Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 14 The Wealthy Master

Zheng Tu's heart pounded wildly, but he forced himself to remain calm.

Try to focus that thought on the "+" sign.

In an instant, one of the three available points was used up and injected into the "Martial Arts" entry.

The writing became blurry for a moment, and when it became clear again, it had become:

Martial Arts: Basic Fist and Foot Techniques (1/3)

Almost simultaneously, Zheng Tu trembled.

He suddenly felt a warm sensation throughout his body, as if a warm current was rising from his dantian and circulating throughout his body.

The strength in his arms, which he had developed while slaughtering pigs, seemed to have solidified considerably at this moment.

Several martial arts routines came to mind; although they were rudimentary, they were much more complete than the unorthodox styles he had learned before.

"This...this is actually true!" Zheng Tu suppressed his excitement and raised his cup to drink as a cover-up.

The sun shines brightly outside the window, and the streets are bustling as usual.

Inside Tongqinglou, patrons played drinking games, and the shouts of waiters filled the air. No one knew what strange things this dignified gentleman, drinking alone by the window, was experiencing.

Zheng Tu tried directing his thoughts toward the interface again and found that the "+" sign was still there, only its light was slightly dimmer.

His mind raced: "One point is enough to go from 'shallow' to 'entry-level,' what if we add two more points...?"

Just as I was about to try, I suddenly heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

Looking up, I saw an old man in his fifties or sixties, with a hunched back, wearing an old straight robe, leading a young woman carrying a pipa downstairs.

The woman's hair was slightly disheveled, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with sorrow. She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, and she was truly a sight to behold.

Who else could it be but Old Man Jin and his daughter Cuilian?

It turned out that Zheng Tu had left in a hurry after finishing his meal and hadn't paid any attention to these two people.

This time, after taking a few more glances, he happened to run into her.

He intended to lower his head and avoid the situation, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

After all, although he had escaped the calamity of Lu Zhishen's fists and feet, he had died suddenly and mysteriously. The cause of his death was still unknown, so how could he have the energy to meddle in other people's business?

But out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the old man was walking with a limp, and his face was lined with deep wrinkles, showing that he had been through a lot.

Looking at Jin Cuilian again, although she had willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, and a slender waist, her face was pale and her eyes were red, giving her a pitiful and timid appearance.

The father and daughter were dressed in clothes that were neither new nor new, with patches still visible, indicating that they were not living a very good life.

Zheng Tu's hand holding the chopsticks paused involuntarily.

When the original owner of this body was in Weizhou, he forcibly took this woman as his concubine using a fake contract, but was later expelled by his wife, who then demanded the return of the three thousand strings of cash stipulated in the fake contract. This forced the father and daughter to sing in taverns to pay off their debt, enduring endless scorn and contempt…

"Alas!" Zheng Tu sighed inwardly, and the wine in his cup suddenly tasted bitter.

Although it was the original owner's sin that had nothing to do with me.

But now that I've taken over this body and witnessed this father and daughter fall into such a state, it would be difficult for me to stand idly by.

After much deliberation, Zheng Tu downed the wine in one gulp and steeled his resolve:

"Enough, enough, enough! The trouble was caused by the original owner, and since I have taken over his body, I will settle this karmic debt for him. Gold and silver are just external things; if I can help these two escape their predicament, it will be a good deed."

Having made up his mind, he looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, took out gold and silver from the satchel at his feet.

Those large and small ingots were all brought out from Weizhou last time.

Zheng Tu thought to himself, "I should keep some for myself as a backup; perhaps I should divide it into three parts and seven parts."

He then wrapped the small amount of gold and silver, about ten or twenty taels, in a handkerchief and put it in his pocket.

The remaining large coins, such as garlic-shaped gold and snowflake silver, were wrapped tightly in a blue cloth bundle. They felt heavy and substantial in the hand.

At this moment, the Jin father and daughter had been led by the bartender to a private room on the second floor, presumably invited by some guest to sing.

Zheng Tu called over the waiter: "Waiter, come closer."

Seeing him beckon, the waiter quickly approached with a smile: "What are your orders, sir?"

Zheng Tu handed over the blue cloth bundle and whispered, "Take this to the Jin family's daughter who sings songs, and just say it was a gift from an old friend. Remember, she must be back in her own room before you open it."

The waiter took the bundle and immediately felt a weight on his wrist, thinking to himself, "It's so heavy!"

Hearing Zheng Tu's words again, and seeing that Jin Cuilian was beautiful, he concluded that the wealthy man had taken a fancy to the singing girl and wanted to engage in some frivolous affair.

A knowing smile crept across his face as he teased, "Don't worry, sir, I'll deliver it. Such a beautiful young lady deserves a good life..."

Seeing his expression, Zheng Tu knew he had misunderstood, but he was too lazy to argue.

Fearing the waiter might be tempted by the money and steal some, he added sternly, "You must deliver it honestly and do not open it yourself. If you dare to peek, you'll be in for a beating! I'll be watching you from here."

Having said that, he took out a five-qian (approximately 15 grams) piece of silver and stuffed it into the servant's hand: "This is a reward for you."

The waiter, initially apprehensive after the warning, beamed with joy upon seeing the silver, repeatedly saying, "Sir, what are you saying! I understand, I understand! I'll send it over right away, I certainly won't delay!"

Zheng Tu got up and pretended to stroll towards the stairwell, but in reality he was secretly observing.

The waiter carried the bundle upstairs and waited outside the room for a moment.

After the pipa music inside stopped, the curtain was lifted, and Jin Cuilian came out to talk to the bartender.

The waiter quickly stepped forward, handed over the bundle, and then gestured and explained something.

Zheng Tu was far away and couldn't hear clearly, but he saw Jin Cuilian take the bundle in a daze, her arm sinking down, clearly taken aback.

Her cherry lips moved slightly, as if she were asking a question.

The waiter turned around and pointed in Zheng Tu's direction, his mouth seemingly saying, "He is a wealthy man."

Jin Cuilian looked up.

Zheng Tu's heart tightened, and he quickly turned around, leaving only a tall, imposing figure in sapphire blue.

He quickened his pace, hurried downstairs, and only breathed a sigh of relief after exiting the Tongqinglou gate.

"That's good then," Zheng Tu thought to himself. "The gold and silver have been given; whether they can settle down and make a living depends entirely on their own fate. I have done my best."

Jin Cuilian accepted the heavy bundle, her heart filled with doubt and unease. These past few days, the father and daughter had been singing for a living in Yanmen County, but for some reason, the tips they received were dwindling day by day.

Even the number of customers listening to the music is decreasing.

The few drinkers who wanted to listen to music were mostly rough and boorish men who listened to music for the sake of excitement and were rarely generous with their money.

He had only sung two songs and earned a dozen or so coins, and was worried about how to pay for lodging and food that night.

She returned to her room carrying the bundle. Old Jin had already finished packing and made the decision. Seeing his daughter return with a blue cloth bundle, he asked curiously, "Lian'er, what is this?"

"My daughter doesn't know either," Jin Cuilian said in a low voice. "The waiter just brought it over, saying it was a gift from a wealthy man, and that it can only be opened when we get back to our room."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Old Man Jin's cloudy old eyes: "Quick, quick, open it and see!"

The father and daughter closed the door and placed the bundle on the table.

Jin Cuilian untied the knot in the cloth, and there was an oil paper package inside.

When it was opened again, gold and silver lights shimmered and sparkled before my eyes.

Inside, there were neatly stacked silver and gold ingots, as well as several hairpins and jewelry, all of excellent quality!

"This...this..." Old Jin gasped, stretched out his withered hands, and tremblingly picked up a silver ingot.

Jin Cuilian also covered her cherry lips, her almond eyes wide open.

In all her life, she had never seen so much wealth. A rough estimate suggested that all this gold, silver, and valuables was worth at least a hundred taels of silver! Not to mention paying off old debts, it would be more than enough to buy land, settle down, and start a family!

"Just who... just who is willing to spend so much?"

Old Jin was both surprised and delighted, and kept asking, "Lian'er, what did the person who delivered the package say?"

Jin Cuilian came to her senses and said softly, "The waiter only said that he was a wealthy-looking man."

The daughter looked up and only saw a burly figure in a royal blue coat hurrying downstairs.

"Master Zhao... in a sapphire blue robe..." Old Jin murmured repeatedly, then suddenly slapped his thigh, "Could it be...could it be that Master Zhao?!"