Chapter 27 – What’s It To You?

Chapter 27 - What's It To You?

After the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month, snow fell day and night. Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard took its New Year break, and the "Blind Bag" campaign from the Chen Ji Paper Shop triumphantly concluded its run. Xianjin spent two hours instructing Manager Dong on how to use an abacus.

The forty-year-old man with a receding hairline treated basic arithmetic like "two plus one makes five," "carry the one when reaching ten," and "subtract three after five in the second column" as gospel truth. Once he got the hang of it, he abandoned his counting sticks without hesitation.

Xianjin and Manager Dong separately checked the accounts and then reconciled them. Without factoring in costs, they had earned a total of 187 taels and four mace of silver over these eight days.

They made over a hundred thousand yuan in seven or eight days!

Xianjin was somewhat excited, her head buried as she ran through the abacus again, confirming that they had indeed made this much money!

It had been almost a month since her rebirth, and Xianjin had felt like she was living in a dream. Now, seeing the clear profit figures on black and white paper, she finally had a tangible, non-dreamlike sensation.

Manager Dong was also agitated, the few strands of hair on his head swaying in the wind. "…The shop rent expires on the eighteenth day of the first month, at ten taels per month, totaling 120 taels of silver. Let's set that aside first. The red envelopes for the clerks will come to ten taels of silver. We'll have more than fifty taels of silver left to allocate!"

Uh… suddenly, less than a third remained.

Xianjin's excitement was also reduced to less than a third.

In her previous life, almost every college student dreamed of starting their own business. Now that she was running a store, she realized the pressure was quite significant. Every day, upon waking up, it was time to spend money. No matter how much she earned, no matter how impressive the cash flow on the books, it all went out the door in a flash, leaving nothing behind.

Xianjin and Manager Dong decided to use the remaining silver to buy rice straw in Anwu and Dingqiao before New Year's Eve – Li Sanshun had repeatedly mentioned that sandalwood bark could last a few more days, but they were running short on rice straw. "We can make at most thirty sheets of paper!"

Xianjin had never known that making paper required rice straw; she had always assumed that tree bark was enough. But Li Sanshun took her to the water trough for a brief lesson. "…Sandalwood bark is the bone of Xuan paper, while rice straw is its flesh! More bark makes the paper tougher, called pure skin Xuan, while more straw makes it softer, called cotton pulp Xuan… the ratio of sandalwood bark to rice straw is a delicate skill, something that experienced craftsmen can feel with their hands. They know the intricacies of the process!"

The old man smiled with wrinkles across his face when talking about papermaking, as if boasting about a cherished family heirloom.

Looking at him, Xianjin felt a mix of indescribable emotions.

Everyone seemed to have clear life goals.

Zhou Ergou talked daily about saving money to buy an ox cart – perhaps a reflection of modern young men's desire to upgrade their vehicles when they have money.

Manager Dong had served as a deputy for half his life and now wanted to take the path of promotion in a different place. He planned to help Chen Fu establish a presence in Jing County for a few years before parachuting back to Xuancheng to become the Chen family's chief manager. If he could get his sons into the Chen family's employment for stable jobs, that would be even better – this was probably akin to modern middle-aged men's final gamble before retirement.

As for the Zheng clerks, their goal was consistent and straightforward: save money to marry a wife and have children early – yes… such simple desires were hard to match in modern times.

After all, Xianjin's generation believed in having children early to enjoy happiness early, or not having children at all to enjoy their own happiness…

Everyone knew where their lives were headed.

Xianjin didn't.

She felt like she was being pushed along.

What did she really want to do?

Become fabulously wealthy? Rule with an iron fist? Or indulge in a life of wine and meat, lying drunk on the laps of handsome men?

The mule cart jolted slowly on the way to Anwu. Xianjin leaned against the wall of the carriage, a copy of Tiangong Kaiwu in front of her. Her mind was a tangled mess of intersecting thoughts.

"…If we have spare time, we must try the small-distilled liquor from Paradise Peak paired with pickled goose." Chen Fu was enthusiastic.

Oh, right, there was also Chen Fu.

This love-struck man didn't seem to have any life goals either, content with eating, drinking, and enjoying himself. Apparently, while they were busily making "Blind Bags," this nearly middle-aged love-struck man had nearly exhausted all the taverns in Jing County, even thoughtfully ranking them. He divided the forty-nine taverns into three categories – A, B, and C – based on taste, aroma, and quality.

How did Xianjin know?

Because this love-struck man tried to take ten sheets of four-zhang Xuan paper from the warehouse, "for convenience in recording," of course, only to be gently refused by Manager Dong with tears and snot.

There was nothing to say.

Here's to a toast for the love-struck man's relaxed attitude.

Xianjin's gaze shifted away from Tiangong Kaiwu as she picked up her teacup and took a sip of water.

Manager Dong was respectful. "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Our schedule is a bit tight this time. How about we go specifically for that next time?"

Chen Fu pouted, turned around, and lifted the curtain to look outside. "Huh?" he exclaimed. "Isn't that girl cold?"

Xianjin followed his gaze and saw a figure in a nearby rice field wearing a single layer of clothing, with pants rolled up to the knees, standing barefoot in the paddy, tending to seedlings.

It was a girl.

Not very old.

Snow continued to fall, soaking her completely. Two men in padded jackets stood at the edge of the field, laughing and chatting, their giggles carrying over to the official road, audible even inside the mule cart.

Chen Fu frowned. "Why aren't those two men working in the fields? It's so cold, yet they're making a girl work the land. They're truly despicable."

Truly despicable.

Before her rebirth, there were already many despicable men.

Now, it seemed there were even more.

Xianjin turned away.

The mule cart entered the town, and Xianjin didn't expect to see that girl again at the place where they were buying rice straw.

Only thirteen or fourteen years old, still wearing that single layer of clothing, the girl carried a pole over her shoulders, with two large bundles of soaked rice straw tied to each end. She placed the pole on the ground, revealing deep marks on her shoulders. When she raised her head, Xianjin saw that both sides of the girl's face were swollen, with two distinct handprints on her cheeks.

Xianjin couldn't help but frown, looking at the steward of the village. "Who is this girl…?"

The girl shuddered, burying her head in her shoulders.

Before the steward could speak, the two men who had been laughing by the field pulled the girl close, not looking at Xianjin but smiling flatteringly at Chen Fu. "This wench doesn't know her place. We'll take her back immediately!"

With that, she raised her head, ready to slap the girl again.

The girl reflexively stumbled backward to dodge.

"What are you doing!?"

Xianjin raised her voice, glancing at Zhou Ergou.

Zhou Ergou put down the stack of straw he was carrying on his shoulder, spreading his broad arms as he leaned forward.

The man in the padded jacket hastily withdrew his hand.

Seeing this, the village headman, smiling, tried to smooth things over, "…Second and Third Son of Old Wang's family, come over quickly and meet the new accountant for Chen Ji Paper Shop! Mr. He!"

Then, turning to Xianjin, he smiled and said, "The Wang family from our village specializes in making straw for the paper business. Most of the straw that Chen Ji buys here is made by the Wangs. We're all old acquaintances; it's like a flood washing away the Dragon King's temple – family doesn't recognize family!"

"Who is this girl!?"

Xianjin raised her voice once more.

The two men from the Wang family looked at the village headman, seeing him purse his lips without speaking, they boldly said, "She's our sister! Our sister wasn't listening, so her brothers were disciplining her. What's it got to do with you!"