Without the Internet, TV and mobile phones, Zhao Lin developed the habit of going to bed early and getting up early.

The next morning, I got up in the dark, washed up quickly, and took two chaff cakes from the kitchen and went out.

When he came to the docks, it was just dawn, and the waffles were standing on the shore waiting to pick up the work.

Zhao Lin looked around in the crowd, but didn't see Ma Jiu's figure, and asked someone to inquire before he knew that Ma Jiu was out of work today.

Carrying bags at the dock is a great physical exertion, and it is unbearable to work every day, and most people do three days off or four days off.

Zhao Lin found the overseer and told him what was going on, and the overseer immediately shouted to the crowd: "Zhou Paotou, you take him today!" ”

"Cheng, I'm panicking about working alone."

A lazy voice sounded, and out of the crowd came a man in his thirties, red-faced, medium-sized, and with a very thick skeleton.

This person was originally handsome, but the left side of his face was scratched by something, there was a huge scar, his eyes were half-open and half-closed, and his face was hideous.

Zhao Lin only glanced at it and then looked away, and took the initiative to greet: "Brother Pao is good." ”

"Brother Zhao."

Zhou Paotou patted Zhao Lin's arm enthusiastically, "I saw you yesterday, the young man has strength!" ”

"Trouble Brother Pao to take care of me."

The two talked a few words and learned that the other party was also a villager from Baitou Mountain, but Zhou Paotou was in Baiqiao Village and Zhao Lin was in Sanjia Village, and the two villages were relatively far away.

Zhou Paotou is a hunter in the mountains, he has nothing to do in winter, he temporarily comes to the dock to find work, and goes back to his old business after the beginning of spring.

The cannon head is the meaning of the hunter leader, familiar with tracking wild beasts, proficient in trapping under the trap, nesting and pulling nets and other hunting methods, is a master who can lead people to hunt.

Zhou Paotou is very talkative, talking about the local cultural style, and the experience of hunting in the past.

Zhao Lin also happened to want to know more about the world, so he took the initiative to talk to him.

By the end of the morning, the two had become very acquainted.

"Brother Zhao, how do you choke on steamed buns? Can you eat enough? ”

When the time came to noon, the two took advantage of the break to sit on the river embankment and eat.

Zhao Lin finished eating the two cakes he brought in the morning on the way, and bought four steamed buns with only one penny.

Eating steamed buns dry doesn't taste very good, but fortunately, it is big, the materials are sufficient, and you can't grab it with one hand, and it's barely enough to fill your stomach.

Unlike the steamed buns in the previous life, which shrank seriously, they can be pinched into a table tennis ball.

Zhou Paotou brought two flatbreads with meat and vegetables, and said while eating: "Do our business, you can't have oil and water in your stomach, otherwise your body and bones won't be able to stand up." ”

"You have the strength, and you don't earn less than any other, so you don't feel sorry for this money, right?"

Zhao Linxin said that of course he knew, didn't he have made money yet?

"I went out in a hurry today, and I forgot to bring the meal prepared by my mother, and I only had a penny on me. It's okay, I'll eat back in the evening. ”

Zhou Paotou took out a piece of cooked bacon from his arms, cut off a piece with a knife, and handed it to Zhao Lin.

"We don't know what's going on at home, but you can't save on food, otherwise you'll be empty, and it's hard to make up for it!"

Zhao Lin took it and said gratefully: "Thank you, Brother Pao." ”

I took a bite of it, and it was full of salty aroma, and there was a smell of smoked pine branches.

He chewed slowly, feeling indescribably delicious.

"Get out of the way...... Don't fucking have long eyes. ”

The two were eating, and a group of men came on a rampage on the road, all dressed in black, carrying whistle sticks, and embroidered with two crossed axes on their chests.

The leader was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe with satin boots on his feet, with a touch of arrogance on the corner of his mouth.

The vendors avoided it.

"Flower Hall Master, I haven't seen you for more than a month, and your complexion is better than before."

Bang Ye greeted him, nodded and said authentically.

Zhao Lin said curiously: "Where did these people come from, Bang Ye is so polite?" ”

Zhou Paotou pouted and said, "The Tiger Head Gang." ”

"Tiger Head Gang?"

Zhao Lin looked at it carefully and wondered: "Why is there an axe embroidered on the chest, shouldn't the tiger head be embroidered to meet the occasion?" ”

Zhou Paotou sneered, "Their gang leader is a foreigner, the accent is very strange, Hu Fu is not distinguished, and he named his gang the Axe Gang, but others heard it as the Tiger Head Gang, and it spread." ”

Bang Ye gave the chair to the man in brocade to sit on, served tea and water on the side, and took out a few silver tickets from his arms and presented them.

Zhao Lin understood that this was paying protection money, and couldn't help asking: "Brother Pao, are there many people in the Tiger Head Gang?" Very powerful? ”

"It's okay, one or two hundred."

"That's not more than us, why is Bang Ye like a minion."

Zhou Paotou smiled slightly, "Brother, don't you know, the strength is not to see how many people there are, but to see whose fists are big and hard!" ”

"The leader of the Tiger Head Gang is a triple master of the power realm, and Bang Ye has only practiced boxing and kicking for a few days, and ten tied together is not enough for others to fight."

Triple Force?

Zhao Lin silently remembered it in his heart, and then asked, "Then the Tiger Head Gang is very powerful in our Qinghe County, right?" ”

Zhou Paotou shook his head, "That's not possible, the martial artists of the power realm can only show off their power in front of our little people, compared with the qi realm masters in the county government and the sect, they are just small shrimps." ”

Force, Gas......

Zhao Lin thought for a moment, thinking that this was really a martial arts world, and the status of martial artists was very high.

I just don't know how powerful a martial arts powerhouse is.

Is it to open the stele and crack the stone, tear the tiger and leopard alive, or fly away from the sky and the earth, split the mountain and cut off the stream?

As soon as the people of the Tiger Head Gang left, Bangye's waist hardened again, and his confident expression returned to his face.

In the afternoon, the dock was busy again, and Zhao Lin gave Zhou Paotou a hand from time to time, which was a small reward.

On the way to delivery, Zhao Lin saw a bookstore on the street, so he said hello to Zhou Paotou and walked in.

Reading books is the fastest way to learn about the world, especially history books.

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment when he saw two Lifu wearing white shoulders coming in, and hurriedly walked out of the counter.

He didn't speak, but followed the whole process, apparently for fear that they would steal the book or cause sabotage.

Zhao Lin didn't care, picked a book and asked, "How much is this "History of the North and South"? ”

"Eighty Wen."

"What about this "Dayue Founding Record"?"

"One hundred and forty wen."

Zhao Lin was secretly speechless, thinking that he was poor and rich, what kind of poor person could afford such an expensive book?

Or do different classes have different understandings of poverty?

One hundred and forty wen, enough to buy half a pig!

……

A day passed, and when the work was finished and settled, Zhao Lin fell into his hand with twenty-five yuan, which was the highest among all Lifu.

This can make the Lifu envious, but no one is blushing, after all, this business sells coolies, and those who work more get more.

Although Zhao Lin has strength, it is not easy to earn this money.

There were several large blood blisters grinding out on both shoulders, and the taste was simply sour and refreshing.

With a "huge amount of money" in hand, Zhao Lin felt that he finally had confidence.

He took advantage of the fact that the vegetable market was not closed, bought two catties of cheap "dusk vegetables", and bought some rice, flour and vegetable oil.

There is also a piece of pork sitting.

Squatting meat is the meat above the hind leg of the pig, which is fat and thin, suitable for satisfying cravings.

He went home and cooked the meat, and the family had a good meal.

During the meal, Zhao Lin noticed that his mother was quietly wiping her tears while eating, thinking that she was crying with joy, and persuaded: "Mother, I can earn money now, and there will be more days like this in the future!" ”

Mother Zhao sighed, "I'm my brother. He was doing hard labor outside, and I heard that he was dirty and tired, and that he had poor food, and he did not know how much he had suffered. ”

Zhao Lin was silent, thinking back to the past, this brother who was ten years older than him was indeed very good to him.

Especially in the first few days after crossing over, he was struggling on the verge of death, and it was his brother who worked tirelessly behind his back to see Lang Zhong to see a doctor, buy medicine and boil medicine, so that he could survive.

If it weren't for his serious illness that emptied his family, his brother would not have been arrested because he couldn't pay the autumn food.

The two are truly beloved relatives and friends, siblings.

"Dad, how long will my brother's hard labor last?" Zhao Lin asked.

"Well, I haven't been able to believe it."

Father Zhao looked sad, "In previous years, it was up to two months, but I heard that a new county order came to the county, and I don't know what kind of charter it is." ”

Zhao Lin thought for a moment and said: "I still have twenty or thirty dollars a day, save for half a month, and make up the taxes owed?" ”

Zhao's father said: "I asked Qian Sanming in the town to help me ask if I could find a way to release people early, and he said that he would reply in a few days." ”

Qian Sanming is a distant relative of the county master, and the mountain people don't know how to deal with the government, so they ask him to help match them with everything.

Zhao Lin took out ten cents and put it on the table, "Dad, mother, you take this money first, let's try to get my brother back as soon as possible!" ”