Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Instructor Hong, his face flushed, sat in his chair, tilting his head slightly and glancing sideways at Wu Song.

In that gaze, there was hatred, anger, and a hint of barely concealed fear.

His teeth were grinding together, and the flesh on his cheeks bulged as if he were chewing something hard.

Only one thought kept running through my mind: to knock this blockhead in front of me down with a stick.

Definitely!

But he couldn't beat them.

Really can't beat it.

You have to swallow this anger, whether you like it or not.

"I won't stoop to your level this time!"

Instructor Hong muttered something, his voice low, just loud enough for the people next to him to hear.

After saying that, he lifted his buttocks, the chair leg scraping the ground with a dull thud. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and moved to the other side of Chai Jin's table, far away from Wu Song.

He really didn't want to sit with Wu Song, nor did he want Chai Jin to know Wu Song's true abilities.

Zhang Shan was in high spirits. He picked up his wine cup, turned to Wu Song, and smiled, "Second Brother, how's this wine?"

Wu Song was savoring the fiery aftertaste in his throat when he heard this. He looked up, his eyes filled with genuine admiration: "Good wine. May I ask its name?"

"Hero's Wine!" Zhang Shan slammed his cup on the table and declared loudly, "Only heroes can drink it, and only heroes are willing to drink it!"

He figured it out along the way.

Baijiu (Chinese liquor) is not well-suited to the climate and environment of the Central Plains. Ordinary people cannot afford it, and those who can afford it are not used to the taste.

Instead of struggling locally, it's better to establish a reputation first. Once you have a good reputation, your opportunities will broaden.

Upon hearing this, Wu Song raised his head and exclaimed, "Excellent wine! Excellent name!"

Meanwhile, after sitting in his new seat for a while, Instructor Hong couldn't suppress his curiosity.

He watched as Wu Song drank cup after cup without even frowning, and couldn't help but pick up the wine cup in front of him, bring it to his lips, and carefully pour himself a sip.

"puff--"

The moment the liquor touched his tongue, he felt as if he had been burned, and he jerked his head away, spitting out all the liquor in his mouth.

Luckily, he reacted quickly and turned his face away, otherwise the whole table of food and drinks would have been ruined, and it would have been even more embarrassing if it had been sprayed on someone.

Chai Jin was amused by his appearance and burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost dropped his chopsticks.

"Instructor Hong isn't a good drinker!"

Chai Jin spoke lightly, but when Instructor Hong heard it, his face burned, more intensely than the burning liquor.

hero?

Can't drink the hero's wine?

His face turned pale and then flushed. Suddenly, he stood up, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Chai Jin, and said, "My lord, I am feeling unwell. Please forgive me."

Chai Jin was taken aback, his expression darkened slightly, and he nodded: "Then go back and rest."

Hong Jiao Tou felt as if he had been granted a pardon, turned around and left quickly.

He's not stupid.

After that sip of wine, he started making plans in his mind.

Wu Song has drunk quite a bit. If he gets drunk and starts causing trouble, won't I get another beating?

Rather than getting beaten up sooner or later, it's better to slip away now.

It's better to lose face than to lose a piece of your body.

As soon as Instructor Hong left, the atmosphere at the table immediately relaxed considerably.

As darkness fell outside the window, the farmhands lit candles, their warm orange glow illuminating everyone's faces.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone took turns toasting each other, and the baijiu (Chinese liquor) didn't seem so hard to swallow anymore.

After a few drinks, everyone's faces flushed, and their speech became somewhat incoherent.

This feeling comes much faster and more intensely than drinking ordinary rice wine.

Chai Jin's face turned as red as a pig's liver, his eyes were almost glazed over, and he stammered as he leaned closer and asked, "Brother Zhang Shan, can you tell me... tell me how you killed Gao Qiu?"

He'd been holding this in for ages; he'd wanted to ask it ever since they sat down at the table, but he'd been holding it in until now.

Zhang Shan smiled and briefly recounted what had happened, without embellishing or exaggerating, but he emphasized Lin Chong's role in it, stating that it was Lin Chong who fired the shot.

Chai Jin nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with longing.

He's an inexperienced person; how could he possibly understand the danger and the key to understanding this?

He felt a sense of relief and catharsis, and wished he could take up arms and ride off to Tokyo himself.

Wu Song sat to the side, holding a wine cup, listening without moving, his heart pounding.

No wonder Chai Jin personally accompanied them, no wonder everyone in this room has such an air about them. It turns out that these are the same people who killed Gao Qiu in the capital city of Dongjing and committed a terrible crime, yet they can still sit here drinking with such swagger.

Wu Song recalled that when he was in Qinghe County, he had only accidentally killed a high-ranking official while drunk, and he was so frightened that he hid and dared not go home.

Looking at the people in front of him, he suddenly realized that his own problems were really nothing.

But then Wu Song thought again, and something didn't seem quite right.

He is not someone who has never experienced anything.

Zhang Shan's words just now were spoken casually, but upon closer examination, the details are somewhat suspicious. In the capital, a place of great importance, how did they escape after killing the Grand Commandant and being searched throughout the city?

The details here are definitely not that simple.

Wu Song picked up his wine cup, stood up, and offered a toast to Zhang Shan, saying sincerely, "Brother Zhang Shan, I toast you. This is the behavior of true heroes."

Zhang Shan smiled, clinked glasses with him, drank it all in one gulp, and casually asked, "Where is Erlang from?"

"To be honest, brother," Wu Song wiped his mouth and said loudly, "I'm from Qinghe County. I killed someone while drunk, which is why I ran away."

Zhang Shan nodded, as if suddenly remembering something, and casually said, "Qinghe County, huh? I passed through there on my way here. There's a pancake vendor there who makes pretty good ones."

Wu Song stood up abruptly.

The chair slid backward with a screeching sound and nearly tipped over.

His eyes widened, and his voice trembled slightly: "What did that person look like? But... but he was short?"

Zhang Shan nodded: "Yes, he's not tall."

He did indeed pass through Qinghe County, and he did indeed buy a few steamed buns from that stall.

The route was planned in advance, and the stall was specifically chosen, all for the sake of Wu Song.

Wu Song's lips trembled slightly, his voice low and trembling: "That's my elder brother... I wonder how he is?"

After he left his hometown, he never received any news from Qinghe County again.

He could just run away and end it all, but his older brother couldn't escape.

Will the privy councilor's family cause trouble for the eldest brother?

Will they arrest him and make him take the blame?

Zhang Shan gently shook his head, his tone softening: "We didn't talk in detail, but judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be doing well. So that's your brother? Why are you two brothers so different in build?"

Wu Song slowly sat back in his chair, his shoulders slumping.

He looked down at his large, calloused hands, his voice lowering: "Our parents passed away early, and my older brother raised me single-handedly. He scrimped and saved, giving me the best food while he himself was often hungry and cold, working himself to exhaustion, which is why he's short..."

At this point, Wu Song's voice choked, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he stopped talking.

Since leaving home, he has been filled with regret.

But he didn't know what to do. Going back would mean certain death, but not going back meant he couldn't let go of his older brother.

Both ends are mountains of knives, both ends are seas of fire.

So he drank every day until he was completely drunk, and when he was drunk, he didn't think about it anymore.

Seeing Wu Song in this state, Zhang Shan felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

He picked up his wine glass and put it down again, saying slowly, "I don't think he has any major problems in his life. If Brother Wu Song doesn't mind, I'll go and see for myself when I get back, and see if there's anything I can do to help."

Wu Song raised his head, his gaze fixed on Zhang Shan's face, and lingered there for a long time.

His heart felt like it was being pulled in two directions by a rope.

The man opposite me dared to kill Gao Qiu; he is a true hero.

But he was also a wanted criminal by the imperial court, a bandit who had fallen into exile.

If I get close to him, I'll never be able to wash my clothes clean again.

But then again, in this world, who can help their own brother?

My eldest brother is timid and doesn't dare to say a word even when he's being bullied on the street.

Before, with me by your side, at least you had someone to back you up.

Now that I've run away, how long can my older brother hold on alone?