65: Exam Information

"This money needs to cover all our food and expenses in town, pay the tuition for the County School, and buy ink, brushes, and paper. Forty taels sounds like a lot, but if we really start spending, it won't last more than a few months," Su Ming's voice was calm.

"Disciple, that spendthrift is your negative example," Lin Yu activated the teaching mode in Su Ming's mind. "Remember, at any time, cash flow is the fundamental guarantee for 'hiding' and surviving. Money isn't everything, but having no money is definitely impossible. Your father is right, this money is scorching hot, so we must spend it on the most critical needs. Every single copper coin must serve our ultimate goal—'to survive safely'."

"Also, I'm warning you again," Lin Yu's tone became serious. "We are new here, our Foundation is unstable, and our strength is weak. Do not go to any place that might trigger uncontrollable risks! Do not touch anything that looks like an Opportunity! That ruined temple last time was a warning. Before you can punch a cow to death, behave honestly like an ordinary scholar. Understand?"

"Disciple understands," Su Ming responded internally.

He looked up at Zhao Rui and said seriously, "Starting tomorrow, our daily expenses, including the room fee, cannot exceed fifty copper coins."

"What?" Zhao Rui jumped up. "Fifty copper coins? Deduct thirty copper coins for the room, and we're left with twenty? What can that buy? It's not even enough for two meat buns! I refuse!"

"Then you figure it out yourself." After Su Ming finished speaking, he ignored him, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closed his eyes.

He needed to seize every moment to Cultivate the Breath Concealment Art.

Zhao Rui looked at Su Ming, who was completely unyielding, and was so angry his teeth ached, yet he was helpless. He couldn't really run off alone. In the end, he could only lie down resentfully and pull the quilt over his head.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Su Ming opened his eyes.

He nudged Zhao Rui, who was still muttering in his sleep.

"Get up, we're going out."

"Why so early..." Zhao Rui was sleepy-eyed and looked utterly unwilling.

"To buy books."

A quarter of an hour later, the two appeared beneath a towering ancient scholar tree at the West City Corner.

The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, but the book stall was already set up. Squatting beside the straw mat, organizing the books, was that same slender figure.

"Xu Qing," Su Ming walked over and greeted him.

Xu Qing looked up, and upon seeing Su Ming, a gentle smile appeared in his calm eyes.

"Here to deliver paper?" Xu Qing had known it was Su Ming who delivered the paper the first time they sold it to his father. Su Ming had come to town three times when they were first opening up the market, and one of those times, Xu Qing was watching the stall.

Immediately, his gaze fell upon Zhao Rui, who was standing behind Su Ming. Zhao Rui was dressed in a brand-new fine cotton gown; although he tried hard to appear humble, the pickiness and impatience in his eyes were impossible to hide.

The smile on Xu Qing's face faded. He simply gave Zhao Rui a polite nod and looked away.

"I'm here to buy a few books to prepare for the County School assessment." Su Ming naturally squatted down, his eyes searching through the piles of books.

Zhao Rui stood beside him, bored and looking around, completely uninterested in these yellowing old books.

"The County School assessment starts in a month," Xu Qing said quietly while helping Su Ming search for books. "Many scholars in town are very nervous, and the price of Current Affairs Commentary from the Literary Treasure Studio has gone up again." Xu Qing instantly understood why Su Ming was here.

"I don't need that." Su Ming shook his head, picking out a book explaining basic policy writing, Elementary Strategy Treatise.

He paid for the book, then asked casually, "Has the price of paper in town also gone up recently?"

Xu Qing paused in his movements and sighed, "Yes. I heard there was a great flood in the south, and the shipping route for paper was cut off. Now, better quality Xuan paper is nearly as expensive as meat. My cost for copying books has increased significantly, and life is getting harder."

As he spoke, he glanced at the ink stains on his fingertips, his eyes looking a little dim.

The Opportunity had arrived.

Su Ming lowered his voice and leaned closer: "Brother Xu, what if... I have a type of paper whose quality is better than the previous straw paper, would you be interested?" Before Su Ming left home, he had told his second brother, Su Yang, to appropriately improve the quality of the paper. This was twofold: first, to stabilize the people's morale and prevent excessive resentment among the villagers from causing unnecessary trouble; and second, to gain some influence in the Su Family Village. Lin Yu had complained greatly about this, fearing that Su Yang would use all the Secret Manuals Su Ming gave him and produce paper that could bring disaster to the entire Su Family Village. Because of this, he made Su Ming ensure that the paper Su Yang produced wasn't too good, and he didn't stop until Su Ming repeatedly warned Su Yang of the potential dangers.

Xu Qing suddenly looked up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Is that true?"

For a family that made a living by copying books, paper was their lifeblood. Cheap and high-quality paper meant higher profits and stronger competitiveness. The paper from Su Family Village was already much better than the common straw paper on the market; if the quality improved further, it could rival inexpensive Xuan paper.

"I can't promise yet," Su Ming said cautiously. "We are still experimenting. If we succeed, I will bring it to you first."

"Good!" Xu Qing nodded heavily, a rare flicker of excitement on his face. "Su Ming, if you can really pull this off, I, Xu Qing, will owe you a great favor!"

Zhao Rui impatiently urged from the side, "Hey, are you done talking? It's just a few sheets of broken paper, why are you being so mysterious? Hurry up, I'm hungry!"

Xu Qing's face instantly turned cold.

He ignored Zhao Rui, looked at Su Ming, and quickly said in a lower voice, "For the County School assessment, the first round is memorizing classics, which relies purely on hard work. The second round, the policy essay, is the most crucial. The chief examiner is Professor Liu of the County School. He values practicality the most and detests empty talk. I'm giving you this gazetteer of qingzhou county; read up on agriculture, water conservancy, and taxation inside."

"Thank you, Brother Xu!" Su Ming bowed solemnly.

He knew how much crucial intelligence his second brother's newly manufactured paper had bought them in the future.

"Brilliant! Disciple, did you see that?" Lin Yu praised him in his mind. "This is called 'information arbitrage'! That silly kid is still thinking about where to eat breakfast, and you've already secured the first stepping stone to the County School. This Xu Qing is someone worth befriending!"

Su Ming pulled the still-complaining Zhao Rui and turned to leave.

Xu Qing watched his retreating figure, his expression complex. He picked up a piece of linen cloth and continued wiping the book covers, but his mind had already drifted far away.

Su Ming... what kind of person was he exactly?

He wasn't like those scholars who only read the Sages' Teachings, nor was he like those opportunists scrambling for fame. He possessed a composure and pragmatism that far exceeded his age.

Perhaps he really could create that kind of paper.