From Folly to Fortune：I Rewrite My Life After Rebirth!-Chapter 792 - 788 Compensation for Losses (Second Update)
"What should we do?" Huang Da signaled Lu Yuanfeng with his eyes.
Lu Yuanfeng shook his head, unsure whether he should drag Wang Erma out of the haystack and take him away.
Seeing Lu Yuanfeng unable to make a decision, Huang Da decided to consult Mu Shuangshuang for advice. He carefully opened the door to the woodshed, and at that moment, another gust of cold wind blew inside.
Wang Erma shivered even more violently.
On cold winter nights, the howling wind particularly resembled the sound of a pig being slaughtered.
Wang Erma, having slaughtered many pigs in his days, grew even more fearful upon hearing the sound.
He squeezed his entire body further into the haystack, regardless of whether or not it could fully conceal him.
Huang Da left the village chief’s backyard and approached Mu Shuangshuang to relay Wang Erma’s reaction.
Mu Shuangshuang immediately thought of a way to prank Wang Erma.
"Listen to me, let’s pretend to be ghosts and scare that Wang Erma!" Mu Shuangshuang briefly explained to the Huang Brothers.
The Huang brothers laughed so hard their mouths were crooked.
This time, the three of them entered the village chief’s courtyard together.
Winter really was convenient; they didn’t have to worry about the homeowner coming out at night to relieve themselves, causing an awkward encounter.
Once inside the woodshed, Mu Shuangshuang immediately spotted Wang Erma, who had curled his body into a ball, revealing only an exposed butt cheek.
Whether too scared or not, Wang Erma whimpered and sobbed incessantly, sometimes pleading for mercy and at other times muttering that pigs were seeking him out.
Mu Shuangshuang followed Wang Erma’s words and imitated a pig’s squeal.
"Ah..." Wang Erma suddenly felt as if something was blocking his throat, particularly as he sensed something gnawing at his behind.
Then, the sound of a wild boar feeding echoed as well.
This sound was made by Huang Er. Mu Shuangshuang had told them to act according to the situation, ensuring Wang Erma was scared witless!
Wang Erma’s lips turned white with fear. He wanted to squeeze further into the haystack, but his foot was suddenly grabbed by something and dragged straight out.
"Big Brother, this Wang Erma always kills our kind. Let’s kill him today!"
Mu Shuangshuang pinched her nose and whispered in Wang Erma’s direction.
"My goodness, the pig... the pig is talking..." Wang Erma murmured to himself.
"No, we should nibble away Wang Erma’s flesh bit by bit, so he can never kill... kill us again." Huang Da was indeed a bit troubled.
To cooperate with Shuangshuang’s act, he even impersonated a pig.
But was this really effective?
Upon thinking this, Wang Erma, who had been dragged halfway out, suddenly turned around, and with a thud, knelt before the group.
"Pig Grandpa, Pig Grandma, spare me. I... I know I’ve made a mistake. I won’t dare to kill pigs anymore. Please, spare me..."
Wang Erma was so frightened that he trembled uncontrollably, his face turning blue and pale.
Farmers have always held a reverence toward matters of ghosts and gods, and the current events only made Wang Erma feel life was not worth living.
"No, you must die today!" Lu Yuanfeng declared.
Lu Yuanfeng’s voice was distinctive, and if listened to carefully, it was recognizable. However, Wang Erma was too tense, only remembering that pigs had come to seek revenge, never thinking he was being tricked.
When he got scared, he couldn’t even hold in his stool, and the woodshed was immediately filled with a foul stench.
Huang Da and the others quickly covered their noses. The woodshed was enclosed with no ventilation, making staying inside worse than death.
Mu Shuangshuang adjusted herself for a while before saying, "If you want us not to kill you, you must confess everything you’ve done today, and resolve it as well!"
Wang Erma naturally thought about the big fat pig in the yard that hadn’t been sold yet.
"I... I slaughtered a big fat pig this morning. I won’t dare again, won’t dare again..."
"Not that. What else did you do?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.
Wang Erma thought hard, only recalling causing trouble at the Third Branch of the Old Mu Family, and in their yard, a big fat wild boar had been slaughtered during the day.
"I don’t know..." Wang Erma said.
Mu Shuangshuang stepped on Wang Erma’s back and said to the others, "Let’s tie Wang Erma to the door plank and slaughter him like a pig!"
Wang Erma cried and begged for mercy.
Lu Yuanfeng and Huang Da took the opportunity to bind Wang Erma with hemp rope.
The two of them carried Wang Erma back toward his house, knowing that only using his own tools would scare him enough.
After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Wang Erma appeared at his own home. The pig-slaughtering door plank and knife were in his courtyard. Gousheng’s mother and Gousheng were sleeping soundly on the kang after a long day’s work, oblivious to the commotion inside.
The wind whipped across Wang Erma’s face as he cried painfully, "I understand now. Today... today I went to cause trouble at the Third Branch of the Old Mu Family. I know I was wrong, and from now on... I won’t do it again!"
"You won’t do it again? How can we trust you? Your pig-killing, people-killing skills are renowned in the village." Mu Shuangshuang sneered.
At the village chief’s house, Wang Erma refused to admit to his actions at the Third Branch. Now he confessed after leaving the village chief’s house. What’s going on?
"I have money, lots of money. Let me go, and I’ll compensate, I’ll compensate!" Wang Erma pleaded.
"Compensate? Compensate whom?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.
"The pigs, for the pigs and... for the Third Branch. I damaged the Third Branch’s pig slaughtering basin, their courtyard gate, and injured Old Mu Family’s Second Branch Mu Dazhong. I’ll take full responsibility!"
Huang Da was covered in tears and snot, looking filthy all over. When getting closer, the unpleasant smell seemed to cling to his nose, unable to be shaken off.
Initially, Mu Shuangshuang and the others weren’t seeking wealth, merely aiming to teach Wang Erma a lesson by strapping him to the slaughter board and scaring him with a knife.
Now that Wang Erma was willing to compensate for the damages, Mu Shuangshuang did not refuse.
"Five taels of silver, not a penny less, or else we’ll continue the slaughter!"
Five taels of silver aren’t a small sum for a farming family, but to Wang Erma, it’s not a big deal.
He quickly agreed to Mu Shuangshuang’s demand, and Mu Shuangshuang instructed Huang Da to untie Wang Erma.
Wang Erma went inside and fetched five taels of silver, thinking the matter resolved. But then his vision went dark as Lu Yuanfeng knocked him out.
With five taels of silver in hand and a lesson taught, Mu Shuangshuang felt elated.
She said, "Take Wang Erma, tie him up and send him to the village chief’s house, with several pig-slaughtering knives tied to him. Let’s scare him to death in the morning!"
Lu Yuanfeng and Huang Da did as told, transporting Wang Erma back. By then, the sky was already showing a pale fish-belly white, indicating dawn was breaking!
