Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 111 Big Brother
Lin Jiang didn't leave Kang Shazi's camp all day.

He walked around the village-like camp twice in the early morning and found that the people here fell into two categories:

One type is the swordsmen and wandering swordsmen, who act swiftly and decisively; the other type is the ordinary farmers, who are self-sufficient and manage their agricultural affairs.

As he trudged through the muddy road, the small ginseng from his sleeve peeked out again, observing the passersby.

She scratched her head with the roots she had drawn:
"The atmosphere here is different from that of the townspeople."

"They are indeed different."

Compared to the townspeople who live their lives behind closed doors, the villagers here have a more vibrant and lively appearance.

"I don't understand," Little Ginseng muttered, tilting his head.

She still couldn't quite understand why, given that the distance between the village and the town wasn't that far, the difference in the number of inhabitants was so great.

"If you don't understand, just go ask."

Lin Jiang walked straight to the thatched hut by the roadside.

A young man was squatting in front of the thatched house, holding a broken bowl in his hand, which contained a bowl of noodles.

It was plain water, the broth was slightly cloudy, and you could see traces of noodles in it, but the noodles themselves weren't white.

It must have been mixed with some other powders.

Lin Jiang then squatted down next to the young man.

The young man suddenly became a little embarrassed. He looked at Lin Jiang's expensive clothes, then at Lin Jiang's smiling expression, remained silent for a long while, and then awkwardly called into the house:

"Mom! Bring me another bowl of noodles! We have guests!"

"Where would a guest come from in broad daylight?"

An old woman stormed out of the thatched house, but as she put her hands on her hips, she saw Lin Jiang squatting at the door.

The old woman clicked her tongue twice:

"That's quite rare."

Lin Jiang smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "There are no taverns in the village, so I have come to your house to ask for a bowl of food."

As Lin Jiang spoke, he took out a small dish of copper coins from his sleeve, intending to hand it to the old woman, but she waved her hand.
"Not at all, it's just a bowl of noodles. This place was built entirely thanks to Master Kang. We don't even have a tavern yet. But once we drive all the bandits out of the Northwest, people will definitely settle here!"

"I want to learn to cook," the young man muttered. "Being a chef is so great. I can see all kinds of dishes every day, watch the flames leap in the stove, and see the steam rising from the big pot. It's so much fun to eat and drink."

"I wouldn't dare let you into the kitchen, I'm afraid you'd even chew up the spatula." The old woman kicked the young man.

Seeing that the old woman insisted on not taking the money, Lin Jiang put away the copper coins and smiled as he pulled out his oilcloth bag:
"If the cooks don't steal, the grains won't be plentiful. Once you're in the kitchen, you're supposed to eat and drink."

Under the curious gaze of the mother and daughter, the cloth bag was unfolded, revealing neatly arranged slices of braised meat.

This was brought to Lin Jiang by Manager Liu when he left Xingyuan.

Since fresh meat wasn't always available on the road, Manager Liu simply placed a large order at a nearby braised meat shop, filling Lin Jiang's storage bag with quite a bit of meat.

"This...this is too precious..."

Before the old woman could finish declining, Lin Jiang had already taken a bowl of noodles and divided the sliced ​​meat into three portions, placing them on top of the noodles.

Although it was still just plain water, at least there was some meat in it.

The three of them squatted under the eaves, slurping noodles. After the old woman finished two slices, she gave the meat to her son, saying, "I'm old, and my teeth aren't very good. You eat it."

“This meat is so tender,” the son pushed it back, “I ate an extra bowl of noodles, I’m stuffed.”

After some polite back and forth, the braised pork ended up in the old woman's bowl. She chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor of each piece of meat.

All three enjoyed the meal.

After finishing the noodles, he casually stacked the three bowls to one side and asked:
"Is it nice to stay in this village?"

"Why should we be picky?" The old woman wiped the rim of her bowl. "The land under Master Kang's jurisdiction is not robbed, so everyone can save their food rations and just make a living."

“My mother always says unlucky things, so I like this place,” the young man said. “Master Kang is so impressive! And so spirited! He used to be from Feng'ao Mountain, which was a good place, so he’s a good man too. If I can’t be a cook, I’ll follow Master Kang to fight bandits!”

"You stay here obediently, and I'll teach you how to cook."

The old woman grabbed the young man's ear.

"Hey! But Mom, the food you cooked isn't good!"

The old woman became even more ruthless.

Lin Jiang looked at the mother and son, who were tangled up together: "You both trust Lord Kang very much."

"If you plant ten bushels outside, you'll get eight bushels; but here, you can keep six bushels. That's more than enough."

Lin Jiang nodded.

He stood up again and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Thank you for the meal, the noodles were delicious."

"Oh, not at all, your meat is still the best."

Lin Jiang smiled and left. After taking a few steps, the mother and son's whispered words drifted into his ears:

"Where did this benefactor come from?"

"I don't know. I only saw a carriage yesterday. Perhaps it was an assistant that Master Kang hired."

The whispers of the mother and son gradually faded from Lin Jiang's ears, and Lin Jiang also rolled up his sleeves:

"Did you understand?"

The little ginseng poked its head out and thought for a moment: "Paying less grain can boost your spirits? That's too easy." "There are plenty of ways to boost your energy and spirit in life."

Little Ginseng started fiddling with his head:

"I can't figure it out, or I don't quite understand it."

Just as Lin Jiang finished chatting and laughing with Xiao Shanshen, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him.

Looking up, I saw half a shiny forehead flash by behind the bushes.

Nianyuan was staring intently at him.

Lin Jiang waved his hand toward the bushes.

Seeing that she had been discovered, Nianyuan snorted coldly and strode towards Lin Jiang.

"What are you planning to do? Why were you squatting at someone's door just now?" Nianyuan pointed in the direction Lin Jiang had come from.

Lin Jiang honestly replied:

"I'd like to ask for a bowl of noodles."

"Requesting a meal? Just requesting a meal?"

"Yes."

"Not robbing money?"

"They don't seem to have much money."

"Not kidnapping women?"

"That old lady was nearly fifty years old."

"You must be lying to me. The officials in the past did all these things."

Lin Jiang was greatly embarrassed: "It's one thing to rob poor people, but to rob middle-aged women too?"

"Rob it! That's why it's considered bad!"

Lin Jiang: "..."

He didn't understand, he really didn't understand.

"I still don't trust you. After all, it was an official who killed my good brother. I will keep an eye on you, and you will show your true colors sooner or later."

"I've never been here before, so I don't know what kind of good brother you're talking about," Lin Jiang asked. "Just how good is he?"

"The greatest hero under heaven!" At this point, the monk's eyes reddened again: "When I left the temple, I had nowhere to go, and the first person I met on the road was you, brother. Do you know what the Northwest was like back then? There were people everywhere who couldn't get up! They were just lying on the ground rolling around, as thin as skin and bones from hunger! There was food available, but they couldn't afford it, and they didn't even have the strength to steal it!"

"why?

"It's all because of you officials!"

At this point, the monk was panting heavily. Lin Jiang patted him on the back, then took out a flask of wine from his sleeve and handed it to Nianyuan.

"You rascal, how come you can pull anything out of your sleeve?"

Nianyuan took the wine, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the cork and drank it.

As the effects of the alcohol took hold, the two decided to sit leaning against a tree.

Lin Jiang then took out the braised meat.

Nianyuan chewed on the meat and mumbled:

"Have you ever seen refugees wailing like that? It's so miserable it makes your heart tremble. When I came out of the temple, they still provided me with good food and drink. How can these people find peace in their hearts?"

"It was under these circumstances that I ran into my brother. He was a wealthy local merchant who often provided grain to the surrounding people, but this was only a temporary solution. My brother couldn't stand it anymore. Seeing that I was strong and healthy, he simply came up to me, grabbed me, and said:"

"Shall we go and rob that money? He dragged me to rob the government granary, saying he wanted to make thick porridge, the kind that chopsticks can stand upright on! And distribute it to all the people around here who can't afford to eat."

"I had just left the temple and still had feelings for those corrupt officials, so I refused. But after my brother took me to see all the surrounding villages, I finally understood, to hell with that shit!"

Nianyuan burst into tears at this point, then grabbed the wine jar and gulped down several mouthfuls. Perhaps it was because Lin Jiang had brought strong liquor, or perhaps it was because he was filled with sorrow, but this seemingly burly man was actually drunk.

"Later, after slaughtering all the corrupt officials, they went up Feng'ao Mountain, and the people brought grain to fill the mountain caves. My brother said that when the world got better, he would go down the mountain and open a soup kitchen, but... but..."

Lin Jiang reached out and patted the monk on the shoulder.

"Don't bother me, I don't need you to touch me."

After Nianyuan got up, his face was covered in snot. He wiped it with his sleeve and snorted coldly, "I'm watching you. I will not allow you to harm Brother Kang again."

"Keep an eye on it," Lin Jiang said with a smile.

Before the words were finished, an unfamiliar figure came running from afar.

Nianyuan glanced at it and said:
"Swift-footed Hu Ke, our scout."

Hu Ke, catching his breath, first glared at the wine jar in front of the two, then glanced sideways at Nian Yuan:
"How can you drink in broad daylight!"

"I...I found the wine myself! Is that not allowed?!" The big monk inexplicably showed some loyalty here, without mentioning that Lin Jiang gave him the wine.

"Hey," Hu Ke was clearly not in the mood for idle chatter with the big monk, and said directly, "There's a big job tonight, so don't let drinking ruin it."

"When have I ever messed up because of drinking!" Nianyuan shouted, then clicked his tongue twice: "What's going on tonight?"

"You remember Li Li, right?"

“Of course I remember, that bastard who swallowed meat whole.” Nianyuan nodded.

“Feng Aoshan wanted to protect his distinguished guest, so he personally escorted him to and from the guest.”

(End of this chapter)