Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 110 - 109: Meeting Manager Fan Again

Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Meeting Manager Fan Again
After arranging the accommodation, Qin Yao took Liu Ji to the street to buy a lot of household items and paper.
The family had brought ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones, and they already had the commonly used paper. The additional purchase this time was for Liu Ji to note down past county exam questions, which Qin Yao planned to use for mock exam papers.
Liu Ji didn’t understand what she wanted with these past exam questions, but he didn’t dare to resist and did as he was told.
"If we could get the answers of those who’ve earned titles, that would be even better. Remember to copy down everything and bring it back to me every fifteenth day of the month," Qin Yao instructed.
Liu Ji frowned and said, "It’s not that easy. How would the scholars even talk to someone like me, a commoner, about these?"
Qin Yao stopped, crossed her arms, and asked, "How much silver do you want this time?"
As she mentioned the word ’silver,’ light seemed to shine from his eyes. Immediately, he assumed an eager demeanor and started calculating on his fingers:
"The scholars should at least be treated to some good wine and dishes, right? You’ve been to the county restaurant; even the cheapest meal costs five or six maces of silver. Adding the cost of personal connections, lending fees for books, and giving someone money for meat buns, at least..."
"Mistress, if you give me one tael of silver a month, that should be enough."
He finished saying this amount, mentally prepared for her to cut it in half or even down to a tenth.
Beyond his wildest expectations, Qin Yao directly pulled a complete silver coin of one tael from her purse and tossed it to him.
"Next rest day, I expect to see what I asked for."
She gave a cruel grin, "If you don’t bring back those things, you’d better not come home but wander the world, or else you’ll definitely die under my knife!"
Giving this one tael, plus the five maces spent on household items and paper earlier, as well as a year’s tuition and accommodation fees—it was half the money earned from working on waterwheels in June.
Now, there was only fourteen taels and two maces left, with three taels still tied up in public accounts at the watermill.
Clearly, pursuing education and gaining a title was a distant dream for a commoner family with an annual net income of only between two to four taels.
Qin Yao sent the stunned Liu Ji to the academy gate, handing him the purchased household items and paper, advising, "Mid-month it’s time to harvest the rice. Request a few extra days off with your rest days to help me finish the harvest before returning."
"What? Still have to work in the fields?" Liu Ji snapped back to reality, eyes wide with disbelief.
Qin Yao didn’t answer, but the implication was clear: You thought being a student meant you didn’t have to work in the fields?
Until he earned a title, Liu Ji was still a farmer and should work in the fields as necessary.
"But, Mistress, what if the teacher doesn’t grant me leave?" Liu Ji held on to a last glimmer of hope.
Qin Yao cut off that hope, "During busy farming seasons and fall harvests, the academy grants two extra days off for students to return home and help."
Liu Ji asked incredulously, "How do you know that?"
Qin Yao glanced at him with contempt, "You didn’t pay attention when the instructor mentioned it during check-in. Go ask again, I’m leaving."
When he heard she was leaving, instead of feeling relieved, Liu Ji felt an inexplicable unease, as if his courage were suddenly drained. He took two steps forward and urgently asked:
"Mistress, where are you going? It’s getting dark; you won’t be able to return today, right?"
Qin Yao glanced at the darkening sky and waved, "I have my own destination. Don’t worry about me. Just focus on your studies."
Liu Ji had to stop, feeling abandoned like a stray dog, watching her anxiously walk away until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he reluctantly enter the academy, burdened with supplies and unease.
Remembering the daunting tasks ahead, he found no pleasure in anything.
Half a month, a whole half month. Why did the academy have rest days every two weeks instead of monthly?
However, seeing some roommates leisurely boiling tea under the eaves, his spirits lifted.
By nature, he couldn’t overthink, preferring to enjoy the moment.
Forget about those past exam questions—he had half a month, finally escaping from the grip of that wicked woman, enjoying some freedom. Let him savor it for a few days first!
Different from the narratives of previous generations, generations of enterprising characters later trailed behind the descriptions of indulgences, significantly enhancing the depiction of fallacies.
Liu Ji, for his part, quickly mingled with his fellow students with just a few words, enjoying moon gazing and tea.
On Qin Yao’s end, she was still looking for a place to stay the night.
Although there was no curfew in the city, outside of holidays, most people returned home for dinner and rest, leaving few pedestrians on the streets.
As Qin Yao walked, she eventually found herself in front of a restaurant.
When she looked up, the shopkeeper inside, busy with an abacus, also happened to raise his head. Their eyes met, and the shopkeeper first appeared puzzled, then rubbed his eyes, confirmed he wasn’t seeing things, and walked out excitedly.
"Is that Miss Qin?" Manager Fan asked incredulously.
Seeing Qin Yao nod and greet him with a smile, "Manager Fan, long time no see,"
It really had been a long time, almost a year!
Qin Yao didn’t expect Manager Fan to still recognize her and mentioned that he knew she had done something noteworthy earlier in the year.
"What is that?" Qin Yao herself was unaware.
There were only two tables of customers inside, which was a bit sparse, but that was typical since rare items like bear surprises didn’t come in every day.
Manager Fan pulled out a chair at a vacant corner table for Qin Yao, first asking what she wanted to eat, then having a waiter bring it to her.
He personally poured her a cup of tea, then sat smiling across from her, saying, "You were the one who killed that bandit leader, right?"
This matter hadn’t been specifically publicized, so Qin Yao curiously asked, "How did you find out, Manager Fan?"
Manager Fan smiled mysteriously, "On New Year’s Eve, when someone ed it to the authorities, upon hearing it was Liu Family Village near Jinshi Town, I guessed it had to be your village. Later, when the government officer returned a few times, saying Liu Family Village encountered bandits but was unharmed, and someone shot and killed the fleeing bandit leader, I figured besides you, who else could pull off such a feat?"
"Am I right?" Manager Fan confidently asked.
Qin Yao nodded, as the waiter brought white buns and a large bowl of lamb soup with an extra dish of tangy pickled cucumbers that whetted her appetite.
Qin Yao started eating as Manager Fan spoke with her, saying she should have come to the county to collect the reward back then.
The laws of Sheng Country stated that if commoners encountered bandits and killed them, they were not guilty and could present the bandit leader’s head to the government office for a reward.
Killing one bandit earned one tael of silver, killing a bandit earned two taels of silver; if one killed a band of bandits, besides the silver rewards, a position as a petty official could be secured at the county office.
Though not an official rank, such a position, with a government salary, was a lofty aspiration for ordinary people.
As they say, King Yan is accessible, but his minions are hard to deal with; these petty officials often commanded respect, even from the County Magistrate.
After all, while County Magistrates come and go every three years, those clerks at the government office remain constant fixtures.