Chapter 13 Handsome Young Man

Ergouzi returned to Shekou Mountain and began to prepare for his trip.

First, he moved some rocks and thorns to block the already difficult path on Shekou Mountain, making it even more difficult to walk.

He himself had to use ropes to go up and down Shekou Mountain.

Put all the valuable items on the mountain, such as hoes, hatchets, and iron pots, into the gourd.

By the way, I counted all the rice coins in the gourd.

He now has more than 150 stones of rice and a handful of Dali Pills stored in his gourd.

But the copper coins and silver he urgently needs most now are very few, and his entire net worth is only more than five guan.

According to today's market price, one acre of land can be sold for 20 guan. Just the three acres of land he is cultivating now will cost at least 60 guan.

Moreover, Huang Laocai may not be willing to sell.

Er Gouzi planned to find an opportunity to ask Huang Laocai this time whether he could sell the land in Shekou Mountain to him.

Anyway, there are all rocks here, the mountain road is getting more and more difficult to walk, and watering is inconvenient.

To others, the land in Shekou Mountain was of little value, but to Ergouzi it was the most suitable.

I just hope that when I go to the city this time, I can meet someone who knows the goods and sell Dali Pills at a good price, so that I can have money to buy land.

In order to go to the city this time, Ergouzi took off his only set of linen clothes and washed them one day in advance.

Use needle and thread to carefully sew the cuffs and underarm seams.

He also jumped into the Snake Creek and took a cold bath, rubbing all the mud off his body.

Then he combed his hair neatly and put on a pair of brand new straw sandals. He looked energetic and as handsome as Xin Langguan.

When Er Gouzi carried five bushels of rice to Huang Laocai's house to pay the rent, he could feel the eyes of the second daughter of Huang Laocai's family brighten as they looked over.

At this moment, the two of them looked at each other, which made Er Gouzi blush all the way to his neck. He lowered his head and never dared to look at the second daughter of Huang Laocai's family again.

Huang Laocai's second daughter has a round face, a round waist, and a round butt. She is one of the most beautiful beauties in the village, and has attracted the covetous attention of many idle men in the village.

Such a woman is a good hand no matter whether she is doing farm work in the fields or giving birth and raising children at home.

But she is the daughter of the richest man in the village. These tenant farmers want to eat swan meat, but they can't afford it.

"Oh! It turns out to be Ergouzi!"

"At first glance, I thought someone's groom was here."

"The boy is getting more and more handsome!"

"You are so tall, it's time to get a wife."

Huang Laocai's family has already gathered a dozen strong men, all of whom are tenants of his family.

I was having nothing to do when I saw Er Gouzi coming, so I happened to tease him together.

"This kid is still blushing!"

The tenant Laifu patted Er Gouzi on the shoulder, "When you go to the city this time, I will take you to the secret door to play. A few pennies will help you live the life of a man!"

"Go there a few more times, and I'm sure you'll never blush again."

"Uncles, I am still young and not old enough to marry a wife."

Er Gouzi thought that he had just turned 14, so it was a little early to marry a wife.

"What do you know, kid!"

"As the old saying goes, if your mother-in-law is tired, you will grow three inches in one night. If you marry a wife, you will grow even more!"

"Hahaha……"

Just as these rough guys were laughing and joking, a door in the back room opened with a "squeak" sound.

Er Gouzi turned around and saw his cousin Zhang Youliang walking out of Huang Laocai's house with a livid face.

Zhang Youliang also saw Er Gouzi, but he only glared at him and ignored him.

When several tenants saw Wu Xiucai, they hurriedly came forward and tried to flatter him with a few compliments.

"Master Zhang!"

"Master Zhang..."

But the cousin just said "hmm" from his nostrils and left without even looking at the crowd.

"They are all from the countryside, so what airs do they have!"

After the people left, one of the tenants said dissatisfiedly.

His friends quickly stopped him from continuing.

"Hush! Don't talk nonsense. He is now a scholar, and we tenants cannot afford to offend him."

At this time Huang Laocai also walked out of the room.

"Everyone has been waiting for a long time. Let's have breakfast first so that we can have the strength to work!"

Huang Laocai was a very particular person, so he treated everyone to a breakfast of hot white rice with shredded pickles.

Normally when I eat at home, I may not be able to eat a full meal with open belly during the Chinese New Year, but now I can eat with all my heart open.

They always get a good meal every time, which is one of the reasons why the tenants like to work in Huang Laocai's family.

After eating, Huang Laocai directed everyone to pack the grain into bags and tie it to the wheelbarrow.

One truck contained three stones of rice, and more than 30 trucks were loaded.

Only then did Er Gouzi realize that almost half of the rent collected by Huang Laocai had to be used to pay taxes.

They also have to pick out the best grain and deliver it to the county government honestly. If it is not delivered within the time limit, the county government will send a team of officials to the countryside to suppress it.

When officials come to visit, it’s not that easy to talk to.

You have to serve them carefully. If you don't get what you want, you'll hit people, smash things, ransack your home, and you'll have to shed at least a layer of your skin.

Their group, including Huang Laocai, totaled 50 people, pushing more than 30 wheelbarrows, with a few people remaining to help.

The crowd first arrived at Sanchazi Town along a trail, and then turned onto an official road.

In the past six months, Ergouzi has not only grown a lot in strength, but also grown taller.

Three stones of rice weigh more than 300 jin. He now pushes a cart alone and walks more than ten miles, and still feels very relaxed.

When he feels his arms are sore, numb and tired, he secretly circulates his vital energy to his arms, and the soreness and numbness will soon disappear.

And the strength of his arms is instantly enhanced.

The same is true when the legs are tired. As long as the vital energy flows through the meridians, the fatigue will disappear immediately and he will continue to walk briskly.

Along the way, others have changed hands several times, but he still hasn't changed hands.

The tenants on the same road thought he was hot-blooded and liked to show off.

In fact, he took the opportunity to try to secretly mobilize his vital energy to flow throughout his body while walking.

The master never taught him these skills, so he could only figure them out slowly by himself.

He practiced without distraction along the way, and felt more and more experienced. Not only did he not feel tired, but he felt more and more relaxed as he walked.

"Dangdangdang..."

Suddenly, a gong sounded, and a group of people rushed out from both sides of the official road in front, holding knives and sticks, and blocked the way.

Er Gouzi had never seen such a scene before, so he quickly dropped his wheelbarrow, stood in the crowd, and quietly held the short knife hidden in his arms.

But the tenants who were traveling with him didn't seem to be very afraid, and they were still calm.

At this time, Huang Laocai walked up with a smile and bowed to a middle-aged man with a pig kidney face.

"It turns out to be King Zhao, I am so disrespectful!"

"I opened this mountain, and I planted this tree..."

The pig kidney face seemed to be very persistent in the robbery slogan, and paid great attention to the sense of ritual. He recited this string of words with a stern face.

Then he waved the butcher knife in his hand and chopped it on a tree on the side of the road.

Several trees on the side of the road were covered with dense knife marks, which must be the masterpiece of this pig kidney face.

"Do you know the rules?"

"I know, I know!"

Huang Laocai smiled and bowed, took out a piece of silver from his sleeve, and handed it to the pig kidney face with both hands.

"King Zhao has been maintaining stability in the area, and it is not easy to live in the mountains. Please accept my small gift!"

"No need to say it so nicely, I am a bandit who robs people on the road!"

The pig kidney-faced man grabbed the silver and weighed it in his hand. He did not appreciate Huang Laocai's compliments at all.

"Brothers, disperse!"

The pig kidney-faced man pulled the butcher knife off the tree and called out. The bandits shouted and went back into the woods on the side of the road.

The bandits came quickly and left even faster. The group continued to push the wheelbarrow towards the county town.

The crowd had just experienced a bandit robbery. Although they were not very scared at the time, they were still a little scared now.

"Although this King Zhao is a bandit, he is also a decent person." Lai Fu sighed.

"I have been following my boss on this road for more than ten years. As long as you offer money, he will never hurt anyone."

"Not only that, I heard that this road is his territory. As long as he takes the money and lets us go, no one else will rob us again..."

From the tone of these tenants' conversations, this bandit has a good reputation. The tenants seem to be quite eager to be bandits.