Chapter 70

Zhou Shi had learned quite a few characters by now, influenced by the scholars at the academy. Not only did she speak differently, but her appearance also carried a bit more elegance and grace than ordinary workers.

One of the men inquired after hearing her speak, “Madam, can you read and understand diagrams?”

Zhou Shi nodded, “I wrote the receipts that you all have. I wouldn’t say I’m proficient, just have a basic understanding.”

The handwriting on the receipts wasn’t excellent, but it was clear and graceful. The inquirer continued, “Wait here, I’ll fetch something.”

The other four put on their coats without leaving, waiting for him to return with the item.

Soon, the man returned with a blueprint. It depicted a young man in spring attire, with various measurements such as shoulder width, arm length, and height written in the blank spaces.

The style of the spring attire was similar to ordinary ones, but with subtle differences. The sleeves were not cloud sleeves but arrow sleeves, the waist was more fitted, and it was paired with a belt, giving it both a refined and dignified look.

The other men, who were close to him, teased him, “Brother Song, you’re designing clothes again?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve seen Brother Song bring out this blueprint before. When he took it to the tailor’s shop to make it, the result… Why haven’t you given up?”

From their conversation, Shen Cui and Zhou Shi learned that this was designed by the scholar Song himself and was previously taken to another place for tailoring. The result… Song wanted to create a garment that was both refined and dignified, but it turned out to be neither.

Despite being teased and blushing, he said, “Madam, see if you can make this. If you can, try to make it. I can pay a deposit first.”

The people around him joked, “Madam, just do it. Brother Song isn’t short of money; his family runs a silk and satin shop in the capital. If he wasn’t afraid of his parents saying he’s wasting his time, he would have had his family’s tailor make it long ago!”

“Yeah, Brother Song is always full of creative ideas. If it can be made, we’ll all come to you for orders in the future.”

A deposit would ensure that even if the final result wasn’t satisfactory and the final payment couldn’t be collected, Zhou Shi wouldn’t lose money. If this deal went well, it could develop into a sustainable source of income, freeing her from the need to sew for a few dozen wen of hard-earned money.

However, this style was truly novel, and hearing that even experienced tailors in other shops had failed, Zhou Shi felt uncertain and couldn’t help but look at Shen Cui.

Shen Cui remained the same, observing calmly without raising an eyebrow, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

She wanted to cultivate Zhou Shi’s independent thinking, not turn her from a tool of Mu Yunchuan into her own echo.

She had already done one order with Zhou Shi and had given her some pointers. If Zhou Shi still hesitated and was indecisive at this point, it would only show that she couldn’t stand on her own.

Fortunately, after pondering for a while, Zhou Shi said, “I wonder when Master Song needs it?”

“I’m going home soon. I’ll be back after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth. If it can be done by then, it’s fine.”

It was only the tenth day, and there were still twenty-five days until the Lantern Festival, which was enough time.

“In that case, I’ll do my best to try.”

After saying this, Zhou Shi asked Song to fetch ink and brush and, following Shen Cui’s instructions from the previous day, wrote the deposit receipt and contract.

Receiving the two-qian silver deposit, Zhou Shi felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat—

Although this second deal was much smaller than the first, Shen Cui had helped facilitate the first one. This time, she had completed it independently!

Seeing her clutching the small silver ingot tightly, Shen Cui smiled and asked, “How do you feel?”

Zhou Shi came back to her senses and smiled, “I feel good, but I’m also worried… that I won’t do well.”

“Why worry about something that hasn’t happened yet? Besides, they all said this is Master Song’s own design. None of the old tailors on Scholar Street have been able to make it. The worst-case scenario is that you ruin a garment.”

After twenty busy days, she had collected all the final payments. With five taels of silver in hand, she could easily afford to ruin one garment.

She pursed her lips and said, “Then if Master Song doesn’t like it, I’ll refund half of his deposit and modify the robe for our Er Pang.”

“That’s a good idea. Last year, he gave his spring robe to his elder brother. Although he didn’t say anything, he probably still wants one.”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted as they left the gate of the Qingzhu Academy.

With only two weeks left until the New Year, Shen Cui and Zhou Shi not only came to deliver the cotton-padded coats but also to buy New Year goods.

Before leaving the academy, Wei Xi wanted to pay this month’s living expenses in advance.

Shen Cui understood that he was afraid they wouldn’t have enough money for the New Year, but since he wasn’t staying here, where would he spend his living expenses? She refused to accept it.

After spending three taels of silver on winter clothes for the academy, she still had six or seven taels left.

Thinking back to the beginning of last year, when she had just arrived, she first sent money to Mu Yunchuan, then argued with Zheng Shi, and had to return five taels. At that time, she didn’t have much money on hand either, but she still managed to get through it, didn’t she?

Shen Cui had a positive attitude.

As a result, after selecting various New Year goods, when it came time to pay, Zhou Shi rushed to pay first.

“In the past, you didn’t ask me to contribute to the household expenses. This time, thanks to the style of the coats you came up with, we made a small profit. Since you’re unwilling to split the silver with me, let me show my appreciation.”

Rarely so decisive, Shen Cui roughly calculated the prices of these miscellaneous items, which added up to less than one tael of silver, so she let Zhou Shi pay.

After buying the New Year goods, both of them carried large and small packages, but there was still more to be had. Zhou Shi went to buy a few new pens and knives, and she still insisted on paying, saying, “In the past, I used the paper provided by the academy for practicing calligraphy. Now that I have more money, I naturally need to replenish it.”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law returned to the village before dark. Although they had not rested all day, Zhou Shi showed no signs of tiredness. She was in high spirits and smiled as she distributed the items to everyone.

Lao Buyu received a pack of new tea, which, although not of the finest quality, was better than the tea leaves usually served in the academy.

Mu Er Pang had new clothes, so he received snacks and sweets. Since he had given peach pastries as a thank-you gift to Wei Xi before, Zhou Shi bought another pack for him.

Although these items were not valuable, they added to the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Lao Buyu and Mu Er Pang looked at Shen Cui with joy. Shen Cui immediately said, “Don’t thank me. I’m only responsible for buying New Year goods. It was Zhou Shi who insisted on paying.”

Since it wasn’t him who bought them, it must have been Zhou Shi. Lao Buyu thanked her and then turned to Shen Cui, saying, “The Headmaster is blessed with good fortune and wise. With such a capable daughter-in-law, we will have good days ahead in a few years.”

Shen Cui smiled and said, “Master’s words are too kind. When their days are good, won’t they think of you? We will all have good days ahead.”

Mu Er Pang was closer to Zhou Shi, so he was even more affectionate. Not only did he thank her, but he also said, “Sister-in-law, you’re really skilled. You’ve earned so much silver in just a few days. You’re the most capable person I’ve ever seen!”

Everyone knew that Zhou Shi was capable, but no one had ever praised her so much in front of her, as if what she did was all in a day’s work and should be that way. Only Mu Er Pang, who had always said whatever he thought, had praised her from the beginning, saying that everything she did was praiseworthy, and he continued to do so now.

Zhou Shi blushed at the compliments and said she would go back to continue working.

Previously, when she was rushing to finish work, Shen Cui had let her make the most of her time at the academy.

Now that she had plenty of time for her second order, there was no need for her to stay in the drafty room at the academy.

Moreover, the academy was already on vacation, and their academy had the strictest rules in the city. They had one day off a month. Their academy never had a day off; they studied twice as much during the day, and only occasionally, at night, Shen Cui would cancel the time boost and count it as “rest” for everyone. At this point, she wanted to give everyone a New Year’s break.

But after she proposed the holiday, Lao Buyu and Mu Er Pang looked at each other, both a little confused.

Finally, Mu Er Pang scratched his head and said, “A holiday… What do we do?”

“Of course, we play. What do you want to play? I’ll play with you,” Zhou Shi said.

“I like playing darts and archery, but we already have morning exercises every day. I play every day, and playing for two quarters of an hour is enough.” Mu Er Pang looked at Lao Buyu as he spoke.

Lao Buyu also said, “I’m alone, and I always feel lonely during the New Year. It’s rare to have such a good student like Hanshan accompanying me every day. Even if it’s a holiday, I have nowhere else to go… There’s no rule saying you can’t study during the New Year, so it’s better to do the same as usual.”

Well, this pair of teacher and student didn’t even want a holiday.

Shen Cui didn’t force them.

Because she was out that day and didn’t turn on the time boost in the academy, Mu Er Pang and Lao Buyu complained that they didn’t know what had happened today. Time seemed to pass unusually quickly. They used to be able to memorize six or seven pages of a book in half a day, but today they only memorized half…

So not only did they not get a holiday, but Shen Cui also returned to her position as the human switch for time boost.

Although the academy was missing Wei Xi, life went on as usual.

When firecrackers and fireworks could be heard from outside from time to time, it was officially approaching the New Year.

Mu Yunchuan entrusted someone to send back the third letter, skipping the usual greeting template. In the letter, he said that the study at the Prefectural Academy was heavy, and the next spring would be his first major exam after entering the Prefectural Academy. He became even more cautious and dared not be negligent, so he wouldn’t come home for the New Year, and so on.

Shen Cui was naturally happy to hear that Mu Yunchuan wouldn’t be coming home. She hoped he would be even busier, forgetting about her completely.

But despite her happiness, she didn’t show it. Instead, she turned to look at Zhou Shi.

In total, they had spent two New Years together since they got married, but they hadn’t been together for either of them. It was clear how disappointed Zhou Shi was.

Zhou Shi was naturally disappointed, but this disappointment didn’t last long. On the one hand, she had long been mentally prepared. After all, Mu Yunchuan rarely came back even when he was in the county town. Now that he was in the prefectural city, the journey was even longer, so he naturally wouldn’t come back easily.

Secondly, she was busy with other things now. Just like modern adults, even if they cried over a breakup the day before, they still had to tidy up and go to work the next day.

In half a month, it would be the day she delivered the goods, but she hadn’t made the clothes yet. Compared to her husband who was devoted to his studies and didn’t come home, Zhou Shi was more worried about not delivering the goods and losing income.