Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing stayed in the Zhao Village for just one night. Then, amidst the reluctant farewells of Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er, they were escorted to Qingshui County by Mr. Zhao’s grandson.

Mr. Zhao’s eldest grandson was the same age as Zhao Jing.

The young man wasn’t as tall as Zhao Jing and was of a junior generation, but he had married young and was even a father.

The young man called out "Uncle" and "Aunt" one after another. Zhao Jing had probably long grown accustomed to it, but Chen Wanqing couldn’t help but feel genuinely awkward.

Fortunately, they soon arrived in Qingshui County.

Xu Suying was at the doorway, doing some needlework as she waited for them.

Upon seeing them, she said, "De’an went to read the essays posted outside the examination hall. He wanted me to tell Jing that the papers from the top-ranking candidates are genuinely quite good, and that Jing should go see them right away. He brought a brush and ink, so you can copy them down if you want. Jing can just go straight there; no need to bring anything else."

Hearing that there was important business to attend to, Mr. Zhao’s grandson, Zhao Chang, didn’t linger. After bidding Xu Suying farewell, he started for home.

He moved so quickly that they didn’t even have a chance to stop him and invite him for a meal.

In the end, they could only watch as Zhao Chang fled the Zhao home as fast as a deserter from a battlefield.

Without even setting foot in the house, Zhao Jing went directly to the examination hall to find De’an.

Chen Wanqing had no plans to go inside either. She handed the luggage to her mother to put away and prepared to leave for Qingxiang House. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

’The way I run this business—working one day and taking two off—if I can get rich from this, then there’s not a poor person in all of Qingshui County.’

’But I’ve stumbled upon a great opportunity, haven’t I? Maybe this time I really can make a killing.’

So Chen Wanqing said, "Mother, I’m going to open the shop for business."

"Are you sure you’re feeling up to it? Why not rest at home for a day?"

"No, I won’t rest. With all the commotion lately, Jing and I have become famous. The gossip is unpleasant, but it’s bound to be good for business. I’ll take this opportunity to sell a lot of incense and soothe my wounded spirit."

Xu Suying let out a snort of laughter and tossed the thimble from her sewing kit at her.

’My daughter’s picked up some bad habits. Now she’s even starting to talk like me. She was never like this before.’

’Who did she learn this from?’

’Jing is so prim and proper; he’s not this sort of person, either.’

Fortunately, Xu Suying had already sent Chen Song to deliver the fragrances her daughter had made earlier that morning. Now, Chen Wanqing could go empty-handed and wouldn’t have to exert herself.

It was still early when Chen Wanqing arrived at Qingxiang House, and the sun was pleasantly warm.

Next door, Mrs. Zhu sat outside her shop, that familiar pink silk flower pinned in her hair. She was frowning as she cracked melon seeds, the shells littering the ground at her feet.

When she saw Chen Wanqing approaching, she cried out, "Oh, my!" She patted the nonexistent dust from her backside and hurried over, her face wreathed in smiles.

"Wanqing, my dear, you’re finally opening up! These past few days, I’ve had hardly anyone asking for umbrellas. It’s just one person after another looking for you and your fragrances."

As she unlocked her door, Chen Wanqing asked Mrs. Zhu, "You still haven’t sold all your umbrellas? Didn’t you say a few days ago that you were down to the last hundred for a clearance sale, first come, first served?"

"That was just a sales pitch! You can’t take that seriously. I’ve got umbrellas to spare. Forget one or two days, I couldn’t sell them all in one or two years."

"If that’s what you’re saying, then when will you ever be able to close up shop, go back to your hometown, and buy some land to live out your days comfortably?"

"Forget about it. The money we make from teaching fees isn’t even enough to buy a few acres of barren land. If we really had to rely on the heavens to get by, my family would starve."

"But if you teach your craft to others, in less than two years, all of Qingshui County will be full of umbrella businesses. How will you be able to make a living then?"

Mrs. Zhu said smugly, "That’s why we had them sign contracts, isn’t it? The contracts clearly state that no apprentice is allowed to sell umbrellas within Qingshui County. If they’re caught, they have to pay our family a hundred pieces of silver in compensation. They’re also forbidden from teaching the craft to friends or family, or that’s a breach of contract too! Anyway, we’ve prepared for every possibility. We’ve made sure we won’t be the ones at a disadvantage."

Chen Wanqing pushed open the shop door and went inside, lock in hand. Mrs. Zhu, of course, eagerly trotted in right behind her.

The shop was piled high with boxes filled with her latest fragrances, cramming the already small space so there was barely room to stand.

Seeing them, Mrs. Zhu said in astonishment, "So many fragrances! How long will it take to sell all this?"

"It’ll take as long as it takes. I’ll just sell them slowly. I’m not in any hurry."

As Chen Wanqing took the fragrances from their boxes and arranged them on the shelves, Mrs. Zhu said with a look of envy, "What do you mean, sell them slowly? They’ll probably be gone in a few days! Business is so good for you here. I could understand it during the county exams—it’s only natural to burn some incense to refresh your mind for a test. But the exams are over now. I figured your business would die down, but instead, you’ve got even more customers."