dmims Chapter 44 The Code is Unknown
Chapter 44 The Code is Unknown
"Boss Zhang, business is good!"
"Hey, Mr. Ma!"
"Go straight upstairs, there's room upstairs!"
The noodle shop was once again packed with people. Ma Ye and Zhu Jin were almost bumped into by customers leaving when they entered.
Previously, only Old Man Zhang lived on the second floor. Now that he's gone, the new boss simply moved the bed and furniture out and replaced them all with folding tables.
"Boss Zhang, I'm just here to pick up some things, so there's no need for a meal."
"Why are you being so polite with me? My shop was saved entirely by your help; not eating here would be disrespectful!"
Fearing that Ma Ye wouldn't give him face, Zhang Cheng directly dragged him towards the second floor.
The crowded aisle made it impossible to walk side by side, and guests who wanted to get off were pushed back amidst repeated apologies.
Zhang Cheng's wife was busy cleaning on the second floor. She was a capable woman with her long hair wrapped in a towel. The rag in her hand looked freshly changed and wasn't very dirty.
"Honey, what brings you here? Didn't I tell you to stay home and wait for the plumbers?"
The woman threw the towel into the bucket, a hint of displeasure on her face.
"What am I supposed to do at home all day? They'll leave after they're done fixing it, can't I even go out for a walk?"
"Yes, yes, whatever makes you happy. This is Mr. Ma and Ms. Zhu, whom I told you about before."
Mr. Ma, this is my wife, Ms. Chen.
Just as Chen Jun was about to wring out the rag, he quickly wiped his hands on his apron and took the initiative to shake hands without any hesitation.
"Hello Mr. Ma, please come inside and have a seat. It's just been cleaned up!"
"Zhang Cheng, take good care of him. I'll go tell Brother Fan!"
Ma Ye originally just wanted to find a corner to sit in the living room, but he couldn't resist Zhang Cheng's enthusiasm and followed him into what was originally a bedroom.
As soon as the three entered the room, Zhang Cheng locked the door and furtively pulled out a box from the corner.
I gently wiped off the surface dust with my sleeve, and once it felt almost clean, I put it on the table.
"Mr. Ma, my father asked me to return this to you."
Don't worry, I just moved it upstairs because there were too many people and eyes downstairs. It's definitely never been opened!
The seal on the box was clearly different from the adhesive residue on the bottom. Even if Zhang Cheng didn't open it, it was his father, Zhang Yuanchao, who tore it open and looked at it.
As Ma Ye placed the box beside his lap, he met Zhang Cheng's curious gaze.
This guy is truly consistent inside and out; he wears his heart on his sleeve.
"Mr. Zhang, would you like to take a look at the contents inside?"
Seemingly realizing he had overstepped his bounds, Zhang Cheng scratched his head shyly.
"Will it work? It wouldn't be very convenient to look at anything private..."
This guy actually knows about privacy!
Zhu Jin was practically rolling her eyes to the heavens on the other side, but this guy wouldn't leave, so Ma Ye could only wait for him to tear open the seal.
What's exposed isn't an ordinary buckle, but exactly sixteen knobs.
The four cycles of sixty years were presented to the three of them, and even Ma Ye was full of doubts.
"Brother, is Master speaking in riddles again?"
"The main problem is that there's no riddle!"
Zhang Cheng, who was standing to the side, was not surprised at all; he had already tried to secretly open it.
However, there are more than 200 million possible combinations of the four sets of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and if you're unlucky, you might not encounter one even in eight years.
He turned to look at Ma Ye, only to find that the guy hadn't even touched him.
"Mr. Ma, you don't know the password either?"
"Of course I don't know, I'll just have to pry it open when we get back."
Zhang Chengdu was about to go downstairs to find a crowbar, but the urgent knocking at the door brought him back to reality.
"Zhang Cheng, what are you doing hiding in there? Open the door!"
"Here it comes!"
As soon as she opened the door, Chen Jun launched into a tirade of abuse. Luckily, she was wearing a mask, otherwise Zhu Jin would have lost her appetite.
On the tray were two bowls of beef noodles piled high with beef, and a variety of side dishes were also available.
Although the two had gotten up early and hadn't eaten, they had so much stuff that they didn't dare touch two of the side dishes, thinking they could take them back and resell them.
But when they left, Zhang Cheng still packed it up and stuffed it into their hands.
"Mr. Ma, next month is the Ghost Festival. Don't worry, I will definitely do my best to help you promote it."
"Thank you very much, Boss Zhang."
Afraid of embarrassing him in public, Ma Ye leaned close to his ear.
"Please keep a close eye on whoever comes, lest they ruin your business!"
Zhu Jin, who was standing to the side, chuckled and followed Ma Ye toward Qingmu Hall.
The sun was shining so brightly that they both felt dizzy, and the handles of the suitcase were covered in Ma Ye's sweaty hands.
I walked around, stopping frequently, and ate three or four popsicles.
They wanted to take the bus or subway, but the suitcase couldn't be scanned by X-ray, so the security personnel simply told them to turn around and leave.
"Young man, it's Traffic Safety Week now. You need to open your suitcase and check it before you get on the bus."
"Uncle, this box has a combination lock, I can't open it."
"Then I can only apologize."
The two walked and stopped, going uphill and downhill, and just before they were about to suffer from heatstroke, they finally saw the plaque of Qingmutang.
"Pat-pat, pat, pat!"
All three typhoon fans in the room were turned on; there was no air conditioning, and the room relied entirely on strong winds to cool down.
Ma Ye was relaxed; as soon as he entered the door, he threw his shirt on the chair, while Zhu Jin grabbed a bottle of iced cola from the refrigerator and ran into the bathroom to take a shower.
After wiping away his sweat, Ma Ye placed the box on the table, the copper feet at the bottom making a dull thud.
He wasn't in a hurry to study the code, since he and Zhu Jin didn't have complete birth dates and could only know the date.
Furthermore, not a single word of their master's or mistress's birth dates was revealed to them.
I tapped the lid of the box back and forth twice with my knuckles, and finally my fingers stopped in the center of the lid.
The echo in this area is different from the others. While the surrounding area has a dull, thumping sound, the sound in the middle is crisper and shorter, with a metallic finish.
Zhu Jin, who had just changed her clothes, came out of the bathroom and casually threw her shower cap into the trash can.
"What should we do? Should we really open it? This box looks pretty expensive; we could probably sell it for money if we keep it."
There wasn't even a crack; you couldn't pry it open.
Zhu Jin draped the towel over her shoulder and touched the surface of the skin with her hand.
Authentic tanned cowhide should not be cut directly.
Judging from its weight, even if it's not an iron frame, it's made of very dense wood.
Zhu Jin tapped along the edge of the box lid inch by inch, the sound like the sound of striking an inverted bell.
"It's lined with ramie fabric, but it's heavier than the one my master's wife had."
"Yes, the lid is made of ironwood, and the frame is made of rosewood."
Ironwood is tough enough to withstand drops, and sandalwood is hard enough to hold its own. The outer shell is covered in tanned cowhide; my master and mistress probably didn't want anyone else to open it.
Ma Ye looked down at the iron lock; he didn't know what kind of alloy was used at the joint, and he hadn't been able to pry it open at all.
The two were also at a loss, sitting in front of the box staring at each other.
Liu Gan, who had just been reading a book nearby, closed his copy of "Words of Wisdom" and slowly approached.
"Mr. Ma, I knew some construction foremen before I died. How about we borrow an angle grinder from them?"
"Once the angle grinder starts turning, this thing goes from an antique to junk, and who knows if the contents inside will break."
Wait a minute, you stay right there!
Liu Gan stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. He saw Ma Ye pull out his hairpin and quickly point it at the paper figure's brow. The paper frame standing in the room instantly fell to the ground, leaving only an empty ghost floating in the air.
Knowing that he wouldn't be tortured by Ma Ye, Liu Gan didn't make any rash moves.
"Put your eyes inside the keyhole and look at the structure!"
"Okay, go ahead and turn it."
The iron lock disc made a crisp popping sound. As each hollow lock cylinder aligned with the tenon, the characters on the combination dial finally settled on Jia Shen, Bing Wu, Gui Si, and Yi Chou.
The code is quite strange. Jia Shen is Ma Ye's birth year, but Bing Wu is paired with Ding and Ren, which is Zhu Jin's birth month.
Ignoring the strange password, a thin crack slowly widened in the center of the box until Ma Ye opened the entire box.
Inside lay a brass box, this time unlocked. Gently opening the box, a copper coin sword covered in green rust was revealed.
"Brother, is there something wrong with this?"
"That's definitely not right, seven large coins are missing."