Chapter 186

186. Chapter 186: The Failed Scholar

What's his intention?

Jiang Xiaoxiao's eyes darted back and forth.

Generally, according to novel tropes, this County Lieutenant either needs something from her family or has set his sights on her mother…

Sigh, come to think of it, is Shen Que even the male lead in the original story?

Jiang Xiaoxiao sighed, once again regretting she hadn't finished reading that book.

Still, the Golden Toad that Shopkeeper Zhou delivered suited her perfectly.

She'd been worrying about what to use as her shop's treasure item—this Golden Toad was just right.

Jiang Xiaoxiao arranged the Golden Toad, placed it in the most suitable spot, then turned her head to see a young man in a long gown, carrying a box chest, walking in from outside.

"Excuse me, are you hiring a bookkeeper?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded quickly: "Yes!"

This Golden Toad is miraculous—just placed, and the bookkeeper walks right in!

The man exuded a refined, gentle air; seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao, a five-year-old child, he showed no disdain, but politely asked: "Um… is the monthly wage really one and a half taels of silver?"

"That's correct," Jiang Xiaoxiao said. "Can you keep accounts and do calculations?"

The man nodded.

Perfect.

Jiang Xiaoxiao hurriedly sent Xiao Linzi to brew tea, then led the man into the shop and brought him before her mother.

Jiang Wei sized up the man—he was dusty and worn, looking downcast, yet wore a square headcloth, and his box chest was filled with books. She asked: "Are you a scholar returning home after taking the exam?"

The man nodded, then shook his head: "I just returned from taking the exam in Xuzhou, but I'm not a scholar—I'm just a candidate without a degree."

"A candidate without a degree?" Jiang Xiaoxiao blinked.

The man smiled bitterly: "I failed."

Okay.

Then don't poke at his wounds.

Jiang Xiaoxiao quickly changed the subject: "In that case, you must know how to read and calculate—my shop is exactly in need of a bookkeeper."

Jiang Wei pushed forward the prepared Contract Document and said: "Take a look. If there are no objections, sign it. Your monthly wage will be one and a half taels of silver, and I'll provide two meals a day and lodging."

Upon hearing this, the man hesitated, barely perceptibly.

He'd thought one and a half taels a month was already high—yet they also offered food and housing.

He'd spent all his savings to travel to Xuzhou for the exam, had no place to stay, and had expected to sleep on the streets, earning a living by writing letters for others. He never imagined fortune would turn—he'd met such a kind family.

He quickly scanned the Contract Document's terms, then signed his name without hesitation.

Jiang Xiaoxiao leaned over to look—the name Fan Zhongyong appeared on the document, its strokes strong and forceful, as if piercing through the paper, clearly the product of years of practice.

"Sir, you write beautiful characters," Jiang Wei also complimented.

Fan Zhongyong smiled, unusually shy.

From then on, her shop had a failed scholar as its bookkeeper.

The Sun Clan's affair had no real impact on her shop's business. By the next day, trade returned to normal—customers flooded in to buy soap, the shop bustling as ever.

Yet with this new bookkeeper, Jiang Wei could now lend a hand, no longer as frantic as she'd been the past two days.

…

Meanwhile.

Inside the Sun Family mansion.

After hearing the report from his subordinate, Sun the Magnate flew into a rage and smashed a cup to the ground.

"Damn it! How did her family get tangled up with Jiang Yu, that bastard?!"

He'd thought she was just a village woman from Yuhe Village—never imagined she was connected to Fu'an Trading House's Jiang Yu!

How could he now seize the soap prescription?

"Old Master, I've checked—Jiang Shi is the family that previously sold snow cakes and ice cream, and they once partnered with Jiang Yu…" the subordinate said cautiously. "Besides that, I uncovered another matter tied to Mrs. Zheng's younger brother…"

Sun the Magnate froze: "What?"

The subordinate swallowed hard, speaking even more carefully: "Old Master, do you remember a few months ago when Fu'an Trading House cut off our Sun Family's Cao Boat Business from Qingping County to the Capital? The root cause was actually Mrs. Zheng's younger brother…"

"What did you say?!" Sun the Magnate was utterly stunned—he'd assumed Jiang Yu had done it out of spite, never suspecting hidden motives?

"What exactly did you find? Speak quickly!"

The subordinate recounted everything Zheng Yaocai had done at Suiyang Shuyuan and how he'd offended Jiang Yu.

Sun the Magnate's face darkened with each word—by the end, it was black as ink.

He spoke coldly: "Bring the wife."

The servant hurried off to summon Mrs. Zheng.

Mrs. Zheng had been leisurely sipping tea and admiring flowers in her courtyard. Seeing the servant rush in anxiously, she assumed her husband wanted to indulge in daytime debauchery, hurriedly fixed her appearance, then followed him.

But before she even reached the door, a tea cup flew straight at her face—she collapsed to her knees, crying out: "Old Master, what's wrong?!"

"How dare you ask?!" Sun the Magnate smashed another tea cup. "Why don't you ask your precious younger brother what he's done! Who did he offend?!"

"H-he…," Mrs. Zheng thought her brother had angered some Official Student at the Shuyuan. She scrambled over and clung to Sun the Magnate's leg, sobbing: "Old Master, I've meant to tell you—Yaocai was bullied at Suiyang Shuyuan! Those Official Students looked down on us rich merchants…"

Before she finished, Sun the Magnate kicked her away violently.

"You wretched woman! At this point, you still try to shield him! Do you even know who he offended?!"

The kick caught Mrs. Zheng off guard—she was dazed: "Who… who? Who did he offend…?"

Seeing her truly didn't know, Sun the Magnate shut his eyes, silent.

The nearby servant, timidly, whispered: "It's… the young master of Fu'an Trading House—Jiang Yu."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zheng's face turned instantly pale.

Immediately, she shook her head and said, "Impossible! No matter how unruly Yaocai is, he could never have offended anyone from Fu'an Trading House—there must be some misunderstanding…"

Saying this, she ordered someone to hurry to Suiyang Shuyuan to find her Younger Brother and get to the bottom of it.

However, the person sent returned quickly to report that Zheng Yaocai had been expelled from the Shuyuan several months ago.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zheng nearly fainted from rage.

She had exerted every ounce of effort, spent vast amounts of Silver Money, and leveraged countless connections just to get him admitted to Suiyang Shuyuan for Family Reading—yet he had been expelled!