"Cough, cough..." The white-haired old man coughed more violently, rainbow light flashing on his body, his form beginning to turn transparent. "Young man, how many fish do you want?"
"Five should suffice."
"Five, so precise... I can't do it anymore..."
With a flick of his finger, hundreds of fish flew out of the river and landed on the bank, wriggling. By the time Chen Jiuyang came back to his senses, the white-haired old man had already vanished into thin air.
Only a young man and a young woman remained, along with the ground full of live fish.
"This is quite a waste..."
Chen Jiuyang quickly dismantled his bamboo basket, then gathered some large pebbles and piled them up, creating a well-like structure by the river. He then threw the still wriggling fish into it.
Afterward, he carried the young woman on his back and returned to the city with five plump fish in his hand.
"Yo, the little beggar went fishing and picked up a wife?"
"She fainted from hunger by the roadside..." Chen Jiuyang fabricated a story.
"Oh, another beggar in the city. Pay the entrance fee, and you can come in."
Chen Jiuyang left one fish behind and entered Qingcheng, returning to his old house.
There were seven or eight other young boys and girls in the house. Seeing Chen Jiuyang carrying a young woman on his back and holding plump fish, the younger children cheered:
"Meat to eat!"
The older children asked about the girl Chen Jiuyang was carrying. Chen Jiuyang recounted the story he had told the city gate guards.
"Where is the old man?"
"Working in the prison."
"Then I'll prepare the fish first," Chen Jiuyang said.
The old man who had taken them in was a jailer at the Qingcheng prison, a job that came with some perks.
However, it was difficult for the old man to support more than ten children.
Moreover, they had no household registration. The old man was saving money to bribe his superiors and get them out of their unregistered status. Only Chen Jiuyang, with his sharpest mind, had noticed this.
As Chen Jiuyang was gutting a fish in the kitchen, a young man older than him entered, rubbing his hands with a smile:
"Yang ge'er, a big job has come up, ten taels of silver."
Chen Jiuyang immediately put down the fish he was holding. "What job?"
Ten taels of silver were enough to provide for a family of ten for more than half a year.
"The Ice-Skin Jade-Bone Pure Maiden of Red Archway, who has been raised for three years, is getting married today. Many merchants and dignitaries have come to Qingcheng, hoping to buy poems for the beauty."
Chen Jiuyang pondered for a moment. "The younger siblings at home are growing, and they need new clothes. I should share some of the burden with the old man. Big Brother, lead the way."
...
Fine horses and carved chariots filled the streets with fragrance, phoenix flutes sounded, and the guests at Red Archway were the most esteemed.
The crowd was boisterous, the air thick with the mingled scents of perfume and wine, a lavish scene of copper coins and jade crowns.
Everyone gathered here, all for the Ice-Skin Jade-Bone Shui Nuan'er of Red Archway, who was still awaiting marriage.
Chen Jiuyang stood outside the gate, his brow furrowed as he surveyed the scene. He disliked such occasions.
But to earn money, he had to endure it for now.
Among the children at home, he was the second oldest. The young man beside him, in his early twenties, was the eldest brother. At his age, he should have long been married, but without a household registration, even prostitutes looked down on him. He had only been able to linger within Qingcheng.
Among the children, he was the most astute. The eldest brother often found him to do odd jobs to earn money and share the heavy responsibility at home. It was due to the reputation and trust he had built up earlier that he had received this high-paying task today.
With the knowledge and learning he had brought from his transmigration, it would be easy for him to achieve fame and official position in this world. However, the prerequisite was that he first needed a household registration, then to study in a private school or academy, and only then could he follow this path with the recommendation of a scholar.
The madam, seeing the hall filled with wealthy guests, wore a smile as bright as a flower:
"Esteemed guests, as per the usual rules, my daughter does not seek a thousand pieces of gold, only a poem. Whichever esteemed guest can compose a poem that makes Nuan'er nod will be blessed with the joy of a small wedding."
The wedding night, the joy of a small wedding.
This madam also had some level of education in her speech.
"If a guest can win Nuan'er's heart, they will be able to redeem her from this Red Archway and take her away."
"Heh heh heh, it seems the esteemed guests are getting impatient. I shall now announce Nuan'er's theme."
"Immortal."
As the words fell, whether it was the wealthy, the dignitaries with jade belts, or the scholars with jade crowns, all frowned.
Immortals were beings of myth and legend. To write poetry about immortals and simultaneously please Nuan'er was very difficult.
The brightly lit hall, filled with the sound of a receding tide, was now accompanied only by the elegant sound of the zither.
The madam smiled benignly at the guests before her, her heart blooming with joy. Shui Nuan'er was a treasure she had bought with a thousand taels and painstakingly cultivated for many years, raising her into an Ice-Skin Jade-Bone beauty. How much money had it cost?
If she didn't earn a hundred thousand gold, how could she let Shui Nuan'er marry?
Among her hundred beauties in Red Archway, she only kept one Pure Maiden! To attend this Pure Maiden Banquet, one had to pay one tael of gold just for entry.
"Opportunity has arrived!" The eldest brother, Zhao Gao, rubbed his hands, looking at Chen Jiuyang with anticipation.
A servant in fine clothes walked arrogantly towards Chen Jiuyang and Zhao Gao, whispering, "Well, have you thought of a line or two?"
Not only him, but a crowd of people stood outside the gate, resorting to all sorts of means to win the favor of the Pure Maiden.
"I have it," Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly. "Bring me paper and a brush."
Without the usual brush and ink, the servant took out a small piece of charcoal and a silk handkerchief and handed them to Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang held the charcoal in one hand and the handkerchief in the other, wrote a poem, and handed it to the servant.
"Wait here for a moment."
The servant took the handkerchief inside, then handed it to a corpulent, greasy middle-aged merchant. A moment later, the merchant broke the silence first, reciting loudly:
"I was originally a young immortal in the heavens,
Journeying to the mortal realm for a grand banquet."
As his voice fell, many eyes immediately lit up.
This poem was excellent.
The madam's smile suddenly froze.
"To behold the face of a celestial in the mortal world..."
The crowd's hearts trembled, and they felt a sense of impending defeat.
I was originally a young immortal in the heavens,
Journeying to the mortal realm for a grand banquet.
To behold the face of a celestial in the mortal world...
This poem was written exceptionally well, starting at its peak!
"Without this beloved, I would not be an immortal."
The poem concluded.
The madam's eyes moistened. She felt ten thousand taels of gold slipping away and looked pleadingly at the other seated guests.
"Alas..."
The other seated guests couldn't help but sigh and shake their heads.
This poem, the first three lines were outstanding and ethereal. The last line was somewhat common, but it also fit the scene perfectly and was very appropriate.
They believed they could not compose a better poem.
The madam's heart shattered. Would the thousand-tael Ice-Skin Jade-Bone she had painstakingly cultivated fail to even recoup its cost, with her first appearance already having a guest of honor?
She was not yet giving up, only managing to maintain a stiff smile on her face, saying, "It still depends on Nuan'er's approval."
As her voice fell.
"Ding!"
A clear and pleasant bell sound rang from the Pure Maiden's chamber on the second floor.
The madam's face immediately turned ashen.
This meant Shui Nuan'er had agreed.
The moment the bell rang, the previously silent guest hall erupted in applause and cheers.
From ancient times to the present, only in such places are there no bad people; all good people live in peace. Your brilliance is evident to all. Please, be convinced.
This event, when it spread, would become a beautiful tale.
Amidst the farewells of the guests, the corpulent rich merchant slowly ascended the stairs towards the Pure Maiden's chamber on the second floor.
And the servant came to the gate, took out ten taels of silver snow, and handed it to Chen Jiuyang: "Transaction complete."
Chen Jiuyang's expression remained calm, with little fluctuation. This poem was something he had composed with inspiration when he encountered the white-haired old man and the young girl.