Chapter 28

Since everyone went to watch the excitement, Cheng Duo decided to pack up the stall. Yong-ge was still a bit stunned and asked, "Why are you packing up… aren't you going to sell the rest?"

"Everyone has left, who am I going to sell to?"

Fortunately, there were many people earlier, and he had already sold most of the meat he brought. The remaining portion was enough for him to eat.

Cheng Duo glanced back at Yong-ge and said, "If you're worried, go back and take a look. I don't have anything else to do here." He took out a large piece of fresh meat and gave it to him. "This is your wages. Keep it hidden, don't let others see."

Just like that, the rumors about him had already spread. Seeing him giving meat to Yong-ge, there would definitely be people who would be jealous and gossip.

Yong-ge hesitated as he accepted it. "I understand… Aren't you coming to take a look together?"

Cheng Duo shrugged lightly. "I'm not one to meddle in other people's business."

Yong-ge lowered his head. In that brief moment, he actually considered asking Cheng Duo for help, but Cheng Duo's response made him realize.

His aunt was just causing trouble earlier. Why should he expect Cheng Duo to help? If the help didn't work out, his aunt would probably turn the blame on Cheng Duo. He didn't need to think much to know that would happen!

Regardless of whether Cheng Duo was right…

"Well, then I'll leave." Yong-ge nodded at Cheng Duo and hurriedly ran away.

Something happened at his uncle's house, and they would definitely call his father. He needed to go back and take a look.

Actually, just a moment ago, Yong-ge was still angry with Feng-ge. He changed his appearance because of that Young Master Yan whom he had never even seen. Wasn't that intentionally defaming him?

If it spread, how could he have the face to live in the village?

But people always have a compassionate side, just like when you originally disliked someone, and they often picked on you. But suddenly, one day, their family was ruined, and they became a complete weakling. You felt lost, unsure, and your grievances seemed insignificant…

That's how Yong-ge felt now, especially since he didn't dislike Feng-ge before today. He even thought his cousin was a pretty good person.

He just didn't know why things turned out this way now…

Li Wang saw through Feng-ge's true nature, but Feng-ge's dowry was related to his whole life… So when Li Man Cang called him to go with them to find someone in Twenty-Li Slope, Li Wang agreed without hesitation.

In addition to them, Li Man Cang's son Li Changsheng, Village Head Li 's sons Li Da Zhuang and Li Er Niu also went together. The group of them carried torches and rushed to Twenty-Li Slope overnight. It was easy to imagine that an empty villa awaited them.

Li Man Cang felt like the sky was falling. It was Li Changsheng who reminded him that they could go find the intermediary from before – Boss Hong from the pork stall!

So, after daybreak, Li Man Cang and Li Wang stayed behind with Boss Hong, while the other three young men went to inquire at nearby shops. They eventually found out that the villa was indeed rented!

The responsible intermediary heard that no one was left in the villa and hurriedly led people to investigate. Fortunately, those people probably knew as well. They had already taken Feng-ge's dowry and some furniture, but they couldn't run away with larger items like tables and chairs.

So they only took some easily portable utensils and decorations. Including the money they owed and the unfinished rent, the loss to the villa owner was actually not significant.

But the Li family had put their entire fortune into it! Li Man Cang felt like vomiting blood. He could only drag Boss Hong to the officials.

As one can imagine, in ancient times, without surveillance cameras or internet communication, the officials who were responsible for investigating followed them, but in the end, they returned without any success.

The officials considered that Boss Hong was unaware of the situation, so they only fined him ten taels of silver as compensation to Li Man Cang. That was the end of the matter…

Ten taels, this amount of money is only enough for them to repay the borrowed debt. Their family's silver, land, and Feng-ge's dowry, all gone!

The group returned to the village on the third afternoon. Wu Guihua and Feng-ge were anxious at home. When they saw Li Man Cang and the others with a desolate expression, Wu Guihua's heart skipped a beat. "How did it go? What did Young Master Yan say?"

She still had hope in her heart, thinking that Young Master Yan might have accidentally bought fake goods or lost his money carelessly, and did all this for the sake of face… If that were the case, it wouldn't be so bad.

Unfortunately, Li Man Cang's next words were like a bolt from the blue, shattering her hopes. "What Young Master Yan? He's just a part of a group of swindlers. They've already fled!"

"What?!" Wu Guihua's vision darkened, and she would have fainted if it weren't for Yong-ge supporting her.

"I don't believe it. Young Master Yan is not a swindler. I want to go to Twenty-Li Slope to see for myself. Young Master Yan said he would marry me. He… he wouldn't deceive me!" Feng-ge screamed and turned to run outside. But his brother Li Changsheng stopped him. "Don't go. That villa was rented, and there's no one there anymore!"

"Rented? No one?!" Wu Guihua trembled and looked at her eldest son. "What about Feng-ge's dowry and our silver?"

Li Man Cang's face turned ashen. "All gone."

Wu Guihua's body went limp, and she sat on the ground, crying and lamenting, "Those damned scoundrels! How could they just rent it? They have no conscience, deceiving even honest people's hard-earned money! Our silver, and the land… all gone, all gone…"

Feng-ge, with red eyes, still resisted stubbornly. "Brother, you're lying to me! Rented? I don't believe a single word! Let go, I want to see for myself…"

Li Changsheng tightly held onto him, looking at his state, his eyes turning red as well. "Feng-ge, stop it. You know I wouldn't lie to you…"

Feng-ge struggled for a while and then seemed to lose strength, clinging to his brother and burst into loud sobs. Meanwhile, Wu Guihua on the ground and Li Man Cang wiping hidden tears, their whole family was immersed in a sea of misery.

Li Wang, on the other hand, didn't offer a single word of comfort. Even when Yong-ge tried to help Wu Guihua up, he reached out and pulled him aside, his face still somewhat cold.

"Dad?" Yong-ge was surprised.

Li Wang seemed to be suppressing his anger, his jaw tensed and relaxed, his gaze shifting to the pitiful appearance of Li Man Cang's family. In the end, he didn't say anything, only said, "Come home with me!"

Li Wang knew that Li Man Cang's family wouldn't be unable to make a living. Besides selling the four mu of land, they still had three mu left. Moreover, Boss Hong compensated them with ten taels of silver. Although they had debts, the creditors, including Village Head Li, were reasonable people and wouldn't come demanding it at this time.

So their lives were not impossible, just not as prosperous as before!

In fact, the villagers were also surprised. They didn't realize that Li Man Cang's family was so wealthy!

When Li Man Cang and Li Wang's father, Li Laosuan, were still alive, the Li family's life wasn't that great. It was only after Li Wang returned from outside the Great Wall that their family's life improved slightly.

Although Li Laosuan and his wife favored their eldest son, there was no way Li Wang could have remained silent if he had earned such a large fortune by himself during the separation.

The villagers speculated that when Li Wang separated from the family, he must have received some silver, but his two sons turned out to be incapable, leading to their downfall…

Only Li Wang knew it wasn't the case. When Li Man Cang reported to the officials, he told the truth. It wasn't until now that Li Wang realized how wealthy his elder brother's family was!

He knew very well what kind of life his family had lived before. His elder brother didn't have any special skills, so how did he accumulate such wealth?

Even the thought of a certain possibility made Li Wang furious!

Although he had been tired for the past few days, Li Wang tossed and turned all night after returning home. Early the next morning, with red eyes, he ran to Li Man Cang's sickbed and directly questioned, "Did you take the silver that his Mother left for Yong-ge?"

"What silver? We didn't take anything from your family!" Wu Guihua, with her swollen eyes, was startled and subconsciously looked at Li Man Cang.

It was precisely this look that made Li Wang see through the truth.

Li Wang said coldly, "When Ah Da and Ah Er's mother passed away, I entrusted my mother to take care of them. When I came back, Yong-ge was wearing diapers, and I also handed him over to her for help with changing. Later, she suddenly went back to your house, no matter how I begged, she refused to come back and take care of Yong-ge. Is it because of that time…"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you suspecting Mother of stealing your things!" Li Man Cang pretended to be angry. "Li Wang, do you have any conscience? Mother has already passed away. Are you going to let her restless in the afterlife?"

"Since you don't want our mother to rest in peace, then tell me, how did you accumulate your fortune of ninety-nine taels?"

"I… I earned it myself!" Li Man Cang's eyes flickered. He couldn't possibly say that it was given by his parents. During the separation, he only received an additional twenty percent more than his younger brother openly. What if his younger brother thought he took more than his fair share and demanded it back?

After all, his younger brother was even poorer than he was and didn't even have any land!

But he couldn't explain specifically how he accumulated the wealth. Faced with Li Wang's questioning, his words became more and more incoherent.

Wu Guihua, seeing this, argued forcefully, "We've been farming, raising cows, and chickens for years. What's so strange about saving a few dozen taels of silver?"

Li Wang sneered, "During the separation, each family only received three mu of land. How did you manage to buy cows, chickens, and even earn an additional four mu of land and several dozen taels of silver?"

Li Man Cang and Wu Guihua couldn't answer. Three mu of land was barely enough for their family of four to survive. It was impossible for them to save money.

The more Li Wang looked, the colder he felt. Since his father's death, his mother had become more and more biased. He went to plead with the third master and the elders of the clan to make the decision during the separation. According to reason, his brother was the eldest son, so his mother followed his elder brother and sister-in-law. It wouldn't matter if they received a slightly larger share during the separation.

But he never expected that his mother would steal something from Yong-ge! At that time, Jin Tigu was worried that someone might be eavesdropping, so he spoke vaguely, only mentioning that he left something for Yong-ge.

He always thought that the items were in the bundle that Jin Tigu packed. Later, when he couldn't find it, he even worried that he had accidentally lost it and searched for it along the way back.

But in the end, he found nothing. He even considered that he had guessed wrong. Jin Tigu said that what he left behind wasn't silver but the tiger bone whistle, and he repeatedly instructed Yong-ge to keep it safe, after all, it was the only thing his mother left for him…

Now, Li Wang didn't want to say anything anymore. "Even if you don't admit it, from now on, anything concerning your family has nothing to do with me. Li Man Cang, we are done as brothers!"

"Second brother, have you gone mad?" Li Man Cang's face was filled with suspicion, and because he was still sick, he began to cough violently after speaking.

"Head of the family, don't bother with him. Take care of yourself." Wu Guihua patted his back while pretending to be tough. "I knew you didn't have good intentions. You even slander our deceased mother! You just can't stand to see our family doing well. Now that we're in trouble, you don't want to help…"

Before she could finish the three words "help us out," Li Wang angrily pushed aside the curtain and walked away without looking back.

Wu Guihua quickly chased after him, grabbing Li Wang's sleeve. "Second brother, you can't leave. You must help us get our land back!"

Get the land back?

Li Wang's gaze was sharp as a knife. "I've just found out for the first time how shameless people can be, reaching your level!"

After saying that, he forcefully pulled his sleeve back.

Stunned by his gaze, Wu Guihua let go of his hand. For a moment, she was at a loss.

"Second uncle?" Li Changsheng, who had come out of his own room, happened to hear Li Wang's words and was shocked. His second uncle, what happened to him? He had never spoken like this before!

"Don't call me second uncle. I'm not your second uncle. From now on, we cut ties with each other!" Li Wang declared again. He didn't feel guilty at all. On the contrary, an unprecedented sense of relief surged within him, as if he should have done this a long time ago!

"What?" Yong-ge, who had been waiting outside and heard the commotion, was startled. "Father, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I've completely severed ties with Li Man Cang's family!" Li Wang said, feeling no remorse. His family had not been deceived; they had simply lost the ill-gotten money they stole from Yong-ge. If anyone was to be pitied, it was Yong-ge and his family.

This time, Li Wang was truly determined. Regardless of Wu Guihua and Li Changsheng's entanglement and attempts to persuade him, he walked out of the courtyard with a grim face. His anger made his limp more pronounced.

"What?" Yong-ge thought his father was just angry and quickly comforted him, "Uncle Li and the others were just tricked. They're probably in a bad mood. Father, don't be angry with them…"

"They deserve to be tricked!" Li Wang's face was icy cold as he interrupted, and his gaze towards Yong-ge was unusually serious. "Yong-ge, Father isn't joking. Dad has no relationship with Li Man Cang's family anymore, and you shouldn't call him uncle anymore."

That whole family was nothing but trouble!