Upon hearing that the matter would be reported to the authorities, both parties involved became fearful. After all, the old saying goes: "The yamen doors face south, but without money, you cannot enter even with justice."
Involving the officials meant losses for both sides.
And neither party could afford such a setback.
Liu the butcher, whose son had indeed beaten the victim to death, was at a disadvantage. Thus, he proactively offered a settlement, providing twenty catties of meat and fifty catties of grain as compensation.
Upon hearing that they could receive so much meat and grain, the Gu family began to scheme.
Although Gu Dou was a son, his death now meant he could be exchanged for meat and grain. It wasn't a complete loss.
After all, they had heard that people in a neighboring village resorted to cannibalism. This was much better than eating one's own children, wasn't it?
After much discussion, the Gu family agreed to the proposal, only demanding that the grain be increased to eighty catties and the meat to thirty catties.
Although Liu the butcher felt the pinch of losing grain, his son's life was more important. In the end, he agreed and handed over the meat and grain to the Gu family on the spot.
In return, the Gu family drew up a document relinquishing their right to pursue further action.
In essence, the Gu family had sold Gu Dou for thirty catties of meat and eighty catties of grain. After receiving the compensation, Gu Dou was completely abandoned by his family.
The Gu family dug a large pit and buried the deceased Gu Dou within.
Gu Qingcheng observed everything impassively from the side.
This was the tragic end of a wicked person, a just and satisfying outcome!
Gu Qingcheng felt no sympathy for Gu Dou.
If it weren't for her, Gu Dou wouldn't have gone to Liu Dazhuang for food, nor would he have been severely beaten by Liu Dazhuang.
Under the looming shadow of food scarcity, Gu Dou's greatest obsession was food.
Gu Qingcheng clearly understood this and ignited his inner obsession.
When Gu Dou realized that even Gu Qingcheng, a weakling, could get food from Liu Dazhuang, but he couldn't, he went mad.
In his madness, he disregarded whether he was Liu Dazhuang's opponent or not…
Of course, anyone who dared to challenge Liu Dazhuang was bound to suffer the consequences!
Gu Qingcheng chuckled, feeling greatly pleased.
She silently vowed: "Original body, I have avenged you! From this day forward, I am Gu Qingcheng, and I have nothing to do with you. I will live a good life in this world and live my life to the fullest!"
"Host, received 500 cool points! Source: The exhilaration of revenge!"
Gu Qingcheng grinned and accepted the system's benevolent offering!
Five hundred cool points at a time, she was rich! That was over ten thousand yuan instantly, enough to go on a massive shopping spree at the supermarket.
Gu Qingcheng adored this system.
Justice prevails, a truly satisfying outcome!
Gu Dou was dead. According to tradition, even though they had separated, Gu Zhaobei's family still had to help with the funeral arrangements.
Although they disliked the Gu family and had no desire to get involved in their affairs, Gu Zhaobei's family could not refuse to help, lest they be gossiped about by the villagers.
Everyone generally believed that the deceased deserved respect.
Gu Dou was dead, and no matter how badly he had treated Gu Zhaobei's family in life, it would now fade away.
Of course, Gu Zhaobei's family couldn't do much when they arrived.
During the negotiations with Liu the butcher's family, Gu Laohan, Gu Laoda, and Liu Cui were the main negotiators, and their opinions were also decisive in accepting the compensation.
Grandma Gu was responsible for wailing and creating a scene, while the other children and grandchildren of the Gu family cried along, deliberately creating an atmosphere of grief at the negotiation site.
Liu the butcher was defeated in this environment. Firstly, he feared being reported to the authorities, which would lead to his son being punished.
Secondly, since a life had been lost, the Gu family was in the right. Thus, he reluctantly offered the meat and grain to settle the matter.
In fact, Liu the butcher had come out ahead. If it weren't for the ongoing famine where grain was more valuable than human life, he wouldn't have been able to settle a homicide case with just thirty catties of meat and eighty catties of grain.
Gu Zhaobei's family, at such a time, naturally could not offer much help.
However, when burying Gu Dou, they did help dig a few holes and fill in some shovels of earth.
Gu Qingcheng was quite happy to shovel the damp, leaf-covered mud onto Gu Dou's face.
Looking at the wicked person lying there, unable to move, Gu Qingcheng had no fear of looking at his pale face.
She had not forgotten how Gu Dou had tormented her when she first arrived.
The original body had been beaten to death by Gu Dou. Now that he had also died at her hands, it was a great revenge for the original body. The feeling of satisfaction was indescribable, no wonder the system had generously rewarded her with 500 cool points.
Gu Qingcheng mused to herself that when it was quiet at night, she would have a good browse in the Mountain Cat Supermarket and buy more supplies to stock up.
Gu Qingcheng now discovered that if she bought supplies and stored them in the storage cabinet, she could retrieve them with a mere thought.
However, for supplies she hadn't yet purchased, retrieval wasn't as convenient. She had to go to the supermarket to buy them first before she could access them at any time.
From this perspective, it was best to spend money as soon as she had it and buy everything, so she could feel at ease. It was no wonder she was so extravagant and couldn't save cool points.
The supplies in the supermarket were not particularly expensive. Food, drinks, and daily necessities were generally not costly. For example, during this time of severe grain shortage, the cheapest rice in the supermarket cost a little over two yuan per catty. Of course, there were also more expensive options, costing tens of yuan, but the cool points she earned daily were enough to enable her "buy, buy, buy" mode.
As for the most expensive items like inflatable boats, each costing hundreds of thousands, Gu Qingcheng was still far from affording them and didn't need them urgently.
During the time spent helping with Gu Dou's funeral, Gu Qingcheng appeared to others as someone who was either busy with tasks or spacing out, little knowing she was wandering in the Mountain Cat Supermarket.
Gu Zhaobei's family had come forward to help with Gu Dou's funeral, but the members of the Gu family were all very cold towards them. Gu Laohan and Grandma Gu completely ignored them, as if they were outsiders.
Uncle Gu was even more audacious. When he saw the meat and grain delivered by Liu the butcher, he directly said to Gu Zhaobei:
"Sixth Brother, you promised us sixty catties of meat. Where is the meat now? Today is the deadline for meat delivery. If you don't hand it over, the family separation agreement will be void."
In fact, the Gu family had been secretly waiting to see a good show, expecting Gu Zhaobei's family to be displaced, starving, and on the verge of death after their separation, and then to come begging them for food out of desperation.
After this lesson, Gu Liuliu's family would definitely not dare to harbor any thoughts of separating from the family again, and they could then exploit Gu Liuliu even more unscrupulously.
Little did they expect that Gu Liuliu's family had managed to survive these past few days. Although they had walked intermittently and always lagged behind the main group, seeming to be starving terribly, their complexion did not suggest extreme suffering.
After all, starving people are usually sallow and gaunt. How could they be like Gu Qingcheng, whose little face had suddenly become much paler, her small lips rosy, and her eyes dark and deep? One had to admit, she actually had a touch of beauty now.