Bo Qinghuan

Kapitel 6

Following his gaze, Gu Zao realized she was still barefoot. She didn't care at all; she'd shown her thighs and arms before, so why would she care about her feet? However, she knew that times had changed. Now, a woman's feet were probably more private than her breasts. She frowned, pulled her outer garment down a little to just cover her feet, and then raised her head again.

The two women stared at each other, but those around them were not idle either. Although the surrounding boats dared not approach too closely because of Yang Guifei's reputation, they secretly cheered for Gu Zao, fearing she might be taken advantage of. They had already formed a large circle and kept jeering. Although Third Sister and Qingwu were also somewhat frightened, they were afraid that Second Sister would be bullied, so they stood behind her and glared angrily at the bearded man. Only Fang Shi, after scolding Gu Zao, turned around and stood in front of her, desperately winking at her while bowing her head and forcing a fawning smile at the bearded man on the painted boat.

“My lord, and young master, it was all my second sister’s fault just now. She has been suffering from a mental illness since she was a child. When it flares up, she becomes blinded by greed and goes around bumping into people. Young master, you seem to be alright now. I kowtow to you and apologize. Please forgive my second sister this time.”

Gu Zao listened to Fang's words, which were somewhat tedious and made his teeth ache, but he understood her good intentions. He glanced at the magnificent painted boat across the way, and then thought of his younger siblings behind him. His heart ached, and he sighed inwardly. He simply lowered his head and accepted it.

To everyone's surprise, the young master, who had been lying on the deck yelling incessantly, suddenly sat up, ignoring his soaking wet clothes, and pointed at Fang Shi, cursing loudly: "You old hag, do you think there will be a next time? If I don't teach your shrewish wife a lesson this time, I'll be unworthy of the title of Little Tyrant!"

Fang was startled. Seeing that the bearded man beside her was also standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly ready to let the rascal cause trouble, she thought to herself that there was no way to make things peaceful today. With a determined heart, she plopped down on the deck, pounding on the board beside her and wailing, "Oh, Gu Er, you short-lived bastard! It would have been better if you had just left, but why didn't you take your whole family with you? We've come all this way to the emperor's feet (in the Song Dynasty, the emperor was called 'Guanjia'), and in broad daylight, we've been bullied like this. How can anyone live like this? Oh, my old mother... I'd rather just crash my head into this big pleasure boat and die. That way, I'll have at least experienced the capital..." As she wailed, tears and snot rolled down her cheeks. She blew them out and flung them onto the opposite pleasure boat.

Although the little tyrant was usually arrogant, he had never seen anyone like Fang Shi before. Seeing that she was about to throw a handful of snot and tears at his face, he was so frightened that he took a few steps back. The maids and servants around him screamed, and the onlookers cheered and made a great commotion.

When Gu Zao saw that Fang Shi had used her old tricks again, and it seemed to have scared the little tyrant, and seeing that her behavior was really rude, Gu Zao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She was already beautiful, and now, with water droplets still dripping from her hair, her smile was like a spring flower blooming, a flower still glistening with dew. Not only the bearded man, but even this little tyrant was stunned, unable to utter a single word. It turned out that all he ever saw outside were glamorous women, and even his concubines and maids at home were all delicate and charming. He hadn't paid attention earlier because he was too angry, but now, seeing such a cheerful smile, he had completely forgotten his resentment and was suddenly captivated, staring intently at Gu Zao.

Fang, unaware of the situation, saw the little tyrant staring at her second sister in a daze and assumed he was still thinking about how to punish her. She panicked even more and howled even louder, pounding the wooden planks beside her with both hands, creating a deafening roar. The sound attracted countless people on the shore. Those carrying loads put down their loads, those riding horses dismounted, and those doing business stopped, all crowding around the two docks, pointing and commenting on the two boats.

Seeing that Fang was making a scene, the bearded man frowned and finally spoke up: "Madam, it was my nephew who was in the wrong just now. He has been spoiled by my mother since he was a child, so he didn't know his own limitations. Please rest, and I will have my nephew apologize to you."

Fang was somewhat dazed and momentarily forgot to cry.

Gu Zao saw that the bearded man had finally said something that was barely acceptable. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with the man's use of the phrase "not knowing the gravity of the situation" to cover up the little tyrant's behavior, he understood the principle of knowing when to stop. So he just snorted and didn't reply.

The bearded man turned his head and shouted at the little tyrant. The little tyrant then grinned and leaned over, bowing deeply to Gu Zao and saying, "I was very rude just now, please forgive me, young lady."

Gu Zao was somewhat surprised, but then she saw his flirtatious eyes darting around her face, and she felt a surge of annoyance. She turned her face away and ignored him. The little tyrant, however, grinned and seemed about to jump onto Gu Zao's boat, but was stopped by the bearded man.

Gu Zao glanced at the little girl sitting in the cabin next to him, who was still pale-faced, before turning to the little tyrant and coldly saying, "What have you done to offend me? It's this fruit-selling girl who you harassed first. After she fell into the water, you didn't save her, but instead pushed her into the water and played with her. What kind of logic is that?"

Upon hearing this, the bearded man turned and gave his nephew a cold look. The little tyrant shuddered and hurriedly put on a fawning smile, saying, "Second Uncle, I felt sorry for the fried dough stick seller and just wanted to buy her a few more. But she bit my hand, and I accidentally shook her off because of the pain. She lost her balance and fell into the water. It really has nothing to do with me."

Hearing him say this, the people on the surrounding boats burst into a commotion. Gu Zao didn't argue, but just turned his head and coldly looked at the uncle and nephew.

The bearded man hissed, "Don't you think you've made a fool of yourself enough today? Hurry up and apologize to the fruit seller to smooth things over."

“No need for an apology, but since her bag of fried dough cakes spilled into the river, your nephew should make up for it all,” Gu Zao replied immediately, his expression indifferent.

The bearded man glanced at her, then at the little tyrant beside him. The little tyrant then pulled out a silver ingot from his pocket with a tearful face and handed it over.

Gu Zao accepted the money, weighed it in his hand, and estimated it to be about one tael, equivalent to one string of cash. He then sneered, "This money is more than enough to cover the cost of these fried dough sticks. Consider the rest as a token of gratitude to the girl for calming her nerves. Thank you for your generosity, young master." After saying this, he didn't look at Gu Zao again and turned to go into the cabin.

By this time, the river mouth should have been open, and the boats on the river in the distance could be seen starting to move. Seeing that there was no more excitement to see, the crowd slowly dispersed.

Seeing that a disaster had been averted, Fang thought that her tantrum had worked. She had already chanted Amitabha Buddha countless times. Fearing that the uncle and nephew would change their minds, she hurriedly got up from the deck and shouted to the boatman to row the boat away quickly.

The bearded man watched the boat drift away, never to see the woman's face again. He felt a pang of disappointment. Turning to look at his nephew's disheveled appearance, he was both amused and annoyed. He hissed, "Hurry up and change your clothes. The murder case you caused last month hasn't even died down yet, making your grandmother angry for half a month. Do you want to catch a cold and upset her again?"

The little tyrant seemed somewhat afraid of him, shrinking his neck and glancing again at Gu Zao's already departing boat before lowering his head and entering the painted boat surrounded by the maids.

Meanwhile, Gu Zao changed his clothes, dried his hair, and handed the one or two taels of silver to the girl selling fried dough sticks. The girl had escaped death and gained so much money for nothing. She was about to kowtow to Gu Zao, but Gu Zao quickly stopped her and helped her ashore. Only then did his family continue their journey towards Bianjing.

In just two days, they arrived at the dock, but it wasn't in Bianjing city; it was just a stop on the Bian River outside the city.

As soon as the boat docked, several porters rushed up, vying to help them carry their belongings ashore. Fang had never seen such a scene before and, fearing that their things would be stolen, she held them down firmly and shouted to stop them.

The porters stopped what they were doing, looked at each other, and then laughed. They knew they had run into a country woman. One of them said with a smile, "Don't panic, Mama. We are all porters of the Taiping cart. You have so much stuff, and no one is coming to pick you up. Are you going to carry it all into the city by hand instead of hiring a cart?" As he spoke, he pointed to a row of carts parked at the dock.

Looking at it, Gu Zao saw that the cart had a square carriage without a roof, and two straight wooden beams protruding from the front of the sideboard, about two or three feet long. There were six or seven mules harnessed to the front of the cart, which he guessed was the kind of cart used for transporting goods in Tokyo.

Fang let go of her hand, turned around and glanced at her seven or eight loads of belongings. She realized that she couldn't possibly carry them in by hand. She also blamed Gu Dayi for not coming to help her, so she asked about the price with a sigh.

Gu Zao gave the address of the rented house mentioned in Hu's previous letter. Upon hearing this, the porters laughed and said, "That's a bit far. It's in the Ranyuan Bridge area of Wuzhang River. It will cost a hundred coins to get there from here."

Fang was shocked and jumped up: "Do you think I'm some country bumpkin trying to scam me? I've come all the way from Yangzhou, what haven't I seen? How can this cost a hundred coins?"

The porter hurriedly protested, "Madam, what are you saying? This is the East Water Gate. To get to the Dyeing Courtyard Bridge, you have to go around most of the city. Business is bad today, so I'll only charge you one hundred coins as a bonus."

Fang shook her head repeatedly, saying, "This much money could buy me two bushels of rice. It's too expensive, too expensive."

The porter sneered, "Mother, with your hundred coins, you can only buy one and a half bushels in Tokyo. Where would you find two bushels to buy?"

Gu Zao, too lazy to listen to Fang Shi's arguing with him, interrupted and said, "Forty coins, you can go if you want, or I'll call someone else."

The porter shook his head vigorously, ready to leave. Gu Zao saw that his expression didn't seem to be faking it, and knew that everything in Tokyo was expensive. After thinking for a moment, he called out to him, "I'll give you ten more coins, fifty. You still won't go, will you?"

The porter pondered for a moment, then nodded as if it were a painful loss. He turned around and called for help, and together they quickly moved everything from the boat onto the flatbed cart.

Gu Zao paid the boatman's fare, thanked him, and then pulled Fang Shi, who still thought it was too expensive, along with them.

The carriage of the Taiping cart was very spacious. Even after the Gu family had put in their large and small bags, there was still some space. The Gu family then boarded the carriage. The porter hung an iron bell in the middle of the cart, cracked his whip, and seven or eight mules pulled the cart, making a racket all the way to the city gate.

The tricks of renting a house

As they approached the city gate, willows lined the banks of the Bian River, and the walls were painted white, looking very neat. Passing through the East Water Gate, they looked up and saw an iron-clad window spanning the river. The porter explained that it lowered like a sluice gate at night to catch the water, a fact that Fang Shi found quite impressive. Once inside the city, Fang Shi's eyes were overwhelmed by the sights: Tang Family Gold and Silver Shop, Wenzhou Lacquerware Shop, Fruit Shop, Liang Family Bead Shop, Hundred Kinds of Round Medicine Shop, Che Family Charcoal Shop, Li Family Incense Shop, Wanglou Mountain Cave Plum Blossom Buns… The shops were densely packed with signs. The streets were bustling with people and carriages. Passing through the South Gate Street and entering the old city, the scene was even more prosperous. The porter, eager to impress the country folk, drove his cart through the most bustling areas, his words flowing like a river, leaving Fang Shi's third sister and Qingwu completely bewildered.

Fang turned her head and saw a straight road leading to the right. At the end, she could vaguely see two majestic gate towers with five doors with gold nails and vermilion lacquer below. She stared at them curiously. The porter glanced at her and said, "This is the Imperial Street, which leads directly to the Xuande Tower, the main gate of the imperial palace."

Fang gasped, staring blankly for a moment. Even after they passed by, the other end was still twisting and turning desperately. Gu Zao found it amusing, but Fang saw this, rolled her eyes at her, and then sighed, saying, "Today I've actually seen the building where the officials live. It's truly an eye-opener."

After the carriage crossed Junyi Bridge and headed west, the porter pointed to a high-walled compound and said, "This is Kaifeng Prefecture."

Fang bowed twice towards the wall, muttering, "I never want to see them again in this life." It's understandable that she didn't want to see these commoners again, as they must have committed some misdeed and been sent here.

Gu Zao was quite interested in this place. After taking a few more glances, he couldn't help but ask, "Is there a prefect in Kaifeng named Bao?"

The porter turned his head and glanced at her, thinking to himself that this young lady was rather strange. She hadn't responded to any of the many interesting things that had happened before, but she finally spoke up when she saw the Kaifeng Prefecture, and the questions she asked were so odd. He shook his head and said, "I only know that the former prefect was surnamed Wang, and the current one is Lord Zhao. Where is there anyone with the surname Bao or Mian?"

Gu Zao was somewhat disappointed. She had almost asked the imperial cat, but fortunately she kept her tongue. Then she thought about it and chuckled to herself. Although the emperor at this time was still Emperor Renzong, the current reign title was Mingdao. Bao Zheng should still be squatting in his hometown of Luzhou, studying books.

After leaving the inner city, the journey was filled with clanging and clattering noises, but we finally arrived at the Dyeing Bridge. Following the address on the letter, we searched for the way, but the road grew narrower and narrower, eventually becoming a narrow alleyway that could only accommodate two or three people at a time, and the car could not be driven in no matter what. On both sides were densely packed doors, one after another, and most of the houses were dilapidated and old, which must have been the slums of Tokyo.

Seeing that the houses were old and dilapidated, Fang was already somewhat displeased. When the porter urged her to get off the cart, as if he was going to throw her off, she refused to let go. The porter had no choice but to climb down himself and help carry the luggage inside piece by piece.

The house was located in a narrow courtyard at the end of a small alley. It was a winding path leading to the house, which consisted of only one storefront with two rooms in front and back. However, the door was locked tight. Helpless, Fang had no choice but to pile all the bags at the door before sending the porter away.

The neighbors heard the commotion and came out. It was a young woman in her thirties who introduced herself as Madam Shen. When she heard that they were the new tenants, she was quite enthusiastic and said, "You must be relatives of the Gu family who runs the silk shop on Panlou East Street. Gu's sister-in-law came to look around a few days ago and said that she saw you coming and asked me to tell you to go to her place to get the key so you can go in."

Fang Shi found it troublesome and started muttering to herself. Gu Zao knew that she was illiterate and was worried that she might not be able to come back if she went out since she was new to the place. So he asked Fang Shi and her third sister Qingwu to wait at the door while she went to get the key. Fang Shi was a little tired and didn't want to move. After giving a few instructions, she plopped down on the threshold steps.

Gu Zao left the alley and arrived on the street. He asked for directions no less than five or six times before finally finding Panlou East Street. It turned out that Ranyuan Bridge was in the north of the city and the other was in the south of the city. They were quite far apart. He followed the signs one by one and finally stopped at a door.

The shop door was wide open, and two or three customers were looking at the fabrics inside. A shop assistant was busy running around when he suddenly noticed Gu Zao standing at the door. He looked Gu Zao up and down a few times but didn't say anything. It turned out that this shop assistant's eyes were already very sharp. Seeing Gu Zao's clothes and appearance, he knew that she didn't look like someone who would bring business to his door, so he didn't bother with her.

Gu Zao entered the gate and asked with a smile, "Young man, may I ask if the shopkeeper here is surnamed Gu?"

The man responded through his nose, without even looking over.

Gu Zao wasn't annoyed. She simply said, "I'm the shopkeeper's niece. Please inform him that I've come to collect the keys."

The shopkeeper then turned his head to take a closer look at her, lifted the curtain and went into the inner room. It seemed that this place should have two courtyards, with the front being the shop and the back being the residence.

A moment later, Gu Zao heard footsteps. The curtain was suddenly lifted, and first the waiter came out, followed by a somewhat short and plump middle-aged woman. She was made up and dressed in silk and satin. When she saw Gu Zao, she was taken aback at first, and then she put on a big smile.

Gu Zao had never seen her before, but she guessed that this must be her aunt, Madam Hu. Just as she was about to address her respectfully, Madam Hu stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and giggled, "Oh, isn't this the second sister from the second son's family? You've grown even more beautiful in the years we haven't seen you..."

Gu Zao smiled and was about to speak when she was interrupted again. As if she remembered something, she suddenly asked, "Second Sister, didn't we say a few years ago that you became someone's concubine? How come you're in Tokyo now?"

Gu Zao hummed in agreement and replied very briefly, "My husband's family is gone, so I've come back."

Madam Hu raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise, and the white powder on her face fluttered down as she opened and closed her mouth: "Oh dear, how could I be so unlucky..."

Gu Zao was afraid that she would launch into a long and unending discussion, so she quickly interrupted her exclamation: "Auntie, my whole family has arrived at the house near Ranyuan Bridge, but we are locked out because we don't have the key. The lady next door said she would come to you to get it, so I came. Please give me the key so I can go back and settle them in as soon as possible."

Madam Hu glanced at Gu Zao but didn't say anything. Gu Zao suddenly remembered something and immediately said, "I don't know how much rent Auntie paid for the house. I didn't bring much money with me when I came here. I'll send the rent over after we're settled tomorrow."

Hu then waved her hand, took out a key from her sleeve, and said with a smile, "We're all relatives, so let's not talk about money. What does it matter if it's a couple of days late? The rent for that house is only two guan per month. I asked around a lot to find out the best price. There's no cheaper place. It has two rooms and is close to the street. If I didn't know the landlord, you wouldn't have a chance to rent it. It would have been taken by someone else long ago."

Gu Zao secretly gasped. She was prepared for the high cost of living and even higher housing prices in Tokyo, but she never expected that a dilapidated house at the end of such a winding alley would have this much rent. Although she had some doubts, she didn't show them on her face. She simply took the key from Madam Hu, thanked her, and prepared to leave.

Madam Hu didn't try to stop her, but just smiled and patted her hand, telling her to bring her younger brother and sister-in-law, Madam Fang, over to play when she had time. Gu Zao respectfully agreed before leaving the silk shop, but she didn't even get to see Gu Da's face.

Gu Zao, fearing that Fang Shi would be impatient and unwilling to hire a carriage, hurriedly returned home. Even so, Fang Shi still complained for a while, so Gu Zao briefly mentioned the long distance. When Fang Shi heard that Hu Shi had rented her a house a whole city away from her home, she wasn't stupid; she felt a lump in her throat and her anger was already rising. When she heard that the house cost two strings of cash a month, she almost cursed out loud, but Gu Zao interrupted her, and she managed to hold back, her face turning as red as a pig's liver.

Gu Zao unlocked the door and was immediately greeted by a sour, fermenting smell. Upon closer inspection, he was stunned to find several cracked earthenware jars of varying sizes in the front room. Upon closer inspection, he saw some residual pickling liquid at the bottom of the jars, which had already started to ferment. The sour, stinky smell must have come from here. The same was true in the back room.

Fang was even more displeased. Helpless, Gu Zao had no choice but to call her third sister, Qingwu, to help her move the jars out one by one and stack them at the door. They also borrowed a broom from next door to clean and ventilate the two rooms before moving their belongings in one by one. There were only two rooms in total. The front room was used as a kitchen, where Fang also slept on the floor at night. The back room was cleaned up, and Gu Zao, her third sister, and Qingwu all squeezed together. Since there were no beds, they pieced together the trunks they had brought to make a small bed for Qingwu, while Gu Zao and her third sister also slept on the floor.

There was no stove in the house, so in the evening, Gu Zao borrowed a coal stove from next door and cooked some leftover food from the ship, which the whole family ate haphazardly. Seeing that it was not yet dark, she told Fang Shi that she was going out to familiarize herself with the way, and then took her third sister Qingwu with her and went out. Fang Shi didn't care, only telling her to come back early, and then went to organize the things she had brought.

Gu Zao and her third sister, Qingwu, left the alley and walked a few steps south along the street. The surroundings gradually became lively. The streetlights were just coming on, and the night market was just beginning. All sorts of food were being sold on the street: rice porridge, stewed meat, dried meat, eel with tripe and lungs, steamed buns with chicken skin, and chicken and duck offal. Each serving cost fifteen coins. Seeing that Qingwu looked a little tempted, Gu Zao bought some. After strolling around for a while, they crossed a bridge and saw that the food for sale was different again. There was pan-fried sheep intestines, fried fish heads, ginger and fermented black beans, offal, red shredded vegetables, sliced sheep heads, as well as some spicy ginger, spicy radishes, and pickled vegetables. The business was surprisingly good. She used to love eating this kind of thing, so she couldn't resist going over and buying a few coins. She put it in her mouth and chewed it carefully, but the taste was just average, far inferior to what she used to make herself. She handed the food to her third sister, who was eating it with great relish. Suddenly, she had an idea. Seeing that it was getting late, she pulled her third sister, who was still a little reluctant to leave, and Qingwu back home.

As soon as she entered the house, she heard Fang's voice. Listening carefully, she realized that Fang was cursing someone, and the person she was cursing was none other than Hu, whom she hadn't even met that day. The walls of the house were thin and connected, and Gu Zao was afraid that the neighbors would hear her, so she quickly stepped forward and grabbed Fang's sleeve.

Fang shook off her hand and sat down on the newly made floor mat, huffing, "Second sister, your aunt is always such a stingy person. I thought she'd suddenly taken a good deed, but it turns out she tricked us! I just went next door and asked Madam Shen; her place is the same as ours, and she only paid 1.5 guan. Why did Hu charge us 2 guan? And what's most infuriating is this house..." These were her own belongings. She first rented them to a porter, but he was trampled by a horse in the street after only a few months. Then she rented them to a vegetable seller, who also died suddenly not long after. Her last tenant was a sauce maker; she rented them for six months, but the sauce he made killed someone, so she abandoned all the jars and pots and ran away. That woman has such a black heart; she tricked us into coming here, hoping to bring bad luck upon our family. No, we'd better find another place tomorrow and move out quickly, lest we attract this jinx.”

Gu Zao thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. I'll talk to Aunt about the rent. They're only paying 1.5 strings of cash, so we're not going to be taken advantage of. As for moving, I don't think we need to. It's really hard to find a house in the city, and moving around is too much trouble. I just saw a Wong Tai Sin temple at the other end of the street. It's very popular, so it must be very effective. If you're worried, you can go and ask for a talisman to ward off evil spirits."

Fang was silent for a moment after hearing this, and Gu Zao knew that she had been persuaded by him. He closed the door and was about to go in with his third sister, Qingwu, when he heard Fang mutter to herself again: "Tomorrow morning, throw away all these broken jars. It's annoying to have them standing at the door."

Gu Zao hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Mother, I still need those jars; we can't throw them away."

Fang looked at her with a puzzled expression, but Gu Zao didn't explain. She just smiled and went inside.

They washed up and went to bed that night without saying a word. The next morning, Gu Zao called her third sister, Qingwu, and together they inquired about the nearby morning market and went there in a flash. When they arrived at the market, they bought a bag of radish salt and some other seasonings, spending less than a hundred coins in total.

Back home, she directed her third sister and Qingwu to pick out several jars and wash them clean, then she got to work herself. First, she selected small, clean white radishes, threaded them with string, dried them, and put them into the jars, adding some salt and wine. Then she took some thin-stemmed radishes, cut each one into four strips vertically, threaded them with string, dried them, and pickled them according to a ratio of two ounces of salt per pound of radish, pressing them tightly, pouring a layer of liquor on top, and then sealing the jars. Next, she took the remaining radishes, sliced them, dried them, boiled ginger, orange peel strips, peppercorns, and fennel powder in vinegar, poured the mixture over them, added salt, and sealed the jars as well.

Third Sister and Qingwu already somewhat understood Gu Zao's intentions. Fang Shi, on the other hand, went to the Wong Tai Sin temple early in the morning and actually drew a very auspicious fortune stick, which said that everything would go smoothly this year. She also received a talisman and returned happily. When she saw that Gu Zao had been making so many pickled radishes, she was not angry. She just asked curiously, "Second Sister, are you making so many pickled radishes because the price of vegetables in Tokyo is high and you want to save money on vegetables? That's good. It's always good to save a few."

Gu Zao smiled and said, "They're pickled to sell."

Fang pursed her lips, looking unconvinced: "Second sister, since you can cook, you should go to that broker's shop and find a job as a cook. Pickled radishes are just something country people use to save money and eat with rice. Who in the city would buy this? I think you're wasting all these radishes and seasonings."

Gu Zao smiled and didn't argue with her. She simply sealed the last jar in her hand and then let out a soft sigh.

Pickled crispy radish slices

The pickled radishes should be left to ferment for two or three days before they can be opened, but Gu Zao was not idle at all; he was constantly busy, like a spinning top.

First, Fang kept nagging and pressuring her to ask about cook jobs. Gu Zao couldn't escape, and the day after pickling the radishes, she was dragged along to a broker's shop on the street to inquire. They learned that recently, there weren't many good restaurants hiring cooks, and even if there were, they were the low-class kind, with very low wages. After asking at several places, Fang was somewhat discouraged, but she still made sure the broker wrote down Gu Zao's name, saying she would come back to inquire in a few days.

Gu Zaozao realized that the brokers didn't believe Fang Shi's exaggerated claims of her skills being unparalleled. Even if her name was eventually listed, it was just a formality to avoid Fang Shi's nagging, and they'd probably forget about it as soon as they left. Gu Zaozao herself didn't care; she was only asking for work because Fang Shi had forced her. She had her own ideas from the start, but knew she couldn't reason with Fang Shi. Now that there was no suitable place, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang returned home sighing all the way, while Gu Zao was preoccupied with Qingwu's studies, a long-standing worry in her heart. Although the imperial examination system had become universally condemned a thousand years later, it was currently in its prime, and the Song emperors were notoriously fond of civil affairs and disdainful of military matters. She couldn't forgive herself for letting Qingwu neglect his studies like this, so she sent Fang home and began inquiring about schools in the capital region.

There was once a prestigious academy in the capital city of Tokyo called Xiqing Academy. Its professors, Wang Gongchen and Tian Kuang, were former judges of the Imperial Academy. The triennial imperial examinations were set by this group of people. The academy admitted only the sons of officials below the eighth rank, both civil and military, as well as the most outstanding commoners, with a total of no more than two hundred places available. Entering this academy meant practically having one foot in the officialdom, making the annual entrance examination a truly fierce competition, even more so than the later imperial examinations.