Lin Jing had been listening nearby when he suddenly asked, “Sister Que’er, are you going to write to your elder brother today? Are you going to tell him everything we discussed about the bookmarks?”
Sparrow nodded. “Yes. My elder brother will be gone to Nan Cliff for quite some time before he comes back. Whenever we need to get in touch with him, we have to write a letter. It’s rather troublesome, really.”
Lin Jing nodded his little head, then turned to Lin Wu. “Then can we write to Sparrow’s elder brother too?”
Lin Wu knew at once that he was probably hoping to get Shen Guanting to act as their courier again. Well, that meant one more task for Young Master Shen. She smiled and said, “Of course. Whether we put the bookmarks in the shop or look for some special leaves, we’ll need Young Master Shen’s help. We’ll have to thank him properly.”
Sparrow chimed in, “Wonderful! Once Tigerhead finishes school, we’ll bring ink and brushes to your house and write the letter together!”
After roughly agreeing on a time to write the letter, Lin Wu turned and went back to the kitchen to continue working.
Only Sparrow and Lin Jing remained in the pavilion. Lin Jing suddenly propped up his chin, looking rather troubled.
Seeing his little face, Sparrow found it amusing and asked, “Jing, what’s wrong? Are you worried you won’t be able to write the letter well?”
Lin Jing was a little embarrassed. In a small voice, he said, “I don’t know many characters.”
At that moment, little Lin Jing once again felt, with profound despair, the misery of being illiterate.
Sparrow burst out laughing and reached over to pat him on the shoulder. “You’re still so young! You haven’t even properly started school yet. It’s perfectly normal not to know how to write! When I was your age, I couldn’t even write my own name properly.”
She thought for a moment, then continued, “When Tigerhead and I didn’t know how to write but wanted to send letters to our elder brother, we drew pictures instead. For example, if we drew a pastry, it meant we hoped he would bring us something tasty. If we drew a crying face, it meant we’d been scolded… He could understand them every time! You can draw too. Draw some little leaves, draw a bookmark, then draw yourself and show what you mean through the picture. Wouldn’t that work?”
“Right! I can draw.” Lin Jing’s eyes lit up. He found the idea very sensible and had already begun thinking about what to draw.
Before long, the jade-soul pastries from the kitchen had been cut and sent out.
Lin Wu settled the payment for this order with Steward Liang. The academy was quite fair-minded. Although it had provided all the ingredients and firewood, it had only deducted one copper coin per pastry for the cost. Since Lin Wu sold each piece for five copper coins, the academy paid her four copper coins per piece.
After everything was calculated, Lin Wu had earned nine hundred and sixty copper coins—nearly a string of a thousand.
Steward Liang simply handed her a silver tael. Lin Wu counted out forty copper coins from her purse and returned them as change. Then she noticed an oil-paper packet still in her cloth bag. It contained several pieces of dried meat and a few small square pastries she had wrapped that morning as snacks for herself. She had originally planned to eat them during the break while the pastries were steaming, but she had gone to the pavilion to discuss the business with the children instead.
Thinking of Lin Jing’s habit of sharing food everywhere and letting people sample it, Lin Wu took out the packet as well and handed it to Steward Liang with a smile. “Thank you for looking after us all this time, Steward. These are some new snacks we came up with at home. Please give them a try, and don’t think them too humble.”
Steward Liang accepted them cheerfully and thanked her repeatedly.
Only then did Lin Wu go outside to look for Lin Jing. She turned to Sparrow and asked, “Sparrow, are you coming home with us, or are you waiting until Tigerhead finishes school?”
Sparrow waved her off. “You and Jing go on ahead. I’ll leave later. My house is close by, and I’m planning to pay a visit to the headmaster.”
Lin Wu said no more and led Lin Jing out of the academy.
Sparrow, meanwhile, wandered toward Bright Virtue Study, where the headmaster lived. As she approached, she happened to see Steward Liang standing beneath the corridor, holding up a bright red slice of dried meat and putting it into his mouth. He chewed while nodding repeatedly.
At that moment, Steward Liang glanced down at the oil-paper packet in his hand. There were still three slices of dried meat and two small square pastries inside. With so little left, he thought, there was no need to take it to the headmaster, was there?
With that thought, he began folding the packet back up, intending to slip it into his sleeve.
“Uncle Liang!” Sparrow spotted him and came running over. “You’re eating dried meat!”
Steward Liang froze, then turned around. “Oh, it’s Second Miss Shen.”
Sparrow ran up to him, her gaze fixed on the oil-paper packet in his hand. She asked again, “Uncle Liang, this is dried meat made by Sister Lin, isn’t it? It’s delicious.”
Steward Liang could only say, “That’s right. Mrs. Lin was kind enough to let me have a taste.”
Sparrow immediately picked up the thread enthusiastically. “Are you taking it to let the headmaster try? I’m going to see him too. Let’s go together!”
Steward Liang had never intended to take it there. He coughed awkwardly and said, “Exactly, exactly. I thought the headmaster might enjoy such a novel flavor. In that case, let’s go together.”
With that, the two of them headed toward Bright Virtue Study.
Upon entering, they found Headmaster Xu seated across from Master Yun Jianshan, conversing.
Sparrow gave a perfectly proper bow.
When Headmaster Xu saw her, he asked with a kindly smile, “What brings Little Sparrow flying over here?”
Sparrow replied loudly and clearly, “Headmaster, I came to discuss a business deal with Sister Lin! We’ve just reached an agreement, and today we’re going to write to my elder brother and tell him all about it.”
Headmaster Xu was surprised. “Oh? How did a business venture between you children end up involving Shen Guanting? That boy is all the way in Nan Cliff. Does he still have a hand reaching back to Huzhou?”
Sparrow hurriedly explained, “It’s a bookmark business!”
“Bookmarks…” Headmaster Xu stroked his beard and suddenly understood. “Are you talking about those jade-soul bookmarks that the children at the elementary school have been showing off everywhere? I’ve seen them. Every one of them says they carry the wonderful meaning of Master Jianshan’s praise and ‘plucking the laurel from the Moon Palace.’ They keep muttering something about ‘the jade soul opening in the east’… So they’re connected to Guanting?”
He turned to Master Yun Jianshan with a teasing smile. “I was wondering why these bookmarks had anything to do with you. So you’re helping your student with his family’s business?”
Before Master Yun Jianshan could answer this utterly bewildering taunt, Sparrow hurriedly clarified, “It’s not my elder brother’s business. It belongs to Sister Lin and Jing! We’re only partners. My elder brother is… well, he’s providing the shop!”
At this, Headmaster Xu suddenly remembered something. He slapped his palm and laughed. “The Jing you mentioned—could he be the little disciple Jianshan has just taken on?”
He looked at Yun Jianshan, his smile deepening. “Well now, Jianshan, you’ve only taken two students, and they’ve already teamed up to go into business! Is this the kind of commercial wisdom you’ve been teaching them?”
Yun Jianshan cast his old friend a sidelong glance and said slowly, “I’m merely teaching according to their abilities. My disciple has the ambition to put his learning to practical use, and his teacher is happy to see him succeed. What’s wrong with that?”
Sparrow nodded vigorously. “It’s a wonderful business! Sister Lin and Jing have put so much thought into it. They even made some absolutely delicious dried meat to offer as a tuition gift. Master Jianshan certainly has good fortune.”
This was the first time Yun Jianshan had heard that taking on a student could somehow result in receiving a “feast for the mouth.” He could not help laughing and shaking his head.
At that moment, Steward Liang took out the oil-paper packet and spread it across the table. Inside lay a lonely three slices of thin dried meat, along with two tiny square pastries. The offering looked truly rather meager.
Steward Liang explained again, “I believe this must be the dried meat Mrs. Lin gave you just now.”
Sparrow gazed longingly at the few glossy red slices of jerky.
Headmaster Xu had spent decades at the academy, and among the tuition gifts he received, there was never any shortage of assorted dried meats. Salted pork and cured mutton had long since become commonplace to him; merely looking at them made him feel greasy. Though the little pieces before him were delicate and bright in appearance, his interest vanished the moment he heard they were meat.
He only picked up the little square cake and put it into his mouth. The texture was fine and delicate, the bean fragrance light and elegant, and the sweetness just right. He could not help nodding in praise. “This cake is wonderfully refreshing.”
He felt a pang of regret. If only he had known, he should have added this to the list of refreshments for the academy’s lecture gathering alongside the jade cakes.
Sparrow continued gazing hopefully at Headmaster Xu and Steward Liang. “May I have a slice of the jerky?”
Headmaster Xu was amused by her expression. “Of course. Surely I can spare you a slice of meat. I’m not that stingy. Why, you could even go to the kitchen and ask for a whole strip if you wished.”
With permission granted, Sparrow carefully picked up a slice of jerky. “I don’t want the hard, horribly salty jerky from the kitchen. This is something Sister Lin has just come up with—it’s completely different!”
As one of the academy’s only two students, Lin Jing had no particular prejudice against jerky. He took a slice and saw that it was a rich, ruddy red, sprinkled with little white sesame seeds. It looked excellent.
He thought that his young disciple’s mother truly possessed an exceptional talent for food. Whether it was the jade cakes from before or the jerky before him, she had clearly put considerable thought into the word “appearance.”
He placed it in his mouth. Sweet and salty flavors mingled harmoniously, rich without being overpowering. It had none of the heavy saltiness or greasiness of ordinary dried meat. Instead, the fragrance of honey blended with the savory aroma of the meat, creating a fresh, succulent flavor.
“Fragrant without being greasy. The sweetness of the honey and the savoriness of the meat complement each other perfectly. It is certainly no ordinary jerky.” Yun Jianshan gave a slight nod, approval showing in his eyes.
Headmaster Xu teased him from the side, “Could it be that after spending so long cultivating in the mountains, you’ve had so little meat that anything tastes especially delicious? It would seem I’ve been a poor host these past few days.”
Yun Jianshan finished his slice of jerky, took another sip of tea, and replied without ceremony, “The food served in your academy kitchen is rather bold and heavy-handed, with too much oil and salt. It is not as agreeable as the plain porridge and simple dishes This Yun cooks himself.”
Sparrow nibbled at her jerky. After finishing one slice, she licked the corner of her mouth, still savoring the taste, and murmured, “It’s so good. I wonder when Sister Lin will be willing to make some to sell.”
Seeing the old man and the child eating with such relish, Headmaster Xu was astonished. He glanced at the oiled paper package. Only one slice of jerky and one little square cake remained.
In the end, he could not suppress his curiosity. He picked up the last slice of jerky and took a small bite.
“How truly unusual!” Headmaster Xu exclaimed. “Jianshan, Jianshan, you really are blessed this time. Such a carefully prepared tuition gift is certainly no ordinary thing. It seems that when it comes to taking students, one really must choose with care. If you ever grow tired of it, I’d be delighted to help you share the burden. I absolutely wouldn’t refuse.”
Yun Jianshan gently set down the teacup in his hand and replied unhurriedly, “A gentleman does not take what another values, much less give himself over to the desires of the palate. Headmaster, your words are unbecoming.”
Headmaster Xu immediately clutched his chest as though stricken with grief and argued fervently, “Little Sparrow, listen to that! Just listen! This is what they call ‘taking advantage and then pretending to be modest’! How am I being greedy? I’m appreciating it—appreciating this rare skill! Besides, I’m worried he won’t be able to finish it all by himself. Wouldn’t letting it spoil be a waste of good food?”
Sparrow did not take the bait in the slightest. “Who told you not to receive a student as good as Jing? A teacher naturally gets the blessings that come with having a fine student.”
Her words struck Headmaster Xu right where it hurt. He pressed a hand to his chest and lamented, “What are you saying? I was the one who spotted that promising child first. I even brought him into the academy. And yet, right here on my own ground, Jianshan snatched him away from me! This isn’t taking a disciple—it’s more like someone blocking the road and forcing a fateful connection! Ah, there’s truly no justice in this world!”
Meanwhile, Lin Wu and her good student, her promising young pupil Lin Jing, had returned to the little courtyard in Clear Water Lane.
On the way home, they stopped at the butcher’s to buy three pounds of tenderloin, then went to the brick-and-tile shop and bought a packet of quicklime. The quicklime from the apothecary had been processed more finely, but it was also considerably more expensive. Wherever they could save money, they would.
Lin Jing looked at the heavy bundle of meat in A Wu’s hand. “Are we buying all this meat to make a tuition gift for my teacher?”
Lin Wu shook her head. “Jerky keeps well. We’ll make some and have Sparrow and Tigerhead’s family send it on to Nan Cliff.”
Ordinary pastries could not withstand a long journey, but jerky lasted considerably longer. Besides, it was winter now, and the trip to Nan Cliff would be by water. With favorable winds and currents, it would not take too long.
The Gu and Chen families ought to have reached that bitterly cold place by now, where they were performing hard labor day after day. Their lives must be terribly difficult.
Sending money or bolts of cloth directly would not be appropriate. For one thing, they themselves were short of funds. Even if they had some spare money, sending it off so hastily might not be safe—and could instead attract unwanted attention. It would be better to send them something practical to eat. Though it would be a small gesture, it would at least convey their concern.
Then she thought of asking Young Master Shen, who had helped gather tree leaves for her, to deliver the package. Since she was already asking him to do her a favor, she might as well prepare a portion for him too. She simply did not know whether that pampered young master would think much of homemade jerky.
If he did like it, all the better. She could treat it as a small hope that he would continue to look favorably upon her bookmark business.
“Thank you, A Wu,” Lin Jing said softly at once. Though he had not yet managed to untangle all the complicated details, he understood that A Wu had no connection to the Gu family to begin with. She was doing all this for his sake. He reached out with his little hand and clasped her fingers tightly.
Lin Wu smiled and clasped his warm little hand in return. To the Gu and Chen families, she was indeed an unrelated outsider. It was only through a twist of fate that her destiny had become bound to Lin Jing’s.
But now that they were bound together, the fortunes and misfortunes of everyone in the Gu family would also affect her deeply from this day forward. She had no power to change very much. All she could hope was that they would each endure until the clouds parted and the moon shone bright once more.
