"After Shen Xuan got married, his heart truly went wild, even thinking of setting up a stall in the city."
"He went to the city every day to buy things, saw more of the city's ways, and naturally his ambitions grew."
"Do you think he, a Ger, can succeed at setting up a stall?"
"Setting up a stall isn't that easy. How much money have all those men in the village earned selling grain in the city every season? Let alone a Ger like him?"
***
Shen Xuan's plan to set up a stall immediately became the hot topic of discussion among the bored villagers of Yunshui, both in the fields and by the roadside.
Most of them thought Shen Xuan was just making a fuss for nothing. It wasn't that no one in the village had thought of earning money in the city before, but apart from one or two capable individuals, most didn't earn much, and some even lost their capital.
Moreover, the villagers were conservative in their thinking, always believing that Ger were definitely inferior to men.
If men couldn't do it well, they felt Ger certainly couldn't, and each of them was waiting to see Shen Xuan make a fool of himself.
At noon, the Wang family gathered around the dinner table, chatting about the gossip they'd heard these past few days.
They first discussed Brother Zhong's disappearance, then moved on to Shen Xuan.
Wang Xiaolian was the most excited, grabbing a steamed bun with one hand and waving his chopsticks with the other, mimicking Carpenter Yang's tone with glee.
"I've never heard of a 'stall cart,' but Shen Xuan just had to make Carpenter Yang build one, making him furious. Isn't that laughable?"
Everyone at the table burst into laughter. Wang Dalang scoffed,
"What does he, a Ger, know? A stall, really. Getting a carpenter to make a stall cart would cost at least two taels of silver, right?"
"We sell grain in the city; a hundred jin of rice takes a full three days to sell, and only brings in six hundred wen. How long would it take to get two taels back? Besides, he doesn't even have land; what would he sell at a stall? Wild vegetables from the mountain?"
The Wang family laughed again, but Nanny Wang pondered,
"Don't laugh too soon. Don't forget he has a husband backing him. I think that man is different from our villagers; he seems capable."
Nanny Wang, having worked in the Duke's residence, had broader horizons than the others. After seeing Xue Fenglin that day, she felt his temperament was quite unusual.
Wang Xiaolian was displeased to hear even his own mother praise Shen Xuan's man.
He rolled his eyes and said, "What capability could that man have? No matter how good-looking, isn't he still a cripple? Can he even pass the imperial examinations and become an official?"
"Yes, no matter how good-looking or how much he earns, he's not as capable as your husband," Second Aunt Luo said with a hint of sarcasm.
"After all, Scholar Sun is a dignified scholar. We are all just common folk."
"Exactly, Scholar Sun is so good. Xiaolian, you should hurry and marry him to become a scholar's wife. It'll be much more uplifting than staying at home," Li Shi chimed in.
These past few days, Wang Xiaolian had been boasting excessively about Scholar Sun's scholarly achievements, even putting down his own older brothers and sisters-in-law.
Coupled with the dowry and bride price issues, Luo Shi and Li Shi were finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate their younger brother-in-law.
Wang Xiaolian also heard the sarcasm from his sisters-in-law but dismissed it, thinking they were simply jealous of him.
He said even more proudly, "That's right, in a few days it'll be time for the Sun family to welcome me. I'll definitely have a grand, celebratory wedding, making everyone in the village envious."
While the villagers were gossiping about Shen Xuan's stall, Shen Xuan himself returned from the city riding his dappled mule, with a bundle of kraft paper on his back.
Carpenter Yang's mind was set in his ways and he refused to make a stall cart for him, so Shen Xuan naturally had to find someone else.
Thus, he had made a trip to the city and bought some charcoal sticks and kraft paper used by carpenters.
Learning from his previous experience with Carpenter Yang, Shen Xuan decided to first draw out the stall cart he wanted with charcoal sticks.
He unfolded the kraft paper, laid it out, and began to proportionally sketch with the charcoal stick. In no time, the basic shape of a stall cart appeared on the paper.
After drawing, Shen Xuan marked some key points and measurements in small script, making the entire blueprint clear and easy to follow for construction.
Xue Fenglin came over to look and was somewhat surprised, never expecting Shen Xuan to be able to draw blueprints in addition to writing.
He knew that Shen Xuan had gone to the city to write memorial texts a few days ago. Although he wasn't clear exactly how much money he earned, just the ability to write memorial texts according to format was better than many noble ladies and Ger in the capital.
It was known that while noble families in the capital would educate their daughters and Ger in reading and writing, most of it was for show.
Many girls and Ger wrote well, and some could compose poetry, but functional articles like memorial texts were not taught to girls and Ger, and thus they couldn't write them.
Shen Xuan, despite staying in the countryside, could skillfully write them and use them to earn money, already making him better than most people! And drawing blueprints was related to manufacturing.
In the capital, aside from officials in the Ministry of Works and carpenters, most men wouldn't learn it either. He wondered where Shen Xuan had learned this?
"How is it? Is this blueprint clear enough?" Seeing Xue Fenglin approach, Shen Xuan proudly showed him the blueprint he had drawn.
"It's quite clear," Xue Fenglin nodded, then asked, "How do you know so much? This skill of drawing blueprints is a carpenter's specialty."
Shen Xuan paused, then suddenly realized that he found drawing simple because he had grown up in the modern world, learning math, science, and art from a young age.
However, for people of the Great Jin Dynasty, who emphasized liberal arts over technical skills, they rarely encountered such knowledge that was basic to modern primary and middle school students.
Shen Xuan being able to easily master the blueprint drawing skills passed down through generations of carpenters was truly a display of genius.
"I..." Shen Xuan thought for a moment, not knowing how to explain this "bug."
He simply gave up and said, "I just found this thing quite simple. Especially after I hit my head, I just understood the carpenters' blueprints as soon as I saw them. Perhaps heaven saw how much I suffered before, so it's blessing me."
Since he couldn't explain it clearly, he might as well attribute it to metaphysics, blaming everything on heaven.
No one could really argue with that. Indeed, Xue Fenglin, upon hearing this, felt more pity for Shen Xuan's past sufferings.
He thought that heaven should indeed treat Shen Xuan well; such a good Ger shouldn't have to suffer and endure hardships, but should be cherished by everyone.
***
After finishing the blueprint, Shen Xuan went to the city again the next day. There was more than one carpenter's shop in Lezhou City, but most were concentrated in the South City.
Shen Xuan inquired along the way and found a rather experienced Carpenter Liu, heading towards his shop.
Carpenter Liu was in his early fifties, having worked as a carpenter since his teens. He had even participated in the construction of the Lezhou Prefect's residence.
Now, he owned a shop in the South City, and his business was good; he had quite a bit of savings.
Such an experienced old carpenter was definitely better than Carpenter Yang in Yunshui Village.
Moreover, this time Shen Xuan brought a blueprint, so he wasn't afraid the carpenter wouldn't understand, and he was quite confident in getting a stall cart made.
Indeed, when Shen Xuan showed Carpenter Liu the blueprint he had drawn, Carpenter Liu's eyes immediately lit up.
He was delighted, taking the blueprint and studying it, asking as he did so, "Young brother, where did you get this blueprint? This cart is really well designed, perfect for a stall."
Shen Xuan always covered his fertility mark with a headband for safety whenever he went into the city, so Carpenter Liu assumed he was a man and addressed him as such.
"I drew it myself," Shen Xuan said, not hiding anything. Since he was having something made, he needed to communicate directly with the carpenter, and being straightforward was more convenient.
Carpenter Liu's eyes brightened again. He then looked Shen Xuan up and down, a strange look of admiration appearing on his face.
He then politely invited Shen Xuan to sit in a courtyard in the back, saying, "Young brother, I don't have much good stuff here, just some coarse tea. Please wet your throat, don't dislike it."
Shen Xuan was a bit bewildered by Carpenter Liu's attitude. He was just here to have something made.
This carpenter's attitude was a little too enthusiastic... As Shen Xuan remained confused, Carpenter Liu called out a few times towards the back room, and then a fair-faced Ger came out carrying a pot of tea.
The Ger had a little makeup on and was quite tall. He looked about the same age as Brother Zhong, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, and bore a two-tenths resemblance to Carpenter Liu, they clearly looked like father and son.
When the Ger came over, Carpenter Liu had him personally pour tea for Shen Xuan.
The Ger glanced at Shen Xuan, his face flushed, then blushingly poured him a cup of tea before shyly leaving.
After he left, Carpenter Liu spoke to Shen Xuan again. "Young brother, what do you think of my Ger's appearance and temperament?"
Shen Xuan was startled, wondering why Carpenter Liu was asking him this. He politely smiled and praised him.
"His appearance is delicate and lovely, and his temperament seems quiet."
Carpenter Liu chuckled upon hearing him praise his Ger, and said with a satisfied expression, "Young brother, I see you are also young and probably not yet married. You also have a talent for craftsmanship. I'd like to invite you to be a live-in son-in-law. What do you think?"
Shen Xuan, "..."
He never imagined that simply coming to the city to find a carpenter would lead to being eyed for a live-in marriage!
Then he heard Carpenter Liu say, "Young brother, don't rush to refuse just because you hear the words 'live-in son-in-law.' Please let me explain..."
He then told Shen Xuan all of his conditions, saying that if Shen Xuan was willing to marry in, one of their sons could take the father's surname, and other conditions were negotiable.
It turned out that Carpenter Liu's carpentry shop now had an annual profit of over a hundred taels, which was quite wealthy in the city.
But he had no sons, he only had this one Ger, and his craftsmanship had no one to inherit it.
Carpenter Liu felt sorry for his Ger, worrying that he would suffer if he married out, and he also hoped someone would inherit the family business, so he set his mind on finding a live-in son-in-law.
But in this world, how many ambitious, good men were willing to marry in? Carpenter Liu had asked matchmakers to search repeatedly, but those who were willing to come had ulterior motives, and he couldn't find a good one.
Today, when he saw Shen Xuan, he felt an immediate connection. So, he invited Shen Xuan to discuss the matter in detail, saying that if Shen Xuan was willing to marry his Ger and treat him well, he would pass on all his carpentry skills and his shop to him.
After listening to him, Shen Xuan sighed deeply. After some thought, he reached up and removed the headband from his head.
The fertility mark on his forehead was immediately revealed. Although its color was faint, it clearly told Carpenter Liu that he was a Ger.
Carpenter Liu froze, completely dumbfounded. He never expected to have made such a huge blunder. The "young brother" in front of him wasn't a man, but a Ger. And he had been talking to this Ger for so long!
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