Chapter 24 of 100

Chapter 24

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As Xu the steward left, everyone in the teahouse felt somewhat disappointed. The completely new version of "Journey to the West" had already captured their hearts, and now everyone was eagerly waiting to know what would happen next. So, during the following time, the entire teahouse was discussing the possible plots of the next part of "Journey to the West."

The first three chapters of the manuscript that Zhou Chong brought were divided among Zheng Jing and his two companions. Li Zheng, taking advantage of his young age, shamelessly took the most crucial first chapter, while Zhang Kuang and Zheng Jing got the second and third chapters, respectively. They agreed that after returning home, each of them would copy the chapter they received twice, and then they would exchange them. However, what Zheng Jing and his companions did not expect was that a hundred years later, someone would be willing to pay ten thousand taels of silver for the original first three chapters of "Journey to the West" in their descendants' hands, but their descendants all refused and declared that these manuscripts would be passed down as family treasures and would never be sold.

After Zhou Chong said goodbye to Zheng Jing and his companions, he was about to go back to celebrate with Xu the steward, but unexpectedly, someone chased after him, shouting, "Young Master Zhou, please wait!"

Zhou Chong turned around at the sound and found that it was Liu the steward from Fengyou Teahouse. Liu ran over, took out a few pieces of silver, and presented them with both hands, smiling and said, "Young Master Zhou, this is the tip the guests gave to Xu the steward today. Since copper coins are too heavy to carry, I exchanged them for silver. Please take them back for him!"

Zhou Chong took the silver and weighed it, estimating it to be about five or six mace. This made him very happy, and he also smiled at Liu the steward, saying, "Thank you, Liu the steward, for your efforts. I will thank Uncle Xu on his behalf, and I will also inform him to come to the teahouse to tell stories on time tomorrow."

Liu the steward had been waiting for Zhou Chong's last words, and upon hearing them, his old face lit up with a smile. Zhou Chong then exchanged a few more words with him before turning to leave. However, when Zhou Chong returned home, he saw a strange scene.

When Zhou Chong entered the front courtyard, he saw Butcher Wu Shan pushing a cart of bricks into the yard. Xu the steward was holding a teapot, drinking tea while talking to him, and Wu Shan was nodding continuously.

"Steward Xu, what are you doing? Why did Brother Wu Shan bring so many bricks?" Zhou Chong walked over and asked with a smile. Today, Xu the steward had earned five or six mace of silver from two storytelling sessions, which made him feel very good, and he seemed much more relaxed.

Seeing Zhou Chong return, Xu the steward hurriedly bowed and said, "Young Master, Wu Shan wants to build a stove in his courtyard, so he brought these bricks. However, I think..."

Before Xu the steward could finish, Zhou Chong frowned and said, "Steward Xu, that's not right. We rented the house to Brother Wu Shan, and he naturally needs to eat here. It's very normal for him to build a stove in his courtyard. How can you stop him?"

Zhou Chong knew that Xu the steward had some prejudice against Wu Shan's identity as a butcher. For example, when he gave the leftover food to Zhao Er, Xu the steward was the first to suspect that Wu Shan had stolen it. Now, seeing Xu the steward blocking Wu Shan's cart of bricks, Zhou Chong immediately thought that he was unwilling for Wu Shan to cook in the courtyard, which made him a bit angry. After all, Wu Shan had paid the rent, and cooking and lighting a fire were his rights.

However, Zhou Chong clearly misunderstood Xu the steward. Before Xu the steward could explain, Wu Shan smiled and said, "Young Master Zhou, you misunderstood. Uncle Xu wasn't trying to stop me from building the stove. He was discussing something with me, but he couldn't make the decision, so we were waiting for you to come back."

"Huh?" Zhou Chong was first taken aback, then looked at Xu the steward, who looked aggrieved, and said awkwardly, "Well... ha ha, sorry, Uncle Xu. It's all my fault. What were you discussing that you had to wait for me to come back?"

Zhou Chong was someone who admitted his mistakes, and he even changed the way he addressed Xu the steward. Xu the steward naturally did not blame him and explained what he and Wu Shan had been discussing.

It turned out that after Xu the steward returned from Fengyou Teahouse, he happened to meet Wu Shan pushing a cart of bricks into the courtyard. Upon learning that Wu Shan wanted to build a stove in his courtyard, he had an idea. The Zhou family's kitchen was in the front courtyard, and Aunt Wang and Zuo'er often helped with cooking. In the past, it was fine, but now that the front courtyard was rented out, especially with a man like Wu Shan living there, it became inconvenient. So, Xu the steward suggested that Wu Shan help build a stove in the inner courtyard of the Zhou family, and in return, he could use the kitchen in the front courtyard.

Wu Shan was also very happy after hearing this. After all, he had seen the Zhou family's kitchen, which was large and clean, much better than the stove he would build himself. Therefore, he readily agreed, but he needed Zhou Chong's permission to enter the inner courtyard, so the two of them waited in the courtyard for Zhou Chong to return.

After hearing this, Zhou Chong thought for a moment and then nodded and smiled, "Good, Steward Xu, you thought of everything. I wonder if Brother Wu Shan is free now. Let's go to the inner courtyard and build the stove together?"

"Young Master Zhou, you're too polite. Just call me Wu Shan or Old Wu. I was planning to build the stove this afternoon anyway. If you think it's appropriate now, I'll start building it for you right away." Wu Shan had been living in the Zhou family for a few days and had become more familiar with Zhou Chong and Xu the steward, so he was less reserved and talked more.

"Alright, from now on, I'll call you Old Wu. Let's go to the inner courtyard and choose a courtyard to build the stove." Zhou Chong smiled and led the way with Xu the steward, while Wu Shan pushed the cart to the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard, including the back garden, had seven courtyards in total. Apart from the courtyards where Aunt Wang and Zhou Chong lived, the others were empty. Zhou Chong and Xu the steward discussed and decided to build the stove in the courtyard next to Aunt Wang's, which was previously occupied by Zhao the Concubine, the mother of Duo'er. There was a simple stove in the right wing of this courtyard, which only needed to be repaired and reinforced.

Building a stove is a technical job, and Zhou Chong and Xu the steward were laymen in this area. Otherwise, they would have built a stove in the inner courtyard long ago, as running back and forth between the front and back courtyards was very inconvenient. Fortunately, Wu Shan was an expert in this field, skilled in mixing mud and laying bricks, while Zhou Chong and Xu the steward could only help by fetching water and moving bricks.

After nearly an afternoon of work, the new stove was finally built. Wu Shan also helped Zhou Chong move some kitchen utensils from the front kitchen to the new kitchen in the inner courtyard and filled the water jar, putting in a lot of effort. This made Zhou Chong very fond of the honest and straightforward Wu Shan, and he even gave him some kitchen utensils that were no longer needed, which made Wu Shan very grateful.

After Wu Shan left, Zhou Chong and Xu the steward went to Aunt Wang's courtyard, where Zuo'er and Duo'er were. Duo'er had run over to play while they were building the stove, and Zuo'er, being a young lady, stayed in the courtyard.

"Clap!" Zhou Chong put the tips Xu the steward earned from storytelling on the table and said to Aunt Wang and Zuo'er with a proud smile, "This is the money Xu the steward earned from storytelling today, about five or six mace of silver. Although we added an extra session, we've already gained a reputation. I believe more guests will come tomorrow, and the income will only increase. If we calculate it, we can earn more than ten taels of silver a month. After deducting the expenses for the next two months, we should be able to save thirty taels of silver by the end of the year. With this thirty taels of silver as a base, our family's life will no longer be a worry!"

This was the first time Zhou Chong had openly shared his thoughts with his family. Aunt Wang, who was indecisive, was moved by Zhou Chong's confidence and became so excited that she couldn't speak. Xu the steward smiled foolishly, imagining the day when he would be famous in Songjiang and the good life of eating and drinking would return. Duo'er, though young, was also happy for her brother.

Only Zuo'er looked at her brother with a complex expression, her eyes slightly red. In her view, her brother should have been at home studying hard and preparing for the imperial examination next year. However, because of the burden of the family, he had to give up his studies and work hard to support the family. Even for a few mace of silver, he was so happy, which made Zuo'er feel very sad for her brother.

Zuo'er, like Zhou Chong, had studied with the family's tutor in the past, and although her talent was not as great as the original Zhou Chong, it was still remarkable. If she were a man, passing the imperial examination would not be difficult.

Zuo'er could not participate in the imperial examination, but this did not affect her love for reading. She also particularly enjoyed painting and poetry. In the past, she had formed a poetry society with several young ladies from prominent families in Songjiang, often gathering to recite poems, paint, and play music for entertainment. In modern terms, Zuo'er was a typical literary young woman, full of romantic ideas, and not very concerned with reality.

Zuo'er always regarded Zhou Chong as her idol, dreaming of the day when her brother would pass the imperial examination and become a young and distinguished scholar, admired by many. However, because of the family's situation, Zhou Chong had to work hard for a living every day. Although Zhou Chong himself found this more interesting than studying and was not the original Zhou Chong, he had no interest in the imperial examination.

Zuo'er had noticed Zhou Chong's changes. At first, she thought that the death of their father and the decline of the family had changed his personality, making him lose interest in the imperial examination. However, through Zhou Chong's writing and earning money, Zuo'er saw his talent again, which made her think that her brother was not unwilling to study but was forced to give it up because of the burden of the family, turning to deal with the mundane matters of daily life.

Because of this thought, when Zuo'er saw her brother so excited about a few mace of silver, she felt very sad and blamed herself for being useless, unable to share her brother's worries. Thinking of this, Zuo'er felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes almost welled up with tears.

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