When it came to wild game, they were helping Lu Yang by bringing in customers, but ultimately he didn’t make much profit—it was just about boosting foot traffic for his shop.
The mountain mushrooms deal, however, was a true give-and-take, mutually beneficial arrangement.
Chen Guizhi had some standing with the village chief. With her extensive experience in the mountain produce trade—having previously collected goods to sell in the county seat and managed numerous transactions—she had rented stone mills from several families there. She hauled truckloads of flour to the county for sale.
But the journey was simply too arduous. With children at home needing constant care, coordinating partners for these trips proved exhausting.
Once Li Feng could manage on his own, she scaled back her operations. Throughout the year, she focused on leatherwork, occasional mountain produce collection, and making rice cakes for the New Year.
She said, “If this venture succeeds, it will benefit our family even more. I hesitated to speak up before, afraid of dampening your enthusiasm. The village is too far from the county seat. Other businesses might work, but stir-fried sauce is too difficult. The constant jostling breaks the jars, and with such slim margins, a single break means no profit. A single accident means losing money. Once you earn enough silver next year to lease a workshop in the county, then we can discuss the sauce business. I won’t object at all.”
Lu Liu nodded repeatedly, acknowledging he’d learned something new.
He didn’t possess many skills, so he clung tightly to this one money-making opportunity.
Having sorted out priorities, he never considered giving up. Small money or big money—it was all money to be earned. Wasn’t every form of income hard-earned?
Hearing his mother speak thus stirred ripples in his heart, sparking new thoughts about the future.
When it came to making money, beyond the silver itself, one had to consider suitability.
What suited him?
The mountain stronghold was here—what could he do best?
That would take time to figure out. As Lu Liu snapped back to reality, Li Feng had already started talking about hunting wild boar up the mountain.
He insisted on going regardless: “Now that our family has prospects, I won’t quibble over the silver share. Hunting this boar will build rapport with Boss Ye and repay Boss Ding’s favor. It’ll also make Lu Yang look good when dealing with them later. I’ll bring Wang Meng along too. We’re all family men now—we can’t just chase silver up the mountain.”
Chen Guizhi agreed, then turned to Lu Liu: “You’re getting back into making sauce again. You could teach others how to do it.”
Li Feng chuckled: “We went to the county seat today and happened upon a tasting stall. All three of us gave it a try. On the way back, Daqiang and Wang Meng both said they wanted to try making it. Tomorrow’s going to be lively at home.”
Yao Fulang and Chen Fulang will both come over. Those two don’t get along—they’re bound to start arguing.
Lu Liu doesn’t know how to break up fights. When that happens, he’ll get all flustered. If Yao Fulang speaks, he’ll look at Yao Fulang and call after him, “Brother An!” If Chen Fulang speaks, he’ll look at Chen Fulang and call after him, “Brother Jiu!”
Since Chen Fulang is their relative, such nicknames would instantly reveal their closeness. Yao Fulang would surely gloat, while Chen Fulang would grow angry. Then the quarrel would only intensify.
Li Feng thought about it and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Lu Liu didn’t know what he was laughing at. He asked a couple of times, but Li Feng wouldn’t say.
They carried the abacus back inside, fetched water for washing and foot soaking. Lu Liu pressed him again, but Li Feng remained silent.
Once on the heated bed, Lu Liu threatened, “If you don’t tell me, I won’t lie on top of you!”
Li Feng pulled him onto his chest.
Lu Liu’s threat had no effect.
Lu Liu gasped in surprise, then burst into laughter at his antics.
“Tell me what’s so funny—let me laugh too.”
Li Feng wouldn’t say a word.
If he told her about his little husband crying, how could he possibly laugh?
Instead, he said, “Take my advice: when you’re in trouble, just call out ‘Mother’.”
Lu Liu remembered it well.
The next morning, his house echoed with his cries of “Mother!”
Then Shun, hiding in the corner, also laughed.
Chen Guizhi called Shun over for a scolding too.
After berating all three children, she felt much better.
Chapter 77: Fried Spring Rolls
The county exams began on the seventeenth day of the second month. The Handbook for Imperial Examination Answers officially went on sale on the tenth day of the second month.
For this first attempt, with Wu Pingzhi’s additional funding, the book’s production costs were kept to an absolute minimum.
The paper and ink had been personally selected by Old Master Lu—the cheapest options that wouldn’t smudge or bleed through. Due to the tight deadline and insufficient workshop staff, binding was done with simple paste. The finished product was relatively rough.
Before setting the price, Wu Pingzhi was asked for advice, and a tentative price of five cash per volume was agreed upon.
Though expensive compared to cheap handwritten copies, these books used superior paper and ink, ensuring longevity. Their sturdy binding prevented pages from falling out even when worn. After reading, buyers could exchange books with others or sell them to purchase new titles.
The Imperial Examination Answer Manual clearly lacked resale appeal. With Xie Yan’s name attached and its steep price tag, profiting from it would tarnish his reputation—a losing proposition.
Wu Pingzhi also felt five cash was slightly high.
Since the book remained unfinished, several more volumes would follow, covering all common question formats. Together, the entire set could fetch around three taels.
Cheaper books, however, were mere pulp fiction or vulgar picture books. Examination guides naturally commanded a higher price.
He proposed binding the second volume with the first to salvage its reputation. His justification was ready: he hadn’t anticipated such enthusiastic support, and his original intent had been to assist fellow students.
Since everyone was willing to give him face, he couldn’t let them lose out. This time, he used better paper and ink, packed in more content, and sold it for only six cash.
The book’s production costs were high, and he feared it might not sell well. The study wouldn’t print large quantities; they displayed many books for sale, hoping for a hit to make big money. Usually, they earned steadily over time.
This time, they were taking a calculated risk, with a bit of gambling involved.
Wu Pingzhi went all out to help, sending his shop assistants out to hawk the books.
Coming from a merchant family, they were well-versed in such matters. People were dispatched to sell the books near all the private schools, the county academy, government offices, as well as inns and residential areas.
When selling the books, they couldn’t openly say they were selling books.
They had to pretend to be scholars, gathering in groups to chatter excitedly about the “Imperial Examination Answer Manual.”
They needed to create an air of mystery, speaking loudly in hushed tones, making sure the scholars knew every other candidate had a copy and that if they didn’t buy one, they’d fall behind.
With the exam just days away, they had little time left to decide.
Once word spread and people came to look, half the job was done.
Then the selling began. Not all the pretenders should buy immediately; some must ask questions, search around, or pretend to buy elsewhere. Each person played the role of a plant twice.
If the stalls were close by, the success rate increased by ten percent.
Scholars who came to scout the situation would see their peers buying and start considering, growing anxious. At that point, the deal was done.
As long as the vendor had only a few books left, they’d be snatched up in a rush.
Whether the books were any good was beside the point—if others had them, they had to have them too.
And so, the book sales unfolded smoothly.
Lu Yang regretted not being able to go out and hawk the goods himself, nor run errands for business. He could only idly guard the shop.
Lu Lin was heading out to sell fried noodles, carrying two baskets of loose melon seeds and peanuts.
Miao Qing arrived with her two sons. The family of four went out to sell snacks.
The county exam lasted only one day, but the town buzzed with activity beforehand. They wouldn’t earn just one day’s silver.
Though Lu Yang stayed in the shop, his heart burned with enthusiasm. In his spare moments, he crafted fancy steamed buns.
One type was square-shaped, flatter than usual. It looked large but wasn’t as thick as regular steamed buns. Its shape resembled a book, though flatter and wider, with vertical grid lines stamped on top like exam paper.
He also made a long, narrow bun. One stood upright, shaped like a calligraphy brush.
After a moment’s thought, he kneaded more dough to shape a top-scorer’s hat.
The center was rounded, with elongated wings on either side. This one was simple.
These three steamed buns formed a set, called “Golden List Success.”
He explained the process to his mother, instructing Zhang Tie to knead extra dough. For the next few days, they would make these decorative steamed buns to sell.
Leave a Reply