Chapter 11

Li Si had been waiting at a distance of about five zhang from Wang Lun for quite some time. After being splashed awake by Du Qian’s mixture of wine and saliva, his first reaction was to go and thank the chief. However, seeing Wang Lun, Du Qian, and Zheng Qian discussing important matters, he stood aside and waited. Later, when Song Wan brought the rear troops to join the conversation, he did not go over to disturb them. It was only when the three leaders finally broke into smiles that he guessed they had finished their discussion and, blushing, slowly approached.

Just as he reached the edge of the circle, he heard Leader Song say, "This time, it must be that the heavens saw your righteousness and your courage to stand up for your brothers, and thus compensated you!"

At this moment, Zheng Qian, who had been standing quietly in the circle, noticed the commotion and turned to look. Seeing Li Si, he quickly waved him over, "Li Si, come quickly, the brothers are talking about you!"

The three, who were in the midst of a lively conversation, turned to look at Li Si. Seeing this, Li Si quickly walked forward, bent his knees, and bowed to Wang Lun, "Today, my great enemy has been avenged, all thanks to the chief’s kindness. If the chief ever asks me to climb a mountain of knives or dive into a sea of fire, I, Li Si, will not frown, or I will not be a true man!"

Wang Lun, hearing Li Si’s solemn vow, hurriedly helped him up and comforted him, "Since you have joined our band, your blood feud is as much ours as it is yours! We are one family, so there’s no need for such formalities. Please get up!" Seeing that Li Si still knelt, he sighed, "I regret my earlier negligence, which left you wronged and waiting for justice. This is all my fault!"

Li Si’s eyes reddened at this, and he broke free from Wang Lun’s hand, bowing three times with a loud thud before kneeling on the ground. Zheng Qian, seeing this, quickly pulled Li Si up.

"Good lad! You haven’t let us down, even though I was still recovering from my illness when I came down the mountain to avenge you!" Song Wan praised from the side.

Li Si hurriedly thanked Song Wan. Wang Lun gently patted Li Si on the shoulder, feeling a bit melancholic. At this moment, his gaze inadvertently drifted to the circle’s edge. He suddenly noticed that several hundred villagers from Xixi Village were still standing in the cold wind, huddled together, trembling with fear but not daring to leave.

Wang Lun patted his head, wondering how he had overlooked this, and said, "Li Si, how many households are there in your village?"

"Chief, there are about three hundred and seventy or so households in my village, not quite four hundred!" Li Si answered, though he didn’t understand Wang Lun’s intention.

Wang Lun nodded thoughtfully and turned to Du Qian and Song Wan, "Brothers, I will make a decision on my own this time, and I hope you won’t blame me!"

Hearing this, the originally enthusiastic Du Qian and Song Wan were both puzzled and exclaimed, "Brother, what are you talking about? If there’s something to be done, just say it, and we will follow without a word!"

Wang Lun solemnly bowed to Du Qian and Song Wan, making them feel at a loss and quickly return the gesture with a serious face.

"Li Si, go and tell the villagers that we have troubled them tonight, making them stand in the cold wind and suffer from the shock. I, along with Leaders Du Qian and Song Wan, feel very guilty! To show our apology, the band will distribute ten shi of grain to each household. It’s not much, but it’s a token of our compensation!" Wang Lun turned and instructed Li Si.

Li Si was stunned for a moment, but before he could respond, Wang Lun added, "Zheng Qian, take Li Si to distribute the grain, and don’t forget what I just said!"

Zheng Qian, who reacted quickly, replied, "I will send someone to question the headman’s family!" He then bowed to the three leaders and pulled Li Si, who was still in a daze, toward the villagers.

After Zheng Qian and Li Si had walked far enough away, Du Qian couldn’t hold back his pain and stomped his foot, "Oh, brother! That’s four thousand shi! Four thousand shi of grain is enough to last our band for half a year! Just like that, it’s gone! Brother, oh brother, my dear brother!"

Seeing Du Qian’s comical expression of wanting to cry but unable to, Wang Lun couldn’t help but laugh. He suppressed his laughter and consoled him, "Brother, we both come from humble beginnings. Do you know what this grain means to an ordinary farmer? I don’t think you are a stingy person, so why are you picking up my old bad habits?" He then turned to Song Wan with a smile, "Brother Song Wan, don’t you agree?"

Song Wan opened his mouth instinctively, ready to agree with Wang Lun, but like Du Qian, he couldn’t find the words to persuade him when he thought of the harsh reality of losing four thousand shi of grain. His mind was in turmoil, and he could only stammer, "Ah! Ah?"

Seeing Song Wan’s reaction, Wang Lun put away his smile and shook his head in resignation. The grain must be distributed tonight, and it must be at least ten shi per household. He had calculated this number for a long time; it was just enough for a family of seven or eight to use for a year. As the saying goes, giving one shi of grain makes people speak well of you, giving five shi makes people think well of you, and giving ten shi might make people willing to risk their lives for you! This was one of the main reasons he had come down the mountain personally, and he wanted to set this as a precedent for future grain distribution by the band!

Given the current situation, Wang Lun continued to flatter the two, "As the saying goes, every profession has its rules. In our line of work, we must rob the rich to help the poor. This is the responsibility of a true hero! When our actions are known in the world, everyone will say: The Touching Heaven Du Qian and the Cloudy Diamond Song Wan of Liangshan are generous and righteous, not only standing up for their brothers but also helping the poor and needy. They are truly upright and loyal men!"

Du Qian and Song Wan looked at each other, speechless for a long time. After a while, Du Qian, with a pained expression, pleaded, "Brother, please stop, you’re embarrassing me! I’m not unwilling to rob the rich to help the poor, but... but two shi per household, no! Three or five shi, wouldn’t that be enough?"

Wang Lun burst into laughter, thinking of how Song Jiang, after breaking the Zhu Family Village and obtaining fifty thousand shi of grain, only distributed one shi per household, which was less than sixty kilograms in modern terms, and thus failed to win the support of the local people. Now, under his influence, Du Qian was clearly far more generous than the righteous Song Jiang.

But this was not enough!

Wang Lun patted the two on the shoulder in a comforting manner and continued, "Brother, don’t you think it’s better to do good to the end? If there’s a famine or drought, ten shi of grain can help a family survive! Wouldn’t saving countless lives be a great virtue?" He sighed, "Our line of work is full of violence. I think we haven’t done enough in terms of distributing grain!"

Du Qian and Song Wan, hearing Wang Lun’s words, found it hard to argue. They also remembered that the idea of coming down the mountain was Wang Lun’s, and arguing further would make them seem petty. At least they would still have four thousand shi of grain left to bring back to the band. Thinking of this, their expressions eased.

Wang Lun knew they still had some reservations and didn’t want this to become a source of resentment. He thought that encouragement was better than persuasion and continued, "Moreover, is the banner of ‘Heaven’s Will’ just for show? Are my right-hand men, Du Qian and Song Wan, just putting up a front? I don’t think so!"

These words made Du Qian and Song Wan feel extremely embarrassed. Du Qian couldn’t hold back and said, "Enough, enough! If brother says so, there must be a reason! As a brother, how can I go against you? I will do as you say!"

Du Qian had just finished speaking when Song Wan sighed, "Brother’s vision is always broader than ours. We will follow your lead! We were just momentarily confused, and we apologize for that!"

"Who has the time to laugh at you? I would rather praise you with a thumbs up!" Wang Lun exaggeratedly gave them a thumbs up and smiled.

For a moment, the three looked at each other and finally burst into laughter.

Seeing the atmosphere improve, Wang Lun seized the opportunity and bowed to the two, "Let’s agree on this: in the future, whenever we come down the mountain to borrow grain, we will follow tonight’s rule: at least half of the grain must be distributed to the local people, aiming for ten shi per household. This will add some luster to our banner of ‘Heaven’s Will’!"

Du Qian and Song Wan, being straightforward men, once they agreed, they would not go back on their word. They both answered in unison, "We will follow brother’s orders!"

Wang Lun nodded in satisfaction. It was understandable that Du Qian and Song Wan didn’t fully understand his decision to distribute the grain, but as a man from the 21st century, he knew the significance of this action. This was why he insisted on it despite their reservations. He was grateful for Du Qian and Song Wan’s deep sense of righteousness, which made them agree despite their doubts.

They chatted for a while longer, and when the topic turned to the night’s events, Du Qian said angrily, "When we return to the band, I will follow brother’s example and personally visit the brothers. If anyone has a grievance, I, Du Qian, will not eat until I have avenged them!"

Song Wan quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, if the brothers have any grievances, we will stand up for them!"

Wang Lun found this amusing and joked, "Why not have a grievance meeting? Du Qian can be the president, and Song Wan can be the vice president. This will ensure that everyone on Liangshan is happy and has no grievances to air!"

To his surprise, Du Qian and Song Wan didn’t laugh. They seriously considered the feasibility of Wang Lun’s suggestion, leaving him somewhat speechless.

After returning to the band that night, Du Qian really did ask everyone if they had any grievances. Over time, he earned a new nickname in the band, which was even more famous than his original nickname, "Touching Heaven."

Privately, the band members spoke of Du Qian with admiration: "Our second chief is truly the most righteous ‘Touching Heaven.’ What? You don’t believe it? Ask the chief; he was the first to call him that..."

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**End of Chapter**