“No money makes the wife complain, kicked out from home again and again, how vexing, truly vexing… Cold on the body and hungry in the belly, with dogs chasing behind, how pitiful, truly pitiful…”
Zhen Niang quickly emerged from the building to find a group of beggars gathered at the store entrance, singing this particular tune of Lianhua Fall.
Lianhua Fall performances were divided into literary and martial styles. The literary style focused purely on singing, while the martial style combined singing, speaking, acting, and fighting.
The group at the Li family’s door was performing the martial style. They had set up their act right in front of Li Family Ink Shop, with many of them bare-chested and wearing threatening expressions, causing onlookers to carefully keep their distance.
“Manager Zheng, give these brothers some money,” Zhen Niang said to Zheng Fuli, watching the beggars at the door.
“We’ve already given them some,” Zheng Fuli replied through gritted teeth.
Hearing this, Zhen Niang’s expression darkened. After a moment’s thought, she cupped her hands toward the group of beggars at the door: “It seems our Li Family Ink Shop’s sincerity isn’t enough for you brothers. Very well, as we’re new to Nanjing, we’ll show more sincerity.” She then turned to Zheng Fuli and said, “Manager Zheng, bring another share to distribute among the brothers.”
“Miss Zhen…” Zheng Fuli shook his head, knowing that these people had clearly come to cause trouble, and more silver likely wouldn’t help.
“Go get it. Let the neighbors see our sincerity,” Zhen Niang said calmly.
“All right.” Hearing this from Zhen Niang, Zheng Fuli went back to the counter and brought out another packet of silver, handing it to the handsome-faced man who led the group.
The handsome man tossed the silver in his hand, his face full of disdain. “Brothers, is this tiny amount of silver enough?”
“Such bullying, such bullying! Is this silver enough to get a wife? Or even visit a brothel…” The Lianhua Fall rhythm started up again.
At this point, the handsome-faced man waved his hand, and a shirtless man stepped forward, lifting a thick wooden board and smashing it against his head. Soon the board splintered into pieces, and though a bruise formed on the man’s forehead, he grinned at Zhen Niang.
This was an intimidation tactic.
Zhen Niang was startled and stepped back, but then stood firm, biting her lip.
“What are you doing? Trying to rob us?” Immediately, Ergou, Master Ma, and others rushed out, forming a barrier in front of Zhen Niang.
“They’re beating us! They’re beating us! Someone’s been killed!” Though Ergou and Master Ma had merely stood in front of Zhen Niang without moving, the man at the front suddenly cried out, clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground as if he’d been kicked.
The singers immediately followed up: “Such bullying, such bullying! The Li family doesn’t treat beggars as humans… Brothers, fight for our lives, fight for our lives!”
The handsome-faced leader then quickly cupped his hands toward the crowd: “Today, our brothers have been wronged. We came with good intentions to offer congratulations, but not only were we bullied, the Li family even tried to take our lives. I, Huang Lang, am powerless, but as long as I draw breath, I won’t let our brothers suffer this injustice in vain.”
As he spoke, he suddenly drew a knife from his waist and slashed his arm, causing blood to spray out.
“Ah! Someone’s going to die!” Seeing blood, the onlookers lost all interest in watching and scattered.
Zhen Niang knew she was dealing with thugs. These people made their living through intimidation and desperate acts to extort money.
“Aiya, Miss Li, how did things come to this? Is it a matter of money? No worries, just tell me. As fellow townspeople, I can help cover it. Tsk tsk, what an inauspicious way to start a business,” Tian Rongchang came over from the banquet area, pretending to show concern as he approached Zhen Niang.
Secretly, he turned and gave Huang Lang a thumbs up.
Huang Lang was a connection he had recently made – a sworn brother of Patrol Leader Ge. It was perfect timing since the Li family had just fallen out with Patrol Leader Ge. Their minds thought alike: Tian Rongchang provided the money, Huang Lang provided the muscle, and thus this Lianhua Fall drama unfolded.
“No need. My sincerity has been shown, and my conscience is clear. I want to see just how far they’ll take this,” Zhen Niang gritted her teeth and then told Ergou and Master Ma: “Guard the door. Let them do what they want, but don’t let them enter. If they try to come in, beat them within an inch of their lives.”
What gave these people the right to act so brazenly? They were counting on merchants wanting an auspicious business opening. Fine, she didn’t need this auspiciousness. Let them cause trouble if they wanted, but if they tried to force their way in, that would be outright robbery. She naturally had the right to defend herself, and with so many congratulatory guests as witnesses, she wasn’t afraid of anyone twisting black into white.
As for fighting, she wasn’t particularly worried. Her shop’s tobacco masters and grinding masters each had strong arms. In a real fight, these troublemakers might not win. However, that was the last resort.
So Zhen Niang remained patient. If they wanted to drag this out, let them. She wanted to see just how much blood these people were willing to spill.
“Well said!” At this moment, Luo Wenqian came over clapping his hands, then clicked his tongue: “What’s inauspicious about it? Blood at the opening means a full house of red – how spectacular!”
Zhen Niang smiled and cupped her hands toward Luo Wenqian, thanking him for the auspicious words.
Outside, the commotion continued. Ergou and Master Ma guarded the door, coldly watching the handsome-faced men perform their drama. The guests eating and drinking inside were getting distracted, crowding to the front to watch. The more timid ones wanted to leave but felt awkward about it, caught in an uncomfortable situation.
“Miss Li, it’s boring to just watch the show. I see you have quite a collection of ink sticks here. Why don’t we have an ink gambling match?” Luo Wenqian suggested with a grin.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Zhen Niang replied. At this moment, she couldn’t show weakness. She turned and went behind the counter, bringing out a box containing twelve ink sticks. She had people set up a small table right in front of the door.
Watching the show while gambling on ink – now that had some spirit to it.
“Since we’re gambling on ink, shouldn’t there be stakes?” Zhen Niang looked at Luo Wenqian with an amused expression.
“Well…” Luo Nine seemed to scratch his head in distress, then spread his hands and said, “My bank has money, but none of it is mine. I only have three copper coins in my pocket, which I was saving to buy meat buns but couldn’t bring myself to spend. How about we bet those three coins?”
When Luo Nine said this, the people around all laughed. The owner of the Yihou Sheng Bank claimed to have only three copper coins – what a joke!
Zhen Niang was also exasperated: “Are you making fun of me?”
“No, really, you don’t understand the principle of not flaunting wealth. I only have three copper coins. If someone comes to sing Lianhua Fall at my shop door someday, I’ll only be able to give them three coins.” Luo Nine’s words rang out loud and clear.
This angered the group singing Lianhua Fall outside, their faces turning ashen.
“Fine, three coins it is.” Zhen Niang agreed with a reluctant expression.
“Since we’re gambling on ink, we should have a mediator. Who’s willing?” Luo Nine cupped his hands toward the crowd.
“Haha, let this old man join in the fun.” At this moment, Hu Zonglin stepped forward with interest.
“Three’s not enough for a proper gathering. Let me join as well.” Zhao, the Education Officer, also came forward.
Assistants brought chairs for everyone to sit down.
The guests who had been nervous earlier now became interested. Ink gambling was a rare sight to see, so they gathered around to watch.
The Lianhua Fall singers outside had suddenly become mere background noise.
“Since we’re gambling on ink, the Tian family can’t be left out. I’ll bet three taels of gold. Though my Tian family doesn’t own gold mines or banks, we value friendship. Brothers, if you visit the Tian family another day, you won’t be disappointed.” Tian Rongchang also brought a chair to the small table, joining Li Zhen Niang and Luo Wenqian in the ink gambling. Of course, he wasn’t knowledgeable about ink himself, but he had brought the Tian family’s ink appraiser. The real gambler would be this appraiser.
As for Tian Rongchang’s words, they were naturally meant to save face for the Lianhua Fall singers outside.
“Please…” Luo Nine squinted, his eyes gleaming like a miser who had just seen a pile of gold and silver. He was sharpening his knife.
Zhen Niang was also smiling, though she took this seriously. The ink appraiser accompanying Tian Rongchang was originally the Wei family’s chief appraiser, surnamed Zeng, called Zeng Yipin, whom people jokingly called “First Rank Appraiser.”
The Wei family’s ink shop in Nanjing had relied entirely on him to maintain its position. It was precisely because the Tian family had poached Zeng Yipin that the Wei family had decided to withdraw from the Nanjing ink market. This had been the handiwork of the Tian family’s eldest young master, Tian Benzhang.
Zhen Niang wanted to use this opportunity to gauge his worth.
The game began.
Hu Zonglin opened the ink box. The ink sticks were taken out and placed before the three competitors, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the ink first.
In this type of ink gambling, participants first had to recognize and memorize the ink sticks. After memorization, their eyes would be blindfolded, and the mediator would call out names of ink sticks. The gamblers had to find the correct ink within thirty breaths (approximately one minute in modern terms).
At this moment, an assistant came in from outside and walked to Tian Rongchang’s back.
“Wait, twelve ink sticks are too few. As it happens, my Tian family will add another twelve ink sticks. This way, it will be fair,” Tian Rongchang said.
“As you wish,” Zhen Niang replied.
Then Tian Rongchang took the ink box from the assistant’s hands and laid out twelve ink sticks.
The Li family’s twelve ink sticks were: Tong Gao, Ning Lu, Wu Yu, Ba Xian, Dai Yun, Zi Yu Guang, Qing Yun Lu, Huang Jin Tai, Shi Wan Gan, Gu Fa Mo, Qian Qiu Guang, and Wan Nian Zhi.
The Tian family’s twelve ink sticks were: Bi Hua, Zi Ying, Cun Yu, Long Bao, Tian Rui, Huang Shan Tu, Chang Geng Tu, San Yuan Mo, Jiu Zi Mo, Xi Ru Jin, Tai Yi Guang, and Long Xiang Feng Wu.
Once the ink sticks were laid out, everyone fell silent. Zhen Niang, Luo Nine, and Zeng Yipin concentrated on memorizing the ink sticks. Outside, the Lianhua Fall singing continued, and during this time, another beggar stabbed himself in the thigh. As the wind blew, the smell of blood wafted in.
Zheng Fuli was as anxious as a cat on hot bricks. This couldn’t go on – if they let these beggars continue their disturbance, the officials would soon arrive. When that happened, they might seal the shop, and then the ink business would truly be finished.
“Miss Zhen…” Zheng Fuli finally couldn’t help but try to remind Zhen Niang, but before he could finish, she shook her head at him, and he had to swallow his words.
“Time’s up, blindfold them,” Hu Zonglin announced. Immediately, assistants came forward and tied a black cloth over the three competitors’ eyes.
“Good, now I will start calling out the ink names. All three of you will search for the ink simultaneously. Whoever finds them fastest, finds the most, and finds them accurately will win,” Hu Zonglin explained.
The rules for three-person ink gambling were similar to a quick-answer competition but with differences. In quick-answer competitions, one question is posed and three people compete to answer first. In three-person ink gambling, each person had to find their designated ink sticks, and only after finding one could they move on to the next.
This required the gamblers to be both quick and accurate. On the basis of accuracy, the person who found the most would win. Of course, if there were any mistakes, finding more wouldn’t matter – only accuracy would determine the winner.
This test challenged their sense of touch, smell, and memory. Through touch, they could gauge the weight and feel the texture of the ink sticks. Through smell, they could distinguish the ingredients, and thus identify and select the correct ink stick.
In essence, this small gambling match tested their mastery of ink craftsmanship.
“Master Zeng – Dai Yun, Miss Li – Cun Yu, Luo Nine – Gu Fa Mo,” Hu Zonglin called out each person’s assigned ink.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Yipin had already selected Dai Yun, followed by Li Zhen Niang finding Cun Yu, and Luo Nine picking out Gu Fa Mo. The three showed identical speed and accuracy.
The spectators couldn’t help but applaud excitedly. This being the ink shop’s opening day, most guests were ink connoisseurs who understood the difficulties of ink gambling. Truth be told, without ten or more years of experience in the ink trade, it would be impossible to find the correct ink so quickly and accurately.
Today had certainly opened their eyes.
“Master Zeng – Long Bao, Miss Li – Zi Yu Guang, Luo Nine – Xi Ru Jin,” Hu Zonglin called out in quick succession.
Once again, the three selected their ink with matched speed.
“Master Zeng – Huang Jin Tai, Miss Li – Tian Rui, Luo Nine – Qing Yun Lu…” Hu Zonglin continued without pause.
…
Soon they reached the seventh round, with all three competitors remaining neck and neck. The onlookers were amazed at the depth of expertise in the ink trade.
In this round, Luo Nine was supposed to select Qian Qiu Guang, but he hesitated and picked Tai Yi Guang instead. The crowd couldn’t help but sigh. In the second-to-last round, he had stumbled at the finish line.
But Hu Zonglin was no ordinary person – he was an old fox with some cultivation.
He quickly announced: “Master Zeng – Tai Yi Guang, Miss Li – Tong Gao, Luo Nine – Long Xiang Feng Wu.”
With only three ink sticks remaining, Zhen Niang and Luo Nine quickly made their selections, but Master Zeng hesitated. Qian Qiu Guang and Tai Yi Guang were the same type of ink, even their external patterns were identical, differing only in name. Of course, the Li and Tian families had slightly different manufacturing methods, but those unfamiliar with both families’ techniques could easily confuse them.
Since Zeng Yipin had only recently joined the Tian family, his knowledge of their ink-making methods was limited. This ink stick left him uncertain, but time didn’t allow for much consideration. Finally, he made his selection.
At the side, Tian Rongchang’s face turned green. Several times he wanted to give a hint, but with everyone watching, he held back. Now seeing Zeng Yipin mistaking Qian Qiu Guang for Tai Yi Guang, he was furious enough to stamp his feet: “Are you an idiot? Tai Yi Guang is our family’s ink, how could you mistake it? You should have exposed this, you know? Do you understand?”
At this point, if Zeng Yipin had pointed out this wasn’t Tai Yi Guang, he would have won even if Zhen Niang had gotten everything right. Unfortunately… Zeng Yipin ultimately failed to recognize it.
By now, the blindfolds had been removed. After Tian Rongchang’s outburst, Zeng Yipin’s face darkened. Luo Nine wore an expression of regret, having lost by selecting one wrong ink, though his eyes betrayed a hint of satisfaction.
Zhen Niang glanced at Luo Nine. Though Tai Yi Guang was a Tian family ink, it had inherited the Luo family’s ink workshop techniques – essentially the same as Luo ink. There was no way Luo Wenqian would mistake it. Thinking of Zeng Yipin’s subsequent error, Zhen Niang was certain Luo Wenqian had made this mistake deliberately.
This fellow was quite crafty.
“In this ink gambling match, Miss Li is victorious,” Hu Zonglin finally announced.
Applause immediately erupted. Zhen Niang bowed to everyone. It added another highlight to the opening ceremony. Today’s opening had been quite lively, not cold at all.
“Such bullying, such bullying! Brothers, let’s fight the Li family to the death…” Outside, Huang Lang, seeing how the Li family had ignored them, knew that if he couldn’t perform this show to a grand finale today, his reputation in Nanjing would be finished. This ink shop owner’s resilience had exceeded his expectations.
“Bullying, bullying, such bullying! Brothers, charge…” The Lianhua Fall singing suddenly filled the entire street.
Zhen Niang clenched her fists. Beside her, Luo Wenqian gently patted her shoulder, gesturing for her to remain calm. Compared to his experiences mining gold in the north, this was nothing. Besides, his bank branch was just across the street – one word from him would bring his guards over. These people weren’t worth worrying about.
Zhen Niang nodded. Though slightly tense, she wasn’t really worried. She looked up at the sky.
The auspicious hour was approaching, and those she was waiting for should arrive soon.
Just then, two sedan chairs stopped at the Li family’s door, flanked by two groups of dark-skinned, sturdy men. Though they walked casually, their glances carried an air of ruthlessness.
The shrewd could tell at a glance these men made their living on the water.
“Make way, don’t block the road.” These two groups of men paid no attention to the Lianhua Fall singers, directly sweeping aside the beggars who had been performing for so long, showing no courtesy.
Huang Lang was already furious, and now could hardly bear such a confrontation. He turned to rally his brothers to fight, but after just a few exchanges, they were knocked to the ground by the dark-skinned men, covered in dust. As he angrily got up, his eyes caught sight of the person descending from the sedan chair – a man in his forties, tall and stout, somewhat fat, wearing gentry clothing that somehow made him look even more imposing.
Recognizing the arrival, Huang Lang couldn’t help but exclaim in shock: “Master Wei?”
Then, seeing the person descending from the second sedan chair, he exclaimed again: “Boss Wang!” His legs went weak, nearly causing him to fall back to the ground.
This time he had kicked an iron plate. He couldn’t afford to offend either of these two people.
Master Wei “Million” Wei, Nanjing’s God of Wealth and the head of the Rod Gang. In Nanjing, you could offend the Prefecture Governor, but never Wei Million or you’d leave no bones behind – such was Wei Million’s murderous reputation.
As for Boss Wang, that was Wang Cuiqiao. She too was not to be trifled with. Never mind her subordinates – her face alone had once prompted wealthy patrons to spend thousands of gold just for a smile. What wouldn’t they do? Huang Lang was nothing in comparison.
“Wei Million? Boss Wang? One’s Nanjing’s local snake, and the other’s the flower queen of the seas. The Li family kept quiet because they had backing!” The onlookers whispered among themselves.
Today’s show had given everyone much to talk about, with one wave after another thrilling the audience.
“Master Wei, Boss Wang, Zhen Niang has been awaiting you,” Zhen Niang smiled and cupped her hands in greeting.
Since parting in Huizhou, Wang Cuiqiao had also come to Nanjing, though she had been busy legitimizing her status and hadn’t interacted much with Zhen Niang. However, for the Li family’s opening, Zhen Niang naturally sent her an invitation.
Wang Cuiqiao had to support this occasion, and her gang of sea bandits were true fighters, not comparable to Huang Lang’s idle troublemakers. This was why Zhen Niang could remain so composed.
As for Wei Million, his presence was an unexpected blessing.
But the surprises weren’t over.
Just then, another sedan chair arrived, with two armed military escorts beside it. A man in formal brocade attire descended – dark-complexioned with sharp features, especially his eyes, which seemed to cut like knives when they swept across people’s faces.
Truth be told, though the man dressed plainly, his mere presence was like a mountain, overshadowing even impressive figures like Wei Million and Wang Cuiqiao.
“It’s General Qi, actually General Qi…” Hu Zonglin said incredulously. He had once donated a large sum during General Qi’s resistance against the Japanese pirates and had met him once.
Zhen Niang was also stunned. General Qi? She hadn’t invited him, nor did she have any connection with him. What was going on?
Then she remembered giving Luo Wenqian a blank invitation. She looked toward him.
Luo Wenqian smiled with narrowed eyes, whispering in her ear: “Quickly, go help the old madam welcome him.”
Meanwhile outside, hearing that General Qi had arrived, Huang Lang’s legs grew even weaker. He had caused big trouble this time. Looking at Tian Rongchang in the crowd, he mentally blamed everything on him.
Inside, Tian Rongchang’s face had darkened, a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind. Wei Million’s arrival had already surprised him, though with Wang Cuiqiao’s introduction it made some sense. But General Qi? What right did the Li family have to invite him? Or perhaps he was just passing by and wasn’t here to congratulate the Li family’s opening? Had everyone misunderstood?