Chapter 4: Earning money by copying exam papers. One paper costs three and a half coins; there are thirty-two papers in total…

Yao Xiaoyu was woken up by the heat.

Shanghai is now past the 15th of the seventh lunar month, but it is still unbearably hot. In Yao Xiaoyu's memory, the autumn heat wave can last until the ninth lunar month. Just thinking about having to endure the heat wave for so long, Yao Xiaoyu, who can't live without air conditioning in the summer, feels dizzy.

Make money, you have to make money as soon as possible!

A fierce glint appeared in Yao Xiaoyu's eyes: she wanted ice cubes and a fan!

"Buzz buzz buzz~"

"Smack!"

I also need mosquito coils!

Yao Xiaoyu swatted the mosquito that was bothering her, silently adding to her thoughts.

The clock in the house had been sold long ago, so Yao Xiaoyu didn't know what time it was. She wasn't in a hurry to go to sleep, and instead enjoyed the Yao family's courtyard under the moonlight.

When Yao Daniu bought this land, he built the house with the intention of retiring there. It took him several years to complete the house in the style of a traditional courtyard house, with a nearly three-meter-high wall around it, making it look both safe and beautiful.

Later, in order to supplement their household income, the Yao family rented out the entire house, leaving only the back house in the northeast corner where they would live. They even built a wall to separate themselves from each other and carved out a small door in the northeast direction. Although it looked like a whole, the two families were clearly distinct.

Unlike the Yao family, who started from scratch, the Qin family, who rented their house, had powerful backers. After establishing themselves and becoming financially secure, they repeatedly proposed buying the house. Yao Daniu was always unwilling until he decided to go north and take a gamble, at which point he exchanged the house deed for silver dollars.

Unfortunately, it didn't end well. Now, the Yao family and the Qin family are paying rent to each other, and the roles of host and guest have been reversed. It's truly unpredictable how things turn out.

Yao Xiaoyu sighed, lay back down on the bed. It was too hot, and she was too impatient to cover herself with the blanket. She took a handkerchief to cover her belly button and went back to sleep.

Then I woke up because of the heat.

Yao Xiaoyu: ...

She looked at the faintly brightening sky, wiped the sweat from her head, went downstairs to wipe herself with a cloth, and then went to the kitchen to fetch hot water to wash her face. Wenrou was already busy at the stove, her back soaked with sweat.

"Mother, let me help you start the fire."

After washing her face, Yao Xiaoyu squatted down by the stove. In modern times, she could fry eggs, cook noodles, and stir-fry vegetables, but she used natural gas and had never touched a traditional earthen stove. Fortunately, the original owner was always very busy because she skipped grades, so she only knew how to start a fire.

Yao Daniu wasn't the type to cause trouble. The stove in the east wing was designed to resemble the flue of a heated brick bed, with one stove and two pots. The large pot was used for cooking, while the small pot was used to boil water.

However, after the funeral, the two iron pots were sold to pay off debts, and now there are two earthenware jars, one large and one small, placed on top of them. The only cooking method left is steaming and boiling.

"No need, it's ready to eat."

Wenrou scooped out the rice grains and divided them into two bowls, one with more rice and the other with less. This was a special treatment for Zhou Chunhua and Yao Ping'an. Zhou Chunhua was the pillar of the family and had to be fed as much as possible; Yao Ping'an was too weak and could only eat some white rice.

After eating breakfast, Zhou Chunhua wiped her mouth and went to work. Yao Xiaoyu followed Yao Tianrui out with two coins for groceries. She seemed hesitant to speak, but Yao Xiaoyu pretended not to see her.

"Mother seems to have something to say."

On the way, Yao Tianrui asked his sister with some uncertainty.

"She doesn't want me to go out." She feels that girls shouldn't show their faces in public.

Yao Xiaoyu answered naturally, gently and without malice. She just wanted to use her own life experience to help her daughter avoid pitfalls, but she herself was unwilling to take that path.

The two didn't speak again and walked all the way to He Family Bookstore. Yao Xiaoyu looked at herself, who was covered in sweat, and then glanced at Yao Tianrui, who only had a little sweat on his forehead. She silently put exercising on her agenda.

When we have money.

Exercise will stimulate appetite; otherwise, there would be no saying that "the poor study literature and the rich study martial arts." The Yao family's current food supply is only enough to survive. If Yao Xiaoyu insists on her own way, a few days later, there will be cries and a blanket covering the family, with the whole family waiting for the food to be served.

He Family Bookstore is an old shop in Shanghai, passed down through three generations and with a history of more than 70 years. In the past, it sold primers such as the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic, as well as imperial examination books such as the Four Books and Five Classics. It also sold writing brushes and ink. In recent years, it has also added fountain pens, paper, pencils and notebooks. Business is very good. In the time it took Yao Xiaoyu to rush over from the street corner, several customers had already come and gone.

"Grandpa He is not here."

Yao Tianrui glanced around and said in a somewhat flustered low voice.

In the second year of the Republic of China, Old Master He fell seriously ill and retired from his position as manager, handing the bookstore over to his eldest son. However, he would still come to visit from time to time. Who knew that the siblings were not so lucky, as Old Master He did not come today.

He was young after all, and he panicked a bit when faced with something unexpected.

"I'm not afraid."

Yao Xiaoyu stood on tiptoe and patted his head. Only when she saw Yao Tianrui's shocked look did she realize that this was not her cousin, who, although he was 1.8 meters tall, would often cry and make funny faces. She could only blink and grab Yao Tianrui's hand to pull him in front of the shopkeeper.

"You two want to buy... Tianrui? You've come here to..."

Manager He's question was left unfinished, as was his habit. He had clearly recognized Yao Tianrui, but he didn't know what this young man from the Yao family wanted to do.

Borrow money?

His father liked Yao Tianrui quite a bit, and he didn't dislike the kid either, but the Yao family really didn't seem to be thriving... Oh well, at least Yao Tianrui called him uncle. If he really asked, he could only borrow ten silver dollars at most, and only this once!

"I……"

Yao Tianrui wanted to tell her his plan to copy the book, but after uttering only one word, his throat felt like it was glued shut, and he couldn't make a sound.

As Yao Xiaoyu watched Yao Tianrui's face gradually turn red, she sighed inwardly, realizing that she might have pushed him too hard.

Yao Tianrui considered himself the older brother, but Yao Xiaoyu regarded him as her younger brother. Mainly because she was already twenty-seven years old when she came over, and with the development of modern information, no matter how little she had contact with society, she was still much more mature than Yao Tianrui.

"Manager He, my brother and I came here to ask if you have any books or manuscripts that need to be copied."

Realizing that Yao Tianrui wouldn't be able to finish preparing mentally in a short time, Yao Xiaoyu had no choice but to step in herself.

"Who are you……"

Manager He looked over with some doubt. The Yao family had one son and two daughters, but apart from Yao Tianrui, the other two girls rarely appeared in public.

"I am the second granddaughter of the Yao family."

Yao Xiaoyu took the initiative to introduce herself. Wenrou is a typical old-fashioned woman. She teaches her children according to what she has learned. The original owner was obedient when she was young and was busy studying when she grew up. Although she had visited Old Master He, she had never met Manager He.

"oh--"

Shopkeeper He suddenly realized that Yao Daniu had boasted a lot a couple of years ago, saying that his granddaughter was well-behaved, obedient, and beautiful. Most importantly, she was smart and had entered junior high school at a young age. It was just that girls couldn't go to university, otherwise he would definitely continue to support her.

At the time, he thought Uncle Yao was just desperate for a grandson and was just making things up, but this little girl... why isn't she from their He family? Their family is also lacking a scholar!

"You guys..." Why are you so young and already out earning money?

Shopkeeper He wanted to ask about the Yao family, but he was afraid of reopening old wounds for the two children—the siblings were hardly children, but in this era, people generally started school late. Shopkeeper He's son was two years older than Yao Tianrui and was still in his final year of elementary school.

“Grandpa has lost too much. We’ve pawned everything we could, and we’re still in debt. If we don’t make money soon, we’ll be eating our fill in a couple of days.”

Yao Xiaoyu spoke frankly, acknowledging that their current lives are indeed difficult, but not due to any improper behavior; it's simply bad luck.

"So, Manager He, do you have anything here that we can copy? We can write with both brush and fountain pen, and we can take on any kind of work."

Taking advantage of her young age, Yao Xiaoyu widened her eyes and pretended to be pitiful. Manager He saw through her act but still couldn't help but soften his heart.

“I have a regular group of people who copy books here,”

Disappointment showed on Yao Tianrui's face, but Yao Xiaoyu was still looking at Manager He—not shaking her head meant it wasn't a complete rejection!

"However, yesterday the Chinese teacher from Hongying Elementary School came over and said she needed to copy a batch of test papers, but the price was a bit low..."

Recently, He Family Bookstore found a batch of medical books. After sending the message to the doctor, many of them were sold. The copyists were all busy with this matter. He originally wanted to take the exam papers back with him so that his nephews and nieces could practice their calligraphy and earn some pocket money.

But the Yao family is really pitiful... Oh well, it doesn't matter who earns the money, his commission won't change anyway.

"Let's do it."

Yao Xiaoyu agreed without even asking the price. Her family was about to run out of food, so every little bit she could earn was worth it. As long as it wasn't a slave job, she was willing to accept it.

...I would accept being a slave, but only once.

"The exam papers must be written with a fountain pen, with minimal scribbling and spelling mistakes. You can earn three and a half coins for copying one paper. There are thirty-two papers in total, and you have to finish copying them in three days..."

When it came to the He family's reputation, the shopkeeper became much more serious. Yao Xiaoyu listened carefully to each rule, afraid that she might forget one and end up having to pay him back after working hard for three days.

"There are quite a few words on this exam paper, can you copy it all?"

As they talked, Manager He became a little worried. He knew that the Yao family's two children had good grades, but doing homework and copying books were not the same thing.

"able."

As Yao Xiaoyu was estimating the word count and calculating the approximate price, she reflexively looked up and spoke without hesitation.

Each paper has four or five hundred characters. After copying it, you get three and a half coins. On average, you get seven or eight coins for a thousand characters. Although it's half the estimated price and even lower, it's still enough to buy two catties of rice. After copying it all, you get more than one hundred coins, which is several days' income for Zhou Chunhua!

“We’ll definitely be able to finish copying it, and Dad can copy it too.”