Ding Jiu's wager

"Old Black, what brings you here? My woman's throwing a fit, so I won't invite you in."

Ding Jiu's eyes shifted evasively. They had spent five years together at A Qu Garrison. He had known Third Master Du went to Black Han's house last night, but had not dared poke his head out for a look.

"A-Jiu, I'm here to borrow some money." Black Han came straight to the point.

Ding Jiu had already guessed why Black Han had come. Third Master Du had come and gone, so of course Black Han was here to borrow money! He hurriedly offered the excuses he had prepared:

"It's not that I won't lend you any. You know how my woman squanders money, and my son was sick a while back. I gambled a few rounds yesterday too, and my luck was bad. Then my father-in-law bought another batch of chestnuts. That old man, honestly-you know what it's like. Grain prices have gone up. People can't even fill their bellies, so who has spare money for chestnuts..."

Ding Jiu rambled on at length, then finally sighed. "If you'd asked me a couple of months ago, I could've scraped something together. Right now, I really haven't got any to spare."

Black Han spoke earnestly. "A-Jiu, this money isn't for me. It's for Young Master Wang. If you're willing to lend it, even a thousand coins, first, I guarantee you'll get your money back. Second, Young Master Wang will definitely remember the favor."

A-Jiu exclaimed, "You're still following Young Master Wang around! You saw what happened that day in that Shoukang Lane place! They wouldn't even let him through the door! They couldn't be bothered to say a word to him! That fellow's either a swindler or some down-and-out! He's plainly trying to trick you out of money to spend! Don't go falling for it again!"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he became. He glanced around, then lowered his voice:

"Listen, after I got home, the more I thought about it, the more things didn't add up. Bandits robbing the Langya Wang-how big a deal would that be? Why didn't he report it to the authorities? And how convenient that he didn't have a single thing on him to prove who he was! I reckon there's something wrong with his identity. Maybe he isn't from the Langya Wang at all! Maybe he isn't even gentry! Didn't you see our squad leader and the clerk both clear out? Would they have left if his identity checked out? They'd have been fawning over him already! Would they have left that chance to you?"

Black Han shook his head. "Actually, I'm not courting his favor because he's gentry."

"You can fool outsiders with that, but there's no point saying it to me." Ding Jiu did not believe him at all.

"It's true. Or at least, that's not the whole reason. I don't know whether he's genuine or not. But take his explanation of the Yongming era name. Take how, dressed in rags and without any documents to prove his identity, he could still make our squad leader and the clerk take him seriously with just a few words. Take how he turned the situation around in a few sentences and had the squad leader kill those two northern spies who tried to turn the accusations back on him. That alone tells me he's capable, no ordinary man."

Black Han said with earnest concern, "Think about it, A-Jiu. Leave aside whether he's gentry. You and I might never meet a man like that in our entire lives. Even if we did, would we have a chance to get to know him if he hadn't fallen on hard times? Aren't you always complaining that you never get a chance to rise in the world? Now the chance is here, why don't you know to grab it?"

Black Han's words left Ding Jiu wavering. He hesitated. "Then... how much does he want to borrow?"

"He's not borrowing it. I am. I want to borrow fifteen hundred." Black Han felt he could not add any more outside debts to Young Master Wang's burden.

"Fifteen hundred!" Ding Jiu's eyes bulged. "What do you need that much for? Building a house?"

"I can't tell you what it's for. Anyway, it'll help Young Master Wang. If you lend it, I'll tell him when I get back that this is Ding Jiu's money. Whether you lend it is up to you."

Ding Jiu agonized for a while, then said, "Wait here." He went back inside.

Black Han heard a woman shouting and cursing inside Ding Jiu's house.

Only after quite a while did Ding Jiu emerge with a small cloth bundle. He gave an awkward smile. "I'm really strapped for money. I only have five hundred."

Five hundred it is, Black Han thought. Anything I can borrow helps.

"All right. I'll definitely pay you back! Shall we draw up a contract?"

"No need for a contract, but you have to get Young Master Wang to agree to one thing."

"What?"

"Help me get off the Soldier Register."

Black Han was speechless. "A-Jiu, what are you thinking? Even if you had ten thousand coins to pay someone to get you off the Soldier Register, would you have the right connections? You want to lend someone five hundred and get something done that even ten thousand couldn't buy?"

Ding Jiu said shamelessly, "If he can get me off the Soldier Register, he won't have to repay those five hundred! I could even throw in another two thousand!"

"That's not how things work! If you openly pay to get off the Soldier Register, who would agree to it?! Another two thousand-do you think you're buying something at a shop? I don't even need to ask. Young Master Wang definitely won't agree."

Ding Jiu curled his lip. "You're afraid he doesn't have the power to get me off the Soldier Register, aren't you?"

That was indeed what Black Han thought.

He had mentioned the Soldier Register in front of Wang Yang before, and had also said that A-Wu was a girl from a military household. Young Master Wang had not responded to either remark. That suggested it might be beyond his power. And that made sense: the court kept a tight rein on things now, and getting off the Soldier Register was no easy matter.

"Whether he has the power is another question. Let's just talk about what's reasonable. If you're paying someone to do this, never mind two thousand-even twenty thousand wouldn't get it done! If you want it done, you can only rely on personal goodwill. And if you're relying on goodwill, you have to give something first. You're making demands after lending a mere five hundred. Isn't that a joke?"

Ding Jiu said unhappily, "He can't snare a white wolf with empty hands! What if I lend him the money and he can't help me with anything?"

Remembering Ding Jiu's fondness for gambling, Black Han said, "Then this is a gamble. If you're willing to stake five hundred on a chance, lend it. If not, don't. Whether you place the bet, and how big or small it is, that's all up to you!"

Seeing Ding Jiu still dithering, Black Han turned to leave.

"Old Black! Don't rush off. I never said I wouldn't lend it!" Ding Jiu hurriedly caught hold of him. "Five hundred coins, all yours. Count them, and remember to tell Young Master Wang when you get back that I lent you this money."

Afraid Black Han would take all the credit, he added, "Once I finish my work, I'll go see Young Master Wang."

After Black Han left, Ding Jiu mulled over his words, then suddenly ran into the house and rushed to open a chest. His wife desperately blocked him with her body. "What are you doing?! You just took five hundred! What are you trying to do now!"

Ding Jiu pushed his wife aside. "If I'm going to gamble, I'll make it a big one! I'm taking another two thousand!"

His wife lunged at him like a madwoman, hitting and clawing at him as she shouted, "Touch a single coin today and I'll fight you to the death! This marriage is over!"

After a bout of fighting, shouting, and cursing, Ding Jiu sat dejectedly on the floor, holding his bawling son, and felt he had nothing left to live for. His plan to "raise the stakes" went down the drain.

His wife, the victor of this great battle, could never have imagined that her husband would hold this incident over her for the rest of his life.

Black Han took the hairpin to the village head's house and exchanged it for two hundred coins. Together with his entire savings of two hundred and the five hundred he had just borrowed, he barely scraped together nine hundred. He was about to trade more household belongings for money when Wang Yang stopped him. "There's not much difference between nine hundred and a thousand. Besides, I still have the thirty-three coins you gave me earlier. This will do. Let's head to Jingzhou City now."

A-Wu raised her head, full of anticipation. "Young master, could you take me along to have a look too? I've never been inside the city!"

Wang Yang thought that this trip was for serious business, and bringing a child would be inconvenient, so he said, "Next time. I'll take you into the city to have fun next time."

Seeing A-Wu lower her head in disappointment, Wang Yang softened. "I'll bring you back some candy."

"R-really?" A-Wu abruptly looked up, staring at Wang Yang in astonishment.

Wang Yang could not truly grasp what candy meant to a child from a poor family in this era.

Not just poor families-even ordinary households rarely ate candy. When they occasionally did, they could not afford cane sugar or honey candy and had to settle for malt candy.

Malt candy was made by simmering sprouts of rice, barley, wheat, and other grains, known in ancient times as "nie." In previous years, A-Wu had only been able to eat a soft candy called Glue-Tooth Malt Candy at New Year. But grain prices in Jingzhou had soared this year, and candy prices had risen with the tide. Whether she would get any at New Year was still uncertain.