Chapter 550: Palm

"Tan Laizi, Brother Luo, let me tell you first — your fort assignment is gone. The Logistics Division people told me. Originally you were Fort Chief at some Pozidun Fort, but Lord Wu flat-out refused to approve it. Even that Tang Ershuan who made the news didn't dare testify for you. The Pacification Squad won't let you be Fort Chief. They're sending you to Pozidun Fort as a Dun Household. The name's weird too — Pozidun, what's that about, lots of old women? They say the Household Office will finalize it in the next few days."

"What Dun Household? Am I, Tan Ye, the sort to be a Dun Household? The Household Office may fear that Wu the Cripple, but I don't fear him. Go ask around the whole Sheng-Tang Ferry — who doesn't know Tan Ye who runs the brokerage? This Fort Chief post was personally promised to me by Lord Pang. Does Wu the Cripple dare cross me? One day he'll have to come apologize to Tan Ye in person, kneel and beg Tan Ye to take this Fort Chief post."

On the street inside Anqing's Zongyang Gate, a long column of infantry was passing through — the Anqing Personal Soldier Qianzong returning to their garrison near Tongcheng. Countless commoners lined the streets watching and cheering.

Tan Laizi and Boat Dock Master Luo sat at the same table. This Boat Dock Master had followed the Anqing Battalion from Xuzhou, fought all the way to Biankou, then followed them all the way back to Anqing — a journey of at least two thousand li.

Tan Laizi raised his tea and took a sip, then suddenly flung his hand out in fury. "Wu the Cripple wants to screw me over now, turn Tan Ye into a Dun Household. But I'm no soldier of the Anqing Battalion. Before there was any Anqing Battalion, I didn't starve to death either. Me, a Dun Household? Never in my life. I'll just go back to the ferry crossing and run my brokerage — what's he gonna do about it? Wu Dacai commands troops and officers, but can he command the docks too?"

Boat Dock Master clapped his hands. "Tan Ye talks tough. I hear the docks at Anqing are all run by Lord Pang's Canal Gang, but the brokerages have their own rules. As long as you've got a broker license, you don't have to fear Wu the Cripple, right?"

"A broker license, naturally I have one…" Tan Laizi turned his head to look at the Boat Dock Master, his face full of fury as he cursed. "Tan Ye has had a broker license for ages, issued by the Huaining County Yamen. Wu the Cripple can't do shit about it."

"Then we don't fear that Wu the Cripple. Tan Laizi, listen to your older brother here. Us businessmen always have ups and downs. When you're down, you've got to get back up. Besides relying on yourself, you need others to lend a hand. Why would others help you? They look at how you treat people. I, Lao Luo, made my name on the Grand Canal all these years precisely by this everyday loyalty to friends." Having said this, Boat Dock Master's left hand fumbled inside his clothes. Tan Laizi distinctly heard the clink of silver, his eyes fixed straight on Boat Dock Master's hand.

After a moment, the left hand came out. In the palm were a few pieces of broken silver. Tan Laizi was a bit disappointed, but it would still help in a pinch. He reached his hand over at once, but Boat Dock Master used his right hand to pick out one small piece — only about three mace or so. Just as he was about to place it into Tan Laizi's hand, Tan Laizi suddenly brought both hands together, wrapping up Boat Dock Master's hand along with all the loose pieces of silver.

Boat Dock Master froze for an instant. Tan Laizi applied force, trying to scoop all the silver into his own palm. Boat Dock Master didn't react right away, hesitating noticeably. Feeling the silver about to leave his palm, Boat Dock Master instinctively clenched his fist around it.

Tan Laizi pulled once and it didn't budge. He leaned his body back, yanking hard on Boat Dock Master's fist. Neither would yield, and gradually they went from sitting to standing, faces gritting their teeth, veins bulging on the backs of their hands, locked in a life-or-death struggle over the broken silver.

Boat Dock Master was tall and brawny. After a brief contest, he gained the upper hand. His feet stood neither parallel nor splayed, his massive body weight generating greater strength. He could already see the hope of victory and was about to exert force to regain control when he suddenly felt his hand go slack.

Across from him, Tan Laizi had actually let go. He cupped his hands in salute and said, "Brother Luo, you are truly loyal. Tan Ye has been framed by petty men, and still you come to help — worthy of being Tan Ye's brother. Wherever I go, I'll say you're a man of honor."

Boat Dock Master was still frozen in the posture of their struggle moments before. He stared blankly at this, then glanced at Tan Laizi and shifted his body a couple of times. His left hand, holding the silver, hung in midair — neither convenient to hand over to Tan Laizi, nor easy to pull back.

After only a brief moment, Boat Dock Master let out two hearty laughs. "What's this about honor? I, Lao Luo, have traveled far and wide on the Grand Canal, doing business easily wherever I go — it's all thanks to this inborn sense of honor. Can't change it if I tried. This is all the travel money your brother has on him. Brother Tan, take it all."

Tan Laizi reached over and pried the broken silver out of Boat Dock Master's palm. A pained expression flickered across Boat Dock Master's face.

Tan Laizi put the silver away, his heart immediately settling much more at ease. He raised his head to look at Boat Dock Master. "Brother Luo, you followed us to Anqing, saw the Anqing Battalion's assets. When you go back, will you be at ease following Lord Pang's lead?"

"Luo has always been perfectly at ease with Lord Pang. Coming to Anqing was mainly to accompany you, Brother Tan." Boat Dock Master looked at the infantry on the street. "Business on the river is much the same as business on the canal. What Lord Pang can do on the river, he can naturally do on the canal too. Luo will just lend a hand. The Great River Silver Bank in Xuzhou has already opened. Lord Pang wants me to hurry back — I'm afraid I won't see Brother Tan for a long time. But in the end, we're all helping Lord Pang. Sooner or later we'll meet again."

"Lord Pang values Tan Ye, he does. Back in the early days when the Canal Gang was just founded, Tan Ye was running his brokerage perfectly well at Sheng-Tang Ferry. Go ask around all of Anqing — Lord Pang said he was from Tongcheng, that he didn't understand matters on the river, and insisted on inviting Tan Ye to join the gang. Tan Ye thought of how hard Lord Pang had it and said he'd help where he could. All these years of risking life and limb, and things finally took shape. By rights I should keep helping Lord Pang, but now petty men are out to harm me. I won't work with the Anqing Battalion for the time being — only for the time being. Sooner or later I'll see you, Brother Luo. Right now, I've got my own broker license, issued by the Huaining County Yamen — a proper official broker. If I want to run a brokerage, I'll run a brokerage." Tan Laizi flicked his sleeve, his face full of righteous indignation. "Justice lives in the hearts of men. The people at Sheng-Tang Ferry will surely all stand on Tan Ye's side."

……

"Tan Ye's back from rallying to the king! Come have a bowl of rice broth — don't turn your nose up at it!"

"This humble one's tea stall has some new tea from a few years back. This bowl's on me. Tan Ye, come sit a while before you go."

"Tan Ye's back! Remember me, Lao Kang? We drank together back in the day — Lao Kang, that's right, the old hand from the Canal Gang. Rare to run into Tan Ye. Us brothers scraped together a bit of silver — we beg Tan Ye to honor us by coming for some wine…"

Inside Kangji Gate in Anqing Prefectural City, Tan Laizi walked down the street, a pig's leg in his right hand and a sack of rice and beans in his left. From Sheng-Tang Gate to Kangji Gate was all dock territory. The whole spectrum of dock workers and river folk lived nearby. Tan Laizi had mixed here for many years, and plenty of people knew him. Wherever he appeared, a wave of warm greetings followed.

Lao Kang of the Canal Gang wore an ingratiating smile, following step by step behind him, just short of grabbing Tan Laizi's pant leg.

Tan Laizi held his head high, not even glancing at Lao Kang. "Lord Pang assigned Tan Ye urgent official business today. I'm busy. When I'm free, we'll talk."

At these words, Lao Kang and the others immediately nodded and bowed, not daring to keep following, afraid of delaying Tan Ye's official business. Tan Laizi lifted his chin and continued forward.

"Tan Ye, you've earned so much silver. Tan Ye, don't rush off — you've earned so much silver this time, how about settling that old wine tab first?"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Tan Laizi turned his head to look. It was Shopkeeper Mace from the dock food stalls. He'd run up quite a tab there in the past, and had also taken plenty of beatings from him over stealing customers from river travelers. He replied coldly, "Lord Pang assigned Tan Ye urgent official business today. I'll settle up later. Tan Ye has money."

"Later is fine, perfectly trustworthy. Tan Ye is a capable man who's even been in the news, a famous figure all along the Upper and Lower River — perfectly trustworthy." Shopkeeper Mace's face was all fawning smiles. He stayed where he was, cupping his hands repeatedly toward Tan Laizi.

Having shaken off those people, Tan Laizi hurried along with his head down, walking fast all the way to City Wall Street to the right of Kangji Gate. He stopped at a lane entrance for a moment, caught his breath a few times, then walked in.

A figure stood at his elder brother's door. Tan Laizi looked carefully — it was actually his elder brother waiting at the entrance. This had never happened before.

Seeing Tan Laizi, his elder brother hurried over to take the pig's leg and the rice and beans. He looked at Tan Laizi and said, "Erlin, us brothers haven't drunk together in many years. Today I've prepared good wine and good food — we must drink to our hearts' content. Just, there's something I want to mention first. All those Banknotes of yours — brother's not asking to borrow silver from you. It's just, when your tickets mature and you cash them out, if you're going to buy more tickets, you've got to buy them through your brother here. Everyone on the docks is in this line now. You're a man of influence at Lord Pang's side now. A word from you to look after me — after all, we're blood brothers, not outsiders. If brother's life gets a bit easier, Mom and Dad's lives get easier too."

Having said this, he gave a somewhat awkward laugh, then turned and walked ahead to push open the courtyard gate, calling out as he went, "Erlin's back."

Tan Laizi followed him in. White smoke drifted through the courtyard, thick with the smell of firewood. On the ground lay a pile of wet chicken feathers, beside it a pool of blood. A cat crouched in the corner, noisily eating a length of intestine.

Looking up, he saw his old father already waiting at the door of the main house. Tan Laizi hesitated, about to lower his head, but his father had already walked over. He reached out and brushed the dust from Tan Laizi's shoulder, looking at him with a beaming smile.

"In all our Tan family, with so many people, no one's name has ever been printed before — printed in a book, no less. It's brought honor to the ancestors. I bought many copies of that newspaper and burned them for every ancestor, so they could all see."

Tan Laizi raised his head and looked. His father's face, turned toward him, wore a kind and gentle smile — the kind he had hardly ever seen for as long as he could remember. Tan Laizi wanted to say something, but the corner of his mouth twitched and nothing came out.

"So many old neighbors who haven't visited in years came by specially this time — all because you've made something of yourself. You're a big celebrity now. They say millions of people all along the Upper and Lower River know about you. This is all thanks to Lord Pang's favor. You must serve Lord Pang with all your heart from now on. Our Tan family will rely on you to bring glory to our name." Tan Laodie went on, unprompted. "Dad always told you — striving to get ahead is all about bringing honor to the ancestors. Now that you're a manager and have earned so much silver, when the clan needs funds for public matters, you ought to contribute something. That's how you keep face with relatives and neighbors."

Old Tan smiled warmly at Tan Laizi, then turned and went into the main house. Tan Laizi did not follow him in. He looked up and saw his old mother just coming out of the kitchen, her hands rubbing ceaselessly on her apron. He hurried over. His mother pulled him aside.

Seeing this, his elder brother did not disturb them, just waited at the main house door.

His mother studied Tan Laizi for a long while, tears gradually glistening in her eyes. She reached out and squeezed Tan Laizi's arm. "Mother heard you went to fight the Tartars. This whole year I've been worried sick, terrified you'd be hurt or in pain."

Tan Laizi held his mother's hand. "Not hurt. I'm fine."

After a long moment, his mother lowered her head and pulled a cloth wrapper from her bosom, unfolding it layer by layer. Tan Laizi thought it might be some piece of jewelry. When the last layer opened, it revealed a newspaper.

"Everyone says you earned several hundred taels of silver in one go. Mother never even dreamed of such a thing in her whole life. And you, past twenty-five already, still without a family — it's all because of having no money." His mother wiped her tears. "Mother's kept this newspaper all along, even though I can't read it. I heard others say you exchanged it all for Banknotes. I've seen those tickets at your brother's place — they're just pieces of paper. Still not as solid as holding silver. You should cash them in soon and buy a bigger house. You need to buy soon — all these soldiers have come back with their silver, and houses inside the City Wall are soaring in price. Mother will find a matchmaker to properly arrange a marriage for you, and then you can settle down and build a career. Lord Pang thinks so highly of you — did he say anything this time about promoting you or something? That post in Qianshan County is too far, only coming back once or twice a year. If you can get promoted this time, best if it's an official post in the Prefectural City — easier to marry and raise children later."

"It's been changed to Shipai Town. A different fortified stronghold. Lord Pang specially transferred me there — it's for doing big things. If you hear any gossip from others, don't believe them."

His mother paused for a moment, finally recalling what kind of place Shipai was. She asked cautiously, "Mother's never been to that Shipai either. I hear it's a bit closer — you can get there following the river. But still not as good as the Prefectural City. How about you just quit being a manager? We've got silver now — just go back to the ferry crossing and run a brokerage. Erlin, did you remember to renew your broker license?"

Tan Laizi kept his head down. "Forgot to renew it."

His mother stared at him in shock. "How could you not renew it? Then it'll be useless for the next three years."

Tan Laizi's cheek twitched slightly. "When it was time to renew, I'd gone to rally to the king. Missed the renewal period. Anyway, I'm following Lord Pang in big things from now on. That broker license would be useless even if I renewed it. Just saved the renewal fee."

His elder brother said from the side, "Erlin's made it big now, won Lord Pang's favor, even made the news. Everyone in Anqing knows. What use is a broker license anymore? Just from Banknotes alone he's earned several hundred taels of silver — more than a lifetime's worth just sitting at home."

His mother looked at Tan Laizi with deep concern, using the back of her right hand to wipe the sweat from his cheek. "Having silver is good enough."

Tan Laizi pulled the broken silver from his bosom and pressed it into his mother's warm palm. "I have silver. I have silver."