Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

“Mu Nan’s wife, the Wang family has eight mu of paddy fields and eight mu of dry land. Although that cripple Wang is lazy and idle, fortunately his wife Zhang Xianglan and their children are hardworking.”

"So, all his fields are very fertile. And this house site is also three acres. When the house was built, less than one acre was used. The rest is all top-quality land. And look at the vegetable garden in the yard. It's full of all kinds of vegetables."

“Normally, it’s Daya and Erya who carry these vegetables to town to sell. All the hard-earned money from selling vegetables is taken by that good-for-nothing Wang the Cripple to buy alcohol. Your mother knows all this.”

The village chief told Wang Qing'er everything about the Wang family's land in detail.

The village chief paused for a moment to think, then turned to the slave trader beside him and asked:

"Brother, if this land is sold to them, then wouldn't the crops currently growing on it naturally belong to them as well?"

"Of course," the slave trader nodded without hesitation.

"Brother, since that's the case, I'll buy them all. How about we go to town to sign the deed now?" Wang Qing'er knew when to stop, and I didn't want to drag things out, so I immediately decided to go to town to sign the deed.

At first, she was worried that the slave trader would be unwilling to sell Daya to her.

She was determined to buy Daya back, even if it cost her more than usual.

Unexpectedly, everything went so smoothly.

Now, things are much better. Not only did they save a full ten taels of silver, but they also got a three-acre plot of land for free.

The crops in the field also belong to her.

Why does she feel like she actually made a profit?

The issue of hiring people has been resolved, but now there's another thorny problem.

Now that two people have died suddenly in the village, Wu Zihao's wedding probably can't be held in the village as originally planned.

This is so unlucky!

Wang Qing'er urged her mother-in-law to hurry back and have a good discussion with Zhou Shi and Mu Yan.

She suggested that Wu Zihao get married in the county, right in the courtyard she had just bought.

Everything in the new courtyard has been arranged perfectly, and all the household items have already been purchased.

With so many servants in the yard, there's no need to hire anyone from outside to help.

All you need to do is choose one courtyard to decorate as your wedding room.

After hearing this, Wang Cuiying nodded repeatedly, indicating her agreement with her daughter-in-law's idea. She then readily agreed and hurriedly turned to find Zhou Shi and Mu Yan to discuss the specifics.

At the same time, the village chief carefully instructed his eldest son to handle the relevant matters concerning the Wang family.

He personally accompanied Mu Nan and Wang Qing'er to the town to complete the relevant contract procedures.

The three first went to the town government office to inquire about Wang the Cripple's death.

Coincidentally, the yamen runners were quite efficient, and they solved the case in no time.

It turns out that Wang the Cripple did not die of natural causes, but was murdered by others.

The murderer was none other than Cheng Er, a notorious local thug!

Unfortunately, after successfully committing the crime, this guy actually ran away with the 150 taels of silver notes he stole from Wang the Cripple.

Fortunately, the constables reacted quickly and immediately dispatched men to hunt down Cheng Er, hoping to bring him to justice as soon as possible.

Cheng Er and Wang the Cripple used to hang out together often, and they often got together to drink.

Besides them, they also had two drinking buddies, named Wang San and Wu Si.

Wang San and Wu Si came from the neighboring Pingshan Village, which was the place where Wang the Cripple's body was later found.

These four men were all heavy drinkers, and besides drinking all day long, they would also occasionally do some dirty tricks like stealing chickens and dogs.

Just the night before last, the four of them met at Wang San's house in Pingshan Village for a hearty drink.

Wang the Cripple made a special trip to Fuxianglou and bought a platter of braised meat and a pound of fragrant braised beef.

Not only that, he also went to great lengths to bring back a whole jar of fragrant liquor from the town's tavern.

After a few rounds of drinks, Wang the Cripple started to speak recklessly, boasting to the other three about his "glorious deeds" of selling his property, land, and even his own daughter.

At that time, Wu Si and Wang San were already drunk and drowsy. They only vaguely heard the gist of what was being said before they slumped over and fell asleep.

And so, only Wang the Cripple and Cheng Er remained at the table, continuing to toast and drink.

Looking at Wang the Cripple, who was dead drunk and unconscious, Cheng Er suddenly had a wicked thought.

So, taking advantage of Wang the Cripple's unguarded moment, he secretly began to grope him.

Sure enough, he found a full 150 taels of silver notes, plus several taels of loose silver.

To ensure that his theft of Wang the Cripple's silver went unnoticed, Cheng Er racked his brains to devise a flawless plan.

After careful consideration, he decided to take Wang the Cripple to the City King Temple, which is located outside the town.

The temple had been abandoned for many years and was in a dilapidated state, becoming a dwelling place for beggars.

Cheng Er figured that as long as he left the unconscious Wang the Cripple outside the dilapidated temple, even if Wang woke up and realized that his silver was missing, he would definitely not suspect him.

After all, there are so many beggars there, and those beggars do all sorts of petty theft and other shady things.

By shifting the blame onto them, no one would suspect him.

Cheng Er was strong and robust, with a burly build and a strong physique. At first, he carried Wang the Cripple with relative ease.

To avoid attracting the attention and suspicion of the villagers, he deliberately chose a relatively hidden route—walking along the winding riverbank.

At this point, Cheng Er had already drunk quite a bit of strong liquor, yet his steps remained steady as he walked on the flat road.

However, to reach the dilapidated temple, one must cross the wide river in front of them.

The river is about ten meters wide, and there are no bridges across it. Instead, there are large and small stones scattered about. People have to carefully step on these stones to cross the river.

At this moment, Cheng Er, under the influence of alcohol and carrying a heavy burden, began to walk unsteadily and with faltering steps.

On the first two occasions, he slipped and nearly fell to the ground, but fortunately, he managed to regain his balance in time and avoid falling into the icy river.