Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

As the group went outside, they saw a man driving a donkey cart with two coffins, one large and one small, on it. The man had a leopard tattooed on his chest; he was none other than "Short-lived Second Brother" Ruan Xiaowu.

"Fifth Brother, we don't need this coffin anymore. Let's take it back to the city and get rid of it as soon as possible!"

Ruan Xiaowu was confused by Ruan Xiaoqi's words and could only ask, "What? Qilang, what do you mean by that?"

At this moment, with her daughter-in-law's help, Old Lady Ruan and her son walked out of the house. The old lady said, "Wulang, my son, Liang'er and I are not dead yet!"

Ruan Xiaowu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, even rubbing her eyes to make sure there was nothing wrong with them.

"Did my second brother's visit to the Guandi Temple to offer incense truly bring about a miracle?"

Ruan Xiaowu murmured to herself in a daze.

"Fifth Brother, it's not a miracle from gods or Buddhas, it's honored guests descending from the clouds! These two guests used their miraculous healing skills to save my mother and nephew. By the way, I haven't yet asked for the names of these two benefactors?"

Ruan Xiaoqi was so happy she was confused, and only then did she remember to ask Li Hanxiao and the other person's names.

"My name is Li Hanxiao from Guankou. This gentleman's surname is Wen, and his given name is Shanghuanxiazhang."

"Mr. Li, Mr. Wen."

As Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi finished exchanging greetings with the two, Ruan Xiaoer, the "Standing Earthly Tai Sui," rowed back. He saw a crowd of people in the distance, and realized that there seemed to be more people. He also saw a coffin on a donkey cart and thought that his mother had passed away. He rowed the boat as fast as he could, and the boat flew to the shore like an arrow.

"Mother? Liang'er? This..."

Once ashore, Ruan Xiao'er was in much the same state as Ruan Xiao'wu had been. Ruan Xiao'qi hurriedly explained, and Ruan Xiao'er thanked Li and Wen profusely, saying to his two brothers, "You two benefactors, we three brothers kowtow to you!"

At this moment, Ruan Xiaoer expressed his gratitude not only as a son but also as a father, using the highest etiquette in Chinese tradition.

"Please rise, please rise! Your mother and son have recovered, this is a joyous occasion, a blessing from heaven, not our doing!"

Li Hanxiao quickly helped the three Ruan brothers up. Ruan Xiao'er then asked their purpose. Li Hanxiao only said that he wanted to buy a golden carp weighing over ten catties. Although the three Ruan brothers briefly showed a troubled expression, it was quickly gone. Ruan Xiao'er said, "This... wait a minute. Xiao Wu, go and take the coffin back and return it. Bring back the money to treat our two benefactors to a drink. Gentlemen, the sun is already setting. We have no way to repay your great kindness to the Ruan family. Please stay at my house for the time being. How about I treat you to a drink?"

Ruan Xiaoqi added, "Yes, you two saved my mother and nephew's lives. It would be only right if the three of us offered our lives in return. Tomorrow, the three of us will go to Liangshan Marsh. So what if it's Lin Chong? We'll risk our lives to catch those fish..."

Before Ruan Xiaoqi could finish speaking, Ruan Xiaoer interrupted him, scolding, "Why are you saying these things in front of the guests? Wulang, go quickly, please invite the two guests to have a drink at the pavilion in the middle of the lake!"

"Yes, please!"

Ruan Xiaoer arranged for his wife to take care of his elderly mother and son. Meanwhile, Ruan Xiaowu, pulling a donkey cart, hurried on his way to return the coffin while the sun was still shining. Ruan Xiaoqi went to the bridge, untied the small boat, jumped into the cabin, grabbed a paddle, and led everyone to row for a while. Before long, they arrived at the lakeside pavilion hotel.

"You two are from a big city. This is a country inn, not comparable to a pavilion or tower. Please don't be offended by our crudeness. Please take a seat, guests."

"No, that won't do. We should follow the host's lead. Please, Erlang, take a seat."

Li Hanxiao politely offered his seat, but Ruan Xiaoqi was impatient. "Brother, please sit in the main seat. Please take the guest seats. My brother and I will sit here first."

Ruan Xiaoer followed Ruan Xiaoqi's advice, and the four of them sat down. Although they had to wait for Ruan Xiaowu, they first called the bartender to bring the wine.

The waiter then said, "You three brothers still owe money for your food and drinks. Go and settle your accounts first!"

"Well... I have important guests today, I'll give it to you another day."

Ruan Xiaoer, feeling quite embarrassed, said in a low voice.

"When is 'another day'?"

The bartender asked to himself.

"Another day, another day, another day I'll visit your grave!"

Ruan Xiaoqi, nicknamed "Living Yama," was a hot-tempered man. He was naturally indignant that the three brothers had been humiliated in front of Li Hanxiao and Wen Huanzhang. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

The bartender was so frightened he almost stepped into the water. You say he's a local, but doesn't he know what kind of temper the three Nguyen brothers have? One is known as "Standing Tyrant," one as "Short-lived Second Brother," and one as "Living Yama." Just hearing their names, you know none of them are easy to mess with, and you dare to provoke them?

It wasn't that the bartender was audacious; rather, although these three brothers were not to be trifled with, the villagers of Shijie Village were their own people, connected by blood. No matter how wild the three brothers were outside, they would never harm the people of their own village. That's why the bartender could demand payment in this way.

Seeing this, Li Hanxiao stopped Ruan Xiaoqi and said, "Bring up all the local delicacies you have to eat with rice, pour out the wine, take the money, and while you're at it, pay off the debts of the three Ruan brothers!"

As soon as Li Hanxiao spoke, Wen Huanzhang had already stuffed twenty taels of silver into the bartender's hand.

"Oh dear! What should we do?! If the customers lose money, we brothers will handle it ourselves. We won't have any trouble dealing with it!"

Ruan Xiaoer was about to stop them when Wen Huanzhang said, "Brother Ruan, please don't do this. If you still don't agree to our terms, we will take our leave."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiaoer had no choice but to sit down. Ruan Xiaoqi, on the other hand, was quite carefree. "Brother, Brother Li and Mr. Wen think highly of us brothers. They were so kind just now. If you two ever need my help in the future, I, Ruan Xiaoqi, will go through fire and water for you!"

"Shichiro is welcome!"

As they were talking, the waiter set out four large cups, brought out a bucket of wine, laid out four pairs of chopsticks, and placed four kinds of vegetables, a plate of freshly slaughtered yellow beef, and ten catties of similar fatty meat on a large plate, a cooked chicken, a plate of inch-long braised fish, and a plate of eggs. He then brought out another bucket of wine and placed it on the table, along with two more kinds of vegetables. This was the best feast that Shijie Village could put together.

The food and wine were ready, and as dusk fell, Ruan Xiaowu returned. He rushed over like a gust of wind. Li Hanxiao knew that the three brothers had spent a lot of money these days to treat their family members' illnesses, and that they were in debt both inside and outside. He figured they were probably not well-fed. So he raised his cup and drank several bowls of wine with them before starting to eat.

Seeing Li Hanxiao and Wen Huanzhang start eating, the three brothers lost all restraint. Like thirsty dragons seeing water, they had been somewhat restrained before, but after not having meat for many days, their mouths were watery and they couldn't stop eating. They devoured the ten pounds of beef, the whole chicken, the plate of fish, and the eggs in a whirlwind.

Faced with this scene, Li Hanxiao gave a thumbs up and praised the three men, "The three Ruan brothers are indeed true men! Shopkeeper, bring another ten catties of meat!"