Chapter 59: Taking Care of One’s Own Business

Chapter 59: Taking Care of One's Own Business

Xianjin specially took the "Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard Yi Rank" book cover to the mounting shop, where it was pasted with two layers and carefully sealed at the edges. It was then placed in a lacquered wooden scroll tube, treated with great care.

Xianjin read Qiao Shanchang’s personally authored *On the Vastness of the Merchant Way*, by lamplight late into the night. Well, perhaps “read” wasn’t the right word... Essentially, she alternated between reading and dozing off.

She couldn’t get past the first few lines. There weren’t many obscure words, but together, Xianjin could only guess and speculate about their meanings. Perhaps there were too many references, each word carrying multiple layers of meaning, some referring to names, places, or specific objects.

For example, the simple character “cheng,” which could mean “indeed,” “sincere,” or “if.” The most shameless use of this character was in the name of a minor male character named “Cheng.”

When taking exams on classical Chinese, Xianjin relied on memorization, guessing, and her desk partner’s help. Her guesses were usually along the lines of “good guesses, don’t guess next time”...

She flipped to the last page and found the signature: Baoyuan.

Qiao Baoyuan?

Was Qiao Shanchang’s name Qiao Baoyuan?

Xianjin’s expression turned strange, as if she had swallowed a cockroach.

Treasured and unique, it didn’t quite fit Qiao Shanchang’s sage-like appearance.

It was like a fairy descending from heaven to sell sugar-coated chestnuts.

Xianjin silently put away the scroll, planning to take it with her when she went to Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard.

At noon, after teaching the literacy class, Chen Jianfang’s throat was dry. He stood behind the counter and drank some tea that a young maid had prepared for him. Looking up, he saw Xianjin with her head down, kicking the threshold of the store entrance with her foot.

Like a donkey kicking up its heels.

Her temperament matched too.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Jianfang quickly swallowed his tea and couldn’t help laughing. He put his teaching materials into a cloth bag and stood under the blue tiles and gray walls.

Xianjin waved the scroll tube in her hand. "Qiao Shanchang gave me a Yi Rank book cover and told me I could borrow books from the Book Collection Pavilion. Could you please take me there?"

Chen Jianfang was slightly surprised.

The book covers of Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard were divided into Yi, Bing, and Ding ranks, with no Ji rank.

This was because Qiao Shifu referred to himself as the number one talent, thus Ji rank was reserved for him. As an outstanding individual, a Yi rank was sufficient—hence, the highest rank of book cover at Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard was Yi.

Qiao Shifu had given Xianjin the highest level of access to the academy.

But it made sense. Qiao Shifu never discriminated based on gender, social status, or clan.

After more than ten years since the founding of the academy, his students were spread across the world, and the philosophy he believed in almost dominated the Southern Zhili government. Graduates of Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard often became Jinshi scholars, and every year, one or two would even place in the top ten of the second division. Currently, the highest position achieved was a vice-minister of one of the six departments, but with time, they could easily become cabinet members.

Many of them came from humble backgrounds.

Given Xianjin’s weak background and awkward situation, Qiao Shifu’s favor wasn’t surprising.

Chen Jianfang nodded and stepped aside to let Xianjin pass, following closely behind. He smiled. "Qiao Shifu is partial. My book cover is Bing Rank, while yours is Yi Rank."

Xianjin laughed. "Really? Maybe it’s because I don’t have to take the imperial examinations! You can’t give me a Yi Rank and other students a Bing Rank—we’re not in the same race!"

The girl spoke openly, each word coming out like a slingshot, making everything she said seem sincere and convincing.

Chen Jianfang couldn’t help but laugh. He kept pace with Xianjin, maintaining a distance of exactly three steps.

As soon as they entered Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard, a student hurried over to find Chen Jianfang. "...The teacher of the Yi Rank Commerce class ate too much at lunch and is vomiting into a chamber pot... The mountain headmaster asked you to take over!"

The bell rang three times; it was time for class.

Chen Jianfang looked at Xianjin.

Xianjin understood and quickly waved him off. "...Go ahead! If the teacher isn’t there when class starts, the students might turn into monkeys without Buddha to suppress them!"

Chen Jianfang was easily amused again. He quietly instructed Xianjin, "...Walk straight west, past the cypress forest, and after about a hundred steps, you’ll see a three-story thatched cottage. Show your book cover to the gatekeeper. The first floor is for classics, the second floor for history books, and the third floor for anthologies and miscellaneous books. You can go directly to the third floor."

Xianjin nodded vigorously, indicating she wouldn’t hold him back.

After giving clear instructions, Chen Jianfang hurried to the library with the person who had come to fetch him. "Where did we leave off in the last lesson? The *Chuci* and poetry criticism? Did we talk about Qu Yuan?"

Hmm... Like a mentor leading a doctoral student, nurturing them for a thousand days, using them for a moment, and having them occasionally help teach undergraduates...

Xianjin followed Chen Jianfang’s directions, showing her book cover, which surprised the gatekeeper. He carefully questioned Xianjin about her origins and scrutinized her. She clearly wasn’t a student of the academy, so he asked, "Are you a lady... right?"

That single “right” completely shattered Xianjin’s confidence in her appearance. In her previous life, she wasn’t ugly, but due to her congenital heart disease, her complexion was often pale and weary. However, her facial features were definitely not unattractive.

In this life, her appearance was about seventy to eighty percent similar to her previous one, originally frail, but sustained by Mama Zhang’s six meals a day and her daily practice of the Eight Pieces of Brocade, her pallor and weariness were gone. She now had bright eyes and white teeth, with hair as black as crow feathers. She could be a beauty influencer with at least five million followers. If she started a relationship advice channel, she might even reach ten million followers.

And yet, this gatekeeper doubted she was female?

Xianjin looked down at her dung-colored jacket.

Although the color was ugly, it was still obvious that she was wearing a dress, right?

"Uncle Qiao, let her in."

The voice was clearly holding back laughter.

Xianjin turned and saw Qiao Hui leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets, his face twitching from suppressing laughter. "She is indeed Yi Rank. My father signed it himself." He raised his hand in affirmation. "I testify."

Xianjin remembered Qiao Hui’s punch and thanked him first. "...I haven’t properly thanked you," then recalled the blind bag she had tricked him into buying and apologized. "Your blind bag..."

Qiao Hui turned his head away.

His expression suggested, “Let’s not mention the embarrassing incident where I got tricked, okay?”

Xianjin smiled and changed the topic, "In any case, thank you for giving Liuzhang Xuan the chance to see the light of day again!"

Qiao Hui turned his head back.

Xianjin smiled sincerely.

It was as if all past grievances were being forgiven with this smile.

The gatekeeper let Xianjin in, and she headed upstairs.

The second floor housed historical books.

Qiao Hui nodded appreciatively. "Learning from history to gain wisdom is a good choice."

Then he saw Xianjin pull out several books, _Shuowen Jiezi_ , _Zihui_ , _Jiyun_ ...

Qiao Hui: "…"

He had overestimated this girl.

He thought she would be reading _Zizhi Tongjian_ , but it turned out she was still learning to read.

The thatched hut was arranged with rustic charm. Dozens of wooden shelves lined up neatly on one level, surrounded by square tables and stools. A row of bamboo fences hung outside the window, with clumps of dirt seemingly stuffed into them. Wild grass dug from the mountain was transplanted into the fences as decoration.

Xianjin chose a seat near the window, took out the dossier, reed pen, small inkstone, and the prepared "draft notebook." She opened the dossier written by Qiao Shanchang and compared each word with _Shuowen Jiezi_ to decipher their meanings.

Qiao Hui chose a table next to Xianjin's. When he saw the name of the dossier Xianjin pulled out, he was slightly taken aback—his father had asked He Xianjin to correct his commentary on classics?

For the entire afternoon, they remained silent. Xianjin focused on translating the classical text, while Qiao Hui couldn't find an opening to start a conversation. Eventually, he picked up a book and started reading seriously.

The commentary spanned more than four thousand words. After translating it into modern language, it became several long passages. Holding the reed pen, Xianjin wrote diligently. Occasionally, she would read through a whole paragraph she had translated, tap her forehead with the pen tip in thought, and then write a lengthy comment.

After an incense stick burned down, Xianjin got up to pour herself a cup of hot water from the teapot. She lifted the kettle and asked Qiao Hui, "Would you like some water?"

Qiao Hui was thirsty. Without taking his eyes off the book, he extended a celadon tea cup.

Xianjin looked down and saw goji berries, jujubes, coix seeds, and lotus seeds floating in the cup—a perfect combination for whitening the skin, removing dampness, and clearing heat. It was a complete set of health-preserving ingredients.

Looking at Qiao Hui's sharp jawline and broad, open forehead, she couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between his tough-guy appearance and these health-conscious elements. "Would you like some rock sugar? Rock sugar clears heat and moistens the lungs. It's also a good ingredient."

Qiao Hui finally looked away from his book.

He... He just didn't like tea, so what...

What was the difference between drinking tea and taking medicine...

In the circle of scholars, drinking tea was considered elegant. Some students would drink strong tea in the morning, at noon, and at night to fit in—whether it helped them concentrate or not, he felt they were being pickled by the strong tea.

He refused to conform.

He would drink whatever he wanted, and no one could stop him.

Qiao Hui maintained a calm expression and flashed a white-toothed smile. "Thank you. Feel free to add it! I love sweet drinks!"

Xianjin laughed and poured half a cup of hot water into his cup with one hand, handing it to Qiao Hui. "I'll remember that for next time."

Qiao Hui finally found an opening to start a conversation. As he flipped through the pages, he casually said, "About that calligraphy practice book..."

Xianjin looked up at him.

Qiao Hui cleared his throat. "Have you considered using cheaper bamboo paper for your calligraphy practice book? Many scholars don't limit themselves to specific types of paper or ink. For them, having a piece of paper to write on is already a great fortune."

"There are certainly many young gentlemen like Bo'er who don't know hardship, but there are also many scholars from poor backgrounds... They start far behind in the race."

When Qiao Hui wasn't reading, he respectfully closed the book and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Perhaps it's ironic for me to make this suggestion."

Born into a prestigious family, he naturally didn't have financial worries.

Just because he didn't have these worries didn't mean he didn't know about them.

Scholars at Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard were protected by the Qiao family. No matter how they achieved it, those with real talent didn't need to worry about their economic situation.

But what about the places beyond Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard?

If learning became a game only for the wealthy, how could children from humble backgrounds find a way out?

Qiao Hui admitted that, like his preference for sweet drinks over tea, he was always rebellious and unconventional.

However, he seemed to see the same rebellious spirit and hidden courage in this Shopkeeper He amidst her worldly concerns.

Xianjin's expression became serious.

Qiao Hui tilted his head back, resting his hands behind it, and his expression returned to its usual carefree and spirited demeanor. "I just hope they can start on the same starting line and compete fairly! My words are just for your consideration, just for your consideration!"

Xianjin's expression softened.

The wind stirred the wild grass outside the window, and Xianjin sniffed lightly, frowning. Why did she smell a faint scent of plum wine?

The wind also ruffled the papers on Xianjin's desk.

Qiao Hui raised his eyebrows and saw that the girl had written a long comment. "...The author is greatly benevolent. When successful, one should benefit the world; when less successful, one should help as many as possible. This is the way of business."