In the capital, Shen Guanting and Shen Qi had managed to make a modest sum through their harebrained schemes of adding fuel to the fire.
Here in Huzhou, after many days of preparation, the several young proprietors of A Fu Workshop had finally put their Twelve-Hour Beast cloth dolls on sale.
Almost overnight, every young student in the elementary class at Canglang Academy had a little cloth doll bobbing from his or her book bag. The dolls were squeezed in alongside the Jade-Soul bookmarks, swaying back and forth with every step and looking terribly impressive. For a time, they became the latest craze in the elementary class.
The children were young and loved to show off. Whenever they got their hands on something new, they wished the whole world to know about it.
Their little heads were constantly huddled together as they compared whose cloth doll looked the most impressive.
Since each doll corresponded to its owner’s hour of birth, the children regarded it as their own little incarnation and treasured it dearly. Some even changed their dolls’ clothes every day, dressing them in colors more garish and elaborate than their own outfits.
After all this showing off and excitement, the little cloth dolls truly attracted quite a bit of attention from people outside the academy. They could not help asking, “This little thing is rather unique. Where can I buy one?”
Seeing how well things were going, Sparrow and Tigerhead hurriedly arranged for the cloth dolls to be sold on consignment at the ready-made clothing and fabric shops owned by the Zhiyun Firm.
The dolls occupied only a tiny corner of the counters, but the customers who came and went were all particular people. Seeing the neatly arranged, irresistibly adorable little dolls, many would casually pick one up along with their other purchases.
Lin Wu happened to spot the little display once. As the proprietor of a pastry shop, she could not help marveling at how steadily the A Fu Workshop business had gotten off the ground.
From designing the patterns and finding embroiderers to stocking and selling the goods, they had encountered almost none of the difficulties ordinary peddlers usually faced. They had made use of the Zhiyun Firm’s ready-made, beautifully designed counters and its steady stream of customers.
No wonder second-generation merchants often found it easy to succeed in business.
When she returned to the pastry shop, she saw the children sitting together and chattering away. Unable to resist teasing them, she said, “Next time you young proprietors come up with some new snack, you can bring it to our pastry shop. We’ll save you a prime spot here for selling it on consignment.”
The children immediately began clapping their little hands and chattering excitedly about making cloth dolls shaped like steamed-bun pouches.
Unfortunately, before this spark of innovation could catch fire, a basin of cold water was soon dumped over it.
The cloth-doll business, just like the medicine business Shen Guanting and the others had run in the capital, had far too low a barrier to entry.
Even though every doll bore a specially made bamboo tag from A Fu Workshop, to skilled embroiderers and women who had spent years doing needlework, copying such a simple little toy was as easy as breathing.
Within a few days, all sorts of imitations appeared on the market: “A Le Workshop,” “A Xi Workshop,” and the like. Their stitching might have been rougher and their fabric inferior, but their appearance was nearly identical—and their prices were even cheaper.
Many families simply bought a scrap of leftover cloth and made one for their own children by copying the design. They did not need to visit a shop at all.
The A Fu Workshop’s business soon became noticeably quieter.
After school one day, the several young proprietors gathered around the wooden table at Double-Wood Pastry Shop, resting their chins in their hands with gloomy, dispirited expressions.
Tigerhead was the most indignant of them all. “They’re being awful! We were the ones who thought of it first! Not only did they copy our business, they’re selling the dolls for less than us. Isn’t that outright robbery?”
Lin Wu brought over a pot of roasted barley water. Looking at the ring of furious little heads, she felt rather helpless as well.
That was true enough. Those people did not have a whole group of proprietors waiting to split the profits with them, so naturally they could sell their dolls more cheaply.
Liang Peilan poured water for everyone and said, “Next time we make them, we should put something inside. I’ve already prepared and dried some medicinal herbs.”
At once, every child turned to look at him.
Liang Peilan continued, “It is spring now, and people tend to feel drowsy and restless. We could make calming cloth dolls and sew packets of herbs inside them. When held close, they would give off a pleasant fragrance that could soothe the mind and settle the nerves…”
Ordinary embroidery shops would not have these herbs, nor would they know how to prepare them. Even if someone wanted to copy the dolls, they would have to make a special trip to an apothecary to obtain the ingredients, which would raise the cost.
Sparrow’s eyes lit up. She slapped the table and said, “Excellent! We’ll call them Spirit-Herb Twelve-Hour Beasts. It sounds much more impressive than the others!”
Qi Lang chimed in, “We could also make mosquito-repelling ones. There are so many mosquitoes in summer—let’s make mosquito-repelling cloth dolls.”
The little heads gathered together once more, and they began discussing the matter heatedly. The gloom that had hung over them moments earlier vanished without a trace.
Still, fortunately, once they began gathering together and whispering about how to revive the cloth-doll business, they became much less restless.
Unlike the previous few days, when their thoughts had been entirely occupied by the dolls and they had rushed back and forth between the academy, the pastry shop, and A Fu Workshop the moment classes ended, leaving Lin Wu exhausted just watching them.
Lin Jing had also returned to his usual routine. Every morning, he brought along his treasured little wooden bow and went to the Shen residence to practice martial arts.
The spring sunshine was growing warmer. His little face, which had only just become fair again after being bundled up all winter, soon darkened from the sun. His small body, however, looked much sturdier, and he was full of energy, running as if the wind were at his heels.
Watching his vigor, Lin Wu thought that seedlings grew well in spring. The little seedling in her family was growing quite nicely too.
One day after school, the little seedling, Lin Jing, had finished counting the money at the counter when he suddenly propped up his chin and muttered, “The ten-day break is almost here. I’ve gone to martial arts practice diligently every day without missing a single one. But Brother Ting isn’t here, so no one can reward me.”
Lin Wu understood at once. Shen Guanting had promised him that as long as he kept up his martial arts practice obediently, he would take him fishing. If he performed well, he would even take him to the estate for some fun.
The little proprietor Lin Jing sighed. “I still don’t know how to ride a horse.”
It seemed he was very eager to move on to the next stage of his martial arts lessons.
Lin Wu laughed when she heard this. “Then remember this for now. When he comes back, settle the account with him.”
That reminded her—she still had an account to settle with him as well. Although Shen Guanting was not in Huzhou, he certainly had accumulated no shortage of debts.
Lin Jing nodded firmly. “Right. We have to remember.”
Seeing how serious he was, Lin Wu reminded him, “Then you must write down clearly which days you went to practice, what you trained in, and how well you did. Otherwise, when Guanting comes back, what will you do if he tries to deny the debt and claims you were slacking off? It’s just like keeping the shop accounts every day—you have to write everything down clearly.”
Come to think of it, her daily account books were evidence too. The amount of business they had lost when they could not obtain bean sheets a while back was all recorded clearly in them. This time, she truly had irrefutable proof.
Just as they were calculating how best to settle accounts with Shen Guanting, Tigerhead came running in from outside, his little face brimming with excitement.
“Sister, Jing! My big brother has already set out from the capital. He should be on the road by now—perhaps he’s already halfway here!”
Lin Wu smiled and replied, “That was quick. The weather has been clear these past few days, so I imagine the water route is easy to travel.”
Shen Zhongming and Lord Han followed him inside and sat down by the table.
Shen Zhongming picked up the conversation with a smile. “He had to hurry, didn’t he? The metropolitan examination results have been released, and the roads are packed with people. Still, he certainly knows how to pick his timing.”
“Have the results been posted?” Lin Wu asked curiously. “I wonder if Fifth Young Master Han and the others passed.”
Lord Han gave a slight nod. “Fifth Young Master and Zhou Wenjin both passed.”
Once the provincial examination results were announced, the palace examination followed close behind. The palace examination did not eliminate any candidates; it merely determined their rankings. In other words, anyone whose name appeared on the provincial examination list was already a presented scholar and could be appointed to office directly.
Even Lin Jing and Tigerhead, who had no intention of taking the imperial examinations, pricked up their ears and looked over curiously. Though the two boys did not understand much yet, after studying at the academy for so long, they knew that passing the examinations and becoming a high-ranking official was an extraordinarily impressive and glorious achievement.
Lord Han continued, “Fifth Young Master and Wenjin both placed in the second class.”
Presented scholars were divided into five ranks. The first class consisted of only three men—the zhuangyuan, or top scholar; the bangyan, or second-place scholar; and the tanhua, or third-place scholar. The second class came next and was already considered an excellent ranking.
The current dynasty treated presented scholars with exceptional generosity. In the previous dynasty, even passing the examination merely granted one the qualification to compete for an official post. They still had to undergo round after round of selection by the Ministry of Personnel. Those lucky enough to pass might receive no more than a minor ninth-rank position, with little prospect for advancement.
Things were different now. The zhuangyuan was generally appointed to an eighth-rank sinecure, while the remaining presented scholars were granted regular ninth-rank positions.
A sinecure existed only to determine an official’s rank and salary. Their actual duties lay in serving as assistant prefects in the various circuits, working as local officials.
Tigerhead suddenly asked, “Then does that mean we won’t be able to see Brother Wenjin anymore?”
Shen Zhongming took a sip of warm water and teased him, “That’s right. If your elder brother had taken the imperial examination this time and, unfortunately, passed, then he’d be gone for good too.”
According to custom, all newly successful presented scholars, regardless of their ranking, were sent out to serve in the various circuits. None were allowed to remain in the capital—not even the zhuangyuan. Only after diligently handling affairs in a local post, achieving notable results, and receiving an excellent assessment at the end of his term could an official hope to be summoned back to the capital.
After hearing the whole explanation, Lin Jing suddenly understood why Grandfather Shen had called it “unfortunate.”
“They all have to go elsewhere to serve as officials? Then where will Brother Wenjin and Fifth Young Master go? Won’t they return to Huzhou?”
Shen Zhongming nodded. “They won’t be able to come back for several years. Once newly successful scholars receive their official credentials in the capital, they must immediately travel to their assigned posts. The court does not permit them to make a grand detour back home and delay their departure.”
Lin Wu, too, sighed inwardly. The circumstances of life brought people together and pulled them apart in the blink of an eye. Who could have imagined that after that hurried farewell at the pastry shop, those spirited young gentlemen would find it so difficult to meet again?
Tigerhead suddenly puffed out his little chest and declared loudly, “When I grow up, I’ll do what my elder brother did and expand our business all the way to the capital. By then, perhaps Brother Wenjin and Fifth Young Master will already have achieved great things in their local posts and been transferred back to the capital to become high-ranking officials! Then I’ll be able to see them there!”
Lin Jing, listening nearby, earnestly counted on his fingers. “But that’ll still be many, many years from now.”
“Of course. We still have many, many years before we grow up!” Tigerhead replied matter-of-factly.
Lin Jing gently shook his little head. “But I don’t want to go to the capital. I only want to stay in Huzhou.”
“Then I won’t go either. It’s so far away, and we’d have to be on a boat for ages.” Ever fickle, Tigerhead immediately changed his mind. “It’s better to wait for them to return to Huzhou.”
Watching the two children count on their fingers as they calculated when they would “grow up,” Lord Han slowly said, “There is still a long road ahead, and plenty of time yet.”
Just as they were wondering when Fifth Young Master Han and the others, who had journeyed so far away, might return to Huzhou, the cargo ship belonging to Zhiyun Trading House gradually drew near.
That day, it was normally the time when the boys should have been attending lessons at the academy. Tigerhead hurriedly asked his teacher for leave, then ran to Yunshan Study, grabbed Lin Jing, and leaped into the carriage. The two of them made their way straight to the Shuangmu Pastry Shop.
“Sister! Sister!” Tigerhead’s voice was brimming with barely contained excitement. In the blink of an eye, his small figure darted inside.
“My elder brother’s ship is almost here! Word has come from the wharf that they’ve already spotted it. Let’s hurry and go meet him! You should come too!”
Lin Wu was startled when she heard this, but then nodded.
After all, they were acquaintances, and he was Lin Jing’s senior fellow disciple. She ought to go.
That was what she told herself, yet a strange sensation—so faint it was almost impossible to catch—flitted through her heart.
She had been in Huzhou for quite some time, but this was the first time she had made such solemn preparations to go specially to the wharf and welcome someone returning from afar.
