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Before long, another man arrived, wearing a satin sash and white boots. With his large head and ears, he had quite a cheerful-looking face. "How much are these fish?"

"Eighty-five wen for the larger ones, sixty wen and up for the smaller ones."

Xie Ning turned to stare wide-eyed at his husband. No one had wanted them at eighty, so why had he raised the price?

"Pretty expensive." The man pursed his lips.

"The Second Sage, Master Meng Ke, once said that one cannot have both fish and bear's paw. He compared fish to bear's paw, yet these fish are nowhere near as expensive as bear's paw." Zhou Jinian remained relaxed and unhurried.

Only then did the man shift his gaze from the fish to Zhou Jinian's face. He nodded and asked, "Raised them yourself?"

Zhou Jinian answered truthfully, "Caught them in a pool deep in the mountains."

The man nodded again. Judging by their size, these certainly did not look like fish from the small rivers around Qingshui Town. Grain yields were low these days, and there was not enough to feed even the people, much less the fish. Most were caught and eaten as soon as they reached two jin.

"When did you catch them?" The man kept asking questions.

"Yesterday evening." Zhou Jinian was not lying. Until evening, they had still been living in the pool.

"This one's belly-up. Would you sell it for eighty wen? I'll get you the money." The man finally stopped asking questions. He had come out himself to buy meat today, having invited an official to his home for lunch, and this fish would be just right to serve his guest. Since it had only been caught last night, the large fish would still be fresh despite floating belly-up. He could use the few copper coins he saved to buy himself some wine.

Zhou Jinian nodded. "Yes."

He deftly threaded a thin hemp cord through the fish's mouth and handed it to the well-to-do customer, took the money, then watched the customer stroll off to the next stall with the fish swinging from his hand.

Xie Ning's mouth fell slightly open in surprise. "Jinian, you're amazing!"

Zhou Jinian tossed the string of copper coins in his hand, then threw it to Xie Ning. "Keep it safe."

Xie Ning held the money and counted it over and over.

Carrying the fish, the well-to-do customer unwittingly became a walking advertisement for them. Someone asked him, "Sir, where did you buy that fish?"

Following the direction he pointed in, they saw a tall, imposing man. "The one in the blue cloth shirt, the most handsome fellow there."

The morning soon passed. Under the blazing sun, Zhou Jinian asked with concern, "Ninglang, are you holding up? Any discomfort?"

"No." Xie Ning stood and stamped his feet, checking how his body felt, then added, "I feel great."

Zhou Jinian fetched the waterskin, pulled out the stopper, and held it to his lips. "Have some water."

Xie Ning obediently took a large mouthful, then lifted it toward Zhou Jinian. "You have some."

Only then did the butcher selling meat beside them realize that they were a married couple. He moved closer and proposed with a smile, "Young man, how about I trade three jin of pork for one of your fish? I can see you're very fond of your husband. If you finish selling early, you can take him somewhere cool. Just give me a smaller one."

Zhou Jinian readily picked out a large fish and exchanged it for the three jin of pork belly, layered with fat and lean meat. He also made a request. "Brother, once I've sold all these fish, could I leave the bucket here with you for a while? I'll take my husband to buy a few things, then come back for it."

The butcher smiled until his eyes narrowed to slits. This fellow was truly honest; he had gotten the better end of the bargain. He nodded in agreement. "Of course, of course. Just go about your business. I pack up when the chickens and ducks head back to their roosts. Come for the bucket before then."

The husbands hurriedly thanked him, and finally sold out between one and three that afternoon.

Zhou Jinian left the empty bucket behind the butcher's stall and took Xie Ning by the hand to find something to eat.

Zhou Jinian asked, "What would you like to eat?"

"Hmm." Xie Ning looked around. Some stalls sold fried dough sticks and steamed buns, and there were small noodle stalls too. For the moment, he could not decide what he wanted.

"There's a restaurant up ahead. It often smells lovely when I pass by." Zhou Jinian wanted to take him somewhere for a good meal.

"I want to eat at a stall," Xie Ning suggested. "We can look at the prices. What do you think about me setting up a stall too, selling steamed dried eggplant and cooking some flour porridge?"

"Sure. You choose." Zhou Jinian agreed, as long as Ninglang was not doing it to save money.

In the end, Xie Ning chose a noodle stall. The two ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles and sat down at a table behind the stall.

The nearby stalls all sold food, and this noodle stall happened to be right in the middle. Xie Ning could prick up his ears and listen for the prices of flatbreads and fried pastries around them.

At ten wen a bowl, the shredded pork noodles came in a large bowl with a generous portion and were the stall's most expensive noodles. The other option was plain noodles, at seven wen a bowl.

The nearby vegetable buns cost five wen for two, while meat buns were four wen each. Xie Ning ate his noodles slowly, listening carefully to the prices.

Only after he had learned just about enough did he lift his bowl and drain the soup in one go, eating until his belly was round and full. Then the two headed hand in hand toward the eastern part of Qingshui Town, where the bookshop was.

With the bulging money pouch tucked against him, Xie Ning smiled so broadly that his eyes all but disappeared. This was his first time earning money, and it had cost them nothing to start. It was all thanks to his swimming skills and his ability to catch fish with his bare hands.

When they reached the bookshop, Shopkeeper Zhang carefully checked every page before nodding in approval and promptly paying them.

When they left the bookshop again, their purses were full. With their most important business taken care of, they were much more relaxed as they went to find a broker.

Holding Zhou Jinian's hand, Xie Ning looked around the town curiously. The hottest part of the day had passed, and street performers began appearing that afternoon.

The watching crowd burst into cheers. "Bravo!"

Xie Ning stopped, his curiosity piqued. He tugged on their joined hands and pleaded softly, "Jinian, what are they doing over there? It's so lively."

The little fool was asking when he already knew. Zhou Jinian led him toward the crowd, indulging his wish.

Xie Ning clutched his arm and stood on tiptoe. Zhou Jinian simply used his height and size to squeeze them into the front row. The view suddenly opened up, and Xie Ning watched wide-eyed, his head tilted slightly upward and one hand holding his hat in place.

The street performer held a water vat aloft, the muscles in his arms bulging to the size of mice. The crowd cheered, applauding his tremendous strength.

Xie Ning watched so intently that he could not help mimicking the strain on the performer's face. While the performer gritted his teeth and thrust out his lips, he puffed out his cheeks and pouted, his hands clenched into fists, as though what rested on his head was not a featherlight bamboo hat but an enormous boulder bearing down with the weight of Mount Tai.

Zhou Jinian had been watching the person beside him all along. Seeing Ninglang strain like that, he could not help finding it funny. He really was such a sweet, silly child.