Chapter 167 Chicken Tonight

Chapter 167: Eating Chicken Tonight

Tao Da's son had already seen Meng Wan several times, yet he still couldn't get used to such a refined person staying in their mountain village every day.

"What happened?" Meng Wan, holding a toothbrush and rinsing cup, sat on a small stool in the courtyard and asked Tao Da's son before brushing his teeth.

Tao Da's son snapped back to reality, "Meng Fulang, you wouldn't believe it—in the past few days, my father and I actually caught the person who poisoned the chickens!"

"Mmm mmm!" Go on, go on!

With foam all over his mouth and completely unconcerned about his appearance, Meng Wan listened as Tao Da's son recounted what had happened over the past few days.

It turned out that after Meng Wan went down the mountain that day, the Tao family guarded the chickens on the mountain with strict vigilance, taking shifts every night. On the very first night, they discovered someone sneaking around near the chicken coop.

The flat ground where they had built the chicken coop was fairly large and leveled. For convenience, they hadn't built a wall, only a circle of bamboo fence, which made it even easier for the culprit to come and go.

Tao Da hid in the dark, watching helplessly as that person carried a cloth bag, tiptoed into the chicken coop, caused a few slight noises, and then sneaked down the mountain again.

He held back the urge to catch the culprit and, following Meng Wan's instructions, didn't make a sound, pretending he hadn't seen anything, letting the person leave safely. However, it had drizzled that day, and the night was thick and dark, so he couldn't see the person's face clearly.

After the culprit left, Tao Da quickly ran to the chicken coop and found some unfamiliar blue-green grass mixed into the feed trough, looking very similar to the chicken grass inside. No wonder they had fallen for it last time.

Last time, losing just over a dozen chickens had already broken Tao Da's heart. This time, that person had carried a whole bag in! If the chickens ate all of that, wouldn't at least a hundred die?

Tao Da was furious and wanted to chase after the villain and beat him to death, but remembering Meng Wan's instructions, he managed to restrain himself. He woke his son, and together they replaced all the feed in the trough, including the other chicken grass. They worked until dawn.

That day, Tao Da's son wanted to go down the mountain to inform Meng Wan, but Tao Da, pondering Meng Wan's parting words, stopped him.

The two slept during the day, and that night, Tao Da's son stood guard. However, the culprit didn't show up for days in a row.

It wasn't until last night that the person, emboldened by the lack of reaction from the Tao family on the mountain, dared to come again. Besides carrying another bag of poisonous grass and sneaking it into the trough, these few successful actions had emboldened him further. This time, he even stole two chickens before leaving!

"That bastard made a commotion when stealing the chickens. My mother and my husband both woke up, and my father and I couldn't pretend we hadn't noticed anymore. He was so scared he turned and ran. My father was close enough to see his face clearly but pretended it was too dark to make out who it was. He cursed a few times but didn't chase after him," Tao Da's son said angrily.

"And even then, that thief still clutched his bag tightly and carried two chickens down the mountain!"

The chickens and eggs on the mountain could be sold individually. Some villagers had come up the mountain to buy chickens and eggs for the New Year, and some had even bought fertilized eggs to hatch at home.

Tao Da hadn't initially suspected anyone in their own village. After all, families had lived in Hongshan Village for generations; they were all neighbors. How could anyone be so malicious as to know he was raising chickens for Meng Fulang and deliberately poison them?

It was more likely someone from another village, jealous of how well their village was doing now, causing trouble on purpose.

But who would have thought that their own Hongshan Village had such rotten people!

"Meng Fulang, you don't know, but some people in the village had been gossiping about our family a few days ago. My father and grandfather are honest people, so they told my uncles not to cause trouble. Later, Tong Qing's family was confronted and cursed by other villagers, and that's when we found out he was the one spreading rumors. We thought it was over, but now Tong Qing sneaks up the mountain to poison the chickens! Do you think our Tao family is easy to bully?"

What a despicable scoundrel!

Tao Da's son was so angry he was grinding his teeth, wishing he could rush to Tong Qing's house right away and drag him out for a beating.

"Tong Qing, huh? Is he related to the Tong family in town?" Meng Wan asked after washing up. He wasn't in a hurry to eat; Chu Ci was young and still sound asleep, but he would probably wake up soon, so they would eat together.

The Tao family had thought it was because the Tao family had married into the Song family, and his ninth aunt had easily entered the sugar workshop and was even appointed as a manager by Meng Fulang, making Tong Qing jealous enough to resort to dirty tricks. They never considered any connection to the Tong family. "The Tong family in town originally branched off from our village, but they became landlords generations ago. Those truly related live in town. Anyone with the surname Tong in the village is a distant relative at best."

Meng Wan squinted his eyes. "Oh, I see. You go back first. Don't worry about what happens next, and don't spread the word for now."

Tao Da's son couldn't hold back. "Meng Fulang, Tong Qing… he…"

Meng Wan just smiled without speaking. Tao Da's son couldn't continue and left dejectedly. In his heart, he probably thought Meng Wan was a weak and soft-hearted clay Buddha.

Two more days passed, and the village was calm. Two plucked chickens were hung in Tong Qing's well, but he didn't dare cook them. The children at home nagged him every day, demanding chicken. Finally, Tong Qing gritted his teeth. "Fine! Have your mother chop them up in the kitchen. We'll eat them tonight."

His sons and daughters were overjoyed, and before it was even mealtime, the aroma of meat had already wafted out from Tong Qing's house.

A neighbor was curious. "What's the occasion? Did the iron tree blossom or the rooster crow? How come Tong Qing's family is willing to stew meat?"

"No, they didn't raise any chickens last year, did they? Did he buy them?"

The chickens were eaten, and no one came looking for them, which emboldened Tong Qing even more. However, his slowness and lack of any news had already displeased the person who had instructed him to do this.

That night, again on the mountainside where the chickens were raised. The moon hung high in the sky, and everything was silent. From the forest came the occasional chirping of birds and the rustling of insects crawling through the undergrowth.

The chicken coop was quiet. Five dark figures made their way toward it, moving slowly and cautiously. The last one, lagging behind, was panting heavily and whispering reproachfully to the leader, "Tong Qing, I've really… ha… misjudged you… such a little thing and you can't even do it right!"

The one at the front, Tong Qing, seemed very afraid of him, shrinking his neck and defending himself in a low voice, "Fifth Uncle, I really did go up the mountain, several times. Tao Da must have covered it up, afraid that Meng Fulang would find out."

The other four seemed to be accommodating the last person, stopping every few steps. The three in the middle, because it was their first time doing something like this, kept looking around nervously, afraid of being seen. One of them nearly tripped over a branch on the ground.

The person Tong Qing called "Fifth Uncle" was none other than the fifth of the Tong brothers, the one who had followed Tong Laoda to the county town to find Meng Wan earlier. He was young but held a high generation in the family. Because Tong Qing's task had been dragging on without progress, Tong Laoda thought he was reliable enough, so he sent him to check in person.

At Tong Qing's words, Tong Laowu was furious. "Bullshit! If you really poisoned them that many times as you said, could he just cover it up?"

"I really did," Tong Qing muttered in defense.

One of the three others interjected impatiently, "Who cares if you did or didn't? The point is you didn't get it done. Otherwise, why would Fifth Uncle bring us along?"

The other two chimed in, "Exactly." It seemed their relationship with Tong Qing wasn't good; maybe they were even competing with each other.

"Enough!" Tong Laowu growled in a low voice. "Tonight I brought knockout powder. We'll knock the Tao family out first. Tong Quan, Tong Fu, Liu Si, you three are good with knives, right? Tonight, you four will chop off the heads of all the chickens in the coop and throw them at the village entrance."

The three families each had an acre or two of land; they weren't tenants of the Tong family. Previously, they had been better off than other families and had even mocked others. But last year, the landless tenants all made a lot of money while they were still struggling.

Hearing that they were going to kill the chickens, their first reaction wasn't fear of being caught but an immediate thought about something else. They exchanged glances, and Tong Quan hesitantly asked, "Fifth Uncle, if the chickens are no use after killing, can we take a few down the mountain?"

Tong Laowu glanced at them contemptuously. "Just a few damn chickens. Take them if you want, but don't let anyone see them, got it?"

"Got it, got it!" The three were overjoyed.

The five of them planned it out. First, Tong Laowu would go to the Tao family's window to release the knockout powder. This stuff was rare; none of these men had ever seen or heard of it, and Tong Laowu was afraid they would knock themselves out, so he had to do it himself.

The others stood guard or prepared near the chicken coop.

Tong Laowu first pulled a black cotton cloth from his sleeve pocket, covering his mouth and nose. Then he took out a package wrapped in a handkerchief, which was further wrapped in red paper. Inside the red paper were two brown incense sticks, finger-thick and about an inch long.

Tong Laowu hid under the Tao family's bamboo building, lit a fire striker, and ignited both sticks of incense. He then stuck them up from below into the crack of Tao Da's door. He trotted to another bamboo building and did the same, placing the other stick of incense at the door crack.

Tong Qing came over and asked, "Fifth Uncle, is that it? Can we go kill the chickens now?"

Tong Laowu slapped the back of his head hard. "It's not that easy! Do you think it's some miracle drug? It needs to smoke for a while to be effective. Find a place to wait. After about the time it takes to burn one incense stick, we'll go in and check."

After slapping him, Tong Laowu inexplicably felt dizzy. He muttered to himself: I'm covering my mouth and nose, and the effect wasn't this strong before... Ah...

Tong Qing watched in disbelief as Tong Laowu collapsed right in front of him. Because he was heavy and stout, he hit the ground with a dull thud, which sounded painful, but even so, Tong Laowu showed no signs of waking up.

No one knew how much time passed. When Tong Laowu woke up again, he found it was already daylight. He was lying in an open space in front of the bamboo building, limbs stiff and body cold. The only parts he could move were his eyes and lips.

"What's going on! Where is everyone! Tong Qing, Tong Quan, Liu Si, Tong Fu, where the hell are you all!" His throat was dry and cracked, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if he might cough up blood at any moment.

"Oh my, Fifth Uncle seems to have rested very well! He can still shout like that?" Meng Wan said with a look of surprise. He was squatting not far from Tong Laowu, holding a small chick and setting it on the ground to let it run around.

The little chick was playful and even pecked at Tong Laowu's hair, causing him to wince in pain. "You... how do you know! What... what's happening to me now!"

Chu Ci briskly brought out two stools and handed one to Meng Wan.

Meng Wan thanked him, sat down on the small stool, and said with a smile to Tong Laowu, who was lying on the ground unable to move, "Of course Tong Qing told me. They confessed everything last night. Fifth Master Tong must have been too tired from his nocturnal business and passed out on the spot."

Tong Laowu's face shifted between expressions, then he admitted fiercely, "Yes, it was me who ordered them up the mountain to kill the chickens. I just can't stand a pretty boy like you showing off in Red Mountain Village—this is our Tong family's territory!" Even if he was locked up in prison for a few days, what did it matter? His elder brother would surely bail him out. So he wasn't worried, and after some thought, he took all the blame directly.

Meng Wan looked full of admiration and couldn't help clapping his hands. "Fifth Master Tong is truly bold and takes responsibility. What a pity, though—a life was lost."

Tong Laowu's eyelid twitched. "What life! I was just going to kill some chickens, and I hadn't even done it yet! Even if you're the apple of the county magistrate's eye, he can't let you falsely accuse someone of murder!"

Meng Wan stood up calmly. "Tch, 'apple'—you're making me blush. Xue Sheng, drag them over."

Xue Sheng dragged over four corpses like dead dogs, each with a greenish face and blood seeping from the corners of their mouths, clearly poisoned.

Tong Laowu stared wildly at the bodies, the whites of his eyes turning bloodshot. He muttered in disbelief, "Tong Qing! Tong Fu! Zhao Si, Tong Quan! Wake up! Impossible, this can't be!"

Unable to move a muscle, he exploded in rage, "How did they die? How is that possible?"

He wasn't grieving their deaths, but terrified. The four who were talking to him last night are just... gone? He had bullied villagers under the Tong family's influence and even indirectly caused deaths before, but this was the first time he saw people who were alive one moment suddenly disappear.

A bone-chilling cold shot through him. He wished he could shiver, but couldn't, and had to tough it out. At that moment, he truly wished he had just fainted.

Meng Wan looked surprised. "How did they die? Didn't you poison them to death? Look, you're still clutching the poison in your hand."

What! Impossible! Tong Laowu's eyes strained downward, and sure enough, he saw a packet of something in his hand. His teeth chattered. "You... you vicious fiend trying to frame me! I didn't do it! I only came to kill chickens, not people!"

Meng Wan's expression was innocent. "Fifth Master Tong, that's pretty harsh. How am I framing you? There are witnesses and physical evidence." He waved at the Tao family, who were watching with complicated expressions from behind the bamboo building. "Sister Tao, all of you saw him commit the murder last night, didn't you?"

"Yes, we saw it." The family nodded frantically like chicks pecking at rice, apparently terrified of Meng Wan.

Tong Laowu was filled with despair. He finally realized he had fallen into Meng Wan's trap, and now his life was in the other's hands.

He swallowed hard, his tone softening. "Master Meng, I was wrong. I was blind to offend you. If you let me go, I promise I'll go home and have my elder brother give you all his land." He wasn't stupid; he knew that what Meng Wan cared most about was the Tong family's land.