Chapter 98: The simple folkways of Lanyang Village

Green Water Bay contains the largest city in Puluo Continent.

But Lanyang Village doesn't look much like a city.

Lanyang Village is indeed not a city; the real city is Green Water City, and Lanyang Village counts at most as the far suburbs.

Li Banfeng stood by the roadside gazing out, feeling that this place didn't look like a normal village either; the houses were significantly denser than in a village, and he didn't see much farmland.

If you wanted to call it a town, Lanyang Village didn't look much like the inner ditches of Medicine King Ditch either.

The houses were more dilapidated, dirtier, and more haphazard than in the inner ditches; many houses were piled up from brick and stone and were passably sturdy, while quite a few were purely wooden shacks without even foundations, and there were also many thatched sheds...

Li Banfeng was observing the strange landscape of Lanyang Village when he suddenly heard a roar beside his ears.

*Huchi~ Guangdang! Huchi~ Guangdang! *

What was going on!

Li Banfeng shuddered, thinking a train had driven over.

Looking back, something was indeed driving over, and it was a big one too.

This thing wasn't a train, because there were no tracks.

Its exterior shape was very similar to a train's, with a pitch-black cylindrical locomotive, eight or nine meters long, over three meters high, and looking to be over two meters in diameter.

But beneath it, there weren't train wheels, but two enormous rollers.

Li Banfeng recognized these two rollers; this was a road roller.

It was just that this model was the first time Li Banfeng had ever seen one; this was a steam-powered road roller.

A worker stood on the road roller, currently adding coal to the boiler.

The boiler had just heated up, the pressure wasn't high enough yet, the air valve was puffing out steam, and the connecting rod couldn't turn yet.

There was actually a road roller near Lanyang Village?

This made Li Banfeng feel very curious.

Li Banfeng wanted to step forward to take a look when a young man in his early twenties, wearing overalls and carrying a walking stick, with a small mustache on his upper lip, arrived at Li Banfeng's side.

Looking at this mustache-man's attire, he should be a decent person.

"From out of town?" the mustache-man took the initiative to greet him.

Li Banfeng nodded.

"First time in Lanyang Village?"

Li Banfeng didn't deny it.

The mustache-man smiled enthusiastically: "Do you have money?"

Were the people of Lanyang Village all this friendly?

Asking such a sincere question right off the bat?

Was this the way people greeted each other in Lanyang Village?

Li Banfeng nodded: "I do."

"How much?" The mustache-man pulled a dagger from his pocket and pressed it against Li Banfeng's stomach.

Were the people here this straightforward?

This was the main street, with pedestrians in front and a road roller behind.

He just naturally pressed a knife against my stomach like that?

Didn't anyone care?

An older sister in front, seeing Li Banfeng being robbed in the street, immediately picked up her child and went back into the house.

This older sister was clearly a soft-hearted person, unable to bear seeing an outsider like me being bullied.

There was an older brother nearby, hugging his shoulders, smiling as he watched Li Banfeng.

This older brother was clearly a friendly person; he was using his smile to encourage me, giving me courage and confidence.

The several workers on the road roller glanced in Li Banfeng's direction, then continued with the work in their hands, just as if nothing had happened.

These workers were all people who loved labor, loved life, and were focused on their careers.

The mustache-man pressed the knife tightly against Li Banfeng's stomach and shouted sternly: "I asked you how much money you have!"

This mustache-man was a person with a very strong professional spirit.

Li Banfeng said: "I have a lot of money, but I might not necessarily give it to you."

The mustache-man grinned: "You don't want to give it? Have you lived enough?"

Li Banfeng also smiled: "It's not that I can't give it, but let me ask you first, do you have cultivation?"

"If I don't have cultivation, you won't give me money?" The mustache-man glared, and the knife was about to stab into Li Banfeng's stomach.

Li Banfeng retreated a step, dodged the knife, lifted a foot, and landed it squarely in the mustache-man's crotch, reprimanding him: "You're out robbing without even having cultivation?"

The mustache-man felt something crack, his face turned deathly pale from the pain, and he pointed at Li Banfeng with the knife: "Don't come over, I have cultivation!"

"If you have cultivation, why didn't you say so earlier? Why did you lie to me?" Li Banfeng kicked again, still in the crotch.

The mustache-man felt something snap, and trembling, he looked at Li Banfeng: "My cultivation is very high; I just didn't want to make a move on you."

"Exactly how high? Say it clearly first!" Li Banfeng kicked again, still in the crotch.

The mustache-man felt that thing shatter, and with a trembling voice, he said: "I'm about to reach a level."

So he hadn't reached a level yet.

"What about your Daoist sect?" Li Banfeng kicked again.

This time the mustache-man didn't feel it was too painful.

He felt that thing was already gone.

"I am a Plow Cultivator..."

"A Plow Cultivator not farming properly and out robbing!" Li Banfeng kicked again, the mustache-man rolled his eyes, and he knelt on the ground.

Li Banfeng snatched the mustache-man's dagger, and with a smile on his face, looked at the older brother nearby who was watching the excitement.

"This older brother, do you have money?" Li Banfeng greeted him very enthusiastically.

The older brother didn't dare to answer, turned on his heels, and ran.

Why run? Wasn't this how people greeted each other in Lanyang Village?

Li Banfeng dragged the mustache-man into a deep alley, confirmed there was no one around, and sent the mustache-man into the Leaving Suishenju.

"My lady, time to eat!"

The mustache-man wailed, wanting to escape.

Li Banfeng picked up his walking stick, broke the mustache-man's leg, and handed him over to the phonograph.

Steam swirled, the phonograph finished eating the soul, and rubbed the needle on the record.

Was this brushing its teeth?

Li Banfeng asked: "My lady, how is today's dish?"

*Chi chi~*

My lady praised: "Fresh, sweet, and refreshing, with an endless aftertaste, it's just not quite enough to eat~"

Not enough to eat was inevitable; Li Banfeng was already used to it.

Taking advantage of the Copper Lotus disposing of the corpse, Li Banfeng looked at the mustache-man's belongings.

Although he had taken up the profession of highway robbery, this person was actually quite wealthy.

In his wallet, there was over eight hundred in cash, and six large ocean coins.

These six large ocean coins were over three thousand yuan; with this much money, there was no need to come out and rob; he could find a job, or even do a little business.

The mustache-man's dagger wasn't much, so Li Banfeng threw it away like trash.

But his walking stick was quite good; Li Banfeng waved the walking stick and remembered something.

Every time he picked up a feather duster, he always felt like a civilized gentleman.

Now that he thought about it carefully, perhaps he shouldn't be holding a feather duster, but this kind of walking stick.

That's right, a walking stick!

Li Banfeng remembered the guests at the Immortal Music Dance Hall; they all carried walking sticks.

In Puluo Continent, people with status all had walking sticks.

A walking stick plus a suit and top hat was the complete gentleman's equipment.

The corpse was disposed of cleanly, and a Red Pellet exploded; Li Banfeng took the walking stick, picked up the trash, and left the Leaving Suishenju.

He had to find a place to eat and, by the way, see the situation in Lanyang Village.

Among the crowded houses, there were quite a few noodle shops; Li Banfeng found a noodle shop and saw that mutton noodles were five yuan, a fair price, so he ordered a bowl.

After finishing the noodles, he went to pay, and the shopkeeper wanted three hundred and thirty yuan.

Li Banfeng was stunned: "Wasn't it five yuan?"

The noodle shopkeeper replied: "Five yuan per noodle, we boiled sixty-six noodles for you, taking the meaning of 'everything goes smoothly,' so it totals three hundred and thirty yuan."

Li Banfeng looked at the shopkeeper and asked: "You sell noodles by the strand here?"

The shopkeeper nodded: "We've always sold them like this!"

Li Banfeng widened his eyes and said: "Always sold by the strand?"

In the restaurant, the other people eating all looked at Li Banfeng, nodded toward Li Banfeng, and said in unison: "This shop has always sold noodles by the strand, it's a decades-old signboard, it has never changed."

Li Banfeng looked around and said to the noodle shopkeeper: "This whole room is full of shills, and I'm the only one eating?"

The shopkeeper frowned: "What do you mean shills? Everyone who comes to eat is a regular customer, and what they said is the fair truth!"

Everyone shouted in unison: "What we said is the fair truth!"

Li Banfeng stood up and said, "Selling noodles by the strand—is this what you call fair?"

The shopkeeper nodded: "It is indeed sold by the strand, and this is fair!"

"Then we must calculate the price carefully!" Li Banfeng brandished his walking stick.

"Calculate it then, let's calculate!" The shopkeeper brandished his rolling pin.

"Let's calculate it together!" The other diners each grabbed their own weapons, swarmed forward, and surrounded Li Banfeng.

……

After over ten minutes of fighting, the noodle shop was covered in blood.

Several tables were smashed, and cups, bowls, and plates were scattered everywhere.

The shopkeeper was bleeding from his head, and the other diners had also sustained injuries.

Li Banfeng's walking stick had been broken, and in the end, he and the shopkeeper had agreed on a price.

Twenty yuan per strand of noodle, taking the meaning of "six-six-six" for good luck, a total of sixty-six strands were boiled, making the bowl of noodles 1,320 yuan.

The other diners nodded one after another: "This price is fair. This is the rule in Lanyang Village; let's settle it this way!"

Li Banfeng also agreed: "Let's settle it this way!"

The shopkeeper counted out 1,320 yuan and handed it to Li Banfeng: "Count it yourself!"

Li Banfeng counted it twice, put it into his wallet, raised his top hat, and gave a gentlemanly bow: "I'll come back to eat noodles at your place next time."

"Next time, we charge by the bowl!" The shopkeeper had lost a front tooth, and his speech was a bit whistly.

Li Banfeng walked outside the noodle shop and threw the broken half of his walking stick into a trash heap.

He looked around and couldn't help but sigh: "Lanyang Village is a decent place; the local customs are quite simple and honest."

Since the local customs here are so simple and honest, shouldn't he hire a guide to learn more about the situation?

Just as he was sighing, he suddenly saw a man dressed in decent clothing picking things to eat out of the trash heap.

He was indeed dressed decently; his shirt, trousers, and the pair of leather shoes on his feet were all made of high-quality materials and craftsmanship.

If he just pawned these clothes, he should have no problem exchanging them for several meals; why bother looking for food in a trash heap?

He was searching very earnestly; he was truly hungry. He picked up half an apricot and immediately stuffed it into his mouth. Seeing a few grains of rice, he carefully picked them up with his fingers and sent them into his mouth.

As long as it was something edible, he wouldn't let it go.

Li Banfeng stared at the man for a moment and found him somewhat familiar.

"Ma Wu?" Li Banfeng shouted.

The man had just picked up half a steamed bun. Upon hearing the two words "Ma Wu," he stuffed the bun into his mouth and ran away at full speed.

PS: Dear readers, today is another ten thousand words. Sala is quite impressive, right!

I have a bad cold, and Sala really can't hold on anymore. Dear readers, please leave more comments and votes.

(End of chapter)