Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 58: Farmer, Craftsman

"Damn it, this is too much!!"

Carpenter Wang angrily slammed the door open, scaring the two people in the room.

The baby looked at the carpenter, called out "Uncle", and rushed into his arms.

The carpenter was surprised at first, then overjoyed. He grabbed the doll with his strong hands and rubbed the doll's head hard with his bearded face.

"Xiaoxing! What's up? Are you in trouble again?"

His nephew lost his mother when he was young. His grandfather was a simple and honest man. Sometimes, he couldn't bear to discipline the child himself, so he sent the child to the carpenter, and asked Carpenter Wang to help educate him.

Although this uncle was strict and would occasionally beat him, Xiaoxing admired his uncle very much. His uncle had very clever hands, and from childhood to adulthood, he could always make some interesting things for him.

At this moment, he shook his head and said, "No, no, I just miss my uncle."

The old farmer-looking man seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Carpenter Wang saw that he had something to say, so he put the doll down and said, "Play in the yard first, don't run out. I want to talk to your grandfather!"

"Uncle, can I play with that mallet over there?"

"Okay, but don't hurt yourself!"

Carpenter Wang took the man into the house and brought him some water, and the two of them sat down.

"Alas, the harvest is not good. Even after paying the taxes, the stored grain is not enough for us to eat."

The old farmer sighed, his eyes full of sadness.

"So this morning I took Xiaoxing with me and wanted to take the big dog home to the West Market to sell it in exchange for some food."

"I met a man on the road who wanted to buy the dog for only one cent."

Hearing the old farmer's words, the carpenter flew into a rage. He subconsciously reached for his hammer, "Where's that man? Where is he? This is outrageous!!"

The carpenter's voice was gruff and loud.

The old farmer quickly grabbed him and said, "Listen to me, listen to me."

The old farmer said, "I got the money, and I killed the man when I saw some officials passing by."

"Good kill!!"

"Alas, you don't know, that man once pointed at me and said that he knew where I lived and I was afraid that his relatives and friends would come to seek revenge on me!"

Hearing the old farmer's words, the carpenter nodded thoughtfully, "These people have always bullied the weak and feared the strong, so it's not impossible."

"So I thought, I'll leave the child with you for now. Please help take care of him first."

"Why don't you move here too!"

"Alas, there are still many things to do in the fields. It's okay. You don't have to worry about me. I just need to help take care of the children. Thank you very much."

"What are you talking about! Just because he is your son, does that mean he is no longer my closest relative?!"

As the carpenter was speaking, he remembered something, sighed, stretched out his hand, and pulled open his clothes so that the other person could see clearly.

Seeing that his forearms were covered with whip marks, the old farmer was horrified and asked, "What happened to you?"

The carpenter said angrily: "It's still that bastard surnamed Lu! The four of us spent more than half a year making a whole set of furniture for them, filling up their house, but now they are unwilling to pay."

"It's not that he doesn't have money. The food his dogs eat is better than ours, but he just won't pay us. He insists that what we do is not good and there are flaws."

"I told his family today that if they don't like it, they should return the things to us, and that guy will beat me with a whip."

"My place is not peaceful either. Xiaoxing can stay for a while. If anything happens to me, I will send someone to send him back."

The old farmer's face became even more bitter.

He frowned, and wrinkles appeared on his dark face. His wrinkled face was almost dry and cracked, just like the dry and cracked earth.

“It’s not easy for everyone.”

Although the craftsman had his own troubles, the old farmer still left the child here, as it was safer than at his own place.

Xiaoxing was very happy and didn't feel reluctant to leave his grandfather at all. He kept pestering his uncle for toys.

Carpenter Wang swung up the hammer and began to make a "wooden car" for the doll. Every time he raised the hammer, Xiaoxing could clearly see the scars on his arms.

"Uncle, aren't the people who buy your things willing to pay?"

"Yes."

"Uncle, I have an idea!"

"What can we do?"

"You might as well report it to the police!"

The carpenter paused, then looked at the child, "You want to get rid of me as soon as possible so that you can inherit my sledgehammer?" "Those officials are in the same group with those evil people, and they are even more evil than them. Asking these people for help? Isn't that seeking death?"

"But the mandrill is different! He knew about our affairs, so he punished that person. That person said he wanted revenge, so he killed that person!"

"Mr. Mandrill???"

"Stop talking nonsense! Watch out, I want you to inherit my craft!!"

A few days passed like this, and the people gradually became familiar with the crisp sound of horse hooves on the streets.

It was strange to say, they had seen people patrolling the streets before, but they always had one person on horseback and the others followed by running. This was the first time they had seen four people patrolling the streets on horseback.

Moreover, this group of people would appear at a fixed time almost every day, running around the entire county before going back to rest.

The ferocious-looking official and his minions galloped back and forth, and various bloody heads would be hung on his horse from time to time, which was really scary.

On this day, the carpenter told his child not to go out and to stay at home. He also hid a file in his sleeve in case of any emergency, and then went out.

He was walking on the street with his head down when he heard the crisp sound of horse hooves coming from the front. The carpenter was frightened and had nowhere to hide. He had to jump to the wall of a house nearby, with his head down, not daring to look. He only raised his head when the sound of horse hooves gradually disappeared.

Watching the four people go away, the carpenter wiped the sweat off his forehead and became thoughtful.

He walked like this for a long time and finally arrived at the gate of a luxurious mansion, where several people were waiting for him.

“Brother Wang!!”

Several people hurried forward to greet him. Carpenter Wang nodded, tugged at his belt, walked quickly forward and started knocking on the door.

The servant opened the door with a look of disdain, motioned for them to follow him, and continued walking towards the inner courtyard.

When they walked into the backyard, an old man with gray hair and brocade clothes was reading a book, and several craftsmen came together to greet him.

The old man looked at them seriously and said, "Wang Heipi, you didn't build the cabinet in the west room well. It's too short and doesn't look good. You have to build me a new one."

"Mr. Lu, I'm willing to do as many games as you want, but can you pay for the fees? We brothers have been working hard for a long time, but we still haven't received any money. We really don't have much to eat at home."

Hearing this, the old man's face changed drastically and he frowned. The servant beside him immediately scolded him: "You bastard! How can you talk to the master of the house like that? My master feels sorry for you guys and lets you make some things. This is your blessing!!"

"Yes, yes, but a man must eat before he can do anything, what do you think?"

"Okay, okay, you bastard, I'll watch you."

"All right."

The old man interrupted the servant and said, "Don't embarrass them. Give them something to eat."

The servant hurriedly bowed his head and saluted, "Master, please be merciful!"

Carpenter Wang frowned, "Mr. Lu, are we here to beg for food?!"

"How dare you! Someone, come! Get this guy out!"

The old man finally couldn't bear it anymore, he flew into a rage and started giving orders.

Several servants came forward and grabbed the carpenter, who became even angrier. At this moment, he suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Okay! Okay! If you kick me out, I will go to the county government and report to the police! I will sue you!"

Hearing this, several craftsmen were shocked.

The servant was almost laughing to death. Just as he was about to speak, he saw his master suddenly jump up.

"Wait a minute."

The servant was stunned. It was the first time he saw his master like this.

The old man quickly put away his anxiety and smiled, "Why make such a fuss? My eldest son is working in the county and is a lecturer in the county school. If you report me, won't it embarrass him?"

"Ersheng, give them some money. Heipi, I have been good to you over the years."

The old man tried to intimidate but also to appease them. After talking for a long time, he let the servants send the craftsmen out.

"Master, what's wrong with you? In the past, we took them to see the authorities. Why are you afraid of them reporting to the authorities now?"

"Don't you understand? There's a madman in the county who leads people to kill innocent people and harm good people. If these guys report it to him, won't it be troublesome? You guys should restrain yourself and don't let that madman target you. Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with these peasants."

"If you dare to ask me for money, I will kill them!!"

Several craftsmen walked out of the door, and Carpenter Wang's eyes became firm.

"Brothers, report to the police! We must report to the police! This old dog is petty. We offended him today. He used a small amount of money to fool us. He will definitely be retaliated in the future! I think he was very scared just now. Maybe there is something in this county that scares him!"

"Brother! How can this be possible? Those county officials are all evil ghosts who eat people."

"Oh, I have no father, no mother, no wife, and no children, so what evil spirit should I be afraid of? It's just my sister's little brother. Everyone, if anything happens to me, please take care of me."

"only!!"

(End of this chapter)