Chapter 148: Catching the Thief Red-Handed

When Old Mr. and Mrs. Lu arrived near the Chen’s cave, Chen Old Man and Chen Granny were already waiting outside their cave.

Old Mrs. Lu still had a smile on her face, asking, "What suddenly made you decide to make soybean paste? Are the beans soaked yet?"

With a sigh in her heart, Granny Chen first sent her granddaughter away to play with Shen An, Shen Ning, and other kids at Xu's house, then invited the elderly couple from Lu's family into the cave to talk.

The Chen family cave was empty at this moment, as Qin Fangniang, Chen Youtian, and Chen Dashan had already excused themselves.

Thanks to Chen Youtian's woodworking skills, and with him having stayed in the valley without leaving, the Chen family already had tables and chairs. Chen Old Man invited the Lu's elderly couple to sit.

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

"Making soybean paste and we're sitting down for it?"

Chen Old Man and Granny Chen exchanged a glance, and she began to speak.

“We called you here not for making soybean paste or discussing farm matters, but for another issue.”

“It’s difficult to bring this up. Frankly, by calling you here for this, our Chen family might offend you.”

“Given our years of good neighborly relations and considering our current situation, we think it’s best you know, to avoid any chaos in the future. If we are mistaken, we apologize in advance, hoping it won't affect the friendship between our families.”

With such a preamble, the Lu couple was utterly perplexed. Old Mrs. Lu’s heart raced, “You’re leaving me in suspense. What’s the matter? How could just bringing it up offend us?”

She rapidly ran through recent events, wondering if someone in their family had done something wrong.

Old Man Lu frowned, looking at the Chen couple, “If it’s difficult for you to say, it must be serious. We’ve been neighbors for many years; a few words won't easily offend us. What exactly is the issue? Did someone in our family act inappropriately?”

Granny Chen sighed inwardly for the Lu couple, turning to retrieve two folded empty grain sacks from a shelf behind and pushing them across the table to them.

“Recently, there was a rat problem in the big cave, and many grain sacks got chewed through. Take a look at these two sacks first.”

Hearing it was related to grain, the old couple from Lu's family’s faces changed, a growing sense of foreboding in their hearts. Each picked up a sack and spread it open.

Just unfolding them was enough to reveal the problem, given the context. One glance and the elderly couple recognized the issue.

The tears were man-made.

Old Man Lu's hands shook as he held the grain sack, his aged face burning with shame.

“Whose sacks are these?”

“Arluo’s, and Xu's family has three similar ones, though I'm not sure if Old Lady Xu noticed the tear’s nature. Arluo found it while mending them and didn’t make it public; it’s a hard topic to broach.”

Old Mrs. Lu clutched her chest.

She now understood why Granny Chen said just calling them over could be seen as offending their family.

Because inviting her over suggested the thief was likely from their family.

But she couldn’t blame the Chens, as even she wouldn't think of anyone else when hearing the sacks belonged to Arluo and Xu's family.

And that realization hurt.

Old Mrs. Lu clenched the sack tightly, rising to leave, “I'll go ask about this right away.”

Granny Chen caught her arm, pulling her back to sit, while Old Man Chen also stopped Old Man Lu from rising, shaking with anger. Granny Chen then advised, “Don’t be rash. Truthfully, no one saw who did it. If we’re wrong, we'd unjustly accuse someone. The grain lost wasn't much. In the past, in Shili Village, we would have let it go, watched our grain more carefully, and at most vented by cursing outside our homes, letting the guilty bear it. Bringing you here today, to be honest, is troubling for both of us. It’s uncomfortable for your family and ours too.”

Mrs. Lu’s face reddened as she said, “You don’t need to put it that way. You and Old Chen are willing to share the actual situation with us; I'm grateful for that.”

It was indeed awkward, but blaming the Chens was out of the question.

Mrs. Chen patted her hand and said, “I brought this to you because I know what kind of people you are. Of course, informing you isn’t about pinpointing the culprit or seeking retribution. It's just that in these times, it’s a great fortune that our families have come together. As the outside world gets messier, we must stick together. If our unity weakens, it’s not just one family’s issue; it could endanger everyone. That's why we couldn't keep you in the dark.”

“If we’re mistaken, that’s best. If not, honestly, the amount of grain lost isn’t much to fuss over. For the sake of Shuanzhu, Tiezhu, and Huzi, we didn't want to make a fuss. We called you privately to be more vigilant in the future.”

The best way to avoid offending anyone would have been to discuss this matter in front of all six families in the valley, not just privately with the Lu elders.

The Lu elders nodded. Old Man Lu, shaking with anger, gripped Old Man Chen's hand, insisting, “You’re being considerate, thinking of our dignity and our kids. We understand and will handle this internally to give everyone a proper explanation.”

Old Man Chen, seeing Old Man Lu’s trembling hand, urged him to sit longer, stabilize his emotions, and avoid dramatic actions. He suggested keeping it within the family, away from the children’s ears.

Otherwise, the Lu family’s children might struggle to hold their heads high in the future.

Old Mrs. Lu, usually strong-willed, broke down, overwhelmed by the shame brought by her daughter-in-law. She buried her reddened eyes in her palms, then vented her frustration to Mrs. Chen.

“The kids are burdened by their mother’s actions,” she lamented.

Regaining some composure, she declared they were ready to leave.

Mrs. Lu took the two sacks: “I'll take these for now and return them later.”

Leaving the Chen's house, the Lu elders appeared drained, forcing themselves to appear normal as they passed the Zhou and Shi families.

……

Their trip to the Chens felt like a trial. Back home, just as everyone was getting busy, they returned, carrying the weight of the visit.

Feng Liunian approached with a smile: "Mom, Mrs. Chen from the Chen family is making soybean paste. Should we make a jar too?"

However, Old Lady Lu couldn’t muster even a hint of a smile. Her gaze shifted past Feng Liunian, landing squarely on Wang Chunniang.

At that moment, Wang Chunniang wasn't doing anything else but retrieving grains from a bag, instructing her daughter Daniu to mill rice with a newly made wooden mortar.

Seeing the grains, Old Man Lu's hands uncontrollably began to tremble, anger surging to his forehead. Old Lady Lu wasn't in a much better state. Thankfully, remembering the words of Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen, they suppressed the urge to rush at Wang Chunniang and slap her, and instead, spoke to Feng Liunian and the Lu brothers, who were preparing to do carpentry at the cave entrance: "Everyone go into the cave, your father and I have something to discuss."

The Shuanzhu brothers, initially helping their father, turned their heads towards their grandparents upon hearing this. Old Lady Lu glanced at her grandsons, instructing: "Tiezhu, take your brothers to play under the tree by the waterfall. Shuanzhu and Daniu, stay here."

Their eldest grandson was fifteen years old; it was time for him to be aware of certain things. As for their granddaughter, who usually didn't draw much attention, she had questions to answer.

Feng Liunian and the others sensed something was amiss.

Their parents' expressions were off, and they had sent all the children away. What were they about to discuss?

……

Inside the cave, the elderly couple sat on the edge of their bed, with their son, daughter-in-law, and the two children from the main family standing opposite them.

"You all know about the recent mouse problem in the main grain-storage cave, right?"

Lu Sanlang, tasked with guarding the cave entrance, could only stretch his neck and peer inside, listening intently.

Old Lady Lu pushed two bags forward and instructed, "Dalang, Erlang, each of you take one and pass it around for inspection."

Upon hearing the keywords 'grain' and 'rats', Wang Chunniang's heart skipped a beat. Seeing the old lady bringing back the grain bags for no apparent reason made her anxious, fearing her guilt might be revealed. She quickly lowered her head.

Old Man Lu and Old Lady Lu had been watching her ever since their return, and her guilty reaction only confirmed their suspicions.

The two grain bags circulated among the Lu family members, with even Lu Sanlang, guarding the door, coming over to take a look.

Dalong Lu was somewhat perplexed, not fully grasping the intention of his parents.

Wang Chunniang, initially clueless, realized something after a while and turned pale.

Erlong Lu and Feng Liuniang, however, quickly grasped the situation, their eyes widening in shock as they looked towards the Lu elders.

In disbelief, Erlong Lu asked, “Mom, what’s this about?”

“Exactly what you’re thinking.”

Dalong Lu, still confused, asked Erlong Lu, “What does it mean? What’s wrong with this sack?”

Sanlang Lu, who had just come over to take a look, remarked with a peculiar expression, “Someone stole grain?”

His gaze unintentionally flickered towards his sister-in-law. Normally carefree, he now chose not to speak, silently retreating to the cave entrance to keep an eye on the outside, as well as on his parents and sister-in-law, Wang Chunniang.

Though he stepped back, his mention of grain theft weighed heavily on everyone in the Lu family.

The two children looked up in disbelief. Dani Lu glanced at her uncle and then at her mother, realizing something, and suddenly lowered her head. Her teeth quietly chattered, producing a faint sound audible only to herself.

Erlong Lu and Feng exchanged glances, their eyes briefly shifting towards Wang Chunniang before forcefully returning, unable to conceal their astonishment.

Dalong Lu, puzzled, asked, "Is this a grain sack from the Chen family? Wasn't calling you over just now about making soybean paste? Is this suspecting our family or what?"

Lao Han Lu, not meeting his gaze, still fixed his eyes on Wang Chunniang, saying, "Never mind whose it is. More than one family is missing grain. Right now, let's quietly ask within our family who interfered with others' grain. Better confess now than wait for me to find out myself."

Wang Chunniang was so nervous her heart nearly stopped. She wanted to swallow but feared revealing her nervousness and guilt, and thus dared not.

With several pairs of eyes on her, she tried to calm herself, ensuring she didn’t appear fearful. Meeting the gaze of her in-laws, she said, "Wasn't it stolen by mice? How has it turned into a blame on someone? Every family has grain; why would someone take others'?"

Lao Po Lu stared at her, her anger reaching a point where she no longer felt like pouncing on Wang Chunniang. Seeing Wang still daring to argue, a chill crept into her eyes as she countered, "Indeed, every household has grain. Why would anyone take from others? I’d like to know your thoughts on this."

Her words triggered varied reactions. Wang Chunniang’s face changed, and she protested loudly, "Mother, how can you pin the blame of a thief on me?"

Dalong Lu was stunned too, turning to look at Wang Chunniang and then at his own mother, "What’s happening? How has it come to involve Chunniang?"

Lao Po Lu didn’t respond but continued to fix her gaze on Wang Chunniang, "I'm asking you one last time, do you admit it?"

Wang Chunniang, adamant in denial, argued breathlessly, "Mother, there’s an old saying: 'To catch a thief, catch the stolen goods; to catch adultery, catch the couple.' Without proof, you can’t slander me like this. I couldn’t bear it."

Lao Po Lu burst into angry laughter, "From what you say, you seem to care a lot about your face, don’t you?"

"How soon you forget how your eldest branch entered this valley. Has it been so long already?"

"It was Shen Lie and Dashan who let you in out of regard for Erlong; it was Ah Luo who considered her connection with our family and Liunv. Everyone agreed because of the children. Have you forgotten?"

"How can you dare to do such sneaky deeds if you care about face? Were you enticed by the mice stealing some grain? Did you scrape out a bit of grain from the holes they gnawed, just to fill your mouth? Stealing for the sake of it, right? And you still talk to me about having face?"

Wang Chunniang kneeled abruptly, "Mother, where’s the evidence? I won’t accept such baseless accusations."

Lao Po Lu nodded, her eyes numb with a hint of laughter, "Right, you thought no one saw, there’s no proof, so you believed no one could pin it on you, didn’t you?"

She glanced at her eldest son and then at her grandchildren.

Dalong Lu was stunned as if struck by thunder, completely dazed, his face deathly pale.

Wang had a history of small wrongdoings, and as her husband for so many years, Dalong Lu knew her as well as Lao Po Lu knew her daughter-in-law. Wang liked to take small advantages – an extra spoonful of food, snatching an extra piece of meat, sneaking an extra chopstick of egg. Dalong Lu had always seen these as minor faults. His sister-in-law was more refined; his wife, more assertive. Are such trivial matters at the dinner table even worth mentioning?

So, he never interfered much, but he knew Wang liked to take advantage of small things, especially those that caught her eye; she’d feel uncomfortable not seizing them.

What Dalong Lu knew, the rest of the Lu family knew too – like Shuanzhu, Daniu, and observing silently now, Erlong Lu, Sanlong Lu, and Feng Liunv.

Shuanzhu's face turned red, flushed down to his neck, while Daniu buried her head down, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Lao Po Lu didn’t relent, questioning, "What does Dalong think? Do you agree with your wife?"

Dalong Lu's head shook like a rattle drum, his breathing rapid and heavy. It took him a while to squeeze out two words with difficulty: "No."

"No."

His throat bobbed, unable to accept this reality. He mechanically repeated 'no' twice before half-kneeling and asking Wang Chunniang with difficulty, "Did you really take grain from others? Did you?"

Wang Chunniang, of course, denied it.

But Dalong Lu was on the verge of collapse, trembling in lips and hands, his whole body seemingly shaking: "Second time now, first you leaked our grain storage details, and now, so soon after, you're stealing grain?"

"Why steal grain? Huh? Are we lacking in food and drink at home? Didn't Dad and Mom distribute the grain fairly during the separation? Are you lacking anything? Why did you steal the grain?"

Wang Chunniang was frightened by his outburst and kept denying: "No, it's not true, I didn't steal any grain."

"Who would believe that?"

Who would?

Dalong Lu couldn't imagine how his family would survive in this valley now. He fell to his knees beside Wang Chunniang, repeating "who would believe that?" and then said nothing more.

Watching coldly, Lao Po Lu then turned her gaze to Shuanzhu, considering his absence during the grain transportation, and then settled it on her granddaughter, who had been too scared to lift her head since hearing about the stolen grain.

"Daniu, your mother wants evidence. You do the cooking and washing in your house. Tell us, did your mother act unusually these past few days?"

Daniu, with her head down for a long time, burst into tears at the question, the drops hitting the floor loudly, but she still didn’t dare to look up.

Old Lady Lu observed the damp ground near her granddaughter's feet and said, "Since childhood, you've followed your mother in her chores, growing up quiet and introverted. But I've taught you the principles of being upright, just like your brothers. We owe our refuge here to the protection of the Chen and Shen families, especially for your family, considering the circumstances before our arrival. The families agreed to shelter us, particularly because of you five young siblings, fearing you wouldn't survive outside. Today, I won't preach to you, but when you respond, just remember my two requirements: be honest and discern right from wrong."

This calmly delivered speech caused Lu Daniu's tears to fall more fiercely as she began to sob.

Wang Chunniang was furious: "What have I done for you to cry like this?"

She glared at Lu Daniu.

Old Lady Lu coldly smiled, patiently waiting.

Lu Daniu sobbed a few times, wiped her tears, and then reluctantly raised her eyes to look at her grandparents. Her hands were tightly clasped together, her knuckles turning white, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Old Man Lu, already suppressing his anger, sternly commanded, "Your grandmother asked you to speak, now tell the truth!"

Lu Daniu's tears, which had just stopped, were scared into falling again. She glanced at her mother, her distraught father, and finally at her elder brother, second uncle, and second aunt.

Afraid to look at her third uncle near the cave entrance, she closed her eyes and then opened them to speak, "Mother takes a little grain from home for each meal, not much, just enough for the day. The grain was originally stored in the big cave, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with that."

Old Lady Lu looked up, "And then?"

Lu Daniu was about to continue but was abruptly interrupted by her mother, "What nonsense are you talking? Everyone's grain is stored in the big cave, who doesn't take from it? Did your second aunt not take any? Are you trying to kill me?"

Lu Erlang saw his sister-in-law trying to shift blame onto his wife and laughed derisively. He took his niece away from her, chiding, "Indeed, who doesn’t take grain from there? What did Daniu say that you are so frantically interrupting? Don’t teach the Lu children the ways of your Wang family."

Lu Daniu's face turned beet red at his words.

Feng Liuniang frowned and glared at Lu Erlang, "Stick to the matter at hand. Why bring up irrelevant things?"

Lu Er Lang led Daniu away from Wang Chunniang, who had nearly pulled her to the ground, and said, "That comment wasn't aimed at you."

He didn’t get along with Wang Chunniang, but Daniu was different; timid and introverted, she had none of the Wang family traits. Sometimes he even pitied her; Wang Chunniang treated her daughter and son so differently.

Lao Po Lu also glared at Lu Er Lang, then turned to Daniu and said, "Don't mind your uncle's nonsense. Go on."

Daniu glanced at her mother, flinching from her menacing look. After hesitating, recalling her grandmother's words, she continued, "We usually eat bean rice, so we don’t use much grain. But those days, more grain than usual was brought home, filling two buckets in a few days. Yet, we stored no beans here and had to fetch them from the big cave for each meal. I found it odd and once asked why we brought so much grain instead of more beans."

After asking, she was scolded by her mother to just focus on cooking.

So, she didn't dare to ask further.

But she didn’t mention this now.

Indeed, there wasn’t a chance to, as Wang Chunniang had already lunged to slap Daniu, but Lu Er Lang and Lu Shuanzhu quickly intervened.

However, Daniu had said enough. Lu San Lang went to the large room, found the two newly made wooden barrels, and upon lifting the lids, found them full of rice.

Wang Chunniang's legs went weak, but she still argued, "This was our share from the division."

Lao Han Lu looked at her: "Still making excuses? We live together in one cave. We know how much grain each family has and consumes daily. Especially since we mostly eat beans. It's easy to calculate. Do you really think you can lie your way out of this?"

Everyone fell silent.

Wang Chunniang had nothing to say, Lu Dalang didn't know how to face the future, and siblings Shuanzhu and Daniu wept.

Lu Er Lang, Lu San Lang, and Feng Liunv were left speechless.

Not knowing what to say about such an absurd situation in their family, but considering it was Wang Chunniang, it also seemed unsurprising.

They couldn’t even imagine what else she might be capable of doing next.

The family faced two pressing issues: how to deal with the aftermath and how to face the other families in the valley.

Could they really kill her? Taking a life wasn't as simple as slaughtering poultry.

But allowing her to continue causing trouble was equally unbearable.

Lu Dalang seemed to snap back to reality, getting up from the ground and quickly finding a hemp rope and a cloth. He proceeded to tie up Wang Chunniang.

Wang Chunniang struggled and screamed, to which Lu Dalang said, “If you’re not ashamed, keep screaming.”

Terrified and unaware of what awaited her, Wang Chunniang lost all concern for dignity and cried out, “Lu Da, what are you doing? Are you going to kill me…”

A cloth gagged her, and her hands were quickly tied behind her back, followed by her feet.

Tears streamed down Lu Dalang's face as he said, “Father, mother, I’ll apologize to whoever lost grain and return double. Chunniang won’t leave the cave from now on. I’ll dig a small cave nearby for her to stay. Is that acceptable?”

Lu Shuanzhu's pupils constricted, and Lu Daniu’s lips trembled. Both siblings realized that if this were true, their mother could be confined for years, unlike the brief period of confinement near New Year's.

This situation clearly surpassed their understanding.

Wang Chunniang struggled desperately, looking at her children.

Lu Shuanzhu collapsed to his knees, pleading, “Grandpa, grandma, my mother was wrong. I’ll apologize. Just punish her for a month or two, enough to learn her lesson. Please don’t confine her indefinitely. My brother and I will never leave her side, ensuring she stays within our cave and fields and does nothing wrong again. Please?”

Continuous confinement could drive someone mad.

Lu Daniu also knelt, her eyes begging.

She couldn’t articulate her plea, simply bowing her head repeatedly to Lu Lao Han, Lu Lao Po, Lu Er Lang, Feng Liunv, and Lu San Lang.

The Lu family elders and the second and third branches were speechless.