Chapter Sixty-Nine: Huang the Elder

The speaker was a man in his early thirties, dressed in luxurious robes, his attire denoting wealth and status, his figure rotund and heavyset. In those cold, piercing eyes shone an unmistakable arrogance, a sense of superiority that brooked no challenge.

“Just arrived in the city and already hanging bandit corpses? These aren’t the kind of riffraff you can dismiss with a simple bribe.”

The steward of the Huang household, standing beside him with lowered gaze, appeared somewhat surprised. “We hadn’t heard this Chen Kuai was such a formidable figure before, had we?”

“If he were just an ordinary man, how could he have defeated the pirates?” Huang Dalang sneered.

He recalled a letter from home a few days past, suggesting they should win this man over if possible. Yet, the magistrate of Jinhai County, Zhang Miao, had recommended this man, and as an outsider, Zhang Miao’s relationship with the local gentry was bound to remain superficial. Someone he had promoted with such effort would hardly be easily swayed.

“What do you suggest we do, young master?” the steward ventured.

With Master Huang advanced in years, most household affairs were now managed by Huang Dalang. The servants of the Huang household obeyed his every word.

“Invite him as a guest, behead him if he resists, and if possible, make him our dog.” Huang Dalang narrowed his eyes, staring meaningfully at Chen Kuai as he slowly entered the city. “What do you think?”

The steward frowned. “This Chen Kuai clearly isn’t the sort to submit easily. Perhaps we should…” He trailed off, drawing a finger across his throat.

“No.” Huang Dalang’s gaze now shifted from Chen Kuai to Qin Zhen, who followed behind.

He recalled his own restless younger brother, who seemed lately intent on dabbling in the fish market business.

“Invite him as a guest.”

…

Upon entering the city, Qin Zhen was struck by the sheer grandeur of this world.

Wherever the eye fell, there were pavilions and towers, palatial buildings reaching to the sky—a bustling, dazzling human realm. Compared to the county town, Jinhai City was incomparably larger, teeming with carriages, a sea of people shoulder to shoulder. Hawkers shouted their wares from every corner, proud steeds pulled carriages that thundered past in clouds of dust and smoke.

If Jinhai City was so magnificent, what then of Wujiang, the provincial capital of Jiangnan Dao? He could only imagine its splendor.

“I must first pay my respects to the city lord, so I’ll leave you here for now. Once I’ve finished my official business, let’s meet again.” Chen Kuai straightened his collar, his tone solemn.

“I’ve asked around for you—just follow this street ahead to reach the market. If you want to sell your goods, that’s the place to go.”

“Thank you, Lord Chen,” Qin Zhen replied with a smile.

“Are you mocking me? We’re all friends here—no need for such formality!” Chen Kuai waved a hand dismissively, then departed with the city guards.

Li Han looked around with excitement. “This city is enormous!”

He was not alone—the villagers from the little fishing village were all in high spirits. In this world where travel was difficult, most people had never left their mountain villages in a lifetime. To accompany Qin Zhen to Jinhai City was truly an eye-opener.

“This is nothing,” said Chen Shu with a laugh. “The capital, Jiu’an, that’s true unmatched splendor!”

Hearing this, Qin Zhen couldn’t help but look forward to the legendary Jiu’an, resolving in his heart to develop the fishing village into a place even more prosperous and lively than Jinhai City.

“The women in the city are so fair!” Zhao Ming was stunned, his mind already plotting how he might one day marry a city woman.

Those slender waists, swaying like willows in the breeze, that delicate, fair skin made his heart race.

A group of young women approached, laughing as they passed Qin Zhen’s party. Under their gaze, Zhao Ming suddenly felt his clothes shabby and dared not lift his head.

“What’s so good about city women? All skin and bones, can’t do farm work!” Li Han protested loudly.

Soon, they reached the marketplace.

Stalls lined the street, vendors shouting back and forth. Food, porcelain, cloth, timber—goods of every kind dazzled the eye.

Qin Zhen found a spacious spot, unloaded their goods, and began to hawk his wares.

“Come and see! Top-quality fabrics, brand-new clothes, excellent goods at fair prices—honest deals for everyone!”

The novel cloth immediately drew the crowd’s attention. People gathered around, encircling the stall so tightly that none could squeeze through.

“This fabric, this feel! So much better than what the Huang family’s shop sells!”

“Look at these clothes—so new! They’ll look wonderful on anyone.”

“Young man, how much for your cloth?”

Standing atop the cart, Qin Zhen hugged a bolt of fabric and called out, “Folks, all this cloth is handwoven in our little fishing village, only one hundred cash a bolt! As for the shirts and jackets, men’s and women’s alike—just twenty cash each!”

“So cheap?” the crowd gasped.

These days, cloth from anywhere was at least several dozen cash a bolt. With such fine workmanship and quality materials, Qin Zhen’s cloth should fetch at least two hundred cash, yet he was only asking one hundred! Where else could one find a bargain like this?

“But that’s not all! Since we’re new in town, and to make sure everyone can have new clothes, we’re running a special promotion today.” Qin Zhen, his throat dry, took a drink of water before lifting his wooden megaphone to shout.

“From now on, spend just one hundred cash to join our ‘Fish Fans Club’ and become a member. Members get buy-one-get-one-free on bolts of cloth, and every future purchase is twenty percent off! Buy two or more bolts, and you’ll also receive a shirt or jacket for free!”

Buy-one-get-one? Twenty percent off? Free clothes too?

This barrage of promotions left the honest folk utterly dumbfounded.

“And that’s not all—we’ll be holding a drawing among today’s buyers, with five exquisite cheongsams as prizes!”

To ensure his promotion was irresistible, Qin Zhen had the cheongsams brought out for display. The intricate craftsmanship, lifelike patterns, and delicate fabric all declared their value at a glance.

The wealthy young ladies were instantly captivated, their eyes fixed on the dresses, longing to possess one.

“If you don’t trust us, you can opt not to become a member and just make a regular purchase,” Qin Zhen coaxed. “As long as you buy something, you’re entered in the drawing! The more you buy, the more chances you get. These exquisite cheongsams are limited—if you win, you’ve struck it rich!”

After a brief calculation, the crowd went wild.

“I want clothes! Give me two sets!”

“I want to join! Make me a Fish Fan!”

“Husband, give me silver—I want to win a cheongsam!”

Some even asked, “Can I buy a cheongsam directly?”

“Of course,” Qin Zhen replied with a smile. “But each cheongsam is ten taels of silver.”

The cheongsams were certainly worth the price. Moreover, the higher the set price, the greater the shopping frenzy—who wouldn’t want to pay a few dozen coins for a chance to win such a prize? Even if they didn’t wear it, they could sell it for a handsome sum.

Learning the cheongsam’s price, the crowd’s excitement reached a fever pitch, just as Qin Zhen had predicted. In no time, the stall was packed to bursting, a seething throng.

Meanwhile, Huang Dalang, hearing the news, was astonished.

“They’re not selling fish? They’re selling clothes?”

“Yes!” the Huang family steward replied miserably. “Their fabric is cheaper than ours, and the quality is better too. Now, even our regular customers have all gone to buy from them!”