Chapter 72:
Li Sanmao and his son, the three of them, carrying large torches and making two trips, finally carried the black bear meat back!
Because it was already late, plus they did some covering, they didn’t encounter anyone from the village on the road, so it was relatively safe…
By the time they finished carrying it and stored it away, it was already the middle of the night.
Zhou Shi excitedly waited for them to finish carrying everything back and confirmed before going to sleep.
Li Sanmao washed up clean, and Luo Zhi’er and Miaomiao had already gotten into bed and were sleeping soundly!
Because the next day Luo Zhi’er still had to go collect mushrooms, she needed to rest and build up her strength, no need to wait!
In a daze, before dawn, suddenly a burst of heaven-shaking cursing sounded in the yard!
Piercing the sky were also wails and panicked voices.
Li Sanmao sat up abruptly on the mat, seeing Luo Zhi’er half-reclining and rubbing her eyes, also looking at him with curious eyes.
“San Mao, what happened? Why did I hear Mom say the meat is gone?”
“I’ll go take a look, you sleep a bit more!”
Li Sanmao looked at the pitch black outside, furrowed his brows tightly, became alert, had thieves broken into the home?
“No, anyway I cannot sleep, and later I still have to go up the mountain to collect mushrooms, I’ll get up too!”
By the time Luo Zhi’er put on her clothes and went out with Li Sanmao, Li Daqiang had also gotten up, Old Li Tou ran out, fuming and glaring: “Old woman, it’s not even light out first thing in the morning and you’re making a fuss about what?”
So inauspicious first thing in the morning!
“Won’t you let people sleep?”
Li Daqiang also opened the door and asked: “Mom, what are you shouting about?”
“That damned thing, our bear meat, those big paws are all gone!”
“Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! You all just know to sleep! Our family’s bear meat was stolen clean and you didn’t even know!”
“Damned thief! Why steal that, why not steal bear skin, bear paws, my bear meat?”
“Steal it to make your coffin money? My silver! Damned thief!”
Li Sanmao immediately went to the place in the backyard where the bear meat was hidden.
The others also hurriedly ran over anxiously, the cellar’s lid had already been opened…
They had placed it last night in the backyard cellar, this cellar was dug earlier by Old Li Tou leading them, just for storing things, normally covered with the lid, others didn’t know!
Zhou Shi had gotten up in the night.
Normally not this early, but getting such a big black bear she was so excited she cannot sleep, figuring it would be worth over ten taels of silver.
After going to the latrine she couldn’t help but pass by the cellar on the way and glance at the treasure…
Discovered that the cellar lid seemed to have been moved by someone…
Opened it and went in to check, and this check was shocking!
She had wondered why she heard a scraping wind sound, thought she misheard, like a yaksha’s cry resounding for a while…
Then there were footsteps of people leaving, the more she listened the more scared she got…
Villagers all taboo hearing this, hearing such sounds they would deliberately hide, especially older folks, she sometimes got scared too!
Covered with the quilt, in a daze slept for a while!
Now this was great?
Li Sanmao went to the cellar, Luo Zhi’er followed too, the cellar was a mess…
The meat had been chopped into small pieces, which actually made it convenient for the thief, easier to steal, on the ground that pile only left a bamboo mat for laying on the floor, empty with a puddle of blood…
Luo Zhi’er was speechless, these three men busied half the night, turns out it was making wedding clothes for others?
Their whole family was too exhausted, all slept too soundly, this time, stolen clean…
“Oh my, my precious black bear, my silver! I’m about to suffocate!”
Zhou Shi came in and couldn’t take the blow, started rolling on the ground preparing to wail!
“Enough, stop wailing!”
Turned to Li Sanmao and said: “San Mao, Daqiang, what do you think?”
“Dad, we didn’t encounter anyone else from the village when we came back last night?”
Li Daqiang thought seriously.
“That’s the reason, who exactly is it? Who knew we got bear meat and it was stored here?”
Li Sanmao looked coldly at the ground, nodded slightly,
“This person definitely followed us all the way, didn’t make a sound, watched us put the things into this cellar!”
“Then waited for us to fall asleep, and acted! Hmph… possibly not just one person…”
Accomplices in the crime!
“San Mao, do you have a suspect?”
Li Sanmao glanced at Luo Zhi’er, the two shared a tacit understanding suspecting one person, because they ran into him when they came back in the afternoon.
But lacking evidence, could only see who goes out to sell it!
This village is fairly large, but there are a few who do stealing and trickery, without evidence you can’t say, he can steal it back, find a place to hide, or already found a buyer to sell!
People who do stealing and trickery have specialized middlemen to take the goods, otherwise where do you think he fences what he steals?
Li Sanmao and Luo Zhi’er returned to the room, Zhou Shi was still in that room cursing, somehow the blame poured onto Luo Zhi’er.
“This Luo Zhi’er, she’s up to no good, stirring up trouble, messing with the black bear? Tormented people half the night, now great, meat’s gone, she’s a jinx!”
“His mom, can you shut up! This matter can’t be blamed on Third Wife!”
It was they themselves who didn’t guard it, Zhou Shi was stopped by Old Li Tou…
Seeing his ashen face, she started cursing Xiao Zhou Shi without restraint…
“Old man! Who knows if it’s an inside thief who stole it, besides our family who knew we got black bear meat?”
“Who in the family now wants silver the most? Isn’t it that scheming little wench!”
She didn’t suspect Luo Zhi’er stole it, Luo Zhi’er didn’t have that habit, but the other one was questionable…
Old Li Tou wanted to stop her, but seemed to think there was some reason to it, she didn’t get up in the morning either, with such a big thing happening in the family, she slept quite peacefully.
Or maybe evasion?
Xiao Zhou Shi wailed in the room, questioning Li Daqiang: “I stole it? Am I easy to bully? Do you think my body could move that much meat?”
“Weren’t you sleeping right beside me safe and sound, did I get up and go outside?”
“Say something!”
Xiao Zhou Shi pounded Li Daqiang for a while, then sneered sarcastically…
“Wife, Mom’s just venting, no other meaning!”
He had slept too deeply just now, didn’t know if his wife got up, but his wife hadn’t been feeling well these past couple days, he thought it probably wasn’t her…
As for taking small advantages, stealing things she had a bit of that…
“Venting? Can you act like a man, go out and defend your wife’s face, say your wife didn’t do it?”
“Muqing’s mom, stop making a fuss, I still have to go open up the land later, let me lie down a bit more… rest a while!”
After speaking, he turned over and started snoring again, fell asleep…
“You…”
It was really her crying, but he was sleeping, he still had the mind to sleep, could sleep?
In the end Old Li Tou persuaded Zhou Shi: “Old woman, don’t wail anymore, I told you last night not to spread this outside!”
“If villagers know we got a black bear, who knows what trouble might arise!”
Zhou Shi pursed her lips, didn’t take it seriously.
She didn’t believe what he said, her family killing a big black bear was originally something worth bragging about to make those people jealous and envious, especially that Zhao Xiaomei, so what if her son built a house?
Her family’s son could kill a bear, maybe become an official in the future, a house is nothing!
But… now nothing left, all because of that thief!
