Chapter 71 Resolving the School District

Chapter 71 Resolving the School District

Master Gao rubbed his palms on his pants unconsciously, looking up hesitantly at the courtyard—behind Chen’s shop, it was paved with blue bricks and had a large cherry tree. The branches extended over the green tiles and white walls, and beneath them was a deep well. Beside the well stood a small elm table, on which sat a tiny red clay stove roasting peanuts, oranges, and a small piece of glutinous rice cake.

It truly was as peaceful and comfortable as the little girl had described.

Master Gao felt somewhat at a loss, even more so... humbled by the world he had seen.

At Song Kee, he never got to relax and have tea in the backyard; he could barely go to the front of the store. The young master had studied for a few years and had a scholar's pretentiousness, disliking the smell of sweat and the grittiness of lime powder from their daily work in the workshop. Even during meals, the craftsmen who worked hard in the workshop and the clerks who wrote and calculated in the store ate separately.

He had never experienced the courtesy and leisure of having tea and snacks under a tree by a well.

Looking at the little girl's Uncle Dong, the even younger girl behind him, and Zhou Ergou—he knew him, a young man brought along by Li Sanshun, and Jing County was just so small. There were only a few paper-making workshops around.

These three people all wore uniform, clean, and tidy clothes...

What did they have?

In their workshop, they wore ragged vests year-round, while those in the store dressed neatly...

Master Gao suddenly didn't know what to say, "This... this... my brothers asked me to come and thank you for ordering us a table of dishes at noon..."

Xianjin smiled and nodded, pouring Master Gao a half cup of tea from a copper teapot, and said lightly, "It was nothing—papermaking is both delicate and labor-intensive. How can one survive on just a bowl of noodles for lunch? They need meat to have the strength to handle the bamboo screens in the afternoon."

Master Gao smiled weakly, "In these times, who can eat meat every day? You're the boss, we're the workers. We have the elderly and the young at home, so we always give them the good stuff first..."

Xianjin was visibly stunned, hesitating before saying, "We provide lunch at Chen’s, and if the work isn’t finished, we also provide dinner. Every day, we serve fruits, tea, and four types of pastries."

She asked tentatively, almost in disbelief, "Doesn’t Song Kee provide meals? And don’t they include meat?"

Master Gao was also stunned, unsure how to respond.

Xianjin added, "Moreover, our meals at Chen’s are freshly delivered from the old house. Whatever Third Master eats, we eat too."

She gave a regretful smile, "I am currently mourning, so whenever I see them gnawing on pork knuckles, I drool."

Master Gao was about to drool himself.

What kind of shop is this?

Providing two meals...

And fruits? Tea? Pastries?

The meals are delivered fresh from their own residence, and there are even pork knuckles!?

Sometimes, when the young master craved something and planned to eat out, he would feel guilty not inviting them, so he would order a hearty dish, usually something he wanted like sour fish or stir-fried meat slices, plus a few vegetable dishes like leafy greens, radishes, and tofu...

Once the food arrived, the young master would move the hearty dish to his side and scoop the best parts into his own bowl with a ladle.

Then he would gesture at the vegetables, radishes, and tofu, telling them to "eat, eat."

Finally, he would shyly justify it by saying, "Every time I invite you out to eat, you only eat vegetables and side dishes. I worry about waste, so I focus on the meat dishes."

Over time, no one went out to eat with the young master at noon anymore—they were skilled workers who wouldn’t starve anywhere. Who really needed his plate of radishes and cabbage?

Master Gao couldn’t help comparing Song Kee with Chen’s, his mind racing, rubbing his palms on his pants as if trying to start a fire.

He didn’t speak, and Xianjin didn’t either, smiling and pouring another cup of tea for him.

Master Gao kept declining, "Please, please—"

Changing from "you" to "you" respectfully.

Xianjin smiled warmly, "Master Gao, did you come here after finishing work?"

Master Gao was still thinking about the pork knuckles at Chen’s and the radishes at Song Kee, responding casually, "I finished work early today! Business has been slow lately, so there’s no paper to make. We work for four hours and then finish."

No paper to make?

It was probably due to a lack of funds to buy straw and sandalwood bark!

Xianjin nodded, complaining, "While you’re idle, we at Chen’s have been working until curfew every day. We’ve even set up rooms on the second floor of the store for the workers. Master Li has his own room, and the young apprentices share rooms, making it convenient for them to rest."

More work means better business, and better business means more profit...

Master Gao couldn’t help but show envy.

Xianjin looked up, smiling at Uncle Dong, "I heard Master Li complain about me yesterday! It was the day his twin grandsons started school at Yunling Academy, but he was too busy to take them, so he grumbled about it!"

Uncle Dong folded his hands in front of his stomach, responding appropriately and familiarly, "That’s Master Li being unreasonable. Although he couldn’t send them due to the workshop, you personally wrote a letter to Master Qin at Yunling Academy, asking him to take good care of Master Li’s grandsons!"

Master Gao’s envy turned to jealousy, his eyes glowing like Ultraman’s, and his voice rose involuntarily, "What?! Master Li’s rat-like grandsons are attending Yunling Academy?!"

Xianjin smiled without speaking.

Uncle Dong continued, "We at Chen’s supply nearly all the calligraphy books to the private schools in Jing County, including Yunling Academy, where Master Qin is close friends with our boss. Getting Master Li’s grandsons into the academy was easy, and their tuition was halved."

Master Gao’s Ultraman glow seemed to become tangible.

Uncle Dong added fuel to the fire—or rather, embellished, "Everyone in Jing County knows that our boss has excellent relations with the private schools and a deep connection with Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard. If Master Li’s grandsons prove talented and diligent, our boss can vouch for them to enter Qingcheng Mountain Courtyard."

Master Gao was about to transform.

Whether from anger or excitement, his hands were trembling.

Good heavens, what kind of place is this?!

Work provides meals and snacks, and when tired and unable to return home, there are rooms for rest. Most importantly... it can even solve the problem of educating their children!

Study hard!

Send him to school for a proper education!

Don't look at those master papermakers; they earn a decent monthly salary. He earns three taels of silver a month at Song Kee, but what good is money if he can't find a way to send his child for a proper education?

His wife worries day and night. As soon as he gets home, she grabs his ear and says, "Our son will follow in his father's footsteps and learn the papermaking trade. In winter, he'll wash tree bark in Black Creek during the coldest days; in summer, he'll scald hot water in the workshop during the hottest days—enduring all kinds of hardships! What about our grandson? Will he suffer the same fate?"

Xianjin leaned back in her chair, watching Master Gao's face turn every color of the rainbow. She silently counted down, "Three, two, one," then stood up, bowed with a smile, and said, "Please forgive me, I still have some accounts to settle. Since Master Gao rarely visits Chen's, why don't you let Master Li show him around the workshop and the store?"

She added thoughtfully, "You and Master Li should be familiar, right?"

Familiar.

How could they not be familiar!

They're roughly the same age, entered the trade around the same time, and their papermaking skills are about equal—Master Li might be slightly better. They both grew up competing in Jing County and have worked in the paper trade for about twenty years, yet their situations are vastly different now!

Master Li's employer treats him like a treasure, always using the word "please." His own employer, however, thinks he smells like rotten tree bark...

Master Gao was led inside by Manager Dong, looking dazed.

As soon as Master Gao left, Suo'er and Zhou Ergou relaxed their shoulders instantly. Zhou Ergou stretched his arms and looked worriedly at Master Gao's retreating figure, "Will Master Li be upset?"

With a rival coming in, there might be concerns about losing his position.

Xianjin shook her head calmly, "I informed Master Li early on. Even if we hire Master Gao, he'll only be assigned as the master papermaker in Xiaocao Village."

If our business expands, we'll reconsider Master Gao's position then. By that time, Master Li and Master Gao should have adjusted, and there won't be any resentment or competition.

Suo'er had a different concern, "Boss, if we can poach him, others can poach him too... In the end, he won't be loyal."

Xianjin shrugged indifferently, pointing to the deep well in the courtyard, and said meaningfully, "Water is always flowing. The stream on the east and the well on the west—no drop of water remains unchanged. If water frequently flows out, we must first examine ourselves: Is our well too narrow? Too hot? Do we have too few fish?... We need to do our homework ahead of time rather than just worrying about people leaving."

Suo'er nodded, somewhat understanding.

Xianjin then looked at Zhou Ergou.

Dog Master stared blankly at the peanuts on the table, occasionally scratching his tightly bound sleeves, looking like a dumb muscle man.

Xianjin: "..."

In this workshop, it's impossible to get eight people to think alike!