Chapter 5, Xiao Liuzi and Old Man

This unexpected windfall dazzled Liu Qing, causing his emotions to surge rapidly. Suddenly, he picked up his bundle and rushed in the direction the young man had departed, running a considerable distance before finally catching sight of the young man's back.

In such circumstances, Liu Qing had no choice but to flee with his father. People consumed everything edible, and the places they passed through resembled those ravaged by locusts, with even the tree bark gnawed clean

Wang Damao spat, "What bad luck, I've run into a grim reaper." He pretended to leave, but suddenly felt unsatisfied, so he turned around and kicked the man in the stomach. The man was caught off guard and spat out, splattering Wang Damao's foot. Wang Damao became furious again: "Your stinking life can't even compensate me for one shoe! Today, I will kill you, treating it as if I am killing a mere beast!" Saying this, he grabbed the man's collar and lifted him up, slapping him so hard that blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, then he swung his fist at him.

The two walked back hand in hand joyfully, and Du Si shared his long-standing plan with Liu Qing: "I have observed for quite some time, and there seems to be no prospect for advancement while fleeing with such a large group of people. It would be better for us to divert through Jiangsu, then Shandong, and finally to Zhili. The area around Beijing is at least temporarily peaceful, but who knows how long that will last. We should keep our eyes open and look for future business opportunities. While the momentum is not in our favor, we should head south to Hainan and settle down around Yangzhou. Do you believe I can succeed?" Liu Qing did not share such an idea, but only responded loudly in agreement. We should keep our eyes open and look for future business opportunities. While the momentum is not in our favor, we should head south to Hainan and settle down around Yangzhou. Do you believe I can succeed?" Liu Qing did not share such an idea, but only responded loudly in agreement.

Before meeting his father, Xiao Liuzi did not have a surname. He was a complete orphan, not even knowing who his parents were, and was raised by Lord She in the capital since childhood. Due to a tea cup-sized birthmark on his back, everyone called him the Green-Skinned Monkey

Liu Qing was taken aback, seeing that his father had already unwrapped the bundle—inside, besides grain and some daily clothing and medicine, there were also two gold ingots and a dozen small silver bars, amounting to at least seven or eight hundred taels of silver.

Wang Damao laughed heartily, saying, "What? The unfilial son is leaving, not caring about his father, haha..." While saying this, he slapped the old man's face with his hand, "I will see just how foolish you are. I will take a piss, and if you drink it, you can leave!" As he spoke, he unfastened his pants. The old man immediately dodged left and right, crying out in alarm.

Do you know? The bond between you and your son makes me very envious After softly finishing his words, the young man quietly walked out, leaving behind the burden that originally belonged to him

That night, they were driven together to a dilapidated temple outside the city. The green-skinned monkey, feeling the five taels of silver in his arms, resolved to escape. In the middle of the night, the two of them left the capital together.

Liu Qing was acutely aware that he was no match for this person. As he watched him approach step by step, Liu Qing felt a chill rising from his heart to his forehead. Suddenly, his father rushed over from the side, standing in front of him, and shouted at the yellow-faced youth. The youth frowned and said, "What the hell is going on? Get out of the way!"

This year's winter seems to have arrived particularly early; just after the winter solstice, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. However, today, the mood of the green-skinned monkey is quite good. He has just succeeded in capturing a fat sheep, and now he has more than five taels of silver at his waist. As long as he gives Master She three or four cents of silver each day, he can avoid being beaten for half a month, so he feels as if the weather has become warm and pleasant.

During the formal brotherhood ceremony, everyone referred to Sun Lu as the eldest brother according to age, but Liu Qing insisted on calling Du Fengji the eldest brother and Sun Lu as the big brother. So when someone asked him, "Is your big brother here?" he would respond, "Please clarify, are you looking for the eldest brother or the big brother?" This led the subsequent brothers to follow his lead, referring to one as the big brother and the other as the eldest brother

Liu Qing increasingly became attached to and admired Du Fengji, whether it was competing with Old Du for territory or doing business with foreigners, he never doubted the decisions made by the boss. However, when Du Fengji decided to entrust all his years of wealth to a person who seemed somewhat unsophisticated, he truly found it hard to understand.

Suddenly, that person jumped up and hugged the green-skinned monkey, exclaiming: "Do you know me? Are you trying to trick me into teaching you martial arts?" The green-skinned monkey was startled and replied, "Trick you? What martial arts?" He felt a bit scared, and his speech became incoherent, "If you don't want to, then forget it. I won't acknowledge you as my father anymore. I'm leaving. You, you take care of yourself..."

The yellow-faced youth chuckled silently: "Me, the boss? I..." He paused for a moment, shaking his head with a smile, "How could I be someone else's boss?" Liu Qing urged, "Why not? You must have been in the game before; I can tell at a glance. Relying on anyone is still relying on someone, so just accept me as your brother! No one has ever treated me well since I was young; I know that following you will definitely be the right choice!"

The doctor said: "This is a case of madness. Although it is not an acute illness, it cannot be cured in a short period of time."

Recently, when Liu Qing returned from begging, he saw his father curled up on the ground in the dilapidated temple, his face alternating between blue and red, unable to speak. Frightened, he burst into tears. He ran to fetch a doctor, but by the time he returned, his father had already recovered on his own, wrapping a piece of dirty red cloth that had been draped over the statue in the temple around himself and running around wildly

At that moment, the street suddenly became chaotic. The people, who were originally engaged in their own activities, quickly formed a large circle as if by magic, and sounds of shouting and fighting emerged from within the circle. The young rascal took a glance and immediately knew that there was another spectacle to watch, and it posed no real danger. Having repeatedly experienced stealing, fleeing, and being beaten since childhood, he was very agile and quickly slipped into the crowd.

Every winter, the life of the green-skinned monkey becomes even more difficult. Not only do people hide their money deep in their pockets, making it hard for him to make a living, but who would be willing to go out in the cold wind to give money to a beggar? As a result, the green-skinned monkey often goes hungry and frequently returns home to face beatings

Wang Damazi picked up the steps and said: "Damn it, take your crazy father and get lost, and don't let me see you again!" The green-skinned monkey did not take the scolding to heart at all, turning to the old man and saying: "Dad, let's go."

Seeing him like this, Wang Damazi became even angrier and shouted: "You cursed collision corpse, I just fried a basket of oily goods, and now you are about to eat them. Aren't you afraid of burning your throat, you son of a bitch?" As he spoke, he suddenly struck the man's head with a stick, and blood immediately began to flow out.

At the border of Jiangsu, Liu Qing noticed a young man who was two or three years older than him. This person always managed to find a way to survive. In the wild, he could immediately locate where there was food; no matter which city he was in, he could quickly find work. Liu Qing thought that the young man's complexion was yellowish, resembling someone suffering from tuberculosis, and he should die soon. Noticing that he still had some money, Liu Qing decided to follow him. However, the young man continued to live well, and not only did Liu Qing's wish to inherit his burden remain unfulfilled, but he and his father were on the verge of starving to death themselves.

Liu Qing held onto his father from behind and said, "Sir, it is entirely my fault for being blind to the truth. My father and I truly have no way out. My father is a fool; if I die, he will not survive either. If you must kill, then do it together; do not leave my father to suffer alone in this world." The young man was taken aback by such a request. He stared intently at Liu Qing for a moment before replying, "Young brother, your skills are commendable. The world is too chaotic now; if you stay with such a father, neither of you will survive. It would be better for you to escape; in the future, there will still be people who can burn paper money for your father."

One of the young men picking vegetables suddenly exclaimed, "Isn't this the fool from the back mountain of our village? Uncle Wang, this person is foolish; it won't do any good to hit him." Wang Damao grabbed the man's hair, and the man grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of fried dough sticks mixed with saliva.

Liu Qing always felt that his father must have been a gentleman before he went mad. This is because the name his father gave him is quite pleasant, and the winding route they took to escape that night effectively prevented Uncle She from finding them later. It seems that his father must have been very knowledgeable.

Liu Qing later discovered that Du Fengji was actually a very easy-going person who often made him happy. When Du Si learned how Liu Qing and his father met, he treated his father even better. However, ever since his father saw Du Fengji, he became even more unhinged, hardly managing to say a complete sentence. But as time passed, he no longer feared Du Fengji; instead, he began to call him "Boss" along with Liu Qing.

The Green Skin Monkey said: "Whoever he is, I just don't believe that a life is worth less than a shoe." Wang Damao suddenly laughed and said: "Not to mention, we Green Skin Monkeys still want to play the little hero for a while. As long as you make the old man happy, he will spare this old ghost. Didn't you grow up without a father? Come on, let Wang Damao help you find a godfather, how about that?" Saying this, he glanced at the old man, and the crowd burst into laughter again. Come on, let Wang Damao help you find a godfather, how about that?" Saying this, he glanced at the old man, and the crowd burst into laughter again.

Wang Damao laughed heartily and said: "Well, it seems that even a fool wouldn't want a son like you. You might as well just urinate and drown yourself!"

For the following year, Liu Qing and his father continued to head south. In fact, his father was not always confused. When he was clear-headed, he particularly enjoyed teaching Liu Qing to recognize characters, and would get angry if Liu Qing could not remember them. They usually begged for food, and occasionally stole a few things. When they had free time, his father would play hide and seek or race with him, sometimes even playfully hitting him, always ensuring that Liu Qing was exhausted before stopping. Over the course of the year, Liu Qing's body gradually became lighter and more agile. However, his father remained the same, in poor health and frequently ill.

This is the sixth brother among the ten brothers—Liu Qing, who has been closest to Du Fengji for the longest time and shares the best relationship with him

The one who is hitting is Wang Damao, a street vendor selling fried dough sticks. At this moment, he is fiercely striking a disheveled man with a rolling pin. The man is clutching two fried dough sticks in his hands, focused solely on tearing and biting into them, allowing the rolling pin to rain down on him like a shower, not uttering a single sound.

The old man grabbed him and said: "Good son, obedient son, your father will teach you martial arts. Once you have mastered it, come back and kill this bad person!" The young man picking vegetables nearby laughed and said: "Here we go again. When this old man first came to our village, he kept claiming to be a master of the martial world, even calling himself a demon lord, wanting to teach us martial arts. Later, when no one paid him any attention, he stopped calling himself a demon lord and said he was the Bull Demon King. Green-skinned monkey, have you turned into the Red Boy? Haha, you should change your name to Green Boy."

After two days without food and seeing that pale-faced youth eating a pancake, Liu Qing could no longer hold back and decided to return to his old profession—stealing his bundle

Although the Green Skin Monkey knew that his father was a madman, he felt very warm after listening to him. That evening, he took his father to meet Uncle She, asking him to take them in. Before he could finish speaking, Uncle She interrupted, saying: "Green Skin Monkey, your skin is itching again, isn't it?" He waved his hand and gave him a few lashes, but his father pounced on him, shielding him from the blows.

If such days could be maintained indefinitely, Liu Qing would be satisfied. However, he also encountered a major problem that no one could escape at that time—war! The small villages in the north had almost no men left; they either starved to death or were conscripted to fight. A large group of the elderly, weak, women, and children surged southward like a tide. Along the way, more villagers joined, but many also fell to the ground. Liu Qing used the words his father had recently taught him to describe the scene: "the cries of the sorrowful echo everywhere, and the land is strewn with the dead from starvation." Along the way, more villagers joined, but many also fell to the ground. Liu Qing used the words his father had recently taught him to describe the scene: "the cries of the sorrowful echo everywhere, and the land is strewn with the dead from starvation."

The green-skinned monkey suddenly felt a rush of blood to his head and shouted, "Stop! Didn't you hear that he is a fool?" Wang Damao turned around and saw, "So it's you, you little brat. What business is it of yours if my Lord Wang is teaching a fool? Is he your father?" The people around immediately burst into laughter

The green-skinned monkey suddenly felt a surge of something that was neither hot nor cold rushing up from his dantian. He pushed Wang Damao aside and grabbed the old man, saying: "Father, ignore him, let's go, I will cook for you!"

This should be quite easy for Liu Qing, but when he mentioned it to his father, his father refused to let him do it. His father said, "That kid is quite formidable; he could seriously harm my dear son." Therefore, Liu Qing had no choice but to sneak out on his own after his father fell asleep at night

Wang Damao was furious: "You little monkey, dare you push me!" The green-skinned monkey jumped up and shouted: "Today, I will push you, so what? If you dare to hit my father again, I will call my little brothers to come and disturb you every day, making it impossible for you to conduct any business. Otherwise, you can kill me in front of all these people today, and then you will have to pay for my life, and I will profit from it!"

Liu Qing called out urgently, "Hey... wait a moment..." The young man heard the voice and stopped to wait for him to catch up, asking in a gentle tone, "Little brother, what is it?" Liu Qing's face turned bright red, stammering, "I want... you... you..." He didn't even know what he wanted to say. Suddenly, he took a deep breath and shouted, "Can I follow you? You be my leader!"

Although Wang Damao was angry, he did not dare to actually kill someone. There were also onlookers nearby advising him: "Uncle Wang, just let it go. You still have business to attend to; what good does it do to hold a grudge against these two people?"

The person shuddered slightly, raised his head, and his eyes were filled with resentment and despair. That gaze pierced deep into the heart of the green-skinned monkey. When he was a child and failed to earn any money, he felt the same resentment and despair when Uncle She poured urine over his head.

Liu Qing glanced at his father, giving a disdainful smile to the young man. He shook his head in rejection of the young man's proposal. In truth, he knew that the young man's words were not without merit, but how could this person possibly understand his feelings towards his father

Old Man She specifically adopts orphans like him to make money. Since he can remember, Xiao Liuzi has gone out every day to beg for food, seizing any opportunity to steal. Only by stealing something every day can he avoid being beaten by Old Man She when he returns home. In fact, Old Man She has an older brother named A Wang, and above A Wang is another brother named Hu Biao. To put it simply, someone like Xiao Liuzi is essentially at the very bottom of the gang hierarchy.

The Green-Skinned Monkey felt quite embarrassed, but the old man paid no attention and asked, "Son, you are called the Green-Skinned Monkey, but what is your surname?" The Green-Skinned Monkey replied, "I have been without parents since I was young, so I do not know my surname." The old man said, "Look, even your father is confused. My surname is Liu, so of course, you also have the surname Liu. You are not called the Green-Skinned Monkey; you are called Liu Qing, my dear son"

He prepared for the disdain to provoke the young man, but after a while, he heard no response. When he looked up, he was surprised to find that the young man's eyes were actually a bit moist

The young man wore a sullen expression: "In this world today, stealing my belongings is tantamount to taking my life! Paying back with your eyes isn't too much to ask, is it? Let's see if there are still those who are blind enough to dare set their sights on me in the future"

The bundle of the yellow-faced youth was locked in a small box at night. Liu Qing employed the methods of a thief, first mimicking the sound of a bird to distract the youth, then digging a hole from outside the wall, and finally using a wire to pick the lock, thus obtaining the bundle. He returned to the temple triumphantly, showing the bundle to his father, only to see his father's expression change drastically as he looked behind him. Turning around, he saw the yellow-faced youth.

At that time, both of them were still young, and who would have thought that this passionate promise made on the road to escape would later have such a tremendous impact on Du Fengji, on Liu Qing, on future brothers, and even on the people of Yangzhou

The young man fell silent, seriously contemplating the words of this child, reflecting on matters he had never considered before. After weighing the options for a long time, he finally made a decision that would greatly impact himself: "Alright! From now on, you will follow me and be my first brother! Sooner or later, I will have you lead a group of younger brothers!"

To everyone's surprise, the green-skinned monkey did not get angry. He walked up to the old man and said: "Meeting is fate; no one has ever looked up to me, this little beggar. I will never have a father in this life, so I will now recognize you as my godfather. Please do not mind my poverty; let us live together from now on, shall we?" The crowd fell silent, and the old man looked at him in astonishment, speechless. Please do not mind my poverty; let us live together from now on, shall we?" The crowd fell silent, and the old man looked at him in astonishment, speechless.

At that time, the boss said that he wanted to invite a God of Wealth back, and specifically traveled to a small village near the capital to bring a family named Sun Lu to Yangzhou. Sun Lu appeared to be around thirty years old, while the other members of his family were simple country folk with little to distinguish them, making it hard to see any particular talent that would warrant the boss's long journey to invite them. However, it later proved that Sun Lu was indeed the reincarnation of the God of Wealth. Within a few years, the name of Sun Lu, the Dragon King of the land, became known to all. The development and expansion of Xiao Du's influence also greatly benefited from such substantial financial support.