Chapter 84: The Application

Seeing the anger rising visibly on Zhou Qing's face, Zhou Huaishan quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

"Daughter, my dear daughter, this is the last time I'll rest before the exam. The rest is already done, and your anger now can't turn back time, can it? 

Calm down, calm down. I promise, from now until the day before the exam, I won’t rest again. 

Okay? Don't be mad. Anger makes you age faster, and you're still young. If you don't get married because of it, wouldn’t that be a big loss?"

Zhou Qing slumped her shoulders helplessly and sighed deeply.

"You promise this is the last time before the exam?"

Zhou Huaishan immediately straightened his face and raised three fingers to his ear. "Promise."

Zhou Qing rolled her eyes at him.

Zhou Huaishan, grinning, shook Zhou Qing's arm. "Good daughter, tell me, how did you manage to sell that flower? That monk actually bought 2,000 taels worth at once!"

Such a generous buyer, he acted like Zhou Huaishan himself!

As they were talking, Shen Li and Zhou Huailin returned.

Zhou Qing sat on the grand teacher's chair in the courtyard and recounted everything that had happened that day.

Upon hearing the story, Zhou Huaishan’s face turned green with anger.

"That bastard, always bullying my daughter!"

He rolled up his sleeves and slammed his hand down on the small wooden stool nearby.

"Just wait until I pass the exams with flying colors, I’ll make him regret it!"

His tone was full of bitterness, as if seeking revenge for a deep, personal grudge.

Shen Li, however, remained calm, without much reaction to Zhou Qing’s words.

Early that morning, when Zhou Qing and Zhou Huailin left, Shen Li had discreetly arranged for one of his shadow guards to follow them, anticipating trouble from Zhou Huaihai.

The events at the monastery had already been relayed to him by that shadow guard, who reported back under the guise of asking for directions.

"As long as Master hasn’t surpassed Zhou Yuan in rank, Zhou Huaihai will always harbor ill intentions toward you and Qing."

Unless Zhou Huaihai were to die, of course.

Zhou Huailin let out a deep sigh, feeling both frustrated and saddened by the day’s events.

After all, Zhou Huaihai was his father.

To act in such a shameful manner, and when confronted in public, instead of showing remorse, he remained so brazen!

"By the way, Qing, why was there a silk flower in my pocket?" He finally had a moment to ask the question.

Zhou Qing chuckled. "I slipped it in when you went to talk to Zhou Bingde."

Zhou Huailin sighed again.

Zhou Ping, who had been blinking and thinking for a while, suddenly had a lightbulb moment and looked at Zhou Qing.

"Big sis, does that mean you made 3,000 taels from Zhou Huaihai today?"

Everyone froze for a moment at Zhou Ping’s words... then reacted.

That’s right!

Including the previous 1,000 taels, Zhou Huaihai had given them 4,000 taels in total!

Four thousand taels!

What a delightful sum!

Zhou Qing smiled. "We’ll split the flower money later."

The family was still laughing and chatting when the clan leader arrived once more.

This time, he wasn’t alone, behind him stood a large crowd.

At a glance, it seemed like half the village had come.

Among them was Granny Zhao, who used to gossip with Sun at the village entrance, her eyes swiftly scanning Shen Li’s courtyard.

"I heard Lin has started a big business in town. What’s this? You’re making money but not looking out for your fellow villagers?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qing instantly understood what was happening.

The news of the abbot personally coming to buy flowers must have spread through Qingyang Village in the blink of an eye.

Although the villagers didn’t know exactly how much money the flowers had sold for, it didn’t stop them from getting envious.

That’s human nature.

You offer them a free education at the academy, and they’re grateful.

But as soon as they see you making money behind their backs, that gratitude evaporates under the weight of jealousy, leaving nothing but resentment.

All they see is you eating alone, keeping the profits to yourself.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to speak, Zhou Huailin stepped forward first.

"We were just testing the waters. If the business is good, we’ll let everyone know."

As he spoke, Zhou Huailin walked over to the small storage room and pulled open the door.

"Look, we’re selling these silk flowers. If you want to learn how to make them, Ping’s mother can teach you, and I guarantee she’ll teach until everyone has mastered it."

As soon as the door was opened, a few old women rushed forward to peer inside.

"What kind of flowers are these?"

"They’re fake flowers made from silk. You can buy the silk in the county town, but it’s 80 taels of silver per bolt."

Upon hearing the price, the villagers gasped.

"Eighty taels? That’s so expensive!"

Zhou Huailin smiled. "That’s why we didn’t tell everyone right away."

He paused and added, "Although 80 taels is expensive, if you really want to get into the business, you could pool your money with a few other families to buy the silk. Then, you can make the flowers and split the profits after selling them.

These big potted flowers sell for a high price but use a lot of material. If you’re just starting, you could try making these small ones. Each can sell for about a tael."

Zhou Huailin’s explanation was thoughtful and transparent.

Ask anything, and he’d answer without holding back.

Granny Zhao, eyeing the silk flowers with envy, asked, "Lin, your family doesn’t have much money either. How did you get the silver to buy silk?"

Zhou Huailin smiled. "A while ago, Qing and I sold some calligraphy, earned a little, and borrowed some from the bookstore in the county town. That’s how we gathered enough capital."

The clan leader, who had been pressured into coming, felt relieved as soon as he heard this.

"You’ve seen how their business works, and Lin has already said they’ll teach you the skills. 

Whoever wants to do it, go buy some silk. All right, everyone, disperse."

With that, the crowd started to break up, some glancing at the storeroom, others murmuring about pooling their money to buy silk.

However, Granny Zhao wasn’t done yet.

With her eyes still glued to the silk flowers, she grinned and said, "Lin, since you’ve made so much money, how about lending some to Granny Zhao to start my own business? I’ll pay you back once I’ve made some money."

As soon as Zhou Ping heard this, he nudged Zhou Huaishan with a grin and dashed into the house.

When he came back, he was holding a piece of paper.

"Granny Zhao, if you want to borrow money from us, you can. Just fill out this form."

Zhou Qing glanced at the paper in Zhou Ping’s hand.

It really was a form.

At the top: Loan Application Form.

The contents:

Name, gender, age, weight.

Names, genders, ages, and weights of parents, children, and spouses.

Residential address.

Parents’ and children’s residential addresses.

Loan purpose (1,500-word explanation).

Guarantor.

Guarantor's name, gender, age, weight, and residential address.

Guarantor's explanation for backing the loan (1,500 words).

Zhou Qing’s eyelid twitched.

Savage!

Zhou Huaishan gave a proud grin.

Granny Zhao, illiterate, glanced at the form and asked, "What’s this?"

Zhou Ping began reading the form out loud, word for word.

Before he could even finish, Granny Zhao’s face had turned dark.

"You little brat! If you don’t want to lend money, fine! Why come up with this nonsense to disgust me?"

Zhou Ping immediately retorted, "To disgust those who want something for nothing!"

"You..." Granny Zhao, stomping her foot in anger, pointed at Zhou Ping and turned to Zhou Huailin, "Your son is something else!"

Zhou Huailin chuckled, "He’s not bad."

"No wonder Huaihai wanted to cut ties with you," Granny Zhao sneered sarcastically, "We're all from the same village, aren’t we? I just wanted to borrow some money from you, and you..."

Seeing Granny Zhao making a scene, the clan leader’s wife quickly came back to pull her away.