Chapter 277: Throwing a Hammer

After tossing and turning in the warm blankets for a long while, Xu Zaijing realized he couldn't fall back asleep, so he sat up abruptly.

The voices of the three maids outside stopped.

The three maids walked in.

Xu Zaijing put on his clothes, and after tidying up, he opened the bedroom door.

A biting cold wind rushed in, and the three maids behind him shivered in unison.

"It's so cold out, you all should stay inside!"

Xu Zaijing said this as he turned back, only to see the three maids shaking their heads in unison.

Qingcao was the one to speak: "Young Master, we want to learn how to toss coins from Uncle Yin!"

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing shook his head helplessly. "Let's go then!"

The snow had been melting for days,

so the early morning wind was exceptionally biting.

When they arrived at the racecourse,

Xu Zaijing saw Qingyun, Alan, and Xunshu squatting by the fire pit,

where several logs as thick as a forearm were burning fiercely in the basin.

"Clang!"

The sound of copper coins hitting the bronze basin rang out.

Qingyun moved his hand inside the basin and said,

"Look, this is called 'six faces'; if the characters on the coins all face up, it's called 'six characters.' If you toss it like this, you get the prize for free."

Hearing Qingyun's words, Alan looked surprised, then took the six copper coins from the basin and tossed them casually.

"Clang!"

Alan then said,

"Is this 'six characters'?"

Qingyun looked at Alan in surprise and nodded.

"Was that just luck?"

Seeing Xu Zaijing and the others approach, the three of them hurriedly stood up to salute.

Qingcao and Huaxiang went into the small hut and called out,

"Uncle Yin! Teach us again!"

Listening to the maids' excited exclamations from inside the hut, Xu Zaijing entered the adjacent weapons room, where he put on his armor with Qingyun's help.

Then,

Qingyun, Alan, and Xunshu were busy moving short spears, as Xu Zaijing was only practicing throwing this morning.

After working up a light sweat, Xu Zaijing went to the small hut and saw the three maids focused intently on tossing coins.

He had to cough to get their attention, and someone finally handed him a cup of warm water.

After eating breakfast in Sun Shi's courtyard,

Xu Zaijing was practicing calligraphy in his own courtyard when

either Huaxiang or Yunxiang kept peeking in from the doorway in their new clothes,

their eyes full of impatience.

Xu Zaijing, however, was unhurried.

At the hour of Si (after 10:00 AM),

when it was warmer outside, Xu Zaijing finally put on his new robe.

Under the maids' joyful gazes, he walked to the racecourse and boarded the carriage.

Qingyun, Alan, and the other two followed on horseback.

Inside the carriage,

Huaxiang, who was growing more beautiful by the day, glanced at her Young Master,

then whispered to Qingcao, "Sister Qingcao, I think we can eat plenty of free food today!"

Qingcao and Yunxiang nodded in agreement. Qingcao glanced at Xu Zaijing and said,

"Young Master, if there's anything you want to eat, just tell us, and we'll win it for you!"

Xu Zaijing nodded noncommittally.

After traveling for a long while, the carriage reached the street corner near Xingguo Lane.

Qingyun rode his horse to the side of the carriage and said,

"Young Master, I see the Little Duke and the second Gu brother."

"The two Sheng brothers are there too."

Xu Zaijing lifted the curtain and saw the four of them standing by the roadside in thick winter gear, chatting.

There were quite a few carriages parked beside them.

Then, Xu Zaijing saw the curtains of those carriages being lifted, revealing the faces of several young ladies.

After getting closer, Xu Zaijing stepped out of the carriage.

The voice of Gu Tingyi came from the Gu family carriage:

"Fifth Brother Xu, you're too late!"

Rulan added from the side, "Exactly!"

"Then I apologize to the two sisters for keeping you waiting."

After Xu Zaijing exchanged greetings with Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, Changbai, and the others, they all boarded their carriages or mounted their horses and headed toward the Imperial Palace.

As they approached the Xuande Gate, the south gate of the Imperial Palace,

the roadside was already filled with shops and vendors selling all sorts of goods.

The group dismounted and began to walk.

Winter Solstice.

The government allowed "Guanpu" (gambling/lottery games) to be held.

Xu Zaijing and the others walked along the road near the Xuande Gate.

The crowd was dense, with everyone wearing new winter clothes regardless of their status.

However, for people like Xu Zaijing, they were surrounded by servants and nannies,

with Tingyi and the three Sheng sisters in the middle.

From the roadside came shouts of surprise or regret.

The "Guanpu" of the Great Zhou Dynasty involved many things.

For example, right now,

in front of a shop with a plaque reading "Tang Family Gold and Silver Shop,"

they had set up a stall outside.

A hairpin that previously sold for a hundred strings of cash was now only ten strings to try your luck.

How to play?

The shop provided seven "head coins,"

and you had three chances.

If you tossed the characters and faces the shopkeeper required twice in a row, you could take the hairpin for ten strings of cash.

If you failed, the ten strings belonged to the shopkeeper.

Tingyi glanced at the style of the hairpin and curled her lip in disdain—she didn't like it.

The maids following them touched their own purses, but none took out any money.

However, that didn't stop them from watching a wealthy man in silk robes toss ten strings of cash and start throwing the coins.

There were also passersby attracted to the shop, going inside to look at the jewelry on display.

It was a way to attract customers.

After watching for a while and seeing no one win,

Xu Zaijing and the others continued walking.

Passing a shop selling hot drinks, the waiter was shouting very energetically.

A hot drink cost twenty wen, and it was two wen for one try, tossing five copper coins.

Qingcao and Huaxiang each tossed two coins and started to play.

The result...

Qingcao tossed twelve times and didn't win.

Huaxiang tossed fifteen times and didn't win.

Yunxiang tossed twice and won.

The three of them happily shared the hot drink, which originally cost twenty wen but actually cost them nearly sixty wen, using wheat straws.

They were drinking happily when they saw Alan give the waiter six copper coins...

She tossed three times,

and from the waiter's pained expression, she received three full bamboo tubes of hot drinks.

Qingcao and the others felt the drink in their hands wasn't sweet anymore.

Seeing Alan's victory, the surrounding crowd took out money to try their luck.

The group continued walking.

Suddenly, a huge cheer erupted from ahead.

Changbai and Gu Tingye, who were in front, turned back and shouted, "Look, someone just won!"

The servants of the three families quickly formed a small circle. Xu Zaijing saw Tingyi and the three sisters go in, and then he followed.

It turned out to be a gorgeous carriage, with a purchase price of two hundred strings of cash.

It cost thirty strings to toss seven copper coins, three chances, and you had to get two "seven characters" to take it home.

Someone had already tossed one.

The owner of the carriage looked nervous, but fortunately, the second time the man tossed the seven coins, he only got "five characters." The surrounding crowd let out a sigh of regret, and the owner breathed a sigh of relief—until the man tossed for the third time.

A sigh of regret came from the surroundings,

and the owner also breathed a sigh of relief, only to see that person throw for the third time.

A huge cheer erupted from the crowd, and the carriage owner's face turned very ugly, but he still handed over the carriage.

Because seven or eight people had already come to play, it wasn't a loss.

The crowd dispersed quickly and went to watch other things.

Seeing pretty hair ornaments, Xu Zaijing also tried twice,

and got exactly what he wanted both times.

After passing the Xuande Gate, the group walked south for a while,

then turned left onto a road leading directly to Pan Lou Street, where there were even more people.

The circular wooden boards Xu Zaijing had seen earlier

were now set up in front of various shops and stalls.

In front of a silk shop,

the circular board was divided into many small squares, each painted with different animals.

A young lady was throwing a "dart" fletched with five-colored feathers at the spinning board.

"Thwack!"

Seeing this,

Xu Zaijing, Qi Heng, and the others stopped to watch.

The board stopped spinning, and the dart was pinned to the board.

It landed very close to the square that would win a bolt of silk, and the surrounding crowd let out a sigh of regret.

Further ahead, there was a stall with a high-quality fur hanging, where you also paid to throw darts, but the winning square was only as big as a jujube pit.

Further ahead was a slave market, where several young maids with decent looks were being displayed as exhibits.

When they reached the vicinity of Pan Lou,

in front of a shop specializing in custom bows and weapons, a crowd had gathered.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had many archery clubs, so such shops were quite popular.

When Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye, and the others arrived, they heard someone exclaim,

"Is that girl crazy?"

"Who knows? She's rich!"

Changfeng curiously squeezed into the crowd.

After going in for a while,

Changfeng walked out with a young man in bright red brocade, followed by several tall men.

The young man in red brocade looked around, and upon seeing Xu Zaijing, he shouted,

"Jing-ge, come help your brother out!"

With that, Rong Xian pulled Xu Zaijing by the hand into the crowd.

Once inside, they saw a circular board spinning,

and a young lady wearing a veil, with two maids behind her,

was holding a dart with five-colored feathers, aiming.

"Sister, look who I've found."

Rong Feiyan looked over upon hearing the voice, and seeing it was Xu Zaijing, she hurriedly threw the dart in her hand.

"Thwack!"

The archery shop waiter slowly stopped the human-sized spinning board.

The surrounding crowd also gathered around.

After looking closely at where it had landed,

everyone around,

regardless of who they were,

cheered.

For on that circular board, in a square only as big as a grain of rice,

a five-colored dart was pinned.

(End of chapter)