Chapter 8, Pathways to Wealth

Laifu looked at the new son-in-law dancing with excitement and said, "Cricket fighting is quite common. Once the end of summer passes, crickets are already out. In our Tang country, from the emperor to the common people, everyone engages in cricket fighting; it is even more widespread than Go. There are also fighting cocks, fighting geese, and fighting quails. As long as there is a way to determine a winner, anything can be fought."

Zhou Xuan nodded and said: "I understand." If a cricket is startled before the decisive battle, it will exhibit a phenomenon of avoiding combat, and it will take at least half a day to recover.

Speaking of cricket fighting, before Zhou Xuan traveled through time, he had participated in a few cricket fighting competitions. However, at that time, he was just a university student, lacking both funds and time, often engaging in theoretical discussions rather than practical experience. He had never caught a cricket of lieutenant rank or above. It is said that a general-level cricket from Guangdong or Hainan could be exchanged for a small car worth over 100,000 yuan, and the king of insects is even more priceless.

Zhou Xuanle was unable to contain his joy, feeling that he had truly arrived in a wonderful place. He enjoyed engaging in such activities, and now he finally had the opportunity to showcase his talents on a grand scale

The label on the blue shirt reads: "Dongwu Gan Ning, 7 wins, 0 losses, 10 to 5 odds"

Lai Fu secretly observed the son-in-law's expression, which did not seem to mock him, so he cheerfully led the way, saying: "Lai Fu knows that there is a large chess club over by the Pipa Pavilion, called the Fangyuan Club"

Laifu handed the two hundred wen, which were strung together, to Zhou Xuan and asked, "Young master, have you made your choice? Which one will you bet on?" He felt a bit anxious, worried that if he lost the bet, all the money he had earned for the night would go to waste, which pained him.

Lord Lin, the Circuit Intendant, and Lord Xu, the Prefect, are both fond of Go. Both the Lin and Xu households host dozens of guests who play the game, and gambling on the matches is prevalent everywhere

A son-in-law and a house servant were walking east along the southern bank of the Xiaoxunyang River. As they walked, Zhou Xuan suddenly stopped in his tracks

"Pa!" Laifu's head was struck heavily by a fan bone. "Fool, you just said you go occasionally, and now you claim to be a regular. You can't even lie properly.

Zhou Xuan scratched the back of his head, feeling extremely embarrassed. Discovering a lack of money while gambling is the most humiliating thing, it is simply a loss of dignity.

The man in the blue shirt hung the sign on the wall and said, "Please follow me, young master." He pushed open a door on the left, revealing a square room, completely devoid of decoration. In the center of the room stood a round wooden table, on which were placed two incense burners shaped like Yue kiln porcelain. Each porcelain basin had a small yellow paper attached, inscribed with the names of the two crickets that were about to battle—Ganning of Eastern Wu and an unnamed fierce general.

After spending some time at the provincial health office, Zhou Xuan felt bored and wanted to take a look at the cityscape of Jiangzhou. He had already achieved his purpose for coming to the provincial health office; the impressive appearance he made would soon spread throughout the streets and alleys of Jiangzhou within an hour. He was certainly set to become the son-in-law of the Qin family. However, this was merely a superficial accomplishment. Next, he needed to find a way to win Miss Qin's heart, which would be quite challenging.

Zhou Xuan said: "It is acceptable for me to let you off this time, but you must answer my questions truthfully. Remember, honesty leads to leniency, while resistance leads to severity"

There are seven or eight people gathered around the table, looking into that blue-and-white porcelain basin

Lai Fu, do you often go to Pingkangfang?

Lai Fu nodded in agreement, saying: "Yes, yes, yes."

Zhou Xuan was well-versed in various cricket treatises, such as the "Treatise on Crickets" by Jia Sidao from the Southern Song Dynasty, "Records of Crickets" by Yuan Hongdao from the Ming Dynasty, and "Illustrated Guide to Crickets" by Zhu Congyan from the Qing Dynasty, as well as the anonymous "Secret Compendium of Insect Kings". These works were not accessible to the people of the Southern Tang, which indicates that he possessed a knowledge advantage

Wow, hetushu.com. "Zhou Xuan exclaimed: 'I'll give you a discount, are you very handsome?'"

A young man dressed in a certain style saw Zhou Xuan and the other person approaching, and came over to greet them, saying: "If this young master wishes to see the insect betting, please go to the second floor"

Lai Fu looked around. On the left was the gently flowing Xunyang River, and on the right was a row of wooden buildings along the bank. There was sound, but nothing particularly special.

Oh, isn't this the son-in-law of Doctor Qin with a doctoral degree? How is it that you can't even come up with a thousand wen? Would you like me to lend it to you?

Zhou Xuan asked: "Lai Fu, are there any interesting places nearby?"

Laifu quickly took out a small handful of coins and said: "Exactly two hundred wen"

Zhou Xuan carefully identified this cricket. Based on the discerning eye he cultivated from various cricket illustrations, this cricket is approximately at the rank of a colonel. A colonel-level cricket is quite rare, no wonder it has achieved seven victories in seven battles, earning its owner a considerable amount of money

When Zhou Xuan placed his bet, he was informed by the attendant at the counter that each person must place at least ten bets, with each bet costing one hundred wen. Zhou Xuan only had two hundred wen and was therefore not qualified to place a bet

Lai Fu said: "Oh, are you a Go master, young sir?"

The blue-shirted fellow whispered, "Please, young master, do not speak, and walk lightly as well, so as not to startle these two warriors."

No, I do not go often; I go occasionally.

Zhou Xuan said to the blue-shirted fellow: "I want to see the bugs before placing my bet"

Lai Fu, is the gambling industry in Jiangzhou City well-developed? I don't like gambling, such as Pai Gow and dice games; they are too vulgar. Are there any places here where one can bet on chess, specifically Go?

Lai Fu, lead the way. This son-in-law is going to play a game of chance. If I win some money, I will reward you with two hundred wen, and you will be able to visit Pingkang Fang once more.

Zhou Xuan ignored him, lifted his long robe, and took out the blues harmonica from his back pocket, saying: "I will use this overseas treasure— the eight-tone harmonica as collateral." He brought it to his lips and a beautiful melody flowed out from the harmonica

Lai Fu was left speechless, looking quite foolish.

"Laifu, did you hear any sound?"

Zhou Xuan instructed Lai Fu to wait outside. He walked in and peered through the shoulders of two onlookers. On the left, at the bottom of a celadon basin, lay a square-headed, black-faced cricket, its six legs clean and flawless, with two large pincers of a dark red hue, and wings of a light golden color. Its imposing demeanor indeed resembled that of Gan Ning, the Eastern Wu general who famously charged into Cao's camp with great bravado.

How are the charges there? Can someone like you, a servant, afford to spend that much?

According to the son-in-law, the young women there are divided into three, six, and nine ranks, and of course, Lai Fu can only seek out the cheaper ones. Moreover, every time he goes, he gets a 50% discount, and only 200 wen is sufficient.

Zhou Xuan was expelled from the Chinese Department of Nanchang University due to gambling on chess.

It turned out that there was another staircase inside the building leading to the second floor. When Zhou Xuan and the servant Lai Fu descended to the second floor, they found that there were quite a few people here as well. Two attendants, one dressed in blue and the other in green, stood on either side of the staircase, each holding two signs. The signs were inscribed with elegant calligraphy in the style of Ouyang Xun.

Zhou Xuan had made up his mind, stepped out of the small room, and spread his hand: "Lai Fu, take out the money"

Li Yu lightly composed poems to nurture the people, and Jiangnan has always been a prosperous region. Over the past thirty years, there has been no warfare, and the GDP has increased several times. The living standards of the people have significantly improved. The fourteen prefectures originally occupied by the Song Dynasty in the Huainan area have gradually returned to the Southern Tang. The current territory of the Southern Tang includes the entire Jiangxi province and most of the five provinces of Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Fujian, covering a vast area with a population of tens of millions, subtly resembling a superpower. However, Li Yu lacks the ambition for hegemony; as long as other countries do not invade, he is content to maintain the status quo and ensure the safety and well-being of his people.

"Laifu, we won't go to the chess club for now; let's go watch the cricket fight."

Zhou Xuan asked: "How much money do you have on you now?"

Zhou Xuan strolled along the streets of Jiangzhou, gently waving a folding fan. All around were numerous shops, bustling markets, a scene of prosperity in this peaceful and flourishing era

Zhou Xuan smiled silently as she walked to the counter at the west end to prepare for her bet. In just a short five minutes, the odds for "Unnamed General" had dropped to 10 to 30, while "Ganning of Eastern Wu" had changed to 10 to 3. It seemed that the gamblers shared a common view, all favoring "Ganning of Eastern Wu." Although the odds for "Unnamed General" were high, the risk was simply too great, clearly indicating a losing proposition.

The sign of the green-shirted fellow reads: "Unnamed Warrior, Zero Wins, Zero Losses, Ten to Twenty."

Zhou Xuan did not expect that someone here would recognize him. Turning his head to take a look, he found it was the slickly dressed fellow who had been shouting for Miss Qin to treat him at the entrance of the provincial medical office.

Zhou Xuanning listened intently for a while, and then heard a quick, short chirp of an insect, instantly becoming excited: "Haha, it's a cricket; there are cricket fights here."

Zhou Xuan glared, sharply striking the folding fan on Lai Fu's head and scolding, "You worthless house servant, do you intend to harm this young master? Although I am charming, I am not debased. What sense is there in getting married yesterday and visiting a brothel today? When we return to the residence, I will inform my esteemed mother-in-law, claiming that you incited me to visit a prostitute, attempting to corrupt a young and promising new son-in-law!"

Doctor Qin instructed the servant Lai Fu to accompany Zhou Xuan on a shopping trip, reminding him to attend to the young master well. He then returned directly to the residence, as Doctor Qin himself would not be returning for lunch, since he was to go with some officials from Jiangzhou to Hukou to welcome the envoy for the selection of candidates for the Tang court.

Haha, betting on crickets, even using names of generals from the Three Kingdoms, is quite amusing and entertaining with books

Zhou Xuan weighed the two hundred wen in his hand; this one hundred yuan was quite heavy. He returned it to Laifu, thinking: "Right now, I am completely broke and also quite particular about my dignity, so it would be inappropriate to ask my father-in-law for money. Otherwise, Miss Qin would look down on me even more. I need to find a way to earn some extra cash"

Lai Fu said: "Son-in-law, if you turn down this road, there is a place called Pingkang Fang not far from Nengren Temple. It is a gold-selling den in Jiangzhou City, commonly known as the brothel street. It is quite entertaining there"

Looking at another one, I am bewildered. What is going on? The label states zero wins and zero losses, indicating that this new insect has not competed in public before. However, one of its filamentous antennae is broken, and it appears timid. What kind of fierce general is this? Its size is also not comparable to "Ganning of Eastern Wu," who is tall and robust. Nevertheless, it seems to have a decent rank, being a good insect at the major level. However, it cannot be compared to the colonel-level "Ganning of Eastern Wu," and its momentum is significantly lacking. This is undoubtedly a one-sided match.

Laifu was frightened and kept begging for mercy

Lai Fu is a native of Jiangzhou, very familiar with the area. He took Zhou Xuan to a nearby three-story wooden building called "Mufeng Tower." Strangely, there was no door on the first floor; instead, a staircase spiraled up to the top floor on one side. The top floor was quite crowded, with people both standing and sitting, leisurely drinking tea and chatting.

The steward Lai Fu is a regular customer, so naturally he enjoys discounts

Zhou Xuan smiled without answering, appearing enigmatic. He thought to himself: "I hold an amateur 4th dan certificate issued by the Provincial Chess Association and have secured third place in a municipal competition. I can be considered a strong amateur player, but I am unsure about the level of Go in the Southern Tang. However, when it comes to experience in gambling games, I am quite rich in that regard. My psychological quality is good, and I have many tricks up my sleeve. I would dare to compete with even a 6th dan amateur."