Chapter 132: Dare to Poach My People?

After seeing Song Qing off, Wen Mubai shouldered his basket and headed up the mountain.

As he left, he noticed Tang Banxia was busy, so he decided not to disturb her. His original plan was to take a detour up the mountain to check on Gouzi and, incidentally, bring back some pork. There was no helping it; the meat sauce his wife made was so delicious that he couldn't stop thinking about it, but they were out of meat and had no ration coupons left. He had no choice but to set his sights on Gouzi’s supply. Besides, he had saved Gouzi’s life; without demanding he be a slave in return, surely eating a little of his meat was nothing? Thinking this, Wen Mubai felt completely at ease.

However, plans rarely survive reality. No sooner had he climbed the mountain than he ran into someone he desperately wanted to avoid. Old Man Su, from the cowshed, saw him and nimbly rose from a wooden stump, hurrying over. "Mubai."

Wen Mubai’s good mood vanished instantly. "Speak."

A flash of pain crossed Old Man Su's eyes. "Old Jiang is sick. Could you help get some medicine? Your wife..."

"This has nothing to do with her!" Wen Mubai cut him off sharply. "I am warning you: do not go near my wife. Otherwise, I wonder if that grandson of yours, whom you are so proud of, could withstand my retaliation?" Wen Mubai glanced at him coldly. "I will bring you the medicine tonight."

He turned to leave, but Old Man Su called out, "Wait."

Wen Mubai did not bother to hide his impatience, merely turning his head sideways to wait for him to continue.

"Old Jiang has a cold. The temperature dropped suddenly these past few days, and his body..." Old Man Su spoke with difficulty, describing the illness.

Wen Mubai cut him off again. "Understood." He had no interest in hearing about others' suffering. "Anything else? Say it all at once."

Old Man Su shook his head. He watched as Wen Mubai’s figure vanished rapidly into the distance, tears welling in his clouded eyes. *What a tangled web of sins,* he thought.

Elsewhere, Wen Mubai’s mood remained unaffected. In the past, this might have bothered him, but not anymore. He had a home now, a family, and he no longer cared for relatives who didn't care for him. To him, Old Man Su was merely a business arrangement; his grandson sent money every month, and he simply provided the bare minimum of care in return. He had always operated on the principle of doing exactly what he was paid for—nothing more, nothing less. All he guaranteed was that Old Man Su wouldn't die.

Putting the old man out of his mind, Wen Mubai moved swiftly through the woods. Skilled and daring, he feared no beasts in the deep mountain. He took a shortcut and arrived at Gouzi’s residence.

He observed for a while, confirming that Gouzi was alone, before circling to the back of the house and climbing over the wall.

"Who's there?"

The bald-headed Gouzi lunged out, a razor blade in his hand aimed straight at Wen Mubai’s carotid artery. Wen Mubai’s reflexes were just as sharp; he ducked, dodging the strike, and kicked toward Gouzi’s crotch.

Hou Xingyun spun to avoid it, gritting his teeth. "You little wolf pup, still as dirty as ever!"

Seeing he had been recognized, Wen Mubai clicked his tongue in mock regret. "Gouzi, you've gotten rusty!"

Hou Xingyun sheathed his blade and walked into the house, ignoring the wolf pup’s snide remarks. Wen Mubai followed him inside. The place was incredibly sparse, containing only a kang bed and a quilt; there wasn't even a stool. Wen Mubai scanned the room, found nowhere to sit, and leaned against the doorframe. "Gouzi, you’re living in a sorry state."

"Shut your mouth." Hou Xingyun flicked his blade toward him—as if he needed telling. "What are you here for?"

"To see if you were dead yet?" Wen Mubai ducked the blade, caught it in mid-air, and began spinning it between his fingers.

The retort Hou Xingyun was about to deliver died in his throat. "I'm not dead. Disappointed?"

"Not at all." Wen Mubai strolled forward and handed the blade back. "Better not let your weapon fall into someone else's hands."

Hou Xingyun seethed. He took the blade and tucked it into his collar. "Get out now that you've seen me."

"Not yet." Wen Mubai flashed a grin. "Gouzi, I want some meat!"

Hou Xingyun blinked, caught off guard for once. "Then eat some."

Wen Mubai spread his hands. "I don't have any!"

Hou Xingyun: "..."

"Get lost!" He had thought the wolf pup had found a conscience; it turned out he was just craving food.

"Don't be so grumpy~" Wen Mubai stepped back, set down his basket, and pulled out a packet of medicinal powder. "Will you give me some meat?"

Hou Xingyun choked. He looked at the familiar bamboo tube and felt utterly defeated. "You're still as clever as ever."

Wen Mubai’s smile flickered, but he didn't respond. He asked again, "Will you give me some meat?"

"Fine, fine, take it!" He threw a key over in resignation. "You know where the warehouse is. Keep a low profile; if your family finds out, I can't help you."

"Got it." With the key in hand, Wen Mubai left without hesitation.

Watching his cheerful back, Hou Xingyun’s sluggish brain finally caught up. "Wait, you wolf pup, take it easy! Don't take it all, or I'll have a hard time explaining!"

Wen Mubai’s answer was to vault over the wall and out of the courtyard as fast as he could. As long as he ran fast enough, he could pretend he hadn't heard a thing.

Hou Xingyun’s brow twitched. He gritted his teeth for a long moment before letting out a silent laugh. "That wolf pup."

He then slowly picked up the bamboo tube, pulled up his dark trousers, and revealed a ghastly gash on his calf, which had begun oozing blood from the recent exertion. Around the wound, some of the flesh had begun to rot. He pulled out his blade, gritted his teeth, and carved away the necrotic tissue before applying the powder the wolf pup had brought. During the process, his veins bulged, but he didn't make a sound.

A long time later, when the stinging of the powder subsided, he collapsed back onto the kang, staring at the dark wooden beams above, and smiled bitterly to himself.

"That wolf pup... I owe him one again."

Meanwhile, Wen Mubai used the key to head straight for Daxi Village, the closest one to town. Once there, he circled the mountain twice until he reached a house made of blue bricks and tiles. After waiting a while to confirm the coast was clear, he found a hidden spot and climbed over the wall.

He went into the cellar and triggered a mechanism, revealing an iron door with a lock—a state-of-the-art model that was impossible to break by hand. Wen Mubai used the key to open it. Inside was a treasure trove: rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish, meat, eggs, butter, salt, fabric, and clothing. There were even watches, bicycles, and radios—several of the latter sitting in the corner. These supplies were the main reason Gouzi was a kingpin of the black market.

This was Wen Mubai’s first time here. He looked around, picked and chose some items, grabbed a Seagull-brand watch, picked a radio that caught his eye, took half a slab of pork, and, seeing some beef tallow, unceremoniously took the whole pot. Finally, he grabbed over twenty pounds of rice and twenty pounds of flour. Only when his basket was full did he stop, regretfully.

*Should have brought two baskets.*

*Forget it,* he thought. *I have the key. I can just come back a few more times.*

After looting the place and erasing any signs of his presence, he headed back the way he came. Upon returning to Guyue Village and reaching the foot of the mountain, he was stopped again—this time by Sheng Qianqian.

Sheng Qianqian had been waiting there, bored. When she saw Wen Mubai, her eyes lit up. She darted out to block his path and twisted shyly. "Educated Youth Wen, my father sent me some food. I wanted to give some to you." She opened her palm to reveal a piece of pastry.

However, she had been holding it for so long that it had become misshapen. Wen Mubai looked at it with disdain. Just as he was about to say something, he caught sight of Tang Banxia in the distance...

Tang Banxia, carrying a basket and holding Song Yu’s hand, stood frozen: ???

Was someone actually trying to poach her husband?