“Should everyone treat you like you’re their ancestor and give you all their food? Having one family like Old An’s in our village is enough. Why are you like that too?”
“You’re a grown man, yet you’re so lazy. The wild vegetables are growing so well. You can gather them easily and fill your stomach. Don’t you feel ashamed stealing food?”
“It’s fine if you’re lazy, but don’t drag us into this. We’re not like you. Don’t you feel embarrassed? Can’t you tell how thick your skin is?”
An Gouzi was infuriated. “You… you all…”
Who am I doing this for? I just want to eat my fill!
“Chief, Junior Officer, I’m telling the truth. An Jiuyue’s family must have a lot of food. She—”
“No matter how much food she has, they were not obtained easily, and they do not belong to you!” the Junior Officer shouted, unable to hold it in anymore.
What does An Jiuyue’s food have to do with him?
“An Gouzi, stop talking about An Jiuyue’s food. Let’s talk about you. Why did you come here to steal her food? Who allowed you to do that?”
An Gouzi wanted to confuse everyone by telling them that An Jiuyue had food. He wanted everyone to focus on An Jiuyue’s selfishness so they would overlook the fact that he tried to steal her food.
However, he did not expect the villagers to refuse free food. What else could he say?
“I really don’t have any food at home, so I wanted to… borrow some from An Jiuyue,” he explained, saying ‘borrow’ instead of ‘steal’.
What could the Chief and the Junior Officer do to him if he did not say he was here to steal? With An Jiuyue’s one-sided statement, no one could accuse him of that. It would be fine as long as his companions did not expose him.
“Borrow?” An Jiuyue smiled. She was amused.
“So apart from borrowing my food, you also want to borrow my sons? In that case, when can I borrow something from your family too?
“I don’t want to borrow your children though. I have to provide them with food if I do. How about I borrow your family’s food?”
“I’m out of food!” An Gouzi yelled without thinking, “I’m not trying to borrow your sons! I—”
“Chief, I don’t want to talk to him anymore. He wants to continue wrangling to escape his punishment for stealing food. That won’t do.”
An Jiuyue did not want to listen to An Gouzi anymore. She turned to look at the Chief. “Why don’t you tell me how we should settle this?”
The Chief was momentarily speechless. “Well…”
He was too embarrassed by An Gouzi and the others. He had also yet to decide on how to deal with this matter.
He could not chase them out of the village because the epidemic was serious. He could punish them with something, but chasing them out was not an option.
“An Feng, An Hao, tell me. Why did you come to Jiuyue’s house to steal grain?” He looked at An Feng and An Hao sternly.
“Chief, we didn’t come to steal grain. I already said that we wanted to borrow it from An Jiuyue.”
An Gouzi hurriedly interrupted before An Feng and An Hao could say anything.