Chen Peizhi was extremely surprised. Even without turning around, he could recognize the voice. He turned around, furrowing his brows as he stared at the person. “Liu Chengyin, are you going to oppose me just for him?”
He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them.
“Have you thought this through?”
Liu Chengyin pushed aside the two young men standing at the outermost edge and looked into Liu Yimian’s eyes, which reflected a trace of tenderness. When he turned to face Chen Peizhi, his expression darkened. “Peizhi, I consider you a friend, but how can you treat my brother like this? You know full well he’s my second brother!”
“So what?” Chen Peizhi sneered. “Your brother has caused trouble at the academy, and he should be kicked out, shouldn’t he?” Yang Ming glared viciously at Liu Yimian, suddenly grabbing his arm and dragging him out, forcefully throwing him. Liu Yimian staggered and fell into Liu Chengyin’s arms, where Liu Chengyin caught him.
“Are you alright?” Liu Chengyin asked gently, his voice soft, as though afraid of scaring him.
Such care from an older brother was something Liu Yimian hadn’t seen in years.
Like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline, he tightly grasped Liu Chengyin’s arm, shaking his head forcefully. “Big Brother, they, they…”
Liu Chengyin shielded him, placing a hand on his back. “Don’t be afraid. As long as I’m here, they can’t hurt you.”
Chen Peizhi’s face darkened with a hint of malice. “I’m taking him to see the headmaster today! As long as this guy is in the academy, I’ll never feel at peace. I’ll protest, we’ll all protest! And he openly flirted with someone at the academy—does he think he’s special? Is the headmaster going to let us behave like this? This needs to be cleared up!”
“Such disgrace, bringing shame to the academy!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“So what?” Liu Chengyin’s tone was calm. “He didn’t show it on purpose. It was an accident. If you want to go complain to the headmaster, go ahead. But I have a clear conscience.” He gently squeezed Liu Yimian’s sweating hand, trying to comfort him.
“This matter won’t be so easily forgotten. I’m giving you face! But your good brother should start thinking about how to explain himself to the headmaster!” Chen Peizhi scoffed, shaking his sleeve and leaving with his group.
Once they had gone far enough, Liu Chengyin turned and placed a hand on Liu Yimian’s shoulder. He asked him what had happened. After hearing the details, he sighed deeply. “Fortunately, I still have some rapport with Peizhi. Otherwise, who knows how this would have ended? Since he said he’ll go to the headmaster, he will. Let’s just hope the headmaster understands and doesn’t expel you. I’ll go speak to him and put in a good word for you.”
“Big Brother, I’ll go too!” Liu Yimian said firmly.
“No, you stay here. I’ll go first and test the waters. If the headmaster gets angry with you, then you can go and apologize sincerely. If he’s reasonable, you won’t need to go—this will resolve itself.” Liu Chengyin patted Liu Yimian’s shoulder to reassure him.
“Alright, thank you, Big Brother.” Liu Yimian walked beside Liu Chengyin, feeling down. He didn’t understand why Chen Peizhi and the others hated him so much for studying at the academy. He hadn’t interacted with them, nor spoken to them, yet they would always approach him and say cruel things.
As he was lost in thought, the words Ji Wei had said to him the day before suddenly flashed in his mind, like a lightning bolt cutting through the darkness. Liu Yimian instantly snapped back to reality and steeled himself.
He clenched his fists. “I won’t let them get away with this!”
Liu Chengyin was surprised but didn’t say anything.
“Now can I invite you to my room for a bit, Big Brother?” Liu Chengyin teased.
“Ah, of course. Please, Big Brother.” Liu Yimian led him inside and poured him a cup of water. “This is all I have in my room. Please forgive me.”
Liu Chengyin took a sip of water and looked at Liu Yimian gently. “It seems you have everything you need here, which means that Ji must be treating you well. A few days ago, when I spoke to Father about this, he was quite pleased. He said you’re all set for the future.”
Liu Yimian, however, didn’t show the joy Liu Chengyin expected. Instead, he responded indifferently, lowering his head and fiddling with his fingers. “Thank you for your concern.”
“He cares for you. He even came from Changliu Town to see you.” Liu Chengyin observed Liu Yimian, trying to gauge his reaction.
“Brother Ji came to deliver books for me. A scholar sent me a set, and he just stopped by to check on me.” Liu Yimian smiled as he took the small box of books and opened one. The writing was fine and neat, showing great skill.
Liu Chengyin was stunned. “You know scholars?”
“I was fortunate enough to receive some guidance from Scholar Zhang. He’s a great person, very open with his knowledge. Even when I came to the county academy, it was thanks to him writing a letter of recommendation to the headmaster that I was able to come.” Liu Yimian’s face showed gratitude.
“That’s great.” Liu Chengyin sighed. “I envy you. Even when I came to the county academy…” He suddenly stopped, and a dejected look appeared on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t even know if I can stay here for six months.”
The academy charges tuition every six months, and the fee is one or two silver coins, which ordinary families might not be able to afford.
Liu Yimian suddenly became curious. “Big Brother, did Second Mother give you silver to study here?”
“How could she?” Liu Chengyin smiled bitterly. “On the way to take the exams, I saved every coin. I stayed in a shabby temple when I could, eating steamed buns and drinking water. I saved half a tael of silver. After our youngest sister married into a wealthy family, the Second Mother had some money, and she was more generous. I told her I needed money to buy books and supplies, and after a lot of questioning, she gave me a little silver. With what I had saved before, I managed to scrape together one or two taels. I should be fine for the next half-year.”
“Is that so?” Liu Yimian was a little surprised. He had always thought that You Guizhi treated Liu Chengyin much better than she treated him. He thought their relationship was quite good, but it turned out she was also worried about him.
“Yes. Why would I lie to you?” Liu Chengyin shook his head, then took out two steamed buns wrapped in cloth from his bag. “This is what I had for lunch on the road. Luckily, it only costs one coin for two buns, and they’re filling and cheap.”
When Liu Chengyin was at home, he had never experienced this kind of hardship. Plus, he had just helped Liu Yimian when he was being harassed by a few people. Liu Yimian felt a pang of sympathy and sadness. He took out some pastries he had saved and shared them with Liu Chengyin.
Liu Chengyin took a bite of the white mooncake and suddenly held his head, exclaiming, “I just remembered something I need to do. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Big Brother, aren’t you going to sit for a while?” Liu Yimian asked nervously, standing up.
“No, I’ve already made plans with someone, and I can’t go back on my word. Anyway, we’re both studying at the academy. If you need anything, just come find me,” Liu Chengyin replied, gently patting Liu Yimian’s head. After speaking, he grabbed his small bag, waved, and walked away.
It wasn’t until he had left that Liu Yimian let out a sigh of relief.
This time, Big Brother hadn’t brought up the issue of money again. Just as Ji Wei had said, if someone who wasn’t close suddenly started acting friendly, they had other intentions.
Big Brother truly did care about him, and it seemed he had only been influenced by You Guizhi before.
Liu Yimian felt a bit of joy stir in his heart.
After leaving the school building, Liu Chengyin made his way toward the lecture hall.
At this time, no classes were yet in session, and many of the lecture halls were empty, with only a few students reading inside. He pushed open a half-closed door and walked into one. Sure enough, in the corner, he saw the six people from earlier.
“I thought you wouldn’t come,” Yang Ming waved at him. When Liu Chengyin got closer, Yang Ming slapped him hard on the shoulder, causing the somewhat slender Liu Chengyin to stumble and nearly fall into Chen Peizhi.
“Watch where you’re going, don’t knock into me,” Chen Peizhi said with some disdain. “If it weren’t for us being friends, I wouldn’t do this. I, Chen Peizhi, am a proper man.”
Liu Chengyin smiled. “Yeah, Peizhi is a modest gentleman, always righteous. If it weren’t for you helping me, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“So, what’s the situation? Did it work out?” Chen Peizhi asked, rubbing his hands, clearly excited.
The others gathered around, curious.
“Not yet. I’m not sure what happened, but my second brother used to be foolish and obedient. Now, he’s become so wary. The moment money is mentioned, his attitude changes. I can’t provoke him anymore, so I’ll have to take it slow,” Liu Chengyin said, remembering the wary look on Liu Yimian’s face, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“That’s obvious, he must’ve been corrupted by his man. As the saying goes, ‘marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.’ He’s been in the relationship for about a year now, right?” Chen Peizhi sneered.
“Well said,” Liu Chengyin nodded slightly.
“As for the headmaster, it’s naturally not an option, but please cooperate with me, Peizhi. Just pretend we’ve already gone,” Liu Chengyin said.
“Sure, as long as you get the money, just take me to the Taohong Pavilion once,” Chen Peizhi said, shaking his head, clearly enjoying himself.
Meanwhile, Ji Wei was riding his donkey back to Changliu Town. When passing West Street, he turned into Wen Xuan’s house.
This bookworm was easy to find, always holed up at home, rarely going out. If you went to his house, you could catch him for sure.
Sure enough, when Ji Wei knocked on the door, someone came right away to open it.
“Mr. Ji, you’re here!” Wen Xuan greeted excitedly.
Every time Ji Wei visited, he would bring a substantial sum of money, especially since he was preparing to return to the academy. Naturally, the more savings, the better.
“Do you have any paintings for me to do? Or is there something you need me to run an errand for?” Wen Xuan asked, following Ji Wei inside and counting on his fingers. He now had over two taels of savings. After deducting the tuition and the six-month accommodation fees for the academy, he still had a bit left, enough to last until the end of next year.
“Neither.”
“Huh?”
Wen Xuan was a bit stunned.
“I came to ask when you’ll be returning to the academy,” Ji Wei casually sat down on a stool, as relaxed as if he were at home.
“I plan to tidy up the house first, buy some books and writing materials, and then head back to the academy. The latest will be at the beginning of next month, so within ten days,” Wen Xuan replied.
“Are you planning to stay in the dormitory?”
“Yes. Daxi Town is so far away, and staying outside isn’t cheap. But Baoshan did say that if I’m short on money, I can stay at his place. But he has a younger sister, so I don’t want to trouble them,” Wen Xuan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“That’s not bad, having more people to look out for you is a good thing,” Ji Wei mumbled, Wen Xuan didn’t catch it, so he asked for clarification.
“Since you’re planning to go soon, I think you should head there earlier. If you’re still short on money, I can help you with it. How much do you still need?” Ji Wei took out his money pouch from his belt, but Wen Xuan stopped him.
“How can I take your money? You’ve already been so kind to me. As for the money for school, I’ve saved enough already.” Wen Xuan said gratefully, choking up a bit, and bowed to Ji Wei.
If it weren’t for Ji Wei’s help, with his previous earnings from painting, even getting enough to eat would have been a struggle. There was no way he could return to the academy, let alone stay in the dormitory.
“You know, my younger brother Liu… he went to the academy recently too,” Ji Wei suddenly said.
“Of course! Young Master Liu is very intelligent, and Wen Xuan admires him greatly!” Wen Xuan replied. It was quite remarkable that an ordinary young man not only knew how to read but could also attend the county academy and study just like any other man. This was a rare accomplishment. If Ji Wei didn’t know that Wen Xuan was an honest and humble scholar, he might have thought Wen Xuan was being sarcastic.
“If you want to thank me, just look out for him more at the academy. If anyone bullies him, help him out a bit.” Ji Wei’s last words made both Wen Xuan and himself smile.
“It seems like I’m asking too much of you. With Baoshan, Lin Tai, and the others around, he shouldn’t be bullied anymore,” Ji Wei added with a chuckle.
Seeing Ji Wei’s concerned expression, Wen Xuan immediately corrected himself, “Then I’ll leave the day after tomorrow. I’ll buy whatever is needed once I’m there. As for what you’ve mentioned, even if you didn’t ask, I would still help!”
“Then thank you,” Ji Wei said, cupping his hands in gratitude and giving a slight bow.
Since Ji Wei was going to cooperate with Old Master Zhang, allowing him to select the workers, the scope of production was no longer limited to just the small shops on North Street but would expand to nearby towns as well.
The goods would then be sold through Zhang’s stores and channels, with profits being divided.
This meant that the courtyard behind the North Street shop and the remaining skilled workers would no longer be enough.
Unfortunately, they were still in an agricultural society where no machinery existed to reduce labor, and every step of production had to be done by hand, which naturally drove up costs. Based on future production volume, they would need to hire at least double the number of workers to meet the demands of supplying 3 to 5 more stores.
Finding workers wasn’t easy, but luckily, after Ji Wei and Old Master Zhang reached a verbal agreement, Zhang began sending people out to recruit.
After three days, they found twenty strong young men and brought them to the “Wei Jue” shop on North Street.
The shop was small, and with so many new people, it quickly felt cramped.
After some thought, Ji Wei decided to mix the skilled workers with the newcomers and divided them into three groups.
One group was the raw material production team, responsible for making cheese, butter, cream, gelatin, and other products from milk. Another group followed Ji Wei in the production process, blending the ingredients in specific ratios. The third group handled the ovens, adjusting the temperature and baking time.
Before, when Ji Wei was the only one handling the baking, it was manageable since he was only supplying one shop. But now, with high-end cake orders and the regular pastries needed for the shop, he couldn’t keep up alone. To ease the burden, he chose two people to take over the baking tasks.
The three groups, except for the raw materials team, stayed in the shop’s attached courtyard under Ji Wei’s supervision. The raw materials team was sent to Ji Wei’s house in the west alley, where Zhao Hu would oversee them.
Every evening, once the raw materials were processed, they were sent to the shop for baking. At the end of the day, Ji Wei would measure out the ingredients for the next day to ensure smooth operations.
This system not only created an organized production line but also helped break down the process into smaller tasks, making it difficult for short-term workers to steal the recipes.
For Chinese pastries, it might still be possible for someone to learn by watching, but Ji Wei wasn’t worried about Western pastries.
Baking was a delicate task, and without the correct recipe, especially in this era when Western pastries had never existed, it was extremely difficult to produce successful results.
For instance, different pastries require different baking temperatures, times, and desired colors. Bread and cookies required specific ratios of ingredients. Even with similar materials, making various types of desserts was a challenge.
Without someone to teach systematically, even gathering a group of people wouldn’t help replicate the process.
After three days of hiring workers and two days of training, by the sixth day of cooperating with the Zhang family, a group of people began arriving at the North Street shop, carrying supplies. They poured in continuously, surprising the customers who had been waiting in line to buy goods.
“Wow, where did all these people come from so suddenly?”
“Which family is this generous?”
“Do you smell that? I think I detect a faint scent of milk.”
Ji Wei stood with his hands behind his back, instructing two men on how to knead the dough to form a perfect glove membrane.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1