In terms of modern alcoholic drinks, beer tasted closest to sorghum liquor, though not as smooth and sweet. While drinking the liquor, they talked about the camel team again.
Squire Liu told Ye Xiaoxian’s suggestion to Li Chengru. He said camel trade would be a profitable business but they didn’t have enough capital. “Alas, if only we had enough money to do this business…” Squire Liu was a shrewd man. He wanted to see whether Li Chengru would lend them money, but he didn’t say so directly.
Li Chengru didn’t bother to gauge Squire Liu’s intentions. He asked without hesitation, “How much do you need?”
“20 silver taels for a camel. So 15 camels will cost 300 taels. I can invest in five camels, and Little Ye two or three camels. But Little Ye made the proposal, so no matter how many camels she buys, she will be the team leader. Oh yes, there’s a local guy called Tarico. He can help guide the camel team. Since he can invest in one camel, we still need seven, that is 140 taels.”
Li Chengru rubbed his chin and thought for a while. Then, he made up his mind. “This idea sounds good. I can also invest some money.”
Everyone was surprised by his generosity.
Displeased by their look of astonishment, he cleared his throat and said, “Since I’m close to you, you think I’m not a king again? You think I have no money?”
Their thoughts being read, they all smiled sheepishly.
Chengru continued, “I have nothing except for money! My annual salary is tens of thousands of taels! I can invest 500 taels so that you can buy more and make the business bigger.”
Ye Xiaoxian asked, “But you’re living in Baoning city now. Isn’t your money in the capital? Can you get it out?”
“Of course! I can let the steward send the money to me, or I can go to the capital in person. After all, I haven’t gone back for a long time. Oh yes, if you don’t know how to sell your goods, I can help you find a trading agent. It’ll be responsible for selling your goods and also collecting the goods you need. This way, you don’t need to look for buyers by yourself.”
Both Ye Xiaoxian and Squire Liu thought his arrangement was excellent. Although the others didn’t quite understand, they also felt that it was an awesome idea.
Li Chengru then looked at Ye Xiaoxian. “But it may be quite dangerous. You must be very careful. It’s said one may die in the desert at anytime from being buried by the sand, getting lost or just thirst.”
Ye Xiaoxian said, “We’ll be careful. We’ll ask a local who’s familiar with the terrain to guide us, so it’ll be safe.”
“That’s good!” But after thinking for a moment, he added, “Apart from a local, you also need extra protection. After I return to the capital, I’ll send two strong men to escort you.”
Ye Xiaoxian beamed with joy. “Really? Thank you so much! If we make any profit, we’ll give you the biggest share!”
He revealed a contemptuous look again. “I don’t need the money! Besides, I do so actually for Baoning city.”
“For Baoning city?” They were confused.
Li Chengru explained, “My sixth brother has been thinking about how to make this city prosper. To this aim, it’s necessary to develop trade, getting new things in and selling our stuff out. When I meet him, I’ll tell him your plan. If you do well, he may give you some extra subsidies.”
Hearing that, the people were all wild with joy.
…
On the second day of the Festival of Sacrifice, there were riding and archery contests. It was said these contests were more exciting than the dance performance. So both the Xiaos and the Lius went to watch the games.
The greatest highlight was that Li Chengru and Fengsheng would also participate with the locals. Li Chengru and Fengsheng were undoubtedly masters in martial arts in Central Plains. Win or lose, their performances wouldn’t be counted into scores. They just wanted to show that there were also strong men who couldn’t be looked down upon in Central Plains
When Ye Xiaoxian and her companions arrived at the competition field, they were all amazed by its size and the number of competitors. The local children could ride and shoot since the age of four or five, so these two activities were part of their lives. Therefore, many locals signed up for the contests.
The first round was riding. The competitors rode two laps around a field and grabbed the flags along the way. The ones who got the most flags could move on to the next round. The second round was still about riding. The competitors used poles to hit balls on the ground into goals. It was just like playing golf on horseback. After these two rounds, almost 100 competitors were eliminated. Only the remaining 10 men were qualified to continue on to riding plus archery.
The Xiaos and the Lius were all amazed by the contests. Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu, who used to be constables, had thought they were strong enough to rival the locals. But after seeing the locals’ performances, they were totally ashamed of being weak.
After experiencing so much, Xiao Baozhu had been feeling down for days without interest in any man. But at this moment, she was just like a little fan, amazed by how cool these competitors were.
Ye Xiaoxian had seen such a scene many times on television. But seeing it in person, she was also greatly shocked. However, most of her attention was on Li Chengru and Fengsheng. When they rode the horses, they were not as fierce as the locals. Instead, they looked calm and graceful on horseback as if they didn’t use much strength. In general, Ye Xiaoxian preferred their style of riding.
They passed the three rounds smoothly and finally came to the last one which was still a double test of riding and archery. Their excellent performances came as a great shock to the locals. They hadn’t expected this fair-skinned, civilized king was so good at riding.
At the same time, Tarico also advanced to the last round. Before the contest, he had given a tough and determined look to Li Chengru. There was not a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
You’re a king, right? I’ll totally defeat you today! You’re not my match! Little Ye will pay attention to me then!
But Li Chengru still wore a cool expression. Anyone could see that he didn’t care much about the result. He just wanted to enjoy the game.
This round required competitors to shoot at the red targets in the distance while riding their horses. One would get 10 points if he hit the middle and lose several points if he didn’t. Basically, the rules were the same as the modern ones.
When the game started, the 10 competitors set off together and shot at the targets. The audience couldn’t help holding their breaths. Liu Qianqian even grabbed Ye Xiaoxian’s hand tightly.
First, Li Chengru got 9 points and Tarico 10. The locals cheered. Then, Li Chengru got 10 points and Tarico 9. The refugees cheered.
Although they normally advocated tribal unity, at this moment, the refugees and the locals only supported the representatives of their own sides.
