Eternal madness

Chapter 30 Old Helmsman, Are You Afraid?

Zhang Laifu quickly explained to the old leader, "Senior, after I went down the mountain and into the city, I immediately went to buy tobacco leaves, but before I could buy any, these two men spotted me. I ran back home for my life, and they chased me all the way there..."

"Stop!" The old helmsman moved his jaws, revealing a set of snow-white teeth. "Laifu, you said you ran back from the city, and they were chasing you."

They're both craftsmen; if they really wanted to chase you, how could they not catch up? How could you possibly run back?

did not expect.

That one sentence gave it away.

Zhang Laifu had to give a reasonable explanation: "I know the way better than they do."

The old helmsman shook his head: "Just knowing the way isn't enough. You're not even close to them."

Zhang Laifu further explained, "They wanted to capture me alive, so they didn't kill me."

Old Tuozi grabbed Zhang Laifu's arm: "With their abilities, they can have whatever they want, whether they're alive or dead!"
Laifu, tell me the truth!

Zhang Laifu was trembling all over; the chills that had previously disappeared had suddenly returned.

That old ghost is using Yin energy again!

"Laifu, tell the truth!" The old helmsman's hand clenched tighter and tighter.

Zhang Laifu didn't know how to explain it when he suddenly saw something on the ground.

Next to Xiaozhu's corpse was a pipe with a small bag hanging from it.

This small bag is for tobacco leaves; Zhang Laifu had seen this before at He Yunxi's place.

"Senior, we have tobacco leaves!"

The old captain looked delighted: "Where is it?"

Zhang Laifu handed the tobacco bag to the old boatman, who held it in his hand for a long time, then listened to it: "This seems... not enough..."

From what he just did, Zhang Laifu confirmed two things.

The old helmsman couldn't sense the size; he didn't know the size of the tobacco bag.

The old helmsman couldn't sense the weight; he relied on sound to determine the quantity of tobacco leaves.

His hearing is the only part of him that's relatively normal now, which is probably thanks to that alarm clock.

"Senior, if we don't have enough tobacco leaves, I'll go buy some right away." Zhang Laifu was about to leave when he was stopped by the old boatman.

"Laifu, don't rush. Let me study whether this tobacco leaf is good or not. Come with me!"
"I'm telling you, someone came looking for you today. They searched the front and back yards, and kept calling your name. I don't know if they were looking for you or your body."

Find me?

It should be He Shengjun, the guard of the Lin family.

Old Tuozi pulled Zhang Laifu toward the ancestral hall. When they reached the entrance of the main house, Old Tuozi tripped over the waterwheel, which made a loud clattering sound, and Old Tuozi fell directly to the ground.

"This piece of junk, we have to put it at the doorway, what a piece of junk..." The old helmsman stood up, wanting to kick the waterwheel, but his foot was out in mid-air and he didn't kick it.

He seemed a little hesitant.

This waterwheel must have tripped him up before. Last night, Zhang Laifu first heard the sound of the waterwheel and then encountered the old helmsman, which proves that he was tripped up once last night.

Zhang Laifu stepped forward and said, "Senior, let me push this broken cart away so it won't trip you up."

"Can you move it?" The old helmsman's eyes lit up; he really wanted to move the waterwheel.

“It should be able to be pushed!” Zhang Laifu picked up the handle and pulled the waterwheel out from the doorway of the main house.

The old helmsman heard the sound of the waterwheel and exclaimed with delight, "Push it further away, the farther the better! Push it to the front yard, or even outside the house!"

Zhang Laifu pushed the car to the center of the yard, turned around and called out, "Senior, the wheels won't move."

"It's not moving?" The old helmsman looked anxious. "Check if something is stuck!"

If he's in such a hurry, why doesn't he come and check it himself?
With his sharp ears, how could he not tell the condition of the wheels?
"Senior, the axle seems to be broken." The axle wasn't broken, but Zhang Laifu stopped pushing the cart and left it in the middle of the yard.

The old helmsman was disappointed: "Try your strength, see if you can move this car out?"

Zhang Laifu pretended to lift it a couple of times and said, "It's too heavy, I can't move it!"

The old helmsman sighed, "Forget about that car, come with me."

As long as Zhang Laifu enters this courtyard, no matter where he is, Lao Tuozi can sense it.

But this car managed to trip the old helm twice.

Zhang Laifu said the car was broken, and the old helmsman believed him.

The old helmsman seemed unaware of the car's presence.

Moreover, he was afraid of the waterwheel.

Zhang Laifu followed the old boatman into the ancestral hall, where the old boatman placed the two craftsmen's exquisite dishes on the offering table. He took out a white top hat from his pocket, placed it on the table, and then pondered for a while while holding a bag of tobacco leaves.

Zhang Laifu asked, "Senior, should we pour the tobacco leaves in?"

"I dare not pour it! What if the tobacco leaves are just dirt? The bowl will burst open."

"Isn't it good that it's open?"

"Once it starts, it can't be stopped. There's not enough tobacco here..." The old helmsman held his tobacco pouch and waved it next to his top hat for a long time. The top hat moved, but the reaction was not violent.

"Should we use tobacco leaves or not?" The old captain also had some doubts.

Zhang Laifu asked, "How about we try something else?"

"Laifu, you must be tired after a long day. Go and have something to eat. I made you a meal and put it in the room in the west courtyard where you sleep."

"Hmm!" Just as Zhang Laifu was about to walk towards the west courtyard, the old helmsman called him back.

"Laifu, I made you some tiger-skin green peppers. They're quite spicy. You have to eat them while they're hot. Don't leave any, or they won't be as good once they're cold."

"What's not working anymore?"

"You've caught a cold. You'll only get better if you eat the green peppers I made, or you'll freeze to death tonight."

Tiger-skin chili peppers are used to dispel negative energy.

Zhang Laifu agreed and was about to go eat when he heard the old boatman say, "My pipe is with me, but where's the money bag?"

"A money bag?" Zhang Laifu didn't react for a moment.

Old Helmsman laughed: "Silly boy, trying to play tricks on me? Those two bandits both had money bags on them, full of silver dollars, clattering away, I heard it all!"

That old devil really loves money.

Zhang Laifu handed Lao Yu and Xiao Zhuzi's money bags to Lao Duozi.

The old helmsman shook his money bag, listened to the sound of the silver dollars, and nodded in satisfaction: "Silly boy, you're so young, you can't be so greedy."

I hate it when people try to take my money. You'll get your share of the benefits you deserve. Here's the two dollars I spent on tobacco today; go eat now.

Zhang Laifu went to the west courtyard, and the meal was indeed prepared.

If he doesn't eat, the yin energy he just absorbed could kill him.

As for whether the food was poisoned, Zhang Laifu had no way of knowing. The only thing he could tell was that the old master wouldn't kill him before he successfully opened the bowl.

I must say, Lao Duozi is a good cook, especially his tiger-skin green peppers and stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, which are very delicious.

After eating his fill, Zhang Laifu lay down on the bed to rest for a while. He was exhausted after running all day, and after about ten minutes, he fell asleep.

The next morning, a loud noise came from the main courtyard, waking Zhang Laifu up.

What's going on?
Zhang Laifu was about to go to the main courtyard when he suddenly saw the old helmsman push open the door and come in, standing by the bedside.

"Laifu, get up."

Zhang Laifu replied, "They're already up."

"Laifu, I'll have to trouble you again today to make another trip to the city."

Zhang Laifu didn't ask what he was going to do in the city. Instead, he asked, "Senior, can't you go to the city by yourself?"

The old helmsman sighed, "I also find it strange that the tobacco isn't working."

That doesn't make any sense at all.

Old Helmsman couldn't hear what Zhang Laifu was saying; he was talking based on experience.

"Laifu, go to the city and buy some of the best snuff. Don't buy too little, at least a pound. I know it's quite expensive. I'll give you the money!"

The old helmsman took out ten silver dollars and a handful of copper coins and placed them on the table.

He then took out a small drum from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Laifu.

"Take this little drum with you. If you encounter a bad guy, just hit it at him."

Remember, you can only strike it once. After that, the drum will be broken. When you strike it, make sure you are looking directly at the person, and never strike it while looking in the mirror.

Our rules are the same as yesterday: you must be back before dark, or you'll be dead.

After the old helmsman left, Zhang Laifu followed him to the main courtyard. He glanced at the ancestral hall and saw that the door panel had been smashed, the door frame had fallen off, half of the wall had collapsed, and broken bricks were piled up all over the ground.

"Laifu, stop loitering and hurry up and buy snuff!" The old boatman waved to Zhang Laifu, who was covered in dust and had marks left by red bricks on his sleeves.

Did he knock down that half of the wall?

What happened that made him so angry?
He could knock down half a wall, but he couldn't move that waterwheel.
The previous speculation was entirely correct; the old helmsman was afraid of that waterwheel.

This waterwheel is very useful!
(End of this chapter)