Chapter 2, The Fish Stall at Baima River (2)

Chutian no longer paid attention to this fellow and strode away from the crowd towards the fish market

A crowd of passersby gathered around, watching the weeping Zhong Dagou, shaking their heads and sighing repeatedly

The short and stout old man chuckled softly, gently stroking the three-inch silver beard on his chin, and said leisurely: "I have come today to buy fish. I have heard that as long as the head of the Chu family speaks, there is no fish in the White Python River that cannot be obtained, no matter what exists in the world?"

Chutian does not act grandly; whenever someone comes to greet him, he stands up and responds with a pleasant demeanor, exchanging greetings with the other party. They agree to meet another day to drink in the city of Yaozhou. Everyone is filled with laughter and joy, and their conversation is full of delight.

Other strong men wielding their staffs walk back and forth in the sprawling fish market. If a dispute arises, these strong men will let out a loud roar, causing even the stewards of wealthy families or affluent buyers to lower their voices by several tones, their tones becoming exceptionally gentle and soft.

The short and stout old man looked at Chu Tian with a cheerful smile and said in a gentle voice, "Our young master has recently enrolled in the Yanshan Academy and is considering inviting all of you classmates to a 'Dragon Gate Banquet', to take advantage of the auspicious omen of the carp leaping over the dragon gate."

Fishing boats arrived one after another, docking at the fish market's pier. Fishmongers stood on the shore shouting loudly, while fishermen laughed and announced the precious and rare seafood from their boats. Meanwhile, stewards from the mansions of dignitaries and procurement agents from restaurants and taverns shouted loudly, competing to bid for various kinds of the freshest river seafood.

Chutian glanced at the old man and, smiling, cupped his hands in salute: "Please forgive me, old sir, for I am unfamiliar with you; you do not seem like someone who buys fish."

Big dog, don't gamble, find a decent job to support your mother, and isn't it better to find a wife?

Chutian laughed as he took a few steps forward to stand in front of Zhong Dagou, lightly tapping his eyebrow stick against Zhong Dagou's calf.

Chutian squinted his eyes and asked with a smile, "May I ask, who might you be, sir?"

The river breeze blows, and the seven or eight-foot-long red ribbon dances in the wind. Upon seeing this splash of bright red, the fishermen on countless fishing boats on the river shout in unison and begin to wave their oars.

The market is open, it has arrived, the market is open, indeed!

Zhong Dagou howled in pain, crying out "Aow! Aow!" while Chu Tian and a group of strong men burst into loud laughter

After more than half an hour, fishmongers continuously rushed over with account books to report to Chu Tian the quantities of fish sold today: how many pounds of large mandarin fish, how many pounds of large silver carp, how many shrimp, and how many baskets of crabs that had been sold.

Chutian cupped his fists in salute to the passersby, remaining silent. After rummaging in his sleeve for a while, he pulled out a piece of broken silver the size of a thumb and tossed it beside Zhong Dagou: "Zhong Dagou, this is for your medicine. Once your leg is healed, go to the fish market, and I will find you a job. If you go to the gambling den in Biaozhou City again, this time it will cost you a leg, and next time it will be three legs!"

Yanzhou is a remote and desolate region, thus gold is precious there; one tael of gold can always be exchanged for twenty taels of silver, and these three strands of garlic gold amount to a significant sum of money

At the time when the sun is high in the sky, in the teahouse beside the fish market pier, the stewards from various households and the buyers from different restaurants have already filled their bellies with poor-quality tea, now clutching their stomachs and feeling around in discomfort. Suddenly, a few fishmongers burst into laughter.

Help! Help! Spare my life! Spare my life! Old man Luo, Miss Qian, help me! I am scared, I am scared! I will never gamble again! Oh, my dear mother, oh, my dear mother, I will never dare to gamble again! Please come out and save me, help!

Those familiar with Chutian still make a special trip to extend their greetings to Chutian

A dozen or so fishmongers squeezed through the crowd, eagerly gathering in front of Chu Tian, parting the throng for him as they made their way down the main road to the fish market dock. Chu Tian glanced around, nodded slightly, and remained silent, casually inserting his iron-wooden eyebrow stick into the dock. A burly man accompanying him quickly tied a red cloth strip to the end of the stick.

The short and stout old man puffed out his chest and said with a calm smile: "Our young master is none other than Ling Yue, the young master of the Chu family from Biao Prefecture."

Zhong Dagou's body trembled, and he instinctively covered his lower body with both hands. Two streams of hot tears rolled down his cheeks, and he cried out in a sharp, piercing voice as if he had just lost his mother.

Four burly men stood in a line behind Chutian, snorting and glaring at the bustling crowd around them.

The surroundings were enveloped in complete silence, and the two characters "Chu Shi" were enough to instill fear in all the fishy characters present.

Chutian smiled faintly, sat down in the large armchair, and casually waved his hand, saying: "Safe travels, no need to see you off"

Ladies and gentlemen in charge, the head of the Chu file has arrived, and the market is open

Oh big dog, you should be in so much pain, it's not like you have a mother anymore, your mother has long been gone, yet you still call for her to save you

Chutian smiled gently, glancing at the two young servants in green hats following the short, stout old man. He smiled and said, "You flatter me, you flatter me, but it is not Chutian boasting. If there are any fresh fish from the White Python River, just let me know, and I will naturally have them delivered to you within three to five days"

The short and stout old man nodded in satisfaction, rummaged in his sleeve for a moment, and then "slapped" three strips of garlic gold onto the tea table beside Chu Tian. Each strip of garlic gold was about three inches long and weighed around ten taels.

The short and stout old man smiled and said, "Ten fish, each a zhang long with golden scales, should be prepared and sent to the Yanshan Academy within three days. Thirty taels of gold is indeed just a deposit; as for the price of the fish, the Chu dealer can simply state it."

A waiter from a teahouse on the dock attentively brought over a set of tables and chairs. Chu Tian sat steadily in a comfortable chair, lifted the fine porcelain teapot, and while savoring the fragrant tea and melon seeds that the teahouse owner had particularly catered to him, he coldly observed the bustling fish market.

After being busy for more than an hour, baskets of fresh fish, shrimp, turtles, and crabs were loaded onto the freight wagon. The satisfied steward and the purchasers returned to Yaozhou City with smiles, bringing back the freshly procured seafood

With a sharp "crack," the calf of Zhong Dagou was cleanly shattered into two segments, the break being even and without any splintered bone. Although it was excruciatingly painful, after being properly bandaged, it would heal without significant issues.

Chutian listened to the reports from these fishmongers without taking any notes; he only needed to hear the figures once, and they were firmly etched in his mind, never to be forgotten. Ever since he took control of the entrance to the Baima River three years ago and became the head of the fish stalls for these three fish shops, he had never made a mistake in his accounts.

Chutian raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Thirty taels of gold as a deposit? What does the old man desire?"

The surrounding fishermen collectively gasped in unison, exclaiming "Oh dear." This money is not easy to earn; although there are indeed many rare fish in the White Python River, how many of them are worth paying for with gold?

The top-quality white python river fish is incredibly fresh, with live fish, shrimp, turtles, and crabs available

Clear the way, clear the way! Do not block the path of the Chu leader!

"Ahem," a light cough was heard, and a short, stout old man dressed in a light green satin long gown, with a few bats embroidered on the cuffs, smiled and cupped his hands towards Chu Tiantou: "Chu Tiantou? Rare, rare!"