Under the fist

Chapter 68 I can give you one word
……

"What money? Didn't you say you wouldn't get paid if it didn't sell?"

"It's free, but you two are still doing this. You've been here for seven or eight days and haven't sold a single thing. The thing is, you should at least give other people some space. You're always the first ones here, taking up all the good spots... What, aren't you satisfied with just taking advantage?"

……

As soon as Lian Youming stepped out of the courtyard, he saw his aunt's two simple-minded boys arguing with people from the black market. After listening to their conversation, he couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.

He was too lazy to wear a mask anymore, so he moved over to the two people's stall and slowly asked, "How much are these things?"

The two brothers were still grumbling as they packed their things, but when they heard someone ask the price, they looked up excitedly. But when they saw it was Lian Youming, they trembled and stammered, "No... I won't sell it."

"Are you two out of your minds? Someone finally asked about the price, and you two are just not selling?"

The people on the black market were also dumbfounded.

The two brothers didn't say a word, kept their heads down, covered their faces, and ran out like thieves, carrying their bags.

Lian Youming strode after them, grabbing one of them by the back of the neck with each hand, and said with a half-smile, "You two have pretty good eyesight. My mom didn't even recognize me when I got back, but you two can tell who I am at a glance."

The two brothers rolled their eyes, shrank their necks, and spoke one after the other.

"Brother, you've mistaken me for someone else. We don't know you."

"Yeah, you... Brother, please don't tell Mom, otherwise if she finds out we're dealing in stuff on the black market, she'll definitely kill us."

Lian Youming wanted to say something more, but when he got closer and took a sniff, his face turned green.

"How long has it been since you two took a shower?"

The two brothers removed their face masks, revealing two dark, rough faces with mustaches growing on their lips.

These are his three aunt's two children; the older one is named Lu Dazhuang, and the younger one is named Lu Xiaozhuang.

Xiao Zhuang has small eyes and is a little short. "We lived under a bridge with a few beggars for a week. My brother insisted that if we sold these things, we could get married. He dragged me here every day to wait for him. I haven't had a full meal for days."

Da Zhuang, indignant, shouted, "Nonsense! You ate all the rations I brought!"

Lian Youming asked the two again where they had gotten these things from.

Dazhuang, carrying a cloth bag, said dejectedly, "A while ago, when I was hiking in the Qinling Mountains, we encountered a landslide, and somehow a bunch of bottles and jars came out of nowhere."

Seeing that the two were listless from hunger and smelled bad, Lian Youming asked again, "Does my third aunt know about this?"

Da Zhuang shook his head. "I don't know. I told her she was out to work, and that she'd be provided with food and lodging."

Lian Youming sighed helplessly, "Let's go to my house first."

Dazhuang seemed to still be thinking about getting married, and couldn't help but ask, "What about all these things?"

Lian Youming glanced at it and found it was all a pile of broken bottles and jars. He pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go back and ask around for you, and get an estimate so you have a better idea of ​​what it's worth."

But remembering that he had promised to buy some things for the two younger children at home, he instructed them, "You two go ahead first. I'm going to buy some things. Don't try to run away, or I'll tell Auntie when I get back."

After the two brothers readily agreed and walked away, Lian Youming turned back and headed towards the small courtyard at the end of the black market.

courtyard.

Song Xiehu breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken, but then he smiled, "Little Wu, we've met some good people today."

His brother-in-law was still confused and asked, "Brother-in-law, what do you mean by that?"

Song Xiehu sat back in the recliner, wanting to drink some tea to soothe his throat, but after pouring for a while, he realized that he had already finished the tea. He could only purse his lips and say, "That person sent me to deliver a message in order to save our lives. Otherwise, our future might not be easy... Sigh, I guess I should find a proper job."

He felt like he had just escaped death; Lian Youming's punch was terrifying.

Just then, Lian Youming turned back, and her face immediately turned pale. "What's wrong? Are you having second thoughts?"

Lian Youming asked curiously, "Do you accept gold here?"

Song Xiehu was stunned for a while before he finally said, "Take it. How heavy is it?"

Lian Youming thought for a moment, "Two large yellow croakers."

After pondering for a moment, Song Xiehu said in a deep voice, "I can buy one. The price of gold on the black market is about thirty-five yuan per gram right now, and I can give you thirty-eight yuan."

"Okay, I'll come find you again tomorrow."

After asking his questions, Lian Youming left thoughtfully. His two large yellow croakers weighed over 300 grams each, worth about 12,000 yuan, enough to solve many problems. The details are unnecessary to elaborate on. After leaving the black market, Lian Youming went to the Jiefang Department Store, buying things his younger sister and brother wanted: malted milk powder, Qin Terracotta Warrior milk powder, White Rabbit milk candy, a couple of new clothes for himself, and finally, a large piece of meat. His money was almost gone.

By the time I got home, most of the day had already passed.

Dazhuang and Xiaozhuang were dozing in the sun, while Lian Shuang and Lian Lei sat anxiously at the courtyard gate, waiting for him to return.

After settling the four men in, Lian Youming went back to the house to get bath tickets for the two brothers. While the two went to the bathhouse, he slipped into the kitchen, cooked a pot of noodles, and stir-fried half a basin of meat sauce.

"Don't just eat the candy, eat the noodles first, or I won't buy them for you two next time."

After yelling at the two children, Lian Youming picked up a bowl of noodles and carried the two brothers' tattered cloth bags into the depths of the alley.

The ragpicker was sitting in the doorway basking in the sun when he smelled the delicious aroma. He chuckled and said, "You cooked yourself, kid."

The old man looked at the tattered bag in the boy's hand again. "What good stuff did you dig up in Zhongnan Mountain?"

"I couldn't go, something came up."

Lian Youming took out the bottles and jars and gave a brief account of what had happened that day.

Upon hearing this, the junk collector looked around and then shook his head, saying, "It's all trash. I guess it's just some old graves in the mountains that have been washed away. There's nothing of value in it."

Lian Youming thought for a moment, then, without asking any questions, recited: "This stick originated from Baonan Mountain, and if it falls into the hands of the Hong family, it will be used to beat adulterers..."

Slurping his noodles, the ragpicker casually added, "Three feet and six inches is probably unchangeable, four pounds and eight ounces is nothing to worry about."

Lian Youming asked curiously, "What is this?"

The ragged king said: "This is a poem by the 'Brotherhood' of the Sichuan and Shaanxi regions."

Lian Youming clicked his tongue in amazement, "You really know a lot."

The ragpicker glanced at him sideways and said mockingly, "What, you want to learn? There's a lot to learn here. But what they're reciting is all lowbrow. I'll teach you a poem, and I guarantee that in the future, whenever you encounter someone who dares to use the three religions' slang to determine seniority, they'll tremble before you."

Lian Youming became somewhat interested. "The Three Teachings? Which three teachings?"

The ragpicker said softly, "Red flowers, green leaves, and white lotus roots, the three religions were originally one family. The three religions refer to the Hongmen, the Green Gang, and the White Lotus Sect, which are also known as the Gelaohui, the Paoge, and even the Tianli Sect. All the well-known Jianghu forces in the past had some inextricable relationship with the three religions."

"White Lotus Sect?"

Lian Youming raised his thick eyebrows and said, "Then teach me a song so I can show it off in the future."

After exchanging only a few words, the ragpicker had already finished a bowl of noodles in no time. Wiping his mouth, a rare smile appeared on his face as he said in a nonchalant tone, "Alright, in the old days, to become an apprentice, you had to choose an auspicious day, present a letter of invitation, serve tea and water, and perform the three bows and nine kowtows. But times have changed. I don't need you to perform the kneeling ceremony. Just call me 'Old Master' from now on and serve me a cup of tea, and I'll give you a single word."

Lian Youming became even more curious, for this old man had lived in this place since he was born.

But the other party's words these days have truly changed his impression of them over the past ten years.

Lian Youming's mind raced. Could the other party also be a hidden master?

But seeing the old man's limp, his thoughts temporarily subsided, and he asked curiously, "What word?"

The junk collector met the boy's eyes and smiled meaningfully, "I can give you a word: 'understanding'."

Lian Youming was stunned for a moment, "What? Bamboo tiles? You want to play mahjong?"

The ragpicker seemed to be used to the boy's carefree nature. He just smiled when he heard this, and then said slowly, "This character is a generational name. It is connected to the character 'Da' above and 'Wu' below. If you get this character, even the leaders of the three religions might have to be half a head lower than you in terms of generation."

Lian Youming's heart skipped a beat; the thoughts he had just suppressed suddenly resurfaced.

Could this old man really be some kind of master?

But how can a wise person live such a miserable life?

The junk collector, however, maintained his nonchalant tone, "Kid, you only get one chance. Think it over carefully. If you miss it, I'll never mention it again. Anyway, this thing sounds impressive, but it's completely useless. I'm only saying all this today because I'm in the mood and it's on my mind. Besides, this word shouldn't even exist these days. It all depends on fate and destiny; its rise and fall are just a thought away."

Lian Youming did not immediately agree, but tentatively asked, "Then, in terms of seniority, what should those members of the White Lotus Sect call me?"

The junk collector grinned, showing his two rows of teeth. "You say one word, and they have to kneel down and listen."

"what."

Lian Youming suddenly noticed that this ragpicker's teeth were actually quite even and close together, seemingly more than the average person's, and quite white.

Seeing that the boy was distracted, the ragpicker lost interest and waved his hand, "Alright, go back. Tell your parents tonight that we'll go to Zhongnan Mountain before dawn tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)