Novelink Chapter 7: Wen San, the Rickshaw Puller
Chapter 7: Wen San, the Rickshaw Puller
Liu Tang’s room took up half the courtyard, its carved wooden windows covered with crisp white paper.Seeing Xiangzi enter, the head guard set down a booklet, smiling as he took the letter, even asking after Lin Junqing’s recent state.
It was clear Liu Tang held deep respect for Lin Junqing.
Hearing “” the burly man let out a soft sigh, his eyes glinting with a trace of moisture.
Tucking the letter into a drawer, Liu Tang paused, then said, “”
Xiangzi blinked, caught off guard.
Before he could respond, Liu Tang called for someone to bring a large porcelain bowl, then personally fetched a heaping portion of white rice, topped with a thick layer of quivering braised pork.
The rice grains gleamed, soaked in rich, amber-hued gravy.
The aroma made Xiangzi’s eyes sting.
In Forty-Nine City these days, common folk were lucky to get sorghum rice or cornmeal. White rice was a rare luxury.
The best meal Xiangzi had eaten in the past month was yesterday’s yellow cornbread stuffed with beef tripe.
Seeing Liu Tang treat a third-class puller so warmly, the other guards quickly buried their scorn, plastering on smiles and making room for Xiangzi to sit.
Xiangzi knew his place, offering a polite smile and thanks before stepping out with the bowl.
Just outside the courtyard, someone called out.
“”
The man, holding a large enamel mug, gaped at the braised pork in Xiangzi’s bowl, his eyes nearly popping. His chopsticks darted in, snatching a trembling piece of fatty meat.
Xiangzi didn’t mind, tossing two more fatty pieces into the man’s mug.
“”
The man, Wen San, was close with Xiangzi’s former self, almost a hometown brother.
Wen San was a loose cannon, full of tall tales. With a couple of swigs of liquor, he’d claim kinship with Great Shun dynasty nobles.
But he’d been decent to Xiangzi, offering help in the second-class pullers’ dormitory.
In the whole second-class yard, only Wen San and another puller, Old Ma, showed Xiangzi any kindness.
Wen San squatted by the wall, wolfing down his food, grease dripping down his chin. “”
“” Xiangzi replied.
“”
Wen San wiped his mouth, eyeing the guards’ courtyard with a smack of his lips. “”
“”
Xiangzi’s heart stirred. He asked Wen San what this “vitality barrier” was.
But Wen San, the loudmouth, couldn’t explain, only griping that the martial arts taught in the second-class yard were too crude, stunting his “natural genius” from breaking through.
As he rambled, someone approached, barking, “”
Wen San, mid-tirade, froze as Jin Fugui loomed like an iron tower, shrinking back and falling silent.
In terms of seniority, the two were close.
But Jin Fugui, with his bear-like build, could crack bricks with a fist, famed for his brute strength.
Rumor in the second-class yard was that Jin Fugui had broken through the vitality barrier.
In a place where might made right, Jin Fugui was the unchallenged boss of the second-class pullers.
Everyone already treated him as the future chief.
Jin Fugui shot Wen San a glare, then glanced at Xiangzi, his thick brows knitting before he turned and left without a word.
Once he was gone, Wen San spat. “”
“”
Wen San muttered, fuming.
Xiangzi didn’t bother responding, focusing on scraping his bowl clean of braised pork.
Even the last few grains of white rice, coated in greasy sauce, went into his mouth.
Xiangzi exhaled deeply, his gaze drifting from the guards’ courtyard. He asked casually, “”
Wen San perked up, squatting with his enamel mug. “”
“”
“”
Xiangzi’s brows furrowed.
Wen San’s mouth ran wild, but this made sense.
Wen San leaned closer, voice low. “”
“” He glanced around, voice dropping further. “”
Xiangzi nodded, his gaze drifting beyond the courtyard.
Wen San’s “Master Hu” was Liu Hu, another of Fourth Master Liu’s foster sons, in charge of the second-class pullers’ yard. Rumor had it he was a skilled martial artist too.
Wen San kept babbling, but Xiangzi stood abruptly.
Wen San shouted after him, “”
Xiangzi waved without looking back, his mind churning.
Even a fool like Wen San had dreams of learning martial arts.
By comparison, Xiangzi, with his , was still tiptoeing, cautious and restrained.
In this chaotic world, playing it safe would leave nothing but bones.
As the old saying went,
As the sun neared setting, Harmony Rickshaw Yard grew quiet.
All the rickshaws were rented out, and even half-shift pullers wouldn’t return until late.
The Li family mine deliveries had been sent to the embassy district before dark.
Fourth Master Liu, draped in a black sable coat, reclined in his courtyard armchair—a rare hands-on boss among South City’s alley kingpins.
The kerosene lamp at the gate flickered to life with a . As Fourth Master Liu rose, he spotted Xiangzi entering.
His lips curved into a smile. “”
“”
“”
“”
“”
“”
Fourth Master Liu’s smile deepened.
He admired Xiangzi’s honest sense of propriety, unlike the rough brutes under him who only knew how to swing fists.
Inside the main room, Xiangzi saw a broad-shouldered figure hunched over the books—Girl Hu, Fourth Master Liu’s only daughter.
Her temper was fiercer than most men’s, her large feet twice the size of Xiangzi’s, but she managed affairs with razor-sharp precision.
Fourth Master Liu often said if Girl Hu had been born a boy, Harmony would’ve already dominated South City.
“” Girl Hu said.
“” Xiangzi replied.