Chapter 29: The Qian Brothers Who Dug Their Own Graves

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“What do you mean, seventy-eight hundred strings? We only borrowed twenty-eight hundred!” Qian Shengwen retorted angrily.

“Second Young Master Qian, are you refusing to acknowledge the debt now? The black and white is clearly written on the paper,” Steward Qu replied.

Not only did Steward Qu produce their promissory note, he also brought out Shen Shi’s.

“Steward Qu, what are you trying to pull here? Don’t tell me you expect us to pay back the five thousand he borrowed!” Qian Shengju exclaimed.

“What? Are you out of your mind? His house wasn’t even wagered, why should we pay you his five thousand?” Qian Shengwen shouted.

“Second Young Master Qian, we’re not asking for those five thousand strings,” Steward Qu pointed to the note. “If you look closely, what we want is the interest for the five thousand used as collateral.”

Steward Qu was no fool. He knew the Shen family was poor and that the Qian brothers intended to swindle Shen Shi, so when he drafted the note, he made sure to assign the interest to the Qian brothers, who acted as guarantors.

Normally, the Qian brothers would have gotten their way and paying the money would not be an issue, but now, the problem was that they had lost.

Seeing the words written plainly on the note, Qian Shengwen, humiliated and furious, snapped, “Do you think the Qian family can’t pay its debts? We’ll pay you in a few days.”

Qian Shengju, too, looked sour, unable to understand how they could have lost.

Steward Qu’s cold smile deepened. He said, “Second Young Master Qian, it’s not that we doubt your family’s ability to pay, but the fighting pit has its own rules. You may not leave. Best to inform your household and have them bring the ransom.”

A few days later? What a joke. They ran a fighting pit, not a charity.

Qian Shengju’s face was grim. “Steward Qu, must you be so ruthless?”

“Ruthless? First Young Master Qian, these are the rules of the pit. It’s not your first time here—you can’t possibly not know them, can you?”

The brothers had not hesitated to use the rules to swindle others countless times. Now, when the tables were turned, it was suddenly ‘ruthless’?

“Thousands of strings is no small sum. I, Old Qu, don’t have such a thick skin!”

With arms crossed, Steward Qu wasted no more words. He shouted, “Men! Escort the two Young Masters Qian to the back courtyard and send word to the Qian household to come with the money.”

A group of burly men surged forward. The Qian brothers dared not resist and were promptly taken away.

Shen Shi, who had been watching the show, couldn’t help but sigh: What a pity! The Qian family truly is wealthy—they didn’t even beat them up.

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While such thoughts ran through Shen Shi’s mind, he was nonetheless elated, relishing his victory.

Serves you right! That’ll teach you to try and cheat me again!

With the Qian brothers carted off, Shen Shi approached Steward Qu. “Steward Qu, may I collect my winnings now?”

Steward Qu’s frosty expression turned instantly into a smile. “Of course, Young Master Shen. You may collect your money. And allow me to congratulate you—what a deft touch!”

In gambling dens, the staff always ingratiate themselves with the winners.

Of course, he suspected that Shen Shi must have used some trick—otherwise, how could the Qian brothers’ fighting dog, famed for never backing down, suddenly flee the match? It was inexplicable. But that was not Steward Qu’s concern; he only provided the venue. If someone used underhanded means, it was not his affair, especially since he did not know what Shen Shi had done to send a champion dog running with its tail between its legs. He certainly wasn’t about to speak up.

After retrieving his promissory note, and with the house’s cut and venue fees deducted, Shen Shi actually received forty-five hundred strings.

He had wanted silver, not paper notes, but the house insisted that the official exchange rate for silver was seven hundred seventy wen to a string. Shen Shi would have none of that—why accept seven hundred seventy per string when a thousand was the true value? Even flush with cash, he wasn’t about to throw money away like that.

Holding the paper notes... he was, at last, a man of means.

The notes felt wonderful, thick and substantial, made from mulberry paper, with a face value of a hundred strings each.

Shen Shi turned to Kong Xueli and Gongsun Ce. “Brother Kong, Brother Gongsun—tonight calls for celebration. Let me treat you to a drink.”

Kong Xueli, delighted, laughed, “Seeing the Qian brothers like that, truly satisfying. They’re always scheming against others; who would have thought they’d come to this?”

He no longer tried to dampen Shen Shi’s spirits. He had never meant to discourage him—Shen Shi’s luck had just been abysmal in the past. Now that Shen Shi had won, Kong Xueli was genuinely happy for him. As for how Shen Shi managed it, or why he won, Kong Xueli didn’t care and didn’t understand. All he knew was the Qian brothers’ dog had fled, Shen Shi had won, and that was enough.

“Hahaha! I have a feeling the best is yet to come,” Shen Shi said.

Kong Xueli was momentarily taken aback, but Gongsun Ce had already realized something and laughed as well.

Just as they were about to leave, a man blocked their path. He was in his forties, robed in silks, square-faced and heavyset, with an air of prosperity and a broad smile. He greeted Shen Shi with a cupped-fist salute, “Young Master Shen, I am Zhou Dajin, proprietor of the Golden Jade Hall. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you.”

Despite what the name suggested, Golden Jade Hall was not a jewelry shop dealing in precious metals and curios, but a grain store. It was said that the Zhou family’s forebear declared, “Grain is worth more than gold or jade; better a house full of grain than a hall full of treasure,” hence the name.

Regardless of the truth of that tale, the Zhou family’s grain store was famous in Jinhua and did a thriving trade.

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However, Zhou Dajin and Shen Shi had never had dealings before. After all, what business would a forty-something grain merchant have with a seventeen-year-old scholar? Shen Shi was curious about his intentions. “Master Zhou, what brings you here?”

Zhou Dajin replied, “It’s like this—I, Old Zhou, have few hobbies. I simply enjoy raising dogs. Would you be willing to part with yours?”

“So that’s it. But the dog isn’t mine; I borrowed it from Young Master Gongsun.” Shen Shi pointed to Gongsun Ce.

“Haha, is that so? Nephew, I am quite well acquainted with Gongsun…” Knowing the dog belonged to Gongsun Ce, Zhou Dajin’s confidence clearly increased.

Who buys the most grain? The answer: slave traders.

To be blunt, the Gongsun family had certainly procured plenty of shady grain from Zhou Dajin over the years.

That’s what you call a relationship.

So, after only a few words, Gongsun Ce agreed.

Having once done dirty business together, and with the other party asking only to buy a dog, Gongsun Ce had no reason to refuse. They didn’t even bother to negotiate the price—the deal was struck on the spot.

“Master!” Little Fox was visibly unhappy with the transaction.

“What is it?”

“That dog helped you win silver. I know you breathed a mouthful of spirit into it. Why not keep it?” Little Fox demanded.

“Keep it? Well—my household could use a guard dog. But Brother Gongsun has… already agreed.”

Shen Shi, too, felt the loss of that breath of spiritual energy—he only had two, and he’d already expended one. But as Little Fox had said, the dog had already helped him win money, so their account was settled. Since Gongsun Ce had now agreed to give it to Zhou Dajin, Shen Shi could hardly object.