Fu Wenyu was heading to the village chief’s house.

Fujia Village was a large village with over a hundred households. Apart from a small number of outsiders with different surnames, the rest all bore the surname “Fu.” Because of this, the village chief of Fujia Village was also the patriarch of the Fu clan—Fu Wencheng—who was over twenty years older than Fu Wenyu.

Of course, Fu Wencheng’s role as clan leader was only one of the reasons Fu Wenyu was looking for him. The main reason was that Fu Wencheng’s eldest son was studying in the county town and had already earned the rank of a tongsheng (an entry-level scholar). In two years, he was expected to sit for the xiucai (elementary scholar) examination.

Fu Wenyu’s idea for earning some extra grain was closely tied to this eldest son of the clan leader.

The clan leader’s house was soon in sight.

Compared to Fu Wenyu’s small, single-entry house, the clan leader’s residence was much larger. When the clan leader and his wife saw Fu Wenyu approaching, they were both quite surprised.

“Wenyu, what brings you here?”

“Brother Wencheng, sister-in-law,” Fu Wenyu greeted the couple politely before turning to Fu Wencheng. “I’ve come about the matter of our land. I’d like to ask for your help in renting it out.”

Fu Wencheng immediately understood.

The Fu clan had ancestral land designated as ji tian (sacrificial land). This land was usually rented to families within the clan who either had many mouths to feed or little land of their own. The income from this land was divided into three parts: one for paying taxes, one for the village, and one for the renter. Fu Wenyu’s proposal to rent out his family’s land in a similar manner and live off the rental income was indeed a sound idea.

As for why Fu Wenyu came to him, Fu Wencheng could guess the reason. As the person in charge of the ancestral land, Fu Wencheng knew better than anyone else who in the village might be interested in renting land. He also speculated about a deeper reason: Fu Wenyu was likely still hurt by the recent family division and didn’t want his third uncle’s branch meddling.

Having figured this out, Fu Wencheng nodded knowingly and said, “Alright, leave it to me.”

“The land is currently vacant, and autumn plowing is just around the corner. The sooner it’s rented out, the sooner you can receive rent, and the renters can plant their crops on time.”

Seeing Fu Wencheng agree, Fu Wenyu added, “Brother Wencheng, I’ll need to collect half of the rent upfront since my family’s grain supply is running low. The remaining half can be paid next year.”

Fu Wencheng readily agreed. “Sure, I’ll find the right family for you.”

“Hmm, Uncle Qingtian at the village entrance has three sons and two daughters, a total of eight people in his household. Recently, he told me his family is struggling to make ends meet and wanted to rent more ancestral land, but we’ve already allocated all of it. I was in a bit of a bind myself. Why not rent your land to his family? As for the rent you need upfront, the clan can cover it first, and they’ll repay us after the harvest.”

“The Qingtian family is honest and won’t take advantage of you.”

Fu Wenyu had no objections.

He certainly wasn’t going to farm the land himself, so it didn’t matter much to him who rented it. Besides, with the clan leader acting as the intermediary, he didn’t have to worry about anyone withholding payment unless they wanted to alienate themselves from the entire village.

“Brother Wencheng, I actually have another matter to discuss today,” Fu Wenyu said, feigning a bit of embarrassment. “My father left behind some books. After going through them carefully over the past few days, I found that while most were his, a few were from my maternal grandfather.”

Fu Wenyu took out two books he had brought with him and explained, “These books are all related to the imperial examinations. My father once told me that they’re either for preparing for the xiucai exam or the juren (provincial scholar) exam. But no matter which one they’re for, I don’t have any use for them right now.”

“So, I was thinking, if anyone in the village wants to borrow them to copy, I’d only ask for a bit of grain in return. Since I’m observing a mourning period and can’t leave the house, I’d like to trouble you, Brother Wencheng, to spread the word for me.”

Fujia Village had a village school, and families that could afford it often sent their children to study there. However, not everyone could pursue the path of the imperial examinations. Over the years, only three individuals besides Fu Qingshan had succeeded.

The patriarch’s eldest son was one of them.

Fu Wenyu’s visit today was specifically to see if they needed any books. In exchange for some grain, he could lend out the books left by his father and maternal grandfather.

This way, he would receive much-needed grain and earn goodwill from others. Meanwhile, those in need would gain access to valuable study materials, making it a win-win situation.

Of course, to avoid any chance of losing the books permanently, Fu Wenyu first approached Fu Wencheng and made it clear that he would only lend the books to villagers. Under these conditions, the risk of mishap was minimal.

Fu Wencheng, however, didn’t overthink it.

As someone who had studied in his youth—and even been a classmate of Fu Qingshan for a time—Fu Wencheng was familiar with the value of these books. He had heard about their utility in preparing for the xiucai exam and was surprised to learn that they had ended up in Fu Qingshan’s possession after scholar Zhou’s passing.

If Fu Wenyu were selling the books, Fu Wencheng might hesitate to buy them all. But since Fu Wenyu was only asking for some grain in exchange for borrowing and copying them, Fu Wencheng was immediately tempted—after all, his own son would be sitting for the xiucai exam in a few years.

“How much grain are you asking for, Wenyu?” Fu Wencheng asked eagerly.

“At least one dan (150 pounds), or 300 wen,” Fu Wenyu replied.

One dan of grain was worth about 300 wen, which wasn’t excessive. A single adult male would consume three to four dan of grain per year.

According to the original host’s memory, the fields in Fujia Village yielded about two dan per acre during good years, amounting to four dan annually. Renting out his four acres of land could bring in roughly this amount of grain. While it wasn’t enough to ensure full bellies for a family, if he could lend out two or three books a year, the three of them wouldn’t starve.

That’s why he brought two books with him today.

Fu Wenyu believed his asking price was reasonable. If someone were to buy these books outright, each would cost at least two taels of silver. He kept the price modest, considering they were fellow villagers, and because he might need their help with his studies in the future.

Today, lending out books at a low price would make it easier to seek advice from others in the future, as they would feel less inclined to refuse.

As for whether people might have a bad impression of him and think that he is stingy or something, Fu Wenyu believed that given his family’s current situation, the villagers would likely understand and not hold it against him. Besides, families that could afford to support someone in pursuing the imperial exams wouldn’t have trouble paying that little bit of grain.

Sure enough, when Fu Wencheng heard the price, he agreed without hesitation.

His household had plenty of grain.

Seeing Fu Wenyu return home with grain after a single trip, Mrs. Zhou was so overwhelmed with joy that she cried.

“Wenyu, you’ve truly grown up.”

“I was still thinking of sewing more embroidery to sell and then using the money to buy some rice.”

“I never imagined… I never imagined…”

Fu Rong was equally delighted. She grabbed a handful of the slightly yellowish rice, looked up, and said, “Mother, let’s eat steamed rice tonight! No more porridge.”

Mrs. Zhou wiped her tears. “Alright!”

Fu Wenyu smiled as well. “Mother, I’ve rented out our land to Uncle Qiangtian. The clan leader said he would deliver half of the rent tomorrow. Also, the clan leader has asked around, and two other villagers who are preparing for the scholar examination want to borrow our books to copy. They’ll bring grain over one after another too.”

“We don’t have to worry about running out of food anymore.”

“You and Xiao Rong don’t have to stay cooped up indoors doing embroidery all day. You should go out for a walk and take a break.”

With this grain, the family could eat well this year. And by next year, Fu Wenyu was confident he would have figured out a way to improve their circumstances—maybe even sooner.

Mrs. Zhou agreed, and that evening she cooked a large pot of rice. The family enjoyed a rare full meal with salted vegetables and other greens that were available at this time of year.

After they were full and content, Fu Wenyu sat down at the table to think about the future.

Although Second Aunt’s intentions were dubious, she had said one thing that was true:

As someone who had studied under his father from a young age and rarely worked the fields, the original Fu Wenyu wasn’t cut out for farming. Neither Mrs. Zhou nor Fu Rong had ever farmed either. Without another source of income, their future would undoubtedly be difficult.

At this point, three paths lay before Fu Wenyu.

First: Farming.

This one was immediately ruled out.

Farming? Impossible. Not happening.

Second: Studying.

This one remained undecided.

Fu Wenyu wanted to continue his studies. As everyone knew, scholars in ancient times enjoyed high social status. If the original Fu Wenyu could attain official status like Fu Qingshan, then this unfair family division would never have happened.

So, to elevate his social standing, studying was still the way to go.

However, studying required money, and Fu Wenyu didn’t have any right now.

Third: Writing novels.

Writing novels—or “storybooks”—was Fu Wenyu’s way of earning money.

This was, after all, his expertise.

In the modern times, Fu Wenyu had been a writer of melodramatic fiction, with notable works like The Overbearing CEO: Runaway Wife with a Secret Baby, The Sky is Blue and So Am I Missing You, and The Prince’s Escaping Wife.

As for why a man like him would write such over-the-top romance novels on a certain green-themed website…

Don’t ask. Just know that a takeout meal costs 20 to 30.

Of course, before diving into melodrama, he had tried writing serious fiction. For example, there was his long-running, epic sci-fi fantasy novel Heavenly Sacrifice, which he serialized for one year, three months, and fifteen days.

Heavenly Sacrifice was a monumental effort for Fu Wenyu. He devoted countless hours to crafting detailed world-building, cultural and geographic descriptions, intricate power dynamics, and martial arts systems. He wrote over a million words of background alone. Before it went behind a paywall, he updated daily with 3,000 words. Afterward, he pushed out over 20,000 words a day, occasionally posting bonus chapters. By the time the novel concluded, it had nearly 10 million words.

And yet, it flopped, garnering only three full subscriptions.

The most absurd part? The day after the novel finished, a reader Fu Wenyu had once considered loyal left a comment complaining that they’d forgotten to cancel the auto-subscription and asked if they could get a refund.

Fu Wenyu: “…”

After silently sending them a red envelope, he closed his computer.

Later, he heard about a green-themed website infamous for its unreliable updates but promised steady pay for writers who churned out 10,000 words a day. So, he rebranded himself as the author “Steamed Bun Two Yuan Each.”

His writing shifted from serious and profound works like Heavenly Sacrifice to wildly melodramatic stories packed with tropes like mistaken identities, secret babies, cliff-diving, amnesia, runaway brides, and revenge-fueled pursuits—such as The Overbearing CEO: Runaway Wife with a Secret Baby.

Surprisingly, thanks to the outrageous plots and his ability to churn out 20,000 words daily, he became popular.

Ah, the past is best left unexamined.