That morning, it became cloudy and overcast. The wooden door of a mud house in the western suburbs of Puqi City was open. The male customer hurried in and threw a bag of soybeans in front of Wu Daode, who was smoking a hookah.
Wu Daode asked, what's the matter? Not sold?
The male customer said that I shouldn't have listened to you and mixed sand and soil into the good-quality soybeans. If someone finds that the bag of soybeans is not clean, they will not want it.
Wu Daode took a sip of hookah, smiled slyly, and said: Hu Xiangcai, don't you want to get rich? I asked you to add sand and soil to increase the weight of this bag of soybeans. As the weight increases, the value will naturally increase.
Hu Xiangcai said, but others are not fools, can they get away with it?
Wu Daode said, brother, you are too stupid. You have to speculate to get through.
Hu Xiangcai shook his head and said, "There is no opportunity to invest."
Wu Daode smiled coldly and said, then you have to wait for the opportunity. When many people are selling soybeans and the people in the Cao family are busy, you can go and sell this bag of soybeans mixed with some sand. You can get away with it. Because when people are busy, they tend to be careless in doing things and don't check so carefully.
Hu Xiangcai said in a "arrogant" tone, if there were not many people selling soybeans and the people in the Cao family were serious about this, I wouldn't be able to get away with it.
Wu Daode said, then you have to be honest, hide aside and pick out the dregs in the bag of soybeans, or pick them 70 to 80% clean, and you can sell them.
Hu Xiangcai turned his head and said, "I don't have the patience to pick the trash!" Alas, Angkor. Then he approached him and said, "Today I found Cao Yang from Caojia Winery carrying a bag of money to buy soybeans."
Wu Daode lowered his voice very sensitively, "You mean you want to ask me to get that bag of money?"
Hu Xiangcai nodded and smiled, that's right. I also want to invite Qian Wanguan, Wu Liangjin, Kan Nenglai, Xiang Laizao and Cai Wanmin to work together with us.
Wu Daode said that it was not necessary. Just the two of you and me can handle it. There are many people, but if the money earned is not much, the share will be small.
Hu Xiangcai said, that's true too. Was it theft or robbery?
Wu Daode looked cunning and calculating. He did not answer immediately. He pondered for a while before saying, "It depends on the situation."
Wu Daode put the hookah on the table, then went to the inner room and took out a dagger and waved it in front of Hu Xiangcai. He said that when the time comes, it would be better if he could steal the bag of money. If he couldn't steal it, he would use this to force the owner to hand over the bag of money.
Hu Xiangcai said, your idea is good! I also went home and took the dagger with me.
Wu Daode went into the house again, took a hat with holes drilled for dogs, put it on, and pulled down the brim of the hat until it covered his entire head, leaving only two holes for the eyes, which did not affect his vision. He also said to Hu Xiangcai, you should also get a dog-hole hat with two eye holes to cover your face so that the owner will not be recognized when you kidnap him. It would be troublesome if we recognized him, and we wouldn't be able to stay in this place for long. Maybe if something happens, the owner will report it to the police, and we might be in danger of being caught. So be careful in every move you make, and don't reveal any clues, otherwise Mr. Liang Shang's bowl of rice will come to an end.
Hu Xiangcai couldn't wait to ask, is it okay to move around midnight tonight?
Wu Daode replied, whether it is possible or not depends on finding out the situation clearly. You can go check it out during the day today! Let’s see where it is easier to get into Cao’s Winery.
Hu Xiangcai said excitedly, OK, I'll check out the spot in the afternoon.
At this moment, the Ghost Palace of Hades was eerie. Zhong Kui held a red pen in his hand, ticking the files of a batch of newly deceased ghosts one by one, and stamping them with the official seal of the palace. Several hookers standing nearby took the case files in turn.
A row of newly deceased ghosts knelt in front of the hall. After Zhong Kui distributed the case files, he waved towards the palace door, and several envoys gave knowing instructions: Come here. I saw a row of newly deceased ghosts immediately getting up and rushing out of the hall gate.
Several envoys bowed their hands to Zhong Kui one after another, and then walked out of the palace door.
The Yintang area between Zhong Kui's eyebrows suddenly opened a divine eye, shining with golden light. The golden light passed through the Yin and Yang world and hit the North Street of Puqi County directly. He looked carefully and couldn't help but be surprised.
Hu Qin was selling a cross-stitch of Zhong Kui catching ghosts to a female customer, and then embroidered another cross-stitch of Zhong Kui catching ghosts at his desk.
Zhong Kui shouted excitedly, "There are still people in the upper world who believe in my merits of catching and exorcising ghosts. Since I became the judge of the Yin and Yang worlds, I have no time to catch and drive out ghosts for the people in the upper world. I'm ashamed!" Ashamed!
That afternoon, there was a different scene outside Caojia Winery in Puqi County. Customers were walking into the door of Caojia Winery from outside carrying loads of soybeans.
Hu Xiangcai observed furtively outside the Cao family winery. The courtyard wall was two meters high and surrounded the houses of the Cao family. Except for the archway gate in front, there was no other back door or side door to enter. This kind of enclosed The top edge of the courtyard wall is still strewn with broken glass shards as sharp as blades, and they are shining with cold light.
Hu Xiangcai set his sights on a locust tree near the courtyard wall in the north. Rows of Ming and Qing-style houses also stand outside the courtyard wall, as if forming a larger circle of city buildings. The gaps in between naturally form a series of connected alleys. On the other side of the alleys are shops with no end in sight. Busy and lively.
Hu Xiangcai saw that there were very few people walking around in this section of the alley. He suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged the locust tree and climbed up. He only climbed to half a meter high before jumping down.
In Caojia Winery, business is booming. Cao Hongyou was busy weighing the customers who were selling loads or bags of soybeans.
Cao Yang held a money bag and came over to look at the scale. After verifying that it was correct, he picked up a woolen brush and wrote down something in the open account book on the table.
Customers weighed them one by one, picked loads or bags of soybeans into the storage house, and poured them onto the drying mats spread on the ground. The purchased soybeans have been piled into the shape of a pagoda, getting higher and higher, and are only one meter away from the roof of the wooden building.
When customers carrying empty baskets or bags come out of the house, they can receive the coins they deserve from Cao Yang and leave with satisfaction.
Hu Xiangcai walked slowly in the courtyard of Caojia Liquor House, clearly seeing the scenes of customers selling soybeans. Cao Hongyou, Cao Yang and his son, who were busy buying soybeans, had not noticed him yet.
That night, the remote corner of Puqi City shrouded in haze was unusual. At that time, Hu Xiangcai and Wu Daode pulled down the brim of their dog-hole hats and covered their faces, becoming masked men.
The two of them came out of the north alley one after another and walked to the entrance of the archway of Caojia Winery. Seeing that the iron gate was locked, they went straight to the locust tree where the streetlights were dim.
Hu Xiangcai raised his head and took a look, then whispered, Angkor, you can't climb over the courtyard wall directly, the edge of the wall is full of broken glass, be careful of getting hurt. Wu Daode was stunned for a moment and then asked, how to climb over the wall? Hu Xiangcai replied, you can do whatever I want to do.
Hu Xiangcai stretched out his hands and hugged the locust tree pole and climbed up. When he climbed higher than the courtyard wall, he stepped on the courtyard wall with his feet wearing blue cloth shoes, and the broken glass above was crunched. Hu Xiangcai looked back in the dim night and saw Wu Daode climbing the locust tree, so he jumped into the yard. About a few minutes later, Wu Daode also jumped into the yard.
Suddenly, Hu Xiangcai, who was lurking in the night, stood in the courtyard and shouted: Catch the thief——
Wu Daode asked in horror, "I want money, what's wrong with you?" Why doesn't my voice sound like yours?
It turns out that Zhong Kui, who has supernatural powers, sensed that something was wrong, so he came from the underworld, met Hu Xiangcai, and became possessed by Hu Xiangcai, and he became possessed by Zhong Kui. At this moment, Zhong Kui replied loudly, I don't want to make money, I am Zhong Kui who catches ghosts. I am not catching ghosts tonight, but specifically catching thieves... catching thieves——
Wu Daode was so frightened that he turned around and ran to the courtyard wall, but he could not get over it.
Zhong Kui chased Wu Daode and shouted: Catch the thief——
Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard wall one after another, and some people echoed the cry of people catching thieves inside the courtyard wall: Where is the thief?
Wu Daode couldn't jump over the courtyard wall, so he knelt down and kowtowed in front of Zhong Kui's possessed body. Then he lowered his voice, "Grandpa Zhong Kui, please spare my life!" Please don't scream, I won't be a thief anymore, let me run for my life, right? !
Zhong Kui possessed him and shouted loudly, "It's not that good."
Wu Daode kept kowtowing like a chicken pecking at rice, and begged in a low voice, please spare me! I haven't started stealing yet, give me a chance to admit my mistake!
Zhong Kui's possession was touched and he said, "You must swear to God that you will not be a robber from now on. If you become a robber and turn into a pig in the next life, I will let you go."
Wu Daode got up and said respectfully, okay! I swear to God that I will never be a robber from now on. If I am a robber, I will turn into a pig in the next life.
After Zhong Kui possessed him and ordered him to recite it three times, Hu Xiangcai woke up. He heard someone shouting loudly inside and outside the courtyard: "Catch the thief..." He wanted to run away, but he could not climb out of the high wall courtyard.
Wu Daode hurriedly pushed Hu Xiangcai towards the courtyard wall, then jumped on his shoulders, grabbed the upper edge of the courtyard wall, raised his legs and stepped up, his hand was pricked by the glass fragments, and he also Ignoring the pain, he stretched out his hand to bring Hu Xiangcai up from the courtyard wall and climbed over the courtyard wall together, and escaped like a ghost.
The door to the other side of the courtyard opened. Cao Hongyou, Cao Yang, and servants were holding machetes, wooden sticks, fire forks and other instruments and rushed to the courtyard to look for the thief. However, no cries for catching the thief were heard at this time, and silence returned to the courtyard. .
Hu Qin followed Cao Yang with a lantern, and first walked to the door of the room where the soybeans were stacked. He saw that the door was locked well and there was no trace of movement.
