sinovels Chapter 21 Advance and Retreat
Chapter 21 Advance and Retreat
Time flies by.
Two and a half months have passed in the blink of an eye, and it is now late autumn.
The weather is getting colder.
Even the porters wore long trousers that covered their bodies completely. They would sweat profusely after exerting themselves, and while the wind felt comfortable, they were afraid of catching a cold and getting sick if they weren't careful, thus wasting their money.
For example, Mr. Zhu, who was in the limelight not long ago, fell ill after being exposed to several cold winds.
His physical strength has visibly declined, and a few days ago he requested to switch from a hard-footed to a regular-footed position.
However, the employer was generous and, considering his great merit in capturing the flag, awarded him a sum of six taels of silver as a retirement bonus, double that of ordinary people. Every day, no matter how much goods he carried, he would be paid at least fifty copper coins.
Many porters would envy this; to achieve this level of skill is truly unique among porters.
When one person retreats, another advances.
Moon Bay Wharf, in the courtyard of three piles.
At this moment, the courtyard was crowded with more than thirty porters, including Yang Silang and several of his fellow villagers, Wang Lixiong.
Today is the day of the assessment for that batch of stance trainees. As long as they can carry 100 pounds and pass through 36 stances with high waist and long strides, they will become the core members of the association.
The reason there were so many porters was that porters from the other two branches had also come.
The two men, Song and Wu, stood on either side of each other, their backs bent, wearing headscarves, dark blue robes, black sashes, and purses. They had square faces, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, looking exactly like nouveau riche.
He was the head of the Sanshui Association, and his surname was Hai.
Hai, the head of the association, looked at the courtyard full of porters and laughed heartily.
"Brothers, you are all core members and elites of our organization."
"I've been practicing the three-legged stance for several months now."
"Those who are confident can try it out on the stake today!"
"Once you're hired, you'll be a hard-working soldier, earning a hundred coins a day! When the weather turns cold and the river freezes, don't worry about not having work; the guild will provide some money to support your family."
"If it doesn't work out, that's fine too. Passing the test before the river freezes over is also acceptable."
The porters nodded in agreement, and many praised their employer for his righteousness!
Yang Silang was also amazed. This world was different from the geography and landscape of his previous life. There were strong warriors, and even the weather was different. The river below the mountain city could actually freeze.
Hai Hui waved to Wu Tou'er.
Wu Tou'er immediately stood in front, puffing out his chest and protruding his belly, and shouted loudly.
"Brothers, now that you've all understood, and the leader has given the order, let's begin the assessment!"
"The hundred-pound load is right here. Everyone line up and take your turn. Don't rush."
You have three chances; if you succeed on the first try, you pass!
At this moment, in addition to the thirty-six foot posts, a knee-high mounting post was nailed up to facilitate the porters carrying their loads onto the post.
Everyone lined up in the queue and took turns going up the stakes.
Some people walked swiftly and passed the test smoothly, while others fell down just one or two steps short, and still others dropped their load and fell halfway down.
The worst is Xiao Jiling.
This fellow had only run halfway up the stake when his steps became unsteady, and the load flew around, causing him to stagger and fall. He had no choice but to throw down the load and jump off with a bitter face, which made everyone burst into laughter.
On the contrary, Jiao Ada, who was the dumbest one at the time, honestly carried the load for twenty-nine steps, but unfortunately he couldn't hold on and lost his balance and fell.
Yang Silang and the others were in line at the back.
Li Erhu pointed and gestured at the people on the stake.
"What Wu Tou'er said is really true."
"Xiao Jiling's progress in practicing stances wasn't slow either, but he couldn't endure hardship. After work, he preferred to gossip and talk nonsense rather than practice his skills."
"If he had devoted half of his spirit of spreading the Eight Trigrams to practicing stances, he would probably have passed away long ago."
"Kumayama, Shiro, you two have practiced the best. You could probably pass this with your eyes closed, right?"
Xiong Shan nodded steadily, full of confidence. Yang Silang smiled but didn't say anything. A month ago, after finishing work, he practiced until the very end and was already able to carry a hundred pounds and run over the hard foot stake that was as tall as a person, even faster than the martial arts leader.
When testing the iron cylinder, it was only okay if it wasn't oiled; it could barely move.
The oil made my feet slip, and the harder I tried to hold on, the less I could. I couldn't walk even if I was empty-handed, let alone weigh a hundred pounds.
I was bruised and battered during that time, and if it weren't for my miraculous healing powers, I would have been very embarrassed.
Yang Silang's progress on the Three-Legged Stance is currently at 99. Since he can gain a little bit of progress every day by practicing hard, he is waiting for the points to reach the maximum to see if there will be any changes.
Either this oiled iron cylinder is a legendary tale.
Either this is true, but the skill level is far beyond that of the Three-Legged Stance, something he can't possibly master.
Wang Daniu, looking worried, chimed in from the side.
"Xiongshan and Lao Si are the best at training. You can also do it, Erhu. You can hit the target nine times out of ten."
"I'm the dumbest of the bunch. When I'm lucky, I get it right five or six times out of ten, but when I'm unlucky, I get it wrong four or five times out of ten."
"What if I fail on my third try?"
Yang Silang turned around and comforted him.
"What are you afraid of? Calculate it, you'll pass once and a half out of three times..."
"You'll definitely pass."
"Once you're on the stake, just charge forward without thinking about anything else, and you'll definitely make it."
Wang Daniu's worries turned into joy.
"Yeah, what am I afraid of?"
Xiong Shan and Li Erhu exchanged a glance and remained silent.
Wang Daniu's performance is very unpredictable; he either passes four or five times in a row out of ten, or he fails four or five times in a row... It's really hard to judge whether he can pass or not.
soon.
The assessment then fell to the four of them.
Xiong Shan went first. He stepped down and, without even using the stepping stake, jumped onto the main foot stake with the weight on. He rushed over like the wind, his steps moving like lightning, without any sign of stopping. His load and body were in a stable line, swaying with the rhythm, passing over quickly and well.
"good!"
The porters cheered.
Hai, the head of the Hai Association, and Wu, the head of the Wu Association, both nodded in approval, saying he was a promising talent.
Li Erhu honestly used the stepping stones to maintain stability and passed the test on his first try. Although he was not as fast as Xiong Shan, he was steady and composed, which showed that he had practiced very well.
When it was Wang Daniu's turn, he muttered to himself that he could definitely do it. He got on the stake, charged forward, the load swayed wildly, his body swayed from side to side, but he charged straight through with sheer force.
With a loud thud, it crashed heavily to the ground, and it actually made it through... though the process was rather ugly.
The porters were speechless.
Wang Daniu was left standing with his hands on his hips, laughing loudly and saying that he had passed.
Hai and Wu shook their heads as they looked at the list, while Song glanced at it and put a checkmark on it.
Although their life was ugly, they did live it, though it was somewhat... thrilling.
Yang Silang was also dumbfounded; he hadn't expected Wang Daniu to be so reckless.
When it was his turn, he composed himself, obediently stepped onto the upper stake, and after passing the thirty-six stakes within the allotted time, he steadily stepped down.
Wu Tou'er frowned.
That person just now went too crazy.
This is too stable.
He was like an old gentleman walking at lightning speed; I really don't know how he managed to be both fast and slow.
Wu Tou'er whispered to Hai Hui Shou.
The leader of the group was one of these few lads from Huang County who helped Master Zhu seize the flag; they were quite ruthless.
If the gang is short-handed recently, these guys are all good candidates.
This is Yang Silang. He heard from Old Song that he always hides behind everyone when fighting, which is a bit cowardly. Squinting Song quickly nodded to confirm that what he said was true.
Haihui frowned.
Gangs need heroes who dare to fight and kill.
What we need are ruthless people like the Bloodthirsty Butcher.
This person is slippery, so he should not be trusted.
Wu Tou'er and Xie Yan Song exchanged a glance and shut up together—"Chief, are you out of your mind? Among the porters, who would be so carefree as to eat, drink, and sleep soundly in a corpse-filled house?"
A day flies by.
Of the final thirty-odd porters, one-third were eliminated, and more than twenty became new porters.
Xiao Jiling was eliminated, while Jiao Ada was lucky and narrowly escaped with his last chance.
That evening, the leader hosted a banquet, inviting everyone to sit at two tables in a tavern. They ate and drank to their hearts' content, creating a lively scene, and countless people got drunk.
After the banquet ended.
Yang Silang had the support of the water inscription to restore it. He was still a little drunk on the way, but he was sober when he got home.
After giving my fifth sister a few instructions, I hung up the carrying pole and pushed the water cart on my way.
Before long, a truck full of water set off with a clanging sound.
Now his base strength has reached 150, and after a 20% increase it will reach 180. His feet are firmly planted on the ground. Even so, he still can't pull a full cart of water up and down the steps.
But now I have already saved enough money and the equipment slots are open.
The first piece of equipment is already in the inventory.
But this equipment is just... a bit too ridiculous.
It was the carrying pole hanging on his shoulder that looked the same, but its attribute added 15 points of strength. With the 20% increase from the base value of 150, it became 180. Adding the 15 strength, it reached 195, which was enough to pull a cart of water.
This is why he never lets go of his carrying pole even after he finishes his shift.
Because of their love for the porter's profession?
No, it's because the added 15 points of strength are too tempting.
When we arrived at the back door of the oil mill, we gently knocked on the door knocker.
A short while later, the door creaked open.
The eldest sister appeared, and a small head peeked out from behind her. The little girl, with her hair in two buns, greeted her uncle with a beaming smile.
As her rosy lips opened and closed, a gap was visible in her front tooth, indicating that she was at the age where her baby teeth would be replaced.