The First Volume of Qinghe County

  This idle fellow who spends his days drinking and womanizing has become a county magistrate?

  Looking at the tiger-like gaze of Niu Dou, and the two yamen runners behind him who were holding water fire clubs and looking at him with slanted eyes, Wu Qianhu had no choice but to lead his troops in a retreat, hiding their flags and drums. The imposing momentum they had displayed all along suddenly vanished into thin air.

  "Master, what can be done?" Dongmei was so anxious that she burst into tears: "Miss has been inside for such a long time, and it's unknown whether something happened to her or not. Will Ximen Qing harm her?"

  "Father, we have seven or eight clubs, what are we afraid of those two or three birds? Wu Daishu still didn't agree with his father Wu Qianhu's actions: "Provoking me to be unhappy, and even smashing the county government!"

  "Fart!" Wu Qianhu suddenly became enraged and directly gave his son a big slap in the face.

  "You little scamp, you're so quick with your mouth, but you don't have any tact. How long has the county magistrate position been vacant? Although Zhu Zhi County is greedy for wealth, he's not a fool. Do you know how many times I've had to use connections to send gifts to Zhu Zhi County just so you could become this county magistrate?"

  Wu Da Shu was nearly thirty years old, but he was still stunned at once, covering his cheek with one hand: "Dad, what do you say we should do?"

  Wu Qianhu pulled Dongmei, who was wiping away tears, to his side: "Don't cry! Are there any other hidden doors or secret passages in this mansion?"

  "There was a small door for delivering rice and vegetables, next to the kitchen." Dongmei wiped away her tears.

  "Alright!" Wu Qianhu narrowed his eyes and looked at the gate, lowering his voice to say: "Dongmei, you lead the way ahead!"

  This group of people sneaked away in broad daylight and headed west towards Ximen Qing's residence.

  "Head, look at those guys going that way." One of the bailiffs saw this and reminded Niu Dutou: "Are we handling it or not?"

  "Whatever!" The cow leaned against the door with its arms around it: "The county lieutenant lets us watch the gate, we'll just watch the gate. What's left is none of our business."

  "What great weather today, the sun is shining lazily on me, leaning against and taking a nap, no need to go patrolling."

  "Deserves to be the leader!"

  "Brilliant!"

  What Wu Qianhu and Wu Daxiu did not expect was that the small door was also tightly closed, and Wu Daxiu tried to push it, but it was bolted from the inside.

  Wu Qianhu gestured to his son to open the door, and he himself squinted and listened at the crack of the door. He beckoned to Dongmei and said, "Inside is the kitchen, someone is moving around. Dongmei, you come and call out!"

  "You two, as soon as the door opens, rush in and grab him!" Wu Da Shu also arranged for two house servants to take action as soon as the door opened.

  Dongmei composed herself and stretched out a plump hand to start knocking on the door, shouting as she knocked: "I'm Dongmei! Open the door for me! Open the door!"

  The sound of movement inside suddenly disappeared, as if Dongmei had used a petrifying spell.

  The footsteps hurried away into the distance.

  Although Dongmei was disappointed, looking at Wu Qianhu and Wu Daxiu beside her, she had to continue knocking on the door: "Open the door! I'm Dongmei..."

  Dongmei's throat was almost hoarse, but there was no response. Wu Qianhu looked at the door and saw that it was a small one, but at least two palms thick, so ramming it was out of the question.

  At this moment, I suddenly heard someone inside shouting: "This way, this way, hurry up!"

  Dongmei thought someone had heard her and was coming to open the door, so she stopped and waited eagerly. But unexpectedly, a ladder was set up against the wall, and someone climbed up.

  Wu Qianhu looked up at the sunlight and saw that it was just a unfamiliar servant, who peeked out to take a look at this group of people, then went back down.

  "You go ahead and take pictures..." Before Wu Da Shu could finish his sentence, the Ding family's ghost climbed up again, this time revealing half of its body.

  "What did I say outside, what were they doing?"

  Wu Qianhu put up a hand to shade his eyes and looked over: "Quickly go down and open the door for us, I am your family's old master's father-in-law..."

  Before he could finish speaking, a man from the Dings' household appeared, carrying a bucket of water with great effort. "I don't care who you are, eat!"

  The water bucket is leaning against the wall head, and the bottom of the bucket is facing upwards, it's just a flip!

  "Not good!" Wu Qianhu hastily retreated, using the two house servants as shields. Meanwhile, Wu Da Shu and Dongmei happened to be looking up with their mouths open, and they both received a mouthful of the unknown substance.

  The whole team was directly dispersed by the bucket of water, and those who were better off got wet. Those like Wu Da Shu and Dong Mei, who stood closer, became drenched chickens.

  "What the...!?" Wu Da Shu's conditioned reflex made him cover his mouth, and he quickly ran to one side to spit it out: "What kind of taste is this?!"

  Dongmei suddenly squatted down on the spot and vomited all over the ground.

  "How's the boiled water? A few more buckets?" The owner smiled and said: "How about a few more buckets?"

  I'm going!

  Wu Qianhu's team heard this and hastily retreated far away, who dared to come over again?

  "Oh no...!" Dongmei suddenly clutched her chest and stamped her feet, wailing loudly: "Dongmei shouldn't have left you... Waaaah..."

  Got it back up again.

  Wu Yue-niang was already exhausted, sitting on a stool and resting, her mind racing with doubts about what kind of trick Ximen Qing had up his sleeve, when suddenly Shu Tong-er shouted loudly from outside the door: "Master! You've come!"

  What? Wu Yue-niang hastily climbed up onto the stool at top speed, and just as she was about to put the noose around her neck, she saw Ximen Qing standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.

  What made her furious was that Ximen Qing still held Snow's small hand, not letting go for a moment, and Snow's face turned red with embarrassment.

  "How did this cheap person come too?" Wu Yue thought angrily, but now that the master has arrived, she still has to continue with her hanging play.

  "I don't want to live anymore... This life is unbearable...!" Wu Yue's eyes closed, intentionally prolonging her crying tone, making it sound quite pitiful. However, in Ximen Qing's ears, it seemed like the sound of a dan (female lead) singing on stage.

  "Good!" Ximen Qing shouted in praise: "You sing well, Master has a reward for you!"

  Wu Yue's anger was burning, she opened her eyes to take a look, and this guy really took out three or five copper coins from his waist and threw them over to her.

  "Come sing a Xijiang Moon!"

  Xue'er couldn't bear it anymore and pulled on Ximen Qing's sleeve: "Master, the mistress is going to kill herself, how can you do this?"

  Ximen Qing's face was full of joyful smiles, and he pointed at Wu Yue'e to Xue'er: "Looking for a shortcut? You still don't know the way in here."

  "One cry, two shouts, three hangings." Ximen Qing collected his smile and said seriously: "This is all the work of one meal, this stool hasn't even been kicked away, can this be called hanging?"

  "Come on, put some effort into it and tighten the rope a bit." Ximen Qing turned around to instruct Wu Yue'e: "Hold your breath and make your face red, that's what it should look like!"

  Wu Yue's face was indeed red this time, but that was because she was furious to the extreme and her whole face turned bright red.

  "You'd better die quickly!" Ximen Qing shouted: "After you're dead, I and Xiaoyu can move over to live in this big house!"

  "What?" Wu Yue's daughter heard this and didn't even bother to hang herself, she directly shrunk her neck back, jumped down from the stool, it was quite difficult with the skirt she was wearing, landed unsteadily and fell over.

  "Ah!" Xue'er broke free from Xi Menqing and rushed over to help Wu Yue'e up, but unexpectedly Wu Yue'e, with her hair disheveled, slapped her with a loud smack: "What do I need you, you little slut, to help me for?!"

  Xue'er suddenly drew back and returned to Ximen Qing's side; Wu Yue'e, having struck empty air, scrambled to her feet, gazing coldly at Ximen Qing and Xue'er embracing each other, with jealousy burning in both eyes: "What a cheap thing! What a Ximen Qing! Flirting right in front of me!"

  "Shameless!" Ximen Qing's face changed, and he grasped Snowy's hand tightly: "Snowy is my newly acquired concubine, you call her a cheap woman again, don't blame me for being impolite!" Snowy's small hands were slightly sweaty, also grasping Ximen Qing's hand tightly. This man, she had to rely on for the rest of her life.

  "You're a cheap thing!" Wu Yue's anger was unrelenting, her eyes blazing with fire: "Cheap thing! Cheap thing!" "Heh heh, your mouth is quite tough, just like a cooked duck, still hard and stubborn." Ximen Qing sneered twice: "Just right, today I'll settle the accounts with you!"

  Ximen Qing beckoned with one hand, and the two house servants behind him threw a man in. His bare upper body was covered in whip marks, and he lay on the ground gasping for breath like a dead fish.

  "Is that Abacus Li?" Wu Yue's daughter only then realized that the dead fish was Abacus Li, and her face suddenly turned from red to white, with all her anger disappearing who-knows-where.

  Ximen Qing coldly laughed twice: "In just three to five moves, this abacus Li has revealed all the things you've been hiding from me."

  "Five thousand taels, five thousand taels!" Ximen Qing slapped his thigh in pain: "Although my family is large and prosperous, it can't withstand your torture..."

  "You think you've secretly sent all the money back to your mother's house, and I wouldn't know?" Ximen Qing sighed hypocritically: "People's hearts are scattered..."

  Wu Yue-niang was like being struck by five thunderbolts, standing stupidly to one side, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. This family had thought that with their own power they could cover the sky, and after emptying out the old possessions of the Ximen household, they could directly hang up a Wu Family signboard at the gate, and then kick Ximen Qing out the door.

  What Wu Yue didn't expect was that in just a day or two, Ximen Qing turned the tables on her, from the medicine shop to Abacus Li, and then back to herself again. Moreover, her lifesaving trick had no effect whatsoever, but instead made Ximen Qing mock her mercilessly.

  And in front of that little cheap person!

  It's settled then. Dongmei has already left, and soon I can bring my father and brother over! What am I still afraid of? If that little cheap person sees it, won't they just mock me?

  Wu Yue-niang thought of this hope, her body gradually stopped shaking, suddenly raised her head, fiercely staring at Ximen Qing, gritting her teeth and saying: "You shouldn't be too smug, I've already told Dongmei to go home and call someone over, soon, very soon this mansion, along with you and your little concubine, will all be smashed to pieces!"