Chapter 26

This heavy snowfall continued for a whole day and two nights before it finally stopped.

It was now noon, and the water rippled, with the sun shining brightly in the sky. Five or seven small boats cut through the water, each carrying two or three dozen burly men, heading straight for Li'erwa.

Before the fleet could get close, Liangshan's patrol boats intercepted them. After a brief exchange, the Liangshan boats took the lead, guiding the dozen or so small boats directly to Jinsha Beach.

On the beach, Song Wan and Ruan Xiaowu were already waiting with Zhou Zhi. Seeing the two leading guests, Song Wan smiled and said, "I thought only Brother Qilang was coming, but I didn't expect Brother Erlang to come as well. This is perfect! The Chief originally intended to come here to welcome you, but coincidentally, two heroes arrived last night and this morning. The Chief is currently entertaining them, so he specially entrusted Brother and I to welcome you. I hope you won't mind!"

"Where's the talk of such formalities? My three brothers and I are in high spirits and have entrusted our lives to each other. There's no need for such empty courtesies!" Ruan Xiaqi laughed.

Everyone then went ashore and exchanged greetings. Ruan Xiaer then asked, "Who are the two heroes who have come to join us?"

"You may not know, but when our brother and Brother Duqian were wandering in the江湖, Lord Chai provided much assistance, which led to today's Liangshan. The hero who came up the mountain last night brought a letter from Lord Chai, and both our brothers treated him with great respect. His name is Lin Chong, known as the Leopard Head, and he was originally the commander of the 800,000 imperial troops in Tokyo! The hero who came this morning is none other than Brother Zhugui's younger brother, the Smiling Tiger Zhu Fu, whom we mentioned the other day," Song Wan explained.

Hearing this, Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi were both delighted. The arrival of a hero like Lin Chong, with such a distinguished background, boded well for Liangshan's future! Both of them said joyfully, "We hope Brother Song will introduce us to Lin Chong. We have heard of Commander Lin's name, but have never had the chance to meet him. What a wonderful opportunity!"

"Of course! Last night, our brother spoke highly of the three of you to Commander Lin, and Commander Lin even asked about the two of you. He was quite disappointed when he learned that you were not on the mountain," Song Wan smiled.

Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi, both heroes from humble beginnings, were very excited to hear that the commander of the 800,000 imperial troops was thinking of them. They instinctively looked at their brother Ruan Xiaowu, hoping to get more information from him. Indeed, brothers have a special connection, and Ruan Xiaowu said, "Commander Lin is truly a hero. Not only is his martial arts unparalleled, but his character is also impeccable. When he learned that the two of you were not on the mountain, he even went with our brother to visit our mother, who was so pleased that she couldn't sleep all night!"

Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi, hearing their own brother speak so highly, immediately felt a strong liking for Lin Chong, whom they had never met. Ruan Xiaowu then added, "Our mother, sister-in-law, and nephew have been well taken care of, thanks to Brother Song's efforts!"

The two brothers thanked Song Wan, who laughed heartily and said, "We are brothers, so what's the need for thanks!" He then pointed to Zhou Zhi and said, "This is the head of the kitchen in the stronghold, Zhou Zhi. In the future, when the village sends fish, you can hand them over to him."

Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi quickly bowed to Zhou Zhi, making him quite flustered. He said, "Leaders, you are making me lose face!" and then hurriedly returned a deep bow. His actions made the two straightforward men feel a bit awkward but also proud.

Song Wan laughed and patted Zhou Zhi on the shoulder, instructing him, "Have the boys weigh the fish and pay ten coins per pound. Don't treat the villagers poorly!"

Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi were surprised to hear this. Ten coins per pound?

It should be noted that at this time, due to the difficulty of transportation, the price of fish in fishing areas was very low. For example, when Cai Jing was dismissed and returned to Liangzhe, he passed through the newly opened lake in Gaoyou. His family called over a fishing boat, which had about twenty fish of various sizes. When they asked the fisherman how much they cost, the fisherman said thirty coins for all of them, which was less than two coins per fish. This made Cai Jing so angry that he said, "I have never eaten such cheap things! I won't buy them!" Another record states that forty years after the fall of the Northern Song, in the Yangtze River section of Huangzhou, one could buy a large fish that could feed twenty people for just one hundred coins, showing how low the fish prices were in fishing areas. Of course, in a major city like Tokyo, the price of fish was generally one hundred coins per pound, but only if the fish could withstand the journey without going bad.

Therefore, when Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi heard that Liangshan was paying ten coins per pound for fish, they quickly said, "Brother Song, the price of fish is usually only three or four coins, and even when the market is good, it doesn't exceed five or seven coins. Isn't ten coins too much?"

Song Wan laughed and said, "Not at all. The Chief has instructed us not to let the villagers suffer any losses! Brothers, come with me to the Hall of Heroes to meet the other heroes. The small matters here can be left to the boys!"

Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi, being straightforward men, laughed and agreed. They turned to the fishermen who had come with them, all of whom were delighted to hear the fish price, and instructed them to carry the nearly two thousand pounds of fish ashore and hand them over to Liangshan. Song Wan also instructed Zhou Zhi to finish receiving the fish and then invite the villagers to drink on the mountain.

Song Wan then took Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi by the hand and led them up the mountain. As they passed through the checkpoints, Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi saw the imposing fortifications and the rows of weapons, which filled them with joy. Just as they passed the first checkpoint, they met Wang Lun, Lin Chong, Duqian, Zhugui, and Zhu Fu, who were coming to welcome them.

Ruan Xiaqi called out from a distance, "Chief Brother, we brothers have come today to see the might of the stronghold!"

Wang Lun laughed heartily and said, "What a wonderful day it is today, to have so many heroes gather!" He then turned to the four people beside him and introduced them, "This is the Living Yama Ruan Xiaqi, whom I mentioned earlier, and this is his elder brother, the Standing Tyrant Ruan Xiaer..."

After welcoming the Ruan brothers, Wang Lun introduced the people around him, "Come, come, let me introduce you one by one. This brother beside me is the Leopard Head Lin Chong, the commander of the 800,000 imperial troops in Tokyo. The one behind him is the Sky-Toucher Duqian. The two brothers behind them, the older one is the Drought-Land Hulv Zhugui, and the younger one is the Smiling Tiger Zhu Fu!" After Wang Lun introduced everyone, they all exchanged greetings, and the atmosphere was very warm.

Lin Chong smiled and bowed to the Ruan brothers, saying, "I have heard much about the two of you from Chief Wang last night. I have been eager to meet you! Today's meeting is a great pleasure!"

The Ruan brothers, seeing that the noble Lin Chong from Tokyo was so humble, quickly returned the bow. Being straightforward men, they always returned a favor with even greater respect.

After Lin Chong spoke, Duqian stepped forward and said, "Brothers, don't be upset with me for not coming down the mountain to meet you. It's all because of the Chief's arrangements, and I am quite upset about it myself!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi laughed until their stomachs hurt. Wang Lun also laughed and pointed at Duqian, shaking his head.

After everyone had finished laughing, Zhugui pulled his brother Zhu Fu forward and bowed to Ruan Xiaer and Ruan Xiaqi, saying, "I have heard of the three heroes of Shijie Village. It's a great blessing for the stronghold to have you join us!"

The Ruan brothers quickly returned the bow, and Ruan Xiaqi called out, "Brother Zhugui, I have known about you for a long time, the one who runs the inn at Li Family Crossroads!"

Zhugui laughed heartily and said, "Since you know me, why didn't you come to meet me earlier?"

Ruan Xiaqi chuckled and said mysteriously, "I was afraid you would make me into a meat bun, so I didn't dare to come!" This made everyone laugh and some even scold him.

Wang Lun laughed and scolded, "Xiaqi, in our stronghold, we are all upright heroes. We don't use knockout drugs anymore, and there are no meat buns! Don't ruin our reputation!"

Ruan Xiaowu, hearing this, was about to grab his brother, but Ruan Xiaqi laughed and dodged. Everyone laughed and joked for a while, and then Wang Lun said, "Brothers, let's all go to the Hall of Heroes to discuss our roles and seating arrangements. Let's take advantage of this wonderful day!"

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