Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 24
"Xiao Xi, why didn't I see you when I went to your shop a few days ago? Also, why did you change the owner?" He Xiucai had a lot to ask and asked Xiao Xi to enter the tea shop.

"Oh, it's a long story. I'm going to say hello to the shopkeeper and I'll be right over."

In a moment, Xiao Xi left and came back again. He Xiucai dragged him into the tea shop and asked Dr. Tea to make a cup of tea for Xiao Xi.

"Where did Shopkeeper Xiaojin go? Why can't we do a good business?" He Xiucai asked impatiently.

"Alas." Xiao Xi patted her thigh and said, "I don't know who inspired Shopkeeper Xiao Jin to go to Hangzhou to do business. I also wanted to go to Hangzhou, but my old mother suddenly fell ill and couldn't afford it, so I had to give up. I didn't want to Things suddenly got better a few days ago. I heard that the shopkeeper's lawsuit had also been settled. I rushed to the shop to start work. No one was there. The shop was sold to Miao Dong's family. I went to the old house on Qingshijing Lane to look for someone. I followed him to Hangzhou, but couldn't find anyone, but it happened that the new shopkeeper had some old relatives in my family, so I decided to work here again."

It turned out that the Jin family had long planned to go to Hangzhou to do business. He Xiucai thought for a moment and casually asked: "Where are the guys in your original shop?"

Xiao Xi said with envy: "Brother A Yong and Brother A Shuang have gone to Hangzhou. I went to their homes and asked about them."

He Xiucai paused: "Where's Ah Liu?"

Xiao Xi was surprised, and after looking at He Xiucai's expression, he didn't look like he was joking, and then asked: "What Ah Liu?"

"The boy in your shop, Ah Liu, has a high forehead and a bit dark skin. He is around thirty years old."

"No, there were only three of us originally, and we didn't have the Ah Liu you mentioned."

The two sides looked at each other and spoke in a very serious tone, not like they were joking, so they were silent for a long time.

"I've been out for a while. If I don't go back, the shopkeeper will tell me." Xiao Xi stood up, walked a few steps and turned back to He Xiucai: "I followed shopkeeper Xiaojin for three years, helped for three years, and worked as a waiter for six years. , I really have never seen a guy named Ah Liu, I guess I remembered the wrong person."

After that, everyone in the court bowed their hands and left.

He Xiucai's face was pale, his brows were furrowed, and he looked confused.

Mr. Wei looked at his appearance and said softly: "Brother He, do you have any doubts in your heart? You might as well tell us and let's go over the details together."

He Xiucai's eyes were confused and he murmured: "In the past few days, I have remembered some things one after another."

"On August [-]th, Shopkeeper Xiaojin and I said goodbye in front of the old Zhangjia store by the Sandong Bridge. Shopkeeper Xiaojin had just walked away when someone called me. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was a fisherman paddling a sampan. Under the Sandong Bridge, the fisherman took off his bamboo hat and saw that it was Ah Liu, a store clerk from the Jin family. He had contacted Ye Shijiu before and was the clerk who had been to Changle Village."

"At that time, I wanted the scroll of Huang Da Chi's paintings wholeheartedly, so I asked Ah Liu how sure he would be if he asked Ye Shijiu to transfer the scroll to me. Ah Liu said proudly that it was impossible. He said Ye Jiu was in debt. Yesterday was August and a half, so he had to go out to hide from the debt. He didn't dare to go home until this afternoon, so I told Ah Liu that I had gone there in the morning, and Ye Jiu was not at home as expected. Ah Liu said that he could hide for a while, but he couldn't avoid it at the end of the year. Going to collect his paintings now would be like giving someone timely help. That painting would be hard to buy for a thousand gold, but Ah Liu is sure to get it for 500 taels of silver."

"I already had 500 taels of banknotes from Baotong Bank on me. I felt itchy when I heard it. Seeing that it was still early in the morning, I invited Ah Liu to come with me to Changle Village again today. Ah Liu wholeheartedly agreed, but Let me go first. He agreed to return the boat to his cousin's house in Yintang Village, and then borrowed a donkey from his cousin's house to take a short road to Yezhai in Changle Village. In order to avoid waiting, he met directly at Yezhai, which was just right. Whoever gets there first will block Ye Shijiu at home."

"But, Xiao Xi said that without Ah Liu, my head would almost split. Could it be that I fell and injured my brain." He Xiucai covered his head with both hands, looking dazed and helpless.

Mr. Wei and Wang Heng looked at each other in shock, not expecting such an inside story.

"Brother He, it is useless to think too much. On the contrary, it will harm your health." Mr. Wei patted He Xiucai on the shoulder and said warmly: "You are very safe now and your health is well. Those months of fear are over. Shopkeeper Xiaojin Obviously, I have planned to do business in Hangzhou for a long time. Whether or not there is a boy named Ah Liu in their shop has nothing to do with your life. Don't think about it again in the future."

Mr. Wei went outside the store and called the He family's sedan bearers to come in and asked them to help He Xiucai get into the sedan chair and go home.He Xiucai had a gentle personality, and he bid farewell to everyone and got up from the sedan chair very obediently.

As soon as the He family's sedan chair left, Wang Cai said in surprise: "I smell a conspiracy."

Wang Heng stared at Mr. Wei: "I think, as the self-protection of people mentioned before, could it be that He Xiucai's memory was confused and he had some hallucinations after he was injured?"

Neither side could convince the other, but the discussion was in a good mood.

Mr. Wei smiled and said: "It seems that we must go to the Sandong Bridge site outside the West Gate today to inspect the site, otherwise we won't be able to sleep well at night."

Wang Cai stood up immediately, raised his legs and was about to go out.

"Don't worry, I'll get the money first." Two of the three people were poor, so Mr. Wei had no choice but to accept his fate and pay the bill.

Wang Heng was a little embarrassed, but he had no money and needed to be old-fashioned.

Dr. Tea was well-informed and said attentively: "Uncle He family has already given the order, so naturally it will be recorded in He family's account."

The three poor men were relieved and all breathed a sigh of relief.

Going out of Shangguan Road at the west gate, I hired a green donkey last time and it felt very fast. This time I walked much slower. It took more than half an hour for Lanjiang and Qingluo to appear in front of me.

As the name suggests, Sandong Bridge is a three-hole stone arch bridge. The bridge body is covered with vines. It seems that the arrival of the severe winter has not reduced some of its vitality.

The light and shadow flow under the bridge piers, and the clear water is deep. If a small boat is parked in the bridge openings on both sides, it is entirely possible that pedestrians will not notice it for a while.

Wang Cai said: "He Xiucai said goodbye to shopkeeper Xiaojin by the bridge, and then met the man Ah Liu who parked his boat in the bridge hole, and had a conversation with him. This period must have been very short, so there were no witnesses."

Wang Heng looked at the Lanjiang River from afar and sighed: "How many ships come and go on the Lanjiang River in a day? There was a small boat that stopped a few months ago. It's really impossible to find out."

Mr. Wei shook his head and sighed: "I am at a loss what to do, I can't think of a clue at all."

Wang Xiaocai, who claimed to be a detective, was not discouraged. He called out to a passing boat. He jumped on the boat and instructed the boatman to park the boat in the boat hole near the barge. Then he asked Mr. Wei to walk to the door of Zhang's old store. He exchanged a few words with Wang Heng on the revetment, simulating the meeting between He Xiucai and Ah Liu.

After saying a few words, Wang jumped ashore. Mr. Wei said that from the perspective of a bystander, he only saw Wang Heng lingering on the revetment for a short while. He could not really see the boat in the bridge hole, and the sound was basically inaudible. Qing Dynasty, the Zhang family's old restaurant is a restaurant, which is noisy by nature. Except for those who are thoughtful, who would hold their breath and eavesdrop on other people's conversations.

A thoughtful person, Wang Heng began to agree with Xiaocai's statement. The various coincidences and the details were so detailed that it was not like He Xiucai's imagination.

It must not have been a coincidence that Ah Liu met He Xiucai here, but a plan.

Moreover, the people with this layout are very familiar with the area around the Sandong Bridge outside the West Gate.

(End of this chapter)