Chapter One, or as a bandit.
Old man Cao was taken aback after hearing his son's rebuttal, feeling somewhat ashamed. Indeed, as a boatman, what was inappropriate about it? His son was already eighteen, and their family was so poor that they couldn't even afford a matchmaker. How could he still have the face to mention the concept of propriety?
Young Master Wang San grinned, revealing his large yellow teeth, and let out a big yawn with a lackluster demeanor. He poked the young boy in front of him, who was leading the donkey, with a donkey whip and said, "I say, Dog Wa, how much farther do we have to go? I can't hold on much longer. It would be great if we had a big pipe to smoke right now."
Three months ago, my foolish son fell into the water and was rescued by someone. After that, he began to speak nonsensically about drifting, hiking, and crossing. In desperation, Old Man Cao invited the famous shaman from the village to summon his soul. Unexpectedly, this foolish boy suddenly learned a full set of martial arts, and seventeen or eighteen strong young men from the village could not subdue him. Eventually, he exhausted himself and suddenly collapsed to the ground, then got up and said that he had just been possessed by Erlang Shen from heaven, and now Erlang Shen had left.
On a forest path on Dake Mountain in Anle Township, sixty li away from Tongguan, two individuals, clad in straw raincoats, crouched behind withered grass. From a distance, they blended seamlessly with the dry grass, resembling two clumps of withered mugwort. Raindrops pelted the mugwort, producing a rhythmic patter, and the two individuals beneath the raincoats involuntarily shivered in unison, exchanging a wry smile.
The son, who had been foolish for eighteen years, suddenly became intelligent, leading the true father, Old Man Cao, to believe it was due to the virtues accumulated by their ancestors
The bell on the donkey's neck jingled as a young master sat atop the donkey in the distance. In front of the donkey walked a thin young boy, and the two of them strolled leisurely. The young master on the donkey held an umbrella and yawned impatiently. This person was Wang Youcai, the third son of the wealthy landlord of Anlexiang. Today, he had come specifically to Taojia Village to collect the overdue land rent.
Old man Cao insisted, "My son, I must watch over you here; in case anything happens to you..."
I do not know
Behind him stood a man named Cao Laohan, who was the biological father of Cao Yue. He appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, but in reality, Cao Laohan was only forty years old. As an old boatman on the Yellow River, the passage of time had aged him significantly beyond his actual years, with a face full of wrinkles and an expression filled with anxiety. He occasionally stretched his neck out cautiously, which revealed the fear within him at that moment. His trembling hands were not due to the cold, but rather from fear—fear that his son's highway robbery might lead to a fatal consequence. It would not matter if he were killed by the authorities, but his son was still young; he could not die.
Old man Cao's foolish son, Cao Dashazi, has taken over his own body. Out of both sentiment and reason, he must properly play the role of the old man's son. In his previous life, he was unable to care for his parents while they were still alive; in this life, in order to repay Cao Dashazi, he must, by all means, become a competent Cao Yue.
Dog Wa nodded and said, "Alright, young master." After walking a few steps, Dog Wa couldn't help but say, "Third Young Master, you really shouldn't smoke opium; I've heard that stuff is a disaster..."
Cao Yuedao: "Doctor He said that to cure your illness, it would require at least thirty taels of silver, and he has waived our consultation fee. If it weren't for being forced into a corner, I would not resort to this deadly trade. Father, if the Emperor of our Great Qing were to help you recover, I would certainly be a loyal subject. However, being a loyal subject means accepting the will of Heaven; why should we have to accept the will of Heaven? You have lived an honest life, so why must you suffer from this illness in your old age? I am unwilling, I refuse to accept this!"
Old Man Cao said: "You are my son and a book, how could a father be angry at his son, cough cough cough ... ... "
Cao Yue claims to be a disciple of Erlang Shen. Initially, he subdued the idlers in the village, becoming a figure whom no one dared to provoke. No one dared to call Cao Yue "Cao Dasha" anymore. He then gathered people to go hunting in the mountains, capturing a considerable amount of game.
Damn it, Young Master Wang San, you have finally arrived. I have been waiting for you for a long time. Cao Yue was overjoyed and immediately covered his face with a black cloth, gripping a kitchen knife tightly in his left hand while pressing down on the darts in the pouch with his right hand, ready to strike. His sharp gaze pierced through the withered grass, firmly fixing on the master and servant duo at the foot of the hill
One of the two appears to be an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, while the other is a young man. There is a faint resemblance between them. Upon closer inspection, the older man is trembling, his hands unsteady as he grips a hatchet. In contrast, the young man, who is robust with a strong build and prominent features, occasionally reveals a hint of a defiant smirk. He sits on a wooden stump, repeatedly sharpening a kitchen knife against a stone, producing a squeaking sound as he sharpens it.
However, Cao Yue looked at the thin, elderly man beside him, who was so concerned for him, and especially the old man's nervousness and care made him, who had lost his parents at the age of sixteen, feel a warmth in his heart
"Our ancestors have always been honest and upright? Hmph! Our family has been pulling boats along the Yellow River for generations. How could we not be honest?" Cao Yue said plainly
Donkey balls, twenty miles, the old man cannot be tempted to death
The dog scratched its head and said, "I really don't understand"
At this moment, Cao Yue felt his hands and feet were cold, so he rubbed his hands together, eagerly anticipating the arrival of someone.
Ding ding ding ... ...
The humidity in the early spring air suddenly made Old Man Cao's throat itch unbearably, prompting him to cough violently. He covered his mouth and continued to persuade: "My son, engaging in this robbery business could lead to execution. I am worried about you. Our Cao family has been honest and upright for generations; we cannot do such things."
Grandfather, are you craving a cigarette?
This young man is named Cao Yue. Previously, people called him Cao the Fool, but ever since three months ago, when he went ice fishing on the frozen surface of the Yellow River in the dead of winter and unfortunately fell into the water but was lucky enough to be rescued, Cao the Fool has transformed into a different person. He has repeatedly beaten up the idlers in the village, becoming the new bully of Taojia Village, and has declared that anyone who calls him Cao the Fool again will be beaten into a fool. The villagers, who have a tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong, saw that Cao the Fool suddenly became clever. Although they did not understand what had happened, they accepted his tough side and dared only to call him Cao Erlang in his presence.
Indeed. Young Master Wang San yawned again, took out his pipe, and muttered to himself: "Satisfy my cravings, satisfy my cravings, Gou Wa, keep a good watch on the road"
Cao Yue excitedly ran over, brought back the rabbit, and with a satisfied smile on his thick-browed, big-eyed face said: "Not bad luck, Father. Even if we didn't catch any Wang Laosan today, having this rabbit is still good. This is what it means to wait by the stump for a rabbit, hahaha"
Cao Yue smiled and said, "Father, you can rest assured, I have this." As he spoke, he took out a row of darts that he had meticulously crafted over the past three months, playfully fiddling with them. Suddenly, with a flick of his right hand, a flying knife flashed, and an unfortunate rabbit that had just poked its head out of a hole in search of food was struck by the knife, kicking its legs a couple of times before it died.
Cao Yue stood up and looked around; no one came. He sat back down on the wooden stool and turned around, speaking gently: "Father, the wind is strong here; it would be better if you..."
The wind blows against people's faces, slightly chilly, as all things begin anew. The initial signs of renewal are evident, and small animals in the forest occasionally start to peek out in search of food
Cao Yue saw Old Man Cao lower his head and realized that his words had hurt his father's pride. He quickly said, "Father, I didn't mean it that way. Please don't overthink it."
The dog pulling the donkey turned back and said: "There are still less than twenty miles to go, young master"
Recently, my son has become increasingly bold in his actions. Having contracted tuberculosis, he actually plans to kidnap the third son of the wealthy landlord Wang Dacai. He sighed, inhaling the damp, cold air, and made a concerted effort to suppress the peculiar itch in his throat, fearing that he might disturb his godson's "robbery enterprise." Whether his son is a fool or a clever person, a good man or a bad man, he is still his own son. One cannot simply watch him suffer alone. Even with his ailing body, Old Cao insists on standing behind his son.
Cao Yue found a freshly sprouted tender grass on the ground, held it in his mouth, savoring its sweetness, and comforted, "Father, you should go back. I can handle this matter on my own. Your health has never been good; how can I persuade you to rest well if you don't return?"
You, at eighteen, still act like a child. Old man Cao replied with a bitter smile, still disapproving of his son's choice to become a bandit and rob on the roads, but helpless as his son was inherently restless.
You child, your mind has opened up too much, and you do not know whether it is a blessing or a curse. Old man Cao shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly
On the second day of the third month in the twenty-second year of the Guangxu era, corresponding to March 2, 1896, the spring thunder rolled and the spring rain fell like oil. In Taojia Village, Anle Township, Tongguan County, Shaanxi Province, where the three provinces of Shaanxi, Henan, and Shanxi converge, the first rain of spring arrived. For the land of Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi, which had seen very little snow throughout the winter, this precious spring rain was particularly invigorating.
"You don't know anything. " The Third Young Master yawned and took a deep drag from his pipe, speaking with great seriousness: "You donkey-headed fool, ask around the wealthy young masters of Tongguan, who doesn't smoke opium? I go to Tongguan County to do business with each household; if I can't smoke opium, how can I negotiate? You don't understand the intricacies of this, it's all knowledge, it's all knowledge indeed"
Young Master Wang San laughed heartily and said: "You don't understand anything. I, the Young Master, have grown up standing by the counter since childhood, and I have seen more than you. Just look at this Heixia Valley; I have been here seventy or eighty times. If there were a bandit in this place, we would both be done for. Do you know why I still dare to come here?"
Seeing the expression on Old Man Cao's face, Zhang Yue understood his meaning. However, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, asking himself, "Is it easy for me?" Borrowing a corpse to return to life, he had finally managed to rid himself of the title of fool, only to find that the father of this body, Old Man Cao, had contracted tuberculosis. How could he save the old man without making a fortune? Did he want to become a bandit and rob people? It was not his choice but a compulsion of reality. Poor Cao Yue, before his transmigration, was a professional mercenary, having fought against various government forces, rebel armies, the Syrian government, and Somali pirates in Africa. He had even been employed by the CIA to engage in combat against regular Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Now, to be reduced to a mere bandit truly belittled his capabilities.
Young Master Wang San pointed at his own face and said: "That is because I, Young Master San, have a big face. Who dares to disregard the face of Wang San, the Young Master of Anle Township? Who dares to touch me? I will ruin their ancestors!"
Since the New Year, the meals at home have been quite abundant, and the young men in the village have gradually come to respect him, referring to him as Cao Erlang, meaning the disciple of Erlang Shen
In the gentle rain and slanting wind, the people of Qinchuan during the Qing Dynasty yearned for a prosperous year ahead