Chapter 570: Chapter 557: All is Well

The noodle workshop was managed by Shang Chengen, and she had no worries about finding a market for the products. All she needed to do was sit back, enjoy her tea, and wait for the money to roll in.

Why did life suddenly seem so leisurely and carefree?

Thinking about the tofu and tofu skin workshops, and even the one that made century eggs, all of which were now run by responsible managers, she realized she was completely hands-off now.

Right now, the only thing that needed her attention was the looming textile workshop Zhuang Yutian was planning to establish.

Zhuang Yutian had already sent a note stating that the spinning machine and loom were constructed by craftsmen, and to prevent the designs from leaking, different parts were made by two or three different craftsmen before being assembled by him.

Now, they needed to familiarize themselves with the spinning machine and loom, check the quality of the cotton thread produced from a pound of cotton, and examine the quality of the cloth produced by the loom.

Many of the plans and preparations before the new year had yielded results after the holiday, and Zhuang Qingning felt an immense sense of relief and relaxation.

Reflecting on the numerous preparations and long periods of waiting, Zhuang Qingning felt an overwhelming sense of emotion.

This must be the product of perseverance and patience.

Zhuang Qingning pursed her lips and laughed to herself.

—-

Days hurried by quickly, and before she knew it, it was the day for Zhuang Qingsui to be tested at the women’s academy.

The women’s academy was situated on Ruogu Mountain located at the eastern side of the county town. From Zhuang Qingning’s residence, it was a four-hour journey.

Wanting to reach Ruogu Mountain early, Zhuang Qingning and her companions departed before dawn and set off for the academy.

Joining her were Fan Wenxuan, Chu Jinzhou, and Zhuang Mingli.

As they had risen early, yawning prevailed among the group. The adults, Fan Wenxuan and Zhuang Qingning, felt tolerably well while the three children, led by Zhuang Qingsui, were lolling sleepily, having fallen asleep in the carriage.

Looking at Zhuang Qingsui, deeply asleep on her lap, Zhuang Qingning chuckled and quietly said to Fan Wenxuan, “Qingsui has been studying deep into the night these past few days. I was initially worried she would be too nervous today. I never expected things to turn out like this.”

By not neglecting her studies yet managing to sleep, demonstrated that Zhuang Qingsui took this matter seriously. At the same time, she wasn’t overwhelmingly nervous, hence not overly burdened.

“That’s natural,” stroked Fan Wenxuan his beard, smiling, “Qingsui is a promising student, and such minor matters won’t disturb her peace of mind.”

No matter how you look at it, she was his student, and he was very confident.

Seeing Fan Wenxuan’s confidence and assurance, Zhuang Qingning chuckled, softly.

The carriage continued the journey and traveled until it was the third hour of the day, before finally arriving at the foot of Ruogu Mountain.

They had risen early and ate sparingly before setting off. Although they carried some cakes in the carriage, they were a tad too sweet, failing to meet the level of comfort a proper breakfast brought.

At the base of Ruogu Mountain was a village. Due to the women’s academy located atop Ruogu Mountain, there were numerous shops lining up both sides of the street. At this time, various stalls were set up.

There were stalls offering wontons, buns, noodles… various kinds of food were available in abundance. Many carriages that reached this location would stop for a meal before continuing their journey up the mountain.

They still had an hour before the examination. If they started up the mountain now, it would take half an hour. The group decided to stop by a wonton stall, and ordered some wontons and sesame seed cakes to have a warm breakfast.

The sesame seed cakes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, combined with a mix of Sichuan peppercorns and sesame sprinkled on top, which was delicious. The wontons were stuffed with fresh meat, with more filling than pasta. With the light soup, alternating between sips of soup and bites of wonton was a very satisfying meal.

“Kindness, kindness…”

While they were eating, a ragged-looking beggar with a hunched back and unkempt appearance, whose age couldn’t be determined, hobbled over with a cane. He extended a filthy and chipped porcelain bowl towards Zhuang Qingning and her companions.

Pitying the beggar, Zhuang Qingsui, after some thought, gave him two copper coins from her purse.

“Thank you, thank you,” the beggar bowed down in thanks, then asked Zhuang Qingning hoarsely, “Young miss, you are dressed quite nicely, your family must be well-off. Could you perhaps give me a couple more coins? Although it is not a large amount for you, it could save my life.”

“Seeing that you are here for the academy examination, the act of doing good deeds will bring many blessings to you, young miss.”

“I don’t have much spare change, so this is all I can give you,” Zhuang Qingsui replied with a smile, “Besides, how my family’s situation doesn’t really impact me.”

And even less so when it comes to you.

As for the rest, Zhuang Qingsui didn’t say much more, and just continued to eat her wontons.

Seeing this, the beggar didn’t insist and moved on, hobbling, to the next table to beg.

“Young miss, you shouldn’t have given him any money from the start,” said the fastidious aunt who ran the wonton stall, leaning over to them, “This beggar comes here every year, always at this time, taking advantage of the crowd, especially the good-hearted young girls who are always easy to talk into things.”

“He doesn’t even want food, just silver coins. You can tell that he’s deliberately trying to deceive people out of their money. In the future, you all need to be wary and not allow yourselves to be tricked like this.”

“Alright, thank you for your reminder, auntie,” replied Zhuang Qingsui with a light smile.

The beggar and the two coins were a small incident. Even if they were fooled, it was not a big deal. Nobody else mentioned it, especially Zhuang Qingning, who just handed Zhuang Qingsui another sesame seed cake to eat, not mentioning anything about it.

The beggar continued to go from table to table, asking for money. If he couldn’t get any, he would use sarcasm. In response, some would blush and give him a coin or two, others would argue with him, and some would pretend they hadn’t seen him at all.

If he was successful, he would do as he had done with Zhuang Qingsui earlier, asking for more. Some, unable to stand the embarrassment, would give more, while others would counter with sarcasm back, even going so far as to take their money back. Still others would scold their daughters who had given the money, telling them not to be so foolish in the future.

There were all sorts of reactions, some of which caused a bit of a commotion, even drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Zhuang Qingning and the others had no interest in these matters. After finishing their meal, they tidied up, rinsed their mouths, straightened their clothes, took their water flasks and snacks, and began to ascend the mountain.

Ruogu Mountain was not steep. The path was gently sloping, the steps were neat, and very clean. As they ascended, they could see the trees on both sides beginning to bud and flourish. The sound of a trickle of spring water filled the air, accompanied by the chirping of birds.