Blue Poplar Village's Simple Folkways

Green Water Bay is home to Pro State's largest city.

But Blue Poplar Village doesn't really resemble a city.

Blue Poplar Village is indeed not a city. The real city is in Green Water City. Blue Poplar Village is at most a suburb.

Li Banfeng stood by the roadside and looked out. He felt that this place did not look like a normal village. The houses were obviously more densely packed than a village, and there was not much farmland in sight.

If you're talking about a town, Lanyang Village and Yaowanggou Village don't really look like one.

The houses were more Inner Gully, and more haphazard than those in Inner Gully. Many houses were built with bricks and stones and were relatively sturdy, while many others were purely wooden huts without even foundations, and there were also quite a few thatched huts...

Li Banfeng was observing the strange appearance of Blue Poplar Village when he suddenly heard a loud bang.

Whoosh~ Clang! Whoosh~ Clang!

What's going on?!

Li Banfeng shuddered, thinking a train was approaching.

Looking back, I saw something indeed driving over, and it was quite a big one.

This thing isn't a train because it doesn't have tracks.

Its shape is very similar to that of a train, with a cylindrical, black engine, eight or nine meters long, more than three meters high, and a diameter of more than two meters.

But beneath it, instead of train wheels, were two enormous rollers.

Li Banfeng recognized the two rollers; they belonged to a road roller.

This was the first time Li Banfeng had ever seen this type of machine; it was a steam-powered road roller.

Workers are standing on a road roller, adding coal to the boiler.

The boiler has just been heated up, and the pressure is not high enough. The gas valve is hissing and emitting gas, and the connecting rod cannot be turned up yet.

There are road rollers near Blue Poplar Village?

This struck Li Banfeng as something novel.

Li Banfeng wanted to go closer to take a look when a young man in his early twenties, wearing overalls, carrying a cane, and sporting a Little Mustache, came up to Li Banfeng.

Judging from his Little Mustache and attire, he must be a respectable person.

"From out of town?" the Little Mustache greeted him.

Li Banfeng nodded.

"Is this your first time visiting Blue Poplar Village?"

Li Banfeng did not deny it.

The Little Mustache smiled warmly, "Do you have money?"

Are the people of Blue Poplar Village all this friendly?

Why ask such a sincere question right off the bat?

Is this how people from Blue Poplar Village greet each other?

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes."

"How much?" The Little Mustache pulled a dagger from his pocket and pressed it against Li Banfeng's stomach.

Are people here really that straightforward?

This is on the street, there are pedestrians in front and a road roller behind.

He just casually put the knife against my stomach?

Is nobody in charge?

There was a woman in front of them who saw Li Banfeng being robbed on the street. She immediately picked up the child and went back into the house.

This woman was clearly a kind-hearted person; she couldn't bear to see me, an outsider, being bullied.

There was an older man standing next to Li Banfeng, arms crossed, watching him with a grin.

This man was clearly a friendly person; his smile inspired me and gave me courage and confidence.

The workers on the road roller glanced in Li Banfeng's direction, then continued with their work as if nothing had happened.

These workers are all people who love labor, love life, and are dedicated to their work.

The Little Mustache pressed the knife tightly against Li Banfeng's stomach and shouted sternly, "I'm asking you how much money you have!"

This man with the Little Mustache is a very dedicated worker.

Li Banfeng said, "I have a lot of money, but I may not be able to give it to you."

The Little Mustache grinned, "You don't want to give it? Have you no patience?"

Li Banfeng smiled as well, "It's not that I can't give it to you, but let me ask you first, do you have any cultivation?"

"You won't pay me just because I have no cultivation?" The Little Mustache glared at Li Banfeng, and was about to stab him in the stomach with a knife.

Li Banfeng stepped back, dodging the knife, then kicked the man with the Little Mustache squarely in the groin, scolding, "You have no cultivation and yet you come out to rob people?"

The Little Mustache felt something crack, his face turning deathly pale with pain. He pointed his knife at Li Banfeng and said, "Don't come any closer! I have cultivation!"

"You have cultivation? Why didn't you say so earlier? Why did you lie to me?" Li Banfeng kicked him again, this time in the groin.

The Little Mustache felt something break, and looking at Li Banfeng with trembling eyes, he said, "My cultivation is very high, and I don't want to make a move against you."

"How tall is it exactly? Explain yourself first!" Li Banfeng kicked again, this time in the groin.

The Little Mustache felt the thing shatter and said in a trembling voice, "I'll reach a higher level soon."

It turns out we haven't reached the next level yet.

"Where is the Daoist sect?" Li Banfeng kicked again.

This time, the Little Mustache didn't feel too much pain.

He felt that the thing was gone.

"I am Farming Cultivator..."

"Instead of Farming Cultivator properly, Gengxiu is out robbing people!" Li Banfeng kicked him again, and the Little Mustache rolled his eyes and knelt on the ground.

Li Banfeng snatched the dagger from the man with the Little Mustache, smiled, and looked at the man watching the commotion.

"Brother, do you have money?" Li Banfeng greeted him warmly.

The older brother didn't dare to reply and ran away as fast as he could.

Why are you running? Isn't that how everyone greets each other in Blue Poplar Village?

Li Banfeng carried the man with the Little Mustache into a deep alley. There was no one around. He took the man with the Little Mustache into Portable Abode.

"My Wife, dinner is ready!"

The Little Mustache let out a wail and tried to run away.

Li Banfeng picked up his cane, broke the Little Mustache's leg, and handed him over to the record player.

Steam swirls around the record player, which has devoured the souls of its inhabitants, and the long needle rubs against the record.

Is this brushing your teeth?

Li Banfeng asked, "Wife, how are the dishes today?"

Sizzle~

The Wife exclaimed, "It's so fresh, sweet, and refreshing, with an unforgettable aftertaste! There just wasn't enough to go around!"

It was inevitable that there wouldn't be enough food, and Li Banfeng had gotten used to it.

While Copper Lotus was tidying up the body, Li Banfeng looked at the Little Mustache's belongings.

Although he turned to highway robbery, he was actually quite wealthy.

There were over 800 yuan in cash and six silver dollars in the wallet.

These six silver dollars are more than three thousand yuan. With that much money, there's no need for him to rob. He could find a job or even start a small business.

The Little Mustache with the mustache wasn't very good; Li Banfeng threw it away as trash.

But his walking stick was quite good. Li Banfeng waved the walking stick and remembered something.

Every time he picked up the Feather Duster, he felt like a civilized gentleman.

Now that I think about it carefully, perhaps I should have taken this kind of walking stick instead of Feather Duster.

That's right, it's a walking stick!

Li Banfeng recalled the guests at the Xianle Dance Hall, all of whom carried walking sticks.

In Pro State, people of status all have canes.

A cane, a suit, and a top hat complete a gentleman's attire.

After cleaning up the body and releasing a Red Pill, Li Banfeng picked up his cane, gathered the trash, and left Portable Abode.

He needed to find a place to eat and also check on the situation in Blue Poplar Village.

There were quite a few restaurants in the crowded house. Li Banfeng found a noodle shop and saw that the Mutton Noodles were five yuan, which was a fair price, so he ordered a bowl.

After finishing the noodles, we went to pay the bill, and the shopkeeper wanted 330 yuan.

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "Isn't it five yuan?"

The noodle shop owner replied, "One noodle costs five yuan. We cooked sixty-six for you, for good luck. That makes a total of three hundred and thirty yuan."

Li Banfeng looked at the shopkeeper and asked, "Do you sell these noodles by the piece?"

The shopkeeper nodded. "We've always sold it this way!"

Li Banfeng widened his eyes and said, "You've always sold them by the piece?"

Inside the restaurant, all the other diners looked at Li Banfeng, nodded to him, and said in unison, "This restaurant has always sold noodles by the strand; it's been a decades-old establishment and has never changed."

Li Banfeng looked around and said to the restaurant owner across the street, "Is this whole place full of shills, and I'm the only one eating here?"

The innkeeper frowned and said, "What do you mean by 'shill'? Those who come here to eat are all regular customers; they're just saying what's fair!"

Everyone shouted in unison, "We're speaking the truth!"

Li Banfeng stood up and said, "Selling noodles by the piece, is that fair?"

The shopkeeper nodded. "Selling them by the piece is fair!"

"Then we'll have to calculate the price properly!" Li Banfeng swung his cane.

"Fine, fine!" The shopkeeper swung the Rolling Pin.

"Let's settle it together!" The other diners grabbed their utensils and swarmed around Li Banfeng.

After a fierce fight lasting more than ten minutes, the noodle shop was covered in blood.

Several tables were broken, and cups, bowls, and plates were scattered all over the floor.

The shopkeeper was bleeding from the head, and the other diners were also injured.

Li Banfeng broke his cane, but eventually negotiated a price with the shopkeeper.

One noodle costs 20 yuan, which is auspicious for good fortune. A total of 66 noodles were cooked, so the bowl of noodles cost 1,320 yuan.

The other diners nodded in agreement. "This price is fair. That's the rule in Blue Poplar Village. Let's keep it this way!"

Li Banfeng agreed, "It's settled then!"

The shopkeeper counted out 1,320 yuan and handed it to Li Banfeng, saying, "Please count it!"

Li Banfeng counted the money twice, put it in his wallet, raised his top hat, and gave a gentlemanly bow. "I'll come eat noodles here again next time."

"Xia Chi, we'll charge by the bowl!" The shopkeeper had lost a front tooth, so his speech was a little slurred.

Li Banfeng walked outside the noodle shop and threw the broken cane into the trash heap.

He looked around and couldn't help but sigh, "Blue Poplar Village is a nice place; the people are quite simple and honest."

The local people are so kind and honest, shouldn't we hire a guide to learn more about the area?

Just as I was sighing, I suddenly saw a well-dressed man picking through the garbage to eat.

He was dressed very well; his shirt, trousers, and leather shoes were all made of high-quality materials and craftsmanship.

If you can pawn these clothes, you should be able to get a few meals. Why bother looking for food in the garbage dump?

He searched very carefully. He was really hungry. He picked up half an apricot and immediately stuffed it into his mouth. He saw a few grains of rice, so he carefully picked them up with his fingers and put them into his mouth.

He wouldn't let go of anything that was edible.

Li Banfeng stared at the man for a moment and found him somewhat familiar.

"Ma Wu?" Li Banfeng called out.

The man had just picked up half a steamed bun when he heard someone shout "Ma Wu," so he stuffed the bun into his mouth and ran away.

P. S.: Dear readers, another 10,000 words today, Salad did a great job!

Salad suffering from a bad cold and I really can't take it anymore. Please leave your comments and votes, everyone.