Chapter 10: The Bandit Approaches
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The sun shone brightly, the weather was clear, and Hao Jingming had risen early. He cherished a disciplined life: fixed times for sleeping and waking, followed by a half-hour of Tai Chi, then breakfast at a regular hour.
At breakfast time, the butler Laifu entered the dining room to report the accounts and urgent matters to Hao Jingming. Whether the news was good or bad, Hao Jingming insisted on knowing it all. Though bad news might sadden him, he was never defeated by it. He always found a clever solution to any problem.
Laifu first bowed respectfully and said, “Boss, I have good news.”
Hao Jingming asked, “Is there any bad news?”
Laifu replied, “There is one piece of bad news: yesterday, the young miss tore up the announcement for the martial contest to choose a suitor.”
Hearing that his own daughter had done this, Hao Jingming frowned slightly but said, “That can be considered good news.”
Laifu continued, “Early this morning, Boss Ma came. He wishes to see you.”
Hao Jingming asked, “Which Boss Ma?”
Laifu answered, “Ma Ruyun, the horse breeder from the Western Regions.”
Hao Jingming said coldly, “What does he want? How is that good news? Ma Ruyun has always been one to scheme for riches and lives.”
Laifu asked, “Shall I let him in or not?”
Hao Jingming sighed and said, “Invite Boss Ma in for breakfast with me. Prepare an extra set of bowls and chopsticks.”
Ma Ruyun was a burly man with scars on his face. Though dressed in fine silk and brocade, he resembled a fierce bandit. His large fists looked like two heavy hammers. He cupped his hands and respectfully greeted Hao Jingming, “Brother, I’ve come to see you.”
Hao Jingming warmly replied, “Brother, please sit and have a bowl of hot porridge to warm yourself.”
By then, the maid had set the guest’s tableware. Breakfast consisted of ten donkey meat pastries, two small bowls of plain porridge, a plate of pickles, and a dish of fermented bean curd.
Ma Ruyun picked up some pickles with his chopsticks and sipped the hot porridge. “Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning,” he said.
Hao Jingming replied, “No disturbance at all. Welcoming the god of wealth early in the day is a joyous affair.”
Ma Ruyun laughed and said, “Brother, you are indeed wise. Today, I’ve come to propose marriage.”
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Hearing Ma Ruyun’s words, Hao Jingming smiled bitterly, thinking: You’re probably here to scheme for money or worse. Though he thought this, he said aloud, “Brother Ma, unfortunately you’re a bit late. I’ve already arranged the martial contest to choose a suitor for my daughter. Had you come earlier, I would have accepted this match, but now, I’m afraid it’s impossible.”
Ma Ruyun laughed heartily. “That’s exactly why I brought my strongest men. If they win on the arena, I will offer a grand betrothal gift.”
Hao Jingming’s smile grew more forced as he thought, How could I marry my precious daughter to a bandit? Then he said, “As long as they are righteous and ambitious young men who meet the contest standards, they are warmly welcome.”
Ma Ruyun laughed again. “Good. I’m staying at the Friendship Inn not far from Star Picking Tower. I won’t disturb you too much.”
Hao Jingming forced a smile. “Nonsense. If you don’t come, I’d miss you, brother.”
Before they realized it, breakfast was finished and the tea had gone cold. Ma Ruyun rose politely to bid farewell. “Brother, I must leave now. I will visit again another day.”
Hao Jingming, still warm and friendly, walked him to the door but held Ma Ruyun’s hand with heartfelt reluctance. “Brother Ma, sit a bit longer. It’s rare for us brothers to meet. We shouldn’t part without a bit of revelry.”
Ma Ruyun waved his hand. “I’m like the horses I raise—hard to restrain! Don’t worry, good brother. I will come to bother you often.”
After sending off the pest, Hao Jingming looked at the leftover donkey meat pastries on the table and told the maid, “Don’t waste these meat pies. Warm them up for me at noon.”
The daughter of the richest man in the martial world was about to marry, and this presented a business opportunity. Near the martial contest arena, Jia Renyi had a shop and planned to make a small fortune, stocking many counterfeit goods and defective items for sale.
Xia Er, puzzled, asked, “Boss, won’t selling fake goods cause trouble?”
Jia Renyi replied, “My surname is Jia. I would never sell fakes. What would my ancestors think? Hurry and shout out!”
At the boss’s command, Xia Er loudly hawked, “Come see! The brightest rouge, the finest silver hairpins, the best silver bracelets! Ladies, come take a look! Don’t miss out, or you’ll regret it for life!”
The bustling market soon gathered many women: some plump as piglets, some with spotted faces, some as beautiful as flowers, others heavily made up, and even a burly man with a full beard.
This burly man was not accompanying a lover; he had come alone. His sharp voice, oddly feminine, rose among the women as he gently said to Xia Er, “Xia Er, give me a pack of your finest rouge.”
Xia Er picked up a box of rouge and pointed to a woman next to the burly man who resembled his spouse. “Big brother, this is the finest rouge we have here. Give it to your wife; she’ll love it.”
Xia Er misunderstood; the burly man was buying the rouge for himself. Angry, he said, “Don’t talk nonsense—I’m buying it for me.”
Xia Er laughed heartily. “You’re no woman; what do you need rouge for?”
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The burly man, temperamental, grabbed Xia Er’s collar and said, “I, Ma Yulang, am a true man. Can’t I use rouge? I’m a meticulous man. Can’t you see every hair on my beard is carefully groomed?”
Xia Er said, “Sir, don’t be angry. I was blind and made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
Behind Ma Yulang, another man arrived and said, “Brother, Boss Ma ordered us to cause less trouble.”
Ma Yulang heeded the advice, snatched the rouge from Xia Er’s hand, tossed down a piece of broken silver, and was about to leave.
Xia Er shouted angrily, “Good man, this rouge is the finest—ten taels of silver!”
Ma Yulang turned, his face fierce and eyes coldly glared at Xia Er. “You little brat, if you were in the Western Regions, I’d cut you in two.” Then he threw down a ten-tael silver ingot and stomped off in a rage.
Jia Renyi watched silently. After the two burly men left, he muttered quietly, “What’s so great about the Forty Bandits of the Western Regions? A strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake. Here in Cangzhou, I’m not afraid of you.”
Ma Yulang and the other man walked and talked.
Ma Yulang asked, “Ma Liang, are you really going to compete in the arena this time?”
Ma Liang said, “Since Boss Ma kindly invited us to the contest to win the daughter of the richest man, I naturally want to participate.”
Ma Yulang said, “I’m not going. Which brothers are competing?”
Ma Liang said, “There’s Ma Yong, Ma Jiabao, Ma Ji, Ma Jun.”
These Forty Bandits under Ma Ruyun were called bandits in the West, but those they plundered called them Ma Bandits after their leader. Eventually, Ma Ruyun had them adopt the Ma surname.
A group of Ma Bandits had come from the Western Regions to Cangzhou, and they were certainly not here for charity. As Hao Jingming said, they were here to scheme for riches and lives.