All Heavens Strategy Game

Chapter 47. The Poor Scholar, a Thousand Taels of Silver

After the snow cleared, the sun, unusually, pierced through the clouds of the past few days, shining on the snow-covered Sishui Village and reflecting a somewhat dazzling white light.

This is a good day.

In front of the simple but carefully cleaned mountain god temple, wisps of incense smoke curled upwards.

Village chief Su Dashun, along with several elders of the village, solemnly bowed to the weathered and faded statue of the mountain god, muttering incantations. They were thanking the mountain god for the prey and driving away the wolves, and praying for favorable weather and a safe journey up the mountain in the coming year.

The solemnity of the ritual did not last long, and was soon replaced by the noise and heat of the open space at the village entrance.

Several large iron pots, collected from various households, were placed on a makeshift earthen stove, with firewood crackling and popping beneath them.

In the pot, large chunks of wolf meat bobbed up and down in the boiling broth, mingling with the aroma of ginger, wild onions, and coarse salt. The steam wafted out, whetting one's appetite.

Wolf meat is rather tough and has a strong gamey smell. Even with seasonings and long-term boiling or stewing, the taste is only average, far less flavorful than domestic beef, mutton, or pork, and even less delicious than venison or lamb.

But for many villagers in Sishui Village who rarely see meat throughout the year and consider a little oil floating in the pot as a treat, this is an extraordinary delicacy.

Moreover, this is "blessed meat" bestowed by the "Mountain God," and eating it will bring good fortune and the protection of the Mountain God!

Almost everyone in the village, young and old, who was still able to walk, gathered at the village entrance.

People held their own earthenware bowls and wooden basins, gazing longingly at the pot, their faces beaming with a long-lost, almost festive joy.

The children crawled and weaved around the adults' legs, squealing and playing excitedly, occasionally craning their necks and swallowing hard at the aroma of meat.

"It's ready to boil!"

With a shout from Su Dashan, several men responsible for distributing the meat lifted the pot lid, and an even richer aroma of meat exploded out.

A commotion arose among the crowd, but with the village chief's intervention, they managed to form a crooked, long queue.

Bowls of piping hot, oily wolf meat soup and chunks of tender, stewed wolf meat were distributed to rough hands covered in frostbite and calluses.

People squatted or stood, eagerly swallowing their food in the dappled sunlight, sucking in cool breaths even when it was scalding hot, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

"It smells so good! It smells amazing!"

"Thanks to Sanlang, thanks to the mountain god!"

"This meat is chewy! It's nutritious!"

My son was drooling in his sleep last night, saying he wanted to eat three bowls of rice today!

The sounds of laughter, chewing, and children's chatter mingled with the aroma of meat and the scent of firewood, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere in the winter air.

The mountain god festival lasted for three days.

For three days, the large pot at the village entrance was almost constantly burning.

No matter how much wolf meat there was, it couldn't stop the whole village from eating it freely. They would cook it with a lot of side dishes, and soup made up the majority of the meal.

Even so, by the evening of the third day, the last pot of broth was gone, and the children had even cracked open the bones and slurped them clean.

Many people go a whole year, or even several years, without being able to eat a decent meal of meat.

These three consecutive days of "big pot meals," with plenty of oil and meat, will be remembered by many impoverished villagers for a long time, becoming the warmest and most satisfying memory of this cold winter.

Therefore, when the sacrificial ceremony ended, village chief Su Dashun stood in the open space and announced to the villagers who were still full of joy that after the snow melted and the ground opened up after the New Year, he would organize young and strong laborers to help Su Ming's family build a new house, and he encountered almost no resistance.

"It's only right! Sanlang rid our village of a great scourge and let us all eat meat for so many days. It's nothing to do with a little effort!"

""

"Yes! My family can provide two laborers!"

"Although I'm the only capable one in my family, I'm pretty good at masonry!"

"I'll go chop the wood! There's plenty of good timber in the back hill!"

The villagers responded exceptionally readily.

After eating someone else's "lucky meat," helping their benefactor build a house is considered a matter of course by them. They even feel that they are benefiting from the good fortune and can contribute to the reincarnation of the "Mountain God," perhaps even receiving some good luck in return.

Seeing this, Su Dashun was pleased, thinking that the matter had been handled well. It not only rewarded Sanlang but also fulfilled the villagers' sentiments, without having to touch the public funds—although the public funds didn't have much money.

He went to tell Su Ming the good news with a smile, but saw Su Ming standing by his low courtyard wall, watching the villagers gradually disperse in the distance, but whose faces still showed joy. His brows were slightly furrowed, and instead of being happy, he sighed softly.

"Sanlang, what's wrong? Everyone has agreed to help. We can start construction as soon as the spring snow melts. We guarantee you'll get a few bright and sturdy new houses!" Su Dashun approached, somewhat puzzled.

Su Ming withdrew his gaze and looked at Su Dashun, his voice somewhat low: "Grandpa Dashun, I'm not sighing about the house, I'm sighing because everyone is poor, everyone is too poor."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Look at them," Su Ming pointed to the figures behind them, "After three days of eating meat, many of them have finally started to look healthier."

"But what if we run out of meat? What if the New Year is over? The snow melts, but we haven't started working in the fields yet. What will we do when food is scarce?"

"Many families probably don't even have enough food left before they can have this full meal, right?"

The smile on Su Dashun's face slowly faded, replaced by a heavy expression.

How could he not know the state of the village?

This year's snow disaster was particularly severe. Although thanks to Su Ming's early warning and mutual assistance, the villagers were not forced to sell their fields and land like the neighboring villages were by Yang Tingzhang, but the grain reserves of every household were almost depleted.

After spring arrives, seeds, farm tools, taxes—aren't they all heavy burdens weighing on our hearts? This meal of meat is nothing more than a fleeting moment of sweetness in these difficult days.

"Sanlang, you mean—"

"You can't get rich by farming and hunting alone. Even if you farm for 100 years, what good will it do? You'll still be a poor wretch!"

"Hunting is useless for me; wolves aren't around every day, and good prey isn't always within my reach—"

Su Ming turned around, his gaze clear and firm: "Our village can't stay this poor forever, we can't keep relying on the weather and the mountains for our livelihood, and we can't expect me to bring back so much meat every time."

He paused, then continued, "I need to think of a way to make our village, slowly, little by little, become prosperous."

"At least, it will prevent people from worrying about food every day, allow children to eat more and the elderly to have a thicker coat in winter."

Su Dashun's heart skipped a beat, and a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in his eyes. He stepped forward and asked urgently, "Sanlang, you—you have a way? A way to make the whole village gradually get better?"

Su Ming is, after all, a modern person and does not truly belong to this backward feudal ancient world. He knows a lot of knowledge that does not exist in this era.

He nodded: "I have some ideas, but whether they'll work or not, we'll have to try."

"Now, I finally have a bit of a reputation?" He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Once I go to the city this time, sell the hides, and accumulate my first pot of gold, I'll take a closer look at which method is the most viable, the safest, and the most profitable."

"Once I make money, I'll help everyone make money together!"

Su Ming did have many plans, but they were just plans in his mind. He needed to go to the county town to investigate and also needed to have his first pot of gold to start a business.

"Good! Good! Good!" Su Dashun didn't think too much. He only cared about Su Ming's promise to make the whole village rich. He had no doubts about Su Ming's ability and excitedly said "good" three times.

He patted Su Ming's shoulder forcefully, his eyes welling up with tears: "Sanlang, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease!"

"Our entire village is counting on you to lead us to a better life! Go ahead and give it a try. If the village needs any manpower or resources, just say the word!"

That noon, Su Ming drove the donkey cart he had borrowed from the village chief, carrying nineteen bundled ordinary wolf pelts and the most precious silver-white wolf king pelt, creaking and groaning as it headed towards Linjiang County.

Some of the snow has melted, and the roads are still muddy and difficult to travel, but they are much easier to walk on than in the previous days.

After some time, the donkey cart stopped in front of Wang's Ironwood Shop.

As Wang Tielei was seeing off a customer, he turned around and saw Su Ming unloading a huge roll of fur from the truck. His eyes widened immediately, and he rushed over, "Brother Su? You've caught another big catch?"

When he helped Su Ming spread the pelts out on the open floor of the shop, he gasped in shock when he saw the pile of gray wolf pelts and the most dazzling silver-white giant wolf pelt among them.

"So many?! And what is this silver fur?!"

"They're all wolf skins; the silver fur comes from the hide of a great wolf king—"

-

"Wolf—the wolf king's pelt?" Wang Tielei's voice changed.

He crouched down, carefully stroking the thick, silvery-white fur of the wolf king pelt, which had a unique sheen. He then examined the tanning and integrity of the other wolf pelts, his face filled with shock.

Ten or twenty wolf pelts!

There's also the pelt of a wolf king!

This wiped out an entire wolf pack!

His first thought was that this was definitely not an amount that one person could hunt!

It must have been a large group of hunters organized by Sishui Village who carried out the hunt!

It seems that the wolf king has caused considerable harm, forcing an entire village to fight desperately.

Having made his judgment, Wang Tielei's offer was based on "bulk purchase" and "collective hunting in the village".

"Brother Su, these pelts of yours are of good quality and the tanning is decent. However, wolf pelts aren't the most precious kind. They're not as warm as fox fur, and they don't look as imposing as tiger or leopard pelts."

Wang Tielei rubbed his hands together, putting on a shrewd businessman's face: "Like this, ordinary wolf pelts are priced according to market value, while lower-grade wolf pelts are 200—"

400 coins, top quality can be 400-500 coins, yours is of good quality, I'll give you a price of 450 coins —

"These 19 wolf pelts of yours total—8550 coins. Let me round it up to eight taels and six mace of silver!"

He then pointed to the wolf king pelt: "This one is really rare! A silver-furred giant wolf, I've never even heard of it! The pelt is intact, except for a knife wound on the neck."

"7

"Alright, I'll give you a high price, eleven taels! How about that? Considering our relationship, I'll round it up for you, adding a few coins so that these wolf pelts will total a full twenty taels of silver!"

"This price is definitely not low. Ask around in the county town; it's absolutely fair!"

Twenty taels of silver is a huge sum of money for an ordinary farmer.

But looking at the wolf king pelt that shimmered with a faint silver glow under the shop's lighting, still exuding an imposing aura, Su Ming felt that it was worth more than that.

"Brother Tie Lei," Su Ming said, his tone calm yet firm, "for ordinary leather, your price is quite reasonable."

"But this wolf king's pelt—is different."

"Things are valued for their rarity, and as you said, you've never even heard of them."

"This rare item may not be the most effective at keeping warm, but when placed in the hall of a wealthy family and laid on a grand chair, the grandeur and prestige it exudes are unmatched by ten ordinary leathers."

"So, is it possible to negotiate this price further?"

Wang Tielei smiled wryly: "Brother Su, that's the truth."

"No matter how rare it is, it is still just a piece of leather, a practical object."

"It's true that wealthy families like to show off their grandeur, but they're also shrewd."

"Your wolf king pelt is rare, but it's still not quite up to par with the finest sable, fox, or even tiger pelts."

"According to the current market price, a tiger skin is only worth twelve or thirteen taels of silver. I'm only offering eleven taels for your wolf king skin because it's rare and because of our long-standing friendship."

"Even at a higher price—I really can't sell them; they'll just be stuck with them."

Su Ming pondered for a moment and realized that what Wang Tielei said was true.

For pragmatic buyers, this leather is not good value for money;

For those who pursue ultimate luxury, it falls short.

But perhaps there are some extremely wealthy individuals who enjoy seeking out the unusual and want to flaunt their unique status?

It may be hard to come by, but once you do, you can definitely sell it for a high price.

"Brother Tie Lei, is it really impossible to go any higher?" Su Ming made one last attempt.

Wang Tielei paced back and forth in the shop, remembering the shopkeeper's words about befriending this young man. He sighed and said bluntly, "Brother Su, you're killing me! Oh well, what can I do? We're friends after all!"

"I'm going all in on the wolf king pelt! I'll give you twenty-one taels of silver! Add the other wolf pelts, and I'll round it up to thirty taels!"

"This is the highest price I can offer. Any higher, even if you tear this shop down, I still can't come up with the money!"

Looking at Wang Tielei's expression, which seemed to be as if he were cutting off his own flesh, Su Ming knew that this was probably the maximum price the other party could offer based on market conditions and their relationship.

Thirty taels is quite a lot.

But his "unique" expectation of the wolf king's skin made him want to try his luck again.

"Brother Tie Lei, I appreciate your kindness, but this price—I'll think about it some more." Su Ming didn't agree immediately and started packing the leather.

Wang Tielei panicked: "Brother Su, don't go! Thirty taels is a lot! Go ask around, you definitely won't get this much! Those pawnshops will drive you crazy!"

Su Ming simply smiled, re-tied the leather, and loaded it onto the donkey cart: "I'll go take another look around; what if I run into a nouveau riche who's willing to pay a high price?"

After leaving Wang's Ironwood Shop, Su Ming drove his donkey cart to visit several other sizable leather and silk shops in the county town, and even "Zhenwan Pavilion," a shop that catered to the wealthy.

The outcome was exactly as Wang Tielei had predicted.

The prices of ordinary wolf pelts are all similar, and some shops even try to lower the price because he looks young and unfamiliar.

Wolf King's pelt, on the other hand, experienced both extremes.

Some shopkeepers, being well-informed, shook their heads after a moment of surprise, saying, "It is indeed strange, but it is not orthodox, and wealthy families will not like it," and offered a price even lower than Wang Tielei's.

Only the old shopkeeper of "Zhenwan Pavilion" examined it carefully, quoted a price of ten taels, and refused to raise it any further.

Needless to say, the pawnshop clerk glanced at him and immediately said, "Five taels if dead, three taels if alive," leaving Su Ming speechless.

After completing the loop, it was already quite late.

Su Ming stood at the somewhat deserted street corner, leading his donkey cart. The little bit of hope he had that he could "buy a rare commodity" had also cooled down considerably.

Wang Tielei is right. This thing is awkward; it's neither high-end nor low-end. It's more imposing than a regular wolf skin, but not as impressive as a tiger skin.

Twenty-one taels is perhaps a reasonable price that the market can accept.

You might be able to sell it for a higher price through connections with other shops, or you could try your luck and wait for the right person.

But for someone at the bottom of society, with no connections and no time to spare, this price is already quite remarkable!

He sighed and prepared to go back to find Wang Tielei.

Thirty taels it is. With the wolf tendon and other things, we have enough start-up capital.

Just as he was leading his donkey cart through a secluded alley and about to turn around, a figure that had been loitering at the street corner for a long time blocked his way.

"Excuse me, sir, please wait!"

His voice had the clear, resonant quality characteristic of a scholar, but it lacked strength and sounded somewhat weak.

Su Ming looked up and saw a young scholar standing in front of the donkey cart.

He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, thin, and wearing a faded blue long gown with several patches, which was very clean after being starched, and the clothes were even white.

His face was thin and pale due to the cold and malnutrition, but his eyes were exceptionally bright and piercing, and he was staring intently at the most conspicuous silver-white wolf skin on the donkey cart.

"Is something the matter?" Su Ming stopped and asked.

He noticed that although the scholar's clothes were shabby, they were neat, his nails were clean, and his demeanor had the refined air characteristic of a scholar. However, in this cold weather, his clothes were thin, and his lips were so cold that they were turning purple. He didn't seem like someone who could afford leather goods.

The scholar remained calm, his lips turning purple from the cold, yet he seemed oblivious to the chill. He took a breath, straightened his thin back, and bowed to Su Ming with a measured but slightly stiff gesture: "My name is Lin Qingyun. I apologize for stopping your carriage, brother."

"I have been wandering around this market for over an hour, observing you. I see you carrying this rare item, inquiring at various shops but unable to find a good price. Are you troubled by the matter of selling this fur?"

Su Ming's heart stirred slightly. This scholar had been observing him for an hour? He nodded: "Not bad, you want to buy?"

Lin Qingyun shook his head, then nodded, and said something somewhat unexpected: "Brother, I've seen you wandering around this market all morning. You definitely won't be able to sell your items at the high prices you want in those shops, but—"

He paused, a strange flush rising on his pale face, and his voice rose a few decibels, carrying an almost stubborn confidence: "I can!"

Su Ming raised an eyebrow slightly, not looking down on the other person because of their appearance and words. One cannot judge a book by its cover, and one cannot measure the sea with a bucket. On the contrary, he became more interested because of this.

This scholar is interesting.

In this ignorant era, being able to stand up and say these words is extraordinary.

"Oh? How much can you offer?" Su Ming asked, following his words, wanting to see what this scholar was up to.

Lin Qingyun met Su Ming's gaze and said clearly, word by word, "What was the highest price you were offered by those shops just now? I'll pay ten times that!"

ten times?

Su Mingqian coughed.

The highest amount Wang Tielei gave was twenty-one taels of silver, which would be two hundred and ten taels ten times that!

A dockworker could earn about 200 cash or 210 taels a month by working himself to the bone. That's almost equivalent to a strong laborer working for nearly 90 or even 100 years without eating or drinking!

The tattered long gown this scholar is wearing is probably not even worth two hundred coins.

"The highest bidder offered twenty-one taels for a wolf king pelt," Su Ming said calmly, his tone revealing no emotion, "Ten times that, which is two hundred and ten taels. Do you have that?"

He had assumed the scholar would feel awkward and back down.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Qingyun was not embarrassed at all. Instead, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He seemed to be afraid that Su Ming would leave. As long as Su Ming responded, it would be a victory.

His eyes gleamed even brighter, and he nodded vigorously, saying with great confidence, "Two hundred and ten taels? A paltry sum, nothing to worry about! Brother, as long as you trust me and hand over this hide to me, a month later, I, Lin Qingyun, will repay you with a return of no less than one thousand taels!"

One thousand taels?!

Even Su Ming was stunned.

He carefully examined the poor scholar in front of him, who was shivering from the cold but held his head high and had a burning gaze.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have already stormed off, yelling "madman" and "liar."

But Su Ming had lived two lives and had seen all sorts of people.

Although the scholar was down on his luck, his eyes were clear and his demeanor was proper. More importantly, he was able to observe me for an hour in the cold wind before coming out to say these words, which did not seem like a momentary impulse.

Moreover, he didn't say "I'll give you a thousand taels of silver," but rather "a reward of no less than a thousand taels."

Su Ming didn't leave immediately. He looked at him leisurely and asked, "Let's not talk about a thousand taels. Can you produce one tael of silver right now? Talking without any substance is like trying to get something for nothing. How do I know you're not lying to me? Please take out the silver first."

Lin Qingyun didn't reach into his obviously empty sleeve pocket. He really didn't have any money, or rather, he had no intention of taking out any money at all. Instead, he raised his head slightly and began to state in an unusually clear, even somewhat ceremonial tone: "I am Lin Qingyun, and I have wasted nineteen years of my life."

"I live in Wutong Lane in the north of the city. It's the third house from the end of the lane. It's an old house with a dilapidated door and an old locust tree in the yard."

"My parents passed away early, leaving only my 73-year-old grandmother, who is my only remaining family member."

"My family fell into poverty when I was young, and I have survived only thanks to the help of my neighbors."

He spoke steadily, recounting each of his "debts" as if they were his own, his expression serious to the point of solemnity: "I owe Aunt Zhang next door sixteen eggs, a debt that has been outstanding for three years."

"I owe Uncle Li from the west a bundle of dried fish, weighing about three catties, which I borrowed two winters ago."

"I owe Granny Wang across the street a jar of pickled vegetables, about 1.3 jin, from the end of last autumn."

"I owed Zhao the blacksmith at the alley entrance seventy-two catties of millet, bit by bit."

"In addition, there is a bolt of coarse cloth owed on credit by Liu the tailor, and some needles and thread from Sun the peddler —"

"Besides that, there were all sorts of other things, which, when converted into copper coins, amounted to about seven taels and two or three mace of silver."

He paused, then looked at Su Ming, his eyes clear and unwavering: "From a young age, I admired the classics, but my family was too poor to afford tuition. I could only audit classes outside Master Zhou's private school in Minglizhai, south of the city, for one year and two months now."

"Now, I owe Master Zhou two taels of silver for his apprenticeship fee, which is a full year's tuition."

A cold wind swept across the street corner, fluttering the scholar's thin clothes.

He stood there, frankly recounting his impoverished and heavily indebted situation as if reciting classical allusions, without concealment or shame, only a profound truth.

Su Ming listened quietly, understanding dawning on him.

The scholar seemed to be spouting a bunch of "nonsense" that had nothing to do with selling skins, but in reality, he was saying everything.

Address, family, relatives, neighborhood relations, debt details, education status—even down to the number of eggs and the weight of pickled vegetables.

This isn't complaining; it's revealing the truth, it's submitting a "collateral".

He was using everything he had—that dilapidated house, that elderly grandmother, and all the debts of gratitude he remembered so clearly.

And his opportunity to study, which he cherished as his life, served as a "guarantee".

The fact that he kept such a clear record of his debts and spoke of them with such genuine and sincere emotion shows that he is a person who values ​​relationships, remembers gratitude, and has a strong sense of responsibility.

Such a person may experience hardship and setbacks, but once he makes a promise, and as long as others do not betray him, he will never break his promise.

He told Su Ming in the most clumsy yet sincere way: I won't run away, and I can't run away.

If I have lied to you, you can find me anytime and make me, my grandmother, and everything I cherish pay the price.

He didn't want to buy the wolf pelt himself.

"He's going to help me sell wolf pelts—"

"So—" Su Ming slowly broke the brief silence, his sharp gaze fixed on Lin Qingyun: "I'll give you the wolf king's pelt. A month from now, do you really have a way to make it conjure something worth a thousand taels?"

Lin Qingyun met Su Ming's gaze without flinching and replied decisively, "Okay!"

"But you don't have any money right now, and I can't possibly give you something worth tens of taels just because of what you said. Only a fool would do that."

Su Ming took a step forward, his tone carrying a hint of pressure as he stared into the other person's eyes: "You have to tell me, what makes you think you can do this? What are you planning to do to earn a thousand taels of silver in a month using this skin? Tell me your plan, and then I'll consider whether or not to give you the wolf skin."

Seeing that Su Ming did not scoff and leave like the others, but instead asked questions seriously, Lin Qingyun's eyes flashed with a sense of relief and barely suppressed excitement.

What he feared most was not even having the chance to explain his plan.

As long as there's an opportunity, that's fine!

As for whether there will be other changes after he reveals his plan, such as the other party having their own plan to make money, he can't control that; all he wants is an opportunity.

If I don't speak up, I'm afraid I won't even have the chance!

Lin Qingyun's pale face flushed even more with excitement. He took another deep breath, as if he wanted to pour all his wisdom and courage into his next words.

He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, but with unwavering certainty, and began to explain to Su Ming: "Brother, my plan is as follows—"