Chapter 97: Simple Folk Customs of Lanyang Village

Greenwater Bay is home to the largest city in Proville. However, Lanyang Village doesn't much resemble a city. Indeed, Lanyang Village isn't a city; the true city is Greenwater City, and Lanyang Village is at most a distant suburb.

Li Banfeng stood by the roadside, gazing out. He felt the place didn't look like a normal village either. The houses were noticeably denser than in a typical village, and he saw hardly any farmland. If you were to call it a town, Lanyang Village didn't much resemble Ligou in Yaowang Ditch. The houses were more dilapidated, dirtier, and more haphazard than in Ligou. Many were built with stacked bricks and stones, appearing relatively sturdy, while quite a few were simple wooden cabins without foundations, and there were even numerous thatched huts...

As Li Banfeng observed the strange appearance of Lanyang Village, he suddenly heard a rhythmic chugging and clanking sound in his ears. "Hoo-chih-kuang-dang! Hoo-chih-kuang-dang!" "What's going on?!" Li Banfeng shivered, thinking a train was approaching. He looked back and saw something indeed approaching, and it was a massive one. It wasn't a train because there were no tracks. Its shape was very similar to a train's: a cylindrical, black engine, eight or nine meters long, over three meters tall, and appearing to be more than two meters in diameter. However, instead of train wheels, it had two massive rollers underneath. Li Banfeng recognized these rollers; it was a road roller. This particular model was new to Li Banfeng, though; it was a steam-powered road roller. Workers stood on the road roller, adding coal to the boiler. The boiler had just started heating up, and the pressure wasn't sufficient yet. The air valve was hissing, and the connecting rods weren't moving. There was actually a road roller near Lanyang Village? This struck Li Banfeng as quite novel.

Li Banfeng wanted to go closer for a look when a young man in his early twenties, wearing overalls, carrying a cane, and sporting a small mustache on his upper lip, approached him. Judging by his attire, the man with the mustache seemed respectable. "From out of town?" the man with the mustache greeted him proactively. Li Banfeng nodded. "First time in Lanyang Village?" Li Banfeng didn't deny it. The man with the mustache smiled warmly. "Do you have money?" Are the people of Lanyang Village all so friendly? To ask such a direct question right away? Is this how people in Lanyang Village greet each other? Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes." "How much?" The man with the mustache pulled a dagger from his pocket and pressed it against Li Banfeng's stomach.

Are people here really this straightforward? This was on a public street, with pedestrians ahead and a road roller behind. He just naturally pressed the knife against my stomach like that? Isn't anyone going to do anything? An elder woman ahead saw Li Banfeng being robbed on the street and immediately picked up her child and went back into her house. This elder woman was clearly soft-hearted, unable to bear seeing an outsider like me being bullied. A man stood nearby, arms crossed, watching Li Banfeng with a grin. This man was clearly friendly; he was using his smile to encourage me, giving me courage and confidence. The workers on the road roller glanced in Li Banfeng's direction, then continued with their tasks as if nothing had happened. These workers were all diligent, life-loving, and dedicated to their work.

The man with the mustache pressed the knife tightly against Li Banfeng's stomach and sternly demanded, "I asked how much money you have!" This man with the mustache was very professional. Li Banfeng said, "I have a lot of money, but I might not be able to give it to you." The man with the mustache bared his teeth in a smile. "You don't want to give it? Are you tired of living?" Li Banfeng also smiled. "It's not that I can't give it to you, but first, let me ask, do you have any cultivation?" "If I don't have cultivation, you won't give me money?" The man with the mustache glared, and the knife moved as if to stab Li Banfeng's stomach. Li Banfeng stepped back, dodging the knife, then raised a leg and kicked the man with the mustache squarely in the groin, admonishing him, "You come out robbing without any cultivation?"

The man with the mustache felt something crack. His face turned pale with pain as he pointed the knife at Li Banfeng and said, "Don't come closer, I have cultivation!" "If you have cultivation, why didn't you say so sooner? Why did you lie to me?" Li Banfeng delivered another kick, again to the groin. The man with the mustache felt something break. Trembling, he looked at Li Banfeng and said, "My cultivation is very high; I just didn't want to attack you." "How high exactly? State it clearly first!" Li Banfeng delivered yet another kick, again to the groin. The man with the mustache felt that something had shattered. He said in a trembling voice, "I'm about to reach a new level." So, he hadn't reached a new level yet. "What about Taoist Sect?" Li Banfeng kicked him again. This time, the man with the mustache didn't feel too much pain. He felt that thing was already gone. "I am a cultivator of tillage..." "A cultivator of tillage not farming properly and instead coming out to rob!" Li Banfeng delivered another kick. The man with the mustache rolled his eyes and collapsed to his knees.

Li Banfeng snatched the man's dagger, then, with a smile, looked at the man who had been watching nearby. "Big brother, do you have money?" Li Banfeng greeted him warmly. The man didn't dare reply and took off running. Why run? Isn't this how everyone in Lanyang Village greets each other? Li Banfeng carried the man with the mustache into a deep alley, confirmed no one was around, and then sent him into the Portable Dwelling. "My dear, dinner is served!" The man with the mustache let out a wail, trying to escape. Li Banfeng picked up his cane, broke the man's leg, and handed him over to the gramophone. Steam swirled. The gramophone, having consumed the soul, rubbed its long needle against the record. Is it brushing its teeth? Li Banfeng asked, "My dear, how was today's dish?" His wife praised, "Fresh, sweet, and refreshing, with an endless aftertaste, but just not quite enough to eat." Not enough to eat was inevitable; Li Banfeng was used to it.

While the bronze lotus tidied up the corpse, Li Banfeng looked at the mustachioed man's belongings. Although he had taken up highway robbery, the man was actually quite wealthy. His wallet contained over eight hundred in cash and six silver dollars. These six silver dollars were worth over three thousand yuan. With so much money, there was no need for him to resort to robbery; he could have found a job or even started a small business. The man's dagger was unremarkable, so Li Banfeng discarded it as trash. However, his cane was quite good. Li Banfeng swung it, remembering something. Every time he picked up the feather duster, he always felt like a civilized gentleman. Now, thinking about it carefully, perhaps what he should have been holding wasn't a feather duster, but this kind of cane. That's right, a cane! Li Banfeng recalled the patrons of the Immortal Music Dance Hall; they all carried canes. In Proville, people of status all carried canes. A cane, combined with a suit and top hat, was the complete gentleman's attire. After the corpse was disposed of and a red pill was produced, Li Banfeng took his cane, picked up the trash, and left the Portable Dwelling. He needed to find a place to eat and, while he was at it, observe the situation in Lanyang Village.

Among the crowded houses, there were many restaurants. Li Banfeng found a noodle shop, saw that lamb noodles were five yuan, a fair price, and ordered a bowl. After finishing the noodles, he went to pay, and the shopkeeper asked for three hundred thirty yuan. Li Banfeng was startled. "Wasn't it five yuan?" The noodle shop owner replied, "One noodle strand is five yuan. We cooked sixty-six strands for you, for good luck, which totals three hundred 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 that way!" Li Banfeng's eyes widened. "Always by the strand?" Inside the restaurant, the other diners all looked at Li Banfeng, nodded in unison, and said in one voice, "This restaurant has always sold noodles by the strand. It's been a reputable place for decades and has never changed." Li Banfeng looked around and said to the noodle shop owner, "Your whole place is full of shills; am I the only actual customer?" The shopkeeper frowned. "What do you mean, 'shills'? All our diners are loyal customers, and they're speaking fairly!" Everyone shouted in unison, "We're speaking fairly!"

Li Banfeng stood up. "Selling noodles by the strand, you call that fair?" The shopkeeper nodded. "Yes, selling by the strand, that is fair!" "Then we'll have to properly calculate the price!" Li Banfeng swung his cane. "Calculate then!" The shopkeeper swung his rolling pin. "Let's all calculate together!" The other diners each grabbed a weapon and swarmed forward, surrounding Li Banfeng.

After fighting for over ten minutes, the noodle shop floor was stained with blood. Several tables were broken, and cups, bowls, and plates lay scattered everywhere. The shopkeeper had a bloody head, and the other diners were also injured. Li Banfeng's cane was broken, and he eventually negotiated a price with the shopkeeper. Each noodle strand was twenty yuan, and for the 'smooth sailing and great success' symbolism, a total of sixty-six strands were cooked, making the bowl of noodles one thousand three hundred twenty yuan. The other diners nodded repeatedly. "This price is fair. That's the rule in Lanyang Village, so let's settle it!" Li Banfeng also agreed. "It's settled then!" The shopkeeper counted out one thousand three hundred twenty yuan and handed it to Li Banfeng. "Please count it!" Li Banfeng counted it twice, put it in his wallet, raised his top hat, and bowed like a gentleman. "I'll come back for noodles again next time." "Next time, we'll charge by the bowl!" the shopkeeper said, his front teeth missing and his speech a bit airy.

Li Banfeng walked out of the noodle shop and threw the broken half of his cane into a trash pile. He looked around and couldn't help but sigh, "Lanyang Village is a good place; the local customs are quite simple and honest." Given such simple and honest local customs, perhaps I should hire a guide to learn more about the situation?

As he was musing, he suddenly saw a well-dressed man picking food from a trash pile. He was indeed well-dressed; his shirt, trousers, and leather shoes were all made of fine materials and craftsmanship. If he pawned these clothes, he could easily get several meals. Why search for food in the trash? He searched very earnestly; he was truly hungry. Picking up half an apricot, he immediately popped it into his mouth. Seeing a few grains of rice, he carefully scraped them with his finger and put them into his mouth. He didn't miss anything edible.

Li Banfeng stared at the man for a moment, realizing he looked somewhat familiar. "Ma Wu?" Li Banfeng called out. The man had just picked up half a steamed bun. Hearing someone call out "Ma Wu," he stuffed the bun into his mouth and bolted.