Explore the enigmatic world of magic tricks as Li Jiantian's encounter with a pottery kiln owner in Yanzhen leads to a surprising twist.
There was a magician who performed a magic trick with a bucket. The bucket could hold one liter of rice, had no bottom, and appeared completely empty, just like any ordinary magic trick. This person set up two mats on the street, placed one liter of rice into the bucket, and immediately when taken out, the bucket was filled with one liter of white rice. He then poured the rice onto the mats, repeated the process, and in no time, both mats were stacked with white rice. Afterward, he carefully put the white rice back into the empty bucket, one liter at a time. Once all the rice was back in the bucket, he lifted it up for everyone to see, and it was still empty. The uniqueness of this magic trick lay in the large quantity of white rice.
Li Jiantian, a resident of Lijin, was strolling in Yanzhen one day. He arrived at a pottery kiln and wanted to buy a large urn. However, he couldn’t agree on the price with the owner of the kiln, so he left. During the night, more than sixty unfinished urns in the kiln mysteriously disappeared. The kiln owner was greatly alarmed and suspected Li Jiantian’s involvement. He went to Li Jiantian’s residence to seek his help.
Li Jiantian denied any knowledge of the incident and, after repeated pleas from the kiln owner, he said, “I will help you retrieve the urns from the kiln, and not a single one will be damaged. Go and check if they are beneath the Kuixing Tower.” Following his instructions, the kiln owner went to search, and indeed, they were all there. Kuixing Tower was located in the southern mountains of Yanzhen, a little over three miles away from the kiln. The kiln owner hired workers to transport the urns, and it took three days to complete the task.
《戏术》
有桶戏者，桶可容升，无底，中空，亦如俗戏。戏人以二席置街上，持一升入桶中，旋出，即有白米满升。倾注席上，又取又倾，顷刻两席皆满。然后一一量入，毕而举之，犹空桶。奇在多也。
利津李见田，在颜镇闲游陶场，欲市巨瓮，与陶人争直，不成而去。至夜，窑中未出者六十馀瓮，启视一空。陶人大惊，疑李，踵门求之。李谢不知。固哀之，乃曰：“我代汝出窑，一瓮不损，在魁星楼下非与？”如言往视，果一一俱在。楼在镇之南山，去场三里馀。佣工运之，三日乃尽。