"Help, help, spare me, spare me! Father Luo, Sister Qian, help me, I don't dare, I don't dare, I won't gamble again next time! Mom, mom, I won't dare to gamble again next time, come out and save me, help me!"
Chu Tian laughed and rushed a few steps to Zhong Dagou, and lightly tapped the stick in his hand, hitting Zhong Dagou's calf.
There was a "click" sound, and Zhong Dagou's calf was neatly broken into two pieces. The fracture was even and there was no broken bone. Although it was very painful, it was properly bandaged and healed without any problem.
Zhong Dagou howled in pain, while Chu Tian and a group of big men laughed out loud.
A group of passers-by gathered around and shook their heads and sighed as they looked at Zhong Dagou crying bitterly.
"Big dog, you should be dying of pain. If it weren't for Chu Dangtou, your mother would have died long ago, and you're still asking your mother to save her!"
"Big Dog, stop gambling. Find a job to support your mother and find a wife, okay?"
Chu Tian clasped his fists and bowed to the passers-by without saying anything. He rummaged in his sleeves for a while and took out a thumb-sized piece of silver and threw it next to Zhong Dagou: "Zhong Dagou, this is for your medicine. When your leg is healed, go to the fish market and I'll find you a job. When you go to Qizhou City to gamble again, this time it's one leg, next time it'll be three legs!"
Zhong Dagou's body shuddered and he subconsciously covered his lower body with his hands. Two lines of hot tears rolled out and he cried loudly as if his mother had died.
Chu Tian ignored this guy, pushed through the crowd and strode towards the fish market.
At 2 p.m., in the teahouse beside the fish market pier, the stewards of each household and the buyers of each restaurant had already drunk their bellies full of cheap tea and were holding their bellies with their hands. Suddenly, a few fishmongers burst into laughter.
"Here comes Chu Dangtou. Here comes the market. The market is open. The market is open!"
"Hello everyone, bosses, Chu Dangtou is here, the market is open!"
"The best Baimang River fish, fresh and alive. There are fish, shrimp, turtle, and crab!"
"Make way, make way, don't block Chu Dangtou's way!"
A dozen fishmongers squeezed out of the crowd and came to Chu Tian very attentively. They separated the crowd for him and walked along the avenue to the fish market pier. Chu Tian looked around, nodded, and said nothing. He casually stuck his ironwood stick to the pier, and a big man accompanying him hurriedly tied a red cloth belt on the end of the stick.
The river breeze blew, and red ribbons seven or eight feet long danced in the wind. Seeing this bright red, the fishermen on the countless fishing boats on the river shouted in unison and rowed their boats.
Fishing boats came to the shore one after another and docked at the pier of the fish market. Fishmongers stood on the shore and shouted loudly, and fishermen laughed and reported the precious and rare aquatic products on their boats. The stewards in the mansions of dignitaries and the purchasing staff of restaurants shouted loudly and bid for the freshest river aquatic products.
A waiter from a teahouse on the pier attentively brought a set of tables and chairs over. Chu Tian sat steadily on the armchair, picked up the fine porcelain teapot, and while tasting the fragrant melon tea that the teahouse owner particularly liked, he looked coldly at the noisy fish market.
Four big men stood in a row behind Chu Tian, sniffing and glaring at the people coming and going around them.
Other big men carried sticks as high as their eyebrows and walked back and forth in the fish market which stretched for several miles. If someone had a dispute, these big men would yell at them. No matter if you were the manager of a wealthy family or a wealthy purchaser, when these big men yelled at you, their tone would often drop several tones and their voices would become exceptionally soft and gentle.
After more than half an hour, fishmongers kept coming over with account books in their hands, reporting to Chu Tian how many kilograms of big mandarin fish and silver carp were caught today, how many prawns were caught, and how many baskets of crabs were consumed.
Chu Tian listened to the reports of these fishmongers, but he did not take notes. He memorized every number in the account book once he heard it, and would never forget it. Since he occupied the mouth of Baimang River three years ago and became the head of the fishmongers of these three fish restaurants, he had never made a mistake in any of the accounts.
After working for more than an hour, baskets of fresh fish, shrimp, turtles and crabs were loaded onto the freight carriages. The satisfied managers and buyers returned to the city of Qizhou with the purchased fish and seafood.
Some purchasing agents who were familiar with Chu Tian even came over to greet Chu Tian.
Chu Tian was not arrogant. Whenever someone came to greet him, he would stand up and greet them with a friendly expression. They made an appointment to drink in the city of Qizhou another day. Everyone was smiling and laughing, and their expressions were full of joy.
A light cough was heard, and a short and fat old man wearing a light green satin gown with a few bats embroidered on the cuffs smiled and bowed to Chu Tian: "Chu Dangtou? Rare, rare!"
Chu Tian looked the old man up and down, and also smiled and bowed: "Excuse me, old man, but I don't see you. You don't look like a fish seller."
The short and fat old man laughed, gently stroked the three-inch silver beard on his chin, and said slowly: "I came here today to buy fish. I heard that as long as Chu Dangtou opens his mouth, there is no fish in the White Python River that cannot be obtained as long as it exists in the world."
Chu Tian smiled gently. He glanced at the two servants in green clothes and small hats following the short and fat old man and said with a smile, "Thank you, thank you. I am not exaggerating. If there is any fresh fish in the White Python River, I will deliver it to you within three to five days if you ask for it."
The short and fat old man nodded with satisfaction. He fumbled in his sleeves for a while, and then "slap, slap, slap" three garlic sticks were thrown out and placed on the tea table next to Chu Tian. Each garlic stick was about three inches long, and each one weighed about ten taels.
Qizhou is a remote frontier state, so gold is precious. One tael of gold can always be exchanged for twenty taels of silver. These three garlic sticks are a lot of money.
The fish teeth around all took a breath of cold air in unison and cried out "ouch". This money is not easy to earn. There are indeed many rare fish in the Baimang River, but how many of them are worth paying for with gold?
Chu Tian raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile: "Thirty taels of gold as a deposit? What does the old man want?"
The short and fat old man looked at Chu Tian with a smile and said in a gentle voice: "Our young master has recently enrolled in the Qishan Academy. He is thinking of inviting all of you classmates to hold a 'Dragon Gate Banquet' to take the auspicious omen of the carp leaping over the dragon gate."
The short and fat old man gestured a number with his hands and said with a smile: "Ten ten-foot-long golden-scaled carps can be prepared and sent to the Jishan Academy within three days. Thirty taels of gold is indeed just a deposit. As for the price of the fish, just tell me."
Chu Tian narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile: "Excuse me, who is your master?"
The short and fat old man straightened his chest and said with a calm smile: "Our young master is none other than Ling Yue, the young master of the Chu family in Qizhou."
There was a dead silence all around, and the word "Chu" was enough to shock all the fish teeth present.
Chu Tian smiled slightly, sat on the big armchair, and waved his hand casually: "Goodbye, I won't see you off!"
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