Ma Xianyang!

"Golden Dragon Gang, Gao Nian!"

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

"Brother, you're a fresh face. Which family are you from?"

Shen Xiuhan halted without betraying a flicker of emotion and bowed slightly.

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

"Shen Sanhuai?"

At those words, Gao Nian's expression eased.

Clearly, news of Shen Sanhuai being killed by a water monster had reached the county as well.

"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 five copper coins, and handed them over.

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

"There. Go on."

"Thank you."

Shen Xiuhan said no more, lifted the fish basket, and headed over.

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

Running a stall saved money, with only a five-copper protection fee, but he had to call out and hawk the goods himself.

Going through the fish brokers was more convenient. The brokers had plenty of connections and dealt with every major inn and restaurant in the inner city. As long as the catch was good, they could swallow it all in one gulp.

The downside was their steep cut—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 hawk his wares.

Besides, the goods in his basket truly had no need to worry about finding buyers.

Well, except for the black bighead carp.

Though black bighead carp had tender flesh, they were full of small bones and not very large. He reckoned they would fetch less than ten copper coins altogether, so Shen Xiuhan did not plan to sell them.

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

Six Silver-striped Fish were lined up neatly across the bluestone.

Every one of them was plump and sturdy, their scales bright and fresh.

The largest weighed more than three catties, while even the smallest was around two catties.

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

In the bitter twelfth month of winter, fish this fine were like torches blazing in the night!

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

"Silver-striped Fish?"

"Whoa! Bright-red gills and gleaming scales. These are fine-looking fish!"

"In the dead of winter, did this little brother poke open a Silver-striped Fish nest?"

"They look mouthwatering. The price can't be low, right?"

More and more people gathered around.

A middle-aged man who looked like a steward rubbed his hands and could not help asking,

"Young brother, how much are these fish?"

Shen Xiuhan had already worked out the figures on his way here. He immediately cupped his hands and called out clearly,

"Twenty copper coins per catty for four-striped fish!"

"Twenty-two copper coins per catty for five-striped fish!"

"As for this six-striped one... twenty-five copper coins per catty. No bargaining!"

That price would indeed have been somewhat high during summer, when catches were plentiful.

But this was the bitter twelfth month of winter, when the water was frozen over and freshwater fish were scarce. At a time like this, the price was perfectly fair!

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

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

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

"Give me one too. My old mother is sick, and it'll be perfect for making soup to sweat it out!"

"I want one too!"

Business was unexpectedly booming.

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 pouch, making even him somewhat excited.

What puzzled him, however, was that the remaining three Silver-striped Fish—those of even better quality, with five or more stripes—went unasked after for a long while.

The crowd stood around the stall, pointing and whispering, their eyes full of craving, yet not one person was willing to pull out money without hesitation.

After giving it a moment's thought, Shen Xiuhan understood the crux of the matter.

Silver-striped Fish were prized fish.

Those who bought fish at street stalls were mostly common folk or errand runners from ordinary little restaurants. Where would they find wealthy gentry or great clans among them?

An extra two or three copper coins did not sound like much.

But to them, that was enough to buy two taels of pork from the butcher!

Spending it just to buy a fish with more stripes on its body truly made their hearts bleed.

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

Shen Xiuhan's heart sank. Were such fine fish really going to rot 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.

He saw a youth in black robes, his face wreathed in smiles as he respectfully led over a young man who strode forward with his head held high.

It was the bitter twelfth month of winter, cold enough to freeze dripping water into ice.

The fishermen around them wished they could shrink 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 dirty, chaotic fish market fool you. Most of the county's freshest catches are sold here. Especially the fish brokers inside—they have the best information..."

The black-robed youth had been introducing the place in a steady stream 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 childhood friend the original owner had grown up with.

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

Chen An stepped forward, delighted. "Brother Han, your consumption illness is cured?"

"Thanks to the life-saving money Uncle Chen lent us, I barely managed to snatch my life back."

Shen Xiuhan smoothly picked up the conversation.

"Ah, with the relationship between our two families, why say such distant things?"

Chen An gave a hearty laugh, then respectfully pointed to the young man beside him as he introduced 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, though his expression remained calm. He cupped his hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Brother Ma."

"No need for such ceremony..."

Ma Xianyang smiled, his eyes flicking toward the fish on the ground and shining with strange interest.

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

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

"...Not expensive. Count them all at twenty-five copper coins per catty. 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 are of fine quality. I'll take them all. I'll bring them back and have a pot of fresh soup stewed for the junior brothers and sisters at the Martial Arts School. A bowl of Silver-striped Fish soup in the dead of winter ought to taste... exceptionally fresh!"

"This..."

Shen Xiuhan was a little dazed.

Still, he hurriedly used the public scale. The three Silver-striped Fish came to one hundred and sixty copper coins, and he quickly said,

"You gave too much. I'll make change..."

"No need!"

Ma Xianyang laughed heartily, exceedingly generous.

"If you catch fish like these in the future, or even better ones, just bring them straight to my Through-the-Back Martial Hall. The price definitely won't leave you at a loss."

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

Shen Xiuhan understood at once, and there was a few degrees more genuine gratitude in his voice.

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

"No need to be polite. Chen An..."

"Senior Brother Ma!"

"Take the fish back to the Martial Arts School, and escort Brother Shen home along the way. Carrying money in his robes, he might not be safe in the outer city."

"What about the fish brokers..."

"I'll stroll around on my own. 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, remember to send any good catches to my Through-the-Back Martial Hall. My senior brother loves fish, and the price won't leave you at a loss."

"Don't worry, 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 up 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 treating me like an outsider?"

"I know your family's circumstances. Pay off the Bai clan's rent and the money for the skiff first. There's no rush with what you owe my family."

"...Thanks, brother."

"You brat, how did one serious illness turn you into a different person?"

Chen An grinned and lifted the fish basket. "Come on, shall we head home together?"

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

"Fine. I'll deliver the fish to the Martial Arts School, then we'll meet at the inner city gate."