Chapter 5 Making Money by Pasting Cardboard Boxes for a Bottle of Ink

"Manager He, could you give us a bottle of fountain pen ink?"

Yao Xiaoyu carefully put away the white paper used for copying before looking at Manager He. She and Yao Tian each had a fountain pen, but the ink had run out after the exam. These exam papers clearly required clear handwriting, and simply adding water to the ink bottle might not meet the requirements.

"this……"

The fountain pen and its matching ink were both imported and not cheap. Manager He was about to refuse when he met Yao Xiaoyu's eyes and remembered that the two of them were copying at home.

In the copying profession, the pens and ink for copyists are usually provided by the paying family. The He Family Bookstore was no exception. To prevent waste or theft, there was usually a special room for copying. Substandard paper had to be bought by the copyist, but pens and ink were never a problem.

Some people bring their own writing brushes and ink when copying books, but that costs a different price.

"If it's not enough, come and get more."

It's not easy for someone so young to be out earning money; let's help them if we can.

"Thank you very much, Manager He."

Yao Tianrui was like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, leaving Yao Xiaoyu to fill the gap herself. Neither she nor the original owner knew the payment rules for copying books, so they could only continue asking:

"Manager He, we'll bring back part of the copied exam papers tomorrow. Could you pay us some copper coins first?"

The ten copper coins in her savings were hardly enough to put Yao Xiaoyu at ease, and pulling a rickshaw wasn't a daily income; many people still preferred younger rickshaw pullers... Yao Xiaoyu tried not to think pessimistically and just looked at Manager He without saying a word.

"Has your family become so poor?"

Manager He looked at Yao Xiaoyu in surprise. He thought she was joking when she asked for money, but seeing how eager she was to get the money, he wondered if the family was really running out of food.

"When Grandpa passed away..."

Yao Xiaoyu didn't say anything more, but Manager He already understood.

In this era, wealthy people value their funerals. When he went to deliver the funeral gifts to Old Master Yao, the mourning hall was covered with white cloth, the coffin was made of the finest wood, and people played music and sang day and night, making it lively until the seventh day after his death.

The He Family Bookstore was busy with business. When they went to the banquet, it was the younger brother of the manager who led the guests. After the manager's children came back, they even counted with their sister how many dishes with meat were on the table. When the madam came back, she also praised the He family for their meticulousness in handling affairs. But those two words were all bought with money!

The Yao family is inflexible; the dead can never compare to the living.

Humans are strange creatures. If the Yao family had really kept the funeral simple, Manager He would have thought the Yao family was too cold-blooded. But now that the Yao family had gone to great lengths for the funeral, he felt that the living were more important and felt more sympathy for the two siblings in front of him.

"How about one coin for each one?"

The second young lady of the Yao family was in the same grade as his third daughter, but she was much thinner and looked rather pitiful as she cautiously looked over. Even though he knew that the He family's bookstore only paid after the entire book was finished, he couldn't bear to refuse.

"...Just this once."

He still had some savings, so he would cover the remaining thirty-odd coins first.

"Thank you very much, Manager He."

The brother and sister left the academy with the test papers and ink. Yao Tianrui was only brought back to his senses by the wind. He remembered his stammering at the He family bookstore and took the blank paper and test papers from his sister with some guilt.

"I'll take it."

Yao Xiaoyu did not refuse, but simply held the ink in her hand. At that time, China's light industry had not yet started, and ink and fountain pens were imported products, which were expensive. When the original owner was in middle school, Yao Daniu took her to buy a fountain pen. She chose a relatively cheap one and spent three yuan and eight jiao.

The ink in her hand was only a little over an ounce, the cheapest kind from He Family Bookstore, but it still cost several copper coins. If she were to grit her teeth and pay for it herself, the money she earned might not even be enough to buy the ink.

"sorry."

Looking at his sister's calm profile, Yao Tianrui felt increasingly guilty. Yao Xiaoyu, suddenly receiving an apology, was completely bewildered. Fortunately, Yao Tianrui didn't play the guessing game, and Yao Xiaoyu immediately understood the reason:

“I’m the older brother, but I didn’t say a word in my defense just now.”

Yao Tianrui really felt useless. Not only could he not study as well as Xiaoyu, but he also couldn't find a job. He finally found a way to make money, but he couldn't even open his mouth to ask for it.

"fine."

Yao Xiaoyu genuinely doesn't have any negative emotions. Although she's the only child in her family, she has quite a few younger siblings from her cousins. She's always been the eldest sister. While Yao Tianrui's performance isn't exactly great, it's not like she hasn't mentored even worse ones before.

"You're just not used to it yet, you'll get used to it slowly."

The transition from a confident young master to a penniless pauper is bound to be disheartening, and Yao Xiaoyu understands this mentality, but she can't let Yao Tianrui bury his head in the sand forever.

"When we go to Qiu's pastry shop later, try to say a few words to me from behind."

Yao Xiaoyu offered a few words of comfort, and then the map of Yan State came to an end: Talk a little more each day, and gradually desensitize.

The Yao family can no longer afford to support their young master.

Qiu's pastry shop was recommended by Manager He. Yao Xiaoyu asked Manager He where she could find profitable handicraft work. Manager He thought for a moment and said that Zhen's silk shop needed to make a batch of tiger-skin hats, and Qiu's family seemed to have received a large order a couple of days ago.

After thinking for a while, Yao Xiaoyu decided to go to the pastry shop. This was because the silk shop would definitely require a deposit, and also because the shopkeeper was the one who had been extremely sarcastic when Yao Tianrui came to ask for a letter of recommendation.

You should know that when Yao Daniu was rich, they were regular customers of the silk shop. The shopkeeper always greeted them with a smile. Two months ago, when Yao used their cloth to get it from the Yao family, the shopkeeper Zhen did a lot of work to build a good relationship with them!

As a result... given their arrogant and obsequious behavior, they'll probably just get humiliated if they come to visit.

"good."

Yao Tianrui knew about his family's situation and readily agreed, but he felt even more distressed: his sister said he wasn't used to it, so wasn't she even more uncomfortable when she said those words?

It's all his fault for being useless, which is why his sister suffered.

"I'll go ask first."

Yao Tianrui thought for a moment and then said, "Yao Xiaoyu didn't object."

Qiu's pastry shop was not far from the bookstore, only five or six minutes away. Yao Xiaoyu saw the sign, but it was probably not yet the usual time for customers, as there was not a single customer inside.

Yao Tianrui stood there like a wooden stake. Yao Xiaoyu poked his back, signaling him to speak quickly when no one was around.

Yao Tianrui gritted his teeth and stepped into the shop. The Qiu family's shopkeeper had just taken over the supply of pastries for the Yao family's funeral two months ago. Seeing the young master of the Yao family enter, he immediately beamed with joy.

"What would Young Master Yao like to eat?"

Upon hearing this question, Yao Tianrui's carefully prepared response vanished instantly, and Yao Xiaoyu sighed as she looked at the blankness on his face.

"...I came to ask if you have any handicrafts you can do."

Yao Xiaoyu thought her sigh wasn't loud, but it sounded like a thunderclap to Yao Tianrui's ears. He saw his sister about to step forward again, and he didn't know where he got the strength to take two steps forward and blurt out the words that were stuck in his throat.

Yao Tianrui thought his voice was very loud, but it was actually about the same as a mosquito buzzing. Fortunately, the shopkeeper heard him clearly and didn't need to repeat it a second time.

The Qiu family shopkeeper was a smooth talker. After confirming that Yao Tianrui was not joking, he said that they had recently received an order for pastries, which required making 150 paper boxes, and the payment was three coins.

This is the normal price on the market. He originally planned to find a woman from the neighborhood to do it, but since the Yao family had already come to his door, it wouldn't be good to let the two of them go back empty-handed when there was actually work available.

"This box is quite large; could you bring it over?"

Folding paper boxes isn't difficult, but 150 snack boxes are quite large, and the brother and sister both look rather thin.

"We can bring it over."

The Qiu family shopkeeper was very kind, and Yao Tianrui gradually recovered from his emotional state, speaking much more naturally. Seeing his determination, the Qiu family shopkeeper agreed to let the Yao family take the cardboard box back. The two siblings were panting heavily on their way back, but they were overjoyed.

"Xiaoyu, I did it!"

Thinking about his conversation with the Qiu family manager, Yao Tianrui excitedly spoke up, and Yao Xiaoyu didn't dampen his spirits:

"I saw it, big brother is amazing."

She won't stay in the Yao family forever. It's good for both Yao Tianrui and the Yao family if Yao Tianrui can stand on his own two feet.

The two went out empty-handed and came back with a lot of things. When they entered the house, it was still quite a while before mealtime, but their stomachs were already rumbling. Wenrou felt sorry for them and quickly scooped a bowl of porridge and handed it to her son.

To save firewood, the family only cooks one pot of porridge in the morning. For lunch and dinner, they just scoop it out and eat it directly. Yao Tianrui was already used to the taste of cold porridge, so he took it and drank it all in one gulp.

Yao Xiaoyu glanced at Wenrou's free hand, then went to the kitchen. Using her experience of scooping free soup in college, she carefully scooped up a spoonful of thick porridge from the bottom of the pot. By the time Wenrou arrived at the kitchen, she had already drunk half of it.

"This is a family meal, how could you steal it..."

The gentle voice grew softer and softer. Yao Xiaoyu glanced at Yao Tianrui outside, then at Wenrou. She said nothing, but everything was said.

“We’ve found work; we can cook an extra ladle of rice tonight.”

After swallowing the last bite of the hard, sticky sweet potato, Yao Xiaoyu finally spoke. She put the bowl on the stove and strode out of the kitchen. As she left, her eyes briefly swept over Wenrou's feet.

"Big brother, where's the ink?"

Yao Xiaoyu came down with her pen and saw that Yao Tianrui had already started copying. There was only one test paper, so she wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she carefully checked the condition of her pen.

It's good, it still works.

Yao Xiaoyu filled her fountain pen with ink and sat down next to Yao Tianrui, starting to copy the text seriously. At first, she was a little clumsy, but she became much more proficient later.

Wenrou washed the dishes and came out to find the two of them copying the test papers. She didn't dare to disturb them, so she just pasted a cardboard box next to them. Yao Pingan was also helping out, but his eyes were always on the two siblings.

His fountain pen and calligraphy brush, along with their stands, were sold long ago.