To encourage the people to hunt and kill fierce tigers, and to prevent local officials from forcibly buying or selling, the court stipulated that the county yamen must pay a bounty for tiger hunting, but could not acquire the tiger carcass.
Cutting off the tiger’s tongue was to prevent someone from buying the tiger and then claiming the reward repeatedly.
Several people received the reward money, but still had to find buyers themselves.
Pulling the cart just out of the county yamen, they were surrounded by several fur merchants who had heard the news.
“Chen Laoliu, you are impressive, actually killing a tiger! Name your price!”
Hunters came to the county seat every year to sell animal skins, so soon someone recognised him and asked for the price.
Killing a tiger was super big news in Xihewan, but Jinchuan County governed sixteen townships and over a hundred villages, all mountainous areas with too many tigers. On average, two or three were killed each year. The hunter had seen tiger auctions several times and already knew the approximate price.
A tiger could generally sell for about twenty-five guan of money.
But the hunter held up four fingers and said. “Forty guan of money!”
“Chen Laoliu, have you lost your mind, blinded by lard? Don’t you know the price of tigers?”
A fur merchant cursed.
“Old Zhou, is our tiger the same as those from other villages?”
The hunter did not yield an inch. “The tigers they send are all stabbed to death by a group of people, already chopped full of big holes and small eyes. Look at ours, only a few small holes on the body, bigger in size, better fur colour. Can they compare?”
“Even so, it is not worth forty guan!”
“Such a good tiger, encountered once in decades, how is it not worth it? Less than forty guan, not selling!”
…
After half an hour of haggling, the tiger was finally sold to Old Zhou for thirty-two guan.
Plus the government’s three guan bounty, this tiger yielded a total of thirty-five guan.
One guan of money was one thousand copper coins, thirty-five guan of copper coins filled half a cloth bag.
Dakang’s copper coins were still quite valuable, one copper coin could buy a meat bun.
With this money, Jin Feng would not need to worry about taxes or food and drink for the next several years.
“Let’s go, time to eat!”
With money in hand, he felt secure. Seeing the sky darkening, Jin Feng waved boldly, leading the group to find a restaurant.
From morning till now, they had run dozens of li on mountain roads without eating. Zhang Liang and the others were famished, following with smiles.
Dakang had no stir-fried dishes, food mainly based on steaming and boiling. They found a seemingly clean inn by the roadside, each ordering a bowl of meat soup, with a basin of white flour steamed buns brought up.
These were already the inn’s best fare.
Meals with lodging totalled seventy copper coins. Zhang Liang felt heartache for Jin Feng half the night, thinking Jin Feng was too extravagant.
Seventy copper coins buying coarse grains, plus some wild vegetables, would feed their family for a month.
But the next morning, Zhang Liang learned what real extravagance was.
As soon as they got up in the morning, Jin Feng gave each of the village chief and others a red envelope. Zhang Liang opened it to see fully two hundred copper coins.
“Jin Feng, too much, I cannot accept.”
This red envelope was too large, even the village chief felt it hot to handle.
“Not much, not much. You put down your work and followed me so far, I cannot let you run for nothing, right?”
Jin Feng said. “A scholar is useless in a hundred ways. If not for you, I could not even find the county yamen door, let alone sell the tiger for such a high price.”
This was not Jin Feng being modest. If not for the hunter and village chief bargaining with the merchants, this fierce tiger would have sold for at least several guan less.
That was several thousand copper coins.
“We are from the same village, this is as it should be.”
The village chief said. “Yesterday you treated us to eat meat and buns to our fill, already spending quite a bit. Today, just give a couple of copper coins as a token.”
“The ancients were truly simple and honest.”
Jin Feng sighed inwardly, deliberately putting on a stern face. “I, Jin Feng, am a scholar. Words spoken are like water spilled. If you do not accept, just throw it away.”
“You, you!”
The village chief saw Jin Feng displaying a scholar’s stubborn temper, and had to stuff the red envelope into his bosom.
“That is right.”
Jin Feng nodded satisfied, then began a big shopping spree.
In one morning, Jin Feng spent fully eight guan of copper coins, not only buying grains, salt, and other daily necessities, but also many things Zhang Liang did not recognise or thought utterly useless, filling over half the cart.
He originally wanted to buy clothes for Guan Xiaorou, but searching the entire county seat found no ready-made clothes sellers, so he bought two bolts of cloth to take back and have made.
Shopping done, over twenty guan of copper coins remained, filling half a bag. Jin Feng found it troublesome, so at the money shop he exchanged twenty guan into easier-to-carry silver ingots.
He treated everyone to another restaurant meal, then started the return journey.
Jin Feng and the others had just left the city gate when the yamen runner brought a young man in armour into the inn where Jin Feng had stayed last night.
“Sirs, eating or staying?”
The waiter quickly greeted them.
“Neither eating nor staying, inquiring about someone.”
The yamen runner asked. “Did the tiger sellers stay here yesterday?”
“Tiger sellers?”
The waiter was stunned.
He was busy yesterday, did not have time to see the excitement, only heard someone sold a tiger, but did not see it.
“There were five of them, led by an old man, plus a refined scholar and a one-armed man.”
With the yamen runner’s description, the waiter immediately recalled. “Yes, yes, they stayed here yesterday, but checked out early this morning.”
“Do you know where they went?”
“That, this humble one does not know.”
The waiter could not help asking. “Officer, what do you want them for? Did they commit some crime?”
“Do not ask what you should not.”
The yamen runner scolded sternly. The waiter shrank his neck in fright, not daring to ask more.
“They committed no crime. Last night I saw the tiger, found the tiger killer’s archery superb, so I want to make his acquaintance, no malice.”
The young man in armour smiled. “If you see them again, come to Qingfeng Villa in the south of the city to notify, you will not lack reward money.”
“Yes!”
Upon hearing Qingfeng Villa, the waiter’s attitude became even more respectful.
He had heard it was a great general’s residence.
Leaving the inn, the yamen runner saw the young man’s face full of disappointment and comforted. “Young Master, our county kills several tigers each year. If you like tiger-slaying heroes, tomorrow I will find a few for you.”
“It is not the same.”
The young man in armour said. “That tiger had both legs pierced by arrows, the one on the forehead also half a chi deep, showing the killer is a bow and arrow expert, and immensely strong. The north is in fierce battle, urgently needing such talent!”
“Head Zhang, help me keep an eye out. If you find news of this person, please notify me.”
“Prince Qing is too polite, it is but a small effort.”
The yamen runner bowed in agreement.
