From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!

As soon as Mu Dade left, Mr. Mu’s forced smile collapsed instantly.

He pointed at Old Mrs. Mu’s nose and said, ”You dirty old woman, what a mess you’ve made! You actually... you actually... actually threw trash on the street, and even the night soil...”

Mr. Mu couldn’t even continue.

Just thinking about the foolish thing his wife did made him feel ashamed.

”Can you blame me? Isn’t it because they like to suck us dry? Just a bit of night soil, and they want a wen for it. Why don’t they go rob someone?”

Old Mrs. Mu had money on her mind.

The words Mu Dade had painstakingly said before had completely slipped her mind by now.

”You’re still talking? Aren’t you embarrassed enough?” Old Mrs. Mu shouted angrily.

”Embarrassed? Why should I be embarrassed? The money I saved with my skills, who can say anything?

Don’t say just one wen, one wen adds up to several hundred wen a year, and over ten years, it’s several taels. Are you going to give me these few taels of silver? Are you going to give them to me?”

Old Mrs. Mu was relentless.

Mr. Mu also got angry and kicked Old Mrs. Mu.

That kick sent Old Mrs. Mu flying off the kang, landing flat on her back.

Having fallen so badly, Old Mrs. Mu certainly wouldn’t swallow her pride. Despite it being late and everyone already asleep, she raised her voice, quarreling and making a scene with Mr. Mu.

It disrupted the entire Old Mu Family.

It wasn’t until it was almost dawn that Old Mrs. Mu stopped, and the Old Mu Family in the county town finally quieted down.

But before it was quiet for long, someone came knocking at the door.

The people of the Old Mu Family in the county town were pounded loudly on their door, as if a bandit had attacked!

”Open the door, open the door, open the door—”

”You old slut raised by a dog, open the door for me!”

”Old hag, wretch, don’t think hiding inside means I don’t know you’re there, open the door, open the door...”

This commotion didn’t wake Old Mrs. Mu, but it did wake the surrounding neighbors.

Someone came over to inquire about the situation, and the Old Mu Family’s neighbors were the Zhong family.

The man from the Zhong family saw who it was and familiarly asked, ”Zhu Rongsan, why are you coming over here shouting at the top of your lungs early in the morning, keeping everyone from sleeping?”

The person was Zhu Rongsan, who ran a pork stall nearby.

He was plump and strong.

”Zhong the Fourth, you don’t know what that old woman did that’s so lacking in virtue!

This morning, I was about to send my son to school, and he wasn’t paying attention and fell right onto the ground.

He fell into that woman’s night soil pile at my door, and my son immediately cried as if he was dying!

I came here today to teach that old woman a lesson in morality!”

Zhu Rongsan struggled to calm himself down.

Last night, Old Mrs. Mu dumped night soil at someone’s door, and coincidentally, it was Zhu Rongsan’s place.

He came to confront Old Mrs. Mu, not just because she dumped night soil at his door and caused his son to fall face-first in filth.

It was because he had already been fed up with Old Mrs. Mu for a while.

True grudges aren’t settled in a day; it’s because Old Mrs. Mu casually dumped night soil, making the entire street stink.

Zhu Rongsan’s pork saw less and less interest from buyers.

Zhu Rongsan’s whole family relied on him to slaughter pigs and sell them to earn some money.

Everything was fine until Old Mrs. Mu came and ruined everything.

Destroying a person’s livelihood is akin to killing their parents; it’s a miracle Zhu Rongsan endured this long!

Zhong the Fourth listened to Zhu Rongsan’s words, and his face didn’t look good.

He hesitated a bit before saying, ”That old woman should have been taught a lesson long ago. I don’t know where she came from. Just yesterday, she was told not to pour night soil on the street.

She went ahead and poured it right in front of their door. In my eyes, this shrew did it on purpose!”

With what Zhong the Fourth said, Zhu Rongsan was even more motivated.

He had already thought of how to teach that hag a lesson, as soon as she came out.

”But, that hag’s son is the County Chief Clerk. If you make a big deal out of this, you might get in trouble!” Zhong the Fourth remarked.

”Hmph!” Zhu Rongsan sneered.

”What about the County Chief Clerk? I, Zhu Rongsan, am not breaking any laws, and he has no control over me!

Besides, the whole village of neighbors can testify to how much trouble that hag has caused!

I am leaving my words here today. If that hag’s son, the County Chief Clerk, dares to interfere, I’ll go to the county government to present a big case. I don’t believe I can’t bring that hag down.”

Zhu Rongsan’s last words were said very loudly.

As if they were intended for someone to hear.

Zhong the Fourth thought it was strange why Zhu Rongsan suddenly raised his voice.

In fact, Zhong the Fourth didn’t know, but Zhu Rongsan had exceptionally good hearing since childhood.

He heard footsteps approaching earlier, likely someone coming to open the door and inquire about the situation.

He finished his harsh words first, so that Mr. Mu in the Old Mu Family wouldn’t dare confront him directly.

The one who came to check on the situation was Mrs. Jin. She wasn’t the first of the Old Mu Family to get up, but she was the first to want to clarify things.

She listened to the conversation between Zhu Rongsan and Zhong the Fourth word for word.

The last words of Zhu Rongsan almost made her fall apart.

She hurried back to her room.

She said to Mu Dade, ”Da De, don’t sleep anymore. Quickly leave through the back door and go to the county government!”

Mu Dade was sleeping soundly and was a little upset to be suddenly woken up by Mrs. Jin.

Until Mrs. Jin explained the whole story!

”Mother went out last night to dispose of night soil again, and this time she was even bolder, pouring it right at someone’s door. Their child was on the way to school, missed a step, and fell into the filth.

Zhu Rongsan came this morning to cause trouble. I overheard him say, if you help your mother today, he’ll take you to the County Magistrate and file a big complaint.”

After hearing Mrs. Jin’s words, Mu Dade panicked!

”What should I do? I have an impression of that Zhu Rongsan; he’s extremely reckless. If he really goes to the County Magistrate, I won’t be in the right!”

”I think the only solution now is for you to leave immediately and go to the county! No matter how Zhu Rongsan teaches that old woman a lesson later, it won’t concern you!”

Mrs. Jin’s suggestion is a classic case of skillful blame-shifting.

If Mu Dade were at home and his mother got beaten, not helping would be deemed unfilial.

However, if he stepped in for his mother and held back Zhu Rongsan, it would be against official conduct, deemed disloyal.

Neither disloyalty nor unfilial piety boded well for Mu Dade.

The plan now was to ensure Mu Dade wasn’t present on the scene.

Then neither disloyalty nor unfilial acts could be tied to him.

Moreover, he could reprimand Zhu Rongsan later on.

Mrs. Jin’s advice was currently the most effective in easing Mu Dade’s immediate situation.

So, as soon as Mrs. Jin finished speaking, Mu Dade grabbed a piece of clothing, disregarding his disheveled state, and really escaped through the back door.

Fortunately, it was still early in the morning, and by leaving through the back door, there was practically no one around. Otherwise, Mu Dade wouldn’t know how to cover up this lie later!