Chapter 1 The Grace of a Meal
Hangzhou is a big city with a large population, but it is not prosperous. There is a large lake outside the city www.biquge.info the pen fun pavilion, which is named West Lake because it is in the west of Hangzhou. The West Lake is rich in aquatic products, especially the fish in the river are delicious and famous.
At this time, a man was sitting by the West Lake fishing.
The man had long, unadorned hair, a cold and handsome appearance, a wide cloth robe casually draped over his tall and straight figure, and a wine gourd hanging from his waist as if it had never been scrubbed.
The seemingly unruly man had a long sword beside him that did not match his own, and although the sword was black and unpretentious, the sword was spotlessly wiped from the hilt to the scabbard, in stark contrast to the sloppy man.
The man's name was Xie Qianyan, and he sat by the West Lake from morning to noon, but he didn't catch half a fish. Xie Qianyan's stomach was already drumming at this time, he looked at a mother-in-law who was washing clothes by the lake not far away, there were only a few unwashed pieces, and it seemed that he was about to finish work and go home to cook, thinking of the meal, he couldn't help but sigh at the sky:
"Bitter ......"
"Didn't catch a fish?"
A deep voice asked behind Xie Qianyan, which really startled him, and when he looked back, a burly man was staring at him intently.
I saw that this man had neat short hair, a resolute face with a bit of vicissitudes, a chin covered with stubble, a burly figure wearing a loose T-shirt with a hem covering his buttocks, and a blood-red machete behind his back.
"Brother, you are ......"
"Like you, hungry people. The burly man sat next to Xie Qianyan: "My name is Long Kui, and when the money runs out, I have no money to eat, so I want to go out of the city and catch a few fish in the lake to satisfy my hunger." I happen to see you fishing, and I want to ask you for a few fish to eat, who would think that you stupid fool can't catch a single fish...... Where did you get this rod from?"
The fishing rod in Xie Qianyan's hand is no different from a branch on the side of the road, maybe it's a branch.
"The garbage heap in the east of the city, the rich people living in the east of the city, there are many good treasures in the garbage heap. Xie Qianyan didn't seem to care about Long Kui calling him stupid when they first met: "I'm the same as you, I don't have money to eat, and you're not a local when you listen to the accent, right?"
"Yes, I just arrived in Hangzhou today. Long Kui said.
"Oh, I arrived yesterday. Xie Qianyan smiled helplessly: "A penny is difficult to beat a hero...... Since the third world war, these days have become more and more difficult. ”
The three wars in Xie Qianyan's mouth are the earth-shattering third world war ten years ago. The scale of World War III is unprecedented, and all countries in the world have been spared, all of them have been affected, just because the main weapon of World War III is the most terrifying nuclear weapon in the history of mankind. In the post-World War III world, the concept of a state no longer exists, and the powerful military forces of various countries have fought each other to the death, and governments have collapsed. Because of the baptism of nuclear weapons, most of human civilization has been destroyed. However, humanity did not perish because of this, and a few people still survived, living in a world ruled by violence.
After World War III, the Asian continent was completely divided, and the warlords divided all the land, and they imposed a dictatorship on their jurisdictions with mutated mercenaries who had superpowers due to genetic mutations caused by nuclear radiation. The warlords have also been fighting for territory for years, and the lives of the people are miserable.
“...... It's sad. Long Kui seemed to think of something, and his eyes dimmed a lot: "It's difficult to fill your stomach." ”
"You're both outsiders. ”
Long Kui and Xie Qianyan turned their heads in unison to see that it was the mother-in-law who was still washing clothes by the lake not far away just now.
The mother-in-law has gray hair, her face is full of wrinkles, her body is thin, her clothes are ragged, she is carrying a basket of freshly washed clothes in her right hand, and her left hand is constantly beating on her waist, which looks sad.
"You two are new to the city, so why don't you come to my house for a light meal. The mother-in-law said in an old voice, a kind smile on her face.
Long Xie and the others glanced at each other, although they couldn't bear it, but they were really hungry, so they both nodded and agreed.
When the mother-in-law saw that they agreed, she happily let them follow her to the house for dinner.
Xie Qianyan is a person who can do things, and hurriedly took the basket full of clothes from her mother-in-law's hand, and said witty words with a thousand thanks, and the mother-in-law who was amused along the way was happy. Long Kui was silent along the way, thinking about his own thoughts.
After a while, the group came to the mother-in-law's residence, a thatched hut outside the city.
"Please come in, the family is poor, don't dislike the two of you. The mother-in-law smiled and welcomed Long Kui and Xie Qianyan into the house, only to see that there was nothing in the house except a stove, a table, a few stools, and a bed.
"Come, please sit down, it's been a long time since I've had a guest at home, you two drink some water first, and I'll cook for you." The mother-in-law asked Long Kui and Xie Qianyan to come into the house and sit down, poured them two cups of hot water in a warm pot, and went to the stove to cook.
"Mother-in-law's family is really poor enough...... Xie Qianyan took a sip of hot water to relieve the hunger in his stomach, and whispered to Long Kui: "You said that the two of us will not eat all her family's rations." ”
"That's what she invited us to eat, no wonder others. Long Kui drank the hot water in the cup in one gulp, and he didn't seem to feel the temperature of the water.
“...... Hehe, mother-in-law, I'll help you cook. Xie Qianyan glared at Long Kui, and went to help her mother-in-law.
Long Kui snorted, stopped talking, and sat back to eat.
After a while, the rice will be ready, cabbage tofu, cucumber and eggplant, and the staple food is steamed buns.
"Eat, eat more. The mother-in-law said with a smile.
"Mother-in-law, then we're welcome, you've been busy for a long time, you can eat more. Xie Qianyan pretended to be polite, and then devoured it. And Long Kui didn't say a word, and when he saw that the food was on the table, he started eating directly.
The mother-in-law looked at the two people who were eating Haisai kindly, and the smile on her face couldn't be stopped.
In the blink of an eye, the food on the table was stuffed into the belly of the two of them.
"Are you two full? That's all the food rations at home, if you don't have enough to eat, you can bear with them. The mother-in-law said slightly apologetically.
"Mother-in-law, what are you talking about? It is already a great favor for you to take us in to your house for dinner, and we are still human beings if we pick and choose? Xie Qianyan swore and said.
"No need, you can come and accompany my old woman is already the best reward for me. The mother-in-law wiped away her tears as she spoke: "My wife went early, and she has no children or daughters, and she usually makes ends meet by washing clothes for the rich people in the east of the city. People are the most lonely when they are old, and it is rare for someone to eat with me today, and I am happy to be a wife. ”
"Old woman, don't cry and cry, it's really a disappointment. Long Kui frowned and said: "I, Long Kui, never owe favors to people, if you invite me to dinner today, I will send you a great fortune." Let me ask you, what is there to make money in Hangzhou? ”
Xie Qianyan wanted to reprimand Long Kui for his disrespectful words, but when he heard him mention making money, he couldn't help but take his words back.
"After the Third World War, there is nothing else to do except be a mercenary to fight for the warlords. The rich people in the east of the city have people who work as mercenaries, and they come to the money quickly, but they live the days of licking blood from the knife edge, and they may be in a different place one day, and their wives will be separated. Recently, the lord of the city has been recruiting troops in the east of the city, and it is said that he will attack Shaocheng tomorrow. Young man, I see that you are armed with a weapon, and you must be a brave and ruthless person. I advise you, life is more important than money, it is too dangerous to be a mercenary, you have a life to earn, you don't have a life to spend, you can't get it. The mother-in-law said to Long Kui earnestly.
"Leave that alone, in a few days, you can move to the city. Long Kui stood up and picked up his blood-red machete: "Farewell." ”
After that, he ignored Xie Qianyan on the side, and strode out.
"Long Kui, you wait, I'll go with you. Seeing that Long Kui was gone, Xie Qianyan hurriedly said goodbye to his mother-in-law, grabbed the long sword on the table, and trotted out after him.
When the mother-in-law saw that the two insisted on becoming mercenaries, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Long Kui, you have good foot strength. Xie Qianyan finally caught up with Long Kui, tired and panting: "I see that you are dressed like a good stubble." ”
Long Kui ignored it and continued to stride towards Hangcheng.
"I talk to you, do you hear it. Xie Qianyan shouted loudly in Long Kui's ear: "Eighty percent of you used to be a mercenary. ”
Long Kui was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and said, "I didn't want to be a mercenary again, but I never owe favors to anyone, so I had to make an exception this time." I'm afraid that this will make an exception, and it will be difficult to stop it in the future. ”
"Haha, I knew that. Xie Qianyan patted Long Kui's shoulder excitedly: "I won't tell you, I also worked as a mercenary a long time ago, and then I worked for a long time and got tired, so I wandered the world." It's also fateful for our brothers to see each other today, why don't we work together to make another big vote, one to repay my mother-in-law's kindness, and the other to earn some entanglement, how about it?"
Long Kui pouted noncommittally: "First of all, you have to have a life to survive." Hangzhou has arrived, let's enter the city. ”
Although Hangzhou is big, it is not prosperous, take the west of the city where Long Kui and Xie Qianyan walked for about three hours to cross, there are few street vendors, and the pedestrians on the road are also dressed in tatters, some of them are no different from beggars, the two of them can't help frowning, the city is so poor, the city lord still has to fight, I really don't know what he is fighting.
In the east of the city, the situation did not improve much. Most of the buildings are rows of low tiled houses, and there are a lot more vendors, but they sell some goods made before World War III, and the things of ten years ago can barely be used. The inhabitants of the eastern part of the city look like the families of mercenaries dressed in simple clothes, but they are far from the level of the rich. Given the economic situation in Hangzhou, both of them doubted whether the city lord could afford to pay the commission.
At this time, it was already evening, and the two saw that the center of the east of the city was still crowded, presumably where the troops were recruited, so they walked to the center together.
"Is there anyone else who wants to fight for me and for Hangcheng!" On a high platform in the center of the east of the city, the city lord Liu Han is making the final pre-war mobilization, today he has recruited more than a thousand mercenaries, plus the nine thousand mercenaries in his hands, he already has an army of 10,000. Although Liu Han did not have a mutated mercenary with superpowers, he believed that his army could overwhelm the opponent with its numerical superiority.
"It's not that I, Liu, like to fight, it's really that his surname is too deceitful!" Liu Han said impassionedly: "The surname Xiang relied on a few broken guns in his hand, and tried in vain to ride on my head to make a fortune, wanting me Liu Han to be his follower, and wanting us to make our huge Hangzhou a subsidiary of his small Shaocheng, this is simply a fool's dream, deceiving me No one in Hangzhou! He Xiang Chu doesn't weigh ......."
"Let's join in," Long Kui and Xie Qianyan walked through the bustling crowd, pushed away the mercenaries who were protecting Liu Han in the audience, and stood on the high platform: "What price can you pay." ”
Liu Han, who suddenly broke into the stage, took three steps back, but after all, he was also a warlord who had seen the world, so he immediately came back to his senses and raised his hand to signal the mercenaries who wanted to step forward to escort him not to act rashly. Liu Han carefully looked at the two uninvited guests in front of him, and found that the weapons of these two people were absolutely extraordinary, and in this world, the only people who could hold such a divine weapon without being robbed and killed were those truly powerful mutants...... It is better to believe that it is there than to believe that it is not.
"Two heroes, if you can help me occupy Shaocheng and destroy Xiang Chu's horseman, I will give you 1,000 gold coins each!"
After World War III, paper money became invalid, and gold became hard currency again.
"Okay, that's a deal. Xie Qianyan grinned, and Long Kui nodded slightly.