Wang Mazi's house was right at the village entrance. When he saw that his second son's wife was vomiting badly, he turned around, went back to his house, and got a ladle of cold water to hand over to her.
The second son's wife had just finished vomiting, and without any hesitation, she took the water and gulped it down.
After she finished drinking, she stood up, wiped her mouth, returned the ladle, and said, "Thanks."
"No need, we're all neighbors." Wang Mazi took the ladle and waved his hand.
After vomiting, the second son's wife felt much better, though her legs were a little weak.
No matter how wronged she felt, it was better to go home and lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while. Besides, the children were all at home. They had never left her for a single day since birth, and they would cry if they didn't see her at night.
With that thought in mind, she turned to go back to the Zhao family.
Wang Mazi called out to her, "Are you pregnant again?"
The second son's wife touched her flat belly and shook her head uncertainly.
Seeing this, Wang Mazi breathed a sigh of relief and leaned closer to whisper, "I saw Zhao Laoda and his wife leave not long ago."
The second son's wife perked up and glanced at him.
Wang Mazi said, "I've heard about what happened in your family. Boss Zhao really went too far this time."
It was rare to find someone who shared her hatred of the enemy, so the second son's wife nodded in agreement. Looking at Wang Mazi again, she found his ugly face much more pleasing to the eye.
Wang Mazi said, "I have a way to teach them a lesson and make some money while I'm at it. Are you interested?"
"What method?" The second son's wife's eyes lit up at the mention of money.
Wang Mazi said, "It's not easy to talk about here. Come home with me, and I'll explain it to you in detail."
The second son's wife hesitated.
She looked at Wang Mazi with suspicion and compared their heights—she was actually a little taller than Wang Mazi!
Seeing this, Wang Mazi shouted impatiently, "We're all from the same village. If I wanted to do something bad, would I really go so far as to target you?"
She looks like a middle-aged woman, while Xiao Li is at least a hundred times prettier than her.
The second son's wife was scolded by him, nodded blankly, and followed him into the house.
As she entered the house, everything went black again—this time it wasn't because of her physical condition, but because Wang Mazi and Xiaoli were both short, and the house was terribly low. Looking around, there was only a small window on the south side, about the size of a human face.
Wang Mazi sat down first, with his second son's wife sitting opposite him across the dining table. The second son's wife spoke first.
She asked, "Where's your wife, Xiaoli?"
Wang Mazi said, "She went back to her parents' home these past few days, otherwise I wouldn't dare bring you home. If Xiaoli saw there was another woman in the house, she would tear me apart."
The second son's wife nodded, seeing that he was reliable, and asked, "How do you plan to deal with Zhao Yi and Jiang Bai?"
Wang Mazi chuckled and said, "Do you remember the other day when those two captured a group of bandits?"
"I know." This incident made Jiang Bai the center of attention. Even the Zhao family discussed it at the dinner table that day. Thinking of those men's radiant faces and proud expressions, the second son's wife felt something stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.
She turned to Wang Mazi and asked, "Weren't those people beheaded?"
"Those are just a bunch of useless lackeys. The real leader has already run away," Wang Mazi replied. "I think the leader is staying around here, waiting to catch Jiang Bai and avenge his brothers!"
"You mean, we should find the leader and ask him to help us get revenge on Jiang Bai?" The second son's wife's heart stirred slightly.
Wang Mazi glanced at her and said with exasperation, "Making a deal with bandit leaders? Are you out of your mind? Those are all desperate criminals."
"So you mean..."
Wang Mazi nodded: "What I mean is, we can pretend to be robbers and kidnap Jiang Bai to demand a ransom."
The second son's wife was so frightened by this outrageous suggestion that she covered her mouth tightly to prevent herself from shouting.
Wang Mazi glanced at his second son's wife and thought she was far too cowardly.
However, the two elders in the Zhao family were no longer capable of doing this work. Zhao Lao Er and Zhao Lao San were both taller and stronger than Wang Mazi, and Wang Mazi was afraid that if they did bad things together, he would be killed by the other party.
As for the third son's wife, she is too shrewd and cunning, far less suitable than the second son's wife, who has a good relationship with Xiaoli and has an excuse to come to him.
Wang Mazi continued, "Zhao Yi's business is very successful now. If we kidnap Jiang Bai, we can get at least a thousand taels of silver."
One thousand taels of silver!
The second son's wife's eyes lit up.
Seeing that things were looking promising, Wang Mazi continued, "All I need is for you to find an excuse to invite Jiang Bai out, the more unusual the better, and we'll split the profits 50/50 afterwards."
The second son's wife fantasized for a while, then her heart sank back to reality. She asked suspiciously, "What grudge do you have against Jiang Bai that you would treat her like this?"
Wang Mazi said, "She bankrupted my brother-in-law and sister, and they haven't been heard from since."
"Boss Zhao has disappeared?" The second son's wife exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth again.
Wang Mazi nodded.
The second son's wife said, "But Zhao Yi clearly said that Boss Zhao ran away after his business failed."
"He's just crying wolf," Wang Mazi said dismissively.
He said, "I need money to support me in going to them."
The second son's wife was still a little worried and asked again, "If Zhao Yi pays the ransom, are you going to release Jiang Bai?"
Wang Mazi glanced at her.
The second son's wife stammered, "What I mean is, if she survives, can't we just tell others that I invited her out?"
Wang Mazi sighed: "It's just that the invitations are made in your name; you don't have to show up in person."
"If I don't show up, how could Jiang Bai, who's so smart, possibly get me to agree to meet him?" The second son's wife said anxiously.
Wang Mazi replied, "You can make the appointment under someone else's name."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Moreover, human life is very fragile. An accident could easily lead to death. Even if I promise you that I will release Jiang Bai after receiving the ransom, I cannot guarantee that she will return to Zhao Yi's side safely and unharmed."
The hidden meaning in his words was terrifying. The second son's wife shivered inexplicably, clenching her hands together, only then realizing that her hands and feet were ice cold.
She pursed her lips and said, "I need to think about this."
Wang Mazi laughed: "Sure, think about it. That's five hundred taels of silver."
"With this money, you can do whatever you want. You can hide the silver and spend it slowly back at the Zhao family, or you can leave and take the silver to live a free and unrestrained life far away."
The second son's wife was very tempted by what he said. She took a deep breath and asked, "One last question, how confident are you about this?"
Wang Mazi was confident: "We will definitely succeed."
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