Chapter 14 Chapter 14 The remarks he had heard in school flashed through his mind...
It is no exaggeration to say that Xue Yuan has never thought that he would worry about money one day in his life!
Zhang Jingxuan made a quick decision and said, "Let's go out today and find a way to make money as soon as possible."
This matter really could not be delayed, so Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan made a decision immediately and went to the market first to inquire about the local market conditions.
…
To be fair, although Qingxi Town is poor, the market is still quite lively and there are many businesses that can make money.
You can do all kinds of jobs, such as moving bricks, sweeping the floor, cooking, being a craftsman...
Xue Yuanyin felt that she was not pretentious and could do any job. As for Zhang Jingxuan... She took a look at him. He was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. He didn't look thin, but his clothes didn't show his strength.
She saw someone who needed to help the shopkeeper with his math, or someone who was writing books for the bookstore, and she thought they were good and enthusiastically recommended them to Zhang Jingxuan:
"Which one did you like?"
Zhang Jingxuan, on the other hand, remained indifferent throughout the entire process. He walked from one end of the market to the other without showing any emotion. Finally, he stopped and did not continue walking in. He shook his head and said,
"The monthly salary is too little."
Xue Yuanyin choked, thinking back to the monthly wages. Although not much, weren't they all about the same amount? If the monthly wages were higher, would they both get a turn?
She felt that this person was being picky and was a little impatient. She said coldly, "I'm not as pretentious as you. I can endure hardship. If I save money every month, it's enough to cover my daily expenses. It's more than enough to support a weak beauty like you who can't even lift anything."
Zhang Jingxuan frowned when he heard the strange name of "beauty", and was too lazy to comment on the statement that "she can't lift it on her shoulders or carry it with her hands".
He raised his eyelids and looked at her, saying coldly: "Xue Yuanyin, listen carefully, I will only say this once - I don't intend to let you, an unmarried girl, come out to work, and I don't intend to save money."
Xue Yuanyin's anger was stuck in her throat, and after a long while, she managed to utter, "...Then what should I do?"
Zhang Jingxuan said, "Let's divide the work. I'll come out to work and earn money, and you'll collect information about the caravan in Qingxi Town."
Xue Yuanyin admitted that what he said made sense.
If the two of them had been working at the bottom level, they would have had no contact with the caravan. There was also news about Qin Fang and the others, and they didn't know where they were and whether they were injured.
But Xue Yuanyin still expressed doubt about his words and said, "It's not easy for you to earn enough money while disdaining this and that. What are you going to do?"
Zhang Jingxuan raised the corner of his lip. Xue Yuanyin didn't know whether he was confident or mocking her. She only heard him teasing slightly:
"Miss Xue, you underestimate the title of 'young talent' of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Xue Yuanyin's eyes widened, and he immediately mocked back, "Since you're so capable, don't owe me money! Don't forget, I'm your creditor now!"
"I know." Zhang Jingxuan turned his head slightly to avoid her accusation, looking into the distance, as if thinking about something. "I'll pay you back double someday."
Xue Yuanyin snorted coldly: "If you can't pay me back double, then you..."
She thought for a moment and said maliciously, "Why don't you just be my dog for a few days?"
Zhang Jingxuan said with a half-smile, "Are you seeking revenge for a personal vendetta?"
Xue Yuanyin said confidently: "It was obviously you who made the promise first."
Zhang Jingxuan nodded slightly: "Okay, if I can't pay you back double the money, I will be your dog. Okay -"
He said casually, "Miss."
Xue Yuanyin smiled and said, "That's pretty good!"
Zhang Jingxuan scoffed and said, "That day will never come."
-
After making a good division of labor, the two separated on the spot.
Zhang Jingxuan didn't know where to make his big money, and Xue Yuanyin was strolling alone in the market.
Qingxi Town is not big. When she was looking for a courtyard on the first day she arrived, she roughly memorized the distribution of various places in the town. After walking around today, she had an idea of them all.
There is a market in the middle, selling things from all directions. To the west are residential areas, to the east are wealthy families, to the north are local officials, to the west are mountains and rocks, with no place to live, and to the south are civilian areas and slums like theirs.
It is bustling and enjoyable, but also has clear class divisions.
Of course, there are also many small restaurants and buildings where people can drink tea, listen to books, watch operas and sing songs, which are interspersed among the markets.
Xue Yuanyin spotted a teahouse and walked in. He endured the pain and ordered a cup of tea. He sat in the middle of the lobby and listened carefully.
…
At lunch time, Xue Yuanyin returned to the yard and met Zhang Jingxuan who had just returned from outside.
Xue Yuanyin felt a bit hot, so she took several sips of her cold tea before saying, "I got some news at the market. The butcher's second son stole the neighbor's large-flowered underpants, and the carpenter's youngest son is having an affair with a widowed woman on the street... Apart from these useless rumors, I heard that Qingxi Town used to be as poor as we imagined, but later, thanks to the capable government, even the unemployed workers found work."
After drinking the herbal tea, she continued:
"Somewhere, the government discovered a mountain with a rare mineral deposit. They hired workers to mine it, and it also attracted caravans. Qingxi Town, the surrounding towns, and even Quanyang County became more prosperous. Mining in the mountains is risky, but the pay is high, so any man with free time at home is willing to do it."
After saying this, she and the silent Zhang Jingxuan fell into deep thought. After a pause, they speculated, "Could it be that the caravan sold the scarce mountain minerals, which is why the town's income has increased several times?"
The logic was quite reasonable, and Xue Yuanyin didn't notice anything wrong at first.
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyes and said, "Have you ever inquired about the types of those mines? What are they called? Do they need to be handed over to the Heavenly Family?"
Xue Yuanyin shook her head: "I asked, but the people in this town are illiterate and can't explain it."
Zhang Jingxuan thought for a moment and then asked, "Where is the location of that mountain?"
Xue Yuanyin said, "It is said that only the workers who go to work there know where it is. However, the working hours are too long, and the commuting is tiring, so they often don't return for two or three years. They can send letters home, so the workers should be safe, but the location may be too deep, making it difficult to enter and exit."
It seemed reasonable - a valuable mine was found, the workers had jobs to keep them well fed and clothed, caravans were attracted to do business, and the officials secretly made money behind closed doors, so it wasn't a big deal to take a little advantage.
But I always feel that it won’t be that simple.
Zhang Jingxuan knocked on the table and said, "We still need to find out what the mine is called and what the caravan is trading."
Xue Yuanyin nodded and said, "How can we contact the government? Will we expose ourselves? The patrol team outside is still coming to look for thieves from time to time."
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyes and said, "Looking for the government first wouldn't be a waste of time and effort, and would only lead to trouble. Since we need to contact the caravan, isn't there a simpler way?"
Xue Yuanyin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Let's get the valuables ourselves and sell them to the caravans! That way we can directly contact them!"
Zhang Jingxuan nodded and said, "But we are currently short of money and have nothing to sell to the caravan."
This is indeed something that needs to be considered, especially since their pockets are cleaner than their faces and they don't have anything valuable.
Besides, the caravans would not be interested in ordinary things; they had to be precious or rare.
Although they hadn't figured out how to do it, they had finally figured out a plan. They paused for a moment and went to have lunch.
Xue Yuanyin ate a large bowl of rice with a good appetite and was about to take a nap when she saw Zhang Jingxuan washing the dishes and walking out. She hurriedly asked, "What are you going out for?"
Zhang Jingxuan didn't stop, just left the door after saying "find a way to make money".
Xue Yuanyin stared at the closing door for a moment, then looked at himself who was idle. Suddenly, he felt some inexplicable emotions and scratched his face in discomfort.
-
When Xue Yuanyin woke up, the yard was empty and Zhang Jingxuan had not returned yet.
She suddenly felt inexplicably guilty, as if she had let her husband go out to earn money while she was idle and sleeping at home.
She shook her head to dispel the thought, and while he was away, she quickly took back the small clothes that were hanging on the hemp rope in the yard.
God knows how embarrassed she was these past two days when she had to walk under her underwear when entering and leaving the yard!
After putting away the small clothes, she took out the hemp rope she bought at the market, tied one side to the window and the other side to the branch extending outside the window, so that she could hang her personal clothes to dry.
After finishing all this, Xue Yuanyin looked at his results, feeling slightly satisfied, and went out to inquire about the news.
In the evening, she was carrying vegetables back to the yard and met Zhang Jingxuan who had returned lately.
Xue Yuanyin put the dishes into the kitchen and came out again. She walked over to sit down opposite Zhang Jingxuan, raised her chin slightly and asked, "How's your job search going?"
Zhang Jingxuan put down the herbal tea in his hand and said, "You speak first."
Xue Yuanyin didn't hide anything and recounted the afternoon's itinerary in detail. "We don't have the means or the skills to get the things the caravan wants, but there's a place we can get them—"
Before she could finish, Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "In the woods? Are you talking about the fur of the prey?"
Xue Yuanyin didn't expect him to answer first, and immediately lost her joy:
"You actually guessed it, how boring."
"Now that you've mentioned this, how could I not have thought of it?"
Zhang Jingxuan pondered, "Fur... is indeed something the caravan would collect."
Xue Yuanyin felt a little proud: "I have completed my task, how about you?"
She stood up and walked around him, looking at him provocatively from time to time, counting on her fingers:
"Hunting requires renting a horse, a bow and arrows, and a sharp knife to peel the fur... We're really short of money! If you can't earn money, you'll be my dog."
"I was just about to tell you this. I've found a suitable job."
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "You'd better put your thoughts of ordering me around back to the source as soon as possible."
Xue Yuanyin couldn't believe that the crisis hanging over her head could be solved so easily. She asked in surprise, "What is it?"
Zhang Jingxuan took out the bundle at his feet and placed it on the table. Only then did Xue Yuanyin see that he had come back with a bundle he had never seen before. When she opened it, she saw various ink brushes, inkstones, scrolls, cinnabar and other items inside, which seemed to be things related to painting.
Xue Yuanyin took out a brush and played with it, saying, "Are you really that good at painting?"
"A gentleman's six arts are music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and among them, painting is my foremost." Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "If you paint at least one piece a month, the monthly salary is half a tael of silver. If you paint two pieces, it's one tael of silver. If you paint more, the monthly salary will increase."
Although Xue Yuanyin was born into a marquisate and usually spent at least two taels of silver on anything he bought in the capital, he knew in his heart what one tael of silver meant to ordinary people here, and he said in shock:
"With so many, did you go and rob a bank?"
Zhang Jingxuan said, "Of course, ordinary workers don't have that much money. Although I'm not famous, my painting skills are decent. I asked all the bookstores and bookshops in town, and there was one whose 'imitation antique paintings' were selling very well and they were in need of someone. I met the owner and asked him to watch me copy a master's work on the spot. He agreed to give me a one-month trial period. If my copy is good, I can be hired as a permanent employee."
Xue Yuanyin knew that "imitation ancient paintings" were paintings that were copied from predecessors or masters to make money. The copied paintings would indicate the "imitation brush" and the imitator. An original painting could cost hundreds of taels. If he couldn't afford an original, giving a copy would be embarrassing.
Because "imitation antique paintings" require extraordinary painting skills and the threshold is high, the remuneration is naturally high.
Xue Yuanyin still found it unbelievable: "Is your painting so good? Why didn't I realize it before..."
Zhang Jingxuan said "yes" leisurely, paused, and explained, "I used to have plenty of time and could learn a little bit of everything. Later, I joined the Crown Prince's staff and became his advisor. My schedule was very busy, so I had to specialize in just one thing."
The choice of painting has nothing to do with preference, it is just a way of expressing one's feelings and pretending to be elegant.
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
So what he's saying is that, given enough time, he could become an expert in everything?
She didn't want to talk anymore and felt a little depressed.
After dinner was ready, Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but asked, pretending to be indifferent but actually caring:
"Are you so good at the six arts of a gentleman, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"
Zhang Jingxuan picked up the wooden chopsticks and poked the rice in the bowl boredly. She didn't want to eat, and he didn't want to eat alone, so he said boredly:
"Didn't you know everything during the time we were in the academy?"
Xue Yuanyin clenched her chopsticks tightly. Damn it, she was so jealous!
A thought flashed through her mind, and she blurted out without thinking:
"Since we are rivals, we must know each other well. How about you teach me everything you know?"
Zhang Jingxuan paused with his chopsticks, then looked up and asked with a half-smile, "When did Miss Xue change her career and become a bandit?"
Xue Yuanyin was stunned for a moment before she realized what Zhang Jingxuan meant.
All the knowledge he learned was taught by the Zhang family or the retired elder Mr. Xie. If she wants to learn how to walk, isn't that just robbery?
But words spoken cannot be taken back, just like spilled water. Xue Yuanyin just had a sudden impulse and really wanted to learn something from him, to learn from him and defeat him, in order to avenge him for always coming out ahead of her.
After dinner, Xue Yuanyin followed him from the table to wash the dishes, and then from the sink back to the table. Every time he took a step, she followed. Like a house cat begging for food, she kept chattering in his ear.
Zhang Jingxuan's mind suddenly flashed through some of the seemingly fantastic remarks he had overheard in school.
He paused and suddenly looked up at her.
Xue Yuanyin felt inexplicably uncomfortable under his gaze and scratched his face.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me suddenly?"
The author has something to say:
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I marked the volumes today. Volume 2 is not long, and the emotional line deteriorates in Volume 2.
*The information on these imitation antique paintings is taken from online books and is not a forgery, but rather a form of artistic heritage. Some artists are famous for their imitations of antique paintings.
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