The Su River is like a mirror, reflecting the green mountains and beautiful waters on both sides. The blue waves rippled, rippling with patches of withered yellow reeds.

A small cold raft along the river to the direction of Gusu County, on the way occasionally see a quiet rural village, the cold winter wax moon, thousands of miles of fields are frozen and bleak.

Su Chen felt hungry, and ate the remaining half of the coarse grain, barely padding his stomach. When you are thirsty, you scoop two handfuls of biting cold water in the river with your little hands, warm them in your mouth, and then swallow them into your stomach to quench your thirst.

If the bamboo pole is tired, it doesn't matter, take a break and continue to hurry. Just don't let the raft drift ashore or hit another boat. This waterway, Su Chen used to walk a lot, and he was very familiar with it.

After a few hours, the road gradually became prosperous. At about noon, Su Chen rowed a small bamboo raft to the West Gate Wharf in Gusu County.

At noon, Ximen Wharf can be seen moored everywhere with large and small cargo ships and fishing boats, which is extremely prosperous and lively.

Su Chen didn't know much about Gusu County, but he just listened to the fishermen chatting after fishing and tea, and knew that Gusu County was the largest of the thirteen counties in Wu County, with a vast area of thousands of miles, and 100,000 households living in the city, which was second to none in Wu County.

Because the waterways and canals are extremely developed, Gusu County is the river transportation center of the thirteen counties of Wu County. Many fishing boats from neighboring counties and rural towns, and even large merchant ships from the north to the south and from the southern counties to the north, often moored at the wharf outside Gusu County for cargo shipment.

Even if it is a cold winter and a cold season, Gusu County is still very busy, and many people from this county and foreign counties arrive at Xichengmen Wharf through merchant ships.

There are businessmen with bags and hurrying looks, high-rollers with sharp blades at their waists, and various opera jugglers.

The rest of the fishermen who sell fish, the farmers who sell melons, fruits and vegetables, the woodcutters who sell firewood, the hunters who sell the delicacies of the mountains, and the merchants who carry the goods through the streets and alleys are all in constant flux.

There is a stone slab maple bridge outside the west city gate, and there are many vendors on the wharf next to the maple bridge, forming a market outside the west city gate.

From the wharf next to the slate bridge, you can see that there is a thousand-year-old temple not far away, the famous Hanshan Taoist Temple in Gusu County.

Many coolie porters with flat burdens stood at the berth next to the slate bridge before dawn, bowing their waists, waiting for the cargo ship to dock and unload, so that they could do heavy work.

The sedan chair drivers and porters not far away were staring at the passenger ships, waiting for the rich families to come and take the sedan chairs.

Su Chen rowed a small bamboo raft for half a day, his hands and feet were already weak, and when he saw the slate maple bridge in front of him, he couldn't help but be happy, and hurriedly anchored at the dock and jumped ashore.

"Fragrant buns, hot steamed buns~!

"Come and taste it, the best fresh melons and fruits, just picked from the ground!"

"Good dry firewood, five cents a load!"

In the Ximen Bazaar, there are breakfast stalls selling steamed buns, hot soybean milk, and osmanthus cakes, as well as fishermen selling fish, farmers who pick up vegetables and fruits, and woodcutters who sell firewood, all shouting and selling here.

Su Chen walked on the dock, looking around, his childish face was full of hesitation and confusion.

He finally made up his mind to run away from home, intending to find a job in the county seat to support himself. But when I arrived outside the bustling West Gate, I was panicked and didn't know where to find work.

He has no relatives to run to in Gusu County, and only knows a good brother of the Sky Eagle Inn. But Ah Ugly is also the handyman of the inn, and his life is very difficult, not much better than him.

He didn't want to bother the ugly, he just wanted to find a job in the county town and support himself by his own strength.

Su Chen walked for a while, passed by a vendor on the dock, and saw a steaming basket of coarse grain steamed buns on the steamer, and couldn't help but "grunt", and swallowed a few times of saliva.

He licked his lips and touched his hungry little belly, so he wanted to buy a few steaming white steamed buns to eat.

Coarse grain steamed buns cost a penny and a cage, which is not particularly expensive.

But as soon as I touched my waist, I remembered that my small money bag was left in the old fishing boat, and I didn't have a penny of copper coins on my body, so I couldn't afford it.

Half of the cold and hard wowotou brought from home had already been eaten halfway.

Su Chen touched his shriveled stomach and was a little worried.

I grew up in the lake and river of Zhouzhuang Water Town, and I only know how to fish and catch shrimp in the river. After leaving the water and coming to this prosperous Gusu county, I don't know what I can rely on to make money to fill my stomach.

"I have to find chores here as soon as possible to do and earn money in order to settle down in the county. ”

Su Chen thought anxiously, going around the Ximen Bazaar, running to the wine shops, butcher pork shops, tea shops and other vendors along the street to look for work, but there was no place for him.

The vendors either thought he was too small or felt that he was too weak to call.

Su Chen touched his nose and looked depressed.

I didn't expect it to be so difficult to find a helper in this lively Ximen Market. He hadn't eaten for most of the day, and he was so hungry that he would starve to death on the streets in less than two or three days.

"A big ship is coming~ there is a life!"

The porters on the shore of Ximen Wharf suddenly became lively.

Su Chen was walking around worriedly, and when he heard the lively sound, he looked up in amazement.

At this time, I saw a large rice ship slowly docking, stopping at a dock near the slate bridge.

Su Chen was pleasantly surprised.

With such a large rice boat, there must be a lot of rice to carry, and a lot of manpower is needed!

He saw a black-faced porter and many porters waiting for the big cargo ship to dock at the dock.

"I, big brother porter, I can also move goods, count me as one!"

Su Chen hurriedly ran over and asked for a job from the black-faced husband. If you want to work at the docks, you have to follow the foreman to have a bowl of rice to eat.

On the dock, all the porters and men suddenly burst into laughter, "Don't you see so many mouths, are they all waiting!"

"Go, where is the little hairy boy to make trouble!"

The black-faced porter saw that Su Chen, who was skinny and weak, desperately drilled into the people, lifted him out of the crowd with one hand, and waved his hand in disgust to let Su Chen quickly walk away.

Any porter under him can pick up at least one or two hundred catties of burden, and this kid has thin arms and legs, and he can't carry dozens of catties of burden.

Besides, now that there are many displaced people in the cold winter, there is no shortage of manpower at Ximen Wharf.

Any move can attract dozens of hungry men waiting for the work, and they all have a family behind them to feed, how can they recruit children to do such heavy work.

Su Chen couldn't help but sweat profusely, if he couldn't earn money and couldn't buy steamed buns, he was afraid that he would starve to death in the county seat.

At this time, a middle-aged wealthy merchant in a leather jacket walked out of the cabin of the large cargo ship, followed by a rather noble woman, holding a delicate lady by the hand, and got off the ship from the wooden pedal.

The three of them were dressed in rich and luxurious clothes, which were naturally completely different from the many civilian pawns on the docks, and they were full of wealth and sophistication.

Immediately behind the middle-aged wealthy businessman, there were more than a dozen housekeepers and servants with sticks, as well as a few old mothers with bags and packages.

This is obviously a wealthy old man's family in the county seat, with a group of slaves and maids.

The rich lady was about eleven or twelve years old, but she was already a little beauty, wrapped in a thick and gorgeous mink coat, red lips and white teeth, and her delicate face was blowing in the cold wind, and the red flutter was pitiful.

Su Chen was taken aback, and hurriedly retreated to the side, not daring to block the path of the wealthy businessman, his wife, and all the family.

The rich lady got off the boat, and happened to see Su Chen's head covered in sweat jumping up and down, panicking like a little monkey, and couldn't help but "poof" and smiled, as bright as a flower.

But soon, she realized the disparity in her identity, and snorted coldly, showing disdain for Su Chen on her little face.

Su Chen was a little ashamed of himself by the contempt in this young lady's eyes, and stepped back a little, his face was burning and his head was lowered, not daring to look more.

The black-faced porter who was waiting on the shore of the wharf recognized at a glance that this was a wealthy merchant of the Li family who had several rice shops in Gusu County, and that he should have returned from collecting grain from the towns and villages of the county.

"Hey, Master Li, your old rice seller is back, business is prosperous, everything will go smoothly on the road?!"

The black-faced porter hurriedly stepped forward and bowed his hand to the rich merchant of the rice shop, hoping to get a job moving rice.

"Alas, the world has been difficult in recent years, and the outside of the county is full of bandits who have fallen into the grass. Master Ben went to the town to transport a boatload of rice, and also brought more than a dozen family members in the house to protect the boat, and he was also worried about walking this way!"

The wealthy businessman of the Li family shook his head and walked off the boat, quite familiar with this black-faced porter.

"It's good that Master Li comes back safely, and he will be stable when he arrives in the county. There are officials guarding it, and the water bandits dare not approach the county seat. After surviving this cold winter, those thieves will starve to death, and it is estimated that it will stop. ”

"Official, alas, it's better not to meet them. That's it, don't be idle. Old black man, you take some people to transport all the rice to the Li family's rice warehouse in the city. Master Ben is going to go to the Cold Mountain Taoist Temple to get a few incense plants and do something!"

The wealthy merchant of the Li family put his hands behind his back and gave a few orders, asking the black-faced porter to lead people to carry a boatload of rice back to the warehouse in the city.

"Okay, Master Xie Li!"

The black-faced porter was overjoyed, nodded his head, and hurriedly turned around and shouted at the porters and men to work, "Brothers, Master Li will enjoy food, and the big guys will work quickly." ”

The porters immediately rushed up happily, picking rice and moving goods. This trip can earn several days of food money.

...

Although the wealthy businessman of the Li family escorted a boatload of rice and returned to Gusu County safely, his expression was still worried.

He went out to buy rice all the year round and walked around the rivers and lakes, so he naturally knew that the outside of Gusu County was becoming more and more unpeaceful.

In the past 20 years, there have been many disasters in Wu County, and there have been more homeless people and thieves who have fallen into the grass, forming gangs and robbing houses.

Only the five major gangs in Wu County, with their strong force, dare to ignore these homeless people.

The powerful squires of the thirteen counties of Wu County have attached themselves to the five major gangs in order to protect themselves. The power of these gangs has also become more and more powerful, and the disciples of the gang have thousands or tens of thousands of them, rampaging through various counties and villages.

So much so that the Taishou of Wu County and the county commanders of each county often rely on these gangs to solve many thorny things in the county.

However, these are not things that the wealthy businessmen of the Li family need to worry about.

The wealthy businessman of the Li family had another sorrow in his heart.

Over the years, he has painstakingly operated several large rice shops in the county, taking advantage of the disasters and famines in various counties of Wu County, hoarding and selling grain, buying low and selling grain, earning a lot of silver and accumulating a rich family business.

But after marrying a wife and taking concubines for more than ten years, he has never had an heir, and he has married several concubines one after another.

finally gave birth to such a baby daughter as Li Jiao for him. However, his daughter is pampered, has a weak physique, often suffers from cold and illness, and always does not get good when taking medicine, which makes him anxious.

He wondered if he would send her to the gangs in the rivers and lakes to learn art and have some experience. Practicing martial arts can strengthen the body and break the root of the disease.

Moreover, the gangs in the rivers and lakes have become more and more powerful in recent years, and they are more promising than their own rice shops.

Don't look at him, the Li family has a few rice shops in Gusu County, and has accumulated a rich family foundation in business for decades, and the family also raises more than ten family members, servants and old mothers, but it is better than the ordinary people, and the status in Gusu County is not high.

Any few officials can be powerful in front of him.

He transports rice and grain on cargo ships on weekdays, and if he encounters blackmail from gangs in the rivers and lakes, he is even more frightened, and he often vomits blood and pays respect.

If her daughter can join the big gangs in the rivers and lakes, she will have a better way out in the future, which is definitely better than running a few rice shops. In the future, his daughter will be developed, and few people in Gusu County will dare to bully him, a rice merchant.

"Madam, how about you say sending Jiao'er to the Jianghu gang to have some training? I've been thinking about it for a long time these days, and the Medicine King Gang, one of the four major gangs in Wu County, can't make a mistake, it has a lot of wealth, and it has a good reputation for curing diseases and accumulating virtues. Every year in the lunar month, the Medicine King Gang recruits a small number of inner disciples and a group of outer disciples, which are counted as these days. ”

The wealthy businessman of the Li family pondered and said to the noble woman.

The noblewoman's face changed slightly, and she didn't want her daughter to take risks on the rivers and lakes: "Master, our family is also a wealthy family in the county, and there are several rice shops, so we don't have to worry about food and clothing." Let's just this one only daughter, the rivers and lakes fight and kill, in case there is a mistake...!"

"You, a woman, have been living for a few years. Now that the world outside is in chaos, it doesn't matter what the yamen says. If there is no backer, it will be difficult for our family to live ten years later. I'm in charge of this. Jiao'er, Dad is looking for someone to give gifts to the door, send you to the Medicine King Gang, and become an inner disciple!"

The wealthy businessman of the Li family is determined and is ready to take out a rich fortune he has accumulated over the years to accomplish this.

Jianghu gangs are divided into inner and outer disciples.

The inner disciples have a higher starting point than the outer disciples, and they have more hope of becoming the middle and high-level of the gang in the future.

He wants to use the money he has earned over the years to pave the way for his daughter, become an inner disciple of the big gang, and have a good future.

"But master, our family has never interacted with the people of the rivers and lakes, where did we get the way?"

"The Hanshan Zhenren of Hanshan Taoist Temple is the first foreign master in the thirteen counties of Wu County, who is kind and charitable, has a very high reputation, and is highly respected by the government, the people and the people in the rivers and lakes. If you can ask him to come forward, there will be no problem. But real people often travel everywhere, and the dragon sees the beginning but not the end.

Fortunately, the first disciple of the real person, Qinghe Dao, is in the Taoist temple on weekdays, and he is also well-connected in Gusu County, and he knows the high-level of the major gangs, and he is enthusiastic. I prepared a generous gift and begged him to match, and this thing will be done. ”

The wealthy businessman of the Li family tightened the thick leather jacket on his body, led the girl who was infected with the wind and cold, recruited a large sedan chair carried by four people, and got into the sedan chair with the noblewoman.

Surrounded by many servants and old mothers, several sedan chair men carried the big sedan chair and swayed to the west gate of Gusu County.

Not far from the wharf of the west gate of the county seat, there is the Hanshan Taoist Temple.

The wealthy merchant of the Li family left two cronies to keep an eye on the rice, and took the noblewoman, the girl, and a group of family members and slaves into the Hanshan Taoist Temple, asking to see the head of the Qinghe Road.

...

Su Chen has been at the dock, burning his eyebrows in a hurry, seeing that a group of porters have a job to do, but he can't get the job hungry.

He overheard the words of the wealthy merchant and lady of the Li family as they were leaving.

He didn't take most of those words to heart, so he paid attention to one sentence, "The Medicine King Gang recruits a group of new disciples every year!"

This made Su Chen's heart pound.

The Medicine King Gang wants to recruit apprentices?

I don't know what the conditions are for this apprentice, can a fisherman like him become a gang disciple?

But these were just a thought that flashed through Su Chen's mind.

Far water can't quench the thirst of the near, and tonight's meal hasn't settled yet.

Su Chen couldn't find a job at Ximen Wharf for a long time, his stomach was already grumbling with hunger, seeing that the sun was in the west, it was already afternoon, so he could only go to Gusu County to try his luck, and think about filling his stomach.