Chapter Fifteen: Unexpected Fortune

It turned out that the recent attacks on people and livestock by two giant wolves descending from Mount Sunset had already been reported to the county authorities. The county magistrate, Magistrate Hu, dispatched Head Constable Sun and two officers to the area around Mount Sunset. They gathered fifteen or sixteen experienced hunters to venture into the mountains together, aiming to hunt down the two wolves.

Unexpectedly, the wolves were exceedingly cunning. Traditional methods like snares and traps were utterly ineffective. In the dense forest, even bows and arrows lost much of their utility. Head Constable Sun and the hunters were at their wits’ end. Each time they caught a glimpse of the wolves’ shadows, everyone would charge forward with blades, spears, and staves, only to chase the wolves deeper into the mountains, unknowingly lured into the heart of the wilderness. That very night, the two wolves launched a surprise attack on their camp. Of the fifteen or sixteen men, only three managed to escape alive, each bearing various injuries.

Magistrate Hu dared not send more men to their deaths. He could only post a public notice, seeking capable and extraordinary folk, and offering a handsome reward for slaying the wolves.

The wonton shopkeeper, seeing Xiao Ding carrying a massive gray wolf, assumed him to be one of those remarkable hunters, likely on his way to the county office to claim the reward, which was why he had asked Xiao Ding about it.

Hearing the shopkeeper’s tale, Xiao Ding burst out laughing, thinking to himself that perhaps he truly could claim the reward—a most unexpected windfall indeed!

“In that case, I must trouble you to tell me the way to the county office. If I truly receive the reward, you certainly won’t be forgotten,” Xiao Ding said.

“Of course, no problem at all…”

The wonton shopkeeper then described the route to the county office in detail. Xiao Ding also inquired about the locations of the pawnshop and blacksmith, and, shouldering the wolf, left the wonton shop with Zhao Laixi in tow.

In truth, both Xiao Ding and Zhao Laixi were country bumpkins unfamiliar with the layout of cities in these times.

People of this era were generally quite superstitious about geomancy. The county office, as the seat of local authority, had to be built at the very center of the city, facing south and built symmetrically along a central axis. Only then would it accord with the principles of “establishing oneself at the center” as dictated by geomancy. Centrally located, it also projected authority and facilitated urban governance.

Pawnshops and blacksmiths, however, were found in all four quarters of town—east, west, south, and north. According to the wonton shopkeeper, there were more pawnshops in the east and more blacksmiths in the north. Typically, pawnshops were situated in bustling districts, while blacksmiths were in more out-of-the-way places.

Xiao Ding and Zhao Laixi proceeded down the main street toward the city center, an easy path that required only walking straight ahead. Passing two or three pawnshops along the way, they went in to inquire, but upon seeing the tattered clothes Zhao Laixi carried, the clerks shook their heads like rattles and refused outright.

The garments were too shabby—no pawnshop would bother with such things from poor folk. Xiao Ding had hoped to exchange them for a few coins to buy a bowl of wontons, but not a single pawnshop was willing.

“Let’s hold onto them for now and try elsewhere later,” Xiao Ding said, though he had already given up hope in his heart.

Since eating the wontons, Zhao Laixi had grown quiet, following behind Xiao Ding and doing whatever he was told. After all, the simpleton never listened to him, so he might as well follow the simpleton’s lead.

After walking a bit further, they finally reached the county office.

Xiao Ding looked up and was taken aback by how shabby it was! It felt just like being back in the village. The building was tall enough and possessed some slight air of authority, but it was far too old. Grass grew from the cracks between the roof tiles—one wondered if it leaked in the rain. The corners of the main gate had been worn smooth, to say nothing of any red lacquer they might once have boasted. The enclosing wall had lost great patches of plaster, with one section broken and another propped up with wooden beams to keep it from collapsing entirely.

Truly, as the saying went, “The yamen stands firm but the officials come and go,” and “Officials don’t repair their offices” was as true as ever.

Not far from the county office stood a wall shaped like the character for “eight”—the spot where public notices and proclamations were posted. Sure enough, the reward notice for the wolf slaying was pasted there. Zhao Laixi was illiterate, recognizing only a few numbers he’d been taught while apprenticing at a carpenter’s shop in town.

Xiao Ding could make out most of the notice, though it was written in formal script and some words had to be guessed from context. In his heart, he thought: The writing could be so much simpler—why make it so complicated?

Such questions no longer surprised Xiao Ding. There were so many things that defied understanding in this era, it was better simply not to dwell on them.

The gist of the proclamation matched what the wonton shopkeeper had said: first, it described the harm the wolves had done to the people and livestock, and declared they must be killed without delay; next, it emphasized the wolves’ cunning and ferocity, stating only the most capable individuals could hope to succeed; finally, it announced the reward for anyone who could slay the wolves. What caught Xiao Ding’s attention most was the last line: “If any capable person can slay or capture these two wolves, a reward of two hundred taels of silver will be given.”

Xiao Ding had no concept of what two hundred taels of silver meant—whether it was a lot or a little. So he asked Zhao Laixi, “How much is two hundred taels of silver?”

“Two hundred taels is two hundred taels,” Zhao Laixi replied, giving Xiao Ding a sidelong glance and thinking: Truly a fool, doesn’t even know the value of silver. No matter how good he is at fighting, he’s still a blockhead who can’t keep his affairs straight.

“Uh—” Xiao Ding was momentarily speechless, realizing his question hadn’t been clear. He continued, “What I mean is, is two hundred taels a lot? How long would it last us?”

“Oh, let me put it this way: our family doesn’t spend even two taels in a whole year. For a big household like your grandfather’s, with more than ten people, five taels a year is plenty. In town, a medium-sized house costs no more than twenty or thirty taels. Two hundred taels could buy you two small houses here in the county seat.”

“Sounds like quite a sum, then?” Xiao Ding said happily.

“Of course it’s a lot! Ordinary folks like us could work an entire lifetime and never earn two hundred taels,” Zhao Laixi replied.

“Hahaha, what a windfall!” Xiao Ding was so delighted he nearly jumped for joy. He reached out and tore the proclamation down, stuffed it into his shirt, and pulled Zhao Laixi along, saying, “Come, let’s go claim our silver!”

They returned to the county office’s main gate.

On either side of the main entrance stood a pair of large stone lions, impressive despite their weathered state. A large drum was set up to one side of the gate, for commoners to strike if they wished to lodge a grievance.

There were also two side gates flanking the main entrance, each guarded by a yamen officer on duty. Xiao Ding went straight up to one of them.

“Officer, may I ask, we’ve killed the wolves from the proclamation—where do we go to claim our reward?” Xiao Ding said, setting down the wolf and producing the reward notice from his shirt.

“You two killed this wolf?” the guard asked, pointing at the giant beast on the ground. He looked over Xiao Ding and Zhao Laixi, noting their patched and shabby clothing—plainly commoners—and his tone grew colder.

“Yes, this is one of the two giant wolves from Mount Sunset. We ate the other one,” Xiao Ding replied.

“You ate it?” The guard was startled, then his eyes narrowed and his expression darkened. “How dare you! Tearing down an official notice to falsely claim the reward—aren’t you afraid of being locked up for fraud?”

What? Xiao Ding and Zhao Laixi were both aghast…