21: Chapter 21 Village Chief Zhao Taohua, the Village Blacksmith
"Yo, Tieniu has grown so big, haha... Brother Ah-Hua, I have to say, your Old Zhao family really looks like you came out of the same mold."
"If Tieniu went to Shuangjiang County, I would recognize him at a glance."
Instructor Huang Hu shouted at the top of his lungs, laughing heartily.
It was clear that Instructor Huang Hu was very happy today.
"Oh, I almost forgot... Chen Yichuan, he's like a nephew to me." Instructor Huang Hu pondered for a moment, then pushed Chen Yichuan forward.
Hm?
A nephew?
Zhao Tieniu and the other were both stunned, scratching their heads in almost synchronized movements.
"Tieniu, really, how could you only pour one cup of water... You have no sense of propriety."
Zhao Tieniu: ...
Faced with the silence and the complaints from his own 'Da,' Tieniu could only scratch his head sheepishly.
"Brother Yichuan, I'm sorry. I'll go pour you some water."
Seeing such simple and honest father and son, Chen Yichuan smiled and raised his hand to stop him: "No need, I'm not thirsty."
"Child, come in first; it's getting dark. Tonight, I, Village Chief Zhao Taohua, will host you."
"Uncle, is Auntie home? Where is Auntie Taohua?" Chen Yichuan said subconsciously.
As soon as these words were spoken.
Pfft, hahaha~~
Instructor Huang Hu was the first to lose his composure, pointing at the middle-aged man in front of him and laughing until he held his stomach.
"Haha, haha, Auntie Taohua—Yichuan, brilliant, simply brilliant, you really are a funny guy."
Even the dull Zhao Tieniu was holding back laughter, pinching his own thigh.
"Uh, is there a problem?"
Seeing the three of them react this way, Chen Yichuan was stunned.
It wasn't until he saw the middle-aged man with a gloomy face and black lines all over his forehead.
He instantly realized something was wrong.
"Pfft, hahaha, Yichuan, let me introduce you. This is your Uncle Zhao, Village Chief Zhao Taohua. The current village chief of Taoyuan Village!!"
Thump.
Hearing this, Chen Yichuan's face changed instantly, turning the color of a pig's liver.
Auntie Taohua.
Good grief.
He had just insulted the Village Chief of Taoyuan Village to his face.
No wonder his face was dark.
Auntie Taohua—how could he not be upset?
"Uh, Uncle Zhao... I'll go in with Tieniu first."
He slipped away.
Let Uncle Huang bear the rest of the 'storm.'
Sure enough, after the two entered the room.
Ouch.
Sounds of scuffling and laughter rang out.
...
Inside the room with blue bricks and a thatched roof.
Zhao Tieniu looked full of admiration and gave a thumbs up: "Brother Yichuan, you're still the best. One sentence and you hit my 'Da' right where it hurts."
Uh.
Chen Yichuan fell silent.
"Hehe, brother, don't worry... My 'Da' won't hold it against you, but it's tough for Uncle Huang outside."
Hearing this.
Chen Yichuan nodded abruptly; he owed Uncle Huang another favor.
"Tieniu, is it okay if I call you that?"
"(｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ Hey, no problem." Tieniu patted his chest, not minding at all.
"Tieniu, can you tell me about Taoyuan Village, and the relationship between Uncle Huang and your 'Da'?" Chen Yichuan sat on the edge of the bed and laid back.
"Sure, no problem."
Tieniu sat down and began to recount the relationship between Instructor Huang Hu and Village Chief Zhao Taohua...
Although Tieniu looked a bit dull and simple-minded, he became animated when telling the story, even using a lot of rhetorical devices to describe their relationship.
To summarize simply:
Village Chief Zhao Taohua of Taoyuan Village and Instructor Huang Hu are sworn brothers.
The two of them imitated Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu, the three sworn brothers of the Peach Garden.
As for the third person, Tieniu also mentioned him: the captain of the Taoyuan Village militia, Tian Yushan.
"Village Chief Zhao Taohua! My 'Da's' name is domineering, right? It was given by my grandfather. The Old Zhao family was once a single line of succession."
"My grandfather just wanted to help the Zhao family expand its branches and leaves. Taohua, Taohua—you can tell by the name that it has a good meaning, so that's why he gave my 'Da' such a name."
"As for my mother, she had a difficult labor giving birth to me... and passed away."
Saying this, the excited light in Tieniu's eyes gradually dimmed.
Hearing this, Chen Yichuan cursed his own mouth.
"Tieniu, I'm sorry..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Tieniu looked up and immediately interrupted: "Brother Yichuan, don't say that, you didn't mean it."
"Anyway, it's getting dark, I'll go prepare some food.
Judging by my 'Da' and Uncle Huang's posture, they'll probably be catching up for a long time. You can go walk around the village.
But you have to be careful; the village has recently been frequently attacked by wild beasts and demonic beasts. But don't worry, with the militia led by Yushan, the village is very safe."
After giving these instructions, Tieniu left.
Wild beasts, demonic beasts!!
Hehehe.
Chen Yichuan couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth: "So that's it. No wonder Uncle Huang brought me to Taoyuan Village."
"So it's a plague of wild beasts. Hehehe, a plague is a good thing."
He suppressed the smile on his lips.
After saying a word, Chen Yichuan went out carrying the ghost-head blade. As for the green steel saber, it was too heavy and too conspicuous.
Just imagine.
In the village, a stranger carrying a one-meter-long broadsword—if he's not a bandit, he's a brigand.
The villagers would surely swarm him.
...
Clang, clang, clang.
After walking around the village, he finally stopped at the Blacksmith Shop at the east end of the village.
In this small Taoyuan Village.
Chen Yichuan encountered no less than ten players. He could almost be certain that Taoyuan Village was the so-called 'novice village' in the game.
People with ordinary backgrounds all spawned here. He had also inquired; recently, quite a few refugees had entered Taoyuan Village, and most of these 'refugees' were players.
The villagers were very welcoming, and the village chief even gave them identities.
Just as he was deep in thought.
A deep voice suddenly came from the clanging Blacksmith Shop.
"Young man, that blade at your waist is a ghost-head blade, right? Are you a Jailer from Shuangjiang County?"
Hm.
Following the voice, Chen Yichuan was startled to see a bare-chested middle-aged man hammering away.
Beside him were several apprentices, one of whom was a player.
[Zhang Fan, Player, Life Profession: Blacksmith.]
Life Profession.
Suddenly seeing this prompt, Chen Yichuan was slightly taken aback.
Profession?
It seemed he had seen it on Head Escort Qian, but it wasn't Blacksmith, but rather Escort.
'Could this be the surprise that Head Escort Qian mentioned?'
Just then.
The blacksmith's voice sounded again:
"Young man, can you answer me, are you a Jailer?"
Hearing this.
Chen Yichuan cupped his hands: "Uncle Blacksmith, you have a sharp eye. This one is indeed a Jailer."
Hm.
Blacksmith Zhao nodded: "My name is Zhao Shan, people in Taoyuan Village like to call me Blacksmith Zhao."
"You, a Jailer? How did you come to Taoyuan Village? Catching fugitives isn't your task. By rights, it should be the Six Fan Sect handling it."
Blacksmith Zhao frowned, his hands not stopping.
But his eyes weren't on Chen Yichuan; they were wandering over Zhang Fan, the only player in the Blacksmith Shop.
Zhang Fan's mind wasn't on blacksmithing either; it was on Chen Yichuan. When he saw Chen Yichuan, he just frowned.
But upon hearing that Chen Yichuan actually had the status of a Jailer, his heart rate accelerated immediately.
Catching fugitives?
Chen Yichuan raised an eyebrow: "Blacksmith Zhao, I think you've misunderstood.
I didn't come to Taoyuan Village to catch fugitives. I don't know if you know Instructor Huang Hu? I consider myself a nephew of his."
Instructor Huang Hu!
The tense expression on Blacksmith Zhao's face instantly vanished.
"Oh, so you're Instructor Huang Hu's nephew, then it's fine. So Instructor Huang Hu is back. It seems this is that brat Yushan's trick." Blacksmith Zhao muttered to himself, then suddenly changed the subject:
"Hehe, young man, the durability of the ghost-head blade in your hand is bottoming out, right? If you leave it to me to repair, I'll give you a 50% discount."