The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 72: Mathematics

Zhu Jingcheng suspected he had misheard.

“Then, you…”

Su Xinbai bit his lip, recalling what Qiu Huanian had said.

What if…

But how could that be possible? Besides, even if Zhu Jingcheng truly no longer resented him, he couldn’t possibly take the initiative to ask…

Su Xinbai shifted his body further away and issued a dismissal. “It’s late, and I’m tired. Young Master should go back and rest.”

Zhu Jingcheng, a bit disappointed, gave a soft “Mm” and turned to leave.

Only then did Su Xinbai notice the large patch of dirt on the hem of his robe, which hadn’t been changed or cleaned. His hair was also slightly disheveled—unlike Zhu Jingcheng’s usual habit.

“Your clothes?”

Zhu Jingcheng realized and moved the soiled part of his robe behind him. “Today, Imperial Envoy Zhao Tianyu summoned the merchants of Xiangping Prefecture to the military camp outside the city. I just got back and haven’t had time to change—sorry for the unpleasant sight.”

Su Xinbai’s smooth brows furrowed, displeasure rising in his heart.

That large stain looked like it had been splashed when a galloping horse passed through a mud puddle—one had to be standing very close to get splattered like that. For an imperial envoy to summon merchants to a military camp for no reason, to have horses ridden aggressively in front of them, and not even give time to change clothes—what exactly were they trying to do?

Looking at the habitual expression on Zhu Jingcheng’s face, Su Xinbai felt inexplicably frustrated and unsettled.

“Madam?”

“You…” Su Xinbai paused. “Be careful. If you run into trouble, you can go to my father.”

“After all, you were the son-in-law he chose himself,” he muttered.

In the candlelight, surprise and delight gradually bloomed across Zhu Jingcheng’s face. “Is Madam… concerned about me?”

“……”

Su Xinbai set his brush back on the brush rack, his voice a little louder than usual.

He stood up, skirted around Zhu Jingcheng, and quickly returned to the inner room. The soft silk curtain hanging from the ceiling concealed his figure, making it impossible to glimpse him.

The servants held their tongues. Zhu Jingcheng stood in place for a moment, a soft warmth rising in his chest.

It seemed Xinbai didn’t dislike him that much anymore.

He turned his gaze back to the desk and read over the preliminary plan for the new bookstore, memorizing a few key points. He planned to take some time tomorrow to tidy things up, lest someone in the family—lacking awareness—spoil Su Xinbai’s mood.

Zhu Jingcheng walked up to the inner room and spoke through the curtain, “I’m going to rest in the study now. Sweet dreams, Madam.”

A few seconds later, Su Xinbai replied with an “Mm.” The tone was still cold, but the tail end of his voice had softened significantly.

Zhu Jingcheng gathered his courage and asked, “If you come across a book you like in the future, could I take a look at it first?”

“…If you want to read it, just come and get it.”

……

Zhu Jingcheng returned to the study with a smile on his face, leaving his personal servant Shijuan confused.

“Young Master looks like he’s been enchanted. Took a big hit earlier today, and now he’s actually smiling?”

Zhu Jingcheng’s smile didn’t fade as he sighed, “Since ancient times, merchants, though holding the power of immense wealth, have always been at the bottom of society. Not kings, not lords. Silks, gold, and jewels turn to dust in a blink. Generation after generation, there’s no moving upward—just tools for officials to exploit the people, mere façades.”

“Now, some are even using these façades to transport supplies to foreign tribes, aiding the enemy at our borders. It’s shaken the court, enraged the Emperor. The imperial envoy can’t move against the true culprit, so isn’t he just taking it out on the tools, making a show of it?”

“Once you see clearly, it becomes bearable.”

Zhu Jingcheng took off his soiled outer robe, gave it a shake, and tossed it onto the rosewood clothes rack. He rolled up his sleeves and walked to the desk.

“But someone cared for me today—especially him—and that makes me happy.”

Zhu Jingcheng spread out a piece of pre-cut paper. After pondering the day’s events for a moment, he picked up a brush and wrote a letter, sealed it, and handed it to Shijuan.

“I need you to make another trip—take this letter to Young Master Du Yunse at Qingfeng Academy. Be sure to avoid certain people.”

“Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ve done it a few times already—I know the way.”

……

After the spring outing, Qiu Huanian started getting busy preparing for Jiujiu and Chunsheng to start school.

The two children had previously been tutored at home, and this would be their first time attending an outside school. As their parent, Qiu Huanian naturally felt some worry.

He worried that Jiujiu might not get along with the young ladies and ge’er from the Zhu family’s relatives, and might get bullied for coming from the countryside.

He worried that Chunsheng wouldn’t adapt to the strict discipline of the private tutor and might become rebellious again.

But Jiujiu and Chunsheng were very excited—anything involving going out to a new place was interesting to them.

Seeing them like this, Qiu Huanian gradually felt more at ease.

He sat in his study, checking the list of school supplies for the two children, when Nai Shuang pushed open the sliding door with its paw and lightly leapt in, the little gold lock on its neck swinging back and forth.

Qiu Huanian bent down and picked it up, weighing it.

“Have you gotten fatter, hmm, little one?”

“Meow~” Nai Shuang yawned and let out a soft mewl.

The two children ran in after it and closed the door behind them.

“Hua-gege, Nai Shuang has grown up,” Jiujiu said with a smile.

The kitten grew fast. It hadn’t even been a full month, and the cat that Qiu Huanián could once easily lift with one hand now needed two hands to hold.

Lion cats were naturally medium to large in size, and with Nai Shuang eating and sleeping well, she was growing rapidly. Her long white fur was like fluffy snowballs.

Qiu Huanián placed Nai Shuang on his lap and gently hooked the little golden lock around her neck.

“You really are a pampered little lady cat. Just a few months old and already cozying up to Rich Ge’er, wearing a solid gold lock.”

Nai Shuang contentedly lifted her chin, narrowed her eyes, and meowed softly, successfully making Qiu Huanián laugh.

Su Xinbai felt a special fondness for Nai Shuang, and the feeling was mutual. Every time he came, Nai Shuang would drop her usual aloofness and act affectionately, deliberately cozying up to him. It hadn’t been long, yet Su Xinbai had already had a small golden lock engraved with her name and hung it around her neck.

When people brought him gifts, Qiu Huanián could still politely refuse. But when it came to gifts for the cat, he was truly helpless—he could only let Rich Ge’er do as he pleased.

As he scratched the pleasantly soft chin of Nai Shuang, Qiu Huanián showed Jiǔjiǔ and Chunsheng a list.

“You two, one book chest each, one set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, one paperweight, one soft pad, and one cup for drinking water—these are all the same. If we already have something at home, we won’t buy new ones.”

He said to Jiǔjiǔ, “Xinbai said he would give you the same things as Zhù Xián. You can see later which items you’d like to swap out.”

Jiǔjiǔ had already made up her mind. “Huá gege, if we already prepared these at home, I don’t need the ones from the Zhu family.”

“I just worry that if your things are too simple, people at the Zhu residence might look down on you.”

Qiu Huanián had never attended a traditional school in ancient times, so he didn’t know how common school bullying or peer conflict might be. But thinking of Du Yún Sè, who was so envied by Du Yún Jìng that it became twisted, it was clear that schools couldn’t be entirely free of strife.

Jiǔjiǔ said, “I’m going there to study. As long as my clothes are neat and I work hard, that’s enough. If someone laughs at me for that, it only shows they lack character—it’s not my fault.”

Qiu Huanián patted Jiǔjiǔ’s head. In the past year, she had grown about ten centimeters taller, and now he had to raise his elbow to reach the top of her head.

“I’m glad you can think that way.”

Then he instructed Chunsheng, “When you’re at the private school, respect your teacher. Don’t let your mind wander during class. You mustn’t roughhouse or shout with your classmates during lessons, understand?”

“Don’t worry, Huá gege, my sister has already told me that many times!”

Qiu Huanián tapped his nose. “Then I’ll be watching your performance.”

From now on, he would have to escort the children to and from school every day. Qiu Huanián thought it over and decided to make full use of the family carriage and hire a coachman.

They had been in the prefectural city for a while now, but aside from seeing them once when they first arrived, he hadn’t had a proper chance to catch up with the Shū couple and the Huáng sisters. Since the weather was clear, Qiu Huanián decided to go out with Mèng Yuánlíng to visit friends and also ask around for a suitable coachman to hire.

The two of them arrived near the examination hall where Shū Yì Lóu was located. The Huáng sisters’ newly opened restaurant, Xiān Wèi Jū, was also on one of these streets. It wasn’t yet lunchtime, so the two-story restaurant wasn’t very busy. Second Miss Huáng was in the main hall attracting customers, and Eldest Miss Huáng was behind the counter handling the accounts.

When she saw Qiu Huanián, Second Miss Huáng’s eyes lit up. She slung the white cloth over her shoulder and practically ran out to greet him.

“Huá ge’er, why didn’t you tell us you were coming? We didn’t even have a chance to prepare properly.”

“I just came on a whim—can’t trouble you to prepare something every time.” Qiu Huanián introduced Mèng Yuánlíng, “This is my friend and the husband of our young clan brother. He’s from Qingfú Town, and his name is Mèng Yuánlíng.”

Mèng Yuánlíng wasn’t shy at all and greeted both sisters with a smile. Since all of them were originally from Zhāng County, they quickly grew familiar with each other.

“Why does it feel like everyone around Huá ge’er is more good-looking than the last? We sisters are lucky just to bask in the glow.”

“You two are healthy, diligent, and capable—of course you’re beautiful.”

“Hahaha, no wonder you’re the well-read one who knows how to speak. Next time some drunk bastard dares say I’ve got rough hands and feet, I’ll throw this line right back at him.”

The two sisters invited Qiu Huanián and Mèng Yuánlíng into the restaurant. Eldest Miss Huáng gave a few instructions to the servers and then ushered them upstairs to a private room to chat.

“We didn’t get to talk much last time. How’s business at the restaurant, Eldest Miss?”

“It’s harder to establish a foothold in the prefectural city than in the county, but once you do, the profits are better too. Thanks to the fame from placing first in the flavor competition, we’ve built up our brand over these last few months. The young master from the Zhu family often brings people here to dine, which brings in a lot of business for us.”

It was largely thanks to Qiu Huanián and Dù Yún Sè that Eldest Miss Huáng was able to return to the prefectural city with her younger sister and reestablish themselves so smoothly. She didn’t keep secrets, either. “Right now, the restaurant brings in over fifty taels of silver in revenue each month. After deducting rent, ingredients, and other costs, we pocket around twenty taels.”

That was quite a thriving business. But for two women to run such a large enterprise in this era, there must have been plenty of difficulties and grievances.

Eldest Miss Huáng said warmly, “I’ll go fetch Yì jiě and the others. You wait here. I’ll show off my cooking at lunch—we’ll have a proper reunion.”

Since the ingredients were already prepped, it took less than half an hour before Eldest Miss Huáng had a full table of delicious dishes laid out. Zhèng Yìwǎn and Shū Huácǎi arrived with Rútáng in tow.

Rútáng was at the age when young girls begin to blossom. After half a year, she had grown into a graceful young lady, noticeably taller. She wore a silver-red lined jacket and a pleated skirt in bluish green trimmed with gold thread. Her glossy black hair was styled into a bun with several budding peach blossoms tucked in.

Zhèng Yìwǎn said they had hired a female teacher for Rútáng to teach her basic literacy, bookkeeping, and needlework.

Compared to literature and poetry, Rútáng was more interested in arithmetic. She begged her parents to buy her a copy of The Classic of Arithmetic, the most widely circulated mathematical text in the Yù dynasty. Unfortunately, she couldn’t understand much of it and was rather discouraged.

When Qiu Huanián heard this, he was struck by inspiration.

After learning that Su Xinbai was planning to open a bookstore that collected practical manuscripts, Qiu Huanián had also considered writing books—both to earn some income and to leave a mark on this world.

Agricultural books affected the livelihoods of countless farmers. Without verified data, Qiu Huanián didn’t dare to write one recklessly. Writing a proper agricultural book would take a very long time, and until now, he hadn’t decided what other kind of book to write.

In his previous life, he had been a science student. Later, as a social media creator, he honed the skills of generating ideas and writing copy. But writing the kind of elegant, allusion-filled prose admired in this world was still too difficult for him.

Hearing Rútáng talk about learning arithmetic gave him the perfect direction. What could be more practical and suitable for him to write than an introductory math book that was simple and easy to understand?

In a society where scriptures and classical texts reigned supreme, scholars often had poor math skills. Many couldn’t even do double-digit addition or subtraction without an abacus. Jiǔjiǔ and Chunsheng, after being trained by Qiu Huanián for a year, already had math skills far above their peers.

If a good beginner math book existed, it would raise the general level of numeracy and help those truly interested in math get a proper start. Once they mastered the basics, they could tackle the more profound treatises with half the effort and double the results.

“The Classic of Arithmetic is too hard for beginners, but don’t give up, Rútáng. I’ll give you a book soon—one you’ll definitely understand and be able to learn from.”

Rútáng asked excitedly, “What’s it called? I’ll ask my parents to buy it for me this afternoon.”

“No rush—it hasn’t been printed yet. But once it is, I’ll make sure you get the very first copy.”

Qiu Huanián secretly complained in his heart—not only had it not been printed, the book hadn’t even been written yet, not a single word, and even the name of the publishing house hadn’t been decided.

During the meal, Qiu Huanián brought up the matter of hiring a carriage driver and laid out his requirements.

The other two families were merchants who had long experience hiring laborers and were very knowledgeable about how to hire people in the prefectural city. They began offering Qiu Huanián suggestions.

“Hua ge’er, since the time you use the carriage is fixed, you can treat it like hiring a shop assistant—have him come in the morning and leave in the evening, just provide lunch, no need for him to live in the house. Young Master Du and his cousin are usually not home, and it wouldn’t be safe to have a coachman living in the house.”

Qiu Huanián had the same idea. “I was also thinking of hiring someone older or younger. Anyway, the work is light and mostly within the city. A strong adult usually has too many concerns.”

Madam Huang added, “It’s best to hire someone whose whole family has stable jobs and with a reliable guarantor. Those with unclear backgrounds may be cheaper, but for small families like ours without any backing, we don’t dare take risks.”

She and Second Madam Huang were two women without family support making a living on their own, so they were especially cautious when hiring, afraid of bringing trouble upon themselves.

“I have a few people in mind, Hua ge’er. How about this—I’ll go ask around tonight and see what they think. If someone seems suitable, I’ll bring him to you tomorrow morning so you can see if he’ll do.”

Qiu Huanián had no objection and earnestly expressed his thanks. Noticing the restaurant was getting busy with the mealtime rush, he took his leave so as not to disturb Madam Huang and the others from their proper work.

The next morning, Madam Huang brought over an old man surnamed Zhou, who was in his fifties. Reportedly, he used to drive long-distance carriages at the transport bureau when he was younger, but had retired when he got older and could no longer bear the strain. His driving skills were said to be steady. His son worked as a waiter at Shuyi Restaurant, and his wife helped wash and chop vegetables in the kitchen at Xianwei Residence. The whole family was diligent and conscientious, with no bad habits.

Qiu Huanián chatted with Old Zhou for a while, confirmed that he was mature and steady, and that his experience working at the bureau was genuine, then hired him.

Four qian of silver per month, one meal at noon, with a daily routine of coming in the morning to take Jiujiu and Chunsheng to their respective schools and picking them up in the evening. Occasionally, Qiu Huanián and Meng Yuanlíng might need a ride somewhere, but there would be no other duties.

It was easy money, and he’d be driving for a family of scholars—Old Zhou accepted with great satisfaction, patting his chest and promising to drive both steadily and swiftly.

After adding the coachman’s wages to the account book, Qiu Huanián looked at the various expense items and felt a bit dazed.

A year ago, when he had just transmigrated to Yu Dynasty, there had only been two malnourished children in the house. He had to walk everywhere, do everything with his own hands while gritting his teeth, and there had only been a few dou of rice and flour in storage. A single meal of chicken would make them happy for days.

But now, after only one year, he was living in a refined house in the prefectural city, with a carriage, savings, and two people helping him with work. If he wished, he could easily spend the entire day doing nothing but enjoying himself.

That morning, Zhu Jingwei sent someone to deliver the previous quarter’s profits from the red fermented bean curd shop. Red bean curd sold even better in winter, yielding a full forty taels of silver. Qiu Huanián double-checked the accounts, secured the silver, and once again felt a sense of financial abundance.

He picked up Naishuang and lay back in a lounge chair padded with soft cushions, lazily swinging as he stroked the cat—from the tips of its ears to its tail, and then mischievously stroked against the fur back to the head.

Naishuang shivered and struggled free, jumping onto the adjacent chair, meowing reproachfully a few times before curling up and seriously grooming its fur back into place.

After lying for a little while, Qiu Huanián sat up again with a resigned sigh.

Perhaps he was just not made for a laid-back life. As soon as he thought of the many plans in his mind, he couldn’t wait to act on them.

He went into the study, unrolled some cheap bamboo paper for drafting, picked up his brush, and first wrote the words “Primary School Mathematics.” Then he circled it and added notes like “Practical,” “Examples,” and “Selective.”

Speaking of elementary math, like many modern people, Qiu Huanián immediately thought of the multiplication table that made countless schoolchildren cry. But once memorized, it really did become a solid foundation used for a lifetime.

The multiplication table was not invented by modern people. It could be traced back as far as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with many classical texts recording it. Besides the multiplication table, the Huaxia people also invented the decimal system, which spread across the world over centuries and became the foundation of global mathematics.

Yet this precious cultural heritage had not yet gained widespread attention in the current Yu Dynasty.

Qiu Huanián wrote out the multiplication table in the commonly seen stair-step format that made it easy to memorize, then boldly wrote the word “Memorize” beside it.

All learning required a great deal of foundational memorization. Such a powerful tool must, of course, be memorized in full. Let the otherworlders share in the misery of modern elementary students!

Recalling and writing down these things he had learned long ago in the distant modern world made Qiu Huanián quite happy. He rushed to complete a short chapter over the course of a few days before Jiujiu and Chunsheng left for school.

Qiu Huanián first sent Chunsheng to the private school, then went with Jiujiu to the Zhu residence. Jiujiu followed Zhu Xian to her elementary class, while Qiu Huanián went to find Su Xinbai.

Ever since Su Xinbai had the idea of opening a publishing house, he’d been full of thoughts and had been constantly writing and rewriting plans, hardly leaving his courtyard.

Zhu Jingcheng had also consciously brought many tasks home to handle, taking the opportunity to visit the main house now and then.

After noticing that Su Xinbai’s attitude toward him had softened, he had grown bolder and had even started discussing the publishing house’s construction with Su Xinbai, offering some of his own opinions. In the past few days, the two had spoken more to each other than they had in their entire marriage.

As the servants led Qiu Huanián into the courtyard, Su Xinbai and Zhu Jingcheng happened to be there. The servant who came to announce his arrival was a bit faster than expected. When Su Xinbai heard Qiu Huanián had come, he instinctively stood up from his desk, wanting to hide Zhu Jingcheng behind the screen.

Zhu Jingcheng was pulled by the sleeve, utterly confused—should he be happy first, or cooperate?

But it was already too late. As Qiu Huanián walked into the courtyard, he saw the two of them tugging at each other.

Su Xinbai instantly let go as if burned, cleared his throat, and walked out first, pretending nothing had happened.

Qiu Huanián smiled, “What scene am I witnessing? Did I come at a bad time?”

Su Xinbai’s face remained expressionless, but his gaze seemed sharp enough to pierce the clouds, silently warning Qiu Huanián not to talk nonsense. A faint pink spread from his earlobes and deepened in color.

Zhu Jingcheng followed a step behind and stepped out to help his husband out of the awkward situation. “Hua ge’er, are you here to discuss the publishing house with Xinbai? We’ve already come up with some ideas—see what you think.”

Qiu Huanián followed the lead. “I’ve also brought an unusual manuscript. Let’s all take a look together.”

Behind Zhu Jingcheng, Qiu Huanián gave Su Xinbai a meaningful smile and silently mouthed the word “we.”

Su Xinbai’s body stiffened, thoroughly frustrated. He must have lost his mind just now. Why, upon hearing Qiu Huanián had arrived, did he want to hide Zhu Jingcheng—in his own house?

They were just chatting in the main room about the publishing house—it wasn’t… wasn’t anything improper!

More than the publishing house’s charter, both Su Xinbai and Zhu Jingcheng were more intrigued by the “manuscript” Qiu Huanián mentioned. As soon as they entered the room, they urged him to show it.

Qiu Huanián handed them the thin manuscript, which had been simply bound with thread.

Both men were well-read, and upon seeing the multiplication table on the first page, immediately recognized its origin.

“I recall that in the pre-Qin book Guanzi, there’s a line that says, ‘Set forth the ninety-nine numbers in play to correspond with the Way of Heaven.’”

Zhu Jingcheng nodded, “Other texts also mention it, though they usually start with ‘nine nines are eighty-one’ and end with ‘two twos are four’ or ‘one one is one.’ I’ve never seen it written the way Hua ge’er has.”

“Although it’s unusual, it’s definitely clearer—one glance and you can see the underlying pattern.”

The two of them discussed it with ease and enthusiasm.

Qiu Huanián smiled and reminded them, “This is an arithmetic primer I wrote for beginners. Only the first chapter is complete so far. There’s more content later, so don’t just look at the first page.”

Zhu Jingcheng asked, puzzled, “Hua ge’er, what made you think of writing a book on mathematics?”

“I discovered some useful methods while teaching the children arithmetic. I found that current math-related texts are too difficult to understand, so I decided to write a beginner’s book to help those in need learn simple arithmetic more easily.”

“You’ve long dealt with mathematics in your daily work, Young Master Zhu—you must deeply relate to this, right?”