Living in the Capital City was no easy feat.
Gu Changsheng, who had always lived worry-free, was deeply troubled. Why? Renting the tiny courtyard cost money, eating cost money, buying groceries cost money. Money truly was a wonderful thing!
Xiao Cui was excellent at managing household affairs, but even a clever woman couldn't cook without rice. Gu Changsheng stared at the empty bundle with frustration, not even a single pawnable item left. Turning her annoyance into action, she vented by performing a full-out brawl routine on the crooked-necked willow tree in the yard.
Luckily, Xiao Cui's foot had mostly healed, and Little Meat Bun was growing plump and healthy. If they ignored the occasional shadowy figures lingering outside the courtyard surveilling them, life seemed relatively fulfilling.
As Gu Changsheng put it, "We're already dirt poor, obviously can't afford guards or protection. Since the people from the Li Mansion are so concerned, we might as well not let their thoughtfulness go to waste. If they want to wander near my yard, let them stroll freely!"
"Madam, we're running low on rice and flour. Should we buy some more?"
Gu Changsheng shot Xiao Cui a resentful glance, "How much silver do we have left?"
"One tael."
"Are you sure you didn't miscount?"
"I've checked multiple times—there's absolutely no more than that."
Fine, one tael it is. Gu Changsheng slammed her hand on the table, "Xiao Cui, pack up our things. At dawn tomorrow, we're moving!"
Gu Changsheng was as good as her word. She woke up early the next day, set out while it was still dark, leading Xiao Cui, carrying Little Meat Bun, and lugging a bundle.
The person surveilling them outside was dutiful, snoozing against the courtyard wall.
Seeing no one else around, Gu Changsheng swiftly threw a sack over him and delivered a thorough beating, taking the opportunity to loot him clean.
Turns out, robbing was indeed a path to prosperity. Minimal investment, maximum return, although risky—it couldn't beat Gu Changsheng's Kung Fu skills. Look, even a surveiller was wealthier than them.
Seven taels of silver!
Gu Changsheng's eyes sparkled as she stuffed the stolen silver into Xiao Cui's hands, waved her off, and holding the still-groggy Little Meat Bun, they headed toward the City Gate.
Leaving the city was easy—they were law-abiding citizens, after all.
Standing outside the city wall, Gu Changsheng gazed at the towering gate.
This was it; she never wanted to return to the Capital City again. Goodbye to the Li Mansion's pile of scumbags, goodbye to the riches and grandeur of the Capital!
"Next stop, Liuzhou! Let's go!" Gu Changsheng raised her arm in proclamation, and the three began their journey back to their old home in Liuzhou.
As the saying goes, a thousand days of comfort at home, one day of hardship on the road. With their one-tael savings plus the seven taels from the surveiller, their food and drink weren't going to be an issue.
Gu Changsheng inspected Xiao Cui up and down, left and right. Hmm, this past month of living relatively comfortably had transformed Xiao Cui. She now looked radiant—a delicate oval face, sparkling large eyes. No wonder she'd started attracting three or four petty hoodlums.
And thus, Gu Changsheng's finances grew considerably, speeding up their journey home.
That day, Gu Changsheng was lounging in the carriage, nibbling sunflower seeds. Little Meat Bun was off to the side wrestling with the Three Character Classic, while Xiao Cui was counting silver. Life could hardly get better.
But of course, someone had to ruin it.
"This mountain is mine, this tree I planted. If you want to pass, leave some toll money behind!" A sudden shout startled the carriage.
Gu Changsheng choked on a sunflower seed and coughed violently.
"Madam… Lady Changsheng, we're being robbed…" Old Man Lau, the hired coachman, trembled as he peeked through the carriage curtain.
Recovering, Gu Changsheng rolled her eyes. Did he really need to say it? That opening line was a robbery classic, passed down through the ages! She glanced at her son. Time for him to shine.
Little Meat Bun, Gu Ze, exchanged a knowing look with Xiao Cui, then hopped off the carriage on his tiny short legs.
His little neck wobbled as he approached the front of the carriage.
"One, two, three… Mom, five of them!" He turned and shouted back to the carriage. This time, there were quite a few.
"Alright, son, ask them."
The five robbers were still staring dumbfounded at the wobbling lump on Little Meat Bun's neck. The small boy took a few more steps forward.
"Hey, my mom wants to know, do you guys have money?" He asked the leader, presumably the head bandit.
"We do."
The stubby-bearded strong guy nodded blankly, still confused. Before he realized what was happening, Little Meat Bun ran back.
"Mom, they said they've got silver."
Gu Changsheng was pleased, dusted off her clothes, and hopped off the carriage.
This time the robbers were legitimate bandits. The leader was a burly man with a bushy beard, followed by a Scarface, whose appearance alone screamed malice.
The bushy-bearded man frowned, then exchanged glances with his crew. Now there was potential! This job wasn't just profitable—it offered silver, a woman, and even though she wasn't stunning, she was decent-looking. This one could go back and become his Bandit Chief's Wife!
"You want to rob us?"
Was that even necessary to ask?
"Stop wasting time. Leave behind the silver and the carriage, and we'll spare your lives!" The bushy-bearded man barked, his jowls trembling.
"Oh. Xiao Cui, get off. They want the silver and the carriage." Gu Changsheng casually cleaned out her ears, looking completely cooperative.
Xiao Cui obediently stepped off the carriage, clutching a bundle.
The five bandits' eyes immediately lit up.
"Boss, she's a beauty!"
"Boss, this haul's a jackpot!"
The bushy-bearded man grinned, brandished his large blade, and changed his demands, "Silver, carriage, and beauty—all of it! Spare your lives!"
Old Man Lau ducked under the carriage, trembling. Things were not looking peaceful here...
"This is a bit tricky. Without this girl, who will take care of me and my boy?" Gu Changsheng shook her head, as if suggesting further negotiation.
"I don't care! Brothers, get them!" The bushy-bearded man raised his blade, tired of bargaining during a robbery. They were asking for trouble!
Xiao Cui grabbed Little Meat Bun and stepped back beside the carriage, worriedly watching Gu Changsheng. These were real bandits—not just two or three, but five! Could Madam really handle it?
It was a five-on-one situation. The bandits had the numerical advantage, but the quality… left much to be desired.
Grasping Hand… Shoulder Throw… Sweeping Leg…
Horizontal Chop… Diagonal Kick…
Moments later, the five were lying flat on the ground. Their weapons scattered, their bodies curled up in pain, and only cries of agony filled the air.
"I told you not to misbehave! Of all things to learn, you chose banditry…" A punch to the left, a punch to the right, and the bushy-bearded man's face lost its bulk, becoming swollen like a pig's head.
"Hey, hey! Stop hitting my face—I haven't married yet…" panicked the bushy-bearded man, ignoring the pain in his body as he raised his arms to shield his face.
"I wasn't planning to hit you! But you set your sights on Xiao Cui? Let me tell you, I'm twenty-one, can give birth to a son, and fight like a champ! I'm standing right here, and you don't see that?" She pushed aside his hands and delivered a punch to each eye, creating a pair of panda eyes.
Xiao Cui and Little Meat Bun averted their gaze, unwilling to look further. Meanwhile, they pondered Madam's earlier remark—what exactly did she mean?
Having vented her frustrations, Gu Changsheng coolly stood up, dusted off her hands, and beckoned to her son, "Time to collect!"
Little Meat Bun waved his tiny arms and strutted over dramatically, rummaging through left and right, soon holding a stash of items.
Gu Changsheng smiled contentedly as Little Meat Bun handed her the purse. Her anger disappeared, and she squinted her Red Phoenix Eyes, grinning with satisfaction. "Wow, looks like business is booming. All stolen, aren't they?"
Lying on the ground, Scarface sobbed, "That took me six years to save—I was going to use it to get married…"
Little Meat Bun, busy digging through the bushy-bearded man's belongings, held up another purse and looked at his battered face in sympathy. He sighed, "My mom says, a true hero confronts miserable times head-on…"
The bushy-bearded man: "…"
Oddly enough, he didn't want to be a hero.
With everything cleaned up, Gu Changsheng clapped her hands, hopped back into the carriage with Xiao Cui and Little Meat Bun.
"Old Man Lau, time to head out. If you keep hiding under the carriage, who's going to drive?"
Old Man Lau quickly crawled out, whipped the reins, and ignored the moaning bandits lying haphazardly on the road as they drove away.
"That was my life's savings to finally marry…" Bushy Beard watched as the disappearing carriage disappeared into the distance and cried toward the heavens.
Actually, weren't they the ones being robbed?
"Madam, we now have one hundred thirty-six taels of silver!" Xiao Cui exclaimed.
Gu Changsheng nodded in satisfaction. Adding on their earlier windfalls, they now had three hundred taels. The rest of the journey would be far more comfortable.
"Madam, isn't it wrong for us to be robbing others like this?"
"If it falls into your lap, you might as well take it. Consider it a favor to the government office."
"Madam, the things you said to that bandit leader earlier—it wasn't what I think it meant, was it? You beat him so badly just because he was planning to rob me instead of you, wasn't it?"
"Xiao Cui, of course not! But in the itinerant world, you need sharp senses. I was merely trying to justify the fight with an appropriate excuse…"
"Mom, I'm going to grow up and learn how to rob people too. But I don't want a miserable life—what should I do?" Little Meat Bun frowned in serious contemplation.
Gu Changsheng: "…"