchildren standing in front of them.

“Several days ago, the big cave where the grain was stored was infested with mountain mice. You all know about this, right?”

Lu Sanlang had been instructed to guard the cave entrance, so he could only stretch his neck to peek inside and strain his ears to listen.

Mrs. Lu handed the two bags to her eldest and second sons, saying, “Eldest son, second son, each take one and have a look.”

Upon hearing keywords like grain and mountain mice, Wang Chunniang’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing the old lady inexplicably bring back grain bags, she felt a sense of unease, fearing she might be exposed. She quickly lowered her head.

Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu, however, had been watching her since they returned, confirming their suspicions. The two bags were passed around among the Lu family members, with even Lu Sanlang at the door coming to take a look.

Lu Dalang was a bit puzzled, not fully understanding his parents’ intentions.

Wang Chunniang, who was initially clueless, realized something after observing for a while, and her face turned pale.

On the other hand, Lu Erlang and Feng Liuniang quickly grasped the situation and looked at the Lu elders in shock.

Lu Erlang couldn’t believe it and asked, “Mother, what’s going on?”

“Just what you think,” Mrs. Lu replied.

Lu Dalang was still puzzled and asked Lu Erlang, “What do you mean? What’s wrong with these bags?”

Lu Sanlang, who had just looked at the bags, had a strange expression on his face, “Someone stole the grain?”

He glanced towards his sister-in-law, usually carefree but now silent. He retreated to the cave entrance to keep an eye on the situation outside and the expressions of his parents and sister-in-law.

He retreated to the cave entrance, but the remark about someone stealing grain hit the hearts of all Lu family members.

The two children raised their heads in disbelief. Lu Danniu looked at her third uncle, then at her mother, and suddenly lowered her head, her teeth lightly trembling, emitting a faint sound that only she could hear.

Lu Erlang and Feng glanced at each other, their eyes briefly shifting towards Wang Chunniang before forcibly returning, but their eyes betrayed their astonishment.

Lu Dalang was stunned and asked, “Is this grain bag from the Chen family? Weren’t you called over just now to make soybeans? What’s the suspicion against our family?”

Old Man Lu didn’t meet his gaze, still staring at Wang Chunniang, saying, “It doesn’t matter whose bag it is. More than one family has lost grain. We won’t make a scene now; we’ll discreetly inquire within our own family about who took others’ grain. Whoever did it should come forward before I find out myself.”

Wang Chunniang, anxious, was on the verge of a panic attack, wanting to swallow saliva but fearing it would reveal her nervousness and guilt. She hesitated.

With multiple pairs of eyes on her, she steadied herself, trying not to show fear. She looked up to meet the gaze of her in-laws and said, “Wasn’t it the mountain mice who stole it? Why are you blaming people now? Every family has grain; why would they take from others?”

Mrs. Lu stared at her, her anger reaching a boiling point. Rather than rushing to physically attack her, she looked at Wang Chunniang, her eyes chilling, and asked, “Yes, every family has grain. Why would anyone take from others? I want to know what you were thinking.”

With that, each member of the Lu family reacted differently. Wang Chunniang’s face changed, and she cried out, “Mother, how can you blame me for stealing without any evidence?”

Lu Dalang was dumbfounded, turning to look at Wang Chunniang and then his own mother, asking, “What’s going on? Why bring this to Wang Chunniang?”

Mrs. Lu didn’t respond, only staring at Wang Chunniang, and said, “I’ll ask you one last time. Do you admit it?”

Wang Chunniang couldn’t possibly admit it. She was breathless and distressed, “Mother, the saying goes ‘catch the thief and catch the loot, catch the adulterer and catch both.’ Without evidence, you can’t tarnish my innocence like this. I won’t be able to live.”

Mrs. Lu chuckled, “You’re quite concerned about your reputation, huh?”

“If you’re so concerned about your reputation, why would you dare to commit such sneaky acts? Did you get greedy after seeing the mice steal some grain? Did you want to grab a bit of grain from the hole the mice bit into, to fill your mouth? Even if you grab or don’t grab, it’s all in vain, right? And yet, you still dare to talk about your reputation?”

With a slap, Wang Chunniang knelt down, “Mother, where’s the evidence? Without proof, you can’t accuse me like this.”

Mrs. Lu nodded, her eyes numb, “Indeed, you thought that no one saw you, without proof, no one could confirm it. That’s why you dared to do it, right?”

She looked at her eldest son, then at her grandchildren.

Lu Dalang was as if struck by lightning, stunned and pale.

Wang Chunniang had a history, and after so many years of marriage, just as Mrs. Lu understood her daughter-in-law, Lu Dalang also understood his wife. Wang Chunniang liked to take advantage, to get an extra bite of food, to grab an extra piece of meat, to snatch an extra spoonful of eggs. While these actions were seen as minor issues before, more refined in public, he knew she was sly. But he never intervened much. He knew that Wang Chunniang liked to take advantage, especially when it was a small gain she could get away with.

Everyone in the Lu family knew this, including Shuanzhu, Danniu, and even Lu Erlang, Lu Sanlang, and Feng Liuniang, who were present but remained silent.

Shuanzhu’s face turned red, almost to his neck, while Danniu kept her head down, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Mrs. Lu didn’t let up, asking, “Dalang, what do you think? Do you agree with your wife?”

Lu Dalang shook his head vigorously, his breath heavy and labored, finally managing to say, “No.”

“No.”

He cleared his throat, unable to accept the reality, mechanically repeating “no” twice before finally squatting down with great difficulty, asking Wang Chunniang, “Did you really steal someone else’s grain?”

Wang Chunniang naturally denied it.

Lu Dalang was on the verge of collapse, his lips and hands trembling, seeming to shake all over, “For the second time, after revealing the hoarding incident last time, and now, after how long, you stole again?”

“Why did you steal grain? Did you lack food and drink at home? Your share of the family’s provisions is based on the number of people. Did you lack food and drink? Why did you steal grain?”

Wang Chunniang was petrified, repeatedly denying, “I didn’t steal any grain.”

“Who would believe you?”

Who would believe her?

Lu Dalang couldn’t imagine how his family would live in the valley in the future. He knelt beside Wang Chunniang, his heartbroken, and after saying, “Who would believe you?” he fell silent.

Mrs. Lu coldly watched, then shifted her gaze to Shuanzhu, recalling he was outside transporting grain at the time, glanced over that detail, and focused on her granddaughter, who had not dared to lift her head since hearing about the missing grain.

“Danniu, your mother needs evidence. You handle cooking and laundry at home; you can tell your grandparents. Did your mother show any unusual behavior recently?”

Danniu had been keeping her head down for a long time. Now, being asked, tears fell heavily to the ground, unable to lift her head.

Mrs. Lu observed the wet spots forming on the ground near her granddaughter’s feet, her eyes flickering. She said, “You’ve been working alongside your mother since you were young, raised to be reserved and quiet. I’ve taught you the principles of life, just like your siblings. Our family was only able to seek refuge with the Chen and Shen families, especially your family. You know what happened before we came here. I won’t lecture you on the big principles today. Think carefully and speak honestly. I have only two requests for you: be honest and distinguish right from wrong.”

This calm and emotionless statement made Lu Danniu’s tears flow even more fiercely, as she wiped her tears and sobbed.

Enraged, Wang Chunniang said, “I didn’t do anything wrong, why are you crying?”

She shot a glare at Lu Danniu.

Mrs. Lu coldly chuckled, waiting without rushing.

After crying a few times, wiping her tears, Lu Danniu looked up at her grandparents. Her hands were clenched together, the right hand grabbing the left so tightly that her knuckles turned white, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Old Man Lu, holding back his anger, sternly demanded, “Your mother asked you to speak, tell the truth!”

The tears that Lu Danniu had just stopped came rushing back as she looked at her mother, then at her bewildered father, and finally at her eldest brother, second uncle, and second aunt.

She didn’t dare to look towards her third uncle at the cave entrance, closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she said, “Mother always brings back grain for the family, not much each time, just enough for that day’s meals. Originally, the grain was stored in the big cave, and I didn’t find anything amiss.”

Mrs. Lu raised an eyebrow, “And then?”

Before Lu Danniu could continue, her mother grabbed her, saying, “What nonsense are you spouting? Everyone’s grain is stored in the big cave. If you didn’t bring any back, did your second aunt not bring any? Are you trying to harm me?”

Lu Erlang chuckled at the situation, seeing his elder sister-in-law grasping at his wife, and pulled his niece away, saying sarcastically, “Indeed, who doesn’t bring back grain here? What did Danniu say? Why is big sis-in-law so anxious to interrupt? Don’t teach our Lu family’s children your family’s habits.”

This remark made Lu Danniu blush bright red.

Feng Liuniang frowned at Lu Erlang, saying, “Stick to the matter at hand, why bring up irrelevant things?”

Guiding Lu Danniu, who was almost tripped up by Wang Chunniang, she said, “Your second uncle’s words weren’t directed at you.”

Though Lu Danniu and Wang Chunniang didn’t get along, the child truly hadn’t said anything. Despite being timid and introverted, she was nothing like the Wang family members. Sometimes, Mrs. Lu even pitied her because Wang treated her daughter and son entirely differently.

Mrs. Lu then glanced at her second son, urging, “Ignore your uncle’s nonsense and continue.”

Lu Danniu met her mother’s eyes, which seemed to devour her, turned her face away, hesitated for a moment, and continued, “We usually eat bean rice, so we don’t use much grain, but those few days, we brought back a lot of grain. In a few days, two buckets were filled to the brim. We didn’t store this amount of beans here as we usually fetch them from the big cave each meal. I found it strange and asked why we didn’t bring back more beans along with the extra grain. Why take so much grain first?”

After asking, she was scolded by her mother with just “focus on cooking.”

So she didn’t dare to ask further.

But she didn’t mention this part of the conversation.

Of course, she didn’t have the chance to, as Wang Chunniang lunged to slap Lu Danniu, but Lu Erlang and Lu Shuanzhu quickly intervened.

Nevertheless, this was enough. Lu Sanlang had skillfully made his way to where the main family lived, found two newly chiseled wooden barrels, lifted the lids, revealing them filled to the brim with rice.

Wang Chunniang’s legs went weak, but she insisted, “This was divided for our family.”

Old Man Lu looked at her, saying, “Still arguing? We all live in the same cave. Whatever amount of grain is given to you, how much your family consumes daily, especially since you predominantly eat beans, it’s easy to calculate. Do you really think you can get away with this?”

The family fell silent.

Wang Chunniang had no words, Lu Dalang didn’t know how to proceed, Lu Shuanzhu and Danniu were in tears.

Lu Erlang, Lu Sanlang, and Feng Liuniang were speechless as well.

They couldn’t fathom the absurdity of the situation that had befallen their family, but because it involved Wang Chunniang, it didn’t seem surprising at all.

They couldn’t even imagine what she might do next.

The two looming questions in front of the family were how to handle the aftermath and how they would face the other families in the future.

Should they resort to violence? Taking a life wasn’t as simple as slaughtering a chicken or duck, as it couldn’t be resolved with just a word.

But letting her continue roaming freely would be unacceptable.

Lu Dalang seemed to finally come to his senses, got up from the ground, and produced a rope and a cloth from somewhere, ready to tie up Wang Chunniang.

Wang Chunniang struggled and screamed, but Lu Dalang silenced her, “If you’re not afraid of shame, keep screaming.”

Unsure of what would happen to her, she didn’t care about embarrassment and called out, “Lu Dalang, what are you doing? Are you going to…”

A cloth was stuffed into her mouth and her hands were quickly tied behind her, then her feet.

Tears streamed down Lu Dalang’s face, “Father, mother, whoever lost the grain, I will make amends. I’ll return double the amount of grain and ensure Wang Chunniang stays inside the cave from now on. Can I dig a small cave nearby, and she stays there? Is that acceptable?”

Lu Shuanzhu’s pupils constricted, and Lu Danniu’s lips trembled. The siblings realized that if this was indeed the case, their mother would be confined for several years while they lived in the valley.

This was entirely different from the previous few days of confinement near the New Year. Clearly, it exceeded the comprehension of the two siblings.

Frantically struggling, Wang Chunniang kept an eye on her children.

Lu Shuanzhu knelt down, “Grandfather, grandmother, my mother was wrong. I will make amends and accept punishment for a period, a month or two. Let mother acknowledge her mistake, but don’t keep her confined all the time. I will stay with her every step of the way, except for our home cave and fields, nowhere else. I won’t allow her to do anything wrong again. Is that acceptable?”

Being confined for too long could drive a person mad.

Lu Danniu also knelt down, her eyes pleading, “Grandfather, grandmother.”

Unable to utter a word of plea, she bowed repeatedly, first to Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu, then to Lu Erlang, Feng Liuniang, and Lu Sanlang.

Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu remained silent, along with the second and third families.