Chapter 31: Small Business 3/3

She had thought about selling seafood like salted fish and kelp before, but these things had a smell and were not suitable for her boat. Jin Xiaoye thought she could sell some other miscellaneous items.

Needles, threads, bowls, and plates—she could prepare some on the boat and sell them when she took customers to those villages.

Some people might not be able to come up with copper coins to buy, so they could use other things to exchange, whether it was eggs or vegetables, she could accept them.

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoye began to inquire about the prices of various items.

She was busy all day, but even so, Jin Xiaoye still found time to take out a few sheets of rice paper and look at them.

There were some words on those sheets of paper, all of which Li Qingzhi had taught her.

There was even a doggerel poem Li Qingzhi had written: “Two little children, living by the river bank, sneaking into the water to play, they’ll be scolded when they get home.”

It couldn’t really be considered a poem, but Jin Xiaoye liked it when she read it, and she had already learned all the words on it.

She didn’t have much time until evening when she went to the riverside near the Zhu family to pick up Li Qingzhi and the two children.

This day was very busy, but Jin Xiaoye felt very fulfilled.

The following days were similar to this one.

Jin Xiaoye would collect eggs and vegetables in the village at night, and go to the county town to sell them in the morning.

Then she would try to attract customers and get to know more people.

She also found time to go to the dock and buy some needles, threads, bowls, and plates, which she put in a wooden box on her boat and sold them in Miaoqian Village or other villages.

These are all bits and pieces, and I earn very little. I only earn twenty or thirty cents a day. In addition, I can earn thirty or forty cents a day by helping people punt the boats. I can also earn some money occasionally by helping people carry things… Jin Xiaoye I can earn about eighty cents a day.

Mr. Yao earned a little more than her. He would help people carry goods and had some regular customers who would agree on a time to use his boat.

But Jin Xiaoye was already very satisfied with the current situation. She believed that as long as she got used to it, her income would be better!

And as she came and went more often, she probably knew what the villagers wanted, so she added some things to her boat.

When the people in the villages near Chongcheng County all got to know her, everyone who saw her would definitely ask what she had!

And now it was hot, actually not good for making money. In winter, when the farming was idle, many people would think about going to the county town to have fun. Families holding weddings would also hire boats to welcome their relatives, and some people would hire boats to go to nearby temples to burn incense… At that time, everyone would buy more food, and then she would definitely be able to earn more money.

With money in her pocket, Jin Xiaoye had a smile on her face every day, happily thinking about how to earn more money.

As time passed, Li Qingzhi unknowingly had already written nearly two hundred thousand words of Zhu Qian’s autobiography.

Zhu Qian wished Li Qingzhi would write this book to a million words, but the things in his life actually didn’t need to be written down in great detail.

Li Qingzhi planned to write for another month, and then this book would be finished.

In Daqi, there were various kinds of books and stories, and even the famous “Four Great Classical Novels” that he had read in his previous life could be found there.

Books about scholars and beauties were abundant, and the market was never short of them.

However, there were very few books like the one Li Qingzhi was writing, documenting the rags-to-riches story of an ordinary person.

Most importantly… this was Zhu Qian’s autobiography!

Zhu Qian loved this book to the core, and anyone fortunate enough to read it also held it in high regard.

As more and more people around Zhu Xunmiao read the book, his classmates who were close to him had almost all read it.

And since these people had read the book… every day when Zhu Xunmiao arrived at the academy, the first thing they did was ask him for updates.

On this day, as Zhu Xunmiao entered the academy, Xu Qifei greeted him immediately, “Brother Zhu, please give me the manuscript to copy today!”

Zhu Xunmiao took out the manuscript written by Li Qingzhi and said, “There’s no need to copy the manuscript now.”

Zhu Xunmiao’s admiration for Li Qingzhi had returned!

At first, Li Qingzhi’s handwriting was simply atrocious, but now, after more than a month had passed, his handwriting had become much better, and it could even be considered above average in their academy.

Zhu Xunmiao felt that if Li Qingzhi continued to write for another month, his handwriting might even surpass his!

“Indeed, his handwriting has become much more powerful and orderly now,” Xu Qifei sighed.

He had witnessed firsthand how rapidly the people who helped to revise the manuscript improved, to the point where it shocked him.

But Zhu Xunmiao told him that those who initially helped to revise the manuscript had just recovered from a serious illness… and that explained their initial lackluster handwriting.

“So, I’ll copy it today!” another person squeezed through to say.

Xu Qifei was not willing to comply, “I’ve been copying the previous ones, and it’s better to keep the handwriting consistent!”

“Then let me take a look first, and you can copy afterward.”

“No, I’ll look first!”

“I want to see it too!”

“Let’s all look together!”

…

The crowd scrambled to get a look at the book, but Zhu Xunmiao, who had finished reading the three thousand words last night, remained calm, sitting aside and sipping tea.

He wondered if Mr. Li had started writing the sequel yet. He really wanted to see what would happen next.

He even thought about asking Li Qingzhi to write a book for him.

His life was still short, and he hadn’t experienced much, but Li Qingzhi could create stories, couldn’t he?

He even wished he could lock Li Qingzhi up and have him write books exclusively for him!

Sighing, Zhu Xunmiao took out a book and began to read.

Lately, he had been reading the books written by Li Qingzhi frequently. Every time he finished reading, he reminded himself to study hard and not to waste the opportunities his father had created for him.

While the people around Zhu Xunmiao were fighting to read the book, some people in the academy who didn’t like Zhu Xunmiao couldn’t help but talk behind his back.

“Zhu Xunmiao, the son of a merchant, is living up to his reputation. Instead of studying, he spends his days reading these cheap novels!” A person of about the same age as Zhu Xunmiao sneered, looking toward Yao Zhenfu, hoping to gain Yao Zhenfu’s approval.

In the past, Yao Zhenfu would have agreed with him and criticized Zhu Xunmiao together. But today, Yao Zhenfu seemed absent-minded, as if he hadn’t heard him at all.

“Yao Zhenfu, what’s wrong with you?” the person frowned, asking.

“What?” Yao Zhenfu sat up straight as if startled, looking at his classmates with a hint of confusion on his face.

The person became even more puzzled. “What’s wrong with you today? Feeling unwell?”

“No… no.” Yao Zhenfu said, but he was feeling very anxious.

He had a lover in the county town, whose husband was a merchant who was always traveling. He spent only one or two months at home each year.

They had been together for a long time, and her husband had never found out, nor had he ever appeared. Anyway, Yao Zhenfu had never seen him.

But yesterday, on his day off, her husband caught him, and now he demanded a hundred taels of silver from Yao Zhenfu!

A hundred taels of silver! Where would he get that kind of money?