Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 80 Wu Song's Dilemma

Meanwhile, Wu Song was serving as a constable in Yanggu County. Today was a rare day off, and he was thinking about how he hadn't been able to return to Qinghe County to visit his two elder brothers in a long time.

He went to the street to buy some pastries for his two older brothers and a piece of colorful satin for his sister-in-law. He packed them in a bundle, went back to his room to pack his luggage, and prepared to set off.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, turned around and dragged a long wooden box out from under the bed.

Upon opening the box, a sharp knife lay quietly on the red silk; it was the snowflake-patterned iron knife that Zheng Tu, the sworn brother, had previously given him.

Wu Song was a skilled swordsman and a swordsman himself.

He had tested this knife; it was truly capable of cutting through iron like mud and severing hair with a breath—a truly divine weapon.

However, he didn't usually carry it with him. Firstly, he was afraid that he might accidentally cut his colleagues or civilians. Secondly, he couldn't bear to part with it, as this treasure didn't have a sheath. If the blade got damaged, wouldn't that be a pity?

Wu Song couldn't help but have an idea when he decided to go to Qinghe County.

He planned to stay in Qinghe County for two days, so he could find a skilled carpenter to make a sturdy scabbard for him, which would be convenient to carry in the future.

Having made up his mind, he took out the knife, carefully wrapped the blade with coarse cloth, leaving only the handle exposed, and held it upside down as a cudgel.

After getting ready, Wu Song stepped out the door and hurried towards Qinghe County.

He was very strong on his feet, and in just half a day he had already covered most of the distance.

It was midday, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the road was not hot.

But because we were walking so fast, we inevitably got thirsty.

A wine shop sign was displayed by the roadside ahead. Seeing that the shop was relatively clean, Wu Song strode inside.

He picked out a clean seat and sat down, leaning his wrapped knife against the corner of the wall. Wu Song called out:

"Shopkeeper, bring me two jiao of wine and three jin of cooked beef!"

Before long, wine and meat were served, and Wu Song poured himself a drink and ate to his heart's content.

Suddenly, they heard several men who looked like merchants at the next table talking and laughing loudly after drinking a few cups of wine. These men were obviously from out of town, stopping here for a rest. After a few drinks, they began to talk about the local customs and traditions they had heard about along the way.

Among them was a man with a pointed face and monkey-like features. He had overheard some secrets from a fat man at a tavern in Qinghe County the other day, and now he wanted to show them off to his accomplices:

"Do any of you know of an extremely beautiful young lady in Qinghe County? She has a foxy, alluring face!"

Everyone shook their heads.

The man perked up, raising his eyebrows. In truth, he had only heard a few snippets of information, but that didn't stop him from showing off in front of everyone.

He lowered his voice slyly, just enough for the neighbors to hear, and said, "Listen to me! That young lady has been beautiful since childhood! I've heard she has tiny feet like lotus roots, and her toes are like white jade pearls..."

"This young lady was sold into the household of Wang Zhaoxuan at the age of nine. She learned to sing and play instruments, and was also taught to read and write in her spare time. She was naturally clever and quick-witted. By the age of twelve or thirteen, she could already apply makeup and powder, and was skilled in playing musical instruments, needlework, and everything else. She would wear her hair in a bun, a fitted blouse, and act with great poise and elegance. By the time she grew to eighteen, she had blossomed into a beauty with a face like a peach blossom and eyebrows like crescent moons. She was truly a celestial being!"

One of the students at the table, intrigued, pressed on, "If what you're saying is true, then she's truly an extraordinary woman! Is she betrothed?"

The man with the pointed beak shook his head and sighed, "It's a pity I heard she's already married."

Just as everyone was feeling disappointed, he suddenly changed the subject, lowered his voice, and chuckled mischievously:

"However... I've heard that this young lady is rather restless, and has some kind of ambiguous relationship with her uncle... Hehe, what do you think of such a romantic affair..."

He winked and grinned suggestively, "I heard that uncle is quite robust, a world apart from my husband. How could this young lady possibly resist the temptation? Of course… hehehe…"

The group at the table burst into laughter, their words becoming increasingly offensive.

Although Wu Song did not know who they were talking about, he was enraged by their filthy words, especially the obscene phrase "sister-in-law and uncle".

He himself had an elder brother and sister-in-law, and he couldn't stand such foul language.

"Bang!"

Wu Song slammed his fist on the table with tremendous force, and at the same time, his tiger-like eyes suddenly shot out two sharp beams of light, sweeping across the people at the table like cold lightning.

The group of merchants were talking animatedly when they were suddenly startled by the commotion and all turned to look.

Upon seeing that it was a burly man, eight feet tall, with a livid face and fierce eyes, he immediately felt a little weak in the knees.

The curses that were on the tip of their tongues were swallowed back. The sharp-tongued man was about to get angry, but when his eyes met Wu Song's, he felt as if he were being stared at by a tiger. His heart trembled instantly, his face turned pale, and he lowered his head, only focusing on picking at the food in his bowl, not daring to utter another word.

Everyone at the table lowered their heads, not daring to look anymore, and just silently ate their drinks, not daring to make a sound.

The room was completely silent, except for the heavy breathing of Wu Song.

Wu Song snorted coldly, poured himself another bowl of wine, and took two sips in a sullen voice. But now he felt that his mouth was bland and had no taste at all.

He put down his wine bowl, took out a few coins from his pocket and threw them on the table, picked up his bundle and knife, and strode out of the tavern.

As I walked out onto the street, the autumn wind blew, and the anger in my heart subsided slightly.

He spat and cursed, "These filthy scoundrels! They've only had a few sips of horse piss and they're spouting nonsense! What sister-in-law and uncle? It's all vulgar talk! They've ruined the master's drinking mood!"

Looking up at the sun, Wu Song felt unhappy and quickened his pace, wanting only to reach Qinghe County as soon as possible, see his brother, and let go of his pent-up anger.

We traveled quickly and soon arrived in Qinghe County.

For some reason, the neighbors he met along the way all looked at him with strange expressions when they saw him from afar.

Wu Song frowned slightly, a suspicion creeping into his heart: "Why are these people looking at me like that? Could it be that I've been away from home for so long, and something has happened in the county that concerns me?"

However, he had never liked to read other people's expressions, and thought that these neighbors were just making a fuss over nothing when they saw the head constable returning to his hometown.

Without giving it much thought, he went to his brother's house.

Just as I turned the corner, I suddenly saw a boy carrying a basket of pears running towards me; it was Qiao Yunge.

The little monkey was strolling around the street again today when it saw Wu Song's tall figure in the distance. It felt a jolt in its heart and remembered the shame and indignation it had felt some time ago, so it slowed down.

As Wu Song approached, he inexplicably took a step to the side and blocked the way.

"Captain Wu... wait a moment!"

Wu Song paused, looking down.

The child appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, thin and small, with a pale face and a rather nervous expression.

"Young man, what brings you to my door?"

Qiao Yunge looked up at Wu Song, and was intimidated by his fierce eyes. He panicked even more, and the words he had prepared were completely forgotten.

He stammered, "Chief, are we...are we going to Wu Dalang's house? Um...Wu Dalang, he..."

He gestured wildly with his hands, unable to utter a coherent sentence for a moment.