Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 272 Secrets of the Alley: The Adorable Moment of a Weakling's Comeback Receives a Criti

Niwan Zi instructed the shop owner and the merchants to follow the route that was supposed to be gold again, with himself and Cong Xiaoye following closely behind.

On the bluestone slab, the head constable, dressed in a purple-clad uniform, wore a dark cloak over his dark attire, and the bronze compass at his waist seemed to be tap-dancing. With his hands behind his back, he looked like a goose guarding a granary. His eyes were sharper than an eagle's, fixed on the shopkeeper and merchants who had suddenly detoured ahead, and he didn't forget to give Cong Xiaoye beside him a "something's fishy" look.

Cong Xiaoye wore a moon-white short jacket, with a soft whip wrapped around his waist that swayed rhythmically with his steps, making him look like a mischievous little snake. He had a nonchalant smile on his face, but his peach blossom eyes were darting around, as shrewd as a little fox.

They noticed that the two men, despite carrying gold, weren't taking the main roads but instead heading into the alleys. Mudball Purple was puzzled, so Cong Xiaoye asked, "Are you afraid thieves won't steal from you?" The shopkeeper could only reply, "The city management officers came to inspect again this morning, so they had no choice but to take the alleys."

At three-quarters past dawn, before the morning mist had dissipated and the gongs of the East Market had even finished ringing out, suddenly a rapid, rain-like gong sounded. More than twenty officials in black uniforms, wielding fire and water clubs, their copper fish-shaped tallies at their waists clanging with each step, advanced in three groups to encircle the area. The market magistrate, leading the group, wearing a black gauze hat and his official robes adorned with floral patterns glistening with dew, proclaimed in a loud voice, "By order of the Capital Prefecture, thoroughly investigate all violations in the market!"

The merchants, seeing this, panicked like startled birds. The old man selling flatbread overturned his charcoal stove, the aroma of burnt bread mingling with thick smoke; the silk shop assistant, clutching his bolts of cloth, collapsed to the ground, scattering his vibrant brocades into the dust. Several traveling merchants carrying mountain goods turned to flee into the alley, only to be blocked by the swords of the Imperial Guards. "Your Excellency! I just opened for business today!" The Persian merchant selling spices cried out anxiously, pounding his chest, his silver bracelets clanging loudly.

The magistrate, his face stern, swept his gaze over the food stalls that had encroached on the street: "I have repeatedly ordered that you are not allowed to encroach on the street!" Before he finished speaking, the officials had already raised their vermilion wooden plaques and surrounded the illegal stalls. A daring vendor tried to argue, but the fire-and-water sticks slammed against the bluestone bricks: "If you dare to make another sound, you and your goods will be taken to the city government!"

In the morning breeze, the yellow flag of "City Magistrate's Inspection" fluttered. The once bustling market was now only filled with the sounds of goods clattering and the sighs of the vendors... Bai Cai knew the authority and tension of this inspection, so she lied and said, "The officials are here again!"

The shopkeepers and merchants, finding the square in chaos and fearing further trouble, hurried through the alleyways, only to fall right into the trap set by the three thieves...

Niwanzi stroked her chin, her eyes darting around the mottled alley walls. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cong Xiaoye squatting down in front of the herbal tea stall, buying a cup of herbal tea, and chatting enthusiastically with the stall owner.

The stall owner shook his head and sighed, "This morning at dawn, the woman in the secluded pavilion screamed so loudly that all the small vendors and hawkers in the surrounding area scattered like flies! Little did we know there were no officials or soldiers at all, which ruined everyone's business this morning..."

Listening to Cong Xiaoye's retelling, Niwanzi and he exchanged a glance, both seeing two words in each other's eyes—there's something going on! There's probably a big story behind this... This woman is part of the thief gang; she must have planned this, not just been stealing.

Niwan Zi, the head constable of the Jingzhao Yin's office, and Cong Xiaoye, a constable, continued to follow the merchants and their servants through the alleys.

As we passed a pavilion, the innkeeper stopped and said, “As we walked this far, the roof tiles above us suddenly rattled, and a celadon jar, filled with pickled vegetables, fell from the sky. We were so startled that we quickly retreated, thankfully without getting hurt… However, before we could even catch our breath, we heard another loud crash. It turned out that the jar had knocked over the bronze faucet by the roadside, and a torrent of water gushed out like a silver ribbon, soaking our robes completely…”

The two merchants walked a few steps forward and saw a sign reading "Yunjin Pavilion" hanging above the vermilion-lacquered door. They had clearly fallen into a trap and went to change into dry clothes. The two were extremely cautious. Niwan Zi, holding a black iron token, knocked on the door and ordered Cong Xiaoye to go inside and investigate thoroughly.

The two recreated the scene: inside the shop's partition, a hidden compartment was suddenly opened, revealing soft cloth instead of a wall. Thus, one of the thieves, quick as a flash, easily switched the box containing the gold through the hidden compartment under the sandalwood fitting room screen.

In 2026, Zhen Xiaosi held a meeting with the marketing department to prepare for the discontinuation of the "Three Thieves" doll.

Let's start with "chives": The leek doll's hair is made of avocado-colored plush material, styled into a high bun, with a wooden hairpin inserted in the bun, the hairpin being carved with exquisite patterns. A few strands of hair also hang down on one side of the bun, naturally draped over the shoulder, making the overall shape vivid and natural.

The most fun part is the accessories: a brown leather belt is tied around the doll's waist, with a small cloth bag hanging from it. The bag is embroidered with the character "钱" (money) and contains a uniquely shaped flint and steel pendant, echoing the little trick of the leek—"Sell a candle for one qian, and get a flint and steel as a bonus."

The leek doll's right hand holds a medicine pot, its surface adorned with clearly visible crackles, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. Its left hand grasps a gourd of wine, tied with a yellow ribbon embroidered with strange characters… These props enrich the leek doll's image, perfectly aligning with the leek's frail health, constant medication, and fondness for alcohol due to emotional distress.

The removal of the "leeks" (a metaphor for retail investors) from the secondary market triggered another round of price increases, which was unexpected. Zhen Xiaosi discovered that:

The adorable underdog story of Leek's rise to power resonates more easily: sickly and prone to mischief, Leek is just like fragile humans who need emotional vitamins. Deep down, everyone has a "protective DNA for the weak" pulsating wildly, making us want to take the poor Leek home, treat him like a fragile treasure, and feed him virtual herbal medicine. We hope he can be reborn, and in his next life, we won't be Leeks, we won't be thieves, okay?

Chen Xiaoyao said, "President Zhen, this kind of contradictory persona always attracts attention: the contrast between coughing up blood and flaunting alcohol is very appealing. This twisted feeling of 'I'll even hurt myself when I go crazy' precisely hits the mark with modern-day leeks. Their mental state of being both lazy and anxious is a typical embodiment of the other self in the world..."

"Another self in this world?"

"Yes, the princess of the Guge Dynasty, accompanied by her four personal guards, went on a time-travel adventure, only to be turned into a cosmic version of a claw machine game by a spacetime turbulence!"

"What's going on in the heads of you kids?"

"You're so out of touch... The princess just picked up a sarcastic mechanical sword in a steampunk world, only to bump into Guard A acting as a holographic fortune teller in a cyberpunk city, muttering: 'The divination indicates that you will be stood up three times by three different pigeon spirits during the Peach Blossom Moon Festival...'"

"What is all this?"

"President Zhen, listen to me! What's even more outrageous is that Guard B was forced to work in the Xianxia world and became the sect's mascot, being chased by junior sisters every day to be fed spirit fruits... Meanwhile, Guard C, in the magic universe, accidentally opened a hot pot restaurant, using fire magic to cook tripe, and even the dragons became repeat customers!"

Zhen Xiaosi suddenly felt a sense of resonance with "the time-traveling Si Zi of the Tang Dynasty".

"And our unfortunate princess, clutching a dimensional rift that tells lame jokes in her left hand and a self-complaining pen that automatically writes in her right, is frantically checking in at different universes while being forced to participate in 'Self-Awareness 101'—after all, who would have thought that in a certain parallel world, they would actually be a penguin wearing a crown? This isn't time travel, it's a cosmic-level social death scene extravaganza! As the princess and her guards stumble through the time-space maze, they not only have to outwit and outfight the invisible anxiety monster, but also solve the philosophical puzzle of 'Who am I,' and incidentally save the multiverse from being messed up. This absurd and hilarious journey to find myself is the basic framework of the alternate self. Princess Zhen, are you sure you don't want to come and watch?"

Zhen Zong disagreed, thinking that if they were guards, they couldn't compare to her six wealthy young men.

"Okay, the leek doll is taken off the shelves. His mission is accomplished. He has maximized the feeling of rebellious escapism: being a corporate slave means fighting on the streets, and at home he is still soaking goji berries in a medicine pot. Occasionally, he can indulge himself by chugging down strong liquor. This reverse health regimen has brought to life all the rebellious behaviors that working people dare not do!"

"Of course! Who doesn't want to take a break? To be a carefree leek for once, recklessly treating medicine like wine? This doll is a discontinued, limited-edition model, and each doll comes with a unique collector's number and a heartwarming message to soothe the leek's heart..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhen Xiaosi untied the wine gourd held by the leek doll, tore off the yellow ribbon tied with it, and laughed, "May you prosper and grow fat like a leek!"

My colleague at the next table immediately picked up on the joke, holding up a matching chive plush toy and shouting, "May my proposal get approved!"

The programmer diagonally opposite shook his gourd: "Grow your hair long, long, long! Don't let your hairline recede!"

The intern jumped up, hugging a leek-shaped pillow: "May I grow lots of leeks after becoming a full-time employee! Perfect attendance guarantee no pay deductions!"

May you enjoy lasting health! May you be beautiful forever! May your love last forever!...

Amidst the rising and falling slogans, yellow ribbons fluttered like golden waves in the conference room of Zhenxiaosi Company.