Daily Life

Though Dongting Lake stretched nearly a thousand li, with countless main streams and tributaries, even connecting to the river and sea, it ultimately could not pass through cities and prefectures to flow straight into the streets and markets.

Forget the Prefectural City—even the county seat was twenty or thirty li away. Fisherfolk without carts or horses could not hope to carry fish into the city to sell.

They could only set up stalls at the Fish Market by the docks, supplying the nearby residents, or selling to wine houses and merchants who came from the city.

Xu Yang walked into the Fish Market and found a spot. Before he could even set down his fish basket, he saw a group of people approaching. At their head was a burly man with a powerful build and coarse hair and beard.

"Yo, Old Xu Tou, not dead yet?"

It was the usual greeting. Xu Yang paid it no mind. Setting down his fish basket, he forced a smile at the big man in front. "All thanks to Seventh Master's blessings!"

"Ha ha!"

The man called Seventh Master laughed and glanced at the fish basket by his feet. "Catch any soft-shelled turtles?"

"Thanks to Seventh Master's blessings, I was lucky enough to catch one."

Xu Yang took a soft-shelled turtle bound with grass rope from the basket and handed it to the lackey beside the man.

"I told you, when it comes to catching soft-shelled turtles, Old Xu Tou is still the best!"

The man laughed, then asked, "How much?"

Xu Yang smiled. "If Seventh Master likes it, just take it."

"Hey, when buying and selling, payment and goods must be settled fairly. That is the Golden Carp Gang's rule. Who would dare break it?"

The man waved a hand. One of his subordinates immediately tossed a small string of copper coins to Xu Yang, then held out his hand. "Today's stall fee, plus this month's Monthly Allowance—thirty large coins altogether!"

Xu Yang said no more. Taking the small string of coins, he Took out a little pouch from his robes and poured out more than ten fishy, slick copper coins. He counted them back and forth several times before Only then handing them over.

Seeing this, the man laughed again. "If everyone were as straightforward as you, Old Xu Tou, Seventh Master here would have it much easier."

Xu Yang merely smiled apologetically.

The man said no more and waved his hand. "All right, I won't hold up your business. Sanniang has a new batch of dry yellow wine. That's Old Xu Tou's favorite. Once you close up later, make sure to go have a taste."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Xu Yang smiled as he saw the man and his group off. Then he took out a small stool and began shouting his wares with all his might in a slightly hoarse voice.

Where there were people, there was jianghu. This tiny Fish Market was no exception. Apart from the minor government clerks who collected docking fees, there were also Fish Tyrants in the market. Not only did they collect stall fees, they also demanded a Monthly Allowance every month. Add the government taxes on top, and the forces of both light and dark squeezed people dry.

A lone man like Xu Yang had it easier. But for fisherfolk supporting entire families, after being squeezed every month and paying daily expenses for firewood, rice, oil, and salt, let alone saving anything, they were fortunate if they did not fall into debt.

If they encountered a year of disaster, a run of bad luck, failed to catch fish, or suffered a serious illness, they might even lose everything and be forced to sell their sons and daughters.

Working hard to build a fortune? Wishful thinking!

Chen Qi was one such Fish Tyrant. A leader of the Golden Carp Gang in Linyang City, he controlled the Fish Market and lorded over everyone there.

Do not be fooled by how amiable he seemed now. If someone failed to hand over the Monthly Allowance, he became a Jackal and Fierce Tiger that devoured people without leaving even their bones. Over the years, no one knew how many families he had driven to death.

Fortunately, Xu Yang was alone, with no family ties, and he had skill at fishing, so he could still manage.

"Miss, look at these fish. Caught just last night, guaranteed fresh. Only ten large coins!"

"Who are you calling miss? You old bag of bones are old enough to be my father!"

"My apologies, my apologies. This young lady, look at these fish..."

"They're not even breathing anymore, and you call them fresh? No, no!"

"Three large coins. I'm leaving if you won't sell!"

"Three large coins really won't do. How about this—eight large coins, and I'll kill and clean them for you!"

"Fine, fine, eight large coins. Throw in that little one too."

"..."

Common folk had it hard, and fisherfolk had it even harder. Living beside a great lake, they sold fish for dirt-cheap prices. A whole basket of fish and shrimp might not fetch much, and sometimes it would not sell at all.

Fortunately, Xu Yang had good luck today. Most of his basket of fish sold, while the leftover scraps that customers had picked through were bundled up and sold cheaply. In total, he earned thirty-five copper coins.

Xu Yang put away the money, slung the fish basket over his back, and went to the other stalls to buy a batch of daily necessities.

Fish might be cheap, but it was still meat, so it did not lack nutrition at all.

Unfortunately, people could not live on fish alone. Firewood, rice, oil, and salt were all indispensable, especially salt. Without salt, people had no strength and could not do physical labor. They would also fall prey to all kinds of illnesses.

Thus, even though fish sold for dirt cheap, fishermen had no choice. They had to sell their fish for money and use it to buy all kinds of essential supplies.

That was also why Xu Yang willingly endured the Golden Carp Gang's exploitation. Otherwise, with his current abilities, once he dove into Dongting Lake, neither the government nor the Golden Carp Gang could hope to find him, much less collect taxes or Monthly Allowances from him.

After buying a batch of daily necessities, more than half the money from selling fish was gone. Xu Yang did not take the remaining portion home. Instead, he went to a small tavern.

"Yo, Old Xu Tou!"

"Drinking another two bowls today?"

"Living alone really is comfortable."

"Nothing like us, burdened with families. It's hard!"

There were already quite a few customers in the tavern. When they saw Xu Yang, several acquaintances began teasing him.

Xu Yang did not mind. He found a corner by the door and sat down, then called over a waiter. "Two bowls of dry yellow wine, a plate of fennel beans, a plate of fried eggs, and half a chicken."

"Right away!"

Before long, the waiter brought over the wine and dishes.

Xu Yang cradled his wine bowl and carefully took a sip. Only then did he pick up his chopsticks and eat the side dishes with his wine, looking every bit like a decrepit old man addicted to drink.

Did he like drinking?

Not at all.

But he had no choice but to come.

Because the tavern's owner, Sanniang, was the mistress of the Fish Tyrant Chen Qi from earlier.

Although Chen Qi was a leader of the Golden Carp Gang and could lord over everyone in this Fish Market, he still had to keep up appearances. He could not openly rob or extort the fishermen for their money.

After all, fishermen were the Golden Carp Gang's property. Doing that would be no different from stealing the gang's money. Not only would it disrupt the market, it would violate gang rules. Even with ten times the courage, Chen Qi would not dare take such a risk.

But just because he could not do it openly did not mean he could not do it in secret. You might have your clever plan, but I have my way over the wall. There were always ways around gang rules, ways to collect tribute under all sorts of pretexts and squeeze people for money.

This tavern was one such way. After selling his fish, Xu Yang had to come here and spend some of the money in his hand to ensure his own safety.

Otherwise, a lone man with savings would have long become a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Still, the experience was far from pleasant. The wine here tasted awful, as if it had been watered down with more water. The portions of side dishes were pitifully small, and the chicken served after being chopped up was clearly missing several pieces...

Even a black shop might not be this crooked!

Yet Xu Yang showed little reaction, simply eating and drinking alone in the corner.

At least it was food and drink. Compared to gambling dens and hidden brothels that only took money and gave nothing back, this was not too bad.

The watered-down wine had little taste, but drinking too much of it could still go to one's head. Before long, people nearby began boasting and chatting wildly, and eventually they even turned the conversation toward Xu Yang.

"Old Xu Tou, you're fifty-eight this year, right? Incredible—you're practically a birthday star!"

"What are you talking about? He's more than half a decade older than Old Zhang Tou. He's only forty or fifty."

"Honestly, I really envy you. One man fed, the whole family fed. Nothing like us..."

"If I were you, why would I come here to drink? I'd have gone to find some hidden pleasure long ago."

"Get out of here. Why bring up what hurts? Don't you know he injured himself down there in his early years..."

"Ha ha ha! No wonder he hasn't spoken of marriage all these years."

"What a pity. I was even thinking of marrying Old Yu Tou's sister-in-law to you..."

"You think that old onion is worth offering up?"

"Ha ha ha!"

The crowd laughed and mocked him, all using him for amusement.

Xu Yang paid them no mind and did not bother responding. He simply kept drinking alone in the corner.

And so, he drank a bowl of wine until the afternoon before finally paying the bill and leaving, carrying his fish basket out of the Fish Market.

After returning to his boat and setting down the fish basket, he pushed off toward the lake. Before long, he returned to familiar waters.

But before he could sit down and rest...

"A Yang!"

A shout came from the distance.

Xu Yang's gaze sharpened, and his movements froze. The body beneath his straw rain cape suddenly tensed, but soon Returned To normal. He turned his eyes toward the sound.

In the distance, a Big Black Canopy Boat was slowly approaching. An old man stood at its prow, while two plainly dressed youths behind him rowed and punted.

"..."

Xu Yang was silent for a moment before ultimately steering his boat over to meet them.

The two boats drew alongside each other. The old man at the bow was not polite at all, stepping directly onto Xu Yang's boat. "What, you don't remember me? It's me, A Cheng. Eldest and Second Brother, hurry up and call him Uncle."

"So it's A Cheng."

Xu Yang looked at the old man and replied coolly. Then he got straight to the point. "What do you want?"

"Sit down first, sit down first."

The old man smiled and pulled Xu Yang toward the cabin. The two youths jumped over as well and followed them inside.

Once they entered the cabin, the old man swept his eyes around before turning back to Xu Yang with a soft laugh. "A Yang, you're old now. Well, we're all at this age. We cannot stay young forever. Back then..."

The other man began making small talk. Though Xu Yang was secretly suspicious, he did not interrupt right away and patiently traded meaningless chatter with him.

This man was named Zhang Cheng, a distant cousin of his. Their relationship had never been close, and they had not kept in touch for years. Whatever little affection they once had had long dried up. If he had come to visit now without a reason, even ghosts would not believe it.

Sure enough, after rambling for a while, Zhang Cheng finally Said out his purpose. "A Yang, when Eldest Uncle was still alive, he told my father that he had to find you a wife. He could not let your family line die out. But who would have thought... Ah, forget it, forget it. Second Brother!"

With that, he called one of the youths behind him forward, pointed at him, and said to Xu Yang, "From now on, my Second Brother will take the Xu surname. He'll call you Father and support you in your old age!"

"This..."

"What are you standing there for? Call him Father!"

Xu Yang frowned and was about to speak when Zhang Cheng smacked the youth on the back of the head.

The youth, who looked honest and dull-witted, immediately stepped forward. Without caring how Xu Yang might react, he knelt before him and called out, "Father!"

"..."

Xu Yang remained silent.

Zhang Cheng smiled, narrowing his eyes as he said to Xu Yang, "A Yang, this boy may not be too bright, but no one can fault his ability to work. Let him stay by your side and help you from now on. He'll care for you in old age, see you to your end, and continue your family line. What do you say?"

"..."

Xu Yang looked at him in silence for a while before finally nodding. "All right."

"Hmm?"

Seeing Xu Yang agree so readily, Zhang Cheng's eyes tightened. But he quickly recovered and clapped his hands. "Then it's settled. Second Brother, hurry and bring your—"

"No rush!"

Xu Yang stopped him. "This is a major matter. No matter what, we should find some people to bear witness. How about this—tomorrow. Tomorrow, you and I will set out a table of wine and invite a few elders to witness it."

Seeing Xu Yang take the matter so seriously, Zhang Cheng was taken aback. Then he smiled. "All right, all right. A Yang, you've thought this through. We'll do as you say. I'll provide the wine."

"Good!"

"..."

A short while later, Xu Yang stood at the bow and watched Zhang Cheng and his sons leave. Only then did he hunch over and slowly turn around, walking into the cabin.

Inside the cabin, Xu Yang said nothing. He sat in silence for a while, then reached down and pulled open the floorboard beneath his feet.

Beneath the floorboard was a hidden compartment. Inside lay a pointed knife, as long as a forearm, its frosted blade snow-white and reflecting a cold, sinister gleam.

Xu Yang Took out the pointed knife without a word. He only picked up a whetstone and sat in the cabin, silently sharpening it.