Chapter Nine, Betting on Crickets

A robust middle-aged man was followed by a young servant, who was fair-skinned with a pointed chin, holding a black pottery jar in his hands, his eyes fixed on the harmonica in Zhou Xuan's hand

Unexpectedly, the clerk at the counter, with a professional smile, said: "I apologize, young sir, but we only accept cash and do not accept collateral."

Zhou Xuan firmly shook his head: "I won't sell it, not even for ten thousand taels of gold." He walked over, grabbed the young servant's hand, and forcefully pried the harmonica from his grip, taking Laifu upstairs and out.

Zhou Xuan retrieved the silver and said, "I want to take another look at the insect"

Zhou Xuan glanced at the sign "Eastern Wu Gan Ning" and said, "Regardless of which side I bet on, if I lose and cannot redeem it, then this precious qin will belong to you"

Cautiously, this is the first gamble since coming to the Southern Tang, and I must not miss the opportunity; otherwise, losing the harmonica would truly be a source of ridicule.

Someone in the corner asked, "How much silver do you want to pledge?"

Zhou Xuan squeezed over to take a look; a circular clearing with a diameter of 3 meters was surrounded by a fence. This clearing was nearly 2 meters lower than the ground where Zhou Xuan and the others were standing, and in the center was a fighting arena made of ebony specifically for cricket fighting.

Zhou Xuan was holding a silver ingot worth 5,000 yuan, ready to buy 100 bets on "Dongwu Ganning." Suddenly, he felt something was amiss. After glancing at the "Dongwu Ganning" sign, the middle-aged strong man immediately agreed to the collateral. Did this middle-aged strong man think that "Dongwu Ganning" would not win?

The term "gou tou" refers to crickets that serve as sparring partners for more formidable crickets. If these high-level crickets do not engage in combat for an extended period, their fighting spirit may diminish. Therefore, it is necessary to have "gou tou" to sharpen their skills and maintain their edge

At this time, the gamblers on the second floor had all left, and more than twenty people had descended to the first floor. In the center of the first floor, there was a circular railing, and the gamblers were leaning against the railing, looking down.

"Ten taels of silver," Zhou Xuan said

Zhou Xuan said: "I have a condition. This precious lute is only temporarily pawned. Once the insect fighting is over, I will redeem it; otherwise, I will suffer a great loss. This lute is worth at least one hundred taels of silver."

After a while, the small doors on both sides opened, and two individuals emerged. Zhou Xuan was astonished to see that the one holding the porcelain basin labeled "Unnamed Fierce General" was indeed the middle-aged strong man who had pawned his harmonica.

The gamblers were all quite cultured; although surprised, none of them screamed. They all went up to the second floor, whereupon they began to discuss among themselves in a flurry of voices.

"Ganning of Eastern Wu" was quite excited, charging forward with two large fangs aimed directly at the "Unnamed General," attempting to cut him in half. The "Unnamed General" was quite adept at escaping, possessing strong jumping ability, and managed to evade with a single leap

Then the middle-aged strong man asked: "Wasn't the young master just escorting 'Ganning of Dongwu'?"

This hetushu.com harmonica, which cost one hundred sixty yuan, has naturally appreciated significantly over the course of a millennium.

The harmonica was in the hands of the little servant, who refused to return it, hiding it behind his back.

Zhou Xuan looked again at the "Nameless Fierce General"; this cricket with a broken antenna still appeared to be cowering, lying motionless at the bottom of the bowl. This cricket was of the rank of Major, just one level below the Lieutenant Colonel rank of "Ganning of Eastern Wu". It could have barely put up a fight, but given its cowardly demeanor, it was impossible for it to be a match for "Ganning of Eastern Wu".

The fight lasted for more than a minute, with "Ganning of Dongwu" relentlessly pursuing the "Unnamed Fierce General," who had no strength to retaliate at all

Zhou Xuan, however, discerned the situation. Although the "Unnamed Fierce General" retreated at every turn, his steps remained steady, and he seemed to handle the attacks from "Ganning of Eastern Wu" with relative ease. Just think about it; if he frequently practiced with some colonels, senior colonels, or even generals, his experience would be extraordinarily rich

Payment was made in one hand while delivery was made in the other. Zhou Xuan also handed the harmonica to the middle-aged strong man, advising him: "Be careful, do not drop it. You will never encounter a second one of this overseas treasure in your lifetime."

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "I have changed my mind at the last minute"

The middle-aged strong man asked: "Are you so confident that you will definitely win? Which side are you betting on?"

At this moment, Zhou Xuan suddenly thought of a possibility: "Could this nameless fierce general be a Gou Head?"

Zhou Xuan, feeling triumphant, held in his hands the thirty taels of silver he had won, along with the principal of ten taels. Ha ha, it was heavy and brought him immense satisfaction. He raised his eyes to see the middle-aged strong man and the young servant staring at him in astonishment, especially the young servant, whose mouth was agape in disbelief.

The attendant in the cabinet said: "Please, young master, place your bets quickly; there are only fifteen minutes left before the battle begins"

A figure emerged slowly from the corner, a robust middle-aged man wearing a black cap, dressed in a light blue round-neck shirt, with a beard resembling a hedgehog, a broad nose, and a fierce appearance

The middle-aged strong man let out a grunt and returned to the corner with the young servant.

The Southern Tang people present had never seen such exquisite metal instruments, and each one widened their eyes in astonishment

This is a discerning individual, who spends five thousand yuan to pawn an item worth one hundred sixty yuan

The "Nameless Fierce General" before me, aside from having one of its tentacles severed, shows no significant injuries elsewhere on its body. If it truly is a "Hookhead," it indicates that its defense is quite impressive; surviving an assault from high-level crickets without being severely bitten is already remarkable.

Indeed, the "Unnamed Fierce General" counterattacked. Perhaps after fleeing for so long, it realized that "Ganning of Eastern Wu" was not much of a threat. Like the donkey of Qian, it was not to be feared. With a sudden twist of its body and a powerful grip, it lifted "Ganning of Eastern Wu" into the air, then with a shake of its head, flung "Ganning of Eastern Wu" away, who landed on its back. After getting up, it fled in panic, no longer daring to engage with the "Unnamed Fierce General." Its owner tried several times to provoke it with water plantain to boost its fighting spirit, but to no avail. One bite was enough to scare it into submission.

Zhou Xuan shook his head

The middle-aged strong man remained composed, yet Zhou Xuan's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. One thousand taels, one thousand taels equates to five hundred thousand RMB. Good heavens, a harmonica bought for one hundred sixty yuan can be sold for five hundred thousand. Is it really this easy to become wealthy through time travel?

In contrast, the "Unnamed Fierce General" shows not a trace of bravery, cowering in a corner of the "fighting arena" and daring not to engage in battle

The housekeeper, Lai Fu, was also excited, tugging at Zhou Xuan's sleeve, his voice hoarse: "Young master, young master—" which meant urging Zhou Xuan to finalize the deal quickly

Zhou Xuan entered the small room and closely examined the two crickets preparing for battle. He discovered that the black-faced golden-winged "Dongwu Gan Ning" had red mandibles. He recalled that Jia Sidao had commented on such crickets, stating that white mandibles were the best, followed by red mandibles, which were a grade lower. It seems that rating "Dongwu Gan Ning" as a colonel was too high; it should be classified as a lieutenant colonel.

Those who bet on "Dongwu Gan Ning" are all smiles, as the odds may be low, but a steady profit of three out of ten is still quite good

The middle-aged strong man looked at the young servant, who still refused to extend his hand. The strong man then said, "Young master, why not name a price? I will buy this precious qin for one hundred taels, how about that?"

One thousand taels

Zhou Xuan glanced at the two middle-aged strong men, realizing that the Southern Tang did not have silver notes, and these two could not possibly carry a thousand taels of silver. He must not be deceived by them. Moreover, the harmonica should not be sold so easily; he aspired to be a talented gentleman proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This harmonica was indispensable, as he could only play the harmonica.

At this point, Zhou Xuan is truly at his wit's end

Zhou Xuan gritted his teeth; a gambler must dare to take risks. He stepped out and placed one hundred bets under the name "Nameless Fierce General"

"Alright, it's settled then." The middle-aged strong man readily pulled out a silver ingot weighing ten taels from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Xuan

The housekeeper, Laifu, exclaimed, "Ah, young master, have you made a mistake in your judgment?"

The gate in the center of "Douge" opened, and "Gan Ning of Eastern Wu" was the first to rush past the midpoint, brandishing two large fangs that resembled two sharp axes, flapping his wings and roaring wildly, his voice like a great bell, truly reminiscent of the scene where Gan Ning, the general of Eastern Wu, displayed his might in front of Cao's camp

five hundred taels

Zhou Xuan said: "Enough of the nonsense, let's go watch the duel"

This is 10 taels of silver, take it well, return the treasured qin to me. Speaking of which, I must thank you; this gambling stake counts as a loan from you, and I owe you a favor.

Zhou Xuan observed that this middle-aged strong man did not even flinch as he suddenly increased the amount from 100 taels to 500 taels, truly a wealthy individual. However, Zhou Xuan still shook his head