The beaten village man looked miserable, and while protecting his head, he begged for mercy: "My unlucky brother has escaped, and there is nothing I can do about it. I still have my mother to support me at home, so please be kind and spare me."
!”
"Bah!" The rude man spat a mouthful of phlegm on the village man and cursed: "Bah, you fart! You only have an old mother in your family, so how can I settle my brother's debt!? What about you, the black man?
I will look for him to settle accounts, and if you don’t come up with fifty pieces of money, I will look for bad luck with you every day!"
After saying that, the rude man raised his fist to strike again, but before his fist could land, he was grabbed by Xiao Tang. Xiao Tang threw the rude man away and asked the village man, "Are you Li Da?"
Li Da's face was stained with blood. He raised his head and asked in confusion: "Who is this big brother? How do you know the villain's name?"
At the boundary of Baizhang Village in Yishui County, Xiao Tang heard the rough man cursing "iron cow", "black guy" and "beating people to death", and Xiao Tang was sure that this honest and dull village man was Li Kui's elder brother.
But Li Da has a completely different personality from Li Kui.
The rude man looked Xiao Tang up and down and cursed angrily: "Where did you come from? I asked the Li family to settle a score with me, and I did something stupid to you again!?"
Xiao Tang saw that the reckless man was full of ruffianism and had a rogue look on his face. He thought that his brother who was beaten to death by Li Kui was not a kind person. He said to the reckless man: "There is a wrongdoer and a debtor. Your brother was beaten to death by that Li Kui."
Just look for him. Since the county government has issued a notice to arrest Li Kui, he has also punished his brother. But you come to extort money, isn't it a violation of the king's law?"
Although the rough man saw that there were many people in Xiao Tang's group, and each of them seemed to be a practitioner, he felt a little afraid in his heart. But he couldn't get off the stage, so he glared and cursed: "You guys from outside the country are here."
How dare you meddle in the affairs of our Baizhang Village?!"
Zheng Tianshou next to Xiao Tang was furious and was about to teach the rude man a lesson when he was grabbed by Xiao Tang. Xiao Tang considered the cause and effect in his mind and ordered Xiao Yi to take out fifty taels of silver from his luggage and said, "Even if you don't do it again,
If you seek bad luck on Li Da, your brother will not be able to survive. With your fifty taels of silver, don’t cause trouble for the Li family again!"
The white money made the reckless man stare straight in his eyes. Just when he was about to reach out to take it, he heard Xiao Tang say coldly: "I can not only give you money, but also teach you to suffer a lot! If you teach me again that you are looking for Li
You will cause trouble for Da and his mother at your own risk!"
The reckless man swallowed his saliva. He saw that Xiao Tang and his party were dressed in luxurious clothes, but this was not something that he, a mud-legged person, could afford to offend. Although he didn't know why Xiao Tang had no reason to help Li Da, he also knew that even if he blackmailed Li Da again,
, and can’t earn fifty taels of silver.
Thinking of this, the reckless man snatched the money with his hands and left with his men cursing. Zheng Tianshou said angrily: "Young Master, since those bird men are asking for a beating, why do you give them money!?"
Xiao Tang said to Zheng Tianshou: "Even if you beat those villagers to vent your anger, as soon as we leave, won't those men and women take revenge on Brother Li even more severely?"
Zheng Tianshou couldn't help but wonder: "Young Master, what is the origin of this incompetent village boy brother that makes him worthy of you helping him like this?"
Xiao Tang smiled bitterly and shook his head. Even if Li Kui fled to Jiangzhou and was pardoned and exempted from the felony of murder, he was just a small prisoner under Dai Zong, the divine Taibao of the prison. What kind of reputation could he have in the world now?
head?
This time, he came to rescue Li Kui's brother Li Da. He wanted to sell Black Whirlwind a favor, but secondarily. What Xiao Tang thought about was Li Kui's mother in Water Margin. The old man was really pitiful, and he worked hard to pull Li Da away. The two Li Kui brothers grew up.
However, Li Kui killed someone and caused great trouble. Li Kui's mother became blind due to illness and lived a miserable life with Li Da.
When Li Kui went to Liangshan, Luocao finally thought of taking his wife up the mountain to enjoy the blessings, but the poor old woman died miserably after being eaten by four tigers in a remote mountain in the wilderness. Every time he thinks about this desolate period, he can't help but feel unbearable.
Xiao Tang did not answer Zheng Tianshou. He stretched out his hand to help Li Da up. Li Da stood up tremblingly, his face full of gratitude and confusion. He saluted Xiao Tang and asked, "Thank you so much for saving me and spending so much money on this benefactor." Duo Yinliang came to the rescue for the villain. But... the villain and his benefactor have never known each other. Why does the benefactor help the villain so much?"
Xiao Tang replied: "I heard that there is a man in Baizhang Village, Yishui County, called 'Black Whirlwind' Li Kui, and his nickname is Tieniu. I wanted to get acquainted while passing through Guibao, but I didn't expect that he had committed a life-threatening lawsuit and escaped. Seeing that Tieniu's elder brother, Brother Li, is being humiliated here, how can I not help him?"
When Li Da heard Xiao Tang mention Li Kui, all the gratitude on his face turned into resentment. He snorted loudly: "What kind of man is he who is useless? If that black guy hadn't killed someone, how could I have done it?" Will you wear shackles and chains and endure countless hardships on his behalf!?"
Xiao Tang consoled him: "The matter has come to this, and it will be useless for Brother Li to complain about Tieniu. Hearing what Brother Li just said, his mother is supporting him at home, I would like to pay a visit to the court, and I would like to ask Brother Li to introduce him."
Li Da looked at Xiao Tang and couldn't help but feel suspicious. His useless brother had been hanging out in the village before committing the murder. At most, he was just a demon king in Baizhang Village. How could he have any reputation in the world?
Ah, yes! This young man should be a friend of that incompetent black man who was on the run. If he was a stranger, how could he spend a lot of money to save me from the siege, and why would he want to visit my mother? Hum. !Tieniu must have been afraid to come back because of the arrest by the government, so he asked this person to come and see how his mother was doing. That useless thing was handed over to such a wealthy person!
Li Da hesitated to speak, and did not say anything. He saw that Xiao Tang was generous with himself and treated him very kindly. These days, my mother was suffering from eye disease and she just missed the iron cow all day long. Even if the friend of the iron cow came to visit her, A hundred benefits and no harm.
Thinking of this, Li Da sang to Xiao Tang and said, "My benefactor is interested. Since my benefactor wants to visit my mother, please come with me."
Seeing that Xiao Tang helped the village man named Li Da, and then hurriedly went to see the black whirlwind's mother. Hua Rong, Xiao Yi and others were a little puzzled. This village man was beaten, so it was easy to save him. He was saved, but looking at Xiao Tang's actions, it seemed as if he had known Li Kui for a long time.
Xiao Yi asked Xue Yong: "Master Xue Yong, you have been wandering in the world for a long time, have you ever heard of Black Whirlwind Li Kui?"
Xue Yong thought about it carefully and said: "I have never heard of this person, and I don't know where the young master heard it from."
Hua Rong raised his sword eyebrows and said: "No matter what, Brother Xiao Tang is doing good things, so let's just follow him."...
Following Li Da's lead, Xiao Tang came to the residence of Li Da and Li's mother located east of Dongdian in Baizhang Village. It was a dilapidated and dirty thatched house. When Xiao Tang and Li Da opened the door and went in, they saw an old woman. Sitting on the kang, playing with a string of old Buddhist beads and chanting, the dilapidated thatched house was empty, except for a wooden table and two chairs, and the bare walls were not enough to describe its dilapidated state.
"Mom! A distinguished guest is here to visit you!" Li Da entered the room and hurriedly shouted to Mother Li.
Mother Li slowly opened her eyes, squinted her eyes and looked at Li Da and Xiao Tang, and said, "Son, you are back, what distinguished guests can come to our house?"
Xiao Tang saw that Mother Li's eyes were not blind due to eye disease, but if she looked carefully, her eyes that should have been black and white were faintly yellowish. He bowed respectfully to Mother Li and said, "Old man, My surname is Xiao and my name is Tang. I asked about your master, Tieniu, and I wanted to get acquainted with him. I wanted to get acquainted with him. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to meet you, so I came to pay my respects to you."
Li's mother and Li Da were both working in Baizhang Village, and they had never heard of Xiao Tang's name. When Li's mother heard Xiao Tang mention Li Kui's nickname, her expression was full of sadness, and she opened her eyes again with difficulty. He opened his eyelids, looked at Xiao Tang with squinted eyes, and lamented: "My poor son... I just want to kill me... I don't know how he is doing outside..."
After hearing this, Li Da said angrily: "Mom! What did you do for that black guy again!? If that black guy wasn't used to being arrogant, how could he kill people and leave us two to suffer!"
Xiao Tang comforted Li Da for a few words, and then said: "Brother Li, your mother has an eye disease. Why don't you take her to see a doctor for treatment?"
"This...sigh!..." After hearing this, Li Da couldn't help but feel ashamed. How could he not know that his mother's eye disease was getting worse and worse? But he had just been released after being sued for Li Kui, and both of them were hungry. It's a problem. Where can I get the spare money to treat my eyes?
Li's mother hurriedly said: "I can't blame my uncle... I thought too much about Tieniu and cried all my tears. My eyes are getting worse day by day."
Seeing that Li's mother's eyes could still be cured, Xiao Tang immediately said to Li Da: "Brother Li, this eye disease cannot be delayed any longer! I will take your father to Yishui County to find an ophthalmologist. Brother Li doesn't need to worry about the consultation fee. , I’ll just pay it in advance!”
Without waiting for Li Da to refuse, Xiao Tang said again: "I also know that Brother Li is in decline for a while, but Ling Tang's eyesight disease cannot delay it. Brother Li is a filial person, and he doesn't want Ling Tang to be blind and unable to see things, right?"
When Li Da heard what Xiao Tang said, he felt that Xiao Tang was the friend Li Kui had met when he was on the run. His mother's eye disease really couldn't be postponed any longer, so he agreed.
"Old lady, please slow down, I'll help you..." Li's mother declined and thanked her, and Hua Rong, her younger sister, carefully helped her into the carriage she was riding in. Xiao Tang waved to his men to get out of the car. One route goes straight to Yishui County.
After Xiao Tang and others took Li Da, Li's mother went to Yishui County to find a doctor, who quickly diagnosed and treated Li's mother's eye disease: the eye disease suffered by Li Kui's mother was caused by spleen and kidney yang deficiency, which is now called macula. Eyes. As age increases, the retinal tissue degenerates and becomes thinner, causing a decline in macular function. If left untreated, it can lead to blindness.
But as long as this eye disease is not delayed, it can be cured with traditional Chinese medicine. The doctor prescribed a diet therapy, boiling pork liver and wolfberry with water and eating it lightly. Eating liver and drinking soup can nourish the liver and kidneys, replenish essence and blood, and then use After taking a few Chinese medicines and taking care of yourself, you can recover quickly.
"Thank you so much, my benefactor...please pay me my respects." Seeing how kind Xiao Tang was to her, Mother Li paid a doctor to cure her eye disease. This simple and kind-hearted old woman had nothing to gain, so she could only go through this. A way to express gratitude to Xiao Tang.
"It's absolutely impossible! I'm going to kill this junior!" How could Xiao Tang let an old man kneel down to him? He quickly supported Li's mother, but Li Da also knelt down beside him. Xiao Tang supported this one and persuaded that one.
, so not hectic.
"Brother Li, I have ordered people to buy the ingredients and herbs for nourishing your body. Just keep this one hundred taels of silver so that the old man can enjoy some blessings in the future." After some courtesy, Xiao Tang asked Xiao Yi to bring it.
A package containing one hundred taels of silver was delivered to Li Da.
Unexpectedly, Li Da pushed forward with both hands and said with a determined expression: "My dear friend, you have given me and my mother a great kindness, how can I accept any more money from you? I will find a good livelihood and I will support my mother well."
I only have one more thing to trouble my benefactor. If my benefactor meets my incompetent brother, please advise him to restrain his temper and stop causing trouble. If the government is merciful and pardons the world, Tieniu will come back to visit as soon as possible.
His mother, for such a villain, I can't thank you enough."
No matter how Xiao Tang persuaded him, Li Da refused to accept money. It seems that this honest and dull man has some integrity. In fact, some of Li Da's character can be seen from Water Margin:
Li Da was sued because Li Kui beat someone to death, but his trouble-making younger brother was implicated in more than that. Later, Li Kui went to Jiangzhou to save Song Jiang, until after Luocao Liangshan, the government searched for his place of origin and hunted him down.
Li Da was arrested and interrogated by the government.
But Li Da, who was working as a long-term worker at the time, was appreciated by a wealthy family in the village. The wealthy man helped Li Da handle the lawsuit and helped Li Da with money. This prevented Li Da from being imprisoned again. It is said that Li Da and Li's mother were just friends.
Li Da was born into a poor farmer, and he was implicated by Li Kui and faced lawsuits. If Li Da hadn't been honest and steady, how could he be so respected by the wealthy man?
Xiao Tang had no choice but to give up. At this time, Mother Li came tremblingly and thanked Xiao Tang again. Xiao Tang suddenly thought of something and said: "Since the old man sincerely worships the Buddha, even though Tieniu is in exile, I still have the honor of the old man."
When he chants sutras and prays for blessings, he will be protected by Bodhisattvas."
Mother Li couldn't help but said in surprise: "My benefactor is also a Buddhist?"
Xiao Tang lowered his voice and said with a smile: "Yes, to be honest with you. One day, a Bodhisattva asked me in a dream that I had a good relationship with you and Tieniu, so I went to visit you when I passed by Baizhang Village in Yishui County.
"
Mother Li believed in Buddhism. She was simple and easy to trust others. Otherwise, she would be like Li Kui. When he went back to Baizhang Village to pick her up and went to Liangshan, he lied and said that he, a corrupt thief, had become a high official and was here to pick her up to enjoy the blessings. Even Mother Li
They all believed him. At that moment, Mother Li did not doubt his existence. She said with great joy: "I asked my benefactor why he thought of my Tieniu. It turned out to be the appearance of Bodhisattva!"
Xiao Tang added: "In my dream, I heard the Bodhisattva say that Tieniu will definitely come back and take you old man to enjoy the blessings. But at that time, you will only take the official roads and don't take the secluded roads in the mountains, otherwise there will be a bloody disaster."
