At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Kaifeng Mansion was the seat of the political envoy of Henan Province, which is now the provincial capital, and the economy was prosperous.
Because of the abundance of peanuts in the local area, Kaifeng at that time was the edible oil center of the southern seven and northern 613 provinces, and almost all the oil merchants in the country set up their head offices in the local oil mill street.
Because the good and bad conduct of businessmen is uneven, there are often shortages of catties and two, bullying and dominating the market, the government collects the money, and does not care about things, and the trouble is angry and resentful.
One night, there was a noise of beating on the street of Youfang.
"It's dry, watch out for the candles......
梆, tie, 梆 ......"
In Liu's old shop, a middle-aged woman was awakened and saw her man sitting on the edge of the bed smoking a dry cigarette.
"Master, why don't you sleep?"
"I can't sleep, this year's peanut harvest is good, and the new oil is afraid that it will be 30% cheaper than last year.
The woman thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "I heard from the guys in the store that other shops are mixed with sesame oil and cotton oil to sell, and the price can be pressed to such a level, so let's ...... the owner."
Before the words fell, the man snorted coldly, "People are doing it, the sky is watching, our old Liu family has always done things in good faith, this trick of lack of virtue can be prosperous for a while, and it can last for a long time?"
” The woman sat up with her clothes draped on, and said in some resignation, "Master, have you heard?"
Lao Gao's family they are buried under the big scale of the magnet, a pound to give people two or two miles less, today people from other places to buy oil directly back, Lao Gao does not make up for people, but also a good meal of people, this world......
The entire old oil mill street, just count our family. ” The man was still unmoved, took a puff of his cigarette, and seemed to not want to continue the topic, "To do business is to be a man, you have to talk about conscience."
Let's sleep, these two days are the Mid-Autumn Festival, we must get up early to prepare the tribute of the Fire God, and bless us with a peaceful past this year. ” The woman seemed to be a little embarrassed, and muttered, "I know, I know, it's better to ask the Fire God to bless us to make a fortune, a good old man like you doesn't bless us, why do you worship the Fire God." ” Lao Liu knocked the cigarette stick on the kang, glared and scolded, "There is a god three feet up, don't dare to talk nonsense." ” "Sleep, sleep."
The woman muttered and went to help the man undress.
At this time, there was a sudden sound of old people selling in the street.
"The fire burns fourteen taels, and the small fire burns fifteen taels ......"
(fire is a kind of pasta in the north, generally called fire steamed bun) Old Liu Tou frowned, muttering in his mouth, "This confused old man, how can there be a small one that is heavier than a big one, fifteen taels are almost a catty, is this a human food or a pig?"
(The ancient city is 16 taels per catty) But the woman rubbed her belly and begged, "Master, let's go and buy two, for I am hungry." ” Unable to withstand the woman's pleading, Lao Liu got up in his clothes and came to the street, and sure enough, he saw a vague figure walking back and forth not far away.
"Uncle, let's make a fire."
The old man stopped, looked back at him, and suddenly disappeared from the air, as if he had never appeared.
But the sound of the hawker still echoed in the streets.
"The fire burned fourteen taels, and the small fire burned fifteen taels......"
Old Liu Tou rubbed his eyes desperately in disbelief, not only because the old man disappeared out of thin air, but also because he saw the face of the Fire God at the moment when the old man turned around just now!
After standing with his feet paralyzed for a while, Lao Liu Tou came to his senses, muttered and scolded, and hurried back to his shop.
It's also strange to say, the old shouting voice was stunned and shouted in Youfang Street for three nights, but no matter who came out to look for it, no one could be found, and the evil door was very evil.
Three days later, in the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, the festive festival made people forget the late-night clamour.
On this night, a gust of wind suddenly blew out of thin air on the street of the old oil mill, and then the fire came out of nowhere, and suddenly sprang up.
"Gone out of the water......"
A desolate scream, shouted from the west end of Youfang Street, echoing the sound of the wind, causing everyone to wake up and get up.
The women also woke up the old Liu, put on their clothes and hurried out, and when they ran out into the street, the fire was like a snake, and it had already winded into the whole street, and the "crackling" wood was burning endlessly.
Countless people knelt on the ground with buckets of water in their hands, praying for God to rain and extinguish this damn fire.
You can look up at the sky, only the moon like a jade plate hangs in the sky, and you can see the joy and sorrow of the world coldly.
"The fire burned fourteen taels, and the small fire burned fifteen taels......"
Old Liu Tou suddenly remembered the shouting that had been echoing in Youfang Street for three days, and the old man's appearance when he turned back was the same as that of the Fire God, and he suddenly understood something in his heart.
He frantically rushed into his shop in the easternmost part of the street, took out the hook scale from the bedside, which had been passed down for five generations, and then ran out of the house, kneeling in front of the fire.
"Grandpa Vulcan, my family's ancestors have been responsible for generations, and I am a clanging sixteen taels of scales!"
He kept shouting, roaring hoarsely.
A miracle happened!
When the fire spread to his shop, it suddenly stopped, then turned around and continued to burn to the west.
Lao Liu Tou burst into tears, lying on the ground and kowtowing.
"Thank you Grandpa Vulcan, thank you Grandpa Vulcan ......"
The fire burned all night, and the entire oil mill street was almost completely ashes, only the old store of the Liu family still stood in the ashes.
It is also strange to say that this fire burned down the shops of the entire oil mill street, but it did not hurt a single person, nor did it burn any houses.
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The common people clapped their hands one after another, saying that this was the punishment given by the Fire God to those black-hearted profiteers.
For a time, oil in Kaifeng City is more expensive than gold, this matter has also become a topic of conversation after dinner, Liu's old store is praised by the people as a symbol of conscience shop, although their own inventory is fully preserved, the old Liu Tou did not sell at a high price, it is still flat in and out, and business is also thriving.
By the time Youfang Street regained its vitality, Liu's old store was already the largest shop.
Later, after learning of this story, the political envoy of Henan Chengxuan personally wrote a plaque "conscience shop" to show his glory.
Lao Liu Tou hung up the plaque, and added eight big characters on both sides: "Tong Su is not bullied, there is no price for words", and then built a fire temple at the east end of Youfang Street, and the incense continues all year round.
The descendants of the Liu family also followed this teaching, continued to operate this oil shop, and gradually developed into a large trading house.
After closing the booklet, Mr.
Liu looked at me and said slowly, "The old Liu Tou in this story is the ancestor, and my company has also been passed down from generation to generation from my ancestors. ” I nodded, a little puzzled in my heart, "The story is very exciting, but Mr.
Liu, where do you say you want to find a place, what does it have to do with this story?"
” Mr.
Liu waved his hand, signaling me to be calm, and then took out a thin piece of paper from the safe and carefully spread it out in front of me.
When I looked down, it was a patched piece of paper with messy lines, like an ancient map.
Before I had time to look closely at the things on it, I frowned first, and there was a thick dead air on this piece of paper, like an old object that had just come out of the grave.
I can't help but think of the fact that Mr.
Liu insisted on moving the grave before.
I was suspicious at the time, and now it seems that he is because of this piece of paper?
I looked down and took a closer look, and there were still a few lines of small print underneath the messy map.
"In the third year of Qianlong, he traveled to Shennongjia with his friends.
Encounter the fire temple in the mountains, and then experience all kinds of thrills.
The friends of the world and the servants all sighed at this, and I was fortunate enough to escape with my life.
Then he invited people to go together, but the sea of clouds was vast and he didn't know where to go.
I have searched seven times, and there are twenty-seven dead people, and I don't know where they are, and their incomprehensible, absurd and perverse experiences, and their fears.
It's a pity that my wish is difficult to come true, and the picture is recorded here, and I hope that future generations will learn from it......"
After that, there were tearing marks on the piece of paper, and there seemed to be unfinished handwriting on the back, but it was not visible.
After reading it, I probably understood what Mr.
Liu meant, and asked him, "What did you say, just to find this Fire God Temple?"
” Mr.
Liu nodded, "The God of Fire is kind to the ancestors, and it is the last wish of the ancestors to find the Fire God Temple, I have been preparing for this trip for the past two years, and I hope Mr.
Xiao Zhou can help me." ” I frowned and couldn't help but ask Mr.
Liu, "This story......
Mr.
Liu thinks it's true?
” To be honest, I am also a feng shui master, and I can believe in the things of mountain spirits and ghosts, but this myth is too ethereal and I don't believe it.
Mr.
Liu's expression was very strange, his eyes seemed to be out of focus, he was silent for a while, and said in a misty voice, "I used to think it was a story, but now I believe that this is not a story......"