‘First of all, I need to create a good environment so Father can focus on his studies without any distractions. I also have to make sure he gets enough nutrition—milk, walnuts, dried fruits, sea fish—none of these can be left out.’

Henry Carter squatted on the stool he had managed to set up, counting on his fingers for a while, when suddenly he burst into tears with a heartbroken wail.

“What is all this? Who’s the main character and who’s the supporting role here? Who’s the real father and who’s the son?”

He kept muttering and calculating through his tears: “Right, there’s another expense I can’t cut. Second Master Carter has to host a literary gathering every now and then, and might even need to sign up for extra classes—that’s no small expense either.”

Because what Henry Carter knew in advance was only the first Four Books essay topic for the provincial exam in Ying Tian.

Generally speaking, when people talk about the provincial or metropolitan exam questions of a certain year, they’re usually referring to this first Four Books essay. That’s because the chief examiner always uses the quality of this eight-legged essay to determine the candidates’ general ranking. But after all, the provincial exam has three rounds. Besides this first topic, there are six more essays, as well as various argumentations, judgments, and policy proposals... All of these were things Henry Carter had never studied before, and now Edward Carter would have to rely on his own abilities.

For all the essays after the first, at the very least, the writing must be coherent and the viewpoints must not contradict the court’s stance—only then can they pass muster.

So shutting oneself away to study is absolutely not feasible. You have to go out, bring in new ideas, and keep your thinking lively to write good essays. At the very least, you need to make a name for yourself among the current candidates.

You have to know, before the provincial exam, there’s a life-or-death qualifying test. For that one, you don’t get to write anonymously—it’s all about showing your face in front of the old masters!

If you don’t build up some reputation, who’s going to know you?

……

After thinking it over, Henry Carter realized the number one problem to solve was money! Money! Money!

To make money, Henry Carter’s greatest advantage was, of course, his knowledge four hundred years ahead of everyone else. But given his current penniless situation, he couldn’t do big things like making glass or soap. Other methods either required cultivating a market or large investments. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn’t come up with any zero-barrier, low-cost, instant way to make money...

‘Sigh, better to keep my feet on the ground. I’ll go out for a walk another day and see if there’s a more practical way.’

Henry Carter reluctantly put aside his thoughts and focused on cleaning up.

Before he knew it, dusk had fallen, and he had just finished tidying up the east room of the main house where father and son would sleep.

Realizing he couldn’t see clearly inside, Henry Carter remembered he hadn’t bought any oil lamps or candles. Just as he was about to go out, he heard Edward Carter calling from outside the door.

“Son, your father is home!”

Chapter Fourteen: Lighting the Lamp

Hearing his father’s voice, Henry Carter hurried out to greet him.

The courtyard was much brighter than inside the house. Edward Carter stood there empty-handed, but behind him were two porters carrying large bundles.

“Just put them here,” Edward Carter instructed, having them place bedding, basins, rice, flour, and other necessities in the main room. He paid them and sent them on their way.

From the pile of household goods, Henry Carter finally managed to find two candles, but then he didn’t know what to do next.

“Don’t tell me you can’t do it? Not to brag, but your father still knows how to light a fire.”

Edward Carter grinned proudly and took a paper packet from his sleeve. When he unfolded it, inside was a handful of wooden sticks as long as a tiger’s mouth.

Edward Carter held one stick in his mouth, then, like performing a magic trick, produced a flint, tinder, and fire striker. He took a small piece of tinder, pressed it into the hollow of the flint, and struck the flint hard a few times with the striker. Sparks flew into the tinder.

Henry Carter saw that although the tinder was lit, it only glowed red and didn’t produce a flame. There was no way it could light a candle.

But what happened next surprised him. Edward Carter, with the stick still in his teeth, leaned close to the tinder and gently blew. The red glow brightened, and suddenly the tip of the stick burst into flame.

‘It’s just like lighting a match,’ Henry Carter thought, dumbfounded.

Edward Carter put down the flint, took the burning stick from his mouth, and lit both candles. The main room instantly brightened.

Seeing Henry Carter still staring at the stick, Edward Carter said proudly, “This thing is called ‘qudeng’er’—in the north, they call it ‘fazhu’. It can turn hidden fire into open flame, and it’s the most convenient thing.”

Henry Carter picked up a ‘qudeng’er’ and examined it carefully in the candlelight. He saw that one end of the stick was coated with a bit of green substance. Bringing it close to his nose, he smelled a pungent sulfur odor.

“Isn’t this just a match?” Henry Carter exclaimed, holding the stick near the candlelight. The green substance instantly ignited, giving off a bright light. “I knew it…”

‘So the Ming Dynasty already had primitive matches. With a bit of improvement, it should be possible to produce real matches.’ Now, Henry Carter was looking at everything and wondering if it could be used to make money.

Lost in thought, he suddenly caught a whiff of a delicious aroma. Snapping back to reality, he saw his father taking dish after dish out of a food box and setting them on the rickety square table.

Only then did Henry Carter remember that he’d only eaten two palm-sized crispy cakes all day. He’d been so busy earlier that he hadn’t felt hungry, but now, smelling the food, he couldn’t think about anything else.