The early summer sun wasn't scorching, but it still felt intensely hot on his eyelids. Meng Yongfu squinted, gazing at the dappled sunlight filtering through the windowpane, and thought it was all just a dream.
However, this illusion lasted only a moment.
The filth and stench that surged from his mouth and nose immediately brought him back to reality.
He lay sprawled on the ground, his gaze unconsciously falling on the two empty tin boxes. His eyes suddenly darkened, and then he scrambled to his feet and quickly headed towards the east room.
He stared at the east room, which remained closed and silent, then raised his leg and kicked the door hard.
Clang!
The force was so great that it shattered the door of the east room into pieces, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.
Inside the room, Liang Siyu was sitting at the table in a daze when she suddenly turned her head and saw a man standing against the light at the door. He was covered in dirt, and there were broken pieces of wood under his feet. His eyes were so sinister that they looked like they could devour someone.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took a step back.
"Father, what's wrong with you...?"
"Don't call me 'Dad'!" When Meng Yongfu saw her evasive eyes, he rushed into the house in a few steps and slapped her hard across the face.
"Speak! You stole it, didn't you? Confess now, where did you take my silver and land deeds?! If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being impolite..."
The man slapped Liang Siyu with all his might, knocking her to the ground. Blood even seeped from her cheek, and a large swelling appeared in the blink of an eye.
But she was completely bewildered.
This was the first time in her life that someone had dared to hit her like that, and it was her father-in-law, who was not related to her by blood at all!
But seeing that she remained silent, the man's anger flared even more. He grabbed her hair and forcefully pulled her up from the ground.
"You bitch! Don't think I'm just trying to scare you."
"You dare steal from my Meng family? A slap is too lenient a punishment. If you don't hand over the stuff, believe me, I'll kill you right now..."
"Ouch...it hurts, it hurts, let go!" Liang Siyu cried out in pain, feeling as if the man was tearing her scalp off. "I have no idea what you're talking about, what stealing, I don't understand a word of it."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yongfu not only didn't let go, but tightened his grip even more, shouting each word as if from between his teeth, "My silver and land deeds have been hidden away for so many years and they've been perfectly safe, but since Fu'er married you, less than a month later, they've all been stolen. You still dare to say that you weren't the thief?"
Liang Siyu's cry of pain faltered, her eyes wide with shock. "What?! The money and land deeds have all been stolen?!"
"Stop pretending!" Meng Yongfu sneered. "There's not a single sign of damage to the doors and windows, and you're the only outsider in the house. If it wasn't you who stole it, who else could it be?"
With that, he tightened his grip again. "I don't have much patience. Hand it over now, and maybe I'll spare you... Ah..."
Halfway through his sentence, the man suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. Looking down, he saw two deep teeth marks on the web of his hand. "You've gone too far, you little bitch, how dare you bite me!"
Then, he wanted to slap him again.
But this time Liang Siyu was faster than him. Taking advantage of the moment he cried out in pain, she took four or five steps back and then tightly gripped the bench she had been sitting on.
She stared at the man warily, "I said it wasn't me, so it wasn't me. If your things were stolen, you should catch the thief, not grab me to vent your anger!"
Meng Yongfu was embarrassed when his thoughts were exposed. "You're the only one at home every day. If it wasn't you who stole it, who else could it be?"
Besides, you eat and drink at my house, and when your things were stolen and your father-in-law collapsed on the ground, you didn't even bother to help him up. You even dared to hit your elder with a stool! You have absolutely no sense of responsibility as a daughter-in-law!
Liang Siyu covered her swollen cheek, her gaze cold. "Didn't you just say that I'm the only outsider in this family? Since I'm an outsider, why should I not talk back when you scold me or fight back when you hit me?"
As for the stolen items, I'll say it again: you should go catch the thief, and if you can't, report it to the authorities and ask for their help. Don't go crazy here!
She had indeed heard noises in the yard, but Meng Yongfu had been going crazy from time to time these days, cursing heaven and earth and the Su family. She was used to it and didn't take it to heart at all.
Now that she knows it's because the money and land deeds were stolen, she has even less desire to grovel before him.
Her parents married her off to the Meng family for Yaozu's sake, because they valued the Meng family's two hundred acres of land and noodle shop. Now the noodle shop is losing money, and the money and land deeds they had accumulated have been stolen. They don't even know who the thief is, and the chances of finding them are extremely slim.
At this moment, she hated even more the day she obeyed her parents' wishes and married Meng Fu.
If she were to marry Su Sanhu as promised, the Su family would be kind and would never beat a new bride like Meng Yongfu did, nor would they take their anger out on her without knowing the facts. Moreover, she would be able to live a life of comfort and wealth for the rest of her life.
Hearing her repeatedly mention reporting the thief to the authorities without any sign of guilt, Meng Yongfu's suspicions lessened somewhat.
In fact, he did not really believe that Liang Siyu was the one who did it. Although the Liang family was greedy for money, Liang Siyu was a new bride who had not yet established herself in her husband's family. How could she dare to steal from them!
However, he had suffered repeated setbacks recently and was determined to start anew in another county, only to have all his possessions stolen. He was so angry that he needed to vent his frustration on someone.
The man's gaze swept across the room, turning everything upside down—under the bed, in the wardrobe, in the drawers, even in the dressing box—where he could hide things.
Finally, a small basket rested on the table.
The basket was just a small basket used for storing needles and thread, but it was covered with a red cloth so that the contents of the basket could not be seen from the outside.
Meng Yongfu frowned, raised his hand and lifted the red cloth, revealing eighteen eggs in the basket, along with a large piece of red fabric.
He looked up at the woman, his eyes cold. "What? Seeing that my Meng family is in trouble, you're planning to send a wedding gift to the Su family, thinking you can reconcile with Su Sanhu?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
