Chapter 264: Chapter 111: Should Fortune Smile

Xu Su Ying waited and waited, but her daughter didn’t return. She figured she must have been held up by the customers who had flocked to the shop.

She thought it would be a good opportunity to try some hunger marketing. Then, they could raise the prices accordingly to maximize their profits.

But her daughter refused.

She had put her off with the excuse that life was hard enough for scholars.

Xu Su Ying wasn’t a truly heartless person. When she thought about how an entire common family had to tighten their belts just to support one scholar, she couldn’t bring herself to persuade her daughter to follow her plan.

Seeing that her daughter still wasn’t back, Xu Su Ying ate by herself and then hurried over to Qingxiang House.

As expected, Qingxiang House was packed with people, both inside and out.

From what she overheard, she learned they were placing pre-orders.

She couldn’t help but sigh. ’Why didn’t I think of this before?’

When the crowd thinned for a moment, Xu Su Ying went inside.

"You and Dashan should hurry home and eat," she said, nudging her daughter, who was busy writing. "I steamed some noodles with shredded pork and made a pot of egg drop soup. It’s all keeping warm in the pot, so it won’t be cold when you get back. After you’re done eating, don’t bother coming back here. Just buy the spices and head straight back to the Zhao Village. I’ll hold down the fort for a couple of days. Once things in the village are running smoothly and you don’t have to worry anymore, you can come relieve me."

Chen Wanqing made room for her mother and said quietly, "In that case, I’m afraid you’ll be busy here for a long time. I’m the one who handles the final mixing for the Moonlight Fragrance. I always prepare the blend in secret at the Zhao family home before giving it to my husband’s second aunt and the others to make into incense sticks and pills."

’If I go back to the county seat, who will handle the mixing?’

For now, she couldn’t and wouldn’t teach the Moonlight Fragrance formula to anyone—not even Xiang’er or Mrs. Zhao.

This was their real money-maker. All the expenses for Jing’s scholarly pursuits and exams over the years had to be paid for with these profits.

The Silver needed to support the family had to come from this as well.

’If I tell the formula to someone else and it gets leaked, will our whole family have to survive on air?’

Besides, having Dashan deliver the various powders back and forth was also a hassle.

’Thinking about it now,’ she mused, ’the best solution is to work day and night for the next few days and produce a substantial batch of Moonlight Fragrance as quickly as possible.’

Chen Wanqing estimated the number of scholars in the county seat and gave her mother a rough timeline.

"In ten days at most, the market for Moonlight Fragrance in the county seat will be saturated. Then I can stop production and rest for a while."

Xu Su Ying thought her daughter had a point, but she repeated herself anyway. "I’m just worried about you. You’re on your period and you haven’t even had a chance to rest properly."

Hearing this, Chen Wanqing looked a little dazed.

Because Jing had said the same thing to her earlier today.

But unlike her mother’s tone, Jing’s had been full of frustration and self-reproach, whereas her mother’s was filled with nothing but concern.

Thinking of Jing, Chen Wanqing asked her mother, "Are Jing and De’an back yet?"

"Not yet. It’s still early. They’ll probably be back in the late afternoon."

"And my father?"

"They’re very busy today. The county government is providing their meals, so your father didn’t even come home for lunch."

"I see... I wonder if Jing and the others are drinking at the banquet. Jing can’t hold his liquor, and I’m worried someone might try to get him drunk on purpose. He might say the wrong thing if he drinks too much."

"Don’t worry. De’an and your father are both there. They’ll be keeping a close eye on him."

Chen Wanqing exchanged a few more words with her mother before leaving the shop in her care. She then climbed onto Dashan’s ox-cart, and the two of them headed back to have their meal.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jing, the very person Chen Wanqing was worried about, was indeed drinking. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The banquet began with the County Magistrate leading the assembled scholars in paying their respects at the Confucius Temple and to the Sage himself. Afterward, he gave a speech and raised his cup to toast them. The scholars returned the toast in unison, drained their cups, and then took their seats to begin the feast.

At first, everyone was quite reserved, each man the very picture of an upright gentleman. But by the middle of the banquet, after a few cups of weak wine, they all began to loosen up.

Encouraged by the Lord County Magistrate’s warm and gentle words, the atmosphere at the banquet grew increasingly lively.

Fine wine and delicacies were laid out before them, the sounds of bells and drums filled the air, and fragrant smoke from fresh flowers wafted through the hall. Colorful silks and artificial blossoms adorned the space, creating a scene of magnificent splendor.

It was as if the scene itself was a living poem of success—*a swift horse on a joyous day, seeing all of Chang’an’s flowers in one go*. If the County Magistrate had not been seated serenely on the high platform, the triumphant candidates, brimming with satisfaction, would likely have cast off all restraint.

All those years of bitter study had finally borne fruit. From this day forward, there would be fine wine, beautiful women in their arms, and a prestigious career... well, the prestigious career wasn’t quite in their grasp just yet.

The County Magistrate cleared his throat and offered some more conventional words of praise. "Today, our finest talents have gathered to celebrate together. Each of you is a man of great learning from our very own Qingshui County, and each is an exceptional individual. I, your humble servant, will toast you all once more. To your decade of arduous study, and to the boundless future that awaits you!"