Ma Xianyang!

"Golden Dragon Gang, Gao Nian!"

Gao Nian's gaze was blazing as he swept his eyes over Shen Xiuhan's overflowing fish basket, one brow lifting.

"Brother, I haven't seen you around before. Which household are you from?"

Shen Xiuhan stopped without changing expression and gave a slight bow.

"A tenant of the White Family. My father was Shen Sanhuai..."

"Shen Sanhuai?"

At the name, Gao Nian's expression eased.

Clearly, news of Shen Sanhuai's death at the jaws of a water monster had spread through the county.

"Setting up a street stall, or going through the fish brokers?"

"A stall."

"You know the rules?"

"I do."

Shen Xiuhan took out Momo's little purse, counted out five copper coins, and handed them over.

Gao Nian caught them one-handed, casually weighed them in his palm, then tipped his chin toward an empty patch of ground in the distance.

"There. Go on."

"Thank you."

Shen Xiuhan said no more. He picked up his fish basket and headed over.

There were two ways to sell fish at the market, each with its own pros and cons.

Setting up a stall was cheaper, requiring only five coins in protection money, but the downside was that one had to hawk the goods oneself.

Going through the fish brokers was more convenient. The brokers had plenty of connections with the major inns and restaurants of the inner city, and as long as the catch was good, they could swallow it all in one bite.

The downside was their steep commission—at least fifteen percent, sometimes as much as twenty or thirty percent.

Shen Xiuhan lacked money, not time, so naturally he chose to set up a stall and call out his wares.

Besides, the goods in his basket truly had no shortage of buyers.

Well, except for the Black Bighead Carp.

Though its flesh was tender, it had too many small bones and was not very large. Altogether, it probably would not sell for ten coins, so Shen Xiuhan did not intend to sell it.

He found a clean bluestone slab, set down his basket, and took the fish out one by one.

Six Silver-striped Fish lay in a neat row across the bluestone.

Each was plump and strong, its scales bright and gleaming.

The largest weighed over three jin, while even the smallest was around two.

Three bore four silver stripes, while the rest were all prime specimens with five or more!

In the bitter depths of winter, such superb fish were like torches in the night!

The moment they were laid out, their plump, lively appearance drew a sea of eyes from all around.

"Silver-striped Fish?"

"Whoa! Bright red gills, shining scales—these are fine-looking fish!"

"In the dead of winter, did you poke into a nest of Silver-striped Fish, lad?"

"Just looking at them makes my mouth water. The price probably isn't low, is it?"

More and more people gathered around.

A middle-aged man who looked like a steward rubbed his hands and could not help asking, "Little brother, what price are these fish going for?"

Shen Xiuhan had already done the math on the way over. He immediately clasped his hands and called out clearly, "Twenty coins per jin for the four-striped ones!"

"Twenty-two coins per jin for the five-striped ones!"

"As for this six-striped one... twenty-five coins per jin. No haggling!"

In the bountiful summer season, those prices would indeed have been somewhat high.

But now, in the deep winter, with the water frozen over and fresh river fish scarce, the price was more than fair!

Before his words had even faded, a servant-like fellow squeezed out from the crowd.

"I'll take that four-striped one!"

After it was weighed, he readily counted out forty-two large coins, took the fish, and left beaming with delight.

"I'll take one too. My old mother is sick, and this will be perfect for making soup to sweat it out!"

"I want one as well!"

Business was astonishingly brisk.

In the blink of an eye, all three four-striped fish had been snapped up.

A full one hundred and thirty large coins went into Shen Xiuhan's pocket, leaving even him somewhat excited.

Yet what puzzled him was that the remaining three Silver-striped Fish, which were of even better quality and had more than five stripes, went unasked after for a long while.

The crowd stood before his stall, pointing and whispering, their eyes full of hunger, yet not a single person was willing to pull out their money readily.

After a brief thought, Shen Xiuhan understood the crux of it.

Silver-striped Fish were premium goods.

Those buying fish from street stalls were mostly common folk or errand boys from ordinary little restaurants. Where would there be any wealthy gentry or great families among them?

Adding two or three more coins did not sound like much.

But to them, it was enough to buy two liang of pork from the butcher!

Spending it just to buy a few extra stripes on a fish was truly painful to the flesh.

After waiting a while, much of the crowd dispersed, yet the three Silver-striped Fish still drew no buyers.

Shen Xiuhan's heart sank. Could such fine fish really end up rotting in his hands?

"Senior Brother Ma, it's right here."

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind the crowd.

Shen Xiuhan looked toward the sound.

A black-robed youth was leading over a young man who strode with his head held high, his face wreathed in smiles and his manner faintly respectful.

In the bitter depths of winter, when dripping water froze into ice, the surrounding fishermen wished they could tuck their heads into their necks.

Yet that young man wore only a thin white robe and did not seem cold in the slightest!

"Senior Brother Ma, don't let this fish market's filth and chaos fool you. Most of the freshest catches in the county are sold here. Especially through the fish brokers inside—their news is the quickest..."

The black-robed youth was introducing the place in a flood of words when his gaze suddenly stopped. He exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Han?"

At that form of address, a name instantly surfaced in Shen Xiuhan's mind.

Chen An, Uncle Chen's only son, and the original owner's childhood friend.

Madam Zheng had mentioned that Chen An was going to learn martial arts. Judging from how he treated this Senior Brother Ma, it seemed to be true.

Chen An stepped forward with a delighted expression. "Brother Han, your wasting sickness has healed?"

"Thanks to the life-saving money Uncle Chen lent us, I barely managed to keep this life."

Shen Xiuhan followed his lead.

"Come on, with the relationship between our families, why are you saying such distant things?"

Chen An gave a hearty laugh, then respectfully pointed to the young man beside him. "Brother Han, let me introduce you. This is Senior Brother Ma Xianyang, the third disciple of the Through-the-Back Martial Hall in the inner city!"

Through-the-Back Martial Hall!

Shen Xiuhan's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged as he cupped his fists in greeting.

"Greetings, Brother Ma."

"No need for formalities..."

Ma Xianyang smiled, glancing down at the fish on the ground. A strange gleam shone in his eyes.

"These fish... are they yours? How much?"

"Uh... twenty-five coins per jin for the six-striped one, and twenty-two per jin for the others."

"...That isn't expensive. Count them all at twenty-five coins per jin. Weigh them."

With a grand wave of his hand, Ma Xianyang took out two strings of copper coins and handed them to Shen Xiuhan, smiling.

"The fish look good. I'll take them all. I can bring them back and stew up a pot of fresh soup for my junior brothers and sisters at the martial hall. A bowl of Silver-striped Fish soup in the dead of winter should taste... exceptionally fresh!"

"This..."

Shen Xiuhan was a little dazed.

Still, he quickly used the public scale. The three Silver-striped Fish came to one hundred and sixty coins, and he hurriedly said, "You gave too much. I'll make change..."

"No need!"

Ma Xianyang laughed heartily, generous as could be.

"If you catch fish like these in the future, or even better ones, just bring them directly to my Through-the-Back Martial Hall. You will never suffer a loss on the price."

"I see... Then thank you for your patronage!"

Understanding dawned on Shen Xiuhan, and his voice gained several measures of sincere gratitude.

So Ma Xianyang had seen the quality of his catch and wanted to secure his supply.

"No need to stand on ceremony. Chen An..."

"Senior Brother Ma!"

"Bring the fish back to the martial hall, then see Brother Shen home on the way. Carrying money in his clothes in the outer city may not be safe."

"What about the fish brokers..."

"I'll have a look around myself. Go on."

"Understood. Take care, Senior Brother Ma!"

Ma Xianyang smiled. Before leaving, he patted Shen Xiuhan on the shoulder and reminded him once more, "Brother Shen, if you get any good goods, remember to bring them to my Through-the-Back Martial Hall. My senior brother loves fish, and you will not suffer a loss on the price."

"Rest assured, Brother Ma. I'll remember."

Once the other man had gone far away, Shen Xiuhan took out the copper coins that had not even had time to warm in his pocket.

"Chen An, what I owe your family..."

Before he could finish, Chen An shoved his hand back and said irritably, "Brother Han, why are you being so distant with me?"

"I know your family's situation. Pay the Bai clan's rent and the money for the skiff first. There's no rush with my family's money."

"...Thanks, brother."

"You brat, how come you're like a different person after one serious illness?"

Chen An grinned and picked up the basket holding the fish. "Come on? Let's head home together?"

"Not yet. I'm going to East Market first to buy a few things."

"Alright. I'll take the fish to the martial hall, and we'll meet at the inner city gate."