SWDnovel Chapter 8: Becoming an Apprentice at the Martial Arts School!
Chapter 8: Becoming an Apprentice at the Martial Arts School!
"Sir, we've already paid the stall fee for this month." Aunt Chen said with a big smile, holding a plump black carp in her hand, trying to stuff it into the arms of the Water Snake Gang member.
The man took the fish, his tone still cold, and asked, "Given it to you? To whom?"
"It's been handed over to Brother Liu, that's how it always was..."
"Liu Laosi?" The man scoffed, interrupting her. "Looks like you don't know yet, this Qingxi market is now under the control of our Brother Cao Bin! What, you're not going to pay the first bill Brother Cao collected?"
Auntie's face turned pale. "No, no," she said, looking to the side for help.
"Bang!"
Uncle San slammed the fish-killing knife heavily onto the cutting board, the blade penetrating deep into the wood.
He was silent for a moment, then vigorously wiped his hands on the apron covered in fish scales and bloodstains, and pulled out a piece of silver from the deepest pocket of the lining.
Third Aunt took the silver, reluctantly handed it over, her eyes filled with heartache.
This half tael of silver can buy my son some medicine. He's learning martial arts now, and we're short of money right now.
However, trying to reason with the Water Snake Gang will only bring more trouble.
The group of people took it, tossed it around in their hands, and weighed it in their hands.
"That's not enough. Your Su family's fish stall is making a lot of money. From now on, the stall fee will be increased by 20%."
"What!" Auntie's voice suddenly rose. "Sir, the custom is to give half an ounce. You must be joking."
"This is Brother Cao's new rule! The more you earn, the more you pay!"
"You're robbing me..."
The man's face suddenly darkened, and he leaned forward, exuding an oppressive aura: "Robbery? The market in the neighboring Qingzhu Town was just ransacked, and more than a dozen people died!"
We water snakes help you make money, it's not easy! Do you understand? Now either pay up, or get out!
Auntie San was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "Sir, please have mercy! My nephew, Su Hong, is a member of the Snow Wolf Gang. Perhaps you could..."
"Also, my child recently went to the Hongshan Martial Arts School to learn martial arts, and we have a lot of money to spend at home, so please bear with us."
Upon hearing this, a hint of mockery flashed deep in the eyes of the Water Snake Gang members. "Su Hong, huh? We know him, we know him, heh heh."
If we didn't know each other, we wouldn't charge you extra money.
"This is all Brother Cao's idea. If you're capable, go to Brother Cao and he'll take responsibility for you."
The veins on the back of Uncle San's hand bulged, but seeing the two men who seemed fearless, he could only sigh in despair, then took out two strings of copper coins and slammed them heavily on the table.
"Take it!"
……
Su Yu watched the backs of the two Water Snake Gang members, his mind churning.
Are these two targeting Uncle San's family?
And who is Cao Bin?
I'll have to ask my cousin Su Hong about gang matters.
After everyone had gone some distance, Su Yu approached with the fish basket on his back. "Third Aunt, are you alright?"
"Xiaoyu." Auntie glanced at Su Yu, then turned away and secretly wiped away her tears. "It's alright. The Water Snake Gang overcharged us, but we've already paid it."
"You caught so many fish today! Wow, your skills are amazing! You'll never have to worry about finding a wife in the future." Auntie quickly regained her composure and helped Su Yu put the fish basket on the stone platform.
"Third Uncle, I got a golden-lined white-scaled fish. Where should I get it cleaned?" Su Yu glanced around and whispered.
Uncle San's eyes suddenly narrowed. He took the fish basket and shoved aside the ordinary river fish on top.
At the very bottom, that patch of white with a hint of gold stood out starkly against the backdrop of the pile of fish.
How big?
"It must weigh over ten pounds!"
Uncle quickly grabbed a rag and covered the fish basket tightly, then cautiously scanned his surroundings.
"Husband, really?" Auntie San asked in a low voice, her eyes wide with shock.
"You stay here at the fish stall, Xiaoyu and I are going to see Manager Liu at Fuxianlou."
After saying that, Uncle San tore off his apron, which was covered in fishy smells, and led Su Yu deeper into the market.
……
"Great stuff! Really great stuff!"
The plump manager, Liu, circled the golden-lined white-scaled fish in the wooden basin twice, marveling, "I haven't seen a wild golden-lined fish of this quality for a month."
"Just out of the water, still fresh," Su Yu said, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Alright! It just so happens that Young Master Wang is hosting a banquet tonight, and he's missing a fresh fish dish." Steward Liu was in high spirits, holding out a plump hand. "All the fish together, one price, five taels of silver!"
Su Yu turned to look at his third uncle, and seeing him nod, he agreed.
"Someone, bring this white-scaled fish to the restaurant immediately, don't delay." Manager Liu accepted the fish and handed over five taels of silver.
Suppressing his excitement, Su Yu took the silver and carefully stuffed it into his pocket.
I've finally saved up ten taels of silver! I can start learning martial arts now!
"You're a promising young man! Catching these golden-lined white-scaled fish is no easy feat! If you have any good catches in the future, feel free to come to me."
"Thank you very much, Steward Liu." Su Yu clasped his hands in farewell and took his leave.
……
As night fell, Su Yu arrived at Su Hong's house, knocked on the door, and said, "Big brother, it's me."
"They're here."
The door opened, and Su Hong welcomed Su Yu inside.
"Your aunt has to go to town early tomorrow to do laundry for someone, so she's resting early. Let's go to the inner room."
The two sat down in the inner room, and under the dim light of the oil lamp, Su Yu recounted in detail what had happened at the market during the day.
Upon hearing this, Su Hong's previously calm face instantly turned ashen, and his right hand gripped the corner of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"It's my fault that I've dragged my third uncle's family into this mess, and you too, second brother. From now on, you'd better be careful of Cao Bin!"
Su Yu was puzzled and quietly looked at his elder brother, waiting for him to explain further.
"Cao Bin is my enemy. In the past, during a gang conflict, I accidentally killed his brother and crippled one of his fingers. He has always hated me to the core."
Originally, we both failed our martial arts training on the first try, so he wasn't much of a threat. Unexpectedly, he somehow broke through several levels in succession, and last month he even broke through to become a martial artist. He also joined forces with Liu Hong of the Water Snake Gang, recognized him as his godfather, and became a minor leader.
Su Hong sighed deeply, his eyes filled with regret and worry: "I never expected that Qingxi Market would become his territory. This is troublesome."
Su Yu also frowned.
Musha?
This is a huge problem. Once someone becomes a martial artist, they are simply no match for ordinary people.
Even the eldest brother is no match for him.
"But second brother, you don't need to worry too much. I work for a big shot in the Snow Wolf Gang. I'll go find that big shot and see if I can find a solution."
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Su Yu changed the subject: "Big brother, I want to learn martial arts. Where would be a good place?"
Su Hong was taken aback, then looked at Su Yu seriously: "Have you thought it through?"
"Yes, brother, in this world, I have to try learning martial arts."
"Okay, then I'll tell you about it." Su Hong patted Su Yu on the shoulder and said seriously.
"There are only three ways to learn martial arts in the city nowadays. First, the Black Stone Army. This is the official path. Although the techniques are good, it is also the most dangerous. Especially now that the world is in chaos, the Black Stone Army has to fight against rebel forces such as the Black Lotus Sect all the time, and the mortality rate is too high."
"Second, powerful families. Families like the Zhao, Wang, and Li families have abundant resources, but they either only accept geniuses or require you to sign indenture contracts, becoming slaves who can never rise above their station in this lifetime."
"The rest are the various martial arts schools. As long as you pay the apprenticeship fee, you can learn martial arts."
Su Hong paused for a moment, then continued:
"In the city, Guiyuan Martial Arts School is the strongest, but the apprenticeship fee is as high as fifty taels. Next, Hongshan, Zhuifeng, and Tieyi are three long-established strong schools, and their apprenticeship fees are also thirty taels."
Su Yu nodded. "Brother, I've only saved ten taels of silver. I'll just go to a small martial arts school where I can learn martial arts."
"As for small martial arts schools, I know of Changchun Martial Arts School. That's where I learned. They teach a set of Changchun boxing techniques. The headmaster is a humble person and doesn't look down on students from poor families."
"There's one more..."
Su Hong hesitated for a moment before saying:
"There's a White Ape Martial Arts School in the west of the city. The owner, Qin Fangqiong, was a ruthless character in his younger days, and his White Ape Fist was famous. Unfortunately, I heard that he was injured in his early years, and as he got older, his skill level declined, and the martial arts school also declined. Now it's just a mediocre school."
"His family only charges ten taels for apprenticeship. However, Master Qin has an eccentric temper, accepting apprentices based on first impressions, and his reputation among his students is mixed."