Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 15 You’ve worked hard, how about having a cup of tea before leaving?

Su Wu first brought the cook who couldn't cook back to his new home, then left some copper coins in her pocket and let her go to the street to buy some daily necessities by herself and fill her stomach first.

Then the three of them returned to the yamen.

When I was halfway there, I saw a group of people gathered in front of the gate of a large courtyard. There was a lot of noise inside, and it was obviously another public security case.

As the evil nemesis of Yanggu County, how could Su Wu avoid it and went into the crowd.

I think it's just a family matter, so I'd better listen to it and have a basic understanding before taking any action.

In the crowd, an old man was seen stamping his feet and beating his chest at the gate of the house, cursing: "Meng Yulou, you are a murderer who killed your own husband. You just hide and don't come out. You want to take over my brother-in-law's wealth? Don't even think about it. Even if I guard here every day, if one valuable thing goes out of this house, I will never give up!"

Su Wu understood the first detail, the inheritance dispute.

But suddenly I remembered the name "Meng Yulou", which seemed a little familiar.

The old man continued to curse: "Don't look at the fact that my short-lived brother-in-law died early, and don't look at the fact that my brother-in-law's younger brother is only ten years old. The Yang family's assets belong to the Yang family, and I won't let you, a woman who brings bad luck to her husband, take away a single cent."

To Su Wu, the relationship seemed to be clear. Combining it with the other circumstances, he guessed that this Meng Yulou was the wife of Yang Zongxi, a famous local cloth merchant?

Is Yang Zongxi dead?
He should be dead. He was not very old, but he just died like that. It seems that he didn't leave any children.

But he left behind a ten-year-old brother. The old man who was cursing was Yang Zongxi's brother-in-law, or nephew, so he must be the brother of Yang Zongxi's ex-wife.

This relationship is really complicated.

The main problem is that Yang Zongxi is too rich. Just looking at the house, you can tell that this is not an ordinary family.

Logically speaking, this old man who curses others has no right to inherit the family property, but he curses so hard, I think he just wants to get a piece of the pie.

Yang Zongxi was also an unlucky man. He had such a huge family fortune, but after his death, he had no children and only a ten-year-old brother. He left behind a wife, Meng Yulou, which was really like leaving a piece of good meat for a pack of wolves.

The old man was still cursing: "If you dare to steal from another man, I will beat you to death, you bastard..."

Su Wu suddenly had an idea in his mind. Why does this sound so familiar?

A cloth merchant left behind a widow, a young wealthy woman with a lot of money. This happened to happen in this area, and there was also a Ximen Qing in this area.

Su Wu immediately realized, isn’t this how Ximen Qing made his fortune?
Wasn’t Meng Yulou deceived by Ximen Qing in the end?
Isn't it in this way that Ximen Qing rose to become a wealthy man by taking advantage of others step by step?
Su Wu, the evil nemesis, has already spoken: "That man should not curse in the street, how disgraceful!"

When everyone looked back, they saw that it was Su Dutou from Yanggu County. Everyone hurriedly made way to let Su Dutou go in.

The old man who was cursing immediately shut up and bowed to Su Wu: "Greetings, Captain Su."

"What's your name? Why are you cursing at me here?" Su Dutou asked.

"I am Zhang Si, a villain, and I am cursing here just to protect my deceased sister's property." Zhang Si gave a good answer.

"Is this Mr. Yang's home?" Su Wu asked knowingly.

"That's right, that's exactly what happened. My brother-in-law is so pitiful. He passed away without any children, and only has a young brother. If I don't keep this family fortune, I'm afraid it will fall into the hands of others."

Zhang Si is a man who is eager to help others and is righteous.

Su Wu took a look at the mansion, and found that no one came out to answer. Zhang Si was the only one left to curse. The people in the courtyard could not stand the old man's cursing.

Su Wu looked at Zhang Si and said, "Your insults are too harsh. You are a good man, but you are acting like a shrew. It seems like you are bullying me."

Zhang Si quickly bowed and said, "No, no, I don't dare."

Suddenly, a child's voice appeared at the door of the house: "Captain, he is the one who bullies people, bullies my sister-in-law, he just wants money, my sister-in-law won't give him, so he comes to scold me for no reason..."

Su Wu looked and saw a small head popping out from the side of the gate. It was a little boy, probably the ten-year-old brother of Yang Zongxi, and Meng Yulou's uncle.

Zhang Si immediately said, "Captain, the child is ignorant. He just lets the man who kills his husband fool him around and doesn't know who the good guy is."

"Captain, Uncle Zhang is the bad guy, and sister-in-law is the good person." The little boy stuck his head out again and said.

Su Wu looked around and said to the crowd, "Everyone, go away. Since this matter has become so ugly, I have to ask about it. Zhang Si, come with me and we will talk to each other face to face."

"Ah?" Zhang Si was stunned.

"What? You are so kind-hearted and eager to help others. If you explain things clearly to others' faces, there will be no misunderstanding. What's wrong with that?" Su Wu asked.

"Okay, okay, then let's go in together and confront Meng Yulou face to face." Zhang Si nodded.

As he spoke, Su Wu, dressed in his official uniform, took Wu Song and Dong Jian with him and went into the house first.

There was a little boy peeking out from behind the door, looking at Su Wu with curiosity.

Su Wu raised his hand and waved: "Go, invite your sister-in-law out, and tell her that Su Dutou from the county yamen is here."

"Oh, I know you. You beat the white-browed tiger on Jingyang Ridge. They all say you are a hero. My sister-in-law is not afraid this time. You go sit in the hall. I will call my sister-in-law."

The little boy really looked smart. These few words really praised Su Wu very much. Several people sat down in the hall, but Zhang Si stood aside.

After a short while, a woman came towards him with graceful steps. There are also words in the story:

She has a tall and slender figure, and her face is neither fat nor thin, and her figure is neither short nor long. There are a few pimples on her face, which makes her naturally pretty. Under her skirt, a pair of golden lotus feet are reflected, which are indeed well-proportioned and pitiful. Two golden rings hang low on her ears; a double-headed phoenix hairpin is inserted diagonally behind her temples. When she moves, her chest shakes with jade; when she sits down, a burst of musk and orchid fragrance wafts into her nose. It is just like Chang'e leaving the Moon Palace, or like a goddess descending the steps of the Jade.

At first glance, Su Wu felt that Meng Yulou had a dignified and majestic air.

"Greetings to Captain Su, and greetings to Uncle Zhang." Meng Yulou bowed politely.

Zhang Si has already spoken: "Captain, you have seen it all. It is such a big family business. In the house, there are only a few servants, a child and her. Outside, there are also cloth shops and dyeing factories. How can I not keep an eye on such a family business? If I am not careful, I don't know who will get it."

Su Wu went to see Meng Yulou, who simply bowed his head and said, "Uncle Zhang, why do you have to be so rude to me?"

This matter is actually simple.

Su Wu looked around again and suddenly called out, "Zhang Si!"

"I'm here." Zhang Si was shocked.

"How much do you want me to pay to stop you from making a scene and swearing at others?" Su Wu asked directly.

"Ah? Villain...villain..."

"To be frank, this is not the street in front of the door, and there is no one around. It's hard for you to come here every day to scold me. Can't I help you get the money?"

Su Wu said, and turned to ask Meng Yulou: "How much did he ask for last time?"

Meng Yulou replied, "To answer the captain's question, four hundred strings of cash."

Su Wu stood up from his seat when he heard this and said, "You old man, you are so arrogant. You want so much money to make a coffin? No matter what the Yang family is like, what does it have to do with you, the uncle of your ex-wife? If you say you left a nephew behind, that's fine. But if you don't have a nephew, the Yang family still has its incense. You are making such a big offer. Are you really bullying me?"

"This...this...I was just trying to scare them. I don't want this woman to deceive my uncle and ruin the family business." Zhang Si hurriedly made an excuse.

Su Wu glanced at the clever boy standing behind Meng Yulou and said, "Well, you want to make some money so that you can feel at ease. Your sister also married into the Yang family. I'll make a number. Do you think it's okay?"

"Captain, tell me..." Zhang Si already looked happy, as he finally got the money.

"Fifty strings of cash is enough for you to save for several years. Don't come to my house to bully my elder sister-in-law and younger uncle again."

Su Wu still wanted to resolve this matter through reasonable, legal and appropriate means.

Su Wu also asked Meng Yulou: "What do you think?"

Meng Yulou didn't seem to dare to look at Su Wu any more, and just nodded: "As long as Fourth Uncle Zhang lets me and my uncle go in the future, fifty strings of cash will do..."

But Fourth Uncle Zhang's joy faded a little. Fifty strings of cash was a lot, but it was not the amount he was satisfied with. His brother-in-law's family business was not just a trivial matter.

"What? You don't want to?" Su Dutou's face began to darken.

"Captain, can you give me a little more? I will be very grateful. If you give me more, I will definitely reward you handsomely." Zhang Si said with a bow.

"Zhang Si, you are so bold! You are so greedy. Who am I, Su Wu? Who in the county doesn't know that I, Su Wu, have always been fair? You actually want to bribe me. I think fifty strings of cash is too much. Today, you can either take the money and leave, or go to jail. You choose one."

For such a scoundrel, we still need to be tough.

Zhang Si took a look at Su Wu's angry face and his face turned pale. This captain has been very troublesome recently. Not to mention the tiger-killing incident on Jingyang Ridge, today there was even a rumor that Lian Yun, a military officer's younger brother, had been beaten to a bloody mess...

Zhang Si nodded in fear: "Fifty strings of cash is enough, more than enough, thank you very much, Captain."

Su Dutou looked around and said, "Bring the money, witness it in person, and make a written receipt, sign and seal it. If this happens again, I will not let you off easily."

Zhang Si had a bitter look on his face, but he didn't dare to say a word, and didn't even dare to look at Su Wu.

Looking at Meng Yulou again, she stood up first and patted her brother-in-law on the shoulder. She bowed first and said, "Thank you, Captain."

The brother-in-law behind him also came forward to salute: "I knew that Su Dutou must be a good person. Sister-in-law will never be afraid again."

Su Wu smiled and said, "Go get the money quickly, and bring paper and pen."

All we have to do is wait for both parties to hand over the money and sign their names.

Zhang Si felt less miserable after taking the money, and a look of joy appeared on his face. After all, it was a huge sum of money, and the money in his hands was his, so he left quickly.

Su Wu also stood up and said, "Madam Meng, we are leaving too. If there is any more such incident, just send someone to report to the government office."

Meng Yulou bowed first, then said quietly: "Thank you for your hard work, Captain. How about a cup of tea before you leave?"

"Yes, have a cup of tea." The brother-in-law said happily.

(End of this chapter)