Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

When Wu Dalang got to the heart-wrenching part, he cried his heart out in front of his parents' memorial tablets. After calming down, he wiped away his tears with his sleeve and asked Cao Zheng, "What family's daughter did my brother marry?"

"Oh, they are a wealthy family surnamed Lin. The couple are good people and they have a daughter who is sixteen years old."

Cao Zheng replied.

Upon hearing this, Wu Dalang began to ponder, "A wedding naturally requires the proper matchmaking and betrothal gifts. My brother has already bought a house and acquired land, so he probably doesn't have any spare money. As his older brother, I must help him out as much as possible..."

Wu Dalang wanted to help Wu Song with the bride price, and he also thought that although his in-laws' family wasn't a grand mansion with palaces and pavilions, they were still a wealthy family in the area, and their daughter was a pretty girl from a modest family.

Since it's my first time visiting my in-laws as the eldest brother, I should bring something for my sister-in-law and in-laws; I can't go empty-handed...

However, given his current financial situation, it's unlikely he can manage that...

After thinking for a long time, Wu Dalang said, "How about this, Brother Cao, stay at my house for two days. I'll take care of something and then prepare some gifts before we go together!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zheng exclaimed, "This won't do! Li Hanxiao has set a date and is urgently urging us to go back immediately. We can't afford to delay!"

"Brother Wu, the bride's family is pressing for a wedding date; it can't be delayed. What's the most important thing?"

Cao Zheng asked.

Wu Dalang sighed, "Originally, there was a girl in the Zhang family of this county who was getting married. The Zhang family wanted to give her to me as my wife and even provide a dowry. Originally, the matter had not been settled, but now that I think about it, I might as well agree to it first, take the betrothal gifts, and go to prepare gifts and betrothal items for my brother..."

It turns out that Wu Dalang's intention was to obtain the betrothal gifts from the Zhang family by agreeing to marry Pan Jinlian, so that he could get money to pay for Wu Song's betrothal gifts.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zheng knew that this was absolutely unacceptable. Li Hanxiao had specifically instructed him before leaving that if anyone tried to arrange a marriage for Wu Dalang, he should do everything in his power to sabotage it.

Although he didn't know why Li Hanxiao wanted to do this, it was a death order from Li Hanxiao, and to be honest, Cao Zheng didn't dare to disobey and could only follow it.

:

So Cao Zheng began to persuade him, "Oh, Brother Wu, you're overthinking it! I know you're worried that Brother Wu Song won't be able to afford the bride price, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Dalang nodded, affirming Cao Zhengdao's statement.

"There's no need for that. Brother Wu Song is now a captain of the infantry. Not only does he have a salary, but he also runs his own martial arts school and has dozens of students. Just the gifts and allowances he receives are enough to last him a year or two. Look, these are the two large silver ingots that Brother Wu Song asked me to bring you for your travel expenses!"

As Cao Zheng spoke, in order to convince Wu Dalang, he took out two fifty-tael silver ingots from his bundle and placed the hundred-tael silver on the table for Wu Dalang to see.

"Huh? My brother can start his own sect now? Back then, I sent him to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts so he would learn some skills and not be bullied everywhere. I never thought this day would come..."

Wu Dalang picked up the two silver ingots, tapped and rubbed them together, and then carefully examined their quality by the light of the oil lamp, displaying a somewhat petty bourgeois demeanor.

No wonder, Wu Dalang had never seen a hundred taels of silver in his entire life!

He firmly believed Cao Zheng's claim that Wu Song opened a martial arts school and took on disciples.

Because he knew Wu Song's martial arts skills. Back then, when he sent Wu Song to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts, Wu Dalang had worked as a woodcutter and cook for the monks at Shaolin Temple for three years. He had heard the old monks in the temple say that Wu Song was a rare martial arts prodigy.

“My brother used to get drunk and cause trouble every few days when he was at home, but I never expected him to become so successful after he left home. He can afford the dowry. At my age, I should also get married. It’s not proper for me, the eldest brother, to get married first, instead of the other way around!”

Although Wu Dalang was no longer worried about money and didn't have to worry about the dowry from the Zhang family, his single status was still unresolved. Furthermore, he had met Pan Jinlian once and genuinely found her quite attractive…

Upon hearing this, Cao Zheng immediately began to persuade him, "Brother Wu, listen to me, I think this woman... is not a good match..."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Wu Dalang asked in confusion.

"Look, this woman is a maid, and she has no relation to that wealthy man Zhang. Why is he paying a dowry to marry her off?"

"This is unreasonable. Besides, when I came here, I heard someone in the county say that this wealthy man wanted to seduce a maid in his household. The woman refused and complained to his wife. The wealthy man Zhang was so angry that he wanted to take revenge on her. Could it be this person?"

"Whether what outsiders say is true or not, I don't know. In any case, this woman is definitely a restless one, and her reputation isn't good either. Brother Wu, as the saying goes, an ugly wife is a treasure at home. It's better to have a woman who is good at managing the household. Women who work as maids in wealthy families are all cunning and not settled. They either try to seduce the master or young master, hoping to become his concubine, or they try to seduce men!"

"Besides, Brother Wusong isn't short of money now. He had money before he became a brother. What kind of woman couldn't he find? When the time comes, Brother Wusong can find a good and kind woman for his brother to marry. Wouldn't that be better than this?"

Wu Dalang had heard some rumors about what Cao Zheng said before, and had also thought about them himself.

However, Wu Dalang previously thought that with his conditions, it would be good enough if he could find a wife who was willing to be with him. The woman was not bad-looking and even gave him a dowry, which was the best choice for him.

But after Cao Zheng said that, Wu Dalang was no longer so insistent. After all, it wasn't difficult to find a wife if you had money, and you might actually be able to find someone better.

"That's true. After hearing what you said, I understand now. I'll stay here for the night and pack my things. How about we set off tomorrow morning?"

Before Cao Zheng could answer, he heard a burst of cursing coming from outside.

"Wu Da, you get out here! That kid's a real hero, don't hide!"

The two recognized the voice immediately. It turned out that it was Meng Dalang, nicknamed "Hua Xiaolong," who had just been kicked over by Cao Zheng at the mule and horse market, who had come with his men to take revenge!

"Oh no! They've come knocking on our door!"

Wu Dalang was a timid and cowardly man. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately lost his composure.

"Don't worry, brother, I'll take care of them!"

Cao Zheng sneered, picked up the broadsword leaning against the door, and walked out.

"Brother, be careful!"

Wu Dalang wanted to go out and see what was going on, but he was too scared, so he could only look around from the doorway.

Cao Zheng strode into the street with his broadsword, only to see "Little Dragon Flower" Meng Dalang standing there, shouting and cursing, with five or six ruffians standing beside him to help.

Seeing Cao Zheng come out with a knife, these bullies who preyed on the weak all took two steps back.

"Why is it you again!"

Meng Dalang then saw Cao Zheng again. He had been beaten by Cao Zheng before and was somewhat afraid of him.

"Anyone who's not afraid of death, come forward! Grandpa will skin you alive!"

As Cao Zheng spoke, he shook his broadsword, transmitting force to the tip, causing the blade to flash with a chilling light that was captivating.

At this moment, it seems this "butcher" is about to switch from slaughtering pigs and sheep to slaughtering people...

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for a while. The ruffians never dared to step forward and fight, after all, it was a real knife, and a single blow could really kill someone.

"Okay! You're something else! Just you wait! You'll have times when you're not here, right? We'll come every day!"

Finally, Meng Dalang, nicknamed "Hua Xiaolong," uttered a harsh remark and simply left with his men.

"Humph!"

Cao Zheng didn't chase after them. Such scoundrels were no better than people like Zhang San and Li Si; there was no need to lower himself to their level.

Moreover, they also helped Cao Zheng to some extent. Since they wanted to come and "greet" Wu Dalang more often in the future, Wu Dalang could no longer make a living in Qinghe County. He had no choice but to go to Wu Song!

"Oh dear, these rascals... we can't stay here any longer, brother, let's hit the road tomorrow!"

When Wu Dalang heard what they said inside, he felt a chill in his heart. Being targeted by these hooligans was no good. They would either throw excrement on your door or climb up and block your chimney. They wouldn't dare to kill or set fires, but they had plenty of ways to disgust people!

It just goes to show the old saying, "A toad lying on your foot doesn't bite, but it's disgusting."

"Alright, it's as you say, brother. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning!"

Cao Zheng finally convinced Wu Dalang to go with him, and he could finally get a peaceful night's sleep!

The next morning, Wu Dalang packed his valuables, locked the house, and the two set off for Jizhou Prefecture. With Cao Zheng protecting them along the way, nothing happened. The two traveled for five or six days and arrived in Jizhou Prefecture.

Cao Zheng, nicknamed "The Knife-Wielding Demon," was leading Wu Dalang toward the Li Family Road.

"Brother, we've arrived in Jeju Prefecture now. There's an inn ahead. It's getting late, why don't we grab something to eat before we go?"

"Just right."

When the two arrived at Zhu Gui's tavern at the entrance of Lijiadao, Zhu Gui, the "Dry Land Crocodile," saw Cao Zheng, the "Knife-Wielding Ghost," enter and knew what was going on. He then ordered the waiters to follow the plan and start adding ingredients to the food and drinks.

"Shopkeeper, please arrange some food and drinks for us!"

"coming!"

Zhu Gui ordered a jar of wine and some vegetables. Wu Dalang carefully smelled the vegetables, looked at them, and said, "This is a novice cook; he didn't cook them well!"

Cao Zheng laughed and joked, "Brother hasn't even eaten yet, how do you know it's bad?"

"Brother, you don't know this, but back then, in order to support my brother, I worked in the kitchen of a retired official in our hometown. That man brought back a royal chef from the capital, and I learned a lot of cooking skills from him!"

As Wu Dalang spoke, he pointed with his chopsticks at a plate of vinegared celery and said, “Look, this vinegared celery was originally a dish served with wine and rice in the Tang Dynasty. It is a soup made by fermenting ordinary celery and then cooking it with five flavors. I heard the old chef say that this dish was not originally considered precious, but because of its unique flavor, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, went to great lengths to give it to Wei Zheng, and it was recorded in history.”

"This dish wasn't fermented long enough, so the aroma wasn't strong enough, and the fresh scent of the celery hadn't been released. Back then, when the old chef made vinegar celery, he would always roast Sichuan peppercorns in hot oil before serving it, and then pour the hot oil over the vinegar celery. The taste was truly exquisite!"

As Wu Dalang spoke, he picked up a piece of pickled celery and put it in his mouth.

Listening to Wu Dalang's description, Cao Zheng's mouth watered. He also started out running a tavern, but it was just a small village shop. He didn't care much about food quality or menu innovation; as long as it didn't kill anyone, it was fine.

He never expected that Wu Dalang, who couldn't even type properly, would have such a high level of expertise in food.

"And this roasted mutton, you don't even need to eat it, you can tell it's overcooked just by looking at it! This roasted mutton is the most particular. It is made from the lean and fatty meat between the ribs and the belly of the mutton. First, it is soaked in water for half an hour, then scallions, ginger and wine are added to remove the blood and remove the gamey smell, making it more tender. Then it is cooked in a pot until it is 80% cooked. The mutton is then pricked with a needle to absorb the seasoning, then oil is brushed on it, pepper is added and it is roasted over a fire."

"The most important thing is to put a pine stick in when cooking the meat, and to add the salt last."

"Relaxation stick?"

Cao Zheng was a little puzzled; he had never heard of boiling wood!

"This relaxation stick can remove the muttony smell."

Pine wood has a porous structure, which can absorb impurities and odors when it is put in a pot to cook with mutton, making the stewed mutton soup more refreshing and without a strong muttony smell.

"Oh dear, I have benefited greatly from talking with you, brother. With such skills, why don't you become a chef and sell steamed buns?"

While Cao Zheng was flattering and complimenting him, he raised his bowl to offer a toast. Wu Dalang took a sip and said, "It's not that I, Wu Dalang, am boasting. Back then, I learned some skills from that old imperial chef. I know a little about both southern and northern cuisine. It's just a pity that the head of the family died. No one in the entire Qinghe County was willing to hire someone to cook, and no one was so particular about food. So I had no place to use my skills!"

Wu Dalang also wanted to earn more money with his skills, but unfortunately there was no one else in Qinghe County who could cook so well. His skills had nowhere to be used. From the county magistrate to the common people, no one in the county had ever eaten or seen such food. Eating mutton soup with flatbread was considered a New Year's celebration. There was simply no market for it.

In addition, Wu Dalang himself didn't have the capital to open a shop, so he simply sold some simple steamed buns.

However, when it comes to making steamed buns, Wu Dalang's steamed buns are second to none in Qinghe County. It is true that everyone has their own expertise, and his steamed buns are much tastier than those of others.

That's why they were able to raise Wu Song to such an age by making steamed buns.

According to Wu Dalang, for many years, Wu Song's staple food consisted of: freshly baked steamed buns, leftover steamed buns, unsold steamed buns, steamed buns that he tried to recreate but failed, cold steamed buns, hot steamed buns, and steamed buns soaked in hot water. Wu Song ate so much that he felt like vomiting at the sight of steamed buns...

"Haha, that's how a big brother should hawk his wares! Eating steamed buns can make you grow taller. Look at Wu Erlang, he's been eating steamed buns since he was a child, and now he's eight feet tall, like a god!"

Cao Zheng joked.