Baldy arrived in Qingxu Town half a month later with fewer than ten brothers.
At this point, Ye Wenxue gritted her teeth and spent thirty-five taels of silver to buy a shop in a convenient location.
The shop originally sold general merchandise, including coarse salt, brown sugar, ceramic bowls, water ladles, and so on. The original owner planned to go to Tanzhou City to stay with relatives, so he only took some valuable goods and sold the rest to Ye Wenxue at half price.
This shop is located on the main street of Qingxu Town. The shop is neither too big nor too small, making it very convenient for loading and unloading goods. There is also a courtyard connected to the back of the shop, which can be used as living quarters.
Ye Wenxue spent three whole days researching the shop with several children, and after discussing it with Dazhuang, they finally decided on this shop.
Luckily she acted early, otherwise even adding another ten taels of silver wouldn't have bought her such a good shop.
The bald man anxiously asked people at each shop, and when he found Ye Wenxue's family, they were frowning and discussing what to sell.
The shop was still selling groceries, but they would eventually sell out, so Ye Wenxue didn't plan to continue selling groceries.
Da Zhuang quickly packed several kilograms of coarse salt for the customer, and after receiving the coins, he noticed a menacing shadow looming over him.
He frowned, about to call his mother over to settle things.
Looking up, he saw a bald man with a weathered and disheveled face, and his brothers, some big and some small, behind him. Da Zhuang smiled.
"Uncle Zhang, you've finally arrived! Grandma Zhang is planting vegetables in the backyard; she's missed you terribly."
Zhiwen took out another sum of money and stayed with Baldy's mother in the shop that Ye Wenxue had bought.
They were also worried that their past as bandits would be exposed, so they stayed in the backyard doing chores these days and didn't dare to come out to see anyone.
The bald man's strong expression crumbled, and without even saying goodbye to Ye Wenxue, he rushed into the backyard to look for someone.
The other underlings didn't dare to act recklessly and stood awkwardly in the shop, taking up most of the space.
Da Zhuang said helplessly, "Why don't you all go and rest in the backyard too?"
The underlings looked at each other, nodded quickly, and followed him into the backyard of the shop.
Only Chenchen stayed behind. After giving Dazhuang a shy smile, she sat down next to Ye Wenxue and started rambling on about her experiences over the past two weeks.
Many of the bandits who had taken the silver were unwilling to give up. After learning that the bald man had led his men to escort the old people of the mountain village down the mountain, they secretly returned to the village in an attempt to seize more silver and grain. However, they were caught red-handed by the soldiers guarding the mountain and confessed everything.
When Baldy returned to the mountain, he was caught red-handed by the soldiers guarding the mountain, and most of his remaining dozen or so brothers were captured.
On their escape route, they bumped into Chenchen and a few other children who had been taken in, so they bypassed the soldiers and brought them to Qingxu Town.
Ye Wenxue slowly tapped the brush in her hand, her eyes darting around, and quickly guessed that the bald man probably wouldn't stay in Qingxu Town for long.
As expected, after bald man and his mother met and talked for half an hour, he found Ye Wenxue with red eyes:
"I'm going to take Zhixing and the other three to do business in the north and south. I'll leave Zhiwang in Qingxu Town to help me take care of my mother, and he can also earn a living under your wing."
His past as a bandit was a thorn in his side, and Zhang Suinian didn't want to drag his mother down or the Ye Wenxue family any further.
He wasn't very capable or skilled at much. Although his status as a merchant was low, he was able to make a living and earn money.
Moreover, itinerant merchants are not fixed in one place; they can go to various places without worrying about their past identities being exposed.
Ye Wenxue remained noncommittal: "Whatever you say, but..."
The bald man, understanding the situation, took out some silver and pushed it over, saying, "Thank you."
The bald man and his group rushed over, then hurriedly left with Zhiwen and Zhixing.
When Ye Wenxue heard that Su Jiu had come to say goodbye, she was not very surprised.
The only worry is that Sanyuan's medical studies will have to be delayed for a while longer.
Su Jiu: "...When we go to Tanzhou City in the future, I will have Sanyuan find my father. He will help Sanyuan consolidate his foundation."
Su Jiu was naturally reluctant to part with Sanyuan, but traveling around practicing medicine made it really inconvenient to take care of a six-year-old child, so he had no choice but to make do with Sanyuan.
Ye Wenxue recalled the gossip that Zhixing and the others had shared and suggested to Su Jiu, "If you don't know which way to go, you could head north."
Su Jiu smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
Several people left throughout the day, and the shop suddenly became quiet.
Ye Wenxue propped her chin on her hand and looked at the crowds coming and going on the street. After a while, she suddenly thought of what kind of business to start.
Da Zhuang blinked after hearing this: "A restaurant? What do they specialize in?"
Ye Wenxue had thought it through very thoroughly: "Sell steamed buns, soy milk, and rice noodle soup in the morning, fast food, stir-fried dishes, and stir-fried noodles at noon, and rest in the evening!"
Siwang listened with starry eyes, thinking about all the delicious food!
Both nodded in agreement: "Then I'll take charge of kneading the dough. I'm strong, so the dough will be elastic and the steamed buns will be soft and fluffy."
Sanyuan, still reeling from his master's departure, snapped out of his daze: "I...I can wash the dishes."
Ye Wenxue smiled and patted the children's heads. With the whole family working together, they had no worries about not making a good living.
That's what they said, but soon, Ye Wenxue, who was still preparing rice flour to make handmade rice noodles, was approached by Xu Lin:
“In another month, the town’s official school will be recruiting students. I recently performed a meritorious service and am also a scholar, so I can recommend someone to take the exam at the official school. I’d like to send Dazhuang to give it a try.”
Dazhuang hesitated.
The family business hasn't taken off yet, and we're short-handed right now.
Ye Wenxue decisively said, "This is a rare opportunity, we can't miss it."
Because of his mother's words, Dazhuang began to spend his days and nights studying.
The Wenxue Restaurant is about to make a name for itself in Qingxu Town, and the official school examinations are about to begin.
Children of everyone, from county magistrates and scholars to constables and minor officials, could go to take the exams.
Some acquaintances even made bets on who would come in first place.
Although there is no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts, in order to recruit students, the town's school still has to rank them.
After Ye Wenxue finished her busy period, she simply closed the door and brought several children to support Dazhuang.
Xu Lin was also nearby and explained in detail the system of the town's official school.
Ye Wenxue was worried about Dazhuang and didn't pay much attention to Xu Lin's words.
"After last year's natural disasters and man-made calamities, many officials and commoners were killed or wounded. The imperial court issued a decree that all students who wish to enter the official schools, regardless of their background, can register for the town school examination as long as they are of the right age..."
Ye Wenxue only noticed Xu Lin saying that in addition to the written test, the county magistrate would also personally conduct interviews for this exam, determined to select students who were proficient in both writing and practical skills.
Xu Lin coughed lightly, glanced at the tense crowd around him, and leaned closer to whisper:
"Don't worry, I recommended Dazhuang to the county magistrate long ago. Even if Dazhuang makes a mistake because he is too nervous, as long as he is skilled in writing, he can still enter the official school."
Shuangshuang, with her sharp ears, gave Xu Lin a strange look.
Xu Lin didn't notice, and nervously wiped away a bead of sweat.
"Back in the day, Brother Cheng and I were always in the top twenty in every exam. I wonder if this child has inherited Brother Cheng's intelligence and comprehension."
Ye Wenxue rolled her eyes at him, but had complete confidence in Dazhuang.
Three days later, a notice was posted at the entrance of the government office, listing the names of the students who had passed the town school exam from top to bottom.
Cheng Zhihuai from Shanqing Village ranked first.
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