Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 258: Shanxi Merchants

Zhao Changhe could not discern anything from the innkeeper’s expression, nor could he tell if her words held any special meaning. Nonetheless, he did not dwell on it. He just smiled faintly and glanced at the menu before asking, “It seems like there’s a lot of finger food here, but those don’t really interest me much. Since you have Jiangnan osmanthus wine, do you also have Jiangnan stir-fry?”

The innkeeper chuckled, “Normally, most people adapt to local customs when they travel and go to foreign lands. Who would come all the way to the northern border just to look for cuisine from the south?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “I’m just asking. So, do you have it or not?”

The innkeeper’s eyes sparkled, “If you insist, it’s not that we can’t serve it to you, but it’ll cost you extra.”

“Is it because rare things are valuable?” asked Zhao Changhe.

“It’s because it’s more troublesome to prepare,” explained the innkeeper. “Different ingredients, utensils, and seasonings. Since there’s usually no demand for it, if we were to keep those in stock, they would go bad in a few days. If you really insist, we’ll have to send someone out and buy the ingredients now. Of course, because of that, you’ll have to pay extra. Isn’t that only fair?”

Zhao Changhe clapped his hands and chuckled. “Fair indeed.”

“Hey, Lady Three!” The other customers were slightly displeased. “How come you’re chatting with that kid so much? He’s not even that handsome, but he’s raking in all the benefits here!”

Lady Three glared at them, “I’ll talk to whoever I want. Can’t you mind your own business?”

Someone chimed in, “Just because he wants to eat Jiangnan cuisine? Then we’ll order some too.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. These people are so petty.

As expected, Lady Three laughed and said, “It’s because he doesn’t care for any seduction. Since he treats me sincerely, I’ll do the same in return. This is called hospitality.”

Everyone: “...”

Zhao Changhe put down the menu. “I’ll just have a portion of shredded mutton. There’s no need to go through so much trouble.”

Lady Three seemed a bit uninterested now, and she asked perfunctorily, “Do you want some company to chat with? I don’t mean anything by this.”

Zhao Changhe could sense her lack of interest, so he simply replied, “I’m here to eat. Your strong scent would just affect my appetite.”

“Pah.” Lady Three got frustrated and brushed her nose. She swayed her hips as she walked away and said, “Hey, what are you dawdling there for? Hurry up and serve the customer drinks!”

When everyone saw the innkeeper begin treating him the same as everyone else, they no longer felt jealous of him. With that, they began chatting about their own affairs again. Someone said to Zhao Changhe, “Brother, there have been many who have tried to act uninterested to get closer to her, but it has never worked... In fact, if you overdo it, you might even get a beating.”

Zhao Changhe simply smiled and did not reply.

It feels like everyone’s itching to get a piece of Lady Three’s attention. Well, she does have quite a good figure, it’s similar to Huangfu Qing’s. But her coquettishness is really a bit too much. Huangfu Qing is a lot more dignified, and I think that’s a lot better!

To be honest, with Jade[1] right in front of me, I don’t really have much of an appetite. Who knows what forbidden dishes she serves her customers here. It’s best not to provoke her.

Soon, the shredded mutton and osmanthus wine were served. Zhao Changhe gave the waiter a piece of silver and asked him to take care of Snow-Treading Crow while he ate and pondered over matters.

His conversations with Lady Three had been filled with probing. For example, when she said that they could serve such cuisine, it indicated that the cooks were from Jiangnan rather than hired locally. It showed that this place was run by people from the Great Xia, specifically from Jiangnan, and they were not here just to sell osmanthus wine.

Lady Three’s remarks indicated that although there were people who could cook dishes from Jiangnan, they themselves did not eat such food regularly, hinting that there was likely not a regular supply of Jiangnan ingredients here. This meant that there was not an established trade route between this place and Jiangnan. Nevertheless, she hinted that if he wanted something custom, he could pay extra to make it a fair deal.

How could these drinkers, whose minds were filled with big melons and slender waists, understand their exchange?

From the hints that Lady Three dropped about being open to deals, the possibility of their group here being under Huangfu Yongxian, the Demon Suppression Bureau, or some force in the Grasslands could pretty much be ruled out. Instead, it was much more likely for them to be under Ying Five or the Four Idols Cult.

But even then, neither of these two possibilities could be trusted too much. He did not have any token or seal from the Four Idols Cult. Furthermore, in the general perception of the followers of the Four Idols Cult, he was still considered an enemy, albeit a low-priority one. Who knew what would happen if he encountered them?

As for those under Ying Five, while their organization claimed to engage in fair trade of intelligence, in practice, the specific inclinations of the various people in charge might not align. After having stayed in such a place for so long, who knew if those here had developed certain biases? Since they did not have any real rapport, he could not afford to trust them blindly.

However, since his identity had not been exposed, there should not be any problem if he only wished to purchase some less-sensitive intelligence.

Just as he was pondering this, two more people entered the inn. Zhao Changhe glanced at them subconsciously, his gaze carrying a hint of coldness.

It was the middle-aged man and the young man who had been leading the caravan he ran into the other night.

Lady Three approached Zhao Changhe again and smiled apologetically as she said, “Sir, more customers have come, and your table happens to be the only one with seats available. Would you mind if they joined you?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Lady Three, your business here seems to be doing really well.”

Lady Three smiled and said, “Well, the location is excellent. The travelers who have just arrived at the market, weary from their journey, tend to start drooling when they see the streamers hanging outside.”

Zhao Changhe nodded. Indeed, the location was excellent. Was that not exactly how he had ended up here? “If I refuse to share the table, would you kick me out to make room for them?”

Lady Three sighed and advised, “Why choose to be so lonely when away from home? Isn’t it better to make more friends?”

The two people who had just come in, hearing their conversation, seemed to grow impatient. They stood on either side of Zhao Changhe. One of them said, “Brother, we’re all travelers from the Central Plains. Let’s not make things difficult.”

Oh, now you consider yourselves people from the Central Plains? How come you don’t seem to hold this sentiment when selling grains to the barbarians in the midst of war?

Zhao Changhe knew that he could probably extract a lot of information from the two by stringing along and pretending to chat with them, but he felt disgusted by them no matter how he tried to see them. He just could not put up an act when facing them, so he said coldly, “Lady Three and I were in the middle of our discussion, and I would honestly have no problem making some concessions and giving her some face. But while we still had not concluded our discussion here, you butt in and label me as out of line? Now, I really have no intention of sharing the table with you. You can go sit with whoever you want.”

“Are you truly going to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit?!” The young man’s eyes glinted with ferocity, and he suddenly threw a slap at Zhao Changhe’s face.

All the customers perked up again. There was never a dull moment in Huangsha Market. Every day brought something new.

Pah!

A loud slap could be heard, as everyone expected. However, even though it had obviously been the young man who had made a move, everyone saw him get slapped in the face instead. He spun in place like a top several times before coming to a stop. He clutched his mouth and spat out some blood and teeth.

The other customers could not even see how Zhao Changhe had managed to return the slap!

Lady Three looked at Zhao Changhe with great interest, and she looked like she was pondering something.

The middle-aged man was furious. “How dare you?!”

Shing!

The sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and the middle-aged man swiftly stabbed at Zhao Changhe’s back.

Zhao Changhe, still eating the shredded mutton and drinking wine, twisted his body slightly. With that slight twist, the sword ended up passing by his ribs. Then, with a casual move, he easily caught the other party’s hand under his arm. With a crisp snap, he broke the man’s wrist, and the man’s screams resounded throughout the hall.

Everyone gasped, their gazes toward Zhao Changhe changing slightly.

Setting aside his martial arts skills, his strength was what really caught their attention. They had difficulty comprehending the strength needed to break someone’s hand with such a simple movement.

Some of the other customers instinctively tried to mimic the move, but ultimately shook their heads. They felt that they could never achieve the same effect.

Zhao Changhe let go of the man and said calmly, “Hmph, pieces of trash.”

The two looked at Zhao Changhe with a mixture of shock and fear, then quickly retreated out of the door, leaving a threat as they ran away, “Just you wait!”

Zhao Changhe picked up a set of chopsticks, as if considering killing them, but then put them down in the end. He felt that the two men were likely leaders of the merchant caravan he had encountered, and they might have some information he needed. As such, it was not the right move to kill them, at least not at the moment. Besides, if he suddenly had to face the forces of their entire caravan, it would disrupt his plans.

With that in mind, Zhao Changhe turned to Lady Three, who had been watching the show with interest, and asked calmly, “Lady Three, they laid hands on your customer, and you didn’t even bother saying a word? Is it because they have more money than me, or is it because you don’t bother protecting your guests at all?”

Lady Three responded with a smile, looking like she had just woken from a dream, “Oh, scuffles in the inn are incredibly common. I failed to recognize the nature of this one immediately. Please forgive me.”

Zhao Changhe said, “So if they come back for revenge, would you protect your guests?”

Lady Three smiled and said, “The inn is a safe zone. No one, no matter who they are, can touch my guests. But once you step outside, you’re on your own.”

Why are you only mentioning that it’s a safe zone now? Zhao Changhe then continued, “That’s fine... Do you know them, Lady Three?”

Lady Three smiled and said, “Why? Are you planning on taking the initiative and wiping them out?”

“Perhaps.”

“In that case, I advise you to be cautious. They’ve got quite a lot of people...”

“So who are they?”

“That was Second Master Qiao from the Qiao Clan of Jinzhong. As for the young man, it seemed to be his first time coming out. Anyhow, I don’t know them personally.”

Sure enough, they were Shanxi merchants[2]... Zhao Changhe’s mind spun, trying to recall any notable members of the Qiao Clan on the rankings of the Tome of Troubled Times, but he could not recall anyone being on any of the rankings. He then asked, “What businesses do they do? And who are the important figures in their clan? Might you know, Lady Three?”

A mysterious light flashed in Lady Three’s eyes. “I have the information, but it will cost you.”

1. This is a reference to Dragon Inn once again. Just a note that Jade, in the wuxia film, was an innkeeper who seduced and murdered people. I haven’t watched it, but from a short read, I think she also feeds some of the customers the meat of people she’s murdered. ☜

2. These merchants are among the earliest Chinese businessmen, and they appeared in ancient China. They conducted trade with various organizations throughout China, Mongolia, Russia, and Japan. ☜