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Chapter 6 A Golden Carp

"Brother, you really have a way with this!"

After circling around the West Market, Chen An's face turned somewhat bitter. "I just asked the people around me, and none of them know anything about Yuan Shoucheng's background."

"Oh, what are they all saying?" Chen Guangrui sat at Yuan Shoucheng's stall, fiddling with the ornaments on the table.

Chen An took a sip of water.

"They say this fortune teller has only been in Xishikou for a little over a month. He's a strange man and never has much contact with other people."

“Others would shout out their wares at their stalls, but he would say nothing, and he wouldn’t even charge for his fortune telling, he would only ask for a golden carp.”

"As for Yuan Shoucheng's ability to make fortunes, some say he is really accurate, while others say he just talks nonsense."

"Yes," Chen Guangrui nodded. "I guess as long as you get Yuan Shoucheng a golden carp, his divination will be accurate. If you only give him some money, then his divination will be less accurate, right?"

Chen An thought for a moment, "No one else said it, but I've been thinking about it, and it seems that Yuan Shoucheng's fortune-telling is inaccurate, and the money he gives for fortune-telling is all in silver."

Chen Guangrui nodded. "I just don't understand what Yuan Shoucheng wants with this golden carp. Could it be to make soup taste better?"

He smiled helplessly, then asked Chen An, "How far is it from here to the Jing River?"

Chen An thought for a moment, "The Jing River isn't far from here. I remember Old Wang, the fishmonger, saying that if you go to the Jing River to catch fish in the early morning, you can sell them at Xishikou in the afternoon."

Chen Guangrui nodded. "Do any of these fishermen have their fortunes told by Yuan Shoucheng?"

"It seems not. I heard from Old Wang that his family has been fishing in the Jing River for generations, so there's no need to count."

"Really do not have?"

“I’ve never heard of that.” Chen An said with certainty, “I’ve been here many times and I’ve never heard of any fisherman seeking out this fortune teller.”

Seeing that Chen Guangrui didn't speak, Chen An was a little puzzled, "Brother, is something wrong?"

Chen Guangrui shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with that. These fishermen all have their own skills. How could they possibly ask fortune tellers for advice every time they cast their nets?"

As he spoke, he prepared to get up.

Just then, an old man's voice rang out from behind, "Hey? Where's Mr. Yuan?"

Chen Guangrui turned around and saw an old fisherman with white hair and beard, his face deeply lined with wrinkles. He was wearing a half-wet coarse cloth short coat, straw sandals, a roll of fishing net on his shoulder, and a straw rope net bag filled with clear water in his hand.

In the net, a golden carp, its scales shimmering in the sunlight, nervously thrashed its tail, splashing tiny droplets of water. The old fisherman, his eyes clouded, circled Yuan Shoucheng's empty stall, then looked at Chen Guangrui and Chen An sitting there. "Where's Mr. Yuan? He's been gone for ages," the old fisherman muttered to himself, his voice rough and hoarse, tinged with dissatisfaction. He shook the golden carp in his hand. "I specially caught this fine golden carp today to pay for the fortune-telling! After paying, I still have to go to the south city to sell my fish."

Seeing that Chen Guangrui and the other man remained silent, seemingly taking him as someone in the know, he moved closer and placed the wet net bag on Yuan Shoucheng's broken table with a "plop," splashing water onto the tabletop.

"Bah! If you ask me, Old Yuan's divination is utterly inaccurate!" The old fisherman spat, pointing to the simple tortoise shell and copper coins on the table.

“Yesterday he confidently told me that this morning in the Jing River, ‘whirlpools appeared in the water at 1-3 PM, and a spirit was found where the water met at the meridian.’ He told me to set my net at the seventh red rock beach from the west at 1:45 PM, and I was sure to catch two carp with golden scales! I squatted on that chilly river beach for a full half hour!”

He spoke with spittle flying, his face flushed slightly: "Guess what? One! Just this one! In previous years, at this time of year, when I was lucky, I'd catch three or five golden carp in one net! Tell me, is his divination accurate or not? What am I supposed to do? Isn't he just making me waste my time?"

The old fisherman grew angrier with each word, slamming his calloused hands on the table, making the empty bamboo tube bounce. His tone escalated from complaint to a harsh tirade: "Liar! You old liar who's all talk! What a waste of my daily fish deliveries! I should have sold these fish at the West Market before coming back to get my money back! 'Guaranteed' two carp? 'Guaranteed' my ass! I only caught this little bit!"

Chen Guangrui listened to the old man's complaints without showing any emotion, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, capturing the key information: this fisherman comes to deliver fish every day!

Just as the old fisherman finished venting his anger and angrily picked up his net to leave, Chen Guangrui suddenly spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable decisiveness:

"Old man, wait a moment."

The old fisherman was taken aback and looked at him warily: "Huh? Who are you? A relative of Old Yuan or a newly hired help? Speaking up for him won't get you anywhere!"

Chen Guangrui smiled slightly, without denying his identity, and directly took out a string of coins from his sleeve. He slammed the coins onto the wet table with a "clang," and the crisp sound of the coins clinking together immediately caught the old fisherman's attention.

"I want this golden carp."

Seeing the old man reach out to take it, Chen Guangrui moved the money aside and pointed to the net, "However, this is the money for two golden carp. If you want it, then you'll have to go through the trouble of making another one for me."

The old fisherman's eyes widened suddenly, a glint of greed flashing across them. He looked at the beautiful golden carp in the net, then at the heavy pile of tempting coins on the table, and his breathing quickened.

Even the finest golden carp at the West Market can't fetch this price due to seasonal market conditions! And now, this unfamiliar, distinguished young man is offering such an outrageously high price!
"Really?!" The old fisherman's voice trembled slightly, and he pursed his chapped lips.

“Of course it’s true,” Chen Guangrui affirmed. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll go with you. Once you catch a fish, I’ll give you the money right here.”

"Good! Good!" The old fisherman had long since forgotten his resentment towards Yuan Shoucheng. "You're so generous! I, Old Zhang, may not have many other skills, but I'm a renowned expert at fishing in the Jing River! Leave it to me! I'll head back right away and cast my net immediately!"

Watching the old fisherman hurry away, and seeing Chen Guangrui follow him, Chen An finally couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned close to Chen Guangrui and asked in a low voice, full of doubt.

"Brother, what are you doing? We only have that little money left! What's the point of buying these two carp..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Guangrui showed no sign of distress over the money. Instead, his brows furrowed and his gaze turned toward the Jing River, as if looking through the crowded market toward the flowing Jing River, which was not far from Chang'an.

He wondered to himself, "Could this be the way to find Yuan Shoucheng?"
(End of this chapter)