Zhang Shoucai's concubines, since the first wife made a fuss about them all living together, Diao arranged them properly. Everyone felt it was fair and had no objections. Among the eighteen concubines, only three were dead set against moving out and wanted to follow the first wife, so fine by me. The remaining fifteen, some lived in groups of three, some in groups of two, rented a house together, saving rent and taking care of each other.
At that time, the son of a high-ranking official bought a large piece of land in Wuhu and built many alleyways according to the style of Shanghai. All were residential, some three stories, some five stories. Everyone found this place convenient, so they all rented houses there. The alleyways had theaters, restaurants, and brothels. It was the liveliest place in Wuhu. Although the concubines did not go to the brothels or teahouses, they couldn't do without the theaters and restaurants, so they were quite satisfied with their new residence. Diao gave them a half-month deadline to move. During this half-month, they were busy painting the house and buying furniture, not a single day was idle. When everything was arranged and they moved out, amazingly, not a single one was late. Why? Because Mrs. Zhang was a real terror, they were all desperate to get out of there! Among the fifteen concubines, four had parents or siblings at home, so they notified their families to come and live with them. Some lived in the city, some in the countryside, and a few even moved to other counties. The remaining ten concubines all moved into that lively alleyway together.
On the day before leaving, Master Diao specifically sent someone to notify the concubines and said, "Although all of you are moving out, you must still pay attention to your reputation. Stay away from temples, theaters, and taverns – they're off-limits! Diao has already posted notices prohibiting women from entering these places for fun; if you violate this, there will be severe punishment. For this reason, more than ten inspectors have been specially assigned to patrol day and night. If those guys look the other way, how can they stop others? If they don't show favoritism, you'll be the ones facing the music. So, I’m just reminding you to be careful!" Some took heed, others didn't – but that's another story.
Speaking of Mrs. Zhang, since the fifteen concubines moved out, two days later, she suddenly thought to herself, "Why is Diao so indecisive! Why doesn't he just drive away these mistresses? He keeps hesitating, as if he wants to keep them, asking them to move out to live, and when he has no constraints in the future, he will definitely do anything. Won't that tarnish the reputation of the military official even more? What does he mean?" She was puzzled, and at that moment, Diao Maipeng came to greet her. Mrs. Zhang asked him why he tolerated those concubines. Diao Maipeng said, "My intention is that it is best for them to leave Wuhu and not have any contact with each other. Unfortunately, I can't do it right now, so I have to take it slowly. Fortunately, I hinted to them the day before yesterday, and there will be ways to deal with them in the future. You don't need to worry. As for you, apart from the money given to the concubines, I have a rough idea of the approximate amount. This is also an opportunity to let the accountant sort out the accounts, collect what needs to be collected, and set aside what needs to be set aside. For example, if there is any business, we might as well do one or two deals. Although there is a lot of family property, you can't just sit back and enjoy it. Now that your husband has passed away, you are a woman, and although I am not convenient to handle the family property, I'm just being friendly." Mrs. Zhang said, "Exactly! The military official has passed away, and I am a woman. I don't understand many things, and in the future, I will have to rely on you for everything. How can you say 'not convenient to handle'? If you don't care, who should I rely on in the future?" Saying that, she burst into tears. Diao Maipeng said, "I am not indifferent, but I do have some inconveniences. No matter how good the relationship is, suspicions must be avoided. Besides, you used to have an accountant here, so just leave things to them. Without hiding anything from you, there have been two good deals recently. If they are successful, they will be profitable. If your husband were still here, I would have told him to invest. Now thinking about it, I always feel uncomfortable, so every time someone asks me to talk about it, I don't say anything. Although these deals are profitable and risk-free, the amount is too large. You may not suspect me, but it might still be intimidating." Mrs. Zhang said, "How can you say that! Taking care of me is taking care of my late husband. As long as the business is reliable, if you say it's good, what can't I do? The money is mine; who can control me? As for the accountants, they only deal with small accounts; they can't make decisions on big deals. What exactly is the business you are talking about? If you can tell me, how much capital do you need? I have it here." Diao Maipeng said, "The business is not big, but if successful, it will be profitable. If it doesn't go well, you can still make two or three percent, or even three or four percent." Mrs. Zhang said, "I don't want to make too much money either. If I can make two or three percent or three or four percent, I will be content." Diao Maipeng saw that Mrs. Zhang trusted him very much, so he didn't refuse anymore and said he would let the accountant list all the properties and things placed outside in detail. As for the business he mentioned, he would immediately write a letter to inform the other party and invite them to partner. From that day on, Diao Maipeng came continuously for several days and sorted out all the accounts of the Zhang family clearly. All the property deeds, stocks, contracts, and promissory notes were placed in a cabinet in front of Mrs. Zhang's bed. There were also gold coins, gold bars, foreign money, and silver ingots. Although not counted one by one, the approximate amount was known, and they were all placed in Mrs. Zhang's room. Apart from the existing properties, there were also approximately more than 1.2 million in cash. Mrs. Zhang said again, "Those mistresses who moved out to live each have at least thirty to fifty thousand silver worth of gold and silver jewelry. I feel sorry for myself; I don't even have half of what they have! The fifteen of them together have a total of five to six hundred thousand!" Diao Maipeng was stunned. This gave him the chance to figure out exactly how much Mrs. Zhang and her concubines' jewelry was worth.
Mrs. Zhang snapped up two big deals, and both went through. One was plunking down three hundred thousand in a silk factory in Shanghai; the other was putting in sixty thousand as a partner to start a small shipping company. She got Diao Maipeng to handle both deals. Diao Maipeng claimed it wasn't proper for a government official like him to get involved directly, so he recommended his brother Diao Maiqiao to become the manager of the silk factory and his nephew to be the assistant at the shipping company. Seeing how well the deals were doing—she figured she'd get her money back in under three years—Mrs. Zhang was really grateful to Diao Maipeng and asked him to keep his eyes peeled for more good deals. Diao Maipeng promised there were plenty of deals out there, but he was worried about getting burned. But secretly, he had other plans brewing.
On the other hand, Mrs. Zhang's ten concubines, five of whom went back with their families, we'll leave them out of this for now. The remaining five are all young, beautiful, and fun-loving, living together and leading carefree lives, always out on the town. Evenings were spent either drinking or playing cards. They lived in three five-story buildings, each with three or four servants and a shared staff of cooks, guards, and handymen. When they first moved in, the ten of them got along well, taking turns hosting dinner parties. When it was someone's turn to host, they would gather at her house. When Mr. Zhang was alive, these concubines were addressed by their seniority, like Eldest, Second, and so on, for easy distinction. The three who stayed home this time are the Eldest, Second, and Sixth; the five who went back with their families are the Fifth, Tenth, Thirteenth, Sixteenth, and Eighteenth. On this day, it was the Eighth's turn to host a Western-style dinner. There was only one Western restaurant. It had a limited menu, but it was still a novelty. The Eighth Aunt ordered ten dishes for delivery the next evening. The Eighth, Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Seventeenth Aunts agreed to play mahjong at four in the afternoon, followed by dinner. A flyer arrived the previous day announcing that several famous actors from Shanghai were performing in town for three days before heading to Hankou, urging everyone not to miss out. The Seventeenth Aunt was the first to want to go, saying they could eat after the show. The Twelfth and Fifteenth Aunts agreed. The Eighth Aunt was reluctant, saying, "I'm hosting tonight, you can help me out! I'll take you tomorrow, but not tonight!" But the three of them insisted on going. The Eighth Aunt warned them, "It's against the rules for women to go to the theatre. The Dao Tai warned us about it just the other day. Don't get caught!" The Twelfth Aunt snorted, "He doesn't care about those rules!" Seeing that they wouldn't listen, the Eighth Aunt gave up and let them go.
Guests arrived one after another, and Eighth Aunt received them alone. Fourteenth Aunt also came, saying she came to watch the opera. In total, there were only six people, two short of enough for mahjong, so Eighth Aunt asked Twelfth Aunt and Fifteenth Aunt to each send a maid to help play cards. The opera let out early, and they forgot the time while playing cards and didn't send anyone to pick up the guests. When it was time to serve the food, there was still one round left, so Eighth Aunt had someone prepare liquor and the kitchen to prepare the food. Only then did she remember that the four who went to watch the opera hadn't returned. Feeling strange, she was about to send someone to pick them up when she heard a commotion downstairs but couldn't make out what was being said. Eighth Aunt hurried to the window and asked, only to see Seventeenth Aunt's servant stomping his feet in distress, saying, "It's bad! The three madams and the people who went to the opera with them have all been picked up by the police!" Eighth Aunt asked, "Really?" The people downstairs said, "The other workers are back, so it must be true. They took about seven or eight people, men and women. Fortunately, that laborer had some connections at the police station, so he was released." Upstairs and downstairs were in chaos, and the card game was interrupted. Fourteenth Aunt, Fourth Aunt, and Ninth Aunt lived together and still hadn't returned, probably also picked up. Fourth Aunt and Ninth Aunt hurriedly asked the laborer, "Did you see Fourteenth Aunt?" The laborer said, "I didn't see her." Everyone became more worried. Eighth Aunt asked the laborer, "How were they taken?" The laborer said, "As soon as they left the theater gate, a dozen patrol officers rushed up and hauled them off to the police station. The master said, 'I have issued a ban; women are not allowed to watch the opera. You unladylike women! Tomorrow morning you will be sent to the county for punishment.' Eighth Aunt said, "Can't you speak up? Why didn't you say these are Madam Zhang's kin?" The laborer said, "The man who went with them, Mr. Wang, said it on the street, but they ignored him. When they arrived at the police station, he told the chief, but the chief also ignored him, saying, 'No matter who it is, if they violate the master's order, they must be arrested! If you have anything to say, go to the city tomorrow.' Mr. Wang wanted to say more, but he was taken away. The three aunts were locked up separately, guarded; the others were held in a cell, awaiting transfer to the city.
Everyone just stared, clueless. Suddenly, Fourteenth Aunt rushed in with disheveled hair and gasped, "Oh no! A gang of thieves has hit our house!" Everyone was terrified. Fourth and Ninth Aunt were in on a planned robbery, and upon hearing this news, they were even more frightened. Eighth Aunt asked Fourteenth Aunt, "I thought you were at the theatre! What happened? Did you hear about Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Seventeenth Aunt getting pinched by the cops? You got away? How'd you do it?"
Aunt Fourteen sat down, took a deep breath, and cried, "Exactly! I was at the theatre, and they were arrested. I had no idea. It was cold after the theatre, so I went home to change before coming back, but the robbers followed me in as soon as I got home! Terrified, I hid in the kitchen's woodpile. I heard the robbers go upstairs..." Aunt Four gasped, "Oh no! This is bad!" Aunt Fourteen continued, "After the robbers went upstairs, I heard the sounds of boxes being thrown around and drawers being pulled out. They ransacked the upstairs and then the downstairs before finally leaving." Aunt Nine also cried and stomped her feet, "I just knew this would happen! I'm doomed!" Aunt Fourteen said, "I stayed put, frozen with fear. The old gatekeeper didn't find me until long after they'd gone. Now there's only the old man guarding the door at home; the other servants had vanished." Aunt Eight asked, "Did they get much?" Aunt Fourteen said, "They did search; most of our valuables are gone. It's really unlucky! We've had terrible luck this year, one thing after another!" After speaking, she started crying again. Aunt Four said, "With those three still at the station, and now this robbery, dinner's out of the question. Once the robbers are gone, we have to go back home to see how much we've lost. The local authorities are responsible for this. Father used to donate generously to the police, but now he's gone, we're on our own. We broke the rules, and now this! I doubt they'll lift a finger." With that, Aunt Four got up and pulled Aunt Nine and Aunt Fourteen, saying, "We need to assess the damage and report this robbery. They've got to catch those thieves!" After speaking, she left.
Now there are only Third Aunt, Seventh Aunt, Eleventh Aunt, and Eighth Aunt in the house. Eighth Aunt is very upset due to one thing after another, and she is also worried about Twelfth Aunt. The three aunts are going to get into trouble in the city tomorrow, and she is concerned that they might be in danger tonight. She wants to send someone to check on them, but everyone says that there are people guarding the police station entrance and they can't get in. Third Aunt says, "I understand how things work at the government office; as long as you have money, you can get in." Eighth Aunt takes out forty yuan and sends the runner. At this time, the cook comes and asks, "The dishes are all ready; we can serve them when the guests are all here." Third Aunt says, "Let's just have something simple; we can save the fancy dishes for tomorrow." Unfortunately, the restaurant requires pre-ordering, so they have no choice but to eat everything that was brought out.
Just finished eating, the housekeeper returned with a detained steward named Hu Gui, who was a former subordinate of Zhang Junmen, a high-ranking military officer. These concubines always took him with them when they went out, treating him as one of their own. Hu Gui said, "Today's matter was ordered by the magistrate to be handled by the police. No matter who you are, if you violate the magistrate's decree, you are not allowed to show favoritism. After the arrests, the inspector will go to the magistrate for instructions. The magistrate said, 'If it's Zhang Junmen's family, we should give him some face. But everyone knows that Zhang Junmen and I are sworn brothers. If I bend the rules, how can I control others in the future? Now I am showing special mercy and giving him a way out. Go back and tell them that each person can pay a fine of ten thousand dollars tonight to be released. We're building a new police station and school, and money's tight. This amount is not small either. By preserving their dignity, others will not say that I am showing favoritism. Otherwise, send them to the county tomorrow, handle it publicly, put on shackles, and set an example for everyone. I have warned them in advance; if they don't listen to advice and fall into the trap, don't blame me.' The inspector came back and called the three concubines up, urging them to quickly come up with a solution. They begged for leniency, but he insisted, saying, 'The magistrate ordered that not a penny less is acceptable.' They replied, 'Even if we comply, we can't come up with so much cash at once.' The inspector said, 'You people are really foolish! If you don't have cash, jewelry, pearls, or pawn tickets can be used as collateral, as long as you can come up with thirty thousand.' The three concubines still disagreed. The inspector flew into a rage and locked up Chen Ma, who was with them. Chen Ma protested, 'I haven't committed any crime; why are you locking me up?' The inspector became even angrier, claiming she was talking back. He dragged her down, made her kneel, and struck her face. After hitting her a dozen times, her two front teeth were knocked out, leaving blood all over the floor. Terrified, the concubines finally agreed.
Eighth Auntie thought Hu Gui was reliable and did not suspect anything. She searched their three rooms for a long time and finally found the pawnshop interest receipts for the three of them. After counting them, she took three receipts of $10,000 each and handed them to Hu Gui to pay off. Not long after, Hu Gui returned and said, "The big shot won't accept interest receipts alone. He requires stocks or jewelry." Eighth Auntie thought, "There are no stocks to begin with. As for jewelry, they've got enough on them already; why bother taking more from the house?" So she instructed Hu Gui again. Hu Gui went and returned, saying, "The big shot said, 'Interest receipts alone are not accepted. They must be multiplied a few times; less is not acceptable.'" The three aunties said, "It's just a temporary mortgage anyway; we can redeem it with money later. It's not convenient to give them jewelry; what if they swap it out? Who will reason with them?" Eighth Auntie thought this made sense, so she gave him all the pawnshop receipts. Hu Gui took the receipts and left. Everyone figured the three would be back once the money was paid. Hu Gui knew the ropes, so there was no need to worry. Auntie Three, Auntie Seven, Auntie Eleven, and others waited for those people, but they never returned home. By three o'clock in the middle of the night, they still hadn't come back, and they started to get nervous. They sent someone to the police station to check, but found the police station was dark and empty. When the person returned and reported, everyone became even more uneasy, comforting each other by saying, "Nah, they'll be let go in the morning." So Auntie Three, Auntie Seven, and Auntie Eleven prepared to go home. Eighth Auntie was afraid and wanted to keep the three of them company. After discussing for a long time, they decided that Auntie Seven would go home alone to look after the house, while Auntie Three and Auntie Eleven stayed to keep Eighth Auntie company. After Auntie Seven left, they sent someone to check on Auntie Four, Auntie Nine, and Auntie Fourteen, and found out that bandits had cleaned them out, which had already been registered and documented, ready to report the next day. Everyone sighed and went home to sleep. Eighth, Third, and Eleventh Auntie stayed up half the night, worrying.
They only drifted off, half-asleep, just before dawn. Suddenly, they heard someone downstairs shouting loudly: "Quick, please bring back Third Aunt and Eleventh Aunt! Thieves dug a hole in the wall at home and stole countless things! Seventh Aunt's belongings were almost all stolen; she's so desperate she wants to hang herself!" Third Aunt and Eleventh Aunt were startled, sitting up all at once, trembling in fear, their legs felt like jelly, they could barely stand. After a while, they finally calmed down. Third Aunt sighed and said, "Bloody hell, why does everything always go wrong for us?" Eighth Aunt regretted not sending them back last night. Now it's no use saying anything; they can only send them back and report it to the police. Let's hope they catch the culprits soon. She also asked them to go comfort Seventh Aunt. Third Aunt and Eleventh Aunt hurried back home, luckily it wasn't far away. Eighth Aunt couldn't sleep because of last night's events. She sent the maid to the police station to inquire about the news of Twelfth Aunt, Fifteenth Aunt, and Seventeenth Aunt, saying, "Hu Gui paid the money yesterday; why hasn't he been released?" After a while, the maid came back in a panic, sweating profusely: "The people at the station said no one brought money yesterday. It's still early; they haven't taken anyone to the city yet." Eighth Aunt was frantic: "Didn't Hu Gui say the magistrate was going to fine him?" The maid explained, "When I went to the station, I told my relative about this, and he informed the master. The master called me over and said, 'Although this matter exists, the magistrate wants to fine him, but it's only a few thousand, not that much. Don't let yourself be deceived. If you don't come, I'll send someone to your mansion to ask. If it's about the fine, I'll delay sending the person to the city; if it's not about the fine, quickly send a reply, so I can send the person to the city early and relieve my responsibility. Hurry up and go!' So I hurried back." Eighth Aunt was completely distraught and asked, "Did you see Hu Gui?" The maid replied, "No, I didn't see him. If I had, he'd be here already!"
Auntie Ba was deep in thought when someone came to report, "The police station has sent an inspector and his assistant." Upon inquiring, she found out they had come to collect a letter. Auntie Ba hesitated for a moment but still went out to meet them. The inspector explained, "We're just following orders, not trying to cause trouble. The magistrate wants a contribution to a good cause, you see. We've come specifically to discuss a solution. It was said that your steward brought some pawn tickets last night, but our station didn't receive them. It's possible your household was deceived, so don't blame us. Besides, those pawn tickets aren't exactly valuable securities, even if there are more, they're not worth much. What’s the name of the steward who escaped? Please tell us so we can investigate quickly. A fine of a few thousand silver dollars per person isn't much; it's better to resolve this quickly." All Auntie Ba could think about was Hu Gui, so she kept insisting, "I personally handed those tickets to him, and now he's taken them and run away! How can I explain this to others?" The inspector replied, "Fortunately, they're all your own pawn tickets. Just report them as lost and make a replacement; isn't that enough?" Auntie Ba thought this was the only way, finally feeling relieved, and began discussing the fine again. The inspector offered a fixed price of twenty thousand taels, including all expenses, and they could be bailed out immediately. Auntie Ba thought, although twenty thousand isn't a small amount, it's better than more. They finally agreed on twenty thousand taels: six thousand per person as a fine, and the rest for expenses. Auntie Ba said, "We don't have silver dollars readily available; it seems we can only use jewelry as collateral. Their jewelry was all taken out yesterday; we have to ask them to each take out some temporarily as collateral and then redeem it with money later." The inspector remarked, "If there's no cash, then it has to be this way. But when they came in yesterday, they weren't wearing much jewelry. Our master also personally asked them, and they all said they were wearing jewelry when they went out but were robbed. Halfway through, they took it off to let someone take it. That's why our master sent us." Auntie Ba was startled again and quickly said, "That's not true! Yesterday, when our servants came back, they said all three of them were wearing jewelry. They refused to use their jewelry as collateral, which is why they asked me for the tickets. They must have hidden it, trying to deceive you!" The inspector replied, "I’m not so sure; maybe it was your steward playing tricks. We'll go back and ask them again." And with that, they were gone.
Aunt Ba was a bundle of nerves, sometimes complaining that Diao was heartless, and other times cursing that jerk Hu Gui. Before long, the clerk from the yamen returned and said, "I've spoken to the three ladies, and Hu Gui took their jewelry a long time ago. They said to pick it up here. They also mentioned that if the jewelry was really taken by Hu Gui, there was no other way, so they asked Aunt Ba to help them out; after all, they were rescued today and needed to repay the favor." Aunt Ba was stunned and didn't say a word for a long time. The clerk urged her twice. Helpless, Aunt Ba had to open the jewelry boxes of the three ladies, managing to scrape together about half. In the urgent situation, she had no choice but to play the good Samaritan and took out a dozen or so valuable pieces of her own jewelry for the clerk to inspect. The clerk said it wasn't enough for 20,000, and Aunt Ba became anxious, calculating for him piece by piece, "It adds up to at least 24,000!" The clerk replied, "You're right, but the problem is, if you buy them piece by piece now, according to the current market price and the price at that time, you may not be able to buy them all for 24,000. And now selling them, they definitely won't be worth as much; at least another half needs to be added, so I can report back." Aunt Ba was beside herself.
Just then, the waiter from the restaurant came to collect yesterday's bill. Because Aunt Ba was a regular, they were quite familiar with each other. When the waiter heard about the situation, he came up with an idea: "That clerk's trying to line his pockets!" Aunt Ba thought it made sense and asked how much she should slip him. The waiter said, "That clerk is a regular at our restaurant, so you should give him something; let me ask him for you." Indeed, the waiter spoke to the clerk for a few moments, and another two hundred yuan changed hands before the jewelry was taken away. Aunt Ba wasn't taking any chances, so she took a maid with her and brought back her other aunts.
Not long after, Aunt Twelve, Aunt Fifteen, and Aunt Seventeen all came back together. After meeting, they naturally chatted for a bit. Speaking of Hu Gui, Aunt Twelve said, "We hadn't even reached the yamen gate when, halfway there, Hu Gui came over and said, 'Ladies, it's easier if you let me carry these jewels.' We thought it made sense, so we walked while giving him the items. Strangely, of all the people with us, only he wasn't arrested, walking alongside as if nothing was wrong. Later, when we got to the yamen, he even went in once. We were so scared, we didn't even think about it. Who knew he wasn't a good person!" Aunt Eight said, "It's really strange! You were carrying jewelry on the road, and the number wasn't small, yet those patrolmen just let it slide?" Aunt Fifteen said, "Really! Too strange! After we took out the jewelry, he even said it was hard to hold in his hand and asked us for two handkerchiefs to wrap them in. Those patrolmen watched without saying a word. This is fishy; were they in cahoots?" Aunt Eight called the errand boy over and asked, "Did you see Hu Gui at the yamen yesterday?" The errand boy said, "I had just arrived at the yamen gate when Master Hu came out. He said he was sent back by the councilor with a message, so he came back with me. I don't know anything else." Nobody could figure out what was going on.
Then, to make matters worse, yesterday Aunts Four, Nine, and Fourteen, who were robbed by bandits, along with Aunts Three, Seven, and Eleven, who had things stolen by thieves, also came to visit. When everyone met, they burst into tears, each recounting their ordeal. Eighth Aunt asked them, "Did you report it to the cops?" Third Aunt sighed and said, "And the police? Don't even get me started! The officer came to investigate and took the report forms. But he kept insisting it was an inside job. I told him the holes in the wall clearly showed it was an outside job, but he insisted it was an inside job, saying, 'No way they could've gotten away with so much without inside help!' I shot back, 'If it was an inside thief, why wouldn't they just open the door directly? Wouldn't that be more convenient?' He just stared at me, speechless, and took the report forms with him. However, after the thieves left, a sort of sea-green belt was dropped. Our family recognized it, saying it was something Hu Gui often wore around his waist, exactly the same as this one. I shushed them. In this way, the cops just brushed it off, saying it was an inside job, and with this evidence, it gave them more to say." When she was done, everyone didn't say much, only the four aunts who'd been tricked by Hu Gui yesterday knew he was no good, and they said, "This is definitely his doing." Third Aunt asked what happened, and Eighth Aunt filled her in, so everyone figured it was Hu Gui.
Then they asked Aunt Four about the robbery. Aunt Four said, "You're absolutely right. This stinks of inside help, even police corruption!" Everyone was shocked.
Fourth Aunt said, "When I got home, the thief had already run away. I checked all the things we manage, and no one else's things were missing except for Wang Fu's. Third Aunt asked, 'Who is Wang Fu?' Fourth Aunt replied, 'He's the one with a small mustache, from Nanjing, who often ran around for the governor's yamen. When we were in the old house, every time Dao Tai came, he always rushed to give him cigarettes. Dao Tai liked him a lot and even told him, 'Now that your commander (who had since passed away) is gone, as long as you work hard, I will definitely promote you in the future.' Later, when we moved, we had him look after us. Unfortunately, his son Xiao Sanzi was no good and always ran with a rough crowd. When I got home yesterday, I didn't see him and his father, so I said, 'Did the thief kill them? Go find them quickly!' The old man guarding the gate seemed quite clear and told me, 'Something fishy's going on.' I asked him, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'Xiao Sanzi was always out gallivanting, even at night, but yesterday after dinner, he didn't leave. At first, he was hiding in his father's bed. Later, around four o'clock, Fourth went to watch a play, and Third and Ninth went to Eighth's house. He lay down for a bit, then stood up to look outside as if he was waiting for someone, and then he disappeared. After the incident, both of them have been missing.' I think this is very suspicious. This morning, I sent someone to check their luggage in the gatehouse. The old man guarding the gate said, 'Fourth Aunt, there's no need to check. I've already looked, and there's nothing but a ragged old quilt on the bed; everything else has been taken away.' This was an inside job, plain and simple! That son of Wang Fu's must've let those thieves in!"
Everyone said, "So you think the police are in with the bandits?" Fourth Aunt replied, "It just burns me up, that's why I said so. After the incident yesterday, when I went to report it, they told me it was too late. They went to investigate first thing this morning. A whole lot of officials showed up – from the county, the local militia office, the police station – and they looked around for a long time but came up with nothing. Instead, they called our people up and grilled them for ages. The best part? County Magistrate Zhou asks, 'Did you recognize any of those bandits?' Everyone cracked up at that. I didn't give a damn who he was; I shot back, 'Bandits, all with foreign guns, were swarming – we were running for our lives, who had time to look at their faces?' That got the county officials laughing, and then he quickly explained, 'Look, whether you know 'em or not, there's been a robbery, and I gotta do my job. But you should know, if there are people you recognize among the bandits, you'll understand what's going on in your heart. Don't blame me for dereliction of duty as a local official.' Listen, isn't this gentleman's words strange?" Some folks thought it was weird, others just cussed the government out.
Among those present, only Eighth Aunt gets it. After listening, she thought for a moment and remarked, "I reckon yesterday's events were all planned by them. Think about it, why did both our Hu Gui and your Wang Fu run away on the same day? When things were stolen, the committee said it was a rat in the ranks; when we were robbed by bandits, Wuhu County asked, 'Do you know these bandits?' I think they all understand in their hearts, they just can't say it. As for us, it's our own fault for not listening to his warning. It's clear Diaotai was behind it. I think Diaotai is a real piece of work! Fourth Aunt, let me ask you, does your Wang Fu often go to Diaotai's place?" Fourth Aunt said, "Yes!" Eighth Aunt continued, "When Diaotai talks to him, does he come back and tell you?" Fourth Aunt replied, "When we first moved here, Wang Fu went to Diaotai's place every day, then he would come back acting mysterious and talking nonsense. Recently, for the past four or five days, even though he goes out every day, when we ask where he's going, he doesn't say Diaotai's place, only that he's going to see friends. We used to joke that he was trying to please Diaotai. We didn't expect this to happen. It's all because the military governor picked the wrong crowd!" Eighth Aunt said, "Don't blame the servants; these scoundrels were never any good. Blame the fact that the military governor had lousy friends while he was alive! They were real smooth operators! In just half a day, he caught them all in one fell swoop! Now, out of ten people, I'm the only one left. I don't know how he plans to deal with me, but I'm done for."
Several people were chatting when suddenly they heard someone outside making a commotion. Aunt Eight asked, "Who is it?" Mom said, "It's from the big restaurant; they were just here and now they're back." Aunt Eight knew right away it was the clerk who had just been haggling over the bill with the manager. Because he had helped before, Aunt Eight pulled back the curtain to greet him and said, "You worked hard earlier!" The clerk replied, "No, no! You're a loyal customer; helping out is only right. To be honest, this police station has only been open for less than a year, and we have really had enough of the trouble. They claim to be protecting the people, but the soldiers standing guard at the street corners eat without paying and say they come from poor backgrounds. The big police station, the old masters and stewards who come out of there, are all arrogant and domineering, coming to our restaurant, nitpicking and demanding this and that. If we don't serve them well, they give us the evil eye and yell at us, using the power of the police station to intimidate us. We are very cautious in serving these old masters and stewards. Originally, we didn't charge them; even if we lose a little money, it doesn't matter—it's about building relationships to keep things smooth in the future. Who knew that things wouldn't go well? At the beginning of the month, our guy was delivering food to Huang Mansion, and on the way, he ran into a few street thugs (some say they were from Anqing Road). Without a word, they knocked him down, spilled the food, and broke things. Not only that, they insisted he pay for their clothes, claiming the abalone soup had dirtied them. The clerk refused to pay, argued with them for a bit, and then seven or eight thugs surrounded him and beat him up before going to report to the police. When the store found out, they hurried over, but the police said it was ordered by the masters, insisting the clerk carelessly broke things and that we should compensate for their clothes. I figured I'd just pay them off and be done with it, so I asked what kind of clothes they were and suggested I see them first. I didn't expect the police to directly say, 'No need to look at the clothes, just give fifty bucks and it's settled, otherwise we'll arrest the person!' Can you believe this? I was really angry, thinking sometimes you just gotta take the hit, so I agreed first and then figured out a solution later. As a result, the police detained our clerk. As I walked out of the police station, pondering as I went, I bumped into someone without realizing it and got a fright. I looked up and saw it was my uncle! He asked me, 'Why are you in such a hurry, you don't even recognize your uncle?' I was stunned for a moment and said, 'Let's talk somewhere private.' I quickly returned to the store and explained the whole situation.
After hearing this, my uncle patted his chest and said, "Piece of cake! No matter how big his official position is, when he sees us, he still has to back down!" Ladies, do you know what my uncle does? He’s a teacher, under the school board’s management, not under the local officials’ jurisdiction. And the people in the school board help him with everything, more supportive than family. When he gets sick, the school board sends doctors to see him, multiple times a day. We Chinese people, no matter how good our friends are, we don’t receive this kind of treatment. So in that town, who doesn’t respect my uncle? That day, when my uncle heard that I was wronged, he immediately said he had a stake in this big restaurant. "My waiter's been arrested! No one can cook, so we're losing business. It’s already been delayed for half a day, so release him quickly. If the business is delayed, even if he compensates, it has its limits. If he’s not released by evening, tell him my restaurant has a capital of one hundred thousand taels of silver, earns twenty thousand a year, and he has ruined my reputation—can he afford the compensation?" My uncle told me to say this, and I decided to take him with me. Fortunately, my uncle isn’t afraid of trouble, so he came along. In the past, when we went to the police station, the cops would sit in the hall and make us kneel to see them. This time, as soon as I arrived at the door, they recognized me and asked, "Did you bring the fifty bucks?" I said, "No, our boss is here; ask him if you have any questions!" They went in to report, and the officer came out and called me up. I said, "I’m not involved; ask our boss how much compensation should be paid." The officer asked, "Who’s the boss? Call him up." My uncle calmly walked to the hall and stood beside the desk. The officer scolded him, "You’re so bold! This is the government; how dare you not kneel!" My uncle replied, "Only the magistrate's court is a real court; this police station is nothing! Even if it’s the emperor’s court, we still won’t kneel!" The officer was furious and asked him, "Do you have so many heads you don’t care if you lose them?" My uncle calmly took out a bronze statue from his pocket, sort of Buddha-like, but with a four-pronged cross on its head. The cops immediately understood he was a believer. Their faces softened, and they said, "This matter has nothing to do with you; you don’t need to worry about it." My uncle said, "It’s my shop; the person in my shop was arrested by you. If you don’t release him for an hour, it’ll delay an hour of business. If you don’t release him for half a day, it’ll delay half a day of business. I came here, not mainly to ask for the person, but mainly to ask you to compensate for our losses!" This scared the cops, and their faces changed immediately. Fortunately, the officer reacted quickly; regardless of whether there were people around, he quickly left the hall, smiling, grabbed my uncle’s sleeve and said, "Come on in, let’s chat." My uncle said, "Compensate for my losses, release the person, and that’s it, nothing else." The officer said, "I really didn’t know it was your shop; I made a mistake and offended you. I’ll make it up to you." He bowed and added, "Since you’re here, consider it hospitality; come in and have a cup of tea." After speaking with my uncle, he turned to me and said, "This matter is my fault."
""
The first time I came here, why didn't you make things clear? If I had known it was the boss who owned the shop, wouldn't this matter have been resolved earlier? As he was speaking, he turned back and shouted to the patrolling soldiers, "Quickly send their shop hand back, they are still waiting to do business!" My uncle, upon hearing his words, was both angry and amused, and wanted to argue with him. At this point, his subordinates had already prepared two bowls of tea in lidded bowls, one for me and one for my uncle. My uncle refused to enter the house, so they placed two chairs beside the counter for us to sit down. The boss personally served the tea. My uncle demanded to know, "Boss, don't bother with these things. I just want to ask you, how are you going to handle our situation?" The boss replied, "It's all my fault, you don't need to say anymore. I've sent a sedan chair to take your shop hand back. I will compensate for the broken items. As for the troublemakers, I'll have them strung up in front of your shop tomorrow for you to deal with. Is that acceptable to you?" My uncle still wanted to disagree, but I pulled him aside and said, "Let's just leave it at that, spare him." My uncle then stopped talking, but later scolded him harshly, saying, "We are people of the temple after all, and you are acting this way today. If it were ordinary people, they could only endure your behavior!" Every time my uncle said something, the boss would immediately agree with a "yes," continuously blaming his subordinates. Then we and the shop hand rode the sedan chair back together. So there you have it, ladies. That shopkeeper was a real wimp, if you ask me! If you don't intimidate him with our temple status, and don’t give him fifty bucks, would he talk to you nicely? And now, not only does he not want fifty bucks, he also compensates us for the bowls and utensils, and the troublemakers will be punished. His apologetic attitude is quite good, but if this were an ordinary person, it wouldn't be so easy to resolve. My uncle later kept mentioning this incident, saying that this boss, relying on his official position, must have oppressed the common people a lot in normal times. If we didn't have some status, this matter today would have been really difficult to handle.
