Chapter 54

Mu Wanqing sized them up. “Don’t you all already have jobs? How would you have time to earn extra money? Oh, by 'extra money' I mean making money in your spare time.”
“We can stay up at night!”
“Clan Leader, please think of another way to make money.”
Voices rose from all sides as they appealed to her, and Mu Wanqing’s head began to ache from the noise.
Just then Deputy Captain Li, who had gone ahead to scout, returned. “Miss, the heavy rain yesterday washed out the road ahead. We can’t get through; we’ll have to wait for the authorities to repair it, but we don’t know when they’ll show up.”
Mu Wanqing frowned slightly. “Is there no other route?”
Deputy Captain Li looked troubled. “We could detour, but the condition of the alternative roads is unknown.”
Mu Wanqing glanced at the sky, it was the Shen hour, a little after three in the afternoon.
Turning back now would be too late; traveling through the night would be far too dangerous.
“All right, find someone to inquire about the authorities’ plans and scout for other routes. If nothing works, we’ll prepare to camp out in the open countryside.”
“Understood.” Deputy Captain Li hurried off.
Mu Wanqing paused, then ordered the caravan to halt and wait for news.
She also sent Mu Zicheng to tell the merchants trailing behind them to stop for now.
They waited a long time; the sun sank and set, but Deputy Captain Li didn’t return. Mu Wanqing had no choice but to tell everyone they would have to sleep outdoors.
They found a spot with a water source and formed the wagons into circle after circle for safety.
The camp cook unloaded a wood-fired stove and an iron pot and started a fire to prepare the evening meal.
Ever since they'd acquired the mobile wood stove, the cook had felt like the sky was bluer and the water clearer.
Mu Wanqing’s carriage sat at the very center, in the most protected position.
Inside the carriage a small stove boiled water, and buns roasted on a rack; the toasty scent drifted through the air, making the interior feel as warm as spring.
Mu Wanqing lounged half-reclined on the couch, wrapped in a goose-down quilt; she wasn’t cold in the least.
“Have you written down all the school rules and regulations?”
“Yes.” Yu Wanrou, seated at the lower end, was scribbling notes quickly.
She had no experience, but fortunately Mu Wanqing knew everything, they only had to transplant the modern school model.
“When we reach the border, we’ll set the academy up properly. By the way, it’s time for the weekly exam; you’ll write the paper.”
Yu Wanrou looked uncertain. “Me?”
Mu Wanqing couldn’t possibly do everything herself; that would wear her out.
“Yes. It’s simple, you’ve sat in on my classes and understood them.”
Her first lesson would be Arabic numerals; math was the foundation.
Once they learned Arabic numerals, they’d move on to addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and the 9×9 multiplication table, that would be the scope of the exam.
This was brand-new knowledge, and everyone would start on the same footing; it would show who had real talent.
She even taught the kindergarten children along with the others, not really advanced, just giving them a basic concept.
So the little ones recited the multiplication table every day. Would the older kids let themselves be outdone? Of course not.
Yu Wanrou plucked up her courage and nodded. “All right, I’ll try. When I finish you can check it over for me.”
“Okay.”
The test was ready soon after. Mu Wanqing skimmed it, found no problems, and announced a surprise exam, since they were idle anyway, they might as well be tested.
The students screamed in despair; there was no rest for a moment.
It couldn’t be helped. Those who did well would get prizes; those who did poorly…who doesn’t have a little pride?
Everyone went all out, vying for a good result.
The results were tallied on the spot. Yu Wanrou handed the paper with the scores to Mu Wanqing, but Mu Wanqing didn’t take it. “Who came in first?”
Yu Wanrou hesitated. “Mu Rongxue, she’s very quick with numbers.”
Mu Wanqing was not surprised; Mu Rongxue had already shown a talent for it. When she organized others to make soap, her figures had never been wrong.
“And second?”
“Mu Ji.” The name was unfamiliar to Yu Wanrou.
Mu Ji? Mu Wanqing had a faint impression of him: a poor household, a widowed mother, not much schooling.
“And third?”
“Mu Zicheng.” Yu Wanrou gave the name cautiously, a little worried Mu Wanqing would be upset.
After all, this was Mu Wanqing’s elder brother, it would be natural for him to feel chagrined at being outshone.
Mu Wanqing had no such notion. Exams were earned by merit, could anyone have pulled strings?
“Good. Call those three here; I’ll give them extra lessons.”
When the three arrived they filled the carriage. Mu Wanqing even called Mu Ziang over.
Mu Ziang was in high spirits. “Sister, what are you going to teach?”
He’d learned many interesting things from his younger sister and was always gleeful.
“Accounting.” Mu Wanqing’s tone carried a trace of grievance, she was the only one keeping the books for both teams now.
The business accounts were more complicated: purchasing raw materials, sales ledgers, daily cash flow, she handled it all alone.
It wasn’t difficult, just tedious. She urgently needed help to free herself from those ledgers.
She taught only the simplest things: how to record transactions, do the math, and balance the books.
But it was already enough to leave the five staring dumbfounded; it was too much information at once.
Mu Wanqing rubbed her brow. “Don’t rush. Take it slowly. Communicate with each other. If you don’t understand something, come ask me.”
She handed them the accounting manual she had written. “There’s only one copy, you’ll have to copy it yourselves.”
"All right," Mu Zicheng said as he took the manual, pulling Mu Ji and the others back to his carriage to study it further.
Now the brothers shared one carriage, their parents had another, Yu Wanrou and her servant rode a third, and Mu Wanqing had a carriage to herself, four carriages in all, plus a green-cloth mule cart piled with supplies.
So sleeping on the carriage that night was no problem at all.
Mu Rongxue didn't leave right away; she hesitated, as if wanting to say something.
Mu Wanqing was poring over the sales ledger from the past half-month, all the data had to be sent to her so she could do the accounts.
"If you've something to say, say it straight. I have a lot to do," she said.
Mu Rongxue knew the woman's clear sense of favors and grudges well. "You teach me all this without holding back, don't you think it's unfair? I'm from the third branch."
Third Master Mu hadn't been able to come along and had thrown a hysterical fit for two days, but nobody soothed or reasoned with him; leave him alone for a few days and he'd quiet down.
Without his mother and elder brothers to back him, he was just a coward.
Now the third branch was run by Mu Rongxue. She treated her birth father reasonably, fed him, clothed him, and even had a concubine wait on him.
Mu Wanqing didn't look up. "I haven't struck your third branch off the books, you're still Mu family. I deal with deeds, not people. If you're outstanding, you'll get your chance."
It sounded generous, but in truth Mu Rongxue had taken her side.
As long as Mu Rongxue stayed clear-headed and could keep the third branch in check, she didn't mind giving extra opportunities.
Mu Rongxue's feelings were complicated. "Aren't you afraid I'll betray you?"
Mu Wanqing finally looked up, fixing her with a steady gaze. "Only inside the Mu household can you truly display your talents. In other families a woman can't get ahead. No matter how clever or talented, she only becomes a stepping-stone for fathers, brothers, or husbands."
How many of the women who made contributions in history ever received honors? How many had their names recorded for posterity?
Their achievements were credited to fathers, brothers, or husbands. Those men rose in rank and fortune, and might even resent you for not keeping your place.
"If you don't want to be your own person and insist on being some silent stepping-stone beneath someone else's feet, then I have nothing to say."
Mu Rongxue was an ambitious girl with talent and pride, how could she be content with mediocrity?
Had she never earned her own money or run a household with her own hands, she might still be shut away in the inner rooms.
But having tasted freedom and seen a richer world, the backyard could no longer hold her.
Mu Wanqing wasn't wrong: only within the Mu clan was she Mu Rongxue, not merely someone's daughter, someone's wife, or someone's mother. In other houses a woman might not even be granted her own name.
Mu Rongxue left full of fighting spirit, vowing to do better and to be more excellent than anyone else.
No sooner had she gone than Second Master Mu arrived carrying the evening meal.
Mu Wanqing's eyes lit up. "It smells amazing, is that cured meat with rice?"
Second Master Mu lifted the lid off the clay pot; each grain of rice was separate, and the color, aroma, and taste were all there. "Yes, try some."
Mu Wanqing scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The rice soaked with the cured meat's juices was full of flavor, and the scorched crust at the bottom was crispy and fragrant, crunchy and delicious.
After only two bites, Sixth Uncle's voice rang out from outside. "Clan leader, some people's charcoal is running out. In weather this cold, without charcoal they won't make it."
Charcoal wasn't handed out; if you wanted some you had to apply to the logistics department, which handled bulk purchases.
Every household's situation was different, it was up to them to manage.
Some people counted every scrap, measuring out rations by the day; if anything unexpected happened, supplies couldn't keep up.
Mu Wanqing sighed softly, she couldn't even eat in peace.
She really couldn't understand those people. Why not stock up a bit? You'll need it sooner or later.
Admittedly a carriage couldn't hold endless supplies on the road, but at minimum you should have three or four days' worth.
"Have everyone share what they can so we get through tonight..." A flash of inspiration lit her mind and she straightened up. "Wait, Sixth Uncle, call your youngest son."
Sixth Uncle was taken aback. "Him? He came looking for you today? Don't listen to him, he's a troublemaker, not steady at all, and easily led."
That was a hint someone had been stirring things up. Mu Wanqing heard it, but only smiled. "Have him bring some people. We'll try making charcoal here. If it works, that's another way out."
That suited him fine; Sixth Uncle left cheerfully.
As for whether the charcoal would turn out, others might not believe it, but when Mu Wanqing said it, it was sure to work.
She had never once failed.
Fourth Brother Mu came rushing over with a crowd, excitement written all over his face.
"Clan leader, you've already thought of a way to earn money?"
Mu Wanqing ate at a leisurely pace, then casually instructed, "You lot go gather wood and branches, make sure they're dry. Hurry up."
No one could stop her from finishing her meal!
Fourth Brother Mu immediately rallied the idle men, and they all ran into the woods.
Many hands made light work; before long each man came out carrying a bundle of wood.
Mu Wanqing finally finished eating. She wiped her mouth, grabbed the fur coat from the couch and pulled on her hat, then jumped down from the carriage.
In the cold wind she led them to a wide open spot. "Who knows how to build an earthen kiln?"
"I can, but only the simplest kind," said a low-ranking official who stepped forward. His father was a kiln worker, and he'd learned a little growing up around him.
"Uncle Kai, then we'll trouble you." Mu Wanqing had people stand the wood upright in a pile, placing the largest logs at the bottom and stacking smaller pieces on top.
They mixed clay with water into a thin mud and formed a kiln wall around the wood, leaving an opening at the top and several air inlets at the base.
They used some leaves to get a fire going; after lighting the kiln door, smoke soon began to spout from the outlet.
This is called the kiln-burning method.
Countless onlookers watched curiously, could this really work?
Make the kind of charcoal sold in the market by hand? Nobody had even heard of such a thing.
Mu Wanqing called over Sixth Uncle and his son, along with Uncle Kai. "Arrange for people to take shifts keeping watch. Once everything is glowing red, seal both the entrance and the exit, and only reopen them after the clay kiln has cooled. Uncle Kai, you have experience, keep an eye on things and be careful of fires."
"No problem." Uncle Kai patted his chest and promised.
After giving her orders, Mu Wanqing left it in their hands, crawled into the carriage, and slept soundly, dreamless through the night until dawn.
She was woken in the morning by noise outside. Opening the carriage window, she wondered, What's going on?
"Fourth Brother Mu wants to open the clay kiln and have a look, but Sixth Uncle won't let him. He says you should get up to preside over the opening ceremony."
"Hold on." Mu Wanqing did a quick wash and climbed out of the carriage.
Fourth Brother Mu was anxious and exhausted; he hadn't slept all night, having kept watch the whole time until his eyes were bloodshot. "Can we open it now?"
This had implications for future profits, so he was on edge.
Some people didn't believe charcoal could be produced; though they dared not say it aloud, they slipped over secretly to gawk.
Especially the Fang family, most of them were skeptical, thinking Mu Wanqing had gotten a bit carried away.
The young woman was capable, yes, but she couldn't possibly be a master of everything.
Good at everything? How could that be?
Mu Wanqing inspected things briefly, waved her hand, and said, "Open it."
The moment to witness a miracle had arrived.