CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: CHUN NUAN SAVED HIS LIFE

"Everyone shut the hell up." Sixth Master Xiao roared again: "Now, each of you report the names of the people you can remember to Mr. Yang, let him write them down, then he’ll call the roll. Those called will be checked off, those absent will be circled."

Circled, means they’re gone.

This simple and brutal method shattered countless families’ illusions!

After this round of operations, seventeen boatmen were circled, confirmed gone, and naturally, the families cried terribly in their grief.

When it got completely dark, Old Luo finally dragged his lead-weighted legs into the house.

He didn’t even know how he got home; as soon as he entered, he plopped down onto the bamboo stool.

"What’s wrong with you? You’ve lost your soul?"

Aunt Luo initially wanted to scold him for being lazy. This man really is lazy; he left early saying he was delivering some medicinal wine and ended up eating lunch and dinner at Brother Chen’s house, just sitting there. Didn’t he perhaps end up gambling again?

Uncle Luo sat motionless on the stool, not responding to her at all.

"Hey, I’m talking to you, why aren’t you saying anything? What’s wrong with you, are you possessed?"

Aunt Luo waved her hand in front of his face.

"Don’t bother me," Uncle Luo grabbed her hand: "I almost didn’t make it back today."

"What happened?"

What could be so frightening?

"Didn’t I say I was going to pull the ferry this morning?"

"Of course, early in the morning you got up saying you were going to the dock. I told you to rest for a couple of days, but you wouldn’t. If Chun Nuan hadn’t come to convince you, you wouldn’t know the severe consequences of ignoring advice," Aunt Luo said. "If you’re sick, recover first, then go to work. As the old saying goes, sharpening the axe won’t delay the job of chopping wood. That’s the logic, don’t overexert yourself and worsen the illness."

"You don’t know, if I hadn’t listened to Chun Nuan today, or if Chun Nuan hadn’t come, you might really have become a widow, left to remarry with my children."

"Are you crazy, I..."

Even if you die, I won’t remarry!

She swallowed the words back; he needed to feel a sense of crisis, otherwise, he wouldn’t take his life seriously.

You have to understand, as the head of the house, his life is the life of the whole family.

If he doesn’t cherish his own life, there would be lots of bad consequences.

"Why are you saying these things?"

Aunt Luo was slow to react, realizing she missed the key point: what do you mean almost didn’t make it back?

"Wasn’t there a big storm today?"

"Yes, yes, there was a heavy rain at noon, the eaves were pouring like a waterfall," Aunt Luo said. "I even said, with such a heavy rain, pulling the ferry would be dangerous."

"There was an accident. During the storm, we were pulling a large boat near the whirlpool. Over a hundred people went into the river; as a result, the boat capsized, sweeping seventeen people away, the oldest being 49, the youngest just 16."

"Seventeen people didn’t come back, they can’t be found?"

Aunt Luo widened her eyes: "You... you’re not scaring me, are you?"

"Why would I scare you? Is this something to joke about?" Old Luo said, still shaken. "If Chun Nuan hadn’t come to tell me my illness was severe enough to need a half-month’s rest, I would’ve definitely gone into the river. Do you think you’d still be seeing me now?"

"Chun Nuan is practically a goddess, saving my life."

"Yes, we definitely owe a big thanks to Chun Nuan."

"Stop it." Aunt Luo turned pale: "Head of the house, let’s not do that work anymore. No matter how much it pays, it’s not worth it. Living well is more important than anything. Life lasts longer than money; without people, there’s no money."

"If I don’t do that, we’ll be living on air? I’ve been pulling the ferry since I was 14, and haven’t learned anything else, what can I do?" Uncle Luo was also frustrated. "Can we really support the whole family just on the little bit of land we rent?"

"If we’re not doing that, then rent more land, plant more, feed the stomach," Aunt Luo said. "Anyway, you’re not allowed to go to the docks to pull the ferry anymore."

"You don’t know, when something like this happens, the river becomes unsettled," Uncle Luo said quietly. "Seventeen of them, we need seventeen substitutes. This river won’t be peaceful anymore."

"Don’t say things like that."

Oh my gosh, hearing the wife talk like this, Uncle Luo got goosebumps.

Actually, he understood that elders say when there’s an unnatural death in a place, it will happen again. They say the deceased waits there, needing someone to take their place before they can reincarnate.

Over the years, there are accidents in the river almost annually, and everyone knows: it’s about finding substitutes!

"This kind of thing, it’s better to believe it than not. So let’s make it clear, you’re not going to the docks to pull the ferry."

"Alright, alright, listening to the wife makes you prosper," Uncle Luo quickly replied. "If I’m not pulling the ferry, then what can I do?"

"Farm, and later think it over well. Do whatever there is to do. There are thousands of roads in the world, not just this one."

"That’s true, let me think about it."

Uncle Luo sat there deep in thought.

"Honestly, did you use the medicinal wine you gave to Brother Chen? How did that go?"

Aunt Luo felt a bit awkward asking: Did you get any money for it?

After all, she had spent so much money on Chun Nuan, the man better not just use it as a favor.

"It’s fine, I applied it to Brother Chen, and after a while, he said it felt warm, then he said it started to itch. The symptoms after using the medicinal wine were the same as mine, it must be effective."

"That’s good. Hey, how much would Chun Nuan’s medicinal wine be worth outside? It’s so effective?"

"Hard to say; we’re not experts," Uncle Luo said. "Chun Nuan instructed us to keep it secret. We can’t cause her trouble. Remember, just say it’s an ancestral secret recipe from an old hunter I found in the mountains."

"Yes, yes, ancestral secret recipe."

Then she looked at the man, wanting to say something but stopping.

Uncle Luo...

"If you want to say something, just say it. I can’t guess what you women are thinking."

"Um... how much did you sell it to Brother Chen for?"

"I didn’t charge Brother Chen," Uncle Luo said. "When I first went down the river, I was small and weak, and Brother Chen helped me a lot, teaching me how to work smarter, making things easier. He’s always looked out for me, so I can’t take his money."

"True, knowing kindness and repaying it is our Luo family’s fine tradition," Aunt Luo said. "But those few small bottles of wine left, what do you plan to do with them? Give them all away?"

"No way, we don’t have that much wealth in the family," Uncle Luo said. "Chun Nuan is well-intentioned to say not to sell at high prices, but if we set the price too low now, it’d be hard for her to raise it later. I think it’d be better if I just apply it for them, without saying it’s for sale. If it works, let them give whatever they see fit."

Such good medicinal wine, he can’t bear to sell it cheap.

That would bring trouble to Chun Nuan, and it’s something he couldn’t do!

"Makes sense. The medicine has no set price, and when they realize how good it is, they’ll understand it’s worth the high price. Your brothers can just apply it, and give a little money if it works."