Meng Fangxun, who always saw himself in a teacherly role, didn't realize he was actually several years younger than Duan Youyan.
"Senior Brother Meng, I'll go too!" Upon hearing this, Xu Huaqian had an idea. "I brought charcoal for him. Since he didn't come, I'll have to deliver it to his door."
He couldn't find the addresses to deliver to each family individually. Except for Zhang Bingwen's, which was in Taoli Village, he had brought the other three cartloads to Meng Fangxun's place.
Since Duan Youyan didn't come, he would have to deliver it personally.
Earlier, Chen Liejiu had been worrying about how and to whom to sell the white charcoal. Now, the opportunity had arrived!
Nothing was better than selling charcoal to a county magistrate. If the magistrate used it and approved, wouldn't everyone else in the county say it was good?!
Thinking this, Xu Huaqian considered having Chen Liejiu also send a cartload of white charcoal to the magistrate of their own Mishan County. If they secured the magistrates of two counties, what about the others...
Xu Huaqian suddenly remembered that Qinglian Academy was formed by students from five surrounding counties.
The students at the academy came from well-off families. There should be wealthy families like Pei Wangshu's.
When the academy reopened, he could return and promote it there. It should sell well?
Speaking of the charcoal, Pei Wangshu was curious: "Others give gifts like presents. Why is your family different, giving us a cartload of charcoal?"
It wasn't that Pei Wangshu looked down on charcoal. His family's shop ordered plenty every year to prevent customers from getting cold when they came to view goods in winter, so their backyard was always piled with black charcoal. He wasn't particularly interested in the unappealing stuff.
"Ah—" Chen Liejiu picked up some food with his chopsticks and fed it to Xu Huaqian's lips.
"My charcoal is different!" Xu Huaqian opened his mouth to accept the food from Chen Liejiu and told them. Hehe, being blind had its perks—every meal was hand-fed by his husband!
Seeing his smug look, basking in his husband's care, the other three unmarried men at the table shuddered at their sickening sweetness.
What was going on?!
In the prefectural city, they were quite normal. How did returning home and passing the Xiucai exam change their atmosphere so drastically?
They didn't understand—the dynamic between people who had been intimate was naturally different from those who hadn't.
They quickly averted their eyes from the clingy pair: "How is it different?!"
"My charcoal doesn't produce smoke, has no smell, and doesn't choke people!" Xu Huaqian listed the advantages of white charcoal.
"Impossible." Pei Wangshu shook his head. His family's shop used the most charcoal, so he had the most authority. "There's no such thing as smokeless charcoal!"
His shop bought plenty of charcoal every year, all kinds—better lump charcoal, worse broken charcoal. No matter what, it all had a choking coal smell.
"A-Jiu, light a brazier for them." Seeing his disbelief, Xu Huaqian didn't argue. He had Chen Liejiu demonstrate. Seeing is believing.
Xu Huaqian hadn't yet told Chen Liejiu about his idea to sell charcoal to classmates. Just now, sitting at the table, Chen Liejiu had thought: Could he sell charcoal to the academy?
Wouldn't students freeze during winter classes? They should use their charcoal!
Wouldn't teachers get cold sitting and grading assignments? They should use their charcoal!
After using their good charcoal, wouldn't they find black charcoal unacceptable at home? They should buy some of their charcoal!
Chen Liejiu had calculated: one cartload of black charcoal could last an ordinary family a whole winter, even with frugal use. One cartload of white charcoal would last even longer.
He could sell it in bundles—one cartload for two or three households. As long as it sold.
So when Xu Huaqian asked him to light the charcoal, he was exceptionally eager. He had the white charcoal lit in no time.
These Xiucai were already set apart from ordinary commoners, so Mother Meng had arranged a separate room for them to prevent other guests from disturbing them.
It was late September, and the weather was gradually cooling, though not severely yet. As soon as Chen Liejiu brought in the brazier, everyone in the room immediately felt the difference.
"It got hot so quickly?"
Regular black charcoal took a while to feel warm, but the charcoal Xu Huaqian brought heated the room rapidly.
Reaching hands over the brazier to test the temperature, it was noticeably hotter than black charcoal. And truly, as Xu Huaqian said, it had no smell, produced no smoke, and didn't choke.
"This charcoal is excellent!" Pei Wangshu, after just experiencing it, wanted to buy some. "Can I buy some?"
If nothing else, bringing this charcoal back for his mother to use while checking accounts would spare her the smoke of black charcoal.
"Did you forget? I'm supposed to give you a cartload!" Xu Huaqian looked at him strangely.
"Oh, right, right!" Pei Wangshu remembered. Earlier he looked down on it, now he was worried it wouldn't be enough. "Do you have more? I'd like to buy more after I use up my cartload."
"Ten taels per cartload." Xu Huaqian tugged on Chen Liejiu. "The business belongs to my husband. You can find Chen Liejiu directly in Xinghua Village, Mishan County."
Chen Liejiu smiled at him: "Pleased to meet you."
He was always pleasant and cheerful with potential business—doing business was different from collecting debts.
Collecting debts required fierceness and intimidation; doing business required amiability and making a good impression.
Facing Chen Liejiu's smile, Pei Wangshu felt awkward. He had told others he wanted to marry into Chen Liejiu's family.
Now, seeing the couple, he felt extremely awkward. But to avoid letting Xu Huaqian detect his once sordid thoughts, he coughed and replied, "Pleased to meet you."
"Your voice sounds off!" Xu Huaqian, more sensitive since losing his sight, frowned at Pei Wangshu's obviously strained cough and turned toward him. "You don't have some ideas about my husband, do you?!"
Pei Wangshu choked. He had had some, didn't that count?
"Believe me, I'll thrash you!" When he didn't answer immediately, Xu Huaqian understood. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of pale wrist. "A kid like you, not studying properly, how old are you, thinking about husbands, and other people's husbands at that!"
His words made everyone at the table look at him. Didn't he also seem young? He was only a year older than Pei Wangshu!
"I don't!" Pei Wangshu protested. "I just meant I also want to find a husband with a personality like your husband's!"
"You still deny it!" Xu Huaqian stood up and grabbed Pei Wangshu's hair. "You thought about it!"
"Did you hear the wrong emphasis?!" Pei Wangshu was only sixteen, shorter than Xu Huaqian, and easily had his hair grabbed, feeling utterly wronged.
"No!" Xu Huaqian's temper flared. He could tolerate other things, but Chen Liejiu was his bottom line.
Chen Liejiu also didn't expect that besides Xu Huaqian, someone else would like his personality. He thought Xu Huaqian was the only one with good taste.
He didn't stop their roughhousing. It was normal for his young husband to have a temper. But he still comforted his man: "A-Qian, no matter what, my eyes are only on you."
Implied meaning: Pei Wangshu, don't even think about it; his heart belonged only to Xu Huaqian.
Pei Wangshu not only lost completely to Xu Huaqian but was also forced to endure a display of affection.
Meng Fangxun and Zhang Bingwen didn't stop the fight either. Served Pei Wangshu right for daring to joke about a friend's spouse!
After finishing the banquet at Meng Fangxun's house, Meng Fangxun, seeing Xu Huaqian had to haul a cartload of charcoal back, suggested: "My place is closer to Pingxi County. Why don't we go find Duan Youyan now?"
"Let's see what's really going on with him." Honestly, with Duan Youyan absent today, the four of them felt like something was missing.
"Good." Xu Huaqian didn't want to trouble back and forth. Especially since he was blind, resolving things quickly and returning home to rest was better.
Coincidentally, Pei Wangshu and Zhang Bingwen had nothing to do, so the group went together to Pingxi County.
Xu Huaqian had only been to Mishan County and the prefectural city. He hadn't visited other counties. Entering Pingxi County, he quickly noticed the difference.
Pingxi County's town was livelier than Mishan County's, with many street vendors. It seemed the Magistrate of Pingxi County was better at governing than the Magistrate of Mishan County.
They were there to visit, not on official business, so they didn't go to the front gate but went to the back door. Finding the guard there, Meng Fangxun presented his top candidate visiting card: "We are classmates of your master's son-in-law. We're here to ask him something. Could you please relay this?"
Afraid the servant might refuse, Xu Huaqian also offered him a coin.
But the servant didn't accept it. He took Meng Fangxun's card, said respectfully, "Wait a moment," and went inside.
Seeing that they weren't being given a hard time, the group breathed a sigh of relief. They had been afraid that Duan Youyan might have no rights at all in the magistrate's residence and that they would be turned away if they came!
In the rear quarters of the magistrate's residence.
Sheng Yunjin looked at the untouched food the maid brought back and asked disappointedly: "Still refuses to eat?"
"Refuses." The maid nodded.
"Then I'll make some soup." Sheng Yunjin thought for a moment, turned around, took another slaughtered old hen, brought out an earthenware pot, and prepared to make more soup.
"Young Master, please don't." The maid couldn't bear it. "Even if you make it, the master won't eat it."
"If he doesn't eat, he'll ruin his health." Sheng Yunjin stubbornly refused to listen. "I'll make some soup. When he's thirsty, he can drink a bit to warm his stomach."
The maid wanted to say more but stopped herself. The master didn't want soup either. He didn't even want water; he seemed to want to ascend to heaven.
Clearly, Sheng Yunjin also realized this. As he turned to put medicinal herbs into the hen, tears fell uncontrollably.