Miaozhen wanted to study medicine, and her father agreed. Xu Erpeng was actually quite a far-sighted man. He had specifically inquired about the matter and believed that to do good work, one must first sharpen one’s tools. Thus, he said to his daughter, “The Medicine King Sun Simiao once said: ‘Those who wish to become great physicians must be well-versed in the Suwen, Jia Yi, Huangdi Zhenjing, Mingtang Liuzhu, the twelve meridians, the three regions and nine pulses, the five viscera and six bowels, the exterior and interior acupoints, the Materia Medica and herbal pairings, as well as the classical formulas of Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, Ruan Henan, Fan Dongyang, Zhang Miao, Jin Shao, and others. They must also master the theories of Yin-Yang, fate calculation, various physiognomy methods, turtle shell divination, the five omens, the Zhouyi, and Liuren divination, and be thoroughly proficient in them.’ You, my child, should focus on studying first. Otherwise, you’ll end up like those mediocre female healers or quack doctors.”
“Father will buy these books for you to read. If you don’t understand anything, I’ll explain it to you. After that, you can study the Book of Changes. Once you’ve made some progress, I’ll take you to seek out a renowned physician—it’ll be easier to make your case then.”
He was afraid his daughter was only temporarily enthusiastic, so he needed to see if she could persevere. Moreover, while she was putting in the effort, he could also manage the shop to build some status, ensuring she wouldn’t be looked down upon when seeking a master.
Therefore, after receiving seventy taels as a remuneration fee at the end of the year, Xu Erpeng bought his daughter a bronze acupuncture figure, along with the Nanjing, Maijue, and Danxi’s Mastery of Medicine, so she could study on her own in her spare time.
The remaining silver, he gave to Mei Shi to keep.
When the New Year approached and the school closed, Miaozhen took out the medical books to study. It was important to note that modern acupuncture and tuina techniques differed from ancient ones. Modern methods used electroacupuncture, pulse stimulation, and various auxiliary tools like imaging, while ancient practices relied on pattern differentiation—a slight error could lead to a mistake of a thousand miles.
The closer it got to the New Year, the better business was at Xu Third Uncle’s tea and pastry shop. Previously, there were often leftovers brought home for everyone to eat, but now there weren’t enough to meet demand, and even Miaolian was pulled in to help. Xu Erpeng was also busy, continuing his writing work even during the New Year. When he went out for meals, he rarely stayed for more than an hour. Every day, he would pick up his brush and write, even lamenting that he had only earned seventy taels the previous year, feeling it was far too little.
So when Xu Dalang returned with his wife and daughter, he found a peculiar situation: while other families were busy celebrating the New Year, his own family was engrossed in their own affairs, with no festive atmosphere at all.
His work at the academy wasn’t going very smoothly either. Others assumed he was a Tribute Student, and some even inquired about which year he had become a Xiucai and so on. When he casually mentioned it, someone claimed to know his fellow candidate and offered to introduce them.
This left him flustered and anxious…
Xu Erpeng knew nothing of this. All he knew was that, in his youth, his elder brother had been an unattainable goal for him. His brother was handsome and had the support of influential people, while he was ordinary-looking and had to rely on himself. His brother was talented and favored by his teachers, while he was merely passable and even had rather poor luck. Every year during the New Year, when visiting his wife’s family, he would be overtly or covertly compared and treated differently by his brothers-in-law. In contrast, his elder brother was doted on by his in-laws, who proactively contributed a thousand taels for him.
The two were as different as heaven and earth. So when he heard that his elder brother wanted to resign from the academy, claiming he couldn’t get along with others, he found it strange.
Miaozhen, who was inside studying medical books, overheard the conversation between the two men in the front and suddenly recalled an old saying: “Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west bank.”
She too needed to work hard!
Compared to Miaozhen reading medical books, her elder sister Miaoyun increasingly embodied the demeanor of a cultivated young lady from an elite family. Her manner of sitting, resting, and dining differed from ordinary girls, appearing exceptionally graceful. Even Mei Shi praised her: “The eldest girl truly grows more outstanding day by day.”
“Sister-in-law, please don’t flatter her like that,” Huang Shi said verbally, though inwardly she was quite pleased.
This was Huang Shi’s thinking: if her daughter could become a private tutor for young ladies in the future, not only would she have an income, but she would also gain access to wealthy households. For women from modest families seeking upward social mobility, this was the only viable path.
Her daughter was even more accomplished than she had been. Huang Shi herself was plain-looking and merely the daughter of a Xiucai. But her daughter was the child of a senior scholar, resembling her father in appearance with quite striking features. If she could marry into a prominent family someday, nothing would be better.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Xu Erpeng promptly arranged to return the sacrificial pig’s head to the butcher. Xu Dalang expressed confusion: “Since this was used for worship, why return it?”
“It was rented in the first place. Nowadays there are specialized shops for leasing sacrificial livestock. Elder brother, you’re really too detached from practical matters,” Xu Erpeng teased.
Xu Dalang felt somewhat offended, thinking that since his younger brother had earned the Xiucai degree, he had become rather arrogant. In truth, it wasn’t that others had changed – rather, he was no longer the center of everyone’s admiration. His second brother was a Xiucai, his third brother’s business thrived, and although he held higher social status, he contributed nothing financially during the New Year celebrations. While no one voiced complaints, they certainly harbored private reservations.
Meanwhile, Mei Shi was approaching childbirth. She had prepared straw paper, swaddling clothes, and small quilts in advance. Now that she had both financial means and assistance, she felt much more secure.
Xu Erpeng had also paid a two-tael deposit to secure the services of a renowned local Wěn pó.
After all preparations were complete, Mei Shi smoothly gave birth to a son on the eighth day of the first lunar month, naming him Jian.
Everyone remarked on the coincidence – Miaozhen was born on the Lantern Festival (the fifteenth of the first month), while Jian Ge’er was born on the eighth. The siblings shared the same birth month.
After Mei Shi delivered her son, a maternal aunt from the Mei family visited, bringing a silver necklace as gift. She left without even staying for lunch. Miaozhen heard this aunt found the Xu Family’s household perpetually permeated with an unpleasant odor and didn’t wish to remain long. She understood this was essentially looking down on their family’s poverty.
The fifteenth of the first month was Miaozhen’s birthday. Her father bought her another copy of “Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang” (Formulas from the Benevolent dispensary of the Taiping era) and purchased delicate pastries for her from outside. Mei Shi had Feng Niang prepare a bowl of Longevity Noodles for her with two poached eggs.
After she finished the noodles, Mei Shi promised to take her to watch spring stage operas once she recovered from postpartum confinement.
The fifth Wu day after the Beginning of Spring marked the Spring Sacrifice Day. Spring stage operas were typically performed around this time, also called community operas. Every year her parents would take her to watch – men crowded in front while women watched from behind wooden fences. Vendors nearby sold soybean milk that was particularly delicious.
Her life in ancient times was actually quite comfortable. In her modern existence, her parents had divorced and remarried, then later when she proved academically successful, both tried to claim credit for her achievements.
Here in ancient times, she had instead found familial warmth.
After the Lantern Festival, Miaozhen had to return to school. This year, the daughter of Xiucai Yu was getting married. During the Ming dynasty, women’s dowries typically consisted of substantial trousseaus. Wang Yangming had once observed: “When young people come of age, they should marry in timely fashion. Often the woman’s family complains the betrothal gifts are insufficient, while the man’s family faults the dowry for being inadequate, thus causing delays.”
There were even cases where the groom’s family broke off engagements because the bride’s dowry was too meager. Xiucai Yu, who usually lived a carefree life, was now hastily recruiting students for the sake of his daughter’s dowry, mixing beginners with those who had studied for two years.
Xu Erpeng said to his daughter, “I will find you a better Girls’ School in the future.”
As he spoke, he also had Miaozhen recite the Nanjing and Maijue. When she struggled, he would occasionally remind her a few words, all while continuing to write.
Miaozhen noticed the dark circles under her father’s eyes and knew he often stayed up late writing, suffering from poor sleep. He would lie awake until dawn seven or eight nights a month, then catch up on sleep during the day. She thought of suggesting some medicinal remedies but held back, knowing that as someone with no standing yet, her father wouldn’t listen. It was just like before he passed the Xiucai examination—even when he was right, no one agreed with him. After becoming a Xiucai, his words carried much more weight.
Since she already had a foundation, reciting these texts came easily to her. After listening, Xu Erpeng was deeply impressed by his daughter’s perseverance at such a young age. Could it be that she was divinely gifted? He didn’t hold back in praising her: “Second Sister, you are truly clever, with an excellent memory and great understanding. I want to reward you—what would you like? I’ll buy it for you.”
Having become a child again, she truly acted like one: “I want a lotus lantern.”
Such a small request was easily granted. Not only did he buy her a lotus lantern, but he also bought an extra gauze lantern, delighting Miaozhen so much that she insisted on using the lantern instead of a candle when going to the outhouse at night.
However, this stirred envy in Xu Siniang and Miaolian. Children are naturally prone to jealousy, and they both clamored for lanterns too.
Xu Third Uncle quickly bought a rabbit lantern for his daughter, but Xu Siniang didn’t get one. He secretly bought one for his younger sister behind Bao Shi’s back, which led to Bao Shi making sarcastic remarks for quite some time.
“This year, I must save more money,” Xu Erpeng said, unable to bear the situation any longer. Living with so many people under one roof, the trivial conflicts were becoming unbearable.
Mei Shi replied, “Once I’ve recovered from childbirth, I’ll start weaving cloth. We can save more money together.”
Xu Erpeng quickly responded, “There’s no need for you to rush. Focus on taking good care of Jian Ge’er.”
“Alternatively, we could rent a shop to open a bookstore—we don’t necessarily have to buy one,” Mei Shi suggested, worried that Xu Erpeng was under too much pressure.
Soon, however, Mei Shi couldn’t bring herself to repeat this suggestion. The landlord of Xu Third Uncle’s shop decided not to rent it to them this year, intending to take it back. This shop had been leased by two generations of the Xu Family. Old Xu Laoguan had started a rice business there, and under his youngest son’s management, the tea and pastry shop had thrived, especially in the last year or two, with Xu Third Uncle’s business growing increasingly prosperous.
But with success comes competition, and others began eyeing the location.
Thus, the shop had to close, and Xu Third Uncle spent his days wandering the streets in straw sandals, searching for a new storefront.
With the closure of the third branch’s tea and pastry shop, Aunt Bao Shi spent more time at home. The second and third branches lived in facing rooms, and Bao Shi, being thick-skinned and fond of taking advantage, initially asked Feng Niang to fetch water or pick vegetables—which was tolerable.
But later, she frequently called others over to watch Zhang Ge’er for her or help her stitch shoe soles, treating Feng Niang like a servant. This led to delays when Mei Shi called for help during her postpartum period, leaving Feng Niang filled with resentment.
It so happened that Xu Erpeng had been looking for a house these past few days. He was the type to prepare in advance; even when buying a property, he would first consult multiple brokers to compare options. Returning home at night, he would work alone on his storybook. Mei Shi was unwilling to trouble him with such matters, but Miaozhen found the situation unreasonable. When Bao Shi came again to call for someone at the second branch’s door, Miaozhen stepped out.
“Aunt, please ask someone else to help you. Feng Niang needs to care for my younger brother. Last time you took Feng Niang away, my mother couldn’t get out of bed, and no one changed my brother’s diapers.”
Seeing her niece speak up, Bao Shi smiled ingratiatingly and said, “Feng Niang is a good person and willing to help me. Let’s wait until she’s free, wait until she’s free.”
Faced with such a slippery character, it was hard to say much. Miaozhen had no choice but to bring it up to her father on the way to school one morning.
Xu Erpeng also felt that living at home was becoming increasingly inconvenient, especially after the birth of his younger son. With a family of four, plus Feng Niang, all crammed into two rooms and the constant noise at home, not only was he unable to write his storybook well, but his wife was also being disturbed.
There was originally a residence inside Changmen that belonged to a former gentry. The descendants had fallen into decline and planned to move to the countryside to live off their farmland. The property was about 1.3 acres in size, with a two-room frontage, facing south, and consisted of three courtyards. The innermost courtyard had a two-story building. The owner was asking for 600 taels of silver.
The owner was in urgent need of money to buy land and said he could first pay 300 taels, with Xu Erpeng writing an IOU for the remaining 300 taels at 40% interest—just one percent higher than the normal rate—and he would still sell the house.
Xu Erpeng had been hesitating because Changmen’s printing street was an extremely bustling area, and such a property would normally cost 800 taels. If not for the owner’s urgent need for money, he wouldn’t have sold it for 600 taels. Over the past few days, Xu Erpeng had looked at several houses, even as far as Wu County, but only this one met his expectations.
With lush vegetation, white walls, and black tiles, the second hall could serve as a reception area or study, and the third courtyard could be designated as a boudoir for his daughter…
Upon hearing about the situation today, he immediately made a decision. He went back and discussed it with Mei Shi. Although Mei Shi initially had some reservations, a few days after her postpartum confinement, she went with her husband to see the property and fell in love with it.
Mei Shi had a total of 320 taels on hand. In addition, Xu Erpeng gave his wife the 30 taels he had set aside as a dowry for Xu Siniang. Last year, due to preparing for the imperial examinations, he had only written one book, earning a remuneration fee of 70 taels for the entire year. This year, however, he had devoted himself fully to writing for two months and had already submitted 18 volumes, nearly 300,000 words, to the publishing house. The prospects looked excellent, and by April, he would receive a remuneration fee, which would be just enough to repay the debt.
By the end of March, the house was purchased. With his status as a Xiucai, Xu Erpeng was able to deal with the government officials and obtained the official deed. For the first time, the two usually cautious individuals had taken a bold gamble.