Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

He also learned about Liangshan from Fang La.

Now he's just an ordinary old man from a village shop, but how come he sounds like he knows so much about Liangshan?

"This rumor is indeed true,"

Zhao Yuan replied, "Nowadays, many people in Shandong who have suffered injustices and cannot get justice from the government will go to Liangshan to seek justice."

"If that's the case, then this Liangshan leader is truly benevolent and righteous, unlike these mountain bandits and outlaws from the south who only know how to burn, kill, and plunder, and they won't even spare the poor people!" The old man sighed.

"Old man, although Liangshan has some reputation in Shandong, its reputation should not have spread to Jiankang, which is thousands of miles away."

Zhao Yuan asked curiously, "Where did you hear what you just said, sir?"

The old man sighed and slowly said, "To be honest, I'm getting old now, and I have a son. I've been a burden to this child. He's loved playing with water and sticks since he was little, but I'm poor and can't afford a famous teacher. He's learned so much, but now he only has ordinary skills!"

"In recent years, things have become increasingly difficult. Even our little shop is often harassed by officials. I don't know how much longer we can stay open!"

"The old man's son is young and hot-blooded. He can't stand the arrogance of the government. He has told his father many times that he wants to be like those outlaws, join a mountain stronghold, and become a king of the mountain!"

"But most of the bandits around here are worse than beasts, how could I, an old man, let him go! My son is also worried that I'm getting old and there's no one to take care of me, so he hasn't mentioned these things for the past two years, as long as he stays by my side to look after me!"

At this point, the old man wiped away his tears.

"But how long can I, Old Man Zhao, live? I'm afraid that once I'm gone, that child will go astray and become a heartless bandit!"

“Recently, the old man’s son has met a man who has returned from the north, and has heard a lot about Liangshan from him.”

"The old man listened and also felt that the Liangshan leader was no ordinary person. He was kind and righteous to people and fair to the common people. If my son joins him, no matter whether he will be successful in the future, he will not have gone astray! Even if the old man dies, he can rest in peace!"

As he spoke, the old man became emotional, and tears streamed down his face.

These words left Zhao Yuan and the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

Just then, a thin young man walked in through the door.

He was carrying two pheasants in his hand, and before he even entered the door, he called out.

"I had a lucky day; I shot two pheasants in the woods. I can close up shop earlier tonight!"

Chapter 159 Fate Brings Us Together

As soon as the young man entered the door, he saw his elderly father wiping away tears.

He hurriedly dropped his prey and rushed to the old man's side, asking in surprise, "Father, what happened?"

As soon as the old man saw his son return, he quickly reached out and wiped away his tears.

"It's nothing, I was just chatting with these guests and it reminded me of things from the past."

As Ruan Xiaoqi looked at the father and son, she was reminded of her own father, who worked hard from dawn till dusk every day to support his family by fishing, and eventually died from overwork.

Hu Sanniang, standing to the side, was reminded of her elder brother, Hu Cheng.

Her parents died early, and she and her brother relied on each other for many years.

For her, Hu Cheng truly embodied the saying "an elder brother is like a father."

Thinking of how worried and anxious her brother must be about her running away from her arranged marriage to Liangshan, Hu Sanniang's eyes reddened.

Zhao Yuan was also somewhat moved. Thinking of the old man's worry about his son's future after his death, he asked...

"You lad, do you really want to join the Liangshan bandits?"

"Who are you?"

The young man frowned and asked, "How do you know about this?"

"Just answer my brother's question!"

Ruan Xiaoqi wiped her eyes: "Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever."

The young man paused for a moment before replying.

073 “Although I long to go to Liangshan, I have an elderly father at home. How can I, as a son, abandon him? So I have no choice but to give up! I will not go anywhere else! I will stay here and sell wine to support my father!”

"How foolish! Why don't you take your father with you to Liangshan?" Ruan Xiaoqi slammed his hand on the table.

The young man was startled and quickly replied,

“I have no skills. Although I have studied under many masters, I have no money to pay them off, so I have not learned any real skills! I am only slightly good at swimming. I don’t even know if the Liangshan leader would take a liking to me, so how could I dare to take my father on such an adventure!”

Ruan Xiaoqi asked with a stern face, "Leaving aside weapons, I only want to ask you, how good are you at swimming?"

Before the young man could answer, the old man beside him blurted out, "My son could cross the Yangtze River naked several times in the dead of winter without a second thought!"

The old man, though old, had sharp eyes and had already sensed that these people were no ordinary individuals. Seeing that Ruan Xiaoqi was only asking about his son's abilities, he quickly answered in his place.

"This child is incredibly fast, so fast that even five or seven people couldn't catch him when they tried to grab him around the waist! That's why he's known as the 'Living Flash Granny Wang Dingliu'!"

...So it was him!

Zhao Yuan suddenly realized, while Ruan Xiaoqi, standing to the side, looked at Wang Dingliu and asked,

Is what your father said true?

Wang Dingliu replied somewhat embarrassedly, "I estimate that two round trips on the Yangtze River would be about enough! I haven't tried anything longer!"

"How can such swimming skills not be considered a skill?"

Ruan Xiaoqi snorted, then cupped her hands to Zhao Yuan and said, "Brother, I want this person! Please allow him to go up the mountain!"

"Once you've joined Liangshan, there's no going back,"

Zhao Yuan asked definitively, "Have you thought this through? Do you really want to go to Liangshan?"

Wang Dingliu did not answer immediately, but looked at everyone with a puzzled expression and asked,

"You have all said so much, yet I still do not know your names."

"Fool! My brother is the leader of Liangshan!"

Ruan Xiaoqi said irritably, "Why don't you just nod and agree?"

"this......"

The old man stared at Zhao Yuan with disbelief.

Although he felt that this person had an extraordinary appearance and was vaguely the leader of the six,

Judging from what he had just said, he probably had some connection with the leaders of Liangshan. But I never expected that the person in front of me would actually be the leader of Liangshan!

Overjoyed, the old man hurriedly pulled his equally dazed son, preparing to bow down.

Zhao Yuan quickly stopped him, laughing, "Father-in-law, your son hasn't answered me yet."

"Silly boy, hurry up and nod!" the old man urged.

Wang Dingliu looked at Zhao Yuan, cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, Chief Zhao, if I join Liangshan, may I bring my father with me?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?"

　(bica) The old man's face flushed with anger, and he raised his hand to scold his son.

"You don't need to worry about my affairs. Seeing that you've found a good place to live, I can die in peace!"

"Although the son wants to join Liangshan, if he cannot fulfill his filial duties to his father, then it is better not to join Liangshan!"

Wang Dingliu spoke without flinching, letting his father lecture him.

When the old man heard him speak so resolutely, he remembered his son's longing for Liangshan, yet his willingness to give up this great opportunity for him, and tears welled up in his eyes again.

"Wang Dingliu, don't worry. My Liangshan is not a place of heartlessness. You can bring your father up the mountain with you!"

After Zhao Yuan finished speaking, he looked at Ruan Xiaoqi beside him and said, "A father's kindness and a son's filial piety are so rare! How about letting him be your deputy?"

Ruan Xiaoqi laughed and replied, "Why would I worry about having too many people for my naval forces? Just leave it to me, brother!"

When Wang Dingliu heard that his father could also join the Liangshan bandits, he was overjoyed and immediately bowed down.

"Wang Dingliu greets his elder brother!"

Seeing that his son's wish had been fulfilled, the old man standing nearby also wanted to bow down in gratitude.

But Zhao Yuan quickly helped him up, saying, "Old man, you are an elder, how can I accept your bow!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dingliu's father sighed with relief, thinking to himself that the man was indeed exactly as rumored, and that his son had finally chosen the right person.

Whether or not I'll amount to anything following this Chief Zhao in the future is another matter, but it's better than wasting my years by the river here.

Zhao Yuan and his companions entered the village inn simply to fill their stomachs, but unexpectedly gained another brother.

They then invited the father and son to sit down for a talk, but the old man refused, insisting instead on going to the kitchen for more wine and dishes.

Seeing how overjoyed he was, everyone had no choice but to let him be.

Ruan Xiaoqi pulled Wang Dingliu to the table. After finishing a bowl of wine, Zhao Yuan asked Wang Dingliu, "Brother, I heard from your father that you met a man who returned from the north. You also heard about Liangshan from him. I wonder who this man is?"

"Replying to brother, the elder brother I met is named Shi Xiu, and he has a nickname: 'Desperate Saburo'..."

Before Wang Dingliu could finish speaking, Zhao Yuan burst into loud laughter.

"It is indeed fate that brought us together from a thousand miles away. I was originally worried about how to find Brother Shi Xiu after arriving in Jiankang Prefecture, but I didn't expect that he would come before I even went to look for him!"

"I've also heard my brother Shi Xiu mention that he once bumped into my brother in Hebei,"

Wang Dingliu said, "Thanks to your righteous help, Brother Shixiu was able to bring his uncle's coffin back to Jiankang Prefecture!"

"What did you say? Brother Shi Xiu's uncle has passed away?" Zhao Yuan asked in surprise.

"Yes," Wang Dingliu nodded, "I heard from Brother Shixiu that his uncle's condition worsened on the way back to Jiankang Prefecture, and he passed away because he couldn't get treatment from renowned doctors."

Chapter 160 The Miserable Workaholic

"So that's how it is,"

Zhao Yuan sighed, "The Shi brothers rushed back to the south that day to save their uncle, but fate had other plans..."

"By the way, I wonder why you personally came down the mountain this time, brother? What brings you to Jiankang Prefecture?" Wang Dingliu asked.

Zhao Yuan briefly recounted the epidemic in Xucheng and Lin Chong's illness.

"I've heard that An Daoquan's medical skills are superb, and he's known as the Divine Physician. So I wanted to invite him to go all the way to Shandong, both to treat Instructor Lin and to help the disaster victims in Xucheng. I was afraid that the Divine Physician would refuse, so I made this trip myself!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dingliu suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, brother, Shi Xiu's aunt has been ill these past two days, and Shi Xiu invited that divine doctor An to see her."

"That's perfect. After we finish this meal, we'll go visit Brother Shi Xiu."

Zhao Yuan picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp: "If I'm lucky, I might run into Doctor An at his place!"

......

Uncle Shi Xiu's house was located in a small courtyard on the west side of Jiankang City, near the city wall.

When Zhao Yuan and his men arrived at the location, led by Wang Dingliu,

But there was a group of neighbors gathered at the entrance of the small courtyard, whispering and pointing.

However, from the small courtyard, the sounds of a woman's screams and curses could be heard from time to time.

"If it weren't for you, this jinx, how could this family have become like this!"

"You've brought death to your father and mother, and now even your uncle has been cursed to death!"

"Get out! What kind of stuff did you give me to drink? Are you trying to kill me again?"

......

The insults were accompanied by the sound of dishes shattering on the floor.

"Oh, poor Shi Xiu! He's got such a terrible aunt!"

"In my opinion, Shi Xiu shouldn't have come back. When his uncle was alive, his aunt didn't like him. Now that his uncle has passed away, that woman will naturally take the opportunity to kick Shi Xiu out of the house!"

"If such a thorn in her side isn't removed, how can that woman freely meet with that butcher Zhang!"

The neighbors at the entrance were buzzing with discussion, saying all sorts of things.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuan pulled Wang Dingliu aside and asked in a low voice,

"Brother, what's going on?"

“Brother, you don’t know this, but Shi Xiu lost both his parents when he was young. His uncle took pity on him and raised him single-handedly.”

Wang Dingliu sighed and explained the whole story.

It turns out that Shi Xiu lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by his uncle.