96: The braised pork belly got cold.

Leaving the Zhou Residence, the autumn wind blew, and Su Ming only then felt a chill on his back.

That conversation with his teacher seemed calm, but it was actually extremely perilous, draining as much mental energy as finishing an essay in the examination hall.

"How was it, my disciple? Was my move of advancing by retreating effective?" Lin Yu's voice, filled with amusement, echoed in his mind.

"Master is truly brilliant," Su Ming said sincerely. Recalling Zhou Wenhai's final earnest exhortation, a heavy stone in his heart finally landed. With his teacher's full support, he was no longer alone on his journey to the capital.

"However, the matters in your hometown are not over yet." Lin Yu changed the subject, with a hint of watching a show. "That Village Head Zhao in the village is not a simple character. Now that you have leaped over the Dragon Gate like a carp, in his eyes, you are both an auspicious omen and a variable. Just think about that papermaking workshop."

Su Ming's gaze narrowed. His Master was right to remind him. Village Head Zhao regarded the workshop as his own private domain. His return after becoming a Successful Provincial Candidate was likely not seen as an honor in the Village Head's eyes, but as a threat that might come to snatch away profits.

The sunset's afterglow, like a warm orange silk, blanketed the entire Su Family Village.

Cooking smoke rose in wisps from the roofs of every house, mixed with the fragrance of soil and vegetation, permeating the evening breeze.

Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village stood several figures, their shadows stretched extremely long.

There were no noisy gongs and drums, no eye-catching red silk; there was only his mother, Chen, standing on tiptoe again and again, stretching her neck to look toward the end of the road.

His father, Su Shan, squatted under the tree, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe, smoke curling around him, making his expression unclear.

His eldest brother, Su Feng, and second brother, Su Yang, stood side by side, their gazes also locked on the end of the path, like two silent statues of husbands waiting for their wives.

When a small, green figure finally appeared at the corner of the road, Chen recognized him almost instantly.

She rushed over with a speed that belied her age.

There was no crying, nor any questioning.

She grabbed Su Ming's arm, her bloodshot eyes scanning his Face and body repeatedly, as if checking if he was missing any flesh.

"It's good that you're back..."

She repeated these four words over and over, her voice hoarse, her eyes instantly turning red.

"It's good that you're back..."

Su Shan walked over, his large, rough palm patting Su Ming's shoulder heavily twice.

The force was heavy, carrying the strength of mountain rocks.

He stared at his son's Face, which had become much thinner, his lips moving, but in the end, only two words squeezed out from his throat.

"You've lost weight."

Su Feng smiled honestly and stepped forward, silently taking the simple luggage bundle from Su Ming's hand.

Su Yang strode forward, opened his arms, and gave Su Ming a solid bear hug, squeezing him hard.

"Let's go, let's go home!" He grinned, laughing like a child. "Mom made your favorite braised pork!"

Warmth, like the evening cooking smoke, tightly wrapped around Su Ming.

This simple, unadorned warmth washed away all the clamor and calculations of the prefectural city, allowing his tightly strung nerves to finally relax.

This was his Foundation.

Lin Yu's soul body stretched in the ring.

"Tsk, this smell of mortal life is still the most comfortable. What kind of delicacies from the Luming Banquet can compare to this bowl of braised pork? Disciple, remember, this is your anchor, so that when you are drifting outside, you won't forget who you are."

The Family had just stepped into the familiar courtyard gate, and the bowls and chopsticks had not yet been set on the table.

A hearty, somewhat jarring laughter came from outside the door without warning.

"Hahaha! I was wondering who had returned! So it is our Su Family Village's Literary Star, the Successful Provincial Candidate Su, returning home in glory! Bringing honor to the ancestors, bringing honor to the ancestors!"

Before the words faded, the beaming Face of Village Head Zhao appeared at the door.

Behind him followed three elders of the village, each wearing decent clothes, with standardized smiles on their Faces.

This formation seemed as if they had timed it perfectly, specially waiting here.

The smile on Chen's Face stiffened for a moment, while Su Shan silently straightened his body and tucked his tobacco pipe back into his waist.

"Uncle Zhao, uncles." Su Ming stepped forward, bowing with neither arrogance nor servility.

"Oh, no, no!" Village Head Zhao waved his hands hurriedly, his Face smiling like a blossoming chrysanthemum. "You are a Successful Provincial Candidate now; we mud-legged folks cannot bear your salutations!"

Although he spoke polite words, his eyes were darting around on Su Ming.

"Successful Provincial Candidate Su, this time you have truly won great Face for our Su Family Village and our Qingshi Town!"

He patted Su Ming's shoulder heavily, then changed the subject.

"Although... hmm, in terms of ranking, there is a tiny bit of regret. But it doesn't matter! A Successful Provincial Candidate is a Successful Provincial Candidate; that is still a Literary Star fallen from the sky, extraordinary!"

His words were clever; he first lifted him up high, then let him down gently, showing intimacy while also pointing out the gap between the "73rd place" and the "yuan of the second rank."

Su Ming just smiled and did not respond.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Village Head Zhao led everyone into the main hall and sat down next to the main seat on his own.

He picked up the bowl of coarse tea that Su Yang had just poured, blew away the foam, swept his gaze over the Su Family's obviously renovated mud houses, and finally landed back on Su Ming.

"Su Ming, you have now leaped over the Dragon Gate like a carp, and it looks like you are about to have a bright future and go to the capital to be a big official."

He took a sip of tea and said slowly.

"This little papermaking workshop in our village, I suppose a big shot like you wouldn't even look at it."

He deliberately dragged out his tone, his eyes becoming meaningful.

"Don't worry! You just go ahead and take your metropolitan examination with peace of mind. As for this matter at home, Uncle and these elders will watch over it firmly for you, and for all of us in the village! This is the rice bowl for over a hundred people in our village, old and young!"

He emphasized the words "entire village" heavily.

These words, like invisible ropes, attempted to completely isolate Su Ming from the workshop in the name of "the greater good of the entire village."

Here it comes, the old fox's tea-art performance has begun. First, he flatters you, then cries about poverty and sells misery, and finally, wraps it all in the banner of morality to stuff the control of the workshop into his own pocket. What a smooth combination of moves.

Lin Yu mocked: "The map is revealed and the dagger is exposed! If you, my disciple, completely fall out with Village Head Zhao over a workshop, it will make life difficult for your parents and brothers in the village. It's not worth the loss."

"I understand, Master." Su Ming replied.

Village Head Zhao seemed to think the heat was not enough, so he put down the tea bowl and showed an extremely earnest and caring expression on his Face.

"In the future, you just rest assured in the capital and rise step by step. In case... I mean in case," he paused, his tone appearing exceptionally thoughtful, "things in the officialdom are hard to say. In case one day things don't go well, you miss home, and want to come back..."

He pointed to the direction of the workshop outside.

"In our workshop, there will always be a position for you as a manager! Uncle will keep it for you!"

This sounded like offering help in times of need, but in reality, it was pulling the firewood from under the cauldron.

He was telling Su Ming: Your retreat is now under my control.

The expressions of the Su Family members changed slightly.

Chen's lips moved, wanting to say something, but she was stopped by a look from Su Shan.

Su Ming's Face still wore that humble smile.

He stood up, personally picked up the coarse pottery teapot on the table, walked to Village Head Zhao, and refilled his tea.

The boiling hot tea poured into the bowl, rising in wisps of steam.

"Uncle Zhao, you are being too serious."

His voice was very calm, like the surface of the ancient well in the courtyard.

"That this Junior could luckily become a Successful Provincial Candidate is entirely due to my teacher's guidance and the support of the fellow villagers. This 'Literary Star' title is something I cannot dare to accept."

He pushed the tea bowl to Village Head Zhao, putting his attitude very low.

"As for the workshop," he changed the subject, his gaze meeting Village Head Zhao's frankly, "just as you said, Uncle, this is the Foundation of our Su Family Village, it is the rice bowl of the entire village."

He smiled slightly and said a sentence that made Village Head Zhao's eyelids twitch.

"My meager fame was gained through studying. In the future, my focus will only be on the examination hall and in books. I will be single-minded and will never dare to abandon the great public interest of the entire village for my own private gain."

He bowed long and deep to Village Head Zhao and the three elders again.

"In the future, all matters of the workshop shall be decided by you, Uncle, and the uncles. I am young and have shallow knowledge, so I dare not speak recklessly and will have absolutely no objections."

These words were like a reassurance pill, hitting Village Head Zhao's heart exactly.

He had clearly, in front of everyone, given up any management rights and say over the workshop.

The biggest stone in Village Head Zhao's heart finally landed.

The smile on his Face became much more sincere instantly.

He was about to say a few polite words, but he saw Su Ming straighten up, his Face filled with the longing for the future typical of a young man.

"Of course," Su Ming's gaze looked outside the door, as if he saw the distant capital, "if I can truly achieve even the slightest bit of accomplishment outside one day, I will definitely not forget that it was the land and water of my hometown that raised me."

"By then, if I can do something for the elders of my hometown, that would be my true blessing."

This sentence was spoken with true sincerity and was watertight.

It not only expressed the sentiment of not forgetting one's roots but also acted like a seed, gently buried in the hearts of Village Head Zhao and the few elders.

If I truly succeed, I won't forget my hometown, and naturally, I won't forget you.

But the premise is that you don't do things too absolutely, making me, who has "succeeded," feel unhappy when I return home.

Village Head Zhao was a smart man; he understood.

He laughed loudly, stood up, and patted Su Ming's arm hard.

"Good! Good! With these words of yours, Uncle is relieved! The Su Family producing a Qilin like you is the blessing of our entire village!"

He exchanged a few more pleasantries, told Su Ming to rest well, and then, with a satisfied smile, led the three elders to take their leave.

The courtyard returned to silence.

On the dinner table, the bowl of braised pork was stewed to a shiny, glistening finish, smelling fragrant.

Chen kept putting meat into Su Ming's bowl, muttering: "Eat more, look how thin you are, you must not have eaten well outside."

She did not mention any ranking or regrets.

In her eyes, her son returning safely was more important than anything else.

Su Shan silently poured a bowl of wine, lifted it, and faced Su Ming.

"Take a sip."

Su Ming picked up the bowl and clinked it with his father's. The pungent wine entered his throat, burning his chest with heat.

Su Shan put down the wine bowl, looked at his son, and spoke slowly, his voice hoarse.

"Dad knows that you have your own ideas in your heart and your own Dao to follow."

"As for the matters at home, I am here, and your two brothers are here; you don't need to worry about anything."

This unconditional trust and support were like a warm current, instantly flooding Su Ming's entire being.

His eyes grew hot, and he nodded heavily.

"Dad, I understand."

It was late at night.

The Family had already gone to sleep, but a single lamp was still lit in Su Ming's room.

He called his second brother, Su Yang, in alone and carefully closed the door.

Su Yang looked at his younger brother's solemn appearance, feeling a bit nervous.

"Third Son, what is it? So mysterious."

Su Ming did not speak; he carefully took out a few pieces of paper from his inner pocket.

Those were not the exquisite paper bought in the prefectural city, but the bamboo paper produced by their own workshop, with a slightly rough texture.

On the paper, some patterns that Su Yang could not understand were drawn with a fine charcoal pencil, and dense, small characters were annotated next to them.

"Second Brother, sit."

Su Ming spread the paper on the table.

Under the light of the oil lamp, the pattern on the first sheet of paper was clearly a flowchart, from the stacking of bamboo materials to the steaming stove, and then to the final pulp pool; every step was connected by arrows, and next to them were strange terms like "segmented heating," "alkali water circulation," and "waste heat utilization."

"This is... an improved steaming method." Su Ming pointed to the drawing and explained in a low voice, "According to this method, we can save half the firewood, and the speed of pulp production can be increased by thirty percent."

Su Yang's eyes widened instantly.

Su Ming took out the second sheet of paper.

There was no drawing on it, only a few lines of text, like a medical prescription.

"There is a wild grass on the mountain called 'ox-tendon grass,' and its leaves are very tough. If you crush it, extract the juice, and add it to the pulp in this proportion, the paper produced will have twice the toughness and will not easily break when it meets water."

Su Yang's breathing became heavy.

Su Ming finally took out the third sheet of paper.

"Don't throw away the broken pulp that can't be scooped up in the workshop, or the waste paper edges that are cut off. Crush them again, press them into thick cardboard, and they can be sold to shops in town for packaging boxes. Or, make them into coarser and softer toilet paper; the price is cheap, but the volume is large, which is also a significant income."

"Also, don't just plant grain on those few acres of hillside land behind the mountain. I've drawn a diagram; you can try grafting some fruit trees that we don't have here, such as pears or peaches. In three to five years, that will be another stable path to wealth."

Su Yang looked blankly at the three sheets of paper on the table, feeling that they were heavier than gold.

Any one of these things, if taken out, would be enough for an ordinary Family to live without worry for a lifetime.

And his younger brother had just put them all in front of him so casually.

"Third Son, you..." Su Yang's voice trembled slightly.

"Second Brother." Su Ming interrupted him, his gaze becoming incomparably solemn, "Keep these. Then, remember the three things I said."

Su Yang immediately sat up straight, his expression focused.

"First, plan slowly, do not be rash. First, Master this improved steaming method; as for the others, wait until the time is ripe, then take them out bit by bit. Remember, do not show everything at once; that will bring disaster."

"Second, the core technology must be mastered in our own hands. Memorize these formulas, then burn the paper. Except for you, at most, only Elder Brother can know; even Mom and Dad cannot be told. This is our Family's true trump card."

Su Yang nodded heavily, carefully folded the papers, and hid them close to his chest.

"Third," Su Ming lowered his voice, almost whispering, "and this is the most important point."

He leaned into Su Yang's ear and said word by word.

"Remember, Village Head Zhao cannot be trusted. If in the future, the Family encounters a big problem that even he cannot solve, or... someone wants to harm our Family."

"Don't worry about anything, immediately take Mom, Dad, and Elder Brother's Family, go to Qingshi Town, and find Zhou Wenhai at the County School."

"Just say that I, Su Ming, told you to go. For my sake, he will definitely protect your safety."

Su Yang's heart sank suddenly.

He finally understood the deep meaning behind his younger brother's arrangements.

This was not just planning for the Family's wealth, but also laying a retreat path that could save the whole Family's life in a crisis.

He looked at his younger brother, who was a few years younger than him but whose shoulders were already carrying the future of the entire Family, and his eyes grew hot, unable to speak.

He could only stretch out his calloused hands and tightly, firmly grip Su Ming's shoulders.

"Third Son, Second Brother... has remembered everything."