Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 5: Old Evil Mouth

Dazhuzi's voice also woke Qu Shaoyang up. He hurried out of the flower shed and saw Dazhuzi staring blankly into the distance.

"Dazhuzi, what's going on? What did you see?" Qu Shaoyang asked hurriedly.

"A young wife was just beside the pot, stealing our steamed bread and pickled vegetables."

Dazhuzi pointed in the direction of the stove and said in shock.

"What the hell? You're talking nonsense. Where can a woman come from in this deep forest?
Besides, I have eaten all the steamed buns I made tonight. There is not a single one left. Where can I steal some?"

Hearing this, Qu Shaoyang shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "You must have fallen asleep and your eyes are blurry."

At this time, the tousha and a few others also came over and asked what was going on.

"It's okay. Dazhuizi was half asleep and said he saw a young wife eating our food." Qu Shaoyang smiled and explained.

"Fuck, where did this young wife come from in this wilderness? You little brat, you're already thinking about a young wife?" Li Yongfu, the second clerk, was overjoyed when he heard this.

When everyone heard it, they also started to laugh.

"No, no, I really saw a young wife, not very tall, wearing a plaid jacket, and quite pretty."

Dazhuzi became anxious and started to defend himself with a red face.

"I told you not to talk about women, didn't I? Now, Dazhuzi even dreams about his young wife.

Well, let's go back to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow morning." Shui Laowu shook his head and went back to the flower shed to sleep.

No matter how Dazhuzi explained, no one believed him. They shook their heads and went back to sleep.

Dazhuzi had no choice but to drag Qu Shaoting with him to pee in the bushes, and then went back to the flower shed to sleep.

The next morning, Qu Shaoyang and his friends got up early and cooked breakfast. After breakfast, they untied the ropes and continued their exile.

It was a sunny day with beautiful mountains and green forests, and towering peaks on both sides.

The grass is beginning to sprout, new green is blooming on the branches, and the rhododendrons blooming on the cliffs are like clouds and rosy clouds, which is beautiful beyond words.

The sky and mountains are reflected in the river, and the water presents a beautiful green color like the feathers on a drake's head.

The raft drifted downstream in the river, and the scenery along the river was beautiful. If it weren't for the dangers hidden under the rippling water, it would be quite pleasant to walk in the river like this.

Wang Changliang, the second rower, walked into the flower shed, brewed some tea at the small table, and brought it to Li Yongfu with both hands. "Second rower, have some tea."

Turning back, Wang Changliang called out to Shui Laowu again, "Headmaster, come in and have some tea. It's freshly brewed and the color is just right."

The river surface is very calm in this section, and the oarsman does not need to be vigilant all the time, so I can relax a little. So I turned back to the flower shed, sat down to have a cup of tea, and chatted with Ergui for a while.

"Oh, I wish I could get a job as the first or second clerk someday, earn more money, manage a group of people, earn more money, and have people serve me.

If it really doesn't work out, it's also good to be a second-hand man, earning a lot of money." Zhao Dagui, who was sitting in the second row, looked at the front row and muttered enviously.

In a gang, there are usually divisions of labor such as the head waiter, the second waiter, the first oar, the second oar, the side oar, the tail oar, the gang members, and the river donkey.

The big boss is the investor in this season. He is rich and powerful, and has connections in both the black and white worlds.

The flag hanging in front of the raft is its signboard. No matter where it passes, people have to give it some face.

The head cashier usually does not show up, and the actual managers of the gang are the second cashier and the head waiter.

The second treasury officer is the assistant to the chief treasury officer. This person goes on errands for the chief treasury officer and is in charge of the finances.

This person is usually the close friend, relative, or brother of the boss.

The second cabinet clerk must be familiar with all kinds of technical work in the mountain field and water field. He must understand what others don’t understand, and no one can fool him.

Apart from money, the chief is in charge of all other matters of the gang. The second chief is the chief's assistant, who is responsible for maintaining the chief and taking care of various things for him, so that the chief can focus on watching the water, recording the rocks, and keeping track of the direction.

At the same time, the second oar has to take care of the side oars and the tail oars, as well as do various preparatory work.

The side oarsmen mainly follow the instructions of the first and second oarsmen and have to jump around in the row constantly.

Bian Zhao's footwork is very good. When he walks on the row, his feet are not flexible and he slides down easily.

A Bian Zhao needs to be smart, clever, and able to endure hardships. This job is tiring, but the pay is higher than that of ordinary platoon members, and it is very challenging.

Generally, after five to eight years of experience as a side rower, she may become the second rower or the first rower, which means that a daughter-in-law has finally become a mother-in-law.

As the saying goes, "The first paddle is busy, the second paddle is urgent, and the side and tail paddles must be held firmly."

The raft gang is a group and they must work together to safely transport the raft to its destination.

The first and second oars are crucial, so the amount of labor remuneration is high. No wonder Zhao Dagui is envious.

"Lenghu'er, you are lucky to have been awarded the first oar. This is your first time on the roster, so I let you be the side oar.

I have been rafting for several years, and I am still a raft boy." Zhao Dagui looked at Qu Shaoyang who had just jumped over from the raft behind, and sighed with envy.

Qu Shaoyang stood firmly, held the wooden oar, and focused on looking at the water, noting the stones, and paying attention to the movements in the front row. He didn't want to pay any attention to what Zhao Da Kui said.

Zhao Da Kui is a good worker and nice to people, but he is too talkative. He can even talk for a long time even to a tree.

As for why Qu Shaoyang was able to be a rower the first time he launched a raft, it was also earned by his own ability.

Shui Laowu is not an ordinary person. As the leader, he must be responsible for everyone. He naturally has his reasons for choosing Qu Shaoyang.

Qu Shaoyang didn't respond, and Zhao Da Kui didn't get angry either, and continued talking to himself.

"Hey? Do you know why this river is called the Yalu River? Why is the water green?"

At this time, there were three people in the second row. Qu Shaoyang and Da Zhuzi were both in the first year, and Zhao Da Kui couldn't help showing off again.

"Why?" Dazhuzi was young and very curious, so he couldn't help but asked.

Zhao Da Kui smiled proudly, cleared his throat, and planned to tell the two novices some stories.

"When the raft reaches the shore, you two can chat. You'd better keep quiet for now, or your friend will hear you."

The river is full of dangers and one must not be careless. Qu Shaoyang does not have the leisure time to listen to stories.

Just at this moment, the foreman's voice came from the front, "Pay attention, we are almost at Lao Ekou."

Lao'ekou is a notoriously dangerous shoal on the Yalu River, with fast-flowing water, numerous reefs, steep cliffs and unpredictable weather.

When everyone heard this, their hearts skipped a beat and they all perked up.

The raft moved downstream, and everyone could clearly feel that the river was flowing faster. The raft, which had been moving steadily, suddenly became like a galloping horse and drifted forward at high speed.

Moreover, the weather has changed. The originally clear sky has been covered with low-hanging dark clouds since I don’t know when.

The old-style rigid rafts, each raft is about eight to ten feet long and can probably weave nearly two hundred cubic meters of wood.

There are ten rows in total, connected end to end, supporting each other from front to back, and are almost half a mile long.

The raft swayed left and right in the river, and the waterline at the front of the raft created muddy waves two or three meters high, making it extremely difficult to control.

If the front of the row leaves the water line at this time, it will be pushed out by the rapids and hit the dark cliff.

The rafts at the back continued to move forward under the force of the river water, and eventually all piled up at the front, which was the pile that the raft workers were terrified of.

(End of this chapter)