Song Ning returned with Lan-ger. He’d lingered a bit too long at Bai Xiaoyun’s place, and when he got back, he saw that the little stall had already been packed up. Wei Hu was sitting in the shade, waiting for him.

“Where’s Mom?”

“She went to browse the market. She’ll be back in a bit. Come sit over here—it’s too hot over there.”

Song Ning’s eyes lit up as he walked over. With a look of excitement, he told Wei Hu about the study: “Yun’er said we could rent a room in his house. His backyard is pretty big, so the kids will have a place to play after school. The only thing is, there aren’t any tables or chairs—we’ll have to make a few sets.”

Wei Hu fanned Song Ning to keep him cool. He hadn’t expected Song Ning to make such quick progress with the school arrangements. “Go home and ask Master Ma the carpenter to help make a few sets. It’s not quite the busy farming season yet; if we wait much longer, we might have to put it off.”

Song Ning nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the schoolhouse to have a look. We’ll see how many sets of desks and chairs we need to make first—no need to make too many; we won’t have use for that many anyway.”

The three of them sat in the shade waiting for Chen Cuihua to return. Before long, she came back, carrying a basket filled to the brim. It was the hottest part of the day, and Chen Cuihua was drenched in sweat.

Seeing that everyone was back, Wei Hu unhitched the oxcart and drove it away.

Everyone was wearing straw hats. Wei Hu led the ox from the front, while Chen Cuihua took a few small melons out of the basket. “It’s really hot today. Let’s wash a few melons and have some.”

There was still some water left in the cart. Song Ning brought it over and washed the melons. They each had one; the melons were crisp, sweet, and refreshing—perfect for cooling off.

Song Ning sat on the oxcart and chatted with his mother about school matters. Chen Cuihua let out a soft “Oh,” and said, “That really is perfect timing. Ask your brother Huzi to help sort things out. Once the wheat’s harvested, he’ll be able to come over.”

Song Ning nodded. “Brother Wei Hu said we’d go take a look at the site tomorrow and figure out how to set things up.”

Chen Cuihua smiled and said, “I went to the market today and ran into someone from the Market Office. They told me there was an open spot in the middle and asked if we wanted to move there. I figured we’re not short on business right now, and things are going pretty well at our current spot by the market entrance, so we decided not to move. Even though there are fewer people at the entrance, it’s plenty spacious.”

Lately, everyone has been busy. After inspecting the plot in the backyard of the study, Song Ning and Wei Hu had asked Ma, the village carpenter, to make six sets of tables and chairs. While Song Ning had already secured a spot, Chen Cuihua still didn’t know where to rent a shop.

Wei Hu took advantage of his free time in the mornings to wander around town. It would be ideal if he could rent a shop right on this market street, but since everyone was running their own businesses, finding a vacant space wasn’t going to be easy. For now, Wei Hu was just looking around town, focusing on the area near the study so they could keep an eye on things later.

Song Ning wasn’t idle either. He’d been visiting the study frequently these past few days, discussing with Bai Xiaoyun how to recruit students. Few gers and women in the area could read or write; only those from wealthier families could afford to send their children to school to learn a few characters.

Song Ning had beautiful handwriting, so he wrote a notice and posted it on the study’s door.

Bai Xiaoyun was quick on his feet. Since many children came to him to buy books—and those who could afford storybooks were generally from families with no financial worries—he simply slipped a copy of the notice into the storybooks. Whenever someone came to buy a storybook, Bai Xiaoyun would enthusiastically ask if they had any children at home who wanted to learn to read and write.

Seeing how hard Bai Xiaoyun was working to find students for him, Song Ning decided to spend the entire morning at the study, helping Bai Xiaoyun sell storybooks. Whenever someone made a purchase, he would ask if they had any young boys or girls they’d like to send to school.

Bai Xiaoyun’s *Charming Husband* was selling exceptionally well lately. Word of mouth among the young boys and girls had spread, and quite a few people came to buy the book. Most of these boys and girls were in their teens, whereas the students Song Ning was looking to recruit were generally around five or six years old.

Still, Bai Xiaoyun’s idea was quite effective, and the two of them actually managed to recruit some students. Many of them had younger brothers and sisters at home; some liked the storybooks so much that they asked their parents to send their younger siblings here to learn to read and write.

After a few days, they had recruited four gers and girls. Song Ning was quite pleased and kept thanking Bai Xiaoyun. Bai Xiaoyun thought Song Ning was being too formal with him. “You’re recruiting students for me too, aren’t you? I’m going to follow you and become a teacher for others in the future. Besides, you’re helping me sell storybooks.”

Song Ning had been working nonstop lately and hadn’t had a moment to copy scriptures. His only focus was getting the school up and running before the wheat harvest, let alone reading the storybook Bai Xiaoyun had given him last time.

Song Ning was also intrigued. Lately, this particular storybook had been selling exceptionally well; some young boys and girls would come in and specifically ask for it.

Just as Song Ning had a moment to sit down and take a sip of water, two young girls arrived at the door. He hurried over to greet them. “Are you here to buy a storybook?”

The young girl’s face flushed red as she fidgeted with her handkerchief and whispered, “I’d like to buy *The Charming Husband*.”

Hearing that it was this title again, Song Ning led them to the bookshelves to look for it, asking as they searched, “Our bookshop is planning to open a school for young gers and girls soon. If you have children of the right age at home, you might want to check out our school.”

The two young women shook their heads. “We don’t have anyone suitable at home.”

Song Ning found the book and handed it to them. The two paid with copper coins and walked away, beaming with excitement as they held the book.

Song Ning went to the counter to find Bai Xiaoyun. “Why does everyone seem to be buying *The Charming Husband* lately? Didn’t they use to prefer books about scholars and young ladies?”

Bai Xiaoyun chuckled. “You just don’t get it. Scholars are so bookish and weak—nothing like hunters or farmhands. Heh, you know what I mean.”

Song Ning took a sip of tea to hide his embarrassment. He didn’t want to understand.

Hearing Song Ning ask that, Bai Xiaoyun knew he hadn’t read his storybook yet. If he had, he’d surely call him a genius too!

“I have four students now. Once I recruit two more, that should be about it. I’ll keep an eye on things myself—you don’t need to come by every day.” 

“I’ve already caused you so much trouble with this school. How could I just keep slacking off?”

Bai Xiaoyun shook his head. “You just don’t get it.”

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Ning went to find Wei Hu. Lately, it wasn’t just him who was busy—even Wei Hu and his mother were swamped. It was the height of summer, and since some people found the butter cakes a bit too rich first thing in the morning, his mother had started making some steamed buns as well. Business was booming.

She’d set up two tables in front of the small stall. Every day, she served a bucket of spicy-sour egg soup, complete with free pickled bamboo shoots and kimchi. Plenty of people came by early in the morning to eat.

When Song Ning arrived, there were still people sitting at the stall eating. Xiao Lan might be small, but he worked with remarkable efficiency; right now, he was serving steamed buns to the customers.

Seeing that the customers at another table had gotten up, Song Ning helped clear away their bowls.

Chen Cuihua saw this and felt sorry for Song Ning, who had been so busy lately. “Ning, just leave them there. There aren’t many people around right now, so it won’t be a problem.”

“Ah, I’ll just put them away for now.”

Once all the goods they’d brought were sold out, Chen Cuihua packed up her stall. She hauled the stove, pots, tables, and stools to the courtyard of a house on the outskirts of town.

Chen Cuihua found it a hassle to haul things back and forth to her home every day, so she had Wei Hu find a family to rent a plot of land from—five copper coins a day—just to store her goods.

Once everything was packed up, the family headed home in their oxcart. Ever since Chen Cuihua had started this small business, she’d become more and more energetic. Although it was just a small stall, it had grown quite a bit; she’d expanded her space and even paid a higher stall fee.

The copper coins clattered into the cash box, making everyone’s faces glow with satisfaction.

The group returned to the village by oxcart. The village entrance was still bustling; several families were waiting to pound rice. Spotting Chen Cuihua and her party, they called out, “Cuihua’s back! How was business today?”

“It was okay, just enough to make ends meet.”

Wei Hu drove the ox cart away, but the women and men were still craning their necks to watch.

“Aunt Cuihua is really a go-getter. Just look at her glowing face—that’s no mere ‘making ends meet.’”

“Just listen to what Cuihua says. The other day I went to town to sell some eggs, and you should’ve seen how many people were at her little stall—both tables were packed with customers.”

“That’s true. If there were no money to be made, would Chen Cuihua let Wei Hu work with her? Wei Hu makes a few taels of silver every month just by going into the mountains to hunt.”

“I also heard that Ning’er is planning to set up a school in town. Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up staying in town and never coming back.”

The women chatted idly for a while. Who didn’t envy Chen Cuihua’s good fortune? Now, out of the four in her family, three were earning silver—it was truly enviable.

Li Guifen had also brought some corn to grind. Hearing the village women and men chatting idly, her eyes burned with jealousy. How was it that Chen Cuihua’s life just kept getting better and better?

She couldn’t help but remark, “So what? Song Ning’s been living with her for ages, and he still hasn’t given her a grandson. Never mind a grandson—he hasn’t even had a single son yet.”

“How can that be? Isn’t Lan’er living with her now? He’s got new clothes and new shoes, and he eats and drinks well with her family. Just look at him—his little face has even gotten a bit rounder.”

Li Guifen snorted. “But he’s not his son, after all.”

“Aunt Guifen, you’re still thinking about Aunt Cuihua? That was ancient history between the two of you—how come you’re still dwelling on it?”

“Who’s thinking about her? I just can’t stand how arrogant she’s become.”

Although Li Guifen said this, everyone knew full well that she was simply jealous that Chen Cuihua was living a better life than she was.

There aren’t any wealthy families in the countryside; just having enough to eat and wear is considered a decent life. Li Guifen’s life in the village wasn’t bad—though Li Gui’er wasn’t exactly a high-flyer, he managed to support the family by farming.

Li Xiaolian had caused quite a scene before, but she’d since settled down. Her husband treated her well; even though she and her mother-in-law bickered from time to time, her life wasn’t too bad.

It’s sweltering out today, so everyone stays indoors when they have nothing to do. The thatched cottage is much cooler than the heat outside. Song Ning, feeling wide awake, lay on a straw mat flipping through a storybook.

Bai Xiaoyun had told him not to come by for the time being; four students were enough for now. He planned to gradually recruit two or three more later, and as soon as the wheat harvest was in, he could open the school.

Wearing a tunic that left his calves exposed, Song Ning lay on the bed, flipping through the storybook Bai Xiaoyun had given him. Setting aside other considerations, the book was actually quite well-written. Song Ning read it with great interest; it was far more intriguing than the stories about scholars, young ladies, and young men he’d read before.

Song Ning gently swung his legs back and forth. No wonder this storybook has become so popular lately. As he read on, he raised an eyebrow—wait, why did this look so familiar?

Song Ning hurriedly flipped to the author’s page. In the corner of the title page, he spotted the four small characters: “Author: Baiyun.” At first, he’d merely been suspicious, but upon seeing those four characters, it immediately clicked—it had to be Bai Xiaoyun!

Song Ning’s face flushed bright red as she snapped the book shut. How could Bai Xiaoyun write such things?

When Wei Hu entered the inner room, he saw his husband’s face flushed bright red. Assuming he’d simply been overcome by the heat, Wei Hu grabbed a palm fan nearby and began fanning him. “Let me fan you a bit. Get some rest.”

Outside, the sun was scorching; even the edges of the leaves were curling from the heat. It was dead quiet at midday—even their dogs, Hei Dou and Hua Dou, were panting with their tongues hanging out, curled up in the shade of a tree.

As soon as Song Ning saw Wei Hu, his face flushed even redder. “I’m… I’m fine.”

Feeling a bit guilty, Song Ning hid the book under his pillow. Even though he knew Wei Hu couldn’t read, he was still afraid he might see it—it would be just too embarrassing!

Song Ning rolled further back into the bed. “Brother Wei Hu, you should rest for a bit too.”

Wei Hu wasn’t in the habit of taking an afternoon nap, but seeing Song Ning’s flushed face, he decided to lie down beside him and fan him. Previously, Song Ning had liked to sleep curled up against him, but on this sweltering day, the young husband had rolled away to the side, avoiding him—apparently finding him too hot.

Wei Hu fanned Song Ning with a hand fan. Song Ning closed his eyes in comfort. He’d only intended to take a short nap, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was already slanting toward the west. Song Ning was actually woken up by voices in the courtyard. Seeing that it was getting late, he hurriedly got up.

He stepped outside to find Master Ma, the carpenter, had arrived. Song Ning smiled at him. “Uncle Ma, have you finished making the table and chairs?”

“Ah, I was just telling your mother that as soon as I have a moment, I’ll bring them up to town for you.”

“Tomorrow would be fine. The address is Nanshan Study.”

“Alright, I’ll bring them over tomorrow.”

Carpenter Ma made the arrangements with Song Ning and headed back. Six sets of tables and chairs were worth over two taels of silver—no small business indeed.

In the courtyard, his mother and Lan-ger were sitting together shelling soybeans. Song Ning sat down beside them, took a handful of soybeans, and began shelling them slowly.

“Mom, where’s Brother Wei Hu?”

“He’s out herding cattle. He’ll be back in a little while.”

Chen Cuihua chuckled. He was just like a little kid—as soon as he couldn’t see him, he had to ask.

Song Ning smiled sheepishly and quickly said, “Lan’er, once the wheat’s harvested, you can come study with me at the school.” Lan’er shook his head. “No, I want to help Auntie sell cakes.”

Song Ning was taken aback. He hadn’t discussed this with Lan-ger before; he’d assumed it was only natural for the boy to attend school. He’d merely asked offhand today, never expecting the youngster to be so reluctant.

Chen Cuihua laughed at Lan-ger’s reply. “Oh my, then Auntie will pass the stall down to our Lan-ger someday. But for now, you should still go to school with your Uncle Ning. You can help Auntie sell cakes once you’re all grown up.”

“It’s not the same.”

Song Ning knew Lan-ger felt guilty about not working. The boy had been here for over a month, yet he still kept his distance. Song Ning ruffled his hair. “It’s the same. Your aunt has your older brother Wei Hu to help her now, so you’ll come with me and help me out.”

Lan-ger tilted his head back. “But there’s no work to do at the school.”

“Who says there’s no work at the school? Come with me, and you can help clean up the school. There’s plenty of work to do there.”

Upon hearing there was work to be done at the schoolhouse, Lan-ger thought for a moment before finally agreeing.

Song Ning ruffled his hair again. The little guy was still just a seven-year-old kid. Although boys and girls in the countryside usually helped out with chores at this age, none were as overly sensible as Lan-ger, which made Song Ning ruffle his hair a few more times.

Early the next morning, the four of them headed into town. As soon as Song Ning and Lan-ger arrived at the study, Lan-ger didn’t sit idly by. He grabbed a feather duster and began dusting the bookshelves. The little guy was barely taller than the duster itself, and the sight of him wielding such a large duster was utterly endearing.

Mr. Bai, the shopkeeper, was quite fond of Lan-ger. Watching him dust the shelves reminded him of how his own son, Yun-ger, used to help him out when he was little—climbing onto his shoulders to reach the spots he couldn’t reach. How well-behaved Yun-ger had been as a child! How had he grown up to drive his father nearly to his wits’ end?

Shopkeeper Bai loved to slip Lan-ger little treats—the kind of things kids love, like malt candy and candied hawthorn—and he’d bought him plenty of them. Of course, whenever he bought candied hawthorn, all three of the young lads in the shop were there, so he’d give each of them a skewer.

Song Ning was in the middle of scolding Bai Xiaoyun right then. He pulled the book from his arms and placed it in front of Bai Xiaoyun, his face reddening as he stammered, “W-what on earth is this?”

Bai Xiaoyun giggled. “Oh, you’ve seen it? I thought it would take you a few days to notice. Well, do you think I wrote it well?”

Song Ning shook his head. “No, it’s not good.”

“Nonsense. Those young men and women love it. They’re begging me to write another one right away. Those scholar-style storybooks don’t sell nearly as well as this one.” Bai Xiaoyun said, propping her chin in her hand. “Why not write about a butcher, a carpenter, or a blacksmith next? That’s what everyone’s into these days.”

Song Ning had originally come to confront him, but he hadn’t expected Bai Xiaoyun to start discussing what to write about next!

Seeing Song Ning’s face flush with embarrassment, Bai Xiaoyun teased, “Oh my, come on. You were the one giving your husband erotic illustrations just a moment ago, and now you’re suddenly getting shy.”

Song Ning’s face flushed even redder, and he quickly covered Bai Xiaoyun’s mouth with his hand. “Stop it! Don’t say such nonsense!” Just bringing up that topic made Song Ning wish the ground would swallow her whole.

Bai Xiaoyun laughed even harder, shook his head to brush Bai Xiaoyun’s hand away, and pulled a cloth bag out of the drawer under the counter. “Here, this is yours. I’m sharing half with you.”

“What is it?”

Song Ning opened it to find it filled with silver ingots. He was startled. “Why are you giving me silver?”

“Well, the book sold well, so I’m giving you half. No more covering my mouth.” Bai Xiaoyun pretended to be angry and put his hands on his hips. Song Ning refused. “It sold well, but that’s all thanks to you. What does it have to do with me?”

“How is it not your business? If I hadn’t met you, how could I have written such a good story?”

Song Ning still wouldn’t take it. Bai Xiaoyun glared at him. “Fine then. I won’t charge you rent for the room you’re renting from me.” 

“That’s different. Let’s keep things separate.”

“Fine, then just take this silver.”

Song Ning still refused. Finally, Bai Xiaoyun waved his hand dismissively and let Song Ning use his family’s courtyard for free.

Just as the two were talking, a mule cart pulled up at the door. Carpenter Ma poked his head out and spotted Song Ning. “I’m glad I didn’t come to the wrong place.”

“Uncle Ma, you’re here.”

Bai Xiaoyun came out as well. “Uncle, go through the back alley—that way we won’t have to carry it. I’ll open the back door.”   

“Sure thing.”

Bai Xiaoyun went to open the back door, and Carpenter Ma pulled the mule cart into the alley behind the house. It was much more convenient than the front entrance; the cart could even be driven right into the courtyard, so they could just unload the goods directly.

Master Ma took a look around the large house. “People in town really do have it better than those in the countryside,” he thought. “Look how well-kept this courtyard is. Ning’s a capable fellow—he’s even opened a school now.”

Master Ma didn’t let the two help; he rolled up his sleeves and moved the desks and chairs himself. “Ning-ger, have you enrolled any students yet?” “I’ve signed up a few. Once the wheat’s harvested, I’ll be able to open the school.”

It was the first time Carpenter Ma had ever seen a school for young ladies and gers. He’d heard that in town, schooling for young ladies cost more than for boys—his own son, Xiangyuan, spent seven or eight taels of silver a year on his education, so surely a school for young ladies and gers must be even more expensive.

He didn’t ask any further—probing too deeply would make him seem like he was prying into others’ private affairs. After taking a sip of water, he hurried back to his mule cart.

Song Ning had attended school in town before and knew that tuition for girls and gers was higher. He didn’t charge much more than that, keeping it roughly the same as the boys’ school: five taels of silver for half a year, ten taels for a year—which was actually considerably less than the tuition at other schools.

The desks and chairs were delivered, and the once-empty room finally began to look presentable. The two of them had tidied the room up early that morning, leaving it spotless; all that remained was to arrange the furniture once it arrived.

Bai Xiaoyun, having never served as a teacher before, felt quite a bit of novelty. Holding his ruler, he stood at the front and tapped the desk once. “No noise, no noise. Listen to me—no, listen to your Master Bai.”

He burst out laughing as he said this. “I’m going to be their teacher—I hope I don’t corrupt them, hahaha.”

Song Ning was also amused by him, “You’ll be teaching them to read and write—it’s not hard, and the gers and girls are all well-behaved.”

Song Ning had already figured out what to teach. Reading, writing, and calligraphy were essential, and as for music, they could hire a teacher for that later. He could even teach them paper cutting himself.

Song Ning’s school was almost ready; it would be able to open in a little while.

The school had set up desks and chairs today, which made Song Ning quite happy. On his way back with Lan-ger, he saw a drink stall by the roadside and bought four bamboo cups of drink.

Chen Cuihua also found a suitable shop within a few days. It was just a storefront without a courtyard, renting for three taels of silver a month. She signed a lease for six months. The space wasn’t large, but it could fit six tables. Chen Cuihua planned to start by selling pastries and buns and see how things went after a while.

The shop was not far from Nanshan Academy. The previous tenant, who also ran a food business, had decided to give up the lease because business wasn’t going well, but wouldn’t be moving out for a while. Chen Cuihua wasn’t in a hurry, so she simply signed the lease agreement with the landlord.

With these two major family matters settled, the whole household was in high spirits. The wheat had turned golden, and it wouldn’t be long before it was time to harvest.

Song Ning was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected to actually open a school; it had been just a passing thought before, but now it was really happening. That night, he was so excited he couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning restlessly.

“Brother Wei Hu, Brother Wei Hu, are you asleep?”