Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"We've troubled you to spend so much money!"

Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi exchanged polite words, but they didn't hold back and ate heartily.

The three Ruan brothers ate with their mouths full of oil, and Ruan Xiao Er said somewhat embarrassedly, "Could we keep two catties to take home for my mother, wife and children to have a taste..."

Li Han smiled without saying a word, and gave a signal with his eyes. Wen Huanzhang understood what he meant, and beckoned to the bartender to order another ten catties of beef and two whole chickens to take home for the three Ruan brothers.

"This is too expensive, we absolutely cannot afford it!"

Ruan Xiaoer was really embarrassed and stood up to refuse. Li Han smiled and saw that the time was right. He stood up and took Ruan Xiaoer's hand, saying, "All men are brothers under heaven. I, Li Erlang, am destined to be friends with you, Erlang, Wulang, and Qilang. There is no need to distinguish between friends!"

Upon hearing Li Hanxiao's words, Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi felt their blood boil and stood up, picking up their bowls and saying, "Indeed, they are true friends!"

After saying this, everyone clinked bowls together and drank, having another round of wine.

Just as Li Hanxiao sat down, Wen Huanzhang asked at the opportune moment, "Just now, Qilang said he was going to Liangshan Marsh to catch a big fish, and he also mentioned Lin Chong. I've heard that Lin Chong is the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in Dongjing. What does this have to do with him?"

Upon hearing this, the three Ruan brothers sighed in unison. Ruan Xiaoqi said, "Mr. Wen, you don't know, there are no golden carp weighing more than ten catties in our Shijie Lake. Such a big fish cannot survive in shallow water. It can only be caught in Liangshan Marsh, which is a branch of the lake."

"Since they are from the same source, why talk about risking one's life? Could it be that there is a dragon lurking in the water? And why is it related to Lin Chong?"

Wen Huanzhang asked the question knowing the answer already, just to get the three Ruan brothers to talk.

“If it were a real dragon, the three of us brothers wouldn’t be afraid of it in the water. It’s just that years ago, the imperial court collected rice paddy taxes and forbade fishermen from going into the water to fish. Later, Wang Lun and his gang occupied Liangshan Marsh, and the officials dared not come here. Now, the officials are always causing trouble and harming the people. As soon as they are summoned to the countryside, they eat all the pigs, sheep, chickens and geese raised by the good people and then demand travel expenses to get rid of them. Now it’s good that they can’t do anything about it. How dare the officials who are in charge of catching thieves come to the countryside? Although there are no officials to disturb us, Wang Lun and his gang still don’t allow fishermen to enter the marsh to fish.”

Ruan Xiaowu said indignantly.

"This is outrageous! This Liangshan Marsh isn't their private waterway, so why can't people fish here!"

Li Hanxiao deliberately stirred up trouble for the three Ruan brothers, adding fuel to the fire.

"Hmph, if it were Wang Lun's gang, we wouldn't be afraid of them. Those people are nothing special. If we really fought, the three of us brothers would drown them all in the marsh. But recently, Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in Dongjing City, has also joined Liangshan. This man is really formidable. The three of us brothers know we are no match for him, so how could we dare to go fishing? He would cut off our food and clothing!"

As Ruan Xiaoer spoke, he picked up his bowl, took a sip of wine, and held it in his mouth for a long time without swallowing, as if the wine was too bitter to swallow.

Indeed, the bitterness of life is not so easy to swallow.

But for the sake of survival, you have to force yourself to swallow this bitterness, even if it makes you lose your voice...

“Wang Lun on Liangshan Marsh is a group of brothers, and you three Ruan brothers are also a group of brothers. They wear gold and silver and eat and drink well, while you have no food or clothing. In my opinion, you brothers are not ordinary people. If you can meet the right opportunity and follow the right capable person, your achievements will not be inferior to theirs!”

Seeing that enough firewood had been added, Wen Huanzhang prepared to light the fire.

"That's right. If anyone knew my brothers, we would have given our lives for them. If someone took the lead, we brothers might not be any worse than those three!"

When Ruan Xiaoqi got drunk and excited, he started banging on the table.

"Then why don't the three of you join Wang Lun's ranks as outlaws?"

Wen Huanzhang tapped the table with one hand, striking a triumphant pose, and asked a question.

“Mr. Wen, you don’t know, my brothers and I have discussed joining the gang several times. We’ve heard that the white-robed scholar Wang Lun has a bad reputation. Everyone in the martial arts world, whether big or small, says he’s narrow-minded and intolerant. Last time, Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards from Dongjing, came up the mountain. With such great skills, he only got the fourth seat, just because that bastard Wang Lun wouldn’t let anyone take his place. He was very stingy. So, seeing this, none of my brothers wanted to join him.”

After Ruan Xiaoer finished speaking, Li Hanxiao pretended to be regretful and clicked his tongue a few times, "Oh dear, what a pity, what a pity! It's just a pity that the two of us are not strongmen, otherwise we could have cooperated with you and seized a bird's nest!"

The three Nguyen brothers took it as a joke and said in unison, "Both of you are men of great learning, how could you do such a thing as becoming outlaws? If you two were to raise the flag of rebellion, you would certainly be better than those scoundrels in the marshland. We brothers would also join you in your fun!"

"really?"

Li Hanxiao gave the three Ruan brothers a playful look.

"Whether it's true or not, Brother Li, you're just joking!"

The three Nguyen brothers laughed in unison.

"Then, if I truly have this intention, and I still have several hundred soldiers under my command, what will you do then?"

As Li Hanxiao spoke, he leaned down, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward, almost face-to-face with the three Ruan brothers.

"Go make a scene over there!"

Ruan Xiaoqi slapped her thigh and said.

Is this statement true or false?

"You can swear an oath!"

The three Nguyen brothers spoke in unison.

"Very well! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. We are brothers, so let's rest here for today. Let's put aside the matter of the big fish for now. Since we are close brothers, I also have a lucrative business opportunity to help you three out. Would you three dare to come along?"

Li Hanxiao feigned profundity, prompting the three Ruan brothers to ask, "What kind of business is it to make money and get rich?"

"To be honest, I have a shipment of jewels to transport to the north, but these are turbulent times, and there are too many bandits on the road. I'm afraid they'll be stolen, and I'll lose my money. I originally came to buy fish to offer as sacrifices to the gods, but after seeing three heroes like you today, I've changed my mind. I'd like to invite you three to come along as escorts. If the journey is safe and sound, I'll give you 30% of the profits from this deal!"

Li Hanxiao first appealed to their emotions, and then to their interests, like cooking a small fish over a slow fire, until the subtle flavor was revealed, making it impossible for the three brothers not to be tempted.

"Since the three of us can be of use, we will certainly help. Thirty percent of the profits will be enough to settle down. Where shall we set off tomorrow?"

The three Nguyen brothers looked at each other and knew that they all shared the same idea and wanted to go, so they agreed in unison.

"Niutou Mountain".

Li Han smiled calmly.