Chapter 127: There Is a Thief

In the rural north, small workshops producing vermicelli and bean starch noodles were not uncommon in later generations, so Zhou Zhi was quite familiar with the facilities and techniques required.

The facilities were actually quite simple; the key lay in crafting the perforated screens. Zhou Zhi sketched the designs and took them to a craftsman in Gaochang Town, where, for a small fee, he had several screens made. As for the other equipment, Zhou Zhi relied on his memories from the future, drew simple diagrams at home, and his father, Zhou Tie, personally went to build the structures.

Old Zhou Tie now followed Zhou Zhi’s every word; he firmly believed that whatever Zhou Zhi conceived was absolutely correct. He even envisioned that once these vermicelli products were made, they would surely take the market by storm, and the Zhou family would be rolling in wealth.

Although Zhou Tie supported and executed Zhou Zhi’s ideas with meticulous care, he vehemently discouraged Zhou Zhi from getting personally involved, insisting that he devote more time to his studies.

Especially after learning that Zhou Zhi intended to sit for the minor examinations next year, Zhou Tie grew even more anxious than his son. Whenever he caught Zhou Zhi resting, he would put on a stern face and lecture him at length, claiming that the future glory and status of the Zhou family rested entirely on his shoulders, and that Zhou Zhi was the family’s only hope—leaving Zhou Zhi feeling both amused and helpless.

This father of his was truly something; he used to be against his son studying, but once he changed his mind, his support became so overwhelming it was almost hard to bear.

Furthermore, now that the Zhou family had money—especially after Zhou Lvyun’s marriage, when their wealth had multiplied several times over—Zhou Tie did not hesitate to drive his younger son, Zhou Shaocheng, to study at the community school. Despite Zhou Shaocheng’s extreme reluctance, he could not defy his father and had to go. To the current Zhou family, the tuition fees for the school were not even worth mentioning.

The workshop was completed after a dozen days. Zhou Tie could not manage the production alone, but fortunately, shortly after his wedding, his son-in-law, Hu Zhe, came to help at the behest of his wife, Zhou Lvyun. It was truly laughable; in the Ming Dynasty, the superiority of men over women was unquestionable. Yet, after marrying into the Hu family, it took Zhou Lvyun only a few days to get the sharp and clever Hu Zhe completely under her thumb, making him follow her every command. Ha! Zhou Lvyun had truly set a standard for women running the household, while Hu Zhe had become a classic henpecked husband.

Hu Zhe was smart and capable. Zhou Zhi only had to explain the production process once for him to understand. With his help, after the first batch of vermicelli was produced, Zhou Zhi completely stepped back, leaving the workshop in the hands of his father and Hu Zhe. As for future sales, Zhou Zhi didn't want to interfere too much, leaving it entirely to Hu Zhe. As long as there was money to be made and the family wasn't depleting their savings, Zhou Zhi was content.

Zhou Zhi knew very well that this was a time to accumulate capital, and a small workshop like this would not last forever. One had to realize that the people of the Ming Dynasty were quite clever; as soon as they saw these products, even if they hadn't seen the production process, it wouldn't be long before someone, relying on their own wit and ingenuity, figured out how to make them. Just like last winter, when Zhou Zhi started the greenhouse vegetable farming; this year, as he had expected, vegetable greenhouses had sprung up everywhere in Bailuo Village and the surrounding areas.

Everything went as planned. Once the vermicelli was first introduced to the market, under Hu Zhe’s careful management, it was quickly accepted by the local villagers, and the workshop soon became profitable. Although the earnings weren't massive, they brought in thirty or forty taels of silver each month.

During this time, Zhou Zhi continued his studies and essay writing. Every ten or fifteen days, Che Lang would collect the essays written by their literary society and hand them to Qu Renbin for review and commentary. Essay writing, in large part, relies on the accumulation of reading and personal insight. According to Qu Renbin, Zhou Zhi’s writing had shown significant improvement.

It wasn't just Zhou Zhi; the work of all the society members, including Yue Shuzhen, who rarely attended activities, was also quite impressive. Zhou Zhi had occasionally seen some of Yue's essays at Lv Xingchuan’s home; not only was the structure rigorous, but they were also highly innovative. It was clear that Yue Shuzhen had gained much from his closed-door studies under his so-called master. Lv Xingchuan, Fan Jin, Che Lang, and others would sometimes joke that if Zhou Zhi wanted to achieve a high ranking in the upcoming minor exams to become a scholar, Yue Shuzhen would undoubtedly be a formidable rival.

Days passed in this mundane fashion until the ninth day of the tenth lunar month. Winter had arrived earlier than usual this year, and it was bitterly cold. By the tenth month, the land was already frozen. That day, a howling northern wind blew with bone-chilling intensity all day long, only calming slightly by nightfall.

Zhou Zhi maintained his habit of not studying at night, instead mentally reviewing the essays he had read during the day, like a film playing in his mind, carefully pondering their merits and how to better incorporate them into his own writing.

By the time he finished, it was the Hour of the Bo (9:00 PM to 11:00 PM). Though there was a charcoal brazier in the room, the Zhou family still lived in a low, dilapidated adobe house, and it wasn't particularly warm. Zhou Zhi tucked his quilt tighter and slowly closed his eyes.

Just as he was drifting into a haze, he suddenly heard the sound of the door latch in the outer room shifting. Although the cold wind was still howling outside, Zhou Zhi knew clearly that this was no mere gust of wind; someone was tampering with the bolt.

Damn it! A thief!

Zhou Zhi scrambled up, hurriedly pulled on his clothes, and stepped off the heated brick bed without a sound.

"Brother! There's a thief!" his younger brother, Zhou Shaocheng, had woken up; he clearly heard the noise too. He stared with wide, terrified eyes, whispering to Zhou Zhi.

Zhou Zhi immediately made a silencing gesture, and Zhou Shaocheng tucked his head back into the covers, still watching his brother in fear.

In less than a year, the Zhou family had undergone a complete transformation, rising from rags to become the third wealthiest household in Bailuo Village, trailing only the Yue and Chen families. A nouveau riche family like theirs should have been targeted by thieves long ago. After all, they still lived in their old, ramshackle house without a surrounding wall, unlike the Chen and Yue families, who had numerous servants, bodyguards, and even guard dogs.

It was a miracle they hadn't been robbed until now. Of course, this might have been due to Zhou Zhi’s reputation; the nickname "Cold-Faced Butcher" carried enough weight to make one’s skin crawl.

The sound of the latch continued intermittently. Zhou Zhi intentionally let out a few snores from the inner room, then smacked his lips and stopped, creating the illusion that he was sound asleep. He then tiptoed out of the inner room, grabbed a kitchen knife from the chopping board, and stood behind the door with a cold, grim expression.

His plan was simple: the moment the thief managed to slide the bolt open, he would swing the kitchen knife at him before the intruder could even step inside, catching him completely off guard.