After that day, Wu Shifeng brought news to the Rongcheng County Magistrate. Liu Mo was very hard-headed and refused to submit.
The county magistrate Chen Zhiyuan is not surprised. He has many ways to deal with such a tough guy.
This time, he moved Liu Mo to a hellish dungeon.
Before being pushed into the dungeon, he briefly glanced inside the room. When the door closed with a bang, he couldn't see anything clearly. There is no light here, and he is no different from a blind man.
The ground is damp and the room is cold, but there is no thatch at all.
"I have to hold on!" Liu Mo sat down against the wall and tried to adjust his breathing.
The concept of time is lost here. There is no sunrise or moonset, and nothing can be seen, not even markings on the wall.
Whether you open your eyes or close them, it makes no difference.
He fell asleep and woke up, woke up and fell asleep again. He didn't know which one was more painful, falling asleep or waking up.
When he sleeps, he dreams, dark, disturbing dreams, filled with blood and light. When I wake up, there is nothing to do but think.
Time passes and the days pass, or so it feels.
Hunger surrounded me again.
Ever since he ate the fried chicken and beer brought by Wu Shifeng, Liu Mo has not eaten half a grain of rice or drank anything.
Such torture caused him to develop a high fever and his lips began to become chapped.
Half asleep and half awake, when the heavy wooden door opened with a squeaking sound, the sudden light stung his eyes.
One of the prisoners threw a jar at him. The kettle is very cold, with water droplets densely covering the surface.
Liu Mo held it tightly with both hands and swallowed it hungrily. Water flowed from the corner of his mouth and dripped into his messy beard. He drank until he felt sick and then stopped.
"How long has it been...?" He asked weakly as he stood up.
The other party ignored him and just kept urging him to drink quickly.
Liu Mo wanted to say something else, but the jailer snatched the jug away from him.
"How long are you going to lock me up?" Liu Mo roared.
The jailer kicked him with an angry look, then turned around, the door slammed shut, and the light suddenly disappeared.
He blinked, lowered his head, and curled up on the straw. The straw no longer smells like urine or feces, it doesn't smell like anything at all.
He could no longer tell the difference between sleeping and waking. In the darkness, memories quietly came to mind, as vivid as a fantasy.
The first time I met Lin Shiqi, in the Lin Mansion Garden, the grass was evergreen and I could smell the pollen in the wind. That smile, that figure.
Kissing her cheek for the first time, she blushed but did not stop him.
The sacrifice she made for me was to accept Xin'er and the child in Xin'er's belly.
I have to persevere no matter what.
When the door opened again, the bright light from the torch made Liu Mo unable to open his eyes. "Food," he croaked, "I need food!"
"Want food? It's easy!" It was still the fat jailer who came. "As long as you are willing to nod, I will give it to you right away!"
Seeing Liu Mo's silence, the fat jailer smiled lightly. "Shopkeeper Liu, why do you have to make it difficult for yourself?" He said, "Let's try another way. If you don't cherish your own body, what about the lives of your wives? How precious they are!"
A chill hit Liu Mo's heart. "Shiqi, Yuan'er..."
"Haha, if you still insist on doing this, then your beautiful ladies will..."
"No," Liu Mo shouted hoarsely. "If you dare to come to me, what's their crime? Don't involve them!"
"Mr. Liu, we can arrange whatever crime you want, hahaha!" the fat jailer laughed.
"Please think clearly: The next person who comes to visit you may bring steamed buns, dried meat, and pain-relieving herbs... but he may also bring your wife and go to jail with you!"
"Which one you want to choose, shopkeeper Liu, depends entirely on your decision. Don't harm your first wife for a roommate."
You bastard, are you starting to lose your patience? Hearing the fat jailer's words, Liu Mo smiled bitterly, "Tell Mr. Chen that I agree!"
"Hahaha, smart move!"
~~~
After hearing that Liu Mo was willing to "compromise," Chen Zhiyuan sent him a few steamed buns. The next day, the jailer told him that he could be released from prison.
As soon as he walked out of the prison, Liu Mo felt dizzy. Zhao Da and Wang Xiaoqi had been waiting at the gate of the county government office for a long time. When they saw this situation, they hurried forward.
Zhao Da found a crutch for him, and Wang Xiaoqi brought him a pot of refreshing wine with a lot of honey added to it.
Even so, the dizziness still couldn't be relieved.
Walking on the road, my legs couldn't help shaking, so I could only use a cane with one hand and lean on Zhao Da's shoulder with the other.
When leaving the county government office, Liu Mo couldn't help but look back and smiled.
"Chen Zhiyuan, just wait, I'll let you enjoy the fruit!"
It turned out that Liu Mo had expected all this.
After Wu Shifeng met with him, he had already made a plan.
But this encounter taught him one thing: never underestimate your opponent!
Chen Zhiyuan is not a fool. From beginning to end, he never showed up and stayed behind the scenes.
For such a cautious person, if he agrees too quickly, I'm afraid it will arouse his suspicion.
"Jingshui Pavilion" is Liu Mo's only property, and he can easily hand over 70% of the profits. How will his family live in the future?
Another thing is that Liu Mo agreed as soon as Wu Shifeng stepped forward, which easily aroused suspicion.
In order to "protect" Wu Shifeng, Liu Mo had to grit his teeth and persevere even if he knew what kind of torture he would suffer next.
The longer he persists, the more he can paralyze the enemy, and at the same time, it can wear down Chen Zhiyuan's patience.
Sure enough, when the fat jailer began to threaten the safety of Lin Shiqi and Xin'er, he knew that the time had come.
He just wanted Chen Zhiyuan to believe that Liu Mo gave in out of concern for Lin Shiqi.
After getting on the carriage, Liu Mo, who was already weak and bumpy along the way, vomited as soon as he got off the carriage.
Lin Shiqi, who was waiting outside the door of Jingshui Pavilion, couldn't help but feel distressed, her eyes were wet, and she had already burst into tears.
Yuan'er also stepped forward with a worried face, and together with Lin Shiqi, helped Liu Mo back to the restaurant.
"Where are the people from Xin'er?" Liu Mo asked.
"She is..." Lin Shiqi hesitated.
"Is he in the county jail?"
Wang Xiaoqi nodded bitterly. "Yes, uncle, Xiang Wu was also arrested by them."
"To be honest, uncle. You are a little too...unhuman this time!" Li Xin couldn't help complaining.
"What does it mean to be inhumane?" The impatient Yuan'er even yelled: "Damn Xin'er, she is the fault of my uncle. This despicable woman can do anything! She deserves to go to jail!"
"Yuan'er, don't talk nonsense!" Lin Shiqi quickly dissuaded her.
"I'm not talking nonsense, miss, look what she did to my husband!"
"I don't believe Mrs. Xin'er would do such a thing!" Zhao Da said, "Mrs. Xin'er's character is obvious to all!"
"The facts are in front of us. If you say Niu San wronged her, then her second uncle and second aunt also wronged her, and the county master also wronged her?" Yuan'er became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke.
"Even Yuan'er has such a big misunderstanding. This rumor is really scary!"
Liu Mo didn't make a sound, but suddenly raised his head and glared at Yuan'er.
Ever since she met Liu Mo, she had never seen such a stern expression, which scared her into silence.
"No one should mention this matter again!" Liu Mo said, "Xin'er is no longer my Liu Mo's wife. Just pretend you don't know this person!"
"Uncle, you..." Wang Xiaoqi really didn't expect Liu Mo to say such words.
"Go and do your work!" Liu Mo said loudly, "I want to go upstairs to rest. It's nothing important, so don't disturb me!"
After saying that, he went straight upstairs without looking back.
Liu Mo's treatment of Xin'er left everyone puzzled.
The old uncle is gone forever? Or is this just his nature?
In the face of interests, would Liu Mo betray his conscience?
For a time, the entire "Jingshui Pavilion" seemed to be covered with dark clouds, and everyone was cast into a layer of haze.
In such a state, business has naturally been greatly affected.
Since Liu Mo was sent to the county jail, "Jingshui Pavilion" has been in a state of loss for more than ten days.
In this way, even if the injustice is cleared up in the future, Li Guangrun has achieved his goal of disrupting the business of "Jingshui Pavilion".
The third day after being released from prison was the end of December.
It’s the new year of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the Year of Wuzi is about to come.
As a rule, all old accounts must be settled before the New Year.
Early in the morning, before it was fully dark and "Jingshui Pavilion" had not yet opened its doors, someone knocked on the door.
The rapid knocks on the door made everyone in their sleep feel uneasy.
At this time, Liu Mo was already fully dressed, as if he had already guessed it.
Opening the door, the visitor cupped his hands and said, "Shopkeeper Liu, excuse me, we're here to get money!"
"What money?"
"Hey, are you still pretending to be stunned? Have you forgotten how you released it?"
They are here to get 70% of the profits, damn corrupt officials.
"So that's what happened!" Liu Mo smiled faintly, "Zhao Da, carry it out!"
A box of silver ingots was carried out and handed over to the visitor.
The other party was not polite, picked up the silver box and left.
"Wait a minute!" Liu Mo stopped the man, "Should I leave something behind?"
"Oh? What does Shopkeeper Liu want?"
"There is no receipt or anything like that. What if someone pretends to claim it? What will I do?"
"Haha, no one dares to pretend to be the county master. Don't worry, Shopkeeper Liu!"
"That won't work, I can't come up with a second sum of money!"
The person who came was not a fool. He would naturally not leave any evidence to prove that the county magistrate was embezzled.
"Shopkeeper Liu, don't be so smart." The visitor reminded, "I don't have what you want. If you don't get out of the way, I have to report the truth. Haven't you had enough of the county jail?"
Liu Mo's face darkened, "I'm sorry!"
"Hmph, you know what's going on!" With that said, the man hugged the silver box and left.
"Uncle..." Zhao Da's face was ashen, "Why are we so useless, ugh!!!"
Liu Mo grinned, "Cowardly? Huh, when have I, Liu Mo, ever been a coward!"
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"We'll know when the time comes!"
Hearing this, General Zhao was suspicious, "What tricks did my uncle play this time?"
