Eternal madness

Chapter 23 The Old Helmsman (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Wow~Wow~
Hehehehe~
A metallic scraping sound rapidly approached.

Zhang Laifu wanted to escape, but it was too late.

He tried to hide his hat, but it was too late.

Through the crack in the door, one could vaguely see the figures of people outside.

An elderly man with white hair and beard arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall.

The old man looked to be over seventy years old, with deep wrinkles on his face and no expression. He had a pair of pure black eyes with no whites, only a small red pupil.

Although the skin was bloodless, every blood vessel was clearly visible, like worms contracting and pulsating beneath the skin.

He pushed open the door, entered the ancestral hall, walked behind Zhang Laifu, and let out a low, panting breath.

"call!"

The old man thought Zhang Laifu would turn around, but Zhang Laifu stood still.

With his back to the old man, he exclaimed in admiration, "What a wonderful thing!"

"Huff!" The old man gasped again.

"Do you think it's a good thing?" Zhang Laifu turned around, holding the hat, and asked the old man.

A little embarrassed by the sudden question, the old man remained silent for a moment before speaking: "What good stuff are you talking about?"

Zhang Laifu handed the top hat to the old man: "This is a good thing."

The old man took the top hat, touched it for a while, and seemed not to find anything special about it.

Zhang Laifu had a clay knife hidden in his right sleeve, intending to stab the other man while he was looking at his hat.

But the old man's gaze remained fixed on Zhang Laifu, giving Zhang Laifu no chance to make a move.

His hands kept groping over the hat, but he never gave it a second glance.

Is he blind?
It would be even easier if he were blind.

Just as Zhang Laifu was about to take a gamble, he suddenly saw the old man bring his hat to his ear and tap it twice to listen to the sound.

puff!puff!
"Hmm! It's a good thing! A rare find, this is a fine bowl!" The old man's eyes shone, making Zhang Laifu think that he wasn't blind.

Perhaps realizing he had lost his composure, the old man covered his face with his hat, and after a short while, he slowly took it off again.

His skin regained its color, the throbbing veins disappeared, his dark eyes turned white, and his pupils turned black.

Watching the old man's expression change, Zhang Laifu's palms were sweating profusely.

The old man asked with a kind smile, "Young man, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Laifu answered truthfully, "I'm here to look after the Lin family's house."

"Does this dilapidated house even need guarding? What is there to be afraid of being stolen from here?" The old man spoke to Zhang Laifu while keeping his eyes on Zhang Laifu, but his ears were pressed tightly against his hat.

Zhang Laifu said, "I'm just looking for a job, watching houses here, and I get ten silver dollars a month."

"Silly child!" the old man laughed. "With such a fine bowl, why would you need ten silver dollars!"

Zhang Laifu smiled and asked, "Senior, what's your name?"

The old man laughed and said, "My name is Old Helmsman. I used to steer the boat for the Lin family. I was sworn brothers with the Lin family patriarch."

Back when Lao Lin first bought this house, my brother and I often drank and gambled here. There was always a guest room for me in the house, and Lao Lin even arranged for several maids and old women to come and serve me.

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. This nice house is now abandoned. I don't know where Old Lin has gone all these years, leaving only this old man all alone. I still come back to visit from time to time."

The story was so poignant that Zhang Laifu sighed along with it.

The old helmsman waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about these old stories. Young man, what's your name?"

Before Zhang Laifu could speak, the old helmsman reminded him again: "Young brother, I hate being lied to the most in my life. All those who lie to me have been sent to feed the fish in the Canghan River."

"I have incredibly sharp ears; I can tell if you're lying, so you have to tell me the truth."

Zhang Laifu told the truth: "My name is Zhang Laifu, the 'Fu' in 'enjoy happiness'!"

"Say it again?"

"Zhang Laifu, the 'Fu' in 'enjoying happiness'!"

The old helmsman pondered for a moment, his voice deep and resonant, and he was indeed telling the truth: "This is a good name. He's an honest child, and also a blessed child."

Tell me, where did this bowl come from?

Zhang Laifu answered truthfully, "I dug it out of a willow tree." The old helmsman found it strange: "How could a hat be dug out of a willow tree?"

Zhang Laifu said, "There was a hole in the willow tree, and a piece of bark covered the hole. I peeled off the bark and found this hat."

Upon hearing this, the old helmsman's smile suddenly vanished: "Laifu, stop beating around the bush. Did you steal this bowl or rob it?"

Zhang Laifu shook his head: "I didn't steal or rob!"

The old helmsman asked again, "If you didn't steal it or rob it, did you just find it? Didn't you know there was such a bowl in the willow tree before?"

Zhang Laifu answered crisply, "I really don't know."

Every word reached the old helmsman's ears; the tone was pure and there was no falsehood.

The old helmsman nodded slightly: "Laifu, your good fortune has arrived. Do you know how to use this bowl?"

"I don't know," Zhang Laifu said honestly.

“A good bowl needs good soil. As for what kind of soil to use, let me figure it out for you. Do you trust me?” Old Tuozi asked Zhang Laifu, holding up his top hat.

He clutched the top hat tightly in his hand.

“I am truly fortunate that you are willing to help me, senior. It’s getting late, senior, I’m going to bed now.” Zhang Laifu left the ancestral hall.

"Go to sleep." The old helmsman still kept his hat close to his ear, standing silently in the ancestral hall.

Zhang Laifu left the main courtyard and went around to the west wing, intending to leave the house from there. As he walked to the gate of the wing, he pushed it open and saw Old Tuozi standing there.

"Laifu, it's getting late, go to sleep."

How did this old man get here?

How did he know I was going out?

"I'm going out to pee, and then I'll come back to sleep."

That wasn't the truth; Zhang Laifu wasn't urinating, and he was gripping the knife in his sleeve.

"Laifu, go to sleep, go to sleep quickly." The old helmsman seemed unable to discern whether the statement was true or false.

"I just went out to pee..."

"Go to sleep, it's getting late."

The old helmsman kept repeating this sentence over and over. Helpless, Zhang Laifu closed the gate, returned to the courtyard, and found a room to lie down.

How to do?
Can't get out.

We can only hope that He Shengjun will come tomorrow, and then we can think of a solution.

The next day at dawn, Zhang Laifu opened his eyes and saw Lao Tuozi standing by the bed.

"Senior, up so early?" Zhang Laifu greeted him. "I haven't washed my face yet, how about I come find you later..."

The old helmsman interrupted Zhang Laifu: "Laifu, get up."

Zhang Laifu has already gotten up, but it seems he really can't see.

"Laifu, you are so lucky."

"Is that so?" Zhang Laifu shuddered, thinking that the old man was about to make a move.

The old helmsman took out the top hat: "I've been thinking about this all night, and I finally know what kind of soil should go with this bowl."

Zhang Laifu nodded repeatedly: "That's great! Hurry up and prepare the soil. You can plant whatever you want..."

Old Tuozi interrupted Zhang Laifu again: "Laifu, go to the city, buy some good tobacco leaves, chop and mix them, and bring them back to me."

"You want me to go to the city?" Zhang Laifu was stunned.

Is there such a good thing?
Old Tuozi took out two silver dollars from his pocket and handed them to Zhang Laifu: "Make sure you get good tobacco leaves, don't try to cheat me, and don't try to take my money. This is your livelihood, I'm just trying to help you."

With a wave of his hand, two silver dollars fell from the old helmsman's hand into Zhang Laifu's.

After taking the money, Zhang Laifu was about to leave when he suddenly heard the old boatman say, "Laifu, go and come back soon. You must listen to me. I'm doing this for your own good."

"If you don't come back before dark, something terrible is going to happen, and you're going to suffer."

P.S.: Dear readers, please vote for me with your monthly tickets for November!

Taking advantage of the quiet of the night, I'll add another chapter, making it two extra chapters today, as a token of my sincerity to all my dear readers.

(End of this chapter)