Chapter 31: What Kind of Thief is This Immoral Person?

How could Ge Baocheng dare to say he had been sleeping soundly at home and hadn't heard a thing? It was actually his grandmother, after chatting with her old friends in the village and returning home to prepare dinner, who discovered the house had been robbed and that his eldest aunt's husband was still there. If he told the truth, it would be too embarrassing. "Aunt, let's talk while we walk. My grandma is still at home, and I'm worried about her."

Ge Xiulan felt her nephew was right and said urgently to her husband, "Husband, help me ask for leave from the team. I need to head back to Ge Lizhuang."

With that, she grabbed her nephew and hurried away.

The two villages were separated only by a river, and since today's work site was by the riverside, it didn't take long to reach the Ge family home.

Before even entering the door, they heard crying and cursing coming from inside the house: "Oh, dear heavens, this is the death of me! Which cursed soul stole my things? They have no conscience! I curse you to be born without an anus and for your whole family to die a miserable death!"

As soon as Ge Xiulan entered the room, she saw her mother with a tattered towel pressed against her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears. "Mom, how are you?"

"Daughter, it's the death of me! We've been robbed! Not only did they clean out all the valuables in my room, but they didn't even spare the kitchen or the two chickens in the back. How are we supposed to live now?"

Old Mrs. Ge was a mess of snot and tears; it was clearly a genuine outpouring of emotion, with absolutely no falsehood in it.

Ge Xiulan looked anxious. "Did you call the village officials over?"

Mentioning this only made Old Mrs. Ge even more furious. "They came, but they couldn't find a damn thing. They even stopped us from reporting it to the police, insisting that it concerns the village's reputation and that the village must conduct its own investigation first."

Ge Xiulan looked around the room and realized that, aside from the tattered mattress beneath her mother, there was nothing left on the kang bed. Her heart sank. "They stole everything so cleanly? What about my brother and the others?"

Old Mrs. Ge, who was crying bitterly, wiped her nose with her hand and then smeared it on the edge of the kang bed. She replied through sobs, "Your eldest brother went with the village officials to the houses of those village hooligans to see if any of our stolen goods could be found. I thought we couldn't just let this drag on—if we wait any longer, we won't even be able to find a single hair. So, I sent your second brother to the commune to find your sister and brother-in-law. Once Daguo arrives, I want to see if those village officials still dare to stop us."

Ge Xiulan looked at the room, which had been stripped of almost everything. "What kind of thief is so unscrupulous that they even stole the bedding off the kang? They truly deserve a miserable death."

At this, Old Mrs. Ge became even more heartbroken. "You have no idea. I was thinking that if that matter you were planning went through, Baocheng would be able to start a family soon. Just yesterday morning, I had just bartered for over ten pounds of cotton, and I never expected it would end up benefiting some thief."

She began wailing and singing again, "Oh, heavens above! Why are you so blind? Why didn't you send a bolt of lightning to strike that thief dead?"

Fearing her mother might fall ill from all the crying, Ge Xiulan had no choice but to keep comforting her.

It took all her efforts to finally calm her down.

However, the first thing Old Mrs. Ge said once she recovered was, "I haven't saved much money over the years, and after this incident, I certainly won't have enough to provide for Baocheng's marriage. You better put some heart into that matter you mentioned before."

Thinking of what had happened this morning, Ge Xiulan said worriedly, "I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Old Mrs. Ge's eyes widened instantly, and she turned on her daughter. "You are Baocheng's eldest aunt! How can you go back on your word after we agreed? Given the current situation at home, if the stolen money and goods aren't recovered, do you intend to let him live as a bachelor forever?"

(End of Chapter)