A Great Big Bowl of Chicken Soup

During this time, Xu Xi had also read the little stories Xu Xue had written before and found them quite good. Given Xu Xue's talent for writing, she thought Xu Xue could certainly become a professional writer. As long as she practiced, learned how to write novels, and wrote a few more books, she would surely be able to write storybooks that sold.

The Great Jin had seen no major wars or disasters, and its people lived and worked in peace. Once life improved and people no longer had to worry about food and clothing, they were bound to look for amusement. In an age without other forms of entertainment, storybooks were a major pastime for those who could read.

Xu Xi came from an age when web novels were all the rage. She didn't write novels herself, but she had read plenty. At the very least, she could give Xu Xue a great deal of help with imaginative ideas.

"Really? Could the storybooks I write actually sell?" Xu Xue's face lit up with delight.

"Practice hard, and you're sure to make it. You might even become a great literary master someday." Xu Xi fed her another great big bowl of chicken soup.

Xu Xue was instantly filled with lofty ambition. "All right, I'll go home and think about it. I'll write a storybook in the next little while and show it to you."

That night, Xu Yongyi and his wife were beside themselves with excitement over the business they were about to start. They discussed going to the county town the day after tomorrow to tidy up the house and look for a suitable place to set up a stall. They also needed to ask some of their peddler friends in town about running a stall, including the rules concerning taxes and protection fees. They would have to prepare gifts and pay their respects to the people in charge, too, so that runners or local thugs wouldn't come looking for trouble once they opened for business.

In short, there was no end of things to do when starting a business. They had plenty to keep them busy; they couldn't simply find a place and set their goods down.

But the marquis's household was coming to collect Xu Xi tomorrow. No matter how eager they were, they couldn't leave her behind to make business arrangements, so they could only wait until the day after tomorrow.

In the east wing, Xu Xue was thinking up her storybook, too excited to sleep.

The Xu Family had only three children. They were close in age, had played together since they were little, and were deeply attached to one another. Xu Chongwen doted on Xu Xi as if she were his own younger sister. Although he had already prepared himself when the marquis's household had come to fetch her that day, he still tossed and turned that night after hearing she would return to the marquis's household tomorrow. It took him quite a while to fall asleep.

Only the carefree Xu Xi slept until broad daylight, without even a single dream.

When they got up the next day, Madam Xie asked Xu Xi, "Is there anything you need to pack?"

She had brought it up briefly yesterday, but Xu Xi had said there was no hurry. Madam Xie also thought there was nothing good enough in their home for Xu Xi to take to the marquis's household, so she hadn't hurried to pack for her.

Xu Xi shook her head. "There's no need to pack. Surely the marquis's household won't leave me without daily necessities?"

Aside from a few sets of clothes that were neither new nor worn out, a silver hairpin, and a silver bracelet Lady Lin had left her, the original owner's most valuable possessions were the twenty-odd books and the four treasures of the study that Xu Yongzeng had left behind. The villagers considered these things quite valuable, but in the eyes of the marquis's household, where even the servants wore gold and silver, they were worthless. Most importantly, these things all belonged to the Xu Family, so Xu Xi naturally would not take them.

Madam Xie looked around the room, feeling helpless as well. She knew that if she insisted on Xu Xi taking this scrap metal with her, it would only make everyone in the marquis's household laugh at Xu Xi.

Xu Xi folded up the design drawings she had made last night, put them in a small wooden box, and handed it to Xu Xue, who had come in with Madam Xie. "Please keep these safe. When we have time to leave the academy, take them to a silver shop and ask if they'll fetch a good price."

Xu Xue hurriedly took the box. "Don't worry, Sister. I'll be sure to keep them safe."

"Come on, let's go out and eat." Xu Xi took Madam Xie by the hand and led her out of the room.

Since they ate only two meals a day, the Xu Family didn't usually have breakfast this early. But Madam Xie didn't know when the marquis's household would come for Xu Xi, much less whether Xu Xi would get anything to eat once she arrived there. So she had risen early to prepare the meal, letting Xu Xi eat her fill before setting off.

Xu Chongwen had also taken the day off and was waiting at home to see his younger cousin off.

After the family sat down, Xu Xi, still concerned, said to Xu Yongyi, "Uncle, when you prepare food, you must keep things clean. The walls of our house in the county town need a fresh coat of whitewash, and the courtyard needs tidying up too. Make the place as clean as you can. Also, buy some new large clay basins just for mixing the dishes. Don't use those basins for washing vegetables or clothes. And when you first start mixing the dishes, it's better to make too little than too much. If it looks like you won't have enough to sell, you can mix more on the spot. The weather's hot now, so be very careful not to sell cold dishes that have spoiled. If someone gets an upset stomach from eating them, it'll ruin your reputation."

Xu Yongyi wholeheartedly agreed with the suggestion to mix smaller batches of cold dishes, and he could also understand setting aside basins for that purpose. But he thought whitewashing the walls and tidying the courtyard were unnecessary. That would be another expense. There were so many things the family needed to spend money on; how could they afford to be so particular?

He said, "We're not selling the cold dishes at home. There's no need to whitewash the walls and tidy the courtyard, is there?"

"It might not matter if we were doing something else, but with food, cleanliness is most important. If a family's walls were pitch-black, dirty water ran all over their courtyard, and flies and mosquitoes were buzzing everywhere, would you still dare buy their cold dishes after seeing a place like that? If neighbors who are jealous of our family making money spread word of those conditions, would our cold dishes still sell? If we want this business to grow and last, we have to put effort into the details and pay attention to everything that matters from the very start."