Chapter 0034 Man Bites Dog
Wang Jiao said, "I don't know if it's a cold or a respiratory allergy these days, but he coughs several times a day." Sun Xicai gradually calmed down. Just then, someone walked past leading a large American Great Dane. The dog was huge, like a small donkey. As it passed us, the Great Dane suddenly lunged toward Sun Xicai, letting out a deafening bark that nearly knocked over several diners.
Sun Xicai swore, "Barking for what? Bark again and I'll stew you!" The dog's owner quickly pulled back the leash, but the Great Dane barked more fiercely. Suddenly, it broke free from the leash and pounced on Sun Xicai. The dog weighed at least sixty or seventy catties, knocking Sun Xicai entirely to the ground, overturning the plastic table. People around quickly scattered. The owner of the barbecue stall and I rushed over to intervene. The dog owner also kicked and hit the dog, but it wouldn't listen. It placed its front paws on Sun Xicai's chest, barking constantly, saliva dripping onto Sun Xicai's face.
Sun Xicai shouted, "I'll kill you! Get off me!" In desperation, Sun Xicai opened his mouth and bit down hard on the dog's neck. A blood vessel ruptured, and blood gushed out, spraying all over Sun Xicai's face. The scene was terrifying, and several surrounding girls were crying from fright.
The dog owner was frantic. Finally, with the joint effort of three grown men, they managed to pull the dog back. The dog was still barking wildly at Sun Xicai, and the blood from its neck gushed non-stop. The dog owner cried out, "Dabao! Dabao! Quickly call an ambulance!" The barbecue owner called 120. At that moment, no one stopped to consider whether an ambulance for humans could save a dog.
Wang Jiao ran over and hugged Sun Xicai. "Are you okay, Xicai?"
Sun Xicai stood up, wiped the blood from his face, and said angrily, "I'm fine. Why the hell did it mess with me? I'll bite the dog thing to death!"
The Great Dane was barking wildly at first, but its barking gradually softened, and it eventually lay down, its voice turning into a painful whine, blood still flowing. The dog owner tightly hugged the dog, taking off his white T-shirt to press on the wound. Before long, the white T-shirt turned red. The dog closed its eyes and gasped for breath. The owner cried, "Dabao, you can't die! Please hold on a little longer!"
By the time the ambulance arrived, the dog was completely still, blood pooling on the ground. The emergency nurse was bewildered upon seeing it was a dog, but the scene was too tragic. A male doctor reluctantly came forward, felt the dog's carotid artery, opened the dog's eyelids, and finally checked its heart. He told the owner, "The dog is dead, but we aren't veterinarians. To be safe, you should take it to a vet hospital for confirmation."
The dog owner, who already knew the result, couldn't cry anymore and just wept silently while holding the dog. More and more people gathered, and many shed tears. Someone called the police, and a police car arrived. The police took the dog owner and the three of us to the police station. The outcome was without suspense: the dog had attacked first, and Sun Xicai's actions were deemed self-defense. Furthermore, raising large dogs is prohibited in Shenyang's urban area, so the dog owner not only had to accept the misfortune but was also fined by the police station and had to pay for Sun Xicai's external wound treatment.
The police officer taking notes said that in his decade-plus career as a policeman, he had seen several cases of dogs killing people, but this was the first time he had witnessed a person biting a dog to death.
It was already past midnight when I got home. Lying in bed, I carefully considered the events happening to Sun Xicai. Based on my experience in the amulet business, winning the lottery, winning bets, and finding money at the bank—this series of wealth-related events was definitely not a coincidence. But why Sun Xicai's luck had turned, I couldn't figure out.
The next day, Wang Jiao and I accompanied Sun Xicai to the hospital for rabies vaccinations. The dog owner and his wife also went. The dog owner, with red eyes, looked at Sun Xicai as if he wanted to tear his heart out. Sun Xicai glared back. "What are you looking at? Do you have any more dogs at home? Bring them, and I promise I'll bite them to death too!" The dog owner angrily rushed forward to fight but was restrained by his wife. The two left crestfallen.
Back at the amulet shop, I asked, "Xicai, you're really something. How did you bring yourself to bite down so hard?"
Sun Xicai rolled his eyes. "What choice did I have? I couldn't just wait for the dog to bite me."
Wang Jiao said, "Brother Tian told me long ago, there's always a gain for every loss. Since your financial luck has been so good recently, you had to have bad luck somewhere else. Here it is!"
Sun Xicai retorted, "This isn't bad luck. I wasn't seriously injured. That dog must have had a problem, or it wouldn't have gone crazy." Wang Jiao said it was a blessing he wasn't badly hurt, and he needed to be more careful in the future, as society is too chaotic, and trouble could arise at any time. I walked around the shop, pointing out to Wang Jiao which amulets were too messy and where they should be placed to be more eye-catching. I saw a delicate golden nail clipper on the shelf, picked it up, and looked at it. Sun Xicai said, "A friend gave it to me. It's imported from Korea, 18K gold plated, and works great. Try it."
"Really?" I casually clipped my nails a few times with the clipper. The imported product was indeed good—sharp and comfortable. While clipping my nails, I saw Sun Xicai subtly wink at Wang Jiao. Wang Jiao walked over and smiled. "Brother, there's something... I want to talk to you about..."
"Just say it, no need to be polite," I thought. Not knowing what scheme Sun Xicai was planning this time, I put down the nail clipper, feeling a heightened sense of alertness.
Wang Jiao said, "Xicai and I discussed it these past few days. We want to take over the shop. We'll pay you 3,000 RMB rent monthly and buy inventory from you with cash, no credit. What do you think?"
I was delighted. I quickly said that this was a great idea. Wang Jiao said, "Then it's settled. Xicai has many relatives and friends, too, so we'll do more business, and you'll make money, too. Here's the agreement. We've already printed it out. Take a look, Brother." I took the agreement. It was clearly written. I figured they had prepared well. This was mutually beneficial, so I signed it and pressed my fingerprint.
Sun Xicai paid three months' rent, nine thousand RMB, upfront. Wang Jiao also calculated the cost of all the amulets, Guman Thong, and various accessories in the store at a 20% markup on the cost price to pay me. Aside from the business license being in my name, the shop's profit would no longer concern me. This was fine, as it meant I wouldn't have to worry about the shop's operations anymore. To make communication easier, Sun Xicai specifically installed an international long-distance landline from China Tietong in the shop, where calls to Thailand cost only 1.2 RMB per minute.
Before leaving, I said to Sun Xicai, "Doing business requires integrity. You tend to look for petty gains, but you must change that in the future, or you'll suffer a great loss. The urn incident is a prime example. If we hadn't been lucky enough to solve it with the incantation, how much money do you think I would have had to spend to resolve that issue?"
Wang Jiao nodded repeatedly, but Sun Xicai remained seated in the chair, silent, just smiling at me. It was a very strange smile, like a fake smile and a cold sneer combined. At first, I thought he was embarrassed to speak, but even as I walked out the door, he continued to smile at me in that manner, which made me feel very uncomfortable, as if there was a deeper meaning. However, I didn't pay it much attention.
A few days later, I returned to Thailand with the Phra Ngan amulet. I first went to Pattaya to drink and meet girls with Frank Fang. Back at his apartment, I showed the amulet to Frank Fang. Because I was wary of this former Positive-energy Amulet that had become a Negative-energy Amulet, I handed it to Frank Fang, asking him to sell it to a client, with the profit split evenly.
Frank Fang held the amulet, dangling it in front of his eyes, and laughed. "Tian Qi has also learned to make Negative-energy Amulets. Should I call you Arjan Qi from now on?" I laughed loudly. Suddenly, Frank Fang's smile froze. His eyes fixed on the Five Poisons Oil ring on his finger. He unscrewed the gemstone lid and held it near the amulet for a long time. He said to me, "You're not being honest, kid. You're playing tricks on me too? Aren't you afraid I'll sell you to Africa to mine rocks?"
I didn't understand what he meant. Frank Fang pointed angrily at the Five Poisons Oil ring. "The Five Poisons Oil hasn't changed color! There's no spirit infused in this amulet!" I laughed and said that was impossible. I had tested it with the Five Poisons Oil necklace. To convince him, I took off my necklace and placed the pendant against the amulet. I was immediately stunned.
The Five Poisons Oil inside the pendant hadn't changed color at all.
Afraid I was seeing things, I tested it a few more times. Frank Fang found a Negative-energy Amulet and threw it to me as a test item. The oil in the pendant quickly turned dark gray. It seemed the Five Poisons Oil was fine, so the problem was with the Phra Ngan amulet. I scratched my head. "W-what's going on? Did the spirit in the urn escape on its own?"