Worrying about Making Money

After returning from the prefectural city, Rong Zheng went to the Distant View Bookshop, where Feng Xuanwen was already waiting.

Shopkeeper Sun personally brewed a pot of fine Dragon Well tea, its fragrance curling through the air. His eyes lit up when he saw Rong Zheng, and he immediately invited him to sit.

This was the top scorer in the county examination. He had a promising future ahead and needed to be treated well.

Feng Xuanwen had finished writing the story Rong Zheng had provided back in February. Five volumes of Realm of Wonders and Strangeness had been published in all. They had originally planned on six, but sales had plummeted after the fourth volume, so they changed their plans and ended it early.

This fantasy tale incorporating Cthulhu elements had once taken the entire town by storm, its unique setting making it a popular topic of casual conversation.

However, after reading the early volumes of Realm of Wonders and Strangeness, other fiction writers gradually came to understand the Cthulhu writing style. They began imitating it and even learned to find storytellers to promote their own tales.

The fiction writers bid against one another for advertising slots, and Yan Shan, the storyteller at the Forget Worries Pavilion, took the opportunity to make a tidy sum too. He grinned so broadly his eyes disappeared, thinking how clever he had been to agree to tell the stories Rong Zheng provided. See? Hadn't he seized a business opportunity?

And so, as imitators multiplied and the novelty gradually wore off for readers, sales plunged, forcing them to bring Realm of Wonders and Strangeness to an early close.

Rong Zheng had actually anticipated this. It had sold well at first because people had never encountered fiction with fantasy elements like these. Novelty always caught people's attention. Once more stories of this type appeared on the market, competition increased and readers grew tired of them, they naturally became harder to sell.

Besides, few people in town could afford to buy fiction; they all came from reasonably comfortable households. As for farming families, most were illiterate and certainly would not buy it. Clearly, the target audience for fiction had never been very large.

So this was not a long-term source of income. He felt that making some money from it was good enough.

Feng Xuanwen had previously mentioned that he wanted to return to his studies, determined to pursue the imperial examinations, so their income from fiction would more or less end here.

Shopkeeper Sun poured each of them a cup of tea and said, "The profit from the five volumes came to four hundred taels in total. My twenty-percent share is eighty taels, leaving three hundred and twenty for you two. This book did very well. In less than a year, its profits surpassed ninety percent of the bestselling fiction on the market. That's quite substantial."

He was extremely satisfied. More importantly, the book had also quietly made a name for the Distant View Bookshop.

"The market is always changing in an instant." Rong Zheng accepted the money pouch and counted its contents in front of him. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Sun."

Shopkeeper Sun asked, "Do you have plans to write another story? We can discuss it in advance." He still wanted to produce another hit.

Feng Xuanwen shook his head gently and said frankly, "I wrote fiction because my family was short of money. Now that we're a little better off, I plan to resume my studies and take the academy examination in two years."

Shopkeeper Sun looked regretful, but he understood his choice. Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants-with that social hierarchy, studying certainly offered much better prospects than writing fiction.

Who would not want to enter officialdom through studying and change their social standing? If he himself had a talent for studying, he would have wanted to take the imperial examinations too, so he said no more.

Rong Zheng already knew Feng Xuanwen's decision and likewise said little.

The two left the bookshop and divided the money. Rong Zheng took ninety-six taels, and Feng Xuanwen took two hundred and twenty-four.

With heartfelt sincerity, Feng Xuanwen insisted on treating Rong Zheng to lunch at the Delighted Phoenix Pavilion.

During the meal, Feng Xuanwen said with a smile, "Congratulations on placing first in the county examination. How did the prefectural examination go?"

"Fairly well. I'll be taking the academy examination in two years too." He ate a bite of food. "What are your plans next?"

"Since my mother started taking the expensive medicinal ingredients, her illness has improved noticeably, which has taken some of the weight off my mind. My younger brothers and sisters can manage the fields too. I plan to leave some money behind, then go to the prefectural city on my own to study and focus on preparing for the academy examination."

"That's good. The prefectural city really is a good place to study."

"Yes, it's just that living expenses are high. If I hadn't earned some money writing fiction, I wouldn't be able to go at all. My family used to be badly off, and I never imagined I'd have the chance to study in the prefectural city." Feng Xuanwen raised his cup again.

"Rong Zheng, thank you! If there's ever anything I can do for you, just ask."

"You earned this through your own hard work. Besides, didn't I get a share too? This was the result of our collaboration. There's no need to thank me!"

Feng Xuanwen thought Rong Zheng was a very decent person, the sort of friend worth getting to know better, and suggested, "Would you like to go to the prefectural city with me? If we study together, we can look out for each other."

Rong Zheng shook his head gently. "I won't be going for now."

"Why not? You know, the prefectural city is full of renowned teachers. They're certainly much better than the teachers in town. The academic atmosphere is rigorous too, and the students are stronger overall. While exchanging ideas, you can also broaden your connections. It's bound to help you reach greater heights." Grateful for Rong Zheng's past help, Feng Xuanwen could not resist trying to persuade him.

"I have matters at home to attend to and can't get away at present." Rong Zheng declined politely and raised his wine cup. "Brother Feng, after we part today, who knows when we'll meet again? I wish you all the best!"

"Thank you!" Seeing that Rong Zheng had no intention of going for now, Feng Xuanwen stopped trying to persuade him and tipped his head back to drain his cup.

Rong Zheng truly would not consider studying in the prefectural city at present. His household's savings only amounted to a little over a hundred taels. When he went there for the examination, he had discovered that it was comparable to a modern second- or third-tier city. Daily expenses were quite high. Rent alone cost nearly ten taels a month, and that was for somewhere remote, far from the city center.

That was not even counting academy tuition and the cost of study supplies. Such meager savings would struggle to cover them.

The path of study was not easy for children from poor families, with many practical financial problems standing before them.

It would be manageable if he went alone. He could find work in the prefectural city and just about support himself through a few years of study.

But he had his husband and younger brother at home, and living expenses in the prefectural city would be higher for three people.

He had never considered leaving his husband alone in the village. The prefectural city was too far from the village for him to feel at ease.

After bidding farewell to Feng Xuanwen, Rong Zheng walked slowly along the bustling main street, pondering how to make a living in the future.

Hunting? It wasn't as though good game turned up all the time. It mostly depended on luck, with both risks and uncertainties. It was certainly no long-term solution.

His martial arts were good. What about working as an escort? But that would mean traveling far and frequently leaving home. Spending more time apart than together wouldn't be good either.

"Candied hawthorn skewers for sale~"

"Flatbreads for sale! Two copper coins each! Get them while they're here, miss them and they're gone~"

"Wild fruit for sale, fresh, sweet, and refreshing! Don't pass us by~"

Just as he was immersed in his thoughts, the cries rising one after another from both sides of the street pulled him back to reality.

Listening to the street vendors' loud calls from either side, a new idea arose in his mind:

Perhaps he could go into business. But what could he sell that would be distinctive and attract customers?