The shout outside shocked Maqiao and Bao Yinyin. It was as if a ladle of ice water had been poured over their heads. Their hands and feet were cold and they were dumbstruck. After a moment of shock, Bao Yinyin said with a trembling voice: "My dead man is back. Why is he back? Why is he back now? "
Maqiao also panicked. He lowered his voice and asked anxiously: "What's the point of saying all these useless things now? What should we do now? What should we do now? "
The person outside knocked on the door and shouted: "Yinyin, open the door! I'm A De!"
The two of them were in a mess inside the room. Although there was a window on the wall, it was not wide. Moreover, it was a window with a pole, so the gap was relatively small. How could a tall and burly man like Ma Qiao squeeze through? Ma Qiao grabbed his clothes and shoes and hurriedly ran behind the screen. There was a toilet there, but it was a place to relieve himself.
Bao Yinyin said anxiously: "How can he hide here? What if he wants to relieve himself and bumped into you?"
Maqiao said anxiously: "Then what should we do?"
Bao Yinyin quickly looked around the room and saw a cabinet next to the bed. She quickly said: "Quick, hide behind that."
Maqiao did not have time to think and quickly hid behind the cabinet. It is already late autumn. Bao Yinyin's husband, who suddenly came back, will not open the window and pass by in the middle of the night and find him.
"Coming, coming. Is it A De?"
Bao Yinyin saw that Maqiao has hidden himself and quickly put on her nightgown. She tidied her hair and pretended to be sleepy. She went to the door and asked.
The man outside the door said: "Haha, it's me. Wife, quickly open the door. I miss you so much."
When Bao Yinyin heard the voice, she was sure it was her husband. She pulled the latch, but before she could pull the door, the door opened and a black shadow fell in from outside. Bao Yinyin hastily stretched out her hand to catch it. Under the light of the lantern, she saw that it was her husband, Wu Guangde. Wu Guangde had a pouch on his shoulder, his face looked like a pig's liver, and the smell of alcohol assaulted her nostrils.
Bao Yinyin saw that he was drunk and waved her hand to get rid of the smell. She frowned and asked: "A De, why did you come back at this time … the door is closed. How did you come in? You … where did you get so drunk? "
Wu Guangde blinked his drunken eyes and pinched her cheeks. He chuckled and said, "I … I entered the city in the evening. I didn't have time to get back to the square, so … so I stayed at an inn in Huairen Square next to the city gate. I … I drank with a few friends who came back with me …"
While talking, Wu Guangde walked into the room. His steps were unstable and he staggered. When he reached the bed, Bao Yinyin did not manage to hold him back and he fell heavily on the bed. He reached out and pulled Bao Yinyin into his arms. While playing with her soft breasts, he said:
"We … were drinking wine when a family came to the square to pick up their bride. Hey! I saw them and recognized them. They were from the square … uh … the square. I … I said goodbye to my friends and followed … followed the bride's family and came back from the East Square Gate. "
It turned out that when people got married at this time, they would have their wedding at night. That was why it was called a "stupid ceremony". That was how the "wedding" came to be. Holding a wedding at dusk meant the alternation of Yin and Yang. If the bride's family was far away from the husband's family, or if the bride's family was holding a big wedding, then this "stupid ceremony" could be held until the middle of the night.
When we read the 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio', there is often a certain scholar who, in the middle of the night, saw two rows of lanterns and torches in a field, with a wind blowing and beating beating in front, and a small sedan chair in the middle, accompanied by a young master on horseback. That is the scene of a 'muddleheaded' wedding ceremony.
Wu Guangde came back from Daliang and hurried to Luoyang. Seeing that the door was about to close, it was too late to go home. He took advantage of the fact that the door of the Huai Ren Square had not closed yet and found an inn to stay with a few friends. They drank to their heart's content and waited to go home the next day.
As a result, the family in the Xiu wen square happened to be getting married that night. The in-laws lived in the Huai Ren Square, next to the small shop that Wu Guangde lived in. To get married at night, it was necessary to walk on the streets at night. Therefore, this family had already reported to the authorities in advance and obtained a permit to pass. The two workers in charge of the east gate of the Xiuwen Workshop had also been arranged to wait for the wedding procession to return before closing the gate.
Therefore, Wu Guangde followed the wedding procession back to the Xiu wen square. Bao Yinyin did not expect that her husband would be able to come back even after the gate was closed. That was why she blocked Maqiao in the room. Fortunately, this Wu Guangde was very drunk. Looking at the situation, there was no need to worry about his adultery. Bao Yinyin felt a lot more at ease.
Wu Guangde shifted his body and said: "I'm so thirsty. Wife, get me a cup of water."
Bao Yinyin responded and struggled out of his embrace to pour a cup of water. Wu Guangde closed his eyes and in a daze, untied the knife at his waist and threw it to the side of the pillow. He also untied the pouch on his shoulder and put it to the side. Inside, there were some gold and silver ingots that he had earned from doing business. Because they were hanging by the side of the bed, they were heavy. When he let go, they slipped to the ground and made a "dong" sound.
After Wu Guangde was drunk, he was already sleepy. When Bao Yinyin came back with the water, Wu Guangde gulped it down with a "gu dong dong" sound. He let out a burp that reeked of alcohol and started to sound drunk.
"Husband, A De?"
Bao Yinyin tried to call him and gently pushed him. Seeing that he did not respond, she lightly walked to the back of the wardrobe. She waved at Maqiao and gave him a look.
Maqiao looked out and saw that the merchant Wu Guangde who had just returned from Daliang was already fast asleep. He quickly tiptoed out and stood behind the screen to put on his clothes. Bao Yinyin did not dare to make a sound and only helped him put on his clothes. The two of them were like acting a mime.
Maqiao finished dressing and put on his boots. Just as he was about to run out of the room, he suddenly felt that he was missing something. He suddenly remembered that he had hurriedly put on his clothes and shoes and ran behind the wardrobe. He had forgotten to take the dagger on his head.
Ma Qiao looked around and couldn't help but jump in fright. His head was right next to his pillow and was being pressed down by Wu Guangde's saber. Fortunately, Wu Guangde had returned drunk, otherwise, he would have definitely been discovered.
Maqiao quickly pointed to the dagger on Wu Guangde's pillow. Bao Yinyin turned her head to look. She was a little scared and nervous. She hesitated and looked at Maqiao. Maqiao was annoyed. He pretended to stomp his feet. He pouted his lips at Wu Guangde and glared at Bao Yinyin.
Bao Yinyin hesitated for a moment. She gritted her teeth and turned around. She gently took the dagger from Wu Guangde's side and quickly ran back to Maqiao's side. Her voice was slightly trembling. She said softly: "Is this okay? His return was seen by the bride in the square. If you kill him, how can you not alert the authorities? If you really want to kill him, why don't you wait until next spring when he comes back to Daliang. Kill him halfway and bury him in the wilderness. No one will know. After a year or so, I will report to the authorities that he is missing. Then I will be your real husband and wife. "
Maqiao saw that she came back with the dagger. He felt strange. He didn't know what she was going to do with the dagger. After listening to her words, he was shocked. He stared at the woman who had just been with him. It was as if he just met her. He was infatuated with this woman's charm. He didn't know that her heart was so poisonous. One night as husband and wife means a hundred days of love. How could she be so cruel?
Bao Yinyin saw that the way he stared at her became strange. She thought that he was unhappy. She quickly explained in a small voice: "My enemy, I don't want to be with you. I'm just worried that you didn't do it cleanly. If the authorities investigate, it will be troublesome. If you have a proper way, I will settle this with you right now. What's wrong with that disgusting thing? "
Maqiao couldn't hold back his anger anymore. He pushed Bao Yinyin away. He walked over in big strides. He grabbed Bao Yinyin's head and turned to leave. Bao Yinyin understood his intention. She couldn't help but cry out. Her face turned red. Maqiao loathed this poisonous woman. His face was cold. He didn't say anything. He walked out.
Bao Yinyin saw his face. She was terrified. She quickly pulled him back. She explained in a low voice: "I misunderstood. Qiao Lang, please don't be angry …"
Maqiao cursed in a low voice: "Pig and dog's heart. What kind of thing is that!" He shook his arm. He shook off Bao Yinyin and walked out. Bao Yinyin was wearing cloth socks. He couldn't stand steadily on the floor. He cried out and fell backward. Maqiao ignored him. He pushed the door and walked out.
The pouch containing the gold and silver ingots fell to the floor. Bao Yinyin fell backward. The back of his head hit the ingots. Blood gushed out. He fell unconscious. Maqiao had already left. He didn't notice anything. Wu Guangde was sleeping soundly on the bed. He didn't know anything either.
The next morning. Because Maqiao didn't need to be on duty today, he didn't need to wake up so early. He slept until the sun rose. Maqiao washed up and dressed. He slowly walked out of his house. He saw his neighbors were walking hurriedly in the same direction. He was surprised. He was about to ask someone what happened when he saw Su Fangzheng rushing over.
Maqiao quickly went up to him. "Bōshō," he said, "What happened? What is everyone rushing to see?"
Su Fangzheng stamped his feet. "Bad luck, really bad luck! Something bad has happened in our workshop. We've really attracted evil spirits. I need to find a Taoist priest to do some exorcism. "He left in a hurry.
Ma Qiao was dumbfounded. Just as he was about to follow the crowd to take a look, he saw Jiang Xuning also rushing over. He hurriedly stepped forward to stop her and said, "Xiaoning, aren't you doing your business? What are you doing here? Is there a ghost in our shop?"
As soon as Jiang Xuning saw it was Ma Qiao, he halted his steps and said, "That's terrible! Yesterday our merchant Wu Guangde came back drunk. I don't know how, but he accidentally killed his wife. Early this morning when he woke up from his drunken stupor, he found out that his wife's corpse was already cold, there was no way to save her. Now this matter has spread. The Bao family is crying and making a fuss. The government has sent people to arrest him. "
"Ah?"
When Maqiao heard this, he was stunned.
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