"Ha! So what if we're in-laws?" The shop assistant's eyes widened like a bulging toad upon hearing the threatening words.

"Don't even mention that you and the shopkeeper aren't related by marriage yet. Even if you were, you still have to pay when you come to the noodle shop. If you can't afford it, get out of here right now and don't keep me from sleeping!"

Once her thoughts were exposed, Madam Feng's gentle demeanor crumbled completely. She pointed a finger at the shop assistant's nose and angrily rebuked him, "Let me tell you, with the way you treated customers today, I'll go back to Shanghe Village and tell Meng Yongfu to fire you..."

The shop assistant didn't take it seriously at all, grabbed Feng's mother's index finger and chased her out.

Finally, he spat out a curse, "Go ahead and complain if you want, I'll do whatever you want. It's not like nobody wants to work in this lousy restaurant!"

Before Feng's mother could react, a glob of phlegm was spat directly onto her face, leaving her stunned for quite some time.

Although she was born into a rural family and lost her husband at a young age, because she raised a son who was good at studying, no one has ever dared to treat her so badly over the years, especially since this person was just a waiter at a noodle shop.

She was so angry that her chest heaved for a while. When she came to her senses and wanted to cause trouble for the shop assistant, she saw him slam the noodle shop door shut and head towards the big restaurant across the street.

The courtyard in front of the grand restaurant and the alley entrance were packed with people. After following behind for a few steps, Madam Feng lost sight of them.

She took a deep breath and prepared to return to Shanghe Village first.

Looking up, my gaze was drawn to a window on the east side of the second floor of the restaurant.

The window opened to reveal five or six young men and women dressed in fine clothes, each one strikingly handsome. In particular, the woman in the middle, wearing a bright red dress, had her small face slightly raised, making her look like a painting from afar.

Madam Feng stared in disbelief for a moment. It would be wonderful if such a beautiful and wealthy woman could enter her Feng family.

Actually, she came back this time mainly for two things. First, since Meng Fucheng returned to Shanghe Village, Zicai has not returned to Qingshan Academy. The teachers of the academy have all found them in their rented house. Second, she also plans to settle the marriage between Zicai and Yun'er this time.

After all, pursuing an official career is incredibly expensive, and Zicai's tuition at Qingshan Academy is already a huge expense. Only by marrying Yun'er can he have a more legitimate reason to ask the Meng family for money in the future.

However, the sight of Meng's restaurant today stirred a sense of worry within her.

She looked up at the person at the window for a while before letting out a soft sigh and walking out of the alley.

Originally, she planned to have lunch at the Meng family's noodle shop and then take the Meng family's carriage home. Now, however, she has no choice but to walk back. Walking is much slower than taking a carriage, and it will take at least half a day before her feet are swollen.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a bit resentful towards the Meng family.

If they can't even manage a young waiter, no wonder they've only had this one small noodle shop all these years.

At this moment, Meng Yongfu, whom she was thinking about, finally managed to invite the yamen runners from Qingshui County into Shanghe Village.

The man nodded and bowed to stop the horses for the two men. He then turned to the side and took out two silver coins from his sleeve and handed them over. “It has been hard for you two gentlemen to accompany me on this trip today. This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will not find it offensive.”

The two constables glanced down at Meng Yongfu's fingertips, where two five-qian silver coins were visible.

The tall constable chuckled softly, "A pot of tea at Tianxiang Pavilion starts at two taels of silver. Young Master Meng, you should keep this little bit of silver for your own tea!"

The extra emphasis on the four characters "Young Master Meng" made Meng Yongfu's face burn with embarrassment.

He knew that five qian of silver was a small sum for a yamen runner, but now that all the money in his house had been stolen, this was all the silver he had on him. The man pursed his lips, his flattery intensifying, "I was very rude today. If you two gentlemen help me find the thief, I will certainly reward you handsomely..."

"Maintaining stability within the county is the duty of our yamen staff. There's no need for further words of thanks." The fat yamen runner gestured with his hand, then looked up and swept his gaze across the Meng family's courtyard. "Tell us, where is this hidden silver, and how did the silver and land deeds disappear?"

Five qian of silver is not a lot, but it's not a small amount either, especially in the countryside.

However, the issue now is not about having more or less money.

Instead, this young Master Meng was already number one on their blacklist among the yamen runners. The last person who took his money, although he still had his job, was sent by his superiors to clean the yamen's latrines.

Cleaning the latrines in the government office not only meant receiving only half the monthly salary, but also meant forgetting about any year-end bonuses. Moreover, it was the lowest-ranking job, with the dirtiest and most tiring work. The most torturous thing was that the colleagues were still colleagues, and they still saw each other every day. Every time they saw each other, the sense of disparity increased.

Their methods of punishing erring subordinates and prisoners have always been the most novel and extremely cruel.

So much so that whenever they saw their colleagues cleaning latrines, they would secretly remind themselves that they must never again accept money indiscriminately.

Therefore, as the number one black-market leader, when he came to the county government to report to the authorities yesterday, not a single person in the entire government was willing to go to the village with him, and he has been causing trouble until today.

Seeing the two men's refusal, Meng Yongfu felt a little uneasy, but he didn't have time to think too much. He quickly led the two yamen runners to the outhouse. "My lords," he said, "I have been hiding the money under this latrine for the past three years without any problems. As for the land deed, it is under the chamber pot in the main house."

Yesterday, I wanted to access some money, only to discover that apart from these two tin boxes, the money and land deeds had all vanished.

"I've risked my life and fortune in this all these years. I beg you, sir, to bring this thief to justice!"

He checked at the county government office today and found that the deeds for the two hundred acres of land had not been altered. The most important thing now is to find the money back.

The tall and fat constables frowned as they looked at the filth beside the outhouse. "Besides you, have you ever mentioned this place where the silver was hidden to anyone else?"

Meng Yongfu shook his head, "No, not even my wife and son know."

The tall constable patted the tin box, then turned around and carefully examined the wall, the two gates at the front and back, and the windows of the main house. After pondering for a while, he said, "The whole courtyard is intact, and there are no marks on the wall. The thief even left the tin box with you after stealing the money. Is he just too good at it or too familiar with your house?"

"I am dissatisfied with you two, but I do have a suspect in my mind." Meng Yongfu lowered his eyes slightly.

The tall constable raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

The man's eyes were dark, and his voice seemed to be forced out through clenched teeth, "The Su family, Su Hua."