Chapter 54
Sai Xue cried pitifully in the prison, and Bao Zhu and Xiao Man felt heartbroken watching from outside.
With the giant rat watching over them, they used a little magic to carefully slip into the cell. Baozhu wrapped Saixue in thick clothes, while Xiaoman patted her head reassuringly.
Baozhu hugged Saixue in her arms, rubbed her cold hands, and said, "Grandma Rat went to find someone, she'll get you out of here soon."
After she finished speaking, she repeatedly winked at Xiaoman.
Xiaoman understood and nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, Grandma is so capable, don't worry."
After crying her fill, Sai Xue grabbed Xiao Man's clothes and wiped her face, angrily saying, "I'm a demon. If I really want to go out, how can mortals control me? I'm just not convinced. I've been well-behaved enough and never bothered rich people, but that pig-headed young master tricked me by wearing tattered clothes!"
She grew angrier the more she thought about it, and stamped her foot, saying, "If I had known he was a rich man, I wouldn't have been so explicit. I would have played some kind of trick!"
Baozhu had a keen sense of smell, but she couldn't tell whether the child in a mortal's womb was a boy or a girl. So she hesitated for a moment and whispered to Saixue, "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Sai Xue was so angry that she bounced around in Bao Zhu's arms, shouting, "The woman he brought is carrying a boy!"
"Ouch, I know, I know." Baozhu's chin throbbed loudly from Saixue's bump, and she quickly used both hands to hold Saixue tightly. "It must be because of the Pig-Headed Young Master's family, Saixue must be right."
Xiaoman, who was standing nearby, also spoke up for Saixue: "We've come all this way, and Saixue has never mistaken anyone for her."
This confused Baozhu. After thinking for a moment, she tentatively said to Saixue, "These wealthy mortals are really hard to deal with. Like you said, why don't you quit being a charlatan after you come out?"
She had already cried and vented her anger when she suddenly heard Baozhu say this. Sai Xue was taken aback and stammered, "Well, let's talk about it outside."
Upon hearing this, Baozhu knew that Saixue still wanted to continue doing this business. She looked up and smiled at Xiaoman. Just as she was about to say something, the big rat outside squeaked, "Come out quickly, someone's coming!"
The two little demons hurriedly crawled out of the prison again.
It turned out that they had been in the prison for too long, and the guards, fearing they might cause trouble, came down to kick them out. This time, Granny Rat's token was no longer effective, and the three monsters were sternly driven out of the prison by the guards.
After leaving the prison, Baozhu and Xiaoman looked longingly at the big rat and asked cautiously, "Over there with Granny Rat?"
The big rat walked into the city with his hands behind his back, saying, "Grandma will find someone this morning and have lunch. The matter should be settled by this afternoon. Let's find a teahouse to wait."
So Xiaoman hosted a teahouse not far from the South Military Command. The three little demons ordered a pot of tea and a few dishes of snacks, and then went to the noodle shop next door to order three bowls of plain noodles. While slurping the noodles, they listened to the storyteller in the teahouse telling stories.
The big rat shook its head as it listened, while Baozhu and Xiaoman stared absentmindedly at the sun.
Just as the big rat had predicted, by afternoon, Granny Rat's carriage headed towards the South Garrison.
Baozhu and Xiaoman immediately abandoned the giant rat and went to meet it.
Granny Rat, who had drunk heavily at midday, drunkenly lifted the curtain with her cane. Just as she was about to get off, she saw two little demons eagerly waiting below and grinned, saying, "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not long, not long. Thank you for your hard work, Grandma." Baozhu smiled sweetly and looked at Grandma Mouse expectantly.
Grandma Mouse shook her head and jumped down from the carriage. She tapped Baozhu and Xiaoman with her cane and said, "I've figured it out. Go wait at the door."
After saying that, he plunged into the military headquarters in the south of the city.
A short while later, two minor officials came out of the yamen and headed towards the prison. Baozhu pulled Xiaoman along and quickly followed.
The two little demons lingered outside for a while, and then they saw the official followed by Sai Xue, who looked like a bean sprout, walking out of the prison.
Baozhu cheered and immediately went forward to greet Saixue.
What a wonderful day! Sai Xue was released from prison and reunited with Bao Zhu. The three little demons excitedly decided to go to the market street to ask Old Ma for a braised pig's head and have a big meal.
Just then, Granny Mouse's carriage clattered up behind them. Granny Mouse, reeking of alcohol, leaned out of the carriage window and said to Baozhu, "Let me tell you something. This time, with all the work, including entertaining guests and giving gifts, I've used up the gold ingots you sent. Do you mind?"
Baozhu dared not say she minded, and waved her hand, saying, "I still have to invite Grandma to a banquet later."
"Why are you still drinking?" Granny Rat slumped back into the carriage, her voice faintly drifting out from inside, "I'd be grateful if you little demons didn't cause this old woman any more trouble."
Before she could finish speaking, the giant rats had already driven the carriage away.
After watching Granny Mouse walk away, Baozhu turned around happily and said, "What are we waiting for? Let's go buy meat!"
Led by Xiaoman, the three little demons hopped and skipped to the vegetable market street, found the old demon Ma's pork shop, bought a dozen or so catties of braised pig's head for very little money, and bought a few catties of wine next door. They then hopped and skipped back to Xiaoman and Saixue's home.
This monster's house was also quite different. From the outside, it looked like a small house with a yard, just like the neighbor's house next door, with the house in the back and a small storefront in the front for doing business.
As soon as she stepped into the small courtyard, Baozhu looked around and exclaimed in surprise, "Where do you two sleep?"
In the small courtyard, there was a huge cowshed that occupied half of the yard. There were only two rooms in total. In addition to the main room, there was another room with its door wide open, filled with tree stumps of varying heights.
Xiaoman pointed to the cowshed and said, "Here it is."
Sai Xue pointed to the house that was full of tree stumps: "Over there."
Baozhu scratched his head and sighed, "Turns out I'm not monster enough."
As they were talking, Xiaoman had already moved the table and chairs out of the main room. The three little demons sat in the courtyard, enjoying the autumn breeze and the slightly warm sun. They divided a pig's head into three portions, poured themselves a little wine, and began to devour it.
After a few rounds of drinks, Sai Xue's face was flushed. She chewed on the pig's head meat in her mouth with malice and said angrily, "Young Master Pig Head has really done me a disservice this time. This matter cannot be left like this."
Baozhu hadn't drunk alcohol in a long time and was a little tipsy. Upon hearing this, she said boldly, "What should we do? Tell me a plan!"
"Let's go to his house and investigate to see if the child born yesterday is real or not," Sai Xue said.
"Explore!" Xiaoman slammed her hand on the table.
Let's get right to it, since there's still some time before dark.
The three little demons wiped their mouths, with Sai Xue leading the way and Xiao Man bringing up the rear. After darting around the streets, they arrived at a secluded place in the south of the city.
The house here occupies a large area and has an imposing gate; it's clearly not in the same league as Sai Xue's house.
"Let me see, you pig-headed young master." Sai Xue stared blankly at the plaques on the gates on both sides of the street.
“What pig’s head? It’s Young Master Zhu.” Baozhu had to correct her.
The two little demons were arguing about who this young master was when Xiaoman slapped her thigh and pointed to a large mansion, saying, "This is it, the Zhu residence."
"Let's go, let's go." Baozhu rolled up her sleeves and floated up the Zhu family's courtyard wall like a leaf, and was the first to climb over.
Sai Xue and Xiao Man followed closely behind.
The three little demons were leaping and bounding across the rooftops, feeling bewildered, when suddenly they heard the cry of a baby.
They quickly changed direction and followed the sound to a secluded courtyard.
Baozhu climbed onto the roof, Saixue hid outside the window, and Xiaoman wanted to climb onto the roof like Baozhu. However, her heavy body made her careless and she accidentally broke a tile.
Tiles crashed down from the roof with a clatter, startling everyone. A weak female voice came from inside the house: "Who is it?"
Sai Xue and Bao Zhu froze on the spot, while Xiao Man quickly lay down on the roof.
With a creak, the door opened from the inside, and a maid peeked out, looked around, and then withdrew, saying, "It's nothing, probably just a stray cat."
The weak female voice sighed and said softly, "It's come to this, even wild cats can bully me."
Baozhu quietly lifted a tile from the roof and peered inside.
The woman had just given birth yesterday, and the room was filled with a strong smell of blood, which made Baozhu feel uncomfortable. After holding her breath, she saw a cradle in the room with a baby girl sleeping inside, crying weakly.
The new mother lying on the bed was not approached, and the baby girl was left to cry. Only when the baby cried very hard did the new mother impatiently ask the maid to comfort her.
The baby girl was clearly hungry, and the maid had no milk, so how could she comfort her? She could only anxiously hold and soothe her, and then turned to the mother and said, "You don't have any milk either, so you should tell the young master to find a wet nurse."
"If I go and talk to him now, will he even listen to me?" The new mother wiped away her tears and sighed again.
The little monsters could see clearly that there was indeed a woman who had just given birth in the room, along with a baby girl, but not the boy that Sai Xue had mentioned.
Sai Xue was a little puzzled. She jumped onto the roof and whispered to Bao Zhu, "I don't think this is right."
Baozhu nodded, agreeing that it was indeed incorrect.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the mother and baby, but rather that there was another bloody smell in the room that mortals couldn't detect, but the monsters could clearly distinguish.
What's going on?
Baozhu gave her companions a reassuring look, then landed on the roof and looked around the small courtyard.
At the foot of the courtyard wall, Baozhu suddenly stopped, lowered her head and sniffed lightly, then waved to her companions, signaling them to come and take a look.
Three little demons gathered in this corner, sniffing incessantly.
Sai Xue looked up first and asked in surprise, "Why does it smell like a monster?"
“There’s a demonic aura about it,” Xiaoman confirmed.
“That’s right.” Baozhu stood up, leaned against the wall and looked outside. “This wall isn’t far from the main street.”
"Could it be that one of our compatriots switched the children?" Sai Xue exclaimed in shock. "What kind of fetish is this!"
"Anyway, let's follow them and see," Baozhu said.
“Look!” Xiaoman nodded.
Fortunately, they arrived early. This fellow countryman was not very clean either. A day later, the demonic aura was still very obvious. The three little demons followed the scent and came out of the Zhu mansion.
Following the demonic aura, they walked for only two streets before arriving at a large mansion. Baozhu looked up and saw two large characters written on the plaque above the entrance of the mansion—Yuan Mansion.
“This sounds familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere before.” Baozhu tilted her head and looked at Saixue.
“I’ve heard of that too.” Xiaoman also looked at Saixue.
Sai Xue stroked her chin, paced back and forth for a while, then suddenly looked up and said, "Isn't the pig-headed young master's wife surnamed Yuan?"
"Ah, it really was his wife who made it!" Baozhu exclaimed in surprise.
"But how does this have to do with monsters?" Xiaoman asked, puzzled.
"No matter what happened, this monster is now my number one enemy!" Sai Xue glared angrily at the plaque above the Yuan residence, rolling up her sleeves. "I'm going to find him and give him a good beating!"
Baozhu subtly sized up Saixue, paying particular attention to her stick-like arms. She exchanged a glance with Xiaoman, then coughed lightly and said, "Let's find him first."
The three little demons scaled the wall and sneaked into the Yuan residence. Following the demonic aura, they found the back room in the front courtyard. They knocked on the door of a courtyard partitioned off from the back room and waited with their hands on their hips for the demon inside to open the door.
As soon as the inner door opened, a middle-aged man with a refined appearance appeared before the demons. He was taken aback when he saw his three fellow demons with unfriendly expressions outside, and then cupped his hands and asked, "Who are you three?"
Relying on her strong physique, Xiaoman pushed forward, and the three little demons squeezed into the monster's courtyard.
"What are you doing? Didn't we meet at Granny Rat's place yesterday when we were drinking?" the middle-aged male demon exclaimed in surprise.
Baozhu and Xiaoman stood silently on either side of Saixue, glancing sideways at the male demon.
“Who has seen you? I didn’t see you yesterday. It’s all your fault! Hurry up and return the child you stole from that pig’s head!” Sai Xue jumped up and shouted.
"What child! I don't know anything about them!" The male demon exclaimed in alarm, denying it repeatedly.
"You still say you don't know? How many days has it been since you took a bath! The smell has been so strong for two days that we could smell it all over the Zhu family's house!" Sai Xue exclaimed, jumping up and down.
The male demon felt a pang of guilt and lowered his voice, saying, "That won't do. If we return it, Yuan Xiaonan will suffer."
The male demon explained to Baozhu and the others.
He is a dog demon named Suanpan. He has been working as an accountant in the capital for many years. Because he is very good at accounting, after he came to work for the Yuan family, he was treated as an honored guest by his employer and was treated very well.
Not only was a nice courtyard partitioned off for him in the front yard, but servants were also provided to attend to him, not to mention the money he received each year.
Suanpan also felt that the Yuan family treated him well, so this time, he worked for the Yuan family for more than 20 years.
Over the past twenty years, Young Master Yuan has become Master Yuan, and has had many children. Suanpan has personally taught each of his children how to do accounts.
Master Yuan had ten children in total. Among them, Suanpan liked Xiaonan the most. Xiaonan was the smartest. Whether it was arithmetic, bookkeeping, or checking accounts, Xiaonan was the most capable among the children.
He taught the little girl for several years, but one day, Master Yuan suddenly told him to stop teaching her.
Suanpan panicked and went to Master Yuan, saying that Xiaonan was clearly very talented, so why not let her continue learning? He could teach Xiaonan all his skills.
Master Yuan sighed and said to Suanpan, "No matter how smart Xiaonan is, she is still a girl and will get married. If she learns well, won't it just benefit her husband's family?"
Suanpan said, "Then let Xiaonan stay at home and not get married."
Master Yuan laughed and said, "The Yuan family has several boys; it's not yet time for the little girl to inherit the family business."
Suanpan wanted to ask Xiaonan again, but Xiaonan was already ready to get married. He couldn't even talk to her anymore and could only watch her leave the Yuan family with regret.
Later, Xiaonan came back a few times. At first, she seemed very happy, with a rosy complexion and a smile on her face. When Suanpan saw her, she respectfully called him Master, but she no longer mentioned learning accounting.
The abacus could only comfort herself; that's how ordinary women are. Ultimately, happiness for them lies in getting along well with their husbands.
But later, every time Xiaonan came home, her face showed even more worry.
Suanpan found out that because Xiaonan had given birth to three daughters, her husband's family and her husband were treating her badly.
When the little girl came back crying, Mrs. Yuan scolded her and told her to endure it for her daughter's sake.
Suanpan was very angry. He found Xiaonan and asked her if she needed her master to find her husband and vent her anger.
The little girl just shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes, and said to him that she still wanted to learn accounting from her master, asking if her master would still teach her.
Of course I'll teach her how to use an abacus, as long as she's willing to learn.
He secretly began teaching his daughter, who was now a married woman, and she learned quickly, just as clever as ever.
However, at the beginning of this year, Xiaonan became pregnant again.
She said to Suanpan with worry that if it was another girl, she didn't know how to explain it to the Zhu family. Several months later, Xiaonan did give birth to another girl.
At this point, Xiao Nan had a change of heart. She said to Suanpan, "Girls can also manage the family business. As long as they are well-educated, we can find them sons-in-law to live with us. It's the same."
She was pleased that she thought that way, as the dog demon had always believed that Xiaonan was the smartest of her siblings.
Not long after, Little T suddenly broke down and stopped studying with Suanpan. Suanpan was very anxious and coaxed her for a long time before she finally told Suanpan that her husband's mistress was pregnant. She had consulted a fortune teller and found out that it was a son who had already entered the family. If the child really gave birth to a boy, her four daughters would probably only receive one dowry and be married off at will.
The little girl said to the abacus, "I have learned a lot of skills, but I am not as good as a belly."
The little girl broke down.
Suanpan couldn't accept it, and he swore to God that he wouldn't let such a thing happen.
At this point, tears welled up in Suanpan's eyes.
"So you secretly switched that woman's child with a girl? Where did the original boy go?" Baozhu pressed.
“I’ve found a family that has many daughters but loves boys even more. They’re wealthy and won’t mistreat him,” Suanpan said.
"But you've ruined my life!" Sai Xue suddenly burst out, recounting how she had been imprisoned. "Did you have an affair with Miss Yuan, which is why you're helping her like this!"
Upon hearing this, Suanpan became even more furious than Biexue, and said hatefully, "I'm a demon! How could I be like a mortal, with my mind filled with such trivial matters? You're insulting me!"
"Then switch the two children back and clear my name!" Sai Xue shouted.
"No! How will Yuan Xiaonan live from now on!" The sound of the abacus was louder than the snow.
Baozhu, standing to the side, hesitated and said, "You switched the child to help Miss Yuan, but the woman who gave birth to the child is separated from her own child. I don't think she treats the girl you switched with well."
She paused for a moment, then added, "If the Temple of Strange People finds out about this, all the years you've spent living honestly in the capital will be ruined."
"Anyway, I will absolutely not switch it back!" Suanpan said, his eyes bloodshot.
"Well, you little devil!"
Enraged, Sai Xue lost her temper and punched the abacus.
Then, with a casual wave of the abacus, the entire demon was smashed against the courtyard wall and embedded in it.
"Snowflakes!" Baozhu and Xiaoman exclaimed.
"I'll beat up anyone who tries to stop me!" Suanpan was so angry that he became delirious and started talking nonsense.
Xiaoman angrily retorted, "You stinking monster!"
Having said that, he immediately stretched out his fist, as big as a sandbag, and began to fight the abacus hand-to-hand.
Despite his seemingly weak appearance, Suanpan was clearly more experienced in fighting than Xiaoman. When the two monsters fought, Xiaoman was hit three times before she could retaliate with one punch, and soon she was left with a bruised and swollen face.
After Baozhu pried Saixue off the wall, she saw Saixue on the ground with blood streaming from her nose, and when she turned around, she saw that Xiaoman had a big bump on her forehead.
For a moment, Baozhu's mind seemed to be ignited. She sneered, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "You think you can fight?"
Having said that, he chose an opportunity and joined the hand-to-hand combat.
When the three monsters started fighting, it became quite a scene. The ground shook violently in the courtyard, prompting a servant to come up and quietly knock on the door, asking, "Sir, is something the matter?"
The three monsters immediately stopped, and Suanpan, with blood streaming from his nose, shouted, "It's alright, I'm exercising, don't come any closer."
"Oh, then please be careful."
As soon as the servant left, trembling with fear, the three monsters inside resumed their fierce fight.
Finally, Xiaoman, despite being beaten up, got close enough to twist and lock the abacus. Baozhu jumped up, yelled, and swung her fist, punching the abacus in the face eighty-one times from top to bottom.
His brains were completely scrambled together, he rolled his eyes, and collapsed to the ground.
Baozhu spat out a mouthful of blood from biting her lip and mumbled, "Take him to see Granny Rat and see what we should do about this."
Xiaoman, with a head full of bumps, grunted and picked up the drowsy abacus from the ground with one hand, and with the other hand lifted Saixue, who was still seeing stars, and followed Baozhu out of the Yuan Mansion.
A few demons used their magic to sneak out of the capital city, blending into the crowd.
But once outside the city gate, Baozhu suddenly stopped moving.
"What's wrong?" Xiaoman asked.
"My leg is throbbing with pain, I can't move it," Baozhu said, her legs trembling.
The fight was so fierce that all three monsters lost their ability to move. Xiaoman had no choice but to revert to her original form and carry them to the millet garden.
The farmers on the outskirts of Beijing have certainly had their eyes opened today.
A cow was carrying a dog, the dog was carrying a fox, and the fox was carrying a cat. The four creatures were stacked on top of each other like a human pyramid, and in the blink of an eye, they flashed past the farmers.
"It must be a ghost," the farmers said, rubbing their eyes.
Xiaoman carried the three monsters on her back and trotted along. Soon they arrived at the millet garden. She asked the big rat at the gate to tell Granny Rat that they had important business with her.
The big rat relayed these words verbatim to Granny Rat, who was drinking tea, reading a storybook, and singing a little tune.
When Granny Mouse heard this, her heart sank, she leaned back, and couldn't continue singing her little tune.
She sat there for a while, then slowly put down the storybook in her hand.
After a long while, he slammed his cane into the ground and sighed, "Why am I not dead yet?"
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