The Story of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves

Long, long time ago, there lived two brothers in a city in Persia. The older brother was named Gosimu and the younger brother was named Ali Baba. After the death of their father, they were allocated a limited amount of assets, separated into their own families, and each sought their own livelihood. Soon the silver wealth was spent, and life became increasingly difficult. In order to slow down their food, clothing, and daily life, the two brothers had no choice but to travel around and endure hardship.

Afterwards, Gosi's mother was fortunate enough to marry the daughter of a wealthy man, who took over his father-in-law's estate and began to pursue a career in business. Due to her thriving business and rapid development, Gosimu quickly became a well-known wealthy man.

Alibaba married the daughter of a poor family, and the couple lived a poor life. All industries except for one dilapidated house have only three donkeys. Alibaba makes a living by selling firewood, driving donkeys to the dense forest every day to gather firewood, and then carrying them to the market to sell, in order to sustain their livelihood.

One day, Alibaba drove three donkeys up the mountain to gather firewood. He collected the chopped dry branches and firewood, tied them up into pack animals, and let the donkey carry them. When the firewood was ready to go down the mountain, suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared in the distance, spreading upwards and rolling towards him, and getting closer and closer. After getting closer, he realized that it was actually a caravan rushing rapidly in this direction.

Alibaba is afraid in its heart because if it encounters a group of bandits, the donkey will be taken away and its own life will be in danger. He was filled with fear and wanted to run away, but because the group of people were getting closer and closer, it was impossible for him to escape the forest. He had to drive the donkey carrying firewood into the path of the dense forest and climb up a towering tree to hide himself.

That big tree grows next to a huge and steep stone. He hid his body among the dense branches and leaves, where everything below could be seen clearly from above, but the people below couldn't see him.

At this moment, the group of people and horses had already run to the edge of the tree, stopped their horses, and stood in front of the big stone. They have a total of forty people, one young and strong, and move quickly. Alibaba carefully examined it and saw that this was a group of robbers blocking the way. It was obvious that they had just robbed a caravan loaded with goods and came here to share the spoils. They were probably planning to hide the stolen goods.

Alibaba had this in mind and decided to investigate further.

The bandits tied their horses under the tree and took out heavy saddlebags, which were obviously filled with gold, silver, and jewels.

At this moment, a person in the shape of a leader carrying a heavy saddle bag walked from the dense forest all the way to the big stone and whispered, "Sesame, open the door!" Accompanied by the leader's shout, an open doorway suddenly appeared in front of the big stone, and the robbers entered in one after another. That leader walks in the end.

As soon as the leader entered the cave, the gate automatically closed.

Because there were robbers in the cave, Alibaba hid in the tree to spy and dared not come down. He was afraid that if they suddenly came out of the cave and fell into their hands, he would be killed. In the end, he decided to steal a horse and drive his donkey back to the city. Just as he was about to descend from the tree, the door of the cave suddenly opened, and the bandit leader walked out of the cave first. He stood in front of the door, counted his henchmen, and saw that everyone had already come out. He began to recite a spell and said:

Sesame, close the door

Accompanied by his shout, the cave door automatically closed.

After being counted and searched by the leader, no problems were found. The henchmen then distinguished themselves and walked up to their horses, carrying the empty saddle bags onto the saddles. Then, one by one, they jumped onto the horses, followed the leader, and walked away.

Alibaba stayed on the tree to investigate them until they disappeared without a trace before coming down from the tree. The reason why he dared not rashly come down from the tree was because he was afraid that someone among the bandits would suddenly come back.

At this moment, he secretly said, 'I want to test the effect of this spell and see if I can also open this cave door.' So he shouted loudly, 'Sesame, open the door!' As soon as his shout fell, the cave door opened.

He walked out cautiously and looked up. It was a large hole with a dome, and the light shining through the ventilation hole at the top of the hole was like a lamp being lit. At first, he thought that since it was a bandit den, there would be nothing else except for a gloomy atmosphere. But the fact was beyond his expectations. The cave was filled with treasures, leaving people stunned. Piles of silk, brocade, and embroidered clothes, piles of colorful felt blankets, and countless gold and silver coins, some scattered on the ground and some in leather bags. Suddenly seeing so much gold and silver wealth, Alibaba firmly believed that it must be a treasure trove built by generations of bandits who have been operating and plundering.

After Alibaba entered the cave, the entrance automatically closed again.

He has no scruples and never cares, because he has mastered the way to activate this door and is not afraid of not being able to leave the hole. He is not interested in the gold and silver treasures in the cave, he urgently needs money. Therefore, considering the carrying capacity of the donkey, he decided to only get a few bags of gold coins, tie them in the firewood, and throw them onto the donkey for transportation. In this way, people will not see the money bag, but will still regard him as a woodcutter who spends his days chopping wood.

After thinking about all of this, Alibaba loudly said, "Sesame, open the door

Accompanied by a sound, the cave door opened and Alibaba took the collected coins out of the cave, then said, "Sesame, close the door

The cave door closed with a resounding sound.

Alibaba carried money and quickly returned to the city with a donkey. After arriving home, he quickly unloaded his pack, untied the bundle of firewood, and carried the bag containing gold coins into the room, placing it in front of his wife. His wife saw that the bag was full of gold coins and thought that Alibaba had taken a risk to rob someone, so she cursed and blamed him for not being ungrateful and not doing good deeds.

Am I a bandit? You should know my character. I never do good deeds, "Alibaba defended himself a few words, then informed his wife of the experience in the mountains and the origin of these gold coins. After that, he poured out the coins and piled them up in front of her.

Alibaba's wife was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this, as the dazzling gold coins left her dazzled. She sat down and was busy counting those gold coins. Alibaba said, "Look at you! If we keep counting like this, when will we finish counting? If someone breaks out and sees this situation, it will be terrible. Let's bury these coins first

Okay, just do it. But I still need to measure how many of these coins there are, so I can have a clear idea in my mind

This matter is worth celebrating, but you must be careful not to tell anyone, otherwise it will cause trouble

Alibaba's wife hurriedly went to Gosi's mother's house to borrow a measuring instrument. Sister in law, can you lend me your measuring instrument

Okay, but what measuring instrument do you want to borrow

Just lend me Xiaosheng

Wait a moment, I'll go get it for you right away, "Gosi's wife agreed.

Gosimu's wife is a curious person who is eager to know what Alibaba's wife borrowed from her. So she brushed a little beeswax on the bottom of the cup, because she believes that no matter what the amount is, it will always stick to the beeswax. She wants to satisfy her curiosity in this way.

Alibaba's wife didn't understand this skill, so she quickly returned home with a sheng and immediately started using it to measure gold coins.

Alibaba only focused on digging holes, and when her wife finished measuring the gold coins, his cave was also dug. The two of them worked together, carrying the gold coins into the cave, carefully covering it with soil, and burying it.

A gold coin stuck to the rising wax, but they didn't notice it at all. So when the kind-hearted woman returned Sheng to her sister-in-law, Gosi's wife immediately noticed that Sheng had a gold coin stuck to her and felt envious and jealous. She muttered to herself:

Ah! So they borrowed my promotion to measure gold coins

She thought to herself, how could Alibaba, such a poor man, use liters to measure gold coins?

There must be some secrets inside.

Gosimu's wife pondered and couldn't figure it out. Until dusk, when Gosimu returned from her travels, she immediately couldn't wait to say to him, "You're such a person! You always thought you were a wealthy tycoon, the richest person. Now open your eyes and take a look. Your brother Ali Baba appears to be extremely poor on the surface, but secretly he is as wealthy as a nobleman. I dare say he has much more wealth than you, and he has accumulated so many gold coins that he needs to measure them. And your gold coins, just by looking at them, you can tell the amount

Where did you hear about it? "Gosimu asked hesitantly.

Gosimu's wife immediately recounted in detail the process of Alibaba's wife coming to borrow and return the rising, as well as the discovery of a gold coin stuck inside the rising. Then she showed him the gold coin with the name, year, and other markings of the ancient emperor.

Upon learning of this, Gosimu was immediately surprised and also developed feelings of envy and suspicion. That night, because greedy thoughts had always haunted him, he tossed and turned all night. The next day, as soon as it was light, he quickly got up and went to find Alibaba, saying:

Brother! You pretend to be very poor and pitiful on the surface, but in fact, you don't show your true colors. I know you have accumulated countless gold coins, and the amount has reached the point where it takes a lot of measurement to count them all

Can you clarify what you're saying? I don't understand what you're saying at all

Don't pretend to be confused! You know exactly what I'm talking about, "Gosimu showed him the gold coin angrily." You have thousands of gold coins like this, and this is just one that my wife found stuck to the bottom when you were measuring them

Alibaba's name suddenly opened, and this matter has been discovered by GMX and his wife, thinking to themselves: this matter can no longer be kept a secret. Since that's the case, let's just reveal it all. Although he knew it would bring misfortune and disaster, in such a situation, he had no choice but to tell his brother without reservation about the discovery that the robbers were collecting gold and silver treasures in the cave.

GMX listened and said sternly, "You must inform me of everything you see, especially the exact address of the cave where the gold coins are stored, as well as the two curse codes for opening and closing the cave door. Now I want to warn you that if you refuse to inform me of all of this, I will report you to the government, and they will confiscate your money, arrest you and send you to jail. You will end up with nothing

Under the coercion of his brother, Alibaba had no choice but to reveal the location of the cave and the secret code for opening and closing the cave door word for word. Gosi listened attentively, keeping all the details in mind.

Early the next morning, Gosimu rushed to the mountains with ten mules she had hired. According to Alibaba's report, he first found the big tree where Alibaba was hiding and successfully found the mysterious cave entrance. The scene in front of him was similar to what BALL had said. He believed he had arrived at his destination and shouted loudly, "Sesame, open the door

Accompanied by the shout of Gosimu, the cave door suddenly opened. Gosimu walked into the cave and as soon as she stood still, the cave door automatically closed. He didn't care about it because his attention was completely drawn to the mountains of gold and silver treasures. Faced with so much gold and silver treasures, he was extremely excited and somewhat at a loss. After calming down my emotions, I quickly collected gold coins and packed them one by one in bags. Then, bag by bag, I moved them to the door, ready to carry them out of the cave and back home. After everything was prepared, he arrived at the tightly closed entrance. But because he was too excited earlier, he forgot the secret message to open the door and shouted, 'Damai, open the door!' The cave door remained tightly closed.

At this point, he panicked. He shouted out various names belonging to beans, wheat, and grains in one breath, but he couldn't remember the name "sesame" at all. He suddenly felt a sense of fear, restless, and kept spinning in the cave, losing interest in the gold coins placed behind the door to be taken away.

Due to Gosimu's excessive greed and jealousy, unexpected disasters have arisen, leading him into a desperate state where there is no way to heaven and no way to earth. Now that his life is in danger, it is even more impossible for him to fulfill his dream of becoming rich.

In the middle of the night, the robbers returned from their robbery. Under the moonlight, they saw herds of livestock in front of the cave entrance from afar. They felt fresh: how did these livestock come here?

The bandit leader, accompanied by his henchmen, arrived at the cave. Everyone got off their horses and said the secret message, and the cave door opened in response. Gosimu had already heard the sound of horses crowing in the cave, from far to near, knowing that the bandits had returned. He felt his life was in danger and soon collapsed in fear. But he still held a lucky mentality, mustered up courage, and rushed out when the cave door opened, hoping to escape death. But the bandits' swords blocked him and brought him back. The bandit leader disregarded the situation and stabbed Gosimu down with one sword. Meanwhile, one of his henchmen, a Roman, drew his sword and cut Gosimu in half, resulting in his death.

The robbers rushed into the cave to conduct a search.

They packed Gosimu's body in a bag, put the bags of gold coins he had prepared to take back to the old place, and carefully counted all the items. The robbers didn't care about the gold coins taken by Alibaba, but they were shocked and confused by the fact that outsiders could break into the cave. Because this is a treacherous terrain with high mountains and long roads, and steep terrain, it is difficult for people to climb up through too many obstacles, especially if they don't know the secret message of opening and closing the cave door, no one can break into the cave.

At this point, they vented their anger on Gosimu, and everyone dismembered his body with all their might, identifying the ones hanging on the left and right sides of the door as a warning, so that those who dared to come here would know their fate.

After finishing all of this, they walked out of the cave, closed the entrance, and crossed the horse.

That night, Gosimu didn't come home. His wife had a premonition that something was not going well and ran anxiously to Alibaba's house to ask, "Brother, your brother has been away since morning and hasn't come home yet. You know his whereabouts, and now I'm very worried that something might happen to him. If that's really the case, what should I do

Alibaba also had a premonition that something unfortunate had happened, otherwise, Gosimu wouldn't have come home now. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, but he stabilized his emotions and still comforted his sister-in-law calmly: "Sister in law, probably Gosi's mother was afraid that outsiders would know his whereabouts, so she took a detour back to the city, so she hasn't returned home yet. I think he will come back later

After hearing this, Gosimo's wife felt a little comforted and returned home with a glimmer of hope, patiently waiting for her husband to come back.

Even at midnight, no one was seen. She finally became restless and couldn't help but burst into tears due to her calmness and terror. She said regretfully to herself, "I leaked Alibaba's secrets to him, which aroused his envy and jealousy, and only then did it bring him the disaster of death

Gosimu's wife was in a state of turmoil, feeling restless and struggling until dawn. She hurriedly ran to Ali Baba's house and begged him to go out and find her brother immediately.

Alibaba comforted his sister-in-law and then drove three donkeys to the cave. Arriving near the entrance of the cave, he saw bloodstains scattered on the ground at a glance, but his brother and ten mules were nowhere to be seen. It was obvious that there was no good or bad luck, and he couldn't help but shudder at the thought. He cautiously approached the cave entrance and said, 'Sesame, open the door!' The cave door opened in response.

He quickly stepped into the cave and as soon as he entered the entrance, he saw the body of Gosimu divided into several pieces, two hanging on the left and two hanging on the right. Alibaba remained calm, but had no choice but to grit their teeth and clean up their brother's body, using a donkey to transport it. Then he packed several bags of gold coins, carefully covered them with a wooden stick, tied them into two packs, and transported them with two other donkeys. After doing all of this, he closed the cave door with a secret message and drove the donkey down the mountain. Along the way, he desperately suppressed his calm mood, gathered his energy, and safely transported the body and gold coins home.

After returning home, he took the two donkeys carrying gold coins to his own house and handed them over to his wife, instructing her to hide them. However, he did not mention anything about the murder of Gosimu. Then he led the donkey carrying the body to Gosimu's house. Godmother's maid Markina came to open the door and asked Alibaba to drive the donkey into the courtyard.

Alibaba unloaded the body of Godmother from the donkey's back and said to the maid, "Markina, quickly prepare for the aftermath of your master. Now I will go and report the bad news to my sister-in-law, and then come to help you." At this moment, Godmother's wife saw Alibaba from the window and said

Alibaba, how is the situation? Do you have any news about your brother? Judging from your worried expression, may he have encountered a disaster

Alibaba quickly recounted to his sister-in-law the experience of Gosi's mother and how he smuggled his body back, from beginning to end.

After Alibaba provided a detailed account of the incident, they continued to say to their sister-in-law, "Sister in law, it has already happened, and it is impossible to change all of this. Although this incident is painful, we should take it as a warning and keep it a secret, otherwise our lives and lives will be in danger

Gosimu's wife knew that her husband had been brutally murdered, and now complaining was of no use. Therefore, she tearfully said to Alibaba, "My husband's fate was predetermined in his previous life, and I can only accept it now. Just for your safety and my future, I promise to keep your secret strictly confidential and never disclose any information to anyone

Allah's punishment is irresistible. Now rest in peace. Once the mourning period is over, I will marry you as a concubine and provide for you for the rest of my life. You will live an exciting and happy life. As for my wife, she is kind-hearted and will never be jealous of you. You can rest assured about this

Since you think this is more appropriate, let's do it according to your wishes, "she said, unable to help but burst into tears.

Alibaba felt very sad about his brother's death. He left his sister-in-law and returned to his maid Markina to discuss his brother's affairs with her. After finishing all of this, he led his donkey home.

As soon as Alibaba left, Markina immediately went to a pharmacy and pretended to be indifferent, talking to the boss and asking what medicine was effective for dying patients.

Who is critically ill and needs to take this medicine? "The boss asked Markina in reverse.

My master Gosimu is seriously ill and about to die. These days, he can neither speak nor eat, so we have no hope for his life or death

After speaking, she went home with the medicine she bought.

The next day, Markina went to the pharmacy again to buy medicine. With a worried and depressed expression, she sighed and said, "I'm worried he won't even be able to take the medicine anymore. He might have already passed away by now

At the same time that Markina was buying medicine, Alibaba was also preparing everything. He stayed at home, patiently waiting for Gosi's mother's family to recover the sounds of sadness and tears, in order to pretend to be grieving and help with the funeral.

Early on the third day, Markina put on the veil and went to find the clever old tailor Babamusha. She gave the tailor a gold coin and said, "Would you be willing to cover your eyes with a piece of cloth and come with me to my house

Babamusha is unwilling to do so. Markina took out another gold coin and stuffed it into his hand, repeatedly pleading with him to go there.

Babamousta is a greedy and greedy money lover. When he saw the gold coins, he immediately agreed to the request, covered his eyes with a handkerchief, and let Markina lead him into the black room where Gosimu was buried. At this moment, Markina finally took off the handkerchief that was covering Babamusta's eyes and informed him, "Put this corpse together as it was, sew it up, and then compare it to the length of the dead person's body to sew a shroud for him. After doing this, I will give you a generous salary

Babamusha sewed up the body and made the shroud according to Markina's instructions. Markina felt very pleased and gave Babamousta another gold coin, blindfolded him again, and then took him back to the tailor's shop.

Markina quickly returned home and, with the assistance of Alibaba, washed Gosimu's body with hot water, embalmed it, placed it in a clean place, and prepared everything that needed to be done before burial. Then she went to the mosque and reported the funeral to the imam, saying that the deceased was waiting for him to go to the funeral and asked him to pray for them.

The headmaster was invited to accompany Markina to the home of Gosi's mother, pray for the deceased, and hold a ceremony according to tradition. Then, four people carried the coffin containing Gosi's mother's body and left the house, sending it to the cemetery for burial. Markina walked ahead of the funeral procession, disheveled, pounding her chest and pounding her feet, and crying bitterly.

Alibaba and other relatives and friends followed ahead, one after another showing sadness.

After burial, identify and return.

Gosimo's wife stayed alone at home, crying sadly.

Alibaba hid at home, silently mourning for his brother as a sign of mourning.

Because Markina and Ali Baba were good at dealing with things and considering everything thoroughly, the truth about Gosimu's death was unknown to everyone except for him and Gosimu's wife.

After the forty day mourning period, Alibaba took out some of his assets as a dowry, openly married his sister-in-law as a concubine, and asked Gosi's eldest son to inherit his father's estate, reopening the closed shop. Gosi's eldest son once ran a business with a wealthy man and was influenced by him, developing some skills and appearing to be free spirited in the business world.

On this day, the robbers returned to the cave as usual and found that Gosimu's body was no longer in the cave, and many gold coins were missing from the cave, which made them very surprised and at a loss. The leader said, "This matter must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise the accumulation we have accumulated over the years will be gradually stolen

After listening to the leader's words, the bandits felt that it was not appropriate to delay the matter, because they knew that besides the person they had killed knowing the secret code for opening and closing the cave door, the person who had moved the body and stolen the gold coins would also understand this secret code. So we must hesitate to pursue this matter, only by finding out that person can we avoid the continuous theft of property. After careful planning, they decided to send a clever person disguised as a merchant from out of town to the streets and alleys of the city to exercise, with the aim of finding out who had died recently and where they lived. In this way, the clues can be found, and the person they want to arrest can also be found.

Let me go into the city to inquire about the news, "a bandit volunteered to the leader," I will quickly find out the situation. If I cannot fulfill my obligation, you can punish me as you please

The leader agreed to the bandit's request.

The bandit disguised himself and sneaked into the city that night. The next morning, he started exercising and saw that all the shops on the street were closed, except for the tailor Baba Musta's shop, where he was doing needlework. The bandit greeted him with curiosity and asked:

Genius is shining brightly, why did you start doing needlework

I think you're from out of town. Despite my age, my eyesight is very good. Yesterday, I was still in a pitch black room, stitching up a corpse

The bandit heard this and secretly felt happy, thinking, "Just through him, I can achieve my goal." He calmly said to the tailor, "I think you're joking with me. Are you saying you sewed a shroud for a dead person

Why are you inquiring about this matter? How much does it have to do with you

The bandit quickly handed a gold coin to the tailor and said, "I don't want to uncover any secrets. I'm a loyal and faithful person, I just want to know who you did odd jobs for yesterday. Can you tell me about that place and take me there

The tailor took the gold coin and couldn't refuse any longer, so he had to truthfully say to him, "Actually, I don't know the address of that family because I was brought there by a maid who covered my eyes with a handkerchief. When I arrived, she took off the handkerchief from my eyes. I sewed up a body that had been cut into several pieces as required, made a shroud for him, and then the maid covered my eyes and sent me back. Therefore, I cannot inform you of the exact address there

Oh, that's a pity! But it's okay. Although you can't pinpoint the exact location of that residence, we can do the same exercise as you did last time. This way, you will definitely remember something. Of course, if you can handle this matter well, I have another gold coin for you. "After saying that, the bandit took out another gold coin for the tailor.

Babamusha put two gold coins in his pocket, left the shop, and led the bandits to the place where Markina had blindfolded him. He asked the bandits to cover his eyes with handkerchiefs and lead him away. Babamusta was originally a clear headed and sensitive person, but under the guidance of the bandits, he soon entered the alley that Markina had led him through. He speculated as he walked, calculating to move forward step by step. As he walked, he suddenly stopped and said, "Last time, that maid and I seemed to have walked here

At this point, Babamusha and the bandits were already standing in front of Gosimu's residence, which is now Alibaba's residence.

After the bandits found Gosimu's house, they drew a secret code on the door with a white chalk to avoid finding the wrong door when they came to retaliate next time. He was filled with joy and immediately took off the handkerchief from Babamusha's eyes, saying, "Babamusha, you have been a great help to me, and I am grateful. May the great Allah bless you. Now please let me know who lives in this house

To be honest, I have no idea. I'm not familiar with this area

The bandit knew he couldn't hear any more news from the tailor, so he thanked him repeatedly and asked him to go back. He himself hurried back to the cave and reported the news.

After the tailor and the bandits left, Markina went out on business. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she saw the white code on the door and couldn't help but be surprised. She pondered for a moment and realized that this was a deliberate identification mark made by someone, with a purpose that was not yet clear. However, such a covert and covert operation must not have any intention. So she used chalk to draw the same code on all the neighbors' doors. She kept the secret strictly and didn't tell anyone, including the male and female hosts.

The bandits returned to the mountains and reported the search for clues to the bandit leader and his companions. Upon hearing the news, the leader and other bandits fled to the city to seek revenge against the thieves. The bandit who had used a secret code on the entrance of Alibaba's house directly tied his head and said, "Oh! The person we are looking for lives here

The leader first looked at the houses there, then looked around and found that every door had the same secret code painted on it. He thought it was fresh and asked, "The houses here have the same secret code on every door. Which one are you talking about

The bandits leading the way suddenly became confused and at a loss. He swore, "I just made a secret code on the door of a house. I don't know where these codes came from, and now I'm not sure which code I drew

The leader pondered for a moment and said to the bandits, "Because he didn't do his job well, we couldn't find the house we were looking for, which made us work hard for nothing. Let's go back to the mountain now and make plans later

The bandits took advantage of the situation and returned to the cave in disappointment. The leader then vented his anger on the bandit who was leading the way, beat him up severely, and ordered his subordinates to tie him up. He said, "Who among you is willing to go to the city to gather news again? If the thief can be caught, I will reward him even more

After listening to the bandit leader's words, another bandit volunteered and said, "I am willing to go and inquire, and I believe I can meet your requirements

The bandit leader agreed to send him to complete this mission. So the bandit found Babamusha in the tailor's shop again, bribed the tailor with gold coins, and used him to find Alibaba's home. He drew a secret code with a red chalk on the doorpost of Alibaba's house, and then quickly returned to the cave to report to the bandit leader. He proudly said, "Report to the leader, I have found the house. This time, I used a red chalk to put a secret code on the doorpost. I can easily distinguish it

When Markina left the door, she found another white code on the doorpost, so she drew the same code on the doorpost of a nearby house.

The second bandit of the bandit faction quickly fulfilled their duty, but the situation remained the same as the first time. When the bandits went into the city to seek revenge, they found that there were white secret codes on the pillars of every nearby house. They felt that they had been tricked again, and one after another, they had to return to the cave dejectedly. The bandit leader gnashed his teeth and flew into a rage, then tied up the second bandit and sighed, "My subordinates are all full of wine and rice bags. It seems that I have to personally handle this matter in order to alleviate the problem

The bandit leader made up his mind and single handedly arrived in the city, as usual, and found the tailor Babamuta. With his help, I smoothly arrived at the doorstep of Alibaba. He learned from the lessons of the first two bandits, no longer using any secret codes, but keeping in mind the location of the residence and the surrounding scenery. Then he immediately rushed back to the cave and said to the bandits:

I have engraved that location in my heart, and it will be easy to find it next time. Now you immediately buy me nineteen mules and a large leather bag of vegetables, as well as thirty-eight earthenware jars of the same shape and volume. Then tie these jars to the carriers, and use nineteen mules and horses to carry them, with each mule carrying two jars. I disguised myself as an oil merchant and went to the door of that big thug's house when it was dark, begging him to let me stay overnight. Then, at night, we fought all the way, and as a result, his life was taken back, and the stolen property was recovered

His proposed plan won the support of the bandits, and one after another, with joy, they went to buy mules, leather bags, earthenware jars and other items. After three days of running around, I prepared everything I needed and even painted some grease on the surface of the earthenware jar. Under the command of the bandit leader, they filled a large jar with vegetable oil, and the fully armed bandits identified the thirty-seven jars hidden inside and transported them with nineteen mules. The bandit leader disguised himself as a merchant, drove mules, and boldly transported oil into the city. He arrived outside Alibaba's house when it was dark.

Alibaba has just finished dinner and is still taking a walk in front of the house. The bandit leader took the opportunity to approach him and greeted him, saying, "I came from out of town to sell oil and often come here to do business. Tomorrow is too late, and I cannot find a suitable place to live. I beg you to have mercy and let me stay in your courtyard for one night to relieve the burden on the livestock. Of course, I also trouble you to add some feed for them to satisfy their hunger

Although Alibaba had seen the bandit leader in front of him before, due to his clever disguise and the darkness, he couldn't distinguish him for a moment. Therefore, he agreed to the bandit leader's request and arranged a spare firewood room for him to store goods and keep livestock. He also instructed his maid Markina:

A guest has arrived at home. Please prepare some feed and water for him, make some dinner for him, and make a bed for him to stay overnight

The bandit leader unloaded his pack and moved to the firewood shed to fetch water and feed for the livestock. He himself was also warmly welcomed by his master. Alibaba called Malkina and instructed, "You should treat the guests well, not be careless, and meet their needs. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the bathhouse to take a shower, and you should prepare a clean set of white clothes for me to wear after the shower. In addition, prepare a pot of meat soup for me before I return

Xiaochang, I will definitely do as the master says

After Alibaba said it, he went to the dormitory to rest.

After dinner, the bandit leader immediately went to the woodshed to take care of the livestock. He took advantage of the quiet night and the rest of Alibaba's family to lower his voice and notify the bandits hiding in the urn: "Tonight at midnight, when you hear my signal, come out quickly." After the bandit leader finished his instructions, he walked out of the firewood room and was led by Markina to the dormitory prepared for him.

Markina put down the oil lamp in her hand and said, "If you need anything else, please give me instructions

Thank you, nothing more is needed, "the bandit leader replied, turning off the lights and going to bed to rest after Markina had left.

Markina took out a clean set of clothes as instructed by her master and handed it over to another male servant Abdullah for her master to wear after bathing. Then she cooked meat soup for her master. After a while, she wanted to take a look at the meat soup in the jar, but the oil lamp had gone out and there was no more oil to add. Abdullah looked at Markina's troubled expression and came to relieve the situation, reminding her:

Don't be difficult, there's vegetable oil in the firewood room! Why don't you take some for use

Markina went to the woodshed with an oil can and saw rows of oil jars. She arrived at the first earthen jar, and at this moment, the bandits hiding in the jar heard footsteps and thought it was the bandit leader calling them, so they asked softly, "Is it time to take action

Markina suddenly heard the voices in the earthen jars, which frightened her a step further. However, she was originally a clever and brave person, and immediately replied, "It's not yet time." She thought to herself, "So these jars are not filled with vegetable oil, but people. It seems that this oil trader has ulterior motives and may be trying to plot something bad. Compassionate Allah! Please bless us not to fall into his trap." She reached the second jar and still lowered her voice, repeating the sentence "It's not yet time yet.

She went from beginning to end one by one in this order. She secretly said, "Praise Allah! My master is still in the dark and doesn't know that danger could come at any moment. This guy who claims to sell oil must be the leader of this gang of bandits, and at this moment, the bandits are waiting for him to retrieve the secret code. The bandits lurking in the urn were burned to death one after another without knowing what was going on.

Markina quietly completed all of this with extraordinary intelligence, and everyone in the room was still sleeping soundly, unknown to anyone. She happily returned to the kitchen, closed the door, and served hot soup to Alibaba.

After about an hour, the bandit leader suddenly woke up from his dream. He opened the window and saw a gloomy and quiet atmosphere outside. He clapped his hands and withdrew the secret code, calling on the bandits to come out and take action immediately. But there was no movement around. After a while, he clapped his hands again and called out, but there was still no response. After clapping and summoning for the third time, but still unable to receive an answer, he panicked and hurriedly walked out of the bedroom to the woodshed, thinking to himself, "They must have fallen asleep one after another. I must wake them up immediately and act quickly, otherwise it will be too late

He walked up to the first oil jar and immediately smelled a pungent smell of oil. He was very surprised and reached out to touch it, feeling hot. He touched the past one after another and found that the condition of all the oil jars was the same. At this moment, he Xiaochang's death fell on the heads of their group, and he also felt worried about his own safety. He dared not return to the bedroom, so he jumped over the wall into the backyard and fled with fear and despair.

Markina stayed in the kitchen, spying on the bandit leader's movements, but couldn't see him come out of the woodshed. She thought he had escaped over the wall because the door was double locked. However, thinking that the other bandits were still lying quietly in the urn one after another, Markina went to sleep peacefully.

Two hours before dawn, Alibaba got up and went to the bathhouse to take a shower. He knew nothing about the dangerous incident that happened at home that night, and the alert Markina did not alert him, nor did she expect the situation to be handled so easily. She originally thought that if she reported her plan to her master first and then took action, she might lose the opportunity to act first and suffer the losses of a robber.

Alibaba returned from the bathhouse at three o'clock in the day. He was surprised to see the oil jar still sealed and placed in the firewood room, muttering to himself, "What's wrong with this oil seller! At this time, he's not even carrying the oil to the market to sell

Malkina said, "Sir, the Almighty God Allah has blessed you and saved you from harm last night. That merchant attempted to do evil deeds and was discovered to have fled. I will slowly explain what happened last night to you later." She led Ali Baba into the woodshed, closed the door, and pointed to an oil jar, saying, "Sir, please take a look. Is it oil inside? Is it something else

Alibaba opened the lid of the jar and saw a man lying inside. He was so scared that he turned his head and ran away. Markina immediately comforted him, 'Don't be afraid! This person can no longer harm you, he is already dead.'

Alibaba quieted down after hearing this and said, "Marcina, we've been in a big trouble. We've just settled down, how could this despicable guy come to trouble us

Thank you to the great Allah! I will report the details of the incident to the master. But speak softly to avoid being known by our neighbors and causing trouble for us. Now please take a look at the things in these jars, from beginning to end, every one of them

Alibaba did indeed take a look one by one and found a fully armed man in each urn, fortunately all of them were scalded to death by boiling oil. This shock left him speechless as if he were mute. After a while, he gradually returned to normalcy before asking:

Where has that oil dealer gone

Sir, you don't know yet. That guy is not actually a businessman, but a notorious bandit leader. He speaks sweet words, but deep down he wants your life. I will report his actions in detail, but Sir has just returned from the bathhouse. Let's have some meat soup first and then talk about it

She served Alibaba and immediately brought food back to the house.

Alibaba started eating and drinking, and said to Markina, "I'm eager to know the whole story of this strange case. You tell me, don't keep me in the dark all the time, so that I can calm down

Markina recounted in detail what happened last night, from boiling meat soup, lighting lamps to find oil, discovering bandits, scalding them to death with oil, and the bandit leader escaping. In the end, she said:

"This is what happened last night. In addition, I had already felt about this matter a few days ago. I restrained myself from reporting to the master, afraid that in case something should spread to the neighbors, and now I have to let the master know. The situation is like this: one day when I came home, I saw a white chalk sign painted on our door. Although I didn't know who drew it in advance, it was useful, but I estimated that it might be the enemy's doing it, deliberately harming the master, so I painted the same sign on every door around, making it difficult to distinguish big thugs. Now it seems that The secret sign drawn must have something to do with what happened last night. It must be that the gang took it as a sign of revenge to avoid going wrong. Based on the number of forty robbers, two of them are missing, and the reality of the situation is unknown to me, so I have no choice but to guard against them. And the other bandits, whose leaders have escaped, are still alive. The master must be extra careful and vigilant, otherwise he will be killed by them. He will definitely not let you go easily. For this reason, I will do my utmost to protect the life and assets of the master from damage, which is also our duty as slaves

Alibaba was very pleased to hear this and said, "I am very pleased with your initiative. You were brave and decisive, and I will never forget it in my lifetime. Please let me know: how should I reward you

This is my obligation. I think the most urgent thing at the moment is to quickly bury those dead people and not leak the secret

According to Malkina's instructions, Ali Baba took his servant Abdullah to the back garden, dug a big hole at the side of a tree, unloaded the weapons on the bodies, buried thirty-seven bodies, made the ground look exactly the same as before, and also stored the oil jar and other things. Then Alibaba sent Abdullah to sell two mules each time at the market. This matter has been dealt with properly, but Alibaba is not at ease because he knows that the bandit leader and two bandits are still alive and will definitely come back for revenge. Therefore, he is particularly careful and serious. He keeps his mouth shut about the process of eliminating the bandits and the situation of obtaining property from the cave, never revealing it.

But the bandit leader fled from the Alibaba family wolf and quietly returned to the cave, thinking about the lost property and people, as well as the gold and silver treasures that would eventually be stolen from the cave. He was filled with anger and extreme distress. He believed that only by killing Alibaba could he eliminate the hatred in his heart. He decided to go back to the city alone, under the guise of running a business, to live in the city in order to find an opportunity to take down Alibaba, and then start a new business, recruit soldiers and horses, and continue to live a life of plunder. Only in this way can he pass on the ancestral business of killing people and smuggling goods from generation to generation.

After the bandit leader had made up his mind, he fell asleep.

The next day, as soon as it was light, he got up, disguised himself as before, and then went to the city to stay at an inn. He muttered to himself, "Without a doubt, the case of killing so many people in a while will definitely cause a sensation throughout the city, and Alibaba will inevitably be arrested and tried. His residence must have been destroyed, and his assets must have been seized." So he asked the innkeeper for news and asked, "Has anything new happened in the city recently

The gatekeeper informed the bandit leader of everything he saw and heard.

The bandit leader listened with both freshness and disappointment. Nothing the gatekeeper talked about had anything to do with him. Only then did he realize that Alibaba was a clever and clever person. He not only took money from the cave, but also killed so many people, while he himself was safe and sound. From this, the bandit leader thought of his own safety issues and believed that he must fully utilize his intelligence and be more careful in order to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy and being destroyed. Therefore, he rented a shop in the market, brought good goods from the cave, set them up, and stayed in the shop from then on. He changed his name to Galwangji Hassan and pretended to start a business.

Coincidentally, across from the bandit leader's shop is the location of the late Gosi mother's shop, which is now continuously operated by his son, the nephew of Alibaba. The bandit leader moved around under the name of Galewangji Hassan and soon became familiar with the owners of various nearby businesses. He is both generous and humble in his dealings with others, especially being particularly affectionate towards Gosi's son. He often gets close to this beautiful and well-dressed young man, chatting all the way and sitting for hours at a time.

On that day, Alibaba went to visit his nephew in the shop, and the bandit leader across from the shop saw him. The bandit leader recognized Alibaba as soon as he saw him. So the bandit leader asked the young man about the situation of Alibaba: "Tell me, who was the customer who came to your shop earlier

He is my uncle

Afterwards, the bandit leader became even more enthusiastic towards Alibaba's nephew, giving him many benefits, appearing rough and amiable on the surface, but secretly carrying out his conspiracy attempts.

After some days, Alibaba's nephew considered reciprocity and wanted to invite Gallewangji Hassan for a meal. However, he felt that his living space was small and it was not convenient to receive guests, especially compared to Gallewangji Hassan's refined and formal demeanor, which looked shabby. So he went to consult his uncle Alibaba.

Alibaba said to his nephew, "Your idea is right. You should invite that friend as a guest. Tomorrow is a Friday holiday, and all businesses are closed. Go and invite Galwangji Hassan to take a walk and breathe some fresh air. When you come back, you don't need to inform Galwangji Hassan. You can bring him to me by the way. I will instruct Markina to prepare a sumptuous banquet to entertain you. You don't have to worry, I will handle everything

The next day, Alibaba's nephew, following his uncle's instructions, invited Gallewangji Hassan to play in the park all the way. When he got home, he also led Gallewangji Hassan into the alley where his uncle's house was located and kept coming to the door. As he knocked on the door, he said to Gellewangji Hassan, "My friend, let me inform you: this is my other residence. My uncle has heard of our interactions and the generosity you show in dealing with people, so he would be very happy to meet you

The bandit leader secretly rejoiced upon hearing this, because with this opportunity, his desire for revenge could be quickly fulfilled. But on the surface, he pretended to be humble and repeatedly declined. At this moment, the servant had already opened the door, and Alibaba's nephew took Galwangji Hassan's hand and walked into the house. Host Alibaba humbly and politely greeted and greeted Gellewangji Hassan, saying, "Reception! Reception! I am extremely grateful for your usual care of my nephew. I know you are as considerate and loving as a father to him

Your nephew is a good person, and his manners and speech have left a deep impression on me. I really like him. Although he is young, he has a great talent, is exceptionally intelligent, and has a promising future, "Galwangji Hassan said with these compliments and social words.

In this way, the guests and hosts started chatting with each other, appearing both humble and friendly, and the guests and hosts were very compatible. After a while, Galwangji Hassan said, "Master! It's time to say goodbye to you now. If Allah wills, I will come back to visit you later when I have time

Alibaba stood up and tried to persuade him, saying, "My friend, where are you going? I have the intention to entertain you and invite you to dinner. After dinner, let's go back. Even though our food may not be as delicious as what you have at home, we still have to ask you to accept my invitation. Let's have a lively atmosphere together

Master! I am grateful for your kind treatment. However, I do have special reasons and have no choice but to ask for your forgiveness

Guest! You seem to be preoccupied and feeling restless, why is that

Well, recently I took medicine to treat my illness, and the doctor instructed me not to eat any dishes with salt

Oh, that's all for now. It's okay, I can get your favor. The cook is preparing to cook now, and I ordered her to make salt free dishes to entertain you. Please wait a moment, I'll be there soon, "Alibaba said as he went to the kitchen and instructed Markina not to add salt to her dishes.

Markina was preparing a meal when she suddenly heard this command and was very surprised. She asked, "Who is this guest who wants to eat salt free dishes

Why are you asking him? Just do as I say

Okay, everything will be done according to your wishes, "Markina said to the person who made the request, curious and eager to take a look at him.

The dishes were all prepared, and Markina assisted the male servant Abdullah in setting up tables and chairs to serve the guests, giving him the opportunity to see Galwangji Hassan. As soon as she saw this person, she immediately recognized his true face, even though his attire had been disguised as that of a foreign merchant. When Markina carefully examined him, she noticed a short sword hidden under his cloak. "Oh, I see!" she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "The reason why this villain wants to eat salt free food is here. His purpose is to find an opportunity to kill my master, because he is his archenemy. I must hesitate, take the initiative, and find a chance to get rid of him before he shows off

Markina took out a white tablecloth and spread it on the table, served the food, and while the host was accompanying the guests to eat and drink, returned from the living room to the kitchen, carefully considering ways to deal with the bandit leader.

Ali Baba and Gelewangi Hasan enjoyed themselves and ate and drank slowly. Malkina and Abdullah were busy cleaning up their cups and dishes and serving Dim sum to guests. Markina also served fresh and dried fruits on a plate, and asked Abdullah to bring them to the hall on a tray. She also took a small three legged coffee table and placed three wine glasses and a bottle of wine on the table for the host and guests to pour and drink. Everything was arranged properly before Markina and Abdullah stepped down, as if they had gone to eat.

At this moment, the bandit leader felt that the opportunity had come and immediately became happy. He secretly thought to himself, "This is a good opportunity to seek revenge and avenge oneself. I just need to use this short sword to stab the past fiercely, and this guy's life can be ended, and then he can slip away from the backyard. His nephew dare not stop me, even if he has the courage to fight against me. I only need to move one finger or toe to kill him. But we have to wait a little longer. It's not too late to start when those two maids finish their meal and return to their room to rest

Malkina remained calm, secretly monitoring the actions of the bandit while guessing his intentions. She thought to herself, "We must not give this villain a chance to show off his evil intentions. Not only do I want to thwart his conspiracy, but I also want to use this opportunity to end his life." Loyal and reliable Malkina took off her clothes and changed into a dance costume, wrapped a bright headscarf around her head, covered her face with an expensive veil, tied a woven waistband around her waist, and hung a dagger with gold, silver, and gemstones embedded in its handle under the waistband. After dressing up, she instructed Abdullah:

Bring the hand drum and let's go to the living room together to perform for the respected master and guests

Abdullah obeyed Markina's arrangement and indeed brought his hand drum to the living room with her. Abdullah tapped the hand drum and Markina danced gracefully. After performing for a while, the two maidservants stopped to rest, ready to gather their spirits and continue the performance. Alibaba is very interested and allows them to freely promote it, and instructs:

Now you can sing and dance freely, preferably performing some more exciting programs to make the guests happy and excited

Oh, my host! Thank you for your kind hospitality, I am extremely excited, "said Galwangji Hassan with sincere gratitude.

Encouraged by the master and appreciated by the guests, the maid and servant became more and more enthusiastic. Abdullah hit the hand drum, and Markina showed off her skills. Her light steps and graceful dance gave the host and guests a sad feeling. Just as they were lost in thought, Markina suddenly pulled out a dagger, held it in her hand, and spun it from one side to the other, making a beautiful pose. At this moment, she pressed the sharp dagger tightly against her chest and paused for a moment. With her right hand, she took Abdullah's hand drum and continued to spin it, following the tradition of festive occasions, begging for rewards from those present. She first stopped in front of her owner Ali Baba, who then threw a gold coin into the hand drum, and his nephew also threw a gold coin. As Galwangji Hassan watched Malkina dance closer, he took out his wallet and prepared to give him a reward. At this moment, Malkina gathered her courage and in an instant, she aimed the dagger at Galwangji Hassan's heart, stabbing it fiercely and immediately taking his life.

Alibaba was shocked and shouted, "What are you doing? My life has been ruined by you

No, "Malkina said sternly," my master! I stabbed this guy to death to save your life. If you don't believe me, please undo his coat and you will discover his hidden intentions

Alibaba quickly stepped forward and noticed that he was wearing a sharp short sword close to his body. He was stunned and speechless for a moment.

This despicable guy is your archenemy, "Markina said." Take a closer look, he is the so-called oil trader, the leader of that gang of bandits. He said he doesn't eat salt, which means he has an unyielding thief's heart and intends to harm you. When you said he doesn't eat dishes with salt, I became suspicious. And when I first saw him, I knew he had no intention of harming you. Now the fact proves that my guess is correct

Alibaba was extremely surprised and grateful to Markina. He rewarded her heavily and said, "You have saved my life twice from the bandit leader's hands, and I should repay you." Then he reached out and pointed to Markina's neck, saying, "Now I have restored your freedom, and you have become a free citizen. To show my gratitude to you, I am willing to officiate your marriage and give you to my nephew, so that you can become a loving couple

After Alibaba confessed his wish to Markina, he turned to his nephew and said, "Markina is a highly skilled, intelligent, and honest person. Now take a look at this so-called Galwangji Hassan lying on the ground. He claims to be your friend and has befriended you with the sole purpose of seeking an opportunity to harm me. Markina, with her intelligence and cleverness, saved us from harm and turned the tide

Alibaba was delighted to see his nephew accepting his proposal and willing to marry the vibrant Markina. Therefore, Alibaba led his nephew, Markina, and Abdullah to carefully and solemnly move the bandit leader's body to the backyard under the cover of night, digging a hole and burying it underground.

Afterwards, they remained tight lipped and never let anyone know about it.

After careful preparation, Alibaba and his family chose Gu Dan to hold a grand wedding ceremony for his nephew and Markina. They hosted a grand banquet, feasted guests, and arranged luxurious ceremonies, dancing various dances and playing popular music. Relatives, friends, and neighbors came to celebrate, and the wedding was filled with sadness and unprecedented excitement.

Alibaba completely eradicated the hidden dangers, and from then on, he ran his business with peace of mind and lived a prosperous life.

Before this, due to concerns about bandits and for the sake of seriousness, Alibaba never went to the cave again after the death of his brother Gosi's mother. Afterwards, the bandit leader and bandits were executed one after another. After a while, he rode alone into the mountain one morning and arrived near the cave entrance. He carefully investigated the surrounding situation and confirmed that there were indeed no signs of human activity. With confidence in his heart, he gathered the courage to approach the cave, tied his horse to a tree, and came to the cave, saying in secret, "Sesame, open the door

As in the past, the cave door opened with the sound of secret language. Alibaba entered the cave and saw that all the gold, silver, and gold treasures still existed, piled up there intact. Thus, he firmly believed that all bandits were doomed. That is to say, no one knows the secret of this treasure trove except himself now. So he packed another saddle bag of gold coins and shipped them to his home.

Afterwards, Alibaba informed his son and grandson of the secret of the mountain treasure trove, and taught them how to open and exit the cave, allowing them to pass it on from generation to generation and continue to enjoy the endless wealth in the treasure trove. Thus, Alibaba and its descendants have always lived an extremely wealthy life, becoming the wealthiest families in this city.