Chapter Six: Third Brother

The small fishing village where Li Sanjian and others from Qiongtai, Danzhou, and Heqing Town lived was nestled on the edge of the sea, secluded and remote. On most days, aside from a few busy fishermen, the place was all but deserted, with barely a soul around. But today, the village had been transformed into a sea of people, voices clamoring in excitement—never had it been so lively. Not only had every resident of this fishing village gathered to witness the spectacle, but even fishermen from neighboring villages had come, as if attending a grand market day.

Everyone had come with a single purpose: to watch Li Sanjian debate with the merchants. This was an unprecedented event for the fishermen of Qiongtai. In the past, when merchants came to purchase goods, they would name their price and the fishermen would obediently sell—what else could they do? Most had never even been to Danzhou; generation after generation lived by the sea, knowing nothing of the wider world, or the true value of their sea’s treasures.

Moreover, Li Sanjian was famously known as the village fool—a simpleton since childhood. Yet now, here he was, standing up to argue with the merchants. The crowd was filled with astonishment, eager to see how Li Sanjian would conduct himself, though some merely anticipated his humiliation.

Madam Fu was both delighted and afraid. She was pleased that her son dared to stand his ground with the merchants, expressing himself with clarity and reason, which proved he was no fool at all, but rather sharp-witted. Yet she feared the unscrupulous merchants or officials might not let him off, that harm could come to him.

“That’s exactly it,” Li Sanjian’s excitement grew as he spoke. He picked up a pearl the size of a longan, its surface flawless and lustrous. He held it aloft and said, “This pearl is perfectly round and pure, without a trace of imperfection. As the saying goes, a perfect roundness is worth a perfect price: large, round, and radiantly smooth. May I ask, sir, what would such a rare treasure fetch in the capital?”

He turned to the old man for an answer. The old man was speechless, but replied honestly, “It is a priceless treasure.”

“Priceless, perhaps, but surely it has a price,” Li Sanjian pressed. “Please, sir, be specific.”

“At the very least, it would sell for more than eight hundred strings of cash,” the old man replied after a moment’s thought.

At this, the crowd gasped in shock. For thirty copper coins, one could buy a dou of rice. With eight hundred strings, you could fill the entire village with rice. How could they not be astonished?

The Fu family, father and son, were so stunned their jaws nearly dropped to the ground. Fu Gui of course understood that pearls sold inland would fetch many times the price, but never had he imagined such a staggering difference—it was truly shocking.

“The price you offer is not even a single string, am I wrong?” Li Sanjian continued, picking up a pearl with a yellowish hue. “Do you see these yellow stains? They are not flaws, but the blood and flesh of the Dan people. Each year, many lose their lives in the pearl pools. How many families are destroyed? How many wives lose their husbands, children their fathers? How many are left destitute and alone?”

He then shouted, his voice ringing with righteous indignation, “Such precious pearls, bought at the cost of human lives, yet you trade them for a few bushels of rice, a few jugs of wine, a few pounds of salt—so cheap! Has your conscience been devoured by dogs?”

“That’s right, Sanjian speaks the truth!”

“Truly heartless merchants—utterly shameless!”

“We won’t sell anymore! I’d rather starve than sell to you!”

“We must make them return what they took before, or they’ll never leave this island!”

Although the Li people were ordinarily peaceable, such bullying enraged them beyond restraint. They never oppress others, but when pushed too far, they will not back down, ready to fight for their lives.

With eyes blazing, the crowd surrounded the merchants, cursing them furiously. Some had already drawn their pearl-diving knives, ready for a fight.

The merchants, terrified, retreated behind their guards, staring in fear at the furious fishermen.

Chen Yide cast a venomous glance at Li Sanjian and the old man, then, steadying his nerves, raised his hands and shouted, “Everyone, please, calm down and hear me out!”

Fu Gui motioned for the crowd to quiet, then said coldly to Chen Yide, “Well, what do you have to say? Speak.”

Once, Fu Gui had thought of Chen Yide as a decent man, offering higher prices than other merchants. But now it was clear: Chen Yide only sought to buy more pearls and reap greater profits. There is no such thing as an honest merchant, it seemed. Since that was the case, courtesy was no longer necessary.

The Li people had always believed in an eye for an eye, blood for blood, dealing with knives when necessary.

Chen Yide glared at Li Sanjian, saying, “Boy, what are you trying to achieve by stirring up the crowd? Yes, you’re right—top-grade pearls fetch high prices in the capital. But you make things sound too simple. Do you know how many checkpoints and taxes must be passed to transport pearls inland? Do you know how many different kinds of taxes must be paid, or how far it is from here to the capital?”

“It’s nothing but mountains and rivers,” Li Sanjian replied.

Qiongtai was indeed far from Kaifeng, separated by mountain and water, but water routes made transport much easier than overland. This was common knowledge—Li Sanjian certainly understood. As for the taxes, they were many, but still, the price difference was too vast—over eight hundred times. If Chen Yide had smoothed the way with bribes, things would be simpler still, Li Sanjian thought to himself.

“So you know it’s far, do you? Very good,” Chen Yide sneered. “They say you’re an idiot, but it seems that’s a mistake. The roads are hard. A dou of rice in the capital is just thirty coins, but transported here, it’s five times as much. So, coming and going, transport costs a fortune.”

Li Sanjian smiled and pointed to his own nose, asking, “And who am I?”

“Who knows who you are?”

“A snot-nosed brat, too young to know better.”

“Exactly—who knows where this filthy kid came from, to block our way to profit?”

The merchants wished they could bite Li Sanjian in two, chew him up, and swallow him whole. The deal was nearly sealed, riches soon to flow, but out of nowhere this boy had appeared, ruining everything. How could they not hate him to the bone, wishing to tear him apart?

Chen Yide waved for silence and asked, “May I ask your name, young man?”

Li Sanjian grinned, “Call me Third Brother!”

“Ha! Third Brother!” The crowd burst into laughter. Though it was common to address young men as “brother” in Song times, Li Sanjian’s tone was clearly mocking.

Li Sanjian clasped his hands and bowed to the four corners, then said, “I may know little of the world, but I do understand this: is rice, wine, and salt brought from the capital?”

The old man nodded, “They can be brought from Yongzhou, Guangzhou, and other places.”

“They’re even buying grain in Danzhou,” someone else called out.

Li Sanjian shot Chen Yide a mocking grin, baring his white teeth.

“And what of it?” Chen Yide retorted. “Can pearls be eaten? In your hands, pearls are useless. Without us, you can’t sell them.”

He spoke the truth. To the fishermen, pearls were worth less than a bag of rice or salt when they were hungry. Such luxury was pointless. Most importantly, Chen Yide had already bribed the officials along the transport route; if Li Sanjian and the others tried to sell the pearls themselves, they wouldn’t even make it out of Qiongtai.

“So what if that’s true?” Li Sanjian laughed. “The world bustles for profit—if you won’t buy, someone else will. Where there’s profit, buyers will flock.”

Some of the merchants with Chen Yide exchanged nervous glances, their thoughts unclear.

“You…you snot-nosed brat, do you have the authority?” Chen Yide finally lost his temper, shouting.

“The pearls were gathered by us, and he is my grandson. Of course he has the authority,” Fu Gui stepped forward and called out to the fishermen, “Tell me, can Sanjian make the decision?”

“He can—why not?”

“Whatever Third Brother says, we follow.”

“If Third Brother says sell, we sell. If he says don’t, we don’t.”

“That’s right, he’s one of our kin. Why shouldn’t he decide?”

The fishermen shouted in support, none louder than Li Sanjian’s uncle, Fu Lin.

“You…you…” Chen Yide fumed and waved his hand. “Men, seize the boy!”

Several government yamen runners approached, chains in hand, sneering at Li Sanjian, “Boy, disturbing the official pearl purchase, come with us.”

Seeing the strong yamen runners advance, Li Sanjian shrank back in fear; he was no match for them physically.

Fu Ding and Fu Lin stepped forward, blocking their way and shouting, “Let’s see who dares! Touch my nephew if you dare!”

“To hell with it, let’s fight them!”

The fishermen brandished their tools, ready for a brawl.

“No violence—” Li Sanjian shouted. “If you violate the—” He looked desperately to the old man for help.

“The policy of appeasement!” the old man interjected.

“Yes, yes, the policy of appeasement. If you violate the court’s policy, how many heads do you think you have?” Li Sanjian cried out.

Though he didn’t fully understand the term, Li Sanjian knew the court gave certain privileges to minorities.

At this, the yamen runners hesitated, pausing to glance at Chen Yide.

Li Sanjian’s exchange with the old man had completely infuriated Chen Yide, who now demanded, “Who are you, old man?”

“I am but a humble rustic,” replied the old man with a smile.

A rustic? Hardly, Chen Yide thought. The man’s bearing spoke of a former official, and not a minor one.

“Actually, Chairman Chen, we are just simple villagers, trying to make a living,” Li Sanjian said with a smile. “If you’re willing to raise your price, perhaps we can come to an agreement.”

Knowing when to stop, he offered Chen Yide a way out.

“Well then, what price do you suggest?” Chen Yide had no choice but to concede. If these wild folk turned truly violent, he might lose his life here.

“That’s more like it.” Li Sanjian turned to Fu Gui. “Grandfather, please arrange some wine. I’d like to negotiate with Chairman Chen.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll see to it at once,” Fu Gui replied with a smile.