In the autumn of the Qing Dynasty, Li Wentao went to Leizhou to take up his post. Walking on the streets of Leizhou, Li Wentao found an interesting phenomenon. People here seem to love stone dogs very much. In front of the door, by the well, at the intersection and on the roof, there are thousands of stone dogs with rich expressions. In recent years, there have been many pirates here, so maybe everyone prays for the protection of stone dogs.
Because he didn't know the specific location of the county yamen, Li Wentao stood at a cross street and looked around, looking for someone to ask. At this time, a beautiful woman came from the west, holding a little boy with dull eyes in her hand. The child was hunched over and slanted his eyes, and he looked like a fool. Li Wentao went forward to greet him, saluted first, and then asked how to get to the county yamen. The woman glanced at him, didn't speak, just raised her hand and pointed, and hurried away with her head lowered. Li Wentao had no choice but to follow the direction of the woman's finger.
After turning a corner, Li Wentao's eyes lit up, not only saw the gate of the county yamen, but also saw many people around it. Li Wentao separated the crowd and walked forward, only to see a short and fat man sitting on the ground with a limp leg, his face showing pain. Li Wentao nodded, raised his legs and walked in, saying as he walked, "Rise up!" Only then did everyone know that this was the new eldest man.
The case was very simple. The complainant's name was Zhang Shan. He said that he was bitten by the stone dog of the temptress Chen Waner's house, and the wound has not healed so far.
"Stone dog?" Li Wentao laughed dumbly. Although the world is big and full of wonders, how can a stone bite?
Seeing that the county magistrate didn't believe his words, Zhang Shan was so anxious that his face turned red for a while, and he said loudly, "My lord doesn't know, our stone dog in Leizhou is not ordinary and has a spirit. And my wound doctor has also tested it, and it is indeed a dog bite. The little one has half a lie, and it is struck by lightning. I still have a red stone pink mark on my wound, please check it out!"
Li Wentao motioned for the wound to be examined, and there was indeed a stone powder print. Zhang Shan went on to say that one night when he passed Chen Waner's door, the stone dog suddenly rushed towards him, opened its mouth and bit him, and a piece of meat on the poor leg was bitten off like this.
Li Wentao pondered for a long time and told Chen Waner to go to the hall. When the woman came to the hall and looked up, Li Wentao couldn't help but be surprised that it was the woman who had shown him the way just now. Before he could ask, Chen Waner was already full of tears and her face was full of horror. Li Wentao couldn't help but feel pity and asked kindly, "You don't have to panic, this official will do justice. Does your family have a bad dog? If your dog really bites someone, you will have to pay money for it."
Chen Wan'er replied in a trembling voice, "The housewife was wronged. The housewife has been afraid of dogs since she was a child, and she has never had a dog in her family." Zhang Shan, who was on the side, also hurriedly said, "My lord has noticed that the little one was not bitten by a real dog, but by a stone dog in front of her house." Li Wentao reprimanded loudly, "Ridiculous! Don't deceive the people, because you are injured and don't use the rod to punish you, retreat immediately." Zhang Shan muttered as he walked indignantly: "It was obviously bitten by a stone dog, it was obviously..."
I don't know if I want to confirm Zhang Shan's words or give Li Wentao a headache. In the next month, the stone dog biting cases happened frequently, and they all happened in Chen Waner's house. For a while there were different opinions, and the temptress said it was rampant. The wounds of several people were the same, and they sued the county government office, strongly demanding that Chen Waner be severely punished and compensated for their losses. Some people also said that if the eldest master did not call the shots, they would solve it by themselves. I thought it was a mischief, but again and again, it seems that if I don't get the truth out, it will be difficult to convince the public. Li Wentao promised in court that he would give a reply within a month. But Li Wentao also said that whoever dares to cause trouble will be severely punished!
Li Wentao brought a few yamen to Chen Waner's house to check. There were some stone dogs scattered around the simple house, which was no abnormality compared to ordinary people. Chen Waner set up refreshments and invited the yamen to drink tea. Li Wentao signaled his entourage to take a break, but he watched each stone dog carefully one by one.
After about two hours, Li Wentao also entered the hall. Seeing that the furnishings in the house were simple and the walls were mottled, but thinking that the owner's life was not prosperous, she asked with concern, "How do you make a living as a weak woman?" Chen Waner lowered her eyes and replied, "Since my husband was killed by pirates last year, the women have been relying on others to make a living." Li Wentao asked again, "Seeing that you have a good appearance and are diligent, why don't you find a family anymore?" Chen Waner lowered her head and whispered, "There are also matchmakers, but when ordinary people hear that I have a demented child, they turn around and leave. There is a big family who wants to marry me as a concubine, but wants me to abandon my son. Li Wentao couldn't help but sigh. What a virtuous and virtuous woman, it's a pity that her fate is ill-fated. He found that there were also a few little stone dogs on the table, some of which were only ten centimeters tall, all of them were naive, naughty, and cute, so he asked casually, "You said you are afraid of dogs, but there are many stone dog ornaments in the house, why is that?Chen Waner suddenly smiled shyly and said, "Stone dogs are a god of Leizhou people's beliefs. Although I am afraid of dogs, I can't help but let them go. These gadgets were given to children by stonemasons to play with. You didn't find that they are all smiling and not scary at all." It was the first time Li Wentao saw her smile, and her smile was really beautiful and moving, and the small moles on the tip of her nose added a charming atmosphere. He casually said, "I came to Leizhou for the first time, take a small stone dog back to the yamen and take a good look, okay?" Chen Waner hurriedly said, "Of course, adults can take it at will."
Li Wentao took two of them into his sleeve and led the crowd away. Back in the mansion, he looked around, trying to find some mystery, and fell into deep thought for a while. Suddenly, Li Wentao stood up, quietly went out, and ran to Chen Waner's residence. When he reached the door, it was already dark, and Li Wentao hid in the dark and carefully looked at the stone dog at the door. There was a dog's eye shining brightly in the night, like a god! Li Wentao was stunned, and after a while, he slowly walked back to the mansion.
The next day, the yamen posted an announcement that a stone carving competition would be held in the county, and the winner would be rewarded with 100 taels of silver. The stonemasons in Leizhou City all signed up, and they were all looking forward to the competition. On the day of the competition, Li Wentao pointed to the big stone dog at the entrance of the yamen and said, "Whoever carves the same stone dog as this one within three days will be the winner." The stonemasons took out rulers to measure, and then dispersed.
Three days later, everyone brought their carefully made stone dogs for the county magistrate to evaluate. Li Wentao stopped in front of dozens of stone dogs one by one and stroked each part from time to time. About two hours later, he pointed to a stone dog and said with satisfaction, "This is it!" Everyone saw that it was carved by the stonemason Lin Wushuang. This time, everyone was convinced. Lin Wushuang has been very smart since he was a child, and he can carve anything at a glance, not only fast but also lifelike. Li Wentao waved at Lin Wushuang and signaled him to enter the county office to speak. The two walked into the inner courtyard, and after taking their seats, Li Wentao looked at it. Light stared at Lin Wushuang and said, "I didn't expect you to be so affectionate, which made me admire you!Lin Wushuang's dark face suddenly flushed red: "Why did the Lord say this? Please don't make fun of Ge Min. Li Wentao touched his nose with a smile and whispered something in his ear. After Lin Wushuang heard this, he suddenly knelt down on the ground and burst into tears.
Li Wentao let out a long sigh and said, "This is the end of the matter. If you help me do one thing in the next two days, the case will be closed." Although Lin Wushuang was puzzled, he still nodded.
On this day, Mai Pao, who was at the west end of the village, came to the largest stone dog statue in town to worship as usual with white rice and pork. Her daughter-in-law had entered the door for several years, but she had not yet conceived a child, and all pointed to the stone dog as an addition to the Mai family. When she finished praying and was about to lift her foot to leave, she glanced at the stone statue and screamed like a pig: "Oh my god, the stone dog has sinned, the stone dog has sinned..."
The news spread all over the county in an instant. It turned out that the genitals of the stone dog statue were originally huge, symbolizing Ding Wangding, but now they were wilted and tilted to one side, and their volume was half smaller. This was a sign of great evil, and it was a local obscene matter that was indecent, so the stone dog immortal wanted to severely punish the local people and no longer give Ding's intention. Mai Po, who was eager to hug Sun, beat her chest on the street, and the others also became uneasy. Soon, there was amazing news that the stone dog genitals in Zhang Shan's house had also become the same, wilted on one side. Similarly, the other people who were bitten by the stone dog also had such a vision in their homes.
Li Youtao immediately reported that Zhang Shan and a thousand other people came to the yamen to ask questions, and there were many onlookers. Li Wentao shouted: "Did you wait for something to be done before you were bitten by the stone dog of Chen Waner's house? Later, the villain complained first and asked for silver. Such an immoral matter angered the stone dog, otherwise why would the stone dog among the few of you be different?
An old man suddenly jumped out of the crowd, and it was Wang Dawu was on the watch. He stepped forward, pointed at Zhang Shan and cursed: "Zhang Shan, you should admit it. That night, it was you who climbed the wall of Chen Waner's house and wanted to take advantage, so you were bitten by the stone dog. I pass by her house every day, how come nothing ever bites me? At that time, when I saw you were about to climb the wall from a distance, you fell off with a horn, and you forced me to shove a tael of silver, begging me to keep quiet. Now that the matter is so big, the stone dog immortal has been punished, so don't deny it anymore."
There was an uproar in the crowd. Zhang Shan's face was full of shame and immediately confessed his guilt. Several other people saw this situation and also confessed their guilt one by one. Chen Waner's eyes were full of tears and she called out "Qingtian."
In a few days, both the big stone dog at the head of the village and the stone dog at Zhang Shan's house were restored to their original appearance. Since then, there has been no incident of a stone dog biting people in Chen Waner's house. The story of the stone dog guarding the house and promoting good and punishing evil spread even more miraculously in Leizhou.
Li Wentao and his attendant came to Chen Waner's house and said that they would return her little stone dogs. Chen Waner said in surprise, "Why should the adults be so serious about the worthless gadgets?" Li Wentao said sternly, "They are very valuable, and they are priceless treasures. Have you carefully looked at each dog?" Chen Waner shook her head blankly. Li Wentao patiently pointed at the nose of a small stone dog and said, "Do you see these moles? Are they exactly the same as those on your nose?" Chen Waner took a closer look, and sure enough, she blushed and hurried to look at the other stone dogs, only to see that there were a few small moles hidden on the noses of each stone dog, large and small, which ordinary people could not detect unless they looked carefully.
Seeing that she was thoughtful, Li Wentao said sternly, "It's easy to seek priceless treasures, but it's hard to have a lover. This infatuation moved even this official, so now you understand his thoughts. You two are so shy, and Lin Wushuang is also consciously unworthy of your beautiful appearance, so he doesn't dare to confess. Well, this official will be a matchmaker and fulfill you!"
A month later, under the auspices of county magistrate Li Wentao, Chen Waner married Lin Wushuang, the number one stonemason in Leizhou. However, when people praised Li Wentao's intelligence, they all looked at the stone dog at Chen Waner's door.
Unexpectedly, this matter was soon heard by a group of pirates, and one of the little leaders was called Qin Dahu, who was from Leizhou. His father was also a stonemason, but his skills were not good, so he did not follow his father's business and relied on stone dogs to make a living. Instead, he took a shortcut and became a pirate. A few days ago, he secretly came home at night and heard his father talk about this matter, thinking it was very strange, so he went back and told the big master. The big master said: "Fart! How can the stone dog bite people? You go to the county government office tomorrow and tell Li Wentao, I will challenge him: If his stone dog bites people, I will immediately stop harassing the people of Leizhou; if not, I will kill the dog official!"
The next day, Qin Dahu brought the gauntlet written by the head to the county yamen and handed it to Li Wentao. After reading it, Li Wentao said, "Go back and tell your head, I will take the gauntlet! Ten days later, let your head come and submit."
After Qin Dahu left, Li Wentao immediately came to Lin Wushuang to discuss countermeasures. Lin Wushuang said, "Since the pirates dare to issue a gauntlet, it means that they are not good, just relying on my stone dog is not enough. However, I have thought of a way. Don't worry, my lord, I will make the pirates lose by heart."
One night more than ten days later, the sky was gloomy, and nearly a hundred pirates were wielding swords and spears, quietly approaching the gate of Leizhou under the cover of night. If it were normal, the gate would have been closed at night, but today it was wide open, like a giant beast with its bloody mouth open, waiting for its prey. Qin Dahu was familiar with the terrain, crawling to the gate, and saw ten stone dogs lined up neatly in the gate. Looking back through the starlight, oh, my God. Many stone dogs blocked the gate tightly.
Qin Dahu smiled. Are you still trying to block us with this trick? He stood up, took out the fire sickle from his arms, and wiped it hard. When the pirates behind saw the fire signal, they all waved their knives and guns and rushed to the city gate.
At this moment, Qin Dahu made a "mother" sound and ran back quickly. The pirates behind ran forward, but they couldn't hold their feet, knocking Qin Dahu down with a "thump" and stepping on them. The pirates at the front also shouted and ran back. Because they saw that the stone dogs in front were really alive and were fiercely rushing towards them.
These pirates didn't have the guts to fight, so they all turned around and ran to the big ship by the sea. The big boss, who was drinking tea on the big ship and waiting for good news, was so angry that he kicked over a pirate and shouted, "You losers... Where's Qin Dahu..." But then, a black shadow rushed towards him, so he had to wave a knife and cut it. With a scream, a dog turned and ran away. The big boss looked down and saw that there was a lot of stone powder under his feet besides blood… He had to order to retreat.
The pirates still kept their promise, and from now on they really did not come to Leizhou to harass, and the common people breathed a sigh of relief. But the secret of this stone dog biting people has become an open secret since then. The dog that started biting Zhang Shan and the dog that later bit the pirates were both real dogs, but they were hidden inside the hollow stone dog by the clever Lin Wushuang. Those hollow stone dogs looked the same from the front, but the back was made of thin wooden pieces. The real dog was hidden inside, and as long as he stepped back, he could break the wooden pieces. In order to deceive Zhang Shan and others, Lin Wushuang cut off the vocal cords of his own dog and hid it in a hollow stone dog, moved it under the wall of Chen Waner's house every night, and moved away the next day, which kept the innocence of his sweetheart without showing any signs. As for the changes in the stone dog's genitals in the city, it was needless to say. This time, Lin Wushuang invited more than a dozen brothers from the mountains to force the pirates back. These people made a living hunting, and each of them had a few good dogs. In order to make the performance real, they sprinkled a lot of wet stone powder on the stone dog's body. The stone powder stuck to the dog's hair and was dried by the wind, so when the chief saw the stone powder, it was strange that he didn't believe it when he heard the pirates add fuel and vinegar.
Originally, after the "Stone Dog Bites Zhang Shan" case, Li Wentao discussed with Lin Wushuang to hide the matter and let the legend scare the bad guys, but he didn't want to cause extra trouble and attract pirates. However, after this incident, the common people seemed to have signed a life and death certificate, and no one mentioned the "Hollow Stone Dog", as if it had never happened.