Chapter 105: Heavenly Fire?

Although Zhou Zhi was already sixteen and had grown into an adult, expected to be the main labor force of the family, his father Zhou Tie placed great importance on his studies and tried not to assign him any labor tasks.

As the weather gradually warmed, the vegetable greenhouse was nearing the end of its growing season. Growing vegetables in greenhouses during winter had indeed earned some money, allowing the Zhou family’s life to step into a modestly comfortable class.

However, money was ultimately limited, and living off savings would not last forever. Therefore, Zhou Zhi needed to find new ways to make a profit, even if they were very simple methods, to continue earning some income to support the household.

He had once considered making toothbrushes, toothpaste, or soap, but those items were small-scale and required many materials, which clearly did not suit a small rural village like Baiyue.

Now that they had potatoes, Zhou Zhi thought of making vermicelli or cellophane noodles.

Having grown up in the countryside in his past life, he had seen people make vermicelli and knew the process was not very complicated. He planned that once the potato harvest in Qingdu County was abundant, he would have his father hire some laborers to produce vermicelli for sale.

Of course, ventures like making vermicelli or cellophane noodles wouldn’t last long since the people of the Ming Dynasty were not foolish; they would soon learn the techniques from the Zhou family. But since Zhou’s family was the first to start, they would profit considerably and accumulate some initial capital before seeking a greater source of income.

The small exam was scheduled for next spring. Although it seemed like a long time away, Zhou Zhi still needed to read more books and practice writing the eight-legged essay thoroughly.

Whereas others might spend ten years studying to possibly pass the academy’s preliminary exam and become a scholar, Zhou Zhi had only one year. Though he had the foundation from his past life and the ability to memorize after just seeing something once, the challenge remained great. Therefore, he had to study diligently.

In the following days, Zhou Zhi had his father dismantle the vegetable greenhouse and plant potatoes promptly, ceasing his involvement in the fields to focus entirely on his studies.

Whenever he encountered difficulties, he visited Lv Xingchuan in Shulu Village for guidance. After all, if Lv Xingchuan couldn’t solve a problem, then Fan Jin or Wei Haogu could.

Lv Xingchuan was trying to organize a literary gathering, with Fan Jin actively recruiting local scholars from nearby villages.

Five peaceful months passed like this, and soon it was June.

Although the Little Ice Age showed signs of ending around this time, June this year seemed hotter than usual.

One afternoon, after lunch, Zhou Zhi was resting and reading under a large willow tree in the backyard when Fan Jin suddenly burst in, face full of panic, shouting as he entered, “Brother Zhou Zhi, Brother Zhou Zhi, something terrible has happened!”

Fan Jin rarely came to his home; this was the first time Zhou Zhi had seen him so anxious. Not daring to delay, Zhou Zhi hurried from the backyard and asked, “Brother Fan, what happened?”

Fan Jin, panting, said, “Brother Zhou Zhi, this is serious. The Hu family in Gaochang Town—are they relatives of your family?”

Zhou Zhi nodded. “The Hu family is the one my sister will marry into. They plan to come over this winter. Why? Has something happened to them?”

“Exactly the Hu family. I heard that your families were connected, so I rushed here from Gaochang Town to find you. The Hu family is a small household in town, running a modest silk cotton shop. Their life had been stable.”

“But last night, their silk cotton shop suddenly caught fire. The fire completely burned it down. It’s now just a pile of rubble,” Fan Jin said.

His loud voice alerted Zhou He, Zhou Zhi’s mother, and Zhou Luyun, his sister, who were resting inside.

They hurried out and questioned Fan Jin in detail.

“Old scholar Fan, have you heard who started the fire?” Zhou He asked.

“How could they tell? But when I arrived, I saw several government officials and their clerks on the scene,” Fan Jin frowned.

Zhou Luyun’s face turned pale. Although she was not yet married, the Hu family had already sent a formal betrothal gift, and it was almost impossible to change her marriage plans with them.

During the New Year, the Hu family even sent gifts to maintain relations. Zhou Zhi had spoken to her before about her future brother-in-law Hu Zhe, who was a very clever and capable young man.

“Zhi, what shall we do now?” Zhou Luyun asked anxiously.

Though strong-willed, she had no other options and firmly regarded Zhou Zhi as the family’s pillar. The Zhou family had faced many crises before, all resolved by Zhou Zhi. She believed this time would be no different.

In truth, what could Zhou Zhi do? The fire had already happened, and the disaster was done. The only thing he could do was comfort the Hu family. As a rural youth, there was no way he could command the government to actively investigate the fire’s cause.

Just then, his father Zhou Tie returned home from the fields.

The wheat harvest had just finished, and the fields were now sown with millet. Following Zhou Zhi’s plan, they saved four acres to plant potatoes at the end of July. The four jin of seed potatoes Zhou Zhi had brought back in spring had yielded enough to plant four acres.

Zhou Tie was also unsettled by the news and looked over at Zhou Zhi.

Though he was still head of the household and unwilling to relinquish his position, he clearly recognized Zhou Zhi’s wisdom and steadiness.

Zhou Zhi sighed inwardly. Though he could do nothing concrete, he still said, “Father, since the Hu family has suffered such a disaster, perhaps I should go with you to visit them.”

“That makes sense!” Fan Jin agreed.

Without delay, the father and son hurried back to Gaochang Town with Fan Jin.

The journey was silent, and soon they arrived at the scene.

As Fan Jin had said, the shop had collapsed, reduced to a heap of rubble and debris. Smoke still rose from the ruins, and the heat radiated strongly nearby.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered, whispering among themselves. Hu Zhe and his father were naturally among them.

Hu Zhe’s father, Hu Geng, was about Zhou Tie’s age but looked aged and worn, staring blankly at the ruins.

Hu Zhe stood beside his father. His once fair face was now darkened and spiritless.

Upon seeing Zhou Zhi, he forced himself to greet him and then introduced his father Hu Geng to Zhou Tie and Zhou Zhi.

Tears finally welled up in Hu Geng’s eyes as he looked at Zhou Tie. He cried out, “What misfortune! Truly misfortune! Our Hu family’s days ahead are doomed!”

Zhou Tie was simple and taciturn, but since the family had some money, he could at least offer polite words of comfort. “Relatives, don’t grieve excessively. What’s done is done. Now you must take care of yourselves!”

Hu Geng remained engulfed in sorrow.

Zhou Zhi quietly asked Hu Zhe, “Brother Hu Zhe, haven’t you reported this to the authorities? What did the officials say?”

“Alas! What could they say? They came, asked some questions, inspected the site, then declared it an accident caused by spontaneous combustion, and left!” Hu Zhe waved his hand dismissively.

Zhou Zhi pondered briefly and then asked, “Do you really believe it was spontaneous combustion?”

Hu Zhe immediately showed anger. “There’s no such thing as spontaneous combustion! I managed this shop carefully every day, always very cautious. It’s been open for four or five years without a single fire. There was no thunderstorm recently either. How could it be spontaneous? I’m convinced someone deliberately set fire to it.”