Chapter 149: Big Fish

The sun had already risen, and the morning wind blew through the reeds, a piece of desolation.

Half a day plus one night, Liang Qu had already arrived at the Fengbu County domain.

Moving along the shore, he passed several villages and small markets, seeing scenery completely different from Pingyang County.

Grain prices in Pingyang County rose extremely fiercely, and many people were miserable, but after all, it was man-made, not a natural disaster.

There were no floods or droughts, the grain grew well in the fields, and with the relief from several surrounding prefectures, life could barely go on.

Everyone knew that after enduring this period and harvesting a wave of rice, life behind would be much better.

Coupled with the wealthy families who flocked to build houses, rising from the ground to large mansions, changing day by day, everyone could feel the vitality contained within.

Fengbu County, however, was a piece of dead silence.

In the several villages Liang Qu passed, most were elderly people who were about to die.

So many young adults in Pingyang County didn't appear out of thin air; the neighboring counties contributed the most.

In many small villages, there were originally one or two hundred people, half were killed by the Ghost Mother Sect, and the remaining half were scared away, leaving only elderly people who couldn't walk.

Only large towns and large counties had better situations, with valuable family property, not easily scared away.

"Old Brother, can you tell me what your village is called?"

Finally seeing a slightly lively small market, Liang Qu let the three beasts dive, shook the oar himself, went forward, and stopped a returning fisherman.

The fisherman saw Liang Qu wearing an official uniform and hurriedly knelt down, but was grabbed by the arm and stopped by Liang Qu.

"No need, I'm just asking a question, Old Brother, just tell me the truth."

The fisherman trembled: "Returning to the adult's words, this is called Shiqiao Market."

"Shiqiao Market... then do you know where Wuzhen Town is?"

"Know, know." The fisherman nodded repeatedly, pointing to the west, "Walk twenty or so miles along the waterway to the west, and you'll be there."

"Then I didn't go the wrong way." Liang Qu nodded and asked again, "Old Brother, I have a matter I don't understand. I rowed all the way here, why are all your boats parked at the pier?"

This matter was very strange.

Usually, piers were built by private individuals or led by the government, and you had to pay money to dock. Like Yixing Town, it was usually two wen, and four wen during the flood season.

Liang Qu had to pay before he made his fortune.

But there were those who were bold, not afraid of accidents, parking in the reed marshes, regardless of wind and rain.

Or some who encountered difficulties, such as parents or children getting sick, sometimes would take the risk of parking outside to save a bowl of wine money.

Everyone had their own way of living.

But Liang Qu had walked all the way, passing through several reed marshes, and hadn't seen such a situation at all.

"Adult is really killing me." The fisherman was terrified of Liang Qu's address, trembling: "Adult doesn't know, all our boats, one by one, belong to the fishing guild. If you park outside, aren't you going to be beaten to death?"

Liang Qu was stunned: "I came all the way here, passed through so many villages, are all the fishing boats from the fishing guild?"

"All!"

How is that possible?

Liang Qu's first reaction was disbelief.

When Yixing Town was still Yixing City, there were hundreds of fishermen in the entire city, and only about thirty percent needed to rent fishing boats, relying on the fishing guild to survive. The rest had their own boats.

Why was it so exaggerated to ten out of ten?

But how could an ordinary person dare to lie when seeing his official uniform? There must be a hidden story behind it.

Liang Qu pondered: "This fishing guild of yours, is it all opened by one person?"

"Adult's eyes are like torches, all the fishing guilds in this Fengbu County belong to the Whale Gang."

"How is it divided?"

"Four-six."

"Take six percent?"

"Six percent belongs to them."

This, can they survive?

Liang Qu raised his eyebrows.

Fishing depended very much on the season and luck. Experienced fishermen indeed had sixty or seventy wen a day, but that was only for the few seasonal months, and in winter, ten or twenty wen was considered good.

Earning three melons and two dates, and then splitting sixty percent, plus two tax collections...

Carrying two mountains couldn't be more than this.

"Old Brother, tell me about this Whale Gang."

Liang Qu touched a small broken silver from his bosom, about seven or eight points, which could be exchanged for seventy or eighty wen in copper coins.

The fisherman swallowed hard when he saw the silver, but didn't dare to take it: "Adult, can't, can't!"

"Take it! A little wine money."

The fisherman couldn't refuse, so he carefully accepted the silver bean, grabbed it tightly in his hand, looked around, and sighed.

"Speaking of this Whale Gang, it has to start from the leader of the Whale Gang..."

After a while, the fisherman held the silver bean and left happily, leaving Liang Qu thinking in place.

Liang Qu took out the booklet from his bosom and opened it to read word by word.

In the last half month, six fishermen in Wuzhen Town went missing, and eight were confirmed dead, totaling fourteen people involved.

But in the fisherman's words, Wuzhen Town had been haunted by water monsters a long time ago.

It was just that no one came to manage it, and the inspectors and the three judicial departments in the county government didn't care about things on the water at all.

Fishermen often encountered water monsters when going out to sea, some died, some came back alive, but the boat was lost, and they had to rely on the fishing guild to survive from then on.

It was just that it happened less in the last year or two, and I don't know why it started causing trouble again in the last half month.

Liang Qu closed the booklet again.

He thought he only needed to deal with a spirit monster.

Liu Jie, the leader of the Whale Gang, has some ability.

"Looking at the mirror, the light is surprised by the thinness, ten thousand hatreds and a thousand sorrows on the eyebrows.

Swearing to the mountains and seas to prevent changes, the thin-fated red face only complains to heaven."

Erhuang slow beat, responding to the gentle and soft singing of the female lead, the water sleeves held in the hand were thrown, fluttering like snow falling.

The floral fragrance with sweetness overflowed like water, taking people's souls to an incomparably distant place.

"For infatuation, I am soft-hearted and turned around, so I am sick and entangled all day long.

I made a vow before the lamp with Xie Zhaolang, and who knew it would be broken against my heart."

The female lead fell softly again, making everyone's hands do the posture of support, heartbroken and regretful.

Looking at the theater, there were people everywhere.

This was the concubine that Liu Jie, the leader of the Whale Gang, was going to marry. She was performing for the last time, and then she would leave the theater to marry as a wife.

"Really beautiful, even my ten concubines at home can't compare to her! Master Secretary, do you think so? Master Secretary?"

Du Wenzhang listened to the song, shaking his head, his oily meat trembling, and when he turned back, the secretary had disappeared.

"Good to hear, good to look at, reward!"

Evening.

The farewell play was finished.

The female lead washed away her makeup, moved in small steps, grabbed a fine handkerchief with a pair of soft hands, and followed closely behind the secretary into the inner courtyard of the County Magistrate.

Du Wenzhang's heart missed a beat, his whole body heating up.

Truly like a bridge and flowing water, like soft wind, soft water, soft willow catkins.

But he scolded angrily: "Master Secretary, why don't you know any rules? How can you bring a woman who hasn't passed the door of Leader Liu to my room? Isn't that ruining her reputation? Hurry up and send her back!"

"Absolutely not!" Liu Jie followed across the threshold, "This little Chun'er just told me that she felt you were jade-tree-like and wind-like the moment she saw you, and if she couldn't serve you, she would regret it for the rest of her life! That's why I did a favor."

"Ah ya ya, this is really." Du Wenzhang shook his head, his neck secreting grease mixed with sweat, "Leader Liu is really polite, I don't know what matter there is that I can help with?"

"The position of inspector..."

"Leader Liu is really making things difficult for me! This inspector position is only ninth rank, but it's not something I, a small County Magistrate, can appoint! It all has to be agreed by the Ministry of Personnel."

"Adult misunderstood, it's not me, it's my son! What do you think of him?"

Liu Jie knew early on that he had no hope, so he could only settle for the next best thing.

"Your son..."

Du Wenzhang narrowed his eyes, as if thinking.

Liu Jie had been seeking the position of inspector for seven or eight years, but he had never wanted to give it.

The reason was nothing else. Currently, Liu Jie had money but no power, so he was naturally manipulated, offering filial piety every year.

But this person's ambition wasn't small. If he got an official position with a rank, and had hundreds of gang members under him, it wouldn't be easy to get along in the future.

But a flat refusal wasn't good, business wasn't done like that.

Du Wenzhang kneaded the female lead's soft hands.

"I will recommend it, but whether it succeeds or not is not for me to say."

"Thank you, Adult!"

"Besides, don't blame me for not reminding you. Now that Pingyang County has a River-Dredging Office, the situation on the water is not the same as before. You know how you got up yourself, keep a low profile on the water, if something really happens, don't come to me."

Taking only that little filial piety money every year, wading through such muddy water, it was too much of a loss.

Liu Jie's expression tightened: "Thank you, Adult, for the reminder. I will also not let the adults of the River-Dredging Office down! I will definitely let them return fully loaded!"

"Okay, okay, I've been busy with official business all day, I'm tired."

"Adult, rest well."

Liu Jie retreated respectfully.

Underwater, the fat catfish swayed and returned from afar, turning a circle to the left, turning a circle to the right, its expression very proud.

Liang Qu knew what the situation was just by looking at its smug look.

This old fat one, getting more and more arrogant.

"Found it?"

The fat catfish nodded, pointing to one side with its whiskers, dancing with joy.

Liang Qu understood, quickly summoned the three beasts, and when everyone was present, leaned towards the direction pointed by the fat catfish.

One person and three beasts followed behind the fat catfish, and soon touched a narrow wooden house in the reed cluster.

There was no one around, Liang Qu looked through the narrow crack of the wooden house, and easily saw the things inside, just as he had guessed at the beginning.

No wonder the spirit monster looked like a human.

"Damn it, assigning me such a big job, raise! Must raise!"

Liang Qu decided to go back and protest to Xu Yuelong.

What kind of Grade Wu task was this? Starting at Grade Ding, going and returning for three or four days, it had to count as twenty minor merits!

Midnight.

Fishermen went out to fish one after another.

Liang Qu lurked underwater to practice, and the sound of reed leaves folding on the shore was endless.

"Fish is coming!" ===== CHAPTER 150 =====