Chapter 128: The Starving Become Outlaws

Zhou Zhi pricked up his ears, listening intently to the sounds outside the house. Everything had fallen silent again, leaving him with no choice but to wait patiently.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the intruder outside made no further attempt to manipulate the door latch. Zhou Zhi felt a surge of bewilderment. Damn it! Had the thief run off?

Zhou Zhi had moved from his bedroom to the outer room with the utmost stealth, convinced the intruder could not have detected him. Yet, what was happening now? Why had the latch been moved only halfway before stopping?

Holding his breath, he listened carefully once more. Aside from the whistling wind, there was truly no other sound. After waiting a while longer, and with still no movement from outside, Zhou Zhi gripped a kitchen knife in his right hand and, with a sudden surge of strength in his left, threw the door latch open. Simultaneously, he ducked to the side, his sharp, star-like eyes scanning the outside.

The moment the latch gave way, there was a heavy "thud." The person outside pitched forward, falling face-first onto the floor inside.

Zhou Zhi held his knife high, ready to strike, but to his surprise, the figure on the floor remained motionless. It was clear the intruder had already lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhi lowered the knife. He leaned down slowly and gently placed a hand beneath the intruder’s nose; the breathing was incredibly shallow.

A chill ran through Zhou Zhi. What was going on? Was the thief dying? Looking closer, he saw that the intruder was merely a boy of fourteen or fifteen, his hair a tangled mess, his face sallow and gaunt, his eyes tightly shut.

"Bad luck," Zhou Zhi muttered to himself. "I haven't even touched him yet. If this boy dies, it certainly has nothing to do with me."

Setting the knife aside, he nudged the young thief’s body and said softly, "Wake up, wake up!"

The boy did not move; he was completely unconscious.

His father, Zhou Tie, and his mother, Madam Zhou, had heard the commotion in the outer room. Zhou Tie, not even pausing to dress, rushed out. Seeing the scene, he was taken aback and asked in alarm, "Xiao Zhi, did you hurt this thief?"

Zhou Zhi shook his head. "This is how he was when I opened the door. The boy is likely half-frozen."

A thief who had fainted before he could even steal anything—such a situation was unheard of. Zhou Tie panicked, urging, "Throw him out! Throw him out! We must not let him die in the Zhou house."

His concern was obvious: if the boy died, the Zhou family would surely face great trouble. Even if he were a thief, they couldn't just let him perish.

Zhou Zhi crouched on the floor, looked at his father, and gave a bitter smile. "Father, this boy is terribly weak. If we throw him out, he will certainly die. Let’s find a way to revive him first."

Zhou Tie, feeling helpless, gave a slight nod.

With his father’s consent, Zhou Zhi did not hesitate. He picked up the boy and carried him into the bedroom.

Fortunately, the kang was still warm. They covered the boy with a quilt and pressed firmly on his philtrum. After much effort from the father and son, the boy finally opened his dull, lifeless eyes.

Upon waking, the boy looked around and tried to scramble up. But his body was so frail that as soon as he lifted his head, it fell back heavily.

"I’m hungry... I’m hungry," the boy whispered weakly.

Zhou Zhi felt deeply annoyed. What kind of situation was this? The thief had come to rob them, yet here they were, having to save his life and treat him to food and drink.

Madam Zhou, now dressed, came over to look at the boy. "I’ll go get him something to eat," she murmured. "He’s a poor, suffering child."

She hurried off to boil water and heat some food.

Before long, Madam Zhou returned with a bowl of hot porridge and three steamed white flour buns.

Under the warmth of the quilt, the boy had regained a little strength and managed to sit up halfway. When he saw the porridge and the white buns, his dull eyes instantly lit up, and his throat worked hungrily.

He snatched the bun from Madam Zhou’s hand as if he hadn't eaten in lifetimes. Without sparing a glance at Madam Zhou or the others, he began to wolf it down.

After a few bites, he choked, his eyes rolling back as he let out a series of dry, cold hiccups.

"Child, eat slowly. Have some porridge first; there’s more if you need it," Madam Zhou said gently, her heart softening at the sight. She handed him the porridge.

The boy drank a few mouthfuls and immediately went back to devouring the bun.

The three white buns and the bowl of porridge were finished in an instant. He held out the empty bowl and demanded, "Give me another bowl, and more buns."

Seeing such a lack of manners—a thief acting so entitled—Zhou Zhi felt his anger rising. But he held it back, sighing inwardly, hoping the boy wasn't a heartless, ungrateful wretch.

The story of the farmer and the snake had long been told; the Zhou family’s treatment of this thief was no different from the farmer’s treatment of the serpent.

Zhou Tie looked indignant, but remained silent.

Madam Zhou agreed, took the bowl, filled it again, and brought back four millet and pumpkin cakes.

Although the Zhou family’s life had improved, they still lived frugally, making only a few white buns per meal and relying mostly on millet and pumpkin cakes.

The boy accepted them without ceremony and began to feast again. Though the cakes were plain, he ate them as if they were a delicacy. Watching him, Zhou Zhi felt a strange pang in his heart. In this seemingly prosperous era of the Hongzhi Emperor, there were still so many people on the brink of starvation.

After finishing the four cakes and the bowl of porridge, the boy let out a satisfied belch, looking much more vibrant.

He looked at the people in the room, rolled off the kang, and knelt on the floor. "I actually came to your house to steal," he said. "I didn't expect to starve and pass out. I thank you, Madam, Master, and Big Brother, for saving my life. I kowtow to you!"

His head hit the floor with a resounding thud, almost leaving a dent in the ground.

Zhou Tie and Madam Zhou hurried to stop him. Madam Zhou, eyes brimming with tears, said, "Get up, child, get up. I know you were driven by hunger. Who would choose to be a thief if they weren't starving?"

She pulled the boy up from the floor.

Hearing these warm words, the boy’s resolve seemed to crumble. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he choked out, "I have truly met kind people. I heard a few days ago that the Zhou family in Baiyue Village were good people. I... I must kowtow to you again."

One does not need to know a person well to judge their character; their eyes and actions often reveal the truth. Zhou Zhi had been watching the boy coldly, but now realized the lad did not have a malicious heart. He asked, "Little brother, where are you from, and how did you end up a thief?"