Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 182 Craftsmen

As the name suggests, Maqiao was a bridge for cavalrymen to cross.

Legend has it that when Yue Fei led his troops to retreat to Matuosha, a bridge was built to allow cavalry to pass through because the river blocked their way, hence the name.

Matuosha is a large rural area, and Maqiao is a village within a village. There is only one proper dirt road, which was extremely muddy after a rain last night, making a group of grown men very angry.

Jiang Guanbao walked at the front of the group. When he saw a banner with the character "tea" in the distance, he turned around and said, "Cao She, we're almost there."

Shao Shuyi glanced around and said with a smile, "You must be tired from the journey. When we get to the teahouse, sit down and rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt an extra bit of strength in their steps and walked even faster.

An old man with a white beard stood at the entrance of the teahouse. When he saw more than ten men with swords and bows approaching from afar, he instinctively thought they were soldiers from the patrol office. He turned around and ran to the blacksmith shop next door, saying, "Xingtuo, the soldiers are here. Quickly get ready."

Blacksmith Jiang Xingtuo nodded and calmly pointed to the corner of the wall.

The two apprentices understood and immediately stepped forward, carefully collected the several knife and sword blanks, and ran to the backyard.

They passed through several houses, then slipped into a bamboo grove, finally stopping beside a haystack where they skillfully concealed the contraband. Jiang Xingtuo remained in his shop, leisurely polishing a rake. His honest face was etched with wrinkles of worry, just like the countless artisans under the Yuan Dynasty. He frankly admitted that before taking up this side business, he had indeed lived a life of hardship; those wrinkles weren't for nothing. They only began to smooth out after he came to terms with it and started forging various weapons.

The white-bearded old man went around the back door of the blacksmith shop and returned to the teahouse, where he pretended to wipe the tables.

Not long after, Jiang Guanbao appeared outside the teahouse and shouted in a loud voice, "Bao Lang, make some tea."

"Bao Lang" is the name of the white-bearded old man. He has been called that for fifty years and it has never changed.

Baolang put down the rag in his hand and said with a smile, "Master Jiang is here? There's no good tea."

Jiang Guanbao laughed and cursed, saying, "Are you afraid I won't pay?"

Baolang smiled and said, "How could that be?"

Jiang Guanbao looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "We have distinguished guests today. Bring out your best tea, and I'll definitely pay you; it won't be on your tab." Baolang looked at him suspiciously a few times.

Jiang Guanbao grew anxious and said, "Can't you understand what's good or bad? Go and make some tea."

Having said that, he took out a coin from his pocket and said, "Take this, and use the extra to prepare some snacks."

Baolang carefully examined the banknotes, and after confirming that they were correct, he finally smiled broadly, turned around and walked towards the backyard, saying, "Old woman, quickly boil some water, we have guests."

A voice responded from the backyard, and wisps of smoke slowly rose from the chimney.

At this time, Shao Shuyi and more than ten people from Team Gao also arrived at the teahouse and found a place to sit down and rest.

Jiang Guanbao then leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

As Shao Shuyi listened, he glanced thoughtfully at the blacksmith shop next door.

After listening, he beckoned, leading Yu Yuan, Liang Tai, Tie Niu, and Jiang Guanbao to the blacksmith's shop, where he looked around. The blacksmith, Jiang Xingtuo, glanced at them but didn't speak, continuing with his work. An apprentice approached and asked in a heavily accented voice, "What would you like, sir?"

After asking, he pointed to the shelves by the east wall and said, "Here are some tools commonly used by farmers. They're brand new and unused. If you like them, you can buy them directly. If you don't find anything you like, you can tell my master, and he can make most of them."

Shao Shuyi grunted and glanced casually at the tools on the shelf. However, the hoes, sickles, hammers, and kitchen knives were probably not made by the blacksmith, but rather practice pieces made by his apprentices.

As for weapons, not a single one was seen, which is unusual in itself. To put it bluntly, it's an overreaction. At least many blacksmiths in Liujiagang don't shy away from repairing tools and even forging weapons. Otherwise, where would all the weapons on the streets come from?

After reading it, Shao Shuyi picked a small stool and sat down.

Tie Niu stood behind him, stroking his sword with one hand.

Liang Tai stood to his left front, his eyes fixed on the wooden door leading to the backyard.

Yu Yuan was still looking around, as if he was estimating the value of the blacksmith shop.

Jiang Guanbao then came to Jiang Xingtuo's side and whispered, "Xingtuo, he's one of us."

Jiang Xingtuo stopped what he was doing, wiped his hands with a cloth, glanced at Shao Shuyi, and asked, "This hero is too fierce, I'm not too sure about using weapons on him."

Shao Shuyi became interested upon hearing this and laughed, "Why did the shopkeeper say I looked too fierce? I have beautiful handwriting and am quite well-educated. Look at me more closely, do I really look fierce?"

"You came in looking for weapons, showing no interest in farm tools, and I was even a little disappointed." Jiang Xingtuo picked up a water bag on the table, removed the stopper, and gulped down two large mouthfuls. Then he said, "Besides, I've seen many people who look refined, but they kill without batting an eye, and they don't even know they can be so cruel."

"This brother behind you," Jiang Xingtuo pointed at Tie Niu and said, "although he looks fierce, he won't harm anyone as long as you don't provoke him. On the contrary, you have the intention to harm others."

Shao Shuyi laughed out loud when he heard this.

In his later life, he had a friend who considered himself incredibly timid, unable to even bear the sight of blood. However, by sheer chance, he was shown horrific car accident scenes, charred remains of people in fires, and anatomical photographs of cadavers recently acquired by the medical school. This man, who had been terrified beforehand, surprisingly adapted to the experience very quickly.

In the end, he found himself to have no bottom line, as if he could accept even the most cruel scenes and even dare to participate in them. This made him wonder if he was a deeply hidden pervert—well, this friend is not Shao Zei.

Today, he was called a villain to his face, which is difficult for him to accept emotionally.

Am I really that bad? No, I shouldn't be.

"The shopkeeper is joking," Shao Shuyi raised an eyebrow and said, "The methods are not important; the heart is more important. Even the Buddha, who loves others, has a fierce and wrathful Vajra; Heaven and Earth, though benevolent, sometimes send down frost and snow. To act on behalf of Heaven, it is only right to use the axe. In this world, small acts of kindness are no longer effective; the axe is the true expression of love." "So you came here looking for an axe?" Jiang Xingtuo looked closely into Shao Shuyi's eyes and asked.

"If we had iron armor, that would be even better," Shao Shuyi said.

Jiang Xingtuo's expression changed, and he looked at Jiang Guanbao.

Jiang Guanbao shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Don't look at me like that, my words don't carry any weight."

"If you've come looking for armor, please leave," Jiang Xingtuo said. "If I anger you, though I die, my son who is studying in another place will live. If the authorities find out, not only will I die, but my son will also die, and our entire family will be implicated."

"Really not going to work?" Shao Shuyi asked expressionlessly.

"It really won't work," Jiang Xingtuo said. "Don't even think about me putting armor plates on you; the government isn't stupid."

Jiang Guanbao, a ninth-rank patrol inspector representing the government, was somewhat embarrassed, so he could only remain invisible and not participate in their confrontation.

At the same time, he was also a little apprehensive. Jiang Xingtuo might have been too much of a blacksmith, his mind wasn't working very well, and he had a rather volatile temper. He was worried that Jiang Xingtuo might really anger Cao She, and that things might end up in a mess for everyone.

Perhaps thinking this to himself, he soon sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere of the room.

Shao Shuyi looked at Jiang Xingtuo quietly without saying a word.

Jiang Xingtuo then went back to fiddling with the rake.

The two apprentices were so frightened that they dared not breathe, because the strong man with a knife in his left hand and a bow in his right (Liang Tai) would glance at them from time to time with a cold look, as if he were looking at pigs and sheep being slaughtered.

After a moment, Shao Shuyi smiled and said, "Armor won't do, but leather armor will do, right?"

Jiang Xingtuo remained silent.

Jiang Guanbao, observing Cao She's expression, said, "Cao She, we should go find his younger brother Cheng Tuo. There shouldn't be any problem. Cheng Tuo is bold; with the whole family working together, making leather armor is definitely not a problem."

"What kind of leather did you use?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"Pigskin and sheepskin," Jiang Guanbao said. "Don't worry, Cao She, their craftsmanship is excellent. The tanned pigskin and sheepskin are layered and forged, making them sturdy and durable, no worse than cowhide or deerskin. A knife can't cut through them, and they should be able to withstand a spearhead. Even at a distance, a sharp arrow won't penetrate them." "How much per pair?"

"That depends on who's wearing it." Jiang Guanbao glanced at Tie Niu and said, "If it's made to fit this hero's build, it'll require a lot of material, at least two hundred strings of cash, maybe more. If the craftsman is worried about something going wrong and refuses to make it for you, you'll have to pay even more."

Shao Shuyi silently did the math and felt it was still acceptable.

"Let's eat first, then we'll go find that Brother Cheng Tuo this afternoon," Shao Shuyi said.

"Okay," Jiang Guanbao replied respectfully, like a subordinate.

Jiang Xingtuo, who was listening nearby, seemed somewhat displeased and began to clang his rake loudly.

Shao Shuyi chuckled inwardly and said, "Besides the leather armor, I also need to make some weapons."

Jiang Guanbao, trying to sound amused, asked, "What kind of equipment does Cao She need made?"

"A ring-handled sword, a long spear, and perhaps a few long-handled axes," Shao Shuyi said.

"Isn't that simple?" Jiang Guanbao laughed. "Brother Xingtuo's skills are superb, and his two apprentices have been learning for many years and can also lend a hand. It's very easy." Shao Shuyi looked at Jiang Xingtuo.

The man remained silent. His apprentice, however, was more worldly-wise. He first looked at his master, then at Shao Shuyi, and finally bowed to Jiang Guanbao, saying, "Sir, you are a regular guest, so there is no problem. We can discuss this in detail later."

Jiang Guanbao nodded.

If you can't even meet the requirements for forging ordinary weapons, no matter how skilled you are, Jiang Xingtuo, we'll still teach you a lesson.

"Brother Jiang, you must be too busy, right?" Shao Shuyi suddenly said, "Why don't you take on a couple more apprentices? You don't need to pay them; I'll pay them thirty strings of cash a month as an apprenticeship fee. Besides, they're all from out of town and won't be opening shops in Matuosha in the future. What do you think, Brother Jiang?" The shop fell silent for a moment.

Shao Shuyi waited patiently.

He knew that blacksmith apprentices weren't taken on casually, and there were many things to consider, but he was willing to pay the tuition and even give away two free laborers. That was his condition. Did he agree?

Jiang Xingtuo remained silent for a long time this time as well.

Just as Shao Shuyi was getting impatient and about to storm off, he finally said softly, "Okay."

Jiang Guanbao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; everyone was happy!

He was genuinely worried that Cao She would turn on him on the spot and order the whole family to be tied up.

Shao Shuyi's anger turned to joy, and he began to think about where to find suitable apprentices.