Chapter Forty-Six: Another Sky-High Price for Leather

Xu Wenshan lifted the felt covering, and all the young gentlemen stared in astonishment. In their entire lives, they had probably never seen so many pelts gathered in one place.

Rummaging through the stack, Xu Wenshan finally pulled out a tiger skin and a few wolf pelts, laying them out on the ground. The young men crowded around, marveling at the sight.

“So that’s what a wolf looks like, and those are the tiger’s stripes.”

“Even the skin of a tiger is so imposing. I wonder what it was like in life?”

“No matter how fierce, didn’t Li Xiaozhuang kill it with one arrow? True heroes are truly unrivaled.”

After a round of exclamations, Xu Wenshan made as if to gather up the pelts, but was stopped by Xu Jing.

“Hold on, man. Are you willing to sell those pelts you’re holding?”

Xu Wenshan frowned. “These pelts are all Li Xiaozhuang left behind. His widow and orphan depend on them to get by. I doubt you can afford them.”

One of the young men scoffed, “Can’t afford them? What a joke! Our families are the wealthiest in the county. Name your price!”

This was exactly the kind of buyer Xu Wenshan loved best. He held up one finger.

Truth be told, these were ordinary pelts, the kind hunters brought back routinely. He’d bought them for just a few coins per jin—twenty-some coins for the tiger, a dozen or so for the wolves. Asking a hundred coins was already several times what he’d paid.

“One string of cash? Hmm, that’s not too expensive,” someone remarked.

Xu Wenshan nearly choked.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Xu Wenshan wiped his mouth and said, “I meant one string per wolf skin.”

“And the tiger skin?”

Xu Wenshan shook his head and sighed. “This is the hide of a fierce white-browed tiger. I consider it priceless—it bears the spirit of a hero.”

Xu Jing gritted his teeth. “One string plus another two hundred coins. Will you sell the tiger skin for that?”

Xu Wenshan shook his head. “That tiger fought a dozen gray wolves for ten years. How can it be worth only two hundred coins more?”

“Then one string eight hundred? Two strings? Two strings and two hundred?”

When the price reached two strings and five hundred coins, even Xu Wenshan’s heart began to pound. He finally said, “Hmm… two strings and five hundred coins sounds about right.”

Xu Jing grinned broadly. “Brothers, let’s each pick one we fancy and buy them, what do you say?”

Everyone agreed enthusiastically, jumping off their horses to scramble for the pelts. In no time, the spoils were divided, though a few were left empty-handed.

Seeing the awkwardness of those who missed out, Xu Wenshan kindly said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got some rare ones left—no less impressive than wolf or tiger. For example, here’s the ‘Swamp Spirit Fox,’ the ‘Horned Antelope,’ the ‘Abyssal Crocodile’…”

For each pelt, Xu Wenshan spun a tragic, remarkable, unforgettable legend, adding considerable value. In the end, he sold twelve pelts, making a total of fourteen strings of cash.

Fourteen strings—fourteen thousand coins—would weigh seventy kilograms if all in copper.

He realized just how extravagant these wealthy young men were. Clad in fine robes, riding splendid horses, they paid directly with silver ingots. One tael of silver equaled fifteen hundred coins, meaning they carried a dozen or more strings as pocket money. If the villagers of Luhe Gully, who squabbled over five strings, ever learned this, it would enrage them to death.

The best part was that all these young gentlemen felt they’d gotten a bargain and sincerely thanked Xu Wenshan for selling such “priceless” pelts.

If local laws and regulations allowed, Xu Wenshan would have loved to shout a string of expletives to express his glee.

Ahem, calm down, stay calm—mustn’t lose the composure of a true master.

Though he struck a pose, Xu Wenshan didn’t realize that, to these young men, he was just a carter and peddler—nothing masterful about him at all.

After sorting out the pelts, the young gentlemen, drawing on Xu Wenshan’s stories, devised an account of their hunt—all variations on the same theme: it was a united, victorious, glorious hunt.

Everyone was satisfied, and they set off for home.

“Brother Xu Cong, will you join us in town?”

“Gladly.”

Xu Wenshan casually invented a name for himself—Xu Cong. The group returned to the county seat together, though the others rode horses while Xu Wenshan sat on his ox cart. As they traveled, Xu Jing introduced the customs and features of the county.

“Our county is a key stronghold on the southwestern border of the State of Chen, and the only town along the Sha River named after it.”

“Sha River Town?” Xu Wenshan asked.

“No, counties aren’t called towns—only prefectures qualify as cities. And drop the ‘River’ character,” Xu Jing replied.

“Sha… Sha County?” Xu Wenshan nearly laughed. “Then your town must have plenty of good food.”

A young man named Xiang Jie chimed in, “You got that right! We have a famous restaurant called ‘Never Return Drunk.’ They serve every kind of delicacy you can imagine.”

His brother Xiang Ying added, “That’s right, and they have a secret brewing method—their wine is both fragrant and intoxicating, known as ‘Three Bowls and You’re Down.’ They even have a sign saying, ‘If you’re not drunk after three bowls, your food and drink are free’… just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”

Xu Wenshan said, “Not drunk after three bowls, food and drink free? That’s quite a boast! I could drink thirty jars and not get drunk!”

The young men all laughed, thinking Xu Wenshan was boasting, and he joined in their laughter.

Xu Wenshan might be sly and lacking in conscience, but he was a man of his word. With a belly full of wine, he was never drunk. If he said he wouldn’t get drunk on thirty jars, he certainly wouldn’t be out after twenty-nine.

Xu Jing smiled. “Why don’t we head to ‘Never Return Drunk’ today, drink our fill, and feast to our hearts’ content?”

The others cheered loudly. After all, they’d barely eaten at noon and their stomachs were rumbling.

Soon, they arrived at the county gates. The great river flowed eastward, and sunlight gleamed on the imposing gate tower. The road inside and out was bustling with traffic. At the gate, soldiers in gleaming armor and sharp weapons stood sentry.

As they passed, one of the soldiers bowed. “Gentlemen.”

The young men responded with laughter, about to head into town, but were stopped. The soldiers wanted to inspect Xu Wenshan’s ox cart.

Xu Wenshan grew a bit anxious. He still had the military saber he’d taken from bandits hidden under the cart—if discovered, he’d have trouble explaining it.

Fortunately, Xu Jing finally acted the aristocrat, scolding, “He’s just a traveling merchant. We’ve seen all his goods—and bought plenty. We’ve agreed to drink together. If you search everything one by one, aren’t you wasting everyone’s time?”

The soldiers’ leader, sweating, bowed and let the group pass.

Now Xu Wenshan’s curiosity about Xu Jing’s background only deepened.