Chapter 87: Another Departure

“Is that boy some kind of immortal who turns stone into gold?” Scholar Cheng could hardly believe it as he continued to leaf through the rest of the essays, only to discover that since that day, Wan-tang Cheng had indeed made astonishing progress.

In little more than twenty days, his writing had undergone a complete transformation, as if he were a different person! The previous stodginess and awkward obscurity had vanished without a trace. Now his thesis statements were precise and on point, his arguments were smoothly connected and naturally developed, and the structure and reasoning of his essays revealed a rigorous mastery of form.

It truly seemed as though he had encountered an enlightened teacher.

Yet such essays failed to earn a single point at Taiping Academy...

After finishing, Scholar Cheng closed the workbook and did not utter another word that night.

For the next few days, he stayed shut indoors, refusing even food, worrying his sons to no end. Even the mistress of the house couldn’t help but return to see what had happened to her father.

She was startled the moment she saw him.

Scholar Cheng sat motionless in his rattan chair, like a soulless puppet. His wrinkled face betrayed not a hint of expression. The pride that once flickered between his brows was utterly gone; his eyes, deep-set and clouded, stared blankly at the workbook in his hand.

Cheng Ch’eng-ch’eng softly said to his sister, “Father has been like this for days. I’m about to invite the exorcist to take a look at him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, big brother. Father is a scholar, cultivating righteous spirit—he’s immune to all evil,” the mistress firmly shook her head. “Bringing a shaman here, what would that look like?”

“Well, I haven’t actually called one,” Ch’eng-ch’eng replied, sighing to himself. Half a year had passed since he last saw his sister, and he found her completely changed.

She stood beneath the eaves, silver hairpin gleaming, and though dressed in a simple gown, her brilliance could not be concealed. From head to toe, she radiated confidence and decisiveness; even her tone was clearer than before, crisp and unmistakably firm, making one instinctively lower their head before her.

“Father, what’s going on?” The mistress approached Scholar Cheng, picked up the workbook and said, “Even if Wan-tang isn’t attending the academy, you can still teach him yourself. The sky isn’t falling!”

“I won’t teach anymore. I can’t teach anyone. I must resign...” Scholar Cheng murmured.

Wan-tang, kneeling under the eaves, had already bruised his face purple and hoarsely cried, “Grandfather, I was wrong. I’ll never dare again...”

“That’s enough, Wan-tang, stop crying for now.” The aunt, feeling sorry for her nephew, pulled him up and turned to her father. “Father, what’s really wrong? Even if Wan-tang isn’t at the academy, you shouldn’t completely negate yourself.”

“It has nothing to do with him.” Scholar Cheng finally revealed his heart. “I’m obsolete...”

The mistress thought the words sounded familiar. Then she recalled, Second Brother Su had said the same. He believed he couldn’t keep up with the times and resigned to join her business. No matter how she tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t have come otherwise...

Another thought struck her: Second Brother Su was barely in his thirties, and her father was nearly sixty. If even the young felt outpaced, it was natural for the elderly to feel similarly.

“Well, it’s just as well Father resigns,” Ch’eng-ch’eng softly said. “At his age, always teaching and grading essays, I feel exhausted for him.”

“Perhaps in retirement, his dizzy spells will improve,” the mistress agreed.

~~~

For once, the whole family was of one mind. That very day, Scholar Cheng wrote his resignation, which Ch’eng-ch’eng took to Lin City.

Unlike Su You-cai, who taught at private academies and could leave with a word to the clan leader, Scholar Cheng was a teacher at an official community school and had to report to his supervising department—the Yongning Garrison’s administrative office. He could only depart once a new teacher was in place.

In many remote areas, no new teachers wanted to go, so resignation letters piled up for years with no successors. The old teachers could only work until death...

For instance, the previous old teacher at Erlangtan Community School.

Ch’eng-ch’eng delivered the resignation to the Yongning Garrison Command. The garrison managed all educational affairs in its jurisdiction. Not only were all community schools established by Yongning Garrison, but Taiping Academy itself was the fruit of a joint effort by Yongning, Luzhou, and Chishui Garrisons, forged at Heshan Academy in Luzhou.

Unfortunately, only a third of Ming garrisons had schools, mostly concentrated along the nine border regions. In their southwestern wilds, almost none existed. So students from the three garrisons had to take the scholar exams at Hejiang County...

This was the greatest frustration for generations of commanders: all their trained talents became someone else’s gain.

They knew the only way to change this was to keep cultivating scholars, hoping one might rise to the top and petition for a garrison school, which would be far more effective than a hundred memorials from military officers.

Thus, the three commanders invested in education more than county officials. Last year, to attract the famous Zhu Liu to teach at Taiping Academy, the three garrisons even jointly exempted the academy’s farmland from taxes.

Now a scholar wanted to resign. Normally, it was no big deal, but Administrator Chen of Yongning worried that no one would take over at Erlangtan and trouble might arise, disturbing the general. So he didn’t want to approve, hoping Scholar Cheng would continue teaching.

“My father can barely stand—how could he teach?” Ch’eng-ch’eng slammed the table in frustration and placed two taels of silver upon it. “Is this reason not strong enough?”

“It’s strong indeed.” Administrator Chen swept his sleeve, and the silver vanished. His attitude softened at last:

“Let your father rest at home for now. I’ll send notice to your garrison’s administration. As soon as they recommend a replacement, your father can leave.”

“But what if there’s no suitable candidate and the schoolchildren are neglected?” Ch’eng-ch’eng worried.

“You sure have a lot on your mind,” Chen shot him a look.

“They’re all kin. If it’s not settled properly, how can my father rest easy?” Ch’eng-ch’eng smiled bitterly, took Chen’s hand, and slipped him another three taels of silver. “Sir, please help us one more time.”

“Alright. In view of your filial piety, I’ll add a deadline: the administration must find a candidate within a month.” Chen sighed. “In the meantime, just find someone to fill in.”

“Thank you, sir. Sorry to trouble you.” Ch’eng-ch-eng breathed a sigh of relief and took his leave.

Outside, he couldn’t help but laugh and cry. What kind of age is this? Even resigning requires gifts.

If the family weren’t moderately well-off, his father might have died in the school...

~~~

Taiping Garrison, in the commandant’s office.

The elder uncle was animatedly describing to Commandant Ma the promising future of the Sweetwater Agency’s white liquor business!

“This white liquor isn’t like sweetwater—sweetwater is cheap and spoils easily, so it’s hard to export.”

“Yes. I remember the mistress saying we needed to solve the... sealed preservation technology to leverage local distribution advantages, break into cross-regional sales channels, and create a second growth curve.” Commandant Ma had his own talents; he actually remembered the mistress’s jargon from six months ago.

“My, you’re truly remarkable, sir! Even such convoluted phrases stick in your mind! Had you pursued the civil exams, you’d surely have become a scholar!” The elder uncle quickly and skillfully flattered.

“Hahaha!” Commandant Ma laughed. “I really did study for the exams, and prepared in earnest. But just after the county exam, my father passed, so I had to lay aside my brush and join the military, taking over as a hundred-man commander.”

“But my grandson takes after me. Let’s see if he can change the Ma family’s fortunes.” Commandant Ma spoke with pride about his ‘Thousand-Mile Ma’.

“My wayward nephew is his classmate and often praises their dorm leader,” the elder uncle chimed in.

“Su Lu!” To his surprise, Commandant Ma immediately named Autumn Brother and praised him effusively. “Thousand-Mile often mentions him, saying he’s unmatched. He’s spoken so highly that I’d like to meet your nephew and see what kind of talent he is.”

The elder uncle thought, haven’t you met him already? Yet you boast about your memory...

Commandant Ma did not possess a photographic memory; he recalled the mistress’s jargon mainly because the initial shock nearly gave him a complex. He mulled over it for a long time before grasping its meaning.

Isn’t it just local monopoly and exports? Why cloak it in such nebulous language?!

Fortunately, the mistress didn’t exaggerate. Since opening, she had sent twenty taels of silver in dividends to the commandant’s household—more than his brother-in-law’s stores managed, and with none of their troubles.

Thus, Su You-jin also looked better in Commandant Ma’s eyes. He asked, “So, the mistress plans to use white liquor to create a second growth curve?”

“Exactly!” The elder uncle gestured with both hands. “Selling liquor at the dock—it’s a natural advantage! Once we open the market, wealth will flow in!”

“But the merchants must buy in.” Commandant Ma was not easily swayed. “Town merchants may give me some face, but dock merchants roam the world. Who knows me? We can’t force them to buy.”

“No need for force; we have superior goods!” The elder uncle produced a small tin flask from his sleeve and offered it respectfully. “Please, sir, taste it.”

Commandant Ma took it, sipped directly, and closed his eyes to savor. “Hmm, smooth on entry, the sauce fragrance and charred flavor mark your family’s style.”

He frowned slightly. “But it loses force in the finish, and the taste is a bit monotonous—not your best.”

“Sir, your palate is extraordinary!” The elder uncle piled on the flattery. “You echo our distiller’s words exactly!”

“I usually drink good liquor; even slight differences stand out,” Commandant Ma said matter-of-factly. “But for most people, such nuances are hard to detect.”

He’d spared the Su family’s feelings; this liquor was clearly inferior to Cheng’s.

“But what if the distillery sells this for only thirty coins a pound?” the elder uncle asked confidently.

“Thirty coins?!” Commandant Ma burst out laughing. “You’ll lose your shirt!”

“That’s the distillery’s concern. Sweetwater Agency just sells it; whatever price they offer, we add our margin,” the elder uncle smiled. “Do you think this business will work?”

“Of course!” Commandant Ma’s spirits lifted. He sipped again, then declared, “This liquor—never mind thirty coins, even at forty, it’ll be snatched up!”

ps. Five days, four updates! Still ten updates owed! The monk now spends every waking moment writing for you, aside from eating and sleeping—not even remembering the last time he worked so hard. Is such a monk worthy of your subscriptions and support?