Hearing what Tigerhead said, Lin Jing blinked, looking somewhat hesitant. “Your elder brother went into business to make money. That’s an important and proper undertaking. Isn’t making lots and lots of money more important than studying?”
The moment Tigerhead heard this, he straightened his little back and began nodding solemnly again. “You must never let Master Jianshan hear you say that! If he does, he’ll lecture you too. How does that saying go? Wealth is merely something external, while learning is the foundation of one’s standing in the world. Master Jianshan is always saying that.”
Lin Jing looked at Tigerhead’s exceedingly serious little face but did not nod. His lips pressed together slightly as he muttered inwardly: This teacher who loves lecturing people even wants to meddle in someone else’s wish to make money.
“Is that teacher really so formidable?” Lin Jing could not help asking again. “Even your elder brother is afraid of him and has to hide far away.”
If he went to the academy, he absolutely must not take this teacher’s lessons.
“He is formidable. Look, everyone is going to attend his lecture tomorrow, and even my grandfather is going,” Sparrow and Tigerhead said, nodding in unison.
Yun Jianshan was a legendary figure in the hearts of scholars—not only in Huzhou, but throughout the entire realm. Possessed of extraordinary talent, he had won both the provincial and metropolitan examinations before reaching adulthood, coming within a single step of placing on the palace examination’s golden list. Yet, just before the palace examination, his father passed away, and he returned home to observe the prescribed mourning period in accordance with ritual.
With his learning, passing the examination and taking the highest honors after completing his mourning would have been as easy as reaching into a bag for him. Instead, he completely abandoned the civil service examinations, withdrew to the mountains of Huzhou, and devoted himself to scholarship.
Though he lived in seclusion in the wilderness, his fame had never diminished. He could be called the most renowned reclusive scholar of the age. Over the years, he had written extensively, and his annotated works, such as Clarifying the Original Meaning of the Book of Songs and Discerning the Correct Principles of the Classic of Rites, were meticulous in their textual research and penetrating in their insights. They had long since become indispensable books on the desks of scholars throughout the realm.
The imperial court and academies in every province had repeatedly invited him to take up a position. Even the late emperor had once summoned him in an unprecedented gesture, but Yun Jianshan was elusive and rarely showed himself. This time, he had agreed to come to Canglang Academy solely because he and Headmaster Xu were old friends and close companions.
Little Lin Jing, who had never seen much of the world, understood nothing of those resounding titles or weighty works. To him, Yun Jianshan was merely a fierce teacher who disliked people doing business.
After arranging to go to the academy with Tigerhead the next day, the two children reluctantly said their farewells.
Once Sparrow and Tigerhead had left, Lin Jing returned indoors and could not resist taking another look at the wooden box. He picked up the small purple-haired brush and, without dipping it in ink, moved it back and forth across the prepared paper.
Lin Wu watched from behind, then walked over and rubbed his little head. She wondered whether he still remembered that, when he had first begun his lessons in the palace, he had already used more exquisite brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones than he could count. His writing implements alone could have filled several cases.
She could not help thinking of the little box hidden and firmly locked at the very bottom of her clothes chest. Inside were the three gold leaves she had once possessed, along with Lin Jing’s pendant pouch. The pouch held the small seal that had been presented to him by His Highness as part of his first-schooling ceremony.
Everything had changed now.
“Once A Jing learns to write, he’ll be able to write letters himself,” Lin Wu said gently.
Lin Jing nodded, his voice bright. “Next time, I’ll tell them that we planted scallions and cilantro in the yard, and that we have soft, thick clothes, delicious mung bean cakes, and minced-eggplant…”
“Then A Jing will have to study hard and learn to write,” Lin Wu said with a smile. “Otherwise, you won’t be able to write a single one of those words next time.”
At that, Lin Jing immediately grew serious. His little face tightened as he counted on his fingers, muttering to himself, “Then I’ll have to ask my teacher to teach me these words first: scallions, cilantro, thick clothes, mung bean cakes…”
He had not even entered the school yet, but this little scholar had already drawn up a study plan for himself and his teacher.
Early the next morning, Lin Wu got up and made small square cakes filled with mung beans and taro. She baked them until they were golden, crisp, and fragrant, wrapped them in clean oiled paper, and placed them in the little cloth bag Lin Jing carried with him. She would be busy working in the academy kitchen today and had no idea what the situation there would be like. If things became hectic, she might not have time to look after him, so it was best to prepare some snacks.
She had barely finished tidying up when the rumble of carriage wheels and Tigerhead’s familiar shout sounded outside. When she opened the door, she saw that the carriage waiting there was considerably roomier than the one Tigerhead usually rode in, though its outward appearance was quite plain.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Tigerhead and Old Master Shen seated inside.
“Mrs. Lin, it has been some time,” Old Master Shen said with a smile and a nod.
Lin Wu and Lin Jing bowed. “May you enjoy good health, Old Master.”
“Has everything gone smoothly in Huzhou?” the old master asked gently, his gaze passing over the two of them. He had often heard Tigerhead loudly praising the delicious cakes and interesting new things in their little courtyard, but until now he had known only that they were living a steady, comfortable life.
Seeing them in person now, he found that their clothing was warm and neat, and their complexions were healthy. The child in particular wore a padded jacket and trousers stuffed full of cotton, making him look round and plump. A gourd hung at one side of his body, while a small cloth bag was slung across the other, with all sorts of odds and ends dangling from him in a lively string. He looked spirited and sturdy, like a strong young seedling.
Shen Zhongming gazed at him, and a smile unconsciously surfaced in his eyes.
“Thank you for your concern, Old Master. Everything is well. Tigerhead and Sparrow have looked after us in many ways, and yesterday they even gave A Jing a very thoughtful set of gifts for his first schooling. We are truly grateful,” Lin Wu replied.
The old master smiled and stroked his beard. “Those two children are mischievous enough. If they don’t cause you trouble, that’s already something to be thankful for.”
The group boarded the carriage and set off for the academy. The Shen residence and the academy were both located north of Huzhou Prefecture City, but they had deliberately taken a detour to pick them up. It was not a matter of convenience, but a considerate gesture.
The carriage passed through the busy streets and gradually headed beyond the noise and bustle. The scenery outside the window grew increasingly open and spacious. After roughly half an hour, a complex of buildings with white walls and gray-tiled roofs appeared in the distance, unfolding in tiers along a gentle slope.
They had arrived at Canglang Academy.
The academy had been built beside the mountains and water. The first rays of morning light were just breaking through, while a thin mist drifted among the hills. Gray stone steps wound upward from the entrance, and the trees on either side stood sparse and scattered. The faint murmur of a stream could be heard nearby. Though it was still early, quite a few students in scholar’s robes were already climbing the steps in twos and threes.
At the academy gate, they split up. Old Master Shen went straight to the Headmaster’s Bright Virtue Study, while Tigerhead headed for the elementary school. Lin Wu and Lin Jing followed Steward Liang toward the academy kitchen.
The kitchen courtyard was clean and orderly, with broad stoves and a full array of utensils. The academy provided meals for its students every day. Though the food did not need to be elaborate, the quantities were considerable, so there were quite a few workers. At that moment, several female cooks were already busy washing rice and vegetables on the far side.
Lin Wu had come especially to prepare tea snacks, so her work would not interfere with theirs. A tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man approached. His complexion was ruddy, and he was the Head Cook.
“Mrs. Lin has arrived,” he said with a cupped-fist salute and a smile. Steward Liang had clearly briefed him in advance. “Even the academy’s greediest students have been talking about your jade cakes for quite some time!”
“You flatter me,” Lin Wu replied politely. “I only know how to make a few ordinary household pastries. They are hardly anything worth mentioning. It is entirely thanks to the headmaster and Steward Liang’s kindness that I have the chance to come help at the academy this time. I hope I won’t cause you any trouble.”
Her words were modest and courteous, and the Head Cook’s expression eased somewhat. He had originally been rather displeased that the academy had invited someone from outside to make its snacks. Was this not an insult to the kitchen? They had worked there for years, and there were already enough people on hand. Why bring in an outsider for no reason?
But now, after hearing what Lin Wu had to say, and thinking that this was just a simple tea snack, not a proper feast dish, most of the displeasure in the Head Cook's heart faded away. He had always believed that the skill of making food should be devoted to hearty, substantial main dishes. Delicate little treats like Emerald Cake were nothing more than flashy tricks, pretty to look at but of no real substance. Seeing that this woman was also with a child, he assumed that Headmaster Xu had simply acted out of his usual kindness again.
With that thought in mind, he waved his hand politely at Lin Wu. "You are too kind, Mrs. Lin. Since you're here, feel free to use any of the kitchen tools. We don't have much else here, but we've got plenty of firewood and hot water."
"Thank you for your kindness, Head Cook," Lin Wu said gratefully, then led Lin Jing inside.
But the academy's kitchen had many hands working, with people coming and going, thick with the fumes of cooking. Lin Jing felt a little cramped staying there, especially when the Head Cook was stir-frying something pungent earlier, the fumes were so strong that Lin Jing sneezed several times in a row, the corners of his eyes turning teary.
Seeing this, Lin Wu knew they were inside the academy where it was perfectly safe, so she leaned down and said to him, "A Jing, the porch outside is bright and well-ventilated. Would you like to go sit there? Don't wander off, and call for me if you need anything."
Lin Jing rubbed his nose, nodded his little head obediently, picked up his small wooden stool, walked out of the kitchen, and sat down under the eave.
He rested his cheek in his hand, his big black eyes quietly taking in his surroundings. The academy was what it was, even the scenery outside the kitchen was serene. Across the way was a cluster of sparse bamboo, hiding a winding cobblestone path.
After watching for a while, he suddenly spotted a fluffy huddled shape in the small pavilion by the bamboo grove.
Lin Jing's eyes lit up, and he tiptoed over. When he got closer, he saw it was a big yellow civet cat, curled up fast asleep on the stone bench. Seeing the cat was still asleep, he quietly sat down on the other end of the stone bench.
The moment he sat down, the cat woke up. It did not panic or run away, just lazily opened its round amber eyes, turned its head to look at Lin Jing, then moved closer and rubbed its furry head gently against him.
"Wow!" Lin Jing let out a small exclamation, his face breaking into a wide smile. He stretched out his little hand and stroked the cat's smooth back fur gently. "I'm so sorry for disturbing your nap."
Then he put on a serious little face. "But it's not time for sleeping now. Look, the sun has climbed up to the treetops, the birds are chirping, everyone is awake and working. You shouldn't sleep in. Sleeping in is no good, I even threw away the onion heads and seeds at my home that slept in and wouldn't sprout."
The cat could not understand him. It stretched out a long lazy stretch, then rubbed against him again, bumping right into the small cloth bag at his waist.
Lin Jing blinked, his little hand reaching for the bag. "Are you hungry? Do you want some cake?"
He opened the small cloth bag and took out a small square cake. He first took a tiny bite to taste it. Mmm, it was still as delicious as ever.
Then he held the remaining most of the cake in his palm and held it out to the cat's mouth. "This cake is so tasty, it's sweet and fragrant."
The cat leaned over to sniff it, but turned its head away, nudging his palm with its head, clearly not interested in the pastry at all.
Lin Jing looked confused, holding the cake a little closer. "It's really good, I'm not lying to you."
Just as the child and the cat were at this stalemate, a clear and calm voice came from the side. "Civet cats are carnivores, they don't eat these grain pastries."
Lin Jing looked up, and saw an elderly man in a plain wide-sleeved robe walking slowly towards them. The man had a lean, slender build, a square headscarf on his head, the hair at his temples still dark, and carried a serene, approachable air about him. But if you looked closely, you would notice his sharp eyes, his stern face that never seemed to smile.
Lin Jing tilted his little head to size up the newcomer for a moment, put down the cake in his hand, stood up and gave a proper, polite bow. "Greetings, Master."
The old man did not respond to the title, instead asked him back, "What makes you so sure I am a master?"
Lin Jing sat back down, continuing to pet the civet cat. "Because this is the academy. And you just taught me that civet cats don't eat cake, they eat meat. Anyone who teaches people lessons must be a master, right? Master, what kind of meat does it usually eat?"
Seeing the child had nonchalantly tossed another question back at him, the old man did not answer, only pushed the question back to him. "Now that you know it eats meat, are you going to find meat to feed it?"
Lin Jing shook his head. "Meat is very expensive. I don't have any meat for it."
"Then is this pastry cheap? The weather is freezing cold now, out there are so many people who can't even get a sip of hot porridge, yet you're about to use this to feed a cat."
Lin Jing frowned his little brows when he heard that. "This cake was made by my mom for me to bring along, it's mine. My things, I can eat them myself, or share them with the cat. And right now there's no one around here who's begging for hot porridge, only the cat is hungry. If there really was a hungry person here, I would share it with them too."
As he spoke, he took another small square cake out of his cloth bag and held it out. "Master, you can have this too. It's really delicious."
The old man let out a soft huff, but did not refuse. He took the cake, sat down on the stone bench beside him. He took a bite with a calm expression. The cake was soft and crumbly, with a sweet, clear bean flavor, the taste was truly remarkable. Far better than the greasy, glistening food from the academy kitchen.
Seeing that he had eaten it, Lin Jing moved a little closer, and his little mouth started introducing it earnestly. "Isn't it good? This is a new recipe my mom came up with, we haven't sold it at the morning market yet. We usually sell Emerald Cake by the flower stall at the morning market, five wen a piece, nine wen for two. This little square cake would definitely be super popular if we sold it too. If you want to eat it again later, remember to come find us at the morning market."
Little Shopkeeper Lin Jing carefully pitched their family's business to the old man.
When the old man heard him naturally transition into a sales pitch, he did not know whether to be amused or annoyed for a moment.
"You certainly know how to do business," his voice was still flat, no emotion to be detected.
Lin Jing heard that line, could not tell if it was praise or criticism, just took it as a compliment, and immediately nodded his head. "Thank you, Master. I'm going to do lots and lots of business later, earn lots and lots of money."
The old man swallowed the last bite of the cake, looked up at him. "You are so young, yet you talk about nothing but money and making a living all the time. If you're so obsessed with profit, what are you doing at the academy anyway? The academy is a place to study and understand principles, not a market bazaar."
Lin Jing did not get angry or flustered when he heard that, and replied slowly. "I know, the academy is a place to learn skills and broaden your horizons. But my mom says doing business requires skills too. Like, you need to know how to read to read contracts, you need to know arithmetic to keep accounts. Those are exactly the skills you learn properly at the academy, right?"
"Then go ask everyone in this academy, which student studies so hard through the cold window for years to one day get a high rank in the imperial exam, bring glory to their family, just so they can sell pastries and count abacus later?"
Lin Jing's eyes lit up, and he immediately answered. "Tigerhead's elder brother does! He studies really well, but he doesn't like taking the imperial exams, he just loves doing business. Now he travels all over the place, makes tons of money, and even donates to the Warm Charity Orphanage. That's super impressive too, isn't it?"
The old man froze for a moment. "You even know Shen Guanting?"
He could not help but let out a soft tsk under his breath. That rascal, it was bad enough that he behaved so unrestrainedly in his own affairs, but had he gone around spreading all his business tricks too? Even this tiny little kid was opening his mouth and talking about nothing but earning a living.
"The Shen family lad is a special case," the old man shook his head slightly. "The Shen clan already had enormous wealth, so they never had to scrape by to make ends meet, nor did they have to rely on imperial examination honors to establish themselves. The vast majority of people in this world study diligently to seek official positions, all for the sake of managing the world and bringing peace to the nation. If everyone only fixates on the copper coins right in front of them, who will tend to river control and road construction, who will draft laws and rectify social conduct?"
He paused for a moment, his voice gradually turning heavy. "Worse still, if everyone rushes into trade to chase profit, gets used to reselling goods for easy gains without engaging in farming or weaving, and refuses to do any real productive work, then as time goes on, who will till the fields? Who will weave the mulberry fibers into cloth? Who will make all the tools and vessels? Who will sew the clothing? Once the very foundation of the realm is shaken, what stability can there possibly be to speak of?"
When Lin Jing heard this, his little brows slowly furrowed, as he tried his hardest to make sense of those words.
He lowered his head to think for a while, then looked up again, speaking every single word with total sincerity. "I don't think that's how the math works, you see. My mom wants to make rice cakes, so she has to go to the shop to buy white flour. And the white flour at the shop is collected from the farmers who grow wheat. So when we buy flour, that makes the farmers grow more wheat. When we sell our rice cakes and earn money, we can then buy cotton wadding to make warm winter clothes. Then the silk and fabric shop, after getting our money, will go collect cotton wadding from the sericulture households, which means those households have to raise silkworms..."
As he talked, he even felt his own reasoning made perfect sense, so he stood up, clenched his tiny fist, and raised his voice. "Doesn't that make a whole cycle, just like a cart wheel, rolling around and around? The wheat farmers, the silkworm rearers, the shopkeepers, the rice cake sellers... everyone has work to do, everyone earns money! When everyone has money, no one has to go hungry. Just like me and my mom, we get to eat meat and have thick warm clothes to wear. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone could live a life like that?"
"Besides that," he sat back down on the stone bench, his tone turning a little confused, "students have to pay tuitions to be able to study at the academy too. It's just like how you give me money and I sell you a rice cake. Looking at it that way, studying is also doing business. Except students trade their tuitions for knowledge, and we trade our rice cakes for copper coins."
The bamboo leaves rustled in the wind, and for a moment, the entire pavilion fell completely quiet.
Sorry, I'm late with today's update too [poor thing]
