Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Xie Zhixue left behind three hundred and fifty-five taels of silver, claiming it was to settle his bill for the wontons.

After that day, news of the event spread through every street and alley until everyone knew of it.

My wonton stall became overcrowded. Everyone wanted to see what I looked like and what my wontons tasted like.

At the same time, many other scholars rushed over to settle their own debts for my wontons.

Some of them had seen their names on the golden bulletin, while others had failed the exams.

Some had encountered new opportunities and returned ten or a hundred times what they owed; others were short on funds, hurrying away as soon as their accounts were cleared.

There were also those who had vanished without a trace, never to return.

The warmth and coldness of human relationships, the fickleness of the world-this was the norm.

I pulled out my ledger of credit and carefully marked each entry after collecting the money.

Calculating the savings I had accumulated over the years, I bought the shop space next to my stall and set about decorating it meticulously.

The shop wasn’t large, barely fitting eight tables.

With Xie Zhixue’s reputation attached to me, many scholars and literati began frequenting my wonton shop to order a bowl.

To cater to their tastes, I hired craftsmen to plaster the walls and finely carve floral patterns into the eaves and tabletops.

Literati have always loved plants and flowers, so I selected several stalks of emerald bamboo to move into the shop.

With these arrangements, the storefront looked much more elegant.

I had a plaque made that read “Song Zhu Wonton” and hung it above the entrance.

Once that plaque went up, the “Miss Song” of the rumors became “Song Zhu.”

Two months later, on the eve of Song Zhu Wonton’s grand opening, I met Xie Zhixue once again.

By then, he had already married the youngest daughter of Chen Gelao’s family and had taken up the post of Assistant Minister of Revenue.

When the carriage stopped at my door, Xie Zhixue was the first to step down.

Then, he reached out his hand, carefully assisting his wife as she descended.

The Southern District was filled with ordinary townspeople and households; such a luxurious carriage was a rare sight.

People were bustling about the street, and many craned their necks to see what was happening.

I had been directing the carpenters in moving tables and chairs, but sensing something was unusual, I walked outside to see what was going on.

As soon as Xie Zhixue and his wife saw me, they immediately bowed in greeting.

“Oh my! What is this for? Please, stand up, stand up!”

I hurried over, intending to help them up.

However, the couple refused to rise.

Madam Xie took my hand, looked up, and said warmly, “When my husband first entered the capital, he received much care from Miss Song. Now that he has achieved the rank of Zhuangyuan and his career is progressing smoothly, we cannot easily repay your great kindness.”

I felt bashful. “It was just a few bowls of wontons, it hardly warrants this…”

“A drop of water given in need should be returned with a bursting spring,” Madam Xie said firmly.

Aside from bringing gifts, the couple had actually brought a land deed.

The location was right next to my wonton shop.

It had originally been a restaurant, but unfortunately, it was poorly managed, and the proprietor had already packed up his family to return to the Northwest.

Madam Xie presented the deed to me, but I quickly waved it away. “This is too precious; I cannot accept it.”

“The Zhuangyuan Lang’s wonton debt was settled long ago.”

After several back-and-forth exchanges, seeing that I truly did not want to accept it, Madam Xie finally relented.

Instead, she proposed building an inn on that land.

The inn would operate normally most of the time, but during the Spring Imperial Examination, it would provide free lodging exclusively for the scholars coming to take the exams.

This was a great deed that would benefit scholars across the land, and I praised the idea repeatedly.