Back when his son got married, he set up a full thirty tables at home. He hired a chef from Qingshui County to prepare the feast before dawn, and by the time the sun was high in the sky, the tables were full of people.
Moreover, the people at this table were all their own relatives.
Not a single person from Shanghe Village came!
But now, the Su family is just holding a small house-raising banquet, and every single person in the village is rushing to the end of the village to drink the house-raising wine. They're all sycophantic dogs!
The Su family has had some incredible luck. Not only did they manage to win over the young master of the Qin family, but they also somehow managed to hook up with the daughter of the prefect. He originally wanted to compete with Su Hua, but now he's forced to close his noodle shop.
However, just because he couldn't stay in Qingshui County doesn't mean he can't stay in other counties. Anyway, he has noodle recipes and money, so he can still make a name for himself wherever he goes.
The Su family, Su Hua, believes that a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. He will remember this grudge for now and settle it one by one later.
Meng Yongfu snorted coldly and flung his sleeves into the courtyard.
Halfway there, I glanced up at the east room and saw that the door was closed and the room was quiet. Then I tiptoed toward the outhouse.
In the county, a food stall would cost several hundred taels of silver to buy, but it would be cheaper to rent, about two or three taels a month. However, the minimum rent would be six months. This was the case in Qingshui County, and the nearby counties should be similar. During this period, the noodle shop was losing money, and he had almost run out of silver. He had no choice but to go to the silver depository to withdraw some.
However, when he walked to the back of the outhouse, he suddenly paused. He remembered that the manure bucket hadn't been placed like that before!
Behind the outhouse, there were always two manure buckets. One was for properly cleaning the outhouse, while the other was always half full of manure but was never touched, just to avoid suspicion.
He used to place it right next to the back wall, but now, this small bucket is two fingers' width away from the wall, and the weeds under the bucket seem to have been trampled.
Meng Yongfu felt a chill run down his spine. He hurriedly moved the manure bucket aside and then rolled up his sleeves to dig into the soil.
After digging until his fingernails were covered in black grime, he finally saw a square tin box.
The man finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his lips.
He hid his silver in this place for three years without anyone discovering it; it was always safe. All the silver he had earned over those three years, except for the money he used to buy land, was stored here, totaling 555 taels.
As long as he has the capital, he has the opportunity to make a comeback, and he still has the means to seek revenge against the Su family.
With a smile in his eyes, Meng Yongfu placed his fingertips on the tin box lid and lifted the latch on the lid upwards.
Thud!
The lid opened with a click.
The smile on the man's lips and in his eyes froze at that moment.
The tin box was completely empty; there wasn't a single silver note, not even a copper coin.
He abruptly closed his eyes, shaking his head unconsciously like a rattle-drum. "No, I must be seeing things, I must be seeing things, I must be..."
After a long while, Meng Yongfu finally calmed his breathing and peeked through a crack in his eye at the tin box in his hand.
However, the tin box remained intact, and the inside was still empty.
Upon witnessing this scene, the man's anger surged forth, and he slammed the tin box against the wall.
"You beast! You bastard, born of a mother but uneducated! How dare you steal my money! I'll catch you and beat you to death! Of all people to steal from, why did you have to steal from me..."
Whether from extreme anger or from losing his balance, Meng Yongfu, halfway through his rant, suddenly tumbled straight into the latrine bucket.
Three years' worth of manure is exceptionally fertile.
One bite and you'll ascend to heaven!
Meng Yongfu's eyes widened, and he waved his hands wildly in the air, trying to grab something, but the more he tried, the more chaotic it became, to the point that he couldn't even control his balance.
Thump! Clang!
The man fell face-first into the latrine bucket, splashing latrine spray in all directions. The bucket couldn't withstand the impact and immediately cracked open.
Mudskipper was enjoying his coriander and blood curd when he heard the loud noise. He quickly ran around to the small hill behind the Meng family's house and saw Meng Yongfu covered in excrement, sprawled on the ground. Mudskipper almost spat out the blood curd in his mouth.
"Young Master Meng, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly eating excrement here all of a sudden...?"
Today is the house-raising banquet for the Su family. His mother went to help, and his father took his sister to eat at the banquet, leaving him alone at home. However, he was already very happy with the bowl of blood curd that his mother brought him this morning.
Moreover, whenever someone in the village hosts a feast, those who come to help can bring back a bowl of food. He's currently eating his blood tofu in small bites, waiting for his mother to bring back a bowl of good food so he can have a taste.
But now, his good mood has been ruined by more than half.
Many people who were still at home in the center of the village heard the commotion and ran over. They stood behind the small hill and looked into the backyard of the Meng family. They were all very surprised. Could it be that the young master Meng was unhappy because he saw the Su family celebrating today, and he couldn't even stand up properly when he went to the toilet?
Meng Yongfu lay on the ground, his eyes, ears, nose and mouth covered in filth. The indescribable stench made his leftover food drip from the corner of his mouth. He squinted and glared fiercely at the people on the hillside.
For the time being, he couldn't bother arguing with them. This mudfish was right. He was Master Meng, and although 550 taels of silver had been stolen, he still had 200 mu of land, which was the real loss.
Fortunately, his land deeds and silver were kept separate.
Thinking of this, the man finally mustered some strength. He braced himself on the ground with both hands, staggered to his feet, and stumbled toward the main house. With each step, he left a deep, distinctive footprint on the blue brick floor.
However, as he walked to the west side of the bed, the unease he had felt earlier returned. He looked at the chamber pot with a red background and carved plum blossoms, wiped the excrement off his face, and threw it aside.
He gathered his strength in both hands and began digging with great effort into the bottom of the chamber pot.
It was still twenty centimeters underground, still a square metal box, and inside the metal box—
It was still empty and deserted, with nothing in sight.
Meng Yongfu stared wide-eyed at the box, his body drenched in a mixture of excrement and sweat, the chill running down his spine. Gone, everything was gone. His three years of painstaking scheming had vanished...
Anger mixed with grief surged from his chest to his head. The man could no longer bear it. His vision went black and he collapsed to the ground. Before he closed his eyes, he vaguely saw the chamber pot rolling onto his body. In addition to the feces and sweat, there was now another layer of urine.
Just as the newly built house at the end of the village was celebrating its roof-raising ceremony, someone suddenly knocked on the gate.
"Old man, is this the home of Miss Su Hua in Shanghe Village?"
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