Chapter 26: Whiteboard and Charcoal Pen

Zhou Qingqing nodded, set the bowls and chopsticks in place, then took off her shoes and climbed onto the heated kang.

“Just now, that brat Ji Jingze showed up carrying a bag of rice and stuffed a few baked buns into my arms, saying his sister-in-law was returning them to us—then he ran off all shy.

Geez, it’s not like it’s the first time he’s seen me. What’s he being shy about? So weird.”

The village chief looked at Zhou Qingqing with a baffled expression. “That kid… shy?”

“Isn’t he though?

Dad, do you think… maybe that boy has a thing for me?”

The village chief thought back to what he saw earlier at the Ji family’s second household and pursed his lips.

“I think you’re overthinking it. That boy probably just couldn’t wait to get home and eat his bun!”

Zhou Qingqing nearly choked on her porridge. So she was just being delusional?

The village chief’s wife gently patted Zhou Qingqing’s back. “This girl, you’re still just a kid…”

The village chief picked up one of the buns from the table and took a bite.

Mmm…

It was delicious—crispy and flaky, with minced pork and scallions that became more flavorful the more you chewed.

He hadn’t expected Chu Xiaoqi to be this good at cooking.

“She’s not that young anymore. If you’re really interested in Ji Jingze, I can talk to his family about a marriage match. Get engaged early, and after she comes of age, she can marry into their family.”

The village chief’s wife smacked him on the hand with her chopsticks.

“Are you serious? Qingqing’s still a child! And don’t you mind that the Ji family’s second branch is dirt poor?”

The village chief drank a sip of porridge, then set the bowl down. “Actually, I don’t mind at all.

As long as Chu Xiaoqi is around, their family’s life will only keep getting better.”

The village chief’s wife snorted lightly through her nose. “Oh? And you think just selling half a wild boar is enough to live a good life?”

The village chief chuckled, leaned in slightly toward his wife and daughter, and whispered:

“You think wild boar is her only source of income?

I went to town today and rode in with Fang Erniu from the neighboring village. He told me that last night, the daughter-in-law of Ji family’s second branch rented his ox cart to haul back a whole load of rice, flour, oil, and vegetables.

Also, he’s seen Xiaoqi selling roasted chestnuts at the morning market. Business was booming—she made over a tael of silver in under an hour.”

“What? Over a tael in an hour?” The village chief’s wife sucked in a sharp breath, utterly shocked.

Many farming families couldn’t even earn that much in a whole month.

The village chief nodded and handed the bun to his wife and daughter, flicking it with his finger so it made a light “thump.”

“See this? What is it? A meat bun…”

“How many times do we even eat meat in a month?

But the Ji family’s second household—these past few days, every evening their kitchen is full of the smell of meat.

If it’s not chicken, it’s fish. If not that, it’s pork or pork intestines…”

“Good heavens. So the second branch of the Ji family has been living it up in secret, feasting quietly while no one even knows about it,” the village chief’s wife said with a pout.

“Who says no one knows? If no one knew, how would I know?

You think the neighbors can’t smell it?

But Chu Xiaoqi really knows how to handle people. If they have food, she makes sure the neighbors get a bit, too.

I heard just the other day, she gave everyone nearby a piece of her cured fish.

She’s so considerate—naturally, no one’s going to gossip about it.

Especially not in front of the Ji family’s main branch!”

The village chief’s wife turned to glance at Zhou Qingqing, who was quietly eating, then hesitantly asked her husband:

“So according to you, the Ji family’s second branch is really going to make it big?”

“It’s only a matter of time.

That’s why I’m saying, Qingqing…”

“If you’re interested in Ji Jingze, better act early,” the village chief said.
“Once they’re doing well, you might not even be able to reach their doorstep.”

His wife frowned deeply and thought for a long while before finally muttering,
“There’s no rush. Let’s observe for a bit longer.”

The village chief didn’t push the topic. He lowered his head and focused on eating.

Zhou Qingqing, on the other hand, had already wolfed down two meat buns in the time it took him to finish his sentence.
This ungrateful daughter didn’t even save one for him!

The weather was turning chilly. After dinner, Chu Xiaoqi didn’t lounge in the old recliner in the courtyard to stargaze as usual.
Instead, she sat on the kang inside, deep in thought about what kind of business she should do next.

She’d been going to town every day lately and had taken the chance to do a bit of market research.

There were no dessert shops in the whole of Beihe County, nor any hotpot restaurants.

Given her current capital, opening a hotpot place wasn’t realistic…

So why not try selling lu zhu (braised offal stew)?

Based on the cost of ingredients in this world, she calculated:

Vegetarian skewers at 1 copper a stick

Meat skewers at 3 copper a stick

A large bowl of rice for 5 copper, a small one for 3 copper

The profit margin wouldn’t be huge, but the prices would be affordable. No matter what, business was bound to be steady.

As for desserts, she could make some small batches and have Ji Jingze and his siblings carry them around to sell door to door—see how it goes.
If sales turned out decent, she could invest in a dessert cart next.

The next day, after breakfast, Chu Xiaoqi stayed home to start prepping ingredients for the business. She had no plans to head into town again.

Ji Jingxuan, on the other hand, had his breakfast and then cheerfully slung an old sack over his shoulder, ready to head off to the academy.

Chu Xiaoqi didn’t stop him. She handed him 50 copper coins and told him to buy himself something simple for lunch.

The weather was getting colder by the day. When Ji Jingxuan arrived in town, it wasn’t even light yet, but the streets were already bustling with activity.
Vendors hawked their wares, people bargained left and right—the usual lively scene.

When he reached the bookstore, he happened to catch the owner and a clerk just opening up.

Even though Ji Jingxuan deeply resented the bookstore owner for taking advantage of him before, he still stopped and politely greeted him.

“Good morning, Shopkeeper Ma.”

Shopkeeper Ma looked at him with his usual smug, condescending attitude.
“Jingxuan, how come you haven’t been coming to the shop to copy texts lately?”

Ji Jingxuan clenched his back teeth.
“Oh, some things came up at home. And with the provincial exam approaching, I’ve been preparing for that.”

Shopkeeper Ma rolled his eyes and scoffed, his tone mocking:
“Jingxuan, come on now. With the kind of conditions your family’s in, you’re seriously trying to take the autumn provincial exam?

The exam’s in Mangzhou—you’ll be gone at least half a month. Just the round-trip and living costs will be at least three to five taels of silver.
Can your family even afford that?

Instead of wasting time chasing pipe dreams, you’d be better off staying here and copying books. At least you’d have some warm porridge to survive the winter.”

Ji Jingxuan snorted coldly.
“My exam expenses are none of your concern, Shopkeeper Ma.

Even if I didn’t take the exam and worked at your bookstore day and night copying texts, my family still wouldn’t have enough porridge to last the winter.

Good day.”

He didn’t spare another glance at Shopkeeper Ma and turned to head toward the academy.

Shopkeeper Ma spat to the side and curled his lip.
“Pfft! Just look at that poor, miserable face. Still dreaming of passing the provincial exam?

What a joke.

He’ll starve or freeze to death on the road to Mangzhou. Serves him right.”

—

Ji Jingxuan arrived early at the academy, so he grabbed a broom and swept the courtyard.

The academy headmaster, Dean Qiu, had always been quite fond of this student—hardworking, studious, humble, and respectful.
If Ji Jingxuan could pass the autumn provincial exam, he had full confidence the imperial exam wouldn’t be a problem.

This boy was good in every way—except for being born into the wrong family.
His household was simply too poor.

Even though Dean Qiu had waived his tuition these past few years, Ji Jingxuan had still nearly starved to death more than once.

The class bell rang, and the students quickly took their seats.

Originally, there had been twenty-five graduates in the class, but some of the more well-off students had already left early for Mangzhou to prepare for the provincial exam, since there had been no notice of delay.

Only ten students remained—those from poorer families—who planned to leave just a week before the exam to save on expenses.

Dean Qiu took the teacup from the attendant and took a light sip.
“I’ve already taught you all the important points over the years.
Today, same as usual—bring me what you’ve written, and I’ll give you feedback.”

The students unrolled their xuan paper, dipped their brushes in ink, and bent over to begin writing.

Ji Jingxuan, however, pulled a whiteboard out of his ragged sack, then took out a charcoal pen and started writing.

Dean Qiu had always kept a close eye on Ji Jingxuan, and today he noticed something very unusual. With his hands behind his back, he walked over.

Ji Jingxuan was fully focused on writing and didn’t even notice the dean standing behind him.

Whenever he was unhappy with a sentence or made a mistake, he would use a damp cloth to gently wipe it away and rewrite.

“Huh? Jingxuan, what’s that you’re using?” Dean Qiu asked curiously, eyeing the pen and board in his hands.

Startled, Ji Jingxuan quickly stood up and respectfully handed the pen and board over.
“Dean, these are a charcoal pen and writing board my wife made for me.

The pen is light and easy to carry. When the tip is used up, I just tear off the bit of wrapped paper to reveal new charcoal underneath, and I can keep writing.

The whiteboard is reusable—once it’s full, I just wipe it clean with a wet cloth, and it’s good as new.”

The other students, having overheard this, crowded around, intrigued.

Dean Qiu examined the pen and board in his hands and asked,
“And how much can one of these pens write?”

Ji Jingxuan scratched his head a little awkwardly.
“I haven’t completely used up a single one yet.

But last night, I copied ten articles and used less than an inch of the charcoal.”
He held up two fingers to show the length.

“Ten articles only used an inch of charcoal?” the dean repeated in disbelief.

Ji Jingxuan nodded.

A student asked curiously, “Jingxuan, are these pens expensive?”

“Hmm… Not really. They don’t cost much money, but they do take time to make.

Still, I saw my wife casually make around two hundred pens.

She said even if I write constantly, that batch should last a month or two.”

The students instantly erupted in excited chatter.

“A month or two? Heavens! Think of how much silver that saves…”

Dean Qiu chuckled and nodded, “Hahaha! Jingxuan, your wife is truly remarkable!”

Ji Jingxuan smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head.

—

After class, the students all gathered around Ji Jingxuan, bombarding him with questions.

“Jingxuan, how do you make the charcoal pen and whiteboard? Can you tell us?”

“I don’t really know,” he said honestly. “I only saw her wrapping the charcoal core.”

The student looked a little disappointed but understood—after all, even if Ji Jingxuan knew, it wouldn’t be right to reveal someone else’s special method.

“Well, then… Can I give you some silver to buy one from you?”

The students who had stayed behind were all from struggling households. Still, the pens were so cost-effective they seemed worth investing in.

Ji Jingxuan thought for a moment.
“I’ll have to ask my wife about that. Since she’s the one who made them, it’s up to her whether she wants to sell or not.”

“Alright, alright—go ask her as soon as you can!”