xymnovel Chapter 3 The Ruan Brothers
Chapter 3 The Ruan Brothers
Liu Bei and Wu Yong walked out of the room one after the other.
When the farmhands in the courtyard saw the two of them come out, they all stopped what they were doing and bowed in greeting.
"elder brother."
"pedant."
Liu Bei's gaze swept over them, and he nodded slightly.
These people have good physical constitutions, but they lack a certain fearless killing intent.
They were farmhands and guards, but not soldiers.
"Scholar, go and prepare two fast horses, and also some dry food and water," Liu Bei instructed.
Wu Yong cupped his hands and said, "I'll take care of it right away."
After a stick of incense had burned, two fast horses galloped out of the manor in Dongxi Village and headed towards Shijie Village.
Along the way, Liu Bei rode ahead on horseback, looking around as he went.
Look at the fields of the Song Dynasty, look at the official road, look at the villages and pedestrians along the road.
The fields were crisscrossed and fairly well-maintained, but most of the farmers working in the fields looked malnourished and their clothes were full of patches.
The official road was relatively flat, but every now and then you could see several ragged refugees with their families in tow.
They walked numbly, their eyes vacant, not knowing where they were going.
Occasionally, when government officials rode by on horseback, the refugees would hide in fear by the roadside, heads bowed, like a flock of frightened quails.
Liu Bei let out a soft sigh.
This scene was not unfamiliar to him.
On the eve of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the world was in a similar state.
The rich own vast tracts of land, while the poor have nowhere to stand.
In the imperial court, rotten wood holds official positions; between the palace steps, beasts feast on their salaries.
As a result, the people suffered greatly, and starvation was rampant.
This Song Dynasty was known for its flourishing culture and abundant wealth.
But this wealth ultimately belonged only to the officials and powerful figures in Bianjing.
The people of this world are still struggling.
Liu Bei sighed softly and stopped in front of a mother holding a baby.
The mother, holding her child, was trembling uncontrollably with fear.
"Woman," Liu Bei pointed into the village, "go into the village, find Chao Baozheng's house, and beg for food. If you're willing to stay and work as a servant, that's fine too. Go."
Seeing that Liu Bei didn't make things difficult for her and even pointed her in the right direction, the woman was immediately grateful and said, "Thank you for showing me the way, sir! Thank you for showing me the way!"
After instructing the woman, Liu Bei spurred his horse forward again: "Let's go, giddy up!"
On the way, Wu Yong exclaimed, "Brother, you are truly kind-hearted. I admire you greatly."
Liu Bei shook his head slightly and said, "Such actions can only save a few people."
The two urged their horses onward, and after traveling for another half an hour, Wu Yong pointed ahead and said, "Brother, Shijie Village is just ahead."
Liu Bei reined in his horse and slowed it down.
"Scholar, Shijie Village is located near Liangshan Marsh. Is there any government naval force stationed there?" he suddenly asked.
Wu Yong was taken aback, then replied, "Brother, there is indeed a navy in Jizhou Prefecture, but they usually stay in the prefectural camp, drawing salaries without working, smuggling salt, doing all sorts of things, but never training. They would never come to a poor and remote place like Shijie Village."
"In other words, that body of water is a no-man's-land," Liu Bei said knowingly.
"Exactly." Wu Yong nodded. "That's why the Ruan brothers were able to make a living there by fishing and selling smuggled goods."
Liu Bei fell silent.
Horse hooves pounded on the dirt road, and the air gradually filled with the smell of water and the salty stench of fish and shrimp.
The scenery before my eyes has changed.
The vast reed beds stretched as far as the eye could see, undulating with the wind like green waves.
Waterways crisscross the fields, and a few dilapidated fishing boats are moored in twos and threes along the shore.
We've arrived at Shijie Village.
It's less of a village and more of a cluster of shacks built along the water's edge.
The low thatched huts, haphazardly made of mud and reeds, leaned precariously, as if a strong wind could blow them down.
The ground was covered with puddles and mud, mixed with fish entrails and all sorts of garbage.
Several naked children were chasing and playing in the muddy water. When they saw Liu Bei and Wu Yong, two well-dressed strangers, they stopped curiously and stared at them from a distance.
Some fishermen who were mending their nets on the shore also cast wary glances.
The people here are xenophobic.
Wu Yong led Liu Bei deeper into the village.
The Ruan brothers were hot-tempered and did not get along well with the villagers. They did not live in the village, but occupied the best bay at the east end of the village.
The two walked through most of the village and came to a relatively open body of water.
Three slightly larger thatched houses stood on the shore, with several huge fishing nets drying on the open ground.
A burly man, shirtless, revealing bronze skin and bulging muscles, was squatting on the ground, repairing a boat oar with a small knife.
"Second Brother!" Wu Yong called out.
The man was none other than Ruan Xiao'er. He looked up, and upon seeing Liu Bei, his eyes lit up. He threw down his knife, strode over, and exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Chao Gai! Scholar Wu! Come in and sit down!"
Wu Yong quickly grabbed him and asked, "Where are the seventh and fifth brothers?"
Ruan Xiao'er hurriedly replied, "That seventh kid is setting his net at the fork in the river ahead. I'll go call him back. As for the fifth kid..."
He paused for a moment, his expression somewhat unnatural.
"...He's probably out gambling again."
Wu Yong chimed in from the side, "Second Brother, why don't you row the boat and take my brother and me to find Qi Lang?"
"Alright!" Ruan Xiaoer readily agreed.
He untied the mooring rope of a small fishing boat on the shore and invited Liu Bei and Wu Yong onto the boat.
The boat was small and somewhat dilapidated, but it was kept very clean.
Ruan Xiaoer picked up the long pole at the stern of the boat, pushed it against the rocks on the shore, and the small boat slid into the water like an arrow.
Liu Bei stood with his hands behind his back at the bow of the boat, looking at the water in front of him.
The reeds are densely packed, forming a natural maze.
The waterways are crisscrossed, some as wide as rivers, others so narrow that only one boat can pass at a time.
With strong underwater currents, anyone unfamiliar with the terrain would surely lose their way.
"This place is indeed a good place to station troops."
Liu Bei thought to himself.
The small boat navigated through the reeds, winding its way through the water, and soon arrived at an open body of water.
In the distance, on a boat, a lean man was struggling to pull a large net from the water.
The man wore a tattered straw hat and was shirtless, his skin tanned dark by the sun.
"Seventh Brother!" Ruan Xiaoer shouted loudly.
That man was none other than Ruan Xiaoqi, the Living Yama.
He turned around at the sound and saw Liu Bei and Wu Yong on the boat. His face lit up with surprise and delight. He immediately stopped what he was doing and brought the boat closer.
"Brother Chao Gai! Scholar Wu! What brings you here?"
The two boats came together, and Ruan Xiaoqi leaped onto Ruan Xiaoer's boat.
"I've come to see you brothers." Liu Bei looked at the net at his feet, which contained only small fish and shrimp, the largest of which was no more than the length of a palm.
Ruan Xiaoqi followed his gaze and scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.
"Brother, you flatter me. I had bad luck today. I worked hard all day and only managed to collect this little bit. It's not even enough to exchange for a bushel of rice."
Wu Yong asked, "Where is the fifth brother?"
Ruan Xiaoqi snorted coldly and said, "Now, all he cares about are dice and dominoes. He doesn't remember us at all! A few days ago, my mother was sick, and we needed money for medicine, so we sent him to town to pawn my mother's hairpin to get the money. But this scoundrel went straight to the gambling den after getting the money, and in less than half an hour, he lost all three hundred coins! If I hadn't gotten there quickly, he probably would have even had to pawn his pants!"
Wu Yong listened, his face showing some embarrassment, and he secretly glanced at Liu Bei.
He originally intended for the three Ruan brothers to be the main force in robbing the birthday gifts, but now it seems that Ruan Xiaowu is unreliable.
Liu Bei's expression remained unchanged.
He just listened quietly, as if he were listening to something that had nothing to do with him.
After Ruan Xiaoqi finished complaining, he finally asked.
Which casino does he frequent?
Ruan Xiaoqi was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly replied, "It's not far ahead at Lijia Ferry. There's a shady gambling den there, usually frequented by fishermen and passing porters."
"Take me there," Liu Bei said.
Ruan Xiaoer and Ruan Xiaoqi exchanged a glance, both somewhat hesitant.
"Brother, that place is a den of thieves and not a good place to go. We brothers can handle Fifth Brother's matter ourselves, we wouldn't dare trouble you, brother," Ruan Xiao'er advised.
Liu Bei only said two words.
"Rowing the boat."
After hearing Liu Bei's words, Ruan Xiaoer dared not say anything more. He silently picked up the long pole, turned the boat around, and rowed towards Lijia Ferry.
Wu Yong sat on the boat, feeling uneasy.
He couldn't figure out what "Brother Chao Gai" was thinking at all.
After the small boat traveled for about fifteen minutes, a simple ferry crossing appeared ahead.
Several dilapidated merchant ships were moored on the shore, where a few tea stalls and taverns were set up, and some boatmen and porters were gathered there making a ruckus.
Ruan Xiaoer moored the boat in a secluded spot.
"Brother, the casino is in that biggest thatched hut."
Liu Bei nodded and was the first to disembark.
Wu Yong and the Ruan brothers quickly followed.
The thatched hut was bustling with noise and chatter.
"Big! Big! Big!"
"Small! It's small again! Are you cheating, you bastard?!"
Liu Bei walked to the entrance of the thatched hut and looked inside.
Inside the dimly lit thatched hut, people were crammed together.
Thirty or forty men were gathered around a few tattered tables. Some were throwing dice, while others were playing dominoes. Everyone was flushed and excited.
Ruan Xiaoqi had sharp eyes and soon spotted Ruan Xiaowu next to a dice-rolling gambling table.
"There!" he whispered to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei looked in the direction he was pointing.
A man of similar build to Ruan Xiaoer, but with a sallow complexion and sunken eyes, was staring intently at the dice cup in the dealer's hand.
It was Ruan Xiaowu.
At this moment, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot. He pushed out the last few copper coins in front of him: "Bet big!"
Once the bets were placed, all the gamblers shouted in unison, "Open! Open! Open!"
The dealer was a one-eyed man with a scar on his face. He chuckled and suddenly flipped open the dice cup.
"One, two, three, six o'clock."
The surrounding crowd erupted in a cacophony of sighs and cheers.
Ruan Xiaowu swayed, staring blankly at the three dice, his eyes vacant.
I lost everything.
"If you're out of money, get out of here! Don't take up space!" The dealer unceremoniously swept the coins in front of him into his own pile of coins.
Ruan Xiaowu seemed not to hear, still staring intently at the table.
A moment later, he suddenly raised his head and grabbed the dealer's wrist.
"You cheated! There's something wrong with your dice!"
The one-eyed Zhuang family member's face darkened, and he grabbed Ruan Xiaowu's hand with his backhand.
"Bullshit! Can't accept defeat?"
Several fierce-looking men immediately surrounded the gambling table.
"What? Trying to cause trouble here?"
"Break his legs and throw him into the river to feed the fish!"
Although Ruan Xiaowu was a fearless character, he had lost all his money and his momentum had weakened. Surrounded by several people, he was at a loss for what to do.
Just then, a calm voice came from outside the crowd.
"Let him come with me."