The busy peasants felt the heat, so they took off their half-shirts and undershirts, leaving their upper bodies bare and continued working.
"Silly big guy" Xiong Baisha's steps were steady and his upper body muscles were taut. "Tap, step, step" he ran from the sand mining boat to the canal bank without staggering at all. In just five or six breaths, he stood in front of Shao Gengxian, shouting
Like the sound of a gong: "Master, what do you want me to do?"
Shao Gengxian was born as a Taoist priest, so he naturally saw that Xiong Baisha was a practitioner. He instinctively shrank back and said, "Xiong Da, you have never been here to work, so you don't know the rules. Two people must work together to clear the water.
Helping each other is really for the sake of your wealth and life! I am not trying to embezzle your money.
Today is a good day. This young man has just arrived and has no one to work with. If you two work together, the work will be more secure. How about it?"
Xiong Bai glanced at Yang Zhaoxi with a murderous look and sneered: "Is it him? He is as thin as a shaved monkey. How many baskets of sand can he lift? Although I, Xiong Da, am one person, I work hard every day.
, but it is three to four times that of a common man. If I take him with me, it will hinder my ability to make money!"
Shao Gengxian rolled his eyes: "Who told you to show off alone? Our channel dredging requires slow work, meticulous work, and step-by-step progress. It's not about being tall enough and strong enough to defecate well. Besides, another one drowned today, so you are not afraid of getting into the water.
, will there be no return?”
Xiong Baisha's eyes froze, as if he was persuaded by him: "I want to test this boy's strength. If the difference is too far, the daily loss of foot money will be deducted from his money and replenished for me!"
He pointed at a stone and said to Yang Chaoxi, "Pick this up and I'll team up with you!"
Yang Zhaoxi pointed at it and saw that it was a large stone that had just been fished out of the canal. It was estimated to weigh about three hundred kilograms. It was covered with black and greasy mud, and the ropes tied to it had not yet been removed.
Yang Chaoxi chuckled, showing a harmless and honest look: "Xiong Da, are you serious? We hunters in the mountains have nothing to say. We just have strong arms after years of pulling on our backs!"
As he said that, he walked up to the big stone, bent down and stretched his arms, stepped firmly on the lower body, and felt that he had grasped the rope on the big stone firmly. He said "Hey!" and exerted force, and actually lifted the big stone while shaking.
Get up! The civilians and bad guards nearby turned their heads and cheered.
Xiong Baisha smiled, then stepped forward and patted Yang Zhaoxi on the back: "Well done! I, Xiong Da, recognize you as my brother."
Yang Zhaoxi was caught off guard and was slapped on the back by him, causing her body to lose balance. "Boom!" There was a loud sound, and the boulder could no longer be grasped steadily and hit the ground. Even Shao Gengxian's feet felt the ground tremble.
Yang Chaoxi let go of the big stone and jumped four or five feet away. He said with lingering fear: "I'm scared! It won't be worth it if I break my legs and feet." After saying that, he turned to look at Xiong Baisha, "Xiong Da, I'm like this
If you have enough strength in your arms, can you still hit it?"
Xiong Baisha laughed and said: "Hit! That's too good! I wonder what I call my little brother?"
"My surname is He, and I am the ninth eldest in the clan. All my brothers in the mountains call me He Jiulang!" Yang Zhaoxi said happily and carelessly, looking like a heartless fool.
Xiong Baisha sneered in his heart: Boy! You have to be happy when you join forces with me. If it ruins my affairs, don't blame me for killing people and silencing them. But there was a very satisfied expression on his face: "He Jiulang? Drinking man? What is your brother's name?"
The number is quite interesting. Save enough money someday, and my brother will take you to a wine shop for a drink! Haha!"
The initial vigilance disappeared without any wind. Xiong Baisha and Yang Zhaoxi stood shoulder to shoulder, like old friends for many years, and boarded the still busy sand mining ship together to continue the boring and heavy work.
Yang Chaoxi also followed the example of everyone on the boat, taking off all his clothes, robes, turbans, etc., and placing them on the bow of the boat. He only wore a lower garment, so he picked up the bamboo basket and wooden shovel, followed Xiong Baisha, and jumped into the water. .
The water in the Tongyuan Canal is turbid, and the continuous dredging has dyed most of the canal sections ink-colored, filling the air with a fishy stench. Yang Zhaoxi adjusted the air machine and circulated it every day, blocking most of the stinky smell. Wait. When I got into the canal, I stopped my breathing and used the method of Vipassana. The objects within a few feet around me gradually revealed their outlines in my mind.
Yang Chaoxi followed the steps given by Xiong Baisha on the boat. He first dived into the bottom of the canal, pressed the bamboo basket into the mud, and figured out the approximate location. Then he started to push the wooden shovel with both hands, shovel up the mud and sand from the bottom of the canal, and put it into the bamboo basket. , when he feels stuffy, he comes up to the surface, takes a breath, then dives into the water again, puts the mud into the basket, and so on... When the bamboo basket is full, he shakes the rope tied to the handle of the bamboo basket. Two people on the boat The peasants would turn the winch, lift out the sediment in the basket, and dump it into the cabin.
If you encounter stones, the wooden shovel will be of no use. You must lift the stones with your bare hands and put them into the basket. If the stones are larger, you must return to the ship, get a rope, tie the stones up, and let the civilians on the ship carry them away. Use the winch to pull the rocks up...
During the dredging process, farmers would dig up some broken bowls, dishes, basins, pots, or rusty copper and ironware. Some farmers even dug out scattered bones from the ditch, but they couldn't tell them apart. It's not the year or the person who was buried under the water.
Xiong Baisha and Yang Zhaoxi had sufficient strength, cooperation and tacit understanding, and the dredging efficiency was several times faster than that of other ships. As time passed, the four civilians who were partnering with the two on the ship were overwhelmed and began to scream. Ku Lai kept telling the two of them to move slower and give everyone more room to breathe.
Captain Meng Qu, who was riding a horse and patrolling back and forth in this section of the channel, saw all this scene and couldn't help but marveled. Although he guessed that the two of them must have some agenda, they were rare experts at clearing the water. , which makes people feel like “overkill”!
And speaking of having some plans, how many of the people in the nearby market want to get rich overnight, and how many people sneak in to try their luck? As long as everyone does not get the stolen goods, Meng Quchang will just turn a blind eye and muddle along. .
Moreover, many of his subordinates, including unscrupulous guards, were involved in this, making it impossible to guard against it. As a junior official in the Water Supervision and Canal Department, he was much respected by his subordinates and had already benefited from the job of dredging the river. Eating the meat yourself and leaving a sip of soup for the people below is the way to be an official and make everyone happy.
The sun's shadow moved westward, and it was Shenshi. The people who had been busy for most of the day stopped one after another, docked the vacated sand mining boat, tied it up, and returned to the bank of the canal. At this time, a bad guard came over with rice and porridge. They swarmed up to eat a bowl of hot porridge first. After being scolded by the bad guards with whips and wooden sticks, they became more behaved and began to line up in a long line and take turns eating porridge.
Xiong Baisha looked at Yang Chaoxi, whose face was also full of mud, and couldn't help but smile: "Brother He, your water quality is much better! When I dive deep, I have to come up for breath after at most fifty breaths, but you can actually persist down there. A hundred breaths is really impressive! But from my point of view, your breath-holding method seems to come from Taoism, right?"
Yang Chaoxi was slightly shocked: This martial arts practitioner is indeed not so easy to deceive. If he had known it, he would have taken a few more breaths. On the face of it, he pretended to be embarrassed and scratched his head: "My father knows the old master of Cuiyunfeng.
I learned some techniques of holding one's breath and breathing in and out, so he taught it to me. I often caught fish in the pool when I was young, so I developed this water nature, and it comes in handy now."
Xiong Baisha nodded, no doubt that he was there. He patted Yang Chaoxi on the shoulder and said with a smile: "You have a body like that of an Orion. It's a pity that you don't practice martial arts! If you are willing to accept me as your master, I, Xiong Dabao, can master all the boxing and kicking skills."
pass it to you."
Yang Zhaoxi pretended to be surprised and said: "Brother Xiong...Brother! You know how to box and kick? You came to work as a coolie, but you are really overqualified." After saying that, he said in frustration, "My father also knows how to box and kick. But my mother said, I learned it."
You have to hit people with fists and kicks. If you can't beat them, you will be beaten. If you beat them again and again, you will die... so I don't allow dad to teach me fists and kicks..."
"Haha! Your mother is right! These fists and kicks are not very useful. They are not as fast as a bow or a crossbow, and they are not as strong as a sword or a gun. They just weaken the body." Xiong Baisha smiled calmly and was not entangled in Yang Chaoxi's attitude. On the contrary, his heart was
I feel more at ease: With such a silly boy by my side, my career in "careful craftsmanship" may not be so boring in the future.
The two quickly lined up in front of the porridge bucket and took the bowl of porridge from the bad guard. They didn't care about the hot porridge scalding their mouths. After a few "snorings", the porridge fell into their stomachs. When they were about to ask for another bowl, they saw
The bad guard raised his wooden spoon and hit him head-on: "Put the bowl down and wait in line behind you!"
The two of them hid quickly, and the evil wooden spoon fell into the air. After cursing for a few times, they ignored them. After a few rounds, the porridge bucket quickly reached the bottom. The two of them each ate five bowls of hot porridge, and they were still unsatisfied.
Xiong Baisha took Yang Zhaoxi to the tent where the labor contract was signed at noon. He saw Chief Meng Qu sitting under the tent with several large sums of money piled on the small case in front of him.
Chief Meng Qu, who was guarded by a group of unscrupulous guards, watched him unpack the large sums of money one by one, and distribute the large sums of money to the people who came over according to an account book. After each person was given out, a small circle was placed under that person's name. Yang Zhaoxi looked at it
In my eyes, I have a sense of déjà vu like King Yama’s circle in the book of life and death.
When there were two people in line, Meng Quchang raised his head and laughed loudly and said: "Xiong Da and He Jiulang worked particularly hard today. They cleared out five boatloads of sediment in total, which was far more than the others. I will make a special case.
, each person will be charged three hundred dollars! As a reward."
Yang Chaoxi and Xiong Baisha hurriedly bowed to express their thanks. Each received a heavy three hundred dollars. Under the envious eyes of all the people, they leisurely walked out of the curtain and walked towards the cross street in the outer square of the channel. They were ready to find a place.
Restaurants to refill the empty stomach.
However, after only walking a hundred steps or so, he was blocked by two bad guards. One of them was Shao Gengxian, who said with a smile: "Brother He, if I hadn't arranged for Xiong Da to team up with you, you wouldn't have been able to get it so easily.
Three hundred dollars. So, we agreed at noon..."
Yang Zhaoxi slapped his head and pretended to be forgetful: "Thank you, sir! I keep my word. I will only keep one hundred of these three hundred coins, and the rest will be given to the officer as a token of gratitude."
With that said, Yang Chaoxi counted out a hundred coins from the three hundred coins and put them in his pocket, and put the rest in Shao Gengxian's hands. Just as he was about to leave, another bad guard stopped him with a gloomy face.
Yang Zhaoxi had long recognized this person as Shao Gengxian's senior brother Shen Jingbin, but now he pretended to be puzzled: "Master, do you have something to tell me?"
Shen Jingbin seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "Brother Shao and I are 'Meng Bu Le Jiao, Jiao Bu Li Meng'. We share blessings and suffer hardships together. Now that you have thanked me, you should treat everyone equally. Otherwise, wouldn't you sincerely call me brother?"
There is a rift between the two of us, and we are driving a wedge between the two of us as brothers?"
Yang Chaoxi had no choice but to take out the remaining 100 yuan, pretending to think about it and then said with a smile: "What this official said makes sense! I didn't think it through, I forgive you, I forgive you!"
Xiong Baisha suppressed the anger in his heart and looked at Shen Jingbin and Shen Jingbin coldly. It was not that he wanted to stand up for Yang Chaoxi, but he just felt that he was so weak and easy to bully, and he was tied to him. As time went by, he would inevitably attract more troubles.
What a bad blackmail.
Some people may even think that he is also a big guy who is easy to bully, and he will definitely come and cause trouble. He doesn't mind killing one or two, but in that case, the task of "careful work" will not be completed.
Thinking of myself coming here alone to be a "specialist", my heart became even more angry: If it weren't for Lin Jieyuan, who was supposed to be quartered, he wouldn't have fallen into the trap and been forced to come here by a simple provocation.
Explore the whereabouts of the "Rushui Sword Monument" here.
Xiong Baisha's anger boiled, but within a few breaths, the malice in his heart seemed to be real. Shen Jingbin noticed it: "What are you looking at!"
After Shen Jingbin finished speaking, he seemed to think that the intimidation was not enough, so he made another "clang" sound, pulled out the sword from his waist, and glared back at Xiong Baishao in a mighty manner.
"Bang! Wow -" Two crisp sounds attracted everyone's attention, and then turned to the place where the sound of water was heard. Yang Zhaoxi only felt a moment of surprise, and Shen Jingbin disappeared on the spot. After a breath, he fell into Tongyuan.
There was a huge splash of water in the canal.
Looking closer, I saw Shen Jingbin's hands sticking out of the water, floating up and down with Fu Tou. He seemed to want to call for help, but the muddy water poured into his mouth and nose, making him unable to make a sound.
"What are you doing standing still? Go down and save people!" Meng Quzhang made a quick decision and kicked the two civilians in front of him.
The two civilians got up in a hurry, not daring to look at the large sum of money on the case. They turned around and ran towards the channel, one behind the other, and jumped down.
After a few breaths, Shen Jingbin was dragged ashore. Black water kept coughing out from his mouth, occasionally mixed with vomit, and he couldn't say a word for a long time.
Meng Quchang frowned slightly, as if he had guessed what was going on. He turned his head in disgust and waved to Shao Gengxian: "Come here, I have something to ask you!"
Shao Gengxian did not dare to disobey, so he hurried forward and told Chief Meng Qu what had happened. The emphasis was on how Xiong Da was arrogant and provocative, which made Brother Shen Jingbin angry and take action. However, Xiong Da, who had already planned it, slapped him
Photographed into the channel.
After listening to it, Meng Quchang sneered and said: "The two of them have got a lot of money, so they must be in a happy mood. The first thing is to have a drink to celebrate. How can I have free time to argue with you two? I'm afraid you two are jealous.
He ran up to ask for 600 yuan, which angered the big bear."
Shao Gengxian was stunned: "How did you know...Mr. Meng! We knew we were wrong. It's just that the two of them had no laws and openly bumped into Shangguan, but they are not without fault..."
Chief Meng Qu pondered: "I will deal with them in the future. It's just that you and Shen Jingbin only care about enriching your own pockets and don't care about the overall situation. Go back to where you came from before!"
Shao Gengxian wanted to argue a few more words, but Commander Meng Qu waved his hand, and several bad guards came over and dragged Shao Gengxian and Shen Jingbin, who had already recovered, out together.
After Xiong Baisha and Yang Zhaoxi saw that the situation had calmed down, they were about to leave again. But they heard a cold voice from behind: "You two made a move, and you just want to leave?"