Firecrackers
"Li Bin... Li Bin... he was beaten up, hurry up! Go and save him!" The young man took a deep breath and said quickly,
"How did you get here?" Wen Jingzhao asked cautiously.
"My family also lives in this area. My name is Fang Qi. Fang Dalei in the backyard is my grandfather. Li Bin said that a relative also lives here. This house belongs to Uncle Wei San. Your family is the only one who has moved in recently." Fang Qi scratched his head and said anxiously, "I saw you in the military camp before. I was following Captain Ma and asked people about you! Oh no! If you don't leave now, Li Bin will really be beaten to death!"
"What's going on?" He Yingchun came out quickly. "What happened to Li Bin?"
It was cold outside, so he asked He Yingchun to go inside first. "Go back first. Why are you coming out wearing so little?" He went back inside and put on a thick coat. "It's okay. You and Mommy are eating at home. I have to go check on you."
"I'm going too! More people will help!" She quickly changed her clothes and ran out.
"Let's go, hurry up, and talk as we walk!" He Yingchun said anxiously.
Wen Jingzhao nodded and said, "Come on, Fang Qi, tell me in detail."
Fang Qi's forehead was covered with sweat. He wiped it and said, "We went to a noodle shop to eat noodles, but the gambling guys came to ask for money. We should have just paid the money, but those gambling guys found trouble and molested Madam Wang, the owner of the noodle shop, and forced her to sing a song. It would have been fine, but those guys... wanted to touch her. Li Bin couldn't stand it and took action. But there were some martial artists who were very strong and he couldn't beat them. Those gambling guys made him kneel down and... then I thought of you!" You have to have some skills to follow Lord Ma, right?
At this time, someone next door set off firecrackers, which exploded with a loud bang.
As long as it’s not the 15th day of the lunar month, there will always be people setting off firecrackers, day or night.
The three of them were startled. Wen Jingzhao stopped and said, "Fang Qi, go to the government and report it quickly. Say there's a group of strangers fighting."
"Ah? Where did this stranger come from? Is there anyone who can take care of this?" Fang Qi thought he would go to Captain Ma.
"Yes, you have to be quick!" Wen Jingzhao looked determined.
Fang Qi nodded, "Okay! Then I'll go!" He was not tall and ran very fast, and disappeared in a moment.
Wen Jingzhao asked He Yingchun, "Did you say that Big Beard was selling firecrackers that day?"
"Sell? Sell everything...you..." He Yingchun didn't react at first. After a second, she said, "You want to steal his firecrackers? Let him fight with those people?"
Wen Jingzhao did not deny it, "Let's go to the noodle shop and take a look first!" But he tended to think that the people in the gambling house did not dare to beat people to death. The gambling house only cared about money, so they wanted to teach Li Bin a lesson and would not let him go so easily.
The laws of the Sheng Dynasty set standards for the severity of injuries sustained in fights. Restaurants and drinking houses were considered public places, and the law prohibited fighting. Once discovered, the punishment was severe, including imprisonment and even caning. However, enforcement was not as strict as in the capital, especially for local tyrants like gambling houses. But Wen Jingzhao's inclusion of a stranger was quite cunning. This was a border area, and if a stranger joined the fight, who knew if he was going to provoke a war?
As for why it was firecrackers, the government has strict control over firecrackers and will pay special attention to anything related to this matter.
But there is a problem here: "They don't have any conflicts, do they?" He Yingchun asked.
They had already seen the noodle shop sign, and they quickened their pace.
“If there is no contradiction, create one.”
At this time, the noodle shop could be seen clearly. The tables, chairs and benches had been smashed to pieces. There was a group of onlookers gathered around, pointing and talking about something.
"Madam Wang, you have such a hard life! Wu Yong is such a bastard, he's in so much gambling debt that Madam Wang has to pay it off!"
"That's right! His family was doing so well before! This bet is really life-threatening!"
"Hey, who is that person? And he's helping Madam Wang? Could he be her lover?"
"You're such a jerk! You've eaten shit!"
…
He Yingchun squinted her eyes and saw Li Bin's current appearance. His head was stepped on by a very strong man. The man was saying something. Li Bin struggled to raise his head, but was stepped on again. Another group of people were pressing Wu Yong, and several people were forcibly dragging Madam Wang to the back.
Still alive!
He Yingchun and Wen Jingzhao looked at each other, "Do you remember where Big Beard is?" He Yingchun nodded. She had made two trips and spent 350 coins, so she remembered it clearly.
"Walk!"
The two men rushed to the bearded man's stall and covered their faces tightly with scarves.
Sure enough, the bearded man was still there. He had just cheated a group of people who came to buy spices and was happily counting their money!
There weren't many firecrackers available, and as a stranger he wasn't allowed to sell too many, so they were just casually placed on the side of the stall, making them easy targets for him.
"Buy perfume powder! How much?"
"200... 2 taels a box, fragrant and delicious..."
"Three, two, one, go!"
It was a very unusual day for Big Beard. He had just sold 200 wen worth of spices for 2 taels of silver and was just thinking about where to go for his evening fun when two masked men suddenly appeared from the sky and stole all his precious firecrackers and a box of incense powder! They ran off in a frenzy.
How can this be tolerated!
"You guys, stop right there!! Stop right there!! They're robbing me!! They're robbing me!!"
“Save my firecrackers!!”
He ran out of breath, "Stop right there... whoosh... whoosh!"
Finally, the two masked men turned a corner and entered a store with firecrackers. Pink powder flew all over the sky, and a strong fragrance came and lingered for a long time.
“It smells so good!”
"What does it smell like?"
"Wow! It smells so good!"
"What is that?"
Pink smoke floated in the air, like a dream shadow, extremely beautiful. The warm pink was like a soft cotton ball dancing in the air, floating lightly, hazy and blurred.
"Ah!! My perfume!! My perfume!!" The bearded man jumped up and down in anger and rushed into the noodle shop.
"Puff, puff, what's that? I'm choking to death! Who is it?"
"What's that smell? Ah...A-choo!"
"Where are the people? Where are the people?" Several people in the gambling house were sneezing because of the sudden scent of powder.
He waved his hand to scatter the incense powder, "Fuck! Where's the person?"
There was no trace of Li Bin under her feet. "You bitch! Did you make the perfume powder?" Madam Wang's arms were pulled and she was slapped.
"No, no, it's not me!"
"Give me back my incense powder! Give me back my firecrackers!!" What was being sprinkled was not incense powder, but Dorkeqileg's life!
With red eyes, he rushed forward and grabbed a man's neck. That man was the one who stepped on Li Bin. He was caught off guard and was attacked by the bearded man. He had to use a lot of effort to break free.
"Get out of here!"
"Give me back my incense powder!! Give me back my firecrackers!!"
"What incense powder? What firecrackers? You're ruining my business. I'll just..."
"The police are coming!" someone watching outside the door shouted.
Several men in dark red official uniforms walked in. "Are there foreigners fighting here?"
The people in the gambling house felt something was wrong and quickly smiled and said, "There's no stranger here! That's not the case!"
"Me! Sir! They stole my powder and firecrackers!" The bearded man rushed forward as if he had seen a savior. "They are extremely vicious! Their crimes are heinous! They are unforgivable! They deserve to die, Sir!"
"No, no! We don't know this person..."
"What is this?" The leading officer kicked a string of firecrackers under a stool, glanced around, and waved his hand, "Take them all away!"
On the other side,
He Yingchun and Wen Jingzhao helped Li Bin into the clinic.
"It's just a skin wound, stop the bleeding first!" The doctor in the clinic was named Xu, an old man with a white beard but no wrinkles on his face. He looked very skilled in medicine. He patted Li Bin, and Li Bin coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He Yingchun thought it was a blood clot and nodded, thinking that it would be fine after spitting it out.
Doctor Xu smiled awkwardly, "Sorry, I was too rough."
It took some effort, but fortunately the bleeding stopped.
He Yingchun and Wen Jingzhao were waiting outside, waiting to get the medicine.
She wondered, "How did you know the police could catch us? If we were a little slower, wouldn't we have been caught red-handed?"
Wen Jingzhao smiled and said, "I have my own magical powers."
He Yingchun laughed, obviously not believing it.
"It's just a coincidence, and a bit of luck." He Yingchun reluctantly agreed with this statement.
"What will they do with us next?" He Yingchun asked. Although the bearded man was a profiteer, he would not go to jail.
"Both the bearded man and the noodle shop were victims. If it were fair, the gambling house owner would be caned and ordered to pay compensation. If it were unfair, the bearded man would suffer in silence."
"The noodle shop should still be able to operate." He Yingchun felt sorry for Madam Wang. If she hadn't been dragged down, the noodle shop business would be booming and would not be in this state now.
"I hope so."
Wen Jingzhao carried Li Bin back home, and it was already evening when he returned.
"What's wrong?" He Yingchun asked Wen Jingzhao.
"It's okay. I was just thinking that it's the law of cause and effect. Li Bin carried me on his back in the same way before." Wen Jingzhao was talking about what happened during his exile.
"It's true. He saved you, and you saved him. Cause and effect..."
"Thank you...thank you..." Li Bin became aware of something.
"Are you awake? Don't talk yet, we'll be home soon." His voice sounded hoarse, like the sound of a saw.
"Woof woof woof!" "Woof woof woof!" Gesan cried out uneasily when he smelled the scent of a stranger.
"What happened to Li Bin?" Mom hurriedly helped Li Bin and sent him to the west wing.
Lying on the kang, Li Bin sighed, his body finally able to rest.
"I didn't expect that I would come here lying down after I said I would last time." He said self-deprecatingly.
He Yingchun handed him a bowl of warm water and he drank it all.
"Come on, just get some sleep and have a good rest after dinner."
"How did it get to this point!" Mom didn't even recognize that the man with a bruised face and nose was Li Bin.
Wen Jingzhao stayed, and Gesan entered the west wing. Behind Wen Jingzhao, he looked at Li Bin with some curiosity.
He Yingchun and her mother went to the main hall.
"Are you going to set up the stall tomorrow?" asked my mother after this happened.
"Go! Go set up the stall! We have to work harder today." Good or bad luck may come at any time, but whatever happens is a good thing.
"Wen Jingzhao! Remember to set off firecrackers tomorrow morning to celebrate Li Bin's safe and sound return!" He Yingchun was afraid that she would forget tomorrow morning, so she asked Wen Jingzhao to remember it.
"Okay." Wen Jingzhao nodded and he remembered it.
The third cockcrow sounded, first the sound of firecrackers exploding, followed by a series of crackling sounds.
I wish you a prosperous business, a thriving business, and a great opening!
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