Chapter 108

After entering the private room again, Cui Wuniang’s senior maid came in and placed the ice basin, then quickly retreated.

The toothman also sent another cup of tea for Cui Wuniang.

This tea was naturally high-quality foam tea. Shen Cui subconsciously thought that someone as refined as Cui Wuniang might not be accustomed to it.

However, Cui Wuniang herself seemed completely unperturbed, drinking a few mouthfuls with gusto before setting down the teacup.

Then, she used her folding fan to fan herself and even gave Shen Cui a few waves of cool air, dissipating the sweat from both of their foreheads.

After cooling down, Cui Wuniang continued to inquire about Shen Cui’s decision to establish a school and how she managed to persuade others to support her.

Understanding that they were only just getting acquainted, Shen Cui chose to share some superficial details. She explained, “Initially, I hadn’t planned on opening a school. It all started when I sought a tutor for my son’s education. The tutor happened to be renowned in our small community, attracting other students who wished to study under him. Then, during the school competition, I met some headmasters of other academies. One of them even sent students to study at our school.”

Cui Wuniang, being astute in the ways of the world, could discern that these were merely surface-level explanations. However, she didn’t mind. She could sense the complexities behind Shen Cui’s seemingly casual words and realized that there might be more to her story.

Recalling a decade ago when she took over her family’s bookstore, she remembered the whispers of some literati saying things like, “‘Only women and villains are hard to raise.’

The Cui family is really declining, letting a woman take charge.”

Even some time ago, when Cui Wuniang purchased this mansion, she had her family members stay there to dispel any doubts.

Although no tragic incidents occurred, there was still a serious illness that ensued.

As she spoke, Cui Wuniang observed Shen Cui’s reaction closely. Seeing that Shen Cui remained unfazed, showing no signs of wavering, Cui Wuniang’s curiosity and admiration for her only deepened.

Deciding not to press further, Cui Wuniang continued, “If you truly like that mansion, then let’s do it this way. We’ll modify the contract, instead of signing for a year, we’ll start with three months.”

Three months equaled fifteen taels of silver, which was also her way of showing goodwill.

If Shen Cui and her son encountered any strange occurrences and decided not to continue renting, they would only lose three months’ worth of rent, rather than an entire year’s worth.

“This… doesn’t seem ideal,” the toothman interjected, “A three-month lease is too short. You’ll have to sign a new contract again afterward.”

The toothman’s commission, much like a modern-day real estate agent, was based on the transaction amount.

With a contract of fifty taels, he would earn five taels as commission, which justified his efforts in the scorching heat. However, with a contract of only fifteen taels, his commission would be reduced significantly.

Furthermore, the toothman believed that Shen Cui and her son would likely move out after three months, making renewal unlikely.

Even if they did renew, it would be a private agreement between Cui Wuniang and Shen Cui, without involving the toothman or the toothman’s office.

Shen Cui, while grateful for the gesture, still preferred a long-term lease.

She felt that such opportunities were rare. Although Cui Wuniang didn’t seem like the type to exploit her, a written contract would still provide her with peace of mind.

Cui Wuniang, being shrewd, promptly agreed, “Then let’s stick with the one-year contract, but we’ll include a clause stating that you can terminate the lease at any time after three months. The rent will be paid quarterly. As for the toothman’s fee, I’ll honor the agreement we previously discussed.”

With her quick wit and decisive demeanor, Cui Wuniang glanced at the toothman, signaling that the matter was settled.

The toothman dared not intervene further and immediately went to modify the contract, preparing three copies.

Afterward, the three parties jointly signed, Shen Cui and Cui Wuniang each kept a copy, and the third copy was left in the pawnshop to be kept by the pawnshop.

After the formalities were completed, Shen Cui and Cui Wuniang walked out shoulder to shoulder.

Cui Wuniang invited Shen Cui, saying she knew of a nearby shop selling ice bowls and suggested they go together to have a bowl to cool off from the heat.

After spending a couple of hours together, Shen Cui also felt quite fond of the straightforward and capable Cui Wuniang. However, she still worried about Mei Ruochu and wanted to go back to the examination site to wait outside, so she politely declined.

Just as they were talking, there was a rumble of thunder from the sky, and in the blink of an eye, raindrops the size of beans began to pour down.

Thunderstorms were common in summer, and Shen Cui could tell from the heavy clouds overhead that this rain might not stop for a while.

Although she and her chubby son had brought an umbrella, it was not enough for such heavy rain.

Cui Wuniang said, “My family’s carriage is big. Where are you going? I can give you a ride.”

Shen Cui looked at the time on her watch. It was already two o’clock in the afternoon, close to the end of the examination period. Shen Cui didn’t refuse the offer this time but instead said, “We need to go to the examination site to pick up students. I’m not sure if it’s on your way?”

When Cui Wuniang heard this, she couldn’t help but be surprised, “If I remember correctly, today is the day of the second round of the examination. Your students have all entered the second round of the examination. With that being the case, how can you still call it a small-scale academy? You are really modest.”

Shen Cui smiled and nodded, “It’s all thanks to the efforts of the students themselves.”

“I happen to be heading back to the bookstore on Wenchang Street. It’s on the way. Let’s go now so you won’t be late to pick up your students,” Cui Wuniang said without further inquiry, inviting Shen Cui and the chubby Mu Erpang to sit in the carriage together.

As she said, Cui’s carriage was indeed spacious, with room for five or six people with ease.

Mu Erpang let Shen Cui get on first, and he followed behind her. After getting on, he sat on the outermost edge without looking around and faced outward, leaving only his back to them, which also helped block the water vapor from seeping in through the gap in the carriage curtain.

Seeing this, Cui Wuniang couldn’t help but say to Shen Cui, “You truly deserve to run a school and be a headmaster. You’re so good at teaching children. My younger brothers and nephews at his age are all mischievous. Forget about taking care of elders, they’d be lucky not to cause trouble.”

Every mother loves to hear praise for their own child. Shen Cui smiled and said, “Your family runs a big business, raising children with a straightforward character. We ordinary folks perhaps live by the saying ‘poor kids grow up early.’ With more responsibilities to worry about, we may mature earlier than our peers.”

Having mingled in the commercial world for years, Cui Wuniang had dealt with people from all walks of life and had some skills. As long as she wanted to make friends, she could always find a way to connect with them.

She didn’t intend to judge people by their background, but indeed, in this world, one’s background often determined their outlook and personality.

Now that she had met Shen Cui, she realized she had been wrong before—just by looking at Shen Cui’s attire, she could tell she was from an ordinary family, yet her demeanor lacked any trace of pettiness and was always generous and graceful.

Cui Wuniang truly wanted to befriend Shen Cui, so she said, “I wonder when your family plans to move to that mansion? When the time comes, I’ll prepare a gift to congratulate you and share the joy.”

Moving houses and ground-breaking were major events in this era, and even more traditional families would consult the almanac to determine the best date.

Shen Cui wasn’t planning a big move and said, “We’ll probably wait for the results of the examination. Our group will return to the county town, tidy up, and come back after the Mid-Autumn Festival. You don’t need to prepare any gifts. If you’re free, just come over for a drink.”

Not long after they agreed, the carriage arrived near the examination site.

Cui Wuniang instructed her maid to help hold the umbrella and escorted them all the way to the tea stall where Lao Buyu was waiting before leaving.

“Why did the headmaster take so long? Is everything going smoothly?” Lao Buyu had several umbrellas beside him.

After the rain, some clever vendors came to sell umbrellas, so he bought a few. He had planned to go to the pawnshop to deliver umbrellas to Shen Cui and Mu Erpang but he didn’t expect them to come back so soon.

Since it wasn’t the right place to talk outside, Shen Cui said, “Just a little incident happened, but everything went smoothly.”

They hadn’t been together for long when the examination gate opened.

The rain was a little lighter than before, but it was still falling. The parents holding umbrellas rushed towards the examination gate.

Of course, Shen Cui also needed to go to meet the students, but Mu Erpang and Lao Buyu didn’t let her move.

They asked her to wait in the carriage first, and they each held an umbrella and went forward.

After Shen Cui settled in the carriage, the others came with umbrellas shortly afterward.

Everyone was a bit wet from the rain, but it was just a heavy rain and didn’t dampen their spirits.

They weren’t in a hurry to discuss today’s exam; instead, they asked if Shen Cui’s signing of the contract went smoothly.

Since they were all family, Shen Cui didn’t hide anything and explained today’s events to everyone.

Knowing that everything went well, they breathed a sigh of relief and started chatting about other things.

They all said today’s exam questions weren’t too difficult, and they did fairly well. Mei Ruochu even said that barring any surprises, he should at least secure a spot in the lower rankings.

This phrase “sitting on the red chair” meant that when the exam results were posted, the last name on the list would be marked with a red pen, indicating the end of the list. It meant being at the bottom of the list.

Upon hearing this, Wei Shu couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Brother Mei, don’t joke. If even you, the head of the examination in the capital, have to ‘sit on the red chair,’ then I really have no chance of passing the exam.”

Mei Ruochu smiled but didn’t say anything, and everyone just took it as him being modest.

After returning to the small courtyard, everyone went back to their rooms to change and freshen up.

Mei Ruochu stayed back a little.

After everyone else had left, Shen Cui finally spoke up and asked him, “Did the exam not go well?”

He didn’t hide anything from Shen Cui and sighed as he raised his hand to tap his head. “As Wei Shu said, the exam questions weren’t difficult, and I found them quite easy to answer. But just before handing in the paper…”

Just before handing in the paper, the roof above him inexplicably started leaking.

If he hadn’t finished the exam by then, a careless move could have caused the whole paper to be ruined by water droplets.

But luckily, he had finished early and reacted quickly to salvage the situation, but there were still unavoidable water droplets on the edges of the paper.

He quickly wiped them off with a dry cloth. Although he dried them off, the paper would undoubtedly be affected after soaking in water.

Don’t underestimate the importance of the appearance of the paper at this point. If it happened to encounter an examiner who was particularly concerned about details, they might directly fail it without even looking at the content.

So even though Mei Ruochu knew he had performed well this time, he didn’t dare to guarantee that he would definitely pass.

“Headmaster, don’t inform them for now, so as not to affect their mood,” Mei Ruochu smiled gently. “Being able to take the exam smoothly and safely up to now, I am already very satisfied. The outcome doesn’t matter much to me. At most, I’ll wait a bit longer and participate in the examination again with Han Shan.”

Shen Cui nodded to indicate that she understood. After changing clothes and freshening up, she began sewing again.

From handing in the papers to the release of the results, there were three days, which would be the time for marking.

She didn’t know if reducing Mei Ruochu’s bad luck would be effective now, but it was worth a try. Who knows, it might just work?