Chapter Eight: Seeking a Reward

“What’s going on here?” the constable on duty asked.

“We killed a bear and brought it here for the reward!” Liu Quan explained.

“Wait here, I’ll go report this.” The constable hurriedly ran into the city.

Bears, like tigers, were great menaces in the eyes of common folk. To encourage brave souls to rid them of such dangers, local governments everywhere offered hefty rewards. Tiger hunters were common, but it was rare indeed to hear of anyone slaying a bear, for bears were far more terrifying than tigers.

“It really is a bear!”

“Well done! Old Tian’s daughter was snatched away by a bear! You’ve rid us all of a scourge!”

Hearing the villagers’ praises, Liu Quan couldn’t help but feel elated. Though he hadn’t slain the bear himself, the one who had was from his little fishing village! The people praised Qin Zhen, but weren’t they also praising his village?

The magistrate’s secretary hurried over after hearing the news, craning his neck and calling out, “Where is the hero who slew the bear?”

“Over here!” Liu Quan quickly waved, leading his group forward.

“You?” The secretary squinted at Liu Quan, finding him scrawny and hardly the sort to kill a bear.

“It’s not me, it’s him!” Liu Quan hastily pushed Qin Zhen forward, smiling obsequiously. “This is my younger brother Qin Zhen, he’s the one who killed the bear!”

“Him?”

Seeing it was a child, everyone was astonished—including the worldly secretary. He sized up Qin Zhen for a long time, then sneered.

“Did you just pick up a dead bear and bring it here for the reward? He’s a child; can he even lift a knife, let alone slay a bear?”

“He really did kill it! If you’re so capable, why don’t you go fetch one from the woods yourself?” Chen Shu couldn’t hold back.

The secretary scowled, ready to retort, when Liu Quan sidled up, grinning, and slipped a heavy pouch of coins into his hand.

“Sir, we’re honest folk, we wouldn’t dare deceive you. The bear is truly ours.”

The secretary weighed the pouch, his face breaking into a smile. “Very good! You really did kill it!” He patted Qin Zhen’s head approvingly. “Such courage at your age! A true young hero. I’ll report this to the magistrate for your reward.”

Suddenly, the secretary’s brows arched.

“About the reward money…”

“I know the rules!” Liu Quan quickly replied.

“Brother Liu, what rules?” Qin Zhen whispered.

“The reward is a hundred taels, but we only get half. Of the other half, eighty percent goes to the county magistrate, ten percent is tax, and ten percent is the secretary’s tea money.” Liu Quan explained as he led Qin Zhen toward the yamen.

Qin Zhen was thoroughly disgusted by the greed of the seaside county magistrate.

Seeing Qin Zhen’s indignation, Liu Quan softly counseled, “Be content with fifty taels! I’ve heard the neighboring counties are even more corrupt. Some poor soul managed to kill a bear, his leg torn to shreds, and ended up with only ten taels. We should count ourselves lucky with fifty!”

At that moment, the secretary handed over the reward silver and a plaque inscribed “Bear-Slaying Hero.”

“These characters were written personally by the magistrate! Take good care of it!” the secretary said meaningfully.

“I understand, I understand!” Liu Quan deftly took five taels from the pouch and handed them over, respectfully saying, “Please enjoy some tea, sir!”

He then patted Qin Zhen. “Kneel and thank him.”

Qin Zhen, reluctant, bowed at the yamen’s gate.

The secretary pocketed the money, smiling as he left.

“Damn it, promised a hundred taels, but only fifty in hand! Rotten official!” Chen Shu cursed, furious.

This money had been earned by Qin Zhen risking his life, yet the corrupt official, who’d done nothing, took half—and then they still had to kneel and thank him! What a wicked world!

Liu Quan, accustomed to such things, helped soothe Chen Shu’s anger.

Qin Zhen silently took the money, then handed ten taels to Liu Quan.

“What are you doing? I can’t accept this!” Liu Quan pushed it back.

But Qin Zhen forced it into his hands. “Brother Liu, without you, I might not have gotten any reward at all! I saw you slip money to the secretary just now. You came all this way—you shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket.”

He finally understood why the old village chief urged him to heed Liu Quan’s advice.

In this cutthroat world, human life was cheap; listening to wise counsel meant keeping food on the table.

Liu Quan, hearing this, no longer refused, accepting the silver with a smile. “You’re a smart one! If you ever run out of game, come trade with me!”

“I’d like that!”

Qin Zhen took out a few more taels and distributed them among his fellow villagers.

“It’s been a long trek, brothers. A small token of thanks—buy yourselves some wine!”

As they spoke, several officers arrived with knives, severing the bear’s head as proof—so no one could claim the reward twice.

“What should we do with the bear?” Chen Shu asked.

“Keep the paws for soup, sell the rest,” Qin Zhen replied, not wanting to haul the beast back.

“I’ll go handle Juan’s household registration. Chen Shu, I’ll leave this to you.”

Registering a household wasn’t difficult. Once the taxes were paid and a few coins offered, the paperwork was done.

With that thin household certificate in hand, from now on, Liu Juan was no longer a refugee, but Qin Zhen’s wife.

After finishing the registration, Qin Zhen went to find Chen Shu and the others.

The county town was small and easy to navigate; just ask someone where bear meat was being sold.

He soon spotted a large crowd at the marketplace.

“That’s a bear! They say bears are transformed immortals—eating it grants eternal life!”

“Even smelling it adds years to your life!”

Ordinary folk couldn’t afford bear meat; they watched eagerly, waiting for some wealthy landlord to buy the rare beast.

“How’s it going?” Qin Zhen asked as he approached.

“Several people wanted to buy, but your Uncle Chen sent them away,” Liu Quan replied, looking glum.

“Ten taels for a whole bear? Bear meat isn’t the same as wild boar! That’s ridiculous!” Chen Shu scowled. “Just the hide, so rich in oil, is worth dozens of taels as a coat!”

“Who here has that much money in this poor place?” Liu Quan tried to persuade him. “Let’s just settle for what we can get.”

“We won’t sell cheap!” Chen Shu insisted. “The price should be fair! If we can’t get it, we’ll take it home and wait for the hide buyers to come—then sell it for more!”

Just then, a plain-looking middle-aged man approached, glanced at the bear, then at Qin Zhen, and asked in a deep voice,

“You killed this bear?”

“Yes,” Qin Zhen nodded.

The man reached out to touch it, but Chen Shu slapped his hand away.

“No touching unless you’re buying!” Chen Shu squinted.

“I need to know it’s not sick,” the man said. “How much?”

“A hundred taels!” Chen Shu interjected.

The man said nothing, but looked at Qin Zhen.

“How much will you accept?”

“Twenty taels.”

“It’s yours.”

Qin Zhen stopped Chen Shu.

“Thank you.”

The man tossed over a bag of coins, looped the cart’s rope over his shoulder, and single-handedly dragged the bear away.

“My goodness, how strong is he? It took all of us to move the bear, and he’s hauling it alone?” Liu Quan gaped.