Chapter 2 Way Out
The awning boat moored at the shore.
After Zhou Shan tied up the boat, barefooted workers came over to lift the fish together.
Even though they are so kind in coming forward to help, this is not a free service, it all requires money. Not far from the fishing pier is the fish market, which specializes in buying and selling all kinds of catches.
These barefooted workers are fish market workers.
Before entering the fish market, Zhou Shan could smell the thick fishy smell in the air.
The fish market can be described as a mess. There are various stalls one after another, all kinds of fish scales and garbage are everywhere, and it is a mess. The stall owners are shouting to attract business, and some are bargaining with the purchasers.
The whole place was noisy and chaotic.
The people in the government don't care about anything except collecting money.
The same goes for gang members, who only know how to collect money.
"Give way, everyone, give way."
The fish mover shouted and squeezed into the crowd.
Soon.
Zhou Shan came to the largest shop in the fish market.
This shop is owned by the fishing gang, and there are more than ten workers working in it.
There was a fisherman in front of him who weighed his catch and then went to the shop steward to settle his wages.
"Zhou Shan, that's good. The catch this time must have been two hundred catties!"
At this time, a thin man in the shop saw Zhou Shan and immediately came out of the shop.
"Not bad, several days' worth of harvest!"
Zhou Shan said lightly.
This skinny man's name is Huang Yan. He lives in the same alley as him. He is also a fisherman, but he has no fishing skills. After his father died of illness, he came to the fish market and worked as a waiter in the shop run by the fisherman's gang. Some chores.
For example, moving fish, weighing fish, and delivering fish to restaurants and some wealthy families in the city.
However, this Huang Yan was fond of gambling and always wanted to get rich overnight. Basically, all his monthly salary was given to the gambling shop. Before Zhou Shan came to this world, this Huang Yan had borrowed hundreds of pennies from his predecessor. Not returned yet.
Therefore, Zhou Shan didn't want to deal with Huang Yan at all.
If he chatted for a few more words, Huang Yan was afraid that he would ask him to borrow money again.
"Get on the scale!"
After the fisherman in front finished settling the accounts, the shop manager came over and asked Huang Yan to start weighing the fish.
"I'll keep some to take home and eat."
Zhou Shan poured out some catches, including river shrimp, snakehead fish, crucian carp, etc., weighing about six or seven kilograms.
After a while, all the catches were weighed, and the shop steward came behind the wooden counter and began to calculate the price of the catch, because different fish have different prices.
"The total is one thousand and eighty yuan. After taking into account the fishing tax, berthing fee, transaction tax to the government, the store's commission, the fishing gang's share, etc., and the cost of the man carrying the scale, you can get two hundred and one. Sixteen cents."
After a while, the shop steward calculated the price.
"OK!"
Zhou Shan could only nod.
He sold all his catches to the fishing gang's shop. Although he would earn about one-fifth less, he could save a lot of things. All the government taxes would be paid by the fishing gang, and he would also be able to go out fishing. Less hassle.
But all said and done, my own strength is still inferior to others, so I can only bow my head.
If you have the strength, you don't have to pay the protection fees to the fishing gangs, even the government taxes.
For example, some major martial arts sects in the world have martial arts masters who are in charge. Even the imperial court has to be wary of them. The properties owned by these major sects will not pay taxes to the imperial court at all.
Even within the sphere of influence of these powerful factions, words are more effective than the government.
"You still have to practice martial arts to find a way out."
Zhou Shan took the two hundred and sixteen coins and thought to himself.
This world is not ordinary.
There are water monsters in the water and mountain monsters in the mountains, both of which are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
However, human beings can master extraordinary powers by practicing martial arts. Zhou Shan once witnessed a warrior take action and send a crazy horse flying. It really flew more than ten meters away.
Why are these big factions in the world able to defeat the imperial court? They rely on force.
"Zhou Shan, wait a moment."
Seeing Zhou Shan preparing to leave, Huang Yan immediately walked up to him and held him.
"What's up?"
Zhou Shan said expressionlessly.
"Well...I'm a little short of money recently. Can I borrow some money to buy rice?" Huang Yan rubbed his hands and whispered, "I will pay you back when I get paid."
"No," Zhou Shan said, "You haven't paid me back the hundreds of pennies you borrowed before."
"I'm not lucky. When I get rich, I will be lucky again."
Huang Yan smiled awkwardly.
"Don't borrow, don't borrow. You work in the shop and your wages are no less than mine. It's just that you can't save money yourself."
Zhou Shan shook his head and said.
Gamblers' money cannot be borrowed even if it means breaking the law.
Not to mention just neighbors who live in the same alley, if they lose at the gambling table, they can even sell their wives and children.
"If there's nothing else, I'll leave."
Zhou Shan didn't want to pay attention to this gambler at all.
"Wait a minute, I heard you want to practice martial arts?"
Huang Yan rolled his eyes and called Zhou Shan.
"Huh? Do you have a way?"
Hearing this, Zhou Shan also stopped.
In this world, everyone knows that only by practicing martial arts can one be successful.
Only by becoming a warrior can one become a superior person and be called "Master". Some powerful warriors will be treated with respect by even the chief official of a county.
But it is not easy to learn martial arts.
Zhou Shan had inquired before that the tuition fee of the martial arts school in the inner city was 20 taels per month, and the food was not included. Even the martial arts school in the outer city area had a monthly tuition fee of 6 taels.
For ordinary people, it would take several years to save so much money after daily expenses.
Otherwise, there would not be so many people who died of illness because they could not afford medicine.
In fact, there were many people who froze to death in winter.
"Huang Yan, send these two baskets of fish to Fumanlou."
At this time, the shop manager called Huang Yan over to assign tasks.
Fumanlou is a restaurant in the outer city, and the fishing gang supplies the daily catch.
"Zhou Shan, wait for me." Hearing the manager calling him, Huang Yan immediately moved two baskets of fish onto a two-wheeled flatbed cart, then pushed the flatbed cart to Zhou Shan, and whispered as he walked: "I do have a way."
"Oh, what way?"
Zhou Shan asked.
He would not believe all the words of Huang Yan, a gambler, but it would not hurt to listen.
"I know a brother in the gambling house. His grandfather used to run a martial arts school." Huang Yan whispered: "But the martial arts school only opened for a few months and closed down. My brother needs money recently, so he wants to sell the secret book to make some money privately."
"I opened a martial arts school before and it closed down!"
Zhou Shan also showed a thoughtful look on his face.