That smell was as though it were the concentrated essence of every foul odor in the world, or perhaps the stench exuded by a demon from the depths of hell. Anyone who caught a whiff of it would feel nauseous and dizzy.
“Ah!”
A shrill, agonized scream suddenly erupted from Wang Daqiang’s mouth. It was like a thunderclap ripping through the night sky—deafening and echoing far and wide.
Even Grandma Wang, who was in the courtyard, was startled by the sudden scream and couldn’t help shivering all over.
After composing herself, Grandma Wang carefully listened to determine where the voice had come from. Soon, she realized that it seemed to be coming from the latrine. Without daring to waste a moment, she hurried over, taking three steps at a time.
There, she saw Wang Daqiang in the latrine, tied up with a rope. Fortunately, the rope was sturdy enough; otherwise, he would probably have already fallen completely into the filthy pit.
If that had happened, he would surely have drowned in there!
In the blink of an eye, Grandma Wang spotted the situation and, frantic with worry, quickly grabbed the rope keeping Wang Daqiang alive, trying to pull him out of the latrine.
However, age had taken its toll. Grandma Wang was already elderly and had very little strength left. Even though she used every ounce of strength she had, she still couldn’t move Wang Daqiang even an inch, let alone successfully pull him out of the foul-smelling pit.
As for Wang Daqiang, the unbearable stench was tormenting him so badly that he felt as though he were dying. His stomach churned violently, and he couldn’t help dry-heaving repeatedly.
Seeing that there was no way this could continue, Grandma Wang became extremely anxious and decided to go outside to find someone who could help rescue Wang Daqiang.
Grandma Wang went to a neighbor’s house, but everyone there had gone out to work. Just then, she spotted Su Muyang approaching from a distance and hurriedly shouted at him, “Hey, you there! Young man from whichever family—come quickly and save us!”
Su Muyang had deliberately come this way. He had calculated that Grandma Wang would discover what had happened and that she wouldn’t be able to get Wang Daqiang out on her own. So he had intentionally wandered around nearby. As soon as Grandma Wang came outside, she would see someone walking around here.
What kind of revenge would it be if Wang Daqiang merely fell into a latrine?
The real goal was to let more people witness Wang Daqiang’s humiliating predicament and turn him into the subject of everyone’s gossip.
Since the Wang family loved talking about other people so much, they might as well get a taste of what it felt like to be talked about themselves!
Su Muyang hurried toward Grandma Wang, moving so quickly that it seemed as though the wind were beneath his feet. Before long, he was standing right in front of her.
When he saw that the person calling him was Grandma Wang, Su Muyang immediately put on a deliberately displeased expression and asked, “Oh, so it’s Grandma Wang! May I ask why you wanted me? To be honest, I’m in a hurry to go to the fields to look for my dad. If it’s nothing urgent, you should call someone else to help you!”
When Grandma Wang saw Su Muyang, she had already been secretly groaning inwardly.
Oh dear, how did I have to run into this boy at a time like this? What am I supposed to do now?
But just as she was worrying about what to do, she heard Su Muyang say that he was about to leave. She immediately panicked and, without thinking twice, grabbed his arm tightly.
“Su boy, Grandma really has an urgent matter and needs you to lend a hand! It’s a matter of life and death!”
As she spoke, she firmly pulled Su Muyang toward her own house without giving him a chance to refuse.
After hurrying along for a while, the two soon arrived at the Wang family’s latrine.
As soon as Su Muyang stopped, he looked into the latrine and immediately burst into loud laughter.
After laughing to his heart’s content, he finally asked, “Hahahahaha… What on earth happened here? Wang Daqiang, what’s wrong with you? Did you lose your mind and jump into the latrine?”
The moment Wang Daqiang saw Su Muyang, his entire body stiffened. His face immediately filled with fear and resistance.
He then hurriedly shouted at his grandmother, “Grandma, make him leave! Hurry up and make him leave! Don’t let him rescue me! Our family has a grudge against his family! Grandma, please! Hurry up and drive him away!”
Hearing her grandson’s words, Grandma Wang felt both helpless and bitter.
She gently patted her grandson on the shoulder and softly tried to comfort him. “Daqiang, do you think Grandma wants that Su boy to see you in such a miserable state? But right now, there really isn’t anyone else who can help.
Everyone in the village has gone out to work. Where are we supposed to find anyone else? The people who stayed behind instead of going to work are either elderly and frail like Grandma, with no strength and poor mobility, or they’re little children who don’t know any better. Who among them could possibly pull you out of there?
Good boy, stop making a fuss. The most important thing right now is to get you out of there. It’s freezing cold, and if you stay there too long and something happens to you from the cold, how could Grandma possibly go on living?”
After Grandma Wang finished earnestly pleading with Wang Daqiang, she completely ignored his continued protests.
She turned to Su Muyang and asked apologetically, “Su boy, I’m really sorry to trouble you, but could you please lend us a hand and help pull our Daqiang out of there?”
Su Muyang pretended to strain himself as he pulled on the rope several times, but it didn’t budge at all, as though something had it firmly clamped in place.
He helplessly shook his head and called out to the anxious Grandma Wang, “Grandma Wang, I really can’t do it! I can’t pull him up by myself. His clothes are completely soaked and heavy as lead. I think we’d better find a few more people to come and help!”
The moment Grandma Wang heard this, she became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She kept muttering, “Where are we supposed to find people? At this time of day, there’s hardly anyone left in the village! Oh dear, what are we going to do?”
As she spoke, she slapped her thighs repeatedly, her face filled with worry.
At this point, Su Muyang quickly reminded her, “Grandma Wang, don’t panic! Everyone should be working in the fields right now. If we run over there and call them, it won’t take long to bring back everyone in the village who can help!”
Grandma Wang’s eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.
“That’s right, that’s right! You really are quick-witted! Then I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip and call some more people over for us. You’re young and quick on your feet, so you’ll surely be able to find them quickly.”
However, just as Su Muyang was about to set off, Wang Daqiang, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke up—and his voice was exceptionally loud.