Chapter Nineteen The Shopkeeper Is Not Here

After receiving the fifty taels of reward silver, Ding strode out of the county office in a huff, not saying a word. Zhao Laixi followed closely behind him, beaming with delight, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Magistrate Hu.

For Ding, fifty taels felt like a paltry sum, an insult he could scarcely accept. But to Zhao Laixi, it was a considerable income—at least the county magistrate had given them something. If they’d left empty-handed, what could a powerless commoner do? Would you dare challenge the county magistrate and expect to win?

Magistrate Hu, accompanied by his attendants, escorted the two all the way to the main gate and had his men return the wolf carcass to Ding, still murmuring, “There are many affairs in the yamen, forgive me for not seeing you farther,” and “Brother Tian, do come visit whenever you have time,” and similar pleasantries.

The gatekeepers and yamen runners on duty watched Magistrate Hu’s courteous send-off with suspicion. Brother Tian? Could these two bumpkins be relatives of the magistrate? Fortunately, they hadn’t dared offend them further earlier—if the magistrate took offense, they’d be in serious trouble.

Ding, still fuming, wanted nothing to do with the wolf and nearly left it behind. But then he thought, why make things even easier for that old fox? Besides, he genuinely needed the money—his home was bare, and there was too much to buy. So, with a resigned sigh, he hoisted the wolf onto his shoulder again.

After leaving the yamen, Zhao Laixi wanted to take Ding to the marketplace, but Ding shook his head. “We’re going to Fragrant Pavilion!” he said.

Ding knew that if they went to the market, they’d get only the usual price for the wolf, and since it was already afternoon, the crowd would have thinned and it was uncertain whether they could sell it at all. Fragrant Pavilion, according to Magistrate Hu, was the grandest restaurant in Luoxia County. If they would buy the wolf, he’d surely get a better price than at the market. Fortunately, it was late autumn and not hot, so the wolf had not yet spoiled; but if he couldn’t sell it today, tomorrow would be another story.

They made their way into the streets, asked for directions, and headed to Fragrant Pavilion.

Fragrant Pavilion stood in the busiest part of the southern city. Although not quite the largest restaurant in Luoxia County as Magistrate Hu claimed, it was certainly among the top establishments. There was an old saying in Luoxia County:

Bowing to the moon at the pavilion, the night air cools;
On the terrace, watching the sun dye clouds with light;
Within the tower, the aroma of wine fills the city;
In the chamber, admiring flowers more splendid than any.

Each opening word—pavilion, terrace, tower, chamber—referred to four famous landmarks in the city: Moon-Worship Pavilion, Sunrise Terrace, Fragrant Pavilion, and the Garden of Beauties.

The Moon-Worship Pavilion was a gazebo in the northern city’s Luoxia Temple. Every year at the Mid-Autumn Festival, the townsfolk went there to offer incense and pray to the moon. Because so many came, the monks set up the incense table in the pavilion and organized the crowd into an orderly queue. Thus, it became known as the Moon-Worship Pavilion.

Sunrise Terrace was built within Zixia Academy in the west, itself perched atop a hill. Climbing the terrace to watch the sunrise or sunset had become a literary fashion among the local gentry. Unless you’d seen the dawn or dusk from Sunrise Terrace and composed a few lines of verse, you could hardly call yourself a scholar.

In the southern city, Fragrant Pavilion was famed for its wine. It was said that if a guest uncorked a jar of wine inside, the aroma would waft down the entire street. Of course, this was only a legend, but those who had tasted the wine swore that no other could compare.

The Garden of Beauties was the largest pleasure house in Luoxia County, located in the eastern city, made up of a main building and two side wings enclosing a central courtyard. Its back garden was filled with carved railings, painted beams, pavilions, and winding galleries, perfumed with flowers and birdsong. But the true attraction was the assembly of beauties—skilled and lovely women, the finest in the city, some performing music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and dance—each talented and charming in her way. The establishment hosted regular competitions, judging both the talents of the courtesans and the wit of their gentlemen patrons. Thus, the Garden of Beauties was not only the greatest den of indulgence in Luoxia, but also the favored haunt of officials, nobles, wealthy merchants, gifted young men, and all those with money to spend.

Ding and Zhao Laixi reached the entrance to Fragrant Pavilion, where their eyes were immediately drawn to the massive signboard above the door. The three bold characters for “Fragrant Pavilion” leapt from the plaque, flanked by a couplet:

From the painted tower, sunset clouds cascade; guests from five lakes taste rare delicacies.
With pure wine, the sun and moon linger; friends from eight directions share fragrant spirits.

Fragrant Pavilion covered a sizable plot, though it was only three stories tall. In this era, due to the limitations of building materials and techniques, few structures rose so high, except for those owned by royalty, nobility, or serving special purposes.

A three-story building was already remarkable.

The first floor was a large hall. Though it was already past lunchtime, every seat remained filled. The second floor housed private rooms, from which the clatter of cups and laughter drifted down the stairs. The third floor was reserved for distinguished guests, rarely open to ordinary folk.

At that moment, a busy waiter happened to notice two raggedly dressed men approaching the door. He was a bit surprised, but quickly stepped forward to greet them, “Gentlemen, will you be dining with us today?”

It was rare for anyone poor to eat at Fragrant Pavilion. The prices were high, and few commoners could afford them. Thus, it was almost unheard of for people as shabbily dressed as Ding and Zhao Laixi to come here.

“Ah, we’re not here to eat,” Ding replied. He was about to state their business when a sudden snort of laughter came from a nearby table, followed by two quick coughs.

Ding, Zhao Laixi, and the waiter all glanced over to see a pretty girl of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a red silk skirt embroidered with fine patterns, dabbing her lips with her kerchief, unable to suppress her laughter. The golden begonia hairpin in her hair quivered with her mirth.

Her dishes had not yet been served; only a pot of tea sat on her table. Clearly, she had overheard the exchange and found it so amusing she’d nearly spat her tea.

Seeing everyone turn to look at her, she flushed with embarrassment, then stiffened her expression and called out to the waiter, “What are you staring at? Bring the food quickly, I’m starving over here…” Her speech carried a hint of the Sichuan dialect.

“Right away, miss, please be patient!” the waiter replied, bowing and nodding, then hurried to the kitchen before returning to Ding. “So, gentlemen, may I ask what brings you to our establishment?”

“Brother, I was wondering—do you buy wolf meat here?” Ding asked.

“Wolf meat? Where is it?” the waiter replied.

Fragrant Pavilion was well-known in the city, and hunters often brought their game—usually wild pheasants or hares, sometimes a wild boar. But wolf meat? That was unheard of.

“I left the wolf at the door when I came in. If you’d like, you can come take a look,” Ding said.

The waiter stepped outside and, upon seeing the size of the wolf, was startled for a moment before regaining his composure. “To be honest, sir, we’ve never bought wolf meat before. If it were pheasants, hares, or boar, I could make the decision myself, but for wolf meat, I’ll need to report to the manager…”

“Then, if you would be so kind as to inform him…” Ding replied, bowing politely.

“But our manager isn’t here today…” the waiter said awkwardly.

Ding cursed his luck inwardly. Why was selling a wolf such an ordeal?