Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 32 Tonghe Inn
This kind of situation is very common all along the Yalu River.

Some women come from poor families, or are widows with children who are unable to make a living, or their husbands are sick or injured and have lost their ability to work.

The Muba have no home and covet the warmth of women. The women are unable to make a living and covet the Muba's money and good body.

So the two parties hit it off immediately, and it was the so-called seasonal marriage.

Among them, there are many who have fallen in love over time and want to find someone to live with, hoping to live together for a long time.

But most of it was really Tumba’s money.

In fact, in many families, even though the husband is healthy, they are willing to give away their wives for money.

The Muba are all genuine people. If a woman coaxes them with sweet words and acts coquettishly, the Muba will really take out all his money and buy clothes and jewelry for the woman, and candy and cakes for the woman's children.

Some of them even had their tattered sheepskin coats stripped off by women for buttons.

"Okay, then you should be careful and be alert. If you have any problems, come to Tonghe Inn to find me." Shui Laowu patted Lao Sun on the shoulder and said.

Several other old men also said goodbye to Shui Laowu one after another and told where they were going, most of them were going to rely on others.

The second rower Wang Changliang hasn't fully recovered yet, so he definitely can't be released this time, so he obediently follows the first rower and Qu Shaoyang to stay at the inn.

Ermaozi and Dazhuzi were both young and had never been to Anton before. They didn't dare to wander around, so they followed Shui Laowu and the others.

There are also several other guys in the platoon, including Cui Fugui and Dalin, who are all new members this year.

Although these people all felt like they were being scratched by a cat, they were also afraid of being caught by a bear because of their lack of experience.

Especially Cui Fugui, who had been fooled once before, so he naturally didn't dare to act rashly this time.

So a few people followed Shui Laowu and found a place to stay for the time being and would talk about it later.

In this way, Shui Laowu led seven or eight groups of men and headed straight to Tonghe Inn.

Tonghe Inn is located on Jubao Back Street, in a not very conspicuous location. There are two strings of lanterns hanging on both sides of the main entrance, with the words "Tonghe Inn" written on them.

The innkeeper, dressed in clean clothes, stood at the door to greet guests.

When he saw that it was Shui Laowu leading people over, he hurried forward and said, "Oh, it's Liu Dabaotou, I finally got you here.

Our shopkeeper has been complaining these days, asking why he hasn't arrived yet. Come on, come on, please come in, please come in."

Every year when the water crow goes to Andong for rafting, he always stays here, so the waiters in the inn all know him.

"Xiao Shunzi, prepare a few rooms for us. The hot water will be ready later. We need to take a bath." Shui Laowu nodded to the young man and gave the order.

"Don't worry, boss. I will take care of it."

The waiter led the group to the courtyard, and as soon as they entered the main gate, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Boss, here comes Liu the Great."

As soon as the voice fell, a man was seen walking out of the house quickly.

"Dongshan, you're finally here. My eyelids have been twitching these past few days, and I was worried that something might happen to you on the way."

The person who came out was a woman, who looked to be around 40 years old. She was wearing a lilac top and a dark blue embroidered skirt.

Although this woman is a bit old, she has maintained herself well, with skin as white as snow and eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting.

Her black hair was tied up in a loose bun, with a hairpin of a magpie perching on a plum tree inserted on it. The silver tassels swayed slightly as its owner walked.

As soon as the woman saw the water crow, her affectionate almond-shaped eyes were covered with mist, filled with joy, worry, grievance and other emotions.

"Manager Lin, I'm fine. This time, I have to trouble you again." Shui Laowu bowed to the other party and said politely.

Shui Laowu's cold and distant attitude made Manager Lin slightly stunned, then he pulled up the corners of his lips and forced a smile.

"As long as everyone is safe, it's fine. You live here to take care of my business. Why are you talking about being a bother?"

"Shunzi, Xiaohai, go and clear out a few upper rooms for Liu Dabaotou, and prepare everything that needs to be prepared.

Liu Baotou has come all this way, and he must take a good rest." Manager Lin restrained his expression and instructed the shop assistant.

Shui Laowu was an old customer of Tonghe Inn. The staff all knew the rules and immediately arranged the best room for him.

Then, tea, snacks and fruits were all served.

"Shunzi, go to the clothing store and buy two new sets of clothes for our bodies. It would be best if you also buy shoes. And find a barber while you're at it."

Shui Laowu took out some money and gave it to the waiter, then sent him out to buy things.

They walked all the way from Changbai Mountain to Andong City for more than two months, and their clothes were already in tatters.

As for the hair, there is no need to mention it. I haven't shaved it for a long time, and the hair in the front has grown out. The long hair makes me look like a savage.

You work hard to earn money, so no matter what, you have to treat yourself well.

Shunzi took the money and went out to buy things and find people, while the other guys carried buckets of hot water into the house and poured them into large wooden barrels.

The water in the barrel was almost full, so the water crow took off his clothes and sat in the barrel to take a comfortable bath.

In fact, along the way, they sometimes go down to the river to swim for a while, take a bath, etc.

But the water in the Yalu River is very cold, and you have to get out quickly after washing twice, which is not refreshing at all. How can it be as comfortable as taking a bath in hot water?
Shui Laowu sat in the wooden barrel with his eyes closed, enjoying himself, while Qu Shaoyang rubbed Shui Laowu's back with a towel.

It was then that Qu Shaoyang discovered that Shui Laowu had many scars on his body. "Master, how did you get so many scars?"

"Oh, that was what I got when I was young and joined the uprising." Shui Laowu closed his eyes and said slowly.

"In the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign, the Qing government sent a deputy governor with a large number of soldiers to intercept thousands of logs transported from Dadonggou, confiscating half of them and selling the other half.

They said nice things, saying they would give us some travel expenses and send us back home, but in fact they didn't give us a penny.

There are so many of us who have worked hard for a year and gone through so many hardships just to make a living, but in the end we have nothing. Who can do this?

So, someone took the lead and we rebelled.”

"It just so happened that at that time there was a man named Xu Laowu in the Dagushan area, who led more than a thousand people to rise up against the Qing Dynasty. Our two groups joined forces to fight against the imperial court.

At the beginning, the situation was good. The Qing troops were unable to fight back, and the imperial court continued to send in reinforcements.

But later, conflicts arose within the rebel army and the two groups parted ways.

In the end, the uprising was defeated by the troops sent by the imperial court."

When talking about those years, there was a hint of loss in Shui Laowu's tone.

“If I hadn’t relied on my kung fu to fight my way out of the encirclement, I would have died long ago.

The injuries all over my body were caused by that time."

(End of this chapter)