The classmates Shen Linchuan sought out were students from the countryside. It was no easy task for a rural family to support a scholar; if they could find work that could be done at any time, it would also save the family some money.

Master Wang’s school was far superior to the one he’d attended under Master Fan. They didn’t demand random gifts or bribes from students, and some of the poorer students there even took on copywriting jobs in town.

The student surnamed He perked up at Shen Linchuan’s words. “Brother Linchuan, where did you find this job?” 

“A friend referred me. He has a lot of work, and I can’t handle it all by myself.”

Shen Linchuan handed him a stack of red paper. “Just write the three characters ‘Cooling Ointment’ in small, regular script.” 

“Got it, thanks a lot.”

A student standing nearby, also from a rural family, overheard their conversation and quietly asked, “Shen Linchuan, do you have any more? I’d like to write some too.”

Shen Linchuan had brought plenty of red paper with him today. By the time school was about to let out in the afternoon, quite a few students had received their sheets. Earning twenty or thirty copper coins in a day meant they’d have enough for two days’ worth of meals.

“Wang Cai, are you going to write one?”

Wang Cai wanted to, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. “No, I’m swamped with schoolwork lately.”

The classmate who asked him knew full well that Wang Cai was still holding a grudge over the time Shen Linchuan had embarrassed him. Tsk, but it was Wang Cai who had teased the young ger first. Luckily, Shen Linchuan hadn’t told the teacher; otherwise, Wang Cai would have been in for a scolding.

Almost every student from the countryside had taken on this job, except for Wang Cai and Zhou Youcheng. Ever since Wang Cai had brazenly called Ning-ger and his friends “country bumpkins” upon their arrival, the other students had quietly excluded the two of them.

Wang Cai wanted to curry favor with the young masters from wealthy families, but they looked down on his mannerisms, leaving him in this awkward position.

With business matters finally settled, Shen Linchuan was in a good mood as he left school, hurrying toward the gate. Xu Zhifan followed him over. “Shen Linchuan, not bad at all. Quite a few people at the academy are talking about how great you are these days.”

“It’s just a favor. I’d have to write for anyone anyway, so I might as well help my classmates earn some pocket money.”

Xu Zhifan raised his fist and gave Shen Linchuan a light punch on the shoulder. “Way to go, my good brother!”

Shen Linchuan dashed out, his robe fluttering behind him. Xu Zhifan couldn’t be bothered to chase after him. “Look at you, in such a hurry. Is your Fulang going to run off or something?”

As soon as Shen Linchuan stepped outside, he headed straight for the big tree. With a long stride, he swung himself onto the mule cart. A light flick of his whip sent the mule bells jingling—a new decoration his father had hung around the animal’s neck: a colorful cloth tied into a collar with a bell attached, dressing up the family mule in all its finery.

“Go ahead with your work. Don’t come to pick me up anymore. I’ll just walk home on my own after school.”

Shen Linchuan felt bad for his Fulang, who had to come pick him up after working all day. Before, when things were less busy, it wasn’t a big deal, but now that the household was so busy, coming to pick him up was just too tiring.

“It’s fine. By the time I get here, everyone will be finishing up for the day. It’s no trouble at all.”

“Be a good boy. Look at our mule—it’s looking a bit worn out today. Father’s using it to haul goods now; I don’t know how many trips he makes with it every day. Let our mule get some rest.”

Zhou Ning frowned but agreed. “All right, then use some copper coins to hire a ride when you come back, and make sure to come home early.”

“I know.”

The two of them drove the mule slowly back home. Shen Linchuan took some candied fruit out of the lunchbox, and they shared it. Shen Linchuan asked how the day’s work had gone, and Zhou Ning told him everything in detail.

It all boiled down to the fact that the workers were all locals. His father had a bit more influence when speaking with Doctor Zhang, but Zhou Xiaonan was just a young ger—he had a hard time handling those who wouldn’t take orders.

“It’s no big deal. Just tell him to manage them boldly. Even if he offends some people, don’t worry about it. This isn’t a business we’re just doing for this year. If anyone doesn’t listen, just cross their name off the list—we won’t use them next year.”

“Hmm, Yi-ger has invited us over for dinner. I’ll talk to Nan-ger about it in a bit.”

By the time the two of them returned, the crowd at the village entrance had already dispersed. The wind rustled through the leaves of the row of tall poplar trees, and a few villagers—men and women alike—were sitting on the rocks, eating from their bowls and enjoying the cool breeze.

Seeing the two return, they called out, “Ning-ger has gone to fetch his husband again.” 

“Oh.”

The two drove their mules straight to Zhang Xiaoyi’s house. The Zhang family’s courtyard was filled with mosquito coils. Zhang Xiaoyi and Zhou Xiaonan were both busy in the kitchen, and several dishes were already laid out on the table in the courtyard.

They were all simple country dishes, served in large, open-mouthed earthenware bowls: mixed vegetables, green peppers with eggs, chives stir-fried with bean sprouts, steamed river shrimp, and a large earthenware pot of braised chicken.

Zhang Xiaoyi had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. Hearing the jingle of a mule’s bell, he poked his head out. “Ning-ger is back. It’ll be ready in a minute.”

Zhou Xiaonan came out carrying a stack of bowls and helped serve everyone a bowl of rice. “Yi-ger did all the cooking; I’m not much of a cook, so I just helped out.”

Zhang Xiaoyi was still huffing and puffing as he wielded his spatula in the kitchen. Hearing Zhou Xiaonan’s remark, he called out, “Nan-ger, don’t be so modest—you were the one who did all the prep while I just chopped.”

Zhou Da also came over carrying a small jar of liquor. “Nan-ger, where’s Gouwa? It’s almost time to eat—go give him a shout.” 

“No need to worry about that, Uncle Zhou. I’ll just take some over to him after I finish eating.”

Zhou Xiaonan didn’t want Gouwa to know he was getting a cut from the business. He was afraid Gouwa would tell his father, Old Zhou, and then whatever he earned would be snatched up by his father to spend on booze.

Zhang Xiaoyi came rushing out carrying the last plate of stir-fried pork. “Hurry, hurry, everyone dig in and try this young man’s cooking.”

Zhang Xiaoyi then brought out the green plum fruit wine he’d brewed and poured some for each of the young men. “Shen Linchuan, what are you drinking?” 

“Fruit wine. If I drink too much with my dad and the others, I probably won’t remember anything for school tomorrow morning.”

Everyone at the table burst into laughter, and they began eating in high spirits. Zhang Xiaoyi raised his bowl. “Come on, let’s toast to a smooth start!” The group laughed as they clinked their bowls together. It was only the second day; though things were still a bit rough around the edges, they’d get the hang of it soon enough.

Zhou Ning picked up a piece of chicken thigh with his chopsticks, holding it high—clearly offering it to someone else. Shen Linchuan shifted his bowl slightly, watching as the piece of meat landed in Zhou Xiaonan’s bowl. Wait a minute, aren’t we the best of friends?

Zhou Ning turned his head and grunted. Shen Linchuan wanted him to serve him some food—why was he being so clingy?

Shen Linchuan silently reached out and nudged his bowl aside. Zhou Ning picked up another piece and placed it in his bowl. “Nan-ger had a rough day today.”

A smile tugged at Shen Linchuan’s lips. He knew it—he and his Fulang were the best of friends!

As soon as this topic came up, Zhang Xiaoyi slammed his fist on the table and stood up. “Those old women and the other fulangs are just bullying him! Just because Nan-ger is young and won’t listen to them, they’re making those mosquito coils all crooked!”

“This business is something the Xu family will be running next year—and for many years to come. If they won’t take direction, just tell them straight out. Don’t be afraid of offending anyone.”

Hearing Shen Linchuan say this, Zhou Xiaonan nodded. “I understand.”

Zhang Xiaoyi also added some food to Zhou Xiaonan’s bowl. “Eat up, Nan-ger. If anyone says anything to you again, just come find me. I’ll go and give them a taste of their own medicine. If they still don’t listen, go find Ning-ger and Zhou Da—we’re not afraid to get physical!”

Doctor Zhang let out a sigh. “Yi-ger, sit down and eat your meal. Young man, you shouldn’t be thinking about fighting every day.”

The business selling mosquito coils and cooling ointment was now running smoothly. After breakfast, the villagers first checked in with Zhou Ning, then went about their business. Those who were close gathered in small groups of three or five, chatting casually while they worked.

Zhou Da was driving his mule to the town for the early market; once he’d sold his meat, he’d come back to help out. Shen Linchuan was off to school, so he went to town with his father first thing in the morning.

Zhou Xiaonan kept moving back and forth; if anyone needed help, they just had to call out to him.

When he passed by Granny Diao, he noticed she hadn’t picked out the stems from the mugwort she was rolling into fluff. The resulting fluff was too coarse; when it was eventually mixed into the mud, the stems would surely poke through. How could that be acceptable?

Zhou Xiaonan crouched down to help her pick out the stems. “Old Lady Diao, you can’t roll the mugwort fluff like this—it won’t be any good later.” 

“Oh, come on, it’s all the same. Who’s going to notice once it’s mixed in?”

“Look at how Granny Wang kneads her mugwort fluff—that’s how it should be done. If you don’t know how, I’ll have Granny Wang show you.”

“Why are you such a busybody, young ger? Are you just out to get me? I even called for help every time your father beat you—how can you not appreciate my kindness at all?”

Granny Diao’s house was right next to Zhou Xiaonan’s. She knew better than anyone what was going on in their household. Zhou Laogua was a good-for-nothing drunkard; the family was so poor they could barely afford a meal. As for Zhou Xiaonan, his clothes were covered in patch upon patch—his family was the poorest in the whole village.

Granny Diao, relying on her advanced age, looked down on Zhou Xiaonan. When she was told a few words about her poor work, instead of correcting her ways, she dug up Zhou Xiaonan’s past.

Zhou Xiaonan was just at the age when he should be looking for a wife, but he was timid and easily embarrassed. When Granny Diao spoke to him like that, his face flushed red, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“I said you’re not doing a good job, and that’s that. If you don’t like it, just leave!”

Zhou Xiaonan suddenly lost his temper and shouted. The once bustling courtyard fell instantly silent as everyone turned to look. A Fulang tried to smooth things over: “Nan-ger, don’t get so worked up. And you, Granny Diao—that mugwort wool is just poorly rolled, yet you won’t even let anyone say so.”

Granny Diao knew she was in the wrong, but she looked down on Zhou Xiaonan. She retorted sharply, “If you don’t like it, just tell me. Why are you yelling? A young ger with such a bad temper—how will you ever find a husband in the future?”

Granny Diao kept rubbing salt into Zhou Xiaonan’s wounds, first bringing up how his father, Old Zhou, had beaten him, then saying his reputation was so bad that he’d have trouble finding a husband in the future. Zhou Xiaonan was so furious that his chest heaved up and down. “Did you even listen to what I said?”

Zhou Ning and Zhang Xiaoyi heard the commotion and hurried over. As soon as Zhou Ning saw Granny Diao, he frowned. “Why are you picking on Nan-ger?”

“Who’s bullying him? Everyone saw it. It was this youngster shouting at me. I’m an old woman in my fifties or sixties, and yet I’m being bullied by a ten-year-old ger.”

Zhou Xiaonan wiped away a tear. “Ning-ger, I wasn’t picking on her. It’s just that she didn’t roll the mugwort properly, and she wouldn’t listen when I told her.” 

“If you don’t want to do it, I’ll pay you right now.”

Zhang Xiaoyi was far more sharp-tongued than Zhou Ning. With one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Granny Diao, he began to scold her, “Granny Diao, don’t try to pull your age on me! Even though I was far away just now, I heard every word you said. You’re just picking on Nan-ger because he’s young. Ning-ger, pay her off and send her on her way—we won’t need her at all next year!”

Zhou Ning pulled the payroll ledger from his waist and was about to pay Granny Diao when her daughter-in-law hurried over to smooth things over. “Nan-ger, don’t take it to heart. She’s just senile. I’ll apologize on my mother-in-law’s behalf. Please don’t be angry.”

Zhou Xiaonan wiped away his tears. “Auntie, this isn’t your fault.”

Old Granny Diao’s daughter-in-law tugged at her mother’s sleeve. Twenty copper coins a day—everyone in her household except the children had come to work. At five days a person, that’s one hundred wen! Where else could they find such good work? Her family couldn’t afford to lose a single breadwinner.

“Mother, just apologize to Nan-ger, and we’ll call it even.”

Granny Diao reluctantly muttered, “I was wrong. I’ll just do my job properly, all right?”

“Granny Wang, teach her a lesson. If she can’t knead properly next time, we won’t need her.”

Only then did Zhou Xiaonan step aside. Granny Diao shot him a glare from the corner of her eye. Tsk. She shouldn’t have helped him call for help in the first place. His father, Old Zhou, beat him soundly, yet he still had the nerve to yell at her—no respect for his elders.

Zhou Ning and Zhang Xiaoyi accompanied Zhou Xiaonan to the side. Zhang Xiaoyi put his arm around Zhou Xiaonan’s shoulder and praised him for being so capable. “That’s the way to handle things. Let’s see who dares to cut corners now.” 

Zhou Ning brought him a bowl of mung bean water. “Nan-ger, have a drink.”

Zhou Xiaonan took a couple of sips before calming down. “It’s fine. You two go back to work. I’ve got this under control.”

Zhou Xiaonan sat under the shade of a tree to rest for a while before getting back to work. After his outburst, many people had become much more polite toward him. Zhou Xiaonan had noticed this too. He knew that many people had looked down on him like Granny Diao, but he hadn’t expected that once he stood his ground, those same people would instead greet him with ingratiating smiles.

A strange feeling welled up inside Zhou Xiaonan. So he didn’t have to be so timid after all.

After school, Shen Linchuan would collect the red paper sheets his classmates had written on. After counting them, he’d pay them in copper coins—settling accounts daily. On slow days, one could earn twenty or thirty wen; on good days, forty or fifty. It was actually more than they made copying books for the publishing house.

Usually, they’d write a few during lunch or after school. If they worked quickly, they’d not only cover their meal expenses but even have some left over.

Wang Cai’s family was poor, and though he wanted to write the notes, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Among the rural students in the school, only he and Zhou Youcheng didn’t take on this work. Seeing how many copper coins the other classmates earned, Wang Cai felt quite envious.

“Zhou Youcheng, why don’t we secretly write a few notes too and have someone deliver them to Shen Linchuan for us?”

“My family isn’t short on money. The school is supposed to be a place of peace and quiet. Shen Linchuan reeks of merchantism and has turned the school into a cesspool. Who has the heart to study anymore? Everyone’s got their eyes glued to money.”

Seeing that Zhou Youcheng wouldn’t go along with it, Wang Cai gave up on the idea.

After settling up with his classmates, Shen Linchuan packed his things and left the academy. He’d left a bit later than usual, worried his Fulang had been waiting too long, so he’d hurried over at a jog. Glancing up toward the large tree, he saw neither the familiar mule cart nor the person who’d been smiling at him.

Shen Linchuan was taken aback for a moment before it dawned on him. He slapped his forehead—he’d forgotten. Yesterday, he’d told Fulang not to come pick him up.

Shen Linchuan chuckled. He really had been spoiled by Zhou Ning. Carrying his belongings, he walked toward the town’s outskirts and flagged down a passing mule cart to take him home.

Many hands make light work; the first batch of goods was loaded onto two carts and delivered to town.

Zhou Da and a young man from the village each drove a mule to deliver the goods. On their return, Zhou Da’s cart was loaded with two baskets of copper coins—money he’d exchanged for silver at the money exchange—as it was time to pay everyone their wages today.

The man standing nearby looked on enviously at all those copper coins. They’d just exchanged them for twenty or thirty taels—if only he could earn that much.

Today happened to be Shen Linchuan’s day off, so he and Zhou Ning pitched in to help with the work, dipping paper strips into the porcelain box. Zhou Da returned after delivering the goods, and in the afternoon, Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning, and the others counted the copper coins together, stringing them up in bundles of one hundred wen with hemp rope.

Hearing the clinking sound of the copper coins, everyone turned to look, their eyes brimming with excitement—payday was here! A hundred wen was enough to buy five dou of rice and three or four jin of meat!

With this money, they could improve their standard of living. Since entire families had come to work, if a household had ten members, that would amount to a tael of silver!

Those with smaller families envied the large households of seven or eight people who had all come out to work. They’d heard that this was just for the summer—once summer was over, they’d have to wait until next summer.

But earning this money over the past month or so would make things much easier come winter.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning sat under the shade of a tree, counting their copper coins and chatting idly. Shen Linchuan, wearing a straw hat, sat there with a bold, unconcerned air. “Hey, I never thought there’d come a day when I’d count money until my hands cramped up.”

“Take a break if you’re tired.”

Zhou Ning threaded a copper coin onto a hemp string with a clink; there were already piles of strung coins nearby. He actually quite enjoyed counting them, even though they were meant for others.

“I’m just exaggerating, just exaggerating.”

The sun was setting, and smoke was already rising from some households. A young girl ran over, calling out, “Mom and Dad! Come home for dinner! The food’s ready!”

“Ah, we’ll be back in a bit.”

“Look how sensible your little girl is—she’s got dinner ready even before you’ve come home.”

“Haha, she’s a good girl.”

As the workday drew to a close, Zhou Ning brought over a long table. A bamboo basket beside it held a stack of counted copper coins. Zhou Xiaonan organized the workers to start collecting their change. “Those whose names are called next, come forward to collect your pay. Those not called yet, keep working—don’t hold everyone up.”

Everyone craned their necks to look over. Zhou Ning held up the roster and began calling out names. “Wang Xiao’er!”

Those whose names were called stepped forward to collect a string of copper coins, their faces beaming with joy.

One man called out, “Zhou Da, why don’t you slaughter a pig? I’d like to buy some pork from you.” 

Zhou laughed heartily and waved his hand. “No, no, it’s too hot to keep meat.”

“Zhou Da, please slaughter one. My family wants to buy some too.”

“Exactly! My family wants some too. We’ve finally saved up a little money, and we haven’t had a bite of meat in three or five months. Go ahead and slaughter one.”

Many households chimed in, saying they wanted to buy pork. Seeing that there were quite a few interested buyers and figuring he could sell the whole pig, Zhou Da happily agreed.

“Alright, I’ll go pick up a pig tomorrow after I’m done with my work. I’ll have it slaughtered first thing the day after tomorrow. I won’t charge too much—good cuts will be twenty wen per pound.”

“Great, we’ll be waiting!”

Everyone went home carrying their copper coins, their faces beaming with joy. With a piece of meat to buy the day after tomorrow, the whole family would finally get to enjoy a taste of meat.

You have to admit, Doctor Zhang’s mosquito coil and cooling ointment were quite effective. If you lit a coil at night, not a single mosquito would fly inside, and if you applied some ointment to a bite, the swelling would go down in no time.

Once things got back on track, everyone had a bit more free time. With more people came more shipments; they could send four cartloads to town every day. As a result, even the dried mugwort in town started to go up in price, so Zhou Da drove his mule cart farther afield to buy it.

Shen Linchuan continued his daily commute between home and the school. Before he knew it, it was August, and the weather had reached its peak of heat. After school, he put away his notes and prepared to head home.

“Shen Linchuan。”

Hearing someone call his name, Shen Linchuan looked up to see that the old master had approached at some point. He stood and bowed, “Greetings, Master.”

The other students quickly followed suit, bowing in unison, “Greetings, Master.”

Old Master Wang approached with a stern expression. “School’s out—why are you all still gathered here?”

One student frantically gathered the red notes from the table. “We were exchanging ideas.” Old Master Wang picked up a note from the table. “Cooling Ointment.”

He clearly remembered Shen Linchuan had given him a few boxes of it; it worked quite well—not only did it provide a cooling, invigorating sensation, but it also relieved pain and soothed itching.

“Well, Shen Linchuan, you’ve even brought your business into the school. I hear you’re selling mosquito coils and cooling ointment here, too? Is this a school, or is it a place for you to do business?”

Shen Linchuan bowed with his hands clasped, but before he could speak, someone tugged at his sleeve. A student surnamed He hurriedly interjected, “Master, this has nothing to do with Shen Linchuan. We just wanted to earn a little extra by writing notes to support our families. As for the mosquito coils and cooling ointment, it’s because the mosquitoes were so bothersome at night that the students bought some from Shen Linchuan.”

The other students chimed in one after another, taking full responsibility for the matter.

Master Wang snorted. “You may only write these during your free time. If I catch anyone sneaking a write-up during class, these red slips will be banned from the classroom from now on. Also, there’s a pop quiz tomorrow. If any of you have slipped in your performance, you’ll be in for it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Master Wang made a quick round and left. The students all breathed a sigh of relief. “Why did the Master suddenly drop by?”

“Thank goodness he didn’t say anything. We’d better do well on the test tomorrow. If we don’t, the Master will definitely blame it on Linchuan.”

“Brother Linchuan, you really are something. You almost spoke up first. We’re all official students here, but you’re just a guest student. What if the Master takes a dislike to you and kicks you out?”

Shen Linchuan smiled. “Alright, thank you all.”

“What’s there to thank us for? We’re the ones who should be thanking you. After this midterm, when I go back home, I’ll be able to bring my little sister a silk flower. That little girl has been wanting one for ages.”

Everyone burst into laughter. Shen Linchuan counted out the remaining red paper notes, settled the accounts one by one, and packed up his things to leave.

“Everything was fine before. Why did the Master suddenly make a surprise visit today?”

“I  get the feeling someone ratted us out…”

Shen Linchuan didn’t hear the rest. He snorted coldly—it was all too obvious. It had to be either Wang Cai or Zhou Youcheng.

Zhou Youcheng regarded him as a thorn in his side. He prided himself on being the only Tongsheng in Dayangshu Village, and now here was another one—someone who boasted of being admitted to Master Wang’s academy. Little did he know that, by a stroke of luck, Shen Linchuan had managed to get in.

The next day was the midterm exam—Shen Linchuan’s first test since arriving at the academy. He arrived a little early and set out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. After the exam, they’d have a three-day break, and Shen Linchuan was already starting to miss his Fulang.

The exam covered one passage from the Four Books, one poem, and one essay. It lasted two days. Since classes didn’t break for lunch, everyone brought their own meals. Since he couldn’t heat his food at the communal kitchen today, Shen Linchuan didn’t want to eat cold rice, so he brought some rice balls—made especially for him by his Fulang.

The rice balls were filled with tofu, blood sausage, fresh corn kernels, shredded bok choy, and shrimp. They could be eaten as is or pan-fried in oil for an even better flavor.

On the final day, Shen Linchuan finished writing by a little past four o’clock and collected his exam paper. Some students had already handed in their papers and left before him, so Shen Linchuan stepped forward to submit his as well.

Master Wang glanced at them and snorted through his nose. “Your handwriting hasn’t improved one bit. Go home and practice five pages of large characters a day.” 

“Yes, sir.”