After one tune, Zhou Xuan wiped his lips and said: "Its blown like this. In fact, its similar to the sheng and guanzi instruments. If you blow a few more times, youll understand the high and low pitches. Pay attention not to blow too hard or too softly, otherwise the small copper piece inside will deform and the pitch wont be accurate." As he spoke, he handed the harmonica to Lin Heishan.
Lin Heishan glanced at Xiao Jiading, put the harmonica in his arms, and praised: "Brother Zhou is really a genius, this tune is blown so beautifully, that lingering sound will last for three days, I think its not just three days, at least seven days."
Xiao Jiading couldnt help it and burst out laughing. This smile was so bright and beautiful, clearly that of a girl.
Zhou Xuan naturally wouldnt go and break the news, laughing: "Older brother is overpraising me, thank you older brother for sending over this good luck charm, with this Ill have an extra bit of confidence to win against that Wu Kuan——Tang San Shan, come here."
Tang Xiaosan stepped forward, this young man was more courteous, and he bowed to Zhou Xuan, then bowed to Lin Heishan.
Zhou Xuan said: "It was him who was pushed by Wu Kuan and got a big bump on his forehead, which still hasnt healed yet."
Lin Heishan nodded, suddenly seeming to have some worries, hesitated for a moment and finally said: "Zhou brothers, you also saw it yesterday, this hook is quite powerful, Im worried that your little Zhang Piao cant handle the hook, if he loses his edge then..."
The little Xiaoding who was dressed as a boy suddenly let out a "cough", and Lin Heishan immediately closed his mouth in embarrassment.
Zhou Xuan secretly found it strange and couldnt guess the relationship between these two people. Lin Heishans demeanor was clearly not that of a subordinate, saying: "Never mind all that, if I cant even beat you at finger guessing, then Ill admit defeat."
Lin Heishan asked: "Do you want to have a try now and see?"
Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "Not today, Little Zhang is not yet well-trained. To be honest with you, brother, Im also not confident, at most only 30% sure. Its just that I couldnt bear Wu Kuans arrogant bullying, so Ill take a gamble." He thought to himself, "Lin Gege is a kind-hearted person, but this woman Ding is not. Just now she was coughing and humming, definitely hoping Id lose, then the harmonica would be hers. Ah, its not Lin Gege who wants the harmonica, but rather this woman Ding. What kind of person is this woman Ding?"
Lin Heishan shook his head, feeling sorry for Zhou Xuan, but Xiao Jia Ding was by his side and he couldnt say anything. He stood up to bid farewell, and when he went out the door, he ran into Dr. Qin who had just returned from work. Dr. Qin looked a bit stunned when he saw Lin Heishan.
Lin Heishan cupped his hands and said, "Sorry for the trouble." Then he got into the car with Xiao Jiading, who had a slender figure.
Dr. Qin asked Zhou Xuan in surprise: "Xianxu, how did you know him?"
"Who is he?"
Dr. Qin furrowed his brow and tugged at his goatee, saying: "Im not sure either, yesterday the officials from Jiangzhou went to Lake Mouth to welcome the Imperial Envoy for the selection of imperial concubines, I saw this person standing alongside Lin Du Hu."
"Who is Lin Du Hu?" Zhou Xuan asked.
Dr. Qin looked at Zhou Xuan with a hint of blame, then suddenly remembered that Zhou Xuan was an overseas prince and had not been in Jiangzhou for long, so he explained: "My son-in-law doesnt know this, but Jiangzhou is the residence of the Fuhua Jiedushi, also known as the Duhu. Lin Duhus courtesy name is Dai, and he commands 50,000 elite soldiers to garrison Jiangzhou and defend against the Song Dynastys Shu Prefecture in the west and Southern Han in the southwest - my son-in-law, what was that persons name just now, and how do you know him?"
Zhou Xuan said: "It was at the Wu Feng Building fighting crickets that we met, and with Xiao Ru it was like meeting an old friend. His surname is Lin, his name is Yan, and he is also known as Hei Shan."
Dr. Qins eyes widened: "Ah, so he is Lin Heishan, a fierce general under the command of Lin Du Hu, with incredible strength, and rumored to be a distant relative of Lin Du Hu. Previously, he was guarding the western border, and now returning to Jiangzhou must be to report military information to Lord Du Hu. Does this martial general also enjoy fighting crickets? How strange!"
Zhou Xuan thought to herself: "So Lin is a general, then who is Xiao Jia Ding? Lin seems to be quite afraid of her, even if shes the daughter of Lin Daiyu and Lin Daimu, it shouldnt be this serious."
After dinner, the Qin Mansion was in an uproar. Why? They were catching mice! Zhou Xuan needed the mouse whiskers to substitute for the catkins. After soaking the mouse whiskers in a special medicinal broth and attaching them to a bamboo skewer, they could be used during insect fighting to apply to "Little General Zhang Feis" large teeth, which would have the effect of relieving pain and itching, as well as invigorating the spirit. This method was only available after the Qing dynasty, and in Southern Tang it was an absolute secret recipe.
Dr. Qin and his wife both knew about Zhou Xuans huge gamble the day after tomorrow, three thousand taels of silver, so they all supported Zhou Xuan and didnt blame him for making the Qin family restless.
After the mouse whisker grass was done, it was soaked in medicinal soup. Zhou Xuan said to Lai Fu and Tang Xiaosan, "Nothings wrong, all of you go rest. Tomorrow let Hou Tou and Xiao Zhang Bao practice."
Tang Xiaosan had previously heard Zhou Xuan tell Lin Heishan that there was only a 30% chance of winning, and the young man was worried about Zhou Xuan. He said: "Master Zhou, if Zhang Fei really cant beat Xu Huang, we can find an excuse to say that Zhang Fei ran away and couldnt be caught. This way, the duel will naturally be cancelled. Then Xiaosan and Hu Tong will guard for a few more nights and must catch even stronger crickets to compete with Wu."
Zhou Xuan burst out laughing and patted Tang Xiaosans frail shoulder, saying: "Xiao San, youre very clever and have a bright future ahead of you. However, think about it, youve already been extremely lucky to catch Zhang Bao and Xu Huan consecutively. Dont always expect such good fortune. Even if were incredibly lucky and catch an even stronger cricket, Wu Pangzi definitely wont compete with us. So this is a great opportunity. The day after tomorrow, we must defeat Wu Pangzi, make him lose big time, and take away his pride to avenge the bump on your forehead."
Tang Xiaosan smiled: "But didnt Master Zhou say that he only had three-tenths of a grasp?"
"Dont worry, Xiaosan. My specialty is turning weakness into strength, and someone will secretly help us. Im not saying who it is yet, as the heavens have their secrets. Let me teach you something: dont be fooled by Wu Pangzis arrogant appearance. He raises crickets in new Yuezhen green porcelain, but actually, old tile basins or black pottery are better for raising insects. Although they may look rough, they have good ventilation properties. Green porcelain looks nice but is useless; the new ones still have a fiery energy and high alkalinity, which isnt good for the bugs. Just this one point alone increases our chances by two-thirds."
That night was uneventful, and the next day, which was the twenty-sixth of July in the lunar calendar, Dr. Qin and Qin Chuo went to the provincial government office for work because the selection of palace maidens was about to begin. The medical departments responsibility was to ensure that the selected palace maidens were physically healthy, free from infectious diseases and other hidden illnesses. As the only female doctor in the medical department, Qin Chuo naturally had the task of examining the bodies of the palace maidens. However, during the initial selection, they did not take it so seriously, and only those who passed the re-examination needed to undergo a physical examination. Jiangzhou governed twelve counties and needed to select 120 palace maidens, so Qin Chuos workload was not small.
Zhou Xuan didnt go out that day, focusing on training "Little General Zhang Guo". In the afternoon, he weighed "Little General Zhang Guo" and found it had gained a lot of weight. The food was great these past two days, what treatment in the wild could compare to this? Now "Little General Zhang Guo" has a glossy black back, white teeth, and two raised antennae, much more majestic than before. Its desire for battle is strong, as soon as it senses an opponent, it flaps its wings wildly, opens its large beak, and searches the entire room for a match.
"Now its time for the sparring partner to take the field."
Zhou Xuan waved his hand, and Tang Xiaosan brought the black ceramic pot sent by Lin Heishan to the front, opened the basin, and as soon as the hook head entered the basin, it stretched its legs and raised its whiskers, making a loud noise, completely different from the timid appearance when fighting "Dongwu Ganning" last time.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "This insect won a game last time, its morale was greatly boosted, now its even more arrogant than Wu Pangzi. Little three, open the gate and let Zhang Bao teach it a lesson."
The wooden gate opened, and the hook-headed one rushed up first, biting with its mouth open. It really thought it was an invincible general. "Little General Zhang Bao" dodged to the side.
Hooked head connected several flat clamps, did not bite "Little General Zhang Fei", suddenly a tiger pounced, out of the heavy mouth, just like the other day against "Eastern Wu Gan Ning" , wanting to win with one mouth.
"Little General Zhang Fei" dodged the fatal blow, but his teeth were bitten tight, and with a hook-like bite, his head swung wildly from side to side, trying to knock his opponent down. "Little General Zhang Fei" adjusted his pace and resisted with all his might.
The onlookers, including Tang Xiaosan, Lai Fu, Xiao Di and Xiao Huixiang, all sweated for "Little General Zhang Bao", their eyes wide with tension, holding their breath.
