Chapter 133 Thriving

“I’ll go back tomorrow and bring my parents and Wangzhou here.” That night, Du Li discussed with Meng Qing while lying in bed. “The carriage ride is bumpy and takes a whole day. We still have to take a boat back to Heqing County. I feel tired just going back, let alone you.”

“I can lie in the carriage, just put out a few more blankets for me,” Meng Qing said. “I can stay as long as I want back, but not Wang Zhou and my parents. The young ones are thinking about their studies, and the old ones are thinking about the paper horse shop business. They come here, but they can’t stay more than a few days before they want to go back.”

Du Li raised his hand and touched her belly, reminding her, "Don't push yourself too hard. You're twenty-seven now, not nineteen. Your body isn't as strong as it was when you were pregnant with Wang Zhou."

"Bullshit!" Meng Qing kicked him. "I'm twenty-seven, not seventy-two."

Du Li held her feet between his legs and spoke to her gently, "How long can you stay back? At most half a month. I'll bring Wang Zhou to stay for four or five days, then another four or five days next month, and the month after that will be the end of the year. Your pregnancy will be stable then, and you can go back then."

“I want to go back and see how the third brother is raising funds,” Meng Qing said.

"I knew it!" Du Li snorted. "Do you think he'll ask you for advice forever? Just let him go this once!"

“It’s much more interesting to get involved in politics through his hands than to do business. I’m happy to get involved in those things,” Meng Qing confessed honestly. “Make sure the carriage runs slowly, and we can split a day’s journey into two days. There won’t be any problems.”

Du Li was at a loss with her. "Where's the money? Did you take all the money with you? There are still several thousand strings of cash in the warehouse. If the three of us leave, the thief won't be able to report it to the authorities in time even if he takes all the money."

"Transport all the money back to Heqing County. Huai Prefecture is north of Heqing County. Take this money back and let my younger brother and Ren Wenqiu use it to buy a paper mill." Meng Qing had inquired and found that paper mills were expensive. If the paper mill was large and had a lot of inventory, it could cost anywhere from 5,000 to 60,000 strings of cash. According to Ren Wenqiu, a paper mill with over a hundred workers wouldn't be small, so she planned to prepare 20,000 strings of cash.

“Alright then.” Du Li conceded. “Tomorrow I will hire bodyguards and go to Prefect Yin to borrow four or five constables to help escort the money cart.”

Meng Qing cupped his face and kissed him, showering him with sweet words: "Thank goodness you're by my side. With you here, I feel so much more relaxed. You always put me first and gave up your favorite farm work. Thank you so much."

Du Li was pleased and muttered, "Well, it's good that I'm useful to you."

“Useful, very useful.” With Du Li standing behind her, Meng Qing was indeed relieved of a lot of worries. He took care of all the little things in her life, and she never had to worry about food, clothing, or lodging. He could follow her unconditionally, which reduced the constraints she faced as a woman traveling in ancient times. She didn’t have to worry about her safety no matter where she went.

Du Li felt a little comforted; he was useful to her, so he had some value.

*

Over the next three days, Meng Chun was responsible for going out to gather information, while Du Li was responsible for contacting bodyguards and caravans. After greeting Yin Mingfu, he invited the county magistrate and several yamen runners to a restaurant for meat and wine, and arranged for the yamen runners to accompany the caravan back to Heqing County.

On the fourth day, Meng Chun found out the details of the thirteen people, picked out three with bad reputations, and kept only ten. He spent a day going door-to-door to inform them.

At dawn on the fifth day of the tenth lunar month, the ten leaders gathered at the free school at the foot of Baima Temple Mountain, where Meng Qing and Meng Chun were already waiting.

"Come on, everyone, let's get to know each other. For the next few years, if nothing unexpected happens, we'll all be colleagues," Meng Qing said. "Let me first establish a rule. Every year in the winter, government officials report to the Ministry of Personnel, a practice known as the Winter Gathering. The Qingniao Paper-mache Free School is an official school, so we'll follow this rule. Every winter, the heads of each prefecture will submit their accounts to me. Those near Luoyang should come in person, while those far away should send their trusted subordinates with the account books to explain the school's development and changes. Those that incur losses or have low profits will be eliminated, while the top three with the highest profits will receive bonuses of 300, 200, and 100 strings of cash, respectively."

These words were like a golden toad leaping into a swarm of mosquitoes; instantly, a buzzing sound arose, and each mosquito seemed to come alive with its own lively expression.

"In addition, if you encounter any talented people, you can recommend them to me. After assessment, the recommender will be rewarded with thirty to fifty strings of cash. Similarly, whoever recommends someone will bear joint responsibility. If someone embezzles funds and absconds, or if the person is morally corrupt, the recommender will have their annual salary deducted, and the amount will be uncertain," Meng Qing added.

All ten people fell into deep thought.

"It's a real shame that no women attended the oral exam a few days ago. Today, I want to emphasize that there are no gender restrictions on the people you recommend; both men and women are welcome. If you believe your wife or daughter has the ability, please don't hesitate to recommend them to me," Meng Qing said, raising her voice.

Everyone present looked at her, and Qi Yunshan was the first to ask, "When can we make the recommendation?"

"First, let me acknowledge your abilities. Only if you have the skills will I acknowledge your judgment," Meng Qing replied.

“Alright, I’ll come back next winter to prove my skills to you,” Qi Yunshan said.

"I will be waiting for you all here next winter." Meng Qing smiled gently, her tone softening as she spoke intimately, "The Qingniao Paper Craft Academy earns money for the Ministry of Rites and the imperial court, and also promotes paper craft funerary objects. Everyone here is insightful and can see the future prospects of paper craft funerary objects. Right now, we can say that paper craft funerary objects are in their infancy. It will take another one or two decades for them to grow into a large, flourishing tree. Once that tree has grown, it will stand tall and unyielding. In three to five decades, the status of paper craft funerary objects is very likely to surpass that of pottery and lacquerware funerary objects. It will be a perpetually profitable industry. Once you enter this industry, it's like holding a golden rice bowl, which will guarantee you a good life until you die. Everyone should keep this in mind and not sacrifice your and your family's good life for short-term gains."

“Madam Meng, don’t worry. The Qingniao Paper Efficiency School is under the Ministry of Rites. If anything happens, the whole family will suffer. Only someone who’s tired of living would dare to do something reckless,” Ren Wenqiu said.

Meng Qing smiled and said, "I will give each of you five hundred strings of cash. Take the money and skilled apprentices to the prefectures and counties we have designated, rent a shop, hang up the signboard of the free school, and recruit people. If you make a profit, you can buy the shop. Next, you will follow Master Meng to learn about the operation of the free school."

Meng Chun led his men out, saying, “For the next two weeks, you will split into two groups and familiarize yourselves with the making of paper effigies and the donation process at two private schools. After two weeks, we will bring apprentices and servants from Heqing County to accompany you to preach in other places. They will return once the apprentices have learned how to make paper effigies.”

"And me?" Ren Wenqiu asked.

“You’ll come with us to Heqing County tomorrow, and I’ll go with you to Wen County,” Meng Chun said.

Ren Wenqiu nodded, "Okay."

Meng Chun took out a piece of paper and handed it to Qi Yunshan, "Take a look at these, this is where you each need to go."

Qi Yunshan's name was first; he was heading to Ezhou. Glancing down, he saw three others going to Xiangzhou, Jingzhou, and Shanzhou. He said, "The four of us are all heading south; we can travel together."

The other three nodded.

"How can we prove to the locals that Qingniao Paper Craft Academy was an official school?" someone asked.

Meng Chun hadn't thought about this issue. That's true. Without Du Min accompanying them, no one could prove the legitimacy of the academy when it went to other places. They might be bullied by local bullies if the business became successful.

“We will resolve this issue before you leave,” Meng Chun said.

Upon learning of this problem, Meng Qing went to the governor's mansion to see Governor Zheng. Upon meeting him, she directly stated her purpose: "Your Excellency, paper effigies have gained a foothold in Luoyang. I plan to establish free schools in Huaizhou, Ruzhou, Zhengzhou, Bianzhou, and the Ezhou and Jingzhou areas of Jiangnan West Circuit. However, the people I send are not locals, are unfamiliar with the place, and are not trusted by the government. Establishing schools under the guise of the Ministry of Rites might lead to their arrest. Could you please write a few letters for us to prove the legitimacy of the Qingniao Paper Efficiency School?"

Prefect Zheng laughed in exasperation, "I'm not an official of the Ministry of Rites, shouldn't you be asking the Minister of Rites to resolve this matter?"

Meng Qing looked embarrassed. "I hadn't thought of this before. I only remembered it recently because we're about to leave. The Minister is far away in Chang'an. It would take a month to send a letter back and forth. There's no time. If you don't want to write a letter, could you lend me your carrier pigeon?"

Governor Zheng nodded, "Your Minister is stingy, he won't even give you a carrier pigeon. I'll be kind and give you one."

Meng Qing glanced up furtively. What was going on? Had Minister Zheng and Governor Zheng gotten into a conflict?

"Thank you very much," she said. "This humble woman takes her leave."

"Wait, has Du Min's marriage been arranged?" Governor Zheng asked, tapping the table.

"Yes, the bride is the daughter of the Yin family, and the betrothal is almost finalized," Meng Qing replied, wondering if the two Zhengs were arguing over Du Min's marriage.

"Step down," Governor Zheng said.

Meng Qing went out and told the servant guarding the door that the governor wanted to reward her with a carrier pigeon, and the servant led her to get the pigeon.

"This pigeon is a carrier pigeon from the Minister's residence. Here, take it. Feed it for a couple of days, then release it. It will fly to Chang'an on its own." The pigeon handler took a pigeon, put it in a small cage, and handed it to her.

Meng Qing thanked him repeatedly.

Leaving the governor's mansion, Meng Qing sighed three times in frustration. If she stayed in Luoyang for two more days because of the pigeons, she worried that the pigeons would return before she did. If she took them to Heqing County, she worried that the pigeons would not return before she was back in Luoyang. After thinking for a while, she took the pigeon cage to the county government office, wrote a letter, and then entrusted the matter to Yin Caiwei.

*

The following day, Meng Qing boarded a horse-drawn carriage covered with five reed quilts and led a caravan carrying money to Heqing County.

On the third day at noon, the convoy arrived at the Yellow River and happened to encounter the laying of a pontoon bridge.

More than five hundred black boats floated side by side on the river. The soldiers and boatmen on the boats rowed and pulled on the ropes to stabilize the boats, trying to wed the crossbeams at both ends of the boats into the slots of the other boats. The craftsmen stood in the cabins, swinging round wooden hammers and hammering away.

On the opposite bank of the river, thousands of laborers were digging and carrying mud on the exposed riverbed. A mud wall, taller than a person, stood in front of the dock that had been submerged by floods. The fine sand grains glittered in the bright sunlight.

The abandoned granary, now used as a large kitchen for laborers to cook, has thick plumes of smoke rising from the earthen chimneys through the windows. The smoke swirls and rises into the sky with the winter wind, and the aroma of green vegetables, eggs, and flatbread permeates both banks of the Yellow River.

The winter days, which should have been quiet and desolate, are now as lively as summer.

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Author's note: See you tomorrow night at 8 PM.