Wine Doesn't Intoxicate, People Intoxicate Themselves: Drawing Water with a Bamboo B

By this time, Wu Da had long forgotten Wu Song's words: whatever happens, wait for him to come back and we'll talk; he'll have a plan. In fact, Wu Song had long seen that his sister-in-law was not a good person, and that was what he was worried about. After being beaten, Wu Da still threatened Pan Jinlian, saying, "Wait for my brother to come back and we'll talk to you." This made Ximen Qing and the others completely determined to kill him.

Imagine if Wu Da knew about this and kept quiet, waiting for Wu Song to return before speaking to Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing. Would the outcome have been much better? Although he was kicked, he wouldn't have lost his life so unjustly.

Or he could have hardened his heart and divorced Pan Jinlian to end the matter completely, and no tragedy would have occurred. Perhaps Wu Da had suffered too much humiliation before, and when Wu Song was not a constable and not at home, he had no one to back him up, so he could swallow his anger.

After Wu Song became a constable, the past events, though unbearable to recall, were truly humiliating and infuriating. With Wu Song backing him up, it was impossible for him to remain subservient. The change in mindset was a crucial process. Pan Jinlian's beauty and competence were also reasons why Wu Da couldn't bear to part with her. Having a beautiful wife was like a dream for him. And every time he returned home to a tidy house and a hot meal, he felt incredibly happy. For ordinary people, isn't this the life they yearn for?

Wu Da's tragedy is heartbreaking, but one wrong step led to another, ultimately costing him his life. Although Wu Song ultimately killed Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian, and Wang Po was also executed by slow slicing, could Wu Da ever come back? The man who rose at dawn every day to carry his load on a shoulder pole, only to sway and stagger back at dusk, will forever live on in Wu Song's heart. Sometimes, in moments of impulsiveness, we should think more about our families and ourselves. Taking a step back doesn't mean cowardice, but rather a way to bide our time and prepare for a better counterattack.

That evening, at Wu Da's house, the cooked food he had bought was already laid out on the table. The aroma of chicken, duck, fish, and meat was irresistible. Since there were many people, and they were all big eaters, Song Jiang specifically instructed them to buy as much meat as possible. He wasn't worried about not being able to finish it all, but rather about not having enough. As for money, did they need to worry about money when they were with Song Jiang? They could just eat as much as they wanted!

Twenty catties of liquor were already on the table, ready to be opened at any time. "Drink today, for tomorrow we may die." Having met Wu Song, Song Jiang was overjoyed. With Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, and Jiao Ting sincerely following him, and seeing his Liangshan strength growing stronger, everything was a good start.

Looking at the dishes before him, Wu Da felt a surge of emotion. These were delicacies that he couldn't even afford to eat during the New Year. He knew that he couldn't possibly be valued by Song Jiang. The only possibility was that his younger brother, Wu Song, was valued by Song Jiang.

Wu Da hesitated and said, "Master Song, there's really no need for such expense. It's already a great blessing for my brother and me to know you, and we're even more honored by your high regard. We, Wu Zhi, are truly unworthy of such kindness." Although Song Jiang valued Wu Song, Wu Da didn't want to accept Song Jiang's favor for nothing. It wasn't that favors were hard to repay, but rather that he felt unworthy to accept such treatment for free.

Song Jiang took a bite of Wu Da's steamed bun. It was soft and crispy, with a sweet aftertaste. It tasted really good. No wonder many neighbors liked to buy steamed buns from Wu Da. A normal person would be full after eating two or three, but he sold them for one coin each, which was quite a bargain! Song Jiang swallowed the steamed bun in two bites and savored it. The steamed bun was indeed delicious.

After thinking for a moment, Song Jiang looked at Wu Da seriously and asked, "Brother, are you willing to let Erlang just laze around all day, drinking, fooling around, and doing nothing? When he's drunk, he gets into fights, and then you have to clean up after him. You earn so little money every day, it's not even enough for Erlang to eat, and then you keep losing it all. Is this the kind of life you want to see?"

Wu Song's face flushed red. What Song Jiang said was indeed true, without any exaggeration, and was a matter of fact and reason! He couldn't refute Song Jiang at all, especially since he had indeed been too impulsive. Every time he injured someone, Wu Da had to pay for it. Thinking of his brother, who was already over thirty, while others probably had sons old enough to run errands, Wu Da had remained unmarried for his sake! A sense of guilt welled up in Wu Song's heart!

Wu Da didn't know how to answer. He certainly didn't want Wu Song to wander around like a rogue every day, but he himself lacked the skills; he couldn't very well have Wu Song selling pancakes with him! That wasn't realistic! After a long silence, Wu Da finally asked, "Then what do you think?"

In fact, Wu Da knew his younger brother too well. It was impossible for him to sell pancakes with him. First of all, Wu Song was a restless person. He might be able to watch the stall with him for a day or two, but in the long run, he would probably go crazy.

As for doing business, he had neither capital nor business acumen. Asking Wu Song to do manual labor was too restrictive for Wu Song. Not only would he not earn much money, but he would also not have enough to eat. He felt that it was a waste of his skills. In fact, Wu Da knew that his younger brother wanted to enter the officialdom, but he had neither connections nor money. Entering the officialdom was not something that could be done at will. At present, Song Jiang seemed to admire his younger brother very much. If he could help him, the Wu family ancestors might be able to bring honor to their family in the future.

After a moment's thought, Song Jiang said, "I'd like Erlang to come with me to Yuncheng County. I'll recommend him as the deputy commander of the infantry in Yuncheng County. What do you think?"

Wu Song was somewhat tempted. Entering the officialdom had always been his dream, but he also felt that leaving Wu Da and going to Yuncheng on his own would be too heartless. Besides, it was alright for him to stay, because of his martial arts skills, no one dared to do anything to Wu Da. But if he left, what would happen if his brother was bullied? Who would stand up for him?

Wu Da, however, didn't think too much about it and said with delight, "Thank you for your kind offer, sir. This puts a weight on my mind, and it's truly a great blessing for the Wu family!"

Wu Song hesitated and said, "Brother, what will you do if I leave?"

Song Jiang laughed and said, "This is simple. How about Brother Wu Zhi come with me to Yuncheng County? I guarantee that no one will dare to bully you in Yuncheng County. You can go back to your old profession or find a new job."

Wu Song looked at Wu Da with delight. This was a win-win situation, as the two brothers wouldn't have to be separated. It was such a great thing, and all that was left was for Wu Da to agree.

Wu Da hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Song, but I've been in Qinghe County for a long time and really don't want to leave my hometown to make a living. Besides, I'm already used to selling pancakes in Qinghe County. I'm familiar with everything here, and starting over in a different place might not be suitable."

Turning to Wu Song, he continued, "As for Erlang, he is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. If he wastes his life here for my sake, I will have no face to see my parents after I die. I am incompetent and have a ridiculous appearance, so I am unlikely to bring glory to the Wu family. If Erlang can bring glory to the Wu family, I should not be a burden to him. Therefore, I hope Erlang can follow Master Song with peace of mind. As for me, I will not starve to death living here alone, and I can even save some money to find Erlang a wife."

Song Jiang was surprised that the honest and uneducated Wu Da could say such things, and he couldn't help but admire him. Wu Da's insight was due to his life experience and the long-term experience of being looked down upon by others.

A person's life experience, even without much formal education, is enough to compensate for a lack of knowledge. Seeing the two brothers clasped tightly together, Song Jiang admired the deep brotherly affection between the Wu brothers. He himself had a younger brother, Song Qing, who felt the same way about him.

Many people may not be able to understand that kind of family affection, and sometimes they even turn against each other over their parents' property. In fact, there is no need for that. Money cannot buy family affection. When you have a lot of wealth, it is really sad to be sitting alone in an empty room with no close friends by your side.

Song Jiang needed Wu Song by his side. If such a chivalrous and righteous man as Wu Song were to leave him, it would be a loss for him! However, Wu Da refused to go to Yuncheng and only wanted to stay in Qinghe. After thinking for a moment, Song Jiang said, "How about this, Erlang, if you work harder on your daily tasks, you'll have fifteen days of leave every three months. During these breaks, you can come and see Brother Wu Zhi without worry. What do you think?"

"Really?" Wu Song was delighted; he genuinely felt Song Jiang's high regard for him. He wasn't stupid; such preferential treatment was surely Song Jiang's idea to encourage him to return to Qinghe more often. Wu Song looked at Wu Da, who pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Indeed, Song Jiang valued Wu Song highly, that much is true. Wu Song was a truly brave and resourceful man. We won't discuss his feat of fighting a tiger with his bare hands, as that's well-known. Just consider the incident at Shizipo, where many heroes met with misfortune, even Lu Zhishen was almost turned into meat buns. Only Wu Song immediately sensed Sun Erniang's evil intentions and remained wary of her. He not only pretended to be drugged but also almost destroyed the shady inn. If Zhang Qing hadn't lowered his stance and praised him, Wu Song probably wouldn't have shown any mercy.

Wu Song, a warrior in adversity, grew stronger and more courageous with each setback. This was not just about martial arts skills; fighting spirit, will, and mental fortitude were even more important. This was also what Song Jiang admired most about Wu Song.

In fact, given Wu Song's abilities, he was more than qualified to be a captain of the infantry. However, the position of captain of the infantry had already been filled by Lei Heng. Although Lei Heng was inferior to Wu Song in many aspects, he had served as a captain in Yuncheng for several years and had considerable prestige. Furthermore, it would be disrespectful to promote Wu Song to captain so soon after his arrival. Therefore, Song Jiang temporarily decided to ask Shi Wenbin to appoint Wu Song as a deputy captain.

As for why Wu Song wasn't allowed to join Liangshan, Song Jiang had considered it. First of all, Liangshan was currently short of soldiers, with more generals than soldiers. The soldiers numbered less than a thousand at most, while the generals included Chao Gai, Wu Yong, the three Ruan brothers, Mi Sheng, Bian Xiang, Pang Wanchun, Li Kui, and Zhu Gui. This didn't even include Wang Lun, Du Qian, and Song Wan. In fact, Wu Song staying on Liangshan would only be for training soldiers or forging himself, which would be a waste of his talents and unnecessary, resulting in a waste of manpower.

Secondly, although Song Jiang had considerable influence in Yuncheng County, he didn't have a single reliable ally. Although he had a good relationship with Shi Wenbin, he was still an official, and sooner or later he would be on the opposite side of him because of what he was doing!

Although Zhu Tong and Lei Heng were brothers, they weren't really on Song Jiang's side. Zhu Tong was loyal but principled, while Lei Heng was a drunkard, gambler, and greedy, and also rough in his work, so Song Jiang didn't trust him. As for Tang Niu, although he was loyal and his character was acceptable, his skills were completely lacking. However, Song Jiang needed a trusted subordinate to govern Yuncheng County, and after much thought, Wu Song was the most suitable person.

Today was the happiest day of Wu Dalang's life. His younger brother, Wu Song, was finally getting a government job, and he, as the older brother, could finally show some pride. After all those years of hard work, he had finally made it. His next task was to save money to find a marriage for his brother. If possible, it would be even better if someone could find him a wife too. But would anyone even be interested in him? Oh well, maybe someone would. Wu Dalang, who didn't usually like to drink, was surprisingly drunk today. Looking at Wu Dalang, who was fast asleep on the table, Wu Song smiled wryly, carried his brother to bed, and said to Song Jiang, "Brother, shall we continue drinking or wait until another day?"

"Alright. Let's continue drinking." Song Jiang was especially happy today, and with a smile, he raised his bowl and clinked it against Wu Song's again. He couldn't remember how many times Wu Song had clinked glasses with him.

Gongsun Sheng, already drunk, had long forgotten he was a Taoist priest. Jiao Ting, Hao Siwen, and Zhu Tong, whose alcohol tolerance was slightly lower, were now loudly shouting that they wanted to drink more! Bian Xiang and Mi Sheng were also happily drinking; both were considered good drinkers, and now they were evenly matched, drinking cup after cup! Yang Zhi, on the other hand, was just pouring bowl after bowl into his mouth, as if he were drinking water, not wine.

Song Jiang shook his head, poured himself a full bowl of wine, walked to Yang Zhi's side, raised the bowl, and said, "Commander Yang, I toast you."

Yang Zhi picked up his bowl, clinked it against Song Jiang's, and then drank it all in one gulp. This wine, drunk like this, had no flavor and was easy to get drunk on; it was like bitter wine. Song Jiang didn't understand the point of drinking like this. Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, and Wu Song also offered Yang Zhi a toast, but Yang Zhi remained silent, accepting each offer and downing it in one go. Bian Xiang, Mi Sheng, and Wu Song were not good with words, so they could only drink it all in one gulp as well, then turned and sat down.

Seeing that this wouldn't work, Song Jiang didn't drink the wine in his bowl. Instead, he put down the bowl and asked, "Commander Yang, what is your wish?"

Yang Zhi was taken aback, not expecting Song Jiang to ask such a question. He sighed and said, "As long as I can restore the glory of my ancestors, I will have no regrets in this life."

Song Jiang asked, "Is this your own ideal or an ideal given to you by your family?"

Yang Zhi was stunned. He had never thought about this question before. He slowly lowered his hand, which was holding the wine bowl, and began to think.