Chapter 27: Catching the thief is as good as kneading dough...
Li Dabing came back two days ago.
He had taken some money from his family during the New Year's holiday, intending to turn over a new leaf and start a business in Bianliang. He hadn't anticipated the more varied gambling options at the tile houses in Bianliang. He simply wanted to try his luck...win a couple of rounds, and then leave.
After just two tries, he was indeed lucky and won more than ten strings of cash. Even the lady who served the soup and wine looked up to him and called him "Sir" in a gentle voice.
Money came so quickly. The shopkeeper in the tile shop was also a good person to get along with. Even if he lost the bet, he would still pay him back first.
But after a while, his luck suddenly became worse and the shopkeeper's appearance also changed.
How come he owes so much money again?
Owing money in Bianliang was even more punishing than in Pingjiang Prefecture. He had seen people who owed only a few dozen strings of cash chop off their hands on the spot, which frightened him so much that he fled back to Pingjiang Prefecture overnight.
Knowing he also owed money, he couldn't afford to show up. So, while on the boat, Li Dabao sneaked into the room where the pigs and sheep were transported and hid in a haystack for three days. When the deed was to be inspected, he managed to escape by hiding in a wooden barrel used for pig and sheep manure.
The buckets of pig and sheep manure that came off the boat were taken away by porters and sold to farmers as fertilizer. Who would have thought that there could be people hiding in the manure?
By the time Li Dadan got off the car secretly at night, his skin was all blistered.
He felt filthy and uncomfortable here, but he saw that the lady at home was dressed in fancy clothes, and he didn't know when a prostitute appeared by her side, and he went to his shop for three consecutive days!
He was so angry, but he couldn't show up. He was hungry and smelly, so he could only secretly go home to get some silver and money.
Unexpectedly, his wife had saved quite a bit of money. At night, he saw the flames rising to the sky and smelling so good that he was so greedy that he climbed over the wall.
His wife's skill in roasting meat was still so good, and she had saved quite a bit of money. If he didn't take some, wouldn't that prostitute have swindled it all?
He didn't know when someone had entered the neighbor's shop. The wall was low before, and he was used to climbing over it. But he didn't know there were broken tiles on top, which caused him to accidentally step on his foot and fall.
Now he went into the shop again to get the money, but he saw that the big earthenware jar beside the bed was sealed tightly. He was afraid of waking up the mother and daughter if he broke the jar, so he could only hold the jar and climb over the wall.
It was fine when I came in, but it slipped a lot when I was climbing over the wall to go out.
Li Dabing stumbled with one hand and accidentally fell down with the clay pot. The clay pot shattered on the ground and he fell on his butt again.
Before he could rub it twice, he heard a "swish" and his yard was lit up as bright as day.
"I want to see who is the shameless thief who came to rob Ping's house.
Jin from the soup noodle shop rushed in holding a broom, followed by many neighbors.
Uncle Li who sold bamboo weaving, Aunt Zhang who sold fruits, Zhang Renbai who took the rolling pin from Miss Wei...even the shopkeeper Liu who was far away from the grocery store, were moved by the noise.
They all heard from Miss Wei that Aunt Zhao's house seemed to have been robbed. A thief climbed over her wall last night. She thought that after he got his way today, he would come again. She also asked the neighbors to help catch the thief.
The shop was supported by four people including the Wei family. Sometimes, not only would they send them snacks, but her grandmother, Granny Wang, would also kindly mend their clothes or embroider something on them, making them look better than new ones. Sister Qi and Sister Ling were also very popular.
Not to mention the orphan and widow Zhao Xiangping.
God have mercy on me, who would want to steal from these two homes?
The brave neighbors all got their weapons, some hid in water tanks, some hid in stoves, some hid at the doorsteps, and they hid in every possible place in the two shops.
No matter which shop the thief chooses, they will rush out and teach him a lesson!
Several torches illuminated the thief's posture clearly, which shocked everyone.
"Oh my God! Isn't this Li Dadan?"
Uncle Li was the first to see the man's face clearly. He was so shocked that he almost jumped up, and then he was furious. "You are such a worthless killer, how dare you come back? You are even trying to imitate others by climbing over the wall and stealing!"
"Damn Li Dadan!"
Jin held the broom, shaking with anger, the broom nearly poking Li Dabing in the face. "A dog will never change its nature! Ping finally escaped from your hellhole and made her delicatessen shop a thriving business. And you, a wicked man with a black heart and rotten lungs, want to come back and steal again? Are you even human?"
Aunt Zhang shook her head, looking at Li Dabing groaning on the ground, her tone heavy, "Dangda, you've really brought shame upon our Tianqing Temple! Half a year ago, you took all the money in the shop and Ah Ping's belongings and ran away, causing her so much suffering. If she hadn't gritted her teeth and persevered on her own, and if the neighbors hadn't helped her, how could she be here today? You, a heartless wretch, how dare you come back and cause trouble!"
Li Dabing had no idea that so many people were waiting for him. He wanted to pick up the money on the ground and run away, but when he looked down, he found that the broken clay pot was full of stones and flour. The oil splashed from the wall and the flour in the clay pot splashed all over his face.
The evidence that he stole the money was confirmed on the spot.
In a flash he understood.
It was obvious that this was an attempt to lure him into a trap. This woman conspired with others to harm him!
Before Li Dabing could get impatient and curse Zhao Xiangping, the grocery store owner Liu squeezed to the front. His beard was shaking with anger, and he held high a piece of paper with curled edges in his hand.
"Li Dadan, you bastard, look at this! Before you ran away, you came to my shop and said you needed money urgently, and you owed me five strings of cash on credit. This is written in black and white, this red handprint, it was you who pressed it, right? It's been half a year! I won't even settle the interest with you, so how long do you plan to keep refusing to pay the principal? You're letting Ah Ping take the blame for you?"
Upon discovering that the thief was Li Dabing, Manager Liu rushed back to the shop and took back the receipt without even taking a breath.
"You still owe money to the neighbors?"
Zhao Xiangping wiped her tears with a handkerchief and held Meng Ge'er in her arms, "I really regret it!"
Manager Liu never told her about the debt, and he often came to her house to buy pickled duck to take care of her business.
"Don't cry, mother."
Meng Ge'er stood on tiptoe and wiped Zhao Xiangping's tears with his hands, "Don't cry from now on, mother. You look beautiful when you smile."
When Li Dabing saw Meng Ge'er, he felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He thought Meng Ge'er could speak for him in front of the neighbors, so he stretched out his hand and beckoned, "Meng Ge'er, come to Daddy. Didn't you like playing with Daddy in the past?"
Meng Ge'er stared at him with tears in his eyes, took two steps back, and snuggled into Zhao Xiangping's arms, grabbing Zhan Ziming who was standing beside him.
Li Dabing was publicly exposed for his ugly act of climbing over the wall to steal, and his old debts to the neighbors were also dug up. Furthermore, he fell in public and was in great pain all over. He was covered in oil and flour, and even his son disowned him.
He saw Meng Ge'er holding Zhan Ziming's hand, and saw his wife standing beside him in bright clothes.
So that’s it, so that’s it!
"Zhao Xiangping, you bitch! I've only been out for half a year, and you've teamed up with this fair-skinned woman to plot against me? You two, a pair of dogs, I..."
With a "slap", a slap came up and hit Li Dabing's face, and half of his face swelled up immediately.
"My dear, you are indeed very strong in kneading dough."
Zhang Renbai tucked the rolling pin under his arms, and he and Wang Qiuping each covered Wei Fuqiu and Wei Fuling's ears to prevent them from hearing the dirty words.
"Who the hell are you?"
Li Dabing was stunned for a moment, and after seeing Wei Jinyun's appearance clearly, he became more and more frightened. He wanted to jump up and fight back, but was kicked by Zhan Wenxing on the spot.
"What are you doing? This is the person our Lord Lu mentioned as a regular reward. Lord Lu said he has to come in person to deliver the reward money, and we can't let him go empty-handed."
Wei Jinyun glanced at Zhan Wenxing gratefully and said cheerfully, "Thank Lord Lu for me. He is truly the pride of the people of Pingjiang Prefecture."
Then he stared at Li Dabing with a stern look.
Zhan Wenxing clamped Li Dabing's hands, and when he looked up, he saw that Miss Wei's expression changed on the spot.
Is this a bit too fast?
"First, you climbed the wall at night with the intention of stealing from Li Ji Cooked Food Store. The neighbors present were witnesses. You were covered in grease and powder, and there were footprints on the ground where you had stepped over. This is physical evidence, irrefutable."
"Secondly, you and Zhao Xiangping were officially divorced, and the divorce documents are still in place. Your relationship with her is over. Zhao Xiangping has been self-reliant and has maintained a clean record. It is you, a despicable villain, who has slandered her with lies."
"Third, you owe Manager Liu five strings of silver, which I have a written receipt and a red deed to prove. If you don't pay it back, Manager Liu will sue you, and you will definitely be thrown into jail."
"cough."
Wei Fuqiu coughed loudly on the spot.
Wei Jinyun only felt a chill on his back despite the scorching heat.
"Hey, what the book says is good."
Wei Jinyun laughed a few times and turned to Zhan Ziming, who was not far away. "Tell me, am I learning correctly, Master Zhan?"
Wei Jinyun returned to Wei Fuqiu dejectedly, bent down and kissed her on the cheek.
"Sister, don't try this."
Wei Fuqiu chuckled, "Sister Ling."
"We will all sleep with sister tonight. Tomorrow's breakfast will be fried dumplings and sister will have gentian porridge. Is that okay, sister?"
"...My bed is small."
"Fourth."
Zhan Ziming was stunned for a moment, then continued on the spot, "Fourthly, you just spoke evil words, openly insulting Zhao Xiangping, slandering her chastity, and defaming my character. It is extremely bad to slander a decent woman and scholar in public... Adjutant Zhan, count this person's crimes."
"He shall be caned with eighty strokes of the cane, lashed with forty lashes, and then lashed with a hundred strokes of the cane, and then humiliated for three days."
Zhan Wenxing raised his head and asked, "Shopkeeper, are you going to sue him?"
"tell!"
The sound broke the sky.
"This adjutant has also heard that you have a lot of foreign debts. I don't know whether those people will sue you. We can only sort it out after the investigation and the verdict."
Zhan Wenxing scratched his head. "Since Lord Lu took office, there have been very few cases of multiple crimes being punished together."
Moreover, according to my brother's temperament and his current expression, I have to read the Song Dynasty Law a thousand times and add to it any clause that is relevant.
After hearing the words "attempted theft", "multiple punishments", "a hundred strokes of the cane, and shackles", Li Dabing felt like the sky was falling and he only hated why he came back.
It hurts so much to be hit with that stick, but he doesn't want to go to jail!
"No, no, I don't want to go to jail, I don't want to be beaten with a stick, I don't want to wear shackles!"
Li Dabing suddenly struggled out of Zhan Wenxing's grasp, tears instantly covering his entire face. His red eyes stared at Zhao Xiangping, who was being protected by Zhan Ziming, with tears in her eyes.
"Ping Niang, Ping Niang, my dear wife!"
Li Dabing used his hands and feet to try to crawl towards Zhao Xiangping, ignoring Zhan Wenxing's grip, but he was held down tightly. He could only look up with tears and snot streaming down his face.
"I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Every mistake is my fault! I'm not a human! I'm a beast! I'm a damned bastard!"
While crying and wailing, he actually swung his dirty hands covered with putty and slapped himself hard left and right.
The resounding, crisp slaps were particularly harsh in the silent courtyard. He struck himself hard, each blow landing squarely on his face. Oil and flour splattered everywhere, and his already battered face instantly became red and swollen, with blood even seeping from the corners of his mouth.
"Ping Niang, you can hit me and scold me all you want, but as long as you calm down, I only ask you to forgive me this time for the sake of our relationship as husband and wife, and for Meng Ge'er's sake!"
He cried so hard that he was hoarse, tears streaming down his face, and God felt pity for him.
Seeing Zhao Xiangping reaching out to wipe away her tears, he shouted even more fiercely, "Meng'er, my Meng'er is only seven years old, he can't live without a father! Ping Niang, think about Meng'er, when he grows up and knows that his father is imprisoned, how will he live his life!"
"I beg you, Pingniang, my dear wife, we've been married for a hundred days. Tell them, tell the officials, that I'm a bastard, that I'm ignorant... that we were just arguing and playing around. Please don't arrest me! Don't sue me. I kowtow to you, I kowtow to you!"
Li Dabing was completely desperate. He took advantage of Zhan Wenxing's momentary unpreparedness and broke free from his restraints.
With a "bang", his forehead hit the hard bluestone slab heavily.
Then came the second knock, the third knock...the knock was fast and loud, like pounding garlic.
"Please, my lady! Please forgive me. I will definitely change in the future! I will repay you by working like a slave. I will be your farmhand! I don't want a penny of wages! I just beg you not to let me go to jail! Don't let Mengge lose his father... I won't gamble anymore! I really won't gamble anymore!"
He kowtowed frantically, crying and begging incoherently, and soon the skin on his forehead was broken.
Zhao Xiangping shed silent tears and walked up to Li Dabing.
"Li Dadan, I'm tired of your tricks."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she smiled. "Marriage? It ended long ago when you took the money and left us alone. How dare you mention Meng Ge'er? Did you think of him when you were gambling? Did you think of him when you stole money? When you cursed me with those dirty words just now, did you think of him standing right there... I, Zhao Xiangping, have already divorced you. As for Meng Ge'er, he will only be named Zhao in the future, not Li."
Li Dabing was completely stunned.
When did his extremely soft-hearted wife become like this?
This method of his had always worked best on her. He raised his eyes to look at her, but only saw her cold eyes.
Only half a year had passed, and she seemed to have become so unfamiliar that he didn't recognize her.
"Yes, I'm sorry..."
Li Dabing wanted to stretch out his hand, but was clamped back by Zhan Ziming, and finally collapsed to the ground.
Zhan Ziming frowned, "Adjutant Zhan, the law is as strong as a mountain and does not tolerate personal feelings. This man slandered me in public, tried to use family ties to coerce people, and then disturbed the public. His crime is even more serious! Arrest him immediately and take him back to the government jail."
"Got your order, take him away!"
Zhan Wenxing dragged Li Dabing, who was completely limp and had a dazed look in his eyes, like a dead dog.
He turned around and looked at Zhao Xiangping again, only to see her back, unwilling to even look at him.
Qingyi is graceful.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, shining brightly, and he was in a trance for a moment.
He suddenly remembered an afternoon many years ago.
Beside the arch bridge stood a woman dressed in green, feeding fish from a bamboo basket. He had just finished carrying his cargo and disembarked from the boat. He looked up and saw the woman's beautiful features, remarkably reminiscent of a blue carp he had just spotted at the stern.
The duckweed swayed gently and the green carp swam in the water. He was mesmerized by the sight.
"Have you seen enough?"
"Yes, I'm sorry..."
Later, he often went under the arch bridge just to see Qingli smile.
Later...
Later, the blue carp was caught in the fishing net and struggled until its back was covered with scales. Finally, it bit through the fishing net and left.
"Thank you very much."
Zhao Xiangping wiped away all the tears on her face and hugged Meng Ge'er, whose eyes had just been covered by Zhan Ziming, back into her arms.
The neighbors looked at each other in bewilderment. They didn't even dare to breathe after what had just happened. They had only ever heard of Li Dabing kneeling down to beg for mercy, but today they saw him being so shameless.
"A Ping, it's okay, it's all over."
Jin was the first to step forward and pat Zhao Xiangping on the back to comfort her.
"That's natural."
Zhao Xiangping breathed a sigh of relief and laughed heartily. "To thank you all for helping me catch the thief, I'll treat you to braised duck tomorrow. The fattest ones are first come, first served!"
There was a sudden burst of laughter in the yard, and when they left, they were still discussing when would be the best time to get up tomorrow.
When Zhan Wenxing finally returned home yawning, he saw his brother bringing back two braised ducks and two braised geese.
"Brother, I have sores in my mouth from eating so much."
"Make a pot of chrysanthemum tea and continue eating."
The next morning, Wei Jinyun opened her eyes to find her sisters sitting by her bed, watching her, as if afraid she'd escape. During the night, the two of them had squeezed her in the middle, even adding two winter melons to squeeze her even flatter.
This is too annoying.
But she likes it very much.
"Sister is awake."
Wei Fuling pulled her downstairs and said, "Hurry up and wash up, and have some soup."
"That's not necessary, Sister Ling, I just stood up, can't you let me take my time?"
Wei Jinyun rubbed his eyebrows, feeling sorry for him.
After Wei Jinyun finished washing up quickly, Wei Fuqiu raised her hand and handed today's medicinal soup to her. Along with the soup, there was also a plate of fried dumplings with the shells at the bottom fried to the perfect temperature and icy patterns on them.
"Isn't it gentian porridge?"
Wei Jinyun took a sip of the winter melon, barley and old duck soup, and then chewed a piece of the juicy and burnt rice dumpling, feeling extremely refreshed.
"That slap from my sister was so satisfying."
Wei Fuqiu poured some vinegar into a small bowl for her, "So we decided to reward sister with a bowl of delicious wine."
"Sister, is it delicious? Sister Qi and I went to Shantang to buy it early this morning. There was a long line at this fried dumplings stall."
Wei Fuling was holding Yuanbao, rocking back and forth on a rattan chair beside her. "It seems like she can't sleep."
Wang Qiulan picked mulberry leaves to feed the silkworms. "A little while after daybreak, Meng Ge came to call them out and brought a small nest for Yuanbao."
Wei Jinyun looked in the direction Wang Qiulan pointed and saw a duck feather nest in the corner besides the bamboo basket she had bought for Yuanbao from Changmen. Yuanbao's nest must have been made of feathers Meng Ge'er had gathered from ducks and geese and had Zhao Xiangping sew it around for him.
I heard from my two sisters that they only wanted to see him for Yuanbao.
"You sleep better than us, Master Yuanbao."
Wei Jinyun rubbed Yuanbao's head and said, "In the future, I will rely on you to bring wealth and treasure..."
She played with the ingot for a while, then stood up and said, "The clay stove is already burning through. I'll make you some egg yolk pastry today."
Her two younger sisters kept saying good things about her, but they still loved her very much in their hearts.
Winter melon, barley and old duck soup tastes really good.
I hope that gentian porridge will not be distributed tomorrow.
There were no salted egg yolks available at the moment, so Wei Jinyun went to the market and, in addition to buying some pickled ones, also brought back a basket of round duck eggs.
While Wei Jinyun prepared egg yolk pastries, Wang Qiulan pickled duck eggs. The washed and drained eggs were rolled in a slurry of wood ash and salt. The ash was sieved extremely finely and mixed with just the right amount of water, leaving it moist and sticky. After carefully wrapping the eggs, leaving no air pockets, they were placed in a ceramic jar.
On Wei Jinyun's side, the stove must be lit with firewood first. The egg yolk pastry does not need to be roasted over high heat like the crispy pork belly. It only needs to be cooked over low heat with residual heat.
She cracked the duck eggs in the bowl, leaving only the plump yolks, added two spoonfuls of autumn dew tea, and simmered them in the stove for a cup of tea.
She was used to making the pastry and dough, and was already very adept at it. However, just as she had kneaded them and let them rest, and scooped the cooled red bean paste into the bowl, she realized something was missing.
Where's her rolling pin?
As a pastry chef, the rolling pin is lost.
Wei Jinyun thought for a while and appeared at the door of Zhang's Stationery Store.
"Good morning, Miss Wei."
Zhang Renbai was leaning against the counter drinking tea. Seeing Wei Jinyun, he straightened his back immediately. He took a sip of tea gracefully and calmly. "You came so early. Is there something you want to talk to Zhang about?"
"Mr. Zhang."
In Zhang Renbai's expectant eyes, Wei Jinyun slowly said, "Can you return the rolling pin to me?"
"Okay, okay."
Zhang Renbai was choked by the chrysanthemum tea.
When Wei Jinyun picked up the rolling pin and stepped out of the door, he saw Zhao Xiangping standing next to the shop with a bench to pick up the banner.
Meng Ge'er helped her hold the stool, using almost all his strength.
"Miss Wei, I've left you the largest half of the goose. Please take it yourself. I'm busy."
The yellowed and curled banner of "Li's Cooked Food" was pulled by Zhao Xiangping and fluttered down from the sky.
He originally went to get a rolling pin, but when he entered the shop, he had half a roasted goose in his hand.
"I'll weigh two more kilograms of chrysanthemums when I go out."
Wang Qiulan took the half fat goose and said, "If you eat this every day, you will definitely get heartburn. Ah Ping is too polite."
Cut the rested dough into small pieces, wrap the dough with oil pastry, and roll it into the shape of an ox tongue, repeating the process several times. Wrap the inside with egg yolk filled with red bean paste, and use your fingertips to push upward along the edges to form a glutinous rice ball. Finally, brush it with egg wash and roll in some white sesame seeds.
The temperature in the clay stove was already just right. Wei Jinyun squatted down and placed thirty egg yolk pastries on two ceramic pans and brought them in.
Wei Fuling sat by the clay stove, staring intently, and would ask every now and then, "Are you ready yet, sister?" Wei Fuqiu squatted in the yard, playing with Yuanbao, muttering, "The stove is so hot, it must have made you faint."
After waiting for two quarters of an hour, even Wang Qiulan had marinated all the salted eggs. Wei Jinyun finally opened the stove and used bamboo tongs to pick out the egg yolk pastries one by one and placed them on a plate.
The freshly baked egg yolk pastry is still hot, and the pastry will fall off with just a light touch of tongs.
The sisters sat at the table, waiting for their elder sister's order, and only started eating after the food cooled down slightly so as not to burn their mouths.
"Yuanbao, this looks so much like you."
Yuanbao was also dizzy from the fragrance and rolled around under the table.
The egg yolk pastry, served on a plate, resembled plump gold ingots. Its crust was baked to a translucent golden color, and if you looked closely, you could see the layers of pastry. The sesame seeds on the top were distinct and toasted to a slightly yellowish hue.
"Eat it."
Wei Fuling received instructions from her sister and couldn't wait to take a bite.
The crispy texture of the pastry that melts between your teeth is different from the fried lotus pastry.
The egg yolk was fragrant, the red bean paste was dense and sweet, and even the sesame seeds on top were fragrant. The pastry got on her hand and fell onto the table and floor, where Yuanbao poked his head out to taste it.
"Sister, are you selling this today?"
Wei Fuqiu ate it in small bites, melting the red bean paste and egg yolk bit by bit on the tip of her tongue.
“It will be more expensive if we do a tasting.”
Wei Jinyun wrapped a few egg yolk pastries in oil paper and called out to the head that popped in from the shop door.
"Adjutant Zhan?"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: One can run a good shop by himself.
I ordered some egg yolk pastry to eat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
