On that day, Xindian Ancient Town was bustling with activity. The streets are all paved with bluestones, so they are called Stone Street.
Cheng Shijie was walking on the bustling stone street, and occasionally asked strangers where Qian Wanguan Trading Company was. The stranger would raise his hand and point to the corner of the street in front of him. He hurried over and carefully looked at the several storefronts on the corner of the street. , clearly not seen.
Cheng Shijie asked a stranger again, and after his guidance, he walked a few dozen meters along the street on the left, and finally saw a signboard hanging across the top of a gatehouse, which read: Qian Wagguan Trading Company in five large characters.
When he arrived at the door of Qian Wanguan Trading Company, Cheng Shijie saw an empty counter against the wall inside the door, and a young man with a crew cut was sweeping the floor with a broom.
Cheng Shijie lowered his voice and said, hello, are you Qian Waguan?
The young man said, I am not Qian Wanguan, I am his brother Qian Wanhu. What do you want from him?
Cheng Shijie hesitated for a moment and then told me, I am Cheng Shijie, the son of Cheng Wanli in Chengjiazhuang. My father has something to say to your brother. Where is your brother?
Qian Wanhu said, your father has something to say to my brother, can you tell me? After he came, I told him.
Cheng Shijie was stunned for a while and said, I don't know what my father wants to say to your brother. He didn't tell me, he just asked me to invite your brother to my house, and he would naturally tell your brother.
Qian Wanhu said that my brother has purchased a new store, this is this business, and is now asking Liu Xiucai from Shiban Street Academy to write a rental notice. Maybe he will come in a while. As he said this, he placed the broom against the wall, put a chair at the door and said, "Please sit down."
Cheng Shijie said thank you and did not sit down immediately. Instead, he lingered at the door for a while before sitting down.
Cheng Shijie sat there for about half an hour, chatting with Qian Wanzhuo who was still wiping his hands. When he saw that Qian Wanzhuo hadn't come yet, he was about to leave.
Suddenly, Qian Wanhu raised his hand and pointed: Look, my brother is here. elder brother--
Cheng Shijie looked in the direction of his finger. A slightly taller man who looked very similar to Qian Wanhu came swaggering over with a tube-shaped paper roll in his hand. He was Qian Wagguan. Qian Wanguan also saw the stranger Cheng Shijie, and Hu deliberately asked Qian Wanhu, "What's the matter?" He had already reached the door of the trading house and looked at Cheng Shijie.
Qian Wanhu said to Cheng Shijie in front of his brother, "Ask him what happened."
Cheng Shijie stood up immediately, smiled and asked, are you Brother Qian?
Qian Wagguan said, I am Qian Wagguan, what do you want from me?
Cheng Shijie said, thank you very much. A few days ago, my father fell into a coma while lying on the farm in the field. If you hadn't sent a letter to my mother, what happened to my father would have been unimaginable.
Qian Wagguan said, that is what he should do and there is no need to thank him. Seeing that Cheng Shijie was empty-handed and didn't bring any gifts as a reward, he frowned and asked politely, "How is your father?"
Cheng Shijie said, my father is fine. Three days later, he woke up and we told you about your rescue. After hearing this, he said he had something to tell you. It seemed to be something more important, but he didn't say it to me. He asked me to invite you to my home and he will talk to you privately.
Qian Waguan turned his head, looked at the door wall of the business store and said, "How can I have time to come to your house?" I just bought this store to be used as a store; I also bought a store on East Street, and now I'm busy recruiting tenants, so I don't have time to go to your house. He shook out the paper and said, "Look, I have written all the rental information." Then he looked at Qian Wanhu and said, "Wanhu, please post this rental notice on the wall at the door of the business house."
Qian Wanhu said, Brother, give it to me. He took the rental notice handed to him by Qian Wanguan, found a bottle of paste, and prepared to post it.
Cheng Shijie, who was still frozen here, said, Brother Qian, in order to find you, I went to the grocery store on West Street in Chengnei. I heard that you had quit your job a long time ago, and I asked many people before I found this place.
Qian Wagguan said "Hmm", if your father has anything to say, ask him to come to my place and tell me.
Cheng Shijie smiled bitterly and changed the subject, "Brother Qian, my father said that during the days when he was in coma, he was asked by ghosts from the underworld to chisel and grind him with a stone. Only after the stone was milled, the underworld released him to return to the sun."
Qian Waguan was stunned for a moment and then asked, is there such a thing? Quite interesting. All right! You go back first and tell your father that after I rent out the two stores, I will have more free time. As long as I have free time, I will come to your house to see what your father says to me. Of course, it would be better if your father is willing to come to my business.
Cheng Shijie politely raised his hand and said, Brother Qian, I will definitely tell my father what you said. I can't decide whether he comes to your place or not, it's up to him to decide.
Qian Wagguan said, OK!
It was a rainy day, and Cheng Wanli squatted in front of his house to count the chisels, chisels, hammers and other tools used for stone milling. She looked at Gong Juan and said happily that she didn't lack anything.
Gong Juan said, I asked a few people to carry you back from the field that day, and I also brought back the wooden box of tools. How could there be a shortage?
Gong Juan was cleaning garbage in the yard in front of her house. When she felt the drizzle falling on her body, she ran to the eaves.
Cheng Wanli was using a piece of emery cloth to polish the stone-cutting tools one by one. He would occasionally blow the wind to blow off the debris on the tools, and then work with his head down, as if he was concentrating on it.
As soon as Gong Juan wiped her hands, the moisture from the drizzle evaporated. She looked up at the sky and then looked down at Cheng Wanli. She said, old man, every time it rained, your waist would be sore and you would scream. It's a rainy day today, why didn't I hear you complain about back pain?
Cheng Wanli suddenly raised his hand to touch his waist, smiled, and then said, Oh, why doesn't my waist hurt today? Even I find it strange. In the past, I would suffer from severe backache on rainy days and could not do anything. I would only carry an umbrella to Liuzhuang to see Dr. Liu for medical treatment. He asked me to take some medicines he prescribed, but I refused to take them, so he put a plaster on my waist to relieve the pain.
Gong Juan still talked about Cheng Wanli's usual back pain. Suddenly I heard someone calling Cheng Shijiang, a man's voice. The couple looked up following the sound, and saw a pockmarked middle-aged man wearing a blue robe and carrying a medicine box, who had closed his umbrella and was standing in front of them.
Gong Juan said, Mr. Liu, the old man and I were talking about you, and you have arrived.
Liu Langzhong said, I was passing by your Chengjiazhuang today for a medical visit, and I remembered that Cheng Shijiang suffered from back pain, which would occur on rainy days, so I went around to your house and planned to give Cheng Shijiang a piece of plaster to relieve his pain.
Gong Juan laughed dully, smiled, and raised her hand to cover her mouth.
Cheng Wanli said politely, Mr. Liu sat in the room, "Thank you for caring about me."
Liu Langzhong stood still, but was carefully looking at Cheng Shimao. And he said, "You don't feel as much pain today as before, right?" ! I don't see any discomfort in your expression.
Cheng Wanli said that it was strange today, it didn’t hurt at all. He also reached out and slapped his waist.
Doctor Liu said, have you seen any other doctor recently?
Cheng Wanli shook his head.
Gong Juan said that he had been in a coma for three days. According to his own story, he went to Hades for a trip. When he woke up, he said that he had been cutting stones and grinding mills in Hades for the past three days. She also said that the official in charge of the torture instruments paid him 1,000 hangings. The reward cannot be brought to the earth.
Cheng Wanli said, everything my wife said is true. After I woke up, I felt very comfortable. Even today, it was a rainy day, and I didn't have severe waist pain like usual when rainy days come. I was a little disappointed that the Yin official in charge of the torture instruments did pay me 1,000 coins. I clearly remembered putting it in my robe, but after I returned to Yang, I rummaged through my body and couldn't find it.
Liu Langzhong happily said, "I congratulate you, you don't have to look for it anymore." You still indirectly received the 1,000 reward from the underworld, and it was better not to take it back to the earth than to take it back to the earth. According to my inference, if you chisel and grind a stone for Hades, it is worth 1,000 coins. Hades may have secretly sent a sinister doctor to cure your back pain. I will treat your low back pain and let you decoction and take many pairs of Chinese medicines, and the value of them will be equivalent to 1,000 coins. It can be seen that you did not suffer a loss, and the 1,000 hanging money just offset the value of the Yin doctor's treatment for you.
Cheng Wanli kept nodding and said, maybe yes.
Liu Langzhong said definitely, absolutely.
Gong Juan also helped. Liu Langzhong’s analysis is very reasonable. I agree with this statement. Liu Langzhong, come in and sit down and have a cup of tea! Have dinner at my house at noon.
Lieutenant General Liu put it at his feet, ready to open the medicine box for plaster, picked it up and said, since Cheng Shijiang's back pain has recovered, it's time for me to leave. Maybe there are still patients waiting for me to go back for treatment at my doorstep!
Gong Juan said, then I won’t keep you.
Liu Langzhong opened his umbrella, said hello to the couple, then turned and left.
Cheng Wanli watched him walk through the harvest field and gradually drift away...
