Chapter 321

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

The night was deep; in a residence just outside the main street, several people were carrying buckets out of the door one after another.

The buckets were quite large; at this time one catty equaled sixteen taels, and one bucket weighed thirty or forty catties. Carrying one for a while was fine, but carrying it for long made each of them struggle.

As they carried, someone couldn't help but ask: "Just carry them like this? Why not use a handcart?"

"Right! It's nearly two streets away, where's the convenience!" someone immediately agreed. "I said this house was chosen wrong, too far! Going back and forth, running until people's legs are sore!"

"Enough! Houses aren't easy to find! Getting this one is already not easy!"

"No, let's not use a handcart. Handcarts make a big noise and attract attention. Even though it's midnight, if we run into some blind fool on the road and he sees us, what then?"

"In the middle of the night, even if you could use one, where would you go to get a handcart?"

Handcarts were out; someone else asked: "Don't we have a carrying pole? Are we just lifting with our two hands? I saw that peddler bring his goods in with a carrying pole when he came!"

"Carrying pole what—you know it's a peddler's, where would we have one? Things have come to a head now; going to find one would be too late. We'll carry them ourselves!"

Hearing a group of people chattering here, the leader who had just come out couldn't help but darken his face and said: "What's all the nagging! Just a few jars; take turns carrying them—it won't kill you!"

Seeing the man in charge say this, the underlings had no choice; they agreed with their mouths but couldn't help exchanging glances.

Turning around, taking advantage of the leader not being there, several people couldn't help but complain privately.

"It's not him carrying!"

"If he's so capable, let him carry it himself, then say 'it won't kill you'!"

"Damn it, all day long, he takes the most but does nothing, assigning everything to us—he just has a glib tongue!"

Just as they were speaking, the leader came out again and asked: "Who has the incense? Have you taken it? Have you taken the tinder?"

"Taken, taken! Leader, rest assured, the smoldering incense is with me!" The one who had complained most fiercely immediately put on a smiling face and stepped forward, pulling a long cloth bundle from his pocket.

Another person also agreed: "Leader, I'm keeping the tinder—keeping it well!"

Saying this, he held out two pieces of tinder.

Seeing everyone busy here in a flurry, Xu Shifu, who was standing to the side having people confirm the location again and again, couldn't sit still.

"You... what are you doing?"

He watched for a while; although the buckets had lids, as they were carried back and forth, they shook and swayed, and some always spilled. Someone opened the lid to look inside the gap—taking this opportunity, he had already seen that the flowing object inside was like water but not water, more like oil.

Seeing bucket after bucket of oil here, Xu Shifu grew increasingly panicked and asked: "Wasn't it said to just sneak in and put some laxative or something? Why tinder, why incense? Are you going to set a fire?"

This question was simply laughable.

Someone patiently answered him: "Mind your own business, it's none of your concern! You only said a few words about what the inside of Song Ji looks like—besides you, many people have gone in, everyone knows what's inside. If something really happens, who knows it was you who said it?"

Hearing this, Xu Shifu was even more startled.

Because he had been fired by Song Ji and caused such a scene, he lost a steady job and ruined his reputation. Ordinarily, people would point at him and gossip whenever they saw him, and he could hardly lift his head.

This man was originally a bully of the weak and coward before the strong. After being threatened by a group of women and butchers, he didn't dare go out and cause trouble anymore, only muttering a few words when soliciting customers.

Since he couldn't make anything of it, he had long been holding a bellyful of anger. So when someone came to his door earlier saying they wanted to deal with Song Ji, he agreed immediately. Whenever they discussed it, whenever they questioned him, he almost always held nothing back, told everything, and even helped think of several ideas to make Song Ji look bad.

But no matter what, in Xu Shifu's view, these actions were just tit for tat, venting his anger.

Although his daily conduct was improper and his actions unscrupulous, he had taken advantage of cheap deals, deceived customers, and embezzled others' property, but he had never dared to break the law like this.

You must know that at this time, arson was a crime not pardoned even by amnesty. Once exposed, if it was traced to him, his children's marriages, his parents, wife, and clan would all be implicated.

"I... I have matters at home. It's so late, going to Sanzao County Alley or something, I, I won't get involved?"

Xu Shifu immediately started making excuses to back out.

The person on the left who had just been talking and laughing with him immediately turned hostile, glared, and said: "Among us, you're the only one who has been into Song Ji's back courtyard. If you don't get involved, who will lead the way?"

"I've said it who knows how many times these past few days! That house is just that big! Aren't you all already familiar with it?" He put on a bitter face. "My family really has matters—I almost forgot, my little granddaughter turns five today. I promised to bring her a maltose figure. Lately I've been busy with this side and suddenly forgot. No matter what, I should go back..."

He hadn't finished speaking when the person on the right slapped the table and sneered: "What's all the nagging! Do you think we're a brothel, come when you want, leave when you want?"

He added: "Surname Xu, be honest, hope for the best. Otherwise, if things don't succeed and us brothers are caught by the authorities, do you think you can escape?"

This person had just been calling him Older Brother Xu, Older Brother Xu, but in the blink of an eye the appellation changed to Surname Xu. Xu Shifu's face turned red, stammering "you, you" for a long time. He wanted to curse, but seeing the other man broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, full of fierce flesh, he feared provoking him and getting a punch—this was truly a desperate criminal who dared to set fires!

The scene froze for a moment. Finally, someone played the good cop and persuaded: "Hey! Older Brother Xu, why make things so ugly? It's not really killing anyone, just setting a fire, burning a house. Her food shop has a well, you saw it, and there are escort guards keeping watch at night. Once the fire is big, someone will naturally get up, fetch water, and put it out!"

He added: "It's not asking you to set the fire yourself, just point out the way. Besides, once the fire starts, we'll run. In the pitch dark, who knows who set it? Not a bit will touch you! You're hemming and hawing here. If you drag it on too long, you'll ruin things instead!"

At once someone else chimed in to help persuade.

"Rest assured, no one will lose their life!"

"You're just standing far away and taking a look. It's not you setting the fire, not you carrying the buckets. Even if discovered, it has nothing to do with you!"

Several people used both soft and hard tactics. While some persuaded, others took out knives, axes, and whetstones from the corner and, in front of everyone, began sharpening an axe.

A large axe, sharpened until it gleamed. Taking a piece of wood to test it, it almost took no effort at all. "Crack!" It split directly into two halves.

Watching the man sharpening the axe, then looking left and right—everyone was staring at him—Xu Shifu unconsciously touched his own head and neck.

—My head, my neck, could they possibly be harder than wood?

However terrified he was, he immediately closed his mouth and dared not speak another word.

After everything was packed properly, a group first sent two people, one in front and one behind, to keep watch, then they went out.

Seeing that ahead was Sanzao County Alley, the leader immediately called Xu Shifu to the front. First he confirmed with him when Song Ji usually rested and got up, then confirmed the layout behind.

Even though it had been said many times, seeing a group of sturdy men before him, with knives, axes, sticks, smoldering incense, and tinder, he didn't dare add a single word of criticism. He immediately began to introduce the details again.

"... On the left of the front hall is a miscellaneous room, inside are stored dry goods and ingredients, all sorts of miscellaneous items. Also there is a wooden bed and two wooden cabinets—all things that catch fire easily..."

"The room outside the back courtyard is also a miscellaneous room..."

Just as he was speaking, the leader interrupted him and asked: "You've been talking for a while, but how come you haven't mentioned where the firewood is kept? Is it under the eaves? Or stacked outside?"

Xu Shifu hesitated for a moment, knew he couldn't hide it, and still said: "In the back courtyard against the outer wall there's a room, that room is specifically for storing firewood, they originally also wanted to pile the firewood in the courtyard, that surnamed Song didn't allow it, so they all moved it inside……"

"Have you gone inside? How big is that room?"

Xu Shifu gestured a size.

While speaking, the group finally arrived at the Sanzao County Alley entrance.

The leader pointed out a few people, gave them some instructions, then had people carry two buckets of oil down the main Sanzao County Alley, toward the front main gate, while he himself led another squad, a full seven or eight people, plus Xu Shifu, together took the small alley, heading to the back.

By now it was not long past the second quarter of Zi hour.

If it were before, doing business at night, he would mostly set it near Ugly hour——sky not yet bright, people in deepest sleep, not easy to detect outside movement.

But this time hearing Xu Shifu say that Song Ji does breakfast business, top to bottom roughly at the end of Ugly hour they'd get up, fearing acting too late would run into people getting up, therefore specially chose this hour.

Along the back alley, the group quickly reached the place.

The stakeout men came over, yawned, and said: "Inside slept early——I've squatted this half day, not a bit of movement heard——only heard mosquitoes buzzing, got bitten by mosquitoes! Can't even swat them!"

Although no movement was an expected thing, the others still breathed a sigh of relief, only Xu Shifu sandwiched in the middle, wanted to run but couldn't run, his heart pounding wildly, chest a bit unable to breathe, nervous to the extreme.

These two days already scouted many times, already familiar, before long, already in threes and twos built a human wall, sent two people up the wall.

Two people sat on top of the courtyard wall carefully observing for a while.

The sentry person earlier didn't speak wrong, inside the courtyard quiet and still, not a bit of movement.

This night no moon, sky black hanging, even stars only a few scattered, relying on that bit of starlight, naturally couldn't see clearly the courtyard scene, could only make out a bit of black shadow inside.

Seeing such a courtyard, the two lying on the courtyard wall were instantly startled.

"How come there's nothing at all?"

"Is it too dark, can't see anything right?"

The two were just speaking, sensed outside already started pulling rope, both a bit annoyed.

"Haven't even gone in to scout yet!"

"Those oil buckets are so heavy! Just us two, afraid can't exert force, can't pull them!"

They all weren't in a hurry to pull buckets, instead received a few more people up, everyone together heaving and hauling put the oil buckets onto the courtyard wall, slowly lowering them into the courtyard.

Xu Shifu originally hid to one side, at this time on the pretext "most familiar", was forcibly pushed and made to climb up the wall.

In a moment the front two people quietly dropped off the wall, entered the courtyard, tiptoed to the well side, but saw the well had a cover, the cover also had a lock, in the haste, fundamentally no way to move it away.

Two people felt their way wanting to go to the back kitchen, result reached the door, the back kitchen's door, windows tightly locked, pushed hard, not a bit of movement.

"Still have to call A Shun to unlock!" One of them said in a very low voice.

The other person nodded.

Two people returned to the wall side, only said inside there were locks, let the person who can unlock be put inside.

While waiting for people, couldn't enter back kitchen, well cover couldn't be opened, other things also no time to consider, they naturally, walked toward that firewood-storing miscellaneous room.

The lead person put out a hand and pushed——no lock!

The door very obediently just opened a crack.

One person carried incense on their body, another had a fire striker, the two busy with backs to the rear, used the fire striker to light the incense, that incense stretched into the door crack, slowly started burning,

When blowing out the fire striker, one of them accidentally inhaled a breath, before long, the whole person became a bit dazed and groggy.

Waited a moment, saw inside no sound, the two then opened the door, let inside air out a bit, one after another entered the room.

This entry, then a good long time no one came out.

The many people on the wall top waited half a day, already moved several buckets of oil into the courtyard, just feeling strange, pushed a person, told him to go see the situation inside there.

That person hadn't set off yet, the crowd heard someone lower their voice and say: "Money hidden in the firewood room, we're inside picking it up——send a few people!"

Hearing there was money, originally on the wall top four people, below the wall two people——earlier everyone unwilling to come down——at this moment all like fire burning their buttocks, grabbing the rope slid down.

Especially that Xu Shifu, earlier no matter what wouldn't climb the wall, climbed the wall, no matter what wouldn't enter the courtyard, only said he was afraid of falling to death, also said afraid of waist pain, couldn't move a bit, at this moment hearing inside hidden money, truly hands and feet flustered grabbing the rope, not afraid of death anymore, not afraid of spraining his waist either, in three moves two moves dropped to the ground.

Arriving at the firewood room entrance, everyone anxiously used breath-voices competing to ask.

"Is there copper?? How much???"

"Why hide money in the firewood room! What kind of brain is this!"

The room door originally opened a small crack, at this moment quietly opened a bit more——"Several large baskets——hurry move them!"

Through the half-open firewood room door, could see inside a piece of firewood lit——beside the firewood precisely several large baskets lined up, all covered with cloth, at this moment one piece of cloth lifted, revealing inside strings of copper coins.

Coin strings piled like mountains, copper yellow so enticing, seen in these people's eyes, truly under heaven no more such beautiful thing.

"Mother!"

"Heavens!"

"Struck it rich! At least several hundred strings!"

"Had known earlier! Would have brought a few big bazi bags!"

"This Song Ji! Shop looking not that big, how so much money——two days ago wasn't it already repaid a thousand or so strings?!"

Several people mouths babbling nonsense, eyes yet straight and hooked, only staring at the money in the baskets, simply pouncing like they rushed up.

Outside the courtyard wall, additionally two lookouts, the lead one, hearing there was money, who wouldn't be anxious?

Incidental gain, doing this kind of thing when a windfall of one or two fortunes happens, couldn't be more normal——hasn't the saying been spoken? A horse without night grass doesn't fatten!

Especially that lead one, anxious to the point his forehead really twitched, hurriedly instructed: "You guys watch, if there's movement, quickly report!"

While speaking, he in three moves two moves climbed up the wall——him not there, who knows if they inside would secretly pocket the good stuff!

Here just flipped into the courtyard, feet like stepping on wind-fire wheels entered that firewood room, saw inside several baskets, also saw surrounding those baskets, each and every person all took off trouser belts, currently winding money around their waists, a moment anxious fire flaring, lowered voice and shouted: "Move them out first! Carry outside then talk! Later divide together!"

Speaking was about to step forward.

Just walked no two steps, but heard behind a light "bang".

The rest of the people hearts pouncing on the coin strings, fundamentally didn't react in time, that leader closest, yet felt wrong, turned head to look, just saw behind the just now still half-open firewood room main door, unexpectedly suddenly closed.

Not only that, he also heard a "click", a very clear lock-falling sound.

This person's reaction was not slow; he immediately turned and lunged back, wanting to crash through the door.

His shoulder struck the door, producing a loud "bang."

The remaining people in the woodshed finally heard something was wrong and turned their heads one after another, but before they could even react, they saw that outside it was brightly lit, countless torches and candlelights had been lit, and there was also the sound of gongs "clang clang clang clang" "clatter clatter clatter clatter," sharp and piercing, nearly rushing up to the clouds.

Along with the gong sounds ringing out simultaneously, there were also the shouts of many people in the courtyard, outside, far and near.

— "There's a thief!!"

— "A thief has broken in and set fire!!"

— "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!!"