Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

"They wanted to use the name of ghosts and gods to scare away the group of thugs who occupied the old house."

After Liu Ruyan finished speaking, she took a deep breath and looked at Zhang Wanfu, "Uncle, I think this is an opportunity."

Zhang Wanfu remained silent, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "Oh? That does sound like a rather ingenious method. What do you think?"

"I think this is an opportunity to completely drive those parasites out of the old house, and even make them never dare to come near it again."

She paused, her voice carrying a calmness and calculation that was completely different from her usual gentle demeanor.

"We were only thinking of making some noise secretly, but that was useless against those scoundrels and would easily expose us."

"Their plan is to exploit the rumors of the old house being 'haunted.' But do we know the truth about the 'haunting' better than anyone else?"

"Over the years, you and Uncle Songnian could only use the most subtle methods to remind the world that there was injustice there. On ordinary days, you didn't even dare to get close."

"The fact that those filthy bastards from the Black Fish Gang are occupying the old house is a desecration of us!"

"Now that someone is finally taking advantage of the situation to drive them away, we can go with the flow, add fuel to the fire, and make the 'ghosts' act even more realistic."

Liu Ruyan looked somewhat agitated. Zhang Wanfu stared intently at his niece, seeing the resentment and unwillingness that had been suppressed for many years on her face, as well as the sharpness that had not been seen in her eyes for a long time.

He nodded slowly, a hint of elder's satisfaction on his face, but more so, caution.

"In that case, so be it. Have Songnian provide covert support to ensure everything goes smoothly. Remember to be extremely careful and do not reveal your identities."

"Sigh, I hope this is a blessing in disguise. You absolutely mustn't let that kid screw you over."

Liu Ruyan's lips curled into a cool smile: "Uncle, don't worry, he doesn't know anything."

----

The next morning, the air at the market entrance of Peach Blossom Town was, as usual, filled with the irresistible aroma of roasted meat, so enticing that people couldn't move.

Lin Xiuer's snack stall was more lively than usual. The newly launched Jianbing Guozi (Chinese crepe) became the focus, with a long queue and customers discussing it among themselves.

"Boss lady! Give me a deluxe pancake, extra meat!"

"Me too! I want one set of guanbing (a type of savory crepe) and one set of jianbing guozi (another type of savory crepe)! I'll take them home for my wife and kids to try!"

"Don't push, you guys! I've been waiting in line for ages!"

On the hot plate, slices of pork belly sizzled and dripped with oil. Lin Xiuer and Ping An worked together seamlessly, one making pancakes, filling them with eggs and brushing on sauce, and the other collecting money, packing orders, and maintaining order.

Despite being busy with sweat beading on his forehead, his hands moved with perfect precision.

Chen Mingxuan and Wu Liangcai arrived on time.

As usual, Chen Mingxuan bought a large pile of pancakes for Zhang Ma to take back, while he himself held a freshly made jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe), leaned against Hu Yidao's meat stall, and winked at Lin Xiuer while eating.

Wu Liangcai looked even better than yesterday, and he asked his servant to take two back to his father so he could try them.

He then moved closer to Lin Xiuer and whispered quickly, "Sister, it's all set."

His eyes held a hint of youthful excitement and pride after accomplishing something "big".

Lin Xiuer was brushing sauce onto a pancake when she heard this. She looked up and met his gaze, nodded slightly, and a knowing smile appeared on her lips.

it is more than words.

The stall was bustling with business and people, as if all the schemes and plans of last night were just insignificant shadows under the sun.

However, the atmosphere was completely different in the back courtyard of the village head's office, just a few streets away.

In the back study, Wu Shiren stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed in worry.

He barely slept a wink last night, tossing and turning, his mind filled with his son Wu Liangcai's sarcastic remarks at the dinner table, and Master Mei's obsequious yet shrewd face.

"You think two taels of silver will make me take such a big responsibility and help you rule out wrongful convictions?"

Wu Shiren muttered to himself, feeling increasingly aggrieved as he thought about it, a surge of anger rising within him.

How could the Black Fish Gang, which has been running rampant in Peach Blossom Town for so many years, only offer two taels of silver as tribute?

He suddenly remembered the fine black jade thumb ring in Master Mei's hand; that was not something a poor, stingy clerk should have!

How come he hadn't noticed before? It wasn't until his son reminded him yesterday that he realized, with a start, that Mei Liangxin had definitely embezzled money more than once!

In the past, of all the cases he handled, probably more than half of the money that came from his subordinates ended up in his pocket!

And who knows, he might have even more treasures hidden in his house!

Once the thought arose, it grew wildly like weeds. The more Wu Shiren thought about it, the more he felt he had been taken advantage of, having been made a fool of like a monkey by this old man for so many years.

So, when Master Mei arrived at the study early in the morning with a series of "evidence" prepared the night before, given to him by Jia Heiyu, he was all smiles.

Just as they were about to take the petition and arrange the court proceedings, Wu Shih-jen was rummaging through his study with a sullen face.

"Sir, what's wrong with you...?" Master Mei looked at Wu Lizheng's gloomy face and couldn't help but feel a bad premonition.

"Where's the complaint?" Wu Shiren asked without looking up, his tone unfriendly. "The complaint I put in this drawer last night, where is it?"

Master Mei was taken aback: "Gone? Sir, please look carefully again? Could it be tucked inside some other documents?"

"What are you looking for! I've been looking all morning!" Wu Shiren suddenly straightened up and angrily waved his sleeve.

Now, the mere sight of Master Mei ignites a nameless rage within him. This old bastard is so eager to run errands for Jia Heiyu; there's no doubt something's up!

They must have taken a lot more money from him in secret, maybe they only gave him a small fraction of it.

"Only the two of us have keys to this study! Did it grow legs and run away?!"

Master Mei was speechless, but his mind was racing with calculations.

The petition is lost? What a coincidence! That Wu Liangcai was making sarcastic remarks at the dinner table last night, and the petition is gone this morning?

Judging from Wu Shiren's attitude, he clearly suspects him. In fact, he may have deliberately hidden the complaint to try and extort money from him again!

The more he looked, the more convinced he became that his guess was pretty accurate.

Wu Shiren must have thought that Jia Heiyu's "tribute" was too little, so he deliberately withheld the petition, waiting for them to increase it!

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Two taels of silver plus an empty promise—anyone would think Jia Heiyu was trying to get something for nothing.

That pancake seller, Madam Lin, might not necessarily follow their script. What if she decides to fight them to the death?

These people only care about making money peacefully; who would want to easily cause someone's death?

Thinking about it this way, Mei Liangxin also felt that Jia Heiyu's side was too unreliable, and he was too lazy to waste his breath speaking well of him.

"Please calm down, sir!" Master Mei suppressed his dissatisfaction and put on a smile again.

"Perhaps you, sir, are too busy and have forgotten the place. I will go back now and have Jia Heiyu and the others 'think about' it more carefully."

"Let's see if there's any 'oversight' that we need to report to the magistrate... We're not in a hurry for this complaint."

He deliberately emphasized the words "think about it" and "oversight".

Wu Shih-jen snorted coldly and didn't reply, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Master Mei cursed inwardly, thinking what kind of mess Jia Heiyu had made. He was now caught in the middle, but he dared not show it on his face and bowed as he withdrew.

The matter of holding court was naturally delayed.