But the hardships of fleeing famine tested human nature, and Village Chief Gu's mindset became more flexible.
If the family hadn't split, Gu Laoliu's family might not have survived to reach the south.
If they split, Gu Laohan's family would still have a chance to support each other and make it to the south.
Village Chief Gu sighed inwardly.
Before long, Village Chief Gu drafted two separation agreements.
Gu Laoliu's family suffered greatly from this separation agreement.
The agreement clearly stated that Gu Laoliu could not take any property from the Gu family, leaving with nothing. Furthermore, he had to provide the Gu family with 60 jin of meat within three days to completely sever ties.
Gu Laohan and Gu Laoliu took the agreement and expressed no objections. Under the witness of Village Chief Gu, they signed and affixed their seals on the spot, with each keeping one copy.
After the division, Gu Laoliu tucked the document into his pocket and went with his daughter to find Hu Lanfang, intending to share the happy news.
Hu Lanfang was joyfully stewing snake meat with the village women.
After being expertly prepared by the village chef, the snake skin was peeled off, the meat was cut into pieces, and wild mountain seasonings were added. Several large pots were used for cooking.
Although snakes were frightening in appearance, once the skin was removed and the meat stewed, it turned white. The snake soup was as rich as milk, emitting a meaty aroma that made one's mouth water.
Many children were already circling the pots, hoping to sneak some meat and soup when the adults weren't looking.
Hu Lanfang stoked the fire while accepting the villagers' compliments.
Tonight's meat was thanks to Gu Laoliu, so everyone naturally wanted to show their gratitude.
Hu Lanfang had never been so flattered in the village; this was truly a highlight of her life.
Yet, Hu Lanfang remained composed and graceful, not using this to elevate her status. Instead, it further endeared her to everyone.
Hu Lanfang glanced at the expressions of Gu Qingcheng and her father and immediately knew something was afoot.
She could tell what they were up to the moment they shifted their weight.
Seeing the subtle smugness in their eyes, she knew they had succeeded.
"Did you succeed?"
Hu Lanfang couldn't help but ask.
"With my daughter and I working together, is there anything we can't accomplish?"
When this topic came up, Gu Zhaobei couldn't help but boast.
Gu Qingcheng pouted and recounted the events. Upon hearing it, Hu Lanfang was overjoyed and said,
"That's great! We'll have an extra bowl of snake soup tonight to celebrate. Finally, we're free from that feudal family. Otherwise, the three of us 'weak and helpless beings' would have been controlled and ended up in trouble sooner or later."
The "weak and helpless" Gu Zhaobei nodded and said,
"From now on, we'll be an independent little family, free to do as we please, without having to worry about them or what they tell us to do."
"Exactly. No more exploitation. Although we're nominally under their family, the original owner hadn't had a single bowl of thick gruel, let alone dried meat, since escaping.
It was truly miserable. Their family of three drank the thinnest rice porridge after fleeing famine. They were so weak from hunger that they had to do everything for the whole family. No wonder their bodies were so frail.
Now that we're free from them, we won't have to work like beasts of burden anymore," Gu Qingcheng said happily.
Hu Lanfang was more concerned about the meat.
"It won't be easy to give them 60 jin of meat. Why don't we go hunting in the woods tomorrow?"
"We can pretend to go hunting," Gu Qingcheng suggested. "I have enough points now to exchange for frozen meat from the supermarket. We can pretend it's from our hunt; it's already cut, and they won't know what kind of meat it is."
Hu Lanfang was surprised that her daughter had solved this problem so quickly and felt relieved, saying,
"Alright, it's decided then."
"We can't give it to them immediately. We should wait until the last day, only when they demand it. Otherwise, they'll think it was easy to obtain and might come up with other bad ideas,"
Gu Zhaobei, as a mature adult, understood human nature, especially in this era of scarcity.
"Okay, it's settled," Gu Qingcheng said, trusting her father's judgment.
"The snake meat is cooked! It's ready to eat!"
Just then, a woman stoking the fire called out.
Five large iron pots were set up on the riverbank. The snake meat hunted by Gu Zhaobei's family was stewing in the pots, its aroma wafting everywhere. The meaty fragrance was tantalizing, and the village was as lively as during the New Year. For a moment, even the gloom of Old Man Sun's death by the roadside was overshadowed.
Everyone happily took out bowls and chopsticks, lining up to receive their portions of meat.
A piece of meat and a large ladle of soup for everyone, adults and children alike.
Gu Zhaobei's family received preferential treatment, with each person getting a full bowl of meat.
Gu Qingcheng had never eaten snake meat before, but driven by the urgent need for nutrition in this body, and because the meat was truly fragrant, the soup was milky white and tasted rich, and it didn't look unappealing, Gu Qingcheng tried a bite.
"Oh, Dad, Mom, it's really good. I never thought snake meat could be so sweet and tender!"
Gu Qingcheng wasn't one for affectation or pretense. Once she tasted something good, she began to eat heartily.
In modern society, Gu Qingcheng would certainly adhere to the laws and order. Pythons are second-class protected animals in China, and she would never eat them. But in this era, without laws protecting pythons, they could eat them with gusto.
The fragrant snake meat on the riverbank soothed the famine refugees' stomachs.
After so much hunger, this was the first night they could eat meat heartily.
They were naturally filled with gratitude towards Gu Laoliu's family.
"Dad, if this meat were made into dried meat, how long would it last? It would surely last us until the south,"
Liu Cui mumbled.
Although the Gu family had "driven" Gu Laoliu out, they certainly wouldn't have the backbone to refuse the snake meat.
However, seeing the entire village sharing the snake meat, Liu Cui and the others felt as if their hearts were bleeding, as if the villagers were eating their family's meat.
Old Man Gu, with a stern face, remained silent.
Although Gu Laoliu left with nothing and had to compensate them with 60 jin of meat, no matter how he thought about it, something felt off.
Why would the usually honest Laoliu suddenly have the courage to split the family? And during a life-or-death famine journey?
No, he had to keep an eye on Laoliu's family.
Don't think that just because a separation agreement was signed, he would stop caring about them. In the end, Laoliu was still his son.
What kind of father doesn't care about his son?
"Dad, I think only letting Laoliu provide 60 jin of meat is a loss. This big snake was caught before the separation, so by rights, it belongs to the Gu family. Laoliu is clearly out of his mind to let the whole village eat it.
This big snake weighs over a hundred jin. Laoliu only giving us 60 jin of meat as compensation is far from enough,"
Gu Lao'er also shoveled food into his bowl, smacking his lips and saying.
"Yes, our Gu family is at a disadvantage, and we've become a laughingstock!"
Second son's wife, Zhang Manzhi, also chimed in.
The third, fourth, and fifth sons also expressed similar dissatisfaction.