Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 71 Fear of one's wife

Meanwhile, Zheng Tu, having killed Huang Silang in that dark alley, dared not be careless. He stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully examined the corpse.

Apart from the exquisite but damaged hidden arrow mechanism, he had nothing else on him, neither money nor tokens, nor any documents or notes.

Huang Silang's actions were truly meticulous and watertight.

Seeing that he had not gained anything, Zheng Tu had no choice but to take a piece of coarse cloth, carefully wrap the two poisoned arrows, and put them in his pocket.

After a quick cleanup of the scene, wiping away the bloodstains on the ground, he picked up and collected the scattered crossbow parts.

All was quiet as dawn broke.

Without further delay, Zheng Tu carried Huang Silang's corpse and leaped several times to the wild lake in the west of the city. This lake was connected to the outer river and was quite deep.

With a splash, the crossbow parts and the corpse sank into the lake, creating only a few ripples before the surface returned to calm. Zheng Tu glanced around again to make sure no one had noticed before turning and leaving.

When I returned to the back room of Wang Po's teahouse, it was already dawn.

Zheng Tu bolted the doors and windows, then lay down fully clothed.

The series of events that night left him exhausted, even with his strong physique. He fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

.........

I slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky.

Zheng Tu got up, washed up, changed into a clean set of clothes, and then leisurely went out the door.

Feeling hungry and thirsty, he found a tavern on the street, chose a seat by the window, asked the innkeeper to make a pot of local wine, ordered two small dishes, a plate of cooked meat, and a bowl of hot mutton soup, and began to eat and drink by himself.

I don’t know when it started, but like those heroes, he developed a bit of a drinking habit. He had to have a few drinks every day, otherwise he would feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

While we were eating, we suddenly overheard several drinkers at the next table chatting animatedly.

Feeling bored, Zheng Tu ate his food and wine while listening intently.

One of the skinny men laughed and said, "Do you know what a truly scandalous and amusing incident happened last night at Madam Li's brothel in the red-light district?"

"What interesting thing happened? Tell me quickly!"

A man with a thick beard sitting at the same table chimed in, "I went to bed early last night and didn't hear it. Tell the brothers what happened!"

The skinny man chuckled mischievously, "What do you mean, 'going to bed early'? I bet you're being kept at home by that tigress, unable to get out! I saw you wandering around the alleyway the other day, and your wife dragged you back by the ear!"

At this point, the people at the table burst into laughter.

The man looked burly and had a full beard, but surprisingly, he was afraid of his wife.

The bearded man's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, as he argued, "Being afraid of one's wife isn't the same as being afraid... Being afraid of one's wife!... Can matters between husband and wife be considered fear?"

Then came a string of incomprehensible phrases, such as "treat each other with the respect due to guests" and "a wife is a symbol of harmony," which made everyone burst into laughter, bending over with mirth.

Even Zheng Tu, who was eavesdropping nearby, couldn't help but smile slightly.

The tavern was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.

After a bit of laughter and joking, let's get back to the main topic.

After laughing, the skinny man continued talking about what happened in the brothel: "Last night, Zhang Erguan and Ying Bojue were gambling on their sex life in the Li family's courtyard!"

"Speaking of those two, I've heard of them. They're both notorious womanizers, and in Qinghe County, all the girls know their worth. To put it bluntly, even combined, they're probably not as good as me!"

He patted his chest, and everyone laughed and scolded him for bragging.

The skinny man wasn't annoyed and continued, "Yesterday I was also having fun in that courtyard when I saw those two making this bet. I thought to myself, 'Hey! These two rascals won't be out for long, like they're having a cup of tea. That's going to be quite a show!'"

At this point, he deliberately kept everyone in suspense, picked up his wine bowl, and slowly took a sip.

Everyone kept asking, "What happened next? Who won?"

The skinny man wiped his mouth before continuing, "Back then, some busybodies in the courtyard set up betting odds, betting on who would win and who would lose. Because Zhang Erguan was wealthy and often boasted about his prowess, many people initially bet on him to win."

Later, a few sharp-eyed people noticed that Zhang Erguan turned his back and poured a packet of medicine powder into his mouth. Now, everyone thought he was sure to win.

Those who had originally bet on Earl Ying all changed their bets and flocked to bet on Zhang Erguan. The odds were one-sided: those betting on Zhang Erguan could only win three coins for every tael of silver; those betting on Earl Ying could win five taels for every tael! Tsk tsk, those odds…”

The bearded man asked, "If that's the case, then you must have bet on that Zhang Erguan, sir? Even though you might not win as much, it's still a safe bet."

The skinny man shook his head and lowered his voice: "Let me tell you. I originally thought so too, but the odds... are just too tempting!"

If I bet on Yinghuazi to win, one tael can become six taels! I gritted my teeth and thought, even if Yinghuazi isn't good, what if I get lucky?

As the saying goes, "A man can't get rich without a windfall, and a horse can't get fat without night grazing." Sir, why not take a gamble? Losing is losing, but winning would be a windfall!

His eyes gleamed, as if he were back in the previous night.

"No one could have imagined that those two scoundrels, Zhang Erguan and Ying Bojue, would be so incredibly fierce last night! The incense stick sizzled and burned for almost half an hour, and the commotion inside never stopped. The legs of those listening to the commotion outside were numb from standing, and the girls inside had to be changed twice."

You may not know, but the two of them were Chunmei and Xiahe. These two are formidable figures who have been around for many years. Have you ever had the chance to learn from their prowess?

Unexpectedly, both girls begged for mercy, so Li's mother replaced them with Qiuju and Yulian.

The crowd listened intently, forgetting even to their drinks, completely absorbed in the words of the thin man.

The skinny man continued, "Although Zhang Erguan started off with great fanfare, the sound gradually weakened when the incense had burned two-thirds of its way down. All that could be heard inside was urging, 'Sir, give it your all!' Meanwhile, Ying Huazi was fighting with increasing ferocity, each shout louder than the last..."

Someone urged, "Brother, just tell us the result! Who won?"

"Hehe, well, the result is—"

The skinny man drew out his voice, pulled out a bulging money pouch from his pocket, and slammed it onto the table.

"Of course I'll take it all! Otherwise, where would I get the spare money to treat you all to drinks today?"

"When the incense burned out, there was no sound from Zhang Erguan's room, but there were continuous noises coming from Ying Huazi's room..."

As he got excited, he adopted a high-pitched voice, imitating the girl's sweet tone: "Qiuju said, 'Good sir, I'm going to die today! I beg you, please spare me some time!' Hahaha."

The room erupted in laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tu couldn't help but smile knowingly and secretly shake his head.

After the skinny man finished speaking, a fat man chimed in, saying mysteriously, "You're all having a lively discussion, but I also have a secret to share, I wonder if you've heard of it..."