The streets were deserted late at night. This streetwise person, a familiar figure in Bianjing, knew every alley in the capital by heart. After turning a few streets, Niwa searched his memory frantically. This must be the road to Feima Alley. He remembered that at the west end of Feima Alley was the Niu Family Oil Mill. The aroma of oil he had smelled last time must have wafted from this mill.
Sure enough, when they arrived near the oil mill, several people stopped, and then there was a knock on the door.
There were three short knocks and one long knock, probably a code. Then there was the sound of a wooden door opening with a creak.
The clay boy was pushed inside and after turning a few corners, he felt that he was being taken into a firewood hut.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before his blindfold was removed. It was the same room, the same mysterious man.
But unlike before, the mysterious man didn't speak this time. He simply looked at the clay doll coldly, as if he could see through the doll's heart.
The atmosphere seemed a little awkward and Niwawa felt a little nervous, which was not a good sign.
"Did you sell that test paper?" Finally, the mysterious man couldn't help but speak.
The clay doll nodded cautiously: "Sold it, sir."
“How much did it sell for?”
The clay doll held up three fingers and said, "Your Excellency, I followed your instructions and sold thirty thousand taels of silver. Here are the banknotes."
Niwa carefully took out 30,000 taels of silver from his arms. A big man next to him took the silver and handed it to the mysterious man in the light and shadow.
The mysterious man glanced at the banknote in his hand and asked, "Is this all you have?"
The clay boy's heart skipped a beat. People die for money, and birds die for food. But he gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, I will sell it for thirty thousand taels."
The mysterious man sneered, "You just held out three fingers, so I'll keep them for you. Chop off the rest!"
The big man next to him pushed the clay doll to the ground, pressed his fingers on the ground, and held an axe in his right hand as if to chop him.
The clay doll was so frightened that he cried out, "Master, please spare me! Please spare me, Master!"
The mysterious man's voice was still cold: "How dare you lie to me? You traded a full 50,000 taels of silver with Shen Feiyu of Shen's Cloth Shop at Gaosheng Inn. You are indeed a good business man, but you shouldn't have hidden it from me!" His tone became stern at the end.
The clay boy was trembling with fear. It was obvious that someone was monitoring him during the transaction. These people were too terrifying. If he were caught by the government, the people monitoring his transaction would immediately cut off all contact with him, and he would then take the blame for them. "Sir, sir, I dare not deceive you again. The total is, it is 50,000 taels of silver."
The mysterious man waved his hand, and the axe-wielding man stopped. The mysterious man held out his hand, but said nothing, implying that he should hand over the remaining twenty thousand taels.
The clay doll knelt on the ground and kowtowed desperately: "I deserve to die. I was bewitched by evil spirits. I left the other 20,000 taels of silver in my home."
"Hmph!" The mysterious man slapped his chair and stood up, winking at the big man next to him. The big man swung his fist as big as a vinegar jar and beat the clay doll violently.
How could the clay doll's kite-like body withstand such a beating? Soon it was lying on the ground, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood, and its body was unable to move.
The mysterious man walked over and stomped hard on the clay doll's back, making it difficult for him to breathe and almost squashing his internal organs. "Let him take you to get it!"
The big man beside him bowed and agreed, then threw a black cloth over the mud puddle's eyes. He grabbed the clay doll from the ground like an eagle catching a chick and said, "Take us to get the banknotes. If you dare to play tricks, I will bury you alive!"
Clay Baby knew that this business venture was over, and the scientific expedition would begin tomorrow. These people had already used him up, but he didn't know if they would just turn their backs on him.
Sure enough, the blindfolded clay doll saw from the movements of the mysterious man's shadow under his feet that the mysterious man made a gesture of wiping his neck to the big man, and the big man bowed and nodded.
Clay Baby felt a chill in his heart, his heart pounding with fear. It was all over, his life was gone this time, the other party was going to kill him to silence him.
Two big men outside were escorting the clay doll out. It was obvious that the other party felt that these two men were more than enough to deal with such a small-time thug.
Clay Baby was extremely panicked. He was no match for these two people. He couldn't escape even if he ran. He was lucky to find a way to save his life.
The three of them walked to the door of Zuixinglou, one step deep and one step shallow. The two big men had already peeled off the black cloth on the clay doll's face.
It was already late at night, at the hour of Yin, and the streets were quiet. Clay Boy forced a smile and said, "My two brothers, I've given you these twenty thousand taels of silver. Shall we continue our cooperation?"
A big, round-faced man said, "Stop talking nonsense! Hand over the banknotes first!"
Clay Boy saw that this man was stubborn and difficult to deal with. He turned to the other tower-like bearded man who had hit him and said, "My dear brothers, my home is in the ruined temple outside the city. I will take you there to get the banknotes. After I get the banknotes, I will thank you two very much."
Although the bearded man was cruel and ruthless, he was easier to talk to than the round-faced man: "Why are you thanking me?"
The clay doll bowed and said, "If you hadn't shown mercy just now, my bones would have been broken long ago. I still have a few hundred taels of silver left from last time. After I collect the silver notes, I will give each of you a hundred taels of silver as a filial gift."
The bearded man and the round-faced man exchanged a glance, greedy expressions on their faces. The bearded man smiled and said, "You still want to give me money as a filial gift? You are quite capable, you have earned hundreds of taels in just a few days."
The clay baby chuckled and said, "Let's make money together. I still have three hundred taels of silver left, so naturally I have to give two hundred taels to you two fathers."
The bearded man laughed heartily: "Second Tu, he said we were his fathers."
The clay kid smiled frivolously: "Aren't you two my fathers, Dad!"
The bearded man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Son, good son. As long as you hand over the 20,000 taels of silver, I will definitely not let you suffer any more."
Clay Boy panicked, thinking the other party was determined to kill him. But his expression remained calm: "Fathers, I'll take you to get the banknotes right away."
The round-faced man pushed him: "Stop talking! Get out of here!"
The clay boy wanted to lower his head into his crotch and said, "Dad, I don't know your full name."
The bearded man laughed and scolded, "I don't want you, my cheap son, to call me Grandpa. Anyway, it doesn't matter if I tell you. Remember, my surname is Lu, and your second uncle's surname is Tu."
The two men were very tight-lipped, and even though they were about to kill him, they still refused to reveal their names. All we knew was that the bearded man's surname was Lu, and the round-faced man's surname was Tu.
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