Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 581 - 0542: Li Xing’an Profits Greatly from Luo Zikun (1)
Mu Yuanxiu had already heard that the county examination was coming up in a few days.
It seemed that these students were all here in the county town for the child student examination.
The exam hadn’t even begun, but each one of them was so arrogant. Mu Yuanxiu raised an eyebrow sarcastically.
Li Xing’an put down the medicine bottle in his hand, patted Mu Yuanxiu on the shoulder, "You continue with your work, I’ll go have a look."
Li Yuzhu’s medicine cabinet was only separated by a row of low cabinets from the bookshelf in the main hall.
The brother and sister sold different items but shared the same shop space, so it was divided into two.
"Gentlemen, please feel free to look around." Li Xing’an recognized Luo Zikun, only giving him a faint glance and greeted the others with clasped hands and a smile.
In business, even when facing people you dislike, you must endure.
Since taking over this shop, Li Xing’an’s fiery temper had considerably subsided.
If it were in the past, upon seeing Luo Zikun, he would have cursed him without a second thought; anyone disrespecting him would be beaten to the ground, calling him an ancestor.
Li Yuzhu had told him that this scoundrel had once harassed Chai Eying, and he had long wanted to settle that score.
But today, it was better to earn some money first.
Luo Zikun, to ensure success in the county examination, had paid visits to several old scholars in the county town.
He even entrusted someone to meet the County Magistrate.
He presented an essay he wrote for the magistrate’s review, and the magistrate praised his literary talent.
Among the group of students preparing for the examination in the county town, his reputation was the highest, so naturally, the top spot must be his.
Thinking about how the Li Family, although distant relatives of the County Magistrate and in-laws of the Magistrate, still had no significant achievements among their sons: one was a farmer, one held a minor position, and this one just had a bit of skill and opened a shop.
Luo Zikun genuinely looked down upon the Li family’s three sons.
He mocked them, despite having such illustrious relatives, still couldn’t secure any official position, which clearly showed how incapable they were.
As for him, achieving the first place in the county examination could be done effortlessly, and he would eventually pass the examinations, rise to prominence, and make Chai Eying regret!
Luo Zikun nodded and smiled at Li Xing’an, "Li Sanlang, how’s business?"
The insincere smile made Li Xing’an want to spit at him.
"Ah, just so-so, barely making a living. I’m nowhere near Mr. Luo; Mr. Luo will surely take the first place this time and will certainly become a scholar in the future." Li Xing’an mimicked a businessman’s manner, cursing inwardly, but keeping a cheerful face.
"Isn’t that obvious? Mr. Luo’s essay was praised by Mr. Chen of the county’s Fufeng Academy just the day before yesterday. Even the County Magistrate spoke highly of Mr. Chen’s scholarship. The county magistrate’s son also studied under Mr. Chen." Another young man chimed in.
Li Xing’an clasped his hands to Luo Zikun, smiling, "Then my little store benefits from Mr. Luo’s presence. When Mr. Luo takes the top spot, I’ll hang a sign at the shop door saying Mr. Luo once visited here. It will surely draw in many customers eager to witness Mr. Luo’s literary talent."
Saying this, he earnestly took paper and pen, asking Luo Zikun to write "Lishi Bookstore."
Luo Zikun, flattered, indeed wrote the words.
Li Xing’an dried the ink and handed it to Liu Yanbai, "Keep this safe. As soon as Mr. Luo achieves first place, we’ll get a new sign made and hang it up."
Liu Yanbai looked at the writing, thinking it was not as good as Li Dalang’s.
Li Xing’an then introduced newly printed books in the store, as well as books from other shops that he was entrusted to sell due to his good business. Additionally, his store sold items like fans, paintings, paper, ink, brushes, inkstones, fan pendants, paperweights, and other scholarly items.
Luo Zikun’s family was wealthy, and confident in his academic ability to secure the top spot, he made large purchases totaling some twenty taels of silver.
The others praised Luo Zikun’s generous spending but refrained from imitating him, though they made smaller purchases.
Among the seven or eight people, Li Xing’an sold goods worth over a hundred and twenty taels, causing him to smile broadly like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Liu Yanbai watched with twitching corners of his mouth.
Just as these people were collecting their purchases and about to leave, Mu Yuanxiu stepped out from the medicine cabinet area.
He looked at Luo Zikun and said, "Luo Zikun, something major has happened in your family. Do you know?"
Since coming to the county town last autumn, Luo Zikun had only returned home for a few days around the New Year. Information about his family was relayed through servants coming to the county town.
No servant had come recently, so he was unaware of family matters.
"My family? What happened?" Luo Zikun asked in confusion.
The other students curiously glanced at Mu Yuanxiu, then at Luo Zikun.
Mu Yuanxiu said, "You should go to the county jail and have a look. Tell them to find someone from the Luo Family, and the government official will surely let you see them." He paused and added, "By the way, it’s someone very close to you, so you should go see for yourself."
Someone from his family was imprisoned! While he was here joking and laughing, Luo Zikun could no longer smile.
With a gray face, he hurried away.
The others, not fond of his usual arrogance, followed and deliberately said, "Brother Luo, that guy must be trying to scare you. How could your family be jailed? The other day, Lord County Magistrate praised you."
"Yes, Brother Luo, with the county examination soon, don’t bother with such matters now."
But the more they said this, the more anxious Luo Zikun felt.
He returned to his rented little house and asked the Attendant Student about the situation at home.
The Attendant Student was puzzled, "Master, no one from home has come to the county town. Has something happened?"
Luo Zikun placed the things he bought on the table and walked out with large strides.
The attendant student hurriedly called after him, "Young master, where are you going again? There are only three days left until the county examination, you need to hurry up and study."
How could Luo Zikun concentrate on studying?
Mu Yuanxiu was a well-known honest man, never spoke falsehoods, and never joked with people. Nine out of ten things he said were true.
Who was closest to him, the closest...
Was it mother, or father? Or grandmother? Or second uncle?
Luo Zikun rode his horse quickly to the county government’s prison.
He grabbed some copper coins and handed them to the government official guarding the gate, who then led him inside the prison.
He was surprised to find he was heading toward the women’s prison; who exactly was imprisoned here?
The head of the women’s prison was a burly woman, and she extorted a hefty sum from him before allowing him through.
"May I ask, madam, who from the Luo Family is imprisoned here?"
The head of the women’s prison raised an eyebrow at him, "You didn’t know?"
Luo Zikun said, "I only know that a family member has been imprisoned."
The head of the women’s prison was too lazy to speak, waving him off, "You go in yourself and look. There are only three people imprisoned in there, you find the person yourself."
One could only see the people through the iron bars; going inside the bars was not allowed unless you had the token from the county magistrate or paid a large sum of money.
Luo Zikun only wanted to know who was imprisoned inside.
He did not pay more money.
Following the direction pointed by the head, he walked toward a dimly lit room, which had no doors or windows, only a wall made of thick wooden bars, allowing one to clearly see who was inside.
Three women were imprisoned together.
One woman was leaning against the bars, while the other two were curled up in a corner.
The thin-faced woman appeared unfamiliar; he did not recognize her.
Then he looked at the two women in the corner ahead.
Luo Zikun recognized them.
It was Chai Family and her maid!
This wretched woman!
"How is it you? Miss Chai, what crime did you commit to be imprisoned?" Luo Zikun, seeing Miss Chai and her maid in prison, almost spat out a mouthful of blood in anger.
He had been studying diligently in the county town just to earn a reputation, so the Chai Family could benefit. And yet she caused trouble and got imprisoned!
Miss Chai, hearing Luo Zikun’s voice, was scared out of her wits.
"Kun... Brother Kun, save me..." Miss Chai cried and crawled up from the ground, running towards him.
After she was imprisoned, only her father came to see her, but instead of comforting her, he harshly scolded her and left, without saying whether he would rescue her or not.
This was no place for a person. She would die here.
"I ask you, what crime did you commit? And... what about the child in your belly?" Luo Zikun then noticed that Miss Chai’s belly had flattened. He was shocked and widened his eyes.
Miss Chai was scared into sobriety and couldn’t say a word.
The thin-faced woman sneered and said, "You are her man? Oh dear, your wife is quite something. She faked a pregnancy, intending to buy a child to pretend as your son. Unfortunately, she got caught. How unlucky for me to be implicated by her. I’ve sold over ten children, only to get trapped here by her. Tsk, unlucky!"
"Fake pregnancy? Buy a child?" Luo Zikun was so angry he almost couldn’t catch his breath.
He reached through the bars, grabbed Miss Chai through the bars, and gave her a heavy slap across the face.
"I, Luo Zikun, was truly blind at the time. How did I marry you, this jinx, into my house?"
Still unsatisfied, he lifted his foot and kicked toward the bars.
Miss Chai was kicked to the ground, letting out a miserable cry of pain.
Luo Zikun pointed at her, gritting his teeth, "If I don’t divorce you, I’m not a man!"
.
Three days before the examination, Luo Zikun learned about Miss Chai’s situation and was so upset he couldn’t even read a page of the book.
Unfortunately, this matter quickly spread among the scholars.
He became the laughingstock of all the scholars.
Those who usually endured his temper laughed at him to his face, while the timid and steady ones ridiculed him behind his back.
Some simply laughed, saying, "If you top the county examination, there will be gongs and drums, and you’ll be wearing a flower of joy, but the woman to greet you will be wearing shackles. How ridiculous is that."
After enduring a few days of humiliation and blows, Luo Zikun was unable to perform in the examination room.
His mind was in a complete mess.
Though he had reviewed the exam questions in the past, he was inexplicably at a loss as to how to start writing.
In the end, he didn’t even finish the exam paper.
