Knife splashing

Chapter 16 Ancient Water Village

It was almost evening when we finally arrived at the destination.

I saw a village located between several hills. In front of it was an endless wheat field and a tributary of the Wei River meandering by. It was obviously a village with excellent feng shui.

In the setting sun, golden wheat waves roll, creating a pastoral beauty.

“This is Gushui Village.”

Sharifei led the way with his horse, introducing: "There is an ancient spring on the mountain above the village, hence the name. The biggest landlord in the village is Mr. Lu."

"This Mr. Lu is extraordinary. I heard that he was once a big merchant in the capital. After making money, he returned to his hometown and bought some land. See? All the land in front of you belongs to him."

"The key is that I am generous. I don't know how many people are eyeing this piece of fat meat. If it weren't for my connections, you would have to compete with the wheat pickers in Longyou..."

There are wheat pickers in Guanzhong, but more of them come from Longyou.

The people there are able to endure hardships, work hard, are not picky about food, and are welcomed by their employers. They can be called the kings of wheat harvesters.

"Sha Da Xia is tough!"

"I told you, you won't suffer any loss if you follow Master Sha..."

Everyone praised him, and Sharifei became even more proud.

…………

Mr. Lu’s house is at the east end of the village.

Just as Sharifei said, he is a real big shot.

The house is in the shape of a Chinese character “回” (U). It is a brick and wood structure with four courtyards and three entrances. It is surrounded by high walls. Even the blue bricks on the outside base have exquisite brick carvings.

It has everything you need, including gatehouses, archways, and horse hitching posts.

Under the setting sun, it is full of majestic and ancient charm.

The house of Li Huairen, the largest landlord in Lijiabao, had only two small courtyards. The wheat pickers had never seen such a luxurious layout and were all amazed.

"My goodness, this is so rich..."

"I really learned a lot this time..."

Apparently, there was more than one team working for Mr. Lu's family.

Outside the gate of the compound was an open space, larger than a threshing floor, and it looked as if water had been spilled on it and then flattened with a stone roller.

There are willow trees planted around it, which looks very majestic.

At this moment, several groups of people had gathered in the open space, carrying bedding and holding sickles. They squatted on the ground, chatting or smoking from their pipes.

Sharifei told everyone not to run around, and then came to the gate.

There stood a thin old man, neatly dressed, wearing a small cap, with white hair and a pair of black wooden-framed glasses on his nose, followed by several waiters.

Sharifei seemed to recognize this person. After he went up, he bent over and clasped his fists, with a flattering look on his face, "Butler Lu, these are my people."

"Why are you a day late?"

"Something happened on the way."

"Okay, I'll make arrangements after the master finishes his lecture..."

The two were talking there, while Li Yan was looking around.

He had sharp eyes and knew a lot about underworld matters, so he could see many things immediately.

The group on the right are from Longyou, and their accents are a little different. The leader is obviously a swordsman from Longyou as well. He is not young and still wears a sheepskin coat even in such hot weather.

Although his hair is white, his arms are muscular.

Looking at those hands, he must have practiced some Eagle Claw skills.

The few servants behind the housekeeper Lu seemed to be standing in an awkward position, but they were all strong and sturdy, with sharp eyes, and were obviously bodyguards guarding the house.

According to the slang in the underworld, it is the fulcrum of the "hanging" business.

This kind of people, whether they are working as bodyguards or escorting others, have to show their real skills and be well versed in the rules of the underworld. None of them are easy to deal with.

Being a servant means you have to support him/her for life, not just a temporary job.

The Lu family is much richer than ordinary family members...

"Master Lu is here!"

Just as he was watching, a group of people walked out of the mansion accompanied by the servants' singing.

The leader was naturally Mr. Lu.

I saw that this man was tall, white and plump, with a kind face and a long black beard hanging down to his chest. He was dressed in brocade clothes and looked very impressive.

In addition to the bodyguards, there were also two women following him.

One was dressed in white and had an elegant and beautiful face, while the other was dressed in red and had a somewhat enchanting face, fair skin, and a beauty mole on her chin.

She has a different temperament and is not very old. Compared with Mr. Lu next to her, she looks almost the same age as his daughter.

But everyone can see that this is most likely a concubine.

Most of the people in the square were farmers who worked in the soil for a living. Even the swordsmen who often visited brothels had never seen such a beautiful woman and their eyes were immediately fixed on her.

Sharifei swallowed his saliva, turned around and scolded in a low voice: "Behave yourself, don't even look at it, don't even think about it. Whoever dares to make a fool of himself and lose his job, I will kill him!"

Upon hearing this, the wheat pickers all lowered their heads.

Sharifei was quite knowledgeable. There was a group of wheat pickers in the distance, and even the leading swordsman was staring at them with his eyes wide open and drooling, so he didn't care about anyone else.

When Li Yan saw it, he felt something was strange.

Logically speaking, in order to avoid suspicion, the concubines in the backyard of this wealthy family would rarely go to the front yard to meet guests, let alone face so many people.

But Mr. Lu didn't seem to care and even seemed a little proud.

Facing the crowd, he stroked his beard and smiled, "My fellow villagers, I am Lu and have returned to my roots. Although I have acquired some property, I am not a ruthless person." "During the summer harvest, please work hard to grab food from Longkou. The Lu family will definitely not let you suffer any loss. You can enjoy the white flour steamed buns and mutton offal soup as much as you want!"

"In addition, I will pay you two liters of wheat for one acre of land."

"I'll pay you as much as you can do!"

When the wheat pickers below heard this, their eyes widened.

In the past, harvesting one acre of land would only give one liter of wheat, or a little over two kilograms.

Many times, their wages will be withheld.

Mr. Lu was given two liters of rice directly, and he could eat as much white flour steamed buns and mutton offal soup as he wanted.

Although it is offal, it is still meaty!

"Mr. Lu is kind and benevolent!"

The wheat pickers immediately bowed and expressed their gratitude.

"Hahaha, thank you for your help."

Mr. Lu smiled and bowed, then led his men into the mansion.

Butler Lu stepped forward and said with a gloomy expression, "The master is kind-hearted, but the rules must be followed."

"There is plenty of white flour buns, but you can only eat them, not take them..."

"No one is allowed to enter the inner courtyard of the mansion without permission. Please report to me if you have any problems. If anyone dares to step through this door without permission, don't blame me for being ruthless..."

"Those who are sneaky and those who hide the money secretly will be sent directly to the authorities..."

"We work at yin hour every day, and we can rest only after the threshed wheat is stored in the warehouse..."

The housekeeper is also very capable and everything is arranged in perfect order.

The wheat pickers all nodded in agreement.

Although the rules are strict, the pay is high.

I haven't had such good luck in previous years...

After some arrangements, the wheat pickers were taken to the village entrance.

There, there was a shack that had been built in advance.

They will be here for some time in the future, working day and night, and every day they will only work, eat and sleep, without a single moment of free time.

Although it is hard, this is how it is during the summer harvest season, otherwise you won’t be able to make any money.

Next to the shack, more than a dozen large pots have been set up.

The snow-white mutton bone soup was bubbling, and the chopped mutton offal was bubbling up and down.

A large wooden steamer several layers high, with steam and wheat aroma wafting in the air.

The wheat pickers came from all directions after several days' journey, and they all survived on cold water and whole-grain cakes. When they smelled this, their mouths watered.

They lined up in a hurry and squatted on the ground, holding their large bowls and eating.

The waiter assigned by Steward Lu said with a smile, "Everyone, eat as much as you want, but one thing is, don't eat too much and get an upset stomach, or you won't be able to work tomorrow."

An old wheat picker said with a smile: "Don't worry, young man. Although we are farmers, we can still distinguish between a full meal and a full meal."

"Hahaha…"

The people eating around burst into laughter.

They were very happy in their hearts and had nothing to say when they met this host.

Even Li Yan is no exception.

He had been to the temple fair in Lantian County, but the mutton offal soup there was only for poor families and was not very sophisticated at all.

Sometimes there was wool and flies floating on the fat foam, which he could not stand.

And the cooking of this Lu guy's husband at least looks clean, and he even pours oil, chili peppers, chopped green onions and coriander into the mutton offal soup.

It is so delicious when eaten with white flour steamed buns!

The young man had a big belly to begin with, and Li Yan was still practicing martial arts to improve his skills, so he ate five large steamed buns in a row and drank four bowls of mutton soup before he wiped his mouth, put down the bowl, stood up and flew towards the sand.

Because of what happened before, everyone was rushing on the road and had no time to say much. Now that they have settled down, it is a good time to ask about the itinerary.

Sharifei was bragging with a few swordsmen.

Seeing him coming, she seemed to have guessed what he was going to ask, but she changed the subject and said with a playful smile: "My fellow Taoists, let me introduce you. This is Li Yan. His father is very famous. You must know him, the sick tiger of Guanzhong!"

After hearing this, Li Yan immediately felt unhappy.

He came out this time not to venture into the world.

Even if he wanted to make Man'er famous, he would not use his father's name, and there was no need for him to say anything.

But now that things have come to this, he could only smile and bow and say, "Greetings, seniors."

The old swordsman from Longyou, who was wearing a sheepskin coat, was squatting on the ground smoking. He nodded when he heard this and said in a hoarse voice, "I've heard of Lord Tiger's name before. He's a righteous man. It's a pity... Alas."

Others also echoed, "It seems that this young man is extraordinary. He will definitely be a well-known figure in Guanzhong in the future."

This is how the world is, everyone can say good things.

As long as there is no conflict of interest involved, most people will compliment each other.

But a young man squatting on the ground in the distance sneered, "Tsk tsk, Li Hu's son, coming out to venture into the underworld so early, your hair hasn't even fully grown yet, has it?"

"The world is full of storms, don't hurt your back..."

(End of this chapter)