Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 22 Rat Killing (8)
"Hey, you don't know, Kozuka bought the 'Rat King', but he didn't tame the 'Rat King', so don't listen to him. White mouse. In the end, there was no other way, so I had to send the 'Shu Wang' back to Yao Waquan's home, and let Yao Waquan instruct the 'Shu King' to gather the little white mice, and then caught the little white mice and let Xiaozuka take them away. Xiaozuka came to him every week Every time I come home, I take away two cages of white mice, at least there are hundreds of them. Did you see that you just picked up two cages of white mice and left? If things continue like this, it won’t take long. They will catch all the mice in the city."

Hearing this, Ma Shiqi couldn't help but secretly regretted it. If he knew this, he shouldn't have taught Yao Wa the formula to control the "Rat King".

The little guy said angrily: "If they only do some experiments on mice, that's fine. But it is said that if the first stage of experiments on mice is completed, the second stage will be on real people. They will use their own people as experiments, and we Chinese will not be their experimental subjects? If they succeed in the experiment and make a bacterial bomb to deal with us Chinese, will we Chinese still survive?"

Ma Shiqi nodded in sympathy, and said angrily, "If that's the case, then you didn't wrong him by calling Yao a traitor."

The little boy got angry as he talked, slapped his thigh, and said with righteous indignation: "If I only gave the little Japanese to catch white mice, it wouldn't make me so angry. The most annoying thing is that this kid wants to please the Japanese." , actually handed over his new wife to the Japanese to sleep with, it's really unconscionable."

When Ma Shiqi heard this, he couldn't help being surprised: Yao Waquan's new wife?Could it be my Wan'er?Busily asked what was going on.

Sure enough, the guy told him that Yao Waquan's wife was Ma Wansu, the daughter of his master, and since his master died, he had tricked this beautiful junior sister into his hands to become his wife.About half a month ago, Xiaozukashang’s family came to pick up mice, and happened to bump into Ma Wansu, and was immediately fascinated by her youthful beauty, so she told Yao Waquan lewdly that as long as Yao Waquan gave up his wife After he slept for one night, he asked Yao Waquan to be the president of the "Sino-Japanese Friendship Association".The president of the so-called "Xiehe Association" can not only carry ammunition and guns, but also serve as the chief of the Xiulin Police Station established by the Japanese army. He is very popular among a group of traitors.Seeing that it was profitable, Yao Waquan didn't even want his wife, so he sent Ma Wansu unconscious to Xiaozuka's bed that night... As a result, Ma Wansu hanged herself the next morning...

In the end, the young man shook his head and sighed, "She was a chaste woman, but it's a pity that her death was too unworthy! Old man, do you think so... Hey, this old man, why did he just leave without making a sound? He leaned forward and looked, and the pockmarked old man was no longer seen at the gate.

Ma Shiqi was originally a timid, cautious and gentle person. Even if he was buried alive by his good apprentice, almost died in the coffin, and finally escaped after narrowly escaped death, determined to avenge Yao Waquan, it was nothing more than All he wanted was to find Yao Waquan and question him face to face, slap him a few times, and even beat him severely, to teach him to be fair to himself.It wasn't until he heard the news that his daughter had been forced to death by Yao Waquan from the boy at Zhuangji's charcoal shop, the flame of revenge that he had suppressed for a long time finally burst into flames.

He didn't know how he got up, how he picked up the small wooden box, how he left the charcoal shop.The wind and snow hit his face, but he couldn't feel it at all.At this moment, there is only one thought in his heart, that is to kill Yao Waquan, he must kill this beast, to avenge his daughter and himself!

7
Two days later, when the snow was snowing and it was clear, on Yipu Street, Yao Wa, the president of the "Concord Association", posted a strange notice for seeking medical attention at the gate of his family. Because it is not a person who is sick, but a mouse, and it is not a doctor who treats people, but a rat doctor who treats rats.The notice made it clear: here is a white mouse, unfortunately contracted a disease, urgently seeking a mouse doctor, and reward Dayang 50 yuan for the one who started to grow into a spring.

These days, there are really all kinds of strange things.It was such a strange notice for seeking medical treatment, and the day after it was posted, someone actually revealed the notice.The gate of the Yao family had been guarded by servants, and when they saw that it was a pockmarked, hunchbacked, shambling old man with a small wooden box on his back, he immediately looked down upon him.But as the saying goes, people should not be judged by their appearance. Aren't those people who dare to reveal the emperor's list in the storyteller's mouth all weird and strange people?So in the end, the servant politely invited the old man who unveiled the list into the house.This old man is none other than Ma Shiqi.

Ma Qiqi followed the servant through the courtyard and into a spacious room, where a charcoal fire was burning, which was very warm.In the corner of the room was a rectangular iron cage with a length and width of three feet and a height of about two feet. The cage was lined with wood shavings. A huge male white rat lay quietly in the cage, motionless, Looks sickly.This is the majestic "Rat King" in the past. Hearing the sound of footsteps, "Rat King" opened his eyes slightly, and took a look at Ma Shiqi. He didn't know whether it was because he hadn't recognized him for a long time, or because he was seriously ill, so he just gave a slight "squeak", then turned his head and fell asleep again.Ma Shiqi felt sour in his heart and almost shed tears.

"Who are you? Can you really cure me, a rat?"

At the door of the room, a person walked in at some time, with thin eyes and snub nose, with cunning and suspicious eyes, it was Yao Waquan.Compared with before, this kid has lost a lot of weight. It seems that when he was doing tricks, he didn't feel at ease.

Ma Shiqi remained calm, cupped his hands at him and said, "The little old man's surname is Li Mingshan, and he's from Xiangyang." He made up a fake name casually, patted the small wooden box on his shoulder and said, "I'm going to run around the rivers and lakes to sell rats as an excuse." I have been with the rats for a long time, so I can cure some rat diseases."

Yao Waquan looked him up and down, knowing that there are many capable people and strangers in the world, and he heard that this old man is also a rat-selling show, so he knew that there must be something extraordinary, so he immediately put on a smiling face and greeted him politely He clasped his fists and said, "It turns out that it is an old senior in the rat show industry. The junior is disrespectful. Please take a look at this big white rat. What disease is it? Is there a way to cure it?"

Ma Shiqi nodded, put the small wooden box on his shoulders aside, rolled up his sleeves, reached into the metal mouse cage, pinched the two ears of the big white mouse, and lifted it gently. Yi said: "Oh, this mouse has a sharp head and big ears, and a domineering body, but it looks like a king."

Yao Waquan saw that he had a unique vision and recognized the identity of the white rat at a glance, so he couldn't help but nodded and said: "Senior has good eyesight, to be honest, this is the king of white rats."

Ma Shiqi mentioned the "Rat King" and observed it carefully for a while, his face gradually became serious, he pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned around and asked him: "Tell me, has this rat eaten any unusual food recently?"

Yao Waquan shook his head and said, "No. The food for 'Rat King' has always been prepared by me and fed by myself. Usually, I eat flour, wheat bran, sorghum noodles, bone meal, soybeans, etc., which are roasted with water and flour. In addition, some green fodder is fed according to the season, cucumbers in summer, and carrots in cold seasons like the present."

"Carrots?" Ma Shiqiqi asked, "It's freezing and snowy now, and the carrot production season has already passed, how can we..."

Yao Waquan smiled and said, "Senior doesn't know. When the master of the younger generation was alive, he found a piece of clay soil with strong water retention ability on the bank of the Yangtze River and dug a hole there. Carrots with a lot of water are buried in the cave, and then a layer of wet soil dug up from the bottom of the Ouchi River is covered on the cave. This method can keep the carrots fresh all winter. After the master passed away, the juniors still use that Carrots are stored in burrows, so that even in the twelfth lunar month of winter, the rats can always eat fresh carrots with sufficient moisture. On the night when the snow was frozen, I went to dig some carrots and fed them to the 'Rat King'. I don't know why. Since the day before yesterday, the 'Rat King' has been exhausted and sick. He neither eats nor drinks, and sleeps in the cage all day long. No matter how much you tease him, he will not move. Today is the fourth day. What disease do you think it has?"

Ma Shiqi came closer and took a closer look, and saw the white rat listless, curled up in a corner, motionless, looking at it, its coat was rough and its skin was pale, and when it touched it again, its body was hot and its tail was cold, and its abdomen was swollen like a bulge. , like a pregnant mother mouse.He straightened up, took two steps with his hands behind his back, frowned slightly, and fell silent.

Yao Waquan became anxious and asked, "What's wrong with it? Can you see what it is?"

Ma Shiqi said: "If my old man is not mistaken, it should be suffering from flatulence."

Yao Waquan was taken aback, and asked, "Bloating?"

Ma Shiqi said: "Yes, this disease is caused by eating unclean food. You can see that its abdomen is distended, its breathing is short, it doesn't care about the food around its mouth, and it has no appetite. Because a large amount of gas is formed in the large intestine, which hinders its breathing, digestion and heart function. Rats suffering from this kind of flatulence disease may suffer from constipation, weakness, mental fatigue, photophobia and drowsiness in mild cases, and hunger strike, suffocation and Died of heart failure."

Yao Waquan asked, "Is there any cure?"

Ma Shiqi said: "Fortunately, I have not been ill for a long time, and the condition has not deteriorated, so it can still be cured. If it is delayed for a day or two, and the heart fails, it will be difficult for the gods to save it. I have a chemical medicine here. Shixiaqi Pill is made from barley malt and Liushenqu. It is good for regulating Qi and dispelling food. Quickly take a cup of warm water, dissolve this pill, and pour it into it. "

Yao Waquan acted in accordance with the decree of the law, and hurriedly ordered people to bring warm water, and did so one by one. The "Rat King" took the elixir, and after a while, suddenly there was a gurgling sound in his stomach, he raised his tail, made two "Puff" sounds, and let out two big and long loud farts in succession.Ma Shiqi lightly pressed his fingers on its belly, and felt that the previously swollen abdomen relaxed a lot, so he said: "Okay, the intestines and stomach have been cleared, the flatulence has disappeared, and this rat's life is fine. Next, it only needs to do some exercise to make it sweat profusely, gastrointestinal peristalsis, and after invigorating the spleen and appetizing, it will have a great appetite, as long as it drinks some water and eats, it can restore its spirit and fully recover.”

Yao Waquan glanced at the rat, and said embarrassedly: "It has just recovered from a serious illness, and its spirit is tired. It is lying on the ground too lazy to move. It may not be an easy task to get it to move at this time."

Ma Shiqi said: "Of course this old man knows. But if you don't let him exercise, the feeling of fullness in the abdomen will not be relieved, the spleen and stomach will not be opened, and there will be no appetite to eat. Although there is a panacea, the disease will not be cured."

Yao Wa showed his embarrassment all over, and said, "Then how can we make it move?"

Ma Shiqi thought about it and said, "It's actually not difficult. I think this 'Rat King' is not ill, but full of domineering spirit. He should be the most aggressive rat among the rats. Just find a mouse that is about the same size as it. Put the big mouse together with it, and when two mice meet, there will be a fight, and then it will naturally move."

Yao Waquan said: "That's true, but this big white mouse is my 'rat king', except for it, I'm just a few small white mice here, and there is no opponent that can fight against it."

Ma Shiqi said: "This is easy to handle. The little old man has a big hamster in his hand. He is also a fierce and aggressive type. He can fight this big white mouse."

Yao Waquan was overjoyed and said: "In this case, Mr. Lao will invite your big hamster to fight with my big white rat. As long as the disease of 'Rat King' can be cured, it doesn't matter if the reward is increased by half." .”

Ma Shiqi said: "It's easy to talk about. It's just that the 'Rat King' has just recovered from his illness and his limbs are weak. You and I need to take care of it. New injuries, that's not good."

Yao Waquan said, "Exactly."

Because the metal cage was covered with a layer of wood shavings, which was not conducive to running and fighting, the duel location was chosen on a square table in the center of the room.Yao Waquan grabbed the rat out of the metal cage and gently put it on the table.Ma Shiqi also opened his small wooden box, grabbed a big hamster that was more than a foot long, and just put it on the table, the white rat that was listlessly lying on the table and dozing off immediately sensed the presence of the opponent, the danger was approaching, and "squeaked" With a sound, he stood up from the table, his hair stood on end, his eyes flashed, and he stared straight at the big hamster of unknown origin that suddenly appeared in front of him, as if he was facing a big enemy.Sure enough, it is worthy of being a "rat king". Even a sick "rat king" has the prestige of a "rat king".

Ma Shiqi's big hamster has a carefree temper. As soon as his four feet landed on the table, he didn't look carefully at the opponent's whereabouts, so he rushed towards the big white mouse, poked his front paws, and grabbed the opponent. Eye. After all, the "Rat King" had just recovered from a serious illness, and he hadn't eaten for a long time, his body was weak, and his strength was at a disadvantage. He didn't dare to fight head-on with the opponent, turned his head, swayed his body, and took a step back.

The big hamster failed to catch it, and the other front paw stretched out again. The sharp claw was like a small iron rake, and it fell on the bridge of the opponent's nose like lightning.The rat took another step back, avoiding the opponent's sharp move.The big hamster is aggressive and relentless, with its two front paws slinging left and right, like a windmill, it grabs and falls on the top of the opponent's head, ears, cheeks, eyes, and bridge of the nose.The rat never said a word, didn't make a move, just backed away blindly.

After more than a dozen steps, he gradually reached the edge of the table.When the big hamster saw that the opponent was only retreating blindly, he didn't seem to dare to face him head-on, so he immediately underestimated the enemy. When he saw the opponent standing on the edge of the table, there was no way to retreat, thinking he had an opportunity, he suddenly let out a "squeak" With a strange cry, it opened its mouth, and a hungry tiger pounced on its food, biting the white rat's neck.

At this moment, the white rat's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and it suddenly jumped more than a foot high, using its entire body as a weapon, and slammed towards the opponent.The big hamster didn't expect that the sickly white rat would have a sudden burst of supernatural power, and it couldn't dodge in mid-air, but was hit by it.There was only a sound of "beep", and the big hamster was knocked two or three feet away by the opponent. When it fell, the situation of the two mice was just reversed. The white mouse landed in the middle of the table, while the big hamster slid to the edge of the table , If you take half a step back, you will fall to the ground.

The rat made this jedi counterattack before its body fully recovered. Not only did it take a lot of risk, but it also used almost all of its strength. He was also so tired that he lay down in the middle of the table and panted heavily, with tiny beads of sweat oozing out from between his hairs.

Although this is not a formal duel, and there is no need to compete for life and death, Ma Shiqi and Yao Waquan, the owners of the two mice, are still a little nervous. They stand face to face on both sides of the table, watching At the point of tension, Yao Waquan unknowingly put his hands on the edge of the table, pressed his lips tightly, and watched the fierce battle on the field intently.

The big hamster ate the bump from the big white rat, and didn't dare to underestimate the enemy any longer. After confronting for a long time, the big hamster cautiously approached the big white rat, stretched out its front paws, and made a few tentative moves.However, the rat stood in the center of the table like an old monk, and did not respond to the opponent's tentative false moves. Only when the opponent showed his weakness, it seized the opportunity to attack the opponent with one or two moves like lightning, forcing the opponent to attack. After retreating, he stood still in place again.In this way, one of the two Shuo rats only attacked but not defended, and the other used defense as an offense. They faced each other for a cup of tea, but they still did not decide the outcome.

(End of this chapter)