Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Inside the reed marshes, Ruan Xiaoqi cleared a path ahead to facilitate the advance of Ren Yuan and the others behind.

He was in a good mood the whole way, and thinking about the exciting scene of his two older brothers meeting Ren Yuan, Ruan Xiaoqi felt inexplicably happy.

Hehe, my two older brothers always talk about how good Ren Yuan is, but I, Xiao Qi, got to see him first!

After more twists and turns, the two boats finally emerged from the vast reed marshes. After rowing for a while longer on Shijie Lake, they finally saw land.

There were seven or eight thatched huts on the bank, and two brothers were sitting in front of them. One of them was cleaning fish and talking to himself. The other sat silently to the side with his head down.

As the boat drew closer, everyone could finally hear what the fishmonger was saying:

"If you don't have money, don't ask me for it. Lending it to you would be like throwing good money after bad. In just half a day, you've lost all your money! Do you know that I'm living with you now? It's one thing for you to be broke, but what am I supposed to do? Starve with you?"

"You don't fish properly all day, and you don't get married or have kids. Tell me, what do you want to do? How can you face your old man like this!"

The man killing the fish cursed fiercely, almost throwing the fish in his hand at the other man's face. The other man just lowered his head and didn't dare to say a word.

Hearing the sound of the approaching boat, the man looked up and saw Ruan Xiaoqi, as if he had seen a savior!

"Xiao Qi! Xiao Qi! Do you have any money? Lend me some! I promise I can make it back!"

"Fifth Brother! Stop fooling around! Don't go gambling. We have important guests today; don't let them laugh at us!"

Ruan Xiaoqi spat out the reed stalk from her mouth and said to Ruan Xiaowu.

"Xiao Qi, who are they?"

While cleaning fish, Ruan Xiaoer said to Ruan Xiaoqi with some dissatisfaction, "After all, the three of them sometimes cause trouble, so we can't easily reveal our home to others."

"Second Brother, this is someone you and Fifth Brother have been talking about for a long time. This is Brother Ren Yuan, the Pillar of Heaven, and the other is Brother Yuan Lang, the Red-Faced Tiger. They are currently the leaders of Liangshan and have come to pay their respects to us today!"

"Bang!"

Ruan Xiao's fish-killing knife fell to the ground. He really didn't expect that such a distinguished guest would actually come!

"Brother Ren Yuan? Really?!"

Ruan Xiaowu was also stunned. He immediately regretted it. Why did he go gambling today? If Brother Ren Yuan saw him like this, would people not want to hire him in the future?

"Hahaha, Erlang, Wulang, I am Ren Yuan. I have long admired your names and have come to pay you a visit today!"

"My name is Yuan Lang. I have heard my brother speak of the illustrious reputation of the three Ruan brothers all day long. Seeing them today, I can see that they are indeed extraordinary!"

Ren Yuan and Yuan Lang exchanged a glance and then bowed first.

"Hey, brothers, come on up! Little Wu, what are you standing there for? Help your brothers ashore!"

Ruan Xiaoer quickly called out to Ren Yuan and Yuan Lang, and didn't forget to remind his younger brother Ruan Xiaowu, who was standing to the side like a stone statue.

"Haha, Erlang, no need, no need. We are also martial artists."

Ren Yuan and Yuan Lang laughed loudly, pushed off the edge of the boat with their legs, and the two figures soared into the sky, landing steadily on the shore.

"Haha, yes, yes, brother is very skilled in martial arts. Xiao Wu, Xiao Qi, hurry up and stop the boat."

Ruan Xiaoer also realized that these two brothers, Ren Yuan, needless to say, was famous throughout the martial arts world, and although the other one was not well-known, his skills just now were also extraordinary.

"Erlang, who's here?"

The commotion on the shore was quite loud. Suddenly, the curtain of the thatched hut was lifted, and an old woman, a young woman, and a child of four or five years old slowly walked out.

"Mom, Xiao Qi is back, and he brought some distinguished guests with him."

Ruan Xiaoer quickly went up to help the old woman; the rest should obviously be his wife and son.

Ren Yuan stepped forward, approached the old woman, and bowed in greeting.

“Nai Nai, I am Ren Yuan from Liangshan. I have heard a lot about the reputation of the three Ruan brothers in the martial arts world, so I have come to visit you today. I apologize for bothering you.”

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all." The old woman was very pleased to hear that they had come to see her sons.

After all, she would be happy if her sons were successful.

"Shall we go inside and talk?"

"Don't come inside. There's not enough room inside, so just stay in the yard."

Ruan Xiaoqi carried two food boxes and led the way into the courtyard.

It's called a courtyard, but it's really just an open space simply enclosed by a fence.

"I'll listen to Qilang."

Ren Yuan told the sailors to take their things and follow Ruan Xiaoqi.

"Shall we prepare some food and drinks?"

When Ruan Xiaoer's wife saw so many people coming to their house, she immediately asked Ruan Xiaoer quietly.

She was still a little worried because these people seemed to have big appetites. If she really had to prepare food and drinks at home, how much would that cost?

"Sister-in-law, there's no need to cook. I brought enough food and drinks today. You can bring the children over to eat with us later. Don't bother cooking today."

Ren Yuan naturally noticed Ruan Xiaoer's wife's embarrassment, so he stepped in to help her out.

"That's right, you have such a woman's perspective. Brother Ren Yuan is much more thoughtful."

Ruan Xiaoer gently patted his wife. He could see her worry, but he knew Ren Yuan's character and knew he wouldn't do such a thing.

The sailors brought up all the food: roast lamb, roast chicken, and lots of vegetables, laid out in abundance.

Ren Yuan also tore off a chicken leg and gave it to Ruan Xiaoer's son.

"Auntie, would you like to eat with us?"

But seemingly knowing that the men in the family wanted to talk, Ruan Xiaoer's mother did not come out to interfere. She took her daughter-in-law and grandson back into the house, and Ren Yuan did not insist. He simply asked Ruan Xiaoer to bring in two roast chickens and some fruits and vegetables.

The rest of the group drank and ate heartily in the courtyard.

"Brother, you must have come here today for something important. Please give me your instructions."

After eating a chicken to fill their stomachs, Ruan Xiaoer, as the eldest brother, spoke first to Ren Yuan.

"To be honest, there are two things. The first is about buying fish. Erlang, I want to ask, if Liangshan wants to buy fish from Shijie Village, how much will you give us?"

"Brother wants to buy fish?"

The three Nguyen brothers were somewhat taken aback. These days, fish are so cheap that almost no one eats them.

"You three may not know this, but after I took over Liangshan, I set a rule that each person in the stronghold must have three catties of grain per day, and they also need to eat meat. Although there are chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep in the stronghold, there are more than a thousand people in the stronghold, so it is difficult for everyone to have enough meat. That's why I hope to buy fish. After all, there are plenty of fish in our eight hundred miles of marshland. If you three are willing to sell, I will definitely not treat you badly at the price!"

Yuan Lang explained with a smile, little did he know that this would surprise the three Ruan brothers even more.

With over a thousand people in the village, ensuring that everyone has enough meat is a unique approach that Ren Yuan took in the entire Song Dynasty's bandit community!

“That’s no problem. Brother, you don’t know, but the people of Shijie Village have been fishermen for generations. With so many fish, they simply can’t be sold, and most of them are sold at rock-bottom prices. Now, many people in the village don’t really want to continue fishing. How many do you want, brother?”

"One thousand catties per day, with the smallest weighing no less than half a catty and the largest having no limit. Is this quantity acceptable?"

Ren Yuan said.

The three Ruan brothers exchanged glances. It seemed that Yuan Lang had not lied. The stronghold only had a little over a thousand people. A thousand catties a day meant that each person received a catty of fish and three catties of grain. Liangshan was really going all out!

This left the three of them with many feelings. How could ordinary people in the Song Dynasty have so much food in a day!

"The amount isn't a problem; if all the fishermen in the village pool their resources, we can raise that number."

Ruan Xiaoer thought for a moment and made a promise.

"Good, Erlang is straightforward."

Ren Yuan raised his glass and toasted Ruan Xiaoer with a bowl of rice.

"Is there anything else, brother?"

"The second thing is," Ren Yuan poured another bowl of wine and then said:

"Our Liangshan is preparing to establish a navy. Do you dare to take on the position of naval commander?"