shopping spree

To encourage the people to hunt tigers and prevent local officials from coercing sales, the imperial court decreed that county offices must pay rewards for tiger kills but were prohibited from purchasing the tiger carcasses. The removal of the tiger's tongue was to prevent anyone from buying the carcass and claiming the reward multiple times.

After receiving the reward, the group still had to find a buyer for the tiger themselves. As soon as they pulled the cart out of the county office, they were surrounded by several fur traders who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Chen Liu, you've done it this time—killing a tiger! Name your price!" someone who recognized the hunter called out. Chen Liu often came to the county to sell pelts, so he was known to the traders.

Killing a tiger was a monumental event in Xihewan, but Jinchuan County governed sixteen townships and over a hundred villages, all nestled in mountainous terrain teeming with tigers. On average, two or three tigers were killed each year, and Chen Liu had witnessed several tiger auctions, so he knew the going rate. A tiger typically sold for around twenty-five strings of cash.

But Chen Liu held up four fingers and declared, "Forty strings of cash!"

"Chen Liu, have you lost your mind? You know what a tiger's worth!" one of the traders snapped.

"Old Zhou, is our tiger the same as the ones brought in from other villages?" Chen Liu shot back. "The tigers they bring are always riddled with holes from being stabbed by a crowd. Look at ours—just a few small punctures, and it's bigger, with better fur. Can theirs compare?"

"Still, it's not worth forty strings!"

"A tiger like this comes once in decades. How isn't it worth it? Not a penny less than forty strings!"

After half an hour of haggling, the tiger was finally sold to Old Zhou for thirty-two strings of cash. Combined with the three strings from the government, the tiger fetched a total of thirty-five strings. One string was a thousand copper coins, so thirty-five strings filled half a sack. In the Great Kang Dynasty, copper coins held significant value—one coin could buy a meat bun. With this money, Jin Feng wouldn't have to worry about taxes or food for several years.

"Let's eat!" Jin Feng declared, feeling confident with the money in hand. Seeing the sky darken, he led the group to find a restaurant.

Having walked dozens of miles on mountain roads since morning without eating, Zhang Liang and the others were starving and followed eagerly. The Great Kang Dynasty had no stir-fried dishes; meals were mainly steamed or boiled. They found a relatively clean inn by the roadside and ordered bowls of meat soup and a basin of steamed buns—the best the inn had to offer.

The meal and lodging cost seventy copper coins, and Zhang Liang fretted over the expense all night, thinking Jin Feng was being wasteful. Seventy coins could buy coarse grain and wild vegetables to feed his family for a month.

But the next morning, Zhang Liang learned what true extravagance looked like. As soon as they woke, Jin Feng handed each of them a red envelope. Zhang Liang opened his to find two hundred copper coins inside.

"Jin Feng, this is too much. I can't accept it," even the village chief felt the amount was excessive.

"It's not too much," Jin Feng insisted. "You all put aside your work to accompany me on this long journey. I can't let you go unrewarded. A scholar like me is useless without your help. I wouldn't even have found the county office, let alone sold the tiger for such a high price."

This wasn't false modesty. Without the hunter and the village chief negotiating with the traders, the tiger would have sold for several strings less—thousands of coins.

"We're all from the same village. It's only right," the village chief said. "You already spent a lot treating us to meat and buns yesterday. A couple of coins today would have been enough."

"How honest the ancients are," Jin Feng thought to himself. He deliberately put on a stern face and said, "I'm a scholar, and my word is my bond. If you won't take it, then throw it away."

"You stubborn scholar!" the village chief sighed, finally tucking the envelope into his pocket.

"That's more like it," Jin Feng said, satisfied. Then he began a shopping spree.

By noon, Jin Feng had spent eight strings of cash, buying not only essentials like grain and salt but also many items Zhang Liang either didn't recognize or deemed useless. The cart was half-full. He had wanted to buy Guan Xiaorou a new dress, but the county had no ready-made clothing, so he settled for two bolts of cloth to have one made later.

After the shopping, over twenty strings of cash remained, filling half a sack. Finding it cumbersome, Jin Feng exchanged twenty strings for silver ingots at a money house, easier to carry. He treated everyone to another meal at a restaurant before starting the journey back.

As Jin Feng and his group left the city gates, a constable entered the inn where they had stayed the previous night, accompanied by a young man in armor.

"Gentlemen, are you here for a meal or lodging?" the innkeeper hurried over to greet them.

"Neither. We're here to ask about someone," the constable said. "Did the group who sold the tiger stay here last night?"

"The tiger sellers?" the innkeeper was puzzled. He had been too busy the previous day to see the commotion and had only heard about the tiger sale.

"There were five of them—an old man, a scholarly-looking fellow, and a one-armed man," the constable explained.

"Oh, yes! They stayed here but checked out early this morning," the innkeeper recalled.

"Do you know where they went?"

"I'm afraid not," the innkeeper admitted, then couldn't help asking, "Sir, are they in some kind of trouble?"

"None of your business," the constable snapped, and the innkeeper shrank back, not daring to press further.

"They're not in trouble," the young man in armor interjected with a smile. "I saw the tiger last night and noticed the archer who killed it was highly skilled. I'd like to meet him. If you see them again, notify us at the Qingfeng Estate in the south of the city. There'll be a reward."

"Yes, sir!" The innkeeper's attitude became even more respectful at the mention of Qingfeng Estate. He had heard it was the residence of a great general.

As they left the inn, the constable noticed the young man's disappointment and tried to console him. "Young master, our county kills a few tigers every year. If you like tiger-slaying heroes, I can find some for you tomorrow."

"It's not the same," the young man said. "That tiger had both legs pierced by arrows, and the one in its forehead was half a foot deep. The killer was a master archer with immense strength. With the war in the north, we need such talents!"

"Constable Zhang, please keep an eye out. If you hear anything about this person, let me know."

"Young Master Qing, it's my pleasure. Consider it done," the constable bowed in agreement.