Thanks to Xie Jinzhu’s strenuous efforts to dissuade them, Father Xie and Madam Wang finally managed to suppress their distress, temporarily abandoning the idea of going out to find ways to earn more money.
Yet the hardship was far from over.
Second Aunt was full of energy. Having heard Xie Jinzhu’s declaration that she would shoulder the debts, she swiftly gathered all the IOUs and marched over, hands on her hips, to confront Xie Jinzhu. “Here,” she said.
“Didn’t you say you’d repay them yourself?”
“All of these need to be paid back!”
Second Aunt jabbed a finger toward Xie Jinzhu’s face. “I’m waiting to see how you plan to do it!”
“Aren’t you just a girl?”
“If you can’t pay by the end of the month, we’ll sell you off for a bride price to settle the debts!”
Seeing that Second Aunt’s words were growing increasingly outrageous, Xie Xiao Liu quickly pulled her away.
Xie Jinzhu sat on the doorstep, casually flipping through the thick stack of IOUs, and immediately felt her head spin.
Under the original host’s mismanagement, the IOUs accumulated by the Old Xie Family were thicker than the bottom of the rice jar, and the financial holes were larger than the drafts leaking through the windows.
Eighty copper coins borrowed from the Zhang family, three catties of rice borrowed from the Bai family.
Two feet of cloth borrowed from the Wu family, and even eighteen eggs borrowed from the Chen family!
…
From food and clothing to money for daily expenses, the Old Xie Family could barely provide for themselves, having borrowed everything they could.
Every member of the Xie family was exhausted from scrambling to plug these gaps, yet even so, they couldn’t make ends meet.
The borrowed money had been squandered by the original host.
The borrowed eggs—the original host consumed three a day.
Now, all these massive debts were piled onto Xie Jinzhu’s shoulders, and she had no choice but to accept them.
Xie Jinzhu sighed wearily and murmured, “Earning money…”
Earning money was an urgent necessity.
But now…
Xie Jinzhu glanced back at Madam Wang, who was wiping away tears with her head bowed, and Father Xie, doing the same. A shiver ran down her spine.
She was penniless and had no capital to start with. The only valuable thing in the entire courtyard was a chicken she had snatched from Su Weisheng.
How on earth was she supposed to start earning money?
Just as Xie Jinzhu was about to go out for a walk to clear her mind, Xie Xiao Qi suddenly strode past her, heading outside.
Xie Jinzhu instinctively looked up. “Seventh Sister, you…”
“Collecting books.”
Xie Xiao Qi said coldly, “Weren’t your books supposed to be precious?”
Xie Jinzhu froze, suddenly remembering something.
A few days ago, the original host had returned to demand money for her elopement plans. When refused, she threw a tantrum.
She declared she would no longer pursue scholarly honors, nor would she continue her studies. She threatened to ruin her own future and dash the only hope of the Old Xie Family, ensuring that none of the Xies would benefit from her success.
To prove her resolve, that wretched creature grabbed her books and soaked them in a bucket of water, then tried to smash her inkstone, paper, and brushes, causing a huge uproar.
How could Old Mrs. Xie bear to see her beloved suffer like that?
After much wailing and pleading, she finally managed to scrape together the money the original host demanded. Once the commotion settled, the entire family looked at the nearly destroyed books with heartache.
These items, which the original host had so casually threatened to destroy, were treasures bought with real silver and gold!
Every sheet of paper was soaked in blood and tears.
Xie Xiao Qi had been tasked with cleaning up the mess—wiping and drying the water-damaged books, and tidying up the scattered, broken items.
Then, the whole family had tried their best to coax the sole heir into studying diligently and making progress, hoping desperately to keep the family’s aspirations alive.
Now, however, it all seemed bitterly ironic.
The Academy was a place where men gathered to showcase their talents.
Xie Family’s Eighth Child was a girl, and in this lifetime, she would never have the chance to earn scholarly honor.
Xie Xiao Qi curled her lips, too lazy to wait for Xie Jinzhu’s reply. She pretended to leave but was immediately stopped by Xie Jinzhu.
Xie Jinzhu declared firmly, “Seventh Sister, you rest for a while. I’ll go.”
“You…”
“I’ll go.”
Xie Jinzhu straightened up and said, “One should handle their own matters. I know how to tidy things up.”
“Seventh Sister, just tell me where the drying area is, and I’ll go take care of it now.”
Xie Xiao Qi had no interest in arguing with her. She pointed in a direction and added, “The tidied ones are already in your room.”
Xie Jinzhu nodded, then rushed like the wind to the area where the books were drying. Touching the wrinkled, water-soaked pages, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Paper and brushes were expensive, and bound books were even more costly. Every sheet of paper and every brush had been painstakingly provided by the Xie family for the original owner.
What the original owner had recklessly soaked wasn’t just books—it was like throwing silver away in a fit of anger.
And now, these complete sets of the Four Books and Five Classics, along with policy essays and classical texts, were utterly useless to Xie Jinzhu.
Rather than letting them gather dust, it would be better to…
Xie Jinzhu’s eyes lit up, and she slowly turned to look at her own room.
It seemed she knew how to raise her first capital.
Amidst the sighs that even Eldest Aunt’s cooking couldn’t drown out, Xie Jinzhu made several trips in and out, carefully sorting the items she planned to take out. She packed them tightly into a carrying basket, covering the top with a layer of dry straw to conceal the contents.
Eldest Aunt paused at the noise and asked, “Little Eighth, what are you…”
“Shh.”
Xie Jinzhu forced a smile and said, “I have something to take care of outside.”
“Eldest Aunt, please explain to the family for me. There’s no need to wait for me for dinner.”
Afraid of being stopped, Xie Jinzhu spoke quickly and then hurried off as if her feet had wings.
Eldest Aunt paused for a moment, then turned back as if nothing had happened, continuing to stir the wild vegetable porridge in the pot.
Xie Jinzhu drew many sidelong glances as she left the village, but she paid them no mind at the moment.
She hurried straight to her destination, and when she saw the person she was looking for, she immediately waved excitedly. “Ji Qing!”
“Over here!”
Ji Qing turned at the sound, stunned. “It’s you?”
“Xie Jinzhu, you…”
“You want to buy books, right?”
Xie Jinzhu rushed to Ji Qing in a few quick steps, barely catching her breath as she blurted out, “Want to buy now?”
“I’ll sell them cheap.”
Ji Qing was taken aback again. Looking at this former classmate who had once hurled countless insults at her, her expression turned unpleasant.
“I haven’t gathered all the books the teacher requested, but I’ll soon have them copied. You…”
“How long will it take you to copy them?”
Xie Jinzhu chuckled. “What I’m selling is ready-made. Wouldn’t it be better to buy them directly?”
Ji Qing remained silent, her face cold.
With a thud, Xie Jinzhu set the heavy basket on the ground. Resting one hand on its edge, she reasoned, “I know you wanted to buy them anyway, but you were temporarily unable to because of Young Master Wang’s obstruction.”
“I have a complete set, all brand new, not a single word written on them.”
Facing Ji Qing’s unfriendly gaze, Xie Jinzhu spoke with utmost sincerity. “I won’t be going to the academy anymore.”
Her secret of cross-dressing as a man was no longer hidden, and these things were useless to her now.
But she knew Ji Qing could use them.
And Ji Qing needed them urgently.
Ji Qing hadn’t expected Xie Jinzhu to lay everything out so plainly. She pursed her lips tightly and said nothing.
Xie Jinzhu spread her hands helplessly. “I genuinely want to sell them.”
The Old Xie Family had never skimped on spending for the original owner’s education, hoping to see her rise to prominence.
These books and papers cost a fortune when I bought them. Now, selling them for whatever I can get back is better than nothing.
Ji Qing hesitated, asking, “Are you really not going back to the Academy?”
“Wouldn’t it be even more ridiculous if I did?”
Xie Jinzhu crouched beside the bamboo basket, gesturing for Ji Qing to inspect the goods first. She shrugged and said, “I know everyone’s laughing at me right now, but that doesn’t matter.”
Suddenly changing her tone, Jinzhu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “What matters is how much you’re willing to pay.”
“Name your price?”