Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 10 Lost
The three of them took the green donkey from the store clerk. The clerk enthusiastically walked it to the intersection and said, "Going west to the end of the road, there is a vegetable field. To the south of the vegetable field is the green brick house."

Wang Heng said hurriedly: "Sir, where are we going?"

"The home of Jin Dalei, the head of Changle Village, is in trouble. We have to go and ask about the situation." Mr. Wei got on the green donkey.

Wang Cai said: "I blame you for your murmurings with the shopkeeper. I thought that your husband was chattering so much today that he couldn't finish talking to any shopkeeper."

After a cup of tea, the three of them had stopped in front of a green brick house. Wang Cai stepped forward and pushed the bamboo fence. The fence was slightly hidden, and with a creak, Wang Cai stepped in and shouted into the house: "Chang Le Is this the village leader Jin Dalei?"

A young man poked his head out of the room and called out to the back room: "Daddy, daddy, someone is looking for you."

After a while, an old father-in-law in a gray thin cotton-padded jacket came out. When he saw three unfamiliar faces, he couldn't help but said in shock: "Old man, I am the chief of Changle Village. What do you do with your honor?"

Mr. Wei stepped forward and said with a serious expression: "The county government is handling the case. It is of great importance. Please lead us to Gaolong Village as soon as possible."

Jin Dalei looked at the clothes of the three people in front of him, with confusion on his face.

Wang Heng took out the prepared waistband from the county government arrest department, gave Chief Jin Jia a look and took it away. He said sternly: "The government office is on an errand, why don't you hurry up and lead the way."

Jinjia Chang Nuonuo, why is it so good? "Several officials, although Gaolong Village is a neighbor of our Changle Village, they don't allow outsiders to enter. Everyone knows it."

Mr. Wei sneered: "His Gaolong Village is no longer the territory of the Ming Dynasty."

Wang Heng said to Chief Jin Jia: "I just ask you if you know the way to Gaolong Village. If you answer this, the superior officer will be furious. It will delay the case. None of us can afford to suffer."

Jin Jia Chang muttered: "Of course I still know the road, but I have never walked there before. I can roughly tell the direction by watching the people coming in and out of Gaolong Village."

Wang Heng glanced at Jin Jia Zhang, pretending to be arrogant and said: "Why don't you lead the way?"

Seeing that there was no way to evade it, Jin Jia Chang said cruelly: "That villain will go with you."

He saw that several people were riding donkeys, so he had to go to the back of the house to hitch a carriage.

The bullock cart walked at the front, slowly.

Chief Jin Jia said: "Young officials, don't be too slow. In fact, the two villages are very close to each other, which is just a cup of tea away."

The three men followed slowly on donkeys. The golden-armored ox cart passed through the archway at the entrance of the village and headed east towards the gravel path where Wang Heng and the others came from.

Wang Cai wondered: "Isn't this the way we came here in the morning?"

Mr. Wei made a hissing gesture on the green donkey's back, asking him to calm down.

Not long after, the big bamboo forest at the end of the gravel road was already in sight. When he got closer, Captain Jin Jia parked the ox cart beside the road, frowned with his hands on his hips, and looked carefully towards the sunny direction of the big bamboo forest with his cloudy eyes. Then, he suddenly felt happy and waved to Wang Cai and others to come over.

Jin Jia Chang walked towards a big orange tree in a big bamboo forest, followed by Mr. Wei and three others. There was a big gap in the bamboo forest, and the three of them led the green donkey without feeling cramped.

Jin Jia stood in the shade of the big orange tree and looked around again, looking for the next big orange tree. He found three or two more orange trees and walked around the orange tree a few times, only to see a smooth path appear. In front of you, the winding road leads to the distance.

Jin Jia said happily: "Master, enter Gaolong Village from here."

Wang Heng and the others rode on the green donkeys, but they saw Chief Jin Jia standing by the road, cupping his hands and saying, "Several officials say goodbye, this Gaolong Village has very strict rules, and no one will dare to go there without being invited. If their village When people in the village asked you how you entered the village, they just said that you ran into the wrong person by mistake. If they know that I lured you here, they will definitely cause trouble for me."

Mr. Wei didn't take it seriously and said with cupped hands: "Thank you for your hard work, the golden armor has grown." The three people rode on donkeys and moved forward slowly. The path gradually opened up, the road surface was smooth and clean, and there were lush flowers and trees beside the road. They were obviously well maintained, but they did not encounter any encounters on the road. pedestrian.

Wang Heng said: "Jin Dalei, this old cunning guy, slipped away."

Wang Cai said: "Previously, it was all Mr. and Young Master's solemn expressions that kept him intimidated. This old slick man did not want to. Sir, how do you know this old slick man knows the way?"

Mr. Wei said meaningfully: "People from Gaolong Village come in and out of the village from time to time, and the business is so large, how come no one knows where they come from. Even though ordinary merchants are not qualified to know, he is not an outsider." , the yamen also levies grain and taxes, and several official leaders must know it. It’s just that his village is rich and powerful, and everyone gets his benefits, so they just abide by his rules."

Mr. Wei told the two of them the trading model of medicinal materials in Changle Village. Now, all the shops in Changle Village are owned by Gaolong Village. Gaolong Village is the major shareholder, and the supply and collection ends are represented by the shopkeepers of Gaolong Village. Changle Village is responsible. The merchants in Changle Village only need to provide the venue and bank account delivery money, and then dividends will be distributed as agreed.If there are operational difficulties, Gaolong Village can find another partner, but Changle Village is constrained by both ends and has to take orders from Gaolong Village.

Wang Cai said: "In this case, the business in Changle Village is not a puppet."

Wang Heng said in confusion: "Then why does Gaolong Village need Changle Village to come forward for everything? They have their own business, so why should they give Changle Village money in vain? It's outrageous."

Mr. Wei said: "I think there is some last resort. Since we are here, we have to take a chance to see what is weird about Gaolong Village."

After less than three or four miles, an archway appeared in front of us, "Reading in sunny days and rainy days."

Mr. Wei's eyes moved slightly, apparently having some understanding.

Wang Cai was full of doubts and asked: "Sir, where should we go?"

Mr. Wei paused and said: Let's head west from the archway to find the third house.

Wang Heng said "Oh", as if he thought of something, and said: "Sir, do you suspect there is something wrong with Ye Zhai?"

Mr. Wei quickly said: "Go and take a look first to see if it is the same as I imagined."

The two of them were naturally convinced by Mr. Wei's words.There is a bluestone road to the west. The first house is a small courtyard. The high horse-head wall blocks the view. The door is closed tightly. The melodious music of silk and bamboo can be heard faintly in the courtyard.

Going west again, the terrain began to undulate, and there were many large rocks piled up beside the road. The three of them led the green donkey forward.

The second house was built on the hillside by borrowing the height of the slope. It has white walls and black tiles, revealing a section of a tall grapefruit tree. The golden grapefruits stand out against the clear blue sky, which is very beautiful.

The group was intoxicated by the beautiful scenery, and suddenly Wang Cai said in surprise: "Sir, there is no way out."

The bluestone road ends here. The road ahead is the house, and behind it is the hillside. There is no way to go. ,

Everyone looked at each other and looked at Mr. Wei to see if he had any ideas.

Mr. Wei pretended to be calm, pacing back and forth around the house with his hands behind his back, wondering whether his guess was wrong.I could only knock on the door and ask for information. I kept knocking the door knocker for a long time, but no one answered.

"Let's return to the archway at the entrance of the village first, and then think of a solution." Mr. Wei felt discouraged.

After a few steps, we arrived at the archway at the entrance of the village. Wang Heng saw that there was also a bluestone road leading to the East Street. He had an idea and said, "Sir, maybe Shopkeeper Jin and the others have gone in the wrong direction."

Mr. Wei nodded repeatedly and said: "It is very possible that some people have gone out to other places and cannot distinguish between east, west, north and south."

The road to the east was even more unsatisfactory. We passed a nursery and didn't see a single house. We hit a dead end and had to go back to the archway at the entrance of the village.

(End of this chapter)