Gu Dou hadn't expected Liu Dazhuang to refuse so readily.
Looking at Liu Dazhuang's greasy mouth, Gu Dou's stomach growled with hunger. The small piece of "pancake" he had snatched from Gu Qingcheng was long gone, devoured by his empty intestines.
Seeing Gu Dou staring at him, Liu Dazhuang's inexplicable sense of pleasure intensified. He deliberately took a large bite of dried meat, half in his mouth, half out, chewing with gusto.
As he chewed, the meat outside his mouth moved up and down, like the alluring eyes of an eighteen-year-old girl, taunting Gu Dou.
Back in the village, Liu Dazhuang had always been like this: he ate by himself, didn't share with others, yet he would conspicuously eat good food in front of everyone, deliberately making them sick by eating noisily and messily.
However, this was different. On the road fleeing famine, everyone was enduring hunger and starvation. The temptation of food was immeasurably greater than in the village. Liu Dazhuang's lack of restraint and his continued showing off of his good food was simply wrong.
What angered Gu Dou the most was that Liu Dazhuang was willing to share "pancakes" with Gu Qingcheng, but when he himself actively approached Liu Dazhuang for some, Liu Dazhuang refused.
This was a direct affront to Gu Dou.
"Gu Dou, shame on you!"
"You're so old, and you're still begging for food! Shame!"
Unexpectedly, a few brats from the village surrounded them. Hearing their conversation, they began to tease Gu Dou by scratching their faces.
Gu Dou's mind exploded with a "boom," and he was engulfed in rage.
"Damn your mother, you'd give that good-for-nothing Gu Qingcheng food but not me? I'll beat you to death!"
Fueled by the temptation of food, a wicked fire rose within Gu Dou. He swung his fist towards Liu Dazhuang's jaw.
His punch landed on Liu Dazhuang's cheek, sending the half-chewed dried meat spraying out of his mouth.
Before Liu Dazhuang could even react, he instinctively wiped his mouth. Then his eyes widened in panic and anger, shouting:
"Blood, you made me bleed? You bastard!"
Liu Dazhuang retaliated!
Gu Qingcheng, hiding to the side, watched with delight, softly cheering,
"Right hook, that's it, punch like that! Left hook, beat this bastard to death!"
Liu Dazhuang was stout and strong. His family's consistently good food supply had made him more robust than others his age.
He was caught off guard by Gu Dou's surprise attack. But once he reacted, he quickly recovered. In his fierce counterattack, Gu Dou, weakened by hunger, was no match for him. He was immediately pinned down and beaten.
Finally, the two were forcibly separated by villagers who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
Apart from the initial blow, Liu Dazhuang suffered no other damage. Gu Dou, however, lost a tooth, his eyes were swollen, and his body was covered in bruises.
As the fight progressed, Liu Dazhuang became more animated, his inherent bloodthirsty ferocity taking over. He couldn't stop hitting, his fists landing with solid thuds.
Gu Dou could struggle a bit at first, but then he was reduced to taking blows. Lying on the ground, all he could do was groan in pain. With every punch, he cried out in agony, unable to evade.
Gu Qingcheng, watching from the side, might as well have been sitting with a small stool, eating melon seeds and drinking soda.
She felt no sympathy for Gu Dou at all.
Wasn't this just like how Gu Dou had treated the original owner before?
For a single steamed bun, he could cruelly attack his weaker family members.
Food was paramount to Gu Dou, making him ruthless, fearless, and disregardful of human decency and ethics.
Gu Qingcheng had precisely grasped this about Gu Dou, which was why she knew her instigation would succeed.
Gu Dou would definitely go to Liu Dazhuang to demand food.
And Liu Dazhuang would certainly refuse to give Gu Dou any.
In fact, the situation was unfolding exactly as Gu Qingcheng had wished.
This was just the beginning…
Gu Qingcheng wouldn't act herself, nor did she need to. She only needed to stir up Gu Dou's greed.
What was the fun in killing Gu Dou off immediately?
It would be more satisfying to torment him, weaken him physically, and when the catastrophic climate arrived, perhaps a simple cold could end Gu Dou's life.
Gu Qingcheng walked back to her family's campsite with light steps.
Besides enjoying the spectacle and feeling pleased, Gu Qingcheng had also earned 3 'satisfaction points' from the system, sourced from: the pleasure of revenge!
Gu Qingcheng tallied them up. She now had 198 satisfaction points. Wonderful!
"Qingcheng, come, the pheasant bone soup is ready. Come and have a warm bowl!"
Hu Lanfang, seeing her daughter return with a happy expression, knew that things had gone pretty much as planned.
In the distance, the sounds of quarreling could be heard from Gu Laoda, Liu Cui, and Liu the Butcher's family. However, Gu Laoda and his wife's voices were gradually fading, while Liu the Butcher's family's voices grew louder.
Gu Laoda and his wife were clearly at a disadvantage.
"Dad, Mom, I just watched a good show."
Gu Qingcheng took the pheasant bone soup her mother handed her.
She said this to be heard by the surrounding villagers, implying that their family used leftover pheasant bones to make the soup.
In reality, a whole chicken bought from Gu Qingcheng's mountain cat supermarket had also been added. To disguise it, some wild vegetables picked by Gu Chaobei were added to the soup bowl.
Gu Chaobei was an outdoor adventure enthusiast and knew how to identify various wild vegetables. This time, all the wild vegetables were picked by him.
"This is purslane and goosefoot. They clear heat and reduce fire. I had your mother blanch them. They're only slightly bitter, try them."
Gu Chaobei looked at Gu Qingcheng with anticipation.
Gu Qingcheng took a large bite of the wild vegetables and nodded repeatedly, saying:
"Dad, it's delicious, organic, and has a rich wild vegetable aroma."
"Old Six, your family truly finds joy in hardship! You can even make wild vegetables taste fragrant!"
A villager passing by Gu Chaobei, holding a handful of wild vegetables, said wistfully upon hearing Gu Qingcheng's words.
"Heh heh, Qingcheng is a child who can endure hardship!"
Gu Chaobei quickly explained sheepishly.
In the eyes of the villagers, wild vegetables were a last resort, thin and watery, only enough to stave off hunger for a while. When digested, due to the lack of oil and water, they would scrape the stomach and intestines, making one feel even hungrier.
But in the eyes of the Gu family, wild vegetables in modern society cost over twenty yuan per jin, or even thirty to forty yuan, making them precious and delicious.
Gu Qingcheng genuinely found them delicious! Her praise was also heartfelt, earning her another satisfaction point, sourced from: love for food!
The villager left, bewildered.
Because Gu Qingcheng's expression didn't look like she was enduring hardship, but rather like she was enjoying a gourmet meal.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wishing his own child could be as "sensible" as Qingcheng.
Gu Qingcheng slurped her soup down to the bottom of the bowl and saw two chicken legs. These were her favorites, and her parents always gave her the things she liked most.
Gu Qingcheng was not polite. She happily gnawed on one leg and then threw the chicken bone into the bonfire. The family, drinking the nutritious and delicious chicken soup, felt greatly comforted both physically and mentally.
Looking up at the star-filled sky, free from industrial pollution, each star sparkled like a polished diamond.
Meanwhile, on Gu Lao Han's side, his family was anxiously fussing around the oblivious Gu Dou.
Liu Cui desperately shook Gu Dou, crying, "My son, wake up, are you still alive?"
Gu Dou:…
I'm alive, but you're shaking me to death!