Chapter 700: The Tragedy of the Family
Jiang Fubao gave her an idea.
"What? You can still make money? How do you make money? You build roads and riverbanks, and you give alms. If you ask me, it's good enough if you don't lose money. Besides, you shouldn't make money if you help the people. How can you call it helping? Isn't that just trading?"
Jiang Huanyu was completely stunned.
This goes against her original intention.
"Third sister, if we always lose money, this common people's hall will really not be able to continue. Since we want to do charity, we have to think long-term. It's not about making a lot of money, but about making a little money while helping others.
For example, if you have too much food to store and there is no natural disaster, you can open a grain store and sell it! Or you can set up a labor market in the name of the People's Hall, similar to a pawnshop, but you don't buy or sell anything. Let others recruit people from you, and you take a commission from it, say 10%, not much, and both parties can make money.
Those who are recruited by you can also earn a living and have security. Others know that you, the People's Hall, are protecting them, and they dare not bully them or not pay them. It is a win-win-win situation. There are so many ways to make money. If you always give subsidies or losses, you will probably have to close down within five years."
Jiang Fubao felt somewhat fortunate that he had been able to go out into the world of martial arts and become a great hero under the guidance of his third sister.
Otherwise, with her naive nature, she would be afraid of being taken advantage of and still smiling back, praising the other person for his good heart.
"So that's how it is. I roughly understand it. But, Fubao, I'm afraid I can't do it by myself. Why don't I just give out some porridge outside?" Jiang Huanyu began to back out.
It sounds complicated, can she really do it?
If she loses all her money and fails to help many people, she will be too ashamed to live.
"Grandma is really worried about you being alone. You two are from the same soil and have the same fortune. You two are the most lively among the brothers, and you don't like to study. You two should go with Huanyue to set up this common people's hall. Grandma happens to have a shop that has not been rented out. It is also quite big, with two floors and a large yard. I will give you three siblings one thousand taels of silver.
Let me see if you can accomplish this. You are not young anymore, and it is time for you to grow up. You can't live like this for the rest of your life. Although your family can afford to support you, I still hope that you can rely on yourself and do something so that your life is not in vain. Of course, it doesn't matter if you lose. I won't blame you. At worst, you three can come back and I will support you."
Zhang Jinlan made the decision and the matter was settled.
Jiang Huanyu was a little dazed. Wasn't she just listening to her second uncle telling a story?
Why do you suddenly want to do something big?
I couldn't react for a long time.
“Crackle, crackle—”
"Oh, it's midnight so soon, let's go set off the firecrackers." The sound of firecrackers rang out from all directions.
Zhang Jinlan realized that time passed so quickly, and she gave instructions to her sons.
After the noise, there was deathly silence.
The family ate chicken noodle soup and went back to sleep as they did in previous years.
This night, some people are happy and the family is reunited.
Some people were terrified and blood flowed like a river.
Since Meng Zhili and Meng Bujiu went there in a horse-drawn carriage, they were not as fast as the officials on horseback, so they arrived at the government office of Ruling Prefecture in the late night.
Without taking any time to rest, the father and son took the officials to Mr. Liu's house.
As soon as they entered the door, the strong smell of blood went straight into their noses.
Meng Bujiu almost vomited because of the disgusting smell.
He had never seen such things before. For a moment, his brows were furrowed and his face looked extremely ugly.
All the corpses were lying on the ground in the yard. The separated heads had been identified by the three little beggars and neighbors and placed together with the bodies.
The face is easy to recognize, but the arms are not.
Can only be piled aside.
The pile of severed limbs was like a small hill, looking weird and scary.
Meng Zhili's face also looked extremely ugly.
"Where are the people guarding the city gate? Call them over." He picked up the handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose.
I really can't stand the smell of blood. It's like being in a butcher shop during the Chinese New Year. The pigs inside are freshly slaughtered. The smell is so strong that if you stand in it for a while, you can't wash away the smell.
"And where are those three little beggars?" Meng Zhili continued, his voice much deeper because of the handkerchief covering his mouth.
"They have already gone to bed, sir. Do you want to wake them up now?" asked the officer.
The three little beggars were temporarily kept in the government office.
"No need, let them sleep for a while. It's okay to yell again in the morning. What do you think?" Meng Zhili brought his son here purely to train him.
The official career is not an easy one. He cannot be a minor county magistrate all his life. Tragic cases that wipe out a family are rare. This is a chance for him to train himself.
"Dad, let's go see if we can find any physical evidence. I want to take a look around here. Give me the lantern." Meng Bujiu stretched out his hand to the officer holding the lantern.
Then he started wandering around Mr. Liu's house with the lantern in his hand.
He pays attention to every detail.
Including the place where this family of 52 died.
There was blood everywhere, and it was impossible to tell whether it was human blood or animal blood.
There were two chickens in the backyard whose necks were twisted off. Not a single chicken was left alive. The method was so cruel. Either they had a deep hatred for Mr. Liu's family, or they were just after money. =.
Meng Bujiu felt that the truth was closer to the former.
When we arrived at Mr. Liu's house, it was already late at night, and soon it was dawn.
New Year's Day, the first day of the new year.
Meng Bujiu grew one year older without even sleeping.
Perhaps because he hadn't slept all night, the beard he had just shaved yesterday morning had grown back this morning, making him look a little haggard.
Although there were no black spots under his eyes, they were darker and his complexion looked dull.
The same is true for Meng Zhili.
But they couldn't sleep until they solved the case. At dawn, the police brought the three little beggars.
Later in the middle of the night, Meng Zhili also asked the officer guarding the city gate.
There weren't many people entering or leaving the city last night. There wasn't anything suspicious, and at most there were only two people in a group.
That's strange. Killing so many people is not something that can be done by one person.
Meng Zhili was puzzled.
As soon as the beggars came, he couldn't wait to ask: "Did you hear anything yesterday? Did you see anyone suspicious? What was the Liu family like when they found out they were killed? Why did you go to the Liu family in the evening instead of at midnight? Also, did you see the murderer's face when he left? Where did he run from? How many people were there?"
He asked several questions in a row and the little beggar didn't know which one to answer.
The two older ones looked at each other, somewhat afraid to answer. After all, it was their first time talking to the prefect, and their palms were sweaty from nervousness.
The youngest beggar standing on the far left was different from them. He spoke bravely.