Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 172 Where Did This Hairy-Mouthed, Thunder-Faced Monk Come From? [2 Updates]

Cai Fu and his party left Liangshanbo in mid-November and lingered in Longtou City for a few more days.

By the time we reached the banks of the Yangtze River, it was already December.

On that day, a strong north wind blew, frozen clouds hung low and fluttered, and it snowed heavily all day.

The poem "Xi Jiang Yue" serves as proof:
A lone wild goose cries out in the frozen clouds, while crows circle around withered trees in the cold.

The snow falling from the sky resembles pear blossoms, each flake a scattered, jade-like spray.

Jade-adorned wine flags hang by the bridge, silver-plated fishing boats pave the ferry crossing.

Two or three houses are faintly visible in the village ahead; the river at dusk is a picturesque scene.

It was getting late, and we couldn't cross the river.

Cai Fu and his companions went to the front village to stay overnight, but the village was so small that there wasn't even a single inn.

Left with no other choice, I had to knock on the door of a house that had its lights on.

Cai Fu looked around at his group of people, and none of them looked friendly, so he sent An Daoquan instead.

"Clap clap clap!"

An Daoquan knocked on the wooden door.

A moment later, a man's voice came from inside:
"Who's outside?"

An Daoquan said that he was a passing traveler who asked to stay overnight.

The homeowner opened the door and shone a lantern outside.

Lu Zhishen grinned, which startled the homeowner!
He threw away all the lanterns, hurriedly tried to close the door, and shouted incoherently:

"Where did this hairy-mouthed, thunder-faced monk come from..."

Shut your bird beak!

Lu Zhishen pushed open the door and glared at her, saying:

"I'm just asking for lodging, I'm not going to eat you!"

The homeowner was so frightened that he immediately covered his mouth with his hand.

Watching helplessly as Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Cai Fu, and several other burly men filed in, his legs trembled like leaves.

Cai Fu took out a piece of silver and stuffed it into his hand, trying to appease him with kind words:

"Don't panic, we are customers traveling south to do business."

"They may look a bit rough around the edges, but they're all good people..."

Okay, even Cai Fu himself felt his argument wasn't very convincing, so he had to bring up An Daoquan instead:

"Don't believe me? Look at him!"

"This is An Daoquan, the 'miracle doctor' of Jiankang Prefecture, who has saved countless lives!"
Have you heard of his name?

"So it was Doctor An!"

The homeowner recognized An Daoquan at a glance:

"When my father was alive, he even crossed the river to seek medical help from the renowned doctor An!"

"My father caught a cold, with a splitting headache, a persistent cough, and general weakness..."

"I remember it clearly. Doctor An charged my family ten taels of silver back then!"

Good guy!
Cai Fu glanced at An Daoquan subconsciously:

Charging ten taels of silver for a simple cold? You're the most ruthless one among us!

In any case, now that the homeowner knew someone, he was finally able to relax.

So the landlord arranged two rooms for Cai Fu and his group, three people to a room, and they slept haphazardly.

Zhang Shun asked the homeowner, "We want to cross the river tomorrow. Is there a ferry in your village?"

Upon hearing this, the homeowner quickly replied, "Yes!"

"I know a boatman who lives at the end of the village!"
"If the guest wishes to cross the river, I will go and find him now!"

Zhang Shun laughed and said, "There's no need to be so impatient."

"The guest doesn't know, that boatman is a gambler and a womanizer!"

"If we don't find him tonight, who knows where he will be tomorrow!"

The homeowner was a kind-hearted person, and as he spoke, he picked up a lantern and went to look for the person.

A moment later, the homeowner led in a short, stocky man and called out:

"The boatman is here!"

The short, stocky man took off his bamboo hat, brushed the snowflakes off his clothes, and asked:
Where are the passengers who want to cross the river?

They went into the room where Zhang Shun, An Daoquan, and Shi Qian were staying.

Because of their accents, Shi Qian, a northerner, had difficulty understanding. Zhang Shun and An Daoquan were considered locals. Zhang Shun said:
"That's when I need to cross the river."

"If we want to cross the river, it must be tonight!"

The short, stocky man rubbed his hands together as he spoke:

"We cannot cross the river tomorrow!"

An Daoquan asked, "Why is that?"

"Didn't you see it snowed heavily tonight?"

The short, stocky man rolled his eyes at him:
"With this much snow, it's unlikely to stop overnight!"
"By tomorrow morning, the riverbank will be covered in snow and ice. How will the boats be able to sail?"
"Furthermore, the government is requisitioning ships!"
"If I cross the river in broad daylight and someone reports me, I'll lose this boat!"

Zhang Shun: "I see..."

"If you wish to cross the river tonight, no matter how many of you there are, each crossing will cost one tael of silver!"

After the short, stocky man finished speaking, Zhang Shun's eyes widened:

"If it's only one or two taels of silver a time, why don't you just rob someone?"

As mentioned earlier, the purchasing power of five taels of silver is roughly equivalent to 10,000 RMB in the 21st century.

One tael of silver is equivalent to two thousand yuan.

Zhang Shun felt like he'd been ripped off for charging 2,000 yuan to cross the river once.

At this moment, Cai Fu, Lu Zhishen, and Wu Song also came over upon hearing the noise.

The short, stocky man glanced at Cai Fu and the others, his voice lowering slightly:
"That's not how it works. Normally, it wouldn't cost a tael of silver."

"It's snowing heavily tonight; sailing on a snowy night is hard work."

"One tael of silver isn't much, I'll take it from you..."

After Cai Fu inquired about the details, he realized it made sense; he wouldn't feel at ease if the short, stocky man was missing.

After discussing it with his brothers, Cai Fu said to the short, stocky man:
"Very well, let's cross the river tonight."

The short, stocky man chuckled and addressed the landlord:

"Fifth Brother, the snow is heavy tonight, please help me row the boat."

"I'll give you 30% of the boat fare."

Cai Fu took a deep look at the landlord, Fifth Brother, who turned out to be a thin young man.

Fifth Brother, looking troubled, tried to bargain with him:
"The snow is heavy tonight, I won't go unless there's at least a 40% chance of it snowing!"

The short, stocky man gritted his teeth: "Forty percent it is!"

Fifth Brother then agreed, and so he took Cai Fu and the others to the riverbank that very night, carrying lanterns.

The snow was falling even harder now, and everything in sight was pure white.

Although it was already dark, the days were short in winter, and it was still early; it was only the first watch of the night.

Cai Fu and the others followed the short, stocky man and Fifth Brother along the riverbank to a patch of withered reeds and broken rushes.

There was a small boat moored there.

Wu Song asked the short, stocky man, "How can this little boat carry so many of us?"

Lu Zhishen: "What about the horses?"

The short, stocky man gave a wry smile.

"The guest is from the north and may not know this!"
"In Jiangnan, Fang La rebelled, occupied eight prefectures and twenty-five counties, and established his own country!"
"Boats of all sizes on the Yangtze River were either captured by the rebel army or requisitioned by the government!"
"I hid this little boat among the broken reeds and rushes, and that's how I escaped this calamity!"
"If we need a second boat, we're afraid we won't be able to find one within a ten-mile radius!"
"Please make do with this, sir!"

"That's fine."

Cai Fu glanced at the small boat:

"I think this boat is quite narrow."

"Besides the two of you, we can only carry one person and one horse, or only two people."

"I'm afraid we'll have to make several trips back and forth."

"A round trip costs one tael of silver!"

The short, stocky man laughed and said, "As long as the guest is willing to pay, what harm is there in me making ten round trips?"

Lu Zhishen laughed and said, "You're quite the calculator, buddy! The abacus beads almost hit my face!"

Everyone laughed.

The short, stocky man untied the small boat and asked:
"Which guest will be the first to cross the river?"

Just as Lu Zhishen was about to say that he was the first, Cai Fu pulled him back, and Lu Zhishen remained silent.

Zhang Shun stepped forward: "This Yangtze River is like my home, so I'll be the first one to use it."

(End of this chapter)