A piece of paper

The old man was eating wontons when the news about Zhen Sanlang's angry intrusion into Baiji and overturning the stall reached the ears of Magistrate Xiong.

Today is the [-]th day of the lunar month. I have just left the office after class started. I have been busy all day and haven’t eaten.

The old wife at home chopped three-strand meat and dried shrimp skins for meat fillings, butchered some lotus root dices and wild rice diced dices, stewed fan bones, dried mushrooms and river shrimp heads in a large pot, pinched wonton wrappers to fill the wonton fillings, and pinched a gold ingot. , with his chubby belly upwards, he floated comfortably in the big pot filled with clouds and mist. After it floated to the surface, he was scooped with a long wooden spoon into a sea bowl covered with chopped green onions, dried seaweed, and coriander. Finally, with a large At the end, pour the fan bone mushroom soup into the bowl.

Magistrate Xiong picked up the spoon and was about to eat when he saw the master walking in with his back arched like a shrimp from the East China Sea.

"The Bai family is here, right at the door of our house. Mr. Bai and Bai Dalang came. Mr. Bai wanted to hang himself with a hemp rope. He was crying that the Zhen family was bullying others too much."

The master sniffed it, feeling a little hungry and wanted to eat.

Magistrate Xiong lowered his head and slowly scooped up a wonton with a big white spoon, "Call the concierge to persuade me."

The master nodded quickly, "The concierge tried to persuade me, but it was useless."

The wontons were a bit hot, so Magistrate Xiong blew them on and didn't eat them in a hurry, "How did you persuade them?"

The master frowned and said, "Tell him to hang himself somewhere else."

Magistrate Xiong smiled and raised his beard, "Okay, tell the Bai family to pack up and come in. Don't cry so much. If you cry, drive us out immediately. If you ask your sister-in-law to cook a bowl of wontons, your saliva will almost flow into my bowl."

The master ran out happily.

The Bai family came in quickly, just in time for Magistrate Xiong to take the last bite of wontons.

As soon as he entered the door, Mr. Bai knelt on the ground with a plop, "Master Xiong! You have to make decisions for the people!"

Not a very original opening.

Magistrate Xiong lowered his head and ate the last wonton, then used a spoon to cool down the soup and said, "You want me to make the decision, but you also threaten me with hanging at the door of my mansion?" The old man smiled, "What's the point?"

Mr. Bai was stunned for a moment, and then burst into tears, "If I hadn't encountered such a huge injustice, how could I have dared to make a mistake in front of your house! In fact, it was Zhen Laosan who bullied others too much!"

Bai Dalang cried with his father, adding to the story while crying, "Just after noon today, Zhen Sanlang rushed to our shop, overturned the rice paper with carved silk and pictures in the shop, scratched it all with a dagger, and then He slapped two banknotes on the counter and threatened me as fiercely as if he wanted to kill someone, 'If you ever buy rice paper with engraved silk and pictures on it again, you sell it once and I'll chop one off!'"

Bai Dalang cried like a resentful woman who married the wrong man and was forced to have eight children. "I don't know how I provoked this overlord. Our Bai family works hard to make paper, lives diligently, pays taxes honestly, and has always been obedient." He is also sensible and never causes trouble to the yamen and adults——"

Bai Dalang paused and continued to cry, "Just last month, our family gave birth to a son to the Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture. Our family is doing business honestly, how could we get into such an unreasonable disaster!"

Magistrate Xiong didn't raise his eyebrows, and after a moment of pause in the movement of his hands, he shook his head and blew the soup in the spoon, and said to the old man next to him as if chatting, "Fujian has shipped a lot of pepper recently. It was originally a treasure for tribute." , Now I heard that many officials in the yamen have some in their homes, and they like to put them in barbecues and stews. Next time, I ask my wife to buy some too, and we can try whether the barbarian stuff is delicious."

The old man lowered his eyebrows and said yes.

Bai Dalang stopped crying and glanced at his father from the corner of his eye.

Mr. Bai immediately covered his chest and said, "Ouch, ouch! Xiaomin is so angry that he has chest tightness and chest pain! He is out of breath, ouch, ouch!"

Magistrate Xiong lowered his head and drank the soup. It was delicious and delicious.

If it weren't for the Bai family and his son, today's meal would be as good as the gods.

Really annoying.Magistrate Xiong put down the sea bowl, picked up the silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and finally raised his head to look at the person, "If you are really unwell, please ask the doctor to come and take a look. You should take medicine or acupuncture. You are screaming in the living room of this officer, trying to die." It’s quite inappropriate to live.”

Bai Dalang's face turned pale.

Mr. Bai kowtowed three times, "Yes, yes! It's our fault! I'm disturbing you, Sir! It's just that the Zhen family is really hateful! Zhen Sanlang is also really domineering! If I didn't care about my face, I would go to the Yamen to play drums today." I'm sorry! They simply regard the laws and regulations as nothing in your land."

"Be careful with your words and actions, Mr. Bai."

Magistrate Xiong's eyes were calm, and he cut off Master Bai's last words, "Listen to what you said, our Xuancheng Prefecture is like a land outside the law. There are no laws and regulations. The people are domineering and the people suffer. My parents are unkind, unfaithful and unfaithful. It's disrespectful and should be removed immediately."

Mr. Bai and Bai Dalang looked at each other: I don’t know why, why is Governor Xiong so hostile to them today? He spoke mercilessly against them every word.
What are they doing?
What are they not doing?

They are the victims!

What's more, the concubine married into the Bai family just gave birth to a baby son to the immediate boss of Magistrate Xiong!

Mr. Fu Cheng was very happy to have a son at the age of 58. He even rewarded the Bai family with several baskets of seasonal peaches a few days ago!
Just for this relationship, Magistrate Xiong should show some kindness to them!
Mr. Bai poked Bai Dalang.

Bai Dalang immediately twisted his neck and cried loudly, "So, do you want to protect and indulge the Zhen family? Isn't the sin of Xiaomin's father in vain! Yes, water transportation of salt is a major event and is the foundation of the people! We are in vain Home is just a paper maker!"

"Pa—" Mr. Bai slapped Bai Dalang hard on the back of the head, "Kowtow! Make amends to Mr. Xiong! What kind of place is this! How can you be allowed to act wild! During your tenure, Xuancheng Mansion is peaceful and prosperous, how can you listen to this? You are talking nonsense! I think my Bai family is too indulgent to you! When you go back, you can take care of your family!"

After finishing speaking, Mr. Bai rang his head "dong dong dong" three times at Magistrate Xiong again, bursting into tears, "The Zhen family's words and deeds are shameless. If they are not severely punished, the merchants in Xuancheng Mansion will be disappointed!"

Magistrate Xiong lowered his eyes and looked down at the people in the hall.

Mr. Bai had gray hair and tears streaming down his face. He looked very pitiful.

The eldest son next to him was red-faced, complaining about the injustice suffered by the Bai family. He looked very angry.

The father and son, with red and white faces, worked well together and put on a good show.

"How do you expect me to punish the Zhen family?"

Magistrate Xiong asked a hypothetical question, which did not require an answer from the Bai family. Instead, he asked the next question in a calm tone, "Did he hurt anyone?"

Bai Dalang shook his head.

Magistrate Xiong asked again, "Did you insult Bai Ji's shopkeeper or his clerk?"

Bai Dalang shook his head again.

Master Bai tried to say something, but Magistrate Xiong raised his hand to stop him.

Magistrate Xiong continued to ask, "Did you damage Bai Ji's furnishings?"

Mr. Bai cried, "He chopped up the silk-cut rice paper of our paper shop."