Author: Long Baoyu

Without the Internet, TV or mobile phone, Zhao Lin developed the habit of going to bed early and getting up early.

Early the next morning, I got up in the dark, washed up quickly, took two bran cakes from the kitchen and went out.

When he arrived at the pier, it was just dawn and the laborers were standing on the shore waiting to pick up the work.

Zhao Lin looked around the crowd and didn't see Ma Jiu. After asking someone, he found out that Ma Jiu was on strike today.

Carrying bags at the dock requires a lot of physical energy, and it is too much to do every day. Most people take three days off or four days off.

Zhao Lin found the supervisor and told the story. The supervisor immediately shouted to the crowd: "Zhou Paotou, you take him today!"

"Okay, I just find it boring to work alone."

A lazy voice sounded, and a man in his thirties walked out of the crowd. He had a red face, medium height, and a very thick frame.

This man was originally handsome, but the left side of his face was scratched by something unknown. There was a huge scar, his eyes were half open and half closed, and his face was ferocious.

Zhao Lin only glanced at him and then looked away, proactively greeting him: "Hello, Brother Pao."

"Brother Zhao."

Zhou Paotou patted Zhao Lin's arm enthusiastically, "I saw you yesterday, young man has strength!"

"Brother Pao, please take care of me."

The two chatted for a few words and learned that the other person was also a villager in Baektou Mountain, but Zhou Paotou was in Baiqiao Village and Zhao Lin was in Sanjia Village. The two villages were relatively far apart.

Zhou Paotou is a hunter in the mountains. He has nothing to do in the winter, so he temporarily comes to the dock to find work. After spring, he will go back to his old job.

Baotou means the leader of the hunter. He is familiar with tracking wild animals, proficient in hunting methods such as planting snares and traps, making nests and pulling nets. He is a master who can lead people to hunt.

Zhou Paotou was very talkative and talked endlessly about the local culture and his past hunting experiences.

Zhao Lin happened to want to know more about the world, so he took the initiative to chat with him.

After one morning, the two of them had become very familiar with each other.

"Brother Zhao, why are you choking on your steamed buns? Can you eat enough?"

It was noon, and the two of them took advantage of the break to sit on the river embankment and eat.

Zhao Lin finished the two pancakes he brought with him in the morning on the way, and bought four steamed buns with the only penny he had.

The steamed buns are not very tasty when eaten dry, but fortunately they are big and contain enough ingredients that you can't even hold them with one hand, so they are barely enough to fill your stomach.

Unlike the steamed buns in the previous life that shrunk so badly, they could be squeezed into a ping pong ball.

Zhou Paotou brought two large pancakes rolled with meat and vegetables. While eating, he said: "In our business, you can't have oil and water in your stomach, otherwise your body and bones will not be able to survive."

"You have plenty of strength, and you earn as much as anyone else, so you won't feel bad about the money, right?"

Zhao Linxin said of course she knew, hadn’t she not made any money yet?

"I went out in a hurry today. I forgot to bring the meal I prepared. I only have a penny with me. It's okay. I'll eat it back in the evening."

Zhou Paotou took out a piece of cooked bacon from his pocket, cut off a piece with a knife, and handed it to Zhao Lin.

"We don't know what's going on in your family, but you must not save money on food, otherwise you will waste your energy and it will be difficult to make up for it!"

Zhao Lin took it and said gratefully: "Thank you Brother Pao."

When I bit into a piece, my mouth was full of salty aroma and the smell of roasted pine branches.

He chewed it slowly, feeling it was indescribably delicious.

"Get out of the way... you don't have fucking eyes."

While the two were eating, a group of people came running across the road. They were all dressed in black, carrying whistle sticks, and had two crossed axes embroidered on their chests.

The leader was a middle-aged man wearing satin boots and brocade clothes, with a hint of arrogance on his lips.

The traders tried to avoid him one after another.

"Master Hua Hall, I haven't seen you for more than a month, and you look even better than before."

Mr. Bang stepped forward to greet him, nodded and bowed.

Zhao Lin asked curiously: "Where did these people come from, Master Bang is so polite?"

Zhou Paotou curled his lips and said, "He's from the Hutou Gang."

"Tiger Head Gang?"

Zhao Lin looked at it carefully and asked puzzledly: "Why is there an ax embroidered on the chest? Shouldn't it be embroidered with a tiger head to suit the occasion?"

Zhou Paotou sneered, "Their gang leader is a foreigner with a strange accent. Hu Fu didn't tell the difference and named his gang the Ax Gang. As a result, others thought it was the Tiger Head Gang, and it spread like that."

Mr. Bang gave the chair to the man in brocade, served him tea and water, and took out a few banknotes from his arms and presented them to him.

Zhao Lin understood clearly that he was paying protection money, and couldn't help but ask: "Brother Pao, do you have many people in the Hutou Gang? They are very powerful?"

"It's not bad, there are only one or two hundred people."

"That's not more people than us, why is Mr. Bang acting like a gangster?"

Zhou Paotou smiled slightly, "Brother, you don't know something. Strength does not depend on how many people there are, but who has a big and hard fist!"

"The leader of the Tiger Head Gang is a master of the third level of strength. Mr. Bang has only practiced boxing and kicking for a few days, and even tying ten of them together is not enough to fight him."

Third level of strength?

Zhao Lin silently remembered it in his mind, and then asked: "Then the Hutou Gang is considered powerful in our Qinghe County, right?"

Zhou Paotou shook his head, "That can't be done. The martial arts warriors can only show off their power in front of us ordinary people. Compared with the aura masters in the county government and sects, they are just like little shrimps."

Power realm, Qi realm...

Zhao Lin was thoughtful, thinking that this was indeed a world of martial arts, and martial artists had a high status.

I just don’t know how powerful martial arts experts are.

Is it to break open monuments and rocks, tear apart tigers and leopards alive, or to fly to the sky and escape from the earth, splitting mountains and cutting off rivers?

As soon as the Hutou Gang left, Mr. Bang's back stiffened again, and his confident look returned to his face.

In the afternoon, the dock became busy again, and Zhao Lin helped Zhou Paotou from time to time, which was considered a small reward.

On the way to deliver the goods, Zhao Lin saw a bookstore on the street, so he said hello to Zhou Paotou and walked in.

Reading is the fastest way to understand the world, especially history books.

The shop owner was stunned for a moment when he saw two men wearing white waistcoats coming in, and quickly walked out of the counter.

He didn't say a word and followed him the whole time. Apparently he was afraid that they would steal the book or cause damage.

Zhao Lin didn't take it seriously, picked a book and asked, "How much does this "History of the North and South" cost?"

"Eighty articles."

"What about this book "The Founding of Dai Viet"?"

"One hundred and forty articles."

Zhao Lin was secretly speechless, thinking that even though he was poor in literature and rich in martial arts, what kind of poor man could afford such an expensive book?

Or does it mean that different classes have different understandings of poverty?

One hundred and forty coins is enough to buy half a pig!

…

One day passed, and when the work was settled, Zhao Lin got twenty-five cents in his hand, which was the highest among all the money.

This makes the laborers envious, but no one is jealous. After all, this industry sells hard work, and those who work harder will get more.

Although Zhao Lin has strength, it is not easy to earn money.

There were several big blood blisters on both shoulders, soaked in sweat, and the feeling was so sour.

With a "huge sum of money" in hand, Zhao Lin finally felt confident.

While the vegetable market was open, he bought two kilograms of cheap "evening vegetables" and some rice, noodles, vegetable oil.

There is also a piece of pig meat.

Squat meat is the meat on the upper part of the pig's hind legs. It is fat and thin in alternate parts, suitable for satisfying cravings.

He went home and cooked the meat, and the family had a delicious meal.

While eating, Zhao Lin noticed that his mother was quietly wiping her tears while eating. He thought she was crying with joy and persuaded her: "Mom, I can make money now. There will be more days like this in the future!"

Mother Zhao sighed, "I am thinking about your brother. He is doing hard labor outside. I heard he is dirty and tired, and his food is not good. I don't know how much he has suffered."

Zhao Lin fell silent and thought about the past. This brother who was ten years older than him was indeed very good to him.

Especially in the days when he first traveled through time, he was struggling on the verge of death. It was his brother who took great pains to carry him to see a doctor, buy medicine and make medicine, which allowed him to survive.

If his serious illness hadn't depleted the family's fortune, his brother wouldn't have been arrested because he couldn't pay the autumn grain.

The two are truly loving relatives and friends, brothers and sisters.

"Dad, how long will my brother serve as a slave laborer?" Zhao Lin asked.

"Alas, I've never been sure."

Father Zhao had a sad look on his face, "In the past, it was only two months at most, but I heard that a new magistrate has come to the county, and I don't know what the regulations are."

Zhao Lin thought for a moment and said, "I still have twenty or thirty cents a day. Can I save it for half a month and pay the tax I owe?"

Zhao's father said: "I asked Qian Sanming from the town to ask for help to see if we could find a way to release him early. He said he would reply in a few days."

Qian Sanming is a distant relative of the county chief registrar. The mountain people don't know how to deal with the government, so they always ask him to help connect people when they have something to do.

Zhao Lin took out ten cents and put it on the table, "Father, mother, keep this money first, and let's try to bring my brother back as soon as possible!"
Chapter completed!