Chapter 56: Earning Big Money

Chapter 56: Striking It Rich

Surrounded by so many people looking at him, Wen Xi's ears burned without him realizing it. Just as he was at a loss, Yan Fengan stepped forward, standing in front of him to shield him from view.

Lin Hongwen fanned himself with the folding fan in his hand, looking at Wen Xi curiously: "So you're Brother Yan's spouse?"

Wen Xi nodded bashfully, speaking in a soft voice: "Yes..."

"Oh my, no wonder Brother Yan never stops talking about his spouse and looks at that little portrait of you whenever he's got nothing to do—you really are this good-looking." Lin Hongwen shot a wink at the people around him, "No wonder Brother Yan thinks about his spouse every day at the academy. If it were me, I'd be missing him too."

His words were purely complimentary and appreciative, without any of that off-putting frivolity.

Wen Xi's face flushed at his words, and not knowing if he meant it or not, he secretly glanced up at Yan Fengan, only to find that his ears were also rarely red.

Wang Ziqing also teased: "Brother Yan, you've really been keeping this under wraps. Why didn't you bring such a good-looking person to meet us sooner—treating us like outsiders, are you?"

"Exactly, you didn't invite us to the wedding, and now that your spouse is here, you didn't even give us a heads-up. That's really going too far."

Yan Fengan was teased by the group, the tips of his ears turning red, but he gave as good as he got: "I didn't notify you, but you still came on your own, didn't you?"

Lu Xiuyuan snorted from the side: "With Lin Hongwen being such a blabbermouth, how could they not come?"

Lin Hongwen closed his fan and tapped his arm: "You came to join the fun too, so you've got some nerve talking about others."

Lu Xiuyuan bared his teeth in a grimace, and seeing that the two were about to start squabbling again for no reason, Yan Fengan quickly said: "Alright, alright, since you're all here, take a look at what my spouse embroidered and see if it's to your liking."

Only then did the group turn their attention to the stone table.

Five pouches and three fan sheaths were laid out side by side. The lychees and longans on the "Passing Three Exams" pouch were embroidered nice and plump, the walnut's ridges were also very clear, the magpie on the plum branch cocked its tail proudly, and the crowing rooster stood tall and proud, looking mighty impressive...

Lin Hongwen went down the line looking at each one, clicking his tongue in admiration: "Each of these is so lifelike. How come they look even better than the one I'm wearing? Man, I missed out—I should've had Brother Yan's spouse embroider one for me too."

Wang Ziqing quickly grabbed his "Three Exams, Three Wins" pouch and hooked it onto his belt, studying it for a moment and saying: "I'll wear this at the next exam—it's bound to bring good luck."

The person beside him laughed: "Oh, Brother Wang, give us a break. You already got first place last time; if you get more good luck, won't the academy have to create a special rank just for you?"

Wang Ziqing said with a straight face: "That wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Oh, screw you." The group laughed and shoved him playfully, all tying the pouches to their waists and showing them off to each other.

Last time, Yan Fengan had collected a one-tael deposit from each person, and now the group still owed him twenty-two taels.

Wen Xi watched as the bits of silver were set down one by one on the stone table. Though he tried hard to keep a straight face, his heart was racing with excitement.

Friendship is friendship, business is business. After taking the silver, Yan Fengan clasped his hands in a salute to the group: "As a token of thanks, after classes end at noon, my spouse and I will treat you all to a meal at Bawei Zhai in the city. What do you all think?"

"Since Brother Yan says so, we won't be polite."

"Master Yan's Spouse, we'll see you in the city later."

Wen Xi didn't care who said it; upon hearing it, he immediately replied: "Alright... see you in the city."

After the group left noisily, the pavilion finally quieted down, and Wen Xi's tense body relaxed a little.

Before he could gather up the silver on the table, Lin Hongwen turned back halfway and said: "Brother Yan, can I bring my younger brother to the meal later? I showed him the pouch when I went home last time, and he was quite interested, insisting on meeting your spouse."

Yan Fengan was more than happy: "Bring him along."

After Lin Hongwen left, Yan Fengan explained to Wen Xi: "Brother Lin's younger brother is also a gē'er, just turned fifteen. From what Brother Lin says, he has a very good temperament, and the two of you should get along well."

Wen Xi nodded, looked up at Yan Fengan, hesitated for a moment, and then asked: "Just now... I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

"Embarrass me? You brought me honor." Yan Fengan looked down at him, smiling gently: "My spouse is handsome and skilled. My classmates are sour and envious, only regretting they don't have such fortune. They wish they could marry such a good spouse too."

Though Wen Xi knew Yan Fengan's words were somewhat exaggerated, he still felt very happy hearing them.

He rarely received praise from others. Before coming, he had mentally prepared himself for days at home, worried that his rustic ways would invite ridicule. Fortunately, Yan Fengan's classmates weren't as aloof as he had imagined, and they didn't give him any trouble.

Yan Fengan took out the silver he had earned last time and, combined with this time's thirty taels, the two of them had earned a total of forty-five taels of silver.

Seeing so much silver piled in front of him, Wen Xi felt dizzy, as if a pie had fallen from the sky and hit him.

When Yan Fengan had written in his letter that his pouches could sell for five taels each, Wen Xi had been happy but hadn't really felt it. Now that the silver was in his hands, he truly felt like he had struck it rich.

As he put the silver into the money pouch, Wen Xi's hands trembled slightly. Several times he tried to speak to Yan Fengan but didn't know what to say.

Seeing him like this, Yan Fengan reached out and patted his shoulder, both comforting and praising him.

Wen Xi's heart felt warm. Not knowing how much a meal in the city cost, he thought for a moment and then took out ten taels of silver to give to Yan Fengan: "Use this to treat your classmates to a meal."

Yan Fengan took it, putting the silver into his own pouch as he said: "Last time you mentioned setting up a stall—are you still going?"

Wen Xi patted his cloth bag: "Brother Jin and Sister-in-law made some small trinkets, and I need to sell them for them."

He also told Yan Fengan about the little episode with He Jin. After hearing it, Yan Fengan patted his head and said: "You did the right thing. We're all family—being open and straightforward in speech and action prevents unnecessary misunderstandings."

While studying at the academy, Yan Fengan sometimes worried about whether Wen Xi would know how to handle things at home, but now it seemed he had been worrying unnecessarily.

During the days he was away, Wen Xi was also gradually growing. Though he still had that gentle, soft temperament, he was slowly becoming capable of standing on his own, which filled Yan Fengan with great relief.

On holidays, the streets were crowded and lively. Wen Xi was afraid that wearing the money pouch on his person would be too conspicuous and attract thieves. After sealing the pouch, he put it into his cloth bag.

The cloth bag was sewn by He Jin from scraps of different fabrics. Knowing that Wen Xi would receive a lot of silver this trip to the city, he had specially sewn a hidden compartment inside the bag, which could also be fastened with a button.

Putting the money pouch into the hidden compartment ensured it would be safe.

There were no classes at the academy that day. After greeting the gatekeeper, Yan Fengan took Wen Xi to meet up with Yan Fuqiu.

On holidays, the main roads in the city were packed with people. Yan Fuqiu's ox cart couldn't easily enter the city, and since there was other work to do at home, after carrying Yan Fengan and Wen Xi to the city, Yan Fuqiu said: "Third Brother, go sell the goods with Wen Xi. There's nothing for me to do waiting around here, so I'll head home first."

Yan Fengan acknowledged and added: "If it gets too late, Wen Xi and I will stay overnight in the city. Help explain to Father and Mother."

They were all young people, and Yan Fuqiu could more or less understand Yan Fengan's little intentions. During the Dragon Boat Festival, people in the city would hold dragon boat races, and Wen Xi had never seen such excitement—his third brother would definitely want to take him to watch.

Tomorrow, there would also be a Zhong Kui dance in the town, and he planned to take He Jin and Tao'er to see it as well.

"Alright, I'll explain to Father and Mother. You two have fun."

After saying this, Yan Fuqiu slowly drove the ox cart home.

Once he was gone, Wen Xi and Yan Fengan entered the city together.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, Lin'an City was even more bustling than usual. Starting from the first day of the month, people had been setting up stalls along the streets selling all kinds of Dragon Boat Festival items—some selling sachets and five-colored ropes, some selling mugwort and calamus, and some painting children's foreheads... The crowds were so thick that people could barely move.

Yan Fengan pulled Wen Xi through the crowd, first booking a large private room at Bawei Zhai, then negotiating with the shopkeeper to borrow a table and set up a stall outside.

After the table was brought out, Wen Xi took out his goods and laid them on a piece of coarse cloth, neatly arranged by category.

This street had heavy foot traffic, and though there were many stallholders, each stall also had plenty of customers. Just as Wen Xi and Yan Fengan finished setting up, a fair-skinned gē'er came up to ask about the prices.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, there was a custom among relatives and friends to exchange folding fans and round fans. The young man from the Wang family had looked at several stalls without finding anything suitable. When he saw a new stall set up outside Bawei Zhai, he immediately came over to take a look.

He picked up a round fan embroidered with butterflies and gave it a gentle wave. His eyes moved from Yan Fengan to Wen Xi, then fixed on Wen Xi as he asked, "Young husband, how much is this fan?"

Wen Xi answered promptly, "Two hundred coppers apiece."

"So expensive? Can you lower the price a bit?"

After a few rounds of selling, Wen Xi was no longer as awkward as before. When customers haggled, he no longer needed Yan Fengan to step in.

He picked up another fan and showed it to the young man: "Two hundred coppers isn't expensive. Besides the silk fan face, our embroidery is something ordinary craftsmen can't match."

The goods on this stall really did look well-made. Since it was a gift, he naturally wanted something decent to give.

The young man hesitated, then dug out his money and bought a fan.

"Would you like to check out some sachets? I've added mugwort, mint, and a little realgar powder inside. They're great for keeping mosquitoes away. You can wear one and see."

The young man picked up a sachet, gave it a sniff, and asked casually, "How much?"

"One hundred fifty coppers."

"Those stalls over there are only charging a hundred coppers. Why are you charging a hundred fifty?" Everyone knew prices went up during holidays, but a sachet that usually goes for seventy or eighty coppers shouldn't cost a hundred fifty. He haggled with Wen Xi: "How about three hundred coppers for the fan and the sachet together?"

Haggling was just part of doing business, so Wen Xi said calmly, "I really can't do that price. I use quality fabric and brocade trim on the edges. Look closely—you won't regret spending a hundred twenty coppers on a sachet of this quality."

Just a little brocade trim around the edge made the whole sachet look completely different. Wen Xi knew he charged more than other stalls, but he believed his embroidery was worth it.

If he sold too cheap, he'd be wasting his craft and his materials.

Seeing him hesitate, Wen Xi continued, "A sachet made of this material will look classy on you. If I hadn't used cheap fillings inside, I wouldn't sell it at this price. If you really don't want it, no hard feelings."

"Fine, fine, I'll take both the fan and the sachet."

The Wang boy could tell he was really using good materials. Seeing Wen Xi wouldn't budge, he shelled out three hundred fifty coppers for both.

When he got home, he gave the round fan to his good friend, the Zhang boy next door. The Zhang boy noticed a sachet on his waist he'd never seen before, reached out and felt it, saying, "This sachet cost a pretty penny, didn't it?"

The Wang boy saw the envy in his eyes and said with a knowing air, "Guess how much this sachet was?"

The Zhang boy paused, not daring to guess too low: "At least three or four hundred coppers."

The Wang boy covered his mouth and laughed: "I only spent one hundred fifty coppers."

"That cheap? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"We've been friends since we were kids. When have I ever lied to you? The stall's right outside Bawei Zhai. If you want, I'll take you over there."

"Okay, wait while I go tell my mom."

Seeing he was really going, the Wang boy added, "The stuff on his stall is really good quality, and the materials are nice too. Not sure if he's sold out yet."

"No worries, let's go check it out."

When the Wang boy brought another young man over to his stall, Wen Xi was a bit surprised. This was the first time he'd ever had a repeat customer.

After buying the sachet he liked, the Zhang boy was so happy he bought two colorful braided ropes, putting one on himself and one on the Wang boy. Then the two friends walked off arm in arm, grinning.

Even though Wen Xi's embroidery cost a bit more, the quality was clearly better, and most people were happy to buy it. By noon, only one round fan was left on his stall—the sachets and colorful ropes had all sold out.

The colorful ropes were much cheaper than the sachets and fans, selling at twenty coppers each. Selling all forty brought in eight hundred coppers. The sachets and fans together brought in over two taels of silver, which was quite good overall.

As for the two sachets he had made with brocade, they remained unsold due to their high price.

People who bought things at stalls were not wealthy or prominent. If such people had needs, they would only go to the embroidery shops in the city, as that suited their status.

The noon sun was quite hot. Yan Fengan took out a handkerchief and wiped Wen Xi's sweat. Wen Xi also picked up the remaining fan and fanned Yan Fengan to cool him down. Thinking that his classmates would be arriving soon, Yan Fengan said, "Let's keep the last fan for ourselves."

Today's earnings had already exceeded expectations, so Wen Xi had no objection to Yan Fengan's suggestion.

As luck would have it, just as they packed up the stall, his classmates from the academy began to arrive one by one.

Although Fang Mutian hadn't bought anything from Yan Fengan, they were in the same dormitory and got along well. It wouldn't be right to leave him out on such an occasion, so Yan Fengan had specifically told him before leaving the academy to come no matter what.

Fang Mutian felt a bit embarrassed, but after spending time together, he knew Yan Fengan was no longer as petty as before, so he didn't want to refuse his kindness.

"Brother Yan, since you invited me, I really came with a thick face."

Yan Fengan smiled: "Brother Fang, what are you saying? I've booked a private room at Bawei Zhai. Everyone, please go upstairs."

The group was led upstairs by a waiter into a private room that could accommodate over a dozen people. After everyone had mostly taken their seats, Lin Hongwen finally arrived with his younger brother.

"Everyone, I'm late. I'm really sorry."

On such occasions, Lu Xiuyuan, who usually had a grudge against him, would normally make sarcastic remarks. But this time, after glancing at the young man beside him, he swallowed the harsh words.

Instead, another classmate laughed and said, "No need to apologize. Just drink three cups as a penalty first."

"Penalty, penalty, I'll definitely drink." Lin Hongwen pulled Lin Zhaozhao closer to him. "Let me introduce everyone—this is my younger brother. Just call him Zhao Geer."

Lin Zhaozhao was also an extremely handsome young man. He carried the refinement of a wealthy family but wasn't as reserved and shy as typical young men. Perhaps because he was used to such occasions, he showed no stage fright and greeted everyone gracefully.

When he was about to sit down, Lu Xiuyuan instinctively moved the chair next to him, but Lin Zhaozhao didn't notice and sat directly on Wen Xi's left side.

As others clinked glasses and chatted, Lin Zhaozhao turned his head to observe Wen Xi a few times. Seeing that he seemed shy, he took the initiative to hold his hand and said, "You must be Xiucai Yan's husband, right? After my brother came back, he talked about you a lot in front of me and my mother, making me so curious about you. Today I finally get to meet you. My name is Lin Zhaozhao. What's yours?"

The touch of a stranger made Wen Xi uncomfortable, but fortunately they were both young men. Hearing Lin Zhaozhao's words, he said, "My name is Wen Xi."

"Then I'll call you Xiao Xi from now on. Xiao Xi, do you know? My brother always says in front of me that your hands are magical—that the fish you embroider can move and the birds can fly. I said I didn't believe it, and he said I was ignorant."

Wen Xi didn't expect Lin Hongwen to praise him so much in front of his family. His face flushed as he said, "He's exaggerating. I'm not that skilled."

"How not? I've seen the pouch he wears. It's really good. My brother is such a miser—I asked him to give me that pouch, but he wouldn't. He insisted it was something he won and wanted to keep as a memento."

Wen Xi was a bit overwhelmed by his enthusiasm, but he didn't dislike Lin Zhaozhao's personality. Since a young man from a wealthy family showed no airs, it would be rude for him to appear too cold.

Hearing that Lin Zhaozhao liked his embroidery, Wen Xi took out a gourd-shaped sachet from his cloth bag and handed it over: "I made this myself. It's filled with mugwort and mint. If you don't mind, I'd like to give it to you."

The sachet was only palm-sized and looked exquisite. Lin Zhaozhao happily took it, examined it in his hands for a moment, and said, "Are you really giving me something this beautiful?"

Wen Xi nodded and took out another one: "If you don't like the gourd shape, I also have a peach blossom one. But..." Afraid of being overheard, Wen Xi leaned close to Lin Zhaozhao's ear and whispered something.

Lin Zhaozhao's cheeks flushed slightly. He glanced at Lu Xiuyuan, then quickly looked away. Unable to decide, he said shyly, "Can I have both?"

Wen Xi found his shy yet reluctant expression quite endearing and generously said, "Of course."

"Xiao Xi, you're so kind. But I can't take advantage of you. How much? I'll pay."

Seeing him reach for his money pouch, Wen Xi quickly grabbed his hand: "It's a gift. No money. If you pay, give it back."

Unexpectedly, Lin Zhaozhao quickly hugged the sachets to his chest and laughed: "Who gives a gift and then asks for it back? I'm not returning them. But I won't take them for free. You gave me sachets, so I'll treat you to some fun. Tonight there's a dragon boat race on Cui Lake in the south of the city. My mother and Aunt Lu have booked a painted boat. My brother and Lu Xiuyuan are both going. Why don't you and Xiucai Yan come too? I'll introduce you to them and let them get to know you."

"Huh?" Wen Xi had never seen a painted boat or a dragon boat race before. He instinctively felt these things were distant and unattainable. He hesitated and said, "Let me ask my husband first."