Chapter 41: A City-Wide Sensation
The paper shop had paper, ink, and calligraphy brushes. Meng Chun cleared out a table and moved it out. Du Min rolled up his sleeves and began writing invitations.
After looking at it for a while, Meng Chun walked over to Meng Qing and said, "His handwriting is quite nice."
"After all, he's been practicing calligraphy since he started learning, for over ten years." Meng Qing had seen Du Min's calligraphy before. The calligraphy samples Du Min wrote were all kept in boxes by Du's mother. Not only were the samples that Jinshu and Qiaomei copied from his handwriting, but all the children in Dujiawan who were starting their education would come to ask for his calligraphy samples to copy. Just because of Du Min's calligraphy, his parents had earned a lot of face in the village.
"Second sister-in-law, I've finished writing one. Take a look and see if the wording is appropriate." Du Min handed her a piece of paper.
Meng Qing read it aloud once, and then she praised frankly, "No wonder the scholar can make a living by writing letters at a stall. If you were to set up a stall, I would also be willing to spend the money. It's very suitable; I couldn't write it myself."
Du Min smiled and said, "Then I'll write it according to this template."
Meng Qing nodded, handed over the paper, and said, "You write first, we'll go do other things. Once you're done, call my dad and have him add some names of the store's big clients."
Du Min should be fine.
Meng Qing and Meng Chun carried the five paper horses up to the attic. They opened all three windows and carefully examined the paper horses against the light, adding another layer of glue to the undersides, hooves, ears, mouths, and tails.
"Isn't it too wasteful to simply burn these five paper horses?" Meng Chun suddenly asked.
Meng Qing paused in her act of applying glue, tilting her head to ask, "Could it be that it can be sold?"
Meng Chun laughed out loud. He actually had this idea. "You do the math. Five paper horses used up nearly five hundred sheets of mulberry bark paper, and there's only half left of the tung oil and raw lacquer. Two ink sticks are used up, and a whole jar of ox glue is used. Not counting the rest, these alone would cost three strings of cash and two hundred coins. Even if each paper horse sells for one string of cash, we can still break even. What do you think?"
Meng Qing disagreed, saying, "These waterproof and moisture-proof paper horses can't be priced low. Their customers are people with status, position, and wealth. Selling them cheaply would lower their value. Besides, you've already used them for display. It's petty to resell them."
Meng Chun didn't quite understand, especially how selling it cheaply would lower the value of the paper horse, but he could understand the latter part of the sentence, which was a bit petty.
“Rather than selling it cheaply, it’s better to give it to the deceased. When burning it, write a memorial and send it to the owner of the lonely grave outside the city,” Meng Qing said.
"Alright, let's just consider it a good deed and see which deceased person can make a fortune." Meng Chun listened to her.
Meng Qing narrowed her eyes slightly. She had another idea. "Instead of just finding a random lonely grave, why not choose an old customer to send it out and make a bigger commotion?"
"How so?" Meng Chun asked.
After thinking for a while, Meng Qing went downstairs to find Du Min.
*
The next day.
In Jiayufang, Meng Chun walked with a smile through the alley. "Aunt Zaohua, are you already airing out your winter clothes so early?"
"The sun is nice, so I'm taking it out to air it and get rid of the dampness. What brings you here today? Why are you wandering around?"
"I'm not just strolling around; I've come specifically to talk to you about something. I remember my Uncle Dali passed away a couple of years ago. You bought paper funerary objects from our paper horse shop, if I remember correctly?"
"Yes, I bought two paper figures to serve him over there, so he can enjoy himself. What's wrong?"
"Here's the thing," Meng Chun said, "Our paper horse shop recently made a waterproof and moisture-proof paper horse. The black horse is the same as the one used at Master Chen's funeral. The other one is an amber horse, the color of brass, and looks exactly like a brass horse. Tomorrow at the end of Chen hour, we'll invite Master Chen's steward, the teachers from Chongwen Academy, and Dr. Xu from the prefectural school to ride a painted boat to watch the waterproof test at Wumen Ferry. The paper horses will be launched at Wumen Ferry and retrieved at Lumen Ferry. If the paper horses don't get wet, we'll give five paper horses to our regular customers on the spot. Each paper horse is worth six strings of cash. The chosen customer can either burn them for their own deceased relative or resell them." Meng Chun recited the speech he had memorized all night long in a loud and unhurried voice.
Aunt Zaohua's eyes lit up, and people sitting outside the door doing laundry, mending clothes, picking their toes, or shaving all looked over when they heard this.
"Really?" Aunt Zaohua asked.
Meng Chun nodded. “Would I lie about something that comes out of my mouth? I just remembered that you bought some funerary objects from my shop, so I came to tell you. If you’re free tomorrow morning, go to the Lumen Ferry and wait there. If I choose you, someone in your family will surely make a fortune.”
"Okay, okay, I'll definitely go." Aunt Zaohua was overjoyed. "Young Master Meng, wait a moment, I'll go get you some dates to eat."
"No need, I'm in a hurry to inform the other families," Meng Chun said.
"Young master, anyone who has bought anything from your shop can go, right? What if I've only bought paper money?" asked the man shaving in the corner.
"Regardless of these, any regular customer of my paper horse shop has a chance to win. And it's not just paper horses, there are also fifty bundles of paper money," Meng Chun said as he walked.
The same message was spreading in the fish market, tile workshop, Tongyuan workshop, Confucian workshop, brocade workshop, and Wuqu workshop: the paper horse shop was closed today, and the owner and apprentices were sent out to spread the news from street to street.
"Huh? It's you again. I remember you. Are you looking for Steward Chen?" The old woman guarding the side gate of the Chen residence asked Meng Qing.
"Yes." Meng Qing took out a string of copper coins and stuffed them into the gatekeeper's hand. "Please pass on a message, ma'am. I am the eldest daughter of the Meng family's paper horse shop. I would like to ask Steward Chen to come out and meet me. There is a small matter that I need his help with."
The old woman at the gate counted the coins in her hand; the string of copper coins was worth at least fifty. Her smile became much more genuine as she said, "Wait here, young lady, I'll go and call someone for you."
After an incense stick had burned, Steward Chen appeared at the side door.
"Uncle Chen, I'm bothering you again. Here's the thing: the Meng family's paper horse shop has just made a new waterproof and moisture-proof paper horse. We'll be testing it on the river tomorrow. If it doesn't get wet after being soaked in the river for an hour, we'll release waterproof and moisture-proof paper funerary objects in the future, so we won't have to worry about rain during funeral processions. Tomorrow at the end of Chen hour, a painted boat will be waiting at the Wumen ferry crossing. I'd like to invite you to come and support us." Meng Qing didn't mince words, concisely explaining his purpose.
Butler Chen was pleased by her flattering words, "Can I back you up?"
Meng Qing chuckled and said, "We're just using your connections to intimidate others. You're representing the Chen family. I'm going to the prefectural school later to invite Dr. Xu. I'll use my connections again and say that Master Chen has sent a group of men to help us. I'll invite him to come and watch the show."
Butler Chen chuckled, then asked seriously, "Why is Dr. Xu involved? If he shows up, I'll talk to my master and see if he'd be willing to go out for a walk."
Meng Qing was overjoyed. She quickly explained, "The waterproof and moisture-proof paper offerings are what the two cloth merchants from Jinxiufang wanted. They are good friends of Dr. Xu, and Dr. Xu introduced them to us. I suppose Dr. Xu is interested in paper funerary objects, which is why he introduced his friends to patronize our business. He was also quite interested in the paper house that your family ordered before. Tomorrow is the ten-day holiday for the prefectural school, and he may be willing to come and see what's going on since he has nothing to do."
Butler Chen understood and nodded, saying, "I will go tomorrow. As for my master, whether he is willing to go out depends on his opinion."
“Alright, I’ll wait for you at Wumen Ferry tomorrow.” Meng Qing was pleased. She added, “There will be a pleasure boat tomorrow, but there won’t be any singers or dancers on board. Apart from some merchants and gentry, the rest will be teachers and students from Chongwen Academy. If Master Chen is willing to go out, please have someone let me know in advance, and I will arrange a quiet room for him so that no one will disturb him.”
Butler Chen was satisfied with her arrangements, but he still warned her, "You are not allowed to invite guests in my master's name."
"No, I only invited you and Dr. Xu. The teachers and students of Chongwen Academy were invited by my brother-in-law, Du Min. I don't need to do them any favors," Meng Qing said definitively.
Butler Chen was relieved.
After leaving the Chen residence, Meng Qing headed to the prefectural academy. The students were still in class, and the academy was deserted. Instead of rushing in to search for Dr. Xu, she handed a letter to the gatekeeper, who then delivered it.
About half an hour later, Dr. Xu's page arrived at the door. Meng Qing explained the purpose of the visit and emphasized, "Dr. Xu's two friends will be there tomorrow. If Dr. Xu is free, why not come along and admire the brass horse made of paper with them?"
"I will pass on the message to Dr. Xu."
Worried that this temptation wouldn't work, Meng Qing boldly added another strong dose of bait: "I went to the Chen residence first. Butler Chen heard that Dr. Xu might go and said he would inform the Master of the family about it to see if he would like to go out for a walk. I'll wait for you here. If Dr. Xu has time to go, please let me know and I'll go to the Chen residence to inform him."
Upon hearing this, the page immediately went to tell Dr. Xu.
"Your Excellency has been confined to your residence for half a year now; it's time for you to relax. Go and tell him I will go tomorrow," Dr. Xu said, giving a definite answer.
"yes."
"Wait, get her a can of Black Eyebrow Tea. The lady likes Black Eyebrow Tea, so tell her to treat her well," Dr. Xu instructed.
"yes."
When Meng Qing left the prefectural school, he had a box of fragrant black eyebrow tea in his hand.
She had been away from home for two hours, and it was time for Wangzhou to nurse. Meng Qing took the tea and went back first.
"Look, who's back," Mencius' mother pointed outside.
Looking over, Wang Zhou saw Meng Qing. He opened his arms to rush over, refusing to drink his porridge.
“I cooked rice porridge, skimmed off the rice water, and fed it to him, and he was willing to eat it,” said Mencius’ mother.
Meng Qing put down the tea canister, took the child from her, and said, "It's time to add some food. If he can eat something, I can stay away from home a little longer."
"Go feed him." Mother Meng, holding the tea canister, asked, "Did Steward Chen give this to you again?"
"Dr. Xu gave it to me; Master Chen likes to drink it." Meng Qing carried the child back into the house.
Mencius' mother followed him with delight, "Are you saying that Master Chen will also be coming tomorrow?"
"Not necessarily, I have to go out again later."
Not long after, Meng's father returned. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Has no one come back yet? I've already rented a pleasure boat; it costs one string of cash per hour."
“Master Chen might come too. Would you like to rent a nicer pleasure boat?” Meng’s mother said. “Qingniang is back; she’s feeding her child.”
"I've been thinking about this, and I just rented a nice pleasure boat. I haven't decided on the price yet, even though it's 800 or 700 cash." Meng's father has never been stingy when it comes to money. He's not the type to compromise. When he does something, he does it to the best of his ability.
“I’ll go out again this afternoon to order some good tea and snacks. The stalls are all set up. If we’re going to do it, we should do it properly,” Meng’s father said. “If this can expand the business, I can do it once a year. I can earn an extra hundred guan. I’m willing to throw away thirty guan.”
"Old ginger is spicier, and you have foresight." Meng Qing came out carrying Wangzhou and said, "I also had this idea, but unfortunately I'm not in charge and didn't dare to say it. Every year before Qingming or Zhongyuan Festival, you should charter a large boat, take a few of each of the funerary objects in the shop, load them onto the boat, and then circle the city, giving away all the funerary objects on the boat. If you do this for a couple of years, everyone in Wu County will know about Meng Family Paper Horse Shop."
"The idea is good, but your words are unpleasant to hear. What do you mean you're not in charge and dare not speak up? If you say one thing and no one dares to say another at home, what is in charge if not? Aren't you afraid of hurting your mouth for lying?" Meng's mother glared at her.
Meng Qing laughed heartily, "I'm just being modest."
Mencius' father coughed and joked, "Humility is not a thing for you."
Meng Qing handed Wangzhou to him and said, "Go and comfort your grandson. I'm going out for a bit."
"Isn't the matter settled yet?" Meng's father asked.
"It's still a bit short of perfection." Meng Qing said as she went out. She bumped into five or six people chatting across the street. One of them, with his slanted eyes, saw her, raised his eyebrows, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Aren't you afraid of bad luck? This is the first time I've ever seen people scrambling to ask for funerary objects. Aren't you afraid that getting these things will bring disaster? If you ask me, someone has bad intentions. Of all things to give, why give funerary objects?"
"Others who get funerary objects immediately take them outside the city and burn them, unlike some people who are reluctant to burn them for the deceased and insist on secretly taking them back to their homes for their own use. If she doesn't bring disaster upon herself, who will?" Meng Qing retorted without any politeness.
"Who are you calling a jerk? Are you cursing me?" The slanted-eyed man rushed in front of Meng Qing.
"If I were to curse you, you would be dead by now. Why would you be here at my doorstep, bothering me?" Meng Qing pushed her away. "I advise you to behave yourself, or I'll really make you curse me."
With a slanted eye, she choked, ultimately chilled by her words. She could only stare blankly, panting heavily as Meng Qing walked away arrogantly like a victorious rooster.
"Why did you provoke her? You've never won against her," her neighbor advised her.
The man with the slanted eyes retorted, "Just you wait, she'll get what's coming to her sooner or later."
Meng Qing arrived at the side gate of the Chen residence. The old woman guarding the gate saw her and asked familiarly, "Are you looking for Steward Chen again?"
"Yes, but there's no need to trouble him to come. Please pass on a message for me: Dr. Xu will be coming tomorrow. He has already prepared black eyebrow tea for the Master. He and I are both looking forward to the Master's outing tomorrow," Meng Qing said.
The old woman guarding the gate repeated, "Alright, I'll tell Steward Chen when he comes over for dinner."
Meng Qing thanked him and left the Chen residence for the Gu family, who were also in Renfeng Lane. Although Du Min said he would invite Gu Wuxia's family, she doubted his status in the Gu family and planned to come in person.
"Who are you talking about?" asked Gu's mother.
“She said she worked at the Meng family’s paper horse shop,” the servant woman replied.
Mother Gu waved her hand in disgust, "Get rid of him, get rid of him, he's such bad luck."
"Mother, let someone find out their purpose. What if my second brother is causing trouble again?" Sister-in-law Gu said softly. "If Master Chen finds out again, Father will ask for family punishment to beat my second brother."
Mrs. Gu frowned, then changed her mind and said, "Then let's go ask."
The maidservant went out and returned after a short while to report the truth: "That woman said that her husband's family has some disagreements with the master and the second young master. No matter how much she apologizes, it's in vain. They can only try their best to make amends. She said that Master Chen and Dr. Xu will be present at the banquet on the painted boat tomorrow. In addition to them, there will be some teachers, students, gentry, and merchants. If the master and the second young master have any connections they need, they can come aboard for a cup of tea."
Realizing this was a serious matter, Madam Gu said solemnly, "I will tell Master, and you can go and talk to her."
"She's gone," the maid whispered.
Mother Gu snorted, "The merchant's daughter really doesn't know any manners."
*
It was noon, and the prefectural school was dismissed. Du Min was eager to leave, but the teacher who taught the classics had not yet moved.
"After this ten-day break, the prefectural school will resume full-day classes. All students, please prepare yourselves and make arrangements for food and lodging," the teacher announced. After saying this, he picked up his books and left.
Du Min followed closely behind and ran out. He didn't even eat, and ran out of the prefectural school with his books in his hand.
His actions attracted the attention of other students, and Shi Anlin asked, "What kind of trouble is he causing now?"
Are you in a hurry to get to the Buddhist temple?
"No, he went to Chongwen Academy. I heard him say that he was going to invite his former teachers and classmates to some kind of banquet on a painted boat with funerary objects." Li Wei bluntly betrayed Du Min. He was a commoner who later became a student and was also ostracized by the sons of the powerful and wealthy. He originally wanted to team up with Du Min, but Du Min was not enthusiastic towards him. Afterwards, he heard about Du Min's deeds at the prefectural school, so he chose to side with the sons of the powerful and wealthy and used news about Du Min to curry favor with them.
“Ming artifacts? A banquet on a painted boat? How are these two things related?” Xing Shu asked.
“I don’t know either. He didn’t say much, only that there would be a pleasure boat waiting at the Wumen ferry crossing at the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, with tea and snacks available for everyone to eat as much as they wanted. He invited me to go, but I declined. If you’re interested, I can go and take a look tomorrow,” Li Wei said.
"We have a day off tomorrow, so why don't we all go and take a look?" Shi Anlin said with ill intent. "My cousin has been so bored these past few months, it's good to find something to make him happy."
This statement was met with immediate and widespread approval, gaining the agreement of the majority.
*
"Senior Sister is back," Shen Yuexiu called out.
"Mom, my sister is back, dinner is ready," Meng Chun called out.
At noon today, all six apprentices ate at the Meng family's house. Meng's mother stewed two large pots of fish and said, "Just eat whatever you like today. Tomorrow, when we're done with our work, your master and I will treat you to a nice meal."
“The food today is very good, don’t spend any more money. We all had a great time today, and we really learned some business skills. If I ever open a paper horse shop in the future, I’ll use this trick to make a name for myself,” Shen Yuexiu said.
The others nodded in agreement.
Meng Qing sat down holding the child, took the food, and asked, "Have the invitations been sent to the other regular guests?"
"I've given them all away," Meng Chun said.
“I’ve sent out all the ones I have. I sent out the invitations first, and then I went door-to-door spreading the word,” Shen Yuexiu replied.
“Me too,” Wenjiao replied.
“We’ve sent out all the invitations we had,” the male apprentice said.
"Go out again this afternoon, and remember to add a vague remark, saying that Dr. Xu from the state academy seems to be coming," Meng Qing instructed.
"Is Master Chen coming?" Meng's father asked.
"There's no news yet, but even if he comes, we can't use his name to invite guests. His housekeeper gave me that instruction," Meng Qing replied.
Mr. Meng nodded, “We should thank them. If we hadn’t used Dr. Xu and the teachers of Chongwen Academy as a gimmick, who would have given our Paper Horse Shop any face? I will remember this, and Meng Chun should remember it too. In the future, when you have the chance, you should go back to thank them.”
Meng Chun nodded.
In the afternoon, Meng Qing didn't go out again; she played with Wangzhou outside the neighborhood. When a man dressed as a servant peeked in, she spotted him immediately.
"Young lady, is this Jiayufang?" a servant asked as he approached Meng Qing.
"Yes, who are you looking for?"
"The owner of Meng Family Paper Horse Shop".
"Yes, that's me. I'm Meng Qing, the eldest daughter of the Meng family's paper horse shop." Meng Qing said with a smile, "Are you a servant of the Chen family?"
"Yes, Steward Chen asked me to tell you that the master will be coming tomorrow."
"Okay, I understand. Please make the trip." Meng Qing said politely.
...
As evening approached, Du Min hurried over. He excitedly said as he entered, "Second Sister-in-law, the students from the prefectural school will be coming tomorrow. Please prepare plenty of tea and snacks."
Meng Qing raised an eyebrow, "When did your relationship become so good?"
“No, they fell for my trick.” Du Min said smugly. “These people have money to burn and care about face, so they’ll be customers of the brass paper horse shop. Even if they don’t get along with me, when they encounter problems in the future, they will choose to prioritize face and still patronize the paper horse shop.”
"Okay, I understand." Meng Qing nodded, teasing him in front of him, "Your cleverness is quite useful when it comes to serious matters."
Du Min wasn't offended by her words. He spoke frankly: "If it benefits you, of course you'll be happy."
“That’s right,” Meng Qing smiled. “If you follow this path, you’ll benefit Master Chen, you’ll benefit Dr. Xu, and they’ll be happy too. In the end, it will benefit you.”
Du Min smiled and sighed, "I just figured it out myself, hopefully it's not too late. It's getting late, I have to go back now, I won't bother you any longer. Uncle Meng, Aunt Pan, I'm leaving now."
“It’s not safe to walk at night, so I won’t keep you here for dinner,” Meng’s father said.
Du Min nodded, turned and left. As he went out, he ran into Meng Chun carrying Wang Zhou back from a walk. Before Wang Zhou could even cry out, he said first, "Little Wang Zhou, see you tomorrow."
Wang Zhou let out two soft "ah ah" sounds, and Meng Chun carried him inside.
*
The next day.
Meng's father and Meng Chun went out without eating breakfast.
Meng Qing instructed Meng's father to lead the painted boat to the ferry near Renfeng Lane and pick up Master Chen when no one was looking.
Meng Chun went to the tea house to get tea and snacks, and to count the number of tea masters. He had hired five tea masters to come aboard the boat to brew tea yesterday.
At the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), a two-story painted boat arrived at the Wumen Ferry. By then, thousands of people had already crowded on both sides of the river to watch the spectacle.
"They're here, they're here."
"My God, that looks exactly like the brass horse."
Mencius' mother, accompanied by her six apprentices, carried five paper horses and two loads of paper money across the bridge. As she walked, she said, "Don't touch them, don't touch them. These are funerary objects, not anything of value."
The onlookers didn't care about that; the person who touched it exclaimed, "It doesn't look like it's made of paper, but it's not cast in brass either."
"Isn't that obvious? Can one person really lift a horse made of brass?" someone mocked.
At this moment, Meng's father walked to the second floor of the painted boat and said loudly, "Everyone, the boat will depart in about half an hour. Please go to the Lumen Ferry first. The ownership of these five paper horses will be revealed in an hour."
"Hurry up, hurry up, let's grab a good spot!" Meng Qing shouted from the crowd.
Upon hearing this, the crowded people quickly dispersed, some walking, some taking boats, all heading towards the Lumen Ferry. Even the onlookers who had initially just joined in the fun became eager to try their luck after seeing the paper horses.
After a cup of tea, only a hundred or so people remained on both sides of the riverbank.
"Cong'an, you really came?" Wang Bushang saw Dr. Xu after the crowd dispersed.
Dr. Xu nodded. "You go up first, I'll wait for someone."
Meng Qing walked over carrying the child. "Dr. Xu, look up to the second floor."
Butler Chen stood on the second floor, and Dr. Xu lifted his robe to board the ship, asking, "When did you arrive, sir?"
"When he encountered Master Chen's boat on the road, he boarded it first," Meng Qing said.
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