Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 358 357 The Drug's Effect Is Taking Effect

"Then let's use tea instead of wine."

The shopkeeper sat down and poured tea for everyone present.

He was like a natural friend, smiling as he began to speak: "I can recount a few anecdotes and stories from local chronicles. I heard you mention Zhu Linjin earlier; you must be here for the brocade fair, right?"

"We were just passing by."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand and offered an explanation, but there was one question he was genuinely curious about: "Logically speaking, why would such a grand gathering, which even the people of Taijing would rave about, be held in your small county town?"

This is clearly abnormal. In Feng Xiuhu’s view, if there were really such a good project to promote commerce and tourism, the right to host it should have been snatched up by the surrounding big cities—after all, their selling point is fabric, not an immovable landmark.

The shopkeeper laughed heartily: "Master Ma, you may not know this, but the Zhu Lin Jin was a divine gift from Granny Caiyi to Jiangluoxi, so no one can take it away."

"Grandma in Colorful Clothes?"

Feng Xiuhu raised an eyebrow, his eyes revealing ignorance.

The shopkeeper was also stunned: "That's right, what, you... you haven't even heard of Granny Caiyi?"

Feng Xiuhu said confidently, "Who said that? Of course I've heard it! Granny Caiyi, acting like nobody knows her."

The shopkeeper was still skeptical, but he continued speaking anyway.

"It's a long story... Let's eat."

The shopkeeper greeted him before continuing.

"Many years ago, a major epidemic broke out in Jiangluoxi, which killed many people. Later, the situation could not be contained, so they went to the prefecture to invite the monk from the Barefoot Temple. I remember he was a very important person, a high priest or a great high priest? Anyway, he cured the epidemic as soon as he arrived."

Feng Xiuhu blinked: "What does this have to do with Zhu Linjin?"

"Why doesn't it matter?"

The shopkeeper slammed his hand on the table, only to find that Feng Xiuhu had barely touched his chopsticks. In contrast, the two people opposite him hadn't said a word from beginning to end, and had almost swept the plates clean in a whirlwind.

"Uh..." the innkeeper stammered, "Should we order you two more dishes?"

Feng Xiuhu turned around and was immediately furious: "Leave some for me!"

He quickly picked up his chopsticks and scooped the remaining soup into his bowl, then turned to the shopkeeper and said, "Go on."

The shopkeeper's lips twitched: "Where was I... Oh, it's related."

"The Zhu Linjin was created in the second year after the major epidemic."

"People say that Granny Caiyi took pity on Jiangluoxi's misfortune and bestowed the Zhulin Brocade upon Jiangluoxi to help her regain her popularity."

As if afraid that Feng Xiuhu would not believe it, the shopkeeper added, "This is absolutely true, even the priest of Caiyi Temple has tacitly agreed."

Feng Xiuhu was puzzled: "Why did Granny Caiyi have to give you a bolt of cloth instead of a magical cloth?"

The shopkeeper seized on Feng Xiuhu's weakness and pointed at him, shouting, "Hey! You still say you know about Granny Caiyi!"

Feng Xiuhu's expression changed, realizing that he must have let something slip.

Fortunately, Fang Youliu came to his rescue: "Grandma Caiyi is the deity in charge of all weaving and spinning under heaven. Spinners, silkworm farmers, cloth merchants, and dyers all worship Grandma Caiyi—my second master is a native of Fancheng, so naturally he only recognizes the Goddess of Wind and Rain."

The shopkeeper suddenly realized what was happening and bowed to Feng Xiuhu, apologizing profusely.

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized—it turned out he was the god in charge of weaving, no wonder he sent down a bolt of cloth.

That makes sense. Who would dare to steal something given by the true God?

At this moment, Shunzi, who was about 70-80% full, finally had time to raise his head: "Grandma Caiyi is too stingy. Since it's such a good thing, why not give more? It would save people from scrambling for it."

This remark was considered disrespectful, and the shopkeeper, not wanting to respond, could only chuckle awkwardly twice before bowing and taking his leave.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Fang Youliu yawned and asked, "Why do I feel a little sleepy?" Shunzi replied, "You drove all night and didn't sleep a wink. Who wouldn't be sleepy if you weren't?"

Feng Xiuhu chimed in, "If you're sleepy, go back to sleep. We can leave the city early tomorrow, so let's get to bed early and get up early."

Fang nodded six times, yawned, and went back to his car.

Feng Xiuhu beckoned Shunzi upstairs: "We need to rest early too. There will be a lot of people in the city tomorrow, and I'm afraid of getting stuck in traffic if we get up late."

……

In the alley across the street.

The officers' legs were almost numb from squatting.

Ma Sihai asked the uniformed police officer, "Did you administer the correct dosage?"

The uniformed police officer nodded firmly: "How could it be fake? I did it myself! Captain, you said they were trained professionals, and I was afraid the dosage wouldn't be enough, so I put the whole packet in—in order not to be noticed, I turned a perfectly good stir-fry into a soup by adding water."

Ma Sihai frowned and said, "A whole packet? That's enough to knock out five cows! How did they manage to finish their meal?"

Thinking of this, he once again cast a suspicious glance at the beggar.

The beggar said that the three men were martial arts practitioners.

He asked, "Let's leave aside that burly man; he's obviously not a good guy. But you saw the other two make a move, too?"

The beggar hurriedly shook his head: "I don't know about the coachman, but the one who called himself Ma Er also went into the alley. Not long after he went in, I couldn't hear the voices of the three officers anymore. Until they left, I didn't see the three officers come out again—they must have hidden the people!"

The alley was dark at the time, and the beggar could only hear some fighting and wailing sounds, but he couldn't actually see anything.

Ma Sihai frowned, and after a moment of contemplation, he summoned the plainclothes policeman again, pointed to the carriage opposite, and ordered: "Go, pretend to ask for directions, and find out about the driver first."

The uniformed police officer nodded and left.

He crossed the street, came to the outside of the carriage, and knocked on the side of the carriage.

After waiting for a while, there was no response.

The uniformed policeman licked his lips and pressed his ear against the carriage to listen for any sounds.

I heard a faint snoring sound.

The uniformed policeman perked up and quickly went around to the front of the carriage, directly lifting the curtain—he saw the coachman lying sprawled on the couch, fast asleep.

Good heavens! The drugs are really kicking in!
The uniformed policeman immediately waved to the opposite side, and Ma Sihai led a group of men over. After taking a good look at the situation, he waved his hand and said, "Two men! Take this guy back to the station and lock him up—take the box too!"

Two police officers immediately approached, one hoisting the driver onto his shoulder while the other picked up two suitcases and ran off into the night.

At that moment, the shopkeeper rushed out and shouted in a low voice, "Sir! Sir! The lights are off in their room!"

Ma Sihai's eyes lit up—it seemed that the two inside couldn't hold on any longer either.

He was about to lead his men into the inn when a beggar grabbed him from behind.

Looking back, the beggar was grinning obsequiously, "Captain, do you think this counts as a meritorious report? And the reward money..."

Ma Sihai pulled his clothes back and brushed off the dust: "You blind fool, you're already asking for a reward before you've even finished the job? Go back and wait! Once I've pocketed the silver platter, you'll get your share."

"Hey! Hey!"

The beggar bowed as he backed away, then dashed back to the alley across the street.

PS: Still updating at 3 PM.

(End of this chapter)