Late that night, when everyone was asleep, Qu Liushou stealthily slipped into the old mansion of the Mei Family, heading first to the caretakerâs room to check if the medicine Ye Qing had administered was effective. He didnât expect Aunt Wu to still be awake.
Hua Hua got injured because she wasnât well taken care of, and now itâs all uncertain. Sheâs worried, fearing that when the family comes to her about it, demanding compensation, sheâll be at a huge loss.
Aunt Wu was thinking about how to explain the situation the next day, so she was lying in bed unable to fall asleep, completely missing when someone opened the Mei Familyâs front door and came inside.
Seeing her awake, Qu Liushou was startled.
"Who... who are you?" Aunt Wu sensed something was off and was about to shout. Qu Liushou didnât give her the chance.
Drawing on his past experience, he quickly stepped in front of Aunt Wu and knocked her out cold with a swift blow.
He then nudged Aunt Wuâs head with his hand, seeing she was completely unconscious, looked around nervously, and whispered, "Damn, that Mei Family wife is unreliable."
Believing Ye Qing was unreliable, Qu Liushou left Aunt Wuâs room and inspected each room in the Mei mansion. After confirming no one was there, he headed to Mr. Meiâs study.
Staring at the tightly sealed cabinet, Qu Liushou took out his favorite tools he had used for years and quietly began unlocking it.
This lock was hard to open, and after nearly half an hour of trying without any luck, he grew anxious, fearing the caretaker might wake up soon.
Then he resorted to brute force, trying to smash it with a brick, but it wouldnât budge, and he worried the noise would alert the neighboring houses. With no other option, he began to attack the cabinet door itself, using an ax to crudely split it in two.
He thought the lock on Mr. Meiâs cabinet was pretty good and considered taking it, but since he didnât have the key, it would be pointless. Plus, when he left, heâd be cycling, and couldnât carry a wooden board out like that.
After breaking open the door, Qu Liushou found it filled with paintings. He just stuffed them into the bag he brought without even taking a look, inherently trusting Ye Qingâs claim that they were valuable antiques. Besides the paintings, there was also a long box.
Without leaving anything behind, Qu Liushou took everything at once.
Using the sack he brought, he filled it to the brim, secretly delighted at the abundance of treasures the Mei Family hid away. No wonder they were so wealthy; even after the eldest grandson was kicked out of the military district, he still drove a car every day. Even the illegitimate child and the grandson from outside typically drove private cars. Additionally, it was said in the courtyard that Mr. Mei bought the outside grandson a courtyard house, considered quite grand and complete among such properties.
Such a courtyard house certainly costs a lot.
Moreover, now even their own grandchildrenâs spouses were eyeing the Mei familyâs fortunes, resorting to theft.
No wonder people talked about the Mei family looking bright on the outside, but having many troublesome issues beneath. Seeing it today, thatâs indeed true.
After taking the treasures, Qu Liushou wandered around Mr. Meiâs room, deliberately making a mess of the books to make it look like a break-in. This way, they would think it was done by outsiders. Even if the police got involved, they wouldnât suspect it was an inside job.
While rifling through the bookshelf, he found another painting behind it, which he casually added to his sack.
After leaving Mr. Meiâs study, he entered Mei Shupingâs study, messed things up slightly, then left.
He didnât linger in Mei Shupingâs study because Ye Qing had told him the couple didnât have anything valuable, instructing him not to waste time.
When Qu Liushou deemed it finished, he discreetly snuck out of the Mei mansion with the sack slung over his back. Once outside, he reached his previously hidden bicycle, placed the sack underneath, and covered it with the rice he had stolen from the Qu Family.
Heading out in the middle of the night, the security guards would surely remember him. The next day, when the Mei Family realized their home had been burglarized, they would definitely report it. If the police questioned the guards at the gate, theyâd suspect his behavior was intentional. At that point, if really questioned, he could just claim he was merely stealing some of his own familyâs rice that night.