On this day, the peace of the past was broken. Wu Daode in Wu Xiaoda Pharmacy on Zhonghuopu Street was sitting in front of the counter, chatting away at his abacus, looking at a stack of drug purchase receipts in front of him and adding the amounts one by one.
While he was doing it, he felt itchy. He stretched out his hand to scratch it, and with a move of his elbow, he tripped the abacus and dropped it to the ground. With a "crack" sound, the abacus, which had already broken a bridge, fell apart, and the beads on the abacus fell. Rolling all over the floor.
He was so annoyed that he bent down to pick it up for a long time, but he didn't finish it. There were still a few abacus beads that had rolled into some nook and cranny.
He leaned forward, put his hands on the ground, and put his head close to the ground. No, he tilted his head to see if the abacus beads had fallen under the medicine cabinet. Before he could see clearly, he heard the footsteps of someone coming in front of the store. Then there was a voice: Hello, is there anyone in the store?
Wu Daode stood up quickly and saw three people, all dressed in official robes. Two of them were riding on a white horse and a black horse, looking majestic. Another red horse stood on the street in front of the drugstore, with an empty prison van behind it. The person approaching the counter of the pharmacy was a policeman. He had a sword in his hand and a fierce look in his eyes. Wu Daode was shocked and immediately calmed down. He asked, "Am I not from the store?" Do you want to buy medicine?
The catcher said he would not buy any medicine. We are going to arrest someone today.
Wu Daode said, there are no bad people in this pharmacy. Who are you going to arrest in the pharmacy?
The catcher said he would catch you in the drugstore.
Wu Daode asked inexplicably, I didn't do anything bad, why are you arresting me?
The arrester said that Kuang Guangbu from Kuangjiazhuang identified you as the bandit leader. Is your name Wu Daode?
Wu Daode bit his lip, hating Kuang Guangbu's nonsense in his heart, but he still said calmly, you were right about the name, I am not a bandit leader.
The catcher frowned and said, "You still don't admit it."
Wu Daode looked aggrieved and said, I am a good citizen, not a bandit, let alone a bandit leader.
At this time, the man who looked like an officer riding on the white horse shouted: Take him down.
The police officer rushed into the pharmacy and grabbed Wu Daode's arm and pulled him outside. Wu Daode shouted, "You are wronged!" The wrong person was arrested!
The head catcher was annoyed by his barking, so he stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth and yelled to see if he still screamed.
Wu Xiaoda was in the back room. When he heard the shouting, he hurried out from the side of the pharmacy and shouted, "You have arrested the wrong person. My son is a good person."
The arrester said that your son is the bandit leader and robbed a bag of Daohuaxiang rice from Mr. Liu's house in Liujiazhuang last night, so we arrested him.
Wu Xiaoda said, "That's not right!" Last night, my son Wu Daode didn't go out at all.
The arrester asked, what evidence is there?
Wu Xiaoda was speechless.
The arrester made it clear what the stakes were. If you protect the son of the bandit leader, you, an old guy, will be arrested and tortured too.
I saw another arrester jumping off the black horse, grabbing Wu Daode's other arm, and together with the leading arrester, they pushed Wu Daode's body towards the empty prison car parked behind the red horse's butt. Rise and lock. Wu Daode's head was exposed, his eyes dull.
The arrester saluted the officer-looking man and said, "Sir Hu, the bandit leader has been detained in the prison car."
Chief Hu said that Liujiazhuang, who was escorted to where the crime occurred, was executed on the spot to serve as a warning to others.
The head catcher jumped on the back of the red-haired horse, said "drive", and the horse pulled the prison car holding the bandit leader and ran towards the street.
Wu Xiaoda chased him out of the pharmacy and shouted, "Sir, you are wronged!"
Chief Hu turned around and said, old man, if you still make a noise, I will take you down as an accomplice.
Wu Xiaoda had no choice but to admit his cruelty, but he was dissatisfied in his heart. Looking at the prison car moving away where his son was detained as a bandit leader, he could only burst into tears...
Four months later, Kan Nenglai put on the robe of the county tax collector and went to the countryside to collect the land tax. At this time, the villagers of Xiongjiafan Village, Xiong Dan and Xiong Gan, saw him coming into the village. They pointed at him, then avoided his sight and whispered under a catalpa tree.
Xiong Dan said that the guy asked an acquaintance to bribe the county magistrate and got a job of collecting land tax. He was very proud.
Xiong Gan asked, how do you know he bribed the magistrate to get that job?
Xiong Dan said, why didn't I know? Last time he ate dog meat in Shangbian Village and got drunk. He talked while drinking and revealed the reason why he got this job.
Xiong Gan sighed and asked, Oh, he also likes to eat dog meat?
Xiong Dan said that more than just liking it, he was particularly fond of dog meat. If he has this habit, he will be unfair.
Xiong Gan asked, what kind of unfair law?
Xiong Dan was about to answer when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Kan Nenglai walking towards Muzishu. Before they got close, the two stopped talking when they heard a dog barking, a fat white dog barking. Kan Nenglai immediately stared at the white dog. The white dog was afraid of strangers and ran far away with its tail between its legs. Then he turned around and looked at Kan Nenglai and barked.
Kan Nenglai looked at the two villagers and waved his hand to say hello, "Hey, do you two know whose family that white dog that ran far away belonged to?"
Xiong Dan said it was from Xiong Zhengnan's family.
Bear Gan whispered to Bear Bile, is it like you said he wants to eat dog meat?
Xiong Dan also replied in a low voice, "The tax collector is here, don't say anything."
Xiong Gan saw Kan Neng coming closer and said hello loudly, "Hey, Tax Collector Kan, what are you asking?" If you run with the white dog, it will shrink back to that house.
Kan Nenglai said, "Will I follow that white dog?" Hey, let me discuss something with you two.
The bear's gallbladder and bear's liver are holding up the ears, as if they are listening attentively.
Kan Nenglai said seriously, you two, tell the owner of the white dog if you can kill it and let me give him a tooth sacrifice, so that I didn’t run away to your Xiongjiafan Village in vain today.
Xiong boldly said, I am afraid the dog owner is not willing.
Kan Neng said, "I will be willing. I will not treat the dog owner badly. Think about it, I am the tax collector who collects land taxes. Doesn't the dog owner have any land?" There are so many things going on, and you are afraid that I will take advantage of him!
Xiong Gan frowned, with a strange expression on his face. He said, I understand.
Xiong Dan smiled knowingly at Xiong Gan.
As far as Kan Neng is concerned, it’s good to understand. Then he looked at Xiong Dan and said, do you understand?
Xiong Dan replied, "Don't ask. I will talk to you about the dog owner, Xiong Zhengnan."
Kan Nenglai gave a thumbs up and praised, well done. We agreed to kill the dog at noon and join in the fun by holding a tooth sacrifice with me.
At this moment, Kan Nenglai followed Xiong Bi and Xiong Gan around the catalpa tree, passed through a house yard, entered an alley and came to the door of an old-fashioned tiled house. Before entering the house, I heard a white dog barking again, but I didn't see the white dog.
Xiong Zhengnan, who came out of the house, turned back and shouted into the house: What do you call someone who died of the plague? Sure enough, the white dog in the house stopped barking.
Xiong Bian, who has arrived in front of me, will get straight to the point. Uncle Xiong wants to tell you something.
Xiong Dan pulled Xiong Zhengnan under the eaves and whispered for a while. Xiong Zhengnan looked troubled and whispered to Xiong Gan who was standing next to him.
Xiong Dan approached Kan Nenglai, who was standing a little further away, and whispered that this matter was not easy to handle and Uncle Xiong did not agree to kill the dog.
Kan Neng came to ask, what is the reason?
Xiong Dan replied that he only said that his daughter Fangfei loved dogs very much and was unwilling to kill them. Seeing Xiong Zhengnan go back to the house again, Xiong Bing boldly teased him, "If he doesn't want to kill a dog to entertain you, just use him as an excuse!"
Kan Neng said, last time, this family took the initiative to pay the land tax. Next month I will increase the land tax for his family. Let's go!
Kan Nenglai walked out of the house, and Xiong Gan followed him and explained the reason: the reason why his daughter Fangfei was unwilling to kill the dog was because the dog saved his daughter Fangfei's life.
At this point, I saw a mother and daughter walking toward them from Tangcheng, carrying laundry utensils and other things. Kan Nenglai had no intention of listening, and Xiong Gan stopped talking. Letting a mother and daughter pass by, Xiong Gan pointed at their backs and said, "Tax Officer, the mother and daughter just now are the wife of the dog owner, Xiong Zhengnan, You Meizhen, and her daughter, Xiong Fangfei."
Kan Nenglai praised infatuatedly, she is so beautiful, especially the girl, I can see clearly, she has almond eyes, an oval face, and a cherry mouth, she is so charming! Which of you two has the ability to offer the dog owner's daughter to me as a concubine? If successful, that family's land tax will be completely exempted.
Xiong Dan said, "You are not even willing to kill a dog, but the dog owner is still willing to marry his daughter to you as a concubine?" I'm not sure.
Kan Neng came and asked Xiong Gan, are you sure?
Xiong Gan said, "I'm not sure. I'm willing to give it a try. No matter if it succeeds or not, you will give my family a free land tax."
Kan Nenglai made a positive statement. If he succeeds, he will be exempted from the land tax twice, and if he fails, he will be exempted once.
Xiong Gan said excitedly, OK!
