Picking a Fight
Li Qi and his Uncle Liu immediately stopped talking and rushed out.
But then they saw that the boatmen outside were surrounding a burly man, and it seemed that a conflict had broken out between them.
The loud explosion just now was the sound of wooden planks being smashed.
Seeing this, Uncle Liu frowned, then stopped Li Qi, who was about to leave, and said, "Although the officials don't care, we shouldn't be too arrogant. I'll go see what's going on first. Don't show up, or it will make things difficult for us to save face."
Since his Uncle Liu had said so, Li Qi stopped for the time being and observed from a distance.
When Uncle Liu walked over, the boatmen who had been in a state of high spirits stopped.
Uncle Liu was the leader of the Wave-Pushing Gang, and his words carried weight, so everyone stopped talking.
Surrounded by the boatmen, Uncle Liu walked to the front of the crowd and looked at the well-proportioned, tall middle-aged man in front of him with a puzzled expression.
"Zhang Caitou, what do you mean by this? We, the Wave-Pushing Gang, have no grudge against you. You come here and start hitting people and banging on doors. Do you really think we have no temper? If you don't give us an explanation today, your vegetable stall can forget about transporting goods from the Li River in the future!" Uncle Liu stepped forward. Although he was shorter than Zhang Caitou, his imposing manner was not inferior. He stood in front of Zhang Caitou and pointed his finger at him.
"Hey, the Wave-Pushing Gang wiped out the Mighty Gang last time, got all cocky, and now you want to block my vegetable stall?" Zhang Caitou crossed his arms, not nervous at all. "Haha, I thought you were Boat Gangs. A few boatmen who pull boats for the Boat Gangs, you dare to talk to me like that? You dare not take my boat, do you think the Boat Gangs will let you get away with it?"
He wasn't afraid at all. After all, with boats coming and going on the Li River, the real decision-makers were the dozen or so Boat Gangs and the docks; they were the ones who could control the operation of the boats.
The other boatmen, boatmen, sailors, laborers, and trackers—these groups—all worked for them.
Above the Boat Gangs was the Grain Transport Commissioner, a truly high-ranking official! In the city, he had influence, and a single word from him could replace the entire gang below.
Therefore, Zhang Caitou was not afraid of his small boat used for transporting vegetables being threatened at all.
"I wouldn't dare refuse your order, but I can make sure you capsize five out of ten times! You're just a vegetable vendor, selling vegetables in the East Market. If you really mess this up, do you think your stall owner will let you off the hook?!" Uncle Liu said, hands on his hips, continuing to curse.
Li Qi listened from the side and gradually figured out the situation.
Why is Zhang Caitou coming here to cause trouble for no reason?
According to the rules of the lower levels of Lizhou City, the gang leader who controls a certain market is generally called "Dangtou".
"Dang" refers to a container, generally referring to a market for a certain business, or a category within a large market.
For example, there are food stalls, vegetable stalls, fish stalls, and the like.
And this "vegetable head" is someone who is in charge of one of the businesses in a certain stall.
In the East Market, besides the main stalls, there are about a dozen vegetable vendors, each with their own connections and networks.
Some have their own vegetable gardens, some represent a village and specialize in growing only one type of vegetable, and some have connections with merchants and can buy other wild vegetables from mountain villages. In short, these vegetable growers all have the ability to reliably supply a certain type of vegetable in the market.
Zhang Caitou was a vegetable vendor working for a vegetable stall in the eastern part of Lizhou City.
Although it may seem like a small detail when broken down like this, in reality, they are much more successful than the Wave-Pushing Gang. Li Qi also knows Zhang Caitou. He is in charge of selling cabbage. He has three boats and four carts. Every day, he brings fresh cabbage from the villages outside the city to his stall for sale.
Occasionally, the Wave-Pushing Gang would also receive orders from him to help him transport cargo ships carrying vegetables.
But I don't know why they came to cause trouble at the Wave-Pushing Gang's place today?
Li Qi quietly concealed himself, grabbed his long sword, and hid behind the crowd, ensuring that his figure was hidden while preventing the other party from easily seeing him.
Upon hearing the phrase "five out of ten boats will capsize," Zhang Caitou's expression visibly changed, clearly indicating that the threat was still effective against him.
But he immediately stepped forward and cursed, "Trying to scare me? You think you're the only one in town Wave-Pushing Gang? I'll go find the Fish Market Bosses, those guys are better at swimming than you!"
"Then go find him! I'll make you crawl to find him today! Brothers, surround him, and break his legs if he dares to move!" At Uncle Liu's command, the boatmen rushed out and formed a circle, surrounding Zhang Caitou.
"You think you can stop me with your mediocre skills? I might be afraid of you in the water, but on the shore, what can you do?" Zhang Caitou was not afraid at all. He drew the Ironwood from his waist and looked around.
"Then why don't you try it yourself?!" Uncle Liu shouted, raising his neck.
The situation appears to be very heated.
However, Li Qi knew that a fight was unlikely to break out.
For people at the bottom of society, getting injured is extremely dangerous; they don't have the resources to risk their lives.
Besides, in his opinion, the current situation is probably about evenly matched.
Can the Wave-Pushing Gang stop Zhang Caitou?
Most likely, they can't be stopped. Even if there are many people, it won't be useful. If Zhang Caitou were to risk breaking his legs or arms, it wouldn't be difficult for him to break through. At that time, the Wave-Pushing Gang would inevitably injure more than a dozen people, and some might even die.
But was Zhang Caitou afraid?
Don't be fooled by his fierce shouting now; he's definitely feeling guilty inside. If his leg were really broken, he'd be too ashamed to show his face in public.
In places like the lower rungs of society, saving face is always the most important thing. Without face, without dignity, many things that were originally insignificant will become stumbling blocks.
Therefore, in the end, both sides will usually compromise and then begin negotiations.
I just don't know... what Zhang Caitou was thinking.
Why would someone come alone to the territory of the Wave-Pushing Gang to cause trouble?
The farmers in his vegetable garden were all quite strong, and he brought them all over. With him and his own help, the Wave-Pushing Gang could only run into the water to hide.
He came alone, and if his leg is really broken, the loss would be huge.
As Li Qi had predicted, after a long argument, it was finally time for them to start talking.
"Zhang Caitou, what exactly are you here for? If it's just to argue, we brothers aren't willing to play along. If a fight breaks out, you'll be the one who suffers." Uncle Liu frowned, essentially issuing an ultimatum.
"Hey, enough of that. You guys from the Wave-Pushing Gang, you must have some good news today, right?" Zhang Caitou dropped his pretentious attitude when he saw the conversation shift from arguing to business.
"Whether there's good news or not is none of your business," Uncle Liu thought, his heart tightening, unsure of the other person's meaning.
After all, there is good news. Li Qi is back and has made something of himself. Isn't that a great joy?
"Of course it's none of my business, but we have a big shot above us, a big shot comparable to the East City Constable! He sent me here, saying I should ask about your happy occasion!" Zhang Caitou said smugly, shaking his head.