For lunch, we had roasted pine cones and elm noodles.
The pine cones were picked up by Zhao Lin yesterday, and the elm noodles are made from corn and rice bran ground into powder to make bran noodles to satisfy hunger.
This kind of bran noodles has poor stickiness and does not form into lumps when mixed with water. You need to add ground elm bark and mix them together to make pasta.
Yupimian is very hungry, but it will be very painful to go to the toilet after eating too much.
After eating the food, the picture of the spirit beast in Zhao Lin's mind began to change.
A faint white mist appeared in the first grid, like moisture on glass in winter, gathering at the bottom of the grid.
The white mist slowly released outwards, and Zhao Lin felt a stream of hot air flowing down from the top of his head.
Neck, chest, arms, back, waist and abdomen... Wherever the heat flow passes, vitality will emerge.
After a while, the white mist was released, and the physical changes stopped.
"If you don't eat well, you only have so much energy!"
Zhao Lin was not surprised. According to the memory in his mind, the white mist was the vitality extracted from food by Spirit Beast Tu.
The soul guides the vitality and promotes the evolution of the body.
The spirit of the old scalper guided these energies to strengthen the body and increase Zhao Lin's strength.
If he absorbed the spirit of a dog, then what evolved was his olfactory system.
However, his current strength is still far from that of an ox. This is a gradual and continuous process.
"Mom and Dad, I want to find a job in the county."
Zhao Lin said to his parents solemnly.
He wants to make money and eat meat!
Only if you eat well and eat well can you provide enough vitality to the spirit animal map.
"Going to the county?"
Father Zhao and Mother Zhao were both stunned when they heard this.
Zhao's mother was the first to react and said: "The county is too far away, and if you are unfamiliar with the place, you have to go to the town."
"By the way, your brother worked for the big family of Jin. Maybe you can talk to someone about it."
Zhao Lin shook his head gently, "The big family in Jin hires short-term workers, and they replace them every three days. And I heard that there are so many people looking for work recently, and the wages are very low."
"There are also many people entering the city..."
Father Zhao took over and said, "In the surrounding villages, I know two people who have made a living in the city. One is a blacksmith and the other can grind tofu."
"Our family is farming and we don't have any skills. We can only work hard when we go to the city. You are only sixteen during the Chinese New Year. I'm afraid you won't be able to compete with those strong men."
Zhao Lin suddenly smiled and said, "Mom and dad, you still don't know that after my serious illness, my strength suddenly became stronger."
In order to reassure the two elders, he decided to show his strength.
"Have you recovered from your illness and become stronger?" The two elders looked at each other.
"If you don't believe me, just take a look."
Zhao Lin walked to the yard as he spoke, and his father and mother followed him out without knowing why.
There was a stone roller for grinding grain in the yard. Zhao Lin grabbed the bottom of the grinding trough with one hand and raised the roller above his head.
The stone roller is not too heavy, but even the strong men in the village may not be able to lift it casually with one hand.
Father Zhao was stunned, "How did you..."
Mother Zhao couldn't see clearly, turned her head and asked, "What did Lin'er do?"
"He lifted the stone roller with one hand."
"Put it down quickly, don't get hurt!"
Zhao Lin put down the stone roller and clapped his hands, "Mom and dad, do you believe it now?"
Father Zhao nodded repeatedly, "Okay, with my son's strength, maybe he can really find a job."
Zhao's mother said: "It's almost noon, why don't we go back tomorrow?"
Zhao Lin took the gourd from the hanger, filled it with water and tied it around his waist. He said, "I'll go ask first. The sooner we can negotiate, the sooner we'll make money."
Mother Zhao hurried back to the house and brought out some bran cakes, "Here, eat if you're hungry on the way!"
Zhao Lin's eyes were hot, he put the pancake in his arms, turned around and strode out.
"Do you know the way?"
"Kid, be careful on the road."
The second elder warned from behind, and Zhao Lin waved his hand and said: "Mom and dad, don't worry, you can wait for me at home."
…
Qinghe County is more than 20 miles away from Sanjia Village. Zhao Lin and his brother went into the city once last year when they were delivering food.
He had considered last night that although he could make money in the town, if he wanted to have a deeper understanding of the world, he should stay in a crowded and prosperous county.
Driving all the way, we arrived at the east dock of the county in time, around one o'clock in the afternoon.
Qinghe County is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has favorable geographical conditions. It is also one of the largest counties in Yingzhou. Together with the surrounding villages and towns, the number of households exceeds 200,000.
In winter, the small rivers freeze, but the big rivers are smooth.
There are many fishing boats, passenger ships, and merchant ships moored at the pier. People flow up and down, bustling and very lively.
Some strong men busy carrying goods attracted Zhao Lin's attention.
These people all wore white waistcoats, black belts around their waists, and sweat towels. They obviously had a unified organization.
Zhao Lin observed for a while and determined that these people were the dock workers he was looking for. In this era, they were called Lifu.
"Brother, who is in charge here?"
Zhao Lin grabbed a simple-looking Lifu and asked.
Lifu was stunned for a moment, and without asking why, he looked towards the river embankment, "This wharf is under the control of Mr. Bang, and the one in the silk robe is the one."
Zhao Lin followed his gaze and saw a wide chair on the bank, with a big man with a purple face sitting on it.
The big man crossed his legs, held a tea bowl in his hand, and sipped slowly. There were two followers standing behind him, looking very dignified.
Zhao Lin thanked him, walked straight to the big man, crossed his hands and saluted, "Master Bang, I want to work here, do you think it's okay?"
Mr. Bang didn't even look at him, and snorted in his nostrils, "My men are all strong men, but your body is not good enough."
The attendant standing behind him echoed: "We are doing laborious work here. If you can't do it, go back."
Zhao Lin is now about 1.7 meters tall, which is not short in this era, but due to lack of nutrition, his body is relatively thin.
"I have the strength." Zhao Lin said solemnly.
Master Bang waved his hand and said impatiently: "Children are bragging nonsense, go away, don't make trouble here."
Zhao Lin knew that it was useless to just talk. He glanced around and saw a man pushing a wheelbarrow passing by, which was filled with a cart full of briquettes.
"excuse me!"
Zhao Lin stopped Lifu, took the wheelbarrow, grabbed the edge of the wheelbarrow with both hands, and with all his strength, he lifted the wheelbarrow and the coal over his chest.
Bang Ye could no longer remain calm. He shook his hand and the tea soup splashed out. He said in surprise: "You, have you ever practiced martial arts?"
It turns out that there are warriors in this world... Zhao Lin's heart moved, but he replied: "I have never practiced, I am born with it."
"Innate divine power?"
Mr. Bang's brows twitched, and he thought to himself that some dandy was here to entertain me, and asked, "What's your name, and where do you come from?"
Zhao Lin replied: "I, Zhao Lin, am a farmer at the foot of Mount Paektu. I stay at home during the winter and go to the city to find work. I beg Mr. Bang for help."
Seeing Zhao Lin's frank expression and not seeming to be a hypocrite, Mr. Bang was unsure of his background for a moment and muttered: "You have such strength, you can afford this bowl of rice."
"Thank you Mr. Bang."
Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "How do you calculate the wages?"
"Wages are paid daily and paid after work, but you have to pay half of the money to me."
"half?"
"Don't be too much. These rules are the same everywhere. Besides, money is dealt with in black and white. It doesn't amount to much in my hands."
"Then follow the rules."
Zhao Lin heard his father and brother talk about their experience of going out to work, and knew that the world was like this, so he asked: "Can I do it now?"
"sure."
Mr. Bang spread his palms and said, "Pay a deposit of 100 yuan first."
"This...I am penniless."
Zhao Lin patted himself and said he had no money.
"No money? What if you run away with the goods?"
Mr. Bang frowned and said, then waved his hand, "Forget it, Sir, I have a kind heart and let someone take you to work first. However, five cents will be deducted from your wages every day for twenty days."
After speaking, a short and sturdy man was called over and said, "Ma Jiu, you lead him to work today."
The short and stocky man responded in a muffled voice, got a white waistcoat for Zhao Lin, and led him to a grain ship.
"Master Bang, where does this guy come from? You don't even accept the deposit?"
Zhao Lin left, and the attendant behind Mr. Bang asked.
Mr. Bang didn't say anything, but raised his hand. The attendant quickly handed him a dry cigarette and lit it for him.
"That car of coal... weighs at least three hundred kilograms."
Mr. Bang took two puffs of his dry cigarette and said slowly: "I don't really believe him when he says he has never practiced martial arts. Wang Dana from the Tiger Head Clan is known as a master of strength. I don't think he is much stronger than him in terms of strength. "
"In this area of the East Pier, which ordinary citizen's legs wouldn't tremble in front of me, Mr. Bang? What do you think he does?"
"We gangsters should be bright with our tactics and try not to offend those who don't know the details. To say the least, even if it's like what he said, he is an ordinary farmer, why don't you work for me, master?"
Having said this, Mr. Bang puffed out a smoke ring proudly.
"He is strong and does a lot, so won't I get more commission?"
The entourage looked admiring and said, "Good morning, Mr. Bang!"
